35 Things: September Update

September was good! I'm going to miss it.

This month, I did:

9. Decorate the office/playroom. Well, it's about time! It actually ended up being more of just the playroom once Dallin admitted that he didn't really use his desk in there very much. So I had a little more room to work with, which was great, because I had big plans! Here's the end result: 

I LOVE the numbered boxes. They are probably my very most favorite part. I initially had my heart set on these beauties from The Land of Nod (kind of obsessed with that store, BTW), but I ended up liking my boxes better! I followed this freezer paper stencil tutorial and put my numbers on (fairly) cheap boxes from Target. Seriously, I love them.

Other things I love about the room:

{Crayon storage. Not ideal to have to use glass baby food jars, but they were the best size. No breaks so far (knock on wood)}

{More DIY boxes, these ones from diaper boxes and Duck Tape. Very easy and awesome! One holds blocks and one holds balls}

{The reading nook. Love the rug, love the shelves, love that my girls like to sit in that chair...if only for a few minutes at a time.}

Now, the room isn't perfect. The windows let in plenty of natural light but it can be pretty dark in there at times. There also isn't a table to sit and draw at (though that might be solved this Christmas...). And of course it's a little cramped (but the girls don't complain about that). Overall, I've loved having that room. My family room hasn't complained, either.

21. Have a month-long spending freeze. Seriously, you guys, I went a whole month without buying clothes, makeup/beauty products, books, things for the house, movies, apps, etc. I also only made lunch at home (2 exceptions -- one of which was a birthday lunch). I feel really good about how I did on this goal and definitely am calling it a success!

25. Make a week's worth of freezer meals. Thanks to Pinterest, I now have 7 frozen meals in my freezer just waiting to be used. It's a good feeling. I think this is something I'd like to have at all times. They were really easy to throw together, too.

30. Read 32 books. I'm up to 25 total! This month, I read:

Bitterblue, by Kristin Cashore (book 3 of the Graceling series). A really good book with a disappointing ending. 3.5 stars.

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho. I was expecting way more of this. It was a little odd, to be honest. 3.5 stars.

31. Be completely punctual for a month. All right, let's get real here. I don't think I can say that I was perfect at this. I know, I know. But I can only think of one time when I was a few minutes late to something I really wanted to be on time to. Honestly, I think the goal should have been to just be on time to church for a month. And hey - we did that! This one is getting checked off.

I really do feel great about what I did this month. I also made some progress on some other goals that I didn't quite finish (story of my life, right?). At this point, I'm not entirely sure that I'm going to finish everything on my list. But by golly, I'm still going to try.