#45 New Cut and Color

I cut my hair for Pantene Beautiful Lengths and went pretty drastic. I lost 8+ inches and went blonde with pink highlights. This was something that was pretty (ok, extremely) hard for me to do. Yeah, I know it's just hair, but I am one who always worries about what other people will think of me.

I first wanted to color my hair pink back in middle school. It only took 15 years, but I finally did it. I was still worried about what others would think, but I needed to do this for ME. And you know what? I LOVE it! It was more than just about the hair for me, it was about not caring so much what other people think about me and doing what I want to do - something that is extremely difficult for me.

I love it and plan to keep it up. I just wish that the pink wouldn't fade so fast. Anyone have any ideas on how to make it stay?

***ETA: I'll consider my PBL donation complete when I finally get it in the mail. I'm such a slacker.

#24 SIL's Final Stage Performance

SIL is an amazing dancer and the stage is going to miss her greatly. She has decided at the ripe, old age of 20, that large productions just aren't her thing and that she would rather focus on what he wants to do with her life. She will continue dancing, but wants to get her degree and do dance therapy. HOW COOL IS THAT? I'm so happy for and proud of her.

The performance was amazing. We had fantastic seats in the second row. I expected it to be good, but I didn't expect a Broadway style performance, which is what we got. A-MAZ-ING! The talent in that group of performers (both singers and dancers) is just phenomenal. SIL was in several numbers (7, I think), but there were two that were especially heartwarming for me. The first was a ballet number - think long tu-tu's and point. I looked at her and just thought about how she was living every little girls dream. The second was her last number, in which the entire cast was on the stage doing what they do best.

I'm so thrilled that we got to be there for her big night. She is an amazing dancer.

#83 I Found an Old Friend!

I'm so excited! I have been trying to find my friend TM (I now know she is TF) for about 5-6 years. The past few weeks I've really felt like I just HAD to find her. So, I pay some online sites for her information and none of them were current. I finally found her parents phone number (yes, I did try that first, but could never get them and they didn't have an answering machine). So, tonight I called the number for about the 5th time this week and I'm SHOCKED when the phone is picked up.

"Is this B_____ M____?"
"Yes...."
"Hi, This is _____ ______, I went to high school with T and would really like to get in contact with her."
"Who did you say this was?"
"_____ _____"
"Oh, I remember that name. Here is her phone number. [insert number] I'd wait to call until the weekend since she is usually asleep around 8:30."
"Thank you SO much. I'll wait until the weekend to contact her then. How is she doing?"

We continue to talk for a few minutes and she remembers who I am...I think, then I get off the phone. She reminds me to wait until the weekend and I reassure her I will wait.

I get off the phone, look at her number and say, "I can't wait any longer! I've waiting 6 years and I'm not waiting any more." So I called and we talked for an hour. We are planning to see one another this summer when we go visit my IL's. We will meet half way since she is in the next state.

I'm so excited. It was wonderful talking to her. She has 2 sons and a husband and is still in the military. She is working on her bachelors degree and hopes to apply for OCS. I really hope we stay in contact now. It made me heart so happy to talk to her.

She was amazed at the lengths I went to in order to find her and was SO happy I did. I am too. I don't talk to people from my past very often. In all honesty, I have really kept up with anyone from my PH days (pre-hubby). Sad, really. I honestly think it's because I never let anyone get that close after a while. I held a lot of people back at arms length.

Anyway...I'm so happy that she was the first person I found. It did me a world of good to know she is well and is accomplishing so much with her life.

#49a Get Eyes Checked

Hmm...so I got my eyes checked today...kind of. I didn't walk out with a rx b/c he dx me with acute allergic conjunctivitis. Dr. Shank told me that I wouldn't be allowed to wear contacts any more because I am allergic to the proteins in the eye cleanser. I took his word for it and left with my free sample of Restasis and my rx for my steroid treatment with a follow up appt scheduled for Dec. 2. So I just sit down at the computer and do some research. Sure, I could very well be allergic to the eye cleanser, but there are any number of other causes. How did he know that was the cause when I haven't worn contacts for months and still have my eye problems? He also didn't do any tests to check for specific allergies.

