TGIF!

It's Friday... Friday... Gettin' down on Friday...

Okay, so maybe that song was annoying but it sure got stuck in my head. But, it is time to get down to work on Friday with my new TGIF time where I take a look at my weekly progress on my Bucket List. So, here we go...

#1 I had the scare of my lifetime yesterday as I had a gray tooth. No kidding and I am a very young adult at heart, soul, mind, and age! It turned out to be a false alarm, thank goodness, as I had staining due to my crowding of teeth in the front of my mouth. I just can't seem to get the toothbrush adjusted right to get the one in the back. Solution, I am now back to using a child's toothbrush with a smaller head. This would not have been a big issue if I had braces when I was a kid/teen. But, due to money constraints, I did not get braces as it was a cosmetic procedure more than a health related one. Now, it has turned into something I am budgeting for as it would help me a lot in keeping my teeth healthy, and who doesn't like a perfect white smile? To be in a beauty pageant, you need a good pair of chandelier earrings (still need to get my ears pierced by the way) and a big white smile. So, I am already tackling one of my two projects. (On a side note, I did find a competition to enter that isn't far from where I live!)

#2 So, I am busy completing my craft projects. I dug them all out and have them lying out in the open in my room, and I am going to be so, so, so, so, so, so busy! To make it even more fun and motivating to get these projects done, I decided to make YouTube videos of how to do a crochet afghan here, a knitted shawl there, and I received approval from both Red Heart Yarn and Lion Brand Yarn companies to do this! I will be starting those videos next week on my break from school; but, I did get all the necessary supplies in order as well as the paperwork. I am all set to go!

#6 This brings me to my sixth bucket list item of making a quilt. Last week I had to wait for a family member to finish an appointment and I made a trip to the nearby fabric store while I waited. I found all the material (some at clearance prices I might add) to make a quilt. I have the pattern, the fabric, and the tools to do it. So, I will be working on that hopefully this fall/early winter.

#9 While I was on Pinterest looking for a quilt pattern (Pinterest and Farmville 2: Country Escape are so addicting right now) I ran across a pin on how to take leftover grocery produce, plant items, and grow your own indoor garden. The first item I tried is celery. I was able to get it to grow now in a bowl of water and need to transplant it in a pot over the weekend. I also cleaned up some pots and went through my leftover seed stash from last spring to start a few tomato plants and lettuce bowls. All the plants sprouted within days and now I have a great winter garden growing in my sun porch.

#13 I just do not like this number, not because it is bad luck or anything, but when I make a list the hardest project always falls on "13". Anyway, it is cleaning out the clutter, which I have a lot of. This weekend is our garage sale, though. So, I am hoping that most of the items I dug out of the attic, basement, closets, and lonely corners of the rooms will sell and not be put back in those places. We are going to have nice weather for it, though.

#18 I mentioned before I am taking a break from school. This is because I am completing my Master's degree online. I take one class at a time for 5 weeks and get a week break in-between. I am almost done to as my scheduled graduation date is in January. Just a couple more classes to go with the large thesis at the end. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. Once I complete this I will be working on #16 of my list.

#26 is synonymous with #2 as I will be making instructional videos while I complete my craft projects. I will have to post links to my videos here so you can follow along and join a craft project you would like to complete.

#31 On Wednesday, I learned how to pressure can, along with another 30 women in my community. It was a very inspiring experience and I cannot wait to can some more items this next year. I purchased the Ball Complete Guide to Home Canning book and there are so many great recipes in there. My favorite being Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate. I will be planning next year's garden around those recipes so we have more canned items in our root cellar. It will help with my item #40 of becoming more self-sufficient. But as of now, I can mark this Bucket List item as completed!

#39 I have been very happy with myself as I wrote on this blog several times this past week. I am not sure if I will be able to keep that up with fall harvest season coming. And, being on a small family farm operation here in the Midwest, our schedules get a little overcrowded. But, with all the progress I have done in the past week of obtaining my goals, it has inspired me to take on more projects next week. This journal of mine has helped give me a boost of self-confidence and I hope you find it inspiring to begin your own journal that focuses on the goals you want to complete in life.

That's all for now. Have a wonderful weekend everybody!