What Makes Me Happy #9

I'm making a list of 101 things that make me happy. Go here to read rounds #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, #7,  and #8).

A while ago during my mom book club, we were talking about fun events or traditions that we remember from our childhood. It took me a few minutes, but once I got my brain working, so many happy things popped up in my memory. More and more I'm finding that it's truly the little things that make lasting memories and I hope that M and I can create family traditions of our own that our children will look back on fondly.

Adding to the happy list...

38. Every Saturday night my parents brought us to church and then oftentimes when we got home my mom would pop popcorn on the stove and sprinkle on douse it with butter and salt (it is my mom, the butter lover we're talking about here). The whole family would gather in the basement and turn COPS on. Yes, church and then bad boys, bad boys. Such a random memory, but it makes me smile. My mom still makes good popcorn, albeit with less butter now.

39. My grandma used to make my dad and his sisters crepes when they were growing up, so my dad also made crepes for us. Come to think of it, this is one of the few things I've ever seen him cook, other than his beloved green beans and asparagus, oh and rice pudding as well. Anyway, on Sunday mornings, every once in a while, my dad would make crepes plus the delicious brown sugar filling that gets slathered inside. It's a time consuming process, but oh, every bite is a taste sensation. My dad made some a couple of Christmases ago and Little m was of course a fan. I must remember to get the recipe.

40. This memory is still so vivid in my mind and I think it's hilarious. My poor mother. We would all be driving somewhere in our childhood van and one of us kids would slide our foot up and sneakily lift the lever to recline my mom's seat. She would fly back in her seat, screaming in shock. Much laughter from children ensued. HA. We'd let a few months pass by before each attack, just to make sure she was off guard. What rotten kids we were! One of my all time favourite memories.

41. "Is there a little girl in here who wants to wa-ake up so dear?" I will never forget that tune of that dreaded song my mom would sing to wake me up in the mornings. I seriously hated that song but love the memory of it now!

36 in 365: 2015 Edition

Well hello! Long time no see! 

I've missed this spot and am sad a whole year of unrecorded memories has passed because what I value most about this place is that it provides a way to look back and see what life was like at whatever moment in time. One reason I stopped blogging was because I had SO much to catch up on and was overwhelmed. I've decided to let it go, let it go and not worry about all of the things that I missed blogging about, just focus on what's happening now.

As a list lover, I couldn't pass up my traditional 36 in 365 list of goals for the year. This year, my overall resolution is to laugh more. I thought about what makes me laugh and of course the most laughter happens when I am happy. I thought about what makes me happy and narrowed it down to when I'm doing these things: eating amazing food, spending time outdoors, reading can't put you down books, exploring new places, and being with people I like. So, drumroll please....

36 in 365 (Round 7): 

Eat:

1. Bari

2. Firecakes
3. Au Cheval
4. Bongo Room

5. Bang Bang Pie

6. Umami Burger
7. Sultan's Market

8. Do-Rite Donuts
9. Longman & Eagle

10. Dove's Luncheonette

11. Mindy's Hot Chocolate
12. Grandma J's Local Kitchen

Go Outside:
13. Graue Mill
14. Wagner Farm
15. Humboldt Park
16. Lakeshore Trail

17. Caldwell Woods
18. Maggie Daley Park

19. Apple orchard in autumn
20. North Shore Channel Trail
21. Explore 5 new Chicago parks (1/5): Elston Park
22. Spitting fountains at Millenium Park

Read:
23. Middlesex
24. The Seamstress
25. All the Light We Cannot See
26. Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman

27. The Geography of Bliss: One Grump's Search for the Happiest Places in the World
28. The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost: A Memoir of Three Continents, Two Friends, and One Unexpected Adventure

Travel:
29. St. Louis

30. Milwaukee

31. Indiana Dunes

32. Starved Rock State Park

33. Somewhere in Central America

Socialize:

34. Call BFF once per month
35. Continue monthly brunch with mom friends
36. Host one neighborhood play date or moms night per month

36 in 365: 2014 Edition

(picture source)

'Tis that time of the year again for another list of goals. Last year I had a 55% success rate, which isn't so great, but better than nothing! This year I tried to make my list more specific and straightforward, so hopefully that will help me achieve more throughout the year. Here goes nothing:

36 in 365 (Round Six):

Get Busy:
1. Grow more strawberries this summer.
2. Hit publish on my New Zealand recaps.
3. Write blog posts about Machu Picchu.
4. Keep hosting neighbourhood play dates.
5. Start writing in my One Line a Day journal.
6. Get professional family of four photos taken.
7. Watch Happiest Toddler on the Block with M.
8. Learn more about essential oils - eucalyptus? thieves?
9. Listen to and whittle down my This American Life podcast folder till it reaches 75 files.
10. Read these books before they hit theatres: Labor Day, A Long Way Down, Divergent, Dark Places, and This is Where I Leave You (5/5).

