creative little daisy

Way more about me than anyone should be forced to read.

It took me a while, but I finally managed to answer all those fun questions you asked. Maybe I should have broken this up into several small posts, I don't know, it's kind of like taking cough syrup- some folks want to get it down in one quick swallow, others need to take it in tiny increments. I'm counting on you guys being the one quick swallow type, so here you go. It's ok if you make a bad face and chase it with some soda if you like.

First question is from Shellie:

Hi! No more how do you stay so thin questions right! Where in Eastern NC? I am near Charlotte. I have been keeping up with you sewing and learned so much from you. Happy sewing.

Hi there Shellie in Charlotte, I'm about 3 hours away in a tiny town east of Fayetteville. I hear Charlotte is getting an Ikea. How soon? Happy sewing to you too!!

Stephanie asked:

What is your favorite place to visit and why?

Every summer since before we were married, we visit the beach at least once.  I'm sure that I'd love to visit a tropical beach, I've just never done it. For now, I'll say, I look forward to relaxing in the sun at Myrtle Beach.

Sunny,

If you could go back to when your kids were toddlers, what would you do the same or differently?

Hmmmm.... good question, but also a tough one. If I could go back to when they were toddlers, with the knowledge I have now, I would try to provide more structure and discipline. I believe dealing with disappointments is more difficult for them because all I ever wanted to do was make them happy when the truth is, you can't always have things the way you want them. I failed my children by not teaching them this early on. I'm sure they both could have been saved some heartaches if they had faced more disappointments and been lovingly guided through that disappointment when they were toddlers and young children.

Erin, you made me think too by asking about some favorites. I can never name one favorite anything- so I hope you don't mind if I give you more than you asked for.

favorite book: A Fine Balance, I Know This Much Is True, The Prince of Tides, Gone with the Wind, are just a few that I really enjoyed reading.

favorite movie: Fried Green Tomatoes, Driving Miss Daisy, Forrest Gump, The Princess Bride, Letters from Iwo Jima, Notting Hill, Steel Magnolias, Throw Mama From the Train, The Shawshank Redemption, ET, A Christmas Story, The Sound of Music, just to name a few.

favorite song (s): This one was the toughtest, I have so many and they are ever changing, some constants are: Bohemian Rhapsody (Queen), Desperado (Eagles), Sweet Home Alabama, Free Bird, Simple Man (Lynyrd Skynyrd) I can't help it, those WT roots run deep. The entire Rumours album (Fleetwood Mac), Soulshine (Allman Brothers), In Your Eyes (Peter Gabriel), Crazy (Patsy Cline), I Believe (Brooks and Dunn), Your Song  (Elton John), Fire and Rain (James Taylor), In My Life (the Beatles), Live to Tell (Madonna), Against All Odds, One More Night, I Wish It Would Rain Down (Phil Collins)

favorite meal: I love steak cooked on the grill, could eat my weight in crab legs, can't get enough tomato sandwiches in the summer, and I can make a meal of the chips and salsa at our favorite local Mexican restaurant.

Lisa had several questions:

Hey, Autum. I'd love to know your favorite places to get all those great fabrics! Also, how do you organize your day? Do you just go from one thing to the next, do you have a favorite time of day for crafts/sewing, do you make lists? And lastly, how do you keep your fabrics & scraps organized in your sewing room?

Lisa, a lot of my fabric is purchased online, I have my favorites linked in my sidebar, over there to the right ---> See it? (You may have to scroll down a bit) Look under fun places to shop. Locally, I shop at JoAnn and Hancock Fabrics.

How do I organize my day? Not very well. I have a one track mind and tend to get very involved in what I'm doing, be it sewing or cleaning (or wasting time on the computer)   I've not mastered the art of multi-tasking. Not a list maker and most of my sewing/ crafting is done before 4 or 5 in the afternoon.

I do try to keep things fairly organized in my sewing room. I can't work if things are too chaotic. One of my favorite tutorials e-v-e-r, was Monica's fabric folding tut. It has made keeping my fabric organized so much easier.

Glenna,

Definitely!  Dish about where you buy your fabrics!

OK, I dished- see above.

And...if you go out to eat, what's your favorite thing to order, be it humble (I like fried bologna on white bread with mustard) or fancy?

