A girl and her fish
Summertime
And the fishing is easy
At least it was for Caroline.
My sources tell me that her daddy didn’t catch anything.
Author: Big Mama
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Fashion Friday: Edition it’s officially summer
Wow. How is it Friday already?
I guess that’s one of the things about summer. All the days just blend together and there isn’t much difference between a Tuesday and a Thursday. And then maybe you spend all day thinking Wednesday is Tuesday. And before you know it another week has gone by.
Or maybe it’s just me.
Anyway, it works out that today is Friday because I spent all day yesterday by myself because Caroline went to the ranch with P and there is no way I can make my day of running errands sound interesting.
So, here are a few cute things I’ve seen this week.
I saw this a few weeks ago at Anthropologie and thought it would look so great with white jeans. And now it’s on sale. Which means it would look even better with white jeans.
2. mexican embroidered tunic/dress
Speaking of things that would look good with white jeans, I love any sort of Mexican embroidered top. Especially if it comes down a little long like a tunic.
I know it’s 152 degrees here right now, but sometimes an outfit still needs some accessorizing. This scarf is the perfect thing because it’s lightweight and such a great color.
4. pink jersey ruffle bottom dress
I am such a fan of a dress in the summer because it eliminates all the issues I have with shorts. Plus, it’s one step dressing. Like Garanimals for adults.
This is such a gorgeous color. I can just see it paired with some turquoise jewelry and worn to dinner during some fabulous vacation on an island somewhere.
If that is in your future, can I go with you?
Several of you have asked about a maxi dress that isn’t quite so bare. I think this one is perfect. It’s long and comfortable, but with a little more coverage.
I saw this skirt in Old Navy yesterday except it was white and orange striped. I like it better in those colors, but they didn’t show those colors online. So just picture it in your head. And maybe go see if they have it at your local store.
\I realize all these stripes and navy and one-shouldered business might not be for everyone, but I saw this and just thought it was too cute not to feature. My deepest wish is that someone, somewhere, would be able to rock this dress. And then tell me how that feels.
9. bahia hobo
Cute, cute summer bag. And it’s on sale.
10. diagonal stripe jersey tank
Old Navy also had these darling tanks with diagonal stripes in various colors. I thought they were darling.
And speaking of Old Navy tanks, this weekend (IN STORES ONLY) is the Old Navy tank top event. All tanks for only $2.00. TWO DOLLARS. You could buy them and use them as dust cloths.
Assuming you’re not like me and actually dust from time to time.
Y’all have a great Friday.
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And then I took my One-A-Day plus iron and went to bed at 9:00 p.m.
We had some major thunderstorms come through last night. I honestly can’t explain the excitement I felt when I woke up around 1 a.m. and heard RAIN. Actual rain. Falling from the sky.
I was half-tempted to go just stand out in it.
Until the lightning flashed and lit up our entire bedroom.
We’re in the midst of a major drought and so the rain was much needed. Not to mention it cooled temps down to a fall-like 98 degrees.
But the thunder kept us all awake last night and so Caroline and I slept in until 10:00 a.m. I would feel bad about that except I totally don’t. I paid my 6 a.m. dues for many a morning for the last seven years and feel like I deserve the occasional late morning wake up call.
Eventually we got dressed and met AJ and her nephew, Wilson, for lunch. Gulley and her boys joined us as well and Gulley and I got great delight from watching AJ deal with a three year old who did NOT want to eat his chicken fingers while there was fun to be had and big kids to impress.
Later in the afternoon, Gulley and I ventured back to the pool with the kids. As God is our witness, we will not let the grill issues steal our pool joy. We intend to persevere and sneak in some sandwiches if it comes to that. But as we set our stuff down on some lounge chairs, I realized we are both suffering from some lingering grill bitterness because the “manager” of the pool grill walked right by us and Gulley said, “If he’d spend as much time worrying about the pool grill as he spends trying to keep those sunglasses balanced backwards on his head, maybe we could get our chicken fingers”.
Because, yes, we have determined part of the grill issues seem to lie with the grill “manager” who appears to be all of nineteen years old, wears Oakley sunglasses backwards on his head, black Vans high-tops unlaced and yesterday had on a shirt that declared “SAVE SECOND BASE” in hot pink neon letters. Yes, it was a shirt to support the fight for breast cancer but I bet I’m not the only mother who doesn’t really want to explain the concept of second base to my child unless we’re talking about baseball.
