my latest obsession

For those who have been following our blog for a while, you may remember that I made a goal a little over a year and a half ago to always have an art project in the works. As a result of that goal, I started painting again and displayed my work at a local art walk.
It was a really fun experience. I just sat there, painted a little, and played my mandolin while people walked by and made nice comments. I sold one painting, but it was to my mom, so it doesn't really count. I kind of misjudged the venue. We went to an art walk in West Seattle, and it was a very fashionable wine and cheese event. The Renton art walk was more of a beer and Cheetos event.
Without being too big of a jerk, let me just show you what did sell at the art walk:

It was a fun experience anyway, and I'm excited to submit my work to a few other art walks around Seattle.

Last spring, I won a mini-scholarship to the Art Institute of Seattle, and I just finished taking my first class. It was an illustration techniques class, and it was a lot of fun. Here are some of the techniques we learned:

Bleach on dark colored paper.
Scratchboard.Airbrush and prismacolors.
Screenprinting.

It was such a fun experience. Engineering classes were fun and all, but I'd much rather spend hours in an art studio working with my hands.

Finally, I put some work into creating an online portfolio so I can market myself to the art walk organizers and patrons. Here's the background on the name upstARTIST.org:

I've always felt a little strange using the term artist to describe myself. Besides "Intro to Watercolor" at BYU, I don't have any real training, so it feels a little pretentious to call myself an artist. But that kind of attitude doesn't get you anywhere. When I think about "real artists" the word upstart comes to mind.

upstart |ˈəpˌstärt| a person who has risen suddenly to high position, esp. one who behaves arrogantly.

So even though I still feel like an impostor, I remind myself that I need to assert myself as an artist in order to become one.

The exciting news for today is that I just sold my first painting (to a non-family member). I guess that makes me legit.

Make it and Love it: Felt Mr. Potato Head

Brad's cousin, Ashley, has this incredible blog, and one of her projects was featured on Ohdeedoh today. Check it out, especially if you're looking for a great quiet toy.

The kids will be back, I promise

There is so much to post about the kids! They are so funny and adorable. Right now they are both sleeping--Grey is taking a late nap after bikes this afternoon and Jane fell asleep after slamming her finger in the folded step-stool.
I have to share this really fast though. One of our friends started a blog where she is sharing her journal entries from 1995. And it is the most endearing, brave, funny thing I've seen in a while. I've been going through my own papers and thought I would share this, in part as a tribute to our friend and her bravery, and in part because it cracked me up. I wish I could say it was fourteen years ago.

5/12/01
I feel like I need to change, outside in, inside out.
I graduate in 29 days.
I want to feel love.
I don't want to rush into anything.
I will learn to golf.
I should pick up my guitar again.
I really like honey.

Coming this week: the Primary Program, Thanksgiving, Random posts about the kids.

FOOD

I was looking through our photos to update my photo project, and came across a lot of pictures of food we have made or enjoyed during the summer months. I have taken a lot of pictures of food over the last few years, and coming across the random cupcake attempts and pavlova makes me smile. This summer was no exception: we enjoyed everything from golden raspberries and heirloom grape tomatoes to key lime pie. Through the years, especially after marrying Brad, I have learned something important about myself: I am obsessed with food. Not in a calorie-counting way, but in a what-kind-of-memory-can-we-make-with-this-meal-or-treat kind of way. And Brad enjoys food, but he is much more sensible about it. He doesn't daydream about Le Creuset or pine for an ovenproof skillet. He doesn't study The Joy of Cooking or try their 7 different pancake recipes for the fun of it. Brad may not share my obsession, but he sure is supportive.
With Thanksgiving coming up, I feel like I won't feel too sad that we've eaten the last of our summer blackberries and raspberries from the freezer (but not the blackberry jam!) or that my basil plant has gone the way of the world. And I don't think you'll be too sad in the wake of turkey and stuffing and pies either, so here we go.

(note: not the haircut, just a ponytail.) This does not adequately show the deliciousness of our anniversary Mexican feast at Cactus in Alki. I could eat their Camarones forever. I was so impressed with Brad for finding this place--he ate gluten-free and we ate outside with a view of the Sound (Brad gave me the view of the Sound, sweet man).

The Fourth of July weekend I headed to my favorite produce shop, Top of the Hill. Golden raspberries are a new favorite around our house. Topping fresh lime ice with these berries was the best treat ever ever (thank you, Rick Bayless.)

