Torchwood, "M" and Noodle Bowl Supper

Torchwood

     I have discovered "Torchwood." It is a sci-fi British television show that is currently available on Netflix. At first I thought it was a little cheesy and risque (hope that is the correct word here), but it got better and I admit, I am hooked. There is a new Torchwood series starting in a few days and if I am lucky, I will get to watch it on Netflix, otherwise, I'll just have to wait till it eventually becomes available. Netflix keeps telling me that based on my current likes, I should like "Dr. Who," but I don't know. I tried to watch one of those episodes a while ago and it seemed extremely campy, which I don't usually love. I may have to give it another shot though, since one of my favorite tv personalities, Craig Ferguson, loves it. I'll get back to you all on this.

ATC "M"

     As part of my new commitment to creating art everyday, I did make a new ATC very early this morning, during a particularly intense period of insomnia (no sleep till 5 a.m.). It is a little tribute to the letter "M," my first initial and all of "Mmmm," which is usually connected to food, but not always. I uploaded the image to Facebook and it is taking forever to show up, so I may end up publishing this post and adding the ATC image later tonight. I don't know why I think that creating an ATC will only take me a half hour or so, when it always takes me at least 3 or more hours to create one. I can only attribute it to my horrible sense of time, it is legendary, just ask my husband.  

Cashew Ginger Chicken Noodle Bowl

     I did get bonus points for cooking today though. I uploaded this image first and it showed up right away. It is a noodle bowl. Cashew Ginger Chicken udon noodles. I made it up. It has tempura shrimp, baby bok choy, carrots, snow peas (from our garden!), and gingered chicken. All covered with a cashew, ginger, garlic sauce. I feel so happy when I get to have a noodle bowl. I love all the little treasures and mix of flavors and textures, all in one bowl. Basically, happiness in a bowl. Tomorrow I work at the Cherry Festival, but I am hoping to make some gnocchi, we'll see if I can get to it. If not, I'll make it on Thursday night. \
     Tomorrow is Fab Find Wednesday, and I have pics of my estate sale and garage sale finds to share, along with some art...stop by and visit if you get a chance.
  

4th of July Holiday Pledge Do-Over

Vintage 4th of July Postcard

     Okay, okay, okay...I have not posted a piece of art everyday, and even worse, I haven't made a piece of art everyday, as pledged, how lame is that? But I have to say, in my defense, being out of town without my art supplies made it quite the handicap. But isn't that just a sorry excuse on my part? Yeah...I think so. Apparently, I had not thought all this through very well, eh? I see that I am going to have to create a small and portable art kit for the car and travel if I am serious about this pledge. I love to work with my artist crayons, but they stand a good chance of melting in the summer heat, so they are out (plus they cost a fortune!) Little tubes of water colors, with those tiny caps, can easily come open and make a mess, so they are out too (also not cheap.) I need something simple and easy to transport. I think a small pad of drawing paper, pencils and sharpener might be what I need. No melting or messiness. If I include watercolor pencils and a couple brushes, it will be even more versatile. I can make a cool little carrying case to keep everything tidy and portable. Seems like I have resolved the art supply issue, right? So what else could keep me from making art everyday?
     Well, when I moved "making art" into those upper echelons of my priorities, I failed to take into account that there were already other priorities, quite well established ones, already holding court there, some that might be in direct conflict with "making art," at certain times. And that's exactly what happened. The 4th of July holiday weekend festivities included uncomfortable travel (94+ degree heat and no A/C in our car for four hours) and visiting with relatives we haven't seen in ages. How do you "make art" when you are so uncomfortable you don't feel the least bit artistic? Or when you are visiting with relatives, having a great time, how do you "make art" without being rude or separating yourself from all the fun? I didn't felt like I could excuse myself from any conversations and truthfully, I didn't want to. I had a lovely time and was sorry when we had to say goodbye to everyone. I didn't realize that my commitment to creating art everyday would require working in uncomfortable circumstances or sacrificing important things I love, not just the silly telly and Facebook time. Obviously, I really, REALLY did not think it all through. So how do I make this commitment, this pledge to create art everyday when some days I won't be able to or even want to do it?
    I have come to the realization that I am looking at this all wrong. I DO have to put it on top of my priority list, at least for a certain period of time. And during that time, despite difficult circumstances, fun or otherwise, I will have to find a way to create art, even if it is just a simple line drawing or an interesting photo taken with my cell phone. If anything, more challenging situations should force me to be even more creative in my efforts to create. Now that I've taken the time to think this through, I'm giving myself another chance, I hope you will too. I can already hear Tim Gunn's voice in my head saying, "Make it work."
    I feel really good about this. I pledge to create a piece of art everyday, take two!

