March Goals Revisited

March Goals

• Finish Apollo's Angels- I have no excuse for this, except that I didn't make an effort to take time out to read.
• Wash all curtains- Incomplete but intentionally holding off until Spring Cleaning is done
• Clean Silver Coffee Service Done March 20, 2011
  
• Clean off Back Deck - Done March 20, 2011
• Put Up stuff in the attic  Done March 20, 2011

Additional Accomplishments

• Clean out Fireplace March 20, 2011

March has been a bit of a frustrating month for me. As things started to bloom, my allergies decided to rear their ugly head yet again. I also seem to have been overly busy at work, which is strange since March is typically so quiet for me, and I spent one weekend out of town.

I am itching to start Spring Cleaning. My house feels so gross and nasty, and I just need that fresh feeling in general. Unfortunately, Willow the shedder is still with us. I refuse to do a deep thorough cleaning while she is still hanging around. She should be heading out soon with any luck. As spring break approaches, though, I am considering starting with the upstairs, which includes two bathrooms and three bedrooms. Willow is not allowed up there, except to go to bed in her crate, so I don't feel like my efforts would be in vain if I was able to go ahead and get started up there.

So now that March is done, what are my April Goals?

• Finish Apollo's Angels for real.
• Wash curtains in addition to Spring Cleaning the entire house.
• Find Willow a new home. 
• Plant flowers.
• Mulch the flower beds. 
• Begin Container Garden. 
• Re-make Easter Egg Wreath.
• Re-make cork wreath. 

That looks like a lot, but, as I mentioned, I have Spring Break coming up and I plan on getting a lot done then. 

February Goals Revisited

February was a pretty uneventful month for me, and I am certainly not complaining.

• Deep Clean the Bathrooms, including clean out the bathroom cabinets- finished Feb. 12
• Organize File Cabinet Finished Feb. 20
• Finish reading "The Poisonwood Bible"- finished Feb. 6
• File taxes- finished Feb. 9
• Donate stuff that has been cleaned out. picked up on Feb. 10

I also managed to...

• clean out the kitchen cabinets finished Feb. 11
• buy a new car Feb. 19
• join the iPhone cult Feb. 26

I wasn't trying to make this a super expensive month, but things just kept breaking. My former car was a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am. Phoebe was a great car, and I loved her dearly, but she was getting very expensive to keep on the road. The hubs drives a Toyota Corolla, so it became important to us that I have something a little larger than his car. We were looking at some SUVs,  but I just couldn't fathom only getting 19 mpg out of them. We then looked at a 2009 Chevrolet HHR. When they (and the PT Cruiser) first came out, my friends and I called them dwarf hearses. I could not believe was I even entertaining the idea of getting one of these atrocious things. But the inside was pristine. Low mileage. Lots of flexibility and storage space. We were sold. And, to be honest with you, the style has certainly grown on me. My friend said it looks more like an old fashioned gangster-mobile than a dwarf hearse. I figure that sounds like a better name anyway.

Prior to this month, my philosophy with cell phones has always been "find the coolest free phone possible." Now that Verizon has the iPhone, and consequently got rid of their "New Every Two" deal, I started to seriously contemplate my options. I could see where a decent phone could be a nice investment. I also balked at spending $200 on a cell phone. The ear piece on my little Samsung Alias was quickly dying. (Side note: The hubs had that phone for a year before I had it for a year and 4 months. Not a bad life for a phone.) By Friday afternoon, it was no more. Saturday morning we set out on a mission. I was eligible for an upgrade, the hubs on the other hand, was not eligible for another 2 months unless he ordered it online from Verizon. We came home with an iPhone 4, and I must say, thus far, I am very satisfied. While I was open to other smartphones, this one won out as we have 2 macs at home, and it's been so convenient to sync my calendars, contacts, photos and all sorts of things between the phone and computer.

So what does March hold for me? Let's see...

March Goals

• Finish Apollo's Angels
• Wash all curtains
• Clean Silver Coffee Service
• Clean off Back Deck
• Put Up stuff in the attic

King Shag Sauvignon Blanc

Wine: King Shag Sauvignon Blanc
Store: Trader Joe's
Price: $5.99

During the summer, my parents go "shagging on the beach." Luckily, they are  not referring to the Austin Powers version of shagging, but rather to the east coast, beach  dance style derivative from swing. Nonetheless, it makes my  sister and I giggle when they say it.

This bottle of wine always makes me think of them. It's a nice bottle, but a bit on the acidic side and certainly a dry-er wine. It didn't really satisfy me on this cold winter evening, but I can see where this would add some extra flavor to grilled meals during the summer. I definitely want to try it again, but it didn't super excite me right now.

