cathy monetti's blog

Moving Day

2011-09-07T14:45:00.000-04:00

Have you ever noticed how a little grace seems to make its way into every day?

That's the thought behind my new blog, thedailygrace.com. I invite you to click here to check it out. You'll find all the posts from this blog in that new location, as well as some new features to (hopefully) make it easier to follow, comment and share the posts you like. In fact, you can sign up for email notifications of new posts, one click links to Twitter, Facebook and more.

Please feel free to comment any time you visit. I want to hear from you—particularly your stories of grace-filled moments, large and small.

See you there ~

Cathy

thedailygrace.com

Elizabeth, The Tree

2011-08-30T07:44:00.001-04:00

I have the best next door neighbors in the world. Seriously. He's a doctor (who makes house calls, to my house). She's good at everything, especially if it's creative: interior design, scrapbooking, gardening, cooking. Plus they're just plain fun. They have two adorable children they happily loan to me anytime I am in the mood for some kid fun, a brand new swimming pool they are happy to share, a dog that swims laps, a wonderful deck that's perfect for let's just have a beer and talk it over, really great yard tools, and now: This.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Let's start with Elizabeth. She's a beauty. Strong roots,

a majestic canopy,

and, as you can see, the perfect branch for a swing. A gigantic swing, that hangs down 48 feet.

The swing of that swing, it goes on forever. And so I am quite certain I shall never feel stress again.

Macie and Hampton, the dynamic duo

Lemons and Sunshine and Everyday Love

2011-08-26T07:34:00.000-04:00

in solidarity

There are many who believe digital communications will cause the slow death of any ability we have to connect human to human on a meaningful level.

I am not one of them.

Just this past Sunday, as I sat here desperately missing my now-at-college daughter, I clicked on the link to Very Truly, Julie. The blog's author is, like me, a writer and a creative director. Julie Marr and I have never met, but in the short few weeks I've read her posts, it's clear we have a lot in common.

The post offers a lovely account of the making of lemon bars for a brunch Julie attended that morning, hosted by her neighbors.

That's so funny, I thought to myself. I, too, had brunch with my neighbors this morning. But right now I am heartbroken and pathetic and surely incapable of homemade pastries.

Then I read on.

The irony wasn't lost on me, while baking early this morning, that it felt like life had thrown a few lemons my way as we delivered Italia to her freshman year of college yesterday. The rational part of me is thrilled that she's launched into an exhilarating next chapter, but mostly I'm wondering where the sunshine will be without her clouds of perfume and constant smile, her inside/outside beauty and all of that everyday love.

The post left me breathless, and I left a heartfelt comment on Julie's blog and went to bed, feeling strangely comforted that another mother— whose life looks so much like mine—was also simply putting one foot in front of the other and marching through it: morning, into afternoon, into evening.

The next day I found a gentle Julie email in my inbox. She talked of kindred spirit moments and happiness on the other side of oh-so-difficult transitions, and she shared a beautiful post she had written the night before taking her son to college two years ago. She signed off:

love and a good week to you in lots of little, comforting ways. it's going to get less raw. keep the faith!

I have thought of that email a thousand times this week and have felt its honesty at work in my own heart. And I've been deeply grateful for the (really quite random) digital connection that brought Very Truly and Julie into my rss feed, and my life, just when I needed them both.

People I love:

2011-08-23T23:29:00.000-04:00

Stanley Tucci

Dinner for One

2011-08-23T06:58:00.000-04:00

On Saturday, my husband and I drove a long 135 miles home after delivering our daughter to college.

I had approached the day with great joy and anticipation all summer long. She is attending my alma mater, Clemson University, and I know her experience there will be wonderful. I could not be more thrilled for her.

So I was gobsmacked when 10 miles after driving away—after taking her sweet face in my hands, looking in her eyes and saying, one more time—i am so excited for you—the tears started to fall. And I haven't been able to control them since.

As if prescribed by fate, my husband is traveling. So I came home from work today to a very empty house. In my former life (prior to yesterday), an evening alone was reason to rejoice. Popcorn for dinner; back to back to back Oprah; staying up way past the 10pm cutoff just because it's all up to me. But tonight was different, the first of thousands to come. And so I gathered the will to fix dinner, then to sit alone at the kitchen table to eat.

It was far from the most enjoyable meal of my life. But I made it through. And that, I believe, is reason enough to mark it.

Blog Love

2011-08-19T11:19:00.000-04:00

So just after Day 26 of my 30 Days of Fun, this appeared in my mailbox.

But I am getting ahead of myself. This is actually what appeared in my mailbox.

The sender is someone I met when I spoke to a marketing class at Columbia International University a couple of years ago. She followed my advice: Don't be afraid to reach out to someone you respect if you are looking for advice. People are generally nice and happy to help. And we've stayed in touch.

Here's what I found inside, along with a note.

Thank you, Sarah Jane Gibson. I love this so much. It's proof that when kindness comes back to you, it is multiplied.

30 Days of Fun was inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

People I love:

2011-08-18T20:50:00.000-04:00

Sheryl Crow. I wish I was Sheryl Crow.

Is it strange that this spoke to me?

2011-08-17T10:15:00.000-04:00

Destiny is usually just around the corner. Like a thief, a hooker, or a lottery vendor: its three most common personifications. But what destiny does not do is home visits. You have to go for it.

