marnie lyn adams : happy beautiful creative life

The Art of Joyful Living – Week 32

To join in the fun, read how The Art of Joyful Living works in this post.

Week 32 Theme: Friends*

*This one is for Michelle.

Use any or all of the following in your project:

• What was the name of your friends in grade school?
• What was special about them?
• What adventures did you have together?
• What was the stupidest thing you did with your elementary school friends?
• What is your favorite memory with your grade school friends?
• What keepsakes do you have from your time with your grade school friends?
• Where did you meet your best friend?
• Where is your favorite place to go with your best friend?
• Who are your friends now?
• How do you keep in touch with them?
• How often do you meet up with your friends now?
• What is the craziest thing you have ever dared your friend to do?
• Who is the friend you call when you need to laugh?
• How do you celebrate with your friends?
• What is your favorite trait about each of your friends?
• Who were your friends in high school?
• What did you do together?
• What were the things you talked about the most?
• How do you keep in touch with your high school friends?
• Who is the friend you call when you need to cry?
• How do you share your life with friends that live afar?
• How do you show your friends how much they mean to you?
• What is the favorite memory with your high school friends?
• What ways do you record your time with your friends?
• If you and your friends were the cast from a Hollywood movie, what would the name of the film be?
• Who is the friend you call when you have good news?
• How do you honor friends you have lost?
• What stories do your friends have about you?
• What is your favorite adventure, so far, with your friends?

Please post links to your completed pieces in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you make!

 

The Art of Joyful Living – Week 31

To join in the fun, read how The Art of Joyful Living works in this post.

Week 31 Theme: Air

Use any or all of the following in your project:

• What is your earliest memory of being airborne (i.e. Dad throwing you in the air; playing airplane; actually riding a plane)?
• What types of flying objects have you owned (i.e. rocket, kite, radio controlled helicopter)?
• In what ways does air affect your outside décor (i.e. flag waving; wind chimes; wind sock)?
• What ways do you like to “catch air” (i.e. jump skateboarding; fly over ridges while skiing; wind boarding)?
• As a child, how did you let the air run past you for an adrenaline rush (i.e. leaning back on a swing; sticking head out car window; taking feet off pedals and hands of handle bars of your bike)?
• What ways did watching air fascinate you as a child (i.e. blowing on dandelions; watching clouds float by; sending a parachute toy into the air)?
• Where is your favorite place to get a burst of fresh air?
• Where do you go to experience the smell of the air or feel mist falling on you?
• Who is the “wind beneath your wings”?
• How do you use air at playtime (i.e. blowing kisses; making pinwheels; blowing bubbles)?
• What is your favorite technique for making a paper airplane?
• Who is your kite flying buddy?
• How do you harness the air for industry (i.e. windmill to generate electricity; wind to power sailboat; buying a more aerodynamic bike)?
• In what ways has the power of air impacted your life?
• What is your favorite book or movie that includes some type of air element in it (i.e. Walt Disney’s Pocahontas where her hair moved elegantly around her)?
• What is your favorite song with “air” or an “air” inspired word in the title?
• What does “fresh air” mean to you?
• How do you describe “air to your children?
• How much time have you spent airborne?
• How do you imagine “flight” changing in the future?
• What is your favorite thing about being off the ground?
• If you could be any imaginary character capable of flying, who would you be and why?
• Who do you share your “fresh air” moments with?
• If you could have fifteen minutes of airtime on CNN (or any channel you choose) to say anything you want, what would you say?
• What techniques do you have for capturing the magic of air in your photography or artwork?

Please post links to your completed pieces in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you make!

 

The Art of Joyful Living – Week 30

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Week 30 Theme: One hour

Use any or all of the following in your project:

• What if you had one hour to go anywhere you wanted to go, where would it be?
• Where would you go with one hour of vacation?
• Where would you go with one hour to learn?
• If you had one hour, who would you have a conversation with (anyone living or dead)?
• How would you spend one hour with your spouse/significant other?
• How would you spend one hour with your children?
• How would you spend one hour with your extended family?
• How would you spend one hour with your friends?
• What if you had one hour to spend any amount you wanted to spend, what would it do?
• What would you trade or give up for one hour as you please?
• Who would you take with you to spend one hour doing something?
• How would you decide how to spend your one hour of anything?
• What would you take with you to spend one hour doing something?
• What if you had one hour to eat anything you wanted to eat, what would it be?
• How would you record your one hour of anything?
• What would you wish your child to spend one hour doing?
• What if you had one hour to say anything you wanted to say, what would it be?
• What would you do with an extra one hour every day?
• What would you be willing to give up or trade for one extra hour every day?
• How would spend one extra hour at work?
• How would you spend one extra hour at home?
• What if you had one hour to read anything you wanted to read, what would it be?
• What money value is one hour to you? To your family?
• What is your favorite hour of the day?
• If you had one hour each day on the internet, how would you spend it?
• Who would you choose to listen to for one hour?
• What makes one hour of quiet special to you?
• What makes one hour of fellowship special to you?
• What if you had one hour to do anything you wanted to do, what would it be?
• How will you spend your one hour tonight?

