2009 On The Porch Swing Reading Challenge

Each challenge should be a different book.

1. Pick a title with the word "marriage" or "marrying" or "married" in it

2. Pick a title with the word "friends" or "friendship" in it

3. Pick a title with the word "summer" or "winter" in it

4. Pick a title with a flower name in it

I haven't decided yet if these will be historicals, mysteries, non-fiction, or fantasy or a mish-mash of genres...but I love this woman's challenges (her blog is fascinating too, so click on my post title and take a peek; she's the genius behind this graphic!)...Paperback Swap, here I come!

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In Their Shoes Reading Challenge 2009

a challenge for memoirs through the Yahoo "On the Porch Swing" reading group (click my title for the group manager's blog; she's the artist behind this wonderful graphic)...

"Memoir" is defined by Merriam-Webster's online dictionary as a narrative composed from personal experience.

Read 4 MEMOIRS in 2009 and you have met the challenge!

Watch this space for updates...and join me if you would like!

1) Harry, A History: The True Story of a Boy Wizard, His Fans, and Life Inside the Harry Potter Phenomenon (Paperback) http://www.harryahistory.com/

Yes, I am a devoted Harry Potter fan and love reading The Leaky Cauldron, http://www.the-leaky-cauldron.org/ so when I learned Ms. Anelli was writing about her experiences inside the HP phenomenon, I knew I would be anxiously awaiting her book.

Just as I laughed and cried at Harry, Ron, Hermione and all the others, I laughed and cried with Melissa and Emerson and John and Jo. An aspiring writer myself, Ms. Anelli's way of sucking us in to her doubts and her dreams had me reading long into the night. 4.75/5

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Happy New Year! Counting My Blessings!

Here it is, 2009, and I missed many chances to write, rant, and rave the last several months--from the election (Good Luck, President-Elect Obama) to several crafting days followed by a birthday (53 and still going strong LOL), then the busy holiday season, I have been Blessed to laugh, cry and in general experience a wonderful life to the fullest.

It has been said that the things one chooses to accomplish the first day of a new year are the things that will remain important throughout that year. Today is a day to write. It is a day to clean house. It is a day to eat healthy food. It is a day to craft. It is a day to reflect on my blessings--friends who love and support me; good health (for an obese middle-aged woman); a wonderful job with a supportive management team and a stable income; faith in a Higher Power than sustains me even when I don't always take the time to acknowledge Her presence as I should; and life in a country that for all its faults, still presents untold opportunities for success.

May you also be Blessed this year with all you deserve and more!

Art Day Accomplishments

Got some great embellishments done yesterday at an Art Day hosted by a close friend, Beverly (check out her blog at http://www.gottheartart.blogspot.com/).

I love paint chips as they fill so many of my crafting needs: 1) they come in every color of the rainbow; 2) they are sturdy, so they work well with punches and die-cutting machines (note to self--try using in an embossing folder); 3) they also come in great textures and shapes (some also have windows already cut in them); 4) they are readily available; and 5) they are economical (read free).

Some chips I ran thru her Big Shot using the scalloped Spellbinders shapes ( http://www.spellbinders.us/) so that I could do the spirelli technique. I usually use various Kreinik blending filaments as my thread--see this cool article http://www.kreinik.com/articles/news.php?newsid=78

Other chips were die cut with Spellbinders dies (they hold the embossed details very well). Finally, Dutch Boy paint chips have these great square windows so fibers can be threaded thru or stamped images placed behind.

Came home tired but with lots of elements to work with for cards, bookmarks, ATCs or even holiday ornaments. What more could a girl want?

Icky Feelings Behind Ike

Well, www.weather.com is predicting all sorts of severe weather even into northeast Texas due to Hurricane Ike.

 

A well-meaning friend sent the standard hurricane preparation e-mail around at work today, and I lost it.  Tears and all, I even called my boss to see if I could have part of Friday night off (before any of the weather is even scheduled to be here). 

 

Gratefully, she has some common sense and a soothing manner.  She knows I live on the second floor in a well-built apartment complex and that my building has both a building to the south of me and one to the north, so that my balcony and front door are somewhat concealed from bad weather.  Her practical suggestions included listening to music or watching movies rather than the radio or TV, and working my regular schedule to stay busy.

 

She's right of course--I allowed the "what if's" to take over for a moment or two...thanks to the Creator for good friends who are supportive but who also don't allow me to lose self-confidence.

 

To all those in the path of Ike...my thoughts and prayers are with you...stay safe...leave if you need to; possessions are not the important thing, people (and pets) are...

 

Blessings to all...