Nap Time in Naptown: An Open Letter of Apology to Eiteljorg Museum

Dear Eiteljorg Museum,

Please accept my sincerest apologies. Since 1992, I've held a grudge against you and just this week, I realized how wrong I've been. 

My negative feelings toward you can be traced back to a horrendous third-grade field trip. Memories of dull art galleries and the overwhelming feeling of being bored out of my pea-sized mind kept us apart.

But this week, you opened your doors for free, thanks to the 12 Free Days of Indy Christmas, and I'm a sucker for free. 

Plus you lured me in with high expectations of Jingle Rails. My three-year-old and I are also suckers for anything miniature.

The verdict? Eiteljorg, you blew me away.

Jingle Rails was very cool. Madeline loved it all and was especially thrilled to walk underneath bridges as the trains chugged their way above her. My inner kid loved the tiny Yellowstone which included Old Faithful.

But the part that was truly amazing? The R.B. Annis Western Family Experience, a.k.a. the kids area. 

When Katie the Third Grader toured your hallowed halls, you didn't have this. (Or if you did, I had very mean teachers who kept me away from it.)

Madeline and I absolutely loved discovering this exhibit. Everything is hands-on, from the totem pole waiting to be decorated and raised by little hands to the drums needing some loud loving to the stagecoach which rocks and bucks for an authentic riding experience.

After discovering just how cool you really are, I was kicking myself for not come earlier. We arrived at 4 p.m. because I thought we would be in and out quickly. Instead, Madeline was so sad to leave way too soon.And if I'm being honest, I was sad too.

You also scored super bonus points on my way out. I lost my cell phone and even though it was 20 minutes past closing, three extremely cheery staff members helped without making this scatter-brained mama feel guilty for keeping them late.

And the final two words: Free. Parking.

Way to be, Eiteljorg. Way to be.

You changed me from "not interested" to "totally want a membership." That's a big jump but I know now that you would be worth it.

I hope you can forgive me, Eiteljorg. Because I totally wanna be your friend now.

Love,

Katie

Frosty has chronic back issues this year

In my last post, I mentioned that we made a snowman. I also mentioned that this year's snowman is way better than last year's fiasco.

Could anyone forget the Blob Snowman of 2009 who had celery for arms? I'm pretty sure our neighbors haven't.

But the next time I walked outside after hitting publish on the last post, I noticed that our snowman is... uh... leaning. (Name that movie.) And upon second look, I realized he certainly isn't anything to brag about.

A straw hat instead of a top hat.

Dried chive tops for eyes.

Dried lavender for the mouth. (Can you tell Lazy Mama struck again and ventured no further than our herb garden?)

And for the nose, not one long carrot. Oh no, I had to get creative and use three baby carrots held together by toothpicks.

Yes, the same woman who once sat in the middle of White River wearing Teva's and eating fries has struck again. I present "Hick Frosty: The Leaning Snowman of Indy."

Thank goodness it doesn't have to be perfect to be a memory.

Nap Time in Naptown: Buy Local for Christmas

My goal this Christmas is to buy most of our Christmas gifts at locally-owned shops and from local artists.

(In full disclosure, I already failed a big one because we're getting Madeline a castle and I found it for 60% less online than what was in our local store. Sworry, Indy.)

Here's a glimpse at how I'm hoping to make my "buy local" dream come true.

Where to buy local

For all the kiddos and munchkins on my list, I'm just walking into Mass Ave Toys for games, puzzles and toys and Kids Ink for books. You could buy anything, anything on those shelves and you"ll be a hero on Christmas morning.

For my sisters and friends, my stops will include Be Boutique because they carry gorgeous items, including jewelry from local artists like Kristin Hubick's typewriter necklaces.

For the grandparents, Madeline will create our gifts at Half Baked Pottery. I'm so excited to see how these turn out.

If you still aren't sure where you should head, Nuvo has created a fab and lengthy shopping guide featuring our city's best indie shops.

Need inspiration?

If you still don't have a clue what to buy for some folks, a couple of my favorite local bloggers have created their own gift guides.

