Still Alive!

Oh my blogger friends! If you are reading this, thanks for keeping my blog on your horizons, especially since I have neglected it for so longs To be fair, it's been an incredibly busy four months--even for me, where busy is my normal state of life. Here's a quick recap:

• I went back to work in the after-school program at the local Waldorf school.
• I started directing a church youth musical play, (that I also wrote). This meant managing a group of 40 youth, ranging in age from 12-17, as well as overseeing all of the aspects of creating a play--scenery, costumes, music, etc. We only had about 6 weeks to put on this play AND it was a competition with 9 other church youth groups.
• I went back to teaching music at a local preschool (the ELC). Combined with my Korean tutoring, I'm working between 25-30 hrs a week.
• I sang the National Anthem at the Sick Town Derby Dames September bout.
• In October, I did some subbing at the ELC, and started shadowing the Kindergarten teacher in preparation for taking over her class in November. For two weeks, I worked about 50 hrs a week while still having play practices and mom stuff and roller derby stuff.
• H turned 12 at the beginning of October.
• Our play (Roadshow, for those that know the lingo) was performed twice in one day, on October 23.
• I took over the Kindergarten class at the ELC the first week of November. I gave notice at Waldorf mid-October (I'm still on the substitute list there) because I couldn't keep up with it all.
• We found out at theRoadshow awards ceremony for the that not only did our little musical play win Best Script, Best Set/Scenery, Best Presentation, and Best Director awards, we also won the Grand Champion award! J shared the Best Actress award with another girl in our stake (a stake is a unit of organization for our church) but two other youth in our play won Best Vocalist (male and female) awards. I was very proud of the youth and how hard they worked.
• December rolled in with it's many concerts. Given that we have two children in band, one in choir, and the fact that I'm not only teaching music at the ELC but also our church choir director, it's really not a surprise that from the 12th of December to the 19th of December our family was involved in 7 concerts. I also sang/directed at a Christmas Eve service.
• Joel and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary on December 12th. (yay us!)
• My daughter J turned 16 in the first week of December.
• J joined the high school swim team.
• I started attending regular roller derby practices the second week of August and LOVE IT! I'm still not very good (I literally started with NO skating skills and had to completely learn how to skate), but I keep trying. I don't know if I'll be participating in a bout (or even a scrimmage) any time soon, but I'm definitely keeping up with this. My goal right now is to be better each time I put on skates than the last time I put on skates. I'm on the newbie team (Team Skabies) for the local Albany-Corvallis league, the Sick Town Derby Dames. I do have a derby name picked out, but am going to keep that to myself for a bit.

So that's it in a nutshell. We are still reasonably healthy and very very blessed. All in all, 2010 was a pretty successful year for the Nelson family, and we are looking forward to the challenges and joys of 2011.

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!

The Summer of Go

The family approaching the Flag Walk at Mt. Rushmore

We have been a family on the go this summer. School got out on June 17th. J. left for EFY (a church youth camp) on June 21st. I left for my yearly scrapooking girls retreat on June 25th. Joy came hom on the 26th. I cam home on the 27th, late. Then the whole family packed up and left for our Midwest Migration (we counted--we drove through all or part of 10 states, going from Oregon to Illinois and back again). We saw family in LaGrande, Oregon, then Yellowstone for the 4th of July, then South Dakota where we saw Mt. Rushmore, Deadwood, the Crazy Horse monument, and the Mammoth Site, as well as some of the sets used in the movie "Dances with Wolves." From there, we hit the Winter Quarters visitor's center, and then went to my parent's house in Lee's Summit, Missouri. We spent about 4 days there, mostly hanging out with my family. It was especially cool that my sister drove up from Texas, almost making it a family reunion (only my brother and his kids were missing). Two of my sisters were working on the crew for the Kansas City Roller Warriors, so Joel and I were able to enjoy a bout (they had free tickets) and I LOVED it (more on that later). After we left Missouri, we headed to Nauvoo, Illinois for the Nelson Family Reunion. That was a super-cool experience that I would encourage any and all to go to. Our family especially enjoyed the pageant. It's hard to put it into words. I have ancestors that were in the city of Nauvoo before the members of the church left to head west in 1846, as does Joel, so there is a lot of history there for us. I took a TON of pictures that will be on my flickr site (if they aren't already--I've been so busy I honestly can't remember if I've put them there or not yet). We returned home late-late-late on July 19, with Girls Camp beginning on July 20th (and lasting a week). Then Cub Camp (where H. helped out as a "red shirt" for three days) was the next week, with 11 year-old day camp on Friday the 30th. After that, we started our annual Back Yard Play rehearsals. Joel and H went to Scout camp the next week, beginning August 2nd. C. had eye surgery on August 3rd, and ever since then, we've been having daily 2hr Back Yard Play practices (I'm acting as the Vocal Director this year). I also taught a series of science classes at the ELC's summer program (I'll switch back to music in the fall).

