Crunch Time

When I started this blog, 1001 days seemed like a huge amount of time to complete 101 things... bwahahahaha.  So how the heck did I find myself with about 7 months left to go and a TON of time consuming items left on my list.  Reading through it just now I think it's safe to say I probably won't get it all done.. but that's ok.  I'll keep working on it until the bitter end anyway.

If I could simply start blogging more regularly that would be an accomplishment in itself...plus it would release me from always blogging about how I'm not blogging enough :)  

It's been an eventful 6 months or so since my last post... some good, some bad.  I'm not going to rehash details because those of you reading this probably know me well enough to know all of the ups and downs... I'll simply say that I'm hoping 2012 (yes - I know we are 4 months in already) will hold happiness and maybe a little less stress.  I prefer to be an optimist so I'm looking forward to whatever fate brings me between now and the end of this little project.  

Let's get down to some accomplishments and goals :)

I did manage to read several great books in the past few months... I won't give full reviews because that would take forever but here is a quick rundown:

1. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green  -- seriously, if you haven't read John Green - do it!  Yes - I'm a little obsessed with him... sure, he would be in my guilt free three, but aside from that - he's an amazing author that will have you laughing through the tears while reading his books.  His first book Looking for Alaska is easily my favorite book I've ever read... but with each new title I'm reminded of why I love his work.  Ok - enough gushing.

2. The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander -- this is the first in the Chronicles of Prydain series.  A good friend of mine who dutifully read all of John Green's books on my recommendation suggested I try this series which is his favorite.  I loved it!  I'm not generally a fantasy reader but the quirky and lovable characters made this a great read for me.  I think I'll pick up book number two very soon!  I've been meaning to read it for ages just like I've been meaning to update this blog....

3. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon -- several friends recommended this series and I wasn't disappointed... I think I need a month off of work so I can work my way through the rest of them :-)  

4.Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich - I know a lot of people have gotten tired of this series.. after all there are EIGHTEEN of them so far... but I still love Stephanie Plum and watching her struggle humorously through life and with her feelings for two sizzling men.  (I'm team Ranger by the way if anyone cares).

Other Stuff --- 

To be honest I haven't accomplished much else that was on any sort of list of goals (not that those titles were on my list but reading in general always is) but life was busy with other tasks... cleaning out my dads house, packing this one for our move, buying my new truck (the pretty blue love of my life) and just getting through the day to day.  I have gotten a bit of running done but not enough :/

Time to set some goals--

1. Read a book.  Those listed above were all finished a few months ago... its time to finish another already.

2. Run 3 times a week

3. Blog at least once a week

4. Stop and smell the roses - have fun :-)

Yeah - I know none of those are specific items on my list... but I'm working with baby steps here... plus half my house is packed up right now and being in limbo is not the easiest time to accomplish big huge tasks.

Happy New Year, Happy Valentines Day, Happy St Patricks Day, Happy Spring, Happy Easter.... yeah I missed a lot of stuff :-)

Ta Ta For Now!

Fake Blogger

I'm definitely feeling like I'm not a really blogger... this page hasn't been updated in months...AND when I look at my "101 things to do list" it's pretty much at the same level of completion as it was all those weeks ago.  I wish I had some great excuse but I really don't.  Life just gets in the way - and when that happens it is generally the day to day mundane life getting in the way that doesn't exactly spark creativity.  

So here we are again...at least I'm a consistently bad blogger - I feel like this is the gazillionth "I'm terrible at this" post since I started this thing :-)   Maybe I need to make an appointment with myself a few times a week to do this. 

Anyway - Like I said - not much accomplished on the list front.  In fact I just went back and read through the list and some of the things left on it are sounding dreadfully boring to me at the moment.  I think I already picked all the low hanging fruit, and tackled some of the more fun stuff... and now I'm left with things that generally sound like work.  Hmmm, not sure that was really my intention when starting this project.
  
There are a few things though that I am interesting in accomplishing in the short term: 1. Read Gone With the Wind (it's downloaded onto my nook - I have a vacation coming up in November - I have NO excuse!) 2. Take a dulcimer lesson.   As soon as kickball season is over and I have another weeknight free I think I'm gonna give this a real go.  In fact I think I will put it on my goals for the week to make the phone call to set it up!

I have actually been doing some running in the past few months... I'm still not running solid lengths of time but even with walking breaks I can see that I'm getting faster and as long as I see progress I'm happy with baby steps!

I've also been doing a fair amount of reading - though nothing on my list.  I've  been reading bunches of Teen Romances for a workshop I'm facilitating at this weekend and I'm also in the middle of The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin.  I have a feeling that when I do finally finish this book it will inspire some blog posts.   The books is exactly what it sounds like - a woman takes a year of her life devoting each month to a theme/goal for becoming happier and writes about it.   Not all of it is earth-shattering, but even the stuff that should seem like common sense is good to be reminded of and think about once in a while. 


I think that about catches everyone up.  So here are my goals for the week:

1. Call about dulcimer lessons.
2. Blog again on Wednesday and Friday mornings
3. Do something nice for myself.  This is sort of cheating -- I already know that as soon as the place opens at 10am I'm going to sneak in a pedicure before work today :)

August!

