These Are the Days

#58

2009-02-01T14:00:00.000-08:00

I finished the Book of Mormon. It's not like it's the first time I've read it or anything. But honestly, I've only read it a handful of times. I tend to do my scripture study by subject. It works better for my attention span. Plus I love really studying the ins and outs of a given topic. Or if I'm struggling with something, I frequently find answers by studying the subject at hand.

But it's good for me to break away from that format on occasion and really study the Book of Mormon. I love the way I feel every time I get through the whole thing. I really, really love it. And every time I get through it, I take Moroni's challenge and pray if the things I read are true (even though I don't question it). Every time I am reassured of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon.

#84

2009-02-01T13:45:00.000-08:00

I volunteer in Parker's classroom every Friday. In all honesty, I thought I would HATE it. I don't like teaching Primary and the very little patience I have for small kids gets used up on my own. But I volunteered because it's my sons class. I wanted to know what his teachers are like and who his friends are and what he's learning. And it turns out I love it for those reasons. I love watching Parker interact with his friends and teachers. I love seeing what his teachers are teaching and being able to reinforce that at home...in the same fashion he learns in school. I love being reassured at how bright Parker is. I love having a good relationship with Parker's teacher. Though I truly could not handle a preschool class for more than the hour and a half a week that I volunteer, I really love it.

Most of the time I work with a small group of kids and work on letters or numbers or shapes and colors. It depends on the kids and on the day.

This day, the letter of the week was 'M' and we all got mustache's.

#80

2009-02-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

Though my plan was to send Christmas cards to everyone on my list, budget did not allow. We sent them out to immediate family only. But at least it's a start. Spencer and I always have good intentions to send them and always fail to do so. It's about time we do.

I made these and was really happy with how they turned out.

***need to add pictures***

#71...in progress...

2009-02-01T13:41:00.000-08:00

*December, 2008
We went to the local tree lighting ceremony at Christmas time. It included a wassail taste test by all the local businesses and a tour of town hall and local performance groups. The whole family had a good time.

#72

2009-02-01T13:39:00.001-08:00

I convinced the crazies that Santa would not be leaving any presents if he saw how many toys they already had. We needed to make room on their toy shelf. So together with the kids, we went through toys and made a few sacrifices. (Only to fill the empty spots on the toy shelf as soon as Christmas hit.)

***need to add pictures***

#50

2009-02-01T13:34:00.000-08:00

I wore a costume to the ward Halloween party. I realize it hardly seems daring to wear a costume to a Halloween party. But I am still new around here and had no idea if the other adults would dress up or if I'd look like a fool. But I just really love costumes and I didn't want to pass up the opportunity. So I showed up in my old trusty Lucille Ball costume. And surprisingly, some people didn't know who I was...which was quite disappointing. Nevertheless, I LOVE that costume.

#47

2009-02-01T13:28:00.000-08:00

Actually, thrift storing is my new favorite hobby. Jeff and I used to get thrills from this back in the day and just like this old stuff is new again, so is my love for thrift stores. I could spend all my money there.

I turned these candlesticks:
Into these:

And even better, I turned this jacket:
Into this vest:

Though thrift store revival is my first love, it's a great place for toys, too. Reid's new large box of Duplos was purchased there for $3. After a little bleach-water clense, there were as good as new for a small fraction of the price.

#43

2009-02-01T13:26:00.000-08:00

In this ever changing world, there remains one constant...

Skating Rinks!

I think about how much I have changed in the past fifteen years. And how much the world has changed in the past fifteen years. It hardly seems possible that anything could remain the same. It's as if time stands still on the inside of a skating rink. Like it's some kind of black hole.

I know this why? Because I spent Friday night roller skating. I got to enjoy a little girls night out on Friday. (That's right...this was not for the kids.) I think it rekindled my desire to be a roller derby girl. I always loved the skating rink back in the day...but I didn't know if I liked it because I truly love roller skating, or if it was all social. Suspicion confirmed. I really love roller skating. It was such a fun workout. I had no idea how much I would enjoy it. I thought we'd skate for half an hour, have a good laugh and get going. But two hours later and they're closing the doors, I finally got off the rink. I've got to get myself some skates.

