Today

Partnerships, Birthdays, Yoga, Spanish, and Astrology

2012-05-19T01:43:36Z

I am always in awe of couples that have shared many years together, continuing to grow all the while as individuals and as a unit. It seems that the two most profound relationship journeys are parenthood, and life partnership.

We just celebrated Ruby's 9th birthday...

It was such an awesome and simple celebration, surrounded by family, beautiful weather, a swimming pool, and sushi. I finally, FINALLY engineered several baked recipes that not only our girl, but everyone could enjoy. Pumpkin Muffins for breakfast, and Lemon Cake with Coconut Cream Frosting for dessert. These recipes are so good, I will post them on my next blog.

By the way, did you know that this week is National Eosinophil Awareness Week?

On May 15, 2007 the House of Representatives passed HB 296 forever making the third week of May National Eosinophil Awareness Week. During this week we ask people to try and eat like someone you know that as an eosinophilic disease. This year’s special week is Sunday, May 13- Saturday, May 19. Comment with your e-mail and I will send you a sample diet!

I love that this is celebrated on the very week of Ru's birthday, and we suspect that HB 296 was passed on her 4th birthday, the very same year that she was diagnosed.

Kris and I had the opportunity to observe her Yoga and Spanish classes at Khalsa Montessori that day...

Two of Ruby's Besties sitting with her en espanol, Anusha and Meghna:

Another recent experience that has stuck with me and cycled through my windmill of thoughts was the 2012 Conference of the Seven Ray Institute. I attended with my dear friend, celebrant Erin Schlabach, in support of another amazing friend, esoteric astrologer Heidi Rose Robbins. Heidi Rose's father, Michael Robbins, is one of the world's foremost experts on esoteric astrology. Thus, growing up in this vocabulary and continuously looking through the lens herself, so is she. He sets his watch to feel for himself what Pluto conjunct Venus feels like the minute it occurs, and has the ability to look at you, or even a photo of you, and know your moon, sun, and rising sign, if not your actual birthday. Heidi can look at your chart and know when the good, the bad, and the ugly have hit in your life, and what strengths and weaknesses you are equipped with to deal. Even a single reading with her will bring you to tears, and give you a bright new perspective you will not soon forget.

There were so many fantastic things to soak in. The group that day was intimate, less than 100, but included astrologers from every corner of the planet. I apologize in advance because I am recalling this from memory and had not written down any names! It was a pleasure just to listen upon all of the accents during the debates. Just prior to our first break for the day, Michael asked that all of the 7 Rays please keep there seats/areas tidy, or at least under control so that the 3rd Rays would not experience any needless organizational anxiety. Everyone laughed, of course. One of the speakers noticed Erin and I and remarked upon the very dynamic play of energy between us, as we laughed and Heidi explained that we had been close friends for years. He nodded knowingly and went on to describe what our relationship must be like with astounding accuracy.

The afternoon lectures were inspiringly intellectual, I watched and listened with pure glee and wished that this is what going to church is. I love the order, the precision, the fact that it is a map, the layers so deep. The first lecture compared the life charts of three geniuses; Mozart, Einstein, and who else? Jeffrey Dahmer. Whoa and wow to the similarities and differences, and the perspective through which each served an amazing purpose through their lives and the mercy of the energies. The second lecture was a detailed analyzation of the life of Krishnamurti. Krishnamurti allegedly came into this life as a progressed soul (this was not his first spin around earthly life), and possessed phenomenal intrinsic wisdom (he could hang with the physicists, but not because he had read the books). The theory being presented was that during this past lifetime, he had managed to personally grow not only past a third life milestone of developement, but into a fourth (and again, I am telling this poorly). The crowd went wild, and the mastery of these scientist came to light! This theory was up for intense debate because, though there were enough markers to prove it likely, it missed several seconds in time, and this planet and that planet though aligned, were not in perfect measure, etc. The math, science, astronomy, physics, spiritualism, and passion of this debate was the best thing I had witnessed in years. I'll be back April 2013 in Mesa, AZ...

Mary O' Meets Tony Robbins

2012-05-09T03:29:45Z

Robbins-Madanes Coach Training

We Two Do What We Do

2011-03-09T05:58:00Z

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum

It was difficult to determine the champion of the Ruby vs. brush stare down...

The Khalsa Montessori School Spring Carnival (Amazing. Many thanks to Brian Flatgard, the entire PTO, and countless volunteers!)

Who says peacocks don't fly?!

Upholstering Jay's 1937 Cadillac LaSalle

2011-03-03T07:08:00Z

Phase I: A custom back seat.
Isn't the body style of this auto gorgeous? My friend, Jay K., bought the shell of the car and is the process of building the rest. It is the ultimate collage. It inspires me!
I am honored to be lending a hand on the business of upholstering this bad boy.

