We're off!

Heading out to Florida early this afternoon, folks! We won't be back until the 21st. The shop will be open for the most part. If you're heading into town, expect normal shop hours on Tuesday the 13th through Saturday the 17th. I'll be closed on Tuesday the 20th and Wednesday the 21st, but will be open again on Thursday the 22nd. Got all of that?

Please don't get into trouble while I'm away. Heh.

P.S. Happy anniversary, Dave and Kate! Can't believe it's been a year already!

Awww...

My mom gifted me with the sweetest birthday post.

Thanks, mom!

weakness

I have one weakness in life that gets through my icy cold exterior and totally takes over all sense of reason...PUPPIES! I love puppies more than anything and I simply can't resist. My aunt and uncle are caring for four little ones now and I had the pleasure of seeing them at such a young age. These littles are either going to be super adorable or so freakishly weird looking that they're, uh, cute! Mom's a Jack Russel Terrier and dad's a Chihuahua/Pug mix. How's that for a nice blend?

unrelenting dream

So, it's no secret that I'm burdened with the unrelenting dream of living near the ocean someday. I talk about it regularly and I'm sure people are bored with it by now. It breaks my heart to even think about the kind of money a move like that requires, so the dream gets pushed a little deeper into the back of my mind. Trips to the beach here and there are fine and I gobble them up any chance I can get, but living there is another story. I must make this happen.

I'm a regular subscriber to Coastal Living magazine. I scour Google regularly for everything from beach-inspired decor, to cool little towns to live in, to inspiring ocean photos. I'm obsessed. As a person and a consumer I don't require a lot. I don't yearn for big, palatial environments, nor do I strive to impress anyone by flaunting the amount of money I have in condos or boats. I think I'd live a very meager lifestyle if I lived near the ocean. Life would be simple and I would be happy. I'd fill my days with sewing and baking, beach combing and biking to the market, and taking pleasure in the act of housekeeping (it's also no secret that my #1 career goal in life is to be a housewife). It all sounds so very romantic and ethereal, doesn't it?

Alex and I were discussing beach living a while back, shortly after I stumbled upon this during one of my late night Google-inspired fantasies. This is something I could easily and gladly sink my teeth into. I adore the design, the simplified living space. Amazing. 388 square feet, cedar shingles, gorgeous wooden interior. What do you think? Would you be my neighbor?

for the love of zombies

Our friend James celebrated his birthday on Saturday and Kate and I schemed up a little plan to surprise him with cake! James is in the process of making a really amazing zombie movie and we found it appropriate to make zombie cupcakes. Kate found this photo online:

and please forgive me because I don't know where it came from and therefore can't give credit where credit is due. If this is your photo, or if you know who it belongs to, please let me know so I can thank you.

This whole process was a team effort.

Ben and I designed the board the cupcakes were going to sit on.

We also bloodied up the arms. I'm convinced that the folks responsible for special effects in movies need to team up with the Wilton cake folks and work something out. This gel looked like real blood.

Kate, Dave, Catherine and Mike made and decorated the cupcakes. Chocolate cake, chocolate fudge frosting, crushed up Oreo cookies for dirt and Milano cookies for tombstones.

We had a few casualties.

But overall I think the blood (both real and fake), sweat and tears were worth it.

What do you think?

(not so) Empty Bowls

Did you attend the Empty Bowls extravaganza this year? Such a great time. I've heard of a few kinks that will hopefully be worked out before the event rolls around next year (my parents couldn't get in due to a lack of handicap parking, for one), but overall I'd say it was a success. I can't imagine the time and energy that went into something so wonderful. Ben, Dave, Kate and I all enjoyed ourselves and I'm pretty sure that between everyone in our little group, we tried a bit of everything. I tend to stay away from the brothier soups (Pasta e Fagioli, Italian Wedding and Beef Barley), but Dave's a fan and he liked the ones he tried.

There were about fifteen different soup choices, and that was the easy part because when you first walked into the Italian Community Center, you had over 4,000 bowls to choose from. Yikes! We found our bowls right away, thankfully. Or maybe I should say that our bowls found us. I once had a potter tell me that pottery pieces choose you, not the other way around. Interesting.

How cute is the little thumb rest on my bowl???

Anyway, I'd say my favorite soup for the day was the Broccoli Smoked Gouda by Chef Jackie Baldwin and in a close second place (if not tied for first) was local Polish restaurant Muza's Red Beet Soup. Holy hell that was amazing! Other favorites were:

The Ale House's Caribbean Black Bean (served with sour cream and fresh cilantro)

Flavour Cafe's Creamy Tomato Basil

and Brown's Brewing Company's Roasted Red Pepper Bisque.

I also really, really enjoyed the Pumpkin soup with Ancho Chiles and Honey, too, but I can't for the life of me remember where the soup came from. The little brochure we received at the door doesn't have it listed. That's too bad. I'd love to have more.

If you missed out this year, be sure to give it a shot next year. It's an amazing charity with a great concept, and I can't think of a better way to spend a chilly October afternoon than chowing on soup and helping those in need. Bring your eatin' pants for sure! Yum.

opinions, please

So, when Miss Lola was just a teeny little baby and I was new to the job of babysitting, I'd sing her to sleep when she was overtired or simply wasn't willing to go down for the night. Her favorite song, or at least the one good standby I had that worked, was "Fortunately Gone" by The Breeders. She's much older now and is interested in music and singing songs and I'd love to teach it to her. I'm wondering, though, if it's a bit too weird or "dark" for a little girl to know and celebrate. Here are the lyrics:

I wait for you in heaven

On this perfect string of love

And drink your soup of magpies in a

Pottery bowl that looks

As I am now, brown, round and warm

Chime on a rain wet

An ankle, toes or two

Sweetly as it drops upon your head

Just like it did today

Fortunately gone I wait for you

Chime on a rain wet

An ankle, toes or two

Sweetly as it drops upon your head

Just like it did today

Fortunately gone I wait for you

It's such a pretty song and the way Kim Deal sings it makes it sound so pretty and cheerful. Certainly not a children's song though. What do you think? Please vote (in the left hand column) and let me know what you think. Comments are more than welcome!

Gracias!