Wrapping The Week

{Above our kitchen sink.}

Hey friends. Lingering head cold and allergies have left me in a funk most of the week. And the rain. Oh, the rain. We are like fish, trapped in a bowl. More rain this weekend means we'll be getting the garden in late. The tornadoes that have devastated the South (and our own area last week), well let's just say, I'm done with spring. I think most of us are.

Dreaming of summer...things like children eating ice cream, going on a picnic , and enjoying the sun.

And I am so jonesing for these sunglasses. But I would never pay this much. I lose them too often.

Absolutely love these vintage style sandals. Yes, please.

I would like to get a sun hat. This one is cute, but I fear I'd look ridiculous. This cloche is darling though.

Last year, Hilary Hitchcock, a great local photographer, judged a summer vacation photo contest I coordinated at work. I still owe her a pie and a bottle of wine. Her fantastic house was featured on Indiefixx this week.

That is the week...mostly spent daydreaming. I have some writing projects to work on this weekend and a couple of birthdays to celebrate. Tootles.

A Satisfied Mind

Feeling dumpy and blue. Trying to stay positive and keep pushing forward. Telling myself the baby steps matter, progress not perfection. But it is so hard not to feel like time is running out. Sometimes I think I'm really in the throes of a mid life crisis, but that would be so cliche. I refuse to accept that possibility, which may be the absolute surest sign that yes, I am indeed suffering a mid-life crisis. I think this song is marvelous. No matter who sings it, achingly perfect. Sorry for the maudlin post. At least Porter's suits always bring a smile.

Thunderstorms & Neon Signs

I've had enough of the rain already.
But I never can have enough of Wayne the Train Hancock.

Vintage Wigs

Estate sale that had a salon in the store front and home in the back resulted in wig catalog bonanza. What a score!  My favorite is RONA Style No. 180 and I would only date a SEBASTIAN Style No. 599, although the description of the Anthony, makes him quite tempting.

Weekend Bits & Pieces

Not Audrey's first Easter, but the first one where she had any sort of idea about what was going on. She just kept saying Sunday morning, "I'm so excited." And the way this kid loves chocolate is sort of scary. It was a rainy, but wonderful weekend at my parents. She adores her grandma and grandpa and having all that room to play outside. We saw lots of woodpeckers and three deer in the backyard. I never intended for this blog to be so much about her, but she consumes me right now. She is at the sweetest age. Love love love her so much.

Wrapping The Week: Good Friday, Indeed

Last night we had a date night. Steak dinner out followed by old school piano bar. The pianist had a great voice and also played  trumpet and trombone. He later was joined by his wife (percussion) and son (guitar).  It was quite enjoyable and great people watching. 

Spring storms are putting the kibosh on our plans to work on the yard today. So Lindsey and I took the opportunity to enjoy breakfast at a local coffee house (Audrey is at her grandparents) and then headed to the hardware store. Now we are home. The house is so dark, cozy, and quiet--except for the rain pelting the roof.  We will spend the rest of the day puttering around the house, cleaning the office and basement. I have homemade chicken soup for lunch. Tomorrow morning we head out to my parents. I'm so excited to put Audrey's Easter basket together and dye eggs. This is the first year she sort of gets it.

• Cake baked over a camp fire in a hollowed out orange? Yes, please.  
• More scary bunny.
• I'm not opposed to a DIY dollhouse. Industrious! 
• Great rainy day idea.  
• Having a Coke With You would be nice.

Happy (Easter) Weekend my little love bunnies. 

Gardenias

Gardenias...my favorite!

{top to bottom: Billie Holiday, Chanel, Me, Mistral Gardenia Soap, Alfred Eisenstaedt}

Poetry Month

 {Portrait of girl seated at window with book}

I doubt many readers will take the time to check out these poems, but they are all really quite good. In celebration of National Poetry month, I share these:

• Little Stones at My Window
• Starfish and Small Talk
• Tom Waits reading Buckowski's The Laughing Heart.
• Friend Aaron Belz writes magnificent, and often funny poetry. (See The Love Hat Relationship.) His Twitter posts never fail to make me laugh. 
• In a wonderful Caroline Kennedy interview, she talks about her new poetry anthology and shares a family tradition that required she and her brother to select a poem every year for their mother's birthday. Jackie kept all of these handwritten poems in a scrapbook. I think this is a lovely way to inspire a love of poetry and language in children. 

Vintage Photobooth

Column One: My mom and dad back in the day (1964 or 1965?)

Column Two: My first photobooth date with Lindsey (2004)

Column Three: My mom and dad with me on my wedding night (2006)

Column Four: Lindsey and me on our wedding night (2006)

Reflections: Inside/Outside

Inside/Outside photos from our weekend. Saturday was dreary and Lindsey and I had/have colds so we were inside most of the day. Sunday was gorgeous and we went to the park for a picnic and also got in our after dinner walk. The artists Theresa Disney lives in our neighborhood and has a storefront space. She always has new and fun stuff to see.

