101 in 1001: Number 76

Hi Guys! As I was looking down my list to find this number, I noticed that I have completed several of my 101 in 1001 goals that I haven't blogged about... I need to get on that! But let's just concentrate on this one, shall we?

76. Make banana nut bread from scratch

I happened to have a few bananas that were starting to go bad, so I decided to go ahead and knock this one off my list. I love banana nut bread but had never tried making it myself. So I called up my cousin Summer to get her recipe, grabbed a few things on the way home, and put my KitchenAid mixer to good use! I wish I had taken some pictures of the process, but alas, I didn't... So you'll have to settle for a couple pics of the finished product.

I was very pleased with the results. : ) And it's rather tasty! Thanks again, Summer!
 
Here is the recipe in case any of you would like to try it out:
 
Summer's Banana Nut Bread
(It makes two loaves)
 
- 2 sticks butter
- 2 cups sugar
- 2 eggs
-2 teaspoons water
- 2 cups mashed banana
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
-1 cup chopped walnuts
 
Preheat oven to 350°F. Sift flour, salt, and baking soda together and set aside. Melt butter. Mix butter and sugar together until well blended. Add eggs one at a time, mixing well after each. Add banana and vanilla. Fold in flour mixture and walnuts until all moist. Grease 2 loaf pans. Divide the batter equally and bake about 60-75 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean.

And there you have it! Let me know if any of you try it out. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. : )

101 in 1001: Number 56

56. Buy a pair of Toms shoes

Yay, another goal met on my 101 in 1001 list! : )  I have been hearing how awesome and comfortable TOMS shoes are for several months now, so I decided back when I was making my list that I wanted to own a pair. And when I saw these on Gracie's blog, I knew I must have them!!!




TOMS


So adorable, right!? Well, only one store in Montgomery sells TOMS, and when I checked they said they didn't have that style but were getting a big shipment at the beginning of February... So I mustered all my inner strength and waited to see if they got them in. (This was around Jan. 31, which I realize is only 1 or 2 days away, but trust me... it took a LOT of inner strength to not order them online right there on the spot!) The biggest "reason" I gave myself to wait was because I wasn't sure what size I'd need. I usually range between a 9.5 and 10 (yes, I know I have big feet but I am 6 feet tall... if they were tiny I'd probably tip over!)  ; )   And so I waited until the next day and headed to Kinnucan's.

Unfortunately, they did not receive my cute little heart TOMS. I figured I'd try on a pair (or 5) anyway to see what size I'd need, and I ended up really liking another pair. Since my inner strength was so burnt out from the workout it received the previous day, I ended up purchasing these:

On another note, how do you take a cute picture of your foot? Ha, ha... Anyway, I love them! They are definitely very comfortable. I figured they wouldn't be at first while I was breaking them in, but I haven't had any problems with them at all (as far as blisters or anything like that). It almost feels like you don't even have shoes on, which I love! : )

I still plan on getting the cute hearts pair, but as of today Kinnucan's hasn't gotten that design in... so it looks like I'll just have to order them online. No big deal though. I love getting mail, after all!

Are any of you TOMS fans? They are just a tad on the pricey side, but not that bad really... especially when you consider that when you buy a pair, the company donates a pair of new shoes to a child in need. How awesome is that!? So definitely worth the price, in my opinion. : )

Hope you're having a great week!

101 in 1001: Number 66

Hello again. I'm home sick today, so I thought I'd do a make-up post for you. So without further ado:

66. Go to an Alabama football game

Ok, way back on November 19, Matt and I joined our friends Micah and Gloria and headed up to Tuscaloosa to see Alabama play Georgia Southern. Micah's parents bought us all tickets for Micah's birthday. : )

We got there early and walked around campus for a while. It was pretty crowded, but the weather was nice. And the trees were really pretty with all their fall-colored leaves. This was one of my favorites:

It was much prettier in person. ; )  It was Gloria's first time visiting Alabama's campus, so the guys took her on a tour. It was kind of sweet, but a little amusing. Especially since one of their favorite parts was the "fancy" port-a-potty that was, and I quote, just like "a really nice hotel bathroom." : )



Matt & I in front of the Quad

 

Micah & Gloria





Denny Chimes




Micah & Matt



When it was nearing kick-off time, we headed into Bryant-Denny Stadium.



I didn't think the game was going to be very exciting, but Georgia Southern did a lot better than I thought they would! We still won 45 to 21 though. : )  It's always fun watching Alabama play. They have a very committed fan base, so the crowd is usually entertaining, and the Million Dollar Band never disappoints during the half-time show.

Here are a few pictures inside the stadium:

One of these days, I'd love to go to an Iron Bowl, or the Alabama vs. Auburn game. That's our big rival, for those of you who don't live in the Southeast. ; )  Tickets are pretty hard to come by though, so I won't hold my breath...

It was pretty late by the time we got home, but we all had a good time. Hopefully I'll get to go to at least one game again next season. : )

101 in 1001... number 33?



I found out a few weeks ago that my church is putting on a production of A Charlie Brown Christmas this December. I was so excited!! Several years ago, Troy University put it on, and ever since I dreamed of playing Lucy.



The girl who played her at Troy did such a good job! And for some reason I've always loved playing loud, bossy people... maybe because that's sort of the opposite of my demeanor. ; )

Matt was the one who told me that there was a sign-up sheet if you wanted to audition. I work in the nursery at church, so I never know what's going on... He had already signed up, so I asked him to go back up and put my name on the list too. Well, apparently he forgot to, because parts were assigned, and I wasn't on the list. : (  It turned out that they still needed a few people though, so I got the part of Violet, who had three lines. Not the best, but I was just happy to be involved. The last play I was in was during my senior year of high school!

