Updating on the 101 in 1001

#70. Get new PDA/Smartphone. Done beautifully. I got the Palm 700p. It was a discontinued model so the once $300 price tag was reduce to only $100! Plus I love, love, love it. I can keep my schedule, my contacts (with birthdays), tasks and memos. I really like the memos because I can just write up my blog while I am relaxing in the yard and can come back and post it later. Super handy when the computer free days come each week.

#58. go computer free for 1 day each week for 6 months. Good start. Last Saturday and Tuesday I was completely computer free. It really wasn't hard but I did have to remind myself that I am on a free day a couple of times.

#52. use more green cleansers in the house. Wow did I find something fantastic! Method has a great line of eco-friendly cleaners. I love the almond wood floor cleaner and the pink grapefruit dish soap. But the French Lavender hand soap takes the cake. It smells divine! I find myself washing hands just to smell that beautiful smell. I would love that smell everywhere. In my bedroom especially! Anyway, I am not completely ready to check this on off the list yet but I am making headway.

#13 have a monthly date night. I am excited for next wednesday night because I am taking my darling hubby for a picnic date at City Park. Hubby is really not the romantic type to plan a date like this. I am though so there is no rule saying that I can't take the bull by the horns and plan it myself. It should be tons of fun and kid free for the night just makes it that much more exciting.

#31. write & mail a letter each month. I bought a beautiful desk note card & envelope set yesterday at Hobby Lobby so I have what I need at the tips of my fingers when it is time to send a note.

#94. set aside time weekly for creativity. At A's age this is a bit harder since doing more than crayons and playdough are about all we can handle right now. But we are making time to do this even more than once a week. For myself I am averaging about once a week for personal creativity. Overall I think I can check off 2 more weeks (since I didn't check last week).

Organizing & Blessings

Last night I finished Organizing from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern. While I liked most of her ideas I am already using those. She suggests that you explore why something isn't working in your current system. As well as what your goals are so you can make a plan. She breaks down the different rooms and offers ideas on how to attack each area. Overall it was worth reading but didn't offer me a whole lot.

Blessings:
6/30
water for the garden
A's wagon
walks to the park
beautiful fabric
a clean kitchen first thing in the morning

7/1
organizing a bit at a time
hubby's day off
visits with friends
getting out of the house
creative energy

Blessings everywhere

We have been keeping up with our blessings but I haven't posted them so here goes.
6/23
sleeping babies
pacifiers
wonderful working washer and dryer for Mt. Washmore
tools that help organize
my aprons

6/24
super long conversation with my mom (thanks mom, I really enjoyed that)
my own strength to do what needs to be done
crayons
a good cup of coffee
strawberries for breakfast

and today 6/25
a great friend who can almost read my mind
a little boy's patience to continue practicing walking
a hubby learning to put his dirty clothes in the laundry basket
little boy learning to feed himself
curiosity in all its forms

Today's Blessings

We had a nice relaxing day at home with the Dada today. It is fantastic that my darling hubby is able to spend some time at home with us even when work is so busy. A & I are blessed with a hard workin man.

#54. Blessings come in different ways. Today we count the food on our table, the books we read, the ground that is allowing us to grow our own food (we got our first tomato on the vine today), our dishwasher, and a happy toddler.

101 in 1001

Day Zero has a great idea that my list lovin self really likes. So here is the premise:

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

My start date is today. June 22, 2008
My end date will be March 20, 2011

Key: In Progress, All Done, Attempted and Failed

My 101 by Category:

Lets get Creative
1. make all christmas gifts for 2008 [2/24]
2. recover MILs outdoor swing
3. make bedding for our bedroom
4. make another summer outfit for 2008
5. make a fall wardrobe [2 skirts, 2 pants, 6 shirts, jacket]
6. design my own top & make it
7. make 10 cloth grocery bags [0/10]
8. make a dress
9. paint a canvas for our bedroom
10. make a crafts notebook
11. finish quilting & bind A's quilt
12. finish S's stained glass jewelry box

