Triangle Mamas

Do you have a Will?

By Ilina

Forget the whole shebang about seeing a man about a horse. You need to saddle up and go see a woman about a will. Do you have a will? You know, that legal document that bequeaths all your assets when you die. That thing you should have done, signed, copied, and put in the safe deposit box nine years ago. No will yet? Really? So much for the whole sound mind bit.

 

Let me drag out my soapbox for a moment. Pardon me while I slip off these heels so I can climb up.

 

Trust me. You're going to want to hear this rant.

 

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Finish reading Ilina's rant and other fabulous posts at her blog Dirt & Noise. When Ilina's not ranting on her blog, she's serving up mini rants and other humorous witticisms on Twitter.

Just a Cheesy Girl in Love With the Hillsborough Cheese Company - RTP

By Ilina

 

If there's one thing in my life that's telling and appropriate, it's that I married a man from Wisconsin. America's Dairyland! Home of the Mars Cheese Castle! I love me some cheese. There's one ad that is more truthful than all others - the one that proclaims cheese makes everything better.

 

I got to take a little field trip to the Hillsborough Cheese Company. It was quite an honor because this is not a factory kind of place where the general public can don a hair net and wander in. The boutique creamery operates on a small family farm where Cindy, cheese maker extraordinaire, grew up. Considering I've only been to the kind of boutique where you try on silken dresses that run up your credit card bill, I had no idea what to expect. On a rainy gray day I showed up in my galoshes, having been warned to wear something with rubber soles that could get goopy. The small creamery where all the hands on labor is done is quite refreshing in this age of factory grade rubber that passes as cheese. Don't even get me started on the stuff labeled "cheese product."

 

I got to actually go to work and get my hands dirty whipping up a batch of jalapeno chevre. It was a tactile pleasure to get in there mixing up the grated bits of pickled jalapeno and black pepper. The green flecked snowball that was the end result tasted magnificent. I used it in sweet potato quesadillas that night and polished off the rest on some simple wheat crackers.I also bought some of the aged sweet ash. It was a marvel to see the little round glob of cheese in all its stages and then bite into the finished product. I served the sweet ash to guests outside by our patio fireplace one night. We had a simple fireside nosh of cheese, Italian bread, and grapes. I was up and down refilling drinks and opening wine so I didn't even get to enjoy my sweet ash! Damn my share the wealth spirit.

My other favorite was the ricotta. Banish any thoughts of grocery store ricotta you have. This is nothing like it. I have been dreaming about fresh ricotta since we returned from Italy. In July. I had it every morning for breakfast and have searched all over for a decent stand in until our budget takes us back to Sorrento. Well, folks I found it! The Hillsborough Cheese Company's ricotta is simply divine. It's creamy and rich without being grainy or leaving remnants of a weird after taste like the whole milk stuff sold in the super market. This ricotta, my friends, is the real deal. My sons clamored for it as an after school snack, and I had no choice but to share the wealth. Needless to say, it was devoured in minutes. Next time I shall buy two containers and stash one for myself. And no more sharing for this girl!

 

I am a devotee of the Hillsborough Cheese Company. It stands for all thing values I embrace - local, fresh, good food made with passion, zest, and flavor. Cindy, the cheesemaker, is so knowledgable and humble. She makes a superb product and is driven by quality, not images of grandeur. I'll be making a special trip to some farmers markets a good hike away from me to buy up some Hillsborough Cheese Company Cheese. But I can't promise it will even make it home.

Here's where you too can relish the flavor:

South Estes Farmers Market in Chapel Hill
Eno River Farmer's Market in Hillsborough
Weaver Street Markets (in Hillsborough, Chapel Hill and Carrboro)
A Southern Season in Chapel Hill
Western Wake Farmer's Market in Cary
Saxapahaw Farmers Market in Saxapahaw

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You can find Ilina talking food, politics, and everything in between on her blog Dirt & Noise. You can also catch her in snippets on Twitter.

Friday Round-up

As I sit here downing Halloween candy, I can't help but wonder where the week has gone. (Likely the same place as the Whoppers. I swore I still had two left in that pack.)

