NYC getaway

Well, I'm not even sure where to start, except maybe to stand on top of the Empire State and exclaim, "I just went to NYC for the first time!" And there was a lot to shout about for sure. What an amazing and intense and energizing place. I think I have enough creative juice to last me a good long time.

And the heat, oh it was hot, two showers in a day hot. I kept thinking of the beginning of Spike Lee's, Do the Right Thing where he brilliantly portrays a sweltering hot day in Brooklyn. And the subway, that was a bit hotter. I feel like I've just run a marathon, had a massage and bungee jumped. I'm awake now that's for sure and I loved every single amazing moment.

Warm

...taking a break until next week.

Bioluminescence

Did you happen to read the article that came out last week about the discovery that people glow in visible light in really low levels? I found it so interesting. I've had a fascination since childhood with animals that can glow. They say we can't see humans glow with our own eyes but I beg to differ. When I'm with certain people I swear I can see them glow.

Here is a great video of glowing fish. c.

Saving time

If I could put time in a bottle I would have scooped a bit of it in there today. We went to a town fair with some dear friends and g. saw her first parade. It was an idyllic summer day and I could tell g. was enjoying every minute of every new experience along with all the candy that was thrown her way. c.

Leek Rx

I made my potato leek soup last night and the color of the chopped leeks looked so pretty. I bet you're wondering why in the world I would make that when it's 80 degrees going on 87 today. Well it's because we are trying to get over our summer colds. Yep that's right, smack dab in the middle of the highly anticipated visit from granny we got sick. I'm talking croup and bronchitis, the whole shebang. Ugh. c.

Garden love

We went to the Chicago Botanic Garden with g's granny yesterday.

It certainly does inspire one to get ones hands dirty. The Circle Garden is currently planted in shades of blue and purple and it is absolutely stunning. My eyes couldn't soak up enough of it's loveliness. The color pallet was so relaxing and gorgeous, I have to try and recreate this somehow next year.

We saw lots of chubby slow moving honey bees doing their part to keep the flowers blooming. I couldn't help but think about the threat of Colony Collapse and how scary it is that we don't know what is causing the bee population to decline. c.

A visit

We've got family visiting us at the moment. It's nice for g. to see her cousin and for the rest of us to be together.

Here are some scenes from our day. A view from the hotel, a boat tour on Lake Michigan, a splash at Millennium Park and a great picture of cousins. c.

Babs

Looking good even when your hair is not is why you either love or hate Barbie. c.

Notes from Haiti

I just read the Notes from Haiti over on the Mama to Mama site about the caps we sent in November. Thinking about one of the caps I made helping to save the life of a newborn baby is warming my heart beyond belief right now.

Some other ways to help in Haiti. c.

Relaxing

We are taking it easy in between the time that work and tasks take up. I think we are caught in a perpetual state of home improvements.

How is the summer where you live? In our world it has been cooler and rainier than it should. I worry that come October we will feel it never properly arrived. c.

Lions and tigers and bears

Oh my little lion sitting there second from the left. It takes a lot of courage to perform for the first time. c.

You know you want them

Thinking of ways to get your hot little hands on a set of these cream cheese carrot cupcakes goddesses? I bet you are. I was going for a red, white and blue theme obviously, or was until the raspberries that were meant to adorn the fluffy little peaks like glistening red gems of patriotic spirit went all mushy while I wasn't looking. How dare them!

These little lovelies were picked up at our local bakery, but I have tried with much success when I'm feeling a lot less lazy this wonderful recipe.

Everyone got their own personal stash of highly explosive and incredibly dangerous fireworks handy? Now all I need is a 10 foot match, that'll make things safer. To this day I am still amazed that all 3 of my guy cousins emerged with 30 fingers between them, evenly distributed.

Actually the 4th of July tradition in this house is a lot less exciting. Our dog thinks that fireworks signal the end of life as we know it. By sundown on July 4th you will find us all on the floor of the closet with a dog that is in cardiac arrest munching on cupcakes. Happy 4th of July weekend to all of us here in the States. c.

Take two

Waiting for ballet. Costume was on by 6 a.m. today. Last night she went to bed super excited, it's like we hit a pause button that resumed playing in the wee hours of the morning. c.

