To Do List: 2014

Here's a lovely picture of Magenta totally enjoying her Halloween costume. You're welcome.

December 2013 Goal Updates

→ Keep up with a normal sleep schedule
Ugh, I don't know. I was doing alright, but then I wasn't. So, for all intents and purposes, we'll say I didn't achieve that goal.

→ Bake
Yes ma'am! I made Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies (soooo many!) and a Turtle Brownie thing.

→ Organize hallway closet
Nope. BUT, I was pretty sure that I wouldn't get around to doing this until early 2014 since I wanted to make sure that we had the Christmas stuff all packed up. I don't think this one was a fail, but just not really a good goal for December. Haha.

→ Decorate the apartment
Yep! Check out my awesome Christmas decorations here!

→ Plan a giveaway
I definitely have some things up my sleeve for this year. I'm excited for ya'll! Js.

→ Blog more often
I didn't blog more of my usual blog nonsense, but I think I did nicely with my Countdown to Kitschmas series.

→ Read a full book
Wow. I am disappoint. I have so many books that I'm dying to read, but nope, I did not read even one book in December. Wompwomp.

→ Decide on my next hair transformation
I'm pretty dead-set on keeping my half/half, but doing white and black instead of continuing with blue and pink. Unfortunately I haven't heard back from my friend who does my hair out here and the other lady who has an in-house salon doesn't have the necessary things, so... I'm probably going to ruin my hair by doing it myself.

→ Marathon the Die Hard movies again
You betcha! We watched the first two movies on Christmas (cos they're the Christmas ones) and finished up with movies three, four, and five the next day.

→ Curl my hair
I haven't even opened up my curling iron. Oops.

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→ Explore Kyushu
I have two more years in Japan and I want to be able to say that I saw things and went places while I was living here.

→ Cook more
So far, so good. My goal is to do at least one home cooked meal a week and I've been cooking more than not since the beginning of the year!

→ Start in-home business
My AMAZING husband got me a Kitchenaid Stand Mixer so I can start selling baked goods while we're out here. I hate having to only rely on Ryan's paycheck, plus I love to bake, so it's a win/win!

→ Keep the apartment more organized
I feel like my space is a mess and I never feel calm when things are messy.

→ Enact makeup spending ban
I need to "shop my stash" and review all of the makeup I haven't gotten to yet!

→ Yoga
I actually went to my first physical therapy appointment this morning and I'll be doing daily stretches. I'd like to upgrade to actual yoga at some point. I loved yoga when I was a teenager and I need more zen in my life.

→ Budget better & save more
Ryan and I just redid our budget at the beginning of the new year; saving more and spending less!

→ Start therapy again?
Hm. I'm still not 100% on this one yet, but I figured that I would put it on the list.

→ Start using a blog calendar/organizer instead of just making lists
I bought a binder and filled it full of organize-y printables and I'm super excited. Js.

→ Reorganize blog
I'm thinking of launching a personal blog and turning Kitsch Vixen into just a beauty/fashion blog. I'll post more about that later!

What are your plans for 2014?



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Countdown to Kitschmas: Holiday Movies

One of my all time favorite things to do to get into the holiday mood is to watch holiday movies! I mentioned in The 2013 Christmas Tag that my favorite Christmas film was The Nightmare Before Christmas as a kid, but as I've gotten older I've started to appreciate more holiday movies. This list is not in order of favorites, but the first four movies are the only favorites I have that are legitimate Christmas films. Keep in mind that I haven't seen a whole bunch of classic Christmas movies (like Love Actually, It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story)!

