662 - 665 Fun Things to Do!

662 - Create a coloring tablecloth!  One time, I surprised our book group with coloring wrapping paper taped all over the kitchen table, and we had so much fun coloring each week. But the paper was thin, and we wondered what we could do with it.  My friend, Maria, told me about coloring fabric you could purchase by the yard online.  www.fabric.com   There were many designs, and since it is Spring, I chose butterflies and flowers.  I also ordered Tulip fabric markers.  Then Felicia,  a wonderful seamstress, made the fabric into a tablecloth.  Voila!  It was great fun presenting the book group with a coloring project we could keep -- of course, we plan to keep meeting forever!  Diane created the beautiful and colorful close up area.  We are having so much fun!

663 - Pay yourself to do a chore or project.  Sometimes I have trouble finding the motivation to get certain things done, and when that happens, I feel disappointed.  Then I got the idea to pay myself to clean the kitchen floor, tidy up the spare room, or organize a cluttered area, etc.  One of the tricks to this plan is that you must really pay yourself, and the money you earn must go towards something fun.  Now when I am reluctant to jump into cleaning or organizing, I just offer myself what I think I might have to pay someone else to do it.  Makes perfect sense to me!

664 - Whistle!  If you don't whistle very well, practice in the privacy of your own home until you are ready to share your talents.  If you enjoy whistling, take your talents out in public.  Today I was walking up two flights of steps with a man who whistled cheerfully all the way.  It was a delightful experience, which I know I will remember fondly.  We used to have an amazing mail carrier, Cecil, who used to whistle, even in the rain, as he was delivering the mail.  His cheerfulness really improved the quality of my life!

665 - If you enjoy walking, try walking in different neighborhoods.  I know someone who got a map of their city, and highlighted everywhere he walked.  It's fun to have different environments to enjoy as you walk!

Activities at Summit ArtSpace in Akron, Ohio

I think it will be fun to start putting in some information about local activities.  Here are some upcoming events at Summit ArtSpace, 140 E. Market St., Akron OH 44308 -- one block east of the Akron Art Museum.

Our promotion on our page:

http://summitartspace.org/3237/loolapalooza-celebrating-a-restroom-renaissance-friday-april-1-2016-7-9-pm/

In December 2015, the Devil Strip’s column “Urine Luck” graded our bathroom with a 1.5 out of 5 toilets.  (See page 34 in that issue)

http://www.thedevilstrip.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/final-proof1.pdf

We are in the process of sprucing up our bathrooms and holding a “Loo-lapa-loo-za” to celebrate our loo’s new look!  It is to be held on Friday, April 1^st from 7 to 9 pm.

(The current issue of the Devil Strip mentions it on page 38)

http://www.thedevilstrip.com/home/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/final-proof1.pdf

We’ll be having The League of Creative Interventionists (http://www.creativeinterventionists.com/akron/) and Let’s Grow Akron (letsgrowakron.org) helping design an outdoor exhibition for the event.  Syn-hak  (http://synhak.org/) is creating the bathroom lighting and will have some of their work here on display.  The Devil Strip will be there (with the reporters that broke the story about the sad state of our first floor bathrooms.)  We’ll also be having some light refreshments (cake & punch) and will have some games and a raffle.

661 - 665 Fun Things to Do!

661 - Make an altered book.  You can cut, color, paste, glue, add images -- whatever you like!  These pages were done by Janet Laird, also an Advanced Level WRAP (Wellness Recovery Action Plan) Facilitator.  They are samples of a memorable and creative WRAP she has made.  I bet it was as fun to make as it is to look at!  Below are the opening pages of an altered book I am making.  Altered books are also fun places to try out new techniques.

662 - Give the same book to several friends and/or relatives to read at the same time for an impromptu book group.  It will be fun to get together and discuss the book after everyone has read it.

663 - Make carnival lemonade!  Just put 1/4 cup sugar, the juice of one lemon, and one of the lemon halves into a large glass.  Add ice and put another large glass into the top of the first one and shake.  It's fun to make and very refreshing.

664 - Save lyrics that inspire you.   Here are some lyrics from a song called "Cape", written by Guy Clark:  Spread your arms and hold your breath and always trust your cape!  The whole song is great, but I especially like those lines.

665 - Have a "jammer" day.  I love a day when I stay in my pajamas all day long.  It may or may not be a productive day, but it is always guaranteed to be fun!

656 - 660 Fun Things to Do!

656 - Pick an athlete to follow.  As you probably know, this is LeBron James from the Cleveland Cavaliers.  I am not usually sports oriented (except for my children's or grandchildren's events), but I was impressed with LeBron from high school on.  He has represented Akron, Ohio very well with his generosity and loyalty.  The children of Akron are one of his top priorities and he has reached out to hundreds of boys and girls, not just with material things, but with lessons about studying hard, respecting others, and succeeding.   I am a proud member of the LeBron James Grandmothers' Fan Club.  Hooray for LeBron James!

657 - Go to an International Film Festival!  Even better, attend a film festival of short films.  Chances are you will find that there will be some short films that strike your fancy.  To find a film festival, check your local newspaper's entertainment section, or see if your local college or university is sponsoring one.

658 - Make a word cloud!  You can do one for free at www.wordle.net  Just make a list of your favorite words.  To make one word bigger than the others, list it more than once.  Different color schemes are available.  There are other word cloud websites, just do a keyword search on word clouds.

659 - Make a postcard and send it to someone.  You can use 4 x 6 thick paper, like watercolor paper.  You can watercolor, do patterns, use a quotation -- whatever suits your fancy!

