Indie Craft Experience

Today, Steave and I went to the Indie Craft Experience Holiday Shopping Spectacular at the Ambient Plus Studio in Atlanta. It was very cool! They had a lot of great artists selling their wares. Ambient Studio was in an old factory with long windows (great lighting!). It was very hip, verging on groovy. Here are some photos:

Don't Spit, Joel

My son, Joel said that if I didn't update my blog he would spit.

That makes me think of Ash, my favorite character from "The Fantastic Mr.Fox."

So, my brother in law is staying with us for a while. He's going to be moving into a house as soon as they close on it and he needed an "in-between" place. The basement bedroom is that place.

The basement bedroom had become the collective limbo for all the family's stuff. Joel's stuff that couldn't go with him to Mississippi, Katie's stuff that didn't make the transition to the room upstairs, furniture and books that didn't get a place upstairs after the flood. It was quite a combo of items. So, we went through it all and sorted it out.

Now, there's a nice clean room.

Then our sorting out energy spilled out into the main room of the basement and we are in the process of turning that into a studio for sewing, painting, crafting, whatever you want to do. I'll get pictures up of the process soon.

My brother-in-law loves to go places and so we've spent the last couple of weekends going places. We went to Trader Joe's. It's a pretty cool grocery store. It has organic and Trader Joe's brand items. I got some killer chocolate chip cookies. We also went to Harbor Freight Tools. It is a really amazing hardware store. They have EVERYTHING! I almost bought a sextant, they really had one there.

I don't know how to use a sextant, probably would never learn, but it reminded me of the Great Explorers! Adventure lept in my heart and I felt the wind in my hair and tasted the salt on my lips right there on aisle 7!

We also went to The Container Store. One of my most favorite stores. It appeals to the organizational freak inside of me. I was looking for containers for the shelves in my bathroom. But instead I bought a door stop for my classroom, a flip flop organizer for my friend and a display box for a crazy thing that my aide found at school.

Let me explain "the crazy thing": a parent donated a large bag of toys and random items for our classroom treasure box. We were to go through the items and pull out what we thought our class would like and then pass the bag on to 4th grade. It was a large bag and quite overwhelming to me, so I assigned that task to my aide with the suggestion that she delegate that task to the girls. I knew they would love to go through the bag and make the executive decisions about what to keep and what to reject. 6th grade girls love power.

My aide, being the kind, hardworking person she is, went through the whole bag. Later in the day, she came by my desk and held out her hand. In the palm of her hand was a plastic thing. It was in the shape of a purple and gold  crown and glued to the crown was a naked, flesh colored baby. The baby reminded me of a baby hamster or mouse, a pinkie that you would feed to a snake. Kinda creeped me out.

Then we laughed hysterically!

I immediately thought it had some religious implications. King...baby...Jesus....I felt surely we had come across some religious relic. Right then and there I had the desire to issue sanction that my classroom be henceforth known as a "cathedral" or "sanctuary" due to the discovery of the Naked Baby Relic. I still haven't come up with a good name yet.

It was such an amazing find that I wanted it to be under glass. So, I bought a $1.99 plastic box to put it in.

We've done some research on the Naked Baby Relic and found this:

You can buy a bag of naked babies.

You can buy a bag of plastic crowns.

But you can't find a naked baby glued to a crown.

To celebrate Mardi Gras, people bake the naked babies into cakes to a make a "King Cake."

They bake them into muffins to make "King Muffins" I suppose.

They put the naked babies and red jelly into cakes to make "Scary King Cakes."

Then they serve these cakes to their friends. The person who gets (eats, bites or swallows) the naked baby is dubbed "King of the Party" and they are required to bring the "King Cake" the next year.

I don't think I'd want to find a naked baby in my food.

Even though that's really strange, I'm still going to keep my relic under glass. And I still want to name my classroom.

Maybe: " The Cathedral of the Naked Baby Glued to the Crown Found in the Incredibly Large Bag of Treasure Box Donations"

Occupation: Wimp

Steave's hands after fixing the car.

I just got back from visiting my 88 year old father and my 78 year old stepmother. My stepmother is in the hospital recovering from lung cancer surgery. My father is legally blind, uses a walker and wears hearing aids in both ears. He's living in their house, toughing it out on his own until my stepmother can return or until they can move into an assisted living facility together.

Our 6 1/2 hour return trip took 10 hours because we lost a belt and Steave had to replace it at the truck stop in 102 degree heat. He's the man!

I told you all that because I don't know about you, but trips set me to thinking. Upon my return, I have come to these 3 conclusions:

1. Growing old is not for the weak, cowardly or frail of mind.

2. I would never make it as a pioneer. I would get that cough or fever and die about 50 miles or less from where I started.

3. I can get tired of eating barbecue.

Here's how I came to those conclusions:

1. I watched my Dad take on a flight of stairs with as much courage and determination as it would take for an explorer to tackle Mt. Everest. I watched my stepmother, like Andre the Giant, mentally wrestle with the knowledge that she can't go home. And if you know me, you know how much I love my home, so that idea is practically unbearable to me. A line from John Mayer's song, "Stop this Train" totally sums up my frame of mind as of late: "So scared of growing older, I'm only good at being young." What really stinks to me is that I was under some crazy Nordic delusion that as you got older and grew in knowledge and experience that one would conqueor insecurity and fear, colonize, order and control ones life and in later years just be able to sail into the setting sun like a victorious Viking ablaze on his pyre. Boy was I wrong! I'm not sure I'm going to be any good at this getting old thing. I'm reminded of Shakespeare: "sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything." The grand adventures and challenges of growing old are the very same as when we were infants: eating, walking, talking and finding joy in small things. I'm not sure I'm going to grow old gracefully. I am a wimp.

