Schlo Mama Road Trip: Part 3

Day 3 of 3.
We made it to Houston!
Woke up in Hattiesburg, lunched in Beaux Bridge, ended the day in Houston with the love of my life.
After a year away from my husband and three full days on the road with MamaSchlo, all I wanted to do was cook a delicious dinner to share with my favorite people to celebrate this period of transition.

*ROAD TRIP: Part 3*

Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas

Lunch at the Boudin Store & Cajun Mart in Beaux Bridge LA

Crawdad etouffee, crawdad poboy, pork boudin balls.

Wow.

Crossing the border from LA to TX 

Blue Elbow Swamp

Blue Elbow Swamp

Welcome to Texas!

Guess who is NOT the biggest fan of legless/armless slitherin creatures?

Made it to Houston.

Enjoying "Wedding Wine", 

Young's Barbera 2005

one of the three last bottles from the wedding.

Deeeelicious!

Tonight Momma Schlo and I made a delicious dinner of chicken on 

salad and stuffed dates with blackberry balsamic reduction,

quite a common thing in my kitchen.

For dessert I made cookie cups with sweet cream filling 

and a blackberry topper, as seen above. 

BTW they were all amazeballs.

My mom and I had been talking about doing a road trip together for a long time. Iam glad we finally did. We didn't kill each other, we have had a wonderful time. What a kind and open person, always ready to try to make my anxiety less by consoling me or to lend a hand to anyone she meets. She is an angel. Thanks Mom, for being so patient and kind.

I am glad to be back in Texas, reunited with my husband even if only for 5 days. I cannot get enough of him, I am smitten. 

We unloaded my car and all of my worldly possessions are once again in one place. Whew. Now to celebrate the holidays and spend a few rummaging around in my boxes finding JUST the right things to take to Scotland...

Love & Light

JSchloHard

Schlo Mama Road Trip: Part 2

Day 2 of 3 of our roadtrip!

We got on the road a little before 9, after breakfast and applying rainex to Fancy's windshield. We hear it will rain tomorrow and wanted to be prepared. That sh*t is magic. 

I bought delicious coffee from a proper coffeeshop, barista sporting dreads... somehow I was a little surprised in the middle of Tennessee to see wonderful dreads, but there they were proving me wrong. 

Momsy and I then drove in to Nashville and saw some sights before hitting the road hard. When we arrived in Mississippi we were greeted with a beautiful sunset, purple, fuschia, blue, yellow... nice end to a long drive.

*ROAD TRIP: Part 2*

Cookeville TN, Nashville TN, Alabama, & Mississippi

Grand Ole Opry at Opry Land 

She knocked it over, she was trying to put it back up before we got kicked out!

Grand Ole Opry at Opryland

Mom and Elvis in Nashville TN

The NEW headquarters of Hatch Show Print

They moved one month ago to the Country Music Hall of Fame

 from their famous historic location

on Broadway in Nashville. 

I was hoping to have seen the original print shop but alas.

The new place will do.

Country Music Hall of Fame

Mom and the angel near a symphonic hall in Nashville TN

ALABAMA!

Alabama

We made it to Mississippi!

 Love and Light
JSchloHard

Schlo Mama Road Trip: Part 1

I moved out of Virginia today. 

To my friends that have welcomed me in VA, Thank you for your beautiful and creative support. This past year has been a time of huge growth in my life and sharing it with you and growing together is rewarding and humbling. VA and AMGT peeps, I miss you already and I hope to see you next May at graduation (or the UK Course!!)

*ROAD TRIP: Part 1*

Arlington, DC, Alexandria, Tennessee 

We packed and loaded the car all day yesterday and hit the road early this morning. We made it to Cookeville TN, tomorrow we visit the Country Music Hall of Fame in Nashville. 

Seeing GMU Arlington

Alexandria for oysters

Alexandria crystal player, amazing tones

Iwo Jima memorial

Arlington National Cemetery 

The National Tree in front of the White House

White House!

Smithsonian National Gallery 

My mother. She needed to erase something.

Uh... I don't think this guy feels very well...

Smithsonian Natural History Museum

Wine tasting stop #1: Narmada Vineyard

Wine tasting stop #3: Pearmund Vineyard

And in this one we are showing off our wine stained teeth, 

an offering to the wine gods.

You can't see #2. 

In which my car, Fancy Grace Manners, gets attacked by a carwash.

In which we visit GMU Fairfax main campus, 

that is George Mason leering over my shoulder.

We got to Tennessee!

In which we learn more about TN BBQ. And Sharpie walls.

So far we have been having a wonderful time :)

I am so very excited to get back to Houston to see John Darling.

