Author: Big Mama

My American girl

Caroline got an American Girl doll from Mimi and Bops for her birthday this year. I decided that, along with her feminine pink .22, she and her doll needed some beautiful matching pajamas.

Unfortunately, either the American Girl website isn’t very clear with their sizing information or the Chinese manufacturers believe that American children are abnormally large because the pajamas we ordered in a size 6 were big enough to fit me.

And, honestly, I could have read the size chart wrong. I shouldn’t criticize China considering that we’re in 9 trillion dollars worth of debt to them, which is slightly more than I spend on jeans in a calendar year.

Anyway, the replacement pair arrived yesterday and Caroline had to put them on as soon as she got out of the bath last night. She even asked me to blow dry her hair so it would be shiny and straight just like her doll.

Doesn’t she look sweet?

You’d never know that, just an hour earlier, this same delicate little girl told her Bops that she thought the clouds looked like a shark eating a poodle.
I bet Moses never ate a meatball sandwich

I think this whole back to school schedule is wearing me out. It’s bad enough that we have to get up when it’s still semi-dark outside, but I’ve also discovered it’s going to be easier to get out of the car and walk her to school as opposed to waiting in a car drop-off line that, as far as I can tell, is merely a labyrinth that leads to unbridled road rage. Which means that the days of dropping her off while I’m in some version of my pajamas are over and I’m going to need to invest in some more “work out” clothes so my messy ponytail and no makeup will convey a message of concern for “physical fitness” as opposed to “just rolled out of bed and made what I hope was a ham sandwich and, seriously, are we even at the right school?”.

Why am I using so many quotation marks today? I’m like Matt Foley living in a van down by the river.

I don’t really have much to say unless you want to hear about how I ate Quaker Oat Squares for breakfast yesterday morning because I have officially burned myself out on yogurt and granola. It was bound to happen considering that I ate it for about forty-five days straight. And then I went to Borders to buy The Message translation of the Bible because I’ve decided to read through it in a year.

Actually, I read the Bible in a year in 2008 but it was the NIV version so I want to throw caution to the wind and shake things up a bit. I’m going to officially start on September 1st and am reading in chronological order. If you want to join me, please feel free. This is the link that I use to know what to read each day. It won’t be a book club thing necessarily, but from time to time I may be all “How about those crazy laws in Leviticus?” or something along those profound lines.

Also I realize reading the Bible in a year is hardly some grand accomplishment considering there are people who read it in ninety days or thirty-five minutes, but those people are called overachievers. I like to read in amounts that my brain can actually process.

I didn’t really mean to get into all that. The original point of this post (if there ever was one) was to share the recipe for my meatball sandwiches. I can honestly say they have been one of the high points of our summer and I intend to carry them with us into the fall because they are just so easy and delicious.

In fact, I gave the recipe to Sophie last week and we both agreed that our husbands are normally picky about eating leftovers but have no problem eating these for four days straight or until it’s all gone, whichever comes first.

Meatball Sandwiches

(I usually double this recipe because we like the leftovers and you can always turn it into spaghetti and meatballs if you get bored.)

1 pound ground beef
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce or homemade if you’re into that sort of thing
1 package of french bread sandwich rolls
Sliced mozzarella cheese
butter

In a large bowl, mix together the ground beef with the next 7 ingredients. Roll into meatballs approximately 3 inches or so in diameter and place on a cookie sheet. Bake for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees and then turn them and cook another five minutes.

Pour sauce into large pot on the stove. Add meatballs. Let simmer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour for extra flavor. (This totally isn’t necessary but my Me-Ma used to let her sauce simmer for about 5 hours on Sunday mornings and it makes it even more delicious.)

Place the sandwich rolls open and face up on a cookie sheet. Spread each one with plenty of butter. Broil them in the oven until they are slightly (SLIGHTLY) brown and then pull them out and cover them with as many mozzarella cheese slices as you feel are appropriate. (No one will judge you for superfluous mozzarella cheese) Place them back in the oven and broil them until the cheese is melted.

