100 Things -- How Many Have You Done?

Here's a fun list of Life Stuff that I found on Dawn's blog, D'Blogala... You bold the ones you've done. I feel a sudden urge to travel to Europe to see Paris, and the Mona Lisa, and to go to Venice....

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to Disneyland

8. Climbed a mountain

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm at sea

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing

40. Seen Michelangelos David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted

48. Gone deep sea fishing

49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business

58. Taken a martial arts class

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been on a speeding motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Read the entire Bible

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Lost a loved one

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

100. Read an entire book in one day

Merry Meme

I do enjoy a good meme -- so courtesy of Terry and Gerrie, here's one for the season:

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot chocolate, made with real milk. (I can't stand that instant stuff made with water.) Although I do have to have an Eggnog Latte at Starbuck's each Christmastime.

Does Santa wrap presents or set them under the tree? Santa always wraps in plain red paper.

Colored lights on tree or white? Colored! It's more festive! But this year we have white and colored together, so it's VERY bright and sparkly.

When do you put your decorations up? Within the first two weeks of December. I like to get them up early as it helps to get me in the mood .... but it all depends on what else is going on. By Dec. 15, certainly.

What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? A raspberry jello dish that is so filled with raspberries that it's not jell0-y at all. It's sort of like raspberries held together and it's refreshing and wonderful and a gorgeous red color.

When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Truth? What truth? You mean that he doesn't do it all himself and has elves to help? Is there something someone's not telling me?

Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? When I was little, we opened one present on Christmas eve ... usually something from an aunt that turned out to be pajamas or some boring clothes thing. Now, we do Christmas eve at R's sister's house, and so presents on that side of the family are exchanged. Don't worry, there are more left for Christmas morning.

How do you decorate your Christmas tree? We have all different ornaments collected over the years, including wonderful ones made by Caroline in school. It's finished with strings of dark red wooden cranberries and strings of gold sparkly stars. C always puts a big ol' glittery gold star on top at the end.

Snow! Love it or Dread it? LOVE IT LOVE IT LOVE IT. I miss living in a place where it snows. When I lived in New England, I was always the one wishing for one more big blizzard before spring. That's what comes from growing up in California.

Can you ice skate? Yes. Love that, too.

Do you remember your favorite gift? It's a tie, between gifts my grandmother gave me. One year, it was a beautiful dress with a flowery print that had ribbons in the print. And if you looked closely at the ribbons, you saw that the ribbons spelled "Barbie." I LOVED that dress. Another year, when I was older, my grandma gave my sister and me our own blankets for our beds. Weirdly adult (and probably in an effort to help my mom) but for some reason getting that seemed so atypical of a gift for a kid that I loved it. Mine was white with blue flowers on it. I still have it and use it on my daughter's bed!

What’s the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Family and wonderful traditions that bring back great memories.

What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Shortbread Christmas cookies.

What is your favorite tradition? Oh boy, that's a hard one. Filling the Christmas stockings. Watching White Christmas every year. We started a new one last year, which I loved: filling travel mugs with hot chocolate after dinner, and driving around town to look at the Christmas lights.

Which do you prefer, Giving or Receiving? Mostly giving -- but it's wonderful to be given something by someone who knows you so well that they know JUST what you'd like.

What is your favorite Christmas Song? "White Christmas."

Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? I don't hate them, but I don't particularly like them. I like mint and chocolate together, though.

Ever recycled a Christmas present? Nope.

List Friday: Summer Reading!

Yay! Yay! It's List Friday! My friend Loretta over at PomegranatesandPaper has resumed one of my favorite bloggerly traditions, "List Friday!" And c'mon, who doesn't love a good list?!

This week, the topic is one that is dear to my heart: "Summer Reading." (Followed closely by fall reading, spring reading, and cozy winter reading...) Summer is all about reading for me, ever since I was a child and our summer vacation was punctuated by trips to the library ever two weeks to get new stacks of books to fill our voracious little minds. Now, I'm at the library every week or two, filling my library basket with a new assortment of novels to take me away and entertain me.

I'll tell you what I've been reading (and what I'm about to read) in a second...but what are YOU reading? What's on your nightstand? What book have you read lately that you just loved? What book will be the first one in your duffel bag when you head to the beach? Give me your suggestions in the comments or use a comment to link to your blog. I'm always happy to find new suggestions for future reading....

Okay... first, what I've read lately that I've really liked:

The President's Assassin by Brian Haig (he's the son of Alexander Haig, and he writes political thrillers with a sarcastic funny hero and lots of plot twists)

Magic Time by Doug Marlette (a guy who grew up in Mississippi in the 60's goes home and the effects of the civil rights turmoil are leaking into present day, where learns things about friends and family that shock him...)

Wit's End by Karen Joy Fowler (an intriguing and unusual mystery involving a writer who makes a miniature dollhouse featuring a murder scene for each mystery she writes, and her granddaughter who is sorting out which mysteries tell real family stories and which are fiction...)

Footprints in the Sand by Sarah Challis (Two cousins travel to Africa to scatter their grandmother's ashes, and don't know why she wanted them to go there...)

