In Progress

#16 serve in a ministry opportunity outside my comfort zone
It all began with a little prayer.
That should have been my first clue how big this little number was going to get. That's right, one little prayer, and Jesus blew the whole thing out of the water ;)

Then came the question:

"Hey Katie, did you see that thing on Facebook about writing dialog?" said a member of our congregation's women's ministry team.

Followed by, "Do you think you could give us a sample of your writing?"

Sure.

So I did. I wrote a little psydeo- witty bit based on the Gospel of Luke's interpretation of Boy Jesus in the Temple.

Up next came a "we love it" style email and an invitation to write the script for our mega-church's women's ministry Christmas event.

I was intimidated, but stoked to try my hand at something new (I'm a write what you know kind of girl, so paraphrasing the Gospel and creating a fictional character or two was a tad overwhelming).

After that, came the big kicker. The play would now be for the entire church (as in several thousand in attendance) for a 5 performances Christmas program.

But really, no pressure.

Insert outside of my comfort zone right about here.

But wait.

Then came the revelation that I wasn't writing my own ideas at all. It was a group-inspired effort with all the dialog and niffty transition stuff on my shoulders.

Oh my.

More meetings.

Two revisions.

Tweaking.

And then came,

APPROVAL.

and

the request that I attend the first few rehearsals to help fill any gaps in the script or rewrites as needed...on the fly.

Be careful what you pray for. God is mighty and he will rock your socks off given the opportunity ;)
With the play 2.5 months away, I won't consider this 100% done until I squirm through the performances, so...


#16, consider yourself IN-PROGRESS

#28 done and over it

#28 donate blood (do BEFORE #23)

1st chair on the left, that's me!

Looks oh-so-typical right?


Wrong.


I mean, it is me we're talking about here. This experience could not have been more absurd if I had scripted the darn thing!


For starters, I was on a schedule. My appointment was at 2:15 pm. When I signed up, I explained that I needed to be out of there by 3 o'clock. She assured me that was no problem (the event didn't even start until 2pm), I just needed to arrive about 10 minutes to 2 and I would be the first one there.


I was #6.


But that was okay-ish.


Then they did all the registration & medical evaluation business.


heart rate: 100 (acceptable)
hemoglobin: 15.x (outstanding)
blood pressure: 122/92 (YIKES, but allowed)


Off the record, the lab guy said, "Go see your doctor."


Well, at least I could donate.


Then the lovely lady in the white coat who totally smelled of cigarettes leads me to my stylish recliner and examines my veins. This careful look-over is followed by, "So, do they usually have to do the blood pressure cuff on you?"


Um, excuse me?


I don't even know what we're talking about at this point.


She elaborates by saying, "Hmm, I think I see a vein."


No lie, it took LONGER to find a vein and stick me successfully, then it did to give the actual blood donation.


After chasing my vein (her words, not mine) three times, the lady in white went for help. Wouldn't you know it, right about then they found the vein. I suspect it was my body saying, "I give in, I give in!"


Honestly, it was comical. I'll have a bruise from out of this world tomorrow, but I know my veins and expected as much.


All that vein-chasing drama delayed us so much that I left the room a mere 5 minutes before 3pm (bypassing the canteen all together, but you know, sometimes it's just like that okay?).


Now here's where the story really gets interesting.


My rock star older sister had kept my three littlest ones busy while I was assaulted assisted by the  lady in white. I couldn't find her when everything was said and done, so I checked the bathroom.


Oh, how I wish I hadn't.


My not quite two and a half year old had gotten a wee bit zealous during her trip to the potty and  well....


folks,


there was POO everywhere.


We're talking potty seat, floor, her dress, etc.


That was ridiculous and set us back time wise.


But we made it the van in record time...and it was at this point that I realized I didn't have my cell phone (you know, that device that keeps me reachable in case something unexpected happens, like I'm running late...).


Naturally, I dumped my purse contents into the passenger seat, stripped the infant carrier and practically violated my stroller looking for the phone only to find it back inside, on the bathroom counter.


Now, I was late.


Trying not to hyperventilate or vomit on the drive home, I greeted my first and third grader coming off the bus on the opposite side of the neighborhood...safely staying with a neighbor after they discovered I had abandoned them.


And now, well, now, my list is a little shorter and my headache, a lot bigger.


Note to self: Giving back to the community is sometimes harder than it looks.

Coming Soon

#28 donate blood (do BEFORE #23)


I'm all signed up and scheduled for this Thursday!


Just an FYI, any nursing mother can donate blood as long as she meets the Red Cross donation requirements and the nursling is over 6 weeks of age. Good news, yes?


