50 shades of summer… august (part 5)

The challenge in coming up with my 50 shades of summer list was having a variety of things on the list. I wanted to include things that used my brain (working a jigsaw puzzle or learning a new card game), things that used my senses (cooking, watching a sunset/sunrise), things that were relaxing (watching movies, reading), etc. These next four items were things that stirred my creativity.

The pottery painting stores have always intrigued me. I took my youngest daughter and her friend one time - a long time ago- and had fun but never went back by myself or with my friends which is why painting pottery (#49) made my list. I went with a friend (thanks, Laurie, for the encouragement!) and had a great time. I knew exactly what I wanted to make - a small bowl/dish to use as a candy dish. I am not very gifted in the painting department so chose to do the inside white (I don't remember the exact shade of white - there are about a hundred!) and the outside a shade of purple. The challenge was that the color it goes on is not the color it will be once it's fired. Fortunately they had tiles that showed the post-firing color which helped. I added some dots (the extent of my originality) and left it to be fired.

I love the way my candy dish turned out!

I enjoy two very different kinds of needle crafts but seldom make time to do anything with them. Soon after we got married I made Christmas stockings for the two of us using felt appliqué and sequin kits. I discovered I really enjoyed putting them together, using different embroidery stitches, watching the sequins add depth and sparkle and have since made eleven stockings (one for each of our daughters, their husbands and our grandchildren). I found a felt appliqué/sequin ornament kit and decided to use it to make a Christmas ornament (#23).  The best part? An ornament comes together much quicker than a stocking!

The other needle craft I enjoy is crocheting - ok, technically it's a hook, not a needle. Making a blanket (#46) was pretty quick once I decided to do a car seat blankie for our newest granddaughter expected to arrive in November. I wanted to practice before making her a bigger blankie - and the car seat one was just the right size!

I had fun making these projects - and can't wait to make the bigger blankie!

Sewing (with my sewing machine) is a love-hate relationship. I love it when everything works out  right (no measurement mistakes, broken needles, tension issues, etc.) and hate it when it doesn't! I put making a valence (#7) on my list so that I would get it done. Richard replaced the baseboards and repainted my office before we replaced the carpet in the spring. My window valence was in definite need of a facelift was well. I finally found the fabric I wanted - a black floral print on a white background - and went to work. I have made all the valences in our house for the past 26 years and, fortunately, everything worked out right so it did not take me long to do this one. The end result is an updated look to my office!

I love the contrast of my new valence and how it ties everything together.

I used to think being creative meant coming up with an original artistic project. I have since come to view creativity as creating something - sometimes it's an original project and sometimes it is adding your own "flair" to an existing pattern. I had a blast letting my creative juices flow!

50 shades of summer … august (part 4)

My last post showed activities from my 50 Shades of Summer list that I did with friends - and I had a blast doing them. But sometimes it's nice to be alone and the next five items are, by nature, more solitary things.

I often lament not having enough time to read so I set aside one whole day to just read a book (#31). That day, August 26th, began very early for me as it was also the day I chose to watch the sun rise (#44). I got up at 5:15 WHILE IT WAS STILL DARK so that I could get my coffee, set up my camera and be somewhat awake by the time the sun actually rose at 5:58am. The thing about sunrises and sunsets is that you never know if you're going to get a so-so one or a knock-your-socks-off one. That morning God blessed me with a stunning sunrise full of vibrant color and an overcast sky - the kind that makes you glad you rolled out of bed to see it.

There were roughly 12 hours between the end of sunrise and dinnertime. I don't think anyone could read for 12 hours straight but I did spend about eight hours reading The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (recently made into a movie). I enjoy historical fiction and have read several Holocaust novels but this one was from an entirely different perspective. The narrator of the story is Death and the central character is a young German girl. That's all you're going to get from me other than to say it was one of the best books I've read in a long time - well worth the time.

As I was standing outside watching the sun rise, the weather app on my phone said it was 82° - a pleasant start to an August day! I read for several hours on the patio before retreating inside to the air-conditioning.

