Ant

I don't think I could draw a more beautiful ant if I tried. Go, Audrey, Go! (3-1/2)

Daddy, What If?

First video is Bobby Bare Jr. with his daughter Isabella. Second video is Bobby Bare Jr. as a child singing the same song with his father. Lyrics by Shel Silverstein. Sweet. Cool.

Nick Cave Sound Suits

Last weekend, I got to see this amazing Nick Cave Sound Suit at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. The videos really help show the magic.

Weekend Bits & Pieces

Highlights from the weekend in Chicago. The Mark Bradford exhibit at the Museum of Contemporary Art blew me away. The view and late night talks from Tracy's balcony. Crazy Katy. (I love my friends.) Coming home to my beauties.

Girl's Weekend

Headed to Chicago for a girl's weekend. Sort of last minute. Excited. See you on the flip side.

Beet Cake

This is a beautiful video/recipe. I know it has been blogged a lot already, but it is so gorgeous. I'm going to have to try it. I can't believe it took me so long to come around to beets.


beet cake from tiger in a jar on Vimeo.

Potatoes

I've been involved in two potato-themed group art shows--one in St. Louis and one in Las Vegas. Both were collaborative affairs that explored concepts of community, work, fun, and of course, the potato. In Vegas, I wandered the gallery and the surrounding streets sneaking tiny new potatoes in the pockets and hoods of unsuspecting passersby. That is me, above, evangelizing the spud in 2005. So how did I miss this marvelous abstract art / potato print tutorial on Oh Happy Day?

Potato Art

• More potato art by UK artist Julia Burns. 
• Great kitchen blinds printed with potatoes.
• Lotta Jansdotter potato printing video.
• And the inspiration for it all.

Potato Recipes

• Yukon Gold and Sweet Potato Gratin
• Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties
• Lemon Drizzle Cake (I haven't tried this yet because of the UK measurements-but I'm dying to.)

Weekend Bits & Pieces

This weekend:

• Half a bushel of peaches turned into a peach/blackberry cobbler and three bags of pie filling for the freezer.
• Audrey was the only girl at her friend Tommy's third birthday party. She had her first water gun experience and showed the boys who's boss.
• Katy stopped by with a beautiful bouquet.
• Took a three hour nap on Sunday. Kind of pathetic and kind of wondrous.
• Audrey said she wanted to be a butterfly when she grows up. (Hey, who doesn't?) Also, upon sampling the peaches, she exclaimed, "mmm, tastes like a rainbow." Really..she just catapulted herserlf off the cuteness charts with that one. I expect her to sprout wings and start pooping glitter any day now.

Wrapping The Week

We celebrated my nephew Sam's 12th birthday this week. Here we are partying like it's 1999 because, well it was. I was a giddy aunt and still am. I can't believe how much he has changed in the last six months, yet he remains sensitive and sweet. He and his brother are incredible boys and Audrey adores them. We all got to spend Thursday at the lake swimming with a few of my cousins and their kids and my aunts...it was the perfect summer day. The water was just the right temperature and I got to kick back in an inner tube and enjoy the sun and catch up with my cousins. Delightful. I hope we can squeeze in a few more days like those before September. I am a lucky lady on so many fronts.

I don't have a lot this week, but here are a few bits. 

This Adventure Playground in Berkley is my kind of fun. 

Cute little designer temporary tattoos.

How divine is this photo? (I have swimming on the brain.)

This is a great way to make broken bones more bearable.

I loved making friendship bracelets as a kid. Get back to it. 

I made three personal size blueberry crisps for us this week. Yum.  

Summer Love to all.

Easy Going

{Flickr}

Since vacation, I've really felt more centered...more balanced. I am not spending nearly as much time online. Last night I went to bed by 8:00 and read the entire New Yorker. I have been tumblring a bit more and thoroughly enjoying the How do you juggle it all? series on Cup of Jo this week. And I have some fun play dates planned for Audrey and myself in the coming days/weeks. Easy going. Easy going.

Weekend Bits & Pieces

The last week and this weekend has been filled with family affairs and visits with old friends. Saturday we celebrated the 4th of July at my cousin's annual fireworks display in the country. He dubbed this year's event as "Judgement Day" - a full 90 minutes of boom booms more impressive than any public/community display I've ever seen. These pictures are all about summer.

Wrapping The Week

Well, I returned to work these week after twenty glorious days of vacation. It wasn't as brutal as I expected. My dear college friend Rebecca, visited from the Bay area this week. Lots of late night talks and an amazing visit to CityGarden. I wish we got to see each other more often and am already daydreaming of a future trip to the California coast with Audrey. Made my first batch of pesto with basil from the garden. Audrey has been eating the cherry tomatoes as quickly as they ripen. Dinner guests on Wednesday and Thursday. We head to the country tomorrow morning...a wedding shower/brunch followed by my family's 4th of July celebration, which gets bigger every year. Insane, in fact. I love summer. I do. I do.

Treats from the week:

I love John and Tennuh Foster. What treasures.

My nephews love peanut butter brownies - an easy go-to dessert in the summer. And I want to try this watermelon salad.

I loved this post from Cup of Jo on Children of the Russian Rich. Sort of reminded me of these Chinese factory worker photos.

I'm loving an awful lot at General Store, especially these blocks. 

This hydrangea table is over the top crazy beautiful.

Jewelry designer Maria Calderara's Italian farmhouse...dreamy. Here's a video too.

Peace. Love. Understanding. 

Treasures

Audrey is a collector. Already. (Big sigh.) Considering the amount of books and kitsch we have in this house, it really is no small wonder. She has three cigar boxes and two stationery boxes full of leaves, rocks, flowers, feathers, shells, and ephemera. Today, we emptied one of those tall tissue boxes and decided to fill it with her booty (see above). She insisted on at least four rounds of taking turns emptying out the box. "Close your eyes...no peeking...your turn." I had to act surprised by what I pulled out of the box, she acted surprised after her turn. This reminded me that I had hidden in the pantry a fabric bag full of little boxes and containers filled with finger puppets, little toy wooden fruits, jingle bells, and other odds and ends. We hadn't played with it in at least four months or more.  She was elated, almost more than any new toy she's received. So then we had to repeatedly play the same game of emptying out the bag...and then if I got a box...pretend to be surprised by what was inside the box...oh, a wooden strawberry...nom nom nom. What exciting treasures! I wish I could muster this kind of excitement in my everyday life. Growing up sucks.

This Charming Girl

Rebecca is coming this week! Bring on The Smiths!

Wrapping The Week

We have been home all week together, catching up on errands and taking Audrey to the park a lot. She really enjoyed Laumeier Sculpture Park, where she got inside one of the exhibits (above). She is with grandparents tonight and we have a date night. We wanted to do French food followed by Woody Allen's Midnight in Paris, but we waited too long to get reservations. So we are going to one of our favorites, Acero, only a couple of miles from the house. And on the horizon, a visit from Tracy and next week, Rebecca. Girlfriends!

I went to a craft night this week and two of the women were scientists. One studies birds, and the other is a plant biologist. I don't usually run in scientific circles, so it was really interesting to meet them. They were sweet, fun, creative, and 10-13 years younger than me. Sometimes I find myself assuming Audrey will take a creative path, but I need to remember to nourish all of her interests (and nourish more of mine). She loves being outdoors and collecting treasures (rocks, leaves, feathers) and is really interested in bugs and animals.

I have not been surfing or keeping up with my usual blogs this week, so I don't have much to share. But this is amazing and makes me happy times twenty.