#19 Buy Something on Etsy

I love Etsy. So why haven't I bought more things there? Because I can never make up my mind! So, I started small, and since one of my challenges is to send 10 postcards via post crossing.com, I decided to head to Etsy to score some great vintage cards. 

If you haven't been on Etsy, it is a gold mind for handmade and vintage items. You must check it out if you have not already. I would love to sell something on Etsy and I am looking into selling food items. I know, add something else to my plate right? Well, big score for me on these cards, and I know there is a whole lot more to dig into. 

#19. Done. 

#9 Write a Letter to an Old Friend

This was fun. Too many times we seem to let life pass by without reaching out to old friends. I am guilty of this one too many times. I know. Most of us are, but it's no excuse. I remember when I was younger, it was the best feeling to get something in the mail - especially a letter. I thought I would recreate that for one of my best college friends. Over the years, you move away and lose touch, but don't let too much time pass by before you really stop and tell people you care about them. 

#9. Done.

November Wrap-up and on to December

It is amazing how quickly time flies! 


Since we last met, I:

• #18 Made a wish on 11/11/11 at 11:11. I suppose if I told you what it was, it wouldn't come true right?
• #52 Went to a book signing. 
• #97 Went to California!
• Cooking: Made Chocolate Souffle, chocolate ice cream, and fudge.
• Bible: Been slackin!

Continuing on with my "Drink List", this month I tried:
Gingerbread Latte: This was surprisingly good - considering I don't like gingerbread all that much. Slight gingerbread taste in the background.  2 Stars
Mocha Frappuccino: I love all things frappuccino. 3 Stars

My goals for December: 

• #9 Write a letter to an old friend
• #19 Buy Something on Etsy
• #61 Make 2 New Holiday Recipes
• #99 Write Myself an Email via www.futureme.org
• Continue to read the Bible
• Continue with my drink list

Thanks for following along!

Watched: 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'

Number 33 on the AFI movie list is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. I thought this movie was brilliant. From the very beginning, I was drawn in with the characters. Jack Nicholson was so great in this role (but when is he not?) and the supporting cast of characters was very intriguing. I see why this made the top movie list, although I think 33 is too high - that being said, I haven't seen most of the 32 above it, so I'll reserve judgement. I don't want to ruin it for anyone who has not seen it - which I highly recommend - but the ending really surprised me. This movie would be great for a college film class, although I am sure many curricula already use it. Fabulous movie and very entertaining.

 #33 on the movie list. Done.

August Wrap-up and on to September

Since we last met, I:

• Became an MBA graduate!! (#1)
• Cooking: Made Hush Puppies, Peach Pie, Fortune Cookies, Swedish Meatballs and Crepes
• Bible: Read Numbers
• Movie List: Watched The Graduate (#17)

Continuing on with my "Drink List", this month I tried:
Caramel Brulee Frappuccino: This was pretty good, I don't remember it being that memorable though.  2 Stars
Tazo Passion Brewed Tea: Awesome. I drink this one at home too, but they always seem to taste better when you go out! 3 Stars
My goals for September: 

• #93: Tackle a couple of movies on the movie list
• #9: Write a letter to an old friend
• #45: Make Soap
• Continue to read the Bible
• Continue with my drink list

Thanks for following along!

Watched: 'The Graduate'

You know the movie. 1967. Dustin Hoffman. The intriguing Mrs. Robinson. I am not really sure why I had never seen this movie before. I had not even seen parts. My husband can tell you that I am the queen of "Oh I have seen that movie...well, parts of it". I hadn't even seen a sliver of The Graduate. My husband - shocked. "That's a classic" he says. "Who hasn't seen The Graduate?" Well, I hadn't. Until now.

Thanks to the American Film Institute's List of the Top 100 Movies of All Time, I have now realized that dream. I am one step closer to seeing the top 100 movies ever made. Awesome.

So what did I think? I thought it was really good. I even thought it was funny at times. Dustin Hoffman gave a great performance (and he looked so young didn't he?). It was not what I thought it was going to be -- You know when you have an "idea" of how things are but when you actually experience them, you were way off? That is how I felt about this movie. But I liked it non the less.

