wanna split a blog?

tortilla soup

2011-09-01T18:18:00.000-07:00

it's been a whole month since we moved. we found a great apartment, within a block of a great walking/running park!

We have not had food in the house and we hadn't done real grocery shopping in a month.

we usually set our meals for the week and shop for those meals. it helps save money and we don't waste as much food.

i received some great cook books from my bridal showers and it was time to start putting them to use. we were getting sick of eating out, so last night i prepared our first homemade meal since we moved. Tortilla soup!

wedding invites

2011-08-26T18:00:00.001-07:00

Ron worked so hard and so long on designing our wedding invitations! i am really proud of him and i really enjoy all the thought and humor he put into them! We hope you like them!

we had a great time at our friends, Dan and Les, ' screenprinting our invitations. yes, i did pull several screens myself, all the nice and even ones are mine. ha! we are so grateful to Dan for his time and patience, with us! we would not have gotten it done so quick without his expertise!

Thanks to my sister, Holly and her nice handwriting, all the labels got printed! My handwriting does not even pass my own standards! we apparently picked the right person, in grade school, Holly was picked by the class to write the letter to the president! phew! i'm glad for those credentials!

After talking to Ron and some tough decisions on stamps for the mailing, i went outside to my car and started feverishly sticking them (and labels, and stickers to close the envelope) on the invite. I thought the post office closed at 5, and only had 15 mins to get as much as i could done. i was startled by someone honking at me and realized it was my sister, Beth. She informed me the post office was open til 6, which bought me more time. after she came back out of the post office, she got in my car to help me stick and stamp! Thanks to her, we got them all done.

This makes it official, right!?

We are so excited and can't wait to celebrate with all of our amazing friends and family!

House Hunting

2011-06-21T23:51:00.000-07:00

Ron and i having been house hunting for the past couple of months. We've been looking online for a while, but it is nice to see what is really out there.

We are lucky that the housing market is so bad right now, just great for first time buyers! There have been some great homes that have fallen into our price range, but one wrong thing can make the house not right. We are liking a house that has no dining room, and i love to entertain. i can't imagine never being able to have people over for dinner.

There are so many choices out there right now, i can't wait to see what we choose.

Easter Egg-cellence

2011-05-03T20:24:00.000-07:00

Ron and i split a fun evening of egg dyeing and eggs-perimenting!

(my attempt at taping off, for the zig zag effect)

(my use of two colors, trying to keep the white clean! the other side was crying.)

(HULK! ron was working on marvel characters.)

(THE THING! this was looking so good and then the egg took a fall!

as you can see there were other attempts to try again!)

Happy Birthday, Claire!

2011-04-09T10:18:00.000-07:00

Yay! Today is Claire's Birthday! We are going to the park and all the terrible rain we heard about has apparently been chased away! Happy Birthday, Claire!!!

I Love YOU! XOXOXO

The Royale 'SPLIT'

2011-04-04T12:56:00.001-07:00

Look William and Kate like to split too!

Valentine's Day 2011

2011-02-15T19:26:00.000-08:00

This is the Valentine i received from Ron this year! He really likes puns!

shepherd's pie

2010-11-16T13:52:00.000-08:00

(this is the picture from the original recipe,

for more recipes, go to goveg.com)

since ron liked it so much, i decided to share the recipe.
i went off a recipe for veggie shepherds pie and we decided to add sweet potatoes with the regular potatoes.
boil 4 med potatoes,( diced) til tender. drain, and mash with 2 Tbsp. butter and up to 1/2 c. milk (or soy substitute for both if you are vegan)add salt and pepper to taste.
in a separate bowl combine:
-12oz bag of veggie meat (read label if you are vegan)
-1 can vegetarian mushroom gravy (i would use half, then mix in more until you get the consistency you want. we used the whole can and ours was soupy, but still delicious)
-1 small can mixed peas and carrots, drained (i just sauteed some carrots til tender and then added frozen peas till heated)
-the recipe didn't call for it, but i sauteed up 1 med diced onion, and 5 or 6 mushrooms sliced.
-season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper, to taste (i would start with 1/2 tsp each, or more to taste)
pour "meat" mixture into pie pan or baking dish, top with potatoes, spread to edge of pan. bake at 350 til potatoes are browned (30-40) minutes.

Moroccan Couscous stew

2010-11-08T14:58:00.000-08:00

i signed up for recipematcher.com a while ago, but this is the first time i've used it.

you sign in,

go through the epantry and check off what food you have in your kitchen,

then it generates recipes for you, by the ingredients you have, and

gives you a list of what you need to buy.

tonight:

Moroccan-Couscous-Stew-crockpot-Recipe

(before i added the couscous and chickpeas)

i followed this recipe, but added 1/4 cup golden raisins, 1/4 cup mushrooms, 1/2 tsp coriander, a half cup of frozen peas chopped up some stewed tomatoes (in addition to crushed), and used Quorn brand "chicken" tenders, instead of real chicken. i added the extras from looking over other moroccan stew recipes and whatever i had in my pantry.

it smells amazing and i've been tasting it as it's cooking in the crock pot, and it tastes fantastic.

Meet Cute

2010-10-06T14:03:00.000-07:00

October 1, 2010 - Ron and i celebrated our 6 year Meet Cute.

We met at The Rubber Frame: Culture and Comics show at Des Lee Gallery.

He was the boy in the room with Buddy Holly glasses and chuck taylors. My friends, Barbara and Martha knew him from the art museum world. They went to talk to him and i came over to meet him and then ran off. After the art show, Tom Huck, a printmaking professor, was having a party upstairs and we all went. i pulled Ron onto the dance floor and was excited he could dance.

After that evening, Ron and i hung out for the next month, but i wasn't sure if i liked him as more than just friends.

It wasn't until Nov. 28, 2004, when Barbara and i had our ornament making party to decorate our Christmas tree, that i knew i had feelings for Ron. i hadn't seen him in a month or so and decided to call him to come to the party.

It took us over a month to go on our official first date on January 17, 2005.

For our 6 year meet cute anniversary, we went to the Sam Fox School of Art faculty art show

on Oct. 1 at the Des Lee Gallery.

i am sharing some photos of Ron and i, having an amazing time together, over the years!

(note: all 2006-o7 photos are on the hard drive of the old computer)

feb 13, 2010 - I "heart" Ron

feb 13, 2010- I "heart" claire

nov 3, 2009 - candy corn fangs

oct 25,2009- zombies

May 11,2009- phun with photo booth

Feb 14, 2009 -sharing pie from the Sugaree bakery!

Dec 15, 2008- my stocking is bigger than yours!

Dec 4, 2008 - a rare photo of ron smiling!

Dec 4, 2008 - secret kiss

october 30, 2008 - discovering photo booth

Nov 29, 2005 - just goofing around

Oct 21, 2005 - Kimmswick High Art Club Reunion

july 4, 2005 - rooftop of Erato Winebar

Ron's birthday

2010-09-01T11:27:00.001-07:00

Sunday, Aug. 29, 2010

While everyone was in town for Loufest, we had them over to celebrate Ron's birthday, and

eat some cake!!

(the cake: dairy queen Reese's cup ice cream cake)

("Happy Birthday, Dear Ron!")

