Beck's Blog

Girl Scout Cookie Sale

2012-01-11T20:09:00.002-06:00

Both of my daughters are selling Girl Scout Cookies for the first time. Orders will be taken until Jan. 25th. Please support my girls and the Scouts! If you don't eat the cookies, buy some for your Mom, Dad, Grandparents, Coworkers or boss! They'll love you for it! $4 per box.. You can also donate a box of cookies. They will be given to Yellow Ribbon Operation Moms & USO Navel.

Girl Scouts of America advises to receive payment up-front if possible. This is preferred and appreciated. Check can be made payable to: Girl Scouts GCNWI. Thanks for considering! Distribution is Feb. 17, 2012.

Holiday Decorations

2011-12-24T16:03:00.001-06:00

My sister, Sally, asked me to post pictures of my holiday decorations. Instead I'm including a small picture essay of things we've done this holiday season. I have not been the best photo taker but hope to improve this in the new year. Me and the girls have had some really fun times.

Merry Christmas!

Peanut Butter and Chocolate Bar cookies. Our fav! We use mini candy bars b/c they pack better than Hershey's kisses. Yes and I said "pack" but truly, they don't last long enough to pack.

After sectioning off part of the front window, I had the girls paint winter scenes in acrylic paint. I peeled the tape away for an easy, festive decorative touch. The girls loved it too. They felt a bit rebellious for painting on the glass window. Why not?!

I love poinsettias. Every year on Black Friday, Lowe's sells them for $1/each. I bought 15, gave away some as gifts and used about 10 to decorate the house, including each of our bedrooms. Yikes, I think both photos are of Indigo as a baby. Poor Ais. Gotta swap that out pronto.

I love the Christmas Village. I also have a wooden Nativity set complete with animal figurines, a manger and hay. My children love it and I think it's a very practical way to make the Christmas story real. As a kid I loved setting up our Nativity set. It was that odd paper mache stuff from the 60s with glitter. It lasted, somehow. I recently inherited a ceramic lighted Christmas village set from someone who was throwing it all out in it's protective original packaging! Thanks Chris. It's given us some charming holiday light.

Merry Christmas.

Baking Design

2011-12-20T10:50:00.000-06:00

I'm slowly immersing myself into blogging again. Right now, I'm focused on getting my Christmas activities done. I'm a good baker. This year, my 8 yo daughter, and I will be making a cream puff topiary. Our plan this Christmas Day is to have a "silly/fancy supper" complete with fancy dresses, pretend wine, fancy desserts, etc. My kids don't eat any real food, so I decided to make "Chinese turkey" for myself and some fancy form of chicken nuggets and french fries for them. It's all in the arrangement. I'm thinking of of how I'll arrange it now. Perhaps in a crown format. It's all in the presentation. And have a story to prove it.

This summer I was in charge of a cupcake decorating station. Rather than spend too much money on supplies and allow everyone to go nuts, I created three designs and a "freestyle" category. I posted photos of examples that I have created earlier in the day. It was a huge hit. I received compliments from Moms too. The kids liked being shown how to create interesting cupcakes. I listed instructions too. Parents got a chance to interact with their kids helping them make fancy cupcakes, without having to go through the hassle if thinking about all it. Personally, I thought all this baking design stuff was passe given all the TV shows dedicated to it.

A confession: I ordered cupcakes from our grocery store, Jewel, and asked them to decorate with plain chocolate and white butter cream. After doing the math, ordering from Jewel was about $5 more than had I baked and iced them myself. Well worth it to me as I used 48 cupcakes. I initially bought all the ingredients at Aldi and was surprised by the price. So I returned all that stuff and ordered from Jewel. Smartest thing I've done in awhile (remember I was in school this summer).

Panda bear. Crushed oreos coat the outside of the icing. Mini oreos for ears, whit choc chips or M&Ms for eyes and nose.

Circus Cupcake. Not a great photo, I know, but you get the idea. It looks too simple, but the kids loved this one. Non pareils on white icing remind of the circus so I took that inspiration and added animal crackers.

The last one not shown was "worms in dirt". A good ol' standby. The cupcake icing was rolled in crushed Oreos (generic work great) which I stored in square tupperware and it was perfect. One package makes a LOT of crumbs. Use half. Gummi worms are added as the worms. Cut them in half with clean sharp scissors - they will be too long otherwise. Kids kept swiping the gummi worms and eating them outright. So have extra on hand.

My Twist on Cookie Recipes

2011-12-15T19:25:00.001-06:00

In this household we like to have fun. I am a good baker but my kids are not very interested in baking unless I make it interesting. The Christmas Season is not right without a mother load of baked goods. I have fond memories of my mom baking around the holidays and the glorious creations that came out of the kitchen. She went to town: kolachke, pecan cups, rosettes, pizelles. My repertoire is a bit different and I strive to get my girls involved.

If it can be skewered, it's much more fun! Cookies on a stick! Cheap bamboo skewers can be bought anywhere: Dollar store, grocery store, etc. This recipe is super simple. A few updates make it even more fun:

1 bag of pretzel rings (Jay's Brand or Aldi are the only brands I can find in ring shapes)
Hershey's Kisses - unwrapped
M*Ms - use Mint, plain or peanut butter

Oven at 375 degrees
Cut skewers in half using kitchen sheers

Place skewers on cookie sheet. Place pretzel ring on top of the skewer.
Unwrap Hershey's kisses (great job for the kiddos) and place in the hole of the pretzel ring
Bake for 5 minutes
Take M&M and smoosh the chocolate down onto the skewer and spread it out within the inner pretzel ring. (be careful to not accidentally burn your arm on the hot cookie sheet).

Allow to cool completely. This will take awhile at room temp, so I give it 10-15 minutes at room temp and then put the entire cookie sheet into the fridge.

For a charming presentation, get some floral foam, cover it in foil and arrange the skewers by inserting the bottom of the skewer into the foam. You can also cover the foam after you've arranged the cookies using some wadded up foil or cotton balls.

I hope to post more simple practical twists soon.

*Blogger keeps rotating my photo. Sorry it's sideways. :-(

The Biotch is Beck!

2011-05-22T20:33:00.004-05:00

Well Gang, there are new hopes and dreams on the horizon. So is that where I've been? Hoping and dreaming my lame ass away the last 9 months? Incubating? Negative, nerds. I've been striving and going the distance making my life what I want it to be. But for you that don't know I'll provide a brief history

Aug 2010 - I put my house on the market (epic), contract signed in 3 weeks only to be cancelled 3 weeks later. Fixing stuff in the house, replacing the bathroom floor after a leaky toilet. Suffering, stress! Doing something that's good for me but sucks to do. Finally it's under contract again in early Dec.

Oct 2011 - I step away from competing in the Crossfit USA Weightlifting invitational because of all the stress and commitments in my life. I attend the competition as a treat to myself for turning 39. Yay.

Dec 2010 - Holiday season. Aislin (4 yo) gets sick and is misdiagnosed with a strep infection and UTI. She has a rare disease called Kawasaki Disease and is in the hospital for 2 weeks.

I'm at the hospital day and night (taking turns with her Dad). Friends from Pilgrim school step up like heros and make us meals and bring the girls gifts, help me secure an apt by putting their necks on the line (thanks Mark Zlotkowski). Huge LOVE, capital, is sent my way. They were very concerned about Aislin - and Indigo and me and covered me in hugs and kisses and rolled up sleeves. God bless them all, they got me through. I learned a valuable lesson in receiving love.

Dec 13ish - My good friend, Zeke, drops dead on his bike cycling to a meeting. I miss his memorial service because I'm with Ais in the hospital. He'd approve. I still miss him when I pass his old apt or the spot on the street where he collapsed. It has weird energy.

Dec 31 - I move for the first time in 13 years. In the rain.

January 21 - I enroll in Organic Chemistry and Anatomy and Physiology II preparing for enrollment in highly competitive Nursing School. Like a deer in the headlights

Ais is still on the mend. Her labs are normal in Feb 2011

March 2011 - I break up with Crossfit. Many reasons. But a big financial saver and my schedule was not open when the gym was open. I need a gym that works for me not just take my money. Especially when it's so expensive.

May 2011 - school's out. I made it!

May 16 - Begin an intensive interim semester (16 weeks completed in 4 weeks) for Anatomy and Physiology I. 1 hour commute each way at rush hours. Kids are still in school so I save on the babysitting costs and minimize time away from them.

May 23, 2011 -- My friend, Ellee, and I swell up with verve and tackle a new strength program head-on. New gym but our own - self-driven, program with some 70s-big influence . Heavy, heavy weight, metcon 2x a week. Pull ups. Strict, dead hang. No swinging. You and the bar.

The entire time I was working out the details of my divorce including child care, finances and planning for the future of my family.

Phew, now I can start posting that fluff you all are so happy to read! There have been some fun journeys along the way. Interesting people and sites. Heartbreak, betrayal, confusion and outright exhaustion . Overall I feel like I'm coming up to the surface for some air and want you to tune-in for the adventures to come. I've missed you!

How much Rice is in your Sushi Roll?

2010-11-01T09:28:00.000-05:00

I've read that if you carry small bills in your wallet you willspend
more money. If you carry larger bills you are more conscious of
spending. The same applies to food and dieting.

Grains bloat me and I didn't have access to to Sushi, just Maki
rolls. Trying to avoid grains I methodically peeled the rice layer
off off the spicy tuna roll.

The result?- 12 pieces of maki yielded a staggering 2 CUPS of rice!
The rice pile was also larger than the other stuff. If I ate rice I
would eat 3/4-1 cup, realistically. Roll it around tiny maki and
there's the risk of eating double!

My next experiment...applying this theory to wine. Large pours only!!

Hatching Evil Pumpkin Carving Plans

2010-10-21T20:20:00.000-05:00

Mwahahahaha!!!

Primal Salted Carmel Apple Crisp

2010-10-14T21:36:00.001-05:00

I had to post something to distract you all from my horrible Oly lifting form in the vids from my last postings. Ooo and this is a fun one. Food folks! My PC is dead so I am hitting the internet and email with my iPhone and an old, old, boat anchor laptop. No iTunes or camera connectivity. I posted a pic just before this post directly from my iPhone.

Good gravy the circumstances of my life are a cluster right now. But I'm optimistic. It's just circumstances.
My house is back on the market as a result of the potential buyer's backing out. My life has just changed trajectory - again. There's a huge water main break -- but turns out it's on the City's side of things! Woohoo! Now I won't have to spend $10K, I don't have, to fix it! To celebrate a break in the "fog" and turn of events of my life into the black, I was inspired to create! My paints and fabrics being stowed away for the move, I had food as my palette and canvas. I made paleo banana muffins with shredded carrots and pecans (wow, pecans are the dessert of the nut world). Inspired by their smell, I chopped up my last Gala apple and made a heavenly concoction; apple crisp with salted caramel cream topping. I must admit, the stricter paleo you are, the less of a sweet tooth you have. I don't even care for chocolate much anymore. I haven't been the strictest Paleo girl - but I've held it, reasonably, together considering my circumstances. Being a part of this blogosphere helps me focus - especially the gang at www.ganggoespaleo.blogspot.com.. I will go out with a bang and gain some ground. I'm just overjoyed to have created. Such a small, small thing and not even ingenius. Just an idea. But it felt good to have that control again. I need to dig out the paints, palette and brushes. Sigh.

I kicked the day off with a planned crock pot lemon chicken for dinner. Prepped it and let is sit all day stinking up my house with aroma of a solid autumn supper. I added some roasted sweet potatoes at supper time to add more to the chicken. Plus I love roasted sweet potato fries.

Here's the apple crisp with caramel cream toppping I whipped up on the fly. This is my first go so it could use some tweaks. If you try it, let me know what to add more/less of.

1 Gala apple - sliced in thin strips/wafers

Crumble topping
1 tsp melted coconut oil
1/3 cup Almond Meal/Flour (is there such a thing as pecan flour? I'd try that in a heartbeat)
1/2 tsp apply pie spice (use cinnamon to sub)
3 chopped dates

Chop above ingredients in food processor or mini chopper

Melt coconut oil in ramekin in microwave and then mix in a bowl with other ingredients, except apples

Place apples in ramekin you just melted the coconut oil in
Add crumble topping
Bake 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until apples are fragrant

Salted Carmel topping

1/2 cup of coconut cream
1 hot date (microwave 30 seconds) (skip if you like less sweet)
dash of vanilla
1/8 tsp or less - melted bacon fat
Mix in food processor or whip by hand (the texture of cream thinned out in processor - I put in freezer)

Primal Apple Crisp w Salted Caramel Topping

2010-10-14T21:31:00.001-05:00

120 lb-Beck Cleanand jerk

2010-07-15T10:07:00.000-05:00

Beck Snatch 43kg 3.MOV

2010-07-15T10:03:00.000-05:00

Summer Snatching

2010-07-13T09:58:00.001-05:00

I participated in a Summer Olympic Weightlifting Meet at my gym, Windy City Crossfit. I did ok. Geez, looking at these photos, I need to work on form.

Although in defense of imperfect form, I was in front of a big crown all by myself on that platform. All eyes on me and one shot to get the work done. It's a little nerve racking. One attempt.

Snatching is a very technical lift where if you screw up at the beginning of the lift it affects the success of other parts of the lift. So many steps. I really love Olympic lifting and that one has to be continuously conscious of form. Sure any knuckledragger can come in and rip the bar off the floor. But to do it with grace and correct form is a different story. When done correctly the Snatch, specifically, is a very graceful movement.

Moving onward and upward. I hope to post photos of my failed attempts to clean and jerks my body weight (stuck in the hole at the bottom of the catch). I tried to bounce out of it but couldn't. Just too heavy. Sad thing is that I know if I would have gotten out of the hole, I know I can jerk it. My problem is opposite for most chicks. I've got a long femur; my hip flexors are muscular from trying to move that long bone. But my quads need some help.

I'm going to work heavy front squats for the next six weeks to see how my strength improves. I started the day after the meet. It even felt heavy.

My goal for this year is to snatch and clean and jerk my bodyweight (about 125lbs). I'm closing in on that with the Clean and Jerk and think I can get the Snatch there before year-end. My next goal is to have a qualifying total for National competition. That could be another year away.

Here are some snatch photos taken by my friend Cheston Bogue. He had a fancy camera.

There's a Star Upon Thars...

2010-05-09T16:56:00.000-05:00

New context, new rules. I have these cut off sweat pants that I work out in. I appliqued a chinoiserie star onto the booty of the shorts! They elicit some commentary, always positive. But I can't help but wonder if people, namely women, are thinking "What kind of woman appliques a star on the middle of her workout shorts!" This kind, I suppose.

I changed gyms in October; Women's Workout World (all women) to Windy City CrossFit (coed). I auditioned to be a Turbo Kick Instructor at W3 and made the shorts so people can follow me on stage. Plain and simple. You may remember the story of my first audition here. You may notice the difference in body composition since one year ago. I was about 13 lbs heavier back then and worked out way more. It's intensity folks and a quality diet. Not cal in/cal out. You Facebook friends know I eat like a truck driver. I was not born with a fast metabolism at all. You all need to know the truth, but I'll save it for another post.

Looking back I am so glad I didn't get the job! I've joined CrossFit which incorporates "high intensity training". Had I been tied to an instructor job, I doubt I would have made the switch. Heck, I was intimidated enough to go to CrossFit. But the heavily tatooted young thing that did my ramp up was super nice and non-judgemental. Don't be scared. It's exercise for the time-conscious person. It uses anaerobic and aerobic energy pathways. I workout for 1 hour 3 times a week and have gotten better results than working out non stop for 1.5 hours 5 days a week. Believe it. Just come talk to me. Talk to the people who went to W3 with me and are now at CrossFit (Ok, only Carmen but she is a rockstar! strong crazy woman!).

In the meantime, if you want you want to judge me for wearing a star my booty, go ahead I can't stop you. You're probably just jealous. If that's the case, just fess up. I have plenty or star cutouts for your old shorts. Just ask.

Naturally Clean

2010-05-07T21:26:00.000-05:00

I make my own allergy-free, dye-free, crazy-words-I-can't-pronouce-free clothing detergent. It's pretty cheap and easy to make. It is a great deodorizer for sports clothes and awesome at getting out stains in clothing, but remember to use a scrub brush. I even got out the dirty salt stains on ski coats. If you live in a cold climate, you know that gray dinge jackets accumulate regardless of how often you wash it. Yep, scrub brush and my natural detergent. You can find everything at a grocery store in the laundry aisle.

