26 East

oh buddy!

2012-03-09T16:58:00.001-06:00

it's friday friends. the weather is spring-like. the brookside st. patty's warm up parade is tomorrow. we just tapped a keg of boulevard irish ale. and i'll say it again, it's friday.

how many more reasons do we need to celebrate? life is good!

instagram of the day: dreamland

2012-03-09T16:11:00.000-06:00

alex has never liked to be held. even as a baby, when you would pick her up, she would always do that back-arching-leg-stiffening thing that babies do when they want to be put down. she would wipe off kisses, run from hugs and wiggle her way away from a snuggle if she could find an easy way out.

stubborn.

someday she'll read this blog and see all the silly things she used to say and do and when she reads it, i want her to know that every night i get all the kisses, squeezes and snuggles that i am owed for the day after she slips away to dreamland. luckily she is one of the soundest sleepers i have ever met in my entire life so she has zero ability to dodge my love at that point.

i snapped this picture of her the other night as i went in to say goodnight and couldn't help but lay down next to her to snuggle for a bit. i quickly fell asleep and only awoke after the dream i was having caused me to jolt. that was then followed by the loud crashing sound of her falling off the side of the bed to the floor below. i gasped, rushed to her rescue and scooped her back into the bed.

she never so much as opened an eye.

there is no moral to this story other than to say: a few kisses and some decent hugs during the day are a lot less painful than getting kicked out of bed in the middle of the night. i'm just sayin'.

instagram of the day: fuel

2012-03-07T09:29:00.000-06:00

this tiny coffee shop in kc used to be a phillips 66 filling station. still the perfect spot for fueling up. so much cuteness going on in this photo.

what's for dinner?

2012-03-06T10:25:00.000-06:00

i want to be a better cook. seriously, its not hard and i do really enjoy cooking, but i never feel like i have an idea what i want to make, how to make it or how to make it taste restaurant-good. we love food - like really, really love food and there isn't a whole lot that we don't like or wouldn't consider trying, but when it comes to making dinner, creative paralysis usually sets in and i revert back to three or four standbys; a number i think everyone in my household wishes would drastically increase.

coming up with recipes isn't the only problem, i don't want to just cook meals, i want to cook really healthy meals for my family and working full time doesn't always give you the option to spend more than 30 minutes preparing anything -- forget about healthy options altogether. i worked in restaurants for a number of years so i am well aware that restaurant food tastes so good because it is loaded with tasty treats like: butter, butter, heavy cream, butter and cream. i love all those things but i also really love things like skinny jeans and leggings, so you know where i'm going with that...

the best news for my impaired cooking has come in the form of kansas city's first trader joes being plopped down in a pretty convenient location for us. i have worked with several trader joes all over the country for various events over the years and have always been a big fan of their no preservative/organic approach to food so finding simpler meal options is now an option and that makes everyone happier and healthier. i'm finding some great recipes on their website too, complete with a shopping list for their stores and time friendly commitments. with so many frozen and pre-prepared options, dinner around our house is easier than ever before and because of all natural ingredients, i can shake the guilt that often comes with taking the easy way out. i wouldn't go so far as to say i am a better cook by any means, but at least we have a few more options on that short-list of go-to meals.

...now, making brussel sprouts delicious for a seven year old, that's another challenge all on it's own.

.... oh and speaking of food, we added a new page to our blog: eat with us to see some of our favorite local places to eat when we aren't cooking at home.

instagram of the day: new hat

2012-03-05T12:37:00.002-06:00

new hat.

instagram of the day: nice mask

2012-03-02T13:08:00.001-06:00

other kids wish they were animals as much as my kid does, right?

world thinking day

2012-03-02T11:27:00.000-06:00

the girl scouts are a pretty nifty bunch. last weekend our little daisy participated in her second "world thinking day" event and if you can deal with mass amounts of grade school girls crammed into a relatively small church basement, then the event itself it actually pretty neat and quite educational.

each troop is asked to choose a country to represent and create a booth of information with facts, pictures and food samples to share. our troop lucked out this year and france was available. they all know a thing or two about the french. the girls are then given a "passport" for collecting stamps from each country they visit where they are encouraged to jot down an interesting fact about that country or sample a native dish. there is even a performance portion where each troop can demonstrate a song, dance or other cultural activity. our group sang a song in french...i think it was about cabbage, but i can't be certain.

