Master Class: Napping

The boys put on a master class in napping yesterday. It was extraordinary even for two such talented and experienced nappers. I don't know if their busy schedule this past week just wore them out or what, but they schooled us big time in the daylight sleeping arts.

Here, demonstrating "the peaceful sprawl" is Prof. Oliver Woodstock Knoepke.*


Here Prof. Ollie demonstrates the rare "sweet snuggle maneuver" with the help of Prof. Harper Reginald Knoepke.**


*Also known as: Ollie, Olliewood, Crazypants, Orange cat, Whiny britches, Ollie Ollie Ollie Oy Oy Oy, Monsieur Le Holstein a l'Orange, Punk.

**Also known as: Harp, Harpy, King Harper, Gray cat, Harpity-Harp-Harp, Snuzzle-wuzzleface, Baby.

A Zucchini to Feed the World

OK, so we're not going to win any "biggest zucchini" blue ribbons or anything, but I was certainly surprised when Matt brought these two zucchinis in from the garden yesterday. I didn't even know we had any growing--these two grew fast and furious! There must be something to our "ignore it and don't think about it" strategy of gardening this summer that grows hearty, big veggies.

Seymour the Squash is another example--he grew out of our compost bin and is now covering a large area outside it. I threw decorative (but real) gourds in there after Thanksgiving last year and nine months later, Seymour! It's too dark to get a good picture tonight but when I think of it (or when we harvest him), I'll share a snap of him.

In the meantime, I believe tomorrow's dinner will involve zucchini/parmesan bake. And I also see zucchini bread in the near future! No complaints here.

It Just Wouldn't Be Labor Day Weekend. . .

...without a Muller-Knoepke Home Improvement Project! What I asked Matt for for my birthday was to switch one of our guest rooms with our workout room. The workout room gets more use (and it better since I'm training for a marathon) but was crammed into the smaller space.

I am thrilled with the transformation, the new workout room feels miles bigger and the new guest room is just as cozy and comfortable as the old one, just with fewer furniture pieces.

We gave the new guest room a much-needed fresh coat of paint. It was one of few rooms we hadn't painted since buying the house three years ago, and it needed some love. And Mom and Matt covered the valance boxes Matt built in a very cozy green chenille. A few details are left--namely, new lampshades--but it's ready to roll and very cozy. I can see myself hanging out in there a bit this fall and winter!


The new gym is just what I wanted! There's more space around the treadmill so it doesn't feel jammed against the wall, and I have floor/mat space to stretch, lift, and meditate. It's amazing what two extra feet of width will do for my workout space!

Most of the work in here was just moving all the equipment in, but we also did a little bit of decorating too to add color to the space and give it some verve. I found a cute red lamp at Marshalls and new purple-y curtains at Walmart for a steal on clearance. No joke, $9 a panel and they are lined! (It's time for me to give some more of my purchasing power to Walmart, since they are Dress for Success' biggest corporate funder in Chicago and doing some very cool work to help our clients in real ways.) And the empty walls made for perfect spots for wall-hangings I bought in Singapore's Little India in 2008.

Still to do: we are going to wall-mount a small flat-screen (that's lived in our bedroom) in front of the treadmill and we will have my Half Marthon/Team in Training medal and our 2010 and 2011 Hustle Up the Hancock medals framed in shadow boxes to finish out the wall decor. And I'm saving a spot on the other side of one of the tapestries for next March's medal from the LA Marathon! Got to think positive!




Something else I was pretty excited about was the closet in the new gym. While it's not a great closet given our house's advanced age, it is a perfect gym locker! It helps the room feel open to have all of this put away! Hooks for bags and equipment, shelves for everything else, even floor space for stability balls--I love it all!

Huge thanks and hugs to Matt, Mom and Dad for doing all this work for me! It is an amazing birthday present that I will enjoy all year long.

House of Blues Gospel (Birthday) Brunch

Matt and I typically do a big meal with both sets of parents for each of our birthdays. This year I picked House of Blues Gospel Brunch, something I've had on the would-like-to-do list for a long time. We went last Sunday and we highly recommend it--the food and mimosas were delicious and plentiful, the crowd very cheerful, and the performers very, very good. We all had a really nice time together and I hope to do it again in Chicago or at one of the other Houses of Blues! As it says right on the ticket, "HAVE MERCY, SAY YEAH!"

It was very dark, so the first pictures aren't great quality, but you can get the feel of it from them at least.




The performers were great--they sounded like a chorus of 20 voices rather than five.


Gotta learn to tilt my head down to avoid glasses glare, but I still like the picture 'cause Matt looks cute as always.

Chicago Triathlon

Last Sunday morning, I joined my good friend Jenny ("Kwak," as we all call her) as she took on the Chicago Triathlon, Olympic Distance. We watched the Sprint and some of the Olympic Distance Swim, and the gorgeous sunrise, simultaneously. It made for a very peaceful morning--well, for me at least since I didn't have a mile-long swim, 25-mile bike, and 10K run ahead of me!


Jenny before the triathlon

Swimmers



The start of Kwak's wave--go purple caps!

Our friend Eric came right before Jenny's swim started, so he and I tracked her together--as best as we could!--throughout the swim and then hung out during the spectator-unfriendly bike portion. I had to head out before the run, but he was there to see her finish!