concrete aspirations 2015

Here goes 2015!

1. make four things from my DIY Pinterest board. (1 2 3 4)
2. use the crock pot once a week for a month.
3. bake something once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
4. get to the next French checkpoint in DuoLingo.
5. get to the next Spanish checkpoint in DuoLingo before the DR trip.
6. declutter the apartment again — leave nothing in our to-Craigslist pile.
7. make Grandma’s cinnamon rolls.
8. make Grandma's potato sausage.
9. apply for dual Philippine citizenship.
10. connect with an ELP to start the homebuying process (!!!!).
11. call/e-mail a long-distance friend each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
12. video chat/call family each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
13. go on a creative date with Ian each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
14. write for “Riding with Charlie.” (1 2 3 4)
15. resize images in all old blog posts to fit current design.

More details on my progress are in related posts.

concrete aspirations 2014 in summary

While I didn't knock out everything on my list, I feel I did pretty well considering I didn't even look at the list every month. It sounds like a cop out, but I still remember Christina Rosalie's words about making these sorts of lists... if you tuck it away, when you find it again you'd be surprised at how many of them happened.

1. complete a Bible reading plan. I'm not as consistent as I want to be, but She Reads Truth has been amazing for me.
2. use the crock pot once a week for a month.
3. bake something once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
4. be able to have basic conversations in French — find a partner. Thanks, DuoLingo!
5. take a Spanish class before the DR trip. Thanks again, DuoLingo!
6. declutter the apartment again — leave nothing in our to-Craigslist pile. I accomplish this every year, but every January, I put it on my list again, because things pile up. Maybe Marie Kondo's advice will help it stick in 2015.
7. make Grandma’s cinnamon rolls. I still have a sense of accomplishment because I learned spritz in 2014.
8. make Grandma's potato sausage.
9. clean out my email inbox, and keep it streamlined (don't let emails languish). Thanks to a new inbox system learned from Sara and the new Inbox by Gmail, I feel thisclose to accomplishing this goal!
10. talk to an ELP about our plan for buying a home.
11. call/e-mail a long-distance friend each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
12. video chat/call family twice a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
13. go on a creative date with Ian each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
14. write for “Riding with Charlie” once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)

More details on my progress are in related posts.

concrete aspirations 2014

I took some time to come up with my list for 2014. Here goes nothing!

1. complete a Bible reading plan.
2. use the crock pot once a week for a month.
3. bake something once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
4. be able to have basic conversations in French — find a partner.
5. take a Spanish class before the DR trip.
6. declutter the apartment again — leave nothing in our to-Craigslist pile.
7. make Grandma’s cinnamon rolls.
8. make Grandma's potato sausage.
9. clean out my email inbox, and keep it streamlined (don't let emails languish).
10. talk to an ELP about our plan for buying a home.
11. call/e-mail a long-distance friend each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
12. video chat/call family twice a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
13. go on a creative date with Ian each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
14. write for “Riding with Charlie” once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)

More details on my progress are in related posts.

concrete aspirations 2013 in summary

After completely missing the mark on my concrete aspirations in 2012, 2013 could only get better! I didn't knock everything off the list, but I think I didn't do too bad.

1. Build and stick to a schedule that includes regular bible study, exercise (yoga and running), meal planning, and budget tracking. While bible study and meal planning is still not as regular as I would like, I nailed exercise with a twice a week yoga class at work and running during the summer (I'll pick back up this year when the weather is nice again). Budget tracking is the biggest success, thanks to You Need A Budget. If you check it out and want to purchase, click here for 10% off (full disclosure, we get a small commission, but we love YNAB so much we sing it's praises for free!)
2. Go through my French textbooks and Rosetta Stone to be functional again by May (for our planned trip to Paris!). I was semi-functional for our trip (multiple simple yet successful conversations), but I hope to continue my efforts to get back to my previous fluency level.
3. Write for “Riding with Charlie” once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12) Fail, but I'm not beating myself up about it.
4. Organize and clean up photos in iPhoto. It's fairly organized, but I could cull more.
5. Declutter the apartment again. This seems to be a never ending effort. We did a good job in 2013, but I want to do this again in 2014.
6. Make grandma’s cinnamon rolls, angel food cake, and potato sausage. I declare 2014 the year of potato sausage and cinnamon rolls.
7. Call/e-mail a long-distance friend each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12) Not great, but I'm motivated for 2014.
8. Video chat with (or call) family twice a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12) Not perfect, but more often than last year, and I plan to continue the trend!
9. Go on a creative date with Ian each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12) Again, not perfect, but I plan to continue this in 2014.
10. Make plans in real life with friends each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
11. Design and order a bookplate stamp or embosser. We ended up purchasing a few letterpress S stamps at the Paris Flea Market, which we've been using in our books. I love the history and story of them!
12. Research how to advance my copy editing skills. In the spring, I completed Emerson College's copyediting program!

More details on my progress are in related posts.

Great Grandma Michelson's never-fail dinner rolls

My grandma is an exceptional cook and baker. Because we live so far away and I miss her food, I'm motivated to learn how to master the recipes that are, to me, quintessentially Grandma. One of those recipes is her dinner rolls, which I'm sure I've eaten since I was old enough to handle solids.

My first two attempts at Grandma's dinner rolls were for Thanksgiving potlucks. I used her recipe from the centennial edition of her church's cookbook. The concise directions are fine if, like these lovely church ladies, you know what you are doing. I didn't. They were edible, but a far cry from what they're meant to be.

