#9 The Girl with the Pearl Earring

Book #2!  Just finished this book for my book club.  While I usually enjoy more modern fiction, I was captivated by this historical novel of a maid and her life working in a painter's house in 17th century Holland.  I'm not too keen on writing book reports, so I will not use this blog to summarize the book (there are far too many already on the web).  However, I would recommend it if you are looking for a quick read.  I would also recommend checking out the book's website to view the actual paintings that are described in the book.  I imagined them while reading and then was able to see what Vermeer actually produced.

I was even more inclined to read the book faster because I accidentally checked out a large print version from the library.  After going to the gym with it, I realized large print is so much easier to read while working out.  This mistake was both good for my waste-line and my reading!

The Contemporary Science Center

This is a short video giving you some insight into the Contemporary Science Center.  I am currently working here as an educator.  Over the last few months I have been training and learning the ropes, and in January I start teaching full-time filling in for the current education director (Alice, seen in the video) while she is on maternity leave.  I have really enjoyed my experience there so far and think that it is a great organization.  The goal of the Center is to present an authentic experience in real science through day long field studies developed in collaboration with a local bio-tech or pharmaceutical company.  During these field-trips students follow the narrative arc of solving a problem that the companies are currently facing like developing a drug or combating crop destruction by the corn root-worm through genetically modifying corn.

Fallon

While I don't watch late night TV, I find myself watching more clips of Jimmy Fallon's show than any other. Love his impression of Neil Young. Hadn't seen him slow jam the news before, but this one was worth it:

Santa

Have you been

Naughty

or

Nice?

Elizabeth thinks she is a dog.

Pancake does not approve.

#8 Quilted pot holders

I have found another use for my scraps of fabric: quilted pot holders   This was so fun and easy that I already have plans for making a whole set!

#7 a visit to the Nasher Museum of Art

I am always looking for new things to do for Elizabeth and I especially in the early evenings before Nathan comes home.  It seems like this is the time that we both begin to tire of being with each other all day.  I was so happy to find that the Nasher Museum of Art has free admission on Thursdays after 5pm.  I thought the museum would appeal to her investigative nature, and I would enjoy it as well.

We arrived right at 5, and Elizabeth quietly viewed all the art work from her stroller.  She was a little hesitant at first, like she always is.  Instead of looking at the art she began by checking out the Duke students who were clearly there for class credit and enjoyed looking at the skylights.  When we entered their permanent collection she was taken by the extremely large (~5ft) and life-like sculpture of a man's head.  She stared at it for at least 3 minutes trying to take him all in.  I am always intrigued by this sculpture. I was really glad that she was not afraid of him since his brow is furrowed and he looks a little mean.

We then visited their exhibit on The Vorticists.  To me, it looked like cubism.  She begin to point to some of the artwork and "talk" about what she was seeing.  I think the bright colors and strong lines were very interesting to her.  She was really taken by a sculpture of a small fawn.  She pointed at it and was clearly more intrigued by it than by any other piece she saw in this exhibit.

After that, Nathan joined us and we entered an exhibit call "The Record" - the first museum exhibition to explore the culture of vinyl records within the history of contemporary art. The artists used vinyl records in interesting ways to make art work.  They also integrated music and a lot of reinterpretations of album covers.  Elizabeth especially liked the piece where they had stuffed birds as the needle for the record player and the albums were of bird calls. She didn't get the irony but did enjoy seeing the life-like birds up close.  She also enjoyed wearing the 3D glasses that allowed you to see a life-sized 3D image of a recording studio.  Isn't she cute?

Cooking... Sweet and Sour Beet Saute

The beets in the local grocery have been tempting me, and I finally gave in and purchased a large bunch.  We chopped off the tops for salad greens and washed the roots.  I was surprised that a little beet can go a long way!  We boiled a few to use in salads but still had several roots left.  So we decided to make a sweet and sour beet saute and worked from this recipe. 

2T olive oil
2 beets peeled and cut into matchsticks
2 onions sliced
2 mashed garlic cloves
1/4 cup raisins
2T honey
2T lemon juice
1T OJ
2T soy sauce

Heat oil in skillet; stir-fry the beets, onions, garlic, and raisins for several minutes over medium-high heat until onion is brown. Add the remaining ingredients; lower heat. Toss well to combine. Cover and steam until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes adding more OJ or water if too much evaporation occurs.

Decking the halls - Toddler style

During the last two months Elizabeth has gotten into EVERYTHING! When she is downstairs we close off all the doors and allow her only in the main rooms- the kitchen, dining room and living room. We had to move our couch to block the stairs so we don't spend all of our time chasing her up them. We locked all the kitchen cabinets except one which she has successfully found and tries to open at least 5 times every day. We moved all extraneous furniture and even our plants upstairs since she started to topple them over and munch on them like they were crackers. We finally thought we had child proofed the house.

Except now it is Christmas, and I really must have a tree. We discussed our options and decided upon a small tree on our TV stand. To make it more secure we tied it to the wall with fishing line. Here's hoping that we can keep it this nice for the next month.