Everyday Art: Day 2

i love summer

     Alright, day two and I'm getting the art for today in just under the wire I think, at least for my time zone. It is an ATC, "i love summer." We have had some glorious days and I wanted to commemorate them with an artful keepsake. So much sunshine, I wish we had it all year. I will probably continue to add to this piece, I can't seem to stop messing around with collage based art. The details: created with CARAN d'ACHE  Neocolor II Watersoluble artist crayons (I am sooo addicted to these, wish I owned every single color!), Sharpie markers, PITT markers, gel pens, a transparent bingo marker and a rhinestone. Also scraps of magazine pages for the edges. It measures the same size as a playing card, which is the typical ATC size. It did take some time to create, so I realize that I will have to create other pieces of quicker art some days. Wheels are spinning...

Fresh Veggie Pizza

     I also made a wonderful fresh veggie pizza for dinner, and it was very creative, so it is my bonus "art" today. I love the ones that are always made at the Pampered Chef home parties, which I have not been to or even been  invited to in years. I decided to make up my own recipe, but it started the same as the ones I've had at the parties, with refrigerated crescent roll dough, unrolled, but kept as a sheet and baked. I added an herb cream cheese and sour cream topping, followed by lots of fresh veggies. It satisfied a huge veggie craving and I didn't feel too guilty since the topping was made with 1/3 less fat cream cheese. Tomorrow I know I'll be making enchiladas and Spanish rice, but have no idea what other art I'll be creating, wish me luck!
   One last thing, I read a wonderful book yesterday, "City of Thieves," and it was incredible! A great summer read if you are looking for something exciting, fun, and sad with great historical content. I couldn't put it down and stayed up late just to finish it. There are a few "difficult" parts, but necessary to the story. I can't say enough good things about this book, but I don't want to give anything away. I can't wait to pass it around to family and friends, 5 out of 5 stars!

A New Pledge: Create at least one piece of art everyday

art Everyday!

     So here I am, heading towards the middle of the summer and I have hardly created any art, outside of artful food! I admit, I have spent many hours on Facebook and Netflix, but in my defense, I had a lot of catching up to do. But as the summer is coming into full swing, I am feeling the loss of art-making time. Sooo...I have decided that I need to prioritize and move "creating art" to the upper echelons, where it belongs! I have also decided that any medium is allowed here, including food, but only in a pinch, or as a bonus. My goal is to take a photo of each piece of work and post it here. I am hoping that this declaration on my blog, for all the world to see, will further cement my personal commitment to creating art everyday. (But I really don't need that, do I?)
    I will have to sacrifice some other, not-as-important things, like facebook time and TV time, but I'm ready to do that. My first piece today is the "art Everyday!" image above. Created with Photoshop CS4 using

gradients, filters and brushes. And, I did make strawberry freezer jam today, which is a form of foodie art to me. If I get my new projects done soon, I can add them to the day they are completed, or is that cheating? Anyway, I feel like I might be on a roll here...

Wednesday Fab Finds

Franco Farms Berries

     Welcome to the first Wednesday Fab Finds! Wednesday posts will be about anything I find during the week that I think is fabulous in some way, shape or form. I love to go to flea markets, estate sales, garage/yard sales, thrift stores and resale shops. I also love to take back roads and try new restaurants. And I have a thing for books, novels, historical, sci-fi/fantasy and culinary. Anyway, I feel like I am finding wonderful things all the time and want to share my treasures with you.
Starting with today, we found a new place to pick strawberries not too far from home. We normally love to pick at Gunzvillers in Elk Rapids, but that is a 45 minute drive. We took a risk and went to "Franco's," which is about 5 miles out of Traverse City heading south on US 31. Great berries, beautiful flavor and sweet! Check out the Taste the Local Difference website for places in MI to pick.