Slice the meatballs in half and place on the sandwich. You’ll use about 2 meatballs per sandwich. Pour a little bit of the sauce over the meatballs, close up your sandwich and eat until you’re slightly sick.

I wish I had some pictures to share but I just wasn’t that on the ball. It’s really all I can manage right now to be up and dressed in a presentable manner before 7:30 a.m.
Pretty in pink

Yesterday morning, P woke Caroline up about 6:45 a.m. and she went from being in a deep sleep to jumping on the bed in excitement in approximately three seconds. I made her a nutritious breakfast of Eggo frozen waffles while she got dressed and searched for the proper hair accessories. The whole routine only took about twenty minutes which was great until we realized we still had about twenty minutes before it was time to leave the house. Twenty minutes filled to the brim with just one question:

“IS IT TIME TO LEAVE YET?”

Or the variation:

“I’M READY TO GO! WHEN CAN WE LEAVE?”

Fortunately we had plenty of time to take a few back-to-school photos.

Bless her heart, it’s like she’s never seen a camera.

I just wish she’d come out of her shell and show some zest for life and self-confidence.

P and I walked her into school and she immediately found a friend. She dropped my hand and walked ahead of us, talking to her friend and I heard her say, “We should get together soon for a play date”. And then she pulled out her Blackberry so she could get it on the calendar. The social obligations that come with being a first grader are never-ending.

I got back to the house and started some laundry, ran the dishwasher, and cleaned up a little bit. Then I looked at the clock and it was only 8:35 a.m. Clearly I am going to need to find something to fill my days besides sitting on the couch watching Rachel Zoe marathons on Bravo and eating Gummie Sours, although it wasn’t a bad way to spend a Monday.

The only time I cried was when I went to HEB by myself and realized how much I missed my little shopping buddy. Which is ironic considering how many times this summer I had to threaten to put back everything in the cart, including the chocolate Pop-Tarts and Oreos, if she asked me for ONE MORE THING.

Then she’d be quiet for about fifteen seconds before asking, “Can I get a gumball before we leave?”

And I would be forced to launch into my lecture about having a grateful heart while silently singing the words to “Swing Low Sweet Chariots” because I felt sure I was about to have some kind of mental break and would need a band of angels to carry me home.

But yesterday I missed all of it. Not necessarily the part about the gumball, but I missed her running commentary on my grocery selections.

When I picked her up at the end of the day she was all smiles. Apparently, first grade is PERFECT and she can’t wait to go again, which works out since she has about 179 days or so left.

Also, on a totally different note but on the subject of PERFECT, I have a great giveaway right now on my Giveaways page. Click here to read all about it.
I’m going to need a box of Kleenex and Starbucks

Caroline starts first grade today. Just typing the words causes me tear up a little which makes perfect sense when you consider that I drove past the high school yesterday and got a little teary because oh my gosh she’ll be in high school in just eight years and sunrise and sunset and all that.

Yes, I’m enjoying this fragile emotional ledge on which I am perched. Thanks for asking.

The truth is that I am the one who feels melancholy about the end of summer. Caroline has been waiting to be an official first grader all summer long and spent most of the weekend speaking in ALL CAPS AND EXCLAMATION POINTS about all the great things that first grade will bring. She has never met a social situation that she doesn’t love, as opposed to her mama who sometimes wants to hide in a corner until it’s all over. But I don’t because then people would point and stare and ask “Who’s the crazy lady hiding in a corner?” and that would be awkward.

On Friday we met her teacher and she was every bit as fabulous as I thought she’d be. She has so much energy and personality, both of which are good traits to have when you’re in charge of wrangling seventeen first graders all day, every day.

When we walked in the classroom there was a stack of forms on each child’s desk that needed to be filled out. We also had to put up all their school supplies which totally stressed me out because what if I put the box of Kleenex in the wrong place and Caroline didn’t get credit for bringing in a box of Kleenex? What if I didn’t properly label her Crayola Markers and they end up in the wrong cubby? Do I put both boxes of Crayons in her school box or just one? Do I take them out of the boxes first or leave them in?