I don't eat anything fancy, but I would have to be very very hungry to eat bologna. I've made many fried blologna sandwiches, I just don't eat 'em. I do like red hots on a hamburger bun though and that's a lot like fried bologna. I guess what I order depends on what's on the menu. If we go to a place that has steak, I usually order a steak, probably a ribeye, medium-well.

Kristin asked,

what would you do if you won the lottery and had enough money from your winnings to never have to work again.

Believe it or not, I really wouldn't want to win BIG in the lottery. I wouldn't mind winning enough to maybe pay off our debts, and buy a few nice things for those I love, but I think having that much more than you need only leads to problems- you know, that old money is the root of all evil business. Don't get me wrong, I  wouldn't turn down  several hundred thousand, a million would make life much easier, but I wouldn't wish to be a multi-million dollar winner, call me crazy.

Misty wanted to know,

What is the most meaningful/memorable thing you have sewn and given away?
I think any time I've made a baby quilt, I've put a lot of heart into it, but the quilt  and crib bedding I made for Bayleigh were extra-special to me.

I loved this question from Christina:

okay...heres a good one. Do you ever get insecure about the things you make? I make bags also and whenever I have orders they are never good enough for me. I end up feeling like I should just give them to the people...I see all the faults. Do you ever feel that way, how do you overcome it?

Do I ever get insecure? All. The. Time! I find fault in everything I make and I doubt I will ever completely overcome it. I do feel better about my abilities than I once did, but I will always be my worst critic. I just have to remind myself that the appeal of something handmade sometimes lies in those tiny "imperfections".

From Anne:

When you painted your kitchen cabinets did you just sand them or did you strip the wood finish? I'll be painting my with oil paint too.

I sanded lightly, just to take the shine off, using a scotch-brite pad. I also cleaned them thoroughly with TSP to remove any greasy residue. Before painting I primed with 2 coats of kilz primer.

What are the top five things that make you laugh?

My husband. He has such a quick, dry wit. He makes me laugh every day. The newest thing making me laugh, is watching Bayleigh. She makes the sweetest, funniest faces, I could (and do) just sit and watch her for hours. The dogs are a sure form of entertainment around here most days. Spending time with Alyssa is sure to include some laughter and I never talk to my friend Kelli without laughing. Casey shares his dad's quick wit, so when he isn't making me want to scream, he can be pretty funny.

Just a comment... I love your sense of color and style, from your sewing, to your house to your clothing. More importantly your strength.

Awww, thanks Anne! You are so sweet!

Lisa is sweet too!

I think your work is beautiful! My question is: Do you come from a sewing/quilting family or have you taught yourself?

Thank you Lisa!! I do come from a sewing family. I've said before that my granny was the original Martha Stewart. There wasn't anything she couldn't do. I never had any interest in sewing though until about six years ago, so most of my sewing has been self taught. I do turn to my aunt Mary anytime I get stuck with something and she always knows how to fix whatever mess I've made. A couple of years ago I signed up for a beginners sewing class but was able to attend 3 classes (the instructor had to return home to Japan for a family emergency).  Those 3 classes were quite helpful, though.  I want to try it again.

Leonie, I think that answers your question. You also asked to see my craft area. Here are some pictures.

Good grief, this is getting long. Only 2 more. Bless your heart if you've read all this.

Hi June! 

I'm from N.C., too (born in Kinston but never lived there, lived in Jacksonville and Wilmington). My favorite beach is Topsail Island, followed by Wrightsville Beach. Where in eastern N.C. do you live? And, do you go to S.O.S. in Myrtle Beach?

Wilmington is beautiful isn't it? We live east of Fayetteville, sort of between two very tiny towns that I doubt you've heard of. Stedman and Autryville. Stedman has one stoplight. Autryville has a caution light.
We don't go to S.O.S. but we've been to Myrtle Beach that weekend many times. It must be the first weekend in May, our Aniversary is May 2nd, so we've been there many times when the shaggers converge on the shore.

Amanda asked about the bedding I made for Bayleigh's crib.

I want to know how you made the bedding for your grandbaby? did you use a pattern or just figure it out? the bumper doesn't seem to hard to figure out if you had one to reference but i could never figure out the sheets. I'm asking because I am having a baby and there is NOTHING just right to buy.

I emailed Amanda about this, but in case anyone else had the same question, yes and no. I did have a pattern and read the instructions to get an idea where to begin. I didn't end up using the pattern, but it was a good starting point. I followed these directions for making the fitted sheet.

