topless in kc

among countless other end-of-summer experiences that have kept me far, far away from the kitschen, my husband's 40th bday party, a "tomtoberfest" of sorts, was celebrated two weekends ago. and, well, we just had to bake him a totally embarrassing, totally unrelated to the celebration kind of cake. with boobs.

my friend lesley's dad had the guilty, dirty pleasure of one of these topless cakes back in '76 on his 26th bday. my mom said she crafted some itsy-bitsy bikini cakes years ago for the highschool cake walk in '73.

so les & i had to hand over a couple of cupcake tits to tom. it looked a little something like this:
tasteless. tacky. a dirty sort of kitschy. we handed forks around so everyone could help themselves to a piece, if you get my drift. my children are so proud of their parents. and their parents friends.

be back soon. and more refined. promise!

Tipsy Tuesday: More Cowbell

A few of these stiffies would taste great while you're grazing...

Brave Bull
1 oz Brandy
3/4oz Coffee Liqueur

Pour brandy over ice in an old-fashioned glass. Top with coffee liqueur. Drink 'til the cows come home. Then pour them one.

WTF?!? Friday - with sizzle!

WTF?!? is simmering & sizzling in this funky fry pan?
It's a mystery even to me...

Mad. As in crazy.

Has anyone bent their elbow to raise a glass of this?A friend of mine [thanks, Angi] gifted this kitschy bottle of merlot to me last month. Good marketing says kitschy gals are crazy? Mad, even? Okay. I can respect that. Hell, now that I think about it, I'll even drink to it. Pass me an atomic tumbler, somebody!

But mad housewives are one thing. Flesh-eating zombie-freak crazy-mad matriarchs are another. It makes you wonder just how many housewives there are out there, making "casseroles" after dark, doesn't it? Me, too. My friend Dally is a talented artist with an eye for gore galore. I loved the idea of a play on kitschen feast as a feast of flesh, and I dig his work [have you seen his pee-wee vampire? no, I'm not being coy, it's art people], so I asked him if he'd indulge my dark side and create a mad housewife piece for kicks. He dug the idea, too and took artistic license to bring me this wearable art:Pretty freaking cool. But, what would Donna Reed say? Who cares.

Now go get me that tumber of wine. I need something to chase down the mystery meat...

Atomic

Road-tripping home from Colorado brought us into Hays, Kansas. And down a few streets of really cool ranch homes. Atomic style. These snaps don't do them justice. But their charm is totally justifiable.

[Can you imagine the dinner parties that went on beyond these windows?]

[where's the pan-o-ramic feature when you need it?]

My friend Mandy & I dig thumbing through issues of Atomic Ranch. If you haven't had the pleasure, I'm urging you to pick one up and subscribe to your inner mid-centurian. Take a sneak peek online. Right HERE! Right NOW!

The scenery is here. Wish you were beautiful.

I'm kidding. You are. And thanks for waiting around [or maybe not] for me this summer. Where have I been? With the kids celebrating summer hard-core at the pool, the ball fields, in the backyard throwing water balloons. Oh, and hanging out here over the weekend...

[i (heart) belgium ales - and the airstream trailers that contain them - so i guess that's why i'm thrusting. humor me - this was post-tour & tasting]

Tom & I took a road trip to Ft. Collins this weekend. To celebrate 2 pretty neat-o things: his 40th [which arrives at the end of this month] and the wedding of a dear family friend. Without those kiddos I've been spending so much time with. We just rolled back into town. I wish we rolled into town pulling this swell trailer behind us...

[yep. i was stalking trailers in the parking lot. but not people, so it's cool.]

...but our sedan has no hitch. Damn. Shoulda brought the Jeep [and about $15k].

Hope you are all enjoying your summers! What have you been up to? I'll be back asap with pics of some cool atomic-ranch style homes we cruised by in Hays, KS on the way back. Thanks for forgiving me and not forgetting the feast!