45. Read a children’s book

This week I got to read several children's books with my friend Todd. He is the smart, clever son of my friends Bonnie and Tim.

Todd: The boy, the myth, the legend. (Photo courtesy of Bonnie's FB pics)


After a leisurely dinner full of lively conversation, and an hour or so playing with some trucks and Buzz Lightyear, Todd and I decided to expand our literary horizons by reading a few books before Todd went to sleep.

I had forgotten how forthrightly educational some children's books are. We read about how to build a house - from surveying the property all the way to moving in furniture. I didn't know felt paper was a legitimate building supply.

We also read a book called Be Nice to Spiders.

It's about a spider named Helen who lives at a zoo and helps out the animals by making webs and eating all the pesky flies. There is drama and suspense when the zookeeper tries to get rid of Helen, but I don't want to ruin the ending for you. You'll have to read it yourself to find out what happens.


By the way, I read the book title and author's name aloud each time we picked up a new book. Each time I would ask Todd if the author was his favorite author. Each time he said yes. So, it sounds like we were reading some pretty well-loved authors in Todd's life. Margaret Bloy Graham was no exception. :)

54. Throw a housewarming party for 14th St. apartment

Burgers and dogs on the grill....friends checking out the new digs...delicious food....good times.

And I didn't take a single picture.

Therefore, this blog entry is REALLY lame. My friends that came to our housewarming party, however, are not at all lame.

48. Use my 2 Groupons before they expire

Groupon, in case you aren't aware, is a website set up for several cities around the country that offers local daily deals using a collective buying power approach.

Here...I'll let them explain it. Check out your city's deals here.

So one of the Groupons I've purchased is $40 worth of cupcakes for $20 from Cakelove. (Yes, $40 is what a dozen of gourmet cupcakes costs in DC.) I put it to good use and shared some cupcakes with some dear friends...and then took the leftovers to the office for a pick-me-up for my coworkers.

My favorite flavor:
MMMMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

Thank you, Groupon.


So, 1/2 of number 48 - done! One more Groupon to use...

28. Go out to sing Karaoke

Hole in the wall Japanese sushi restaurant that has a 1990's stereo system and two 28" TVs for karaoke....check.

Seeing DC's hard working souls belt out 80's hits on a Tuesday night..check

Laughing with good friends....check.

Performing "Bust A Move" on the mic......check.

33. Make pillow covers for the pillows on my bed

I think the first thing that I had a hand in sewing was a skirt my mom made for me when I was in Jr. High. It was red and white tablecloth checkered material with gigantic black ants in the print too.

I thought it was a very clever fabric design. I wore it with a white blouse that had a small petal collar. And yes, I definitely thought I was stylish.

After some lessons from my mom, over the years I have made......about 6 things in total: purses out of pants I bought at Goodwill, pillows for my freshman dorm room, and a seersucker skirt.

Fast forward to today, about 15 years after the "picnic skirt" and my sewing skills have somewhat progressed, but I still stick to basically making simple things like pillow covers.

So -- I wanted an upgrade for my bedroom - wanted something with a little color. I bought a panel curtain and made a throw/accent thing for the end of my bed as well as two pillow covers from it. I'm pretty pleased with the end result -- Just don't look too closely because I'm pretty sure I still can't sew in a straight line....

The machine - courtesy of my downstairs neighbor...who also happens to be my sister...In progress:



The final products:

97. Do a blog entry for each of the 101 things I do

Quick update~

I've completed numbers 28, 33, 1/2 of 48, and started 1/5 of 76 since my last update.

Since I knew you'd be hanging on the edge of your seats waiting for my next move, I figured I owed you an update.

When I will get around to actually writing the blog entries for each of those is another story....because I'm busy planning number 9 and preparing for number 54 which is happening on Saturday.

(If you actually look up these number references over there on the right, I'm impressed.)

85. Take a Sunday afternoon nap

The Sunday afternoon nap is an almost forgotten art in my life these days. Whether it's prepping for my junior & senior high girls bible study, scrambling to do laundry for the work week, enjoying a long lunch, or just playing catch up on life, my Sunday afternoons have become anything but restful these past couple of years.

I never thought it would take a conscious effort to make myself rest -- I love a full, busy, life, but I like it at my own, relaxed pace. Lately I haven't had that luxury.

But I've been trying to force myself back into recognizing the necessity of the Sabbath and trying to cram all the (well most of the...) things I need to get done into my Saturdays, leaving Sundays as a time for worship, fellowship, service and REST.


So today -ah, today - I enjoyed an over two hour nap in my comfy bed after a great lunch. Full belly, big pillow -- it was SO nice.

I highly recommend getting to know these strangers called naps. I used to know them quite well, and I was really happy to be reacquainted with them today.

60. Go to the Civitan garage sale

My sister helped me cross number 60 off the list on Saturday morning. There is a flea market/garage sale just one block from our building the first Saturday of each month (April through November).

It takes place in the parking deck of a local high school and folks just park their cars, set up the goods and let the freak show ---I mean the sale--- begin.

Let's just say it brings out some of the most interesting people and possessions.

Did I buy old, used lingerie or a multi-disc CD player, circa 1997? Tempting, but, no. I refrained.

There were some really interesting booths, such as the vintage hardware one, that was selling old glass and ceramic doorknobs, brass light switch plates, drawer pulls, buttons, etc.




So, you're wondering, "What treasures did you find to purchase, Miss Hutchins?"

WELL, I did find a keeper. An authentic vintage item that has already found its home on my fridge:


I will admit, I don't have a clue what most of the images in the letters are supposed to be....and I call myself a native....ohhhh the shame.



And with that, another number crossed off the list. We'll see if I can keep up this pace...

81. - Learn a new joke

Thank you, dear colleagues for helping me check my first item off the list. I work with funny people. Please don't let these jokes be a representation of their level of humor.

Behold! New jokes!

Q: What happened when the cow crossed the road (and got hit by a semi)?
A: Udder destruction.

(closest image I could find)

And this one:

Q: What did the pepper say to the olive after the olive pushed him off the table, but he survived the fall?

A: Olllliive!

(Get it? "I'll live." It's very clever).


1 down....100 to go -- I'm flying through these!

Genesis.

First post on the new blog!

Kind of exciting. So here's the deal. That list over there on the right is 101 things I want to accomplish in the next 1001 days. Sounds fun, right? So take a look and let me know which ones you'd like to do with me or help me do (no pressure, but....I really don't want to do all of these by myself!)

To get myself started, I'd love to convince/inspire you to start your own list. It's always good to set goals - and it's always fun to embark on adventures.

So, here I go!