365 Photos Day 90

90/365

My Christmas present from one of my sisters-in-law.

I'm not much of a lasagna fan (I'm a rather picky eater...I don't like my foods touching. It's a quirk.) but Steve is.

For this past Christmas, it was our turn to host the brother-sister Christmas party. We draw names, exchange gifts, have dinner, and hang out. This past Christmas, though, one of Steve's brothers & his wife didn't want to participate in the gift-giving because money was tight. We've all been there, so I suggested that we each make something for our person, and the total cost for supplies couldn't be over $10.

For my gift, I asked for a pan of home-made lasagna for Steve. It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned. Steve gets a good dinner, lunch, lunch, lunch (leftovers, you know), and I don't have to make it. Works for me. I already have so much to be grateful for in my life, and I don't need more things, and this seemed like a great compromise.

I don't know if this new thing of making gifts will continue (I hope so...it was fun), but for now, I'm really happy that I got a pan of lasagna.

101 in 1001 March Madness Edition

January seemed to last 2 days short of an eternity; February, 4 days short. As for March? It seemed to zip by in a heartbeat. I'm never sure why that is. Maybe because the earth is waking up from her frozen-ness, or because the snow has melted enough that I can see the ground again (mostly. and then it snows again.).

I'm pretty happy with my progress this past month. Not because I did a whole bunch, but because I kept going with the end goal in sight.

I don't have any mini-goals for April, although since it's the start of my new quarterly goal, some might get done as a result.

Finished: 26
In Progress: 19

Finances/Giving (2/12)
1. Get Emergency Fund up to $1000 [Done 15 March 2011]
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) (7/10)
9. Leave a 100% tip 5 times (2/5)
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 (1/12)
37. Watch 101 movies (28/101)
March 2011
• Takers
• The Bounty Hunter



38. Read 101 books (92/101)
March 2011 (10)
• Hell’s Corner by David Baldacci
• Gone Tomorrow by Lee Child
• Keepsake Crimes by Laura Childs
• Monkeewrench by PJ Tracy
• 61 Hours by Lee Child
• A Poisoned Season by Tasha Alexander
• Smitten by Janet Evanovich
• Non-fiction: Loot: The Battle Over the Stolen Treasures of the Ancient World by Sharon Waxman
• Non-fiction: 365 Thank You’s by John Kralik
• Audio: The Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz


39. Go to a Cowboys-Vikings game
40. See 5 Minnesota Tourist Attractions (0/5)
41. Visit 5 art galleries in Minnesota (1/5)
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 (5/5) [done 10 February 2011]
46. Read 5 Non-fiction books (2/5)
47. Donate 100, 000 grains of rice on FreeRice.com (23,000/100,000)
48. Do 5 things from the “365 Things to do in the Twin Cities” (3/5)

Health (2/12)
49. Walk to work 30 times (30/30) [Done 14 March 2011]
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

365 Photos Day 89

89/365

I'd have to say the new couch seems to be a big hit around here. Apparently it's going to be a prime napping spot.

It's kind of odd, though. I'm almost 42 (or 842, according to my birth certificate) years old, but this is the first couch I've purchased. EVER. Pretty sure that means I'm an adult now.

AHAHAHAHAHA...no. I'm not even close.

Besides, when I sit on the couch, I can't touch the floor. So I'll just stick with my chair.

365 Photos Day 88

88/365

I got to spend most of the afternoon with these three. The taller blonde one in the back is my Kid, but the other 2 are ones we borrowed from a friend.

We went to the library that I go to on Tuesdays, where the younger 2 went nuts in the kid's section. They checked out 68 books/movies/audios...but the best part was that we let them run the check-out machine themselves in the kid's area.

We also took them out for lunch. After lunch the three of them rode the escalators for fun for a couple rounds. Then we went to Target where the 2 younger ones got to ride in a big cart (their mom doesn't let them because it's too hard for her to steer it) and got them M&Ms (my thought is that it's my job as an honorary aunt to get them all sugared up and then send them home. I think we did OK.).

It was a fun day. Exhausting, but fun.

365 Photos Day 87

87/365

After I close the library on Monday nights, I have to pack the delivery boxes. Sometimes there's 1, sometimes 2, mostly 3. But there would be many more if I weren't a master packer. I pack those boxes to within an inch of their collective lives. There's no wasted space in there, that's for sure.

This is a life skill which I had to learn & perfect between the ages of 18 & 22, when I moved at least once a year, if not more. I only had my small car and could only make one trip (usually). My mantra was, "If it doesn't fit, it doesn't go."