I was born in August.  It's a good month but where oh where did the summer go?

So where am I with my 101 list of things to do... well I accomplished a few more things... none of them exciting :/

17. crochet something for self to wear - I made some hand/arm warmers on our recent road trip...they're not perfect but it kept me busy for a while in the car... and they will keep my wrists warm this winter in the library (but still allow me to type!)


61. repaint molding in corner of basement - I sanded down the damage and put a fresh coat on... it took about 15 minutes from start to finish but apparently I had to think about it for 6 years first :-)

71. use and develop underwater cameras-- I finished off the film with my nephew at the beach in June... but it took my husband to actually take them in to be developed... can't wait to see the pictures from the snorkeling in Key West we several vacations (and years!) ago.

Short Term Goals -
I got away from running for a few weeks and I'm feeling it now but I ran this morning and I supposed getting back at it is what really matters.  Losing endurance is really frustrating but I will get back at it.

Goals for the week:
Run 2 more times
Go to the gym at least once
Conquer my to-do list (short term things - phone calls etc)
Read a book

Long Time, No Blogging

Sigh... it's been a while since I managed to get a blog post written.  As usual  I have no legitimate excuses except I just didn't have anything to say/ didn't feel like it :-)

I haven't checked too many items off the 101 things to do list... a few boring things were completed-- wearing contacts and eating breakfast at home but nothing earth shattering or so life changing that they warranted a blog post.  Probably the most noteworthy news about the list is that once again I've decided to edit it (I know that's probably not how these lists are supposed to work but I don't care -- it's my lists and I will do with it what I wish!).  Some of the items on the original list were just so BORING or for some reason or another just aren't important to me anymore so I crossed out five more items (in red - the color I use for "I've changed my mind") and added five slots to the bottom of the list.  I'm going to ponder what to add in those slots so if you've got any exciting ideas send them my way. 

As far as short term goals I have actually been doing pretty good:  I read another book (still a long way from my goal of 50 for the year though!), I've been running (aka jogging/walking) several times a week and going to the gym pretty regularly and in general trying to take care of myself.  I had a goal for the year of running a mile and I've accomplished this on the treadmill twice but I've yet to make it happen outside so I'm holding off calling this a success (hopefully not for too much longer) but it was still a pretty exciting benchmark for me. 

I'll be heading to the beach this weekend with my pops so I'm looking forward to some quality family time and also giving the boardwalk a try for running.  Its straight and flat so I'm hoping it's a good run (plus the view will be better than my treadmill or neighborhood) even though I have no idea what running on boards will be like.  I'll probably also eat lots of delicious foods like chocolate covered strawberries from Candy Kitchen and Boardwalk Fries... that's what the running is for I guess --to counteract all those calories :-)

My goals for the coming week/weeks:
At least 2 more blog posts in June
Read another book
Run a mile outside

Glam bands and Librarians and Food... Oh My!

OK... so the three things in my blog title aren't all a part of one great story I'm going to share... but they could be!

Just over a week ago I was at the Maryland Library Association conference in Ocean City and had a great time!  I got to room with an old friend and a new one, caught up with some fantastically fun librarians from around the state, ate some great food and learned a thing or two along the way!  There's something really cool about coming together with peers, sharing ideas and having a common desire to better libraries for our communities... and also, I don't know if you've noticed but librarians aren't stereotypically boring but actually quite a bit of fun to hang out with. 

Along the way we ate at some tasty restaurants and one that I would HIGHLY recommend is Liquid Assets.  It appears to be a liquor store/bar at first glance but they also serve some amazingly delicious food.  I had the deluxe grilled cheese (spectacular) and shared and order of their donuts for dessert... the glaze was out of this world.

After spending time away from home for a few days last week...this weekend was all about some quality time with my husband and a plethora of 80's rock bands.  We went to the M3 Festival on Friday and Saturday and rocked it out with Firehouse, Lita Ford, and Whitesnake.  You can tell by the link that there were lots of other bands there but in my opinion those are the three most worth mentioning.  By the way... I think that if you are going to tour again 20 years later and were once known as a "hair band" that you should still have long crazy hair... or fake it (Firehouse - I'm talking to you!)  It just wasn't the same experience watching a few of the bands with shorter manes... just saying.  Props go to Lita Ford and Whitesnake for keeping the long locks in great shape! In between the bands I had a great time people watching...people wear, say and do pretty silly things at rock concerts and I never got tired of just sitting back and taking it all in.

Unfortunately I don't have much to report on my 101 things to do list... I accomplished some things (I ordered fish a few more times in restaurants and knocked that off the list and went to a few more classes at the gym) but nothing earth shattering or terribly exciting. I'll get back to it this week... I hope to get to the gym a few times, get some outdoor running in, and hopefully squeeze in a trip to a state park with my happy hound.

The Cruising Life... Ahhhhhhh

A few thoughts from vacation:
1. I could probably live on a cruise ship... you know if it weren't so expensive and I didn't have to work for a living.
2. Being "off the grid" for a week was actually a pretty liberating experience.  Don't get me wrong... I'm not giving up my gadgets and social networking addiction but I thought I would feel disconnected and antsy to get online but that wasn't the case at all.
3. I wish my bed in my house would rock me to sleep at night the way the ship did.

