Revisiting 101

Recently, when I was home for graduation, I got to visit with one of my longtime good friends.
She expressed "concern" that I would never be able to finish my 101 in 1001 Days list.
Now, I haven't forgotten about this list.

I just haven't updated it in a long time.
And looking through to see what I can update - rather sad.
Pathetic might actually be a better word.

There's only a few things that have actually been accomplished.
So I'm going to try completing a few of the items on the list each month, just to help make things more manageable. Look out for my June goals in the next couple of days.  

But that being said, here's my "updated" list of accomplishment.

Keep checking back to see how the list changes month to month!

Writing

1. Write a book of childhood stories
2. 30 blog posts in 30 days (0/30)
3. Mail 2 letters a week (0/104)
4. Write a history of Maysville
5. Write a letter to the editor

Reading

6. Read 24 classics (0/24)
7. Subscribe to Better Homes and Gardens
8. Read through the Bible in a year
9. Participate in a Daily Bible study
10. Read 20 books suggested by others (1/20) 
• The Paris Wife

Health

11. Go to the gym twice a week
12. Drink 32 ounces of water a day
13. Take a yoga class - Starts June 7th!
14. Take a dance class
15. Run a 5k
16. Do 10 pull-ups
17. Do 100 crunches in quick succession
18. Go waterskiing
19. Fast for a week
20. Do a detox
21. Lose 20 pounds
22. Become a certified first responder
23. Spend a day at a spa

Inspirational

24. Send my Mother flowers randomly
25. Send my Grandmother flowers randomly
26. Take a day at the Lady of the Prairie Retreat
27. Write myself a letter to open on my wedding day
28. Sponsor a child
29. Complete 10 random acts of kindness (0/10)
30. Write future hubs once a week
31. Become a big sister through Big Brothers/Big Sisters
32. Watch the sunrise and sunset in a day
33. Volunteer at an animal shelter
34. Leave an inspirational note in a library book

Family

35. Write an appreciation letter to each of my family members (0/3)
36. Have dinner with each member of my family (0/3)
37. Have a Harry Potter marathon with Emily
38. Family vacation to Minnesota
39. Research my family tree
40. Have an Anne of Green Gables marathon with Mom
41. Visit Hannah
42. Visit Andrea

Creative

43. Make a wedding quilt for Megan
44. Make a chalkboard calendar
45. Build a bookshelf
46. Learn to carve
47. Make my own earrings
48. Replace my charm bracelet
49. Photograph the letters of my last name and frame them
50. Finish 1 fair project a month (0/12)
51. Sew an entire outfit
52. Learn to knit
53. Sew a cloak for Old Threshers

Food

54. Try tofu
55. Try 50 new recipes (5/50) See links to Shrimp A La Betsy , Coffee Cheescake, Fruit Pizza, Royal Icing, and Beef Lasagna.
56. Bake bread, light and airy
57. Start a sourdough starter
58. Serve a 3 course meal
59. Experiment with grilling
60. Cook a meal outside
61. Plan out my menu for two weeks
62. Can five kinds of produce (0/5)
63. Plant a garden with 10 types of produce (0/10)

Fashion

64. Buy a red dress and heels
65. Complete a 30 in 30 challenge
66. Post 20 fashion blog posts (0/20)
67. Try a new hairstyle
68. Get a manicure and a pedicure
69. Get a makeover

Travel

70. Visit North Carolina
71. Visit Sedona
72. Go camping in Yellowstone
73. Visit a new winery
74. Take a spontaneous road trip
75. Go to Canada
76. Spend a weekend in Chicago visiting Brennan
77. Participate in RAGBRAI
78. Stay at a Bed and Breakfast
79. Spend a weekend at a resort
80. Go to Hawaii
81. Start a Europe Trip fund
82. Attend the Old Threshers Christmas

Random

83. Find a four leaf clover
84. Host a board game night
85. Create an online catalogue of my books
86. Move into my own apartment
87. Buy a new computer
88. Get a pen pal
89. See the Nutcracker
90. Attend an Opera
91. Get a dog
92. Kiss in the rain
93. Learn to play the guitar
94. Take violin lessons
95. Make a tutorial
96. Create a budget
97. Go one week without buying anything
98. Go one week without TV
99. Graduate
100. Eat at 10 new restaurants (3/10) Black Market Pizza, El Azteca, The Cafe
101. Go horseback rid

A Freedom Float

Yesterday, I spent the afternoon on the water, floating with friends down the Skunk River.


Our group of seven set off a little before 3, and floated for about 3 1/2 hours down the river, laughing, talking, and enjoying the perfect weather (and water!) 


