questions

Hello, readers! (Or those of you that just happened upon this little corner of the web.) What's shakin'?

There's a lot of new stuff here -- new house, new projects, new opportunities, possibly a new look/feel/name/host to this blog, too. Pull up a chair, grab a beverage and help me think through this, will ya?

How many of you would be affected if I change the name of this blog? Would you still be able to find me? Does it matter? 

This blog is currently hosted on Blogger, a Google platform. I'm hearing and seeing all sorts of nifty stuff with Wordpress these days, though. If I go to a new name, should I switch to a new, and possibly more user friendly, platform too?


With the popularity of microblogging sites like Facebook and Instagram and Twitter, do I need a real blog any more? (I obviously haven't been updating this site so we probably have an answer to that question without having to break a sweat.) Should I concentrate on those aforementioned sites and delete this blog? If you had an option to see more of my artwork here, would you visit more often?  Conversely, if I put more effort here and not on the other sites, would that be better?

Suffice it to say, the overall design of this site will be going through some major overhaul. It's going shopping for a new wardrobe, getting some nips and tucks here and there, some dynamic photos will be flying in, and generally adopting some more zing. If I keep it. Because, hey, if I keep it, it definitely needs some updating! 

One more thing, what if I have some art to sell, would you want it here or on Etsy? Would it be worth it to have a link to, say, an Etsy shop, or would you want the ability to purchase some mixed media goodness here?

And that, my friends, is the name of the game these days. Mixed media. Yep. Over the past two years I have grown in to a mixed media artist in addition to my normal professional gig, motherhood, sister, daughter, friend, etc. I want to jump in to the art pool with both feet and fully submerge myself in paint and glue and pens and all sorts of assemblage materials. In my own studio.

There. I put it out in the universe so let's make it happen, shall we?

My own mixed media studio.

Whee! :-)

hello, dolly!

Well hello, Dolly Dalai!

On May 7th His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama spoke at the University of Maryland. The Turkey and I were lucky enough to score fab seats for the occasion.

Fuzzy cell phone image. Proof that I was there. 

Ah! Much better! This was taken by my friend Mike Morgan of www.mikemorganphoto.com 

Click here if you want to see the professional video and the Cute One they call the Dalai Lama. The first part of the video is mostly photos. He starts talking around 37:00. He was funny and endearing, and his message of love and peace and hope for all was truly remarkable. (It sounds easy, doesn't it? That love and peace and hope thing. Funny how it takes a celebrity monk to remind us of that from time to time.)

This was taken after the event. Doesn't he look handsome?!

I've met and worked with and heard a lot of famous folk speak over the years. This Dolly Dalai was probably one of the most inspiring and heartwarming. It was truly a memorable and awesome occasion for us. Go and listen to his speech. Really. Do it. Watch and listen. You won't regret it.

Peace, peeps!

i spy

In a wild twist to life my eyes suddenly gave up on contacts after 30 years of use. Wild indeed! I whined for a couple weeks and then embraced the opportunity to shop for new specs. Two pairs and a few Benjamin's later .... whaddya think? Professional, no?

updatey-doo

I've been thinking a lot about this blog lately. Thinking about deleting it. Thinking about adding to it. Thinking about redesigning it. Thinking about what it means to me. Thinking about why I started it and how it's evolved (or hasn't). Thinking about updating it.

All in all, this blog is here and I've been very neglectful lately. Mea culpa. So before I get to the next step(s), let's take a look back at the last few months.

The nest might be technically "empty" now that the Turkey is away at school, but I've been far from wallowing, lonely, or bored. September started out with the Turkey's birthday (18!) and Cutie Patootie Nephew #2 turning 1. Then I headed for Chicago for a few days for a conference and snapped these pics.

Chiago's "bean" by night.

A view of Chicago from Lake Michigan as the sun was setting.

Art installation outside the Chicago Museum of Modern Art.

A traditional neighborhood fire station in downtown Chi-town.

Chicago was fun and full of learning (not to mention food, camaraderie and great walking tours of the city). I was home just for a a few days before driving over to Delaware for a long weekend that was equal parts work and fun.

Two quick views of where I stayed. Adorable doesn't even begin to describe it! That shed framed the back yard which was peppered with colorful chairs that just made me smile. :)

Pumpkins!