I'll have more pictures later. Mostly, I just didn't want you to think I'd forgotten how to blog.

So Flippin' Excited!

I went to a Roller Derby Bout with sisters in Kansas City and am totally in love w/the sport. I just found a local league and am going to start helping out. And re-learning how to skate. Anyone want to come along?

250 Steps...

...and it was drizzly and gray and we ended up with wet hair by the time we were done, but it was worth every step.

Happy Fourth of July!

Paul Revere's statue, Paul Revere Mall, Boston, MA

I just wanted to give a shout-out to all who are serving our country right now in the Armed Forces. My father and father-in-law both served their country and I'm proud of them. I'm proud of anyone who decided to serve.

I'm also incredibly grateful for the blessings we enjoy because we live in a free country. My work with the Korean newspaper program helps me see just how lucky we are (not because the Koreans are oppressed, but because we often cover news stories about those that are.)

So take some time today to sing the National Anthem. Sing it with pride. If you know the last verse, sing it too. If you don't, I'd like to leave you with the last verse of the Star-Spangled Banner:

O! thus be it ever, when freemen shall stand

Between their loved home and the war's desolation!

Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land

Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation.

Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just,

And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."

And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave

O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

What NOT to do with a cell phone

Motorola KrV or "Crave" R.I.P

Let me start by saying that I'd had this phone less than a year. I broke my last phone just a week before our 2 year upgrade by dropping it a couple of times within the same week. Not my best work. So when I got this new, flashy, fancy, touchscreen piece of junk, I was very careful with it. This time, it broke BECAUSE I OPENED IT TO MAKE A CALL! Seriously, I pulled it out of my pocket to make a call, and it fell apart in my hands. To be fair, I hated this phone. As soon as the "new phone glow" had worn off, I realized that the touchscreen lagged and often entered the letter right next to the letter you really wanted. But because I'm cheap, I was living with it. Now, of course, this particular phone is probably on a list of the "world's most useless phones." Luckily I have an awesome friend who gave me her cast-off phone (she had just upgraded) and I am quite pleased with it. It's funny that it's also a Motorola phone--but it works like a dream. Just goes to show you that you can find lemons in just about anything. When I took the pieces of my phone to the store so I could get my information transferred, the manager of the store was quite surprised by the damage, since my phone was in such good shape. "It looks brand-new!" he exclaimed, "Uh, yeah," I said, "Except for the fact that it's IN TWO PIECES, it's in GREAT shape." He then admitted that they also hated this particular phone and stopped selling it nearly immediately after it was released. Ah well. At least I had the blessing of a new phone without too much hassle, and it was easy to fix this particular problem.

Which brings me to how disposable our society has become. When I got the different phone, I needed a new car charger. So I toodled down to our local Goodwill store and found hundreds of wall chargers, car chargers, cables and whatever whatnot you could possibly need to stay technologically connected. $6.00 later, not only did I have a new car charger ($30 in the store) but a car charger for my iPod touch  as well (no idea what the retail on that was). My thoughts on this--before you buy new, check out your local thrift stores. You might find exactly what you need for a fraction of the cost. And it helps cut down on consumer waste. That's a win-win for all!

And be careful when you open your cell phone. You never know what might happen...

A Division of Labor

Big Trees State Park, California, 2006

Disneyland, 2005

Summer is here, and that usually means summer traveling.

