foodie

sometimes.
it can be all about the food.
and that's okay too.

Sometimes, you just Get It

I think occasionally I need to step outside the boundaries of what I consider art.
And I consider art...quite often in fact [insert cymbal crash here]

Some days, a bottle of Elmers glue, a stack of magazines, some construction paper and some random crafties can still make me giddy.
Pulled the plug Monday and the kids got crafty all. day. long. The sad traces of dried glue puddles, construction paper scraps and googly sticker eyes still litter the dining room table and floor. Does anyone actually eat at the dining room table anymore? Ours is more a multi-purpose desk/craft station/ironing board/folding table these days. Occassionally we have spaghetti there.

So we're mid-color mixing project (divide your paper into land/water/air/mountains. Using primary colors, mix away. Kids were enthralled) and Baz looks up at me in wonder and says: "ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

hhhhh... i get it"
"What, buddy?" Me: distracted. trying to get red paint out of sophi's eyebrow "What do you get?"
"How God did it" In that matter-of-fact voice that only kids have perfected; making me feel like a total idiot.
"You know... It"
Deep breath. searching for patience as sophie proceeds to cover her right cheek in blue... "What's It, bud? I don't follow"
"The art, Mom"
Me: Blank Stare. We are obviously operating on different wavelengths today.
In his enlightened state of being, Sebastian holds up his picture. It's effing gorgeous. swirled up sunset, deep blue mountains, yellow-green grass, sun in super-nova. I want to lay down in this picture and die with a half-smile on my face. How did my four-year-old create this? And how quickly can I get it framed and hang it up on my wall? It's not little-kid art. Well, maybe it is, but it's the kind of little kid art that freezes your breath in your chest and makes your heart squeeze out that little tattoo that feels like too much caffeine...

"ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." i say, softly. "I get it too, Baz. I get it too."

The entire exchange took less than a minute. It made my whole weekend worthwhile.

BlogSorting: A Re-post Triptych

BlogSorting: A Re-post Triptych because I thought they all sort of fit together nicely

I have become a relatively small country with no natural borders...

At some point in the night I have been joined by "I had a bad dream" and "My room is too quiet". Perfectly normal sized three- and four-year-olds, once ensconced safely in mom's bed, unfurl to gargantuan, circus-freak-worthy proportions. I have two knees magnetized to my ribcage. I have an arm flung Stretch-Armstrong style across my hips. Somehow one of them has ended up upside down & I have a toddler size-10 lodged somewhere at the base of my skull.

I've considered bringing a fork to bed for defense.

It is impossible to sleep.

And so I lay there, listening to the wall clock ticking softly, the metal hands shushing across the metal face. I hear small snuffly breathing from the interlopers and louder snores from the one still crib-bound downstairs. And I smile despite myself.

It would be easy to resent my lack of space, of privacy, but I keep relearning how easy it is to lose great chunks of your life due to lack of attention. And I desperately want to remember this. When my family all fits into one small bed. When my heart can be full even if just for a moment, buried under far flung toddler limbs.

--

I am perversely pleased, waking up at 3am curled inorganically into a toddler bed.The soft sour-sweet milk breath of my son fans my face. His heart beats triple time against mine, even in sleep.

I've lost all feeling in my left leg from the knee down and it prickles pins and needles as I flex it awake.
My stomach rumbles & I wonder if it is either too early or too late for barbque...

Earlier that day, studying the cracks in her hand, Belle asked me why our skin was so cracked.

"Did God make us broken that way?" she asked.

I nodded, once, & opened my mouth to explain.

"We're little," chimed in Baz. "So he had to use lots of little pieces to put us all together to make one big good thing."

I kind of love that

Sometimes the simplest most childlike answer is the best...

--

My daughter is wearing hot pink leggings, a red satin Christmas dress (complete with white fur-trimmed jacket and stole), multicolored striped socks and black 'tap tap' shoes today.

I let her pick out her own outfit, cautioning it didn't exactly match...

When I dropped her off at the daycare three of her friends immediately ran up, hugged her and complimented her on her looking "so pretty today!"

Her look of triumph as she cast a haughty glance at me over her shoulder and waved bye, being dragged toward the playhouse, was epic.

Apparantly, I have no fashion sense.

--

Giving Back

It's that time of year again, cats & kitties!!!
Polar Plunge 2010 is upon us!

The Polar Plunge is a ridiculous good time. It's an event to raise funds for The Special Olympics. I'll be joining the IndyMojo.com for the second year.

If you're peeking at my blog, take 30 seconds to make a small donation to the cause. Every dollar helps.