It seems the weeks run together and that early start on holiday shopping I swore I was going to have has vanished with the Fall leaves.

It's Friday again and here it is -- our ninth week of rounding up the best from all the Triangle Mamas. This week was marked by a Congressional election, an additional temperature drop that sent me scurrying for my scarves, and the start to NaBloPoMo. Many of the Triangle Mamas are taking advantage of a 30 Days of Truth meme to boost their publishing rate up to the daily mark while others are feeling a slump in their bloginess since real life is keeping them busy.

That's the case with Andrea over at Lil Kid Things. She's busy trying the fit the entire contents of her house into boxes in preparation for a move to a new place at the end of the month. The transition is causing her a bit of inner turmoil.

Meanwhile, Susie, over at At Home with Me, is breaking her year long bloggy silence by jumping in the deep end. She's participating in the 30 Days of Truth and getting honest about her flaws in Something I Hate about Myself.

Ilina of Dirt & Noise, on the other hand, is not about to remain silent. She's made her opinions heard loud and clear by casting her ballot. Did you make sure to have your voice heard?

Sue from Motherhood & Me has been been quiet, but she was sure to draw a winner for her Scandanavian Child giveaway. Did you enter? Maybe you're the big winner.

Nikki from a small song may not think she's preparing for Baby #2's arrival, but it seems to me that she's doing her best to mentally be ready. She's wondering if the new baby's arrival will change her as radically as her eldest Abby's birth. No matter what, she knows something good this way comes.

Over at Adventuroo, Mel is worrying about raising gentlemen. She's worried that etiquette and role models won't be enough. What do you think it takes to turn boys into gentlemen?

Erin over at Tales from a Marketing Mama used the 30 Days of Truth to admit her own personal goofiness. She's the kind of girl who's willing to hitch her pants up to her neck if it will emit a laugh. This is, Erin admits, one of the things she loves about herself.

A little girl who's willing to hand out lots of compliments but share none of her candy? That's Pippi. Cyndi is sharing a story of her second child over at My Convertible Life.

While Marty, over at Don't Take the Repeats, is busy thinking about renewal and new life with her son's baptism approaching, she's still struggling with letting go of an old hurt. She's not yet ready to forgive in her Day 4 post from the 30 Days of Truth.

And, since I've been struggling with blog topics for My Sweet Babboo as of late, I too decided to try the 30 Days of Truth. Like Marty, I'm struggling to forgive except I'm not just holding out forgiveness from one person but a whole group of people. It's been ten years, will I ever let it go?

 

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Hey, while you're here, don't forget to read this week's Triangle Mamas posts. Both Cyndi and Andrea shared stories.

Friday Roundup 8

Happy Halloween, y'all. It's Friday Roundup time again here at Triangle Mamas. Let's see what the ladies have been up to this week.

Melissa has a great summary of her Momcomm series thus far. I'm particularly excited about the post on plug-ins, but all of them have been helpful.  

Ilina is participating in the Avon Walk again this year. She could use your support in her efforts to raise money for breast cancer research. 

Erin and Marty are both gearing up to do the 30 Days of Truth challenge on their blogs. It's a great way to tackle National Blog Posting Month in November. How about playing along?

Sue is tackling weight loss through a Nutrisystem program. We are hoping she already knows that she is beautiful, and wish her luck in reaching her health goals.

Andrea's impending move is coming together, and she is declaring her new livingroom a toy-free zone. What? A room just for grown ups? I have heard of this in far away lands . . .

Cyndi is sharing a recipe for the most purple risotto ever created. It sounds delish, and I'm eager to try it out on my family. Even if it looks like Barney had some evil hand it making it.

Abby has another post detailing her decorating genius. Seriously. I wish she would just come over and play Extreme Makeover at my house. Click on over to see how her son's room has evolved from office to nursery to toddler bedroom. It's adorable.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend full of candy and boos!