I got really super good at making things fit.

I also got really super good at not being too attached to things, but I've been like that pretty much my whole life, but this time in my life really accentuated that trait. It's been interesting being an adult and living in the same place for many years now. I have more stuff than would fit into a car (or our mini-van) for sure, and I like most of it all, but in the end, it's just stuff.

That's why going through things for my quarter 1 project has been interesting. Some of it I look at and think, "WHY??? Why is this here?" Some of it I look at and think, "OH! So THAT'S where it went." Some of it I look at and think, "Time to pass this on."

Time to keep sorting.

365 Photos Day 86

86/365

When I'm out and about, these are the bane of my existence. Automatic towel dispensers are great.

IN THEORY.

In reality, for whatever reason, I can't seem to trip the sensor in order to get the towel to come out. Seriously. I can stand there, wave my hands, jump up and down, swear loudly, whatever. It doesn't help. If my Kid is there, SHE can trip the sensor for me.

Same with automatic doors, although I have a better chance of getting those to open for me.

Apparently one of my superpowers is invisibility to machines. Which'll be great when the robots take over.

365 Photos Day 85

85/365

This particular rug will be going into Steve's office once it flattens out some, but for now I have it by the back door (which is actually our main entrance). I like the size (5' x 7'), and it will look good in his office. It just looks a little plain out in the main living area, but at least I know that when I look for a rug for that spot, it should be at least as big as this one. Having it laid out on the floor helps me see how it looks.

I am terrible at the whole spatial relations thing, which tends to get me into trouble when I just eyeball instead of actually measuring the available space for something. I mean, I can take my tape measure and measure out how big something is, but that information does not help at all when it's in theory. Same with trying to figure out how much paint to buy to paint a room. Or hang things up on the wall. Or most math-y stuff.

And yes, I didn't do very well on that section of the SAT test. And I probably should have paid more attention in math when we were learning that stuff. But my thoughts were, "Seriously? Who even USES this crap?" Apparently, me.

365 Photos Day 84

84/365

I love the time of year when Easter candy gets put out in stores. I really like jellybeans. Not the spiced ones, not the weirdly flavored ones...the classic, run of the mill, normal jellybeans.

However, I do not like black or red jellybeans. So, this is my pile of jellybean rejects from the past week or so.

And yes, I do sort my jellybeans by color, then eat all of one color before moving onto the next color. It's just how I roll.

365 Photos Day 83

83/365

I went to an event here in town called Books & Bars. The guy who moderates it, along with some of his regulars, made a special road trip out to do this. The book we had chosen was Monkeewrench by PJ Tracy, which was one he'd wanted to do for awhile, so it worked out well.

It was fun, mostly. I really really really really don't like dissecting a book after I've read it. I think it's a holdover from high school Honors English and all the years I was in college. I like to read the book, enjoy the book, then put away the book and move on to the next book. I do not like to question the motives or deeper meanings of the book. I do not like to attempt to gauge where it should fall within the Literary Canon. I do not like to completely pick apart the book and analyze every little thing.

One other thing that kind of, but not really, surprised me was the small town mindset that some participants had. All I gotta say is, "Thank you, Mom, for making sure that I understood that there is more than what is within any given small town, and thank you and Dad for teaching me tolerance via your actions and words."

365 Photos Day 82

82/365

This is my normal Tuesday night dinner. After I hit the library, I go over to Target to pick up any needed items before heading home. I get the pretzel combo as I'm leaving for the ride home.

(Yes, I actually had this on Wednesday, but that's because for the past 2 weeks, the Kid's softball practices have run late enough that I have time enough to get to the library before it closes, but not quite enough time to make it to Target before the Food Avenue closes. Also, because of the winter storm, the area schools closed. And when the schools are closed, so is the library...which means SNOW DAY!!!!)

365 Photos Day 81

81/365

It was a dark and stormy day...

Seriously, the wind has been howling since last night. When it's quiet, the quiet is almost as deafening as the wind itself. There's been some rain, but not a ton. The snow is either melting or getting worn away by the wind. Either way, there's more grass to be seen, and the ice on the lake is changing color, although it probably won't open for a while yet.

It's days like today that I'm glad we have this house. Our old house wasn't exactly air-tight and tended to be rather drafty on really windy days.


And now for a bonus picture:




This is the tree from Days 48 and 54. It's been kind of neat measuring the snow in relation to the tree. At one point this winter it was completely covered, so this is a DEFINITE improvement.

365 Photos Day 80

80/365

Painting letters for tomorrow's Storytime of Nn & Oo.

