New 101 in 1001 List

So, I've been doing these 101 lists for a long time now, and I really liked how the last one helped motivate me to do different things that I otherwise wouldn't have done.  I wish I could have completed more of it, but I'm including the old ones down at the bottom of this list in case I actually do them.  Honestly, I've been rather unmotivated to do much lately, and lists help me get that push to start.  Especially if it's out there for others to see and keep me accountable (although I am not sure anyone really saw my last one, but that's ok).  To be honest, it has been hard for me to even do just what we need to in order to prevent chaos from taking control of the house at this point.  Homeschool is a lot of work.  Doing farm accounting is a lot of work.  I did get very creative with this list, but I wonder if maybe too much so.  Some of these items... ok, a lot of these items are going to require an awful lot of work on my part to complete as they feel like more of a wish list, and I might need to revisit and change things.  Also, interestingly, I didn't include anything in the financial section at all!  Mainly because a lot of the stuff I would have added there we are already doing regularly now, and I've reached a lot of those goals and can't really think of new ones.  I did add a celebrations area since we have a lot of big milestones coming up and I know I want to do something special for each of those.

So, here we go!  Let's outline some goal setting tips I came across.

Some common goal setting tips:

1. Be decisive. Know exactly what you want, why you want it, and how you plan to achieve it.

2. Stay Focused. Any goal requires sustained focus from beginning to end. Constantly evaluate your progress.

3. Welcome Failure. Frequently, very little is learned from a venture that did not experience failure in some form. Failure presents the opportunity to learn and makes the success more worthy.

4. Write down your goals. It clarifies your thinking and reinforces your commitment.
5. Keep your goals in sight. Review them frequently, and ensure that they are always at the forefront of your thinking.

Click here for more info on the 101 in 1001 project.

My 101 in 1001
As before, I will italicize the ones in progress.  

Start date: March 16, 2026
End date: December 11, 2028

Family/Relationship

1.  Visit the Medieval festival

2.  Go to the Thresher Man's Reunion
3.  Go to Comicon
4.  Go to Assiniboine downs
5.  Make a fancy table setting meal for everyone (with candles)
6.  Learn a song to sing as a family for church or gatherings
7.  Create 3 themed movie nights

