Cy and Sam

This is Cy's new best friend Sam. Sam is older than Cy by 1 year. Cy can't believe his good fortune to have an older boy to play with. Sam's stash of tractors, trucks, trains and swords doesn't hurt either.

Personal Pet Portraits

We love our pets! According to an article on MSNBC, "Two-thirds of American households (about 71.1 million) have at least one pet. That number was an increase from the 56 percent of households that owned a pet in 1988." I know our family is desperate to add a dog to the mix but the time and costs prove prohibitive right now. Sigh.... Atleast we can continue our cat obsession with portraits of Mookie and Zito. Check out all the personal pet portrait options on Etsy.com.

Kidos not Condos

University of Texas plans to sell or move the Family Housing development that brings nearly 1/3 of its students to Mathews Elementary. The diversity represented in this population of children makes Mathews a rare and beautiful place on earth. The community is trying to fight this proposal but it doesn't look good.

Sadly two other schools are being pushed out of thriving, urban areas in Central Austin.
Escuelita del Alma named best of Austin 2007, faces an ongoing battle between Las Manitas Avenue Cafe and the Marriott Corp. over the restaurant's and preschools site on Congress Ave. Its existence as the only Downtown preschool, multi-ethnic at that, has always been precarious, but it continues its nurturing commitment under the threat of the developer's wrecking ball. Habibi's Hutch Preschool and Natural Childlife Preserve will be relocating (further out of town) to make way for a project including 45 townhomes, 360 apartments, 20 live-and-work units, and 18,000 square feet of retail. The change would allow Cypress Realty to take advantage of VMU development incentives, which include relaxed requirements on setbacks, building coverage limits, and maximum density. I'm all for Urban Density but not at the expense of the children and hard working families. Huufff... huff....

Photo's below were taken at Mathews International Festival, where we enjoyed a delicious potluck, flag ceremony and dance performances. Ella Rae and her Kindergarten pals performed the Hawaiian Hookie Lau... that song is still stuck in my head.

Auntie and Ella

Hair today gone tomorrow

Sniff.. sniff...

The Big "D"

I adore Austin’s honky tonk arts culture but for an infusion of mature urban delights Dallas delivers. Once we passed the roadside porn trailers, fresh turkey buffet, and I do mean fresh, like in the pen behind the restaurant, and an accidental and delightful detour through Bell Branch, where blue bonnets, indian paint brush and buttercups lined the road, we were greeted by the Dallas skyline. Norman Mailer said the skyline looked like “a bunch of Kleenex boxes stacked on their ends.” True enough – but under those Kleenex boxes lies these treasures…

Dallas Museum of Art

We gravitated toward the European Masters, Van Gough, Picasso, Manet, Monet, Gauguin and the Texas impressionism, including a massive collection from the Blue Bonnet Landscape tradition.

York Street
You are looking at a whole roasted barramundi. We shared this dish, boar ribs, sun choke and brown butter soup, beats, spinach, oysters and wine pairings. Critic, Bill Addison wrote this about chef Sharon Hage's restaurant, "...such are the enchantments at York Street, which is housed in a building so lithely modern and discreet that you might mistake its exterior for a small graphic design firm. Ms. Hage purchased the 42-seat East Dallas restaurant in 2001, allowing her the freedom to cook in a perpetually evolving and personal style. Her food isn't Texan, and, though intensely fresh, it isn't Californian, either. Yet its soulful individuality registers as distinctly American."

We met Chef Sharon after our meal. Emboldened by the Syrah I gushed to her, "that was the best meal I've ever had. Your restaurant is Che Panisse evolved!"

Balcony Club
Live jazz and an intimate booth at Balcony Club rounded out our night in Dallas. A mixed clientele, we've not seen the likes of since our dates at the 5th Amendment in Oakland, superior music, friendly and professional service and an extensive yet affordable bar left us giddy and wishing that Austin had a comparable venue.

Bread Winners Café and Bakery

Continuing our charmed rendezvous in Dallas, we sailed into this coveted brunch spot where we were seated in the atrium. We cured our hangovers with eggs benedict, chicken fried steak and Italian roast coffee. Yum! To top it off we had our first Texas star sighting. That is right, just across the room sat Ron Livingston of Office Space and Sex in the City fame with his Standoff co-star and possible love interest Rosemarie DeWitt of Mad Men , a must see show on AMC.

