2019 Goals

1. Clean 20 minutes a day.

2. Get rid of one thing a day and donate to a thrift store.

3. Go on 9 new trips. One for every month we are still living in Italy.

4. Save $5 a day.

5. Read 10 books. I know .... only 10, less than one a month but guys I only read 6 books last year!

6. Get a new phone

7. Send birthday cards to all of my close family members.

8. Fix car door

9. Finish giant Europe photobook

10. Make DVDs for years 2017 and 2018

11. Make four homemade meals a week .. at least

12. Get my Bachelor's degree and walk in the graduation ceremony

13. Move back to the USA

14. Finish 2 DIY Christmas advent calendars by November

15. Take one photo a month of Knox, Clark and I

16. Travel to 6 new countries. Ideas: Israel, Egypt, Switzerland, Malta, Croatia, Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, Slovakia.

A look back at 2018

Hi all, a new year is upon us. I don't know why but usually instead of feeling excitement and like anything is possible I just feel overwhelm in the new year. But it has been going good so far and I wanted to take a minute to recap 2018 month by month and also my goals for 2018 which are at the end of the post. I will my new goals for 2018 later this week! 

January- One of my really good friends from home (she was a bridesmaid at my wedding) came to visit she was in Germany and took a short trip down to see us! I went to Kraków, Poland and Auschwitz concentration camp with a different friend. I also started BBG and did 3 full rounds in 2018. I am gonna get back into it. I really loved it. And it also snowed in Naples!

February- Clark and I went to Barcelona for a long weekend (had some of the best cinnamon rolls) and hit up a another country Andorra. We also did a Whole30. 

March- I went to Brugge Belgium with a good friend and her daughter. Clark and I went to the Vatican to witness Palm Sunday with Pope Francis.

April- Clark and I took the train to Florence and then out to Pisa and Cinque Terre for a really long weekend! We had lots of fun with friends at a rooftop gathering and an 80s party. Also, poppies bloomed everywhere.

May- I had a long stop over on my way to the USA to visit family. I stayed for 3 weeks and got to watch my little bros play in the baseball state championship. I also got to see Taylor Swift on her Reputation tour in Seattle and it was amazing!

June- was back in Italy eating good Italian food. Clark and I went to Portugal and southern Spain for a week and even hit up Gibraltar! At the end of June my friend and I flew to North Italy and explored the Dolomites, Lake Siremone, Verona, and Venice. We also had a boat day with our friends on the Amalfi Coast. 

July- clark and I went to Puglia Italy for a long weekend. We ate in a cave (the most expensive meal of our lives) and we jumped into caves as well! We saw Post Malone in concert with some friends.  And I took myself on a road trip to San Marino for a few days.

August- celebrated Knox’s 5th birthday! I traveled solo to Helsinki, Finland and Tallinn, Estonia. Explored naples with a friend.

September- had a couple of beach days. And I traveled solo to Nice France and Monaco.

October- my friend and I went to Paris France and it was amazing the second time too. Clark and I went to Capri, Italy on a day tour. And we had an epic Halloween costume as usual ;).

November- clark and I went to our first Napoli football (soccer ⚽️) game. We had some of the best pizza in the world at Pepe in Grani and Gino Sorbillos. And then we traveled to Morocco for 8 days and had one of the best trips ever!

December- I got to see a good friend that was visiting from Hawaii. We went to Berlin Germany and took our friends to another Napoli soccer game. And ended the year with our friends over looking the Mediterranean Sea in Pozzuoli watching fireworks and drinking champagne.

Goals revisited:

1. Read 5 books and add to my book collection. I know 5 books is so weak but I haven't read a whole book in forever so reading 5 seems like a do-able goal. Yes.. I read 6 books this year: 
The Couple Next Door
Smart Couples Finish Rich
Girls and Sex
The Green Mile 
I almost forgot about you 
Wild 

2. Go on 10 trips this year. 8 small 3-4 day trips and 2 big 7-10 day trips (not including back to USA)

Yes:

Krakow, Poland- 3 days

Barcelona/Andorra - 4 days

Brugge, Belgium - 4 days

Florence & Cinque Terre Italy - 4 days

Portugal/Spain/Gibraltar - 8 days

Venice, Verona, Lake Garda - 4 days

Puglia, Italy - 4 days

San Marino - 3 days 

Finland and Estonia - 5 days 

Nice, France and Monaco - 3 days 

Paris, France- 3 days 

Morocco- 8 days 

Berlin, Germany- 3 days 

3. Finish 2018 with a 3.5+ GPA in all my college classes. (YES!)

4. Go back to USA and visit family. Check

5. Go to one concert. Check (Two: Taylor Swift and Post Malone)

6. Turn hangers around in closet and only turn them back around when I have worn that item of clothing. At the end of the year the hangers still not turned around: donate those clothes. (YES)

7. Print more physical photos! No but I have a whole folder on my computer of just photos to print. 

8. Continue recording 1 Second Everyday. Check! 

9. Keep up with house cleaning better: i.e. washing sheets more often, vacuum more, mow lawn more regularly, etc. Still working on this. I did wash our bedsheets more often. 