Celebrations

8.  Do something special for 25th anniversary

9.  M's homeschool grad (through church)

10.  Bram's homeschool grad (through church)
11.  Figure out a fun way to celebrate M's 20th 

12.  Have a party for husband's 50th

13.  Celebrate farm anniversary (75th?) with those who had a large role.

14.  Celebrate 10 strange holidays 1/10

Farm/Business

15.  Make roller trays for the large bins in the robot room

16.  Memorial for Dad around his birthday (Wagon Wheels and farm decor by the coffee station) DONE April 2026

17.  Paint mural on the bull barn

18.  Make 5 new signs for around the farm

19.  Make a dairy/chicken stocking garland as a farm Christmas decoration

20.  Clean old attic in barn

21.  Turn empty feed bin into something.  A shop?  A kitchen?  A bar?

22.  Make a museum-esque area on the farm

23.  Build a pretty cover for the hydro meter

24.  Farm decorate with flower beds in front of the barn

25.  Put up Christmas lights along barn line.

26.  Make a special dairy Christmas Lights display on barn roof

Hobbies

27.  Print scrapbooks through 2025

28.  Use smash album

29.  3D papercraft something

30.  Edit my videos of farm cleanup.

31.  Create 10 free to make Cricut items  2/10

32.  Make 20 homemade cards.  5/20

33.  Build wooden table centerpiece box

34.  Fun video game display

35.  Build my Zelda Lego set

36.  Make  some Zelda/Mario related ornaments for a video game Christmas tree

37.  Make (sew or crochet) 3 plush

38.  Finish Zelda Totk

39.  Finish Zelda Botw

Spiritual

40.  Family memorize the Armor of God verses

41.  Make large cross for Easter for the yard

42.  Create a large yard sized nativity setup with lights

43.  Countries around the world prayer time (did this many years ago)

44.  Read whole Bible 2x

45.  Join a Bible Study group

Health/Fitness

46.  Do a liver detox with husband for a week DONE March 23 2026

47.  Build a sauna

48.  Make spa stuff

49.  Visit Thermea or other spa

50.  Waist (standing) down to 32" around belly button (30" natural waist)  (working on it here)

51.  Hit 145 lbs  (working on it here)

House/Home

52.  Declutter 50lbs of stuff

53.  Make amiibo frames

54.  Varnish Table

55.  Build display for Millennium Falcon

56.  Build a shelf for above bathroom door

57.  Repaint kitchen/dining area

58.  Update wall family photos

59.  Renovate entrance with cabinets/lockers

60.  Fix bay window

61.  Make a piece of furniture in house look new/different

62.  Build shelves in bedroom for Lego and collections

63.  Put up husband's swords

64.  Fix door in bedroom

65.  Make drawers for DVDs in Livingroom

66.  Create a farmhouse style bench

Yard/Outside

67.  Create/buy a deck shade

68.  Landscape front yard

69.  Build a well decoration item on the yard around the septic tank

70.  Build a tall swing for the kids

71.  Build paths around the yard

72.  Create a new patio area with roofing

73.  Create a shed for our bikes

74.  Build a bridge on the yard

75.  Create a fountain or water feature area on the yard

76.  Roof over pellet grill

Community

77.  Christmas walking paths (not really farming but fun for on the farm) with lights

78.  Go to 5 local fairs

79.  Host a Christmas event

80.  Turn bull barn into an on farm gym/community center.

81.  Build a tiny home

82.  Build new birdhouse type grave marker for 3rd greats grandparents

83.  Take part in a large scale community event (a march, town cleanup, that sort)

Learning/Homeschooling

84.  Do a reading party

85.  Do a storybook tea

86.  Visit a new museum

87.  Read 20 new books 1/20

88.  Learn to tile kitchen backsplash

Homesteading

89.  Make homemade wreath with real greenery

90.  Make homemade marshmallows

91.  Sew something "different" (sleeper?  Bedding?  Cushions?  Slippers?  Mittens?  Moccasins?) 0/5

92.  Make 10 new recipes 2/10 (Recipe 1)

93.  Grow raspberries on my yard

94.  Make outdoor eatery area

95.  Sew myself some clothing

96.  Sew bonnets

97.  Get a greenhouse

Environment

98.  Make 10 items from things laying around that might otherwise have been trashed.

99.  Turn feedbags into 5 different things  0/5

100.  Make outdoor pallet furniture

101.  Dethatch and aerate lawn

Old 101 Items I May Try To Finish
1. Make an igloo/snow fort  

2. Take a family vacation

3. Visit Nintendo-land

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

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

6. Finish first year album for M

7. Finish first year album for Bram

8. Make Disney trip albums 1/3 (here, here,) (part finished)

9. Finish writing last novel in trilogy

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

11. Get back to pre-pregnancy weight (here)

12. Bring down waist to under 30 inches (here)

13. Fence around part of yard

14. Visit Little House on the Prairie museum

15. Visit Mt Rushmore

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

17. Build a greenhouse OR a summer kitchen

18. Ride a hot air balloon

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

Extra Ideas I Might Swap

Build outdoor stone/brick oven

Make some traditional Mennonite dishes ((things like Peppernuts, Rollkuken, Hallopshi (I know I spelled that wrong)

Build a storage bench for kids stuff

Figure out how to make living room larger

Clean ditch along property

Build a pool/deck

whitewash barn interior

Learn to design something on 3D printer

Hang a deck swing from the roof area of our house

Make an 'old west town' somewhere on the yard

build a new shed

2 down, 99 to go!

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.