35 Until 35

35 Things to do Before 35 – How Did I Do?

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Last year, on my birthday, I made a list of 35 things that I wanted to do before I turned 35.  Tomorrow I turn 35, and I wanted to look back at my 35th year and the things I accomplished.

  1. Read a book a month.  I didn’t really keep track, but I’m sure I read more than twelve books.
  2. Sign up for life insurance.  Didn’t do this, but we do get life insurance through Jesse’s job.  I’m not sure if we should pay for supplemental insurance.
  3. Try a Barre3 class.  I didn’t do this, but I took some yoga classes, and started going to the Rec Center on campus.
  4. Get a monthly massage.  Sadly, I didn’t even get one massage.
  5. Try acupuncture.  I still want to try this.
  6. Get a haircut.  I’ve gotten a couple, and even cut my own bangs recently.  Now I’m wanting a long, choppy bob to go with the new bangs.
  7. Try 5 recipes from my new cookbook!  I’ve made lots of things from this book.
  8. Spend a weekend at the beach.  I just missed this one – I’m going to the beach for the weekend next month.
  9. Spend a weekend in the mountains.  I did this a few times – camping and in Sunriver and Bend.
  10. Can something.  Peaces, barbeque sauce, sweet and sour sauce, spettighetti sauce, Uncle Chet’s dill pickles.
  11. Get our garden going again.  Still getting there…
  12. Focus on getting my Etsy shop going.  Note:  It has a new name and address – CaroMade!  Still getting there…
  13. Post one new listing on CaroMade every month.  Not quite…
  14. Do a creative retreat – either an organized one, or organize my own!  We almost have this scheduled.  It will probably have to wait until late spring or summer since we’re planning it in the mountains and none of the people going like to drive in the snow.
  15. Get more chickens.  We now have 9, and some are even laying again!
  16. Get back on my daily chore schedule!  Still in process…
  17. Go to Disneyland.  We took Alma last spring and it was magic.
  18. Go to a Broadway musical.  We saw Book of Mormon and it was incredible.
  19. Hike 35 miles.  Nope.
  20. Get the trailer set up and go on bike rides with the girls.  We did this a few times.
  21. Rent a limo.  Nope.
  22. Make and sew a huge cushion for our hearth.  I didn’t do this, but I did paint the fireplace white and I love it.
  23. Get chairs recovered.  They seriously need this, but we haven’t done it yet.
  24. Get estimates to get our house painted.  This summer.
  25. Set up some good seasonal capsule wardrobes.  I ended up Kon-Mari-ing everything and don’t really have enough for this.  I want to try it again, though.
  26. 5 Days of Christmas crafts on the blog.  So much fun.  I loved it.
  27. Get going on a creative, relaxing morning routine.  I’m not sure this is for me.  Maybe I’ll try again this summer when the sun rises earlier.
  28. More author interviews on the blog.  I want to get back to this.
  29. Plant a tree.  A pear tree.
  30. Take a class.  I’ve done things to renew my license, but I haven’t taken a creative class.
  31. Sew some clothing for me.  A couple Beatrix shirts.
  32. Make art for Alma’s and Harriet’s rooms.  Harriet’s name in felt.
  33. Go to the Country Fair.  So much fun.
  34. Go camping.  We went up the McKenzie and it was lovely.
  35. Build a sandcastle or a snowman.  Both.  Sand in Coronado, snow in Sunriver.

21/35 isn’t bad!  Here’s to next year… More on my plans for 36 coming tomorrow!

Winter To Do List, 2016

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Here’s my list of things to do this winter.  Many of the things on this list are from my 35 Things To Do Before 35 list, since there are still a lot of things on that list that aren’t checked off.

Anyone want to play along?

Here are some photos from last winter to get you in the mood!

