little bits of awesome: excavation

pancake of the week: drum set

Whole wheat pancake, nutella and sausage

**UPDATED: Don't forget to check pancakeoftheweek.com for more pancake inspiration.**

I can't believe it's taken so long for this request. Avery specified each drum to be included in his kit: rack tom, snare, hi-hat, bass drum, crash symbol, and floor tom. Drum sticks on the snare were included to encourage playing *on* food...well, at least for a minute before eating.

And it took me at least ten attempts to make that wonky lightning bolt – the shape eludes me.

selections from the mid-atlantic quilt festival 2012

Honestly, I just wasn't as excited by the festival this year.

There were some gorgeous pieces, but I was feeling a little sluggish and left the convention center feeling uninspired. But I had a great time spending time with my mom.

I like to imagine how this quilter described this concept to a friend before starting: "I'm going to make a quilt comprised of five humungous Jack Nicholson heads."

It was technically astonishing and the linear quilting was impressive, but don't you think it would have been stronger without the celebrity likeness? It reads as a bit obsessive.

The quilting on the old farm house was spectacular.

This 8 piece series was especially meaningful, combining digital archival imagery with the subjects' clothing, and I hope to do something similar one day.

 

There's my mom and the new basket she scored. It might go missing - just saying. 

Part of the appeal to the attendees are the many vendors selling specialty fabric, yarn and equipment. I was tempted by quite a few fat quarters, but still can't be convinced to use a print in my quilts.

Overall, it was a great festival, but nothing can compare with your first time.

nerds!

News circulating through Pinterest/BloggityBlog Land is that the hot looks in 2012 include ballerina buns, leopard print, and specs. Specs, commonly referred by us who wear them daily, as glasses.

When I read this, my first thoughts were: "hmm...yeah - great timing on that haircut, it's a shame animal print will never enter my wardrobe, and...hey – wait a second. Are gals wearing glasses to accessorize now?" 

'Cause I am so there.

My vision isn't terrible, but if I want to see the expression on someone's face across the room, I need a little help. Since I'm a big fan of clarity, I end up wearing glasses every day – all day. And I hate them.

You didn't know I wear glasses, did you? It's because I yank them off whenever a camera appears.

So imagine my surprise when I read they're the hot new trend. Full of excitement, but also a bit of animosity. You know, beautiful optically abled women are donning glasses to appear more chic now. Can't they just let us Liz Lemons shine in the spotlight for once? We own this trend like our poor depth perception.

But I digress. Since glasses are now more readily available online these days at much lower prices, I made the decision to add a second pair to my wardrobe. Gettin' crazy over here. I could have uploaded my photo and virtually tried them on thru their store's site, but I opted to take a chance and picked them rather blindly (literally).

They arrived last weekend – two weeks after the order date. Coworkers who see me everyday were remarking on how they never noticed I wear glasses until now. Really? It's like the former rectangular frames were just part of my natural boxy facial features.

And ironically, I'm sitting here at my home computer with a raging case of pink eye, feeling like a leper. Super chic.

So since I've decided to start investing in multiple pairs of glasses much like one does with shoes, I want to know if you guys have had experience with any of the online prescription sites, mainly Lookmatic, Bonlook and Warby Parker. Do tell!

pancake of the week: eyeball

(nutella pupil, sausage eyelashes, dollop of rice pudding for highlight)

**UPDATED: Don't forget to check pancakeoftheweek.com for more pancake inspiration.**

An eye with eyelashes as initially requested.

But apparently he changed his mind while I was making the pancake and was expecting a car with eyelashes (thanks to a photo taken by Erin on instagram). He didn't hide his disappointment.

Ugh – this child is spoiled.

news from the zone

Obsessive behavior apparently runs in our family. If you're a longtime reader of this blog, it's no surprise I can get obsessed with particular projects, music, event planning, and motifs. Take one look at my Pinterest boards and it becomes abundantly clear what style interests me at the moment.

