Sunday, January 6, 2013

101 in 1001

When I posted about "LIFE ON PURPOSE" back in December, I mentioned something about having 101 goals to complete in 1001 days. (Which is about 2.75 years).  You may recall that I did a 40x40 list and gave myself about 18 months to get it done.  I did complete quite a few of the items but not nearly as many as I would have liked.  Why so long to complete this list?  It allows you more than one season to accomplish things - which is one of the problems I ran into with the 40x40 - in some cases if I missed the opportunity to complete it (Like going to the longest breakfast table) then I was out of luck. This time frame offers a little more wiggle room to get things done.

Below is my list.  I plan to come back to this list and update it periodically and I'll provide a link back to it in my monthly goals post as well.  For the most part, this will just be a list with little explanation - I think most of it is self explanatory :-)  There are a few "left blank on purpose" items because, honestly, those our personal goals.  If and when I accomplish them, I may or may not share ;-)  It's my blog and it's my rules :-)

I made my list in categories in order to help me focus and actually be able to come up with 101 ideas - it took me about a week of working on the list, walking through my house looking for ideas and reading other blogs with their own lists to finally fill out my 101 goals. They are not in any particular order.

Home:

11.       Paint the outside of the house – every last inch of it and put gutters up
22.       Landscape our yard, simple but beautiful This is in progress - I've started with just one flower bed area and completed that; I'll keep moving slowly on the other areas in the back yard. 
33.       Complete the playroom including putting in the cubby hole under the stairs
44.       Replace both the front and the back porches The front porch is in progress
55.       Redo the kitchen countertops
66.       Put a new floor in the kitchen
77.    Finish all of the little things (i.e. the banister, the floor pieces, outlets, touch-up to rooms that are done etc) We have a master list in place
88.   Redo the living room – paint, flooring and furniture (this is a stretch but . .. hopefully!)
99.       Put new flooring down in our bedroom
110.   Put up the “dream” light fixtures in the boys room, our room, dining room and kitchen.Done
111.   Be Able to park in the garage (this involves getting a garage door opener!)Done
112.   Get a new Frame for Josh’s 1 year collage. Done
113.   Hang up a coat rack in the stairwell for our “in use” coatsDone

Kids
11.       Make birthday board plan and all items for it as well as birthday wreath and get a birthday flag
22.       Design and put into motion a chore chart
33.       Purchase the Trofast system and organize legos now and completely organize the toy situation in the boys room
44.       Find or replace Josh’s SS card :-/Cleaning out drawers is always a good thing - found the card!! (05/08/13)
55.       Begin geocaching together as a family
66.       Start a Savings Account for Nate Done
77.       Increase the boys accounts by a total of $300 over the course of this goal list
88.       Do Christmas Shoeboxes with the boys
99.       Potty Train Both Boys One down, one to go!
110.   Sign the boys up for 1)Gymnastics 2)T Ball 3)1 week of summer sports item 4)Soccer
111.   Sign the boys up for one week of summer activity at the Zoo and at Impressions 5
112.   Make puke buckets for the truck and the boys room. Done
113.   Do family movie night once  a month – a movie the kids will enjoy with a special snack.My kids aren't into movies . .. we've tried and they would rather play.  
114.   Order a new triangle for the play clock (seems like a little thing but I really need it!) The company would not replace it BUT my Mother-In-Laws husband does wood working and he made a new block for me!
115.   Take the kids to the circus

Me
11.       Left blank on purpose
22.       Find a new make-up “source” and take care of my face!!
33.       Complete all of my UFO’s in scrapbooking – the odds and ends, baby books, putting in memorabilia, etc. Completed our Wedding album 02/13;Boys albums are done 4/13
44.       Get my ears repierced (as needed) and start wearing my earrings again (I have one "hole" that has closed up)
55.       Learn how to belly dance
66.       Take a true cooking class
77.       Run a 5k
88.       Reach the 10,000 steps a day goal
99.       Get an Ipod or MP3 player and load it with great music
110.   Get a radio for the kitchen – I love to listen to music and spend a lot of time in the kitchen Done
111.   Go to the eye doctor and get new contacts and new glasses
112.   Read a total of 48 books – books on family, marriage, ect so non-fiction stuff.
113.   Memorize “The Sermon on the Mount” and share it in front of a group.
114.   Learn/be able to Play 24 piano songs – any genre is fine. 
115.   Relearn Clair De Lune
116.   Take care of my Nails for one month and see if it becomes a habit Done
117.   Take care of my feet for one month and see if it becomes a habit Done
118.   Wake up at 6:00 for two weeks solid so I can be up before my kids and see if this is a habit I can continue Done - back to babysitting so I get up at this time every day; makes the day run much smoother!
119.   Go on a snack at night strike for 2 weeks straight.  Only “0 point” snacks allowed – I.e. serving of fruit, water, veggies (no dip!), maybe try the Slushie Recipe I have.  The goal is to stop using food to fill the time.
220.   Pick a theme to study each year and focus on that topic all year (i.e Parenting, Marriage, gardening/landscaping etc) Year 1 - Raising my kids :-)

Marriage
11.       Attend one marriage seminar/weekend – it would be good for us after 11+ years.
22.       Read and do “The Husband Project”
33.       Budget and plan our finances so we can succeed.  (Monthly tracking and savings) January, February are done; March and April are done; May - check!
44.       Pay off our truck 3 months early.
55.       Save 9 months worth of car payments to put down on a new vehicle
66.       Get dental insurance Looked into this and boy have prices gone up from a few years ago; we are going to be our own "dental insurance" - we have our next cleanings scheduled and I know what I have to put away each month (a lot less than the price of insurance)!!
77.       Have a Living Will/Trust created
88.       Eat at “The Melting Pot”
99.       Do “A word a day” calendar” together to expand our vocabulary
110.   Subscribe to The Sentinel (our local paper)
111.   Open a savings account (membership) under my name for our true savings Done
112.   Make 13 mortgage payments each year
113.   Have a movie night once a month with the hubby – Either Redbox or the video store – but actually GO and get a movie 2013- 4/12

Travel
11.       Buy a Camper – either a pop-up or a pull along depending on what deal we can find
22.       Take Darryl to the Rock and Roll and NFL hall of Fame
33.       Travel on one of the boats across Lake Michigan
44.       Plan two family vacations during this time frame – money will determine location but I want to make sure that we at least get away and do fun things. Mackinaw City - Vacation one
55.       Plan two trips for Darryl and I – again, money determines location but I want us to get away.  (Vegas would be nice or CA or Vermont again!)
66.       Take the train trip up in Sault St Marie Canada.
77.       Get our passports updated Not needed until March 2014
88.       Fly First Class
99.       Take a weekend away by myself – leave on Friday, stay in a hotel, relax, shop, see a movie, come home on Sunday – no husband and no kids.   Just me.
110.   Schedule 3 camping trips each summer – End of June, Beginning of August and Beginning of Sept is the goal  2013 - done (decided to do just 2 this summer and do a hotel weekend in July instead)
111.   See WICKED!!! 
112.   See the movie “Les Miserable” – I always wanted to see the broadway play so I guess the movie is the next best thing :-/
113.   Take the train to Chicago and stay downtown
1   
Crafts/décor/Photography
11.       Compile a continuing list of projects I want to make and complete at least one a month I might have to "uncheck" this later but for now, I'm successful at this; both planning and completing projects
22.       Create my Christmas Journal
33.       Make outdoor Christmas décor – Christmas Tree, boxes on planter, and Christmas gifts for the front yard
44.       Get a flag pole and flags for the front of the house
55.       Find a way to display current scrapbooks in the living room
66.       Figure out a side business – thinking scrapbooking layouts or do Scentsy or something simple.
77.       Read “How To Photograph your Baby” and Spend 1 week on each topic practicing the photos
88.       Learn how to use camera on Manual
99.       Make a list of 100 facts about me (to use for #10)
110.   Complete an “All about me Scrapbook” for my kids to enjoy as they grow (A scrapbook about me, the mom!)
111.   Do a “Cookie of the Month” club for the Neighbors – practice various cookies each week and pick the one that is the best – make a big batch and give them to my three next door neighbors. 
112.   Take 1 froxen meal (homemade) meal to each of my three neighbors throughout the year.  Just out of the blue.Not doing either of these . . .I was just desperate for ideas when I wrote this list HA!
113.   Make the John Deere Blanket for Nate – in the car

Organization
11.       Replace favorite VHS tapes with DVD’s
22.       Get a Blue Ray Disc player for above items
33.       Organized DVD’s (System on Amazon)
44.       Completely organize the basement – go through everything (again) and be brutal (even more than last time); get clear storage containers so I can see what is in the containers, clean off the drafting table, clean out the filing cabinet, get simple curtains,
55.       Get a Turkey Rack for my roasting pan to use for . . .Turkeys (Saw it on Pioneer Woman – What an easy way to get a turkey out!!)
66.       Organize recipes into two binders – Holidays and Sweets; Every day Eating.  Also get two under the counter hanging baskets of some sort to slide the recipe books into (or one if it is tall enough) to keep them off the counter but handy Done
77.       Organize all of our tax documents from the last 10 years and have them clearly labeled in a file box. 
88.       Organize all manuals into a three ring binder for easy access and keep in the classroom closet. Done!! 

Holidays
11.       Make or buy a wreath or door décor for each month for the patio door (2 done so far!)
22.       Plan something special/traditional for all holidays for the family – a meal, a special activity etc.
33.       Actually make it to Frankenmuth before Christmas every year
44.       Attend the Kite Festival in May
55.       Attend the lighting of the holiday tree in Lansing


So, that's it.  Even reading it, it is a little overwhelming but I have taken my list, highlighted the first things I want to work on in January and am just going to start tackling items.  This actually "started" in November but with the holidays, I decided to really focus on it starting now :-)

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Weekly Menu

The first official Menu post of 2013 - Wow!!!  Last weeks meals turned out great and we actually ate what I planned . . other than having leftovers on New Year's Day and the Day after.  It probably helps that we also started our 2013 budget plan last week and are trying REALLY hard to follow our plan which meant no extra trips to the store and no eating out.  Here's the plan for the coming week which include a much awaited Birthday Weekend for Nate!

Monday - I actually included this last week but it was Shrimp Scampi.

Tuesday - Breaded Chicken, Parsley Potatoes, Broccoli and Biscuits


Wednesday - Swedish Meatballs, Noodles and Salad

Thursday - Lemon BBQ Meatloaf, Green Bean Casserole and crash potatoes

Friday - Chick-Fuh-Lay Nuggets, Baked Beans and Roasted Veggies

Saturday - Overnight French Toast and Sausage for breakfast.  We'll be eating out with the boys today.

Sunday - Again, we'll be eating out with the boys today as part of Nate's special weekend

Monday - Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Asparagus

That's it - Kinda simple this week!

Friday, January 4, 2013

Food Friday ;-) - Pumpkin Crunch Cake

Pumpkin Crunch Cake
adapted from . .. a friend! 

A friend of mine posted about this recipe on facebook and raved about it so I "made" her share the recipe.  I decided to make it for Ladies Fellowship meeting - yep, make a new recipe for a gathering, that's how I roll!  While I was making it, I had my doubts but in the end, it was fantastic.  My husband said that it beat out pumpkin pie in his book and that he would rather have this any day.  I would have to agree with him.  I would compare this to a dump cake except with a pumpkin filling - soft filling and a crunchy topping - so good! 

Ingredients:
2 sticks salted butter (I actually used unsalted since that is all I buy)
1 29 oz can of pumpkin puree
3 eggs
1 large can of evaporated milk (it is the bigger can - not the half size can)
1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg (I used pumpkin pie spice because that is all I had!)
1 box yellow cake mix
Whipped Topping

Directions:
1.  Melt butter; set aside
 2. In large bowl, mix together:  Pumpkin puree, eggs, milk, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon and nutmeg; pour into a baking dish
3. Sprinkle dry cake mix evenly over mixture - over it completly with the cake mix (yes, use all of the cake mix!)
4.  Pour melted butter on top to cover cake mix, do not mix it in.  The butter should sit on top of the cake mix and yes, again, use it all.
5. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees
6.  Let cool - this is best served cold.
7. Top with a dollop of whipped topping.

Enjoy! 
 

Thursday, January 3, 2013

2013 Theme Word and Topical Study

Starting a couple of years ago, I have tried to pick a theme word that I could focus on each year.  In the past, I've chosen Declutter, Simplify, and Celebrate.  Last year (Celebrate) I kinda fizzled.  I knew what my goal was at the beginning but ran into some road blocks such as lack of funds and the incredible heat this summer that pretty much left me doing very little all summer. As fall progressed, I started to think about what I wanted my Theme to be in 2013 and came across a few different ideas such as "home", "kids", "marriage" but all of those seemed to specific.  The more I thought about it the more I realized that I wanted my Theme in 2013 to be:
Family
 I think that my focus, as my kids are reaching the age where they love to do things, needs to be in creating both traditions and just "routine" for our family.  Everything from special things for birthdays to special meals around holidays to going geocaching as a family and lots of camping.  Part of this family concept also involves being intentional with both my kids and my husband.  (Maybe my theme should be "Be Intentional!!" By this I mean planning things for them; daily with my kids.  We have preschool starting and I want to be Intentional each day with my plans for both learning and fun activities.  I want to be intentional with my husband and making sure he gets little things to make his day better - maybe a gift card to Starbucks so he can stop and get a good coffee while he is working all day or keeping his favorite candy in the house to keep his sweet tooth happy.  Also included in this "Family" concept is dates - kid dates and adult dates.  We want to take our kids out individually on dates and spend time with them and Darryl and I need to go out a little more, if we can, or at least have more dates in with movies and maybe even a game or two.  It all takes planning or, honestly, it will never happen.  It's easier to sit around and do nothing than it is to get up and do something, isn't it?  My kids are just starting to get into games and movies so I want to plan a movie night once a month and also play games at least once a week :-)  I believe that by focusing on all of this during this one year, we'll build a firm foundation that we can build on in years to come. 

On to my Topical Study - a friend of mine posted on facebook looking for ideas on what to study in the coming year such as marriage, family, discipline, etc.  I realized that it is a great idea.  So I thought about what I wanted to accomplish this year and I've decided to focus on . .. . "Growing Conscientious and Obedient Kids" I think it is so easy for kids to say "please", "thank you", "I'm sorry" and so on but do they mean it?  I see a need in my own kids to teach them to think first and react second; to stop and pick a toy someone dropped instead of running by it.  I also want my kids to react to my requests and do what they are told (isn't that a novel idea??)  I feel like I'm lacking in how to get them to do this so I figured I would focus on this concept this year - reading books, looking up great ideas, instituting chore ideas and more.  I'm looking forward to learning how to parent my children better in order to help them be better children. :-)

So that is what I'm focusing on this next year.  Watch for my monthly goal posts (hahaha that is like football and I love football!!) so you can see what my goals are each month and what I accomplish as well.  

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

New Year's Eve and New Year's Day AKA Our Christmas

We had a wonderful New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and . . .our family Christmas!!  Our Family Christmas was one of those things that was moved due to illness.  The only day that worked due to my husband's schedule was New Year's Day and really, it worked better then we thought it ever wood.  I even prepped the boys on New Year's Day and let them know that we would be celebrating Christmas the next day.  Of course they were excited about gifts :-)

Like most people, my husband had to work on New Year's Eve Day so the boys and I hung out at home.  It was actually the very first day in over three weeks that I felt completely almost healthy.  I cooked, cleaned and finally organized the classroom,which has been in disarray since Thanksgiving. As I mentioned in my Menu post earlier this week, I was trying something new this year for dinner hoping to start a new tradition - I made two kinds of soup. Italian Wedding Soup (Meatball Soup) and then Easy Broccoli Cheese Soup, which was a new recipe.  I'll be sharing that one in the weeks to come - it was fantastic.  After dinner, the boys took baths with some new body bath paints  they got for Christmas and then we played until bedtime.
Darryl was playing monster and was hiding behind the couch . . .this is the view of the boys running to the couch just before they run away screaming HA!

