30 Things by My 30th Year: 2 Month Plus Update

When I turned 29 in July, I decided to put together a list of 30 goals that I hope to achieve by the time I hit 30 next year. Here's my monthly update!

1. Learn how to knit

2. Learn how to use a sewing machine

I had a date with my Mom on Saturday to do some sewing and cooking. I am not ready to cross this off the list since I still have a long way to go. I started making a Fall table runner. I will share it with you when it’s done!

3. Start taking vitamins (for real. Not just buying them & stashing them under the sink)

4. Lose 10-15 pounds and maintain it (!!) I want to look like this again:
    I lost 3 so far! (Nope, no more than last month :( )

5. Be better about correspondence with friends; Skype with the friends I’m missing across the country!

I started using Google video chat with my good friend Maggie, who left NJ to move back to Missouri. We have a date every other week...so far we’ve chatted twice! I still have some other friends on my list with which to set this up...

6. Learn how to properly use my DSLR - the manual setting, white balance, the whole shebang!

I took a DSLR workshop in September. Though I still have a lot of practicing to do (especially when it comes to exposure and composition), I’m ready to cross this off the list because I understand the mechanics...it’s just a matter of putting it into practice! I took DSLR Workshops by Okello Dunkley - I highly recommend if you are in the market!

Greek layer dip - a perfect game day eat!

7. Get our entire home painted via professional painter and lit via professional electrician

I have 3 lighting fixtures in my possession and am scheduling the electrician today! (!!) I also found a painter, who is coming at the end of October. Now I just have to officially pick out paint colors!

8. Organize our den/office so that it is cute and inviting...not serving as a giant storage closet

Still a work in progress. It’s not cute and inviting. We did order a small filing cabinet to match Shaun’s desk, and I plan to clean out a bunch of stuff in the coming weeks.

9. Call my Dad once a week

I haven’t done this. I need to change it.

10. Call, Skype or email with my sister Christine at least once a week

I haven’t done this either, though we have communicated briefly each week regarding The Peach & The Pit.

11. Find paid freelance assignments

12. Write a book

13. Meet my Dad for lunch or dinner in New York City

14. Devise organizational system for my shoes

15. Find a spot for my cookbooks where they will be easily accessible...and used!

I started plotting out my kitchen office nook. I have a desk built and shelves to hang. The cookbooks will go there and I cannot wait!

16. Watch 10 classic films

17. Try bone marrow

Done! At BLT Steak, as a surprise addition to our shared rib-eye

18. Get my wedding album made (before our 4th anniversary)

19. Read 5 classic novels (suggestions?)

20. Visit a new US city

I’m going to Albuquerque in 2 weeks for my cousin’s wedding! I can’t wait! I may also be adding Santa Fe to this list while we’re out there. I'm just hoping for a Jesse Pinkman sighting...

21. Make a budget & stick to it, making it possible to grow our savings!

22. Unplug - turn off my computer at a reasonable hour after work. Put the Blackberry on silence. Enjoy quality time with my husband that isn’t disrupted by Facebook, Twitter, the blog, work emails, etc.

I’ve been trying to do this by quitting all of these applications by 9pm each night. I’m trying to get it down to 8pm!

23. Make things happen for myself, instead of waiting for them to happen to me.
    I’m working on this in my head right now!

24. Buy a piece of art. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. But something Shaun and I like!

25. Learn how to make my mom’s famous tomato sauce & meatballs

On our Saturday date, my mom gave me the tutorial for her best ever, most amazing of all time meatballs and sauce. I came home with a giant stockpot filled with sauce and meatballs. Every bite tastes like home. We enjoyed some for dinner last night...and will be enjoying them for a while :)

26. Make at least one new recipe from each cookbook in my collection

Rocco DiSpirito's Now Eat This: Sloppy Joe's
America’s Test Kitchen - Chewy Sugar Cookies
Betty Crocker Cooky Book - Trix Cookies (morphed into Golden Grahams cookies)
Peas & Thank You - Spanish Quinoa, Chocolate Chip Cookies w/Sea Salt

27. Host a girl’s night with all my best ladies

28. Eat at 10 new restaurants in New York City

BLT Steak
Bianca
Gusto Organics

 

29. Make a Top 30 Of All Time playlist...what would your list include?

So far:
Van Morrison - Days Like This
Jackson Browne - Stay/Roadie Song
Michael Jackson - Billie Jean
   
30. Take time to enjoy life, recognize how lucky I am and spend time with my husband, family and friends. At the end of the day, that's what matters, right?

I try to do this every day!

So there you have it. I've been pretty busy over the last couple of months. I'm really to take some of these things from half way finished to completely crossed off the list!

Questions of the Day:

What goals do you have in your life right now? Big or small?

What goals have you accomplished lately?

Ooey Gooey Chocolate Marshmallow Oat Bars

Hi, Monday. It's been a long time since I last saw you. I think I'm ready for you today. A little.

Hi friends! I have to tell you something. I've been holding out on you on a few things. First, Shaun was away all last week. He was in Sweden for work for 7 days. I hated it. I was solo for the entire week. I may have gotten to watch many, many Friends reruns and I may have gotten to eat pumpkin pancakes for dinner (twice). But I missed this guy! It's so nice to have him back home with me :)

 

I also teased you on Friday with tales of chocolate marshmallow oat bars. I hope you're not mad at me.

I made these for my bro-in-law's birthday last weekend. I created them on a whim. I wanted to make something delicious and decadent and a little over the top. Those always make the best desserts, don't they? I was also in the midst of saying goodbye to Cat, and thus rummaging through my cabinets trying to keep oh-so-busy while she left us trying to devise something with what I had on hand. Oats? Good. Marshmallow? Good. Chocolate? Goooooood.

These bars literally came together in minutes. I imperfectly threw them together, tossed them in the oven and they were ooey gooey in no time. I let them cool about 85% of the way, and then cut them up, wrapped 'em and took these little bars of heaven to Steve's birthday celebration. I liked them. A lot.

Chocolate Marshmallow Oat Bars
*bar base adapted from Betty Crocker Cooky Book's Date Bars
3/4 C shortening, such as Crisco
1 C brown sugar
1 3/4 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 C old fashioned oats
1 1/2 C semisweet chocolate chips
2 C mini marshmallows
3/4 C sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 13x9" pan with foil (one strip lengthwise, one strip widthwise), letting the foil hang over the edges. Grease well. Mix the shortening and sugar together in a bowl. I used my stand mixer, but a hand mixer (or even by hand) would work too.

In a mixing bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and salt. Beat into the shortening & sugar mixture. Stir in the oats. Press 2/3 of the mixture into the greased pan.

Melt the chocolate (I do it via microwave) and carefully spread over the oat dough. Top with marshmallows and pour sweetened condensed milk over it. Top with remaining oat dough.

Bake for 25 minutes. Let cool and set. To cut up, remove from pan by using the foil as handles. Peel away. Cut off all the edges and then cut into bars. Devour discarded edges immediately. Subsequently devour bars.

 

Don't mind if I do.

I think you could come up with lots of ways to enjoy these bars! Different chocolates, candies and flavors could easily be in the center of these bars! I love them!

Questions of the Day:

What other fun combinations would you put into these oat bars?

What do you do/eat on a solo weekday night?

psst...I'm blogging about learning to sew over on The Peach & The Pit today...I'm all domesticated and stuff now :)