thirty seven before thirty eight

I recently had a birthday and decided I would take my inspiration from Andrea over at hula seventy who loves making lists and, particularly likes making lists of things to do during the year before her next birthday. Of course it is just a fun list and not one to be flogged over, but here goes:
37 Things to do before I Turn 38
1. Master at least basic chords in several keys on my guitar so I can strum to a family sing-a-long.
2. Do the 40 Days for Nothing spending hiatus again.
3. Host an evening with friends with a dry read of a play.
4. Eliminate all dependence on my electric dryer.
5. Get bikes for the whole family (mine with a nostalgic/vintage basket); discover local paths. New bikes for three of the children and Little Queen will get her's this summer.  Got a new bike for The Prof, but then decided pregnancy might not be the time for me to take up such an endeavor...soon, though, very soon.
6. Attend a star-gazing party hosted by the local astronomer's club.
7. Bake bread at least weekly; teach my daughters to knead.
8. Read twenty books, including a classic fiction (I'm thinking possibly Austen or Dickens here).
9. Learn and use the manual settings on my camera.  I am still working on this, but have started dabbling more in the manuals and need to spend more time with my new lens.
10. Attend an ordination.
11. Make home cleansers to replace store-bought chemicals.
12. Attend Hot Air balloon festival in New Mexico (October!).
13. Visit the McDonald Observatory
14. Visit Our Lady of Guadalupe Monastery in Silver City, New Mexico
15. Weekly crafting dates with my eldest daughter.
16. Tour an olive orchard.
17. Plant new trees in the yard, including an olive tree; bury placentas. (I know you wanted to read that!)
18. Host a monthly dinner party.
19. Learn to knit.  Well, not really, but I took a lesson with my daughter and kinda decided to put this skill off for a while.
20. Have a handmade Christmas.
21. Memorize a piano piece.
22. Renew my passport; get passports for the children.  I am in the research stage of this project.
23. Add regularly to my nature journal.
24. Get family portrait taken. Hit a local photobooth for fun family photo shoot.
25. Landscape a fence and begin work on Children's Retreat.  We've got some plans on paper for this and some vivid ideas of what we'd like;  so, I'd say it is started.
26. Take a class.
27. Learn new embroidery stitches.
28. Find a yummy adult beverage, learn to make it, make it a Suburban Ranch trademark drink. (Cosmopolitan? )
29. Make the girls' wardrobe for one entire season; make the new additions for my own seasonal wardrobe.
30. Eat locally for two weeks.
31. Head to the Big City and wander around downtown.  I'd like to do more of this and WITH my camera;  my couple of excursions were wonderfully impromptu and almost surreptitious which is the best way!
32. Teach a childbirth or parenting class at a crisis pregnancy center.
33. Acquire a working, antique, red(!) manual typewriter.  They are not red, but I got two beauties thanks to my fabulous Uncle David.  Now for a table/display area and some fresh ink.
34. Regularly surprise my family and husband with treats and my friends/long-distance family with letters or small gifts.
35. Use public transit for one regular destination.
36. Attend a concert at the Kerrville Folk Festival.  We ended up being out of town for the ordination during this event. 
37. Have a baby! Hey, the clock is ticking and I've got so many baby names yet unused...Well, I thought this was surely the least likely on my list, and it didn't quite happen before I turned 38 but rather close.  Hurray!