4 c. Borax powder
4 c. Washing Soda
2 bars of grated Fels Naptha soap or Zote soap (find in Mexican grocery stores)

Mix all ingredients together. I put it all in a food processor and process it until it is fine. 2 TBL per load is all you need and it's safe for high efficiency units also.

Spring Happenings

2010-05-07T10:12:00.000-05:00

Me and the girls have been quite busy launching Spring in Chicagoland. We've had some extremely warm days and enjoyed them thoroughly with picnics, outings and late nights. One standout happened recently when the girls and I particpated in the Linus Project. The girls painted quilt blocks with fabric markers and I stitched it all together to create a quilt. The quilts from Project Linus are donated to kids in the hospital so they have something special. Created by kids, for kids. I love the concept. The girls had a blast and loved that I put my sewing skills to good use. I do love sewing but loathe being trapped indoors to do it.

Headlock!!!

2010-03-27T21:58:00.000-05:00

Jackie Daniels, MVP

Sprint Club

2010-03-21T22:14:00.000-05:00

Well Gang, after reading about all the benefits of intermittent sprinting and doing a bit on my own, I've decided to start a "chicago area sprint club". I mentioned this to my massage therapist, Catt, over at Dr. Steve Bourdage's Chiropractic Office (he's a fellow CrossFitter and awesome chiro. Oh and a fabulous guy). She was interested in creating a Meetup Group. Today was our first meeting. I get to handle the workout.

Sadly, no one showed up. Even Catt didn't sprint today as she was waiting in a different location in the park. Deep sigh. I did the entire exercise alone. It was good practice.

An important part of any workout: intermittent, extended, intense - whatever - is the warm up. One has to get those muscles warmed up for the work they are about to perform. I also wanted to incorporate some Central Nervous System Priming (CNS priming). Essentially doing movements that put our brains on notice that they need to put out soon and in a big way. CNS priming is still the wild, wild west of fitness. But I think there is a lot to be said about it, regardless of what is known. It's not dangerous to prime the CNS so I decided to try it and log what I find.

Back to Sprint Club - we've had some gorgeously warm weather here in Chicago - upper 60s. That is, until yesterday, when we received a solid inch of beautiful snow! Yes, snow. The crocuses were coming up nicely but now they are frosted. It was about 40 degrees this afternoon and I'll bet many people didn't show due to the weather. I love snow and don't mind the cold, if I dress for it. So Sprint Club continued. I'm hardy. Here's the joy that you missed:

I did a light jog, followed by 3 rounds of:

10 thigh high step ups (each leg)

10 push ups on same step

10 sec duck walk with a log (*CNS prime)

10 jumps with log (*CNS prime)

I found the logs at a park district with lots of woods. This city girl carefully scaped off the slugs, spiders and rolly polly bugs. You're welcome. Then for good measure, I covered the logs in old towels with duct tape. No bugs allowed to escape into someone's hair. Not on my watch.

A few log jump squats for good measure and I was ready to sprint! I cranked out the first one at lightening speed. The ground was pretty squishy from the melted snow, but speed was not my concern. Maximum power output was the objective. Go strong! I found a nice path where I'd get muddy but not wet. I walked back and waited until complete rest. This was the hard part. I wanted to go- go - go. I timed the rest for good measure. Then went again. This was easy. My lungs did not burn. But I felt my legs were moving faster than I could handle. Almost out of control. Great!

Resting between sprint 2 and 3 I realized - no one showed up - not even the technical organizer. I consulted the Meetup listing via iPhone during a rest period. I was supposed to meet the other organizer on the corner. Woops, I was between the playgrounds. So I sprinted over there, using the concrete path. Wow, it was like I was a cheetah leaving a streak of fire in my wake. 10 seconds on fire! A passeryby smiled. No one on the corner. I walked and sprinted back to my workout area and finished up.

Overall, it was a GREAT day to sprint. The soft earth made for an excellent training ground. I wasn't concerned about what others thought. I even felt a little uppity when seeing other joggers passby. I wanted to convince them to sprint with me! But I had to keep my head to the wind, so to speak.

There you have it folks, the humble beginnings of my sprint club on a sunny but cold Spring day in Chicago. More in two weeks! Special thanks to all of you who RSVPd or left inspiring Facebook messages. I will see you next time! But, so you know, it will be different. Come with coffee to occupy you during the breaks.

Blog Roll -PaNu

2010-03-16T22:36:00.000-05:00

www.panu.com is a blog written by Dr. Kurt Harris. One focus of the blog is epigenetics: how outside factors effect gene expression (food, exercise, pollution, etc). And specifically how one's diet effects gene expression hence overall health.

A simple example of epigenetics is during pregnancy, obstetricians mandate that preggo moms take at least 1200mg of Folic Acid daily to prevent spinal bifida. Folic Acid being the agent affecting the genetic expression of the gene that makes one's spinal cord come out straight as opposed to crooked.

PaNu is one of the paleo nutrition blogs that I read and enjoy. It can be science-y. Dr. Harris is a pracitcing medical doc with a personal interest in this stuff. His lastest blog post is a great one. He really outdid himself with the metaphor. Anytime a scientists comes up with such an effective metaphor for a complex biological system, he must be given high praise. So snaps to him. Check it out here.

One thing is sure: our bodies, metabolism, gene expression, etc are NOT linear. They do not things in a specific order everytime. It's not a chaotic system. I don't know how it is organized really, but the more I read and learn, the more that comes to light for me regarding food: Fake food is not nutrition. And after eating whole foods (even non organic ones, etc) I feel so much better. And look better too. More on that later.

Beck 1, Quasi broken washer via clogged P-trap - 1

2010-03-14T23:11:00.001-05:00

My clothes washer was not completely spinning the water out of the clothing. I'd set it back to spin and the clothes would get spun out ok. I kept an eye on it and this was a recurrent problem. I also noticed that the old cement utility sink that the washer drains into, emptied slow. I tested it. Yes, extremely slow. But eventual. My diagnosis was that the washer wasn't the problem. The water was backing up into the washer's drain house not allowing the water to fully drain from the washer.

I started with the drains. Cleared out some lint. Ran boiling hot water down the drains to clear out any detergent residue. Poured in liquid Drano and let it sit for an hour. Rinsed. Nada. Clogged up. Time to go in boys.

Brandishing one big red, monkey wrench, I put all my CrossFit physique had to loosen those bushings. But I got it. Oy, now I know why plumbers are big; they've gotta be strong to get everything loosened up. Sure enough, big ol' clog in the P-trap. Yeah, it was lint and everything else. Ew. Gratifyingly unclogged it. But now the bushings don't want to work. Cross threading commences. Patient unwrenching, wrenching, crossthreading. It wasn't working. I swear I couldn't NOT crossthread it. I had to replace the whole P-trap. Grrr.

It's 10pm and the kids are in bed. I can't leave them in the house alone. So I'm stuck with an open drain. It's just wrong to leave it like that. It demands a run to home depot. I'm goal oriented! Luckily my stash of stuff from rehabbing this place 10 years ago revealed a part that would fit with reused parts from the old P-trap (this is the old plumbing portion of the house after all. It's not Jerry-rigged nor McGyver'd mind you. It's just creatively solved). I got it to a point where it didn't leak. Or so I thought.

I was feeling victorious after suffering thru manual labor, gross extractions, copious kid interruptions and a parts-related mini-panic. Feeling brave, the next step was to do a load of wash! Smart girl that I am, I ran a small load. I put a bucket under the new P-trap. Listening for the deluge, I ran downstairs to find that the new P-trap was indeed leaking. Fortunately into the bucket. Irony is that I could dump the water from the bucket that caught the drain leakage, into the sink from where it just came - without any leaks. The P-trap can handle water from the tap, but the deluge from the washer was too much (this is an extra small load too).

So I call it a night, only to find that the cold water on the faucet is now leaking. Grr. Nice brass bushings, coated in years of tarnish come off, I apply some teflon tape, reattach and viola! Fixed for now.

Tomorrow is another day. One where I find a handyman or plumber to solve this problem, correctly.

In the meantime, I have an awesome battery operated crescent wrench that loosens and tightens with a the push of a button. Unfortunately I couldn't use it in this application. But I'll be fixing up the girls' bikes in no time. Good tools are fun (except the human variety).

I'm calling it a night. 11pm. The girls are still up. I'll be seeing Midnight tonight after all is said and done. Hopefully soon after it will be with my eyes shut.

Skiing in Gaylord, MI

2010-03-06T15:06:00.001-06:00

Scroll down my blog to read about Anstee girls' ski bonanza.

I disabled my Facebook account to reclaim time. It's working. But I
miss the ease in posting photos- blog light!

Ais getting towed

2010-03-06T15:03:00.001-06:00

By Ranger Bob. So cute

Indi at ski school

2010-03-06T15:01:00.001-06:00

First time downhill in group lesson. Lasted entire lesson (2 hrs).
Hilarious watching her tiny self try to grab hold of the tow rope. But
she got it. Her teacher, Shannon, worked so hard teaching Indi. More
skiing later. Hooray for centrally located bunny hills so both girls
were in close proximity.

Ais skis for the first time

2010-03-06T14:57:00.001-06:00

I forked out tall cash for 3.5 y.o Ais. Her instructor "Bob" had big,
clear blue eyes and a mustache. I knew she was in good hands. Too
bad she lasted only 15 minutes. Go Ais a base!!

Ski bunnies to Arctic Mermaids

2010-03-06T14:51:00.000-06:00

Indi and Ais loving the entrance to the outdoor pool. All kids, as of
right now are swimming outside. Cool Crazies!

Winter swimming

2010-03-06T14:48:00.000-06:00

After a new, raucaus morning of alpine ski lessons , indi unwinds in
classic fashion. In the pool and hot tub! The heated pool has a door
that goes outside. Indi and Ais thought this was awesome! Me too!
They didn't think much of the spooky, foggy steamroom, but I loved
getting my sweat on while merely sitting and inhaling deeply.

Background: I bought a weekend, inclusive package off of someone on
Craigslist. $600 package for two hundy. This resort is extremely
family friendly. No drunken singles or college kids. A safe place. The
girls were so disappointed that we couldn't go to our fav spot in
warm, sunny AZ. Too broke. But creative alternatives are working
great! They love it here and enjoyed the 6 hr drive (and leaving
school early on a Friday). Simple living

Anstee Girls' Super Awesome Roadtrip

2010-03-06T08:46:00.000-06:00

Me and the girls are headed to northern Michigan for some ski and
swim. 6 hour drive and we made it. The girls were fabulous!

Hotel at Treetops resort has a heated indoor pool that goes outdoors.
It on the list right after ski school! Stay tuned

Primal Banana Muffins

2010-02-12T18:34:00.001-06:00

Not the best looking broad in the joint but like all quality ... It's
what's on the inside that counts. And they are delicious.

Dates. Bananas, coconut oil, coconut flour, eggs, carrots, b soda,
cider vinegar, walnuts

Eat More Dietary Fat

2010-02-07T17:20:00.000-06:00

Recently I posted a question as a my Facebook status: "Why is dietary fat weightlifting gold?"

I posted this after I had a pot roast supper with mashed cauliflower followed by an awesome evening of lifting at my Olympic Weightlifting class. I felt great. I could lift heavier weight, faster, better form, etc. I

've been a strict Paleo eater for the last month and have noted some great improvements: muscle recovery (reduced soreness), strength and physique. I have had some energy fluctuations and wondered how the heck to resolve them. Of course I thought: "eat fruit" the fructose jolt to my metabolism will boost me up, burn up and then let me down hard - but anything for a "healthy" turbo boost. Not as bad as caffeine or white table sugar... but the net effect is similar, I think. This is of course a short cut. I'd like a long sustained unfluctuated energy flow. I think I'd have to be caught up on my sleep (child rearing has put me in arrears for years now). I'd also have minimal stressors in my life. La ti da, dream on. Until then, I do what I can with what I am able to do.

The role of fat in diet. I've recently learned at the Level 1 CrossFit Cert that dietary fat act like an insulin-production buffer. The insulin response is slow. This is a good thing when trying to maintain even energy levels during the day. I'm still researching and hoping to comprehend the key to even energy issues (it's not just insulin management althoug h that's an important part). I truly believe that the female menses cycle plays a role in energy balance as well. Something the guys don't worry about. This makes me sensitive to what men have to say on dietary effects on hormones specifically about women. Sure they can read studies and I apprecite it. But part of me thinks they have to experience it to truly resolve it. They are credible, but a woman's perspective is much more appreciated by me - just saying. Regardless, I came across this on The Paleo Diet website created by Dr. Loren Cordain - a paleo expert.

Dr. Cordain,
I have a client who is lacking energy after having switched to the Paleo Diet. I have experienced this with clients in the first few weeks before but she has been on the diet for a little over a month and this has only just surfaced. Do you have any thoughts?
Mark J. Smith, Ph.D.

Hi Dr. Smith,
Thank you for your question. This is a temporary occurrence for some people when they transition to the Paleo Diet. I believe the low energy stems from the combination of 2 factors:
1) A lifetime of metabolizing glucose and stored muscle glycogen. When you get your only carbs from fruits and veggies, the carbohydrate content of the diet is severely reduced, and thus may initially lead to low blood sugar and lethargy.
2) The inability of peripheral tissues (i.e. muscle) to effectively use beta oxidation of intramuscular triglyceride as a substrate because flux through these pathways has been neglected for a lifetime. Once dietary CHO is reduced, then muscle must rely upon lipolysis from adipocytes as the major energy source, along with esterification of these free fatty acids at the muscle/blood interface in order to increase the intramuscular triglyceride pool.

This process takes about 1-2 months to occur in typical muscle glycogen compensated Westerners, and longer for women than men. Increasing the fat content of the diet and increasing fruit intake during the transitional phase will probably help with these energy issues.

I welcome opinions and comments.

Paleo Challenge update: Being strict Paleo for the month of January - here are the stats. I continue to be Paleo with some cheats making me more of a primal eater. Still, lots more veggies and "real food".

3% body fat reduction to 16% total

Body Weight reduction total of 4.5lbs -2 gained pounds of muscle, total 126lbs

Physical:

0 strict pulls ups to 2.75 pullups
0 chin ups to 3.5 chins
Snatch weight from 72lbs to 80lbs and gaining momentum

I workout about 3-4 times per week. I attend Oly class 2x per week and Crossfit 2x a week. If I can't get into a CrossFit WOD, I'll do another Oly class (it fits in to my schedule). I'm getting stronger and working towards completing my first muscle up. I've taken smaller steps toward achieving this goal: improving dead hang pull ups, improving pull up using a false grip, kipping on rings with a false grip (the false grip is like a grip flat tire. It enables one to make a transition into the dip portion of a muscle up, but does no favors for the dead hand pull up required to get to "dip position"). After every workout I do a few rounds of chins and pull ups. If I'm toasted from lifting, then I use a the thinnest band to assist me and crank out as many as possible (usually 3). My rule is, if I complete one (no matter how slow or difficult) I must attempt the next one. This has served me well, as I get farther than I think when I feel I couldn't.

What are your physical fitness goals! Speak out! I want to hear it!

Kid Fakeout - Super smoothy

2010-02-04T13:41:00.001-06:00

Paleo fakeouts for Kids

2010-02-04T13:38:00.000-06:00

I have 2 lovely daughters; Aislin (3.5) and Indigo (6.5). The older
heavily influences the younger. Indigo only eats things that are
beige. This is my observtion. There aren't many nutricious "beige"
foods out there. As a Mom, and hosehold nutritional ninja, I struggle
to find ways to get Indi to eat balanced. Why? Because I see the
effects of the rise and fall of her insulin response. It looks pretty
grumpy and sounds worse. Poor thing, it can't feel much better
either. Indi's poor nutrition choices and preferences effect
Aislin's response too. Ais eats pretty much anything and loves
broccoli and edamame and fruit. But, like her mother and sister-the
call of a Dinkel's cupcake is kryptonite. I'm all for it occasionally-
it's fun!

Solution: super smoothies
This recipe has gotten a favorable response from both kids.

1 snack size, full fat yogurt any kind
4 coarsely chopped strawberries
Big handful of fresh spinach
1 large egg (outside washed)

Add all items into a blender and serve

I especially love my blending wand for all smoothies

Yes, raw eggs. Hum the "Rocky" theme. I think raw eggs are just fine.
Just remember to wash them. It's sterile on the inside - germs come
from the outside shell. Let me know if you like it, I have more
recipes involving pumpkin.

Enjoy!

