Fallen Souffle

Well, it has been quite some time since I have looked at my 101 list much less update it!

However today, I checked off a pretty major one, I donated hair. Yes 8 inches of hair to Pantene’s Beautiful Lengths. I figured it was time for a change since there have been a lot of changes in my life, so lopping off 8 inches of hair is a pretty major change. I was a little nervous going into it but once I got in the chair I was so excited. I have a fabulous stylist and I knew she would make me look amazing. And she did not disappoint. If you live in the Raleigh area and need a new stylist go to Shannon at The Spa by Mitchell’s at Cary Towne Center…she rocks!

So I will be sending my pony tail off to be made into a wig. It’s funny how many memories are in that hair, but I’m ready to make lots of new ones with my new sassy short do! So I am challenging you to donate 8 inches, hint hint, especially to my sister! She is quite attached to her hair and I don’t know if she would ever do it, but I can at least try

There were also a few other items I checked off including attending a wine festival (went to two last fall), went to the NC Art Museum and went dancing at a club.

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I have updated my 101 list, I stopped posting about each milestone because do you really care that I hit my first softball in 10 years…yeah I didn’t think so. I have completed 25 items on the list and I still have just under 2 years so go, not to shabby.

I will point out that I did get my very first promotion. I am now an Account Manager as opposed to an Account Rep, so I get to change my email signature on my work email Today I also celebrate my one year anniversary at LinkConnector, which I am almost sad to say has been the longest I have been at a job since my 2 1/2 year stint as a leasing consultant in college. Nonetheless I have enjoyed my first year here as well as the people that I have met…now I think its time to celebrate with some ice cream

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I now have 20 things completed on my 101 list!

I think that’s pretty darn good considering it’s only been 6 months!

I completed another thing on the list night by going to the ballet! I met up with some other girls (there was no way I was going to drag Evan to this!) We saw Swan Lake performed by the Carolina Ballet and it was really wonderful. It took me back to my dance recital days.

Before the ballet we met at a restaurant downtown near the theatre, Caffe Luna. I have heard only good things about this place so I was really excited to try it! The atmosphere was nice, it’s a small restaurant with high ceilings. The waitress was good and the menu pretty straight forward. The wine list is nice, but only 4 kinds are available by the glass. I started with a glass of merlot and the gorgonzola salad, which I liked considering I’m not a huge gorgonzola fan (thought I would give it another try). I ordered the farfalle pasta with salmon and pink sauce, I LOVE pink/vodka sauce and order it everywhere! The pasta was good but nothing I couldn’t get at Lubrano’s. The portions were nice, which is hard to find in the more trendy restaurants. Some of the other girls got dessert but I finished with a cappuccino which I needed a straw to get to the coffee part without getting an inch of foam on me.

One nice things is that the downtown trolley picks up across the street from the restaurant to take us to the theatre, no need to pay for parking!

Overall, it was a nice dinner, nothing that left me wanting more but a good quality place that I would visit again next time I go to a show.

Oh! I almost forgot, I completed another thing on my list…I took a dance class. But not any dance class, a pole dancing class! Yeah my Mom is going to think I’m a hussey! In all seriousness, this new studio Aradia Fitness has been written up in every publication around here so I had to try it! The ladies are super nice, the studio is awesome and the work out even better! I was definitely sore the next 2 days! I would totally recommend stepping out of your comfort zone and trying this! They have a teaser class which kinda gives you a taste of what is offered in their classes. I will be signing up for the next level when they get their new schedule out!

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I had planned this weekend to make a wedding cake for friend of mine, and also attend the event but the wedding sadly had to be postponed due to a death in the family. I was so sad for her since she dearly loved this person, and Saturday would have been a perfect day to hold the event. Therefore I thought it was fitting to take the weekend and do some things I have been meaning to do for a while.

I started Saturday by waking up to attend a yoga class at a new studio in Raleigh, Blue Lotus. They held their grand opening this weekend and joined forces with the Raleigh Jaycees and the HOPE Project. I thought this was a really awesome gesture and definitely wanted to take advantage of this opportunity, all proceeds form the classes went to the HOPE project. I wanted to go to their Sun Salutation class but alas I got lost and was late for the class. So instead I hung out at the uber cool Helios coffeehouse for about an hour until the next class started.

The studio is awesome, very good location with lost of parking and a awesome staff. I instantly felt welcome. I took a beginners yoga class which was a nice refresher for me since it has been a while since I took a yoga class. I forgot how much I liked it and look forward to taking more classes on a regular basis. After the class I was feeling quite Zen so I thought I would make a nice California BLT for lunch. I got this idea from Ina, it’s basically a regular BLT on good white bread with slices of avocados. I slathered mayo on both side of the bread but you really don’t need it with a ripe avocado, but I figured, it’s a “Me” weekend so I am going to do what I want. I enjoyed my sandwich while finishing The Other Boleyn Girl for my book club meeting.

