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Today's column is about Oba. You can read it here. When I showed the boys this picture of Oba they were amazed. Jiro said, "I didn't know Oba used to be a boy!" (I think he thinks she looks like a warrior in her kimono.)
Thursday, December 31, 2009
More Oba
Today's column is about Oba. You can read it here. When I showed the boys this picture of Oba they were amazed. Jiro said, "I didn't know Oba used to be a boy!" (I think he thinks she looks like a warrior in her kimono.)
Monday, December 28, 2009
Holiday Wrap Up
While Warren was away digging, the kids and I stayed busy making gingerbread houses, visiting with friends, etc. He got back in time to join us for our annual visit to the Majestic Grille for Brunch with Santa.
After stuffing ourselves with eggs, bacon, shrimp and grits, bloody Marys and mimosas we headed over to the Peabody to check out the giant gingerbread houses, even gianter tree, and drink hot cocoa. It was lovely.
Warren left for California soon after to be with Oba, and the boys and I didn't feel like doing too much celebrating after that. We spent Christmas Eve at my mom's house eating Chinese take out and opening gifts. (The Greenbergs are too impatient to wait for Christmas morning.) The boys requested DS games and LEGO Power Miners and that's exactly what they received.
In Warren's absence, I got to play Santa later that night at our house. I filled the boys' stockings with stuffed animals, rubberband guns, art supplies and assorted toys. I managed to pull everything off without waking the boys, thus restoring Satchel's belief in the jolly old elf. I did, however, miss getting to see their smiling faces when confronted with their bounty because they snuck in the living room while I was in the shower! Satchel was quick to point out that Santa didn't bring me anything and I told him that I had only asked for Oba to get better and for Daddy to come home.
Once I got out of the shower, we all bundled up and went to MIFA to pick up meals to deliver to elderly Midtowners. This was the first year we had ever signed up, and we were all looking forward to it. It was definitely a lot less fun with Warren gone (not to mention more difficult for me who is directionally challenged), but we all enjoyed doing something for someone other than ourselves.
Delivering meals made us all hungry and we immediately went to CK's when we were done. The rest of the day was spent putting LEGOs together. Satchel and Jiro worked as a team and managed to get them all done without any help from me. I spent the day on the sofa reading Yiddish with Dick and Jane and Cake Wrecks.
That evening we went to my sister's house for turkey, Disney Scene It, and Flight of the Conchords.
After stuffing ourselves with eggs, bacon, shrimp and grits, bloody Marys and mimosas we headed over to the Peabody to check out the giant gingerbread houses, even gianter tree, and drink hot cocoa. It was lovely.
Warren left for California soon after to be with Oba, and the boys and I didn't feel like doing too much celebrating after that. We spent Christmas Eve at my mom's house eating Chinese take out and opening gifts. (The Greenbergs are too impatient to wait for Christmas morning.) The boys requested DS games and LEGO Power Miners and that's exactly what they received.
In Warren's absence, I got to play Santa later that night at our house. I filled the boys' stockings with stuffed animals, rubberband guns, art supplies and assorted toys. I managed to pull everything off without waking the boys, thus restoring Satchel's belief in the jolly old elf. I did, however, miss getting to see their smiling faces when confronted with their bounty because they snuck in the living room while I was in the shower! Satchel was quick to point out that Santa didn't bring me anything and I told him that I had only asked for Oba to get better and for Daddy to come home.
Once I got out of the shower, we all bundled up and went to MIFA to pick up meals to deliver to elderly Midtowners. This was the first year we had ever signed up, and we were all looking forward to it. It was definitely a lot less fun with Warren gone (not to mention more difficult for me who is directionally challenged), but we all enjoyed doing something for someone other than ourselves.
Delivering meals made us all hungry and we immediately went to CK's when we were done. The rest of the day was spent putting LEGOs together. Satchel and Jiro worked as a team and managed to get them all done without any help from me. I spent the day on the sofa reading Yiddish with Dick and Jane and Cake Wrecks.
That evening we went to my sister's house for turkey, Disney Scene It, and Flight of the Conchords.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Oba
Keiko Osafune was born in Japan. She had six siblings and lived through Hiroshima. She met a young Navy man named Felix who grew up on a farm in North Dakota. They fell in love and moved to the United States to start a family. Kay and Felix had four children, the youngest of which is my husband, Warren.
Felix travelled a lot when the kids were young. Whenever I think I have it rough, I think about Kay being in a new country with four kids under the age of 5. She ran a tight ship and set the housekeeping bar higher than I will ever reach!
She was generous and kind. It may not have always been easy to understand what she was saying, but her smile and laugh were easy to read. She treated me like part of her family from day one, to which I was always grateful.
Luckily, Kay loved long road trips and could read a map like no other. She crossed the country on several occasions to visit us. She also inspired us to cross the country several times in her direction.
