Thursday, December 31, 2009

The Kitchen Helper

The Kitchen Helper

Have you ever heard about that cookbook, The One-Armed Cook: A Kitchen Survival Guide for New Parents? The one that helps you figure out how to get what you need done in the kitchen while holding a baby on one hip?

Yeah, well. One-armed cooking is just not my style.

Check out a new solution to this age-old problem on my blog at Ttownmoms.com.

Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Giving Back

Looking to Give Back

'Tis the season for long waits at return counters, cringe-worthy weigh-ins and the crafting of resolutions.

It's also that time of year when we look to support our most beloved organizations while also reducing our taxable income by making our last charitable donations for the year.

At the Ball house, this means a few frigid hours of me bending over boxes in the garage in attempts to figure out which of our belongings can go and which can stay.

Monday, December 28, 2009

Things to Do on Snowy Days in Oklahoma

White Christmas 2009

I love asking questions on Facebook and Twitter. It's a good way to spend a sunny day, but it's a downright great way to spend a snowy day.

Winterfest Winner

I'm in a good mood today. Know why? The snow is melting. I can hear it dripping from my roof and into giant puddles forming around my house. I can also hear my walls creaking and my doors shifting and my driveway cracking, but I'm still in a good mood.

Reason is, I have four passes to Arvest Winterfest to give away today. These passes include four free skate rental vouchers, four free hot cocoa vouchers and a certificate for a complimentary horse-drawn carriage ride for four. And they're good until Jan. 4.

Saturday, December 26, 2009

Thankful for In-Laws



The good thing about marrying a vet who once loaned his house to his brother and sister-in-law while he was on an all-expense-paid, year-long excursion to the exotic lands of Afghanistan is that, when said brother- and sister-in-law move away while he's still overseas, it's easier for them to leave some pretty cool stuff behind.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Happy Holiday Wishes

Merry Christmas from THE BALLS

Merry Christmas, Tulsa! Try not to go snow blind today as you enjoy this white, wintry Christmas of 2009.

Love, the Tasha Does Tulsa team (a.k.a. the Ball family)

Thursday, December 24, 2009

I Was Raised By Elves.

Actually, I was raised by the head elf himself: Santa Claus.



Actually, I was raised by a guy who looks strikingly like Santa Claus when he wears red clothing and wire-rimmed glasses and appears in photos with children rattling off their wish lists.

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Our Very Own Winter Wonderland (Plus, a Giveaway)

There's something very unlikely going on downtown these days.



STILL Shopping??

Well, folks, Christmas is upon us.

Tulsa Business Journal Christmas Party 2009

Some of us who like to be prepared and organized and responsible are ready. Some of us who like to be prepared and organized and responsible but fail miserably in spite of ourselves are not. Ready or not, though, here Christmas comes.


If on this 23rd day of December you still have a few names to cross of your list, here are a few ideas for gifts of the Xtreme last-minute variety.

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

A White Christmas in 2009?


From jmtulsa on Flickr - pretty, no?

According to local meteorologist Julie Chin's latest forecast, Santa might just have more to land on than sand, clay and lakes when he visits Green Country Thursday night.

That's right, kids - snow is in the forecast.

Monday, December 21, 2009

What to Do in Tulsa This New Years Eve, 2009 Edition

New Years Eve 2009: It's kind of a big deal. A New Years Eve this special comes around just once in a blue moon - literally.

In Tulsa, it'll be more than a reason to get smashed and wear glasses shaped like the numbers 2010. We're known as one of the most philanthropic communities in the country, and we really show our stuff on this holiday - several of the events I have listed below benefit a nonprofit. Consider the opportunity to give back yet another reason not to stay home with the crock-pot of nacho cheese and Totino's this year.

Besides gawking at the blue moon, here's what to do in Tulsa on New Years Eve 2009.

Funky Food Deals and Quirky Discounts

Bald Tuesday @ Arizona Mexican Restaurant

Everyone’s heard of Thirsty Thursdays, Two-for-Tuesdays and Margarita Mondays. We’ve been there, done that.

Bald Tuesday, however, is liable to catch one’s attention.

Check out the funky food deals and quirky discounts in T-Town on the food page in this week's edition of Tulsa Business Journal.

Last-Minute Local Gift Ideas

TDT on 2HD Midday

I was on the Midday Show with Channel 2 and Ttownmoms.com this morning talking about last-minute gifts that, rather than fling your hard-earned dollars into the economic ether or into the pockets of some corporate hot shot 1,000 miles away, are friendly to the local economy.

In case you missed the segment, here's what we covered.