But alas - now I'm back at home, and back to work, and my bed doesn't rock me to sleep... but that does mean I am back online (yay!) and can publicly take stock of where I'm at with goals and with my 101 things list.

First off -- I had 3 goals in my last general (non book review) blog entry: clean out my car, attend a centergy class at the gym, and read a book.  I'm excited to say I accomplished all three!  In fact I read 3 books so check out my blog entries about them.

As far as the 101 things list goes (you can see the list - link on the right side of the screen) here is what I accomplished:
29.  Order fish in a restaurant 5 times - I checked off one more time after having a dish with both Halibut and Salmon while out with the inlaws last night.  It was a surprise dinner out - they were at my house when I got home from work... apparently my husband scheduled the dinner with them about a week ago and forgot to tell me... not surprisingly my house was not clean... oh well.
38. Take Centery class at the gym at least 3 times- 1 down - 2 to go.  I will probably continue on even after 3... I really enjoyed the class but the yoga/pilates fusion is much more difficult than I expected...I learn exactly how flexible I am not! 
86. Go on a Cruise - Bermuda was beautiful by the way and the people were SOO friendly. 
96. Do not check work email from home.  What a lovely thing!  I like to be informed even when not at work... but when I'm on vacation or off for a few days I ALWAYS regret checking work email...not having internet for a week was fabulous in this way.
104. Travel outside the country ... and I'm already contemplating the next use of my passport ... The Lake District of England is calling my name!

All in all I've been pretty productive in my relaxation activities and since I've been home (a week now) I've even managed to move forward with some general goals... I was at the gym twice last week and ran 3 times... which unfortunately was entirely necessary after eating cruise food for a week... maybe living on a cruise ship is not such a great idea... at least not unless I get very well acquainted with the gym and the jogging track on the top deck.

Goals for this week: finish the biography I'm reading, run at least twice and get to the gym once.  I'm going easy on myself because my week is full of out of town meetings.

Blondes have more fun...

The jury is still out on whether blondes have more fun... I'll have to get back to that one after I've lived as a blonde a little longer...
Maybe they have so much fun, they can't find time to accomplish any goals. That seems to be the current case for me :-)

Accomplishment 1: I did manage to attend another Zumba class and it really is a lot of fun but I think I will trip over my feet a feel a little awkward no matter how many times I go to class. I have added it to my “classes I go to” list though. I can’t seem to get into a good schedule about going to the gym at certain times each week so I just sort of have a mental list of classes I am willing to go to and hope that one of them is available on the day/time I want to workout.

I did not however manage to make it to the gym 3 times a week like my goal stated.... in fact I haven't made it there at all in April yet. I will blame some of that on injuring myself in last Saturday's kickball game and not wanting to push it. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

I also haven't read anything at all since my last post (at least not books - of course I've read things like package labels/ mail/ emails etc). I have a lot of books on my mental list (and goodreads list) to read but I haven't managed to take the plunge with any of them yet.

Accomplishement 2: I did complete one other item from my 101 things list by attending a lecture about National Parks at Johns Hopkins last night with the hubby and some friends.  I don't think my husband learned anything new about the parks - he's a self taught expert in this field but we all enjoyed ourselves and it was nice to do something different.  The lecture was really interesting and for the first hour I was excited to be back in a classroom setting but by the end I was glad it was done and relieved to not have any homework or studying to do. My favorite part of the lecture was when she talked about what influenced people around the time of the birth of the National Park System to want to spend time with nature and to view the land and the experience of the parks as a benefit to the American people. She spent quite a bit of time talking about how landscape painters and poets/writers of the time had a big influence on this. Made me look up some of my favorite Wordsworth while drinking my coffee this morning…..
In honor of the lecture here is one of my favorite National Park photos from one of my favorite vacations...do you know where it is?

Some goals for the short term:
START a book. I’m going to think smaller this time!
Take a Centergy class at the gym (a combination of yoga and pilates).
Clean out my very messy/bordering on disgusting car.

Crossing things off!

It's fun when I can write a blog post with news that I have actually managed to accomplish a few things on my list!

Here's what I managed to get done:

19. Make 3 pieces of jewelry out of current supplies -- last night I just decided to do this... I've been wanting to buy some new jewelry so hopefully I filled the need by making three new pairs of earrings.  They were super simple to make but I really like the way they turned out.  A half hour well spent.

29. Order fish off a restaurant menu 5 times - 3 completed.  The hubby and I went out to dinner Friday night and I had stuffed salmon.  It was good... but not great...a little too rich for me.  Next time I will go with a simpler fish dish.  We also had sushi as an appetizer that was yummmmy.



37. Take the Groove or Zumba class at the gym at least 3 times -2 complete.  I took the "Groove" class once before and didn't love it.  I tried Zumba this time and it actually was a lot of fun.  I plan on crossing this entry completely off my list tomorrow morning when I hit Zumba again... maybe this time I will have the moves down a little more and not be quite so out of step with everyone else!
 
