Cupcakes for all Occasions!

So, I admit I got a little festive with my dessert dish for Thanksgiving this year! I went with a basic yellow cupcake with assorted decorations for the toppings! From turkeys and pilgrim hats , to fall scenes, these cupcakes utilized some different concoctions of ingredients I'm not used to using! I got some inspiration online and found that different sweet treats can be used to create fun shapes! Can you figure out every kind of candy/sweet I used?

Sculpturades!

So now I think I'm addicted to playing with kneaded erasers now! I am starting to understand Matt's fascination with the maleability of such a substance! I've taken one to work and make myself sculpt at least one object, person, or animal a day to keep my creative juices flowing! As you can see through these pictures, I got my hula girl going *no that's not a stripper pole* and my gobble gobble turkey for Thanksgiving tomorrow! Stay tuned for more random creations!

In the Big Easy Baby

Matt and I decided to make it a little tradition for ourselves to take a quick weekend trip right before Thanksgiving every year! This time last year we were headed down to Bradenton Beach Fl, but this go-round we detoured to Jackson, MS and New Orleans! It was my turn to show him my stomping grounds from the places I would go during the earlier years of my life.

We stayed in the lovely Le Pavillon hotel, which is a historically French landmark built in 1907 It was just 6 blocks from the French Quarter. It was quite fancy with the doorman greeting you outside in tails and gloves and top hat. Too bad we missed out on their traditional 10pm PBJ's and hot cocoa!

We found ourselves at Cafe du Monde for our daily beignets and cafe au laits! Sooo yum!

We hung out a bunch at Harrah's to watch the games, gamble a little, and ate at so many good places! (Mothers, Jacques-Imo's, Central Grocery, Bourbon Street!) We got to see a little bit of the North End of the city while we passed by Tulane, the huge mansions on St. Charles Ave, and the Real World House! Next time we'll be sure to hit up Willie Mae's Scotch House, ACME Oyster Bar, and take a carriage ride through the French Qtr!

Thanks NoLa for showing us a great time! We can't wait to come back!

The Color of Changes in Time

This past weekend Matt and I decided it was time to cruise up to north Georgia and check out what Momma nature has been doing to the scenery up there. Of course with my crazy polarized sunglasses they made everything look twenty different shades of neon colors. Imagine if I sported 3-D glasses? I think my eyes would have blown up.

The crisp cool, but sunny weather was perfect for a top-down ride in the coupe. And I couldn't ask for a more beautiful day to end the relaxing weekend. The way the sunlight hit the trees created such a surreal environment. It was such a good idea to get out and enjoy being outside! Here's a shot of one of the outlooks we walked down to at Fort Mountain State Park near Chatsworth, GA. I advise you get your butt up there before all of the foliage is gone! Here's a site that stays updated you can check the best places to go.

We're taking jumping pics to a whole new level...

Last summer a group of us made a deal to all scare ourselves crazy and go skydiving to celebrate Maggie's grad school graduation! So...a year has passed, and look how we stuck to our guns! A few of the folks in our group fizzled out of the deal due to previous plans and unexpected happenings, but it's all good! I give mad props to my girls Pauline, Maggie and Erin for sharing this experience with me! I couldn't have done it with out your positive spirit and sense of adventure! Thanks to Skydive Monroe for allowing this thrill and above all, keeping us safe!



Pauline and I paired up and went first up in the tiny King Air plane with no seats. As we felt the vibration of the engine and the propellers through the floor of the plane, we were so nervous as we lifted off! My face went from super excited, to totally regretting my decision. I felt waves of vertigo as I looked out the plane, thinking to myself, "What the hell am I doing?!" As much as I didn't want to go first, my tandem teacher and I crawled over to the edge of the door, and pushed me out on the count of two. The feelings of freefall were just overwhelming. I felt scared, but invigorated, I couldn't breathe, but I could scream. There were baby pellets of sleet hitting my face during our 47 seconds of freefall!



As soon as the chute opened, it was a huge relief knowing that we'd be safely floating down with a wonderful view. Awesome Bruce let me steer the parachute and pointed out the Atlanta skyline, Stone Mountain, and the Athens area from a birds eye view. Once we landed safely on the ground all I felt was just a sense of accomplishment and a pure adrenaline rush!!



It felt like everything just happened so fast. It's kinda like life, that is why you have to be passionate about what you want to fulfill those unforgettable moments! This experience is something you just have to live, and its impossible to really describe it. Never in a million years did I ever think I would do this. But the opportunity came, and its finally checked off the list of my things to do in my life! Our next years fall endeavor: Horseback riding in Napa anyone?

This is why I snooze...

So they say your creative prowess peaks for those crazy, crafty folk around 11am and 10pm. But I find my most creative time of day to be late night! Clearly last night I reached my "wide-eyed and bushy-tailed" mode between 12am to 2:30 a.m. I'd been working on this painting for my mom's birthday for about a good solid 4 hours, and I am regretting not having taken a picture of its progress from Monday night.

Anyways, after meticulously painting til the wee hours of the morning, I finally stepped back and came to terms of a final stopping point! Here's a detail shot of what I think looks like Where's Waldo when he was 8. Happy Birthday, Mom! Hope this Venetian canal scene brings back fond memories from our Italy trip several years ago!

