Thursday, December 26, 2013

474 - 487 Fun Things to Do!


474 - Take a selfie in a silly way to commemorate any occasion.

475 - Make a New Year's resolution to have more fun in the upcoming year!  Forget those difficult resolutions like losing weight or keeping your home completely organized.  If you like, you could combine serious resolutions with having more fun, but remember that the fun one is the most important one of all!

476 - If you have a camera with interchangeable lenses, try a new one.  There are all kinds of unusual lenses available, for instance a kaleidoscope lens which creates fun and unusual images.

477 - Take photographs of things reflected in windows.  I love taking photos of my red VW Beetle (Molly Marie McGee), and I often get interesting shots of her in building windows which might include interesting signs.

476 - Sing yourself to sleep silently.  I collect interesting ways to get to sleep, and one night I was thinking of songs I like, and started hearing myself singing them, but not out loud.  I know this sounds slightly weird, but it really works!

477 - Get someone a bunch of balloons -- either for a special event or for no reason at all.  There is nothing quite as festive as a bouquet of cheerful balloons.

478 - If someone sends you flowers, take a photograph of them to show to the sender to show your appreciation.

479 - Take photographs of old buildings before they get torn down.   Then take photographs of the new structure that is the replacement.  It is interesting to have a record of the evolution of your town.

480 - If you are picking up someone for an adventure on their birthday, decorate the inside of your car with crepe paper streamers and signs.  You can even put signs on the sides of your car that say, "Honk!  It's _________'s birthday!".

481 - Start a book club by picking a spot and gathering some friends together.  Everyone can help decide which books to read.  You can either read the book together aloud, or have each person read a chapter before the meeting.  Even if everyone doesn't know each other at the beginning, wonderful camaraderie develops just by the ways that participants react to the books being read.  I belong to a book group that meets weekly, and we have become close and loving friends over time.

482 - Page-a-Day calendars often have wonderful artwork that you can turn into greeting cards for all occasions.  I have a Mary Engelbreit calendar which has fun pages which I sometimes use for cards for my friends and family.

483 - Get a makeover done for free at a department store's cosmetic section.  It's really fun to get new ideas, but you have to be careful not to get carried away in buying new make-up that you might not ever use!

484 - Watch a TV marathon of one of your favorite shows.  Get some snacks and settle in for a great time!

485 - Set a goal and achieve it.  You don't have to set huge and difficult goals -- reaching some small goals here and there can be quite satisfying.  A recent goal of mine is to get to 500 fun things to do before January 1, 2014!  My friend Dottie says, "It's fun to get things done!"

486 - You can send 4" x 6" photographs as postcards.  If you want, you can back them with card stock to make them more sturdy.  This is a fun way to surprise your family or friends.

487 - Ask people what their activities were during a recent time frame.  A long time ago, I did a survey of about 20 friends and family about what they did on the previous Saturday night.  The answers were very interesting and some were even very fun.  I found that list recently, and now it means more than ever because some of the people have passed on, and I have a record of their lives for a very precise period of time.

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

461 - 473 Fun Things to Do!


1.  Hire a balloon artist to dazzle your family!  This is Gregory Wheeler who does the most magnificent balloon creations I have ever seen.  He does parrots that perch on shoulders, wild octopuses, fish that blow bubbles, and more!


462.  Pick your own fantasy balloon animal (even if you are not a child!).  Here is my fabulous pink flamingo held by my grandson, Nathan

463.  Have a balloon artist make a wild balloon hat for you.  When people look at you, they will know right away that you are a person with a big sense of fun!


464.  Have someone rub a balloon on your head, creating static electricity which makes your hair stand on end!  Hooray!  This is my good-natured husband, Tom.

465.  Hire a balloon artist to entertain at a kids' party for lots of fun.  A balloon artist would even be hilarious at an adult's party, bringing out the little kid in everyone!

