101 Things in 1001 Days

The Personal Challenge of a Lifetime!

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

My 1001 days started on 11th January 2009 and will finish on 9th October 2011

My Recipe Books (#53 & 54)

I have quite a few (slight understatement, maybe!) recipe books but I all too often stick to the recipes and meals I know. These tasks (#53 & 54) is one to make me use my books.

My book list:
Cooking
A Little Taste of China
Ainsley Harriot – Family and Friends Cookbook
Australian Women’s Weekly – Quick Meals
BBQ Food
Ching-He Huang – Chinese Food in Minutes
Ching-He Huang – Chinese Made Easy
Comfort Food
Delia Smith – Complete Cookery Course
Delia Smith – Vegetarian Collection
Easy GI Diet, Anthony Worrall Thompson – GI diet and Low GI Diet Cookbook
Good Housekeeping – 1001 Recipes
Good Housekeeping – New Recipe Book
Good Housekeeping – The Cook’s Companion
Hairy Bikers – Mums Know Best
Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall – Meat
Jamie Oliver – Jamie’s America
Jamie Oliver – Jamie at Home
Jamie Oliver – Jamie’s Dinners
Jamie Oliver – Jamie’s Italy
Jamie Oliver – Jamie’s Kitchen
Japanese Cooking
Marie Claire – Seasonal Kitchen
Meat Eats
Mexico
Nigel Slater – Kitchen Diaries
Nigel Slater – Real Fast Food
Nigel Slater – Real Food
Nigella Lawson – Feast
Nigella Lawson – Forever Summer
Nigella Lawson – How to Eat
Nigella Lawson – Nigella Bites
Nigella Lawson – Nigella Christmas
Nigella Lawson – Nigella Express
Sara Lewis – Slow Cooker
The Complete Book of 400 Soups
Ultimate Christmas
Wagamama’s Cookbook

Bakery
500 Cookies, Biscuits and Bakes
Australian Women’s Weekly – Cupcakes, Cheesecakes and Cookies
Cupcakes – A Fine Selection of Sweet Treats
Cupcakes from the Primrose Bakery
Delicious cupcakes
Good Food Mini – Let’s Cook: Cakes & Bakes
Green and Black’s Chocolate Recipes
Homemade Baking
Kenwood Chef
Linda Collister – Coffee and Cakes (mini)
Mrs Beeton’s Cakes and Baking
Mrs Beeton’s Jams, Pickles and Preserves
Nigella Lawson – Domestic Goddess
Rachel Allen – Bake
Richard Bertinet – Dough: Simple Contemporary Bread
Sue Lawrence’s Book of Baking
Sue McMahon – Cupcakes
Susannah Blake – Cupcakes
Susannah Tee – Cupcakes
The Cookie and Biscut Bible
The Hummingbird Bakery Book
Xanthe Milton – Eat Me (Cupcakes and Bakes)

#53. Cook 101 unique recipes from my books
#54. Bake 50 unique things from my books

My 101 Things

(35) ~~Completed~~ - Date completed, with link to page
(35) Work in progress - Link to list page
(31) Still to start/do - Link to list page

The Project
1. ~~Set up a blog to record my 101 Things~~ - 11/01/09
2. Take a photo for all my 101 Things (42/101) - List
3. ~~Leave 101 comments on other 101 Things blogs~~ - 12/05/09
4. Update my blog 101 times (70/101)

Enriching Myself - A Little Bit of Everything
5. ~~Learn to knit~~ - 11/02/09
6. ~~Knit something beautiful for a friend's baby~~ - 05/03/10
7. Knit 5 gifts (2/5) - List
8. Knit 5 things for a SCBU (0/5) - List
9. ~~Join a knitting group to meet new friends~~ - 12/05/09
10. ~~Meet 20 new internet friends in real life~~ - 29/01/09
11. ~~Go to the dentist~~ - 19/01/09
12. Start swimming again and swim 101 lengths (0/101)
13. Find a church where I feel comfortable
14. Join a group at the church
15. ~~Complete my NHS counselling sessions~~ - 04/09/09
16. Have at least 8 haircuts (5/8)
17. Have at least 101 luxurious baths (75/101)
18. ~~Go for a manicure~~ - 23/06/09
19. ~~To own a leather handbag~~ - 03/10/09
20. Listen to the radio or podcast for 101 days (1/101)
21. Watch the top 10 films of all time (5/10) - List
22. ~~Have letter published in a newspaper~~ - 06/01/10
23. ~~Send & receive 5 postcards via Postcrossing~~ - 17/10/09
24. Post a secret to PostSecret
25. Read 10 books I've been meaning to read (1/10) - List
26. ~~Buy a Christmas decoration in the summer~~ - 29/07/10
27. Wear a skirt at least 30 times (16/30)

