#28 Complete a counted cross stitch piece

I grew up in Huntsville, Alabama... and my family vacationed in Longboat Key, Florida, which is an hour south of Tampa, FL.  And it was a 12 hour drive to get from Huntsville (which is at the top of Alabama) to LBK.

As a young kid, 12 hours in a car is miserable.  So I did a lot of reading (probably one of the key reasons why I like to read so much), and, for variety, my Mom also taught me how to do counted cross stitch, which is a type of embroidery where you make tiny little x's out of colored threads to form a pattern.  Unlike needlepoint, where the design is imprinted on the fabric, with counted cross stitch, you start with a blank white cloth and have to count the little squares to know where to begin with the various colored fabrics... hence the term "counted cross stitch."

To learn counted cross stitch, I began small and worked my way up to larger pieces.  One of those larger pieces is a swan in a blue pond with lilly pads... I completed it in high school as part of those long road trips back and forth between Alabama and Florida.  It's currently hanging in my sister and brother-in-law's stairwell in Pittsburgh:

The second larger piece that I completed is very meaningful to me.  I completed it during the summer after my junior year in high school, when my parents and I were road-tripping around the USA on college visits.  I finished this piece right around the time we arrived in the great city of Pittsburgh... which I find is telling in a subtle way, considering that I finished it at the destination where I would live for the next four years...

So you can see, I've done some large and complicated pieces.  But, similar to my story about why I don't read that much unless I'm on vacation, I haven't spent much time working on counted cross stitch.  I am currently working on a Christmas stocking, and I take it out every once in a while and work a few rows of stitches, but I haven't made noticeable progress. So this challenge - #28 Complete a counted cross stitch piece - originally started so I could motivate myself to make some serious progress on the Christmas stocking...

...but then the rest of the challenge took over my life and I continued to make no progress.  I was thinking of calling this one a failure, and then, when I was cleaning out a drawer, a tiny little counted cross stitch piece fell out... one that I've been carrying around with me for YEARS... it's a small piece that is great for a beginner.  In fact, it's similar to one of three others I completed as a beginner. These pieces turn in to ornaments, and the other three always decorate my Christmas tree every year.

When I saw that unopened package lying there, I had an "AHA!" moment where I realized that I might actually be able to pull this one off!

So I began to work on it...

The blueprint and the blank slate...

Just starting out....

Making progress...

Finished with the colors!  Now I need to add the outlines (known as "backstitch")

Done with the backstitch!  Cross stitch complete!!!

And now it's been mounted, framed with "garland" and ready for Christmas...

So the moral of this story? If at first you bite off too much to chew... see if you can do something smaller instead :).  Now, I've satisfied another item in my challenge, and I'm one step closer to being done!!!

#16 Go on a date with a man in a uniform

There is something sexy about men in uniform.  Or a nice suit.  Not sure why... but it just is... I mean, check out one of my favorite "pins" on Pinterest ever :)  Me likey!

You all know that I'm a fabulous single lady.  And while I'm not necessarily looking to get married or even enter into a long term relationship, it is always fun to go on dates and flirt with gentlemen.  So, as part of my challenge, I decided I was gonna challenge myself to #16 Go on a date... with a fireman.

The problem?  While I have met a ton of great guys over the past 3 months, none of them have been a firefighter.

As you know, I enlisted your help, dear readers, multiple times....  I'm pretty sure it bordered on desperately begging, actually.  And some of you were able to help with a few leads... but nothing worked out.  That's the way life is ;), and I rolled with it...

Which is why I ended up changing it to "Go on a date with a man in a uniform."  Because one of those great guys that I met?  Well... he happened to be wearing a uniform when I met him :) :) :). 

After I completed #1 Go skydiving with my good friend Elizabeth, she dropped me off at the Newark train station so I could take a Jersey transit train down to the Jersey Shore to hang with my girl Kim and complete #14 Hang out at the Jersey Shore.  And while I was waiting at the train station, wearing my Steelers tshirt...

