My Vintage Apron Swap partner, Julie (a la Jane's Apron), really knows how to make a girl feel special.
Thanks, Julie, I love it, love it, love it. xoxoxo
There is also a swap photo pool at flickr, so you can see everyone's swap goodies...
Last Thursday I took my eldest out of school early for a mother-daughter day at the plaza for lunch and a matinee. I had surprised her with Wicked tickets for her birthday last month. (I saw it on Broadway a couple years back with the original cast {WOW}. Really couldn't wait to see it again.)
So we started the day off at the Cheesecake Factory on the Plaza for lunch. (Chinese Chicken Salad, YUM)
How I love the Plaza. It was the nation's first suburban shopping district. And it's just gorgeous. It is, without a doubt, one of my favorite things about Kansas City. At Christmas there are millions of lights tracing every nook and cranny of the spectacular architecture. Like out of a fairy tale. Not bad for a town that most people associate with corn fields, tornados and ruby slippers.
Oh yes, the ruby slippers. How was Wicked? Magical. :) The music always gets me. When the Glinda and Elpheba sing 'Because I Knew You' at the end, I cry. It's really that good.
I snuck the photo of the theatre and got scolded. But I got it. Ha.
It's a dark story, but the musical adaptation is much lighter than the book. Laced with political and social allegory, Wicked is a sharp commentary that most children won't understand, but the musical numbers are nonstop and delightful. My daughter is 12 and we talked a bit about it afterward. I don't know how much of 'it' she 'got', but she definitely 'got' some parts. When we saw it in New York, my husband really didn't expect to enjoy a musical. And he was blown away by the show. I could go on and on about the brilliant writing... lines so carefully and artfully crafted... Ack. Love it. So yes, see it if you can!
(FWIW: The tour's Glinda, Katie Rose Clarke, is totally different than Kristen Chenoweth's Broadway character. This one is more like a cross between SNL's Mary Katherine Gallagher skit played by Amy Poehler. Strange. Funny, but strange. KC wasn't nearly as spastic. If you're curious about the characters, there is an interesting video on the official website. Choose 'characters' -- the interviews are not from the touring group, but you definitely get a feel for who the characters are.)
Also, I got my Vintage Apron Swap package from Julie yesterday. Sweet Cracker Sandwiches! That girl knows how to make a girl feel special. Photos forthcoming. Fidget wanted to wear my new-to-me pretty PINK (geez, hon, how'd ya know?) vintage apron as a dress last night. So it was tricky to get a decent shot.
Happy Thursday! :)
I don't usually bother to get the mail around here. (My wonderful husband takes care of the bills, which I don't even care to see. Who does?) Our street has one of those mailbox hubs for a bunch of houses -- which is convenient for the mail carrier and, I suppose, safer than just putting out mail out in front of our house in this age of identity theft... but it is a bit of a hike up the hill. On the ice. In the cold. (Both ways.) Oh yes, I'm a big ol' wimp.
All of this is to say, I've been getting the mail this week because I knew my talented heart swap partner would send me something adorable. And she did! Just look at what arrived in my mail-hub yesterday:
Check out those vintage buttons! Cool! And the heart quilting. I am super impressed with stunts like that because I can hardly quilt a straight line by machine.
And as if this were not enough (and it was!), she also threw in some vintage bias tape, rickrack and something for my sweet tooth.
Thank you, Katie! I loved it all.
XOXOXO
~ chris
