39. Learn to French Braid

So glad I put this on my list. I've always wanted to know how to French braid. And it always seemed like too hard of a thing to learn. Then I had four children - all girls. And it all of a sudden became pretty necessary for me to learn.

A huge thank you to my dear friend Cyndi for teaching me. I think it was the ocean waves, beach sun, and great teacher that helped me learn so quickly. The picture above is my 1st attempt at the braid. Pretty damn good for the 1st time, if I do say so myself.

47. See a movie in the theaters every year, 2011

Many thanks to my sweet friend, LD for going to see this with me tonight. I enjoyed the company. The movie? Not so much. It was really one of the worst book-to-movie adaptations I've ever seen.

Everyone knows to go into a based-on-a-book movie with small expectations. Because the movie is NEVER as good as the book (although The Secret Life of bees actually may be). And I did the same thing. I knew the movie wouldn't be as good. What I didn't know is that it was done right bad. The acting went from one scene of beautiful, believable acting to terrible, looks-like-a-play acting. The story line was so different. And the end was cheesy, silly, and tried too hard.

So if you've read the book and enjoyed it...save your money and don't see the movie. 

55. Finish my Journal

From Off the Mark

I am not a journaler. Is that even a word? It is now. I've done it years ago and while it may be interesting to look back and read them, i never have. I don't even have the time to read Facebook Statuses. So, reading journals of long ago are out.

About 4 years ago I sat down with someone who encouraged me to journal. So I bought one and started. Fast forward 2.5 years later (and only about 3 pages in the journal later) I wrote my list of 101 things and put this on it.

I did it to encourage me to finish the blasted thing. It hasn't worked. I've written some, taped in some worship songs that I love, and that's about it. As I think back when I made my list and put this on it, I think about how much has happened and how much I've grown. The things that stick out to me are my trials. The loss of my baby in my 2nd trimester. Matt and my financial struggles (he's a Realtor, need I say more?). Everything my journal contains are entries about these things.

I have loved writing about those things. However, I've learned something. "Finishing my journal" is arbitrary. I don't journal about every day things, but rather the bigger heavier things of life. Hopefully I won't have enough of those to fill up every single page of my journal.

And since the amount of pages I write is arbitrary, I'm checking this off. It's served its purpose of confirming that I'm not a journaler and never will be. I'm okay with that. I'll continue to write about things that touch me, things I'm learning in scripture studies, and struggles. But, I no longer care about filling up every page.

17. Lose 10 pounds

There will be no before and after pictures here. Instead, a picture of the precious reason for me needing to lose 10 pounds.

I just had a baby 4 months ago and let's just say, it takes me a while to get back into shape after I have my babies. Weight from four babies (but 5 pregnancies) is quite a lot of work to get off. The Y has seen a lot of me the past 2 months. And while I still have some pounds to lose before I'm at my perfect weight, I'm checking this one off because I've lost 10 pounds (and no, I'm not counting the actual baby and placenta).

20. Audit a class at RTS

Well, although I didn't take a class at RTS (Reformed Theological Seminary) like I wanted to, I did do BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) this past year.

And since I'm giving myself freedom to tweak this list a bit and since a year of studying Isaiah is in the same vein as a theology class, I'm checking this one off my list.
 

67. Eating local - what i've learned

My sad attempt at a tortilla.

Well, the week was over last Saturday. Whew. I am just now rested enough to blog about the experience. I'm doing this pro v con style:

Pros:

• Simple cooking. While I appreciate complex food, going simple was pretty nice. Just flour, butter, and milk for biscuits. Easy. Simple. I liked that.
• Support local farmers. I enjoyed being able to give the local economy a boost.
• Lost weight. I lost 4 pounds this week. I think at least half was the liquid calories I love...sweet tea, iced coffee, juice. But, it helped that I couldn't snack on anything prepackaged. Snacks were fruit and veggies.
• Reality check for kids. It was fun to talk to them about local food, what pioneer people used to do to eat, etc. And for the most part, they ate everything and enjoyed it.
• Matt's creative! I've always known that my husband is creative in the kitchen. Give him a handful of leftovers and 30 minutes...you got an amazing dish that could grace the plate of a nice restaurant. This experience made it even more clear that he's amazing. 
• I learned something about honey. Clover honey - bees get the nectar from clovers. Wildflower honey - from wildflowers. Interesting stuff.

Cons:

• Expensive! Meat and cheese...crazy expensive. Fruit and veggies in season were reasonable. This lifestyle is not sustainable for us. You really have to have a moral conviction to eat mostly local because your wallet takes a hit. 
• Not enough taste difference. I was surprised here...and I gotta admit has not been my personal experience in the past. Most of the foods were no better than non local food. With the exception of the fruit. The fruit was amazing. I'll take local blackberries and peaches any day. The veggies? Not so much. I'll take the cheap Aldi's.
• Hard to snack. Unless you have 30 minutes to prepare something. I have 4 kids. Enough said.
• Human nature. I've never craved a soda from a vending machine before. But knowing that I couldn't have it made me want it. 
• Complicates life a little. Scratch cooking everything is too hard and too time consuming. Give me a snack of gold fish and juice please. 
• Shopping took a lot longer. I assume this would be a learning curve and would eventually get quicker and easier. But for this week...it was hard. Not to mention that the farmers markets don't have shopping carts where I can strap in my kids and hand them a cookie (thank you, Harris Teeter).

So, my conclusion:

I apprciate eating local. For things grown locally and priced reasonably. But, I also appreciate that God made the whole earth produce wonderful and diverse things. I missed olive oil, chocolate, and coffee the most. So happy God made those.

2. Learn to knit. Then knit a scarf

I made activity cards this year for my advent calendar in lieu of candy, thanks to Pinterest.

Well, I've decided to tweak this one. The point behind putting this on my list was to learn something new and then use that new skill to make something. Well, I barely have the time to do laundry, much less sit around and knit.


I've just discovered Pinterest. I've been quick to repin things, but less quick to actually do them. I especially love all the DIY projects that are pinned. Now for those who know me well, you are laughing right now. I'm not a DIY yourself type of gal. I'm not crafty. I'm not creative.

This weekend I did 3 things off of Pinterest. The above advent calendar activity cards. This wreath. Which I love. And my door is exactly that color. And I needed a new wreath anyway. So, here's my version:

I've also wanted to do an advent wreath since we're reading through a great book, Tidings of Great Joy. So I got some inspiration from Pinterest and here's my wreath:

And while all of this isn't learning how to knit...it is stretching myself in a new way - which was the feel behind number 2 in the first place.