Wow, November went by fast! So many good things…Thanksgiving (complete with plenty of card games for all!), our new full-time business plan for the flower farm going even better than we’d hoped, lots of fall prep work like putting in tulip and daffodil bulbs, time out in the sunshine as a family…
This year has been so good. And the funny thing is, if you would have told me at the beginning of the year what we would face, I would be shocked that I could say with all sincerity that this has been one of the best years of my life.
Truly.
Thanks to the joy that Naomi brings to our (now completed) family and the fact that all factors converged to push us to go full time with flower farming–which has been a long-time dream of ours–I’m just feeling very, very grateful. Sure, the journey here hasn’t been without its setbacks, uncertainties, and fears (soooo much fear — I feel like it’s the emotion I struggle against the very most).
But oh my goodness, what a beautiful place we’ve arrived at, and I CANNOT WAIT to see what the next year is going to bring.
And you know what? The best part is, I’ve finally reached a place in my life emotionally and mentally and spiritually and everything that even if for some reason our business plan ends up totally going south and we can’t cut it as full-time farmers, I’m still totally okay with whatever happens. To be able to have the chance to really just go for your dream? It’s the greatest gift. And I love that we’re showing our kids that we’re just going for it–that we’re not letting fear of the unknown scare us away. Because we want them to be able to feel like they can go for their own dreams…to see that hard work and total dedication really do pay off, and that being completely passionate about what you do is its own kind of marketing for your skill set.
Anyway, that’s a much deeper intro than usual to my December goals, but I’m just feeling a lot of gratitude as we head into this final month of this most momentous year.
Here’s how November’s goals shook out, though:
November Goals
- Transplant lilies
- We got so busy with selling compost and doing other prep work in November that we just couldn’t get around to this one. Our December is looking weirdly mild though, so there is a *slight* possibility we might be able to still do this before spring. Fingers crossed.
- Finish planting high tunnel
- We partly got this one crossed off. I planted all the rest of the ranunculus and anemones, but we have to finish weeding the last row before I can direct sow the rest. Rollover goal.
Top dress everything with compost- This was a huge job, as our new planting area is about 10X of what we’ve been planting, but we were able to get it done! And it looks amazing. There’s nothing that rivals the beauty of a weed-free, composted bed all ready for hunkering down for the winter. I love it so much.
- Finalize list for Christmas +
start making purchases- I finalized half the list, then lost steam. I’ve bought about half of what I need to, and now I just need to make myself sit down and finish the rest. And ASAP.
Minimize three areas/rooms on master list- My Minimalist by 2024 Challenge took a major backseat for October and a good part of November, but I was able to knock off some big projects at the very end, like my entire kitchen pantry and my son’s “workshop” area, which was getting totally out of hand. I don’t know that I’ll be able to fully get through the checklist by the end of the year, but I’m sure going to try!
- Publish three blog posts that aren’t Weekly Frugal wins
- Didn’t quite get there. It will be interesting to see how I’ll be able to fit in blogging in the future now that we’re going full time with the farm. It might be that I have slightly more time to blog since Matt is around, but I’m guessing that’s wishful thinking — other than winter, I think I’ll be impressed with myself for just keeping up with once-a-week posting. But there’s no reason I can’t still try!
- Finish 3 books
- I’ve definitely slipped out of the reading habit, and it shows. I’m in the middle of 11 (!) books currently, but I’m not finishing a one. I’ve already been better the past few days though, and I’m making some serious progress on a couple, so I’m leaving this on the list for December.
I’m keeping my goals for December exceedingly simple — enjoy Christmas, focus on my Minimalist by 2024 goal, wrap up the last few loose ends on flower farming stuff, and that’s it.
I’m mostly looking forward to a very well-deserved break!
December Goals
- Finish Minimalist by 2024 Challenge
- Like I said, this might be a bit of a stretch since I got so far behind in October and November, but I’m still going to try! I can’t believe how much of a difference it’s already made, and I’m probably only about halfway through.
- Clean out fridge
- Because it’s been a couple months, and it’s pretty bad.
- Direct sow high tunnel
- Rollover goal.
- Transplant lilies
- This is totally dependent on weather, but I’m leaving it on here just in case.
- Publish four blog posts that aren’t Weekly Frugal Wins
- I love blogging in December and January because I’m all about fun recap and “best of” posts, as well as all the goal-oriented stuff of a new year. Hopefully this shouldn’t be too hard of a goal to cross off!
- Finish 3 books
- If I wanted to be on track with my original goal of reading 36 books for this year, I’d have to finish 17 books this month (ha ha). But I’ll just set the bar at three and be proud of myself if I exceed it 🙂
I hope you have a beautiful final month of the year and that you can look back on 2023 and see a year full of growth and goodness, despite any setbacks or trials you may have had. I also hope you know that I sure appreciate you continuing to show up here and sharing our journey with us!
