Lisa's 101 List in 1001 Days

50. Save up for a pair of Gucci sun glasses - then buy them.

2011-02-01T13:16:00.000-06:00

I saved up $150 with my little side business of selling Lumpia to my husband and my mom's co-workers. I've had the money for awhile now but had not found the "perfect" pair of sun glasses. Then Christmas came and my hubby ended up getting me designer sun glasses as one of my gifts. I figured it was silly to buy another pair of designer sun glasses when the one he gifted me ended up being PERFECT. So since I actually saved up the money to buy the Gucci sun glasses, I don't feel guilty crossing this 101 off my list. Not sure what I will spend the money on but I'm sure it won't go wasted. ;)

47. Have our assistant pastor and his wife over for a meal.

2011-02-01T13:02:00.000-06:00

Finally after attending our church for 3 years I had our assistant pastor and his wife over for dinner on Friday, January 7, 2011. They've had us over several times through out the years and I always felt bad for never inviting them over to our house. We had a really great time with them and I look forward to having them over again.

29. Frame 3 of my favorite wedding photos to hang at home.

2011-02-01T12:57:00.000-06:00

It was so nice to finally get these hung on the wall after all these years! I ended up hanging these in our master bedroom so we can see them daily and be reminded of what an amazing wedding day we had.

39. Take Avie to the Aquarium in Chattanooga, TN.

2011-01-24T22:33:00.001-06:00

It was really nice to have some quality family time while Matt was on Thanksgiving break from FSU. Avie had a great time taking in all the exhibits and even got to pet a sting ray. I love how adventurous she is! I, on the other hand, being 6 months pregnant was ready to be wheeled around in a wheel chair after 2 hours! HA! After we toured everything, we walked across the street and enjoyed some yummy Ben and Jerry's. I love having days like this!

98. Go on a date with Matt to Jackson's Steakhouse.

2011-01-24T11:53:00.001-06:00

Pensacola does not have a 5 star restaurant, only two 4 star ones. There used to be a 5 star one but thanks to Hurricane Ivan, it got destroyed. I love fine dining and I love steaks so when I found out Jackson's existed, I had to go! Matt has taken clients there for lunch and has come home bragging about how awesome the menu is so for our 7th wedding anniversary (November 22, 2010) my wish came true and I got to go. My steak was absolutely FANTASTIC and my creme brulee for dessert was the best I have ever had. It's hard to find a place that knows how to do creme brulee right. I've only had it done right one other time and that was back in 2000 at some yummy restaurant in Arizona. I look forward to our next dinner here!

76. Have the family put a care package together for Operation Christmas Child (www.smaritanspurse.org)

2010-11-17T15:53:00.000-06:00

Samartian's Purse is a wonderful Christian Missionary! Their mission is, "To demonstrate God's love in a tangible way to needy children around the world, and together with the local church worldwide, to share the Good News of Jesus Christ." I heard about their Operation Christmas Child (OCC) two years ago in a random magazine I was flipping through and couldn't wait till Avie was old enough to participate and help me do a donation. Avie and I filled two shoe boxes with small toys, lollipops, toothbrushes, toothpaste, chap stick and school supplies. Avie geared her box for a little girl her age and I did mine for a little boy Avie's age. The really neat thing is that we were able to download a bar code to put on our boxes so we will be able to track our package and find out what country they made it too. We had a really fun time shopping, putting the boxes together and then delivering them that we decided to make this an annual King tradition.

10. Take my mom for a manicure & pedicure.

2010-11-17T15:27:00.000-06:00

It was really nice to take my mom to the salon and have her get pampered. She has such a giving heart, I thought it was perfect to stop and do something for her for a change. She had a great time and said that she wants to make it our monthly date. I like any new traditions that involve going to the salon. HA!

67. Make my first quilt

2010-11-17T15:17:00.000-06:00

I don't know if the Pioneer Women would be proud of me but heck . . . I sure am!! So glad to say I can cross this one off my list! I would say the hardest part after cutting the blocks exactly the same size, was making sure each row lined up almost perfectly. I could not have done this without the help of my wonderful SIL, Jenn and MIL who both helped me with technique and how to. I made the quilt for my brother and his wife who are expecting their first child, a girl, due at the end of December 2010. I was able to deliver the quilt in person to them at their baby shower in Virginia Beach. They were both touched and excited to have it. YEA!!

Starting to sew the rows together - what a daunting task!

Pinning the rows together.

My SIL and I holding the finished product. I wish I took a picture of the back of the quilt. I had a really cute pink and white fabric with stars on it.

100. Plan a day & take Avie to Mommy Beach.

2010-09-02T22:39:00.001-05:00

It feels like it has been raining non-stop for the past two months here. It's like we temporarily moved to Seattle! It was the last day in August and I looked like someone who had not seen sun in a year. Then one morning we woke up and there was the sun. I did not want to chance wasting the day so I put Avie and I into high gear. I packed our cooler and we headed out of the house by 9:30 am to Mommy Beach.

Mommy Beach is located on Pensacola Beach and is really called "Quiet Water Beach" but the locals have named it MB because it's the perfect place mom's like to take their kids to play at the beach. The shore line stretches for miles, the water is shallow and there are barely any waves. It's nice because it is very quiet there, tons of restaurants near by and there are covered pavilions right on the beach with grills. It was really a perfect day to have some quality time bonding with my amazing daughter. It was really a blessed day!

This location was so nice because the pavilions were right on the beach.

After the fun in the sun we headed to mommy's favorite pizza place: Papa Pizza!

After lunch I took my baby girl out for some ice cream. The girl's got good taste. She picked out "Birthday Cake" flavor and it was YUM-O! In the very back of this photo is part of the boardwalk and the water is shallow all the way out there!

71. Plan a father/daughter day out for just Matt and Avie.

2010-09-02T07:50:00.005-05:00

Avie and I had just come home from a two week vacation to Michigan without Matt so I figured this was the perfect time to cross this off my list. Two days before we flew back to Florida, Avie woke up crying (which she never does) and when I asked her what was wrong she whimpered, "I miss my daddy." Nearly broke my heart. The moment we arrived back home and Avie hugged her daddy, she has been glued to his hip. That first week home, she wanted daddy to give her a bath, get her dressed, brush her teeth, basically she only wanted her daddy and when I tried to help she refused. lol! Thankfully Matt was on a two week break from school because the summer semester just ended so I was able to get him out of the house and go on a date with his daughter.

Since Avie's birthday in July, she has fallen in love with golf so I figured it would be a fun if Matt took her out to putt-putt golf. They had such a great time together and afterward we all went to the beach for the rest of the day. Here are some pictures and a video Matt took.

89. Redo our front entrance into a patio sitting area with stone flooring.

2010-09-02T07:32:00.002-05:00

This type of DIY project is not for the faint. Honestly, it was the project from HELL!! If we ever do something like this again we will wait and do it during the Fall or Winter or heck - hire someone. When we first started this project it was the beginning of June and we nearly got fried outside! We worked on this project during the weekend because during the week when Matt got home from work he had lots of homework to do. So it wasn't until the summer semester was over did this project get finished.

The biggest obstacle of this project is that our neighbors (to the South) back yard is higher than ours so when it rains, all their run off rain water flows to our front yard which floods it about 4 inches deep! I get so worried when we have flash floods or heavy rains that our house will flood one day. So before we could start the project, Matt had to dig a trench and lay down piping that would divert all that run off water to our street. We've had some flash flood rains lately so we were able to test it out. It worked great but we decided we should add gutters to the front of our house to help with roof run off. So we hired someone to put gutters up and after we had more rain, we were able to test that the gutters did help alleviate some of the flooding. Everything seems to be working now. Thank God! We are now looking for furniture to go out there, get some potted plants and add a water feature. I'm really particular when it comes to picking out stuff so I'm on the search. Once I have the final "look" done, I will post a picture.

BEFORE - The South part of our front yard = HORRID!

BEFORE - This part of our yard was wasted space & did not feel inviting.

BEFORE - Not sure why our builder picked these ugly rails. They look like they belong inside a house on a staircase. I've hated these since day one. It brought a smile to my face to have these knocked out.