(blow out the candles, and make a wish)

(oh look, his wish came true. ME!!)

(LtoR: Randy, Holly, Robert, Kara, Brooke , Mikey, Alice, Beth, Ron, Claire, Tom)

(not pictured, Barbara and Dave )

Mon. Aug, 30, 2010

Ron took the day off for his birthday. Besides ice cream cake, second birthday request was

Laclede's Landing Wax Museum. Barbara, Dave, Leslie, and Dan came along for the adventure!

the wax figures needed a little dusting, and trying to figure out who they were, was fun, but

that is definitely the charm of the place. Can you gues who we saw?

(galaxy defenders. CLAP! CLAP!)

("i think we're getting scammed by a kindergartener")

("Come to this side of the table if you want to be in the picture!")

"Nobody puts Baby in the corner")

(a smooth criminal)

Burger Bar

(chocolate burger: chocolate patty, mint lettuce, strawberry tomatoes, kiwi pickles, orange fruit leather cheese, strawberry sauce ketchup,

whipped cream mayo = delicious!)

Cielo (sky) Bar at the Four Seasons

(claire, Ron)

(Dave, Barbara. what a sexy, hair blowing in the wind shot)

(leslie, dan)

(the olympic torch)

(Dan, Leslie, Claire, Ron, Barbara, Dave)

(Dan gets air)

(birthday boy at the end of a long day)

someone needs a haircut!

2010-08-20T15:30:00.001-07:00

Grillaxin'

2010-08-18T20:26:00.000-07:00

This week started out with the promise of being a difficult one at work (one week to install a temporary Abstraction show and tie up the loose ends on a Teaching Gallery show that has been lingering near finished for weeks—with the requisite amount of pedestal building/painting/refurbishing thrown in to make it interesting) and it has more than delivered in that respect.

After a fairly tiring day yesterday, Claire picked me up from work and we raced over to the sushi happy hour at Wasabi in Clayton. An easy (and early) treat for dinner which set the stage for an uncharacteristically lazy evening of lounging in bed and nodding off to sleep before midnight (!) in anticipation of getting to work an hour and a half early to get a jump on things.

After an 11-hour day, I get home to find Claire cutting up veggies for the grill and 2 of the pinkest tuna steaks I've ever seen (they looked like watermelon!) in queue in the fridge. The best way to take it easy after a long day (and before the next one) and to take advantage of the last evening of a small break in the summer weather.

My girl.

We both look so tired. We are.

See? Like watermelon.

Perfect.

And for dessert...

...mmmmmmmmmm.

Superman Doesn't Live Here Anymore

2010-08-01T21:45:00.000-07:00

Still playing a bit of catch-up here, but what's this summer heat good for, if it's not a good excuse for summer laziness? On the way back from Nashville over Memorial Day, Claire and I stopped in Metropolis, IL and visited the Superman Museum. I hadn't been there in a few years, but i don't think they had more than 10 new items on display. There's so much crammed into it though, that it doesn't really matter.

Upskirt and away.

I think he's so angry because he just realized that he has no use for a motorbike.

Pre-Death of Superman.

Post-Return of Superman.

Big Superman statue at City Hall.

Bigger Big John statue at grocery store.

Checking in on the business on the way back to St. Louis.

Soulard Coffee House

2010-07-26T12:25:00.000-07:00

June 6, 2010 - we hadn't been to Soulard coffee house in a while, so we made it for brunch.

it has such a beautiful garden outback and some great food!

waiting on our yummy breakfast

prime location next to the water fountain

ron, his coffee and a zine

Memorial Day Weekend 2010

2010-07-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

May 28, 2010- im.promp.t.Q

Dan, the grill master

Dave, love all the cardinals red!

Leslie (strawberries), Barbara (icebox cake), Me (spatula)

Ron and red cup

May 30, 2010- wine and cheese night and Rock Band

Dave (guitar), Barbara (mic), Ron (Bass), Amanda (drums)

me (smile), Ron (goof)

me (emo), Ron (emo goof)

me (smile), Ron (CHEESE!)

May 2010: Nashville

2010-06-12T15:09:00.000-07:00

Well, it's time to play catch-up here again. Can't believe it has really been a month and a half since the last post. The good thing about having a lot going on is that there's a lot to post here. The bad thing is that there's no time to post it.

Going all the way back to the beginning of May, Claire and I went down to Nashville (or Tullahoma, to be more specific), TN for my younger sister Christine's graduation from nursing school. It was the first time that my family had all been together in about 3 years.

(Pictured in the following: Dad (Ron Sr.), older sister (Tara), her kids (Anna Chey, J.T., Cierra), younger sister/graduate (Christine), her husband (Brian) and kids (Aubrea, B.J., and Cayce), and of course, Claire and me.)

Finally got a picture of him after trying all day.

Royale

2010-04-26T20:20:00.001-07:00

(header courtesy of the royale website)

It got late to go to the grocery store or even fix dinner, so Ron and i went to the Royale.

(photo courtesy of the royale website)

We split the Juniata (veggie burger made with match "meat") and an east west club (with match "meat" chicken). i ordered the sweet potato chips as my side and they were perfectly done (sometimes they are too done). the food is always good! next time, its time to split the fish tacos again (best fish tacos in St. Louis)!

Taxes

2010-04-16T15:23:00.000-07:00

Last night Ron and i split a ride to the downtown St. Louis Post Office to drop our 2009 taxes off. We were both very last minute this year. Thanks to taxslayer, it was fairly quick

and cheap, only 14.95! Looks like the Puerto Vallarta trip is paid off after Ron finished his, 2007, 2008, AND 2009 taxes!!

Afterwards, it turned into one of those stupid dinner nights, where everything goes wrong trying to decide on where to go for dinner and when we get there, it's either too pricey for what it is, of the doors are locked, even though they should still be open for dinner. ugh!! so, it was a DEL TACO night.

Cooking with....

2010-04-14T23:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a peek at what Claire and I had for dinner tonight:

MMMMMMmmm...tasty.

A few weeks ago we were watching Simply Ming on the local PBS. His theme that day was "sesame" and one of his dishes was Sesame-Chive Butterfish with Buttered Edamames and Spinach. It looked delicious and I was obsessed with making it. I looked into actually getting butterfish but it seemed a bit difficult around here if not a bit risky, since there are many different kinds of fish that might be labeled as "butterfish". These would include "escolar" which is known to cause abdominal cramping and LOOSE STOOLS. SO, in our recipe, cod seemed a suitable alternative.

I'm happy to say that after more than a week of having the ingredients on hand and waiting for a night when it seemed like the right time to make it, we finally got it together, as evidenced above. I thought it was quite nice. Claire said it was "interesting" or "different" or something like that, but she cleaned her plate, so that says something. And so far, no cramping, etc. But it might be that all of the poison in the edamame is keeping that at bay.

Bon Appétit!

the informant

2010-04-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

Ron and i watched the informant last night. i was so confused the whole movie, but i think that is the point. Matt Damon was great in this role! i loved all of his voiceovers of the characters thoughts!!

