Etsy Me

My craftiness has been on hiatus after the high of completing a produce sticker placemat for Hunter. In fact I'm certain the months that've passed since will soon peak into a Creative explosion at which point my nearest Michaels store will discover me short-circuiting in a heap of tulle and decorative punches screaming JUST ALLOW ME TO CROSS-STITCH DAMNIT!

Until then, allow us to revel in the genius that is Etsy. What's Etsy you ask? Etsy is a conglomerate of far more skillful and accomplished crafters than I. Shall we try a few SAT-like comparisons to explain? I am the McDonald's commercial TV actor to their Sean Connery. The slice of generic American cheese to their 4-Cheese double souffle. The John Navarre to their Tom Brady. In other words, Etsy = WOW.

Here's a quick hit list of my faves from today's perusal:

1. GreedyDolly's Blue Honey Necklace Never mind that the seller is a friend of 10 years, Helen. On, it exudes a bit of this modern Wilma Flintstone vibe, with the blue stone breaking up the heaviness of the dark wooden beads.


2. I think I'm in love with these clever herb garden markers by MonkeysAlwaysLook which are fashioned from old spoons. I'm inspired enough to try this myself but don't think I could get the look just so.



3. Looking up and up, take a peek at this outstanding side table by MichaelArras. Someone commented to me once on the number of circle-related designs we have in our home, so I suppose this fits right in. That and there are no sharp corners for little ones to catch a forehead on.


4. IF we were in the market for a new entertainment center and IF the Hubs would allow me to spend say, $1400 on said new furnishings and IF this was even still available, I'd snag this FABULOUS walnut lucite design from Modology in a heartbeat. Price? A bit steep. Completing the overall mod ambiance of our home in one purchase? Priceless.

Moral of the story? Stick this in your browser and start creating your own wish list: www.etsy.com (And depending on how you see it, you may or may not thank me for it).

It's Maddening I Tell You

Since the hubs and I are a power duo of advertising sorts, we have a vested interest in AMC's show Mad Men (Season 3 is FINALLY making a return August 16th... about time!).

For Brad, I'm sure the show's close-to-the-heart business ventures are what draws him. But for me? The fashion. I mean seriously: Anywhere that makes good on a tube of red lipstick and beautifully coifed blonde curls followed by a stylish trumpet skirt is A+ in my book. Oh, and the glimpse into 1950s advertising politics and ever-changing plotlines aren't half bad either.

Imagine my thrill in breaking for 10 minutes from my own Mad Men scenarios and indulging in: Mad Men Yourself, a fun viral site allowing people to create a Mad Men-inspired image of themselves...

Here's Brad wheeling and dealing with Don Draper. Naturally that's an Old Fashioned affixed to his left hand:



And here I am fashionably strutting into the Sterling Cooper office, having already imbibed half of my a.m. martini:

Go ahead and click on the photos for a better look at the full scene. OR, just try it yourself right here!

Things We Are Loving This Week

It's been a long week already. For that elaboration, please stay tuned. Let's just say it makes our Things We Are Loving This Week all the more sweet. Things like:

• Our Little Man and that sly, "I'm up to no good" smirk (see above). I think he inherited this from his daddy. :)
• HWB's pronunciation of 'Laht-neen Mah-keen' for his favorite Cars character, Lightening McQueen
• Beckham's one brown eye and one blue eye stare. We will dearly miss it.
• The way Hunter's face lights up when he spots a fire truck... or police car... or bus... or motorcycle
• Indulging in Fat Tire beer in Chicago
• A new band: Golden Birds and their disk The Smart War
• The Conclusion of a fabulous Tour de France -- cannot wait for the 2010 Team Radio Shack appearance
• Jack White's open-handed drumming
• Knowing when it's time to throw in the towel on a book. Then We Came To The End and I, well, came to an end. Great Web site... but my sanity could not keep up with the book.
• This month's volunteer effort collecting cans for Gleaners Food Bank. (Never mind the cruising around screeching 'Mississippi Queen' with Pat and Katie. Wink.)