Flooding from our neighbors run off. Told y'all it was bad!

It totally looks like a small river!

AFTER - This side of the house feels open and more inviting now. I love it and I don't feel like our front yard looks "ghetto" any longer. Ha! The only changes I plan on making in the late Fall is adding a lamp post next to the Sago Palm Tree, replacing the Sago with a taller Palm Tree and getting higher bushes by the first column. I wanted them higher to hide the furniture we plan on putting on the patio, and for privacy, but we couldn't find mature bushes at the time. Owning a home truly is a constant work in progress!

AFTER - Just need to add some patio furniture, a water feature and obviously finish painting the columns. I ran out of exterior paint. Next year we will work on the other side of our front yard. Like I said, always a work in progress. ;)

55. Learn how to make Kare-Kare.

2010-09-01T23:38:00.000-05:00

My Aunt Ne, in Michigan, hands down makes the best Kare-Kare I've ever had! It has been a favorite of mine since my childhood. Every time I visit my aunt, she ALWAYS makes it for me. That's how I know she loves me. :) For those reading that don't know what Kare-Kare is, it is a Philippine stew made with vegetables, oxtail (beef) and the secret ingredient - peanut butter!

I was in Michigan visiting during August and of course stayed at my aunts house for a few days during my travels. I knew she was going to make Kare-Kare for me so I asked her to please show me how so I could make it for my family. My husband likes it but calls it "Peanut Butter Beef" - ha! Avie had it for the first time on this trip and liked it! She even asked for more meat. I was so happy! Like mother, like daughter. ;)

We used fresh veggies picked from my aunt and uncle's garden too!

Some packets that she uses in her recipe. Mama Sita knows what's up! ;)

My beautiful Aunt Ne and my Uncle Ernesto (my mom's oldest brother)

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (24/24)

2010-09-01T20:35:00.003-05:00

Craft Project #24 - Make a design from one of three templates using Perler Beads.

This was a really neat rainy day craft to have laying around the house. My last trip to JoAnn's for some fabric, I promised Avie she could pick out any craft item she would like and this is what she picked. It was a rainy Saturday and Matt was buried in homework so I took this craft over to my mom's and all three of us made our own designs. It was a lot of fun making memories together!

To keep up with our crafting, I have quite a few projects planned for us. Our first craft on the calendar is visiting the free craft workshop that JoAnn's Fabric has for kids. They are usually on a Saturday from 11 am - 1 pm. Check your local store for a schedule.

Avie designing her dolphin.

Avie made the colorful dolphin, I made the fish and my mom started out designing the turtle and Avie decided "grandma" needed some help. lol! Good times all around!

1. Get pregnant again.

2010-09-01T09:01:00.004-05:00

Saturday, June 19, 2010

We found out we are pregnant again!! The first thing Avie said was, "I hope it's a girl because boys are gross." Matt and I got a good laugh out of that one. Our due date is February 20, 2011. We plan on not finding out the sex of our baby and being surprised this time around. It is really an exciting time for our household right now. What a blessing this baby is going to be!!

42. Make an herb garden.

2010-09-01T08:56:00.005-05:00

Avie and I took a trip to Target one morning and picked up a few of our favorite herbs that we like to use in cooking and in drinks. These are the herbs that we planted:

1. Basil
2. Mint
3. Oregano
4. Thyme

During this time, we also planted some Banana Peppers and some Cayenne Pepper seeds from Matt's Spanish teacher.

Avie enjoyed digging in the dirt and getting her little hands dirty.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (23/24)

2010-09-01T08:47:00.005-05:00

Craft Project #23 - Decorate a Princess wand and crown.

After all these craft projects, Avie has mastered using glue all by herself and truly has a love for crafting.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (22/24)

2010-09-01T08:34:00.004-05:00

I am coming off a LONG hiatus and boy does it feel good to be back on my blog to cross activities off!

Craft Project #22 - Do felt paper coloring. One of Avie's great aunt's gave her this after a visit to Atlanta. She loved it!

74. Take Avie to visit the Foley Train Museum in Foley, Alabama.

2010-04-12T16:00:00.006-05:00

What a neat little place to go for the kids to run around and climb on these old trains from the Louisville and Nashville train lines. This museum is housed in the original train depot building that is over 100 years old.

Best Friends and Cousins!!

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (21/24)

2010-04-12T15:51:00.004-05:00

Craft Project # 21 - Make candy rings. Another craft project that my sister-in-law brought for the kids to do. She found this on Amazon.com for $5!

Avie holding up her finished project . . . and with her fake smile. lol!

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (20/24)

2010-04-12T15:45:00.002-05:00

Craft Project #20 - Build a car!

My amazing sister-in-law is the queen of fun crafts. She brought this craft during their Spring Break visit for the kids to do. She found this at TJ-MAXX.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (19/24)

2010-04-12T15:21:00.003-05:00

Craft Project #19 - Make a Southern Belle Easter hat.

A friend of mine invited us to go to the Easter Egg Hunt put on by the Navy this year. My niece and nephew were in town visiting from TN for their Spring Break so it was neat to be able to bring them along too. The flier said that there would be craft tables so I figured I would leave this weeks craft up to the Navy. :)

I am laughing here because she totally did not like her hat. I had to bribe her with a lollipop so she would pose and take this photo. HA!

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (18/24)

2010-04-12T15:13:00.003-05:00

Craft Project #18 - Dye Easter eggs with Avie's cousins: Elle and Miles.

This was the first time that Avie dyed Easter eggs. It's been so neat now that she's older to do fun things like this. The kids had a blast and surprisingly didn't make too much up a mess for mom and Aunt Jenn to clean up.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (17/24)

2010-04-12T15:11:00.008-05:00

Craft Project #17 - Make more Easter decorations from Pop and Grandma Nancy.
Avie is saying, "Thumbs up mom!"

56. Learn how to make Siapao.

2010-04-12T12:37:00.005-05:00

One of my favorite Filipino foods of all time is Siapao!! I have always wanted to learn how to make it so I could stock up my freezer. They are the perfect snack or meal and thankfully Avie loves these little meat treats as much as her momma does!

A close family friend's mom said that she would teach me how to make it so we planned an afternoon and us girls got down to business. The recipe is surprisingly easy and the dough recipe is very yummy!!

The giant 3 tiered steam pot. I asked where she bought this and of course she said, "The Philippines." Hopefully I can find something similar here or on line.

Kneading the dough.

Avie watching Grandma make the siapao.

Waiting for the finished product. I obviously was too busy stuffing my face at the end because I forgot to take a picture of the final product. Take me word, they looked like the real deal and tasted pretty amazing! Can't wait to test this in my own kitchen and stock up the freezer.

85. Take Avie to Animal Kingdom at Disney World.

2010-04-12T10:46:00.013-05:00

March 11 - 13, 2010
Knowing that Matt was going to be on Spring Break soon from FSU I wanted to do something fun for all of us and get away. We are so blessed to have such a hard working daddy so I knew this would be the perfect time to cross this off my 101 list and to give Matt's brain a break from his daily grind. Words cannot express how much fun we had as a family on this trip. Memories were made to last a lifetime!

Checking into the Lodge and looking over our Welcome Package. Our room overlooked one of the Safari's and we were able to see all sorts of animals from our balcony. Avie's favorite was seeing the zebra's and giraffe's while eating our breakfast out there.

On Kilimanjaro Safari Ride - Our favorite part of Animal Kingdom.

The moment we arrived at Animal Kingdom and Avie saw the face painting, she kept asking to get a "tiger face". So on our last day, she got her wish. She kept "roaring" at people - it was such a hoot! It was the best $8 we ever spent!

Avie really enjoyed bird watching - who knew!

One of my favorite pictures! Not even 10 minutes on the road and she is knocked out! If you're wondering about the blue winter hat - well it's her favorite hat that she insists stay in the truck and she wears it when we are on the road. Hey whatever makes the girl happy. :)

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (16/24)

2010-04-12T10:36:00.001-05:00

Craft Project #16 - Make Easter decorations that Pop and Grandma Nancy sent.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (15/24)

2010-04-12T10:17:00.004-05:00

Craft Project #15 - Paint flower magnets with GG (Avie's great-grandma)

I bought this craft when Walden Books was going out of business at our mall. It was a great snag for under $3. GG was getting ready to go back to Michigan so I thought this would be something special the two of them could do together.

