52 in 2010 Quarterly Update

I can't believe we are almost to the middle of in the middle of April already (I started prepping this post 2 weeks ago). I thought I'd do a quarterly post to update my progress on my 52 things. I wish I was a little farther along, and I can see a few things maybe not happening, but I feel I've gotten more done so far this year compared to all of last year.

So, on to the progress.

Hair Cut

I finally did the post wedding chop, about 1 1/2 years after the wedding. It had been a long time coming but I wanted to do something good with this opportunity, so it took a bit longer to grow out for donation. With the warm temperatures rolling in, it was only a matter of time until I was cursing it sticking to my neck (I was already cursing at it every time I ended up getting it stuck between my back and a chair) and despite not having an end style in mind, I took a leap of faith and trusted my stylist.

Before:

After:

It ended up being a bit shorter than I normally would like and it actually requires a little work in the morning (compared to air drying) but I'm getting used to and enjoying it quite a bit.

Passport

I just got it in the mail this week, just in time since Steve and I are planning a vacation to England for this summer. So excited to have this finally completed...now just on to updating the credit cards and we'll be all set with this name change thing.

Craft Fair

As you've seen in my previous post, I participated in a craft fair at work and it seemed to go very well. I'm quite excited and it was great motivation to making new cards and getting all my ideas out of my head.

Garden

The garden is in the ground. I didn't start from seed this year, but I found a local garden center that has some great looking plants. Last year, Steve and I built a planter that fits over the railing to our deck and it's become a great herb garden. It's 5 steps from the kitchen and it's so convenient for fresh herbs all summer long. The oregano carried over from last year, but we need to plant more basil, rosemary and parsley.

Our herb planter and the bell pepper plants.

Although I'm the only one that likes peppers in the house, I couldn't decide between red and yellow, so I got both! I'm hoping these will bear many peppers for daily snacks to help try to lose those 20 pounds. In addition to these, we planted 4 tomato plants (a Roma, an orange heirloom, and a good slicing tomato called Champion. We also planted a Patio tomato which is suppose to be great for container gardening.

Two of our tomato plants.

We also planted two zucchini plants, a yellowneck squash plant, and 2 cucumber plants, along with some romaine lettuce and spinach. I can't wait to see what comes of this year's garden.

Steve's T-shirt Quilt

I spent some time last weekend working on planning the pattern and I'm hoping to have some pictures soon. After that, it's the point of no return and I'll be cutting the t-shirts. I'm not sure if my marriage will survive if I screw this up since these t-shirts are so beloved...wish me luck.

Baking

Well, the baking isn't going so hot. Everything is turning out great, but I am so behind. I get on a roll but then something comes up and I just get forced out of my kitchen. But every time I look at the list I get so excited about it that I want to take a week off and bake 24 hours a day. If only our bank account would allow that. Look for a new post on the baking blog soon.

And a few more things...

Not necessarily on MY list of things to do this year, but we took our tax return and purchased a new large flat screen TV and a new (nice) console for it. We actually shopped around a bit and still have about $1000 left to invest in the house. We're hoping to make it stretch a bit, but there are so many little projects that are adding up. I'm hoping to use the extra funds for the new closet organization system and maybe paint my craft room, which will knock off a few more things on my list, but we also want new hardware for the front door and the blinds in the dining room are officially kaput.

So, on to the official list.

A key to understand my progress:

Strike through = completed

Blue = partially completed

Italics = in progress

Normal = not started

Red = didn't complete

For me

1. Make a list of 52 desserts to make and blog about in 2010. Attempt to bake/blog once a week. (4/52)

Mint Chocolate Truffle Tart Grand Marnier Souffle Beignets Citrus Chiffon Pie Crepes Caramels Strawberry Tart with Orange Cream Butter Pecan Ice Cream Olive Oil Gelato with Balsamic Strawberries Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sugar Plum Candies Cheesecake with Stout Sauce Pecan Pumpkin Butter Triffle Raspberry Rose Vanilla Cream Cake Choux with Grand Marnier Mousseline Marshmallows Raspberry Mousse Tartelettes

Apple Cider Pound Cake Peach Creme Caramel Lemon Crumb Cake Tea Glazed Biscuit Cookies Lemon Cream Cookies Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Rice Pudding Poached Pears Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes French Silk Pie Macaroons Chai Cupcakes Plum tart Madelines Vanilla Zabaglione Peanut Chocolate Tart Chocolate Souffle Gooey Butter Cake