So while we were home for Christmas, I took advantage of our time on the farm for a hands on workshop with Grandma. She pulled out her worn recipe card and told me she thought her mom picked it up from the newspaper. She started up her trusty KitchenAid and began measuring while I inundated her with questions. Each written step seemed to be shorthand for a collection of smaller tasks and descriptions: "knead until smooth" or "shape into rolls," understood in full by a well-versed bread maker but over the head of a novice like me. I wondered if she felt the way I did when I had to explain to a retiree at church how to attach a file to an email. How do you elaborate on directions that to you are perfectly adequate?

With Easter this past weekend, I had my motivation to try making another batch of dinner rolls. I pulled out my now-annotated recipe for our community group's Easter dinner. The rolls still weren't quite up to Grandma's caliber, but are significantly better than my first two Thanksgiving attempts. I have a newfound confidence in my bread-making skills, which will only improve with more practice. Thanks, Grandma!

Mom's (Great Grandma Michelson's) never-fail dinner rolls
makes 3 dozen

2 c. milk
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 pkg. dry yeast (or 4 1/2 tsp. dry yeast measured)
5 1/2 to 6 1/2 c. flour
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 c. melted Crisco (can substitute butter or margarine)

Measure 4 cups of flour into the bowl of your stand mixer and attach the dough hook.

Separately, mix the milk, sugar, and salt, then heat to 100°F. In another bowl, dissolve the yeast along with 1/8 teaspoon sugar into 1/3 cup of 100°F water and wait until the mixture has doubled in size (proofing). Add yeast to the milk mixture. Temper the eggs by stirring in a small amount of the hot milk mixture, then add the eggs and melted Crisco to the milk mixture.

Add the liquid to your bowl and mix well. Scrape the sides to help incorporate the flour. Add flour in 1/2 cup increments, waiting after each addition to see if the dough begins to pull away from the sides of the bowl. As soon as this happens, stop adding flour and let the dough knead until smooth (about 10 minutes).

Place the dough, covered, in a greased bowl then let it rise until doubled in bulk (20 minutes in a warmed but OFF oven). Punch down the dough. Allow the dough to rise for an additional 15 minutes (without re-warming the oven).

Cut into appropriately-sized pieces. Half pound pieces divided into eight are a good dinner roll size, while 3/4 pound pieces divided into six make good hamburger buns. Shape by rolling each piece on a floured surface, using the pressed palm of your cupped hand (see top photo) in a circular motion.

TIP: Grandma laughed at how delicately I thought I needed to treat the dough and said that unlike biscuits, "you can't overwork it." If it feels like you're just rubbing the dough into the board, increase pressure until it begins to roll under your hand.

Place on greased baking pans (or use Silpat baking mats), allowing room between to rise.

TIP: Grandma puts half the batch on the first pan, then allows them to rise in a warmed but OFF oven while rolling out the second half. By the time she's done, the first pan is ready to bake and the second pan, rising more slowly on top of the oven, should be ready when the first batch comes out of the oven.

Bake at 375°F until golden brown (8-10 minutes), then rub the tops with butter while they cool on racks.

TIP: Grandma swears by AirBake cookie sheets, but I went with America's Test Kitchen recommended (see for yourself here: 1 2 3) Vollrath Wear-Ever Half Size Heavy Duty Sheet Pans (13 gauge, model 5314) because ATK's testing showed it is more foolproof (and versatile). And I need that.

Rolls will stay fresh for several days or you can freeze them in an airtight container and reheat a few in the microwave (wrapped in a tea towel) on demand.

To have hot rolls for dinner, begin preparing them 2.5 to 3 hours ahead of time.

concrete aspirations 2013

Last year's shortened but segmented concrete aspirations list didn't work out the way I hoped. I'm retooling again for success in 2013, and I'm going to check in once a month to stay on track, although that might not necessarily mean update posts.

1. Build and stick to a schedule that includes regular bible study, exercise (yoga and running), meal planning, and budget tracking.
2. Go through my French textbooks and Rosetta Stone to be functional again by May (for our planned trip to Paris!).
3. Write for “Riding with Charlie” once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
4. Organize and clean up photos in iPhoto.
5. Declutter the apartment again.
6. Make grandma’s cinnamon rolls, angel food cake, and potato sausage.
7. Call/e-mail a long-distance friend each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
8. Video chat with (or call) family twice a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
9. Go on a creative date with Ian each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
10. Make plans in real life with friends each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
11. Design and order a bookplate stamp or embosser.
12. Research how to advance my copy editing skills.

More details on my progress are in related posts.

Concrete Aspirations 2012 in summary

I pared down my concrete aspirations list in 2012, but I had a lot of items that required doing it multiple times in the year. This was harder in terms of motivation, because I couldn't cross it off and be done. This meant I didn't necessarily get much done. And by not much I mean basically nothing... so I'll be retooling again for success in 2013!

1. Figure out how to access Rosetta Stone once we get rid of the PC, then do the lessons (or use another system) at least once a week. I dropped Tagalog to brush up on French. I got started, but this will carry into 2013 as we gear up for our planned trip to Paris in May.
2. Write for “Riding with Charlie” once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12) I did this a few times, but not as often as I would like. I was more observant this year though!
3. Organize and clean up photos in iPhoto. This is a huge project. I think I'll break this down into chunks for 2013.
4. Make grandma’s cinnamon rolls, rolls, angel food cake, and potato sausage. I got lessons from Grandma over Christmas and I should be pretty good at the rolls (and most likely cinnamon rolls) but I'd still like to try my hand at them.
5. WiiFit 3x a week. I do well at the beginning of the year, then summer hits... This is another one that will carry into 2013.
6. Read through Luke 10 times. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10) I need to come up with a good Bible reading plan for 2013.
7. Call or e-mail one friend each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12) This helped me be more intentional about contacting friends, but still not as much as I would like.
8. Write to Grandma once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12) We did talk more on the phone at least!
9. Video chat with family twice a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12) For 2013, this is a recurring reminder on my phone, which should help.
10. Go through Sacred Marriage and Celebration of Discipline with Ian.
11. Design and order/print a bookplate stamp/sticker/embosser. Between that and my dust jacket covers, I’ll feel like we have a library. Dream come true! Really, we should be able to knock this out quickly...
12. Curate the rest of the bedroom, then move on to the kitchen and bathroom so they all are as streamlined and simplified as the living room.