According to Vision Web:

Allergic conjunctivitis results from a response to airborne pollen, dust, smoke, or environmental agents. Both eyes are usually affected and may itch, tear excessively and discharge a stringy mucous. You may also have other allergic reactions, such as a runny or itchy nose. Allergy tests can identify specific causes, and repeated injections may desensitize you to the allergens.

Topical eye drops are available to relieve symptoms, and depending on the severity, you eyecare provider or physician may also recommend oral medications such as over-the-counter or prescription decongestant-antihistamines. Eyecare products such as contact lens solutions or eye drops can cause allergic reactions as well. Discontinue use if you notice allergic conjunctivitis symptoms following the use of a particular product.

I think since contacts aren't covered in any way, shape or form by my insurance, I'm just going to get my eyes checked again at LensCrafters while I'm in Anchorage while getting my new glasses. (I should have a new rx at my follow up.) I go up on 3 Dec for some appointments for my son.

So, I think I'll use them as a second opinion while I'm there and hopefully get some new contacts. I only want to wear them every once in a while. If I can't wear them once a week like I would prefer, just for special occasions would be nice. Dr. Shank refused to even allow that and said that Lasik would be out of the question too since it tends to exaserbate eye problems. Anyone know if that is true?

So while I didn't get my rx yet, I did go...finally. I think the last time I went was back in 2005 and perhaps even 2004? I'm pretty sure it was Feb. 2005 though. I'll update after my next appointment. I am going to talk to him about what I found though.

#10 Learn to Make Sushi

Ok, so I actually did this on Sept. 6, but what can I say? I'm lazy. The only reason I am posting it now is that I'm not able to sleep.

It is really a lot of fun, making sushi, I mean. Pretty easy too actually. I was pleasantly surprised. The only thing that takes some practice is getting the rice right. It needs to have just the right amount of rice vinegar and sugar, but also cool it down to just the right temperature. Aside from that, it is really simple. Ok, layering the rice is a pain, not to mention sticky, and I HATE being sticky, but not bad.

Oh, and yup, that picture is MY roll! YAY!

#61 Photos to cd's

Ok, so they aren't really on cd's, but a computer geek friend recommended I get an external hard drive instead. So for a whopping $100 I got a 500 gig external hard drive. It's stupid easy and I've got it set up to update every night at 1 a.m. so I don't have to do anything really. It does it for me. All I have to remember is to delete the photos from the computer every once in a while to save some disk space (I'm down to less than 2% right now, so when I get home from vacation I will update and delete). What a relief too. I kept having nightmares that we got a virus and lost all of our pictures. We would then have virtually no pictures of our kids or anything really from the past 3-4 years. Yikes. No need to worry about that now though.

#65 Fence in Yard

Well, we had the inaugural run of the back (side really) yard. The dogs didn't know what to do the first few days. It took a lot longer than it should have and we spent a lot more money on it than we should have, but it's done. Sing it with me, "Hallelujah! Hallelujah!"

What a blessing that will be come February when the man is deployed, I have two wee ones running around like maniacs and the dogs need to pee. No more pulling the Muck's on and shuffling the snow to find the leashes (that are tied to the deck). Nope, I'll be saying, "Ok, girls, go outside," opening the door and shutting it right behind them.

Ahh....the joys of a fenced in yard.

#72 Pay off all credit card debt

YAY! I just submitted our final payment for our credit card! WOOHOO!!! We do still have a credit card, but we pay that off each payday. We have it for the miles. It's fabulous!

We have been paying $300+ a month on our card to try to get it down and now that it is payed off we will take that $300 and make an extra principle payment to our car loan. Note to self, don't every buy a new car again! It depreciates in value so much. Do I love my car? Absolutely! Would I want anything else? No way. Do I like the payments? Not a chance!