Sent from my iPhone

In the lot at Costco

2010-02-01T21:15:00.001-06:00

I thought my kid-hauler got messy. Looks like someone lives in their
car. I'm thankful for my little mess

Another Adventure - time warp technologies

2010-01-30T09:10:00.001-06:00

Last March my family accepted getting bumped from our flight home from
vacation in lieu of flight vouchers. 4 vouchers. I've used them with
abandon and gusto: Seattle motorcycle trip, New Orleans and now Denver.

The Fri night flight from O'Hare was packed. I was alone (no kids) so
it was fine. I had a mini private Idaho in my claustrohobic window
seat. I brought along that gorgeous charmer, Dr. Who, for emergencies

They confiscated my shampoo and conditioner but allowed (or missed)
the 2 exacto knives in my art box.

I rented a car. They no longer use keys. Just a button. My intuition
and mechanical ability was lit because i started the darn car in less
than 1 minute. Other folks around me were frantic, switching vehicles
only to find the same keyless issue i helped out with a smile only
because I knew my ability to figure it out was quick and lucky. Upon
leaving the rental island I asked how to lock the car. The attendant
was very kind and help search for a remote-like, yet keyless device
that must be in the vehicle in order to start it. Pleased to have
everything in order I headed on my way. 1 mile away I noticed the gas
tank was solidly at 3/4 full. Cynically, there's a price for all
convenience. But I did not feel like a victim. Me and iPhone GPS found
our way to our Oasis: Beki hemingways brothers house

Josh is a complete stranger i have never met nor laud eyes on not a
photo, no facebook friending -nada Sight unseen. He called before I
left O'hare and I relayed my no shampoo issue and I asked if I could
use his guy shampoo.

When me, iPhone GPS and keyless car made it to Josh's pad there was
parking! He had the cleanest, tidiest bachelor pad I've ever seen.
Yet no gay vibe. On my nightstnd were brand new toiletries he said he
picked up at Target cheap!!! Even special face soap. Beki trained him
well! Thanks Josh!

I'm off to CrossFit Certification class. More from the road later

Sent from my iPhone

Gorgeous Find

2010-01-10T13:34:00.007-06:00

Ever wish you were ahead of the status quo? I often do. Or perhaps better explained: I wish I weren't so far behind. I don't fret about it often. I pretty much march to the beat of my own drum (also the title of the JC Brooks and Uptown Sounds album - which is completely fabulous! Get it!). I had an encounter in a junk shop that put me on cloud Nine. After one of my group art meetings in Andersonville I had a chance to go to one of my favorite shops: UrbanNest. The staff there is so friendly and their home decor offerings are stellar. They are quite pricey but you can always find something good on clearance. I kid you not. I've been craving more organic finishes in my home. I remember them having Birch lampshades in Oct on clearance. I loved them but couldn't buy them at the time as I was busy painting at the Art Weekend. Nothing like having a huge lamp shade next to your easel on the street (nerd!).

They had a few left and I walked outta there paying $10 for a new birch veneered lampshade! Woot! I also like that they display the work of local artists on their walls - which are for sale. Walking back to the car, I popped into a resale/antique shop a few doors north. It used to be way overpriced when I visited years ago when I lived in Andersonville 10 years ago. But they are much more affordable now. As soon as I walked in, there was a box on the floor stuffed with old brass clock innards. Their shapes were so cool. A mere $10 each! All brass! I dug out a few and arranged them on a chair next to the box so I could arrange a lovely installation in my home. As I did this each person who walked into the store, marveled at these and how I had arranged them. They picked them up and tinkered with them. "What is this" they asked. Each piece was covered in some kind of animal hair but the potential was still there. Each piece had a bunch of gears and cogs. Some seen, some not. I was giddy. If you started one in motion, another one would start. But you couldn't quite see how it all worked together. I stood there and played and explored for a good 10 minutes. Being all bundled up I started to get overheated and tried to haggle for a deal. "Can I have 4 for $30?" "Sorry, we just got those." Lost, but, hey, I tried. After I paid, the clerk said to his manager "I never realized how beautiful those were". For a moment I felt like I was ahead of the pack. I was even trying to do that. I was being myself - indulging my natural curiosity and appreciating something otherwise overlooked as junk. The experience also made me a feel a little artsy fartsy, which I really am not. Like I said, I just fly by the seat of my pants. If any of you know anything about clocks, shoot me an email. I have no idea what that circular metal banding does. Wishing you a find of your own soon!

Group Art Installation

2010-01-10T13:29:00.006-06:00

I have had the good fortune to be invited to participate in a Group Art Team. We are a group of artists that attend First EV Free Church in Chicago. We have various backgrounds (painting, graphic design, photography, acting, lit). This is the cool part: our goal is to create art installations that are a visual representation of the sermons series' during Sunday service. We understand that not everyone who attends our Sunday services are 1) Christians 2) nor is everyone great at sitting and listening. I can certainly relate to that. I do like to sit and listen, but to have a relevant art installation on stage is a fab idea.

I have helped brainstorm about installation ideas. I'm a do-er and goal oriented and really appreciate the group of great artists collected for this year. We unveil our first installation in next week. It's big and interesting. It's abstract (which I love) and I hope all of you get a chance to check it out. It will change from week to week but continue the same theme - at least until Easter.

First Evangelical Free Church on Ashland and Berwyn

Paleo Challenge and Busy Winter Months

2010-01-10T13:12:00.006-06:00

It's the story of my life -- I'm busy. Geez. I love the ease and convenience of Facebook. People seem more interested in commenting there as well rather than on my blog. I love comments. I realize tho that reading blogs takes discipline and dedication. Facebook, esp since it's a mobile application, is such a clever and easy tool. The past few months for me, like many of you, have been full of the quake and throttle of the holidays.

Phew, I'm glad they are over. We were fortunate to get some snow here in the Chicago area which has been wonderful. It's been quite cold though (single digits yo!). Not great weather for sending out the kids to play in. I've done my best to get out into the fluffy white stuff. I love it. I also like extremely cold temperatures - so long as I'm dressed for it. It's difficult to drive in mittens, especially the big, faux leopard fur "Bear Hands" I indulged myself with. I've tried Isotoner gloves and they are pretty useless. Once your hands get cold, it's difficult to get them warm. This is so true with plein air painting too. It's best to keep your hands warm. Do not allow them to get cold. Even if they are sweating, let them sweat. So long as they stay warm. Because one brief contact with extremely cold air and all their heat escapes faster than greenwashers steal your money. Here's the breakdown: Dec: participated in my very first Olympic Weightlifting competition. It's been month since then, and I have to admit that I am surprised at how much I lifted that day. I must have had a surge of adrenaline. I'm still lifting near that weight. A tad more, but not much. Lifts were Snatch and Clean and Jerk. Both awesome for fitness. Your abs get shredded. A whole body workout. I love efficiency. Especially when it applies to exercise. I was fortunate to enjoy the wonder of my children's Christmas pagaents at school. Aislin (3) was a chick in cute little Christmas story. Myself and 2 other moms busted our tails creating the cutest little animal headbands ever. Everyone had plastic gems for eyes so they would sparkle from the stage. All the girl animals were given long, violet eye lashes. Adorable!

Indigo (6) was a spectacular kid, waving from the stage during her evening performance. She held up a gold star and did a dance with other kids in the aisles of the school's, church sanctuary. Very impressive. Sang loud and proud. We baked, shopped, watched every Dog and Christmas themed movie Redbox had to offer. It was kid time. I laid low, painted, shopped and did a small amount of decorating and staying up late obsessing over Doctor Who. Love it! (I own all of Season 4 if anyone wants) My sister, Sally, her husband Bruce, and their 4 little kids spent Christmas here in Chicago, from Western Nebraska. All the cousins got to hangout and be rowdy. Good times, lots of treats and even some sledding. My girls miss them already. 2010 is upon us. I've created a few goals for myself: 1) 30 days of strict Primal eating. From previous posts, you know that I have slowly altered by diet to be more in line with Paleolithic eating (no refined sugars, or grains. Heathy fats, nuts, lean meats and fruits and veges - organic if you can get it). I cut the grains out in October, but I'm so surprised at how much sugar there is in lunchmeat, bacon, sausage. Sheesh, in everything. It's crazy. So I have broken down and gotten grass fed meats. Sausage from an actual butcher (Gene's in Lincoln Sq rocks). I've also bought organic produce when I can. It is so expensive. I've offset it by eating less. So if I lose a few pounds doing this it's not intentional. I'm just broke ya'll. The only thing I really miss are: my 1/2 cup of dairy in my AM latte and 2) wine. Sigh. It's nice to unwind with a glass or two of red. But all is not lost. It's only one month. I can add those things back after that. I'm just trying to create a baseline to see how this diet affects my exercise (Crossfit) and my energy levels (I used to burn out by 3pm, went Paleo and that moved to about 7pm - on strict paleo it's about the same). I've committed to getting to Olympic lifting class twice a week and then twice a week to Crossfit Workouts of the Day (all take place at WCCF). Problem is that I have to stack some of the workouts close to each other. It's brutal to do two in a day. But I did it before. It just isn't convenient. I am working hard and am NOT as sore as have been in the past. I attribute that to the primal diet. It's a nice perk. I get sore just not debilitatingly so. Especially when we do any gymnastics type of exercise (ring dips, muscle ups, dead hang pull ups). Those just make my armpits sore for weeks. So there are the highlights folks. Sorry to have been gone for so long.

I plan to post some before and after pics of the Paleo challenge. The goal is to see the difference physically rather than on the scale. And most importantly, Feel great!

My darling

2009-12-18T14:58:00.001-06:00

Aislin played a chick in a Christmas pageant with her Preschool class.
Cheep, cheep.

Weightlifting Competition

2009-12-13T17:33:00.016-06:00

Windy City CrossFit (WCCF), my gym, hosted a Winter Weightlifting Competition organized by fab acrobat, muscle man and badass coach - Will Howard (he does Turkish Getups using people). Way to shine Will - on both counts!

I volunteered to help out the day of the meet, but my girlfriend and fellow Crossfitter, Kim Hanna, put out the call to all of us 'grown-ass women' (which I think is a compliment - but perhaps a euphemism for women over 30?) - and I answered. Being new to Olympic weightlifting (I never heard of the moves until Oct 2009) I didn't win any awards - this time - ;-) but I did move some weight around. Woohoo, I add weightlifting competitor to my list of achievements!

It was an exciting day! There was every walk of life at this meet. Some of the skinnier women looked like they would break under the weight of their loads. The men were especially fun to watch. They hoisted, hauled and lifted heavy stuff. I got some of them to "clean and jerk" my kids as play. Sweet knuckledraggers! The kids were thrilled to be hoisted in the air like weights! Thanks to Dingo and Doogie for that joyride! Gentle giants *sigh* Couplla great fellas.

CrossFit forges elite fitness. We use many Olympic lifts in our workouts of the day. They are whole body lifts that require technique and full-body strength. Very satisfying movements because it doesn't work just one muscle. It requires all of them!

I'm so proud of everyone who competed (you got to lift or fail while 100 people watched silently - yikes!). My favorite of the day was watching WCCF's own "Doogie" (I have no idea what his real name is). Watch the video and you'll see why (whit guy with a shaved head and Addidas shorts). Awards went to a handful of the WCCF crew. Servia aka "Beef" won the best overall female lifter award. Jen also won for her weight class. Well deserved (those broads are so strong) - Asskickers all!

Enjoy the links to the videos of the competitors I know. I have no idea where else to link them.

Holiday cheer in west humboldt park

2009-12-10T23:16:00.001-06:00

The 1/2 grade class from Pilgrim Lutheran school visited CPS Pablo
Casals school today celebrating the true meaning of Christmas -
selfless giving. Just as God did when he sent us baby Jesus. It was
fun, rowdy and so sweet.

Burn and turn - literally - with photos

2009-12-08T12:55:00.001-06:00

Back in my volleyball days the term was "turn and burn" when running
court sprints. Yesterday AM I wished I would have turned before I got
burned - literally.

My espresso maker was clogged and going to blow. I opened up the
steaming wand for a bit and then panicked and opened the top. Was
exposed to highly pressurized, HOT steam for a second at most. But it
got me good.

Ice was the only pain relief. I iced it for 7 hours straight. The pain
subsided, except if you touch it. I'm so thankful. It actually made
me thankful for the free gift of salvation too. Cmon, it's cliche but
we all think Hell is hot. And not in a sexy way.

Sidebar: yesterday it snowed here. It's a good thing because I
literally ran out of ice! Ow! Snow, sweet glorious snow - how I love
thee. Squee!!

Beck. From iPhone.

2009-12-08T12:50:00.001-06:00

2009-12-08T12:49:00.000-06:00

Flank Steak and Edamame

2009-12-03T18:21:00.007-06:00

Nothing like a good steak. Flank steak is one of my favorite meals, warm or cold. I don't usually care for leftover meat, but this is great! Great cold or on a salad the next day. If there are any leftovers! It pairs well with red wine or beer.

Flank steak is an extremely lean meat. I marinate my steak overnight in a ziplock bag. If you don't have the time, chef Paula Dean, says that 24 hours of marinating in the fridge = 1 hour marinating at room temp. I've tried it multiple times and it works great! Let it marinate for 1 hour at room temp (non frozen meat). The more time you can let it marinate, the better.

I love eating whole edamame with coarse salt. It's really sexy food! You eat it with your hands and scrape the shell across your bottom teeth to extract the bean. Scraping the coarse salt from the surface of the edamame adds just the right amount of sumthing-sumthing. I love the flavor and texture. Edamame is fun food! My 3 year old daughter even likes! As for it being Paleo - I'm not sure. Technically it is a legume. I think the most pertinent fact of eating paleolithically is that the food was something a caveman would have had access to. I think soybeans are a modern crop. But let's face it, we're in modern times. The real point is to eat real food! I know I wouldn't eat bugs or other nastiness a starving caveman might have consumed. So I looked up the Glycemic Index of Edamame and it is very low. This is good for keeping blood sugar hence insulin levels in balance. So I deem it Paleo friendly! Cue the music! And don't forget - it's super sexay (yeah, I know, I'm talking about food - I love food).

Wondering what the heck that thing is next to the raw cut of meat? It is not an ancient radius bone or crude pipe. LOL. It's fresh horseradish. I experimented by adding some fresh Horseradish to the meat marinade to give it a spicy kick. I tasted the marinade before using, and it was spicy! I was excited to see how it would work! The grilled meat did not taste spicy or horseradish-y at all. In fact I think it lent a sweeter taste to the marinade. So skip it. It's kinda of an exotic ingredient anyway (hard to find).

Most important thing, enjoy cooking, enjoy eating and live well!

Flank Steak Marinade

1/3 C. Olive oil
3 TBL White vinegar
3 TBL Lemon Juice (bottled stuff is OK)
3 TBL Soy Sauce
2 TBL Worcestershire Sauce
1 1/2 TBL fresh Parsley (or 2 tsp dried)
1 1/2 tsp salt (optional)
2 tsp dry mustard (don't skip this)
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients in a mixing cup. Put meat in ziplock bag and pour marinade over meat. Distribute around meat. Marinate 24 hours in fridge or 1 hour at room temp.

Sear on grill on both sides - 3 minutes. Cook on low-med heat until done (7-10 min). Take off heat at 140 degrees (130 if you want RARE). Let REST for 5 minutes. Cut meat as thin as possible at a 45 degree angle (see photo). ENJOY!

Two Good Reasons to Eat In - Paleo inspired!

2009-11-24T18:46:00.010-06:00

Eating in is so much more easy than going out and more affordable and tasty. Here are two good reasons:

I made pot roast again. It was a precooked one for $11 from Costco. Morton's of Omaha, USDA Choice! It is really fabulous. It comes in a plastic bag and you heat it up by boiling it in hot water or the microwave. So while I was boiling...;-) I chopped up some fresh beets and carrots. I tossed them generously in Garlic infused olive oil, kosher salt, Italian seasoning and lots of cracked black pepper. 425 degrees for 30 minutes and you are good to go. So delicious!

A friend of mine told me today that fresh beets and goat cheese were made for each other. In tasting the raw root veges I got inspired with a raw vegetable/salad idea. I'll be making it as soon as I get more fresh beets! They taste like earth! Stay tuned for more healthy paleo-inspired eats!

One of my all time favs is below. It consists of beef tenderloin, salt pepper, sweet potato and heat. Oh and some good Pinot Noir. Not too shabby for a Monday night dinner. The plate looks unfinished and meager without a salad but this post is about the food, not the photo of the food!

