March Joy List

February Joy List

1. Volunteer at Independence Place
2.Volunteer with Homeless Ministry
3. Start tomato seedlings   Bought everything but just didn't get around to it
4. Make a Christmas present
5. Use only meats, chicken or fish from the freezer (No protein buying this month)
6. Make a large dent in the foods in the pantry (Time to use storage items)
7, Start growing sprouts again (I have missed these, especially radish sprouts)
8. Initiate contact with a friend I am no longer in touch with (No one particular but over a lifetime there are many dear folks I have neglected.)  Reconnected with a friend from High School.  Enjoyed the coffee and conversation Carol!
9. Take Mom to visit Uncle Bob (She mentions this weekly and I am available but we still haven't gone)
10. Try a different hair color, even if it is just a temporary rinse Went darker, no bueno!
11. Try a new fruit or vegetable  Tried kohlrabi meh
12. Listen to some ethnic music from a culture I  have not listened to before. Bought and listened to some didgeridoo music.  It is beautiful, but a little of it goes a long way
13. See a play Saw Chicago (for the 4th time)
14. Go to a movie solo in the middle of the day.
15. Repair the sewing machine and refashion some frumpy item found in my closet (thinking black dress)
16. Enjoy Fat Tuesday to its fullest, because Lent starts at 12:01 I did not know it was possible to eat that much chocolate in one day
17. Observe Lent without whining (even to myself) Observing, but whining
18. Take the large food donation to the food bank
19. Get rid of 10 items each week (purge) Way more than 40 items
20. Find and enjoy some free live music.
21. Work on the family cookbook.
22. Take food to someone who is having a hard time.
23. Take Mom out to do something at night each week this month. (She and Dad did a lot at night and she misses the night lights.  My mistake for not catching on to this earlier) Giving this a half mark. Took her some weeks but not others.
24. Have a small dinner party
25. Go for a drive somewhere I have never been before. Bonus points for taking Mom, and even more if we find some quaint little shop to explore.
26. Hand make Valentines My Beloved Sister and I do this every year. Our objective is to make ours to each other funny enough to make them laugh.  Bonus points are awarded if you can catch each other  sipping coffee while reading the card and make them spew
27. Celebrate Chinese New Year (Eat takeout Chinese in the dining room and use the "good" dishes and chopsticks) and Valentine's Day (Dining room candlelight meal, "good" dishes sans chopsticks) And for the record, Valentine's lunch was a grilled hamburger served on China, so no utensils were actually required.
28. Read 4 books. Thanks to Band of Brothers I am on a WW2 kick right now, should be interesting to see what I pick to read. Read 3 1/2 .  Just couldn't finish the 4th by the 29th
29. Reserve one night to be completely video/tv/computer free.  Listen to symphonic music only

March Joy List

1.  Volunteer at Independence Place

2.  Volunteer with  homeless ministry

3.  Find and enjoy free live music Nck Finzer and Chris Ziemba

4.  Go to an art show

5.  Use some form of transportation I don't normally use  Rode the train today

6.  Make a Christmas present 

7.  Work on learning Spanish

8.  Use remainder of frozen meats

9.  Decorate for St. Pat's and then Easter (They are terribly close together this year so maybe just       Easter)   Simple Easter decorations won

10. Plan something special for Mom's birthday Early dinner at Mom's with Sis, TheHub, Mom Son2, and me.  She really liked it though.

11. Take Mom out weekly at night

12. Explore a small town  nearby.  Visit a local business and eat at a local restaurant/diner there.

13. Read 4 books The Things We Bury, The Kitchen House,

14. Paint a couple of pictures for the lake place

15. Try a new to me vegetable, herb or fruit

16. Go to a museum

17. Learn jazz  piano (at least 1 song)

18. Make citrus infused wine for summer  And now the wait begins

19. Begin the seasonal wardrobe change About the time I began, cool weather came back.  Too bad!

20. Refashion at least 1 clothing item.

21. Get rid or 10 items per week

22. Reconnect with someone I have lost touch with.

23. See a play Saw "Million Dollar Quartet"

24.  Go to the park and watch a random little league baseball game

25. Try an ethnic meal from a region I have never tried before

26. Send someone a handwritten congratulatory note.

27. Take food to someone having a rough patch.

28. Try a totally new and different hair style/color

29. Buy and donate an Easter outfit for a kid

30. Keep a gratitude notebook for March, listing every good thing.

31. Eat something chocolaty and gooey after Lent, then hop back on the paleo wagon.

32. Remember to be kind, even when I don't want to be.

33. Do something for someone randomly, expecting nothing in return