Would I recommend it? Sure would. It is one of those classic movies I would say you should watch just to say you watched it, yet come out liking it at the same time.

#17 on the movie list. Done.

#1 Become an MBA Graduate!

So, if you have been around, you'll notice that my posts have gotten a little farther apart. That is mainly for two reasons. I have been working hard updating and networking with my main (cooking) blog, Mangoes and Chutney. Secondly, I have been working towards finishing my MBA.

I am happy to say that Mangoes and Chutney is almost where I want it to be...feel free to check it out! I have also officially graduated with a Masters in Business Administration!! Whoo hoo!!! That is number one on my list and probably the most important to me. Needless to say, it is over and I am so happy and proud. #1 down (literally)! Follow along for the rest!

#1. Done.

June Wrap-Up and on to July

Since we last met, I:

• Went a month without buying anything not a necessity (#55)
• Cooking: Made a Key Lime Pie, Graham Crackers and Lemon Pie
• Bible: Read Leviticus

Continuing on with my "Drink List", this month I tried:
Strawberry Viviano Smoothie: This was okay. It tasted more like a protein shake than a refreshing fruit shake. They do put protein powder in it, so that would explain it. If I want a refreshing shake, I'll just go to Smoothie King. Makes me nervous to try the chocolate and orange flavors. I would not go out of my way to get it again, but it was not bad. 2 Stars
White Mocha Frappuccino: This taste just like a white mocha latte (go figure). Very good, but a little sweet. I would get this again, but not as often as some of their other frozen blends. 3 Stars
Iced Coffee: This was okay. Didn't blow me away but it wasn't bad. If I want a cold coffee drink though, I would steer towards the frappuccinos. 2 stars
Chai Creme Frappuccino: Mmm, this was really good. Think Chai tea, blended with cream and frozen. A real treat. 3 stars


My goals for June: 

• #93: Tackle a couple of movies on the movie list
• #19: Buy Something from Etsy
• #29: Make Some 4th of July Cupcakes

Thanks for following along!

#55 Go one month without buying anything that is not a necessity

Looks like I made it! 

As hard as this challenge was, it was also very eye-opening. You wouldn't believe the little things you spend money on each month that are really unnecessary! Comparing last month to this month, there was over $200 that was just here and there purchases that were not needed. This challenge, I think will continue to be an ongoing one. Not completely cutting everything out (because you still have to have fun right?) but it will definitely cause me to look more at what I am spending. 

So, what kind of things do you purchase on a whim?
Things to ask:

• Do I want it? (Usually yes)
• Do I need it? (Usually no)

Evaluate your financial situation and if it is a time to spend.

Speaking of saving: I can add $10 more to by Louboutin savings (#83)! Cha-ching!

 
#55. Done.

Wrap up and on to June

So I have completely slacked out the last couple of months, but I am moving right along in the challenge. Finished a couple of things and it has been cool to revisit and revamp the list. I am really slow on the movies and books - but of course I knew those would be the longest and most involved part of the challenge. 

Since we last met, I:

• Wrote a Love Letter to my Husband
• Wrote a Living Will 
• Cooking: Made Marshmallows and Eggs Benedict
• Bible: Read Exodus and started Leviticus

Continuing on with my "Drink List", this month I tried: 

Peppermint Hot Chocolate: This was tasty. Hot chocolate with a little peppermint 3 stars 

White Hot Chocolate: This one was a little sweeter than all of the others, but overall, tasted like their original hot chocolate. 3 stars

Caramel Frappuccino: Good, but of all the frappuccinos I've tried, I wouldn't go out of my way for this one. 2 stars

Mocha Coconut Frappuccino: New to their menu this month, the BEST drink I have tasted so far. 3 stars

My goals for June: 

• #45 Make Soap
• #55 Go one month without buying anything that is not a necessity
• #60 Make a Cosmo Sheik Cocktail

Thanks for following along!

