101 in 1001: 6 More Goals Crossed Off the List!

Life with a VERY fast mobile baby is just crazy...so much fun but crazy!! It makes for a little less time to be able to jump on the blog, that's for sure! But here is a post to catch you up on some of the 101 in 1001 goals I have crossed off the list!

1. 12. Change our cell phone carrier to AT&T and get an iPhone
We did this last month. Aaron has been dying to have an iPhone for as long as I can remember and I decided that we would get one for his bday this year...he got the phone a month early because his other phone 100% totally died. He loves his phone and I am glad that AT&T switched their data plans and you can buy a cheaper plan by deciding what data package you want to get...that helped a lot in persuading me to change our service...well, that and Sprint service at our house just stunk! So now he has his phone and he is super happy and I must admit, it is a pretty cool phone!

2. Take Lilly to the Childrens Discovery Museum.
I have been so excited to take Lilly to the CDM...they have a room called the wonder cabinet and it has a "crawl room"...it is for children who are crawling or very early beginning walkers. Lilly had a great time in the room checking things out and climbing on everything...

She even loved the main part of the museum...the water area was really cool and she liked the little push pin thing, where you put your hand on it and it comes out the other side. We had a good time..I can't wait to take her back when she is a little older and can walk around to different things.

3. Mount TV over Fireplace
Done! Thank goodness because now we don't have to worry about Lilly trying to climb the entertainment center and grabbing/pushing buttons!

4. Take Lilly to the Beach
We took Lilly to Capitola City Beach and it was awesome! When we first got there, we stopped and ate at Zelda's which right along the beach...it was really pretty and the food was pretty good.

After lunch, we went out to the beach and Lilly LOVED and I mean, LOVED the sand....so much so that she wanted to eat it but once she realized that mommy and daddy weren't going to let her eat the sand, she started crawling all over the place and just digging in it.

She wasn't a big fan of the water...we didn't take her in or anything, the water is freezing but she didn't even seem to like the noise much which is kind of ironic because her sound machine plays ocean sounds....

It was a great trip though...it will be fun taking her again next summer!

5. Get a Garage Door Opener
Done! And makes my life a lot easier!

6. Get a new sheet set!
Done...thank you Ross!

101 in 1001: Hand Painted Aisle Runner

I haven't made on in a while...since I closed my Etsy shop really....but my sister is getting married (in 12 days!) and I HAD too make her one...plus she asked me! It was actually really fun to make one again and got me thinking about re-opening my shop to sell them again...it was by far my most popular item...I'm undecided but for now, I am just really happy with the way my sisters came out!

A little backstory on the monogram...she and her fiance, JC, went to Paris (amongst other places) and while there, JC popped the
question in front of the Eiffel Tower. So she has some elements of the Eiffel Tower throughout her wedding.

I am just really excited about how this came out and can't wait to see it in the church and to see my sister walk down it!!!

4 More Goals Completed!

We have been working on our 101 in 1001 goals and gettin' it done! We have now completed 4 more goals!

One major goal we had was to redo the backyard....make it a fun place to hangout and a great place for Lilly to play. We have a really large yard and it was a HUGE weedy mess. So our goals, were to remove and replace the sprinklers in the backyard, lay new sod and add landscaping. The plan was to do all this ourselves but we just didn't have the time or energy. It is such a big backyard and trying to work on it when Lilly is sleeping was just really hard and it didn't give us enough time to get it done...so we hired out.

We are so happy with the yard....we love going out there and just lounging and watching Lilly swim in her little wading pool. We are definitely using the backyard WAY WAY WAY more now that it looks good....BBQ....swimming....lounging and playing. It is awesome!

BEFORE: (the large side yard isn't pictured here)
Aaron doing some work...we did get rid of all the rocks around the entire backyard....that took forever!

AFTER:

The stone wall and corners is the landscaping we wanted...now we just have to add some flowers!

And finally, the latest goal accomplished...a major spring cleaning of the house! This takes WAY too much time with a wee one so I hired out for this too. But now the house is spic and span...all the way down to the baseboards! WOOHOO!

101 in 1001: Kitchen Remodel

I have completed another goal on my 101 in 1001 goal list! This was a HUGE goal too...My husband and I really wanted to get our kitchen remodeled before Lilly was crawling because it was just so old and unsafe. The drawers didn't have any stoppers...some had screws/nails hanging out...they were just awful. We have only been in our new house for a short while so we haven't had to deal with the kitchen for too long but this was definitely a goal we wanted to finish sooner than later!