Heart Mama

Mothers Day is coming up -- May 11. HHmmmnn? ??? ? What would a Mama want? Breakfast in bed with the NY Times is always a winner. Gift certificate at her favorite Spa is also a can't fail option.

As a shameless promoter of all things etsy.com take a look at these gift options...

Modernmama can customize silver jewelry with kids names and dates or whatever else you can think of that might delight Mama. One example is this 'pea in the pod' necklace with names stamped on the sides of the pod.
Check out Forty-Two Roads too. These portrait's are such a nice alternative to the ubiquitous photo option. If you act fast you may be able to commission Ms Forty-Two Roads to make a portrait from your favorite photo. Mama like.
I'm inspired by these handmade flowers from TheRussian too. I think I'll try to make my own version for my Mama and Mama-inlaw. I'll need to treasure hunt for vintage vessels to put them in. Fun.

Little April Showers

If my girl Ella wrote a letter to Bambi this is what it might say….

Dear Bambi,

I saw the movie about you at my Grandma’s house almost everyday when my brother was first born. I really like watching you and your friends having fun. My Mom liked it too – although she cried hard the first time we saw it – and then she talked to EVERYONE at the park about the music and animation. She especially liked the “Little April Showers” part. She showed it to me on the computer. You can watch/listen to it in French too.

I think those hunters that killed Bambi’s Mama and started the forest fire are real jerks. Me and my brother never ever ever play with guns or matches.

Now I watch Princess Mononoke every weekend. It was scary the first time I saw it but not now. I'm sure you would want to be her friend because she protects the animals and forest. I pretend to be Princess Mononoke. I even have a mask and cape like hers. My Dad explained about how the movie was Japanese and kept telling me the name of the director. I like Japanese because my other favorite movies are Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle and I always eat rice.

Stay Sweet.

Ella Rae Jones

For more on the making of Bambi -- including a delightful sequence (in Part 2) of Thumper talking about "Eating Greens....."

Bambi - The Magic Behind the Masterpiece (Part 1)
Bambi - The Magic Behind the Masterpiece (Part 2)

To read about Bambi's influence see this article "Walt Disney cartoons 'contain secret messages on the environment'. Dr Whitley singled out Bambi, which was released in 1942, as particularly influential, saying that many green activists had credited it as the inspiration that first made them interested in environmental issues."

Resident Tourist

The article in the NY Times, Sisters in Idiosyncracy touches on two ideas I identify with -- the draw to the D.I.Y aesthetic credo and living like a "Resident Tourist." Highlights on these two themes:

"IF there is an aesthetic credo to Brooklyn and the Bay Area, it is Do It Yourself, which connotes more than using an Allen wrench from Ikea. D.I.Y. can mean everything from wearing locally designed T-shirts to attending concerts staged in someone’s warehouse apartment, to riding a bike to work," explains NOAM COHEN, NY Times.

He goes on to say....

Danny Hoch, a Brooklynite, recently performed “Taking Over,” a one-man show about gentrification, at the Berkeley Rep Theater in California. “What I see as the reason for so many NYers having come to the Bay, and so many Bay folk moving to Bklyn (tens of thousands literally),” he wrote in an e-mail message, “is that each group has become accustomed to the alienation or perceived impossibility of staying where they are.”

Someone leaving Brooklyn for the Bay Area, he said, gets “a nicer climate, laid-back vibe, better produce, California’s nature close by, and a job scene where you feel more in demand as a NYer.”

The reverse, he said, is also true.

But Mr. Hoch predicted that the transience that allows people to hop between both places so fluidly would eventually lead them away.

“Although I think each side sees the other as an amazing place to live and spend time, neither sees it as a place to actually stay forever,” he wrote. “Both are nostalgic for home.” “Each becomes the new ‘resident tourist,’ as I say in my play.”

Perhaps Austin will begin to feel like 'home' in time and we will come to embrace the D.I.Y. aesthetic credo Tejas style.

"Delightfully Frothy"

..says Salon's review of Miss Pedigrew Lives for the day. I'll pay to see anything that features two woman that actually like each other. I'll need to start a list of gal pal movies for my collection.

Hhmnn... Thelma & Louise, Walking and Talking... others?

Think Small

The Modularean Eco House dollhouse is such a dream. Not sure this one is for sale but there are other modern dollhouses and furniture out there. For all things related to this hobby see the Mini Modern blog.

