will someone pass the peanut butter?

Despite what the USDA says, I believe food can be divided into three groups:

• Good-Good Food = tasty and healthy [i.e. a pear and goat cheese salad]
• Good-Bad Food = tasty, but unhealthy [i.e. chicken tenders and fries]
• Bad-Bad Food = neither particularly tasty, nor healthy [see illustration]

While I love spending time with my parents, their quick-picnic is certainly a smorgasbord of the later. I like to pride myself on not being a snob...and I'll never pass up a can of Coke or an Oreo...but potted meat, that's another story.

fresh from the farm

Now this is something that doesn't show up in your mailbox everyday.

Last spring when my college friend Awena posted a photo of the blackberries she'd just picked from her farm on Facebook, I left a comment regarding my craving for berries. Two days later, this package landed at my doorstep.

This February Awena welcomed her own little baby boy into the world. While I don't have any blackberries to send in celebration, I hope I can eventually come up with something just as sweet.

sweet and savory

Julie Andrews didn't include 'dinners in tupperware containers' among her favorite things, but then again she never came home from the hospital with two babies. If she did, the lyrics would surely change.

Advice from the trenches: never underestimate the healing power of a prepared meal. I had NO IDEA how amazing it was to have friends bring dinner during the first days of parenthood until, well, my first days of parenthood. Thank you, thank you, thank you to the many [Debbie, Tim, Jo, Michelle, Barbara, Sarah Margaret, Addie, Megan, Claire, Matt, Cathrine, Eric...] who took the time to fill our bellies in those early weeks and especially to Patrick, who thought to coordinate a dinner delivery schedule. So smart!

diagram of an italian dinner

One of the things that I appreciate the most about Italian cuisine is the freshness of the food and the slow pace at which the dining experience moves along. But, after dealing with delayed and long international flights, the last thing you may want to do is to take your time at the dinner table... you just want to crash. After traveling for almost 24 hours, I decided to dine at the hotel before catching up on sleep in my room. I'm pretty certain dinner took nearly 2.5 hours and I believe this is what may have happened...

spice girl

After taking some time off, Baby Crocker is once again attempting to crawl out from that awkward drawer underneath the oven and cook for her family.

Let's hope Rachael Ray can help with this revival.

brown knight + pf changs

In the last two months, Suzanne's mom broke her ankle...bummer; and my mom broke her wrist...double bummer. As they both recover, they deserve extra care and attention. On Tuesday, Suzanne and I decided to give my mom a surprise visit in Raleigh along with takeout from P.F. Changs. She was so pleased! and so were we.

strawberry bits forever

...waiting for the compost.

please tell me you can relate.

We have nothing sweet in our house right now, so I'm satisfying my sweet tooth with a handful [or two] of semi-sweet chocolate chips I purchased to make this [so, so good! one of my favorite bread machine recipes yet!]. Drawing the bag is my penance.

Reminds me of being in middle school, coming home at the end of the day and in a ravenous-adolescent-state raiding the kitchen cabinets for snacks. Anything. I remember eating dry oatmeal a time or two...

Yes Alex, I'll take 'Things I Probably Shouldn't Divulge' for 1,000.

Hope your weekend is full of sweet treats!

sour and sweet

The same holds true for blueberries; green apples; red, blue and pink flav-or-ices; and sour gummy worms.

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On a less sour note, my friend MaryBeth is running a fun giveaway over at her blog A Yankee in Rebel Clothes. MaryBeth has been spending a lot of time behind a camera lately and you're invited to stop by and reap the fruits of her labor. Check out the full details here.

from key's barber shop to emma key's flat top grill

As Suzanne and I searched for a place to eat Friday evening, we were happy to discover that Key's Barber Shop on Walker Ave. has been transformed into Emma Key's Flat Top Grill... as well as the fact that the 1957 building's character has been both preserved and celebrated in this tasteful renovation.

Not to mention that the tuna melt and grilled cheese were on point!

mint chocolate chip

I can't get enough of this type of ice cream lately. So much so that I dreamt about it last night, along with cookies and cream and my sister giving me tips on how to be a hot mama...but that's another post completely! [Though if you do happen to have some tips, I'm happy to listen :)]

Thank you all SO much for your sweet comments regarding our latest news. I'll be the first to admit that of all the possible gender combinations, two boys is the one I feel the least prepared for [especially having grown up in a family of all girls]...but, I'm all for the challenge! Not to mention, I've been told that little boys are the best snugglers, a trait I'm happy to foster!

sweet tea affirmations

Today is going to be a good day. Caffeine helps.

So does this:

Stay tuned today. More inspiration on the way.

early to rise

It's 8:45 in the morning, and I've already been to a bakery and drawn a page full of cupcakes. The good news is that I didn't EAT the page full of cupcakes. Though, I can't lie, I was tempted.

These beautiful gems are the product of Delicious, a bakery near my house that is well on it's way to becoming my favorite remote office. They have the most incredible selection of treats and, oddly enough, their fountain drinks taste like coffee...which I like! Perhaps it's an added dose of caffeine.

So, which of these cupcakes do you want for dessert?

variations on a theme

I've been drawing so, so, so much this week! I apologize that I haven't been nearly as proficient at sharing these sketches, but all in good time...

Lately, I've found myself doing a lot of overlapping drawings. I'm not sure what has inspired this, but I'm digging the confusion of the lines. This is from a meeting earlier in the week:

...and this from night before last when Edgar prepared dinner.

Yes, he cooked while I drew. Amazing.

yesterday

a muffin that has little to do with anything

I may be 30, but today I have the attention span of a 3-year-old...a 3-year-old that needs a nap. It's not good. I'm hoping for better luck tomorrow, with the restored ability to carry on an adult conversation. Caffeine is certain to play a role.

Stay tuned. I'm not giving up...only napping.

cereal with a side of comments

Thank you for your wonderful feedback regarding yesterday's post. There seems to be an overwhelming consensus that Dr. Mills was speaking about more creative minds than his own...and mine...thank goodness! They say misery loves company, but I think the same goes for lack-of-focus :)

As I mentioned before, it is my hope to share more of these thoughtful journal entries, but first, I'd like to get Dr. Mills permission. And, as you'll see in yesterday's comments, I now have a way of getting in touch! More to come...

welcome to moe's!

If you've been wanting to draw more out in public, but feel nervous about doing so, might I make a suggestion? Sunday afternoon at Moe's. This is where I sketched and painted [the little clear cups for salsa also work well for watercolors] for nearly 45 minutes yesterday, going almost completely unnoticed with the exception of Jonathan and Grayson [left-side] and a curious gentleman to my right [not pictured] who would quickly look away every time our eyes met. There were SO many children and SO many parents...all blissfully unaware of my existence. It was great. Quite possibly the perfect drawing scenario.

See the sketch larger here.

my morning vice

I've actually done a decent job ignoring the Nutella. This, however, remains a problem.

Please tell me I'm not alone...

when you care enough to send ham

I'm going to go ahead and state what the lack of activity around here has made painfully obvious : lately, I have been feeling crummy. Really crummy. However, I think I'm on the mend. At least I'm crossing my fingers that I am. You're crossing your fingers too...right?

I think it is a good sign that for the first time in a month, I feel like drawing. Maybe I'm back to being my normal self. OR perhaps the contents of the sweet care package from my dad were just too good to pass up...a classic assortment of pure southern goodness that only my dad would put together.

And yes, that's ham...