We Eat Like Kings

Tonight we invited my college friend Courtney over for dinner. We have rarely invited people over to our house in the past year. Mostly because it's felt like chaos and it made me anxious. However, this dinner was easy, joyful and delicious. It was a veritable feast of entirely homemade vegetarian goodness!

It also reminded me of the fulfilling nature of simple, homegrown hospitality. Forget all this hanging out in bars business; the dinner table is the place to be!

Unfortunately there are no pics of the meal because I've been too lazy to buy batteries for my camera. Soon enough, soon enough.

Here is the menu from our totally homemade meal fit for kings:

First course -
Romaine salad with apples, grape tomatoes, almonds, Pecorino and poppy seed vinaigrette (Courtney)

Main course -
Southern-style black eyed pea, collard green and brown rice soup made with fresh veggie stock (Megan)

Dessert -
Blueberry buckle - a simple butter cake - with vanilla bean frozen custard (Ryan)

Homemade Cards Are Magic

...even when the ink smears! This is a sample of the homemade bridal shower invitation I made for my cousin's fiance. It's taped up to our fridge collage in case you are trying to figure out what the heck is happening with the photo angle.

My mom, sister and I are co-hosting the shower to honor Alex and I got excited to make some homemade cards since I haven't done it in a while. I've been slowly amassing stamps, ink, adhesives, ribbon and blank cards. This was a fun little project.

I chose colors in the bride's palate and did it all by hand including writing out the message on the inside and addressing the envelopes. I took so much joy in creating something unique to honor a loved one. Can't wait for the party!

Weekend for One

My sweet has been gone for the weekend, which is the first time since August that we have been apart for more than a night. He's at a manly-men-only-weekend at the cabin of a friend where many husbands and boyfriends of people I know gather to drink beer, bowl, compare the ridiculous mustaches they are required to grow as an admittance requirement and, I'm sure,do other assorted things I care to know nothing about. This weekend gave me some time to spend by myself and with my parents one-on-one.

After a Friday commute home in powerful wind and rain, I stopped by the annual Coalition for Photographic Arts (CoPA) Member Photo Exhibit. My Dad is a part of this local photography group and wanted me to come see the show. I braved the nasty weather and the ridiculous Third Ward Gallery Night parking situation to see the show in what used to be the Aveda Institute building. The show was great and I have not been to any kind gallery show in a very long time (except my sister's culmination BFA show). I schnibbled on some homemade cookies, looked at interesting photos and got to meet some of the people from CoPA that my Dad is always talking about.

A few endearing things about my Dad. One: is that he always refers to his friends and acquaintances by their full names, almost expecting that the listener knows all of these people, which of course I don't, but there is something colorful about that. Two: is that my Dad gives huge bear hugs, sometimes so long that you feel like he won't let go, but there's something endearing about that too. At least you know you are loved in that moment.

I didn't stay at the show long because I'd made a promise to myself that I would visit one of the two Landmark Theaters in Milwaukee to take in a film no matter how exhausted I felt or how far away the East side is from my house. I love the Oriental Theater the most, but ended up at the Downer instead because I picked a new version of Jane Eyre out of the lot of foreign and independent films currently being screened by Landmark in Milwaukee. It's rare that I go to any other movie theaters than these two because I love the selection they play, but also because a movie experience here is like stepping into another era. They are such an amazing gem in this city and if you have never been to one, I say go to both, now!

I used to shy away from going to movies alone, because it made me feel awkward. But now I love it. It's liberating to know that I can go alone and it's no issue, even on a date night like Friday. But it's also an intimate and personal viewing experience that can be a nice contrast to going in a pair every now and then. When I go on my own, I select the film I want to see at the exact moment I want to see it with no compromise and the experience is completely my own. Funny to say that something you do sitting in the dark next to fifty other people can be personal, but it is for me.


Since I didn't eat dinner before hitting the movies, I allowed myself to indulge in a little movie theater gluttony: honest-to-God real buttered popcorn, Dots and a lemon Italian soda.

I was unfamiliar with the story of Jane Eyre having never read any of the Brontes. I guess there are something like 19 film versions of Eyre dating back to the early twentieth century. This version was dark, moody and somewhat slow moving. I liked the story and the themes explored. I liked the British landscapes, the sensuality and the effective projection of the central character's rich, yet also stilted inner life. I liked the chemistry between Jane and Mr. Rochester and the clipped sensuality of their interactions. Overall, the whole of it hit me in the right place for a rainy, evening-for-one kind of night.


The marquee lighting up a misty, cold night on the East side.

On Saturday afternoon my Mom graciously treated me to lunch at Cafe LuLu down in Bayview. This restaurant is a Bayview standard having existed there since before the neighborhood was definitively "cool". My family used to go there together for dinner sometimes before my parents got divorced. It's also where I often go to dine with friends and the first stop when we were celebrating my bachlorette party. Ry will go there with me, but it's not his favorite. So, I was happy to go for an afternoon with my Mom. Afterward we visited several local shops in Bayview and the Third Ward looking at sewing stuff, stationary, mid-century antiques and assorted accessories. We ended our shopping at Home Depot where I bought the tension rods I need to complete my kitchen curtain sewing project.