My husband and I, in our nearly 18 years of marriage have settled into distinct roles as we travel. I should add that a big part of what I take on in my role comes from living with and being close to my grandmother--who, as much as I love her, I have to admit was a little paranoid about the oddest things. This has affected how I prepare for a trip. I simply can't help it. I'm much more stressed if I DON'T do these things.

My Jobs when we travel:

• wash all of the laundry in the house and coordinate wardrobes so that no matter what my boys put on, I know that they won't look like ragged children
• create packing lists for the children and then double-check their suitcases
• If we are traveling by car (and we usually are) I plan and pack food for meals and snacks, and I make sure everyone has a water bottle. I work to have "real food," not junk food. This also means I do all of the shopping for said food.
• Help each child pack a car bag, with books, games, etc., to keep them occupied. This includes shopping for new things because new thinks catch their interest better. I also make sure everyone has working headphones.
• Pack a technology bag for everything else--laptop, charger, cellphone charger, headphones, etc. Make sure we have any videocameras and/or tripods. Make sure the cameras are ready to go.
• Pack a first-aid kit that will allow us to do anything except minor surgery. Pack any medicines the kids could need (mostly 'cause it never fails that someone will get sick in some way while we are gone and I hate buying the same medicines I already have at home, usually in bulk)
• Pack sunscreen and insect repellant
• Look over our destination and make sure we've checked out fun things for the kids to do online ahead of time so we can be prepared.
• Clean the house as much as possible so we don't come home to a dirty house.
• Make arrangements for the dog to be cared for.
• Make arrangements for the fish to be cared for.
• Stop the mail.
• Make sure the bills get paid. (this just means checking in with my husband--he keeps our bills paid, I'm just his reminder.)
• Make sure the kids have packed their toothbrushes and hairbrushes.
• Pack a vacation essentials kit with shampoo, laundry products, kleenex, hand soap, etc.
• Pack my clothes, taking extra care not to forget underwear or my swimsuit (as I have done in the past.)
• Make sure the kids have packed their swim bags. Make sure everyone has a towel and goggles.
• Make sure we have some kind of blanket for sitting on the ground, just in case
• Pack a car kit for each section of the car in readiness for anyone's car sickness. Our kits include ziploc bags (to catch the obvious) and hand sanitizer, because a little dab of alcohol on the base of the nose can stave off nausea for about 45 minutes. Usually long enough for the car sickness to pass without any excitement.
• Make sure we have any necessary phone numbers.
• Make sure we have car chargers for at least one phone.
• Make sure that there are car blankets in the car for each child (and me)
• Pack videos and books on tape to listen to. Make sure we have good music selections that everyone likes.
• Try to think of any possible contingency and have a plan in place for dealing with that contingency. (I kid you not--it's kind of a sickness I inherited from my paranoid grandmother...)

Joel's Jobs

• use priceline or something else to get us cheap hotels
• pay the bills
• make sure the car is at peak performance--change the oil, change the tires, fill up the windshield washing spray
• choose our route
• pack his own bag (with the clean pile of clothes I've left for him)
• Drive

I don't really mind that my list is so much longer than his. Like I've said, I can't help it. Plus he does 90% of the driving (he gets car sick) so I think in the end, our roles are pretty even. Plus, I like it that my husband appreciates all of my efforts and makes sure to tell me. That's nice to hear! Our division of labor might not work for everyone, but it works for us--and isn't that one of the things marriage is all about? One of my favorite definitions of a good partner in life was to choose someone who's "rocks fit your holes," meaning that the rocks in your partner's head fit the holes in your head. I feel like I have that with my husband.

Yellowstone National Park, 2008

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some things I need to do...

Retro Sun Hats--I want one!

Do you think they come in Grown-Up sizes? I could totally rock this look!

link HERE for the article where I first saw them and HERE for the maker's etsy shop.

Guest Blogging for Ali Edwards today

You can read my post HERE. What fun!

