Author: Big Mama

So I took yesterday off because I take Cinco de Mayo very seriously and wanted to focus on the importance of the day.

Or maybe I took the day off because P was out of town and Gulley came over Sunday night and stayed super late because we had so much to catch up on and I went straight to bed after she left.

Either way.

But we did, in fact, spend part of our weekend immersed in Cinco de Mayo celebrations. Except that we like to call it Crawfish de Mayo because we commemorate the occasion with a crawfish boil. And we also serve guacamole and chips since that’s only appropriate.

We started this tradition three years ago when we just happened to plan a crawfish boil the same weekend as Cinco de Mayo and decided it was one worth keeping. So we spent Saturday morning running around town to pick up the crawfish and icing down drinks in coolers and hanging festive decorations in our backyard. And then we made a banner because that is also an essential part of the festivities.

Later that evening I took this picture of the kids in front of the banner.

P pointed out that due to my stellar photography skills, it looks like we were celebrating with raw fish. Everyone’s a critic.

Thankfully, Caroline had taken this picture earlier so you can see the sign as it actually appeared.

And the best thing about a crawfish boil is that all the kids can have a their very own crawfish pet for the first thirty minutes of the party. However, it’s imperative that they don’t get emotionally attached since, you know, hard times are coming.

We had a great time getting together with friends and the weather couldn’t have been better. In fact, the whole weekend felt like the beginning of summer and that made Monday morning especially hard to bear because I put my summer pants on sometime Friday afternoon and wasn’t ready to surrender them. I don’t mean literal summer pants, I mean a mindset. Although I did wear shorts all weekend so technically maybe I do literally mean summer pants. I don’t know. I’m so confused.

As for the rest of the weekend, we got off to a great start on Friday afternoon. I drove straight from Houston to pick up Caroline from school and she got in the car beaming because she’d just found out her group made the talent show. I cannot even tell you the relief I felt over it.

We celebrated with ice cream at Baskin-Robbins and then spent the rest of Friday just relaxing until P got home from work and then we picked up Mexican food for dinner and watched some unfortunate action movies because no one in this house shares my taste in entertainment.

I believe I mentioned that we had a crawfish boil on Saturday. What I didn’t mention is that I was sad to discover our baby birds had flown the nest while I was out of town. They never write, they never call. Maybe they’ll show up when it’s time to do their bird laundry. It’s the least they could do after the way I obsessively stalked them for weeks.

And then Sunday was a big day. It was our first trip of the year to the neighborhood pool. I wasn’t sure I was emotionally ready and it’s really unprecedented for us to go the very first weekend in May, but Caroline and her friend Sadie were looking for something fun to do and I decided to throw caution to the wind and offer up an excursion to the pool. I even wore a swimsuit. I did not, however, actually get in the water because it was approximately four degrees above freezing.

But the girls didn’t seem to mind and that’s the beauty of having a ten-year-old. I no longer have to get in the pool. I brought a book, a large hat, Sour Patch Kids and sat in the shade while they milled around and jumped off the diving board and checked in with me every time they needed money for snacks. It was the perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

P left to go on a quick overnight fishing trip later that day, so Caroline and I went to eat dinner with Bops (Mimi’s out of town) and ended our night with some yogurt at TCBY.

And then Gulley came over after Caroline went to bed and we solved a variety of problems and caught up on everything from Little League baseball to our thoughts on Russia. Because we are multi-faceted.

Now I’m just gearing up for a busy week that kicks off a busy month. Who was it that first said May is essentially the spring version of December?

They weren’t lying.

So this is going to be a quick one because I’m actually writing this Thursday morning before I leave for Houston. And I knew that once I got to Houston I was going to be too busy to get this done and, well, the fashion must go on.

Or something like that.

Anyway, here are a few things I’ve seen this week that I love.

1. savannah embroidered shift dress

I don’t know if the length on this is too short, but I’m also taking into account that the model is 5’9″ and so it’s probably a little longer than it appears. But I love a great dress to throw on during the hot summer months and this one is really cute.

2. in the free world embroidered top

So obviously you’ll need something under this unless you have belly joy and that ship sailed for most of us many years ago. But I do think this top is gorgeous and would be pretty by itself or layered under a jacket. Plus it’s 40% off right now.

