It's a moment like this that makes me glad I have 'bedlam' in my blog title.

Cheers, Kids!

Photo by your Uncle Beefy.

Sweet Paul Magazine

Have Yourself a...

Hey Kids, wishing you and your's a warm, safe, and very Merry Christmas! Thanks for helping to make this year of 2009 such a wonderful one at the Bedlam with all your kindess, patience, and support!

Merry Christmas & a Happy Little Ole New Year!

Slow Down, You Move Too Fast

Hello, Kids!  So how ya's doin' this Monday?  How was your weekend?  I hope the start of this holiday week is going splendidly!

Over the past weekend, aside from irreplaceably losing time out of my lifespan with the waste of a film "Brüno", I had the chance to work on some creative projects.  I'm in the throws of cutting out a gazillion paper snowflakes (as you can see above) for the holiday displays at work.  Having been quite a while since my last creative forays, it was such a pleasant reunion.  It seemed to bring me back to some kind of center, a reawakening of my mind from some kind of numbed slumber.  It has me thinking of a number of things not the least of which is exercising my artistic skills once again.  Alongside that are thoughts of this blog and maybe pushing things in a fresh direction...?  Finishing up some very long overdue projects that I have put off.  And maybe taking some aspects of life down a notch or two.

I am not a big proponent of "multi-tasking".  But it's such an embeded aspect of our lives and each day presents me with a multitude of options for declaring myself a complete hypocrite.  Always so much go, go, go... y'know?  The number of times I sit at this computer drumming up a post, emailing, twittering, talking on the phone, all while trying to consume some semblance of a meal?  And then you arrive at a point where you realize that you've been horrifically busy while accomplishing a whole lotta nothin'.  And that is me to a tee many days.

With the holidays now upon us, it invariably induces some kind of pondering.  Thoughts about the past year, your life, career, family, the world... all funneling its way down into that impossibly claustrophobic state of the New Year's resolution.  I am not going down that road again this year.  But that isn't to advocate throwing the baby out with the bath water.  I think some thoughtful reflection is always a worthwhile endeavor regardless of the time of year.  So I'm going to be slowing things down here at "The Bedlam" for a bit.

I'll be working on some guest posts for sfgirlbybay, getting together some embarassingly late mailings, tidying things up around the abode, spending more time with family and friends, and firing up the creative engines once again.  All in good time, that is.  But I'm going to be a bit scarce around here for the next couple o' weeks... at least.  Not to say that I won't be around here at all but perhaps a bit more "devil-may-care" than usual.  I hope you'll still come 'round for a visit now and again?

In the meantime, I hope that all of you whom are celebrating Thanksgiving have a splendid time surrounded with the ones you love the most and that the beginnings of the holiday season hold you safe and warm.

ps - As a quick side note, thanks to all of you who take the time to comment, follow, tweet, etc., etc.  I appreciate your support more than you could possibly know.  So thanks for that, Kids!  Be well.

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2009!

A New Year doesn't approach that I don't feel pretty reflective on where I find myself. Don't worry, Kids, you'll be spared my lengthly musings...for now. ;) I've much to ponder and plan and (for goodness sake!!!) DO in 2009! My one resolution for 2009...no resolutions! Yep, that's right! What about you? Are you taking it all on or just going to take it easy? For the moment let me wish you all a VERY Happy New Year 2009, Kids! Hoping for the best for all of us in the coming year!

Yeah, I know. Here I am again anyway. It's late. It's Christmas. And this song has been in my head today. Sure, some of it has been dubbed over in Italian...but the translation is certainly the same (and my favorite scene from a favorite movie). Hope your day was merry and bright. Bye for now, Kids. Happiest wishes sent your way on this frosty eve.

Dashing through the snow....

Looking down my street.

Kids, if you're perusing any of us Pacific Northwest bloggers you'll see that we're incessantly talking about our winter snow dump. Sorry...we just don't see this often especially around the holidays. Forgive us.

Walked home from work again last night. After a day of delightfully gleeful shoppers, I headed to the grocery store, loaded up on a few essentials (including some wine), packed up the back pack, and began the 50 minute walk home. It was so still and peaceful...okay except for my calves and thighs as they were anything but! However, I remedied the situation by having the iPod going and pretending that it was merely all part of filming the most glorious music video ever. Seriously, if you lived along my walking route and looked out your window, you would have seen a man resembling a cross between an over-sized four year old and a shuffling geriatric dancing (alright, and lip syncing!) his lil' heart out in the snowfall! It was magical! That is until I slipped and fell. And when? Just as I was within the headlight view of the ONLY car to drive by! Great. I mean, the fall I could have rationalized as all part of the video choreography, but the onlookers just shattered my suspension of disbelief.