most of the facts alex gathered only focused on the types of animals that could be found in each country, but hey, she learned something new nonetheless. the girls will each get a badge for their participation but rewards can also be found in the expansion of their global awareness and the conversations that happen on the way home.

lessons & questions: "mom, every country has people just like us that like animals and like to eat food and have moms and probably cats like meatball. isn't that cool? you don't even know how many people are in the world and i bet they even like sponge bob. do think everyone in the world likes sponge bob?"

hmmm. is "no" the same in every language?

march madness

2012-03-01T10:52:00.001-06:00

it's the first of march already - that's crazy - but i do love this month a lot. march signals winter's last dance (not that she ever had a first one this year), my birthday month, the luck of the irish and the timing of my pseudo-annual trip to my happiest place on earth: nyc. there is a lot to love about march and apparently a lot to learn about the day leading up to it.

yesterday we posted a fun pic of alex taking a leap in honor of the leap year. my mother-in-law then posted a comment about an old irish leap year tradition; one we had never heard of, but maybe you have? so in honor of leap day (yesterday) and the irish (the month of march) we give you a little history lesson/trivia tid-bit that she shared with us and we now share with you:

According to an old Irish legend, or possibly history, St Bridget struck a deal with St Patrick to allow women to propose to men – and not just the other way around – every 4 years. This is believed to have been introduced to balance the traditional roles of men and women in a similar way to how Leap Day balances the calendar.

In some places, Leap Day has been known as “Bachelors’ Day” for the same reason. A man was expected to pay a penalty, such as a gown or money, if he refused a marriage proposal from a woman on Leap Day. In many European countries, especially in the upper classes of society, tradition dictates that any man who refuses a woman's proposal on February 29 has to buy her 12 pairs of gloves. The intention is that the woman can wear the gloves to hide the embarrassment of not having an engagement ring. During the middle ages there were laws governing this tradition.

those crazy irish folk. i bet they were drunk when this "law" was enacted.

pizza pie

2012-02-29T15:21:00.000-06:00

alex came home from school and proudly uttered the eight words i have been waiting seven long years to hear: mom, i eat artichokes and green olives now.

this, from a child who has only ever accepted cheese pizza.

cue the angels singing, harp strings snapping in half and vegetable gardens exploding all over the universe. we made dinner together last night to celebrate. sure, the pizza still had three separate sections, but we're making progress. this is pretty major.

leaping lizards

2012-02-29T09:46:00.000-06:00

happy leap day.

instagram of the day: growing up

2012-02-28T13:01:00.000-06:00

yesterday i was doing a little reading on another blog i follow. the post i read focused on their little girl's ninth birthday and the party she had. nine looked so big. so grown up. so un-far away and so not tiny enough to look this cute in a giant shower cap and an oversized tub.

i have to be really careful what i read online. more often than not it's harmless, but every once and a while, i'll read something really and truly awful. a headline or story so disturbing it affects me for weeks and sometimes, years.

i was a broadcasting major in college until a professor told me i only needed to get one thing right: practice hearing the worst thing imaginable then set aside all judgement, opinion and emotion to report only on the facts. i peaced out of the major the next day. that type of thing just isn't possible for me. that switch doesn't exist.

yesterday, while doing some research online, i accidentally read something unimaginable and my heart was utterly destroyed. i thought about it the rest of the afternoon, while driving home, cooking dinner and getting into bed. even today, it's still there.

last night i pulled my little water baby out of the tub and squeezed her extra tight. the world is a shitty place sometimes. if only we could protect them from everything and keep them in giant shower caps and bubble baths forever.

creative outlet

2012-02-28T09:33:00.000-06:00

in the past couple of months a series of events have occurred that have really caused me to step back and take an inventory of things. it started around christmas when some friends referred a friend of theirs to me for some help with an upcoming book.

what’s interesting about my new friend is that he has completely shifted everything in his life to pursue an entirely new venture and to write a book about it in the process. without going into too many details, the basic premise for the book centers on the idea that everyone has a true passion in life and work that they aspire to do. i found our particular meeting and the conversation that followed to be both serendipitous and in some ways, life-altering.

