It's Been a Year

First photo ever posted on this blog.

One year ago today, I started writing this silly blog. Here is why I started writing it, in the words of the first post:

"I take lots of photos. Lots and lots of photos. I have lots of them on Flickr and I send links to my Flickr account to my friends and family. But, sometimes, I want to comment about just a photo or two, or take photos of some random event in my life that doesn't really need a whole set in my Flickr account. So, I thought I'd make those comments here. To get them out of my head. And, organize my thoughts for myself. And, then if anyone else wants to read it, great."

And, that's still pretty much it. The thing is, because of the blog, I've taken even more photos than I would have without the blog. I've chronicled my life. Really, I have one spectacular diary, or journal, if you prefer, of the past year. And, I've gotten better at taking pictures too, IMHO. When I look at the photos, for example, from Alexandra's baptism in relation to the ones I took at Andrew's dedication, a year later, the quality of the photos from Andrew's day are better. And, in general, I get more "good" shots out of a shoot than I used to. I've learned a few things and the discipline of taking photos to post on the blog has helped me to become a better photographer. I actually find myself taking fewer shots as well - I know you find this part hard to believe - but I take more care in which photos I'd like to capture instead of snapping every darn last image on the planet.

And, you, my dear blog readers, you warm the cockles of my heart by reading this drivel from time to time. I mean, 23 followers is amazing to me! And, my google analytics tell me 579 unique people visit this site on a regular basis. Then, there are my friends on Facebook that read the feed. (Facebook friends, feel free to visit the actual blog regularly too - I think it looks better on the blog than on Facebook. Maybe you will too.) Also, I have about 17% new visitors every month. That's amazing to me, too. Amazing! None of it is a large amount for the Internet - it's a wee tiny thing on the Internet, really. But, it's amazing to me! I mean, I'd still write it if no one showed up for the aforementioned reasons. But, wow, I'm humbled that some people read it. It makes it more fun. Totally more fun.

And, we've had some fun together, haven't we? I mean, who could forget this post, or this one. Or, man, this one cracks me up when I read it, still, about my sweet nephew! And I love reliving days of my life by re-reading my posts - all of them - but here and here are two that stick out. I've really enjoyed putting together some posts that weren't of the humorous variety but spoke to me too. Like this one. And this one. And, of course, this one. And, I loved the feedback I got from all of you during posts like this one and these two. And many many more. It's hard to mention all of my personal highlights from 274 posts!

Me and my trusty camera.

All of that said, not much has changed here at the Ate Up Amateur ranch in a year. I'm still an amateur photographer and an amateur at life in general. I'm still as ate up as I'll ever be. And, I still have lots of stuff to say about the photos I take and the random stuff that goes on in my life. So, I guess I'll keep writing this blog for a while more. Until I reach the end of the Internet or something like that. Amen.

Last photo posted in the first year of the blog.

Thank you, THANK YOU, thank you for stopping by and reading my blog. I cannot thank you enough. It means a lot to me. Thank you for taking the time to be a follower of my blog, you dear, sweet 23 people. The more the merrier - I'm glad to share this space with you. I love it when you follow my blog. Love that. Love it. Did I mention I love blog followers? And thank you EVEN MORE when you comment. I LOVE reading your comments. Love that. Love it. Did I mention I love it when you comment? It adds to the enjoyability quotient exponentially!

But, mostly, just simply thank you. I am truly humbled to know you, my dear blog readers. See you tomorrow, for the exciting beginning of another ate up year.

One More from the Vacay

I know I said I was trying to wrap it up last week, but I found just a few more photos I want to share with you from the vacation that will never end. I wish THAT were true...

Anyway, to fulfill the needs of my photo sharing compulsion, here we go. Up there and the next few are of the Calatrava designed part of the Milwaukee Art Museum. Those "wings" - they close up at night and reopen every morning at 10. Pretty darn cool.







Then, there was this - a water feature that looked to have spanned a half mile (actually, only 600 fee)...you know how I like water, so you know, you'll have to deal with a few shots of this one.

