30 before 30: 9 Months Left

It's been about a month since I started working on my 30 before 30 list. And I'm excited to say, I've made a bit of headway on it! Not a whole lot, but some. There are definitely some that need a whole lot of work. Like #1. (Oh, that said LOSE a dress size. I thought it said gain. Maybe a box of Dots candy and a couple cookies for dinner wasn't the best idea..) But I'm happy with how things are going so far.

My reading goals (#14-17) are coming along well. I've managed to finish 1 non-fiction book (Virtually You by Elias Aboujaoude), 1 classic (The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde), 1 Shakespeare play (A Midsummer Night's Dream ), and I've owned the last 3 books that I've read (Dorian, Midsummer, and Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares). 

As for the other goals...

#2. Ride my bike 15 miles (without passing out or dying.) - Well I went 5 miles the other day. And thought I was dying. It's going to take a while (and a break in the relentless heat) to work my way up to this one.

#7. Get back into sewing (or another hobby I’ve given up on) - I've thought about sewing, I just can't find the kind of fabric I wanted to work on the project I had in mind. But I'm still tossing the idea around. In the meantime, I spent several late night hours watching YouTube videos, trying to teach myself how to knit instead. (Like I need to learn any new crafts when I don't finish anything else I've started.)

#18. Bake 5 things I’ve never tried to bake before - I made graham crackers! And I have another thing in mind to make pretty soon, if I don't chicken out on it. But I still need to figure out 3 more things I haven't tried making yet.

#19. Enter a baking competition (and win!) - Sunday morning I dropped off my cookies at the Ohio State Fair. Tomorrow I start baking my cupcakes to take on Friday. So entering = done. Winning.. We'll have to wait a couple more days to see.


#22. Try 3 kinds of foods I’ve never tried before - Boyfriend and I went to an Indian buffet. I have absolutely no idea what I tried, but I have to say, I actually liked pretty much everything I got. 1 down!


#23. Cook 3 kinds of foods I’ve never tried making before - No pictures exist (so it didn't really happen) but I've made steak a couple times now. I'm notorious for overcooking meat (it runs in the family, which is why for the longest time, I hated steak..), so I've never had the urge to ruin a $6 (on the cheap side!) piece of meat. When our Target finally got a grocery section, they had a GREAT sale on steaks, so I nabbed some. I don't have a grill, so it's been on the stove each, but it's been pretty good! I'll have to get a picture next time, so I can prove I've actually done it.

#27. Get back into a blogging routine - Still struggling with this. I first thought I'd go back to twice a week, which I managed, like once. And then I skipped a whole week. The past couple have been Wednesdays only. So I'm still fighting with this one. But I'm working on it.

#28. Be more interactive in blogging - There may or may not be something coming up soon. If I can ever get with it enough to do it. But, the waiting may have been a good thing after all.. It may just sweeten the deal a bit. Hopefully next week you'll finally see what I'm talking about.

#29. Give the blog a makeover - I've started on this! And if I find some time soon to finish up the last little bits, you'll actually get to see it!

So, right now I still only have 2 done. But 13 more in the works isn't bad. That's half the list right there! And I still have exactly 9 months to go. I think I might actually get this! Well.. it is still early. I still have 9 months left to completely fail. But I'm going to try my best! 

Wondering what's on the rest of the list? My 30 Before 30:

1. Lose a dress size
2. Ride my bike 15 miles (without passing out or dying.)
3. Get my hair cut finally. And actually style it every day.
4. Get highlights
5. Pay off my credit cards (or at least significantly pay down)
6. Get back into couponing (not extreme couponing. Those people are crazy. Just the normal save money kind of couponing)
7. Get back into sewing (or another hobby I’ve given up on)
8. Decorate my house and put pictures up on my walls
9. Finish an entire crossword puzzle from the Sunday newspaper on my own (without looking at the answers)
10. Send out Christmas cards
11. Visit a new city
12. Visit another state
13. Get a passport (even if I don’t get to use it right away)

Reading: (I read a lot. My current goal is 60 books a year, which I’m only slightly behind on, but still doing well. The only problem—I read a lot of teen books. Paranormal teen books. Total mind numbing fluff. And I get most of them from the library, even though I have 2 bookshelves full of legitimate literature, most of which I’ve never read.)
14. Read 3 non-fiction books
15. Read 3 classic books
16. Read 3 Shakespeare plays
17. Read 8 books I already own

Food:
18. Bake 5 things I’ve never tried to bake before
19. Enter a baking competition (and win!)
20. Bake a pie
21. Make another tiered, fondant covered cake (I will master you, fondant.)
22. Try 3 kinds of foods I’ve never tried before
23. Cook 3 kinds of foods I’ve never tried making before
24. Make pasta from scratch
25. Cook more, eat out less
26. Put together a cookbook of my favorite recipes (even if it’s just for me)

Blogging:
27. Get back into a blogging routine (I've been a slacker lately! Sorry.)
28. Be more interactive in blogging (Giveaways and other ideas I’ve had rattling around my brain)
29. Give the blog a makeover? (I usually end up doing this once a year anyway)
30. Buy a fancy DSLR camera (and learn how to use it)