660 - Memorize a good joke and tell it to ten people.  By then, you should have it memorized!

651 - 655 Fun Things to Do!

651 - Take photographs of things you are considering donating to a charity.  These are plates from my kids' childhood.  They represent many family dinners -- lots of love and laughter.  We only got out the good dishes when company came.  I finally decided to keep the Sesame Street plate and the bunny plate.  I am hoping there is someone out there enjoying their McDonald's plates as much as we did.

652 - Use your cell phone to video when someone is giving an appreciative speech.  I recently went to a wonderful bridal shower and the mother of the bride, the mother-in-law to be, and the sister of the bride all gave short and loving speeches.  I captured all of them and I know they will provide good memories from the shower for the bride.

653 - Help someone learn how to tie their tie.  This is my son Kevin helping my grandson Andrew with his tie.  Photographs like these bring back precious tender moments.

654 - Get a book signed for a loved one.  Keep an eye out for book signings in your area -- you are likely to find just the right book for just the right person dedicated to them by the author.

655 - Do a keyword search on the Internet.  It never fails to amaze me that we can find out information on even the most obscure searches in seconds.  It's like having thousands of libraries available to us 24 hours a day!

642 - 650 Fun Things to Do!

642 - Take a silly photograph whenever you have a chance.  This is my son, Kevin, posing as a tree trunk.  I love it!

643 - Go to a soccer game.  There are kids' soccer games, which have a lot of energy and unexpected plays.  There are also professional soccer games, which are a lot more polished and also very energetic.

644 - Make a list of some of the things you consider to be miracles.  Here are some of mine:  the birth of a baby, bulbs blooming in the Spring, tastebuds, Amish barn building teams, eyeballs, extreme synchronicity, snowflakes up close, airplanes staying up in the sky, boats not sinking, hair growing, the internet, children learning to talk, the ocean, and love!

645 - Attend a concert in a church, and document your adventure!  This is Trinity Cathedral in Cleveland, Ohio presenting Colin Hay, formerly of Men at Work -- a fabulous event!

646 - Use as many discount coupons as possible.  My Dad was a dedicated coupon clipper, so for his birthday one time I clipped coupons for months and stuffed a big box full for his present.  I even had added up the value amounts for a total of over $700.  He was quite impressed!

647 - Twiddle your thumbs!  If you don't know how to do it, ask around, you'll be glad you did.

648 - Go to a movie without knowing anything about it, except that it has been well received.

649 - Choose a favorite quotation to use in your signature block on your emails.  Here is the quote I am using now - "You may be disappointed if you fail, but you are doomed if you don't try." - Beverly Sills

650 - Carve a pumpkin for a fun and traditional Halloween decoration.  This is always fun, but even better if children are involved!

631 - 641 Fun Things to Do!

631 - Fill a laundry basket full of gifts for someone you love.  This is my daughter, Maribeth, and when she and her brother, Kevin, were about 3 and 4 years old, we took a trip in a station wagon to Colorado and back.  I wrapped toys and put them in a laundry basket in the car.  Whenever Kevin and Maribeth got a little restless, they got to open a present.  They still talk about that laundry basket on that trip!  This year I thought it would be fun to fill a laundry basket full of gifts for Maribeth's birthday.  She opened them all day long as we went about her birthday adventures.

632 - Wear a birthday button (see above)  all day on your birthday so you can increase the number of birthday wishes you receive!  You can even find blank buttons at the craft store, and make your own personalized buttons.

633 - Find out what birthday freebies are available in your town and spend the day collecting them!  Maribeth, Nate, and Andrew (grandsons), and I drove all over the Akron area in a "Birthday on Wheels" Subaru participating in lots of birthday giveaways.  This was Maribeth's idea, and she researched the internet to find her free birthday fun.  She got free Krispy Kreme donuts, a grand slam breakfast at Denny's, $20 worth of free bowling, and free frozen yogurt at Menchie's.  It was a birthday celebration that none of us will ever forget!

634 - Think your way through a problem before you tackle it.  Sometimes when I am working on a project around the house, I imagine what it will look like when it is done, and then I take the steps required to make it happen.  You can eliminate a lot of awkwardness by just taking the time to figure out different angles and approaches in advance of your action steps.

635 - Meet change with change.  If you are having a lot of new things happening in your life, especially if you did not invite them, sometimes it is a good idea to institute some other more welcome changes to balance everything out.

636 - When you are faced with worry in your life, remember this quote -- "It's not that you worry, it's that you care so much." -- Mike Dooley.  One time I was getting ready to go to a conference, and I had a million things to do when this quote appeared in my life.  It was a huge relief to embrace the idea of being someone who cared a lot, instead of being a worrier.   I got all my pre-conference things done with time to spare -- it was amazing!  I still remind myself of that quote whenever I lean in the direction of being worried.

637 - Make fun food for kids.  If you look on the internet, or check the library, you will find all kinds of ideas to make food appealing for children -- pancake sunshines, cupcake ice cream cones, sandwiches cut out with cookie cutters, and more.  Often these creations become a wonderful childhood memory.

638 - If you are thinking something good about someone, you might as well say it.  I read that in an article many years ago, and I really enjoy giving people compliments regularly as a result.  Let no kind word be unspoken!

639 - Frame a favorite quote and give it as a gift.  You can pick a good font on your computer, and print it up yourself.

640 - Ask other people for their favorite books, music, and movies.  This is a great conversation starter, and you might get some really good ideas.

641 - Leave a really big tip once in a while and make someone's day!  I still remember the gentleman who gave me a $1.00 tip when I was a waitress in high school (yes, that does indicate that I was in high school a LONG time ago!).