Pinterest Challenge Wrap-Up

Confession: I just finished the Pinterest Challenge moments ago...but I started a few days after everyone else, so it's totally okay. Honestly, I forgot about my last task, which was adding a "Pin It" button to my blog.

I wrote about the Grilled Malibu Chicken and gave a glimpse of the tab-top curtain and busy box here. I'm still planning to write separately about the busy box and our roadtrip, but realistically, I'm never going to write about the curtains, so here are some pictures of that. ;)

Definitely my most successful sewing project to date, and it was super simple thanks to my friend Audrei and her amazing "sewing computer."

That leaves the scarf headband and the truffle squares. 

I tried the criss-cross headband with scarves/fabric belts that I already had. The material was too slippery and the criss-cross protruded from my head more than I wanted. I think this would've worked better with something with more stretch that would lay flatter.

This story has a happy ending though because while enjoying a cold Spring Break in Arkansas with my family, I happened upon a fabric headband I liked in a little boutique. And it was a handmade, fair trade item benefiting an Indonesian woman. Win-win? I think so.

I made the truffle squares on Good Friday, and they were yummy. I was sad to go into the kitchen this morning and see that Henry ate the last one. If you like chocolate and nuts, I'd recommend this dessert.

I made a few changes (as I'm inclined to do). For one, I only used chopped almonds for my "dough" because I didn't have any pecans. For two, I used agave nectar instead of honey/syrup. For three, I added a layer of melted peanut butter between the nut mixture and the top layer of chocolate. This was a great decision because it held the nutty mixture together better, and it made the bars taste a lot more like Reese's peanut butter cups.

Now that this challenge is over, I'm thinking about what I can work on next. I want to make a wreath for spring...not sure what else yet. What will you work on?

Pinterest Challenge

I don't know about you, but I love me some Pinterest. I think it's one of the greatest inventions of our time* and only wish it were around in my wedding planning days. That's okay though. Now I get to use it to visualize fun things like baby birthday parties and dream home decor. And I use it all of the time for cooking and baking. All of the time.

Sometimes I get on Pinterest though and pin things that look appealing to make or do "someday" and that day never rolls around because I forget about the idea. That's part of the reason I've decided to participate in the Sisters Share It All Pinterest Challenge.

If you want to participate, it's simple: choose six things on Pinterest that you want to try between now and April, create a blog post, and link up by clicking the button above.

Here's what I plan to work on:
1. A one year old's busy box. Keeping my baby occupied for three hours at church is kind of rough these days. I'm hoping this will give her little hands something to do. She'll also be going on her first out of state road trip soon, so I need things we can play with in the car for twelve freakin' hours.
2. Nutty Cinnamon Chocolate Truffle Squares. I've tried several main dishes from Perry's Plate that I've loved, but never a dessert. This one sounds yummy.
3. DIY headbands. I've been wanting a scarf-like head wrap for awhile, and I just recently came across this. Looks very simple, and it doesn't require sewing, which is perfect for me.
4. Add a "Pin It" button to blog pictures.
5. Tab-Top Curtain Tutorial. We really need a better curtain for our master bath, and this looks like the perfect tutorial to walk me through how to make my own.
6. Grilled Malibu Chicken. It seems like this might be a BYU thing? I don't know since I didn't go to college there; I do know that I love chicken and pineapple.

*The only thing better than Pinterest is a collection of Pinterest Fails. And by better I mean funnier.

Sweet Summer

At this time last week, I was packing up my last few boxes of therapy materials and turning in the keys to my office, which means I have officially completed my first week of summer vacation. It's been a good week. I survived 9 1/2 hours outside in the Texas heat (98-103 degrees were the estimates) as a volunteer at Cub Scouts Day Camp. (Surprisingly, I enjoyed myself--mostly--and didn't get irritated the whole day, but when it was over I felt exhausted. That was on Monday. On Tuesday I was a complete bum.) We finally pulled off the Pinewood Derby on Wednesday night. I went to the gym twice this week and ran errands by myself. I've also read more than usual and started a few personal projects.