I'm pretty sure Ashlee, Emily and I were the only grown-ups there just to skate besides the one elderly man that you know is there every night because of his smooth moves on the skate floor despite his old age. Most people in our age bracket were parents of kids at birthday parties. And there were probably a handful of hoodlums past high school age who just can't grow-up...who were there to hit on the younger crowd. Though I suppose that might include us, too...or at least Emily. You can ask her about that if you get the chance. As much fun as I had, I could not be more grateful I never have to repeat junior high.

Not only was the night way past fun, but I crossed one more thing off my 101 list.

And you didn't think I'd go to the skating rink and come back without pictures...

I'm the only one who braved the old-school quad skates...as if you couldn't tell by my HUGE feet. Not only that, but I'm the only one who thought it was a good idea to wear cropped pants skating. It was pushing 80 degrees on Friday. But I didn't consider the fashion repercussions when adding socks and skates. Whoops.

I don't ever really realize that I'm so much bigger than my friends until I see a picture. I'm like amazon woman.

Ashlee got blisters early on and had to sit out a while. But she was a trooper and put her skates on for the last 15 minutes to finish up with us. Thanks for being our photographer.

Ashlee got a bit of a shot of the guy Emily (accidentally?) frisked.
I can't even tell you what's going on here. Emily is posing for the camera and I'm about to shake some one's hand? You just go through life thinking your relatively normal then you see a batch of pictures of yourself...I was horrified when I realized what I looked like skating. But it's proof that I did it.

There were more pictures but they either turned out too dark or too blurry or wildly inappropriate. So I'll leave it at that.

#42

2009-02-01T13:19:00.000-08:00

At one time, I had huge plans to start a childrens party supply business. It's still in the back of my mind, but I don't have the money or the guts to really get it started. But I did mention it to my friend Terin at one point and when her sons first birthday came around, she hired me to make a few things. She did a Dallas Cowboys theme. I made a t-shirt, an autograph book, and a birthday banner. I LOVED the banner. And had a good time making it. Though it's not an all out business, it is a start and I got paid to do it.

Besides that...I opened an Etsy shop. That really is a little business. Though it hasn't picked up at all like I hoped it would...the reason I'm chicken to start. But I'm really proud of myself for following through with it. That was the real reason behind this goal anyway. I love crafty things like this. It's not so much the craft that I enjoy as it is designing. I always tell myself I could do it and NEVER follow through. I finally followed through and I'm happy with my handbags...whether or not they sell.

***need to add pictures***

#35...in progress...

2009-02-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

*December 31, 2008
Spencer and I threw our first ever New Years Eve party. Really, it could not have been more fun. The Green's and Wilsterman's came over. We planned a fantastic fondue dinner and sat up the rest of the night playing games. We celebrated the new year with sparking grape juice in my favorite red wine flutes. Nothing spectacular, but it turned out perfect.

I am SO MAD I didn't take pictures.

#29...in progress...

2009-02-01T13:12:00.000-08:00

Parker can write his name, first and last. And his middle name if I spell it to him. Though I didn't teach him on my own. It was a combined effort between me and Ms. Wood (his pre-school teacher).

***need to add picture***

#23

2009-02-01T13:10:00.000-08:00

The crazies all got new costumes for Christmas. The older two got superhero accessories...gloves, boots, masks and belts. They've used them for all kinds of things...not just superheros. A perfect addition to the costume box.

Gray got a puppy hat. He is adorable. He just waves his floppy ears around and barks....boof, boof. HE's so freakin' cute.

***need to add pictures***

#18

2009-02-01T13:04:00.000-08:00

I made a Christmas dress. Spencer talked me into window shopping at Neimen Marcus. BIG MISTAKE. I wanted way too many things that I couldn't afford. But I did pay attention to styles. Short sleeved shift dresses were displayed in all kinds of colors with all kinds of accessories. And I don't think I could ever decide to pay $400 for a shift. I made it in one night with plaid I had in my fabric box. I even added a cute ruffle down the front...I thought that up myself. It has it's flaws...due to me insisting on finishing it up in one night, but I've already worn it more than once.

