user7814

I love to swim, and I swim at least two miles at 5:45 am most mornings in a chlorinated (LOVE the smell!) outdoor pool with a masters group and coach. I live in a cozy 1950's home with wall to wall hardwood floors, lots of windows and a yard full of flowers and vegetables. I live with my wonderful husband, three daughters who are talented and beautiful, a handsome and charismatic son who has a great sense of humor, Good Dog Henry(border collie), Sous-Sus(domestic short hair) and Rose Kitty(royal queen of the house). I love to read, write, and run. I ran a half marathon at Disneyland last September and will do it again on Labor Day 2007. My favorite morning drink is a 1/2 decaf, nonfat no whip mocha.

I love to read and am currently on track for my "One book a Week" goal for 2007. I like literary fiction and some non-fiction, too. My favorite books for this year are March by Geraldine Brooks, The History of Love by Nicole Krauss and Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri. I've enjoyed books by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Anne Tyler, Sue Miller, Michael Chabon and Tracy Chevalier. If a book won the Nobel Prize or any other big book award, I'll try it!

I love "treasure hunting," which is our family's euphemism for hitting the thrift stores and garage sales. I'm always looking for vintage games, especially anything related to bridge, and interesting kids' books. I collect bees and beehives (my name means "honeybee", mermaids (cute, juvenile ones, not so much the sexy and mysterious type), and kitchen items, in addition to fabric, vintage sewing things, and the usual bits and pieces for projects. One of my daughters is on a quest to complete her Nancy Drew collection, so she frequently goes with me (she knows better than to pay more than $2 per book!) If I bring home another basket, my husband will roll his eyes, but not scream, thankfully. I consider myself an expert in the area of organizing a large amount of stuff to fit (and actually look good) in a small space. I was trained in a married student housing apartment when my husband was in graduate school. There were four of us in 800 sq ft!

My favorite color is probably blue, although I have a thing for pink, love the energy in red, and am attracted to black and white fabrics. I wish I had more time for scrapbooking. I like buttons, ribbons, miniatures, charms, handmade items, from scratch recipes, flip flops, polka dots, dangly earrings, hearts, wooden toys, cute notepads, the Pickles comic, Superman, Minnie and Mickey, linoleum block printing, the ocean, hiking, playing games with my kids, Scrabble, black and white photos...

I love many kinds of music, and probably should have had some kind of career that was related to music. U2 is my favorite group of all time. I like Sting, international rhythms, Broadway musicals, Coldplay, Talking Heads, 80s, James Taylor, Carole King, Van Morrison, Temptations, Genesis, B-52s, Queen, Bare Naked Ladies, Outkast, New Radicals, Cat Stevens, Jazz... I never run without my iPod. What a great invention!

History of the World, Her Majesty, Eat Drink Man Woman, The Wedding Banquet, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, The Wedding Crashers, Spinal Tap, The Little Mermaid, Oceans Eleven, Memoirs of a Geisha, Old James Bond, Absence of Malice,The Wedding Singer, Jagged Edge, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, the Foreign and Documentaries on Netflix...

I love Gilmore Girls, but I've only watched it on DVD, since we don't have cable. Will and Grace usually makes me laugh, and for a time I watched Scrubs, ER and Friends. I don't currently watch much TV, but we've been collecting TV series for the kids to watch: Gidget, Gilligan's Island, Partridge Family, Bewitched, Brady Bunch... And I do like to catch a decorating or craft show or cooking show occasionally...

Sewing, quilting, junk, wool felt, collage, beads, decorating, gardening... I always have a few quilting projects in progress, and I'm always on the hunt for more fabric in case I run out (not likely). I like all kinds of colors, except probably earth tones... oh, and "country" colors. I like brights, pastels, black and white. I like embroidery mixed in with quilting. I am allergic to walnuts and mangoes!