Get Organized:
11. Back up iPhone on a monthly basis (12/12).
12. Keep car info binder updated throughout the year.
13. Clean up iPhoto pictures and delete duplicates when uploading.

Get Crafty:
14. Send Christmas cards.
15. Decorate a cute nursery for baby 2.0.
16. Decorate a cute big girl room for Little m.
17. Print out my blog in book form at the end of the year.

Get Places:
Try the following six Chicago eateries:
18. Eataly
19. Hot Doug's
20. Kasia's Deli
21. Ann's Bakery (not impressed - stale bread, bad customer service)
22. d'Amatos Bakery
23. Hoosier Mama Pie (oh yes)
24. Plan a kickass family vacation.
25. Bring Little m skating on a regular basis.
26. Visit the spitting fountains in Millennium Park this summer.

Get Healthy:
27. Call my bff more.
28. Unplug one day a week.
29. Give Bama more attention.
30. Plan a date night once a month.
31. Win dietbets until I reach my pre-pregnancy weight.
32. Continue to win dietbets until I reach my goal weight for this year.
33. Keep doing my 20 pushups x 2 on my toes at Bar Method, even with a big baby belly.

Get Giving:
34. Host another new mom's group once baby 2.0 is here.
35. Get Little m involved in sponsoring a child at Christmastime.
36. Volunteer at the Soup Kitchen at least every other month (0/6).

Anything you're working towards this year? 

Edited to add on Jan 1, 2015:
Well, 21/36 goals completed on this year's list of goals. 58%, that's a pass!

What Makes Me Happy #8

(I'm making a list of 101 things that make me happy. Go here to read rounds #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6, and #7)

Every day my girl surprises me in some way and makes me laugh. I promise myself I'll remember what she said or did that made me burst out laughing, but too many times it's gone, long gone before I've written it down or shared it with the hubs. Here's my attempt to remember some of those, perhaps, not so unforgettable moments! You know, the times where immediate cleanup is usually necessary, but a picture first is more important? 

33. I was simply trying to put Little m's clothes away after finishing the laundry. Little did I know she had found my makeup bag and decided to have eye shadow for breakfast! 

20 month old eye shadow eater

34. Little m loved going into the cupboards and taking everything out. It kept her happy and busy. This was right around the time we were moving so I probably sat her down there to keep her occupied while I was packing. I didn't realize she also liked opening containers and I found her munching on Earl Grey tea leaves one afternoon. She was a bit hyped up after that little snack! Parenting fail.

11 month old tea taster

35. I guess I didn't learn my lesson and disaster struck again at the new house after playtime in the cupboards. There were elastics around the split peas and beans but apparently she figured out how to remove them. She and the dog kept trying to eat everything off the floor as I was cleaning up, and actually, she's probably nibbling on a piece in the picture below. I'm still finding split peas under my fridge over a year later! 

14 month old legume lover

36. Dog food. 'Nuff said. This still disgusts me but perhaps one day I will think it's funny. Even today I saw Little m licking her hand after helping feed Bama. Yuck! 

17 month old kibble and bits biter

37. That month or two when we began potty training and Little m was obsessed with being nekkid during naps and bedtime, yeah, that was so much fun. Did you notice I said when we "began" potty training, not "after". There were only two huge stinky messes, but clearly I'm trying to remove those incidents from my memory. Anyway, it started when Little m learned how to undo her sleepsack. We began putting it on backwards and she quickly figured out how to unzip it that way too. Next, she learned how to remove all pieces of clothing, especially her diaper. We started putting her diaper on backwards and that stumped her for a few days. I was ready to get the duct tape out but we learned to embrace the nakedness and would sneak into her room an hour after she fell asleep to put a diaper on! What a gal. 

If you have a kid have you had to deal with better or worse? 

Pictures of Pictures

We moved into our house six months ago and are still working on hanging up our pictures. I've made it one of my goals this year to frame all of our prints and get them hung and I figured, why not start now?

I've been dreading hanging our picture collage because it's a pain finding a nice design and getting it hung up straight. I wasn't particularly happy with how M hung them in our old apartment so he passed the job off to me this year so I would have no one to blame but myself if I didn't like it! I saw an easy method for hanging pictures over at Young House Love and thought I'd give it a whirl.

 I basically traced the outline of each frame onto a blank piece of paper then made a dot where the nail should be. I taped the papers up on the wall and played around with different designs until one was found that both M and I liked. I then used the pencil markings and hammered the nails into the proper places, tore down the papers, then put the frames up in their spaces. Sounds complicated but was actually pretty simple.

