The Master Cupcake Plan: Year 2

"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit." ~Aristotle

Well, since the last year sped by, practically without my noticing it was going, I decided that if there was ANY hope of my completing this list I had better create a timeline for the items that need to get done. Exhibit "A": see left.

I determined how many cranes I needed to make per week to complete #33. Make 1000 origami cranes (that would be 20); how many movies I needed to watch per month to get in #4 (Audrey), #16 (GWTW) and #23 (Al Gore). I calculated how often I needed to write a letter of gratitude (#20), how often I needed to have a poem memorized (#39), as well as how frequently I should work on #37. Practice stopping to smell the roses. I also decided, since I am motivated by such minor things as checklists, that in order to floss, stretch and get my reading in (remember those 54 books?), I better create a system to reward myself with a big pink "X" for getting those things done on a daily basis.

In order to become proficient at gun-slinging (#10) and pie-making (#13), I decided I needed to add those tasks in monthly, as well as #26. Perform 24 breast self-exams. And in order to work on some of the more miscellaneous items, I am adding one in per month to accomplish.

All sounds good, right? (A little OCD, perhaps, but good?) Ironically, I am already falling behind! It is harder than it looks to get these little things done daily and schedule in the more time-consuming ones...in order to check off those boxes, but I think I'm on to something with my plan (as much as it pains me to give Jerry Seinfeld credit for this variation of a theme). I want to get to the end of THIS year and be planning the best 40th birthday celebration ever...in honor of all my accomplishments.

Now let me go get out my pink Sharpie....

The Cupcake Yogini

"A finished person is a boring person." ~Anna Quindlen

The Major asked me last night what I was planning on 'doing' with my yoga teacher certificate (#32) (or more specifically, a reflexology certification that I'm lobbying to attend this fall). He really is a wonderful husband, because even when my answer is "I'm not sure, exactly...how about knowledge for knowledge's sake", he just nods and laughs. I know that he is an extremely rational and logical man (and these are a few of the reasons I love him, since we all can't be quirky like myself) and he has a need to see the USE of such adventures (especially when they have to come out of the budget..ha!) But I'm not making any promises.

I simply enjoy the learning process. And since I am very easily entertained, luckily most of what I am curious to learn about does not hurt the pocketbook as much as yoga teacher training will. For example, I am currently watching a borrowed series of lectures on the Classics of British Literature...48 lectures in all. They are really interesting, beginning with the origins of the English language, and frankly, they make my brain pedal in a way it has not been forced to do in a while! (This company has lecture series on practically anything that could strike your fancy, from wine to physics~check it out!)

Ironically, this curious desire to continually explore stuff means I'm already creating my NEXT Cupcake List! Even after the forty items on this list are complete, there are loads of ideas tumbling around in my head for the following years to come.

Anyway, back to the Major and yoga teacher training. I don't know what will come of it, only that I have wanted to attend this particular yoga program at Discovery Yoga in St. Augustine for about the last ten years since I first discovered it, and since they have cashed my deposit check, I am going to go out on a limb and believe I am signed up for five weeks in Feb/March of 2011!

After that, well, I think I would be a good yoga teacher, but my brain can't see that far into the future. For now, I'm content with knowing that (the Lord willing, as my dad would say) in the spring I will be there, learning all I can, thanks to my wonderful, supportive husband who is willing to pay for me to go, just because it makes me happy.

29. Lose the Weight...finally.

"The most difficult thing is the decision to act, the rest is merely tenacity." ~Amelia Earhart

It's one thing to think that you might need to lose 20 pounds...~ish. It's another thing entirely to look yourself squarely in the mirror and tell that girl in there that it's time to stop Mickey-Mousing around and admit that you are going to have to buy a larger size pants...again. And that shopping for clothes has almost completely lost it's enjoyment for you, which is totally unacceptable. It is therefore time to make a change. Immediately. Because if I can't enjoy shopping, life may have lost a significant part of its luster.

After much thought (and weeping and gnashing of teeth), I have decided that this is a project that I cannot accomplish on my own. Now I have the most supportive of all husbands, which I think I may have mentioned previously. He has done the South Beach Diet with me, which involved giving up his beloved Chips Ahoy for over six weeks, and would stand right by me whatever course I chose. But the Major is much to smart to stand between me and chocolate if I really want it. So I needed some outside accountability.

And so, on October 8th, I joined Weight Watchers. And plan to spend the next 365 days getting back to a reasonable weight (ie: perhaps the one I was at when the Major met me?) Getting married in 2008 was one of the most beautiful miracles of my entire life, and the Major and my two step-kids are a constant sweetness to me....and I have the constant fat on my ass to prove it! A husband who constantly works out and growing kids can basically eat what they want. Not so, yours truly. So it is time to woman-up and do something about it. A change here and a change there~a little at a time and I know I can do it! (I want to look as good as Jennifer Hudson! LOL)

Week One is over and I feel like I did great...this morning I go find out if the scale agrees (gulp!) Fingers & Toes crossed, please.