I looked for opportunities to anonymously buy a stranger lunch (#40) all summer but had trouble finding the right time - and the right person. I finally realized I was being judgmental, looking for someone who was "worthy." Ouch. The idea was to anonymously bless someone, to do a random act of kindness without looking for recognition. Given that parameter, anyone and everyone was "worthy" so finally I waited in the drive-through line at a popular fast food restaurant. When a car pulled up behind me, I moved forward and placed my order, then proceeded to the pick-up window. When I told the employee I wanted to pay for the car behind me, he asked if I knew them. I replied that I did not, but I wanted to buy their lunch. With a confused look on his face, he said, "But you don't even know what they ordered!" I replied that while it was true I didn't know, he did know and could tell me how much I owed him. He finally broke out in a huge smile and said that he had never had someone pay for someone they didn't know and it was the nicest thing he'd ever seen. While I really hope it wasn't the nicest thing he'd ever seen, it did get me to realize that random acts of kindness often have a ripple effect. This was one of my favorite summer activities and one I plan on repeating. And obviously, there are no photos - taking pictures makes it difficult to be anonymous!

We watched two movies in August - the 1966 blockbuster Fantastic Voyage (#27) with Stephen Boyd and Raquel Welch and the 2013 hit 2 Guns (#22) with Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg. I saw Fantastic Voyage as a child when it first appeared on the big screen and wondered if miniaturization technology would be possible when I was a grown-up. While we aren't shrinking people, having them swim through someone's blood vessels and then hop out through a tear duct before they regain regular size, nano-technology is often in the news. 2 Guns was a fun, athough somewhat predictable, movie about two federal agents working together without realizing the other is also in law enforcement. 

Although very different, we enjoyed both movies. It's fun to rewatch older movies that were cutting-edge in special effects at the time (Fantastic Voyage won an Oscar for Special Visual Effects!) and see how much farther we've come.

With all the busyness in trying to finish up this list this month, it was nice to have some relaxing things to do. It's good to have balance!

50 shades of summer - august (part 3)

At least two things happen when I do things with friends: time flies and there is much laughter. The next five things we did in August on my 50 shades of summer list were things that are more fun doing with other people - playing games, swimming, hosting a party and learning how to do something.

We love to play games but often get stuck in a rut playing the same few games all the time. I play Words With Friends quite a bit but it has been years since I played an actual game of Scrabble (#4 on my list). And although we like card games, we generally play the same two - Uno or Phase Ten - so it was definitely time to play a new card game (#32). Our friends, Mike and Laurie, were good sports and played not one but two games of Scrabble with us when we went to the Grand Canyon. And before that they taught us a new card game, Euchre - a four-player trump game. It's fun and pretty easy to learn. Before we knew it, we were hooked!

Fun & games!

We used to go swimming at night all the time, especially when the kids lived at home. For some reason, we just don't go when it's the two of us which is why a late night swim (#42) made the list. Our grandson, Christopher, spent two weeks with us and couldn't wait to swim at night - something he had NEVER done before - so we had quite a few night-time swims while he was here. 

The darkness and quietness make night-time swimming more serene and relaxing - the perfect way to end the day. And yes, we really got in the pool with him ;-)

I read somewhere that hosting an impromptu party is fun and less stressful than planning a big, elaborate affair. The tips were to keep it simple and to invite a lot of people since there isn't a lot of notice. After deciding on a  "Make-Your-Own Sundae" party (#35), I posted the invitation on my Facebook page six or seven days before the big day. About a dozen people were able to make it and we laughed and talked as we ate our sweet, creamy concoctions.

I was having such a good time that I totally forgot to take any photos of the ice cream sundaes - but everyone seemed to have a good time!

After visiting a pineapple plantation in Hawaii five years ago, I wanted to try growing a pineapple (#48) but "hadn't had time"to do it - until now. I enlisted the help of Mike & Laurie who lived in Hawaii for six years. They knew how to do it "the Hawaiian way" and I found different directions online. Mike twisted the top off a Tropicana pineapple while I cut the top off a Del Monte pineapple. We then placed each top in a shallow pan of water. That was where the similarity between the directions ended. My online directions said to remove the top from the water after three days and plant it in potting soil. Mike & Laurie said to wait until the top had sprouted roots and then plant it; it took seven days for roots to sprout. 

The pineapple plant on the left is the Del Monte one I planted using the internet directions and I used Mike & Laurie's "recipe" for the Tropicana one on the right.  Both were placed placed inside by a window. Now we wait a couple of years to see if we get a baby pineapple! 

