I was sitting here just now and realized I never finished answering all the questions that some of you asked this summer. And, you know, since it’s almost September it felt like maybe it was time to do that. So here you go.
1. Do you get “pressure” to put Caroline in a “Christian” school? We have friends who think we’ve failed as parents because we’ve had ours in public school forever.
We never felt any pressure to put Caroline in a Christian school. P and I are big believers in public school, both attended public school and live in a great school district. I think school is such a personal decision and every family has to do what’s best for their kids.
2. So what are your thoughts and feelings regarding our Aggies this Fall? I just don’t even know what to expect!
You and me both, sister. But the beauty of these days right before the season starts is that I am full of boundless optimism. Right now, I believe Trevor Knight will win the Heisman and the Aggies will be playing for the National Championship in January.
Do I have any legitimate reason to believe this? Not at all. It’s just what I do every year at this time.
I do believe we will be better than people are expecting us to be.
3. Do you make Caroline eat her vegetables at meals? I’m raising toddlers and looking forward to the day when I can say, “screw it; eat whatever you can find.” I think that happens around 12? What do you think?
Caroline has always been a pretty good eater. However, she used to eat about three bites of food at every meal and say she was full. I honestly think there were some years that she survived on half a cheese cube and a chicken nugget for three days straight. My advice is not to stress about it too much. Toddlers are like dogs and sense fear and an ability to control a situation.
Also, when they turn twelve the problem becomes their inability to find any food in the kitchen at all, even if you’ve just been to the grocery store and it’s right in front of their face. They like to stand there with the fridge door open and ask, “MOOOM??? What can I eat? I can’t find anything.”
Insert me rolling my eyes.
4. Is it harder to write a book or do all the editing and such?
Personally, I think it’s so much harder to write a book because you have to come up with all these thoughts and ideas and figure out how you’re going to get them all on paper. That’s always the hardest part for me and it makes my brain hurt, especially now that I’ve been writing for a while now and need to make sure I’m not repeating something I’ve already told.
Editing is different and also makes my head hurt. When I first get edits back from a publisher, I have to take a deep breath and remember that nothing is personal and no one is trying to hurt my feelings. The upside is I have fabulous editors and I’ve learned over time that they make me so much better than I really am and my books so much better than they would be if I just turned in what I originally wrote.
Sometimes it’s hard to go back over the entire thing without hating every word you’ve written, but it’s worth it because it gives me a chance to clean things up, clarify what I’m trying to say and use better examples or stories. I’ve also learned that it helps me to read it out loud because then I really hear it and can decide if a line should stay or go.
5. You never showed us pictures of your outdoor kitchen.
Yes. My follow through on this was terrible but in my defense it has been very hot and I haven’t wanted to stand outside long enough to take pictures. I’m looking forward to the fall because I know we’ll love sitting out there when it isn’t as hot as the surface of the sun.
My friend Holly Mathis of Holly Mathis Interiors helped me a lot in terms of finding the furniture and lighting I wanted. She made an idea board for me that was so helpful.
Perry came up with the overall design of the fire pit and kitchen area and helped his crew put it all together. There are benefits to having a husband who owns a landscape company.
I still need some cute pillows out there but I’m afraid Piper and Mabel will destroy them. They may just have to stay stored in a Rubbermaid tote unless we’re actually out there using them.
(Just in case you’re wondering, the couches and metal chairs are from Restoration Hardware, the dog portraits were painted by my amazing artist friend Heather Gauthier, the galvanized fans are from Amazon, the fiber clay barrel pots are from Terrain, the coffee table was from Overstock, the galvanized lights over the grill and range are from Barn Light Electric, and the hanging chair is from Anthropologie. The end table was built by Caroline and the dining table was built by the same guy who did the shiplap ceiling on the covered part of the porch.)
That’s it for today.
Oh, one more thing that is so random but I have to tell you because it’s too good to keep to myself. Madewell has these amazing flea market flare jeans on sale for $29.99 right now. $29.99! The reviews on them are great. And free shipping and free returns if they don’t work out.