Inspired by Maroon 5

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(A little backwards today –  Day 17: Sing.  Sing a song… make it simple to last your whole life long!  How did that feel?)

I’m so excited to see Maroon 5 this week. So. Excited. Missed them in October, so I made sure I bought tickets early when I found out they were making another stop here. My kids are looking forward to it, too – so much so that we’re jamming along to the albums and practicing on Band Hero.

So, yes, my husband and I are taking them to the concert. It’ll be fine, it’s outdoors… the weather is supposed to be fantastic. I’m just a little worried that they’ll be too tired and miss the songs they want to hear, or the little guy will miss seeing Adam Levine in person. You can’t imagine how angry Ollie gets. Let’s just keep our fingers crossed.

Day 16: Do you create best when your emotions are high?  Do you turn to creative endeavors when you are sad, angry, or just filled with joy?

I used to think I created best under pressure. It’s just that I finish projects under pressure, self-inflicted or not. Creating for me isn’t when emotions are high; inspiration seems pretty random for me. Whatever I’m feeling, when I create, I’m transported, distracted for a little while. I empty my head, and fill my heart. Does that make sense? Then I finish, and voila! – I return to my routine.

So I offer my Maroon 5 inspired art. Music moves me… what better way to get in a creative mood than to immerse myself in their albums? Try it sometime. Listen to your favorite artists and create. Maybe you already do.

Can you guess which songs inspired which pieces? (Click on the thumbnails to zoom.)

All Tangled Up, the “Monster” and last little inchie (number 7)… really like those.

Our New Outdoor Toy: The Smoker

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We bought a new cooking toy – the Weber smoker (Star Wars fans: We’re calling it the “R2 unit”). Actually, it belonged to our brother-in-law. The “R2 unit” was going to make the trip out West, but somehow we managed to sway him into selling it to us. Just joking. It totally saved him the trouble of moving it out and this way, he can still cook for us when he comes to visit!

And, I love barbecue: grill or smoke. Give me a pulled pork sandwich and some slaw…Yum! Filipino BBQ skewers. Delicious. I love when my husband grills. I’m happy to prepare marinades, supply sides, just don’t ask me to cook outside. I don’t possess those skills. (Is it a gender thing?)

So we set out on our inaugural smoking: an eight-hour pork shoulder for lunch. The coals were lit at 11:45 pm. Right. At night. omg. I wish I had bought the remote meat thermometer (now I know what that’s really useful for), and granted, it was my husband who got up every few hours to check the temperature, but still. That’ll be our next purchase. Anyone our there have recommendations?

The cook was quite pleased with the way things turned out. Nice smoke ring, tasty flavor, fall-off-the-bone tender… couldn’t have asked for more. I was worried our initial spice rub might have been too weak, but it was fine. We’ll try adding a bit more next time to give it a nice crust.

Our spice rub was the rub I use for our oven-baked baby back ribs: salt, pepper, brown sugar, garlic powder, chili powder, ground thyme, ground allspice. Add a little cayenne or chipotle pepper for some kick! (Check Alton Brown’s Rub No. 9 recipe for ratios. Ours differs a little.)

Since we’re new to the smoking scene, I’d totally appreciate any tips. Thanks! Have a great weekend!

30 Days of Creativity – Day 15: New Ideas List

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Day 15: Do you like to try new things?  What about trying to do something new you like or dislike?

I absolutely love learning about new things. Trying new things? That might depend, but I’d like to think that I would at least give it a chance. I’m not much of an outdoor, athletic person, so those types of activities would definitely be more challenging. Hmm. Then maybe I should try more of that? Something to ponder…

Here is a list of five (though there are more) things I’d like to try to do by the end of the year. Is it bad that three of the five things are food-related?

 

Cream Puff Pastry (picture from www.marthastewart.com)

 

 

What about some of you out there? Maybe we can support each other!

Our House Guest: Graham the Dog

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Hello there! Our guest blogger today is Graham, the dog, owned by my husband’s sister and her husband. Graham is a Bichon mix (I think). He was our houseguest for four days. By the time this posts, he will be on his merrily way to (or newly arrived at) a new home with my sister-and-brother-in-law. My kids and I will miss him a lot.

Our buddy, Graham

Hi. I’m Graham. I love car rides. It’s especially fun when I end up visiting people I like. But, I should’ve known better when my owners brought along my food, dishes, bed and toys. P.S. I moved my food bowl by myself.

Pelt. Graham loves it.

So, I waited and waited for my owners to come back. Figured I should get comfortable, except Julie kept taking my picture. After she went to sleep I ran under the dining table to find some good eats, then ran upstairs to sleep with the kids. (Forget my regular bed – I slept by the little guy. Right on his bed, even!) They’re so fun, but I think I make them nervous. They tried to show me how to use the computer in the morning so I could talk with my owners.

Who's spying on me?

 

Learning how to Skype

I had fun staying with everyone – even Uncle Pork* – but I didn’t get any table scraps from him this time. I got to walk around, meet some other dogs, take a few car rides… the best part was tagging along for a soccer game. All the girls wanted to pet and play with me. So. Much. Attention.

After Dinner

 

Those kids wore me out

Fun as it was, I was so tired from all the activity in this house. They’re always on the move. How’s a dog supposed to get any sleep? But I did, and I loved sleeping over. I hope the family liked having me too. Thanks, guys!

*Uncle Pork a.k.a. my husband. Some time ago, he gave Graham some table food – mostly bacon and bbq pork.

 

 

30 Days of Creativity – Day 14: Farewell Gifts

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Day 14: Make something to give away.  Send a card to a friend or make a little gift for someone you care about.

I don’t know about you, but I’ve been busy making a few things to give away. It’s just that time of year: end-of-school, graduation parties, summer birthdays, etc. And, I have all these ideas and inspiration, but there’s just never enough time. For my daughter’s teacher who is retiring, the class wrote letters of gratitude (or poems and just goodbyes). I put their little works of art together with pictures from school parties and their last field trip.

Over the weekend, we also hosted a going-away party for my sister-in-law and her husband who are moving out to the West Coast. *sad face* Really, we are so proud and excited for them. We will miss them so much… thank goodness for video chatting. So, a few friends and family came over, we laughed, we feasted on some favorite foods and bid them farewell. The thing about going away parties (I don’t like saying “goodbye”.), it’s all about spending time with your family and your pals. You could go nuts with decoration or theme, and I might have if there were more time. We just pulled together a few things. My daughter and I wrote cute messages on some vellum that we embossed, then we taped them to some glass jars for homespun hurricane jars.

And for our guests, something to conjure up Washington (state): some Starbuck’s to go, a copy of a vintage downtown Seattle postcard, and my sister and brother-in-law’s new address.

How would you prepare for a farewell party? Share some website loves in the comments!