Better too much than not enough.

My lovely friend Laurie gave me a wonderful gift to encourage my attempts to eat better as I run galloping into my late (!) 40's. A big basket of wonderful fruit and a little fruit of the vine. Yum! The hardest part was keeping the kids out of my gift. I will confess to lobbing some grapes at them to appease them... I find it fascinating that when someone else buys something as simple as an apple it tastes different. Because it is NOT the same apple that you might buy. My son was MOSt intrigued with the label on the orange that said "berry flavor". Why? How come? I must admit I had NO intellectual curiousity and simply ate them! I whipped up a large batch of fruit salsa as things ripened and know have a simple still life of pearandapple as I type this. Thanks Laur!

Ashleigh was out treasure shopping last week when she called me to tell me that she had her body thrown acoss an oak display cabinet that I just HAD to see. I went, I saw, I bought, I pondered the impossibility of fitting said cabinet into a Toyota Camry. I contemplated my "helper" needs and went from "oh, I can just grab a neighbor to help me" to " I don't know that thing is pretty heavy. And it is glass and hard wood.." "And we DO have to go up two dozen stairs to get it into the store, and". So I rounded up FOUR of my manly men neighbors and caravaned them all to said cabinet store with college basketball on the radio and sun on my face. The little ladies at the shop were tickled to death I was buying it for the shop and they were VERY impressed with all of my manly helpers. Well, said men were not impressed with my estimating ability when 2 of them picked it up and slid it into my truck without breathing hard. And the same two carried it neatly up the stairs. The other two just wondered why they were there! Talk about many hands make light work, more like , uh, none! Thanks guys. Sorry to drag you away from the game.

We've got lots of new goodies at Stifel and Capra. Barbara Kaufman-Levy just brought in half a dozen of her lovely glass and natural object mosaic mirrors. We just unpacked a snappy batch of vintage trench coats that should work really well with the April showers we are expecting. The shop is open tomorrow from 10 to 2. Stop by, I would love to see you-

The Luck of the Irish!

This entry was originally going to be titled "Beware the Ides of March". Friday one of my artists walked in and said " Are you aware that the stone is missing from your engagement ring?" After saying words that I won't repeat in front of my very elegant colleague, I reminded myself that that insurance exists for a reason and then girded myself for the inch by inch search of the shop that would need to ensue the next day. Imagine my delight when about noon time I got a call on the shop phone- "Stifel & Capra , this is Theresa speaking." "hello Mommy , this is your son". "Hello Son this is your mommy; what's new in your world?" "Well, Mommy I just found your diamond!" He was so proud I thought he was going to pop on the phone. And I was so relieved I thought I would cry. I had told my father the night before that however unrelentingly unromantic it sounded that I was sorry I didn't watch my ring fly down the gutter because I was so utterly exhausted that I couldn't bear the idea that I would have to take the energy and momentum to search the store inch by inch. (Because of course I was SURe it was at the store.) Imagine how impressed I was with my powers of observation that I had been at work for 5 hours with out noticing my solitaire was missing! So Apologies to Ira for my profanity and apologies to the people I have not called from Friday because I was too busy wallowing in my own sorrow!
On a lighter note, the rest of Saturday was grand, no rain, lots of new people popped into the shop. "How long have you been open? Since JULY? How come I have never noticed you before?" We are trying really hard NOT to be the best kept secret in Falls Church so the news is spreading. Slowly. But word of mouth is the best! ItT makes me very happy when people come in because a friend said that they just HAD to drop by....

I am heading to the shore with the kids to go treasure hunting. Will report back on Wednesday! Ashleigh will be at Stifel and Capra on Monday and Tuesday from 10 to 2. We are starting the big countdown for my husband's big hip replacement surgery on the 25th. Pray for strength and patience for all of us! And a Happy Saint Patrick's day to you and yours!