466.  Fill someone's car with balloons for a fun surprise!

467.  Give some balloons to a child.

468.  Release balloons (ecologically correct) in celebration or in memory of someone.

469.  Put tags on balloons you are going to release with an invitation for people to call you and let you know where they found your balloon.  Include permission for them to call you collect.  My sister, Barb, used to have her family and friends release hundreds of red, white, and blue balloons on the Fourth of July.  The year we put tags on them, we got calls in Ohio from Pennsylvania and New York state.

470.  Add balloons to a sign for a party or a yard sale.

471.  Learn how to make balloon animals.

472.  Give balloons to someone for their birthday or other celebration.

473.  Take a ride in a hot air balloon!  The experience is beyond description.   One of my friends just got married during a hot air balloon ride!



Monday, September 2, 2013

456 - 460 Fun Things to Do!


456 - Enjoy a community bonfire.

457 - Roast marshmallows over a bonfire.

458 - Use roasted marshmallows to make S'mores!  (Graham crackers on the outside with Hershey's chocolate bar segment, and roasted marshmallow inside)

459 - Sing songs around a campfire.

460 - Tell ghost stories late at night around a bonfire.


Tuesday, July 16, 2013

448 - 455 Fun Things to Do!


448 - When a team you have been rooting for wins a tournament, get your camera out there and take a photo of the proud winners!  This is a group shot of "The Americans" baseball team right after winning the Doylestown, Ohio tournament.   My grandson, Nate, is in the first row on the left and my son, Kevin, is the coach in the blue shirt.

449 - Grab a popsicle, find a swing, and relax in motion.  This idea comes from my friend, Deborah.  Thank you!

450 - Make up a bedtime story for someone, who doesn't necessarily have to be a child.  This fun suggestion comes from my friend, Ruth.

451 - Do some people watching at an airport.  I think this is the best place to observe the hustle and bustle of humanity as they come and go -- they have either been on an adventure, or are about to go on one. 



452 -  Watch the moonrise with some friends.  It is newly spectacular every month!  

453 - Take a photo of the full moon.  This was just taken with a cell phone, but I have a photographer friend who recently took a picture of the full moon, and it looked like it could be in a science book! 

454 - When you take books on vacation, read a few pages in so you won't be disappointed.  I am an avid reader, and this idea has saved me a lot of aggravation.  I like to read 1/3 of the way in for a few paragraphs, and 2/3 of the way in also.  Often the first paragraph is the best one in the whole book.  If I read at least 20 pages, I usually know for sure if I have a keeper.    I don't do that with mysteries though, for fear of spoiling some surprises!

455 - Find a wooden chair and paint it in bright and fun colors.  

Monday, June 24, 2013

446 - 447 Fun Things to Do!


446 - Let some people you love plant flowers in your yard!  These are my grandsons, Nate and Andrew, who plant flowers of their choice in their circle garden every year.  They do a much better job coordinating colors and flowers than I ever have -- they are very bold!  You might have friends who live in an apartment or some place where they don't have a yard who would appreciate a patch of your land!


447 - Give some children a big assortment of fairy garden materials, and watch as they create a miraculous environment for fairies to visit!  My grandsons, Nate and Andrew put this phenomenal fairy garden together in our front yard.  Thank you, Nate and Andrew!




Friday, May 31, 2013

Zentangle Weekly Challenge #120



It's been quite a while since I participated in the Diva's weekly challenge.  I tried a couple of different ideas, but kept going back to this simple motif.  The shading went a little wonkers, but I am so glad I jumped back into the camaraderie of it all. Hooray!  The challenge this week was to use the tangle "Bales" in different variations.  For instructions, and to see other entries from all over the world, go to http://iamthedivaczt.blogspot.com


Sunday, May 26, 2013

441 - 445 Fun Things to Do!



441 - Put a crystal prism in your window and prepare to be dazzled by the rainbows that will fill your room on sunny days.

442 - Invite friends over for a movie night -- snacks and sharing a favorite movie will make for lots of fun!  (Thanks to my friend, Marsha, for this idea.)

443 - Go to an arts and crafts store and buy some unusual materials.  Take your new treasures home and play!

444 - Chew some bubble gum and blow some giant bubbles.

445 - Go through the dictionary and make a list of words you don't know and their definitions.  Try to incorporate new words into your conversations.