Bucket list

Talk the talk means walking the walk, so since I mention it in my resolutions, here's my bucket. Or a part of it at least. The bucket list stems from my love of lists. I make them every day. From mundane chores to groceries to goals. A couple of months ago I started two 'living' lists that I look at almost every single day. These lists make up my goals. Divided into short and long-term. They are ever evolving as new thoughts get added, accomplished ones get checked off and priorities change. Besides these two there is a third list, called influences & involvement. This one consists of inspirational talks and sayings that I come across that made me smile, laugh or think. These lists add structure to the whir war that is the inner workings of my mind. While I won’t be sharing these exact lists, I thought it would be a fun experiment to apply the concept to the topics of this blog; Ballerina’s (fashion), Brownies (food) & Babe (kids) and design. 

 

Fashion

1. Clear out and reduce my wardrobe to workable proportions . This is a lot more work than I thought but am so happy to be able to open the closet without the risk of being avalanched by textiles. 2. Organize and showcase my beloved shoe collection. 2B. Wear them all. 3. A designer handbag to replace all the various handbags that get disregarded after a short while. I’m thinking something from Alexander Wang as I love his stuff. 4. More beauty than fashion, but since that is the base, it is a must to take better care of my skin. My goal is to upgrade my face and body routine from just the basics to one suited to my dry and extremely sensitive skin. 5. To keep from repeating number one within a mum; shopping awareness. “Do I want this” needs to become “will I use” this and “do I need it”. 6. Posted about these here but I definitely want, will use and need a pair of leather pants. These paired with stiletto’s are a killer.

 

Food

1. Learn and make a new lemon dessert as I love sour. 2. Make a frosted vanilla bean cake as I usually make cupcakes as these have a kid friendly size and no frosting means less mess potential. 3. Cook sausages as I fell in love with fennel flavored Italian sausages in the US that I just cannot find in the Netherlands. 4. Johnny cakes which were a staple of my childhood and which I have a craving for, one tuna and one with ‘old’ Dutch cheese. Takes me right back. 5. Cook gnocchi. I have tried these and found them bland and doughy. I am determined to make these yummy. 6. Homemade pasta. I bought a pasta machine after failing to roll by hand a dough thin enough. I must succeed in recreating a sensational dish I had in Florence consisting of pasta stuffed with cheese and pear; Fiocchetti 7. Make granola. I eat cereal pretty much seven days out of the week so why not make it myself, especially if it is cherry and almond granola where the chunks are big enough to see and taste = not store-bought. I made a batch of granola this weekend with the last of my dried tart cherries, white and dark chocolate and OMG so good. Sweet, tart, salty and crunchy. With and without milk. As breakfast, as a snack, just plain yum. 8. This is a tough one.. cook and eat more fish. The scent of fish drives me crazy, plus the trauma of a choking incident with my sis turned me right off fish from an early age. I do want to get over this phobia though and get my kids to eat fish as well as meat, so have to make the leap first.

 

Kids

1.Sort and switch out toys. The toy bins in the living room are overflowing and the bottom ones go unseen. Move them out and around keeps it fresh 2. My baby (sniff, sniff for growing up) abilities has come on in leaps and bounds the last few months that I now think he is ready for crafting projects with his big sis. 3. Zoe Isobel has several albums chronicling her short, wonderful life. I think it is time for a joint one with a starring role as well for Mika. 4. Started in 2013 and to be completed in 2014; a big girls room for Zoe Isobel as she is almost as tall as her bed is long. 5. Get the kids involved in cooking. Zoe Isobel loves helping with baking, especially licking the utensils clean but I want to get her started on the main meal. Food appreciation might lead to easier mealtimes with veggies and are you ever too young to learn to cook? 6. Together and just me time. Big sis and little bro both crave personal attention. To the point of cutting in and squabbeling at times. I want to find activities that they can do together, like getting Mika in on the nighttime read.  And activities specific and only for the one. I think jewelry crafting would be good for Zoe Isobel and for Mika definitely something with cars or puzzles. Maybe a puzzle that stacks into a car.

 

Design

1.Start saving and planning for a trip to Milan to visit Salone Internazionale del Mobile. The largest design trade show and more than fifty years of experience in doing so. Yes please, this tops this list by far. 2. Clearing out seems to be a definite theme as also this area could do with a clean out. My style has changed quite a bit since my first apartment. So now I also have home accessories that no longer fit my style. Crowded storage cupboards make me nervous so clear out and clear out some more. 3. Feminize my resting spot. My bedroom is now a three palate space with only black, white and grey. The black backdrop wall is the only wall color besides basic white that has not bored me in the end. This I love but still I’m torn between keeping this aspect and making it more winter feminine with shudder brocade, gold and pastel pinks or to go the other way entirely with Scandinavian white. Crisp and fresh or warm and girly? 4. Design is such an important factor in my life, as I look for in everything from a toothbrush to furniture. So I want to work that into the concept and fabric of this blog and give it its own well deserved spot. B, B & B needs to morph into B, B, B, & D 5. Adding on to the previous item.. finish off the design of this blog. I still have to get around to the lay-out elements I have planned like the adding of pages. More importantly the goals is to be more open. I love this blog and everything to do with it, but keep it pretty darn private as I take humble to new depths. I was really excited to go the 'Meet the blogger' conference last year conference but chickened out. I am finally learning that openness is not pride and that pride is not necessarily a bad thing. To be proud of ones accomplishments in the way of children is a positive in my book because of the pureness in the way they do this. Humh, pure I like that word. 6. Learn more so I can do more, so I can share more. I think this is the year to finally take that photography class or learn more about blogging.