#13 and #14: Change name on credit cards/bank account COMPLETED

Completed: 11-24-10

Only 2 years and almost 11 months to complete this one ;-)

But, hey! In my defense, the financial institutions don't exactly make this an easy one step process. Save for one credit card, which is another reason why it's my favorite, but that's another story for another time.

Some unplanned time off fell into my lap last week, so I took the opportunity to go visit the two that required face-to-face meetings to make the big switch. Done and done.

#15: Pay off credit cards. COMPLETED

Remember when I did this?

Seven months later (almost to the day), amazingly, the second credit card is paid off, meaning wee ol' number 15 is completed.

Honestly, I'm not certain I believe it.

For longer than I care to think about, I would pay a little extra here, a little extra there,The Husband would give me a sizable cash gift to help, but we would never really see much (downward) movement on those balances. And I got discouraged. Because I had never been one to carry a balance on my cards, let alone the ginormous (to me) balances that they had accumulated.

I was defeated, practically convinced that nothing, save for winning the lottery, could bring those big numbers down to a little number-- my beloved zero.

But then I got mad. Mad at one credit card company in particular, which kept switching my statement dates and payment due dates, thereby accumulating a greater balance. Mad at myself for not being persistent enough to just pay them off already.

I talked with the The Husband to see what, if anything, he could take off my financial plate to make this work. I created a real-live, honest-to-goodness budget, with the goal of finding unnecessary expenses that I could do without and, instead, put that money towards finally (finally!) paying off that stooopid debt.

I paid the minimum on one card (bigger one) and put anything unspent towards the other (slightly smaller one). And it worked! This past April, I paid off my first credit card. Phew.

Then, after discussing the pros/cons with The Husband until I was blue in the face, I transferred the balance from the remaining card to the then only paid off card. And, put everything (and I mean everything) I could towards that new balance.

For seven months.

My hair has gone un-trimmed, un-highlighted. My previous love of starbucks is, surprisingly, extinguished. I've learned how to make a decent cup o' joe with my office machine. My belly misses sushi like you would not believe.

But, these are all first world problems, so who am I to complain?

Oh, and I'm credit card debt free. :-)

#49: Read 6 copies of my organization's monthly magazine, then they are current. COMPLETED

Surely, I'm not the only one who struggles with keeping up with their industry's "required reading" so to speak.

We know that it's better to read the news when it's current and not one or two months past. Yet, somehow that pretty magazine in the paper in-box fails to capture the urgency of the electronic in-box. Bloody technology, right?

Which is why this item popped up on the revised 101 list.

And, I did it. I read each issue within the week it arrived; sometimes at my desk over lunch, sometimes at home while cooking dinner. It's a good goal to keep in mind for the future, too.

#61: Walk around Town Lake COMPLETED

Completed: 10-17-10

Yesterday, after working my organization's conference, I told The Husband that I wanted to take him on a date. A surprise date. Which, historically, involves one of us sneakily getting the other to do something that the other would not typically be interesting in doing.

Like, eating ice cream at Amy's... or... well, getting out of the house early on a Sunday morning.

So, on Sunday, The Husband and I drove downtown, made a pit stop at Austin Java and went for a little walk around Town Lake. Oh, pardon me. Lady Bird Lake.

Does anyone actually call it Lady Bird Lake? Not meaning any disrespect to Ms. Lady Bird Johnson herself, rest her soul, but I think most people (Yelp included) still consider and may always consider it Town Lake.

Anyway. Walking around Town Lake was a nice thing for The Husband and I to do this morning. We walked and talked. Chatting about the last week and the upcoming week. Appreciating the good company and lovely scenery.

And, it gave me a new way to see our city-- one that I, honestly, never have the opportunity to view. Out of my car, away from the traffic. Out of my office, on the ground instead of above it.

Nothing like a change in perspective to make you ready for the week ahead.

Intertubez, meet Fitzherbert

aka: #33-- get an indoor plant and keep it alive for 6 months.