Wrapping The Week

 {San Fransisco, late 1990s?}

Highlights this week: Audrey told me I was a good cook. She used the word "customer" and I'm not sure where the heck she heard it. She set the table almost entirely by herself. And she said, "Thank you, Annie."  I found this very funny. The crude pie chart below illustrates my nickname situation. I don't know how "Ann" happened. I never think of myself as "Ann".

No big plans this weekend, other than to hopefully hang out with my brother and nephews and work in the yard, which is hideous except for my big fat blooming old fashioned lilac bush which I love almost as much as a new lipstick.

Just a few things from the week: 

• My girl crush on Tina Fey just keeps growing.
• My friend Sarah Frost's exhibit Arsenal, opened at PPOW in Manhattan last night. We saw it when it was in St. Louis at the Contemporary. Really powerful and a must see.
• Beautiful sketchbook by student Alison Jean Worman.
• Drool-worthy textile work by Thomas Campbell. 
• Loving Wearing The Pants.

Happy weekend all. 

Urban Delights

Wednesday night on our after dinner walk, we found 13 morel mushrooms, to our utter delight and surprise! I won't divulge the top secret and unlikely urban location as we will keep checking throughout the coming weeks. Tonight, I lightly sauteed them in butter and they were spectacular. What a treat! Audrey even loved them. Field and Stream has a good Beginner's Guide to Finding and Cooking Morels. If you haven't been lucky enough to enjoy this delicacy, you are really missing something special.

Kin: Celebrate!

Since today is my dad's birthday, I thought I would post more photos of family, first chronicled here. These are all celebrations. I especially appreciate in shot 2, the Last Supper and the deer antler gun rack. Pretty priceless--just like my dad. Happy Birthday!

 

 

 

You Shouldn't Let Poets Lie To You

Oh, Bjork. You are good for a Monday smile.

Wrapping The Week

{flickr}

I love David Hiser's photos for the 1970s DOCUMERICA Project. The idea of taking off in a bus or camper for an extended roadtrip across the country sounds so fantastic to me. Lindsey and I have already talked about trying to do something like this when Audrey is at an appropriate age--when she can appreciate it. For now, I continue to daydream about our trip to Colorado in June. Especially after the week I've had.

This weekend, my parents are having a big weenie roast/campfire/birthday party celebration for all the April birthdays in our family. Both brothes, dad, and husband are Aries, and in fact, we have 14 friends and family birthdays in the first two weeks of April. Whew! I am eager to catch up with cousins I haven't seen since Christmas. And eager for the stories and songs around the fire.

Randomness from the week:

• I think these photos from Katy Grannan are incredible.
• Love this kid's dress. I have got to start sewing again.
• Friend Eric Nichols has a show up at Chesterfield Arts. I had a chance to visit the space this week. His new work is such a departure from his first (ceramic sculpture) show at Mad Art, but I can certainly still see the connection. 
• And friend Jaime Gartelos had an opening in Chicago this week. Love his new work.

Enjoy the weekend my dears.

mama

{Flickr}

Having a bit of a rough parenting week. Feel like I'm not doing anything right. Audrey wants to do so many things independently right now, and some of them are just dangerous. And then her temper flares. I try to remind myself that everyone goes through this (probably...right?) but I feel so helpless. Hanging on.

Happy Birthday Baby!

 

Happy Birthday to mine. He's not as shifty as this photo might lead one to believe. In fact, he's about as marvelous as it gets. We had a wonderful weekend in Chicago with Tracy. (That is her in the reflection below. She's marvy too!) Visited MOCA and Alcala's Western Wear, where I got Lindsey a real cowboy shirt for his birthday. Also got one for Audrey. And for what it is worth, I found a Ricotta Gnocchi recipe online...after tasting the devastatingly delicious version at Gilt. Tonight, grilled steaks, sauteed spinach, blue cheese mashed potatoes, and Sweet Art cupcakes. Celebrate!

Wrapping The Week

{two nests on pink chair}

We flew the coop early Friday morning for Chicago. I'm writing this from Tracy's kitchen with spectacular view of downtown and the river. Had a wonderful lunch with friends in Joliet yesterday on the way down...they are so smart and fun. And last night at Gilt Bar, had the best, most inspired pasta dish I've ever had. It was magical. And to say that about pasta, is sort of something. Ricotta gnocchi with sage brown butter. That was it. But they were the softest little pillows of yum. Not gummy and dense like so much gnocchi. Today, Museum of Contemporary Art and who knows what else?! It is sunny. Hello weekend in Chicago. So nice to meet you.