• Easy drop-off for gently used donations
• Pop-up resale shopping with unique finds
• Music and entertainment
• Food available for purchase
• Opportunity to connect and learn more about the nonprofit’s mission

The post Clean Out, Help Out first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

That means that for the first time in a long time, I’m going to be buying groceries for four people instead of three. Now, that doesn’t sound like a big deal, but with grocery prices continuing to climb, it really, really is.

One thing I’ve been working on is prepping meal components for people to use for breakfasts and lunches. My younger kiddo loves most Asian cuisines, so it’s easy to make a big pot of rice and a bunch of vegetables and proteins for her to customize her lunches. (It also makes my lunchtime decision making much easier.)

For this recipe, I adapted the younger sprog’s favorite Chinese protein, char siu pork. This marinade can be used on pork (chops, belly, or tenderloin) or on chicken thighs. I like to grill the pork or chicken, but you could pan sear it or roast it in the oven just as easily. We put it over rice or in ramen. I’ve even put it on a salad and on sandwiches! However you use it, I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Char Siu Marinade for Pork or Chicken

Ingredients

4 to 6 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 to 4 green onions, finely sliced
1/3 cup hoisin sauce
¼ cup honey or agave syrup
¼ cup low sodium soy sauce or tamari
¼ cup ketchup
½ teaspoon Chinese five-spice
¼ teaspoon white pepper
1 ½ tablespoons toasted sesame oil

Directions

Combine everything in a bowl or a large, zippered bag. (I always use a zippered bag for marinating. It makes cleanup easy, and as I use compostable bags, I don’t feel as bad as I would if I were to use a plastic bag.) Marinate your meat of choice for at least 30 minutes or overnight. Bring the meat to room temperature before cooking. You can grill your meats, sear them in a skillet over medium heat, or roast them in a 425° oven until done. I try to find chicken thighs or pork chops on sale, but if I’m going all fancy, I use pork belly that I’ve cubed.

The post Healthy Waists, Healthy Wallets: “Char Siu” Marinade first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

A little history is in order. Until the early part of the 19^th century, artists made their own paints from raw pigments rather than nipping down to the art supply store for a tube of cobalt blue or mosaic gold, which made painting anywhere but a studio difficult. However, after paint in tubes became available, artists were free to paint where they liked, and they really liked painting outside. The Impressionists were especially fond of heading out into a field or to a pond to commune with their muse.

“Plein air [painting] is fun because it gets you outdoors,” Doug Clark said. Clark is a local artist who started a popular plein air group here in North Texas called PAINT, an acronym for “Plein Air in North Texas.”

Doug Clark painting en plein air

Clark, who is both a sculptor and a painter, specializes in wildlife art, something that goes hand in hand with plein air. “I’ve always loved camping and fishing and just being outdoors,” Clark said. “To me, plein air adds to the enjoyment of painting and being outdoors. I’m able to enjoy nature while I’m painting, and I love that.”

Anyone is welcome to join PAINT on their jaunts into nature, regardless of age or artistic ability. The group paints in picturesque locations around the area, such as Benbrook Lake, city parks, and the Fort Worth Nature Center & Refuge.

“We have members ranging in age from the 40s through the 80s,” Clark said. “Some are retired. Some still work. Some are professional artists, while others just like to paint for themselves. A lot of the artists use oil paints, but some use watercolors or sketch. We even have some who use acrylics outdoors.”

“There really are no rules. We just go out and have a good time.”

Usually, after a painting session, the group will either go somewhere for breakfast or brunch, or Clark will invite them over to his house for what he calls Show and Tell.

“What I find interesting is that when we go out as a group, we’re all looking at basically the same thing,” Clark said. “But at Show and Tell, you’ll have 15 very different paintings with different lighting and moods, even though we all saw the same thing.”

An artist from an early age (“I was always getting in trouble for doodling in class”), Clark went to TCU, where he studied English and history, “so I could go to law school.” After the first week of law school, Clark decided that practicing law was not for him and became a teacher. He first taught third-grade ESL before his principal offered him the position of art teacher. While he taught children about art, he started exploring his own talent.

“My father was a painter,” Clark said. “Not full-time – he was a systems analyst – but he would sell his work. But being an artist was never anything my parents encouraged me to do.”

After the COVID pandemic, Clark had enough of teaching and started creating art full-time.

