So it's been a while . . .

No post since December 16th? Sheesh! I guess I got a little busy with Christmas. And it was a good Christmas this year - especially seeing it through the boy's eyes. He's at the age (4 almost 5) when the magic of Christmas, Santa, and Elves is amazingly real - I loved seeing every minute of his excitement.

I posted last about the time-suck of Pinterest; well, I have another to add, that just piles on to Pinterest and Facebook - that is, the Kindle Fire Jim gave me for Christmas. I am not enough of a tech-lover to justify buying an i-pad and I was just ready to try an e-reader - so far, the Kindle is perfect for me. I can read, play word games, stalk Facebook, and Pin - yep, guess what I've been doing for the last several nights??

Progress - well, I've added Troeg's Mad Elf Ale to the list of beers (YUMMM) and I've written not just one but TWO poems (one for a friend who wanted verse to accompany a Christmas gift and one to accompany a Christmas gift to my Aunt). I have not knit a single stitch but I did have dinner with Jackie and she lent me the book "Purls and Pints" (knitting projects you can do while drinking - perfect for my skill level). BONUS POINT - I had only one beer with dinner (the Mad Elf), so there was no drunk driving!

Very much looking forward to the year ahead - to working on the list, to writing more, to having more fun. It's cliche, but I love the feeling of starting over every New Year - even as a kid, I always loved this time of year for assessing, reorganinizing, and rearranging. So, a Happy and Safe New Year to all!

Pinned to my computer by another time-suck

Oh, I needed another time-suck in my life - Facebook had gotten too predictable. TV is boring. Make room for Pinterest! I love this site - if you haven't yet checked it out, take a look and while you're there, request an invitation (they actually have to invite you to join - takes a couple weeks). Pinterest is a place to post images you find online - you set up virtual bulletin boards (e.g. "Party Ideas," "Clothes," "Books," whatever) to which you "pin" the images. Then, similar to Facebook, other people on Pinterest can "like" them, comment on them, or re-pin to their own boards.

I love Pinterest particularly for how it relates to this project - I've had a lot of fun finding the recipes and beers I've tried, as well as images of the places I want to go. The time-suck part comes in when I start perusing other people's boards ...

ee cummings - forever on my body?

I'm toying with the idea of making my next tattoo a line from an ee cummnigs poem:

i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)

Just not sure where to get it - clavicle? Wrist? Upper back?

It's beginning to look a lot like . . .

I'm maybe half-way done with Christmas shopping. I haven't baked a single cookie or wrapped a gift. The Christmas cards were supposed to go out this weekend but are lacking stamps and address labels. But the tree is up and the house is decorated!

It's been a good weekend. Ben had a blast helping decorate today. And yesterday it was great to let him have an all-day PJ Saturday, complete with a train track around the living room and a visit from Grandma and Grandpa Weaver. As the days tick off closer, my Christmas spirit is growing. It helps to see the holiday through the eyes of a kid - I love that excitement and frenzied anticipation!

Now I've done it . . .

"#25 - Run a Warrior Dash."
Found out today from Jackie that there is a second Warrior Dash in Ohio in 2012 - at Clay's Park, in August. Practically in my back yard! (At least, compared to Logan, which I think is near Hocking Hills.) So, what did I do? Registered for the first wave (9:00 am) and promptly signed my gal Lindsay up for the same. Jackie is planning to register, and possibly Jen and Katie (two of Jackie's girlfriends I met at GLBC).

I am excited about the whole thing, but admittedly, scared, too: You have to jump over fire! You have to scale a wall! (yikes) Uh, yeah, and run the 3.1 mile course. But it looks like so much FUN! The thing that cracks me up is that I will have one more experience for which to credit (blame?) Jackie . . . hmmm, we'll see how I'm feeling in August.

I'm ready to be nice again

I got nothing. But I'm here!

Bad mood all week and finally feeling better. I have nothing to be crabby about, and EVERYTHING to be grateful for. Ummmm, the list - no progress today. But I remain hopeful! Good night, all.

Here I am again - just as promised! NO TV tonight - just a rowdy 4-year-old who has been up four different times to report: 1. "No, I didn't fall out of bed. I gotta go to the bathroom." 2. "Mom, come look at the moon!" 3. "I need to tell Daddy I gave away my alphabet blocks last weekend." and 4. "We forgot to open the Advent calendar tonight!"

Not much progress to report today but I did start scoping dates for 2012 races - will be registering soon for the Cleveland Half in May. And I am very excited to find out that a couple friends at work are going to start training for the Jeep Davis Memorial 5K in May. I don't mean to wish away time, but I love daydreaming about spring and summer races when the weather is cold and crappy.

Keeping Commitments

It's Monday night, and as I promised, I AM writing. One Christmas Ale in, but the TV has NOT been turned on. That is what seems to be my biggest time/motivation suck. I have such a love/hate relationship with the idiot box! I get so involved in shows like "True Blood" and "Mad Men," but feel like most of what is on today is crap. Yet, I will watch it if it is on.