Quick reminder of the cute Steelers tshirt I was wearing...

 ...a cute, tall NJ Transit police officer walked up to me and said "You're wearing the right team on your shirt!"  To which I, of course, responded "Heck yeah, you're a Steeler fan too?" and then we started chatting... I even asked his permission to give him a high five (hey, you never know with police officers, it could have been considered an attack, and the last thing I needed was to end up in jail HAHA!).... but then he had to get back to work. His train pulled up and he boarded, and I remained on the platform, awaiting my own train.

After my train rolls up (two trains later), I find a seat and curl up with my head on my overnight bag to take a mini nap... and imagine my surprise when, about 15 minutes in to the ride, I feel a tap on my shoulder.  GUESS WHO IT IS.

My NJ Transit Police Officer, Tim.  And this time, he didn't chicken out.  He pulled open his notepad (the one where they write tickets, ya know?  And at first, I was like "Wait, why am I getting a ticket?  What did I do wrong?!?!"), and he pulled out a piece of paper with his name and number on it.  The encounter was less than a minute, but it just made me smile from ear to ear for the rest of train ride.

So why am I telling you this story?  Well... while Tim and I haven't gone on what I consider to be a date (yet... I did tell him that he should take me on a date, and that didn't scare him off, so that's good news)... he has asked me to stop by the Hoboken train station (where he monitors the drunks taking trains home Friday and Saturday nights), and I have stopped by for 10 minutes or so a few times to chat...

I consider that to be a mini date.  Right?? :)  Yes?  No??

(Seriously, this actually happened...  my roommate Ellie (of the famed The Bitchin Kitchin blog) witnessed it...)

So what do you think?  Does it count?  Can I cross this one off my list??

#29 Read 30 new books

I really enjoy reading.  I have a bookcase in my bedroom that is packed with books - some that I have read, but mostly those that are waiting for me to devour them.  I can lose myself completely in a good book.  Finding a good book can dominate my entire weekend - I'll curl up on my side in bed and just read, read, read, until I know how things turn out for the characters.  Sometimes I'm satisfied, and sometimes I wish the story would go on forever. 

I typically plow through several books when I'm on vacation, as there is typically time spent lying by the pool sipping on a margarita... but I definitely don't read enough when I'm not on vacation... I don't know if it's because of the long hours at work, the extra responsibilities of things I have to do, or the fact that I'm distracted by the TV, internet, and iPhone... I just don't make it a priority to read, even though I love it so much.

So that's why I wanted to challenge myself with #29 Read 30 new books. I wanted to take a time out on the TV, and put some reading back in to my domesticated, non-vacation life.  And this one definitely was challenging!

First off, 30 books is a lot... especially in 13 weeks... If you figure 1 book a week, which is doable, I'm going more than double on that... so yeah... I had some trouble :)  But here's the run down of what I read:

1. "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi (I really liked it... makes you appreciate freedom in the USA)
2. "Game of Thrones" by George R R Martin (I saw the HBO show first, then read this book and loved how the show was true to the book!!  Great book... but at 800 pages, not the smartest choice for me to be reading during this challenge)
3. "Fifty Shades of Grey" by E L James (Umm, I had to know why everyone else was going crazy over it...)
4. "Galapagos" by Kurt Vonnegut (Read right before I left on my Galapagos trip, and it was a great, short read)
5. "Groundswell" by Katie Lee (An interesting, light chick lit book)
6. "Elemental" by Brigid Kemmerer (A new series coming out that's teen romance/angst, similar to Twilight)
7. "Storm" by Brigid Kemmerer (The second book... Brigid is one of my work colleagues, so I wanted to support her, and I liked the series... can't wait for the next installment!)
8. "Clash of Kings" (Book #2 of the Game of Thrones series) by George R R Martin (SO GOOD... this one was 900+ pages, and I read it while on the airplane back from Ecuador, so was able to finish it up in a timely manner!)
9. "The Paper Princess" by Marion Chesney (a free book through Amazon.com that was good)
   