Expect an update and a crossed off #28 by the end of the week. Take that 30, take that.

#13 submit writing for contest and/or publication

It started with a ripped page from a magazine.

But that's nothing new.

Every year, I convince myself I'll write something real, or rather, something not-so-real, okay, something non-blog real. Whatever, there's a point here.

The point is, I need to write outside the box.

I've come close once or twice. One year, I even went so far as to pen down a few thoughts on legitimate paper. Fancy.

But I never actually wrote anything real, let alone, finished an essay. 

So I took it slow-ish.

HAHA.

If you believe that you don't know me at all.

No sir, I sat down last night and spewed forth the words of my creation until I felt it was just so.

I followed da rules. I prepped my email for submission and saved the draft.

The thoughts were already there. I had known almost immediately what I wanted to write about when I first read the proposal, When did you first understand the meaning of love? 

To be fair, I toyed with a few other ideas first, the givens mostly. You know, children, marriage, yada, yada.

But, ultimately, there is one topic I knew I had something to talk about.

So, I did it.

Written and otherwise,

Done.

#13 submit writing for contest and/or publication

Fun fact learned while editing: I never indent my paragraphs; a hazard of four years spent blogging and a love affair with poetry I suppose. But when I reviewed previous entries, I realized no one else indented either. Do magazines just not indent? How far behind the times am I? I digress.

I expect nothing from this other than the satisfaction of crossing another item off THE List. I write because it soothes me. Writing has always been an outlet for me; a way to express the words that bubble under the service of my emotions and this time was no different.

The contest winner won't be notified until January 9th, 2012; therefore, I can't let you read my entry until after I'm undoubtedly, NOT notified ;) 

I will disclose this little teaser, my essay entry is titled, A Mighty Fortress.

Enjoy the wait.

THE List- revision #1

Alright, so it's more of a notation, but still. My oh-so-wise elder sister pointed out that I can't give blood for a year after getting a tattoo. 

The fact that my sister has approximately ZERO tattoos and I have three, and yet, she remembers this detail, not me, is most amusing;)

The Original thirty*by*thirty list:

1. make a recipe from the Pioneer Woman
2. write our 'love story'
3. get current on "currently reading" books
4. update email address
5. paint stripes somewhere in the house
6. chronicle THE List via blogging
7. 10th anniversary trip
8. complete reading through the Bible 
9. establish a well functioning command center   DONE!
10. get within 15 lbs of ideal weight
11. find fun & funky pillows for downstairs couches
12. tackle old photos
13. submit writing for contest and/or publication
14. get a complete physical 
15. attempt to appreciate A (as in singular) football game
16. serve in a ministry opportunity outside my comfort zone
17. define my style
18. learn how to create (and execute) a polished look
19. wean baby J
20. pay off the van
21. take a non-traditional family photo
22. paint upstairs landing
23. make final decision on amazing grace tattoo (must do AFTER #28)
24. complete a DIY home project
25. go to the dentist
26. take a hike (or two)
27. do something about my mixer
28. donate blood (do BEFORE #23)
29. make master packing list for trips
30. sleep for 8 consecutive hours

#9 establish a well functioning command center

WANTED: a new & improved command center
because the older I get the more I need a place for everything and everything in its place

With less than 2 weeks before school starts, it's time to regroup my current overwhelmed and overworked command center,

into something a lot more functional and well, if at all possible, a little cute.

High ho, high ho, it's off to Pinterest I go (or went).

I was immediately in love with every other center. But first things first.

Because this is a make-over, I already had the grunt work complete; meaning I knew what I wanted in my command center and where, in my house, I wanted it.

The goods that needed organizing (again):

• bills/check book
• home binder (itself in need of a MAJOR overhaul)
• dry-erase calendar
• school calendar
• misc important papers (i.e. invites, class calendars, sports schedules)
• cell phone
• stationary box w/addresses
• binders for flex spending account & debt management program
• hoards of folders (school specific, 2011 tax papers, etc)
• catch all tray holding sticky notes, calculator, etc.
• magazines 
• coupon book & sales papers

My problem is not that I don't have a place for everything, because I totally do. My problem is that I have four big kids in three different schools and two little kids in preschool; all with their own papers and no space to work with! 

I need a lot out of the tiny space I have to work with so my primary goal here is to make everything visible so that no paper goes unnoticed. Let's face the cold hard truth here, there's a lot going on in my kitchen, lol!

I lusted after this ultimate large family command center alter:

But I have neither the space nor budget to make that happen.

Yet my eye kept going back to this little gem here:

Unfortunately, I couldn't quite convince Mr. 30by30 that taking over an entire wall where I previously took up  a mere quarter of one was a do-able task. Woe is me.