Foundations of a back seat: plywood/pressboard + various foams (some of which Jay took from an abandoned sofa. That's right: this project is now green!)

I'll skip the shots of me figuring it out and just get to the ones where it looks like I might have a clue what I am doing!

"How about we make progress and then clean it up later?" Asks Jay. (Clue that I might be obsessing)

A job worth doing is worth doing correctly. Don't rush me, Jay.

Progress! The chair of the seat looks smooth and snug, and the seat back is still buckled because we stapled it all together forgetting that we had not installed the Velcro or O-rings. Rookies! A simple fix for another day. See you soon for Phase II!

November 2010 Photo Shoots

2010-12-08T00:31:00Z

Ahem. Apparently I have not written a blog in 98 days. Oops.
I'm back. (Many thanks to the sweetest yous that came looking for me!)

So! I do not claim to be, nor to I pretend to be: a photographer. I will get around to learning that art form one fine day, but in the mean time I am simply a great lover of creating pictures with a camera. My photos are quick, conceptual rough drafts. That's all. (Smile)

As you may remember, about this time last year I declared that nothing says "Happy Birthday, Jesus!" like a Holiday Card Photo. My team and I wanted to explore several themes this year, but the process was compromised by the fact that my old Canon point and shoot (Right? I told you I'm not a photographer!) suffered a sudden and untimely death literally during the shoots (which all took place within 24 hours). And so, many thanks go to my dear friend, Agent Povinelli, for her time and for the use of her iPhone! And... excuse the blurry quality and high contrast that we ended up with!!!

This next one pokes fun at the generic "Catalog Family." Ruby is a major fan of catalogs. She drags them around for months, takes them to school (and to dinner, and to the bathroom), and memorizes them. Late one night after she had gone to bed, Kris and I picked one up and began to make fun of it a bit. Who is this family in their coordinating pajamas purchased ONLY for the holidays? Look at the father's bleached, gelled, and perfectly feathered hair... he really signed up for this? Funny, until you get a load of the Catalog Mother... she is a real treat herself. Hmmm. Of course their pajamas, slippers, stockings, towels, napkins, fleece pullovers, sleeping bags, travel gear, and bedding are all monogrammed... and as it turns out, The Catalog Family has the most fashionable names of them all!

And, of course, there was a grand finale. Whew! It was not easy to talk Kris into this one, though Ruby seemed to think it was a fine idea. These were taken at dawn at a preselected hospital Emergency Room about 35 minutes from our house. Agent Povinelli and I needed a bit of a pick me up at the Starbucks on the way, and as we sat in the drive through fully clad as Mr. and Mrs. Super, you could see him wishing for instant death, or at least complete invisibility. Ahh, but those Starbucks employees perked right up when they saw us. Oh, did they smile, gather, giggle, and wish us well!

It is, on the surface, just amusing. The Super Family, one injured, departing the E.R. Also, it feels a bit autobiographical. My family has been through it! Especially with health and well-being challenges! But we get back up, dust ourselves off, smile, and carry on as if it is business as usual. By golly.

Though it was dawn, there were several passers-by. The essence seen in the next shot was a bus driver employed by the hospital. She approached wide-eyed on her way into the building and I said to her, "Oh! You look very official. Will you pretend to hand me these prescription bottles for the next several shots?" She shook her head "No," meaning, "Oh geez, I guess so..." and then Povinelli shouted, "You are going to be in their Christmas photo!" This woman had just looked me in the eye, declared, "Girl, you are messed up!," and began to walk away when this photo was taken:

Do note that Kris couldn't help himself: laughing and having a great time...

Happy, happy holidays all! Sending you love and warmest-ever wishes.

Blood Into Wine DVD/Blu-ray Release!

2010-08-31T20:46:00Z

Hello, Friends! I am so excited to finally announce:

The nationwide retail release of DVD/Blu-ray for our film, Blood Into Wine, is September 14!

Advance orders made at Bloodintowine.com will be shipped by September 7!

We would be honored if you would also support us by adding us to your Netflix or Blockbuster queues...

Tickets still available for DVD release parties in:

Boston

New York

Las Vegas

Arlington

Screenings continue in:

Flagstaff

Tempe

Paso Robles, CA

New Orleans

Warsaw, Poland

Porto, Portugal

Please join us in the celebration of an amazing film about amazing people accomplishing amazing (and delicious) feats.

A Ketubah in Mixed Media

2010-08-30T17:00:01Z

I Heart LA

2010-06-29T00:21:56Z

The Ruby Gallery

2010-06-01T01:26:58Z

Seeds

2010-05-09T02:15:13Z

After completing a four month production cycle in April, I have thus far spent my time in May puttering. Dabbling. Reading. Thinking. Eating. Planning. Planting. Voila: my baby herb garden!

