Here we go again ...

Finally getting back to this!

After completely failing at my first attempt, I plan on trying out the 101 in 1001 challenge again. This time, I knew some of the things to stay away from, and to be more specific and realistic in some of my goals. I have some that have stayed the same, and some that are intentionally broad/vague, but I think this list will be better.

I'm still working on adding things to my list (who knew it would be so hard to come up with all these things?), but if I don't just do it, I never will, so I'm starting here. I have already completed some of these, but will have to come back and fill in what's been done already.

Getting Started

1 – Start a blog to track my progress with this list

2 – Post at least once a week (with photos where I can)

Health

3 – Be consistent with workouts (at least 3 times a week)

4 – Drink at least 6 glasses of water per day on a consistent basis

5 – Gain no more than 25 pounds for pg #3

6 – Get down to a healthy weight for me (at most 140, striving for 130lbs)

7 – Finish the “Couch to 5k” program

8 – Run a 5k without stopping

9 – Find a tennis partner and start playing again

10 – Develop a flat belly

11 – Join a gym

Neal and Me

12 – Watch the sunset and sunrise with Neal

13 – Dress up and go out with Neal

14 – Have a date night at least twice a month

15 – Plan a way for Neal to drive a Ferrari

16 – Go out dancing with Neal

17 – Go on an anniversary trip without the kids

Family/Friends

18 – Post on our family blog at least twice a month

19 – Put Jeffery’s scrap book together

20 – Fill out Jonathan’s baby book

21 – Start a baby book for #3

22 – Get rid of maternity clothes within 3 months of baby #3

23 – Go on a girls’ trip with some friends

24 – Visit Uncle Gil and Aunt Peggy

25 – Have a regular prayer/bible study time with two girlfriends

26 – Have a monthly lunch date with at least one friend

27 – Make all of one year’s Christmas gifts myself

28 – Call just to catch up with a friend once a week

Education/Enrichment

29 – Learn Italian

30 – Read at least ten (adult) books, 3 literary classics

31 – Post on my crafting blog at least once a week

32 – Start writing again

33 – Take a ballroom dance class with Neal

34 – Start playing piano again

35 – Finish AFC program before baby #3

36 – See “Phantom of the Opera”

37 – Make a list of uncompleted sewing projects as of now, and finish them

38 – Make an inventory list of my cake decorating supplies

Projects/Crafts

39 – Make Jeffery’s UT quilt

40 – Finish at least a dozen Pinterest projects

41 – Make sampler burp cloths

42 – Come up with more baby item ideas, make samples

43 – Make baby girl quilt (preferably before baby #3 comes)

44 – Make burp cloths for baby #3

45 – Take sample burp cloths to boutique stores to sell

46 – Learn to crochet a baby blanket

47 – Organize all our family pictures and videos

48 – Use some of my leftover fabric for at least one project (scrap quilt, etc)

49 – Open an Etsy shop

50 – Recover at least one piece of furniture from a yard sale/thrift shop

Cooking/Baking

51 – Learn to make crème brulee

52 – Bake my own bread on a regular basis

53 – Do a wedding cake for profit

54 – Organize my recipe collection

55 – Make my own pasta

56 – Host a dinner party

57 – Host a backyard BBQ

58 – Try to make sushi at home

59 – Make pancit

Finances/Organization

60 – Buy a house in Knoxville

61 – Use my daily planner on a consistent basis

62 – Get back to planning meals on a regular basis and using my plan (4+ weeks in a row)

63 – Combine data from two laptops and desktop, backup to external hard drive

64 – Scan all paperwork/files

65 – Get credit score up to 750 or higher

66 – Register JC as a business, get tax ID #, etc. – become “official”

