Reader Love Milana Braslavsky..

I don't know much about Milana Braslavsky, other than she takes photos. Her short but sweet email said to me about her work: "It has the bright colors and dark humor you seem to be into." Hook. Line. Sinker. I am sold. Oh that and she signed her email "Yay". I could probably love her.

The first day.. and Halloween

My mom, sister and her charming child (CC for future reference) came on Thursday night.. We haven’t seen them in a long time, So it was a nice visit…

They really wanted to start giving me presents so CC started.. She painted me a picture for the babies room.. It’s a forest theme with a tree and some snow flakes. It will look great in the babies room! :)

Puppy was so excited to have new friends….

And someone warm to sleep with…

But most importantly the girls got to spend some quality time together. Friday we took them to the movies and they got to go all by themselves and see 2 movies!! I think they had a good time…

Then is was time to get dressed for the night…Here is CC as Tinkerbell…

She’s always posing….

And the Em as “Super Girl”

The girls.. Hamming is up…

Me and the girls before heading out.. (oh.. and baby too!)

The girls with one of Aaron’s pumpkins…

A spooky house…

And some blow up thingy…

This one is really cute……

Puppy liked the idea of all the candy….

But just wanted a sucker.. He finally got the point of just licking the sucker and loved it.. (please ignore the grumpy looking blob in the background..)

Halloween was a lot of fun… but the next day was even better!!! Baby showers coming up….

Assassins Creed 3 #8211; Prime anticipazioni svelate da un sondaggio

SURVEY – Assassin’s Creed: Brotherhood è uscito da meno di 20 giorni (tranne la versione PC, prevista nei primi mesi del 2011), eppure già si parla del capitolo successivo. La stessa Ubisoft ha generato una nuova corrente di rumors quando, lo scorso 27 Novembre, il publisher Geoffroy Sardin accennò alla Russia ed all’Antica Roma come possibili ambientazioni del nuovo AC. Se anche voi state seguendo con attenzione qualsiasi possibile anticipazione riguardante Assassin’s Creed 3, sarete felici di sapere che Ubisoft ha rilasciato in rete un sondaggio per chiedere agli appassionati cosa vorrebbero vedere nella nuova avventura della serie! Vi elenchiamo le opzioni messe a disposizione:

Un upgrade per la spada dell’Assassino che consenta maggior fluidità e velocità mentre ci si muove al di fuori dei combattimentiUn Occhio Dell’Aquila migliorato che permetta di: seguire i movimenti delle guardie, individuare indizi negli enigmi più complessi, scoprire quando i personaggi mentono durante gli interrogatori ecceteraUn intuitivo strumento di crafting che consente di costruire bombe da dozzine di ingredienti recuperabili nell’ambiente di giocoUso tattico di una varietà di bombe adattabili a contesti e situazioni particolari (bombe fumogene, velenose, accecanti, esplosive eccetera)Un obbiettivo addizionale secondo il quale il protagonista e la Gilda degli Assassini combatte contro i Templari per acquisire il controllo di una città, distretto dopo distrettoControllare un nuovo Assassino, in un periodo storico differenteUn sequel della storia di Ezio come leader degli Assassini, ambientato fuori dall’ItaliaUn collegamento più profondo e curato tra tutti i progetti Assassin’s Creed (per esempio, un’azione compiuta sul gioco di Facebook avrà un impatto sull’esperienza di gioco per la versione console; eventi contenuti nei fumetti si ricollegheranno alla trama dei videogames eccetera)Modalità cooperativa onlineModalità cooperativa offlineLa disponibilità di nuove mappe per il multiplayerUna scelta tra nuovi personaggi per il multiplayer, tutti contraddistinti da caratteristiche ed abilità proprieNuove modalità nel multiplayerUn profondo team-system basato sulle esperienze nel multiplayer (gilde/squadre con obbiettivi comuni, nuovi strumenti per la gestione del clan eccetera)Possibilità di personalizzare la propria esperienza di gioco nel multiplayer (loghi, avatar, oggetti, nomi delle squadre eccetera)

Questo è quanto.