#34 Write a Love Letter to my Husband

Since our 5 year (really, wow!) anniversary was around the corner, I figured this would be the best time to complete this challenge.

I had written a love poem for him before, but it was more on the funny side, so I decided to do a more serious love letter to commemorate our 5 YEAR anniversary. Time sure does fly doesn't it? Nothing too fancy, but straight from the heart. I knew he would never see this coming because this is not something that we (maybe not a whole lot of people) do on a regular basis. I was right.

He loved it, I got praises and kisses. I also got the added pleasure of making him feel guilty because he didn't think of it first. Ha! Have you ever written a love letter to your special someone? How was it received?

#34. Done.

March Wrap-up, On to April

My March Goals

• Buy something from Etsy
• Send 10 postcards via postcrossing.com
• Visit a museum

How did I fare for March? Clearly, not so well. Things have been slowing down and I made a new schedule that seems to be working, so I can hopefully get back to everything I enjoy and rev up this challenge as well. 

Continuing on with my "Drink List", this month I tried: 

Pike Place Roast Coffee: Just their coffee. Imagine that. Very good and I see why people keep going back. 3 stars 

Hot Chocolate: The best hot chocolate I have tasted in a while. This is crave worthy. 3 stars

Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate: Do I have to comment? So good. 3 stars

Tazo Calm Brewed Tea: Like it so much I bought a box from the grocery store. 3 stars

Looks like it was a good month for coffee drinking!

What I Have Planned For April:

• Plant a tree on Earth Day
• Write a love letter to my husband
• Read a book from my list (Eat, Pray, Love)

Thanks for reading, follow along with me will you?

February Wrap-up, On To March

I had fun this month organizing/expanding on some of my challenges.  I will try to post more throughout the month, it is just more fun that way! Hey, maybe I should add that to my challenge list ;) Here is what happened this month and what I am looking forward to:

My February Goals

• Go a month without buying anything that isn't a necessity (this one is tough for me!)
• Write a living will
• Learn to write my name in Japanese

I also started doing my "Drink List". This month I tried: Cafe Misto, Caramel Brulee Latte, Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha, White Mocha Frappuccino. I have got to say, there aren't a lot of drinks I have not liked. Bravo Starbucks, Bravo. Although I love this part of the challenge, my waistline does not- and neither does my wallet!

What I Have Planned For March:

• Buy something from Etsy
• Send 10 postcards via postcrossing.com
• Visit a museum

Thanks for reading, follow along with me will you?

#71 Learn to write my name in Japanese

Thanks to the wonder of the internet, you can learn to do just about anything. For the most part, a lot of that is free too! So, instead of using the traditional way of schlepping it to the library, I sit down one night to figure out how to write my name in Japanese. Why? Just because I guess. One of those curiosity things. Why not?

That's it! Miranda in Japanese. A quick web search brought up tons of translation sites. I picked the first one, but compared it to a couple more and they did look the same. Pretty cool huh, and best of all - pretty easy. Doesn't it kind of look like ESPN?

#71. Done.

January Wrap-up, On to February

This month was a little slow for me by way of challenges. Of course not all months will be ripping and roaring, so I am not worried. I have been so busy in the past month and now I have also started homeschooling my preschooler! Anyhoo, here is what happened this month and what I am looking forward to:

My January Goals

• Buy something from Etsy (still deciding, so many things!)
• Start a 365 day photo challenge (Started, but this proved rather difficult. I'll try next year)
• Join a book club (First book starts this month!)

What I Have Planned For January:

• Go a month without buying anything that isn't a necessity
• Write a living will
• Learn to write my name in Japanese

Thanks for reading, follow along with me will you?

#7 Don't Complain About Anything For A Week

Wow. I knew this one would be hard, but I had no idea. Don't get me wrong, I am not a complainer. I like to look at the bright side of things and stay positive...most of the time. But you don't realize what you complain about until you actually think about it and try to stop doing it. From the smallest complaints:

• Why isn't this light changing?
• The line here is so long!
• Gosh my feet hurt, why did I buy these shoes?