  1. Go to the gym at least 30 times.
  2. Create a New Years signature cocktail.
  3. Sew new spring dresses for the girls.
  4. Go to an art opening.
  5. Work on my Tula Pink quilt.
  6. See The Last Five Years with Evynne in the lead role.
  7. See The Book of Mormon on tour.  Already have tickets!
  8. Get a massage.
  9. Do another Whole30.
  10. Try acupuncture.
  11. Try some new recipes from my Azerbaijani cookbook.
  12. Have a creative retreat.
  13. Get back on my daily chore schedule.
  14. Go on some hikes.
  15. Sew cushion for the hearth.
  16. Get paint estimates.
  17. Take a class.
  18. Finish at least one of my classes to renew my teaching license.
  19. Plant an amazing garden.
  20. Create some concrete, tangible ways to interact with my One Little Word for 2016 (to be announced soon!).

Autumn To Do List, Wrap-up

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Here’s our updated list from Autumn.  I have to say I’m surprise at how many of these items we got checked off.  Autumn was a fun season full of family, friends, holidays, pumpkins, apples, and gratitude.

Look for our Winter To Do List tomorrow!

  1. Drink hot cider.
  2. Drink pumpkin beer. We did this, and compared and rated all the best (and worst) of 2015! 
  3. Go to the pumpkin patch. Yes, we did this, for sure.  Many times, in fact.
  4. Make art. Hmmm… did I do this?  I don’t really think so.  Unless you count the December Daily album.
  5. Make Halloween costumes. Little Red Riding Hood and her Big Bad Wolf. 
  6. Go trick or treating. Yes, we braved the rain (and still have candy leftover!)
  7. Make new Beatrix top. Yep, this time in plaid flannel.
  8. Christmas gifts.
  9. Make apple crisp.
  10. Jump in puddles.
  11. Go on a date.
  12. #30daysof thanksgiving on Instagram.
  13. Go on a hay ride.
  14. Go to a Halloween party.
  15. Find some snow. Thanksgiving at Sun River was full of snow!
  16. Put the garden to bed for the winter.
  17. Decorate for Autumn. Done!
  18. Make Christmas banner for CaroMade. It’s up on my Etsy shop! But I did forget to put it up for Christmas…
  19. Prep the December Daily album.
  20. Get some Advent things ready like:
    1. The Goodness Gnomes (or whatever they will end up being.. I bought some little fairy things at the Country Fair this year).
    2. Other traditions for Christmastime/ Advent.
  21. Drink tea. Done!  That one was easy!
  22. Do a puzzle.  Oh how I tried.  Puzzles and toddlers don’t mix.
  23. Eat some cheese.
  24. Plan our 10th Anniversary Party.
  25. Go to the library.

30 Days Hath September – Whole30 Reflections

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So, it’s September 30th.  this means a lot of things.

October is tomorrow, and Autumn is really, truly here.  I can really see this on my walks.  The trees are beautiful.  There’s a chill in the air.  The students are back on campus.  I’m drinking hot tea instead of iced.

It also means we’ve technically made it to the end of our first Whole30.  I say technically, because it has now been 30 days.  But, really, it’s just the beginning (and not really an ending).  It was a great experience, and we learned a lot about food, nutrition, our bodies, and what we’re capable of.  I lost six pounds in the 3 1/2 weeks, Jesse lost 14).

This past weekend, we had a couple birthday parties to attend, so we decided to relax the rules since we were almost done.  I ended up having a tiny portion of Yumm (locals will know that this means beans, brown rice, veggies and Yumm sauce).  I instantly – I mean instantly – got a stomach ache and it became a gut bomb for the rest of the day.  I was bloated and uncomfortable.  Jesse got instant heartburn.  Now, I always feel like Yumm is a healthy option, and I still think that it is (way better than fried foods, greasy meat, etc), so this surprised me.  I realized that ‘healthy’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘good for you.’  I’m not sure what it was that wasn’t good for me, but with the bloating and discomfort, I’m going to guess it was the beans.  Suffice it to say, after a day of discomfort, I went back to the Whole30 way of eating for the rest of the weekend.

On Monday I wanted to try something else, so I got one of my favorite pumpkin muffins from a local bakery.  I figured I had done really well, and deserved a treat on my walk.  I bought it, started eating it, anticipating it to be the best thing I had ever eaten.  I ate about half of the muffin, and was full and done.  I didn’t feel gross like on Saturday, but I just realized it wasn’t worth it, so I didn’t finish it.  I didn’t get any headaches or pains, so I’m going to assume that grains are okay for me to eat.

