Daydreams are fantasies you have while awake that distract you from reality. Most people daydream when they are bored. I sometimes daydream on purpose, just to see where my thoughts take me.
Most people equate daydreaming with laziness or a lack of focus, but studies show that daydreamers are intelligent, creative, and have more efficient brains. When I am talking, my brain is going a mile a minute. My family thinks I am so random!
Some people look at me in amazement and wonder how I came up with something. But I can always explain the link between my thoughts, kind of like that gameshow, Chain Reaction, where you start with Crochet and end up with Goat.
I think daydreaming is a good thing. It’s fun and lets you think about all the possibilities life has to offer. It is great for problem solving and stress relief. Sometimes, when you take your mind off the problem, your subconscious will take over and come up with the solution for you.
I have been creating art and handicrafting for as long as I can remember. The earliest thing I remember making was in 3rd grade. It was a little monster made out of clay that was painted and fired. We each took a ball of clay and stuck our thumbs into them to make a bowl shape, then we decorated them to look like cute little monsters. After that, I was hooked.
My parents were very creative, too. My Mom was an amazing seamstress. She sewed clothing for us and I remember my Barbie dolls being the best dressed dolls around. She also crocheted and she taught me to knit. My Dad was the artist. He was a photographer and painter. He even painted his own backdrops for his photography studio. So, you see, creativity is in my genes.
Everyone in our family has blue eyes. All my aunts, uncles, cousins, parents, siblings and children. Everyone except for my one nephew, who has brown eyes. We jokingly call him our changeling!
Our blue eyes are very striking, too. Some people call them electric blue. I call mine “mood ring eyes” because they change color depending on what I am wearing. They don’t actually change color, they just reflect the color of my clothing or even my eye makeup. I often get asked if I am wearing colored contact lenses.
picture by Brett Hayward
Some interesting facts about blue eyes:
Only about 8 percent of the world’s population have blue eyes and they are typically people from nationalities found near the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe.
There is no blue pigment in blue irises. Blue eyes have less melanin than brown eyes and get their color the same way water and the sky does — they scatter light so that more blue light reflects back out.
All blue-eyed people may have a common ancestor. According to researchers at the University of Copenhagen, a genetic mutation in a single individual that lived in Europe between 6,000 and 10,000 years ago led to the development of blue eyes, and is therefore the likely cause of the eye color of all blue-eyed people alive today.
This is a scrapbook page I did for my ABC Book of Me. I am definitely an Ancestor Detective. Doing genealogy is like solving a mystery. You start with just a few facts, you search for clues, then you evaluate the evidence you find.
Ancestry.com is my hero and I am not getting paid to say so. My parents had both passed away before I was ten years old, so I didn’t know much about my family. I started my family tree with only my Mom and Dad, my Dad’s parents and siblings, and my four cousins. I didn’t know much about my Mom’s side of the family at all, and nothing beyond my paternal grandparents. But it can be done. As of today, I now have over 4300 people in my tree and have even met some of my long lost relatives.
So far, I haven’t found any criminals, pirates, or other scoundrels. But I have found a lot of pioneers and patriots. I have tracked several of my lines going back to Revolutionary War veterans and some of my Pruyne ancestors were early settlers in the colony of New Amsterdam, which later became New York state.
Proud Veterans
As a veteran myself, I was very happy to find my family has a long history of military service. I served in the Navy during Operation Desert Storm, my parents were both in the Air Force during the Vietnam War. I have ancestors who served in WWI, and WWII, fought for the Union during the Civil War and several ancestors who fought in the Revolution. And the tradition continues as my nephew is currently serving in the Army.
Well, as I said in the last post, I have resolved to post at least once a week, and since there are 26 weeks left in this year, and 26 letters in the alphabet, I decided to start a new challenge called the ABCs of Me.
I came across this idea while scrapbooking and thought it was interesting. Each day, take a different letter of the alphabet and pick an adjective that describes you that starts with that letter, then post it on your blog.
Some letters are harder than others. The easiest way I found to do this is to google “adjectives that start with the letter ___” and then see which one describes you best.
Are you up for the challenge? Here are my simple rules.
Write a blog post for each letter. It can be as long or as short as you wish. It’s up to you.
I prefer to do them in alphabetical order, but it isn’t required. Just try to do as many of the letters as possible. Can you get them all?