Perseus Jackson "PJ" our new Lion Head bunny

     The next find is our new Lion Head bunny, Perseus Jackson, or PJ for short. We found him at the Pet Supplies Plus store thanks to a family we met at the TC Balloon Classic two weeks ago. They brought their Lion Head bunny to the open space and we just happened to sit down behind them. We fell in love with their little bunny, so fluffy and social. Also, weighed less than 2.5 lbs, the size of bunny we have been looking for. Anyway, we are all madly in love with our new pet!
     Find numero tres (3) is something I found at Cali's, a local shop in downtown TC. "Haikubes," a box of dice that have words on each side that you use to create haikus. I love these, they are so cool!!! Now I just have to find a

Haikubes

really sweet transparent container to keep them in and also on display in the living room so anyone can just dump them out, have some fun and easily put them away.
And just so you know, I paid $25 for my set, should have known I could find a better deal online! At least I did support a locally owned business that I am very fond of, that is a good thing.

Tri Oreshki Dlya Zollushki

     My last find this week is a movie on YouTube, "Tri Oreshki Dlya Zollushki," or "Three Nuts for Cinderella," or "Three Gifts for Cinderella." I saw this movie on a PBS station, I think, a long, long time ago, and loved it. I finally found it on YouTube and enjoyed it all over again with my daughter. It is a Czech film that I think was very well done for the time it was produced, over 30 years ago at least. Click here to watch the six part film.
     Hope you are finding wonderful treasures of your own like a perfect peach, an old photo or a new china cup and saucer for your collection!

Let the Summer Projects Begin!!!

Mexican Folk Dress

      So here is the first project, turning the pictured yellow Mexican folk dress into a more modern tunic for my daughter. I just saw the how-to for this on one of the blogs I love, The Crafty Chica, and lo and behold, yesterday, my daughter and I spot the exact type of dress needed for this project in a thrift shop for five bucks! How can you not try it for that? I have cut the bottom off and pinned it, but have to hem the side slits and bottom hem yet. My daughter also wants pleated panels set into the side slits to avoid any muffin top type of event or showing. I think that should be easy enough with the fabric I cut off. At least right now I think it will be easy enough, I'll get back to y'all on that. When finished, it should look like the black tunic here.
     Next up is this t-shirt I want to refashion into a more flattering and feminine style. I saw what Rice Zachery Freeman did with a shirt (among other amazingly cool clothing reconstructions and embellishments) and decided to give it a try. I am always trying to find cool t-shirts in a price range I can afford, but rarely do those two things coincide. I can count on one hand, not even using all the fingers, how many times I have found such a thing. This is a heavy cotton t-shirt by Liz and Jane, dyed a
cool shade of periwinkle blue, which you cannot tell in the first shot because I took the photo in the evening with florescent type lighting. But the second photo is almost

T-shirt pre-refashion

right on in color. You can see the cuts I've made and some of my initial pinning. I want to add a raw edge trim, such as silk or that soft netting I've seen on some expensive t-shirts, but don't know what to call it. I hope to get to the fabric store tomorrow or the day after to choose something for the edges. My goal is to make it look more feminine with a more fitted shape and to add a raw edge trim for contrast and fun. I am really excited about both of these projects because I think I can finish them and actually achieve what I envision! I will post the finished pieces as soon as I'm done. I am even considering adding a hand beaded edge as another layer over the raw edge trim, but we'll see how it goes. If I plan on doing too much, I know I will overwhelm myself and then it will sit and nothing will happen, and I so want to complete these projects, among other thing, by