More details on my progress are in related posts.

concrete aspirations 2012

I like lists a little too much, I think. They can become a security blanket. I know what's next, but when the list gets long, I procrastinate. And I failed big on last year's long list of goals. So I'm trimming down this year's concrete aspirations. Just what I think I can do/want to do this year if I stretch just a little. (Italics are in progress.)

1. Figure out how to access Rosetta Stone once we get rid of the PC, then do the lessons (or use another system) at least once a week.
2. Write for “Riding with Charlie” once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
3. Organize and clean up photos in iPhoto.
4. Make grandma’s cinnamon rolls, rolls, angel food cake, and potato sausage.
5. WiiFit 3x a week. I do well at the beginning of the year, then summer hits...
6. Read through Luke 10 times. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10)
7. Call or e-mail one friend each month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
8. Write to Grandma once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
9. Video chat with family twice a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
10. Go through Sacred Marriage and Celebration of Discipline with Ian.
11. Design and order/print a bookplate stamp/sticker/embosser. Between that and my dust jacket covers, I’ll feel like we have a library. Dream come true!
12. Curate the rest of the bedroom, then move on to the kitchen and bathroom so they all are as streamlined and simplified as the living room.

More details on my progress are in related posts.

Concrete Aspirations 2011 in summary

These 28 things were my concrete aspirations for 2011, which backfired a bit. I didn't pressure myself to knock it all out, so I ended up not accomplishing much at all and then feeling bad about leaving so much unfinished. If I had tried harder and managed my time a little better (i.e. watched less TV and spent less time online), I could have done more: they're all things I really want to do. But I also know I'm not a super hero. For 2012, I'm reducing the number and getting even more specific in hopes of being more successful. (Items in italics were started but not completed.)

1. Go through the Tagalog Rosetta Stone lessons - do at least one a week. (Didn't get started: we need to reassess our language lesson access, but I really want to learn.)
2. Read 3 of Ian’s creation care books. (Serve God Save the Planet, Green Revolution, Kingfisher's Fire)
3. Write something for “Riding with Charlie” once a month. (I only did this the first couple months...)
4. Keep my inbox under a maximum of 25 email at any given time - I get stressed when it piles up. (While it sometimes fluctuates over 25, I'm procrastinating less, so I'll call this mission accomplished.)
5. Upload our professional wedding photos to Flickr for peace of mind.
6. Learn two quick, cute ways to style my new haircut.
7. Organize and clean up photos in iPhoto.
8. Make one new soup each month - most soups are healthy, right? (Another goal that fizzled out...)
9. Make grandma’s cinnamon rolls, rolls, angel food cake, and potato sausage.
10. Eat fruit and veggies at lunch and dinner for one month (in theory this will turn into habit). (This wasn't as trackable as I thought it would be, but our fruits and veggies intake went way up with Boston Organics membership, so I'll say this is done.)
11. WiiFit 3x a week for one month - when I got my job and had less time I fell off the Wii-gon and want to get back on (again, in theory this will turn into habit).
12. Floss every day for 2 weeks straight (again, habit).
13. Make or get rid of all the recipes in my recipe box. And nothing new goes in without cooking/baking it first. (I sorted, but didn't get much further than that.)
14. Only eat out one meal a week max (this means packing lunches regularly).
15. Read through the Bible chronologically again, this time in NASB. (Got behind and while I read a lot, I didn't finish.)
16. Have date night with Ian once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
17. Call or e-mail one friend a week.
18. Write to Grandma once a month.
19. Go through Sacred Marriage and Celebration of Discipline with Ian.
20. Figure out my personal style and give away at least 10 items in my wardrobe that don’t fit that. (28+ items gone - the closet can breathe again!)
21. Do an at-home pedicure once a month. (1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12)
22. Design personal cards and print them with moo.com.
23. Design and order/print a bookplate stamp/sticker/embosser. Between that and my dust jacket covers, I’ll feel like we have a library. Dream come true!
24. Curate the rest of the bedroom, then move on to the kitchen and bathroom so they all are as streamlined and simplified as the living room.
25. Figure out and implement a good system for our under bed storage.
26. Choose one evening a week to go without electricity-powered entertainment (read! play games!).
27. Paint and decorate the pink floral round box to match the living room.
28. Obtain a better aquarium for the frogs with a light and a filter.

More details on my progress are in related posts.

It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life.

A few weekends ago, the weather and our schedules cleared up at the same time, so Ian and I went shopping with our Christmas gift cards. As Ian browsed the dress shirts (while 24+ other dress shirts hung in the closet), we had an epiphany - we didn't know what would improve our wardrobe/apartment. We hadn't "fun" shopped in a while due to debt-pay off mode, so we hadn't given it much thought.