We should have that payed off within a year or two. I haven't taken the time to calculate that out, but I will try to do that soon so I can figure out how much we will be saving. This makes me so happy!

#31 Dr. Zhivago

I started out this goal with 10 of these movies already watched. Here is the first one towards my goal. I've had Dr. Zhivago from Netflix since March. Yup, you read that right...March. I'm officially one of THOSE Netflixers. In my defense, I thought I lost it for a while. I take that back, I thought the kids lost it for a while. Just prior to succumbing and sending an email to Netflix to let them know so I could pay for it, I had the man look around one last time. He found it! I have no idea where he found it, but he did. I'm thrilled. I finally watched it over the past 2 days. It was a looong movie [read: over 3 hours and the dvd was double sided]. It took 2 days worth of naps, but it was watched. It was good. Not the best, but good. I didn't like it becuase like so many of the movies of today, there was infidelity involved. I don't do well with that being glamorized. Ticks me off. Maybe I'm too close to the issue - not in my own marriage, but those that I love. I'm glad I watched it though. Made me glad I'm living in a country where we aren't fighting a war on our own turf. The death and destruction were so sad.

Anyway...whoever the next Netflixer waiting on Dr. Zhivago is, you can rest easy, it will be to you soon.

Already failed 3 goals

But that's ok. I've realized that I set my goals a little too high in regards to having too many "x times a month" items. So, I haven't made bread every month, I haven't cooked 2 vegetarian meals a month and I haven't blogged on all my blogs once a month either. So, I'll be depositing money into the kids college savings accounts shortly.

You know what though. I was a little bummed at first, but I have 2 kids I'm chasing around as well as trying to maintain a household and a life! I'm not worried about it. I'm not going to give up on those goals completely. I may adjust them though. Maybe 1 vegetarian meal a month and I'll still try to blog once a month, but the bread thing I just don't have time for right now. I will try to get my life organized a bit more and then work on getting the bread baking added back in.

So there we have it.

#15 Make Baby Food

I think I can safely say I have accomplished this goal. My youngest is now almost 10 months old and I can count on one hand (and I don't even need all the fingers) the number of times she has had food out of a jar. We started off with sweet potatoes, and now we pretty much give her anything (including steak and chicken). A good friend let us borrow her portable food grinder and we LOVE it! We can just grind small portions for her. We tend to use it multiple times daily.

For bulk baby food making, I found that I prefer a hand blender to the tabletop blender. We then put the food in ice cube trays. Once frozen, they would get placed in a gallon size ziploc labeled with the item and expiration date (usually 2-3 months).

This was SO easy and I highly recommend this to anyone with babies. Not only does it save a ton of money (a huge factor), but you can also control what your baby eats. Most of time time I use organic produce for the kids, so that I can be a little more cautious. I really enjoyed putting my heart into this. It really didn't take took much time and surprisingly I really enjoyed it. If we decide to have more children in the future, you can bet that I will do this again.

#1 Learn to Sew

I am SEW excited! Haha, get it? Sew? Yeah, I'm a dork, but I'm okay with that. One of my fabulous friends taught me. Actually it's more like she gave me the basics and enabled me to learn myself. I still haven't finished my first project (a quilt from Bend the Rules Sewing), but I did finish my second project. Yeah, I'm a little backwards, huh? I started - and finished - a drawstring a-line skirt from Sew What! Skirts. I found this wonderful fabric by Amy Butler at my favorite local fabric shop (lfs).

Apparently drafting your own pattern isn't very common among newbs to the sewing world, but that's just what I did for this skirt. Ok, so it wasn't perfect. I was off by a few inches and had to rip seams, cut and re-sew. I made sure to make the changes on my pattern as well so that when I make another one I won't have to re-do everything. I also didn't do the piping right, but now that I know how to do it I'll do better next time. The perfectionist in me wants to rip it out and do it right this time, but I have decided to leave it for the time being. When I see it I remember all the lessons I learned in my new craft.

