Where have I been???

In Cincinnati, celebrating my 25th High School Reunion!!! It was huge... we have been planning for over a year and it totally paid off. Tours of the old high school, all class get-together, family picnic and games, and then the big party with an after party... even a skype call to my friend who is an animator with Disney (Put him on the big screen!!). I stayed up until 2am for two nights in a row and almost lost my voice from talking so much!! Most of these people I haven't seen for 25 years and some for 15! Going back felt like going home. This crazy group are a big part of who I am as a person and reconnecting with them showed me what a great, caring group they really are. We plan to have more reunions a lot more often!

This summer is going to fly by... I can feel it. I've started tennis lessons and so have the kids. They are headed to their grandparents' house for a week soon and then later in the month we head to NYC. Throw in soccer and swimming... and then some art too! I noticed some books are sceduled for publication from some of our favorite bloggers/designers... exciting! And I have a movie on order which stars one of my friends and next door neighbor from high school... can't wait to watch that!

Hope you're staying cool and having fun!!

xo Bethany

Outer Banks

Driving in to the beach house...Ellie's first time at the ocean...
Me and the kids and Ellie on the line between Virginia and North Carolina (and still white because we just got there!)...

The road ends and there's just beach from here!...
The horses were so close, I could've reached out and touched them!...

A new found appreciation for hammocks!...

"I live. I ride. I am."....

Caroline on one of our drives on the beach...The view from the porch of our beach house. Both those little houses are for sale and are right on the beach. I want the blue one...
Wild horses grazing in our yard...
Our awesome house "Stargazer"...

We just got back from a fun week in Corolla, N.C., up in the 4x4 area. That alone was an experience --you have to drive an actual 4x4 vehicle because the roads are all sand and the only way in and out is along the beach. The wild horses roam all around up there and they showed up in our yard a few days in a row! Ellie is used to seeing deer in our backyard, so horses were a new experience for her! Now when we see a tamed horse, it will be no big deal.

Our house was really nice-- Nathaniel got used to sleeping in a King-sized bed! We went into Corolla for dinner a few evenings (Timbuck II is highly suggested for lots of good restaurants!). We learned Texas Hold Em (and now we have to watch for a developing Poker addiction in Nathaniel), played LOTS of Apples to Apples, watched "The Sound of Music" which never ever gets old, went for long morning walks on the beach (I could do that every single day!), and we even saw a wedding on the beach on Thursday evening! The tide came in very close to them and I was wondering if they'd say their vows in time! We also spent every day at the ocean and in our pool, or playing corn hole or lying in the hammock. I miss it so much!

I got one big surprise... when we went down to the beach at the end of the week, I looked down and there in the surf was a sand dollar!! I've been waiting for 43 years to find a sand dollar and there was a perfect one. So I took it home, and do you know that was the only one I found? Lucky me! After we checked out, we drove south through Rodanthe and ate lunch in Cape Hatteras. I still prefer the northern part of the Outer Banks and I'd definitely go back. In fact, I'm now thinking that my retirement will include beach living. Yes. Definitely.

what's for dinner...

Gweneth just sent out her latest email with recipes and how-to video for an easy (and yummy looking!) Mexican Dinner! See it here!

***While you're at her website, sign up for GOOP emails yourself! ;)

WARNING: The Rise of the Superweed

In an article by Jim Hightower in our local paper, he reports that we have a new enemy on our hands-- the superweed-- which was caused by Monsanto's Round-up weed-killer and their Frankenstein GMO corn, cotton and soybean seeds which were manufactured to be weed-resistant. Well, you can't fool Mother Nature because she just creates a stronger weed. "There are now 10 resistant species of these superweeds infesting some 10 million acres in 22 states-- and spreading."

"Monsanto sold it's Roundup Ready seeds as a miracle crop, charged far more for them, and scoffed at concerns that the weeds would adapt. But there they are, and farmers now have to use extra-toxic herbicides to kill the aggressive mutant weeds that have invaded their fields. The result is higher costs for farmers, lower crop yields, more poisoning of land and water and a rising chorus of farmers saying, 'Some miracle, Monsanto--thanks for nothing!'... As an Arkansas farm leader says of Monsanto's creation of the spreading of the superweed crises: 'It's the single largest threat to the production of agriculture that we have ever seen.'"

Monsanto's solution to the problem is to use a mix of chemicals, one being an older herbicide with 2,4-D (which has been banned in Sweden, Denmark and Norway for links to cancer, reproductive harm, and mental impairment). 2,4-D was an ingredient of Agent Orange, a toxic hebicide used in chemical warfare during the Vietnam War!

So the question always comes down to what can we do personally about this? The best thing for you and the health of anyone you live with, is to try to purchase organically grown food and organic, grassfed meat and free-range poultry. It is more expensive (but I'm guessing not for long, if farmers have seen their costs double because of the superweeds!), but if we all do this, the market increases and the prices decrease. We tend to eat too large of portions in the U.S., so eating smaller amounts of better food is actually healthier. Or plant a garden or just a planter and grow your own produce. Find a local farmer who isn't doing GMO seed and buy from them. Not all farmers are certified organic but that doesn't mean they aren't farming the old fashioned way. A huge thing you can do is NOT BUY ROUNDUP! Why give your dollars to increasing the problem? Monsanto's shares have dropped 40%... they are the true superweed and should be weeded out!

If you want to learn more about the superweed threat, just google "superweed" and you'll find plenty to read! Here's a link to start with.

Memorial Day Picnic

We had beautiful summer weather on Sunday when we threw our Memorial Day Picnic with friends of ours. Cookout, whiffle ball, and some fireworks to end the evening. On Monday we ended up getting pretty big thunderstorms and our plans to go swimming were cancelled. It was a fun, relaxing weekend anyways and a lot of fun. My favorite part of the whole evening was watching the 8 kids lined up on the blankets in the grass, all on their stomachs, laughing and ooohing and aaahing while we lit the fireworks!