Better in Real Life

You wouldn't believe how hard it is for me (Maddie) to write a simple catalog description.  It involves much googling, writing... erasing... writing... erasing... writing.  When you see this beautiful catalog which owes nearly all of its brilliance to the amazing Pam Matheson's fabulous database and Catherine's incredible writing skills you will be so glad.  If it were all up to me the catalog would be three times as long and infinitely more dull.  

But here's my point.  Despite all of this brain work, it is still nearly impossible to do justice to so many of the things that come in.  We can say "beautiful blue tea set" but somehow it just doesn't capture it.  

Horse Manure and Love

If you've been at the school long enough to have seen Tom Sawyer, then you'll know Terry's got a real "painting the fence" thing going on with his auction donation. Deal of a lifetime! Pay for the privilege of shoveling horse shit! And yet I can think of 25 E1 students who are going to be begging their parents to bid on this exact item: Horse Mucking with Terry. Because it's Terry! And because it's Terry, it will be a total blast.

Our teachers and staff. Oy. Not to wax excessively sentimental, but they give so much of themselves every day to our children and then, on top of that, they grab Maddie and me in the hallways to tell us about their donations to the auction. Their wildly generous donations.

You will get the auction catalogue in your mailbox next week (gods willing), and you might want to keep your eyes peeled for these gems. If I've left any out, please forgive me! Maddie and I are still working out the tricky issue of coordination.

Horse Mucking with E1 teacher Terry McCue. Enough said.

Day Camp with Blue Nursery teachers Jean Meister and Jen Jarrell. Monday through Thursday, June 22-25, 2009 from 8:30-noon. At Jean's House in S. Amherst for up to 5 kids. Crafts, outdoor play, nature exploration, we'll bake a snack together each day. Ages 3-7 (current CS kids). If you had a dream about the best week of your child's life, it might look a lot like this.

P1 Teacher Burl Muten's Beautiful Books (which we won one year and treasure).

A Custom-Made Heritage Quilt from P2 teacher Zevey Steinitz. This is a top-stitched wall hanging that Zevey will make using a special photo-transfer technique. It can include text (such as a xeroxed letter, a poem, or a quote) and up to 20 historic photos. The winner to choose fabric styles and a color scheme. Can you imagine a more beautiful or moving way to commemorate a loved one?


Also from Zevey, a Kids'-Choice Party for up to four children. Pick crafting or a nature hike, and let Zevey plan a lovely afternoon. (Oh to spend that time in Zevey's company!)

Afterschool Rock Star Aric Bieganek has donated so many things that I've almost lost track:

An autographed copy of his CD "Bright Lights, Big Kitty."

A Recess Rock music show for your child's birthday party.

A 30-minute Beginner Piano Lesson. (My son Ben takes piano lessons with Aric, and I simply cannot recommend him enough: the ideal mix of disciplined and creative.)

And, perhaps most exciting of all for that special musical kid, an afternoon of writing and recording a song with him. Talk about priceless.

From Outreach Administrator Dana Kadish: Snow Day Child Care for up to 2 Children. Can you imagine the luxury of waking up to heaps of white and uncancelled work, and knowing your kids can go to Dana's house for the day?

Or, in finer weather, maybe you'd like some help from carpenter and maintenance guru Dave Russell, who has donated 3-hours of his time to help repair, build, or
remodel your home. (Don't tell my kids, or they'll beg us to bid on his services for installing a zip line in our backyard.)

There's this enticing item donated by Office Manager Deb Hanley: "6 bottles of wine hand-picked form our 'cellar' by alum parent Andy Farnsworth (Sonny '01). These wines represent high quality at reasonable price ranges so that you will be able to replenish as you wish! Andy has over 25 years experience in the fine wine business." Yum.

Blue Nursery teacher Cathy Wolf has generously donated a basket of adorable Beanie Babies that my children eyeball daily (they're hibernating in our study for the moment).

And Maddie's already written about Green Nursery teacher Marcy Sala's fabulous collection of wind-up Kritteria.

P2 teacher Michelle Parrish, a weaver, is responsible for organizing the incredibly lovely P2 classroom donation of a pair of weavings, each one uniquely beautiful and loomed in natural fibers by our own children. (More on the other classroom projects at a later date...)