Things I know Today--6-23-10

playing with capes in the yard

1. My sister Susan's birthday is in a week. My sister Janet's birthday was 10 days ago. I'm going to be seeing them this summer, and I hope I can get a gift made for them before I leave. I have a plan that I LOVE and just need to make the time to make it.
2. "Summer's lease hath all too short a date." Shakespeare had this one totally right. (sonnet 18)
3. I have been much too busy in the last couple of months. Busy to the point of insane. Good thing I have a break this weekend!
4. I have too much crafty stuff. It's time to let some projects good. Good thing there was the Super Crafty Swap last week!
5. I am learning to listen to my body better when I am eating. It's like a switch flipped when I turned forty. It's been a learning experience so far. Things that didn't used to bother me now do.
6. I am constantly amazed by the ingenuity of the human mind.
7. Basic Grey (a scrapbooking company) constantly impresses me with their new releases. Such cool stuff!
8. I am loving the Summer Stories so far on Ali Edward's blog and looking forward to the whole series!
9. Taking time to reflect and count blessings is a necessary part of life. At least for me. Especially when I have been so crazy busy.
10. I'm totally in love with my family right now. I am working on really feeling the present moment and appreciating it and it's working.

I Love Mornings Like This

I woke up feeling that happy giddy feeling you used to get as a child when you had a new toy and couldn't wait to get up to play with it.  It took me a couple of minutes to realize that I was still super excited about sewing again. I am making a bag for J to take to a youth conference next week, using one of the most intelligent patterns I've ever found--the Mail Sack by Kathy Mack. I've loved this bag ever since I read about it on her blog. I think it's pretty awesome that you can take flat, two dimentional fabric like this:

Ginseng by Joel Dewberry. It's a home dec weight fabric, but pretty dreamy to work with. You can buy it here or here. Some of the prints are sold out, but you might be able to find it locally. We bought ours at Creative Crafts and Frames in Corvallis.

And then end up with this lovely 3-dimensional product (modeled by the eventual user):

We changed the pattern up just a bit--we added a small magnetic snap and then customized the interior pockets to accomodate a lip balm, a couple of pens, and her notebook (small specifically-sized pockets instead of two good-sized pockets.

No pens in this picture, but you can see the notebook. We also made a pocket sized for her cell phone.

It was a dreamy, easy project to sew. I completely recommend the pattern. There are lots of pictures of it on Flickr, so if you are on the fence, go check it out and then make your own! I used fusible fleece for the interfacing. The more I make bags, the more I like that instead of heavy-duty interfacing. The heavy-duty stuff never seems thick enough. The fusible fleece gives you both heft and thickness, making it perfect for bags (in my opinion). Now to make one for me!

(On a side note, I saved the bigger scraps for my person in the Super Crafty Swap because she is a quilter, and can appreciate them. I also hope she likes vintage patterns, because we culled our collection last night, and I'm throwing those into her package as well!)

So Ready for School To be Done

H. gets ready to walk through the arch at the 5th Grade Promotion ceremony.

I've been working for the past six weeks at a third job. It's taking a lot of my time, although I really am enjoying it the job. I'm ready for something to leave my plate though. We have a busy summer planned, with road trips, surgery for C. (to fix his wonky eye), and another backyard play with our dear friends. Summers used to seem so long when we were children--now those ten weeks just woosh by. We are also planning to visit Yellowstone again.

I am also working on another list for myself. I enjoyed my 40/40 list so much (and yes, I haven't forgotten my need to do a "sum up") that I want another one to guide my next year. Here's what I have so far:

1. Learn to Juggle

2. See a movie by myself (a carryover from the last year)

3. Go away for the weekend by myself (another carryover)

4. Have a Photo Shoot Friday once a month, where I take pictures for one family. I want to have a book all about family connections when this is over.

5. Continue to make exercise and eating better an important part of my life.

6. Sew More.

I'll leave you with one last picture of my oldest son. He's embarking on the road to middle school. And he was the only one wearing a suit. I was so impressed with him!

Super Crafty Swap Partner--Totally Selfish Mention

If you are reading this as my Super Crafty Swap Partner, and you are a knitter, I have always wanted a pair of hand-knit socks. *cheesy grin* Someday, I'd like to learn to knit my own, but that isn't going to happen for awhile...

Whoever my partner is, Thanks in advance!

I'm still here!

