I am Southern

Vivy got her first strand of pearls this weekend.

They are tiny freshwater pearls, and they are perfect for any baby who wants to wear pearls. I got a similar strand from my Aunt Nancy (the same aunt that gave Vivy her strand), and I still have them. Nancy told my mom that she had gotten Vivy a present that was "very Montgomery" and gave them to Vivy this past weekend while she, Mom and I were making our whistle stop tour of the South. My Aunt Malone had already sent her a monogrammed baby bracelet, so Vivy is ready for her next picture day.

My family moved to Charlotte in 1984, leaving our regular trips to Montgomery at the Georgia state line. Even though I never lived in Montgomery-- never wore monogrammed sweaters or attending cotillion balls-- I lived vicariously through my cousins, Jennifer and Julie, and grew up feeling like these things were somehow apart of my own past. But my family didn't move in those circles in Atlanta or in Charlotte, and as time went by I began to detach and almost disdain those kinds of experiences. I became more metropolitan, more intellectual I suppose, and regarded the southern experience as sheltered and superficial.

Since then I have vacillated between loving and leaving the South. Yet as much as I want to break away from it, I naturally gravitate toward decorating my house in coordinating floral and stripe fabrics and can't leave my pearl earrings in my jewelry box. I'm probably even going to buy Vivy something smocked to wear at Easter.

Why do I write this? Because during this trip to Montgomery I somehow was able to just embrace my sweet Southern family and not worry about how "southern" everything was. This world is apart of me, and this weekend I remembered that. And I'm glad Vivy will grow up tasting it too, even if only every once in a while. So what if I don't drink before noon (even on a Saturday) or that I don't have a Shi Tzu named Coco Chanel who has her own pink monogrammed dog bed. I am still Southern.

The Bee Buzz

I have been interested in the news of Colony Collapse Disorder over the last year. It's both sad and scary to think that 30% of the honeybee colonies in the US have died since 2006. I just read a hopeful article called "The Bee Crisis" in Organic Gardening. To summarize some practical tips for encouraging native pollinators like bumble bees and sweat bees:

1. Offer a flower buffet. Include a variety of flower types and colors. Bees favorite colors are blue, purple, violet, white and yellow. Plant both annuals and perennials because some types of bees prefer one over the other. Include native wildflower which can be up to 4 times more attractive than exotics.
   
2. Skip the "poodles." Showy flowers with ruffly doubled petals are a bust for bees because they either don't produce nectar, or the bees can't get at what nectar is there. The best flowers for bees have the carpels and stamens visible.
   
3. Go for a continuous three-season bloom. Bees have a tough time in the spring and find bulb flowers unattractive for some reason. Fruit trees or flowering shrubs are good for the spring. Summer is easier. For the fall consider sedum, asters, and goldenrod.
4. Plant clumps. Bees stay longer in gardens at least 3-4 feet in length and may ignore smaller displays, no matter how good the nectar supply and quality are.
5. Add water. Bees need water and having a birdbath or drip irrigation line makes one's garden a one-stop-shop.
6. Leave the ground bare. Most native bees live alone in the ground. Plastic weed barriers and heavy mulches can keep native bees from making a nest and laying eggs. Alternatively, one can create nesting areas with wood blocks or tubes. Native bees naturally nest in abandoned beetle tunnels found in wood.
   

Brittany to College

Brittany has been on the college hunt for a while now and had a great visit to Greensboro College today. It's a small college, about 1300 students total, and very friendly all around.

Brittany thinks she wants to be a teacher and GC is one of the best at teacher prep in the Southeast. Though there are some other schools to look at, apparently this one will be a perfect fit in a lot of ways.

Rabbit Ears

LOL - Emily really pulled one over on Vivy. Look at those rabbit ears. Ha ha ha. I bet Vivy didn't even notice! ROFL.

Leaky Baby

A poem by Sharon Creech:

Leaky baby
leaky baby
I'm a leaky baby.