Fitzherbert has bravely volunteered for this effort with nary a peep. Actually, I think his odds of making it 6 months or more are pretty darn good.

You see, once upon a time, in a land far far away, I had another plant named Bob. And he survived more than 3 years. If you know of my ::ahem:: record with outdoor plants, I could see how you would find this hard to believe.

Alas, it's the truth. And now Fitzherbert will enjoy that long a life (maybe even more!) with me and The Husband.

The first goal: February 26th, 2011.

The second goal: to infinity and beyond!

(Also? It's surprisingly challenging to wrangle Fitzherbert for a snapshot. I guess he's just camera shy...)

101 in 1001 Update; One year to go!

Wow. One year to complete The List. ::cough::

365 days to finish ::checks list:: 65 tasks. Or else some lucky non-profit will get a neither-underweight-yet-not-obese check for $325.

Let’s have a look at what has been accomplished.

I’ve been awfully busy in the Body, Food and Social categories. Only #89 (Join a committee and stay active for 1 year) remains in Social. Food has 7 out of 13 tasks remaining (#75, 77, 78, 80, 81, 83 and 85). And Body clocks in with 3 out of 14 remaining (#60, 61 and 72). One could infer this to mean I’m a body conscious, social, food-loving person. Possibly.

Where am I lacking? Travel (3/11), Home (6/21), Love (0/7), Mind (2/10) and that miscellaneous category, Other (3/12). I’m not going to draw a conclusion towards my personality from that. So there.

The Financial category is so-so (3/8).

As per usual, it appears I may have over-reached. I tend to not take into consideration the little things, like the fact that the 9 to 5 leaves an embarrassingly small amount of “fun time," or fiscal constraints. Perhaps I should add “learn how to make reachable goals” on the next 101 list.

Yes, I’ll probably do another 101 list after this one ends. I’m a weirdo like that.

Alright, 65 not-yet-completed-tasks. It’s you and me, buddy. Let’s go!

Zero

Do you know what a thing of beauty that number is to me?

It's glorious. And loverly.

Why?

Because it's the balance on one my credit cards.

Which makes for a very happy Friday and which means I'm halfway to crossing off #15 on that 101 list.

Y'all are free to do a happy dance... because I most certainly am doing one of my own!

#57: Make a list of 100 things that make me happy

1. My toes in the sand
2. Sunshine
3. Palm trees in December
4. My family and friends
5. Pedicures
6. Sephora
7. New shoes
8. Being blonde
9. Bubbly
10. Bubble baths
11. Flowers, unexpectedly
12. Peeenk things
13. Snuggling on the sofa
14. Quiet time
15. The smell of books
16. Christmas
17. Hot coffee
18. Yorkshire pudding and roast beef
19. Sunday mornings
20. Brunch
21. Sushi
22. Swimming
23. Reading
24. Making lists
25. Checking items off those lists
26. Coupons
27. Writing
28. Love notes
29. Birthdays
30. High heels
31. Wine
32. Surprising other people
33. Baking
34. Trying new recipes
35. Cashmere
36. Heated blankets
37. Slippers
38. Glossy magazines
39. BBQ
40. Kaleidoscopes
41. Thanksgiving
42. The library
43. Ballet
44. How I feel *after* the gym
45. Shopping
46. The Georgia mountains
47. My hometown
48. Celebration in the Oaks
49. Beignets and cafe au laits
50. British spellings (behaviour, colour, etc)
51. Napa Valley
52. Eggs over-easy with toasted rosemary bread and butter
53. Pumpkin
54. The beach
55. Salt water
56. The smell of sunscreen
57. Taking walks
58. Riding the streetcar
59. Fairs
60. Travelling
61. Planning
62. A clean home
63. Old movies
64. Barnes & Noble
65. Filling in my budget
66. Chocolate croissants
67. Confetti
68. Date nights
69. When my "skinny" jeans get loose
70. Baseball on a warm summer night
71. 3... 2... 1... Happy New Year!
72. Driving fast with no traffic
73. Unscheduled days
74. Cozy socks
75. Research
76. Dessert
77. Updating the Netflix queue
78. Obscure words
79. Sudoku
80. Foreign films, in general
81. Dancing
82. Gooey brownies, straight from the oven
83. Dreaming
84. Santa Claus
85. Cleaning out my in-box
86. Organizing
87. Making packing lists
88. Mittens, in theory
89. Happy hour
90. New contacts
91. Ripe nectarines
92. Cocktail parties
93. Rain
94. Watching fireworks
95. New nail polish
96. Lip gloss
97. Summer
98. Bathing suits
99. Looking through photo albums
100. Sculpture gardens