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (12/12)

2010-04-12T10:07:00.003-05:00

#12 - MARCH - Making Children MIND without Losing YOURS by Dr. Kevin Leman

The author who is a father of five, equips the reader with seven principles of Reality Discipline that show you how to:

- get kids to do what you want them to do
- foil finicky eaters, turn off temper tantrums, and minimize sibling rivalries
- use authority and decisiveness to show your kids you're not a pushover
- know when to take the little buzzards by the beak (HA!)
- set suitable allowances, curfews, and privileges
- put yourself back in the driver's seat

He uses a lot of humor that I could relate too and am just thankful that Avie is an angel and I really am reading this book, knowing my luck, for our next child. ;)

Can't believe it's been a year since I started reading one parent/self-help book every month. Time has flown by and time to cross another 101 task off my list! How exciting!

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (11/12)

2010-04-12T10:04:00.003-05:00

#11 - FEBRUARY - What the Bible Teaches About . . . Guidance by Peter Bloomfield

Peter Bloomfield dispels the notion that there is just one perfect plan for our lives, and urgest us to follow the Scriptures which provide all we need to live lives that are pleasing to our heavenly Father. (exert from back of book)

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (10/12)

2010-04-12T09:56:00.004-05:00

#10 - JANUARY 2010 - Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp

This book was recommended by a friend of mine from my old church in Michigan who is a wonderful parent and whose opinion I respect. This is a sound biblically-based guide on how to raise your children and how to speak to the heart of your child.

44. Do a food detox for one month.

2010-02-25T00:01:00.008-06:00

Completing this task off my 101 list has been life changing! A girlfriend of mine from high school has an amazing boot camp for moms called MAD MAMAS BOOTCAMP in San Diego through her business Max-Out Fitness. Unfortunately I don't live in SD to do the 5:30 AM boot camp drills with all the other Mad Mamas but thankfully, for the Internet, I could partake in the online nutrition group with them. My BF Mae did the detox with me for moral support so I wouldn't be alone. Now that's real friendship! :)

I decided to do this detox after getting results back from my yearly physical. My triglyceride levels were elevated A LOT! Normal levels are below 150 mg/dl - mine were 457 mg/dl!! This is a hereditary issue so I knew that if I didn't tackle this problem now, I would probably die from a heart attack or heart disease in the future. So talking with my BF, she told me about a raw detox she did last year through our friend and told me to try it and see if it worked. The detox consisted of all "raw" foods - when I mean "raw", I mean food in its natural form and it can be cooked. I took out all allergen type foods like wheat, peanuts, milk, cheese, and eggs to name a few. We cut out all processed foods, all sugar, soda, pork, and red meats. I was very intimated at first but the program had TONS of recipes for breakfast, lunch and dinner so it was really nice to have someone "holding your hand" through out the whole process. At the end of the day, we all posted our food journals in our online group chat room. That part was really nice because it held me accountable throughout the day and also let me see what the other moms were eating. Here is an example of a typical day during my detox:

Breakfast - Berry Smoothie (w/ plain Soy milk)
Snack - an orange and a 1/2 cup of raw cashews
Lunch - White Bean Salad or my favorite was leftovers from dinner when I made Spaghetti Squash with a homemade sauce with ground turkey breast.
Snack - apple with 1 TBSP almond butter to dip slices in
Dinner - Tilapia fillet, brown rice or my new favorite Quinoa, and fresh asparagus. For dessert a banana with 1 TBSP almond butter
**LOTS of water through out the day was drilled into our heads!

Mad Mamas taught me that 80% of what I want to look like on the inside and out is strictly diet with 10% genes and 10% exercise. After the 3 week detox, I went to have my blood drawn and the results were astounding!! My triglycerides went from 457 mg/dl to 233 mg/dl!! Now that the detox is over I am going to begin exercising, I know I can get my level down to the normal range. I did not exercise for the 3 weeks because I wanted to see my raw results of the detox with no outside factors. I succeeded and also lost 6 lbs in the process and inches all over my body! I am 1/2 a pant size away from where I was before I had my daughter!

After the detox ended, I slowly brought back in wheat, sugar, and dairy to see how my body would react to them. I found out that I have a slight allergy to wheat and sugar - made me bloated! So now I know to eat those foods rarely or in severe moderation. I cannot thank Mad Mamas enough! My family loved all the recipes and what was awesome about everything was how much flavor everything had and the beautiful part was that everything was in its natural form - the way God had intended. I am excited to continue on this raw diet with a few "sprinkles" of life tossed in here and there. ;) It has been amazing!!

90. Throw a surprise 60th birthday party for my mom.

2010-02-24T21:35:00.013-06:00

I have been over the moon excited to surprise my mom and just make her feel extra special on her 60th birthday! She is always "doing" for everyone else and I just wanted to take this big birthday milestone to let her know that she's appreciated and loved more than she could ever imagine.

Knowing that we would be having family in from out of town, my first plan of attack was to make sure my mom had time off of work. I told my mom that Matt had won a trip to Vegas from work and I needed her to use some vacation time to watch Avie. She never batted an eyelash and was super excited she'd have her granddaughter all to her self for 4 days. (ha ha little did she know!)

I had hoped early on in planning that I could get all my mom's 4 siblings to Florida to surprise her but being spread out from California to Canada, it was hard so in the end her youngest brother along with her niece and nephew drove down from Michigan and my brother and his wife from Virginia. I was able to catch the "surprise" moments when her family arrived on video (listed below - 1st video was February 10th my brother and his wife from VA - 2nd video was February 11th with her brother, niece and nephew who just drove in from MI). Once all the surprises were revealed, we told her that on her birthday, February 12th, we were having a huge seafood boil for her celebration and for her to start calling all her friends to invite them. It was a huge success with over 40 people there to help celebrate my awesome mom!

Wednesday, February 10, 2010 - Eric and Ailleen arrive from VA

Thursday, February 11, 2010 - Uncle Marc, Stephanie and Sini arriving from MI after driving 15+ hours

Party time with friends and family!We bought about 80lbs of seafood from Joe Patti's (a local fresh seafood market)

Mom opening up a can of prunes - an "old people" joke started by my sister-in-law

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (14/24)

2010-02-09T15:14:00.003-06:00

Craft Project #14 - Make daddy a special homemade Valentine's Day card.

I cut out the hearts for her and she glued them on to the card. Then I gave her a bunch of Valentine themed stickers and she went to sticking.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (13/24)

2010-02-09T15:09:00.003-06:00

Craft Project #13 - Make Valentine cards for friends and family.

With Valentines approaching, I thought it would be fun for Avie to make out her own cards. My mom picked up a box of "do it yourself" Hello Kitty cards at the Navy Exchange and then I labeled the envelopes and we mailed them out.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (12/24)

2010-02-09T15:02:00.003-06:00

Craft Project #12 - Make a birthday card for Mimi.

My MIL has gone down to New Orleans for Mardi Gras every year for her birthday since we moved to FL and this year was no different. She usually stops by our house for a night or two before heading over to the festivities. So lucky for us, our weekly craft project was an easy one.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (11/24)

2010-01-23T13:10:00.005-06:00

Craft Project #11 - Paint and assemble a foam airplane.

I found this craft at JoAnn's. I put one of my old painting t-shirts on Avie and let her go to town. She had a great time painting the plane parts. When she was finished with the plane, I let her paint on some construction paper until she was bored with it. Once the paint on the plane was dry, we assembled it and took it outdoors to "fly" around. Another fun day in craft land!

Here is the finished craft. She was so proud of herself.

REVISING #74

2010-01-23T12:48:00.004-06:00

#74.Take Avie to Dr. Dino's Museum in Pensacola.
While planning to take Avie to Dr. Dino's Museum, we sadly found out that it was closed because the government had seized the property since the owner was in prison for tax evasion or something along those lines. Hopefully all parties can figure this out and it will re-open again one day but in the mean time, I will be replacing #74 with another fun activity for Avie to do. Keeping in the museum spirit, I am replacing this with taking her to visit the Foley Train Museum in Foley, Alabama.

