Update #65

Do Unto Others

22. Handcraft 2+ items as Christmas gifts each year (3/6)

Baby stuff for a friend! Yay! Mailing it out today, too!


24. Sponsor a kid off an Angel Tree for two Christmases (0/2)

Got the kid's name. Now to buy for him.


Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (14/143)

I tried some new food at the Chinese place at the end of last month. It was some kind of shrimp with veggies in a cream sauce. Not bad, but not going to be something I get regularly.

This month, I had blueberry pancakes with cream cheese. That was different... and delicious!


Friends

48. Create/send 5 care packages for friends (0/5)

Buying the last item, sending it out today.


I wish I could elaborate more, but the dog is annoying the piss out of me.

Update #59

Still haven't done squat. Working and puppy take up most of my time. Need to figure out if I had my new food this month or not... can't remember, but I know I've tried something new recently. Gotta remember if it counts or not.

Stuffity Stuff

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (13/143)

This month is French Fry Casserole. It should be ready to eat in 10 minutes.

Friends
48. Create/send 5 care packages for friends (0/5)

Need to finish this washcloth so I can mail out her package this coming week.


Reading
79. Read 5 banned books I haven’t already read (0/5)

Going to try to finish Lord of the Flies before Monday when I have to take it back.

Update #54

Cleaning and Organizing
7. Wash dishes once a week for two months (7/8)

I hope to get this out of the way tomorrow.


Confidence Building
8. Be more open about being bisexual (lose this lingering shame I was taught growing up)

Worked some on this by openly talking about it to my friend when she visited.


Do Unto Others
22. Handcraft 2+ items as Christmas gifts each year (2/6)

I've already promised Connie a scarf, so I'm going to toss in a matching hat. :-) Merry Christmas, Connie! My other gift is going to be a multitude of handcrafted gifts... I won't say anymore here, but if you're curious, feel free to ask. It's a surprise and the recipient might see this blog!


Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (13/143)

Oh the joys of a Chinese buffet! I tried crab cakes this time, as well as some kind of steak and mushroom dish with a sauce on it... It was weird, but yummy. I was shocked by how good the crab cakes were.


Friends
46. Send each close friend a handcrafted item (2/5)

One item in progress is for Connie, one is for Haley. The other is for the unmentioned person in Goal 22.


Reading
78. Read the following books:
• One Twilight book
• Memoirs of a Geisha
• Catcher in the Rye
• Gone With the Wind
• Bridge to Teribithia

80. Go to the library and select 5 random books I normally wouldn’t read and complete them (0/5)

I got my library card in the mail on Friday, so I'm going to the library tomorrow to see what I can find. My friend EdwArd is supposed to send me a copy of Twilight, so I'll wait on her before I go to the library for that. Yay!


Very Personal
101. ******* ** ******

Came to a good conclusion about this one. It's not accomplished yet, but hopefully soon.

Update #47

Cleaning and Organizing
7. Wash dishes once a week for two months (2/8)

Still hate doing the dishes.


Do Unto Others
22. Handcraft 2+ items as Christmas gifts each year (2/6)

One will be a scarf for EdwArd... no idea about the second one for this Christmas.


Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (11/143)

Bought a cookbook today. Hopefully, I'll be able to try something out of it.


Personal Upgrades
63. Buy a new little black dress

Still no luck.


Shits & Giggles
95. Make and sell 5 items on Etsy (0/5)

I've been reading all the sales policies and stuff on Etsy. I'm by no means an expert yet, but I know more than I did. Still learning, still planning. :-)

Update #43

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (11/143)

Philly cheese steak Hamburger Helper with fresh onions and green peppers fried with it, topped with a teaspoon of sour cream... totally for the win. ^_^

Wow, is this really Month 11?


Love My Larry
50. Make sure his 27th birthday is the best one he’s ever had

Well, it might not be the best one ever, but hopefully it'll be better than any he's had while we were together. :-(

Bits & Pieces

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (9/143)

This month, we tried caramel cinnamon rolls... which were okay, but I like plain old cinnamon rolls better. We also tried caramel cookies, which were pretty yummy.


Outdoors
57. Plant flowers in a flowerbed and/or in hanging flower pots from the porch

Larry and I have been researching online as to what works well in our "zone," what works in our flowerbed area, and what won't kill my goats should they break loose and eat my plants. We've also asked Nana what she thinks. :-) Hopefully, we'll get some stuff planted this week or next.


Also, I wanted to note that I will most likely be changing goal #98 from "visit Connie and Catie in Cincinnati" to "visit Connie wherever she is residing at the time." At this point in time, I think any visits with Catie are to be considered not possible. This might change later on, since there's still lots of time left in my goals, but for now, there you have it.

