488 - 500 Fun Things to Do!

488 - Build a snowperson in your yard.  This is an especially fun activity when children are involved.  Their creativity helps make the snowperson very unique.

489 - Photograph snow works of art all over your neighborhood.  If there is good packing snow, then there will be snow sights to see!

490 - Build a snow fort.  What could be more fun than playing in a snow fort?

491 - Have an old movie marathon.  You can even pick a decade, look up acclaimed movies for that time period, rent a few movies, and settle in for some fun!

492 - Take a cooking class.

493 - Make a whole meal from new recipes.

494 - Visit historical sites in your city.

495 - Read about the history of your city, county, and/or state.

496 - Go swimming.  You can do this even in the winter at your local indoor pool.

497 - Take a walk with a friend.  My friend Judy and I even walked our way through two Winter seasons.  We walked through any kind of weather and laughed in the face of snow and ice!

498 - Make a time capsule including items that represent you and your family's life.  Hide it in the basement or bury it in your yard.

499 - As a gift, give new parents a baby time capsule.  They can put in all kinds of their baby's memories -- first shoes,  a lock of hair,  photographs, records of baby accomplishments; whatever seems right.

500 - Design and make your own t-shirts or sweatshirts.  This is a great idea for reunions, groups of friends, and family get-togethers.

Halfway to the goal of 1,000 Fun Things to Do!  

Hooray!  Yahoo!  Yippee yo yo YO!

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.

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!

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.

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.  

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!

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!

412 - 416 Fun Things to Do!

412 - Pose your special baby with a fun stuffed toy.  What could be better than a friendly sock monkey?

413 -  When you've read an amazing book, spread the word far and wide.  I have been known to buy multiple copies of favorite books to give to family and friends.  I even made a long list of good books for a friend who was having health problems.

414 - Instead of collecting tangible items, take photographs of them instead.  When I was working at Borders Books and Music, I met a man who collected books on collectibles.  He said he didn't have room for a lot of collections, so he bought the books instead.

415 - Make a caring telephone list so you remember to call the people in your world who could use a little attention and affection for whatever reason.  I keep my caring list by the phone in my kitchen so I see it readily.  I'm not perfect about calling, but my list helps me a lot.

416 - Take a survey of your own choosing.  I like to ask people what they like to do for fun.  People like to talk about fun, so that question often opens up very interesting conversations.  I am also interested in people's sleep patterns -- when they go to bed and when they get up, etc.  If you're ever at a party where you don't know very many people, asking a few questions is a great way to break the ice.

407 - 411 Fun Things to Do!

407 - Try using handmade soap.  I recently started enjoying the pleasures of soap that is made by hand.  It lasts a really long time, feels really terrific, and the scents are quite appealing.

408 - Pick a lucky number for yourself.  Many years ago, I picked 24 to be my lucky number because my Dad's, son's, and my birthdays are all on the 24th.  I even got engaged on a 24th.  Every month when the 24th rolls around, I claim it to be my lucky day and expect that good things will happen to me all day long, which always seems to be the case!  Anything that involves the number 24 feels good and happy for me.  I even put 24 on my automobile license plate.

409 - Do a bird count on a hiking trail, in a field, or even at your backyard feeder.  You can get more specific information and record your findings at birdsource.org

410 - When you see a photograph of someone famous taken in front of one of their bookcases, try to read some of the titles of the books.  What a person reads is usually very interesting and reflects their interests and personality.

411 - Wrap a present for yourself and save it to celebrate a special occasion or for when you are feeling a little low.  I have two presents wrapped and waiting.  It's been a while since I wrapped them, so they will be surprises when I open them, which makes it even more fun.