And my first spring stab at night and day blends of herbal sun teas. Delicious. The one on the left is a chamomile/peppermint/lemongrass called Cha Cha at Adagio Teas (a pretty magical place if you do enjoy tea), and the second is a berry blend.

Actually, the whole purpose for this particular order of teas was to help Ruby, who has been having trouble sleeping. She drifts off to very heavy slumber in the evening with no problem, and feel free to throw a party in her room or vacuum it with the lights on, but then she wakes up around 2 AM and lies awake for hours and hours. I thought the chamomile might help. It sure did! The first night we gave it to her following dinner and her usual bed time routine (bath, teeth brushing, prayer) and then tucked her into her bed. Kris walked by her room several hours later and called me, "Um, Mary, you should see this..."

There she was, passed out cold on the floor of her room, in front of her bureau, drawer open, wearing two nightgowns and clutching her toothbrush. It seemed that she had sleep walked through a second night time routine! Hilarious, but also a little sad and very vulnerable! I really wish I had taken a photo. She didn't wake at all that night.

Recently I received an e-mail from my friend Elli saying that they had a dead tree in their yard, a Weeping Acacia, that they were going to get rid of; did I want it? My brain almost exploded with ideas, it was a super fun moment just thinking about the potential of this.

"How big is it?" I responded.

"7 or 8 feet," she wrote back.

Perfect.

When I arrived to help them dig it out (and yes, Kris and Jay actually did all the work. THANK YOU, Kris and Jay!) it was obviously taller than 8 feet. By seven or so feet.

"Rounding error!" said El. We laughed.

Hmmm. How to get it home? Who cares, it's even better looking than I expected. Will it fit through a double doorway? Barely? I'll take it.

It was no easy task removing it from the ground, because of course I insisted that I wanted the root ball in tact (THANK YOU, Kris and Jay!) Then they tied it to the top of our Forester (!) and brought it back to our house. Awesome.

So now I have this rare creative opportunity with a wily 15 foot canvas. I wander outside every morning with my coffee just to look and dream up the plan. I find there is an unanticipated sense of responsibility that I have for this guy because I cannot possibly improve upon it. It would look stunning just propped up or even suspended horizontally in an appropriate space. It already has such lovely features:

Aside from fantastic intertwines I love to see how branches changed their minds mid-growth to completely change direction. I won't get around to tackling this until the fall, though right now is by far my favorite phase of all creative endeavors: ideas phase. Seeds.

Origami Poppies

2010-04-09T01:04:00Z

Wouldn't you know it? These look better on the scrap of (wood? bark? parchment?) paper I photographed them on than on the sculpture they were intended for!

Now I need 3 more sheets of it.

Delivered.

By tomorrow morning!

Ahhhh!

Lissy Elle

2010-04-07T06:07:00Z

Chapelware

2010-03-29T17:45:00Z

Helluva Day

2010-03-22T03:01:00Z

My "boyfriend" turned 35 today,

and Ruby lost her first tooth! I understand the health care bill was passed as well and March Madness is taking place in Upset City this year...

I am just back from more travels around the Midwest. My mind is completely abuzz with new plans and opportunities. I almost hit the ground running, and today's creations begin a closure of the past four to six weeks in the studio:

This last one was inspired by the toothless one, of course. One of the hazards of being an only child is keeping company with adults far more often than with kiddos your own age. Through our travels I observed my little lady practicing the fine art of adulthood with whatever she had at her disposal. And make no mistake about it; more accessories = more glamour! When the adults dressed and primped, she worked that chapstick just as hard as she could. She carried an empty make up bag as a "clutch" when we went out. As we wandered through a shopping center she quietly, deliberately, became clownishly gorgeous at a make up counter. Napkin rings at the restaurant became bracelets while the napkins transformed into scarves. Does this last little handbag seem a little busy with bow, flower AND beads? I'm guessing not if you are a small enough adult.

Cumulus

2010-03-05T22:52:00Z

Hotlanta

2010-03-04T03:20:00Z

I am just back from a truly fantastic whirlwind weekend in Atlanta, where all five senses sang with delight. I must give props! First to chef Ryan Hidinger and his design genius wife Jen on their magical, delicious baby and restaurant, Staplehouse. The food is exotic and wonderful and the atmosphere contemporary cozy. If you are in the vicinity: run, don't walk. Go there!

The evening began like this:

and ended like this:

'Nuff said!

I also spent an incredible afternoon at Seed Factory, the very coolest children's boutique (ever). An inspiration. I'm inclined to have more children for an excuse to purchase yet more of these products. Just kidding, Kris (kind of). Among the treasures I could not resist for Ruby are these adorable handmade shoes by Zid Zid:

and why didn't I think of this first? Benefitting unused crayons, youthful ears, and worthwhile charities:

And no trip to Atlanta is complete without a drink at the infamous Clermont Lounge. "Best Dive Bar" in America, indeed! Not for the weak of heart, perhaps. I felt that I certainly got my money's worth. I am left wondering why in the world I took heed of the "No Cameras Allowed!" sign...

