Story of Stuff

Wade and I always laugh at ourselves because when it is nice outside we say..."It's a beautiful day... let's go shopping!" We are such consumerists. Target is just down the street from us and let's just say I go there way more than is necessary. I've got to check out that new Issac Mizrahi blouse that is advertised for only $30! Or I need to get the super pack of garbage bags to put in my over-sized plastic target bag to take home so I can open it to fill my giant plastic garbage bin with a new shiny plastic liner so I can throw away more plastic bags and waste. Seriously I hate how they bag your items. Target needs a green committee....don't the employee's know how hip it is to be green? None of this one item per huge target bag. It seems every time I go there, especially when I don't have any idea of what I am going to buy, I end up leaving spending at least $30. Actually with all the hiked up prices these days, $50 is the new $30. So let's say I don't leave without spending $50. Those Thomas O' Brien mid-century modern knock offs get me every time. My kids too are a perfect example of how well the big box store brings out their inner consumerist. Thomas talks about Target and whenever he wants something in his mind it is simple. "Mom, we go Targit get new one?" Ella too has said more that once... "Target has everything mom let's just go there!" I hate that they say these things so freely and conclusively. I want them to say instead... "Mom, let's go out to our beautiful garden and pick those eggplants that we planted together months ago and then come in the house and make that eggplant marinara recipe from Mark Bittman's new cookbook." Or instead of them wanting a new toy they would say... "Mom, just a minute, I'm going to go in the backyard and make a scooter out of the wooden milk crate and leftover supplies we have lying around in the backyard."

I remembered reading my dear friend Valerie's blog months ago (she is my source for all that is green) and her link to the story of stuff. I was so moved by this presentation that I want EVERYONE to see it. I refer to it every time I have a greedy, must have moment. Ella watched it with me and even though she didn't understand all of it she got the basics. It outlines our stuff-obsessed, consumer driven culture and exposes the real cost of the use-it and lose-it approach to stuff. It made me realize our big tower of a computer is okay and we don't need Apple's latest, greatest, fastest, sleekest, titanium beauty. So check this out! It is only 20 minutes and one of the best 20 minutes I've ever spent.

*The part on planned and perceived obsolescence blows my mind. I never even knew what this was before.

my little man turns 3

Things I don't want to forget about you at this age...

the way I want to eat you up every time I see you ~ the way you squint just your right eye when you are thinking about something or telling me something important ~ your callics around your forehead ~playing mama and baby humpback whale with you ~ you use your eyebrows alot when expressing yourself just like your dad ~ how you hold up all your fingers when you tell me that there is more than one of something. ~ your stubborn like me ~ you have a great sense of humor ~ the way you notice details ~ you are always asking what animals eat ~ you asking me what every truck you see carries ~ when we go to a restaurant you are always the last one to be eating~ the way you make that car sound whenever you get on your bike ~ you telling me to sing the cowboy song before you go to bed ~ your laugh is infectious and your smile is a killer~ you have a seriousness about you ~ you love to shop at target ~ the way you talk alot when you get excited ~ I love playing talking eyelids with you. Your left eye is the girl and the right eye is a boy, then you use your hand to move your eyelids up and down and say..."Hey, what your name?"~ the way you move your hands very carefully and precisely when you are playing with a toy ~ you have tickle spots all over your body~ you are picky about the way your food is presented ~ you are careful yet you still try and imitate your daring, spazzy sister ~ you love scoop and lofty ~ you pay attention to sounds and can memorize a song in a snap ~ you care about others even though sometimes you pretend not to ~ you are snuggly~ you are my boy and I love you... happy birthday.