Fermin to Daniel, in Shadow of the Wind

30 Days of Fun: Day Thirty!!!

2011-08-14T18:40:00.001-04:00

I have been surprised at the difference it made in my already pretty incredible life to be committed to fun for 30 days. It's like the effect of carrying a camera; suddenly, you look at the world differently. You become aware of what is beautiful at this very moment, in this very place. You look for detail you might have passed by.

My promise to myself at the beginning of this exercise was to actually add fun to my life, rather than looking back over my day and pronouncing something fun. It was remarkably easy. Why not take the blue convertible to lunch, and ride with the top down? Why not stop and swing? Why not dance in the parking lot, just because you have on a skirt that twirls? Why not choose to wear that skirt?

I thank you for taking this journey with me and hope you will be inspired to add a little more fun to your life. If you do and decide to document it with photos or emails or status updates, please let me know! I would love to tag along, if only digitally.

And come on along with me on my next adventure. My daughter is going off to college, and I'm thinking it's a great time to fill my life with interesting.

Won't you join me?

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twenty-Nine

2011-08-11T07:00:00.003-04:00

It was a regular day at work. Then Kevin said: Let's go out for lunch. So I said: Let's take your car!

Kevin drove 'round to pick me up.

It's fun to ride in a blue convertible—

'specially when you want to take pictures.

See?

We crossed the Congaree River.

We drove past the SC State House,

And the graveyard at Trinity Episcopal.

Kevin stopped me by Kicks, where they are having a sale.

Then on to lunch at Virtu. It was yummy.

We eventually made it back to the WECO, and work.

Happy for a sunny Day 29

in a blue convertible.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twenty-Eight

2011-08-10T07:10:00.000-04:00

I am a saver.

I don't say that with pride because I save ridiculous things. Like new clothes, that hang in my closet, tags on, waiting for an occasion worthy of a spectacular new outfit. They reside there so long the season comes and goes, and the joy of wearing the new thing loses all its sparkle before ever making its public debut.

(I have always admired my daughter, who from the age of three would proudly wear any new purchase right on up to the cash register and then out into the world. Snow boots in summer, party dress on a random Tuesday afternoon, Cinderella gown and tiara just for the ride home, if not the entire evening).

I save food. In my pantry, you'll find special spice combinations and chef-inspired appetizer makings and very special Christmas offerings that live there until I throw them out, two years past their eat by dates.

And so tonight, when I retrieved my brand spanking new Martha Stewart Living magazine/September issue from the pile of mail on the counter, I fixed myself a cool beverage (in a crystal highball glass rather than the plastic tumbler I would have used, just because it seemed more fun) and headed to the screen porch for a full, indulgent reading. On the very day it arrived.

Allow me to say this. Magazines are a particular burden, with the penchant for saving that I have. They arrive, all seven I subscribe to, only to get piled on the coffee table for a week or two, then moved under it as newer ones arrive. Weeks pass, and I dig through the pile to find the oldest one (wouldn't want to get out of order!) and start to read. Never mind that I'm learning about new pumpkin carving techniques in May; I will not throw out one I haven't read or go out of order. (They may one day write an obituary about me, "the crazy lady who was smothered under a pile of magazines she hadn't read but couldn't throw out.")

So reading the September issue of Living on August 9th was a bit wild for me. But this is what I learned:

I can pot cuttings from my coleus and geraniums to keep as houseplants throughout the winter. Who knew?
Now is a good time to edit my summer pictures, printing the ones that are scrapbook-worthy. Good idea, particularly for the very organized among us. (ahem)
I think I will actually cut some herbs from my garden and dry them. To accomplish, just wrap kitchen twine around the stems, then hang them upside down in a cool, dry place for four to 10 days.
I think this interlocking monogram is swell.
As much as I love mango, and creme brulee, and lime, (albeit individually), this dish is right up my alley. (Dang, I can't share it since there is no digital link. Guess you'll have to read your own September issue.)

Following this reading of the current issue of Living, my September promises to be filled with interesting things to do. Maybe that will be my next 30 Days experiment?

Thanks, Martha!

getting ready for a delightful (and timely!) session with the September issue

lightening actually strikes, and the september issue and i move inside

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twenty-Seven

2011-08-09T07:46:00.000-04:00

Here's what I did NOT do on this 27th day:

still on the bathroom floor

Unpack from my weekend at the beach.

Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twenty-Six

2011-08-08T06:58:00.000-04:00

I go shopping for back-to-school supplies every year.

For me.

There's something I love about the promise of an empty notebook. Is it the new beginning? The clean slate? Or simply the anticipation of all that will be discovered and recorded there?

Needless to say, I have notebooks and journals stacked on bookshelves throughout my house. They're lined up on shelves and hidden behind cabinet doors; they're piled under tables and stacked, in not-so-tidy rows, on the shelves beside my bed.

little birdies

Tonight I took my college freshman to Target to fill an endless shopping list. It took about 30 seconds for me to get sidetracked among this year's new notebook crop.

Which would come home with me?

journal trio

great things would surely come

black and white and beautiful

classic with a color twist

And just for fun: a pencil box!

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twenty-Five

2011-08-07T08:34:00.001-04:00

Today I played in the sand and surf

with my niece, Angela.

We tried to build a sand castle.

