10 10s in 2010--update 3

Oct 27 update
(since a number of items appear more than once, I am putting notations by the first occurrence, then making the font on subsequent ones smaller. I'm also shrinking the font on anything that hasn't changed since last time...)

1--Keeping My Home

1. Create (and then stick to) a housekeeping system more or less epically failing here at this point...I hate being regimented. Mmm, must try harder.
   
2. Try out at least one new recipe each month Jan-Troy's Chicken and Speedy Burritos Feb--Spider Spaghetti, Mar--Lebanese spinach puffs and cheeseburger buns, April--black bean/rice veggie burgers and pound cake and trifle, May--spinach stuffed pork loin, June--tarragon cream halibut, July--Salmon burgers and salmon-dill quiche, August-- veggie gingerbread muffins, hot Mexican salad, September--gluten free cookies and stardrop (GF) cookies and Indian-style chicken, October--
   
3. Serve balanced meals (with a protein, a vegetable, and a starch/carb) at least most nights usually so far so good
4. Grind my own wheat flour going great!
   
5. Make bread all year It's been a year now and going strong
   
6. Build up my food storage--at least 3m worth of all non-perishable items oh man, I gotta post some pictures of our pantry. It's lookin awesome!
7. Learn about gardening in Alaska--what foods grow well, when/how to plant and harvest, etc so far so good
8. Have a garden kitchen containers--basil rocked, tomatoes did fine, chives were alright...broccoli was an epic fail. I think my containers were not big enough.
   
9. Can/freeze produce in season salmon, smoked salmon, halibut, blueberries, raspberries, peaches, apples, rhubarb, apricots, and black currents (off our own bush!)
   
10. Participate in the butchering and/or preservation of a moose that Hubby shoots (that's one of his goals for the year) He didnt' get a moose in spite of much trying, BUT we are buying a half a cow from a local farmer next month. ☺
    

2--Read Books (ideally including the following specific titles)(* means I've started it, date indicates when finished) I scrapped half the list and instead am putting things I actually did read

1. 4/10 To Kill A Mockingbird--dang, how had I never read this before? It was excellent! So much better than most other 'coming of age' stories I've read.
   
2. A Christmas Carol
3. 7/10 something by an Alaskan author Tom Bodett rocks. That is all.
   
4. a biography or memoir
5. *Going Rogue by Sarah Palin (mostly for cultural literacy)
6. 1/10 Icy Sparks--story of a young girl in Appalacia and her life with undiagnosed Tourette's. Unfortunately the way it was written was just really depressing, so even though the idea of the story appealed, I don't recommend the book.
7. *Fablehaven (I started this...then Wolf stole it from me...I'll get it back when he's done I guess!)
8. *The Mists of Avalon
9. 8/10The Passage by Justin Croner (NYT top book) intriguing and fascinating page-turner, set in the near future but with major changes to the land and government. Unfortunately the ending was terribly anti-climactic.
   
10. 6/10 The Audacity of Hope by Barak Obama (alternate) This book was so sooo good. Regardless of our agreement/disagreement on any given political platform, this book demonstrates that our president is intelligent, thoughtful, logical, and ethical--he tries really hard to be true to what he perceives and believes, and I have to respect that.
    

3--Improve Financial Stability

1. Pay off (at least) one account DONE!! We also rolled all our debt together and lowered our interest rate, so we're paying things off faster now AND we literally cut up the credit cards that we had. That feels so good.
   
2. Keep current with tithing (unfortunately some months this has been hard for us, and then catching up on our tight budget is even harder) just have to keep it up...
3. Live within our means, always considering wants vs needs, and making the modest choice even with the latter. ☺
4. Use coupons and shop sales at the grocery store I've been good about sales, not so much with coupons
   
5. Use our tax returns and PFD's wisely (for food storage/debt, not playing!) so far so good
6. Build up our food storage
   
7. Build up my year's supply (the non food stuff, like toilet paper and toothpaste and laundry soap) to 3-6 months worth
8. Do not buy any new diaper/etc fabric no sweat
   
9. Sew items to sell using the fabric I have obviously
10. Actively market my etsy shops It has slowed down a lot, but I've been putting my efforts into The Amethyst Network and family things, so I'm ok with that.
    