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!

Cupcake Meltdown

Last week I realized that there is no way I am going to meet my goal of the first forty books of "2. Catch Up on my Reading" by October 8th. What is really disgusting to me is that I have read a zillion books in the last year: mysteries, vamps & werewolves & all manner of paranormal suspense, even a few kid's books on the recommendation of my step-son~ but not THE forty that I had chosen for this project. I have been cramming books in left and right these last few months to try to get there....but right now I am so sick of reading "UP" that I don't even want to look at a book, ANY book, much less read it. And somehow getting the Cliff Notes for this project seems more like cheating than it did in college....

I have realized that while most of my Cupcake goals are not difficult (hello! flossing, watching movies, making lists?!), they will take some time and planning, perhaps more than I first realized. And now my first year is almost gone. (sigh)

So today, as I am trapped inside looking out the window at a week's worth of rain, trying to decide if I should start on an ark or not...looking for some inspiration, I read this, written by Kristin Armstrong in her blog, Mile-Markers:

"This reminded me of some time I spent recently doing some goals and vision work, (try goaltender at goals.lululemon.com–it's great) imagining my life 10 years out, five years out, and one year out. It was a real mind-opener for me. The site explains that failing to reach your goals 50 percent of the time is a good indication that you are motivated and challenged. That was a "huh?" moment for me. Failing 50 percent of the time to me sounds like I'm not working hard enough. Or perhaps I'm not putting myself out there far enough to risk that 50 percent failure rate. Oh. Maybe I'm more willing to write down goals that sound achievable or are at least in the zip code of my comfort zone..."

Now I'd like to tell you that this made me feel instantly better...actually it made me wonder which goals on my Cupcake List weren't going to tank! The truth is I'm not very good at keeping up with my dreams (hence the list and the blog)...and so perhaps I should congratulate myself for making myself vulnerable enough to try, in public-no less, and stop self-flagellating over a less than perfect result.

I have read twenty-five books (of the first 40) to date that I would never have taken the time to read before. In no reality that I recognize should that be viewed as anything but success. And that's my story and I'm stickin' to it.

More Books!

I told you I was reading! So to catch you all the way up on my progress, here are the remainder of the books I have read this summer...

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: This was a surprisingly easy read. And interesting, as it takes place in some futuristic time period where the roles of women have been limited to a few and their rights have been all but taken away entirely. All for the greater good, of course. If you want to read a book that makes you think, but isn't going to make your brain explode, this is a good choice. And I loved the ending.

A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf: I read this after I finished Atlas Shrugged, which might be why I liked it so much. Another book that makes you think, but not in a head-achy sort of way. Woolf comes by her belief that in order to write fiction a woman must have some money and a room of her own by way of rational thinking. A thought-provoking look at women's place throughout history.

The Enchanted Wood by Enid Blyton: Written in the 1930's, this book is a sweet children's book that would be lovely to read aloud to a little one at bedtime. Three children move to the country and discover The Faraway Tree in an enchanted wood. They meet many new and unusual friends as they climb the tree, and at the tree-top there is always a new and strange land up through the clouds to explore. My favorite was the Land of Birthdays. I'd like my party there this year, please.

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: In college I had a professor that extolled the virtue of writing concisely. Ayn Rand did NOT have this same professor. This was, hands down, the LONGEST 1068 pages of my life. The plot and the characters were interesting! Even the pro-capitalism bent got me thinking. But if you could cull out at least half of the lectures and rhetoric, one would have a more manageable treatise on her philosophy of Objectivism. The Major has forbidden me to ever discuss this book again in his presence.

Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: If Atlas Shrugged made me want to beat my head against a wall every time I picked it up, GWTW was just the opposite. I was so surprised to find that I could hardly put it down once I started! Scarlett alternately impressed me with her fortitude and ability to follow her own heart without caring about the opinions of others and drove me crazed with her insensitivity and inability to understand anyone at all. Ms. Mitchell was a genius. And while not normally an avid reader of historical fiction (I leave that to my dads), I found the portrayal of the South and the description of the "War of Northern Aggression" fascinating. LOVED it. {And thanks to my dear friend Mina who stepped out of her normal genre and read it with me--and became obsessed with all things GWTW!!!...I'm so proud of you!} Next...the movie...all four hours of it....

Succulent Wild Women by SARK: I loved this book. SARK is part artist, part philosopher, part cheerleader and part shrink. Just looking at all the colorful illustrations made me happy. Her writing is inspirational and emotionally powerful~she has overcome much and found a way to heal and accept herself as she is, scars and all. A lesson most of us could learn something from. Her website, Planet SARK, is a wonderful adventure, also. I plan on reading more of her books.

Slowly but surely plowing through the list. Wish me luck...reading is my #1 priority over the next weeks to try to make my goal (gulp)!

