101 List Progress Check - August 1st 2012

Hi Everyone (Anyone...) and Happy Swiss Day!!!

Yep, August the 1st is the national day over here and there were fireworks going half the night last night and it sounds like firecrackers are currently the order of the day (lots of bangs going all evening so far, and as it's still light out I'm guessing it's not full on fireworks).

So, what have I achieved since I last posted a 101 progress update... let's see...

Shakespeare - complete. I read The Taming of The Shrew last week and I have to say it is probably the most enjoyable of the five plays that I have read.

Prizewinner books - I have now started reading The Color Purple, and it's shaping up to be pretty good. I a looking forward to see what happens next.

Make up daily - yay!!! Another challenge completed. I wore it every day for a whole month and am still going even though I no longer have to.

Skin care - yep, that one is still going on, have I noticed any difference in my skin? I'm not sure, but then I don't look at it that carefully - maybe I'll check it out properly at the end of my month :-)

Being nice - wow!!! Today is day twelve of my two weeks of being nice challenge (it sounds better than day twelve of my not being horrible challenge) and I am doing remarkably well. It is monthend at work, which is usually the time when I am most horrible, and I'm not. Two days to go... maybe I can arrange to work from home on Friday...?

Supplements - is there no end to these things...? Although to be fair the challenge is for three months, but I think I got about six months worth.

30 Lists in 30 Days - another achievement. I have one which just needs a bit to finish it off and need to get them posted on here, but I am done.

Classic films - I haven't actually watched any more yet (fingers crossed for this weekend), but I have bought Scarface starring Al Pacino...

Dinner by candlelight - we had dinner at the hotel when we were in Germany, complete with lit candles on the table. It wasn't actually dark yet, but it still counts, right?

I need to check my work hours and dates to see if I've completed another of the challenges for those, fairly sure I have, but as I have decided to have a separate work Filofax I need to remember to bring it home to check.

And the piéce de resistance? Wearing feminine clothes for a whole week. I started this one on Wednesday last week (including wearing feminine clothes at the weekend) and finished it yesterday. It was so nice to get a pair of jeans on for work today, but I may be back to dresses for the next two days as it seems to be easier to be nice when I'm wearing feminine clothes. And here is the proof that I really did do it...

Wednesday - red H&M dress and lily-white legs 

Thursday - black and cream River Island retro dress , again with the lily-white legs

Friday - H&M casual butterfly dress, legs hidden

Saturday - ready to shop in black skirt and top, lily-whites are on show again

Sunday - black skirt, girly top from Next

OK - so that wasn't the best outfit for going to the Giger museum, but how was I to know that it was going to be all sloping cobbled streets - oops!!! Although I did (eventually) manage to spot someone with even more inappropriate shoes than me there :o)

Monday - new butterfly dress from H&M

Tuesday - newish swallow dress from H&M

That's me for now.

Enjoy the rest of your week :o)

LJx

101 List Progress Check - July 23rd 2012

Hi All,

Super quick check-in today as I will be out to dinner shortly – loving time off work J

Make-up daily  -              I am so good, two more days to go and it’s completed… I am amazed J

Skincare              -              I am surprised (and very pleased) to be able to say that I have managed 13 days without fail so far – go me!!!

Supplements    -              Not going as well as the other challenges as I have missed a couple of days now while I’ve been on holiday (it’s much easier when I’m at work as I can keep them on my desk as a reminder to take them). Being at work has to have some benefits, right?

Family holiday   -              Completed. We all had a fabulous week at Centerparcs and I would highly recommend it to anyone. The swimming complex is fabulous (although I somehow managed to injure myself on quite a regular basis – including bashing my coccyx rather hard going down the steep slide – in the process of which I managed to melt 3 small holes in my new swimsuit…).

Being nice for two weeks            -              OK, so not as much success as I’d have thought considering I was on holiday, but much better than I would usually be, that’s a good start. But I started again on Saturday (after the family holiday was finished) and can proudly report that by the end of today I will have managed three whole days of being nice (or at least not being horrible). I will be back at work on Wednesday ready for monthend and Cognos, so we will see what happens… fingers crossed I will be allowed to wear a gag for 10 days, and maybe boxing gloves to stop me typing my horrible thoughts on instant messaging J

Off now to prep my other posts, take a few photos and enjoy the rest of my time off.