Ian picked up dress socks (a definite need) and we headed home to assess and plan. Following principles I’ve learned through some recent adds to my Google Reader (Kendi and Makeunder My Life), we went through Ian's clothes, then my clothes, completing #20 of this year's concrete aspirations. With Ian's help I weeded out more than 28 items. I don't shop much but had lots of old clothes that didn't match our life in Boston (i.e. didn't look professional enough for work) and/or “made me look young,” as Ian informed me after I requested brutal honesty. (Those had to go - I already have trouble convincing people I’m not in high school.)

And we wrote a shopping list to spend the rest of our gift cards.

Motivated by that happy closet feeling, we started in on a few other decluttering concrete aspirations. We went through the living room again, selecting books to sell and catalogs to recycle. I tackled a few piles in the bedroom, started going through iPhoto, and lost 2 GB in iTunes.

This isn’t the first time I’ve been inspired to simplify, but this is the first time I’ve followed through so well. I'm a saver - if something could be functional, I keep it "just in case." I forget owning too many functional things isn't functional.

To put myself in an appropriate mindset, I applied my (ruthless) copy-editing skills: sometimes you have to get rid of good bits to make a great story. I also remind myself we don’t need it all, and it's selfish to not pass it on to someone who does (we have a big pile of t-shirts to donate for the DR trip - more on that soon).

We’re not there yet, but I like where we're going.

Concrete Aspirations 2011

These 28 things are my concrete aspirations for 2011. This year I want to create healthier habits, learn more, and knock off some projects that require a little extra motivation. I try not to stress if I don't get everything done, but this year I've tried to make my goals more measurable so it's not easy to just put it off until next year. You can track my progress on the concrete aspirations page. (Italics are in progress.)

1. Go through the Tagalog Rosetta Stone lessons - do at least one a week.
2. Read 3 of Ian’s creation care books.
3. Write something for “Riding with Charlie” once a month.
4. Keep my inbox under a maximum of 25 email at any given time - I get stressed when it piles up.
5. Upload our professional wedding photos to Flickr for peace of mind.
6. Learn two quick, cute ways to style my new haircut.
7. Organize and clean up photos in iPhoto.
8. Make one new soup each month - most soups are healthy, right?
9. Make grandma’s cinnamon rolls, rolls, angel food cake, and potato sausage.
10. Eat fruit and veggies at lunch and dinner for one month (in theory this will turn into habit).
11. WiiFit 3x a week for one month - when I got my job and had less time I fell off the Wii-gon and want to get back on (again, in theory this will turn into habit).
12. Floss every day for 2 weeks straight (again, habit).
13. Make or get rid of all the recipes in my recipe box. And nothing new goes in without cooking/baking it first.
14. Only eat out one meal a week max (this means packing lunches regularly).
15. Read through the Bible chronologically again, this time in NASB.
16. Have date night with Ian once a month.
17. Call or e-mail one friend a week.
18. Write to Grandma once a month.
19. Go through Sacred Marriage and Celebration of Discipline with Ian.
20. Figure out my personal style and give away at least 10 items in my wardrobe that don’t fit that.
21. Do an at-home pedicure once a month.
22. Design personal cards and print them with moo.com.
23. Design and order/print a bookplate stamp/sticker/embosser. Between that and my dust jacket covers, I’ll feel like we have a library. Dream come true!
24. Curate the rest of the bedroom, then move on to the kitchen and bathroom so they all are as streamlined and simplified as the living room.
25. Figure out and implement a good system for our under bed storage.
26. Choose one evening a week to go without electricity-powered entertainment (read! play games!).
27. Paint and decorate the pink floral round box to match the living room.
28. Obtain a better aquarium for the frogs with a light and a filter.

Concrete Aspirations 2010 in summary

These 28 things were my concrete aspirations for 2010. The purpose in most of these goals was changing my habits — get more creative with cooking, explore the city, read, develop a routine so the things that are important to me don't fall through the cracks. While some of the specifics didn't happen (some of which will carry over to 2011), it's been mostly successful. We're cooking new things, exploring, and doing things that matter. On the other hand, things that I put into practice thanks to Concrete Aspirations 2009 have fallen by the wayside (like exercising regularly). Maybe that means I've met my limit, and now need to figure out what good things go and what stay.

