Author: Big Mama

Okay.

Why did I just start this with “okay”? Am I suddenly Leo Getz from Lethal Weapon? “Whatever Leo wants, Leo Getz”.

What I’m trying to say is that before I get started with Fashion Friday today, I have to tell you about something else that you’re going to want to buy to start a new tradition with your family this Christmas. I realize it seems to early to talk about Christmas, but there are Halloween decorations at Michael’s which means we are about one week away from a barrage of dancing Santas.

My dear friend Ann Voskamp has a new book out today. It’s called The Greatest Gift: Unwrapping the Full Love Story of Christmas. It features beautiful readings that each point to the coming of Christ for every day of Advent, tracing the Messiah’s lineage through the Old Testament and culminating in his birth.

Isn’t it gorgeous? And the parts I’ve read are written in that stunningly beautiful way that is so unique to Ann, each line it’s own bit of poetry. Here’s a brief excerpt:

The coming of Christ was right through families of messed-up monarchs and battling brothers, through affairs and adultery and more than a feud or two, through skeletons in closets and cheaters at tables. It was in that time of prophets and kings, the time of Mary and Joseph, that men were in genealogies and women were invisible. But for Jesus, women had names and stories and lives that mattered.
The family tree of Christ startlingly notes not one woman but four. Four broken women—women who felt like outsiders, like has-beens, like never-beens. Women who were weary of being taken advantage of, of being unnoticed and uncherished and unappreciated; women who didn’t fit in, who didn’t know how to keep going, what to believe, where to go—women who had thought about giving up. and Jesus claims exactly these who are wander- ing and wondering and wounded and worn out as His. He grafts you into his line and his story and His heart, and he gives you his name, his lineage, his righteousness. He graces you with plain grace.
Is there a greater Gift you could want or need or have? Christ comes right to your Christmas tree and looks at your family tree and says, “I am your God, and I am one of you, and I’ll be the Gift, and I’ll take you. Take Me?”

You can buy it here on Amazon or here at Barnes & Noble.

I can’t wait for this book to become part of our Christmas celebration each year.

And now for some cute clothes. (How’s that for worst transition ever?)

1. striped merino wool blend sweater dress

At some point I’m going to quit complaining about the lack of cute maroon clothes. But considering that it’s the first weekend of college football, it probably won’t happen anytime soon.

So when I see something appealing in maroon, it jumps out at me. Not literally because that would be frightening.

Anyway, I saw this dress at Loft yesterday and it is precious. Sadly, it is made of merino wool so probably won’t be appropriate gameday wear in Texas until mid-October.

2. baka cut sling backs

I think these are so cute.

3. hastings street georgette blouse

This is not maroon. It’s magenta. There’s a big difference. But I do think this would look really pretty with jeans for the fall.

4. naughty monkey fall fever boot

Why is it that when I see the brand name Naughty Monkey I want to channel my inner Austin Powers and say, “OH BEHAVE”?

Whatever. I like these boots. They’re kind of different and priced well for a boot. Or a pair of boots. Because just one wouldn’t do you much good.

5. l’artiste curvy plus top

I realize I am bad about posting plus-size things, but here is something I found yesterday. I love this top. The colors are gorgeous and the style is just perfect.

6. deka crocheted bootie

Just because my bootie search is over doesn’t mean yours is. These are really pretty.

7. sam & libby leopard ankle boot

I was in Target the other day and came so close to buying these. They are cuter in person than they are here and they also come in black. And for the three minutes I had them on my feet they didn’t appear to be too uncomfortable.

I think the leopard could be really fun for winter. Just think of it as a neutral.

8. plaid shirts

Plaid is one of the big trends for fall and Old Navy has several plaid shirts for sale right now. In fact, everything at Old Navy is 30% off all weekend.

9. frost free vest

This vest is also from Old Navy and it comes in a bunch of great colors. I really like this color though. I’d wear it with jeans and boots over the shirt I just mentioned above.

10. cowl neck tunic

I’m always on the lookout for warm, cozy things I can just throw on when the weather cools off. I realize it’s going to be 102 this weekend, but just humor me please when I say that certainly cooler weather isn’t too far off.

That’s it for today.

Y’all have a good Friday.

