a strange view of our dining room.  one day i will get better at shooting with a digital camera.  i can't get used to not looking through a view finder.  i keep changing the chandelier by adding postcards and pictures that catch my eye.  i love the black and white of the baby.  the basket in the middle is from somalia, africa.  hand beaded, it's gorgeous.

so this is the bottom.  pretty exiting.  all those wires on the floor are a mystery to me.  i just don't have the guts to just cut them away.  someone please tell me if i can just cut them away.

inside the bedside table:  brass owl, porcelain skull, real alligator head, picture of my boys a long time ago, mouth guard so i don't grind my teeth at night, inhaler for asthma(even though i don't think i have asthma)(i think my allergist is a turkey), and the living man which i bought for the boys and have since reapropiated(it's really cool, the major organs pop out and you have to figure out how to fit them all back in correctly).  oh and duh, a couple of books.

this is the top of my bedside table.  i made the lamp shade about 2 years ago.  i just strung a bunch of babies together and wrapped it around the shade.  i think i could have done it more elegantly by using something other than ordinary twine.  i guess i could sew them on individually with fancy thread, but that would have to wait until at least one boy is off to college.  

this is how retarded i am.  i just realized that by clicking on the photo, it enlarges.  i feel like a kindergardener.  so, if you want to see the photos big, click on them.

i know my pictures suck and i am working on improving them.  any ideas anyone?

this is the awesome eiffel tower i built out of legos.  i built the base 3 times before it occurred to me to use some kind of glue.  next up...the taj mahal.  really, i mean it, when i get around to it.

this is an awesome sculpture that was just one of many in a piece made in the mid-80's.  it's just palm sized.  sometimes holding something solid and heavy is just what i need to do to calm down.

this is my crazy dresser.  droog design.  all of the boxes are separate and can be rearranged at any time.  of course, i never rearrange it.  who has that kinda time?

dinner on wednesday

i make a great pasta salad that everyone in the house likes, including picky nicky.  

1 lb short pasta cooked al dente

1 1/2 cups homemade pesto (really, i didn't make the pesto.  but in a perfect world i would have.)

1 lb broccolini with garlic from whole foods.  (use whatever veg you like.)

1 lb steamed asparagus cut into 1 inch pieces

2 1/2 cups grape or cherry tomatoes (i used heirloom tomatoes, but they are not always available.)

1 lb fresh mozzerella cut into small cubes (try to get the freshest mozz you can find.  it does make a difference.  and never use the pre-shredded stuff.  it won't melt properly.)

2 bunches of scallions chopped about the size of the mozzerella.

pinch red pepper flakes

optional- toast some pine nuts in a dry frying pan until just browned.  these little suckers burn on a dime.

mix it all together and voila! dinner.  

this is a great recipe for a buffet.  i think my dad and daisy have had a version of this every time they've come to visit.

contents of rockin' bag.

god, this is really hard to figure out.  the last picture was of my rockin' pocket book.  my boys (all three) gave it to me for mother's day.  i love it.  the only problem is that there aren't enough dedicated pockets for things like cell phone, ipod, blackberry, etc.  other than that, no complaints.  marc jacobs is my favorite accessories designer.

cauliflower soup.  recipe to follow pictures.

i haven't painted in a while.  this is the last one i worked on.  

hey there everyone.  this is the first post of my long planned blog.  i will cook, post pictures and talk about my results.  this could be fun.