So now I’m going to have to put on my old fogey hat and my grandma pants and complain to someone with some actual authority.
And speaking of my old fogey hat, Gulley and I were sitting in some lounge chairs by the deep end watching the kids dive and do the pencil and, in Will’s case, CANNONBALL!!!! There was about a fourteen year old girl sitting right in front of us with her legs dangling in the pool while multiple teenage boys did various flips and jack-knives in an attempt to impress her because nothing says YOUNG LOVE like a double twist with a flip by a boy who has yet to grow real chest hair.
Gulley and I were in the middle of a discussion about television and somehow began to reminisce about the summer that MTV first appeared and how there were some parents who were totally opposed to all things MTV and its evil cousin, Friday Night Videos. Then Gulley asked, “Do they even make music videos anymore?”
And I said, “I don’t know. The only station that I ever see play music videos is CMT.”
“What about VH-1? Do they play videos?”
“I don’t know. Every time I turn it on they just have on movies like Footloose or something about Michael Jackson.”
“That’s true. And all MTV has on are shows like Jersey Shore or The Real World/Road Rules Part 700. Remember when they used to play stuff like that A-Ha video for “Take On Me” that had all that cool animation?”
“YES! Whatever happened to the music video?”
It was right at this moment that Gulley and I both saw that teenage girl sitting in front of us turn her head to give us a side glance and then ROLL HER EYES as she let out an AUDIBLE SIGH. As if to convey, “Who let Maude and Hazel into the pool?”
And I feel it’s important to document this because I guess it means yesterday was the day we officially became a couple of old biddies sitting by the pool. We might as well have been talking about our rheumatism.
But, seriously, do they still make music videos?
And, if so, do they ever play them on MTV?
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Now if I can teach him to make balloon animals
I know y’all probably get tired of me talking about the heat, but look at this.
And that was after we’d been in the car for a few minutes. It originally read 126.
I’m not kidding.
Also, the yellow hazard light is lit because the stay wag was having brake light issues that have since been remedied. I know you’re so relieved.
Anyway, we have even been under heat advisories. That kind of thing doesn’t generally happen in Texas because, well, it’s Texas. It’s supposed to be hot. And as P likes to remind me (multiple times!) every summer, when you live in San Antonio you’re practically living on the edge of a desert.
But yet I continue to complain about the heat.
Needless to say, we’ve been spending a lot of time inside this week for two reasons.
1. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this, but it’s hot.
2. I still haven’t recovered from our pool grill experience on Friday night and so we haven’t been back.
3. Plus, we’ve been busy doing other things like going to Target and my niece, Sarah’s, birthday party. Oh, and going to see Mr. Popper’s Penguins.
(Two thumbs up on Mr. Popper’s Penguins, by the way. Normally I have a hard time watching Jim Carrey because his face moves about in an unnatural way that I find disturbing.)
(Yes, I realize I listed three things but I didn’t realize there would be three things and now I don’t want to go back and change it.)
And so, in the midst of this heat wave, P and Caroline have discovered a new hobby.
Face painting.
It all began one afternoon when Caroline decided to give me a makeover, which turned into my face being caked with enough makeup to make Tammy Faye Baker weep. Then she asked P if she could paint his face. And, ultimately, he ended up painting her face.
That’s when we discovered that P has a hidden talent.
A cheetah.
A warthog.
A dying warthog.
A bass.
I know.
You’re most likely speechless from the display of talent. I’ve been married to P for almost fourteen years and had no idea.
But I think I may start hiring him out for birthday parties.
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Big Boo Cast: Episode we talk a lot about television
Yes. It’s true.
Three podcasts in a timely manner. We’re practically the next Oprah.
But Caroline and P were out of town last night, so I felt like it was an opportune time to record a podcast and Sophie totally agreed. However, we experienced several internet issues. Which should come as no surprise given our history.
Fortunately, Skype came to the rescue and we were able to get the whole thing up and running. I know you’ll be so glad as you listen to us go on endlessly about television and the song stylings of Gloria Loring and Billy Vera and The Beaters.
It’s not like you can get this kind of material anywhere.
