My 101

A while ago I was perusing a friend's blog and she had posted a 101 list... I had never seen the idea before, but then just a few days later I was online and found it again.  It turns out it's kind of thing!  There were all kinds of blogs and websites about The 101 Challenge.  Basically you come up with 101 measurable, meaningful-to-you type goals/activities that you can complete, or start to make a habit of, in 1001 days.  Kind of cool.  So, after seeing some ideas I liked (and borrowing a few...) I sat down to see what my 101 would look like.  And I'm a little excited about it!

Now, I know this is a cliche time of year, but this is not to be confused with a New Year's resolution list... I hate New Year's resolutions.  Gack!  Instead, this is a list of stuff for us to do over the next 2.75 years that will bring some smiles, and hopefully make us more awesome  :)  
101, here I come!

Family
1. Send a family Christmas card
2. Take at least a short home video once a month for 12 months
3. Fly kites
4. Watch no TV or movies for one week
5. Go camping
6. Host a get together with friends
7. Take treats to the neighbors
8. Go fishing
9. Go everywhere on bikes for a weekend
10. Play in the rain
11. Build a snowman
12. Host a girls week with my mom and sisters
13. Sleep in a fort
14. Have a laughing contest
15. Watch fireworks
16. Call my grandparents once a week for a month
17. Go on a spontaneous road trip
18. Go sledding

Husband and Wife
19. Do a different silent act of service for Tim every day for a month
20. Celebrate our anniversary ON our anniversary
21. Watch a sunrise
22. Star gaze
23. Go on a kid-less out-of-the-house date once a month for 4 months
24. Tell Tim something I love about him every day for 2 weeks
25. Recreate our first date

Brinlee
26. Make bug blanket
27. Make quiet book
28. Potty train 
29. Read Love And Logic
30. Add one new book to kid library every month for 6 months
31. Update Brinlee's journal and baby book
32. Organize Brinlee's memory box

Personal
33. Make a memory quilt
34. Read the Harry Potter books
35. Learn and memorize a new piano piece
36. Take a photography class
37. Take a dance class
38. Dye my hair
39. Write a poem
40. Finish learning Spanish
41. Read 5 books from my classic literature list
42. Have a get together with my high school best friend
43. Don't talk/complain about work for one week
44. Sing in the shower
45. Update my written journal
46. Update scrapbooks/photo albums

Spiritual
47. Go to the temple once a month for a year
48. Share my faith with a friend
49. Memorize a scripture a week for 3 months
50. Learn the Relief Society theme
51. Study Preach My Gospel
52. Study all the general conference talks before the next conference
53. Have organized family home evening every week for a month
54. Kneel in prayer with Tim every morning for a month
55. Attend Time Out for Women
56. Read Jesus the Christ

Home, Holidays, Crafts, and Projects
57. Re-decorate our bedroom
58. Finish Brin's reading corner
59. Help Brin learn and do the "clean up" song
60. Draw/paint a piece of art to hang up in our home
61. Set up living room wall shelf
62. Make and display a craft for each holiday and/or season
63. Do a Halloween dinner
64. Dress up for Halloween
65. Follow Christmas advent calendar
66. Cut out snowflakes
67. Carve pumpkins
68. Send out Valentines 
69. Memorize the Christmas story in Luke
70. Put together wedding photo album
71. Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
72. Change bed sheets once a week for 6 weeks
73. Learn to crochet
74. Get a new bedspread

Fitness and Finance
75. Lift weights twice a week for a month
76. Do 25 push-ups
77. Make and keep an eye doctor appointment
78. Go to the dentist
79. Maintain grocery budget of less than $100/week for one month
80. Pay tithing every month for a year
81. Buy nothing but food, fuel, and bills for 3 weeks
82. Do a run/walk for a cause
83. Run an 8 minute mile
84. Have a day of all fruits and vegetables at least twice a week for 3 weeks
85. Drink only water as a beverage for at least 2 weeks

Food and Cooking
86. Make freezer jam
87. Get a Bountiful Basket
88. Make caramels
89. Find and make 5 new bean and rice recipes
90. Try a brand new recipe once a month for 4 months
91. Make cinnamon or orange roles from scratch
92. Make and decorate a cake with fondant
93. Make and follow a meal plan for one month

Emergency Preparedness
94. Keep at least a half a tank of gas in the car at all times for 6 months

95. Replace batteries in flashlights

96. Get 100 hour candles

97. Make 72 hour kits 
98. Plant a garden
99. Add an item to food storage once a week for 3 months
100. Finish building first aid kits

101. Complete a new 101 list after this one

Since We've Been Home

The holidays always end up being busy and feeling a tad bit hectic.  I love them.  But, come January, it's always kind of nice to get back home and back into the swing of things.  

I had several days here at home before I had to go back to work, which was heavenly!  We got all of our Christmas stuff put away and replaced it with some cold weather decorations, including these cuties!  I got the idea here and made them with my activity day girls... and then I made a few more for us.  I couldn't help myself!   

Tim is gearing up to start yet another semester.  In the meantime he has been playing super husband and is helping me get over a bit of a "clean out and reorganize" binge.  Such a good guy.  I made him run to Pocatello with me the other day to do some thrift store perusing, and look what he found for me!  

I love this toy and really wanted one.  We actually had a ball without any of the shapes, and just so happened to happen upon all 10 shapes without a ball.  Match made in heaven!  :)  

I also came across an original Mr. Potato head which A: looked good as new and B: had all his parts!  I couldn't believe it.  Cost?  A whopping $1.65.  Score.  And Brinlee loves it!  

We do need to practice our anatomy a little more though...

Speaking of Brinlee, that girl has been all kid since we got home.  She spent 2 weeks running around like a big girl with all her cousins and now she thinks she is hot stuff.  She is getting into dressing up.  For Christmas she got some princess jammies (which are too big but she still loves), and a little owl dress.

But her favorite is Minnie.

Uncle Tyler gave her a Minnie dress and she loves it.  She was actually a little shy with Uncle Tyler, but the Minnie dress won him a lovey.  She won't wear the ears, but the dress is a huge hit.  Thanks Uncle Tyler!

For Christmas, Brin inherited her daddy's little old bike.  She's been practicing and is starting to get the hang of it.  So far she can only make it go backwards though. 

Last week she turned 20 months.  I could fill a book with everything she's learning, it's amazing!  She loves attention and constantly informs us that whatever she's doing is "money" (funny).  And, most of the time, she's right!  We find ourselves doing a lot of smiling and laughing around here.  She is, after all, the cutest!

Nutshell Version Christmas

Well I scripted out a nice long, detailed Christmas/New Year's post... and then for some reason it didn't save and wouldn't post... and I'm feeling too lazy to do it again.  So.  Instead, here are a few pictures.  In a nutshell, our holiday was splendid.  We enjoyed lots of good food, plenty of awesome presents, and wonderful family time!