"I don't like wool on skin. Not even that merino wool they have at Marshall Field in Chicago. Ginger likes it because it's formfitting, but she likes avocados. And who wants that texture in their mouth? "

The other thing about the movie was the characters hair. i kept trying to figure it out, turns out it is supposed to be a toupe!!

Birthday weekend

2010-04-12T11:37:00.000-07:00

i turned 31 this weekend.

Friday, April 9 (my official birthday) Ron and i split a beautiful Nicoise salad and artichoke toasted ravs at Katie's Pizza for lunch! even the bread rolls were amazing!!

Friday night, after flat ironing Ron's hair (creepy),

Ron and i attended the March Moustache Party Bash at the Royale!! There were shots to be had,

DJ Cliffe and DJ Early were spinning some killer tunes

and prizes were handed out for the moustache awards! i did win creepiest moustache for the individual eyelashes i had stuck to my upper lip.

Saturday, i invited my peeps out to Tower Grove Park for a picnic. i wanted everyone to quilt the earth with their beautifullly colored blankets

and relax,

and eat

and play some rec club games!!

there was frisbee

croquet

and the day was perfect with sunny weather!

Sunday night, we bbqed out at my sister, Holly's house. i found out ,my friends, the mosquitos are out and about!!

It was the best weekend ever!!

Happy Birthday to Claire (extended mix)

2010-04-11T07:39:00.000-07:00

Claire, I hope you had the best birthday weekend ever. I'm pretty sure you did, because in all the excitement, I'm just getting around to posting this now.

I love you so much and wish you many, many more wonderful, fun-filled years

March mustache madness 2010

2010-04-08T21:12:00.000-07:00

(Ron and i heading out for the Stache Bash 2006)

This year, the Fourth Annual March Mustache Party will be at the Royale April 9, 2010 (MY BIRTHDAY). Ron and i attended our first mustache party (before we started dating) at a random house party and not even in March. i think i might have drawn mine on that night. A game of spin the bottle took place (Ron and i never kissed that night) and a snowball fight as the party was ending (Ron pegged me in the face with a snowball. is that LOVE or what?).

We attended the first two March Mustache Parties that took place at Snowflake. We missed last year's party at the Royale because we were in Austin.

Lilly's homestyle mexican

2010-04-08T12:18:00.000-07:00

Today, Ron and i split lunch at Lily's off South Kingshighway. We split the Tilapia and shrimp a la mexicana, and i ordered a cheese tamale on the side. DELICIOUS!! it's been a while since we've been to eat there, because every time we've tried to go back, it's been a Monday, and it's closed! We will be back!

Lunch in the park

2010-04-08T12:16:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Ron and i split lunch in Forest Park by the water basin, just before the rain came! Being around the water basin at the bottom of Art Hill makes me feel like i am in Europe.

When we first started dating and Ron was working at SLAM, we used to eat on Art Hill, during his lunch breaks. When the weather is nice, it really is so relaxing and a nice break from being inside!

Asking yourself, what's for dinner?

2010-04-01T19:23:00.000-07:00

( the leftovers)

ronneo and i made yummy dinner tonight! tuna steaks cooked in a skillet with our favorite Soyaki (we are on the Hawaiian flavored now, both are great)sauce from Trader Joe's, and we used the Forman grill for the sweet potatoes (cut in 1/4 inch slices for 25mins.)

and asparagus (4-5mins., it will still be crunchy!!) we added a touch of butter and sea salt for flavor! i can't wait for the stinky pee!! Does anyone else experience this?

I'm gonna make a change, for once in my life!

2010-03-29T20:42:00.000-07:00

Last night ron and i watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution tv show and the movie Food, inc., and tonight we watched the movie No Impact Man.

With Earth Day (April 22, 2010) and its 40th anniversary, i was wondering what i could do to make more of a change both for the environment and to be healthy. what could make a bigger impact!?

a list of Green things we do already:

-Recycle EVERYTHING: cans, plastic, paper (even the paper from canned goods, to junk mail), cardboard (don't forget toilet paper rolls), glass, anything we can peel or tear off packaging that can't otherwise be recycled!!)

-i use reusable bottles for water, and i take it with me everywhere! (it actually helped me to drink a lot more water)

-i try to line dry as much clothing as possible!

-Ron eats his own feces

-we try to turn off lights of rooms we aren't in.

-we are pescetarians, we follow a vegetarian diet, and eat fish, but no MEAT!

-we use reusable bags at the grocery store. (Ron was buying a new reusable bag every time he went because he said it was a way to punish himself, for forgetting the bags in his car or at home, but i told him it was creating more of a waste!)

-we use cloth napkins (this is a semi-new thing and we are still trying to remember)

-we use old terry cloth towels cut down for cleaning rags. i even use these for my swiffer mop.

- if i have leftovers at a restaurant, i ask for a piece of foil or wrap it in a napkin (because those have been given to me already and will be thrown away). i HATE styrofoam! i would eventually love to carry my own tupperware or an alternative and use that.

-we do try to eat at home as much as possible. not only are you using reusable silverware and plates, but you are also saving a lot of money.

-if i get something carried out of a restaurant, i use my own bag and i tell them not to put any silverware, condiments, or napkins. (i love when places ask first!)

-every place i have worked in the past 10 years, has been environmentally friendly in some way. i even get everyone involved in recycling at my work (this isn't 100%).

this is a start and i'm sure there are other things, but i want to do more.

the guy on NO Impact man said that if there was just one thing that you could do to start change, it would be volunteering for an environmental group! maybe that is what i do!

what do you do that is GREEN? Do you celebrate EARTH DAY?

-claire

SHRED

2010-02-18T23:23:00.000-08:00

i started the jillian michael's 30 day shred on january 14 and finished my day 30 on february 27. I actually finished in 34 days, but the other days i worked out to pilates or yoga or did double SHRED on one day! Ron shared a workout with me a few times during the first couple of levels but was there most of the workouts for level 3. initially, i couldn't stand having him there, but then i got used to it, and then i loved it! He is such a great support!

Speaking of support, i did post daily on facebook to own up to my workouts. i had so many great supporters leave comments, that i had to keep on going!! Thank you to everyone!

Ron and i are planning to run back through the 3 levels of the video until we leave for vacation. Only 14 more days until i get to feel the heat of the sun again!

i now look like jillian on the cover of this dvd!! HA! really, i am more toned and have less bingo arms! if you want more info on the dvd, post your questions in the comment section, or http://jillianmichaels.shop.sportstoday.com/Product.aspx?pc=JIAM13

Happy Valentine's Day, Claire!

2010-02-14T13:41:00.000-08:00

This will only make sense if you follow Claire's Facebook updates.

But she laughed so hard she couldn't actually read it, so I guess that's all that really matters.

i ♥ ruche!

2010-02-01T21:38:00.000-08:00

check out this great clothing site!

they have the most adorable clothes and the prices are perfect!!

and if ron ♥'s me, he will buy me something for Valentine's day!

remembering Philadelphia

2010-01-22T16:55:00.000-08:00

10/10/2009 Ron and i, Photo booth at El Vez, Philadelphia, Pa.!!

Happy Anniversary Ron!

2010-01-17T11:33:00.000-08:00

Today Ron and i are splitting 5 wonderful, fun-filled years together!