But mostly,

we just ran around.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twenty-Four

2011-08-06T08:58:00.000-04:00

We left for Sarasota via Charlotte late Thursday night, off to meet my new nephew, Baby John Monetti.

The promise of a fresh Grouper sandwich for Friday lunch brought us to the old fishing village of Cortez, and the Star Fish Co.

I knew it was going to be good as soon as I saw this in the parking lot.

Since it was technically a work day, we had to toast to our good fortune and location.

And the grouper sandwich, oh, my!

The fish was caught in these waters,

and cleaned here.

I think this is going to be a fun weekend.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twenty-Three

2011-08-04T08:44:00.000-04:00

A lovely dinner is what we had in mind, we three friends with so much catching up to do. But since the elegant restaurant we considered could be a little quiet, and since this was Day Twenty-Three, we opted, instead, for Mojitos Tropical Cafe.

Over cuban black beans and rice, we talked of Gerard Manley Hopkins and Mary Oliver and the Poetry Foundation. We considered the works of Hemingway and the personality of Zelda Fitzgerald. We made a commitment to read more, write more, gather more.

This sentence was spoken, I swear:

"I had this friend in college who would drink too much then call me and read Gertrude Stein."

I drove home thinking: It's lovely to be 51, to talk about something other than boyfriends or children, to enjoy classic literature that no one is making you read, to look forward to the poem of the day simply because it brings joy to your life.

In fact, it's not just lovely. It's fun.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twenty-Two, v.2

2011-08-03T09:55:00.001-04:00

I rarely hear from my hometown friend Mike Gilliam, but when I do, it's always something worth it.

Today it was a "short imagined monologue" on Timothy McSweeney's Internet Tendency. After much consideration, I have decided not to provide the exact link here, because it is just…so…colorful. But oh is it funny. I laughed, and laughed, and laughed.

Of course, I then had to wander around McSweeney's for a while and came upon Answers to All of Life's Questions. Also priceless, and much less likely to offend.

I'm ending Day Twenty-Two with a commitment to write and submit to McSweeney's. I've identified my topic, and I've got a good start on the post. I'll tell you about it here before our 30 Days is done.

Until next time, my friends. Go out and laugh big!

Editor's Note: If you want the exact link to the very funny, very offensive short imagined monologue, shoot me an email to cathy@riggspartners.com.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twenty-One

2011-08-02T16:00:00.000-04:00

Been watching The Bachelorette season finale (I hate this show. Seriously.), eating Doritos (from the bag!), and giggling at this photo, which just made me LOL (thank you lillyslife.com).

It's funny what a mother will do to spend time with her daughter :)

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twenty

2011-08-01T13:24:00.000-04:00

Today, I stopped to smell the daisies.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Nineteen

2011-07-31T08:09:00.000-04:00

1. Laundry, seven loads
2. Tons of my child is heading to college in 20 days paperwork
3. An out of control closet (Why is it that one little indiscretion—leaving a pair of brown pants on the closet floor because they really didn't work with that white eyelit top after all—leads to, one week later—complete closet chaos?)
4. A rose garden that knows you have really just given up
5. Menu planning, grocery shopping and (at a minimum) prep work for Sunday lunch for eight
6. Chapter Six bible study (haven't started chapter one)
7. Three thank-you notes
8. Ironing, endless
9. Stuff growing in the fridge. Seriously.
10. Time to read!

All abandoned, for an afternoon floating in our neighbors' new pool.
All because I thought: Floating carefree in a pool sounds like fun. And my sweet Eliza will be there :)

(And so will Sully!)

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Eighteen

2011-07-30T08:20:00.007-04:00

So last night, in the dark, I caught my little toe on the edge of a chair. Yowza, it hurt. And it has continued to hurt. Seems I tore a ligament and that has sidelined me for the night simply because it is too painful to walk.

Always one to make the most of every situation, my husband made me this:

And we settled in to watch a movie. That made for a fun Friday night after all.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Seventeen

2011-07-29T08:15:00.002-04:00

I built an entire outfit around these shoes, just because I think they're fun!

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Sixteen

2011-07-28T20:56:00.003-04:00

I joined three of my sweeties, Katie, Eliza and Hannah, for happy little crafting party!

They painted letters for their dorm rooms.

I started on a drawing of some cherries.

That made me hungry, so I abandoned my drawing and headed to the fridge for a handful of real ones.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Fifteen

2011-07-28T12:19:00.000-04:00

Have you been to the Nickelodeon lately? I have, twice. In Two Days. To see the same movie.

First, my friend Pam and I joined a group from Downtown Church for a viewing of the Terrence Malick film Tree of Life. Downtown promised an "interesting film provoking questions of faith," while Nickelodeon director Andy Smith likened the film to "visual poetry." It did not disappoint.

Amos poses a question to the group

Following the film, a group of about 40 folks gathered next door at Immaculate Consumption for dinner and discussion, led by Downtown's Amos Disasa. There were a thousand things to say about this haunting story that questions the presence of God in our troubled lives. The most poignant to me, now in my journal:

I vow to pray more bravely, to ask bigger questions.

After thinking about this powerful film all night, and into the next day, my most swell and exceptionally talented apprentice Kathryn and I set out for viewing #2 at the Nick. Without the tension of storyline worry, I found the second viewing more beautiful, more conclusive.