Casey at Moosh in Indy has created a gift guide with the mantra "no loved one left behind" because she includes everyone from the photographer to "the people you love but your wallet doesn't."

Haley at The Tiny Twig was super busy creating gift guides for kids, men, women and the hostess.

Got an ugly Christmas sweater party coming up but no time to browse through racks and racks in search of the perfectly hideous garment? Emily at DesignHER Momma has created the Fugly Finds Etsy shop just for you.

Also, if you're ever looking for fantastic handmade finds, Emily always discovers what's been missing in my life. Now on my Christmas list? The state of Indiana, hand-embroidered by Emily Hampton.  

Swoon.

I feel like I just created my own wish list because I think I would happily love anything I linked to in this post.

And for realz, I want that embroidered Indiana.

The one about vomit and "Friends"

This past Saturday was one of my most favorite days ever.

We woke up to a gorgeous winter wonderland and the snow was falling so perfectly that I nearly looked over my shoulder to see if I was really in my house and not on the set of "White Christmas."

For the first time this season, we broke out our pancake molds and make snowflake, reindeer and gingerbread men pancakes.

We went on a snowy hike to our favorite park, sled down ravines and made snow angels. We came home and created a much more distinguished snowman than last year's pathetic attempt.

We watched Christmas movies in the afternoon and got ready for my little sister-in-law's Christmas concert.

Madeline insisted on wearing last year's Christmas dress and tap shoes. I said yes to the dress but sorry, no to the tap shoes.

As we were about to pull into the school parking lot, Madeline piped up from the backseat, "Um, Mommy? I just threw up but I can still go to Joanna's concert. I'm OK!" I turned around and sure enough, there was vomit everywhere.

Sidenote: my child only throws up in the car and I want this to change. Car seats are super safe but a real pain in the rear to wash.

And her poor Pooh bear took the brunt of the sickness as did her new fur-like white coat. If you're thinking, "Oh goodnight, I would never want to attempt to get vomit out of a fur-like fabric," you are very, very smart.

This would also be a good time to mention that I cannot handle vomit. Really, I'm awful when I'm around it. I can't smell it, hear it or see it without wanting to throw up myself.

And that night, I did just that. I threw up not once but twice while trying to help Madeline. She is the bravest patient ever and never whines, cries or fusses but she totally freaked out when I threw up while "helping" her.

Total motherhood fail.

While I'm confessing, let's also discuss the fact that when my child is sick, we watch unhealthy amounts of TV. This week, PBS, VeggieTales and Disney movies have been on constantly around here.

The only time they haven't been on are those few hours when I insisted on watching something for me. Like "Friends."

Jenn owns every season and I've been borrowing a season at a time and working my way through the series in chronological order because I never watched it while it was on and have just watched episodes here and there. It's on my bucket list to fully comprehend the deep, thought-provoking storyline of Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Joey and Phoebe.

People, let's never forgot how high I set my goals.

Anyways, on day two of the sickness, I texted Jenn to see if there was any possible way she could save me from world of endless Dinosaur Train and Word World. Within 15 minutes, she was on my doorstep with season four, trying not to stare at my greasy hair, homemade cut-off pajama pants and tie-dye socks from high school.

(Oh good night nurse! Somehow it's more embarrassing to see my looks typed out than in a mirror. What is wrong with me?!)

But at the time, I really wasn't that embarrassed because Jenn's a dear friend who has seen me and my house in a much worse state.

(I know you're wondering how it can get worse than cut-off pajamas and tie-dye socks but believe me, my lower depths have yet to be described in a post.)

What might possibly be even more embarrassing is the fact that I watched that entire season of "Friends" in just two days. So I guess my statement about just a few hours of watching something for myself is a teensy bit inaccurate.

However, I will try to scrape together my last remaining shards of dignity and mention that I rented "Eclipse" from Redbox last night, tried to watch it today and then turned it off without finishing it. I watched "Twilight" and "New Moon" in the theater and could gloss over the awful white make-up and awkward acting because that teenage romance is just so darn gripping.

But today, I just couldn't do it. I was seriously cringing while it played and finally remembered no one was forcing me to watch it.

