Soup to Dutts

#2. Watch every Best Picture Oscar winner... Last weekend, Tom and I watched An American in Paris . We both love musicals, and this one was no exception. Gene Kelly was fabulous (as always), and you can't possibly go wrong with the music of George and Ira Gershwin. I do have a question, though: Why did so many musicals from that time have these incredibly long dance numbers that seem to have nothing to do with the rest of the story? I mean, I love watching dance as much as the next person (especially tap, which I've always kinda wanted to learn #confession), but come on. The one at the end of An American in Paris just went on forever. Oh well. I guess it was just one of those things. #19. Have people over for a meal 10 times. So, the first of 10 of these meals is officially in the books. But we didn't just have people over for a meal; we hosted a full-blown 4th of July party! There were 20+ people in our humble abode, which is the most we've had at one time...

I just haven't had a chance to post lately! So, here's a quick recap of some of the progress I've made on the list this month. #1. Have a morning retreat with God once a quarter. Tom had this past Wednesday off from work, and he watched the girls while I spent the morning at Panera having an extended quiet time. I may just have to write a separate post about this because it was just so good. #2. Watch all of the Best Picture Oscar winners I didn't watch during my last challenge. I watched Spotlight  at the beginning of the month, as one of the first things I did for this list. (It's available for streaming on Netflix right now, so it was a pretty easy one to knock out.) I gotta say, I've never really taken Mark Ruffalo all that seriously as an actor...maybe because I had only seen him in 13 Going on 30 and the Avengers movies. However, I thought he was fantastic in Spotlight . And the plot...such an important issue, and it was told in a way that I...

It's June 1! You know what that means...it's the first of 999 days during which I will attempt to complete 99 personal goals. I really hit the ground running this morning, literally. One of the first goals I want to start working on is to get back in shape, so I went for a run. Well, it was more of a walk/run; I'm using an app that allows you to run in short intervals and gradually work your way up to being able to run a 5K (also one of my goals) and eventually a 10K (another one of my goals). Hopefully I'll be able to keep this momentum going. Only time will tell! For the full 99-in-999 list, click here .

Years ago, I came across a friend's blog about 99 goals she wanted to accomplish in 999 days. It sounded like a fun idea, so I decided to  try it myself ; and I had a great time with it! Not long after that challenge ended, Tom and I started a combined 99-in-999 on which we...didn't really make much progress. 😩 But, given my penchant for lists and crossing things off of them, I've decided it's time to try this again, so I'm excited to say that I'll be embarking on a new 99-in-999, starting June 1! A few things have changed since the last time I did this, though, and many of my goals will reflect that... 1) I became a homeowner. Tom and I bought our first house three years ago. We love living here, but it could use some updating (the house is older than either one of us). Additionally, I've been a little slow when it comes to decorating and what-not, so some of my goals will involve putting our own personal touches on the house and continuing to ma...

Spring has sprung! You know what that means: spring rain, spring flowers, and...spring cleaning! I don't know about you, but I have my work cut out for me in that last area. Have you ever heard of the KonMari method? It's a different approach to decluttering that's really taken off in the last few years. Rather than going room-by-room, you gather up everything in a certain category (clothes, books, knickknacks, etc.) and as you sort through each category, you get rid of every item that doesn't "spark joy." Unfortunately, it doesn't work on bills. (Heh.) I tried the KonMari method on my wardrobe this past weekend, and it was a surprisingly enlightening experience! Here are some things I learned. 1) My wardrobe had taken over my house.  At the beginning of the weekend, all of my dresser drawers were stuffed full of clothes. I also had a laundry basket overflowing with clothes that wouldn't fit in said drawers. And a flat plastic bin of clot...

Check cleaning schedule. Quietly pat self on back for having a cleaning schedule, even if you rarely stick to it. Find that today is "floors day." Immediately decide that it is only "vacuuming day" because you're going to vacuum all the hard floors instead of sweeping them. Try to convince yourself that you're being efficient, not lazy. Dig vacuum out of storage room. Knock over skeins of yarn that haven't been touched in months because you don't have time or energy for a hobby. Turn vacuum on. When child screams with excitement, pray that she will still be this excited about the vacuum by the time she is big enough to use it. Begin vacuuming. Child will decide that this is the perfect time to inspect the pretty lights and colors on the vacuum by standing directly in front of it. Turn off vacuum. Child will ask "all done?" Say "no" and ask child to move out from in front of vacuum. Proceed as planned. Move to hallway. T...

I turn 29 tomorrow. I really, really love my birthday. I still count down the days like I did when I was a kid. Even this year, while I'm fighting a nasty sinus infection and probably won't do much of anything tomorrow, I'm beside myself with anticipation. I just can't help myself. This year I'm feeling especially reflective. As I embark on the last year of my 20s, I've been thinking a lot about my 20th birthday. I was a junior at Clemson, and I spent the night in the library, working on a paper that was due the next morning. Truth be told, I didn't feel much like celebrating that particular birthday. I was not at all excited about turning 20. It seemed like I was surrounded by people who'd had all these amazing life experiences, and I hadn't done much of anything. At least that's what I told myself. Well, here I am, nine years older, and I still haven't learned how to snowboard. I've never been to Europe, or even to the West Coast....