to say that our conversation was timely is an understatement. the idea about finding work that is enjoyable and creative has been swirling in my head for a number of years. in recent months that swirling in my head has become ever-so-deafening to my ears. i was beginning to feel as though i was drowning in my own self-doubt and uncertainty about what it is that I am supposed to be doing to earn a living. i’ve obviously never drowned before, but i had a close call with it once and I can honestly say the feeling of having creative ideas and not being creative, feels a lot like being trapped under water.

i know i am not alone in this. at some point whether you’re sitting in a cube or sitting in 5 o’clock traffic, daydreams of finding what you love to do are always just a gaze in the distance away. there are a million reasons to talk yourself out of it but with any luck, there are a million and one reasons to push you toward it. the struggle is finding balance and of course finding what it is that you want to do and making it happen. well, and having faith that you'll get paid in the process somehow too.

lately i have been seeking out more opportunities where i can fine tune my creativity and hone in on the type of projects that allow me to take ownership in my work and feel proud of the time i devote to it.

in the last month and as recently as yesterday, i have found myself among two very different but very unique groups of creative people. and within these groups i have the opportunity to work on two projects that excite me and make me feel good about the work I am contributing. i feel like i’ve been holding my breath for opportunities like this to arrive and for the first time, in a long time, i can breathe again.

let me be clear, i'm not quitting my full time job. (boss, if you're reading this...) but i am increasing the amount of freelance projects i take on and surrounding myself with opportunities to try new things. i can't be certain any of it will go anywhere but I know if i don't at least dip my toe in, i'll never know for sure.

so we'll see how it goes. with any luck, a few new projects here and there will be just what I need to keep my head above water and my creativity afloat.

instagram of the day: yum

2012-02-27T16:00:00.000-06:00

hello new friend. do you know about this yet?

lots of yummy flavors too. darn. i even ran on the treadmill this morning and everything.

a little shameless promotion

2012-02-27T14:50:00.000-06:00

we're big fans of apartment therapy and so excited to be a nominee for their 2012 homies! head on over to their website and cast your vote in the "best family blog" category for your homegirls & homeboy at 26 east! holla!

wild imagination

2012-02-27T10:15:00.001-06:00

when alex asked me if i was interested in hearing about how she became a magical wolf from a far away dream world, i responded like any reasonable parent would. um.....duh! and then i grabbed my camera to make sure whatever happened next was recorded and saved forever. you know, in the event that we ever need to revisit this in say, 20 years.

a series of stories followed, were recorded and then uploaded to youtube. i concluded our sit-down with an interview, just to be sure i had all the magical facts straight.

the wolf-interview is nearly seven minutes of you're life you'll never get back, but i think you'll agree, there are far worse ways to spend seven minutes. i am willing to bet none of them are nearly as entertaining.

i ran out of storage space just as we were getting to dessert. and in case you were wondering, she did eventually remember those tasty desserts wolves enjoy so much: snow-cones. of course.

instagram of the day: good read

2012-02-23T09:25:00.000-06:00

milestone! alex finishes her first 90+ page book read all on her own.

first world problems

2012-02-21T10:25:00.001-06:00

and now for a little installment i like to call first world problems.

i usually try not to complain about life's minor inconveniences, because let's face it, while there are certainly some annoying things in life, we really have it pretty good. there are much MUCH bigger issues to discuss that very few of us can begin to relate to, but every now again something stupid puts a death grip on my nerves and I feel the need to wiggle out by way of whining.

so let's jump in shall we? i am not a smoker. have I ever smoked? mom/dad/alex, are you reading this? maybe/allegedly i did it once or twice in college and during a brief identity crisis just after graduation. you know that time in life when it makes total sense to bartend until 4 am through the grace of red bull and nicotine? but I've never been a full blown smoker nor have i ever owned my own pack of cigarettes.

see how i justified it there?

bottom line: smokers stink and my apologies if you are in fact a smoker. you do in fact smell. please accept my public service announcement in making you aware of this if you didn't already know it to be true.

i have a very hyperactive sense of smell and an attitude problem in the early am. prior to having the required dose of caffeine i wake up, shower up, dress up, communicate with husband, seven year-old and cats who think toilets are for drinking.

so far everything is going great and it's just any other day. smell is not an issue and attitude has not yet come into play.

but then i get to the main doors of my office where a ridiculously large crowd of people have gathered to kick-start the morning with a marlboro and suddenly cats licking toilets isn't the most disgusting thing that has happened today.

