to the founder!

happy birthday to caron, befriender of the many, beloved by all. many returns of the day. in my heart, i'm shaking your hand in that special way.

to:for

last night we heard a compelling homily, admonishing us to not be just generally thankful, but to remember we have god to thank for the blessings in our lives. remember james 1:17:

every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

so, my dearest friends, happy thanksgiving to you. i'm thankful to god for you. may your calligraphy quill be light, your bags pack quickly, your baby sleep through the night, your etsy shop sell out, your sniffles turn to laughter, your students' papers grade themselves, your turkey be juicy, your in-laws be kind, your scooter leave someone in the dust, your awkward family interactions be few, and your nap be long. xo.

a comparison: in which america suffers

Last night a few South Korean students were visiting my small group from church, and they were talking about how they're excited about Black Friday and how they're going at 4 AM, and they asked me how long America has had this tradition. I said I wasn't sure. Maybe 20 years? (Anyone know?) Then I started thinking about Black Friday as "An American Tradition." And the following comparison popped into my head.

Ever wonder if this









is just the poor man's version of this?








Thrill seekers and risk takers, to your marks.

Minneapolis City Guide

In an effort to avoid packing, I thought I'd share a little city guide to Minneapolis with you. This is an absolutely wonderful city, especially in the summer!! Here's are some places I'd recommend -- all local joints of course.

Daphne's Minneapolis City Guide

Recreating:
The Chambers Hotel is swanky, uber-modern and has one of the best contemporary art collections ever. Each guestroom has one-of-a-kind art in it, but at $750/night you probably won't set foot in a room (unless you meet the nice concierge who gives you a tour, like we did last time we went!). They have a great collection of art in the lobby and an art gallery that changes frequently -- all open to the public for free. You must go!

The Walker Art Center is free on Thursdays, 6-9pm. It's amazing.

Minneapolis Institute of the Arts (known as the MIA) is a magnificent encyclopedic museum. They have a great collection of ancient and Asian art and a huge collection of decorative arts, textiles. Admittance is free, except there is often a fee if you want to see the special exhibits, which are usually fantastic. MCAD, where Caleb went to art school is right next door...may as well take a look at their gallery while you're there!

Parks, Lakes, Trails. There is a chain of lakes and parks, with awesome bike trials connecting them right in the middle of the city. Take advantage! Lake Calhoun is where you'd take your bikini and beach towel. Order a beer from the stand, and sit in a tall chair and people/boat watch. Go for a morning run at Lake Harriet (or if you catch it on the right night on a summer's eve, you can see some live music on their outdoor stage). Take a pensive, quiet walk at Lake of the Isles and imagine who lives in the lakeside mansions. Take a book and sketchpad to Cedar Lake and get inspired. The trails trails go 'round and connect all the lakes. This is one of my favorite things about Minneapolis.

The Central Branch of the Hennepin County Library is on Nicollet Mall. Awesome architecture and design, efficient, comfy, good art -- it's beautiful. I love it here, could (and do) stay for hours. We saw an excellent exhibit called The Precious Object at the library gallery recently!

Farmers Market on summer Saturday mornings at the Mill City Museum. While you're there go right next door to the beautiful, striking blue Guthrie Theater to see a stunning view of the river and surrounding area. Go just across the rive to St. Anthony Main to see it all from the other side. This little area is so beautiful and showcases some of the best architecture of the city.

Shopping:
Hunt and Gather has thousands upon thousands of odd finds sorted into pile -- from ancient letter magnets, license plates and doorknobs en masse, to antique bottles. They also have refashioned and redisplayed rusty junk drawers and knick-knacks, with some new crafty items tucked in as well. It's all stuffed in together make a quirky (slightly overpriced) mish-mash of treasure hunting. My mo-in-law introduced me to this place!

Patina is an accessories and gift shop with several locations. They have great jewelry. Your mom would really, really like this place, but you will too.

The Electric Fetus is a sweet music store. And Treehouse Records is great too! We started collecting vinyl during our stint here -- dangerous!

Minneapolis is best seen on bicycle. It's a very bike friendly city -- bike lanes everywhere and I already mentioned the trails. One-on-One is our favorite bike shop. They sell and rent bicycles, have the coolest bike gear and will fix what ails your peddle-er. They also have an awesome cafe/coffeeshop.

There are just too many thrift and antique stores to mention. Forget it -- just call me if you want a recommendation.

Eating:
The Malt Shop for a banana and fig malt (add coconut to it for an extra charge, it'll be worth it). One malt is by far big enough to share. We went on a Sunday evening recently and there was a lovely pianist playing mostly sad 80's and 90's songs from the heart.

