we're on our way....well, we're

we're on our way....well, we're at the airport at least. Can't wait to touch down in RI!

The frantic fun of getting ready for vacation

Yes, the endless laundry, the best laid plans of being ultimately prepared and not overpacked, the wrapping up of loose ends of work - all things I always strive for that never happens. Oh well, it means we do a lot of laundry (mostly josh!!), overpack (hey - ya never know), and a reason to come back ('cause there's still a lot of work). I can't wait to see my high school buddies Charee, Cheryl and Tracy - it's going to be like Senior Prom 2 with a boat ride to Charee's wedding!!

Mondays are better with Melo

Melo
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

Is it just me, or does this sort of remind you of the soft focus junior/senior high school photos? The ones that bordered on cheesey and thank goodness for touch ups? You know, the kind where the photographer tells you to turn your head to the side while you hold your hands delicately to the other side and try to smile and not look totally dorky. My fav was the portrait in a mirror pose (where a gilded mirror showed your full face and you were in profile looking at the mirror - it always made me think of Snow White. I think we used that pose in 4th or 5th grade and I *adored* the pale blue and pink taffeta and lace dress-up dress I had. I wish I still had that dress! Anyways, I think I'm going to rename the tilt-you-head-to-the-side photo pose the "Melo Princess Puppy Pose," or for short, just the "Melo." As in: "Melo, come do the Melo, mommy wants to take another picture."

Sunday, Lazy Sunday

Today's cooking had a decidedly berry theme. It started with some whole wheat pancakes (second weekend in a row!), this time with fresh raspberries and marionberries and whipped cream. It is so much better to make these at home, where you can have unlimited berries and whipped cream!! Then on to a cobbler, pictured below, for which the aforementioned berries were originally purchased.


Berry Crumble
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

I found the recipe here, after quite a search to find a recipe for which we had all the ingredients on hand. In case the link goes away, I'm putting the directions below because the recipe came out really yummy and was easy.

Ingredients
6 cups peeled sliced peaches (or use any combo of berries)
1/2 cup sugar and 1/4 cup flour to mix with the berries/peaches

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
3/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Filling: Mix peaches (berries), sugar and flour together and pour into a 15-inch baking dish. Batter: Combine 2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix with a fork. Then add the milk and melted butter and mix until well combined.
Spoon batter over the peaches, making sure you spread to edge of dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, nutmeg and cinnamon (omit cinnamon & nutmeg when using berries) over the top, then bake in center of oven about one hour. Crust should be brown and crisp on the outside and cooked all the way through. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

The only alterations were the addition of some vanilla powder from Tahiti to the batter and cutting the sugar for the berries (I used the amount noted above - the recipe called for a lot more). I prefer tart berries with sweet crumble/pastry.

The baking was the most strenuous activity of the day, save a bit of sewing/quilting (no progress shots as Christmas presents are in the works!!). Technically, I've worn PJs all day - but I did shower and change PJs, so that counts, right? Dad and Mickey came over to join us for an impromptu BBQ. What a great lazy Sunday - it is so nice not to dread Sundays anymore - and only 3 days until our trip to RI!!!

JT did not disappoint

He performed for about 3.5 hours, with 3 encores and did all his big hits. So needless to say, it was a bit late when we got home! We're just sitting on the couch now watching "Breach," so far it is a little slow so here's hoping it picks up a bit. Right now it's kinda slow, religious and creepy. Might be time to break out some knitting . . .

off to see james taylor!

Continuing the summer of concerts, we're headed to the Clark County Amphitheater again - I'm hoping James Taylor is as good as The Police!

Joss Wheadon is at it again

Dr. Horrible Sing-A-Long-Blog - and he's brilliant. Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion (aka Captain Mal), and a dang funny video about a would-be-super villian. I found this listed on some reviews on LibraryThing, of all places -- good thing, because my hubby forgot to tell me about it after learning it at his graphic novel reading club!! I hear it is coming down soon (to be released on DVD) so check it out soon!

Go see Batman: Dark Knight

It is awesome - so awesome. Obviously, I still have not learned how to take a picture with my phone, hence Josh is on his side below but enough of that - go see Dark Knight!!!! It was incredible. Heath Ledger deserves at least an Oscar nomination - his Joker was beyond scary (and they need to not have any more Batman movies with the Joker because I don't think anyone could play it as well). Batman has now gone to the next-to-the top slot on my favorite superheros list, because he's not all goody-2-shoes like Superman, nor as whiny as Spiderman (but that may be more my hang up about Toby Maguire). Ironman (RD Jr) still has to be #1, but if you're in the mood for a good, old-fashioned, tortured hero/anti-hero that makes you want to save him, Batman is your man. And Christian Bale ain't too bad, either.

