Grandmama Martha Visit

My mom came to visit for a week the last week in February - we had a FABULOUS time and managed to pack in a lot of fun. Art class; music class; a trip to the new American wing of the Museum of Fine Arts; books, books and more books; learning how to use a spoon - sort of (thanks to Grandmama's patience and persistence); delicious food for adults including a decadent oyster brunch to celebrate my mom's 65th birthday; and a visit to Forest Hills Cemetery to celebrate the beginnings of winter's thaw.

Below are some photos documenting one afternoon of storytime. It is anyone's guess who was having more fun.

Making of an Artist: The Last Installment II

American Idol Tryouts: Take 1


Testing his Stage Presence


Warming up hIs Vocal Chords

Making of an Artist: The Last Installment

This is a series of photos from Maceo's final art class.


From the looks of it, art can be dangerous business.

Visiting with Great Grandma Peggy

Some nice shots with Maceo's Great Grandmother Peggy.

Hanging with Auntie Hana and Uncle Niko

We made a stealth trip to NYC an NJ late last month to visit with family and enjoy a few days off during the school vacation week. Unfortunately, all of us ended up with a nasty cold which somewhat limited our sense of adventure. Nonetheless, we made the best of it and in the end felt it was a trip well worth taking (midnight vomit sessions aside). Below are some photos with beloved Hana and Niko.

Ultimate Comfort Food: Blinner

Last night Craig designed perhaps the most incredible dinner/breakfast fusion meal in history. I can't stop thinking about it. When he brought the plates to the table, he knew he was on to something remarkable because he said, "you can't request this once a week."



It does not have a name (yet), but the ingredients are are follows:

focaccia
black forest bacon (sinfully amazing and makes just about anything - probably cardboard - taste divine)
sauteed swiss chard, mushrooms, and leeks with Urfa pepper
fried egg over medium
tomato
asiago cheese
minced banana peppers

Eat your heart out people. As for his caution about the frequency of my request, I think he's in trouble.

Lazy Mama

"Mom, I've been busy stream-rolling the entire living room and you're just laying on the couch reading books. And you're not even paying attention to baby. Time to get up off you arse and help me out!"

~Maybe by the Spring Maceo will be able to help us rake the leaves and mow the lawn.

The Cozy Cave

Weekends are Exhausting

The Artist Strikes Back II

The Artist Strikes Back

More from the Paint & Play class. Today's highlight was spaghetti noodles drenched in tempera paint for intense sensory stimulation. Maceo was still more interested in painting his body and occasionally a few lost farm animals. Maybe his is not a foodie after all?

Cheeky Monkey

Back in Action

Nothing major to report yet, but I am in the process of making two new quilts. I've been feeling somewhat stalled in the creativity department, so breaking the inertia was awesome. Given the current weather, I figure I should try and use this forced nesting to get something fun and satisfying done versus lamenting all the things I can't do.

I am still essentially designing the quilts as I go versus using a pattern (although I did consult a couple books this afternoon). I'm really trying to use fabrics I have acquired over time...the ones that were just too amazing to pass up but were purchased with no project in mind...hence a massive plastic tub of fabric that is taking up 25% of a storage closet. The downside of this haphazard method is that I never have exactly what I need to complete the project, so I did have to breakdown and place a stealth fabric.com order. More photos to come...

Return of the Naked Dance

Many of you will remember that Maceo had a nightly ritual somewhere between 2-6 months of getting naked before bed and wiggling around on the rug like a maniac. He would wiggle and jerk and pop and lock for just about as long as the music was running and we would let him. Around 6 months the novelty seemed to wear off and we were looking for some pre-bed rituals that were a little less invigorating.

Quite accidentally we discovered that Maceo is still a big fan of pre-bed naked dance. After stripping him down for his bath, he deftly swooped up his newest obsession - bebe - and took off at full speed for the living room. It was as if the cool air on his body operated like a can of Red Bull...he raced up and down the living room thrashing bebe around -- swinging him/her (we have not assigned bebe a gender as of yet) through his legs, above his head, into the tent. It was a full on dance party.

These photos are from Monday. Since then, we have had a little naked dance each night and the scene documented below pretty much repeats itself. However, yesterday and today included a new feature: a big tinkle in the middle of the living room floor. Good thing we couldn't decide on an area rug!





* Looks like all the dancing is developing some pretty awesome glutes!