T-shirt, progress report

next week at the latest so I can start something else I have been thinking about.
     On to some foodie porn with a picture of the S'mores cake I made yesterday for my family. I use a bag of mini marshmallows instead of the topping the recipe calls for, which is marshmallow creme and chocolate chips, swirled. After the cake is done, I pour the mini marshmallows on top and put the cake back into the oven, second rack from the top, and turn on the broiler to toast the marshmallows. Doesn't take long, but I keep the door open and pull the rack out periodically to rotate or shift the pan so the marshmallows toast evenly and don't catch on fire! You cannot take your eyes off the cake while the marshmallows are toasting, and you have to pull the oven rack out to rotate the pan so you don't burn your hand under the broiler. Anyway, the cake disappeared in less than 24 hours, and I did not eat it alone! But since it is now gone, I think I am going to move on to eclairs. I watched "Simply Irresistible" last night and every time I do, I get this insane urge to make those caramel eclairs that Sarah Michelle Geller makes in the movie. I have all the ingredients and the S'more cake is toast, so I have my fingers crossed that sometime tomorrow, I will be posting photos of the eclairs!
     Finally, my new "Paletas" recipe book arrived today, and it looks like it is going to be a lot of fun to play with this summer. The recipes include Cantaloupe, Lime

S'mores Cake with toasted marshmallow top!

Pie (think Key lime pie), Avocado, Apricot-Chamomile, Sour Cream-Cherry and Tequilla, Roasted Banana, Passion Fruit Cream, Mexican Chocolate and oh so many more. I'll post pics of those too as we try them out. For those of you who are not familiar with paletas, they are just like ultra fruity or flavorful popsicles, usually with less sugar. They come in a wide variety of flavors, many regional. I can get them at TC Latino Grocery here in Traverse City, but they sell them from carts in the more

metropolitan areas of the country. The rice pudding paletas are my very favorite so far, but I've only had five different flavors. It is creamy, refreshing and so satisfying, I hope to make those within the next week or two. Anyway, paletas are amazing, you'll never want a regular popsicle again after you have a paleta. Well, at least that is how I feel.
     Tomorrow I am introducing "Wednesday Fab Finds." A weekly to bi-weekly post about my latest treasures from estate sales, garage/yard sales, thrift stores and resale shops. Lots of goodies for tomorrow!

Trattoria Stella, restaurant heaven!

Trattoria Stella

     Wednesday was my dear friend Julie's birthday, and to celebrate, we went to dinner last night at one of my very favorite restaurants on the planet, Trattoria Stella here in Traverse City. The restaurant is within the refurbished Building 50, originally the largest building on the Traverse City State Hospital (an asylum) grounds, way back when. The hospital was actually a self sustaining mental institution. There are several large barns and other smaller buildings on the property, some already converted to new uses and others still awaiting rebirth. There was a serious effort by the Traverse City community to save these buildings a while back. They were supposed to be demolished, but the architecture and bones of the buildings were still sound and some people with vision and resources committed to restoring and bringing these buildings back to life. Building 50, with it's 388,000 square ft of space is the largest structure on the commons, or more formally, "The Village at Grand Traverse Commons." I have walked around the exterior perimeter of this building, it takes about 20 minutes. I have also been up in one of those cool towers, what a view! But back to my culinary adventure at Stella...

Pig Brain Tortellini

     We ordered drinks first and then appetizers to share, an amazing start to the evening. I had a wonderful Pinot Noir, "A Capella," from Black Star Farms, a local winery, but only two glasses, so I would remember our dinner very well and still drive myself home. I am just going to list what we had with bullets for the sake of clarity and explain here and there and sprinkle the photos around too. Some are a bit blurry, but it is hard to take a good photo with my sorry cell phone in dim light, but I tried anyway. Let me start with our appetizers...

Cornmeal Battered Asparagus

• Cornmeal battered and fried asparagus with lemon crema and basil pesto (OMG, orgasmic!)
• Hard-seared foie gras with lemon-dressed arugula and five hour sauce (Swoon worthy!)
• Pig brain tortellini with some incredible sauce I cannot name because it was a special (you just can't be squeamish about these kind of things, otherwise you miss out on the most amazing dishes, I loved it!)

Foie Gras!

      After those delightful appetizers, we continued to peruse the menu, trying to decide what to order next, between conversation, gift opening  and laughter. We picked two different salads. I ordered one of my favorites, the cold beet salad. Every time I have this, I tell myself that I am going to start cooking and keeping beets on hand to make this kind of thing whenever my heart desires, but do I? Um, no. I don't. Thankfully, this appears on the menu often. Unfortunately, I forgot to take photos of the salads and desserts, sorry to be such a food porn tease!