Holy Smokes Batman! (and Robin)

I suggested posing with these g-string and tights-wearing superheroes when we were at Six Flags this past August! This was the first time I'd been here since the Batman Ride was the newest coaster on the block (that's like 10 years ago at least!).

Below you can watch as Matt and I ride the Batman coaster 3 times in a row. Talk about making up for lost time! It was so funny, because after the 2nd time, I was like: "Again! Again!" Matt goes, "Are you serious?!" I ate my words, because after we got off I thought I was seriously going to get sick. I'm never doing that again! Matt, you're right this time!



I had so much fun living it up like we were kids again! Screams and all! This time, though, I had some good whiplash-aches the following couple days. I'm getting elderly!

The Finishing Touch

So the time's finally come to celebrate Mrs. LoPilato's birthday! A few weeks ago, I presented the painting birthday to her, sketch-style (in the back parking lot of Sugo restaurant like we were smuggling stolen art from the Louvre!) When I showed it to her, she was just so surprised she had tears welling up, which made me tear up a little too! I was explaining to her the process, and how I got wonderful help from Cat on building out the frame! I would say that this was a successful project! I can't wait to see it up above their fireplace! I will update with a final picture of it in place!



Family group picture at Sugo Italian Restaurant in Duluth.



Matt helped buy the framing supplies as part of the gift. Haha he's carrying a to go box!

Holy Moly! Lobster Ravioli!

After Matt defeated me in a tennis match on a hot muggy July evening, the last thing I wanted to do was come home and cook an elaborate meal. But why sacrifice the palette of delectable cuisine, when you can heat up a hearty and tasty dinner in a matter of 10 minutes? I'm not talking about anything instant like mac-n-cheese or ramen either...

So, I did a little research online and found that you can get super reasonable and delicious lobster stuffed ravioli's from Trader Joe's at $2.99 a pack (in the coldcuts section). I grabbed a bottle of creamy alfredo sauce, and a batch of fresh asparagus to complete the menu. I threw in some crushed red pepper flakes, garlic salt, and italian herbs to my sauce for a zesty kick with a spicy lingering aftertaste. I threw the seasoned asparagus on a evoo coated grill pan and grilled them up! In about 10 minutes, everything was ready!

It was so yum, that it got another "add it to the list"! I think anything that gets added to the list will be blogged about! Hopefully it'll keep you reading for more simple dinner ideas!

Panini Bikini

I told myself yesterday that I was going to blog about panini's! My whole inspiration came from one of those moments when you happen to surprise yourself of your own capabilities! This one sprouted from the cooking department.

So, the other day, Matt and I were contemplating on what to have for lunch. At first we thought, "Mmm Panera sounds yum!", but since we're trying to manage our budgets, I volunteered to make our own paninis! It was actually pretty simple, and not expensive at all! I just bought some Foccacia bread from Kroger, threw together some frozen grilled chicken strips on the skillet and seasoned it, put some provolone and spinach in the bread and pressed it on the grill pan for 15 secs on each side. I even managed to improv a mayo concoction of lemon pepper, garlic salt, and a drop of white wine vinegar so it wasn't so dry! It turned out to be pretty tasty. I knew it had to be good once I got the "Make sure you add this one to the list!"

I'm soon to try the chocolate/nutella panini. That just looks sooo delish! Maybe I'll give Athens' former Uncle Otto's some credit and add some banana slices!

Refound Passion

It's been since Jan since I've posted anything. Life has been good and oh-so-crazy! With each and every day there is always something going on in the different avenues of my life! I wanted to share with you my most recent musings in the art department. Through my good friend and mentor at work, Mary Erna, I have found a new safe haven to persue my passions in fine art and painting. Here at the mueo studio, I've found myself losing track of time painting and sharing good company with like-minded folks who have this instinctive need to create. I know this sounds self-indulgent, but whenever I come here, I feel like it's a getaway from everything and I can clear my mind and really focus on improving the way I see.

The current painting I am working on now, which captures the treelined pathway at the Champ Elysees, is actually a surprise b-day gift for Matt's mom. I'm somewhat happy with how it's turning out with the texture and monet-ish qualities. But I foresee at least 4-8 more hours of work into it until it's done! Check back and I'll show you a progression from beginning to framing it at the end!

Blue Skies and Green Pastures

I know it's been like decades since I've posted! The beginning of this year has already been extremely jam-packed full of fun events and busy schedules... but, I feel like with this new year ahead of me, I want to take the time to really embrace NEW opportunities each month. I've made it a goal to try at least something life-changingly new. So far, I have scoped out what adventures await me...

Jan: Figure drawing classes, Kansas City trip, Wailers Concert
Feb: Enota Sweat Lodge, Columbus trip?, Delta Spirit Concert
Mar: Snowboarding in New Hampshire
April: Charleston, maybe a 5k?

Even though those might not sound like super life-changing occasions, I've never been to any of these places before... And I think going to new places, seeing new cultures, and experiencing new environments can really bring out something surprising in you. It's all about keeping an open-mind...exploring...and most of all, learning.

So watch out 2009!! I'm coming full force and ready to pounce with sweet ambition! Moo.