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

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.

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)

#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)

#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.

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)

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.

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!!!