there is usually a huge debate that happens in my head at this point. do i wait it out? see if they all go in soon? see if more join? do i make a break for it? run quickly through them hoping to somehow escape the giant cloud that now covers the entire entryway? do I run through waving my hands in utter disgust coughing obnoxiously and hacking with gusto? do i glare at them? stare at them? walk through them with stink bombs? no seriously.... is this legal? i would like to do this.

i'm open to suggestions and would love to get yours. i need a way to say: seriously people, you might not care about your impending wrinkles, stench and death, but i do happen to care about the scent of all of those things lingering in my hair and on my clothes for the remainder of the day. i get all of your suck-y stench with none of the buzz-y benefits and it stinks.

obviously we work together so let's actually work together. if you need a disgusting habit, let's see if we can put our smelly heads of hair together and come up with one for you. and in the event that we can't think of something less disgusting for you to try, i know a couple of felines who might be able to weigh in...

instagram of the day: the good foot

2012-02-21T10:21:00.001-06:00

of the weekend actually....

the goodfoot at the uptown theatre on saturday night.

couch potato

2012-02-18T17:31:00.000-06:00

the upcoming season of mad men has me so excited for all the drama, amazing fashion and retro decor that i can't help but think about some new furniture to plop down on to enjoy all the madness. i am in love with this mid-century inspired couch & chair found here.

lots of fun colors to choose from too. love the charcoal-y gray tones and the mustard-y yellows. hey a girl can dream, can't she?

it would all go so nicely with this totally insane print from cb2 that just makes me hysterically happy:

let's get liberated

2012-02-18T15:51:00.000-06:00

its's almost here! squeals!

instagram of the day: house lust

2012-02-17T15:21:00.002-06:00

i walked by this house last night and thought about knocking on the door and asking if i could just look inside. they probably would've went for it.

do-it-himself

2012-02-17T10:42:00.001-06:00

this isn't a topic that i am going to go into a lot of detail about. mainly because my husband would not approve, but also because i would just embarrass myself. i will however say that sometime around august of 2010 something very strange happened. we were about to host a double engagement party in our home and we made the decision to install a new heating & cooling system.

and that is where i stop describing any of what happened next. i will however say that since then, someone (it's not me) has become mildly (to put it very mildly) obsessed with HVAC systems and has been cutting holes in my walls. i don't know exactly why it's happening or when it will all end, but for the past few months things have looked a little like this around here:

i'm with the cat. what in the world is going on here? and then out of nowhere this happened too....

huh? this hunk of burning duct work love will be back later with more details.... for all of us...because seriously, i am dying to know too.

Giveaway Day - this contest is now closed.

2012-02-17T09:43:00.000-06:00

UPDATE: congrats to jen! you are the lucky winner! thanks to all who entered! we'll do another giveaway soon!

instagram of the day & a bonus feature

2012-02-16T13:29:00.000-06:00

'atta girl. and check out this bonus video...

how do you say "i could just die!" in french???

randomness: how cool is storycorp?

2012-02-16T13:25:00.000-06:00

last summer npr was was promoting storycorp pretty heavily in our area. it's probably one of the cooler ideas i've heard about on the radio. i could honestly kick myself and my husband for not walking up the road to take part in it. there was an airstream recording facility 1/2 a mile from our house for a number of weeks. the idea behind storycorp is simple. from their website:

Since 2003, StoryCorps has collected and archived more than 40,000 interviews from more than 70,000 participants. Bring your friend or loved one to the StoryCorps recording facility. Our trained staff will explain the process, make you feel comfortable, and sit with you during your 40-minute session. At the end of your session, you’ll receive a free broadcast-quality CD to share with to family and friends, and a second copy will be archived at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress

that's freaking cool.

long story short, we didn't walk up the road, therefore didn't interview each other, hence don't have an interview on file for our great-great-great-great grand kids..........yet.
anyway....

with valentines day happening earlier in the week, npr was sharing some of the love stories they have gathered over the years from all the interviews they have conducted. some of them have even been set to animation. the story of danny & annie about caused me to get in a six car pileup. this is just beyond any words i can write. you'll have to hear it for yourself to understand. go grab a box of tissues and prepare to be moved.

in the spirit of lovers, this is danny & annie's story: