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40 Before Forty | An update with 3 years to go

Birthday, Celebrations, Lifestyle, Mom Life

DISCLOSURE: Some of the links in this post contain affiliate links, which come at no cost to you. Know that I only promote products I personally use and stand behind. To learn more about my affiliates, please review my disclosure policy here.

Today I turn another year old (and wiser?) Today I turn 37 and am now 3 years away turning Forty. Two years ago I launched my 40 Before Forty list so I thought it’d be fun to see how far I’ve come and what I have planned for the next 3 years to complete these wishes, dreams and simple tasks!

40 before forty short term bucket list - 40 things to do in 3 more years! | spotofteadesigns.com

First, let’s review the tasks I was able to complete in the 2 years this list has been active. 9/40 Complete

  • Go on an adults only vacation. DONE! My bestie Allie and I went to Savannah last May and had a great girls only trip! 5/2018
  • Read Gone with the Wind… again. DONE! I’m named after it so I was due to read it again and did so by January 2018!
  • Upgrade my DSLR camera and/or lens. DONE! I must’ve been a good girl as Santa brought me a new Canon 80D! 12/2017
  • Book a professional photoshoot session. DONE! 10/2018 Last October we did a mini photo shoot for our Christmas cards. Loved the pics and think we’ll make it a yearly thing!
  • Complete a physical challenge. DONE: I completed a 10 mile woman’s only race 10/2017
  • Take a class to learn a new skill. DONE: Participated in a Paint and Sip experience with fellow NJ bloggers! 11/2017
  • Pull off a big surprise! DONE! We were able to keep our Disney trip a surprise for the girls until we revealed it two days before we left!
  • Treat myself to an expensive experience or splurge item. DONE! 12/2017 I bought a new Canon 80D camera!
  • Start a new family tradition. DONE! 12/2018 This Christmas I decided to let each sister pick out a gift on their own (of course with guidance) to buy, wrap and give to the other sister. It was a hit and I plan to do it every year now!

Here are the 40 Before Forty tasks I have yet to cross off! Onto the excuses!

  • Take a family road trip someplace we’ve never been before. Leave me a suggestion on where we should go!
  • Renew and use my passport. UPDATE: Half complete! Derek and I have our new passports but have nowhere scheduled to go!
  • Have a “YES” day with my kids. Haven’t given this a go yet but thinking the summer might be a fun time to attempt it!
  • Visit 3 new states. Pretty sure I was an overachiever with this one! Check out the list of possible states I’d have to visit. I’ll be lucky if I get to ONE! Oregon, Washington, New Hampshire, Kentucky, New Mexico, Alabama, Lousiana, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, Utah, North Dakota, South Dakota, Indiana, Kansas, Arkansas, West Virginia, Alaska
  • Officially stop biting my nails.
  • Host a multi course dinner party with food made from scratch.
  • Learn HTML so I can fix blog problems myself.
  • Get finances in order and write a will. UPDATE: Derek has all our finances in order but we still need to do the will!
  • Have a tech free day.
  • Return to my pre-pregnancy weight. I joined the gym in the end of December and have been using the My Fitness Pal since the beginning of the year. I’m already down a few pounds and plan to keep it up!
  • Be fit enough to wear a bikini again. See above!
  • Go on a multi mile hike.
  • Try a new hairstyle.
  • Try sushi.
  • Learn what the different knives in my kitchen are used for.
  • Find a personal mantra.
  • Watch the sunrise in a beautiful place.
  • Binge watch a triology back to back to back. I do a lot of Netflix binging but haven’t technically done this with movie formats.
  • Do something scary.
  • Create a beauty routine that includes moisturizing.
  • Create a flossing routine. UPDATE: I have been working to get this to become a habit more than an afterthought. I’m going to give it a few more months before confirming I’m on the way to making this routine! Thanks Dayna!
  • Perfect a new craft. I mean I think I have my cross stitching skills down pat from all the stitch people type gifts I’ve been making the past few years but I also am itching to do a lot more with vinyl so I’ll add this as a contender. 
  • Learn how to grill. Derek did give me a demo about this last fall so I think I may give it a whirl when the weather is warmer!
  • Publish something.
  • Try 50 new recipes. UPDATE: I’m up to 22 of my 50 recipe goal! Once I hit 25 I’ll do a blog post showcasing them as there are many we’ve put into meal rotation.
  • Learn a new makeup technique. I’ve heard Sephora does some free classes so I need to look into this as an option to learn something new.
  • Volunteer my time somewhere. I do have a little more free time lately so this could be something that moves up on the list.
  • Attend another blog conference.
  • Complete 5 random acts of kindness. UPDATE: only completed 1 of 5. I need to be kinder apparently!
  • Complete 5 random acts of mail!
    • UPDATE: #1 package sent- Box of Sunshine
    • #2 package sent – Booed our nieces with a printable from Dylbug
    • #3 package sent – Wintertime Blues
  • Try a trendy new gym class. I have joined a new gym but the classes aren’t part of my membership. Guess I’ll need to just test out a different gym or get invited to some special event to cross this off. I’d really like to try Pure Barre but there isn’t one super close!