67 – Make Janie’s Creations (JC) profitable

68 – Save 6-12 months’ emergency fund

69 – Pay off Mountaineer early

70 – Start contributing to IRA again

Charity

71 – Complete 50 community service hours

72 – Donate blood

73 – Participate in a fundraiser

74 – Volunteer with Habitat for Humanity on a house build

Travel/Fun/Me

75 – Get a tattoo

76 – Sing karaoke

77 – Go on a cruise

78 – Go to three concerts

79 – Dress up for Halloween

80 – Attend a New Years’ Eve party

81 – Go camping

82 – Treat myself to a spa day

83 – Drive a 1969 Shelby GT

84 – Plant a flower garden just for me

85 – Revamp my wardrobe

86 – Go to UT homecoming

Misc

87 – Unsubscribe from crappy email lists

88 – Cancel catalogs/etc. we don’t use and get off junk mailing lists

89 – Decide “what I want to do when I grow up”

90 – Bring in $40k in one year’s time (after taxes, etc.)

91 – Get published

Spiritual

92 – Memorize a bible verse weekly for a year

93 – Go on a mission trip

94 – Find a good church and get involved

95 – Have a daily quiet time

Gardening

96 – Plant and care for bulbs in the fall and continue them through the year

97 – Frequent a local farmers’ market

98 – Learn to compost and do it

99 – Learn how to cultivate roses

100 – Get some chickens to raise for eggs (location-permitting)

Lastly

101 – Write a new list including anything I haven’t completed.

The utltimate Chocolate Chip cookie!

On my challenge to bake weekly, I decided to give in to one of my pregnancy cravings and make some chocolate chip cookies. I wanted to try a new recipe, though (I usually use a variation of the Tollhouse recipe), so I asked around and searched the Net.

Eventually, I found these on one of my favorite blogs, Annie's Eats! And I can definitely say that I've found a new favorite recipe!

Though I didn't take the time/effort to drop them by her instructions (I just used my trusty Pampered Chef cookie scoop for consistency), they turned out unbelievably yummy! They are the perfect "straight from the oven" cookie!

I think I overcooked them by a minute or two, as they were a bit hard when they cooled. I wanted to ensure they weren't underdone, so that's something to change next time I make them. I'll be trying again this week, as we have a friend back Stateside who has requested some goodies! I'll post again to share how well they traveled.

In the meantime, check out the recipe and try it for yourself. It's amazing!

An update (finally) ...

So now that it's a new year and all, I'm finally able to sit down and write some updates! And boy are there updates!

The first, and most life-changing, is that we completed one goal a little earlier than planned!


12 - Get pregnant again!



We found out on October 19th that we're going to be parents again! I know it's taken me a while to post it, but we wanted to tell family over the holidays before announcing it. I've also struggled with morning sickness throughout December, so I'm just now starting to get productive again!

6 - Get down to a healthy weight for me
This will obviously have to wait a while. I did start this pregnancy out at a few pounds lighter than #1, and at 16 weeks (tomorrow), I've yet to gain back the weight I lost in the first trimester, so I'm on track to have a much healthier gain this time. My goal is to gain less than 25 pounds, preferably between 20 and 25. And then, I will still have time left in my 1001 days to work on getting this goal DONE!

21 – Purchase Jeffery’s 3 month pictures
This was done for us! Neal's mom and dad purchased many of these, as well as his 6 month pictures, and put them in an album for us for Christmas! What a beautiful and precious gift! I'm so in love with it! I can't wait to add even more!

54 – Organize my recipe collection and send copies as requested
I've gotten most of my recipes put in one place now, and only need to further organize them for easier viewing. But we're also working on making a mini book for a couple of friends.

63 – Pack away my maternity clothes
Obviously, these got pulled back out. The good thing is that with an upcoming move, I now already know exactly what I'll be packing and what I'll be keeping with me, so it kinda makes life easier. But I almost wonder if we jinxed ourselves by finally getting these put away?!?

64 – Reorganize my pantries and clean out my fridge/freezer
We're currently working on whittling away our canned/boxed goods, as we're about to move, and won't be able to take most of them with us. We've already completely cleaned out the deep freezer, and reorganized the smaller one. This will be an ongoing project over the next several weeks.