Oh, Matt got the role of Charlie Brown, by the way... He's a little worried about all the lines he has to memorize. I'm sure he'll be great though! : )

Anyway, the time came for our first rehearsal, and I was super excited! But I was a little confused when I arrived... There were both adults and children there. But if you're familiar with Peanuts, you'll know that all the characters are around the same age... all children. I'm not sure if there just weren't enough people to sign up, or if they didn't think it'd be a big deal, but the cast consists of everyone from a 6-year-old Linus to a 40-something Pigpen. I'm a little worried about how that'll turn out, but again... I was just excited to be in a play.

I'm even more excited now since I got some great news last weekend. The lady who was playing Lucy had to drop out, and they offered the part to me!!! : D Yay! I hate that she had to drop out, of course, but I can't lie that I wasn't a little pleased. Last Monday was my first rehearsal as Lucy, and I had so much fun yelling at everyone! Ha, ha...

I ordered Matt a Charlie Brown t-shirt to wear, so now I just have to find me a cute little dress and some Oxfords. : ) Did I mention how excited I am!? I hope I do a good job... I am a little rusty after all. I'm sure it'll be fun though! Plus I'll get to cross off another of my 101 in 1001 goals! I really need to get busy with those...

Well, I hope you all have a great weekend! I'll be busy watching football and practicing my lines! ; )

#1 Complete

Hooray! I completed my very first goal on my 101 in 1001 list!! And it so happens to be #1:

1. Finish my 101 in 1001 list

That's right... I now have all 101 goals ready for your viewing pleasure. Just click on the link above or on the tab at the top of this page. Some are big, and some are silly, but they are all things I would like to accomplish. I had a couple duplicates, but I think I caught them all... If you happen to spot one though, please let me know. ; )

I'm really looking forward to working on my list over the next couple of years. I went over some of my goals with Matt, and he wasn't all too excited about all the (semi-costly) trips I had on there. But I let him know that him accompanying me on those trips wasn't part of the goal... Ha, ha!!! (He didn't think that was funny)

101 in 1001

I was inspired to try my own "101 in 1001" after seeing it on both Lauren's ( not your everyday cinderella ) and Brooke's ( Roots and Wings ) blogs. I've actually been working on it FOREVER but still haven't come up with all 101 things. I even copied some from both of their lists! (Hope you don't mind, ladies...) ; ) But Brooke suggested that I make "finish the list" one of the 101 (she's so clever...), so without further ado:

From the Day Zero (101 in 1001's Official Name) Website:

101 in 1001

The Challenge:


Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.




The Criteria:


Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on your part).




Why 1001 Days?

Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks.

Start Date: April 7, 2011

End Date: January 2, 2014

Strikethough - Complete

Italic- In progress

Normal- Not yet started

1. Finish my 101 in 1001 list
2. Read the entire Bible
3. Have a baby
4. Eat a tomato I grew myself
5. Get down to my driver's license weight
6. Make it on Jimmy Fallon's hashtag list
7. Send 100 postcards on Postcrossing (0/100)
8. Find 100 caches with Geocaching (0/100)
9. Take a trip with Mom and Anna
10. Go to a Paramore concert
11. Be able to play 5 songs on my guitar well (0/5)
12. Visit 5 new states in my quest to visit all 50 (0/5)
13. Open an Etsy shop
14. Finish writing my first novel
15. Take a cake decorating class
16. Crochet a scarf
17. Run a marathon
18. Go water-skiing
19. Visit NY
20. See SNL live
21. Read all of Jane Austen's novels (0/6)
22. Sponsor a swap on my blog
23. Learn to use a sewing machine
24. Style my hair every day for a week (0/7)
25. Complete a course on learning French
26. Complete a course on learning Spanish
27. Take a cooking class
28. Paint a self-portrait
29. Have fresh flowers on my table for a month
30. Finish the 365 Poem Challenge (18/365)
31. Write a song
32. Be an extra in a movie
33. Act in a play
34. Do a cartwheel
35. Bake a pie from scratch
36. Bake biscuits from scratch
37. Buy a nice camera
38. Buy a piano
39. Get a new house
40. Plant a vegetable garden
41. Tell a stranger she's beautiful
42. Write 100 letters to pen pals (0/100)
43. Visit my Great-Grandmother
44. Blog every day for a month
45. Drink only water for 2 weeks
46. Take my vitamins every day for 2 weeks
47. Finish up my bachelor's degree
48. Read 5 biographies (0/5)
49. Go to an opera
50. Color an entire coloring book <-- I had to take that one, Lauren!! : ) Love it!
51. Reread all the Harry Potter books (0/7)
52. Take Matt on a picnic
53. Make a snow angel
54. Go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal
55. Go to Disney World
56. Buy a pair of Toms shoes
57. Sit outside (on a porch) and enjoy a thunderstorm
58. Dance in the rain
59. Pay for the person behind me in the drive-thru 5 times (0/5)
60. Don't eat fast food for 2 weeks
61. Get an eye exam
62. Watch a sunrise while sitting on a beach
63. Take a photography class
64. Blog about each of my completed tasks (0/101)
65. Go to a murder mystery dinner
66. Go to an Alabama football game
67. Go on a cruise
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101. Make a new 101 in 1001 list when I complete this one!