Good day everyone.  I hope all is well.  It has been such a busy year!  As many of you know, I had my first little baby on July 4th last year!  Everything is going great and I'm so thankful for the many blessings in my life.  It dawned on me that I needed to do some updating.  Something that hadn't really occured to me until a few days ago when I was taking stock of all the "electronic" chores that needed to be accomplished!  So many emails and bills to get to, and reading to do along with it all.  Of course there is also the never ending list of goals I'd like to get finished but rarely find the time for them. ;)

I've been performing my show in the mornings, at 10 am, at The New Americana Theatre and really enjoying my time listening to my amazing band!  They are tremendous.  If you've not seen our show this year, you need to come out and visit!  It's my favorite show and lineup to date.  The music is wonderful and the band has become even tighter than before.  You will have a fantastic time with us.  JR and Aunt Erma are even doing a duet this year!  ;)  Check it out on www.cassandrehaygoodandfriends.com  

We have started our touring schedule!  Please contact me at voicewithcassandre@gmail.com with information for your arts hall/convention center/retirement center/auditorium and we will do what we can to perform for you!

My husband and I attempted a garden again this year, and some things have turned out alright.  :)  We had to transplant our tomatoes to buckets and pull out some yucky squash plants and watermelons, but other than that, it's been alright.  I'm originally from Nebraska, and let's just say that the soil here is a bit different.  ;)  I was just back visiting and was gifted with many amazing things from my parent's garden!  Oh my.  Soooooooo delicious.  If anyone has advice on natural gardening and what to do about squash bugs and cucumber beetles, please let me know!  Thanks.  

God bless you all, have a lovely day and watch for the children during our school season.  Thanks for visiting.  

Sincerely,

Cassandre'  

Show and 4th of July!

Hello Everyone!  It's hot!  I hope you're all staying well and cool.  We are doing great and getting ready to do a show tomorrow, for Cassandre' Haygood and Friends.  We have one show tomorrow, Thursday, June 28th and then a little break for the 4th of July!  We will be back July 10th. 

The show is going quite well.  It's definitely our best year, yet.  Tim has joined the show and we are really enjoying it.  We've been waiting to perform together for years, so it's a special treat.  If you haven't been here to see us, you need to!!  You will have a great time. We are at the New Americana Theatre at 10 am.  Call 417-339-0099 for tickets.  You can also go to our website for information: cassandrehaygoodandfriends.com 

I hope you all have a safe, fun day planned for celebrating our freedom.  What an important privilege we have.  It's definitely something to be cherished and respected.  :)  

Please be safe out there and watch for the children playing.  They don't watch for us, so we need to make sure they're protected and safe.  :) 

Thanks for coming to visit!  God bless you all.  Cassandre' :)  

May 22 Show Opening!

Hello Everyone!  :)  Update, update, update!  We are finally ready to open the new show this year.  The Americana Theatre is all remodeled and ready to be seen!!! Woo!!  As many of you know, the Americana Theatre was damaged by a tornado February 29th and we are finally getting everything ready to go.  It's been a long wait, but gave me time to really enjoy this unexpected vacation.  I've had more time to relax and just enjoy life when I would normally be working quite a lot!  So there have definitely been upsides to this downtime.  ;)

May 22 is the opening day of "Cassandre' Haygood and Friends".  We are going to do the show at 10 AM, starting on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  We move to Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in the Fall, all at 10 AM.  We do have ONE Saturday show and that is June 23 at 10 AM.  

We will have the entire band back this year, Jeremy Rabe and Aunt Erma, (of course).  ;)  In addition to all of the fun stuff, Timothy, my wonderful husband will be joining us, as well!  We are so excited to finally do the show together.  It will be so much fun and we are looking forward to everyone coming to see what's new.  We are also expecting our first little addition to our family, so we have extra fun in the show!  :) 

This off-season has been quite drawn out, but I've been able to really enjoy a nice pace of life.  I'm so thankful for that and for all of the gifts I received through spending time with my family and friends.  How lovely.  

I hope you're all doing well and healthy.  We are all doing great and excited to get going.  We look forward to seeing you at 10 AM Tuesdays and Thursdays at the NEW New Americana Theatre.  :)  Safe travels to you all and thank you for visiting!  Please pass this along to your friends and family.  Thank you!  God bless you.

Sincerely,
Cassandre' :)    

Gardens!!!

