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Happy Birthday to my Dear Sweet Sister, Amy!
We were lucky to have her here two weeks ago and we celebrated her birthday early. What fun to see her again! She was here for a conference with the non-profit organization she works for in New York. My mom and I went to be with her, learning a lot about a little know women's bleeding disorder called von Willebrand disease. It was very interesting, especially because hemophilia runs in our family, and despite the serious topic, we had such fun being together! We drank wine and talked, had lots of coffee and good food!
Later on in the weekend, we spent some time together as a family, went to the park, laid out in the sun, had lunch at the mall... All stuff we love to do!
Even though she has a regular day job, she is an artist-by-night, her true passion. She is represented by the Monya Rowe Gallery and is amazingly talented. I'm lucky to have a few pieces of my own from her which I truly treasure. She was also recently published in Time Out New York Magazine as part of their "Great Walks 2008" feature. Her article is here, a very good one, if I do say so myself!
She is back in New York again and we already miss her! Happy, happy birthday, Amy - hope you have a great day!!
A sister is a little bit of childhood that can never be lost. ~Marion C. Garretty
I have always loved writing... anything and everything. Stories, poems, the boring chronicles of my teenage angst - whatever comes into my fevered little brain. I just love writing stuff down on paper. Sometimes special paper, sometimes special pens, sometimes special books. I find it so therapeutic in so many ways. The more I write, the better I feel - I have more clarity, my memory improves, I can relax. My favorite thing to do is sit at Barnes & Noble in the cafe, drinking coffee and writing. I've been journaling on and off for about 20 years but it didn't hit me until yesterday that I've been writing for this long. I was in the attic trying to organize a few things and I came across a paper grocery bag filled to the brim with journals. I pulled them out just to take a quick peek. Oh my, how lovely the memories.
I found pictures of me and my high school friends being crazy on a night out many years ago, a story of the day that my baby girl first started dancing in my arms - a sweet little wiggly-twisty dance, the details of a date with a boyfriend who would later become my husband, the fun memories of a visit with my sister on my birthday.
I've always thought that (god forbid) if we ever had a fire, after I made sure my family and pets were safely out of the house, I would grab two things: my journals and our photo albums. How? Not sure exactly - chuck them out the window before the fire could get to them? I think I remember being very anxious about this when I was really young (6th grade?) and they talked about escape routes in your home in the event of a fire. I remember putting all my special things - including letters from my summer camp friends, pictures and journals - into a bag that I set beside my bedroom door just in case.
Sometimes I wonder if I don't love looking back on the memories of all this writing just as much a doing it. Some of my journals are very visual, lots of photographs and very colorful - more like a scrapbook. Some of them are all writing and include poems and stories. Some are a combination, like the ones when my daughter was very little and her baby face was just too sweet to not include. Then there are some that were just an outlet, full of frustration and longing.
I have to stop for a moment and think practically about all this stuff - honestly, if I live to be 100, I'll have a ton of stuff to chuck out a window if there is ever a fire. Perhaps I'll have to organize them by priority. Best memories first - teenage angst last!
For Christmas, my husband got a gift that has been his obsession for the past 4 weeks - a little battery-operated racing car. Apparently, this is a pretty big hobby in the lives of many. They have races all over the country, spare parts for sale all over the web and fancy little attachments that can be purchased for a small fortune.
Since my dad picked out this special little gift for him, we decided to hook up with my parents and take the car for a spin. We headed to a mini-track beside the Antique & Hobby Barn on a chilly Sunday afternoon. There were a few funny things about this track (well, I found them funny, maybe the regulars would be pretty serious about them): they had an elevated stand so that you could get an ariel view of the track while operating your car, there was a sidewall all around the track to prevent fly-aways and various sized heavy cable spools used as chairs and tables for spectators.
I had to admit, I loved watching this little car flying around the track, crashing into the sidewalls, speeding over ramps and flipping around like a little mechanical acrobat. My daughter was the official car jockey and would set the it back on the track after its dastardly crashes. My husband also tried to reenact a famous Evil Knievel-like jump with my daughter laying down in front of a mini-ramp, which didn't quite work out so well, as you can see...
After a little while, my mom and I decided to explore the grounds around the barn. There was a lovely pond out back, quite breathtaking actually. The light was just right, so I caught some beautiful pictures. My daughter discovered the hobby house cat that followed us around as we explored and enjoyed the views. He meowed so much, she named him Meowzers.
Once the batteries of the little car were drained, we decided to a little trip to Starbucks to warm up. Perfect way to end a chilly day! (More pics of this excursion on Sunniviews!)
Last Sunday morning when I woke up, my daughter was playing her video games and my husband was on the computer. I decided to check out one of the fabulous vintage books that my sister gave to me for Christmas. I chose a little one called "The Christmas Angel" by Abbie Farwell Brown.