I like the angle and the shadow in this one.

Also, we at at this place in Wauwatosa.
If you go to Milwaukee, do yourself a favor and eat somewhere in this village.

Beer came right out of the wall.

And the patio was very nice.

And this train bridge was nearby.

We drove through Madison in the rain.
Wisconsin State Capitol from the car.
We also made a round of the campus.

And, upon returning to Minneapolis for our flight home, we went here.

I toured the greenhouse on the grounds.

Ok, so now I feel as if I've purged every possible photo memory from the Wisconsin vacation. Until I surf through them again and find something else, of course. You never know.

Happy Friday and best wishes for a lovely weekend. See you next week.

Which Color for the Kitchen?

If you haven't been to my house lately, you wouldn't know, unless you look REALLY CLOSE in some of my cooking photos, that while we did some major work to our kitchen - we started from scratch - a while back, once it was functioning, we didn't follow through and finish it. The walls are drywall and the molding is missing, for the most part. The ceiling is also very ugly and the light fixtures are bare bulbs.

I am now of the mind to finish it. Trim and paint will go up this late summer. I can wield a paint brush, people, even if it is not pretty. And I will paint the kitchen. And I'll get light fixtures and molding. And it will one day in fact be pretty. Funny thing is, I've had this paint chip for this whole time set aside as the color for the kitchen. And, usually, when I decide on a color I stick with it. I like it forever and never look back. So, last week I went to get a sample of that color. Then I put it on the walls. I hate that color. It's not going to work. You can see it in the "1-2-3-4" photos below as the large blob above #3. Too dark, too much red in it.

So, I chose four new colors to try out. They are now on the drywall in three different places. In the photos, in different light, with the beauty and distortion of the Internet, you can experience these four colors here. I need you to vote. Vote, people, vote for which one I should choose.

Here is a shot of the other colors in the kitchen - dark granite, reddish brown cabinets, gold-ish floors, missing molding around the door (which will eventually be white), Echo's butt.

This is another look at the cabinet/granite.


To facilitate the voting, we put the colors on the wall in number fashion.

And I took photos at different times in the day when the colors change.


Here's one more look.


Here they are above the sink, near a window, in the same order.
And one yummy locally grown vine ripe tomato.

And here, near the stove.
1-2
3-4

So, dear friends, help a girl out. Vote. Tell me which one you prefer, if any. Or, tell me, "go paint blue" or something. Then, I'll let you know what I decide and how it turns out.

As always, thank you so much for your help. I very much appreciate your helping me with my ongoing neurosis and indecision. What would I do without you? It would not be pretty, that's for certain. Thanks again. See you tomorrow.

Julie & Julia

Julia Child [via]

S and I went to see a real (reel?) bonafide movie in a real bonafide theater this past weekend. I know, this is ground breaking stuff. But, seriously folks, we don't get around to seeing first run releases at the movie theater except maybe about twice a year. This was time #1 for the year and we decided to go see Julie and Julia. So for us, it was a big night on the town.

Meatloaf in the oven.

No movie I have ever seen has been a life altering experience. This one was no different. But, I enjoyed it very much. It was entertaining, informative, witty and a good way to spend two hours of my life. There's this scene with the onions...for one.

Asparagus, before the steam.
And the butter sauce with cardamom.

And I couldn't wait to go home and cook - not that I need much impetus for that, you understand. But, it gave me a fire in the belly to get into that kitchen! We had our friends Tricia and Wayne over Sunday night. The menu was probably a little closer to an Erma Rombauer meal than a Julia Child meal - meatloaf, macaroni and cheese, corn on the cob, salad, zucchini almondine, rolls, and peaches warmed in a skillet with a simple sauce over ice cream for dessert - oh, well, there was asparagus. A nod to french cooking with the asparagus with cardamom butter sauce. No matter what the inspiration, I'm here to tell you that for my money, (and, I guess, it was my money - heh heh) it was good sister, it was good. And the leftovers have been even better!

Mixed greens with locally grown vine ripe tomatoes, walnuts, and cotija cheese.

Anyway, I did have several thoughts upon completion of this movie and while I was cooking this meal. So, I thought, hey, I can tell my blog friends about my random thoughts! I mean, what else would a blog writer do but share their most random thoughts with the world wide web! The secret here people, of course, is that really, at least this blog writer doesn't think much about who might be reading this. It just gets the tired old thoughts out of my head so I can move on to something new. But, here they are for you.

The Julia Child bowls.

First, I was reminded about my Julia Child bowls - they are just a set of Pyrex bowls. But, I used to watch Ms. Child from time to time with my Nana. (I don't know which series this would have been - reruns of the original series or one of the later series.) And, from time to time, when Nana was fixing lunch or something, she'd measure out the ingredients and let me throw them into the mixing bowl. We're talking tuna salad, here, people. Or peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You know, low key, low brow, six year old stuff. Anyway, I thought this was AWESOME. And, now I'm the proud owner of those bowls. The Julia Child bowls. So, I've always had an affection for Julia Child.

S cut up the zucchini for me.

We turned it into one of my new favorite easy vegetable side dishes.

That said, I didn't know much about Ms. Child except what one would glean from watching her on television - she knew how to cook, she was tall, she had sort of a funny voice, and people liked her. From the movie, I learned some things that I found very interesting. It made me want to read more about this strong personality with a penchant for hollandaise, which I shall do. Here are the points I find worth noting, based on the movie version of her I saw last weekend:

- she didn't marry her husband, Paul Child, until she was 34 - the movie says 40, but you know, not as a teenager - later in life.

- she and Paul had a very happy marriage and fruitful partnership.

- she enrolled in cooking school because she needed something to "do" when they moved to Paris after WWII. Paul was stationed there by the US government.



- she worked for eight years with two friends she met in Paris on Mastering the Art of French Cooking, which was published in 1961 when she was 49 years old.

- after moving back to the states, she became a well known and beloved television chef almost to the end of her life.

- her cookbook and subsequent cooking shows changed the way America ate post WWII and every chef on television has her to thank for their job today.



Here's what I gleaned from her life by watching this movie, correct, or incorrect, true or not true, that I felt was useful for my reflection:

- it is possible to do something you love for a living.

- sometimes this "something" is not revealed to you until later in life.

- one should take time, when possible to pay attention to that part of yourself that feeds your soul.

- everyone has disappointments in life and you cannot allow those disappointments to define you.


- it is very attractive to be sure of oneself - others are attracted to self-assured people. This does not mean arrogance and has nothing to do with physical beauty. It has to do with pleasant self-assuredness that has nothing to do with proving anything to anyone.

- this is the only life you've got, so savor it and use it to the best of your ability.

- Meryl Streep is one of the best actors of our time and she can play anyone as if she has left her own body and embodied theirs.

S set the table.
This was the place setting he chose.

And, most importantly, after learning a little about her, I believe when she ended her television program with, "This is Julia Child, bon appetit!" which translates (that second part anyway) loosely to "I wish you a hearty appetite" that she meant that about the food she had just prepared and the food she was sure you would prepare, and she also meant it for life in general too. "I wish you a hearty appetite for life!"

The table, just before we devoured it all -
yes, there are containers on that table straight from the refrigerator.
And we LIVED!!!

I really believe that, not having known her at all or this for a fact. I just know this to be true. And, I think it's a wonderful way to look at life, at this time on earth. It makes me want to "do" something too. Anything! Everything! I wish a hearty appetite for myself and for you too.

And, go on out and see the silly movie. You'll be glad you did. See you tomorrow.

S-man does it again

That S - he's the best. He's a keeper. He's da bomb. I love this guy. Why? Well, for just being S, of course. But, today, for another special reason.

Look, there's S with sweet Ellie, right next to the arrangement.

Remember Friday, when I told you I had a horrible week? Well, I did. And, S, to make sure THIS week was better than last week, yesterday, sent me this lovely floral arrangement. Just because. Just to brighten my day. Just to make sure I knew he was thinking of me. And, I'm here to report it's doing the trick. My week is definitely better.

