{30 by 30} Updated!

Five months later and I decided to go back over my bucket list. While I was only able to cross off two things as complete, I realized that more than a handful of others are currently in progress, which is encouraging! 

How about you? Have you made a bucket list of sorts? How's it coming - I'd love to hear!

1. Add two more kiddos to our family
2. Visit my sister and her sweet family in Florida (October 2012)

3. Read through the entire bible (In progress)
4. Finish our backyard
5. Completely remodel our master bathroom (Started January 2013!!)
6. At least have tentative plans and savings started to visit Europe with my husband
7. Complete a triathlon
8. Go on a cruise (Possible plans in the works for late this year)
9. Take our kids to Disneyland
10. Finally convince my husband to watch The Sound of Music with me
11. Master the art of cocktail making
12. Attend a TSO concert
13. Get a 2nd tattoo with my hubby
14. Take a weekend trip to Santa Barbara
15. Try a new sport (maybe skiing!)
16. Buy a chess board (We had one given to us!)
17. Visit at least one major flea market in the country
18. Get my Etsy shop up and running again
19. Put on a tea party for Claire
20. Host a Halloween party
21. Volunteer more!
22. Go through another Beth Moore study
23. Upgrade to a cal king bed
24. Wake my family up early and watch the sunrise somewhere special
25. Take a weekend to be completely technology free!
26. Read every one of Charlotte Bronte's books (Currently reading Villette)
27. Take a specialty cooking class
28. Go back to the spot we became husband and wife
29. Seriously look into becoming a Bradley birthing instructor
30. Learn to use power tools (inside joke there)

{30 by 30}

I've been seeing these lists all over blog land and decided it was time to make my own; thirty things I would like to accomplish before I turn thirty. That's 3 years and 8 months to pair down this list.

Surprisingly, this came together much quicker than I expected. Apparently I've had a lot of things mulling around in my head for awhile. It's about time I put them to paper :)

I'm excited! Here goes...

1. Add two more kiddos to our family
2. Visit my sister and her sweet family in Florida

3. Read through the entire bible
4. Finish our backyard
5. Completely remodel our master bathroom
6. At least have tentative plans and savings started to visit Europe with my husband
7. Complete a triathlon
8. Go on a cruise
9. Take our kids to Disneyland
10. Finally convince my husband to watch The Sound of Music with me
11. Master the art of cocktail making
12. Attend a TSO concert
13. Get a 2nd tattoo with my hubby
14. Take a weekend trip to Santa Barbara
15. Try a new sport (maybe skiing!)
16. Buy a chess board
17. Visit at least one major flea market in the country
18. Get my Etsy shop up and running again
19. Put on a tea party for Claire
20. Host a Halloween party
21. Volunteer more!
22. Go through another Beth Moore study
23. Upgrade to a cal king bed
24. Wake my family up early and watch the sunrise somewhere special
25. Take a weekend to be completely technology free!
26. Read every one of Charlotte Bronte's books
27. Take a specialty cooking class
28. Go back to the spot we became husband and wife
29. Seriously look into becoming a Bradley birthing instructor
30. Learn to use power tools (inside joke there)

Contrary to feeling overwhelmed, I'm feeling so inspired! After all, what's life without a few goals, right?

Anyone else have a bucket list of sorts? I would love to hear some of your aspirations!

Regularly Scheduled Programming

All the Christmas decor is packed up, my meal planner boasts clean, healthy fare and, let's be real, the traffic is crazy! I guess that means life is back to normal, 5-day work weeks and all. But it's not all that bad as there's plenty to look forward to this month, like regular blogs!

So grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and perk up, because it's a fresh new year!

And speaking of new year, anyone have any good resolutions or goals for 2011?

A big one of mine is to relax more-sounds crazy right? I want to enjoy more of the little things; long relaxing baths, out-of-the-blue 'I love you's' and spontaneous walks with our dogs. This year I will strive to appreciate the goodness in every day.

image/via

What Are You Waiting For?

"Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting. So... get on your way." Dr. Seuss

When it comes to making your dreams a reality, the only person who can truly stop you is you! Don't let fear of failure hinder you from acheiving your goals. Today is your day! What will you do with it?

Feeding the Tummy and the Mind

What happens when you combine two perfectly succulent salmon steaks with some Asian-inspired ingredients? You create a wonderfully simple and healthy meal, of course!

We were given this delicious salmon on Monday by Chris' grandpa who just got back from a fishing trip. Yep, he caught it himself!




For this oh-so-simple dinner I didn't fuss with complicated ingredients. I just used some pantry staples.

Preheat the oven at 400 degrees

In a medium bowl, combine the following ingredients~

4 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
2-3 gloves chopped garlic
2 tsp sesame seeds
a dash of crushed red pepper
a dribble of chile oil (optional)

Place steaks (4 oz. each) in an oven safe dish, then pour the mixture over the fish. Cover the dish with a lid (or aluminum foil in you don't have a lid). Place in the oven and cook for 15-20 minutes. Voila!

I served this with a side salad and couscous.

I tried to keep the rest of the meal simple since the main course had so much flavor and garlicky bite!

Lately, I have had so many books on my "to-read list", but I can never find the time to get them all read, let alone the concentration to finish one book before I begin another! My goal for the rest of the year is to get all of them read. We'll see:) I have currently just begun Blue Like Jazz (which I read a few years ago and really enjoyed). Also on my nightstand is The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, a book I started several times in college but failed to finish. A few others on my list include: Those Who Save Us, Undomestic Goddess (which I am halfway through), Julia Childs autobiography and I would like to get in Redeeming Love this year (one of my all-time favorites that I like to read at least once a year). I would also like to track down A Severe Mercy because I have heard raving reviews about it from several friends. The list may seem hefty, but I have a plan...I'm trying the whole, read before I go to bed thing and it's been pretty successful so far:)

Got any other reading suggestions I can add to my constantly growing list?