365 Photos Day 58

58/365

The Kid made popcorn just in time for us to tune in to the Academy Awards to watch "The King's Speech" win Best Picture.

Yeah, I kind of forgot the Oscars were on tonight. From the things I read on Twitter though, it doesn't sound like I missed much.

365 Photos Day 57

57/365

Salt. Salt for our water softener.

Getting said salt for said softener sounds easy enough, right? The form said 'solar salt', which is what we use. So that's what we got. The form said NOTHING about said solar salt being coarse salt and not pellets (for reference: we do NOT normally use the blue bag salt; we use the happy sunshine-y bag of salt).

Apparently, our softener is a diva and will use a crap-ton of the coarse salt when regenerating, instead of a modest amount as it does when there are pellets. And when there's a crap-ton of salt being used, it means the water is extra softened...and VERY SALTY. And when I accidentally set the softener to regenerate two nights in a row...well, it's Not Good.

This kind of water tends to make my hair look (and feel) disgusting, and doesn't do wonders for my skin, either. This makes me grumpy, which is also Not Good.

Yes, I realize that there are billions of people who would love to have clean water, regardless of how much salt is in it. That's why I feel as if I'm being a bit ungrateful about all this.

But, I'm looking forward to the day when all is right with our water again. Which should be in a few days (I hope).

Waiting for Spring

This sums up exactly how I feel about having to wait to start painting walls in the house.

Instead of "little old lady at twelve o'clock" it's more like "winter at twelve o'clock".

Once warm temperatures arrive (above 60), then BAM! I'm gonna be off and running again.

365 Photos Day 56

56/365

Tonight I had to hit the craft store for some paint for the weekly Storytime letters. It's been awhile since I've had to paint something other than a wall, so this should be interesting, considering I've never made claims about being an artist. Or artiste.

365 Photos Day 55

55/365

The Kid is probably going to get to study abroad next spring for a class (World War II: Victory in Europe). She'll be going to Munich (with a side visit to Dachau), Paris (with visits to Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, & Versailles), Bastogne (visiting the Museum of the Battle of the Bulge), Normandy (visiting the Caen Memorial, Normandy beaches, & the American Cemetery), taking the ferry to Portsmouth (and going to the D-Day Museum) & London (visiting the Imperial War Museum, the Cabinet War Rooms, and Churchill Museum) for 10 days.

When my Mom died in 2007, I rolled all her mutual funds over into an account for the Kid's future education. This definitely qualifies, and there's more than enough to cover the trip and spending money and all that. And I know Mom would approve of her granddaughter doing an (extremely) abbreviated version of the Grand Tour.

She wants me to go with her (which I could), but I don't know. On the one hand...LONDON!!! and PARIS!!!, but on the other...I'm not a World War II kind of historian. That'd be Steve. He'd love that stuff. Me, I'd be happier skipping all that. Either way, there's going to be some learning of basic French going on (because I can do that. German...no.) And some planning for her free nights of what she should go see.

But, LONDON!!!! and PARIS!!!!

365 Photos Day 54 Bonus Photo

Bonus Photo 54/365

Remember that tree from Day 48?

Yeah, this is that tree a week later, after that lovely snowstorm that hit last weekend.

*Sigh*

365 Photos Day 54

54/365

This is my $40 doorbell thingy that resides beside the (technical) front door of our house (I say "technical" because our back door is what gets used the most. Partly because it's how it's done here, and partly because we live on a corner lot and all the parking is on the side street, which is closer to the back door. Confused yet?)

ANYHOW.

When we were building this house, it was all about compromise. Sort of. More of a "I'll give up this if I can have that" kind of thing.

This was one of my "I'm not giving this up" things. It's perfect for the house. It goes with the address plaque above it.

Sure, it doesn't get used very much because it's on the front door that's kind of like a back door. And yes, I spent more on this doorbell thing than I did on the light in the dining room (it was $29 in a clearance bin at Home Depot).

But I love it. And that's all that matters.

365 Photos Day 53

53/365

The Kid was watching the movie "Crash" for her Sociology class when I got home tonight. So, I sat down and watched the rest of it with her.