Have fun. Add pictures, videos, songs, poems, whatever you like. It’s your blog.
Leave me a comment below, along with a link to your initial blog post.
Again, I want this to be fun. No judgements. If you comment on someone’s post, please be kind. Alright, let’s go!
If I Were On a Deserted Island, What Would I Want to Have With Me?
water, food, shelter, fire, clothing
There are many people that are preppers and the motto of the Boy Scouts is “Be Prepared”. At the bare minimum, we need water, food, shelter, fire and clothing in order to survive. In this day and age, we are seldom very far from civilization and the ability to get our basic needs met.
Survivor TV Show
I used to watch the TV show, Survivor. The contestants were not allowed to bring anything with them but basically the clothes on their backs, and had to find items to help them survive through the first few days until they could win items like food, or blankets. Some would try to smuggle things in, but they usually got caught.
Remember the TV Show, Lost? That was one of my favorites. The people were on a flight from Sidney to Los Angeles when their plane crashed on a mysterious island. They were lucky that they could find some of the luggage and use the items for survival. And they had each other to depend on.
Another show I loved was Survivorman with Les Straud. He would be dumped in various locations with only his trusty multi-tool and very minimal items. He would show how to use what you could find in the environment in order to survivor. One episode showed him running out of gas on a trip through a snowy wilderness. He cannibalized the pickup truck, and showed how you could use everything in the truck, like the seat covers, the wiring, etc., to ensure your survival.
Well, I hope I never get lost or find myself on a deserted island. But, if I do, here are some things I would want to have with me. Some of these things are easily carried on you with minimal effort. Hopefully, I was on a boat that got shipwrecked or run ashore, instead of a plane. Some things, like a knife, would never be allowed on a plane, but are likely to be on a boat.
A Metal Drinking Bottle. This could be used to boil water and store it. It could also be used to cook in, in a pinch.
A Lighter or a Flint and Striker. Fire is essential for warmth and safety from predators. It is good for light, to cook food, and to boil water.
A Multi-Tool (like Les Straud). These are kind of like a grown-up version of the Swiss Army Knife.
A Combination Mirror, Whistle and Compass. This is a nice little tool that would come in handy to signal possible rescuers and help you navigate your environment. They usually have a waterproof container for matches and tinder, and a lanyard to hang it around your neck.
A Solar Charger for My Cell Phone. Depending on where I am stranded, I may have cell service, but if not, I could still use it for entertainment purposes. I have downloaded e-books, music, and some games that don’t require a wi-fi connection.
An Emergency Blanket. These little silver blankets are pocket sized and can keep you from losing your body heat, or maybe be made into a light weight shelter from the rain, though they aren’t very sturdy.
A Mini First Aid Kit. This would have at least some bandaids, alcohol pads, neosporin, tylenol, and imodium. Being lost is stressful enough without having a headache or diarrhea! These items could fit in an altoids tin.
Clothing. The best pants to be lost in are the kind that have zippers in the legs so they convert to shorts. The same thing with a jacket that has sleeves that zip off. You could be cooler during the day, but have more coverage so you are warmer at night. And sturdy shoes. I would hate to be lost wearing only flip-flops!
A bandana. These are very useful. They can be used to carry items if you tie up the corners and hang it from a stick (like the hobos had in old pictures). They can be used to strain water, to cool your neck, or as a mask if its smoky or debris is flying around in a storm.
A Paracord Bracelet. I have a friend who is an Army veteran and he wears one wherever he goes. Maybe I should get one, too.
A Big Hunting Knife. A knife could be used for many things, too. Cutting small branches to make shelter, cutting kindling for your fire, as well as hunting and protection. If it has a sturdy enough handle, it can be a makeshift hammer.
There are tons of emergency survival tools. You can spend a ton of money trying to get the best and to try to prepare for every emergency. But the things I listed above would hold me over in a pinch and hopefully ensure I lived long enough for someone to come rescue me.
When I think of superpowers, I always think of the superheroes, like Superman, Wonderwoman, Thor, etc. But we can’t forget the supervillains! Every superhero seems to have a nemesis.
I think the best superpower would be the ability to Teleport anywhere or even any time. The world is a huge place and travel takes a lot of time. Teleporting would certainly save a lot of time and money, and no more intrusive searches by the TSA!