Love & Light
JSchloHard

Ketchup and The Future

I have not written since June. What a slacker!
A lot has happened since that time;

• Summer school, including a class in Brazil...
• A Trip to Alaska to see my friends and family, and to help celebrate a besties wedding,
• A Trip to Texas to celebrate John Darling and my ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY (that was nice :D)
• Multiple visits from John Darling here in VA... the spontaneity of some of the visits!
• Work at Center for the Arts as hospitality and artists services!

...And now I am finishing up the Fall semester, preparing to leave Virginia and head back the way I came. I am getting sad already knowing I will be leaving some amazing people here in Virginia, people who have opened their hearts and let me in... knowing full well that I am a bit crazy and a bit unusual, they have been so kind and accepting. There are friendships here that I will definitely miss a lot. Thank jeebus for Facebook.

The end is in sight. The train that brings me to the end is starting to roll on the tracks and I can only continue to check things off my 'to-do' list and hope that I have planned accordingly.

Here is the Master Plan...

1. Finish the fall semester (if it doesn't kill me first)
2. Jo Mamma comes to VA
3. We pack all my stuff (and sell most of it!)
4. Jo Mamma and I drive to Texas for Christmas with the Inlaws
5. Celebrate New Years with John Darling
6. Take off for Edinburgh... start internship with the Royal Lyceum Theatre!
7. May 17th GRADUATE with a Masters in Arts Management
8. Participate in one last course that travels to London...
9. End of June- Forever..... move BACK IN WITH MY HUSBAND FOR GOOD!!!!!!
10. Find a job and rule the world.

But right now?? Work calls. Off to work the Shanghai Ballet tonight!

xo
Love & Light
JSchloHard

Ps. One of my besties is pregnant. I will be an Auntie again :) I am so excited for the Maples! Check out her blog, Maple & Me, and see how she and Mr. Maple live life in the frozen north... www.annalgh.wordpress.com

AND check out the inspired beauty of intentional living with my other Besties blog, Bunchberry Farm ! Her words are inspirational and endearing... www.bunchberryfarm.blogspot.com

Inspired community

This post is pretty late. But whatevs. Deal with it people!

So last month I had the pleasure of helping out with The Empty House Studio to produce an evening of deliciousness and inspired cooking. 

The chefs (quote from Sarah Coffin at The Empty House Studio): "Katie and Jonathan live in NYC... having worked in kitchens like Blue Hill, Parm, and La Mar. This intimate evening will be a great chance for them to share their love of beautiful, seasonal, food done well."

... And man it was good. Each plate was inspired for each guest, using seasonal delicious delights. We hustled around this beautiful home and serviced a few tables for a dining experience that lasted about 3-4 hours for each individual table. It was fun. And pretty. And tasty. And inspiring to see and work with people that love food, community, and artful intentions that fully embrace the power of creativity. Sarah has a much better write up about the event here... "the pixie and scout or love in age of restaurants"

Misc. pictures from that evening: (missing is a pic of chef Jonathan...)

The Pixie and the Scout

Sign by Henri

Setting up

before the madness

Katie prepping

Katie plating cheese and charcuterie

salads

dessert- strawberries with creme basil and strawberry granita

No pictures of the entrees, we were just too busy!
Needless to say my food loving brain and belly were inspired. Soon after I went out and bought a bunch of the seasonal veggies they used and got back in the kitchen.

I also deviated from my usual 'no bread or sugars' for the Pixie and the Scout evening and for my meal because... I don't have to explain why to you, look how delicious it all was!

MY dishes days later

roasted beets, steamed beet greens, prosciutto, 

goat cheese, fennel greens, fennel root

fresh rosemary bread, truffle oil, salt and pepper

roasted beets

I love having a fancy shmancy cheese/meat/beer/wine store a block away!!!

Prosciutto, rosemary bread, strawberries, fennel greens, truffle oil

Call your mother!

XO
JSchloHard

AMGT Spring 2013: In Doodles

I finished my finals.
Done with the first semester of graduate school... whew!
That was fun/difficult/inspiring/challenging/enlightening... all the things always!
Let's do more in a few weeks! Summer school, aw yeah.
Thank you to my friends and family for the support that you have all shown. I appreciate it :)

Management... It has been quite the shift for me... not just physically... to recognize that there is work for me to do off stage. Acting has been a HUGE part of my life for way over ten years. I am working to see that this is a progression and not a different path all together. My life acting and my life in arts management can and will live together, they cannot be separated. This I must believe :)

Now I am cleaning up the wreck that comes with the end of the semester, putting away the notebooks, cleaning out the binders, prepping to welcome another onslaught of school work that I volunteered for.

In my program I recognize how many artists are involved in this choice as well... most of us start with the art and never let it go...
One thing about being back in school that I greatly missed is DOODLING. I forgot that I used to doodle and draw every. single. day. and that it was a simple and small outlet for creative energy that I have really really missed! I have embraced my doodling and decided to save them all from this semester. I swear it helps me concentrate in class.

The following is titles  "Masters in Arts Management, Spring Semester 2013: In Doodles."