Oh my. I just can't seem to win with this garden. I get rid of one kind of pest, and here comes another. :/ I guess that's just part of it. I had some big green tomato worms that I finally got out of the garden, then some smaller, darker worms, and now the squash beetles have started eating my tomatoes that the worms finally left alone. Goodness sakes. I don't want to use pesticides, so then, of course, you get pests! ;) I've gotten some great cantaloupes and watermelon, lettuce and squash from our garden, (before the beetles), but some of the newer watermelons are having trouble. Who knows? Just nature, I guess. :)

I do, so much, enjoy the gardening. It's really hard work, but so neat when you actually get to pick something off the vine and take it right in and have it for dinner. So fun. We've also gotten some cucumbers, (which I found out are melons, who knew?), and some new plants are growing now too. I think I'll plant another crop of squash for a fall crop to try and get some new ones to grow. When it's cooler outside, I'll be able to spray the plants with natural pepper oils to keep the insects off , without the heat burning them. We'll see. :)

Well, just some gardening thoughts coming your way. God bless you all! Be safe and watchful out there.

Sincerely,
Cassandre' :)

The Seasons

Hello all! Question of this blog: What is your favorite season and why? Essay time everyone. I need 200 words typed and turned in by Wednesday! :) Just kidding. But I would like to hear from you on which is your favorite.

I haven't been on here for a bit. I hope you're all doing well. I'm fine and keeping busy with the show, like always. :) It's been great and we are getting more and more repeat patrons. I'm very thankful and appreciative to all of you that come to the show. I have three more this week on August 22, 24 and 26 at 2pm, at the New Americana Theatre. The last week in August is a short vacation for me. Then, starting September 7th, I will be back to shows full time until the middle of December. Always at 2pm! Check the website for a schedule, please. :)

I took a vacation in the middle of July and really had a lot of fun. I went home with no particular schedule in mind, and just had a great time visiting with everyone. It was great to get away and focus on other things for a bit. You miss being at your own home and taking care of your own things, (at least I do. I actually like doing laundry. Hmmm.), but it's also nice to step back and take a look at what I may have been focusing too much time on, and what needs more of my attention. It's nice to get family opinions, too. My mom and dad were just here visiting and we had a wonderful time! We ate at some lovely places and had fun seeing some shows together. The show is even more fun for me to do when they're there. The time always goes by too fast. My mom reminds me to live in the moment and just enjoy the present. It's important advice. :) Life is truly a beautiful thing, and it really is a gift to us all. We have so much to take in every day and a lot to be thankful for! Life is what you make of it and how you respond to each day.

I've been thinking a lot about the seasons lately, and how I'm so glad that we have four distinct seasons where we live. I always feel a little bit different during each of them. Fall always feels crisp and refreshing. It's not too cold and is nice to be outside just talking or sitting. There's a certain feeling in the air that reminds me a lot of the games we'd go to in high school and college. Fun times with family and friends. Winter makes me feel a little sleepy earlier than normal and I feel more like watching TV and having snacks. (I always feel like this, just more in the winter). ;) Staying in and keeping warm always sounds good during that time! Spring makes me feel very alive and awake. In fact, sometimes I can hardly fall asleep because I'm just not tired. Everything is just starting to wake up and start fresh. Summer is a lovely time for me because I get to spend time outside doing something constructive. I love being in the sun. It makes me feel content and happy. The vitamin d-3 that we produce with the Sun's help is vital to our well-being. I believe this is the reason I feel so great during Summer. I don't mind the heat, and working outside, (with plenty of water and shade or air-conditioned breaks), is so enjoyable to me. :)

This year I was able to grow a wonderful garden thanks to my husband having some great dirt delivered to our house! You wouldn't think dirt could be such a nice gift to receive, but when you live in the Ozarks...it is!! It was a lot of long hours and hard work getting it all ready to go, but so rewarding. I love to accomplish things and see what is possible with just two hands! (Well, four when my husband was out there). ;) We have grown quite a lovely garden this year. We are awaiting the ripening of many of our vegetables and fruits! It's great to see them growing so fast and changing so much every day. I just can't get over how one little seed can result in so much food! It's amazing and a true blessing

Have a lovely week and be cautious as the children are heading back to school. Watch for them, because sometimes they don't watch. Be safe and God bless you. Thanks so much for visiting.