I bought the peeled beef tenderloin from Costco and it's great! I cut 10 substantial steaks from the $50 piece of meat. I've used their unpeeled ($4/lb less expensive) tenderloin and you truly lose a lot of meat skinning the sinew, fat and connective tissue off of it. So I was happy that they sell a tenderloin ready to cut into steaks or cook in one piece. I highly recommend it. It's an easy, fancy, delicious paleo meal. Throw the left over steak on a salad the next day. Or make an extra steak specifically for that reason!

Sausage Pumpkin Soup - Paleo Style

2009-11-20T11:10:00.009-06:00

With Thanksgiving arriving next week, I thought I'd share a wonderful soup recipe designed for paleo-eaters out there. It's not strict paleo in that there is more animal fat involved than usual. This soup can be made and stored in the fridge for up to a week. Experiment with the spiciness. Be careful not to make it too bright by adding more ginger than needed. You can omit it altogether if you don't care for the taste. You'll find it has plenty of stick-to-your-ribs heartiness. Heat up the soup and pour into a to-go cup for a wonderful AM breakfast while you commute to work or run the kids to school.

You can use any breakfast sausage you like - pork, turkey, chicken, etc. I like the pork variety. I've used Jimmy Dean brand and Aldi, Puritan's Pride- Sage brand. (Sage is the spice that makes turkey stuffing taste like stuffing). Use can use fresh spices in the soup also. But take note that it will change the coloring. You'll have a brown/green soup. If you're cool with that go for it and add a 50% more fresh spices than dried amounts.

Sausage Pumpkin Soup

1 16oz package of breakfast sausage (not cased, the kind packed in a plastic tube)
1 15 oz can of solid pack pumpkin (NOT Pumpkin pie mix)
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/2 c. of coconut milk
1 large onion - chopped
1 tsp. thyme
1 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp ginger
1 tsp paprika (use spicy if you have it)
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
black pepper to taste
Olive oil
Pat of butter

In a large sauce pot heat olive oil and sautee onions until translucent. Remove to a bowl.
In same pot, add sausage and cook until browned.
Add all the spices
Return onions to pot along with the can of pumpkin and stir well
Add 4 cups of chicken broth and stir well
Get a handheld blender and puree the entire soup. You can use the blender. Be careful not to seal the blender cap firmly. The hot air will make it explode and make a big mess. If using a blender, return soup to pot when done with puree
Add 1/2 cup of coconut milk (I used light from Trader Joes)
Add a pat of butter and mix in with a spoon. This will make more velvety.
Taste and add black pepper.

Serve or store. Allow to cool before you place in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Failed Paleo pancakes

2009-11-07T09:40:00.002-06:00

How hard could it be? Pancakes are pancakes, right? Sure but not all
flours are created equally. But my failure is your success.

I used coconut flour, which is gluten-free. It absorbs liquid quite
egregiously. I added a 1/3 cup! I had thick paste. I thinned it out
with water and liquid egg white. After many instances of watering it
down and cooking I made the "big pancake". Looks good but is a bit
eggy. I'll add 100 percent maple syrup and I'm sure it will be fine.
I'm eating it regardless- coconut flour is expensive and hard to
find! Here's my new coconut flour pancake recipe

2 eggs
1/4 c milk or cream
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 tbl coconut flour (yes not much)

Mix wet ingredients into dry
Cook in skillet on med heat
Serve

If you have any recipes using coconut flour that are worth making send
it over!

Tis the Season for a heart attack

2009-11-06T16:39:00.004-06:00

It's here, Christmas Season. What? You think I'm on crack because it's only early November? Before you raise an eyebrow, look around. Everywhere is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Everywhere you go. From the red Starbucks cups to the clearance Halloween candy at Target surrounded by full priced Christmas candy. Same stuff, different package. It was at Costco too. When you walk into the store, this is what you see...There are fresh pine wreaths for sale too. Makes the place smell like a christmas tree.

I like Christmas. I like that a Savior was born and that his birth is celebrated. However, how quickly we lose sight of that come Dec 25. Bah humbug, right?

I don't know about any of y'all but I get anxious around Christmas time. I immediately felt anxious the moment I stepped into Costo or walked past the Target Christmas ornaments end cap. For some odd reason my wiring got mucked up. I think of all the gifts I have to buy for strangers. To tell them how much I appreciate them or how to show that I am respected. All this without even knowing if they celebrate Christmas. It seems Christmas is a show your appreciation holiday. That's whacked. It's not about that. It's not even about a decorated tree. But I do like the tree.

I will try to get all of my shopping done very early this year so I am not guilted by advertising to buy things for people I don't know and who may not care. oh, and if you're wondering I like Whiskey and good red wine ;-)

if you need a fun gift for someone else, get this! I have a different model and it's good for producing mood altering Vitamin D! (so they say). Cheers.

the Happy light!

More Paleo Food

2009-11-03T19:06:00.007-06:00

I've been very busy as of late.

During Halloween trick-or-treating I forgot my phone and have limited photos. I also forgot my phone when I went to Lincoln Park Zoo with Aislin's preschool class -- in the rain (another rainy, outdoor field trip). It was warm however and we had fun! There are some weird looking monkeys out there in the world. And I'm not just talking about my ex boyfriends and brother. Nyuck, nyuck.

So when did I have my camera or phone to take pics? Well, home of course. Doing one thing I love to do: cook! Lately it's been Paleo meals (short for Paleolithic). Essentially it's eating stuff a caveman or woman would have eaten. I've added heat, sanitation and tons of seasonings. I'm doing it to try it. I'm not a diet nut. But I know my energy dips in the late afternoon. Since I can't get MORE sleep (not really), I've decided to give Paleo a go. The jist is that it will level off your blood insulin level. Keep it from spiking and keep your body from thinking you are hungry (need energy) when really it's just reacting to the bagel you've had for breakfast. No white sugar. No refined grains (not even whole ones). Berries, nuts, lean meats, fat and healthy oils, tons of veges and some fruit. Red wine, coconut flour, coconut, Of course I eat a cupcake when I want it. And I do. It's been about 4 weeks. And I have to say that my energy is solid all day! When I eat refined sugar (cookies, some bread product) I feel different, bad different. I get a headache and my energy is all over the place. My appetite is unruly and unpredictable at these times too. I don't think of it as restricting carbs, but essentially you are. I'm just laid back about. Meaning if I want or need carbs, I'll eat. I'll keep doing this because it's fun and Winter is upon us. I've also lost about 8 lbs. But there was some intermittent fasting in there (intentionally) followed by some hard CrossFit before I had another meal (not a punishment, a plan).

I love eating meat and definitely enjoy fats and veges. C'mon a steak with sauteed asparagus with a giant salad with blue cheese and fixings. Awesome. It isn't cheap however. Especially if you get grass fed beef. I got meat from Whole fFods (spent an extra $4/lb) and wasn't sure it was grass-fed. Organic, but may have been grain fed. I'm not a big meat snob, but the logic is sound all the way down to the seed: you are what you eat. So why would I modify my diet and then eat beef from cows who eat refined grains? Sigh. The organic meat DID taste better, I'll have to say. But I cannot afford my own good taste. Beef isn't the first example of this.

Whatever! I went to Aldi and the Mexican market (Cermak produce) and got chicken legs, chicken thighs, and top round beef. They taste good too and I can make suppers for under $5 each. C'mon people, price matters.

My sister lives in Nebraska, beef country. Sal - if you read this, you know what I want for Christmas. Some good grass-fed steaks, girl! Bring it! I'll make the mashed cauliflower! And then we can splurge and get a Dinkel's cupcake (STILL my fav).

Yes, yes, I know all - eek I'll remember to bring my camera next time I do something interesting. All this talk about food!

Becky Mae Poppy Fields Necklace and Earring Set GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

2009-11-02T22:03:00.000-06:00

Becky Mae Poppy Fields Necklace and Earring Set GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

119 pound pumpkin

2009-11-01T17:02:00.001-06:00

I LOVE giant pumpkins! And I hope to pass on this simple pleasure to
my kids! They enjoyed a special visit to our local Trader Joes (I
love that store)

The girls were delighted. Indi guessed the pumpkin to be 100 lbs. We
were gleeful to learn it was 119. So close Indigo. Maybe next year.

Funky clouds

2009-10-30T17:55:00.001-05:00

6pm over Chicago. Inverted cumulus clouds!

Paleo dinner

2009-10-29T18:13:00.001-05:00

A rainy thursday. On the menu is marinated chicken thigh cooked on the
grill. Coupled with a mix of grilled veges with a butter balsalmic
reduction sauce and misc spices

Good eats!

Finished shepherds pie

2009-10-28T18:23:00.001-05:00

Paleo eats

2009-10-28T16:55:00.001-05:00

This Shepherd's pie gets topped with mashed parsnips. They are a tad
sweet for my fancy but have good texture.

I riches up the flavor of the pie with tomato paste, bacon grease and
Worchrstshire sauce. Will freeze these large ramekins for future
suppers.

More paleo cooking to come. A new fav is using shredded cabbage as a
bed for pulled pork or stir fry.

Busy October

2009-10-25T19:31:00.006-05:00

The Facebook project to scare away all of it's users is working. I haven't been able to get into my FB account all weekend. Now I have to blog the old fashioned way... make a real post. What's next? Actually talking to a human face to face?

It's been a busy month folks. The weather has been very cold and wet in Chicago. An abysmal combination. What nice is that autumn is now upon us. The streets are lined with trees whose leaves glisten gold and brilliant. Halloween is next week and we sure have been busy around here wearing costumes, attending bday parties and enjoying our dear friends and family.

The girls and I took a road trip to see my sister in Baraboo, WI. It was a fun time in the car. The girls think they have cart blanche to eat at fast food places. This trip was only 3 hours each way, so there were only pit stops. The weather in Baraboo was frigid. We did not bring enough warm clothes to enjoy the brisk 25 degrees. My 17 year old niece loaned the girls her mittens and scarves. Between that and running around on the inflatables at the Baraboo Fair in the Square, the girls kept warm. We abruptly departed Baraboo when my niece was smoking pot wit her friends in her room. Not a safe place for little kids.

We were treated last weekend when my dear friends The Engstroms (my sista Roxanne) returned home to Chicago after living in Zanzibar, Africa for the last year and a half. Roxanne is my sister from another mutha. She is a great woman and friend. She is 8 months pregnant and has had quite a rough time with this second child incubation. She has been vomiting non stop. She has returned to the States to have this little one and plans to return to Z-bar 6 weeks after birth. She has had a rough go of it and deserves recognition as Trooper of the Century!

A few thoughts on pregnancy. Pregnancy, especially early pregnancy, appears to be a seemingly passive process. I assure you all it is not. There may be a few woman who don't get morning sickness or gain very little weight and are able to lose it quickly after birth. But for the majority of the women I know, pregnancy is a long hard road with no relief other than birth. The nausea, bloating, vomiting and other personal maladies are silent but so dreadful. If you see a preggo woman, hold the door for her, don't allow her to bend over for anything. Especially if she has another kid. Help her with her groceries, and smile wide and genuinely. You will make her day.

We hit a few bday parties. I helped Emily finish off Mile's Halloween Costume as Super Why. She made the entire costume. I made the chest logo. I love stuff like that and kids love the real deal. They are special and if we can help them feel that way too... bring it on! Aislin dressed as a "muscle man". A costume from Gymboree's line. She rocked it!

We visited Roxanne in lake Geneva, Wi yesterday. A quick road trip. The girls played with Anni and Rox caught me up on her work in Z-bar and life there. I know I couldn't do it. So snaps to her and Jason and Anni for all their work and building the computer lab and tech school. More work is to be done. I have to say that I have missed Roxanne immensely. She is genuine, honest, vulnerable, and plain ol fun to be around. She is an original. And she's gorgeous.

Last night I had so much fun hanging out with The Cha's. Bogie and Beth and their kids were at Village Creek Bible Camp with the girls and I this summer. Bogie is Korea and took a gaggle of us out to show us how to do Korean BBQ. It was a smokey affair but delicious! Afterwards we had dessert in Korea Town (Bryn Mawr and Kedzie). The group split up but Beth and night burned the wee hours of the night and went to the Michael Heaton concert! She is a hoot and a holla! I love Michael Heaton's music. He does great covers too. But his original stuff is sheer joy to absorb and enjoy. Mike is a great performer and is good at remembering people's names. Especially mine. He says hello to me from the stage. I feel a little awkward, but hey, what girl doesn't like to stand out in a crowd? I take it where I can get it. Check out his music. You won't be disappointed.

Now, Beth... she is a true sista. We were at Fado's Irish bar. No cover, which was the impetus for us actually schlepping to Clark and Grand (downtown) to see my fav Mike Heaton. We got ROCKSTAR parking for free on the street, just steps from the venue. I had a small flask of Maker's Mark bourbon whiskey in my coat pocket (it was sealed and intended for something else). After buying the first round of drinks for Beth and I (mere wine and a whiskey) I was out $20. But I had that bottle in my pocket! I found us seats in the very front of the house at a huge table. My drink was out and I was hesitant to crack open that Maker's Mark. It was a seriously Irish bar. Those bouncers would catch me and happily punch me in the face. Beth asked what I was fumbling with and I told her my sitch. She laughed and said "i'll help you". She held the glass, I poured. Viola. Free hooch compliments of my pocket an the steady hand of a friend, under the table to catch it. LOL. We sound like badasses, don't we? I'll let you decide.

In the meantime, don't underestimate the coolness of two hot blonde-mammas on a night out. Or Michael Heaton's awesome song writing. Cheers all!

New Doings

2009-09-24T10:32:00.010-05:00

I have become a complete blog slacker. I'm to the point where Facebook is my new blog. Although I appreciate the personal camaraderie of having a blog and hearing comments here. So I'm making an effort. I'm averaging one post per month; it could be worse. I also feel I need to post pics every time to entertain those you who, are like me, and appreciate visuals.

It's been a crazy month. My kids have started school, I started a new babysitting job, joined CrossFit, have an upcoming painting show and have been working toward getting myself financially independent. A tall order in this economy. Shamelessly, if any of you know of any open positions for someone with a degree in Marketing and experience in IT management and Construction. I'm also a plein air painter. But I already know how that pays (when it does).

Being a scrapper, I took on a job minding two little kids on MWF. Ella 4.5 months and Erik, her brother who is 2. It has been a lot of hard work but also a blessing. I cherish the moments I have with my own kids (Indi, 6 and Aislin 3). We are riding our bikes to school and locking up there. We walk, Indi rides the scooter, etc. It's true bliss for the kids. Erik and Ella arrive early enough that we all walk in the stroller to school and back We do this- three times a day. It's really a neat thing. When Ais is not in school, having Erik around makes her much more compliant to do some fun things: color, read books together, chalk, cook, etc. She loves TV and gets to watch it but it's a battle when I say no to TV. Ah, such fine parenting.

Erik LOVES Aislin and LOVES the preschool room. I have to nearly drag him out of there every time. The mother's heart in me wishes he could stay and learn too! But not until next year. And that's up to his parents. It reinforces to me what a gem Pilgrim Lutheran is to our community and to my life specifically. Thank you Lord for provision! It's not without it's kinks tho. I have to pay to send the kids there and with both there now it's quite pricey. I've taken on a cleaning job in addition to babysitting to meet his financial goal each month. OH and to help pay for CrossFit.

Windy City Crossfit (that's not me in the photo, but it could be)

Crossfit is quick, intense exercises. Olympic lifts and kick-your-butt hard work. It's not misery tho. It's challenging and fun. I've had personal training and frankly, the workouts were challenging but boring as all get out. Sheer drudgery. At Crossfit you do these crazy lifts I've never heard of: power hang cleans, push jerks, sumo deadlift high pulls. All brutal. You use every muscle to get that weight lifted. They are power moves. There is NO way you are going to move the weight unless you put some umff into it. After 20 box jumps, the last thing you want to do is lift something heavy. But this makes one stronger. A LOT stronger. I am stronger already after 2 weeks. Crossfit is also a coaching environment. There are coaches who lead the classes and help correct your form. They also encourage you to get that weight up and finish!

For those of you who remember Hank Magieria. I think these are some exercises he taught my old friends: Tony K, Rich Schiller, Bill G, and Doug - to name a few. I always remember those guys hanging out in Hank's basement. Hank is a former Olympic lifter. Now I get it. Wish I had paid more attention. It was a lot cheaper back then! They showed me pull ups and bench press when I was a young teen. I've never forgotten. Thanks for not being stuck up guys!