Two Years 11 Days

....since our family of four moved to Austin, Tejas. This is my short list of the good, the bad and the undiscovered.

Good:
Breakfaste Tacos
Hot weather, cold water (Deep Eddy and Barton Springs)
Our front porch
Mathews Elementary
Feeling like you live in the Country in a City

Bad:
Bugs
Heat
Traffic
Feeling like you live in the Country in a City
Bugs

Undiscovered:
Hill Country (Texas Wine Country)
Music
Border Towns (starting with Laredo)
The Stitch Fashion Show and Guerrilla Craft Bazaar (every fall)
Canoeing on Town Lake (recently renamed Lady Bird Lake)

Brangelina. Tomkat. What about Marpah or perhaps Opratha?

Talk about a power couple. Perhaps after Obama turns the White house around (after multiple terms), Oprah and Martha will share a ticket.

Marpah News:

Oprah begins her biggest EVER bookclub/web caste today. The book is A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose by Eckhart Tolle. Tolle aims to guide people toward "a saner, more loving world by rejecting egotistic ways for a new form of consciousness." I am a big fan of Eckhart Tolle although I find his style of spirituality difficult to practice without a lot of practice. I'm not a fan of web castes, however I would make an exception for this one if it wasn't scheduled to begin at 8 pm CST. Check it out if you are free. I'll be actively rejecting my ego by reading Good Night Gorilla, The Tractor Book and Sam's Potty for literally the hundredth or so time.

In other news, Martha had an interview on her show last week with Rob Kalin, a fellow that need not attend Oprah's web caste, having already been Awakened to his Life's Purpose. Rob is the founder of Etsy.com. The 27 year old took a leap of faith in 2005 when he founded the website etsy.com, a Brooklyn-based on line marketplace for all things handmade. In just three years, he has seen some remarkable results from his hard work and dedication: Since Etsy's launch, it has gained more than 750,000 members and currently has about 100,000 sellers from around the world that have opened up Etsy shops. On a given day, 15,000 items are sold and 20,000 new items are listed. Watch this exclusive video that gives the inside scoop on the creation of etsy.com, how people can get involved, and some of the success stories behind the company.

Thirsty? Go no farther than the kitchen sink.

How many water snobs do you know? Three out of four qualify in my household. The Raw Facts page on Simplesteps.org reminded me to reconsider our perception of drinking water. Is it tap time? And I don't mean the brew. I'm drinking a cool glass of Austin Water Utility (AWU) right now and it is not too bad. The city claims that it is safe to drink. I think this requires more research. I do so like the stylish reusable bottles on the market.

Peace Pact Project Update

I had big ideas about how Ella and I would drink tea, talk about peace and create design prototypes for Peace Pact Kits together. Ella really didn't want to talk or drink tea -- she just wanted to play with the beads. Her whimsical, unencumbered approach to art and crafts is always a lesson to me and she produces a little wonder every time. Check out the necklace she designed. It is for sale on http//elizlynne.etsy.com. I tried to convince her to keep it but she really likes the idea of selling her "art" on the computer. I made something I think I'll call 'Hope Beads' pictured above, next to Ella's necklace. I've found these beads to be a useful reminder to direct my mind toward optimistic and peaceful thoughts -- especially in traffic. I assigned a person to each bead on my set. You could also assign a wish or hope or just use them as you would worry stones or prayer beads. As the fun with beads was winding down, Ella and I talked a little bit about what peace means. We agreed that the thing that makes us most peaceful is "snuggling with someone in our family" and making stuff. I'd say the project was a success.

Haachhhhooooo

Bless you sweet sister and all you poor souls that are allergic to cats. This is Mookie. He is sitting on the 'float' Ella made for the 100 days of learning parade at her school. She loves counting to 100 in intervals of 10. Also check out the present she made for her Auntie Lisa. She attached a book to her Valentines day box with tape and filled it with stickers, candies and pencils. Next to counting, using tape is Ella's favorite thing.

OOOOOOOOOOObammmmaaaaaaaaaaaa

RULES!!!!!!!

Companions Ch.2

I spy Marshal. See him staring out of the painting with his smart bird eye. Marshal was rescued as a wee chick by my good friend, artist and neighbor. Not only is Marshal personable and regal, he can pull his weight around the yard. Guinea Fowls, like Marshal are merciless on the tick population.

