40 Before 41

Blogroll please....

I've finished writing my "40 Before 41" list. I want to accomplish the following 40 things before the end of my 40th year (February 2nd, 2013). I've given myself plenty of time and I've already started on some of them. Here goes...

1. Read 50 books in one calendar year.
2. Finish my master’s degree.
3. Lose 25 lbs.
4. Take an advanced calligraphy class.
5. Post at least eight times per month on my blog.
6. Complete the Couch to 5K program.
7. Hang out with my friends more often (or talk more often to those I can’t hang out with more due to geography.)
8. Have one room in our basement finished.
9. Revisit horseback riding (which I haven’t done some since summer camp in elementary school).
10. Go on vacation again to Rehoboth Beach, DE.
11. Buy a houseplant and nurture it so that it will live for at least one month. (I’m setting my sights low.)
12. Watch Netflix movies within two weeks.
13. Have a gathering of friends at our house.
14. Drink only one soda per day.
15. Go on a vacation with my mom.
16. Play tennis with my husband at least twice.
17. Go parasailing.
18. Join the technology revolution and get an iPhone.
19. Go through the plastic tubs of photos from my grandparents’ house and scan the ones I want to have copies of.
20. Create a photo wall of family pics in the front entryway.
21. Take a cooking class.
22. Finish an entire game of Monopoly.
23. Get up early on Black Friday and go shopping.
24. Go to a Bon Jovi concert.
25. Follow through with my cleaning schedule for an entire month.
26. If #3 is not accomplished, at least go down one pant size.
27. Exercise enough so that I do not have to take pills for high cholesterol anymore.
28. Go to a professional development event, i.e., ALA.
29. Turn in a school assignment a whole day before it’s due.
30. Try downhill skiing.
31. Go out for tapas.
32. Put money into savings each month.
33. Get the entire “Bones” series from Netflix and watch them all!
34. Join a book club.
35. Do SOMETHING with my wedding dress.
36. Revisit crocheting.
37. Try 5 new restaurants.
38. Try yoga.
39. Pay off at least one credit card.
40. A wild card item—my choice.

What do you think? Will I do it? Do YOU have a list of things you want to accomplish before your next significant birthday?

Randomness

1. I am two days away from my 39th birthday. My LAST birthday in the 30's. Ugh. However, I will be posting my "40 Before 41" list, which I'm eager to get started on!
2. If it snows anymore here, I'll need to snoeshow to work.
3. Started my class last week and I'm liking it and my professor. I have to design a database and I've chose to design one to organize data from John's songbooks.
4. I had a very nice pre-birthday celebration tonight with John & my stepdaughter, G. They made me pork chops with cream of mushroom soup gravy, rice, and applesauce. My favorite childhood meal. G. also gave me a beautiful card and a "K" charm and a pink "K."
5. I've decided that if it's humor you're looking for in fiction, then British authors are the way to go. They're just funnier. Period.

Cheesy Meat Loaf Minis

Very yummy. Fairly easy.

Courtesy of the Jan/Feb 2011 Cooking Light:

Ingredients


1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs (about 1 ounce)
Cooking spray
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 cup ketchup, divided
3 ounces white cheddar cheese, diced
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 pounds ground sirloin
1 large egg, lightly beaten

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs; cook 3 minutes or until toasted, stirring frequently.

3. While breadcrumbs cook, heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Combine onion mixture, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup ketchup, and remaining ingredients. Shape into 6 (4 x 2-inch) loaves on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; spread 2 teaspoons ketchup over each. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes or until done.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 meat loaf)

Mine didn't look quite this nice, but here's a photo courtesy of Cooking Light:

Old Man Winter vs. Young Superhero Stepdaughter

Here in the northeast, we've been BURIED with snow recently. Here's my lovely stepdaughter G. trying her hand at professional snow removal. Take THAT Old Man Winter!

P.S. Sorry for the weirdness of the shape/size of the photo. I think I got my maternal grandmother's photo-taking skills - that's my finger in the left corner (of which I cropped the majority out).

Favorite Children's Books -- Part Deux

So I did some more cleaning in the basement and as I expected, found some more great books from my youth. Here they are:

The cool thing about this next one? Bangwell Putt was a "real" doll that belonged to a little girl from Northfield, Massachusetts, not far from where I grew up. I had my own Bangwell Putt doll and loved it and the book.

Cool thing about this next one? It had the ultramodern sleek 70's hologram on the cover! When you moved the book, the clocks changed time! Go figure. (Oh, and when you ran your fingernails over the cover it make a cool scratchy noise.)

Last, but certainly NOT least, my very favorite book of ALL TIME. Yes, that's right. If I was stuck on a deserted island, I'd take this. Can you tell I loved it? I adorned it with a sticker (which later in life when I realized the out of print hardcopy might be valuable tried to scrape it off) and even wrote on and in it. The Edward Gorey illustrations make this book. If I had a daughter, I'd read this book over and over to her.

Paul's Pronto Penne (Easy Peasy Recipe)

Just a friendly reminder for those who don't know me all that well -- I don't cook. It stresses me out. However, Paul's Pronto Penne (from Newman's Own website) is super easy and super yummy. I made it tonight, so thought I'd share.

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casing removed and crumbled (I just buy the already crumbled stuff)
1 25 oz. jar Newman's Own Pasta Sauce (Sockarooni, Tomato & Basil, or Tomato & Roasted Garlic) (Sockarooni is our fave)
1/2 cup fresh chopped basil
1 1 lb. package of penne cut pasta
6 oz. shredded mozzarella cheese

In a nonstick skillet, cook the sausage about 10 minutes, until lightly browned. Drain fat. Add the pasta sauce and stir to combine.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook the penne according to package instructions. When pasta is done, drain immediately in colander.

In a large bowl, toss the penne with the sauce, cheese, and basil.

Serves 4-6.

Some of my favorite books as a kid

Cleaning out the basement is one of my goals for this year. I started going through some boxes of books and found these:

The last one, The Maggie B., is especially memorable for me. I'd go to bed at night and thanks to my photographic memory, I'd conjure up these images of cozy rooms and beds and transport myself there. Sleep wasn't far off then...

What were your favorite books as a child?