College Tours Controversy

These will be the only pictures of the many college tours we plan to take for number one son…the reason being that the Dad couldn’t come with us on this quick trip to St. Louis and I used that excuse to take as many pictures “for Dad” as I could!  It’s interesting to see what he is interested in a college campus and course curriculum.  Patrick is attracted to a smaller school and the physical looks and feel of the campus are important to him.   So we drove to St. Louis right after his last exam to take a look at St. Louis University.

This was our view from the hotel window…spectacular! 

 

Inside St. Francis Xavier Church…magnificent!  Now, of course I am biased…John and I both have Jesuit educations under our belts and SLU has a lot to offer.  The students had already gone home for Christmas break and so we had it to ourselves.  Patrick was the youngest on tour…my 16 year old and the rest were transfer college students!

   

After the tour, I took him to St. Louis’ hot spot for BBQ…Pappy’s.  It happens to be on campus and was delish!  Then we headed to some little micro brewery for a tour…I wonder if this place will make it??

I’ve got to say that if you have never visited the Budweiser HQ, make a point of doing it!  It was a great tour and very interesting.  It would have make my husband weep it walk these hallowed halls…

The barns for the Clydesdales was incredible…we toured with a group of 10 fellows from Italy and it was interesting to see and hear what they thought of the place…pretty impressed!

Don’t let that lack of emotion fool you…he was pretty pumped to be here!

A Merry Madrigal Dinner

Southside High School’s Choir hosts a wonderful tradition and we were so impressed with the production…and not because our son was an actor in it!  The Madrigal Dinner is such a success in part to the professionalism and can do attitude of the choir director, Gaye McClure.  She’s one of the hardest working women I know.  The night is magical from the moment you enter the draped entrance and are greeted by young maidens dressed in period gowns.  They ask for your family name then pass this info on to the herald who announces your arrival to the court!  Another maid escorts you to your table, complete with name cards and real glass and china place settings. 

Candlelight is the only source of illumination and it truly sets the mood.  Think about it…a huge gymnasium lit with hundreds of candles, walls draped with “stone walls,” standards hanging from on high.  We were excited to see Patrick somewhere in the crowd as he said he would be working on the floor.  There were many maidens, trumpeters, pages and serving wenches around, but where was Patrick? After we had been seated for a few minutes, I got up to use the restroom and to find him.  On my way out, a seated beggar lifted his head and whispered at me…”hey Mom…my son was a bread peddler and as soon as the room was filled, he would get to work.

Once the audience was seated, dinner was served by maidens and wenches.  Once they cleared the tables, Patrick and another choir mate sprang to action peddling their breads.  It was another fundraiser for the choir and all sales were based off of what these two young men could sell to the lords and ladies.  Be careful that you don’t turn them down on their offer to purchase the bread because they would loudly yell that you are cheap, keeping their children starved at home and were not afraid to pick on you for the whole room to see ( and laugh at) until you bought their cinnamon bread!  Hysterical!

Embarrassing his dad to buy 3 loaves of bread in front of our table and guests…

The program was acapella with medieval Christmas tunes and was powerful. Mrs.. McClure leads to court to their places in song.       More of Patrick selling his bread… We were so proud of this production and the hundreds of hours that went into practice, decorating, cooking and cleaning by these fine young students and parents.  I hope you get the chance to attend a Madrigal dinner one day…if you are in Fort Smith, you must go to SHS’s!  A special thanks for our family and friends who sponsored Patrick in his choir ad sales this year…we really appreciate it!

Changing Things Up a Bit

This year, we decided to add more to garlands and topiaries at the front door of this client’s house…

I added a textural lattice ribbon and Christmas balls to the existing mesh ribbon and red florals…

   

and red and green balls to the topiaries…

I added this gorgeous ribbon to the fresh garland to make the whole table pop!

My client had added some new furniture to her family room with a different color scheme, so to tie it in, I added ribbon in the new apricot color to the tree and a deeper shade in ornaments.

  

Teagles In Twangville

We crammed a college tour, family reunion, restaurant food trip, concert blitz and visit to Music City with the boys and had a ball!  We visited a few western apparel stores and bought classic western cut shirts and boots, hung out bars and shops on Broadway Ave.  We all loved the Ryman Theatre and the Grand ‘Ole Opry and the old fashion show format that they still follow. The boys got a kick out of seeing “Duck Dynasty’s” Willie Robertson and wife on stage… while the older folks were happy to see that Wilfred Brumley  is still burly, alive and singing!

Loved the tour of the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Studio B tour where

Elvis and all the other acts recorded for years

Patrick loved this massive hamburger…

and we all loved seeing “The Who” in concert…  The boys are almost 70 and could still rock the house and hit all the notes.  Impressive! 

It was a great time and one for the memory books!