Oh well, I dusted myself off and made it the rest of the way home to the scene shown above. Dreamy. After making it through the 9+ inches and in through the doorway of my lil' house, I saddled up to some pasta, a couple glasses o' red, and, later, s'mores made with my homemade marshmallows and a culinary torch. Life is good right now, Kids. Cold....but oh so good!

Hope your weekend is shaping up nicely. :)

It's beggining to look a lot like...

Good morning, Kids! Went to bed last night....nothin'. This morning...SOMETHIN'!!! Woke up to a flurry of flakes and it is hard to wipe the 4-year-old-little-kid grin off of my face! We don't typically get snow around the holidays so this is feeling like an extra treat at the moment. I will be walking (NO driving for your Uncle!) to work today, a lot earlier, but a lot lovelier too. Hope your day is off to a happy start. :)

Do you See what I Saw...

Got my sweet package from Raquel & Angela at See Saw yesterday! My letterpress calendar, snowflake gift tags, and cards! Just a bunch of lovingly-wrapped wonderful! It was so sweet to see...saw!

Cupcakes to Cards...

After rounding out the cupcake brigade... (What? I'm just mentioning it! I'm not showin' ya's more cupcake pics! Jeez!) ...I busted out my screens and got to printin' up some holiday cards to schuck out at Kennedy & Kate (but they're not available from the website...just sayin'). Every little bit helps these days, y'know? But I suppose some sleep would too.

Kennedy & Cake!

Well, Kids...I know I just said I'd be signing off until after the holidays. Hello...LIAR! Here I am again...already! But I just thought I'd throw it out there to any of you Seattle-area readers that if you happen to be out-n-about this shopping weekend, your Uncle will be in attendance this Saturday the 29th at the Kennedy & Kate Holiday Open House on Bainbridge Island (map here!). I'll be pumping out my fresh cupcakes while Sarah pours the Champagne punch! Because we all know everything is better with bubbles...and "Beefy" too! ;) (Right? ... I SAID...RIGHT?! Hee-hee!)

Beefy's Bainbridge 4th of July Blitz

(A recuperative lunch (let's just say things start on Bainbridge Island
as of the 3rd) on the lawn at Doc's Marina Grill.)

I know, an unusual posting for Beefy. On a Sunday! Don't expect o whole lot, Kids...your Uncle is tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiired! I know, I know...by "tired" I mean hungover, right? Okay, I admit it...you're wrong. By "tired" I mean too old to drink like the 20-somethings around me. By "tired" I mean I'm a cheap/er date who will begin to fade long before the art of intoxication really begins to take hold. By "tired" I mean one who now gets just as excited over beautifully arranged fruit skewers as he does the beer run. By "tired" I mean that when one exclaims that there's no more beer you're now a bit more content that sparkling water has been offered as an alternative. By "tired" I mean that, with barely a buzz, I found it absolutely necessary to demonstrate the African dance ensemble from Lionel Richie's "All Night Long" video. Yes, THAT tired!

And even still...I sacrifice what energies I have left to you, Kids, my gentle readers. That and to get Bee off m'back! Geez, for a vegetarian it seems a bit contradictory to be asking for more "Beefy" doesn't it, Bee? ;) Silly Kids! No matter...I will oblige you all with what will perhaps be one of the most striking and poignant cinematic and photographic displays of a local 4th of July celebration in recent history.

Oh yeah...I'm tired.

Lunch at Doc's was followed by heading up to Winslow Way for the 4th of July parade! The 4th is a big celebration on Bainbridge Island. Just the night before (i.e. the 3rd) the street was shut down for games, live music, food, and yes, a beer garden. Yes! I was there...can we move on now! ;) It's a nice community gathering that gives you a little hope that all is right with the world.

The parade...in case you couldn't tell. Always here to help.

Shortly after this cinematic genius was shot I had a "starlight mint" hurled at my throat with such velocity as to perform a tracheotomy. Ah yes, good times, Kids....good times. Also, a cinematic learning lesson...Sen, don't ever tell a blogger not to put something on their blog. You're just asking for it.

At Sarah & Sen's house. A stellar gathering (Sarah & Georgina busted out with every Martha-driven fiber of their beings ~ beautiful job ladies!!!) with friends (including FABULICIOUS visitor Ms. Jenny from the OC ~ OMG! Kristin Cavallari is going to be so jealous!) just before the most incredible neighborhood fireworks! My video bears absolutely no resemblance to the grande spectacle. Ask anyone who was witness...I was relegated to a 4 year old I was SO flippin' excited! So excited that I may have even piddled in my pants...but just a little ;) (If I am ever on The View and Barbara brings this up during the interview...I'm never speaking to you again!)