God is there. I believe.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighy Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Fourteen

2011-07-26T07:56:00.000-04:00

There's nothing fun in the fact that your baby, who was just a toddler yesterday, will be leaving for college in 25 days. The denial you perfected during a too-short Senior year is seriously losing its power, edged out by that ugly and uncomfortable phenomenon: Reality.

What's a Mama to do?

I gathered a group of Eliza's closest friends for tacos and "off you go" inspiration, courtesy of the final Oprah show. (I am a real nerd that way.) In it, Oprah shares the most significant lessons of her well-lived life:

Every person has a calling. It lights you up and lets you know you are exactly where you should be, doing exactly what you should be doing.
You are responsible for your own life.
You are responsible for the energy you create for yourself and the energy you bring to others.
There's a difference in knowing you deserve to be happy and knowing you are worthy of happiness.
All people want to be validated. "I see you. I hear you. What you say matters to me."
When your life whispers to you, get still and listen.
You don't need anyone or anything to complete you. You alone are enough.

I am greatly relieved to report everyone watched the TIVOed show with enough interest to please me. And then, in no time, the room was filled with other stories and the contagious giggles that erupt when dear friends gather. I know I will imagine this scene a thousand times in the months to come when I think of my sweet daughter—a million miles away from me, but surrounded with the crazy, happy, once-in-a-lifetime joy of freshman year.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Thirteen

2011-07-24T17:57:00.001-04:00

I had ice cream for lunch!

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Twelve

2011-07-24T08:08:00.000-04:00

I napped.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Eleven

2011-07-23T10:03:00.000-04:00

Driving home from work, I looked up and saw this. Just for fun, I parked and aimed my iphone camera to the sky.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Ten

2011-07-22T06:59:00.000-04:00

Are you as surprised as I am to find this photo in this post?
Here's what happened:

My friend and WECO-mate Dean Schuster is realizing a dream, running the 2012 Antarctica Marathon. In Antarctica.

And he agreed to raise $30,000 for Oceanites, an organization dedicated to the protection and preservation of the Antarctic ecosystem and the penguins. So tonight, Tim, Eliza, Preston and I crossed Lake Murray to attend the Sonic Penguinfest. It was so worth it!

The Deanguin and his kids worked hard in the 95+ degree heat, earning tips and 10 percent of sales.

And I got a perfect excuse to order a corndog and a lemon slushy!

Follow Dean's fantastic Antarctica journey at runningwithpenguins.com.
.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Nine

2011-07-21T06:49:00.000-04:00

It has been a busy day. I came home from work a bit late, to an empty house. Then rather than turn on Seinfeld, I decided to take a quiet moment to clear my head and recharge my batteries.

I filled a tall glass with ice, crushed ice to be more specific, then slowly poured in Cherry Coke Zero (my guilty pleasure). I stood motionless as I watched the soda pop and splatter, settling around the ice, my head releasing the weight of the day. Then there was a knock at the door.

On the side porch just outside the kitchen stood my dear friend / business partner / neighbor Teresa Coles, along with her dog, Mad Max. They were out for a walk and decided to stop by, just to visit.

This thrilled me beyond measure. While T and I have side by side offices at Riggs Partners, we never seem to have time to talk about anything but work when we're there. The chance to sit for a moment with no computer before us or deadline upon us was a wonderful, refreshing change.

We made our way to the big screen porch (Cherry Coke Zero in hand) and settled in, ready to catch up on the going's on in our lives: 11-year-old Julian's summer art school project, 18-year-old Eliza's dorm room preparations. In no time Tim joined us on the porch, and talk turned to other pressing matters: multiple hypotheses about cause of the green shade of the swimming pool water, suppositions about just how many laps our next door dog, Sully, could actually swim before collapsing.

Afternoon slid into evening, and Teresa, Julian and Max headed up the driveway to make their way home. But not before I thought to myself: There isn't a single thing I could have planned that would have added more fun to this day than an unexpected visit from a dear friend.

reconnecting with an old friend, no facebook required

heading home

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Eight

2011-07-19T19:25:00.000-04:00

Tim and Little Bit, doing their thing

The same thing happens every night. At 10pm, just as our third consecutive episode of Frasier comes on, my husband announces:

"Time to walk The Bit!"

Little Bit, the most perfect little rescue dog in the world, leaps from the sofa—where she has been sleeping soundly for two hours—and races to the front door, ready for the very best part of her day: a one mile night time walk, just before beddy-bye.

I love my husband for doing this, night after night after night, rain or snow, through the late night dark of our neighborhood. I love him for never making me feel guilty for not joining them.

But my 30 Days blog exercise is all about consciously adding a little fun to my summer life, day by day. So last night I announced: "For Day Eight, I'm going to go on the night time walk with you and Little Bit. That will be fun! But let's go now, before it gets so dark." (aka: too close to my bedtime)

And off we went, we three, for a delightful stroll. It was relaxing to spend that quite time with my husband, in the great outdoors, talking about things of little consequence. And it was interesting to view The Neighborhood through the eyes of my little dog: excitement around every turn, an endless string of lawns to be marked, wildflowers to be smelled, sprints to be run.

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Seven

2011-07-18T11:39:00.000-04:00

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Six

2011-07-17T09:53:00.000-04:00

My daughter and I are in St. Augustine for the weekend visiting my parents and my brother, William, and sister-in-law, Kathy. Last night we youngsters ventured out for the late show of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows II. Simply seeing this incredible film would have been more than enough to qualify it for my 30 Days list. But we not only saw it, it was in 3D at the IMAX theater.