• Char-grilled, chilled beets with kalamata olives, house-made mozzarella cheese and extra virgin olive oil
• Heirloom tomatoes with house-made mozzarella, torn basil leaves and extra virgin olive oil

     Next up we ordered our main course, we each chose something different, so it was fun to try all three, which we all agreed were fabulous! I had the Ahi Tuna, and it was an emotional experience, stars aligned, perfection, and that is putting it mildly. My second fav was the duck, it was outstanding and the giant raviolo filling was dreamy.

Wagyu Top Sirloin

• Hard-seared breast of Long Island duck (aka Peking duck), raviolo of leg with mascarpone, carrots, roasted apples and thyme brodo.
• Char-grilled Wagyu top sirloin with oven-baked white potatoes and cauliflower alla Siciliana, veal stock
• Pepper-dusted and pan-seared Ahi tuna with grape tomatoes, candied pignoli risotto and fennel pollen.

Ahi Tuna with Candied Pinenut Risotto

     Did I mention that we spent 4 1/2 hours over this meal? We ate a course, chatted up a storm and then ordered the next one, taking our time and savoring every single bite. Even so, you'd think after all the food listed above we would not have room for dessert, Ha! We each ordered a different dessert and shared those too. The Rhubarb Crostata was my fav, but they were all a piece of heaven!

• Panna Cotta with strawberry sauce and fresh strawberries (I love panna cotta and make it at home once in a while)
• Flourless chocolate cake
• Rhubarb Crostata with caramel and sea salt gelato

Long Island Duck with Raviolo of Leg and Mascarpone

Two of us also had the most excellent cappuccino with dessert and I have to say, I have not had such a lovely cappuccino in ages. We lingered over everything, we caught up, we shared worries and current hopes, we listened, we laughed (hysterically at times) and made plans to do this every year! It was the loveliest of evenings. I left completely content and satiated on every level, physical, mental and emotional. Thank you my friends and thank you Trattoria Stella!





      

Impending Grandparenthood

Vintage Baby Shower Invite

   You might need a cup of tea or coffee for this one, and a biscuit or two...

     When my son and daughter-in-law called us back in late November on Skype, and wanted to speak to both my husband and I together, I was pretty sure of the reason why, baby on the way, and of course, my new found grandmotherly intuition was right on the money!  With a due date of August 8, I thought I had more time to get my thoughts together about my impending grandparenthood, but alas, there is a good chance I will join the ranks of grandmothers all over the world sooner than later. My daughter-in-law is in the hospital with contractions today! Although she is still 6 weeks from the due date, there is a good chance she will have the baby early. She and my son were here a couple weeks ago for a visit and baby showers, and she did look like she was ready to go, so maybe the due date was off by a few weeks? Regardless, it is time to think about this new role of Abuelita, which is the Spanish term of endearment for grandmother, and what I hope all my grandchildren will call me.

Me with one of my Abuelitas

     I had the chance to think about grandparents when my first son was born, making my parents grandparents for the first time. I watched my parents fall in love with him before he was even born and then fall madly in love with him once he arrived. It often brought tears to my eyes to watch them with him, as well as with each of the other three that came along. We, the parents, were also in love with him, delighted beyond reason, he was so beautiful and perfect. But as parents, we were also responsible for raising him to be a "good" person, based on what we believed qualified as "good." Good manners, morals, ethics, hygiene...all that stuff. Lots of love, affection and support along with solid boundaries, discipline and consistency. As I watched my parents with my newborn son, I knew that I wanted it to be that way always. I did not want them to have to be disciplinarians, I just wanted them to enjoy him and I wanted him to enjoy his time with them as well. So I made a point of not asking my parents to be long term caregivers of my son. They would babysit and help us out occasionally with childcare, but not on any kind of regular basis. And even when my mom retired early and I could have asked her to watch my kids a couple days a week, I refused to even think about it. I also believed that my parents had done their stint as parents already. They deserved to enjoy their retirement and their grandchildren, not sign up for the parenting thing all over again.

