He did it!

Nick graduated from Montana State University in Bozeman. Don't get me wrong, he's a great student. As a matter of fact, I'm 99% sure he has a better GPA than I ever did. However, we were not at all surprised that Nick invited the entire family to Bozeman, only to find out that he might not actually graduate due to a final he was to take on Friday morning in a class in which his grade was already borderline. My mom was not at all happy and had already threatened to not attend a "second" graduation.

He took the essay test while we dined on free bagels and microwave Jimmy Dean sausage sandwiches at the Fairfield Inn. After he finished, we decided to head to Yellowstone. It was snowing. Yes, in the middle of May. The temperature was 31. The drive to Yellowstone was beautiful, but I can only imagine it on a sunny day!

The highlight could have been the fact that we saw tons and tons of buffalo (including two babies), but I think the entire family would agree that when we pulled over to the side of the road to see some elk and Nick rolled down the window in the car in front of us and smiled his big huge smile and said that he passed. He would graduate.

At two separate ceremonies, I learned so much about my brother and became more proud of him than I could have ever thought possible. Nick was commissioned as a ROTC cadet and is now an officer in the Army as a second lieutenant. Major General Jackman, a two star General, spoke at a dinner on Friday as well as the commissioning ceremony on Saturday afternoon. He was so inspirational. We watched what I thought was an Army recruitment video that I swear nearly motivated me to enlist. There were slide shows that recounted all that the cadets had accomplished over the last few years as well as pictures of them as little kids. When did that little blond boy grow up to be a real, live MAN? As he sat in the front of the room in his new Army uniform, it affirmed to me that Nick is in the right place and I couldn't think of anyone better to represent our country.

This is the first picture I took once we arrived at the Billings airport. This life-sized horse made out of beans greets all visitors at the baggage claim.

Ellie enjoys Nick's bachelor pad including the bean bag chair made for two.

Dad got his first taste of Guitar Hero. I think he's going to try out for Salina's favorite band, The Blades. Seriously, he played this by himself while everyone else went outside and tossed the football around.
I protected Ellie from the football and took lots of pictures of her.

A GIGANTIC crow that puts the Newton house crows to utter shame. This one actually hopped and I almost mistook it for a black kangaroo.

One of the baby buffaloes.
And another.
This one almost ran into the side of Nick's car.

Dad and Nick at Plonk, a very cool little wine bar on Main Street that my dad kept talking about.
We joined him at Plonk, but Em kept to the High Life.

That's R.J. Cain in the plaid shirt. My dad met him as a flyfishing guide years and years ago. Every time he went back to Bozeman, he would look R.J. up for a guide. Nick lost touch with him and they didn't speak during all of the time Nick was in Bozeman. Strangely, he was at the last bar we went to on Friday night. Too bad that his poor date couldn't stand the fishing stories and took off.
Nick and Ellie.
Dad and Ellie looking at ducks on campus.

Big Sky Country

We are heading to Bozeman, Montana at the crack of dawn to witness my brother, Nick, graduate from Montana State University. There are plans for fly-fishing and a float trip, but the weather is looking a little bit chilly. THat's fine with me though because I'm really looking forward to a little get away. It should be fun to have the family together and to see Nick one more time before he heads to Fort Lewis in Washington.

Check next week for lots of pictures (maybe this time I will actually photograph people).

I hate to disappoint...

I did not end up making it to Sparks for the annual flea market afterall. I got ditched...well one friend was sick and one friend had to work on a school project, so they had legit excuses. Chris, being the saint that he is, offered to go with me late Friday ight when he could sense my disappointment. It wasn't the junk I was really excited about as much as it was the sickeningly sweet lemonade that was calling my name. There's another market in September! Anyone?

RePop on Design*Sponge

My buddies, Carl and Russell, of RePop in Brooklyn are featured on one of my daily reads. Check out Design*Sponge. You go, boys!

A corn dog and a pickle on a stick, please

It's the annual trip to Sparks, KS on Saturday for corn dogs, funnel cake, fresh squeezed lemonade, a hell of a lot of junk. These are a few pictures from last year's trip, but I promise to take some better ones this year.

I hope to pick up some cool papery stuff to use in my work, but if nothing else I think Sparks might be the best place ever to people watch. If you don't believe me, check out their web site and click on the photo album. Hilarious.

New Pieces

Here are a few more pieces that I completed last week. I've developed a new process where I work on four pieces at once. This allows me to be a little more loose in the direction I decide to go with each piece. For a while I was siting at my desk in my "studio" and wringing my hands trying to figure out what to do with the blank canvas that was staring me in the face.

This new approach allows me to complete 2-4 pieces every other day and not feel overwhelmed with the task of completing numerous pieces for the upcoming River Festival. The pieces end up looking pretty similar, but that's not all bad.