Somewhere in September or October (it's all a little fuzzy now) I started taking Zentangle classes. "ZEN-what?!" you ask. Here's a link to a description of Zentangle. The originators/artists responsible for it can do a much better job of describing it, but here are a couple pictures of my artistic tangles

This is called an explosion box. It opens to reveal many different surfaces for photos, art, zentangle tiles, or whatever you want to include. It was a super fun (and easy!) project. Might need to make more of these soon.

Seeing that the Turkey was now off at school and his old room was [still] a mess, I decided to do something about it. For weeks I scoured websites, design trends, stores, searched for bargains, and finally settled on what the new and improved room was going to look like. I wanted to keep it his but also make it more retreat-like, more suitable for potential guests, more manly. The Turkey knew I was "tinkering" with the room but was surprised when he came home for Thanksgiving.

Before. Plain white walls and a comforter that had been spirited away to campus.

After. An accent wall with a blue/gray tint, new linens, updated accessories, throw pillows (score!), manly window coverings, and streamlined pieces on the walls.

In November I made a trip to New York for a couple days and also spent some time in Philly. Both were work trips but I was able to include some fun and frolic for good measure.

Thanksgiving dawned bright and crisp. We were able to celebrate and dine al fresco with extended family. The food was yummy and the company delightful.

Selfies of me and the Turkey.

About to chow down.

My sister was taking advantage of the late fall sunlight to get some pics of Cutie Patootie Nephew #2.

Christmas was (as always) as very busy time. I realized that I continually let it overtake me. As much as I adore the spirit of the season and all the glittery, sparkly magic, I don't give myself enough time to enjoy those gifts. Thus, I got sick and spent Christmas Day in the bathroom. No joke, peeps! I came down with the infamous Tummy Bug during the wee hours of December 25th and spent the majority of the next 24 hours in the bathroom. Forget presents, forget family, it was all I could do to stay conscious.

I managed to get through Christmas and slowly regained some strength over the next few days. By January 1st I was ready to be human again. Thank goodness I was off work during this couple weeks.

(Um. I'm getting tired of typing, y'all. Are you getting tired of hearing all this yet?)

So January was a whirlwind. Crafted. Worked. The Turkey took a Jan term class. Trekked to Philly for Clover Market with friends. Helped Mom get ready for some coming renos. Slept. Ate well. (Too well?)

While in Philly for Clover Market we stopped for some real-for-real cheesesteak wit whiz AND ate outside in the balmy 30 degree temps (*cough!*) then headed to Sixth Street to walk around a bit. We stopped at Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. It's a rowhouse built wholly with mosaics. There are a couple pics above but it doesn't photograph super well with a phone camera. It's utterly wild! If you're ever on Sixth Street stop in and take a peek. (And plan to have a better camera with you. It's worth it.)


In February I spent a few days in Florida on my annual whirlwind trip. The weather was gorgeous!

"Sea pests." LOL

Sunset on the Gulf of Mexico.

Can't beat the sunshine!

Boca Raton

Clouds over the Atlantic.

I flew home just as the upper East Coast was bracing for a storm. Because of this, many travelers had changed their flights/plans and the flight home was practically empty. Haven't seen that in years!

Today is the first day of spring break. The Turkey is home for the first few days and is looking forward to sleeping a lot and eating some home cooked meals. He seems to be off to a good start -- it's just a few minutes before noon and he's still asleep! I will be bursting his bubble soon and getting him up and ready to face the day. We're going out for some big shopping today: both of us need new glasses and I'm also on the prowl for new living room furniture. Fun stuff, eh?! :-)

So now that you're caught up on my travels and activities from the past few months I will bid adieu for a little bit. I'll be back again soon with more updates and more news on the plans for the foreseeable future. Pinky promise!

nuts

Saw this on the side of a grocery delivery truck this morning:

 

"Driver does not carry cash. 

only cashews" 

*giggle* 

cheers!

"Mom, did you know warm beer tastes like carbonated piss?" 

It only took three days before he was trying beer. Aww. I'm so proud. 

???

moving day!

Everything fit in the car...

 

...including the Turkey (even though it looks like he was going to be strapped to the roof or something, he rode shotgun the entire way)! 