I'm working at a local Waldorf school now--about 10-15 hours a week until school gets out. I'm also still doing about 25 hours a week for my Korean Newspaper Talk job, so that leaves little time for much else.

I'm also doing a Super Cool Crafty Swap with Amber Lee Pence, of The Ribbon Jar. I've done this once before with Amber, and had an awesome time!

Things I know Today: 6-1-10
1. I'm really really really tired of the constant rain. This is our punishment for having a dry winter, I think. We usually have mild sunny weather by now, and instead, just more rain. I'm wondering if we moved to Forks , Washington (where the Cullen's supposedly live) and didn't know it.
2. It's okay to advocate for yourself when appropriate.
3. Businesses that have reputation for good customer service will give you good customer service, especially if you ask for it.
4. I really need to stop drinking so much soda. It's like a switched flipped when I turned 40 and now I can't stomach it as well. I think I'm sad about this. I plan to try some uncaffeinated sodas and see if what is irritating me is the caffeine. I'll let you know.
5. I still have a crazy relationship with chocolate. Does anyone else chase their breakfast with a "little somethin'" and have a piece of chocolate after breakfast? Just me? Yeah, I figured it was like that.
6. Being close enough to family to have big family gatherings is a precious gift.
7. High School students can be crazy-talented.
8. Fresh french bread from the store bakery is a special treat.
9. So are fresh cinnamon rolls with cream cheese frosting.
10. My sister-in-law from Wenatchee makes a fantastic chocolate cake. I need her frosting recipe. She spent about 10 years as the food editor for the Wenatchee paper and it shows. Yummmmm.

Things I Know Today--5-14-10

1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE that the sun has been out the last two days. I think I had a touch of SAD and didn't know it.
2. I still think that Cyndi Lauper is a mad genius.
3. I really love taking pictures. I've been mulling over hanging up my sign and trying to work it as a job.
4. I'm really unhappy that they closed my favorite store on May 1st. I'm trying not to think about it actually.
5. I have the best friends in the world! The kind of friends that throw you a surprise birthday party, dress up in '80's clothes, and create '80's trivia games just for you. You should be so lucky!
6. I got roller skates for my birthday and can't wait to hit the streets like I did when I was 8. And I should add that I'm hoping to hit them w/my wheels and not any other part of my body.
7. Money whooshes in and out of my wallet too quickly.
8. Being 40 is pretty cool.
9. I like my hair short, but wish it was QUITE so short. Still, when it comes to cancer, I feel like I had the easy part of it.
10. Chocolate is still one of my favorite things to eat.

Pictures For My Mom

are on my photography blog...I just spent a half hour loading them and realized that I put them on a blog I was fiddling around with to showcase my photography...and I don't have time to switch them to this blog, so:

SEE THEM HERE!

Things I Know Today: 4-27-10

1. Korean children work very hard on their studies and their schoolwork.
2. I will be glad when the show (Schoolhouse Rock Live! Jr. at the Albany Civic Theater) is finished.
3. I will be sad when the show is finished because I have been lucky to work with a fantastic group of women (and one great Dad) as we put this show on. I will miss hanging out with them--it will be somewhat of a letdown. Luckily, we can plan lunch dates!
4. I will be sad when the show is finished because there is a great energy that surrounds 57 talented kids working together to put on the show and that is nice to be around.
5. Today will be a long day. I'm working three jobs today. More on that later.
6. I'm ready for the sun to stick around for a little bit.
7. Caffeine in the morning really does give you a kick-start. I don't usually imbibe, but my sweetie surprised me with my favorite soda mix this morning, and I am enjoying it.
8. I'm turning 40 on Friday. And I'm okay with that.
9. The Cowboys, Jet and Cord should TOTALLY win The Amazing Race.
10. I'm not going to finish my 40/40 list before my birthday and I think I'm okay with that as well. I learned a lot about myself, and am already thinking of a list to guide and shape my next year.

My favorite picture (right now)

So so pretty to me. I have this as my desktop background and looking at it is a refreshing pause in a busy, busy day.