In Record Time: Part Two

Record Album Box

After you've melted your vinyl down into bowl form... repurposing the album cover for a gift or storage box is a cinch!
THIS half of the project actually took longer to complete than the bowl itself, but is no less simple to do.

You'll Need:
record album cover
ruler
utility knife
scissors
pencil
glue
clear packing tape

Step 1. Gotta keep 'em Separated Pry apart the record album cover, separating the back from the front. If there are extra spine bits that stick out, trim them away so you have two nice, neat, more-or-less square pieces of board of equal size. Step 2. Smooth Sailing

Use the packing tape to make a clear border around all the edges; this will keep the edges nice and smooth. Step 3. Measure twice...

Take the front cover and place it face down on the table.
Draw four straight lines, each H" in from each edge of the cover, where H = the height you'd like your finished box to be.

Using the lines you just drew, make cuts to create four tabs (see diagram below). Now LIGHTLY run over the uncut lines with your knife; this will score the cardboard and make it easier to fold. Make sure not to apply too much pressure, as you just want to break the surface of the board, not cut all the way through.

Step 4. Fold it like you mean it Fold along the lines you scored in step five. You'll find it's easier to fold the board outwards first, which is the exact opposite of how the final folds need to go. Once you've made the backwards fold, it should be easy to bend the cardboard in the opposite direction to fold inwards. Step 5. Assembly Required: Apply an even coat of glue (or... just use more packing tape) to the tabs, and press the sides of the box to the tab. Step 6. Bottoms Up! Time now to make the bottom half of the box. Place the back cover face down on the table. Draw four straight lines, each H"+1/16" from each edge of the cover (the extra 1/16" will mean the box bottom is a little smaller than the box top; this ensures that you'll be able to slide the two pieces together. For a looser fit, you can increase the allowance to 1/8"). Repeat steps 4 - 6. Viola! That's it! You can thank me later. These totally rock

Christmas Card Photo Shoot

It's that time of year again.

Time to dust off the address book, buy the cheesy Christmas stamps and reconnect with the loved ones you've lost track of. It's time for Christmas Cards...



Honestly, I love letting my mantel clutter up with cards from across the country. I've got family and friends far and wide and delight in getting random updates. What I'm horrible at? Getting my cards out on time...



This year, I'm determined to get these suckers out on time.
I've typed up the letter. I've bought card stock and stamping implements.
I just need the perfect picture.
Bribery was three very giant candy canes.
Result was three very VERY sticky munchkins.








(Baz as a blur, above, is terribly appropriate)


(Stinky Feeeet!)

In Record Time...

While hunting up some inexpensive yet personalized holiday gifts for the gang... a friend of mine clued me in on one of the best ideas evah... Record Bowls.

They're decorative.
They're unique.
They're SUUUUPER easy to make.
And, you can tailor them to the giftee via the album you choose to melt.
It's a win-win-win situation.
So here's the How To:



Record Bowls
Step 1. Choose your Tunes
I picked up a handful of albums at my local Goodwill. They're $1.99 and there's always a ton to choose from. If you're looking for a favorite artist or genre you can always order them online (helloooo eBay!) or hit up your local independently-owned record store. Believe it or not, they DO still make & sell vinyl folks!



Step 2. The Heat is On
Preheat your oven to 200F

Step 3. Insert Tab A into Slot B
You'll need 1 cookie sheet, 1 heat-proof bowl, 1 record
Center record on top of bowl.
Place bowl on cookie sheet.
Insert cookie sheet into oven.



Step 4. Dance Break!
Set a timer for 5 minutes.
Take a dance break.
(any less and the vinyl's not terribly pliable)
(too much longer and the vinyl gives off some nasty noxious fumes)

Step 5. Shape it Up
Take the entire stack out of the oven.
IMMEDIATELY start shaping your album.
The Vinyl Will Cool Unbelievably Quickly!!!!!
You have a couple of options here.
You can either shape the album with your hands, or drop it into a larger bowl and let it lend its shape to the album. I kind of just combo'd it. I dropped the album into a large bowl & shaped the folds with my hands. Work quickly, but if the vinyl cools before you're done don't force it, just pop it back in the oven for a couple of minutes before giving it another go.



Step 6. The Cool Down
Allow your new Record Bowl about 10-15 minutes to cool completely and finish setting up.
You now have one completely original bowl in which to display fruit, candy, coasters, knick-knacks, bric-a-brac and other hyphenated miscellany...



*looking to give these as a gift?
Check back soon for the How To on making a gift box out of the album cover...
It's a-coming!