In Other News:
I played kickball again on Saturday and this time I actually made it to first base!  I was so excited that I promptly lost all logical thoughts and totally screwed up.  I tried to run to second after the ball had already been caught from the next players pop up.  Ooooops.  The team had a good laugh at my expense and I was happy to provide some comic relief.   To be honest I didn't think I would ever make it on base at all so messing up trying to get to second doesn't bother me too much though it might have bothered my teammates a bit :-)
 
Goals for this week:  Get to Zumba tomorrow, go to the gym at least 3 times this week, clean out my car, read a book!
 
 

I'm a bad blogger but I'm mostly ok with that :-) I have no witty lead ins... so here are my updates....

101 Things to To Do:
Once again I have crossed off absolutely nothing on this list since my last post... I did however update the list a little bit... I took off a few things that don't interest me anymore and added a few others ( I was inspired by a co-workers bucket list).  Here's the list if you want to check it out.  I might make more changes over time... my original list had a lot of things on it that I want to get accomplished (and I still do want to accomplish them) but not quite as many things that are truly out of my comfort zone which is the way I am currently leaning.  I am not exactly a risk taker or adrenaline junky and I will admit to wanting to hide in my comfortable little corner of the world... but surprise surprise... doing different things can be fun :-) 

Yesterday I played on my first sports team in 20 years.  Granted it was an adult kickball league (we're not talking tons of skills necessary) but I was a little nervous my first time up to the plate.  I really intended to be an extra girl in case I was needed (you must have a certain number playing each game) but that happened at our very first game and it turns out I had a great time.   I didn't contribute much to our win (I played catcher and barely ever even had to touch the ball - and kicked two pop ups that were immediately caught) but it was still fun... and I think I will play every week - whether I have to or not.  As I said on facebook I accomplished my 3 goals: 1. actually make contact between my foot and the ball, 2. don't fall in the mud, 3. don't get hurt.  Maybe my goal for the rest of the season should be to get on base.... that's a lot of pressure though :-) 

Books:
Silent Sorority by Pamela Tsigdinos - I won't get into all of my thoughts about this book... for me it's a bit too personal to share with the world at large -- in fact -- I contemplated not adding it to goodreads or to my blog but I think it's an important book for anyone out there who might be seeking a book on the topic so here it is.  My quick overview is that this is biography of sorts about a woman's (and also a couple's) struggle with infertility that doesn't turn out peachy in the end... in other words its about how she reacts/deals with life when none of the intense/painful/expensive treatments work.  There isn't really much out there on this topic... most books on infertility are simply about getting to the final goal... and not about how your life turns upside down when you realize your future has to be different than you imagined it.  I'm happy to chat with anyone who wants to know more about the book or my personal thoughts/feelings on the subject but I think that's enough for the blog :-).

Totally other end of the spectrum I also ready DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) by Kody Keplinger.  I had this in advanced reader copy form on my desk for ages and finally took it home a few weekends ago.  It's a teen novel and it was a quick read.  I was invested enough in the characters to want to finish....but I didn't love it either.  The reader reviews of it on goodreads are pretty good so maybe I just missed something? 

Resolutions:  I have made it to the gym a few times ( I forgot how much I love the kickboxing class)...and I actually took my running outside once last weekend on a pretty day instead of hiding in my basement on the treadmill.  It's much nicer outside (though the hills are not my friends) and the time actually goes faster.  I still haven't managed to get into a routine of going at set times throughout the week... life always seems to get in the way of that.

Goals:
Try once again to update this blog before an eternity goes by
Complete one thing on my 101 things list
Try the Zumba class at the gym.
Run outside again.

Brown Chicken Brown Cow

The title of my blog post really doesn't mean anything in particular to me but it's the hook from a silly country song on the radio I heard while driving to my dad's yesterday and I simply can't get it out of my head... so I urge you... go find the song on the internet, listen to it, and then get stuck with the earworm like I am :-)

I didn't cross anything of of my 101 list of things to do list in the past week.  I did attempt to take a carriage ride while in Williamsburg this weekend but when we got to the stand they were already booked up for the day... so if the thought counts ... :-)

Even though it's not on my list I did read a book I have been meaning to: Band Geek Love by Josie Bloss
As a former band geek the corny title caught my attention.  I can't even remember how I heard about it (AACPL doesn't own it) but I have had it on my to-read list for a while and finally got around to ordering from another county and it was a super quick read over the weekend.  I didn't love the book ... but if you were ever in the marching band the book would be amusing to you... there's lots of marching band terminology and it brought back good memories.  I wouldn't recommend it to anyone else though because I'm not sure that everyone would get the basic band lingo and aside from the reminiscing I did I don't think the writing or story was very strong.

