Monday, September 07, 2009
Labor Day was Laborious
Among the tasks completed: house cleaning, laundry (thanks, Jason), photo matting and framing and hanging, walking with friends, and LOTS of PRINTING. Carrie and I had a print-in and spent 2 whole days working on printing our calendar. Exciting stuff! I'm going to wait a couple more days to post it. I want to take just the right photos, and we didn't finish tonight until it was dark.
On Sunday Mom and Dad had a cookout to inaugurate their new deer-riffic fire ring down by the pond.
Nothing like a roasted hot dog and deviled eggs to celebrate the end of summer. Sigh! I love Fall, but I hate the impending doom of winter and the passing of labor day means time to buckle down. As if I haven't been working my fingers to the bone all summer!
Oh well. Here's to a cooler than normal Missouri summer--it's seemed like Fall since about the end of July-- and looking forward to Autumn's crisp air and orangey sunlight!
Labels: country life, family, weekend
Monday, August 10, 2009
Weekend exhaustion
Why do I wear myself out so completely on the weekends? Jason and I got major house projects done. Namely, we changed the faucet out in the kitchen. Sounds easy, but let's just say I've now been exposed to every bad word in my husband's entire vocabulary. We determined that the old, leaky faucet was installed before the sink was in place on the countertop.
I did LOTS of printing with my new rubberbased inks. I don't know if anyone reads SouleMama (and you should because it's great in so many ways) but I sold the lovely Mama/Blogger/Author a recipe card box and when she posted it on her blog, I immediately got 15 sales or so in a week! WHAT!?!? That is awesome, but I had to print all those cards!
Abby came over last night and we had intensive quilting time on her quilt. It's her first, and we now have the front and the back done and ready to sandwich up and baste. I'm so proud of her because it's her first quilt, and it looks stunning! I'll have to post some pics here when she comes back to baste it together.
Labels: letterpress, printing, weekend
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Wedding weekend.
My co-worker Sara is having her wedding reception tonight. Here are the cupcakes!
Here's what I did this morning. My arms are still sore! It was major labor, and even with 4 of us took almost an hour. That lard-based frosting is hard to handle. And not very delicious, so I wasn't really tempted. I was using every muscle in my arms to pump it out of the bags. That sounds really appetizing, doesn't it?
Labels: Cooking, creative acts, weekend
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Summer Friday Night Menu
Friday I was off work, so I stayed home and played housewife. It was so very gratifying! Although, I think if I did it everyday, I might get frustrated---but maybe not. I cleaned, cooked, walked downtown to the Post Office, Library and to my favorite antique store.
According to Jason, we finally had enough boxes unpacked to have everyone over. Don't get me wrong, there are still boxes. So many boxes. But they're mostly relegated to the spare bedroom and the various closets. I'm working on it!
Dinner for 8:
BBQ shredded beef: This was such an easy crockpot recipe, and was DELICIOUS! Enough food for probably a dozen people
Corn on the cob
Shish-kabobs: peppers, onions, pineapple and cherry tomatoes marinated in olive oil with rosemary and sea salt, then grilled.
Baked beans
Watermelon slices
Homemade ice cream: from Ben and Jerry's recipe. Mmmmm. I freakin' love my Cuisinart ice cream maker. I used my Tahitian vanilla from Trader Joe's.
And to drink: Watermelon lemonade. {via goodLife eats} YUM. YUM. YUM. So flavorful, tart, and watermelony. I used my immersion blender for the first time and it worked like a charm. I had so much of this left over that I think I'm going to make a sorbet in the ice cream maker.
So finally, the reason we bought our house came into good use. What a lovely inaugural run. Next we need to work on lighting and getting some chairs for a seating area on the lower portion. One thing at a time!
I spent all weekend printing my sister's wedding invitations. I'm wobbling on whether to post them or not. I may have to wait until she's sent them out so I don't spoil any surprises. I did 6 runs of 200 cards!!! Darn my tiny press.
Labels: Cooking, friends, house and home, weekend
Monday, June 08, 2009
Tiny Road Trip Weekend (And the Kitchen)
I had Friday off work, sort of. My sister Lauren and I had planned a quick trip up to IKEA and the Renegade Handmade store in Chicago.
Friday morning I get a call that I need to stop by a farm in St. Charles, Missouri (on my way to Ikea) and take some photos of a farm and its farmer. I was pretty excited about this prospect because I'm always moaning about the quality of photos I'm given to put in a layout--so this time I could take them myself.
