The Website

http://www.auntspray.com/ We are artists! And what better way to communicate about the fabulous world of design and photography today than a blog? We will attempt to keep a casual dialogue about our current design/photography projects and anything we come across that is new, shiny and just plain awesome. Our company name is taken from the book La Cart: The Secret Lives of Grocery Shoppers (by Hillary Carlip, Barbara Green), where it is mentioned that a person actually wrote and misspelled this on their grocery list. Anyone stumbling in via RSS feeds etc...Welcome!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Liquids: Day 23

The Big Thaw!!

It was 50 degrees today so we went to the zoo an hour early to hang out before Lydia finished up with school.  

She's all smiles outside when the camera is not in her face.

Cool mom!  Look at me!

But I won't look at you.....

This is the best I'm going to do for you.  Now let's go find some puddles to splash in.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Liquids: Day 22

The Loving Family Drunk


There she is in all her glory.  Hitting the sauce at 3:00 p.m. and passing out under the art table...again.  Her husband isn't much help as he keeps falling out of the second story window of their pink house.  The whole family is screwed up, if you ask me.  I really think they are poisoning their children as they haven't grown an inch in three years.  It's like she wants them to be small forever.  Misery loves company?

I once saw this episode of Oprah that featured women with horrible shopping habits.  They shopped so often that they sold their children's clothing to afford to buy new clothes.  I suspect this here.  Simply because their closets are totally empty.  How can that be?  She's selling everything, that's how.

I'm really sick of her attitude and her refusal to pull herself together.  That's it. I'm putting her kids in my purse and taking them to the Rapunzel Tower.  At least there is food and clothing in there.  Rapunzel is responsible.  Rapunzel has dreams!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

Liquids: Day 21

Liquidating the Assets


First up, the bed.  This is a solid birch wood, cherry stained, twin bed.  It's a platform bed so it has wooden slats in lieu of a box spring.  Takes a standard twin mattress.  We used this bed for two years and now have to switch to bunks because Mal is super needy and cannot sleep in her own room.  We paid $199 and would let it go for $100.  It's in perfect shape.  The specs can be found here: 


Next is Mal's dresser.  This is also a solid wood, cherry stained dresser with four small drawers and a larger cabinet.  It doubles as a changing table (takes the standard contoured changing pad).  I believe this item is discontinued but it was marked $279, we paid $199 because it had a few scratches, and we'd let it go for $90.  I can't find the exact specs, but they are very similar to this as far as dimension and we did buy it at babies r us:

We are also selling this air conditioner:
Barely used, paid $350, would let it go for $200. We got a new furnace that made our AC much better and we no longer need the unit.

Email me at photography@auntspray.com for more information!!!


Monday, February 14, 2011

Liquids: Day 18-20

This and That


One puking monkey.


Two cheeks of chubby.


And a sucker in Lydia's hand.  
(that caused me to bleed after I sliced my finger with the utility knife)

Friday, February 11, 2011

Liquids: Day 17

Lydia's World


The Mermaid by Lord Alfred Tennyson
I

Who would be
A mermaid fair,
Singing alone,
Combing her hair
Under the sea,
In a golden curl
With a comb of pearl,
On a throne?

II

I would be a mermaid fair;
I would sing to myself the whole of the day;
With a comb of pearl I would comb my hair;
And still as I comb'd I would sing and say,
'Who is it loves me? who loves not me?'
I would comb my hair till my ringlets would fall
Low adown, low adown,
From under my starry sea-bud crown
Low adown and around,
And I should look like a fountain of gold
Springing alone
With a shrill inner sound
Over the throne
In the midst of the hall;
Till that great sea-snake under the sea
From his coiled sleeps in the central deeps
Would slowly trail himself sevenfold
Round the hall where I sate, and look in at the gate
With his large calm eyes for the love of me.
And all the mermen under the sea
Would feel their immortality
Die in their hearts for the love of me.

III

But at night I would wander away, away,
I would fling on each side my low-flowing locks,
And lightly vault from the throne and play
With the mermen in and out of the rocks;
We would run to and fro, and hide and seek,
On the broad sea-wolds in the crimson shells,
Whose silvery spikes are nighest the sea.
But if any came near I would call and shriek,
And adown the steep like a wave I would leap
From the diamond-ledges that jut from the dells;
For I would not be kiss'd by all who would list
Of the bold merry mermen under the sea.
They would sue me, and woo me, and flatter me,
In the purple twilights under the sea;
But the king of them all would carry me,
Woo me, and win me, and marry me,
In the branching jaspers under the sea.
Then all the dry-pied things that be
In the hueless mosses under the sea
Would curl round my silver feet silently,
All looking up for the love of me.
And if I should carol aloud, from aloft
All things that are forked, and horned, and soft
Would lean out from the hollow sphere of the sea,
All looking down for the love of me.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Liquids: Day 16

Everything's Puppies and Wine Bottles



This is my bedroom.  I did not set this shot up, I swear.  I was blogging my Day 15 photos and turned my head and saw this ridiculous display on my dresser.  Yes, that is a stuffed puppy with a ribbon tied around its neck.  Yes, that is wine.   Next to the wine is the little World Records book that I used to blog Day 12.  I'm realizing that my life is very retraceable.