This is a scene after Matt Dillon's character risks his own life to save a woman from a burning car. The same woman who he'd pulled over earlier and under the guise of a pat-down, makes overtly sexual advances towards, and whom, when she sees him coming to get her out of her car, starts screaming, "No! No! Not you! Anyone but you!" (and seriously, who can blame her?)

The first time I watched this movie, I was in my junior year of undergrad at St Kate's, and it was for a Global Search for Justice: Dismantling Racism class. Obviously we were to be looking for both overt and hidden racism within the interactions of the characters, which I did.

I also saw the interconnectivity of how lives come together, both within our own lives, and how our actions can affect other people's lives in ways that we can't even begin to imagine.

Kindness goes a long way in this tumultuous world we live in. It doesn't take a grand gesture such as rescuing someone from a car that's about to explode. It can be simple things like smiling, or talking to someone, or holding a door open, or helping someone who's struggling with something.

It's about recognizing that we are indeed interconnected on some level, and that sometimes it really is as easy as remembering to treat people with the same respect and kindness as we want others to treat us.

365 Photos Day 52

52/365

This chest of drawers is one of my mother's family's heirlooms that I've been lucky enough to get.

It started off somewhere in the South, then came by wagon train west to Oregon, then onto Northern Washington, where it lived happily for many years. It then went back to Oregon (when my Mom got it), and then came back east to Minnesota in the back of a rented Blazer (when I got it). Who knows where my daughter will be when she gets to have it...hopefully somewhere she loves.

I guess today's lesson is: Sometimes things come almost full circle, in rather surprising ways, and upon further reflection, it hasn't been such a bad journey.

Related: I'm practicing reading and re-reading and re-reading the books I've chosen for the Jj Storytime. I think Kit Kat has had quite enough of Jamberry and Snappy Little Jungle, as have I.

(The lamp was Steve's paternal grandmother's; the clock he picked up at a farm estate auction; the roses were on Valentine's clearance at Target last year; and the white urn thingy is one of my finds from Goodwill last fall.)

365 Photos Day 51

51/365

One of the best times of the year is when Girl Scout cookies come. Before this year, we'd order a bunch, but then we'd have to wait for them AND they'd inevitably come during Lent (which was great because yay we had them, not so great if someone'd given up sweets for Lent). This year, though, we ordered them and got them all within 3 days...way before Lent.

We ordered 7 or 8 boxes of Samoas, 7 or 8 of Thin Mints, and then an odd assortment of others.

So, I'm just doing my part to make sure they're out of the house by the start of Ash Wednesday.

Yep. Always a team player.

365 Photos Day 50

50/365

Figuring out Storytime for Jj because the person who had been doing Storytime can't do it anymore. She left me outlines for all the letters, but I'd rather do my own thing.

Good thing I have previous on-the-job training. When I was a youngster of 17, I was a preschool teacher in a private daycare. We were required to make and turn in lesson plans on a weekly basis. Said lesson plans had to have a cohesive theme, with supporting activities, and could not include large blocks of "free time" or "coloring" or "playground". Oh, and had to engage all kinds of learners too.

So, I'm bringing that same process to Storytime. I'm a big believer in audience participation, so I've picked books that have some places for the kids to help me read.

Thing is, I'm 42 now, so it's been awhile since I've had to do this kind of thing on this scale. I'll be fine I know, but this first Storytime will be very interesting.

365 Photos Day 49

49/365

I have nothing to read. Seriously.

Yes, I know that all but 1.5 of the shelves on the two bookcases are double- or triple stacked with books. Yes, I know I JUST bought some books at Barnes & Noble a couple of weekends ago.

That's not the point.

Steve just loooooves when I say that I have nothing to read. He used to say, "You have TWO bookcases double and triple stacked. Plus, you have an ENTIRE LIBRARY that you can borrow from. Some guys have wives that say, 'I have nothing to wear.' Me, I get the one who 'has nothing to read.'" I always say I have enough clothes and shoes, but I'm pretty sure there's no such thing as too many books.