Wine About It

2010-02-12T20:14:00Z

Our movie premieres in one week!

Nationwide screenings in Albuquerque, Austin, Boston, Davenport, Encinitas, Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Phoenix, Salem, Salt lake City, San Antonio, San Francisco, and Tempe thus far, with many more to be added soon.

Screening information, DVD's, posters, tee shirts, and of course brass knuckle wine openers (an essential to every kitchen!) are all now available at

www.bloodintowine.com

And the wine, oh the wine... 'tis so very delicious.

Try it here.

Thank you once again to all of the geniuses (you know who you are) who got together to drink amazing wine and create this film!

Yet Another Reason To Visit Ireland

2010-01-31T21:10:00Z

The Moon Meets Local Harvest

2010-01-16T22:12:00Z

At risk once again of devoting this blog to the quiet discussion of amazing films, I will proceed to highly recommend yet another:

Moon, directed by Duncan Jones and starring Sam Rockwell. The trailer doesn't sell it, at least not to me, but it is ridiculously good.

Carl Warner

My mind occasionally does wander past film, art, and music, but, as you may have observed, only in the direction of food and drink!

Sometimes I like to imagine my 18-year-old-self meeting my 34-year-old-self. The good-hearted though junk food/soda/cigarette addicted 18 self takes one look at the 34 self with wrinkled eyebrow, chuckle, and "Whoa...!" 34 smiles and observes 18 sip a Mountain Dew (she is trying not to smoke until after the meeting), feels relief that the word "ma'am" was not used and shrugs, knowing 18 is not prepared to believe the story of her future anyhow.

Carl Warner

My unlikely interest in health food began when I moved to California. It couldn't be helped because the markets were bursting with gorgeous produce that is not readily available in the Midwest, and the cafes and restaurants were cooking this mysterious new produce in forms surpassing deliciousness. Once I began consuming more fresh foods I felt remarkably better and survived a disabling health crisis, which led to complete fascination, several years of studious cooking, experimentation, and reading.

My daughter, Ruby, was then born in 2003 with EE, a disease in which the body reacts to food like an invading allergen. On a bit of a whim, Kris and I decided to take Ruby's allergy tests with her. The most interesting results for all of us came from a delayed-reaction blood test (normal allergy food panels measure acute reactions) to hundreds of foods, called the IgG4. This test is performed in very few labs in the U.S., and unfortunately is not accepted as credible by medical doctors. The IgG4 was, regardless and by far, the most helpful tool not only in our quest to understand what foods Ruby could tolerate, but which foods were causing Kris and I to have chronic health symptoms.

Ruby's allergies include egg, dairy, soy, wheat & all grains except rice, nuts, seeds, shellfish, tuna, pork, corn, tomatoes, asparagus, broccoli, cantaloupe, and more. SO! Following several weeks of withdrawal, we began eating produce, fish, meat, and rice almost exclusively... though Kris and I still admit to the occasional, sudden disappearance of an entire bag of tortilla chips. Enter several more years of fascination, cooking, experimentation, and reading. Since this is our main fare, we have shopped mostly at farmer's market stores...

Carl Warner

Until now!

We are finally beginning the process of joining a CSA. I believe it is the right thing to do on many, many levels. It has been on my list of things to get to ever since reading Michael Pollan's Omnivore's Dilemma, followed by every other book he wrote, and eventually looking my 34 self in the eye and convincing her she actually does not have the time or resources to start her own farm at the moment. I feel like I have read all the foodies now, but Michael Pollan is the one who actually moved me to this action, for whatever reason. Even then, I still put it off until now because it is going to be a commitment to do the research, get to know the new foods, and learn a more spontaneous form of cooking.

Two extremely helpful resources:

Local Harvest & Eat Wild.

It appears that, in Arizona, $18-25 will buy you a huge weekly basket of local, organic produce (some of these include eggs), with the option to half or double it, if you please.

Grass fed and free range beef, buffalo, lamb, chickens, eggs, dairy, even ethically caught fish also available in any cut or quantity you can imagine. Are the proteins I speak of here more expensive than found at the store? Absolutely. Did I still find that combining CSA costs for produce and proteins, plus beverages and grains (rice and tortilla chips!) purchased elsewhere cost less than what I am paying now? Absolutely.

Could 34 possibly convince 18 of how exciting and beneficial this is? Hmmm...

The Third & The Seventh

2010-01-06T23:26:00Z

The Third & The Seventh, by Alex Roman.

A FULL-CG animated film, 12 minutes and 29 seconds.

It took my breath away.

I was late to work because I had to watch it again...