And here's what's ahead on the summer reading list:

Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen (I LOVED LOVED LOVED her first novel, Garden Spells)

If You Could See Me Now by Cecelia Ahern

Palace Council by Stephen L. Carter

The Way Life Should Be by Christina Baker Kline

I Was Told There'd be Cake by Sloane Crosley (just the title alone makes me want to read it)

The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted and other small acts of liberation by Elizabeth Berg

The Craft Meme

Today at my Practical Design workshop, Marilyn asked us about the various fiber arts we've been involved with over our lives, and especially what we did first as kids. It was fascinating as we went around the room talking about the various crafts we'd explored and how we landed on quilting as an art form.

And that started me thinking that it's the perfect topic for a meme. (Ooh, I'm originating one!) If you want to play, just copy and paste the list below into your own blog entry, and BOLD the ones that you've done at some time in your life.

I'll bet we've all tried most of them. But maybe not.

So-- BOLD the items if you've done the activity MORE THAN THREE TIMES (that is, more than experimenting or making one thing and abandoning the craft...) And post here in the comments so I can go look at your blog to see what you've done!

Embroidery

Needlepoint

Counted cross stitch

Tatting lace

Macrame

Pot holder weaving (with those stretchy knit loop things)

Spool knitting

Finger knitting

Sewing on cardboard or plastic cards

Sewing adult women's clothing

Sewing men's clothing

Sewing children's clothing

Home decorating sewing (curtains, pillows, slipcovers, etc.)

Knitting

Crochet

Weaving

Spinning yarn

Needle felting
Hmmm...haven't gotten to this yet but I have the supplies!

Wet felting
See above!

Lanyard weaving

Making doll clothes

Making dolls

Making stuffed animals

Liquid embroidery (remember THAT?!)

Basket weaving

Hand piecing fabric

Machine piecing fabric

Hand applique

Machine applique

Fusing fabric

Smocking
Once was enough.

Making yarn pom-poms

Making yarn flowers (with a daisy maker)

Other fiber craft/art (specify)

Another 25 questions

I'm really still off on my retreat (and having a FABulous time) but while I'm busy elsewhere I thought I'd post this fun little meme. Go head, answer them on your own blog and link back in the comments so I know what YOU said!

1. If you could build a house anywhere, where would it be?
Nantucket, preferably ‘Sconset.
2. What's your favorite article of clothing?
My pajamas. And my polka dot comfy sweater.
3. Favorite physical feature of the opposite sex?
Eyes. Oh, and wrists, too. Weird, I know, but there you have it.
4. What's the last CD that you bought?
Dixie Chicks, "Taking the Long Way"
5. Where's your favorite place to be?
Curled up in a comfy chair, in front of the fireplace, with a good novel
6. Where is your least favorite place to be?
In a big crowd
7. What's your favorite place to be massaged?
Shoulders and upper back. Oh, hands, too.
8. Strong in mind or strong in body?
Mind. (Working on body...)
9. What time do you wake up in the morning?
1:15am. 3:30 am. 5:20 am. It’s a mid-life thing.
10. What is your favorite kitchen appliance?
My cuisinart.
11. What makes you really angry?
Mistreatment of kids. The Bush administration. Lies.
12. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
Piano
13. Favorite colour?
Lately, pink. Pink, pink, pink, PINK.
14. Which do you prefer...sports car or SUV?
SUV
15. Do you believe in an afterlife?
Yes.
16. Favorite children's book?
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
17. What is your favorite season?
Winter
18. Your least favorite household chore?
Scrubbing the burner wells on the stovetop. And changing the top bunk.
19. If you could have one super power, what would it be?
General magic like Samanta Stevens on Bewitched....you know, wiggle my nose and appear in another place. Wiggle my nose and have the dishes washed. Wiggle my nose and stop time while I do something else. (I guess it's the "wiggly nose" superpower.)
20. If you have a tattoo, what is it?
None, nope, never. I find tattoos extremely unappealing.
21. Can you juggle?
Objects? Badly. Life stuff? Every minute of every day, honey.
22. The one person from your past that you wish you could go back and talk to?
My grandmother
23. What's your favorite day?
A rainy day with no place to go
24. What's in the trunk of your car?
I don’t have a trunk, per se, but the back of my SUV has my polka dotted umbrella
25. Which do you prefer, sushi or hamburger?
Depends on the weather. Burger for cold weather, sushi for warm weather.

