having a ball

the blogosphere keeps giving and giving! where would i be without kristi's great end-of-year teacher gift ideas?!? jack was concerned that one of his teacher's didn't like gumballs, so we found some round chocolate caramels for her.




last friday (has it been a week already?!?) was jack's kindergarten graduation. part of their end of year program was a collection of disney inspired skits. here is jack as "tramp" from lady and the tramp.



his big line was "it's o.k. lady. you can have the last meatball." so here, for posterity's sake, is the last meatball.

i craft! and recycle!! and blog about it!!!

i saw this fun garden-art-type-thing several years ago outside a local gift shop. i thought it was totally charming. and i totally thought i could make it myself.

flash forward several years, the idea still nothing but a lingering dust bunny in my head. (you know, as in, "oh, yeah, i really should get around to making that totally charming garden-art-type-thing.")

a few weekends ago, i finally got around to putting my thoughts into action. i love the way it turned out, i love coming up with new words, and new word combinations. it makes me smile every single time i pull into the driveway. an added bonus is that i managed to make it out of 98.99% recycled pieces: the post was slavaged from a local park when they put up a new parking border, the wood slats are from a whiskey barrel planter that fell apart, the hardware is from my dad's workshop. the stars (of course, the red, white & blue stars) are from my collection (not sure if i will keep them there year round, though.)



matty convinced me to splurge on some outdoor paint for the words. they still look *weathered*, but will stand up to the weather (if you know what i mean.)



happy sunshine summer to you!

good hair day

you know that day? the day when you're hair is just right?? and you didn't have to really do anything special to get it that way?? and you think, wow, my hair looks good...

and then? the next day you look in the mirror and ask yourself why you didn't get your hair trimmed two and a half weeks ago...

today is a good hair day. my hair has caused me a ridiculous amount of joy today. the "bangs" that have been tormenting me all week are the perfect length today. the flippy-outty ends are all flippy-inny today.

i will probably hate my hair tomorrow...




on a side note, i am currently suffering from a serious case of rachel's nerd alert. until i get my new supply of contacts, i am hopelessly hiding in the back of the classroom, and too nervous to talk to the boys. what is up with that?!?

happy camper

camp seabreeze is underway!! the staff very kindly provided iron-on names for all of the kids (it helps them keep track of all those littles!). so after a few moments of this...



...we have a summertime of this!!

spt

***edited to add: here is a link for the star garland. i bought two strands several years ago from terry's village. the stars are red, white & blue, with a "weathered" look to them.***

annalisa recently talked about having her *style* discovered. i was surprised to hear that the two choices were town or country. i typically don't fit into either category! i believe my *style* would probably be described as hip-suburban-cottage-eclectic. or something like that.

so as i set about taking spt photos this week, i was even a little shocked to find that i had so much americana in my home. i tend to think of americana in decor as a country look. however, i do live in the 4th of July capital of North Carolina, and i can't deny that my home becomes a little red, white & blue showcase from memorial day through july.


this is the wooden star garland that hangs from the eaves of my front porch. (the color is a little off in this picture.)

the chair and footstool that i salvaged and repainted. it has a place of honor by the front door.

a little uncle sam nestled among the photos on top of the piano.

and, perhaps the piece de resistance of my "americana" collection...


this elvis was a wedding gift from my sister, handcrafted by an atlanta artist. i love him! (i'm not a huge elvis fan, but i love this guy on my hearth.) he reminds me that one day i might just get in that airstream camper and travel route 66 from chicago to california!!

have a safe trip home, michelle!

spt challenge - it's as american as apple pie

have you visited michelle recently? she is living in paris, and her blog has recently featured excursions to the louvre, sacre-coeur, and a neighborhood brocante. i am intrigued by her "living like a local" accounts of this fabulous experience.

she will be heading home soon, and how i will miss these daily strolls down parisian streets (or through parisian metros!) i'm sure the leaving will be bittersweet. so i thought, as a way to thank her for sharing her french adventures with us, and as a way to ease her transition back to the U.S., there should be an spt challenge in her honor; an autoportrait mardi , as it were.



this week's challenge is to look around your home and help us showcase the history and folklore of America! dust off your americana relics! let no wagon wheel go unturned! let no bobble head doll go un-noticed!!



