::honest scrap::

The Honest Scrap Guidelines~
1) Say thanks to the presenter of the award.
2) Share 10 Honest Things about yourself.
3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs you find brilliant in content and/or design or those who have encouraged you and then inform them of such, of course.

an award from my friend, april. thanks april - you're one of my favorite reads (xoxoxo). she has fab taste in music, photography and adorable hats.

i love this award as it tends to make people dig a bit deeper to find out things about themselves but...after about 18 months on this blog, i'm not sure if i have any old tidbits to share with you all....much less ten. whew. that's a lot when you're counting them down. but i'll give it a go (trying not to bore you completely out of your head). plus, the last post was sort of a downer (but important to share).

10:: i'm a movie nut and though i will go see a chick flick with my friends, the movies that i really love are the sci-fi ones. give me a good sci-fi movie and i'm in heaven. once, i went to a star trek movie by myself and was the only female in the theater.

9:: i have this weird rule where i try not to talk politics or religion on my blog because i've seen too many people get way judgmental about both subjects. i've even lost friendships because people couldn't agree to disagree. however, i will be happy to answer any questions you have as long as you agree that we all have a right to an opinion.

8:: i love pretty panties and back in the day would just randomly buy new ones because i liked the colors or the pattern. conversely, i hate bras and tend to wear two or three favorites all the time.

7:: i do not wear white shoes (except athletic shoes) after labor day or before easter. i know fashion rules have become rather lax about this whole issue and i've tried doing it but it just feels wrong.

6:: i have a horrible habit of nicknaming everyone i know. i think part of that stems from having to live with a nickname almost my entire life. char is the first nickname that i loved - even though everyone else says my family nickname (lanie) is so cute. (ugh)

5:: i'm an avid reader - everything from magazines to textbooks. if it's in this house, i've probably read it at one time or another. as a child, i would take a volume of the encyclopedia and read it like a novel. if i find an author i like, i binge on reading them until i'm glutted.

4:: mean people and rude people really tick me off. not that i think everyone has to wear white gloves and be insipid, nor do i think that white lies are always the best way to go - but i think there is a kind way to deal with most things and wish that everyone could figure that out.

3:: in light of number four, i think people who make jokes that are hurtful and go 'just kidding' really meant what they said and, therefore passive-aggressive behavior like that really ticks me off too.

2:: as i'm typing this out and thinking, jurassic park is on for like the billionth time and i'm watching it. i do that with movies i like and books - watch or read them over and over and over. movies i watch whenever they are on: when harry met sally, jaws, field of dreams, anything alfred hitchcock, and twister. there's probably more but these are the ones that pop in my head. books i've read repeatedly: little women, the secret garden, ten little indians, living a beautiful life, and to kill a mockingbird.

1:: i totally hate shaving my legs. it seems like such a waste of time and effort when i could shave them again the next day. but, i can't stand to see hairy legs either so i guess i would do it regardless - i think it's a plot invented by men as payback for us making them shave their faces.

now:: i think i'm supposed to give this award out to some other people. i forget how many (looks back quickly - seven). i suck at this - that should have been number one. so, i'm going with dani, beth, toni, christina, kate (country girl), cora, cassandra, awww hell. i always feel sort of hurt when i don't get included - so, here's the deal - this is the part of awards that i really hate, the naming of some and not naming some others. i think everyone i read is pretty fab and i'm always interested in new stuff about them. if you want to play along - go for it. if you don't like awards and think this is way too long - all good, no worries.

seven, lucky seven

psst - check it out...i'm over here too.

there are times in the blog world that you meet new and fun people from across the miles, across the oceans and across the hemispheres. meeting toni from little suitcase was a delightful surprise. she has an easy manner that appeals to me, whether it's picture taking, quilting, her family, or cooking - she reads so calm and relaxed that it makes me happy. so, she sent along this little award - since i've had a long day crafting with one of my nieces and playing carpool mommy, i will take the easy way out and play along with this meme. no tags because generally everyone hates tags lately. play if you like to....or not.