I really like the way the dress fits...I think I'll have to make another. But I'm not crazy about the fabric. I like it well enough to wear, but if I had tried it on in the store, I wouldn't have bought it.

***I need to take a picture.***

#6

2009-02-01T13:00:00.000-08:00

Every wardrobe needs a classic white button down. This was a $3 steal from GAP a few years back and it's been my favorite one I've ever owned...in a size 6. And after a whole year of sacrifice and self discipline, I can again be reunited with it.

# 45

2008-11-24T08:17:00.000-08:00

I re-learned to play a song on my guitar. I use the term "play" very loosely. I've never been very good at guitar. By the time I decided girls who play guitar ROCK, I was an older teen. Not that that is too old to pick up a new instrument, but I just didn't have the knack for it that some people do. If I had wanted to be really good, I would have had to start much, much earlier in life. Besides that, I have unusually long nail beds. Even when my fingernails are clipped to the very shortest length possible, they still get in the way of my playing. I suppose, even still, if I had devoted hours a day to practicing I may have learned to easily contort my fingers into the most unnatural positions in a way that made beautiful music. Not the case. I'm always just a bit sad about that. I really do wish I was a natural guitar player.

But I can still sort of contort my fingers into three slightly ill-sounding chords. And luckily, I have three songs in my repertoire that include nothing but those three chords. So I picked up my guitar yesterday for the first time in nearly two years and plucked out a little something. I can at least take comfort in the fact that I was better at one point in my life than I am now.

I wrote this song in college (when I was taking guitar lessons and at the top of my game). I was taking an astronomy class during summer semester. Though it was not my favorite subject, I don't think I ever took a class more fun than this. For our final project, we had to do any kind of project on anything related to what we learned that semester. The professor told us to be creative. Incorporate something we enjoyed. So I wrote a song about astronomy. He said in all the years he'd been teaching, that was the first time someone wrote a song. He flickered the lights for me and made a big announcement as though I was performing in a big venue. Needless to say, I got %100 on that project.

It's all about the forefathers of astronomy. I had to get pretty creative with some of my rhyming words, but the facts all came straight from my text. It's a little cheesy and embarrassing and poorly executed, yet somehow I'm really proud of my little song.

# 91

2008-10-12T13:03:00.000-07:00

I get a little tired of getting on the scale every day and watching my weight fluctuate a half a pound here and 2 pounds there. For better or worse. When I started my Healthy Competition 5 weeks ago, I thought this would be a good time to stay off the scale. Rather than watching myself loose a half a pound at the time, I thought I'd like to get on the scale after a month and see 5 pounds gone...so much more rewarding than the little bits here and there.

So I got on the scale when my month was up and to my surprise and excitement, I had lost 11 pounds. I was certainly not expecting anything close to that. And since then, I've been back on the scale daily. Some days I weigh a little more, others a little less. Over all, I think I've lost another pound since then. But getting on the scale daily is driving me bonkers (yet I'm addicted). I think I'm going to try and stay off the scale more often. A whole month was killing me, but maybe two weeks. I love seeing big results much more than small.

# 28

2008-10-12T12:57:00.000-07:00

We built the awesomest fort EVER! It was legendary. Ok, maybe that's an exaggeration, but it was a pretty great fort. And to my surprise, Gray was the one who loved it best. He was in it from the moment we began building it until the last blanket came down. Even then, he cried some serious tears when we knocked that thing down after a few hours. I just couldn't imagine an 11 month old caring that much. All the crazies had a good time. We even had a little snack / picnic in there. I should do this more often. It took very little effort on my part.

# 9

2008-10-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

I found my retainer AND wore it every night for a month. I have a permanent retainer on my top teeth, but never wear my removable one on the bottom. My teeth have moved BIG TIME! I'm pretty proud of myself for this one. I almost quit several times. The first night, my teeth hurt so bad I couldn't sleep. They hurt all day for an entire week. It gave me headaches and kept me up at night. Spencer tried to talk me into dropping this goal.

I was so surprised at how quickly my teeth moved. By the end of the month, my retainer was actually fitting. My teeth look so much straighter. Ahhh....this is why I wore braces for three years. (Although it reminded me why I HATED it.)