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Robertson Winery Natural Sweet Red

Photo courtesy of Robertson Winery

Wine: Robertson Winery Natural Sweet Red
Price: $4.99 (I think...I need to make better records of this.)
Store: Trader Joe's

"The Natural Sweet Range is made in its very own unique way by blending varietals to showcase fruity and fresh, floral flavours.This process leads to wine packed with natural sweet flavours that are low in alcohol and very quaffable. Serve well chilled." ~http://www.robertsonwinery.co.za/rwrnatsweet.htm

For Superbowl Weekend (i.e. Steeler weekend in this house), we're visiting the in-laws. Now I am not a football fan, but the hubs family is from outside of Pittsburgh, so they are excited (and nervous) for today's big event. I could care less, and the antagonist in me almost want to root for the Packers. If I cared a little more about football, I might actually do that, but I just don't care enough.

As I have mentioned before, mother and sister in law are fans of the sweet wines. We were strolling the aisle of Trader Joe's the other evening, looking for a "Kool Aid" wine, and this was recommended to us. It's sweet and fruity-almost has hints of blackberry in it-but it's not intolerable either. With some sweet wines, it's all I can do to choke down a glass, but this is unoffensive. It's not something that I would seek out on my, and I'm sure I won't purchase it to have in our house, but it's something I can tolerate when around non-wine drinkers.

Revisiting the January Goals & February Goals

Way back at the beginning of the month, I set forth some goals for myself. I must say that I am proud of myself for  completing 4 out of 5 tasks, and then adding in 2 others. So here's what I accomplished (new additions are in bold)

• Sort, File, and Throw Out Magazines- Completed Sunday, Jan. 2
• Organize Hutch of the Desk- Completed Sunday, Jan. 2
• Organize Linen Closet- Completed Saturday, Jan. 9
• Organize Guest Bedroom closet - Completed Wednesday, Jan. 26
• Clean out the Garage - Completed Sunday, Jan. 30
• Clean out My Closet- Completed Sunday, Jan. 16

 And what I didn't get to:

• Organize File Cabinet

I'll be the first one to admit-it's a lot more fun for me to organize bigger things rather than smaller things. I hate going through papers and filing. I procrastinated on this task.  But, in my defense, we also need a new file cabinet. It would rather wait until we secure this to take care of all the filing. Nonetheless, it was a goal that wasn't realized. It will need to get accomplished during February.

So what do I want to do in February? Here we goooooooo:

• Deep Clean the Bathrooms, including clean out the bathroom cabinets
• Organize File Cabinet
• Finish reading "The Poisonwood Bible"
• File taxes
• Donate stuff that has been cleaned out.

30 Before 30

My 30th Birthday is looming in the distance...Well, it's 526 days away. I have had some issues with aging over the last few years. I felt fat, my skin looks like a teenage mess, my job was not where I wanted it to be, and my personal life left much to be desired.

Things are starting to turn around, though. As I posted before, I'm getting my weight under control. It's not perfect yet, but I'm feeling better about my progress. I have a plan for my face, and if that is not better in a few months, then I'm going back to my doctor again. In this economy, there is only so much I can do about changing my job, but I  have changed my outlook on it, and I am finding that being happier in general is having a positive effect on my personal life. So things are looking up for me.

In light of all this, I have decided to start a 30 before 30 list. Lists of these sorts are so trendy and popular right now-I resisted for a long time, but I really like the idea of embracing my 30th birthday and celebrating with new challenges or things that I just have been putting off.

1. Go on Vacation. It doesn't have to be exotic, but it has to be for fun, with the hubs, and spend at least 2 nights in a hotel. Staying with family does not count.
2. Come to grips with whether or not we want children, and if we do want them, a plan for when we might want to start trying.
3. Read 8 books before now and then. Yes, the ones I am currently in the midst of count.
4. Wear a two piece bathing suit.
5. Attend a dance intensive without students.
6. Have organized closets that stay that way.
7. Find a signature hair cut/style.
8. Start a vegetable garden.
9. Lose Weight. (91 lbs to be exact.)
10. Apply to grad school.
11. Create a cleaning schedule and stick to it for at least 2 weeks. Modify what doesn't work and stick to it for at least another month.
12. Try 4 new local restaurants (no chains!)
13. Try being vegetarian for a week.
14. Buy a houseplant-and don't let it die.
15. Organize jewelry.
16. Go to the zoo.
17. Complete JL's tshirt quilt.
18. Complete SD's onesie quilt.
19. Try at least 3 new craft projects.
20. Take a real yoga class.
21. Go Hiking.
22. Have a reunion with at least 2 friends from college.
23. Sing at to Karaoke.
24. Go to a Wax Museum.
25. Update Resume
26. Take new, good head shots.
27. Create a jazz dance syllabus.
28. Write an original children's ballet to correspond with the VA SOLs.
29. Pay off Credit Card.
30. Sex. Let's just leave it at that.

Tres Pinos Three Pines Cuvee

Wine: Tres Pinos Three Pines Cuvee
Store: Trader Joe's
Price: $4.99

I took this wine along to a social dinner hosted by my work. It was a good, generic, not too exciting, not too bland red wine. I wish I had more to say about it, but it was a looooong evening, and I was honestly more interested in socializing than critiquing a wine. Definitely something I'd get again and analyze a little more deeply. I can see this as a wine "non-red" drinkers can enjoy, especially in the winter.