A week did not pass without a phone call or a package from Kay, who we all referred to as Oba (Japanese for grandmother).
After battling cancer for almost two years, Kay died peacefully last night surrounded by Felix, her four children, a son-in-law, one daughter-in-law, and five of her nine grandchildren.
There's a giant hole in our hearts right now. She will be greatly missed, and thought of often.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Felix travelled a lot when the kids were young. Whenever I think I have it rough, I think about Kay being in a new country with four kids under the age of 5. She ran a tight ship and set the housekeeping bar higher than I will ever reach!
She was generous and kind. It may not have always been easy to understand what she was saying, but her smile and laugh were easy to read. She treated me like part of her family from day one, to which I was always grateful.
Luckily, Kay loved long road trips and could read a map like no other. She crossed the country on several occasions to visit us. She also inspired us to cross the country several times in her direction.
A week did not pass without a phone call or a package from Kay, who we all referred to as Oba (Japanese for grandmother).
After battling cancer for almost two years, Kay died peacefully last night surrounded by Felix, her four children, a son-in-law, one daughter-in-law, and five of her nine grandchildren.
There's a giant hole in our hearts right now. She will be greatly missed, and thought of often.
Created with Admarket's flickrSLiDR.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Gingerbread Houses for You and Me
Buoyed by the success of the cookie party, I decided to host a Gingerbread House party.
Ok, first I tried to sign up for the gingerbread workshop at Viking, but in the time it took them to tell me they could squeeze me and the monkeys (Satchel, 7 and Jiro, 5) into one of the sold out classes, I had a friend, the multi-talented Christiana Leibovich, offer to come help us.
I could not, however, convince Christiana to make the gingerbread. "We can just use graham crackers!" she said.
I knew that Satchel and Jiro, who had previously made gingerbread houses at the Pink Palace with their dad and grandmother while I was home with a broken leg a couple years ago, would not be satisfied with graham crackers.
On a craft supply run to Michael's I noticed a gingerbread mix and cookie cutters especially designed for making gingerbread houses. On a whim, I purchased two boxes and the cutters. The monkeys and I raided the dollar store and bought tons of candy for decorating. My friend, Colleen, who I had invited to join us, offered to make the icing/cement.
Then I got over-confident and invited several more friends (and their kids) to join us. (I may have failed to mention that part to Christiana. Shh!)
I spent the whole day cleaning the house instead of making gingerbread. When I finally made it, there was a learning curve. First, I learned that the $7 box of mix contains one small packet of spices and one large packet of flour and that I am a sucker. Second, I learned that I wasn't going to have near enough gingerbread for each kid, much less each family, to make a house.
Good thing I bought two giant boxes of graham crackers!
Photos by Chip Chockley.
In the end, we used a combination of gingerbread and graham crackers. Christiana's expertise (and good humor and patience) proved invaluable. She made sure everyone's house had all of the needed components and that they were all nicely decorated and securely glued in place.
Every kid in attendance, except Jiro (who I was helping!), ended up with a nice, unique, house covered with candy—and love! Due to their fragility (our icing got a little warm), the gingerbread houses all stayed at my house. Jiro quickly scooped them up in an under-the-table-eminent domain deal with his mom.
Ok, first I tried to sign up for the gingerbread workshop at Viking, but in the time it took them to tell me they could squeeze me and the monkeys (Satchel, 7 and Jiro, 5) into one of the sold out classes, I had a friend, the multi-talented Christiana Leibovich, offer to come help us.
I could not, however, convince Christiana to make the gingerbread. "We can just use graham crackers!" she said.
I knew that Satchel and Jiro, who had previously made gingerbread houses at the Pink Palace with their dad and grandmother while I was home with a broken leg a couple years ago, would not be satisfied with graham crackers.
On a craft supply run to Michael's I noticed a gingerbread mix and cookie cutters especially designed for making gingerbread houses. On a whim, I purchased two boxes and the cutters. The monkeys and I raided the dollar store and bought tons of candy for decorating. My friend, Colleen, who I had invited to join us, offered to make the icing/cement.
Then I got over-confident and invited several more friends (and their kids) to join us. (I may have failed to mention that part to Christiana. Shh!)
I spent the whole day cleaning the house instead of making gingerbread. When I finally made it, there was a learning curve. First, I learned that the $7 box of mix contains one small packet of spices and one large packet of flour and that I am a sucker. Second, I learned that I wasn't going to have near enough gingerbread for each kid, much less each family, to make a house.
Good thing I bought two giant boxes of graham crackers!
Photos by Chip Chockley.
In the end, we used a combination of gingerbread and graham crackers. Christiana's expertise (and good humor and patience) proved invaluable. She made sure everyone's house had all of the needed components and that they were all nicely decorated and securely glued in place.