The rest of my weekend has been utterly devoted to sewing curtains. After completely the panels for the large window which I posted earlier in the week, I was set to start the valences for the other smaller windows. This was going to be a bit more complicated because I had to attach several panels together to make them long enough to cover the window. Even though I was fairly sure I had underestimated the amount of total fabric I needed, I still made an entire valence out of just one panel hoping that it would work. It didn't. It looked silly and I had to rip out the seams and do it over, doubling the length. I measured out my new fabric needs and learned that I'd barely have enough to make valences for the two corner windows and wouldn't have enough for the others.


Guess who kept getting in my way? Every time I got up to press a seam he was sitting on the ironing board. Every time I went to sew a seam he sitting in my chair. What can I say, the little fur ball loves his mommy.

Even though I started out carefully measuring, I eventually got a little more lax and started eyeballing it. I know from the first part of the project that this doesn't work. Remember how I ended up with two different curtain lengths? Well, for some reason I did it anyway and again ended up with valences of two different lengths. The summary of my night and a bit of this morning was seam-ripping, seam-ripping and seam-ripping again!

They are finally done and I am very happy with the look. It's funny how we were used to the windows being naked for almost an entire year. Something as simple as a little curtain makes a big difference for how finished the space looks. It makes me excited to try other home decorating sewing project around the house that will make our home unique.

There is something wonderful about creating something you know can't be bought in a store and is totally yours. Even though it's been challenging, I like that I am developing a handcrafting skill that is not super common place anymore. I know many women and men sew, but comparatively few with how many did fifty years ago when people made their own clothes and home decor items all the time. It feels good to be keeping a handcrafting skill alive in my own fledgling little way!


The almost-finished product. This is before I evened them out. It's not completely apparent in this pic, but there was about an inch different in length between the two. I took 'em down this morning and fixed 'em.

Epic Battle With My Sewing Machine

My old supervisor, Matt, gave me a sewing machine for our wedding two and a half years ago. I finally took it out of the box and have been trying to teach myself how to sew. Well, sew something anyway. It's taken me about seven hours of fiddling around, but I have two panels of my kitchen curtain project sewn. They are far from perfect. The first one I sewed is about an inch shorter than the second and the pattern is crooked. However, they are finished, they are hanging and I feel accomplished. Never mind that it took several significant meltdowns. I now have something unique and handmade to show for them. I won't worry about fixing the wonky one until tomorrow!


Our new curtains hanging proud in the kitchen window.


Ry's big project of the past few days.

Melt

It's awesome to see little signs of spring popping up everywhere! Since our yard doesn't have much southern exposure we don't really have anything green showing itself just yet. We have, however, seen a massive melt. Nearly all of the six foot tall snow drifts we had are completely gone except for about a little six inch snow mountain.

I was in the Tosa Village earlier this week for an appointment and took some time to walk around. I visited the Little Read Book, Salamander and nosed around near the river. The torrent of water in the river interested me and I caught what I felt was an artful shot. Funny how we went from this just a month or so ago...


Huge wedge after the neighbors snowblowed us.


Snow shoeing on our street before it was plowed.

To this now...


Massive melt!

Not much new happening in our lives except trying to get out from underneath a pile of mess created over the past few weeks as we completely abandoned our personal life for our political life. Ry gets nearly all of the credit for any cleaning that's happened this weekend. Though I managed to cook a few things for the first time today: a nummy soup with ingredients from the new Asian food store around the corner and some Veganomicon banana bread muffins.



Other new things, I'm starting volunteering as a adult literacy tutor this Tuesday and I'm attempting to make curtains for the first time ever. A friend who owns Drawstring Studio ordered the fabric especially for me and even let me take the bolt home to measure out what I needed. Talk about accommodating! Measuring stressed me out because it's my first real sewing project with my sewing machine and even simple math is scary to me. But I accomplished it with Ry's help. He was especially patient with me and my crabbiness at doing something new. New things are very, very hard for me. But hopefully when I am done these curtains will make our retro kitchen look even more awesome!



Lastly, I've apparently become the type of person who writes my municipal officials as well as my state legislators. Today I wrote to my Alderman, Bob Donovan, because there is a new business that opened in a vacant store front around the block from our house that looks absolutely horrible. I guess the owners' idea of advertising is propping a twin mattress wrapped in plastic with a shoddy handwritten sign in Sharpie outside their storefront. This just does not cut it for me. It especially doesn't cut it for me when it's out there in the rain or snow sopping wet.

I guess another good thing about the political ridiculousness of our state right now is that it is getting me more involved at the local level. I now know all of my state and city representatives by name and overall, I am pleased with my representation. At this point there is only room for me to become even more aware, which I fully intend to do.