3. peach orchard crochet detail dress

I love the peach color and think it would look so pretty with turquoise jewelry. Personally, I’d wear this as a tunic over white skinny jeans or leggings.

4. forget me not drape front cardigan

A couple of years ago I bought one of these lightweight Free People sweater coats and I have adored it. It’s the perfect weight to throw on when the nights are a little cooler. I think this taupe color would be gorgeous over all white. Even better, it’s 40% off and only $64.80.

5. barcelona embroidered top

Another top that will need something under it. But isn’t it pretty?

6. kendra scott kiri teardrop birthstone necklace

I ran in the Kendra Scott store the other day and saw these birthstone pendants and fell in love. The colors are great, even the peridot for August which has always caused me grief. They’d make a great gift.

7. pacanda tank

I love the cut of this tank. And it comes in several other colors, including black and taupe. It’s a great thing to wear alone this summer and then under a jacket or sweater in the fall.

8. old navy rayon eyelet tank

These eyelet tanks are really cute and great to throw on with shorts or jeans this summer. It also comes in black and you can get 25% off with code SAVE through Saturday.

9. white sleeveless embroidery dress

I couldn’t wear this dress because the cut would be all wrong on me. But I felt like you need to see it because it’s so pretty and floaty and would look great if you have some fabulous summer vacation planned. It only comes in one size, but appears to be a pretty forgiving fit.

10. deux lux weekender bag

I have been in Everything But Water looking at swimsuits several different times already this year. Which is a whole tale of woe that I’ll save for another time. And while I haven’t had any swimsuit success, I eyeball this bag every time I’m in there. Sadly, I don’t think I can justify it because I don’t need another bag. But maybe you do. This one is even cuter in person than it appears in this picture. And it’s nice and big so it could fit all manner of pool and beach necessities.

And that’s it for today.

Have a great Friday.

You know how sometimes on T.V. shows or in movies they start with a scene that’s happening right now and then show you through flashbacks all the events that led up to that moment?

That’s what I’m doing when I tell you it’s 9:45 p.m. and I just got home about thirty minutes ago and I’m sitting on my couch drinking a glass of wine trying to decompress.

My day started off in a delightful way. Specifically, I didn’t have to pack a lunch for Caroline. Mimi and Bops were going to have lunch with her and any morning that doesn’t begin with me trying to figure out what to put in a lunch box feels like a victory.

And can I just briefly say that it’s not even May and I’m so over school? She had a form in her school folder yesterday about a Science Fair Project that’s due at the end of May and I have never been so tempted to say, “You know what? You’ve had an A in Science all year long and fifth grade doesn’t count for anything. Let’s ditch the project.” But that would be wrong.

Not to mention that she has a whole plan for the Science Fair that involves testing bacteria levels on various surfaces. Which means I may never be able to use a public restroom ever again. Assuming I figure out how we’re supposed to test bacteria levels. I’ve never been strong in the science arena.

Anyway, I had time for a cup of coffee and then I needed to get dressed and put on makeup because I was scheduled to speak to a group of moms at 9:30. It was a great group of moms with preschool kids and I loved our discussion. As I left the building and walked toward the parking lot, I went to turn the ringer back on my phone and that’s when I noticed I had seven missed calls from the school.

I immediately panicked and worried that maybe Caroline was sick and in the nurse’s office or had broken her arm on the playground or other worst case scenarios, but then realized there was a voicemail message. It was Caroline and this is what she said:

“Hi Mom. It’s me. Caroline. We need some clear beach balls for our talent show tryouts this afternoon. They have them at Michael’s. Please go get them for us. Love you. Bye.”

First, I’m glad she clarified who it was that was calling me Mom otherwise I never would have guessed it was her. Second, how does she know they have clear beach balls at Michael’s? Third, seven phone calls feels excessive for beach balls.

But I drove to Michael’s to get beach balls and only found regular beach balls, not clear ones. I’d gathered them in my basket and was headed to checkout when I heard someone say, “Melanie?” And I turned around to see another mom from Caroline’s group in the talent show who had also been sent on a beach ball mission. Because I guess our children think all we have to do during the day is look for clear beach balls. And we really did nothing to dispel that assumption today since there we both were in the aisles of Michael’s.