I know not all of the spacings are the same, but that's what makes it imperfectly perfect. We tried to choose pictures that represented different places we have traveled to. Starting with the large frame in the top right we have Kilimanjaro. Going clockwise is San Juan, the Brooklyn Bridge, M on our Caribbean cruise, Khao Lak in Thailand, me with Wanalee, an engagement photo taken in High Park in Toronto, Lake Eyasi in Tanzania, Cliffs of Moher in Ireland, and another from sea kayaking during our Thailand honeymoon. The middle cluster of four frames were all pictures taken in the homeland, Belgium.

I'm happy with how it turned out! 

Now come, on, let's be a bit more realistic here. If I take a couple of steps back you can see what our place really looks like. Toys everywhere!

I love walking down the stairs now because there's something fun to look at and I'm reminded of some pretty crazy adventures we've been on.

36 in 365: 2013 Edition

(source)

It's back! 36 goals in 365 days. Only a month or two late. That seems right around my normal level of procrastination!

First things first - how did I do with last year's goals? I'm giving myself one and a half thumbs up. I fully completed 22/36 goals, which is a success rate of 60%. Not too bad! Definitely some room for improvement though. Here's my list from last year if you'd like to check it out.

Now, onto my goals for 2013. I've had quite a lot of time to think about what I want to accomplish this year and have decided to keep things simple and (hopefully) achievable.

36 in 365 Goals (Round Five):

Get Busy:
1. Write a day in the life of Little M post each month, starting in February (0/11).
2. Try out five new toddler friendly recipes (3/5): Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Muffin (success!), Very Berry Muffins (yummy), Toddler Approved Banana Mini Muffins (only tried a few because Bama ate them - but a bit bland)
3. Make fifteen new recipes that I've pinned on Pinterest (15/15): Detox Salad (delicioso), Crock Pot Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal (pretty good), Raw Apple Snack (probably wouldn't make again), Coconut Curry Chicken Soup (not bad), Chicken Tortilla Rollups (quite good), Crock Pot Pork Chops (tasted like mom's home cookin'), Creamy Cashew Dip (tasty treat), Shrimp Scampi (quite good), Black Bean Burger (probably wouldn't make again), Sausage Bean Kale Stew (surprisingly delicious), Chicken Taco Bowls (easy and good), Banana Chocolate Chip Donut (tasty treat), Cauliflower Leek Soup (yum), Broiled Grapefruit (nice), Homemade Cadbury Creme Egg (so ridiculously sweet)
4. Taste or cook or bake with three ingredients I've never used before (3/3): fish sauce and red curry paste for this recipe, kumquats, the Peruvian delicacy of guinea pig
5. Read 25 books from my Goodreads list (25/25).
6. Read the parenting books that I've been meaning to get to.
7. Watch the third season of Downton Abbey with my mammy.
8. Hit publish on my New Zealand recaps.
9. Blog a total of 60 (or more!) posts this year.
10. Start writing in my One Line a Day journal.
11. Organize the garage.

Get Crafty:
12. Go on the Productive Parenting website and find five activities to do with Little m (0/5). 

13. Add 25 more items to my list of 101 things (37/101) that make me happy (5/25).

14. Make a really cool Christmas gift for my Goddaughter.

15. Finish framing and hanging up all of our artwork.
16. Figure out three activities that Little m can do while standing in her learning tower (0/3). 

Get Places:
17. Climb another mountain.
18. Explore three Chicago neighbourhoods (0/3).
19. Bring Little m to eight new parks (8/8): Haas, Erhler, Chi Che Wang, Fellger, Humboldt, South Lakeview, Holstein, Maplewood
20. Make a real effort to attend or host play dates for Little m.
21. Travel to two American states (2/2): Wisconsin, Washington D.C. plus Maryland
22. Take a picture of myself in front of the White House. 

23. Get to the dog park with Bama once per month (1?/12).
24. Bring Little m to a parade: Blackhawk's Parade
25. Go to Milwaukee.
26. Eat at Little Goat. 

Get Healthy:
27. Consistently attend Bar Method classes five days a week until my membership runs out.
28. Come into my L shape for the entire set during round back in Bar Method.
29. Hold crow for at least five seconds.
30. Use up all of the yoga classes that I bought Groupons for.
31. Lace up my skates and take Little m to the ice rink.
32. Make teeth brushing for Little m a daily habit. 
33. Kiss and hug the hubs more.
34. Reach my goal on DietBet, join a second game, and reach that goal as well (and go on to win a third and fourth!)

Get Giving:
35. Volunteer once a month (lost track/12).
36. Get involved somehow in my neighbourhood association.

Ready. Set. Go. 

Passport Artwork

I've been wanting to make a piece of artwork from old passport stamps ever since I saw Brooklyn Limestone do it here. It's actually been on my 36 in 365 list for the last two years. And I'm happy to report, I have finally gotten around to doing it! 

(click to enlarge)

The first piece on the left has stamps from Ireland, France, and USA. The middle has France, the chunnel in England, and Colombia. The piece on the right includes Japan, Portugal, and Thailand.