10. Save money. Yes. We started putting more in our retirement account every month. 

11. Visit 6 new countries. (Kind of in line with the trips goal but want to make sure I go to new countries.) Portugal, Spain, San Marino, Monaco, Morocco, Finland, Estonia. 

12. Go on another solo Europe trip. Yes: I went to Helsinki, Finland. Tallinn, Estonia. San Marino. And Nice, France by myself. 

13. Take photos and share my living room makeover. I didn't do this. 

Goals for my 26th year!

Okay my birthday was this month and I didn't want to do my usual 26 before 27 or whatever like I have the last couple of years. Mostly because I don't have 26 solid goals for this year and usually I just end up making stuff up that I don't necessarily care about doing. So yeah not the best use of time when thinking about the future. So instead I am just going to share some of my goals for my 26th year of life. These are a lot of the same goals I have for 2018 and it is funny I honestly thought I posted a list of my 2018 goals but I went back and looked and I did not so here we are.

1. Read 5 books and add to my book collection. I know 5 books is so weak but I haven't read a whole book in forever so reading 5 seems like a do-able goal.

2. Go on 10 trips this year. 8 small 3-4 day trips and 2 big 7-10 day trips (not including back to USA)
Small done:
Krakow, Poland- 3 days
Barcelona/Andorra - 4 days
Brugge, Belgium - 4 days
Florence & Cinque Terre Italy - 4 days
Portugal/Spain/Gibraltar - 8 days
Venice, Verona, Lake Garda - 4 days

3. Finish 2018 with a 3.5+ GPA in all my college classes.

4. Go back to USA and visit family.

5. Go to one concert.

6. Turn hangers around in closet and only turn them back around when I have worn that item of clothing. At the end of the year the hangers still not turned around: donate those clothes.

7. Print more physical photos!

8. Continue recording 1 Second Everyday

9. Keep up with house cleaning better: i.e. washing sheets more often, vacuum more, mow lawn more regularly, etc.

10. Save money.

11. Visit 6 new countries. (Kind of in line with the trips goal but want to make sure I go to new countries.) Portugal, Spain.

12. Go on another solo Europe trip.

13. Take photos and share my living room makeover.


My last goal list 25 before 26. I didn't get everything accomplished but I feel really good about the stuff I did. It was a great year.

25 before 26

Before I talk about my goals for this year let's revisit my goals from last year. So I did actually accomplish the majority of my goals from last year. A big one being moving to Italy. Some of the things I didn't accomplish are being brought over to this year for example Finish my Italian Duolingo tree, updating my website, and reading. I tried to make some of my goals a little more specific this year instead of broad like "become fluent in Italian" which can be really broad and differ depending on who you ask. So I tried to make more trackable goals.

Anyways, as most of you know I broke my leg back in November so my main goal for this year is to become 100% health again and that means doing 1 hour or more of PT a day. I also want to travel so much more this year. After breaking my leg and spending about 4 months in the states I realize how valuable my time in Italy is and it was going by fast even when I was there enjoying it. So I am ready to get back and be with my husband and dog. Here are my 25 goals before I turn 26.

1. Travel to 6 new countries.
-Greece, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Germany, France, Romania, Czech Republic, Denmark, Sweden

2. Take the train to Florence, Italy

3. Get Knox his pet passport.

4. Decorate house.
     -Paint walls in bedroom & living room, gallery wall in bedroom etc.

5. Rent a car and not have to pay the underage fee!!!!!!!!!

6. Buy plants for garden and house.

7. Design 5 new mugs
Bear, Hippo, Cow, Koala, Camel (this one didn't make it to the shop yet)

8. Travel somewhere solo
Yes to Denmark and Sweden

9. Go to a Napoli soccer game

10. Read 15 books Yes, if you include college books which I am.

11. Finish Italian Duolingo tree

12. Do PT (physical therapy) twice a week. Yes I did this until they said they did't need to see me anymore.

13. Make my own e-commerce site

14. Write my nighttime dreams down in a journal when I wake up

15. Record 1SE

16. Have 6000 sales in my Etsy shop (almost 5900!)

17. Expand my shop with more product(s). Ideas: (tea towels, tote bags, coasters, washi tape, wrapping paper, notepads, calendars etc.)

