Chicken in the Yard!

The Happiest Cold on Earth

I've been sick and I blame Disney. On a whim I decided to take Belle to Disneyland last week because I honestly didn't know what else to do that day to keep us busy. So Disneyland, why not. It was a lovely trip and Katie was even able to meet us for dinner that night. Overall a great time was had by all.

And then I woke up the next day.

Not sure if it was a tremor in the force or just some voodoo premonition but I knew that I had caught a bug. There were no real symptoms other than a feeling. I was fine for the next few days. Then when this past weekend hit, oh damn. Yesterday was the worst but today I'm a bit better. I have high hopes for tomorrow because I am tired of blowing my nose.

But all the sickness in the world couldn't stop me from going to see The Airborne Toxic Event at The Echo on Tuesday night! They were having a benefit concert held at the very first venue they ever played in Echo Park. And yes, I felt like hell. And yes, I had a martini that night to help numb me up. And yes, it was a fabulous concert and I'm so glad we went. I've never been too, nor heard of, The Echo but if you picture a really small room you've basically got it. This is the closest I'll ever come to having one of my favorite bands play in my backyard. The venue was so small that it was more like a party with friends. I can't believe I've seen these guys play at the Walt Disney Concert Hall and then this little living room of a venue. Awesome!

Oh, and we also went to a fabulous dinner earlier that night at Fleming's over at L.A. Live only to see all sorts of American Idol mania at the Nokia Theatre. I mean it was red carpet, fan screaming, photo taking, autograph obtaining mania. And the best part is that we don't even watch American Idol so I had no clue who those people were. But folks seemed pretty excited. Doesn't even come close to the coolness of that concert though. Time to heal!

Putt putt putt putt

What do you get when you combine an old juice carton, a Coke can, two straws, and a lot of hot glue? A handmade steam powered boat with no moving parts, that's what. And who made it? Belle and I, that's who.

Belle LOVES the movie Ponyo, and I do too. In it there's a little boy named Sosuke who has a toy boat powered only by a candle. At some point there's a flood and Ponyo uses her magic powers to enlarge the boat so they could both float around in it. So the other day I went online looking for one of these bad boys and found a tutorial to make your own out of household materials Macgyver style. It was a very thorough tutorial and took a bit of time, but when it was done it actually worked!

The engine is composed of an airtight folded up piece of aluminum can with two straws sticking out of it. The candle flame causes steam vapor in the metal to shoot out of the straws providing thrust. It's awesome! After doing a few test runs in the backyard we added a little paint job to match Sosuke's boat. I also put together a paper Ponyo and Sosuke set to ride in the boat. Now all we need to do is take it to the park and see if it runs on the lake. For that I added a little hook to the back of the boat so we can attach some fishing line. I'd hate to do all that work just to see it float away forever.

Anyways, I highly suggest making one of these. You probably have everything you need right at home. Do it, and have fun.

Science Toy Maker

I think we're going to work our way through all of their projects. Next on the list for us is one of those Origami Hang Gliders. Putt putt boats unite!

Happy Mother's Day Weekend!

Belle and I have been busy today getting ready for Mother's Day weekend! As you can see we made a delightful dessert and wrapped a few presents. Baking with Belle is always "fun." It's nice to do something together but also very very messy. Though she's getting better at it. We bought these special sprinkles the other day at Belle's insistence. Then she proceeded to drown each cupcake in them. Thankfully most rolled off. Of course you never can have too many sprinkles though right? Right.

We just got back from meeting Katie downtown for dinner. We went to The Yard House at LA Live which is the new shopping/dining area around Staples Center. It is quite nice and would be tons of fun for a night out with a bunch of friends. We had a delightful meal coupled with tasty brew. There was a red carpet event at the Nokia Theater right outside of the restaurant so it truly felt like a night out in LA.

So, tomorrow we plan to spend the day hanging out together. The morning will start with scrumptious waffles, apple chicken sausage, and hot coffee. The afternoon will be consumed by tidepooling in Palos Verdes followed by a picnic on the beach. Finally, we'll wrap up the night by eating a nice dinner out or cooking in, not quite sure which yet. Either will be tasty. Sunday we head out to Riverside to see our respective Moms and BBQ it up with the family.

I have to say that sounds like a jam packed weekend of food and fun. It just started and I'm loving it already, but more importantly Katie loves it too! And now it's time to consume cupcakes and open more presents. Happy Mother's Day weekend!

May the fourth be with you

Hah! I didn't forget this year. Not only that, I roped our child into dressing up for the occasion. You never can train them too early you know. Oh and just in case you think this is the first time Belle has sported Star Wars attire you'd be mistaken.

2007 was also a busy Star Wars year for Belle. In early may she sported her Yoda attire and then later was surrounded by baddies at the Star Wars conference. Yes, I admit, I went to one. But it was only because I was bored and had nothing better to do that day.... that's so not true.

Later that year in October Belle was running around the house as R2D2. And I'm glad she was running because do you see those chunky legs. Holy moly! I don't think that outfit fit her the next day. Anyways, May the fourth be with you... always.