     And I can now say that my kids have a wonderful relationship with their grandparents. They will spend a week with them, one at a time, or my parents will come up and watch them all for a few days while my husband and I have a little getaway. But it is fun, they are not raising them, just enjoying them. They aren't perfect kids, but they do mind and they are not afraid of my parents in any way. Now how do I plan to be a perfect Abuelita? I believe in living with intention, so I know I must think about this, envision the type of relationship I want to have with my grandchildren and plan accordingly. I have a couple difficulties to tackle though. And if anyone has ANY suggestions on how to think about this, please leave me a comment!
     Because I have an 11 year old (as well as a 17 and 19) at home, it will be hard to "spoil" a grandchild here. When my son was born, my brothers and I were all in our twenties. My brothers were on the spoiling bandwagon too, and never felt any competition with their nephew and then other nieces and nephews that came along. But an 11 year old is different. When my youngest brother had his first over five years ago, my then 6 year old was very jealous of all the attention the "new" grandchild was getting. She had been the youngest grandchild and now was no longer in the main spotlight. How will she feel when she sees me all gooey over my first grandchild, while she looks on? Knowing her the way I do,

it will be very difficult for her. She is a very empathetic and compassionate girl. But she is still very young. All kids need a lot of attention, but during those tweenage years, they have so many self doubts and seem to need extra attention. It is also an awkward time of life, your body making all this hormonal commotion that you have no control over. I can see everyone with their backs to her as they ooh and aah over the baby. And I will be torn. I want to be the grandmother my mom was and is, but I am still in the middle of mothering a young one myself. How will I strike a balance here? I know how to love and have plenty to go around, that is not the issue at all. But my first born son will be expecting me to be completely enthralled and mesmerized by my new grandchild (which I will be, believe me), while my 11 year old will be watching to see if I happen to love that new grandchild more than her. I'm chuckling now, but I know this will really be something I will have to deal with shortly.
     So I am very excited, wondering if I will be a grandmother within the next few hours or days, and also wondering how to make the parent/grandparent juxtaposition work in the most loving way possible. Wish me luck or leave me some advice, it is all appreciated!

Prairie Home Companion

Prairie Home Companion on Kresge stage in Interlochen, MI

   It has been a dream of mine to attend a live taping of Prairie Home Companion (PHC), actually on my bucket list. I was so thrilled that a friend of mine was able to get us tickets, really "good" tickets for the show this last weekend at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Interlochen, Michigan. We were only a few seats from the front and have a great view of the whole show! My husband and kids and I have been listening to PHC for at least 18 years, possibly longer. We all love the show and try to catch it on our local public radio station each weekend.

Sue Scott, Tim Russell, Fred Newman and Garrison Keillor

     Way back when I read Garrison Keillor's "Lake Woebegone Days," and laughed out loud more times than I can remember. This week's guests were outstanding, as usual. A couple of the Interlochen students in particular, including one who played the harp and another who played the violin. The harpist played "Clair de lune," one of my all time favorite classical pieces and then Dave Brubek's "Take Five" with the band, and it was wonderful.
     We also got to hear a twosome that we have not heard of before, Storyhill, and my husband especially liked them. Beautiful harmonizing and one of them had a

My son and the Guy's All Star Shoe Band in the background

voice very reminiscent of John Denver. It was a magical night and I still feel as if I dreamed it. We had heard that Garrison Keillor, who is the host of the PHC show, is retiring in two years, so we knew if we were ever going to see this show live, we had to splurge and do it while we could. How lucky for us that he had Interlochen on his schedule this year and that we have friends who were able to get us such great seats! I feel so very lucky, I'll be riding the high from this fabulous weekend for a long, long time! Hot air balloons and PHC, all is right with the world, at least for a little while...