think you don't have any americana in your home? according to wikipedia: Americana refers to artifacts of the culture of the United States, the history and folklore resultant from its westward expansion. Examples of this culture include baseball, apple pie, Superman, the Diner, barbed wire, wagon trains, and NASCAR; jazz, the music of Stephen Foster, George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, the music of Aaron Copland (notably his Fanfare for the Common Man), and rockabilly; and American art, such as that of Frederic Remington, Grant Wood, and Norman Rockwell, all based on American folk art.

it's a good thing

many of you know that i am involved with founding an organization called "where we live: building better communities." please check out our website (you can get there from my sidebar.) i am really excited about this project! i believe in the importance of community, in the strength of the village. where habitat for humanity brings people together to build houses, where we live hopes to bring people together to build stronger communities.

this blogging circle is a community which i never could have imagined! your supportive comments about this new project of mine have helped fuel my drive to make this successful! it seems strange to turn to the immense blogosphere for support in my little community. there is a way that you can contribute to our efforts. i'd like to introduce you to goodsearch.com



what if where we live earned a penny every time you searched the internet? well, now we can! goodsearch.com is a new search engine that donates half its revenue, about a penny per search, to the charities its users designate. you use it just as you would any search engine, and it's powered by yahoo!, so you get great results.

just go to www.goodsearch.com and be sure to enter where we live as the charity you want to support. just 500 of us searching four times a day will raise about $7300 in a year without anyone spending a dime! be sure to spread the word!

it's a little thing. it's a good thing. thank you!!

spt - how about a good old fashioned recap?

green grow the bloggers

rebekah, price cream parlor, michelle a., melanie, lisa, cristin, laurie, kristen, and katherine all shared that the grass just might be greener on their side of the fence!!

bloggin' on blue bayou

elizabeth, rachel & barb are definitely not singing the blues!

red hot bloggers

andy, stefanie, jill, annalisa, andrea, cynthia, and neighbor jane payne might have roses in december!

there were a few surprises this week, too! how about amy m. and her tan , or kristi (the queen of everything pink) and her...

... white?!?

[o.k., if you know kristi, you might have assumed pink. of course. however, if you follow kristi's spt posts, then you might not be surprised at all!)

silver and gold friends

and i couldn't resist tying in this colorful challenge with our new friends/old friends challenge a few weeks ago.

chloe has taken the challenge from anne, marie comes via barb & kelly, jen got the bug from jill and keli has recently come out of hiding!! welcome to all you colorful girls!!

spt - color me beautiful

waaay back in high school, my mom got a copy of this book, and from then on, i have been drawn to darker, bolder, brighter, (louder) colors. taking my instructions from the book very seriously, i developed a lifelong aversion to all things pastel. and yellow.

i am a winter, like these beauties. as a winter, my thirty special colors include Bright White, True Red, Royal Blue, Emerald Green, Purple, Navy, Black and White. it's true, i get the most compliments when i wear these colors. i also feel the most confident when i wear these colors. and as i look around my life, it is easy to see that i haven't strayed far from my winter color palette.


a beautifully etched wine bottle i received as a shower gift before our wedding


the objet d'art we bought together for our recent copper anniversary


candle holders on the windowsill beside my piano


i'm keeping it real, folks

it would seem that i favor greens and blues. i'm a little more cerulean than pacific blue, a little more electric lime than fern. i am still drawn to darker, bolder, brighter (and louder) colors. if pressed to pick a favorite, then here is the tie breaker:

silk flowers from our wedding
mango tango, fuschia, and inch worm.

spt...a little delay

can you stand it?!?

i'm going on a little hotel field trip this morning, so no time to post!! check back tomorrow... i am determined to find my favorite color!

spt challenge - the colors of my world

we all have a favorite color. maybe it's that certain periwinkle blue, a bold chartreuse, a butter yellow. perhaps you go ga-ga for cotton candy pink, yet cringe when that color goes slightly more pepto bismol...

my son often asks, "what's your favorite color?" and i usually say "green!" no, "blue!" "what did i say the last time you asked?" i had the occassion to *dress up* my guest room this week, and found myself drawn to the purples. maybe i'm not sure what my favorite color is. so, i'm setting out this weekend to find out.

i plan to take a little tour around my house, photographing my favorite things, my favorite clothes, my favorite sights around town. i'm hoping a trend will reveal itself. who knows? maybe when asked what my favorite color is, i will soon be able to answer, without hesitation, "cerulean!" or "manganese!"

