#40: Take a Bubble Bath

This to-do may not seem like a big deal to most of you. "A bubble bath?," you think to yourself. "That's not even difficult." And you're right.

But for a year, the husband and I lived in a basement apartment with a shower stall so teensy-tiny that we were lucky not to bust our elbows every time we lifted our arms to wash our hair.

Needless to say, I was thrilled to move into our house with a big, roomy shower and a fully functioning bathtub. I hadn't broken it in, though, until this weekend.

Over the Christmas holiday, my mother in law was kind enough to pass along a Bath & Body Works gift card she knew she wouldn't use. On Sunday, I cashed that puppy in for a bottle of bubble bath (Warm Vanilla Sugar scented - delish!).

This bubble bath - paired with a bottle of Sam Adams and a good Pandora station - was so relaxing and refreshing. And until this bottle of bubble bath runs out, should you need to find me after 9 p.m. on Sunday nights, this is where I'll be.

In Progress - #64: Go on a three-month spending hiatus

Happy New Year, friends! When this post goes live, I'll still be at Lake Anna, celebrating the New Year with the husband and a few of our favorite D.C friends. I will also have officially started one of the most daunting items on my list - the three-month spending hiatus.

Inspired by ladies like Joslyn at Simple Lovely and the Enough study I took part in this fall, I'm looking at the next 90 days as a chance to reset and re-align my priorities. In 2012 I want to mindfully simplify my life, and taking a break from consumption seems like a great way to kick-start this new mentality.

During the next 90 days, I'm still going to buy necessities. For example, if my black, wear-them-everyday-on-my-commute flats finally fall apart (which is likely), or if my umbrella bites the dust, I'll replace them. That beautiful new shade of Clinique lipstick, or my morning peppermint mocha - not a necessity.

I've also been on a long quest for a new black winter coat (see #72), and if I come across that holy grail between now and April 1, I'm giving myself permission to buy it. Though, frankly, I'm so picky in this department I don't anticipate finding it in the next three months.

Wish me luck, and good luck with all of your resolutions for 2012!

In Progress - #20: Read 15 of the All-TIME 100 Novels that I haven’t already

On Tuesday I did something I haven't done since I read Stephen King's It back in high school - I stayed up past my "bed time" (and past the point of tiredness) to finish a book. This time it was for Toni Morrison's Beloved.

My quick and dirty review: this book is gripping, artfully written, and absolutely haunting. Seriously, I'm still thinking about the book and it's been two days since I finished it.

It's no surprise that Beloved won the Pulitzer Prize, or that Toni Morrison has gone on to be a Nobel Prize winner and a "national treasure." I'm definitely adding her to my list of favorite writers (joining Isabel Allende, C.S. Lewis, and - of course - Mr. King), and I'm eager to read more of her works.

I'm thinking about checking out the movie, but I'm a little nervous that film won't do the book justice and I'd hate to tarnish this one.

In Progress - #60: Keep a gratitude journal for 6 months

In the spirit of the season, here are a few things I've noted in my gratitude journal over the past month:

• Being with family for the holidays
• Christmas decorations
• Finding the perfect gifts for loved ones
• Good books for long flights
• Hot chocolate with all the fixins
• Rainstorms that stop before I leave the office
• Skinny peppermint mochas
• Unseasonably warm winters
• Vacation days

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas with friends and family, and is finding themselves with much to be thankful for this time of year.

In Progress - #20: Read 15 of the All-TIME 100 Novels that I haven’t already

This week I wrapped up Faulkner's Light in August, and y'all - I need the Cliffs Notes. Honestly, I have no idea how this book ended. I read it, re-read parts of it, did everything short of drawing diagrams, but I haven't a clue who or what I was reading about for the last 60 or so pages.

I'm going to give Faulkner another try, as The Sound and the Fury is in my stack of library books. But really, does anyone enjoy Faulkner? Or is he one of those authors whose books are only read for class?