Marriage is a beautiful thing
13. have a monthly date night [0/33]
14. Live by The Proper Care and Feeding of Marriage
15. plan a fantastic 5th Anniversary trip
16. picnic date with N
17. make N lunch for 1 month [0/30]

An Apple A Day
18. go for a walk 3x a week for 3 months [0/12]
19. quit drinking soda for 3 months [0/3]
20. drink 5 glasses or more of water a day for 3 months [0/90]
21. quit smoking for 3 months [0/3]
22. no fast food for 6 months [0/6]
23. get to 192 lbs
24. get to 162 lbs
25. no candy for 30 days [0/30]
26. cook only from Cooking Healthy with a Man In Mind for 30 days [0/30]

You find out who your friends are
27. mail handmade cards for family birthdays
28. show MIL appreciation for helping with the boy in a special way
29. get together with extended family every other month [0/16]
30. scan all of grandparents photos into computer
31. write & mail a letter each month [0/33]

Not a house. A home!
32. buy a house
33. plan for decorating home
34. make my plans come alive
35. refinish coffee table
36. revamp household blessings chart (6/22/08)
37. track progress from new hb chart daily for 6 months [0/180]
38. recover sofa
39. buy a new computer
40. frame 5 B&W images with colored matte and hang them [0/5]

Money makes the world go 'round
41. get a budget together
42. save for home purchase
43. sell wedding dress
44. setup a savings account for A's college fund
45. save $10 each month for A's college fund [$0/$330]
46. put $5 into a "Fun Fund" for every completed item on this list

We only have one earth
47. recycle the cans that we have collected
48. make bins to recycle paper, glass & plastic
49. grow more of our own food
50. install CF bulbs in all rooms of our house
51. use cloth grocery bags
52. use more green cleansers in the house (7/12/08 still in progress)

Nobody's happy if mama isn't happy
53. have a monthly renew myself day [0/33]
54. count a blessing with A each day [9/1001]
55. follow a daily skin care routine for 3 months [0/90]
56. get a professional facial
57. go TV free 1 day a week for 6 months [0/26]
58. go computer free for 1 day a week for 6 months [2/26]
59. plan an exciting 30th birthday for myself

Learning keeps me young
60. learn to embroider
61. take a cooking class
62. learn enough spanish to communicate with my neighbors

Business is good
63. have a fantastic booth in the 2009 Garden & Home Show
64. start a website for Accent
65. get all tax stuff entered by Jan 09
66. photograph all 'worthy' Accent jobs
67. start etsy shop [6/27/08]

Get me organized before I go crazy
68. listen to GTD again
69. read and incorporate Organizing from the Inside Out (6/30/08)
70. get new PDA/Smartphone (7/3/08)
71. organize my house in a functional way
72. get rid of 50 things I don't love [0/50]

Reading Rainbow
73. Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn
74. The Everything Budgeting Book
75. 30-Minute Get Real Meals
76. Use What You Have Decorating
77. The Organized Life by Stephanie Dalton
78. Sew What! Skirts by Francesca DenHartog
79. Sew U: The Built by Wendy Guide to Making Your Own Wardrobe

I want to get away
80. Visit Yellowstone, Wy
81. Visit Moab, Ut
82. go to Garden of the Gods
83. see the view from the top of Pikes Peak
84. go to a B&B

Get out of my comfort zone
85. see a scary movie with hubby
86. take a dance class
87. *private* AMOSWN
88. buy something sexy to not sleep in
89. write a fantasy short story

Parenting is not easy but it is rewarding
90. take A to the zoo
91. take A to the Children's Museum
92. visit the Denver Art Museum with A
93. Incorporate The Creative Family into our family
94. set aside time weekly for creativity [3/33]
95. read to A for 15 min daily for 30 consecutive days [0/30]
96. take A for professional photographs

Randomness
97. write a letter to myself to open on my 30th birthday
98. get a new high quality santoku knife
99. have a yard sale
100. buy new camera lens
101. blog a Week of Color

Bonus: start a new 101/1001 list at the end of this one