Piece of Cake (Course 1)

I signed up for a cake decorating course at Michael's. The teacher knows her stuff which I appreciate. But she is, however, a little unimaginative, and sticks to the "rules." For instance, according to her, the top border of the cake and the bottom border must always match in color. Uhhhhh, okay. Not true but I'll do it to keep her happy. It's kind of funny actually. I guess I'll be artistic, imaginative, and creative on my own time. I'll learn the rules so I can break them later. Wink. Wink. So that said, ALL designs are by dictate of the class. Cake 1: Moist, three egg cake with sweet cherry pie filling in the center. Below is the first cake I have EVER decorated. (I know, I was shocked when I realized it.) I was confused about what we were going to do, so my colors are all wrong, the balloons look like grass and well . . . yeah. I know how to spell ugly.

How to "help" your husband help eat all that cake: Cut a huge slab, and he'll eat what's on his plate. (Tricky.) Then make sure to eat cake for breakfast, lunch and dessert. But three cakes in two weeks is still too much to cram down. Enter Adam's coworkers. Problem solved, happy coworkers, major points for Adam. Everybody wins.

Cake 2: Lemon sponge cake with tart lemon glaze center. Although the clown theme was forced upon the class, I think this cake turned out pretty cute.

Cake 3: Pumpkin chocodot cake with Dad's chocolate sauce in the center with a chocolate ganache glaze outside. The ganache was a complete experiment for me. Chocolate goo went everywhere and the cake ended up looking like a giant hamburger patty with a muffin top—the center started to squish out. Lovely. But, it tasted good. I hope our middles don't start looking like this when I'm done with all the classes.

Four classes, three cakes, and ten days later you should see my kitchen, it is an explosion of stickiness, but it smells heavenly. Course 2 begins next month. . . .

Thanksgiving Day

Here are just a few snapshots from Thanksgiving. Below: Travis . . . I really have no comment for this photo. It speaks for itself.

What do you think is on Nathan's mind? . . . (He's the one holding the bird.)

Travis and his green egg. Dennis and Annie look on. (We had smoked ham. Yum Yum.)

Me, making pie. Well, sort of. The filling was already made, and the pastry was already made. All I had to do was assemble the thing.

And this is what it looked like (uncooked). Thanks for your help Laurel—and who ever put all the ingredients together!

My mom used to do this with her pies. Fun huh?

Again, yum yum.

Mom, Laurel and Jaimie making sure we had enough rolls to last the rest of the week. Good call. I love left over turkey and ham sandwiches.

We did a lot of this too.

And of course a lot of this.

Thanks again Heidi and Travis for hosting! We thoroughly enjoyed our little vacation!

Get Ready for an Art Tour

Welcome to the William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art. I have collected a few images from the more well known artists, as well as some that impressed me. Today you will view a fraction of the Gallery without even leaving your home! Let us begin . . . . Ahem. . . .

Atlanta and Meleager with the Calydonian Boar 1500's by Il Mashino. "The Prince is moments away from embracing Atlanta, the virgin huntress with whom he has fallen in love. The two have just killed a wild boar that had been unleashed by Diana, goddess of the hunt for lack of attention paid her by the kingdom. The head of the boar lies between their feet."

Capricorn 1963 by Max Ernst "Capricorn is an inventive portrait of Max Ernst and his wife. On another level it expresses the duality of male and female. The Minotaur (half man/half bull) symbolized the battle between rational mind and aggressive instinct. A mermaid and a dog with pipe eyes and a trowel tongue, rest next to him. The woman is also a hybrid, part woman part fish, she lives in the sea, a symbol of the feminine unconscious. The title Capricorn, after a constellation, hints at astrology, the study of the influence of celestial events upon the lives of humans." (Click here to view the beginning of a series of videos of Max himself and his work.)

Women at Sunrise 1946 by Joan Miró "Miró was one of the first to initiate the first phase of Surrealism. Miro concentrated on tapping the creative potential of the unconscious mind through the use of automatism and free association." (Click here for a slideshow of his work.)