I wish I could say I kept up this habit. I have not worn it once since the month was up. It is such an annoyance.

# 67

2008-10-12T12:47:00.000-07:00

I'm not very adventurous with what I pleasure my palate. I always want to be the kind of person that can try all kinds of new ethnic foods. I'm jealous of people who enjoy it, but I really don't. And Sushi. I wish I liked it. People who go out for sushi are always cool. And sushi looks beautiful and fun to eat. But I don't like it. That was the purpose for this goal.

Spencer made Carbonade... a Belgian dish he picked up on his mission. It doesn't look very adventurous. But if you had smelled the smells starting in my kitchen and filling up my home, you'd know it was adventurous. Especially for me. It was very tender and better than I expected...but a little strong for my liking. I'd probably eat it again, but don't think I'd order it if I were out.

# 16

2008-10-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

I visited a farmer's market. I loved it. I went every Saturday for a few weeks after that. Unfortunately it's just not as convenient as shopping at the store when I'm already there. The produce was definitely better and for most of it, the prices were better too. I need to try to work it in my Saturday routine every summer. I think I especially loved it this year because we moved in the middle of the summer and didn't get to plant a garden.

# 92

2008-10-12T12:08:00.000-07:00

No sweets for 3 weeks. When I wrote this list, I wasn't expecting to do the competition again. But here I am in the midst of it and that made a few goals a little more attainable. So I made it...three weeks with no sweets. And though there are moments of weakness where I really miss sweets. I don't rely on them. I hope this continues after the competition is over. I know I can make it on less.

And yes, I did eat sweets on Sundays. When I made this list, I never intended to go without on Sundays. That's what the note at the bottom about leaving the list up to my own interpretation is for. I knew what I meant when I wrote it.

# 89

2008-10-12T12:07:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the Healthy Competition, I also ate three servings of veggies for two weeks. I cannot believe how good I feel. Though I never crave veggies, They fill me longer and give me so much more energy. It's funny how often people turn to caffeine for a pick me up when a few servings of fruits and veggies and a glass of water is so much better.

# 79...in progress...

2008-10-12T12:02:00.000-07:00

I called Tammy a couple weeks ago. She's about to have her first baby. It will turn her life upside down. Man I love Tammy. Our conversation elevated my mood up about ten notches. I could talk to Tammy forever. Tammy always amazes me. No matter what is going on in her life...and some pretty incredible things have gone on in her life...she is always so down to earth and level headed. She was so calm about being just a week away form her due date. I'm a sobbing heap of hormones that last week. It was so fun to chat.

# 53

2008-10-12T12:01:00.000-07:00

I taught the crazies a new Primary song. "When We're Helping We're Happy" A new Family Home Evening favorite. And it makes for an easy lesson on service or something. I make the kids think of a way to help each family member and we act it out as we sing.

Funny side note...

One time we helped dad cook and mom mow the lawn.

We have a hard time thinking of ways for the kids to help Grayden, but it usually involves giving him toys. Bringing him a diaper when he needs it or handing him his sippie cup is usually helping mom, not Gray.

# 90

2008-10-12T12:00:00.001-07:00

So I flossed daily for a whole month. Why was I not doing that before? It feels so good. I got really addicted. Like I HAD to have clean teeth. During this month, I was flossing several times a day. Why is this a hard habit to keep up. I love the way it feels. This is a habit now set in stone. Mission accomplished.

# 83...in progress...

2008-10-12T11:30:00.000-07:00

I know it's lame that I have to make a goal to communicate with my brothers 6 measley times per year. Even just six time is pathetic. I get along great with both my brothers. I love them. And when we're together, we always have a great time. So why is it that I have such a hard time picking up the phone and giving them a call. It's just not a habit, but it should be.

I keep updated on their lives through their blogs and my mom. I need to talk to them first hand. Sorry guys...you're one of my goals.

September '08: This is an easy time to remember to chat with Jeff. Both of our birthdays are the same week. (Me 27, Jeff 24) It was just a short conversation, but always fun to hear from Jeff.