10. "Anathema" by Megg Jensen (also a free book through Amazon.com, an interesting story)
11. "Fifty Shades Darker" by E L James  (the story is starting to get better...)
12. "Fifty Shades Freed" by E L James  (and then it becomes the same story... she does something he doesn't like because he's a control freak, he gets mad at her, she gets mad at him for getting mad at her, they have a fight, they end up making up because they just love each other so much, they have make up sex, repeat.)
13. "Sarah's Key" by Tatiana de Rosnay (I LOVED this book.)
14. "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton (I LOVED this book too! Started out a bit slow and then it developed into a really great story) 
15. "Huff and Puff" by Tish Rabe (yup, this one is a children's book... I have no shame.  It took 2 minutes to read... but hey, I'm practicing my reading skills for my future nephew!)
16. "Lifeboat No. 8" by Elizabeth Kaye (short, interesting, factual read on the story of the survivors of one of the lifeboats from the Titanic)
17. "Sober is my new drunk" by Paul Carr (another short, interesting read on how he stopped drinking cold turkey... and why he doesn't believe in the AA's "12 step" program... Interesting story that's probably not applicable to all of us, but the general theme of the book is about do what works for you...)
18. "The Demise of Guys" by Philip Zimbardo and Nikita Duncan (verrry interesting... this might explain why guys text instead of preferring one-on-one convos.  Highly recommend it...)
19. "Swim" by Jennifer Weiner (this short story actually grabbed my attention to the point where I didn't want it to end... may need to purchase the follow up book soon!)
20. "Anthology of nude photography" by Dani Olivier (beautiful photos... and I promise, there were words... in the intro... ha... this counts, right?!?)
21. "You got a boogie" by DJ Corchin (Wow.  Another kids book, about having a booger hanging out your nose and no one telling you, and it's a PSA to be nice to each other and to let them know instead of walking around all day.  Will NOT be sharing this one with my future nephew)
22. "Twinner one and Twinner two" by Toni Zundel (This was a cute kids book about how even though twins may look the same, they have different personalities and hobbies and should feel free to be unique and individuals)
23. "The question" by Scott J Langteau (Another cute kids book about the ultimate question that kids want to know when it snows...)
24. "Fishy tales" by DK Readers (Nice, informative kids book about the different fish in the sea)
25. "Fire Fighters" by Angela Boyston (Awesome kids book about how firefighters do their job.  I like firefighters!)
26. "Dinosaurs Day" by Ruth Thomson (Informative kids book about what life was like in the time of the dinosaurs)
27. "This is Dot" by Bjorn Ansbro (very cool kids book with lots of great pictures) 
28. "Everyone's Reading Bastard" by Nick Hornby (an interesting short story about an ex-husband's point of view when the ex-wife starts harping on his faults in a weekly newspaper column titled "Bastard") 
29. "The Goddess Hunt" by Aimee Carter (a story that brings together modern times and reinvents the ancient Greek gods... kinda cool!)
30. "The Imperfectionists" by Tom Rachman (a series of short stories about various staff members working at an almost-bankrupt newspaper... surprisingly good!)

Most of the books were read on my shiny new iPad, but some I had in physical form!

So there you have it folks... the list of 30 books that I've read in 3 months.  Yes, I did read some easy ones beginning with book #15... but I never specified what type of books I had to read for this challenge, just that they had to be new books... Lesson learned, next time I make some silly challenge, I need to be realistic with it... one book a week is realistic, and if the challenge had been "13 books in 13 weeks," well then, I definitely succeeded!  But since it wasn't, I found a way to succeed, and I'm OK with that.

Now... I can't wait to get back to reading non-kids books!!!  Amber and Linda, I'm starting with your suggestions first!!! :) 

#19 Host a 4th of July BBQ

America!  F yea!