Update #37

I'm late, I know... Other stuff has kept me busy. I haven't done too much in the way of my 101 in 1001, honestly.


Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (8/143)

I need a new recipe/food to try. Do new tea count? I've tried like... 4 new teas this month.


Friends
46. Send each close friend a handcrafted item

Still working on it.


That's about it.

Update #36

Family
36. Visit my mom for a weekend

I'm thinking of going to see mom the weekend of the Polk Sallet (sp?) Festival, but that's still up in the air... as in unlikely.


Other than that, I haven't really done anything worth reporting on. Here's some plotting instead.


Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (8/143)

Still looking for a new food/recipe to try.


Friends
46. Send each close friend a handcrafted item

I'm working on a shawl, but because of the color, I don't know who to give it to. Certain people in my life might mistake a white shawl as encouragement for certain things I disapprove of if I gave it to them.


Love My Larry
50. Make sure his 27th birthday is the best one he’s ever had

I've got some money saved up... not much, but enough to do a little something, if nothing else.


Personal Upgrades
61. Get a cushy state job

At this point, how about "get a job period."


In the future, I may make a change to my "Travel" section due to unexpected changes in my life. I may or may not still have the desire to visit this person anytime between now and the end of my 101 in 1001. Time will tell, though.

Om-nom-nom!!

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (8/143)

I tried Haley's recommendation for putting french vanilla creamer in hot cocoa. Even Larry raised his eyebrows at the nom-nom-atude of its deliciousness, even before I told him what was in it.

Kudos, Haley-Cat.

Update #27 & #28

Things have been crazy and I haven't been able to update. Here's what I've been up to:

Family
35. Take Chrissy on a “Cool Girl Club” outing

The "Hannah Montana Movie" is coming out soon. I plan on taking Chrissy. *tosses confetti*


Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (7/143)

Larry's homemade chicken noodle soup! :-D


Friends
46. Send each close friend a handcrafted item

I've got a thing on my LJ where I'm making hand-crafted items for 5 people. Some of them are close friends. :-) I'm currently working on one for a dear online friend of mine.


Pets
68. Breed Zoe and Frank (still waiting to see if she kids)

Still no kids.


Satisfying Nerdom
89. Place tags on all of my old journal entries including LJ and Xanga

Still working on it.

Update #25

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (6/143)

I know I previously created the recipe for broccoli cheddar rice on lettuce and tomato with sour cream... but something was still missing. Last night, I tossed the concoction onto some warm tortilla shells, and they were pretty yummy. <3

I won't say they were the epitome of yum or anything, but it was nice to have this yummy meal in an easy-to-munch wrap. ^_^


Political / Getting Involved
72. Write a letter(s) to a government official(s) about a cause(s) I feel strongly about.

I forgot to mention in a recent post that I wrote a letter to the supreme court people out in California in protest of Prop 8, which will dissolve all the "gay marriages" that were allowed last year. So yeah, here's hoping.

Update #24

Natural disasters, power outages, and other generalized "omg what else can go wrong?!" have prevented me from updating on time.

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (6/143)

I tried pork chops made in an inferred oven. They kicked ass!


Preparation
75. Create emergency kits for all of our vehicles and for the home

We were able to buy a corded phone for our home emergency kit. Other items like unscented candles, small bottles of propane, and such were all bought up pretty much in a four-county radius. Very, very yarg.

Update #22 & 23

Due to the loss of power, I was unable to post my weekly updates. Here is what I was accomplishing during that time:

Do Unto Others
27. Make a photo album of grandkids for Karen

While not quite directly related, I've put every picture I have of Bubby and Chrissy on a flash drive for Karen so she can print out all the pictures she wants at Wal-Mary. YAY!

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (5/143)

I tried Karen's style of spaghetti... ew. I don't know what she puts in it, but it totally disagreed with me from the taste buds down.

42. Compile a book of recipes that I have collected, created, or were gifts

I have ONE typed out! Does that count?


Preparation
75. Create emergency kits for all of our vehicles and for the home

She's making a list, checking it twice...

Related to Stories
82. Complete at least one book in the Jade trilogy

I had a huge thought hit me last night about a troublesome character. Now to apply it!

New Food

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (3/143)

I tried Wendy's mushroom swiss burger the other day, but I'm not entirely sure it counts. :-/ Granted, I usually have my DQ mushroom swiss burger with just meat, mushrooms, and cheese. This burger had everything advertised: meat, mushrooms, cheese, tomato, lettuce, bacon, and some kind of sauce.

All-in-all, it wasn't bad. I like Dairy Queen's better, but this one was a nice substitute. I didn't have high hopes for the bacon, but it worked out really well. What threw me off was the cold contrast of the tomato and lettuce as compared to the warmth of the meats and mushrooms.