LJx         

101 List Progress Check – July 15th 2012

Happy Sunday!!! (OK, OK – It is Monday now, but I wrote this on Sunday)

No time to write loads, too much fun to be had here on my holiday, so here’s the list:

Make-up daily – still going strong, even on a Sunday at Centerparcs, which feels a bit weird… lol

Skincare was restarted on Monday 10^th, and is going well so far, though I can’t believe I said I’d keep this up for a month. But once the month is done I should be able to keep it going afterwards, which is a good thing – it is something I should have started when I was much younger…

Supplements – yay!!!

Midnights Children – woohoo!!! 83% down according to the Kindle. Thinking about it, this may not be the longest book in the world, it may just be that I have only been able to read a little each day. I may have to check out a bookshop to see how big the actual book is.

I have now done 13 of my 30 lists in 30 days, and will start publishing them soon… depending on the internet access here and the amount of time I have available to myself to hide out in Starbucks  – ha ha ha!!!

We are on our family holiday at Centerparcs now. We arrived in a deluge of rain on Friday afternoon (ooh, is that our private pool? Oh no, it’s just a very large puddle by our door).

Friday evening nobody fancied doing the cooking, so we all went to Café Rouge for dinner, which was really nice and the boys were very well behaved. They drew pictures for each other (see, I knew that being apart for almost two weeks should make them be nice to each other for at least ten minutes), and were kept entertained by the fish swimming around, although I was expecting one of them to fall in…

Saturday was pretty wet, but we went out to explore a bit and the  boys were fascinated by the bones and animal poo in the Rangers Lodge (nice), and they loved the outdoor playground. After a late lunch we took them to the Subtropical Swimming Paradise. We were there for two hours, so by the time we left both boys were shattered. Dinner and ice-cream were soon followed by bed at 8pm, and they were asleep within minutes, not waking up until I woke them up after 7am to see a deer outside our villa. They will be swimming every day!!!

Have a great week,

LJx

101 List Progress Check - July 11th 2012

Another super quick one as it's been a hectic week or so (again) and I'm having to check off my achievements from memory as I haven't written anything at all down...
Wearing make-up every day for 4 weeks - still going strong, although I almost forgot yesterday morning (I arrived at my dads on Monday night and saw Marcus for the first time since last Sunday so he was a tad excited and wanted to play). I started on the skincare thing on Monday evening and am pleased that I bought myself some new Olay day and night moisturisers - they smell really nice, fingers crossed they'll help plump out those wrinkles that are lurking :o)

I forgot to take my supplements over the weekend and on Monday, but I really don't want to start again as I hate taking them - I am very tempted to just carry on and add a few extra days at the end. I guess that officially that could be classed as cheating, and I have enough supplements to last for well past the three months so could in theory start the clock again from yesterday... bleurgh, what a thought!!!

Midnights Children by Salman Rushdie - will it ever end...? Enjoying reading it still, but I think the key word in that is now still.
I didn't get round to watching Cabaret or Evita despite my best intentions. I tried to watch Cabaret on the Sunday evening after I arrived, but fell asleep ridiculously early on in the film... oops!!!
My 30 Lists in 30 Days challenge is off to a slow start and I'm a bit behind, but thankfully there is nothing to say that you have to do one each day for 30 days, just that all thirty need to be completed in the 30 days. I will be catching up very soon. It's a bit tricky trying to sit and do these lists when there are other people around (or at least that's what I'm finding).

Two sleeps until Centerparcs at Longleat for the family holiday - yay!!!

Have a good week.

LJx

101 List Progress Check - July 1st 2012

This is kinda late as I have intermittent internet access at the moment, but here is the latest update on my 101 from Sunday:   :o)

Wearing make-up every day for 4 weeks - I started this Wednesday last week and decided on Monday to continue doing this, and see if I can manage four weeks. This is a good time to to do this as I have no children until mid-August (apart from the week in Centerparcs, but that is holiday time). I think I will try to start doing the skin care routine later this week as I have more time in the mornings and evenings.

The supplements were going OK until I forgot to pack them for travelling to the UK today, so I've missed a day, but will be back on track tomorrow as I have more waiting for me me so will play catch up then.

I'm now about halfway through Salman Rushdie's Midnights Children, and finding it a good read, although the lack of commas when listing things can get a it annoying at times. It is pretty interesting, but I didn't realise how long it is, which I guess is one disadvantage of getting books on Kindle.