Perfect peach pie

Father's Day was about baseball, swimming and pie. My neighbor made a peach pie that was incredible. She's a great cook which has a lot to do with why it turned out so good. She shared the recipe with me but it's on Cook's Illustrated which is a subscription site so unless you are a subscriber you can't access it.

She opted to skip the lattice top and instead cleverly used one of her kids play-doh cutters to create this really cute top pattern.

I promise to find and personally test some peach pie recipes to share with you in the coming week. It's a tough job but someone has to do it! c.

Early bird

Happy Father's Day a little early.

I haven't been able to do my daily posts the last few weeks because work and family life have been pretty hectic. July looks like it's going to be a lot slower and I've got some project to share.

Hope your weekend is relaxing. c.

Full swing

Summertime activities are in full swing around here. We did a lot with animals over the last few days which included a trip to a little farm and to Brookfield Zoo where some of the creature were real and some were not. c.

Paint

We've been trying to get the kitchen area painted for a long, long time. I think you will see why from this photo. I hope to have before and after pictures (one day). c.

Filling the silence

We had a blast at the Adler Planetarium in Chicago the other day. Space seems to capture the imagination of everyone. They have lots of interactive exhibits and fun movies to watch.

There was a wall of post-it notes where kids wrote down what they thought they would need if they went into outer space. Some said things like oxygen and food while others asked for books and grass and music to fill the silence.

The grounds around the museum are pretty too, offering a great view of the skyline. c.

Hi

Yesterday I stopped myself from drawing a face on the lemon. I felt like I was becoming a bit predictable with drawing faces on edible objects. Then last night when I was done making pasta fusilli I noticed this staring back up at me. No drawing required, just a little imagination. c.

Holistic honey

I started to think more about the uses for honey recently when g. had a bad cough and the pediatrician told me to give her a spoon full of honey to help calm the coughing. Reminder: Children under one year of age should not be given honey.

Yesterday I was talking with a friend who's husband had an infected cut on his finger. She told me that he used honey to get rid of the infection. Wikipedia mentions a little something about uses in medicine. She also told me that she uses it on her face to keep the wrinkles away. She has beautiful skin so I thought to myself, where can I buy a vat?

In honor of my new best friend honey I made this super great honey lemonade. It's pure summertime in a glass. c.

Play time

We had a near miss with a broken nose this weekend. Falling flat on ones face on the concrete doesn't do much for little snouts.

For a little treat we made a stop at Paper Source after things were all checked out. I shouldn't be allowed in there, it's pure heaven, I want to move the entire store into my house. I was able to exhibit a tiny bit of self control and left with a few stamps to add to our collection. When I was in the store staring at a wall full of crafts dreaming up stuff g. and I could make together I said to my mom, "I really love playing with g." Then she said, "It's g. that is playing with you." So true. I wonder how old she will be when she finally says to me, "Mom I really prefer scuba diving, or mountain climbing, or playing the drums, or..."

Differences

My 3 year-old is starting to notice and ask about differences in physical traits. I get lots of questions about boys vs. girls and old vs. young. One recent question about crunchy eyes, or laugh lines, had us all in stitches and probably produced a few more laugh lines.

Do you eat a lot of sweet potatoes? We really don't. Today I grabbed a few of those instead of the yellow ones. I baked them and they made the whole house smell sweet. c.

Little

Like little hands sitting really still for a real manicure on the very last day of school. c.

A long weekend

It's Memorial Day weekend here. We are enjoying the nice warm days, the museums, the BBQs, and some gardening. c.

Curry!

I have been searching for and trying out some new recipes because I have been is a serious rut for a long time. I'm not the worlds best cook but I like cooking because I find it relaxing. The cleanup isn't all that relaxing but who's thinking ahead?

The Thai Red Curry I made last night was so incredibly delish. I followed this recipe with a few exceptions; to make it vegetarian I used firm tofu in place of the chicken, or you could use those tofu chicken strips (I am the next time I make it), I omitted the fish sauce and added in yellow peppers. I also went for the 3 teaspoons of the curry paste 'cause I like it spicy!