Friday, February 27, 2009

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Moderate Makeover - Bathroom Edition

This may not be very exciting to you but I am very excited because today I reupholstered a small stool that sits in my bathroom. I had grown tired of the fabric that had covered the seat so I bought a new fabric and set to work. Here is the visual progression:
The old version
The new fabric and tools
The disassembly
The reassembly
The new and improved version
Back in its home

This was a small victory for my bathroom and all for the fabric cost of $6! And I got to use my staple gun. What a day!

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Cupcakes with cupcakes


I had an escape this past weekend. Three friends and I met in Washington, DC for a girls' weekend replete with girls only activities: shopping, wining (not the aural kind), dining, a play, a funky hotel and yes, cupcakes. We spent an entire day milling about the shops in Georgetown when we happened upon Georgetown Cupcakes, a shop entirely dedicated to the handheld treat.



We knew we were on to something by the size of the line to get in the door. The line was continuously 30 people deep all day. Every time we passed by, it was that way. So, what else to do but wait our 45 minutes to see what the fuss was about? We passed the time by taking pictures... , speculating the flavors of the day and hoping there wasn't a bouncer at the front of the line allowing only those deemed worthy to enter the cupcake haven. We hoped we'd make the cut.

As we entered there was no bouncer, only the heady smell of cream cheese icing. Our orders were quickly filled and we were pushed out the door by the 30+ patrons behind us. There were moments, I feared being trampled. But we survived and found a quiet spot to enjoy our cupcakes. The treats were delicious and the icing the best I have ever tasted.

Thanks girls for a truly fun weekend. Let's do it again soon!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

More Pictures

I had a request for more pictures in my blog. So here is a short series of hallowed places.




Monday, February 16, 2009

For Presidents' Day


Washington, DC is a beautiful city. The monuments and memorials remind us of sacrifice, struggle and triumph that we forget in the course of our own human events. Emotions are palpable as you stand before Lincoln or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. In the spirit of President's Day, a wish for all Presidents past, present and future, may integrity prevail.



Friday, February 13, 2009

Sticky Lizard, Where Are You?


There is legend in our family of Sticky Lizard, a rogue reptile that showed up in surprising places. He arrived one Christmas and bounced from one family to the next for a few years. No one outwardly claims responsibility for Sticky Lizard's movements. But he would be found unexpectedly in a suitcase upon arriving home from a holiday visit. Or an unsuspecting sister-in-law would reach into the dark recesses of her purse to feel Sticky Lizard's tacky hide. The shock and awe always left the finder feeling duped and harboring a strong need for revenge.

Sticky Lizard lived a hard life before he came to our family. His history was truly mysterious but his missing limbs and various puncture wounds led our minds to unhappy places. We bandaged him as best we could, not knowing how the duct tape would affect him but hopeful just the same. Sadly, the time came when Sticky Lizard could no longer be helped. Not to be crass, but his innards became more "outtards" and the duct tape was an affront to his dignity. We buried him one December day under the stones and soil of his East Tennessee beginnings, a river rock as his marker.

Few pictures exist of Sticky Lizard but the few do capture his je ne sais quoi, don't you think?



We might be viewed as insensitive to his passing, but nonetheless we replaced him right away. A newer, unblemished version of our fallen Sticky Lizard came to be. This substitute moved between families a few times, but his movements were less frequent than that of his predecessor. Until finally, his travels stopped altogether. Strangely, no pictures exist of Sticky Lizard's replacement. It is fabled that he is in London, but no one knows for sure. Wherever he is, we wish him well and hope to see him yet again. Oh, Sticky Lizard II, where are you?

Wednesday, February 11, 2009

A Little Summer in February






I was very busy today organizing my digital photos. I backed up almost 5 years of photos. It is fun to look at shots that I had nearly forgotten. Here are a few favorites I found today. These should shake off your winter blues. Can't you feel the summer breeze?

Thursday, February 5, 2009

The Passing of the Lore - rated PG


Being mother of two boys and sister to three, I have always been surrounded by all things male. For me as a young girl, boy stuff trumped most girl things easily. I would much rather have been a Cub Scout than a Brownie; the Cubs did much cooler things, even considering the cookies. This attitude was grown from my exposure to the male world: going to Boy Scout Camp basically from birth, hanging around Little League fields for hours on end and the like. (All of these were done under my parents supervision, of course.) I was welcomed at all these male activities but true participation was not ladylike. I did grow out of some of the anti-girl posture but I have never been the girlie-girl.

Now as a mom to these two boys, I am reliving a bit of my childhood over again: being on the fringe of the male world but not quite in the club. I am welcomed at Cub Scout meetings and baseball season is just around the corner for us. All of this I do enjoy. But the deja vu can be surprising.

I stumbled upon the boys recently in a truly male moment, overhearing this from the next room. After their baths, my youngest was trying unsuccessfully to master what his brother and all the Scott and Daley men had mastered before him: the armpit fart. He was giving it a tremendous effort but failing. Big brother, in extreme seriousness, coached little brother, "You must cup your hand, like this." "Make an air pocket between your cupped hand and armpit." "That's it. Keep trying." And then the truly compassionate, "Don't worry. It takes practice. You'll get it." It was a pure moment of male bonding. These instances when the boys are working together on a common goal are infrequent at their tender ages. Beautiful to my mothering ears, despite the subject matter at hand.

But I wanted to rush in and help with the coaching. You may not know this, but I can armpit fart. I was entrenched in this type of behavior as a child. I know this stuff! But to step into that male moment was taboo. Again always on the fringe of the male world. But that is fine. My boys need those moments and I stand pleased as my eldest passes on the Lore to the next.

The Answer is...

All good guesses on the strange little picture from my last post. The answer is water in my new anodised cookware...just moments before a full boil. Thanks for playing!

Tuesday, February 3, 2009

My Strange World

I captured this image recently. I like its lunar quality. What do you think it is? Hmmm?