21-30

21. Read 6 books. Check!

I love reading, but I am an excruciatingly slow reader. Mostly because I like to ponder, and also because lately I have been making an effort to read more fiction. I think a good fiction novel is supposed to take longer to read - that way you can truly appreciate the characters, the author's style.... maybe I am just making excuses for myself. My book count for this year...

My (super short) opinions you ask?

 - I know I do not fit the demographic but I really enjoy Joyce Carol Oates' writing. Both the style, and the subjects she tackles in her works. 

 - Steve Martin should stick to playing the banjo. And acting. Or maybe not, maybe just the banjo.

- My husband urged me to read the "Last Lecture" and I enjoyed it. I think what I enjoyed most was having some of the conversations the book provoked. 

 - The Convent - I randomly picked this one up off the bookshelf and I was glad I did. An easy read, but thought provoking none the less.The author, just in case you can not make it out from the picture above is Panos Karnezis. I am putting his other novel, The Maze, on my to read list in year 31.

- One of Our Thursdays is Missing - such a fun book to read! If you love fiction - go get this one. It is very clever. Sometimes a bit too clever (some of the puns I knew I should be getting, but I simply was not). There are more Thursday books out there, and when I have the time I think I will seek them out as well.

22. Take the family to a concert. Check!

What I really meant to do was to take my boys to Hillside this year. Unfortunately, that did not work out. What we did end up doing was going to the Grand Porch Party which was also great music fun, but probably a little easier for Hudson to bear. I know that at the end of the day there was talk of turning it into an annual thing - I sure hope those plans are being kept alive.

23. Give back. Check!

Karl and I each have a Kiva account. Mine got a boost in July after my no spending hiatus. If you have no idea what I am talking about, click here.

24. Continue to grow out my hair. Check!

I think my hair is officially the longest it's been in about 10 years. So long in fact, if I was it in the morning it is often still damp in the afternoon. I am seriously considering going back to super short. We'll see :)

25. Donate Blood. Check!

26. Go vegetarian for a week. Nope

This, unfortunately did not work out. We have, however been making efforts to eat less meat then we used to. I think what it boils down to is that I am having a hard time coming up with vegetarian dishes that are no pasta. Or Indian cuisine which Karl does not care for. Help?!? Seriously, I would like some suggestions as I would still like to complete this challenge,

27. Write (as in hand write) a letter. And actually mail it, too! Nope.

And it's totally eating me up. Now that I have more free time, I am making this a priority though. I am hoping to do this before September is over.

28. Take a class/course/seminar - learn something new. Nope.

 

29. Have a picnic. Check!

30. a) Say "yes" when I really want to say "no"

      b) Say "no" when I really want to say "yes"

It's pretty scary, but we are going for it soooo..... Check!


xo, 
M

10-20

11. Play hookie from work. Check!

Although, I do have to say that it was only for half the day and I really needed to run some errands. Also, on my last day I was told to leave around 12. I stayed until well past 4, just trying to make sure loose ends got tied up. Really. I am that lame.

 

12. Learn how to use our SLR camera. Ongoing 

 

I am no longer afraid to touch the darn thing, and that is a step in the right direction. I can kind of figure out the flash settings about 50% of the time but I prefer to take pictures in natural light. Mostly because I don't have to worry about flash setting :). A while back, a photographer friend of mine told me my pictures were looking better. I don't know if she still thinks so, but it meant a whole lot to me :).

13. Stay overnight in a "fancy" hotel, order room service, play tourist for the day and generally "spoil" ourselves. This was fun!

 

14. Find a pair of sunglasses I will actually like, and not loose them! Check!

I think this is officially the longest I have ever owned a pair of sunglasses (7 months). Wait, no.. there is a pair I bought about a year ago that I still own... except they have been in a drawer for the past 7 months...

But my wayfarers... Hudson and I still love them. 

 

 

15. Spend a weekend morning browsing a bookstore. Alone. At a leisurely pace. My goodness this was a fail!

 

I seem to have developed adult ADD or something, but I lasted about 25 minutes of leisurely browsing. Around minute 10 I found myself in the interior design section, and around minute 28 I was at the Home Depot. And then around minute 60 at the dry cleaners. Minute 75 at the grocery store..... 

 

16. Start swimming regularly. As in more then once a year. Oh the shame.....

17. Make a new friend. Well...

 

It turns out that being a working mom and married to a man who last year put in something like 400 overtime hours.... not so conducive to the whole social life thing. Although... I guess you can say I have been able to convert some acquaintances into friends, so that is something. And also, I hope she does not mind being mentioned (and if you do please let me know), I have developed a bit of a cyber crush on this lady here.

 

18. Potty train Hudson. Working on this one...

As a cute (or so I think) side note, we made a dash for the potty today, sat, waited... and nothing. After about two minutes Hudson looked up at me and sighed. 

"Mommy"

"Yes"

"It's stuck in my tummy"

 

19. Find a job I feel good about. This staying at home gig IS pretty sweet.

20. Go hot air ballooning. Check!

 xo, 

M

Almost there...

So it occurred to me today that I will be 30 in ... get this ...  3 days! Yikes!

The scariest part of turning 30 ?!?! The number of things on this little list here that I have not completed!

Oh, the shame!

Ok, no - not really. When I put the list together, I honestly thought I would be able to do it all.

But then life, as it often does, kind of got in the way of life. And then there were also other factors I failed to take into account when making up this list...

Canoeing with a 2.5 year old? And expect not to tip? Or have all our gear thrown out of the canoe by said 2.5 year old? Have you met my son? What was I thinking?!?!

So how did I really do?

1. Finish the perennial border in the backyard. Check!

 2. Organize the office. Check! 

Times two, actually. This here was the first attempt, but we have since tweaked it a bit. Photo coming on Monday :)

 3. Spend a week exploring Tobermory. Nope. 

But we did spend a week exploring and developing a serious crush on Kelowna. Did you see our photos? (If not, you can see them here, and here, and some more here, and here as well. Oh yes, and here, too)

4. Go on an overnight canoe trip with Hudson. Almost.

I went on an overnight camping trip with Hudson.

 5. Finish the upstairs bathroom. Check!

Pics? Monday...

6. Have a date night with Karl at least once a month. We kind of failed this one horribly.

There were 2-3 official dates. Life with a kid and out of town grandparents = ...... well, it = no dates for mom and dad. Which is a shame, really, because I actually really enjoy being out in public with my husband.

7. Go a month without buying a single piece of clothing, shoes or make up. Check!
This one was difficult, and I did a very bad job of keeping track of my monthly spending on those months when I did allow myself to spend. What did I do with the money instead? I lend it to a few folks here and there.

8. Take a family picture. The three of us. No sunglasses. No blinking. No silly faces. No blurs. Check!

 

Well...except for the whole "no silly faces" bit. Because really, this whole thing was silly.

9. Cook AND bake something new every month. Nope.


Actually, I probably did cook something new at least once a month, but I think I baked twice this entire year. I did mean to take pictures and write nice little food posts, but until recently, I was leaving home at 8 AM and coming back at 5:30 PM, screaming, starving toddler in tow. I am sure that some other mom out there could regularly turn out picture worthy culinary delights.... I am just not sure I want to be like her. 
 

10. Finish painting the living room, the kitchen and then all the trim in our house. Check!
And the pictures? You guessed it... on Monday!

So there you have it, the first 10 of my 30 things to do. Come to think of it, I think I did not bad all things considered : ).

More tomorrow!

xo,
M