Summer feels like a time of rejuvenation for me. Since I have two and a half months off from work, it's a time for me to refocus on my personal pursuits. Throughout the school year, I stay busy, busy. Now is my time to take a new look at my goals, make new plans, and as Dave Ramsey would say, attack them with gazelle-like intensity, allowing for afternoon naps of course.

These are my summer plans:

• Medicaid billing. This is one that I want to quickly mark off my list as it is not fun in the slightest. I have two weeks left to do from December '10 and the whole month of January '11 to do. Ugh.
• Participate in The June Challenge to Draw Closer to God. I'm finally making more progress on my Old Testament reading!
• Write in my gratitude journal every day this summer (or at least 85% of days if we're being honest)
• Exercise three times per week for the month of June, at least twice a week for the month of July
• Read some classic books, plus I need to finish the two other books I've started (Two-Invention and The Help)
• Organize my closet--this is one I've started this week
• Participate in the Ultimate Austin Scavenger Hunt. Henry and I marked three things off our list last night. Hopefully tonight we'll hit one more.
• Learn more about nutrition and healthy cooking. After contemplating on several separate occasions, I bought Michael Pollan's Food Rules last night. I've also started reading through the blog Word of Wisdom Living. This summer I hope to drastically increase my veggie & fruit intake/cut back on meat. I think these are both great resources.
• Research/expand our food storage. Hopefully this will go right along with the point above. Sadly, I have about 15 cans of expired food sitting on my kitchen counter right now that I need to throw out...I want to create a system to avoid that in the future. A friend recently recommended a few blogs to check out for getting started, but I haven't looked through them yet.
• Plan fun things to do for my New Orleans and Cabo trips! Please leave recommendations if you have any...
• Learn more about photography--read book, practice
• Learn about Illustrator--I bought a small text book from Nicole's Classes, so now I need to actually read it and play around with it. A new header/background could be in this blog's future.
• Turn my college blog into a book--has anyone out there done this before? What service do you recommend?

I have a few smaller things I want to work on too, but I'll keep those to myself lest you think I'm crazy. I don't think I'm crazy, but I am an overachiever. But anyway, those are the main ones...and I'm excited about getting things done!

No. 4: Visit a Texas City I've Never Been to Before

Yesterday I met my mom in Warrenton, Texas for the huge Show Daily Antique Week that's held there every year. My niece Karly had a tent there for her business and invited us to go. It was so neat to search through what seemed like mile after mile of antiques, crafts, and junk.

I almost came home with this puppy, but Henry said no. I cried a little when we put her back...someday.

No. 28: Skillet Chicken Vesuvio

 

I made this for dinner on Friday. Simple to make, but very flavorful. It got a "pretty good" rating from Henry, which means we'll probably have it again.

And here's a picture from today (taken by Henry):

Love.

No. 26: Paint Something

Back in January, Henry and I went to Art Attack and chose to paint a bowl.

I wish I could say that this was a fun and relaxing experience, but it mostly wasn't. We went on this particular Saturday out of obligation to use a Livingsocial deal I'd purchased a few months earlier. (I discovered the day before that my deal expired the following Monday, and by golly, we weren't going to let it go to waste.) So off we went at the end of a super Saturday (on our way back home from a trip to the temple, dinner in San Marcos, and who can remember what else), a little grumpier than we should have been.

You could say we had a difference of opinion in terms of artistic technique (I'm a perfectionist, he's not), but in the end, we compromised: I got to darken the outside of the bowl, but I didn't triple wipe down each little dot on the rim. We are both happy with the way it turned out, and our marriage is still intact. =)

I've made progress on a few more of my 101 goals too. Since my last update, I've printed the photos for my coasters (No. 31), and, as mentioned in my last post, I got a facial (No. 56). I also exercised three times per week throughout February. I haven't exercised that much in a long, long time, if ever! I'm also working on the goal to try at least two new recipes per month. I've got a few others I'm focusing on too.

I do have a question for my fellow 101ers: What are you going to do if you don't achieve a goal on your list? There's one on my list that I didn't do so hot on (No. 76: Don't use credit cards for anything other than gas/food/medicine in Jan and Feb 2011). Totally forgot about all the expenses connected to the wedding. I'm thinking I'm just going to replace it with a new goal. What do you think?