Happy Friday y'all! Go out and have some fun!

My cool new shoes are Camilla Engman Lil' Red Riding Hood Converse Allstars. I first saw these modeled by my buddy LLA (who I really miss, by the way) and knew I had to have a pair.  I was never able to find my size on the Converse  site, but with some searching, I got lucky and found them here.

I knew I could count on you!

And you delivered. Reading your questions over the past few days has given me lots to ponder. Some have been easy to answer and some have required me to look a little deeper, think a little more and provided me with some welcome distraction this weekend. (I'll break up my answers in a couple of posts.)

The first question was from Molly:

When do you get up in the morning? Are you a morning person? night owl?

I'm definitely a morning person. My days of burning the midnight oil are long gone. When the light of day starts to fade so do I.

What crafts do you see yourself still doing when you're old and gray?

I've never thought of this one. I hope I'll still be doing crafts that are relevant to the times. I don't want to torture my grandchildren with handmade gifts from Nana that they dread getting.

Stephanie asked:

well..first of all, what is the name and brand of the wonderful paint color in the background of this photo! beautiful! we just painted some blue around the house and we love it...it looks very similar.

Stephanie, the paint is a Martha Stewart color called Vintage Kitchen from her Sherwin Williams line. I don't think they have her paint anymore but there is a color in her line at Lowes called Vintage Map that looks identical to me. 

second...i had no idea that you were so close..we are in VA!

Yep, we're down here in NC, not too far from Fayetteville and Fort Bragg. Howdy neighbor!

From Beth:

How did you and Mitch meet?

Well, we actually knew of each other before we technically "met". He is a little more than four years older than me- not a very big difference when you're 39 and 43, but when you're 14 and 18 it's a world of difference. He was dating a girl I went to church with. She was his age and lived right across the street from my best friend, April. We were always around, on our bikes, and to him we were just little girls. I'm sure he never gave me a second thought, but I thought he was really cute.  Fast forward three years, I'm 17 and he's 22, our paths cross by way of mutual friends one spring night and we've been together since.

Susan and a few others wonder how I stay so thin.

The only thing I want to know is how you stay so thin. Clothes look gorgeous on you. And I knew you didn't look old enough to be an almost grandma. I was 45 when I became one, and I thought that was young.

How do I stay so thin? I just do, despite my efforts not to.  90 pounds on a 5' 4" frame, is too thin, and clothes really don't look so gorgeous on me. There's not a curve to be found on me. My doctor attributes it to a high metabolism related to my lung disease. I burn lots of calories doing everyday things, sweeping the floor is a workout.

Yes, 39 is a young Nana. I was 18 (nearly 19) when I had Alyssa and she's 20. 

Cheryl had a few questions:

I have a few questions for ya tee hee.....

What inspires you to craft/sew?

What doesn't? I have way more inspiration than I have time or energy to actually do. I definitely have crafting ADD. I want to try this, I must do that... Lately, Flickr provides a wealth of inspiration. Now if it could also provide some motivation to go with all that inspiration.

Are most of the things you share your creations (dreamed up from you)? or do you use a pattern?

I'd say it's a mix of both. If I post about something that's been made from a pattern, I'll always reference the pattern.

Your creations are wonderfully crafted in great color combos. Do what do you attribute having such great color coordination in your projects?

I'm asked this one a lot. I can't say I have any particular color coordination methods, I just trust my eyes. I don't have any rules, I just go with what is pleasing to my eye.

Mallory, you asked a couple of good ones.

Thanks for allowing us to ask you questions and I have two! :-) 1. How did you get so skilled at sewing; and 2. How do you stay in your sewing room long enough to make these beautiful creations...and take such good care of a family too? I do not accomplish as much as you do! :-)

My sewing skills have improved purely by sewing- just like the old saying, practice makes perfect. I'm a long, long way from perfect, but I do a lot of practicing. The second part of your question really gave me lots to think about when I read it, because I guess if I were completely honest, I don't take such good care of my family. I hate to cook and we eat take-out way to often,  Casey has at least 10 loads of laundry scattered about his room, (should I be doing an 18-year-old's laundry?) and I only grocery shop when we are in danger of starving if I don't. I could write a whole post about this, but to keep it short here, Mallory, I am not good at juggling my time between sewing and the other stuff. It's all about balance, and I've yet to achieve it.

Hey there Anna, you asked some fun questions.

What's your favorite snack food?

