Long Time without updating

Shame on me for not writing more! However, the crisp autumn air always gets me focused back on lists, so here I go again!

Since I last wrote I:
- Have eaten 80% local foods in September (29/30) (though I did let myself off the hook for my Chicago visit) (#11)
- Gone to the gym 4x (#54)
- Organized the Kitchen (#59)
- Organized the Bedroom (#60)
- Organized the Living Room (#65)
- Released 4 books via bookcrossing.com (#72)
- Visited Chicago (#86) - It was SO much fun meeting Kim and Latharia - it was one of my highlights of the trip.
- Visited my Mother (#87)
- Read a book about a work topic (#89)
- Incorporated at least one idea from the book (#90)

I guess I have not been quite so lazy as I thought. That is quite a list.

Getting some things done...

This past week I was traveling for work, which really puts a damper on the 101 things, but I have updates anyway!

The top picture is of a baby quilt top that I am making for my friend's future daughter. She is expecting sometime in September. So even though this quilt is not on my list, I felt like making note of it here.

The second picture is of some of the items we picked from our garden yesterday. We got about a pint of cherry tomatoes, 8 regular tomatoes (4 of which were yellow), a green pepper, a purple pepper, a "cherry bomb" pepper and some lettuce! We had some FANTASTIC tomato sandwiches for dinner last night.

While in Manchester, NH, I did manage to use the gym in the hotel twice. So two more for item #54. I brought books with me to release, but I did not release them - oh well. When I came back, my husband and I had our first "date night" of my 21 consecutive weeks (#74). We have decided to alternate the planning of what to do for date night. So next this next Friday I will decide what we will do (I am fiendishly plotting....). I also finished the first book about work while traveling. I have not yet decided what idea to implement and how.

I am glad this week is over, and I am looking forward to next week!

This past week

The garden work has been going quite well (#6 & 7) . We have harvested and enjoyed lettuce, tomatoes and chard so far. (Better than I had ever hoped!) The above picture is of me and our totally crazy tomato plant "Matt". Matt's posture isn't the best, but you get the picture of how big he is!! The really big leaves in front of me are the cucumber plant.

Went to the gym 3 times this past week (#54) and am really glad about that. Three or four weeks of no gym was making me quite miserable. I have much more energy and am much happier when I am going regularly.

"The Positive Coach" (#89) is the first book that I am reading on a work topic. It seems really good and full of excellent ideas to try.

Next week, I will be in Manchester, NH (for work). I will be taking a pretty good pile of books with me to release (#72).

"Ender's Game" was on my Goodreads "to read" list, so I have finished 1 of 5 of item #73. On that note, I have just started to read "Hotel Pastis".

I returned all the books I had borrowed, and that completes #71.

All in all a fairly productive week!

Moving Forward

I am paper list girl! I find that I am more inspired by my list when I see it on paper then when I look at it on this blog. So, to that end, I have printed my list, and will keep it with my calendar. When I read it, I get really excited and want to get going on multiple items. (YEA!!)

So, I have rewritten another item on my list. I changed #6 from "Weed twice a week for the summer" to "Weed as needed during the summer". How was I to know that I would not need to weed twice a week?

This is a picture of one of my favorite tomato plants in the garden - it has gone completely crazy! Parts of it are taller than I am! It is a cherry tomato plant and we have already harvested and eaten 5 tomatoes! (ha ha)

I am planning a trip to Chicago (#86) in September. I am going to stay with one of my sisters, and take one of my neices to the American Girl Doll Place to celebrate her 7th birthday!

Today I finished "Ender's Game", which is the last of the "borrowed" books that I have to read and return (item #71) - now all I need to do is return the books. I wrote a review of the book at Goodreads.com.

Only 2 left now for item #71

# 71 - Finish and return books borrowed prior to May 1st, 2008.

I finished Ursula LeGuin's, The Lathe of Heaven today. It was a super fast read, but it was very fascinating! It is a science fiction book about a person who dreams things into reality. When he dreams things into reality, it changes the past and recreates the world into this new reality. Quite an interesting topic.

I think it is about time for me to take on some bigger things, and I am feeling like I have the energy for it.

Reworking the list.

Today I reworked the wording on some of my list. I removed all of the "each week" and made a grand total number of times (took the # of weeks, multiplied it by the number of times each week I was to do the item, and put that total in for the goal total.) This way, even though I did not do these items each week, I still have the potential for reaching these goals.

9) Write in garden journal 1x per week through garden season 2/21
Changed to: Write in garden journal 21 times

54) Continue going to gym at least 3x per week 2/143
Changed to: Continue going to gym 429 times 25/429

57) Practice yoga at home 1x week 1/143
Changed to: Practice yoga at home 143 times 1/143

58) Keep weight at or below goal, weigh weekly 3/145
Changed to: Keep weight at or below goal 143 times 3/143

78) Take a day off from the computer, TV and Cell Phone 1x mo 0/33
Changed to: Take a day off from the computer, TV and Cell Phone 33 times 0/33

Since I did not complete these tasks as originally written, I feel I should be held to 101. Since I still expect to partially finish the items, I will impose 1/2 of 101 on these tasks. So I will donate $25 to Community Friends and donate 2.5 hours of volunteer work to a non-profit.

Back

Okay - enough down time for me! It's back to the list...

I have struggled quite a bit about not doing some of my "daily" or "weekly" or "monthly" items. I think that the added time pressure caused me to rebel against doing them. I need to decide if it is okay for me to change the wording of items on the list after posting it, or if I need to just say that I failed that item... I would love your comments on this!!

Items #1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are all completed as my garden is well under way. I have had two green salads from my garden already!

Item #6 - there has not been a need to weed 2x a week yet.

Last weekend I had a fantastic dinner at a restaurant in Waterbury, VT that has a focus on local seasonal food. I had a fantastic pork dinner! And I was able to write it up for the Vermont Fresh Network. (One more down for items 20 and 21).

I had to travel for work a few times over the last few weeks, so I found it necessary to purchase new work clothes (item 92).