Companions Ch.1

Meet Oji and Kimchi. Oji is the black one with the pink tongue. He uses that tongue to wake up anyone sleeping when he is awake. That is why he is visiting his Auntie for the weekend. And then we have Kimchi. He lives in Korea with Ella and Cy's former nanny. He is a replacement for Cyrus. Seriously. As further proof of Cy's puppy-like qualities -- Ella explained to her class this morning that Cyrus is "really friendly and he doesn't bite."

Mandala Fun!

My dear friend and creative muse Leslie K made this mandala with her son's Kindergarten class. Not only did they have a great time but the kidlets learned about individuality and community. Leslie used Mandala Creativity lesson plans as a guide.

Try This One on For Size

Metresexual? No. Urban Tribes sophisticate? Nope. Philanthropist, not yet. EcoMom? Well yes -- trying to be. I had a special blogger moment when I saw the article, 'For 'EcoMoms, ' Saving Earth Begins at Home
in the NY Times on Saturday. Special because my post, hedge pledge about trying to balance the many opportunities for eco living pointed to the 'EcoMom' challenge earlier this week. This special moment was heightened by the realization that MY particular subculture is Times worthy. This sort of thing hasn't happened since my days of french cut bikini's and boyfriends that smelled like surf board wax. The only remnant of connection I have to that wildly popular subculture is my embarrassing obsession with Laguna Beach on MTV (season 1 and 2) and my disdain for The Real Wives of Orange County and the like.

For all the obsessing on buying the right eco... green... sustainable fill in the blank, I like to think that there is something much more profound at work. This excerpt from the article best articulates my meaning:

Members of the EcoMom Alliance “are fighting a values battle,” said Tim Kasser, an associate professor of psychology at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill., and the author of “The High Price of Materialism.” “They are surrounded by materialism trying to figure out how to create a life more oriented toward intrinsic values.”

Despite our good intentions, a subculture by nature has elitist intrinsic values (replace sub with club). A cartoon in the New Yorker this month with the caption, "I hated how they acted so much, "green than thou" says it all. I have a few ideas for keeping EcoMom's (myself included) humble -- see the Brown Dress (365 days. one brown dress. a one-woman show against fashion) project for starters. Not as sexy as a french cut bikini but The Times They Are A-Changin.

Valentine's 101

When it comes to Valentine's Day Kindergartner's know how to party. I'm taking my lesson's from them. The curriculum is strait forward:

1. Hug everyone you see numerous times -- even the boys.
2. Eat as much candy as possible.
3. Go crazy-wild from excitement and sugar all day and night.

.... virtual hugs to all my valentine's out there!

Yum Yum Vegetable Ivory

Beads are here! Now it's time to deliver my new product, Peace Pact Adornment Kits. Followed by Friendship Adornment Kits and so on....

I'm ironing out the copy for my Etsy.com shop. It should go something like this: Create a Peace Pact Adornment with a special friend or give them as gifts -- anything goes. Each pouch will come with two sets of assorted Vegetable Ivory Beads and two strands of leather cord. Also included are some design ideas and instructions.

In future posts I'll share the Peace Pact Adornments Ella and I made together. The idea is to open up dialogue about what peace means and how to pursue it in our everyday lives. I'll be researching the topic of how to make peace present through simple actions for both kids and adults.

Hedge Pledge

I've come across three opportunities to pledge myself to becoming a more conscious consumer. Although I love the idea of wearing only refashioned garments I'm pretty sure I'll be more successful with both job interviews and my long term efforts to be green by sticking to less extreme measures. Where as buying Handmade is fun and the stuff out there is so unique that I can't see this pledge being much of a problem. I hope my Dad likes handmade soap. I am also up for 9 of the 10 first steps outlined in the EcoMom challenge. Number 7 just won't work -- the stuff Cy and Ella get on their clothes would never come out with out hot water.

Wardrobe Refashion Pledge: “I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself for the term of my contract…..”

Pledge Handmade: Consider buying Handmade for the holiday season as well as for all of the gizzilion house warming, birthday’s gifts etc. There are some interesting links about conscious consumerism on this site as well. As you know I'm a huge fan of Etsy.com for all things handmade.

EcoMom Challenge: Join eco celebrity Mom’s, such as Robin Wright Penn by taking this pledge. The first 10 steps include:

1. Change a light. If every household in America changed out just 5 light bulbs to energy efficient CFL's it would be equivalent to taking 8 million cars off the road.

