Wheeeee...

...that's me. Whizzing down the slide into the pool of 40. I thought I'd check in with my Project 40 list to assess how things are going. I am reminding myself that these are goals I am trying to meet sometime within my 40th year. Also, though I likely won't meet every single goal, I will meet so much more of them than if I hadn't made the goals at all.

I have marked the ones I've accomplished and also hope to make a few separate posts in the next few weeks about several of these goals that I've met, marked in blue.

*=ones I've done
#=ones I'm working on
X=ones I'm not going to do

X1. Run a 5K
X2. Run a 10K
*3. Run a Half marathon
4. Go to New Orleans
*5. Sew a Skirt
*6. Sew an Apron
7. Sew a Pillow
#8. Memorize 40 Poems
#9. Read Les Miserables
#10. Sew a Dress for my Girls

11. Go to Oxford, Mississippi
12. Visit Lazy Magnolia Brewery
13. Take a Long Weekend Alone (3 Nights!)
#14. Send Novel to Agents
#15. Send Short Story to Literary Review
*16. Listen to Live music at xx Theatre
17. Visit Flannery, Carson, or Eudora's Home
*18. Plant Calla Lilies
*19. Hang Wallpaper
*20. Eat raw, organic, or do a detox diet for one week

21. Learn Calligraphy
22. Read One Hundred Years of Solitude
*X23. Try 12 recipes from The Gift of Southern Cooking
24. Go to Helen Keller's home
*25. Plant a Lemon Tree
26. Read a Hemingway
*27. Read a Faulkner
*28. Attend a Literary Conference
29. Eat at Float-Away
?30. Go to an EmmyLou Harris concert (as of now, the only dates she has within five hours of us are during a weekend we already have plans during.)

X31. Eat Oysters in Appalachicola (may need to be amended)
*32. Learn 12+ Birds that live in our area
#33. Learn 12+ Trees that grow in our area
34. Teach a writing workshop
35. Go through Pioneer Woman's photography archives
36. Start Bee Hives
37. Watch last season of Six Feet Under
X38. Be able to do 40 Push-Ups
39. Make Mole' Sauce
40. Make a Video of my children's first 4 years

Baby Chix

We had three new family members and the babes love them. They would move in with the chickens if we'd let them. Their favorite activity to do when we are home is go play with their baby chickens.

At first Elliott was tentative, but he learned quickly that they were lots of fun and not going to hurt him.


Lucia named her chicken Spot Chicken; Mazie named her chicken Darlin'; Elliott named his chicken Spot also.

When I am working in the garden, the children come down with me and play with their chickens. It works well. I let them torment the chicks so they don't torment me.

Grandma Livvy

A little bit before Easter, the three and I went to see my beautiful Grandma. My sweet Aunt Nita organized a big easter egg hunt for Lucia, Elliott, Mazie Bell, and my cousin's son Evan (who my children called Kelvin the entire time?!?). They had lots of fun finding eggs and playing with little easter toys.
Mazie, Elliott, Lucia, and Kelvin (I mean Evan) with their spoils.

One of Lucia's treats was an orange carrot filled with bubbles and a wand. The child could not have been happier. She seriously thought this was the greatest thing she'd ever seen.
Mazie Bell showed Grandma Livvy some of her ballet moves.
We had a great time visiting the family and look forward to going back soon.


The day before Easter we went to an easter egg hunt at our church. We had a great turn out of children and enjoyed our time with everyone.

Easter

We had a lovely easter, and I wanted to share some pictures with you.



I snapped this picture of our sweet Molasses while we were looking at our Easter Bunny loot. Our sweet Mo Mo will turn 16 in September.


Spring is here. We are trying to hold on to it as long as we can, for we know summer will be here before we know it.