I've now got my hands on the DVDs Cabaret and Evita so will be watching those shortly. I'm particularly looking forward to watching Evita, as when I was younger I had a book of music from various musicals and a few from Evita were in there.

I went into Devizes with a friend of mine today, showing him round various spots where I used to work, wander, or just sit and chill. We went into The Lamb for a drink and he spied a poster for 'Avebury Rocks II' with The Levellers playing next Saturday night - yay!!! I think we may have to go, so that could be one concert down and off my list - go me!!! Possibly camping, but I'm guessing that spending one night in a tent doesn't constitute 'going camping'.

I started my 30 Lists in 30 Days challenge on the plane this morning, and so I must find time each day to do this. As I am away at the moment then I will need to post these as and when I can as I doubt I will have internet access every day.

Have a good week.

LJx

101 List Progress Check - 7th January 2012

Well, a new year and a new me...? Maybe...

But first, what else have I actually managed to achieve between Christmas and now...? well, mainly reading on the train as I started back to work on December 29th and have also been spending quite a lot of time sorting out my Filofax stuff and sorting my set up for 2012 (as you will see from my last few posts). I finished Tess or the D'Urbervilles yesterday and was gutted by the end - so unfair, but thoroughly enjoyed the book and the characters.

I actually managed to complete my make up challenge on January 1st, and have even been wearing it during the week this week, but not today.

Today I have been busy planning when and how to complete more of the challenges on my list, which is far more fun than putting make-up on :o)

The most physically challenging item on my list is to get ripped abs. Now, for someone who has 2 children (aged 4 & 6) and has been an accountant working long hours, sat at a desk for the last 14ish years and not had much/any exercise, this is going to be one heck of a challenge.

Now my DF tries to ignore most of what I am doing re filofaxes and my blog, but clearly some of it has been going in  as he spotted the infomercial for P90X the other day and said "that'd get your abs ripped"... and so it begins.

My favourite part so far of this is that I overheard my DF, who despairs of my filo habit, telling his brother all about P90X and the workout sheets, and saying that he may need to get a Filofax to keep his records in - and so the FF quest for global domination continues.

I was going to do my planning and decide when best to fit it in, but as DF has decided that he is going to start the programme on Tuesday, I guess that's my planning done for me as it's going to be way too much hassle to do the nutrition side of it for us both at separate times.

It is traditional to do the 'before & after' photos, which I will be doing, but not until I actually have an 'after' photo - there is no need to inflict that on anyone. Wish me luck...

LJx

Christmas Fun

Warning - too much writing in this post I'm afraid, Christmas is great!!!

What a lovely Christmas we have had this year. The boys are both that little bit older so were excited in the run up to the big day (although thankfully not over excited).

DF's dad came over to spend Christmas with us, which is fabulous - unfortunately last year there were problems with the weather in the UK and he couldn't get here.

Christmas morning came and the boys were up at 6:15am, which is OK as that is the time they always get up (yes, even at weekends - I really need to train them better). And for the first time in quite a while I got ready and did my make-up (with only one week to go until completion of the make-up part of my 101 things to do in 1001 days there was no way I was going to leave it until later and run the risk of forgetting altogether).

The boys were very pleased to see their little Christmas bags from each other in their bedroom and had come downstairs and taken a sneaky peek in the front room with their torches before coming through to ask if it was morning yet. They hadn't even opened the bags in their room, bless them :o)

They opened most of their presents before anyone else started, but that was fine, we had a trick up our sleeves for them, but the hit of the day has to have been the walkie-talkies... which were and will continue to be a tad annoying at times, but they are happy

And then came the adults presents - DFs dad got a digital SLR camera, which he is loving (and which will be used for some of the photos for this post shortly), while DF got a winter coat (thankfully he does  actually like it - so now I can breathe again) and some more of his fave Jean Paul Gaultier shower gel and perfumey stuff.

So what did I get? I am so totally spoilt!!! My ruby Deco and London 2012 Line Burst in blue were boxed, and all ribboned up under the tree (I was allowed to know these as I had placed the order myself).

I had a sneaking suspicion that I may get an extra present under the tree as it had been feared that I would have no presents under the tree as my filos had been lost in transit, and I had bought myself a coat from DFs dad (white, puffy and full of feathers - just like wearing a duvet - the coat, not DFs dad...) to wrap up and put under the tree but DF clearly thought I deserved even more special things - I must have earned myself lots of Brownie points at some point...