Every kid in attendance, except Jiro (who I was helping!), ended up with a nice, unique, house covered with candy—and love! Due to their fragility (our icing got a little warm), the gingerbread houses all stayed at my house. Jiro quickly scooped them up in an under-the-table-eminent domain deal with his mom.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Our Spider
For the last several months, we've had a wood spider living in our window. Yes, it looks pretty creepy, but it's actually proven to be one of the best, if not most self-sufficient, pets we've ever had. It designed beautiful webs for us to look at and amazed us with its ability to catch and eat massive amounts of bugs. Satchel and Warren even hand fed it flies from time to time. Checking out what was in the web became a daily ritual for us all.
I once tried to get the boys to decide on a name for our spider, but they never could agree. Satchel suggested many unique names, some of which I'm sure came from Pokemon. Jiro wanted a more fun sounding name like, "Hoppy." In the absence of consensus, we just kept calling it our spider.
A couple of weeks ago, Warren found our spider clinging to dear life on one of the many sticks the boys have collected on our porch. It was freezing outside, so Warren brought the spider inside. He put it in a glass jar with a stick and some leaves, then threw in a fly for good measure.
Soon our spider laid its eggs and then patiently hung beside them...until she died. Warren thinks I should have done something to prevent our spider's death, since he was out of town, but I don't know what I could have done.
I'll miss our spider. I hope that Warren will someday move the eggs out of our kitchen so that we can watch the baby spiders grow up outside.
I once tried to get the boys to decide on a name for our spider, but they never could agree. Satchel suggested many unique names, some of which I'm sure came from Pokemon. Jiro wanted a more fun sounding name like, "Hoppy." In the absence of consensus, we just kept calling it our spider.
A couple of weeks ago, Warren found our spider clinging to dear life on one of the many sticks the boys have collected on our porch. It was freezing outside, so Warren brought the spider inside. He put it in a glass jar with a stick and some leaves, then threw in a fly for good measure.
Soon our spider laid its eggs and then patiently hung beside them...until she died. Warren thinks I should have done something to prevent our spider's death, since he was out of town, but I don't know what I could have done.
I'll miss our spider. I hope that Warren will someday move the eggs out of our kitchen so that we can watch the baby spiders grow up outside.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
Snowy Nights
Let me start by saying that I LOVE the My Big Backyard exhibit at the Botanic Gardens. I think it's the best thing to happen in Memphis since the Levitt Shell. And likewise, I think the Gardens has a great event and education staff. However, whoever came up with the Snowy Nights idea--and forked over the cash for the sad little snow machine--needs to go back to the drawing board.
The monkeys and I went with 3/4 of Team Chockley (Steph & the kids) on Friday night. We got there right at 5pm to beat the rush, and we may have caught them a little off guard. The woman at the desk seemed confused by why we were there and the scheduled activities in the Big Backyard weren't quite off the ground.
The kids, of course, noticed nothing. They immediately took off running, climbing, and exploring. The cold didn't bother them at all. Steph and I were definitely cold. And a little unimpressed. Having both been to Starry Nights this week, we found the lights to be lackluster. In addition to being blah, they just weren't emitting enough light. We couldn't see the kids and the kids couldn't see where they were going. Jiro fell down twice--once pretty hard.
After ten to fifteen minutes, we took refuge in the education building where they were serving hot cocoa & spiced tea and leading an ornament craft and snowflake cutting. Chloe went right for the ornament station, Satchel and Connor went for snowflakes, and Jiro & I went for the hot cocoa and cookies. (After spending the day making ornaments at Satchel and Jiro's school, I had no interest in gluing googly eyes on a paper clip.) The woman leading the crafts was very nice--especially when the kids accidentally spilled cocoa everywhere. (In their defense, the cocoa was filled to the top of rather large cups and lined up on a wobbly table.)
Once everyone was warmed up and crafted out, we headed outside for the "campfire" and marshmallows. Once the boys saw that it was a "grill fire" they took off running into the darkness. Chloe and Steph quickly warmed a marshmallow by the fire before venturing back into the darkness with us.
The boys had a great time playing with the instruments crafted by Sean Murphy & Anne Froning Wike. I told them to try and play in time with the Charlie Brown Christmas song that was playing, but it was futile!
After fifteen more minutes of running around (and falling), Stephanie and I pulled the plug and herded everyone towards the exit. On our way out we saw the snow machine. I don't know if it was broken or what, but to call the small flurries it emitted "snow" feels like a lie. (Steph and I actually had a hard time not laughing when the kids excitedly said, "Snow! Snow!")
The kids had a blast, but Steph and I agreed that the incredible BIg Backyard is best enjoyed in the daylight. The next time we fork over $20 for an evening Christmas activity, it'll be for a second viewing of Starry Nights.