I love me some chips and salsa, a Bavarian creme filled donut can't be beat, then there's cheese. I do love cheese, but I can't say it aloud because there are four other creatures around here who love it just as much or more and if you say the word, you better be prepared to deliver.

When you can sneak a few free moments, what's your favorite way to relax?

Me and the boys (Mitch, Toby and Lucky) love to hang out together and watch TV in the evening. Mitch likes to have ice-cream and the boys sit patiently waiting because they always get the last 2 bites. (They actually eat ice cream from a spoon)

And....what's the one thing you can hardly wait to tell that precious new baby girl????

I plan to tell her how much I love her and how much fun we are going to have together. I had the best granny there ever was, so I have some big shoes to fill and I can't wait to get started.

Lynn in NC had a couple:

Two questions:
1)why the name creative little daisy? (BTW, daisies are my favorite)

When I decided to start my blog, I had no idea what to call it. I gave Alyssa, Mitch and my friend Kelli a list of five or six questions requiring one word answers. Questions like, when you think of me, what food comes to mind, what flower, what movie... name one word that describes me... I took their answers and used them in several different combinations coming up with a few potential names. Creative Little Daisy was the winning combination, coming in close second was Fried Green Ravioli. Do you think I made the right choice?

2)where else have you lived other than NC?

Nowhere. I've only had four different addresses and two of them were next door to one another.   

OK, I'm going to stop there since this is getting really long. I'll answer the rest in another post.
Why the photo above?  I just wanted to share my cool new shirt. $5.95 at Ross.

What do you really want to know?

I've been tagged a couple of times lately to name 7 weird things or 7 random facts about myself. Sounds easy, right? Not so much.  Especially given the fact I've already listed 7 things at least a couple of times, that makes 14, plus I even listed 100 things once (way back when) and my about me page has 25 things. By my calculation that must be about 700 things you never even cared to know in the first place. Instead of me trying to narrow down my many quirks to seven, how about I do what Molly did.  You ask me what you want to know- that's assuming you want to know anything, and if you don't, that's ok too. I understand, you're busy and have other things to do. Really, it's fine. Don't give it a second thought. It's just that I was fascinated by the interesting and thought provoking questions that were asked of Molly, so I thought going that route would surely be more interesting than telling you that once when I was a child, six-ish, I put poison ivy down my shirt because I thought it would be fun to have poison ivy. It wasn't fun. And you really didn't want to know that, did you? What is it that you would like to know about this darn near 40-year-old wife and mom, soon-to-be-nana, sewing hermit and zoo keeper living in eastern North Carolina? Ask away! 

I got a new rug

When what I needed was new pants. And socks.
I've been tagged by Tamy to list 7 random things about myself, so let the randomness begin. Try to contain your excitement.

1. So yea, I got a new rug for the kitchen. Actually 2 rugs. They were buy one get one free at Kohls. I wish I had all the money I've spent on kitchen and bathroom rugs over the years. 

2. My pants have a really big hole in the leg. I only have three pair of jeans that fit me and these are one of them. To some people three pair of jeans may seem like a lot, but those people probably have other clothes they wear. Not me. Jeans are pretty much it. Except on Sunday, when I do wear a dress or nice pants to church. I don't have any nice pants that fit either. I've lost quite a bit of weight this past year. No I wasn't trying.

3. Very well meaning people frequently come up to me and say things like You are too skinny! You need to eat more! I end up just standing there looking at them, uncomfortable, not knowing what to say.  How am I supposed to respond to that? I would never walk up to someone and say You're fat. You need to step away from the table. Why do people feel like it's ok to tell someone they are too skinny? I know they mean no harm, but I never know how to reply.

4. The tv was on this afternoon and I heard Oprah talking about a grilled cheese sandwich and I stopped what I was doing and made myself one. Mine had swiss and chipotle cheddar. Yum!

5. Mitch and I went to see Motley Crue a week after Casey was born. How random is that?  He was born by C-section, so I was pretty miserable.

6. When I was in junior high school, I used to go roller skating every weekend. I even went to an all night skate once. Can you imagine roller skating all night long? I did. Me and my best friend April. Funny eh? Autum and April.  I wasn't born in Autumn and she wasn't born in April. She was born on the first day of Autumn.

7. I'm really tired of hearing about what Britney Spears is doing. I feel sorry for her, and think she really, really needs to get some help, but I don't think it should be Breaking News that she showed up to court 3 hours late, then left and went to the mall to get something to eat.