So, I'm not sure what's funnier.  The simple fact that it ended up this way and I got the shot, or the shadows in the background.  I think I like the shadows.  

I'm super happy that I dusted recently or this image would look very, very different.  In fact, I probably wouldn't have posted it at all.

In case you were wondering...the puppy is still there staring at his own shadow but the wine has moved from the dresser to the desk and from the bottle to my glass.

Cheers!

Liquids: Day 15

Guess the Connection


First, sorry I'm late.  I took these yesterday but didn't have time to blog because I went wine tasting with friends...only we didn't taste wine because Ty the Wine Guy decided to change the date and not tell us.  Which is fine because I can read minds.  But I read his mind and then forgot so we ended up showing up to a tasting with no wine. 

What do you do when your wine tasting is a bust?  You get pizza and beer and act like caged animals on holiday.  

Anyway, I was sitting on my bed staring at my empty closet trying to figure out which of my three sweaters to wear and my eye drifted to the guitar next to my closet.  Then it dawned on me.....what a strange connection to my bag (which happened to be right next to the guitar).

So, can you figure out what the connection is?  


Tuesday, February 8, 2011

Liquids: Day 14

Road Cake


My friend, Drew, was standing outside my car window yesterday in the Zoo parking lot holding a plastic bag.  I rolled down the window and she started talking about chocolate cheerios, rice crispy treats, etc.  Kind of eluding to the fact that she made something great and was going to share.  But, she opened the bag and presented the above, deflated, angel food cake.  Apparently, she grabbed the wrong bag.  She then took the cake and threw it on the ground.  I took a picture, but I only had my blackberry and it came out terrible.

So, of course, I went back today with my camera to see if it was still there. And it was. Untouched. The cake deflation had something to do with lack of water in the egg whites or something like that.  I will leave you with her words.  Because there are funny.

From Drew:

I've been making ice cream, which calls for egg yolk and not whites. I have a lot of egg whites. Last week, two different people told me they were making angel food cake. I offered them my egg whites and they both said, "That's ok, the box just says to add water."

"You fools!" I thought to myself, "I've made angel food cake before and it's not that hard to make! Why make everything out of a box and eat all that artificial crap! I will show you! I will make one!!!"

So, I looked for my tried and true Alton Brown recipe. I read through some of the comments and LAUGHED at the ones that said their cakes didnt turn out. Laughed at the ones who said their cakes deflated. Laughed at the 20+ year baker who said she knew adding water to whipping up the egg whites would be sure to wreak havok on the cake and she claims her cake turned out horrible, because of this! I laughed at everyone elses failures and was going to make the PERFECT angel food cake! (Plus, I've made this before and it turned out great!)
Everything was going well. The batter was so fluffy and light. It rose in the over about 3 inches over the top of the pan. It was a thing of beauty. I brought it out to cool, just like the directions said.
An hour later... well, you saw it. :(

Monday, February 7, 2011

Liquids: Day 13

BEER CHIPS!


One of the best things about photography as a job is making people happy.  Sometimes, when people are really happy they give presents.  When those people are your friends, they tend to know what makes YOU happy and the presents get really good.  Today I got a bag of chips and two bottles of wine.  Not just any chips, but chips made with beer!  No, I'm not kidding you.  And they taste like beer.  And I let my kids eat them.  And they loved them.  Go ahead and judge me.

This is now the third time I have left the preschool parking lot with beer or wine or beer or wine related food items.  My life is good.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Liquids: Day 12

Runny Noses



We went out to play today. It didn't last too long.  Poor Mallory's boots kept getting stuck in the 28 inches of snow.  I kept hearing, "Stuck! Stuck! Out!".  Her nose was running, too.

Lydia enjoyed running around with a super sharp icicle. I let her do it and I'm not sure why.  Maybe because I had snow in my socks?  It's hard to think clearly with snow in your socks.

Bill is still shoveling.  More snow is due to arrive shortly.  I'm trying to find a silver lining here.  Perhaps it's that I'm getting a little better at these collage things.  They make blogging a little prettier.  

Oh, It's Super Bowl Sunday!!!  It's probably hard to be as uninterested in this as I am.  But, I will eat pizza and all things greasy in honor of the event.  I love a good excuse to eat and drink football style!!!