11.24.2013

weekending



(there is officially progress being made on Claire's felted play mat.  I'll post photos as it comes along...)

On Friday we went to the NC Arboretum to see the Legos exhibit.  There were some pretty amazing creations out of legos.  Hundreds of thousands of legos.






The sly fox stalking the rabbit was my favorite.

They also have a great bonsai exhibit~  It's mind blowing for me, seeing what appears to be a full-grown very old maple (or elm, hornbeam, spruce, red cedar, etc.) tree dwarfed by years of careful root and branch pruning.  And the tiny little maple and elm leaves?  Crazy.  Crazy.


Down in the woods, just off some of the trails, are some little shelters and lean-tos scattered about.  We'd met our neighbors at the Arboretum, and the three big kids ran and played.  We mamas decided we need to bring them back to this place as often as we can, to give them the good woods play that it offers- fairly open and level woods, crunchy leaves so we can hear them running around and not get worried that they've run off too far..... and in the meantime, we can drink warm beverages and catch up ourselves.  Yes, please.



Papa's fire station is near the Arboretum, so we stopped by to say hi before heading back home.  Turns out, while we were gone that morning FedEx was trying to deliver my new bike- the one I've been waiting for for a month!  (and just in time for this freezing cold week we're getting ready to have) You can be sure I'll be sticking close to home on Monday morning.

But meanwhile, there was ballet class first thing Saturday morning, followed by a quick visit to the holiday tailgate market so that we could get to Asheville in time for the parade ~ papa helped lead the way in his kilt, playing his drum with the Asheville FD Pipes and Drum Band.  I really thought I got some pictures of him, but they mysteriously disappeared from my camera.  It has been acting a bit wonky and needs some professional help, I'm afraid.  What matters more though is that Claire saw him and got to run out and give him hugs and kisses.  I may have, too.  Kisses anyway.


There were at least four different high school marching bands playing Christmas songs, a couple animal-rescue organizations parading by with several up-for-adoption pups (and even a pig!) in little sweaters reading "adopt me today!", about a dozen horses, a group of actors from a local theater dressed in their "A Christmas Carol" costumes, and quite a bit more.



I think my favorite thing (well, maybe tied with the marching band music) was this puppetry group and their awesome puppets~



this puppet, in particular~



And then it was home fairly early Saturday afternoon, where we've stayed put since.  Mostly in our pajamas, and feeding the hungry fire that is working hard to keep the freezing cold at bay.

It's snack time, and so I'm off to make some popcorn and cut up some pomegranates.  And possibly do some straightening up and planning ahead for the week to come~  this girl and I are going to try to get a more solid morning routine/rhythm in place (though this may not be the week to start, I guess) and there is grocery shopping to do.  My father, grandfather, and my brother and his girlfriend will all be joining us for dinner on Thursday, and I'm very excited to be hosting.

cheers~

*weekending with amanda

11 comments:

  1. Oh, my kids would have loved the lego exhibit!!

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    1. it was really pretty cool~ and they were spread out around the gardens and trails, so even better!

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  2. that is going to be an awesome play mat! and what a great lego exhibit! :) sounds like a great weekend.

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    1. I am SUPER excited about the mat. off to work on it now, actually, while she sleeps........
      yes, a good mix of lounging and exploring~

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  3. My kids would have loved the lego exhibit, it's amazing what they think up to make!! We used to have a huge santa parade in our town with the local high school bands but now they do a "festival of lights" which is NOT a parade. I think it's houses lit up? Anyways, your parade looks awesome and festive. hope your bike arrives early today :)

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    1. they were very neat- the guy that made them all is one of 14 "certified lego builders" in the world. who knew such a thing existed?! there are some 'festival of lights' sort of things in our area- ones that are privately run and cost a fair amount to drive through~
      still waiting on the FedEx driver.....

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  4. wow. those legos. my but some people's brains work differently than mine...
    (BTW, did you ever decide about a tattoo? I keep thinking of you...I go in this friday after years of deliberation. Was going to do it on the inside of forearm, now decided the back- under shoulder. could not deal with it being so visible.)

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    1. yes. he was a 'certified lego builder', so..... well, that about explains it I guess. I am still in the deliberating stage, though it's been years of that already. Go you! that's a big thing. at least for those of us who have yet to jump into those waters. I'm debating inside of forearm or circled around my shoulder, a circle of diminutive bits and pieces from nature- shell, acorn, feather, fern, pinecone, etc.... a mix of the things from that pinterest board and elsewhere.

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  5. yes! the legos were so crazy interesting! i loved how we stumbled upon sculpture after sculpture when we were least expecting. the fox and the bunny were one of my faves too....;) what a great place to hang out in the woods. wish we would have had more time to explore the afternoon that we went. what a great little hideout Claire and her buddies found. Such a great way for kids to play and mamas to visit. also those are some pretty, pretty dapple gray horses. I would show Bea, but she's playing, and like a sleeping baby, I don't disturb a playing child. Happy Thanksgiving to you! Enjoy hosting! Your home is such a cozy spot for guest to land on Thanksgiving day.

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    1. I didn't realize they were already up when you went to the Arboretum~ cool! Yes, I'm looking forward to going back and letting the kiddos run wild while the mamas catch up. There were some pretty, pretty horses at that parade- these, with all their trimmings, reminded me of the one in one of the stories in The James Herriot book you gave to Claire- she LOEVS those stories, thank you!

      Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours, too~ we are looking forward to having people over, it's usually just the three of us and my dad, so this will feel like a real Thanksgiving 'crowd' (of 7). ;)

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    2. *in addition to "LOEVING" the stories, she "LOVES" them as well ;) so silly that I can't edit my comments.......

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thanks for taking the time to read and comment~