Concrete and Plant Life, as the light changes

Thanksgiving, Part 2: The Extras

This is the birthday present I made for my sister, which I gave to her at Thanksgiving. I knitted this collar scarf with two yarns, one a chunky wool and the other a shiny cotton. I experimented with my first ruffles ever (which I think still need some practice), and sewed on some buttons small enough to push through any part of the scarf. This way she can button them wherever she wants. All in all, I think it's a successful prototype! Drew thinks I should put some on Etsy, so keep your eyes open for that...

My family and I visited the High Museum's exhibit of Picasso to Warhol. Amazing. Totally amazing. This is a photo I took of the skylights in the ceiling of the upper floor.

I got reprimanded by a security guard for taking this photo, but apparently fancy-schmancy iPhone cameras were allowed. Just not dated, scratched digital cameras. Hmm. Oh, and that's a Matisse in the background. And from the museum's permanent collection:

A metal textile entitled "Taago," by a brilliant African artist, El Anatsui.

"Dragon," a painting by Anselm Kiefer.

Speaking of artists, check out the work {here} and {here} that my mom Deborah has at Chroma Gallery in Savannah right now!

Thanksgiving, Part 1: The Food

I was lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving again in Atlanta with some of my mom's side of the family. But unlucky enough to spend it away from Drew, who stayed at home to work and take care of our mini-farm.

My contribution: two homemade, organic pumpkin pies. OK, so the crusts were pre-made. One I sweetened with stevia, the other with turbinado and maple sugar. The eggs were from our chickens, and the heavy cream was from Trickling Springs. And I added my own secret ingredient: ground cardamom. I also made fresh whipped cream to serve with it, with a dash of stevia and vanilla extract. To try for next year's whipped cream: adding ginger powder (an idea from Nancy)! Drew is now requesting that I make one just for us two...

3:17 pm

4:45 pm

5:32 pm

6:24 pm

7:03 pm

Exterior, clockwise from front-most corner: Benny's Cucumber-Dill Mold; Canned Cranberry Sauce; Marie's Sugar-free Sweet Potato & Pecan casserole; Mom's Turkey Gravy; Isadora's Sourdough & Mushroom Stuffing (new this year!) ; Mom's Sweet Potato & Marshmallow (with pineapple!) casserole; Mashed Potatoes; Aunt Sara's Hashbrown casserole; Aunt Sara's Green Bean & Artichoke casserole; Isadora's "Bird" Stuffing; Turkey Platter #1; Isadora's Casserole Stuffing.

Interior, front to back: Marie's Dinner Rolls; Turkey Platter #2; Mom's Corn Pudding.

Not Pictured: Mom's Apple Crisp (oh, sweet Jesus); Isadora's Pecan Pie (also a family fave).

Stats:
Variations of Potato: 4
Casseroles: 7
Molds: 2
Pounds of Turkey: 16
People at Dinner Table: 9
Meals Made from Leftovers: at least 4
Best Meal Made from Leftovers: Mom's Biscuit 'n Turkey Pot Pie
People Sick This Year: 2

Some things that made me smile

This is what I like to call Kitty Pancake. You can't tell by this photo, but Phineas has flattened himself out to about 1/8" tall.

Goodwill skirt + Anthropologie sweater + necklace by my friend Jocelyn
= Super Cute Outfit

Yummy dinner tonight! Spinach salad, salmon with homemade yogurt dill sauce, and Bhutanese red rice. This rice is my new favorite! It cooks in about twenty minutes, yet it's whole-grain, super tasty (sweet and nutty) with a dollop of coconut oil and dash of sea salt, not to mention it's irrigated on the Himalayan Mtns. by 1000-year-old glacier water...

A Bookcase for all things Book-Related

David just finished building this handy-dandy bookcase for me the other day. Thanks, David! So yesterday, I was feeling a little under the weather. What a good day to do some not-too-demanding task like painting my new bookcase! Right? Wrong. Bending, crouching, reaching, inhaling paint fumes, and doing heavy lifting, I've learned, are not necessarily good things to do while you are sick. The process took me way longer than it would have if I'd been healthy, and it made me feel pretty crummy. And after a couple hours of painting, I only had enough energy to do one coat. But I think it works. I painted the back panel a peachy color, and the rest off-white. I was just too excited about it to let it sit in the garage!

So I unpacked the only remaining boxes last night. This bookcase will be the home for all my sketchbooks, art books, book-making supplies, and fabric remnants for making book covers. After all, what are bookcases for? Now I just need to magically transport my art books from our home office to the studio, and get some sealed containers for those messy piles of fabric (to keep those damn stinkbugs out next year). I'll be craftin' in no time...

A good start to the day.

One of my favorite breakfasts lately is diced pear with raw, local, grass-fed yogurt, topped with a drizzle of molasses. Y-U-M!

And I just felt like throwing this in-- an ensemble I felt particularly cute in yesterday.

Great Minds

I just wanted to give a shout-out to my little sister's Pinterest page (this photo of Julie Andrews might just be the prettiest thing I've ever seen). Isadora has such good taste it makes me wanna jump for joy! Also check out her blog, PhilosophyLife, when you get a sec. You'll get addicted.