88. Build a picnic table that seats 10 for our backyard.

2010-01-12T21:56:00.007-06:00

We have nice patio seating for four but I really wanted a picnic table because I knew it would be a great way to get more "friendly conversation" seating. We love to have people over and we get a lot of out-of-town visitors through out the year. Plus it would be perfect for eating meals outdoors and doing crafts with Avie when the weather is nice. It would have been easy to buy one at Home Depot but I thought it would be so neat to say, "Hey we built this!"

First thing I did was Google "How to build a picnic table" and surprisingly I found quite a few blue prints. The one my hubby and I decided on was at Picnic Table Design 101. He did about 95% of the work because he chose the coldest weekend in Florida to do this project and my body couldn't handle it. I figure that I did the hard part anyway which was going out and getting all the lumber and supplies. Not to mention I had to unload them into the garage which was a workout! All joking aside, he really did an amazing job on it and we just absolutely love it! We are very excited for the weather to warm up so we can use it.

The 1st leg complete.
It was so cold outside that we built this in the garage!Matt connecting the seats to the legs.
Finished picnic table!

This table is HUGE!

This total project cost $149.48 (all lumber and supplies purchased at Home Depot) and took about 8 hours to build over 2 days.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (10/24)

2010-01-12T21:28:00.005-06:00

Craft Project #10 - Decorate Christmas thank you cards 2nd year in a row.

Last year while doing my After Christmas shopping with my mom, I found Christmas Thank You Cards at Hobby Lobby. I thought it would be a great idea to start a tradition that "Avie" send out thank you cards to those that had sent her gifts. I think it's a great way to start teaching her, early on, about the appreciation of other's who are so kind enough to think of her. So staying with our tradition, I sat down to write them while she decorated them with stickers. Each card, we talked about who it was we were thanking and what they had given her. What a fun time together!

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (9/24)

2010-01-12T21:23:00.004-06:00

Craft Project #9 - Cut out pictures from a magazine of objects your toddler knows. Using sticker letters, have your toddler stick the first letter that the object starts with. A great chance to practice the alphabet and learning to spell.

After we cut out the pictures and did the project, Avie wanted to do it again. We ended it doing it 3 times that day. She had so much fun that the past few nights when I have been cooking dinner, she's been doing this project over and over again at the kitchen table. It's been a great distraction and what's wonderful about this is that she's learning to spell!

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (9/12)

2010-01-12T17:07:00.003-06:00

#9 - DECEMBER 2009 - Life in the Father's House by Wayne A. Mack and Dave Swayely

After two years of living in Pensacola, my husband and I have decided to officially become members at our church and cancel our membership at our church in Michigan. Since we are going to be living here for awhile we thought we needed to settle some roots and we just love our new church. This book was recommend by our Assistant Pastor to read before becoming a member so I thought it was a perfect way to end 2009.

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (8/12)

2010-01-12T16:24:00.005-06:00

#8 - NOVEMBER 2009 - Making the "Terrible" Twos Terrific by John Rosemond

I thought this was a great read to help understand what's going on in the mind of my two year old. She is NOTHING close to being "terrible" - thank God - but I thought it would be nice to read a book geared toward her age. This is my 2nd book I've read by Rosemond and I really like his style of writing and his advice. Brilliant guy!

This line describes my little two year old almost exactly. She is so independent and can do it all by herself and is constantly saying, "I don't need help momma. I'm a big girl!"

" If someone tries to lend a helpful hand, the child may become all the more enraged. His frustration aside, he would still rather do it himself and fail than watch you succeed. Can you blame him?" (pg. 32)

33. Become more involved with my church by finding something to volunteer in.

2009-12-28T22:22:00.002-06:00

I am so excited to say I will be volunteering at my church. We have a lot of out of town guests that come to our church, especially to visit our printing press that we have on site that prints and sends (for free) hundreds of thousands of books all over the world. What is so wonderful is that we have a house next to our church that can sleep up to 15 people so that our guests have a place to stay for free. A couple of weeks ago, an e-mail was sent out asking for volunteers for 2010 to help in preparing our guest house for guests and then to clean the house once guests have left. I signed up for the Spring months. I hope by volunteering for this small part, it will open new opportunities for me to volunteer elsewhere in our church.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (8/24)

2009-12-28T22:15:00.003-06:00

Craft Project #8: Make a Gingerbread House

I picked up a kit at Target and was excited to start a new family Christmas tradition.
A friend told me ahead of time to assemble the gingerbread house 24 hours before decorating it so the icing had time to set. We all had such a great time working on this together.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (7/24)

2009-12-28T22:10:00.003-06:00

Craft Project #7: Decorate Christmas ornaments.

While visiting family in Chattanooga, TN the week before Christmas, my mother-in-law had a wonderful idea for the kids to decorate Christmas ornaments. Us adults couldn't let the kids have all the fun so we all made ornaments too. What a great chance to make memories!

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (6/24)

2009-12-15T16:58:00.004-06:00

Craft Project #6 - Make a snowman out of construction paper.

I cut out all the shapes for the snowman and Avie glued all the pieces together and sticking them where she thought they should go. This was fun. We talked about each shape that she was gluing on and it was cool to see her know exactly were all the parts of the snowman's face went to when she had a blank canvas to work with. He is proudly hanging on our refrigerator.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (5/24)

2009-12-15T16:39:00.002-06:00

Craft Project #5 - Decorate Avie's 1st Christmas tree for her bedroom.

I got this craft idea from my wonderful sister-in-law, Jennifer.

Before I ever dreamed of having a child, I tried to remember cool ideas when I saw people who had kids when they did something fun. My SIL does an amazing job decking out her house in the most spectacular Christmas decorations and each of her kids have their own Christmas tree in their bedroom that they decorate. I've always loved that idea and wanted to do that with Avie this year now that she's at an age where she can appreciate having a tree in her bedroom. As she gets older, we'll buy a bigger tree for her room but for now she has this cute little one sitting on top of her dresser. She had a blast doing this!

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (4/24)

2009-12-15T16:27:00.005-06:00

Craft Project #4 - Make turkey decorative settings for Thanksgiving dinner.

I found this craft at JoAnn's Fabric Store.

Avie glued and put together these cute turkey's to put at everyone's Thanksgiving dinner setting. She had a blast and everyone at dinner gave her tons of compliments which totally made her day.

13. Watch the sun set at the beach with Matt.

2009-12-02T15:51:00.004-06:00

November 20, 2009 - While horseback riding on Florida's Forgotten Coast, we were able to watch a beautiful sun set on Cape San Blas.

93. Go horseback riding.

2009-12-02T12:08:00.008-06:00

November 20, 2009 - I always thought I had to go some place exotic or over seas to ride a horse along the beach but when researching a trip to Florida's Forgotten Coast, I was pleasantly surprised. My husband had never been horseback riding so I thought this would be a nice surprise to give him as part of our anniversary. He knew I had something secretly planned but he had no idea what. I will never forget the look of shock and excitement on his face when we pulled up to the beach and he saw all the horses. We rode horseback along the beach of Cape San Blas for an hour, it was lovely and my bum hurt for the next 2 days! HA!

If you ever get the chance to go, please visit Two-bit Stable. Cheryl was wonderful!

Cape San Blas was recently voted in Coastal Living Magazine as one of the top 10 "Best Hidden Beaches" in the country.

My ride was a 30 year old lead horse named Buddy. Matt's horse was named Sassy and I think they had the names reversed.

40. Go to the Forgotten Coast with Matt for a weekend.

2009-12-02T10:18:00.014-06:00

November 20 - 22, 2009

As soon as we moved to Florida two years ago, the first thing I did was get my hands on Southern Living and Coastal Living Magazines. Moving to a new area means a lot of fun exploring and adventure! Southern Living Magazine ran a spread back in January 2008 about Florida's Forgotten Coast (FC) and I knew it was a place we had to visit. So for my 6th wedding anniversary, I planned a surprise trip there for my hubby. For our 5th wedding anniversary we traveled 3 hours West to New Orleans so I thought it was perfect that this year we traveled 3 hours East.