back to o my roots

Sometimes I feel like this blog has strayed so far from what it started out as (a mix between an outlet for my writing and a means of updating our then (and some still) distant family) that I’m not even sure how to handle it.Do I write posts for you, friends and readers (who are friends I just haven’t met yet)?Do I write for our family, who still read here? (Hi Mom!)Do I write for me? For DanO?Do I write for our boys?Do I write for the online community that I have come to treasure and adore?I don’t really know.I do know that this uncertainty has led to a lot of quiet around here. I’ll think of something, some piece I want to write, but then shoot it down mid-air because it’s not right for this audience or that reason or this that and the other thing. The result?::crickets::What if it offends her? What if they find it boring? What if they think I’m just being cliche?I feel like I’ve lost that conversation that once went on here, where we talked about things as though we were sitting in Starbucks (or Caribou, or Dutch Bros or Tully’s or Peet’s or whatever your geographically relevant coffee house may be) over a grande chai. Somehow it became this stage where I needed to perform and dance and do things well in order to impress someone. And friends? This is my fault, not yours. It’s a pressure I put on myself somewhere along the way. Please know that I cherish each of your interactions here in this space on the interwebs – whether they’re comments or emails or resulting deep friendships – I cherish your voice and presence here.Excitingly, just because we’re chatting over chai doesn’t mean we can’t talk about passionate or stirring topics. Not at all! It just means that we will talk about them as friends. And when the conversation about one specific topic is dying down, we’ll change the subject – as one does.So, can we just do that here? Can I just come here and talk about how my 2 year old throws the WORLD’S! BIGGEST! TANTRUMS! and how I respond with anger but I’m working on it? And when we’ve talked that one out and you’ve shared your own stories, can I share about how I’ve managed to lose 15 lbs and keep it off for a month (but not lose any more, despite my efforts)? Then can we transition into how much I’m enjoying hitting up the library lately, and how pinterest makes me feel simultaneously inspired and inadequate?Well? Can we?:: :: :: Let’s chat. :: :: ::What do you order at your coffe house of choice? Tell me about your kiddo’s tantrums and how you deal. Talk to me about your own fitness lately. What books do you recommend I check out next? Are you on pinterest, and do you go to sleep dreaming about burlap and mason jars, too?

will you just look at this beauty other..

i just got back from nyc. and i am dead tired! soo much traffic. i'm dying for my bed, crying out for it...but i wanted to get this up cause i know you will love it. for cereal. please kindly take a look at the beauty before you: other's work. if you don't know it already, i suggest you pull up a seat. i love his work so much i am willing to deprive myself of a few less hours of shut eye to bring you this. don't ever say i don't love you. other's work is so gorgeous it's worth it. other is an artist of few words. so i don't know much about him. this is what i know for sure:

no website (just a flickr account, go there now!).not represented by any galleries.no up coming shows to mention.he's a world traveler.

oh and this, i know this, hot damn his work is good. especially other's pieces on trains, it's refreshing to see such dynamic pieces full of color on those old rusty box cars. you can check out all of other's pieces here. there is pleanty to pour over and look at. you'll see what a hard time i had trying to decide what to post. goddamn. goodnight!

faith like a child

“Turn down!”“Turn down what, buddy?” I reach for the radio volume, assuming that he was not digging the Talk of the Nation program on NPR as much as I was.“Da light. Turn down.”We have several fading light switches in our house, including in the boys’ room, so the idea of fading the level of light is familiar to him. Except, we’re in the car.“Buddy, there aren’t any lights on in here.”“Da sun.”“O! Buddy is the sun in your eyes?”“Yes. Turn down da sun.”“I’m sorry, bud, Mommy can’t turn down the sun.  I can’t tell the sun what to do; there’s no switch. Only God is in charge of the sun.”“Pray?“

matthew dent..