#50: Read 10 new books (completed!)

Started 11-17-08
Completed 01-02-10
1. The Testament, John Grisham
2. The Partner, John Grisham
3. The Notebook, Nicholas Sparks
4. Girl with a Pearl Earring, Tracy Chevalier
5. Girls Night In, Meg Cabot, Jen Weiner, Sophie Kinsella, others.
6. I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, Tucker Max
7. The Verdict, John Grisham
8. The Night Buffalo, Guillermo Arriaga
9. Seabiscuit: An American Legend, Laura Hillenbrand
10. Her Fearful Symmetry, Audrey Niffenegger

The revised 101 in 1001 days list

End date: May 25, 2011
Bold indicates new and/or revised item
Italics indicate item in progress
Strike-through indicates completed item

49 Completed
11 In progress
41 to go!

Travel
1. Weekend trip to New Orleans
2. Go to the Keys
3. Weekend trip to San Antonio
4. Weekend trip to Dallas
5. Go to Wurtzfest in New Braunfels
6. Get passport
7. Climb Enchanted Rock
8. Go wine tasting in Napa Valley
9. Weekend trip to San Fransisco
10. Make a detailed plan to visit Scotland
11. Travel to 2 new places not already on this list (2/2)
Financial
12. Buy new laptop
13. Change name on credit cards
14. Change name on bank account
15. Pay off credit cards
16. Start an emergency fund with $500
17. Use only cash for 30 days
18. Donate $5 to a non-profit for each unfinished 101 item
19. Start 401(K)
Home
20. Complete china set
21. Paint kitchen
22. Paint living room
23. Paint office
24. Decorate office
25. Buy new everyday dinnerware
26. Start and maintain herb garden
27. Finish decorating living room
28. Wash and clean out car every week for one month (2/4)
29. Buy new lamps
30. Purchase fire/waterproof safe
31. Put important documents in safe
32. Order "Est." sign
33. Get an indoor plant and keep it alive for 6 months
34. Decorate for Christmas
35. Decorate for Halloween
36. Decorate for Thanksgiving
37. Update and maintain Emergency Supply kit
38. Clean out my closet of anything not worn in the last year.
39. Donate items from #38 to Goodwill.
40. Strip and paint old mirror
Love
41. Take family portrait
42. Go on 20 date nights with husband (15/20)
43. Personal item, tyvm
44. Get a massage
45. Watch sunset with husband
46. Watch sunrise with husband
47. Order wedding photos
Work/Education
48. Get a professional headshot taken
49. Read 6 copies of my organization's monthly magazine, when they are current (6/6)
Mind
50. Read 10 new books (10/10)
51. See an exhibit at the Blanton
52. See a play
53. Go to the ballet
54. Take 2 mental health days and spend them outside of the house doing unusual activities
55. Blog about each 101 item
56. Journal a happy moment each day for one year (starting 01-01-2009 through 12-31-2010)
57. Make a list of 100 things that make me happy
58. Write on blog 3 times a week for one month
Body
59. Buy new running shoes
60. Run/walk a 5K
61. Walk around Town Lake
62. Get a new primary care physician
63. Make a change in my hairstyle/color
64. Wear makeup everyday for two weeks
65. Go to the dentist
66. Go to the eye doctor
67. Order new contacts
68. Research and buy new foundation
69. Get a pedicure
70. Go to the gym 3 times/week for one month
71 Go to the gym 4 times/week for one month
72. Go to the gym 5x week four times (2/4)
Food
73. Make 15 new recipes, not including the ones listed here specifically (15/15)
74. Eat at the Salt Lick
75. Find the best burger in Austin
76. Try ten new restaurants (10/10)
77. Take a CM cooking class
78. Vist one new restaurant during Austin's 2010 restaurant week.
79. Visit one new restaurant during Austin's 2009 restaurant week
80. Make empanadas
81. Try 10 new flavors of ice cream (10/10)
82. Bake panetone
83. Take a sushi class
84. Bake a chocolate cake
85. Bake a tres leches cake
Social
86. Host a New Year's Eve party
87. Celebrate husband's 40th b-day
88. Celebrate my 30th b-day
89. Join a committee and remain active for one year
Other
90. Go to the pool 30 times (20/30)
91. Watch 30 new movies (30/30)
92. See a movie at the IMAX
93. Watch the bats at Congress Avenue
94. Ride in a hot air balloon
95. Get new driver's license
96. Rent a boat and go on the lake
97. See the Alamo
98. Ride down the San Antonio riverwalk
99. Ride the Austin Steam Train
100. Go to Zilker Park Christmas light display
101. Get a new cell phone

