Making Music

As some of you may know, my Monday nights are spent rehearsing with the Easton Municipal Band. I've been playing the clarinet for almost 20 (!!!) years now - I started when I was 9 years old - and I can't imagine what it would be like to not play an instrument.

One of my favorite composers of all time is Gustav Holst, and one of the pieces we're working on right now is Second Suite in F for Military Band. It's funny, but even if I've had an awful day, if we play a piece by Holst at rehearsal it instantly puts me in a good mood. Here's the 4th movement from Second Suite in F:

Now doesn't that put a smile on your face??

Anyway, our first concert of the season, is this Sunday, May 1, at 2:00pm at the Hanover Community Center in Bethlehem, PA. It's the Sousa Concert, which we do every year with the Liberty Alumni Band, consisting primarily of Sousa marches (in case you hadn't already figured that out!), and it's pretty spectacular if I do say so myself. ;-) Also, admission is free, and there are always a ton of free refreshments! If you live in or near the Lehigh Valley, I highly recommend it.

Upcoming Craft Shows!

Well, after this past weekend I can check one more of the many weddings I'm attending this year off my list. Congratulations to my brother-in-law Brian and his new wife Kathy!! :-)

And I've officially scheduled 2 spring craft shows amongst all of the wedding festivities.

On May 14, I'll be at the Flemington Elks Lodge from 9:00am - 2:00pm for a jewelry show that's being run by the Arc of Hunterdon County.

And on May 21, I'll be at the Riegelsville Public Library for an outdoor (I get to use my canopy!) craft show from 10:00am - 4:00pm.

Very excited for both of them, and if you live in the area I hope to see you there!


P.S. Check out the article my husband wrote for eHow about rescuing pointers! I can personally vouch for the fact that pointers make awesome pets. :-)

In the Kitchen

What happens when I have an overabundance of mushrooms and spinach and I just bought a bunch of eggs from Klein Farms??

I make quiche, of course!!


This is this first quiche I've ever made, which is odd considering it's one of my favorite foods. It actually came out really well, except for the bits of spinach that were sticking up and wound up rather crispy.

On another culinary note, later tonight I'll probably be picking up a new cookware set! We've had a hard anodized aluminum set for about 5 years, but it's looking pretty worn out lately, to the point that I've started to question the safety of cooking with them. We decided we would gradually start replacing the set. But during lunch today I found this:

Hello, there, KitchenAid Gourmet Distinctions 10-piece cookware set that is currently 50% off at Kohls. :-)

I checked out some reviews, which were overwhelmingly positive, so tonight I'm off to check them out in person and probably buy them.

Very excited, but I definitely need to make sure that is ALL I buy. Does spring make anyone else out there want to buy lots of pretty new things for your home???

Dance Your Cares Away

Now that I'm finally getting some shows lined up, I need to work on building up my inventory.

Since the husband has a comedy gig tonight, I'm on my own with the pup.

My plan tonight, after a stressful and exhausting couple of weeks is to make a whole lot of jewelry and having a Fraggle Rock marathon. I actually own the first 3 seasons, but the entire series is on Netflix. I wonder how many episodes I can watch in one night?? ;-)

Here's a song from one of my favorite episodes. The great Jim Henson himself performs the part of Cantus. Enjoy! :-)

Focusing on the Fun Stuff

So this past week has been... interesting.

There was a lot of fun stuff, but also one really awful run in with the Jersey City Parking Authority that almost ended with me spending Tuesday night in my car on Columbus Blvd. But instead of dwelling on that, let's focus on the fun stuff that happened, shall we?

Tuesday night my husband performed at the new talent showcase at Gotham Comedy Club.

First we stopped by the New York Public Library to see the original stuffed animals that inspired A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh stories.

For all the time I spend in New York, and despite the fact that I'm a librarian, I'd never actually set foot in the NYPL until Tuesday afternoon. And I'm not ashamed to say that being there made me feel a little bit giddy.

So there they are: the "real-life" Winnie the Pooh and friends. In case any of you are wondering, Eeyore's tail really is held on by a pin. I thought that was adorable. Also, Piglet is SUPER tiny.

And there's my husband on the stage of Gotham Comedy Club! I believe this is actually the third time he's been there, but it's still pretty exciting. :-)

On Saturday night we had a bunch of people over, and friends of ours brought their 5-month-old boxer puppy, Lilly. So far she is the only dog I've known who can wear Elvis out.

There's Elvis, ready for a nap, and Lilly about to pounce. Needless to say, he was a tired boy yesterday!

As far as the jewelry business goes, custom orders continue to abound, and I'm trying to line up some craft shows for spring/summer (difficult when there seems to be some sort of wedding-related event every Saturday from now til the end of July, but I'm doing my best!). I need to send out some applications and I'll be sure to post dates and locations here as soon as everything is confirmed!