In fact, my coworker recently asked me, "when you inevitably tire of triangles, what will you do with all your clothes and home accessories? Start over?"

That was a wake-up call.

Julie, Ami and Suzy can vouch for my current obsession with the YMCA, but I think we can all concur it's a great obsession to have. But Bobby swears if he hears the word "zumba" mentioned one more time, he's going to scream.

Which leads to my offspring's current obsession: WIPEOUT

 

The show, the kinect video game and his own homespun version – it's all he thinks about.

My Christmas gift to Bobby was a huge hit with Avery, and even though we regulate the amount of time he plays/watches daily, the obsession has become too much to tolerate. He once wet his pants because he didn't want to stop the game. Another wake-up call. 

So Bobby took away the video system to encourage more imaginative play and frankly, a little balance. In response, Avery built an elaborate wipeout zone throughout the house composed of blankets, step stools, pillows and a chest of drawers.

At least the kid knows how to use his imagination. And luckily, we live across from a hospital.

Side note: the bed is his "big ball," the chest of drawers serves as his "sucker punch wall," and the blankets represent water.

So that pretty much sums up our winter weekend.

the day of love

Say what you want, despite the commercialism and anxiety surrounding one day in Feburary, it's not a bad thing to make an extra effort to honor your loved ones.

Valentine's Day through the iPhone:

It was Avery's first time celebrating Valentine's Day in school. I thought the other parents would be annoyed with our lollipop gift, but judging by the amount of sugar he brought home in his loot bag, it wasn't a problem. Thank you, Pinterest for the last minute idea (found here).

Red velvet miniature whoopie pies with real cream cheese icing. Delish.

My gift to Bobby: a Bill Cunningham quote that brought us both to tears recently. "He who seeks beauty will find it."

His gift to me: ballroom dance lessons for two. Sorry ladies, he's all mine :)

pancake of the week: my funny valentine

 Whole wheat pancake / strawberries

**UPDATED: Don't forget to check pancakeoftheweek.com for more pancake inspiration.**

Experimented this week by adding raspberry & blackberry jam to the batter to add a natural red color. I separated the batter into three bowls and added jam to two; poured regular batter to create heart shape and filled in the center with the jam batter, but the color didn't show up as I had hoped.

Afterthought: would have been great with a sprinkling of powdered sugar.

the weekend

It was a chilly weekend made warmer with great friends, quiet time and the scent of a newly refinished dining room table. The table belonged to my great-great-grandmother and I've always loved it for sentimental reasons, but was never a fan of its appearance. Now I can safely say I adore it and hope to pass it on to Avery someday.

Bobby took Ave to visit his brother, which is an all-day trip, so it freed up time to paint a little valentine for my love.

discussing art with children

Lazily perusing through our art books is one of Ave's and my favorite activities to do with one another.

A recent fave has been Stefan Sagmeister, but he consistently picks up the Nick Cave book from the coffee table and carefully examines each page. He adores the bright colors, varying textures and the interesting poses the dancer/artist performs to model each Soundsuit.

But the first quarter of the book focuses on a series of assemblages exploring African-American stereotypes in early American mass-produced products, such as lawn jockeys and Aunt Jemima figurines. Cave created structures incorporating the lawn jockeys, surrounding them with knitted medallions, porcelain birds, wooden ships, and other seemingly unrelated materials. Those, in particular, fascinate Avery.

Realizing he doesn't sense the irony or context of the images he's studying, I felt an honest explanation was in order.

But do you try to explain racism and stereotypes to a three year-old who hasn't experienced the cruelty of the outside world?

 When you break it down to simple terms and ignore the artist statements, leaving out the metaphors and scholarly vocabulary, art can be explained and understood on such a primitive level.

Unsure of what to say, I just told him that those objects have been used to hurt people's feelings in the past and the artist makes them into beautiful objects so they lose their power and can only create joy.

