Riot and Frolic

List of Last Week's Labors of Love

- a new car seat for Zoo.  We've had an ever-changing configuration of carseats in our vehicle for four years and all of them have annoyed the piss out of me.  But this new carseat was a game-changer, man.  GAME- CHANGER!  It was recommended on a couple different websites, but I was hooked after reading about it here.  

sadly, we did not get the cow print cover

That nifty base on the seat?  Makes it sit above the seats on the other two (a Graco Nautilus and Sunshine Kids Radian), so all three fit in like a dream.  

And the new one?  It's clllllleeeeeeaaaan.  Whoa.

- sword fighting.  

princess kicks-butt-a-lot

- made-up recipe for mac'n'cheese that totally rocked.

cream, cheese, and noodles, right?

- swimming, during which Mae Cake wore "gobbles" the entire time.  Good.  Times.  

mae cake is a weirdo

- one of two delicious breakfasts I didn't have to cook.

bacon

 - the best cover version of this song I've heard (sorry I missed the intro):

 

BEWARE: THE VIDEO IS VERY LOUD!  TURN DOWN YOUR SPEAKER VOLUME! 

- Arthur Murray Dance Studio's 100 year celebration at the MOA.  Knowing half of the people in the production makes it a lot of fun, but those kids put on a good show.  

it's not a flash mob, but it sure is a formation

- hilarious:

 
- I totally  started that thing I said I was going to start.  It actually is a WIP (work in progress, nerds).  And V's already hounding me for one of her own, so...

- instead of buying the Method Squirt & Mop cleaner (which, no lie, I love), I poured some Murphy's Oil Soap into the ye olde Method bottle, added water, and Violet! [what?] I get about the same thing for, like, a tenth of the price.  

brillant, watson

What'd you do last week?  OMG, have you gotten hit with the "I must by school supplies" bug?  How's the cabin treating you?  Checking off your summer bucket list items?

One year ago: LLLL, with the infuriating popsicle box

Double Rainbow

WHAT DOES IT MEAN?!  *sob*

i'm sure this made sense at the time

I found my old dance notebook and holy hell, it is a goldmine.  

What kind of gold it is, I'm not sure.  Probably fools'.

(If you don't get the "double rainbow" reference, you really need to stop working and do something productive, like watch this video.  If you do know what I'm referencing, you should still watch this video, because it's just as funny as you remember it is.  "Look into your soul!")

One year ago: Spiderman and the Orchard- websites I dig

WIP It Good

Sometimes, I don't write mah blog for the people, I write it for myself.  Like resolutions and goals and to-do lists, maybe if I write some ideas down, they'll actually happen.  So, let's pretend the following project is going to happen, shall we?

The older ladies share a bedroom and sleep in a bunk bed.  I kind of adore their room, probably because it has all four walls intact, is painted, and has a decent-looking hardwood floor.  And a tree fort. 

I finally got them coordinating sheets for their beds and it's just all adorable up in there.  

 

mae cake's

v's

 

And yes, owls.  Owls are everywhere in this house.  It's a little creepy.  Because have you ever seen a real owl?

 

not so cute, more creepy

I mean, they can turn their heads all the way around.  Doesn't that happen in The Exorcist?  (And no, I will not link to that movie, because that would require looking up that movie in a search engine and I don't even want to see images from that flick because of the eventual nightmares I would have from seeing them.)

 

I digress...

The sheets.  

V has a cute matching comforter, but Mae Cake does not.  And because I'm crazy, I want to make her one.  

I figure it'll be mostly decorative (as opposed to practical) because no matter how cold it gets, that girl never sleeps under the covers and just has them mashed up underneath her, body pillow-style.

I looked through my stash and found these complimentary colors...

 

why do i have so much yarn?

 

But I'll definitely head to Michael's to grab some of these...

GAH!  SO PRETTY!

I want to do something relatively easy, with no "pattern" per se, but maybe a few rows of a simple stitch in each color with a row of these crocheted flowers  every foot or so.  

HOW AWESOME WOULD THAT LOOK?!

Really awesome, people.  

 

maybe he crochets

One year ago: Wabi-Sabi.  In case you needed an explanation of why I'm crazy.

 

Running Advice for Idiots

Don't take offense to the post title; I'm really writing these down as personal reminders to me after another failed run this morning due to #7.  Ugh.  #7.

How to Not Die (or Feel Like It) While Running

1. Run in the morning.  
   

   seriously
2. When your alarm goes off in the morning, roll out of bed.  Do it.  Do it do it do it and don't think about it.  Start doing #3.
3. The night before you run, you put your running clothes out in the most easy-to-climb-into arrangement possible.  Now that it's morning,  don the running apparel.  Try not to wake up your brain while doing this.  
4. Brush your teeth.  It sucks to smell your own morning breath for an hour.  
5. Your brain is probably onto your plan by now, and a little pissed, but you've reached the point of no return, what with the standing and the clothes and the minty-ness.  You may reward it with coffee.
   