Oh. And GIG’EM AGGIES.

I think I’ve officially reached the point in back to school week when your momentum begins to slow down. I didn’t get out of bed with the same enthusiasm I did way back on Monday morning. My throat felt sore and I began to daydream about Saturday morning and no alarm clocks.

It’s just all such an adjustment. I’ve filled out forms and surveys and signed various documents and helped Caroline with science homework that caused me to have to recall the steps to prove a hypothesis. I’ve packed lunches and cooked dinner and driven to soccer practice. And you know what I haven’t done one time this week? Sat by the pool.

Re-entry is a tough old bird.

And I’m assuming most you don’t care to hear the riveting tale of how I put my fall wreath on the front door and hung my Aggie flag yesterday in celebration of game week. Which is fortunate because I just told you the whole story in my previous sentence. And P didn’t even look up when I said I had nothing to write about tonight. It’s like he’s been hearing that every night for seven years or something.

But then I thought about something Sophie and I briefly talked about in the podcast yesterday. Well, technically, we didn’t talk about it, but we talked about J. Lo singing with T. Swift (I know. T. Swift. Like I’m so down with the kids. But it fits with J. Lo.) and if you watched the video then you might remember that Taylor is the one that actually brought up this specific subject.

What song did you like to lip synch to in your bedroom when you were anywhere between the ages of 12 to 17? Or, you know, yesterday? There’s no judgment here.

But I’m thinking specifically about those angst-y, dramatic teen years when you really knew what Bonnie Tyler meant when she sang, “I don’t know what to do and I’m always in the dark. We’re living in a powder keg and giving off sparks.” because (hypothetically speaking) your boyfriend Danny broke up with you right as you were leaving the junior high dance at the YMCA and you still had to see him when everyone met up at Mr. Gatti’s ten minutes later.

Here’s my own personal list. Please remember that we are not here to judge other’s choices. The heart and the hairbrush mic wants what it wants. Also, this is by no means a comprehensive list. No one possibly has that much time. These are just the first ten that came to mind.

1. Hard to Say I’m Sorry – Chicago

This is still one of my favorites. In fact, if you told me I could only listen to one group for the rest of eternity, Chicago might be my pick. I have no explanation for this other than Peter Cetera and David Foster.

2. Keep On Lovin’ You – Reo Speedwagon

This was the line I really liked to belt out, “When I said that I love you, I meant that I love you forever.” Or until you wore those dorky looking jeans to the eighth grade pep rally. Whatever.

3. Crazy for You – Madonna

I never saw Vision Quest because I wasn’t allowed to see rated R movies when it came out. And then by the time I was old enough, I no longer cared to watch a love story involving a high school wrestler. Is that what the movie is about? That’s just what I gleaned.

Anyway, it gave the world this song and for that I am grateful. Or at least I was back in 1985.

4. Let’s Hear it for the Boy – Deniece Williams

Because love isn’t always a downer. Some days when my potent cocktail of teenage hormones was just right, I felt optimistic about life. This usually coincided with being invited to some sort of dance by a cute boy who really needed to shave the six hairs on his face, but hadn’t started shaving yet because, well, he only had six hairs on his face.

5. Hard Habit to Break – Chicago

How would you feel if I told you I had to buy the Chicago 17 cassette three different times because I kept overplaying it and the tape would get all mangled in my sweet York stereo system with dual cassette players?

6. Forever – Kenny Loggins

This is a big one for me. I even learned how to play it on the piano. And you know what’s more dramatic than a fourteen-year-old girl playing a love song on the piano?

Nothing.

7. Faithfully – Journey

Journey is another strong contender for group I’d choose if I could only listen to one group for the rest of my life. And honestly I almost went with Open Arms here. It’s a toss up.

8. What Have You Done for Me Lately? – Janet Jackson

Those of you who didn’t actually own the Control album may not be aware of the best part of this song. At the very beginning there are girls just talking and one of them says, “I know he USED to do nice things for you, but what has he done for you LATELY?” And you have to say LATELY with strong emphasis on both syllables, like it’s two separate words.

9. Fortress Around Your Heart – Sting

Clearly as I got older I had to move away from the senseless pop music of my early years and exchange it for a sophisticated, intellectual sound. This was about the time I discovered The Dream of the Blue Turtles and it fit the bill. I mean, blue turtles? That’s deep.

