2021 Goals, Intentions, Plans, Strategies, Hopeful Desires, the Annual To-Do List, Kitchen Sink Included, Etc.

Let’s not call these ideas “resolutions.” We all know resolutions have a bad reputation. This is going to be another one of my “living documents” that I’ll keep updating all through the year 2021. That’s the plan, anyhow. It is of course dependent on various factors, like having a computer and electricity and internet connection. If life continues as it has been, I might keep updating this until the end of the year. I guess after the forest fire in September, I’m not counting on anything to continue… just hoping it will.

I’m dividing my intentions into seven categories. I may add to this. I may delete things. That’s the beauty of having a living document. It is flexible and subject to change so long as my year may last. I don’t know anyone else who blogs like this. It is just me – this is what I like to do and how I want to do it. In my dreams this will become a very long document as things get done throughout the year.

Art and Creativity

1. Cargo Trailer Transformation. My #1 intention is to develop a creativity center and art studio inside my cargo trailer. My home was destroyed in a fire in September and my so-called art studio table along with that, so I need an art place. The cargo trailer looks like the right place. Unfortunately after the three months of upheaval and displacement after the fire, my cargo trailer is cluttered and things are stored in there in a rather messy way. I need to clean it out and then make it into a place I can work in. I have no idea what to do with the things that are stored in there. There’s no way I can bring everything into this little travel trailer. I don’t like to live in clutter. Looks like I’ll be giving more things away.

RESULTS: Less than stellar results on this goal. I repacked the entire cargo trailer during the early summer months, and made room at the front for my art studio. I bought some things to put in there like a cutting mat and lamps. I was shopping for a nice rug to make it more homey – one I wouldn’t mind spilling paint or whatever on. But then there was another fire scare, and the sheriff came to town telling us we were on an evacuation warning – and to get ready. That caused me to stuff more things into the cargo trailer, and take it out of it’s safe storage place behind my trailer. My son relocated it to my property for me (the property with no house because it burned in 2020). He repacked the whole thing there and now it is not usable for anything but storage. No art studio. But I do have a new idea for it. I have had visions of having a personal folk art gallery for art sales, and it just occurred to me that I could do that in the cargo trailer after the house is built, which may happen in 2022. So as soon as I can I want to install wood panels and hang folk art in there to take to various locations where I might be able to sell it.

2. Habits. Develop daily painting and sketching habits. It all takes time . . . I have to be willing to devote my time to my art.

RESULTS: This is finally coming to pass toward the end of the year. I’m now making great progress with developing skills and inventory.

3. The Adventures in Creativity YouTube Channel. Develop and implement a video strategy for my art channel. I haven’t posted there in eight months, choosing to focus instead on Booktube. I’d like to have a strategy that includes all my channels in 2021.

RESULTS: I still have not added to that channel… I’m still living in a travel trailer and feel like I don’t have the right setup and location for making art videos. I haven’t given up on the idea, in case I get a house built this coming year.

4. Paint bird faces. Just something to focus on this year in my art. Why? I prayed about it and the Lord inspired me with this idea. My first experiments with bird faces turned out well enough.

RESULTS: Painted only one bird. what a slacker I am. I should paint more bird faces. They are such fun, and an amazing creation of the Lord!

Blogging and the Business of Blogging

This deserves more thought than I’ve given to it so far. It is also very complex as I have several blogs. More information later, perhaps.

RESULTS: I’m adding to some blogs and merely maintaining others.

Bookish Adventures

1. Reading Challenges. There are only five reading challenges I want to participate in this year. I may add one or two more, but don’t want to add so many that it would interfere with completing the most important challenge, to me, which is the first reading challenge listed here.

The 2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge (50 books)
The 2021 Newbery Variety Challenge on Goodreads (up to 16 books)
The 2021 Irish Readathon in March (3 or 4 books)
The 2021 Asian Readathon in May (3 or 4 books)
The 2021 Nonfiction November (3 or 4 books)

RESULTS: End of year, 12/27/21 – I’m almost done with the 2021 PopSugar Reading Challenge. I have less than 1/2 small book left. I did not do the other challenges. I didn’t want to stress myself out.

2. Booktube. The other side of my bookish life is sharing on this blog or on my Booktube channel. I want to develop and implement a strategy for this. More information will hopefully be posted about this later. My Booktube channel thus far is not a money making endeavor; I have only about 600 subscribers right now and need at least 1000 subscribers and 4000 hours watch time to be able to make money at YouTube.

RESULTS: I didn’t add much to my Booktube subscriber base this year. Wish I had done better. I made only 34 videos this year; wish I’d done more. That’s about 1 video every 10 days… but I haven’t made any in December. I feel unmotivated.

My Life as a Christian

1. Bible reading. This is the bedrock of a Christian life. I need to get to know the Lord better by reading what is in the Bible. “…prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” – 2 Peter 2:21

RESULTS: So important, but my Bible reading regularity has dropped off since the beginning of the year and that’s something I want to work on more.

2. Bible study. I’m loving my women’s Bible study online. We meet on Facebook Live. Our members are in Florida, Maine, New Mexico, and California (me). My goal is to be consistent about being involved with this group during the coming year. Also I want to develop some Bible study plans to implement in my new home when it becomes a reality… or here around town somewhere, somehow.