You can see my feet in this photo - this was from straight overhead...

Isn't it beautiful? Wasn't that the nicest thing? Thank you, my love, I appreciate it SO MUCH and it will brighten my cube and my week. You're the absolute best.

Andrew's Dedication

Saturday we attended an event meant to dedicate baby Andrew into the christian faith. The church his parents attend don't do baptisms or formal dedications, but it was important to Brooke and Michael to have some sort of public ceremony with family and friends to say they intend to raise their child as a christian. So, that is what they did.

Dad Michael (S's brother), Mom Brooke, and little Andrew

If you are not christian or into the minutiae of theology, you may not know that this whole baby baptism/christening/dedication thing is one of those points that people disagree about. I don't get too hung up on such things, but suffice it to say, to some people, what you do or don't do with an infant in the faith is a big deal. I'll leave that to them to discuss.



For this day, S and I were there as a member of Andrew's extended family, supporting whatever it was his parents felt needed to be done. So of course I took my camera to account for it here, for you, my dear readers.

Molly was there!

It was at Brooke's dad's house, and their family and some very close friends attended.

Everyone seemed happy to take part.

Kim, Mark and Alexandra were there.

S and his dad were there.

I included this photo to prove they look nothing alike. They of course never act anything alike either. Genes. Gotta love 'em.

This is Brooke's side of the family.

There was also a photo like this one taken of S's side of the family. But I was in it. So I don't have that photo because I put the camera down for a sec. And, really, you guys have seen us all standing together mugging for the camera before, so we'll skip it this time. OK?

These are Brooke and Michael's close church friends.


Two of their friends from church said some words about raising children in the christian faith.

They quoted some verses from the Bible.

And told us we were supposed to help.

And then they prayed.

It's a good idea if we're - S and I - supposed to help. Always good to pray about THAT. Ahem. No, seriously, it was a nice prayer. A nice series of prayers, actually. They did a nice job.

And then there was food and swimming.

S was apparently very excited about the food.
Or, something...I dunno.

The water was a constant enticement for Alexandra until she could dive in.
In fact, they were really glad she didn't try to do that fully clothed.

Her dad Mark (S's other brother - just to help you keep it straight) kept her occupied.


And so did playing with her new friend Margaret.
Alexandra and Margaret are only 2 days different in age.


Some more of Margaret.

Speaking of Margaret - the daughter of Brooke's good friend Melanie - I liked her a lot. Why you ask? Well, because I could call her name and she'd actually LOOK at the camera. You see, all the little children in my life generally don't respond or look the OTHER way when I call their name. They are so sick and tired of my camera it makes it hard to get a good photo. So, this child - this unsuspecting child - she was my muse - she played along. Thank you sweet Margaret for playing along with me and my camera. It was great fun.

I did get this cute one, however, of normally camera-ornery Alexandra.

And Andrew's still too young to look the other way.
Check out at those cheeks!

And, he's starting to look more like his daddy, I think, too. He's a good "mix." Speaking of genes...

So, there you are. That's what this baby dedication entailed. Friends, family, words of wisdom, blessings, food and swimming. He's all dedicated now. And we were there to report about it for you. Amen.



A quick update on Nathon - he's progressing, still in pain, and learning to use what my sister-in-law Kim (the other sister-in-law Kim) says is the world's smallest walker. I told her she should teach him to say, "God Bless Us, Every One" and maybe he could get some work this holiday season...this is a joke people - Kim thought it was funny, don't work yourself into a lather about it, OK?



And, a quick update on Cora's first day of school - my brother Steve had this to say on Facebook this weekend:

"She had to be taken out into the hall on the first day. Half day kindergarten. Three hours! In trouble already. It's going to be a long year for poor Mrs. Eck."

Poor Mrs. Eck. Poor Steve and Terri. Poor Cora and the growing pains. She looks so innocent, doesn't she? Hang in there, everyone...can't wait to hear how it goes.

Thanks for stopping by. See you tomorrow.