It was definitely one of my more memorable Memorial Days.

Even if my tube did let me down and found a sharp object somewhere along the way, I still enjoyed splashing through the water and scouting out rough patches for the rest of my group. It reminded me of summers going creek stomping with Hannah. And besides, a tube still holds air as long as you close off the hole!

Next time (for there will assuredly be several more floating trips this summer), I'm hoping for a higher water level, a stronger tube, and a waterproof radio. There's very little else that could make floating better!

Royal Iced Sugar Cookies

My family has always used a buttercream frosting recipe to frost cakes and cookies. But after reading about royal icing on another blog, I wanted to try this beautiful way of decorating cookies that gives it a professional looking finish.

It will definitely take some additional practice, but for my first time, the cookies look pretty good!

 

Royal Icing
Ingredients:
4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
2 tbsp. meringue powder
5 tbsp. water 
 
Directions:
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Mix on low speed until the sheen has disappeared and the icing has a matte appearance (about 7-10 minutes).  Transfer the contents of the mixing bowl to an air-tight container. 

This will be the stiffest consistency of the icing, and at this point it is still too stiff to use for decorating.  Add water a very small amount at a time and stir by hand until fully incorporated.  Continue until the icing has reached a consistency appropriate for piping. 

 

(Remember, if you are having any difficulty piping, it is still too thick.  Add a little more liquid and try again.) 

Using a pastry bag, pipe around the edges of each cookie.  Let stand so the icing will set.  Make sure to keep the leftover icing covered at all times when not in use so that it does not begin to harden.

Once all the cookies have been edged, transfer some of the remaining icing to a separate air-tight container.  Thin out by incorporating a small amount of water at a time, until the icing drips off the spoon easily when lifted and then smooths in with that still in the bowl.  If you go too far and the icing is too thin, add more sifted powdered sugar to thicken it again. 

Once the icing has reached the desired consistency, transfer it to a squeeze bottle (or a plastic bag with a hole in one corner), and flood the area surrounded by the piping on each cookie.  If it does not completely spread to the edges, use a toothpick to help it along.  Allow to set.

Use the remaining thicker icing for piping decoration as desired.  Gel icing color is best as it does not add a significant amount of liquid.  Liquid food coloring can be used as well – add powdered sugar as needed to compensate for any thinning that occurs.

Recipe and additional frosting instructions fond on Annie's Eats 

I'm excited to try these out again for a party or for holiday gifts! 

Shrimp Penne A La Besty

Back when I turned 22, I received two awesome gifts from my family: Tangled (one of my favorite movies in all it's animated, musical, quirky glory) and The Pioneer Woman Cookbook. I've been a follower of Ree Drummond's blog, and I love her book!

To this point, I haven't actually made anything out of the cookbook. Sure, I spend several day reading through and imagining what some of the dishes would take like, but due to lack of time, the size of the dishes, or an unknown phonemona that sent me back to mac n' cheese, I never tried a recipe.

Until Monday

On Monday, I decided to try a recipe that Ree's sister Betsy makes. (And yes, it has taken me four days to actually get this posted. Fail, I know. It's still yummy as leftovers though!)

And I think it turned out pretty well. It's not too heavy, easy to re-heat, and filling, especially with a side salad and milk!

Shrimp Penne A La Besty

1 lb penne pasta
1 lb large shrimp
2 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine (optional)
one 14.5 ox can tomato sauce
1 cup heavy cream ( I used skim milk to make it a little healthier, and added some flour for thickening)
Milk for thinning
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
6 basil leaves, cut in chiffonade
Salt
Pepper

1. Cook pasta as directed in lightly salted pot of water.
2. Peel and de-vein shrimp and rinse under cold water.
3. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the butter and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.

4. When the pan is hot, add the shrimp. Stir and cook on both sides until it is just starting to turn opaque, about 2 minutes.
5. Remove shrimp to a plate and allow to cool slightly.
6. Next, finely chop the onion (and the garlic!)

7. In a large skillet over medium heat, add 1 tablespoon of butter and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
8. Add the garlic and onion. Stir to combine and cook, until the onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

9. Here, Ree recommends a sip of the wine, "if you're into that sort of thing"
10. Pour the rest of teh wine into the pan. Stir and allow if to evaporate, about 45 seconds.
11. Pour in the tomato sauce and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low.

12. Pour in the cream and stir well to combine. Reduce heat to simmer.
13. Return to the shrimp and remove the tails. Cut the shrimp into medium sized pieces and add to the sauce, stirring gently to combine.
14. Next, add the herbs and stir.