Bananas Foster Cakes Lemon Basil Lemon Tartlettes Strawberry Thyme Shortbread Citrus & White Tea Jelly Pistachio & Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes Yougurt & Brown Sugar Cake Pate de Fruit Rhubarb Cheese Bars Roasted Apples & Vanilla Bean Souffle Pomegranate White Tea & Honey Ginger Yogurt Verrines Cinnamon Caramel Mousse Roasted Glazed Peaches Vanilla Brown Butter & Almond Cake w/custard filling Panna cotta Pot de creme Spiced Plum Compote w/Plum Pit Cream Bread Pudding

2. Organize and maintain tags in Google Reader and Delicious.

3. Plant a garden.

4. Make and can tomato sauce (hopefully with tomatoes from my garden).

5. Lose 20 pounds.

6. Walk 2 times per week. (1/52)

7. Lift weights 1 time per week.

8. Start an etsy shop.

9. Sign up for at least one craft fair.

10. Participate in a Photography Project365. (0/365)

11. Get a new hair style/cut.

12. Rent 10 movies you've wanted to see.

13. Complete name changing process.

14. Get new passport with new last name.

15. Make and start using reusable shopping bags everywhere, not just grocery shopping.

16. Read 5 books. (0/5)

17. Take a crocheting/knitting class.

18. Make Ireland scrapbook.

19. Finish decorating my craft room.

For Steve and me

20. Complete Tshirt quilt for Steve.

21. Go to 5 new non-chain restaurants.

22. Go see 5 movies in the theater.

Valentine's Day

23. Go camping.

24. Go to a Capitals hockey game.

25. Go to a DC United soccer game.

26. Take a long weekend vacation.

27. Take a picture of Steve and myself (and the kitties) once a month.

28. Save 3 months of expenses.

29. Schedule a financial planning consultation.

For the house

30. Clean out front hall closet.

31. Sew couch covers.

32. Make picture collage for stairwell.

33. Buy/make new curtains for living room.

34. Purchase and hang new blinds for the dinning room.

35. Purchase/make new curtains for dining room and kitchen.

36. Design/build/assemble closet organization system for master bedroom.

37. Repaint master bathroom.

38. Paint/decorate guest bedroom.

39. Repaint and change hardware on front door.

40. Hang Christmas lights.

41. Schedule and set up a yard sale. Conveniently our HOA holds a community yard sale and I was able to secure a space, so I have little over a month to go through the house and make some tough decisions!

42. Get broken window fixed.

43. Install new thermostat.

44. Fix leak in front door.

45. Purchase nut for yellow vacuum.

46. Purchase case for and organize misc screws, nuts, etc.

47. Set up coupon organization system.

For others

48. Complete Tshirt quilt for Lauren.

49. Host a holiday party.

50. Host a cookout/dinner party.

51. Send random cards to 5 people.

52. Send a birthday card to everyone on my birthday calender.

Craft Fair - Complete!

Well, I did it and it turned out pretty successful. I'm actually quite happy and proud of myself for not chickening out. I made a profit, even after the table fee, so that's got to count for something. At least it was successful enough that I plan on doing the next one in October, which I think will be more fun for me because I LOVE making Christmas cards. I have so many plans...now I just need to find the time to actually execute them.

I thought I'd share some pictures of my set up.

My table.

I wrapped a few empty boxes with kraft paper and wrapped them with some spare ribbon to make the cards more visible and to add some height to the table.

I'm currently putting together some posts of my favorite cards, so stay tuned! This was also one of my things to do this year, so I will be posting my quarterly progress soon and this makes for a great check mark.

A Special Birthday Cake for a Special Boy

During my time in Maryland, I have developed great friendships with only a handful of people. Two of these are people I work with and to some our friendship could seem unorthodox (we have laughed many times that either could be my father) but they are truly my best friends and I can't imagine them not in my life or involving them in my lunch plans ;). And with these two friends, come wonderful families that I love like my own.

A few weeks ago I had the honor of joining one of these families for a birthday celebration as Michael celebrated his 5th birthday and had the opportunity to met their newest addition, Ryan. I also had the great honor of making Michael's birthday cake.

The birthday boy on the way to dinner.
Michael loves all things trains, including Thomas and this year he requested a Percy train and who was I to object to buying another cake pan. Given my model, off I went. I even had Percy help with the baking process.

Making sure I matched the right color green

The cake turned out pretty good and I think Michael was quite surprised. However, I think we started to take too many pictures because it didn't look like he could resist much longer. Honestly, I think he's just wise beyond his years and knows what's really important...eating cake!

