I show and then I tell

This is my 2005 calender of  'Andy Warhol's Cats' that I kept and kept because I love love love them!  Many months ago I decided I would start buying cheap wood frames at the local WM in twos or threes each month until I had all twelve!  My pocketbook hardly felt a thing!  So then, several moons later they have arrived up on my wall(thanks to a suction cup laser level wielding husband) in the dining room.  YEAHH!  My kikies!  

I just realized I would have the most ultimately boring  show on HGTV. "And now it's time for 'Wait to Decorate' -with your host, The Laxadazical Shan!  Oh, she's sleeping?  Tune in next time to see if Shan makes us 'Wait to Decorate'.  That girl's slow as Molasses." 

But, I am happy to stare at my wall-o-cats, and I do feel like I may even up the pace on my next project.  I don't know though, sometimes it's best not to rush in.  I'm no fool after all. 

Dogwoodsing around

I've been neglecting my own site again with all of my traipsing about, so I have come to share my weekend in photos.  Wouldn't it be a more perfect world if I could whip out a handicapped blogger sticker and suddenly the photo would park right where I wanted it to instead of always loading on top?  Say....maybe I could go from back to front and start posting in opposite order and plug in the words later....yes, yeeess.  Ok then, I'll pretend like I'm reading a magazine because for some reason I tend to go at those backwards....  

Oh sorry, are you still reading?  On with the photos!

What does that guy symbolize to the people of my town?  No, not Howard's End, but good guess.  He is our very own Amish version of Anthony Hopkins who comes to town once a year to stir up some delicious kettle korn for the many thousands of tourists visiting Siloam Springs for the Dogwood festival.  Sure, there are other staples at the festival each year, but none have quite the flair of Sir Anthony stirring up the corn.

 Unless you were to consider the local performers. 

 Our Ratchet and his Tae-Kwon-Do group showed us some of their moves and here he can be seen kickin' it to the man!  "The man" in this case is Casey, my BFF Becky's husband who was kind enough to be kicked at repeatedly by all the various dangerous feet on showcase. 

The crowd seemed almost horrified at all the violent board breaking ;)

And so, on to a gentler prettier act with Becky's daughter clogging her heart out to some country music and looking as effortless as they come.  I took this part in video but alas, it goes beyond my skills to share moving pictures.

Somewhere in the middle of the clogging they invited the audience children to come up and dance and my cool young Ratchet sauntered up(restraining a run) and gave a few efforts toward clogging.  Then, suddenly he whips out the worm and gives everyone a surprise!  I knew it was all he could do to hold back the full Travolta! :D BaHA!

And since I'm making it sound like the whole festival revolved around my family and friends, here we are.

Here's the young version of Beck and I that get along every bit as well as the originals in the next picture.  

There was only one good day for the festival this year as Friday it rained and Sunday it was pretty cold, but we made the most of Saturday and took it all in tourist style!

 Hope you enjoyed this small trip to my town as well! I'll finish this post in photos with one last picture of a guy who pulled up as we were leaving. He mistook the festival to be a woods for dogs instead. Oh well, there were plenty of other canines there feeling just as duped.

HAPPY MONDAY ALL!!! 

Pause for Station Identification...

Ok, guys and gals.  I don't have much awake time left in my day today so I'm gonna make this a quickie.  It's time once again for me to  take off the old comfy sweatshirt hoodie and hang it back in the closet, because THE PURPLE PIMP JACKET is coming out again!  OH YEAH!! 

 It's time to take a gander at my husbands music site.  And your gonna want to look long and hard because he's got about 50 songs on there that he has constructed in the confines of his tiny studio right above me, entirely alone!

I know. You're wondering what it would take to outfit yourself  in this sweet sweet ride of digital musicality.  But the thing is IT'S  $$$ FREE!!  I'm not gonna charge you a shiny penny for any amount of downloads you embark on.  And don't worry if your tastes lean in a limited direction.  Jamey has M.M.P.D  (Multiple music personality disorder), so he spans the gamut from techno to acoustic- all the way to hand raising praise music.  THE CHOICE IS YOURS for the mixin' Maestro!  Can I call you Maestro?  