It usually happens after I've finished a really good book (which I did at 3:30 this morning) or after I've read too many of a series in a row. I'll stand in front of my bookcases for sometimes almost an hour trying to choose my next book. I usually end up doing eeny-meenie-miny-mo between shelves and then going from there. I used to have a TBR (to-be-read) pile where I stacked books and read whichever was next in the pile. But then came a day where I wasn't in the mood for the next book and toppled my carefully arranged pile. And then gave up and shelved them.

And good thing my bookcases are well made. The taller one was made by my brother-in-law as a Christmas present from Steve the 2nd year we were married. The shorter one was made by my Dad after Mom told him to take up a hobby. I haven't a clue as to how many pounds of books are actually ON them, but it doesn't matter.

Because I have nothing to read right now.

So, if you all will excuse me, I have to go stand in front of said bookcases for awhile trying to figure out what I'm going to read next.

365 Photos Day 48

48/365

What a difference a day makes. Even just yesterday we could only see the very top of the tree, but today...today we can see about half of it (it's one of the 4 blue spruce trees that were planted last summer).

Yay for sunshine and snow melting!

365 Photos Day 47

47/365

Look!!! Bare ground! Grass!!!! Wooooo!!!

Or, in other words...

it's been forever and ever since there's been bare ground and grass and warm days where I can wear shorts and oh my gosh I'm going to be able to PAINT again soon and I really don't like snow very much at all but that's ok because SPRING IS COMING YAY!!!!!!!!!!

Nope. No cabin fever here.

365 Photos Day 46

46/365

Every night after everyone's gone to bed, I take 10 minutes to do a quick pick-up and general straightening up of the living room, kitchen, and hallway.

Here's what I found in the hallway tonight: 8 q-tips, 2 hairties, 1 twist-tie, and a scrap of paper.

These are (some of) the things that our now 9-month old kitten Iz (short for Izzle, which is short for Izzy, which is short for ISABELLE GRACE!!!! KNOCK IT OFF!!!) has hunted down and dragged off to her lair today.

She can amuse herself for long periods of time playing with any one of these, although I think the twist-tie is her favorite. Amanda has trained Iz to fetch them when Amanda throws them down the long hallway. Apparently Iz thinks she's a dog or something.

Who knew having a younger cat would be much like having a toddler? Not me, that's for sure. But I'm glad we have her anyway.

365 Photos Day 45

45/365

Woo! Mom opened the windows for us!!!!

I turned off the heat and opened the living room windows for awhile. I think all of us have a severe case of cabin fever.

(From L-R: Iz, Dart, Callie [on floor about to jump up], and Kit Kat)

Weekly Challenge #2: The Launch Pad

I'm not done with this area yet, but here's where I am with it all.

This is the area of the house where (ostensibly) our family can place everything they'll need to grab before heading out the door for another fun-filled day of work and school.

In theory, in our house anyway, this would be A Good Thing. Alas, our current launch pad does not work for us at all.

Here's what it looks like at 1 am, when all our things should be beside the door:



No sign of a backpack, or work bags, or anything remotely like what will actually walk out the door with us. Our coats are in the entryway that is through that door...except when they're hung over the backs of dining area chairs, or hung over the stairway newel post because apparently my family hates to hang up their coats in the coat closet it's hard for more than one person to be in the entryway hanging up coats at a time. (That back entryway is a prime target for this upcoming Home Improvement season)

One of the things I like to do is to clear a space out, take a picture, print it on scrap paper, and then draw all over it in order to see what will work and what won't.

I started by moving the bookcase:



Already that opens up possibilities. One of the things that really bugs me is that the carpet/hardwood floor division is right in the MIDDLE of that wall, directly under the electrical outlet. Originally the carpet was supposed to start right at the door frame and angle toward the staircase. In reality, the carpet installers had trouble with that, so our builder asked if they could just lay it lined up with the edge of the stairs. I should've come to look at where they were planning on starting it, but I didn't. And it bugs me a whole bunch. The shoes are on a remnant of that carpet, but they're actually on the hardwood floor.

ANYWAY.