(below, ron and i splitting 2 years together)

Ron, Thank you for loving me, adoring me, saying the funniest things (under your breath, just so i hear), making the funniest faces!, laughing at my crazy, listening, calming me when i'm emotional, being able to handle my big family, thank you for splitting food, drinks, trips, life and a blog with me, thank you for being the boy in the room that fateful night on October 1, 2004, and waiting for me all those months!!, I love you and can't imagine my life without you!

To the next 5 years and the 50 or more years that follow!!

Love, Claire

Puerto Vallarta

2010-01-08T14:58:00.000-08:00

Ron and i will be splitting a much needed vacation in early March.

our friends, Dan and Leslie had planned a trip and told us to think about

going. Ron doesn't like the beach, and i told them that it probably wouldn't happen.

we also found out our friends, John and Rachel, had travel plans that

overlapped that time. Ron was the one that brought it up again and said he was interested in going.

i can't wait to lay on the beach with a cold, fruity, drink in my hand and the warm sun on my back and the sound of the waves breaking and a possible good read in my hands!!

i will need some book recommendations!!

Christmas Decor Rations:2

2009-12-18T19:43:00.000-08:00

Christmas Decor Rations

2009-12-16T23:48:00.000-08:00

I'm a little ashamed to admit that we're still finalizing the Holiday display around here, but Claire promised pictures, so here are a few sneak peaks.

Hopefully a few more tomorrow and then a full barrage by the weekend.

Dan and Leslie's 2009 Holiday Formal

2009-12-15T13:18:00.000-08:00

Ron and i split a formal party on Saturday!!

the party pics!!

Dan and Leslie, the host and hostess!

Ron and I all decked out!!

Group shot!!

Brad in his bow tie!!

Another Group shot!

Ha Ha! fooled ya! here are the real pictures!!

Brad in bow tie!

Leslie (mmm, cookie), Matt, Me

Leslie, Rachel, John (the first pimp of the evening), Me

Rachel, Matt, Katie

Brad, Emily, Mark

Mark, Leslie the hostess with the mostest!

John and Rachel

Katie and Kevin ??

Ron

Katie, Leslie, Rachel, Emily, Dan, Me

Leslie, Rachel, Emily, Mark, Me

Claire and Ron (not the best of pictures, but the best of the two of us from the night!)

Ron

Comic Club- Jason, Max, Brian, Dan, Anchovy, Kevin

Christmas Wonderland!

2009-12-05T20:14:00.000-08:00

...and so it begins today! While we listen to Christmas tunes and watch awesome christmas cartoons on dvd from the dollar store, Ron and i are starting the Christmas decorations! Stay Tuned for pictures!

Giving thanks.

2009-11-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

Ron and i are in Terre Haute, In. for thanksgiving! you might be asking yourself, why Terre Haute, or What is Terre Haute?!

My parents both grew up in T. H. and most of my family is here. My parents, after 20 years in Edwardsville, decided to move home this year!

I'm so excited for the Thanksgiving feast!

I am thankful for Quorn Fake turkey roast, mashed potatoes and gravy, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, the many glasses of red wine shared with my aunt Paula and who would not GIVE THANKS for Pumpkin Pie? This year i am also thankful for the 8 person hot tub on my parents new back deck!

One last thing that i am thankful for above the rest, Ron and a little over 4 1/2 years together!

Love, Claire

OK. Ron here. My turn.

I am thankful that we finally got to Terre Haute. I am thankful that at least one of the bottles of wine we have is drinkable. I am thankful that , even if I don't see or talk to them enough, my family is healthy and doing well this season. I am also thankful that I have Claire's family to make me feel welcome while I am away from my own.

And, of course, I am extremely thankful that I have Claire, and look forward to continue splitting this blog and everything else with her for years to come.

Ron

Happy Thanksgiving!

Rug or Art?

2009-11-05T20:38:00.000-08:00

i was looking through the rugs online at Ikea, and getting Ron's opinions of some of them.

He kept saying, "That looks like art from (insert an artist here)!"

Descending by Bridget Riley or Jorun rug by Ikea

skills by Ryan McGinness or Lusy Blom rug by Ikea

art by Sean Scully or Unni Rand rug by Ikea

The Great Pumpkin Party!

2009-10-30T01:36:00.000-07:00

Ron and i split a party last weekend, at Leslie's house!

We had way too much fun (meaning, too much spider cider!)

i brought the pumpkin pie angel food cake, topped with whipped cream! i don't know which was more successful, the cake or the can of whipped cream?!!

There was

school recess,

pumpkin carving,

sittin' by the bonfire, eating goodies (including toasted pumpkin seeds ) and dancing to halloween favorites like 'the monster mash' , and my favorite, Ray Parker Jr.'s 'Ghostbusters'!

Ron HAD to stop on our way there to get pumpkins for the carving contest, which he didn't even participate in!

i did for fun, and WON the contest!!

This cute little spooky wallet was my prize!!

Can't wait for next year Leslie, thank you!!

YO Adrian!! pt.1

2009-10-25T18:55:00.000-07:00

I met up with Ron in Philadelphia, to extend his courier trip so we could SPLIT the

city together!!

Our First day in Philadelphia

Varga Bar for dinner!

(Slyfox pils in a can, pot o pickled vegetables, Lump Crab Cheese Fries.

not pictured- sweet squash gnocchi with truffle oil)

Dessert at Max Brenner Chocolate by the Bald Man!

The Brown Heart- a warm chocolate cake filled with a double layer of pure chocolate and peanut butter. Served with crunchy wafer balls, a side of vanilla sauce, and vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate fondue! (AMAZING!)

We both enjoyed a double espresso in a Kangaroo cup served with a chocolate bar!

"Excuse me, you have a little something on your..."

Death to the Chocolate!!

After walking around to feel out the city, Ron and i happened upon Continental.

Head up to the rooftop where they have my favorite Bertoia wire chairs to sit in...

and relax by the waterfountain!

"Hey, this Continental Martinin isn't dirty enough!"

the Great Pompion!

2009-10-17T23:30:00.000-07:00

as soon as October hits, i get excited about everything pumpkin!! who doesn't?

I had to look back at my sister, Beth's blog archives, to find this easy pumpkin treat!!

mix a box of angel food cake mix (single packet) with

one whole can of Libby's Easy pumpkin pie MIX. (make sure it says MIX on the can).

just these two items!! no water!!!

it will get foamy and really bulk up. sprinkle with cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice. spray the bundt pan. pour into a baking pan. bake at 350 for 30 min. when cooled, add some whipped cream, powdered sugar, or icing to finish it off!!

soo easy and soo good!!

The pumpkin treat that tops my list would have to be the Great Pumpkin from Ted Drewes!!

These people are genius by putting a whole slice of pumpkin pie in each concrete!! Two weeks ago, Barb and Dave went along with Ron and I, as we split our first Great Pumpkin of the season! it was a cold night, so the four of us sat in my car and ate our cold concretes! Delicious!

last week, when Ron and i were in Philadelphia, we were reading the beer list at Brauhaus Schmitz, a German Beirhall, and recieved a brief history on pumpkin beer.