1. FIND A JOB.
2. Make all of the recipes I got from Grandma and get good enough I would be proud to share with other non-family members. (I worked in spritz, but cinnamon rolls, rolls, angel food cake, and potato sausage are still in the queue.)
3. Learn how to make at least 4 different soups from scratch, starting with French Onion. (I only got around to football stew and cheeseburger soup, but this will carry over into 2011.)
4. Bake an interesting treat at least once a month (can overlap with Grandma's recipes). (May, September, October, December)
5. Make all of the clipped recipes in my recipe box and take out everything we don't like — can overlap with interesting treats when applicable. (I didn't make any headway in this one...)
6. Explore the Freedom Trail in it's entirety.
7. Visit at least 4 museums in the Boston area. (ICA, MIT Museum, MFA, Gardner Museum)
8. Find somewhere to volunteer/make a difference. (Given our schedules, this hasn't worked out like I thought it would. However, we're helping lead a community group, do a lot at Reunion, give to things we care about, and are helping build community with our neighbors, so I feel pretty satisfied with this one.)
9. Go through all of our Rosetta Stone lessons on Tagalog. (This will move to 2011!)
10. Read at least 3 of Ian's creation care books. (I've read lots more books thanks to my book club and accomplishing the following two goals, but I'd still like to read some of Ian's green collection.)
11. Read A New Kind of Christian trilogy.
12. Read The Great Divorce, The Reason for God, and Jesus Wants to Save Christians.
13. Read through the Bible in a year. (Read in The Message, and made possible by biblegateway.com's rss feed.)
14. Go through Sacred Marriage and Celebration of Discipline with Ian. (Moving to next year.)
15. Design bookplates for our library and put them in all of our books. (We came up with lots of options — like maybe even an embosser, so this will happen in 2011.)
16. Simplify our apartment so there aren't any random homeless items and everything looks neat and tidy. (living room, bedroom, kitchen, bathroom)
17. Clean the apartment once a week on a regular schedule (we do clean, I just want this to be a predictable habit instead of a random, I-think-its-been-a-week urge).
18. Finish crocheting the things I've started.
19. Journal at least once a week.
20. Call and/or e-mail a friend back home once a week.
21. Write to Grandma at least once a month. (February)
22. People watch on public transportation as inspiration to write, at least once a month, a creative piece and post it under the "riding with Charlie" topic.
23. Go to the library at least once a month for books and movies on my to-read/-watch lists. (January, February, May, June, July, August, September, October, November, December)
24. As we run out of cleaning products and personal care items, replace as many as possible with homemade eco-friendly options (ideas on Vanessa's blog). (We've done this as we've run out, and I want to continue replacing what we have with green options.)
25. Spend one evening a week without electricity-powered entertainment — read or play games instead of watching tv or using the computer. (We're getting better at this, but I'd still like to make it more intentional.)
26. Design personal cards — idea from Real Simple magazine. (Now that we've discovered moo.com, this is going to happen in 2011.)
27. Clean out my iTunes music collection — I made a feeble attempt last year and I want to do better. (Eventually...)
28. Have an intentional evening with Ian once a month — even if it's just a library movie or game night. (Again, I still want to get more intentional about this.)

More details on my progress are in related posts.

Megan survived Hurricane Earl.

We had a lovely Labor Day weekend with our good friend Megan, who flew in Thursday evening. After a (hopefully) restful night on our air mattress, we sent her off into the city to explore while we worked. Then, true to our new tradition, we brought her to Zaftigs to indulge in the essence of Brookline (i.e. tasty Jewish food).

We slept through (wimpy) Hurricane Earl and woke up to a beautiful Saturday morning. So much for our first hurricane. After lounging around, we headed to Orinoco for lunch. It's a great way to avoid the dinner crowds, and their corn pocket sandwiches and traditional empanadas make a delicious light meal.

From there, we took the green line to the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. We'd heard it is a can't-miss museum in Boston, and Megan was the perfect excuse to visit. At $12 a ticket, it's much cheaper (albeit smaller) than the MFA, and offers a decidedly unique experience.

In Ms. Gardner's will, she stipulated the museum not change, so every item is exactly where she placed it. It's next to impossible to decipher how she organized her collection, leading to the conclusion that either a) she was an eccentric rich lady who always got her way, or b) she was intelligent in a way we can't understand.

The seemingly illogical nature of the rooms was a little distracting at times, and it was strange to see bits of art cemented into place instead of painstakingly preserved as they would be today. But the art is pretty incredible. John Singer Sargent's El Jaleo (1882) hangs at the end of a long hall — a captivating image that draws you in. And the ethereal Lady in Yellow (1888) by Thomas Wilmer Dewing is among my favorites.

That night, we attended Micah and Marianna's football + Chick-fil-a party. I didn't take photos and they did such a great job recapping, I'll defer to them. Suffice to say, it was a taste of home shared with great company, and our mint chocolate chip shakes were a hit!

After Reunion on Sunday, we headed to Cambridge for an afternoon of wandering.

After a couple hours exploring Harvard, we headed to Coolidge Corner and met Ryan and Tyra to catch The American. I would like to warn you this film is not a thriller or an action movie. But because it was billed as such, we were all sorely disappointed. And because of the "thriller" label, we assumed the R-rating came from violence. Not so. It was the other kind of R-rated. Why do films/literature insist on being so explicit? Why is this considered "mature" and "serious art?" What is not shown can communicate just as powerfully (Alfred Hitchcock) and takes more talent. A moving story is buried in this slow-as-molasses film, but it's not worth the digging.

Monday morning we headed downtown on a fastforward of our standard Boston tour.

It was with heavy hearts we said goodbye Tuesday morning. Megan — it was so good to have you, and we're so thankful for your friendship. Come back soon!

football stew & buttermilk biscuits

This recipe is a favorite of my mom's because it's so easy and tasty. It's one of my favorite meals as well, especially when the weather is dark and rainy, like today. I'm adding a few modifications to the recipe, because my slow cooker is smaller than my mom's. I didn't take that into account and the broth overflowed a bit. I have a 4-quart slow cooker. I'm listing amounts for my size (the lower amount) as well as the exact recipe from my mom (the higher amount). If your slow cooker is even smaller, adjust accordingly.

football stew
makes 10-12 servings (great as leftovers!)

2 lbs. beef, cubed (any sort of roast/hunk of beef will work in the slow cooker!)
4-5 medium potatoes, chunk
5-6 celery stalks, thick sliced
5-6 carrots, thick sliced
2-3 onions, chunk
approximately 20 oz. of tomato juice (2 inches deep in slow cooker)
3 tbsp. minute tapioca (to thicken)
3 tsp. salt
3-4 tbsp. sugar (go higher if you use more tomato juice)

Mix the meat and vegetables together in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the top. Pour enough tomato juice to fill the slow cooker at least 2 inches deep. (Mom uses a full 20 oz. can which is more than 2 inches in her slow cooker. I couldn't find so I used a larger can and guessed the amount. When I make it again, I'll probably use a little less so it doesn't overflow in my smaller slow cooker.)

Cook on low for 8 hours.