69 – Buy a house
Yay! We've already started looking for houses in our new area, and are only waiting to get closer before really starting the process hard and heavy!

82 – Treat myself to a spa day
Neal and I did this for ourselves while we were home visiting during the holidays. We had a day all to ourselves, with mani/pedi's and a couples' massage that was heavenly! It was our Christmas gift to each other!

A few things that I'm still working on:

2 – Post at least once a week (with photos where I can)
Obviously, the timing is still not working, but I'm trying to get there!

4 – Drink at least 6 glasses of water per day on a consistent basis
Most days are close, but still a goal to work toward!

19 – Post on our family blog at least twice a month
I've gotten a little better about this, but still working on frequency!

25 – Call Tiffany and Ellen at least once every other month
I need to call both just to catch up, and am going to attempt to do so better once we're back in the States for good!

32 – Learn Italian
This is going to get harder once we leave, but I refuse to give up!

40 – Make Jeffery’s UT quilt
Still cut and ready to go, just need to make the time to finish it!

42 – Make sampler baby burp cloths
Neal has been helping me cut the fabric out, so all I have to do is sew them.

50 – Make burp cloths for all Gaeta ladies currently expecting or new moms
I've just given out two more gifts today, have one to give, and two more that are newly pregnant! After those two, I'll be done with gifts, and can focus on just samples and new stuff!

65 – Get credit score up to 750 or higher
This is obviously a constant battle!

66 – Register JC as a business, get tax ID #, etc. – become “official”
We met with an attorney while we were home about this, and we're going to get going on it full time in March! We're currently attempting to come up with a business name for an umbrella corporation.


Lastly, here are a few of the things that are being put on the back burner for a while:

5 – Learn to do a proper pushup, and be able to do at least 20 at a time
This is on hold for obvious reasons!

34 – Post on my Janie’s Creations blog at least once a week
I'm holding off on this just because of the upcoming move, although I still plan on posting here and there as much as I can.

35 – Start writing again
Ditto above

43 – Come up with more baby item ideas
Same as above, although I have tons of things in mind to try out eventually.

51 – Catalog all my cake decorating supplies and replenish what I need
This can wait a while, too.

67 – Make Janie’s Creations (JC) profitable
I'm just having fun, making gifts, and trying new things for now. Not going to worry about making it profitable until I have the time to really devote to it.

68 – Get my notary status reinstated, and start doing closings again
Same thing. We're going to put this one on hold for a while, with all that's going on in this next year.

99 – Learn how to cultivate roses
This one's obviously on hold for a while too, though I will ask for a rose bush or two when we purchase our new house!


That's all the updates I have for now, and a good place to work from! Hopefully I'll be able to accomplish a good amount in the coming year, and just have a few things to catch up on during the last little bit. We'll see!

Hi, my name is Janie, and I'm a procrastinator ...

Yes, there should be, and probably is, an AA for procrastinators! Or for people who start things and never finish, or just take forever to finish. I swear I will finish this list to the best of my ability by the time those 1001 days are over!

The good thing is that most of the things on my list are life goals anyway, so even though I may not update as much as I should, I'm still working on them. So here goes:

2 – Post at least once a week (with photos where I can)

I've been horrible about posting on any of my blogs lately, and I'm determined to catch up. It likely won't be immediately, as we're about to go traveling, but I'm hoping to post at least twice a month from here on.

3 – Be consistent with workouts (at least 3 times a week)

I have actually managed this! Granted, they're not the workouts I was originally intending (in the gym, weight lifting), but as long as I'm getting some sort of exercise at least 3 times a week, I'm good. I've been alternating among Jillian Michaels' 30 day shred videos, walking for an hour around our neighborhood, and doing yoga at home. I'm just hoping to keep it going from here on.

