New Thing Number Thirty-Nine

I turned my mommy's backyard into Neverland.

My birthday was coming up and I wanted to do something out-of-the-ordinary. So I spent the morning of my birthday at home working in the backyard, and the product was simply gorgeous. That is, until it rained that evening. (But I love rain, so I didn't mind too much.)

For the fairies, I put Christmas lights in a tree.

For the mermaids, I shredded blue fabric and hung it from a tree branch to be a waterfall.

For the lost boys, I made a hideout out of cheap fabric in the garden.

For the Indians, I used more cheap fabric to wrap the swing set into a teepee.

For the pirates, I turned the picnic table into a ship. I'm particularly proud of this one, so here's a picture. (You can see a bit of the unfinished waterfall on the right.)

 

Hooray for decorating on a budget!

New Thing Number Thirty-Eight

I dove to catch a Frisbee.

I have never been willing to put my personal wellness on the line for a game before. And we weren't even playing a game. We were just throwing a Frisbee around as a family.

I guess I got a little caught up in the moment. The Frisbee was coming my way but was just a bit too far for me to catch it. Next thing I knew, I was tumbling on the grass, totally confused as to how I got there. Now I know why professional athletes do what they do. I also know why so many of them have to retire early due to injury.

The best part? I didn't even catch the Frisbee.

New Thing Number Thirty-Seven

I have begun to publicly admit my weaknesses.

After being so worried about what people think of me for most of my life, this would normally be a huge thing for me. But then I came down with depression. And for the past year and a half I have been talking with doctors, counselors, therapists, etc., and I have essentially set up a new lighting system in my heart so I don't have any deep, dark corners in there anymore. 

In a nutshell, I'm not worried anymore. Heck, I don't really care. People can think what they want about me. And if they judge me for how I look or for something equally ridiculous, they will be severely underestimating me. But that's okay--I like surprising people by doing things they don't expect.

I don't care if people know I'm horrible at sports. I don't care if people know my bedroom is a disaster right now. I will be the first to admit I made a mistake, regardless of how many people I say it to.

I have no problem laughing at myself.

In this case, I don't care how many people know I am probably the worst cake decorator ever. I will even accentuate it, because it makes me smile. This time, the cake is not a lie.

On the bright side, this was my first time baking a cake in a Bundt pan, and the cake turned out really well. :)

New Thing Number Thirty-Six

I raked the lawn.

I don't mean I raked the leaves. Or mowed the lawn. I raked it.

Apparently this is what you do when your lawn is all yellow and you want it green again. You comb out all the dead grass, seed the lawn, and water the lawn like crazy for a while. Then voila, you have a green lawn again.

I'm still working on step one, so I have yet to see if this actually works.

I've spent three hours working on it so far, and I'm not halfway done. Apparently the lawn really needed this.

New Thing Number Thirty-Five

I designed a book!

Again, I didn't write it. I got the text from Project Gutenberg, reformatted it to a more book-like layout, added page numbers, put in a running header, etc. Then the printing press did the rest. :)

Putting a picture up just doesn't do it justice. If you know me personally (and not in any sort of creepy-ish way), ask me to show it to you sometime.

It looks sooooooo awesome.

The first bit is the cover as it comes out of the press--back cover, spine, and front cover. The second bit is the first chapter page.

I got all the artwork through Google and have no rights to any of it. So I'll be fine as long as I don't try to sell the book. And trust me, I'm not parting with my baby any time soon.

New Thing Number Thirty-Four

I designed an entire magazine spread. Myself. In one night.

We were supposed to be doing them in groups, but I had to go and get pneumonia right when the project started, so I had to do mine late. And alone.

But that's okay. It just means I had complete, selfish control, and I didn't have to even listen to anyone else's opinion. And I could finish it at 1 a.m. in my pajamas.

I didn't write the article, but it's a really good one, so I suggest you read it.

I don't mean read it here. I'd be shocked if you could. It's "What Are You Worth?" by Kristin Matthews. Go look it up.

I got all the pictures through Google and have no rights to any of them. If I ever were to publish this (highly unlikely), I would credit each picture appropriately.

Note: Upworthy Magazine doesn't actually exist. But it should.

New Thing Number Thirty-Three

I made a flyer for my friend's business.

MAN I love my design class.

So my genius friend Austin has come up with an incredible idea: to set up a shake shack on a pier in Seattle and call it Shakes Pier. The employees will wear Elizabethan-era clothing and all the menu items will be named after Shakespearean insults.

Awe-inspiring. I love it.

And for those of you who would consider capitalizing on such an opportunity, it's already a thing. So the most you can do is invest in the business or apply to work there. Or go buy a shake there.

It just so happened that one of the assignments for my design class was to create a flyer for an event, any event at all. I couldn't resist.

Behold!