LauraCatoe.com

NYT, you make me sad. You require readers to register to read your articles or pay a fee of $4.95 to download them (which doesn’t even include the accompanying photos or graphics).

So I’m glad a site called Blue Vertical Studio reprinted your article “In Houston, Art is Where the Home Is,” because now I can point my friends to it and they can actually read the article if they want.

It’s about a guy who’s been working for years on renovating old row houses in Houston as a community-guided art project.

Mr. Lowe, a lanky, amiable, remarkably youthful-looking 45-year-old artist from Alabama, moved to Houston 21 years ago and lives here in the Third Ward, where he founded Project Row Houses. In 1990, “a group of high school students came over to my studio,” he recalled. “I was doing big, billboard-size paintings and cutout sculptures dealing with social issues, and one of the students told me that, sure, the work reflected what was going on in his community, but it wasn’t what the community needed. If I was an artist, he said, why didn’t I come up with some kind of creative solution to issues instead of just telling people like him what they already knew. That was the defining moment that pushed me out of the studio.”

I like how he recognizes that art is bigger than drawing. I forget it sometimes, and it’s good to be reminded.

“We can approach our lives as artists, each and every one of us,” he said. “It’s a choice people have. … If you choose to, you can make every action a creative act.”

(The article also reminded me of Leslie’s tire project.)

For the next several days, Kris and I have a hectic schedule, but in the larger picture, it is a wonderful problem to have: too many friends and family.

I actually had to make myself a day-to-day list of when I needed to do laundry (I only have so many pairs of preggo pants, yo) and when to bake cookies that are gifts so they would be fresh, when to go to the store and buy buttermilk to make cornbread (tomorrow) and when to buy the wine to make GJ’s sangria (not Sunday).

It has been weeks (or in some cases, months) since we signed on for all the appearances and baking we are to do in the next few days… “Sure, we can make that” or “I’d love to make a casserole to bring!”

Now, however, we are simply overwhelmed.

For instance, tonight we are supposed to go to Dad and Patsy’s house, where my grandparents (all three) and aunt and uncle and cousins from Birmingham will be. But last minute, Kris’ aunt and uncle and cousin from South Carolina are in town, so he’ll be heading to Rainbow City. I was like “Dude, you see my family all the time. You haven’t seen this portion of yours since 2002, go.”

Tomorrow is Christmas with Kris’ parents and bro’s fam, Monday is a trip to Fultondale to see Kris’ grandparents and that evening is Friend Christmas.

Tuesday all of GJ’s nephews are coming, so we’ll be helping her with the meal. It was going to be easy-breezy (chili) until Doug decided that since he couldn’t be here, he’d send a turkey. On the one hand, oh, so thoughtful! On the other, great, now that’s a lot more trouble. Including Kris driving to Southside tonight to pick up the last two pans of dressing at Country Junk Shun.

So, my four-day weekend will be a total blur, but I’m sure there will be some beautiful moments amidst the mess.

Happy holidays, all.

Kris called me at work yesterday to let me know a client of his had brought us some books for the baby. “Cool,” I said. I figured she had some she was cleaning out. No.

When he came home last night, he sets this big reindeer gift bag on the table and proceeds to pull out The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Where the Wild Things Are, three Dr. Seuss books (including Green Eggs and Ham), three titles I can’t remember and two little plush dolls of Bernard and Max (from WtWTA).

“Kris, these are brand new!”

“I know,” he answered. “She’s a very generous lady.”

So, thank you, Chris Long. I nearly cried. Well, I did tear up. I want our son to enjoy reading and these are his very first books. I told Kris the nursery now needs a bookshelf.

25weeks
Originally uploaded by DameCatoe.

Had my December appointment this morning. Blood sugar looks good, as does blood pressure and urine. The belly is measuring right where it should for 25-26 weeks.

But I’ve gained a total of 22 pounds since my first visit, so I got the talk again about sugary drinks (which I rarely drink) and desserts (which I regularly indulge in).

One nurse called me “Skinny Minnie” and two told me to watch my weight. Go figure.

Jaimie’s mom’s friends have been doing cookie swaps for years (so many years, I hear that now they don’t even bake cookies for it anymore), and I thought “hey, that could be fun!” So I asked if my pals would be up for a cookie swap. Sure, said they.

Well, we need some real food to counteract the cookies, right? And it’s cold, so soup! The veggie soup I make is tres easy but usually quite tasty.

Except…

I have winter-baker-brain and thought “ooo, what if I use fresh vegetables instead of canned ones?”

So for my impromptu, easy-breezy cookie swap, I spent all last night going to the grocery store, browning ground beef, slicing potatoes and celery, mixing and baking a batch of gingerbread…

At least all the work was last night, so tonight I will just be chillin’ with the ladies.