I picked Port Saint Joe as the city we would stay in because of it's rich history and for it being the site of the first Constitutional Convention in Florida in 1838 where it almost became Florida's state capital. The FC is also known as the oyster capital of the world and its GORGEOUS beaches. Most of the beaches there show up constantly in Coastal Living in all sorts of "Top 10" lists. There were so many wonderful things to do and see so I will just post some pictures from our trip. With it's close proximity, we will be going back again.

The FC starts at Mexico Beach and this was our view driving.

It's not called the FC for nothing. We saw, maybe, 4 people on the beach - it was so quiet and it was sea shell heaven! We've never seen so many HUGE, untouched shells just washing on the shore. This specific beach is on Cape San Blas - recently featured in Coastal Living as one of the top 10 hidden beaches in the country.

Seafood Jambalaya, Oyster Po Boy's and Key Lime ANYTHING down there! So dang good. I think I gained 5 lbs just over that weekend. HA! This meal was at Dockside Cafe & Raw Bar.

In Apalachicola at my newly found favorite antique store: The Tin Shed with a view of the bay and some oyster boats.

In Mexico Beach, we visited Killer Seafood an amazing joint known for their famous fish tacos and key lime pie. They were featured in the May 2009 Coastal Living as one of Florida's best seafood dives. The food was all prepared fresh and right in front of us. These were the BEST fish tacos (they used fresh, local Grouper) and I have certainly eaten my fair share of them from all over the U.S.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY! Here is to the next 6 years! I love you!

65. Take the money from the yard sale and use it on a family event that we pick together.

2009-12-02T09:52:00.003-06:00

We inherited a very gorgeous 150 year old dining room table from my sister-in-law a couple of years ago. It was the table that her and my husband grew up using and she got it when she began her family. She gave it to us when she inherited her mother-in-law's entire dining room collection. Obviously with such an old piece of furniture, the chairs originally matching the table are long gone. We had some make shift chairs to temperarily use until we found something to match. Finally, on a trip with a friend to the Foley Outlets, I found the Parson Chairs I've been wanting. They were originally $100 each and I got them on sale for $69.99 with a $20 off coupon!! I was super excited!! The left over money from the yard sale, we have decided to save and use for our trip to Disney's Animal Kingdom.

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (3/24)

2009-12-02T09:37:00.005-06:00

Craft Project #3 - Make a Printed-Palm Tree

This week's craft comes from my September 2009 Family Fun Magazine.

Avie had a really fun time gluing "leaves" and "grass" to the paper and she especially loved mommy tracing her hand for the "tree".

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (2/24)

2009-11-14T09:53:00.006-06:00

Craft Project #2 - make a decorative door hanger.

This week's craft comes from "Toddler Toddler" which is a great website for, you guessed it, TODDLERS!

Avie made this for her bedroom door handle. She just loves stickers so when I found this, I knew this would be perfect for her.

Here is the link for craft instructions:
Toddler Toddler - For the Modern Toddler

15. Plan weekly craft projects with Avie for 6 months. Make it a habit to continue on after the 6 months by putting it on the calendar. (1/24)

2009-11-09T11:35:00.005-06:00

I've done plenty of research and have surprisingly found plenty of craft projects for my 2 year old daughter. She LOVES doing hands on stuff and is constantly wanting to help mommy and daddy in almost everything we do. I have planned 24 craft projects over the next 6 months and am thoroughly excited for each one!

Craft Project #1 - make homemade caramel apples. I thought it would be fun to start this 101 with a food craft. ;)

Recipe taken fromBrach's homepage

Ingredients
• 1 (14 oz.) pkg. Brach’s® Milk Maid® Caramels
• Wooden Sticks (FREE inside 14 oz. Milk Maid® Caramel bags!)
• 5 – 6 Medium Apples
• 2 Tbsp. water

Directions
Microwave: Wash apples and dry thoroughly. Unwrap and place Brach’s® Milk Maid® Caramels and water in small, deep microwaveable glass bowl. Microwave at full power about 3 minutes*, stirring once or twice, until mixture is smooth. Place each apple into bowl, spooning mixture over apple until it is completely coated insert wooden stick into stem end and remove from bowl, scraping excess coating from bottom of apple. Place apples on greased waxed paper and chill until set.

Stove Top: Wash and dry apples. In a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, melt Brach’s® Milk Maid® Caramels with water, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth. Continue as directed above.

*Recipe tested in a 500-watt microwave oven. Because oven vary, you may need to adjust heating time.

Helping daddy unwrap all the caramels.

Smashing peanuts for toppings.

The finished project. Aren't they beautiful?!

43. Host a chili party on Halloween.

2009-11-09T09:47:00.005-06:00

I stole this idea from a good friend of mine. A chili feast on Halloween night is a family tradition that she has done since she was a little girl. Her mom would cook up a big pot of chili with all the side fixings and the kids in the neighborhood would fill up on a warm and hearty meal before going out in the cold for trick or treating. Living in Florida, it does not get that cold but I just loved the idea of all the kids and their families getting together before trick or treating.

I invited 8 families in our neighborhood for our 1st Halloween Chili and Cornbread Feast. The party was an hour before the kids went out trick or treating which was great because it made the party short and sweet and the menu was small and easy. I made a big pot of chili, a double batch of corn bread, brownie bites and hot apple cider. Everyone had a great time - especially the kids! After the kids were done trick or treating, some families came back to eat more chili. At the end of the night, there was only enough left for maybe two bowls of chili!

One of the beautiful parts of living in our subdivision is that there is a handful of kids the same age as Avie. They were all born within days of each other! It's great knowing that Avie has kids to play with on any given day and hopefully will grow up being great friends. Can't wait till next year's bash!!Above: Avie with Oriana (dressed as a witch & her mom had on a matching costume - they were too cute!) snatching a few of the party favors.

Below: Avie with Autumn (dressed as Cinderella) chowing down on chili and corn bread.

64. Participate in our annual subdivision yard sale.

2009-11-09T09:26:00.003-06:00

FINALLY I have my garage completly cleared out and my car can fit!!! I had my yard sale on Friday, October 30, 2009 and Saturday, October 31, 2009 from 7 am to noon. I made 90% of my money on Friday. It was insane!! I had people showing up at 6:30 am and couldn't close down at noon because people kept coming and I ended up closing at 2:00 pm! On my second day, in order to get rid of the rest of my "junk" I told shoppers that everything was half off. The way everyone acted, one would think I was selling diamonds! LOL! In the end, I only had 2 very small boxes and 1 bag of shoes to take to The Waterfront Mission. My first yard sale was a huge success!

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (7/12)

2009-11-09T09:14:00.002-06:00

#7 - OCTOBER 2009 - Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler

After telling a friend at church that Matt and I wanted to start trying for baby #2, she recommended this book that she has been using for all 11 of her pregnancies - yes you read that correctly . . . 11 pregnancies! This book has been amazing and I have learned so much about my cycle. Hopefully I will be able to cross off #1 on my list soon!!! ;)

66. Make a scrapbook for my brother and his wife for their 1 year wedding anniversary.

2009-10-14T13:31:00.005-05:00

My brother and his wife celebrate their one year wedding anniversary October 18, 2009. I wanted to do something special for them and I decided to make a homemade scrapbook of their wedding day for them to use as a coffee table book. I was able to deliver it to them in person when I took a trip to Virginia early in the month of October. It was great to see how much they liked it in person and to know my hard work was appreciated! YEAH!

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (6/12)

2009-10-14T13:20:00.004-05:00

#6 SEPTEMBER 2009 - Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris - read all but the last 2 books in the series.

This momma decided to let my brain rest with all the self help and parenting books this month. I really needed something fun and got another FANTASTIC book series recommendation from my sister-in-law. LOVE this book series and am looking forward to book #10 to come out October 2009.