The old english called them pompions (a French term) and used them as a thickening agent when they ran out of other ingredients to make their ales.

The description of the Elysian night owl pumkin ale was so good that we decided to order one, only to find out that there was no pumpkin ale on draft yet. oh well, we do have schlafly pumpkin ale to look forward to.

talk about a whole slice of pumpkin pie, that's what this tastes like.

all this excitement for pumpkins and i have to mention that my friend Leslie is having a party next weekend to celebrate Pumpkins. my friend, Dan Zettwoch, Leslie's boyfriend and an amazing local comic artist, designed the invite!!

head over to his site to see the rest of his drawings! looks like he made a list of his favorite pumpkin items as well!!

What are your favorite pumpkin treats??

Happy Halloween!!

split at birth/death?

2009-10-14T08:18:00.000-07:00

i looked up photos of frances bean because mikey was talking about her being 17, then i saw this photo with kurt cobain,

then i remember this photo of heath ledger. creepy, huh?

please don't stop the music...

2009-10-02T23:13:00.001-07:00

but we did!

if you were one of the few that did enjoy the music while visiting our blog, scroll down to the bottom of the right column and push play!!

thanks for stopping by and letting us share our life with you!!

-claire

ron fixes dinner!!

2009-08-21T15:41:00.000-07:00

now he knows why this salad costs so much to eat out!!

a nicoise salad prepared by chef ron from marissa williams on Vimeo.

Split at Birth

2009-08-20T15:50:00.001-07:00

Little man Tate, child genius/Peggy Olson, ad copywriter

(Claire hates when I post this kind of thing, but after all of her chastising, I've seen nothing out of her here. Besides, we do watch Mad Men together...
In fact, we just watched the first episode of season 3 tonight, right after enjoying a delicious home-made nicoise salad. Possibly video to follow.)

New picture for blog-head!

2009-08-07T00:07:00.000-07:00

See above.

(I love you, blog-head.)

### Days of Summer

2009-07-29T22:10:00.001-07:00

"OK, OK! I give up already!"

So Claire wants more postings. Well, she's right y'know. This whole thing was kind of my idea, and I haven't been doing a very good job. With Claire's permission, I am going to change "clean the toilet" on the list of chores that she made for us with "make a blog post." Priorities are important.

So...what have we been doing this summer? The same as everyone, I guess. Hangin' out. Cookin' out. At times, even rockin'out. Like pretty much the rest of St. Louis, we recently went down to the first installment of the weekly (for 3 weeks anyway) Live on the Levee concerts down at the Riverfront to see Sonic Youth play a free show. Yes, that's right. You might be thinking, if you don't know any better, "well, that sounds swell, but I bet it was 100º in St. Louis in the middle of July. Have fun at your free Friday night show, I'll be at home with my feet on the AC drinking a Dr.Phizz and watching the Ghost Whisperer." Well, as wrong as that choice would be on any normal Friday night, it would have been what the kids call an "epic fail" on the night in question. First of all, the weather that evening, clear skies and 71º. Yes.

Secondly:

Where's Claire? Behind the camera.

Thirdly:

Big St. Louis fireworks finish, as Sonic Youth continued to play their second encore. Or rather, tried to. They were predictably cut short (and cut off) within seconds by the piped in sound of Nickelback or something (actually, I understand it was "Finger 11" whatever the that means.) And though for one brief moment, there was no better place to be on Earth than St. Louis, the truth is, that's not really what St. Louis does. It would be no more fair to expect that level of perfection of our city than it would be to do so of ourselves. Imagine the pressure of having to live up to that standard every day, or, worse, having to live with the daily disappointment of not being able to do so. We are St. Louisans after all. We are a practical people. We have better things to do than trying to be cool all the time.

And so, in their great wisdom and prescience, our city fathers turned off the fantasy, and turned on the radio, saving us from ourselves and from those pied pipers from NYC, those intoxicating youths and the alluring sounds they make. Thank you, city dads. I'm glad you're on our side.

(A note: the image that opens this post is a pic of 2 army men and 1 parachute man in fashionable colors that Claire got for me this weekend with Skee-ball tickets won at the arcade at the Ronnie's 20 movie theater. We went to see a dumb movie that is referenced in the title of this post. All I can say is that I would've liked it more if there had been more Han Solo. On the other hand, it had more Han Solo than I would've expected. And not Harrison Ford, HAN SOLO!)

new picture for blog head

2009-07-27T01:15:00.000-07:00

this is a picture of how i feel about this blog, lonely!!

where are ron's contributions?

besides the putin, bond look a like photo, it's been a while!!
who agrees ron needs to draw a new picture of the two of us for our blog name heading?

me, me!!!

Split at Birth

2009-07-14T17:01:00.001-07:00

Daniel Craig - actor/ Vladimir Putin - Russian Prime Minister

missing june...

2009-07-06T11:19:00.001-07:00

ron and i have completely missed all of june on this blog!

why are blogs so hard to keep up with?

1) i think it's because facebook is enough of a blog.

2) after ron has showed me time and again, i still forget how to upload pictures!

3) as easy as they say it is to upload videos off of, the FLIP video camera ISN'T!! i have

tried to use youtube.com to upload onto, it doesn't work for my camera, and vimeo.com is

good, but i want to use youtube.com.

4) turning video footage into a movie, is hard too.

stay tuned for some new uploads!!

Cable T.V.

2009-05-28T20:48:00.000-07:00

because we had missed our window of opportunity to buy the HD box with coupon, yet a third time, Ron and i decided on Cable. Don't worry, it is only the basic cable, but we have so many more channels. we do get CMT which has been showing alot of country movies, and FX movie channel and TBS which has alot of movies and have Channel 30 back which has alot of good reality shows. you see where i'm going with this, Ron and i are going to be watching way more crappy tv than we need. Look out for Ron's recent facebook posts, you will know how bad it really is.

i have discovered a few channels have some Fitness hours, so i tried the STL TV Boot Camp tonight, which i did get Ron to do with me. I am feeling the squats.

how much tv do you watch, what is your TV guilty pleasure? Reality shows, talk shows, soap operas, judge dramas, etc...??

Foto Follies

2009-05-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

dinner?

2009-05-06T19:05:00.000-07:00

Ron and i are having trouble finding good easy dinner dishes!!

we are pescatarians, so fish is the only "meat" we eat!!

i would like to start using the crock pot!! i'm still freaked out by it though!!

what are your favorite dishes?

please send your recipes our way.

or if you would like to invite us over for dinner, that helps too!!

sunday chores.

2009-05-03T21:03:00.000-07:00

ron mowed the lawn and i cleaned the bathroom!

which job would you rather have?

Big as all hell and half of Texas part 4

2009-04-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

Sunday morning, Moonshine in Austin. They have the best brunch!

After brunch we picked up our Rental car and drove to Dallas to visit Sara, Todd and Ava.

Happy Earth Day!!

2009-04-22T09:23:00.000-07:00

My GoGreenScore is

47

Now you can take the GoGreenScore challenge.

big as all hell and half of Texas part 3

2009-04-21T09:59:00.000-07:00

saturday we got up and at breakfast tacos at Maria's taco Xpress. a simple menu with simple ingredients and great food!!

went downtown Austin to catch the Crawfish Festival. $15 a piece to get in and that didn't include food or drink, No Way! so we took that money down to the lake front to the Hula Hut. i had been there before years back when i was there during college.

