At the Drive In

Monsters University, no bugs, good friends.

 

 

 

 



Jenny & Tyler.



I caught a small Jenny & Tyler show tonight with a friend, I've never seen them live.

It was like good food.

Little Balloon- Jenny & Tyler

Little balloon goes flying in the air

Little balloon, come on down from there
My skirt is trailing in the dirt below
I follow close till my breath starts to go

Evergreen trees raise their voice as one
Branches wide, offering their love
I try to climb; I want to touch the stars
Sap in my hair, I don’t make it far

Always how my story ends
Feels like I’m slipping from your hand
Try and try, time and time again
I want to hold on; hope I can

Grassy hills, far as I can see
Running fast, through a sea of green
I trip and fall, my face meets the ground
Gently weeping, waiting to be found

Always how my story ends
Feels like I’m slipping from your hand
Try and try, time and time again
I want to hold on; hope I can

No one is able to steal what is in Your hands

Always how my story ends
Feels like I’m slipping from your hand
Try and try, time and time again
Try and try, time and time again
Try and try, time and time again
I want to hold on; hope I can

Copyright 2011 One Eyed Cat Music (BMI)

Spring Fling.

From the sublime to the ridiculous, I have just one more post today.

It's not uncommon for friends to come over to play Just Dance at my house.  This time, we took it up a notch. 

Last weekend we held the First Annual Spring Fling and it was the bomb.

1.  Find the most awesome formal gown you can at a thrift store (or from your closet.)  I found this one for $10.  Bonus points if it's a little ridiculous.

2.  Kick out your family, then decorate your house with tons of cheesy balloons and confetti. 

3. Have your rad friends bring along food and drinks, and come in all their thrifted finery.

4.  Have a contest, jam out to Dance Cardio Radio on Pandora, play this game and OF COURSE play Just Dance until everyone's a sweaty mess.

5.  Repeat festivities bigger and even better next year, because it was a blast.

Sara Groves.

Saturday night I drove across town in the rain to sit with an old friend and enjoy a Sara Groves show; she was as much of a genuine, warm, breath of fresh air as ever.  I can't think of another artist whose work has infiltrated my DNA more than Sara Groves.

The night was low-key and wonderful as expected, and after a stressful week it was what I needed; in other words, I cried through 75% of it.



Third Annual Autumn Tasting Party.

This is not much of a photo recap-  I took a few photos, everyone showed up, and I completely forgot to take more.

I love throwing parties, I love my friends, and every year I've hosted a tasting friends have brought friends and I make some more. 

This year my little house was really full- I never got an actual count, but after looking over the glasses at the end, we definitely had more than 20 and less than 30.  It was very loud, it was fun, we stayed up late, we ate cheese, chocolate, and bread- and sipped wine, of course.  All in all, a night like this is filling in every single way and I am so grateful for nights spent sitting long with people I love.

I'll include a list of the foods we ate at the end of this post for reference for everyone who was there; you can see what we sampled from the first and second annual parties by clicking the links.  I'll add the sources when I can. 



Random links: 

You can find the NuanceWine Finer (wine aerator) here, and read more about it here.

You can find the recipe for the focaccia here, from Cook's Illustrated.  You can access it with the free trial.

The Whites

2011 Chateau Ste Michelle Harvest Select Sweet Riesling

2011 Castello del Poggio Moscato D'Asti

Thanks Melisa!

Prairie Berry Poker Face

The Reds

Baci Dolci "Sweet Kisses"

Thanks Tiana!

2010 J. Lohr Estates Seven Oaks Cabernet Sauvignon

Thanks Kristin!

The Cheeses

Basiron Pesto

Tartufino Speziato

Espresso BellaVitano

Marygold

White Stilton with Date and Orange

Red Dragon

Cabot Extra Sharp Cheddar with a Honey Drizzle

All cheeses are available at The Market on Phillips, save for the Cabot, which you can get at HyVee.

The Chocolates

Green & Black's Maya Gold

Green & Black's Espresso

Green & Black's Toffee

Wild.



Blast Off.

As we were finishing up dinner tonight, some friends called and were all, "Can we bring over stuff for root beer floats?"

And we were like, "Of course."



And, as a matter of fact, we just got a brand spanking new water balloon launcher in the mail yesterday.

So...

Sweetness.

It's pure joy to  keep a dear friend as a neighbor, and to have 8 babies between us who are growing to know and love one another too.

April, I think if someone could have told our younger single selves that in 12 years' time you would be married to Matt and I would be married to Jim and you'd have a boy and three girls and I would have three girls and a boy and we would live on the same street; well, we would have just died from the sweetness.

I got to take a few more pictures of my friend April's newest little girl last week; she is everything lovely.

Baby Thompson....

We got the pleasure of meeting a brand new person today...

Congratulations! I'm so glad there is one more Thompson to love!

Welcome to America.

The other day I saw a bumper sticker that read, "Welcome to America- SPEAK ENGLISH".  I was offended, but busy with the kids so I passed it by.  But hours later it came to mind again and instantly tears were streaming down my face- which shocked me.  But I just felt particularly frustrated and hurt- because we are friends with a family who moved here from Africa about a year ago, with absolutely NO English knowledge, and I've seen how incredibly hard it has been for them to learn.  Their children are seemingly effortless in their work to learn English- they've actually begun to forget French completely.  But for the parents, it is very, very hard.  And it is a matter of absolute NECESSITY to learn it, so they can work. 