Plus, I really needed to know if Ross would actually marry the British chick.

Our home has now been vomit-free for nearly two days and life is getting back to normal. Today is Madeline's ballet recital and this week also holds trips to the Children's Museum, a pottery shop and mugs of hot chocolate.

I'm just not sure how I'll fit in season five any time soon.

Gnarls Barkley lyrics are more coherent

For all who have been worried about me since the last post, you can start sleeping again. I have watched Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. All is well.

(For those who live in Indy, did you know the Glendale theater now offers $5 movies any time from Monday through Thursday? I know!)

Total rabbit trail: I watched it with Joe, Greg, Peter and Jenny. Three of us have read all of the books and seen all of the movies. Greg knew nothing. He didn't even know Harry was an orphaned wizard kid but he still wanted to go with us.

After the movie was done, he swore he liked it but when Joe asked Greg if he understand the part about Horcruxes, he responded, "Well, I got that they were really, really, really important."

And if that ain't sharing nerdy Harry Potter humor, I don't know what is.

But let's get back to the point of this post. Which is to say a lot else has happened, some of which will stay with me forever. Like the meal I had that consisted of only cheese.

I kid you not, the full menu was brie, chips and queso and Janna's chicken tortilla soup which includes an entire block of Velveeta (so I guess that might not qualify as a cheese item).

That is what happens when Joe's siblings and I plan a last-minute meal. I think our version of the food pyramid is slightly skewed. Vegetables and minerals are totally overrated.

In less important news than the epic Cheese Meal of 2010, our Thanksgiving was great. Much turkey and potatoes was consumed. I made Pioneer Woman's pecan pie which was AWESOME. If it was good enough to beat Bobby Flay, I figured it was good enough for the Mayes Thanksgiving lunch and my Black Friday breakfast.

Plus, she named it "The Pie That'll Make You Cry." That title alone completely makes up for the mass quantities of corn syrup, white sugar and brown sugar.

For realz, as a friend, I implore you to make this pie sometime soon. It's extremely delicious, if you can forgot the aforementioned mass quantities.

Thanksgiving also meant I got to hold my new nephew Max for the first time. If you heard some shrieking over the weekend, it was probably me changing his diaper. 

I'm not ashamed to go on the record and say he's got the cutest skinny yet chunky thighs imaginable. I changed his diapers every chance I could because his nekkid legs turn me into a baby-crazed woman.

Another rabbit trail: we're watching "The Family Man" right now and the little girl's voice slays my heart every time.

Thank goodness December means the freedom to watch "Little Women", "Elf", "A Christmas Story" and It's Christmas Time Again, Charlie Brown" as much as I want and drink as much hot chocolate as I deem necessary.

But most of all, I'm thankful that this year, Madeline is old enough to really get that Christmas is about Jesus being born in a stable and know that He is the best gift of all.

Although, if you ask her right now what the best gift of Christmas is, she'll tell you a Minnie Mouse kitchen.

So, also, thank goodness it's only December 2. We've still got time.

Nap Time in Naptown: A Taste of Philly

Photo credit: A Taste of Philly

This week, we hosted our church small group at our house and I made a few snacks. The menu included:

• The Cooks Next Door's fruit and nut brie
• Hot pizza dip
• the delicious blend of kisses, M&M's and pretzels

But you know what the hit of the party was?

The pretzel braids I picked up last-minute from A Taste of Philly after we left the College Avenue library. Their braids are beautiful on a table, taste delicious and are a steal at $2 each.

I just wished I had taken a picture of how pretty they were. Plus a recording of my friend asking me if I baked them myself and my hysterical laugh that followed.

If I'm being honest, the "three hot pretzels for $2" deal is pretty much the only reason I choose that branch over Glendale.

Photo credit: A Taste of Philly

If you haven't tried these salty bits of heaven-made dough. you've got to make a library/pretzel stop soon. (Library visit not mandatory.)

I think for the next Christmas party which I'm required to bring food to, I'll just skip the cooking and head right to the compliments by bringing some more of the pretzels.