10. Lookin’ for A New Love – Jody Watley

If I weren’t so tired, I’d find the picture of me from junior/senior prom where I essentially made my hair look like Jody Watley’s thanks to a phenomenal spiral perm and a tiny curling iron. It was one of my finest hair moments of the entire decade.

Sadly, my date dumped me the following week for the girl who was part of the couple we double-dated with to the prom. Which is for the best since he obviously had no appreciation for a girl who could use a whole bottle of Aussie Sprunch Spray in one evening.

Please join me in this humbling walk down memory lane. What were your songs? Did you sing them into a hairbrush? A curling iron? Don’t be afraid to share. This is a safe place.

Well I really thought that our podcast streak would end now that summer is over. But Sophie and I are apparently serious about this whole consistency thing.

For now.

I can’t really guarantee that it will last because our track record for such things isn’t the best. Which is one of the topics we discuss in this episode. We also have some thoughts on the VMA’s, Ben Affleck, college football and why we enjoy potato chips more in the summer. It’s pretty much like listening to CNN.

And in the interest of providing you with a thorough podcast experience, here’s the Taylor Swift / JLo video that I mention, and here’s the Kristen Chenoweth video that Sophie talks about.

You can click here to listen. Or here. Or, as always, you can subscribe on iTunes if you’re feeling particularly fancy.

You guys.

I have a fifth grader.

I realize this isn’t necessarily breaking news to most of you and certainly shouldn’t come as a shock to me, but it hit me loud and clear yesterday morning as I took the obligatory first day of school pictures of Caroline.

That does not look remotely like this picture taken on the first day of Kindergarten.

All of a sudden I have a ten year old with long legs and size six feet and no sign of baby fat on her face. She’s one of the big kids at her school now. And that all sunk in as I walked away from dropping her off at her classroom yesterday morning. This is our last year of elementary school. Next year she’ll be walking into junior high.

As you can imagine I was totally emotionally stable once I reached the safety of my car and let the full weight of that sink in. I’m sure none of the other parents felt frightened at all if they happened to look my direction.

Fortunately she was nothing but thrilled at the realization that she’s the king of the hill this year and jumped out of the car with an emphatic “Let’s do this!”. I could tell she got a little nervous as we walked in her new classroom, but she seemed to be okay once a few friends began to filter in.

(Side note before you all ask about her bangs: She still loves them. She just chose to wear them pulled back in a headband for the first day of school because she doesn’t care that her mother might have wanted proper documentation of the current state of her hair. We also had to braid her hair the night before so it would be wavy. Heaven help me if she ever discovers the 80’s wonder known as the waffle iron.)

After I regained my composure, I went to Smart Barre. For the first time since June. And then I cried some more. But not from emotion, from pain. At one point we had to do that loathsome chair sit move with a ball between our legs until I thought I was going to pass out. The only thing that got me through was imagining myself hurling that ball right at our instructor like I was Ben Stiller in Dodgeball.

The rest of the day I ran errands and other various things until it was time to pick Caroline up from school. The carpool line was filled with approximately all 1,000 parents whose children attend our school, including at least 300 first grade parents who had no idea how the carpool line actually works.

But eventually Caroline hopped in the car and announced it had been a great day. And that’s when I got the bad news.

She forgot her new lunchbox at school. Her new lunchbox. With her new thermos. That’s full of meat juice remains.

I can only hope for the sake of her teacher and fellow classmates that she put the thermos lid back on tight. Otherwise there is going to be a “smell” situation in that classroom tomorrow.

And see how in just twenty-four hours you can feel like you should have just let your child take their lunch in a brown bag?

The thing about a brown bag is you can throw it away and not worry about bleaching the two day old meat juice smell out of it.

Live and learn.

After the announcement of the sorrowful lunchbox news, we stopped by Mimi and Bops’s house to fill them in on the day and then met Gulley and her boys at Baskin-Robbins for ice cream. This wasn’t an original idea. Every child in our zip code was also enjoying ice cream as a delicious back to school treat. Which is why I felt completely justified in getting myself a scoop of peanut butter and chocolate ice cream as a reward for waiting in that line. Between that and my morning at Smart Barre, I’d more than earned it.