What's new? On the upside, I reached out to several friends in the last day and made plans to get together over the next month. On the downside? Ben and I were talking about the past year during our drive to school this morning. I realized that after our OBX vacation in June, the summer was sadly unremarkable. I kept thinking, "I must have forgotten SOMETHING" but when I checked my calendar at work I realized, nope - many summer weekends were spent fulfilling my own commitments, but not many were spent doing fun things with him. I am a big proponent of parents having time to themselves, but I need to do better by him. I mean, we didn't even make it to the zoo until September! So, if nothing else, the list is helping push me to do fun, memorable things with him.

Progress

Check #31 off the list - we took Ben skating at Kent State on Saturday and had a blast. I am so proud of the boy - he had a tough time balancing, and fell a LOT, but he kept trying. By the end of the session, he was starting to get a little rhythm and was able to stay on his feet by skating between me and Jim, holding our hands. Most importantly, he still had a positive attitude and was excited about coming back.

As for the rest of the list - I've scoped out the schedule for the Rubber City Roller Girls and have plans made with MARIAN :) et al to see them in March. I've started looking at 2012 marathons I might volunteer for - possibly the Towpath Marathon in October. That is, if it doesn't conflict with #10 (Las Vegas)! And I have the Soap Box Derby on the family calendar for June.

I planned to write last night, but was struck once again by the one-two punch of red wine and DVR-d "Saturday Night Live." BOOOOOO. My laptop sat next to me on the couch, cast aside. I admire the writers who blog every day. My friend Michelle, from church, updates hers religously (ha ha, sorry, I coudn't resist the pun!), and I am so inspired when I read it. (In fact, I caught up on hers before updating here.) I think the challenge for me this week is to actually post EVERY DAY this week, whether at work on my lunch break or at home ("Put the remote down, Jen!"). Let's see how it goes . . .

Knitting Makes Me Cross

"33. Knit something other than a scarf"

I see so many cool projects to knit - fingerless gloves, baby sweaters, awesome hats. I look through Etsy and see people selling all these wares they've created and think, "I WANT TO DO THAT." I love the idea of knitting because it's a creative endeavor with a useful result. (I've tried to scrapbook but end up feeling like, "well, here's something else I have to store somewhere . . .")

Last night, I pulled my knitting bag out of the closet for yet ANOTHER try. I first attempted it about 5 years ago, and then shortly after Ben was born, actually creating a scarf (never mind that it looked like it was knit by a 3-year old).

I successfully recalled how to cast on stitches. But when it came to actually knitting, I COULD NOT remember, despite having three different "how to" resources by my side! I read the instructions thinking, "This says pull the yarn from the 'front.' Whose front?! The front of the needles?! It's already in front of me! WTF?!?" [Cast on stitches pulled off the needle in a fit of pique.] "HOW CAN ANYONE SAY THIS IS A RELAXNG PASTIME?!?"

This little scenario played out 3 or 4 times. I guess it's clear that I am a learner who needs a teacher in person, showing me how! So, I will keep trying, likely asking my mom to show me yet AGAIN how to make those first stitches. I have given up on so many projects over the years - which is another reason this list came about: to make me accountable for some follow-through.

New recipes!

Well, I'm making progress on #16 - making 40 new recipes. Here's the countdown so far:

Pumpkin Soup with Apple Cranberry Relish - pretty good, but not filling enough for the main meal.

Pork Chops with Apples and Polenta - YUM. With this one, I found out how much BETTER polenta is with BUTTER.

Chicken with Orzo and Goat Cheese Vinaigrette - Very good. And it cracks me up that my son, who won't touch iceberg lettuce or green peppers, LOVES goat cheese.

Last week - Balsamic Glazed Pork Tenderloin with Lentils and Apples (left) - thumbs up on the tenderloin. The lentils - eh, not bad.

Tonight - Cheese Ravioli with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon (right). Again - the boy won't touch most green veggies - but give him broccoli, cauliflower, or brussels sprouts, and he loves them (of course, everything is better with bacon!).

Why the list?

I mentioned that Jackie was my inpiration for taking on this list. She is one of the most creative, fun people I know. Tied to that, I hope that working on this list will force me to be more creative in my own life and to step outside my boring little box.

I have a feeling that a lot of women (especially working moms) can relate to this. I don't mean for this to sound like whining. I know I have a good life and am grateful for ALL the blessings that surround me. I have a healthy body and am able to get up early to run before work. I have a wonderful family to care for. I have a good job that I like most days. That said, I acknowledge that it is my choice to, after a long day, succumb to the siren song of the couch/TV/beer or wine and not do ANYTHING else. I am TIRED once the boy is in bed!! But I know that I can also make the choice to do more, instead of just being passive - I can turn off the TV and write, or knit, or find more recipes, or reach out to friends and family.

That's what this list is about, in truth. Pushing myself to be more present in my life, more creative, more engaged with all of the people I care about.

So . . . I'm giving myself a gold star tonight for writing and examining my motivation. And doing it with a beer but WITHOUT giving in to the couch and TV! Unfortunately, it's not a "new to me" beer so it can't go on the list. But that's what tomorrow at The Lockview with five of my favorite people is for!

Finish the damn list!

