Gingerbread House Fun!

Last night I was invited to a gingerbread house making party. It was so much fun. I was told to bring the pre-made kits they sell at the grocery and craft stores but hey, I'm an Art Teacher, man! They might take away my Art Teacher badge of awesomeness if I bought any kind of kit. I also decided that I was not going to make the traditional gingerbread house. Oh no. I set out to create my own inspired by the great architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. This was going to be a modern style gingerbread house. So I compiled chocolate grham crackers, frosting, boston baked beans, good n' plenty, and fruit by the foot! I used the good n' plenty candy for a cool tiled roof. The boston baked beans, which I loved to eat as a kid, were used as cobblestones. If you don't know, boston baked beans are a candy coated peanut that I used to buy at the gas station up the street from me on my walk home from school. The fruit by the foot, which is made really weird nowadays, was used as super modern striped paneling on the sides of the house. However, the other gingerbread house goers thought it looked more like bacon, haha. I agree. I just used frosting to "glue" everything together and it seemed to work really well. The way I situated the grham crackers made a nice skylight on the roof that I left open. I think if I were to go further I would make a stained glass (sugar candy glass) window panel. Maybe next year. For now, it is sitting on top of my toaster oven. Every time I walk by it I think of Frank Lloyd Wright, and also think about taking a bite : )

Throwing Bread and Talking to Myself

Now, since I check my site meter once in a while, I have come to realize that I'm basically talking to myself out here in the big old world of blogs. Oh and to my one friend/follower Nfall2rt checks it out once in a while, thanks Nfall2rt! That said, I would like to find a way to get more followers. I had more people reading visiting my art blog that I basically ignored for months on end. Am I boring? Is my biggest worry in life actually coming true, that according to my bro I'm the only one who thinks I'm funny? Thanks bro. Anywho, I'm going to continue to post if not only to amuse myself, which is my MO anyway : ) Maybe along the way I'll find a way to gain some readership.

Ok, on to the throwing bread part of the ramblings! Ever since I moved back to the great state of Iowa, I have been invited a number of times to Friday night dinners put on by a very kind family. I've been a few times since being back and must say i'ts always really fun. There are a lot of them and I think that makes it extra fun. Last night I decided to join them for dinner again and I've come to expect two things that will always happen at this dinner. 1. The Challah (a jewish twisted delicious bread) will be torn apart, dipped in salt and tossed to you like a baseball. You must catch it without letting it hit the full wine glasses on the table and you must aviod any of the salt flying to hit you in the eye! It's truly what I look forward to, so fun. And 2. The grandmother from Israel will always pull me aside, give me a kiss on each cheek and tell me I will find a man soon! Last night it was, "you will get married next month!" Hahaha, I think she's getting impatient! lol. But sadly no, I won't be getting married next month (sorry mom).

Allergies are the devil and I love cheese!

So, it's 10:30 on a Saturday night and i'm back at home. I left at 7:00 to go to a wine, cheese, and chocolate party a friend was having that I'd been looking forward to all week. I was having such a good time when my allergies started acting up because they have 3 cats. I totally forgot they had cats (haven't been over there in a while) and I was just dying because I didn't take an allergy pill. I'm really really sensitive. I was kind of embarrassed that I had to leave only 2 hours after the party when the wine was flowing and everyone was having a good time. My throat was closing up and I was sneezing all the way to my car. I just hate when allergies interfere with fun. Anywho, while I was there I had some awesome cheese and wine. It was funny, everyone went to the Gateway Market to get their cheese but no one brought the same cheese! I got assistance from the cheese man who was quite knowledgeable and kinda cute too! I personally brought prarie breeze cheese made from cow's milk. It was quite tasty! I do love cheese. In undergrad we were assigned to write a 3 page paper on anything we did over the summer, anything. I went to Italy and ate tons of cheese, and drank a lot of wine too. I love cheese so I wrote a paper on all the cheese I tasted and people thought I was crazy. I maintain it's a masterpiece to this very day : )

Zen Garden Halloween Costume

Yay Halloween! For the last 3 or 4 years one of my best friends and her husband have their annual awesome Halloween parties that I have always missed because I lived a thousand miles away and since I moved back I actually get to attend this year! In past years I offered to send a life sized photo of myself as a stand in at the party. I always pictured other friends taking pictures with my stand in! But that never happened. I never actually blew up a life size photo of myself, instead I just longed for the coolest party in Des Moines. So, now that I'm back, i'm going all out...in wierdness that is. I tried to come up with something no one else would think of. One year I went to a Halloween party as Mary Katherine Gallager from SNL and the freaking amazing movie "Superstar" which was fun but not that innovative. I thought this year I would either go as the Redbox movie rental aparatus or a zen garden. The decision was held at bay for a while and made at the very last minute and you guessed it zen garden won! I'm basically hanging a foamcore board around my neck with velcroed rocks, glued down sandpaper, a mini Chinese pagoda and my very own handmade sand rake. That's right, i'm interactive! My guess is that i'll get some best costume award votes. Either that or the lamest costume in the room and who is that person who's never been to these parties before votes. Either way, a vote's a vote : )