i wonder what i haven't already told you....
:: i was in the court for my senior year military ball - i didn't win queen because it was based on who raised the most money. but it was fun to walk in the lead out under the crossed sabers. i was running a 103 fever that night, but i wasn't going to miss the dance.
:: i have three main doodles that i doodle whenever i'm in a meeting - cube/boxes, flowers, and capital cursive l's. over and over - up and down the sides of the notepad. i'm sure some therapist could make something out of that happening but i'm not sure why i do it.
:: i got married instead of going to college and always regretted that i didn't have the typical college experience with other people my age; however, i deeply believe because i waited to go to college that i appreciate it more.
:: when i was five i told my grandmother that she wasn't a 'real' grandmother because she wore red fingernail polish.
:: i'm a star trek geek and have seen every movie with all the varied casts. i remember going to one alone and being the only woman in the theater.
:: my love life motto is 'if that's the way that you want it, that's the way i want it more' - can you name the song?
:: i grew up loving television - it was always on in our house. instead of thinking it numbed my brain, i think i picked up a lot of interesting tidbits of knowledge and trivia - not everything i watched was trash. i can also sing all the words to 'i'm just a bill (up on capital hill)'

so there is my list, if the people above choose to play along, they will need to...
:: post the logo of the blog love token
:: thank and link to the person who passed it on to them
:: list seven things about themselves
:: pass the token on to seven other bloggers (and leave comments on their blogs to let them know they have been loved).

why i love words...or what happened on the way to the playground

1:: i didn’t always like reading. i had difficulty learning to read because i was so shy. if asked to read aloud in my reading group, i would stammer and stumble across words. as children laughed and pointed I would retreat further in my shell. i had difficulty spelling because of performance anxiety and those stupid friday spelling tests. if relaxed at home, i could spell all day long but under test conditions i would fold. finally my mom bought a scrabble game in desperation do i could learn to spell under pressure conditions. her trick worked. she never eased up on me and it was always my goal to finally beat her. that didn’t happen until high school.

2:: i was sick a lot as a child. always with strep throat or some other sickness and stayed in bed a lot during winter. as a treat my father would bring home treats to cheer me up. he loved comic books and started me off on the donald Duck or the like until i built up to archie or the marvel comics he adored. later, he would bring me nancy drew, donna parker or hardy boys. i would curl up with those books along with the orange sherbet and ginger ale concoctions they would make me to soothe my throat. i still devour books in bed and this is one of my favorite comfort things to do.

3:: my competitive streak finally kicked in about fourth grade when i discovered i got along better if i didn’t duck and shy away. i would show the other kids i was a good reader too. i had a wonderful teacher that year who let us build construction paper chains by the number of books we read. i was focused on having the longest chain in the class. we could also get extra points by bringing food that represented our books or some other “project”. it was a way to lose ourselves in books. i lived to be Jo March during those days. well, jo or madam curie. But i didn’t like that whole dying thing about curie but i did love that she discovered something so amazing.

4:: reading bailed me out of a lot of tests and homework. i have a pretty good memory and i rarely studied for tests. instead i would read all of the material the night before the test and do good enough to pass. this worked until i went to college and found out the the system up was mucked up and more difficult than memorization. i actually had to learn to study and that sucked.

5:: reading and words transported me away from some very bad times. i grew up in a household with a terminally ill child, an largely absent father (he worked from dawn to dusk) and a mother too distracted by a sick child and other children. i could go to my room, get a book and put on my headphones and be anywhere else in the world. i actually learned more about sex from books than from my mother. her version of the birds and bees was basically, “you will bleed, men expect sex, you will get pregnant”. yeah. one day, walking with some friends we found a old tattered copy of “sweet savage love” by rosemary rogers (yes, i remember the title to this day). we were 12 and it was hot. it described sex in romantic, tawdry, sexual, dirty, steamy ways. we sat in our hideout and read passages. we underlined and passed the book around. we giggled and snickered. it was great until my mom found the book and threw it away after lecturing me about how disgusting it was. (funny after finding her stash of 'true confessions' under her bed.)

6:: my grandmother lived in philly and we didn’t get to see her but once or twice a year. she believed in mailing magazine subscriptions and then i got the youth version of reader’s digest condensed books. it wasn’t until a few years later i realized how condensed the books really were and enjoyed getting to read the full version.

7:: i learned that words earned a person respect. that if you spoke well and could articulate your thoughts, people listened. i felt i was mostly invisible in grade school, so this was a powerful new tool. i revealed in it. i love debate and discussion. i love taking the devil’s advocate position. i could stay up all night discussing issues and listening to all of the sides.

8:: i daydreamed about writing the “great american novel” when i was in high school but never could formulate the words. part of me still dreams of it…but i can’t find my voice. in the mean time, i enjoy reading people that can write. just like a painting, song or dance - there are masters of the word craft. i sit at their feet and marvel. they have comic voices, passionate voices, heartfelt and true voices. the turn of a phrase - the alliteration - the analogy. i sit stunned and seduced by words. i think that’s part of why I also love music. combine the power of words with the beat of a drum and i fall.