I made (gluten-free) key lime pie. It was heaven.

Brad made freezer blackberry jam from many of the blackberries we picked. He also made blackberry pie.

We made Summer rolls. I loved that when we made this dinner, Jane could help a lot. She made her rolls (chicken, cabbage, carrots), then ate most of her rolls!

I heard about Trophy Cupcake and Party from a dear friend, and finally decided to make a trek to Wallingford to check it out. We were not disappointed.

Triple chocolate, lemon strawberry, + Jane.


The party supplies. So charming.

Lemon. I love the way they are decorated--they're beautiful, but not too beautiful to eat.
I wondered if any of Trophy's recipes were available online and discovered her Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow. The marshmallow plus this graham cracker recipe from 101 Cookbooks led to these:

gluten-free s'mores, with gluten-free graham crackers. Making marshmallow was highly enjoyable, as was using a toothpick to draw lines and dots on the homemade crackers. These may have to make another appearance at Christmas time in California.
And now Thanksgiving is nearly here. It is one of my favorite holidays--a holiday about FOOD and gratitude and family? Yes, please! I'll have seconds!
If you're still with me, I would love to hear--what are your favorite Thanksgiving dishes and treats? Is there something that must make it to your table? Anything you cannot allow? (Brad has vetoed my idea to make cheesecake this year--which really, is just as well!) What are you doing for Thanksgiving?

On (not) going to the Movies this Weekend

Tonight is a big night for a lot of people, as is this weekend. A date they have looked forward to for months, maybe even longer. And here it is, finally! November 20 is upon us!
I will not be going to see the Twilight movie this weekend.
I have nothing against Twilight, exactly, and definitely nothing against its followers. Some of my best friends will be among the throngs who turn out this weekend, showing their support for Team Jacob or Team Edward. But I have never read the books, and I don't really intend to. I may end up seeing this movie (I did see the first one at a friend's house, which is where I learned what the teams mean), but probably not.
So to those of you who are going to the movie this weekend, have fun! It looks much better than the first (bigger budgets and different directors can have that affect). And good luck cheering for your team.
I have to ask this, though: is there anyone else out there who will not see New Moon this weekend, or perhaps ever? Do you have other fun plans instead? I would like to invite you to my house for a party, though I can't promise a unifying theme or matching shirts or anything like that. What will you be doing this weekend?

PS--One of my favorite amusements this month was finding out Taylor Lautner is dating Taylor Swift. For some reason I get a kick out of celebrities who date another celebrity with the same first name.

PPS--Are you going this weekend? Are you psyched? Because if you are, I want to hear that, too. I'm not trying to leave anyone out here--I am just curious who's excited and who is not.

Baptisms

Last Saturday Brad and I participated in a temple trip with our ward. Some of the grownups did an endowment session; about 20 of us went to the baptistry*. This was my second time doing baptisms since I received my endowment five years ago, and it was really neat. It was also really fun.

When we went in to the waiting area, a group of high school age kids were just finishing up. We wondered what they thought as they saw a bunch of grownups descend on them in the baptistry.

Not pictured: chatting in the changing room with the other women, giggling at ourselves in the jumpsuits.

Not pictured: Brad and I looking like thirteen-year-olds in our jumpsuits.

I did baptisms first, then changed into another white jumpsuit to go do confirmations. I sat by myself on a bench, waiting for them to come get me for confirmations. Meanwhile, one of the temple workers was trying to figure out why there were seven men waiting to do baptisms when he only needed six. He counted and recounted. Brad was sitting a few rows behind me, and quickly figured out the problem.

You see, about a month ago, I cut my hair. Short. Pixie cut short. Boy short. Brad and I contemplated dressing up as twins for Halloween because we could style our hair the same. I meant to post pictures, but we never took any. Next time there will be pictures--I wasn't avoiding the camera, we just didn't get to it. This fall has been that way.

My hair was short and unstyled. I was wearing a jumpsuit. The temple worker was counting from the back of the waiting area. Brad tried to keep from making a scene, but it finally came out, loud and clear for all to hear:

"There are only six men. You're counting my wife."

I heard that part. I kind of turned. The temple worker came to look at my face, to verify that my husband spoke the truth (?) We laughed. He apologized. My hair is short. The jumpsuits are the same for men and women. He was behind me. It was understandable. Brad came to sit by me and hold my hand. We were still laughing. Trying to give him more of an out, I said, "I hope it wouldn't happen from the front!"