I'd never seen a 3D film before, and let me just say, life in 3D is heightened.

What a blast!

Eliza in 3D

the IMAX crowd, ready for fun

30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.

30 Days of Fun: Day Five

2011-07-15T22:20:00.000-04:00

ROAD TRIP!

(My 30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.)

30 Days of Fun: Day Four

2011-07-14T22:10:00.000-04:00

What was originally Bickley's Pond is right behind our house. Although I've only known it as Sterling Lake (as it has been named since a developer bought the property and, well, developed it), I still can't get used to the name. Bickley's is much better.

I have washed many a dish looking out at that pond through a large kitchen window I insisted be drawn into our house plans. There is always something going on: the diligent beaver criss-crossing, criss-crossing the water; a Mama and a Daddy protectively raising their all-we-do-is-eat Canada Goose babies; the renegade childless goose couple that's always causing a stir.

Tonight, just before dark, my sweet husband took me, my camera, and our precious little dog Little Bit for a paddle around the pond. I love getting out on that water, discussing vitally important matters like how far the water level is down, or exactly how Tim lost a lure in an errant cast last week. I love how it changes the perspective of my life.

It was the perfect way to ease into the sunset of Day Four.

(My 30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.)
http://mightygirl.com/

30 Days of Fun: Day Three

2011-07-13T21:33:00.000-04:00

Sully, training for London

Our next door neighbors recently put in a pool. The children, Hampton and Macy, love it. But not nearly as much as Sully, their dog. That sweet yellow lab jumped into the pool the moment there was water in it and he hasn't been out since.

My bathroom window looks out over the pool, and every morning, while I put on makeup and dry my hair, I have a perfect view of the pool, and I watch Sully swim. It tickles me like nothing else. That dog is not just splashing around, he swims lap after lap after lap after lap. He has gotten better at swimming every day, including the perfection of the corner-nearly-flip-turn. And he has lost 15 pounds.

Isn't this the perfect example of perfect summer fun???

(My 30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.)
http://mightygirl.com/

30 Days of Fun: Day Two

2011-07-12T21:13:00.000-04:00

(My 30 Days of Fun is inspired by one of my favorite blogs, Mighty Girl.)

A wonderful surprise! That's what my daughter Eliza, and her friend Katie, inadvertently gave me for Day Two of 30 Days of Fun. I left a business meeting in downtown Columbia (with the mighty George Fulton, how fun is that?) and there were the girls, "creeping" my car, waiting to surprise me. So off we went, for a delightful lunch at Zoe's Kitchen. These bright Zoe umbrellas just make me happy, not to mention the yummy chicken and slaw pita (with Greek pasta salad). And my cutie-pie girls. Aren't happy surprises the best?

30 Days of Fun, inspired by Mighty Girl

2011-07-11T22:17:00.000-04:00

Day One

Inspired by one of my favorite bloggers, Mighty Girl! A summer dinner on the porch. Bruschetta, made from 5 grain bread, fresh pesto (from my own garden's basil), homegrown tomato (from Lois, our church organist), a little parmigiano reggiano. And a glass of BrisAndes Cab Sav, by Rothschild in Chile. Oh, my. What a grand start this is.

The Art of Spending Time Alone

2011-06-10T22:42:00.000-04:00

I am home alone. All evening. So when I walked in the door from work, I spent the first 15 minutes thinking: I CAN DO ANYTHING I WANT! ANYTHING AT ALL! WHAT SHALL I DO?

Things I considered:

1. Write the 5th paragraph of the novel I started 18 months ago.
2. Make the handmade greeting cards I bought the supplies for last summer.
3. Knit.
4. Read.
5. Read, on the pretty screen porch along the back of my house.
6. Read, on the pretty screen porch along the back of my house, with a cold cocktail.
7. Get a good start on that pile of laundry that has been piling for more than two weeks.
8. Read at least one of the seven magazines I subscribe to (and never read).
9. Work on my daughter's high school scrapbook. (Admission: I haven't actually started this, and she graduated last weekend.)
10. Work on the blog I plan to launch next month.
11. Actually write the blog post I was supposed to post today on R-blog.
12. Sit quietly, alone, with my own thoughts and no TV.
13. Watch all the TV I want as late as I want and on exactly the channels I want to watch without discussing it with anyone.
14. Call my husband, who is on the road.
15. Facebook.
16. Work on the four iphoto books I've started and abandoned in the last three years.
17. Call my Mother.
18. Bleach my whites. (Many of them need it. Seriously.)
19. Iron.
20. Surf for the very best girl movie I can find.
21. Go to the movies. Alone.
22. Take the dog for a walk.
23. Take myself for a walk.
24. Look at that book that is going to show me how to "lean into" extreme health.
25. Get a plan for cutting out sugar. Or carbs. Or one entire diet category that takes planning.
26. Clean out the fish tank.
27. Clean out the hermit crab tank.
29. Clean out one of the 36 wardrobe boxes I brought from my Mother's attic when we emptied her house.
30. Tool around Etsy.
31. Organize my jewelry drawer.
32. Catch up on TIVO.
33. Research interesting things to do on vacation in two weeks.
34. Book something interesting to do on vacation in two weeks.
35. Wrap the 14 graduation presents on my kitchen table.
36. Write sweet notes to go with them.
37. Delve into the insurance company's denial of my dental and my daughter's dermatologist claims.
38. Surprise my daughter by cleaning out her closet.
39. Mail the graduation photos.
40. Mail the graduation presents I haven't mailed.
41. Buy the graduation presents I haven't bought.
42. Call Julie about plans for travel on Sunday.
43. Drink a big glass of water. With lemon.
44. Or a cup of hot tea.
45. Finally organize my yarn, patterns and knitting needles.
46. Climb into bed early, and read.
47. Climb into bed early, and sleep.
48. Catch up on that long list of emails I didn't deal with because they required some sort of decision.
49. Watch a movie on the big screen TV in the den, holding the remote myself.
50. Sketch in my sketchbook.
51. Paint with watercolors.
52. Paint with oils.
53. Put away the CDs that are in a pile to the left of the CD player.
54. Organize them.
55. Hootsuite my tweets for the next week.
56. Search for some more bird apps for my Dad's ipad, for Father's Day.
57. Download a journaling app to my ipad.
58. Write in the journal I already have.
59. Meditate.
60. Pray.
61. Make a list of things I could do.