37. Go para sailing with Matt in Destin at the annual family trip.

2009-09-22T11:50:00.006-05:00

Thankfully the weather was awesome during our annual family vacation so I was able to knock out this 101. It was even more fun because I got to go up with Matt and my youngest sis-in-law at the same time while my other sis-in-law and her hubby waited to go after us. It was pretty cool being up 500 feet in the sky. Really quite up there and breathtaking. I would TOTALLY go again!Our captain checking our safety gear before take off.

Going

Going

GONE!

38. Collect shells along the beach with Avie.

2009-09-22T11:33:00.003-05:00

FINALLY my daughter actually likes the beach this year!! I was so excited that the past few times I took her to the beach she played in the sand and went in the water so I knew it was time to do this 101. I am in the process of re-decorating our house with chic beach decor and have this antique Mason pickle jar that is almost as tall as Avie that we've been wanting to fill with shells. So now we have a place to display the shells that we found on her first time collecting. We had a great time walking around and picking up all sorts of shells off our favorite beach: Perdido Key.

58. Do something special for Matt for all his hard work.

2009-09-22T11:06:00.006-05:00

I truly have the best husband in the world!! (I hope every woman thinks that of her husband) He is the hardest working person I know. He manages being a full-time father/husband, works full-time and goes to school full-time yet he ALWAYS makes time for all the fun family stuff and ALWAYS makes us feel loved. Words cannot express how thankful I am that I am able to stay home and raise our daughter and god willing, future children. I am so proud of him for being the upstanding man that he is and I know he is going to lead our family to greatness.

Since I know he lives and breathes Miami Hurricane football, I thought it would be appropriate to do something nice for him that involved his favorite team. I bought a Miami flag and was going to have the flag pole attached to the house and have the flag flying when he arrived home from work on September 7, 2009. It was perfect timing because that was the first Miami game of the season. At the last minute he decided to take Labor Day off and take the family to the beach - what a nice guy! So instead of surprising him with the flag already hanging, he helped me put it up. It was the thought that counted and he was very excited so all in all it turned out nicely. Especially since Miami won that night against one of their biggest rivals: FSU!!

REVISING #'s 2, 26, 27 & 44.

2009-09-22T10:44:00.008-05:00

#2: Take the family to Sandestin for the day.
I just realized that the condo we vacation at every year is on the border of Sandestin and we've been down there to the Wharf several times and never realized we were actually in Sandestin. I need to think about what I will do in place of this.

- NEW #2 - Go Yoloing

#26 & #27: Do 3 sets of 20 sit ups everyday for one month. Do 3 sets of 20 arm strengthening exercises for one month.
About six weeks ago I started a basic work out regiment that I use to do before my daughter was born that combines a 1500 daily calorie intake with cardio and strength training. Unfortunately with my genetic make up that I've inherited from my father's side of the family, I have high cholesterol. At my yearly exam, just recently, my levels were still high from last year. So I am making a life changing routine and working out DAILY. After I started working out regularly again, I realized that #26 and #27 were a joke because they were too easy for me. I am going to remove these two items from my list and re-post two new items later once I've put more thought into it.

- NEW #26 - Sew my own Christmas stockings to hang from the fireplace.
- NEW #27 - DIY a tile back splash in our kitchen.

#44: Take the dogs to a dog park.
I thought living so close to the Gulf of Mexico there would be plenty of fun water dog parks to take my two furry babies to but not so much. Some neighbors of ours and some friends told us that the dog parks down here are horrible and the beaches they are allowed to go to are infested with parasites. Can I get a cup of 'no thank you'! So I need to research something else for my pups.

-NEW #44 - Do a food detox for one month.

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (5/12)

2009-09-22T10:39:00.004-05:00

#5 - AUGUST 2009 - The Rope by C. Mason Weaver

As cited on Amazon. com, "The search for economic freedom has been confused with the desire for a great job. This book looks at the hidden forces keeping most of us trying to please the boss and not reaching our own goals. It is a book designed to change ones way of thinking."

About 6 years ago I had the great pleasure of hearing Mr. Weaver speak at a conference and he literally blew me away!! He has a way of saying things and is a 'no excuses' type of guy which I just love!

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (4/12)

2009-08-27T09:15:00.003-05:00

#4 - JULY 2009 - Parenting by THE BOOK by John Rosemond

I had read some great reviews on Rosemond and was very interested in reading this book which is his most popular and most controversial book. I learned so much about the history of child rearing and how up coming generations of children are heading for disaster. One doesn't have to look far to see that children of today are out of control. Just take a trip to the grocery store or the mall! At the end of the book he writes that he's "concerned about the future of America. Functional child rearing strengthens culture, and dysfunctional child rearing weakens it." He drives home the conclusion that part of the problem is the way parents manage their children, not that their children were born to be forever wild. It all starts at home. I really enjoyed this book and got TONS of helpful tips that I know I may need to implement in the future. I especially loved in every chapter his reference to how "grandma use to do things".

"If you depart from God's plan in any area of your life, you will experience more (and more serious) problems than you would have encountered otherwise. America has departed from God's blueprint for child rearing. My intent is to help parents understand and properly align themselves with God's blueprint for child rearing." He clearly reminds the reader that God makes nothing complicated which was such a fresh reminder to everyday life.

35. Don't eat snacks past 9 PM for one month.

2009-08-27T09:14:00.003-05:00

I started this on Sunday, July 19, 2009 and ended on Monday, August, 17, 2009.

This task opened my eyes to how much I snack after 9 PM. Once I would get Avie down for bed, I found all this extra time to realize I wanted a snack. This certainly got me on track to watching what I eat. It was hard a few times to stay on track because during that month, I took two one week trips to visit family and friends. I am proud to say that I resisted the urge to snack when everyone else was but it was not easy. *patting myself on the back* Now that this task is over with, I have disciplined myself to really re-think ALL snacking once Avie has gone to bed at 8 PM.

My husband told me many years ago that it takes 21 days to form a habit. I did some research and found out that he really wasn't just making it up. Dr Maxwell Maltz wrote the bestseller Psycho-Cybernetics. Originally a Plastic Surgeon, Maltz noticed that it took 21 days for amputees to cease feeling phantom sensations in the amputated limb. From further observations he found it took 21 days to create a new habit.” Since then the ‘21Day Habit Theory’ has become an accepted part of self-help programs.

UPDATE 82. Take her other clothes and put them in the yearly Mom2Mom sale at the Pensacola Fairgrounds.

2009-08-15T21:26:00.003-05:00

After doing a lot of purging and cleaning in preparation for our subdivisions annual yard sale, I realized that there are WAY too many plastic tubs in our attic that are full of Avie's clothes that she has out grown. I'm starting to weed through all the tubs, keeping all the designer and really nice outfits so when we do get pregnant again and if it's a girl, I will still have clothes to use. But the out grown clothes situation was getting out of hand. The yearly Mom 2 Mom sale is coming in town this September and I wanted to start selling some of the clothes now to make room in our attic for things that really need to be up there. I registered today online to become a consignor for this upcoming sale so it's a done deal. Now I need to get busy and get these clothes tagged and put on hangers. I have less than 30 days to go!!

UPDATE: It was a successful first time being a consignor. I had a total of 55 pieces and sold 30. After the $10 consignor fee and giving 30% of my makings, Avie walked away with almost $86. Not bad for only 2 hours worth of work!

51. Have a family picnic at a park.

2009-07-16T22:52:00.005-05:00

I did not realize that I was "crossing" another 101 off my list until half way through our picnic! I originally had been researching some new things for us to do as a family this summer since last year was a whirlwind with it being our 1st one in Florida and not knowing anything about the area.
Matt and I have always said that if we could take our old neighborhood and beautiful quaint town of Flushing, MI and transplant it down here in Pensacola, life would be close to perfect. We loved the "small town" feel and the constant family oriented activities that the city sponsored throughout the year. So, during my research, I found the Pensacola 'Community Redevelopment Agency' website and found that they sponsored a family event every Thursday during the summer from 5:30 to 7:00 PM at Plaza de Luna Park (named after the explorer who found Pensacola). It is a newly renovated park right downtown on the waterfront. It's really neat, they have water splash pads for the kids, live bands and a different cartoon character running around in costume every week. I called the CRA and they told me that they turn the splash pads on between 4-4:30 so Avie and I arrived up there early at 4:30 and we were able to enjoy the splash pads for 45 minutes by ourselves! It was WONDERFUL!!! It was absolutely a perfect family night out!! I am so thankful to have found a part of Flushing, MI in Pensacola and we are now turning this into a weekly family outing. Matt and I both felt like it was a perfect break in the week to just chill before the weekend.

