Author: Big Mama

Just about the time I was headed to bed on Monday night, Caroline came in the living room a little bit teary and announced she felt really bad. Sure enough, she was running fever and so I gave her some Tylenol and she crawled into bed with us. P didn’t wake us up for school in the morning since it was pretty evident that it wasn’t in the cards for her that day.

So I woke up about 8:45 and headed to the kitchen to get my coffee. Piper and Mabel saw me through the back door and began whining to come in because I always give them chew sticks first thing in the morning. I let them in, handed them their chew sticks and sat down on the couch with my coffee. Eventually Mabel finished hers and came to rest her head on my knee which I’ve learned is what she does when she really wants to go take something away from Piper but is trying to resist temptation.

I rubbed her ears as I waited for Piper to finish chewing, but she just kept crunching for what seemed like an eternity until I finally decided to investigate. And that’s when I discovered she was not chewing on a chew stick but, rather, a mouse.

This is where I need to clarify I don’t mean a real mouse because had that been the case I would now be in a home for the infirm.

She was chewing on a computer mouse. That’s right. A plastic computer mouse that you use to move the cursor on a computer. Don’t ask me why I felt like that needed so much explanation.

So I immediately took it from her and went to the desk in our kitchen because that’s the only computer we have that uses a mouse. Yet that mouse was still sitting there unharmed. Which made the whole situation even more curious because she was in possession of a mouse of unknown origin. I have no idea where it came from but I can tell you this with all certainty, she killed it dead.

Mabel watched with disdain as the whole situation unfolded and later she wrote this haiku:

It’s easy to hunt
when you stalk electronics
I prefer live prey

Meanwhile, Piper offered this explanation:

“It was delicious.”

You know what I did on Monday? Not much.

I got Caroline up, fed her breakfast and packed her lunch before P dropped her off at school. Then I made a grocery store list, waited on the guy to come fix the sheetrock in our bathroom, and about the time he was finished Caroline texted me from school and said she didn’t feel good.

Normally, I would be skeptical of claims of ill-health, but she’d mentioned it the night before and I could tell by her eyes that she genuinely wasn’t feeling great. So I picked her up and we spent the rest of the day on the couch reading books and watching T.V.

However, I am super excited because today is April 28th which means that Christy Nockel’s new album, Let It Be Jesus (Live) is officially out and hopefully downloading to my iTunes as I type. You can buy it here for just $9.99.

Anyway, there isn’t much else going on and so this is a good day to fill you in on all the places I’ll be over the next few months just in case you’re in the vicinity and want to drop by.

And it’s also a good time to mention that Nobody’s Cuter Than You should be back in stock on Amazon and Barnes & Noble by the end of the week, but in the meantime you can get it on sale for just $10.39 at LifeWay stores or online here.

As for book signings and events:

1. Wednesday, April 29th in Ozona, Texas at the Ozona Civic Center

For more information, you can check out their Facebook page here.

2. Saturday, May 2nd at Books-A-Million Brookwood store in Birmingham, Alabama

Sophie and I will be signing books starting at 6 p.m. and would love to see you there.

3. Sunday, May 3rd in Birmingham, Alabama at the Sav-A-Life Mother’s Day Brunch

You can purchase tickets here.

4. Saturday, May 9th in College Station, TX (WHOOP!) at LifeWay

I’ll be signing books beginning at 11:00 a.m. AND the books will be on sale for $10.39 which is significantly less expensive than $10.40. Also, my whole crew will be with me including Gulley, Jen, Jamie, Tiff, Honey, Big and Caroline and the boys.

5. Friday, May 15th in College Station, TX at the Hilton Conference Center

I’m the keynote speaker for the Texas A&M Foundation Women, Wealth and Wisdom Event. You can find out more information and register here. I’m speaking from 1:00-2:00 p.m.

It’s totally free and I love that the description says it features “several financial planning speakers as well as Melanie Shankle.” Something tells me they’ve looked at my transcript and noticed I made a D in Personal Finance 201.

6. June 1 – June 30th on my couch taking a nap and watching The Good Wife

7. Thursday, September 10th in Dallas, TX for Friends Night Out

This is an independant fundraiser organized by Friends of The Covenant School of Dallas. All profits go to the Tuition Assistance Fund at the The Covenant School of Dallas. It’s going to be at Northwest Bible Church and is open to the public. You can find out more information and buy tickets here.