We went with a bunch of folks from Bridge City Comics, which was a lot of fun (and informative - did you know that Two Face recently came back to the 'good' side in the current Batman saga, or something like that?) We went to Liberty Glass, house of the old Lovely Hula Hands, which was really yummy. Homemade mozarella, and a great desert which consisted of really good pieces of dark chocolate sprinkled with cayenne pepper and cinnamon and served with pretzels (for the kosher salt addition) in a shot glass. Sounds weird, I know, but very good. Next time, I'm definitely trying the meatball wedge sandwich - it smelled heavenly!

waitin' for the batman

at least we left the 20-sided die at home!

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Now for the vegetables!

Now for the vegetables!
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

Like Chrissie, we got a bit of a late start this year on the garden, but the veggies are in: tomatoes, red and yellow peppers, cucumbers, pumpkins, and basil (lots of basil - even some purple basil) - plus marigolds to act as natural pest deterrents. We're going to throw some peas in for good measure, and maybe some carrots! I think my favorite part is watering the basil - it smells so yummy. The pot behind has my flowers - I can't wait to make an arrangement for the house. The annual lavender harvest has already begun!

Jenn & Rob enjoying Grill Fest '08

Jenn & Rob enjoying Grill Fest '08
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

Too tired to post much after the whirlwind of a weekend, starting with the Police/Elvis Costello concert on Friday and ending with planting in our new planter beds with the goodies we got at Bainbridge Gardens - but wanted to give a big shout-out to Rob and Jenn for their wonderful job on the first annual Grill Fest!!! It was a blast - we can't wait for next year!

The Police!!

The Police
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

In the first concert of their US tour at Clark County Amphitheatre!!! It was a great concert - and we even made it for the 2 hits we knew by the opening act, Elvis Costello. I'm not so sure about Sting's new beard, but he and the Police are still great in concert! And we ran into Paul, one of the former partners at my old firm (and big Costello fan) - and were sitting in the row in front of him. Seems Portland and Vancouver are part of the same small world. Now it's up to Seattle to see Eddie Izzard - my sides hurt in anticipation of LMAO!!

kat mosaic

kat mosaic
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

1. Japanese Kit Kat, 2. 14th August 2007 / Day 226, 3. South Kingstown Beach, Rhode Island, 4. Red is the Color…., 5. Gerard Butler, 6. David Tennant, 7. 365:172 fresh squeezed limeade, 8. 3 Polar Bears in Churchill, Canada, 9. A Rainbow of Fruity Flavor, 10. bumblebee melo, 11. Gerbera, 12. Crafty Bastards 2007


I found this on Happy Zombie, one of my fav craft blogs - it was a lot of fun to do!

The Details:
a. First, type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image. I *may* have gone to the 2nd page if I couldn't settle on a picture on the first page, there's some weird stuff on flickr.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker which you can find here. It can be a bit tricky, cause I'm not sure why I have a picture of Gerard Butler in my mosaic - he is SO 1994 compared to the new hotness, David Tennant. Equal parts cool and cute, and hey who doesn't love The Doctor?

The Questions:
1. What is your first name? Kat
2. What is your favorite food? Chocolate
3. What high school did you go to? South Kingstown
4. What is your favorite color? red
5. Who is your celebrity crush? David Tennant
6. Favorite drink? Limeade
7. Dream vacation? As of today, Churchill with the polar bears
8. Favorite dessert? Almost anything
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Melo!
10. What do you love most in life? Josh, my family & friends, and Melo
11. One Word to describe you? crafty
12. Your flickr name: kckellner

7 Years on 7/7

A garden rose
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

Yup it's been seven years, and I love Josh even more now - I am a very lucky woman!! And I got a great anniversary present - the negatives from our wedding photos. So next step is to get the negatives put on to CDs as pictures, upload to flicker and make one of those cool photo books!!

Visit to Beaver Dam Lake

Visit to Beaver Dam Lake
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

Catching up on some recent activities - back to the Wisconsin trip. This was a visit to the lake with Uncle Dean and Judy and Mom G. The lake was overflowing its banks due to all the recent rain and flooding - and unfortunately, historic downtown Beaver Dam took some of the overflow, too.

Sara and Scott's Wedding

Sara and Scott's Wedding
Originally uploaded by kckellner.

The upload is in process - but here's aone of the shots from the wedding - a very happy bride during her wedding ceremony!