avablog

Gosh, I bet I’m the first person to ever title a blog post this way. Cool!
Weekend before last we went over to a friend’s house so Ava could make a gingerbread house. We had to amscray early to make it back for a play date (for Ava) so didn’t even get a chance [...]

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I tend not to stand on tradition. No set way of doing anything is so hallowed in my world that I won’t abandon it in a heartbeat if it’ll make my life easier. And I tend to think of myself as unsentimental (ask my wife). Still, I was looking forward to hosting [...]

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Make popcorn. This is how we always used to make popcorn when I was little, before air poppers and microwaveable bags. Ava and I popped some yesterday and then tucked in to watch Willy Wonka (Wilder Willy Wonka, not Depp Willy Wonka). Actually, Leah and Ava tucked in to watch the movie [...]

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Last weekend we made the annual trek to Decorah for apple cider making. The weather was a bit sketchy, but we managed to dodge the showers long enough to gather, clean, and press a whole load of apples. As you might expect, I got all sorts of pictures and video from the event, [...]

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I’d be hard put to come up with an image from the last couple months that better describes Ava’s summer. Pigtails, corn dogs, and carnival rides. Oh, and those boots. Always with the boots. This is a shot Gramary took at the Regina Fall Fun Festival over the weekend. Poor [...]

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“Interesting” story today in the WSJ about the consequences of broad spectrum antibiotic use. My favorite bit? I’m so glad you asked.

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It seems worthwhile to reproduce this list here, if for no other reason than it demonstrates good old fashioned stick-to-itveness.
FOOD ON-A-STICK
The Iowa State Fair boasts nearly 200 food stands and more than 50 delectable items available on-a-stick. Search our Food Directory for more delicious Fair food!
Here’s the list as of August 2009:

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It was a great day for running through the sprinkler and then cuddling in a warm, dry towel on the porch and eating a lime popsicle. Here’s what that last part looks like:

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Out typical Sunday lately usually involves a trip — ordinarily on foot — to Lou Henri for breakfast. Their huevos diablo is really everything a man could want in a breakfast, particularly when ordered with a side of their insanely golden hash browns and a cup of joe. Ava orders the Mickey [...]

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Are you seeing the trend? Anyway, Kevin just informed me he’s been auditing the products from a new-to-him brewery in WI called Viking Brewing. Perusing their brew list, I knew right away it was the brewery for me when I spotted the following two offerings:
Big Swede is a Swedish Imperial Stout brewed to [...]

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I cannot pretend to be offended by these ads. Young men are coarse, callow, emotional imbeciles with suicidal dietary habits. In other words, from a marketing perspective, these ads are perfection itself, practically verite. Meanwhile, if I put on my magic deconstructing spectacles, I can see neo-feminist subversion in these messages. Note the tagline of [...]

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“But Mark,” I hear you saying, “If that’s not the way to sell hamburgers, just how does one go about it?” Praise Jeebus, I’m glad you asked. Really. FYI: This is what Hardee’s does to vegetarians:

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In case ya didn’t know, I’m a fan of Hardee’s. I actually only eat there three or four times a year, tops, but it’s really the only fast food burger joint I frequent (if you can call that schedule “frequenting”).

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I really need to get more multi-generational pictures with the Klevar women.

Editor’s note: No, Ava doesn’t live in that shirt.

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Had a nice time in Chicago with Leah over the weekend. Short. Crappy weather. But she got some shopping done, and we had a pretty amazing meal Saturday night at Restaurant Naha. Here’s what I had:

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Gramary took Ava for the afternoon yesterday, as Ava’s school was having parent conferences (AGAIN). And, as usual, Gramary took some cute pics of our first born. To whit:

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We’re presently experiencing a phase with our beloved daughter in which she’ll only eat the following three items:
Pizza
Macaroni and cheese
Cookies
Well, it’s not really that bad, but it’s pretty close. And if she doesn’t get one of those items when she wants it, look out. She gets ornery.

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I think I’ll only post here every three days now. Leah gave me a lot of hassle the other day for never posting to anonymark, which in her mind equals hating our unborn baby. As I like to say, “w/e.”
We had a pretty nice weekend. Lots and lots and lots of romance on [...]

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Ava became obsessed with Jell-O recently. I don’t even recall how it started, though I’m sure Leah will enlighten us. Must’ve been in a magazine, or something. Anyway, Leah finally relented to Ava’s constant whining and let her make some the other day. Ava wanted to cut the Jell-O into hearts, [...]

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Come on, now, Nathan. Really? I can’t believe there are that many Pepsi drinkers reading your blog. Or maybe they just like to enter contests? I guess this post is worth five entries, eh?
Go Steelers!

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