But what was that...? - a third FF box...? At that point, being a total FF fan, there are a few thoughts that pass very quickly through your head:

• Ooh - another FF, what is it...?!!!
• Oh, please don't let it be an Apex... DF knows that I almost stalked someone because I thought they were going to buy one (and not for good reasons either)
• Oh - maybe it's a cunning ruse. Two FFs arrived with boxes, paper and ribbon for wrapping, but the Deco already had a box... maybe he is toying with my Filofax emotions...

Box 1... the fabulous blue Line Burst, I just love the inserts. There is a good chance that this filo will never be used and will just remain as a fabulous piece of memorabilia, but it is cute - and that today marker - love it!!!

Box 2... the long coveted ruby Deco in all its glory. So beautiful that until it came to time to take photos I couldn't bring myself to remove the protective plastic from that sophisticated clasp. It is so soft, the insides are divine and the whole thing is just pure luxury. I was however, quite fine with ripping its guts out to sort all my inserts ready to decide what I want to use where.

And so it was with trepidation (and a warning that he had better get ready to start running if it was an Apex) that I opened box 3 to find...

He is amazing and I do love him!!! I kept thinking about getting an iPhone, not because I wanted an iPhone specifically, but because the thought of all those apps to play with just appeals to me - lots!!! Being the workaholic that I am I have never actually looked at what the iPod does, I was thinking music, music and er... music. How wrong I was!!! All those fun apps are available on the iPod - I think I may have just died and gone to Heaven :o)

The boys were very surprised (and thrilled) to find that a football table had appeared upstairs when we went back up after opening the presents -  our 6 year old clearly gets to play this way too much at his lunch club at school as he is pretty good already and delighted in taking everyone on :-)

On returning downstairs it was noticed that there was an envelope stuck in the tree... and now the boys think we are the best... tickets to see Batman Live when it comes to Zurich in February. They saw the posters ages ago and got very excited, but haven't mentioned it for a while and so were very pleased when they saw what the tickets were for. We are now all looking forward to going to see the show :o)

The rest of the day passed with no calamities - the boys went out with their Grandad and the walkie-talkies while DF and I cooked lunch, and the afternoon was sunny, fun and relaxing (mainly - come on, the boys are 4 and 6, it's Christmas, it had to get a bit hectic at some point).

Boxing Day just served to remind me how lucky we are to live here in Switzerland. Although there was no snow, the sun was shining, the sky was clear and on our afternoon walk (those extra calories have to go somewhere) we even saw a horse and trap... lovely.

Enjoy the rest of the Christmas season and New Year.

LJx

   

101 List Progress Check - 26th December 2011

Well it's the Christmas season and I'm using that as my excuse reason for getting a bit behind with blogging about my progress, but will keep this short and sweet as I also need to do a Christmas post...

• Make-up - I have now managed a full 3 weeks of wearing makeup every day, even putting it on before opening presents on Christmas morning, 1 more week to go - woohoo!!!

• Skincare - a big fat fail!!! I am rubbish at following a skincare routine, and almost never remember to take my makeup off before going to bed. Although I am getting into a routine in the mornings, so I guess it could be worse...

• Classic books - Jane Eyre is now finished, and was as suspected a damned good read. As it was Christmas week I figured that I should read Dicken's - A Christmas Carol (it wasn't on my list so in theory I can take one of the others off - I'm not sure how it was on my Kindle when it wasn't on my list, but I can live with that). I finished reading it last night and so think I may move on to Tess of the D'Urbervilles next - although I may have to see if I can change the font size as it is quite small - not ideal for reading in bed.

• Films, new releases - a friend of mine came over last weekend and brought a few films with him, so I have now watched Captain America (fab, shame about the ending, but I understand why they had to do it), and Horrible Bosses (quite amusing in parts, but not one I would be likely to watch again and again). I'm not sure if these count as new releases, I need to check when they came out on DVD, but believe it was the second half of this year... we'll see.

• Flylady habits - I'm still on just the 2 habits at the moment, but am very pleased with myself for managing to get the whole place clean and tidy and keeping it that way over Christmas - can we make it through to New Year? And I'll be working on bringing in a third habit soon... maybe sorting out clothes the night before...