UPDATES: If you can't find tomato juice, substitute a 6 oz can of tomato paste and chicken/beef stock. We've also tried swapping a couple carrots out for turnips and it turned out great (3 carrots + 4 turnips instead of 5-6 carrots). And if you have a too-small slow cooker like us and don't want to shrink the recipe, you can bake this in a dutch oven at 250 degrees for 6-8 hours, but do add extra liquids.

Football stew goes great with my mom's super easy buttermilk biscuits!

buttermilk biscuits
makes a dozen

2 c. all-purpose flour
1 tbsp. sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. cream of tartar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 c. (1 stick) margarine
3/4 c. buttermilk

In a bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Cut in margarine until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Make a well in the center and add the buttermilk all at once. Stir the dough with a fork until it clings together.

On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough gently for 10 to 12 strokes — DON'T OVER KNEAD or your biscuits will be tough! Roll or pat the dough to 1/2 inch thickness. Cut with a 2 1/2 inch biscuit cutter (or anything that will work similarly), dipping the cutter into flour between cuts to prevent sticking.

Transfer biscuits to an ungreased baking sheet. Bake in a 400F degree oven for 10-12 minutes, or until they are golden brown.

Some notes...

• If you don't have buttermilk, measure 2 1/4 tsp. white vinegar or lemon juice in a measuring cup and add enough milk to make 3/4 c. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes. The biscuits won't turn out any different than if you used buttermilk!
• For sour cream biscuits, replace the buttermilk with 1/2 c. sour cream and 1/4 c. milk.
• For plain biscuits, replace buttermilk with 2/3 c. milk.

This is the first of four soup recipes I'm attempting as part of my concrete aspirations for this year. I originally planned to start with French Onion but decided that would be an invite-friends-over sort of meal. Because who wants to spend hours making a meal and then not share it? (Apparently it's time consuming but not too difficult). So I'm waiting until we can do just that.

Concrete Aspirations 2010

These 28 things are my concrete aspirations for 2010. The purpose in most of these goals is changing my habits — get more creative with cooking, explore the city, read, develop a routine so the things that are important to me don't fall through the cracks. I do my best to focus on these goals as I go through the year, but don't worry too much if I don't get everything done — if it's still something I want to do I just put it on next year's list. You can track my progress on the concrete aspirations page.

1. FIND A JOB.
2. Make all of the recipes I got from Grandma and get good enough I would be proud to share with other non-family members.
3. Learn how to make at least 4 different soups from scratch, starting with French Onion.
4. Bake an interesting treat at least once a month (can overlap with Grandma's recipes).
5. Make all of the clipped recipes in my recipe box and take out everything we don't like (can overlap with interesting treats when applicable).
6. Explore the Freedom Trail in it's entirety.
7. Visit at least 4 museums in the Boston area.
8. Find somewhere to volunteer/make a difference.
9. Go through all of our Rosetta Stone lessons on Tagalog.
10. Read at least 3 of Ian's creation care books.
11. Read A New Kind of Christian trilogy.
12. Read The Great Divorce, The Reason for God, and Jesus Wants to Save Christians.
13. Read through the Bible in a year.
14. Go through Sacred Marriage and Celebration of Discipline with Ian.
15. Design bookplates for our library and put them in all of our books.
16. Simplify our apartment so there aren't any random homeless items and everything looks neat and tidy.
17. Clean the apartment once a week on a regular schedule (we do clean, I just want this to be a predictable habit instead of a random, I-think-its-been-a-week urge).
18. Finish crocheting the things I've started.
19. Journal at least once a week.
20. Call and/or e-mail a friend back home once a week.
21. Write to Grandma at least once a month.
22. People watch on public transportation as inspiration to write, at least once a month, a creative piece and post it under the "riding with Charlie" topic.
23. Go to the library at least once a month for books and movies on my to-read/-watch lists.
24. As we/I run out of cleaning products and personal care items, replace as many as possible with homemade eco-friendly options (ideas on Vanessa's blog).
25. Spend one evening a week without electricity-powered entertainment — read or play games instead of watching tv or using the computer.
26. Design personal cards (idea from Real Simple magazine).
27. Clean out my iTunes music collection — I made a feeble attempt last year and I want to do better.
28. Have an intentional evening with Ian once a month — even if it's just a library movie or game night.

making quiche

Ian and I are home alone this week — Dane took Micki to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho for her birthday getaway trip. We've got some assignments, are taking care of Pfluff and preparing more for our move. We're also experimenting with dinner. Tonight, we decided to knock off one of my concrete aspiration goals for this year and make quiche. I thought this goal would take lots of practice, but it turned out great with just one try!

We modified a recipe from foodnetwork.com to make our quiche. The following recipe is with our changes.

ingredients
6 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups half and half (it was cheaper than heavy cream and turned out fine)
salt and pepper
1 medium onion, chopped and sauteed with garlic (optional) and olive oil
1 pound bacon, cooked and crumbled
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese — we used cheddar and asiago we found in the fridge
1 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crust, fitted to a 9-inch pie plate (Or, even better, if you have time make your own pie crust: it's tastier and cheaper. Plus you can be proud it's homemade. For the record, I can make pie crust and prefer homemade, but we had pie crust in the fridge.)

directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Combine the eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender.
Layer the onions, bacon, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on top.
Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut into 8 wedges.
Serve with salad for a bistro-quality meal!

Anna: literary rock star!

A team going to South Africa for a summer project spoke at last week's Perspectives class. They are starting a t-shirt printing shop (print:relief) in a slum to create jobs — a major need there. To raise funds, they sponsored a "literary rock concert" and at Perspectives, gave information on how to audition. I'm not big on performing, but thought if I was going to make a fool of myself, it was for a good cause! I auditioned Thursday night and found out Friday morning I was in the lineup.