Enjoying the spalsh pads before other kids arrived!

Picnic time!

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (3/12)

2009-07-15T21:55:00.004-05:00

#3 - JUNE 2009 - Taking Care of the Me in Mommy by Lisa Whelchel (YES! Blair from The Facts of Life!)

A friend of mine from high school RAP recommended this read to me and I am super glad that she did because I don't know if I would have found this read on my own! Whelchel writes, "As moms we love to serve and nourish our families. But if we don't learn to rest and receive, we run on empty and end up not being the moms we so desperately want to be."

This book has been an AMAZING resource for "fuel stops" and biblical references. I plan on having this book in my night stand to help reference me when needed and I will definitely be reading this book again!

"Abide in me, and I in you. as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me" (John 15:4). The bottom line is, we cannot be the mothers we want to be without the power of Jesus working in us and through us. If we want to see the fruit of the Spirit grow in our children's lives, then we must first make sure we are abiding in Jesus."

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (2/12)

2009-07-15T20:42:00.004-05:00

#2 - MAY 2009 - The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman, Ph.D and Ross Campbell, M.D.

I am a huge fan of their original book, "The Five Love Languages" that I read back in 2003 before Matt and I were married. The book gave me a lot of great insight on how people give and need love. In the childrens version, there are the same five love languages:
1. Quality Time
2. Words of Affirmation
3. Gifts
4. Acts of Service
5. Physical Touch
This book talks about the importance in learning your child's love language because knowing it is one of the keys to inspiring them and a chance at meeting their deepest emotional needs. The author writes, "I dream of a day when all children can grow up in homes filled with love and security, where their developing energies can be channeled to learning and serving rather than craving and searching for the love they did not receive at home. It is my desire that this book will help this dream to become a reality for many children."

I have put this book on my "annual" read list. I feel that it's that important for the future of my family and I highly recommend this to anyone who has children.

Some of my favorite nuggets:
"True unconditional love will never spoil a child because it is impossible for parents to give too much of it." pg. 20

"How can I motivate my child? We can motivate only after we have filled our children's love tanks and trained them to manage their anger. Failing in these two essentials, it is nearly impossible to understand how to motivate children." pg. 145

"The psalmist calls children "a gift of the Lord," a "reward," a "heritage." Children are the most wonderful gift we can have. If they mean so much to God, they should mean everything to us, their parents. I would suggest that you make a list of "requirements" for being a good parent." pg. 196 * At the top of my list is to keep my daughter's emotional love tank full and speak the five love languages to her on a daily basis.

36. Take Avie to a Gymboree Class.

2009-05-26T09:26:00.007-05:00

Everyday since we've gone, she wakes up asking to go to the "baby gym" to play.I LOVE their ever lasting bubbles!!

I am so glad I put this task on my 101 list. Avie and I had such an amazing time at Gymboree!! Avie is in the Level 5 class which is 22 months to 28 months and the class is all about using your imagination. This specific class had the kids pretend they were riding on a Firetruck. They had to wash the fire truck, put out a fire and then jump off the truck. I've never seen her giggle and laugh so much. She played well with the other students and took to the instructor right away. She enjoyed herself so much that we signed her up for a year membership and enrolled her in music classes for June and July. I'm so excited to have a place to take her during the summer. The summers here are hotter than Hades and it's just unbearable to be outside. This was such a perfect fit for us. Good times ahead for sure!

70. Every week for a month, make a dish I've never made. (4/4)

2009-05-26T08:42:00.011-05:00

What the skillet looks like before heading to the oven. YUM!!

The finished product! WHOA talk about filling!

4. Upside-Down Apple French Toast with Cranberries and Pecans by Tyler Florence
-I LOVE Tyler Florence's show "Tyler's Ultimate" and have it set to my DVR. He just did a show on "Ultimate Brunches" and I thought that breakfast would be a fun meal to make for my last new dish on this 101. Around this time of year, we joke that the King Bed and Breakfast is open for business because we have so many friends and family come down to visit this time of year. We like to think they come to visit us but we secretly know it's to come to the beach. ;) I ended up saving this brunch for when my mother-in-law and her beau came to visit: they like their sweets! The first words out of their mouths, "This is FANTASTIC!!!"

This 101 has taught me how much fun it is to venture off the beaten path when it comes to cooking. I am excited to try more recipes in the future for my family. Food = love

INGREDIENTS
4 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 loaf of challah bread - cut up into 1 inch-thick slices (my bakery needed a days notice to make a specialty bread so I opted out for a loaf of white bread.)
1/2 stick unsalted butter, cut up into small cubes
1 cup light brown sugar, plus more for sprinkling, divided
4 Granny Smith apples
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup dried cranberries
Confectionar's sugar, garnish, optional (I forgot to add this at the end but trust me this dish is very sweet it doesn't need the extra sugar)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a flat dish, crack eggs and add milk, vanilla extract and cinnamon. Whisk until well combined then lay challah slices in mixture to coat and absorb it all, turning occasionally.

Set a 10-inch skillet, seasoned cast iron if you have, over medium heat. Add the butter and 1 cup sugar and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has melted and caramelized, about 8 minutes. While the sugar is melting, peel apples, core and cut into halves. Remove from heat and gently whisk in heavy cream. Sprinkle in the pecans, dried cranberries and gently press in the apple halves so there is a flat surface. Lay soaked slices of challah over the top so it is completely covered - you should be able to arrange the large slices and small slices so there are no gaps. Sprinkle the top with some brown sugar and place into the preheated oven. Bake in the middle of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes until the top is golden and puffy.

When done, allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes then invert onto a large plate. Dust with confectioners' sugar, if desired, and serve.

Chef's Note: FYI - if your cast iron skillet is not seasoned, the cranberries will react with the skillet and turn black.

17. Take my grandma to watch the Blue Angels practice.

2009-05-07T11:26:00.006-05:00

Wednesday, April 29, 2009 -
I finally took my grandmother to see the Blue Angels at one of their practices. My brother and his wife were in town that week because my dad was retiring from the Navy so I thought we'd make it a family event. We are so fortunate to be able to go see them on a weekly basis living here in Pensacola since their home base is here at the Naval Air Station. My gram has been wanting to go and see them for sometime now and I figured since she's moving back to Michigan here in a couple of days I thought I better hop on the next opportunity. She had a fantastic time and loved every second of their practice. It made me very happy to see her smiling. I love that woman to pieces!!!

70. Every week for a month, make a dish I've never made. (3/4)

2009-04-26T21:35:00.011-05:00

3. New England Clam Chowder from Woodman's of Essex in Essex, Massachusetts (out of Coastal Living Magazine)
- I just received my latest Coastal Living Magazine and they had a section devoted to "The Best Seafood Dives" and on the fourth page was a "Secret Dive Recipe" for clam chowder which happens to be a family favorite. Matt begged me to make this as my new recipe for the week and I gladly accepted. I've never made any kind of homemade soup so I was very excited to make this. We hit up our favorite fresh seafood joint: Joe Patti's where I purchased fresh clams. Moving down here has been such a bonus in the department of fresh seafood! Had we lived in Michigan still, this recipe would not have been as exciting as I would have had to use "canned" clams - ewwwww!!!

I must admit this recipe was very easy to make. This was a huge hit! The first words to come out of my husband's mouth was, "DAMN!! This is really good!" I totally agree! This recipe is going down as a King family classic and if I ever have you over for lunch or dinner, there's a big chance this is going to be on the menu! This is a MUST TRY if you love you some clam chowder! By far my favorite new recipe!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups water
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
1/4 cup minced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 cups minced clams, with juices
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS
Cook clams (I boiled 2 cups of water with 1/4 cup of salt for 20 minutes or until the clams completely open up. Any clams that do not open up, throw them out.)

