101 in 1001 April Update

 

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I'm actually rather impressed with myself with the progress I have made with completing the different things on my list. Of course, I still have a long way to go, but I have been able to cross off a few things already. See my list and the progress I've made so far, here.

1. Read 10 literary classics
I used a Barnes & Noble gift card that I got for Christmas to buy a copy of To Kill and Mockingbird. Emily says that it is her favorite book of all time, and really, you can't get a better recommendation than that! When I think about it, I'm very surprised that I had never read it before since I love southern lit. But I really, really liked it and I'm glad that I can add it to my library.

15. Take an exercise dance class
I was able to buy a LivingSocial deal for 5 classes at an Xtend Barre Studio. It was WAY more intense than I expecting, like I thought I was going to puke. Let me tell you though, I was definitely working some muscles!

37. Have our wedding featured on Southern Weddings
The most exciting thing that has happened since we got married is that our wedding was featured on Southern Weddings! Seriously, I was/am ecstatic! In the next few weeks, I plan to do some posts about our wedding and give you the link to our feature. Stay tuned!

54. Get a new banner for the blog
As you can see, I got a new banner for the blog! I bought it from here, best $15 I've spent in a long while!

86. Subscribe to 5 magazines
Just found out that Amazon sells magazine subscriptions too, who knew? So I had to go ahead and subscribe to two of my faves, Better Homes & Gardens and Country Living.


With the summer coming on, I know there will be a lot more things on the list that I can check off. Specifically:

10. Practice Clean Eating for 2 weeks straight
Trips to the Farmer's Market will be in order to make this happen. Maybe I'll even get some local milk! This site has inspired me.

40. Pick my own fruit at a farm
Strawberry season can't come soon enough! And you know that will lead to....

71. Make some kind of preserves
I'm kind of nervous to attempt this, I've definitely heard some canning horror stories. And who wants to waste all of that glorious fruit!? But I'm working on getting a whole Pinterest board dedicated to just canning, so hopefully I'll learn everything I need to do. Maybe I should just call my Nana, but sometimes I think she's somewhat appalled by the things that her grandchildren don't know how to do. (i.e. make biscuits that aren't from a can).

83. Make a wedding memory box
I'm working on getting all of our components together for this. I'm hoping to do a post about what I'm putting in the box, in the next couple of weeks.

What about you? Any plans now that the summer months are soon upon us?

Easter

I apologize for being so negligent lately. I do have updates, specifically about my 101 in 1001 list, but I think that will have to wait. I didn't want this day to go by without some mention about how special this day is, not only to me, but to this world. This song says it all. He is ALIVE!

 

Happy Easter!

 

~Laura



TV Time

I'm going to admit something here and I hope you will keep an open mind. I watch a lot of TV. No, for real, I do. I even sometimes plan my schedule around certain TV shows. I wouldn't say I'm obsessed, per se, (because I could stop whenever I wanted) but I do feel emotionally attached to some of my favorite characters (ok, maybe I am obsessed). Here is a list of my favorite TV shows that I am currently watching:


1. New Girl

 

 

I have been told that I am somewhat similar to Jess and I take that as a compliment. I only wish I was as awesome as she is. Truly, this show is hysterical, every character is funny. Schmidt probably makes me laugh the hardest. If you have never watched this show, do yourself a favor and go watch an episode right now! I literally make no plans on Tuesday night so I can watch this show.

 

 

 

 

 

2. The Mindy Project

Another show on Fox (Fox knows what they're doing) that cracks me up. I've also had people tell me that I remind them of the non-Indian version of Mindy, again, taken as a compliment. This show also has a hilarious cast and the writing is hysterical. The following clip had me laughing so hard I was crying. I could totally relate! After watching this clip, I turned to my husband and said "Don't you EVER try on my jeans!"

 

 

 

3. Big Bang Theory

 

 

This show is on it's sixth season and it's still just as good, if not better, than the first. This is the only show that I have all of the seasons on DVD. You don't really get tired of seeing the episodes multiple times, kind of like Friends (which is like the highest compliment I could give a show). Sheldon is my favorite, but isn't he everyone's favorite?

 

 

 

4. Downton Abbey

 

 

This is the only drama I have on my list, but it is soooooo good! The acting is excellent and the set is gorgeous! I know it's super popular right now, but it's popular for a reason! Please, do yourself a favor and start from the beginning. If for no other reason than Dame Maggie Smith as the Dowager.