Note: An advantage to waiting so long to post this is I can now tell you that the Del Monte one turned brown immediately after planting it (perhaps because it had not sprouted roots before planting?) - and completely bit the dust when Richard forgot to open the shade when he was home alone - in other words, it was sun-deprived. However, five months later, the Tropicana one still looks great and is getting bigger!

50 shades of summer - august (part 2)

The next five items we did in August on my 50 shades of summer list are places we visited. We spent an entire year traveling around the state of Arizona in 2012 but only one place on our summer list was out of town. It was fun to visit a new place and rediscover a couple of "old" ones.

Butterfly Wonderland (#50) in north Scottsdale opened in the spring of 2013 and features the largest butterfly pavilion in America. This was my first time to visit and I must admit it is pretty impressive! I watched brand new butterflies emerge from their chrysalises and saw butterflies native to tropical rain forests. The only downside is that it is very humid - like dripping wet, hits-you-in-the-face-like-a-wet-blanket humid - inside the butterfly pavilion. Fortunately, you can walk in and out as many times as you'd like and see some of the other exhibits in between.

Yes, that's steam rising in the pavilion! I was told it is what gives the butterflies their vibrant color.

Nothing says summertime like watching a baseball game and I try to get to at least one Diamondbacks game every summer. I love that their ball field (Chase Field - although it will forever be BOB to me!) has a retractable roof which is closed in the hot part of the summer and I can watch the game in air-conditioned comfort! We rode the light rail (sorry, no photo!) and had dinner downtown (#30) at the ballpark  - a Windy City dog! MmmmMmmm!!

The Diamondbacks played the Padres the night we were there (8/28 and #16 on my list). Unfortunately, no amount of my cheering helped them and they lost 5-1.

The Grand Canyon is one of my favorite places in Arizona and we usually go to the South Rim because it is so much closer. This summer, a trip to the North Rim (#2) was in order. We went with friends of ours and introduced them to the wonders of the North Rim making it their favorite rim as well!

Mike, Laurie, Richard and I spent a weekend at the North Rim. It is the cooler (as in temperature, but also as in more rad!), greener, more vibrant rim - and my personal favorite! As an added bonus, it rained while we were there - nothing like watching the rain pour down in the middle of the canyon while you stay perfectly dry on the rim!

It had been more than five years since I was at the Arizona Museum of Natural History (#36) and it was an excellent way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Visiting a museum is a fun way to stay cool during the heat of the summer!  We enjoyed walking through the dinosaur, Native Americans in Arizona and Arizona animals exhibits. 

I think the "autosaurs" were my favorite dinosaurs. They are made entirely of recycled automobile parts! And, of course, Richard cannot resist "playing" with the more conventional dinosaurs!

 I highly recommend both exploring new places and going back to places you've been and liked. You never know when you'll find a new favorite! Establishments change things up periodically to keep visitors coming back and nature is constantly changing. Either way new adventures await you!

50 shades of summer - august (part 1)

As I alluded to in a much earlier post, August was busy until the very last minute as I frantically tried to finish the remaining TWENTY-NINE (yes, more than half!) items on my 50 Shades of Summer list. (Note to self for next summer - pace yourself!)

Did I get them all done? Yes, but with two asterisks - bet you can't guess which ones! Since there were so many left to do, I am breaking the accounting into several posts. And I promise not to wait several months between them! ;-)

So without further ado, here is the first batch... all about food!

Big chain coffee shops (read: Starbucks, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, etc.) are everywhere and you know exactly what's on the menu. I have to admit, I frequent them fairly often but finding an independent coffee shop is a real treasure. I had four new-to-me coffee places on my list and visited three of them in August  - SoZo Coffee House (#28), Inside the Bungalow (#24) and Bold Roost (#34). I had a mocha at each one and they were all delicious. SoZo Coffee House has fabulous cookies and Inside the Bungalow has scrumptious homemade breakfast casseroles. Bold Roost has a limited breakfast and lunch menu but since I visited there in the late afternoon, I didn't eat anything. I am, however, looking forward to returning during a meal time.

Three different friends joined me on my coffee house adventures. I introduced my grandson, Christopher, to the wonderful world of mochas (decaf, of course!) which he enjoyed so much we went back to SoZo a second time! Inside the Bungalow (LL) is located in downtown Mesa and used to be Coffee Talk. Its whimsical interior makes it a fun place. Bold Roost (LR) in located in Gilbert in a strip center. The industrial decor gives it a workplace feel.