Just Us, another mini collage

Sunset Sparrow, 6x6

Introducing...

The Baldys! After much coercion, Lisa got herself a blog. Finally! I must say that there have been pretty regular posts, but we'll see if she can keep that up or if she will join the lowly ranks of those of us with weekly posts or less.

Swingin'

Em and I took Ellie to the park for a little ride on the swings. She absolutely loved it. Get a load of that chunky little leg. Love it!

Here she is looking a little perplexed. Perhaps the older boys that were playing basketball nearby had her a little curious.

Ellie and her BFF Annie again. I actually think she is getting a little tired of Em and shoving Annie in her face because we just aren't getting the reaction from Ellie that we did the first time they were officially introduced.

Ellie got baptized on Sunday, so family was in town for a majority of the weekend. Other than that, Chris and I went to Lidia's, I got a pedicure and got to see my parents. Hey, life is good.

I have completed eight pieces in the last week, so there is progress being made in that area. I also sold a piece on Etsy. I tried my hand at staging a piece and maybe that is what did the trick. That or the free shipping.

Mini Me Collages

I just put a new teeny tiny mini me collage on Etsy. Click on the image at the right. It's only $10! That's $10, people! Free shipping if you aren't local. You can't beat that!

The itty bitty collage is the first of many as I just placed an order with Dick Blick for several more 2.75" x 2.75" canvases. They are just too cute, plus I'm donating several to the children's First Treasures tent at the River Festival. Stay tuned.

Mad Cooking Skills

Feels like I've been away forever. I returned from Scottsdale late Friday night and I was exhausted. On Saturday, we had plans to have the in-laws over for dinner, but it was all on Chris. He had just attended our monthly cooking class in my absence and was raving about what he had learned. So, he put his money where his mouth was...literally. He made Grand Street pork chops (which are brined overnight and then breaded...think country fried pork chop), creamy mashed potatoes (we used our new potato ricer...well, not new since we got it as a wedding gift, but new to us and it is a must for mashed potato lovers...Moe?), fresh green beans with brown sugar and toasted pecans, orange and cranberry salad with a homemade orange vinaigrette and...you will not believe this...phyllo wrapped brownies topped with chocolate ganache, drizzled with white chocolate Gran Marnier sauce and fresh raspberry puree. WHAT!? It was so great. It puts my mad cooking skills to shame. That boy can cook AND bake AND he helped clean the house in advance of the party. Jump back.

Since all of Saturday was spent preparing for the party, I was finally able to get some work done for the River Festival coming up in June. May is booked, so I must get a few things done prior to the show. Here are a few pieces I completed on Sunday. Agh! Yes...those are sparrows. More birds.

BFFs

Ellie and Annie discovered each other last week and now they are BFFs. Annie licks Ellie's hands and Ellie giggles uncontrollably. It's so sweet!

It's been a cloudy, cold spring so far with SNOW on Saturday. Give me a break. There are a few hints of spring, but I'm ready for warm weather.

I'm off to Phoenix on Tuesday morning, so until next time...

New Commissions

Amy asked me to produce two commission pieces...one for Madison on her first birthday and one for her mom. Together the two pieces represent five generations of women from her family beginning with her great grandmother Marie. Each of them have been given the middle name Marie. It's a pretty neat gift for family or something just to commemorate your family.

Mario's Miracle? How about Gayle's Miracle?

Forget Mario for a moment! We still love him, but more importantly is the fact that Gayle made the Sports Illustrated cover with her miraculous seats right behind the basket. Sweet!

I'm still on cloud nine, but maybe not as much as GT.

March Madness, Baby!

Really nothing is better in this world than March Madness. Nope, not even Christmas. I go through withdrawals after I hear One Shining Moment at the end of the tournament and come to to the realization that basketball is over until Late Night in the Phog rolls around in the fall.

What a year for Kansas Athletics! We were lucky enough to witness an Orange Bowl win and then to go on to win the NCAA tournament in the manner that we did was simply amazing. I'm still in disbelief! I have to admit that I thought the game was over with 2 minutes to go, but we hung on and the stars aligned. Everything went our way for once. Mario Chalmers hit the biggest shot in Kansas basketball history, possibly in the history of the NCAA tournament. This is the game that will be talked about for decades. Truly a miracle!

My brother was crazy enough to drive 18 hours from Bozeman, Montana to be in Lawrence for the championship game. Towards the end of the game, I was beginning to imagine his drive back on Tuesday following a heartbreaking loss. Turns out it was the craziest, but most rewarding, trip for a Jayhawk fan who isn't lucky enough to be surrounded by fans that share his love for KU basketball without traveling halfway across the country.

