29 Things Before 30

My 29th birthday is Friday, and I've been thinking a lot about what I'd like to accomplish/learn/do before I hit the big 30. I'm not sure I'll accomplish it all but I'm sure looking forward to trying.

1. Read my Bible cover to cover. I've read portions since I knew how to read, but I can't say (much to my chagrin and shame) that I've ever read every single word. So starting on Friday, I'm opening the Book to Genesis 1:1 and starting over.

2. Lose at least 52 lbs. That's a pound a week. I think that's do-able.

3. Reform my cooking philosophy. This kind of goes hand-in-hand with #2, but if I'm going to accomplish   #2 , #3 has to be on the list. Starting Sunday/Monday I'm starting a mostly raw diet with lots of fruits and veggies. Fresh and simple eating and meal planning is what I'm aiming for.

4. Read at least 12 books: biographies, non-fiction, or theology. Fiction won't count. I already have a few of these kind of picked out in my head.

5. Actually practice the piano enough to re-learn some of my old songs. I'm not foolish enough to think I'm gonna actually conquer anything new. My girls always think when I sit down that I want to play a duet. Sigh.

6. Plan and implement a weekly cleaning schedule. I've attempted this several times before and always end up just winging it. I think having certain days to do certain jobs will help me keep up on chores.

7. Get my piano tuned. I've owned it for about 7 years now and I've never had it tuned. It's starting to sound pretty bad.

8. Visit my grandmother at least twice. She only lives four hours from me, and it seems like an insurmountable thing to go spend a week with her. She's getting closer to Heaven every day and I'm feeling the urgency of soaking up as much grandma time as I can.

9. Learn to witness more - whether it be just handing a tract to the cashier at the grocery store or chatting with my neighbor, I really struggle with this on a consistent basis. Really, what could be more important?

10. Teach myself to be more patient with my kids. Again, I'm inconsistent, and I despise that. I do really good for a few weeks and then really bad for a few days/weeks. I hate inconsistency.

11. Teach Alisa to read. We are currently learning our letters and are about half way through her pre-school book. But by next year at this time, she should officially be through with Kindergarten.

12. Have a finished bathroom and bedroom. This is mostly a "caleb's gotta do it" one, but still. I'd like for my renovations to be over by next June.

13. Start reading to my girls. We read their little books, but I'd really like to get my hands on something like Little House on the Prairie or something. I've been wanting to do this for a while, but I just haven't gone and found the books.

14. Be more motivated with my scrapbooking. This one might be on my list every year until I die. But I really want to be current with my documenting of our life

15. Start a letter journal to each of my girls. I'd like to have something like this to give them when they get married.

16. Manage to not cut my hair. I'm really truly honestly wanting to grow it out.

17. Find 12 more things to add to this list

Things I (need) Want for my Kitchen

A few of these huge oversized muffin pans. I'm not quite sure why, but huge muffin taste better than regular sized muffins. Maybe it has something to do with moisture or something. Whenever I see these, I think about Sam's blueberry muffins. Yum.





A blender. I want a good one, because my last two have both ended up with the blades frozen. I'm not sure if that's a quality problem, or what, because I swear I haven't ever tried to blend cement or anything...



Mortar and Pestle. Because they're cool.




I really do need a food processor. I have a little tiny one that probably holds 2 cups max. Imagine all the stuff you could use these bad boys for!





OK, OK, I do have a microwave, but it's an antique. I think it's a child of the 1980s. It has two dials, one for time and one for cook./defrost. I want on with buttons.




A Mandoline Slicer would come in handy if you wanted to wanted to...ya know, slice stuff. Like carrots and cucumbers and stuff.




So what do YOU need for your kitchen?

Memorial Day Week

I know everyone talks about Memorial Day. And the BBQs, and the beach trips.

I thought I'd share what we did on Memorial day (besides remembering those who are in the armed forces).

We woke up early-ish. My kids seem to think everyone should be awake by 6:13AM. So they sing real loud and holler and fight and in general make a ruckus. When we got up, it was a pancake kind of morning. We drank coffee with half and half in it because we were OUT of dry creamer. We prefer dry creamer.

Caleb put a pork butt on the smoker at 8. Also some chicken quarters that he bought. The chicken smoked until about 12. It didn't have a ton of flavor other than smoke, but smoke tastes good.The girls ate hot dogs that Caleb had grilled the day before for lunch and they went to bed for their nap.

Caleb and I decided to sit out in the sun and both got well-crisped. He turned the sprinklers on after he had mowed that morning so we kept getting sprinkled. 

