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.