That evening, I showed up to the Dusty Bookshelf and met some of the other literary rock stars — they are amazing and I got to experience some pretty talented work. I read my poem "The Way the Sky Would Like to Touch the Snow." I can't explain how nervous I felt, but Ian and Ren informed me the audience couldn't tell. I didn't end up placing, but that's okay because I got compliments and applause, and that's all an aspiring writer really needs — affirmation. At least until the bills come, hah!

At any rate, listening to some of the other writers really inspired me to get back into writing on a regular basis. I know it's been on my to-do list, but I now have a vision as to what I can write and how to make what I write great. After my creative writing classes, I almost felt like a writer had to cross some sort of "inappropriate" boundary to be considered serious writing. One, I don't want to write about most of that, and two, we learned your best work is writing what you know, and I've never been homeless, done drugs, seen drugs, had a one-night stand, etc., nor am I willing to do any of the above. Enter Devree, married 20-something. She read two romantic poems (she won in poetry and she deserved it) which were beautiful, not cheesy or mushy, and all around quality writing without being graphically erotic or uncomfortable. I am eternally grateful to her for sharing her talent.

So I've dusted off my moleskine. Look out world, here I come!

personalizing your blog

So I've been promising this for a little while, but life gets busy. Between laundry, work, cleaning, etc, I've let blogging get away from me. So here's the (hopefully!) anticipated post. By the way, Ian's singing me songs from Pirates of Penzance right now. Yay!

First off, I state this is for people with Blogger blogs. If you use something else, I don't know how to do it. Having said that, the Blogger template I recommend when you create your own header is the Minima family (the other templates with curves and fancy lines don't seem to mesh with uploaded images, but if you can make it work, props!). Personal preference, I don't like the stretch versions as much. They stretch blog text to fit the browser window instead of using a defined, never-changing width. But it all depends on you and your blog!

Anyway, select a Minima template under the Layout tab and the Pick New Template section. If there's a color scheme you like, pick it. If not, don't worry because you can edit the colors later to match your header. (And don't forget, when you change templates, it moves your widgets around in the sidebar. After you save the new template, you'll want to move them back.)

Speaking of the header... First off, you'll want to design the image. I use Photoshop, because I'm blessed to have a husband who designs images and documents and I design in my job. However, any photo-editing program will do. (I'm not putting detailed instructions because you'll know your own program better than I do. Questions for Photoshop you can leave in the comments.) I start with a photo, add text, then tweak the photo. You will have two options when you place the image in your header, so design according to your selection. You can:

• leave it as just an image, and place it behind the blog title text. Remember that the blog header text won't look any different than it does right now (although you can edit font — limited options — and color later).
  
• make the text part of the image, then use the image to replace your blog title. This allows you to place the title wherever you want on the image, and use any font you'd like. That's what I've done.

As you're designing the image, here's a couple tips I've learned. If you're using a non-stretch Minima template and you want the header to fit inside the outlined box, or if you want the image edges to line up with the edges of the posts/sidebar, you'll want to make sure it is exactly 648 pixels wide. (If you use a stretch template, you can forget about this, because the box stretches with the browser just like the text, so I'd recommend making it disappear... keep reading.) Currently, my header is 648 by 290 pixels, but don't worry about exact height — it adjusts for height, just not width. I'd suggest you make it not so tall that it fills the whole screen though.

Now, you might be wondering why I'm talking about a box, when there isn't a box around my header at all. I'll get to this momentarily. First, we need to get the image on your blog! In the Page Elements section under the Layout tab, you'll want to click Edit on the box that is your header. The text in this box should be your blog title. When you click Edit you'll get a pop-up window similar to this one, shown below, except instead of an image, there will be a place where you search for a file to upload.

You'll click this option, find your file, then click OK. After it uploads, your image should show up where mine is in the above image. If it can't upload because the file is too big, you can reduce the resolution to 150dpi. Chances are though, size won't be a problem since your image isn't that big (per the size I specified earlier). If you're using it as a background, select the "behind title and description" option. If you are replacing the title with the image, select the "instead of title and description" option. Hit save, and you should be good to go! If you ever want to change the image, go back to this window, click Remove Image, then upload the new one. Blogger hosts these header images for this in the same spot (Picasa, via Google) as any other photos you upload using Blogger.

Now back to that outline box I was talking about earlier. All of the Minima templates have an outline around the header and dashed lines between the widgets in your sidebar. However, if you don't want these lines to show up, you can change the color of the lines to match the background, and presto, they essentially disappear. Speaking of changing your blog colors...

I mentioned earlier not to worry too much about the colors in the template you selected, because you can change all of it! In the Layout tab, you'll select the Fonts and Colors section. Note: the preview below the color-picker tool doesn't ever work for me. I make changes, save it, then view my blog. If I don't like something, I change it, save it, then look again. I recommend pulling colors similar to ones in  your header. Play around with it until you find a readable combination you like. And if you want to start over, you can always cheat and use the "revert to template default" option.

Sit back and admire your beautiful blog!

I do note, there are lots of sites with free templates you can download. I elected not to do this for various reasons (which I'll share if you're curious), but it's all up to you. If you use a free template, I'd suggest a simple one (background image as opposed to huge format changes) so your blog doesn't load slowly and chase away readers. Megan uses pretty, simple and free templates, if you'd like to see an example of a good one! If you have any questions, or if my instructions are confusing or missing a crucial step, leave me a comment and I'll add/fix it!