Since then, I’ve been back on the Whole30 plan.  From here on out, I’m going to stick to it, but not strictly.  I mean, if there’s something that looks good, and isn’t too unhealthy, I’ll have some of it.  During this past month, I’ve learned ways to snack healthier, choosing an apple or a few banana chips.  I’ve learned that I don’t need as much food as I previously thought.  I feel like I’ve slayed my sugar-beast.  At the parties this weekend, I could have had cupcakes, but didn’t, and truthfully, I didn’t really miss them.

I know that the Whole30 plan is crazy restrictive and overwhelming.  I get it.  There were days that were really difficult.  There were things I really wanted to eat.  But, I kept going.  It’s easier than counting calories or points.  It isn’t just some fad diet that has crazy things like tons of grapefruits or cabbage soup.  It really felt like everything I put in my body had a purpose and was making me feel healthier and more energetic.  I learned that a microwaved apple with cinnamon and nutmeg is a wonderful dessert, but that I didn’t always even need to have dessert.  I learned that if I was feeling a slump, some tea or a handful of cashews would do the trick.

Most of all, I learned that I’m strong.  My will is strong.  My body is strong.  Today, on my walk, I walked through a beautiful oak grove and couldn’t help taking a selfie.  When I looked at the photo on my phone, I thought I looked great.  My hair is just in a braid, and I’m not wearing makeup, but I still thought I looked great.  I know it’s only six pounds, but I feel like my face looks thinner.  And my skin is clearer, my hair is shinier, my eyes are brighter.  Usually, I’ll take 100 selfies and kind of like one of them.  Today I took about 20, and liked 10 of them.  I know it sounds silly, but to me, that is strength.

Autumn To Do List, 2015

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It’s the first day of Autumn!  Officially!  Finally! Here are some photos from last Autumn and a list of things to do this Autumn.  Feel free to play along!andthenthey autumn to do 6 andthenthey autumn to do 5 andthenthey autumn to do 4 andthenthey autumn to do 3 andthenthey autumn to do 2 andthenthey autumn to do 1

  1. Drink hot cider.
  2. Drink pumpkin beer.
  3. Go to the pumpkin patch.
  4. Make art.
  5. Make Halloween costumes.
  6. Go trick or treating.
  7. Make new Beatrix top.
  8. Christmas gifts.
  9. Make apple crisp.
  10. Jump in puddles.
  11. Go on a date.
  12. #30daysof thanksgiving on Instagram.
  13. Go on a hay ride.
  14. Go to a Halloween party.
  15. Find some snow.
  16. Put the garden to bed for the winter.
  17. Decorate for Autumn. Done!
  18. Make Christmas banner for CaroMade.
  19. Prep the December Daily album.
  20. Get some Advent things ready like:
    1. The Goodness Gnomes (or whatever they will end up being.. I bought some little fairy things at the Country Fair this year).
    2. Other traditions for Christmastime/ Advent.
  21. Drink tea. Done!  That one was easy!
  22. Do a puzzle.
  23. Eat some cheese.
  24. Plan our 10th Anniversary Party.
  25. Go to the library.

Summer To Do List, Wrap-up!

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Here are some updates from our summer to do list.  I think we did quite a good job checking things off the list.  We didn’t get to everything, but we got to a lot!  At the beginning of the summer, I was so anxious and scared about what I was going to do to keep all of us entertained for the entire summer.  It all worked out and we had lots of fun.  We got into a groove and had lots of help.