#19: Start 401(K)

Completed: 07-06-2009

Yesterday, I signed the papers designating The Husband my beneficiary in the event of my death and consenting to a specific percentage of my salary each pay period, and voila! I am the proud owner of my first 401(K).

Finanically speaking, this only makes sense for us right now because of the fantastic match my company offers. If there was no match, then we'd explore other avenues. As is, though, why leave free moneys on the table?

Yay!

In other 101 in 1001 news, I'm working on making some edits to the list. It's become apparent that some of the items were just a teeny-weensy bit overambitious and a smidge outside of that "realistic" component. I hope to finish and post the revisions by the end of this week, but we'll see how that goes. ;-)

#79: Try 10 new restaurants COMPLETE!

Started: 11-21-08
Completed: 05-26-09
1. Carmelo's
2. Austin Java
3. Scholz Garten
4. Exotic Thai
5. Sullivan's Steakhouse
6. Maudie's TexMex
7. Corazon
8. Aquarelle
9. El Greco Greek Taverna
10. Fino

Two years to go!

My, how time flies. That little 101 list is down to 730 remaining days. Shall we take stock of what's been achieved in ~3/4 of a year?

I think we shall.

Completed: 18
In progress: 11

Which leaves 72 items outstanding. Huh. That means that I have to complete 1 item every 10 days to finish the list? Someone with better math skillz check that for me, please.

I suppose I should speed it up a bit.

Cartoon by Dave Walker. Find more cartoons you can freely re-use on your blog at We Blog Cartoons.

Easy Cheese Danish

Originally from The Barefoot Contessa

Ingredients:
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
2 extra-large egg yolks, at room temperature Ashley-cita says: 2 large egg yolks are fine
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest: about 2 lemons Ashley-cita says: I did one large lemon and one small mandarin orange
2 sheets (1 box) frozen puff pastry, defrosted
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash

(not pictured: the salt. Oh well.)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Place the cream cheese and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and cream them together on low speed until smooth.
With the mixer still on low, add the egg yolks, ricotta, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest and mix until just combined. Don't whip!

Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry onto a lightly floured board and roll it slightly with a floured rolling pin until it's a 10 by 10-inch square. Cut the sheet into quarters with a sharp knife. Ashley-cita says: After making ginormous danishes this way, I tried cutting the sheet into nine even squares. This worked much better, in my opinion... Sorry, Ina!

Place a heaping tablespoon of cheese filling into the middle of each of the four nine squares.

Brush the border of each pastry with egg wash and fold 2 opposite corners to the center, brushing and overlapping the corners of each pastry so they firmly stick together.