Yes, I love America. As you know, I live in Hoboken, New Jersey... and for the past three years, the Macy's Fireworks have been on the Hudson River.  For those of you who don't know, Manhattan is an island, surrounded by the Hudson River on the West Side and the East River on the, get it, East Side!  Since Hoboken is on the West Side, I have fabulous views of New York City!

For the past several years, I've spent the Fourth of July holiday with family... once in Philadelphia, twice in NYC with my parents.  And I've never been at my apartment, so I don't know if I had a good view of the fireworks or not... So this year, I decided I wanted to have friends over and check it out.  What better way to celebrate the Fourth of July other than to have a BBQ to celebrate America's awesomeness?

2011 Fireworks show, from Weehawken, NJ

2011 Fireworks show, from Weehawken, NJ

So of course, I make cupcakes.

And, I made sangria... red, white and blue sangria, that is :)

My friend Fran came over, and I make the perfect vodka martini (Remember #17, Guest bartend?  I sucked at it, so after that day, I took the time to learn how, and Fran says I TOTALLY REDEEMED MYSELF!)

I also purchased a kiddie pool from amazon.com... it was the best $20 I've ever spent!

Good friends assisting me with blowing up the kiddie pool!

Drinking sangria indoors before we head outside with the newly inflated kiddie pool!

Filling up the kiddie pool!!!

Chilling in the kiddie pool ;)

Good thing I  have some pool toys on hand hahahaha

The party...

More people ended up in the kiddie pool...

Once it got dark, I made my way to the roof... and here's the view (with a bit of a zoom)... stunning.

So overall?  An amazing day and evening... I can't believe I've been living in my apartment for almost 6 years and this is the first year that I actually watched the fireworks from my roof.  Thank you to all of my friends for coming over and celebrating with me!!!

But what a great experience... I have a pretty darn good view... :)

#9 Cook 30 new recipes

You all know by now that I LOVE FOOD. Love.  So #9 Cook 30 New Recipes has been an absolute pleasure!

You see, I have this giant black 3 ring binder.  Every time I see a recipe online or in a magazine, I print or tear it out, use my three-hole puncher (which I purchased just because I have this recipe book), and add it to my three ring binder.  So you can bet your life that I end up collecting more recipes than I've been able to cook... this binder is THICK.

So for this challenge, I decided to take a look at some of the recipes I had been holding on to for a while, but had not had a special occasion or reason to make.  And... I had to balance this out with the need to be healthy (see #20 Be Healthy), so I cooked a few healthy recipes as well.

Over the course of the past 13 weeks, here's the rundown of what I cooked, accompanied by a few pictures... ENJOY!!!


1. Lemon tarragon chicken (YUMMY!)

Lemon tarragon chicken!

2. Parsley shrimp (ok)
3. Rosemary rubbed pork loin  (AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!)
4. Curried Indian meatballs (YUMMY!)

Not the best picture, but these Indian meatballs are the bomb.

5. Balsamic and rosemary rubbed steak loin (SO GOOD SO GOOD!)
6. Shrimp Fra Diavlo over whole wheat pasta (OH HECK YES!)

7. Apricot and cheese strudel (INTERESTING!)

8. Mahi mahi tacos (eh)
9. Shrimp and chocolate tortilla soup (eh)

10. Julia Child's Boeuf Borginon (WOW)
11. Julia Child's Mushrooms (WOW)
12. Julia Child's Onions (WOW)

13. Raspberry mojito

14. Plaintain meatball soup (WOW!)

15. Tomato, kale and feta baked eggs (YUM!)
16. Baked salmon with a dijon garlic dill sauce (GOOD!)

17. Shrimp tacos with a cilantro chile lime sauce (eh)

18. Poached eggs!! (YUM!)

19. Triple Berry Sangria (SO GOOD SO GOOD!)
20. Pink grapefruit, strawberry and champagne granita (OMG!)

Strawberry grapefruit champagne granita - frozen!

