Coastal Bound

Spring Break is one day away, and we are heading to the coast: can't wait! This week will begin in Destin and end with my mom and sis visiting for Easter. Could it get better? I don't think so. I'm also very much looking forward to planning the Easter menu; we'll keep you posted on that.

Here's all that has to be done before vacation can begin:

1. clean the house
2. pack the bags
3. arrange Vera and Milo care
4. take my taxes to the man

Phantasmagloria is for sale!

In 2008, I signed on to illustrate a 40 page graphic novella called Phantasmagloria. After an original release as an e-book, it's officially available in print. Check it out at www.qewpublishing.com! Here's a peak:

 

To see more of my original art check out:

laurenwestendorf.com

Surgery

Halloween in New Orleans is one of my favorite celebrations. People here look for any reason to costume if they aren't already masking everyday. New Orleanians go all out for this holiday with extravagant costumes, haunted houses, shows, and parties.

Lauren and I have enjoyed this holiday together since we met.

A Bird & A Tree

Summer Blockbusters

Charlie Chaplin & The Ice Queen

 Andy & Edie

Calavera 

This year tragedy struck during the festivities. We were down on Frenchmen Street. It gets pretty crowded down there on regular weekends, on Halloween, it's nuts.

 Anyways, so there was a mobile dj cart in the middle of the street and a quite a crowd had gathered for an impromptu dance party. Awesome right? We had just reunited with our friends and were dancing and celebrating. They had closed off all access for cars on either end of Frenchmen except Chartres the one street that bisects it about half way down.  Cars were slowly trickling through the dancing mob. Everything was fine until a young man in a Mercedes Benz decided that he didn't like driving through a dance party. He began honking and cussing at the crowd and making obscene gestures. Someone from the crowd didn't care much for the young man's attitude and poured their drink on his windshield. He hopped out and began pushing people surrounding his car. I didn't realize how close I was to all this action but was trying to pull away before this turned further south and got out of hand. When all of a sudden a drink flies through the air and hits our angry Mercedes driver in the back of the head. He turns half cocked and lays a haymaker right in my mouth. My front tooth shatters immediately and the two teeth to the left of it were dislodged. He hops in his Mercedes and peels out. I tried to get his license plate as did my friend but the police pulled up nothing. Lauren and I spent the rest of the night in the hospital.

So my awesome insurance company Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield said they would have covered the expenses if I had shopped in there network for the emergency root canals I needed to save my two dislodged teeth. I didn't realized the phrases 'emergency' and 'shop around' were to be paired. The only thing I got out this whole deal was a few photo opportunities.

Great pictures, but totally not worth the money it's gonna cost to fix my smile. 

I get my implant post put in today. I go into surgery at 3:30pm this afternoon. They are going to drill through my gums into my maxilla and insert a post that will bond to my bone in the next few months. Once that bond is formed, they will put a veneer tooth on the post, and I'll finally have all my teeth again. Wish me luck.

Food with Friends

We have hosted several meals with friends lately. Here's some highlights.

Brunch Meeting with 1239 Congress.

Lauren and I have been involved with an amazing community project called 1239 Congress. This is where Lauren's weekly Yoga Class is held and my Mind Your Step installation was displayed.
Here's a link to an article about the project. NolaVie 1239 Article

Anyways, we hosted a brunch with the board members. The menu: Coffee & Mimosas; Frangelico French Toast; Caramelized Onion Frittata; Bacon; Parmesan Grits; Arugula, Cilantro, Strawberry, Apple Salad with Ruby Red Vinaigrette.

 After our Lunch meeting Lauren and I headed over the Country Club for some afternoon sun with our friends Durado and Matty. We invited them to join us for dinner that evening.

The Menu: AngelHair Pasta with Laurens amazing Marinara, Hot Italian Sausage, Garlic Bread, and an Arugula & Strawberry Salad with Hot Bacon Dressing & Hard Boiled Egg.