After a short nap, Faye and Ted sent Ron and i downtown on our own to have dinner at

La Condesa, a brand new, modern restaurant with great design and the best mexican food! Mexican street corn only $3!!

big as all hell and half of Texas part 2

2009-04-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

Friday, Ted took the day off . We all went to see the Birth of the Cool show at the Blanton.

Went to El Chile for lunch! yummy fish tacos!! Rated best Tres Leches cake in Austin. delicious!!

"Austin Pizza Garden is located in the James A. Patton Building (the "Old Rock Store"), a 100 year old historic landmark in the Oak Hill area of southwest Austin, TX. Family owned & operated for 14 years,"

.After Faye got off work, we all went out for pizza at the Austin Pizza Garden.

Afterwards, we all enjoyed a bottle of wine and the movie MILK.

Big as all hell and half of Texas part 1

2009-04-14T12:06:00.000-07:00

to Austin...

ted picked us up at the airport and dropped us off on s. congress. a hip area with great shops and good food!

we found jo's coffe shop.

(photo courtesy of woodland website)

Ted met us up at Woodland for dinner. We recommend the Stuffed Tomato!!

sunday afternoon

2009-03-15T21:38:00.000-07:00

ron and i have been splitting cleaning duties today!! he told me he loves

doing house duties with me. aww!!

we are getting ready for St. Patrick's Day, Dogtown -style this tuesday.

(it's supposed to be a gorgeous day and i can't wait to share it with my friends!!)

we started the day off going to the dollar store for st. pat's gear. and then to home depot

for some paint. ron has been finishing the painting we started a year and a half ago when we

moved into this place.

the picture above is what the wall is going to look like.

i have been on bathroom and major kitchen duty. you might want to wear

sunglasses when you stop by Tuesday, this place is gonna be shining!!

We clean-up nice

2009-03-01T20:19:00.000-08:00

Saturday night, Claire and I got all prettied-up to go to a fancy dress-up party at Mangia for our friend Barb's 30th birthday.

As one can never be too prettied-up, evan as I was puling on my coat and finally ready to leave, Claire realized there was one last detail she had forgotten.

She needed her nails did.

I waited patiently, coat on.

Claire tries to facilitate the drying process by shaking her hands around so fast they disappear.

Nails still wet, we take off for the party, arriving just minutes before...

...The blowing out of the candles on Barb's gooey butter birthday cake (from Gooey Louie's).

What followed was an enjoyable evening of fine people...

(Leslie, Erica, Steve, Claire, David.)

(Stephen, Barb, Christian)

Leslie, Steve, David, Matt, Bevin)

(Bevin, Matt, Erica?, the guy in the front, John, Steve, Claire, Leslie, Brad)

(Alice, Mike)

(us)

(John, Bevin, David)

...and fine dancing (especially by Barb and Dave.)

(Classic myspace-esque cute couple shot.)

Happy 30th Barb! Thanks for a great evening (as always.)

i wanted soup for lunch...

2009-02-15T15:10:00.000-08:00

ron and i went to our favorite soup spot today,Companion Bread.

we always split the companion lotto with the yummy mermaid (tuna) sandwich and soup, and order and additional soup. today was split pea. for our side option, we can't resist the corn bread, an extra sweet bread that makes up for dessert.

Be Mine

2009-02-14T19:51:00.001-08:00

slice o pie!!

2009-02-13T22:17:00.000-08:00

ron and i walked to the Sugaree Bakery early this evening for a pie.

every fri. and sat. 11-6 they sell pies out of the newly renovated

store front. so adorable!! we bought the small chocolate creme pie,

for just $5. What a deal!

What's for dinner?

2009-02-12T18:32:00.000-08:00

...Pad Thai!!

ron and i ate at Thai Country Pizza Co. for dinner this evening.

they don't serve just pizza, they have a create your own noodle bowl, so i can pick the sauce, the noodle and the protein.

They seem to be a little quicker than Thai country cafe.

so yummy!

christmas in feburary

2009-02-08T21:40:00.000-08:00

my new scarf and new flip.

The flip is great because it is the size of a camera and it's so lightweight.

what i don't like about it, there is no light when you are in a dark room,

and Ron doesn't like the quality. i was prepared that it wasn't going to be

high quality. i was looking for something to replace my polaroid.

-claire

The little French Ron and Claire

2009-02-04T21:43:00.000-08:00

WOOT a deal!

2009-01-29T16:31:00.000-08:00

i have been wanting a flip video recorder and Ron was going to buy me one for christmas this year. which meant, he drove around the day before christmas to shop for me, and everyone was out of them.

today, on WOOT.com, there was a great deal for the Flip recorder. we knew it was coming up because we know all the right people, thanks barb and dave. ron got right online and now, one is coming my way.

look out for future posts in video.

you can link on the woot deal of the day on our blog.

pre- Fabulous!!

2009-01-23T11:46:00.000-08:00

npr ran a story this morning on pre-fab housing, it's slowly catching on. i think i want to live in one and i know ron would love it too!

the houses are beautiful inside!! and very reasonable with pricing starting around 36.

i can't help but laugh at the comparison to a double wide, but in comparison, they are very modern and clean looking.

they can withstand winds up to 150mph, does that sound good enough?

only problem, floor length wide-open windows. great for a view, but walking around "freely" would be an issue.

sunny day

2009-01-22T12:18:00.002-08:00

st. louis weather is so quick to change. after snow flurries on monday, today is bright and sunny with a high of 58.
i am so glad to get off of work early to enjoy some of the warmth.

the first bottle of wine

2009-01-22T12:18:00.001-08:00

2006 Sierra Cantabria Rioja

This was the bottle of wine ron and i split for our 4 year anniversary at Revival.

on the nose: tobacco, vanilla (from the bottle) you can smell for yourself.

Claire says, "Med. bodied, fruity and peppery wine with light berry and cherry flavor."

Ron's note on the smell, "I smell cookies, yeah, seriously, like, lemon creams, animal crackers."

let us know what you think.

4 going on 40

2009-01-17T23:43:00.000-08:00

As you may or may not know, last night was the 4-year anniversary of our first "official" date. We had not really had a chance to plan anything super-special, because work has been so busy lately for both of us ( I think my next day off is in mid-February). We decided that the perfect evening would be just having a good dinner, something a little special, and just relaxing at home together for the rest of the night. (With this in mind, Claire came home with a nice bottle of champagne.)

For dinner, we settled on Revival. We had been there once before with Claire's family, and had been thinking and talking about it a lot recently. It has a really cozy and somewhat romantic feel to it. Plus Claire's favorite mac-n-cheese in town.(Somehow, our dating history is deeply connected to macaroni and cheese.)

See, cozy and romantic.

Another great thing about this place is that the menu is set up in such a way that it's really easy to get several things to share (or split, as we like to say). In fact, or waiter informed us that the chef encourages that type of behavior. We split several things :

1)Mixed salad greens with Missouri goat cheese, green apples & spiced peanuts

MMMmm...apple..