As far as my "new years" goals go - I have been heading to the gym at least a few times a week and I got a lot of walking in while away in Williamsburg this weekend AND I managed to write this blog post before too much time went by :-)

Speaking of our time in Williamsburg just a quick shout out to the Sherwood Forest Plantation - home of President John Tyler.  This house is not generally open for tours but you can make them by appointment and as the wife of someone who likes to see anything related to history and the homes of all the presidents it has been on our list to see for a while.   They had another couple interested on Sunday so we were able to pair up with them for a tour.  It was a FANTASTIC tour.  The first sort of unbelievable thing is that John Tyler's grandson still lives in the house (yes -- the men had children late in life making this possible) AND the great great granddaughter and her high school friends were hanging out in the yard throwing around a lacrosse ball.  The Tyler family dogs (there are quite a few of them) greeted us at the front steps and followed us around for much of the tour and inside this fantastic house full of amazing antiques and historical artifacts was a yappy little chihuahua.   The tour guide was a family friend and the stories that were told (which is possible because the grandson has passed many family stories and versions of historic events on) were fascinating and the two hours we were there went by so fast.   If you ever have the opportunity I would highly suggest it (it's not cheap but so worth it if you are interested in history).

So that's my story for the past week or so.... some goals for next week:
1. get to an actual class at the gym
2. read the Bible at least 3 days
3. Blog
4. Go through my 101 things to do list and update (yes it might be cheating - but I am of the mindset that I can take things off the list if I'm not actually interested anymore and add new goals to it if I want to.  It's MY list and I will play by MY rules :-))

Happy Thursday!

Monthly Updates?

Maybe my single goal for the next month should just be to blog weekly... even just to say "hello".  I am definitely not in the habit and then I find myself a month later trying to figure out what they heck I have accomplished in the last month.... it would be much easier to remember a week at a time!  I have no good excuses... sure I've been busy but it doesn't take more than 10 minutes or so for a quick blog post.  Ah well... there is always room for improvement :-)


What I've accomplished from my 101 list of things to do list:
3. Read 5 Children’s Novels - This one is now complete... I read this years Newbery winner Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool and I really enjoyed it. I highly recommend it!  Check out the link to goodreads to find out more about it and to read my review.

I also tried 3 new recipes for a total of 9.  One more new recipe to go!  I made some Paula Deen Pork Chops and Mac and Cheese.  I made a few adjustments... for starters I just fried the pork chops in a little bit of olive oil on both sides and then finished them off in the oven while the mac and cheese was baking... I DID NOT fry them in six cups of vegetable oil.  I also used whole wheat flour when breading them.  With the mac and cheese I used what I had on hand which was low fat buttermilk and sour cream so I saved on a few calories maybe.  Even with that said I think that the mac and cheese especially is a "once in a while" recipe.   It was SOO rich that I can't imagine making it regularly.  It was delicious in small portions though.  The pork chops were delicious with the modifications... they were so moist and I almost always dry out pork!
The last recipe that I tried was a bean soup recipe from the same Paula Deen cookbook as the mac and cheese but we didn't love it... My husband actually said it tasted like hot dog soup (maybe the smoked sausage in it?) and he hates hot dogs so that's not a compliment by any means.  I couldn't find the recipe online to link to and it wasn't so fantastically wonderful that I feel the need to type it all out for you sorry :(

As for my goals in general - I have been to the gym several time in the past few weeks and also on the treadmill... its supposed to be nicer this week so maybe I will even try to sneak in an outdoor run (run/walk!).  I have read a little more of the Bible but this is a goal I definitely need to get better at! 

All in all - January/February has been an "ok" month(s) so far... but I am so ready for spring!!

Type at you again a week (or month!).

Stumbling already?

Well... I guess I've already proven I can't be trusted to blog weekly :-)  It's ok... I'm not going to be too hard on myself-- I'll just try harder next time... really... I promise!  The last few weeks have been full of dreary weather, stomach bugs, and general blah.  But I did read some great books!  I read two more Children's books toward my goal:

The Keeper by Kathi Appelt
The Dreamer by Pam Muñoz Ryan

I enjoyed both of these books but I LOVED The Dreamer.  It's a beautifully written "fictional biography" of Pablo Neruda. I think adults who enjoy poetry should definitely give it a shot even though it's written for kids.

I've also read a few other books towards my goal of reading 50 books this year (you can check out my goodreads page if you are really curious) and one I especially enjoyed was Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins.  I enjoyed the characters - all of them, not just the main characters and the love story was well done and not cheesy--a lot of the moments felt very true to teen life and while the plot was nothing groundbreaking the quality of writing makes this book stand out.

Surprisingly I did manage to try a few new recipes so far this year as well.  I made this Chicken Noodle Casserole which was quite good - though a little bland (might have to play with some spices) and also a Cauliflower Hamburger Casserole which was not delicious in the least (I used the ingredients search on the website and searched for ground beef and cauliflower because I had some of each that needed to be used- there aren't many recipes with both and I think now I know it's for a good reason).

As far as my 2011 goals I have been reading my ten pages of The Bible as many days as I can - I admit that a few days of oversleeping got in the way (I like to read it in the morning when I first wake up).  The 10 minutes a day of exercising which seems so easy has gotten done maybe half the time and as I already pointed out - I haven't exactly been blogging weekly.  So the good news is that there is so much room for improvement!  If I had aced the first few weeks it would have all been down hill :-)

For the coming week or so:
I hope that when I blog next I will be able to say that I have drug myself to the gym (that gets the benefit of my money monthly without me actually walking through the door on a regular basis) a few times, gone for a few runs, read another 50 pages or so of The Bible and finish my goal of reading 5 Children's novels (from my 101 things to do list).

