Year-Long Lists

Hello Friends,

Each year around her birthday, Monica makes a list of things to do before her next birthday. The number of things to do is determined by her new current age. I picked up this habit last year, but instead of my birthday, I use the start of the new school year which always feels like our New Year. I have found that it helps focus me I what I really want to accomplish. Some things change throughout the year and I remain flexible to the whims of life. As I turned 30 in June, this is my current list:

30 Things Before Fall of 31^st Year

1. Create a t-shirt design
2. Create family postcard #2
3. Try paddle boarding
4. Visit petroglyphs or another MN destination
5. Go on a trip
6. Learn a song on something I can sing with
7. Learn a song on the harmonica
8. Create a backpack plan
9. Submit filet crochet, papercut, or seed art to the State Fair
10. Update artist website
11. Fill a bare book
12. Try a new art medium
13. Do something with memorabilia bucket
14. Create or attend an illustration class and create 6 print-ready pages
15. Go dancing or throw a dance party 6 times
16. Draw 6 people, well
17. Read books, stories, or essays
18. Go climbing and/or swimming
19. Create surprises for Monica
20. Eat at 6 new restaurants and/or food trucks
21. Try 6 new recipes
22. Watch 6 new foreign films
23. Scan photographs to fill album 12 times
24. Practice steps
25. Do one nice thing for myself each month
26. Conduct second graphic novel book club
27. Complete Spanish levels 1 and 2 on computer
28. Floss twice each week
29. Stretch and exercise twice each week
30. Continue blog (starting with this post)

Much love,

Nicole

The Sketchbook Project

 

http://www.sketchbookproject.com/

Welcoming Ourselves Back :)

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http://centralidentityproject.blogspot.com/

12/50

We watched history be made yesterday on the Capital steps in St. Paul. It was truly amazing and awe-inspiring to see so many people, so many families, gather in mass, all in the name  of equality and love.

Making Monday: The Unvieling of our Irrigate Project

 

We ended up collecting 28 textile squares for students and staff at the Hubbs Center. We put them all together and hung it for everyone to enjoy tonight at the Hubbs Center.

Blooming Art

Last weekend was Art in Bloom at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. It served as a wonderful excuse to go room the galleries and see what was new. We found a variety of very cool new installations.

We also found a game set up in one of the galleries. It was like a table top i-pad in which you could pick categories and try to find which pieces of art went with which category. We ended up playing cooperatively and got a large group of older women playing with us. There was a lot of laughter and excitement and I think there was even some gained knowledge about the art.

Also Happy MAY DAY everyone!

Making Monday: a Late Valentines Card

In the rush of everyday life this Valentine didn't even get started before Valentine's Day, but I say better late then never. A little knit heart, a simple white card, and a heartfelt message, later, happy feelings all around.

Family Portrait

Taking a family portrait is part of our new traditions.  We just got around to taking the photo.  Infinite tried several times.  Then Monster put the camera on the table, set the timer, and this is the only picture she had to take.  We both like it quite a bit.

Traditions: Our Day

We have decided to create a set of traditions for Winter Break or the end of the year.  One of which is making a list of negatives from the past year.  These do not have to be regrets.  Some of ours focused on good local shops closing.  One of ours was "moving other people's stuff", which is something we tend to do often.  Another was "stress" because we are working on alleviating some of the stress in our lives.  Four of us roommates participated this year.  Each of us wrote down several negatives, each on their own slip of paper, and put them in a bowl.  Then we each lit a match and set it in the bowl at the same time.  Not only does it symbolize relinquishing our own negatives, but also helping others do the same.

Another piece of our new tradition is saying thank you and sorry to each other for three different things during the past year.  We both found it to be an excellent exercise.

Thankful

We are thankful for good food, homemade gifts, and breaks that we can fill with action.

SNOW!

Yay snow! Hurray for big snow falls! Big smiles playing in the white snow with kids.

Turkey Bingo

The elementary school we work at hosts a turkey bingo night every year for families to have the opportunity to win a full Thanksgiving dinner. This was my first year going, and it was so great to see everyone together, playing nicely, and having a good time. Plus who doesn't love those classic bingo boards!

May Day Parade Tomorrow!

 
Come down and see the May Day Parade, travel down Bloomington Ave. and into Powerhorn Park. Parade starts at 1 and the Ceremony at Powderhorn starts around 3.

POSTPONED UNTIL NEXT SUNDAY (MAY 13)!

Wishes For the Sky

We celebrated Earth Day by volunteering for Wishes For the Sky.

Striped Drumming

Making Monday: CAKE!

We made a very simple yellow cake this weekend, with vanilla frosting. It was so simple that I managed to make at least one mistake in almost every step. The real kicker of the mess ups was adding 3.5 tbsp of powdered sugar instead of 3.5 tsp of baking powder. All mistakes where caught and the cake ended quite well, with a celebratory decoration, reminding us that we are, in fact, functioning people. Hurray for cake, celebrations, and fixed mistakes.

Blaze

This New Years eve we started up a fire in the backyard, and burned the bad things of last year.

Making Monday: Christ's Mass Stockings

One of us likes the Christ's Mass and one of us despises it with angry passion. We compromised and made stockings with handmade gifts in them. Puzzle, replacement id badge, knitted card, and cans with string.

No Buy Winter Gifts

No buy year means even more homemade gifts than usual.

A picture book, written and illustrated by us.
Recipe book with our favorites.
Notes for coworkers.
Chocolate chip cookies as well.