 

 

 

Of course there are other shows that I love, but these are the ones that I make sure to watch every week. What about you, do you like any of these shows? What is your favorite show to watch?

 



101 in 1001

I've tossed around the idea of creating a 101 in 1001 list for a while now. I was wondering if it should be something I try to undertake seeing as how I'm not particularly known for my follow-through. But I think the combination of list-making, a far-off deadline, and the prospect of trying new things; makes it too irresistible to pass up.

I first got the idea from one of my favorite bloggers found here. I took inspiration from some of her goals and some of the goals found on other people's 101 lists and then some are completely off-the-wall and I take full credit for those. (Yes, I do want to go bird-watching, is there something wrong with that?)




Start date: January 1, 2013
Finish date: September 28, 2015
Goals complete: 0/101
Goals in progress: 3
Last updated: April 17, 2013

Items that are crossed out indicate completion
Items that are in italics are those that are in progress.

For the Mind:
1. Read 10 literary classics (1/10) [To Kill a Mockingbird, 1/13]
2. Attend a symphonic concert
3. Go an entire week without watching TV
4. Memorize a poem
5. Complete my degree
6. Attend a lecture
7. Learn to play a new instrument
8. Make a playlist of my favorite songs
9. Watch 5 classic black and white films that I've never watched before (0/5)


For the Body:
10. Practice Clean Eating for 2 weeks straight
11. Train for and run a 5K
12. Buy a new pair of boots
13. Do a pull-up
14. Drink only water for 14 days straight
15. Take an exercise dance class (preferably ballet)
16. Purchase a high-quality wardrobe staple
17. Find my signature scent
18. Buy a new pair of vision glasses (I'm really digging these)
19. Have a spa day
20. Practice yoga three times a week for three months (0/36)
21. Make my own body scrub


For the Spirit:
22. Attend an Easter sunrise service
23. Memorize a psalm or a prayer
24. Go on a missions trip
25. Celebrate the Lenten season
26. Write in a prayer journal for 40 days (0/40)
27. Write a letter to 3 people who have helped shape my spiritual life (0/3)
28. Do a Beth Moore study every year (1/3) [Revelation, Spring 2013]
29. Get up early enough to do a devotion before work every day for a week
30. Sing in The Messiah at Christmas
31. Attend Mass
32. Read a book by C.S. Lewis that I haven't already read


For the Adventurer in Me:
33. Visit 3 places that I've never been to before (0/3)
34. Try a new cuisine
35. Shoot at a gun range
36. Take a photography class
37. Have our wedding featured on Southern Weddings
38. Go camping
39. Obtain a passport
40. Pick my own fruit at a farm
41. Go on a picnic
42. Visit a National Park
43. Open an etsy store
44. Go zip-lining
45. Go see Mumford and Sons in concert
46. Go legit birdwatching (with binoculars and everything)
47. Take a train ride
48. Send my resume to a wedding coordinator
49. Tailgate at a football game
50. Stay at a bed and breakfast
51. Attend a Cirque du Soleil performance
52. Have a "staycation" (a vacation in our city)
53. Go skiing
54. Get a new banner for the blog


For the Home:
55. Create an art piece to display in our home
56. Plant a vegetable garden
57. Buy 3 coffee table books (0/3)
58. Sew curtains
59. Build something designed by Ana White
60. Make-over a piece of furniture
61. Wash all of the windows in the spring
62. Invest in a piece of art that Geoff and I both love
63. Complete an office/workroom
64. Make my own detergent
65. Build a bird house
66. Make a fresh flower arrangement for every season (0/4)
67. Paint the kitchen cabinets


In the Kitchen:
68. Learn how to make biscuits
69. Host a "grown-up" dinner party
70. Try 101 new recipes (3/101)
71. Make some kind of preserves
72. Bake my own bread
73. Bake a cake from scratch
74. Make a meal plan for 12 weeks (1/12)
75. Take a cooking class
76. Make a recipe book with all of my favorite recipes
77. Buy a cute apron (preferably from Anthropologie)


For the Future:
78. Make a baby quilt
79. Create a wedding album
80. Collect 5 of my favorite childhood books (0/5)
81. Have my wedding dress cleaned and preserved
82. Interview grandparents and record their memories
83. Make a wedding memory box
84. Pay off credit card debt
85. Work on making a new 101 in 1001 list
86. Subscribe to 5 magazines (2/5) [Better Homes & Gardens, Country Living]
87. Make a new friend