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Comments

  1. Danielle Forrest says

    February 23, 2019 at 3:21 pm

    You publish this blog all the time. I think that counts. And where is the love for Colorado on your states to visit!? You are doing great! Danielle

    Reply
    • Spot of Tea Designs says

      February 24, 2019 at 7:45 pm

      It was placed I hadn’t been before and I’ve been to Denver before when my friend lived there after college!

      Reply

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A while back I worked with @custompictureframes to A while back I worked with @custompictureframes to showcase different DIY ways to use their beautiful frames in different ways in your home. Their new website FINALLY launched and I'm happy to share the first post of mine that's on their blog! 
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Head to their site to check out how to make this cute clothing line style photo display using screw eyes in a frame. 
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If you're looking for new frames for the home, see their big selection that you can order in practically any size you need! I have several in my house (in fact they are the only frames we have hung up in our house since moving in 2 years ago).
They didn't offer basketball in our town this year They didn't offer basketball in our town this year due to everything going on and restrictions in indoor sports. If its still going on in your neck of the woods, celebrate your all star with these cute cookie topped cupcakes after a big game!
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See more of my basketball party hacks --> https://spotofteadesigns.com/basketball-party-hacks/
I'm so excited for today's blog post as it's the f I'm so excited for today's blog post as it's the first of a series for 2021! I'm now part of a fun collaboration with other fellow creators offering free cut files! @officialcricut and @silhouette.inc users alike will love these free designs that you can add to t-shirts, canvas bags, pillows or make them out of paper!
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I designed this Tic Tac Toe Valentine's t-shirt with my oldest in mind, as she loves games and always new need shirts for the themed days at school. Grab it and the 12 others (seen on the second image) on my blog, Spotofteadesigns.com. 
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Direct link --> https://spotofteadesigns.com/tic-tac-toe-valentines-free-cut-file/
❤️💗 Holiday Hashtag Series 💗❤️ Mark ❤️💗 Holiday Hashtag Series 💗❤️ Mark your calendars the fun three week series #DIYitsValentines starts Monday January 25th. There will be weekly features and lots of inspiration!!! So get your projects ready and say hello 🙋🏻‍♀️ to our fab and fun hostesses:
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We can’t wait to see your Valentine inspired DIY decor, parties, treats, and crafts! {📷: @giggles_galore} #crafts #diy
#ad Last year was tough for so many reasons, but o #ad Last year was tough for so many reasons, but one of the bright spots for us was the first year of our backyard garden! We’d call my mom on video chat for advice, took turns watering and weeding it, and eventually enjoyed all the vegetables, herbs and flowers for months. 
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We’re currently planning ahead for this year’s garden which involves sporting our mask whenever researching plant choices. I'm partnering with @choosenewjersey to remind you to #maskupnj and social distance yourselves when you’re not staying home.
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Things are changing daily in our state, but you can keep yourself informed with the latest updates on COVID by visiting https://covid19.nj.gov and downloading the free app for info on symptoms and exposure notification.
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Currently working on this year's Valentine's day m Currently working on this year's Valentine's day mantle but wanted to throw it back to the time when 37 year old me did macaroni art. 🤣
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