Sheesh, just a few more days and I still have to come up with eight more items. Today's the day. Here are 33 - 40:

33. Knit something other than a scarf
34. Take my mother-in-law to lunch
35. Plant impatiens around my back porch
36. Make and send 5 cards
37. Take a day off in winter to spend 24 hours in PJs watching movies and eating comfort foods
38. Get a bacon milkshake at B Spot
39. Make a meal completely from local ingredients (guess this will be next summer!)
40. OK, I'm taking suggestions on the last one. What do YOU think I should do before I turn 40?

Only 9 more to go . . .

Getting closer - thanks, Jackie, for sharing your list to give me some more ideas!

22. Plan a get-away with Jen K.
23. Go to Uncorked wine bar
24. Go to Sarah’s Vineyard
25. Run a Warrior Dash
26. Plan a spa day with Trish
27. Buy a shirt from Rubber City Clothing
28. Go to a roller derby match
29. Take Ben to see the Soap Box Derby
30. Buy a hat I really love
31. Take Ben ice skating at KSU

Continuing the Countdown

I'm getting down to the wire - only 8 days left until the big 39. I'm getting there, slowly:

17. List 40 things I love about or have learned from my friends.
18. Run at lunch with Argerie.
19. Run at lunch with Tricia P.
20. Document the wines I drink.
21 No more drunk driving. Ever.

Oh, Christmas Ale . . .

The upside: last Tuesday was a BLAST. The weather was perfect - sunny and low 60s. Jackie and I staked a place at the downstairs bar at GLBC early. We got our first Christmas Ales around 4:00 and they were AMAZING. I had so much fun meeting all of her friends, who didn't seem to mind the ass I made of myself as I consumed more Christmas Ale.

The downside? I drank way too much. Then was stupid enough to drive home after Jackie dropped me off at my car. I'm way too old for this shit - I KNOW better and thank God that nothing bad happened on my way home (as Jim pointed out, a DUI would be the best case scenario, here). So that leads me to item 21 on the list, actually applicable AFTER 40 - no more drunk driving. EVER.

Updated list coming up next . . .

More on the list . . . and Christmas Ale Eve!

Still working on that list, trying to finish - here are the newest additions:

12. Make a layer cake from scratch
13. Document an entire day in pictures
14. Try 40 NEW beers
15. Run 50 miles in races
16. Make 40 NEW recipes

Tomorrow is the big day for Christmas Ale - I'm meeting Jackie at 12:30 and we're heading up to Cleveland. We'll claim our seats at GLBC around 3:00 to be as close to first pour as possible. :) Is it wrong that I get THIS excited about beer??

Great Lakes Christmas Ale

So GLBC had a contest - submit your favorite Christmas Ale memory or photo and if yours is chosen, you get the FIRST POUR on Tuesday. Here's what I submitted:

Forget pumpkin pie, Christmas cookies, and turkey. Christmas Ale is THE holiday food (yes, it's beyond beer, I count it as a food!) of the season. Every year, I go on the hunt to purchase as many six-packs as possible to stockpile. On a chilly evening last November, after picking up my then 3-year-old son, I swung into a drive-through down the street from his pre-school to see if I might score. As I pulled forward, I gleefully spotted the beautiful packaging - jackpot! I opened my window to give the clerk my order and my son excitedly screamed, "Mommy, they have Christmas Ale!!!" Mind you, I had not said a word - the kid recognized it on his own and at the tender age of three, knew his mama for the Christmas Crack addict she is. The clerk pierced me with the hairy eyeball but I just shrugged it off. "Eh, I won't let him drink any until he's at least six." From that point on, I knew I could count on my son to be my Christmas Ale look-out whenever we were in a store. Today, he can also spot Holy Moses and Eliot Ness from 20 paces. What can I say? The kid has good taste.

Pick me, pick me, pick me! Going to the intial tapping of Christmas Ale at GLBC is one of the big to-dos on my "40 before 40" list and I will get to make that dream come true on Tuesday!!

Sadly, I missed the submission deadline (loser).  But I cannot emphasize enough how excited I am to go to GLBC next Tuesday with Jackie! What the hell is it about Christmas Ale?  I get this goofy every year.  Well, on Tuesday I will raise my glass to an item checked off this list.

The big questions is: can I come up with 29 more items before my 39th birthday?

So I have fewer than 13 months before my 40th birthday.  I was inspired by my friend Jackie to start a "40 before 40" list - sort of a mini-bucket list.  Below, in no particular order, are the ideas I've come up with so far - most are pretty easy to accomplish and some are even completed (purse, blog):

1. Volunteer 40 hours
2. Buy a good (read: expensive) purse
3. Get another tattoo
4. Go to Great Lakes Brewery for initial tapping of Christmas Ale
5. Volunteer at a marathon
6. Eat a Skyway burger
7. Write a poem
8. Start a blog, even if I don't maintain it!
9. Take a cooking class
10. Las Vegas with Jim, Barb, and Rick
11. See a movie at the Cedar Lee Theatre

The hardest part so far has been compiling the damn list!  I started in August and am only up to 11 items (sad, right?).  I'll share my rationale behind each and provide updates whenever one is completed.  Have suggestions for me?  Completed your own list?  I'd love to hear from you.