So take a look  and see what the husby is made of at: JAMEYCLAY.COM

They're COMING!!!!

Oooh, it's a dark and gloomy Tuesday morning and I just had a quick scare.  It is the season of Spring that gets me on edge.  What was that?  Oh, I thought that piece of fuzz in the corner was a spider.  WAIT!   I just blew on it and it IS!!  Oh man, here we go! 

 

That was just one reenactment of how Spring recently started for me.  Oh sure, I love the flowers in full bloom on the trees outside my house.  I love that little glimmer of interest I get in gardening when the weather is perfectly temperate.  I love taking the kids to the park leisurely glancing over my book at them as one continually rescues the other from a perilous hanging from high places on the jungle gym, feet scrambling and screaming.  Oh the pure bliss of fresh air and outdoors and silly offspring!  *INHALE*

But then there ARE those bugs.  First it's the flies.  Then a butterfly or two-but who doesn't like those really? Now, my nemesis the grasshopper has arrived back in town. I know this because one almost caused me to make a scene in the entrance at Wal-Mart yesterday as I started to barrel in for groceries.  There HE was, as long as my middle finger and just as vicious a gesture, daring me to cart around him on either side.  I didn't have the proper birth I needed to safely pass him so I froze abruptly.  And just stared, wondering if we could go yet another day without groceries.  Then, I looked around to see if  anyone was taking notice of my dilemma.  Sadly, I mean, ahem, fortunately, no one shared my quandary.  So I slowly backed the cart away from the hideous stiff backed mirador and went in front of the checkers clearly shaken that even my fluorescent lit "indoors" is no reprieve from the creachsters of Spring.

 But alas, when it's time for the spiders to rear their ugly heads and head  right into my house, there really is no safety for Shan anymore.  I'm on edge and I'm wearing shoes(and maybe gloves)-at all times. 

 Last year at some point, and I don't know if Jamey believes me on this one, I had developed such a keen eye for spiders I could ALWAYS find one( my record was three at once-shiver) just sitting by the baseboards, ready to dart at first look.  And no, I'm not crazy I killed several of these such evil-doers myself out of desperation to escape their venomous clutches! 

You see here at my house, the ONLY spider that ever wants to actually live with us is the BROWN RECLUSE!  The same ROTyourFlesh RECLUSE that almost killed my hearty chihuahua a few years ago!  These are not the dear sweet Julia Robert's voiced Charlotte's that add personality(if you go for that sort of thing)to your garden.  Nope.  These are slightly more cupboard hiding and well...FLESH ROTTING!!  So I wear shoes because I want to keep my toes, as silly as it sounds. And, as soon as I see the second brown and ugly, I'm fogging the place-ECO or not!

A quick (read: not well composed or proofed) HELLO.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry.  I don't really have my usual leisurely schedule this morning for making a fresh new and colorful post.  I really need to jump up and run to town(a bigger one) and do a little belated birthday shopping for Bleu for our dinner and a movie outing tomorrow night.  

Oh, I also need to pick up a bicycle (in an even farther town) that is getting purtied up for Jamey so we can pretend to be "The Outdoorbergs" again, before the flaming heat of summer sends us running back to our computer chairs;** comfortably donning our original names " The Sedentarybergs".  

Most importantly though, I need to check in on my dear young brother-in-law who is really suffering from a sudden illness of unknown origin.   He is in the hospital with a high fever and much pain with what seemed at first like a reaction to a spider bite(recluse), but has mimicked the Malaria he has had in the past.  My hubby's family spent many years in Papua New Guinea and are no strangers to tropical invaders.  The blood tests have gone to big cities everywhere for analysis and we are extremely anxious to get a diagnosis and a treatment plan that works.  I mention this more personal bit of info as a request for prayer for our brother.  I know I have many wonderful praying friends and relatives who might join me in lifting J up to the Lord. 

And I'll get on with my day leaving a picture or two from yesterdays goings on.  I had my niece and nephews all day yesterday and they are an eyeful of deliciousness sitting on the couch here together.  I got to pretend like a homeschooler(YES!) for a few hours while the boys did some bookwork and S.Q. played with playdough .