2/2

It’s February 2nd.... 2/2, that is...so here’s a meme of two's (because it's been 2 long here without one, harhar) :

Two names you go by:
Mommy
Diane diane

Two parts of your heritage:
Italian
French

Two things that scare you:
The Bush Administration
The reptile/insect house at the zoo

Two things that make you really happy:
Reading in bed on Sunday morning
Watching Gemma chase her tail

Two everyday essentials:
Kenya coffee
My Sonicare toothbrush

Two things you are wearing right now:
My Mary Poppins watch
Pink Ugg boots

Two of your favourite current bands/artists:
Neil Finn
James Taylor

Two things you want in a relationship (other than love):
Kindness
Laughter
(and I can' t leave out honesty)

Two truths:
I dated a Disneyland Eyeore
I can’t eat just one Hershey’s chocolate nugget

Two favorite hobbies:
Quilting
Reading

Two things you have to do this week:
Assemble goodie bags for Caroline’s birthday party
Finish the quilt for Sean

Two stores you shop at:
Fabrications
Oakville Grocery

Two shows you like to watch:
Brothers and Sisters
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

Two things you'd buy if money were no object:
A house on Nantucket
An AQS longarm quilting machine

Two wishes for 2007:
Lots of time with good friends
Ongoing creative inspiration

Go ahead, list your "2's" on your blog and link in the comments so I can see what you're up 2!

Goodbye, 2006

Before 2007 gets more than a few hours old, I wanted to continue my annual tradition of remembering some personal highlights of 2006. So, here are some of the things that made 2006 a wonderful year for me and my family:

I watched the Artful Quilters Blog Ring really blossom in it second year...Can you believe it's just over 2 years old now? What a great assortment of words and pictures and inspiration and fun from such creative quilters!

I got to celebrate special birthdays with two of my best friends, Beth and Moe. Beth had a big birthday bash on a riverboat on the Sacramento River...it was pouring rain outside while we cruised, but we didn't care. And a bunch of us surprised Moe by flying down to Southern California to attend a surprise party for her. She was so surprised that she wss 2 hours late to her own party!

I learned to knit lace for the first time and finished a lace shawl. This was quite the feat. And although I enjoy the shawl, I won't be doing that lace thing again any time soon.

I got to meet in person two people I'd admired from afar: Frieda Anderson (in a fun workshop) and Annie Smith of the wonderful quilting podcast Quilting Stash. I really appreciate the inspiration they provide. And both are lovely, friendly women.

We enjoyed a wonderful visit with our friends Silvia and Paolo from Guatemala. We miss them so much now that the no longer live near us and we treasure getting to see them when we can.

I got a new, double-wide computer monitor and it has changed my work life! This may sound silly, but it allows me to work with two screens open side by side, or two document pages. I remember vacillating about buying the extra wide screen...and I am SO glad I did. It's one of those things I use every day and it really makes computer life better.

My family enjoyed a great snowy vacation in Lake Tahoe and had the fun of seeing our lab Gemma encounter snow for the first time. I still smile picturing her bounding like a kangaroo through the deep snow.

I had two (TWO!) wonderful quilt retreats at Bishop's Ranch with the usual fun ranch hands. I'm already looking forward to the April retreat.

We watched Caroline grow and develop confidence as a creative performing artist with the Imagination Foundation. She (and we!) were so happy when they chose Caroline's idea to use a Chinese folk tale as the basis of their spring performance. Seeing this group of kids, from 9 to 14, work together to create their own theatrical work is really impressive.

I got to see Roger have the satisfaction of finishing his major textbook and hold the results of his hard work in his hands. What an accomplishment!

And we celebrated with a memorable family vacation on Maui. What a great time that was. (Gee, I'd love a Blue Hawaii about now...)

Caroline and I indulged our Toontown obsession and had a great mother-daughter weekend at Toonfest in Burbank. (I turned our photos into a hard-bound book via Kodak's Easy Share Gallery and made a great souvenir, too.)

I got a wonderful, gorgeous, fabulous new car! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE my car. It makes me happy just to sit in it.

I enjoyed the friendship and inspiration of a new quilting minigroup--and look forward to more fun, chat, and inspiration!

I made 9 finished quilts and completed several other quilt tops...that, along with the other things I've started along the way...

I got two quilts accepted to Pacific International Quilt Festival and had the fun of lurking around them to hear viewers' comments when the quilts were hanging at the show.

We survived our vandalism experience with the support of friends and neighbors, we learned we have really good insurance companies, and we now are enjoying the silver lining of it all: two new couches, new carpeting, and a whole new look to the living room!

I saw Caroline move to a new school with bravery and confidence and eagerness to make new friends. Watching her accomplish this significant transition for a 10 year old so gracefully has really made me proud of her and pleased for her.

And truly the best highlights of the year? Those moments with friends and family that aren't big events but just make me feel great to have such wonderful people in my life.

May the upcoming new year see us all surrounded by the love and laughter of our friends and family!

Playin' Around

Well, now that I've got time on my hands, I've found some lovely ways to fool around.

In the mood for a lovely, wintery game? Try Winterbells. It's charming and amazingly addictive. And the music is so soothing.

Want something more upbeat and graphic? Try these squares.

Did you know you can play Battleship online? I loved this game as a kid.

I've discovered I'm quite good at online miniature golf...better than I am in person.

How's your aim at tossing paper into the trash can? You can practice here.

Or if you just want to mindless pop bubblewrap? Go crazy here.

Oh, and in case you need to send some holiday thank-yous before you can play without guilt? Well, here you go.

Good thing I didn't discover all of this before I got my work done.