2) A rioja that I can't remember the name of. Claire is supposed to post our "review" of it, the first such post since she started this thing by saying that we would do one once a week. Oops.

MMmmm...wine. Not sure what's going on with my eyes here.

Plate on wall...nice to look at.

Plates on table, nicer to look at. Let's eat!

3) Tilapia with sweet potatoes, plain and simple

(So good. The fish is perfectly cooked. A little seasoned and crispy on the outside, but not greasy at all. Firm and tender on the inside. The sweet potatoes kill and are not too sweet like the dreadful concoctions I have spent a lifetime avoiding at Thanksgiving. And just a little bit of greens to balance that. Yum.)

4)Wood roasted cauliflower and tart apple

(I can't get enough of roasted cauliflower, and this might be the best. It tastes like sitting by a campfire, if that makes sense. A delicious, rustic comfort.)

5)Baked "Mac & Cheese"

(This is Claire's favorite and she could probably make a meal out of just this. It would be easy to do because there's enough here to fill you, but you're still gonna want more. Her only complaint is that the plate underneath should be bigger to catch all the delicious breadcrumbs that fall off of the top when you dig in to it.)

Clean Plate Club.

6) Contentment

What she doesn't know

2009-01-17T13:54:00.001-08:00

I don't think she knows it (and I'm not going to tell her), but when she
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I feel loved like I never have.

Happy anniversary, Claire. You continue to make me happier every day.

Love,
Ron

+31,000 words about Christmas

2008-12-30T20:56:00.000-08:00

(Gee, thanks for the nose trimmer)

(OK, this totally makes up for the nose thing.)

(Perhaps the most surprising gift ever, esp. since I had no idea it was this big!)

Holly's jolly Christmas....party

2008-12-28T20:48:00.000-08:00

Here's a little number to help keep the Christmas cheer running right up through the New Year:

Berry Christmas to All from ronald weaver on Vimeo.

This was shot on Christmas Eve Eve at Claire's sister Holly's Annual Holiday Party. It's always a good time and this year she upped the ante by providing a new Wii with Rock Band for our enjoyment. As you might be able to tell, I don't think any of us had ever played it before. Fortunately, through the use of movie/Christmas magic, I was able to give the band, and all of you, a little bit of a present. Props out to Claire for her masterful rock'n'roll camerawork.

A little late, but still in season!

2008-12-26T18:52:00.000-08:00

In all of the Holiday commotion, I almost forgot to wish everyone (all 3-7 of you) the very best this season. Onward to the New Year!

(And, hopefully more Christmas pics to follow, because that's always nice, huh?)

oh what a night...

2008-12-19T23:46:00.000-08:00

so, ron and i didn't end up at his work holiday party, we ended up going to El Burrito Loco with most of Geek Life and had a really GOOD time. dinner turned into a nice evening at barb and dave's house drinking wine and eating homemade pray-lines made by nuns and drinking WOOT wine.

i was so impressed with Barb's organized yarn collection and beautiful knitted works, that i am inspired to knit again and we will SOON get together with Rachel so she can bind-off and have an official finished piece of work.

Thanks to barb and dave for coordinating great times every time!!

late posts

2008-12-19T09:51:00.000-08:00

i keep making posts for the blog, but because ron adds to them, they dont' quite make it up too soon. sorry to disappoint our huge fan base!
tonight is ron's holiday work party at the Des Lee gallery. i wonder if we will make it?
stay tuned... {We won't make it--Ron}

A night of sparkling lights...

2008-12-16T10:28:00.000-08:00

The first year ron and i met, before we officially started dating, Ron tells me the story of how he wanted to ask me to go drive around and look at Christmas lights. He even bought a vintage thermos for hot chocolate that we could drink from. Mind you that never happened, but it has every year after and we always end up drinking Starbucks and not from the Thermos.{But we still have the Thermos--Ron}

This past Saturday night, we went to eat at the Tap Room. They have a new menu and we wanted to see. After a short wait in the bar (i ordered the pilsner and ron ordered the Coffee Stout, a new favorite of his.){Yes the coffee stout is a new favorite(thanks, Barb). I haven't been a big fan of stout types of beers since I actually started liking non-stout beers. But I like this one a lot. A few years ago, I had a "beershake" at the Chocolate Bar. It was made with chocolate stout and cinnamon ice cream. Delicious. I can't wait to try it with this.}, we were seated. Same place, same set up, almost completely revamped menu. We ordered one familiar thing, the goatcheese rarebit. so good!! but all of our old standbys were gone including the salmon sandwich and match (fake meat) burger. we SPLIT a salad and the tilapia reuben. the tilapia was beerbatter-fried, a major dissappointment. so i took it off and ate the reuben by itself, the way i used to enjoy it there anyway.

After a quick stop back by the apartment, we needed to get the camera, and a drive-thru starbucks, we were off to look at Christmas lights.

First stop Candy Cane Lane (aka Murdoch Ave) in St. Louis Hills. This is a favorite street of mine. All of the families on this street decorate their homes and come out on the weekends in december to greet you. This year, they had a movie screen, set up, showing Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer. They were collecting donations for salvation army and handing out candy canes.

Candy and Peanuts from ronald weaver on Vimeo.

We drove throughout the rest of the St. Louis Hills neighborhood. When my sister Holly and i go walking around that park, there is one house that we always get a kick out of. They have three big picture windows one to display the dining table, one the Big screen T.V. and the other the garage for some fancy car. they also have a yard full of fountains and gaudy yard ornaments and huge clock that hangs on the front of the house. this year for christmas, a yard FULL of christmas inflatables. {this house makes me wish more than ever for an official Red Ryder carbine action 200-shot range model air rifle --with a compass in the stock. I freaking hate inflatable lawn ornaments.!!! If I get one this year, I'm going back.}

It looks like Night of the Living Dead.

We drove by our old neighborhood, tower grove park, to see the house on Magnolia Ave.that has a flying santa every year.

We almost missed Gurney Court (which sits off of Magnolia), usually a delight, was quite a disappointment this year. the lights were turned off for the evening, but the light up deers were both tipped over and half of the houses weren't even decorated. We did have a great time anyway!!

i hope your christmas light search this year brings some great discoveries!!

two action packed movies in a week...

2008-12-11T20:41:00.000-08:00

Monday

We went to see 'Quantum of Solace' at the HiPointe. You too can rent out the entire HiPointe theatre all to yourself for just $16. QoS is supposed to start up where Casino Royale finished

off. i don't think there is any need to see the previous to see this one. Daniel Craig makes everything look effortless, everything he touches wants him, he just embodies Cool in this film. My favorite thing about this movie, the White Jeans, navy shirt, and ankle boots!! Very british, very mod!!

Thursday

Neither of us had seen North By Northwest. What a great opportunity to see it on the big screen at the Tivoli for free to correspond with the 'Birth of the Cool' show at the Wash U. kemper Museum. I think seeing both of these movies this week went very well together. Hitchcock, how do you manage, to entertain, movie after movie after movie. no need for hi tech gadgets, these movies still hold up with time. you made me feel I was driving that winding road drunk like Carey Grant, i felt so anxious because no one believed his story (just like i felt watching Bjork in Dancer in the Dark) and i was so scared "Eve" was going to plummet to her death from Mount Rushmore.