Color. Color. Color. What would we do if color didn't exist? Influenced by space, music, people, and buildings, Matthew Dent creates a super, colorful, swirly, bubbley world. His work is kind of like Yellow Submarine 2.0 or perhaps not...it's hard to not be reminded of the film when I look at the floppy arms, big teeth and fantastical landscapes of Matthew's work. However, Matthew's work is current and not created by 200 artists, oh and let's not forget really awesome.

paper monster check it..

untitled. swoon.

the folks over at paper monster are really outdoing themselves. a limited edition print site that started up in october offers prints from the likes of swoon, borf, kozyndan, and jeremiah maddock just to name a few. swoon's first piece for paper monster sold out in a heart beat. it's a gorgeous laser etched screen print of swoon's trademark skeletal paper cuts on dyed news print. it was stunning on the site, i can only imagine what it looks like in person.

over the next few days, (sorry, you are just going to have to wait w/ baited breath!) paper monster will release a print from the australian artist anthony lister. it should be pretty amazing, and most likely won't stick around too long. so bookmark those guys and get yourself something nice this holiday season because you deserve it we all know you work so hard!

below and above are some of the prints they have offered, some still available some sold out. check it.

we're fucking serious. borf.

sleep. jeremiah maddock.

a moving mass. kozyndan.

Betsy Walton never ceases to make me want eveything she does..

This painting is available...and if I had some scrilla I'd be all over it. I have always been a fan of Betsy's, I love her use of imagery and color. She transcends imagination perfectly.

ESPO Images Up on White Walls..

I am in love with Steve Powers if only because of his incredible lettering alone. If you're not even mildly fascinated by ESPO, I suggest you get your head examined. I'm talking Renaissance. Plus, any once been graffiti artist that wears his heart on his sleeve and works to create community?...hook, line and sinker, I'm sunk. It's all over. I'm ga-ga. See more of ESPO's show that opened on Saturday at White Walls. Check out install photos as well. Fecal has also got up some great opening night shots.

thursday with my boys

{{We’re just hanging out today. What are you up to?}}

why the crib sucks more

*Actually, there’s no exception or note for that statement, just did it in the interest of parallel structure.He was totally out, passed the limb test and everything. We weren’t taking any chances on that “set him down partially awake” business. That has never worked for us. So, one soundly sleeping baby in my arms was transferred with the utmost of care to his crib. It took all four of our hands and a stepping stool, since I’m too short to have any sort of grace when I try to reach over the crib rail.He was in the crib, our hands were pulled away, and he was still sleeping. We dared not even whisper of our excitement. We tip-toed out of his room, down the hall some 12 feet to our bedroom and began pulling our own covers up. We didn’t care that it wasn’t even 10:00pm, we were utterly exhausted.I hadn’t quite situated the comforter properly over myself when I heard it.OBaby was awake. Already. How long does it take to travel the hallway and slip into bed? 50 seconds? 45?And so we did it. We let him be in his crib by himself, crying. I simply had nothing left to give him. He cried for just under 30 minutes. During those 30 minutes I was on twitter, desperate for support:“What do you do when you put a baby down to sleep and he wakes up 45 seconds later? EVERY.TIME.” I tweeted.“You guys I’m so done with this. I don’t know how to keep my wits about me.” 2 minutes later.And then the support came. Direct messages from Kelly and Elizabeth and tweets from other ‘been there done that’ moms.I spent those 30 minutes being grounded in the real world instead of letting my emotions boil over in the stressful situation that is created by exhausted parents and a crying baby in a dark house.  Yes, I just said that Twitter helped me connect with the real world. It was a painful 30 minutes, but we all survived. OBaby finally quieted himself and fell asleep.[Please don't tell me what I 'taught' my son by letting him cry. I don't need to hear it and I know I had nothing left to offer him. I was even feeling dizzy from exhaustion earlier that day.]So OBaby fell asleep, I thanked my supporters and tried to get some sleep as well.34 minutes later, cries came from the room down the hall.I cannot possibly express the frustration. I LET HIM CRY FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE. HE CRIED HIMSELF TO SLEEP. DOESN’T THAT MEAN HE’S GOING TO FREAKING SLEEEEEEEEEEEEP?!I walked down the hall, controlling my tears all the way, picked up my crying son and brought him to bed with us.

married at thirteen.