15. Add in the cooked and drained penne noodles. Stir gently to coat noodles evenly. Add salt and black pepper to taste.
16. Serve and enjoy (with french bread or a salad!)

 

High School Graduation

It's funny going to your sister's graduation . . . without your sister.

She's not in any of these pictures.

But her friends are!

 Joni is always smiling...

 The Boys

 M-Townies Represent!

 Mom and one of Emily's Besties, Allison

So, even though her name wasn't read during the ceremony,

even though she's not smiling in a million graduation photos,

even though she's not complaining about how hot her cap and gown were,

even though she's not attending a million grad parties in the next week,

even though she's not having a grad party until the end of July,

she's still an amazing graduate.

Congratulations Emily - You had an amazing high school career (and a lot more guts than me to finish it up in a foreign country!) I love you so much! 

P.S. 

Kid comes home in 60 days. 

Her sister can't wait. 

Seriously. Can't. Wait. 

Internships are Fun!

This is my first summer staying in Ames. The other three summers of my collegiate career I've spent at home, working at a local farm supply store, hanging out at home, or traveling Europe.  Not a bad way to spend summers. However, to finish up my second degree (yup, I just can't stop), I needed to take an internship. After a semester of floudering around, not finding that 'perfect' internship, and resigning myself to a basic internship through the research park in Ames, my advisors approached me with an new option.

Preservation Iowa is a nonprofit organization that helps people across the state of Iowa preserve the our state's history through the rehabilitation of old buildings, barns, houses, schools, and mainstreets. As my boss says, they've been 'crawling' in terms of gaining recognition across the state. After a year long rebranding process, and some additional board members, the organization is looking to really get their name out to the public, while also streamlining their publications, website, blog, and other outreach items. That's where I come in. As a technical communicator, I can take existing procedures, documents, information, etc and recreate everything to make it a little easier for the public to understand.

Now, undoubtably some of you are scratching your heads and wondering "how in the world could she be excited about this? It's not exactly a 'fun' internship." But it's not the work that makes it fun - it's the content I'm working with. I've always been a big fan of history. I live for Old Threshers every year (btw 103 days!), I live in a +150 year-old house that was the first stagecoach stop west of the Mississippi, I grew up on a soon to be century farm, I helped with my hometown's sesquicentennial celebration.... Needless to say, I like history, especially local history.

So my summer is spent working with history! Granted, right now I'm not working too much with the history-outreach side. Currently, I'm just trying to learn as much about the organization as possible so that I can really understand how it works. The more I understanding the organization, the better I can create documents, promotional materials, activities, and additional ideas that will help the organizing move forward.

It's been interesting so far - lots of reading about the IRS and SHPO and NPS and other acronyms that represent the different groups feeding off of the government. And really, these organization are trying to work together to give owners more opportunities to gain support for the rehabilitation projects. There's just a lot of red tape to sift through, and I'm still sifting. But learning, that's for sure. In addition, I've been analyzing some of the brochures and the website to come up with suggestions or ideas to help improve the usability. 

One of the nicest parts about the internship - I don't drive to the Des Moines Office everyday (which is in an AWESOME old building downtown). It's so pleasant to work from Ames, on campus in the labs, even from home. It gives me flexibility to incorporate other activities this summer, while also reaching out to a bunch of other experts in the area.

(Plus, I can work on internship stuff while working as a lab monitoring  - multitasking yo! Who doesn't love webcams? Please excuse the randomness of this picture - I can't even begin to explain my expression...) 

At some point, we're going to take a few day trips to see current or previous rehabilitation projects that Preservation Iowa has helped. I'm excited to see first hand evidence of the good this organization is doing, and the pictures and video from these visits should help immensely with promotional videos and materials.

P.S. 

I'm headed home this weekend for my sister's high school graduation. 

She'll be streaming and watching it live from France.

Weird? Just a bit.

Let's just hope her 'double' makes an appearance for some funny pictures :)

Life as a College Graduate

Going through graduation was a bit surreal to be honest.

Suddenly, four years of studying, late nights, new friends, laughter, stress, credits, classes, and copious amounts of coffee came together into one moment.

30 seconds to walk across the stage, shake a couple hands, and return to my seat, a graduate of Iowa State University. Somehow, I didn't believe it then. And I almost don't believe it now.

Maybe it's because I'm still in Ames for the summer, finishing up my second degree by completing an internship with Preservation Iowa. Maybe it's because I still get to see some of my friends, that I haven't had the 'final' goodbye see you later yet (though it's coming at the end of July). Maybe it's because I haven't gotten my diploma in the mail. Maybe it's because I haven't recieved my license from the state yet. Maybe it's because I'm still searching for a job in the fall.