I woke up pretty early on Sunday and caught up on my DVRed showing including Oprah’s special on her new school in South Africa, which I thought was really moving, I would love to save that for when I have kids old enough to understand it. After making a pretty breakfast of grilled Nutella sandwiches, green tea and a soft boiled egg I did a few things around the house including making some new dogs beds that match the newly painted master bedroom. I then got ready for my first book club meeting. I was so excited because I really loved this book (all 660 pages of it!) and it was really nice meeting some girls my age and chatting with them on an intellectual level. I am looking forward to our next meeting!

All in all a pretty low key weekend, but it was so nice to catch up on things I have been meaning to do for a long time.

I checked three things off my 101 list:
#19- Go to lunch with my Mother in Law
#26- Take a yoga class
#64- Join a book club

I actually went to my Mother in law’s house for lunch on Friday, as opposed to going to a restaurant, but I think it counts as she made a really fabulous lunch! I will have to do that more often!

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#79- Learn to ski-COMPLETED 02/24/07

I had anticipated completing this item in about a month when Evan and I take our anniversary trip to Park City, Utah but we decided to take a day trip to Sugar Mountain which is just outside Boone, NC. We snagged a few other friends and made the 3 hours drive up and arrived around lunchtime for an afternoon session. It was 53 degrees outside but there was still some man-made snow and a ton of people! The parking lots were full of cars and SUV’s and church buses. I was starting to get nervous as I saw the throngs of people waiting for me to bust my butt. Brent and I took a ski lesson (see I’m not the only one that didn’t know how to ski!) while Brew and Evan hit the slopes.

Our instructor was Chris and I think he was from Switzerland. There were 8 of us total, including a family of 4 whose 5 year old daughter put us all to shame. The class was really basic, but I have concluded that skiing is pretty basic; slide, turn, and stop…that’s all you really need to know. Oh and how to get up when you fall, which is a chore in and of itself. I went down the bunny slope a few times and felt pretty confident, I only fell once but that’s only because I wanted to practice getting up

So we were off, 40 minutes of instruction later and Chris said we could take on any mountain, ok I will start with the easiest one. We had to wait about 10 minutes or so to get on the lift, which was a nice ride considering I had been on my feet for a couple of hours. The view was nice and I chatted with Evan about how excited I was to start skiing and I felt good about my lesson. We dismount the lift and I am staring at the trail, it doesn’t look too bad but I take my time down. Nice and smooth no problem…until I see quite a dip in front of me. Not the site I wanted to see, an icey slope below and everyone was sliding on the way down. I really don’t like falling, that’s why I didn’t like snowboard that much. I stood at the top for what seemed like an hour, Evan trying to coax me down, me shaking my head like a little kid that doesn’t want to jump in the water. Finally I do it, I ski down, lose control and fall quite ungracefully. As I am trying to pick myself up while not falling again, some chic plows into me which makes me even more pissed off. I am not liking this and am contemplating the return policy on out Utah trip. But I finally get up and am determined to make it down the rest of the hill, which I do and even stop at the bottom before hitting a bunch of people in line.

I was not happy with the first run but know I had to keep at it…so we got back in line. The second run was much better, I figured out a way down without falling and even kinda enjoyed myself. By the third time, I was pumped! Ok so I’m not ready for a Black Diamond yet but I am certainly excited about our trip now!

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I know you have all been waiting for the latest update on my list! I have been busy slowly chipping away at it. It is amazing how a list has motivated me to get things done! So if you haven’t done so already…what are you waiting for! Make your list today!

#5 -Check out books from the public library-COMPLETED 1/13/06
Who knew it would take 2 years for me to get my butt into a library, but I finally did. Got my library card and checked out a book on pie crusts that I was hoping to use to take care of #1 on my list but alas time got away from me and I had to return it. But on a side note I would love your pie crust recipes! I am going to get around to it one of these days!

#7- Start making money off of my blog-COMPLETED October 2006
I did PayPerPost for a few months which resulted in some nice money but I think it is getting too popular and I have since decided to focus my energy on other things.

#35- Give blood…just once!COMPLETED 2/8/07
No one ever thought I would do this one! I didn’t give a whole pint because my immune system kicked in and wouldn’t let me continue to give but they did get some out of me! (and a decent bruise-ouch) I will upload a pic of this later when my Blogger wants to cooperate.

#39- Paint the bedroom-COMPLETED 1/15/06
Who knew picking out a paint color would be such a chore! I painted three of our walls a nice chocolate milk color and one accent wall a darker cappuccino color…it is delicious! We have since decided to completely redo the bedroom and make it more grown up. I am on the lookout for new dressers or ones the refinish. I will post before and after pictures when the project is complete. I was also motivated to paint an accent wall in the dining room, it’s amazing what a $10 quart of paint does for a room. Really makes our table and new light fixture stand out. (Dining room pics to come as well)

#56- Visit my grandparents in Elizabeth City-COMPLETED 12/30/06
I haven’t been to my Grandparent’s house in years…I mean like since high school! But I was able to make it to a delayed Christmas dinner and it was so nice to see them and spend the holidays with them. I am going to try and make it up there again and spend the day with them.