Really, this is like the 100 bajillionth picture...

I want to eat!

I had a wonderful time spent with laughter and smiles. I hope this year is Michael's best.

Michael, Ray (their Dad), and Ryan.

Michael and his mom, Kerry.

In other news...

I did it...I signed up for my first craft fair. It is sponsored through work and I think it's just the right size to start off with. It's March 25th, so I don't have much time to get a stash established. I really debated this one because of the timing and the holiday's people would be interested in, but I decided to take the plunge. I've come up with a few categories that I would like to concentrate on this time out:

• Birthdays
• Anniversaries
• Thank yous
• Congratulations - wedding, baby, misc.
• Sympathies
• Mother's Day
• Father's Day
  

Two of my closest friends (who happen to be male coworkers) and I were discussing ideas over lunch and since my work is dominated my men, they really liked my idea of a package of cards with a selection for the year....sort of a emergency card kit if you will.

I have these grand plans that will I will expand to invitations and scrapbooking kits, along with Christmas and Holiday cards, but I'm trying to stay grounded and not get overwhelmed. Hopefully you'll see a lot of cards being posted because that will mean progress is being made.

Let me know if you think of any additional ideas that I can concentrate on now.

Masculine Valentine's Day Card

Finally, a craft post! ;)

In order to help my stamping and cardmaking output, I've started to become more involved with Split Coast Stampers (SCS). It's a great resource for tools and techniques and I can't wait to see what I can come up with.

To start increasing my output, I attended my first SCS swap ever. I have done a few small ones (10 at the most), but 30 people really made it exciting. It was definitely a blast despite the long trip home because of the snow. However, my arm did ache at the end of the night, so I'm going to have to work on my stamina. I had free rein on theme and color, so I wanted to do a more masculine Valentine's Day card. I was inspired by a card with a grey, red, white, and light pink color palette and wanted to use an item from the new mini catalog.


I used the new I {Love} Love Jumbo Wheel and Well Scripted for the sentiments. It was my first time using the new clear mount stamps and I think I'm hooked. The new Stampin' Up clear mounts stamps still provide the crispness that rubber provides while giving you the mobility and flexibility of clear mount stamps.


I ran the wheel over the Bravo Burgundy and then used the Full Heart Punch to punch out heart off the side and bottom of the cardstock. I used the remnant of the cardstock and reconstructed the initial square. I used the gel pen and a straight edge to make a nice frame. I punched a Small Heart from the Blush Blossom and attached with a dimensional for some depth. Some ladies at the swap took a glitter pen and added some sparkle to the small heart and it looked really nice.


All supplies Stampin' Up!® unless otherwise noted.
Stamps: I {Love} Love Jumbo Wheel, Well Scripted
Paper: Whisper White, Basic Grey, Bravo Burgundy, Textured Blush Blossom
Ink: Whisper White Craft, Basic Black Classic (Jumbo Ink Cartridge)
Accessories: Full Heart Punch, Small Heart Punch, Gel Pen (craft store), Dimensionals

52 Things to do in 2010!

So, as you can see by the date of my one and only post, I haven't been very successful in accomplishing many things in 2009. I've kind of been drifting lately, mostly because I'm so overwhelmed with all the ideas running through my head. I've seen others post goals for the year, and I thought I try that this year...making myself a little bit more accountable for things I want and need to do.

Some of these are for me, some for my husband and others, and some are for the house. Some are big, some are little, but when I feel a sense of accomplishment, I feel happy and that's what matters.

A key to understand my progress:

Strike through = completed
Blue = partially completed
Italics = in progress
Normal = not started
Red = didn't complete

For me
1. Make a list of 52 desserts to make and blog about in 2010. Attempt to bake/blog once a week. (8/52)

Mint Chocolate Truffle Tart Grand Marnier Souffle Beignets Citrus Chiffon Pie Crepes Caramels Strawberry Tart with Orange Cream Butter Pecan Ice Cream Olive Oil Gelato with Balsamic Strawberries Mint Chocolate Ice Cream Sugar Plum Candies Cheesecake with Stout Sauce Pecan Pumpkin Butter Triffle Raspberry Rose Vanilla Cream Cake Choux Pastry Marshmallows Raspberry Mousse Tartelettes