Saturday, December 19, 2009

Ugly Sweater Shopping in Tulsa

Value Thrift Store

Perhaps you've heard that I'm going to the Ugly Sweater Party at Joe Momma's tonight, downtown at 112 S. Elgin Ave. Of course, I waited until today to realize that no sweater ugly enough to win any sort of contest is within the meager sphere of stuff I own.

Trimming the Tree, Part II

Trimming the Tree, Part II

Remember how my son trimmed our Christmas tree with pacifiers last week?

This week's trimmings are, well...you'll see what I mean on my blog at Ttownmoms.com.

Friday, December 18, 2009

Scavenger Hunt...GO!

Tulsa A to Z

Feel like a scavenger hunt on this sunny Friday?

I thought you would. That's why local filmmaker Jack Frank and I partnered to strategically place three DVDs from his Tulsa History series - that's Tulsa Deco and Fantastic Tulsa Films Volumes 1 and 2 - somewhere in T-Town for you, my clever readers to find.

Are you ready for the clue? Here goes:

Where the city's "first family" rests, look for a break in the fence. George will have the DVDs for the first to arrive. 


Off to the races with yas! Good luck to all. Let me know who snags these babies - I'd love to know who to have on my team in any future scavenger hunts in this here town.

Thursday, December 17, 2009

What to Do in Tulsa This Weekend

Toasty Topper @ Utica Square

Looking for the best in Tulsa events this weekend, holiday and otherwise? You're in luck. Here now, as heard every Friday morning on the KRMG Morning News with Joe Kelley, is what to do in Tulsa this weekend.



Ugly Sweater Party, Y'all

Guys? I need your help.

Ugly Sweater Party @ Joe Momma's

So, Blake Ewing over at Joe Momma's was nice enough to put the name of this blog on this poster. I'm supposed to help judge this ugly sweater contest, too.

It's only fitting that I have a bodaciously ugly sweater to wear to help judge the ugly sweater contest. Thing is, and as any regular reader of this blog knows, I'm not a fan of The Shopping. The Shopping and I, we've never really gotten along. I'm like a dude when it comes to The Shopping - I usually have a good idea of what I'm looking for and I make a beeline between that item, the cash register and the exit.

So, I need your help. Where should I go to find the ugliest sweater in Tulsa? How does one go about this kind of shopping quest? How do I protect my delicate sensibilities during this course of this horrific ordeal?

Please advise. Pretty please. S'il vous plait. Porus favorus. Or something.

By the way, I hope to see all of your lovely, sunshiny faces at this Ugly Sweater Party at Joe Momma's Saturday night, starting at 9pm. Prizes, deals on beer, yummy pizza and pretty good company will abound.

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

TDT Holiday Gift Guide: The Cigar Box

The Cigar Box

Ah - there's nothing quite like a cigar on a crisp winter evening.

My Other Life

Toasty Topper @ Utica Square

Sometimes, when my son and I have been cooped up in the house longer than we can take, we bundle up and head to Utica Square, here in Tulsa at 21st and Utica. The central courtyard is like the park, only with added window shopping for a certain retail-deprived mommy.

Find out all about my double life on my blog at Ttownmoms.com.

Tuesday, December 15, 2009

TDT Holiday Gift Guide: The Original Man Candle

The Gadget Company

In the world of thoughtless Christmas gifts, second only to a smelly bottle of lotion (unless, of course, it's your favorite smelly lotion) is the ho-hum candle.


TDT Holiday Gift Guide: Gardner's Used Books

Gardner's Used Books

I hope you're not tired of hearing me talk about Gardner's Used Books, because I'm certainly not finished talking about it.

My favorite used bookstore just started its 12 Days of Christmas Sale. Yesterday craft, holiday and cook books were buy one, get one free. Today, all horror and true crime are buy one, get one free. Later in the week all hardback books, no matter the genre, will be buy one, get one free. This madness will persist until Christmas - actually, well beyond Christmas.


Monday, December 14, 2009

You Have Three Hours

Tasha Does Tulsa Run Training 2009

Sometimes I get a wild hair and decide it'd be a good idea to post a random question on Twitter and Facebook for everyone to ponder, poke fun at, print and flush down the toilet or maybe, if I'm lucky, consider answering.


This Post Brought To You By The Letter X

Tulsa A to Z

Have you ever longed for a fun, easy-to-remember list of Tulsa's most unusual sights, restaurants, people and stories? Imagine the fun you could have in this town with a list like that, chock full of things to see, things to do and things to be proud of in T-Town.


Saturday, December 12, 2009

A Study in Burgers

So, there's this new cafe I found. It's called Gatsby's Grill, and it's on the north end of Gardner's Used Books & Music on Mingo between 41st and 51st Streets.