#80- Clean out all of my magazines and only save the articles I needCOMPLETED-February 2007
I had a whole drawer of cooking magazines that my Mom gave me ages ago and I have finally gone through all of them and taken out the ones I think I may make. I even organized them in a nice accordion file folder! Look for new recipes soon!

#101- Go to a Carolina Hurricanes game-COMPLETED-1/20/07
I was lucky enough to get a free ticket to a hockey game. It was really interesting to finally see a game in person. I don’t call myself a hockey fan, and still don’t, but I can still appreciate a good game.

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#98- Make cinnamon rolls with icing on a Sunday morning-COMPLETED

I don’t know what came over me but I decided I need to try and make some really disgustingly, ooey-gooey cinnamon rolls this weekend for Evan and I.

This is on my 1001 list because I have never been able to make a really good cinnamon roll. I distinctly remember my first try. I was at home on summer while I was in high school and I was watching “The View” (when it first came out- before it became uber annoying). They had this recipe for cinnamon rolls that were just like the Cinnabon rolls from the mall. I have not eaten many Cinnabons in my time but I felt I needed to try to make these, right there, that day. I remember the dough being really sticky but when I baked them up they were dry. I didn’t even bother making icing for them. I think 2 were eaten out of pity and the rest were thrown in the garbage.

I have tried numerous times since that day but the rolls have never been what I wanted. Recently I made some rolls that were simple and sweet with no icing. Evan still gobbled them up but I felt they were good enough to cross them off my to-do list.

Until now. I started these rolls last night, which I am a big fan of because who wants to bake for 3 hours on a Sunday morning (especially after going out the night before). I threw all the dough ingredients in the KitchenAid and let it do its thing. I usually prefer to mix doughs by hand but I was feeling a bit lazy last night so I just let the machine do it’s magic. I did end up adding a bit more flour (maybe 1/2 cup) because I wanted the dough to be a little less sticky and easier to handle. After letting it mix with the dough hook, I kneaded it for a bit on the counter to make it smooth. The dough was a dream to work with. After letting it rise for an hour while Evan and I ate dinner, I spread on the cinnamon-sugar-butter mixture and rolled them up. I placed 6 in a deep pie dish for the next day, and 6 in a aluminum pie plate for the freezer (as much as Evan thinks he needs a whole dozen cinnamon rolls- he doesn’t. I instantly knew these rolls were the ticket, they were plump and perfectly spiraled with a sweet filling. Top these babies off with some cream cheese icing and we were golden!

This morning, I took the rolls out of the fridge to come to room temperature while the cream cheese and butter softened. After about 30 minutes, I preheated the oven, baked the rolls off and whipped up the icing. Evan agreed they were much like the Cinnabon rolls though even if they weren’t they were still damn good!

Cinnabon-like Cinnamon Rolls

1 cup warm milk (I microwaved it for 1 minute)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons active yeast

1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt

1. Place yeast in the warm milk, stir and allow to get frothy for about 5 minutes. Meanwhile add the rest of the dough ingredients in the bowl of the mixer. Once frothy add the yeast mixture to the mixer bowl and mix with a dough hook for about 5 minutes. If it’s really sticky add a bit more flour (I added almost 1/2 cup extra). When smooth, knead on a floured counter for a few minutes to get it really soft and smooth. Place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for about 1 hours.

2. In a small bowl, combine butter,brown sugar and cinnamon.

3. Roll dough into a 16×21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with butter/cinnamon/sugar mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9×13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. ( or cover with plastic wrap and place in fridge overnight, allow to come to room temperature before baking in the morning). Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 1/4 cup butter, confectioners’ sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

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Number 36- Vote in an election COMPLETED 11/7/06

Yes I have fulfilled my civic duty and have voted in my first election. I don’t know why I have never voted but I attribute it moving around a lot the last 7 years…ok that’s a pretty crappy excuse but I’m sticking to it. I guess another reason is that I never felt I have a vested interest in the elections, but now that I am a home owner and a citizen of a community I feel it is important that I make my “voice” heard. It was not really what I expected, the voting apparatus was simply a black pen and a bubble sheet- took me back to Kempsville High School. But I had read up on the candidates so I felt confidant in my decision and I will be interested to see the results tonight.

PS- I have a ton of new recipes to post but I have been super busy so I promise to get some up this week!

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Number 87- Take a spinning class-COMPLETED 10/23/2006

Yes, I have started getting up at 5:30am to go workout because I just don’t have the drive to do it after work. So I noticed there was a spinning class on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings at 6am…so today I got up the nerve to try it. Woah! I hope to be able to walk tommorrow! This class was intense…and ofcourse after the hour class one of the other guys comes over and tells me that this instructor is the hardest of the three that teach. Excellent! What a way to start off a Monday!

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Ok, here is the list. What started as a project by Michael Green has turned into quite a phenomenon. My sister originally told me about it, and I thought this was the perfect time to create one of my own. It is quite a challenge to come up with this list, I was stumped after number 37 I believe but I started to not think so broadly and more simply. So my list began on my birthday September 24, 2006 and my end date is June 21, 2009 so let’s see what I can accomplish!

My 101 List!

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