   drink it like an old school bad ass, while you're at it.
6. Put your hair up (if there is hair to be had).  Do not put it in a ponytail because that shit will mess with you the whole run.  Stray hairs feel like killer bugs and you will spaz out accordingly in the middle of the busiest street.  The Ponytail Metronome will distract you with it's strangely uneven rhythm.  Plus, all that hair is hot.  I like a firmly elasticised "bun"(I do a tight version of this for running and ballrooming).  
7. Drink water.  If you don't drink water, you'll get a massive sideache at mile 1.5 and have to walk the 1.5- 17 miles remaining.  Boo.  
8. During the first mile, remind yourself how awesome you'll feel when you're done (do not focus on how terrible it feels now).
9. On the middle miles, zone out.  Or think about this or this.
10. Near the end?  Use your inner cheerleader to push yourself home.  I've done a little experimenting with this and whether my mind is a mean girl ("you lazy wench! it's only another half mile!  So-and-so could do it!") or a nice girl ("you can do it! you've already come this far! you're doing a great job!"), some motivating self-talk does wonders for finishing strong.  

What are your running tricks and tips?  Got any mantras you use for the final sprint?  

run, boy, run

One year ago: Going Bananas.  Banana bread.  Yum.

Let's Get Rich and Buy Our Parents Home In The South of France

[Really anywhere in France would do, but that's not the lyrics to the song.]

The G and I went to Europe for our honeymoon (5 years ago, but I was just looking at pictures!) and obviously, it was awesome.  Vacation.  Europe.  Old crap.  Awesome.

I'm no tour guide, but I do like eating and it's Tuesday, so let me tell you about the trip from that angle.  

We flew into Amsterdam, and ate pannekoeken for dinner (BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT YOU DO IN THE LAND OF THE PANNEKOEKEN) in the most bohemian cafe (LORING CAFE TIMES 10, FOR ANYONE WHO GETS THAT) with the friendliest waitstaff (WHO MADE FUN OF OUR ACCENTS).  Pannekoekens are highly underrated and I am for sure making them for dinner now, with bacon and sour cream and onions the way I had mine in the Land of Marijuana and Pancakes.  

 

the section of the cafe that didn't look like a jungle with tables

 

After sleeping next door to the Heineken brewery, we took a train to Brussels where fish and chips were at every corner.  Fish and chips.  Every corner.  Brussels was strange in a lot of ways , and I think the large jar of pickles that came with my meal really summed it up.

i guess i'll have fish and chips… and pickles

Arriving in Paris by the Metro at 2am under the Moulin Rouge was EPIC and to top it off we ate NUTELLA CREPES and HAM AND CHEESE SANDWICHES.  What.  BEST HONEYMOON EVER. 

the honeymoon could have ended here and i'd be happy

But we traveled on! 

We stayed the majority of the 'moon in the Loire River Valley in a house that had this address:

The house at the foot of the bridge
Beaugency, France

When I look up Beaugency in the Googles, I find this picture...

that's where we stayed

Why thank you, Wikipedia, for illustrating my point (or "pont"- AHAHAHAHAHA!).  

Our hostess was the mom of a friend of a friend and she was lovely.  She made the most mind-blowing and simple meals for whoever was at the house during lunch and dinner (the friend of a friend and  her two friends were around also). Everyone spoke English a little and French a lot, except me (speaking American louder didn't help, hmph).  Dinner would last at least 3 hours and was filled with wine (so was lunch *clink*) and conversation (with translations and bad pronunciations and all) and fresh everything.  I often got the "chore" of picking fruit from their numerous trees and bushes for dessert while "Madame" went into town to shop from the butcher, breadsmith, produce farmers, cheesemonger, etc.  

that's where we ate

Breakfast was coffee (strong, bless her) and croissants (chocolate, fresh from the bakery).  Did I mention this is where we stayed?

it's so pretty, I'm gonna die!

I was fascinated how Madame threw together her magnificent meals and shopped every freaking day.  I asked her for the recipe for her roast chicken and she said, "Well, I don't really know... There's cream and salt and rosemary..."  And chicken.  Melt-in-your-mouth chicken.  But she really didn't know what she did, exactly.  I watched her make rabbit one night and she just puttered around the kitchen, throwing things in a pot.  And it worked.  It worked soooo well.

The specialized shops were so foreign (but Target has everything in one place).  Bread here, cheese there, meat there, fruit here... Madame had recently gotten a small refrigerator, but many people in town didn't really use them.  They all just shopped for their dinner.  No stocking up.  No storing.  No waste.

well duh

On our day trips, we ate SANDWICHES and CREPES because I could probably live on those two things alone and be happy.  Plus, they were cheap.  And delicious.  Soooooo delicious.  We ate so many of them, by the end of our stay I could order them myself.  In French.  With an accent.  Magnifique!

did i mention delicious?

 

On our way back to the US, we stopped in Paris again, and caught some of the Rugby World Cup and beer at a corner bar.  F.  U.  N.

 

rubgy and beer

 

Arriving back to the States, I wanted pretty tablecloths and 2 hour lunches (wine included).  I wanted to whip up delicious meals with only a vague plan in mind.  I wanted to buy chicken and eggs from the guy down the street and I wanted to walk across the same bridge Joan of Arc did to get there.  I wanted breadshops that sold burnt bread on purpose and Nutella.  

I got the Nutella.  

And I made some pretty wicked mac 'n' cheese today.

*le sigh*

 

french. awesome

One year ago: LLLL, with more proof my children are cute weirdos.