The first thing I notice is that the English words on her shirt don’t make sense. “Color Goob” it says, like an unwitting jab at the reader of which the wearer is oblivious. Laying over her shirt is a large, stong braid of black wavy hair, falling down from the whisps around her face. The whisps catch in the wind and graze her face until she tucks them behind her simple, gold-studded ears. Her hands extend into bony fingers that twist and untwist the ties on her polkadotted skirt. Twist, untwist. She also has polkadots painted on her toenails.She is quick to smile and lighten the mood. When her mother-in-law calls over a few choppy syllables, she all but jumps up, running playfully over mounds of dirt. She returns with her five year old daughter wrapped around her middle, clinging to her and burying her head in her mother’s strong wavy braid. Behind us, a two year old girl squats, lowers her underwear and pees in front of the house.When she sits to talk with us, she tells us of a childhood differed. A father that abandoned, a mother who went abroad to work, an aunt and uncle charged with taking care of her who were irresponsible with the wages sent to be used for her care. A scandalous (abeit innocent) relationship with a 20 year old boy when she was 12. Twelve. I’ll say it again. Twelve.After a complete falling out with her aunt and uncle, at the age of thirteen she was given the untimatum of marriage to her then-boyfriend or homelessness. Because the legal marriage age is 18 in Sri Lanka, her boyfriend and his family took them to the courthouse of a village several miles away so that she could falsify her age. The registrar in the village seemed satisfied with the parental affirmation and asked no further questions.At thirteen she got in a car and rode to a distant village with her in-laws-to-be, lied about her age, and became the wife of a man eight years her senior.At thirteen I snuck into Titanic at the movie theater.There was a scuffle when the married couple, who had stayed away from their home village to let the news settle, returned home. The aunt and uncle involved the police. This girl is not legally old enough to be married they said. The police chief then paraded her down to the school and brought her in front of her principal to verify her age. It is clear on her face as she describes it that this was the most horrifying moment of her life.Only made harder by the fact that she was pregnant.She stopped attending school, as one does when they are a wife and are with child. She says that she had dreams, but that without this marriage, she would have been without anything – a house, a family, a livelyhood. To dream you have to be first and foremost, alive.At thirteen, she got pregnant.At thirteen, I passed notes in pre-algebra.The beginning of their marriage was especially difficult. “The biggest surprise was raising kids when I was a kid myself.” She says, as boney fingers twist and untwist her skirt tie. I think back to the tears I shed as a brand new mother, rocking in our suede glider, holding this mystery child, this foreign frustrating enigma that I was simply baffled by. I picture shedding those tears sitting on a dirt floor at 13 years old.But today that baby daughter is seven years old and has a younger sister who is five. And her husband is still her husband and a hard worker. He does odd masonry jobs when there is work.She beams with a smile that reveals a flawless row of white teeth from behind her full, toffee brown lips. It’s the biggest smile she has had the whole time, and she nods ‘yes!’. We had asked her if she loves him.“He has a good heart,” she says “especially toward other people.”I get the sense that she is very lucky to have ‘gotten a good one’ as we say in the states (with much, much different implications). Together, they work to raise their daughters. The husband and wife have gone without meals so that the girls have enough to eat. In the past they have had a tough time buying food after they use some of their wages to buy school books for their eldest.At twenty, she and her husband of seven years went to bed hungry in order to buy school books for their daughter.At twenty, I used to take my laptop down to the Starbucks near campus to get a frappiccino and write up some assignments.{copyright World Vision, photographer Lindsey Minerva}She says that they make sure to get their daughters to school every single day. Her only dream is that their children would continue their education like she didn’t get a chance to. Both of her daughers are now sponsored through the World Vision Child Sponsorship program in their village which is new – only 6 months old. That means that a World Vision worker has been out to visit their home, has discussed the needs of the children with the parents, has made a goal for their girls and subsequently a plan of reaching that goal.It means that they have access to one on one counseling available that is local community based and culturally sensitive. It means that there will be development programs in their village such as the Home Garden Initiative that will teach them how to collect rain water, tend a garden, and grow food for themselves. It means that the local community based organizations will work with World Vision, much like this family did, to create a target and a plan to hit it, and World Vision will allocate funds and resources to do so. It means her daughters will not be forced to become child brides.:: :: :: :: :: ::Every child has a story. You can be part of that story by blessing a family with the gift of child sponsorship through World Vision.

Fieldguided..

I wrote below that I'll be incorporating designers I find inspiring now on the blog. I figured what better way to start this new era than with the scarves I spotted on Fieldguided. Anabela has hinted a few times about scarves they are making...and I can not wait til they are available. Look at how gorgeous they are!