Final 101 in 1001 update and review

So, we have come to the end of the 1001 days for my 101 list. Here are the unfinished tasks:

8. Make an igloo/snow fort (Part finished)

We started.  It has been so cold outside recently that I have not gone out to finish.  I will finish though.  I hope.  Maybe.

9. Take a family vacation

Nope.  Didn't get to do that, sadly.

10. Visit Nintendo-land

Again, nope.  Not sure we will ever be able to do that, either.

15. Create a proper composting area on the farm instead of just a pile

Again, this didn't happen.  The guys on the farm are not interested in doing this.  What they've been doing for composting for decades is going to be good enough.

18. Clean out area behind/above garage to be usable again

Nope.  But I still want to do this.  I think I will put this on the next list.

29. Finish first year album for M

Didn't do anything on it.

30. Finish first year album for Bram

This one I didn't touch, either.

31. Make Disney trip albums 1/3 (here, here,)  (Part Finished)

I finished the first, got partway through the second one, too.  I still need to print it.  I think I was being unreasonable by putting 3 full scrapbooks that will easily be 100 pages each or more as one list item!  My first album is 99 pages.  My second looks like it will easily hit 120.  And my third?  That one might hit 200!

34. Finish writing last novel in trilogy

Never touched it.  I don't even remember what I was writing anymore.

49. Find a way to pay for a garage/expansion (change to kitchen) without a loan

Yeah.... I don't know what to say about this one.  I need a new kitchen.  Cabinet door fell off again, the countertop is peeling, the sink has nothing left for the faucet to hold onto anymore.  I am having issues making decisions.  I just... can't.  I'm paralyzed on that.  I don't know.  I have savings, but I can't decide anything and am too afraid to make the purchase.  Also, I feel like I will be without a kitchen and I just cannot handle that thought.  Is it weird that I'd rather be in the broken but functional kitchen?  I know it is stupid, but I can't do it.

55. Get back to pre-pregnancy weight

Ha... hahaha.  Yeah.  Still 5lbs over.  Been there for a long time.  I can't seem to lose that.  Been trying a number of things the last couple of weeks.  Scale hasn't moved.

56. Bring down waist to under 30 inches

This one is weird.  First thing in the am it's 31.  Later in the evening it's 35.  I know that my muscle separation is partly to blame, but that's just ridiculous.

61. Put up shelves for laundry room/table area  (Part finished)

I did the main shelf, but not the table next to it.  It functions as I desired it to.  I also wanted to put a shelf behind the washer/dryer to hide things, but that wasn't on the list, I kind of added it to the whole 'idea' and that was one thing I was having trouble figuring out, so I never did any of that, haha.  Yeah.  I'm going to say 'part done' and call it a day.

69. Fence around part of yard

Nope.  Didn't do any!

75. Visit Little House on the Prairie museum

The whole family road trip thing was a no go.  Still is a no go.  Not sure if it will ever be a go.

76. Visit Mt Rushmore

See point 75.

80. Babysitter course (with first aid) for oldest two kids (& myself, in the first aid department)

I was looking this up.  I did have my daughter signed up in 2020, and then when they cancelled it all I never signed up again.  I almost did, but the price was more than doubled, and I severely questioned the necessity of it as she knows the basics.  First aid by itself might work, but now I don't know what we should use... 

96. Build a greenhouse OR a summer kitchen

Got the sink cabinet started, but didn't finish.  I'm really seeing a pattern here with starting and not finishing anything.

98. Ride a hot air balloon

I have zero desire to do this.  This has followed my list from the beginning, and I don't even know why anymore.

99. Do a ‘trash the dress’ photo session with other girls

Yeah... I don't fit my dress, and I kind of want to fit my dress.  Also, not sure I know anyone who would want to do this with me.  Maybe my cousin?  

81 done, 3 partly done, 17 not completed in 1001 days.

I did not accomplish much in the last couple of months of this list at all.  Honestly, I know why.  I have not been unable to focus on these.  I mentioned before that we had a health scare with my oldest daughter.  It has been a journey!  I'm happy to say she is doing SO much better, and we are so very encouraged!  However now I'm seeing health issues on my end, and my husband as well.  I am battling the feeling of failure in my own life in so many areas (areas that involve day to day, not large tasks), and I'm not sure how to handle this.  I do have another 101 in 1001 list I created on my phone a while back, but I'm not sure when I'll officially put it up or 'start' it, and I'd kind of like to keep some of these items on the new list, but as old items?  Not sure how people do that.  I think I might need to keep things a little more reasonable as well.  This last list had so many things on it that were very reliant on outside forces to be favorable, and I'm not sure some of these things will ever be in the cards while we have such a large family at home.  And expecting to make 5 scrapbooks while still doing my yearly week in review scrapbooks... that was insane.  I say that sincerely.  500+ expected pages, plus my regular 2 pages a week... when I can barely find the time to do that anymore?  That is expecting to complete at least one page per day for over half the time!  Thing is, the lists I've made for myself in the past have had a number of items on them that aren't one and done... they continue.  And I'm expecting myself to continue in doing so very many things.  I need to seriously look at my life again, and determine what is and is not important.

Right now, my health and the health of my family is important.  

I enjoy blogging, when I can get to it, but I'll say that my life is feeling crazy.  I don't get much down time.  I am not keeping up with homeschool (and need to send in my reports this month which I haven't started yet and I am dreading).  I feel old.  I feel tired.  I am growing weary, even knowing that I am not to grow weary in doing what is good.  I struggle.  I don't like myself, but I need to keep going for the sake of my kids.  I need to be stable for my family.  And I need to let some of the little things that are getting to me go, because they aren't important right now.  I cannot juggle all of them.  A little at a time.  A little at a time, Sabrina.

