Post #100! And 100 Things You Don’t Know About Me

Ta-DA and Hip Hip Hooray! This is the 100th post in Catbird Quilt Studio!

Post #1 was on July 21, 2013. Doing the math, that means I’ve published approximately every other day in the last six-and-a-half months.

I looked at a few other blogs’ celebrations of #100. They ranged from full-on party mode like my friend Angie at the Novice Gardener, to same-ol’-same-ol’ at many blogs, to give-aways at a few. One even listed 100 things you (the reader) didn’t know about the blogger. I have to admit, that one intrigued me. I wasn’t sure I could list 100 things.

But I decided to give it a try! Some of these may seem pretty random, while others are fairly essential pieces of information about me.

To help me celebrate, please LEAVE A COMMENT, and let me know what’s your favorite fun fact about me. It could be from this list, or something else you know about me.

• My eyes are green.
• My hair is brown. Still. Naturally.
• Okay, there are a few scattered grey hairs.
• But I can’t see them, so I get to ignore them.
• I’ve been married to Jim for more than 32 years.
• I was really young when we got married.
• He’s still the best person I know. (Okay, yeah, that wasn’t really about me.)
• I blog because I like to write, and I like to teach. I get to do both here.
• I used to teach financial management.
• In July 2013, my favorite post here is Be Prepared!
• I’m the opposite of a hoarder. Jim asks sometimes if I’ll get rid of him, too.
• I do like my studio to be neat (and well-prepared), but it’s never spotless.
• Uh, same with the rest of my house.
• I’m a pretty good cook and specialize in soups.
• I cook mostly from scratch and don’t use many processed foods.
• I ponder what “from scratch” and “processed foods” really mean.
• I’m also a pretty good eater and will try most things.
• But I won’t eat Brussels sprouts, lima beans, or split pea soup.
• I love the color green, so is it weird that those won’t-eat-things are all green?
• At one point I had several green sweaters and wondered if I would turn into one of those old women who only wears green in many variations.
• In August, my favorite post is I Quilt for Fun… But Not Always.
• When I was a kid I was a reader and rarely played outside.
• I still read a lot but mostly shorter things, only a few books a year.
• And now I play outside.
• In my first paid job at a small business, I proofread stock certificates for shareholders.
• My primary adult career was as an investment manager for individuals, families, and non-profit organizations. No, I wasn’t a stockbroker.
• I really hope the weather lets us try snowshoeing this winter.
• I really hope winter is over soon.
• I know how to hold two conflicting hopes at the same time.
• In 2011 I wrote a novel. It’s not publishable, but I wrote a whole book.
• It never occurred to me to write a book before then.
• It never occurred to me to write fiction before then.
• I never took trigonometry.
• Or physics.
• But I married a physics teacher.
• One of my favorite quilts I made in 2013 was this one:

The wedding quilt for a friend whose fiance died. I made this and had it mailed in 16 days. I think it’s one of the best things I ever did.

• Another favorite from 2013 was this:

My Medallion Quilt.

• I am so proud of all three of my children. They are smart, funny, and most of all, kind. And they work hard in their lives, each in their own way making the world a better place.
• Besides three children, we have seven grandchildren!
• The oldest grandchild is turning 16 in a few minutes!
• Yes, I was a child bride.
• I’m writing another book.
• In fact, I have one non-fiction (quilting) and two novels going.
• I need to spend a lot more time writing on “paper” and not in my head.
• In order to get that time, I’ll spend less time blogging for a while.
• I like many different kinds of music.
• But usually I don’t think to listen to music during the day.
• Also I don’t usually watch television while I work.
• As the fifth child born in six years in my family, I heard “don’t touch that!” a lot.
• I still don’t touch a lot of things, and really, now it would be okay.
• I just counted seven elastic hair ties in my pocket. I only use one at a time!
• My favorite post from September is Design Process — What’s the Worst that Would Happen If…?
• I have a weird love of dishes. If I were really rich and had unreasonable amounts of storage space, I can imagine have many more sets than I already have.
• And I have rabbits. Decorative rabbits. Not a lot of rabbits, but several.
• I can’t think of anything else I collect.
• Even my fabric stash is pretty small.
• But I could probably make a couple of dozen quilts without buying any new fabric. At least I could if I weren’t very particular about how well things went together.
• One of my favorite quilts I ever made was this one for my FFDIL:

FFDIL’s graduation quilt — still one of my favorites. It’s about 81″x81″.

• I try to stay active and make sure to get some exercise most days of the week.
• Weight-lifting feels especially great.
• Even so, all my joints are creakier and it’s harder to get up and down than it used to be.
• My other favorite exercise activity, when weather allows, is hiking.
• You can find posts about our hikes in 2013 here.
• Besides being outside, I enjoy the challenge of variable footing and elevation changes.
• I love my hiking boots!
• One of my favorite posts from October is My Creative Manifesto.
• The other favorite post was published at Our View from Iowa. It is Who is That Guy?
• I love lists!
• Until the last few months, I gave away the vast majority of the quilts I made.
• I made most of them with a specific receiver in mind.
• Eventually, most of the recent ones will be given away, too.
• I learn something new with every quilt I make.
• Working in series with the medallions has taught me more about design than any other phase of my quilting life.
• I’ve never made a quilt as designed by someone else.
• Even so, I’m often inspired by others’ creations.
• I don’t much like to quilt “wonky,” though I appreciate the style as other people interpret it.
• And I’m not sure that “modern” is actually different other than stylistically.
• But I’m really glad it’s bringing more people to the craft!
• I love leftovers. I especially love freezer leftovers, like the enchiladas I pulled out for tomorrow’s dinner.
• On short notice I could make a meal for a dozen people if needed, though I’ll never be as talented as Jim’s mom.
• Feeding people is important to me.
• I volunteer weekly at the nearest food pantry.
• Ironically, my volunteer position is working with the kids’ clothes, not with food.
• My favorite post from November is Design Process – Design as You Go.
• I’ve made two king-sized bed quilts, one for each of my daughters.
• This is one:

King-sized Tennessee Waltz made for our daughter and son-in-law.

• This is the other:

King-sized quilt for our other daughter and her husband. My original design, including the block design.

• Like for many quilters, the first quilt I made was a baby quilt.
• I didn’t enjoy the process and swore I would never make another quilt.
• Coincidentally, the quilt I’m working on now is a baby quilt.
• My favorite post for December is What’s the Word?
• My biggest fan is my husband.
• He’s also my best friend.
• I am loyal and open with my friends and would do almost anything to help a friend.
• Sometimes that gets me in trouble.
• While “trouble” has led me to reevaluate what friendship means, and who is a friend, I’m not inclined to change how I treat my friends.
• I believe everyone, friend or not, deserves to be treated with respect.
• I fail at that sometimes, but I keep trying.
• My favorite post for January 2014 is EXPERIMENT!
• My favorite blog reader is YOU!