Not only does this place have killer fish and chips, macaroni salad, French fries, twice-baked potatoes, and pecan pies (okay, I might go a little overboard when I try a place for the first time), I found out tonight Gatsby's turns out a pretty darned good burger, too.

Burger from Gatsby's Grill


Thursday, December 10, 2009

What to Do in Tulsa This Weekend

If you're still not feeling the holiday spirit, I have the perfect remedy: Simply walk out of your front door at some point this weekend. With all of the festivities going on this weekend, you're bound to run into some holly, jolly-like thing to rosy your cheeks.

If you've been hearing sleigh bells since Halloween, there's plenty going on in Tulsa this weekend to give you some relief for your holiday fatigue. If it's a concert that you're pining for, some artsy goodness or a good movie, it's all happening in T-Town between now and suppertime on Sunday.

As heard every Friday morning on the KRMG Morning News with Joe Kelley, here's what to do in Tulsa this weekend.


Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Your Thoughts on Men in Tights

Thanks to all who entered the contest for the family four-pack of tickets to Tulsa Ballet's The Nutcracker. It's all over now, and I'm about to pick a winner. I hope you're sitting down. We're gonna make it through this. Bear with me. My condolences.

None of that made any sense. See how quickly things can go downhill when I'm left to my own devices?


TDT Holiday Gift Guide: Tulsa Music

Under the Mooch

Sure, I'd heard of Under the Mooch, an independent records and music store open here in Tulsa at 15th and Harvard since June 2006.

It's just that, having been raised a Starship girl (my dad, a University of Tulsa grad, spent a lot of time there with my mom when he should have been studying, thus ensuring that I started my music-collecting life at the former, technicolor, dual-building location with a Juice Newton cassette and a Selena CD - rock!), I never really considered trying any other local music outlet.

That was, until last week.


Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Food Photography: A Miseducation

Caramel on Brookside

Last Friday my former boyfriend and I were invited to test a new bakery and dessert bar in Center 1 on Brookside.

Monday, December 7, 2009

TDT Holiday Gift Guide: Tulsa Ballet's The Nutcracker

Tulsa Performing Arts Center

For $15, for Christmas one could buy:


Or, one could offer an experience, the chance to take part in a Tulsa tradition.

This Week in Tulsa Parenthood

TDT on 2HD Midday

In case you missed me this morning on the 2NEWS Midday Show giving the rundown of things to do with your kids in Tulsa this week, here are a few things to tuck into your calendar.


Sunday, December 6, 2009

TDT Holiday Gift Guide: The Tulsa T-Shirt

Tulsa Shirts

I know I won't get any points for originality here, but I think any and all Tulsa t-shirts - you know, the ones that have been in every local gift guide since 2006 - have more than earned some real estate in this year's TDT Holiday Gift Guide, too.


Julie Powell Comes to Tulsa



Booksmart Tulsa has done it again, folks. As if bringing one of the most popular bloggers in the U.S. to Tulsa wasn't enough, co-creators Jeff Martin (an author of a books himself - two, actually) and Dwelling Spaces owner Mary Beth Babcock have partnered with the Community Food Bank of Eastern Oklahoma to bring Julie Powell to T-Town to show off her brand-spanking-new book, Cleaving: A Story of Marriage, Meat and Obsession.


Saturday, December 5, 2009

TDT Holiday Gift Guide: Best Tulsa Memberships

DSC04355-1

Once when I was gushing about my family's Tulsa Zoo membership to a fellow stay-at-home mom, she said something eye-opening:

"The only reason we get to go to the zoo and the museums as often as we do is because our family gives us memberships every year for Christmas."

How To Dine Out With a Two-Year-Old

How to dine out with a two year old.


The holiday season is one of the only times my husband and I have the courage to take our toddler to a restaurant for dinner.

We often talk about our childless years when date nights were ruined by screaming babies brought out by parents with what seemed at the time like nerves of steel (not to mention the stubbornness of a herd of water buffalo).

We vowed to never be "one of those people."

Thursday, December 3, 2009

What To Do in Tulsa This Weekend

Utica Square

Don't look now, but the holiday section of this weekend's rundown is as fat as St. Nick himself. You know what? Go ahead. Have a look. Then, try to figure out how you're going to do all on the list that appeals to you. It'll be a fun brain teaser for your Friday.

Besides Christmas stuff, there's tons going on in Tulsa this weekend, from live metal music to college basketball. Get your fill before Monday in this week's list of things to do in Tulsa, as heard every Friday morning on the KRMG Morning News with Joe Kelley.

