Summer Blog Challenge - Days 1-7

The Summer Blog Challenge is being hosted by Going Green with the Grizls. Each day, there is a different prompt. Because the challenge began on June 1st, I thought I'd group the days together.

June 1-- Why you are doing this challenge.

One of my most treasured gifts that my dad gave me about a decade ago was an album that he had filled out. In it, there were questions and he answered each one. It took him a long time, but by the time he was finished it was as if he wrote an autobiography. I learned so much about him, and am very happy that he took the time to do this for me.

By the end of the summer, I hope to have answered all the questions. When I'm done, I'll print a copy of the answers out for each of my daughters. Perhaps when they are older they will enjoy reading the questions and answers.

June 2-- Post a picture of you smiling.

This picture was taken last Father's Day (2011). My Dad was in the late stage of Alzheimer's Disease at this point. He was having a good day that day, and was enjoying a bowl of ice cream.  We were watching an old television show on the DVD player which he found interesting.

My Dad died less than seven months later, on January 5, 2012. I am so happy and thankful that I had him as my father for as many years as I did.

June 3-- 15 interesting facts about yourself.

I'm not sure if they are interesting, but they are facts:

1. When I was growing up, I had an irrational fear of clouds falling on me and crushing me.

2. On that same topic of clouds, when I very young and my Dad took me on a plane to visit my grandparents in Illinois, I had hoped that I could open the window of the plane and "pick a cloud."

3. I have lived in or been to five of the seven continents: North America, Europe, Australia, South America, and Asia. Only two left: Africa and Antarctica.

4. I have been to 43 out of 50 states. My goal is to someday go to visit each one.

5. I have grown out my hair three times for Locks of Love; and am growing it out a fourth time. The ponytails are combined with other ponytails to create wigs for children who do not have any hair. It takes about 8-10 ponytails to make a wig.

6. I was hit by a car when I was 16 year old as I was crossing the street. The driver hit me in the right knee and I rolled onto the hood of the car and cracked the windshield with the left side of head. I can still feel where I had stitches on my head. 

7. On that same subject of knees, I was in a downhill skiing accident in the 1990s and tore the ligament in my knee. Had to have ACL surgery to remove the torn ligament.

8. Shall I continue with injuries? Why not. Missed the last step on the stairs in the home in Minneapolis. Ended up fracturing a bone in my left foot. Had to have surgery and have pins in it to re-set the bone.

9. Let's switch to a more pleasant subject. My favorite colors are purple and green.

10. I enjoy needlework: embroidery, cross-stitch, crocheting, quilting, and sewing.

11. Up until I was in my 30s, I use to always hold a camera horizontally...never vertically. Took a photography course in Oregon where the instructor suggested changing the position of the camera. It was like a whole new world was opened up in terms of photography.

12. I am a terrible drawer. I took Betty Edwards' "Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain" class. Even though I improved with my drawing skills, they still paled in comparison to other participants in the class.

13. I use to do calligraphy in junior high. Would like to start writing nicely again since my penmanship now has much to be desired.

14. I founded and operated a farm and art camp for children at the farm.

15. I wanted to be an archeologist when I was in sixth grade. I changed my dream career to an artist in eighth grade. Was told by my parents that I should think of another career since artists didn't make much money. So, I stopped taking art classes and took more college prep courses in high school. Wonder what would have happened if I followed what I truly wanted to do.

June 4-- Meaning behind your blog name.

Harvest Moon by Hand is a variation of the name I gave the farm in 1995. "Harvest Moon Community Farm" was the original name. The "Harvest Moon" part of the name was because it represented discovery-excitement-learning-education. 

Why? One night in the mid-1990s I was driving home from work. On the horizon, I saw this huge orange object in the sky. I finally figured out it was the moon...the Harvest Moon.

From that point on, I began to notice more things that I had never seen before on my drives to and from work as well as at the farm. It seemed like there were so many things that I had never seen in my life.

So, when I was thinking of a name for the non-profit organization I wanted to start, Harvest Moon came to mind. The organization was going to focus on education and new experiences. It seemed logical that the name be something that was a discovery and new experience for me.

A couple years after September 11th, Harvest Moon Community Farm ended. Funding was difficult to secure due to a change in many foundations' and corporations' portfolios.

Eventually, I began Harvest Moon by Hand - a small business that I have on Etsy that sells handmade natural toys and natural home decor.

June 5-- Short term goals for this month and why those goals.

I am doing the 3 in 30 challenge, and have three goals this month:

- Finish painting a section of wall by my bed. This is something I have wanted to do since January, but have not got around to it. There is chipped paint and I want it to look nice again.

- Clean the floor of my office at home. I would like to have more space in my office and get rid of things that I no longer need or want.

- Do the 12 in 12 project for June. This is an ongoing project that Sophia, Olivia, and I are doing. Each month during 2012, we are doing 12 service projects each month that benefit people in need, animals, and the environment. At the end of each month, I summarize and include pictures of what we did on this blog.

June 6-- Nicknames you have and why you have them.

I do not have any nicknames. When I was growing up, my Mom use to call me "Annie Ba-nannie." She has not used that that nickname since I was in elementary school.

My Dad use to call me by my full name (Ann Marie) often. My nickname to him was "Ann." Because he called me by Ann Marie, many of his business associates, friends, and family knew me by that name.

June 7-- Picture of something that makes you happy.

Several things that make me happy when I look at this picture: my daughters, the dogs (who represent all the pets), homeschooling, and art. We're in the kitchen where I cook and bake - either by myself or with Sophia and Olivia - another activity that I enjoy.