Awesome Concert (Brandi Carlile)!!!

So I went to see Brandi Carlile last night at the Pabst Theatre in Milwaukee, WI last night - what an awesome show! It felt great to bask in the energy and vibe that artists who have truly perfected their craft seem to give off.

The show was a mix of emotions - heartache, growing pains and light happy moments accented by some of the coolest covers I've seen - I especially loved it when she covered "Mad World" (I've still got chills...). For a in-depth description of the show click here.



Oh, and the twins (Phil and Tim Hanseroth) with their cover of "The Sound of Silence" was amazing - and little eerie... (youtube songs are from previous shows - still waiting for the Milwaukee show uploads)

An Apple a Day

I'm adding this calendar from VikDesign to my wish list (available on their Etsy store) - and maybe it will save my coffee maker and refrigerator from being covered with fruit stickers! It's also a cool way to keep track of your fruit intake - I'm thinking this will work with all kinds of fruits - not just apples...







Picture credits: © 2010 Suzy Rohan (apples) & VikDesigns (calendar)

Food for thought

In addition to eating food, I pretty much have noticed a pattern of loving anything having to do with it - movies, artwork, books... you name it, if food is involved, I'm there.

I'm not sure if it's the artist in me, but I've always thought food brings so much to the table (no pun intended, well, maybe just a little) - and if you've ever noticed, at most parties, somehow everyone ends up in the kitchen. Food fills you up when you're hungry, it comforts you when you're down and it can bring you back to a place in time. I can't count how many of my memories involve food... Christmas time at my Grandparent's house in Florida and my Grandma trying to force me to try pickled herring (sorry Grandma - yuck!)... the bakery where I had my first job in high school and the smell of frying doughnuts on early Saturday mornings... visiting far away places - the fries in Amsterdam, the cassoulet in France... my wedding - the wedding cake with the buttercream frosting on it (how I wish I had a piece of it now).

Here's a taste of my favorite food themed things...

Movies
Like Water for Chocolate
Tortilla Soup
Chocolat

Books
Julie/Julia
Eat, Pray, Love
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (just started reading this)
The Soup Bible (a cookbook by Debra Mayhew)

Food Shopping
The French Market (Chicago)
The Grand Central Terminal Market (NYC)

Goods
Claudia Pearson's Food Inspired Calendars & Tea Towels




The Chocolate Company





Dream Kitchens
Monet's Kitchen at Giverny



Rick Bayless' Outdoor Kitchen



Picture credits: Claudia Pearson, The Chocolate Company, Ariane Cauderlier, Farmer Jay

My 2010 Motto

Leap, and the net will appear.
John Burroughs

Thought this video clip was appropriate - it's what I first thought of when I decided on this motto...

Holiday hibernation is over!

So I'm back from my holiday hibernation and ready for a new year of blogging. Thought I'd start out by sharing a few pics from over the Holidays.

This year we kicked off the festivities by attending the children's Christmas Eve service that my nephews and niece participate in. I brought my camera along to take a few shots at the service - my sister, who was sitting in a pew a few rows away texted me that she wasn't sure if I was supposed to take pictures in church - I texted her back to let her know that I wasn't entirely sure that you were supposed to be texting in church...touché!

I only took a few, so as to not disrupt the service, but with all the kids wiggling, squirming and making faces, I wish I would've had a chance to take more! I especially liked this shot of the little guy sitting in front of me who grew particularly restless...




(white arrows - Jordan, the Bean, Jonah)



After the service we realized that my brother and my nephew were wearing matching sweaters...



I'm pretty sure that the funniest event of the evening was when my niece's zhu-zhu pet got stuck in my sister's hair. My mom had playfully put the zhu-zhu on my sister's shoulder and before she knew it the wheels had managed to wind up a good chunk of my sister's hair. Like the good sister/blossoming photographer that I am, I couldn't pass up this photo op...



It took four people and a scissors to untangle the little guy...





After this episode I was ready for a little r&r + eating, so I handed my camera to my cousin Alyssa and showed her how to shoot in manual mode.


Alyssa & the Bean

The following are the photos that she took - and I love them! She has a knack for capturing the moments that one might miss - the kids exchanging stories, an embrace, silent reflection...







And by the end of the night my husband had taught our niece a plethora of annoying tricks and jokes that will probably get her in trouble at school (sorry sis)...


Steve & the Bean

The next day we enjoyed an Italian feast (no we're not Italian, but we do like their food). I promised my sister I would take some shots of the food - here you go...







and to wrap it all up... here's to a year filled with the sweetest things in life!



Picture credits: © 2010 Suzy Rohan & Alyssa Schumacher