I took down the clock and picture so that I could have a better idea of what I had to work with, since I'm not too happy with how it all looks. Of course, my inspection crew woke up from their naps and came to get in my way help out.



Once I'd cleared everything out of the way, I was able to sit back and think about what we need to have in that space to make it a good launch pad.

It needs to have:

• A place for keys


• A place to hang up coats/jackets


• A place for shoes & something to sit on to take said shoes on and off


• A clock


• Pictures or something to fill the space


• A lamp

In our old house, we had a peg coat rack, with an Ikea peg rack right above it for keys (this is a very old picture from 2004. Apparently Amanda was a Gryffindor Quidditch player for Halloween that year. Also, we've had that clock for a few hours short of forever.).



I went and found that coat rack from my Room of Requirement closet (formerly known as The Closet of Doom), but it didn't fit along that wall. Well, it fit, but the coats would've either covered the light switch or the electrical outlets.

Moving on, I thought that one other thing that was needed is someplace to sit to take off/put on shoes. I'd been looking at longer ottomans with storage, but didn't know if they'd fit. I got the mat from the entryway to cover up the carpet/hardwood floor thing, and got the little ottoman that has our Playstation & Wii games and controllers in it and moved it over to see if that would even work.



I'm on the hunt for the various things I need for this area. So far I have picked up some coathooks, but I don't want to put them up until I have the rest of the things that will need hung up as well so that I can lay them all out to be sure I'm putting the least amount of holes in the wall as possible.

365 Photos Day 44

44/365

Went to pick up some holds today at the library. And this was one of them.

No, I didn't write this book. But I probably could've. It would've been much shorter, though.

Some chapters would include:

1. Always look for the loopholes in the instructions. If you can find them, you can use them.


2. If you're going to break (or severely bend) the rules, and you get caught, suck it up and take the punishment. Then, next time, be more careful.


3. Creative editing is very useful. That way you can honestly say you weren't lying. It's more like you just didn't tell the WHOLE story.


4. A good offense is the best defense. Also known as, "It's much easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for and be granted permission."


5. Expect to spend much of your childhood grounded. For further explanation, please refer to #2 above.

Yes, I'm sure I almost drove my parents to drink. Perhaps that's why they only had me.

Nah. It's because they just knew they'd never have another kid nearly as awesome as me. (revisionist history FTW).

(Here are the other books that I picked up. Since I'm taking over Storytime, I'm giving myself a crash course on the how-to's of it all.)

365 Photos Day 43

43/365

This was my waffle from the first of two waffle dinners I go to each year. This one was for the Guatemala Mission group trip. Tickets are $7 at the door, and get the buyer as many waffles as s/he can eat. I can almost finish ONE. But, man, they are gooooood.

365 Photos Day 42

42/365

I have a love/hate relationship with the FreeRice game.

On the one hand, I'm doing good on multiple levels. I'm donating my time in order for the company to donate rice to people who need it (at least I hope that's what they're doing). I'm utilizing all the (mostly) useless trivia and facts I have stored in my head. All of this is good.

On the other hand, I can easily lose an hour playing, which is not good.

Also, the realization that I am (apparently) geographically challenged in regards to what country is where, as well as what their assorted capitals are is rather ego-crushing.

But yet I play on.

(And I also really don't like when my computer can't recognize the USB card with my pictures on it before midnight. Apparently holding up said card in front of the computer and saying, "Computer, meet USB card. USB card, computer. NOW YOU CAN RECOGNIZE IT AND GIVE ME MY PICTURES" doesn't work. Or so I've heard.)

365 Photos Day 41

41/365

10:30 pm. And I'm already tired. This working every day thing is OK (or will be, come next payday), but the having to wake up way earlier than I normally do is hard.

I know. First world problems, I haz them.

365 Photos Day 40

40/365

I spent most of my day at work today, so I guess I could've taken a picture of my library. However, from the moment I came home Kit Kat hasn't left my side.

