Yoga with Dad

Some photos from our recent day trip to Newburgh, Indiana. It was a very cool little town on the northern bank of the Ohio River (the Indiana side). We picked up two cool items from a consignment shop there as well: very styling bowls (like robin's eggs) and a parcheesi game from like 1960. Anna thinks parcheesi looks stupid. But, come on. It's an Indian version of backgammon. And as John Locke says, backgammon is the oldest game in the world. What can be stupid about that?




There were also two cool home decor and clothing stores there. Both of them had some good original art and even little niceties like letter-press cards.

I also saw some paintings from an artist named H. John Smith (local Evansville artist) that I really liked (oil on canvas). He had some scenes from a coffee shop in Santa Monica, and a cool painting of a sailboat. Here's a piece by him just to give you a feel:


Anna says that H. John Smith's work reminds her of Ken Auster - a pleinair artist from Laguna Beach that Anna had the fortune of taking a class from. What gifts these people have.

We've been mildly swamped with work, church, and Wyatt. Anna is now working part-time from home - doing clinical research work. And, she's seriously considering not running the marathon in October ... after preparing five months for it and running 20 miles last Friday.

Wyatt learned how to say "bum" today. No, we didn't teach him how to say that on purpose. You see, Wyatt seems to enjoy tearing off a few squares of toilet paper, sticking them in his mouth and walking around the house. We have tried and tried to tell him that is not good. Actually, we say, "Wyatt, that's icky." But, that never works. So today Anna said, "Wyatt that's not for your mouth; it's for your bum." It was then that Wyatt said "bum," heard us laugh and said it again, "bum."

He also loves rocks, the Swiffer-thing, and playing peakaboo with the cat. Oh, and this morning he got a kick out of doing Yoga with dad. When Anna told him that I was coming home soon from work, he went over to the Yoga mat, laid down and began to roll around. The truly funny part: if I was only half as flexible or calm as that kid, I'd have no need for Yoga!

Wes

Updates

Over the last couple of weeks, we've been trying to work on a few spaces of our house: the guest bedroom, the kitchen and the breeze-way. Here are some pics to give you a clue of what we've had to work with and what has been done ...

The third bedroom is completely made up of knotty pine (as is the kitchen and the breeze-way). All of it will eventually be white, which is totally plain jane. But, we can't think of a better color right now, and we like it; perhaps only because we've been living in darkness with that pine paneling for the last year. Here is the initial painting ... and how we learned that primer is really a good idea ...

Anna rolling the walls with the "wet cat" as we like to call it: a floppy, fluffy roller that weighs about as much as a good-sized cat when it is full of paint and about as awkward looking ...

Ah, the stripping of the floor. Demolition: I've got it. I can rip things up and tear things away with the best of them (notice the knotty pine here in the breeze-way...gag) ...


Here it is: the old linoleum floor underneath the nappy carpet that got ripped up. You can also see the original carpet that covered the floor ... whoa ...


The new floor ... as laid down by professionals and screwed up by me. As Anna said, "it's a whole lot of green. " Indeed! It feels rather cold and professional right now ... but it is also so much easier to clean ...


A long view of the floor leading into the kitchen ...


It's the details that make the difference. Anna found a drafty door stopper on one of the cool websites she checks every now and then (notmartha.org -- thanks, Emily!) and made her own version...we're hoping for a cheaper heating bill this winter as a result of that one inch gap being stuffed efficiently!


Still to do: one more coat on the third bedroom, some major reorganization and a wall hanging
for that room; painting the breezeway; putting down quarter-round in the kitchen and breezeway; a fun, small, modern couch for the corner of the breezeway and a few other touches to make it warmer and more welcoming. That's just what's on the immediate radar...sheesh.

Project Runway

[disclaimer: spoilers regarding Project Runway: Season 1 follow]

Oh my gosh. A and I just finished Project Runway: Season 1, and we are so charged up to be creative. Unfortunately, I am also way too tired right now, so creativity will have to wait at least one more night.

But, I did just want to say the following:

1. Wendy Pepper - wherever you are ... you are definitely a crazy bird ... my arm-chair psychologist in me definitely thinks you have HUGE insecurity issues and - therefore - have to bring every one else into a crap hole so you don't feel entirely inadequate. And Kara Saun fitted you better than a model ... don't give away your soul, you may need it someday ... just ask Bart Simpson.
2. Jay McCarroll won in what I believe is the best way - by immersing yourself into the regions that formed you and then screaming out at the top of your lungs in your own distinct voice. His stuff was not only cool; it's cool to know it emerged from a country setting where fashion is the farthest thing from most peoples' minds. Check out his website and the line of clothes he released by clicking here.
3. As much as a I hate to say it, I think Kara Saun was hurt by going back to LA to finish up her designs and clothes. When she was in NY, she was able to shine by letting her artistic vision rise above the rest of the contestants. In LA, I think she relied much too much on the designs coming out of Hollywood (not to mention the disappointing turn of events when she employed her friends to complete her design ... totally out of character).

Wes

New Furniture

A week and two days ago, I had to come home briefly to grab my Book of Common Worship: Pastoral Edition, a suit, and some other odds and ends for the funeral service of Betty Jean Cooper (Anna's paternal grandmother). Josh Albers, a friend in Owensboro, happened to call during the brief time I was home - inquiring as to whether we would still be up for swapping some furniture. Thankfully (and wisely), I said yes, which ended up in this acquisition:


We gave them two end tables we had received from my step-mom as she frequently gets furniture from her work (moving and shipping company). After a long day of driving and the disorientation of trying to get so many things in order, it was good to feel and see community at work that day.

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Then, today, Anna and I loaded up the boy just after his morning nap and went out to brave the 90 degree heat. Our efforts were not in vain; at a used furniture store, we stumbled upon this sun chair. Actually, Anna had seen it about a year ago (almost exactly a year ago). Waiting one year eventually won us an $8 bargain as the item was on sale (plus inflation!). Anyhow, for the time being, this chair and that table are filling a space next to our kitchen that has needed something for quite some time.


Wes

Memorial Day Weekend

Wyatt's new thing is to put the blanket over his head and go crazy!


In the background is a wall hanging Anna made using a frame and fabric ... eventually it will go above our fireplace in our living room. There is also another wall hanging with the same fabric design only with greens and blues, which will go in the adjacent room.


A coconut ... which Anna intended to use for a raw recipe: cashew butter fudge cookies. It actually came out more like chocolate syrup, so I combined it with the raw milk we have. Excellent stuff. Here's the recipe for cashew butter fudge cookies:

2 1/2 c. coconut meat, chopped
2 c. maple syrup
1 t. vanilla
[puree till creamy]

1 c. raw cashew butter
1 c. raw carob powder
[combine with earlier and puree]

1/3 c. chopped pecans
1/3 c. chopped cashews
1/3 c. chopped macadamias


From "Raw: The Uncook Book" by Juliano Bortman and Erika Lenkert

Wes