5 – Learn to do a proper pushup, and be able to do at least 20 at a time

I now can do a proper pushup, still working on the 20 at a time thing!

19 – Post on our family blog at least twice a month

I've been much better about this, but still not where I'd like, so I'm not going to consider it completed yet.

21 – Purchase Jeffery’s 3 month pictures

I'm actually going to go backward here, and put this back on the list as not even started yet. We're so behind on pictures right now! We still have some from January (his 3 month), May, and are having more taken later this month while we're home, so we'll have even more! Yeah, that's a project for later!

25 – Call Tiffany and Ellen at least once every other month


I'm starting this one this month. Tiffany's first anniversary was yesterday, so I'm going to call her to wish her a happy anniversary, and going to be letting them both know that we'll be home visiting soon. I need to get better about keeping in touch. I keep up with Ellen here and there on Facebook, but Tiffany is hard to track down.

28 – Host the family Christmas

Christmas is going to have to be next year, but we ARE hosting Thanksgiving this year - yay! We're renting a cabin in the Smoky Mountains, and having both families over for the big meal and Black Friday shopping at the outlets! I'm uber excited about this one, as we have tons of gifts to give, hopefully will have news about orders, and tons to catch up on! I can't wait!!!

30 – Find an online program to take classes from

I'm actually taking classes right now to become a certified Financial Advisor. It's not easy, I have to take exams, and I still have to get in 700 (700!) practicum hours, but I'm loving it!

34 – Post on my Janie’s Creations blog at least once a week

Like I said earlier, I've been horrible about posting. But I've been even worse about taking pictures of my stuff. I do have a couple more things to be made, however, so I will DEFINITELY take pictures this time, and post them on my blog.

35 – Start writing again

I've decided to participate in this year's Nanowrimo, and attempt to at least get the pumps primed for writing again. I don't expect much out of my November project (after all, we'll be traveling during this time too), but it will hopefully get me in the writing mindset.

40 – Make Jeffery’s UT quilt

I'm not actively working on this (sidetracked by several baby projects and getting ready to travel), but I did get everything cut out and ready to start. I'm hoping to get going on it when we get back home. And definitely want it completed by the time we move back to the States next Spring.

42 – Make sampler baby burp cloths and 50 – Make burp cloths for all Gaeta ladies currently expecting or new moms

This has been the hardest thing to do, as every time I make some, someone else pops up pregnant, or I find another reason to give them away! On the upside, I sold several at a community bazaar a couple weeks ago. And I'm caught up on all the babies around here! On the downside, there are several newly pregnant people that I need to start working on now. It never ends!

53 – Bake at least once a week

FINALLY! One project that has NOT been a problem. I find that even when I'm not focusing on it, I end up baking more now that Jeffery's a bit bigger. He even sits in his highchair with me in the kitchen, playing with measuring spoons, while I mix. And last week, he had his first take of chocolate chip cookie dough! mmm!

61 – Use my daily planner on a consistent basis

This hasn't been a problem either. It's become my brain lately! It's been so helpful!

62 – Get back to planning meals on a regular basis and using my plan (4+ weeks in a row)

Surprisingly, along with losing brain cells from being a Mommy, I've learned that this is not just great for organization, but a necessity if we're going to eat!

64 – Reorganize my pantries and clean out my fridge/freezer

Currently in progress, as I'm trying to use up all the perishable foods before we leave. I'm hoping to organize everything that's left when we get back. We're going spartan for our last few months here, and I intend to try to use as much as possible of what I already have!

65 – Get credit score up to 750 or higher

This has been a NIGHTMARE! Just around the time all three of my scores broke 700, I had a collector post a fraudulent account to my report, and I'm still working on getting them to take it off. I've even enlisted the help of a lawyer! Needless to say, this is a long process.