September '08: Mike called me...I'm counting it. He was watching the Buckeye game and we only get basic television. He had to give me a few play by plays on how bad the Bucks were doing against Ohio University of all teams. Don't worry. We turned it around and won the game.

August '08: Spencer was gone at stake priesthood meeting. The crazies were asleep. I gave Mike a call. Him and I have such different interests. Sometimes conversation lulls. Not the case this night. We chatted forever. We talked about old friends and fun memories and Dad. I could have talked to Mike all night. I really missed him after this conversation. In fact, when Spencer came home and I was STILL on the phone with him, I was shocked to realize we'd been talking for well over an hour.

June '08: I got to see Mike in Utah. He took us to dinner and the farm.

August '08: I called Jeff. He's spending the summer in San Diego and finding a way to live life to it's fullest...as usual.

# 32...in progress...

2008-10-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

January '09
Nothing creative AT ALL. Parker had been begging to paint something over winter break and I finally got out wood scraps and let the crazies paint. Fun enough.
***add pictures

December '08
Gingerbread houses.
***add pictures

November '08
Made Indian Headresses for Thanksgiving.
***add pictures

October '08
Carved pumpkins, of course.
***add pictures

September '08:
I just about missed September. It was early evening on the last day of the month and Spencer reminded me. We were so busy getting used to Parker's school schedule, I completely forgot. Thanks Spence!

I had to throw something together fast. We cut out hair from magazines in the shape of mustaches and glued it to cardstock. Anything to do with costumes goes over well. And it was hilarious.

Grady wanted nothing to do with the mustache but I HAD to have a picture.

August '08:
The boys painted t-shirts. Not really a creative one, but they had fun getting messy. Reid got more paint on himself than on the t-shirt (on purpose).

July '08:
We desperately needed crafts on our road trip to Utah. So this went to my monthly activity.
Foam sticker masks.

June '08:
This month also came from the road trip. I planned it that way. Fun with pipe cleaners.

May '08:

I have a stack full of Family Fun clippings full of fun kid crafts and activities. I save them with intentions of doing them one day, but never do. That's what inspired this goal. Why don't I do them? I thought it would be fun. I like crafty things. It would motivate me to do something new and constructive with my kids every month. It might teach them some new fine motor skills...like cutting and painting and gluing and maybe develop their creative side...heaven knows they have one.

It didn't occur to me this would teach me patience...something I'm definitely lacking. I see these darling crafts in Family Fun. I know how to do them. Because they're easy crafts, I could put them together so quickly and they could turn out pretty nearly perfect. But the point of this was to do it with my kids. I let them pick from my file of clippings. They of course chose my least favorite...airplanes. Reid got marker EVERYWHERE. They couldn't figure out the rubber band launching thing which turned into crying fits from Parker. They were more impatient then I was while waiting for me to cut and tape. Let's just say it involved a lot of whining.

I actually thought this was going to be fun. Silly me. Maybe after 33 months of this, it will be fun...and maybe by February of 2011, I'll have learned some patience. This is good for unexpected reasons.

(You tape a bendy straw on the plane and launch them with a rubber band.)

# 21

2008-08-06T13:53:00.000-07:00

As of today, I have folded laundry...on laundry day...for an entire month. WAHOO!

BEFORE

(Picture me wrinkling my nose...Bewitched style.)

AFTER

Ok, so it wasn't THAT easy. But...it's not so bad if I do it as I go. It only takes like 15 minutes per basket. But a whole days worth takes way longer. I used to always fold laundry. I have been so bad since Gray was born. Or more like...since I was pregnant with Gray. It's SO NICE to get clean clothes out of my closet, rather than from a basket of wadded up laundry.

My trick? I put the basket of clean clothes out in an annoying place...the middle of my living room, on my kitchen table, or on the kitchen counter. If I leave it there, rather than taking it upstairs...it gets folded real quick. I hope I can keep this up. I much prefer life this way.

# 10

2008-08-06T13:46:00.000-07:00

I bought three new pair of earrings. One of which I am currently wearing...which explains the freckled back drop.

# 8

2008-08-06T13:35:00.000-07:00

That's right...I'm sportin' myself some new jammies.