For Others:
88. Pack a shoebox every year for Operation Christmas Child (0/3)
89. Create a greeting card collection
90. Send a handwritten letter to 10 friends (0/10)
91. Pay for someone in the drive-thru line behind me
92. Make and take a meal to someone
93. Write 5 emails to report excellent service (0/5)
94. Help plan a wedding
95. Plan and execute 5 special dates with Geoff (0/5)
96. Make a handmade birthday present for each person in my immediate family (0/5)
97. See "the girls" every year (0/3)
98. Use only reusable bags at the grocery store for a month
99. Throw a wedding or baby shower
100. Mail a holiday card to someone different each month for a year (0/12)
101. Take a welcome gift to a new neighbor

Operation: Cozy Chair

 

When taking down the Christmas decorations this year, we realized that the corner where the Christmas tree lived for a month looks very empty when there is no longer any Christmas tree there. Before I set the tree up, we had a small end table and palm tree-esque plant in that corner, but now those items have found homes in other parts of the house. So now, we have an empty corner of our living room.

We have been tossing around the idea for a while of getting a chair to put in that corner, but had other things of importance we decided to purchase first, namely a dining room table and chairs. (Yes, we used to have an entirely empty room. And fyi, empty room trumps empty corner any day. Just thought you oughta know.) We would like more seating in our living room, because right now, we only have seating for 4 (three on the sofa, 1 in the recliner). Extra seating would be great for some day when I host elaborate Martha Stewart dinner parties.

So G told me that since he chose all of the other furniture in the living room (he was in the process of buying his house when we started dating and bought his furniture in the early months of our relationship. Too early for me to be giving my opinion of what I would like in my future house. I knew it would eventually be my furniture too, but I didn't want to scare him off with the revelation.) he told me that I could pick out the chair! Ahhhh! I get to pick a chair! I get to bring a little femininity to this man's world! He didn't even give me any parameters, it's totally anything I want. But of course, I wouldn't want to pick something that he absolutely hated, especially since it's something he would definitely see everyday.

After browsing on-line, I knew exactly what I wanted. A large, overstuffed upholstered armchair in beige linen and perhaps tufts (I do love a good tuft). I wanted a chair that I could totally curl up in and read a book. A cozy, comfortable, book-reading chair. And it took no time at all until I found the perfect chair:

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Although it doesn't have tufts, isn't that the most beautiful chair you have ever seen? Couldn't you just see yourself curled-up, reading a book in that chair? And it's like a smart-book chair, no reading a Christian romance novel or any other mindless book, that's a chair for reading the Iliad or some other great work of fiction. So not only would this chair look lovely in my house, it would also make me smarter (and can you really put a price on that?). Well, apparently you can, because the good folks at Pottery Barn put a $1,099 price on it. I'm sorry beautiful-cozy-book-chair-that-will-make-me-smarter, but in the grand scheme of our life and budget, you are not worth $1,100.

 

So I had to keep looking, and I found some contenders:

 



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All of these chairs are less than $400 (the absolute max that I'm willing to pay for a new chair) but I just don't know. Any thoughts or recommendations? All help would be appreciated.

New Beginnings



I love beginnings. They're so fresh! So full of promise and hope. Maybe that's why I like to begin projects rather than finish them. I also like the fact that you can start something new at any time, but starting something new at the beginning of a new year makes it that much more special (at least in my humble opinion).

That's why I am hoping to begin blogging. (Starting something at the start of a new year, maybe that means I'll stick with this better? Fingers crossed!) I wish I had been able to chronicle what a great year 2012 was for me. But I was a little busy, so I don't know how much "chronicle-ing" would have happened.

 

2012 was a great year. Actually, great doesn't seem an adequate enough word to describe how amazing the year of 2012 was, so let's break out the Thesaurus! 2012 was exceptional, fantastic, super-duper, and first-class!

In 2012, I:

~got engaged

~vacationed at the beach and the moutains

~saw my little sister graduate high school

~celebrated my 1-year anniversary at my job

~GOT MARRIED

~celebrated our very first married Christmas

With a year like that, you have to describe it as "super-duper"! So while leaving a wonderful year behind me, I look forward with anticipation to what 2013 will bring. I'm hoping that this blog will be a place where I can document the happenings that are to come!

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