And the nicest part of the day was when I looked up and realized that my sweet baby may be a sophisticated fifth grader, but it doesn’t mean she’s figured out how to eat ice cream without making a mess.

So it’s the first day of fifth grade at our house.

Actually, it’s the night before the first day of fifth grade, but by the time most of you read this, Caroline will be sitting in her classroom writing her name on all her new school supplies.

The good news is that getting to bed at a decent hour wasn’t an issue like it’s been in the past because Caroline played in a soccer tournament all weekend. We had to set the alarm for 6:15 a.m. on Saturday morning and I will tell you that it wasn’t a kind and gentle re-entry to the real world. There was wailing and whining and cries of “WHY IS MY LIFE SO HARD?” And Caroline wasn’t that happy either.

(That’s not true. She was ecstatic to play soccer and leapt out of bed. I blame her father’s DNA.)

We were at the soccer fields way across town by 8:00 a.m. I didn’t even have time to drink a cup of coffee. Which is why my first order of business, after getting Caroline settled with her team and leaving P to set up our tent and chairs, was to find a Diet Coke. And a breakfast taco.

Let me tell you about morning sporting events in San Antonio. There are almost always breakfast tacos available for purchase. I find it to be a very civilized way to live.

Caroline’s team tied the first game and then we had to wait almost three hours between games. By the time they lost their second game and we got in the car to head home it was almost 2:00 p.m. The thermometer in the car read 126 degrees. You know when Dorothy throws water on the Wicked Witch in Wizard of Oz and she shrieks, “I’m melting! I’m melting!”? That witch had it good compared to my situation.

Sadly, when we got home I realized we needed some things from the grocery store. So I got back in the car and ran to HEB before I lost my will to grocery shop. Or live. And this is where I need to issue an apology to everyone in that HEB on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. That smell was me.

I unpacked the groceries and headed straight to the shower, put on my pajamas and got on the couch. And that is where I remained until 9:05 p.m. at which time I went to bed. Ironically, Caroline said she didn’t feel tired at all. Which kind of makes me feel like a loser considering she’s the one that actually played soccer for two solid hours in the blazing heat while I drank Diet Coke under a shade tent.

On Sunday morning we had one more soccer game so we drove back across town to sweat some more. But before we left the house, I cut up onions and carrots and put a roast in the crockpot so we could have a delicious back- to-school dinner waiting for us later that evening. I have never felt more “I AM WOMAN, HEAR ME ROAR”.

(I’m sure the feeling of accomplishment that comes with putting a roast in the crockpot was exactly what the feminist movement was aiming for.)

Anyway, the girls played so hard, but ended up tying the final game and were eliminated from the tournament so we were back home by noon. And as soon as we walked in the house Caroline asked, “What’s that terrible smell? It smells awful in here.”

P replied, “That’s your dinner cooking.”

Sadly, it was the truth. But it didn’t really smell bad. It just smelled like meat and onions cooking in the middle of the day after you’ve been out in the heat and not the usual smell of our house.

(I don’t know what our usual house smell is but you know it has one. All houses have a smell.)

(And now I feel like the word “smell” sounds weird.)

The rest of the day we just relaxed and figured out what Caroline was going to wear for the first day of school until it was almost time for dinner. I had been relieved of all my roast insecurities after taking a quick taste test and decided it was a good time to pull out Caroline’s school bag and lunchbox so we’d be ready for the morning. The only problem was I couldn’t find her lunchbox. We’d bought a new one right at the end of last school year and Caroline told me that she was perfectly happy to just use that one since it was practically brand new. So I put it away somewhere for the summer. If you could tell me where “somewhere” is, I’d give you fives of dollars in cold, hard American cash.

It was nowhere to be found. There is no one that can hide things in a more obscure place than me. I once lost an entire Nativity scene. How is that even possible?

Caroline and P helped me look but, alas, our efforts were for naught. Caroline announced that she could just bring her lunch in a brown bag. And I decided we just needed to sit down and eat dinner before it got cold. After all, I’d slaved over that roast for five minutes.