He said, "Well, you're either a really really pretty boy, or..." I wish I could remember the rest. But I think I just busted up. I know he didn't finish with the alternative, as Brad feared. I know he didn't call me a plain woman. But the whole thing was already just so funny it doesn't really matter what he said at that point.

I finally made it into the confirmation room and sat next to my friend Emily. I tried to remain reverent, but I couldn't stop myself from leaning over and whispering, "I was counted as one of the men." She looked at me, shocked, then started laughing.

Doing baptisms at the temple brought back so many memories: trying to keep up with my friends' weekly Wednesday afternoon temple trips; trying to open my eyes between baptisms to see the name of the person I was being baptized for; and the awkwardness of those jumpsuits. The whole experience made me so grateful that young men and women can go to the temple as young as twelve and participate in such beautiful ordinances, and that we have a temple twenty minutes away. I have lived within twenty minutes of a temple since I was seven, and I feel the blessing that has been in my life.

Which temple is closest to you? How far do you have to travel?

*If you have questions about baptisms for the dead or other vicarious temple work, please click here.

Birthday Canoe Ride

We're still playing catch-up from our busy summer. I'll pick up where Meg left off. Our anniversary, Jane's birthday, and Meg's birthday all occur in a span of 17 days. Throw in a camping trip, ballet class, windsurfing, and my first art walk, and you get a very busy month.

For Meg's birthday we rented a canoe and paddled around Lake Washington.

MegTurns27 from Bladford Shingley on Vimeo.

It was a great outing, despite Grey falling overboard. Fortunately, Meg reached out and caught him before he was out of reach. Jane was right that "when we're far away from home, we make it to stuff." We did make it to Mercer Island after all.

A Fairy and a Blue Jay

This year, we decided to split up the costume assignments. Jane really wanted to be a Fairy Princess, so Meg made sure that every little detail was exactly as Jane requested. Grey had no opinion, so I turned him into a Blue Jay.

Since I'm still learning the ropes on our new sewing machine, I did it by hand. This is what our living room looked like last Saturday.

We finished with barely enough time to make it to our ward Halloween party. Meg and I will make sure to dress up next year. Here are the final products:

Meg held a Halloween playgroup at our apartment on Friday, so our place was packed with sugared-up toddlers.

We had a wonderful dinner with our friends the Shaws before driving to Maple Valley to trick-or-treat with the Jergensens in Maple Valley.

Jane and her friend Jenna were very polite trick-or-treaters. They made sure to say "Thank You" and "Happy Halloween" as they sprinted from porch to porch. Grey racked up the most candy though. If somebody offered him a piece of candy, he would take it, and then look up at them again. After a few seconds, without fail, they gave him another piece.

Chad stayed home to hand out treats while we went door to door, and he counted 189 kids that came to his porch. It was the kind of neighborhood I used to dream about as a kid.

Finally, here's Grey showing off his favorite new phrase (besides "HEY YOU GUYS", that is).

This Summer, Part Two--Camping at Kanaskat-Palmer

The Tent Palace of Singley

Our ward camp outs have become a tradition we look forward to in our house. No matter our intentions, the ward camp out means we will go camping at least once in the summer. We have been every year (three times now) since we moved up here, and it is just fun.
Our tent is ginormous--we could sleep 80 people in there. Just kidding, but it does have two rooms off the main part, and we had to divide our sleeping quarters. Until the kids are bigger, it made sense to have a girls wing and a boys wing. So I cozied up with Jane and slept relatively well while Brad did his best to comfort the overtired Grey. Grey finally figured out how much warmer he would be if he snuggled up with his dad, so I think they managed to get some sleep between Grey's wake-up-and-stand-up-spells.
Brad always helps the kids in the night when we are camping. They always end up bonding when we go out in the woods, and we loved seeing Grey feel closer to Brad after just one night. His kindness might have had something to do with the fact that when we woke up on Saturday I was suddenly older. Or not.
There's not a whole lot more to tell, so now I'll just show you some pictures. Most of our photos from this trip are of Grey for some reason . . .

By the Green River. Brad built the rock tower, which was at least the same height as Grey.



What's that coming down the trail? Should we run away?

It's getting closer . . .

Oh, it's a Grey! Let's take that one home with us.

So where was Jane in all of this?

