And So It Begins...

So, I dunno, maybe a week ago, my husband texts me from work asking if I’ve heard about this 101 Things in 1001 Days Project. I had not, but I was somewhat intrigued. When he got home, he did a little more research and started getting excited about it. He started creating a list, which led me to start thinking about my own list.

Wow. *way* harder to come up with 101 Things than I would have thought. Part of the trickiness, for me, is that we are expecting our first child in June (huzzah!). So, everything I started to write down was colored with, “Well, is that realistic if you’ve got a young ‘un hanging around?” Hmm…

In the end, this is what I came up with. If I count tomorrow as my starting date, that means I have until 5 November 2013. No idea if I’ll complete it, but I’ll give it my best shot. As I complete each task, I’ll write a blog entry about it.

1. Come up with 101 items for this list – be sure to make a least a few of them “easy.”
2. Write a minimum of 2 book reviews per month for book-kitten.blogspot.com. 
3. Write at least one letter every other month to someone who has touched my life in some way.
4. Make a donation to Bundle of Joy diaper bank.
5. Get a sitter and see The Hunger Games on opening day (23 March 2012).
6. Start a book club.
7. Read The Portable Thoreau in its entirety.
8. Read Selected Poems of John Keats.
9. Read Don Quixote.
10. Re-read Jane Eyre.
11. Keep a list of every book I read – picture books, adult novels… Everything.
12. Read one poem every day.
13. Write a sonnet.
14. Read the entire user’s manual for my Nikon Digital Camera.
15. Re-read the Bible.
16. Choose 10 countries and read one book by an author from each of those countries.
17. Research the life of Harold Washington.
18. Write text for a picture book biography of Harold Washington.
19. Submit picture book manuscript to at least 5 publishers.
20. Join postcrossing.com and send at least 25 postcards.
21. Bake something with Payton & Brooke-Lynn.
22. Tell my husband and child every single day that I love them.
23. Visit Fair Oaks Farm with my Sweetheart.
24. Create a playlist to bring to the hospital when the baby is on the way.
25. Attempt a drug-free, completely natural childbirth.
26. Get my wedding dress cleaned.
27. Get back to pre-baby weight.
28. Once the baby weight is gone and my wedding dress fits again, have it altered.
29. Get the Baby a passport.
30. Take our child to Rainbow Cone in summer 2012.
31. Find a library with infant storytime and attend with our child.
32. Read out loud to our child every day.
33. Keep a book journal for our child.
34. Take some nice pictures of Gram with Baby.
35. Research homeschooling; discuss it with my Sweetheart; try to come to a decision.
36. Reach a decision on when to try for Baby #2.
37. Take CPR class.
38. Schedule a pin-up girl style photo shoot.
39. Go out for high tea.
40. Go to 5 different museums.
41. Find a church – or at least explore options.
42. Donate blood at least 4 times a year.
43. Visit a labyrinth (labyrinthlocator.com/)
44. Go to the dentist.
45. Go to the eye doctor.
46. Find a yoga class to attend.
47. Participate in Girls on the Run 5K.
48. Participate in Run for Congo Women 5K.
49. Make a ginger custard pie.
50. Learn to sew with a sewing machine.
51. Make a skirt.
52. Make an apron.
53. Make a t-shirt quilt using all my library t-shirts and old jeans.
54. Plant some flowers.
55. Have a pajama day – no phone, no computer, just books and movies and ordered in pizza for dinner and laziness.
56. Sponsor a Kiva loan.
57. Learn how to darn socks.
58. Learn to make jam.
59. Learn to make bread and butter pickles.
60. Bake cinnamon raisin bread.
61. Make scones.
62. Make toffee.
63. Make spaetzle.
64. Obtain a Pullman bread pan and learn to make sandwich bread.
65. Paint the upstairs bathroom.
66. Paint mirror for front foyer.
67. See a performance of a Shakespeare play.
68. See Les Miserables.
69. See an opera at Lyric.
70. Visit Anne & Frank in Canada.
71. Participate in operationbeautiful.com.
72. Seriously sort through clothing and donate what I do not wear at least once a year.
73. Visit or call my Gram at least once a week.
74. Take one continuing education class, possibly at PSC or GSU.
75. Attend free yoga in Millennium Park at least once a summer.
76. Maintain a blog chronicling my 101 Things in 1001 Days project. (book-kittens101things.blogspot.com)
77. Host a brunch for my girlfriends to thank them for being so awesome.
78. Sort through unpacked boxes in the basement and discard anything I do not need or use.
79. Host a cookie swap.
80. Invite my parents over for dinner.
81. Invite Gram to have lunch with us at the house.
82. Attend a free concert in Butler Field or Pritzker Pavillion.
83. Take a picnic to the Japanese Garden in Chicago.
84. Go to 63^rd Street Beach.
85. Go to the Garfield Park Conservatory.
86. Create a database of every book we own.
87. Go to a shooting range.
88. Create a list of 100 things that make me happy.
89. Learn to fold an origami “peace crane.”
90. Thoroughly clean upholstered chair and move into our bedroom for my Sweetheart.
91. Brush Mugzy at least once a week.
92. Organize and back up files from desktop computer.
93. Recycle desktop computer.
94. Send a kind, anonymous letter or card to someone who irritates me.
95. Give something away on freecycle.org.
96. Bring Gram flowers, just because I love her.
97. Eat pizza at The Grumpy Troll.
98. Splurge on baked brie at Flossmoor Station.
99. Watch Amelie.
100. Get pie from Hoosier Mama.
101. Weed my cd and dvd collections.