Playing My "A" Game

Coco at Ordinary Miracles recently played a blog game in which she was assigned an alphabet letter and had to list 10 things she loved that began with that letter. She then gave out letters to others to keep the game going, and my letter was A. Hmm, that's a bit of a challenge. but at least it's not a Q or an X. (As an aside, I taught kindergarten and preschool for lots of years, so I've read many, many alphabet books. My regard for a book was often based on how gracefully they handled those 2 pesky letters.)

Anyway! On with the game.

1. Apples: Any list about the letter A has to include apples. I do love them- raw apples (especially Gala) and Irish Apple Cake are my favorites. Apples are also the symbol of the teaching profession that has been such a big part of my life. Many of the nicest people I've known have been under 6 years old!
2. Aidan: My precious grandson is smart, sensitive, determined, loving, imaginative- he's a lovely boy. I wish I had some of his energy too!
3. Airports: This one may seem an odd choice- most people hate airports. But because of the nature of my husband's career, we will always live near airports, so we appreciate them for the "magic" of air travel.
4. Autumn: I love sweater weather, back-to-school time, and the beautiful colors of the fall foliage.
   
5. Art Museums: My favorite ones are the Musee d'Orsay in Paris and the National Gallery in D.C. The Louvre is fabulous, but overwhelming in size and scope. (By the way, I love museum gift shops too.)
6. Applique: I took a class in machine applique when daughter #2 was small. I've had such fun through the years making little jumpers and rompers and appliquing bibs, burp cloths, tote bags and sweatshirts. (A quick anecdote- I once appliqued a jumper with a detailed Little Red Riding Hood design. I sewed the last stitch, slipped it on my cute toddler, and went to do some laundry. Just as she toddled past the washer, I somehow splashed some bleach water on the jumper and ruined it.)
   
7. Amazon.com: This website has saved the day for me on many occasions. We live far away from the rest of our family, so this is often the best way for me to send gifts to loved ones. The prices are great and I almost always order enough to get free shipping.
8. Alphabet books: (See explanation above) Animal ABC is one of my favorites for sentimental reasons. Daughter #1 learned her alphabet from repeated readings of this much-loved book. I gave her a copy to read to her own children.
   
9. Azaleas: I was born in the South and am thus genetically predestined to love this beautiful flowering shrub. The variety 'Coral Bells' is my sentimental favorite.
10. America: I love our country, and hope and pray that we will emerge stronger and smarter from the challenges we are experiencing.

That's it! If anyone wants a letter let me know!