Resolutions... i never keep 'em.

It's true... I can't remember ever accomplishing new years resolutions... but that's ok... it's good to think positive and plan for the future.  I'm going to make them again this year anyway and see how it goes.  I'm going to try to make them easier to attain and also easier to keep track of and more specific.  No I'm going to "eat healthy" and "exercise more" and "be a nice person" ya da ya da ya da.  So here are my goals for 2011

1.  Read 10 pages of the Bible everyday.  I usually have at least a half hour in the morning before getting ready for work when I drink coffee and play around on the internet... I think I can devote some of this time to this goal.  It's on my 101 things to do list to read the Bible in it's entirety and hopefully this will put me on the right path.

2. Write on this blog weekly.  I'm thinking I will try to write on here once a week about what I have accomplished that week and what my hopes are for the next week...sort of like a system for checking on myself.  Every now and then I might have something exciting happen that makes me want to write more often (but judging by my past record - this might not happen very regularly :-))

3. Exercise 10 minutes daily - This is a tiny little goal - I can accomplish this by walking the dog around the block or walking for a few minutes during lunchtime at work.and some daysthat might be what it amounts to!   Hopefully though some of the days will include longer stretches (so I can get actual use out of my gym membership).  For me I have realized that exercise is important to my mental well being (as well as being obviously important to my physical well being).  I deal with stress a heck of a lot better when I am exercising regularly so I really need to make this a commitment.

4. Read 50 books.  I was sort of disappointed in the amount I read this year.  It was a busy, stressful, often times crummy year and I just didn't read as much as I like. 50 will be my goal and we will see how well I do.  I'm not going to do anything special like try to read a certain number a month or make sure I keep pace.  I will just try to carve out time for my favorite hobby (made even easier with my new Nook!) and check in on goodreads.com next December to see how I did.

5.  Run a mile.  This will seem like such an easy goal to most but I don't think I have ever run a complete mile without at least walking some in my entire life.  I was TERRIBLE at running in gym class as a kid and therefore HATED it.  I had bad asthma and it's hard to enjoy running when you can't breath.  The asthma has subsided for the most part in my old age and I actually enjoy doing a little jogging (lets be honest when I say running I really mean jogging!)  but at this point I am still alternating short bursts of jogging with walking... by 2012 that will not be the case!

Hope everyone else has had a few minutes to reflect these past few days on 2010 and think about all the possibilities 2011 holds for us.   Have a great year!

Goodbye 2010!

2010 was certainly not my favorite of years... and I'm wishing and praying for a better 2011.  As you can tell I fell off the blogging wagon way back in October.  Dad has been ill, life has been busy, and all those other excuses.  Truth is when I get stressed I pretty much don't want do do anything and I guess that's where I have been for a few months... grabbing sleep where I can and not much else when it comes to free time.

I did manage to get a few items from the 101 things to do list done (I don't really know how...) so here goes:

5.  I read another biography:  Confessions of a Prairie Bitch by Alison Arngrim

55, 77, 100 - I bought several Christmas gifts for charity, got new luggage and transferred my addresses to an old fashioned address book.  The luggage one was extra easy as my inlaws got us the luggage for Christmas :-)  I love it when other people take care of items on my to-do lists!!  I did have to remember to let them know we needed it when they asked for gift ideas - so I will take a teensy tiny bit of credit for putting the ball in motion!

That's about it for the last 2 1/2 months... pretty sad set of accomplishments I know but I'll get back to it... promise!  Look for a new years resolutions post in the next few days to pair up with my 101 things to do list.

Happy New Year everyone... hope 2011 treats everyone splendidly!

The journey continues....

I've been sort of off track lately with everything... house cleaning, cooking, reading, etc.  There just aren't enough hours in the day it seems.

I have completed a few more items though (not many!). Here they are:
Tried one new recipe:  Salsa Chicken . The recipe calls for it to be baked but I took the advice of a few of the recipe reviewers and did it in the slow cooker.  I sprinkled my chicken breasts with the taco seasoning and then placed it on top of some salsa (and some extra onions and peppers I had on hand) in the slow cooker and then added a little more salsa on top of that.  I let it cook on low all day and had perfect filling for burritos :-)  yum!  The chicken practically fell apart and mixed with the other ingredients it was a great filling.  I'm sure it's good baked as well and served more traditionally but I had errands to run and wanted it to be ready when I got home. 

I also read another Children's book: One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams Garcia . It's getting some Newbery buzz out on the internet which is the reason I picked it up.  I'll let you judge for yourself if you decide to pick it up :-)

Those are sadly the only two things from my list that I've gotten to lately :(  
I have been going to the gym and doing some walking/jogging and trying to stay physically active... I feel a lot better physically and emotionally when I manage to stay on top of this.  I've also been visiting dad a few times a week and trying to squeeze in chores, reading etc when possible... maybe as fall and winter set in I will be able to tackle some of the "inside activities" from my list.

Short and Sweet

Things I have accomplished:

Read 1 biography: My Fair Lazy by Jen Lancaster - It was an enjoyable read while I have been home sick this weekend... fun but also had moments where it was thought provoking. 