Yes. These are complaints. Don't usually think about it do you? We usually are aware of the bigger ones, but it's these smaller ones that we overlook. 

Well, I dedicated a week to no complaints, and I'll be honest, I had to start over quite a bit. Case in point: I started this goal Thanksgiving week. When did I finish? It took me a mere month later to complete one full week, but I am proud to say that I finished it before the new year. As hard as it was to realize that I was complaining over the little things, it sure did feel good to realize that these things were unimportant and not worth complaining about. 

You know what? Life is so much better without them.

#7. Done.

#21 Join a Book Club

I used to be an avid reader...and then life got in the way. Now as part of this challenge, I have decided to get back into the love of reading and join a book club. Why a book club? Because even though I like reading, I am not really sure what books to read. There are so many different genres, authors, etc. You get my drift, so I figure a book club can do the work for me and just tell me what to read.

The problem for me is that I don't have the time to actually GO to book club meetings (I know), so I went in search of trying to find one online. The ones I have found though have terribly inactive blogs or forums and it is hard to find a group that is still vibrant and active. I tried just going online to big sites like Oprah's Book Club, but they just list all of the books on the list and then you are left to find forums on people currently reading those books. Good luck to you.

So by nothing short of a miracle, one of the blogs I read decided to start a book club for the new year. Awesome! If you want to join in the fun, the blog is the Lady Bloggers Society and the January book is Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. The positive about joining a brand new club is that at least I will get in on the forums while they are active. I hope this pans out for me.

Lastly, I needed a place to get a constant supply of books. The library copies are always so limited, and I love Amazon and my Kindle for Mac, but unless they run super cheap, I don't like buying books. So I found Booksfree.com. It is essentially the Netflix for books. Awesome. Only $10.99/month for 2 books out at a time, and I figure if I read at least 2-3 books a month, I am getting my money's worth. Check it out and join me in the quest to read more books!

#21. Done.

#63 Don't Log into Facebook for One Whole Week

Okay. So I did it. I can't say it was easy at first, but it definitely got easier as the week went on. Cutting out Facebook for me required a little more planning on my part since I have a food blog with a Facebook fan page and I also run a mom's group through Facebook as well. I may have cheated a little because I picked the week between Christmas and New Years where I would be able to take a hiatus and not receive a whole lot of flack from it.

As far as needing to know what everyone else was doing (and what they were having for dinner), that need left into about the second day. Facebook is kind of an obsession for a lot of people...I like to call it the Blackberry of the internet. You can get sucked in without a moments notice. Luckily for me, I do not play any games, so I had no farms to tend to, or restaurants to keep in business and I had just "cut the fat" if you will of my friends list. Kept it to the most important people in my life and the people I really care about.

I will say though that the toughest part was the week that I chose. Since it was the holiday week, I missed out on everyone's holiday activities and now if I truly want to know, then I will have to go profile lurking. BUT, it wasn't as bad (or as hard) as I thought it would be, and if it weren't for the groups and pages that I have on FB, I may not have immediately been back. Ha Facebook, I don't really need you after all.

#63. Done.

December Wrap-up and Forward to January

So begins a new year and challenges for me to complete. I have added some new ones to my list (read the Bible from Genesis to Revelations) and took out some that seemed a little mundane and boring (i.e. finish an entire coloring book?). For a little more fun, I decided to save $10 for every challenge completed (simply transferring it to a savings account), and with that saved money at the end of the challenge, I will buy a new pair of Christian Louboutin's and a designer handbag. Frivolous I know - but if you can't have fun for yourself, who can you have fun for? I added a counter in the sidebar to track my progress.

My December Goals:

• Achieve my goal weight (again!)
• Don't complain about anything for a week
• Try two new cookie recipes this Christmas

Other Goals I Actually Accomplished:

• Don't log into Facebook for one week
• Buy a new pair of eye glasses

What I Have Planned For January:

• Buy something from Etsy
• Write a living will
• Join a book club

Thanks for reading, follow along with me will you?