My 101 in 1,001

*** I'm preempting this post with a disclaimer. See, I've been kicking around this list for a couple of months now, looooooooooooooong before the current unemployed spouse turned (hopefully) full time student situation (opportunity Beth, its an OPPORTUNITY!) presented itself. I've read back thru my list, and I really do think that these are all still things that are important. SO, I'm keeping it as is. Why not add a little more stress, right? At least with this list, I will have things that I CAN accomplish, CAN be done with, which I oh so desperately need right now.


In an effort to further the progress of becoming the me I want to be, I'm jumping on the 101 in 1,001 bandwagon. I figure the blog is a great way to hold myself accountable, and to have a concise place to keep track of the list, and my progress on it. I also decided that jumping into this project today, on my 30th birthday, is somehow appropriate.

I also find it - ummm - interesting? - that starting today, my 1,001 days ends on our 8th wedding anniversary. I'm not suggesting that it means anything... Wouldn't know what to suggest that it means. But when I ran the calculation, I was a bit taken aback when June 7, 2011 popped up. Weird!

I'm entering some of these items as smaller goals in steps to bigger picture goals. Why? For a couple of reasons. First, if I just list the "big picture" goals, I'll have a hell of a time coming up with 101 of them that I can realistically accomplish in 1,001 days. Second, I love love LOVE making progress, so having more things I can check off will help keep me motivated!

And since Blogger doesn't have a strike through font (Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!), I will change the color of items to show my progress. Still "to do" will be blue (cuz it rhymes, and that's the way my brain works), "in progress" will be green (green = going or doing, right?), and completed items will be purple (cuz it's my favorite color). Some of the items are recurring things, so I've added in monthly or quarterly "tickers" to check off my progress.

Finances:

1. Pay off my Visa.
2. Pay off Grumpy's Visa.
3. Pay off the vacant lot
4. Pay off the truck.
5. Build the emergency fund up to 3 months necessary expenses (you know, without all of the fluff like netflix & dining out)
6. Sell cigarette rolling machine on eBay
7. Sell 5th wheel hitch on Craigslist
8. Read You're Broke Because You Want to Be by Larry Winget
9. Have a "no spend weekend" (even if it's on a weekend that Grumpy is hunting... I don't think he'll go for it)
10. Sell old jewelry that I'll never wear again and has no sentimental value.
11. Send a donation to a charity every month, even if it's only $5 (Sep 08, Oct 08, Nov 08, Dec 08, Jan 09, Feb 09, Mar 09, Apr 09, May 09, Jun 09, Jul 09, Aug 09, Sep 09, Oct 09, Nov 09, Dec 09, Jan 10, Feb 10, Mar 10, Apr 10, May 10, Jun 10, Jul 10, Aug 10, Sep 10, Oct 10, Nov 10, Dec 10, Jan 11, Feb 11, Mar 11, Apr 11, May 11, Jun 11)
    

Blog:

1. Grow this blog to 25 subscribers.
2. Participate in the Barren Bitches Book Brigade
3. Get more active with my recipe blog, and get it set up on BlogHerAds
4. Grow the recipe blog to 15 subscribers.
5. Build up my blog traffic enough to get quarterly checks from BlogHerAds.
6. Build up my blog traffic enough to get monthly checks from BlogHerAds.
7. Achieve Iron Commenter Status for at least 1 IComLeavWe
8. Participate in NaBloPoMo
9. Comment on every blog I read for a week (day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
10. Get the "unread items" in my Google reader to "0", just once!

Entertainment:

1. Watch the Godfather trilogy, all in one sitting!
2. Read The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.
3. Read Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
4. Read Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
5. Read Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
6. Read Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
7. See a race at Bristol
8. Buy a hammock
9. Read the Harry Potter books
10. Read Atonement by Ian McEwan
11. Take a weekend road-trip vacation, by myself.
12. Finish watching the AFI top 100
13. Learn to knit, cross-stitch, or some other yarn or fabric-ish handy work
14. Re-watch the entire Sex & The City series, and the Movie.... again (shallow? yep. but I've been meaning to do this for at least 6 months now, and I haven't made the time for it)
15. Buy a Wii
16. Buy a WiiFit

Family:

