I thought I'd try to do one of those "About Me" lists. I'm limiting it to 50 items because ... well, I think it's hard to read more than about 50 at a time. ;)

1. I'm the oldest of four children, with only 5 1/2 years between me and the youngest.

2. My siblings are two sisters and a brother. (The brother is the third child.)

3. I talk to my mom almost every day.

4. I was homeschooled from age 5-18. My husband was warned not to date me by someone who knew this about me because this person assumed I would be extremely sheltered and uptight.

5. I am uptight, but more in a Type A way, not in a "repressed" way, like that person thought.

6. My husband is 10 years older than me. We got together when I was 19 and he was 29. He was a jazz musician. I was a classical cellist. It was all very scandalous. (Eye roll.)

7. The one thing that irritates me more than any other is misuse of apostrophes.

8. I am really, really into the Renaissance and also a huge Anglophile. My favorite historical figure is Queen Elizabeth I, which leads to...

9. My favorite movie of all time is Elizabeth. I saw it 4 times in the theater and have watched it about 90 times on DVD.

10. My other favorite movies are Love Actually and Pride and Prejudice, primarily because I cannot resist Colin Firth jumping into ponds.

11. My mom is way craftier than me; I just aspire to be like her one day.

12. I am a true auditory learner, which most people find to be some sort of oddity.

13. Another thing which many people are surprised to find out is that my favorite color is pink. Apparently, I do not seem like the type of person whose favorite color would be pink. By the way, it's not hot pink. It's shell pink.

14. When I was a little girl, I wanted to be "The Queen" when I grew up. (Most of the other little girls were saying things like "a teacher," or "an astronaut," or "a veteranarian." But not me. Nope. I was going to be The Queen.)

15. Prior to being homeschooled, I went to preschool for two years. I once lied to the teacher at my preschool about being allergic to oranges so I wouldn't have to eat the pith. She made me eat it anyway. I also once told that teacher that I had a 12-year-old brother who would be picking me up from school on his motorcycle. No wonder my parents decided to homeschool me.

16. I was Completely Obsessed with Anne of Green Gables when I was a girl. I also really liked Laura Ingalls & Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm & Caddie Woodlawn & A Girl of the Limberlost and all that. But it was Anne of Green Gables who held my true loyalty.

17. I kind of want to live in the olden days. I think Elisabeth does, too.

18. Since I'm so high strung, it's a good thing that my husband is a really mellow guy.

19. I am really good at languages and often unconsciously imitate the accents and inflections of people to whom I'm talking.

20. I am really obsessed with Dave Matthews.

21. I have lived in 12 different homes; 9 of those were in the last 10 years.

22. I drive a Subaru Outback wagon, which I've had for 6 years.

23. Despite being Type A, I am really messy. My friend Rachel says that this is called "anal expulsive" in Freudian terms. Not sure what to do with that information.

24. I am typing this one-handed while nursing my baby.

25. I was on swim team for several years in my early teens. I am a more-than-competent swimmer, but I'm still afraid of drowning!

26. I love Martha Stewart and I'm not afraid to admit it. I don't think she was guilty, either. And I really, really miss Martha By Mail.

27. The two things I find most difficult about my daily blogging goal is naming posts and the hideously long process of uploading pictures.

28. I have always struggled with naming things I've written. So much so, that in a poetry workshop in college, I named every one of my poems "infinity." I had some excuse that since everything is contained within infinity, that everything was comprised of infinity. Or something.

29. I say "hideous" a lot. A lot. I have my daughter -- and most of my friends -- saying it now, too.

30. I have not struggled with naming our children, however. Both of them were named long before they were conceived. James my favorite boy's name since I was 12!

31. Speaking of names, I use my maiden name. It has rarely been a problem. I am fine with people referring to me by my husband's last name in family situations, though it does bother me if people refer to my children using my last name.

32. Now, don't get all up in arms about this one, but I don't really care for chocolate. I like hot chocolate. But not chocolate candies.

33. Also, that doesn't really matter anymore, because I found out last summer that I'm allergic to milk, so I can't really have many chocolatey things anymore, anyway.

34. The only thing I really miss is ice cream. Rice Dream just isn't the same.

35. I am still typing this one-handed.

36. I detest plastic in its every incarnation. I mean, except my camera, sewing machine, and serger. Even as a child, I refused to drink from plastic cups. It has always just been "gross" to me. Now I have environmental reasons to hate it. ;)

37. I read for a minimum of 1-2 hours every day. I used to read novels exclusively. Now I rarely read novels. I often read cookbooks & knitting books, and books on educational philosophy. A day without reading is a really bad day for me.

38. Before I was a mama or even a musician, writing was my first love. I've always aspired to publish something (don't know what yet).

39. I have many, many favorite books. Off the top of my head, some of them are: Pride and Prejudice, Millennial Child, Mitten Strings for God, Shakespeare's Complete Works, Eats, Shoots & Leaves, The Return of the Native, Lord of the Rings, You Are Your Child's First Teacher, and lots of others that I won't list now.

40. I collect stuff. All sorts of stuff. Hobbies, vocabulary words, vintage ribbon, paper, fabric, magazines, rubber stamps ... I just hang onto it all.

41. Other than the things that really count (my family, etc.) my three favorite things are: wool, cherry pie, and snow. A snowy day snuggled in warm woolens eating cherry pie is pretty much a little bit of heaven.

42. I really hope to take singing lessons at some point during my life. I'd also like to begin cello lessons again, just for my own growth as a musician, even though I already have a degree in it.

43. Being a musician has opened so many doors for me and literally changed my life.

44. I have the temper to go with my naturally red hair. My poor family. The one good thing is that I usually cool down pretty quickly and do not carry grudges.

45. I am a total homebody. I would rather stay home than anything else.

46. My husband and I dream of moving to a more rural area.

47. I wish I were more into nature than I actually am.

48. I love making fresh lemonade.

49. My favorite flower is the tulip, and I love that it's in season for my birthday.

50. Here I am on my first birthday. I love my birthday and I look forward to it like a little kid every year. This year is no exception! I am so excited that it's my birthday and will be enjoying a fun day with family!

OK, so now that I've shared, won't you all add something about yourselves?

uncommon grace