The smoked pork butt was good. We used a pork-mix dry rub on the outside. But we both decided we preferred brisket. Turns out pork butt is cheaper than brisket though. We ate it with baked beans, macaroni salad, and texas toast.

Then Caleb had a lightbulb moment. He decided to go buy a swimming pool for us. It's about 8 or 10 feet across and probably 4 feet high. It was nice to relax in the cool water on such a hot day.

And that about sums it up. 

So I'm adding to my Gratitude Journal:

34. Military personnel
35. Days spent with family doing nothing important
36. Cool water on hot days
37. Aloe Vera

Ode to Heidi

Today my little sister turned 24. Aside from how old experienced that makes me feel, it's just frankly hard to believe.

Heidi turned into my bestest buddy the few years before I left home. We pretty much did everything together: Worked, carpooled, scrapbooked, relaxed, sprung surprise attacks on Tyler, trained to be cagefighters....everything.

We went to wander around various stores several times a week. I'm not really sure what the point was, but it was fun and good times together. Why did we feel it necessary to walk through the dried eucalyptus every time, Heidi?

I decided to not have her stand up with me in my wedding, because I wanted her to be able to actually enjoy it and just observe. When you're on the stage, all you can do is be awkward. I remember. Especially when you're 16.

We spent countless hours on my swing, which I tried to cram in my suitcase right next to Heidi. When the TSA minions found her, they said it was illegal or some such nonsense.

Anyway, I just wanted to wish her a very happy birthday.

If I was there or you were here, I'd make you some really deformed cupcakes.

I love you that much.

Piano Lesson Days

There are lots of reasons I like Tuesdays. First, I like the name. Who thought of calling it "TUESday?" really? 

Also, it's not Monday. Mondays are hard simply because it's getting back to the normal everyday business of living after the weekends. Weekends are full of shopping, church-going, friend-seeing, sleeping ins, staying up lates, grilling, lawn mowings (if you're lucky), and just in general, relaxation. 

Monday you wake up to the cold hard reality of a dirty kitchen, a horrendously messy house, and a laundry pile that looks like something out of the Alien movies. Not that I've watched those. Ahem.

Tuesday, on the other hand, starts with your house mostly under control after the Haz-Mat clean up of Monday. 

I also love Tuesdays because I teach my piano lessons on that day. There's nothing a piano teacher loves more than getting to nitpick listen to student's songs. My day starts off with Jessica's lesson. I love teaching Jessica. I don't think I've ever taught a student that was so excited and ready to learn. She's like a sponge! I see a lot of myself in her playing -- inattention to details, styles of arrangement, musical preference. Some of it's good, some of it's needing work. But overall, she's so much fun to teach, her little quirks don't bother me.

In the afternoons I teach two brothers, Jacob and Trey. I've been teaching Jacob for close to six years now. I still can't quite tell if he enjoys it or just tolerates it. Sometimes I see him get fired up about a song and he learns it fast and accurate. Other times he can drag his feet about learning something. As a teacher, you learn what to look for in a particular student - their signs of stress, intimidation, enjoyment, and zeal. He finally counts (most of the time) and learns his songs without too much difficulty. It's more the details that we have to work on, like dynamics, emotion, and pedaling. 

I teach his little brother, Trey, after Jacob's lesson. Trey is the one I haven't quite figured out yet. He's my youngest student (I think he's 8 or 9) and by far the shyest. I have to really coax any interaction out of him, but he's adorable. He actually has a little talent show today after lessons. He struggles with paying attention more than anything. When I can get him to slow down and focus, he can play and count quite well. It's just a matter of getting his playing-in-front-of-teacher nerves under control first. I've only been teaching him for about 2 years (I think.) 

I have a terrible memory.

So that's my Tuesday, in a nutshell. I completely adore teaching piano lessons. It's the one thing I can do that shows almost immediate results. 

Why do YOU love Tuesdays?

Gratitude Journal Entry 3

21. Being healthy enough to take care of my sick family
22. Washers and Dryers
23. The month of May
24. Spring's first leaves on trees
25. Slightly charred corn on the cob from the grill
26. Cameras
27. Un-mowed fields of wildflowers
28. Claude Debussy's Claire de Lune
29. Red mailboxes
30. Breezes that ruffle through trees
31. Donna Huhn, my piano teacher
32. Fresh basil
33. Talking to mothers from miles away

Weathered

Next week as your eyes bend to our craft,

mine will be drawn to your coarse, graying hair.

You are no star with those slate eyes

(on another day, they might be blue, or green).

But when I see you drift,

your cracked hands moving as though searching

for some familiar shape,

I have to ask – who have you loved, friend,

that you cannot love again?