Another 101 Update - For November 2025

I have not done as much as I'd like this month.  Again.  I'm not going to get this list done, but that is ok.  Things change, desires are modified, and life throws different things your way, so lists like this are more of a guideline.  I'm just happy I've been following this most of the way through this time!  Especially since I'm actually finding it difficult to even just do what is needed in my life to keep the house and home from entering chaos mode!  My Christmas decorating in our house makes everything so cluttered, it is insane!  I let the kids do most of it this year, so you can imagine how that went, haha.  Our tree is... nostalgic.  Yeah.  Nostalgic!  ;)

8. Make an igloo/snow fort

I started prepping for this.  Just now in December we finally got snow, so maybe I can do this with the kids.  Unfortunately, the plan I had didn't work to cover the dome.  Dog keeps grabbing things, and the fabric I had for outside wasn't large enough.  I might have another option I can use for this, but we will see.

11. Visit something at the convention center DONE Nov 2025

They had a craft show in November that we went to!  It was so neat to look around afterwards and see the arena, gym, and a kids play place as well.

28. Decorate farm for Christmas DONE Nov 2025

I put up some lights on the roof of not only the barn (just one strand, not the whole barn, sadly) but also the house!  And we got some light up snowflakes to put inside the barn office windows.  We also bought 2 inflatable cows to put on the roof.  Sadly, I never got around to building the pieces needed to attach them, so instead we set up two pallets on the barn 'deck' with old barrels underneath and I used nails and string to attach them to those.  They are high enough the dog shouldn't rip them.  That's the main problem with decorating this year... the dog.  Did not put up my wreaths because the dog ripped those down last year, and I'm not willing to have him do that again this year.  We wanted to set up trees and such as well, but this is great!  (I'll put a pic up here when we have the extension cord for both inflatables plugged in)

49. Find a way to pay for a kitchen without a loan

Once again, we've saved up, I started planning, but have yet to finalize and purchase the kitchen cabinets.  I'm kind of scared to.  I also feel super busy with Christmas and health related issues in our house, that many a thing has hit the back burner for now.

55. Get back to pre-pregnancy weight

I'm getting close.  Only a couple of pounds to get below me pre baby weight from before my 2021 baby.

56. Bring down waist to under 30 inches

Haven't moved much on this, sadly.

72. Fix entrance ceiling (needs venting) (DONE Nov 2025)

Scraped it all down and cleaned everything up before the snow.  I didn't vent it, but we are planning to rebuild it anyway, so that isn't necessary anymore.

81 done now!  20 left, but 8 of those are not happening, so I have only a few weeks to do 8 items.  That will not happen, haha.  I might get some done, and I might wait to start my next 101 list until later in the year.  My end date is January 15, so I have literally 1 month left!  One month!  Crazy!

October 101 Update

Another month, another update.  Honestly,  I have done absolutely nothing on this list.  All I can really do right now is look at the items and see which ones I will realistically never accomplish by the mid January date.  Being in the north means that the weather will not permit certain things in winter, and being a large family on a dairy means that trips we once dreamed about taking are not an option anymore.   Not right now anyway.   Maybe someday in the future.   And so, this month's list is going to look quite different from my normal.   It might look like I am giving up, but no.  We are just dealing with a lot in our family right now.  A lot.  I am trying to keep things going,  trying to keep things normal,  but things really don't look normal in our house currently,  and that is ok.

Anyway, here we go.

 9. Take a family vacation

This will not happen.  We still have not received birth certificates.   It is rather frustrating,  but we need new passports as well.  And we literally have not left the country since 2017.  Leaving home for anything more than 2 or 3 days is not something we can do right now.

10. Visit Nintendo-land

See above.  It cannot happen in the next 3 months. 

55. Get back to pre-pregnancy weight

I suppose I could reach my previous weight from before I had my baby in 2021.  I'm actually quite close.  We will see.  I do think it is a bit unreasonable to expect to get back to what I was before my first baby, however. 

56. Bring down waist to under 30 inches

Another one I didn't expect to see happen, but with the work the chiropractor is doing with me, it could.   I am trying to slowly fix my muscle separation.

69.  Fence around part of yard

We had something we needed to do before the fence for the farm, and started trying to get someone to work with us on it back in April already,  but they were too busy to come down to even look until this last week.  So, this cannot happen now until spring.   Is it going to happen yet?  Yes.  But again, it's winter.

75. Visit Little House on the Prairie museum

Can't do this as it is across the border.

76. Visit Mt Rushmore

Same with this.  We started planning a trip and everything.  The cost is astounding with our family size.

81. Learn about tanning hides (started here). Perhaps try it when we have a cow butchered

I learned,  yes.  I suppose I can check this one, although I sadly never got to try.  The last cow we butchered was early spring and not ideal weather to try this with.  Next cow to be butchered isn't until dead of winter.  I can't tan the hide then.

96. Build a greenhouse OR a summer kitchen

I did start on this a bit.  Can't finish now until next summer.

98. Ride a hot air balloon

Not happening.  I love the idea, but I really don't want to do this anymore.   I still love hot air balloons, though.  From afar.

99. Do a ‘trash the dress’ photo session with other girls

I don't see this ever happening. 

So, eight I cannot complete.  I had 77 done before.  Add on that I learned tanning hides in spring so that's 78.  78 done, eight I cannot do, 15 remaining.  2.5 months left, or 73 days. So I need to do one every 4-5 days to finish the rest.