• Shows - now that all the Christmas presents have been opened I can reveal which show I managed to get tickets for. We're off to see Batman Live when it comes to the Hallenstadion in Zürich in February - the boys were very pleased when they found out :-)

• Cooking with the boys - Christopher and I started off nice and simply with some shop bought sweet pastry for him to roll out and cut animal shapes out of to have as biscuits - does that count? I've also bought in some biscuit dough from the shop so that we can make some today, he loves cutting out the shapes. I really must learn where I can get self-raising flour from over here (and what it's called...)

I am going to start planning when and how to get all my 101 things in 1001 days done to try to make sure that I complete all of them (or at least most of them - 101 things is a lot to get through...)

LJx

101 List Progress Check - 11th December 2011

Well, there has been limited progress this week, although I am now a whole week through the challenge of wearing make-up every day for 4 weeks :o)

Unfortunately, as sensible as it would have been, I am rubbish at taking my make-up off each evening and have never successfully managed to follow a skincare routine. However, I have now decided on a simple routine that even I should be able to fit in:
                        am       -        Pulp Friction fruity foaming body scrub while in shower
                                             Nivea make-up remover wipes
                                             Moisturise

                         pm      -        Cleanse with cleansing lotion/baby lotion
                                             Tone with Simple toner
                                             Moisurise

I started this morning, so need to keep it up until January 7th - wish me luck!!!

On Friday I bought the newly released Bad Teacher on DVD and actually managed to sit and watch it with Ben in the evening. Not sure that it should really be a 12 rating, but amusing enough, although it is probably one that I wouldn't watch again for quite some time. I will never be able to think of Justin Timberlake in the same way ever again either, which is a bit disappointing, but I'm sure it won't affect me too badly :o)

I actually managed to get an afternoon off on Wednesday and went on a stationery mission to find materials for making dividers for my Filofaxes, but I will write more on that in a separate post.

I have also bought tickets to take the family out to see a show in February, but as it is a Christmas present you'll have to wait to find out what special treat I have in store for them - I can't wait, it'll be great.

Christopher has finally started showing an interest in learning to read, so I'll be able to start the challenge of teaching them to read, as they will only be taught to read German at school. I'm pretty sure that once Christopher has started, Marcus won't be far behind - although he is far more into doing physical stuff than Christopher is, so we'll see.

My Flylady/SHE habits are slowly coming along, although I do have days where I don't do them religiously. I am keeping my kitchen sink shiny, and swishing and swiping in my bathroom most days. So 2 habits into the challenge, and I am not going to beat myself up for not doing the chores every day as I work long hours and have 2 young children. I believe that as long as the habits are being followed often enough to make a difference to our home, then it's all good. It will be time to add habit 3 soon, hmmm - which one to choose...?

And blogging my 101 in 1001 days - I am managing to stay on track - yippee!!!

Make-Up ... Fail

I know, I know - how could that one have lasted...?

I was doing so well, thinking I only had two days to go. Full make-up was religiously applied yesterday (a Saturday - totally unheard off except for a night on the town), even re-applying the lipstick a few times, as my DF has told me that the way these other girls/women still look immaculate at the end of a day is because they re-apply... - seriously? Who has time for that when they're at work?!!!

Well, yesterday afternoon, my youngest chap decided to empty the entire contents of his stomach across the floor (thankfully we don't have carpets and he missed the rug) and ended up sleeping on a mattress in my room for the night in case he was ill in the night as he sleeps upstairs from us. Poor little chap was exhausted when he finally fell asleep about 8:30pm, but we had quiet until 11pm, when he was ill again, but it wasn't too bad and he went straight to sleep again (though I'm not convinced he actually woke up). I was woken up at 4am by a voice at the bottom of my bed saying "My tummy's all better now" and there he was all bright and breezy and full of the joys, ready to play.

Now don't get me wrong, I'm very pleased that he is fine, but couldn't he have slept for another couple of hours before realised? Sigh...

Needless to say the last thing I felt like doing was putting make-up on this morning and grabbed the opportunity when I could of going back to bed for 90 mins. I was then woken up for lunch and figure that putting it on now won't really count. Having double-checked my list I have also discovered that the time for this task was 4 weeks, not 1 - ouch!!! What was I thinking?

Do I start again tomorrow (surely the run up to Christmas is a good time for this challenge)?

