30 before 30

I recently read a blog where the woman was talking about one of her checks off a list she titled 30 before 30. I instantly thought that sounded like a fabulous idea, and decided to tackle such a list for myself! Now, I know what ya'll are thinking, 'she's not even 29 yet, and her birthday isn't for 3 months,' but I've decided to make this list with some bigger things on it that could take longer than 1 year. The intent is to revisit this list at the beginning of every month and check off the things I've accomplished. Anyone have a milestone birthday coming up in the next couple months/years, feel free to join me! This could be fun, as well as a little bumpy at times…

1. Watch the series Sex & the City in entirety (I've only ever seen a random episode here and there, and the 1^st movie!)
   
2. Learn to bake bread
   
3. Stop drinking soda (I had come really close to being able to check this one off, lasting a month, but in the last 2 stressful weeks, I've had 3…..)
   
4. Grow my hair long enough to donate a ponytail
   
5. Finish knitting James' 31^st birthday socks (due 3/21/2010!)
   
6. Sew a dress for Hazel
   
7. Have a family photo shoot with Jamie Spiro
   
8. Teach Hazel to play Twinkle Twinkle Little Star on the piano
   
9. (Learn how to & ) knit a hat for myself
   
10. Determine a signature drink that I can order wherever I go, and always have the ingredients for at home
    
11. Make my own pickles
    
12. Have a stocked liquor cabinet, like an adult
    
13. Eat a meal at preservation kitchen
    
14. Find my perfect shade of lipstick
    
15. Actually get the Luther's Rose tattoo I've been dreaming of for 10+ years
    
16. Keep some kind of lovely plant alive in my house or on my porch
    
17. Go on a cycling/camping trip with James and Hazel
    
18. Eat a meal at poppy.seattle
    
19. Sing at church
    
20. Ride my bike to the grocery store
    
21. Take a theo chocolate factory tour
    
22. Reduce (or eliminate) use of plastic bags from the stores
    
23. Get my makeup done at a department store counter
    
24. Make something fabulous out of anna maria horner's fabric
    
25. Find a perfect skin care routine
    
26. Finish knitting the paron tunic for myself
    
27. Develop a regular yoga routine
    
28. Write a song for Hazel
    
29. Drink more water every day
    
30. Learn to make phad thai from scratch

best birthday party part 3

H, C, and A hamming it up - this is one of the best pictures. i think i'm going to print it and frame it for christmas gifts, seriously!!

party time!

all the pretty (& handsome!) little helpers opening H's gifts

H and S blowing millions of bubbles from bubble wands that look a bit too much like crack pipes....

cake time! H was really excited about her cake

as i sort through the millions of pictures taken, i may post more. all in all, i am so thankful for how wonderful the party turned out. if only i could use this as a template and throw identical parties from here on out!!

best birthday party part 2

my parents have a big hill in the backyard, and for the first time in 30 years, that hill got some serious action! the kids played a game they created themselves called 'up hill, down hill,' where they would climb up the stairs on the deck to the top of the hill, and then march down the hill together like this. ruth said they looked like little mountian goats, and i couldn't agree more :)

playing on the hill. 'A' was the queen of the roost getting the highest climb of everyone!

natalie used her creative writing skills to draw a real hopscotch game in chalk, which C and H couldn't have enjoyed more...

H's new favorite thing to do with chalk - play CSI.....

H and I playing bocce ball together behind the grass

best birthday party part 1

hazel's 3rd birthday party was fantastic! the weather cooperated - though it seriously threatened not to - and the kids couldn't have had a better time if they tried! blogger won't let me upload all the pics i want into one post, so here's part 1: the set up!

these penant banners hung in the front yard trees - alerting people that the party was here, at my parents house

we had a tasty snack spread including pirates booty, sweet potato chips, tea sandwiches, cream puffs, sun tea for the adults, and 'toddler tea (fruit punch)' for the kiddles

dad and katy hung my felt garland from the deck bannister. it looked so great!

and more garland in the tree. i love that garland!

hazel asked for a chocolate cake, in the shape of a circle, with pink frosting and a candle. here's what we gave her! the flowers are starburst candies warmed in the microwave and quickly rolled out with a rolling pin and cut out with cookie cutters! the cake was a hit!

prepare yourselves to be amazed!

since we just moved this weekend to a different unit in our same apartment complex, i had a built-in opportunity to do a much needed pantry/freezer inventory. i just made a grocery list for this weeks meal planner, and i have 5 things to buy for this weeks meals (this does not include the things i will get free with my WIC check).

here is the list:
*1# extra firm tofu
* 2 cans chicken
*1 can great northern beans
* fresh loaf of sourdough bread
* dried basil

here are the meals:
M-Rachel's white chicken chili (thanks rachel for the blog post!)
T-best baked eggs and salad
W-Sarah's phillipine chicken w/brown rice
H-thai coconut soup (in the slow cooker!) w/thai peanut tofu & chicken, & leftover brown rice
F-TJ's freezer phyllo margharita pizzas w/salad
S-H's birthday party, so it's tea sandwiches & cake for the entire day of meals
Sun- leftovers

i even am planning on making a slow cooker crunchy garbanzo bean snack for the week tonight, and have all the fixin's for some fun non-sandwich lunches for H, including an alphabet pasta salad perfect for toddlers :)

yup. i'm amazed, too !

bed

this is the bed that we got for h at ikea last night. not much to look at, we know, but it was cheap and that's how we roll these days.

however, we have a plan. and that plan includes paint. we asked h what color bed she wanted, and she said green. so i found my favorite shade of green, seen on the notebook in the picture below, that we're going to color match in a super high glossy paint to paint the bed frame.

the pink = the sheets h choose at target today. pretty cute, huh? james asked if it matched, and i proceeded to show him pictures of bright pink flowers in nature with green leaves, and he shrugged indifferently :)this lovely comforter would really be the icing on the birthday-big-girl-bed-cake. but this will have to wait a bit longer....

lucky girl :)