Back to Crossfit. Yesterday's workout was called "Nasty" and it is aptly named. It was 3 ROUNDS for time of 50 squats, 21 ring dips (yes, on rings), 21 kipping pull ups and 10 hang power cleans (weighted). Phew. It took 15 minutes but oh boy what an intense 15. And 3 rounds is just enough where you push it on the last round. If you puke it's ok. You're heart is pounding and you can take breaks but you want to push. You get to grunt out loud and grimace. You get to throw the heavy weighted bar down. No graceful let down. Get off me you heavy bar, you suck! You want to be stronger. I love it so far. I've been sore in places I've never been sore (traps, lats). There is every walk of life there. It's a garage gym. It's expensive but worth every penny so far. A great next step for my fitness-oriented goals. I am a crossfit evangelist. I think every Crossfitter is. Now I know why. You can get a free training session by contacting them. They are happy to show you around. And it turns out the owner of Windy City Crossfit is Justin Marcis, my new neighbor. A really sweet man. The kids wave and say hello. He reciprocates. Hey anyone who does that is good by me. I've got great neighbors. They are all like that.

Edgewater Historical Society (horray my painting is on the postcard! Squint)

Every year, in conjunction with the Andersonville Arts Weekend, my posse, The Plein Air Painters of Chicago show painted plein air (completed outside on easels) works at the Edgewater Historical Society. I have one painting in the show and hope to finish up one more. I love this show. Andersonville Arts Weekend is awesome! The local businesses display works of art for sale (including my church, First EV Free). We plein air painters will be spotted all around the neighborhood painting at our easels on Sat. Oct. 3 from 8-Noon. Look for us. Talk to us. Feel free to marvel. But painting does take concentration so we will only briefly speak to you. We need to get back to work problem solving! Oh, and of course, be kind. Painting requires huge concentration and thought, believe it or not. Well, good painting anyway.

Everyone is cordially invited to a reception with the artists on Friday, Oct. 2, 2009 at the Edgewater Historical Society. Gratis wine and appetizers will be served, of course! Look for me. I'd love to see you! It's a neat way to "see" the Edgewater neighborhood. Bring a date and troll around, talk, breath in the autum air. Experience Andersonville thru original paintings and then take a walking tour. Slip some wine in your thermos or empty gatorade bottle. Bliss. And all for free! So now that I got you a second date; spend that saved money on a painting! LOL.

More adventure-telling forthcoming. Adventurously yours.

Bowling and Bon Jovi

2009-08-24T19:11:00.002-05:00

For you rock band buffs, and kids of the 80s, you'll appreciate this
duet.

Recorded using my iPhone. My favorite part is hearing the bowling
pins clatter and fall in the background. Wait for it... So sweet and
simple.

Shout out to Nicole Foster for being my partner in crime on this one.
She's dangerous on the dancefloor too!

Guns and Butter - Literally

2009-08-21T22:46:00.002-05:00

The economic concept of guns and butter: models the relationship between a nation's investment in defense and civilian goods. In this model, a nation has to choose between two options when spending its finite resources. It can buy either guns (invest in defense/military) or butter (invest in production of goods), or a combination of both. This can be seen as an analogy for choices between defense and civilian spending in more complex economies. A thinking woman's photo op! Yes, that's a .45 on my hip and a AR15 in my hands. I am also packing a .9mm and something else (can't remember, military issue)

Since I was a young girl, my brother-in-law, Scott, taught me how to use guns. He lives in Wisconsin, far from my Chicago dwelling. Recently I visited my sister, Cindy, Scott, and their family. Scott showed me just a few of items from his latest gun collection. My sister and I couldn't resist the photo opp. Photos are in chronological order. No alcohol was being consumed during this evening, but you wouldn't know it from the photo spread. I'll let you in on a little secret. Cindy thought it'd be fun to take gun photos in my black bra. and bayonette rifle~! But those are not included in this blog post. In person it was a hoot. My crazy sister!

Guns & Butter

2009-08-20T21:25:00.000-05:00

My bro in law shows me some of his treasures. My sister, Cindy, and I
had fun with it

A few days in New Orleans

2009-08-08T14:25:00.001-05:00

Thurs 8/6- I comfortably arrive to the muggiest place in the USA. My
sweat glands were sweating. I check into the ritz Carlton - elated
and impressed and seek out a toenail polish change. My last job got
smeared working out - grr. Nothin makes a girl feel cheaper than ugly
toes. Feet shod with class I head for happy hour in the fancy hotel
lounge and restaurant - the Melange. Enjoyed a wonderful meal of
redfish and lobster risotto. As well as the bars personally invented
cocktails. Blueberry and Basil muddled w sugar in vodka. Delicious!
Hit "the Library" for a cigar. Got a wondeful recommebdation on a
lovely cigar. Which I smoked, in it's entirety, in the humid inner
courtyard at the Ritz. One really need never leave the place. They
have everything. I has a few older gentleman smokers join me. I was
the only one out there except a few couples intwined in their own
conversations. Film and video convention in town. Lots of polos and
khakis. I was in tattered jeans and a tank top. It screamed rock n
roll. And as we all know, rock n roll is for the young. So I had that
going for me

Fri 8/7 - tried to sleep in but my heart was pounding inside my chest.
It was a cacophony blaring. I hydrated and tried to brush the tobacco
cotton mouth ling my mouth -- to no avail. Got dressed, made hotel
coffee and headed out to explore the big easy!

It was hot. I was dripping sweat within minutes. Pouring. I walked
down the main drag and headed to the grand Mississippi! The river
itself is impressive. Churning barges bustled up and down the
rivetway. It's a true causeway. Had biengets and coffee at the in
famous Cafe Dumond. It was packed. The service was slow. The servers
were exclusively Asian or old women. They patiently waited in line to
get my coffee and fried dough. Onto a 2 hour steamboat ride aboard the
Natchez. Hit Flea market and lower French quarter. Scooped up
interesting gifts for the kids then made my way back to the Ritz using
the riverfront cable car. Checked out Saks, made a potty stop then my
melted self made it back to homebase. Phew! This heat takes a lot
outta you.

Refreshed, made up and ready to go I headed to Frenchman for sushi.
Finally out of the hustle and bustle of downtown! The housing is
tight. Homes are old, old and have gorgeous functional gas lights
burning. It is very charming. Street very quiet. I walked the 1.5
miles back to the hotel and crashed

Sat 8/8

Checkout at noon. I sleep and languish in bed til 10. Hit ihopr at
noon for awesome breakfast. Hopped St Charles cable car to Garden
District. There is a crazy Red Dress race going on it's really a
stroll. Women and men are all wearing red dresses Nd drinking alcohol.
It's hilarious. The race route bisects our path so I've been sitting
here for about 30 min - blogging. Time to get out and walk

Oh yeah. I walked Bourbon and Royal streets. They suck!!! Bourbon is
all strip clubs. It backs up to Royal which is all antiques. I hated
it. Cramped old. Smell of urine and with the looming premonition of a
foreboding con. But I saw it. Now onto the arts. Airport and
alligator claws for the kids

Still gave lots more to see. Such a unique place.

Beck. From iPhone.

Urban Adventure

2009-07-24T12:57:00.000-05:00

We took our bikes on the L. Indi took her 2-wheeler and I had Ais in a
seat on my bike. We transferred at Belmont to Red Line on our way to
Wendella - Mag mile and Chi river. We made it w time to spare. A huge
thanks to the indie looking young man who carried my mommy bike all
the way up the subway stairs to daylight. I had indi's and indi was a
good big sis and held Ais's hand

Girls got bored w the 1hr boatride after 30 mins. Pretty good! So
explored the boat and hit the potty at least 4 times. Their fav piece
of architecture on the tour? Navy pier and the bridge houses!

Carefully navigated our way Dow Mag mile to Millenium Park. Tourists!
$&!@

Had lunch on towels after waiting in potty line again (notice a theme?)
Then off to splash with a zillion other squeling-with-delight kids in
the spitting fountains. So far no pervs, drunks or weirdos. Just
those pesky environmental volunteers asking if I gave 2 mins (and $10)
to save the environment. Grr

I'm taking the 145 x bus on our return. Won't have to worry about the
bikes too much- just load them up front. Trying to get all I can out
of everything they are taxing in Chicago these days. I wouldn't be
surprised if they passed a pollution tax-- farting equals fine.

Look for picks on my facebook now.

Beck. From iPhone.

Junkies and Songs and Lessons in Perspective

2009-06-23T11:36:00.012-05:00

Living in the city has it's benefits and drawbacks. A benefit and drawback all in one is the close proximity of, well, everything. Sunday was a warm day -I woke up hot and stifled from blazing humidity.

It was a nice day but too hot to be in a church sanctuary. I dropped the kids off at Sunday School and headed across the street for a pick-me-up at Starbucks: my double skim latte. Sweet wakefulness in a paper cup!

Walking back toward church I noticed that Starbuck's outdoor patio was pretty empty as was the one of the restaurant next to it. One thing that is awesome about our church NOT having an air conditioned sanctuary is that they have all the windows open. This means that the community song of the worship service floats and wanders all over the streets of Chicago. I love this effect. I encourage you all to take a break from the sanctuary during worship and have a seat at Starbuck's outdoor cafe. And Listen. Smell the air, view the sites, drink a fav beverage.

While sitting with my cup-of-ambition, I pulled out my sketch pad (which I carry with me everywhere). I drew the parking meter right in front of me, a portion of the patio umbrella. Boring! But good exercise. Then I started working on perspective practice and sketched out the street scene.

While sketching out the street scene I noticed a man coming out of the alley and around to the side of an adjacent apartment building. The man was rail thin, wore a scarf around his head, Lynard-Skynard style, and had tiny red dots all over his arms. This was all from a small distance so the detail wasn't crystal clear. Having been outdoors painting the entire weekend, I thought they could be mosquito bites. I'm such an optimist. Then the city chick in me kicked in and I realized, they had to be track marks. In a rather lovely, but not obnoxious sing-songy voice he was calling up to someone's apartment window. Kind of waking them up (this was about 10:30am - time for the morning hit). He wasn't scarey or loud. He was rather pleasant. Hey, manipulation 101 (or marketing 101, you choose, hehe)

Literally on one side of the street there is a church service in progress. People praising Jesus, quite beautifully, in song. Across the street, is another song being sung.; a junkie waking up a drug dealer. Interesting cosmic perspective to think that maybe (not all people) are singing for the same reasons. To connect with something that makes them feel good. I , personally, think worship songs are praise to God. But I KNOW that people take refuge in singing them. A comfort for weary hearts. It's the intent that matters, right?

Across the alley, on the junkie's side, is a woman, skipping church, drawing and sipping coffee. On the junkie's side of the road. Where was my song? Regardless, I like to think that the church music influenced the "wake up style" of the skinny man. We'll never know. Or perhaps we will... maybe he'll walk into church for Coffee Connection and I'll show him my sketch.

BTW - I'm not very good at drawing people, but I want to be. It's been said, "if you can draw a person, you can draw anything". So I'm working it. Need to get to classes too. I'll get there someday.

Busy, dreary week in Chicago

2009-06-11T16:38:00.007-05:00

It's been quite an eventful week for the Anstee girls. Being the last week of school for Indigo, there have been many year-end festivities and outings. Saturday, during our neighborhood garage sale, Indi and Ais were invited to a classmate's bday party. There was a trampoline, real pony rides, and even beer for the adults. What a blast. Indigo thoroughly enjoyed the pony rides and was enamored with the ponies and their cute little names (Cinnamon, Snowball...)

Indigo's Kindergarten class continued their annual trip to Foster Beach. It was cold and rainy. It was a misty day at the beach. The only thing missing was the brine. Our hair still got tangled in knots.

There was a break in the misty, rainy weather when the sun came out momentarily. Indi made the most of it by filling in the outline I made of her on the sidewalk. No crime scene here. Notice how she colored in exactly what she was wearing at the time! Great job Inda!

Summer Fun

2009-06-07T21:11:00.004-05:00

I've mentioned many times in this blog that I love Winter and snow! This is very true. But now that Summer is here, I love it too. Is that so wrong? I love all the seasons. Although dreary with no rain is pretty depressing and unenjoyable for me.

I live in the middle of Chicago, Il. I am an urban dweller. My property lot is 25 ft wide by 125 long. All that claims a house, backyard and garage. Not a lot of room to expand and enjoy. I have been told by many people with HUGE city houses "wow, you have a backyard". I don't have a McMansion hogging the lot.

Many, many years ago when my backyard was nothing but a bunch of grass I decided to try my hand at gardening. It gets a lot of sun back there so I was a bit worried. The first couple years I used the wrong plants or did something incorrectly, because the lot of the plants got scorched. I learned. I planted hearty perennials (lavender, sage, sedum, black eyed susans, day lillies, dianthus). And lo and behold the landscape theory of sleep-creep- LEAP took hold. As my back yard gardened bloomed, blossomed and grew, so did my sweet little girls: Indigo and Aislin. Soon to be ages 6 and 3 respectively.
Being early June, the garden is taking shape. You can see some of it in the photos of Indigo eating smores on her swingset. I'm glad 1) my kid loves to make smores and be outside (usually) 2) I'm not too uppity to keep the swingset and kid toys in my awesome garden.

More pics as thing bloom. Raspberries and strawberries come next. Then day lillies. Hopefully by early July it will all be in harmony together!

Working Out How to Work it Out

2009-06-02T21:51:00.009-05:00

I had a good day today. I didn't win the lottery. But I did get something for free.

First off, my foot is injured - the arch - and I've been resting it. It's tough. I like to do bouncy, cardio exercise classes. I've been grounded! gmmmff. Although I did what I could in class. I modified my bouncy movements with others- mostly squat stuff (tougher on the legs, easier on the joints). At any rate, it's irksome being injured and has dampened my mood. For those of you who work out regularly, being told to "rest" is the kiss of death! Anything but that.

Today after the gym I shopped with my buddy and fellow strongwoman , Emily Haight (keep kickin' butt Em), for some parting Preschool/Kindergarten class gifts. We hit the local dollar store and scoured for items that fit a "beach" theme. We scored! On the way out, a postman in a truck took care to let me know that the star I was wearing was the nicest star he's seen in awhile. Thanks, I said. Then I realized he was talking about my booty. (Duh, I need to get out more often). Sidebar: I made the shorts for my first Turbo Kick audition so I'd be easily noticed by those whom I was instructing (women).
I thought it would be a fun bucket stuffer for the kids to get a free lunch at a neighborhood sandwich shop. After Ais and I had lunch, I waited for the counter to clear and then asked for the owner, who was not there, then asked the manager if they would donate 37 kid lunch certificates for a PreK and K graduation gift bucket. They said "sure, I'll have it for you Thursday after 5." Wow, that was easy as pie! Easier. So snaps to Costello's Sandwich Shop in Lincoln Square for being so generous. I'd like to remind you all that they also generously donated sandwiches and kids meals back when we did The Amazing Mama Race! (I miss Rox). Patronize them. The meatball sandwich is my favorite.

I Know a Professional Badass (who is nice)

2009-05-24T21:12:00.006-05:00

Last weekend I had the great fortune of seeing an old, old friend. Someone whom I haven't conversed with nor heard about in the last 17 years. We were friends at Azusa Pacific University. We were both college athletes and little scrappers, if I say so myself. When we were sophomores he began dating his wife and we didn't see much of each other. Then I left APU and that was it. I haven't heard really anything in the years. We were busy with life.

Kit happened to be in town on business with the military. Due to the sensitive nature of Kit's work he would rather not discuss on the internet his unit affiliation or specifically what he does. However, if anyone is interested I would be happy to discuss it offline with them. (yeah, he scared me a little at first when I saw him. He's a brick house, a tank. Or as Brian said: a monster). Brian Mc (another APU and high school friend) came over and we had supper but forgot to take photos! I had lunch with Kit on a different day and took this one with my iPhone. It was a great visit.

Turns out Kit is a professional badass. I was sure he would be successful in whatever he did, but thought he might be living a comfortable life with a beer gut somewhere in southenrn Cal . Nope! Great job Kit! I'm proud of you buddy. I hear you don't sleep and have to eat live snakes. hehe

Life is crazy. Just when you think you're in a rut or that nothing is gonna ever change, someone from your past comes back into yourlife. Seeing Kit, who "knew me when", made me feel hopeful-er again. It made me remember back to a different time, a different set of pitfalls and victories. I can say I've changed since then. But I've also remained the same in many ways. Fundamentally I am the same person. My values, faith and hard work manifest themselves differently.

Let there be cow.... costumes!

2009-05-22T08:00:00.002-05:00

Reach for the sky! I'm not holding you up Gunsmoke style. Now that I have your attention!