Blurping milk
on Mommy's clothes
and Daddy's clothes

on their shoulders
on their laps
in their hair

on the couches
and the rugs
and the beds
and the chairs.

Diapers leaking
everywhere

Saliva dripping
down my chin.

Leaky baby
leaky baby
what a leaky baby!

Criminal

So the good news is that I had the opportunity to see Mecklenburg County's new courthouse today and it really is as beautiful as everyone says. The outside structure doesn't seem all that to me, but inside is very elegant and I'm thrilled with the mix of grandeur and intimacy in the lobby. Very cool. BE&K has a little writeup with some pictures - note, this is a pdf file. I came home and was so excited to take a family outing Uptown so Emily could see it (as well as "Jail Central" which is where the Sherriff's office and Magistrate's office is located, just outside of the County jail). Then I remembered how uncomfortable I felt surrounded by all those criminals and other people who I bet want to be criminals when they grow up. No Fink family outing until Vivy is at least 40.

The bad news is that I was pulled over yesterday for having an expired license plate registration. I am *so* bad at things like this (some might remember by revoked plate in 1998 or 1999) but really thought that I had improved. When Officer Herlocker (nice guy) pulled me over yesterday, I was so confident there was a mistake I whipped out the "registration" and kindly informed him to take a hike. He humored me by running the plate again to confirm I was a dumbass and that the paper I gave him was in fact the bill to renew my registration, and not the registration itself. I guess being dumb is just the price I pay for being this good looking.

Christmas Week in Review

On the first day of Christmas...

Mimi came over and we ate brunch, opened presents and watched A Christmas Carol. Vivy got a new mobile that she LOVES and basically sat around looking cute!



On the second day of Christmas...

We took Vivy to the mall for the first time! Randy hates the mall, especially when it's crowded, so he was a very good sport for going. Vivy takes after her mother and really enjoyed perusing the sale racks at Gymboree.

On the third day of Christmas...

We rode Charlotte's new light rail uptown and had dinner at Brixx Pizza. Randy and Vivy had a great time playing on the train.


On the fourth day of Christmas...

The three of us drove around town collecting bottles of Schramsberg Cremant for our little New Year's get together. Three wine stores later we had enough for the party.

On the fifth, sixth and seventh days of Christmas we cleaned our house. Yes, it took three days. I'm learning this is life with a baby!

On the eighth day of Christmas...

We rang in the new year with dear friends, many of whom are my old friends from Wilmington. We played Apples to Apples (which I highly recommend) and drank our Cremant out of our new champagne flutes that we got off Ebay. Our darling daughter slept through the whole party. Go Vivy!

Marty, Chris, Nicole and Brian. Nicole and Brian are leaving to live in Croatia for two years in just a few short weeks, so it was great to see them.

Randy and I almost never take a picture where we are both smiling, so I had to post this!

On the ninth day of Christmas...

Vivy and I had New Year's Day lunch twice! The first time was at a lunch hosted by Steph and Holly at Holly's house. It was a full house, and the food and company were great! Then we met Randy at Heidi's house and celebrated again with the McClintocks. It was a very full and fun day.

Baby Molly (Vivy's best friend although she doesn't know it yet) with Holly. I wish Molly's eyes were open for the picture, but oh well.

This is another one of Vivy's friends-- Salem. She belongs to Sheila and Jody Strange.

On the tenth day of Christmas...

Randy went back to work, and Vivy and I met my college friend Jen MacLean for lunch before she headed back to New Haven. It was great to see Jen and her mom Lauralyn!

On the eleventh day of Christmas...

Vivy showed off for the camera with her baby dance. What a feelin'!


On the Twelth day of Christmas...

We finally had a slow day at home. Randy and Vivy spent the whole day hanging out-- they both loved it. Here are some darling pics Randy took of Viv and Millie.




We hope you had a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!