Weeks 5-8 Progress

Sorry it has been so long since I've updated my progress on my 30 before 30 list.  I've either been busy or out of commission!  But, things are getting back to normal, so it shouldn't be 4 weeks before I post again (hopefully!).  However, progress has been made in those 4 weeks, so here goes:

3.  Pay off two credit cards - done!  We used our tax return to do this.  However, seeing as how we still have about a zillion more to pay off, I figure I'll leave this one on and just add the word "more."  As long as it's on the list, maybe I'll be more conscientious about it and driven to accomplish it!
4.  Lose weight - so far I'm down 12.2 lbs!  Granted . . . about half of that is due to my gallbladder surgery and eating like a bird for a week or two because food didn't really sound good.  I expect I'll gain a bit of it back now that I'm eating like a normal person again, but hopefully that will be the "jumpstart" I needed to make some serious progress.  Fingers crossed.
5.  Visit someplace new - not yet, but we have plans to go to Maine in the Fall for a wedding, and we've never been there! =)
11.  Tithe regularly - while I am ashamed to say it's not "regular" yet, it is certainly happening more than it has in a while.  And, while it may not be the "proper" amount, it is something and I know that God certainly knows how to stretch my dollar and make it grow!
12.  Drink 8 glasses of water a day - not there yet, but making progress.  While this isn't daily yet, I have had several days recently that I've had 6 glasses of water.  May not sound like much, but when you're used to drinking between 2-4, 6 is a big deal!
15. Read at least one new book a month - In March, I read The Horse and His Boy, The Magician's Nephew, and The Last Battle, the last 3 books in the Chronicles of Narnia series.  Loved them all!
21. Cut my Dr. Pepper consumption by half - I'm not sure if it's by half or not . . . I haven't really been keeping track, but it probably is since I was drinking one a day and now it's only when we go out (which is 1-2x a week), but I've only done this in the last week or so (well . . . probably more because all I really wanted after my surgery was water or gingerale).  Anyway, I don't have DP in the house anymore, so this should help me to drink more water and less DP.
22.  Do one outdoor activity a day in the Spring, Summer, and Fall - well, while it is technically spring, it is still cold and snow has been falling this week, so I'm holding off until the weather feels like being nice and not cold and snowy!
28.  Resolve my gallbladder issues - RESOLVED!!!  I had my gallbladder removed on March 8 and haven't had any trouble since!  Not gonna lie, it took me just over a week to recover and I felt lousy for most of that week.  But, as of last Wednesday I've been feeling really good!  Still a little sore, but all in all, almost back to normal!!!  Yay!

So there you have it.  Eight weeks into this and definitely making progress.  Pressing on to the goal!

Valentine's Day Gift

So, after I posted on Facebook that I had almost finished making Andrew's Valentine's Day gift, many of you asked for a picture, so, this is what I made him:

I found this idea on a blog called cozy cottage cute.  She actually punched out cute words from a "tattered, old book."  I didn't have any tattered, old books, nor could I bring myself to destroy a book that way, so I typed up some love poems (Elizabeth Barrett Browning, etc) and then punched out words from those.  I think it came out pretty cute.  =)

And, after our traditional "fancy" homemade dinner of tenderloin steak with gorgonzola and herbs and grape tomato and garlic pasta with arugula and basil, we had dessert!  A new one called Strawberry Champagne Cupcakes, and boy, was it tasty!!!  Here is a  pic of that:

It's layered mini strawberry champagne cupcakes, champagne buttercream frosting, champagne soaked strawberries, and chocolate ganache served in a champagne flute.  And, it's all made from scratch!  (I think dessert actually took longer to make than dinner!)  YUM!!