My life, lately, has been just a crazy, dense mass of new things and projects with deadlines. Too busy. A friend Facebooked me a one sentence qauestion. I gave him a 4 paragraph reply. Ugh, am I due for a blog post! I do like to remain busy and love new experiences, even if they often scare the tar outta me. You never really find the courage, you just go for it and gain confidence. But initially it's all guts. I digress (again).

I realized I was waaay too busy when I started feeling anxious because life would happen and I couldn't follow my plan scheduled. So I'm cutting back. The kids will soon be out of school and my personal time will be even less. One fun thing I had the opportunity to do was make 13 cow costumes! I dug back into my pattern making arsenal and created a great pattern for said costume. I shopped the fabric, made the pattern, trued the pattern, cut fabric, stitched the costumes together, hot glued on a zillion sparkly cow spots and pink bellies - and sewed the perimeter of each hem with a little tutu. Only after making 8 of them did I realize that the base garment can be made from an over sized tee shirt with the sleeves cut off. Whole lot cheaper too! To my credit, I didn't buy more base fabric I merely ordered tees and followed my revised plan. I had to aggressively starch the tees so they firmed up a bit. I felt like June Cleaver and was thankful for the slave-wage technology that brings non-iron button down shirts. What a Killer App!

Indigo's play is this Thursday and all the costume bits and pieces are in. They are cute, they are comfortable. Most importantly, they are done! Next! More exciting adventures and new experiences to tell ya about. So stay tuned. There's a big philosophical one coming to start chilling your beers.

P.S. The "Wackadoo Zoo" Primary grades Operetta was a sell out, smashing success. They received a standing ovation. I must say I was impressed with the vocal projection! Way to sing it loud and proud kids! I,especially, grew quite fond of a little calf in the side front, small than the others, who so convincingly acted kitty-like (that was their shtick). A kitty-calf! Indigo is a shining gem in my crown of life. I love her so much and am so proud!

I Want to Be Exceptional

2009-05-19T14:09:00.006-05:00

I want to be exceptional. Don't we all? Well there is a journey that needs to occur in order to get there. Otherwise we haven't paid our dues and don't deserve to be there. And can we actually claim that we get "it" unless we've had to jump some hurdles along the way or flubbed an opportunity? It's the big picture that counts. It's how we handle our losses that differentiate exceptional from ordinary.

One of my short term goals is to become a group fitness instructor. I really like exercise, working hard is my personal gift. I also like exercising with other people and encouraging them. Getting an extra squat jump out of someone ready to give up. Getting unfit people to move and enjoy their movements! From an employment perspective, the job doesn't pay much. However, there is a lot of job satisfaction. We can philosophize about the ratio of job unhappiness with compensation later. For now, it's about me. Because it's my blog.

I had my very first group fitness audition ever. I practiced and practiced. I showed up on time., made special shorts with a star on my booty so I'm easy to see. I showed up for the audition waaaaaaay more nervous than any time in my life. I have other stressors going on in my life and I thought that if I bombed that everything else would fall apart. It still might. I haven't ruled that out. But I digress (as usual). How did I do? I was asked to "practice and come back next week". Chris Silva, Women's Workout World Area Fitness Director was a class act. She, convincingly, told me what they were looking for and that I had great potential. So I didn't completely flop. I just need to clarify to her that I can indeed lead my own class. That's a huge responsibility and in my opinion a GREAT opportunity. If I nail this I can build the credibility I need to reach out to woman and men about fitness and self esteem in general. It's a natural fit for me. It's a journey.

The photos were taken right after my audition (I was sweaty) but it's real. That's a real smile on my face - and although I don't have the characteristic "gym body" I am strong and have great endurance.

I want to be exceptional. If I fail, I'll keep going. That's what real leaders do (even if I bitch about it). I know I can do it. So watch out for me. - perpetually the underdog. All 5'2 of me.

Growing isn't easy but it's definitely interesting and will have you on the edge of your seat. After all that positive talk, feel free to give me a hug when you see me. We all need bolstering. :-)

In the Class of M

2009-05-17T13:55:00.008-05:00

I wouldn't call myself a daredevil. I'm not one of those people who are the first to bungee jump, sky dive or eat exotic food. Those things appeal to me but I don't "need" them. I'm just "fun".

One thing that I've always loved was motorcycles. I like the speed, I like the open air and being outside. I've owned 2 motorcycles - A Honda Twinstar 200 and a piece-of-crap-Yamaha 650. I really like the power of the 650. The size of the 200 suited my 5'2' frame a bit better. When I was pregnant with my 2nd child I realized that there was no way I was going to be riding a motorcycle for at least awhile. A pregnant woman on a motorcycle, in any capacity, is like seeing a pregnant woman smoke a cigarette. They just don't mix.

Here I am with kids - NOT pregnant- and ready to make good on my badass dreams. I played it safe this time, like a grown up. I entered into Motorcycle riding School for a weekend (there was one other woman in the course, the other 30 were men - a safe place to pick up men if you're single). Early Friday AM I took the roadtest and am, again, a card carrying member of the M-class driving license!

Now to find a suitable bike! It's killing me! I've got a limited budget. I feel if I don't get something I'll bust! I imagine myself riding to my plein air painting locations on the motorcycle and running around on weekends. I'd give the kids rides down the alley too (with helmets). It's a freedom song. A dream fulfilled with every ride. I could easily do motocross too. I have no problems trying to jump dirt hills and gaps in the road. I'd have to be taught how to do it but it's extremely appealing to me.

There are other things I really like too. I like exercise. I like fitness, the hard work of training and pushing thru the fatigue and mental mania that accompanies it. But really only in an athletic environment. I push thru the mental anguish of caring for kids as they whine and demand me all day. But the latter example is a huge drag. I love my kids so I do it. Probably because I don't see the benefit of such a "work out". A work over is more like it! It must affect a different part of the brain. Exercise produces endorphins which is said to energize you after a workout. I get it. I experience it. But it's not as good as a liquor buzz, orgasm or frankly, a well timed, can't-hold-it-any-longer cathartic pee. I know, I know, there are other benefits to raising children. Yes, they are a joy and I'm very blessed and grateful that I am a Mom. But on the realistic side, it's darn hard work. Guess it just tastes different from other pleasures - but I like it.

I digress, again. But that's why I have this blog.

So far, here is what I like. Haven't bought it, think I need more power. But she sure is pretty:

Blinky

2009-04-19T15:38:00.003-05:00

While researching what calves (little cows) actually look like for an upcoming costuming gig, I came across, yet another, odd thing. A cow with two heads. They named him blinky because all four of his eyes blinked at the same time. Austrialians. I had to chuckle.

Don't take my word for it, check for yourselves.

Back to Life... back to reality

2009-03-19T21:11:00.002-05:00

Since my Sunday SunTimes cover I'll bet you're all wondering if strangers have bought me drinks. Have babies smiled at me, crazy Chicago drunks not puke on the sidewalk in my neighborhood.? Sadly, no. Not that I expected anything. Life is ironic and entertaining if it doesn't completely piss you off. I and my children (in the stroller) were nearly plowed over by a Silver Mercedes coupe in front of the Wild Goose - who BLEW the stop sign in the right parking lane. (people die this way!) I did what any respectable Chicagoan mother would do. I got right up to the side of his car and yelled at him. He ignored me. I yelled at him again letting him know "you almost ran us over!". I was a lady all the way and did not curse but I did want to key his car and bring on the fight (which I would have lost). I waited for him to have a "chat" with me.. I waited. He looked at me very nervously and gave me an impish wave and look of ignorance. I moved on. He was dead meat. Next time, I'll say the obvious without giving myself away: "I'll pull up my bra straps and ask him for a chat". It's honest and I, indeed, would give him a talking to. For all you vigilante types: did I mention it was a Silver Mercedes coupe - driver was dark haired, maybe Mexican or Middle Eastern. Looks like he had biz at Wild Goose. Just saying...

Later, I was walking north on Lincoln and had to walk clear around a HUGE puddle of vomit (like Sputnik) on the sidewalk next to Welles park. 3 more inches and it would have been in the grass for all the dogs to enjoy and us to oblivious about. In other startling news, I realize I've become the slackerest of all bloggers. I have plenty to post, but nary the time to dedicate to sharing the wonderments of my life with you. Don't take it personally. I just had to string you along all this time so you'd buy the SunTimes.

More kid fun and stroller/Mercedes confrontations. I predict: mom wins - and there's onomatopoeia involved. Kiya!

Sunday, 3/15/09 - COVER Chicago SunTimes - I'm not even Irish

2009-03-14T21:47:00.012-05:00

Everyone is wearing green and drinking at noon on this fair day in Chicago. It's a great surprise to me to find me and my girls on the front page of the Sunday, Chicago SunTimes. I knew we'd be in it as we were interviewed but to be on the cover - WOW. A huge holla to my neighbor, friend and overall super-person, Stephanie Zimmerman. She's a rock. She met Roger Dahltry twice and didn't sleep with him. haha. Chris Sweda the photo journalist hung out with us for an afternoon; ran errands, helped wrangle kids and never raised his voice once! At a boy, Chris. It was a pleasure to have you. Indi and Aislin were angels. They played independently, and were their usual charming selves. Indi turned into a bit of a green monster when Aislin was awake and in the picture. She demonstrated this by continually placing her hand in front of Aislin's face whenever the photographer took a photo. Stinker. Maybe that's why there are no photos with the face of Ais! It's OK, she's only two and the world isn't quite ready for her beauty. Inside and out.

So how did this come about? Stephanie Zimmerman, aforementioned rock, called me up and casually asked if I was available. As grocery shopping is akin to many mundane tasks of motherhood, I enthusiastically agreed. She said someone would call to set up the photos. they called 4 minutes after I got off the phone with Steph (luckily I answered it) and then it all was in motion. I had no clue it would be on the front page until I asked Chris Sweda (photojournalist) where the story might be placed. He paused and said "uh, the front page". I was in shock but thought it was so fun. Chris, BTW knew a gal I went to HS with, Sarah Murphy. I just thought of her, literally, 3 days ago. I thought, shoot I should have had her teach me some tennis back in the day. Small world.

Don't worry all this media attention won't go to my head. Last year I pounded the pavement and landed a big 6 minute interview for the PAPC (www.papchicago.com) - my painting group. When the segment aired, I was not in it. I was interviewed but they forgot to turn on my mic. No beck to be found anywhere. So this SunTimes interview is like karma. It's coming back to me and good. Does this mean that people who owe me phone calls will return them... likely NO - but's this is enjoyable nonetheless. I'm so proud of my girls!

Finishing the wine and eating rye toast... Beck out.

A day in the snow

2009-02-01T14:07:00.004-06:00

Yes, I stood in that line to fork over $70 for a lift ticket + ski rental for one lousy day.

It's nice to chat on the ski lift. Skiing is a good way to get to know someone better. All you single boys out there. Pony up and take your girl on a ski trip! You'll have plenty of time to talk about stuff on the ski lifts.

I didn't learn to ski until I was an adult. I was a youth chaparone to Steamboat, Colorado.

I had never skiied in my youth, despite multiple opportunties, because it's so darn expensive. We didn't have much growing up and I knew the value of a buck. I wasn't spending $50 hard earned babysitting and house cleaning bucks on an afternoon of falling and unrequited athleticism. Back then I liked the outdoors just as much as I do now, mind you. I didn't ski for the same reason I wasn't an artist (too expensive and I'd probably enjoy it. So why start... bad advice).

Fast forward to now. I have a few ski trips under my belt. New Hampshire, Massachusetts, more Steamboat, Snowy Range, Wyoming, Wisconsin (Sunburst) and now Devil;s Head. I'm skiing black diamonds now and loving it! Although I need my own boots. Fit makes all the difference I"m finding.

I went with my friend, singer and fellow mama, Emily. I so enjoyed hangin out in the snow, in the woods, outside and then skiing ferociously (at times) down the bluff. Emily is a good skier and made skiing down a fast slope look like a stroll in the woods. SERIOUSLY! (Em, that one was for you)

A HUGE shoutout to my sister, Cindy. She lives near the ski resort and let us crash at her house the night before. It was like a bed and breakfast! She had wine for us upon arrival and made pumpkin pancakes with maple/pecan syrup and sausage - which she de-fatted for us! Woohoo! She is experiencing a little empty nest syndrome. So let's take advantage of it! Anyone want to hit the slopes with me? Let's do it while Cindy is cooking! Thanks Tia!

Big Country - er - City

2009-01-16T14:37:00.001-06:00

I live in Chicago. An undisputed urban city. This past weekend there was an awesome blizzard! It snowed and snowed - all day - Friday and Saturday. I went plein air painting Sat AM and gave up on account of the unnavigable snow. Once home I bundled up the kids and headed to Montrose Harbor for major sledding. What a hike up that hill. Again, the snow is deep and walking while pulling a 35 lb 5 year old kid is hard work. We all had a good time and ran into some other kids we knew.

"Good snow" being rare in Chicago, I thought I had to make the most of the opportunity. I called around looking for snow shoes. They were all rented out. Darn. I'd never show-shoed before but it was highly recommended to me. I ended not getting such a great bargain on some used snowshoes at The Viking Ski Shop. Sidebar: This place has everything you need for high end skiing. What is totally crazy is that it's in Logan Square. Logan Square is in the MIDDLE of Chicago - in a mid-to-low income neighborhood - not exactly ski connoisseurs. Crazy! But Viking Ski shop delivered in that their personnel looked every bit the "ski-person" part. Like the older Ski Patrol guys in the Rockies. You can't help but love them. You look at their weathered faces, kind eyes and are put at ease. There's no hustle or angle at Viking. You know you're not getting "snowed" but you're not getting a great deal either. It just is. I can live with that.

Snowshoes, for those of you who don't know, are these metal and webbing contraptions with spikes on the bottom that allow you to walk across the top of deep snow (see photo at top of this post). I tried it and it really works. It's fun too. Unfortunately, in Chicago, everyone is crazy obsessive about shoveling and salting their walks. Especially businesses. Geez. Back to snowshoeing... I tried them on in an effort to pick up some Pockets Pizza for my kids. They work GREAT in deep snow. But most of my neighbors shoveled the small parkway walk leading to the street. This meant there was constant interruptions in the snowshoeing. I moved to the snow covered (but not deep) sidewalk. Wearing snowshoes was harder than walking in shallow snow. A bit aggravated, I unstrapped the snowshoes, put them under the front porch and walked the 1 block.

After visiting the Viking Ski shop, Indigo and headed straight over to REI in Lincoln Park. We rented Alpine Skis for the pair of us. I, briefly, learned to Cross country ski when visiting Camp Awana as a youth. I remember it being hard work and not very satisfying from a gliding perspective. So why did I take this up again, now? I'm in great shape, remember what I learned and wanted to try it again. Also, my need for speed has lessened. I'm old enough now to "smell the roses" or snowscapes - so to speak.

Indi did a great job skiing. She fell a few times, but overall was pretty fabulous for a 5 year old. She didn't like the falling or getting back up. She told me vehemently "I hate skiing!" Aghast! Who's daughter is she? Yeah, her Dad's. *Sigh*. I have high hopes for Ais-a-Base.

Being born and raised in the city proper, you'd think I'd know nothing of these athletic outposts. You should be impressed and surprised. I know I am! Viva la Alpine! Now get out there and try it! More snowy adventures forthcoming.

Snow Painting

2009-01-15T16:16:00.010-06:00

This past weekend there was an awesome blizzard! It just snowed and snowed all day Friday and Saturday. I went plein air painting Sat AM and realized two things: 1) I had a hard time walking thru Humbolt Park because the snow was so deep and 2) It was snowing hard and the wind pretty much froze your face and anything else in in it's path. As a watercolor painter I made small talk with the only other painter out that AM (Go for it Frank DePalma!) and then headed back home.

It was gorgeous in Humbolt Park. The boat house veiled in the falling snow. Ducks made their way across the frozen pond afoot. And die hard dog walkers allowed their dogs to make their way thru the deep snow. I'm glad I know how to dress for this weather.

Panda Cupcakes

2009-01-06T16:47:00.003-06:00

My daughter, Indigo, loves fancy cakes. A friend gave a me a book of fancily decorated cakes and Indi has loved it since she was a wee lass. This Christmas I found a book named "Hello Cupcake". It should have had Indigo's name written all over it. It was about how to create fancy cupcakes.

And we have begun out journey into fancy cupcakes (my longtime facvs). Indi's first pick was to make Panda Cupcakes. We had a lot of fun making and eating them.

For some info about cupcakes around Chicago, check my friend, Justin's blog: www.cupcakerace.com He's also an awesome photographer!

Free Clothes!