18. Save money.

19. Open a Society 6 account and sell products there.

20. Continue to form personal relationships with new friends and our landlords (meaning plan dates, things to do with each of them once a month)

21. Get a King Size bed

22. Remove "like" from my vocabulary. Unless I am using it how it is suppose to be used.

23. Write for 1 hour 3 days a week. (For novel preferably but anything will do.)

24. Send all my friends and family cards on their birthdays!

25. 20 new cases in my Casetify shop by this time next year. (already added 5 new abstract cases)

Last updated on February 20, 2018

Spring & Summer Intentions

Durham Bulls baseball game summer 2014, homemade peach ice cream at Kiwila Farm, Kure Beach summer 2015, St. Croix August '15, North Carolina summer storm, Raven Rock State Park summer '15. 

1. Swim in the lake or river or ocean
2. Walk to get ice cream at least once
3. Watch a baseball game
4. Take underwater photos
5. Go strawberry picking
6. Take a road trip.
7. Make s'mores
8. Carve our names in a tree in Fayetteville, NC
9. Spring Clean.
10. Go to the antique festival.

I am combining my spring and summer intention lists for this year because well I think its going to be a rather busy spring/summer over in these parts and I don't want to make to make lavish goals or plans but here are a few things that I would love to do this spring/summer. If I only get a few accomplished then that will be okay too any progress is good progress! 
love, Carlee 

Updated June 2nd 2016

24 before 25

1. Become fluent in Italian

2. Successfully move to Italy. We have our orders! Looks like we are officially going!! Yippee.

3. Read 20 books at least

4. Get Knox down to 65lbs (currently at 72)

5. Start a new quote book

6. Visit one new North Carolina State Park

7. Travel to 4 new countries.We are up to 8 right now. UK, Ireland, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Spain, Vatican City, and of course Italy.

8. Finish my Italian Duolingo tree.

9. Successfully transition my Little Sloth shop to run in the US while I am living in Italy. Meaning having a print shop and a shipping company.

10.Write 50 letters to friends and family. Finished this one, but only if sending out Christmas cards counts. haha. I am counting it!

11. Make 6 new designs for mugs in my shop. Grumpy Cat, Frog, Cow, Unicorn, Strong Men, Sheep, Pirate.  Shop them all here. 

12. Go on 10 dates with Clark (new things we've never done or things we've only done a couple times)

13. Save a certain amount in our saving account by July & Also save a certain amount in my business account by July.

14. Take 3 year anniversary photos with clark in July but do underwater photos in a pool!

15.Contine scrapbooking in 2016 but instead of 8 pages a month like I did in 2015 only do 4 pages a month.

16. Finish 2 paint by numbers.

17. Have a new product in my shop by the end March Enamel Pins!!!

18. Start writing a novel

19. Update my website and also maybe change it to a new hosting platform. But probably not until the middle of the year.

20. 6,000 sales in my shop by this time next year.

21. Make a home movie. I have a bunch of video clips and I want to compile them all and burn them onto a DVD.

22. Learn how to sew/complete 3 sewing projects. My mom bought me a sewing machine for my birthday! Small quilt, pot holders, and Christmas ornaments.

23. Make a travel archives from my blog with each travel post I have done organized by area.

24. Go on at least one friend date a month.

I did want to share my goals now for my 24 before 25 since my birthday was a couple weeks ago and I didn't want to wait to long past my birthday.
love, Carlee

UPDATED: OCTOBER 20, 2016

Goals revisited: 23 before 24

Clark took this photo of me at Christmas time at his mom's house. We were all laying around watching xmas movies and I fell asleep haha. Thought it would be the perfect photo to go with my goals post ;) 

1. Get my dog to do the trick where a treat sits on his nose until I say he can have it. Like this.
Totally got him to do this about a month into 2015. Now he can even do it longer and longer. A few times he has done it where he actually flips it and catches it from his nose. It is awesome. I don't know how to get him to do it every time though. Working on it. 

2. Take photos of the wisteria this spring and an outfit post with it as the background. Here
I did take photos of the wisteria in the spring but I didn't really take outfit photos maybe this year! 

3. Do a 5K or 10K.
This is one of those goals that I didn't accomplish this year! I signed up for one in May but it got canceled but I got my money back. But this one is all on me. I should have signed up for another one but I didn't. I guess it wasn't a top priority. 

4. Go home to Washington State and visit my family. Watch my little brothers play bball, eat at the taco wagon, see old best friends.
I got to do all these things when I went home in March. I loved it. 