27. Volunteer My Time on Morningside Drive

My Moms is hands-down the best moms in the world. (I double-dog dare you to disagree.) She and I have lots in common, starting with such a strong resemblance that should I decide one day to contest my paternity no one would take me seriously. We also share wavy hair, good skin, an obsessive-compulsive need to plan, a love of books, anything whatsoever to do with Christmas, an enjoyment of window shopping anywhere, an ability to find pretty much anything with 98.5% accuracy using our super-spidey sense, and a gentle nature that runs from confrontation at Olympic speed.

There are, however, a few quality qualities Moms has that didn't get passed on to yours truly. For example, she is THE 'Hostess with the Mostess' in any given situation...an amazing party planner with a gracious heart. (My philosophy: Make yourself at home...the fridge is over there.) And as a nurse, she is also exceptionally calm in any given crisis. (Not so, me.) In reverse, there are a few qualities I got that didn't come from Moms (or Dad, for that matter...)

One of those qualities is the ability to organize. Now this may have been a learned trait...from the time I left for college I have moved 16 or so times and my parents have spent the last thirty years in the same home. Irregardless, I have a knack for keeping things orderly (or at least in some sort of controlled chaos). And my beautiful Moms does NOT.

So with this in mind, here is the situation. My parent's parents are all deceased (hence, lots of inherited items); they are empty nesters (hello, old room); they are BOTH (yes, Dads, you, too) Pack-Rats of the highest order. And the family homestead, while not flush with closet space, has an entire back section (read: one-half again the actual living space) that is not used for anything but miscellaneous storage and laundry. Multiply that scenario by thirty plus years and you have...well, a LOT of ...well, we weren't really sure what they had a lot of, but that was the problem!

Enter me. Only daughter of a wonderful mother. I have told her for years that if she passed on prior to sorting through all the chaos in her house I would be following her into the by-and-by and dragging her back by her ear. In an effort to avoid doing just that, I promised long ago to help her with this project. After leaving my job at the end of 2009, I commenced with Operation Organize the Fam!

We started with two mornings per week and my old room. Out of my old closet came loads of her clothes, my baby things she had so carefully saved (so cute!), purses, shoes, china, boxes of old photos....I wasn't entirely certain we weren't dealing with a magical wardrobe that would lead us into Narnia at any moment. And as anyone who has tried to clean out a closet knows, everything you touch requires a decision. Sometimes getting rid of something is the easiest decision to make, because if you keep the little whosit, then you also have to figure out what to do with it! But Moms started strong (with just a little gentle encouragement from me...I have watched a lot of Clean Sweep and Hoarders, after all). We took clothes to consignment, bags to Goodwill, odds and ends to a little shop for seniors, books to the library. When I left after lunchtime each day, she got homework to work on before next week. And s..l..o..w..l..y, my old room turned into a viable guest room again along with a reading nook for her personal enjoyment!

Next up was the built-in in the hallway, the bathroom closet & medicine chest (which hadn't been emptied in about 10 years, I'm sure), the kitchen pantry, a few kitchen cabinets, two china cabinets and (insert ominous music here) the back rooms. We sorted like with like and moved things around to create a special closet for Christmas items, a designated place for extra kitchen gadgets, a shelf for pickle-making supplies, a drawer for miscellaneous gifts and an organized area for all her writing supplies and cards. We started organizing all her decorative items into bins by color and the toiletries into containers according to their specific use. We created a memory box for her to put in old cards, newspaper articles and miscellany (like some angora ankle-cuffs from the 50's!) that she wasn't quite ready to part with. We shopped for containers and pretty organizers (my favorite part!) and spent time talking about what sort of order would help make her life easier. In about 3 1/2 months of mornings we accomplished a lot, and she did even more in between times.

And the best part, of course, was just getting to spend time together. I have been blessed with the most wonderful mother and I so enjoy spending time with her...this was an experience I will always cherish, as I truly felt I was giving back to her a very little bit of all that she has given me throughout my lifetime.

Now since the Major and I moved in June, Moms has been continuing to work on organizing her house...I will have to wait for a visit back home to see what other progress she has made. But no matter if she ever gets everything sorted out, I think maybe I have helped her to discover how good it feels to bring some order to your chaos and how letting things go frees up space, not only in your house, but in yourself. We all need that free space in order to make room for other good things that are on their way to us.

And I need a place to sleep when I come to visit. (Love you, Moms.)

P.S. Have Moms & I inspired you to think about de-cluttering some yourself? Here are a few links to how to donate your old books, DVDs and CDs, cell phones, electronics, old eyeglasses, pet items, prom dresses, women's career-wear, or leftover medical supplies (such as from a prolonged illness in the home). A few other neat links are The Freecycle Network, where you can search by location for things to get (and give) for free in your own area, and Give Your Stuff Away Day on September 25th, where you put usable unwanted items on your curb for anyone to take (in a responsible manner, of course). Very cool idea.