LJx

101 List Progress Check - 3rd December 2011

It's been a while since I've done a proper update on how this is going. I must remember that, as not all tasks are one off events, I need to write the progress checks to see how I'm doing with the repeating activities too.

Reading the classics is going well, faster than I'd planned in fact. I've read Wuthering Heights (a bit tough going due mainly to language), Far From the Madding Crowd (enjoyed this one), Great Expectations (poor Pip), so I thought I'd read something else to break it up a bit. But flicking through my Kindle to decide what to read next made me realise that I'm quite liking the slower paced style of these books, rather than the books that I'm used to, where I find it really hard to stop reading until it is finished. And so the book of the moment is Jane Eyre which I think is going to be pretty good.

One of the guys from work yesterday told me of a big stationery/craft supplies shop in Zurich who have (or seem to have) scrapbooking supplies, so I will be paying them a visit to have a search for nice card to make my dividers and some adhesive film to protect the tabs.

As a start in my quest to become a domestic goddess (anyone who knows me knows just how laughable this is - I managed to burn out a hoover by sucking up a T-shirt and the whole of upstairs ended up full of a weird smelling smoke - I didn't even notice, I was too busy trying to hoover the dust from under the bed with the hose attachment...), I have managed to add two Flylady habits to my daily activities. I now shine my kitchen sink every evening and swish & swipe in my bathroom every morning or evening - although I must confess that the sink didn't get shined yesterday as I was just too lazy...

Surprisingly, I have actually managed to watch two new releases on DVD already, one of which wasn't planned at all (Thor), but still counts so I'm happy. The second one was one that I desperately wanted to see - Harry Potter Deathly Hallows - Part 2, such a good film!!! I will be watching this one again very soon I think :o)

Wearing feminine clothes for a whole week... how frustrating is that one? I was doing really well this week, and wore clothes from my new capsule wardrobe Monday - Thursday and then Friday came, what was I thinking. For some reason I had it in my head that I was supposed to wear feminine clothes for 4 weeks and as I felt like wearing jeans for work I figured that my 4 weeks could start again some other time. It wasn't until I got home last night and did my progress check that I saw that it was only supposed to be for a week - aaargh!!!  But I think I will wait until the summer to complete this challenge. Even though my capsule work wardrobe should help me to wear more feminine clothes, it is a bit chilly out at the moment, and some days all I want to wear is my jeans and a jumper - summer is definitely more conducive to wearing feminine clothes.

Thankfully when I gave up on the feminine clothes challenge yesterday morning I still put the make-up on as it turns out this one is only for 1 week as well, so 2 days and I am free!!! One question though, how do other people put make-up on and it stays all day and looks immaculate? I put mine on in the morning (face powder, or all in one foundation, eye shadow, mascara, eyeliner and lipstick) and by the time I get home all I have left is eyeliner which is smudged under my eyes and making me look worse than if I hadn't bothered.

Christmas cards and presents by the end of November - not this year!!! I have bought all my cards, and most of the presents, but haven't done any more than that, although the Christmas presents for the boys re sorted (or will be when I get round to going to the main station to get the tickets for the Batman show).

Best I get those cards written this weekend or I'll end up having to use them for next year instead...

LJx    

101 Things to do in 1001 Days - List

As promised, here is my magic list of treats, things I need to do, things I want to do. All listed in the hope that having shared with other people what I intend to do I may actually get the majority of these done.

My official starting date was October 2nd, when I finished my list and completed my first task, result!!! 1001 days makes it all seem a little less intimidating, as this means that I have until Sunday June 29th 2014, which currently seems a long way off :-)

Enough waffle, here's the list, split into various categories:

