{"id":749,"date":"2013-09-29T13:09:02","date_gmt":"2013-09-29T13:09:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/abeandlily.darais.com\/?p=749"},"modified":"2013-09-29T13:09:02","modified_gmt":"2013-09-29T13:09:02","slug":"martha-a-dream-surpassed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/2013\/09\/29\/martha-a-dream-surpassed\/","title":{"rendered":"MARTHA: A DREAM SURPASSED"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Except for Jesus, there is no one in the history of the world that I would rather meet than Martha Stewart. That is not an exaggeration. It is a dry fact. Today, I got to do what very few people on the earth have ever done; I lived out my wildest, most fantastic dream. I met Martha Stewart.<\/p>\n<p>!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Not only that, but I spent the day with her!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!<\/p>\n<p>It was.<\/p>\n<p>I ran out of words. How can I convey the bliss? I think I just might name my next daughter Candace, after my friend Candace, who toted me along on this amazing adventure. Candace Martha Darais. What do you think?<\/p>\n<p>We baked biscuits with Martha. We ate the most delicious meal I have ever had (that Martha cooked herself) with Martha. We got our make-up done by Martha&#8217;s make-up artist. We toured Martha&#8217;s farm several times, once with Martha. We helped set up for Martha&#8217;s party. We attended Martha&#8217;s (Audubon) party. We picked apples from Martha&#8217;s espaliered apple trees. We met and pet Martha&#8217;s dogs. And horses. We saw Martha&#8217;s grandchildren, Kevin Sharkey, and Ryan (her head gardner). We walked around Martha&#8217;s house and poked around her basement. We ate ourselves sick at the party.<\/p>\n<p>In short, the day was unbelievable. And Martha in person? Is even better than on T.V.. So natural, gracious, straight-forward, hospitable, interesting, funny, beautiful&#8230;Let&#8217;s just say, I left more convinced than ever that Martha is a demi-God. And she even made jokes at the party about her imprisonment. What a woman.<\/p>\n<p>She also almost lost her temper when she found out our trip was short and no one arranged for us to tour her New York offices. She told us we are welcome the next time we are in New York to see her offices, and her assistants pulled us aside afterward and renewed the invitation. We are stoked.<\/p>\n<p>Also, this is a link to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.makinghouseahome.com\/\">the blog of my friend, Candace.<\/a> She is going to post her much more detailed account of what took place (along with her pictures) once she gets home.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_784\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-784\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/stuffed-peppers.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-784\" alt=\"stuffed peppers\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/stuffed-peppers.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-784\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">stuffed peppers<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_783\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-783\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/stable-carriages.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-783\" alt=\"Martha's stable carraiges\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/stable-carriages.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-783\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martha&#8217;s carriages<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_782\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-782\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/shallots-garlic-in-marthas-barn.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-782\" alt=\"shallot and garlic in Martha's barn\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/shallots-garlic-in-marthas-barn.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-782\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">shallot and garlic in Martha&#8217;s barn<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_781\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-781\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/ramon-one-of-the-horses.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-781\" alt=\"Ramon, one of Martha's horses. She has many horses, and they are all look alike.\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/ramon-one-of-the-horses.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-781\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ramon, one of Martha&#8217;s horses. She has many horses, and they are all look alike.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_780\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-780\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/pumpkins-and-audubon-poster.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-780\" alt=\"Preparation for the Audubon party\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/pumpkins-and-audubon-poster.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-780\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Preparation for the Audubon party<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_779\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-779\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/party-prep.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-779\" alt=\"More party prep\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/party-prep.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-779\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">More party prep<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_778\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-778\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/marthas-eggs-and-produce.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-778\" alt=\"Martha's eggs and produce in her kitchen\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/marthas-eggs-and-produce.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-778\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martha&#8217;s eggs and produce in her kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_777\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-777\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/marthas-chickens.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-777\" alt=\"Martha's chickens\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/marthas-chickens.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-777\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martha&#8217;s chickens<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_776\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-776\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/marthas-bees.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-776\" alt=\"Martha's bees. They aren't producing honey, though. I almost brought Martha some honey from Salt Lake, and when I found out her bees did not produce this year, I kicked myself.\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/marthas-bees.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-776\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martha&#8217;s bees. They aren&#8217;t producing honey, though. I almost brought Martha some honey from Salt Lake, and when I found out her bees did not produce this year, I kicked myself.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_775\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-775\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/marthas-basement.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-775\" alt=\"Martha's basement. Off to the side she has another huge room full of super-organized storage.\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/marthas-basement.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-775\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martha&#8217;s basement. Off to the side she has another huge room full of super-organized storage.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_774\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-774\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/martha-uses-softsoap.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-774\" alt=\"Martha uses Softsoap! It was at every sink I saw.\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/martha-uses-softsoap.