I cannot tell you how ratty my PJ's were. I have several shirts that once belonged to one of my brothers. We haven't lived under the same roof in nearly ten years. That's how bad my PJ's were. I have bought new PJ's since we've been married...but they've all been maternity. And I do get a new pair every Christmas Eve, but flannel jammies are WAY too hot for Texas summers.

For some reason I hate spending money on pajamas. No one even sees them. Even still, I picked these off the clearance rack at Target...I spent $15 total and came out with two pair of PJ's. Not the cutest in the world, but a vast improvement from what I had been wearing. And I got them in time to take them on my trip to Utah so I didn't have to thoroughly embarrass myself.

# 3

2008-08-06T13:25:00.000-07:00

Mom took me to get a pedicure...one of our FAVORITE past times. To me...it's completely self indulgent...in a good way. It helps me relax and totally forget about my kids for an hour of my life.
Thanks Mom!

# 25

2008-05-28T09:38:00.000-07:00

We got out of the house everyday last week. It was a nice change of scenery for me. I spend way too much time within the walls of our house. I don't get out as much since Gray has been around. Packing up three small kids in a car (then out, then in, then out again) is too much hassle. It was fun to make myself get out and do things, but it was an exhausting week. Chores piled up at home. It made me realize I should do it more often though. Not every day out of the week, but I CAN in fact handle three kids in public and we do have fun. Truthfully, there were far less tantrums at the playground, pool, and library than there would have been at home.

Last week we made it to see Horton Hears a Who, to the park, the pool, the library, Denny's, Sam's Club, church, the mall playground, and the tennis courts. I tried to remember my camera everywhere, but I didn't. I took pictures on my cell, but I'm lame and don't know how to download them to my computer. So here's (most of) our week in pictures...

Swimming

Denny's

Library

Mall Playground

Tennis

# 97

2008-05-21T12:45:00.001-07:00

I set out today to find some Fun-Dip candy. It reminds me of childhood so I enjoyed it with the crazies. Reid LOVED it. Parker liked it. Gray acted like he wasn't so sure, but begged for more. While at the candy shop, Parker found a candy necklace. That seemed to fit the theme...it reminds me of being a kid. So I bought him one. Reid didn't want one. I was excluding him. It was actually a really fun outing. I can't remember the last time I went into a candy store. Afterwards we just sat in front enjoying candy and laughing our heads off.

# 46

2008-05-21T07:15:00.000-07:00

I can cross my first item off my list. Last night I called in a voted for my favorite American Idol for the first time ever. I have to admit it was really fun. It gave me a little rush. It was addicting. I just kept hitting redial until I had voted for David Cook like 35 times.

Now that I've done my part, I think I'll be even more upset than usual if he doesn't win. Normally, I get annoyed when my choice gets the boot, but I never do anything about it. I finally have. It was just a shame David Archuletta wowed the judges so well last night. I thought Cook was smoking...but Archuletta got the better reaction. That quite often tends to determine the winner.

Archuletta bugs me to no end. So Spencer decided to call in and vote for him last night...since I was so set on voting for Cook. Stinker. Thankfully, he only voted one time.

Since I played a part in determining the winner, I'm looking forward to the results show more than ever. The only thing we can say for sure at this point is that David will definitely win tonight.

****As a side note, my voting paid off. Cook won by 12 million votes. He had 56% of the votes. Not too shabby. IT was a humorous source of contention for Spencer and I. We can't ever seem to agree on music.

Finding Katie; 101

2008-05-12T15:51:00.000-07:00

101 things to do in 1001 days

start date: May 13, 2008
end date: February 7, 2011

In an effort to find myself...to recognize that I'm doing more than just sitting at home with the kids all day, (and to make myself do more than just sit home with the kids all day) I'm beginning a list. A list of 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days. This is not my life list of things I want to do before I die, but just a list of things to do to feel better about myself. A list of things I need to stop putting off until tomorrow.