so, hey, "what's your favorite color?"

spt

here i am, with my favorite springtime purse, bought for $5.00 @ target many, many years ago. LOVE the colors, LOVE the plastic tubing handles, LOVE the nylon mesh fabric. the whole bag just says FUN!!

it is, however, a natural disaster (aren't most tote-type bags?!?) here's what we see today:





cellphone (a necessary evil when you manage a business that is *open* 24/7)
notepad (i have many, many brilliant ideas, but can't remember a single one!)
various pens (mostly pilfered from the hampton inn)(tee hee)
three sets of keys (am i the only one? really?)
fiber one bar (gotta snack)
gum (always)
lipliner/lipgloss (about the only makeup i wear - besides spf 50 sunblock on my face!)
wallet
books of the bible bookmark (a gift from the sunday school director for jack)
random receipts (i am BAD about keeping receipts organized.(
frogger (left in the car from our recent trip to atlanta?)
ben 10 (i am TOTALLY a mother of a BOY!)
memory stick (for shuffling brilliant ideas between home and work)
loose change (natch)

so, any surprises? did you learn anything new about me? do you face similar "tote-bag trauma?"

spt challenge - what's in your wallet?

easy challenge this week!! the school year is winding down, we're firing up the memorial day grills and the flip flops are on! summer is upon us!

one of my favorite seasonal transitions is to change my everyday purse. i tuck away the dark (p)leather, sensible purses, and start sporting brighter bags. it's cathartic for me to empty out a purse, purge the flotsam and jetsam that has accumulated. a new, clean purse is like a blank page in a journal for me. a summer tote holds more than my wallet and lip gloss, it holds possibility!



i am alarmed at how quickly my fun little purse has filled up with STUFF!! as it tipped over on my car seat the other day, i quickly had the urge to snap a photo, to share with you all just what kinds of junk i'm carrying around! perhaps a picture of the contents of my pocketbook will tell you even more than a picture of me!

i'll show you mine if you'll show me yours.

happy memorial day weekend!!

early edition

if you were reading the online edition of my local paper today you might have seen this.

may 20, 2000

we were married at half past three on a sunny saturday in georgia. harry connick sang "with a wink and a smile" as we twirled around our outdoor dance floor under a canopy of bubbles and well wishes. we had been dating for exactly three years.

we're celebrating seven years of marriage this week. the copper anniversary. let me give you my two cents on the past seven years:

it's been hard. like copper, our marriage has become tarnished by wind and weather. our marriage is not strong, like gold or platinum. it is malleable like copper. there are dings and dents here and there. our arguments travel through our marriage with as much shock and brightness as an electric current traveling along copper wire.

there is a definite patina that has developed on our marriage. we attended three weddings this past year, and at each one, i felt like the old married couple in the corner. [oh, those two? still married, huh?]

we didn't celebrate our anniversary this past sunday, so much as we acknowledged it. i almost didn't blog about it, because i simply felt there was nothing bright and shiny to share. but here it is! through the process of writing this post, i have found this:

In terms of antiques, "Patina is everything that happens to an object over the course of time. The nick in the leg of a table, a scratch on a table top, the loss of moisture in the paint, the crackling of a finish or a glaze in ceramics, the gentle wear patterns on the edge of a plate. All these things add up to create a softer look, subtle color changes, a character. Patina is built from all the effects, natural and man-made, that create a true antique." - Israel Sack

there is beauty yet to be found in our marriage! we may have struggled through each and every day of the past year. it is o.k. we are o.k.

matty, my gift to you on our copper anniversary - my two cents on what the future has yet to hold for us:



we are young and healthy and we are both making important changes in our well-beings;

we have an amazing son and there is still the possibility that one day we will grow our family;

things that are lost may be found again;

i count my lucky pennies that there is always another year ahead, always another anniversary to be celebrated! (i've got my eye on some cool pottery for next year...)

edited to say: don't forget, there IS an spt post below!

spt - friends for life

Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: What! You too? I thought I was the only one. C.S. Lewis

this statement sums up how i feel about making friends as an adult! i need for there to be that spark, that a-ha moment when i realize that there really is someone out there who gets me.

