Our Beauty-ful Day!!

I just had one of those days where you think "all is right with the world". My good friend Debbie invited Sophie and me to go to see Beauty and the Beast at Neptune Theater with her and her daughter. It was one of the best musicals I have ever seen! The caliber of talent that Neptune (in Halifax) presents is unbelievable and worth every red cent (it cost $120 for our two tickets...ouch!). The costumes and set were gorgeous and Sophie and I sat mesmerized by this feast for our eyes and ears!!

I have always vowed that I want Sophie to love music and musical theater as much as I do but I have never taken her to Neptune before today. Well, she proved to me she is ready and that my money will not be wasted. She sat through 2 1/2 hrs of performance and barely squirmed. Every now and then she'd take my hand and squeeze it in happiness or rest her head on my shoulder during a scary Beast scene. I feel so lucky to have a little girl to share moments like today with...
Debbie and I both could not get over what good company the girls were. We went to Salty's on the waterfront for dinner and we laughed and laughed all through dinner. Debbie is my "funny friend" and I defy anyone not to enjoy her company! We were all incredibly silly and the other patrons got a kick out of the belly laughs coming from the girls... it was a day to remember and I got a little glimpse of the fun, girly moments ahead of me with Sophie where we are not only mother and daughter, but friends. Thanks Debbie, for motivating me to go and for a great memory for me and Sophie, and hopefully for you and your sweet girl.

Leave no stone unturned...

On my street, only a few of us "new builds" still have not yet dealt with our driveways. Everyone else around us has a concrete driveway, and although they look nice and clean and structured, I don't think I want one. The sheer cost of having one poured is exhorbitant, and I don't really relish the idea of conforming to the norm just to blend in with the other homes on the street.

I love stone. The more natural and imperfect, the better and I have incorporated it into each of my homes in some way. I love the natural beauty it brings and the fact that not everybody has it. I would love to do a driveway using it, or at least, use those templates that give the impression of stone in concrete. At present, we have crushed rock (a stone of sorts, I guess!) in our driveway until we decide what we want, what we can afford, and what we can do ourselves that will look nice.

My friend, Krissy, has the most talented brother ever. He owns a business in North Carolina called Celtic Masonry ( www.celticmasonry.com ). I checked out his website and the work he and his crew do is amazing!! From outdoor stone or brick patios, to stone walls, outdoor grills, you name it. He (Frankie Dolaher) is a true artist and I wish he was related to me! Masonry is truly a craft for the patient and talented and he does wonderful work. Check out his website and get ready to drool!!

If you are in the deck building mode, I found a great Canadian website (www.gardenstructure.com )to inspire you and your handyman!! I am definitely getting some ideas for our new deck from it and I'm sure you will find inspiration there, too. Get building before summer hits hard and we all feel too hot and lazy to do more than snooze in the sun on our very own patios and decks!!

Blowing in the breeze...

I have had this post "on hold" until I was ready to finish writing it and find some good clothesline pictures. Then, the strangest occurrence happened. One of my favorite magazines (and I have many) arrived today, and the editor had written about clotheslines and how much she loves them, too! What's that about great minds?...just kidding!!

I have always loved clotheslines. I know that sounds strange, especially to those who hate laundry, but I really have! As a little girl, I would watch my mum hang out clothes and think, "I could do that better"... I thought she needed to have more of a plan and I didn't like that she didn't hang them in a pretty line. Her line was haphazard (sorry Mum!) but considering she was hanging out clothes for eight people, I was wise enough to keep my lips zipped! She wasn't a big fan of me helping her, as I took too long and used up the clothespins too quickly.

My very first grown-up clothesline was hung from the very first home my husband and I built. The line was was huge, and for some reason kept coming off the pulley and/or clothes kept getting wrapped up in it. I think the post even fell over a few times as we were too cheap, or dumb, to sink it into some cement! My second clothesline was one that was pre-existing from (and I'm guessing) the 50's . It was at our old farmhouse in our old town and it was not pulley style, but rather the type you prop in the middle with an old, tall stick. I think this one was my favorite one because it was low enough for my kids to play peekaboo with me in it and I have a funny memory about it. One day, I came outside to hear my then four-year old son crying...wailing actually. I flew towards him, convinced he was hurt somehow. Instead, I found him pointing up at the clothesline, crying. Confused, I looked in that direction only to see his teddy bear, "Bear" hanging from the line where I had pinned him that morning. I said to him, "Why are you crying? Do you want to play with him?" His mournful response was," NO, but get him down, his ears are in pain!!!" I realized how pathetic poor Bear must have looked to my little boy, hanging as it was with its ears pinned to the line!! That is one of my favorite memories, and I could not believe my luck when I stumbled upon this picture of a bear on a clothesline.

Fast forward to now, and I am actually stumped as to where I am going to put a clothesline on our little, meager lot. The pool deck is taking up most of the yard and just when I need it the most, my clothesline is likely going to be puny!! It will no doubt always be full of beachtowels, so I will get little opportunity to hang that perfect line of clothes...



We all have our quirks when it comes to what and how we hang out our clothes. I personally am not a big fan of hanging out (ahem) undergarments on a clothesline. Not only is that too much information, but it takes up too much time and too much line. I tend to hang the clothes out by owner. Sophie's pretty clothes get hung out with extra care because they look so pretty hanging just so. Nothing, to me, looks prettier on a line than pretty sheets and teatowels and/or aprons. Once I get my clothesline up, I will post a picture of my vintage apron collection, which, by the way, I never wear (although I am a slob when I cook, I don't want to dirty them!!).

Until that time, I will continue to overstuff my dryer and watch my electric meter spin round and round... Happy drying!!!