Could that list be any more random?

On the subject of news, while I don't think Britney's latest escapades is worthy of mention on the 6 o'clock news, the search for this guy is. I hope they find him soon.

Seven

I've been tagged to post seven random things about me. Since my sewing machine has seen no action in... I don't even know how long, here goes a bit or boring randomness. This isn't going to be easy, I'm such a blabber mouth when it comes to blogging, I can't imagine seven things I haven't already said about me.

• I love the beach, but don't really like going into the ocean. If it is unbearably hot, I may go in the water up to my knees just to cool off. Most days I sit in a chair in the sand and never even get wet.
• With age comes experience and wisdom from life experience. I find the older I get and the wiser I get, the less I feel like I really know. Did that sentence make sense? Let me say it this way. I used to think I knew things, the more I really do know, the more I realize I don't know very much. That one didn't make much sense either did it? Never-mind.
• Since this is random things, I watched Letters from Iwo Jima last night. Have you seen it? It was so deeply moving and sad and beautiful.
• Boy, I'm finding it hard to think of 7 even semi-interesting things about me this morning. How about one about my husband? He still has his first car, a 1968 Dodge Charger. He got it when he was 15, he's 43 now. I'm sure I'd have to go before the car would. We're the same age by the way, the car and I. 1968 was a very good year.
• I accidentally spilled half a bottle of vinegar on the kitchen floor this morning. Now my house smells like pickles. How random is that?
• I feel like I have two very distinct personalities and they are in constant conflict with one another. I have the part of me who likes order and discipline and wants things to be done and the other part who doesn't want to do what Miss Order and Discipline says to do. It's like I have a defiant child inside of me and she drives the adult in me crazy. Just call me Sybil. At least there are only 2 of me. I think.
• I get stung by a wasp at least once every summer.

I am going to sew today. I am. Really. I don't care what my defiant inner child says.

Bloggers are a bunch of weirdos...

so it would seem. The current meme making rounds is six weird things about me. Bonnie tagged me with this one a while back. I didn't forget Bonnie, I just didn't think there could possibly be six weird things about me and I'm still not so sure. I mean, others may find lots of weird things but since it's about me, it feels normal to me. I'll give it a go.

1. Well this one is easy. Even I admit it's weird. My toes. My second and third toe on each foot are partially webbed. They grow together about 3/4 the way up. I bet you're getting a nice image huh? No I'm not posting a picture.

2. I lift my feet when driving/ riding over railroad tracks. I don't really have a reason, I just do it.

3. I absolutely cannot stand mouth noises (food smacking, gum popping etc...). It's worse than fingernails on a chalk board. I have to leave the room if Mitch is flossing.

4. I sometimes will get a spoonful of peanut butter, dip it in a cup of tea (hot tea) and eat it. On the topic of peanut butter, I put both peanut butter and mayonnaise on banana sandwiches.

5. I have some odd substitutions for curse words I guess. I'm not sure where they come from and I'd probably think it was ridiculous if someone else said "doodie head." (someone over 7 years old that is). That's not saying I never curse, I have teenagers.

6. I talk for my animals. I know what they are thinking and would say if they could so I help them out.

There you have it, just a few of my little quirks. This has been a fun meme to see making the rounds.

For this gratitude Friday, I'd like to hear what you are grateful for. My friend Karen emails me every week to share her list, share a few of yours too. Me, this week I'm grateful to be feeling good.

I never said I was original...

It's still pretty early, but so far I feel nearly human, which let me tell you is so much better than I've felt the past four or so days. I have no doubt this turn around I made, seemingly overnight, is thanks to the whopping dose of prednisone I took yesterday (under the direction of my Dr.) So do I run with this energy while I've got it or ease back into things? Since I've been out of commission and have nothing but whining creative to share, I'm going to steal this theme from Beki. I love reading these things, maybe you do too. If not I won't feel bad if you move along...only because I'll have no way of knowing. If I did know, then yes I probably would feel bad, but that's just because I'm neurotic and hypersensitive that way. I'm not going to call it a 100 things list because I may not make it to 100 and I don't want to set myself up for failure so early in the day. So, here's a list of a number of random things about me you didn't know you wanted to know....