2008-12-26T19:07:00.010-06:00

I workout at Women's Workout World. One day, a very casual and brief, announcement was made stating that they were going to film a commercial for the club. They asked if anyone was interested in being in it. One of the group fitness instructors encouraged me to sign up. So I did.

Realizing that marketing is expensive and my time is valuable, I thought it would be fun to try to get a clothing donation for the commercial shoot. I only had 3 days to get the clothing! Yikes. I called all the big names (Nike, Puma, Adidas, Oprah) explaining that I'm going to be in a commercial to be distributed throughout the Midwest and would they consider sending over a couple outfits: one for me and another for friend, to wear during the shoot. I figured their logos were so commonplace I wouldn't be asked to change clothing.

Let me remind you that my main job is that of Mom for two young kids - kids who don't allow me to talk on the phone! At least not without a whiny, screaming or sobbing interruption. Or my favorite "Mom! Wipe me!".

Getting this donation is a huge stroke of luck for me. And a rare occurrence, indeed. I've learned that my only gift in life is courage (I can also burp the alphabet after a swig of Dr. Pepper). I'm not talented, lucky (like Rob and Roxanne, or Rob's Grandpa Ryan). I'm not gorgeous, naturally thin or charming. I'm not a guy magnet or impressive at parties. But I've got guts. Can't buy that. So I'm learning to use my 'gift'. Trust me I wish there were days when I had a better gift; like being able to draw, speak another language, play an instrument, smoking legs, no cellulite, etc... but I digress. This is a positive post!

There is some sad disappointment in this story which I will spare you - but really just huge doses of humility from celebrity-hungry athletic apparel companies (Puma LA - you are snobby!).

The little guy always gets ignored -- but I'm used to this as a middle child - and a twin to boot.

The happy ending is that our friends over at Turbokick (for which I am a certified instructor) sent over two outfits immediately! They rock! Their workout shorts and capris are really good. Very comfortable, lasting and funky looking. Although not cheap. The tops were kinda tight but nice and lightweight. They feel like they will move with you and not against you. Very important. Oh, and they look good. I'm so proud of Turbowear for stepping up.

I didn't doll up for this photo, nor did I put on my shoes (which will NOT be Puma - uppity west-coasters). The shoot date got rescheduled at the last minute to January. I'll give you a full report after the shoot date (hopefully I'll be able to make it after all this hustling). Next time I'm planning the photo better (spray tan, put on make-up, do hair, do push ups right before the photo and will suck it in! - I'm sucking it in the entire time during the commercial - I've decided right now!).

So what do you all think of the socks? Do they take 10 years off of me - just out of sheer daring?

Viva la Ice Painting!

2008-12-20T19:22:00.009-06:00

I love snow! I think if it's going to be cold outside there had better be snow. Otherwise, what's the point? Fortunately for me, we've been getting hit with crazy snow here in Chicago! It's been wonderful. Peace, fresh air, drivers slowing down. Ah.

I like it when my watercolor paintings turn icy. But I like a little more play with the paint itself. Not instant freeze. I especially love painting in snowy weather. Today I had the chance to paint at Gomper's Park in Chicago. Not only is Gomps the park I went to as a kid, it is a lovely wetlands preserve. Everything was blanketed in white.

It was quite cold out there this AM. My watercolor paints froze almost immediately. I did my best to layer paint onto 300 lb paper very quickly to no avail. Here is what I ended up with. Last time I had my paints freeze they did at a slower rate (probably because it was sunny outside). Today there was no sun and I was out of luck. I figured I could put a couple of the hand warmer packets under my palette to keep it from freezing.

Palette of Slush - almost instantaneously.

View I was trying to paint:

Actual painting. After it 'defrosted' it faded even more. I like the granulation effect but the painting looks more like an extremely foggy lake scene. M aybe it's modern art - plein air style. I think I'll keep this one just for fun. Frame it, put it up on my wall and let it be a conversation piece. It's for sale in case anyone wants a painting made from ice and pigment.

After it defrosted :-(

At the top is a quick painting I did with darker values hoping they wouldn't fade after the defrost. See the frost/ice crystal formations in the paints. I painted it in about 30 seconds - really fast. Otherwise I was moving slush around.

Mega logged!

2008-12-16T20:06:00.009-06:00

My 2 year old is potty training. One thing she likes to do, on her own, is change clothes - all of them. Bless her for putting her one-hour worn clothes into her little clothes hamper. Sometimes the diaper is still stuck in her pants when placed in said hamper.

While transferring clean clothes from the washer to the dryer, I happened upon a disposable diaper. It had gone through the entire wash, rinse and spin cycles. And remained intact, albeit waterlogged to the max. They are Target brand diapers. If they can handle that kind of beating think of how well it will handle a gallon of your kid's pee. :-)

So I think Target should send me a little something-something for this shout out. Here's my letter to them. I'll keep you posted about the results.

Dear Target:

I accidentally washed a Target brand disposable diaper. It was completely intact after all the cycles of washing; to my utter amazement. I am a blogger and have many mommy friends who may give Target diapers a shot after reading about my successful, although happenstance, experiment. I spend a lot of money at your store on diapers and basically everything else. Please consider donating some diapers to me for giving your brand a huge shout out on my blog (www.beckanstee.com). Thank you for your kind consideration.

Sincerely,
Beck

Jingle Away

2008-12-10T13:38:00.007-06:00

Thanksgiving is long past. I'm way overdue for a post. It's the crazy-busy Christmas season. A time when people get caught up in the "season" and forget the reason for the season. I'm so glad my impulse-buy holiday toilet paper doesn't have baby Jesus printed on it (Indi's impulse buy with mommy's money).

To cope with the over-marketization of shopping, gift giving, music-about-the-same-subject and overall holiday guilt, I try to keep it real and ignore all that stuff. It's hard. Especially with all those gorgeous red Starbucks cups! I like to exercise. One class I've taken at Women's Workout World (best gym ever - albeit not full of bells and whistles) - is Zumba! It's a class that incorporates different dance with exercises. To keep things interesting and fun at the gym, the instructors who teach it (Chris and Lucia) went out and got shingles to wrap around their waist during the belly-dance segment. It makes a fun exercise routine even more fun! Great for one's waistline. And being able to move my hips about like that makes me feel younger.

I'm late boarding the train of shingle-wearing exercisers. But, darn it, it's time! My girls wanted to get in on the action. They are adorable. All that hip movement. Elvis would be proud! The video of me was taken by 5 year old Indi. Warning: it might cause dizziness.

Amaziac: She has two boobs and is not afraid to use them

2008-11-30T19:50:00.008-06:00

My twin sister, Sally, recently had identical twins (Aug 08). It's worth mentioning that they were conceived naturally without modern intervention. I think that makes it more of a miracle. The twins are my sister's 4th and 5th children (all under age 4 - yikes). They're all red-heads.

Over the Thanksgiving Holiday my family went to visit her family in, middle-of-nowhere, western Nebraska.

Sally is an amaziac. An amazing maniac. Amazing in that she's capable of doing all the grunt work that she does. A maniac in that she chose to have so many babies at the same time. She is a work horse. She cooks from scratch, cleans, whups ass and - get this - nurses her baby twins at the same time. It has to feel similar to, what the then, modern machines of the Industrial Revolution felt like - if they were anthropomorphized and then actually had feelings. Geez, talk about feeling like you never get to a moment to yourself.

All I can say is that our kids LOVED the trip and had fun trashing the house. We adults enjoyed eating old-school food: pork roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade bread, a pot of coffee, cinnamon rolls and Bruce's nuclear, uppity margaritas (uppity because I can't afford half the liquor in them - I suppose when a pastor has a cocktail he does it right). As for me, I got one of the worst periods ever - early. Thanks hormone-Sally for sharing them with my otherwise oblivious pituitary - the tampon companies thank you as do the toilet paper companies and my favorite - whoever invented Ibuprofen. Sorry to all the boys out there who are squirming - once they figured out what the heck I was talking about.

So Marvel at the Amaziac ... and coo over the adorable twins (Moxie and Lily)

Robosister

2008-11-24T08:29:00.004-06:00

This is so funny and spontaneous. Hold out until the end - it's worth it! (note how Indi plays her role perfectly as robosister)

I asked my 2 year old what she wanted for Christmas. She answered a giraffe! So I ran and got my camera and here is what transpired. It's so pure! Happy Holidays.

Starbucks Rock

2008-11-18T20:51:00.005-06:00

I live in a big city - Chicago. I live a nice neighborhood. Residential. The Starbucks I most frequent in Lincoln Square deserves some props.

First off, if the line is long at this Starbucks - no worries. It always moves fast. They always get my coffee right (or correct it happily if they don't).
Most importantly - the other day I ordered a Signature Hot Chocolate (I think there is Crack in it - very addictive - I'm a coffee-girl all the way - get the unadvertised "Short"). At any rate, I didn't have my wallet but didn't realize it until I ordered and had to pay. I told them "I'll come back later". They said, "don't worry just pay us next time you're here". I was like wuh? Huh. So I did. I have yet to be back there but when I do I will definitely pay! Mind you this was an employee, not the manager. Tasha is the manger there and she is Fab! She's donated coffee and pain-in-the-butt-to-make hot cocoa to Artsmart (she's the bomb). AND she let the Amazing Mama Race participants come in and read Dr. Seuss to the public.

They've given me discounts in the past when I've told them I want to get a grande latte but only have $3 --- they do some magic (apply an employee discount or something) and all of sudden I have a Venti latte for $1.47. I'm not complaining.

Oh one more thing. My favorite employee at this Starbucks is a man I've known since he was a kid (about 5). He's a man now, but I still refer to him, adoringly, as "Danny". He's a fine man - and has on many, many occasions - bought my coffee - or comped it. What a guy! He usually does it at the right time too (crazy day, need a boost, etc). Don't worry, he's married - we just have an old, old connection. Danny Leonard Rocks!

On Blue Island

2008-11-16T13:50:00.000-06:00

Blue Island, IL is not an actual island. At least not to my knowledge. I met my big brother, Scott, there for 'awesome tacos' at Mario's Tacos. I, formally, met my bro for the first time when I was 24. Before that I had no idea he even existed. He was adopted out of our family before birth. We share the same mother and father. I'm shocked that my family could keep such a crazy secret the whole time.

I hadn't seen my brother in 10 years or so - although we corresponded between then and now a little. In the time that has passed we both had kid(s). It is extremely interesting, to me, to see photos of him as a kid. And his daughter, my niece, Chloe. She looks like us (and a lot like her Mom)! He, however didn't . I was surprised!

So what is my brother like? He's smart, educated, witty, a tad cynical, helpful, a cautious driver - and has good hair. He has a great sense of humor. But, as he disclosed, rarely laughs aloud, due to his "comedic training". Thing is, he's no longer a comedian - just a schmo like the rest of us. Don't worry he laughs. He has the wrinkles to prove it ;-). Ok, he is my brother after all AND it is fun to be a little snarky toward siblings.

We had a interesting lunch and visit walking and talking around Blue Island. We eventually ended up at a Jamba Juice (he'd never been there). It was kinda like a date. Sharing info about our lives and families. Is it too weird to say that? Who cares.

Raise a low-cal smoothy with shots of immunity and energy for my big bro, Scott.

BTW, he has a blog - and it is "very him" - witty, snarky and funny.

SOLD!

2008-11-15T18:43:00.004-06:00

Hooray! I sold another painting! It's a big deal to me.

I didn't take a photo of the painting but here's a copy of my sketch from my sketchbook. It's an alley in the Old Town Triangle neighborhood.

The Plein Air Painters of Chicago (PAPC) has a show called "The Four Seasons of Old Town" running through the end of the month at the Old Town Art Center.

There is a closing reception with free wine and nosh on Sun. Nov.30 from 1-3 at the Old Town Art Center 1763 N. North Park, Chicago, IL -- All paintings, including the one I sold, will be on display until then. Don't miss it.

Simple Pleasures

2008-11-12T23:00:00.003-06:00

I admit it. I am culpable in this cupcake craziness. It was my pleasure to deliver the Grand Prize for the Cupcake Race Art Competition to the 5/6 Grade class at Pilgrim Lutheran School. Over 20 students created original works for this contest. The Grand prize winner taking the spoils and earning cupcakes for his/her entire class. Securing positive social standing at least in the short term. That winner was Harper Fox! He is somewhat shy and reserved. However, his depiction of a raging cupcake literally took the cake! Here is some footage of my entering Harper's classroom. Needless to say they were exicted! It was awesome and fun to partake in such positive energy! Way to go Cupcake Race! Thanks Justin for going along with these crazy ideas! You Rock!

Check out the remaining art up for voting at www.cupcakerace.com. Vote on your favorite piece and tell him Beck sent ya!

Cupcake Art Contest

2008-11-10T16:17:00.005-06:00

Boy, things have been busy around here! One of the things I've been organizing is the Cupcake Race Art Contest. Kids from Pilgrim Lutheran School were asked to create art about cupcakes. The winner wins cupcakes for their entire class!

The grand prize winner has been chosen by Mr. Cupcake himself, my bff (buddy blogger friend) Justin. But you can get out the popular vote! Go to: www.cupcakerace.com and choose your favorite.

Here's mine. But I'm bias! Go Indi! The lines around the cupcake indicate, per Indi, that there is angelic music emanating from around the glorious cupcake (she loves cupcakes!)

Indi Bails me out!

2008-10-26T20:34:00.012-05:00

I don't know why I am still surprised when I experience the creative talent of children - but I am.

I had a kick butt head cold all week long. It knocked me down for two days. The other days of the week I scuttled along (read: dragged my ass) just trying to get thru. I'm, happily, on the mend. During one of the days I was really sick I kept my 5 year old home from school to help me with my 2 year old. They play well together and I knew it would allow me to rest on the couch a little. The older one would sound the alarm if anything unfair or dangerous were to happen. I wasn't sleeping. I do that in bed - not on a couch in the middle of the playland the kids call my house (yes, the entire house). And honestly, I just didn't know how I would make it thru my day without some kind of help. My awesome friend, Laura, was babysitting later in the week so I could teach Artsmart and my Mom and sisters are working women. There wasn't anyone I felt I could call. Not to mention, I don't know a Mom who wants to watch a kid coming from a "sick house". And I bear no ill will for that! Next time I'm calling my mother-in-law. She's always willing to help in a pinch. I just felt bad about calling her very last minute (she lives an hour away with no traffic). OK, you get it, it's tough being a Mom when you're sick. Moving on...

One activity I did with Indi (the 5 y.o) on my "sick day" when her baby sister was napping -was have her take photos around the house with my digital camera. I do this from time to time. It's an interesting way to see how she is viewing the world and what is important to her. She turned the tables on me and video'd me amidst my day (it's usually the other way around!)

I'll spare you the myriad photos of our ceiling lights (all 8 cans indivudually photographed). As well as the spare pics of the individual pages of her School Days book (most are empty as of yet). She took shots of her art, my art, my office, the kitchen, the TV, her foot, herself, and my favorite shot of all, my watercolor paints. Phew, selfishly, I'm so relieved that they look used! I haven't been painting as much as I'd like - only about once a week. But, hey, we all need to recover from a bad cold.

I did get some fresh air (but forewent showering - took too much energy). Indi LOVES to climb (parking signs, the fridge, the swingset - anything). So I let her have a treat and do some climbing. I loved to climb too (I'd still do it if I had the upper body strength - but ya'll we're heavy!) Check out the spooky orange sky in the background.

Here's to Indi who was amply rewarded with treats for helping out her ol' Ma. Enjoy everyone!

Bloggers Unite!

2008-10-18T15:25:00.017-05:00

There's a blog by a local person that I like. It's called Cupcake Race.

No, the cupcakes do not race or get hurled anywhere. This blogger goes to bakeries in Chicago, rates the cupcake and takes nice photos of it (really nice, I thought he was a pro photographer). I did this in a few of my blog entries - sans photos. (But I don't have a whole blog dedicated to it). One of my favorite Cupcake Race blogisodes (ok, blog entry) is where this cupcake blogger creates an elaborate graph matrix about the cupcakes reviewed. It wasn't a joke, so stop laughing. It was awesome. What a cool way to waste time at work. ;-)

Mr. Cupcake has been very busy lately and approached me about possibly doing a review for www.cupcakerace.com. I'm a big fan of the blog so I jumped at the chance. However, before I participate in anything collaborative, I felt it imperative that we meet in person. Just to make sure things were cool and he wasn't some freak slipping poison into the icing. We all have those odd fears about folks we meet on the Internet; friend or foe? Yikes. Some of you may have made some friends or significant others on the Internet but I'll bet many of you have not. What does it look like? Well today you will get a front row seat. Don't be too underwhelmed.