RESULTS: The online women’s Bible study group stopped last summer, though I keep in touch with those women via Facebook and email.

3. Intercessory prayer. This is my heartfelt desire, to pray for others. I don’t know how to organize something like that, but I do belong to two groups online that post prayer requests.

RESULTS: Still striving and responding to prayer requests.

4. That project. (Top Secret) – one new blog post and one new video each month.

RESULTS: Wow. what was that all about? I shouldn’t keep secrets from myself. Maybe I’ll go reread my January journal to see if I wrote down something about this mysterious project which I apparently failed at. I’ve been so displaced and unsettled this year – I am not surprised.

5. Journaling. Daily use of the Prayerful Journal and the Prayerful Planner. I love these books and how they keep my thinking on track and directed toward the Lord.

RESULTS: My use of the Prayerful Planner was/is successful. Still going strong at the end of the year and I’m expecting to do the same in 2022.

6. YouTube channel. My Christian YouTube channel is called Redeemed in Love. Here’s one of my favorite videos that I made for that channel.

RESULTS: Here’s another YouTube channel I still want to make more videos for.

Health, Food and Diet

1. Diet. I need to get back to eating sensibly. With the covid isolation and the forest fire disruption … my eating went out of control and I need to cut back. I need to lose that extra weight. I don’t even know how much weight as I haven’t stepped on a scale in a few months. Avoidance!

RESULTS: I bought a scale, but did not lose the weight. Still trying to control comfort eating habits. Apostle Paul wrote: “I discipline my body and bring it under subjection.” (1 Corinthians 9:27) … good idea.

2. Reading. Read The Daniel Plan by Pastor Rick. I’ve had this book for a few years and haven’t used it. I also have the study guide. I’m not sure if I rescued the DVDs from the fire.

RESULTS: I still haven’t read it. Maybe in 2022?

3. Journaling. Keep a health and food journal. YES… record everything to keep these thoughts in front of me.

RESULTS: No… really need to do that.

4. Food Supplements. Develop a strategy for using supplements. In other words, be more organized and consistent about it.

RESULTS: YES… something I actually did. I made a spreadsheet listing all my supplements and each health issue they help with. I think the supplements are helping me control my eating. I believe that healthy food and supplements make me feel healthier and so I have fewer cravings for foods that aren’t good for me.

5. Blogging. I’m blogging more about this at Country Kitchen Pantry, where I’ll probably record more as the year goes on.

RESULTS: No, didn’t do it. I should try that.

Home Sweet Home

1. Home Building. Choose a building strategy for my fire ravaged half acre. Right now my ideal home looks like this, with a big front porch. I like that it is small because it will cost less to heat and cool.

RESULTS: I don’t have enough money for even a small mobile home right now and am not interested in using my (paid for) property as collateral – so I applied for a home replacement grant and am still waiting to hear whether I’ll get that.

2. Build. Implement the building strategy as much as possible. In other words, get it done if possible in 2021.

RESULTS: Maybe in 2022. I’m letting my daughter and her family move onto the property.. in a trailer. They should help me redevelop the property… I want a food forest between my home and theirs.

3. Inhabit. Move back onto my property when it is cleaned up by the state and county… even if I have to do it in a travel trailer.

RESULTS: The fire debris (old mobile home, carport, shed) was cleared off the property back around April… but I’ve not been able to move back yet. My daughter did get a camping permit to live there in a RV or trailer.

4. Decor. Choose a color scheme for the interior so I don’t buy a lot of things I don’t need. This seems to be an issue for me. I have things of all colors and I want to be more intentional about how I decorate this time.

RESULTS: Here are the colors I chose for the exterior of the house. I may use the same colors inside. Of course my bedroom will be pink and green, my favorite colors. The photo is from the Behr Paint website.

Travel Around Adventures

1. Van Travel. Plan and go on at least six short journeys, mainly within California. Once, back to Idaho perhaps. By “short journey” I’m thinking a week or two would be plenty. I’m waiting for covid fear to go away so that I can enjoy traveling in a free society. I don’t want to get to a destination only to be confronted with closed restaurants, closed tourist attractions and museums, and frightened people wishing out-of-town people would go home.

RESULTS: Well, covid fear never went away. We got delta then omicron. I haven’t had any, personally, fortunately. I did however go south to Southern California to visit my sister for a bittersweet journey… as her husband passed away in July and she planned the memorial service for the end of September. I visited my son in Reno on the way home.

2. Travel blogging. This is one of my main reasons for wanting to travel. I want to blog about the places I go to. I want to travel in California to write on my blog, Journey California.

RESULTS: I don’t slow down enough to write and blog. I wish I would. I should.

3. YouTube channel development. My channel is called Travel Around. As of the first of the year, I have only three videos there. There are three other channels with the same name so I might be changing my channel name.

RESULTS: No progress except one video of a local landslide with road under repair. It was repaired nicely and already has slid again.

4. Build Out. Change cargo van into a camper van. I bought the cargo van with the intention of turning it into a camper van. Thus far, my plans haven’t been realized. I need to get right on it, to make it more comfortable for my journeys.

RESULTS: I tried. I worked on plans with a few workmen, bought lots of expensive things to include in the build, and then nothing happened. I think this is God’s way of telling me He wants me to wait on that and focus just on getting a house built. I’m getting a lot more positive vibes around the house building project.