Please post links to your completed pieces in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you make!

 

The Art of Joyful Living – Week 29

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Week 29 Theme: Hidden Treasures

Use any or all of the following in your project:

• What tokens do you keep from outings and events (i.e. playbill; corsage; lift tickets)?
• What do you use for your treasure chest?
• What kind of things do you keep for sentimental value only?
• What treasures did you horde as a kid? Where did you keep them?
• What things count as treasures (i.e. heart shaped rocks; three leaf clovers; decorations from a baby shower cake)?
• What treasures have you found by taking a different path (i.e. new restaurant; dream home; gorgeous view)?
• Where do you go treasure hunting and who do you take with you?
• Where have you found your best bounty?
• Who is the best treasure hunter you know? What qualifies them to win?
• How do you find the best places to shop for treasures? What shops, flea markets, or sources do you visit again and again?
• What prize have you found while scouring garage sales?
• What treasures have you found hidden inside your lunchbox or box of candy?
• Who makes up the best clues and adventure games?
• How do you include treasure hunts on your travels?
• What scavenger hunts or progressive games have you played?
• What have you found simply by being in the right place at the right time?
• What is the best treasure you’ve found while walking around your town (i.e. viewing a garden from a different angle; seeing the sunset from the local pier; photographing graffiti)?
• How have you memorialized the treasured stories of your ancestors?
• Who is the living treasure of your family? What makes them so special to you?
• How have you shared your treasures with others?
• What hidden treasures have you uncovered in your friend or your child?
• What adventures have you taken to look for treasures (i.e. geocaching; researching for historical novel; looking for sunken ships)?
• If you had a compass, a treasure map, and a shovel, who would you take with you to look for the buried treasure?
• Who do you admire for their knowledge and experience? How could you learn from their treasure trove of skills?
• How can you look for hidden treasures in your everyday life?
• What hidden treasures do you have to offer?
• What is your greatest treasure?

Please post links to your completed pieces in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you make!

 

The Art of Joyful Living – Week 28

To join in the fun, read how The Art of Joyful Living works in this post.

Week 28 Theme: Imaginary Characters

Use any or all of the following in your project:

• Who is your favorite super hero? What do you like about them?
• What personality traits of your favorite super hero did you imitate as a child?
• What comic book characters do you follow?
• What cartoons did you watch growing up? Who was your favorite character?
• What holiday character was your favorite? Why did you like that one the best?
• At what age did you realize these characters were not real? How did you come to this realization?
• Where did you play “cops & robbers”? Who did you play with? Which role did you enjoy playing?
• Where did you put on plays or puppet shows? Who did you perform for? Where did the ideas or stories come from?
• Who was your imaginary friend? What adventures did you have? How did your family react to their existence?
• How did you include your love for characters in your life (i.e. wore t-shirts; posters on your wall; had to have the lunch box)?
• What memories do you have of visiting Santa or the Easter Bunny?
• Who encouraged or participated in your imaginative play and how did that encouragement make an impact on your life?
• How did you dress up or take on the roles of your favorite characters?
• What stories or songs did you learn about imaginary characters that you share with your children?
• What traditions surrounding imaginary characters did your family have (i.e. leaving cookies out for Santa; putting out carrots for the reindeer; finding a glitter path left by the Tooth Fairy)?
• What imaginary characters did you dream about being (i.e. Cinderella)?
• What special events or travels have you taken in order to see a favorite character (i.e. going to Disney World)?
• How do you explain about imaginary characters to your children?
• How do you include your child’s fascination with a character into their life?
• How many imaginary characters can you name?
• What imaginary characters do you play as an adult (i.e. dress up for football games; assume an alternate persona for a video game; play Santa for children’s parties)?
• What characteristics do you pick for your online avatars or Mii?
• If you could have one super power, what would it be?
• Who reminds you the most of an imaginary character? Which character do they remind you of and why?
• What imaginary characters have you dressed up for at Halloween or for parties?
• In what ways do you play Fairy Godmother for someone in your life? How has that affected your life and theirs?