1. Have a meal with Dad every month: Sep 08, Oct 08, Nov 08, Dec 08, Jan 09, Feb 09, Mar 09, Apr 09, May 09, Jun 09, Jul 09, Aug 09, Sep 09, Oct 09, Nov 09, Dec 09, Jan 10, Feb 10, Mar 10, Apr 10, May 10, Jun 10, Jul 10, Aug 10, Sep 10, Oct 10, Nov 10, Dec 10, Jan 11, Feb 11, Mar 11, Apr 11, May 11, Jun 11
2. Have a meal with Grandma every month: Sep 08, Oct 08, Nov 08, Dec 08, Jan 09, Feb 09, Mar 09, Apr 09, May 09, Jun 09, Jul 09, Aug 09, Sep 09, Oct 09, Nov 09, Dec 09, Jan 10, Feb 10, Mar 10, Apr 10, May 10, Jun 10, Jul 10, Aug 10, Sep 10, Oct 10, Nov 10, Dec 10, Jan 11, Feb 11, Mar 11, Apr 11, May 11, Jun 11
3. Visit Kim in VA
4. Go on a week long camping trip with Grumpy
5. Have our niece spend 2 weekends a year with us (1st 08, 1st 09, 2nd 09, 1st 10, 2nd 10, 1st 11)
6. Get pregnant (maybe I just needed to write it down as a goal? Yes, you can laugh at me)
7. Take home a real live baby (you know, as a formal continuation of the last goal... )
8. Visit Grumpy's sister in CA
9. Buy and send out a "no occasion necessary" greeting card to one friend or relative every month: Sep 08, Oct 08, Nov 08, Dec 08, Jan 09, Feb 09, Mar 09, Apr 09, May 09, Jun 09, Jul 09, Aug 09, Sep 09, Oct 09, Nov 09, Dec 09, Jan 10, Feb 10, Mar 10, Apr 10, May 10, Jun 10, Jul 10, Aug 10, Sep 10, Oct 10, Nov 10, Dec 10, Jan 11, Feb 11, Mar 11, Apr 11, May 11, Jun 11
10. Talk Mom into getting the POA paperwork done
11. Visit cousin G @ her new place in K-Zoo
12. Help Dad make a claim for the "missing money" I found in his name

Home:

1. Regain use of the back porch
2. Regain use of the back bedroom
3. Buy & install new vanity & sink for bathroom
4. Paint upstairs
5. Paint back bedroom
6. Paint kitchen
7. Learn to sew (at least well enough to hem, repair seams, and replace buttons)
8. Buy a stand alone or chest style freezer
9. Learn to use a rototiller
10. Use rototiller to prep the area I want to use for my garden
11. Use up the leftover patio blocks to form a border for the garden
12. Put together a "the world is ending" kit (flashlights, batteries, radio, non-perishables, bottled water, pet supplies, duct tape, ammo, cash in small bills, tampons, good book... you know, the important stuff!)
13. Create Household Bible (account info, address book, passwords, etc)
14. Paint exterior of front door
15. Paint exterior of side door
16. Paint exterior of back door
17. Paint garage
18. Buy & install (with Grumpy's help) new storm door for back door
19. Sow seeds for my garden
20. Get the quit claim deed done for the house
21. Get new living room furniture
22. Clean out & organize basement pantry
23. Clean out & organize cabinet under microwave
24. Murphy's Oil Soap the kitchen cupboards
25. Paint the milk cans on the front porch
26. Sell or donate the old vacuum cleaner
27. Buy or build shelving for south wall of basement
28. Install shelving in basement
29. Put stuff on basement shelving (in a mostly organized way)
30. Spend 15 minutes straightening up the house every day for 2 weeks (Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14)
31. Cut and transplant a branch from DaMamma's rose bush.

Food:

1. Stock a freezer with vegetables from my own garden
2. Learn to can something (sauce, jam, whatever)
3. Learn to bake bread from scratch
4. Spend 1 day per quarter freezer or batch cooking 4th qtr 08, 1st qtr 09, 2nd qtr 09, 3rd qtr 09, 4th qtr 09, 1st qtr 10, 2nd qtr 10, 3rd qtr 10, 4th qtr 10, 1st qtr 11, 2nd qtr 11
5. Try 1 new recipe every month: Sep 08, Oct 08, Nov 08, Dec 08, 09, Feb 09, Mar 09, Apr 09, May 09, Jun 09, Jul 09, Aug 09, Sep 09, Oct 09, Nov 09, Dec 09, Jan 10, Feb 10, Mar 10, Apr 10, May 10, Jun 10, Jul 10, Aug 10, Sep 10, Oct 10, Nov 10, Dec 10, Jan 11, Feb 11, Mar 11, Apr 11, May 11, Jun 11
6. Find a homemade mac & cheese recipe that we LOVE
7. Learn to make DaMamma's pickles
8. Make a turkey dinner with all the fixin's
9. Visit a farmer's market x10 (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10)
10. Make an apple pie from scratch (the crust, too!)
    

Health:

1. Take a yoga class
2. Lose 35 pounds (-5lbs, -10lbs, -15lbs, -20lbs, -25lbs, -30lbs, -35lbs)
3. Lose 3 pants sizes (-1st, -2nd, -3rd)
4. Quit smoking
5. Floss every day for a month (Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30)
6. Work up to 100 push-ups a day for a week (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100)
7. Work up to 100 sit-ups or crunches a day for a week (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, 100)
8. Run/jog/walk - participate! - in the Eastpointe Lions 5k
9. Avoid fast-food for an entire week! (Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
10. Avoid going out to dinner for an entire week! (Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)
11. Drink only water for an entire week (Day 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7)

Current Count: 101