PEOPLE I LOVE:

2011-05-04T09:00:00.000-04:00

Shirley MacLaine

Finally, the Agnes Clutch

2011-04-28T06:16:00.000-04:00

The other day my friend Pam came to the office and spotted my finished Agnes Clutch on the big kitchen/conference table. "Are you actually using your new clutch? Or are you just carrying it around with you so everyone will see it?" she asked.

Busted.

So here it is, in all its glory.

Finished, at last. Cathy's Agnes Clutch

THINGS I MUST DO:

2011-04-28T05:54:00.000-04:00

Learn to make a really great black bean burger.

THINGS I MUST DO:

2011-04-26T01:11:00.000-04:00

I think I shall try to knit a pair of socks.
Yes, yes.

Image and pattern, my knitting hero the Yarn Harlot

Things That Are Worth the Calories:

2011-03-21T14:29:00.000-04:00

Chick-fil-A Banana Pudding Milkshake

Knitting, Stretching, and The Agnes Clutch

2011-03-05T23:06:00.000-05:00

So. I have too many hobbies. Seriously. Painting, reading, tennis, writing, music, choir, knitting, photography, journaling, gardening, cooking. It's exhausting, and mostly because there is a truth I realize: If I narrowed my focus, I might actually become good at one of them.

Instead, it's music on Sunday (learning the oboe again), painting on Monday (oils), book club on Tuesday (Madame Bovary this month), choir on Wednesday, you get the picture. And let me say. I also have a full time job AND a family.

The Inspiring Agnes Clutch

Anyway, last weekend, I started a new knitting project. I had just spent two years knitting one scarf (okay, there were a few other projects sprinkled in as I knitted on and on and on, on the Suzann Scarf), so I spent a lot of time thinking about what would be next. After much research, I settled on Mel Clark's Agnes Clutch. I headed to my local knitting store for yarn. I went with the specific intention of buying luxurious yarn—two years on one project makes you think about how nice it is to hold something that feels good in your hands.

Rowan Colourscape goodness

Following much debate with a very patient sales person, I walked out with two skeins of gorgeous 100% lambswool yarn. And new needles, in which I invested an additional 20 bucks although I was pretty sure I had the same size needles at home. But I wasn't positive.

The owner of the shop, a very helpful and experienced knitter, looked over the pattern with me. "Have you done the provisional cast-on?" she asked. "Uh, no," I thought. As she demonstrated—using two needles AND a crochet hook, I also thought, "I'm way over my head here."

And still I carried on.

Here's where I am today.

The beginnings of the Agnes Clutch.

Looks simple. (It's just the angle of the photo!)

And here's what I've learned:

1. It's good to push your boundaries, even if you sometimes feel frustrated.
2. It's not good to knit in the sort-of dark.
3. Really expensive yarn DOES make for a much better knitting experience.

I think my Agnes Clutch will be as pretty as I dreamed when I forked over the fortune for the yarn. And if I'm going to knit it and rip it out over and over, which is just how it seems right now, it might as well be a pleasant experience as I knit.

February in South Carolina

2011-02-27T21:27:00.000-05:00

The Suzann Scarf

2011-02-22T22:48:00.000-05:00

It took a year to finish, but I think it was worth it.

In January

2011-01-11T19:43:00.000-05:00

This post first appeared at http://www.riggspartners.com/r-blog

I've long held that January is the only civilized month. With its winter arms and 5 o'clock cloak, January offers an extraordinary opportunity to slow down, curl up, hide away. In fact, I love January because it is the one month in which it is deemed perfectly respectable to do so.

In January, I read. And by that I mean I fall slowly and deeply into wonderful, winding novels that take entire afternoons that stretch into evenings that go right on with me to my cozy you-can-never-have-too-much-down bed. I skate through centuries and across continents and just for a while, take leave of the incessant demands that are my life.

In January, I sit. Our living room is built around a real wood-burning fireplace, and our neighbors know if there is smoke coming from the chimney, Cathy is In Residence. There is just something about that fireplace, and me. I would rather sit and stare at its flames than watch TV or sit on a beach or play on my iBook. The woodsy smell, the pops and cracks, the constant tending, the red hot embers—I stare like a young lover, mesmerized.

