Things to Make - Saran Wrap Watercolor Paintings

I've wanted to try saran wrap painting ever since Not-So-SAHM posted about it. Luckily (or perhaps, unluckily) we've had enough cold rainy days lately that the opportunities for indoor entertainment keep presenting themselves to us. So on one such day, we gave it a try.

Here's the scoop:

Materials: HEAVY watercolor paper (the heavier the better), watercolor paints, saran wrap, and sponge roller (optional)

1. For this to work the paper has to be wet. Since T's obsessed with sponge rollers lately, I let them use these. Though in retrospect they made the paper a little too wet.

2. After wetting the paper, paint designs using the watercolors. All three kids loved this part, as the color really swirls and moves on the paper.

3. Place saran wrap over the wet painted paper and move the saran wrap with your fingers to make patterns on the paper.

4. Once you're satisfied with your pattern, LEAVE THE SARAN WRAP ON, while the paper dries.

5. Once everything dries, peel off the saran wrap and Voila! Beautiful designs.

On the upside, the kids LOVED this project, especially working with all the water. On the downside, the water caused the paint to loose its vividness, so everything came out really pale looking. I'm not sure how to correct this, any suggestions?

Places to Go (Vacation) - Monticello (Charlottesville, VA)

A few weekends ago, Dan's parents watched the kids so the two of us could enjoy a romantic weekend at the picturesque Clifton Inn in Charlottesville, VA. I love winter in Charlottesville, with its overpriced (though scenic) wineries and gorgeous vistas. The areas offers just enough activities to ensure that you won't become bored, but not enough to convince me to wake up before 10 am (especially when the Clifton will bring breakfast to your room at no extra cost (love it there)).

On Saturday afternoon, we visited, Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's famous estate, which he dynamited a mountain to build. Jefferson utilized some quirky gadgets - like a double-pen writing machine, so he could keep copies of all his correspondence, and fancy mechanical doors which close in unison. Despite enjoying the tour, the older I become the less I know what to make of the slaveholding founders of our country. Where in my mind to place these famous dead white men? Especially after reading articles like this. I still haven't visited, by I appreciate the Smithsonian's American History Museum's attempt to change our focus - less about Jefferson and more about the 607 enslaved men, women, and children that made such a life possible.

Anyways, I must admit that while walking around the grounds of Monticello, I let my mind wander away from such topics - choosing instead to concentrate on gorgeous mountain views and gnarled old trees, which, I'm sure have their own tales to tell.

Things to Do - Grateful List (February 2013)

ARTS
* Watching House of Cards, Season 1 on Netflix (so so good)
* Listening to Josh Ritter's new album, The Beast in Its Tracks (possibly his best ever)
* Listening to War on Drug's Slave Ambient
* Reading The Newlyweds
* The kids all loving Fireman Sam
* Reading Emergent by Jill Talbot (Paris Review online)

FOOD
* P Brennan's Sunday Brunch with live Irish music
* Buttermilk honey pie from A Beautiful Mess
* Surprise tatin (with potatoes and tomatoes) from Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi
* Zucchini pizza bites
* A romantic homemade Valentine's day dinner (lamb chops, surprise tatin, bread salad (from Plenty)) while the kids partied at JW Tumbles

PLACES
* A warm Sunday at the dogpark and the "airplane" playground
* The Kennedy Center's balconies

STUFF
* Dan's love of his new ping pong table
* T's toothbrush timer

ETC
* T dressing himself in the morning (sometimes he does better than other times, but he's trying)
* T - "mommy, I made a new song - mommy loves me and I love mommy" (sorry for the cheese, but I'm crazy in love right now)
* P - "why do you buy fashion magazines? it sort of seems like a waste of money" (and that's when you know you're old)
* Great weekend dinners at friends' houses (thank you Beth, Rachel, and Shannon)
* Friends who help you rant
* T - "mom, look - here's my smile" (yes, total T cheesefest this month)
* An overheard conversation between P and her friend - P's Friend says "your mom is really weird"; daughter P replies "yeah, but she's unique. like she lets us write all over my bed and stuff. see, unique." (I would have rather had her defend my cool, but I'll take unique)
* T - "can we make a fort downstairs so we can play George Washingtons?" (he had me with the "s")
* T singing (at the top of his lungs) "this girls in on fire" and "hey ho"
* T - "wow, guys, this is an awesome cuddle"
* Doctors who (hopefully) know what they're doing

THE KIDS' LISTS:

F - my family, Valentines, going to the art museum, art, the library, martial arts, our cousins, books, everything in our house, that we have a nice house to live in and food to eat

P - Lost Dog Cafe for dinner, getting Valentines, my family, mommy, the art museum, cartwheels, a [nice] sub at school, 100 days of school, our cousins, dinner at friends' houses, going to the dogpark, Brain Pops at school