The monkeys and I went with 3/4 of Team Chockley (Steph & the kids) on Friday night. We got there right at 5pm to beat the rush, and we may have caught them a little off guard. The woman at the desk seemed confused by why we were there and the scheduled activities in the Big Backyard weren't quite off the ground.
The kids, of course, noticed nothing. They immediately took off running, climbing, and exploring. The cold didn't bother them at all. Steph and I were definitely cold. And a little unimpressed. Having both been to Starry Nights this week, we found the lights to be lackluster. In addition to being blah, they just weren't emitting enough light. We couldn't see the kids and the kids couldn't see where they were going. Jiro fell down twice--once pretty hard.
After ten to fifteen minutes, we took refuge in the education building where they were serving hot cocoa & spiced tea and leading an ornament craft and snowflake cutting. Chloe went right for the ornament station, Satchel and Connor went for snowflakes, and Jiro & I went for the hot cocoa and cookies. (After spending the day making ornaments at Satchel and Jiro's school, I had no interest in gluing googly eyes on a paper clip.) The woman leading the crafts was very nice--especially when the kids accidentally spilled cocoa everywhere. (In their defense, the cocoa was filled to the top of rather large cups and lined up on a wobbly table.)
Once everyone was warmed up and crafted out, we headed outside for the "campfire" and marshmallows. Once the boys saw that it was a "grill fire" they took off running into the darkness. Chloe and Steph quickly warmed a marshmallow by the fire before venturing back into the darkness with us.
The boys had a great time playing with the instruments crafted by Sean Murphy & Anne Froning Wike. I told them to try and play in time with the Charlie Brown Christmas song that was playing, but it was futile!
After fifteen more minutes of running around (and falling), Stephanie and I pulled the plug and herded everyone towards the exit. On our way out we saw the snow machine. I don't know if it was broken or what, but to call the small flurries it emitted "snow" feels like a lie. (Steph and I actually had a hard time not laughing when the kids excitedly said, "Snow! Snow!")
The kids had a blast, but Steph and I agreed that the incredible BIg Backyard is best enjoyed in the daylight. The next time we fork over $20 for an evening Christmas activity, it'll be for a second viewing of Starry Nights.
Christmakuh
On Friday, my day off, I volunteered to do the Hanukah talk at the boys' school and lead the kids in making cork reindeers (with the hundreds of leftover corks from Rock-n-Romp.)
Jiro's class was absolutely riveted by my talk. Not.
I did elicit some oohs and ahhs when I suggested we turn out the lights to enjoy the hanukah candles.
Getting them excited about the craft was pretty easy. I was the one who started to lack enthusiasm. Twenty-three primary kids all at once was a bit overwhelming. However, with the help of the teachers, we got a tight system together.
Soon everyone was making cute little reindeer. The craft store ran out of red noses, so we had a variety of colors to choose from. The result was a veritable reindeer circus. The big kids helped the little kids. Jiro helped everyone--and managed to make six of his own. It was a hit!
I would have liked to call it a day and go get in my bed, but I had also volunteered to lead Satchel's class in Christmakuh activities. They were much more into the Hanukah talk since their teacher had found a nice board book for me to read. And they also did an impromptu performance of the Hanukah song they'd been practicing for the upcoming school play. It was lovely!
Miss Sally had planned for us to play dreidel too, so half the class did that while the other half made ornaments. It was nice not having a huge horde of kids to deal with all at once, but the elementary kids are way different from the primary kids. They like to invent instructions rather than follow them! Reindeers were boring--they wanted to make cannons and giraffes, airplanes and spaceships. Eventually we agreed to make reindeer with four legs, three eyes, and whatever else they could think of.
Once I let go of trying to control the craft, we had a great time. The elementary kids are very creative!
I still had a million corks leftover--they seem to be multiplying. When we got home, Satchel and Jiro proceeded to make cork bears, aliens, monkeys, and penguins.
Jiro's class was absolutely riveted by my talk. Not.
I did elicit some oohs and ahhs when I suggested we turn out the lights to enjoy the hanukah candles.
Getting them excited about the craft was pretty easy. I was the one who started to lack enthusiasm. Twenty-three primary kids all at once was a bit overwhelming. However, with the help of the teachers, we got a tight system together.
Soon everyone was making cute little reindeer. The craft store ran out of red noses, so we had a variety of colors to choose from. The result was a veritable reindeer circus. The big kids helped the little kids. Jiro helped everyone--and managed to make six of his own. It was a hit!
I would have liked to call it a day and go get in my bed, but I had also volunteered to lead Satchel's class in Christmakuh activities. They were much more into the Hanukah talk since their teacher had found a nice board book for me to read. And they also did an impromptu performance of the Hanukah song they'd been practicing for the upcoming school play. It was lovely!
Miss Sally had planned for us to play dreidel too, so half the class did that while the other half made ornaments. It was nice not having a huge horde of kids to deal with all at once, but the elementary kids are way different from the primary kids. They like to invent instructions rather than follow them! Reindeers were boring--they wanted to make cannons and giraffes, airplanes and spaceships. Eventually we agreed to make reindeer with four legs, three eyes, and whatever else they could think of.
Once I let go of trying to control the craft, we had a great time. The elementary kids are very creative!
I still had a million corks leftover--they seem to be multiplying. When we got home, Satchel and Jiro proceeded to make cork bears, aliens, monkeys, and penguins.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Starry Nights
I really wanted to go to Starry Nights, the massive LED light display at Shelby Farms park, a couple of weeks ago when they had the option to walk, run, bike, or skate through the 1.5 mile course but not only was it insanely expensive ($20 per adult and $10 per kid), it was too cold. For whatever reason, Warren had no interest in going in the car, so I recruited my friend, Shiloh, and her daughter, Lydia, to maximize the $20 per car experience. Shiloh's a pagan, and I'm a Jew, but we both thought our kids would enjoy the experience. (Actually, I just wanted to support our awesome local utility company.)
There was a bit of a line to get in when we arrived at 7:30pm, but it provided us ample time to chat and listen to music. Once you get to the gate you can tune your radio to 104.1 (I think) and listen to the Starry Nights soundtrack by local artists. I was really excited about this part since a couple of my favorite musicians--Robby Grant and Jeff Hulett--were included. However, after a few songs by other artists, Shiloh and I could take no more. Luckily I had downloaded Robby's entire Christmas album the week before, so I plugged in my iPod. Jiro had also brought along a CD with 40s style jingles from his upcoming Holiday play, so we supplemented with that too. (Might I suggest downloading the Makeshift Music Oh Holy Crap Christmas CD for free before you go?)
While we were waiting, Shiloh lamented that we didn't have a thermos full of eggnog for the front seat and hot chocolate for the back. (Warren totally would have thought of that.) There was a guy selling hot dogs and hot chocolate right past the entrance, but we didn't have enough cash to supply three kids with weenies and marshmallows. Thankfully there were 1.5 million LED lights to distract them from their grumbling stomachs!
The light displays were absolutely fantastic. There was much ooh-ing and ahh-ing from both the kids and adults. It was also way more generally festive than flat out Christmasy. There was the obligatory nod to Hanukah and Kwanza, and Shiloh even noted a few Pagan images! I especially loved the rolling ball that ended in a Kapow! and the "underwater" section. The 1.5 miles was a good distance, but we all wanted MORE! (About a billion trillion people were in attendance, so maybe it will continue to grow.)
By the end of the road the kids were all singing Christmas carols and acting like little angels. Had it not been so short-lived I might have thought a miracle occurred!
I'm making Warren to come along for another viewing, replete with corn dogs and egg nog.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
Cookie Party!
I sent the Flyer's Hungry Memphis blog a little sneak peek of our cookie party on Sunday, but wanted to go into a little more detail here since it was so.much.fun!
My friend Colleen, who just happens to be part owner of Tsunami, emailed me a tasty looking cookie recipe one day. I suggested we have a cookie party and make a bunch of cookies to share. One thing led to another and soon we had eight women, 11 kids, and four recipe books at Tsunami on Sunday. We had the run of the kitchen (and the bar)!
Most of the women were former Z-Girls, which was extra fun. We were all at different skill levels--Colleen can bake things (mostly breads) without a recipe book; Natalie could open her own cupcake shop if she wanted; Launa is not scared of a challenge; Kirsten is a natural; Mary has a secret inner Martha; Maggie and I fear flour; and Aimee seemed confident but kept whatever mad skills she had a secret in favor of just helping out where help was needed.
The kids all pretty much knew each other and displayed different levels of interest in playing and helping throughout the day. The kids stayed busy yelling, screaming, fighting, laughing, hugging, drinking cocoa, coloring, playing video games, watching Spongebob, and running around. The colored icing and sprinkles were what finally got them on board with the scheduled activities. (I did not capture everyone on film!)
With a little help from my friends I whipped up the butter cookie dough for the kids' cookies and some surprisingly delicious chocolate chip cookies. (The secret ingredient was walnuts!) Colleen & Maggie made some almond cookies (and some severely "disfigured" gingerbread men); Mary made lace ones; Natalie whipped up some Martha Stewart peanut butter and jelly cupcakes; Kirsten made fudge ecstasies (recipe below); Aimee was a general assistant; and Launa made a crazy cream puff tower for her daughter's French class.
Throughout the afternoon Colleen supplied us with fancy mixed drinks and there was no shortage of giggling and hijinx, both by us and the kids. It was a pretty crazy scene, but we all seemed to thrive on chaos. (Except Colleen's daughter who happily slept until it was time to eat!)