Cultural
1.      Read 10 prizewinner books - completed Dec 2012
                       Angela's Ashes
                       The Shipping News
                       Midnight's Children
                       The Color Purple
                       The English Patient
                       Schindler's Ark
                       Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha!!!
                       Amsterdam
                       The Sea
                       Wolf Hall
2.      Read 5 Shakespeare plays -  completed Jul 2012
                       King John
                       King Lear
                       As You Like It
                       Antony and Cleopatra
                       The Taming of the Shrew
3.      Read 10 classic books - completed Feb 2012
                       Wuthering Heights
                       Far From the Madding Crowd
                       Great Expectations
                       Jane Eyre
                       A Christmas Carol
                       Tess of the d'Urbervilles
                       Lady Chatterley's Lover
                       The Picture of Dorian Grey
                       Northanger Abbey
4.    
5.      Load CDs to iTunes completed Dec 2012
6.      Loads all music on tapes to iTunes tape to MP3 converter received Nov 2012
7.      Buy headphones for iPod - completed Feb 2012
8.      Have music playing all day & no TV/computers for whole family (x 3)
9.      Watch 10 new releases (DVD is fine...) - completed Apr 2012
                     Thor
                     Harry Potter (the last one)
                     Captain America
                     The Green Lantern
                     Happy Feet 2
                     Puss In Boots
                     Contagion
                     In Time
                     Jane Eyre
                     The Help
10.    Watch 10 classic films - films identified, got to find them, 7 down 3 to go
                      Brief Encounter
                      Papillon
                      Taxi Driver
                      The Graduate
                      The Sting
                      The Shawshank Redemption
                      How to Steal a Million
11.    Watch 10 musicals (films) - completed Jan 2014
                      Rock of Ages
                      Half a Sixpence
                      Singin' In The Rain
                      Les Miserables
                      Seven Brides for Seven Brothers
                      Hairspray
                      Cabaret
                      Oklahoma (1955)
                      The Wizard of Oz
                      Mary Poppins
12.    See 2 west End musicals - completed 21 Feb 2012
                      Rock of Ages
                      Wicked
                      We Will Rock You 
13.    Go to 2 concerts - completed Jan 2013
                      Rock of Highway Semi-Final
                      Rock Highway Final   
14.    See 2 dance productions - completed Oct 13
                      Rock the Ballet
                      Romeo & Juliet rock ballet
15.    Read 5 banned books
                      A Clockwork Orange - Anthony Burgess
                      A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
                      Black Beauty - Anna Sewell
                      Memoirs of Fanny Hill - John Clelland
                      Uncle Tom's Cabin - Harriet Beecher-Stowe

Family
16.    Spend 10 minutes teaching/listening to boy reading - cancelled
17.    One big family day out every month - cancelled
18.    Set up playroom for boys now that they are sharing a bedroom - completed Mar 13
19.    Teach boys to swim (or arrange swimming lessons) - cancelled
20.    1 full week family holiday - completed July 2012
21.    1 weekend family break - completed May 2013
22.    Cooking/baking with the boys 10 times - done 5 times so far
               cupcakes
               cookies x 2
               scones
               pumpkin soup
23.    10 photo sessions with the boys - cancelled
24.
25.    Take the boys to a show - Batman shown. Completed Feb 2012
26.    Go camping - completed May 2013 (Europaparc covered wagon)
27.    Scrapbook three photos of the boys - completed May 2013
28.    Write a short story for the boys - cancelled

Relationship
29.    Go to Vegas - completed July 2013
30.    Get married - July 21st 2013 :o)
31.    12 'date' nights with Ben (at home or out) 6 date nights so far
32.  
33.    Have dinner by candlelight - completed July 2012

Health & Fitness 
34.    Take a 1+ hour walk on my own (x3) - cancelled
35.    Drink a cup of Rooibos tea with honey every day for 2 weeks - completed Sep 2013
36.  
37.  
38.    Drink 1.5 litres of water a day for 1 week (reduced Nov 2012) - completed Dec 2012
39.    Take a supplement (vitamins/minerals and/or probiotics) for 3 months - completed August 2012
40.    Complete Les Mills Combat workout programme - completed Apr 2013
41.  
42.  
43.  