"Oooooh," he said nodding with the most serious expression, "yes, they hurt my feelings, too,"

Describing art to a child can be exhilarating, as you are able to notice and appreciate the basic visual characteristics in a piece, undistracted by art's fundamental elements.

When I look at a painting by myself, I tend to survey the concept, technique, color, composition and historical context. When Ave and I look at paintings together, we talk about the subject matter first (if figurative) and the action. It's like seeing again with new eyes.

As we reach the second half of Nick Cave's book, Avery feels the need to reenact the Soundsuit poses.

And changes into an outfit more soundsuitable.

 We're admittedly overly cautious with action/violent movies and imagery, but art is a different matter and opens communication (though we did move the Cremaster book to a high shelf). So, I'm curious...do you guys share mature artwork with your young children?

pancake of the week: a bunny wearing glasses

Blueberry eyes, pink cream cheese icing on nose and ears, and sliced asian pear for whiskers and glasses

**UPDATED: Don't forget to check pancakeoftheweek.com for more pancake inspiration.**

Requested (no joke): A bunny wearing glasses

*heart* is not a verb

A common theme over the past weekend: I found myself proclaiming my love for a number of different things. If I were the typical blogger (and perhaps I'd have more readers), I'd say I "heart" them or they made me "swoon." But who really talks like that?

I'm not ashamed to say I'm absolutely LOVING...

Zumba

We finally made the steep financial commitment to join the YMCA last week and I have a feeling we'll get our money's worth. I attended my first Zumba class last Friday and I am HOOKED. I went again on Saturday and would have yesterday had I not had a prior commitment.  

Each instructor brings their unique style to the class – some are heavy on latin/salsa, some hip-hop, and others Afro-Caribbean. The classes I attended were more Afro-Carribbean, which I loooove and is blanket monster-approved.

I even ordered special Zumba shoes b/c my arches ached in my street Asics and they're bright blue aqua and neon green. Yep, I have officially joined the party.

Madonna & M.I.A. on the Superbowl Halftime

I only heard Madonna was the halftime artist a couple days prior and didn't know the rest of the line-up. Seeing my girl M.I.A. at Madonna's side brought me to tears. Though weren't you guys nervous seeing ol' Madge walk unsteadily down those stairs in her high heeled boots? She needs to invest in some Zumba shoes, too.

I heard someone remark, "it's a shame M.I.A. flipped the middle finger on national TV b/c she'll never have that exposure again. We all know what happened to Janet Jackson."

To that remark, my response is:
A. M.I.A.'s whole image is about bucking the system. Have you ever really listened to her lyrics?
B. Madonna was on her best behavior last night, so someone had to do it.
C. Who cares? Dudes are tackling one another and everyone is getting all hot and bothered about a particular digit. Though admittedly, I wouldn't want Avery to copy her, but I also don't want him tackling down his friends either.

The Friedman Brothers are at it again!

My buddy Matthew and his bro won the Doritos "Crash The Superbowl" contest. Y'all, that's a million dollars. They've been at it for a long time and even made a feature-length film back in 2002, but haven't received the proper exposure until now. It goes to show that you should never give up on your dreams.
 

Two in one

Did you guys see the Gillette spot last night with both Adrien Brody and Gael Garcia Bernal? My heart was aflutter. Big time. And I had no one to share the excitement with except my father-in-law, who I doubt appreciated my enthusiasm. If you missed it, you can view it here.

Cupcakes

I've been wanting to make these heart cupcakes ever since seeing this tutorial on Pinterest.

I substituted red velvet for the chocolate cake and added a drop of red food coloring to cream cheese frosting instead of using cherry frosting as suggested.

A couple tips when making these:
You can use the cut-outs to make little heart shaped sandwiches or use them on top of cupcakes that are looking flat. You have to really put more batter than normal in each cup to make a suitable top for punching out with your cookie cutter.

I am a week early with these treats, but since I can't bring homemade treat to Ave's class anyway, I guess now is a good time as ever.

And since I'm going to be burning all those calories in Zumba anyway...