  Then my friend Jenna and her two little button noses came over in the afternoon(I have NO photos of this portion of the day-boo) so the cousins and I ran over and grabbed Dandy early from school to get our PLAY ON!  

AHHHHH!  The sweetness of children interacting together always gets me right here(pointing at heart).  Ok, enough sappy business and on with it! 

 The last picture is the homemade instrument Ratchet had to finish with his Dad last night to turn in this morn.  It's  some sort of Bongo/ Medicine bottle percussion combo.  I hope they remembered to replace the meds with other things or Ratch'll look like a pusher! Have a good weekend ALL!  XO

** Obviously, I have no idea how to use the semi-colon.  I just put it in when my sentences get super long.  Bahha!  Sorry.

Hey Dean! They're doing our gig!

Note to reader: Sorry about the word scramble.

I'll need tech support to fix it.

I first heard about this group on NPR's 

This American Life. 

I LOVE how they do these performances

right in the middle

of an unsuspecting crowd,

but the skits are harmless

and entertaining

without being disgusting and

gross (like those prankster shows-blech). 

I would eat up the part of

singing lemonade girl in this one!! WEEEEEE :D

Have a simply spontaneous day! xoxo Shan

A truly kinesthetic learner

I was just sitting at the dining table going over vocabulary homework with Ratchet, when I looked up from the paper and he's doing this.

I really have no idea how he sits in the classroom all day.  This kid is only semi still when he's building legos or playing video games.  He makes great grades and his teachers have no trouble with him, so who am I to question his methods?  Maybe I'll try this technique when I do my morning reading.  It might be good for the old sciatica.  And really what more would the neighbors want to see first thing on a Friday a.m.?  ;)

Todays special: Spicy Pony Head with curried beet root foam

Every Sunday for the past several months I've been skipping off to choir practice. Sound effect: {mi mI MI!!!!! squawk- cough cough}. That wraps up somewhere in the five-thirty zone and then usually chatting or walking the town with my bff, Bleu, immediately follows.

All that to say...I'm never really home on Sunday nights. And neither are the groceries. At this point in the week my oh so carefully chosen groceries have mostly been turned into other meals, consumed in a horrific binge or shunned for being "so yesterday".

So being the resourceful and food network watching husband that he is, Jamey tends to seize these moments like he's just been challenged. He takes on challenger Dullf Oodscraps time and time again and always ends up on top!

Let's Meet Iron Chef Jamey:

Now let's see what he's made with last weeks leavings...

Wow folks, I've never seen a meatless musing quite as well plated as this one. It looks like he's toasted and seasoned some end-o-the bag bread, stacking it into some sort of log home that has been furnished with a grilled sweet potato. Fabulous! And is that what's left of the zucchini julienned and topped with a fully strung string cheese? "I think it is Shan." Who was that? Anyway, great use of the weeks neglected vegetables here Chef!

Now on to the next weeks challenge: Slightly different fridge and pantry, same lacking of interesting supplies. Let's see what he's done....

Yes!! He's beaten Dulf Oods once again with this colorful and dynamic bit of cookery! I see we have some grilled chicken fanned out here with a decorative spray of hickory barbecue sauce. Way to give a nod at the young Western judge in the room! And here's some sort of tomato sauce chutney atop a nice nest of plain white rice. Good one hiding that fiber free staple under a more complexly hued fare. Add to that a fresh veggie melange and I believe we've got a seventh well rounded dinner for the week! Nice work!

cue: applause (up and fade again)

And now, I will leave you with a link to a little fine dining skit that caught me off guard one day and gave me quite the belly laugh. Enjoy.

Spicy Pony Head

A Somewhat true and truly long tale about myself

I haven't been particularly inspired to write anything lately but I'm about to leave my computer for a long weekend and I DID want to give a tiny bit of an advertisement for the local playhouse in town. 

 

Last Saturday, Ratchetboy and I went to the Sager Creek Arts Center to see a dear young friend of ours make her acting debut in a play called " The Somewhat True Tale of Robin Hood".  It was REALLY entertaining!  I can highly recommend this youth production!!  Not only is one of the fawning ladies perfectly fetching, but the whole play is actually quite lol funny!