No. 16: Organize Craft Boxes

I have officially crossed off four items from my 101 in 1001! One is not so exciting (updating my address on my driver's license), but I think I will post pictures and/or write a lil somethin' somethin' about the others.

Here are some pictures of number 16. Organize and label craft storage boxes. This was one of those things I'd been meaning to do forever ago, and my list finally motivated me to do it! Same with the driver's license change.

 It feels so good to be productive and to get organized!

101 in 1001: The First Week

I'm going to try to update my 101 in 1001 list with my progress each Sunday. I've also decided that I won't be updating the page I created (that's the one linked at the top of my blog) except to mark off goals I've completed. If you're confused at this point, don't worry about it. It's just that the post and the page are two different things, and it's kind of a hassle to have to update both each time I want to change something.

Anyway, I think I got off to a good start for my first week! These are goals I've started working on:

10. Clean out Google Reader: only leave most favorite blogs. I started with 180 blogs, and I've cut back to 136. I think I still need to do some purging though.
13. Shred documents in office once per month for six months. Pictured above. If we're being perfectly honest though (as we should always strive to be), I only did a small portion of the shredding that ended up in that large garbage bag. Henry did most. But I did help.
15. Spend 30 minutes each Saturday reviewing my schedule for the coming week for the rest of the 2010-2011 school year.
21. Photowalk around neighborhoods in Austin (South Congress, Downtown, South Lamar, Hyde Park, Campus, 360 area, etc.). I want to devote new posts to each neighborhood I visit.
33. Keep a family calendar for 2011.
47. Read the entire Old Testament (1184 pages). This one is slooow going.

48. Read the Book of Mormon as a family in 2011.

      50. Study topics for Sharing Time one month in advance in 2011.            

      51. Do something, anything, to have Family Home Evening each week.

57  57. Exercise twice a week every week for 3 months in 2011.     

     72. Compile a family birthday list.

     76.  Don’t use credit cards for anything other than gas + food + medicine in January and February 2011.

     77. Pay off all student loans by mid 2011.

     86.  Read 10 nonfiction books. Started Blink.

        I have four more goals I'd like to work on this month too, but I'm not sure if I'll get to them. My niece who is four months older than me (unusual family) is getting married the first week of March, and it is time to really move into high gear for planning her wedding!

101 in 1001

 one hundred and one things in one thousand and one days.

start: 1/1/11 / end: 9/27/13

in progress: italic / completed: strikethrough
progress updated on 8/26/13

Travel

1.        Obtain a new passport.

2.        Go on a cruise.

3.        Go to 3 states I’ve never been to before (0/3).

4.        Visit a Texas city I’ve never been to before.

5.        Go to three new temples I’ve never been to before (1/3).

6.        Visit The Orange Show in Houston.

7.        Visit two new National Parks (2/2).

8.        Stay in a bed-and-breakfast once per year (0/3).

9.        Visit Enchanted Rock.

Organization & Time Management

10.     Clean out Google Reader: only leave most favorite blogs. (went from 180 to 100)

11.     Go without social networking/reading blogs for two days per week for six months.(7/48)

12.     Backup photos that are currently on computer.

13.     Shred documents in office once per month for six months (3/6).

14.     Update address on driver’s license.

15.     Spend 30 minutes each Saturday reviewing my schedule for the coming week for the rest of the 2010-2011 school year.

16.     Organize and label craft storage boxes.

17.     Be on time to 5 out of 7 appointments for two weeks (6/13-6/19/11, 6/20-6/26/11).

Developing Talents

18.     Finish reading the photography book I own.

19.     Take a photography class. (Completed with Kristen Duke on 1/29/11!)

20.     Research what lens to buy next.

21.     Photowalk around neighborhoods in Austin (South Congress, Downtown, South Lamar, Hyde Park, Campus, 360 area, etc.).