This book was published in 1910 and the wonderful thing about the copy that I have is that it was given as a gift to Miss Nellie Johnson for "Perfect attendance, Plymouth Sunday School, Year 1910" in Utica, NY. You can view the actual copy that I have or believe it or not get the newer version that was published in 1999! (It's just astounding to me that books from the early 1900's are so well documented on the web!)
The other wonderful thing about my copy is that it had a green construction paper cutout of a Christmas tree, perhaps made by Nellie. It had been in the book for so long that it stained the pages with the outline of the limbs! I could just imagine their Sunday School class talking about the meaning of Christmas and making the delicate little trees.
Anyway, I got a blanket and a fresh cup of coffee and settled in to read this charming little story. It's reminiscent of the Christmas Carol but much more touching...
We are introduced to Miss Terry, a stern, no-nonsense spinster that sits before a fire on Christmas Eve with a big box of Christmas toys from her childhood that have been collecting dust in her attic for years. She's ready to burn the entire collection but to prove her belief that Christmas is nothing more than commercialism at its best, she decides to conduct a few experiments. She does this by throwing out one toy at a time on her darkened door step and rushing to the window to see what happens. The reactions of passers by strengthens her belief of selfishness and complete disregard for humanity, even at Christmas time.
But then she throws out The Christmas Angel. A delicate little pink paper-mache tree ornament that holds sentimental feelings for her and brings back memories of her youth. A drunken man stumbles by and kicks the pretty little angel. Filled with an unexplainable emotion, she rushes out to rescue him from the snow. She props him on the mantle and proceeds to burn the rest of the toys. After that nasty bit of business is finished, she falls asleep in her chair by the fire.
While she sleeps, the Christmas Angel comes to life and she thinks she is in a dream. He shows her the rest of the story she did not see from behind the heavy curtains of her windowsill. 
From the fighting boys that give their toy to a brother suffering from a serious illness to a crass, pompous man who saves the life of a baby who crawled in the street about to be hit by a car. Overnight, she becomes transformed. Her heart opens to the true spirit of Christmas!
It's such a lovely little story and I finished it all on that Sunday morning. I actually thought it might be cute to start collecting these old copies of Christmas books. I just love them! You can imagine so much history in old books... Previous owners, their lives, their homes. For me, there is something so much more personal about books than an antique or old garment. So, in the coming months, I might be heading out to the used bookstores to see what I can find!
We had the most delightful Thanksgiving day yesterday! When I woke up, the coffee was already made. I slowly poured myself a cup, savoring every moment of this special day. My husband and daughter were playing Lego Star Wars, so I got out my beads and strung a new necklace. I checked on my blogger friends then we went for a walk.
It was a fabulous morning - the sun was shining, it was 69 degrees with a soft breeze. 
Fall leaves were floating down from the sky and spinning lazily in the street. We finally have bright beautiful leaves - golden yellows and rich reds. It was so wonderful and I got some great photos - I'll be loading them onto Sunniviews this week, the series will be called Fall Finale.
After getting ready, we drove over to my aunts house in Chapel Hill for our family get-together. It was wonderful to see everyone! The table was beautifully set for our Thanksgiving feast and the food was scrumptious. 
We had an expert turkey maker and an expert turkey carver along with all the yummy accompanying dishes: buttery mashed potatoes and rich gravy, stuffing, green bean and lima casserole, sweet potatoes, corn, a special family recipe of mac and cheese, homemade cranberry sauce and fresh rolls. Oh my, it was so good. Oh, it was so, so good. We were stuffed.
Afterwards we played cards (UNO and Euchre), told jokes and stories, laughter filled the air. 
We settled our bellies with strong, rich coffee and nibbled on dessert: pumpkin pie and apple crisp with french vanilla ice cream.
Then it was time to say goodbye and make quick plans for Christmas. As we drove home, my daughter sleeping soundly in my lap, the radio playing soft and sentimental music, my husband and mother-in-law talking quietly in the front - I watched the drying fall leaves scuttle in spirals across the highway through the dark. My heart became wide open, expanding beyond my body, beyond my soul, so that I had the most incredible feeling of love and gratitude. I closed my eyes and envisioned myself circling my arms around the whole world in a great loving embrace. And on this Thanksgiving, I was truly thankful.
From the Toymaker's November Newsletter:
Appreciation is the highest form of prayer, for it acknowledges the presence of good wherever you shine the light of your thankful thoughts.
-Alan Cohen
And so it is.
We recently went to the Whirligig Festival in Wilson, NC. My parents had a booth selling wonderfully designed folk art. My incredibly talented dad makes these great wooden marble chasers and bird houses and my amazing artist mom paints them! Their booth was called "Manspace"... (your not the boss of me!)
The Whirligig Festival started 3 years ago and was inspired by Vollis Simpson, a local artist who creates these huge, intricate whirligigs out of scrap metal. This year they had more vendors than ever.