• My mom for again devoting hours on end to us and HWB during a jam-packed week of my Chicago travel, Brad's client dinners, concert-going and early-a.m. volunteering
• Digging up old issues of the now defunct Domino magazine. RIP.
• The absolute killer, kick-ass DEAD WEATHER show Friday night at the Fillmore. Thanks again to LiveNation for treating us like true VIPs! Here's the view from our box seats:

Good Morning From Chi-town

Check out the view from my hotel room... and yes, I'm quitting my day job to become a photographer of scenic postcards. Please send my affects and family ASAP.

The Dog Days of Summer

It is with a heavy heart that I must admit our defeat. After a few months here and there of various canine-related catastrophes, Brad and I have come to realize that Beckham may have outgrown our little family.

We've suffered countless beds peed on, the destruction of window blinds -- both the cheap and the expensive, a late night ER visit, chain-link fence jumping, Hunter-room-trashing, toilet seat scratching, near drywall removal and finally, pill sedation at the mere sight of a thunderstorm. It's been extremely tasking for us to say the least.

And with our primary focus on a growing Little Man (and who knows, maybe another little one someday?), it's quickly becoming obvious we all -- Pooch included -- are in need of a change.

So here we find ourselves at a crossroad: Keep Becks and try to work through all these behavioral problems? Rebuild the back fence in hopes it will contain him? Start paying a dog-walker to entertain him because clearly the 1, sometimes 2 walks a day and incessant petting isn't cutting it?

We love Beckham. But we also love our house. And continued repair isn't in the cards for us. If you have thoughts/comments/support/advice -- we'd love it. Please share it in the comments section below and believe me, we're all ears... some of them furry.

For Cousin Mike, The Police Officer

It has come to my attention our recent "Things That Go" postings may have unfairly portrayed Hunter's new love for, er, things that go, as being isolated solely to fire trucks in the Emergency Services Category. I assure you if it's fast, has some form of light system atop the vehicle and has any involvement in crime-fighting and/or prevention, Hunter is smitten.

And so to cousin Mike... this one's for you. :)

I Think I'm In Love

Lately I've become inspired by some neighboring blogs -- inspired in design, inspired in parenthood, inspired in fashion. But there's one blog that's inspiring another part of me: My wallet. Twig and Thistle was introduced by my bro's woman, Nicole, and it quickly became a regular on my Favorites list. The blogger's eye for inspirational design includes these adorable reusable veggie bags by Wonder Thunder. They're an excellent alternative to grabbing all those plastic bags at the grocery store and are said to weigh practically nothing (so as not to disrupt a produce scale).

Naturally I clicked right thru and hit 'purchase.' (Side note to my husband to whom this will be brand new information: Honey, I loved these and had to have them... and no I didn't buy them from our joint account. They are mine. ALL mine.)

If you too are in immediate need of adding these to your person for your next grocery trip, I included the link above but will gladly do so again here. Enjoy. (I KNOW I WILL)

And When You're Not Relaxing, Take A Few Lessons From This

Take A Load Off

What should you be doing this weekend?

Maxing and relaxing... chillin' like Hunter Willen.

News flash = Hunter sleeps through night and so do Mommy and Daddy.

11 previous nights of interrupted zzz's @ 3 hours each x 2 parents = 66 more hours of sleep needed til back to norm.

Hats Off To Eve

Likely you're SICK! and TIRED! of hearing Brad and I rave about evetherestaurant, our favorite place in all of metro Detroit to get a [delectable, heavenly, lush] bite.

Thanks to Bill and Cherry, this little discovery occurred in January of 2005 and I can safely say we've eaten there approx. 40,000 times since. Okay that last part was a lie. Because if we had, we'd both be tipping the scales, filled to our brim with the exquisite curry cream sauce that tops my favorite dish: Seafood With Fresh Pasta And Curry Cream. Anyone who manages to combine pasta with curry sauce over a bed of spinach and make it something I can't stop shoving in my piehole is immediately deemed genius in my book. And that's one of the reasons we love eve: Conceptual dishes, unique flair, absolutely astounding taste. With all of my menu postings here at Big Jet Plane, just know that Eve is what I aspire to be... well, that and Angelina Jolie but that's an entirely different subject.