Run! It's better than a bake sale.

by Ilina

Back in the day we sold homemade brownies and layer cakes to raise money for our schools. The pineapple upsidedown cakes went for the highest bid. That was back when we had cake walks at school carnivals. Nowadays in a strange twist we can't bring homemade goodies to school anymore. I guess it's the schoolyard scare of razor blades in apples. I'm thinking no one would have ever been hurt from razor blades in apples anyway because those apples would have been hurled at the houses who gave them out instead of candy. As much as I hate to compromise my food standards, I don't hand out pretzels and raisins on Halloween. Hey, I don't need some teens who are too old to trick or treat anyway come TP my house or pee in my mailbox. It's been known to happen, folks. But I digress...

Well, it seems that even the PTA is channeling Michelle Obama and getting their bodily gears in motion. The Wake County PTA is hosting its annual Healthy Lifestyles 5K on Sunday, November 21, 2010. I'm glad it's called a Healthy Lifestyles run instead of a "fun run." Now that's an oxymoron in my book. I'm all for getting a move on, but my feet were made for walking. About all the running I do is run out of breath.

The cool thing is that this run is for grown ups and kids. There are several age categories, including under 10 and over 60. I'm a big fan of being active with my sons, and if we can raise PTA funds while we're chugging along, all the better! I'll be racing with my family and I'm pretty sure I can handle the pace of my sons' seven and five year old legs. The 5K won't kill me, but the whining might.

 

The Deets:

Race Begins: 3:30 at Wake Med Soccer Park, Cary (Pick up race packets 12:30-3:00.)

 

*** RUN, WALK or VOLUNTEER ***

(I'll be in the WALK camp.)

Join your school's Healthy Lifestyles 5K team and help win Healthy Lifestyles funding. Of course, feel free to join Wiley's team to give my sons' school some props.  Schools with the most registered participants win stuff! And bragging rights! Check out last year's results, and let's top(ple) 'em!

To register and for more race details, go to: www.pta5k.org IMPORTANT: During the on-line registration procedure, be sure to choose your school (or Wiley...ahem) in the drop-down box entitled “Affiliate."

Early Bird Registration by 11/8/10 to get a race T-shirt.

Questions? Please contact: Annette Sheppard at 608-0441 or [email protected]

See you on the track to a healthy lifestyle! Or at a bakery.

This Friday Round-up Brought to You by the Number 7

Hey, hey everybody. It's Friday and that means it's time for a round-up.

I figured since Marty was gracious enough to label me a "co-editor" on our business cards, it was about time I contributed a little something. So, here it is without further ado - Round-up #7.

 

It seems many a Triangle Mama is bearing her heart and mind this week.

Cyndi, over at My Convertible Life, is admitting that honesty is a good thing even if it hurts a little. It seems her friendship is going to be a lot stronger for it.

Ilina made me cry with her Milestones post. Her little Deal is growing up and it's hard to watch the baby-ness go. I'm tearing up just thinking about my little guy no longer being a baby.

Meanwhile, Sue is dealing with a green-eyed monster who's struggling with some new transitions in his life. Poor little guy just wants to snuggle and feel better, and it's all his mommy can do to try to find the time. My heart is breaking for them both because balancing the needs of a family is a very hard thing.

Some of Nikki's best writing over at A Small Song centers around international adoption. As a child of adoption herself, she opens my eyes to issues I've never even considered (though we all should). Issues of children who do not live or move in circles of people who look like they do. Her latest post is in regards to a pair of staring children, and why she believes they were staring at her.

And pouring out her everything at Don't Take the Repeats, Marty shares why she thinks she's broken beyond repair. She's in need of our love and understanding. If you've ever felt like running away and never coming back, please go tell Marty that she's not alone.

Over at Lil Kid Things, Andrea is flexing her strong, independent-thinking woman muscle in support of Team Juan. She is talking openly about free speech and whether NPR had the right to fire a journalist for it.

On the lighter side of things, Mel is celebrating her 1st blogiversary. So be sure to head over there and give her a virtual high-five.

Erin is looking back 10 years ago to the good old college days and laughing at her younger self's idea of stress.