I was a little worried, however, about being a hypocrite. I always tell our writers to stop taking photos in the middle of the day when the light is horrible. On Friday I didn't have much of a choice if I wanted to continue on to Chicago before 2am.
I had a great time shooting out in farm country (only a mile from an engineered community with little boxes all the same). There were beans and corn and planters going over bridges galore. Goldmine! Unfortunately, I was a little pressed for time. And now I can appreciate what our writers go through when taking photos. It's a little distracting to try to talk to the farmer while thinking about if you should have brought a ladder, and how this photo is going to look in layout.
These grain bins show a watermark from the flood of the Missouri and Mississippi rivers last Spring and Summer. Farming is a hard life. I said that to the farmer, and he said, "No. It's a good life. It's treated me really well." He was a really sweet man. Been married for 60 years.
I picked up Larny and we headed up I-55 to stay with my college roommate for the night before all of our adventures the next day. I got a happy meal, and Albert Einstein was in the bottom of the bag! I always forget that you get a toy in those things.
See? It really IS the happiest place on Earth! I think I broke Lauren at Ikea. Then the next day I was exhausted and sickly feeling. I had an Ikea hangover.
Here's the kitchen and a portion of our haul. I'm sick to death of stud finders and allen wrenches, let me tell you. But I was even more weary of the grape-vine buffet thing (heaviest thing in the world, no wonder the previous owner didn't want to move it.). Now it's on the covered deck where it will serve as a drink/food serving station when we have people over. Like next year sometime. Jason says we can't have people over till all the boxes are unpacked, and frankly I just don't see that happening anytime soon. We're getting closer, though!
Hey Jenny--I got that stainless steel table thing in the AS-IS room!! Everything was an additional 20% off in there. I thought of you!
Labels: house and home, kitchen, weekend
Monday, May 11, 2009
Kansas City 2009
We met our dear friend Chris in Kansas City for the weekend. We saw the Kenny Chesney concert which is a tradition for Chris and I (I don't want to hear it, I know it's cheesy, but it's a really good time, and you shouldn't knock it till you try it), and we did tons of shopping and touristy stuff. We stayed with my friend Julia who lives in a lovely neighborhood of craftsman homes really close to downtown. We spent a lot of time sitting on the porch and walking around in the 70 degree weather.
I kept thinking Nashville and Kansas City are supposed to be the same size, but KC has a lot more going on for it--at least a lot less country music stuff. The farmer's market was PACKED. They also have a real live art museum, the Art Institute of KC, a Paper-Source store, and the best BBQ you could ask for in a gas station. Oh, and Crate and Barrel, where we bought ourselves a SUPER new couch.
We ate brunch at Succotash in the City Market. I couldn't believe how busy the farmer's market was. Crazy!
We ate so much that we had to get to-go boxes, but Jason was hell-bent on getting a Polish sausage as well. He's crazy like that.
And you know I had to squeeze in some art. We went to Hammerpress and I asked a ton of questions. Hammerpress is a major letterpress studio, based in Kansas City. They had so many presses! And nothing on drying racks! I guess that's what the difference is between my little press which just "kisses" the paper, and those big mamas that really put an impression in.
Here is Jason at the art museum.
I miss my friends and the big city already! I didn't realize how starved for city life I was! I'll have to go back and see Julia sometime soon. Maybe I can actually eat sushi somewhere.
Labels: weekend
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Scene of the Crime: Branson
Jason and I went to Branson to meet his mom and step-dad for a long weekend. It was fabulous to see them and have fun, and generally to get out of town. Thank you, Truitts!!
Okay, now for the slightly cynical analysis of Southeast Missouri:
This here is the crime of the century. In the middle of Silver Dollar City (Think Dollywood, but less spectacular) sat this trite little piece of scenery. Meant to add to the nostalgia of the place. A CRIME I TELL YOU!! I don't know if you can see the background, but there are asphalt walkways and rednecks in abundance in the background. This lovely press was rusting away outside the Olde Tyme Photo place. I kid you not. There was literally moss growing on it.
We mainly went to SDC to see these fine folk balance on each other's head and swing around and drip sweat on us in the front row. I was reluctant, but Jason guaranteed me that I would say "Wow, that is awesome" at least 3 times. And I said it 3 times per minute.