But it's supposed to rain, so who knows if anyone will even show up? If there's nobody there, we'll do Nn & Oo next week. Either way, letters are painted, and everything's ready to rock and roll.

365 Photos Day 79

79/365

It's Prom Season again. Today was spent looking at and having the Kid try on a bunch of dresses.

It was quickly determined that white was a no-go, as was anything that required a diagram on how to get into and put together the dress.

She did find The One, which I promptly purchased because we learned last year that although dresses can always be returned if not needed/wanted, it's harder to buy a dress that was there just last week, but no longer is.

So, the hard part is done. Now it's on to all the other stuff (jewelry, hair, and I can't remember what else).

The best part of today was not just spending it with her, but watching her find that dress. Last year it was me saying, "This is the dress. Trust me on this." Today she put this dress on and said, "This is it. I'd like this one." Last year was her first time at prom, so she was a little nervous. This year she's more confident in what she's doing, and I think it'll really show through.

(None of the dresses pictured are The One. She doesn't want it shown before prom, and that seems reasonable to me.)

365 Photos Day 78

78/365

The idea behind Operation Rice Bowl is to save money during Lent in order to donate to those less fortunate, mostly overseas. Yes, this is a rather simplified explanation, but that's basically what's up.

I also strongly believe in donating to the county or local food shelves, so we do that as well. I've never had to use the food shelf, but that's mainly because I'm very fortunate. I've definitely come close to needing it a few times in my life, so when we donate food, we don't donate the stuff we don't want--we donate the kinds of things that we use in our everyday lives. My thought is if it's good enough for us, it's also good enough for others.

These are things I make sure we donate to all year round, but especially during the Lenten season. Not as a penance by any means, but rather in thanksgiving that we have enough to share with others.

I always remember how my Mom put it: We give because we can.

So, throughout this Lenten season, I'll be saving all my change and some odd dollars in order to give it to Operation Rice Bowl at Eastertime.

Because I can.

365 Photos Day 77

77/365

We bought a new couch tonight. It'll be delivered in a couple of weeks.

I'm telling you all, we know how to do up Friday nights right.

365 Photos Day 76

76/365

Happy St Patrick's Day!

Some of the questions I've been asked so far today:

"Are you really Irish?" Um, yes. Aside from the fact that EVERYONE is Irish on St Patrick's Day, I really am the other 364 (or 365 if it's a leap year) days of the year. My Dad's Mom was 100% Irish, so you can do the math there.

"If you're Irish, why don't you have red hair?" Because apparently, dark brown hair is the dominant gene. Mostly. And my Grandmother had mousy brown hair, not red. Besides, I have enough freckles for plenty of people, so that should count for something.

"Are you going to have Corned Beef for dinner?" Um, no. Not in a million years. Potatoes, maybe. Especially if they're in French Fry form.

"So you wear green on St Patrick's Day so you don't get pinched?" Sure. We can go with that. I wear green on St Patrick's Day because I can.

So, anyway,

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

365 Photos Day 75

75/365

It's days like today that make me want to go grab a rake and rake some of the snow off the piles onto the street where it'll definitely melt faster than if I leave it where it is.

And I would totally do so if it were the 1st of April, when the snow parking ban lifts (If I do it now, though, the city regards it as a parked vehicle in the street and will fine me accordingly).

But it's still nice to hear the rushing water in the sewers when I'm outside. I can almost hear the snow actively melting if I listen hard enough.

Which means it'll probably snow next week or something.

365 Photos Day 74

74/365

It's getting to be that time of year again. Yep, shedding time. And with 4 cats, none of whom really like to be brushed, it's going to be fun. If my idea of fun was to be scratched, bit, growled at, and kicked, anyway.

365 Photos Day 73

73/365

Too blue. Too white. Too grey. Too I don't even know what the heck color that IS. Oooo, that'd look good, but maybe not in this room. Maybe I should look at other colors. Maybe I should just put up the beadboard first and THEN figure out what color the room needs to be. Nah, it's not that hard. Almost anything would be better than living with this mish-mash. But then I have to figure out what color the trim is so I can color match it and get paint for the beadboard. Maybe beadboard isn't the way to go. Maybe just a board and batten, without the board...so just the batten. Or maybe just one color, no beadboard, no board & batten. But then that would be boring. Well, maybe laundry rooms aren't supposed to be exciting. Except this is MY laundry room, so I'd like it to have SOME personality. Good thing I can't paint right now.

This picture of the day brought to you by my internal dialogue whilst attempting to decide what to do with the laundry room this upcoming Spring. If Spring decides to show up this year.