Please post links to your completed pieces in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you make!

 

The Art of Joyful Living – Week 27

To join in the fun, read how The Art of Joyful Living works in this post.

Week 27 Theme: Making Wishes

Use any or all of the following in your project:

• What is the earliest wish you remember making? Did it come true?
• What is the story behind your first wish (i.e. blowing out candles on fifth birthday cake)?
• What is your favorite “wish” song?
• What is your favorite “wish” story?
• What traditions does your family have about wishes? What are the rules for playing (i.e. wishbone from the turkey; Christmas crackers; etc.)?
• What wishes have you made on falling stars?
• Where have you travelled to make a wish (i.e. Kissing the Blarney Stone at Blarney Castle in Ireland)?
• Where is the best place to watch for falling stars?
• Who was your “wish” partner when you were a kid?
• How many four-leaf clovers have you found? What did you do with them?
• What rules does your family have for making a wish while throwing coins in a fountain?
• Who have you made a wish for or about?
• How do you wish friends a happy birthday or good luck (i.e. phone call; on Facebook; send a card)?
• What is the best wish story you have ever heard?
• What wish rhymes do you know (i.e. starlight, starbright…; find a penny, pick it up…; etc.)?
• What wishes do your kids make? How do you help make them come true?
• What Make-a-Wish Foundation or other similar charities have you participated in?
• What impact did those charities have on your life?
• When you were a child, how did you get your wish list into Santa (i.e. mailed a letter; told him during store visit; report at school)?
• How have your wishes changed over time?
• How do your children or friends children deliver their wish lists to Santa?
• What are all the ways you have made wishes (i.e. wish jar; when you lose an eyelash; in your diary)?
• What wishes are you glad did not come true?
• If you could have three wishes, what would they be?
• Who would you give three wishes to? Why do they deserve wishes?
• How does making wishes enrich your life? Does it matter if they come true?
• What is the best wish you ever made?
• What wish would you make right now?

Please post links to your completed pieces in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you make!

 

The Art of Joyful Living – Week 26

To join in the fun, read how The Art of Joyful Living works in this post.

Week 26 Theme: Online Connections

Use any or all of the following in your project:

• When do you first remember using the internet?
• What role does the internet play in your everyday life?
• How has the internet and the massive online presence changed lifestyles from when you were a child until now?
• What is your favorite thing about being online?
• What about the internet irritates you the most?
• What would you do for one whole day without internet devices? One week? One month?
• Where in your home is the computer kept?
• Where do you shop online?
• Who have you met through the internet?
• How do your internet relationships differ from your real life ones?
• What impact does your time on a computer have with your significant other? Your job? Your children?
• Who is the most important person you have met online? What impact have they had on your life?
• How did you meet? And how do you remain in contact?
• What message boards, blogs, Yahoo groups, or other online organizations do you belong to?
• What impact does the group, its cause or inspiration, have on your life? How does it enrich your experience?
• What was the first computer you owned? How did it change your family’s everyday life (i.e. pay bills online; research homework; online gaming)?
• What “e”products do you use now instead of traditional ones (i.e. ebooks, ezines, etickets)?
• How do you use the internet as a tool to enhance your job?
• How do you use the internet to enhance your life?
• How do you use the internet for entertainment?
• What amount of time do you spend online each day? Over the weekend? Each week?
• What is the best thing to happen to you since you became an person of the computer age?
• If you could pick one internet business to shop from for one year, which one would it be?
• Who has made the most positive impact on public lives through the internet?
• How many ways do you waste time on the internet each day (i.e. checking twitter; updating Facebook; downloading the latest and greatest on iTunes)?
• What if the internet disappeared tomorrow: would you treat it as a step forward or a step back and why?
• What do you see as the next direction for the internet in the next year? The next decade?

Please post links to your completed pieces in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you make!

 

The Art of Joyful Living – Week 25

To join in the fun, read how The Art of Joyful Living works in this post.