Then there was this view off our balcony on Table Rock Lake. Um, okay, I was suddenly good with the world.
I'm not sure how to describe the place. There's incredible beauty in the surrounding Ozark Mountains, but the entertainment level is like Gatlinburg--but more redneck. (Didn't think that was possible) Actually, there are a lot of ways Branson is like Gatlinburg--there are beautiful landscapes and parks, but a lot of cheese and a lot of fudge shops.
I think I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
Creepiest flea market find ever:
We're closing on the house in less than 36 hours!! I can't wait to post the before pics!
Labels: weekend
Sunday, June 22, 2008
I'm a Bragger
Yep. I brag a lot.
Today I got a new toy--and it's actually a late birthday (11 months late) to me from my parents--they gave me a little money last year and I saved it. Just to spend it now on a big-girl camera. The guy at Best Buy called it a "Big Boy" camera, which I naturally took offense to.
My new baby is a Canon XSi. I totally forgot how fun it is to have a camera with adjustable focus and aperture. AWESOME! Wowie wow. Hopefully now I'll be able to take more shots of stuff in questionable light. It has a stabilization thingy that helps with shakiness in low light. Exactly.
These are just some of the shots. I didn't go too far out of my way to find inspirational subject matter, but they're not too bad, right? I'll try to upload some more to flickr.
Labels: weekend
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Blawgggg.
Oh, friends. I'm sorry I went MIA. Sometimes it's just hard to juggle everything, and I don't feel like blogging when I'm tired/grumpy. You're welcome for that. It's been really rainy here most mornings for the past couple of weeks, and it's just so hard to get out of bed to exercise that I put it off till the last minute, which leaves no time for blogging. And I've been starting up the engine for American Artisan Festival in 3 weeks (Yikes!!) That painting up there is the first of a series I want to do on pattern. I don't know if anyone will buy them, but I try not to think about that. Sometimes I just want to get an idea out. But it bothers me that it probably won't sell. Hmm. Probably the age-old conflict for artists.
This weekend Jason and I went to Missouri to take care of some wedding stuff--tasting cake, tasting wine, checking out the winery and meeting with the minister. And here are the bridesmaid's dresses! From J-Crew. I love them! And I think all the sisters will too. They have pockets. How cool is that?
Whenever we go visit my parents, I take projects. My mom is commonly known as the Craft Fairy because she magically finishes your unfinished projects. I took her a ton of tissue paper flowers that we're using in the centerpieces, and she says she cranked out 16 last night, which is way more than I've ever been able to accomplish in an evening. Only 384 more to go, ma!
And my sister Lauren hired Jason freelance to come up with drawings of the campers living in her hall for the summer camp where she's counseling this summer. I was really amazed when he just sat down and came up will all of these in an hour or so. True genious.
Labels: weddingness, weekend
Monday, May 05, 2008
An art-filled weekend
The weekend started out with a brief foray of Trevor's amazing artwork. Someday I WILL own one of those farm/house giant paintings. I would post it here, but don't want to infringe on his copyright.
Then a glorious sunny Saturday with Shona in the park. We attempted to print, but I gave up actual printing because we were talking too--errr---I mean--the ink was drying too much on the plate. It was such a fun day!
We both ended up with pieces from Susan Smith Clay. I want to be friends with her. Although she probably thinks I'm crazy after seeing the photo Shona took. Her pots are AMAZING.
I also lusted after these wind-mobile metal sculptures. Perhaps I should spend my money on a lawn service that would hack through the jungle of my backyard. Thanks to all of you for the bug-ridding suggestions. My zinnias will be safe!
Then on Sunday we had "art in the backyard" time. This is Jason's masterpiece from the last 2 weekends. Last weekend I was a bad friend/girlfriend/future wife and voiced my opinion too strongly about his plans for this piece. I was trying to help, but not in a very nice way. So after the week passed, he finally told me, and I felt terrible. After the storm blew over, I guess he felt like finishing it, and this is the result. Isn't it INCREDIBLE? I mean, not really my style of pretty colors and flowers, but it's really so Jason and I absolutely love it. You should click on the photo and check out the detail on the drawings and the amazing texture.
Here is what I was working on. Just like my beloved high school art teacher, Barb, says "I always end up painting with my fingers."
This is 36x36, and it's now hanging in the office of a co-worker. I'm calling it my revolving gallery.
It was so great! I felt hungover this morning after such an art filled weekend.