Water Lilies ea. 19-16-1926 by Claude Monet "Like many of his paintings, the adjacent land Monet bought to his property inspired this piece. His paintings have been described as precursors of Abstract Expressionism." (Click here for a video and short description of Monet's work.)

The Fish Market at Hastings Beach 1810 by Joseph Mallard William Turner "This is an early work of Turner's, who is arguably Britain's greatest artist. The work recalls similar images by 17th-century Dutch painters, examples of which Turner could have seen in many English private collections. The scene takes place in East Sussex on the South Coast of England." (Click for slideshow.)

Hellooo Mr. Darcy . . . er, Willoughby, er . . . Portrait of the Sculptor Paul Lemoyne 1812 by Jean-Auguste-Doninique Ingres "Ingres is widely regarded as the greatest portrait painter of the 19th century. Although regarded as a Neoclassical artist who favored clarity over emotion, he gave this portrait a Romantic cast." (Click here for a discussion on one of his more famous pieces.)

Christ on the Sea of Galilee 1841 by Eugene Delacroix "Delacroix was the greatest representative of Romanticism in painting. . . . In this scene Christ and his desciples panic in the midst of a violent storm, while Christ sleeps serenely without fear of harm. Delacroix emphasizes the contrast between the icy lavenders of Christ's mantle and the luminous reds and yellows of the disciples robes. This painting is a sketch for a composition that Delacroix repeated in three versions." (Click here for an example of one of his more famous paintings.)

Excuse us for the interruption as the baby changes hands. . . .

Fall of the Rebel Angels: 18th Century Ivory "In its complexity and astonishing display of technical skill, this ivory recalls the taste of the Mannerist period in the 16th century, but its lightness and virtuosity are also characteristic of the Rococo. At the top the artist has represented the Holy Trinity, in the form of a dove. At the center, Saint Michael brandishes his sword, and a team of archangels drives Satan's hosts from Heaven. The rebel angels plummet towards Hell below, symbolized by the monster with gaping mouth in the lower right."

Apparition of the Angel to Hagar and Ishmael 1751 by Giovanni Domenico Teipolo "Hagar was the servant of Abraham and his wife Sarah who was infertile. To preserve the family line, Sarah agreeed that Hagar should bear Abraham's child. Hagar bor Ishmael and soon after Sarah was also able to conceive. Hagar and her son were banished to the wilderness. The two are pictured here receiving assistance from an angel. Giovanni mostly assisted his father, however, his originality shows up in this piece—notice Giovanni's use of contrasting diagonals to enhance the emotional effect of the subject." (More of his work here.)

Pokal (covered goblet) with the Judgment of Paris 1670 ivory "The pursuit of love is played out in two myths that are depicted on this ivory pokal, a cup and cover, popular in the late 17th century Germany. On the pokal's stem the go Pan pursues his beloved Syrinx, an aquatic nymph, who turns into a reed to escape. Lamenting her, Pan assembles lengths of reeds to create his Pan pipes which relate to the musical instruments encircling the base. The pokal's cup illustrates the story of the Judgment of Paris at the moment when Paris, prince of Troy, awards the golden apple to Aphrodite, thus deeming her the most beautiful goddess. The god of love, Eros, triumphantly crowns the cup's cover.

Checking to see if the husband and niece are still doing alright . . . yep, let's move on. . . .

Saint Francis Adoring a Crucifix by Guido Reni "Guido Reni's religious works were regarded by his contemporaries as the perfect way to represent devotion to the Christian faith-combining sincerity of feeling with sweetness and grace."

Mrs. Cecil Wade 1886 by John Singer Sargent "This painting was among Sargent's first significant commissions upon relocating to London from Paris in 1886. his move was prompted by a scandal involving his sensuous Madame X (found in the Met, NY. Click here for the scandal video.), which had recently offended Parisian audiences and had temporarily undermined his market there."

Reclining Armchair 1902 Oak Frank Lloyd Wright "This chair reflects early examples of Prairie School architecture by using rectangular elements. The chair reflects Wright's dedication to integrated interior and exterior design. The chair is a recliner, the seat pulls forward, simultaneously lowering the back." (Click here to view a prairie house.)