It was really quite simple so I shouldn't have waited so long to do it. I basically followed the instructions in the blog post that I linked to above. I bought three wooden rectangles and sawtooth picture hangers from Joann Fabrics and spray adhesive from Target. This cost me around $10 if I remember correctly, and the spray adhesive was much more expensive than anything else. M scanned our passports for me and I fiddled around with them on iPhoto to make them a proper size. I printed the pictures out on our home computer and then after realizing I didn't have a sharp enough exacto knife, just cut the proper size paper with scissors. I sprayed the adhesive onto the paper then plopped it onto the wood and voila, there you have it. The hardest part was finding a good place to hang them. I finally decided on a spot in our staircase.

I love walking down the stairs and being reminded of some of the cool places we've traveled to and the fun times we've had. For someone who is rarely crafty, I am so proud of myself, and happy to cross this off the list! 

Little m's First Birthday Party!

I knew I wanted to make a rainbow cake ever since noticing one on the internet a few years ago. I just needed the right occasion. A first birthday party? Perfect! Thus, for Little m's birthday, a rainbow themed party was born! First on Pinterest, then in reality.

I knew I wanted to keep the party fairly small and invited only my immediate family members and best friend. I also knew I wanted it to be a pool party because, well, my parents have a pool and it was a hot day in August!

For decorations, I hit the dollar store and stocked up on balloons. I loved the balloon garland
I saw John and Sherry from Young House Love make, so I decided to give it a try. My dad is Mr. Handy and came up with a much easier way to knot the balloons on without feeding the super long string though each and every time. I think the garland turned out fabulously and I hung it between the pool and the house. So simple yet so pretty, blowing in the breeze.

Other than the garland, I hung a few balloons from the mailbox and decorated the table area a bit with what else, more balloons! In proper rainbow order, might I add.

I also filled a beer glass up with skittles and popped some pinwheels in for a centrepiece. 

I tried to make the food as rainbowy as possible as well. I made a rainbow fruit tray, rainbow veggie tray, rainbow fruit dip, rainbow jello (my mom's recipe), and for non-rainbow food - pulled pork, coleslaw, chips, and pickles! I sent the kids home with rainbow popcorn for their party favour.

For dessert I made rainbow cupcakes, a mini rainbow cake for the birthday girl, and a huge rainbow cake for everyone else. I wanted to use gel food colouring, as I read that it makes the colours more vivid, but I couldn't find any. I didn't really look too hard.

 

I got the idea of the mini cake from this blog and I love how it turned out. I went skimpy with the cream cheese frosting on Little m's cake because she'd never really eaten sugar before and I didn't want to have a wild animal on my hands. 

Little m was delighted with all of the attention and although she liked the cake, I think she liked the Happy Birthday singing more than anything else! We ended up taking away the bottom four layers of the cake to make it easier for Little m to eat smush it into her dress. 

The big cake was made from two boxes of mix, a whole lotta food colouring, and a double batch of my mom's cream cheese frosting. She was a labour of love, she was. Things would have been much quicker if I had more that two cake pans, but such is life. The end result was so worth it. It took four adults to cut the cake and hold it up so it wouldn't fall over, but hey, that was fun in and of itself. 

The day was absolutely perfect, Little m was her usual happy self, and I had so much fun planning and executing the rainbow party. Even though she's a year old, Little m is still my peanut and we are so thankful we had the opportunity to celebrate her first year with friends and family. Check out this super short video to see the cuteness in action!

What Makes Me Happy #7

My happy list is quite overdue for an update. Here are a few more things that bring a smile to my face!

(go here to read rounds #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, and #6)

#29. Trader Joe's is the greatest grocery store in the universe. As if regular Joe-Joe's (oreos) aren't amazing enough, at Christmastime, Trader Joe's comes out with Candy Cane Joe-Joe's. While searching for a picture of these I found a Facebook group dedicated to this cookie so that should tell you a little something about how delicious they are. Anyway, when our friends were visiting back in November, M offered them some for dessert one night. Okay, get ready, I'm getting to the funny part. He pulls out the box and in triple speed offers them a TraderJoe'sCandyCaneJoe-Joe. As if everyone knows what a TraderJoe'sCandyCaneJoe-Joe is. They were so confused. HAHA, okay, maybe you had to be there for that one. These scrumptious cookies will forever be referred to as TraderJoe'sCandyCaneJoe-Joes now. Say it really fast, it's fun.

(source)

#30. Little m’s hairy ears. I absolutely love them. At birth, these suckers were quite hairy, and even at three months, when the picture below was taken, there was a little left. All the hair is gone now at six months which means my baby's a big girl, wahhh! It was so cute while it lasted.

