Off and running .....

We've had a house guest around here ....

NINA ... turned 25 on Saturday!  So, of course we had a bit of a birthday dinner ...

 Black and white sesame encrusted sashimi tuna by Chef Mark

 Daddy's little girl ...

matching dimples :-)

 Nuts, I tell you!

 The beautiful Janine with the Nut Job, Paul.

 The rest of the spread ... fruit salad, green salad, steamed green beans, butter and parsley potatoes, curried chicken salad with croissants. 

And the boys .... !!! Sir Paul & Chef Mark

 Red Velvet cake with to-die-for cream icing ...

And, yes, she managed to blow out ALL the candles! 

And because Mark's 52nd birthday is next Monday, we were conserving the candle purchasing and honoring his big day!  We had fun, even if we are old fogies.  Nina giggled ... a lot.  It was a good day for all of us.

Nina and I managed to visit a great art show.  (see http://www.artsymatilda.com/ for our day!)  We also lunched at the Owl and the Monkey in Banner Elk.  It's a new veggie restaurant and it was quite good.  Give it a try if you're in Banner Elk!  It's right next door to where the theater used to be on the side street by the Post Office.  We have seen Harry Potter (Nina is a HUGE ~ understatement ~ Potter fan), we've eaten sushi at Miso in Johnson City.  We played spades one night and I WON!  (First time E.V.E.R. and I am SO proud!)  Nina and her dad have played tennis, golfed, shopped at thrift and antique stores, helped move stuff around in the shoppe, helped moved stuff around in the Glover House, and have had all kinds of ridiculous and other types of discussions.  Those two are making corn hole game boards and bean bags now.  Paul has been mourning the loss of the corn hole game since our neighbors moved out last August.  SO ... as you can tell, lots of activity and bustling around here!  We've been having dinner on the veranda because it's cooler outside than inside in the evening.  Summer!  AHHHHHHHH.  *LOVE*

I love this photo:

It looks more fun in person ... our friend, hairdresser and housekeeper, Beckye has this green bug.  She parks it by Paul's green Saab.  It stops traffic on our street - literally!  (small town, you know) FUN!

Nina has to go home on Thursday.  Our Christian arrives Friday.  Then our play list for the next week will look entirely different, I'm sure.  However, we will be celebrating yet another birthday.  Mark turns 52 on Monday, which we will celebrate on Sunday I bet.  Christian will be turning 8 years old! His birthday is actually August 6, but we will celebrate here before he leaves.  Can't wait!  Bet we don't have red velvet cake for this one! HAHA!

I'm still volunteering at the weaving room on the Crossnore School campus.  It is great! And it keeps me around weaving so I won't forget how to do it!  I'm still in progress on painting the furniture in the bathroom.  I will certainly post it when I finally finish the task.  Chalk Paint is awesome, in case you don't know.  There is a photo of the beginning of the project on the artsymatilda site.  Amazing stuff, I tell you!

Wrapping it up for now.  Too much to do to continue babbling on!  Have two shows coming up and company continuously this month!  Wwwwwwwwwweeeeeeeeeeee!!!!

Happy Trails!

Paul and Cheri