I met Gulley for lunch and we had a serious strategy session that required us to break out our calendars and plan for the summer. We hadn’t gotten the road trip on the books yet and needed to do so immediately before we made any other commitments because the road trip is non-negotiable. You’ll be glad to know we’ve decided on the last week of July/

After lunch I went to Central Market to buy snacks for Caroline and her talent show group because the moms were meeting the girls on the playground right after school for a quick snack before it was time for them to tryout. This was about the time I began to regret that I’d chosen to wear high wedge heels.

The girls were so nervous, but did great during the tryout as far as we could tell. Parents technically weren’t allowed to watch but we may have peered through some tiny glass windows to see what was going on. And I have no idea when we find out if their group made it, but I’m sure you’ll be on the edge of your seat wondering about it.

We left the school and I dropped a couple of other girls off at their houses and then we headed home. P was home a little earlier than usual and so I left Caroline at home while I went to go early vote in our local elections because I am a firm believer in exercising my right to vote. And then I left City Hall and drove to the Barbecue Station to pick up dinner for our neighbors who just had a baby.

And then.

And then. I took Caroline and her friend Sadie to the junior high because tonight was the night for incoming sixth graders to try out all the various instruments and decide what they’d like to play next year. Have you ever been in a room with an assortment of untrained wannabe musicians trying out the tuba and the bassoon and the french horn?

If the answer is no, then you have led a rich, good life.

If the answer is yes, then you and I have a new understanding of what the other has endured.

I really thought the whole thing would take maybe, MAYBE, an hour. But Caroline had her heart set on the flute and the flute is a hot ticket for almost sixth grade girls and the line indicated its enormous popularity. The precious flute teacher declared Caroline to be “a natural” and I don’t know if that’s true or not, but I felt vindicated because I was told in sixth grade that my mouth is shaped wrong for the flute. Not that I’m still bitter about it. Or the fact that I had to play the clarinet instead.

Ultimately, after you tried all the instruments and listed them in the order you’d like to play, you had to wait in a LOOOOONG line to talk to the band director. And then after you got his approval for an instrument, you had to wait in another line for the privilege of arranging to rent or buy the instrument.

So at 9:02 I finally walked in my back door with Caroline. And a signed rental agreement for a flute. I hate to be a skeptic, but if our family’s past band history is any indication, I don’t believe actually purchasing a flute is in our best financial interest. We’d be better off putting our money in a banana stand.

Because there’s always money in the banana stand.

Bonus points if you can name that T.V. show.

You don’t even want to know how long I sat here to come up with that title. It’s really embarrassing considering that I ultimately used a word that isn’t even a word.

But there are three great things you have to know about that are releasing today that you don’t want to miss. Hence, the terrific-ness.

1. The Nesting Place: It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect to Be Beautiful by Myquillyn Smith

Some of you may know Myquillyn as Nester. Her blog was the first home blog I ever followed because I fell in love with her motto, “It doesn’t have to be perfect to be beautiful”. As much as I can walk into a clothing store and put together an outfit, I often find myself frozen when it comes to making changes around the house because I get overwhelmed and freak out and worry it’s too much or not enough.

But Myquillyn set me free. Walls can be repainted. Furniture can be slipcovered. Window treatments can be made out of fabric that’s hot-glued at the bottom.

That is the heart of her gorgeous first book. Yes, it’s a book that will inspire you to look around your house and see it with fresh eyes, but more importantly it’s about embracing the beauty of real life and chaos and imperfection.

You will love it. And I happen to know firsthand that it looks great displayed on your coffee table. This is a book I’ll pick up time and time again. You can find it here on Amazon or here at B&N or in your local bookstore.

2. Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It by Jennifer Fulwiler

I mentioned this book by my friend Jen Fulwiler last week, but it officially releases today and I know you’ll love it. Here’s a little description:

“Raised in a happy, atheist home, Jennifer had the freedom to think for herself and play by her own rules. Yet a creeping darkness followed her all of her life. Finally, one winter night, it drove her to the edge of her balcony, making her ask once and for all why anything mattered. At that moment everything she knew and believed was shattered.”

This book follows Jen’s journey from atheism to her conversion to Christianity. As I read it I was reminded of all the reasons she’s one of my favorite people to meet for lunch; she’s funny, smart, and has absolutely experienced how God pursues us often in spite of ourselves.

And she’s having an awesome release party complete with all manner of prizes and giveaways. You can find out more on her blog here.

You can find her book here on Amazon, here on B&N, or in your neighborhood book store.