(Okay...y'all know I'm just kidding about the piddling...right?)

Hope you all had a GREAT
4th of July weekend, Kids!

Well, it's something of a Baby New Year. It's hard not to get a wee bit nostalgic when we near the end of another year so I though I'd share... This is my first Christmas and upcoming New Year with my sister, Carin. Things haven't changed much really...except for maybe the kind of bottle I drink out of (nudge, nudge, wink, wink). Although given my expression, who can really say what Mom put in the bottle that night...?

Hoping that you all have a very Happy & Healthy New Year 2008! See you again soon!

All the best, Uncle Beefy

Let's just say my stocking was "unstuffed"...

Well, some of you may know that I was going down on Monday to visit my parents for a few days. I just never anticipated being down and out (of touch). Tuesday night found me with either food poisoning or the flu but suffice it to say that everything inside was outside and a few internal organs had even applied for their exit visas. I'm still not 100%. But I didn't want to just up and leave you in the lurch.

So thanks for checking back in hopes of fresh posts. Given that I'll be out of town for the holidays this may well be it until the new year. But thanks to all for making the end of the year in the blogosphere oh so enjoyable. Your comments, words, and emails are all much appreciated. I hope that the holidays go well for you and yours and that the New Year 2008 brings many happy wishes!

For me, I already got my wish...I lost weight during the holidays. A real Christmas miracle!

Since Madonna wasn't going to use them...

So this weekend was a bit of a whirlwind. Dinner party, baby shower, and Christmas crafting (not necessarily in that order). I wanted to do something more than just the obligatory bottle o' wine for a dinner party that Kendall and I went to on Friday. So, I busted out a few batches of Off-To-Bed Butter Cookies (substituting the called-for sugar with ground up candy cane!) and a couple of my handmade "gift cones" (the peppermint stripe, of course) to give to our hosts.

I love making these Victorian-inspired gift cones. I know they're kinda over the top but so much better than a box wouldn't you say? People will say to me..."What d'ya use 'em for?" Well, small gifts and candies. Or you could get those little water tubes from the florist and place a small bouquet in them. Hang them up, on a doorknob, over the back of a dining chair as a favor and place card for dinner guests, or as wardrobe for a concert. See, they really are useful.

Star light, star bright...

If you've been following along, you'll know that I signed up to participate in a handmade pay-it-forward gift exchange. Well, Anjie from Studio Wellspring delivered her end of the bargain to me yesterday! Oy...the photo is atrocious (no time for photo styling today) but it's really beautiful. A handmade origami star ornament all bejeweled and dusted with gold and a beaded hanging string. Anjie it's fantastic...THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Indie Shopping Weekend

Just a reminder that this weekend is a great weekend for indie shopping in the Seattle area! There's Urban Craft Uprising at the Seattle Center (read my previous post here).

Also, on Bainbridge Island, is Christmas in the Country. A vast number of independent merchants that collect themselves in various locations around the island (including some beautiful private homes) and show off some amazing handiwork.

(The Fortner House - my favorite stop during Christmas in the Country!)

I know, it's not as delightful as the mall. And, granted, I doubt either location will have been thoughtful enough to have set up a Hot Dog On A Stick franchise...but these are the sacrifices we sometimes have to make people!

(Sidenote: It's supposed to snow here later today!!! I mean, what could make it any more atmospheric?!)

Heavens to Etsy!

Had a great time at our Thanksgiving potluck last night. (Hope you all had a lovely evening too!) The best part? I think when Max the resident 4-year-old was convinced that my Dad was Santa and my Mom was Mrs. Claus. I told him that I was an elf and he wanted me to help hook him up with a Transformer. I told him that I worked in the wooden toy division but that I'd put in a good word to Elsa who is Senior Executive of the Technological Division. He seemed most pleased. Then he went on to tell me that he wanted to be Spiderman when he grew up. Are you kidding me? Too cute.

So now the holidays are officially underway. And given my elf reference it would seem rather ironic that I will be working in the workshop getting ready for the opening of my Etsy shop next Saturday. I'll start out with a few things but will keep adding new items as often as possible. So I hope you'll stop by and say "How do!" And keep checking back for shop updates!


In the meantime, I hope you're all enjoying some down-time with friends and family. There is one more spot in my Pay-It-Forward exchange so sign-up (read here for details) if you'd like a little somethin' from your Uncle!

"Happy Holidays Everybody!"