In January, I knit. I know. So 70s. But I love the feel of yarn and the rhythm of the pattern and clickclickclick of the needles. I find deep satisfaction in making something useful. And I rejoice in the creation of something so beautiful, just Right There.

In January, I promise. I tell myself it's within my power to make time to do these things any time of the year; that there's no reason I can't take an entire afternoon IN AUGUST to sit quietly, or read, or create.

And I believe. Until inevitably, February comes, and the pause button releases.

Until then . . .

And Contrast

2010-11-14T09:51:00.000-05:00

Same day, same garden.

Beauty

2010-11-13T07:57:00.000-05:00

My camera and I took a stroll around the garden late this week, and the shots remind me how much beauty is all around us, if we just take a moment to notice the details. Isn't it incredible to think this is what is just outside my door in mid-November?

Good golly it's another recipe

2010-10-06T20:55:00.000-04:00

So I downloaded a recipe and stopped by the store, sure of the items I needed and those I had at home. I was completely wrong on both accounts. So I started substituting and ended up quite happy with the result. NOTE: This is a rather spicy chili! I'd serve it with corn bread. (It definitely needs something to soak up some of the heat.)

Cathy's Black Bean-ish Chili

1 large sweet onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 large cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons minced canned chipotle chiles in adobo sauce
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon leaf oregano
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can corn
1 can kidney beans
salt and pepper, to taste

In Dutch oven, brown the ground beef; add onion and bell pepper and saute until onion is tender. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer over low heat for about 1 to 2 hours, or transfer to the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 4 to 6 hours.

Cathy's Favorite Corn and Black Bean Salad

2010-08-15T11:50:00.000-04:00

summer salad perfection

There are so many variations on this recipe, but this combination seems to be just right to me. I think grilling the corn makes a big difference; I love the smokey flavor. But you really can't go wrong with it. Throw in whatever you have in your garden, fridge and pantry.

2 cups grilled corn
(Can use fresh or frozen and thawed corn—just roast for a minute or two over high heat in a frying pan)
1/2 cup chopped red onion
2 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil  
1 tablespoon lime juice  
1/4 teaspoon sea salt  
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper  
2 cans black beans, rinsed 
1 red bell pepper, chopped  
1/2 -1 medium hot pepper or jalapeno
¾ - 1 container of cherry tomatoes, halved
handful of cilantro leaves, finely chopped

In a large bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, salt and pepper to make a dressing. Add beans, corn, onion and bell pepper and toss until just incorporated. Cover and chill for about 2 hours. Add cilantro and toss again before serving.

Serves about 6

THINGS I LOVE

2010-07-31T12:15:00.000-04:00

This pretty necklace, a birthday present given to me by my Brazilian sister-in-law. It's not like anything else I own, and I treasure it.

Fantastic Read

2010-07-25T21:21:00.000-04:00

Loved every delicious word of "Losing Mum and Pup" by Christopher Buckley. An intimate look at life as the son of interminable power couple Pat and William F. Buckley, Jr., focused on the last year of their lives. A fascinating story, exquisitely told.

Knitting Now: The Fun Daria Bracelet

2010-07-11T14:49:00.000-04:00

Inspiration: Little Red Bird

2010-07-11T14:45:00.001-04:00

Ryon's fabulous sketch of baby birds inspired me to pull out the pencils and paints. My first in a long, long time turned out to be Little Red Bird.

Tanager Chicks, by Ryon

2010-07-07T22:30:00.001-04:00

tanager_chicks_s
Originally uploaded by wryonedwards

Illustration by my friend Ryon Edwards. It makes my heart smile.

THINGS I MUST DO:

2010-07-07T22:09:00.000-04:00

Learn to meditate.

I mean, really learn to meditate.

Think You're Smarter Than A Politician?

2010-06-24T20:43:00.000-04:00

The President calls and says, “{YOUR NAME}, you know we’ve had to pump some serious money into the U.S. economy to get it going again. Now I’m turning my attention to managing the rising debt. It’s an unsustainable situation, and we’re going to bring expenses back in line. But I’m not going to Congress for answers. It’s YOUR money, and I want to know what YOU want to fund. More importantly, I want to know what cuts you are willing to make. I’ll meet you Saturday.

We’ll spend six and a half hours working through it together, and at the end of the day, we’re going to walk out of that meeting with some answers.”

As I see it, that’s the concept behind a groundbreaking nonpartisan citizen discussion taking place right here in Columbia Saturday during AmericaSpeaks: Our Budget, Our Economy. Hundreds of people of all ages, races, and political affiliations will gather in a neutral space to explore the issues and weigh tough choices we face in managing the burgeoning federal budget.

Throughout the day, our Columbia group will be connected with town meetings taking place simultaneously across the country via live satellite, webcast, and interactive technology. We’ll study the issues together, exchanging ideas about the things that matter most. At the end of the day, we’ll deliver to political leaders in Washington a clear message about the shared priorities of our large, demographically representative group.

It’s a meeting of passionate and visionary people who realize, as I know you do, that the only way to leave our children a healthy economy is to build a sustainable budget based on values we share, rather than politics that divide us.

Be a part of it. Join us at the Columbia Convention Center, or find a location near you, this Saturday, June 26. Learn more and register.

