30 Before Thirty
I will turn thirty on September 22, 2010.
That gives me a little more than six months to do all of the things on this list…
- Visit The Modern Wing of The Art Institute of Chicago.
- Dye my hair red.
- Finish redesigning my Smart & Lovely portfolio.
- Launch my decorating service.
- Stop drinking soda.
- Lose 20 pounds. (Not drinking soda should help with that.)
- Repaint my office.
- Sew a dress for Eleanor.
- Clean out the basement. (It’s getting scary down there.)
- Donate some of our books to the library.
- Cook Pad Thai from scratch.
- Organize the catch-all closet in my office.
- Get good at applying liquid eyeliner.
- Print the bajillion photos I have stored on my computer and put them in albums.
- Alphabetize our CDs and finish putting them into sleeves.
- Landscape the front of the house.
- Make an origami crane.
- Visit The Farnsworth House by Mies van der Rohe.
- Learn how to use my camera in manual mode.
- Find my perfect shade of lipstick.
- Decide for good whether I want a tattoo or not.
- Pay off my credit card.
- Make a video montage of Eleanor’s first year.
- Have a date night with Brandon at least twice a month.
- Grow tomatoes.
- Have an adorable family photo taken.
- Sing along perfectly to “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”.
- Take Eleanor to the Shedd Aquarium.
- Reduce (or eliminate) my reliance on paper towels.
- Paint all of the trim in our house.
Ten Months Old (Eleanor’s Monthly Photo)
(I’ll be taking a photo of Eleanor sitting in the Eames rocker and wearing her pin each month until she’s two years old.)
Previous photos:
One Month Old • Two Months Old • Three Months Old • Four Months Old • Five Months Old • Six Months Old • Seven Months Old • Eight Months Old • Nine Months Old
She knows how to rock in that chair now! I took a million shots of her smiling and rocking, but they were blurry. I must learn how to take better action photos.
Honor Roll
- These cute little boutonniers (above) are meant for weddings, but I’d wear one any ol’ day. (via Hello!Lucky)
- Rejoice, for the new issue of lonny is out!
- Does your iPhone need more kittens? Kitty Caller can help.
- I love this gray and yellow bedding. (via CasaSugar)
- Maybe this adorable little elephant watering can would help you ‘never forget’ to water your flowers. (via A Cup of Jo)
- Doilies and pom poms pair up for a sweet gift wrapping.
- I want the dresser in this seventeen year-old’s bedroom.
- Super simple sewing curtains 101.
- These paintings of ladies in dresses juxtaposed with tools really struck me as beautiful.
- These Striped Carnival Party Dresses are so fun! (via Say YES! To Hoboken)
- I want to be A Literary Mrs. — Don’t you?
Evergreens Needed
I took a photo of our snowy backyard this morning, and I’ve been using it to plan for some new additions. The garden has come a long way since we moved in three years ago (it was essentially a blank slate), but it is still lacking the year-round color and structure that evergreens would provide.
I don’t know which evergreens to use, but at least I have an idea of where I want them to go. I love mountain laurel, but it’s not available here. Rhododendrons don’t grow well in my soil. Arborvitae, pine, yew, and juniper seem so common and boring, but I suppose that’s because they thrive in Chicago. I do like boxwood, but as someone warned me when I planted them, they are “going to bite it”. I didn’t heed the warning and indeed they aren’t doing so well (yet I want to add another?). I still have about two months before it will be warm enough to actually plant something, so I have a little time to figure something out.
Everyone is Enjoying the New Rug
Yes, the granny chic rug is in my office, and it’s pretty fantastic.
Eleanor’s practicing for Stuff on my Cat with Kili. Kili is too lazy to move.
p.s. There are a dozen new photos of Eleanor up on my flickr page. I am sparing you the extra eleven, but feel free to click over if you’re so inclined.