“Doug is an important person in a lot of lives,” said Trish Wise, a local artist whose work is seen in every issue of Madeworthy in Fresh Family Recipes. “He not only gets us together [for plein air sessions], which always attract plenty of attention, but he invites us back to his home for amazing meals and camaraderie.”

Trish Wise, Madeworthy illustrator and en plein air enthusiast

“A lot of time, you’re not around people as an artist,” Clark said. “You’re working in a studio. Studio work is a solo activity. Plein air is a social activity; you’re not only inspired by nature, you’re inspired by the people around you.”

“Winston Churchill was a painter,” Clark continued. “He said that what he liked most about painting was that when he was painting, painting was the only thing he thought about. Even during World War Two, he would paint to take his mind off the war.”

So, if you’re out and about and see a group of people painting, there’s a good chance it could be PAINT. Go over and say hi. You could even join them.

And be sure to incorporate the phrase “plein air” into your conversations about art.

The post Get Out and PAINT! first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Lux Arcana brings together Wagner’s sculptural language and Luckey’s technological systems to explore the intersection of light, form, and interactivity. Through intricate material constructions embedded with responsive LED arrays and sensing technologies and sound, the works shift in relation to viewer presence—transforming static objects into dynamic, living environments.

Drawing from natural systems, bioluminescence, and spatial illusion, the exhibition creates immersive experiences where light becomes both material and atmosphere. The collaboration merges hand-built form with engineered responsiveness, expanding the possibilities of contemporary sculpture through interaction and sensory engagement.

The exhibition opened Saturday, March 28 at Fort Works Art Gallery in Fort Worth, Texas in conjunction with FWADA’s Spring Gallery Night. The exhibition will close on Saturday May 2.

For more information, please visit Fort Works Art Gallery at info@fortworksart.com

All photographs are shared with permission from Fort Works Art Gallery. 

The post Let There Be Light first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

To summarize the last blog post, my younger child’s principal came into her humanities class and told them they had 89 days left as high school students. She then offhandedly told that little nugget of heartache to me before blithely wandering off to her room to do homework, unaware of the puddle of Mom she left behind her.

Well, we’re now in our last six weeks. Imagine how THAT hit me.

Once again, I was never the mom to weep when my children hit the big milestones. I cheer that they are doing exactly what they are programmed to do: grow up and move forward, living their lives as independent people.

But…

Everything I do is now tinged with a bittersweet quality. This weekend will be the last time I go to Austin College in Sherman to see a play that my older kiddo is involved in producing. I realized that next year will be the first year since it reopened in 2018 that I.M. Terrell Academy will not have one of my sprogs as a student. Each event has a sense of finality and sadness attached to it that I’m not used to.

(Again, I know that graduations are not about me, but this article is, dammit.)

I think part of my struggle is because I’ve always been the mom who doesn’t weep. I love that my kiddos are maturing into people that I want to know. I have lived in my head, understanding child development and knowing that my whole purpose as a mother is to raise my children to leave and become their own person. But I can’t seem to find that objectivity these days.

My babies are growing up. My heart hurts, and my eyes leak.

So if you see me in these next six weeks, please ignore the mess that I am. Pat my head and tell me it will be alright. And if you’re feeling the same way I’m feeling, know that you aren’t alone. There are a lot of parents who feel like you do right now.

Solidarity, my sisters and brothers. Solidarity.

The post T-Minus Six Weeks and Counting first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Featured artists include: Amber Zora & Lee Strubinger, Carmen Menza, Elizabeth Sciore-Jones, Hilary Nylander, Kathryn Eddy, Kerry Hugins, Kimberley White, Lusmerlin, Marcelino Stuhmer. This exhibition runs from May 2 – May 31, 2026 at Grackle Art Gallery, located in the Arlington Heights neighborhood of Fort Worth, Texas. An opening reception will be held on Saturday May 2, 6-9pm.

The Kickpigeon Kids are excited to present their 4th curated installation, BLANK, an exhibition which explores the theme of blankness as the prerequisite for new beginnings and limitless potentials. Just as an artist starts with literally or metaphorically – a “blank canvas,” the concept of blankness implies the unlimited possibilities of what can fill it.