1. I wake up at almost the same time every morning without an alarm clock
2. Fall back really didn't give me an extra hour sleep, I woke up anyway
3. I don't like to lay in bed long after I wake up, unless it's really cold and then I hate to get out from under the covers.
4. If for some reason I wake in the middle of the night I always have panicky thoughts.
5. The older I get the more I worry about things.
6. I'm told I don't look my age, I look younger.
7. I don't feel my age either, I feel older.
8. I'm glad I don't look like I feel.
9. Some days I feel 80.
10. I have arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis. I used to think arthritis only affected old people.
11. I once would have thought of myself as a people person, now I'm more of a wall flower.
12. I don't know why.
13. I need to get out more.
14. My granny was outgoing and joyful and bubbly and maybe a little boisterous. I loved it about her and wish I could be that way. I'm not.
15. Her sister is quiet and reserved  and serious. Lots of people think she's mean because she doesn't have much to say. She's not. I'm more like her.
16. I don't like attention.
17. When people (that don't know me well) pay very close attention to me they notice my breathing is often labored and can probably hear me wheeze. I can see the look of concern on their face and know they are studying me wondering if I'm ok. I don't like the feeling that gives me.
18. I'm really not so negative and whiny all the time, you wouldn't know it reading this list. I guess it's cheaper than therapy.
19. Beki's list was more fun... but this isn't about Beki, it's about me.
20. I want to be fun. Can you will your self to be fun?
21. I could never go on a low carb diet.
22. I love bread and potatoes.
23. I eat very fast.
24. Mitch eats very slow.
25. We drive each other crazy. I think he needs to hurry up. He can't believe I'm finished already.
26. I'm conflicted by my desire to have things clean and organized and my inability to keep them that way.
27. I keep thinking as I get older I'll get better about being organized and on top of things but it doesn't seem to be happening.
28. I could never go on fear factor. I gag watching it, let alone experiencing it. I could not eat bugs or worms for money.
29. I don't like to look at worms. Most bugs don't bother me.
30. I'm not afraid of spiders (still not going to eat one though)
31. I am afraid of snakes. All snakes. I know some are good, but to me, they're all the same.
32. I'm not one for trying new foods, especially anything strange or exotic.
33. The strangest thing I'll eat is a banana sandwich w/ peanut butter and mayo, and that's because it isn't strange to me.
34. Sometimes random words or names will pop in my head and stay there all day, like when you have a song stuck in your head. Out of the blue, a completely random word or name. Yesterday out of nowhere the name Mike Rutherford pops in my head. Why? Isn't he the guy from Genesis? I just googled it, he is. No idea where that came from or why. Mike Rutherford stuck in my head.... crazy.
35. I'm not a list maker, mostly because I used to have a good memory. Not as much anymore. I need to make more lists.
36. I am terrible about remembering birthdays.
37. I fidget.
38. Fidgety people get on my nerves.
39. I do lots of things that get on my nerves when other people do them.
40. Maybe that's why I don't get out much, so I don't get on peoples nerves or them on mine :)
41. I don't sound like a very likable person do I? Hmmm.... that makes me sad. I don't want to be unlikable. 
42. Maybe I should stop making this list, it's bumming me out. I know I can think of some good qualities.
43. I think I'm pretty open minded and try to see situations from more than one side.
44. Empathetic, I think I'm an empathetic person.
45. I don't like conflict.
46. I don't like to see anyone hurting. I cry anytime someone else cries.
47. I cry in church a lot.
48. I only wear one particular brand and style of underwear. Have for years. Alyssa thinks that's strange. I say when you find what works, stick with it. It's always on my Christmas list.
49. I'm wondering if any of these items were on the first list I did like this... if so sorry to be repetitious. (you don't have to go back and read the first one. 150 things is too much to have to know about anyone)
50. I used to think I was smart. I was always told I was very smart, scored highly on aptitude tests.  I think I peaked at some point in my 20's and it's been downhill since.
51. I'm sure regular readers wonder about my aptitude. I know my grammar, spelling and punctuation leave lots to be desired.
52. I often wonder do I need a comma or a period. Is this an incomplete sentence or a run-on? (Not that particular sentence.)
53. I didn't make the most of my God given intelligence when it came to paying attention in English class.  Now I wish I had.
54. I read in spurts. I haven't had a spurt in a while. I should read more.
55. I want to be a good parent.
56. I was a good parent to my babies.
57. I don't feel so good about my parenting of teens.
