July 2009 - December 2009

I haven't posted in a while. Believe it or not, we have been busy. But, really, who isn't. So in a homage to busy people, here is the last 5 months in photos:


Early August we bid so long to Nina who has headed off to get a PhD at UC Davis.

In Late August we had the MN Wedding Reception. Family, friends, pork, and a HUGE bonfire = perfect night on the farm!
Here is the new and improved Jindrich Clan at our Rehearsal Dinner.

Then the real deal. Meet Mr. and Mrs. Baum. And our little family had a photo in front of the famous Daniel Johnston mural as a Christmas gift for little Lucy!

MN Bridal Shower

Amy, my best friend and Maid of Honor, was a trooper with hayfever.
Me and my mom!
BIG thank you to Senora H (Nancy) and Rachel for being the best hostesses with the mosteses!!!

And to all the lovely ladies that joined us too! See you all in August for the MN Reception.

Grassroots Music Festival Hits Hutch!

RiverSong Festival premiers in Hutch this Summer.

Here is me, Big Pete, mom and Walllllter in front of the main stage. Mom and I volunteered all weekend.
Romantica rocked the house on Friday night.
Pert' Near Sandstone played on Saturday, four guys, amazing sound:

And good ol' Jim Post was a real hit!
For hundreds of photos go to the Flickr feed.

See you all there next year.

Why are you not blogging that much?

Because we are planning an wedding celebration and small ceremony!

Here are our two beautiful settings:

Minnesota for the BIG celebration on the "farm."
And vows on a Cape Cod beach.

So much to do, so forgive my lack of posting. I am going to be better. I promise. :)

Twins!

Over Christmas break I got the amazing pleasure of getting to meet my friend Mary Jo's twins. Here are two photos from their second day in the world. I am holding little Ben and Mom has Maddie. They are adorable!!!

Too throws a soup bowl

Amazing, they are going all high-tech up there in Minnesota!

More pictures with Auntie M and Uncle ISSB

More fun photos of the little guy over Christmas, can't get enough of him, he is way too cute.


Just got great news that there is a San Fran trip in my near future so we get to meet Little Lucy too! I love being Auntie M!!!

Winter wonderland

Sarge is wearing a tee from Michelle (in the Gallery) that says "Rudolph ain't got nothing on me" to stay warm.

Getting in the "Holiday Spirit"

We have been preparing the house for the big work Holiday Party that we are hosting this coming Friday at Pi Milton.

We have been getting some little things crossed off the "weekend-warrior list."

One chore I have been waiting to cross off since they day we moved in (over 16 months ago) is painting the front door. Zen rule says that red doors are welcoming.

And then I got to baking. We are going to be giving holiday cookies to everyone as they leave the party and we have a few neighbors who really like the gingerbread with maple frosting. (Pictured are shortbread trees with red rum and green vanilla frosting. Then there are gingerbread trees with maple cinnamon frosting. And there are also chocolate espresso logs. And then ISSB’s cookie of the month: triple chocolate – he went out with a bang.)

I even used my new Clay Coyote Saucepan as double boiler for the chocolate topping.

These are more like biscotti:
And I finally finished re-stitching all the stockings for Christmas in Minnesota. What do you think of my nephew's train?
And, then to top off a day in the kitchen, I used my Clay Coyote Chicken Baker to make ISSB and me a very tasty dinner. (In case you are wondering we used Firemans #4.)
Overall, a very productive weekend.

Austin Empty Bowl, and how to get some bowls for Christamas!

The weekend before Thanksgiving, I participated in the Austin Empty Bowl Project put on by the Austin Food Bank. It was an amazing project and it let me do some of my favorite things:

1. I got to volunteer to help fight hunger in America.
2. I got to eat great soup and bread from good restaurants around Austin.
   
3. I got to meet new, cool people.
4. And here is the BIG one, I got to shop for pottery.

Not only did I get two little bowls that were made by Art Students at the Austin Museum of Art, I also was the winning silent bid on a great set of bowls by a local Austin potter.

The line around the building snaked. Some people waited in line for more than two hours.
But, the "Bowl" doesn't happen for another year. So if you want to shop for great pottery this year. I have some recommendations.

1. As always, I am shamelessly promoting Mom and Tom's pottery, the Clay Coyote. See a great post on their blog about what they have available for the holidays.
   
2. But, let me let you in on a couple of other amazing potters that you can order in the Gallery:
   
1. Crystal Pottery: I would go for this bowl. It is perfect for stews and soups this holiday season and it will be great for mixing things (like cookie/bread dough) later in the year. I could have really used a bowl this big last week at Thanksgiving when I was mixing up the stuffing.
   
2. Hank Goodman: I consider myself a "Hank girl." I love this guy, I love his pots and I really love his blue and brown glazes. Just take a look at all the serving pieces he has. I am telling you, bake some cookies, put them on a Hank tray and wrap it up for your favorite person...you will be loved!
   
3. Last bit of fun, this year you have another fun reason to come out to the Clay Coyote and shop! I will be there working in the Gallery for three weeks. Starting December 17th, going until the 4th of January you can come visit with me. I will have cookies, wine, witty conversation and ISSB and Sarge the Wonder Dog will be there too! (Heck if you are lucky you can see my brother, my nephew, and my sister-in-law.)
   