blogging has brought me in contact with women from all over the world (literally!), and has afforded me the opportunity to *meet* many new friends. honestly, before blogging (BB), i don't think i was really aware that i needed these friends. but, oh, i DO! i spend an embarrassing amount of time reading your blogs, commenting on your daily mundane, composing witty notes to you in my head that i might or might not ever mail.



and to my *new* friend, carlo, i have to say, "what! you too? i thought i was the only one."

my old friend has been in my life since we paddled around the shallow end of the pool. we have always lived at least an hour and a half apart (usually more like six or seven.) you see, she stays put, firmly planted in manhattan, while i travel up and down the eastern seaboard. for more than thirty years, our friendship has been a constant. sometimes latent, but always a constant.



my *old* friend, luisa, & her husband, guy, welcomed twin girls, sasha and natalie, on mother's day! i am so happy for her!

in honor of national new friends/old friends week, i promise to get better with the good mail!! nothing says "i heart you" more than fun, random goodness in the mailbox. thank you both for enriching my life in so many ways!!

guilty pleasure: yeah, tessa!!

spt - the recap

there is simply no way to recap this week's challenge. i have laughed and cried and counted my blessings and sat up straight with my ankles demurely crossed... all of these are gifts from our mothers. the eloquence in this week's posts could never be marketed by hallmark! thank you, thank you for introducing us to your mothers, and for sharing your mother's day photos.

it is FUN to see so many spt posts this week!! i know we are torn with end-of-school-year commitments, exotic trips, crummy spring colds, houses to sell (houses to buy!) i hope you have found time to swing through the blogosphere. leave a comment for your blogging friends. say hello to a new blogger. need graduation gifts? father's day presents? teacher thank-yous? i'm sure someone around here is willing to share an idea or two. you might even be able to support a cottage business along the way!

to kick off my own celebration of national new friends/old friends week, i must direct you to some new additions to the *image consultant* sidebar. it's growing again!!

did you watch the magic garden with paula and carole when you were younger? every day they would look into their magic mirror and welcome their new friends. if i had a magic mirror, today i would say hello to brittney and rebekah and liz and kim and cindy and staci!!

where we live

if you have a sec, run over here and check out something i've been up to lately.

my sister, jen, needed a project. you see, in my family, we suffer from "idle-itis" (no, not IDOL-itis! sheesh, seacrest...)

really, we don't know what to do with ourselves if we don't have a project. so, jen needed a project, and she needed/wanted/agreed to having a partner for this project. in a nutshell, we are hoping to take our enthusiasm and our vision for our little neck of the woods, and make it a beautiful reality!

so, where we live (building better communities), was quietly hatched, duly incorporated, and our premiere project is to raise money to build a new & improved playground at muse park. our fundraising efforts for this project will come primarily from corporate sponsorships and an engraved brick campaign. on saturday, we will host a *fishing pond* at community fun day, sporting cool blue shirts and our flashy new banner.

WWL is obviously in it's infancy. we have very grand plans for a hip logo, and 4,000 projects, classes, swap meets, dinner theatres... you name it! i will keep you updated on it all from right here at my desk at amuse-bouche!

feel free to email me your favorite fund-raising ideas. or your favorite *things to do when visiting a small town.*

oh, and if you get the urge to buy a brick and support a beautiful new playground that will turn generations of kiddies into happy, social monkeys, that's cool, too!

spt challenge - that's what friends are for

did you know may 20 - 26, 2007 is national new friends/old friends week?


"With the 24/7 increasing demands of work -- because of the constant access through e-mail, cell phones, the Internet, and technological devices -- it's more important than ever to make the time for friends, no matter how busy you are," says Dr. Jan Yager, friendship expert, coach, author and founder of National New Friends, Old Friends Week. "Saying, 'I don't have the time,' has, unfortunately, become as much of a reality as it is an excuse. At least during National New Friends, Old Friends Week, make the time to let your old and new friends know that they matter to you. If you're really too busy to get together, at least send an e-mail, letter or make a phone call."