Speaking of seasonal change and impending spring, I hear thunder outside for the first time in months!

Merry Christmas!

We've spent today cooking and cleaning. Ry made homemade potato rolls and red lentil sloppy joe's which we intend to take over to my aunt's house to nosh on while every one else enjoys ham. I have to say that even though we've been vegetarian and about half vegan for eight months now, my desire for meat on a holiday intensifies because we can't partake in the same special meal as the rest of the family. Although, today I sampled the sloppy joes and I am looking forward to them, so props Ry!

I didn't do as much cooking as Ry, but I did some raw vegan baking. I used a recipe from a vegan blog called Chocolate Covered Katie to make snickerdoodle balls.

Snickerdoodle balls mixed with the famous Knudson vegan truffles (with due credit given to my former RA Nick Roberts who initially shared the recipe).

Here are just a few pics to showcase the holiday cheer around our house:


Mantel and tree shot from the couch.

Christmas cards on the fridge.

Pinecones from our wedding in a basket.

Kissing ball brought all the way back from Medford.

Music box, a gift from my babysitter on my first Christmas.

Ice lantern made by my Mom.

Piggy with a candy cane in its mouth snow globe.

Mantel detail with cloth garland that I inherited from my family and art in the background. Again, repurposed wedding decorations!

Winterberry bouquet to spruce up the living room.

A No-Present Christmas

Over the past few years I've been struggling with the commercialism of Christmas and the obligation to consume that comes along with it. Admittedly, I'm not a super religious person, so my primary objection is not along the lines of the "put Christ back in Christmas" thinking. However, the idea that we've strayed far from the central themes of these winter solstice time holidays (whether Christmas or Hanukah) to something utterly material resonates with me strongly. What about those central themes of hope and rebirth-admist-darkness?

Massive displays of red, green and white merchandise do not bolster my faith in the world. Buying and receiving gifts that are made by factory workers in China and are largely disposable could never represent the depth of love I feel for my family and friends. Not to mention that these items are often wasteful and many end up as plastic in landfills within months. Nothing I could buy will bring the kind of togetherness I hope to achieve with my nuclear family or my own children when they come. I guess I hope that when I am in charge of my own holiday, once we have children, that gifts would play a tertiary or non-existent role. This doesn't mean I don't want my children to have a "Christmas experience", or that I'd be some kind of anti-consumer grinch. It just means I hope that gifts will have little or no importance in our overall celebration. I want Christmas to be about our time together, not what we could buy each other.

It is for all of these reasons that Ry and I decided we wanted to have a no-gift Christmas. I had heard a story on NPR last year of a family that had a no-gift holiday and they said the results were spectacular. They described more time for togetherness and unity, without the pressure and obligation to buy. This sounded ideal to me and I proposed it to my family, who agreed to participate though it seems with a great less thrill than I feel about it. It seems they have accepted this experiment, but most of them are still buying gifts for each other. I suppose, that's natural. I don't know why I expected others would want to be totally on board with this notion, especially because peoples' attachment to gift giving is strong. I can't fault anyone with this attachment. There is much pleasantness associated with it and it's certainly traditional at this point. I'm just not sure when it's snowballed into something seems to eclipse the larger meaning of the holiday for many people out there, but nonetheless it's a largely happy tradition. So, stepping out of it represents an oddity or split from the norm.

I'm not a huge fan of receiving gifts. I'm thankful for them, certainly, and I have received gifts that truly touch me, but often receiving them makes me feel uncomfortable. Sometimes it's because I don't feel deserving. Other times it's because there are many things I truly don't want to fill the extra space in my life. I want to live simply. Gift giving usually comes with the best intentions. A loved one is attempting to express a feeling, love, gratitude with their gift. How can you possibly express that you'd rather not have a gift without creating a sense of rejection or seeming self-righteous? Conversely, and quite paradoxically, I love giving gifts. I love giving them most when there is no obligation and they are a thoughtful and happy surprise.

Today, Ry and I spent some time canning our little homemade gifts for family and friends. They are simple almost to the point of being mundane. They are small, but have been time consuming. Now that the holidays are almost upon us, I wonder if they will be enough. Maybe I should be giving my family members more? Knowing that others will participate in more elaborate gift-giving and we will not makes me worry that we will feel left out in some way, or that our family members will think we do not care about them or that we're just cheap.

I've expressed these feelings and fears to Ry and he says to let them go. We've decided not to participate in the consumer portion of the Christmas tradition this year and this represents a break from convention. He says that when you break from convention, you cannot expect that it will please everyone or be accepted by everyone. He says we've made the choice already for this year and it's something that is important to us. I guess all that's left to do at this point is accept that choice whole-heartedly and see where it leads me.

View out the side window of our living room after this year's first snow.


Silvio always goes exactly where you don't want him to go.


It's tough to get a clear pic of the tree at night without a tripod or super nice camera. Homemade cranberry garland.


Up close with my stocking on the mantel. My mom made it for me when I was a wee one.