I'm on the edge of entering the 'real world' for real, but I'm still teetering on the edge of the cliff, waiting for something (or someone) to push me over the edge, or to finally have the courage to fall of my own accord.



Don't get me wrong - I'm totally stoked to be a graduate. 

 See? 

Getting out into the 'real world' is as exciting as it is scary, and I do think I will be successful. It's just the fear of the unknown that has often clouded my spontaneity setting in again, zapping my confidence and making me long for summers back home when I was a child, when life was simpler.


Thankfully, I am still able to return home from time to time to recharge my spirits on the freedom of just being at home. And in going home, in talking with my mother, my father, even my sister (via skype), in seeing my friends and their current stance on life convinces me that I can succeed. I will find an place to start my life as a graduate. And coming to this realization requires me to stop planning.

Not that I'm a long term planner - I have no 5 year plan, no absolute 'must do' list in my life. I just find comfort in knowing where things are going. Spontaneity is wonderful and crazy, but I only thrive on that in short bursts. Long term - I need a plan, an understanding of where things are going. I keep telling myself that wherever I get my first job is NOT necessarily where I will be the rest of my life. Rather, it's the first step in a series steps to help me continue to grow into the person I'm meant to be.

But the beautiful thing about this life is that it is spontaneous. It's supposed to be full of surprises, those unexpected twists and turns that bring the highest highs (and lowest lows) that make life beautiful. And the only way to fully and completely receive the beautiful life to relinquish total control. Like a lot of other people, I like to have control of my life, of the places I go, the things I do, etc. I feel comfortable when I'm in control. Yet, having this control means I'm limiting myself, closing myself off from opportunities that might be the perfect avenue for my new life.

"I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me"

~ Philippians 4:13 

One of my friends from Girl's Camp gave me a bracelet with this scripture written on it. It's one of the few things I never take off. Instead, it stays on my left wrist as a constant reminder that even when I'm not in control, I can still "do all things."

I don't know where I'll be when I leave Ames at the end of July, if I'll have a full time job, if I'll be living back at home and substitute teaching, if I'll be traveling many miles to a completely new and unthoughtof opportunity. But that's the beauty of life, right? The mystery, the suspense, the unknown that eventually brings us to our rightful home.

 

Got Enough Rhubarb?

When I was younger, I remember watching my Mom cut up rhubarb.

Not that I ever ate any of the rhubarb. 

It was always much too sour for me as a child. 

However, now that I've gotten older, I really appreciate rhubarb.

It's a favorite to use in pies, cakes, and other sweets. 

While I was home this past week, my mother mentioned that the rhubarb was going to seed, 

a sign that if I wanted some rhubarb this season, I'd better go get some.  

 

 Thankfully, we've got a great patch of rhubarb at the house, 

and another neighbor who was not using her rhubarb.

When I put up rhubarb, I start by pulling the rhubarb from the patch

It's important not to pull too much rhubarb, because then the plants will have a difficult time coming back the following year.

Then, I cut off the leaves and the bottom stems, leaving just the stalks. 

A daunting amount of rhubarb, no?

Nothing I couldn't handle! 

I then wash the rhubarb in at least two water baths, usually lukewarm water. 

The second to last step is what usually takes the longest, especially since in past years I've had to cut with not so sharp knives

But this year, I bought a new knife during my recent day trip to the Amana Colonies, and 

everything went so much faster!

(That, and I had some reinforcements later. Thanks B!) 

Once the rhubarb had been cut up, 

I measured it into plastic storage containers

And when those ran out, I switched to quart freezer bags. 

By my estimate, I put close to 200 cups in the freezer. 

Or 57 pounds based on the pictures I took. 

(Just out of curiosity, I weighed everything with the bathroom scale)

 If you find yourself in need of rhubarb sometime this summer, 

let me know! I've got plenty.

I'm excited for other fruits that I freeze to ripen

Being able to freeze everything is nice and helps me feel a little more self sustainable. 

When your freezer has rhubarb, strawberries, cherries, black raspberries, raspberries, blueberries, and mulberries, there's plenty to eat throughout the year. 

Maybe this year I'll even learn to do some canning.... 

It's Official...

I'm a college graduate.

Four years, 

gone in what seems like a blink of an eye.

But before I consider everything graduation means - 

I'm going to celebrate

Say hello to a week of vacation - 

and the resuming of blogging!