Actually, you can totally get it anywhere. Completely for free.
You can click here to listen. Or here. Or you can subscribe on iTunes.
Y’all enjoy.
And if there’s some pressing question or issue you’re dying to hear us discuss in upcoming podcasts, feel free to leave it in the comments.
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A weekend in June with no nachos
Well, I just watched the Aggies lose in the bottom of the ninth inning to South Carolina. Which totally bums me out. And then I was excited to turn on the Miss U.S.A. pageant until I remembered that Miss U.S.A. doesn’t have a talent competition. Just a bunch of tanned girls in their early twenties with perfect bodies in swimsuits. Frankly, my self-esteem doesn’t need that kind of hit right now.
It would just bring out an ugly side in me that would desperately hope to hear one of them say something about “the shortage of maps in the U.S. of America and the IRAQ” to prove there are some flaws that perfect thighs can’t hide.
So on to things that don’t involve pageants or baseball.
Caroline was in VBS all last week and so we had a reason to get up and be productive every day. However, all that comes to a screeching halt this week because we have between zero and two plans on the calendar. And that is fine with me. Saturday morning was the first morning in two weeks that we didn’t have somewhere to be at any certain time. Which is why we were in our pajamas making pancakes around noon. It was delightful. And much needed after our Friday evening.
What? What went wrong on Friday evening?
The pool grill.
P’s back has been bothering him for the last few days because he tried to lift a flower pot that appeared to be one of those foam-type pots but was actually made of cast iron or titanium or something equally heavy. And so he spent most of Thursday and all of Friday popping a steady stream of muscle relaxers.
None of that has anything to do with the pool grill.
But now I kind of wish it led into some fantastic story of how P ended up at the pool grill all hopped up on muscle relaxers and made a huge scene. Because that would be such a more interesting story than what you’re actually about to get.
So, since P was down in the back as my Me-Ma used to say, Gulley and I decided we’d just take Will and Caroline to the pool Friday night and eat dinner there. Jackson was with another friend but, there again, that has nothing to do with this story.
Gulley had been at the pool on Wednesday and reported that it took FOREVER for them to get their food after they ordered and that Will’s nachos never showed up at all. Which is understandable because it takes virtually SECONDS to melt cheese on some chips in a microwave. But since we are optimists, we chose to believe that it was a fluke. Especially since we’ve been enjoying the chicken fingers at the pool grill for seven summers at this point. And while the service can occasionally get a little spotty around the end of July when the teenage cooks become cranky and surly, June is usually a banner month for the grill.
(As long as your definition of banner is fairly mediocre food served in a timely manner.)
We arrived at the pool around 5:30 and decided to order dinner at 6:30 because we figured it would probably be ready around 7:00. And I realize what I’m about to say is a FIRST WORLD PROBLEM of the ultimate kind, we still had no chicken fingers or nachos at 8:05. There was some story going around about how one of their fryers broke, but this didn’t explain the multitude of families who were waiting on their hot dogs to be ready. There were toddlers crying for their grilled cheese sandwiches and mothers crying because WHAT GOOD IS THE POOL IF YOU CAN’T GO HOME WITH KIDS THAT ARE TIRED BUT FED?
It was the closest thing I’ve ever seen to pure suburban mutiny.
I realize the grill is under new management and they’re trying to get all fancy with their offerings of ceviche and soft pretzels. But you know what moms want? Chicken fingers and hot dogs in a timely manner. We are a simple people with simple desires.
And so I kind of feel like I’m grieving the loss of the pool grill dinner strategy while simultaneously hoping they pull it together before the entire summer is a wash. If not, I’m researching ways to sneak in ham sandwiches or Chick-fil-A.
Needless to say, we avoided the pool on Saturday. Caroline went to see a production of Pinkalicious with a friend and I attempted to catch up on laundry. Then Sunday morning we all went to church and spent most of the day hanging out.
Later that evening, Mimi and Bops came over and I cooked a big Father’s Day dinner. I loved spending time with my two favorite dads.
The one that raised me.
(That’s me as Henrietta Hippo for Halloween. My daddy is dressed as a man from the mid-70’s. Please note the sweet hair.)
And the one that’s raising Caroline.
I could not love either of them more.
Hope y’all had a great weekend.