Kit Kat was one of the three cats we got at a shelter last November. I couldn't decide between her and another cat, so I brought them both home (the 3rd cat was one Steve had picked out). The people at the shelter said that Kit Kat, who is 7, had been there for almost a year and a half, and had originally been at a different shelter, adopted, then surrendered to them. She'd probably spent a third of her life in a shelter, all told.

She has become my helper when I work in my home office, much like Sammy used to do. Kit Kat herds me upstairs when she thinks it's time for me to go to bed, and she jumps on my head when she thinks it's time for me to be up and at 'em. She's kind of bossy, but that's ok. We're two of a kind.

365 Photos Day 39

39/365

Oh, you know, just sketching out possible projects for this upcoming Home Project season...when it's approximately 80 degrees warmer than it is right now (including windchill) so that I can open windows to let the paint fumes out.

Yep. Just me, my purple pen, notebook, and trusty tape measure. Dreaming of warmer weather and trips to Home Depot.

365 Photos Day 38

38/365

I spent my evening vacuuming the house. Now, this may not SOUND exciting to some, but I'm thrilled because we have a new vacuum. With four cats, three people, and a small entryway, I need all the help I can get. Our old one sucked, and not in a good way (duh-dum-dum).

365 Photos Day 37

37/365

I spent most of my day with Inspector John Rebus.

It's so nice to be able to read for fun, even though sometimes, especially Sunday afternoons, I keep thinking, "I'd better get cracking on my homework..." (I hear that side-effect of 7 straight years of school will eventually go away. One hopes.)

Weekly Challenge #1: Home Management Binder

I had so much fun with the 21 Days to Getting Organized challenge, I figured I'd keep on keeping on with the new weekly challenges.

(And I apologize for the quality of the pictures. Our other camera had a bit of an, um, Unfortunate Event earlier this week, and when we found a camera we liked at the Target store we were at last night, the cameras were out of stock. So, I'm using our very first, very old digital camera for now.)

The first week was all about setting up a home management binder. I'd already had one, sort of, from doing the FLYLady thing, called a Control Journal. But the only section I really ever used on a regular basis was the finances section.



When there were any changes to other sections (emergency contacts for one) I'd either hand write the changes on the paper, or worse, put loose pieces of paper or post-it notes in the section. I had lots of things in the inside pockets, where yes, they were in the binder, but not in a useful fashion.



I'd thought what I had was OK. Sure, it could always stand to be improved, but it worked. Mostly.

Until I was talking with a co-worker at the library about who pays bills in the household, and what would happen if someone else had to come in and try and make sense of the system being used. My husband came in to see me, so we asked him. He said, "Oh, I don't think I'd have a problem. I could just follow the information in that binder you keep in your office."

Uh, yeah. About that.

With that in mind, I started updating and redesigning the flow of said binder. I got a new binder and new divider tabs because this was my fresh start. (Besides, I'm really LOVING that color of the new binder. I'm pretty sure I'm going to paint my office that color this upcoming painting season.)



I started by really thinking about what all needed to be in there, and what categories would be most helpful to me. I finally decided on having a pre-section section and four other sections, with one held in reserve for now.

The pre-section section is all about who to call in case of an emergency.



I have our doctors, dentist, and veterinarian, insurance agent, all of our cell & work numbers, and next of kin. I also have a separate sheet of family addresses & phone numbers.



For the four other sections, I have:

• Finances: This section has a list of what bills are due when and how much they'll be. We have most of them on auto-pay, so that's good. I also have the addresses and phone numbers for all the companies, banks, and utilities. I also have a page with insurance information.



• Cleaning: For now, this section just has the FLYLady zone detailed cleaning lists. I'm going to add a list of other household things that need done or checked on a monthly, quarterly, or yearly basis, as I tend to forget what's been done when.



• Projects: I'm working on making a project list for myself for this upcoming Home Improvement Season. Last year I painted all the upstairs closets, hung some curtains, and re-did a room to turn it into an upstairs TV room. This year I'll be working on the main floor, so I need a better idea of what all needs done.
  I may also subdivide this category and add a craft project list.



• This & That: I printed off my favorite quotes and put them here. I also put cartoons and old notes from the Kid here because they make me smile.

