Progress!

I'm slowly checking things off THE list (some involve a partial check cause they're 1/2 done or at least in progress.) Regardless, yay, me!

#2- still in progress but long enough (shoulder length) that I'm allowing myself to check it off
#28- I'm officially a working member of New Pioneer Co-Op and I did my first bit of 'volunteering' which I'm actually reimbursed for in gift card dollars back to New-Pi. Talk about a great deal! Last Sunday morning I found myself cutting up apples from a nearby orchard for a culinary bike ride around town and my next gig will be helping out and assisting with a class called "We Love Cheese."

.....Which will perfectly segue me to #20 which is on the books to complete with Mom this fall! We have our cheese-making kit ready to go and I'm almost done with a book about the whole process of cheese making- is it weird how excited I am to make homemade cheese?

Also partially completed are #23 (went to a KC Royals game over Labor Day weekend- loved the stadium!) and #5 (trip to Cancun is booked for December!) #15 (to be completed 10/1- stay tuned cause this will be a fun post!) & #22 (scheduling is in the works- I'm doing it!)

Christmas in July!

Our Christmas gift to my side of the family last December was a fun weekend of camping and canoeing adventures in Decorah. So last Friday we all met at a campground right on the Upper Iowa River and began the fun (despite ridiculous rain Friday night that required Mike & I spend a little time in the laundromat drying out sleeping bags after a fault with our rain fly...)

We had a great time canoeing and kayaking, sitting around the fire, enjoying delicious grilled food and swimming & floating in the river. The kids (Cale, Ayla & Jonah) experienced real camping for the first time and it was so cute to see them all help set up the tent and roast marshmallows. I wouldn't trade a weekend like that with my loved ones for anything in the world!

One bonus was how much fun Xena had swimming in the river, it was hilarious to watch her work so hard to swim upstream and then zoom so fast downstream with the current! She was one pooped puppy when we got home.

Let That Freak Flag Fly

Here's the deal: I'm slightly totally obsessed with Harry Potter and have been for 10 years. I read the series once a year and while I am much more devoted to the books than movies I was quite excited to finally make it to Part 2 of the final movie. Sometimes you gotta just fly your freak flag and embrace the weirdo that you are....so last night I proudly did this by wearing my Harry Potter t-shirt to the final Harry Potter movie and even found a broom outside the theatre to fly on!  

#13 DONE

I should have done a before and after pic but at least you can see how #13 was crossed off my list. It took a relocation of quite a few kitchen items but now I'm easily able to access my beloved cookbooks- the object of my foodie obsession- without a stool!

First Fruits (er...vegetables!) of My Labor

The first thing I've been able to harvest from my garden this year are some tasty green onions, the bulbs courtesy of my green-thumbed mama- thanks Mom!

#27 DONE

...new to my garden this year are 10 asparagus plants! I just discovered their teeny little bodies poking through the ground this morning after digging a specific sized trench and carefully planting them in rich compost mixture a little over a week ago. Next I will cover them with another layer of dirt and in 3 short years will hopefully be enjoying their delicious, tender crisp, verdent spring flavor.

The Hunger Games

My sister introduced me to the most amazing series of books I think I've ever read! The Hunger Games, Catching Fire & Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.

I read the entire series in 1 week thanks to my trusty Kindle which allowed me to instantly download each book immediately after finished the previous one, which thank GOD because there is no putting these books down once you start! Trust me, do yourself a favor, and read these books!