Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea, Series 2

My favorite tea company, Andrews & Dunham Damn Fine Tea, has just released their second series of limited edition teas! This series is a radical departure from their first, and I think that people will love it (as much -- maybe even more -- than the first series)!I drank some of the Jackee Muntz this weekend (the inner inner circle sometimes has its privileges) and it was delicious -- sort of honeyed but brisk at the same time.

Visit their website, read the clever stories, see the freaks, stay for the tea. You'll be glad you did.

Inspiration, brought to you by a 47-year old woman.

I'm totally behind.

I'm sure you've already heard of Susan Boyle, of Britain, and how she wowed the judges and audience on Britain's Got Talent (I guess this is the original version of American Idol. I dunno. I don't watch tv.) The judges and audience couldn't show less respect when she walks onstage and chats with the judges before singing "I Dreamed a Dream" from Les Miserables. The middle judge (girl in a green dress) even puts her hands up behind her head, showing Ms. Boyle her armpits, which seems particularly dismissive to me. Members of the audience (as well as the judges) sicker and roll their eyes. Then she sings. And she is surprisingly good. And they have to show her respect. It's wonderful to watch their attitudes change.

Now I don't think it's a great voice (I'm not going into all the pedagogical stuff here, but my opinions are backed by many years of vocal training and several vocal degrees from well-respected conservatories, so...) It's quite a nice voice, presence, etc., but -- like every singer I've ever known -- there's always work to be done. (Seriously, every good singer is always trying to get better. Even Renee Fleming. Even Domingo. That's part of being an artist.) But she has tremendous guts to do this and she acquits herself beautifully. It's an inspiring performance that should remind us all to take chances whenever -- and wherever -- we can.

Trip down memory lane...

So I was just killing some time online while Paul is trying out his new "homework command center" and decided to put a few things up on the old pricklygirl site. I got to scrolling down through the archives and had a really nice time remembering back a year or two...or four. I'm going to do that more often -- very useful to go back when you're wondering what it is you're actually doing with your life.

Christmas, Alive & Well in Whoville.

It is, I'm pretty sure, the most wonderful time of the year.

My Very Own Personal Fairy Princess

Gratuitous photos of Maggie, because I am soooooo tired.

If you don't already have one of these, you really should get your own personal fairy princess. They're a lot of work and they get awfully messy and can be a little temperamental, but every so often, they rock. Actually, mine usually rocks, but then she spends most of the day not being my friend anymore, with chocolate ice cream coating her front and mud coating her back. Today was one of those days...but she's still my girl.

Blogs I love...

This morning while waiting for a bunch of photos to upload to flickr (a bunch meaning 144), I was catching up on a few of my favorite websites. One of those is craftzine, and I don't think I've ever left that site without sending a link to someone or being inspired to try something new. It's a goldmine. Today I really struck gold. And inspiration. Elsa Mora makes beautiful things. And I love her writing -- simple, honest, self-aware and occasionally funny. She did a great project with her mom using a blank book. Reading through the thread, I found two fantastic quotes:

"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give".Winston Churchill.
We cannot all do great things, but we can do small things with great love.” Mother Teresa of Calcutta.

You know how sometimes something really obvious hits you over the head? Elsa's writing did that for me this morning. (Okay, okay, it may also have something to do with the weird lovey feeling I have because our house is full of peaches, tomatoes, sunflowers, and other fantastic things from a day spent at the Cheverly Community Market and Clagett Farm. Also, I made salsa at 10:00pm last night and our house smells great!)

Funniest blog.

Philippe

Do you read Achewood? It's a (near)daily online comic strip that just gets better and better (and seems to be getting more popular, too). The characters are consistently well done and the story lines are fantastic and weird.

Philippe is a five-year old otter who lives in California and has interesting friends. I frequently think that Chris Onstad (bacon lover) has somehow gotten into Paul's head...or I did when Paul was five.

Now I just love Philippe for Philippe.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

Wear a sweater on Thursday, March 20, to remember one of the great luminaries of children's television. Fred Rogers would have been 80 years old on Thursday. When I was a little girl, my dad traveled quite alot. Mr. Rogers looked a fair bit like my dad, and somehow I got it into my head that "Mr. Rogers" was my dad's secret identity, and that's why he was away from home -- other kids needed him too. Can't remember when I figured things out, but I've always had a soft spot for Mr. Rogers/aka my dad.

Thank you, Mr. Rogers, for your lasting contributions to children's television. We miss you. I miss you.

(And thanks to friend and neighbor Brave Astronaut for the heads up on doings in Pittsburgh.)