#31. When M and I were in New Zealand, we happened upon a guy selling meat pies out of a camper in Auckland. Random, yes. After we ordered, I swear I heard the guy thank M for paying and then said, “Sweet A$$”. I was so confused. Why was this meat man complimenting M on his a$$? Fast forward a few days and I hear a server say the same thing. Really? What is it with New Zealanders and their obsession with M’s cheeks? I brought this up to M and it turns out he didn’t hear either compliment and was convinced I was making these things up! Fast forward another few days and while browsing a souvenir shop I see a shirt with “Sweet As” on it. It turns out this is a popular saying that is similar to cool or awesome, but with the NZ accent, sounds like something much different! I told M not to worry though, his a$$ is still sweet to me.

#32. Another New Zealand memory that makes me smile happened the first morning we arrived in Auckland. After traveling for 20+hours and arriving in Auckland very early in the morning we caught a shuttle into the city. We got off at the nearest stop, which was still a ten minute walk to our hotel. Up a huge hill. With a baby. Pushing a stroller. Pulling two huge suitcases. Wearing our carry on luggage. At 6am. It must have been a funny sight. We were sweating. It was not funny at the time, but now we can laugh about it for sure.

Tell me something funny in your life lately.

36 in 356: 2012 Edition

As per tradition, here's my list of 36 goals I'd like to accomplish in the 365 days of the new year. I've tried to make my goals more manageable this year and included a few important things I must get done that I've been putting off for years. This is the year, right!?

36 in 365 Goals (Round Four):

Get Busy:

1. Put on a themed 1st birthday party for Little m. I'm feeling rainbows.

2. Take monthly pictures of Little m and blog about her developments (5/12).

3. Comment on someone's blog everyday for three months (3/3).

4. Keep a calendar of Little m's daily occurrences.

5. Read 40 books from my Goodreads list (40/40).

6. Discover three new musical artists (3/3): David Francey, Lauren Hubert, Alabama Shakes

7. See the CTA holiday train in December. 

8. Make ten new savoury recipes (10/10): Santa Fe Casserole(meh), Sesame Green Beans(good), Chicken Parm Meatloaf(YUM), Mexican Lasagna(lacked a little something), Spinach Lasagna Rolls(awesome), Massaged Kale Salad(a-ok), Baked Sweet and Sour Chicken(wowee), Thai Fried Quinoa(not my fave), Oven Roasted Sausages and Peppers(me likee), Vegetable and Edamame Pasta with Basil Cream Sauce(delish)

9. Make five new sweet recipes (5/5): Maple Donuts(delish), Raspberry Donuts(so good), Rainbow Cake(impressive), No-Bake Chocolate Eclaire Cake(very sweet), Funfetti Cake Batter Dip(probably wouldn't make again unless I had another rainbow themed party)

10. Buy a hawt pair of boots.

11. Buy a wall map.

12. Buy a rug.

Get Crafty:

13. If home in the month of December, buy and decorate a real Christmas tree.

14. Add 25 more items to my list of 101 things (32/101) that make me happy (4/25).

15. Make three things from my "For the Home" board on Pinterest (0/3).

16. Make a really cool gift for my Goddaughter's first birthday Christmas.

17. Make a piece of artwork using old passport stamps.

18. Create a wedding album for both sets of parents. For real this time.

19. Make a first year photo canvas for Little m.

20. Frame a wedding photo and hang it up.

21. Start an anniversary scrapbook.

Get Places:

22. Rent Borrow a convertible and drive through California Illinois.

23. Explore three Chicago neighbourhoods (3/3): Ukrainian Village, Roscoe Village, Bucktown

24. Travel to two American states (4/2): Florida, New York, California, Arizona

25. Visit the Chicago Art Institute.

26. Drink myself silly in Sonoma.

Get Healthy (Mentally and Physically):

27. Try to enjoy every moment with Little m, even the really difficult and tiring ones.

28. Make and stick to a dinner meal plan for a week (5/5) and try to continue.

29. Stop letting people and things live rent free in my mind.

30. Take Bama for extra long walks once a week (15/52).

31. Complete Jillian Michael's Ripped in 30.

32. Try the 100 pushup challenge.

33. Try the 100 situp challenge.

Get Giving:

34. Send the great grandparents pictures of Little m more often (3/3).

35. Send my close girlfriends birthday or Christmas cards (4/6).

36. Volunteer once a month (12/12).

2011 Goals... How'd I Do?

Sadly, I didn't do all that well on my 2011 goals. I overestimated my ability to get anything done with a baby in tow. I have a hard enough time eating breakfast before noon on most days.. how I thought I'd have time for anything extra is beyond me! Oh well. I fully completed 21 goals, partially completed 3, and failed miserably at 12. Here's the roundup:

36 in 365 Goals (Round 3)

Get Busy:

