Bucket List, "Before"

To 'celebrate' my 2 years of blogging, I thought I'd return to my very first post and redo my "Bucket List."  Before I revamp and make a new one, I thought I should take time to review the original.  There have been a few checks (✓) added as I accomplished a goal...very few, but I do celebrate those.  I have added comments, where appropriate:

1)      Kitchen:

a.       Make a sourdough starter and sourdough breads - I love Sourdough bread, but still have not been motivated enough to try my own.  Our pizza dough gets close, since I leave a little every time I make a new batch.  If it sits 2 weeks, the family seems to love it even more, and recognizes the sourdough type of flavor.

b.     ✓Make my own yogurt - I'm so glad I did this.  I really love it after it's been drained, and my go-to, healthy breakfast is our homemade Greek yogurt with roasted almonds, unsweetened coconut, and a squirt of Blue Agave nectar.

c.       Make fresh pastas - Still think I might like to make fresh ravioli from scratch.  We'll see.

d.     ✓Create more veggie-rich meals, including work lunches for DH

2)      Sewing:

a.       Machine Embroidery…I have the machine and I should use it!

b.      Sew for the local crisis pregnancy organization

c.       Sew for myself and the kids again…Make a duct tape body form? - I REALLY want to do this.  But I think I might have to wait until our young marrieds get into their own space, and my sewing room is no longer their laundry/office/storage area.

3)      Gardening

a.       Study greenhouse gardening…Get the greenhouse fixed, finished, and working for us

b.      Learn succession gardening

c.       Learn all-season gardening

d.      Establish and plant berry gardens

4)      Yard

a.       Create flower beds around the front porch, and eventually redirect the driveway - The building of the garage addition will actually force some of this to happen, and in those same plans, I should get a bigger veggie garden area with better exposure.  It'll happen!

b.      Remove sod, and put gravel around the garden boxes

5)      Woodworking - Maybe in the new garage's shop area!

a.       Butcher block cutting boards

b.      Tables and work islands

c.       Start business?

      6)      Raise chickens…?  We’ll see…-   Still on the radar, but a ways down the list.

7)      Art and Crafts - Doesn't seem to be happening!

a.       Learn to knit

b.      Keep a sketch diary

c.       Refresh my painting skills

8)      House

a.       ✓ Create our ‘library’

b.      Design a pet area, including a contraption to keep the dogs out of the cat food, or we’ll need a doggie treadmill (Rosie is already almost rolling down the stairs in the morning.) - We put the cat food on the sewing counter (not the best solution), which did help Rosie regain her proper weight range.  But I hope for a better set-up in the new enclosed breezeway between the house and garage.

       9)      Homeschooling - There have been big changes in our approach this year, with         still more adjustments needed.  Definitely a subject for the new list.

a.       More writing!

b.      ✓Expand the great new math program (Teaching Textbooks) used for grade 7 and Algebra this year for all the kids at all levels

c.       More reading!

d.      History timelines

e.      Have a ‘project component,’ so there are always ongoing projects underway for each child

       10)  Self-Improvement - SO LITTLE progress here.  Need to rethink and refocus.

a.       Daily devotions/Bible

b.      Daily exercise…Oh, ok…

c.       READ…Quit returning books to the library only partially read.

d.      Periodic dates with DH…The Love Dare?

11) Write blog entries that don't take 2 days to post, and 2 days to read! - Instead of becoming more productive, I've cut back.  I think that was the better approach for my family and my priorities.  

Now, no more looking back, or feeling badly about what I didn't do... But, instead, taking steps everyday, forward toward new experiences and a renewed set of goals.