Baby Shower Here We Come

Next month some friends of ours in Brooklyn have banded together to throw us a baby shower. This morning we received the invite via internet. Our good friend Tom Eaton drew up this portrait of our growing family for the invitation. Aren't we cute?!

My Great Grandma's Blanket

My great grandma passed away when I was very little. For some reason I was given this light weight blanket that was hers. I love this blanket. It is INCREDIBLY soft and the perfect weight for in-between temperatures. I also really love treasures like this that have belonged to someone dear to me. (Example: I have a pair of old gray sweatpants and a salmon colored henley shirt, both in XL, that were my grandfathers and I wear them quite a bit.) I don't know what it is about these items. Maybe I can't let go of the past. Maybe it's a way of remembering the past.

Anyway, I have used this blanket for years now and it's trying to show it's age. I think the hardest wear it's had has been these past four + years since Theo and I have been married. Yes, Theo is secure in having a light pink blanket on our bed, and it's probably the only pink item in our possession because I am not a pink person. For the past couple years it has needed a replacement, however I can't bring myself to let it go. Most of the damage is on the edges where the satin binding tape is connected to the blanket. So I decided I would revitalize it with some handy-work on my sewing machine. I found this fabric among the bounty of random fabric I have been squirreling away and thought it would be a fun update as well as getting the job done. Many hours later here we are and I am so glad I did this! I think I added another 10 years at least to the blanket's life.

Cornmeal Deliciousness!

I found this recipe in Better Homes and Gardens magazine while waiting in an office and had to try it. I am always looking for sweet treats that have a little extra healthfulness in them. I have to tell you that not only were they very easy to make but they didn't even taste healthy. They are soooooo goooood!!!! We ate them with jam and butter for breakfast and then for lunch and the whole lot of them where gone by the next day. Who needs day-old goodies anyway. Unfortunately it was only Theo and I consuming them, or maybe that is not so unfortunate.

Crisp Cornmeal Scones
Makes: 16 to 25 scones Prep: 15 minutes
Bake: 12 minutes

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 2 Tbsp. granulated sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 cup cold butter, coarsely shredded (see tip below) or cubed
• 1 cup buttermilk
• Buttermilk
• Coarse sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In large bowl whisk together flour, cornmeal.

2. Add shredded butter to flour mixture; toss to distribute. (Or cut cubed butter into flour mixture with pastry blender until it resembles coarse crumbs). Make well in center of flour-butter mixture. Add 1 cup buttermilk; stir with spoon until moistened. Do not overmix. (If dough appears dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons additional buttermilk.)

3. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Gently knead by lifting and folding dough, 4 or 5 times, giving a quarter turn after each knead. Roll into 8-inch square, 3/4 inch thick. Cut into 1-1/2- to 2-inch squares. Place squares 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Brush with buttermilk; sprinkle coarse sugar. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned; cool scones on a rack. Serve warm. Makes 16 to 25 scones.

4. Shredding Butter: Freeze butter for 15 minutes. Using a grater, coarsely shred the cold butter. Toss into flour mixture or refrigerate, loosely covered, until needed.

Bar Fly

In the art world there are few things talked about more than the Whitney Biennial. This show is constantly touted as a place to find the current who's who. Careers are made with this show. It's something that is good to see if you are an artist living in the city such as myself. This year's show titled "2010" has a lot of negative feedback from the critics, but Theo and I went to see it while our cousin-in-law was giving a tour of the exhibition as docent. He had gotten us free passes and always has a great perspective on the work. We unfortunately were so late because of the weekend train schedule that we arrived just in time to hear him say, "This concludes our tour..." !!! It is mild to say we felt bad at this point. We tried to take him out to lunch but he had plans already. So sad that we missed such a great opportunity. But we stuck around and saw the show for ourselves. We were not allowed to take pictures in the museum so Theo took this one of me in the stairwell.

We were very hungry when we finished and went in search of food. We walked all over the place and ended up at Live Bait by Theo's work. We had some great Manhattan clam chowder and saw our first bar fly of the year.