Making s'mores (#43) proved to be a bit of a challenge since I really wanted to make them over a campfire and there are always fire restrictions during the summer. But persistence paid off. We walked over to a camping and picnic area across from the lodge where we stayed at Jacob Lake (during our Grand Canyon trip - a later post!) and noticed that they allowed campfires in their fire pits. The catch was we didn't have any firewood, I forgot to bring the marshmallow forks and it was closed for the day. While that might be enough to stop some people, it was not enough to stop me. As we walked around I realized the camper belonging to the camp host for the picnic area and campground was located nearby so I knocked on his door to ask if there was any way we could build a campfire and make s'mores. He was quite agreeable and even helped us get our campfire going. We purchased a bag of firewood from him, gathered some kindling, built a fire, sharpened twigs... and voilá! S'MORES!!!  

Graham Cracker + chocolate bar + roasted marshmallow + graham cracker on top = a gooey, sweet treat!

I had three foods left on my list that I needed to make: homemade granola (#47), breakfast for dinner (#45) and something (anything) made out of phyllo dough (#1). I like granola on my yogurt but don't like the high calorie count in store-bought ones so I looked for a recipe with minimal sugar and fat. I ended up combining two recipes and used rolled oats, flaxseed, a variety of chopped nuts, honey, orange juice, vegetable oil, cinnamon and cloves - and it was delish! Breakfast for dinner was a special treat when I was growing up.  Or at least I thought it was -  but in reality it was probably just a quick dinner when my mom was in a hurry. For my trip down memory lane I made eggs scrambled with spinach, mushrooms and cheese, toast and sliced peaches. It was every bit as good as I remembered it! All that was left was making something out of phyllo dough (paper-thin sheets of unleavened flour dough commonly used for making pastries). I had never used phyllo dough before despite it being on my "To Do" list for the last three years. I chose a recipe called Lusciously Nutty Holiday Logs but used pecans instead of walnuts. They were heavenly!! And easy to make!! And really, every day celebrates something so you could make them all year long!

Three tempting taste treats!

"Bon appetit!"

                ~ Julia Child

I'm back!!

I know I've been silent for awhile. Not literally, of course, but in my blog. I am, in fact, waaaaay behind in finishing up my "50 Shades of Summer" list from last summer. (The good news is I have finally finished all those posts and will be posting them in rather quick succession.)

So what exactly has kept me so busy? Living life.

September and October were months of unplanned but necessary time-eaters. I don't mean that in a negative way - the time-eaters had positive outcomes - but as there are only a finite number of hours in a day, unplanned time-eaters must take the place of something else. I try very hard not to waste time so I have very little "extra time." This is when I was reminded that prioritizing is essential in living life.

I was in North Carolina with our oldest daughter and her family for the entire month of November. I was there to "help" while they welcomed a new baby, turning their family of six into a family of seven (more on that in a later post!). It was while I was there that I was reminded that living life is often an adventure and usually a little hectic. And while we are living life it is sometimes necessary to let some things - even important things - slide for a time.

Christmas is always a busy season filled with more than the usual number of activities. This year was especially hectic as it was a shortened season with Thanksgiving being so late in November. But it was during this very busy and sometimes chaotic time that I was reminded that keeping traditions is part of living life and is good for our well-being.

Just two days after Christmas, before we even put away the Christmas decor, we were on our way to Hawaii for two weeks. It is important to take time to relax, recharge, and see and do different things. These opportunities are part of living life… and, as I discovered, they often require stepping outside your comfort zone, being courageous!

I realize everyone is busy living life. And it's easy to get caught up in the busyness of it all. I also realize I need to be more consistent in blogging if I intend to continue. After thinking about all the "lessons" I learned during these past few months, I came up with a plan.

Wacky Wednesday. Beginning February 5th, and every Wednesday after that,  I will post something just a little bit wacky or random. It might be an opinion on some current event or a weird product I found or a photo of something I saw or … well, the possibilities are practically endless. (I am sure some of the things I previously mentioned will appear there!) This will ensure I post something at least once a week.

Of course, I will still blog about the other things going on as I live life and walk by faith. And I hope you'll leave me a comment or two sharing your thoughts on this new plan.