365 Photos Day 72

72/365

Spending Sunday evening at the laundromat like one does when one's dryer has suddenly decided it doesn't want to turn on anymore but since it's Sunday, one can't call the repair guy because it's not really an emergency, just a bother.

Anyway, all our laundry is washed, dried, folded, and put away, so that's good.

365 Photos Day 71

71/365

I spent the afternoon with the Kid, back at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. After she was done there, we went to a cool store that we'd come across on Thursday after I'd missed the turn I needed to take.

We also went to the Eden Prairie mall for dinner, and I went to Archiver's. I don't do scrapbooking (I don't have the patience), but I do love cool paper. I saw these and got them. I'll probably just end up framing them because they are neat just the way they are.

Yep. I'm artistic like that.

365 Photos Day 70

70/365

It's Friday. It's Lent. And I'm not fond of fish. At all.

Yay for egg sandwiches!

365 Photos Day 69

69/365

I spent most of the afternoon with the Kid. We went to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts so she could look at the Asian art for a project she's doing for her East Asian history class in school.

The Asian art is her absolute favorite. Always has been since she was a wee tot. I was never sure what about it fascinated her so much then, but today she said she likes how simple it seems on the surface, but how complex some of it is when given a second or third look.

Today she was particularly taken with the Korean art, which admittedly, I'd never paid much attention to before. I was amazed at the pottery glazes, and really liked the lighter blue celadon. I wonder if the museum would let me borrow a piece to take to Home Depot to get color matched...

365 Photos Day 68

68/365

Ash Wednesday ashes: "Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."

Personally, I like "Remember that you are dust and to dust you will return."

Whichever.

Either way, it's Lent.

365 Photos Day 67

67/365

It's Mardi Gras today. So of course we went to the waffle dinner at the church & then went and had our taxes done.

Because that's what one does on Mardi Gras, right?

I don't know what it is about the actual day of Mardi Gras that always has me hopeful that something exciting will happen. I don't mean in a big-parade-mister-throw-me-something-being-loud-and-obnoxiously-falling-down-drunk way (although that's cool too). It's kind of like the winter version of the 4th of July, I guess. Maybe I just need to set off some fireworks.

Today is for the Old Gods, the ones that were around loooong before Jesus & his crew (or krewe, whichever) showed up and changed the western world.

Today is all about the One Last Day of Fun before it's time to get serious and buckle down for the 40 days of the Lenten season.

The Church can have me at 8:15am tomorrow morning, when it's time for Ash Wednesday Mass and the ashes get put on my forehead, along with hearing the admonishment to "turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel."

Until then, though, laissez les bons temps rouler.

365 Photos Day 66

66/365

My sewing basket, such as it is, with a few odd colors of thread, weird sized needles, some patches, a random thing of velcro, a baby food jar of buttons, a nice pair of pinking shears which mainly get used on paper, random bobbins and machine needles, and a small embroidery hoop.

I had some mending to do tonight, since apparently ignoring it doesn't get the job done (oh, but I wish). Also, these weren't things I could just staple together. No, I'm not kidding about the stapling. By the Kid's last year of Brownies I was so tired of sewing patches on her sash I gave up and stapled them on. I have to say that while this may not have been the ideal solution, it made it easy to figure out which sash was hers.

I can mend. I can sort of embroider (nothing too fancy). I can't machine sew to save my life, nor can I do anything interesting like knit or crochet. I'd like to be able to sew using a sewing machine, but alas, I cannot. The whole loading the bobbin and threading the machine throws me for a loop, as does the figuring out of sewing patterns. I'm more of an "eyeballer" myself (as in, I'll eyeball the dimensions and pray that it works, rather than measure exactly. This has not always worked to my benefit).

But I can mend and sew buttons back on without too much difficulty. Even if the thread color I use doesn't match anything.

365 Photos Day 65

65/365

Vitamin D is something that I can get from sunshine, I know. But I'm not going to sit outside in the freezing cold snow long enough to get whatever the recommended daily dose is.

I'm not going to lie...winter is my least favorite season. I'm not a big fan of snow and cold. I'm more of a summer girl for sure (my birthday is in July).

I can't take much more of this snow. It just KEEPS COMING. Seriously, at this rate, it's going to be mid- to late April before I can see the lawn again. I'd also like the (pathetic amount of) sunshine we're getting to be WARM. I don't think that's too much to ask.

(Yes, I'm getting winter fatigue. This seems like the LONGEST WINTER EVER, and it's not even over yet.)