Concrete Aspirations 2009

Here's my 28 things I hope to complete in 2009. I'm sticking to 28 because I like the number, and I don't want to think about how I would translate 2010, 2011, 2012, into a fun number, as Vanessa did (28 in 2008, 29 in 2009). Vanessa, I'm curious how you'll tackle these in the future, and just so you know, Little House on the Prairie was my favorite book series growing up! (Bold items are complete, italicized items are in progress.)

1. Read The Four Loves, The Great Divorce, Confessions of St. Augustine, The Reason for God.
2. Whittle down my music collection on iTunes. I've got tons of music Ian and I will never listen to again...
3. Read Devil in the White City.
4. Use 1 cookbook recipe per week.  — to stay on budget we're getting creative, which I think fulfills the spirit of this one in adding excitement to our weekly meals. And our cookbooks were packed up for 5 months, inaccessible...
5. Compile a list of 40 meals we make/want to start making regularly.
6. Read A New Kind of Christian trilogy.
7. Read through the Bible in a year. — subscribed to a BibleGateway.com daily reading plan in Google Reader.
8. Use WiiFit 5 days a week.
9. Armed with new potted gardening knowledge, reattempt growing an herb garden indoors. — the oregano, chives and rosemary are doing well!
10. Send poetry and/or short story to a publisher.
11. Restart our Tagalog lessons. — picked up some while in the Philippines!
12. Back up all my writing to GoogleDocs.
13. Visit the zoo, finally, after 4 years of saying we will.
14. Jazz up the blog a little.
15. Learn how to make GOOD quiche.
16. Get in the habit of packing lunches the night before so mornings are smoother.
17. Be 5-10 minutes early to everything. — this is going well since our move, excluding lateness due entirely to public transportation.
18. Bake a new and exciting treat at least once a month.
19. Decorate my canvas bag.
20. Catch up scrapbooking.
21. With Ian, finish C.S. Lewis's space trilogy and Chronicles of Narnia.
22. Back up my photos to Picasa or Flickr (decide which one!).
23. Stick to a good skin care regimen.
24. Catch up in my journal.
25. Finish knitting the scarves/hats I bought yarn to make.
26. Have an intentionally planned and creative date night once a month. Like having a picnic... i.e. making dinner and hanging out at home don't count unless it's specially planned.
27. Make all of the clipped recipes stuffed in my recipe box, and take out the ones we don't like.
28. Go through Celebration of Discipline with Ian as we planned out.

Concrete Aspirations 2008 in summary

In April 2008, inspired by Vanessa, I made my own list of things I wanted to accomplish in 2008. Many successes, some fell through the cracks. Here's the list and what happened! Bolded items are completed. I don't feel too bad that I didn't finish all of it, as I didn't start at the beginning of the year.

1. Read all of Jane Austen's books — Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, Persuasion, Lady Susan.
2. Attempt all the recipes from mom, at least once. — barbecue meatballs, biko, eclairs, beef brisket.
3. Finish Mere Christianity.
4. Read Velvet Elvis, Soul Cravings, and The Barbarian Way.
5. Decorate my canvas bag. The bag I intended to decorate I ended up not using because I got a couple other free bags. However, I'd still like to decorate it. This will go onto my 2009 list!
6. Finish our wedding thank-yous. — just need to sleuth out 1 more address. The person in question moved, so we're a little stymied. I think that we could consider this one basically completed.
7. Catch up scrapbooking. I failed to order photos, because I don't want to use Wal-Mart, but I want matte finish... Again, this will go onto my 2009 list.
8. Watch all of The Godfather movies with Ian.
9. With Ian, complete, in order written, the Chronicles of Narnia. — finished The Silver Chair. We started C.S. Lewis's space trilogy, so we put Chronicles of Narnia on hold temporarily. I'm hoping to finish both book sets in 2009!
10. Whittle down our collection of stuff.
11. Write Grandma every month.
12. Re-start our potted herb garden when we get back to Kansas in August. — herbs are (hopefully) in winter hibernation! I think, after discovering some information, that they dried out because the air wasn't humid enough, so I think they are dead. But I'm going to try again, for the third year, to find success in container gardening!
13. Finish the process of changing my name at necessary institutions.
14. Attempt to do a folded-book art sculpture.
15. Back up my photos to Picasa or Flickr (decide which one!). My indecisive nature worked against me on this one, and I've discovered that Shutterfly has cool sharing sites for the photos you upload to order from them, so I'm going to do more research as I order photos for scrapbooking.
16. Learn Tagalog. We're going to continue these lessons in 2009 and our trip to the Philippines in the summer will help too!
17. Catch up in my journal.
18. Keep up the habit of weekly meal planning.
19. Clean the apartment at least bi-weekly.
20. Improve my athletic skills (a.k.a. things like play catch with Ian).
21. Exercise at least 3 times a week. — yay for Wii Fit!
22. Get up in time to put on makeup and do my hair for work, if I want to. It's been hit or miss. I'm going to be even more ambitious in 2009 in this department though!
23. Work on my creative writing 2 times a week. — signed up for NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month: 50,000 words in November).
24. Finish knitting the scarves/hats I bought yarn to make.
25. Pick out the wedding photos to order/have in an album and relay to Gina. We had to wait until we spent time with family, so they could pick out their images. We'll be ordering in January! (Finished June 2009!)
26. Plan a creative, fun, inexpensive date once a month.
27. Learn a really good bring-to-share homemade side dish recipe and dessert recipe.
28. Hone in our budget and really stick to it. I'd like to note, this happened twice as we had to adjust the budget when Ian went back to school!