Josh and Jane

Jane loved the camp out because she got to play with her friends from primary until bedtime and as soon as she woke up. Hence she is missing from a lot of pictures, though I did hang out with her by the river for a while. We threw rocks. Fun. This picture made us raise our eyebrows a bit, but mostly it makes us laugh--look how excited he is to have his arm around Jane? Josh camps with his family a lot and as long as he's good, he gets to whittle with his pocket knife. I just wanted to share that random fact because I love it.
In conclusion, camping is great. It is probably our very favorite ward activity. We get to know people so much more around the campfire when there is lots of chocolate around. And camping on your birthday is not so bad, especially if your children are not eaten by bears.


Grey stars in: "I did it!"

This summer, we did stuff--Jane's birthday

Brad shared the joys of his windsurfing class, and the greater joys of his wet suit. It was fun to see how much he looked forward to Tuesdays for a while.
Jane had a birthday (shout hooray!). That seems like a good place to go next. We made her birthday a family day. We surprised her with her present in the morning: a big girl bike.
Jane was a little scared at first (as she said she would be), but has since declared several times how much she loves her bike. This was Brad's idea and I'm so glad he followed through. Her girlie Schwinn has been a winner--a real Schwinner you might even say....

We dropped Grey off with friends so Brad and I could treat Jane to her first movie in a theater: UP.



Jane was a sport to wear her 3-d glasses. Her favorite parts: the funny boy and the funny dog. The bird was funny, too.
Dinner was a homemade pizza party with a chocolate berry cake.

Jane is her mama's girl--raspberries, strawberries, and chocolate. Yum.

I found Jane's birthday crown at Trophy and fell in love with it. I thought the tinsel made a great touch for a sparkly little girl's special day. Apparently Grey saw an opportunity to be a classic little brother and throw it in the toilet. At least he waited until we had taken pictures.



A few days later came Jane's other gift--her birthday party with a few four-year-old friends. As a tribute to her love of Mary Poppins and Lola, we celebrated with a tea party.



The tea party was complete with friends, tissue paper hats, paper fans, and food: "Tea" (lemonade), petit fours, finger foods, and cupcakes. I was so glad to have grown-up friends there to help too (thanks Lindsey and Diana!)plus more friends who were willing.



Favors: each girl kept her tea cup, with cookies (above), rings, hat, fan, and two honey sticks--raspberry and strawberry.
Jane has such thoughtful friends. It was fun to watch them follow each other around our apartment, laughing and playing together.


If her birthday celebrations are any indicators, I think Jane is going to have a great year.

And probably a silly year, too.

One Minute Movies: Duets

Once in a while Jane does not like Grey to join her improv diva ballads. But Jane does love to sing a little duet with Grey, especially when the two of them are in their beds, not falling asleep.

Things to watch for:Grey's first jump (& his excitement about it); the notes they hit and hold out together.

Golden Ticket

After a long day of obsessively checking the weather, I drove to Newcastle Beach park to take advantage of the storm front moving in. I pulled into an almost empty parking lot. Apparently I had missed the big wind. The 25 mph gusts I had been watching on my computer screen had simmered down to a steady 10 mph.

As I stepped into the water, I noticed the clouds breaking up. The sun was starting to shine through. It was 53 degrees outside, but my to-to-totally 80s pink wetsuit was keeping me perfectly warm.

My goal was to sail to Coulon Park and back (roughly 10 miles). Every now and then some big gusts would come along, and it felt great to cruise through the water. I made it almost to the park when the sun started to set, so I decided to turn back early.

On the trip back, I looked at all the cars on I-5 and the I-90 bridge. I couldn't help but feel a bit smug that I wasn't stuck in rush hour traffic. It then occurred to me that I hadn't seen another person on the lake. After realizing I was all alone, I did what every sane person would do: I started singing really loudly. I belted out a rendition of "I've Got a Golden Ticket" in my best opera voice. I have no idea why this song suddenly popped into my head, but I didn't ask questions, I just went with it.

I was now within a stone's throw of my destination. Except for my feet, I had stayed completely dry. As I belted out a final line of "And with a golden ticket it's a Gol-den W---." Suddenly a gust of wind came from the opposite direction. The sail and mast knocked me backwards into the frigid water. Did I let it ruin my day? No. I only needed to remember the simple refrain, "Cheer up Charlie..."



Now that you've endured my long story, here are some fun pictures and videos from our summer windsurfing.