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-774\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martha uses Softsoap! It was at every sink I saw.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_773\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-773\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/martha-on-tour-with-her-dog-genghis-khan.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-773\" alt=\"Martha leading a garden tour.\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/martha-on-tour-with-her-dog-genghis-khan.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-773\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martha leading a garden tour.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_772\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-772\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/lunch.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-772\" alt=\"Lunch with Martha. She was in her work-out clothes and did not have make-up, so she could not be photographed until the party. \" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/lunch.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-772\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lunch with Martha. She was in her work-out clothes and did not have make-up, so she could not be photographed until the party.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_771\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-771\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/linden-allee.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-771\" alt=\"Linden Allee\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/linden-allee.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-771\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Linden Allee<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_770\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-770\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/lamb-shank-and-stuffed-pepper-lunch.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-770\" alt=\"Lamb shank (recipe from her Cooking School cook book) and stuffed peppers.\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/lamb-shank-and-stuffed-pepper-lunch.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-770\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Lamb shank (recipe from her Cooking School cook book) and stuffed peppers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_769\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-769\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/in-front-of-the-stable.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-769\" alt=\"In front of the stable\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/in-front-of-the-stable.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-769\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">In front of the stable<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_768\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-768\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/horse.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-768\" alt=\"Martha's horse\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/horse.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-768\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martha&#8217;s horse<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_767\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-767\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/daisy-the-make-up-artist.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-767\" alt=\"Daisy, Martha's make-up artist.\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/daisy-the-make-up-artist.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-767\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Daisy, Martha&#8217;s make-up artist. She did our make-up!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_766\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-766\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/clouds-at-party.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-766\" alt=\"Clouds at the party\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/clouds-at-party.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-766\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Clouds at the party<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_765\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-765\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/at-the-party.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-765\" alt=\"Martha at the party\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/at-the-party.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-765\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Martha at the party<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_764\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-764\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/apples-espalier1.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-764\" alt=\"Espaliered apple trees. We picked some.\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/apples-espalier1.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-764\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Espaliered apple trees. We picked some.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_752\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-752\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/pumpkins.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-752\" alt=\"Tomatoes in the catering kitchen\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/pumpkins.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-752\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Tomatoes in the catering kitchen<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_763\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-763\" style=\"width: 221px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/view-from-marthas-porch.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-763\" alt=\"View from Martha's porch\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/view-from-marthas-porch.jpeg\" width=\"221\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-763\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">View from Martha&#8217;s porch<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_755\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-755\" style=\"width: 124px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/mail.google.com_1.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-755\" alt=\"Pumpkins\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/mail.google.com_1.jpeg\" width=\"124\" height=\"166\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-755\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Pumpkins<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure id=\"attachment_754\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-754\" style=\"width: 256px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/francesca.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-754\" alt=\"With Francesca, one of Martha's darling dogs.\" src=\"http:\/\/abeandlily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/09\/francesca.jpeg\" width=\"256\" height=\"192\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-754\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">With Francesca, one of Martha&#8217;s darling dogs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Except for Jesus, there is no one in the history of the world that I would rather meet than Martha Stewart. That is not an exaggeration. It is a dry fact. Today, I got to do what very few people on the earth have ever done; I lived out my wildest, most fantastic dream. I &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/2013\/09\/29\/martha-a-dream-surpassed\/\" class=\"more-link\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">MARTHA: A DREAM SURPASSED<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-749","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=749"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/749\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=749"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=749"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/abeandlily.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=749"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}