Jumping the Gun

Utica Square

Looking for something to do to get the weekend kicked off early? Try on a few of these events for size.

Excuse me, ma'am. What's that in your tree?

Binkie Tree

Ever wondered what would happen if a toddler was allowed to decorate a Christmas tree?

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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

TDT Holiday Gift Guide: Breast Impressions Calendar

Breast Impressions Calendar

"Oh, yeah? Well, at least my mom doesn't have only one boob."

Ouch. Children can be cruel. It's tough to be the kid on the playground whose mother, just a few days after her 37th birthday, found a lump in her breast.

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

TDT Holiday Gift Guide: Tulsa Snow Globe

Boston Avenue, Looking South

Often, when I worked downtown and especially on snowy days, I felt like I was living in a snow globe.

Monday, November 30, 2009

TDT Holiday Gift Guide: Philbrook Gift Shop

Philbrook Museum Gift Shop

While I was doing research for this gift guide, I came across some rather original suggestions, ranging from the cute and unique to the downright strange.

One suggestion in particular was, I think, smart thinking. Leave it to the head mom over at Ttownmoms.com, Trisha Swindle, to come up with a clever, cost-effective way to shop with local vendors this holiday season without breaking the bank. Her idea? Shop for stocking stuffers at the gift shop in Philbrook Museum.

Today in Tulsa Blogs

All Day Inside

From time to time I find that I've spent an entire morning reading blogs. With all the banter and pontificating and re-telling and general memoir yumminess, it's hard to keep from it from time to time (read: more often that it makes me comfortable to admit. There's dishes and laundry and baby-raisin' to do around here, after all).

Everyone - that is, unless you're still one of those people who ask, "What's a blog?" and if you are, odds would have it that you're not reading this, anyway - has their vices when it comes to blog reading. Mine is The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Did you all see the Beef Stew with Mushrooms she posted today? Lord. Have. Mercy. On my thighs. Because that's right where a recipe by Ree Drummond typically heads - at least, that's true in my case. That all of the recipes on her site now print with ease thanks to HP, my hodgepodge, finders-keepers cookbook stuffed in a three-ring binder left over from college is expanding. Also, my second chin, it is screaming. These days, it's really been throwing its weight around.

Good thing second chins don't get a vote in my house. Stand down, chins!

Speaking of second chins, Hillary over at Life Yoga, a one-woman Tulsa yoga studio that specializes in private and small classes, has a set of resolutions we should all heed now if we don't want to be making lofty vows to ourselves to lose weight and get in shape come the morning of Jan. 1. While I personally have a hard time giving up all of the comfort food that's available around holiday time, I like Hillary's idea of starting family traditions to stay trim.

Start new family traditions. This year my mom and I came up with an idea to start taking a walk every holiday after our meal. We took an hour long walk a few hours after Thanksgiving lunch. All the boys were taking a nap anyways- so we didn't miss a thing and got to spend some great time together. And lets face it- we live in Oklahoma, it's probably going to be 70 on Christmas anyways...

However you choose to spend your holiday just know that it is an excuse to get together with your family and friends- not to eat whatever you want with no consequences. You will feel much better if you follow these simple steps- and will be able to make a much better New Years resolution than losing weight.

Okay, okay, Hillary, I give up - no five slices of pie in one day this Christmas for Tasha. Thanks for working to keep us healthy, woman.

For all my knitting friends, be sure to put on your creative thinking caps and enter to win a 500-yard skein of organic, fingering-weight merino from the folks at Clear Creek Lavender. The prompt: Name the new colorway. You have until noon or so on Wednesday.

77 Counties has a striking image of my beloved Theta Pond. I spent many an afternoon sketching and dodging bird poop at that pond instead of studying in the library, where I should have been. If you haven't yet checked out the 77 Counties project, do it now. The photos are choice.

My pal Carrisa over at And So She Blogs has a valuable lesson for all of you who forget to lock up (I live with one, too, Carrisa - we should start a support group). Plus, she's got delicious, buttery, sweet-smelling baby photos.

Michael Bates - or, as I like to call him, Bates (actually, I call him, "He Who Knows," but usually only in the confines of my feeble little mind) - has a reminder about tonight's showing of the newest Jack Frank show, Tulsa A-Z. Head to Batesline for details, and be sure to tune in.

Jeff Shaw over at Bounded Rationality has a review of a new restaurant downtown. I tried it a few weeks ago and I, too, give Zorba's Greek Grill two thumbs up.

For all you history buffs out there, boy, do I have a blog for you: Historic Tulsa. Check out three recent posts on midtown mansions: Parriot Mansion, Carl K. Dresser House (read: Tulsa wedding central) and Moore Manor, on the same tract as the Creek Nation Council Oak, the fabled birthplace of Tulsa. I love those old photos, don't you all?