   

Drive-by post

     A quickie post between kitchen innings! This is one of the chicken pot pies I made for dinner tonight in honor of my son's birthday. This is what he wanted, so this is what I made. For the filling, I used the recipe from Rebecca Rather's "The Pastry Queen," cookbook, which I own, autographed, of course! The crust is puff pastry from the grocery store, I didn't have enough time to make it all from scratch, maybe next time. There are extra dipping sticks for the sauce, a great idea my oldest daughter gave me as I regarded the leftover bits of puff pastry. The recipe itself is here, but the book is full of fabulous recipes for wonderful pastries too. I also have "The Pastry Queen Christmas," cookbook, I'm so lucky!
She also has a sweet bakery in Fredericksburg, TX, called charmingly enough, "Rebecca's Rather Sweet Bakery," which I've been fortunate enough to visit. If you do make anything from any of her cookbooks, please send me a photo, I love to see what other people are making.
     While I'm back on the topic of food, I have to mention a book I read yesterday, "The School of Essential Ingredients," by Erica Bauermeister. OMG, if you are a foodies of any sort, you will L-O-V-E this book! I couldn't put it down and have to say that it maybe why I am in this cooking state of mind. Amazing story and the food descriptions are drool worthy. Ok, enough for now, this is supposed to be a quick drive-by post...
    

Where do I start?

Balloons heading out, view from Wayne Hill

     What an amazing weekend!!! It was like riding one wave of joy after another. It started on Friday, with the first, and hopefully annual, Traverse City Balloon Classic. We headed downtown to the open space, taking a quick detour up Wayne Hill to see the balloons that had already set off. I was like a kid in a candy store, absolutely gleeful, I know my kids thought I was nuts, but ever since I saw a video of the Albuquerque International Balloon Festival, I have been enamored of the whole hot air balloon thing, especially when they are part of a big gathering. A visit to the

Albuquerque event is on my bucket list, and this was a wonderful taste of what lies ahead, since I know I'll get there someday! There were so many people in town for this three day event, but everyone was in such a great mood, old and young alike. It was wonderful to see how many other people are delighted by this kind of magic. I took a lot of photographs, but am only posting my favorites. The colors and patterns were incredible eye candy. I will be working on some balloon journal pages this week and hopefully, will post some of those by next weekend. I truly hope this becomes an annual event and that maybe, just maybe, I will get into a balloon next year and go for a ride. I am afraid of heights, but I will have to conquer it because I really, really, REALLY want to do this someday.

Balloons being inflated for the evening "glow."

    If you ever get the chance to attend any mass hot air balloon event, don't miss it. Forget the dishes, take some motrin if you have pain, call a friend or call a cab, but get there, you own't regret it. It was really a magical evening that I will never forget!

My hubby and two of my kids with Balloons in back.

A gorgeous balloon over downtown TC!

One of my favorite balloons over TC.

We saw this one inflated and launch, so cool!

My youngest posing with another beautiful balloon over TC.

     And even though I was riding higher than I have in a while, it got even better! The next day, Saturday, I actually got to cross something off my bucket list, Woo Woo! I got a chance to attend a live recording of "Prairie Home Companion," at the Interlochen Center for Performing Arts. So tomorrow, I'll post photos and all the details of that wonderful adventure...

Drive-by post

     If you are interested at all in becoming a web designer, you have to pick up this publication. It is pricey, $14.99 an issue, but the info, tutorials and articles are so worth every penny. It is published in the U.K., so it has a very international perspective. I pick it up whenever I can afford it and sometimes, even when I can't. It also includes a CD with every issue that has tutorials, free brushes, graphics and more. What's not to love here? Web Designer, check it out.

Foodie Friday!

    If you live in TC or have plans to visit this year, you cannot miss a visit to 9 Bean Rows Bakery. Although I mentioned them before back in the winter, I have to give them another shout out, the offerings are that good. They are located on Front St., in a tiny little hole in the wall, and offer my favorite bread and croissants on the planet. Although they have several fabulous breads, but my newest fav is the sea salt and fennel, holy moly, it is to die for! I crave this bread all the time.

Warm croissants

I could eat an entire loaf with nothing but sweet cream butter, but it also makes brilliant grilled cheese sandwiches. The croissants are the lightest and butteriest I have ever had. The brioche loaf makes incredible french toast. AND, they are the nicest people, you never leave the bakery unhappy, even when they are out of your favorites (which happens if you don't get there early enough, they open at 7 a.m.).

Farm fresh eggs!