Meanwhile, I'm writing about my son's choice of Halloween costume. It's pink, fluffy, and made of tulle. Should a boy be wearing tulle?

 

There you have it. It's round-up #7. My apologies to anyone whose post I summarized in an inaccurate way. I read them all, but may be lacking in the eloquence of the real editor.

 

Friday Roundup, the sixth one

One thing I'm liking about the Friday Roundup is that we always know we'll have a post at Triangle Mamas at least once a week now! We tend to be very busy women, you know. Here is what we've been up to this week:

We are keeping fingers and toes crossed that everything with Andrea's home buying and selling delicate dance works out perfectly for her.

Elections are coming up, and Ilina is already reminding people to vote on or before November 2nd. Even if you don't like her "Friendly Neighborhood Liberal" sticker.

A few weeks ago, we welcomed Kelly's beautiful new baby girl to the world. This week, Kelly is writing about life with two.

The Wake County School Board practically imploded on itself this week. It's no surprise that members of the new majority turned on each other. They haven't exactly demonstrated the ability to play nice with others thus far. Don't take my word for it though, Cyndi has a much more eloquent reaction over at My Convertible Life.

I love a woman who is willing to share her tricks to success. Abby is just such a woman. Recently, she shared the secret to great painted furniture, and this week, she is giving some tips on capturing great pictures of your little one.

Melissa has some beautiful pictures up of her recent trip to the Biltmore House. Happy 10th Anniversary to Melissa and Daddy Roo!

Sue has a heartfelt thanks for the support of good friends. It's a great reminder that I should do the same. 

As for me, I'm chatting about anatomically correct crayon drawings of my two year old. Boys do love their penises, don't they?

How about you? Are you going to the State Fair this weekend? What's new with you?

Friday Roundup, the fifth one

Happy Friday, everyone! Or, if you are a languishing SAHM like myself, Happy Day That Feels Like Every Other Day!

The mamas in the Triangle have been busy again this week. I'll spare you my pontificating over it and get right to the links.

Andrea is asking one of my favorite questions, "Is there a wrong way to blog?" She has some terrific insights and her commenters are kicking it too. 

Ilina is giving us a peek in to her purse. I dare say I have many of the same items - including the handheld video game, although it  is a Nintendo DSi and not a PSP. Go sneak a peek. It's like getting to look in someone's medicene cabinet without the guilt.

Poor Erin got rear ended last Friday. It's hard not to giggle at her picture, but really, I'm just sorry she got hurt. She sure pulls off a good pout though.

Sue found herself waving the white flag of motherhood one day this week. I can totally empathize. Totally.

Cyndi wants to know if you would send your kid to school in this shirt. I wouldn't, but we all know I'm becoming a bit of a stick in the mud.

Melissa unveiled Big Roo's new modern outdoorsy bedroom devoid of plaid and flannel. It looks fantastic. I'm kind of wondering if she and Abby should get together and start a business. Because they are both awesome decorators.

As for my blog, I wrote a letter to cancer and urge you to do the same. Varian will donate $50 to the American Cancer Society for every letter written. It may be October and Breast Cancer Awareness month, but there are plenty of cancers all year long that are stealing the lives of people we love. I hate cancer.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend. And as always, if you are a mama in the Triangle who has stories to share, we are always welcoming new writers. We'll reward you with lots of love and links and plenty of community.

Friday Roundup, the fourth one

Welcome back to the Friday Roundup, actually occurring on Friday this time! We are on the ball here at Triangle Mamas.

I loved Abby's post about being a bloggy fan girl. We all have certain bloggers that we would love to meet, and Abby talks about her encounters with two of them at the Type-A-Mom conference last weekend. Go by and weigh on who your "must meets" are in the blogging community.

Andrea devoted a post to her experience at Type-A-Mom as well. She came back with an arsenal of information and a fire for doing great things with her blogging. It's contagious. Makes me think twice about my own blog and what I might do with it.