The always snarky Irritated Tulsan has 25 Uses for Leftover Turkey. Here's a preview: Use No. 24 is pothole filler. Use No. 12? Monopoly game pieces. Use No. 1? Unmentionable here on this mostly family-friendly blog. Check it out - you won't be sorry.

Ever get the hankerin' for horseback riding? Ron over at Route 66 News has a little somethin' for ya - Route 66 Riding Stables. Check out his photos and review. While you're there, have a look around the site. Ron writes about everything from restaurants on Route 66 to Route 66 property for sale. It's a great resource and an even better read.

All these holidays got you thinking it's finally time to learn to boil water? Learn that and more in the cooking classes at The Stock Pot. Check Tulsa Food Blog for offerings and times.

Did you miss Garden Glow at Philbrook last Saturday? No worries - you can catch some pics over at What's Up @ Philbrook, a blog about Tulsa's world-class museum at 2424 S. Rockford, updated daily.



To what Tulsa and Oklahoma blogs are you addicted? Share and feast upon links in the comments.
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Sunday, November 29, 2009

TDT Holiday Gift Guide: ABC in Tulsa

ABC in Tulsa

At the risk of earning a resounding, "DUH!" from all you thoughtful, dead-sexy readers out there, I'd like to say that both research and experience will prove that kids learn stuff from books.

Shopping Ethically

The post that follows appeared first at Grey Eye Designs Studio Blog. After being subjected to much gushing and pleading, the author, local craftista Brigid Vance, agreed to re-post it here at TashaDoesTulsa.com. Enjoy!


In light of this weekend's Black Friday shopping craziness, I've been reading lots of opinions that people have a duty to get out there and shop for the holidays. One even went so far as to say that not consuming means you are injuring the local economy. This opinion really ruffled my feathers. 

Saturday, November 28, 2009

TDT Holiday Gift Guide: Fresh Blend Handmade Boutique

Tulsa Craft Mafia

Tulsans have more than one option when it comes to holiday shopping. There's Wal-Mart. There's Tar-jay. And, of course, there's the mall.

Or, you could opt out of the whole made-for-the-masses scene. As the natty girls at Tulsa Craft Mafia said, don't battle it out - shop with a mug of something tasty in one hand.

And the Winner is...

The Art of Manliness

Pick No. 2 in the first annual Tasha Does Tulsa Gift Guide was a signed copy of The Art of Manliness: Classic Skills and Manners for the Modern Man. The book is an outgrowth of the hit blog, The Art of Manliness, penned by Tulsans Brett and Kate McKay.

As it turns out, I'm not the only lucky duck to have Brett and Kate as readers here at TDT. The McKays were nice enough to sign and send along a copy of this book for me to give away here at the blog. They didn't even know their pithy, highly useful guide to all that is man was going to be part of the gift guide anyway. Funny how things turn out, especially when the small, small world that is Tulsa, Oklahoma, is part of the picture.

Anyway. The point is, there's a winner among us today.

Folks, your personal tips for maximum manliness had me in stitches. I'm going to have to jot them down on a piece of notebook paper and tuck them into my own copy of TAoM, as a sort of community-produced appendix. Thanks for making me laugh (yet again). In my mind, a good sense of humor is a true mark of manliness. In that respect, each of you has, I'm sure, 92,000+ black, curly hairs on your chest.


While there were many more than 16 comments/entries, only that many - just a little more than half - made it in before the deadline of 8pm on Friday. Better luck next time to those of you who missed the cut-off time. I was glad to read your tips for manliness anyway, though.


Congrats, Holly!


Amen to that, sister. Any time there's grilling to be done, especially, my man won't let me near animal consumables, either. A pity since grilling is way fun, but less work is less work, right? Right. E-mail me to claim your prize, little missy.

Thanks to everyone who entered. Keep your eyes on this blog for news about when the McKays will make an appearance to talk manliness and sign copies of TAoM. Hint: It's soon. Very soon.
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A Little Place Called Rhema

Rhema Christmas Light Display

Ever hear of a little place in Broken Arrow, on the south side of 71st Street just east of 145th, called Rhema Bible College?

If no, odds are that you're a newcomer to Tulsa, and that's okay. Besides the many ministries of Pastor Kenneth Hagin, the college and perhaps more than its fair share of urban legend, I'm about to share with you one of the things for which Rhema is best known: Christmas lights. Nearly two million of them, actually.

To find out more about Rhema's Christmas lights show, check out my blog on Ttownmoms.com.
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