So why the set-up? While on vaca, I received an e-mail from my mom. As the town of Elk Rapids has little to no AT&T service (I'm not bitter), it wasn't until we'd hit the Sleeping Bear Dunes that a lone bar appeared on my phone and the news fully downloaded:

Eve Aronoff (i.e. 'eve') is competing on the upcoming Bravo season of Top Chef. And finally. FINALLY. Genius is being recognized. So set your TiVo's now my friends -- it begins Wednesday, 8/26.

Things We Are Loving This Week

In all my sleepless nights over the past 12 days (but who's counting?), I could have transformed into an ultimate blogger. UB for short who wildly posts updates from her iPhone in the blink of an eye. But between the hours of 1-4am, whilst shush'ing Hunter into dreamland, there's no controlling the thoughts running through my head (and lord knows, there's plenty of time to cover lots of ground).

Case in point: I actually deliberated Monday night over what C-List celebrity run-ins I had between the years of 1998-2000. (Answer is Carson Daly but that's a whole story of itself).

Back to the focal point of today's post though -- there are lots of things we are loving this week so let me just kick-off the rundown:

• This year's rousing return of TdF. And no, it's not because I'm an Astana fan (because I am), but because I've fallen full-force into the Tour thanks to Twitter. Lance, Levi and George Hincapie have accented my Tour experience this year with their continuous Tweets throughout the stages and I'm loving the behind-the-scenes look at who's riding along in the bus, the anti-doping control craziness and everything TdF. Lots of love and luck to our Americans in the Tour!
• Hunter's latest obsession with fire trucks. And yes, he can positively identify the red fire chief car as well (chee car!).
• Catching up with my dad, Peg, Bryn, Holly, Colby and Charlotte in Elk Rapids last week
• Peppering my nieces Schuler and Brier with kisses :)
• Listening to Hunter exclaim the names of his family: MIMI! PAPA! SHOO-er! Byer!
• Hearing H's first go at "Alola!" (read: Aunt Laura)
• Remembering the taste of chocolate cherry fudge by Doug Murdick's Fudge in Traverse City. YUM!
• Catching up with our dear, old friends, Meredith and Jason. Here's a pick of "Aunt" Mer and a very un-amused looking HWB


• Reflecting on the few weeks we were able to spend with Jason before he shipped off to LA in pursuit of a new job. We miss him already.
• This blog: Great Full Day. It's simple yet sophisticate approach to accessory and design leaves my wallet aching and my inner craftiness yearning to explode.
• The Livestrong Chalkbot. If you don't know what I'm referring to, get thee to Google and type it in. Better yet, click here: CHALKBOT. Thanks to my bro PJ for the tip!
• Brad's uncle Mike, aunt Linda, cousin Vanessa and partner Katie's visit north to the D for some food, fun, and unfortunately a Tigers loss

• The bands Hockey and Grizzly Bear. Add "Too Fake" and "Knife" to your iTunes list. Now.
• The news that my beloved Odwalla is adding a Chai drink to their selection vest. I may never set foot in a coffee shop again.
• The fact that Little Man attends daycare with kids named Sevyn, Iniya, Chanel and Serenity.
• Our new masthead for Big Jet Plane, courtesy of hubs (Bradley D)

Yes. It's 3am. Hunter hasn't slept since we departed last week for our Up North vaca and consequently, neither have I.

(as a side note, Brad is happily snoozing away upstairs. Apparently if you ask enough questions, you get out of having to try and lure a toddler to sleep for the 6th night in a row... Note to self)

Where was I? Right. Sleep. How precious it is and how little of it I've had as of late. This is what is known as vacation? If yes, I'll gladly take the equivalent of a 40-hour workweek over this. And if you have any thoughts on how to convince Hunter to let Mommy get a consecutive 5 hours of rest (sans whiskey'ed gums that is) please send them via overnight mail. Lord knows I'll be awake to sign that delivery slip.