8. September 25-26th at the Dot Mom Conference in Nashville, TN

This is one of my favorite things that I do all year and it’s geared toward moms of all ages and stages of life. The speakers this year are Karen Kingsbury, Sherry Surratt, Rebekah Lyons, Sophie Hudson and me. And Christy Nockels is leading worship which I am beyond excited about. It’s going to be at Brentwood Baptist Church and you can get the extra earlybird ticket price of $69 if you register before June 1. You can find more information and register here.

And so there you have it. There will be more things along the way but these are the ones that I have all the pertinent information for at this moment.

I’ll see you tomorrow and I’m sure have all kinds of exciting things to share since I have big plans to go to the grocery store and maybe even pick up some dry-cleaning.

The only bad part about a three day weekend is when it’s over. I could basically write a sad ballad about the whole thing. Especially because I’ve lost all my want to when it comes to getting us geared up for another week of school.

On Friday we managed to stay in our pajamas until almost noon and then Caroline and I went to meet some friends for lunch and then she went to her friend Emily’s house for a while and then came back here with another friend for the rest of the evening. P was tired after a long work week and so we ate leftovers and I made chocolate chip cookies and homemade mac and cheese for the girls because I believe it’s important to serve a well-balanced meal with all the essential food groups represented. And by essential food groups I mean pasta, cheese and chocolate.

Big thunderstorms came through late Friday night into early Saturday morning which is my absolute favorite type of weather for optimal sleep conditions and when I woke up to the smell of P cooking bacon on Saturday morning I assumed Caroline’s soccer game had been cancelled due to the weather. And I was initially right. P said we’d received an email informing us the fields were too wet and so we ate bacon and biscuits before he and Caroline left to go on a bike ride and watch the Pooch Parade that was going on in our neighborhood as part of Fiesta.

But about five minutes after they left, I checked email and saw that the soccer game was actually back on which meant we needed to regroup and leave for Austin in the next forty-five minutes. So I called my people and told them to head back home where I was getting the gatorade and water and snacks together.

We made the drive to Austin on what turned out to be a gorgeous, hot Saturday afternoon. This was the first game of the season where I had to break out both my baseball cap and my umbrella in an attempt to protect my face from further sun damage. I said this on Instagram on Saturday but one of the things I love about watching Caroline play soccer is the way she isn’t afraid to call for the ball. I was always the kid praying the ball wouldn’t come to me and I love that she goes for it.

(I realize this picture is terrible but when the sun is blazing and you have on a hat, sunglasses and an umbrella, it’s a little hard to even tell if you’re taking a picture.)

Our team lost but the girls played hard considering that it was about as hot as the surface of the sun. The best part was about halfway through the game, Gulley texted me to see if we wanted to come to their house for dinner later that night because Jon was grilling ribs.

Um. YES.

This is what I love about these late spring, almost summer weekends. Getting to hang out and cook outside and just that feeling that life is about to slow down a little bit. (Five weeks of school left! Not that I’m counting down or anything.)

We came home from Austin and all showered then headed over to Gulley’s where the kids played ball out in the yard and the grownups (that’s us) caught up on life and things. It was the perfect way to spend a Saturday night.

Then we went to church Sunday morning before I dropped Caroline off at a friend’s house for a birthday party. The bottom line is her social calendar is much busier than ours. And then I decided to spend my Sunday afternoon being productive and began to clean out the bathroom cabinets in the master bath because I was tired of knocking six things to the floor every time I reached for my hairspray. So I grabbed a large trash bag and threw out self-tanner that expired two years ago along with various vitamins I bought with good intentions but apparently not enough motivation because they were also expired. There was cough syrup that had seen better days, prescriptions that were so faded I couldn’t tell what they were and so many beauty product samples that I made myself accept I clearly wasn’t that interested since they’d never been used.

And then there was this discovery.

If you need a Band-Aid of any variety, we have you covered.

I’m not sure when I became a Band-Aid hoarder but I suspect it’s been a while based on my extensive collection. We take our wound care seriously around here. The irony is that there was a time when Caroline was a toddler when I couldn’t find a Band-Aid if my life depended on it because she had a tendency to use them all as body art.

So I did my best to consolidate our Band-Aid collection into a few manageable categories, threw out some nail polish that had seen better days, and then tried to arrange everything by function. Body products, face products, healthcare products, medications, makeup and curling irons. Oh and I also threw out my set of hot rollers. I feel this particular act needs a moment of silence.

It just seemed like the right thing to do since I never use them anymore and, should I ever want to go back to hot rollers, I’ll have to put serious thought and consideration into this decision because I’ll have to actually drive to the store and purchase a new set.