Read 1 Children's book: Welcome to Camden Falls by Ann M. Martin.  This is the first in the Main Street Series... I really enjoyed it - I included a few thoughts on the book in my goodreads review (follow the link).

I read a third book: After Ever After by Jordan Sonnenblick -It's a young adult book (though I would put it on the younger end of this age range -- middle school probably) so I can't count it towards my list because I already finished that category but I thought I would include it here anyway.  It was well written and deals with a weighty subject without making the reader feel depressed the whole time they are reading it (though there were tears at the end).   This book is a sequel to Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie which I have not read yet so they are definitely able to stand on their own.  

I also made two new recipes - both of which I would recommend.  As with many of my recipes I found them on allrecipes.com
Here they are:
Pasta Salad:  I didn't actually include the chicken in this ( I was going to a party where I knew there would be vegetarians) and I left out the corn as I didn't have any but threw in some carrots because I had some shredded carrots on hand.  The dressing was good and I think overall it was well received.

Turkey Burgers:  Like a few reviewers said I added a small amount of bread crumbs ( I use panko) and I also had "fiesta ranch" dressing mix on hand so I used that in place of the plain ranch and it was really good... a little bit of a kick.  It was a big hit in my house.

The only other task I accomplished was to attend one "Groove" class at my gym (out of the 3 that is my goal).  I'm not very good at it yet but I think I will need to attend the 3 that I set out to do to see if I will get better and give the class a chance.  It was a good workout and the hour went by pretty quickly.  "Kick" is still my favorite though.  Something about pretending to kick and punch things is nice after a long day of work :-)

Vacation....

This is actually my second week back at work now but I was away from work for so long it still feels like a novelty.  I was out two weeks in July (one when my mother passed away and a second for a training) and then away the first two weeks of August for vacation.  It's good to be back and back to some sort of normal schedule- though I could probably get used to being on perpetual vacation too.

Vacation was fantastic.  I definitely had a lot of moments where I really missed my mom because I always called her a lot during previous road trips, checking in from all of our various locations.  Traveling was also a good distraction for me though and I got to spend some actual quality time with the hubby which hadn't happened for quite a while.  It was good to have the first week just the two of us exploring the country together.  The second week was a ton of fun in a different way when some good friends met us for a week in Vegas.  I didn't win big but I also didn't come home broke so I will call it a success!


So now the whole point of this blog:  What did I accomplish from my list in the last few weeks/ while I was away... quite a few things actually!


Items completed:
69. Make a photo album/book for Hawaii trip
70. Make a photo album/book for Keys trip
*shutterfly - the service I usually use to print photos was having a 20% off sale on photobooks which is how I ordered the first one and then I got an email for a free photobook which I earned with my first order (I also ordered a few other prints) so I was able to get the second one taken care of as well.  YAY!  I actually really like the photo books instead of albums (I'm a librarian - I like books - what can I say?) because I can easily add captions etc and they look so nice on the bookshelf.


79. Spend the night in a National Park
80. See the Grand Canyon
*Seems I had some luck because the items on my list are getting checked off in pairs!  I have always wanted to stay in one of the large national parks over night to really see and experience the park without having to rush.  We were able to stay at a lodge in the Grand Canyon National Park which was fantastic because it let us see the sunset and sunrise over the canyon.  It was a beautiful park... though VERY crowded in the summer which for me unfortunately took away from the experience a little bit.  Hopefully next time we are there we will have the time and be prepared to hike (or take a mule) to the bottom and back up.  We did hike a short distance down into the canyon but they really recommend that it takes two complete days to go all the way down (camp overnight) and then back up.  They take their warning signs seriously!


83. Visit Bill and Beth (and new babies Violet and Henry!) -- we had a great time stopping to see old friends in Colorado.  Henry and Violet are adorable and Bill and Beth were fun to watch as new parents.  I am excited to say that the four of us took the wee ones on their first restaurant outing (which was delicious - I highly recommend Coopersmith's in Ft. Collins http://www.coopersmithspub.com/


95. Play a table game at a casino - It would have just been wrong if I hadn't been able to check this off my list while in Vegas.  I played $1 blackjack at the Sahara.  I lost about 10 bucks.  The novelty of it was fun but I don't feel the need to do anymore table gambling ... I enjoyed the Deal or No Deal and Sex and the City slots just as much (maybe more) and I could play those a penny at a time.


This week I hope to:
a. get back to the gym at least twice
b. get back on the treadmill at least three times
c. read a biography
d. maybe make another attempt at a peaches and cream pie - I made one over the weekend but messed it up so I'm not gonna cross it off my list til I get it right :-)

One Day At A Time

It's been a few weeks since I've posted an update...actually it's been a full month now that I look back at the date... and life has been hard.  On July 10th I lost my mom and one of the best friends anyone could ask for and I'm still not sure I've come to terms with it.  I often reach for my cell to call her like I would several times a day to say good morning, or tell her something silly her grand-dog had done and I miss those little moments like crazy. Knowing she doesn't have to struggle anymore and that she's with my nephew in Heaven is comforting and I feel so blessed that I was given the gift of saying goodbye and being with her and my family in those final moments.   I have never ever witnessed the kind of bravery as I did in her that day. 
The weeks following have been a blur.  As hard as the week of mom's funeral was - I was lucky enough to be surrounded by family and friends and the love and support was overwhelming.  Someone mentioned to me during that time that it was amazing to see how close my highschool girlfriends and I still were after 15 years and I am so grateful for that, they were there for me and my family each and every day making sure I ate, holding me when I cried or just sitting quietly with me.  It was also wonderful to be surrounded by family everyday and perhaps the hardest moment for me was when everyone started going home and "real" life had to resume.