We are SO excited that the Kitchen is done and we LOVE it...I am in love with the granite counter-top and full backsplash and I love my new delta faucet! Check out our before and after pictures!

BEFORE:
I HATED the brick...so so ugly! I also wasn't a fan of all the mismatching appliances...and we desperately needed a new microwave...ours was new in 1995! We also needed a new dishwasher and range...the fridge is still pretty new.
Up close, you can see how worn the cabinets were...and do you see that nail sticking out of the cabinet?!? It wasn't even something we could pull out...we couldn't get to the head of the nail...the best we could have done was hammer the nail down toward the cabinet. This whole set-up before was just not baby friendly...or mommy friendly. I hated my kitchen.

DURING:
Everything ripped out!

AFTER:
I SUPER PUFFY HEART IT!! The way the cabinets were designed, we have so much more storage space. Before we didn't have a corner cabinet and so the end of the old cabinet was wasted space because we couldn't reach anything back there...now we have a huge corner cabinet that we can put stuff in! The cabinets are also taller...it is exactly what I wanted! Now I love being in my kitchen!
Our new appliances! All matching and I love them all!
Our new delta faucet (Leland Single Handle Pull Down with Soap Dispenser) Aaron and I LOVE LOVE LOVE this faucet! Be on the lookout for a review on this faucet and a giveaway for your chance to win a delta faucet of your choice up to a $300 value!

I am SO SO SO excited to have the kitchen cabinets in and done!! We still have to replace the light and ceiling fan and paint a bit but the big project and goal was getting in the new cabinets and granite!

On a Roll with the Goals!!

I accomplished another goal in my 101 in 1001! I made a tutu for Lilly!

A about a week ago, I posted about how you can get your free tutorial on how to make a tutu....you can find that post HERE. All you have to do is visit http://www.misstutu.com/ and you will be emailed your free video tutorial on how to make a no sew tutu. If you sign up, make sure to put the referring mom as "Mommy Saves Money"!

I have been wanting to make a tutu for Lilly for a while...they are so expensive to buy and I love using them for photo props! I watched the video and then went to Michaels to buy what I needed and I LOVE the way it came out...and it was SO easy...it really only took me about 45 minutes to make!

If you decide to get your free tutorial and use her instructions, I would HIGHLY recommend getting a rotary cutter...that made the job a MILLION times easier and kept my cuts clean and straight.

3 goals done...98 to go!

Another Goal Accomplished!

I completed another goal on my 101 in 1001 and this is one I am SUPER proud of! I wrote and illustrated a book for Lilly! I love it and I am so glad I made this for her....it is a great keepsake for her and I know that when she looks back on it when she is older, that she will be reminded about how much I really love her.

The book is called "Dreams Come True" and it is all about how she is my wish and dream come true. After 2 years of trying to get pregnant, undergoing IF treatments, countless injections and the emotional roller coaster that goes along with infertility, we finally got pregnant on our 25th cycle in January of 2009. Lilly is truly our gift from God and we love her more than anything...she is our dream come true.
Here is the cover and the binding

First Completed Goal

So I finished my 101 in 1001 list; you can find my entire list HERE. For those of you who aren't sure of what 101 in 1001 is, it is a list of 101 goals that I hope to complete in 1001 days! I started this on April 7, 2010 and I have until January 2, 2013 to complete my goals!

Anyhow, I completed my first goal! One of my goals was to make my own cleaning solutions. Now that Lilly is older and is pretty close to becoming more mobile (she is trying super hard to crawl but isn't getting anywhere quite yet), I wanted to have cleaners that were safe for her...I have no idea what is in the commercial cleaners I buy and that makes me nervous.

So I did some Googling and found some recipes for homemade cleaning solutions! I made 3 different cleaning solutions:

1) All purpose Cleaner

-tsp of borax
-4TBSP of vinegar
-32oz of hot water
-20 drops of essential oil (optional)
-Spray Bottle

2) Tub and Tile Cleaner

-Squeeze Bottle (a spray bottle won't work for this because the liquid is too thick...I used an old commercial dish washing soap bottle)
-Mix 1 and 2/3 cups of baking soda, 1/2 cup of liquid soap and 1/2 cup of water in a bowl. Stir with a fork until all lumps are gone and pour into your squeeze bottle.

3) Bathroom Mold Cleaner

I know, gross right? But when you don't have a window in the bathroom, sometimes it is just hard to avoid.
-1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide
-1 cup water
-spray bottle
*Wait 1 hour before rinsing after you spray the affected area.
**tea tree oil can also be used for bathroom mold

So 1 down, 100 more to go!