Both Movies have great titles, but could very well have been called "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles!" i've never seen so much travel in a week.

Twilight

2008-12-07T21:51:00.000-08:00

Ron went with me to see Twilight this evening. it followed the book for the most part.

i loved that ron kept asking me questions during the movie and i could impress him with my knowledge for once. ha! he likes werewolves and while i was reading the books, i would tell him the stories of how the indian tribe became werewolves. at the end he asked "aren't jacob and edward friends?" next movie, ron, next movie!!

Not only did the movie end with a tease for the next movie, it ended with the radiohead song 15 steps!!

a baby boy...

2008-12-07T18:51:00.000-08:00

ron and i had a baby today.

he's a beautiful, chubby faced, wide-eyed baby boy.

welcome to the world Ronnoco!!

the annual girlfriends gift exchange 2008

2008-12-07T17:46:00.000-08:00

i have been attending the annual gift exchange of hostesses and friends, maggie, angela, and jill for about 10 years. there is always great food, much to drink and lots of good conversation!

the first year i recieved a piece of village, but now i think everyone has the hang of things.

this year, one of my best friends, alice was in attendance.

i decided to try a few items out before i chose what i wanted...

the dangle cake plate? it was a big hit this year!!

the beautiful fingerless gloves? very warm!!

the winner...

a purple-grey hawaiian print (swimsuit material) wine bang!!

won't i be the stylish party goer!!!

Holly's Birthday!!

2008-12-05T22:44:00.001-08:00

Today is my sister Holly's 31st Birthday!

Tomorrow, we are all going out to dinner for her day!

Happy Birthday, hole!!

the reason ron doesn't smile in pictures!

2008-12-03T23:07:00.000-08:00

for mikey...

2008-11-12T21:45:00.000-08:00

i finally got my hair trimmed. it's crazy that i'm a hairstylist but never have the time to get my hair done.

For Mikey:

2008-11-07T23:55:00.001-08:00

I might wear this shirt too much.

Vote! 2008

2008-11-04T16:02:00.000-08:00

WE DID!

Charlie Daniels meets Yo La Tengo

2008-11-02T13:34:00.000-08:00

Here's a picture from Dave & Barbara's Guy Fawkes party last night. The theme was "song titles". Can you guess both of us?

I didn't want to be the guy who misses a spot or two with the makeup, so I made sure to get it everywhere. A decision that I might be tempted to regret today, but I'm standing by it.

If this costume hadn't popped into my head yesterday, I would've been the third guy at the party wearing a nametag that said "Sue". I like this costume for two reasons, one, when I was 8, I was in a band that "covered" this song a few times. I played the tennis racket. (Our other song was "Elvira"), and two, it's a bit of a shout out to my dear, sweet, dad.

tongue and cheek

2008-10-29T22:40:00.000-07:00

Dancing with the Blog

2008-10-26T11:24:00.000-07:00

To get the proper effect, make sure "Autumn Sweater" is playing on the music thingy.

(I'm afraid that the webcam means that this blog is just going to become random pictures of us doing mundane things in this chair. On the one hand, I apologize; on the other, we're both pretty enough to make it work.)

waiting for a tow truck to unlock ron's car...

2008-10-25T19:55:00.001-07:00

photo booth session 10-25-08

2008-10-24T22:46:00.000-07:00

ron and i discovered the camera built in to his NEW imac. yay!

today it was a good day...

2008-10-17T20:49:00.001-07:00

while waiting on a client at work this morning, laura came back to tell me andrea was sick and they needed someone to go to an alive magazine photo shoot. she said it would be a prominent man of st. louis and i would need to powder his face and apply product to his hair. after my client, and collecting some items from the salon, i headed downtown st. louis. i arrived at photographer, Tuan's studio. after setting up, Reshma, an art director from alive magazine briefed me on the look of the shoot.
it was a guy named Nate from a sneaker co. called Greedy Genius.

He helped Nelly start up apple bottom jeans. after that was going well, he left to start a tshirt co., and then the shoes. he was really nice, he said he had never had makeup on his face before, he thought it was cool that the makeup could cover up his blemishes from a stressful week. we powdered his nose and shiny, shaved head and he was off to the camera. 20 minutes later, we were done. quick and easy. such a rush! It was one of those days "at work", when you realize this is why you are doing what you do!

i also got free tickets off kdhx for the faint show, on sunday, at the bluenote in columbia, mo.

-claire

missing you...

2008-10-16T22:24:00.000-07:00

...Ron,
i'm listening to the music on our blog, and missing you.
i love you,
claire

never leave your camera at home...

2008-10-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

ok, since ron isn't going to blog about it, i will. sunday, ron and i went to companion bread for lunch. driving on kingshwy, ron passed up the turn for maryland plaza, and made a u-turn to come back. waiting to turn onto maryland plaza, this man was crossing the street, ron says "nice fucking john waters dude!", at second glance, ron said " wait, that is john waters!" i told ron to roll down the window.
i yelled, "Hey John!" He turned and waved! Ron remembered he was in town for a talk and art show, probably staying at the chase park plaza.
funny thing, ron is never the celebrity spotter.
i don't know what it is with the williams girls and john waters, but my sisters, holly and beth have seen him the last two years they have gone to provincetown, ma.
"Hey John! i think the williams girls should star in one of your films, something tasteful!"

movie time

2008-10-09T09:35:00.000-07:00

ron and i have been busy watching many movies this week.
sunday was der golem.
monday, right after 'heroes' was over, we ran up to galleria to see 'nick and nora's infinite playlist'. ron and i both liked it, which is rare. a hipster love story, two teens fall in love because they both like the same music. ron commented how fun it would have been to be a teenager in new york city. he would have gotten so lost with his sense of direction. comments overheard afterward "that movie was perfect", said a high school boy. "yeah, i bet that soundtrack is really good", said his friend.
tuesday we both had the day off. we watched 'made of honor'.
i think romantic comedies are getting to be way too predictable, so it was just that predictable. ron and i are still trying to figure out what they did to patrick dempsey to make him look younger for his college years. his eyes looked really squinty, so we think they pulled his face back. creepy!!
later that night after our favorite dinner of couscous crusted salmon, ron and i watched the 2008 update of the original Halloween, by Rob Zombie. Ron made the comment, "he always has to white trash it up". some scenes were matched up almost exactly to the original, down to the house and street. but altogether, not that scary of a movie, just gorey and "trashy".
on the way home from work last night, i decided ordering pizza would be the easiest thing to do for dinner. which reminded me that ron and i had rented a movie called 'pizza'. it's a very low budget film starring Ethan Embry. i had no idea that Ethan embry could sing. it was really cheesy (no pun intended), and really bad!
we do have one more rented movie to watch 'the hitcher', another remake.
stay tuned...

the golem

2008-10-06T12:45:00.000-07:00

if you ever find yourself watching this movie, know that there are 5 chapters. i love silent films and i enjoyed the love story in this one, but overall it was a little slow. i'm glad ron finally got to see it after all these years of watching him draw and sculpt the golem. i'm also glad i got to be a part of it with him.