"Real life" however didn't really resume for me right away as the following week was spent at a work training, the "Maryland Library Leadership Institute" in Port Deposit, Maryland.  Truly this was for me just what the doctor ordered... It was intensive and engaging and kept my mind occupied almost every waking second.  I was lucky enough to have a fabulous group of peers to work with through the week (Thanks 46% Fairly Content!) and I must say it lived up to the praise of all of my coworkers who have gone before me through this program.  I learned a lot about myself and how to push out of my comfort zone at work and hope that it will carry over into my personal life as well.  Plus - the food was amazing!!  The "meal" bell rang five times a day for breakfast, lunch, dinner and morning and afternoon snack.  Fresh baked scones/tarts/and cookies between meals is something I will definitely miss but I'm sure my trainer at the gym will be glad was only for a week!

So now after a week of being able to distract myself I find myself back in the real world and it's definitely an adjustment...one I'm taking day by day as I work through my grief, prepare for a crazy busy week at work, and try to regain some focus on making myself a better person.   I took a look at my list to see if I had in fact accomplished any of my goals in the last month and this is where I'm at:
a. I tried a new recipe (new to me anyway) and made dad some barbecue with mom's recipe.  He liked it much better than when I cook with my own recipes :-) 
b. I ordered fish at a restaurant and had tuna steak when we went out with Chad's mom 4th of July weekend.  It was good... but not as good as the Rockfish I had in Ocean City!
c. I pushed my comfort zone by speaking at my mother's funeral.  I didn't think I had it in me but I did and it was a blessing to be able to honor the woman who meant the most to me in life and I thank God for helping me get through it.

Today it's off to see my dad and hang out with the family...and tomorrow back to the library for the first time in two weeks...and whatever comes my way I'll just take it one day at a time.

Torture... I mean training.

Ok ... I could be exaggerating a *tiny* bit... but the personal training session this morning proved to me exactly how much I need the personal training sessions.  I am out of shape and it's time to rectify the situation :-)  I am sure the trainer this morning (who was lovely and kind - it's not her fault I'm miserable at coordination AND strength) thought I would run from the gym and never return but I made another appt for next Tuesday morning at 7am and will do it all again.  I even have homework of exercises to do during the week.   So YAY - I am participating in a fitness related activity and can check it off my list and gain the health benefits :-)

In other 101 list of things to do news I am currently reading my 5th book that will complete the "Read 5 Teen Books" item.  I am reading A Certain Slant Of Light by Laura Whitcomb and I am really enjoying it.  It looks at a lot of teen issues through the eyes of two spirits who have "taken" the bodies of two teenagers whose souls had left their body for different reasons.  I won't spill all of the plot and details (plus I'm not all that good about putting these "supernatural" types of things into words anyway) but I am finding that I am having trouble putting it down. 

I think that's all for now on the list front......

Getting Things Done...

Life is still undeniably stressful and exhausting but slowly things are getting accomplished! YAY me!
Ok so here are the things I can cross of the list/things that are in progress:


23. Clean and prepare sewing machine for use - I actually decided to sell both sewing machines that I own at the yard sale. Let's face it... sewing is not a love of mine anymore and now they hopefully will get use in someone else's house. Maybe I'll buy a new one one day... maybe not.


24. Sew something… anything! - Obviously I can't do this now that I have sent away my sewing machines... so maybe I will replace this with something else sometime... we'll see.

34. Take a fitness class or join a fitness related activity - My hubby won a gift certificate for 3 personal training sessions by answering a trivia question about Annapolis on facebook and he gave it to me! YAY! I would never in a million years have thought to shell out the cash for this or even have the guts to do this normally... I'm sort of a workout/gym novice but I'm going to take the plunge and give it a shot and I'm actually excited about it. The trainer was really nice on email... hopefully she won't be a crazy drill Sargent in person :-)


55. Sell fairy collectibles - Do I seem like the type to collect fairies? I guess at one time I did. They are gone now-- they all went to one lovely lady at the yardsale.


65. Purge house of unneeded things - Clutter = gone


66. Have a yard sale (or participate in one) -we had a yardsale at the hubby's mom's house and got rid of all that clutter mentioned above while making a few bucks. Anything that didn't sell we left with his mom to take to a charity. I wasn't bringing any of it back into my clutter free house!


I'm not sure how all of these things actually got done recently because it's been pretty hectic in my little piece of the world. Mom came home from the hospital this week (prayers for strength and recovery always appreciated) and I have been hanging with her and pop as much as possible and staying busy with work as well. I suppose I carved out time by not cooking or cleaning :-) Hey I said my house was clutter free - not actually dust free or clean!