66 – Register JC as a business, get tax ID #, etc. – become “official”

We're going to be talking to someone while we're home about doing this, as well as my Pampered Chef business. We want to start an LLC, with both my PC and JC businesses under that umbrella. I'll update once we figure out how to do that.

67 – Make Janie’s Creations (JC) profitable

This is actually slowly beginning to happen. Like I said above, I managed to sell a few baby items at a local bazaar, and I have a few orders in for more burp cloth sets. I have also FINALLY listed a few items on etsy , so it's getting there!

87 – Have a ladies’ gtg at my house

I've backed this one up as well. I tried to do one before, but it fell through. And now with moving in the next few months, I'm going to put it on the back burner until we get settled in our new area.

90 – Get a new computer with a valid copy of MS Office on it

Thanks to my amazing husband, I now have a laptop with the latest version of Office, as well as the Microsoft 7 operating system. I am in love!

95 – Have a daily quiet time

I've been pretty good about this, ever since starting a new routine in the mornings. And I always have access to C. H. Spurgeon's Morning and Evening devotions, so I can at least have a few moments in each day. It's really helped to improve my perspective toward each day, and I feel much more productive!

99 – Learn how to cultivate roses

This came as a surprise, as Neal brought two rose bushes home this past summer. They were getting rid of them at work, so he thought I'd enjoy them. They were in sorry shape, and immediately went into shock, but after babying them with some water, pruning some dead branches, and pulling weeds, they perked up wonderfully! I never knew how easy roses were! I still plan on learning more about them, but it's a start!

Wow! That was an update! You can see I've been up to a ton lately, I just haven't sat down to record it all. So I'll be updating my sidebar with what's been accomplished, started, stopped, etc. Thanks for sticking with me so far!

Urgent Prayer Request

I just wanted to post a quick request for as many prayers as possible. Stellan is am 8 month-old little man who was born with a damaged heart. For more info on him, you can check out his mom's blog here.

I found her blog through a mutual friend when I was still pregnant last year, and have followed their family ever since. Stellan is an amazing baby, and is just that much more special to me because he and Jeffery are only weeks apart in age. It breaks my heart to see a family going through this, and I hold my own little boy closer today knowing that it could be anyone's child.

Please take a moment today to pray for this most precious little guy. It seems he could really use it. Also, please pray for his parents' comfort, and the doctors' wisdom and leading.

Proof !

I know I said I'd start posting pictures as well, so here goes. Proof that I did get something done:


41-Write on Jeffery’s baby pillow



More pictures to come!

A seriously tardy update!

Well, I went home for almost the entire month of May, then had my in-laws visiting the first two weeks of June, a baby shower to plan this past weekend, and I am just now settling back into normal everyday life here at home.

So here's the update:

6-Lose the rest of my baby weight and get down to a healthy weight for me (5/5, 4/25)

I'm finally down to a consistent 151! Considering I didn't gain weight while visiting the States, I consider this a huge success! Now I'm just trying to get back into the swing of things with workouts. But now that Jeffery is on a good schedule, I have plenty of people willing to watch him while I go get a workout in. Hooray for awesome friends!

21-Purchase Jeffery’s 3 month pictures

Does it count that Neal bought some of these for my Mothers' Day gift? Now I just need to find frames. Seriously though, we're planning to sit down this weekend and order these, as well as the ones I had taken while I was home in May.

41-Write on Jeffery’s baby pillow

Done!

43-Come up with more baby item ideas

I have a few more ideas, though I'm still working on getting some samples done. If people would just stop having babies! I can't keep up with all the babies being born around here!

68-Get my notary status reinstated, and start doing closings again

Well, I can't do the second part of that until we move back home, but I've sent in my application for reinstatement.

89-Plan a ten year high school reunion

This was a bust. Apparently I just had bad timing, as almost nobody was available while I was home. No matter though, as I still got to catch up with some girlfriends.

Now that I'm back in the swing of things, for the most part, I'll be working on this list a little more. Plenty of updates to come, I'm sure!