I love cross-stitching and have won prizes at county fairs for my work. But I haven't done much recently because most of my time is spent just being with my son and doing what he wants to do. He is an only child and by his own choice he has no friends, so we spend a lot of time together. He has Sensory Processing Disorder and has trouble being around people.
While helping him with his school lessons (he schools at home through an online high school), I discovered that I am good at creating things on the computer. So far he studied Computer Literacy (Python coding), Web Design, Image Design & Editing, and Digital Arts. He is currently taking C++ Programming and a Game Design course. I download the software to my computer and do the lessons right along with him. I find writing computer code challenging, but in a way relaxing because I have that satisfying feeling of eventually solving the challenge.
I also love to read--always have a book with me. Mostly, I read fiction--fantasy, adventure, mystery, etc. Can't deal with horror stories like the stuff Stephen King writes. I like to read everything by one author before moving on to another, lol...I recently finished reading everything written by co-authors Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston (love the Pendergast series). Now, I am making my way through the works of Paul Christopher.
In addition to reading books for myself, I also spend time reading out loud to my son. He has no trouble reading on his own, but he just really enjoys hearing me read and I love reading aloud. We are currently reading the Narnia series by C.S. Lewis and after that we will start the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey.
I really enjoy creative writing and have written some articles for pay. I have ideas for writing my own short stories, but haven't really gotten far. Maybe, someday...
I have worked on researching our family tree and I found out that my great-great grandparents on my dad's side are actually buried not far from here. They were born in the late 1800s and were the first generation of his family to come to USA from Germany. My great-great grandfather fought in the US Civil War. On Veteran's Day last year, I took my 90 year old dad and my son to visit the cemetery to make that connection to our past and honor his service.