The resolution on this video is not good, I wish you could see the real thing...also wade wrote about the party here...

collage paper dolls

My goal for the summer is two art projects a week with the kids and my neighbor girls. This last one was a blast and I wanted to post our results. Thomas was a little too young for this one so he spent most of his time just cutting up paper or eating Life cereal. Grab all your old magazines and start cutting out a head, legs, arms, shapes, colors, textures anything you think will make a good body part for your doll. Stephanie used a picture of Thomas' head for her doll. I chose good ol' Abe's head from this months Newsweek. Ella chose an American girl doll head from the catalogue.Once you have assembled your doll glue your pieces to cardboard and cut them out. Then you make a hole using a tiny flathead screwdriver in each spot where you want your doll to move. (This part was the hardest for Ella so I ended up doing it for her.) Once you have made the hole insert brass fasteners (found at any office supply store) into each hole. Once you have attached each limb with a fastener you are ready for a groovy puppet show!

wool bonnet and booties in july

Welcome to the world little girl! Wade's brother Troy and Gloria had their baby yesterday. This bonnet and bootie set will be for the winter months in Colorado 6 months from now.
By the way, knitting winter wear in July makes one sweat. Even the weight of the yarn ball on your lap makes you hot. These will go in the mail soon...we have one more thing to add to it. Much love and many congrats and we hope to see you soon!

self pity

Swiggans was our fat, self indulgent, grouchy, skitzophrenic cat that wanted to be left alone. She would lounge in your lap and bask in your love one second and then the next second would take a bite at your gentle loving hand. (I still loved her unconditionally by the way.) But back to my point...let's just call me Kath McSwiggans as of late. It's this motherhood/wife/ housekeeper thing...it just ain't no walk in the park. Lately I feel like whenever anyone is demanding something from me, I don't want to be bothered. Like their very presence is putting me out. No, i don't want to change your peed in bed again and no I don't want to get you another popsicle. I even feel this way when they aren't demanding things from me. This in turn makes me feel guilty because I usually enjoy spending time with the fam. I don't normally share too much of my innards on this blog but i don't feel like writing it anywhere else. I'm hoping I'll read this tomorrow and be like...eeeewww.

So I need to work on this yelling thing. It seems I have been doing more and more of it lately. Even Wade pointed it out. The days keep getting longer, hotter and more humid and the kids seem to get louder, more clingy and just down right more bratty. This combo of weather and sticky, loud children makes my voice escalate. It's not a good discipline strategy either. In fact, I think its purpose is negated by the fact that my kids don't even listen or notice that I am yelling anymore because I'm doing it all the time anyway. Okay, so tomorrow I will stop the yelling even if Thomas and Ella bite each others head off and knock down the house with their stomping feet. I'll just let it happen.

I'm a horrible housekeeper. I just can't seem to get my shit together. (Sorry for the swears mom) If I was just more organized. Let's face it, I'm just not a type A person. To me being Type A is exhausting . It's the day after day monotony of keeping house. Where's Alice when I need her? I get motivated for a few days to have that put together house, but then I get bored with it so all the little things that keep the house together start to build up and then the mail piles up next to the laundry. Boring. So then all the questions start coming from my mouth and everyone else's mouth that I live with like... "Where's my......? , "Has anyone seen my......?" "Now where in the world did I put my.....?" and so on.

What's my deal? Do I officially dislike (hate is too strong a word) my children now? Does the thought of sweeping under the dining room table for the upteenth time make me want to ralph? It's not as if I'm deprived. I take the kids out. I get out as an adult enough. I eat lots of nummy foods. My colitis has been in remission for some time now but I still have the attitude of McSwiggans. (may her soul rest in peace). I don't know, I'm just glad to be going to Utah in a couple weeks. I need some good ol open Utah space. I want to see my family. I want my mommy. I need to go to bed. Goodnight poor me. whooooa- us me.

My shadow boxes were featured on The Crafty Crow! So cool. If you haven't checked out the site you should do so! There are so many great ideas, crafts, projects and links for kids that it will make your eyeballs melt. In fact I get sensory overload and then I freak out because I want to do every project that I see. Now if I could only figure out how to add the cool little logo thingy to my sidebar. Anyone know? Adam help me?