Our own principal Bud Lichtenstein is going to buy three lucky kids peanuts and Cracker Jacks at a New Britain Rock Cats game. What a fun outing! I had lobbied for a 12-Months-of-Bud Pin-up Calendar, but minor league baseball was a close second on my wish list.

And even old teachers can't stay away! Joanna Frankel, formerly of E1, along with her trusty new sidekick Eli will take 3 children out for lemonade or hot chocolate. Oh can't you think of the Joanna-and-baby-loving kids who'll beg you to bid on *that*?!

Martha's Vineyard Paradise

Forgive me if I end up sounding like bad real estate copy: it is very hard to describe an incredible place without lapsing into the cliches of the business: paradise, stunning views, beautifully landscaped. . . . Meredith Michaels and Lee Bowie, grandparents of Claire Michaels (Blue Nursery) are donating their Martha's Vineyard house for a week. I'm going to attach some photos, and the description written up by Becky Michaels (Claire's mother), but I just want to say: I (Catherine) have been to this house and will never forget it. The views and the utter serenity of the spot are not like anywhere I've ever been, and the house itself is just so open and pretty and filled with light. I don't even think Becky mentioned the outdoor shower. To shower under the stars with the bay winking out in the distance? One of life's great experiences.

Also: local lobsters. Not included, but readily available.

Spend a week on Martha's Vineyard!

Beautiful home in Aquinnah, Massachusetts--at the quietest, prettiest end of Martha's Vineyard. Enjoy a view of Menemsha Pond; walking distance to pond beach (great for young kids who are not yet accustomed to waves); 3-mile drive to stunning ocean beach (great for everyone!). The main house has 3 bedrooms, each with a queen bed and two bathrooms. The "kid's house" has two single beds and two bunk beds. There are two couches in the kid's house that can also be used as beds, but (full disclosure) they are in the living area, which gets very sunny very early, so the room fills with light by 6:00am.

The main house has a big kitchen stocked with every appliance, pot, or pan a good cook needs; big living area with tons of games and puzzles; dining area that easily seats 12 if not more; outdoor shower; 5 acres for kids to romp around. It is gorgeous all year-round, though the kids' house is not winterized. The main house has heat and a wood stove.

This is a wonderful getaway. No internet access at the house, though it is available for free in the parking lot of the town library. The house is available from October 1, 2009-June 30, 2010. A security deposit of $300 is required but will be returned if nothing is damaged, and renter is responsible for paying for post-visit cleaning service (approximately $100).

You're Invited!

Please come!

The invitations are in the mail! And they were such a group effort. People typed, edited, printed and labeled (special thanks to Bridget and Nina who were a labeling tour de force). Emily Neuburger (mother of Leah in Blue Nursery) made the beautiful stamp that are we using for this year's auction image. I think it's one of those perfect images: simple and lovely and somehow capturing a piece of the Common School that makes my heart squeeze in just the right way.

More pretty things

Today I am particularly in love with all of the hand-made, hand-knit, hand-crafted beauties that are streaming in.  And then there are the paintings!  I want to post a picture of every single one.  A set of stunning earrings.  A watercolor landscape.  A small zippered pouch.  And to be honest, I have tried to find a way to get all of those photos up here but I am not quite technically savvy enough yet.  I'll keep working on it.  For now, I am hoping that these quick photos, taken on my back step, will do.

That very top image is a 9"x9" oil by Connecticut artist M. Trisha Barry, painted on hand-made clay tile.  This bottom picture is an amazing iron plant hanger, skillfully (and unbelievably to me) hand-forged by Common School alum Eric Donnelly.  OK, the middle basket was not hand-made by anyone we know but it is cool and has been hand-woven by someone.  Someone in Africa in fact.  And they did it using telephone wire.  

Too Cool

Nicole and the Fundraisers? The Bunbuns? Okay, so the auction band doesn't have an official name yet, but here's a tiny sneak preview of Nicole Blum (Blue Nursery/E1 parent) rehearsing a little Lucinda Williams. The rest of the band includes such very local and awesome musical talents as Dean Zimmerman (Blue Nursery teacher Jean Meister's husband) on bass, Darius Greenbacher (P1 parent) on guitar, Peter Michaels (Blue Nursery parent) on drums, Michael Millner (P1/E1 parent) on guitar, Lou Cove (Blue Nursery/P2 parent) on vocals, and John Sheldon (Common School friend and beloved kids' music star) on guitar. To say that they are going to rock the house down is really putting it mildly.