Sincerely,
Cassandre' :)

Happy 4th of July!

Happy 4th of July everyone! What a wonderful blessing we have in our freedom. We need to protect it and be thankful for all we've been given. That's why we're all able to celebrate this weekend. God bless all of the men and women who have protected our country and all those who continue to do so. What does your freedom mean to you?

So far so good on the garden. It seems to be growing well and very happy! All of the plants change so much day to day. It's been very relaxing being outside and taking care of everything. I'm so happy to have it.

I had a day off today and have been caring for things around the house. Sometimes it's nice to just be home and clean. It feels good to accomplish so much in a day and have a clean home to show for it. :)

We've been so blessed with great attendance at the show. I'm so thankful for all that have come to see us. This year's show is the best yet, and everyone who comes has said how much they appreciate all of the different types of music and the great musicians. Aunt Erma is definitely a favorite this year! She's in high demand. :) It really is so much fun!

It's been quite hot now that we're in the middle of Summer, so remember to hydrate, hydrate, hydrate when you're outside, and before and after you go out, as well. Water is the best thing to drink for the health of your body, so get a good source of clean water and drink it!! :)

Watch for all of the children, (and adults), playing outside and be safe while driving. Have a safe and enjoyable weekend and week! God bless you all. Thank you for visiting.

Sincerely,

Cassandre' :)

New blog!

Good day everyone! I realized it's time to post a new blog! (My mom said so!) :) Things have obviously been very busy, but in a good way.

First off, I was able to visit my family and celebrate my niece's 1 year birthday party with everyone. It was so much fun and great to be there all together. My sister made an amazing cake and my mom, aunt and another sister helped with cupcakes and things like that! It was so delicious and a great celebration. It's amazing how much changes in one year. I really can't believe it's been that long since I met my little God daughter. She is fantastic, running all over the place and hilarious. She really keeps her parents hopping. (Literally, sometimes!) :) The whole trip was so nice. I can't say that I got much sleep, but that's almost always the case! It's too much fun to stay up and talk. It was just what I needed in the middle of the season to refresh and relax! By the way, that's me taking a picture of my face while I was swimming with my underwater camera! How fun! Doesn't it look like I have bubble glasses? :)

Last May, Tim and I were blessed with not only a niece, but a nephew as well, only 12 days apart. They are so great and bring us a lot of joy. It's so interesting seeing their personalities come out as they get a little older. They are different as night and day and I hope they get to play together sometime! It's difficult because they live so far apart. I'm sure they'll be good friends! :)

I've also been doing some gardening lately. While I was visiting my family, Tim called and asked if I'd like to start a garden again, but with some really good dirt. I thought that would be nice. My mom and I picked out some plants to take back with me and we got some seeds, too. My parents are expert gardeners, so I listen very carefully to their advice on everything. We've always had such nice food from their garden and I'm really hoping mine turns out well this year. For those of you that don't know, I tried a garden some years ago, only to have a dumptruck stuck in my yard and "dirt" that was basically rocks. It was difficult to cultivate anything in there, but some things grew. So, I'm thinking this garden just has to be better than that! :) Thank you to my mom and dad for keeping my little plants so healthy until I took them home! I really appreciate that! It's so relaxing to be out in the garden again. I really like spending time outside, but I like to have something to do and I enjoy taking care of the plants so much. What a great hobby that brings yummy things!

The shows are going great and I can't tell you how thankful I am that we've had good crowds! I look forward to seeing you all! We are at The New Americana Theatre on Hwy 76 in Branson. Aunt Erma is in fine form! :) It really brings me joy to do the show and to get to just sing and do comedy. It's just part of who I am. Right now our shows are Wednesdays and Fridays at 2 pm. I'm always out promoting on Mondays and Tuesdays, sometimes Thursdays, too, plus I play the piano and sing at church on Saturdays, and sometimes sing on Sundays, too. Lots of times my voice students come on Thursdays and Saturdays, and I also sell Mary Kay, so my days are quite full, but it's nice to have good things to work on and do.

Well, that's all for now. Just a quick question. Does anyone know any good and natural things to keep rabbits/deer/other critters away from the garden? Please use the comment section below to tell me what works! Thank you all!

Drive safe out there and watch for the little kids playing. They don't look, so you have to watch so carefully! God bless you all. Thank you for visiting.

Sincerely,

Cassandre'