Combine the first 5 ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Cover and simmer 10 minutes or until potato is tender.

Add clams, and return mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, and let stand 20 minutes.

Stir in cream and butter. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thoroughly heated. Makes 4 servings.

70. Every week for a month, make a dish I've never made. (2/4)

2009-04-21T08:10:00.008-05:00

2. Creamy Macaroni and Cheese by Paula Dean
-I was looking for a recipe that reminded me of being a kid again and something that I knew Avie would love too. I am a HUGE fan of Macaroni and Cheese and knew the perfect person to turn to for a great recipe: Paula Dean. I have never made Macaroni and Cheese from scratch and have heard of a lot of recipes out there that call for quite a few different types of cheeses. I wanted to keep this one simple and stick to one type of cheese.

This recipe turned out great and was very creamy! Avie kept coming back to eat off our plates after she was done eating hers! This was a super easy dish since it simmers in the crock pot to cook. I plan on bringing this to our church potluck next month. It's going to be a hit!

INGREDIENTS
2 cups uncooked elbow macaroni (an 8-oz box isn't quite 2 cups)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter, cut into pieces
2 1/2 cups (about 10 oz) grated sharp Cheddar cheese
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup sour cream
1 (10 3/4 - oz) an condensed Cheddar cheese soup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Boil the macaroni in a 2 quart saucepan in plenty of water until tender, about 7 minutes. Drain. In a medium saucepan, mix butter and cheese. Stir until the cheese melts. In a slow cooker, combine cheese/butter mixture and add the eggs, sour cream, soup, salt, milk, mustard and pepper and stir well. Then add drained macaroni and stir again. Set the slow cooker on low setting and cook for 3 hours, stirring occasionally.

86. Avie's Big Girl Room

2009-04-17T13:09:00.018-05:00

I thought Avie would be in her crib until her 2nd birthday and then we would convert it to a toddler bed. However, Avie had other plans! One afternoon about 2 months ago, I heard a loud thud come from her room during nap time. I went in and there she was smiling, walking around the room and OUT of her crib! Thank God she didn't break anything from her little acrobat stunt! Now that we officially have a big girl, I wanted to give her a big girl room and get rid of her nursery theme and decor. My mother-in-law ordered Avie some wall appliques from Uppercase Living that were pink and brown so I got my inspiration for the room from that. I still have to make some 'fru-fru' type curtains - just haven't found the fabric that I love and we still have to buy her new bedding and a rug for the center of the room. The big part of painting is done and the pink stripes make it very girly. I love it!

BEFORE - I got so excited in painting her room that I forgot to take a 'before picture'. This photo was of her nursery at our old house in Michigan. It gives you an idea of the ABC/Animal and bright/unisex colors we had. And yes, we did the striping in here too in a pale yellow. We are fans of striped walls!

AFTER -View of her room from hallway.

This picture clearly shows the striping that we painted - it turned out awesome!

I painted these stars in the corners of the room then added clear and pink sparkly jewels in the middle of the star.

19. Read one parent/self-help book a month for a year. (1/12)

2009-04-17T12:44:00.005-05:00

#1 - APRIL 2009 - Withhold Not Correction by Bruce A. Ray

A good friend of mine from church told me about this book and how it has helped her get a clear mind in disciplining her son. I thought it would be good to get another perspective especially one that involves the reformed church. There are quite a few nuggets that I will take away from this book and I have tabbed certain chapters to reference as Avie gets older. This book has helped me to look at discipline in a way that should reflect God's discipline and that it should always be corrective and by disciplining children, it shows evidence of love.

"Our concern as parents must be to see our children corrected: to see a change in their attitudes and a change in their actions, to see their lame feet put back onto that course and walking once more in the direction that the Lord would have them pursue. May God forgive us when we seek to turn the authority to correct into a license to abuse; we don't have that right. Any discipline that we administer, any correction that would be biblical, must be administered under God's authority, and it must be administered in a context of love. . . . . Your children will never believe you are in earnest, and really wish them to obey you, so long as your actions contradict your counsel."

70. Every week for a month, make a dish I've never made. (1/4)

2009-04-09T08:22:00.004-05:00

1. Beef Stroganoff with Short Ribs and Butter Noodles by Tyler Florence
- I have been wanting to make a new dish for some time and happened to catch some good eats on my old roommates blog http://mikevibe.blogspot.com. He really is a great cook so what better way to start off this 101 than with a dish that he tried.

The dish was a HUGE hit and the short ribs literally melted in our mouths! I should have taken a picture of the plate after we were done eating - we demolished it! Even little Avie's plate was clean which made this mama happy. I will most certainly make this again!

INGREDIENTS:
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped, plus 2 cloves, minced
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 sprig fresh rosemary, leaves removed
1 large sprig fresh thyme, leaves removed
3 pounds beef short ribs, cut into 2 ribs apiece
1 1/2 pounds cremini mushrooms
1 1/2 pounds white button mushrooms
1/2 cup chopped shallots
1/4 cup cognac
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1/2 cup sour cream
1 pound egg noodles
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
2 tablespoons freshly chopped green onions

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.

Place the chopped garlic, salt and pepper into a bowl. Add enough extra-virgin olive oil to create a paste. Add the rosemary and thyme leaves to the bowl and stir to combine.

Set short ribs out on a roasting tray and cover with herb paste. Roast in the oven for 2 hours and 30 minutes until they are falling apart.

Heat a large pan over high heat and add a 3-count of olive oil. Add mushrooms and cook for 3 minutes until brown. Add shallots and minced garlic and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for a further 2 minutes until garlic and onion become fragrant. Remove pan from heat and carefully add cognac to deglaze the pan. Return to heat and add cream. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by half. Turn off heat and stir in Dijon mustard and sour cream. Season with salt and plenty of freshly ground black pepper.

Cook egg noodles in salted boiling water according to directions on package. Drain and toss with butter while still hot.

To serve: Pile the noodles night on a plate, top with stroganoff sauce and finish with rib slices. Garnish with fresh parsley and green onions.

20. Make Avie a skirt on my sewing machine.

2009-03-31T17:38:00.009-05:00

My grandmother gave me one of her sewing machines a few years ago (it was used only twice before she gave it to me so it's basically brand new) and only a year ago did I start practicing on it. My sister-in-law, Jenn and my mother-in-law are expert 'sewers' and have been taking me under their wings in the sewing department. I've been wanting for some time to sew a dress or skirt for Avie. Jenn came to visit over Spring Break and we practiced making a 'Lazy Day Skirt'. A friend of hers has a craft blog (www.fromthehandbasket.blogspot.com) where she posted a pattern for this skirt. Jenn and I successfully made one together but the true test was for me to make one on my own after she left. I picked up some super cute cherry fabric at Jo-Ann Fabric's and made one BY MYSELF! Can you tell I'm a bit excited about it?! To make the skirt look finished, I made an applique from the left over fabric and put it on a plain white t-shirt. I'm really happy how it turned out!! Here is the pattern that I used from Oliver & S Lazy Days pattern and you can make one too!It's a miracle I got her to stand still so that I could take a picture of her wearing it. Matt was bribing her with M&M's that's why she is looking up. lol!

96. Take my parents to The Melting Pot thanking them for all their support.

2009-03-30T21:28:00.004-05:00

As a token of our gratitude to my parents, for their amazing support and dedication to us, Matt and I wanted to do something nice for them. We LOVE The Melting Pot and thought taking them there for the fun experience that the restaurant gives would be a great way to show how much we appreciate them. Our house completely flooded on Thanksgiving and my parents let us move in with them for 3 months while our house got rebuilt. They are a true example of the limitless love that parents have for their children. I know that I could never repay them for all they've done over the years but I thought this gesture was a good start.

Matt and I really just come to The Melting Pot for the final course:
the chocolate fondue! It should be one of the basic food groups!

Let the ADVENTURE begin!

2009-03-24T21:02:00.008-05:00

I'm so excited to start attacking my list! The anticipation of 'crossing' something off of it is killing me, in a good sort of way - of course.

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

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. 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 Begin Date: March 24, 2009
My End Date: December 20, 2011

For more info about 101 in 1001, visit Day Zero.