     The latest news? They just added a bit of seating and now offer espresso and coffee. One more thing, they also offer beautiful farm fresh eggs, many times gathered that morning, and they are also wonderful. Just remember, you must have some people to share with before you go in, because you won't leave without enough food for at least 4 people, trust me.
     Now about "Simply Cupcakes," the new cupcake shop that is only a few steps away. French buttercream melts in your mouth without being sickeningly sweet. It smells divine when you walk in and then the eye candy hits you and you feel woozy with delight. On any given day you can choose from at least 9 different cupcakes, all  look like little pieces of art.

Cupcakes for my birthday!

A typical display of the days offerings

     Some of the choices I've made include: Lemon Love, Raspberry Waltz, Black Tie, Cherry Royale, Snowball, Key Lime, Banana Cream, Blueberry Blast, Red Velvet, oh I could go on and on and on...Honestly, that little block of Front St. has become the most tempting and dangerous strip of downtown for me to drive by, or think about...

Guilty Pleasures...

     I admit it. I have guilty pleasures. Those things that you know you really shouldn't like/enjoy, but do anyway. Of course, I don't "do" guilt, so really they are what I would call guilty pleasures if I did do guilt. I read a wonderful book, "The Feminine Mistake," a few years ago and the author talks about guilt being a very unproductive thing and states that she doesn't "do" guilt, and I have adopted this as well. Nothing good comes from doing things out of guilt or from feeling guilty. If you are doing something nice or kind out of guilt, is it really that nice or kind? If you are carrying around guilty feelings, how is that helpful in your life? If you guilt someone into doing anything, is that ever a good thing? I don't think so, but that is my personal opinion. So, again, I don't "do" guilt. But I digress, forgive me.

     Back to guilty pleasures. A few of mine include the occasional romance novel (Julie Garwood or Johanna Lindsey), butter fried store-bought pierogies, Taco Bell steak supreme gorditas (don't judge me), Little Debbie gas station brownies, chocolate covered Twinkies (the local Kilwin's is really the main pusher here, I blame them), Cheetos (puffy or crunchy, I'm not picky) and Cracker Barrel's chicken dumplings (why, oh why?). Ok, that is all I am confessing to today. These things are not so good for my mind or body, so I don't have them often, but sometimes I just have to indulge. If you are in the mood to cook anything, make sure you check out my favorite foodie blog guilty pleasure, And All the Trimmings, photos to go with each recipe, I could hang out there all day.

Catching up

     So I haven't posted in several months. I guess I need to give a condensed recap ala Neil Patrick Harris' 2011 Tony Awards wrap up. Here goes...

Typography "Creative Grid" project

     Back in school, feeling cool, feeling fine learning web design. C#, Access, XML, everything was going swell. Throw in Type, I get the hype, letter forms do more than sell. Final projects and presentations, all precursors to end of year examinations. Studied hard, sleepless nights, passed my classes, scaled those heights. Took a week to recover, while being a  mother, end of year kid stuff, they had also had enough.

Ultrasound of my grandson!

Time to plan for my Navy son's arrival in June, along with his wife (carrying my grandson, who will be born soon!) End of year concerts, field trips and more, while planning two baby showers, what are mom's for? Spring came and went, hubby built raised beds, planted our garden and picked dandelion heads. Dandelion jelly did not want to set, so poured it on pancakes as syrup you bet. Son arrived with fanfare and joy, showers went well, can't wait for the new baby boy.

Tea Baby Shower

First shower theme was a tea fit for the queen, second shower theme was Star Wars BBQ like you've never seen. Cried when they left, my heartstrings pulled tight, but feeling much better, thanks to summer sunshine and light. Read "Hunger Games," and could not put it down, but also working on a JavaScript crown.

Star Wars BBQ Invite

Back in the kitchen, cooking away, new and old recipes wanting to play. Hubby got Bell's Palsy and gave me a scare, but is now on the mend and we hear it's not rare. Visits to and from my parents, they are too far I say, but thankful to have them in my life everyday. And just yesterday, we heard and saw pics, a bear was seen roaming our hood, I assume just for kicks.

Black bear wandering around our 'hood!

 
So that's the gist, a wrap up of sorts, my blog now returns to regular reports. Happy summer to you and to yours, from northern Michigan, where you'll find me enjoying mine, but of course!