For all her concerns about the smell, Caroline pronounced the roast as “heaven on earth” and asked if she could take the leftovers for lunch. Then she said it wasn’t so much the meat she cared about, but the “meat juice”. She asked if she could just take the “meat juice” (some people call it gravy) to school in a thermos.

And that’s when I knew I was going to have to drive to Target after dinner to buy her a new lunchbox. Because I just felt like it would be a new low to send my child to the first day of fifth grade with a thermos full of “meat juice” in a brown paper bag.

I had visions of every other little girl in her class opening up their monogrammed lunchboxes with sandwiches cut to look like butterflies while Caroline ripped open her brown bag and slurped up some “meat juice”.

There are so many things as a mother that you can’t control. I feel like the first day of school is such a reminder of that. You hope they make new friends, you hope they’ll remember to be kind to everyone, you hope they remember their good manners. You can beat all those drums loudly every chance you get, but ultimately they have to figure it all out for themselves once they walk through the doors of that school.

But you know what you can control?

Not sending your baby to school with a thermos full of “meat juice” in a brown paper bag on the first day of school.

Which is why I was in the lunchbox aisle at Target at 8:00 p.m.

Well I woke up yesterday morning and my left eye was twitching. And it has continued to twitch all day long. I don’t know what has gone awry but nothing makes you feel like people might think you’re a tad crazy than when you’re trying to have a conversation and your eye keeps twitching.

My friend Michelle said it was from lack of sleep and that could very well be the case. However, given that I woke up at the crack of 10:30 yesterday morning, I don’t know that it applies to my situation.

Here’s hoping it gets better soon. Otherwise I feel like it has the potential to become a little Edgar Allan Poe Tell-Tale Heart around here.

But enough about my eye.

1. chambray western shirt

I tried this on in Nordstrom on Wednesday and really liked it. It’s a great color, a good length, and fitted enough that it doesn’t look frumpy. I will tell you that you should probably order it a size up from your normal size.

I know I keep saying this but a chambray shirt is a stable. You can wear it with colored jeans, a maxi skirt, black pants, over a cute dress to transition it into fall. It will be the most versatile piece in your closet.

2. cross my heart sweater

This is another thing I tried on the other night and I will tell you the pictures don’t do it justice. It is so unbelievably soft and is a great length to wear with skinny jeans. I think I’d wear it all winter long.

3. disco boot

Here’s what I finally figured out about the bootie. I personally like the ones that have some sort of buckle or more of a western look. I know some people may prefer the more streamlined boot-shoe look (shootie) and I think they look darling on others. (I also feel this way about flats)

But, as for me, without a buckle or some other something they remind me too much of the suede booties I wore in 9th grade with a long green sweater skirt outfit I bought from 5*7*9.

(I didn’t know those stores still existed but I just googled it and there’s one here in San Antonio. I had no idea.)

4. autumn’s calling coat

This is going to be the year to have a cute, colorful coat. I love the style of this one but I can’t wear anything orange in the fall because of college football.

5. safari times cardigan

I am aware that this picture is miniscule but did I mention that my eye is twitching? I’m doing the best I can.

Anyway, I love this sweater coat. It would look great with jeans and boots.

6. fuschia knot maternity dress

Okay, so several people have emailed to request that I do a maternity version of Fashion Friday. Which is great except I’m not pregnant and don’t really care to look at maternity clothes.

However, this is the dress that Princess Kate is wearing in that darling picture her daddy took of her and William with baby George and the dogs in the backyard. And it’s only $79.

If I were pregnant I’d buy three of these in assorted colors and call it good.

7. crinkled maxi skirt

I linked to this skirt earlier in the summer and several of you emailed to tell me how much you love it. It’s a forgiving maxi skirt that doesn’t require special undergarments. Best of all, it’s now 40% off and is only $46.80.

It also comes in black or coral.

8. circle chandelier drop earring

I think these are pretty.

9. ruched sleeve cardigan

Okay, another Nordstrom item. I saw a whole rack of these the other night and loved all the colors.

10. factory quilted puffer vest

Lately I’ve pinned several outfits on Pinterest that require a puffer vest. I really like this one. And you can get an extra 30% off with the code SALE30 at checkout.

That’s it for today.

Have a good Friday.