21. Spinach and goat cheese tartlets (YUMMY!!!)

22. General Tsos chicken (DELISH)
23. Shrimp and avocado summer rolls with spicy dipping sauce (SO GOOD AND perfect for the summer!)

24. Red, white and blue sangria (my friends loved it, and so did I!)

 25. Flag cupcakes (SUPER CUTE)

26. Shrimp bisque (such an amazing flavor!)
27. "Blue ocean" cocktail (eh)

28. Curry lobster roll (OMG SO AMAZING)

29. Salsa verde turkey burgers (DELICIOUS!!)

 
30. Slow cooker honey sesame chicken (YUM!!!)

Now, were all these dishes healthy?  Umm, no.  But... I did finally make a few recipes that I'd held on to for a while... like the Curry lobster rolls, Julia Child's Boeuf Bourginon, and the Pink grapefruit, strawberry and champagne granita... and now I feel accomplished!  Plus... I have a couple of new favorites that I can add in to my regular rotation!

Put a fork in me, I'm done!  At least, with this challenge... :)

#6 Learn how to drive stick shift

Full disclosure.  I kinda know how to drive stick shift, and kinda learned in the year 2000. Kinda. But could I hop into a manual and actually drive it today?  That would be a negative, Charlie.

So this challenge #6 Learn how to drive stick shift is going to put to bed a somewhat arbitrary feeling of weakness... I don't want to have a "I don't know how to drive a stick shift" moment ever again in my life.  And, if I happen to buy a new car in a year or so, it would be awesome to have the option to buy a sports car, which are best when they are manual, right?  And what if I want to rent a car and drive around Europe? See, ample reason for me to learn this valuable skill.

Lucky for me, I had several people volunteer to put their clutches in dangers way!  One of those kind people was a buddy from college, Russell.

Russell!!!

At 6'4", Russell is one tall dude.  And patient.  Very, very patient... 

Russell explaining the workings of his car...

Russell and I meet up, and he launches in to a discussion on how to shift, what to do, etc... and then we switch places in the car.  Since Russell is 6'4", and I'm a mere 5'6.5", I proceed to shift the seat up about 3 feet :)

Looking like I know what I'm doing, right???

And then... we roll.  Or rather, we attempt to roll and stall out.  About fifty dozen times.  Sigh.  I've been driving automatic for almost 15 years (yes, I got my learners permit when I was 15, God Bless Alabama), and I'm VERY comfortable driving automatic, especially when I get to drive large vehicles such as the most beautiful truck in the world, affectionately known as "Biggie":

So using my left leg while driving?  Completely foreign.  Weird.  I kept easing off the clutch and forgetting to press the gas.  Not sure why, but I stuttered, stuttered, and then stalled out, a lot.

Now, when I tried to get in to first gear on a tiny hill (and I mean tiny, literally one degree), I did much better, as I didn't want to roll back, and I switched from clutch to gas much more quickly...

And eventually, I got into first gear (sometimes).  Once or twice, after getting into first gear, I then got into second gear.  Twice, I turned around in the parking lot and moved into second gear at the same time - woah, multi task much???  And once, I even hit a speed fast enough that I had to shift into 3rd gear!!!  Yes, third gear!!! WOOO!!  Of course, all of this was done in a desolate parking lot, so no humans, other than myself and poor Russell, were ever in danger...

I'm actually driving!!!!

And this is all thanks to a very patient friend, Russell.  THANK YOU SO MUCH RUSSELL!!   I couldn't have done this without you.  For all the times I made your car stutter and shudder, your tires squeal from giving it too much gas, and your car stall (and had to restart it)... I beg your forgiveness.  Or your cars forgiveness, that is...

I can't wait to practice some more!!!  Who's willing to sacrifice their car, clutch and gas mileage???  :)