2. Drive More Efficiently: Car pool, don't idle during drop off and pick up, drive a hybrid and drive less. If we each drove just 10 mile less per week, it would save 20 billion pounds of CO2 - and you'll find more time in your day.

3. Shop local, fair trade and organic. Most food travels an average of 1,200 miles before it reaches your table, so by walking down to your local farmer's market, you'll not only reduce fossil fuel waste, you might also reduce your own waist.

4. Use non toxic products for cleaning, bathing, even make-up and you'll protect the environment as well as reduce you and your family's risk of disease.

5. Reduce, Reuse and Recycle. Cutting down on garbage by just 10% can save 1,200 pounds of CO2 and you'll have less junk around the house!

6. Turn off and unplug electronic devices and you'll reduce your exposure to electromagnetic radiation, and save on energy and CO2 emissions. You can also start having dinner by candlelight, which your kids, and your partner, will love!

7. Re-think your laundry plan! A favorite of many EcoMoms. Doing less, using cold water and line drying when possible you can save over 500 pounds of CO2 and over $600 per year.

8. Plant a Tree. Or any plant. Just bring more green into your life. This is a great activity to do with your kids to mark special occasions. Over the course of its lifetime, a single tree can absorb one ton of carbon dioxide. Go organic if you can and avoid those nasty pesticides.

9. Buy carbon offsets and reduce mom guilt, like the SUV you still have. Offsets are kind of like eating too many brownies one day and jogging extra the next. For more information you can visit www.nativeenergy.com.

10. Play more. This will be your child's favorite, and hopefully yours too. In today's world, it is easy to get so busy that you forget to take time to connect and play with the people you love, and to do things that feed your mind, body and spirit. So do things that make you feel healthy, good and thriving. It's all connected. Sustain your Home, Sustain Your Planet and Sustain Your Self. You're on your way to being an EcoMom!

Zen and the Art of Boxing

Growing up I was a huge fan of Muhammad Ali. Who wasn't? If you haven't seen the documentary Rumble in the Jungle, about the historic fight between Ali and Foreman you must, it will remind you of why Ali was such a star. I felt a distant spark of interest in boxing after reading this article about Zou Shiming, China's boxing phenom. Zou has defined a new style of boxing by applying the principles of martial arts to the game.

Speaking of style I dig these high top boxing shoes. I wanna get me a pair.

Don't Poach it Pouch it

Check out the stamped cotton pouch that comes with the Merit Pendant's I have for sale on etsy.com. The pendant's are made from tagua nut AKA vegetable or palm ivory.

Humanitarians and environmentalists can both appreciate palm ivory because its use stimulates the economies in South America, provides an alternative to cutting down rain forest for farming, and prevents elephants from being killed for their tusks.

"May the Best Man Win"

Ever since Mathew McConaughey went from Dazed and Confused to Dull and Conceited, Peter Berg has taken over as my official screen heartthrob.

Peter is the executive producer of Friday Night Lights and guest-stars this FRIDAY night on his show! I haven't enjoyed a Nighttime Soap Opera this much since Dallas.
Also note, the show is shot in Austin.


Show preview....

"May the Best Man Win"
Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) runs into Morris (Peter Berg), her ex-boyfriend from high school and a current real estate mogul, who is developing property in Dillon for a few days. A few days proves to be too long for Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) who becomes very jealous.

Did you say muffin cookie?

You are probably wondering what you are looking at -- here we have orange chunks, beef jerky and a partially munched muffin cookie. This has been an especially bizarre food week at the WhiteJones Casa. Chris made a batch of muffins for Ella's class and much to our delight he including what Ella coined a "muffin cookie". She wants to have them for dinner every night and make "lots and lots of muffin cookies for people who don't have food" -- much less muffin cookies. Perhaps we can start by donating some food to the Austin Food Bank.

Masquito's in winter

Yep, 80 degrees at sundown. Cy is grinning on the site of our future berm and Ella Rae is sitting atop the cement slab built by the previous owner of our house. Future posts will chronicle the evaluation of both the berm and the slab.

Ella shed 6" of hair and her front teeth recently. After wrestling with a monster tangle that left us both in tears I decided to seize the moment and give my girl a hair cut.
I think it turned out pretty well but I plan to invest in a home hair cut guide for future efforts.