101 in 1001

I read about this on The Bump and thought it was a great idea! So what is it? It's a list of 101 things you want to do/accomplish within the next 1001 days. I am going to start the 101 days on April 7th which means I have until January 2, 2013 to complete my 101 goals!

1. Get pregnant with #2 (after 2 years of infertility and treatments to get pregnant with Lilly, I am praying it's easier the next go round).
2. Go indoor skydiving.
3. Take Lilly to Disneyland.
4. Back up all Homemade Videos onto external hard drive
5. Back up all homemade videos onto DVD
6. Go on a Cruise
7. Write and Illustrate a Children's book.
8. Re-Open my Etsy Shop
9. Create a first year montage DVD for Lilly
10. Create and publish a Blurb book of Lilly's first year.
11. Make an ABC board or photo book using pictures Lilly will recognize as her favorites.
12. Change our cell phone carrier to AT&T and get an iPhone
13. Visit the San Francisco Zoo.
14. Visit the Oakland Zoo.
15. Visit the new and improved Happy Hallow.
16. Create a family cookbook
17. Take Lilly to a San Francisco Giants baseball game.
18. Continue breastfeeding until Lilly is at least 1 year.
19. Learn how to knit or crotchet beanies/hats.
20. Visit Yosemite while there is snowfall.
21. Run a 1/2 marathon.
22. Go on a miniature Road Trip (1 week or so)
23. Host a GTG at my home.
24. Sell the town home.
25. Visit the Mystery Spot in Santa Cruz.
26. Visit the San Jose Winchester Mystery House.
27. Pay off all credit cards and loans.
28. Have a date night
29. Visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
30. Have a 30th birthday bash for both, Aaron and myself.
31. Ride in a paddle boat as a family.
32. Finish my Masters Degree
33. Visit Gilroy Gardens
34. Make Lilly a Super Cape
35. Hand paint an aisle runner for my sisters wedding
36. Paint a mural on canvas
37. Take a photoshop class
38. Learn how to use my DSLR camera in manual mode
39. Have a family picnic at Vasona Park
40. Have a camp out in our backyard
41. Have 500 blog followers
42. Save $200 in coin change
43. Have Lilly's 1 year photos taken professionally
44. Go hiking as a family at Quicksilver Park
45. Make a large cupcake smash cake for Lilly's first birthday
46. Build something
47. Have a spa day (massage and pedicure)
48. Buy a good set of knives
49. Remodel the bathrooms
50. Go to the Children's Discovery Museum
51. Visit Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
52. Back up all images of Lilly and pregnancy onto external hard drive
53. Back up all images of Lilly and pregnancy onto DVD
54. Create a playlist on my iPod with all of Lilly's favorite songs
55. Paint a mural of the Chicago Cubs logo in the Garage
56. Name a star after Lilly using starregistry.com
57. Put away $10 for every goal completed
58. Complete Lilly's 365 photo blog
59. Build a snowman
60. Potty Train Lilly
61. Get a really cool play structure for the backyard
62. Go indoor rock climbing
63. remove and replace the sprinklers in the backyard
64. lay new sod in the backyard
65. Add new landscaping to the backyard
66. Remove and Replace the Kitchen Cabinets
67. Remove lineoluem and replace with tile in kitchen
68. Paint the Kitchen
69. Replace the front door
70. Organize the garage
71. Make Lilly a tutu
72. Make my own cleaning solutions
73. Plant flowers
74. Do a massive spring cleaning
75. Go to the Japanese Friendship Gardens and Kelley Park
76. Visit Pier 39
77. Walk or bike across the Golden Gate Bridge
78. Reach my goal weight (5'10 @ 155)
79. Get a Hammock for the backyard
80. Read 20 books
81. Take Lilly to a diaper days movie
82. Re-shelve and organize the pantry
83. Have all emergency supplies in or near (for larger items) the Emergency tub
84. Turn our U.S. Road Trip blog into a blurb book
85. Mount the TV over the Fireplace
86. Visit Reno when it's snowing
87. Teach Lilly how to make a snow angel while visiting the snow
88. Continue being a stay at home mom
89. Take Lilly puddle jumping
90. Go to Disney World
91. Have a Picnic at Golden Gate Park
92. Take Lilly to the beach
93. Build a sand castle at the Beach
94. Fix the garage door
95. Get a garage door opener
96. Teach Lilly to swim
97. Paint the bedroom
98. Get a new mattress and sheet set for the bedroom
99. Trade in my Honda Pilot for a Honda Odyssey
100. Go to the San Diego Zoo
101. Go to Sea World in San Diego