Before I'm 35

I've kinda' been in somewhat of a "funk" lately. I don't know if it's due to my lack of sleep these last few weeks, adjusting to Clay's new work schedule, or just a little overwhelmed with life in general. I feel like I have the SAME routine day after day after day. I find myself not enjoying my time with my boys (because I'm so exhausted) and just going through the motions.

Last Decemeber I turned the BIG 3-0! And now that 2012 is almost over and I'm reaching the 31 mark I feel like I've wasted a lot of my time. During the first few years of our marriage Clay and I struggled with infertility. I shared about our story here and here. We concentrated so much on trying to get pregnant that we missed out on a lot of time together, enjoying those first few years of marriage. But let me say this, I wouldn't trade all those trips to the doctor, all that needle sticking, the waiting, praying, and hoping for one second because it gave me my precious, smart, tender hearted, spirited Bryson. Also during this time Clay decided he wanted to go back to school to pursue a different career and that meant learning to live off one income and not being able to go out with all our friends on Friday/Saturday night. There were just certain things that happened in our lives that took us down a different path than some of our friends. And again I would not trade any of those things because it has made Clay and I much stronger in our marriage and taught us so much about each other. Sometimes I think we need to thank God for the trials He puts us through, because it's in those times we lean on Him and learn so much about ourselves.

I've read some really great blog posts this past week that have encouraged me to start challenging myself. And that got me to thinking about the 101 in 1001 challenge. 

I'm going to go ahead and say that I will probably set these goals to be completed right before I turn 35, which gives me about 4 years. I want to take this list very seriously and make the best effort to complete each one. Because if you know me personally I'm not really good with sticking to those "New Year's Resolutions." Ha! I also want to take this time to learn about myself, start enjoying my life, embracing every moment I have with my husband and children. I don't want to look back 20 years from now and wish I would have done things differently. I want to be proud of my job as a wife, mother and friend and learn "not to sweat the small stuff." I want to know my purpose in life and know what God's plan is for me. I want to make a diiference in my boys lives and show my them what it means to have a servants heart. To teach them to have compassion for others and to be more like Jesus every day. I want to be a mother that they are proud of.

So here it is.... my list of 101 things.........

   1. Learn to sew
   2. Read at least one book each month every year til this list is completed.
   3. Read through the Bible in a year
   4. Learn to make homemade biscuits from scratch
   5. Learn how to make a quilt
   6. Finish Jaxon's nursery
   7. Finish Bryson's big boy room
   8. Remodel the guest bathroom for the boys
   9. Visit the Pepper Place Market twice a month
  10. Learn to make meatloaf (it's my hubby's favorite)
  11. Follow the 100 Days to Christmas ebook
  12. Get a blog makeover {completed March 2013}
  13. Get hardwood floors put down  {completed March 2013}
  14. Plan our trip to Disney World
  15. Have a least 3 months worth of expenses in our savings account
  16. Start singing in the church choir again
  17. Make an effort to find a quiet time each day
  18. Make Bryson and Jaxon a quilt
  19. Learn how to tie a tie
  20. Be debt free by the time I finish this list
  21. Go to an Auburn vs Alabama football game
  22. Put together my home management notebook
  23. Have my Christmas shopping done two months before Christmas
  24. Not eat out everyday for a month
  25. Finish Bryson's Yearly Memory Books and keep up with them each month
  26. Start on Jaxon's Yearly Memory Book
  27. Take a photography class {completed July 2013}
  28. Plan mine and Clay's 10th Anniversary Trip
  29. Go to an Auburn Tigers basketball game
  30. Learn Photoshop
  31. Watch every Academy Award Best Picture Winner
  32. Teach Bryson a bible verse each month
  33. Plan a family trip to Gatlinburg for the winter
  34. Read through The Purpose Driven Life
  35. Put together a anniversary/birthday calendar of family and friends
  36. Randomly pay for someone elses meal (Fast Food Friends)
  37. Teach VBS {completed June 2013} 
  38. Go on a last minute weekend trip with the hubs
  39. Try 25 recipes I've pinned of pinterest
  40. Do the Date Night in a Jar
  41. Find "My" Bible verse
  42. Learn how to make a bow
  43. Help Bryson put together a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child {completed November 2012}
  44. Rock Jaxon for 1 nap every day
  45. Open a savings account for the boys
  46. Save $100 a month for the boys
  47. Write our will
  48. Loose 30lbs by New Year's (probably not happening this year. Ha!)
  49. Blog every day for a month (except weekends) {completed October 2013} 
  50. Learn how to work my camera
  51. Learn how to make a camera strap for my camera
  52. Send out a anniversary/birthday card to every one on the "master list"
  53. Makeover the wall above our master bedroom
  54. Finish decorating the living room
  55. Make the Emergency Notebook from Your Own Home Store
  56. Do the Frame A Day Project with Bryson and Jaxon and create a book at the end of the year
  57. Take a family picture each month
  58. Make New Year's Eve Dinner
  59. Sponser a child from Compassion International
  60. Commit to reading "The Power of a Praying Wife" for 30 days and pray for Clay during those days
  61. Commit to reading "The Power of a Praying Parent" for 30 days and pray for the boys during those days
  62. Take Bryson on a mommy-son date once a month
  63. Host a "Girls Night Out"
  64. Take my picture with the boys each month
  65. Turn off the TV by 9pm every night for a month
  66. Write a letter to the boys every year on their birthday teaching them a lesson/giving them advice for the future
  67. Make Jaxon's Halloween Costume this year
  68. Surprise Clay with a weekend getaway
  69. Take dinner to a friend
  70. Visit the Ft. Worth Zoo
  71. Write down all my favorite recipes and make them into a book
  72. Learn how to make my MIL peanut butter fudge
  73. Get involved in a ministry @ church
  74. Go to a Texas Rangers game
  75. Go on a family picnic
  76. Participate in Lent (I'm Southern Baptist, but I think I could benefit from giving up something for 40 days)
  77. Take Bryson to a movie {completed June & August 2013}
  75. Get a massage
  79. Take a vitamin every day for a month
  80. Make an apple pie from scratch
  82. Complete the Couch-to-5k run
  82. Start a family Christmas tradition
  83. Go see a Broadway Musical
  84. Repurpose my wedding dress
  85. Buy a hard drive and transfer all my pictures to it
  86. Visit Memphis
  87. Collect 15 Dr. Seuss books
  88. Make a Christmas ornament each year with the boys
  89. Wake up every day by 6am for a week
  90. Donate 101 things I do not need
  92. Do something good for someone anonymously
  92. For one month make lunch for work every day
  93. Blog my way through my 101 list
  94. Get a digital copy of my wedding pictures and make a coffee table album
  95. Memorize one scripture a week for a year
  96. Make 15 handmade gifts for Christmas for family and friends
  97. Write Clay a "love note" every day for a month
  98. Get Bryson to try 10 new foods that he will eat regularly (I'm tired of PB&J, chicken fingers and grilled cheese)
  99. Do 20 DIY projects from pinterest
100. Do at least 3 Beth Moore Bible studies (either in a group setting or by myself)
101. Share my faith with at least one person every year during this list



I'm really excited about my list! I can't wait to get started!!

Hope y'all have a Happy Monday ;)