(Still by Frank Lloyd Wright) "This armchair was part of the furnishings for the house of Clarence Sondern, which house still stands today in Kansas City near Roanoke Park. In the 1930's Wright developed the concept of Usonia (an abbreviation of United States of North America.) As a Usonian house (click here for an example) it exemplifies Wright's interests in producing smaller, more affordable houses by using semi-standardized designs and new technologies. Also designed with cost in mind, Usonian furniture, such as this plywood armchair, was simple enough that it could be made inexpensively at the building site or in a carpenter's shop. With more than 100 examples built in the United Staes, Usonian houses and their integrated furnishings revolutionized American design by providing affordable, avant garde design."

Writing desk 1900 white oak by Charles Rohlfs, American : "House Beautiful described this desk as 'a very marvel of complexity, with endless delights in the way of doors, pigeon-holes, shelves, and drawers.' The quartersawn oak and heavy proportions reflect Rohlf's embrace of the American Arts and Crafts Movement, his interest in Art Noveau is revealed in the organic nature of the carved decorations and twisting finals." (Click here for examples of his work.)

At the Window 1910-1912 by Richard E. Miller "This is the artists favorite subject, 'an interior with a solitary, pensive woman brightly illuminated by sparkling daylight from a nearby window.' The style and quality of the painting reveal the 'impact of the artist's French experience." In the 20th century Miller came in contact not only with Impressionism, but also avante-garde artists of the Nabis and Fauve groups whose brushwork and rich thickly painted surfaces Miller adopetd. Even so, Miller's early training in drawing remains visible in the careful, tightly rendered description of the woman's face." (More examples here.)

The Sun Treader (Portrait of Carl Ruggles) 1934 by Thomas Hart Benton "Benton and Ruggles developed a friendship based in part on their shared interes in art and music. This painting reflects the flair of one of Ruggle's performances through its rapid spatial recession and tipped perspective. The painter considered this work to be one of his best."

Kosha Appreciating Anything 1997 : Clay and pigment by Roxanne Swentzell "Recognized as one of the leading contemporary Native American artists, Roxanne Swentzell continues the long tradition of Pueblo figurative sculpture. This figure—a Pueblo clown or Kosha—is a sacred being that appears in religious dances and performs numerous rolls withing the ceremonial structure. Often Kosha teach through their actions. This clown stares intently at his hand as though realizing for the first time its complexity and, through it, perhaps, the mystery of life; reminding us that reflection is frequently the prelude to wisdom." (Click here for a video of Swentzell and some of her process.)

In conjunction with the impressive collection, the display rooms too were done quite well. The room below is where all the Japanese artifacts were found . . .

This room is where the Indian artifacts are found. . . .

Oh, pardon me, the phone is ringing. It looks like the family finished ahead of us and is ready to leave. This concludes our short but riveting tour. Please join us again next year as we tour the Modern Art wing! (Although technically half of what we just saw is considered modern art.) Still, can't wait! So, which is your fave?

Family Feud

With so many people in Adam's family, laser tag is a BLAST!!! No really, a BLAST. (If it weren't so expensive, I could totally get into this game, and get nerdy about it.)

Hat Luncheon

Heidi, my sister-in-law, planned a special hat luncheon for all the girls over Thanksgiving. Everyone wore a vintage hat. Fun!

Left: Heidi wearing a fascinator. Right: Mom Moon

Left: Grandma Baier, Mom Moon's Mom. Right: Annie who would not be left out and got all dressed up too.

Left: Korina. Right: Jaimie—both girls are in-laws like me.

Left: Larissa. Right: Laurel

The lunch was catered, looked gorgeous and tasted delish.

Top it all off with a lovely, jewel themed table setting—because we girlies are all jewels.

Everyone received a special gift . . .

a jewel with our initials engraved in it.

I know Heidi put a lot of time (and money) into this. So thanks Heidi (and Travis)! Thanks for honoring us and for giving us such a wonderful memory!