1. Leave a comment on someone's blog everyday for two months (2/2).

2. Compile and edit all of my Kilimanjaro videos into one.

3. Blog a total of 200 times throughout the year (83/200).

4. Make Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon.

5. Go to a couple of concerts (2/2): City and Colour, Coheed and Cambria

6. Go fishing for my first time.

7. Try 10 new recipes (10/10): Annie P's Granola Bars, Apple Pie Muffin Tops,Banana Rhubarb Muffins, Peanut Butter Parsnip Fries, German Chocolate Cake,Mango Banana Bread, Peanut Butter Pie, Dough Balls, Balsamic Green Beans, Tapioca Rhubarb Pudding (mom's recipe)

8. Bake a rainbow cake.

9. Host a party: Baby shower for my sis-in-law

Get Places:

10. Go to Kingston Mines to listen to a blues band.

11. Bring Bama to the dog park more often (11/20).

12. Try two Man Vs. Food restaurants (2/2): Vortex, Lucky's Sandwich Company

13. Go to an outdoor concert in Millenium Park.

14. Explore two different American states (2/2): Atlanta, GA and Cassopolis, MI

15. Attend Chicago summer festivals (2/2): Sheffield Garden Walk, Jazz Fest

16. Get a cocktail at the Signature Lounge.

17. Ride the ferris wheel at Navy Pier.

18. Visit the Art Institute of Chicago.

Get Giving:

19. Send a birthday card to each of my siblings and parents (9/9).

20. Volunteer in a soup kitchen once a month (12/12).

21. Leave Operation Beautiful notes (10/10).

Get Crafty:

22. Complete a list of 101 things that make me happy (28/101): #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,

23. Create a wedding anniversary scrapbook with highlights from each year.

24. Make a piece of artwork using old passport stamps.

25. Create a wedding album for both sets of parents.

26. Buy and decorate a real Christmas tree!

27. Make a special someone a Blurb book.

28. Learn something about photography.

29. Finish my wedding scrapbook.

Get Healthy:

30. Floss or use the Oral B cleaner everyday for a month (and try to continue).

31. Skate on the Rideau Canal in February.

32. Complete a 30 day Wii Fit challenge.

33. Take a long bike ride (2/2).

34. Walk to work or anywhere else that's 35-40 minutes each way (10/10).

35. Go rock climbing.

36. Go hiking (2/2): Bloomingdale Trail, Lake Matheson

Better luck next year?

My October Goals

Holy smokes, it's October! You know what that means? Only three more months to complete my 36 in 365 goals! So far I've fully completed 10 goals and partially completed 8. Yikes! I have a lot to do in the upcoming months! I've decided to break it down into somewhat manageable chunks, so here's what I plan to do in October:

1. Leave a comment on someone's blog everyday. I actually started doing this in August, then had a baby, so that screwed it all up :)

2. Bring Bama to the dog park more often. I'm going to try for 5 times this month.

3. Leave Operation Beautiful notes. I've had the notes written since summer, now I just have to find places to leave them!

4. Complete a list of 101 things that make me happy. I'll try for 20 this month - 5 a week?

5. Take a long bike ride. I hope to do this when I'm at home visiting my parents, if the weather cooperates.

6. Complete a 30 day Wii Fit challenge. I'll start this today, but the 30 days will have to be broken up since I'm visiting my parents for a week.

7. Go hiking. Well it's not a typical hike, but I'd love to walk the Bloomingdale Trail sometime this month.

8. Blog a total of 200 times throughout the year. Hmm, pretty much impossible since this is only my 63rd post of 2011. Anyway, there is a blogger photo challenge going on this month that I'll like to take part in, so that would be 31 more posts if I can actually get my act together!

Oh my goodness.. these are lofty goals but I'm up for the challenge! What are some things you'd like to complete before the end of the year?

What Makes Me Happy #6

Time for what makes me happy, numero seis.

(go here to read round #1, #2, #3, #4, or #5)

I have a lot to make me happy these days, it's true. Here are a few random, perhaps only funny to me, things I've thought about recently that brought a smile to my face!

25) I dearly, dearly miss my Toronto friend and mentor, Patrish, who I worked with for the last four years of my teaching career. Yes, she is my mother's age but that doesn't matter one bit! We went to a reading conference together a couple of years ago and I remember her getting tired of chewing her piece of gum, so she stuck it on her shoe, like it was a completely normal thing to do (because it probably was completely normal for her). This is just how she rolls and it seriously cracks me up. She walks to the beat of her own drum, 100%.

26) Back in March, I went to a City and Colour concert and it was superb, especially when the show started with Gord Downie coming on to sing his part in Sleeping Sickness. Two great Canadian artists on stage, at the same time, for one of my favourite songs. Bliss.

27) Someone in the city of Chicago goes around to wet concrete and writes into it the word "smile". Well, this is just about the best thing ever and without fail, every time I walk past this piece of sidewalk, I do indeed smile! Good work, person. I've noticed this in two different spots so far - I wonder how many more there are?

