30 by 30 update: 2 more months

time sure is flying.  hard to believe that a month ago, liz and i were running a marathon.  crazy.

so here's what i have gotten done in the past month:

1) i got my master's degree!  i graduated on april 28th, with much pomp and circumstance.  for all of you still confused about what i have been doing for the last two years, this is my degree: master's of art in counseling, specializing in student development counseling and administration.  no, i am not certified.  no, i do not want to be.

this pic is heather and me at the hooding ceremony.  oh, so fancy.  :)

2) my debt to my father is down to the last $200.  pretty exciting!  ($2500/$2700)

8) i knocked out the pinterest meals in one month!  and they were amazing.  the first two are on my monthly cooking segment.  i dominated this goal, though.  i made a total of eight things.  i am leaving comments on my pinterest board HERE if you want to keep track of the things i am cooking.  but i'll also link to the individual recipes below the pictures for you.  so here is what else i made:

thai coconut curry shrimp.  yum.  RECIPE.

garlic and mozzarella wontons.  amazing.  i baked them (425 for about 17 minutes) instead of frying them.  RECIPE.  

rosemary and goat cheese-stuffed mushrooms with bread crumbs.  these are delicious and rich.  RECIPE.

green coconut salmon (with cous cous, peas, french bread, and fresh mango).  liz said this was her favorite meal.  RECIPE.  

southwestern egg rolls with avocado ranch dipping sauce.  i should have baked them a bit longer.  and made the sauce zestier.  but still yummy.  RECIPE.  

tuscan chicken pizza.  we used a yellow pepper instead of a red one.  very good, and the pizza was delicious left over.  RECIPE.

11) as i said, the first two meals (spinach and artichoke baked pasta and eggplant sandwiches) were featured on my monthly cooking segment (18/20).  check them out HERE.

12) i planned a scavenger hunt for my sweet little wigger girls.  heather and keely helped execute the plans.  i think they had a pretty fun time.  i made them run all over marion and do ridiculous things.  but they got lots of treats along the way.  here are some pics:

the girls as they headed out on their adventure.

helping heather choose 'the right hat.'  not sure this was it...

delivering treats to our pal, fritz.

27) i am changing 'get another tattoo' to 'get another piercing,' because i haven't settled on my next tattoo design, and it is not something i want to rush just for the sake of the list.

29) i have read 74/100 books.  i need to get cracking on this.  this past month, i finished the simple life, the guernsey literary and potato peel pie society, and perelandra.

the monthly cooking segment: pinterest is baller

hey, remember how i changed a goal to making stuff on pinterest?  oh, well, if not, read that HERE.

since i am abandoning the wigger women in a while, it seemed like a good idea to cook even more.  :)  so liz and i sat down this week and picked a couple of the meals off my food board (check it out HERE).

meal number one: spinach and artichoke baked pasta.  the original recipe can be found HERE.  this is gooey.  and cheesy.  and delicious.  and oh yeah...it's pretty ridiculous with salmon.

verdict: yes, please, and more of it!  (also delicious leftover.)

meal number two: eggplant sandwiches.  the original recipe can be found HERE.  basically, you coat some slices of eggplant with breadcrumbs, pan fry them, and then use them instead of a bun.  plus tomato...romaine lettuce...fresh basil...and goat cheese.  soooo good.  i recommend thinner slices of eggplant, really getting the oil out, more than a sprinkle of salt, and using tons of goat cheese.  :)

verdict: excellent, and very easy to tweak for various tastes (no basil and very little tomato for liz).