T - That we go out to dinner with daddy, my family, going to school, my new builder belt, our cousins, the dogpark, the airplane playground, when Coco comes places with us

Things to Read - What I've Been Reading (End of Winter 2013 Edition)

Travels in Siberia - I feel as if I can hear Dan sigh every time I start reading a travel book, as he knows that it will cause me to spend hours online researching expensive vacations to distant destinations (hey, in my defense, everyone needs a hobby). So I'm sure he's breathing a little easier knowing that Ian Frazier's memoir/travelog/history lesson/love letter to a country convinced me that I have NO DESIRE to travel to Siberia (at least not Russian Siberia). The book reads well and contains tons of fascinating stories, tidbits, and facts. But despite Ian Frazier's fascination with the place, Russia sounds pretty awful - roads full of trash (as in trash EVERYWHERE), end-of-the-line towns where everyone must wait for a train (the road ends) that contain no schedules and no public bathrooms (how does this even work? do I even want to know?), bribes as part of daily life (Frazier literally has to BRIBE his way onto his return flight to America), people that use airport bathrooms to wash their dishes, poverty, cities coated in pollution so thick that it "desertifies" everything near, etc. No thanks, when it comes to Russia, I'll stick with Chekov and Dostoyevsky, no need to see the real thing (though it would be fun to drive across a lake that becomes a highway in winter). Postscript - Frazier always travels by car, maybe the train would make it better? (this video makes me hope so).



Arcadia - So when all the bigshots published their "best of" lists for 2012 (and I LOVE a "best of" list), almost everyone put Lauren Groff's Arcadia at the top of the list (if only due to alphabetical order). I had read that the book centers around a fictional hippie commune in the 1960s, which is true. But the book is so much more than this (and only half of the story takes place in the commune), it's really a book about love and family and how our younger years shape us. Or more simply, as one character at the end puts it (don't worry, no plot spoilers here) - "freedom or community, community or freedom. One must decide the way one wants to live." I really really loved it, in a raw way that I'm still trying to digest and process. Arcadia is narrated in the first-person through the character of Bit, told by looking at his life through 4 main periods - on the commune at age 5, on the commune as a young teenager, in NYC as a young professor and father, and, finally, in various places as Bit reaches middle age. Throughout each section, Groff gives enough detail that you truly feel you know this person, all of which makes it hard as a reader to face each section's end - when you're whisked away again, through long stretches of years, to glimpse Bit at a new portion of his life. By the end, I kept hoping for a final chapter, not because the book necessitated one, but because I wasn't quite ready to say goodbye.



The Newlyweds - Nine years ago, Nell Freudenberger wrote a short story collection, Lucky Girls, that remains one of my favorite books ever. Spot on. So I've followed her career for awhile now. Her 2007 novel, the Dissident, was sort of non-stellar, despite interesting ideas (about art and cultural identity) nothing really came together and after awhile reading it became a chore. Luckily, Freudenberger has bounced back with her newest novel, The Newlyweds, about the marriage of a woman from Bangladesh and a man from Rochester, NY who met through the internet. And the surprises and disillusions that come with getting to know someone intimately. The characters seem real and interesting, and the plot contains enough mystery to make it both an easy-read and a page turner. A good read (though still not as good as Lucky Girls).



Steve Jobs - One of my friends told me that while reading this book her hatred for Jobs pinnacled to the point where she almost threw multiple Apple products (including a computer) out the window. I thought she was being dramatic (even though she's one of the least dramatic people I know), then I read it. Jobs' disregard for anyone's feelings, his complete abandonment of his first daughter, and his overwhelming narcissism make him just seem like a Disney villian. But that's just the first half of the book. Eventually, I grew to (somewhat grudgingly) respect some of Jobs' accomplishments, esp. when he returned to Apple (after being ousted as their CEO). He did have amazing drive and ambition. And as I sit here on my IMac with my Ipad and Iphone beside me, I'll willingly admit that he made good products with easy interfaces. But I still don't like him. Regarding the book, Isaacson does a great job moving the story forward while portraying a complex, driven man.

Things to Make - The Best (Odd) Sandwich Ever

I wish I could remember where I learned about this sandwich - somewhere in the internet void. As I read the recipe for the first time I thought "either this person is totally f***ing with me or this just might work." And now I'm addicted, forcing me to keep a stash of avocados handy at all times. I know how odd it sounds, but the sweetness of the bread combined with the saltiness of the feta makes for a win win combo.

INGREDIENTS: raisin bread, avocado, coconut oil, and feta

1. Toast the bread

2. Spread some coconut oil on the bread.

3. Add avocado and feta to taste.

4. Eat!!