Some of my lessons learned:

• When drafting a pattern, you don't have to add extra inches to your pattern "just in case" - they have done that for you. It will only result in ripping and stitching again.
• It is important to wash the fabric first....and iron it! It's not just something they recommend, it really does make a difference.
• When attaching piping, do not, I repeat, do NOT cut the piping before you are almost finished sewing! You may (and likely) have not pinned it perfectly and you will be short and have to rip it out, buy more piping and start all over again.
• I really like the almost instant gratification sewing offers. With knitting it takes a while before you can really see a big result, unless of course it's a quicky, and I like immediate results.

I can't wait to get started on my next project. Oh, and yeah, I suppose I should finish my quilt too, huh?

#18 Dish 4/101

I baked apples for the first time. I've always wanted to, but never have. I even bought an apple corer a year and a half ago, just so I could make them. Let's just say it sat in its drawer for a L-O-N-G time. It had seen use before this, but was the first time it was used for what I originally purchased it for. I made them for dessert the night my friend Becca brought the Mexican Pizza (see below) for dinner. It's rather sad, but I did use a recipe. I wasn't exactly sure how to do it. Now that I do, the ideas are running rampant! I don't think I'll ever use a recipe for these again. I may even experiment with pears.

Baked Apples from Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook

4 Apples, cored
2 Tbsp brown sugar
1/2 c raisins
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/3 c apple juice

In a small bowl, mix brown sugar, raisins, cinnamon and nutmeg. Place cored apples in baking dish, fill with mixture; pour juice in dish around apples and bake at 350* for 45 minutes.

I halved the recipe since it was just the two of us. I'm going to improvise next time though and who knows what I'll come up with. I was just happy I finally made them and they were SO good. And healthy too!

#13 and #18 - Vegetarian meals and 101 dishes

I got a recipe from a friend for a Mexican Pizza, that also happens to be vegetarian! It was YUMMY! She brought it over for dinner one night while the man was deployed and I just HAD to make it. Let me just say, he loved it even more than I did. We had a lot of fun eating it for our in-home lunch date and we each came up with different ways to change it. We will definitely be having this again. So, I'm going to count this for both 13 and 18. I really need to get to work harder on the 101 dishes though. I'm sure I will get a lot of them done around holidays or parties we have. I like to experiment on my friends.

Loaded Mexican Pizza by Mary Barker of Knoxville, TN
(from Light & Tasty, Feb/March 2008) given to me by Becca

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 med red onion, chopped
1 small sweet yellow pepper, chopped
3 tsp chili powder
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3 med tomatoes, chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 10 oz. prebaked thin italian bread shell crust
2 c chopped fresh spinach
2 Tbsp minced fresh cilantro
Hot pepper to taste
1/2 c shredded reduce-fat cheddar cheese
1/2 c pepper jack cheese

In a small bowl, mash black beans; stir in the onion, yellow pepper, chili powder and cumin. In another bowl, combine the tomatoes, jalapeño and garlic.

Place the crust on an ungreased 12 in pizza pan; spread with bean mixture. Top with tomato mixture and spinach. Sprinkle with cilantro, hot pepper sauce and cheeses.

Bake at 400* for 12-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

How I adapted it:

Instead of mashing the black beans with a fork, I pureed them slightly with my immersion blender. I used a medium yellow onion that I had leftover from my produce co-op. I used a red pepper since the yellow pepper was $5 for ONE (yikes). I also didn't have quite the right amount of tomatoes (less) but we couldn't tell and we don't know how it could have held much more on the crust. I hate cilantro, so I used a little parsley instead. We also used the Boboli premade crust, and that isn't thin, but I prefer thick crust.

Other options we came up with:

Refried beans instead of black beans
Saute the onions, so they aren't quite so potent.
Use pearl onions, sliced into rings.
Use 2 jalapeños.
Change up the cheeses.
If we don't want vegetarian, top it with fajita style chicken or steak.

#68 Recycling Center in Garage

We finally set this up last weekend. We went to Walmart and got three large Rubbermaid storage boxes and have them set up right below the entry into the garage. Paper, plastic and aluminum/tin. I would have done two more, to separate aluminum and tin and one for "other" items (i.e. batteries, electronics) but decided that 1. the recycling center has employees to separate these and I've seen them out there doing it and they seem to enjoy it, so I'll let them separate my aluminum and tin (won't make them do everything b/c I get an odd satisfaction out of it too - strange, I know), and 2. when we have other items I will just take them when I have something to take down. We won't have too many batteries to take down since we now use rechargeable ones.

With the containers we chose, we can easily slide them into the back of the car to take down and place in their respective bins. YAY! Oh, and my cardboard boxes (in good shape and large enough) will go to my produce co-op for distributing food.

We have started working on #98 too and the man mentioned just the other day that he is shocked by how little he has to run the garbage down now. Instead of going through a garbage bag every day or two, we are going through one every 3-4 days, sometimes longer.

#19 New Drinks 2/10

We had some friends over the other night and they love buttery nipples. I had never had one (and I'm not a shot kinda gal), but I decided to try it anyway. It was yummy. Tasted just like butterscotch. So, 2/10. Anyone have any favorite drinks? I want to hear your ideas.

5/31 Wanted to add the recipe for Corinne:

1/2 shot Butterscotch Schnapps
1/2 shot Bailey's Irish Cream

Pour a shot glass half way with the schnapps, then, with a spoon, add the Irish Cream so that you end up with a layered shot. Bottoms up!

#44 Get down to 125 lbs

Yeah, I wish I had done it already, but I just want to use this as a place to track my progress. If it's "out there" I'm held accountable to continuing my progress.

I started May 1 at 153.5 lbs. Today (one week later) I weighed myself again and I was down to 147. I really think a LOT of the weight came off b/c I was no longer bloated. I also gave up sodas this week. I had a MASSIVE headache for 3 days, and I think it was the lack of soda that did it. I did cave and have a diet coke today though.

So, 6.5 lbs down, 22 left to go.

Oh, and in case you didn't guess from the last post, I'm following the Weight Watchers flex plan.

#19 Try 10 New Drinks 1/10

Wow....I think I may have a new favorite drink. Too bad it's a HUGE indulgence for me though. I found it on Webtender, by using the "In My Bar" feature. I love this feature. I'm going to use it to keep track of what we have on hand. I made (ok, so the man did, but whatever) the Kahlua Bomb and it's fabulous!

Here's the recipe for you folks at home (use a rocks glass):

1 shot Kahlua
1 shot Peppermint Schnapps
1 shot Vodka
fill with milk (whole is the best)

Watch out those who are trying to watch their weight though. This tasty treat is a whopping 11 points on the Weight Watchers scale. Yikes. Oh well. That's what bonus points are for, right?

#62 Got my printer!

YAY! After almost 2 years of asking the man to research a good multifunction printer, I finally did it myself. I found the Canon Pixma MP970. I found it by reading reviews on CNet.com. The editor's didn't give it a good review, but actual customers did, so I went with the people who use it on a regular basis. After doing lots of cost comparisons, I ordered from Amazon. It doesn't have the fax option, but after careful consideration I realized that I don't use the fax or need it very often. When I do, I have the man do it from work (talk about mis-use of gov't property).

Wouldn't you know it though? I checked Amazon today and it's now $20 less and FREE shipping! Ugh. I paid almost $60 for shipping. Totally sucks. I could have saved $70 if I had waited 2 weeks. Frustrating, but it happens. Oh well, I'm still glad I got it.

This is also the first thing that I can completely scratch off my list. I realize now that I have WAY too many once/twice a month things on my list. That's ok though, I'm going to work on it.

And yes, I realize that I didn't get all my blogs done for April, but to my credit, I didn't realize that it was May until the second day of the month, so I honestly thought I was writing them in April, so I'm counting them. Hey, it's my list and I'll do what I want to!

#14 Zucchini Bread

I made Zucchini Bread for my bread for April, and it was yummy. We got a few zucchini in our last produce order, so it was a perfect time to make this. I had a couple slices, Gabriel had a slice and....the dogs got the rest. I was pretty ticked. I had been looking forward to some for breakfast too. Dumb dogs. Why do they have to be so darn cute? Oh, and I didn't focus the picture too well. We were in a hurry to get the kids dinner.

#18 Dish number 2/101

Okay, so how sad is it that I have never made pasta salad? I know, I know, everyone knows how to make pasta salad. It's easy, just throw a bunch of stuff together. If you are saying this, you obviously don't know me very well. I like recipes. I have a ton of cookbooks but have never tried making a pasta salad. Why would I when I could just buy it at the store? So, here it is.

I took a recipe I found in one of my cookbooks and used it as more of a guideline. I don't do that very often. Okay, so nearly never. Whatever. I did enjoy it though, and unless my friends lied through their teeth and their kids did to, it turned out well. So here's my version:

Kitchen Sink Pasta Salad (as in everything but...)

12 oz box of Penne pasta (I prefer whole grain or whole wheat personally)
1 c. cherry tomatoes, chopped
2 c. zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 c. frozen corn, thawed
1 1/2 c. red pepper, sliced
8 oz Colby Jack cheese, cubed
1 can black olives, coarsely chopped
1 c. red onion, chopped
1 c. Kraft Free Zesty Italian salad dressing

1. Cook pasta according to directions on box (I add Kosher salt and a little olive oil). When finished, drain and rinse with cold water a few times.

2. While pasta is cooking, do your slicing and dicing (or chopping as the case may be).

3. Place pasta in a large bowl, add everything but the dressing and mix together.

4. Add dressing and toss to coat salad. Chill for 1 hour or longer.

I actually didn't have time to chill it before the party, but it was still yummy.

#29 - Read 15 Classic Books 1/15

I just finished Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte last night. Let me just say...fab-u-lous! I loved it! I had never read it, but have been thinking about it for a long time. As I was reading it, I found out it was my maternal grandmother's favorite book. My mom told me she read it often. I can see why! I also remember my sister doing a video report for school when I was a kid. She was in HS and she and two friends played the various roles of Jane at different ages (as a child, then as the governess, then 10 years later). I was always curious about the story, but never really took the time to read it. I believe I needed to read it now.

Jane was an independent woman and didn't just lay aside her own thoughts and feelings because it was "expected" of her. No, she was honest and pretty blunt about it, but not rude either. She was a woman of strength and courage. She had a dream and followed it. While her dreams may have changed, she continued to follow them. She had moral compass that wouldn't allow her to deceive who she was to fit the mold. In the end, she is who she is and she makes no apologies for that. She is a woman of character and has inspired me to be more like that myself.

I don't want to give away too much of the book in case some of you haven't read it, but I highly recommend this for all women. It's a story of courage, faith, and believing in oneself. I wish I had read this before college, but the timing of my reading this was impeccable and appropriate.

#13 - Two Vegetarian Dishes a Month

See what I made? Linguine with Roasted Vegetables from the Pillsbury Complete Cookbook. It was really good. The man even liked it! I was shocked that he liked it since he loves his meat, but he doesn't mind this. He's all for this challenge, so long as he doesn't have to eat tofu. Well, he will at some point, b/c I am going to try it.

Anyway...This was really good and I will probably make this again. I'm finding all sorts of yummy sounding vegetarian recipes. I never would have thought! Now to get up the courage to try cooking with tofu. Any recommendations?

#18 - 101 New Dishes 1/101

I made homemade Macaroni and Cheese with Grilled chicken for the first time EVER! I was so excited and it was delish! Ok, so I have made plenty of grilled chicken (and ok, so sue me, dh did the grilling, but I seasoned it). The mac n' cheese is the exciting part anyway. I am SO going to make this again! I can't seem to find the recipe I used right now, but as soon as I find it (it's on a tiny notepad sheet my friend gave me) I'll post it.

The recipe was originally made for me by my friend Tina. She brought it over for us after my son came home and my husband and I both loved it. She used steamed chicken, I grilled it. When I post the recipe, I'll also list my other changes. I need to find it, I want this again soon!

FOUND IT! Added recipe 4/24

Kodiak Mac (and cheese....lots of cheese)

8 oz Macaroni
3T butter
3T AP Flour
Salt
Pepper
2 c. Milk
2 c. shredded cheese

Cook macaroni. Meanwhile, melt butter, add flour, salt and pepper. Add milk, stir until warm, then add cheese and stir until melted. Add the cooked macaroni, bake until top is crispy (We did it at 350 for 10 minutes). Can be refrigerated for future use (I imagine it can be frozen too).

Hints from Tina:
Use pre-shredded Mexican and Italian mixes. Add velveta for texture. Top with Italian bread crumbs, shredded parmesan and paprika.

Ok, we pretty much followed the recipe, but used 2.5 cups of cheese (hey, we like cheese). We combined Mexican and Mozzarella. For the topping, we used It. bread crumbs, parm, paprika and cumin.

T minus 1 hr 51 minutes

I'm so excited to be starting this! Thank you, Corinne, for the inspiration. I took her list format and played with it a little. I had too many goals, so I combined some and deleted some. I really want this to be a list of things I can accomplish. I know a lot of people have a goal of donating x amount of money to an organization for each item not completed on their list. I was going to do that, but deleted it as a goal and instead it's going to just be a consequence. For every item on my list that I do not complete, I will donate $5 to each of the kids college funds. Hopefully there will only be a few (at the most) things that I don't accomplish, but if there are more, at least it will be going to my kids.

So, without further ado, here is my list:

Art and Music

1. Learn to Sew

2. Complete all of my unfinished knitting projects

3. Use at least 20 balls of stash yarn before buying more yarn

4. Complete a jigsaw puzzle

5. Publish a knitting pattern

6. Complete Level 1 of the master knitter program

7. Make recycled paper

8. Complete a nice cross stitch for my mom

9. Take a photo of myself and my kids every day for six months

Cooking and Food

10. Learn to make sushi

11. Learn to make at least 3 typical Guatemalan foods

12. Learn to bake and decorate cakes

13. Make two vegetarian meals a month

14. Bake bread once a month

15. Make baby food

16. Learn to make pasta

17. Grow basil and make pesto with it

18. Cook 101 new dishes and compile them into a personal cookbook with where I got recipe’s and changes made

19. Try 10 new drinks

Traveling

20. Go on a weekend getaway just hubby and I

21. Vacation in Hawaii

22. Travel interior Alaska in an RV or train

23. Go on a girl’s getaway weekend

24. Go see SIL’s final Young American Performance (or the one of her choosing)

25. Visit Arizona to see if that’s where we want to retire

26. Attend Women of Faith Conference

27. See the start of the Iditarod

Education

28. Learn more about my personality type

29. Read 15 classic books

30. Learn to drive stick shift

31. Watch 75 of the Top 100 movies according to Time

32. Read The Birth Order Book

33. Read 10 historical biographies

34. Learn 5 constellations

35. Complete a First Aid/CPR course

36. Complete a book of logic problems

37. Complete a Sudoku book

38. Read the Bible all the way through

Personal Growth

39. Figure out what I want to be when I grow up and take steps to get there (i.e. degree or find a job, even if part time)

40. Create a new 101 in 1001 list to start after completing the current one

41. Write at least 1 post on each of my blogs per month

Health and Beauty

42. Get 2 manicures and pedicures a year

43. Take vitamins daily for 6 months

44. Get down to 125 and stay there (no more than 3 lbs heavier) for 4 months

45. Cut my hair a style that wouldn’t be expected of me/ Color my hair a unique color (highlights acceptable)

46. Get a NICE bath robe

47. Complete a detox plan

48. Buy a pair of red heels and wear them even when I’m not wearing red clothes

49. Go to optometrist for new prescriptions for glasses and contacts and then wear contacts at least once a week

50. Get a bikini wax – OUCH!

51. Get a piercing or re-piercing

Fitness

52. Complete the C25K program

53. Run a 5 K

54. Learn to kayak

55. Run an 8 minute mile

56. 100 crunches and 100 pushups per day for 45 days straight

Organization/Home

57. Purge files that are out of date/unneeded

58. Organize my craft room

59. Organize our books

60. Keep essential information in the fire safe

61. Back up all photos onto CD’s

62. Purchase an all-in-one printer/scanner/copier/fax

63. Scan and save important photos

64. Redecorate the house

65. Fence in yard

66. Landscape yard

67. Re-stain deck, porch and mail box

68. Organize a recycling center in garage

69. Make my bed every day for 2 weeks

70. Order pictures from Snapfish and fill our empty frames

71. Keep window boxes full of flowers for a summer

Finances

72. Pay off all credit card debt and at least one loan

73. Increase the Roth IRA investment by at least 50% monthly

74. Find a financial advisor and create a plan for investing our money

75. Invest in the TSP

76. Sell 10 items on eBay

77. Complete the US Quarters Collection

78. Complete the ABC’s of Financial Success with my husband

Relationships

79. Make a list of 5 people who have influenced my life and write them letters

80. Send cards to family and friends for special occasions for an entire year

81. Make dh feel loved in his love language - Physical Touch and Words of Affirmation

82. Complete at least 5 couple devotional studies with dh

83. Find 5 friends from my youth that I have lost contact with

84. Complete at least 5 generations of genealogy for both sides of family.

85. Start a secret sisters swap with my group of friends

86. Dance in the rain with my husband

87. Private

88. Have a family picture made

Volunteering and Civil Action

89. Use non-disposable grocery bags

90. Send a care package to a soldier

91. Plant a tree for Arbor Day

92. Volunteer 10 times

93. Use non-disposable napkins

94. Vote in all major elections

95. Donate to Dress for Success

96. Donate to Brother Francis each month (or other shelter if we move)

97. Donate blood for the first time

98. Recycle all recyclables (for the area) for 3 months

99. Donate 1,000,000 grains of rice through freerice.com

100. Participate in the Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk

101. Donate hair to Pantene Beautiful Lengths

April 1,2008 - December 28, 2010

I think this is going to be my start date. Since I've got some goals that are "do ______ once a month", my anal side had to start at the beginning of the month. I almost started it a few days later so that I could be done on December 31, 2010, but nah. So my end date will be December 28, 2008.

I was thinking about going ahead and starting now, but I want to share with my husband what my plans are before I make it official. Plus, I've been changing things every night before bed and every morning as soon as I get up for the past few days. I want a little longer to readjust as I see fit.

For some of my goals, I will be recruiting some of YOU, so be careful, I may be coming after you!

Finding a Start Date

So, while I'm on my quest to discover who I am (do we ever really truly know the answer?) I have decided to start my own 101 in 1001 program. I'll let you know when I start. I need to decide really. It's a hard decision b/c I am very goal oriented, so I want to make sure I do this right and when I will be able to complete it. Hopefully it will happen in the next month or so. Trust me, you'll know when.

You can check out the DAY ZERO phenomenon. I was inspired by an online friend Corinne (I need to ask her permission before linking to her blog). It's taken a long while to compile my list as I really needed to think about things. I'll share it on my first day.

I'll need all the encouragement I can get as I work toward these goals.

Thanks to all!