I'm so impressed with how much they've learned- they are huge role models for me to not ever complain or limit myself about ANYTHING- because they are doing what they have to do, and doing it well, so I can too.  I have learned SO MUCH from the refugee families I've met this year. 

But that bumper sticker implies things that are small-minded, and misinformed.  And now that our good friends are learning English, they'll be able to read it too. 

I don't need to explain why the sticker made me angry.  I just needed to post about it so I can get it out of my mind.  Done.

Tasting Party

I hosted a little wine and cheese tasting last night.  As always, it was refreshing and fun and it got late really fast.  We didn't even get to all the wines last night, because we talked too much.  I have so many rockstar friends.

I thought I'd post the menu-  I love learning about cheese and wine!  The people at The Market on Phillips are very happy to educate and help you find something new, and parties like this are a great time to try many different things- their individual properties really shine when combined with other foods, and when compared to one another.

We also had tea, coffee, and steamed coconut milk (which was not planned) to drink, as well as pears, nuts, chocolate, dried cherries, biscotti, marinated kalamata and green olives, and focaccia to eat (I think all of us ate "too much" bread, but it was not a mistake).

If you think this sounds fun, there's nothing stopping you from hosting your own tasting!  I gave a little advice about how to do it last year, but just a couple more things to say:

1.  It's simple.  Pair simple foods and if you can, serve only foods you can eat with your hands- it makes the evening and clean up very easy.  It's not about a lot of work for you.

2.  Serving a sampling of wine and cheese is very, very pricey- but it doesn't have to all be on you.  For instance, this year, I provided two bottles, and friends volunteered to bring the other two.  Also, friends who did not bring wine each gave a suggested $5 to the party fund, meaning I recouped almost the entire cost of the cheese (full disclosure, I spent $60 on cheese, and it was really fun to try them together).  You don't have to feel awkward about suggesting for your friends to chip in- it means you all enjoy an incredible night, which would have cost much more in other settings.

3.  Don't be afraid to make it clear that absolutely no children are invited.  Save for my pregnant friends-  they get a free pass.  Enough said on topic.

4.  If you feel like you don't know a lot about wine or cheese, that is fine.  The whole reason you should do this is to have fun and get educated a bit with your friends.  It's not about posing as a sommelier.  Don't be intimidated.

SO-  The Menu....

The Cheeses

Caciotta dei Boschi: An elegant Italian table cheese made from scarce Roman ewe’s milk and rare black truffle shavings. Quite tangy and sharp. Highly aromatic with a distinctive, lingering aftertaste, thanks to the truffles. Porcini mushrooms serve to further augment the earthy character of this Italian masterpiece. Earthy, smoky, warm.

Basiron Rosso: A Dutch Gouda full of delicious red tomatoes and fresh Italian herbs. Rich, Creamy.

Conciato in Barrique con Foglie di Noce: Ewe’s milk gives this Italian cheese its unique taste. This artisanal cheese is “Barricato” or “aged in barrels” in layers of walnut leaves and the rind is rubbed in EVOO. Quite unusual, with an interesting and pleasant taste reminiscent of the walnut leaves. Nutty. Delicious with sliced pear.

Sharp Cheddar: A seriously sharp Cabot cheese from Vermont. Naturally aged. Pair with a honey drizzle.

Gouda: An orange, cow’s milk cheese. Sweet, salty, smooth.

The Wines

Prairie Berry Phat Hogg Chardonnay: This unoaked white has a buttery, mango-citrus nose. Sweet, simple.

Chateau Ste Michelle 2008 Pinot Gris: Fruity, crisp and floral. Notes of orange peel, melon, honeysuckle, spice and green apple.

Seven Daughters Red Winemaker’s Blend: A blend of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, Syrah, Carignane and Sangiovese. Dark red fruit on the palate, complemented by aromas of vanilla and lavender with a peppery finish.

Mark West 2009 Pinot Noir: Intense color, layers of fruit with a touch of earthy minerality. Notes of wild blackberry, black cherry, and delicate herbal flavors show against French oak notes of toast and chocolate.

Labor Day Weekend (Sort of) Campout

Just a few shots from Labor Day weekend, hanging out in our backyard with our neighbors who are also our friends.

The camping part, not so much fun.  We just wanted to get the tent out one more time- but it was chilly, in the 40s, and our kids have cheap sleeping bags.  And at around midnight, one of them got up to go to the bathroom, couldn't get the door unzipped, and proceeded to have an accident, standing up, half-asleep, in the middle of the tent.  And that is all I have to say about that.

Lifelight 2011

It was a little cold, a little breezy, a lot of fun.  Here are some snapshots from Lifelight 2011.

Formally Evited...

I am so busy this month, I almost postponed it...but I just couldn't.  Sioux Falls friends, find all the info here.

Baptism 7.11

Hey everyone-  I have a really busy couple of weeks, so my blog will be hit or miss until August. 

We did have an amazing night last night celebrating several baptisms with our friends at The Ransom.  Wanted to post these before I left.

Summer Nights.

Remember this?


Movie Nights are back!

Relief.

AND I BEG YOUR PARDON


The first mosquito:

come here, and I will kill thee,

holy though thou art.

-Wendell Berry, Leavings


This week it finally started acting like Summer is on it's way- the weather was warm, the rain is making things green, trees have buds. 
It took a very, very long time for real Spring to show up this year.
 
But Saturday night we grilled with neighbors, and the weather was awesome, and I saw several insects, including gnats and wasps- and last week I saw a few baby arachnids outside.  Hudson also got two mosquito bites on his face.  As unpleasant as they are, I'm relieved.  Spring beats Winter once again.

A Little Party