  • Pick a summer theme song. Right now I’m thinking of something by Jenny Lewis or Rilo Kiley.  We just saw Jenny last week, so I’m on a Jenny/Rilo kick.  Or I might throw back to some of my favorite summers, and go with a Dave Matthews song.  DMB songs always make me think of summer.
    I decided on Budapest because it’s fun, it’s on the radio a lot, and Peter just did a cool version.
  • Take, and post to Instagram, a photo every day, starting June 21st and ending September 22nd – the first and last days of summer.  Recently I’ve gotten into sharing my day to day stuff on Snapchat, and haven’t been posting as much on Instagram.  I think I’ll look back and wish I’d taken more permanent documentation of these days.  This summer, I will post (at least) one photo a day and I’ll use the hashtag #93summerdays if you want to play along! I did this pretty well!  The past few weeks, I sort of stopped because it hasn’t felt very summery.  I did have one friend play along, and it was fun to see our photos together in the #93summerdays on Instagram.  Thanks for playing, Meredith!
  • Run through the sprinklers.  I tend to be an observer in this activity.  I vow to participate this summer. I did this a couple times, but I also got in the kiddie pool, too!
  • Play outside everyday.  This is a long-term goal to get my kids to play outside everyday, rain or shine or snow or fog or whatever.  I think they’re getting to be old enough, and creative enough that I can start this.  Best to start in the summer, I figure! Not sure we did this absolutely everyday, but pretty darn close!
  • Have a dinner of corn on the cob.  When corn is in season, there’s nothing better. Nope. We had some good corn, but not a full meal.  Then we started Whole30 and couldn’t eat corn anymore at all.
  • Go to a concert. We went to a few of the free concerts at the Hult Center.  It was fun to have things to do out on the town.
  • Stargaze with Alma. Ideally, I want to take her out into the country or wilderness where stars are brighter.  I think it would be fun to let her stay up late (or get her up) and take her out, just the two of us. Nope.  It got dark way too late for this.  Maybe we’ll bundle up and do it this winter.
  • KonMari Method everything. This will likely be an entire blog post, but I have read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and am in the process of getting rid of things that don’t spark joy.  It’s already been incredible, I can’t wait to continue. We are soooo close to being done!  I did the photographs last weekend, and there are just a few boxes in the attic to tackle.  I’ve been waiting for it to cool down so it’s not an oven up there. 
  • Go on a day date with Jesse. 
  • Hike.
  • Camp.  We went to my parents’ annual campout for Harriet’s first camping trip.  She loved it and we all had fun!
  • Ride bikes.  We didn’t ride as much as I thought we would…
  • Make lemonade from scratch.  Nope.
  • Watch fireworks.  Big ones this year, I think. Nope.  Next year.
  • Build a sandcastle. In Coronado, Alma spent lots of time digging and building and ruining sand castles.
  • Make ice cream from scratch.
    We made a cherry dark chocolate ice cream.  I liked it, Alma didn’t, Jesse was indifferent, Harriet likes anything.
  • Redecorate the living room – specifically the mantel. It still is covered in Easter decorations.  Come on.  Jesus has already ascended into Heaven and we’re fully in a new church season.  Seriously, Carolyn. We did this, but now it’s time to do it again!
  • Go to the beach.  This should be easy.  We have another vacation to Coronado planned. Yep.  Alma loved it, Harriet fell asleep every time we went to play in the waves.
  • Go to the mountains.
  • Bake a crisp, or other summery dessert.   Blueberry cobbler ftw.
  • Swim in nature – ocean, river, lake, stream.
  • Eat wild berries. Nope.  What?  How did we miss this?
  • Make s’mores.
  • Take each Harriet and Alma on an adventure, just us.  I don’t think we really did this… I mean, I spent some time with each of them, but not on purpose.
  • Plan our tenth anniversary celebration.  Ten years!  What? We are still working on this one…
  • Learn how to shop at thrift stores.  They totally overwhelm me and I never buy anything.  I love to idea of not wearing new clothes – better for earth, better for the workers who make clothes, cheaper – I just don’t know how to do it. Nope.  Someday, maybe!
  • Go to the Country Fair. Photos here!
  • Go to new parks.  Maybe try for all the parks in Eugene?  Is that crazy?  Anyone want to attempt this with us? We went to lots of new parks and found some new favorites! 
  • Shop at the farmer’s market as often as possible.  Maybe make it a weekly activity. We never really made it to the farmer’s market, but we went to the farm a lot!  I decided it would be much easier with the girls to go somewhere that they can run around, feed goats, climb in hay, etc.
  • Have a water balloon fight. Ugh!  We never did this!  Boo!
  • Buy some treats from the ice cream truck. I tried hard for this one.  We never even saw an ice cream truck, darn it!  A couple times after the kids were in bed I heard one in the distance…
  • Go to the library.  Another weekly activity? We went a lot, but not weekly.
  • Swim in a pool. We went to my parents’ club pool a few times.  Both girls love being in the water.  Alma got really brave with jumping off, and even went off the diving board!
  • Tie dye something. Nope.
  • Go berry picking. Nope.