The last section I'm keeping open because I'm pretty sure I'll need it for Menu Planning when we get that far.

Here's what it all looked like while it was in progress:





And here's what it looks like all done:

365 Photos Day 36

36/365

This is my Valentine's Day gift from my sweet husband. Yep, all this. I'm practical that way. Flowers tend to die very quickly in this house, so today he took me to Half Price Books (where I got the Midsomer Night DVDs--sets 1, 2, and 3, and The Office season 1, all using my awesome 20% coupon), then IKEA (where I got curtains & CD boxes for his office, since the ones I bought weren't big enough), then to Barnes & Noble where I found books I didn't even know I was looking for (which happens frequently when I'm there).

All in all, much better than flowers.

365 Photos Day 35

35/365

The other day I was having a conversation at work with a co-worker about who does the bill-paying in the family (in our family, I do), and what happens if something happens to said person--basically, would another person be able to figure out what gets paid when, or would everything be a big mess?

My husband had come in, and so we asked him. He said he'd probably be able to figure it out, especially since I have a binder that I use to keep track of everything household related.

Um, yeah. About that...

So, that's what I've been doing tonight. I've been updating everything, printing off relevant things, and making so that yes, if needed, he (or whomever) COULD figure it all out with some semblance of order.

I know. The excitement, it just never ends.

365 Photos Day 34

34/365

Bringing work home. Again. Like usual.

Somebody should’ve told me that sometimes I’d still get to do homework even when I wasn’t in school anymore.

Good thing I love what I do.

365 Photos Day 33

33/365

Library Board meeting tonight. We used to have them monthly, but since all our kids are getting older, we’re all pulled too many different directions, so we moved them to quarterly.

I look forward to the meetings because we get things done and sorted, and also because we’re friends, which makes it all very enjoyable.

365 Photos Day 32

32/365

It's laundry day. Actually, every day is laundry day because I do one load a day.
There's something to be said for having my own washer and dryer, that's for sure.

101 in 1001: January Progress

Huh. Not much change overall, but I'm still moving forward, so there's that.

I had fun participating in the Pub Quiz (our team tied for 3rd I think).

I'm also enjoying the 365 Photos challenge. So far I've done ones mostly about my everyday life. I try to sum up my day in a picture--what I've done, or what seemed to consume most of my energy, time, and attention that day.

In Process: 14
Finished: 23

Finances/Giving (1/12)
1. Get Emergency Fund up to $1000
2. Pay off and close Chase Visa
3. Pay off and close Target Visa
4. Get Emergency Fund up to 3 months (~12,000)
5. Get a used truck
6. Put a $50 bill in the second collection basket
7. Put a $100 bill in the second collection basket
8. Donate to the Food Shelf 10 times ($25 or equivalent) (5/10)
9. Leave a 100% tip 5 times (0/5)
10. Choose 2 kids from the Jesse Tree during Christmas & get them presents
11. Give to a family in need during the holidays
12. Buy a scratch-off lottery ticket & donate 25% of the winnings to charity [Done 18 September 2010]

House Inside (6/12)
13. Hang up 5 pictures (5/5) [Done 17 November 2010]
14. Frame Tree picture [Done 9 September 2010]
15. Paint back room and closet [Done 13 October 2010]
16. Paint hall storage closet & set up shelves [Done 17 August 2010]
17. Spruce up front door area (outside: welcome mat, flower pots/ inside: bench, mirror, lamp)
18. Finish basement
19. Back door/entryway re-do
20. Repaint & redo my office
21. Hang curtains or blinds in master bedroom & the Kid’s room [Done 18 October 2010]
22. Get dining room chairs
23. Repaint Laundry Room
24. Repaint/redo master bathroom/closet [Done 5 October 2010]

House Outside (1/12)
25. Plant 5 trees in yard (4/5) [4 Blue Spruce planted 7 August 2010]
26. Put in back flower bed
27. Paint Storage Shed same color as house
28. Back entryway outside re-do (transition between steps and red rock)
29. Build garage
30. Put in front flower bed
31. Put in front tower flower bed
32. Put in side flower bed
33. Level out north side of house & put down the decorative rock
34. Get covers for grill & fireplace
35. Get rid of stumps in back yard [Done 28 August 2010]
36. Get a flag for front porch (and install said flag)