3. Passion: Take It All

I wait every year for the latest Passion CD to be released. And then I will listen to it over and over again until I wear it out.

I received an early copy of this one last week and already love it. You can download it on iTunes here or find an actual CD on Amazon here.

And so there you have it. Tuesday Triple Terrific-ness.

I hoped I would be happier with that title by the end of this post.

I’m not.

Oh, I wrote a post about my thoughts on this season of Mad Men over on Pioneer Woman today in case you want to read it. You can find it here.

At the risk of making you all terribly envious (except for those of you who also live in San Antonio) I will tell you that today is a holiday here. That’s right. No school. No packing a lunch. No scrambling to make sure everything is in the backpack.

But if it makes you feel any better, we have to be at a soccer game by 7:45 a.m. on Saturday morning. I’m sure I will look fresh as a daisy.

Speaking of fresh as a daisy, can we talk about Duchess Kate for just a moment? She never sweats. She’s been on the Royal Tour of Australia for like nineteen days now and she gets off a plane with her baby looking better than I did on my wedding day.

I don’t even understand.

If I had flown with Caroline when she was nine months old, I would have gotten off the plane looking like a prisoner of war.

I also need to know about her hair. I don’t say this lightly, but it may be the best head of hair I’ve ever seen on a person and that’s including Jennifer Aniston during the Friends years.

All that to say, I’ll be sad when this Royal Tour ends. It’s become part of my daily routine to read all manner of information about what Kate is wearing and, true confession, I’ve even watched some Australian news videos for even more coverage.

And, because I have studied the entire thing extensively, I will share my favorite outfit of the tour thus far.

I’m in absolute love with that dress. And those shoes. I even looked at those shoes on Zappos for a minute before I was plummeted back to the reality that I am not in fact royalty and P would disown me for spending $400 on shoes. But in case you’re interested, they’re still available in a size 10 1/2 or an 11 at Zappos here. Which tells me that a lot of women with smaller feet lost their ever-loving minds and bought those shoes.

Anyway, now for some lovely things for those of us who live in the real world where we have to think about things like utility bills and food:

1. old navy eyelet shift dress

I realize this is a far cry from Kate’s dress, but it is eyelet and does come in several colors including white. I tried it on this week and it’s really cute and runs true to size.

Even better, everything at Old Navy is currently 30% off with code ONSAVENOW at checkout.

2. max and mia crinkled maxi skirt

Several of you asked about the outfit I was wearing on Easter. It was this skirt from Nordstrom in the coral/red color. It is the best maxi skirt because it’s so flawy. And it’s on sale for $49.90.

As for the rest of my outfit, it was a $5.00 gray t-shirt from Old Navy and a denim jacket from Gap that’s approximately fifteen years old.

3. old navy sleeveless shift dress

I loved this shift dress from Old Navy last summer and am glad to see it back again. A super easy piece to throw on with sandals.

4. gap stripe foldover skirt

Gap just got some new skirts in and this is one of them. I love the red (just imagine how festive you could be for Memorial Day and 4th of July).

And Gap is offering an extra 30% with code SPRING at checkout.

5. old navy embroidered eyelet tank

This is another top I tried on at Old Navy this week. It’s much cuter on than it appears in this picture. It’s a great piece to wear with all manner of colored shorts and jeans this summer.

6. old navy eyelet tunic coverup

Gulley and I looked at swimsuits and coverups when we went shopping on Monday and we saw several that looked similar to this that were way more expensive. This also comes in black.

7. gap pintuck skirt

Here’s another one of the new skirts at Gap. It comes in white or navy and I think it’s really cute with those pin tucks. Plus it doesn’t feel too stiff. The fabric is really soft.

8. david & young infinity scarf

I saw this scarf at Nordstrom this week and really loved it. It’s a great summer weight if you don’t live in South Texas where it will be hotter than the surface of the sun.

And I also loved this floral print infinity scarf.

How pretty is that blue?

9. gemima drop waist dress

I love this. And it’s white which makes me nervous, but it’s fully lined. I think it would look so great with that blue scarf in #8 and some sandals. And a tan.

10. gap essential faded v-neck tee

I’m a fan of good t-shirts in the summer and this is a good t-shirt. I’m particularly in love with this green color, but any color will do, pig. And color will do.

That’s it for today.

Have a great Friday.