Brush the top of the pastries with egg wash.

Place the pastries on the prepared sheet pan. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry and refrigerate the filled Danish for 15 minutes. Ashley-cita says: Uh, yeah, I totally skipped the refrigeration part. Didn't seem to harm them at all.

Bake the pastries for about 20 minutes, rotating the pan once during baking, until puffed and brown. Ashley-cita says: Rotate... uh... right. Didn't do that either.

Serve warm.
Ashley-cita says: Yuummmmmm!

#24: Paint living room

Completed: 04-12-09

In doing this 101 list, I'm learning quite a bit about myself. For example, I've learned that I am terrible at taking "before" shots of any painting/decoration projects.

How is that possible? Even if we hadn't lived in our wee house for more than 2 years now and even if we hadn't had several get togethers (with photo ops), one would think that one could just snap a few photos before commencing with the painting.

One would think.

Next time, I'll be sure to take a few "before" shots in advance of the change.

The colors we chose are Sherwin-Williams Clary Sage (living room) and Softened Green (alcove), SW 6177 and SW 6178, respectively. Here are the afters:









Two tones in the half-bath alcove. I'm adventurous!

My momma sent me these tulips for Easter because I'm her favorite she loves me. Awwww.

#76: Make 15 new recipes COMPLETE

Started: 11-18-08
Completed: 03-17-09

1. Wild mushroom and stilton galette: Smitten Kitchen
2. Pumpkin bread: All Recipes
3. Cheesecake with mixed berry topping: Ina Garten
4. Spiced Nuts: Better Homes and Gardens
5. Party Mix: Better Homes and Gardens
6. Spinach and Artichoke Dip: Pansy Pantry
7. Devil's on Horseback/Rumaki: Better Homes and Gardens
8. Coconut cake: Ina Garten
9. Milk punch: Pansy Pantry
10. Ensalada de gallina (Hen salad)
11. Escargot with butter sauce
12. Roasted rack of lamb
13. Sour cream pound cake: Better Homes and Gardens
14. Easy cheese danish: Ina Garten
15. Corned beef, cabbage, carrots and potatoes

#68: Go to the eye doctor

Completed: 03-13-09

Similar to #67 (Go to the dentist), this item made its way onto the 101 list because I had gone to an eye doctor about 3 years ago, didn't like said eye doctor, changed insurance, went to a new eye doctor, liked new eye doctor, changed insurance again, new eye doctor not on new insurance, therefore no eye doctor.

I know. Woe is me.

So, I had put off going to have my eyes checked out because I didn't want to go back to old eye doctor, yet I couldn't find a new new eye doctor who was A) less than 30 mins away (and I don't live in the boonies, people) and B) on current insurance.

Eventually (as in last week), I sucked it up and made an appointment at the old eye doctor's practice, but with a new doctor. Whoa.

And, I like her. She's young-ish, smart and doesn't make me feel bad for being cheap. I don't want to drop $500 on new frames when my old ones are just fine, thankyouverymuch. And she fully supports that, which is something the old doctor did not. ::eye roll::

This completed item means that the next one (#69: order new contacts) is in progress. New eye doctor at old practice gave me two different brands to try (one in left eye, one in right), so as soon as my follow-up appointment is done I'll be able to check #69 off, too. Woot woot.

#82: Visit one new restaurant during Austin's Restaurant Week

Completed: 03-04-09

So it's been awhile since I checked off any of my 101 items. I think part of that is due to my workload at this time of year and part of it is due to the ::dun, dun, dun-dun:: economy. The Husband and I are fine, really, just preparing ourselves for what could be a rather protracted recession.

Moving on.

The Austin Restaurant Week menus were released around February 13th, and by the following week, I had made reservations at two restaurants. I finally chose Aquarelle and told The Husband that we had a date. On a Wednesday night. At 8:00pm.

Saying he was shocked would be an understatement as our usual routine is gym, home, dinner, bed by 10pm. Don't be jealous.