“Blank” can also refer to what is implied or unsaid by its absence.

left: Marcelino Stuhmer, Faces, 2023. Oil on Panel. 12 x 12 inches.
Right: Carmen Menza, Little Larry, 2025. Acrylic, mirror, LED. transformer.8 x8 inches

Selected artists were invited to submit artwork and asked to include another object that represents “blank — as a metaphor for possibility,” however the artist should interpret the theme.

Using an experimental kind of curation, the Kickpigeon Kids, the artist duo of Cosmo Jones and Max Marshall, use their combined experiences to create installations out of participating artist’s work, their chosen objects and other ephemera, transforming the exhibit itself into a collaborative group work. In this way the Kickpigeon Kids work to demystify ART by creating spaces where anyone can join in questioning the norms of how art is made, seen, and shown.

The Alternative Art School is a global online art school — in dialogue with visionary artists, curators and a global artist community.

Grackle Art Gallery is located at 4621 El Campo St, Fort Worth, TX 7610. For more information about this exhibition, images for press, or details about other activities please email kickpigeonkids@gmail.com, or call (361) 205-7118.

The post Grackle Art Gallery and the Kickpigeon Kids Present BLANK first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Since 2021, the Perot Museum has offered a creative after-hour experience featuring a new way to kick off the weekend. Each Thursdays on Tap over the 28-week season features local food trucks alongside craft drinks and cocktails from Community Beer Co., available for purchase. Musicians from across North Texas bring the Museum’s Plaza to life where visitors can enjoy a bite to eat or compete in outdoor games. Guests can also explore all five levels of the Museum including the Museum’s special exhibition Soccer: More Than a Game.

Photo courtesy of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science

In honor of the World Cup in DFW, the 2026 season also includes a special family friendly Thursdays on Tap: Soccer Edition. Guests of all ages are invited to this one-night event to celebrate the world’s most popular game and the Perot Museum’s Soccer: More Than a Game exhibition from 3-9 pm on Thursday, July 9. This special event will feature games, food, and more.

Thursday on Tap tickets for April, which includes admission to Soccer: More Than a Game, are $25 for adults and $5 for Perot Museum Explore, Patron, and Founders Circle members. Discount tickets are available for groups. Tickets are available 30 days in advance of the event date and often sell out prior to Thursday evening. Visitors must be 21 or older to attend. Tickets and additional information are available online at perotmuseum.org/TOT.

Support for Thursdays on Tap is provided by Community Beer Co. and Wolfgang Puck Catering.

The post Thursdays on Tap Returns for Season Five at the Perot first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

Located just outside Granbury, Camp El Tesoro offers a quick getaway into nature for families looking to unplug and spend time outdoors together.

The event will take place on Sunday, April 19, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and offers a full day of hands-on activities designed to connect children and families with the natural world.

Guests can enjoy camp tours, archery, guided hikes, creek exploration, and fishing at Lake Leo, along with arts and crafts and educational talks. Nature and youth-focused organizations will also host booths featuring interactive activities focused on conservation, wildlife, and outdoor recreation.

“This event is about giving families the chance to step outside, slow down, and experience nature together,” said Jen Smith, Vice President of Outdoor Connections at Camp Fire First Texas. “We want children to explore, ask questions, and discover how they are connected to the world around them.”

Families can also learn more about Camp Fire’s summer camp opportunities, including both overnight camp and day camp experiences at Camp El Tesoro.

The event is free and open to the public, with food trucks available onsite. No registration is required.

Camp El Tesoro is located at 7710 Fall Creek Hwy, Granbury, TX 76049, just a 45-minute drive southwest of Fort Worth.

Camp El Tesoro has been part of the North Texas community since 1934, providing generations of youth and families with opportunities to learn, grow, and connect through outdoor experiences along the Brazos River.

For more information, visit campfirefw.org/rooted

The post You’re Invited to a Free Outdoor Adventure Day at Camp El Tesoro first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

The first Texas-based Light the Trail bike ride — a 20- or 40-mile ride along the scenic boundaries of Benbrook Lake, through back country roads and back to the lake — is April 11, 2026, starting at 8am. The ride supports The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation. The Jordan Elizabeth Harris Foundation’s mission is to prevent suicide, eliminate stigma, and provide hope to people struggling with depression. Jordan, the oldest of three children, took her life March 27, 2012. The foundation offers programs to workplaces, schools, and communities of faith to prevent suicide. Her parents, Tom and Ellen, are co-Chairs of The JEHF.