4--Be More Present with my Family

1. Read more books to my kids so far so good, I'm trying to read to Wolf sometimes too, which is kinda fun for us both, even if he's a great reader himself, sometimes the bedtime story with mom is still cool with him (just don't tell his friends!)
   
2. Acquire a couple of new children's books in order to do #1 without losing my mind ☺
3. Cuddle my kids every day ☺often, I'm not sure if I hit every day, but at least most days
   
4. Include the kids in the housekeeping schedule (give them assignments)
5. Stay OFF the internet one day a week (generally Tuesdays) mostly failing at this right now...however I'm spending less time online in the average day, so even if the days off are infrequent, the overall hours are still reduced
   
6. Be a good example for the kids by limiting my screen time on other days ☺
7. Say "just a minute" less often workin on it...doing ok...
   
8. Play with my kids, not just work near them so far so good
9. Have a monthly 'date' with each family member it's been hit and miss the last couple of months, but I'm getting them in this month and plan to finish out the year
   
10. Go to bed at the same time as my Hubby usually ☺
    

5--Create

1. Create (sew or knit) at least 6 things per month, for my family or my shop so far so good... I really like doing the "finished objects" post each month to help me see what I've done. Jan FOs, Feb FOs, Mar FOs, Apr FOs, May FOs, Jun FOs, July FOs, Aug FOs, Sep/Oct FOs,
   
2. Introduce a new product (or two or three) in my shop(s) this year. Four so far.
3. Allow myself the thought-outlet of blogging frequently ☺
4. Finish Wolf's sweater I spoke with him about this, and expressed my concern that I'm knitting so slowly at this point that he's going to outgrow the sweater before I can get it done. Together we made the decision that I will set this sweater aside (make it for Bear when he gets bigger), but that I will make something else for Wolf. We're currently scouting for a cool pattern.
   
5. Knit something for myself (I have no idea what yet) HAHAHAHAAAAAAAA! yeah right. Not this year methinks!
   
6. Use up existing stash rather than buying new materials
7. Try out at least one new recipe each month
8. Learn how to make shampoo/conditioner This I think will slide this year
   
9. Make handmade gifts for my family/friends (not necessarily to the exclusion of purchased items). I'm making all the halloween costumes, and several Christmas things...we'd talked at one point about an all-handmade Christmas, but we're not doing that. The items from Hubby and I to the kids will be handmade though!
   
10. Help my children make things

6--Focus Inward

1. Be more active (I'd like to go walking, though in winter in Alaska with two little ones and no where to walk indoors this is a challenge...) I'm a bit hit and miss, but I am getting out often even if not always walking per se...
   
2. Work on my poor ignored abdominals...crunches or pilates or something I've been totally slacking off on this ☺
   
3. Get outside more often so far so good
4. Read more fiction (see list above!)
5. Read my scriptures We're doing better with the family reading, but this probably has to count as a strike cuz I'm not doing well on my own
   
6. Pray more (an ongoing challenge for me unfortunately) so far so good
7. Get the local breastfeeding support group on it's feet.
   
8. Sing more so far so good ☺
9. Take time to be still and quiet I'm doing much better with this
10. Check in on these goals at least quarterly to monitor my progress ☺

7--Focus Outward

1. Do my visiting teaching every month this has crashed and burned on the "all" and "every" part the last two months, but we keep trying.
   
2. Become a Big Sister with Big Brothers/Big Sisters...it's something I've wanted to do for a long time. or not
   
3. Build up the local breastfeeding support group.
4. Fulfill my church calling (I am the coordinator over the Relief Society meetings formerly referred to as "Home, Family, and Personal Enrichment meetings") so far so good--I'm now also the music coordinator for the ward.
   