Colleen's husband, Ben, Tsunami's other co-owner & chef, arrived just in time to taste our individual efforts and declare my chocolate chip cookies the best. (Ok, not really, but they were good!) We all got a to-go container to fill up and take with us. Friends, cookies, cocktails, and kids combined made it the sweetest afternoon I've had all year. We all pitched in to cover costs and cleaned up with the hopes of being invited back next year!
Thank you Colleen!! We love you!
My friend Colleen, who just happens to be part owner of Tsunami, emailed me a tasty looking cookie recipe one day. I suggested we have a cookie party and make a bunch of cookies to share. One thing led to another and soon we had eight women, 11 kids, and four recipe books at Tsunami on Sunday. We had the run of the kitchen (and the bar)!
Most of the women were former Z-Girls, which was extra fun. We were all at different skill levels--Colleen can bake things (mostly breads) without a recipe book; Natalie could open her own cupcake shop if she wanted; Launa is not scared of a challenge; Kirsten is a natural; Mary has a secret inner Martha; Maggie and I fear flour; and Aimee seemed confident but kept whatever mad skills she had a secret in favor of just helping out where help was needed.
The kids all pretty much knew each other and displayed different levels of interest in playing and helping throughout the day. The kids stayed busy yelling, screaming, fighting, laughing, hugging, drinking cocoa, coloring, playing video games, watching Spongebob, and running around. The colored icing and sprinkles were what finally got them on board with the scheduled activities. (I did not capture everyone on film!)
With a little help from my friends I whipped up the butter cookie dough for the kids' cookies and some surprisingly delicious chocolate chip cookies. (The secret ingredient was walnuts!) Colleen & Maggie made some almond cookies (and some severely "disfigured" gingerbread men); Mary made lace ones; Natalie whipped up some Martha Stewart peanut butter and jelly cupcakes; Kirsten made fudge ecstasies (recipe below); Aimee was a general assistant; and Launa made a crazy cream puff tower for her daughter's French class.
Throughout the afternoon Colleen supplied us with fancy mixed drinks and there was no shortage of giggling and hijinx, both by us and the kids. It was a pretty crazy scene, but we all seemed to thrive on chaos. (Except Colleen's daughter who happily slept until it was time to eat!)
Colleen's husband, Ben, Tsunami's other co-owner & chef, arrived just in time to taste our individual efforts and declare my chocolate chip cookies the best. (Ok, not really, but they were good!) We all got a to-go container to fill up and take with us. Friends, cookies, cocktails, and kids combined made it the sweetest afternoon I've had all year. We all pitched in to cover costs and cleaned up with the hopes of being invited back next year!
Thank you Colleen!! We love you!
Kirsten's Fudge Ecstasies
1 12-oz semisweet choc. pieces (this could be chips or hand chopped)
2oz unsweetened choc, chopped
2tbl butter
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp vanilla (which I forgot and was fine)
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped nuts (optional)
Grease Cookies sheet; set aside. create a double boiler (pot with inch of water boiling with metal bowl on top) and melt 1 cup of the semisweet choc, unsweetened choc, and butter till melted. Remove from heat and add eggs, sugar, flour, vanilla, and baking powder. Beat until combined. scraping sides. then stir in rest of choc and nuts.
Drop dough with teaspoon on cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8-10 min till edges are firm and surface dull and crackled. Transfer to cool.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Rock-n-Romp Recap
On Saturday we had our first ever (intentional) indoor Rock-n-Romp at the old Jay Etkin gallery downtown. We had marathon (I did the 5K!) traffic, frigid temperatures, parking, and a parade to deal with on top of indoor considerations. It could have gone horribly bad, but it didn't! It was awesome! Despite being indoors, I think we were able to keep that Rock-n-Romp free range feel.
Satchel and Jiro helped decorate the windows. We had Christmas lights up and spearheaded a cork reindeer ornament making station on the ground floor. Sit-n-Spins and Hula hoops were on the third floor.
The Center City Commission loaded us up on snacks, the Majestic donated twenty pizzas, and the Kooky Canuck sent over a huge tray of cookies. Yum!
The first band was Whose Army? which is composed of White Station High School grads. They were really fun. And talented! I recruited some (amazingly wonderful and fantastic) volunteers this time so I got to relax and enjoy the show. (I was having so much fun I *almost* felt guilty!)
Satchel met up with his buddies and had a great time running around wreaking havoc. He did stop for a few minutes to enjoy the show.
Second up was the Bulletproof Vests. They too were extremely talented. I could have listened (and looked) all afternoon!
Not sure what Jiro's doing with his hand here, but Chip took pictures of my kids and I'm gonna use 'em!