On the other hand

I am also a fan of these sorts of things;

Hooray for Legos!  Building imagination and finger dexterity all at once!  We have this very cool Lego Castle, a few Star Wars: The Clone Wars sets, and some Bionicles!  

Somehow, at least at my house, Bionicles seem to be both super creepy and super fun.  

Beautiful

Every morning at drop off (and often again at pick up time), I go to my mailbox in hopes that there will be a new auction donation waiting.  Almost every day there is something new and it's like it's my birthday, only better.  Each envelope I open contains some new surprise.  I get completely excited about it, think about how perfect it would be (as a treat for me, a mother's day present, a gift for my friend's new baby), but I don't actually have to figure out where I can put it or who I know that actually has a new baby.  (I could still use a nice mother's day present.)  

Some of my favorites  are the things you can't really find in stores.   An architectural consultation over lunch at Amherst Chinese?  A hand-knit Gryffindor scarf?  Or the beautiful blown-glass ornament you see above.  OK, maybe you can find some glass ornaments in stores but this one and two others were made by Steven Caines (father of Alexis in the Blue Nursery) which is cool enough, but can you see how it somehow manages to be amazingly colorful and reflective of light and surroundings at the same time?  Just beautiful.

The Grandparents

Oh the beloved grandparents! They are so generous with us and our kids, and we would be nowhere (literally, of course), without them. But Maddie and I are just blown away by the auction support from this particular group. We've gotten donations big and small, and some that I can't even boast about in this particular entry because they are to be anonymous. But I thought I'd share a few.


Orlee (P2), Tess (Green Nursery), and Esme's (Green Nursery) grandmother has knit a stunning sweater and hat set for a baby-sized person. It's made of super-fine wool and is so darling that, if you're done having babies, it will make you sigh and wonder what lucky friend you should try to get it for.

Closer to my home, Ben (E1)and Birdy's (P1) paternal grandfather, has donated this item, to be delivered at some future date: "One honey-brined and hickory-smoked 15-pound organic turkey." Now I have eaten said turkey, I am happy to say, on many Thanksgivings, and I always tell Larry, "It's the only turkey I've every lain awake fantasizing about." This is true: so smoky-rich and crazy flavorful you will think about it for months afterwards.
Or there's their maternal grandma, my own mom, who has been making stunning handbags out of recycled cashmere sweaters. They are lined in heavy mauve silk satin, and they are perfect and gorgeous. I think she's putting up three for auction, and she has made me swear I won't bid on them. But I want to.

Grumpy?

You might be wondering, "What's with the crabby auction co-chairs and this miserable looking family? It was a feast after all. There was good food, music and dancing, and really wonderful work done by all those great kids! What's not to be excited about?" I've got four words for you: Handmade Costumes for Everyone.

Never fear! Up for bid at this year's auction will be 4 parent costumes appropriate for the P-2 feasts (2 Egyptian, 2 Colonial). Huzzah! Come to the feasts in style (appropriate to the time period, of course) in handmade costumes. Just not handmade by you. Smiling?

Summer's coming. . . .part 2

Or maybe you wanted to camp in the most beautiful campsite in the entire world! Well you can. It's the very exact same Cape Cod campsite where our family has camped for seven years in a row, and Michael and I have reserved it for you for the end of August (which we had to do sixth months in advance!). If you don't know the area, Nickerson State Park is, in my humble opinion, a national treasure. It's in a beautiful part of the Cape, just a mere bike ride away from the peaceful bay beaches (on bike trails!) and a teeny drive from the spectacular ocean beaches of the national seashore. The campsite itself is totally stunning (area 7, site 32: the best site in the whole park) in the dappled shade of the pines and overlooking a pristine kettle pond that is a hop, skip, and jump away--and usually deserted. Along with the camping package, you will also receive my own indispensable Packing List for Camping along with a 1-hour consultation for beginning campers. The consultation will include such pearls of wisdom as "Eat dinner at Moby Dick's Clam Shack." It will be very, very helpful.

This is the view. Tent and girl not included.

Can you see the pond shining through the trees? Also, my daughter Birdy used to be small and her hippo Eebo used to be clean.

Inexplicably, the crystal-clear pond is always deserted. Skinny-dipping is possible but not required. Bid away.