58. I'll be glad when I can feel like they will be safe in this world.
59. Like they have the skills they need to be functioning members of society and have happy lives.
60. Sometimes I think they don't love themselves enough and I wonder if it is because I failed at  teaching  them how to. That makes me sad, because I love them very much and know how great they are.
61. I love the satisfaction I get from making something with my hands. The process.
62. I'm rarely completely satisfied with the end results. There's always something I wish I'd done better.
63. I weigh less than 100 pounds.
64. I've heard people say you can never be too rich or too thin. I'm surely not rich but I am too thin.
65. My hair is the longest it's been in 15 or so years, almost to my shoulders...yay.
66. No one thought I'd stick with letting it grow.
67. I pierced my own ears, several times in high school.
68. I almost never wear earrings now. They irritate my ears.
69. I always wear a necklace. Not always the same necklace, I occasionally change it up. 
70. I always fidget with it.
71. I just looked back at the first about me list I made and a couple of the items have changed. I don't watch very much TV these days. (on that list I said I watched too much TV)
72. And I said my favorite color was pink, these days I seem drawn to blues. Aqua blue, cool icy blue, gray blue....
73. I like people watching.
74. That's one of my favorite things about sitting on the beach. I don't go to sleep. I watch the people. Fascinating.
75. I don't often strike up conversation with strangers... say in the grocery store line. My husband does.
76. I love to decorate for Christmas  I have put the tree up before Thanksgiving, but I'm usually ready to take it down by Dec 26. I usually wait a little longer.
77. I once took the Christmas tree down Christmas night. It was and dry and droopy and dropping needles everywhere. I had looked at it long enough.
78. I think I am creative, I don't think I am artistically talented.
79. My husband is good at doing helping with the kids school projects. I'm not.
80. I'm doubting I'm going to make it to 100. I twirl my hair (another part of my fidgety-ness)
81. I can fold my thumb back to lay on my hand at a 90 degree angle.
82. So can Alyssa, she thought everyone could. I don't know, maybe they can. Try it. Bend it at the knuckle back towards your hand so that it makes the shape of a 7. The knuckle should be pointing away from your hand. Can you do it?
83. On the subject of weird body stuff, I can pop my shoulder in and out of joint. So can Alyssa.
84. Are you still with me? I never paint my nails. Or file them. Or do anything other than washing them.
85. I'm very low maintenance in that sort of way.
86. I'm most comfortable dressed very casually and feel like some sort of impostor if I dress up to go anywhere that doesn't call for dressed up attire. You know, like wearing a dress and heels to the mall just because it makes you feel pretty. I feel ridiculous.
87. Alyssa loves to dress up and wear make up, nail polish, jewelry. I always wonder where she got that from.
88. I have trouble with what is appropriate for someone my age to wear. I don't want to dress like a teen, but I'm not going to wear Mom Jeans either.
89. I usually wear jeans or sweat pants and a tee. My basic uniform.
90. I believe there are "guy" jobs around the house that I do not do. I live with two males who are responsible for: taking out the trash, removing anything dead the cats drag up, killing snakes (sorry snake lovers, if they're hanging out around my house they gotta go) washing the car... I'm sure there's more, but these are the biggies.
91. I can't think of any "girl" only jobs, hmmmm.... nope, can't think of a thing.  They can cook and often do if they want to eat, they know how to run the washing machine, vacuum etc.. that's not saying they do these things, but they aren't automatically exempt.
92. I prefer summer to winter but late spring and early fall are really my favorites.
93. I coordinate my wrapping paper at Christmas. I decide on a color scheme and all the paper has to be matching. Not all the same, but coordinating.
94. Nearly there... I am easily annoyed in traffic by other drivers.
95. I don't like to drive.
96. I'm not a good passenger either. Especially not with an unexperienced teenager.
97. I drive a small car.
98. I had a minivan for about a month once. I went by my self to the car dealership and traded it in for a car. My husband still isn't over that. 11 years later. (I guess buying cars is another "guy" job)
99. I think I have a good eye for color.
100. I was once abducted by aliens. Not really but I'm running out of stuff here. One more thing, I know I can do it.....I prefer diet coke to regular.

I can't believe I made it to 100. For those of you still with me I don't know whether to apologize or say thank you. I'll do both. Thank you for reading my list. I'm sorry to have kept you so long. Now go have a snack or something, you're blood sugar is probably getting kinda low by now.