We arrived at Aquarelle around 7:30pm, a bit earlier than our reservations. The host said it was not a problem and cleared a table for us right away. After we sat down, I had to explain to The Husband what Austin Restaurant Week is and how the menus work. He was definitely game and intrigued by the concept.

We looked over the menus and I noticed that they were not what had been listed on the restaurant week site. Not a big deal, since the new menu looked just as delicious.

The Husband ordered the salmon tartare (appetizer), scallops (dinner) and profiterole (dessert). I ordered the cauliflower soup (appetizer), sea bass (dinner) and, uh, some cake thing (dessert).

The original menu listed creme brulee as a dessert option, which I love. Seriously. One day I will teach myself to make creme brulee and then The Husband will have to learn to love his fat wife, because that is how much I love this stuff.

Anyway. I asked our server if they had taken it off the menu (durrr) and picked the cake thing as my dessert.

The service at Aquarelle is top notch. From the moment you enter their door to the moment you leave, they are attentive without being overbearing and knowledgeable without being pretentious.

The food. Oh, my lord, the food. The Husband's salmon tartare was so fresh and subtle in flavor. My cauliflower soup was silky with a bit of spice and topped with crispy onions. The scallops were so meaty and dressed with a cream sauce and potato straws. My sea bass was tender and accented with sweet caramelized onions and creamy polenta.

The portions, alone, look a bit small. But, when we left, I felt a bit stuffed and The Husband said that he was perfectly full, not overfull and not still hungry. From the amuse bouche to the dessert, it adds up and is more than sufficiently filling.

Speaking of dessert... When we had finished our entrees, our server came by the table and said, "I spoke to the chef and he said that he could do a creme brulee for you, if you would like."

Would I like?! Does a fish like water?

So, in the end, I got my creme brulee. It was a chocolate creme brulee (I know!) and it was delicious. The custard was soft and velvety. The sugar crust was crisp. Perfect.

Aquarelle is doing some happy hour thing (Tues-Sat, 5-7) on their patio wine bar and a dinner/wine for two for $50, as well. The Husband was so impressed with this restaurant (which, believe me, does not happen often) that he said we should come back and try their happy hour.

I think this means that #82 and my little surprise date was a success. ;-)

#59: Go to the gym 3 times/week for one month

Completed: 01-31-09

The Husband and I used to be really good about going to the gym. We weren't "those people" who you always see at the gym come rain or sleet or snow, but we went regularly enough that I didn't feel like a total couch-sitting-slacker.

But, then, last year, I got out of the habit. As I've mentioned previously, I started putting more focus on work and all that comes with that and, as a result, when I did have free time, I was too pooped to be active.

No biggie, really, since my pants stayed the same size, probably thanks to leaving a job where I was surrounded by cookies, but I started to notice that I felt "softer" and more easily winded. The heck? I'm not yet 30. Time for a change. So, back to the gym it was.

Truth be told, I could technically cross #60 off the list in place of this one. I'm not though, because I realize that making it to the gym 4+ times/week for the month of January is not as challenging as doing it in April, when my jobby job goes into high-stress mode and I really need to make this booty move.

#89: Watch 30 new movies

Completed: 01-25-09

1. Charlie Wilson's War
2. The Good German
3. Max Payne
4. 10,000 B.C.
5. Closer
6. Au Revoir Les Enfants
7. Innocent Voices
8. Roots
9. I am Legend
10. Rumor Has It
11. 27 Dresses
12. Forgetting Sarah Marshall
13. El Orfanato
14. WALL-E
15. 21
16. What Have I Done to Deserve This
17. Quantum of Solace
18. Run Fatboy Run
19. The Verdict
20. Kite Runner
21. A Good Year
22. Leatherheads
23. Hancock
24. Tropic Thunder
25. Get Smart
26. Iron Man
27. Batman: The Dark Knight
28. Juno
29. Moliere
30. Gone Baby Gone