We were both giddy Saturday morning when the Moment arrived and we were on our way to campus. The Turkey was teasing me that I would cry like I did at his graduation and we were laughing a lot. (For the record, I didn't cry at graduation. Nope. It was more like a hurricane of tears. I had dry skin on my cheeks for a week!) We chatted the entire way to campus. 

Once there we efficiently got the car unpacked and everything in his room, hooked up his cable TV, put clothes in the closet, and then headed up to the bookstore to pick up his books. We made a couple of other stops throughout the morning and then got cold beverages, did "cheers" with 32 oz. soft drinks from Royal Farms, and I left. It was easy. It was probably easy because I had to go back the next day with a few more items (book shelf, bike, light bulbs, etc.) so it wasn't like I was leaving him in Kalamazoo by himself or anything. 

Not that there's anything wrong with Kalamazoo! 

But I saw him again on Sunday and we did a few more things, and once again I left without crying. It's been 48 hours now since I left him on campus for the first time and still no tears. I keep hearing of other parents who drop off their kids at school and cry buckets for days. Not me. Am I really that odd?  Dunno, but I'm heading out for happy hour with my peeps so I'll catch ya later, gators! :-) 

tomorrow

To the tune of "Tomorrow" from Annie:

The sun'll come out 

Tomorrow 

Bet your bottom tuition dollar 

That tomorrow 

There'll be sun! 

Just thinkin' about
Tomorrow
Clear away the boxes
And the laundry

'Til there's none!

Tomorrow! Tomorrow!
I love ya Tomorrow!
You're always
A day

A-way!

Tomorrow's our big day -- MOVING DAY! The Turkey is busily packing and organizing. I help from time to time (more like giving direction) and then I quietly exit and leave him to his stuff for a while. I usually come back with folded laundry or a cold beverage so he'll think I'm the coolest mom ever. Evah!

Tomorrow at this time I will be in this house by myself. Unless he wants me to take him out to dinner or something. ;-)

in five days

The turkey flies the coop in five days. 

In five days my only turkey will be moving in to his apartment on campus.

I will have an empty nest in five days.

Five days, y'all! FIVE. Count 'em -- one, two, three, four, five!

That's right -- this coop will be devoid of daily teenage messifying in a scant five days. (Messifying? Is that a word? Yoobetcha! In bloggerland "messifying" is definitely a word!) We are busy with packing and organizing and figuring out what gets moved and what doesn't, last-minute discussions on subjects like monthly budgets and how to plan meals for the week, debates on whether or not we pack things like toilet paper and cleaning supplies or buy them there, and the all-important discussion of just how to pack everything so as to allow for the most efficient move-in process.

Exciting, eh?

Five days.

I'll be living solo again ... in five days.

The turkey will start on a grand adventure ... in five days.

It's going to be a blast watching him become an independent adult.

The adventure begins in five days! 

ceramic goodies

I know I've been absent for a while. I know you are unaware of my persistent thoughts about coming back to the blog this fall. (For reals, y'all!) I know you might have missed me. And I know I've been MIA way too long. But now I'm Back!

What's that song? "but now I'm back ... from outer space ... and you...." la la la la la.  (I just looked it up. Donna Summer. I will survive. Truly.)

Anywho. In my summer travels this year I once again searched high and low for interesting and unique coffee mugs. They weren't especially prominent in the various locales where I visited but then I ran across this on Pinterest:

http://pinterest.com/maxamara/beautiful-pottery/

Ohmygoodnessgracious. There are some gorgeous pieces in this mix. Let me know your favorites.

And let me know if you find any places with unique and interesting hand crafted mugs!

senioritis

We had the Turkey's senior pictures done earlier this month. The prints came back a couple weeks later and were overexposed. So we took 'em back and did a quick redeux. Here's what we had to choose from: 

Check out the laughter in the smallest picture on the right. Hee hee! And the sepia tone on the right we called the "Lincoln pose." 

But the one we chose to have printed was ... 

Drum roll, please. 

dumdumdumdumdumdumdududududumdumddadaumdadumdadumdadumdadum

Ta da! 

That's my Turkey!

My SENIOR Turkey. ;-)

qr goodness

 

Be impressed?