Once the bathroom was cleaned out, I moved on to my jewelry and threw out necklaces that hadn’t seen the light of day since the late 1990’s. Honestly, I can’t believe I hadn’t done this sooner because I’m so serious about my closet organization yet I’d totally neglected my jewelry and there were some pieces that needed to go. I made a big pile to take to Goodwill and then re-organized according to color, style, and what makes sense in my head.

Finally, (I’m so sorry that this is never-ending, but you know how I love a good clean out. I wouldn’t write this much if I’d finished a triathlon or War and Peace this weekend.) I moved into Caroline’s closet which I believe I just cleaned out not that long ago but she keeps growing and none of her shoes fit anymore and there were several things I kept leaving in her closet hoping she’d wear and I have finally given up. That darling peasant top with the embroidery? She’s never going to put it on.

Then I put things into piles to be thrown out or donated and now feel like I’ve accomplished enough to carry me through at least the next month. Even though I do feel like the pantry and the kitchen cabinets are mocking me which means their day might be coming soon if I get another burst of productivity.

And so that was our weekend. Hope yours was good.

Today is actually a holiday in San Antonio called Battle Of Flowers which is all part of the annual Fiesta celebration here. There’s a big parade and everything but what the holiday means for me is that there’s a good chance I’m still in my pajamas while you’re reading this. And maybe you’re thinking that’s not possible because you’re reading this on Friday night. Which probably just means that I changed out of my original pajamas into new pajamas.

I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have a weekend of not much except Caroline’s soccer game on Saturday. Maybe we’ll even go to Bed, Bath and Beyond if there’s time.

Before we get to the fashion portion of today, I do have plans to work on a Mother’s Day Gift Guide to send out as part of my email newsletter next week. If you haven’t subscribed already, just fill in your email at the top of this post where it says you can subscribe. I promise all you’ll get is an occasional newsletter from me that I plan to fill with all kinds of special offers and freebies and other content that’s separate from what I write here on the blog.

And now for the real reason you’re here.

1. open stitch fringe pullover top

This is at Piperlime. And here’s something you may not know, Piperlime is closing shop at the end of April so they are having a crazy sale right now.

2. dancette knit dress

Every time I’ve walked in Anthropologie in the last month, this dress has caught my eye. I love a good knit dress that’s easy to throw on and requires little to no maintenance. Plus, all sale items and dresses are currently 20% off.

3. coral garden maxi dress

Speaking of Anthropologie dresses, THIS. It is not cheap. In fact, it is the opposite of cheap. But it is so incredibly stunning that I gasped audibly when I saw it in person. And it’s included in the 20% off sale.

I have nowhere to wear a dress of this magnitude, but maybe you do.

4. tie front tee

This is another Piperlime item which means it’s $29.97.

Here’s something you may not know about me. I love to tie a shirt at my waist. There was about a five year period in the 90’s where I tied every shirt I could but then that look went out of style and I was adrift at sea.

The truth is I probably continued to tie shirts much longer than I should have because I couldn’t bear to let it go. It was just such a simple solution to the tuck-in problem, by which I mean that I hate to tuck shirts in.

5. sam edelman reid wedge sandal

I saw these at Nordstrom yesterday and thought they were cute. Not to high and a good solution to add a little height with out the discomfort of a higher heel.

6. zella work it pants

I bought some pants like this earlier this spring and every time I wear them (which is often) P likes to ask me if I’m about to show him my sweet breakdance moves. HE WISHES.

And he can mock me all he wants but they are supremely lightweight and comfortable and I adore them. If that makes me a breakdancer wannabe then so be it. The heart wants what it wants.

7. skates one to know one tee

I am a sucker for a baseball tee and this one is even better for summer because it has those cute short sleeves. I can totally see this with denim shorts and a pair of converse.

8. echo swimsuit coverup

I discovered last summer that Zappos is a great place to look for a swimsuit coverup. This is just one example of what they have but there is a huge selection of colors and styles and various prices.

9. barrington st. anne tote with monogram stripe

How cute are these Barrington totes with a monogram stripe? I’d order one if I could quit playing around on their website and decide on which pattern and color combos I like the best. It’s become a hobby.

Best of all, they have a Mother’s Day promotion going on right now where you can get 10% off any purchase with the code MAMA10 at checkout.

10. j.crew pocket tank dress

These pocket tank dresses are so cute and would be great worn alone or thrown over a swimsuit. Plus, you can get an extra 30% off everything with the code ADDITUP at checkout.

That’s it for today.

Have a great Friday.

