I Love You, California

I've been to all 50 states, but I've only lived in one: California. Why move away when you're lucky enough to have been born in the best state of all? I combined old maps with scrapbook supplies to make this layout about the three cities where I've lived. The title is our state song, I Love You, California. 

I Love You, California (affiliate link)

I spent the first 18 years of my life (1972-1990) living in Livermore. It's about 45 miles east of San Francisco. Our family moved to a new house when I was 11, so I had two different addresses in Livermore. 

I moved to Davis for college in 1990. Davis is 15 miles west of Sacramento and 74 miles northeast of San Francisco. I spent two years in the same dorm in Davis, then lived in three different apartments between 1992 and 1997. 

I have lived in Fairfield since 1997. Fairfield is equidistant between Sacramento and San Francisco, about 45 miles from each, and about 15 miles east of Napa. I originally moved here to reduce my commute to Vallejo where I was teaching, but it's been almost 20 years (!!!) since I quit that job to be a full-time mom. I lived in an apartment first, bought a house while I was single, then moved to our current house with Steve just after we got married. 

I've had a total of 9 addresses in my life. Based on my age (almost 54), I'm right on track to be an average American in that respect. (There are many ways in which I am not an average American: my reading level is higher and my height is lower. I'm more widely traveled and have fewer children than average. This article about the "Average American" is really interesting.) We don't have any plans to move in the near future, but I doubt we'll live in this large, two-story house into our golden years. 

I really enjoyed putting together this layout. It's very unusual for me not to use photos on a page. I had fun working with the maps instead. I earned two more points for Twisted Scissors in Game 3 of the BYSS Winter Olympics: one for using green and black, and a second for incorporating circles. Go Scissors!

Beautiful Vermont

Vermont is one of my very favorite states. It is stunningly beautiful and full of interesting things to see and do. I would return to Vermont in a heartbeat. Someday!

Beautiful Vermont (affiliate link)

When we visited Vermont in June 2023, we were amazed by how lush and green everything was. No wonder it is the Green Mountain State! Naturally, I wanted to scrap the page using green to highlight that, which worked well for Game 3 of the BYSS Winter Olympics. 

I earned two points for Twisted Scissors: one point for using green and black and a second point for incorporating circles. I'm counting the dots on the background paper as circles. Which they are. Go, Scissors!

Heart-Shaped Pillows for Breast Cancer Patients

At my first doctor appointment after I was diagnosed with breast cancer, the nurse navigator gave me a pair of heart-shaped pillows, courtesy of Bosom Buddies of Solano County. She explained that they're designed to tuck under your arm after surgery to relieve pressure on the area. They also make wearing a seatbelt tolerable. My heart pillows were indeed extremely useful after surgery, but I appreciated them even more during and after radiation when my skin was so raw and painful. 

Last week, my friend Ann and I had the chance to finish some partially completed heart pillows at a local quilting store. Someone else had cut, sewn, and stuffed the hearts; we hand-sewed the openings. I finished 9 pillows. It was very satisfying to be able to make these, knowing that they will help other women with breast cancer. Heart pillows are also helpful after cardiac surgery. 

Many hospitals and support groups like Thriving Pink give out heart pillows and are always looking for volunteers to make them. If you are interesting in making heart pillows to donate, contact your local hospital or support group to find out if they have specific requirements and where they can be dropped off. Once you're ready to start sewing, my friend Becky has a great tutorial. On behalf of the patients who will receive them during one of the most challenging points in their lives, thank you. It means so much. 

Another Batch of Cards

We had a card making workshop immediately after church recently. Anyone who wants to participate can. The idea is that you leave some of your finished cards there for the church to send out to members who are celebrating a birthday, or are ill, etc. and take the rest of your cards home to use. It's always a fun time. 

These are first four cards I made:

Then I made these three. I don't work with purple very often, so it was really fun to branch out. And I really enjoyed layering the die cuts to make my own clusters paired with sentiments. 

Big thanks to Ann, who puts together these workshops. I'm already looking forward to the next one!

Mychal Threets and Friends

I did something really cool yesterday. I attended an author talk, hosted by Mychal Threets. 

If you're not familiar with Mychal, you should be. He is a social media sensation, the resident librarian for PBS, and the new host of Reading Rainbow.  

I first met Mychal in 2013. My son was 6 and Mychal was a children's librarian here in Fairfield. He eventually became the supervising librarian of the branch. He is a wonderful person, so welcoming and inclusive and everything a librarian should be. 

When the library announced this event, demand was enormous. There were 600 free tickets available, divided among all Solano County Library branches. The morning before we left for Las Vegas, I stood in line outside the library in the cold for a little over an hour to get my ticket. Time passed quickly though, as strangers became friends. The people in line reflected the diversity of Solano County in every sense of the word, but we all had one thing in common: a love of the library, a passion for books, and a deep appreciation for what Mychal has done to spread library joy. 

The event was held at the Fairfield Community Center. (The last time I was there was for the 2024 Senior Celebration.) Once again, I made friends in line: this time, with a charming pair of twins in kindergarten. As we entered, each of the 600 attendees received free books from each of the four authors / illustrators (affiliate links below). 

I'm So Happy You're Here: A Celebration of Library Joy is Mychal's debut book. It is a delightful tribute to libraries and the people they serve: everyone! I love Lorraine Nam's illustrations. 

 

The Day the Books Disappeared, by Joanna Ho, is a really fun book about a boy with a special interest in planes. He doesn't understand why other types of books exist until he takes the time to see why his friends like them. 

Partypooper is the 20th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. It's clever and funny and a great addition to the beloved series. 

No Way, Wash Day (written by Adrienne Thurman and illustrated by Kaylani Juanita) is a charming book about a little girl who loves everything about her hair except when it's time to wash it. 

Each of the authors were introduced, then Mychal came on stage to lead the panel discussion. 

The time flew by. The stories everyone shared were so much fun. Each had fascinating insights to share. Jeff Kinney is absolutely hilarious. 

After the presentation, there was an opportunity to meet the authors and get your books signed. What a wonderful event! Huge thanks to Solano County Library, Jeff Kinney, Joanna Ho, Kaylani Juanita, and Mychal Threets. I am so glad to have been there and I hope this post inspires you to visit your local library and get to know your librarian. They just might become famous someday!