#29 and #30 - YEAH!

29. tell one of the people (or dogs) that I love how much I love them every day

I LOVE YOU family, friends, and dogs! Thank you for a wonderful 30 years and for such joyous celebrations.

30. Turn 30 with peace in my mind, love in my heart, and enough energy to live at least 60 more years.

Check!

#5, #18, #19, #25 and #26 - oops

I officially admit that I have not accomplished my entire 30 by 30 list, and yes, I am now 30!

5. make a fancy four course meal

This idea was inspired by Emily's sister who has a big party every year to raise money for a charity. She charges people to come to the party, supplies everything that party might need herself, and then donates all of the proceeds. Now these parties are huge and raise tons of money but I thought maybe I could do a small scale version. So, this year Emily and I offered a four course vegetarian Indian dinner at our church auction. Eight people paid $40.00 per head to come to our dinner and all of the money went to the church. Our dinner is scheduled for ??? and thus this goal will be accomplished then!

18. learn how to get stains out of my clothes for real

While I have learned a lot about stains, I'm still not an expert. A combination of hydrogen peroxide, carbonated water, scrubbing, bleach, and steam usually does the trick. But as my mom said, stain removal is a lifetime of learning.

19. sing as many days as possible

Hum, how do I post about this one. I will spare you a video of me rockn' out in the car, I will admit to loving cheesy country music, and I will tell you that the holiday songs have me singing 24/7 these days :)

25. learn a new song on the piano and perform it

This goal was placed on the list because I thought I was getting a friend's piano. Well, that piano has yet to arrive and thus the goal has yet to be accomplished.

26. make a new recipe every week

Remember my posting on August 21st about changing this from "make a new recipe every week" to "make 52 new recipes"? Yeah well that didn't happen either. I just don't really like recipes. One of my favorite pass-times is to read cook books and vegetarian times but when it actually comes to cooking I just can't follow a recipe. I never have exactly what I need and I always feel like I can "improve" the recipe. So, while I have had a good cooking year I have not made all that many recipes.

Christmas Tree

April and I put up our Christmas tree this past weekend. It came from the Lions Club stand which is right around the corner from our house so we didn't have to brave the cold for too long.


We picked that tree because it had a long empty trunk so we thought we wouldn't have to trim it. However, it was too tall so we had to take a few inches off the bottom. Thanks goodness I had help because there is no way I would have been able to saw off the bottom.


Neither of us had many ornaments but together we had enough to cover the tree!




And now we have this gorgeous tree which smells wonderful and sparkles with holiday cheer!

21. add the details to my wardrobe to increase my professional appearance

This cork board of necklaces is my "evidence" that I have been adding details to my wardrobe. Earning, necklaces, mascara, new shoes, and blow drying my hair. None of these things take much money or time but amazingly enough they do make a difference!

Holiday Parade

This past weekend a handful of fellow UUs joined me in the town Holiday Parade. Wearing blue and white, handing out candy, and carrying candles we marched throughout town. Our message was "Peace on Earth. Good Will to All".

Here is our total group!


Our "float" in the parade (thanks dad for use of your truck!).


Our banner leading our way.

Kale Chips - Recipe #8 of 52

The garden plot between our houses on Laurel street has a winter harvest of Kale.


The big fluffy leaves have loved the mild winter thus far.


First de-stem the leaves. Then wash the leaves and dry them off very well. Add olive oil and a whole bunch of nutritional yeast and mix it all up. Finally, put the leave into a dehydrator and let them get nice a crispy.

Fall Fire

Before the temperature dropped int the 20s and 30s this past week we had some wonderfully mild fall/winter days. One sunday was particularly beautiful so we enjoyed a bonfire with the kids and dogs.

Slime

What happens when you mix glue, borax, and water? You get SLIME!


Thanks to 4th grade teacher aunt Cindy the kids had a blast.


But when the mom of the house walked in to see the mess her face was priceless!

Thanksgiving

A feast for many from ages 5 to 50-something. My parents grin looking at the spread.


Plenty of options for kiddos but mac n' cheese still wins the prize for the best dish!


Games were played by all before and after dinner.


The table was decorated with a collection of beautiful fragrant things found in the yard courtesy of the kids.


And over a fabulous meal and plenty of wine the parents swapped stories.

15. discover new musicians to update my musical repertoire

This goal was super fun to accomplish because for Christmas last year my parents gave me a season pass to concerts at the local coffeeshop / music venue. Therefore, I could go to anything for free all year!!!

These are my favorites of my newly discovered musicians. If you want a mix CD of these just let me know and I will happily send it to you!

Natalia Zukerman
Josh Hoge
Dawes
Po'Girl
Lucy Wainwright Roche
Elizabeth Cook
Garrison Star
Jenee Halstead (thanks Melissa for this new one!)
Sonia Leigh
Meg Hutchinson
Antje duvekot (thanks Stacy for this suggestion!)
Chris Merrit
Jim Boggia

I'm also excited that an entirely new CD collection has entered my life via accomplishing #4 (go on a date) which quickly became #30 (turn 30 with love in my heart). Thanks April for helping me achieve my goals in life!

16. learn the names of all the plants in my house and yard

With the help of many people and books I have finally found the names of almost all of my plants in my yard. Now about 80% have stuck in my head but I'm still working on memorizing that last 20%. Are you ready for the super long list of plants????