5. Fly somewhere new. (TRAVEL!) View my St. Croix travel guide here!
We went to St. Croix in the Caribbean and it was amazing. It was our first time in the Caribbean and to the Virgin Islands. I would definitely recommend St. Croix its awesome. 

6. Get my passport updated with new last name Here.
Yep. It was about time I did this. After 2 years of being married. 

7. Have a certain dollar amount in my business bank account at the end of 2015. (It’s a secret. You wouldn’t understand. Jk. But I have it written down, it’s a personal goal.)
Yep. I was actually nervous about this because in November I bought a new computer for my business and as you might know computers take up a chuck of change but December was a really good month business wise so I ended up with my goal by the end of the year. But it was really down to the wire. 

8. Logo Redesign/Blog and Shop makeover. Yep
I did make over my Etsy shop and blog but I still haven't updated my website. Which is horrible. It is in Wordpress and I am totally not used to it so every time I go to update I have to relearn everything and it takes a long time. But I just need to do it. A new goal for 2016. 

9. Visit 2 new State Parks in North Carolina (One of my long term goals is to visit all the NC state parks while we are stationed here) Eno River. Weymouth Woods. 
Totally did this and it was awesome! I try to explore as much as possible and I always look for new State Parks to discover because I figured if the state is wanting to preserve these places then there must be something worth while and there usually is. 

10. Visit my friend in Mississippi or Texas (she’ll be in both places) while she is at military training. This did happen and isn’t going too. :( 

11. Go to Washington DC. Yes- video here 
Clark and I went to DC over Memorial Day for 4 days. It was great. He got to explore so much and it was Clark's first time in DC and my second. We loved the zoo and riding bikes around the National Mall. I also loved the Thomas Jefferson Memorial. 

12. Make homemade biscuits and stew. Yep
Yes, not much to say about this. 

13. Get bangs (maybe.....) YEP, FINALLY DID IT! 
Totally did this in October and I loved them for a good 3 months. I still love them. But I am in the process of growing them out. I am not sure if I want to grow them 100% but I am seeing how long it takes to grow them out and fit them into my pony tail haha. It's experiment so we will see. 

14. 52 weeks of flowers on my littlesloth_ instagram. Look up hashtag #littleslothflowers
Didn't finish this. 

15. Design 12 new mugs for 2015. One each month or there about.Check out all my mugs
Yep and I hope to have 6 new mug designs in 2016 by July. So about 1 a month again. 

16. Have 4 different product in Little Sloth. Write now I have greeting cards and mugs, so have 2 more.
I didn't do this. I still only had greeting cards and mugs by the end of the year. But that's okay. I am planning on adding a new product in March. 

17. Have 1,000 followers on my business instagram  (littlesloth_)
Yes currently at 1200. I probably could be at more but I have not been posting regularly the last couple of months so I really need to get on that. 

18. Make DIY pet felt ornaments. Here.
Yes! It was my favorite DIY I have ever done and all my family loved them. I gave them to everyone for Christmas and it was the best thing ever! I am pretty sure they all thought so too so that is good. 

19. Finish a paint-by-number. Here
Yes. I think I actually ended up doing 4-5 paint-by-numbers. 

20. Complete scrapbook Down on Paper Project for the year of 2015.
Finished this up. I got a few weeks behind at points but I did finish. I didn't end up sharing all my pages on here because well I got behind and also it wasn't kind of boring to share scrapbooking pages on the blog. But the scrapbook is something I will totally love for years and years to come. I wasn't planning on doing on for 2016 but I knew I had to because I loved it so much. But instead of 8 pages a month like 2015, I am gonna do 4 pages a month in 2016. 

21. Have 4,000 sales in my Etsy shop this time next year.
Yes. I accomplished this in January of 2016 so just a month before my year was up. I am also lucky because December was a really good month for business. 

22. Get organized with Little Sloth. Stock cards and mugs. Get packaging ready before hand. Just be better organized business wise.
Yes I did pretty good on this one. I bought two new shelving units from Ikea and printed lots of stock. I have fallen behind on this recently but still better than I was. 

23. Go to a baseball game.  Post here
yep. 

So out of 23 goals for my 23rd year on earth. I got all of them accomplished except 4 so that is pretty good. I will be sharing my 24 before 25 next week! 
love, Carlee 

Winter Intentions '15-'16

(1. Methow River in Washington State. 2. The Christmas tree lot last year. 3. Knox in Christmas lights in 2013. 4. Christmas in the park 2014. 5. Boken lights. 6. Snoqualmie pass last year.)