Week 25 Theme: Connections

Use any or all of the following in your project:

• What is your friend-of-a-friend-of-a-friend connection to someone famous?
• How far back has your family tree been traced?
• What states and countries do your relatives live in?
• What states and countries do your friends live in?
• What connection do you have to someone in politics?
• What funny story do you have about meeting someone on a blind date/online only to find out you already know them?
• Where do your online friends reside? Have you ever met in person? How often do you chat or get together?
• What history does your family have with the same university, fraternity, or branch of military?
• Who is the oddest connection that helped you with an opportunity or that you helped with an opportunity (i.e. your dad’s roommate from college)?
• How do you stay connected with your friends from high school, college, or your first job?
• What connections have you made through LinkedIn or another professional networking website or organization?
• Who is the connection between you and meeting your significant other?
• What role does social networking play in your life? How often do you use Facebook, Twitter, and other related sites?
• What connections have you made through your blog, website, or online gallery?
• How is your business and social life interconnected?
• What types of devices keep you connected to the digital world?
• What are the craziest airlines connections you have had to make to complete a trip?
• How do you use your connections to complete a project?
• How does the connection between your productivity at work effect your happiness at home?
• How do you stay connected with your significant other during times apart (i.e. business trips, military deployments)?
• What connections have you developed with coworkers that are now friends?

Please post links to your completed pieces in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you make!

 

The Art of Joyful Living – Week 24

To join in the fun, read how The Art of Joyful Living works in this post.

Week 24 Theme: Numbers

Use any or all of the following in your project:

• What were your birth statistics (i.e. weight, height, length, time)?
• How many of the United States can you name—without looking at a map?
• How many students were in your high school graduating class?
• What items are currently in your purse? Count and inventory them.
• What blogs or websites are your top twenty favorites? How many do you visit every day?
• What amount of time do you spend each day reading? Watching some type of video? Listening to music?
• How many steps are there from your bed to your office? And how many steps from your bed to your computer?
• Using a=1, b=2, c=3, and so on; make a math equation out of your name plus your significant others. Add up the value of the letters in your name added to the letters in their name to find out the amount that equals true love.
• What is your house number?
• How many people in your immediate family? How many people in your extended family? How many people in your spouse’s family?
• Dig in your living room furniture. How much money or other fun treats did you find there?
• Without the help of resource materials or the internet: Who has served as President of the United States? How many did you name?
• How many stars do you see in tonight’s sky?
• What is your IP address?
• What is your favorite number? Why?
• What is the jersey number of your favorite sports figure?
• How many people did you say “hi” to today?
• How long can you hold your breath?
• What languages, other than English, can you count in? How high can you count in that language?
• How many DVDs, CDs, or books do you own?
• What are the prime numbers?
• In the past week, how many times did you say thank you?
• If you were David Letterman, what would your Top Ten List be?
• What is your chronological age? How old do you feel? What is your Wii Fit age? What is your age in dog years?
• How many photos do you take each day and each week? How many photos or layouts do you have posted in galleries or on Flickr?
• If you were stranded on a desert island with three friends, two snacks, and one wireless device, who and what would you take with you?
• What are your top ten blessings?

Please post links to your completed pieces in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you make!

 

The Art of Joyful Living – Week 23

To join in the fun, read how The Art of Joyful Living works in this post.

Week 23 Theme: Evenings at Home

Use any or all of the following in your project:

• How do your evenings begin at home (i.e. come home from work; pick up kids from daycare; pizza delivered after softball practice)?
• What things do you to prepare for dinner?
• How do you spend quality time together after work or school?
• What goals have to be accomplished in the evening (i.e. homework, chores, cleaning)?
• What fun activities or hobbies do you partake in at night?
• What bedtime rituals do you have with your children (i.e. bubble bath; bedtime story; thirty minutes of playtime)?
• Where do you go for a quick dinner on a school night?
• Where do you go to run errands on a school night?
• What amount of time do you spend on work, play, or chores each night?
• How do the kids earn television or video game time?
• What rules do you have about bedtime or light’s out?
• Who plans and prepares the evening meals?
• Where do you eat dinner and what do you talk about during the meal?
• How often do you break away from your evening rituals and try something new?
• What changes happen to your routine during summer or winter break?
• When and where do the kids do homework?
• What schedule changes are made due to college courses, team practices, or other lessons?
• How do you balance time as a parent and time as an adult?
• How do you relax every evening?
• What is your number one rule every night?
• What changes do you make if a birthday or anniversary falls during the week?
• If visitors come to stay, what changes do you make to your evening routine?
• Who is in charge of getting everything ready for the next day?
• What is your bedtime routine?
• What would you do with thirty extra minutes at night?

Please post links to your completed pieces in the comments. I look forward to seeing what you make!