We set up early on a Saturday morning and, since this festival is in November, it was quite chilly. But the sun was bright and the nippy wind made all the whirligigs spin with delight. Our booth neighbors included a husband and wife team selling a wide array of bright, colorful tye-dye clothing (of course my daughter had to have a zip up sweatshirt... but tye-dye looks so cute on kids, doncha think?) and an older couple selling sailboats and propeller airplanes made out of tin cans.
The hamburger joint down the street had refreshments for our four-legged friends, a real live pirate show complete with swordfighting and whip tricks played every hour (my daughter's favorite, of course), and music stages at 3 locations kept us entertained the whole weekend. As an added bonus, the had tons of blow-up jumpy rides for the kids!
We had so much fun setting up, talking to folks and demonstrating how the marble chasers work. The kids loved them and it was surprising to discover that many people had never seen a marble chaser before. Our family is originally from Lancaster, Pennsylvania - the Amish country, and we've been playing with wooden toys like this for ages. So, it was pretty interesting to see everyone's reaction.
But I will tell you my most favorite thing about the Whirligig festival was watching a local artist paint a mural of the festival on a huge canvas. He looked like an artist of old - decked out in an oversized button-down smock with a ponytail. He was amazing and it was fascinating to watch the progress of the painting.
The booth was so colorful and fun and the food was delicious. As far as I'm concerned, any festival that serves funnel cake loaded with powdered sugar and fresh Starbucks coffee is a success in my book! We had a ball...
(You can read more and view more pics from the Whirligig Festival on my mom's blog.)
How lovely is it that our local Krispy Kreme donut shop is located on Peace Street? Could there be anything more perfect then a fresh, tasty donut and a rich cup of hot coffee early on a sunny morning, placidly placed on a street named Peace? I would say that's just about as peaceful as it gets! Makes me want plop down below the sign amidst the delicious smells of frying dough and meditate.
The neat thing about this particular Krispy Kreme is that it's one of the main distribution sites, so you can watch the donuts being made. 
We love watching them travel on the assembly line, evolving really, from just a piece of blobby dough to its final confection.
I have to say that I've always had a struggle deciding between Krispy Kreme and Dunkin Donuts. KK has the delicious glazed creme filled donut while DD has the scrumptious powdered vanilla creme. Difficult decision. But luckily this is not one of my daily obsessions - yes, so many other things to fill my mind with, but sometimes it's just fun. Especially on a bright sunny morning on Peace Street!
A few weeks ago, my neighbors came up with the idea of everyone on our street having a yard sale on the same day. We thought it was a great concept and dove right into the preparations. I dragged box after box of our daughters clothes from the attic and sorted them for hours. My husband pulled things from the garage that I hadn't seen in years. We posted an ad in the paper and hung over 30 signs around the neighborhood and on major streets. We made plans to have a refreshment stand that served coffee, doughnuts, cookies and iced tea (which my daughter would run, of course.)
On the day of the sale, we woke up before the light of the sun hit the sky. Our neighbors were up at the same time, setting up tables and organizing. It was a shared moment - we greeted each other by moonlight as the locusts buzzed and birds began to sing. The sky began to lighten and we offered to help each other, all of us bustling to get ready. The sun began to rise and we wandered into each others yards looking over the goods. One neighbor set up a moonwalk for the kids, another a manicure table, some had tents, fans, candy and coffee. One neighbor cat-called on a bullhorn to passing cars, we had music. It was like an early morning block party!
Although my husband and I had some small bills in our pockets for those who made immediate purchases, 
the majority of our money was in a cash box by the refreshments. If you recall, this was being run by my 7-year-old daughter. She would disappear every now and then, coming back with a book, a video or a stuffed animal. Then she walked back with a scooter (she already has two) and then a sled! We realized that she was taking the profits and shopping at the competitors! The rest of the kids thought this was a fine idea and they all joined in.
The balmy morning developed into a very hot and steamy day. We didn't have the hordes of people that I had expected. I took stock, remembering that it was July 7... 
7/7/07. I'd heard that lots of weddings were planned for this day - brides imagining luck in the numbers. Perhaps that was the reason for the low turnout. I looked around at our offerings. My clothes, although very organized by size and price, were piled on two 8 foot tables with bins underneath. Toys were scattered on tablecloths on the ground. We probably did not have our prices low enough. My husband made over 4 gallons of coffee. (I think we sold 3 cups the whole day - am I the only one who drinks coffee in the heat?)
By the time we started packing up, the thermometer hit 100 degrees. One neighbor jokingly called out to another "Now for the best part, right?". He replied "Hey, I've got some gasoline in the back to burn it all - it'll be it out before the fireman get here!" I have to say, at that exact moment, I wouldn't have objected!
Once everything was stored in the garage, I counted the cash. We made just over $100.00! Pretty good for a morning yard sale on 7/7/07. We changed into dry, cool clothes and headed for a place with plenty of A/C... the movies!
Happy Birthday to my Dear Sweet Sister, Amy!