22.     Sing karaoke.

23.     Sing in a choir.

24.     Make a header for my blog.

25.     Make something pretty in Illustrator.

26.     Paint something. (1/22/11; painted a bowl)

27.     Make my college years’ online journal into a book.

Domestication/Home Front

28.     Try 2 new recipes a month for 6 consecutive months (12/12).

29.     Complete 3 chores a week for five months.

30.     Follow flylady’s flight plan for a month.

31.     Print photos for coasters.

32.     Make a craft I can display in my home.

33.     Keep a family calendar for 2011.

34.     Build a 3-month supply of pantry foods.

35.     Plant and eat vegetables from my own garden.

Experiences

36.     Go to a drive-in movie theater.

37.     Pick fruit at a pick-your-own farm and do something with it.

38.     Take a UT tower tour.

39.     Go on a photo scavenger hunt with a group of friends.

40.     Go to a Jack Johnson concert.

41.     Go see a play.

42.     Use our Netflix account each month for six consecutive months.

43.     Swim in Hamilton Pool.

44.     Attend a UT football game.

Spiritual

45.     Go to the temple 12 times in 12 months—2 sealings 2/2, 9 endowment sessions  5/9, 1 baptism 1/1

46.     Go to the Family History Center six times.(6/6)

47.     Read the entire Old Testament (558/1184 pages).

48.     Read the Book of Mormon as a family in 2011 (185/531).

49.     Read the New Testament as a family once we finish the BOM.

50.     Study topics for Sharing Time one month in advance in 2011 (7/16).

51.     Do something, anything, to have Family Home Evening each week.

52.     Write in gratitude journal every day for 3 months.

53.     Write in my journal for 30 minutes each Sunday for 6 months straight.

54.     100% visiting teaching for 6 months straight.

Health

55.     Get a professional massage.

56.     Get a facial.

57.     Exercise twice a week every week for 3 months in 2011 (Jan 2011: 8/8, May 2011: 9/9, June 2011: 9/9).

58.     Exercise three times a week every week for 3 months in 2011. (Feb 2011: 12/12)

59.     Take a reusable water bottle to work every day for 3 weeks (3/7-3/11, 4/4-4/8, 5/23-5/27).

60.     Eat 3 servings of veggies a day for a week.

61.     Eat 2 servings of fruits a day for a week.

62.     Floss every day for a month.

Family & Relationships

63.     Ask my dad to record five personal memories.

64.     Have professional photos taken.

65.     Go on a girls’ weekend trip.

66.     Go camping with my husband.

67.     Send letters to Russia with love.

68.     Have a "sister day" once per quarter.

69.     Send one hand-written letter a month for six months.

70.     Burn my old home videos to DVD & mail to my parents.

71.     Compile a family email/mailing address list.

72.     Compile a family birthday list.

73.     Send a birthday card to parents and siblings + siblings-in-law (2/22).

74.     Send a birthday card to nieces and nephews (1/21).

75.     Send out a family letter at the end of 2011 and 2012.

Financial

76.     Don’t use credit cards for anything other than gas + food + medicine in January and February 2011.

77.     Pay off all student loans by mid 2011.

78.     Purchase a new lens.

79.     Have $10K in emergency fund.

80.     Save for a down payment on a house.

81.     Live off of Henry’s income and save what I earn.

82.     Open a mutual fund.

83.     Save $100 monthly for one “dream” vacation outside of the U.S.

84.     Put aside $10 in savings for each task completed and put it towards “dream” vacation.

Knowledge & Career

85.     Read 12 classic novels.

86.     Read 10 nonfiction books (2 spiritual): The Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother, Freakonomics, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks; Heaven is Here; Bringing Up Bebe; Make the Bread, Buy the Butter; The Happiness Project; Talking Back to Facebook; Ina May's Guide to Childbirth; Real Food for Mother and Baby; Food Rules: An Eater's Manual

87.     Go to an ASHA convention.

88.     Update my resume.

89.     Research background of SHARS/Medicaid in schools.

90.     Get caught up on Medicaid billing.

91.     Spend an hour reviewing ASL vocabulary once a month for 5 months

92.     Relearn 10 common phrases in Spanish.

93.     Learn 10 common phrases in Mandarin.

Good

94.     Visit thehungersite.com every day for a month.

95.     Choose a project on Donors Choose or Kiva and fund it.

96.     Volunteer at Capital Area Food Bank.

97.     Adopt a family for Christmas.

   Surprise someone with flowers.

  Surprise three people with treats once per year (4/9).

  Make five hygiene kits.

  Babysit for a couple so that they can go to the temple together.

Completed: 54/101