Well I had no idea that one of the keys to your collective hearts is a discussion involving a 1970’s sitcom. The comments on yesterday’s post about One Day At A Time were priceless. One of you even remembered the message Ann, Barbara and Julie left on their answering machine to which I can only say YOU ARE MY PEOPLE. Stay tuned for next week when we talk about What’s Happenin? or, even better, Too Close For Comfort.

Here are just a few quick things for today:

1. Nobody’s Cuter Than You

Maybe you’ve heard I have a new book out. Can’t remember if I’ve mentioned it.

Just a reminder that you still have until Friday to enter the bookstore photo contest. You can read all the details here to find out how you can enter and about the fabulous array of prizes.

Also, it appears that after a couple of glorious days of being in stock on Amazon, it’s out again. But you can find it online here at Barnes & Noble.

Thank you so much for how much love and support you’ve shown already. It means so much to me and I am so grateful that it’s made us all hug our girl friends a little tighter.

2. Why Women Need Each Other

Speaking of, there was an excerpt from the book on Ann Voskamp’s blog yesterday. You can read it here.

3. Shut up and Dance

Gulley’s mom posted this on Facebook yesterday and I’ve watched it about thirty-five times. I dare you to watch it and not be in a better mood.

That’s it for today.

See you tomorrow for Fashion Friday.

I made Caroline her eggs yesterday before the STAAR test so if she doesn’t get great scores it won’t be due to a lack of a nutritional breakfast. And then I did a bunch of stuff around the house before I met Gulley for lunch. We have a standing Tuesday lunch date and yesterday we chose to meet at Cappy’s. I ordered a cup of gumbo and this kale salad with a lemon vinaigrette and dried cherries that was absolutely delicious and it confirmed something for me that I’ve suspected for a long time.

I could really benefit from a personal chef.

No. Don’t argue with me. It’s true.

Because if I had a personal chef I’d eat more kale. And I realize I could try to imitate this kale salad at home but it wouldn’t be the same. Especially because most of the recipes I see for kale salad involve massaging the kale to soften it up and, frankly, that sounds more involved than I want to be.

The bottom line is I’d eat a lot healthier if I had someone to cut up some fruits and vegetables for me and arrange them in an attractive manner on a platter. This might help me choose a better snack alternative than a square of raw Nestle Ultimate Chocolate Chip cookie dough.

And I’m guessing it would also make my family happy because you can only declare that it’s TACO NIGHT so many times before everyone starts to suspect that maybe you’re just phoning it in.

Speaking of tacos, I was driving Caroline to soccer practice earlier this evening down a street called Nacogdoches here in town. For those of you who are unfamiliar, Nacogdoches is pronounced Naco-doches. The “g” is silent. And so I was delighted to see that right on Nacogdoches is a new Mexican restaurant called Taco Doches. I’m going to make plans to eat there just because I am a fan of a clever name.

Anyway, I got home from taking Caroline to practice and was catching up with P when he all of a sudden picked up my set of car keys and asked, “What on earth are all these keys for?”

“Um. I don’t know. Like Gulley’s house and my dad’s house and our house.”

He looked at it again and said, “Well that’s three keys. You have over twenty on this keychain.”

Why do people want to judge other’s choices?

So I replied, “Well, I’m not sure what they all go to but I don’t want to throw them out because what if it turns out to be a key I need?”

P shook his head, “I just don’t understand why you’d carry around all these keys that don’t have a purpose.”

“Maybe it’s because I want to be like Schneider.”

“Who’s Schneider?”

I looked at him incredulously, “What do you mean ‘who’s Schneider?’ SCHNEIDER. FROM ONE DAY AT A TIME.”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

So I explained that Schneider was the building superintendent for Ann Romano and her two daughters, Barbara and Julie, while P just looked at me. I exclaimed, “How can you not remember that show? Valerie Bertinelli was on it. Remember? She married Eddie Van Halen? And Mackenzie Phillips? She had a drug problem? And Schneider wore a denim vest and carried a big ring of keys on his belt!”

Nothing.

Clearly he was busy watching some subpar 1970’s television while I was engrossed in the weekly dynamics of whether Ann Romano and her daughters would make it in the big city.

Then just a little while ago, I pulled up the opening credits to One Day At A Time on Youtube and started playing it. P asked, “What is that?”

“It’s the opening music to One Day At A Time.”

And he looked right at me and asked, “You mean that show with Eddie Van Halen?”

Y’all.

I can’t even.

So I just said, “Yes, the show that starred Eddie Van Halen. And Schneider.”

Please tell me that you remember this.

It will also make me feel better if maybe you know all the lyrics by heart because I totally do. Which is knowledge that has come in so handy over the last thirty-five years.