This shot was taken as the Bulletproof Vests got started. You can see how casual we all were. The space got way more crowded as the afternoon progressed, but we still had plenty of space.
The show ended with Snowglobe who I had never seen before! They're so good! And look, my buddy John Whittemore is in the band now! (My other buddy, almost best buddy in fact, after he helped me unload three kegs from my car, Jeff Hulett, somehow escaped the camera.)
It was a wonderful afternoon that we capped off with a gigantic and much appreciated donation of sushi from Bluefin and a front row seat to the downtown holiday parade.
Thanks to everyone who helped make the show such a huge success! (You can see all of the pictures here.)
Mark your calendars for our next indoor show, January 16 at the Center for Southern Folklore, featuring Gustafer Yellowgold!
Satchel and Jiro helped decorate the windows. We had Christmas lights up and spearheaded a cork reindeer ornament making station on the ground floor. Sit-n-Spins and Hula hoops were on the third floor.
The Center City Commission loaded us up on snacks, the Majestic donated twenty pizzas, and the Kooky Canuck sent over a huge tray of cookies. Yum!
The first band was Whose Army? which is composed of White Station High School grads. They were really fun. And talented! I recruited some (amazingly wonderful and fantastic) volunteers this time so I got to relax and enjoy the show. (I was having so much fun I *almost* felt guilty!)
Satchel met up with his buddies and had a great time running around wreaking havoc. He did stop for a few minutes to enjoy the show.
Second up was the Bulletproof Vests. They too were extremely talented. I could have listened (and looked) all afternoon!
Not sure what Jiro's doing with his hand here, but Chip took pictures of my kids and I'm gonna use 'em!
This shot was taken as the Bulletproof Vests got started. You can see how casual we all were. The space got way more crowded as the afternoon progressed, but we still had plenty of space.
The show ended with Snowglobe who I had never seen before! They're so good! And look, my buddy John Whittemore is in the band now! (My other buddy, almost best buddy in fact, after he helped me unload three kegs from my car, Jeff Hulett, somehow escaped the camera.)
It was a wonderful afternoon that we capped off with a gigantic and much appreciated donation of sushi from Bluefin and a front row seat to the downtown holiday parade.
Thanks to everyone who helped make the show such a huge success! (You can see all of the pictures here.)
Mark your calendars for our next indoor show, January 16 at the Center for Southern Folklore, featuring Gustafer Yellowgold!
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Sword Fight
I recently put together a "Green Gift Guide for Kids" for the CA's digital green edition. It's slated to run next week. I left out the most awesome gift of all because you can't buy it in a store.
My friend, Scott Banbury, has been making really beautiful and extremely durable wooden swords and rubber band guns from reclaimed wood. I got a couple for the boys in October and they LOVE them. LOVE. Since I brought them home, our arsenal of light sabers and plastic swords has been very lonely. These are the only swords the kids want to play with. They hide them in special places so no one can get them.
They're that awesome.
We recently gave a friend of the boys' a rubber band gun for his birthday (after okaying it with his mom) and it was a huge hit. We were at Incredible Pizza amongst a million games and he had a huge stack of presents, but he only wanted to play with the rubber band gun. You can load twelve rubber bands on it at once! Way better than that Nerf Blaster thing everyone is talking about.
I got two for the boys, but they don't know it yet. I'm hiding them on Santa's behalf. Shh, don't tell!
Scott has a whole bunch of swords and rubberband guns available for purchase. (Prices range from $25-$30.) His computer is on the fritz, so just give him a call and he'll hook you up. You can reach him at 619-8567. (I got his permission before posting the number on the Internet, I promise!)
If you are phone phobic, email me and I'll arrange something for ya.
My friend, Scott Banbury, has been making really beautiful and extremely durable wooden swords and rubber band guns from reclaimed wood. I got a couple for the boys in October and they LOVE them. LOVE. Since I brought them home, our arsenal of light sabers and plastic swords has been very lonely. These are the only swords the kids want to play with. They hide them in special places so no one can get them.
They're that awesome.
We recently gave a friend of the boys' a rubber band gun for his birthday (after okaying it with his mom) and it was a huge hit. We were at Incredible Pizza amongst a million games and he had a huge stack of presents, but he only wanted to play with the rubber band gun. You can load twelve rubber bands on it at once! Way better than that Nerf Blaster thing everyone is talking about.
I got two for the boys, but they don't know it yet. I'm hiding them on Santa's behalf. Shh, don't tell!
Scott has a whole bunch of swords and rubberband guns available for purchase. (Prices range from $25-$30.) His computer is on the fritz, so just give him a call and he'll hook you up. You can reach him at 619-8567. (I got his permission before posting the number on the Internet, I promise!)
