Happy Birthday, Cupcake!

Happy Birthday to me! In case anyone was wondering if the thrill of the birthday had left me during the last 365 days...the answer is NO! In fact, my birthday week was so lovely that I actually forgot to blog (bad birthday girl!) and am having to go back!

In honor of the big 3-9, I have been reviewing my Cupcake List and noticing that this past year has not produced quite the results I had hoped for. (sad birthday girl) I suppose I will cut myself some slack, despite my last blog, since in the last 12 months I have sold a house, which was a very stressful adventure in this economy; ferreted out another place to rent in another state; MOVED to that house and unpacked all my worldly goods without the Major (thanks to Moms); dealt with the stress of renting the house that fell out of Wonderland (can anyone say-no w/d hookups except in my bedroom? wth?); and last but not least, am still learning how to navigate my new life here in the wilds of North Carolina...So I have accomplished some significant things this year, even if they aren't all reflected on THE list.

But now, on to review THE list! First of all, we know that I did complete #1. Start my own blog. I vow to be more consistent this second year in posting my process. As for #2. Catch up on my reading, well, I made excellent progress on that one, and did in fact read a number of books that I would never have read otherwise (and posted about many of them), so I feel pretty good about it, although, to my disappointment, I did not finish all 40 books on the first reading list. I did, however, finish 26 of them. The remaining 14 will just have to roll over into year two, and I will have to pace myself accordingly! (More to follow on just how I plan to do that.) That will be 54 books in year two (the second list of 40 plus leftover 14 from year one). A bit ambitious, am I? (Am I crazy?...don't answer that, please. It is my birthday.)

Skipping down to #10. Learn to shoot a gun. Started on that one, and have now looked up a place nearby where I can go to continue working on that. It doesn't seem that a sharpshooter is made out of one episode of gun-slinging. So practice I will. Fortunately, when I added #11. Take a watercolor class, I didn't mention becoming proficient! I would like to continue to explore this form of creativity, but there is only so much of me to go around. I may have to wait to further explore watercolors until after my fortieth birthday comes and goes. #12. Whiten my teeth is another ongoing goal~I was thinking just today how glad I was that I had the trays made and how nice it is to be able to attend to that little issue without any hassle whatsoever (pretty birthday girl!).

#13. Learn to make my Mom's Black Bottom Pie is also one that I started but must continue if I plan to actually become a proficient. BIG step in the process, Moms gave me a mixer for my birthday! Now there is nothing holding me back! (ummmm....hungry birthday girl) I promised the Major one pie a month until I have achieved perfection. He was delighted. #26. Perform 24 breast self-check exams is a goner. Unless I perform 5 in one month, that is. Ha. But I have devised a way to make sure that I get all 12 in over the next year. (Again, more to follow on that bit of OCD planning.) I did Volunteer my time at Moms' house, #27, with positive results, so scratch that one off the list (thank goodness!).....AND.....there you go. Poor showing for year one, if I do say so myself.

HOWEVER! I have already poked at about THIRTEEN (yay, birthday girl!) of the other items on the list...just haven't gotten far enough to report or (more likely) just haven't blogged about them! So my new birthday resolution is that I will be more forthcoming with my efforts, since they are a huge part of the Countdown process! Now, must go...there is desert somewhere with my name on it!