Thomas dabbles in the avant-garde

I'm knitting in bed and realize it has been quiet in the house for sometime. Moments later Thomas comes into the room and tells me to come see McDonalds. It was apparent from his impish grin that there was something heavy going down. He comes closer to me and as I look down I see that his hands are covered with a brown something. It was a dried brown something, then the dried brown something smell became obvious. All Thomas could say was "Mc Donald's, McDonald's!" I follow his plea to come see McDonald's. He guides me to thenext room and low and behold blazed on the white tile floor were the McDonald's golden arches. The brown something had been smeared just so...two brown arches in all their glory. Oh and what a perfect medium it was. Forget those lame crayola finger paints, it was just the texture he needed to create his masterpiece. He had undoubtedly channeled his inner dadaist and was proud of it. After the initial shock and the why oh why's the reality of it all sets in and I begin the arduous task of clean up. I grab Thomas and before he knows it he is in the bath tub surrounded in bubbles. Scrub, scrub scrub his skin. Scrub, scrub, scrub his fingernails. I then follow his trail from my bedroom to the artist's temporary installation. Scrubbing walls and floors along the way....just in case. I won't even tell you what room it was in, just in case you might visit my house someday, but I was thankful the arches weren't smeared just east where the carpet lies. That would have been something. Thankfully the tile was an easy clean up. Oh and thankfully I could put a check on my child's enrichment chart for art project completed for the day. Duchamp would have been proud. Or would he have? McDonald's should at least be proud of their logo marketing department and the profound affect it has on children. After all was said and done we made a trip to our local library that afternoon and checked out the Japanese book Everybody Poops and Frankel's Once Upon a Potty. We still have some potty training to do.

rock shows that rule!

Inspired by Nick Hornby's top list's in High Fidelity and my recent Rilo Kiley experience I decided it would be fun to conjure up some tops list's for live shows. After writing them up I realized it wasn't always the quality of the music that made the list, but the memory of the night. The timing, who I was with, my age, my emotions... those things combined with the venue, good atmosphere, good sound (or bad sound)..you know...when the stars align to make up a perfect show, a show that stays with you into the next day into the week and over time to make up an awesome memory. As the daddy of rock n' roll says.. Rock over London. Rock on Chicago. Rock on Salt Lake City. Rock on. This is fun...here it goes...

Top ten live shows

1. Bob Dylan Deer Valley SLC 2002
2. Iris Dement Teluride Bluegrass festival 1994
3. Mojave 3, Sheer and Lush DV8 SLC 1996
4. Sunny Day Real Estate SLC 1998
5. Nanci Griffith Royal Albert Hall London 1995
6. Low at Moroccon SLC 1998
7. Lucinda Williams Red Butte Gardens SLC 2004
8. Sigur Ros Beacon Theater NYC 2002
9. John Denver Galivan Center SLC 1995
10. Sunfall Festival Mama's Cafe Provo

I can't do just ten... 5 more for a bonus?...

11. Maya Shore The Station Provo 1999
12. Joanna Newsom Urban Lounge SLC 2003
13. Rilo Kiley Greek theater Los Angeles 2008
14. Mogwai Las Vegas 2003
15. Lyle Lovett Wolf Mountain 1993

Honorable Mention

1. Chinese Michael Jackson at the Lido Hotel Bejing China 1992
2. That Dog at the Big Ass Show 1997
3. Interpol Curiosa 2004
4. Icu some festival show in CA 2000
5. Pychedelic Furs DV8 2004
6. John Prine Symphony Hall Salt Lake City 2000
7. Devotchka Barnsdall Art Park Los Angeles 2007
8. Beck on the Midnite Vultures tour SLC 2000
9. Emmylou Harris Thanksgiving Point 2001
10. Lift to Experience SLC 2000

Top 5 most disappointing live shows (the stars did not a align for one reason or another)

1. Red House Painters SLC 1996
2. Cat Power DV8 2003
3. Elliott Smith UofU 2004
4. Modest Mouse Bricks 2003
5. Bonnie Prince Billy 2004

Top 5 + 2 rockstars I need to see before the world ends...

1. Neil Young
2. Flaming Lips
3. Explosions in the Sky
4. U2
5. Stephen Merritt
6. Innocence Mission
7. Tom Waits

Oh yeah, and Prince! Oh yeah, and the Cocteau Twins, oh yeah, and the Yeah Yeah Yeah's!

Happy 4th!

Ella with an orange crush mustache and stomachache holding her 4th of July rose. Thomas hot and sweaty gripping tight to his flag so sister won't steal it again.

Happy 4th of July to one and all!