If you are phone phobic, email me and I'll arrange something for ya.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
Lizard Fever
Satchel and Jiro started making their Christmas lists in October. Whenever we were out and they got a case of the "I wants" I told them to put the item on their Christmas list. For convenience, we kept the lists handy on my phone.
Satchel's list included (among other things) a pet gecko (and tank and water and food), a parrot, and a generic lizard. Jiro's list included a baby lion (I kid you not), a lizard and container, and a Venus Flytrap.
Eventually they forgot about the lists on my phone and started making new lists at home. I told them that they were going to have to narrow down their lists to three things. Satchel decided on Super Mario for Wii, a stuffed polar bear, and a water dragon. (More on that in a minute.) Jiro informed me that it was his list and he could put whatever he wanted on it and that it was up to Santa and not me. His list now includes a baby polar bear, yes a real one, a parrot, and a lizard. He's actually talking in the future tense about him and his baby polar bear which totally cracks me up.
Of all the many pet options, the only one that is viable is the lizard. Our cat would surely kill a bird and I can't see how I could possibly procure a real baby lion or a real baby polar bear.
Satchel has wanted a lizard for years. Years. He took solace in the fact that his class had a pet gecko, but the gecko died a couple of months ago. I suggested buying a new lizard for the school, but he wanted none of that. "No! I won't get to play with it everyday and we'll have to take a vote to name it!" he complained.
Last night, Satchel and Jiro convinced me to go to Petco to see a water dragon in person. On the way, Jiro said he wanted to hold one of the birds. Then Satchel asked if he could hold a water dragon. I promised to ask when we got there.
Happily, they said yes!
We learned that a water dragon can grow to be 3 feet long and lives for 15 years. FIFTEEN YEARS. I guess that is a normal pet lifespan, but when thinking about a lizard that Satchel will be "responsible" for, it seems really LONG. And of course, Jiro would want his OWN lizard.
When we asked about holding a bird, there was only one option. Oliver. He's some kind of canary, I think. The name had "sun" in it. The Petco employee told me twice what he was but it didn't stick. Probably because all I could do was coo at this adorable bird and watch him go. He was so friendly and had the best personality. He even nibbled our ears! If we didn't own a cat, ironically named Oliver, I would have taken him home immediately, no questions asked.
We were eventually able to tear ourselves away from Oliver, and amazingly we left the store empty-handed. I thought for sure the kids would be all about getting a bird now, but they are still talking about lizards, specifically water dragons.
I guess we'll have to see what Santa decides. Maybe he'll take our cat to the North Pole so I can have a bird.
Satchel's list included (among other things) a pet gecko (and tank and water and food), a parrot, and a generic lizard. Jiro's list included a baby lion (I kid you not), a lizard and container, and a Venus Flytrap.
Eventually they forgot about the lists on my phone and started making new lists at home. I told them that they were going to have to narrow down their lists to three things. Satchel decided on Super Mario for Wii, a stuffed polar bear, and a water dragon. (More on that in a minute.) Jiro informed me that it was his list and he could put whatever he wanted on it and that it was up to Santa and not me. His list now includes a baby polar bear, yes a real one, a parrot, and a lizard. He's actually talking in the future tense about him and his baby polar bear which totally cracks me up.
Of all the many pet options, the only one that is viable is the lizard. Our cat would surely kill a bird and I can't see how I could possibly procure a real baby lion or a real baby polar bear.
Satchel has wanted a lizard for years. Years. He took solace in the fact that his class had a pet gecko, but the gecko died a couple of months ago. I suggested buying a new lizard for the school, but he wanted none of that. "No! I won't get to play with it everyday and we'll have to take a vote to name it!" he complained.
Last night, Satchel and Jiro convinced me to go to Petco to see a water dragon in person. On the way, Jiro said he wanted to hold one of the birds. Then Satchel asked if he could hold a water dragon. I promised to ask when we got there.
Happily, they said yes!
We learned that a water dragon can grow to be 3 feet long and lives for 15 years. FIFTEEN YEARS. I guess that is a normal pet lifespan, but when thinking about a lizard that Satchel will be "responsible" for, it seems really LONG. And of course, Jiro would want his OWN lizard.
When we asked about holding a bird, there was only one option. Oliver. He's some kind of canary, I think. The name had "sun" in it. The Petco employee told me twice what he was but it didn't stick. Probably because all I could do was coo at this adorable bird and watch him go. He was so friendly and had the best personality. He even nibbled our ears! If we didn't own a cat, ironically named Oliver, I would have taken him home immediately, no questions asked.
We were eventually able to tear ourselves away from Oliver, and amazingly we left the store empty-handed. I thought for sure the kids would be all about getting a bird now, but they are still talking about lizards, specifically water dragons.
I guess we'll have to see what Santa decides. Maybe he'll take our cat to the North Pole so I can have a bird.
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