9:: i started blogging as a way to work through some painful episodes. bad break-ups, past ghosts, stupid things. i wrote, posted and deleted many things. then one day, i explored and found other blogs. there were other people that wrote about feelings, failures, funny times, sad times…it was all out there. i responded on a couple of blogs and people started visiting my blogs. i felt welcomed. the circle grew and every day i get introduced to more and more people. this is the power of words. words give you the ability to connect millions of people.

10:: finally, words are comfort and warmth during a chilling of your soul. they give your heart wings when its too full to remain grounded. words give voice to your grief when your heart is broken and shattered on the floor. words are everything. they give distance when you’re shy and need your space. they open the door to new friends. they seduce. they make love to your eyes, ears and heart. they educate you. they empower you. they are.

insert smilie face here

i got errands half-way done, i think that's a good compromise. i even read cassaundra's blog and decided to do the tag where i write six things that make me happy.

photography
don't everyone get all surprised at once yo...yes, photography makes me insanely happy. it was an old friend that i dumped after the sadie hawkins dance in high school and shamelessly picked back up in 2007. i bought her a fancy case and she caved after a few rounds of i'm sorry and a plethra of flowers, trips and a few good looking guys. today was one of those days - you know if you have photography as a hobby - the kind of day where you take a shot and your heart beats a little faster in your chest and you want to race home to download the shots just to see how "that" one looks. more later about the drive along seven bridges road...but here's my favorite sneak peek.


please excuse the softness - this was fully telescoped out to 300mm on a tamron lens (which leans towards softness anyway) with winds gusting to 10-15 mph and it was handheld. i love it anyway.

my family
i'm a goof ball about my family. i'm lucky that way. i know there are people that are not and it makes me sad. really sad. my siblings and i know each other well - all of our faults, flaws, bits and bumps...as well as the wonderful things about each other. it's perfect. plus i have insanely beautiful nieces and nephews. seriously.


I don't lie.

stupid television
reality television - it's soooooo stupid and ridiculous that i love it sometimes. yes, it's rotting my brain (as dennis leary says) and no, it has no socially redeeming features (except maybe how not to act) ... but i grew to love taylor over her short sojourn on tough love and though i haven't voted on american idol, i dig the song stylings of adam lambert. mostly, it's background noise most of the time....but i can live with that (but don't call me during 'the big bang theory' or 'how i met your mom').

music
i've loved music i think since i could form words - some of my most early memories are of music and i can remember very early going to see elvis at the garrett coliseum. though at the time i was in love with paul, i could see what my mom saw in that dark and mystery hip shaker. i remember my ex-husband singing to me in the kitchen while i cooked dinner and weeping copiously to 'i can't make you love me' after the divorce. there are songs that i can't listen to without crying ('amazing grace' and 'wonderful world') and there are my anger songs (yes julie, alanis). but mostly, there is music to anchor my life. my current soundtrack includes...
:: you don't miss your water - otis redding
:: sea breeze - tyrone wells
:: sara - fleetwood mac
:: just my imagination - pete yorn cover
:: georgia on my mind - ray charles
:: push - rob thomas acoustic cover
:: shelter from the storm - bob dylan
:: moon river - patty griffin cover
:: turpentine - brandi carlile
:: solitary man - chris isaak cover
:: northern sky - nick drake
:: the galway girl - sharon shannon
:: someone like you - van morrison
:: into the mystic - van morrison
:: world spins madly on - the weepies
:: i don't know - lisa hannigan

fresh flowers
it doesn't matter if it is wild flowers, grocery store flowers or the florist. i'm crazy about having fresh flowers on my desk. there is something so hopeful about flowers and they always make me smile. well, except for that nasty instance recently with finding aphids all over my soda - they hatched from the queen anne's lace and window warmth and plotted a takeover of my studio. lesson learned about bringing wildflowers inside.


sure - they look all innocent here...but, the aliens were plentiful and fast.

candles
i love candles but it can't be perfume-y candles or crud that makes my head hurt. it has to be lightly scented and natural smelling. so, that usually means some variation of either vanilla or citrus....and occasionally coffee. living in an older house with a full basement and three animals makes candles necessary but moreover, they make me smile. they're warm and inviting. monday nights nights is my cooking night and my sister and her two boys come over to eat and watch television. after shopping for dinner and cooking, lighting the candles just seems like home. even if it's a simple meal like pizza this week.

those are my happy...anyone else feel like sharing happy?