2. Our car broke down on our return trip. It wasn't a surprise nor was it unusual. But as I sat there on the curb of the truck stop in 102 degree heat, drinking my water, watching Steave sweat all the fluids out of his body as he crawled in and under the car, I realized I would never make it as a pioneer. I imagined us heading out from Georgia in our covered wagon, 8 kids, Junior pulling the cow, the little ones fighting over the beef jerky and hard tack that I spent months to make, all wearing clothes that I had to make, wondering how long the water would last and hoping we'd come to a river soon when the wagon wheel broke! "No phone, no lights, no motorcar, not a single luxury." That's it!! I would contract that cough that kills everybody in the movies. I don't know how you get it, but I would. I'd die right there. Steave would have to bury me and take the kids on and find himself a more stouter wife than me. I am a modern day, convenience junkie wimp.

3. I didn't think it was possible but I got tired of eating barbecue! I set out on my trip with 3 restaurants in mind: Carolina Barbecue, Lexington Barbecue and Short Sugars. I only got to 2 of them. The 2 were good, but I just couldn't eat any more. I am a barbecue wimp.

Can Barbecue Really be the Second Objective?

I'm off today to visit my father and my stepmother in Virginia. I haven't seen them in 5 years. My stepmother is recovering from surgery for lung cancer and still in the hospital. My father is 88 years old. We're going to eat and watch television. We will eat barbecue and peach cobbler. That's what we do.

From here, we have to go through South Carolina and North Carolina to get to Virginia. If you go to South Carolina you MUST pick up some peaches. And if you go to North Carolina you MUST eat barbecue. North Carolina is known for its barbecue with a vinegar based sauce. I will also eat barbecue in South Carolina when I pick up the peaches. I will also eat it in Virginia. There's a place near my father's house called "Short Sugar's." I think it is my favorite barbecue, ever! Then Dad and I will make peach cobbler in his cobbler pan and eat it while watching something historical on television.

The prime objective: visit with the parents. Second objective: eat barbecue and peach cobbler.

Boo B Trippin' to The Blue Willow Inn

Steave and I took at trip today to Social Circle, GA about an hour east of ATL. Social Circle is home of The Blue Willow Inn Restaurant. It is named for - you guessed it - blue willow china - because the Van Dyke's, a previous owner had quite a collection of it.

The restaurant is in a beautiful old southern mansion

Even though the temperature was in the 90's, the front porch was comfortable.

The grounds around the restaurant were beautifully landscaped...

I suppose they just had to plant a willow on the grounds!

Lovely entry complete with blue willow plates on the wall.

The buffet was incredible! I have to say (even running the risk of being cursed by the Goddess of Southern Cooking herself, Paula Deen) it was even better than The Lady & Sons. There, I said it!  

Southern Fried Chicken, chicken livers, country fried steak, mashed potatoes (the best!), crowder peas, pole beans, candied yams, corn on the cob, and much more. The dessert bar had peach cobbler, various cakes and pies. There was a little dish of banana pudding on the cold salad bar. It was fine, but I will one day, give you the recipe for the best banana pudding you ever put in your mouth!

Beside the restaurant there was a small gift shop and more gardens. Very pretty.

If you're hungry for some real southern food and terrific sweet tea, Blue Willow Inn Restaurant is well worth the trip.

"Boo B Trippin" Summer Excursion #1 - Marietta Square

I am a 6th grade teacher and during the year I am tethered to home and school. So, in the summer I try to get out and about as much as possible.

*NOTE: Last year, I took a day trip into Atlanta with my kids and I met a homeless man. I gave him some money and he held out his arms and said, "Give me a hug, Boo." So, that's where I got the name for my day trips - "Boo B Trippin." I am Boo and I am trippin' not in a drug related way, but in a "going on a trip" way.

So, today, I went to Marietta Square. The main destination was "The Corner Shop" where you can buy things from the UK.

I wanted to find out if I had truly made Beans on Toast correctly. I spoke to the store owner and she confirmed that YES! I had indeed made them correctly. So happy was I! She told me all about a proper English breakfast (which does include beans) and showed me where she was born on a map of the UK. She was born on an island off the coast of Wales. I met her friend who confirmed that Beans on Toast is classic British comfort food and told me of many other things you can eat "on toast." Nice ladies with great accents.

I then went to one of my favorite inspiration shops on the Square, Doodlebugs. Cute, trendy, crafty items for sale. You know, the kind of stuff you never buy because you think you can make it.

I poked around in a couple of antique shops. I bought Katie a magnifying glass necklace. I passed by Theater in the Square. The alley beside the theatre is so pretty, I had to take a picture of it.

There are a lot of cute, little shops on the Square. The center of the Square is a park where people eat lunch, they have concerts, people get married, and people get engaged - that's where Joel proposed to his Katie.

The Square is also known as Glover Park and many people contributed to its restoration back in the 70's. Two of its contributors were Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward.

Before I left the Square, I stopped by an antique store that has vinyl albums and picked a few for Katie from the $1 bin.

On the way home, I passed "The Brumby" which are loft apartments that are located in the old Brumby Rocker factory. They are famous rocking chairs made in Marietta, GA (http://www.brumbyrocker.com/)

And, of course, you can't go anywhere in or around Atlanta without seeing construction. Because, as they say, "After Sherman went through, Atlanta started rebuilding and they haven't stopped!"