So there you have it folks - Mr. Cupcake Race in the flesh having coffee with moi. He's a person in the neighborhood. A person that you meet when you're walking down the street; a person that you'd meet each day (well, once a week at the bakery). Despite irrational fears of Internet strangers, Justin was well groomed with good hygiene and authentically cordial. Frankly he is an interesting and neat person and artist. I like him and hope you will join him (and maybe me) in a few cupcake adventures! Stay tuned!

At the Park

2008-10-18T14:48:00.006-05:00

I have no idea why I, personally, cross paths with people who have high affinity for crap. Literal crap.

Last year while finishing a 6 mile run on a HOT August day I needed a drink. I cut through Welles Park to stop at a water fountain (this is a nice park - not a ghetto). When I found one, I approached the fountain the same time as a dog walker who had a plastic grocery bag in his hand. Rather than let me go (c'mon I was sweaty, red and breathing harder than he was) - he immediately turned his empty grocery bag inside out and proceeded to wash some brown gunk out of it into the drinking fountain. His dog and woman were off to the side of the path. I gave him a disgusted 'that is gross' and then started running - still thirsty. The man is an imbecile. Even it was chocolate ice cream did he have to wash it out in a drinking fountain? And since he was so intent on washing - why not let me go first, huh?

This past week my kids and I visited one of my favorite parks (Manor Park). It has a nice layout and picnic tables where we have lunch or snacks. I overheard a mom oh-so-sweetly ask her toddler "why didn't you tell me you had a poopie". Normal enough in my world. I don't want my kid sitting in their own feces either. Then the woman, proceeds to change her poopie toddler on the picnic table. No, not on the wide bench, but the tabletop. No changing pad, paper or coat beneath the kid. No barrier between my future picnic and her kid's leftover crap! What's wrong with people? I didn't say anything but was VERY aggravated.

I think I'll have to start carrying around a pack of bleach wipes. Sometimes it's just cleaner to eat on the grass.

Night Painting

2008-10-11T22:24:00.011-05:00

I am a plein air painter. I paint outdoors at my easel. I paint around Chicago. This past Saturday night I painted, for the first time, at night. Yep. I bought a coal-miner-style headlamp from Target and redorkulated and everything.

A small faction of the Plein Air Painters of Chicago (PAPC) headed to scenic Riverside, IL for this night paintout. It was in the hopes of creating some spooky or creepy, yet realistic, paintings for Poefest (a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe - Oct. 26 6PM @ Stars and Cigars in Berwyn).

At any rate, it was an interesting expereience and I wasn't quite sure what color paint I was putting on paper. But it was fun and I had a good time (see my painting above).

Riverside, IL is this crazy cool suburb where little kids can ride their bikes all over town when they're 7. It's that safe. It's like Mayberry. While I was painting some older boys rode up to me to check what the heck I was doing in their town painting with a headlamp. Well, they were out of high school (19) and riding their bikes around town on a Sat night (real achievers). After I explained what I was doing, they continued to hang out. I was finished so I packed up. They're still yapping away to each other and calling some girl on a cell phone. Then one guy asked me for my phone number! What the? I said "no, you can't have it". He said "why?" - I said, because I'm somebody's mamma! "So what" he said. I said "I'm married". Then I said "I'm 37". This, to my great pleasure, was recieved with much surprise. The instigator said "oh, I thought you were 19". His buddy, the smarter of the pair, - said "wow, you don't look older than 27". They made my night!! Sweet 27!

It gets better.

While chewing the fat with a few fellow night painters, at the local corner ice cream shop (it's so picturesque I could barf) - a gal asked me if I was "Becky". It was my old friend from grade school and high school - Halenia! Wow! She just moved to Riverside with her family from Chicago. She looked fab! She was always very cool - very athletic and smart - and from the old neighborhood. She told me I look exactly the same. I interpreted that to mean "same weight". It's not true but I'll take it!! Woohoo! I was no skinny biotch back in HS but I'm 15-20 pounds heavier now. Although I am very fit now. My abs, aside from the mommy trauma, are better than back then.

Ok, now that I'm looking at the photo of my abs - I'm wondering what *!@$ possessed me to put it up there in the first place! It's this - I work hard in the gym and am proud of being fit - even if it doesn't translate into a perfectly flat stomach or perfect body. If I can be proud, so you can you. So don't believe all that media hype gals! We ARE good enough. Oh, and flatness doesn't mean strength. I have strong abs with a layer of fat over it for good measure :-) (I'm crazy)

I digress.

This is what happens when you don't blog for awhile. And, no, I have not been drinking while blogging.

Crazy *^$@ Drivers

2008-08-25T20:25:00.006-05:00

While driving down a single lane urban street (Montrose) I almost brought the smack down to the driver in front of me.

We all space out from time to time and are late to accelerate after a red light turns to green. For this we are, usually, given a honk. Not an angry honk - just a "wake up" honk. There are impatient jerks that give the angry honk. Rejects!~ I wait a solid 5 seconds before I honk in a friendly case. And today was no different. But my politeness failed me. Miserably. Driving in front of me was one of the most self absorbed, crazy idiots I've ever encountered on the road. She was driving an early 1990s make deep red mustang. She was late taking off from every light, every stop sign and swerving in her own lane. This wasn't just a one-time, few seconds thing. It went on and on. Even after a few cars behind me honked at her, she continued with the same erratic and unpredictable behavior. She rode the brake continually. What the heck was wrong with this person? She was READING.

Yes, folks. Her eyes were clearly visible to me from her rear view mirror. They were certainly not on the road. And not just when she was at a light. She would accelerate and her glance would not change. She'd swerve, stop 20 feet before a stop sign. It felt endless! I had a construction tractor behind me who was giving her little honks to get moving. Nothing like being in the middle of an idiot driver and large construction vehicle with a claw!

She was driving like there was no one else around. Like her actions affected no one else. If she was reading something juicy or good, then she must have decided to read it twice. After 2 miles of this crap, I decided to stop the denial and take matters into my own hands. I dug deep. In my Mom-mobile, Subaru Forester, I laid on the horn and yelled out my window "YOU'RE GONNA KILL SOMEONE, STOP READING!". To this i was greeted by both her hands (printout attached) waving her fists at me. OOOO bring it on lady, I'd like nothing more than to kick your self centered, crazy butt! I, intentionally, drove out of my way to get away from this crackpot. I'm so glad I did.

Now for all you prudes out there. This was not anger, it was righteous indignation. Seriously, it wasn't emotionally driven, it was logical. This time.

Snaps to Leon Ryan who made this tee design at the top for Threadless.com

Beware the justice-seeking Mom-mobile.

Running in Polyester

2008-08-14T08:14:00.004-05:00

Last Thursday I joined a herd of Elvis's in running 3 miles along Chicago's beautiful lakefront. At the end the organizers had peanut butter and banana sandwiches - which I tried for the first time (not bad - taste like childhood - but I've never ate it back then), there were also bagles, mini organic cupcakes (read: which are overpriced and would never buy but delicious and they allowed to have more than 1) and then washed it all down with my free Goose Island 312 Beer. The greatest part, besides running along the lakefront with my friend and fellow Mama, Laura Studee, is that somehow, we were at the very front of all the food lines! Wow we must have had some FAST running times. I'm glad because the tee shirts were crappy this year. White and only "adult sizes" - no girly cuts. Sometimes life just works out that way. It was a gorgeous evening and I rode my bike 7 miles downtown as well as the return trip. I need to get some blinking lights for my self. It's dangerous out there without 'em. I met up with my old friend Jim Madsen whom I've known since church sunday school days at the Northside gospel center and high school (that's us above - I think he secretly wants boobs). We all run in polyester shirts these days as they are "wicking". It makes a difference, but they stink up pretty fast. I wonder if Elvis knew polyester would be the technical, future fabric. Perhaps he was testing it in all his jumpsuits for the Secret Service. hmmm

McGyver at the Tender age of 2

2008-08-04T13:02:00.005-05:00

It's August in Chicago. That means that it's hot, really hot - and humid. On days like this the TV goes on in our house and remains permenantly on PBS Kids. It's an outright battle to peel the kids away from the tube for menial things like, food. They argue, cry, etc. I've done what the smart moms have done for eons; turn off the TV to go out or do something fun. They turn it back on. I turn off the power to the entertainment armoir (sounds like a kinky room - "entertainment armoir). But both kids have learned to turn that back on. Finally, I pulled out the armoir, and yanked out the plug entirely. Guess what, a little 5 year old arm learned how to plug it back in. I know this not because I saw her do it but because I, all of a sudden, heard the TV back on. Such a sneak.

Now, my 2 year old hasn't mastered replugging in the TV (thank goodness). But she has mustered all the electronic and electrical knowlege she has. She took out the cables to the Wii and plugged them into the TV thinking it would make the TV go on. Wow, I was impressed. I shouldn't be surprised when she starts stripping cables and hotwiring our car.

Hit your Target: a New Use for Cellophane Tape

2008-07-29T22:27:00.008-05:00

Stephanie wears glasses. When she shoots her recurve bow, she puts a piece of cellophane tape over one of the lenses. This helps her from getting double vision. Stephanie is a world-class archer. Placed 5th in the Olympic trials.

Did you know there are only 2 women on the U.S. Women's Archery Team? Steph was 5th at the Olympic Trials (if I'm wrong don't shoot me - literally). Sorry girl! Did you further know that Columbia University in NYC is the only college with an archery team? Who do they compete against! (club teams) So sad. So much for encouraging my kids to be good at a cushy sport so they can get an easy college athletic scholarship.

Stephanie uses a recurve bow. A fancier and more expensive version of the one I learned on at Camp Awana. A compound bow has the pulleys and everything - easier to pull . She can use whatever she wants as long as she isn't pointing at me. I don't think she would miss. Watch for her at the 2016 Olympics. Go Stephanie - beat those boyz!

I'd look a lot better if my sunglasses weren't "picked up". (whaaaa good bye polarized lenses)

Strange Fruit Explained

2008-07-29T20:27:00.006-05:00

Hey all - I couldn't get the photo of "Strange Fruit" to load in my last post - but here is their weird coolness.

Clash of the Titans

2008-07-28T09:10:00.010-05:00

We had a blast at Millennium Park a couple weeks ago. I'm posting this now as the video takes forever to upload and I haven't had time to do it. I intended to edit it but alas - you get the full length version!

After seeing the performing group "Strange Fruit" at Millennium Park - we enjoyed playing in the "face fountain" (I love that you can do this in Chicago - it's even expected- we wore our suits down there). We were ushered out of the Chase Promenade early in the afternoon about 3:30 as the park was being used for a Private Function. The city was hosting Olympic athletes and dignitaries in an effort to gain rank in becoming the site for the 2016 Olympic games. There were demos and mats on the Great Lawn so my girls and I checked it out! There were two, extremely sweaty wrestlers from Northwestern's team (yo, Mike, your coach accidentally packed up my nice, polarized sunglasses!). Indi and I had fun wrestling. We spoke to an archer, gymnasts that are short for their age and a Judo champion.

My oldest chickened out on the judo demo but I was all for it! It was a blast. It was my first Judo lesson ever. Don, my instructor, is a former Olympian from 1988. I thought it only appropriate that I introduce myself before I drape my leg over his. I got to "throw" him. Then he had to go otherwise I'd have done it again! He didn't offer much resistance - nonetheless - easy can be fun too. I felt like going home and donning the Japanese flag bandana style ala Karata Kid.

All these demos on the lawn made me hungry for more. So now I am a HUGE supporter of the Olympics in Chicago! It's really exciting and fun!

Stay tuned, you'll meet Stephanie Miller, world-class archer! She puts scotch tape on one lens of her glasses when she aims. So cool! Wax on, wax off

CANONBALL

2008-07-13T19:04:00.006-05:00

I have two very vivacious, smart and outgoing daughters, albeit very different. My 2 year old, is especially athletic and tests her physical boundaries all the time. She's not fearless, just very curious - there's a difference. I was able to capture one of my favorite things that the kids do - Make a homemade obstacle course and jump off of the couch! Somewhere #2 picked up using the word "cannonball!" The same cannonball one would yell when making a huge splash into a pool.

My oldest (5) is super smart and crafty. She is the mastermind and engineer behind said obstacle course. This time around she insisted a broom be placed in the course. I have yet to determine the reason or function of the broom. It makes sense in her head.

The way I see it, #1 will solve world problems and #2will be the test pilot making sure they work. What a pair! BTW, they are also gorgeous.

I love these girls and am so blessed to have them. "CANONBALL!"

Plein Air Painting Workshop Day 3

2008-07-13T18:19:00.009-05:00

Above in descending order: Beck w/ Errol Jacobson, Beck w/ Pablo DeLeon, Scott Tallman Powers @ Beck's easel.

Today I headed back to Bunker Hill woods to finish up the painting workshop I've been involved with this weekend. What a beautiful day! I painted in the woods the entire day. I, actually, was less creeped out by all the spiders, spider webs, spiders crawling on me - and my painting, etc. I think I gained a little on my life span just from being outdoors among green life! I found a tadpole nest - *ew* - I had to climb over it to get behind two mammoth trees I used as cover so I could pee in the woods. Oh, puh lease, I was literally a half mile from a bathroom.

I didn't have a great painting day but worked hard and clunked along. I think of the analogy of muscle building. For those of you who don't know, one builds muscle not during the workout but afterwards, during rest. It's a process of tearing down and rebuilding. So today, painting-wise, I was in the "rebuilding stage". It's the process not the product, right?

I had a great experience, met new artists and tackled some difficult subjects. Seriously folks, it's difficult to paint the woods and a muddy green river. Everything is effing green How do you represent it realistically yet still make it interesting? I found a few excellent subjects but had trouble transferring it to paint. In time.

Two snaps up to Scott who delved into my watercolor to show me a few tips. I'm proud of him for not being an oil painter snob! He totally went to town, mixing my watercolor paint furiously. He made me laugh when he'd wipe the brush on a paper towel. It's an oil painter thing to wipe off your brush (oh and I learned why - cleanliness is key - get ANYTHING in white oil paint and it's no longer white - what a pain in booty).

One of the crazy highlights of the day came when I went to my enormous tree to pee. As I was walking back I heard the voice of my friend and fellow painter, Pam Gibson, from across the river. She said "hey, get out of my composition!" She was kidding of course. So I decided it would be fun to give her some "figure drawing" to contend with. Let's just say, she saw the moon! Errol was working near me again today - and said "you'll embarrass me if you do that". I told him to close his eyes. I think he looked anyway.

Here is documentation of Scott working in watercolor - bet you didn't know that huh? We'll I'm breaking the story here, today. Thanks Scott! :-)

You may want to know what the big deal is between watercolor and oil painters. For starters, the process of painting is different. In watercolor, the painter has to establish and then plan for her brightest and lightest colors. Overall, a good painter chooses their lightest lights, darkest darks and strongest color before painting. So both mediums do the same there. But oils painters reverse the process - they establish darks first and paint that. Light oil paint can be painted atop of dark colors. This is NOT the case in watercolors. Transparent watercolorists don't use white or black paints. There are other ways around it. The white of the paper acts as our whites. If you lose them up the whole project is lost. There are minimal ways to reclaim that white space (sanding, and *gasp* God forbid, white paint). There is a trade off of effects and finishes. Overall I find watercolor waaaaaaay more fun than oils so far. Watercolor is faster, cleaner and brighter. This isn't a hard and fast rule, of course. Both mediums, in the hands of a good painter, will be great. But as a young Mom with kids, I prefer having non toxic watercolors around as opposed to turpenoid and hard to remove oil paints. If you want to disagree with me, get your own blog ;-)

Meet Errol (cool name!)

2008-07-12T21:01:00.005-05:00

Errol Jacobson, plein air painter, artist, friendly guy and billiads master (pool actually) was the very first plein air painter I'd ever met. I was at Millenium Park last Labor Day with the Kids enjoying a free Ralph's World Concert. When we had lunch in the shaded grass, I saw Errol painting "Cloudgate". After the kids ogled what he was doing I got a few common questions answered (I asked specifically - are you a plein air painter - uncommon). I went back and asked him a few more questions and he mentioned he was part of a group and gave me his card. I started painting a few weeks from then. Thanks Errol for not being a snob or too busy not to be bothered! You rock. Well, Errol is still painting and better than ever. I own one of his paintings of Lincoln Square, where I live. It's a gem.

I was painting on the same side of the road as he was today and thought you'd all enjoy meeting him!