"Of course it's important to remember and celebrate our close or best friends (and even our casual friends) all year round, but this annual event just helps remind us all how we should never take our old friends for granted or stop developing or cultivating new friends."

so, i had NO idea about this week!! have you heard of it? who is this dr. jan yager? i want to be a friendship expert too!!

can you guess the challenge?!? that's right!! - make new friends and keep the old.

i like this because it is really two challenges in one. you've been challenged to answer the questions: who is an old friend? who is a new friend? how long have you known them? what brought you together? have you drifted then reconnected? where do you meet new friends??

but you are also challenged to do more than just tell us about them. in the spirit of national new friends/old friends week, make the time to let your friends know that they matter to you!! have lunch, send good mail, pick up the phone. this is "just because" connecting at it's finest!!

spt - mother's day

allow me to introduce you to my mom, anne



my mom is the oldest of 7 children. she lived in philadelphia, and attended Catholic school all the way through college. she has instilled in me a true sense of family and of faith;

my mom is a retired high school science teacher. for 20 years of her teaching career, she taught at Catholic schools. my mom was the teacher who would send kids home on *free dress* day if their clothing was inappropriate. she has instilled in me the importance of education and of self-respect;

my mom had four daughters over the course of 7 years. she was able to stay at home with us, and did not go back to teaching until the youngest was in school. while she was home, she taught piano lessons from our living room. she did not teach us however - we took lessons from other teachers. she has instilled in me a true balance of work and family and a love of music.

my mom is a gifted accompanist, and as long as i can remember, she has accompanied choruses, choirs, community theatre productions and talent shows. she has instilled in me a love of choral music and musical theatre;

my mom serves on boards and vestries, giving of her time and talent even when there didn't seem to be any time left to give. she has instilled in me a sense of dedication and community service;

my mom always prepared family dinners and expected us to be present. our dinners always included vegetables. she has instilled in me the importance of good conversation and good nutrition;

my mom is a wonderful hostess, and thoroughly enjoys entertaining at home. over the years, she has welcomed family, neighbors, and strangers from around the world alike. she has instilled in me the belief that life can truly be one big "open house;"

my mom is an eleven year cancer survivor. she has instilled in me the belief that a known enemy is much easier to face than an unknown enemy. she is proof that early detection will truly save a life.




saying thank you for all of this could never be enough. i love you, mom!

i'll give thee fairies to attend on thee

Every man's life is a fairy-tale written by God's fingers.
Hans Christian Andersen





master moth (2005), the leading man in my fairy-tale. without whom, i would not have given myself permission to forego yesterday's pile of laundry for a rare afternoon snooze.

i hope your mother's day was lifted from the pages of a fairy-tale!

spt challenge - mother's day

we celebrate mother's day on sunday, may 13th this year. i am fortunate that i will get to spend part of the day with my mother. i am truly fortunate that my mother lives in the same town, and i get to spend parts of many days with her.

on sunday, i am going to pay special attention to my mom. i am going to try and see her through your eyes. what would i like you to know about my mom? what lessons has she taught me? what *mom* phrases do i hear coming out of my own mouth?

what would you like us to know about your mom? who is the woman in your life who bandaged your knees, led you to kindergarten, taught you how to play the piano, or how to run a basting stitch, or how to polish silver? maybe she taught you how to plant a garden, or how to take great photographs, or how to ride a bike?

if you could be with her this weekend, what would you say? is "thank you" enough?

spt - cinco de mayo

between college and marriage, i spent some time working in the restaurant biz. anyone who has ever worked in the business knows that cinco de mayo, like many *holidays* is happily promoted by the alcohol industry. for several years, cinco de mayo meant blending gallons of watery margaritas and refilling endless tiny bowls of so-so salsa.

of course, this was in suburban Hotlanta, where "mexican restaurants" were cheerfully placed on every other corner. (and, by "mexican restaurants" i mean the big corporate brands: rio bravo, on the border, etc. not so much "mexican," i guess, but that's a topic for a different post.)

we have two family owned mexican restaurants in southport. they are carbon copies of each other, offering quick service, affordable food, entertainment for the the family. this past cinco de mayo, we headed out with my sister and brother-in-law, expecting the place to be packed. apparantly, the alcohol industry has not infiltrated our little community so much. there were no vinyl banners with technocolor parrots advertising corona specials, no blinking plastic margarita glasses, no one passed out on the bar from too many cheap tequila shots. wow! refreshing, actually!

all this is to say, i'm celebrating a different cinco de mayo this year. here are cinco things that have graced my mailbox this mayo:










except, apparantly, i can't count, because this is siete! siete wonderful gifts from michelle a., annalisa, lisa, barb, amanda s., jen, bridget, andy, natasha & carlo.

muchas gracias!!