“Your commitment to ride with us will support those individuals and families that wrestle with mental health challenges every day,” said Andy Deufel, chairman of the race committee. “We ‘Light the Trail’ to help bring people out of the darkness of depression and into the light of hope.”

The ride is open to race enthusiasts, leisure riders, and those interested in supporting the foundation. Whether you’re in for a steady cruise or a longer challenge, every mile you ride helps make a meaningful impact. To register, visit www.Lightthetrailride.org. Registration is $250 per person. Enter promo code MOMSRIDE2026 for 50% off registration. The ride includes well-stocked rest stops along the way and a post-ride lunch at the finish line.

We encourage riders to register as a fundraiser and accept pledges or donations. Once you have surpassed $250, your registration fee is covered. FMI or to register, visit www.LighttheTrailRide.org.

The post Light the Trail to End Depression and Suicide first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.

“Ben was more than a mentor to me—he was family. His artistry, his generosity, and his vision shaped not only my own journey as a dancer and leader, but also the very heart of Texas Ballet Theater. I will miss his wisdom, his humor, and his boundless passion for storytelling through dance. While my heart is heavy with grief, I am profoundly grateful for the decades of inspiration and love he shared with me and with this company. His spirit will live on in every performance, every dancer, and every audience moved by his work,” said Tim O’Keefe, Artistic Director of Texas Ballet Theater.

Born on April 4, 1936, in Portsmouth, England, Stevenson trained at London’s Arts Educational School and was awarded the prestigious Adeline Genee Gold Medal, the highest honor from the Royal Academy of Dancing. By 18, he joined Sadler’s Wells Royal Ballet (now The Royal Ballet), working with Sir Frederick Ashton, Sir Kenneth MacMillan, and John Cranko. Later, at Sir Anton Dolin’s invitation, he became a principal dancer with London Festival Ballet, performing leading roles across the classics.

Photo courtesy of Texas Ballet Theater

Stevenson’s arrival in the United States in 1968 began an indelible chapter in American ballet. He led Harkness Youth Dancers in New York and co-directed National Ballet in Washington, D.C., choreographing works for the inaugural season of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

In 1976, Stevenson became Artistic Director of Houston Ballet. Over 27 years, he transformed it from a small provincial troupe into one of the world’s leading companies, founding Houston Ballet Academy and training generations of dancers including Lauren Anderson, Janie Parker, Carlos Acosta, and Li Cunxin. His promotion of Anderson to principal dancer—the first Black dancer to receive the title at Houston Ballet—in 1990 was a landmark moment in American ballet.

Internationally, Stevenson forged lasting ties with China, beginning with a cultural exchange in 1978. At the Beijing Dance Academy, he was named Honorary Faculty Member—the only foreigner to receive such distinction there and at the Shenyang Conservatory of Music. In 2018, China recognized him as one of the most influential Foreign Experts in 40 years of Reform and Opening Up. He later led Houston Ballet’s historic 1995 tour of China, with opening night televised to more than 500 million viewers.

In 2003, Stevenson became Artistic Director of Texas Ballet Theater (TBT), ushering in tremendous growth in repertoire, education programs, and international talent. His acclaimed productions—including “Swan Lake”, “Romeo and Juliet”, “Cinderella”, “Dracula”, and the beloved parody “The Nutty Nutcracker”—were legendary for their storytelling, wit, and theatrical flair. In 2022, Stevenson was named Artistic Director Laureate in honor of his tenure as TBT’s longest serving artistic director and role in elevating the company as an internationally recognized ensemble.

Photo courtesy of Texas Ballet Theater

For his lifetime of achievement, Stevenson was named an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) by Queen Elizabeth II in 1999. He also received three gold medals at the International Ballet Competition (1972, 1982, 1986), the Dance Magazine Award in 2000, and the Texas Medal of Arts in 2005.

Beyond the stage, Stevenson’s generosity and love of community shone brightest at his kitchen table, where he nourished both body and soul while spinning enthralling stories for friends, dancers, and colleagues alike.

Stevenson is survived by extended family in Portsmouth, England, and a host of friends and dancers worldwide who will never forget him. Details on memorial services will be announced at a later date.

The post Legendary Ballet Figure Ben Stevenson, OBE, Passes Away first appeared on Tanglewood Moms.