To Do/Watch/Read (0/12)
37. Watch 101 movies (24/101)

January 2011
• Welcome Home, Roscoe Jenkins
• Eat Pray Love
• Easy A



38. Read 101 books (73/101)
January 2011 (9)
• Mama Gets Hitched by Deborah Sharp
• Ruling Passion by Reginald Hill
• An April Shroud by Reginald Hill
• Body Movers by Stephanie Bond
• Payment in Blood by Elizabeth George
• Mortal Causes by Ian Rankin
• Well Schooled in Murder by Elizabeth George
• Audio: The Haunting of Derek Stone: City of the Dead
• Audio: The Haunting of Derek Stone: Bayou Dogs


39. Go to a Cowboys-Vikings game
40. See 5 Minnesota Tourist Attractions (0/5)
41. Visit 5 art galleries in Minnesota (0/5)
42. Watch all seasons of “24” (0/8)
43. Watch all seasons of “MI-5” (0/9)
44. Complete a crossword puzzle book
45. Watch 5 documentaries (4/5)
46. Read 5 Non-fiction books (0/5)
47. Donate 100, 000 grains of rice on FreeRice.com (14,600/100,000)
48. Do 5 things from the “365 Things to do in the Twin Cities” (2/5)

Health (1/12)
49. Walk to work 30 times (23/30)
50. Bike around the lake
51. 175
52. 165
53. 155
54. 145
55. 135
56. Get eyes checked
57. Get new glasses or contacts
58. Get annual physical [Done 16 September 2010]
59. Do the 200 sit-ups challenge
60. Track my progress with Wii Fit for 28 consecutive days.

Grown-up/Family stuff (2/12)
61. Change life insurance beneficiaries
62. Write wills
63. Write living wills
64. Get family picture taken
65. Send out Christmas cards with aforementioned family picture on it
66. Host Brother/Sister Christmas party [Done 18 December 2010]
67. Have a family board/card game night 5 times (2/5)
68. Buy a new “grown-up” outfit (shirt/pants)
69. Take a family vacation
70. Make a picture family tree
71. Get first aid certified
72. Get the Kid a car safety kit for her car [Done 28 December 2010]

Spiritual/Church (3/12)
73. Learn the Rosary Prayers
74. Go to a Latin Mass
75. Go to daily Mass for a week
76. Donate time, talent, or treasure for the CCW Bazaar [Done 1 October 2010]
77. Read the Tao te Ching [Done 18 September 2010]
78. Get a new St Christopher Medal
79. Do the Advent readings and wreath one year [Done 7 January 2011]
80. Do the Lenten readings one year
81. Do the Rice Bowl project one year
82. Light an intention candle 10 times (4/10)
83. Attend Mass in the Basilica
84. Attend 2 Lenten dinners

Food (7/12)
85. Make a cake & icing (or cupcakes) from scratch [Done 24 July 2010]
86. Try 3 new restaurants (1/3)
87. Do one week of meal planning [Done 31 December 2010]
88. Do one month of meal planning
89. Eat 1 serving of fruit a day for a week (7/7) [Done 12 July 2010]
90. Try a new recipe [Done 1 October 2010]
91. Make cookies from scratch [Done 23 September 2010]
92. Try a different flavor ice cream (no vanilla/chocolate) [Done 12 August 2010]
93. Limit Diet Coke to 2 servings per day for 1 consecutive week (0/7 days)
94. No fast food for a month
95. Try 5 different kinds of apples (5/5) [Done July 2010]

Just Because (2/6)
96. Donate hair to Locks of Love one more time
97. Take part in a pub quiz [Done 16 January 2011]
98. Complete a 500+ piece puzzle
99. Fly first class
100. Start a Tumblr [Done 8 July 2010]: http://daughteroftime.tumblr.com
101. Do a 365 day photo challenge