Thursday-- A Week in the Life

Homework waiting to be worked on in the morning

the breakfast of champions?

baking frozen cookie dough balls for lunches

Looking in the fridge for breakfast

Pouting because he wants cookies for breakfast and I won't let him.

all ready for school!

walking to the bus stop

driving the daughter to school (she went late)

going to lunch w/my cute hubby!

Happy mail from my mom.

Eye doctor--regular checkup. Only one eye dialated.

something pretty spotted on the way home. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm weird for stopping my car to take pictures of their flowers. I don't care.

...gets you pretty far. YouThespian rehearsal (after a trip to Costco and a 45 min sewing session to bust out a costume for "Interplanet Janet.)

"I'm just a Bill" (and daughter J is in the purple shirt and hat forming part of the capital rotunda)

Conjunction Junction, What's your Function?

Lovely Lady Libery and her great American Melting Pot

Elbow Room--up on the Moon!

"Mars is Red..and Jupiter's Big" (this is the start of the costume I sewed today)

Interjections!

Busy Busy Busy!

Yes, I know it's blurry. I picked it on purpose. My daughter is holding the sign on the right (that's for you, Mom).

We are in the final weeks of our Schoolhouse Rock Live production. My two oldest and I have been involved with this YouThespian group through our local Albany Civic Theater since last November. We open just before my 40th birthday. Many things in my life have been put on hold out of necessity, including the blog posts I'd planned as I counted down my 40/40 list.

Never fear! I am still crossing things off. I had my first pedicure last Saturday and enjoyed hanging out with some of my girlfriends. I hope to tackle a few more this weekend. I will not be finishing the entire list, but I am pleased with the results so far.

The rain is letting up and the dogwoods are blooming. Pink flowering dogwood might just be my favorite flowring tree. I'm trying to participate in Ali's "A Week in the Life"--I took pictures at rehearsal last night and today I took some pictures of the dogwood in my neighborhood. I also realized that I've lost the eyecup on my camera. Let me know if you see it.

I'll leave you with this beauty:

And this one (in case you want to make it your desktop background):

How this All Began (40/40)

As I celebrated my 39th birthday I thought about what I could do to mark this last year. To make my 40th birthday something that was filled more with celebration than with the usual dread (although, I must say, I wasn't really dreading turning 40--I am a mixed bag of emotions about the whole thing, but dread is something that the infamous "they" and their marketing campaigns cooked up, and is not necessarily one of the emotions I feel).

I decided to make a List. A List with a capital "L," patterned after some really inspiring lists I read on the Hula Seventy blog. And so it began.

I celebrated turning 39 by doing something I always wanted to try: singing karaoke. I've sang a lot. In a lot of places. It was still a bit nerve-wracking, trying to find a song I knew well enough to sing in public. I found I knew lots of snippets of the popular songs, but not really enough to get up there and sing it by myself. I mean, I would have been quite successul if it was "sing-along-with-the radio-version-oke" but alas, it was not. I sang twice, squeezing myself inbetween a couple of girls between the ages of 7 and 9 with a healthy Taylor Swift obsession (I should add this was "Family Karoke" night at the local Pizza King) I ended up singing two songs: "Part of your World" from The Little Mermaid, and a song I promised myself for years I would sing if I ever got a chance to sing karoke--"Passionate Kisses" by Mary Chapin Carpenter. It was a lot of fun! I thought it would be something I would do more often, but alas, haven't been back since then.

Still, it was doing something I'd wanted to try for years that propelled me to make the rest of the list. I wanted a mix of goals that were big goals--things that would stretch me a little--and small goals--things I could easily achieve. It's been an interesting journey. I definitely learned along the way. I'm also scrambling to finish off as many as I can in the next two and a half weeks!

I'll keep you posted.

The Countdown Begins!

Or rather, it began four days ago. The countdown to finishing my "40 before 40" list. I still have a lot to do! I'm totally making deals with myself at this point...things like "Well, you didn't do THAT, but you did do THIS which is pretty close, so..."

