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

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.

434 - 440 Fun Things to Do!

434 - Take a close-up photo of flowering trees or bushes in your yard.  That way you will have a fun record of their glory long after the blooms have gone.  Here are some of the azaleas that are blooming under my kitchen window.

435 - Visit your local zoo.  Taking a child with you will make your adventure even more fun!

436 - Have a picnic on the spur of the  moment.  Go somewhere you've never been before, or find some picnic excitement in your own yard.

437 - Jump rope.  It's an excellent and fun exercise -- very inexpensive, too.

438 - Go to a drive-in movie.  You can take all the snacks you want, and usually there is a double feature.

439 - Get a play and invite friends to come over and read the different parts.

440 - Have a popsicle on a hot day.

Thanks to members of the Choices Social Center who came up with 435 - 440 fun things to do during a WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) workshop.  For more information on WRAP, go to WRAPandrecoverybooks.com

428 - 433 Fun Things to Do!

428 - Join a walk for a charitable cause.  On Sunday, I walked with over 300 people to raise money and awareness for the Akron Canton Regional Foodbank.  It was invigorating, companionable, and fun!

429 - Read a story to a child or children.  This is one of the very best ways to spend amazing time with a child.  You will know you have hit the jackpot if the child offers to read a story to you!

430 - Bake a celebratory cake for someone when it's not their birthday.  Perhaps they got a promotion, achieved an important goal, or did a wonderful act of kindness.  My father does not appreciate having his birthday celebrated, so he would only agree to come over for dinner if I did not have a birthday cake.  I did have one, but on the top it said, "This is Not a Cake".

431 - Send postcards for no apparent reason.  These can be fun postcards you bought, or even ones you have made.

432 - Have a hot fudge sundae for lunch.  You can substitute any other outrageous treat that strikes your fancy.

433 - For someone's birthday, make fun buttons with a birthday greeting and their name.  Then distribute them to as many people as possible so the birthday celebrant can see them at various places all day long.  You can get blank buttons at your local craft store.

420 - 427 Fun Things to Do!

420 - Go for a walk in your neighborhood looking for signs of Spring.  I have found daffodils, hyacinths, pansies, tulips, forsythia, snow drops, and even some flowers I could not identify.  It's fun to see how yards progress from Spring into Summer.

421 - Learn to recognize bird songs.  I recently found an app that has recordings of most of the birds of North America.  It is enchanting!  iBird Yard is the name of the app.  So far I know two for sure, but I'm working on more.

422 - Contact a favorite teacher from your past and let them know how you're doing and how much they meant to you.

423 - Keep a garden journal.  You can record what you plant, sunny/shady areas, soil content, what plants are doing well, when you fertilize, and even what you think about when you are watering, weeding, or just enjoying your garden.  In the Winter, you can plan your garden in the journal.

424 - Watch a TV marathon of a series of shows you enjoy.  Snacks can be included.

425 - Create a gift basket for a special occasion.  You can start with a big basket and find some cellophane and ribbon at a craft store.  There can be a theme for your basket, or you can include miscellaneous items.  When it is done, it will be a magnificent present you will be proud to deliver!

426 - Save coins to cash in for a special occasion.  One time my friend Mary-Anne wanted me to be in her wedding.  The problem was that she lived in Minnesota and I didn't think I could afford the trip.   I counted all my quarters and had just enough for a round trip ticket!  Otherwise, I would not have been able to go.  Since then, I very rarely give exact change, and save my coins for future fun use.

427 - Write a letter to the Editor of your local paper or to a magazine.  These days with email, it's easy to do and you can release your opinions somewhere where they'll be shared with more than just your family and friends.  

417 - 419 Fun Things to Do!

417 - Keep an eye on your digital clocks and watches to see the time 11:11.  It is a universally accepted symbol of good luck and synchronicity to notice 11:11.  If you do a keyword search on "11:11 groups", you will find that there are many groups devoted to its symbolism.  I'm not in any group, but I do feel a little extra sense of things being right in the world when I accidentally spot a digital 11:11.

418 - Go to a film festival.  This is where you will get a chance to see a lot of independent movies that will most likely not ever show up on your TV or in a movie theater.  Most independent film makers have passion, vision, and often very wild imaginations.

419 - Make a list of sounds that intrigue, comfort, or happify you.  Here's my list:

1. the glug glug of a water cooler in operation
2. a baby giggling
3. church bells
4. squeaky tennis shoes
5. Canada geese flying and honking
6. the pop of a champagne cork
7. tea kettle whistling
8. anyone humming, especially a child
9. crows - caw caw CAW
10. running your fingers through a bowl of beads
11. train going by -- especially the whistle
12. semi-truck honking on request
13. embroidery needle going through fabric
14. bubble gum popping
15. duck quacking
16. kids laughing
17. fountain pen writing on paper
18. flag flapping in the breeze
19. waves on the sand
20. an owl -- hooty hoo hoo hoo
21. popcorn popping
22. the sound of a door opening when someone you love comes home
23. wind chimes
24. baby burping
25. high wind in the trees

Even though it was snowing off and on, we still celebrated with our Annual Dance of Spring!  Here are most of the celebrants who had just danced around our old maple tree waving scarves -- that's why we look so happy!  Spring has sprung!  Hooray!