1. Make Christmas cookies(12.5.15)
2. Go skiing
3. Go home to WA for xmas
4. Show my Dad, stepmom, and little bro a good time when they come to visit in January.
5. Take photos in the snow
6. Have a party with the whole family when we go home for the holidays
7. Make Christmas candy with my mom
8. Make a snowman
9. Watch all the holiday movies
10. Make a gingerbread house
11. Knox photo with Santa(12.8.15)

Things to do in North Carolina before we move

I thought I would publish this list so I am more accountable! I have had it as a draft for about 3 months and it will continue to be a running list of things I want to do and have done! If all goes as planned we will be moving from North Carolina in about 4 months and I want to make sure I do all the things I can while here! Photos below are all mine from places in NC we have been over the last 2 1/2 years! 

1. Go to the beach again.
2. Go to a Bull Durham game
3. Get Duck Donuts
4. Get ice cream at Kilwin’s in Wilmington
5. Eat at Lindy’s
6. Go to the Mountains
7. See all the NC lighthouses
8. Go to the zoo again
9. Will’s Grill in Fayetteville
10. Carowinds in Charlotte
11. Pollen Park - Raliegh
12. Carolina Panthers Football
13. Wild horses
14. NC state fair
15. NC BBQ
16. Kalawi Farms Ice Cream
17. Baldy Island Lighthouse
18. Corolla Lighthouse
19. Eat at Texas Roadhouse
20. Eat at Jersey Mikes
21. Antique Festival
22. Cape Fear River
23. Gross Farms
24. Fairview Dairy Bar
25. Devils Tromping Ground
26. Arlie Gardens Wilmington
27. Sliding Rock
28. Fort Fisher
29. Aquarium
30. Southport NC
31. Henderson NC Drive in Movie
32. Daniel Boone Roanoke Rapids
33. Giant Head Charlotte
34. Chimney Rock
35. Civil War reenactment
36. Jockey Ridge State Park
37. Hubbs Corn Maze
38. Carolina Tiger Rescue
39. Explore Pittsboro
40. IKEA in Charlotte
41....

Some things are definitely repeats that I just want to do again!

Last updated March, 16 2016

Autunm intentions 2015

1: Clark, Knox, and I in North Carolina (October 2013) the first fall we were in NC. 2: Halloween cookies my mom sent me when I was in college fall 2012. 3. Picking out pumpkins fall 2014. 4. In Washington State fall 2012. 5: November 2014 in NYC!!!! #thebest 6: Pretty leaves fall 2012. 

1. Dress up in Halloween costumes
2. Make a pie
3. Go to a fair or carnival (9.18.15)
4. Carve pumpkins
5. Watch a scary movie
6. Make Halloween cookies
7. Go to the pumpkin patch (10.11.15)
8. Celebrate Clark’s birthday in September (9.20.15 & 9.21.15)
9. Take a mini trip somewhere
10. Make homemade: banana bread (9.19.15) biscuits & gravy (10.3.15) or gingersnaps (10.6.15)

One of my favorite things I have been doing it making little goal list at the start of each season. They aren’t things that are must do’s, they are just things I would love to do and are usually very season specific. Here is my list for this upcoming fall! Here is my list for this past summer if you are interested.
Here in NC the weather is still high 80s but yesterday it felt really nice. Like 75-80 and I felt like I could wear a sweatshirt in the morning. Anyways, we have a ways to go until fall REALLY kicks in but I am excited to enjoy the end of summer:)
love, Carlee

Summer Intentions 2015

Hey so I was thinking about some stuff I wanted to do this summer and most of the stuff is classic summer stuff and stuff that was also on my list last year but I wanted to share it here again today! Below are some of my favorite photos from summers past. 

1. Swimming in the pool in our hometown in WA when we were in high school. 2. Last summer in Myrtle Beach. 3. At Wrightsville Beach with Clark’s Mom last year. 4. Fruity drinks at the beach. 5. Lulu’s in Myrtle Beach. 6. Camping on Labor Day weekend last year at Jordan Lake.  

1. Go to a Durham Bulls baseball game (7.4.15)

2. Watch fireworks (7.4.15)

3. Swim in the river

4. Go to the beach (8.14.15 in St. Croix)

5. Take photobooth photos with Clark  (July)

6. Take 2nd year anniversary photos (6.22.15)

7. Light sparklers and dance around (6.29.15)

8. Pool party / BBQ with friends

9. Goodbye get together with our friends that are moving. (8.10.15)

10. Make a 4th of July hat for Knox 


Have any goals or intentions for this summer?
love, Carlee