365 Photos Day 64

64/365

It's been a day of "breaking a lot of eggs to make an omelette". I had a bookcase here, which has been relocated to Steve's office. I bought 2 new bookcases, and he assembled them for me. Then, when it came time to put them into place...they didn't quite fit.

Dangit.

Until Steve came in with a hammer and some scrap wood and "persuaded" the bigger bookcase to move over just enough that he could force the new ones into place.

In the meantime, it looks like a bookstore threw up all over my office floor.

But, at least they look nice, right?

365 Photos Day 63

63/365

This is what was on our table tonight at the restaurant we had dinner at. Considering the three of us are fairly intelligent, and Steve & Amanda are rather more logical than I am, one would think that we'd have less than no problem solving this, right?

Well, no.

None of us could get it to work. I came closest, leaving only 2 pegs.

I know I've beaten this before, when I was a kid. I probably got lucky, because it sure wasn't skill. Which is pretty much how my life seems to go.

But that's cool. I'll figure it all out. It's on my to-do list.

365 Photos Day 62

62/365

Naptime for Callie & Iz. Oh, and Callie's mousie too.

This is Callie's chair, but Iz jumped right up and made herself comfortable too.

It's been that kind of day around here. I have a to-do list that is 3 pages long of projects I could be doing. But instead I sat in a chair and read a book while the cats all napped.

Lazy and nap-filled days are good sometimes.

365 Photos Day 61

61/365

These are my book notebooks. The big one is what I have read/listened to/watched (I keep track of movies I've watched too). The little one is my "I want to read these someday and if they're part of a series I want the exact order so I can read them in order and if I don't write them down I'll forget about them" notebook.

The big notebook was started because Steve said one day, "How many books do you read a year?" When I answered that I didn't have the faintest idea besides, "Not as many as I'd like to read," he said it'd be kind of cool to keep track for a year.

That year has turned into 6. I don't write down what I think (or don't think) of the books, just merely the dates I read them. I can usually remember if I liked them or not, as well as most of the important details. You know, like what color the cover was, and maybe even what the weather was like while I was reading the book. I can tell right when I was in the middle of a really bad semester because I might have only 3 books listed for the entire month. Conversely, I can also tell when I was between terms because there's a whole lot more books.

The little notebook is interesting to me because it kind of shows how my reading tastes have changed from the time I started back to school until now. There are also some random titles that I haven't a clue as to where I came across them, nor do I remember anything about the books themselves. Those are always a crapshoot as to whether I'll actually like the books now, but it's fun to get them and try and figure out what drew me to them to start with.

Since I just finished the book I was reading (Hell's Corner by David Baldacci), I am flipping through my little notebook to see what catches my interest.

365 Photos Day 60

60/365

Sometimes after I've tidied the house up at night I like to burn a candle. It's a nice way to end the day, and just adds to the overall quiet and peacefulness that this time of night brings.

Apparently Iz likes it too.

101 in 1001 February roundup

I'm kind of looking forward to March. Not only is it one step closer to Painting Season 2011 (!!!!), I have a good feeling about finishing a few more of these.

Kind of like #49, for instance. With gas prices going up up up, I have a feeling I'll be walking to work more often (unless it's raining. I have to draw the line somewhere). Lent's coming up too, so that might take care of ones like #80 (Lenten readings), #81 (the Rice Bowl project), & #84 (going to 2 Lenten dinners).

But for now, I am here:


In Progress: 16
Finished: 24


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 (2/5)
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 (1/12)
37. Watch 101 movies (26/101)
February 2011
• Salt
• The Matador

38. Read 101 books (83/101)
February 2011 (10)
• Something From the Nightside by Simon R Green
• The Haunting of Derek Stone: The Red House
• Let it Bleed by Ian Rankin
• The Haunting of Derek Stone: The Ghost Road
• Mistress of the Elgin Marbles: A Biography of Mary Nisbet, Countess of Elgin
• Black and Blue by Ian Rankin
• And Only to Deceive by Tasha Alexander
• 2 Bodies for the Price of 1 by Stephanie Bond
• Strategic Moves by Stuart Woods
• Audio: Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld


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 (5/5) [done 10 February 2011]
46. Read 5 Non-fiction books (1/5)
47. Donate 100, 000 grains of rice on FreeRice.com (23,000/100,000)
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 (28/30)
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 (2/12)
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
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 (0/3)
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

365 Photos Day 59

59/365

This is Kit Kat's idea of being invisible, I think.

She runs to the stair landing, and dives behind a curtain, which only covers her top half. But of course we can't see her, because DUH, she's invisible. Then, when we walk by, she jumps out at us.

Yep. Smart cat, that one.