So really, after this post, how can you not want to come out to the Gallery to see me later this month? And, if you can come - visit them online (one last shameless plug!).

Minnesota for the NCMR

I keep going back to the NCMR and each year it keeps getting better and better.

This year, however, it was in my home state of Minnesota and it was fun to host my coworkers in the Land of Lakes.

On the conference, all I can recommend is that you go to this site and watch some of the powerful speakers. My favorite of the weekend was Van Jones, but his speech isn’t up there yet.

On the homefront, we had a blast. Not only did I get to spend time with my coworkers, I also got to spend time with my mom, Too and Amy.

On Sunday when the conference was all said and done we went to uptown and walked over to Lake Calhoun and watched the people go by and the boats sit still as the wind was non existent.
It was a great conference and trip! I wonder where we will go next year!

Last weekend in April: MinneSNOWta?

Last week in April, flowers blooming, spring showers, 94 degrees in Sunny Austin (a little too hot for me, donchaknow)…and we were making our way to the Spring Open House at the Clay Coyote.

My mom actually told us NOT to pack coats. Please take a moment to take in the photos below:

Yes, folks, that is a blizzard in April. FYI: ISSB is NEVER going to want to move here.

We still had the Open House albeit a bit slower than usual. So all you Minnesotans out there, if you didn’t make it (1) no one blames you the weather was crap, and (2) all will be forgiven if you pop over to the Clay Coyote’s brand new website and rack up a hefty order. I highly recommend the new Dessert Heart jewelry and any pottery in this section.

The visiting artists for the weekend were:

Don Cherney from Clayton WI will bring his cast pewter jewelry and his lovely wife, Sharon Cherney with her leather bags and purses.
See Sarge the Gallery Dog in the back, lapping up the free scratches? He was, as always, a hit!
Patti Berg, from Embarrass, MN and her really cool hats.
Clay Coyote Open House, long-timer, goldsmith Patty Conlin. And Hutch local, Tom Soucek and his watercolors.
Here are Rachel and Mom (the one that looks like me) taking a hug break in the packing and shipping department. Open House weekend always calls for more hugs.Over all, although a bit chilly, it was a lovely trip to see Mom, Too, and the rest of the Clay Coyote family.!!!

Too, its a trend

I think that the saying goes: one its a fluke, two its a trend, three its an epidemic.

Well, its something like that.He's Minnesotan, donchaknow.

Sorry about the hiatus....

As you can tell from the post below, we lost my grandpa last week. Seems like a whirlwind since then. I went home to my mom's at a moment's notice. I got back, have been at a conference in town the last few days and leave to NYC tomorrow for the CU Annual Meeting. I have been very insular the last few weeks and posting to the phlog has been the last thing on my mind. I hope that you will understand and send good vibes our way.

More photos and notes after the trip East when I can finally unpack and get back on schedule.

That time of year...Fall Open House

I love Minnesota in the fall. Leaves turn colors there, unlike Texas, where the choices are green or brown. Heck, it is still over 90F. How can I even be thinking about Fall? Well, I can because I just saw the blog post over at the Clay Coyote Gallery telling me it is that time of year, time for the Fall Open House. (Unfortunately, I am not going to get to go this year -- so won't you go for me?)

Ah, fall. I really miss the other seasons. Ian and I got in to this discussion recently (pre-coffee on the way in to work - so don't hold me accountable for accuracy). Anyways, he is a summer man, I am a four seasons kind of girl - makes you appreciate the rest of them. And my argument is you can always put more cloths on and stoke a fire. There comes a point in the Texas heat where you are just naked and there is nothing you can do about it because even the pools and lakes are 85F. My logic is sound.

What time is it?

Time for a new camera!

Thanks to Too, this year for Christmas I was blessed with a brand new camera. Now, if you ever thought to yourself “Morgan takes really crappy pictures” I feel your pain and I would like to place the majority of the blame on my Kodak Easy Share (don’t laugh) 2.0MP that I got for free the Christmas of 2003 (It came with my Dell computer – again from Mom and Too).

Now I am the proud owner of a Canon Power Shot 7.1MP and it is a mighty fine camera! Wow. The photos are amazingly clear and crisp. The colors are spectacular. So why, you ask, if I have had it since Christmas, did I not take it to Memphis? And why haven’t you seen any of the fruits from this new camera? Well, when you get a fancy new camera with all the bells and whistles, you also have to take some quality time to figure out how to work the bugger. Thanks to the debilitating snow storm in Austin, today is the day. I have been snapping a few photos here and there – take a look at what this baby can do:

Sarge's first Christmas.Picking up everyone for our first New Year in Austin. Jax and French...Then Erica (unfortunatly Micah had to work).
The New Year Party at the Driskil.

Amazing short of the old tin ceiling.

Party girl...
Post party Mr. and Ms. Quad.
Sarge was sad I was going to Memphis with out him.
Oh, I wanted to take him along!
Stay tuned for many more to come!