Now the question is, would I use my superpower for good or evil? Would I just use it in order to get someplace in an instant, or would I use it to get into places that I otherwise wouldn’t be able to, like a vault, and steal diamonds and gold?
I would like to think that I would never use my superpower for evil, but I have to admit, it sure would be tempting.
If I Could Time-Travel, When and Where Would I Go?
I am a huge sci-fi fan, so this question has crossed my mind on numerous occasions. Some of my favorite books, movies and TV shows involve time travel: 12 Monkeys, Back to the Future, Continuum, Outlander, Quantum Leap, Sliders, The Terminator, Time Cop, Timeless, Timeline, and Travellers. But, setting aside all thought of time paradoxes, or whether I could change the past or not, I think it would be so cool to observe some of the iconic events throughout history. Kind of like a time tourist. It would certainly let you solve some of the mysteries, like how the pyramids were built, or what happened to the colony at Roanoke.
Personally, though, I would like to see how my ancestors lived. I think it would be so interesting to see their houses, the clothes they wore, what they did for a living, and what they did in their leisure time. I think my day to day life is kind of boring, and they probably did, too. But I would still like to know. I wonder if my descendants would feel they same about me?
I am raising my five-year-old grandson while working full time. My number one guilty pleasure is to take a vacation day, take him to school and just spend the day alone. I might go back to bed and read, or binge on my favorite series. Sometimes just shopping without him is nice. Don’t get me wrong, I love him to pieces, but he wears me out!
If I can get Munchkin’s uncle to take him for a few hours, I love to take a spa day. I might get a massage, or a mani/pedi and a facial. Heavenly.
I love to go in my studio and create something for a friend or loved one. It might be a painting or a piece of jewelry, or something decorative. I especially love making things for Munchkin.
Who doesn’t have pet peeves? They’re those little things people do that just drive us nuts. I am sure there are things I do that drive other people nuts, too. Here is a list of some of my own pet peeves.
I absolutely hate it when people use the wrong form of their, there, or they’re. I have been accused of being a grammar nazi, but seriously, using the wrong word just makes you seem less than intelligent. I’m not talking about the occasional typo, we all make mistakes, but it is obvious that many people just don’t care. The picture above is an easy way to remember the correct form to use.
The same goes for people who use “would of” or “could of”. These are supposed to be contractions of “would have” and “could have” and should be spelled “would’ve” and “could’ve”.
Another thing I hate is when people mix up their metaphors. Or just get them wrong altogether. I knew a lady once that used to say, “Not for all the cheese in China!” The correct phrase is, “Not for all the tea in China!” The Chinese are known for drinking tea, not eating cheese, so all the tea in China would be worth a lot of money.
Similar to that, I hate when people use common phrases with incorrect words in them. Like, “He’s the spitting image of his dad.” The correct phrase is, “He’s the spit and image of his dad.” I know, kind of picky, but it does change the meaning. The original phrase was inspired by the Biblical God’s use of spit and mud to create Adam in his image.
I hate rude people. It’s especially rude when someone bumps into you and they say, “Excuse you,” like it was your fault, or they don’t say anything at all.
Another pet peeve is neighbors who play their music too loud. I have a neighbor across the street that plays her music so loud that I can hear it in my room at the back of the house over the sound of my air conditioner, which is right outside my window, and the waterfall aquarium filter. And, she isn’t even partying outside! Her music is coming from inside her house. I don’t mind if the neighbors have a party, I just don’t want to hear their music after 11:00 pm when I have to work in the morning.
Don’t you hate tailgaters? I know I do. It is aggressive and dangerous, and is a common cause of road rage. I especially hate it when there is another lane that driver could get into to go around me. Or if I am driving with the flow of traffic and can’t go any faster or get over. Where does he think I can go? I usually just slow down until they pass me, or get over as soon as I possibly can. They scare me.
I am all for freedom of speech. Everyone has a right to their own opinion about any topic, be it religion, politics, being a vegan, the value of modern art, or whatever. We do not need to agree about everything in order to get along. Problems arise when one person thinks their opinion is the only correct opinion and tries to force another person to believe it or to behave a certain way. There is a saying, “Your right to swing your fist ends at my nose.” This means that you can say or do anything you want as long as it doesn’t interfere with what another person wants to say or do. I grew up in a time when we believed that “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” But I also believe that just because you can say something doesn’t mean you should.
HootOwl Handicrafts 