5. "Pay It Forward" whenever I can (in whatever ways I can)
   
6. Look specifically for opportunities to PIF/send out good karma yes
   
7. Shop locally or handmade whenever possible.
8. Feed the local missionaries each month
   
9. Teach a friend how to do something new going with the henna here..although I've also had some cooking discussions and I did what I could via internet to help a friend with some sewing ☺
   
10. Teach my kids how to do new things Wolf is cooking more, Bear plays games, helps me bake, and is very helpful with the baby, and even Eagle likes to put things away into containers/boxes!
    
11. BONUS--start a nonprofit organization for miscarriage support and education (ha, who'd have guessed!)
    

8--Learn

1. Read a parenting book Punished by Rewards by Alfie Kohn (review coming sometime...)
   
2. Read a marriage/relationship book The Soul of Sex by Thomas Moore (not that it was just about marriage, but the philosophy in the book has definitely fed my marriage in a positive way ☺ )
   
3. Read a political book The Audacity of Hope by Barak Obama
   
4. Read a nutrition or health book
5. Read a biography or teachings of a latter day prophet or apostle aww scrappy
   
6. Read my scriptures
7. Learn new knitting techniques Jan--increases, Feb--seaming (shoulders, sides, and setting in sleeves), Jun--picking up stitches
   
8. Learn how to make shampoo and/or conditioner
9. Try out at least one new recipe each month
10. Seek to find/recognize the sacred in all aspects of life, and the connections between truths ("spiritual" and otherwise) this has been just awesome

9--Blog

1. Write a series of posts about The Family proclamation HAHAHAAA how about 2011 for this one? I wrote about The Relief Society stuff instead, how's that?
   
2. Finish the final post in my "motherhood" series done ☺
3. Finish the birth-related posts that are sitting in my drafts folder done ☺
4. Research and write more posts on specific vaccinations
5. Write reviews of the books I have read but haven't written about yet: Hold On To Your Kids, The Omnivore's Dilemma, Raising Your Spirited Child
6. Write reviews of books I read this year slow but steady, right?
7. Post more regularly on my cooking blog so far so good...and yummy...
   
8. Post more regularly on my family scrapbook blog (it's private, for keeping extended family updated mostly) so far so good
9. Fill in gaps by posting older stuff on the family scrapbook blog too so far so good
10. Leave comments on my friends' blogs ☺
11. BONUS write a series on the Relief Society proclamation
    

10--Celebrate

1. Celebrate the earth cycle holidays (equinoxes, solstices). so far so good
2. Finally start our long-planned family tradition of having an authentic medieval meal (ie, big meat, candlelight, no utensils) once a year. It was pretty cool
3. Establish a new family tradition for Jesus' Birthday This was also pretty cool
4. Have a family pizza night at least twice a month frequently, and invite someone to join us. We are going at monthly-ish, which is fine. It's fun, but it is a lot of work.
   
5. Have a family or couples game night at least once a month strike--STILL haven't been doing this at all.
   
6. Go to playgroup and mom's support (breastfeeding) group and RS meetings and thus rejuvenate myself often mom's nights are good too
   
7. Visit some major sites of my own state this was quite an adventure, to say the least...
   
8. Play music in the home/car, and sing more so far so good
9. Get outside often and breathe deeply this has been good
10. Do my best to live deeply and suck the marrow out of life this has been very good
11. BONUS start a new family tradition of celebrating the countries of our ancestors by having a meal of authentic foods on that country's national holiday (some I've hit and some I've missed...and I'm just being ok with that at this point)
12. I know I posted somewhere my plan to make cakes for each family member's birthday, but can't find it on this list... I have done it for Hubby & Bear, Wolf...Eagle's will be coming soon!