Get a puppy-dog tail at Isles Bun & Coffee before you go for a walk at Lake of the Isles. Puppy-dog tails are famous in the city -- it's a cinnamon roll twist that's small enough so you don't feel toooo guilty. Just be sure to add another dallop of frosting on top before you go (to get yourself back to the appropriate guilt levels). But I don't know, those pecan rolls and fruit coffee cake are so good too.

Afghan Pizza at Crescent Moon Pizza and Bakery. But you'd probably like anything you got there, especially if it had eggplant in it. The owners are so nice, helpful with ordering.

For date night, go to Ghandi Mahal (Indian) or Namaste (Indian/Nepali).

Want delicious Vietnamese Pho? The beef broth at Quang is full of savory comfort.

Al's Breakfast is only 10 feet wide and the narrowest restaurant in the cities. It's just a bar with barstools and you'll probably have to wait in a long line if you go on the weekend. But once you're in you'll know why people wait.

Maria's is a little South American cafe in the 'hood where we live. They have a huge breakfast special on Saturdays with eggs, beans, sausage and friend plantains--if you go for that sort of thing. But I say get the corn pancakes with cotija cheese. It's a big, awkward space but always completely packed on the weekends. Does that prove to you that it's good?

OMG, my mouth waters when I think about the slow roasted pulled pork, cornbread and collared greens at Brasa. I'm sure everything else is too. You can order family style!

Bewiched Deli is downtown, in the warehouse district and happens to be close to where Caleb officed and studio'd. It has the best gourmet sandwiches and salads.

Lucia's is an upscale restaurant that focuses on seasonal and local food. Connected to the restaurant is a less spendy wine bar and connected to that is a less spendy to-go joint. The food menu changes, but you can always order a Bootleg cocktail! (or you could save money and make one at home)

The French Meadow Bakery and Cafe specialized in local fare. It's another good date night spot. Better yet, Sun-Wed evenings they have $10 bottles of wine! Woohoo! Sip it outside and people watch.

With all the restaurant recommendations, I guess you can see why I've put on a few pounds here. Um, yeah.....now back to 'real life.'

As much as I've loved being here for sabbatical, I am ready to come back home to Omaha -- and to my Who Cares Omahoneys! I've missed you ladies! We return on Sunday and are moving to a house (a rental) just up the street from Julie's place on Dec 5. We can't wait to settle in and stretch out a bit. Ahhh.

Okay, I really gotta pack now.

Note: Photos taken from the respective establishment's websites. Check out those links!

TMBG did it again.

Another great kids CD (DVD included, too) from They Might Be Giants. I dare you to resist "Electric Car"-- seriously, adults will love, too. Just finished jammin' out in the kitchen to it with kids giving me weird looks.

{ watched pot }

Fellow Whocaresians, it is with great pleasure that I (finally) announce the grand opening of my little Etsy store, { watched pot }. Click the title to stop by!

Thumbs up from the Dyers

The pizza was very good. I love me a good thin crust pizza. But the beet, goat cheese, squash salad was really the star of our dinner. So yum. (And, no pre-made shipped in desserts-- all made in-house) We'd recommend.

Wa Waaaaaa

Here is the article from yesterday's paper: http://www.omaha.com/article/20091112/NEWS01/711129776

Heard a little bird...

News leek ladies... Trader Joe's might really be going into Midtown Crossing next to Mutual of Omaha. Say your prayers!

newsflash: honeycrisp apples on sale cheap!

i just bought some honeycrisps at baker's (saddle creek) for 99 cents a pound.  i'm just sayin'.  get them while the getting's good (and cheap).  i'm eating one right now.  a little taste of heaven.

happy birthday, kate!!!

HAPPY BIRthDAY KATE!!! What a scholar! What a listener! What an encourager! What a friend! Hip Hip, Hooray!

Remember the 8 or 9 birthday parties for kate's 30th? Yeah, that was fun. And though there's only one party happening tonight, but if you're nearby, join us!!!

Doc, happy happy happy happy birthday!

Worth the Trip downtown

Well ladies, this might scratch your 'need-for-inspiration-itch" if you have one right now. Nate and I are going to hear the lecture tonight and see the show. Hatch is serious American Design Iconography. To this day, they don't change their fonts, they don't change the pressure on their presses, they don't change the way they print... you go to them because you want your stuff to look like Hatch did it, and hopefully add your event to the legacy of the posters and history they have made.

Anyway, a piece of Americana is in town. Thought you might wanna know.
*The exhibit is sponsored by the Smithsonian, hosted at the Durham, and here until January.