The 100 Things AJ Rice's Mommy Must Do Before...

This is an exercise that I learned from real estate guru Terry Watson. He believes that if we do not have a set lists of things we want to accomplish before we die then we have nothing to work for. Here is the 2009 edition- I removed the real estate items and finally added some things to make the list really number 100. I also kept the things on the list I accomplished in 2008- next year I'll remove those things and add new ones.

I highly suggest people do this for themselves and then let their family and friends know. Why? The people you surround yourself with should know your heart's desires. They could possibly have a way to accomplish this. A big example of this was Crazy Grandma gave me a Coach gift card last Christmas and I was able to buy my Coach bag without worry. I know it is silly, but I love that bag and every time I pick it up I remember that my mom- the Alien and Caveman's Crazy Grandma made that dream come true. This year she is at it again- she gave me a baking cookbook that has a method for croissants.

This list is really important when you look back at the past year and maybe you don't think you accomplished anything. If you do only one thing on the list you have accomplished something.

100 Things I want to do before I die


1. Get accepted into UVA
2. go to a Super Bowl
3. attend a World Series
4. attend a UVA vs. VT football game and UVA wins by a landslide
5. attend an Olympics
6. attend a final four- men's basketball
7. attend a BSC bowl
8. attend a NFL draft
9. host an all girl fantasy football league
10. enter and play in a World Series of Poker event
11. Attend an ACC men basketball tournament
12. Watch the Eagles win a Super Bowl
13. buy a Coach bag at full retail price without worry about the cost (did it!)
14. get published in a glossy magazine
15. Get my college degree
16. Make a brother or sister for the Caveman (did it!)
17. learn to make croissants from scratch
18. lose a good amount of weight and keep it off
19. learn to knit well
20. publish a book that I write
21. see a TV show live
22. run a marathon
23. drive across America
24. drive up the Mississippi from south to north
25. create a higher education scholarship foundation
26. go to Rome
27. go to London
28. go to Paris
29. go to Hong Kong
30. go to Chicago
31. go to Australia
32. adopt a single mom and her children for an entire year
33. see the Northern Lights
34. throw an amazing party (did it, Big Papi’s surprise 30th birthday!)
35. go on a road trip with no predetermined destination
36. read every F. Scott Fitzgerald published work
37. Show up at the airport and take the first flight available
38. teach a class
39. drive RT 66
40. learn to sew well
41. see Oprah live
42. do the Sydney-Harbor Bridge climb
43. sit on a jury
44. visit Ground Zero
45. watch launch of space shuttle
46. see a NASCAR race live
47. drive a convertible with top down
48. be invited to have a black American Express card
49. be invited to join Phi Beta Kappa- the honor fraternity at TCC which means you have to have an 3.5 GPA
50. go to the Baseball hall of fame
51. go to the football hall of fame
52. see a Notre Dame football game live
53. take a course at the French Culinary Institute
54. spend a year traveling around the world
55. learn to ballroom dance properly
56. forgive those who have hurt me
57. sky dive
58. bungee jump
59. go to Kentucky Derby
60. learn Spanish
61. donate money to a political candidate (did it!)
62. buy everyone in a bar a drink
63. redecorate a house without my mom's help
64. do my family tree
65. drive the autobahn
66. learn to bartend
67. learn to properly carve a chicken (did it!)
68. leave a $5000 tip to someone who deserves it
69. watch Anderson score a home run, a goal, a touchdown
70. teach the Caveman to read and read well
71. Teach Caveman to use the big boy potty
72. Get the Alien to sleep through the night
73. Submit a recipe into the Pillsbury Bake-off
74. Raise my children to have a personal relationship with God
75. Create a welcome committee for my church with my husband
76. Host a game night for the 21+ group
77. Build my freelance portfolio
78. Clean out my closets- only keeping what my family loves and needs
79. Buy a house big enough for mommy to have a room of her own
80. Have a gourmet kitchen with a pot filler, baking station, Viking range, and at least two convection ovens
81. Actually finish the scrapbooks I bought all those supplies for
82. Learn how to incorporate yoga into my daily routine
83. Learn how to apply the Franklin Covey methods to my daily life
84. Keep the house clean longer than one day
85. Take a polar plunge
86. To go shopping in a regular sized woman store and actually find things that fit me
87. Get over the pass
88. Not look too far into the future
89. Live in my moment right now
90. Save enough money so my kids don’t have to take out student loans
91. Pay off my credit card debts
92. Learn to live within my family’s financial means
93. Have a diverse financial portfolio
94. Become a land baron with my husband
95. Love my husband everyday; and tell him so
96. Always appreciate all the things my children do- even the bad
97. Become a gracious person
98. Keep my car clean
99. Get a tattoo
100. Keep adding things to the list

The way the cookie crumbles

I love to bake.

There is nothing better than taking recipe for cookies or cake and actually accomplishing something crave-able.

I have perfectly perfected my chocolate chip recipe: the secret is to let the dough rest for 24 hours in a fridge and then bake them. The other major secret is to cool on the sheet on a cooling rack for 1 minute and then get the cookies off the baking sheet onto the cooling rack by themselves. If you don’t do this then the cookies will continue to cook and will not remain chewy.

I am getting better with cupcakes- I’m not into baking a whole cake, maybe when the kids are older. Also I can do bread when I am patient and have good yeast- one Thanksgiving the yeast was old, though I had just purchased it that week, and it never reacted to the sugar and flour to rise the bread.

Also I am working on my macaroons- I think they are almost perfection. I love to dip mine in chocolate because chocolate and coconut is yummy.

My fudge is smooth and creamy- though I realize that there is no baking involved but still.

So after doing all these things- why can’t I make sugar cookies?

Seriously every Christmas I try various recipes and techniques to make a delicious and decorated cookie to give to people for the Holiday season. Alas every year they never work. Completely frustrating the entire process becomes. Even the pre-maid sugar cookie dough doesn’t work for me.

I think this happens a lot in our lives. There are always things you wish you could do but just can’t for various reasons. I would love to be able to quote passages from books- but I have never been able to remember the exact line. Even my favorite book, The Great Gatsby’s famous green light line I can remember exactly. I am a terrible speller without a spell check (seriously how did the world exist before spell check, and yes I know what a dictionary is thanks.) My house never stays clean and I am a really bad stay-at-home mommy. I never know when to stop a conversation; I think people find it annoying.

All of these things are minor in the large scheme of life, but it is still frustrating when something that other people do so well, so easily is something that eludes you. Like that girl you know who always looks amazing- she gets the shoes and the hair and the jewelry right on. Those people frustrate me.

In our culture of practice makes perfect when does it comes to the point where you realize no matter how many time you try something it will never work out? I could probably make every sugar cookie recipe on the planet but it will never been quite right. Is it this moment that I realize I can quit trying to make sugar cookies and move on to oatmeal? Or do I keep going towards the goal of a perfect cookie?

This cookie metaphor mirrors what is going on in my decision making about my upcoming bachelor’s degree. I realize that I am getting my associates in August but I really need to decide quickly because I have to actually apply to schools and also financial aid. It is becoming a real obsession because I don’t want to make the wrong decision. I actually spoke to one of my pastors yesterday about my concerns. He told me I could make no wrong decision about this I just have to make one. Other people I have told me I should go where my passion is.

I’ll keep everyone informed. It seems like such a silly problem with so many in our world right now.