But the clipboards?

I could work with clipboards.

Clipboards have a secret that cool folders or even hanging folders do not...they keep papers exactly where they are suppose to be-i.e. no slipping and hiding in the bottom of the hanging folder. I like.

While still perusing Pinterst, I came along this little guy; please note the heavy ovaled (a circle just wouldn't work) floating shelf, dubbed a landing strip (giggle) by the site.

Now that would work...the wheels kept churning as my fingers kept clicking through the vast oasis that is Pinterest.

The simplicity of this little caddy caught my eye as well.

Hmmm, dare I say I have the inspiration necessary to revitalize my humble command center??

• clipboards 
• floating shelf
• open top filing center

With a little bit of planning, a lot of creating & sorting, and, okay, the occasional ill tempered thought, I was on my way to marking #9 off my list. 

Check it.

 Or maybe not.

Walmart didn't have any old school clipboards (just the newage plastic neon business), nor did it have a shelf suited to my needs.

Bummer.

Then again...

In my browsing I came across this site that gives a tutorial on making a 'menu board.'

 I wasn't overly inspired by the menu prospect (I don't need a fancy space-taking up board to do what a sheet of paper & a well organized recipe binder can do), but something about that board spoke to me. And if you recall, I already had a cork board on hand. Hmm.

thinking thinking thinking


cork board...check.
leftover high-gloss white paint...check
binder clips...check


Oh yes, I can.


A few minutes over the course of an afternoon, 3 coats of paint, and some hot glue super glue later, voila! A tidier, streamlined version of hanging clipboards.

While in the practice of re-purposing, I spied my well-loved, albeit fugly, wire organizer. I happened to recall that the bottom drawer is removable. Two nails and borrowed bi-ceps (thank you teenage son) later, I had my own version of a floating shelf to hold my bills. If only I could find someone to pay them too...

Keeping in mind me goals of function and beauty, I zeroed in on a recently acquired (via a dying plant) basket just wide enough to perfectly hold folders. BEHOLD, a pretty(er) filing cabinet of sorts.

Next stop, purge city USA.

And at last, I can officially cross #9 off my list.

DONE.

Please note the handy dandy command hook now holding our recycling off the floor-a necessary move for our soon to be crawler ;)


Okay, okay, so maybe there isn't a radical, awe-inspiring visual change, BUT, nothing beats function baby.

before

after

The very best part of this make-over, besides being the FIRST item crossed OFF my list, is that is cost me all of zero dollars. Score.

THE List ~ Original Draft

Let's get one thing straight, this is all about ME! 

And I'm only sort of kidding. In researching this concept, I nearly fell out of my chair at some of the lists I encountered. One woman went so far as to let 29 other people in her life give her a challenge. I love you guys, but not quite that much ;)

There were also many prevalent themes throughout these lists, and my list is no exception. Lose weight anyone? Family photo?

Then there were those list items that made me really confused...things like "buy matching lingerie;" you have to wonder how they wrote that post!

Of course, my darling husband had a few suggestions too like, "become a sports mom" (because I can alter my personality that much). Or "change a tire," um, hello, that's what husbands, brothers, and sons are for right? Yeah, let's not get crazy here. *snicker*

Moving along.


The point is, this is my take on the classic thirty before thirty project.

My real goal in doing this is to create a new focus; find a fun, productive way to shift gears from the pregnancy/baby years of my life to this new phase which just so happens to coincide with my 30th birthday.

I'm not looking to change the world here, just challenge myself a little, and in some cases (cough, cough, football), a lot.

That means everything on this list is something I've thought about more than once in recent years. Things I just haven't gotten around to completing while I was busy doing all that gestating.

Let's get on with it already:

1. make a recipe from the Pioneer Woman
2. write our 'love story'
3. get current on "currently reading" books
4. update email address
5. paint stripes somewhere in the house
6. chronicle THE List via blogging
7. 10th anniversary trip
8. complete reading through the Bible 
9. establish a well functioning command center
10. get within 15 lbs of ideal weight
11. find fun & funky pillows for downstairs couches
12. tackle old photos
13. submit writing for contest and/or publication
14. get a complete physical 
15. attempt to appreciate A (as in singular) football game
16. serve in a ministry opportunity outside my comfort zone
17. define my style
18. learn how to create (and execute) a polished look
19. wean baby J
20. pay off the van
21. take a non-traditional family photo
22. paint upstairs landing
23. make final decision on amazing grace tattoo
24. complete a DIY home project
25. go to the dentist
26. take a hike (or two)
27. do something about my mixer
28. donate blood
29. make master packing list for trips
30. sleep for 8 consecutive hours