Bringing Sexy Back
1. Buy an impractical pair of shoes just because I love them
2. Get an expensive haircut
3. Get a pedicure
4. Develop a better skin care routine and stick to it for a month
5. Paint and take care of my fingernails for one month
6. Fit into 1 item from my box of skinny clothes
7. Whiten my teeth
8. Get myself some new PJ’s (sometime other than Christmas)
9. Find my retainer and wear it every night for a month
10. Acquire some new jewelry
11. Buy some cute workout clothes

Going Green
12. Change the majority of the light bulbs in the house to CFL’s
13. Put a soda bottle in each toilet tank so save water
14. Cook an entirely organic meal
15. Plant sweet peas
16. Buy produce at a farmers market

Releasing My Inner Domestic Diva
17. Finish my Heart Crazies quilt that I started in college
18. Sew myself something to wear
19. Cook a new food every day for a week
20. Learn to bake bread
21. Fold laundry immediately after I take it out of the dryer for a whole month
22. Decorate Parker and Reid's room

The Crazies
23. Make each kid a new costume for the costume box (sometime other than Halloween)
24. Go to Chuck E. Cheese (or something like it) for no reason at all
25. Get out of the house with the kids everyday for one week
26. Buy something from the ice cream man
27. Take the kids to Disneyland
28. Build an awesome fort
29. Teach the kids to write their names
30. Make my kids a chore chart
31. Throw a party for no reason
32. Plan a monthly craft / activity (out of the norm)

Just For Fun
33. Paint a wall orange
34. Learn to play a new song on the piano
35. Host at least 5 parties (for any occasion)
36. Get away with Spencer
37. Go to a concert
38. Buy myself flowers
39. Get pillows for my bed
40. See a movie by myself
41. Go camping…include s’mores
42. Start my business
43. Go roller skating
44. Go see a guy movie with Spence
45. Relearn a song on my guitar
46. Call in and vote for my favorite American Idol
47. Buy something from a thrift store
48. Get something new for my kitchen table
49. Go antique shopping
50. Wear a costume somewhere
51. Perform something (I'm not sure what just yet)
52. Apply for a writing job

The Good Word
53. Teach the kids a new primary song
54. Share church material...a Book of Mormon, a pass along card, a video...whatever
55. Attend a convert baptism
56. Make a non-member friend
57. Keep a scripture journal everyday for a week
58. Read the Book of Mormon
59. Say an entire prayer of gratitude
60. Get a new temple dress
61. Study my patriarchal blessing
62. Read the Doctrine and Covenants

Just Act Natural; things I should have been doing already
63. Revisit a budget
64. Make a food storage plan and get started
65. Do the dishes every night for a week without complaining or asking for acknowledgement
66. Go a whole day with no TV (weekday)
67. Try a totally new food
68. Read a book
69. Learn all the functions on my camera
70. Make my bed everyday for a month
71. Attend at least 5 community events (workshop, recitals, classes, lectures, seminars, etc)
72. Get rid of some toys
73. Re-organize my files of magazine clippings

Scatter Sunshine
74. Take the boys to visit a nursing home
75. Run a 5K for a cause
76. Call Grandma 4 times.
77. Write notes to 10 people I admire
78. Write a missionary
79. Call 5 old friends
80. Send Christmas cards
81. Send a birthday card to every niece and nephew
82. Bake cupcakes for some one
83. Touch base with my brothers at least every other month (or 6 times a year)
84. Volunteer in the classroom (Parker will be in school by the time I'm finished with this)
85. Send homemade Valentine’s to people I love
86. Make a calendar of birthdays I should remember (and remember them)
87. Go 3 whole days with no negativity (not necessarily in a row)

For The Health Of It
88. Run a half marathon
89. Eat 3 servings of vegetables everyday for two weeks
90. Floss everyday for a month
91. Stay off the scale for a month
92. Go 3 weeks with no sweets (3 weeks in 1 week intervals)
93. Visit the dentist
94. Get a physical

Memory Lane
95. Get a family picture taken
96. Organize my pictures in something other than a card board box
97. Find a candy that reminds me of childhood and enjoy it with the crazies
98. Finish two blog books
99. Scan in pictures from an old family album
100. Download 10 songs that bring back fun memories

Proof
101. Document this list...include pictures

***I have the right to interpret anything on my list how I choose.