Summer's coming. . .

One week's accommodations at the Club Cascadas de Baja resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico (available the week of July 23-30, 2009). This 1-bedroom resort suite (sleeps 4) is right on the beach and offers: two outdoor swimming pools; beautiful on-site sandy swimming beach, access to fabulous recreation activities including water sports, tours to local sights, and shopping in town stores and open-air markets. There is also tennis, beachfront dining, exercise room, sauna, bar/lounge, spa, club house, children's activities, and more.


Check out the website. It's heavenly in that imagining-yourself-in-the-shade-with-a-margarita
while-your-kids-play-happily-on-the-beach kind of way. Also, the swimming pool situation looks seriously deluxe.

Sticking closer to home? Maybe your kids and a friend or two (up to three altogether) might like to join Bud on a little baseball expedition to catch a New Britain Rock Cats game. Bud will buy them some peanuts and Cracker Jacks. We don't care if they never come back! Okay, we do.


Also close to home are special packages at Look Park (Ride the trains! Cool off in the water park!) and The Northampton Pottery (among many other local delights). Can't wait. . .

So, You Wanna Be a Rock Star.

Or maybe that incredible child in your life does?  Or would just love the opportunity to hang out with Aric?  Or have a chance to be on the radio?  Who wouldn't?  The auction can help!   Here are a few of the ways:

• Bill Childs of WRSI's  Spare the Rock Spoil the Child  has donated an On-Air Experience where one child can help plan and announce a segment of the show!
  
• Aric Bieganek of Recess Rock (you can check out his myspace page here) and of course, The Common School's after-school program and SummerFun's Eco-Rock III: Knights of the Turntable, will spend some time writing and recording a song with one lucky girl or boy.
• You might want to take home Aric's CD to get inspired or just dance around the kitchen.
• What about trying out the violin?  Not usually associated with Rock Stardom, I know, but cool none the less.  You can bid on Stammel Strings 3-month violin rental to just try it out.
  

There will be other musical possibilties to ponder at this year's auction.  Piano lessons perhaps?  Aric-ful birthday party?  Come and see.

Just in.

Have you ever seen these?  They are some of the wind-up Kritteria designed by Chico Bicalho and Isabella Torquato.  Green Nursery teacher Marcy Sala will be donating a number of these funny critters.  You can watch a video of them bouncing and rolling along here.  Each one is funnier than the last.

Our Amazing Community

One of the awesomest (as our kids would say) things about working on the auction is getting to know our community better. It is truly astonishing, the talent, generosity, and resourcefulness that's hiding out among us. Everyone might look more or less like a regular parent to you--like we're just strapping our kids into the car and rushing home to boil macaroni--but the auction leads us to believe otherwise. It's not just that the auction committee itself is filled with the most energetic, giving, creative people you could ever hope to work with in your life--people we didn't even know before a month ago. But also that the parents, teachers, and staff at our school do fantastic, beautiful, unexpected things--in big and small ways, for a living and as a hobby, in forms that are apparent and also completely invisible. Did you know that Blue Nursery parent Tom Neuburger is a home-brew beer master? Or that P1/E1 parent Shelley Treyz can sew a wicked Halloween costume? Or that P2 teacher Michelle Parrish is a weaver?

Or that Green Nursery parent Luke Cavagnac is a painter? Go here and check out his Invisible Fountain website, his Art for All philosophy and, above all, his paintings--which you can see more of on his etsy site, here. Luke has generously offered to donate art to our school auction and we can't wait to see it.

Hawaii Dreaming

Up for Auction:


Kiahuna Beachside luxury beachside vacation condo on the stunning island of Kauai.
One-bedroom unit (Beach house #13) can comfortably sleep up to two adults and two children.

One week in paradise.

You vacation; the Common School gets the money; everybody wins.

Auction Co-Chairs

Do you really want to trust your school auction to this mob-cap-wearing pair of colonial grumps? Too late! You already did!

Welcome!

Hello, and welcome to the Common School Auction blog. I know you're thinking it would be much more exciting if we did a Common School Auction reality show instead, and you're right--it would be. But for now, instead of exciting footage of the auction committee lying around with jelly jars of wine, fantasizing about winning one of the lovely vacation homes, you're stuck with this: updates, as they become available, and a few sneak peeks at some of the goods. Stay tuned!