If I don't try anything else this month, this will be my new food. I did branch out in my (rare) fast food cuisine, which I rarely do. It was different, and I didn't alter the advertised trimmings (only because it didn't have mayo or onions... I will not eat those on my burger).

*nods* Yup.

Weekly Update #10

Confidence Building
8. Be more open about being bisexual (lose this lingering shame I was taught growing up)

I don't want to talk about it.

Do Unto Others
22. Handcraft 2+ items as Christmas gifts each year (1/6)

I'm 90% done with Oaksy's Christmas scarf. At the moment, I worked so hard to get this far, I'm sick of looking at it. It'll be done long before Christmas, though.

Creativity
17. Complete the 100 Snapshots Challenge (0/100)
18. Complete 26 Things and post in my journal (0/26)

I'm going to see if I can't at least start these tomorrow... or at least one of them.

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (3/143)

Today I tried this crazy concoction that was like peanut butter candy with chocolate fudge on top of it... topped with walnuts. It was supposed to be like a Reese Cup cake thing. *shrugs* It was pretty good, but mostly it tasted like the two candies put together than a Reese Cup.


And that's pretty much it. :-/

New Yummy Food

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (2/143)

Four-cheese mashed potatoes rock, just so you know. I tried them first strictly by the directions (they were instant, I admit, but still new to me!), then I added additional milk to them to make them creamier. Very yummy!

I know, kind of bad both of my goal achievements were mashed potato related, but that's my first "new" this month. I have other recipes and things to try, too, but life's been pretty difficult lately. I wanted to make sure I got my goal in as quickly as I could before the month was up. But seriously, I could eat a whole pot of this stuff in a sitting if I thought it was good for me to do so. ^_~

Bleah... back to my drama-filled life.

Edited to Add: Today I ate Philly cheese steak Hamburger Helper topped with sour cream! That was definitely new and not related to the potato family. ^_~

Weekly Update #6

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (1/143)

During the Apple Festival, I ate some weird named food that said "taco in a bag" below it. I was hungry, the fajita place was closed, so I tried one. Basically, they opened a fun-sized bag of Doritos and dumped hamburger and nacho cheese on it. It was good, but I doubt it counts as a "new recipe and/or food." I was expecting something... different, I guess. Not nachos a la Doritos.

Oh well, the month is still new! We still need to go shopping and there's lots of time to try new things.

Going Out on a Limb

Food and Health
40. Try a new recipe and/or food every month (1/143)

Today I did something that--for some weird reason--I swore I'd never do. I don't know if I was traumatized as a kid by it and forgot in my horror or what... but today, I had no choice but to do it.

I made mashed potatoes with cream of chicken.

I was out of butter. Like, completely and totally out, and I'd already mixed the potatoes up. I panicked. I didn't know what to do. Okay, it wasn't THAT bad, but it's been a bad day and I'm prone to panics after a long bad day.

After getting reassurance from Larry (who seemed thrilled at the idea), I put 1/4 of a can of the soup in my potatoes, stirred, added more flakes, stirred again... and it was divine. I mean, I think Jesus eats this stuff up in heaven. He probably puts a spoon of sour cream in it, though...

I have no idea why I was so opposed to the idea before. The idea repulsed me before. Then again, I've eaten stranger potatoes. Adam and Gina put a spoonful of mayo in theirs, and they're awesome.

So yeah... yay for me! :-D

Kickoff for 101 in 1001!

I tried to book Hannah Montana to sing the national anthem and the Jonas *cough*emo*cough* Brothers for the halftime show, but alas... no luck. So my 101 in 1001 kickoff will have to begin with a simple tossing of confetti.

*tosses confetti*

I've began making small progress on my list today. Here's what's gone on so far:

101 in 1001
1) Made my weekly blog! I know... easy one.

Do Unto Others
22) Began plotting Christmas gifts for people. I have three scarves and a shawl planned so far.
23) Still growing my hair for Locks of Love. I have not spontaneously decided to wack it off again. Again, easy one.
26) Spoke to Gina via email about art commission. She refuses to charge me, but I'll make a donation anyway... 'cause artists need paid. :-D

Food and Health
40) Began confidence building by creating my own recipe last night. I had broccoli and cheddar rice with diced tomatoes and ranch dressing. Very yummy! Next time, I'll use either less ranch or substitute in sour cream.

Friends
48) Already scouted out potential item(s) for care packages for friends. Yay!

Outdoors
57) Scouted out awesome pots for flowers! I plan on buying them soon.

Pets
67) Jack and Jasper began leash training today. It's going to be a long road, lol.

I think I'm off on the right foot. :-D