Enriching Others
28. Give 5 "I saw this and thought of you" gifts (3/5) - List
29. Send 10 "just because" cards/letters (0/10) - List
30. Send 15 postcards to my friends children (5/15) - List
31. Do something for charity
32. Make a Christmas shoebox for a Romanian family
33. ~~Call a friend to sing to them on their birthday~~ - 26/07/09
34. Take 3 people to do something new (1/3) - List
35. Take a child on a day out by myself

Married Life
36. Have 20 "dates" with Dean (11/20) - List
37. Do 3 things Dean likes but I'd not usually do (2/3) - List
38. ~~Do something exciting for my 30th~~ - 11/04/10
39. ~~Do something exciting for Dean's 30th~~ - 14/06/09
40. Start learning Italian or Spanish with Dean
41. ~~Spend a week just the two of us~~ - 31/07/10
42. Make up our wedding album

Photography
43. Take at least 101 photos for HPAD (37/101) - Flickr Set
44. Save £1 for each photo I upload to HPAD (£37 total)
45. Put the money towards a new lens
46. Organise my photos at least 20 times (9/20)
47. Have my photo taken with Dean 5 times (2/5) - List
48. Make up my album of old photos
49. Take a photo of 30 happy things (13/30) - List
50. Take a photo of 5 childhood memories (0/5) - List
51. Print and frame my favourite photos

Food, Glorious Food
52. Try 5 new "cuisine" restaurants (2/5) - List
53. Cook 101 unique recipes from my books (10/101) - List
54. Bake 50 unique things from my books (20/50) - List
55. Fill my recipe journal with my favourite recipes
56. Invent a recipe
57. ~~Make a list of 50 meals to choose from~~ - 15/01/09
58. Have a proper dinner party
59. Make a birthday cake for Dean each year (2/3) - List
60. Decorate two Christmas cakes each year (2/4)- List
61. Eat in a Michelin starred restaurant
62. ~~Eat a cream cake from Fisher & Donaldson~~ - 29/07/10
63. ~~Eat fish and chips at the harbour in Anstruther~~ - 29/07/10
64. ~~Go for afternoon tea at a lovely hotel~~ - 04/08/10
65. ~~Go on a picnic~~ - 09/08/09
66. Eat more than my 5 a day for 30 days
67. ~~Go 30 days in a row without fizzy drinks~~ - 19/02/09
68. ~~Go 30 days without fast food or take-aways - List~~

Out and About
69. Go to a West End or touring theatre production
70. ~~Go to a concert/gig~~ - 10/17/09
71. Go to Blackpool for old time's sake
72. Go north of Dundee
73. Build a sandcastle
74. Leave the UK mainland
75. Enter ballot for at least one event at London 2012 Olympics or at least know how/where/when
76. Go to 10 National Trust/NTS properties (4/10) - List
77. Go to a public garden in each season (3/4) - List
78. Go to see 20 films at the cinema (11/20) - List
79. Go to an international rugby match
80. ~~Go to a museum~~ - 28/09/09
81. ~~Go to an art gallery~~ - 28/09/09
82. ~~Go on a ferry across the Mersey~~ - 12/11/09
83. Go to a farm in each season (2/4) - List
84. Go to the zoo
85. ~~Go over the Forth Bridge (rail)l~~ - 04/08/10
86. Go to a lake/mere in the Lake District
87. Go to a ceramic painting shop
88. Go to see a play by William Shakespeare
89. Paddle in the sea
90. ~~Splash in a puddle with welly boots on~~ - 07/11/09

Home Sweet Home
91. ~~Sort out paperwork and start a system~~ - 03/12/09
92. Move into our own home or somewhere with more space
93. ~~Reduce toiletries by half~~ - 07/06/09
94. ~~Clear out and organise the junk room~~ - 07/06/09
95. ~~Give 101 things to charity~~ - 03/12/09
96. Make £500 selling things on ebay (£160/£500) - List
97. ~~Grow 5 new herbs to go with 5 existing herbs~~ - 30/09/09
98. Grow 2 different vegetables (0/2)
99. Successfully grow a sunflower
100. Have 30 vases of flowers (11/30)