 

Summer To Do List, 2015

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And then they summer to do list Alma beachJune is here.  School’s almost over.  Summer’s coming.  I’m not the biggest fan of summer, I admit.  I thinking having a list of things to do this summer might make me enjoy it more.  A lot of these are also on my 35 Until 35 list, so that’s good.

  1. Pick a summer theme song. Right now I’m thinking of something by Jenny Lewis or Rilo Kiley.  We just saw Jenny last week, so I’m on a Jenny/Rilo kick.  Or I might throw back to some of my favorite summers, and go with a Dave Matthews song.  DMB songs always make me think of summer.
    I decided on Budapest because it’s fun, it’s on the radio a lot, and Peter just did a cool version.
  2. Take, and post to Instagram, a photo every day, starting June 21st and ending September 22nd – the first and last days of summer.  Recently I’ve gotten into sharing my day to day stuff on Snapchat, and haven’t been posting as much on Instagram.  I think I’ll look back and wish I’d taken more permanent documentation of these days.  This summer, I will post (at least) one photo a day and I’ll use the hashtag #93summerdays if you want to play along!
  3. Run through the sprinklers.  I tend to be an observer in this activity.  I vow to participate this summer.
  4. Play outside everyday.  This is a long-term goal to get my kids to play outside everyday, rain or shine or snow or fog or whatever.  I think they’re getting to be old enough, and creative enough that I can start this.  Best to start in the summer, I figure!
  5. Have a dinner of corn on the cob.  When corn is in season, there’s nothing better.
  6. Go to a concert.
  7. Stargaze with Alma. Ideally, I want to take her out into the country or wilderness where stars are brighter.  I think it would be fun to let her stay up late (or get her up) and take her out, just the two of us.
  8. KonMari Method everything. This will likely be an entire blog post, but I have read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and am in the process of getting rid of things that don’t spark joy.  It’s already been incredible, I can’t wait to continue.
  9. Go on a day date with Jesse. And then they summer to do list alma forrest
  10. Hike.
  11. Camp.
  12. Ride bikes.
  13. Make lemonade from scratch.
  14. Watch fireworks.  Big ones this year, I think.
  15. Build a sandcastle.
  16. Make ice cream from scratch.
    We made a cherry dark chocolate ice cream.  I liked it, Alma didn’t, Jesse was indifferent, Harriet likes anything.
  17. Redecorate the living room – specifically the mantel. It still is covered in Easter decorations.  Come on.  Jesus has already ascended into Heaven and we’re fully in a new church season.  Seriously, Carolyn.
  18. Go to the beach.  This should be easy.  We have another vacation to Coronado planned.
  19. Go to the mountains.
  20. Bake a crisp, or other summery dessert.   Blueberry cobbler ftw.And then they summer to do list harriet swinging
  21. Swim in nature – ocean, river, lake, stream.
  22. Eat wild berries.
  23. Make s’mores.
  24. Take each Harriet and Alma on an adventure, just us. 
  25. Plan our tenth anniversary celebration.  Ten years!  What?
  26. Learn how to shop at thrift stores.  They totally overwhelm me and I never buy anything.  I love to idea of not wearing new clothes – better for earth, better for the workers who make clothes, cheaper – I just don’t know how to do it.
  27. Go to the Country Fair. Photos here!And then they summer to do list alma doorway
  28. Go to new parks.  Maybe try for all the parks in Eugene?  Is that crazy?  Anyone want to attempt this with us?
  29. Shop at the farmer’s market as often as possible.  Maybe make it a weekly activity.
  30. Have a water balloon fight.
  31. Buy some treats from the ice cream truck.
  32. Go to the library.  Another weekly activity?
  33. Swim in a pool.
  34. Tie dye something.
  35. Go berry picking. And then they summer to do list harriet crawlingAnyone want to play along?  What’s on your list this summer?