The Nightmare Before Christmas
Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, discovers Christmas Town, but doesn't quite understand the concept. [IMDb]

Elf
After inadvertently wreaking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S. in search of his true identity. [IMDb]

The Ref
A cat burglar is forced to take a bickering, dysfunctional family hostage on Christmas Eve. [IMDb]

The Santa Clause
When a man inadvertantly kills Santa on Christmas Eve, he finds himself magically recruited to take his place. [IMDb]

Die Hard Series
This video contains mature content & spoilers!
John McClane, officer of the NYPD, tries to save wife Holly Gennaro and several others, taken hostage by German terrorist Hans Gruber during a Christmas party at the Nakatomi Plaza in Los Angeles. [IMDb]

Red
When his peaceful life is threatened by a high-tech assassin, former black-ops agent Frank Moses reassembles his old team in a last ditch effort to survive and uncover his assailants. [IMDb]

Red 2
Retired C.I.A. agent Frank Moses reunites his unlikely team of elite operatives for a global quest to track down a missing portable nuclear device. [IMDb]

In Bruges
This video contains mature content, ableism, & fat shaming.
Guilt-stricken after a job gone wrong, hitman Ray and his partner await orders from their ruthless boss in Bruges, Belgium, the last place in the world Ray wants to be. [IMDb]

Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
A murder mystery brings together a private eye, a struggling actress, and a thief masquerading as an actor. [IMDb]

Batman Returns
When a corrupt businessman and the grotesque Penguin plot to take control of Gotham City, only Batman can stop them, while the Catwoman has her own agenda. [IMDb]


Bonus Hubby Favorite!: The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Muppet characters tell their version of the classic tale of an old and bitter miser's redemption on Christmas Eve. [IMDb]

What are your favorite films to get you into the holiday spirit? Do any from my list make it onto yours?



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December 2013 Goals

#TBT: When Ryan and I went to Elendan Gardens on Halloween of 2010. This was right before he proposed!

During November, I didn't make a list of goals and unfortunately I didn't accomplish much at all in October. My anxiety has been going up and down a whole bunch in the past few months, but I'm hoping that in December I can channel that energy into completing the stuff on this list!

Keep up with a normal sleep schedule
So far, it's not so good. Along with not accomplishing much, my anxiety has also been negatively affecting my ability to sleep (more than usual). I was told by a friend that I should pretty much just sleep when I'm tired and eventually my body should be able to regulate my schedule again. That's now my plan. I may change this goal to "revert back to a normal sleep schedule," but for now I'll keep it as is.
Bake
I really do enjoy baking, and what's a better time to do it than the holidays?! I'm thinking cookies and pies, for sure.
Organize hallway closet
Our hallway closet is a mess. We pretty much just have bits and bobs thrown in there, but since it's a super large closet with shelves and everything, it's going to get overwhelming soon if we don't figure out a system for it. I figure this will be at the end of the month when we need to pack up our Christmas stuff.
Decorate the apartment
Hooray for this being our first Christmas living in our own place together! We can't really go all out like we'd like to because of budgeting (since we literally are starting at zero Christmas decorations), but even just stringing up some lights, adding a wreath to the door, and putting together the tree will do!
Plan a giveaway
I've been storing some things away for my next giveaway and I'd like to do one before the end of this year!
Blog more often
Again, this is something very much affected by my anxiety. I've been planning out posts and taking pictures of things, but I need to get everything together. I'm working on a bunch of holiday-themed stuff for Kitsch Vixen right now though! (It hasn't all been my anxiety! I've been having trouble with lighting in my pictures, my skin acting weird, the skin tag under my eye, and still trying to perfect close up shots without a close up lens for my camera. This month will be better, I'm optimistic!)
Read a full book
I might cheat on this goal since I'm expecting a few cute holiday books. Depending on how many things I plan to do for the blog and how everything pans out, I may not have the time to get through a full length novel (I'll also blame the fact that I'm marathoning Charmed). If that's what ends up happening, I'll definitely still read a book, whether it be a super short one or a makeup book that I'm partially through already!
Decide on my next hair transformation
I'm debating whether I should keep on with the pink and blue or change it up the next time I go to get my hair done. Half black and half white has really been my dream hair for years, but I know from experience how much of a pain black can be to get out of hair if/when I want to change it up again. What do you guys think?!
Marathon the Die Hard movies again
Yep. I think I know what I'm doing on Christmas Eve! Haha.
Curl my hair
This and the previous goal are both from my 24 Before 25 list. I think that Christmas would be a great time to actually style my hair instead of just quickly brushing it and throwing it into a bun like I always do.

So, what are your goals this month?



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