Summer Tastes Like This

2010-06-22T18:12:00.001-04:00

My Mom has made this light yummy dish for as long as I can remember, and it is the taste of summer in my mind. I have a bowl of it in my fridge every day from early June through late August. I need to rename it; she just calls it "cottage cheese mixture."

(And let me tell you cottage cheese haters. Give this a try and you will be converted.) Nothing's better over a fresh sliced homegrown tomato!

Posey's "Tastes Like Summertime" Cottage Cheese Mixture

1 large container of fat-free cottage cheese

1 English cucumber, peeled and chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 - 3/4 red onion, chopped

1 TBS mayonnaise

Jane's Crazy Salt

Dump it all into a bowl and mix it up. Serve with a sprinkling of Jane's Crazy Salt. Good alone; even better over sliced tomatoes.

Summer!

2010-06-04T11:04:00.001-04:00

How Lunch Should Be Served

2010-04-01T17:10:00.000-04:00

Why I am passionate about responsible reproductive health policy

2010-03-21T20:25:00.000-04:00

I am the mother of a 17-year-old daughter, and I consider myself to be reasonably politically aware. You’d think those two facts would lead to some general knowledge of sexual health legislative issues—particularly those that directly, and profoundly, affect the young women of our state.

But this type of legislative policy was not even on my radar. You see, from the time my daughter showed the slightest interest in learning about it, sexuality has been an open subject in our house. We have talked frankly, and often, about the physical, emotional and intellectual aspects of sex. I guess what was “legislated” seemed of little importance to me.

Then I began to learn about the issue. While researching a writing assignment, I read about thousands of girls in our state who navigate their teen years without a single conversation with their mother—or aunt or grandmother or any responsible female adult—about sex. These young women rely on community clinics, or our public school system, for any medically accurate information they get.

What happens when the curriculum is Abstinence-Only Until Marriage? That is to say, what happens when the state legislates that schools cannot include birth control or safe sex practices as a part of a sex education program?

We know the answer. Studies show teens in abstinence-only, or “promise” programs, have the very same rates of sexual activity as other young people. And they have sex with NO information about birth control or sexually transmitted disease prevention unless a parent, or some other knowledgeable adult, provides it.

No wonder the rate of teen pregnancy is on the rise in South Carolina. (Three in ten girls will become pregnant at least once before the age of 20.) No wonder nearly half of new STIs and STD cases in SC are among young people 15-24. No wonder one in five new HIV cases in our state strikes someone under the age of 25.

I pray that I have taught my teenager enough about the facts to make good, responsible decisions about her own sexual health. And I pray, too, for all those young girls across our state who don’t have a female role model to guide them. I believe each of them deserves a future filled with every option, and every opportunity, available to my daughter.

And so for them, I will be a part of the Tell Them Virtual March on March 23. I want my legislators to know that I, Cathy Monetti of Lexington, House District 87 and Senate District 18, stand with the thousands of South Carolinians who believe age-appropriate, reproductive health education, and access to birth control and counseling services, should be the right of every young woman in South Carolina. Count me in.

Love? Or war?

2010-03-02T21:23:00.000-05:00

This chair first belonged to the cat. Then the dog moved in and took it over. Then the dog went on vacation, and the cat moved back to the chair. Then the dog came home and . . .voila.

The best book I've read this year: The Help

2009-09-19T15:44:00.000-04:00

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

My rating: 5 of 5 stars From the opening paragraph of this book, I decided to reserve a space on my Top Ten, or at least my Top Fifteen, list. It is added. An important story with interesting characters, beautifully written. Kudos to Kathryn Stockett. (I tried to find a way to email her, I loved it so much.) I did not want this book to end. View all my reviews >>

I get by with a little help from my friends

2009-08-24T21:34:00.000-04:00

It was the thought in my head as I passed this truck toting truck on the interstate the other day. Couldn't help but think this is what life is all about.

There must be a lesson here.

2009-08-17T21:13:00.000-04:00

So I'm on a long journey home, traveling alone. I have lots of time to reflect. Ponder. Think-it-all-over. And I pull into a fast food joint for a pit stop and D.C. and there, just to the left of my front bumper (and clinging to a light pole in a parking lot) is this incredible creature. I became enraptured for so many reasons.

THINGS I MUST DO:

2009-08-08T09:41:00.000-04:00

Read Jane Austen's Persuasion.

Overcoming the Fear Factor

2009-08-06T23:25:00.001-04:00

I am a knitter. In fact, I am a knitting evangelist who dispenses needle pair after needle pair (and yummy yarn balls!) to anyone who shows the slightest interest in learning the craft. (Truth be told, you don’t really have to show an interest. Cast a casual glance my way and I will force my passion on you.)

From the early days as a high school stitcher/knitter I have relied on simple projects—one scarf two scarf red scarf blue scarf—that I knew I could complete somewhat successfully.

This Christmas, my friend Teresa Coles gave me a book called Knit 2 Together by Tracey Ullman (yes, that Tracy Ullman) and guru Mel Clark. Page after page encouraged me to Be Brave. Step Out. Do Something More Difficult Than You Think You Can Do! And so I did, and the oh-so-fabulous Doctor’s Bag is the result.

I am most proud and most pleased. And most of all, most amazed at what I really could do! (I even got an encouraging email from Mel in Australia. Gotta visit her yarn shop one day.)