the hills are alive

a girl's dream came true on Tuesday evening. Her grandmother bought tickets to The Sound of Music in Raleigh & it was fantastic. All dressed up, jeweled, & lady-like, Naomi couldn't sit still, after all she is only 4.5, but she didn't miss a thing. She whispered in the middle of the first song, "can I sing along with them?" to which I said no, & she didn't. She listened--and critiqued!

Mother Abess was stunning, tear-jerkingly awesome.

She stayed awake through the whole thing, even though it started at 8pm & her nap that day left something to be desired. & she sang along with the soundtrack on the way home. The girl knows EVERY word. I didn't even realize how much she knows, but I'm pretty certain she thinks she would have outperformed every actor. "let them bring on all their problems...I'll do better than my best..."

We ran into a Greensboro talent, and the lead for our Birth performance in September last year--Pauleen. She was amazing then, and mentioned that her son is going to be the lead in Batboy. It's always neat to run into people you recognize.

Anyway, Naomi was great. & WHILE WE WERE THERE WE SAW THE MOST EXCITING THING!!! a poster for a show coming in March. I'll let you try to guess. There's only 1 show in the whole world that could be on par with the Sound of Music for Naomi. Comment with your guesses as to what it is.

Clue: We had NO idea it existed--it might be brand new.

reviews

I recently had so much fun with this post that I wanted to make it a more regular occurence. (thanks for all your feedback, I might actually win $100 shopping spree on Artfire.com, which means you might also if you commented here) I'm ALWAYS finding stuff that I want to share with everyone & this is an easy way to do it. I'm only separating it from the main section of this blog because I'm trying to stay organized. It's really more just a page, but I couldn't figure out how to implement that type of thing.

This week's theme is "localizing".

I often find inspiration for life on the internet & most of the time through the ladies I know. I say keep an eye out because if you make or sell or talk about something, I'm likely to post about it at some point. I love to make my e-ventures semi-connected to my real-ventures.

En Mi Opinion

oooh...now I'm getting chatty

So. I can't help but add a note about what I had for lunch today & HIGHLY recommend you also have it for lunch soon.

We had bagels with cream cheese, which is a standard around here. After the first bite I decide there was a lack of lox. Of course, I don't generally have smoked salmon laying around the house--cancel generally--ever, so I had to reconsider.

I looked out the back door & there was one of our tomato plants staring back at me with countless bulging red eyes (tomatoes) just waiting to be plucked. I sliced one of these super red & ripe tomatoes as thinly as I could and piled the slices high on the cheese (actually Neufetchel) & what a delight. Texture, taste, freshness. emmmmmmm. So, do it.

I'm pretty certain I completely forget, from October to June what tomatoes are really supposed to taste like.

& it's not a post without a pic, so here's a look at our these past few weeks. ALWAYS full.

In this pic you can see some un-spun honey frames in a box. Those have been extracted so that's now replaced with jars full of honey. Not a prolific year on the honey front, but a tasty one!

Also: whale size zukes

white & brown eggs

cukes & maters.

Too many tomatoes at your house too? We're going to try Tomato Pie & everything on this page appeals to me.

Young fotografer

fonetics are sort of silly. I realize it as I try to teach them. how frustrating it is for there to be exceptions to ANY rule for a 4 year old, but language? should be cut & dry...

and as much time as I spend telling Naomi how things are done, she manages to amaze me on a regular basis by coming up with her own set of rules. She's awe-inspiring, artistically-inspiring, enthusiasm-inspiring, and if I'm not being too braggy, down right breath-taking.

She loves her baby sister in a way I didn't expect and it makes me so proud. She has her share of attitude, perhaps more than her share, but she's tender-hearted when you cut to the chase (sometimes a macheti is required for that kind of cutting)

Here's a recent foto-op with her sister. I had to share.

mountain celebration

I must post about this before a new weekend arrives...

our day at home
6.17.09

So, I've been wanting to post about our trip to the mountains for weeks--asking opinions & the like. BUT it was a surprise. Drew officially turned 30 on June 17th & we had a fun day. Grits & Turkey bacon for breakfast, a trip to the Farmer's market to buy whatever we see, home again for some down time, dinner out with some friends at a new place (brazilian buffet), mini golf (where I unleashed the putting beast), and back home for cake & Ice cream. It was great! Per Drew's request there were no huge surprise parties, or unexpected guests.

don't compare with other cake. please.

Little did he know...& he didn't until we pulled up a VERY steep driveway to a mountain getaway--very unlike the primitive campground he thought we were headed to!

cherokee lodge drive

So, the surprise worked, the friends came & we had a blast. 30 is a big deal, not because you're old then, but because there are now SO many things experienced. I believe at this age we're only just beginning to understand all the possibilities--good and bad--and appreciating what we have, who we are, and who we love. (cheeeeese)

did I mention she hiked 4 rugged miles? with minimal complaining?

Did I mention the cake? Out of this world.

blueberry cake with lemon curd filling. mmmmmmmmmmmm. & look at that great decor!!

But, we also celebrated the 4th and what a magnificent show. Being only 3-4 miles from the Tenessee border really had some pluses, i.e. "real" fireworks. The boys had quite a display for us, as did the dozens of others in the holler we shared. There were explosions on mountains tops miles away, in valleys just down the drive, left & right, everywhere we looked. We couldn't have asked for a better show. Not to mention the weather--sweaters necessary makes Lacey very happy!

2 birthdays at once!

Other things not elaborated on: Art Crawl in downtown boone, bear scares while picking pounds of black raspberries (not to be confused with blackberries--mind you), hours soaking in hot tub, king size beds, Va-poo-rize, 4th of July surprise cocktails, babies, corn on the cob, candy, coffee, black cat, mountain home dreamin'.

review for chance to win...

Babies CAN be cuter! check out these adorable hats by Boston Beanies on Artfire! How do I choose a few favorites? It can't be done.

here are a few images to make you understand.

A cupcake-the perfect birthday cap, a pumpkin for Thanksgiving, strawberries & bees for babes of spring...how can a mother pick just one irresistable cap?

Sure, it's the dead of summer right now & putting a blanket on an infant's head sounds cruel & unusual--these make me wish for the bone-chilling cold of January ice!

Fall will be here quickly & I doubt these hats will last long, so think ahead (no pun intended).

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