Ahhhh, the Sager Creek Arts Center.  

 There's something about that place that can really bring out the "Big Shan" in me!

 The second I walk in that door I AM CONFIDENCE!  I am a public relations specialist.  I am a  Resident Thespian workin' that lobby like a one woman show!  I have no idea why this happens but it's magical :D.

Probably because I  myself have performed on that very stage as a Dog, a Prop director, a Russian man, a Can-can dancer, and a Quilter!  And it was all BAD! Well, some of the shows were Ok (in a 'Waiting for Guffman' kinda way).  And I was particularly good as a Russian man!    It's not anywhere close to Broadway (well, actually it's quite close to a street called Broadway but you know what I mean.) It IS however The Thee-ah-tah, and a place where I can be...well a dog and other stuff like.. er...Hmmm.  That's where the magic part comes in I guess! 

   A few weeks ago the job announcement of Executive Director of The Sager Creek Arts Center, MY Arts Center(coo), came across my e-mail and I became momentarily lost in all the new and clever ways I was going to run that place!  I had fresh ideas for funding and recruiting local interest groups including our towns large population of  home schoolers!  I WAS ON FIRE FOR THIS POSITION!!  I was yelling "Can I get an Amen!" to myself in the shower as I thought out all the possibilities.  I even raced downtown and asked the ladies there about the opening Big Shan style while they looked at me sideways and handed me the same job description I had already received, and gave a casual request for a resume'. 

 A couple days later when I was jotting down notes for my cover letter, I realized "Wait a minute! You don't want a job during the Summer!  Sure, the kids are in school NOW but soon very soon they will be home all 30 of those hours you are mentally committing to and you don't even WANT a job right now. For that matter, when have you ever run a business before in your life? Done a spreadsheet?  You don't really even understand the concept of a budget!!  Just because you could play the part of an Executive Director in a bad local production of  'The Theatre Company' doesn't mean you could actually do it!" DOH! 

 Delusions of Grandeur or just too much time on my hands?  Both? Ok, yes. I'm stickin' with my "magic of the stage" theory on this one. 

 

 

For the most part in real life I tend to go the shy and quiet route avoiding as much "hands on" time with strangers as possible.  I have been known to do things like NOT go to hairstylists if they work alone and rely on ME for conversation throughout the appointment.  Sometimes I won't even brave the grocery store in my town that provides the service of carrying one's bags 40 paces to the car because of the silent pressure to mention the weather or the heaviness of my food  to the young sacker walking my bags out to the car.  Who could possibly stress about this?  I'm a little bit of a paradox that way.

 I guess it's the off off broadway small talk combining with shyness that really makes me nervous.  I can come across as uber-confident in a crowd, a crowded theatre perhaps. But separate me from the pack and I'm a wounded wildebeest gimping along with all of my achilles heals gleaming, well exposed in the sun.  And let me tell you that can be pretty eye catching in a parking lot. 

 Once I get past that initial level of interaction with people in person I tend to do a little better with the chit chat.  At this point in our aquaintence,  I would definitely let you do my hair.  But, don't expect to be invited over for dinner (especially if you know nothing about hair and I'm recovering from our last get together)  because I would still feel like I need to at least somewhat impress you with my house and/or culinary offerings.

  And since I prefer self deprecating to impressing any day of the week,  I'll simply say I'm just not woman enough to entertain well at this juncture in our friendship. 

If however you have hung around long enough to get to know the girl I've often referred to as "Big Shan" a.k.a. "The Shan", or if I met you at the Arts Center,  you may not be able to remember that there is a shy bone in my body and you may even begin at this point to wish there was, or at least wish for  a quieter one.  "Just one, Biggie Shans? Can you please just tone the amp back down to 10 this one time?"  I hear ya. 

Oh dear, I've gotten terribly sidetracked and  started yet another counseling session with myself when that was clearly not the purpose of this post.  I DO apologize.  

  

So, this weekend, run don't walk good townfolken!  And take YOUR kids to see a fun version of Robin Hood. It plays Friday and Saturday night @ 7:00 and has a matinee at 2:00 on Sunday.  I promise not to be there!!!