Figment Art Festival

We went to this interactive Art Festival last weekend.  Though there weren't as many exhibits or activities as the video in the link shows, there were enough to tire us all out.  What a great concept- to teach children to touch, climb and otherwise participate in an artful experience.  Plenty of costumes and wacky songs, spontaneous dancing and hooping abounded.  

Before doing anything, our water baby had to check out the lake.

Then, to climb on a robot panda.

I painted with a plastic shoe, Mr. Potato Head arm ...

and a dinosaur...

while A swam in a pool of stuffed animals.

A few marks by me and many by others.

The parachute was super fun.  I think the parents helping to move it up and down had as much fun as the kids running in and out, rolling on top and cackling with glee.


I love living here. :)

Holiday Hafla Tonight!

Enta Omri, probably my favorite song Ishtar plays, is my song for tonight!! And a little bit of sparkle in my costume for the festive holiday theme.  If you are in the area, come join us!  It's a lovely way to celebrate!

Beginning the Belly Dance teaching adventure again!

I'm going to be available for private lessons in my home studio in a couple of weeks. (We are in Mt. Lebanon, and there's a bus stop on either side of my house. Two buses go there, Mt. Lebanon and Bower Hill rd. I think 40 and 42, but don't quote me on that.)

I've been feeling the pull to teach again and am inspired to answer that call! 

I have a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy, a certification in Yoga for the Special Child, about 14 or so years of yoga experience, have been belly dancing since 1993 and teaching belly dance since 1997. In recent years, I've added mixed media collage artist to my creative repertoire and it has opened my whole life up to creative possibilities. I've danced in troupes, lead student troupes and danced solo; studied Turkish, Egyptian Cabaret, American Cabaret, American Tribal, Tribal Fusion, and a good dose of various world folk dances. My students appreciate my precise breakdown as well as my ability to get to the heart and soul of the dance. 

I can teach 1-5 people in the home studio, a haven of creativity, as it is housed with my other artistic pursuits. 

A one hour session for one person is $60, and for 2-5 people, it is $45/person per hour.

Topics include technique, history, costuming design, sewing, achieving dance goals, getting the most from your dance, stretching, strengthening, centering, emotional expression, creative vision and bringing that vision to fruition, and more!

I don't have this info up on my website just yet, but you can check out videos, costuming info, historical papers I've written and more atwww.tribalbellydance.net 

Email me or give me a call at 304-276-DANCE (still using the WV #, even though we are in Mt. Lebanon now.

Thanks and have a great day!
~Narah
www.VinegarandGlitter.com 
www.facebook.com/narah.arrington.minardi
http://twitter.com/#!/VinegarnGlitter

Quack Quack Quack

To better know our new city, and to take Angelo on a little adventure, we took a Duck Boat tour through Pittsburgh last week.  We learned a lot (like at one point, this was as far west you could come by land and then you could have your covered wagon converted to a boat!), saw some of the evidence of the filming of the new Batman movie (did you know Pittsburgh used to be what Hollywood is today for the film industry?) and made a lot of people smile by quacking at them from the Duck boat.  It was required.  Pretty sure we'd have been kicked off if we didn't, but it was nice seeing people looking grumpy and then smiling uncontrollably.  :)

We're Here!!!

About a year ago, DH and I decided we needed to move. We wanted to be in a more "trick-or-treatable" neighborhood for Angelo. We were seeking more of a community and easier access to playmates, sidewalks for doggie walking, etc.

So, in January, we started sorting and boxing, tossing and storing, and repairing (way more than we intended to thanks to the major snow/ice damage, oi!) Once all the repairs were done, we finished the painting and staging, and called in friends to help with the final push. By the end of May, we were able to put the house up on the market.

If you've ever had your house on the market with a toddler and a dog, you know just how *fun* it is getting everything clean and staged when a realtor calls you and wants to show the house in an hour. Yes, we asked for 24 hours notice, but you just don't turn down a showing, especially in the current market. At least we were cleaning the house more regularly. I use the term "we" somewhat loosely, though DH did help when he could. Murphy's Law dictated that most of the last minute showings were when he was working and getting more than the usual volume of phone calls.

We had a few people interested, but nothing came through. We were really discouraged when we only had a couple showings between August and September. We were ready to take the house off the market for the winter after Thanksgiving if we didn't get an offer by then.

But, by the end of October, we did! 10 days later, we'd looked at 27 houses in Pittsburgh. (oh, yeah, remember when I talked about how transient Morgantown's population is and how difficult it makes it to form community? We decided that because we already have so many friends who have roots in Pittsburgh and we already drive there so often, that we would move there instead of across town in Morgantown.) Amongst all those houses we found one that is just what we need and love. Built in 1881, rooms to serve every need and plenty of updates to allow us to focus on being more social and connected rather than on fixing the house. *LOVE*

*Insert much drama with the details of inspections, delays, packing, moving brother to his apartment, etc.*

We closed 5 days ago and are overjoyed with the house, our neighborhood and the proximity to so many friends we've known for so many years. And though there are still boxes everywhere, we even have our Christmas tree up. Angelo is soooo excited! You can see him playing on the deck in the pictures and Dana standing guard. :)

Hope you have very Happy Holidays too!!! :)