Chris and I left for Lawrence following the game and headed to Mass St. to meet Nick. He had clearly been having a great time along with the other 40,000 people that had flocked to the heart of Lawrence. There were babies in strollers and toddlers, who will clearly not remember the miracle game. There were couches burning in front of the Beta house. Fist fights over stolen beer. Intoxicated, INTOXICATED students. But it was all worth it. Chris loved having a beer at The Wheel. We stayed until last call and made it back to KC by 3 a.m. Still too jazzed to sleep, we watched the last 20 minutes of the game and One Shining Moment one more time before bed.

Did any of you see the "Stay Classy, Lawrence" ads all over the Internet? Apparently, this fan didn't.

OK...so I tried to upload a video of the celebration, but after 30 minutes it appears to be way to large to upload. Sorry.

Rock Chalk Jayhawk.

Mario's Miracle

More on this later...

ROOOOOCK CHAAAAALK JAAAAAHAWK!

Let the madness OFFICIALLY begin. If ever I thought my heart would pop out of my chest it was tonight. The Jayhawks pulled it out and we are on our way to play Roy in a KU vs UNC showdown. Bring it on!

No, I didn't watch the game in Larry, but these pics from KU Sports sum up Mass Street Madness pretty well.

A Secret Life...

...or conversations with Lisa.

Me: We are in for Friday at your house. Chris would much rather that than a bar. What did you decide?

Lisa: Still deciding, but I think we will end up at our house. We'll probably know this afternoon or tomorrow. Do you want to invite your sister?

Me: Sure. I will mention it to her. Thanks!

Lisa: Annie is NOT invited.

Me: Even if she wears a Jayhawk t-shirt and her breath smells like flowers?

Lisa: I guess that would be okay, as long as she promises not to shed one single Annie hair and backs that up with a $20 per-hair-found guarantee. Please do not bring your pet ferret either.

Me: Ha! Do you have Yahoo IM?

Lisa: No, we have our our own internal im. Should I download it so we can communicate more efficiently?

Me: Up to you, but you can’t make fun of the fact that I have two usernames, one of them being mamacasslane.

Lisa: huh? what the heck does that mean? roshni was right, you have a secret life.

Me: Mama Cass from the Mama’s and the Papa’s. Everything was taken a few years ago when I signed up for a few Yahoo groups. That’s what I came up with and now I’m trying to change it.

Lisa: Oh, I thought it said marna not mama. You still have a secret life, though.

The Good News? Or the Good News?

Whew! What a weekend. Chris was in Vegas for his annual "man-cation" for the first and second round of the NCAA tournament. I snuck out of the office on Thursday to meet Lisa and Jenny for the KU basketball game. I was nervous, but it ended up being a somewhat easy win. I've learned not to take anything for granted though!

Nick and my mom came to Kansas City for the weekend early Friday. We watched basketball, played with Ellie, I got a haircut and highlight, got a pedicure with Em and watched more basketball.

The first bit of good news is that KU advanced to the Sweet Sixteen. They surpassed the "Thirsty Thirty-Two" as my mom prefers everyone start calling it. Ellie was clad in her very best Jayhawk garb for the game on Saturday.

The second bit of good news is that I was accepted into the Smoky Hill River Festival on June 13, 14 and 15! An art fair in Salina in it's 32 year. What makes it so exciting (other than the screams from my mom when I phoned to tell her that I got in) is that I have been to the Festival every single year in my 32 year existence. I went to my first Festival at nearly 6 months and I've been back every year since. In a way, I've come full circle. I'm very much looking forward to it.

This is a great show with a wonderful reputation. For a town of 50,000 people, the show has an attendance of 75,000. That's pretty impressive!

So...as I prepare for the show I will finally have some more work to post. I feel like I've taken six months off and now it's time to get started again.

Big 12 Shenanigans

My camera is on the blink again, but it miraculously worked for just a bit this weekend. I guess I got some sand in it in Mexico. Anyway, what a fun weekend! We scored some last minute tickets from Ward to the KU game on Friday. It was a fun win and we headed straight across the street for some more fun with Lisa and Reid.

The shenanigans continued on Saturday when we headed back down to the Sprint Center. We didn't have tickets to the game, but we were meeting my family and friends to watch the game in a bar. Chris snuck off to meet his friends in another bar and ended up scoring another ticket to Saturday's game. Moe arrived after a long drive from Chicago and we stayed downtown all day AND night. We had an absolute blast!

Since we had such a blast, Em, Chris and I headed via cab to Taco Bell. I felt like I was back in college again as we asked the cabbie to pull through the drive thru. Chris asked if they still carried Cheesey Gordita Crunch? They said yes. He asked, "How...many...do you have?" They replied, obviously, "How many do you want?" Em and I had the giggles the rest of the way home.