Personal Development & Treats
44.    Write a post for Lucy re purchases from the German Filofax sale - completed 2nd Oct 2011
45.    Write a post for Lucy re my A5 work Filofax - completed on this blog 20th April 2012
46.    Set up a Filofax for the 101 things in 1001 days project - completed 22nd Oct 2011
47.    Knit a scarf - completed 24th Mar 2013
48.    Become confident enough to hold a conversation in German - completed Jan 2014
49.    Embroider a sampler - started Dec 2013
50.    Read 5 books in German (basic please...) - cancelled
51.    Write a poem - cancelled
52.    Learn to walk in high heels - completed Sep 2013
53.    Invest in a capsule wardrobe for work - completed 22nd Nov 2011 
54.    Wear only feminine clothes for a week - completed 31st Jul 2012
55.    Follow a proper skincare routine for 4 weeks - completed Aug 2012
56.    Wear full make up every day for 4 weeks (foundation not essential) - completed 1st Jan 2012
57.    Cook one proper meal for visitors/dinner party - completed 8th Jan 2012
58.    Learn 6 new recipes - 4 down
59.    Take camera on days out and use it - cancelled
60.    Get a post published on Philofaxy - completed 8th Oct 2011
61.    Be a 'Reader Under the Splotlight' on Philofaxy - completed 5th Nov 2012
62.    Do the 30 list in 30 days challenge (another blog find that I need to read up on) - completed Jul 2012
63.    30 mins per day to relax/meditate for 2 weeks (while on 2 week holiday with Ben does not count)
64.    Be nice for 2 weeks (watch my tongue/type IM and delete instead of sending) - completed Aug 2012
65.    Learn to use a proper camera - cancelled
66.    Buy some nice high heels and wear them - heels bought...
67.    Buy a posh/designer handbag - completed Oct 2012
68.  
69.    Give more praise (at home & at work) - completed Jan 2014
70.    Make a birthday cake - completed May 6th 2012
71.    Bake cupcakes - completed Oct 2012
72.    Go for a manicure - completed July 2013
73.    Go for a facial - completed July 2013
74.    Journal daily for two weeks (15 minutes minimum)
75.    Wear false eyelashes - completed 8th Oct 2011
76.    Buy flowers for home - completed Aug 2013
77.  
78.    Donate to charity (sponsoring someone who I would sponsor anyway doesn't count) - Feb 2013
         (Chimwemwe)

Finance, House & Organisation
79.    Keep to a basic household routine using my Plannerisms planner - started Feb 2013
80.    Set up a recipe binder
81.    Christmas presents sorted by the end of November for 1 year - completed Nov 2012
82.    Christmas cards and envelopes written by end of November for 1 year - completed Nov 12
83.    Plan for Christmas using the Dodo Book of Christmas - completed Dec 2012
84.    Make dividers for Filofaxes in various sizes - completed Jan 2013
85.    Blog re the 101 in 1001 project - completed Jan 2014
86.    Have a fabulously frugal 3 months (not immediately after Christmas) - changed to 12 weeks, completed Jan 2013
87.    Take lunch to work daily for 2 weeks - completed Jan 2013
88.    Manage bank accounts properly, update Excel weekly (not monthly/quarterly)
89.    Arrange meeting with financial adviser to sort savings - completed Nov 16th 2011
90.    Save minimum of 60% of 2009 tax rebate - cash committed, completion Jan 2012
91.    Get garden sorted UK - completed May 2011
92.    Get electrics/gas signed off - electrics done Oct 2012, gas done Feb 2013
93.    Get new shower (or whole bathroom) - shower fitted Oct 2012
94.    Set up an events planner - completed Apr 2013
95.    Transfer all data from the Dodo Book of Christmas to the events planner - completed Apr 2013
96.    Finish work on Mondays (ex-monthend) with no work to take home for 3 months - completed May 2012
97.     Finish work on time with no work to take home 2 days a week for 3 months - completed Jun 2012
98.    Work very late for 2 nights at monthend, and 2 'normal' late nights per month with no work to
         take home for 2 months - completed May 2012
99.    As 98, but with hours back in the form of working from home on Fridays with an early finish - completed May 2012
100.  Clean out my closet - completed Aug 12
101.  Organise paperwork - completed Sep 12


10 new tasks to replace those that have been removed above:


-      Sort through the boys clothes - completed Oct 13
-      Make a crafting picture in one of my IKEA picture frames - completed Nov 2013
-      Sort stationery supplies/stickers and post out some RAK packages - completed Oct 13
-      Sort through the hallway cupboards - started Oct 13
-      Package up the big boxes in the hallway and office for recycling - completed Nov 2013
-      Sort through the boxes upstairs that have still not been unpacked
-      Take fish oils daily for 3 months - started Oct 13
-      Take iron supplements twice daily for 3 months - started Oct 2013
-      3 month Facebook ban (apart from personal messages, adding my own photos)
-      3 month Keep In Touch project (letters, calls) - cancelled

And there we have it - my official list of things that I intend to cross off my list by June 29th 2014.

My next blog will include a progress report, to catch up with where I am, but I need to work out how to add photos to my blog first.

LJx