Be very impressed! :-)

the littlest burrito

Call him a little burrito. Or maybe an empanada. 

Either way he's delectably cute and yummy. 

Yummy for snuggles ... 

and that's what I finally got to do with the cutest new nephew in the family!

*happy dances!*

(Sorry for the quirky angle on this one.)

(I was trying to get those fists and feet in the photo and got a little crazy.)  

(And it was also the cell phone camera in low light which doesn't help.) 

(But you get the idea, right?)

Meet Mateo! You saw his cute toes a few posts ago. 

He slept through most of his first real introduction to me, 

Crazy Aunt Jess, 

but he did stretch and yawn and every once in a while. 

Until next time, little Mateo!

nom nom nola

I wanted to get to this cute little restaurant in NOLA last week but their hours didn't mesh with my availability. A few conference folks found their way there and said it was great, although none mentioned a bacon sundae. Check it out: 

Our “Notorious” Bacon Sundae
Pecan praline ice cream with a creamy bacon caramel sauce 
carrying a bit of both Pink Himalayan & Black Lava Salts, 
& micro-planed Nueske’s Applewood Bacon, 
layered with whipped cream, of course! $8

Forget the bread pudding with warm rum sauce and get me a bacon sundae pronto!

Oh wow. Click here, download the menus and prepare to be amazed. There are so many creative combinations and taste sensations just waiting to explode on the palate.

Green Goddess is definitely going on The List for the next visit to Nawlins. :-)

nawlins

Nawlins. New Orleans. NOLA. It's all the same thing - one crazy city with 24/7 liquor and lots of music!

It's also the place where I spent the majority of the week.

I was there for a conference. 

Honest and fer real!
(Come on, peeps! My mom reads this blog. It was a conference. Truly!)

The hotel was at the corner of Bourbon and Canal Streets in the French Quarter. 

These dudes were on the corner of Bourbon Street every afternoon by 4pm and sometimes stayed until after midnight. I couldn't see them from my hotel window, but boy could we hear them! They were very loud in tune rockin' jazzy obnoxiously fun exuberant, not to mention a little yeast-like in the fact the group would suddenly expand its members and instruments for no apparent reason.  

I should have turned around and gotten a picture of the crowd.
They were a hoot, too. 

But I did get a picture of this: 

That's a cat sleeping in the gallery window. 

The print behind him was one of my favorites in the Royal Street galleries.

Other French Quarter sights: 

Thanks for throwing the beads my way, peeps on the orange and pink float!

I escaped the French Quarter late one afternoon and took the streetcar 

down (up? over?) to Tulane. 

Even the Tulane trees had beads hanging in them! 

I call these the "beaded trees." 

There are lots of them along the "street side" of St. Charles Street.

And really, what trip to NOLA would be complete 

without a stop at Cafe Du Monde for beignets?

Mmmm! I can still taste the sugar... 

Before catching a cab to the airport for the trip home we wandered up to Antoine's for lunch. 

Who could resist the $0.25 martinis? 

Not us! They were seriously yummy. 

(That's my melon martini above.) 

At first we thought it would be a tiny taste, a sip of a martini. 

When the beverages came to the table we were pleasantly surprised. 

And $0.75 later we were quite fuzzy! 

 VERY fuzzy! Hee hee! 

Earlier in the week we had dinner at NOLA, one of Emeril's restaurants. 

It was so super yummy that I forgot to whip out the cell phone 

and snap photos of our delectable meal. 

Trust me when I say it was good, though.

Go! Get thee to Nola's!

Preservation Hall was also one of our stops. 

We had a great time listening to the St. Peter Street Playboys 

(you can find them on iTunes) (I think)

and then wandering back down Royal Street 

and peeking in gallery and antique shop windows. 

But not before picking up one of these: 

Bread pudding with a warm rum sauce that tasted like a kicked-up maple syrup. 

Swoon! 

(Notice that I didn't pick up alcohol, but a dessert?!) 

Did I see Jackson Square? Yes, but not in the daylight. 

Did I get out of the French Quarter? Yes, but not for long. 

Did I get drunk? Wellllllllll ... does tipsy count? 

Was it a fun trip? YOU BETCHA! 

But I learned a lot at the conference, too. *wink*