Something that I’ve been meaning to do for the past couple of months, but just got it together. I went through Vanguard and set it up online. Took a total of 15 minutes. Easy Peasy. Now all we have to do is worry about his entrance essay and SAT scores.
Category Archives: 101 Things
101 Things in 1001 Days Challenge
101 Things: Review and Revisions
I have about 20 months left to complete my 101 Things in 1001 Days project. I’ve been looking over my list and there are a few revisions that I feel like I need to make. Some of the things are a bit too open ended for my liking. Others, I feel, are either unrealistic now that Joe is in the picture, or are frankly no longer interesting to me. So, I’ve made some changes. Here are a few of the new ones I’ve added to my list.
31. Open a 529 for Joseph
41. Organize and edit photos in digital library
63. Make quilt(s) to donate to Riverside NICU
76. Go to the drive-in
You can see the full list here.
101 Things: 86. Put in walk connecting back patio to driveway & replace side entrance
This spring we put in new steps to the side entrance of the house as well as a walkway to connect the driveway and the back patio. I cannot tell you how much this was needed. The side entrance to the laundry room was pretty much unusable. It has a minuscule wooden porch/landing that was very narrow and was cramped and over grown with bushes so that you had to squeeze in sideways to get in the door. Not very practical. We also had the problem of no walk connecting the back patio to the side of the house/driveway. This was a real pain, since you had to tramp through wet grass, snow, etc. It was also a favorite spot for Walter to do his business, so there were “land mines” to watch out for. Yuck.
So, we tore out the bushes and got rid of the tiny little entrance and had stone steps put in along with the bluestone walkway. I can’t tell you how much more inviting and open this has made the side of the house feel. Not to mention that we use that side entrance 100% more than before. Stupid me forgot to take some “before” photos for you to see. I wish I had because it really is a dramatic difference. (Pardon the less than stellar “after” photos. I had to snap some quick ones during nap time.) It is still is a little barren and sterile looking right now, but I’ll be getting some pots for around the side entrance to adds some color with some annuals. I am thinking some cheerful geraniums or other sun-loving plants. I’d love to do a flower box on the window (powder room) and maybe paint the door. We’ll see what I can talk Shawn into.
101 Things: 36. Update homeowners insurance with valuables
I know this is not one of the more exciting things on the list, but it definitely needed to be done. I highly recommend doing this if you haven’t already. We don’t have a ton of valuables, but those that we do have are really important to us. I would freak out if something happened to say my engagement ring and it wasn’t covered so I could get it replaced. This took more time than I thought it would, since we had to get things appraised and then send the appraisals in the the insurance company. But, it’s done and I have one less thing to worry about.
101 Things: 26. Join a yoga studio
I was regularly practicing yoga when we lived in Madison, but when I got pregnant with the twins I was unable to continue. (Major morning sickness and downward facing dog do not go well together.) I took a few classes at the club after the twins, but I wasn’t a fan of the class. I mean, there was old people wearing JEANS in there. So you could imagine that it wasn’t really the most challenging.
I decided that as part of my Dream Year 2012 I would get back into practicing again.I decided to join Grow Yoga a studio that is close by and has classes that I can go to in the evening so Shawn can babysit. I’ve started with an eight week intro class to get myself back into the swing of things. I’ve signed up to take the Hatha Yoga series since I wanted a slower and more detailed approach to so I can relearn yoga postures and focus on the connection of breath and movement as well as proper alignment. Practicing Hatha Yoga builds strength and flexibility and is a wonderful way to de-stress, something I desperately need. I think that once I complete this course I’ll move on to a more challenging class, but for right now I think this will be just what I need.
101 Things: 83. Renovate the kitchen
This is a big one to cross off the list. When we purchased this house, it was on the condition that we remodel the kitchen ASAP. It wasn’t the ugliest kitchen in the world, but it might have been one of the most non-efficient ones I’ve ever been in. You could just tell that this kitchen was for heating up frozen pizzas, not for COOKING. You know what I mean? I usually love to cook, bake, preserve, the whole she-bang. However, I lost my mojo when we moved into the house because of this kitchen. It was such a pain to do anything. No good work area, crappy stove and cook top, and the worst that there was no flow. The island was more in the way than a work hub. Terrible, I tell ya. Here’s a couple of photos of how it was before: 
So, we planned on getting the kitchen done this winter. Then came the exciting new we were pregnant again. Should we go ahead with our plans or wait? Would it get done in time? Shawn and I decided to go for it and get it done no matter what. Our thinking: Would we rather do this now or after the baby arrived? I did NOT want to deal with construction and an infant at the same time, nor did I want to have this turn into a “someday” project where I would have to suffer on with this inoperable kitchen. Full steam ahead!
We found an amazing contractor with Collamore Built. Justin and his team were amazing. I can’t say enough of how great a job they did or how pleasant the process was. I already know that we’ll be working with them in the future for some other renovation projects. (Master bathroom and the basement are already on the list.) Here are some more “after” photos so you can see all the details.
101 things: 6. Make another quilt
This is the quilt that I have been working on for what seems like forever and it is finally done. I had an idea about making a special quilt for Joseph as soon as I found out we were having a boy. I had been saving Shawn’s old shirts to cut up for fabric and I decided that this would be the perfect project to use them. They were all in the color palette of the nursery and I thought that it would be extra special to have a quilt made for our son “made with Daddy’s shirts by Mommy’s hands.” I’ll post more of the details about the process of making the quilt and more pictures here.
101 Things: 03. Donate to Locks of Love
I finally broke down yesterday and went and got my hair chopped for Locks of Love. I’ve been growing it out for about a year and a half now and I was able to donate 11 inches of hair! I’ve tried to do this a few times before in my life, but I would get so frustrated that I would just chop it off before it was long enough. I have REALLY thick hair, so it gets to the point where I feel like Cousin It or that my hair is strangling me. Crazy, I know, but I am glad that I made it to this point so I could make the donation.
I had the stylist take a before and after photo, you can see them when you go to the full post. Its pretty dramatic.
101 things: 89. Have a Holiday Party
There is nothing Shawn loves more than to host a party. He is truly Mr. Entertainment. I told him that since we were not able to travel for the holidays this year to see our families, I was willing to host a party here for our friends to celebrate the season. So, last Saturday we had our little shindig and it was a great time. After this roller coaster of a year, it was great to be able to spend time with the people who have been so supportive and helpful in getting us through it. If only I would have been able to join in with the cocktails . . . guess I’ll have to wait until next year.
101 things: 33. Buy supplemental life insurance
Not the most exciting thing to cross off the list, but with the little guy on the way, it had to be done. Shawn and I have some coverage through his work, but I felt we needed some additional insurance to make sure we had enough coverage. Done and done. (Don’t worry, honey, I think that you’re definitely still worth more alive.)
Widdershins 