Back Yard

Compost Bin to Fence
Rosemary
Yellow Iris
Oregano
Lavender
Verigated Creeping Euyomous
Jacobs Ladder
Dark purple / black Iris
Lemon Balm
Pricklie pear cactus

Front of Shed (Left to Right)
Daffodils
Piers Japonica
Day lilies
Russian Sage
Dwarf Spruce tree
Blueberry
Raspberry
Blueberry

Wood rack to Gate
Yellow butterfly bush
Razor grass
Poppies
(blue perennial flowers)
Beautyberry
Strawberries
Day lilies
Red flowering Lily (don't know this one yet!)
Yellow Iris
Crab apple tree
Hydrangea
Fig tree
Astilbe
Beautyberry
Razor grass
Purple Butterfly bush

Gate to Veggie garden patch
Razor grass
Stelladora Day Lilies
Dwarf dark purple Iris
Salvia
Astilbe
Primrose
Hasta

Large bushes and Trees (Back Yard)
Holly Tree
Nandina
Vibernum
Yew hedge

Driveway side of house
Bayberry
Lemon balm
Lambs ear
Yellow and Purple Iris
Sedum
Creeping jenny
Hasta
Stevia


Front of House

RIGHT of DOOR (Right to Left)
Lirope
Dwarf Spruce
Yarrow
Nandina
Peruvian Daffodils
White Lily
Spruce Shrub
Azalea
Vinca periwinkle vine

Trees, Walk, and Mailbox
Boxwood
Crepe Myrtle trees
Ivy
Yew
Maple tree
Tulips
Daffodils
Star Lithodora
Butterfly Blue Pincushion Flower

LEFT of DOOR (Right to Left)
Aztec White Verbena
Peony
Mounding Snow Hill Salvia
Azalea
Spruce
Nandina
Yew Hedge

Licking

Leni has been licking her paws rather obsessively for a few months. It happens at random times but it is most annoying at 2 AM when it wakes you up. She doesn't pull out the hair between her toes. She doesn't bite her nails. Her pads and webs are never red and yet she just keeps licking. I tried eliminating possible food allergens and there was no change. I tried soaking her feet in anti-itch solutions and it didn't help. Even benadryl didn't really help quiet the slurping sounds of 2 AM.

So, I took her to the vet. The vet grilled me about her behavior, diet, exercise, mental stimulation, and routine. She examined every single foot and between ever toe. There was nothing wrong and no clear source of irritation.





So this was the vet's answer to Leni's licking. "If Leni were a human she would be a smoker." HA! My little Leni has a nervous habit and thank goodness it is not smoking :)

11. do yoga

The truth is I don't like yoga. I know it seems weird for a vegetarian midwife who uses all organic cleaning products to say she doesn't like yoga but I just don't like yoga. I tried 3 different yoga classes this past year at three different venues. All were fine but the dim light, tranquil music, and ocean breathing just wasn't my thing. So, while doing yoga was on my list I think I should have written "Do stretches".

So, these last few months I have been a lot better about stretching after my walks with the dogs. The routine is to do 30 minutes of stretches and strength exercises on the yoga mat after our walk. The dogs love the routine because they get to play around me and belly rubs!

10. do 10 full pushups

Full push ups are hard. Knee pushups are easy and fun. I completely thought that doing 10 pushups would be easier than 2 pullups but I was wrong. Push ups are hard....




but I can do 10!

2. do a full pull up (hand both ways one after the other!)

This past weekend I handed my mom the camera and made her take pictures of me accomplishing all of my athletic goals for the last year. So, all week this week the blog will feature 30 by 30 items!

The pull up bar mounted in the doorway is a huge source of pride these days because I can easily do 2 pullups (one with my hands in each direction).

Reclaiming Halloween

I have never liked Halloween. I don't do scary. I don't like being up late at night. And, I'm not the biggest fan of candy. However, I DO LOVE to get dressed up. So, this year I reclaimed Halloween with the help of family.

With big black eyes, colorful boas, and semi formal wear, we headed to the local production of Rocky Horror!




Philipina, aka my dad, played the piano in the band for the show and had a little bit too much fun strutting around in her short dress!


We also celebrated the 16th birthday of my cousin and corrupted all of her friends!


After ruckus adult fun with my family what truly reclaimed Halloween for me was the pure joy of children in costume. Good food. Wine. Family. Dancing. And a whole lot of love.

NEA Part 9 - Granola

There is nothing more fun than a 2 year old in the kitchen! And what a better activity than to make Granola which was the breakfast of choice for these college friends.

NEA Part 8 - Upstate Fun in the Park

Despite the cool weather, both the people and the dogs had a blast at the park. This mom and son pair are truly dynamic and wonderful friends to us!


We did lots of climbing


Running


And some more climbing


All that activity would have been impossible in Lauren's shoes!

NEA Part 7 - Bad Ass Burke

This rockn' one year old was the queen of pumpkinfest. She started the day by chewing on the pumpkin top.


While last year this peanut was sleeping inside the pumpkin, this year she was suited up with her pumpkin outfit and pumpkin hat and sat on her own on top of the biggest pumpkin in town.


But that quiet cuteness didn't last long because she was off crawling across the street in no time flat.




And after all that fun, off came the pumpkin outfit and we had some naked snuggle time!