Apple Cider Pound Cake Peach Creme Caramel Lemon Crumb Cake Tea Glazed Biscuit Cookies Lemon Cream Cookies Lemon Pistachio Shortbread Rice Pudding Poached Pears Chocolate Salted Caramel Cupcakes French Silk Pie Macaroons Chai Bread Plum tart Madelines Vanilla Zabaglione Peanut Chocolate Tart Chocolate Souffle Gooey Butter Cake

Bananas Foster Cakes Lemon Basil Lemon Tartlettes Strawberry Thyme Shortbread Citrus & White Tea Jelly Pistachio & Vanilla Bean Cheesecakes Yogurt & Brown Sugar Cake Pate de Fruit Rhubarb Cheese Bars Roasted Apples & Vanilla Bean Souffle Pomegranate White Tea & Honey Ginger Yogurt Verrines Cinnamon Caramel Mousse Roasted Glazed Peaches Vanilla Brown Butter & Almond Cake w/custard filling Panna cotta Pot de creme Spiced Plum Compote w/Plum Pit Cream Bread Pudding

2. Organize and maintain tags in Google Reader and Delicious.
3. Plant a garden.
4. Make and can tomato sauce (hopefully with tomatoes from my garden) .
5. Lose 20 pounds. - I'm actually about half way there. England was very good to my waist line as we did a lot of walking and I've managed to keep all of it off. I'm hoping as the weather cools a bit more, I'll be more motivated to go for walks with Steve.
6. Walk 2 times per week. (1/52)
7. Lift weights 1 time per week.
8. Start an etsy shop.
9. Sign up for at least one craft fair.
10. Participate in a Photography Project365. (0/365)
11. Get a new hair style/cut.
12. Rent 10 movies you've wanted to see.
13. Complete name changing process - Steve and I decided to refinance so this is helping me get in gear. This is helping me change the name on the deed which I was way to lazy to do before.
14. Get new passport with new last name.
15. Make and start using reusable shopping bags everywhere, not just grocery shopping.
16. Read 5 books. (4/5)
The Friday Night Knitting Club (Kate Jacobs),
Knit Too (Kate Jacobs),
Comfort Food (Kate Jacobs),
Eat, Pray, Love (Elizabeth Gilbert)
17. Take a crocheting/knitting class.
18. Make Ireland scrapbook.
19. Finish decorating my craft room. - This is what I've been doing a lot of since Steve returned from England. I've picked the new paint colors and Steve and I have been spending our weekends building some floating shelves. Labor Day weekend was very productive and we'll be slowly working on painting over the next week or two because of needing to phase all my craft supplies.

For Steve and me
20. Complete Tshirt quilt for Steve.
21. Go to 5 new non-chain restaurants.
22. Go see 5 movies in the theater.
Valentine's Day
23. Go camping.
24. Go to a Capitals hockey game.
25. Go to a DC United soccer game.
26. Take a long weekend vacation.
27. Take a picture of Steve and myself (and the kitties) once a month.
28. Save 3 months of expenses.
29. Schedule a financial planning consultation.

For the house
30. Clean out front hall closet.
31. Sew couch covers.
32. Make picture collage for stairwell.
33. Buy/make new curtains for living room.
34. Purchase and hang new blinds for the dinning room.
35. Purchase/make new curtains for dining room and kitchen.
36. Design/build/assemble closet organization system for master bedroom.
37. Repaint master bathroom.
38. Paint/decorate guest bedroom.
39. Repaint and change hardware on front door.
40. Hang Christmas lights.
41. Schedule and set up a yard sale.
42. Get broken window fixed.
43. Install new thermostat.
44. Fix leak in front door.
45. Purchase nut for yellow vacuum.
46. Purchase case for and organize misc screws, nuts, etc.
47. Set up coupon organization system.

For others
48. Complete Tshirt quilt for Lauren.
49. Host a holiday party.
50. Host a cookout/dinner party.
51. Send random cards to 5 people.
52. Send a birthday card to everyone on my birthday calender.

A few notes:
1. I'm reserving the right to edit these as time goes on, but hopefully I won't be removing any, just adding some because I'll be so successful. ;)

Wish me luck!

The Beginning

Hello and Welcome! I'm Brienne. I'm an engineer by trade but have always had a need for a creative outlet. For the last two years that outlet was my wedding. Last September I married the man of my dreams. As I transition into an old married lady, I thought I would sit down and document all the things that keep me busy. I'm not sure where this will take me, but here goes nothing!

Feel free to comment and introduce yourselves - I'd love to get to know all of you. Thank you for stopping by!