28) Of course I had to include a picture of my babes.. Now I see where she gets the t-rex pose from! Like father like daughter?

So, please share, what's been making you happy lately?

Gone Fishin'

One of my 36 in 365 goals this year was to go fishing for the first time. Well little did I know, I have been fishing before! While flipping through some old pictures, I found this beauty...

I look to be around three or four years old perhaps? I have no idea where this picture was taken but I'm hoping my dad remembers some of the details. He's got a pretty sweet moustache going on, eh?

Before I found this photo though, I was determined to fulfil this goal during my week at the family cottage. And so I did! Armed with my nephew's Buzz Lightyear rod, M and I went fishing off a pontoon boat with two of my brothers and their kids.

How was it? So very boring, but then exhilarating! I didn't catch anything but I did get quite a few bites. The water was so clear that I could see the little fishies coming and stealing my worms. And speaking of worms, ew! Have you ever seen the guts and goo that come out of those suckers when you spear them onto your hook? Thank goodness my oldest nephew acted as my right hand man and loaded me up with bait every time.

Am I going to become a fisherwoman? That's a big NO! But, it was fun and I'm glad I completed this goal (for the second time around?).

Cocktails and Mocktails

One thing I've wanted to do since moving to Chicago is to go up to the 96th floor of the John Hancock Centre and enjoy a cocktail at the Signature Lounge.

In fact, M and I attempted to do so once but were faced with a huge lineup of Midwestern tourists wearing cowboy hats. We decided to try again another time.

When the BFF was visiting last week, we did exactly that. We hit up the Signature Lounge early and there was no line at all, in fact it was quite empty for a weekend. We got a table next to a window and enjoyed a nice view of Lake Michigan and the north end of the city.

Michelle ordered the Windy City Martini - Bacardi Limon, Grand Marnier, fresh lime and cranberry juice. It was s t r o n g and I'm pretty sure she was feeling good by the last sip :)

I had the Easy Street Martini made with pineapple, cranberry, and orange juice. I live on the edge and clearly, I should have ironed my shirt that morning.

Other than the crappy slow service, I'd recommend going up the tower and having an overpriced cocktail as part of the Chicago experience. It beats paying the $20 admission for the Hancock observatory plus you don't have to deal with hoards of people and crying kids.

Time to cross this goal off my 36 in 365 list!

What Makes Me Happy #5

It's been a long time since I've written a post about my list of 101 things that make me happy. I love this series (lists #1, #2, #3, #4) because it makes me think of the most random occurrences that I'm sure to forget unless I document them somewhere. Here are four memories that are making me smile today!

21)

The man in this picture is Richie, pronounced Reechy. On our very first night of our very first backpacking trip to Europe, M and I met up with people from our hostel for a picnic on the hill at Sacre Coeur. We were already giddy with excitement of being away from home for two months and this was the perfect way to start off our trip. As we sat around drinking wine and eating cheese, Reechy came over with his guitar to sit with and serenade our group. It was just the most random group of people from all over the world, chillin in Paris together, with a very possibly drunk and homeless guitar player named Reechy. M and I went back to that exact spot a couple of years later and that's where he proposed to me!

22) My favourite teaching colleague and I went to a reading conference last year together and when she was done chewing her gum she stuck it on the side of her shoe. I guess this occurs often because she didn't think it was strange at all! Who does this??? It made me laugh then and still makes me laugh every time I think about it. If you ever need a place to keep your gum, you now know a spot.

23) My three year old nephew is so smart when it comes to talking about sports and specific athletes. I never grown tired of asking him to tell about "Wayne Gwetsky" and "Ronaldinho". So very cute.

24) When M and I were on our honeymoon in Thailand, we took a sea canoe trip called "Hongs by Starlight". Our guide took us through a bunch of dark caves and told us to put our hands in the water and wave them around. As we did, the bioluminescent plankton glowed and sparkled like a million stars in a night sky. A truly gorgeous sight to see.

One of my favourite pictures of us as a couple was taken on that canoe trip. I think it screams honeymoon :)

What's making you happy today?

36 in 356: 2011 Edition

Here's what I want to accomplish this year! As a new twist and to help motivate me, I've decided to donate $5 for each of my uncompleted goals at the end of the year. Wish me luck!