#22: Visit a different museum every month for a year

On Friday, I had the privilege of visiting Mount Vernon along with many of the other new staff members from The Heritage Foundation. Taking a day to visit the home of George Washington - a farmer, military hero, and statesman - was a wonderful opportunity to revisit the values and founding principles that make America exceptional.

Although I'd never visited the presidential home before, I was especially excited to see Mount Vernon decked out for Christmas. The greenery, holiday dessert spreads, and Christmas trees in the Inn and the museum didn't disappoint. (No Christmas tree in the mansion, though. Mount Vernon stays true to the period!)

One interesting tradition that I'd never heard of was the Mount Vernon Christmas Camel. Per the Mount Vernon website:

In 1787, George Washington paid 18 shillings to bring a camel to Mount Vernon for his guests’ enjoyment. During Christmas at Mount Vernon, visitors can meet Aladdin the camel.

Aladdin proved to be a very social camel. You can see my encounters with Aladdin, as well as my other Mount Vernon pictures, below.

Two-fer, Part II

I have a Friday two-fer for y'all! These two updates are about as exciting as that time I got my suit tailored, but you know, a check mark is a check mark. So here you go...

#100. Take a pair of shoes to the cobbler for re-heeling.
No sound is quite as grating as that terrible scrape of metal heel on city sidewalk. For months, a pair of heels has taken up real estate in my closet - unable to be worn because their heels had worn thin and I strongly subscribe to the Capitol Hill Style policy of not sporting noisy high-heel nails. I found a cobbler in Union Station, dropped off my black patent beauties for a weekend, and came back the next Monday to a like-new pair of pumps. This particular cobbler may have been a bit overpriced ($16), but compared to the cost of a new pair of shoes, I suppose it's worth it.

#101. Visit the eye doctor and get new contacts.
This is just something I needed to do, as a responsible adult. I had to put it on the list, though, because 1) I hate going to any type of doctor, 2) I especially hate doing that air puff test, and 3) I always feel like I've been fleeced as I empty every last penny out of my pocketbook to pay for a 10-minute eye exam and contacts that are the exact same prescription as the previous year. Blargh.

In Progress - #38: Plan 10 parties in a year

Last weekend, I excitedly opened my home to the Northern Virginia Alumnae Chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta for our annual holiday party. It was so much fun having Thetas from across the DC area over for an afternoon of hors d'oeuvres, holiday cocktails, and holiday sisterhood.

The highlight of the party was a fantastic hot chocolate bar that our Programming Chair organized. A simple crock pot of hot chocolate was fancied up with an array of toppings - marshmallows, caramel bits, crumbled Heath bars, cinnamon sticks, and candy cane stirrers, to name a few. Oh, and Bailey's!

I wish I'd snapped a picture or two. Guess we were all too busy having fun!

#17: Be part of an audience at a live taping

As I mentioned in my last post, I recently started a new job with The Heritage Foundation. One of the best perks so far? Attending the November 22nd GOP debate. Co-hosted by Heritage and AEI, the CNN debate featured all eight of the GOP presidential candidates, with a focus on national security and foreign policy.


Photo taken by my husband before the phone/camera ban went into effect.



Seeing the debate in person, rather than on the television screen, was a whole new experience. Who would have guessed that Wolf Blitzer spends the whole hour talking to the side of the stage or that Michele Bachmann's podium includes the tiniest little platform to bring her up to height?

As far as who "won" the debate - I really liked Newt Gingrich's performance. But I don't want to turn this into a political post. (We'll save that for another time.)

#16: Have professional photos taken

A little over three months ago, I started a great new job at The Heritage Foundation, working in Strategic Marketing. So far, my work has included assisting in the production of a documentary film, overseeing creation of a series of educational booklets, and distributing a whole collection of valuable products to some of The Heritage Foundation's most dedicated members.

And having my professional headshot taken.

Check!