Our most recent soiree was a birthday party for our friend Durado. After Yoga with Lauren @ 1239 Congress, we met at the house for aCuban influenced dinner.

The Menu: Mojitos, Slow Roasted Pork Roast, Saffron Yellow Rice, Black Beans, Plantain Chips with Salt & Brown Sugar, Mixed Green Salad with Pineapple & Pink Lady Apples and Honey Lime Vinaigrette. Laurens Chocolate Birthday Cake for dessert.

Makings for Mojitos Mise en Mint

 A lil bit of Spice and some Secret Ingredients

 Rubbed with Spice and Smoothered in Chilies and Placed on a bed of Onion.

roasted 6 hours at 300 degrees.

 After six hours pulling the pork is not hard.

Frying Plantains

 The Spread

 Comida

 I know a man who deals in contraband and procured a few Cuban Cigars to smoke with a McCallan 12 Year. 

 

Please Vote for N.O. Outreach!

Outreach is an amazing program at our school that provides after school enrichment for students. Because of federal budget cuts, the program is in grave danger. Please take a minute to vote for N.O. Outreach!

Serving New Orleans public schools  and their students since 1993

Outreach a Finalist for New Orleans Hornets Community Assist Grant!  We Need Your Vote TODAY!  Vote now for New Orleans Outreach!

Urgent!

March 23, 2012

New Orleans Outreach was notified that it is one of twenty finalists for a New Orleans Hornets' Community Assist Grant!    Our application highlights the New Orleans Outreach Healthy Habits 2012 program for grades K-12. The program is designed around infusing our Academic and Cultural Enrichment programs and services with messages and activities that encourage and teach Healthy Eating and Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyles and Physical Activity, and Healthy Decision Making.    Three grants will be awarded. The first-place grant is $20,000, the second place grantee receives $10,000 and the third place grant is worth $5,000. The Hornets, in addition to seeking input from experts in the community, are asking for the public's input through an online vote.  Please take a moment to click on the link below and vote for New Orleans Outreach!   Your Vote Counts!    Please Forward To Your Friends! Thank you for your continued support!

Vote Now For New Orleans Outreach! Click on the link above and vote. The mission of New Orleans Outreach is to improve the quality of education at our partner schools.  We do this by linking volunteers and community resources through programs that respond to the particular needs of each school.   To learn more, or to donate, please visit our website: http://www.neworleansoutreach.org  Like us on Facebook!

This video makes me smile, and you will too!

This is of my favorite baby: Imogen Cunningham. Please take careful notice of her face while she's shrugging. I may have rewound that part 10x!

And a couple of pics sent from my Dad in Singapore:

Planting the Seeds

After 2 months of growing in the makeshift greenhouse, our sprouts were ready to plant. We bought some burlap from the hardware store to use as a barrier between the city soil and our hummus + fertilizer mix. This is yet another year we have resisted the seemingly mountainous project of building raised bed boxes. We're probably making it a bigger deal than it is, but maybe if these plants take we'll be ready to build raised beds by the fall for some year round vegetable growth.

Burlap is cut, placed over the bed and the bed is covered first with hummus (compost soil) and then with fertilizer. 

            Hummus collected from the compost and the sprouts, ready to leave the greenhouse.  We planted sunflowers in each bed because they are said to pull heavy metals out of the soil. Urban gardens are notorious for lead (not a good mix for an edible garden)

The mint that lasted all winter; it has really taken off in the last few weeks, pictured a month ago here 

tomatoes, cucumbers, and sunflowers 

rainbow bell peppers, jalapenos, and sunflowers

herbs: parsley and basil (the only seedlings that took)

I really hope all these plants take. Once I got them into the ground, they looked much weaker than they had in their incubator. I'll keep you posted.

What's left to do:

1. Plant some bee attracting flowers.
2. More herbs

Dreams for the near future:

1. A year round garden
2. A bee hive
3. Chickens