Here's the Original List:
forty before forty
1. sing karaoke
2. go to a movie all by myself
3. go away for a short weekend trip all by myself
4. run a 5k
5. participate in a “relay for life” or walk for some other cause
6. lose 40 pounds
7. work to join a professional level choir
8. create the habit of exercising daily
9. read five non-fiction books
10. finish the rough draft of my novel
11. reorganize my craft space and purge at least a third of my stash
12. enter my photography into a local contest
13. explore the local photography group and attend one meeting
14. visit the Oregon coast at least 5 times
15. have regular one-on-one “dates” with each of my children (I’m thinking quarterly at least)
16. put more things in my etsy shop
17. create the London scrapbook I was supposed to give my SIL for Christmas of 2008
18. purge my closet and only wear clothes that make me look good and feel happy and are in good repair
19. keep my desk clean for a week
20. make time for being spiritually fed on a daily or at least weekly basis (read my scriptures regularly)
21. color my hair again just for fun
22. get a pedicure (for the first time!)
23. go on a photo-taking walk around my house (Nebergall Loop)
24. go without processed sugary foods for a week
25. go without caffeinated sodas for a week
26. walk 10,000 steps in one day
27. donate my hair to locks of love
28. get all of my health check-ups up to date
29. revamp my living room
30. sew something for each of my children
31. go on a short outdoor hike
32. get all excess clutter out of my bedroom—make it a sanctuary
33. see one tourist site in Oregon I’ve never visited in the 20+ years I’ve lived here
34. learn to play 20 new hymns from the hymnbook on the piano
35. take one personal enrichment class through the local parks & rec or community college
36. write a new poem
37. finish the “no ordinary stories” coffee table book that’s floating around in my head
38. get a professional massage
39. go see a live play or musical, performed at least on the community theater level (no middle or high school performances)
40. watch the sun set into the Pacific Ocean

And what I've accomplished as of today, April 4th:
forty before forty
1. sing karaoke
2. go to a movie all by myself
3. go away for a short weekend trip all by myself
4. run a 5k
5. participate in a “relay for life” or walk for some other cause
6. lose 40 pounds (I've lost 20)
7. work to join a professional level choir
8. create the habit of exercising daily
9. read five non-fiction books
10. finish the rough draft of my novel (so not happening this year...it'll be first on the list for next year)
11. reorganize my craft space and purge at least a third of my stash (in progress--I have purged a lot, but probably not a third)
12. enter my photography into a local contest (See HERE.)
13. explore the local photography group and attend one meeting (Unfortunately, the club meets on Thursdays, which have been committed to YouThespian practices since about October, so this will have to wait until after my birthday)
14. visit the Oregon coast at least 5 times
15. have regular one-on-one “dates” with each of my children (I’m thinking quarterly at least)
16. put more things in my etsy shop
17. create the London scrapbook I was supposed to give my SIL for Christmas of 2008
18. purge my closet and only wear clothes that make me look good and feel happy and are in good repair
19. keep my desk clean for a week
20. make time for being spiritually fed on a daily or at least weekly basis (read my scriptures regularly)
21. color my hair again just for fun (I'll do this after I get it cut in a few weeks)
22. get a pedicure (for the first time!) (Scheduled for the 16th)
23. go on a photo-taking walk around my house (Nebergall Loop)
24. go without processed sugary foods for a week
25. go without caffeinated sodas for a week
26. walk 10,000 steps in one day
27. donate my hair to locks of love (This is happening in a couple of weeks as well)
28. get all of my health check-ups up to date
29. revamp my living room
30. sew something for each of my children 

31. go on a short outdoor hike

32. get all excess clutter out of my bedroom—make it a sanctuary

33. see one tourist site in Oregon I’ve never visited in the 20+ years I’ve lived here

34. learn to play 20 new hymns from the hymnbook on the piano

35. take one personal enrichment class through the local parks & rec or community college

36. write a new poem

37. finish the “no ordinary stories” coffee table book that’s floating around in my head

38. get a professional massage

39. go see a live play or musical, performed at least on the community theater level (no middle or high school performances) (I saw THREE!)

40. watch the sun set into the Pacific Ocean

I will give a full wrap-up after the month is over, point by point and step by step. Stay tuned!

Celebrating April Fools

I'm supposed to tell you that his clothes aren't on backwards, instead his head and feet switched places in the night...

I don't think the dog is buying it.