After the boys went to bed, Darryl and I wrapped their Christmas gifts and then did our normal thing on New Year's Eve - we ate snacks and watch the countdown shows.  I made a "new" recipe called "Loaded Potato Chip Dip" only to discover that it is the same thing as my Bacon dip ;-)  I also made fruit dip to go with pineapple and strawberries and we had cheese and crackers, fudge and truffles.  It was all so yummy! We did manage to stay up until midnight but knowing the boys would be up by 7:00, we headed to bed not long after mid-night.

New Year's morning, the boys did not disappoint - they were up at 7:00 on. the. dot.  :-)  We got up and fixed a wonderful "Christmas" Breakfast.
We had Sausage Gravy and Biscuits, Mini Cinnamon Rolls, Fruit and Dip and Orange Julius to drink. After we finished eating, Josh helped me clean off the table and get everything in the dishwasher.  When we were done he said, "Can we open presents now, mom?"  Obviously he had an special motive in helping me ;-)

The boys had so much fun opening gifts one at a time - Josh had to take photos of everything.  I mentioned to Darryl that I think by the time he is 15 we will be buying camera equipment for him for Christmas.  Between Josh and I taking photos, poor Nate always has to wait to open his gifts so we can get the perfect shot.

 This picture makes me laugh out loud.  Nate was making funny faces while we took photos.
 Yes, that is an MP3 player for a 4 year old.  Josh loves . .LOVES music and this is a BIG hit.  We have music loaded on it and he loves to listen to his "Phone that plays music".











 The Crayon banks are something the boys picked out back in October when we took them to Toys-R-Us to go "window shopping".  They loved them when they found them and asked for money right away to put inside their banks.
 I like to get a photo of each of the boys with their Christmas gifts but they both wanted to be in the photo together so we squished everything into one shot.
 The boys playing with a big part of their Christmas gift from us.  The castle is another favorite item the boys had picked out AND have asked for since we took that trip to Toys-R-Us.  We also got them the Ogre, Dragon, and other little pieces to the castle so they had a full set to play with and it is so awesome - even better then we thought it was when we got it.  They played with it together and individually throughout the entire day.
 Josh listening to his new MP3 player.  :-)
 A last minute gift was the piano's - they were on clearance at Walmart for $7.00 each and I knew the boys would love them. 
 I originally had planned a big "Christmas" dinner for the afternoon but after the big breakfast, snacking throughout the morning, and well, not wanting to cook, I put together a fun, simple late lunch.  I had taken leftover ham out of the freezer to use today anyway so I cut up the ham and served it with cheese, crackers and pickles on a "snack tray".  Then we had leftover fruit an dip, bacon dip, and sweets from the night before plus some chips and dip.  It was the perfect New Year's Day lunch.  I will have to remember this for next year! Later in the evening, the boys had some Mac and Cheese while Darryl and I just had leftover soup from Monday.

One last photo.  Josh's "special" gift was his MP3 Player.  This is Nate's "special" gift - something just for him.  It is a Dinosaur box that turns into a play mat and it is so cool.  Here, he is playing with it as a mat but the four sides have zippers so when you are done, just zip it all up and it makes an awesome storage box for all things dinosaurs :-) It is so fun watching him set up his "friends" and play.  Sometimes, because the boys are so close together, we forget that Nate is "only 3" and even then just barely three.  He is still a toddler and loves to just play with toys and have fun.

The boys played all day and it was fun.  The boys requested to take an early bath so they could play with their new body soap paints and bubble bath soap (Umm Nana . . they LOVE it all, just saying!).  Once they were out and in PJ's (again HA) they actually started asking to go to bed.  I was a mean mom and forced them to stay up.  What?  It was only 5:00!!!  They were not going to bed 2 1/2 hours early because I did not want to be up at 4:00 AM!!  We pushed them until 7:15 and finally let them go to bed and yes, they were asleep about 45 minutes earlier then last night (it took them forever to go to sleep Monday Night!)

I would say we are done with Christmas but we aren't.  They actually have one more gift but we are waiting for it to be delivered (We got them each a Home Depot Kids Tool Box with tools - they love to help!).  We'll wrap them up and give them to each of the boys once they arrive.  Plus, we still have to "make-up" Christmas with Darryl's mom - we still have to set a date for that one.  For now, though we are done and the decorations will start to come down . .today :-)