36 in 365 Goals (Round 3):

Get Busy:

1. Leave a comment on someone's blog everyday for two months (2/2).

2. Compile and edit all of my Kilimanjaro videos into one.

3. Blog a total of 200 times throughout the year.

4. Make Julia Child's boeuf bourguignon.

5. Go to a couple of concerts (2/2): City and Colour, Coheed and Cambria

6. Go fishing for my first time.

7. Try 10 new recipes (10/10): Annie P's Granola Bars, Apple Pie Muffin Tops, Banana Rhubarb Muffins, Peanut Butter Parsnip Fries, German Chocolate Cake, Mango Banana Bread, Peanut Butter Pie, Dough Balls, Balsamic Green Beans, Tapioca Rhubarb Pudding (mom's recipe)

8. Bake a rainbow cake.

9. Host a party: Baby shower for my sis-in-law

Get Places:

10. Go to Kingston Mines to listen to a blues band.

11. Bring Bama to the dog park more often (11/20).

12. Try two Man Vs. Food restaurants (2/2): Vortex, Lucky's Sandwich Company

13. Go to an outdoor concert in Millenium Park.

14. Explore two different American states (2/2): Atlanta, GA and Cassopolis, MI

15. Attend Chicago summer festivals (2/2): Sheffield Garden Walk, Jazz Fest

16. Get a cocktail at the Signature Lounge.

17. Ride the ferris wheel at Navy Pier.

18. Visit the Art Institute of Chicago.

Get Giving:

19. Send a birthday card to each of my siblings and parents (9/9).

20. Volunteer in a soup kitchen once a month (12/12).

21. Leave Operation Beautiful notes (2/10).

Get Crafty:

22. Complete a list of 101 things that make me happy (28/101): #1, #2, #3, #4, #5, #6,

23. Create a wedding anniversary scrapbook with highlights from each year.

24. Make a piece of artwork using old passport stamps.

25. Create a wedding album for both sets of parents.

26. Buy and decorate a real Christmas tree!

27. Make a special someone a Blurb book.

28. Learn something about photography.

29. Finish my wedding scrapbook.

Get Healthy:

30. Floss or use the Oral B cleaner everyday for a month (and try to continue).

31. Skate on the Rideau Canal in February.

32. Complete a 30 day Wii Fit challenge.

33. Take a long bike ride (2/2).

34. Walk to work or anywhere else that's 35-40 minutes each way (10/10).

35. Go rock climbing.

36. Go hiking (2/2): Bloomingdale Trail, Lake Matheson

Did you make any resolutions this year or have any goals you'd like to meet?

2010 Goals.. How'd I Do?

How'd I do on my list of 36 in 365 goals from last year? I fully completed 20 of the 36 goals (the bolded ones), and half completed an additional 5. Not bad, not bad.

Let's review...

Get Busy
1. Blog everyday for two months (1/2).
2. Leave a comment on someone's blog each day for a month.
3. Read Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, and Anna Karenina (3/3).
4. Make a five course meal to enjoy over candlelight with my husband.
5. Cook a new type of soup each month (6/12).
6. Watch five movies from my "Film Club" list (6/5): Breakfast at Tiffany's, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Bicycle Thief, Murmur of the Heart, The Searchers, Casablanca
7. Learn something about photography.
8. Be an audience member for a tv show: "The Hour" and "Steven and Chris"
9. Try a new fruit or veggie each month (6/12): passion fruit, tamarillo, okra, fresh fig, persimmon, kabocha squash
10. Practice my ice skating skills (0/2).

Get Crafty
11. Finish my wedding scrapbook.
12. Create a wedding album for both sets of parents.
13. Make a special someone a Blurb book.
14. Write a list of 101 things that make me happy (20/101). #1, #2, #3, #4

Get Giving
15. Send Christmas Cards to family and friends.
16. Write a long email to a friend twice per month (12/24).
17. Call my BFF at least once a month (12/12).
18. Pay for someone in the drive thru behind me.
19. Send flowers to someone anonymously.
20. Volunteer somewhere for something: I mentored an international teacher through the "Skills for Change" program.

Get Healthy
21. Complete the couch to 5k program.
22. Run a 5k race and do not get lost.
23. Learn how to skate.
24. Complete the 100 pushup challenge.
25. Go rock climbing.
26. Try a hot yoga class.

Get Places
27. Attend a blues or jazz fest.
28. Take the architectural boat tour in Chicago.
29. Explore at least two different states in the US (3/2): New Orleans, Philadelphia, Nashville
30. Go to a drive-in movie.
31. Go to the Toronto Islands.
32. Hike the Pinery.
33. Explore one new place every month (12/12): Distillery District, Lincoln Park, Wicker Park, Wrigleyville, Lakeview, etc. etc.
34. Go geocaching (1/3).
35. See musicals (2/3): Cats, Billy Elliot
36. Watch the sun rise: On the Kilimanjaro summit!

I think some of my goals were a bit lofty... like who really needs a new batch of soup each month and keeping track of how many times I email my friends was way too difficult so I just stopped. I am disappointed in my lack of craftiness this year and I MUST finish all things wedding related asap.

I'm working on a new list of 36 in 365 goals for this year because I thrive having some type of focus and crossing things off my list is super fun :)