On Sunday, we shuffled across the street for brunch with Em and my dad. Around 1, I received a message that Ward had another pair of tickets in the lower level for the KU vs. Texas game for FREE. I considered it, but my headache was a little too much to bear. So, we declined the tickets.

At the last minute, I called Ward back to see if he could take Chris to his car near the Sprint Center since it was still there from the night before. We had two minutes to get Chris over to Ward's house, so he could save me a trip down there to take Chris myself. The next thing I know Chris called to say that has lucked into yet another ticket and was stayed for the game in all of his Sunday grubby, scruffy hair beauty. Lucky he did, it was a great game!

Go 'Hawks!

Lisa contemplates the Road to the Final Four...

Friday Night Lights

Hey y'all. I might be a little behind in the world of television, but have you all watched Friday Night Lights yet? Chris and I rented the entire first season on Netflix and, man, is it GOOD! We got addicted and watched 3-4 episodes a night for several weeks. 22 total episodes! I'm pretty sure I want to move to Texas and marry a high school football coach. Sorry Chris, but this show is so awesome that I could leave KC behind for some Dillon Panther action.

The next season comes out on DVD in mid-April and I cannot wait. You can catch the show for free online, but I swore I wouldn't cheat. This show has all the stuff you love in a show...high school drama, marriage, love, sex, family, relationships, humor, but not really in that order. Pray that Season 3 comes out following the writer's strike.

Does anyone else love this show as much as me!?

Spring Cleaning

Not only did I spend a good part of my Saturday obsessively vacuuming, I also updated the look of my blog. New banner. New font colors. Looks a little more springy, eh?

Oh Mexico

The bird obsession doesn't even escape me in Rocky Point, Mexico. Yep, I just returned from Rocky Point, where my company's entire marketing team went down to Phoenix for some meetings and then on to Rocky Point for "work". Ha.

I was THRILLED to get out of this cold winter weather for a few days. It was sunny and 78 degrees. There were flowers. I saw the color green in the landscape! I can't wait for that little peek of spring in Kansas City!

I also relized that I am a total blog nerd. I took about 75 pictures on my trip that I took with 20 people. Only one photo had people in it! I think I'm constantly thinking BLOG BLOG BLOG and need to break free from that habit.

We stayed at a condo provided by our ad agency. These were FANCY condos. I had a roomie, but the two of us were in a 2600 square foot condo with a huge balcony overlooking the two pools, two hot tubs and then onto the Sea of Cortes.

The best part about the place was that it was 20 minutes from town, so we were pretty much the only ones on he beach. The lack of shell collectors was quite evident because there were literally JILLIONS and JILLIONS of shells on this beach. There was also a dead dolphin and dead seal, but I spared you all from those pictures.

We went on a pretty uneventful and very windy boat cruise one afternoon. It was only an hour and a half long ride and the girls on our team from Arizona were absolutely freezing. Gloves. Blankets. Fleeces with hoods. I was so happy to have my feet feeling the sun in my flip flops.

I guess Rocky Point is the shrimp capital of Mexico and there were hundreds of cool old shrimp boats in the marina. Hey, Jesus Garcia...your boat is cool.

This was a pretty sunset one night during one of our cocktail hours.

Low tide. Because it was a full moon, the tides were very dramatic. During low tide, the water became very calm and receded the length of about three city blocks leaving tide pools and shells.

Yes I actually woke up before sunrise one morning. That doesn't happen very often to me, especially while on vacation, but the sunrise was worth it.

More shells in the sand.

A few of the girls joining me for a walk on the beach before breakfast.

Low tide exposed the tide pools, mossy green rocks and beds of corral.

For those of you that want to dream of the beach...I recorded a few seconds of the sounds of the waves hitting the shore. Enjoy.

Whiplash the Cowboy Monkey

If only Chris and I could train a monkey to ride on Annie's back we would have it made. We could travel around the country from rodeo to rodeo with our crazy dog and our spider monkey. Introducing Whiplash, the cowboy monkey.

Brilliant

Why can't I think of things like this? Introducing The Winkee - the ultimate solution for plunging necklines. It looks like a thong for your bra and it's all for the sole purpose of covering cleavage. So smart.

A few new things

Not much luck to speak of on Etsy, so I'm taking a new approach...advertising. I actually purchased an ad on their showcase page. Hey, it's $7 for one 24 hour period. If it doesn't work it's no skin off my back. It seemed easy enough! The showcase is live on Friday under the Art section. Cross your fingers that I at least get a bit of exposure.

I completed these two pieces a few days ago because Russell of RePop in Brooklyn sold out of my pieces. He thinks he customer prefers the campy ones that play on vintage or "Victorian era" photos. I'll try the out for a few weeks on Etsy and then they will shove off to New York.