Cyndi got inspired at Type-A-Mom too. She is the proud new owner of her very own domain name! Also included in that post is the infamous picture of some Triangle Mamas trying their best to pose like Casey taught them. One of them, I won't say which one but it is probably me, looks completely ridiculous. Like spew your Diet Coke ridiculous. And yet, just by being behind the camera, Casey still manages to make it a good picture. She's amazing.

Someone told Ilina this week that she spent "too much time with her kids" for her business to really go anywhere. Aside from being rude, that is a completely absurd comment. Who, especially another mother, would tell a mother she spends too much time with her kids? Absurd. What do you think? Would you ever say you spent "too much time" with your kids?

Melissa is celebrating her tenth anniversary this week. I adore the picture of she and her husband, then boyfriend, that she posted. It is so awesomely 90's and full of young hopeful love. Happy anniversary, Mel!

I've had to break out my tissues all week for Erin's blog. There is a beautiful post about her sister, but I'm linking to the one about Knobs. A friend lost to cancer years ago. The fact that Erin still writes to Knobs' mother sums up for me what a wonderful woman she truly is.

Of course I have to link to the interview Sue did of Cyndi today on Motherhood and Me. Not only is it a great interview, but it Triangle Mama to Triangle Mama! 

Finally, over at Don't Take the Repeats, I'm going on and on about Katy Perry again, but this time, I think she's actually really funny. Of course, she's on Saturday Night Live and not Sesame Street, so there is that. 

Happy weekend to everyone. If you have a moment, how about leaving a comment about what you are doing this weekend? We'll be laying low around Chez Canape. Moving the kids' rooms around, painting, working on the house. Nothing too exciting. How about you?

Friday Roundup, and yes, I'm aware that it's Monday

When you are headed to a blogging conference, the last thing on your mind apparently, is blogging. I completely forgot to do our Friday Roundup last week, but since Abby actually posted (her words, not mine), I've decided Monday is in fact, not too late.

Don't take it personally - you know, the fact that I forgot about this blog last Friday. I also forgot to take all of my pants to the conference. Except for one pair of unopened leggings from Kohls. The package said large, but unfortunately, the leggings in the package were a small. I, in case you have not seen me lately, am NOT small. It made for an interesting dilemma in dressing myself.

We had a wonderful time at Type A Mom in Asheville this past weekend, even though we didn't get to play Rockband this year. That was a smidge disappointing, but we are going to plan better for next year. Having Sunday be the second full day sort of threw off my whole footing. I don't know why, but I wasn't expecting that.

So last week, here is what we were talking about:

Melissa is continuing her fabulous MomComm Mondays where she gives out tips on social media. Last week she had some great ideas for Twitter. Check out 9 Things to Tweet About from Adventuroo.

Make sure you have a chance to meet Sue's little Queen B. She is such a cutie, I can hardly stand it!

Over at Tales from a Marketing Mama, Erin is contemplating the effects of the addition of another baby to their family. She is due with number two, and feeling a little nervous about it. I can totally relate.

Andrea's getting sentimental about The Price Is Right and completely cracking me up. I love it too, by the way, Andrea.

Ilina's time volunteering at her sons' school inspired her to write a post in praise of teachers.

"You don't slap your own ass in pilates." If that doesn't make you want to go read Cyndi's post on the pole dancing class she tried through a coupon on Living Social, then I don't know what will.

I was delighted to see that Abby posted her guide to painting furniture this week. I was getting ready to paint the furniture for Christopher and Colin's new room, and the only guides I could find on the internet were ridiculously involved. I KNEW my friend Abby had a better way, so I called her to ask. The resulting conversation had me in stitches. Click on over to see her incredibly efficient, effective, and hilarious guide to painting furniture.

And me? Well, I opened my big mouth about the Katy Perry skit that Sesame Street released on the internet this past week. It was a little song she did with Elmo where she was playing dress up in a very adult costume. I wasn't alone in that opinion. Enough parents complained that Sesame Street won't be airing that clip in the new season, but Mel on BlogHer thinks it was a big to-do about nothing. 

So that's what we have been up to. What's new in your world? Oh, and do you live around here? We would love to add you as a contributor. The pay stinks, but the community is lovely. Let me know.