How on earth am I going to survive twelve years of this kind of stress?

I managed to get all the supplies in (Please, God) what I think were the right locations and began to fill out the forms on the desk. Most of it was basic information like how she’ll be picked up from school each day and if she usually brings her lunch or buys her lunch. I’m sad to say that after a brief love affair with the cafeteria food during the first two weeks of Kindergarten, she officially broke up with mass-produced cuisine and requires a homemade lunch each day, which means I have to get up ten minutes earlier each morning.

It normally doesn’t take me ten minutes to make a ham sandwich and stuff some chips in a Ziploc bag, but the early morning hour is not my friend and renders me unable to locate cheese slices that are right in front of my face.

Anyway, I was filling out the forms and got to a question that read, “What makes your child happy?” Since Caroline was right next to me, I decided to ask her instead of just writing down my initial response which was “To be loved and adored by her first grade teacher, having a friend to sit with at lunchtime, and being recognized as an incredibly special and wonderful child”. Because that might be a bit much.

So I turned to her and asked, “Hey, what makes you happy?”

She looked at me for about three seconds and replied, “Shooting pigs”.

Of course. Shooting pigs.

She is such a first grade girl cliche’.

Needless to say, I didn’t want to frighten her new teacher so I took the liberty of exchanging “shooting pigs” for “enjoys outdoor activities”.

It just sounds better; not to mention it won’t cause a visit to the school counselor on the first day of school.

On Sunday we spent most of the day getting everything ready for the first day. There were more forms to be filled out and we had to pick out what she was going to wear on the first day, a process that proved to be only slightly less tenuous than the Middle East peace talks and ended with me being totally mature and telling her I wasn’t sure why she wanted to look homeless on the first day of school.

P made the mistake of walking into her room in the midst of all the wardrobe strategy and I asked, “Why does a person have to have so many opinions about what they will and will not wear?”

He said, “The same reason you do”.

Oh, he’s good.

Ultimately, we found a compromise somewhere between the old, faded skirt and the precious red sundress.

Now I just have to figure out how to navigate the carpool lanes at the end of the day.

And hope that her Crayola markers were properly labeled.

And hope that the next twelve years don’t go by too fast.
Edition 62: Fashion Friday

P just informed me that he was ready to go to bed which is his subtle way of letting me know it’s time for me to vacate our bedroom and move myself and my Macbook into the living room. I guess there are only so many hunting shows you can watch on the DVR before you just flat wear yourself out and, since I had possession of the computer, he wasn’t able to watch any vintage 70’s T.V. to help him stay up past 10:00 p.m.

I gathered up all my things and said, “Hey, I’m about to work on a Fashion Friday post. Are you sure you don’t want to stay up and weigh in on fall trends?”

He replied, “Yes. I’m sure.”

“Really? Because I’d love to get your thoughts on the color red.”

Blank stare.

Then he said, “Listen, I’m at the point in my life where I don’t care about what I wear. I’m not trying to impress anyone.”

As if that wasn’t obvious when we had friends over for dinner yesterday evening and he donned his nicest Under Armour shirt for the occasion.

I told him, “I think you hit that point about twenty years ago.”

“You’re right, I did. Good night.”

Although to be fair, he did own a pair of dark green jeans when we started dating back in 1995 and you don’t just accidentally own green denim. It takes some thought and effort. Of course I don’t really know that green jeans were in style in 1995 so it’s probably more likely that he found them on the clearance rack at Academy.

I’m officially ready to resume Fashion Friday but I feel like I need to offer a disclaimer before I jump back in. Which I hate to do because I am not a fan of reading disclaimers, much less actually giving disclaimers.

I adore Fashion Friday and I love getting questions and doing what I can to help a girl in her time of sartorial need, but there is no way that I can answer every question I receive. I just have to say that because I cannot tell you how stressed out I get when I realize that someone sent me a question about what they should wear to the Monster Truck Rally in two weeks and I don’t have time to give them an answer before the big event. And I just have to hope and pray that they had the sense to wear their best t-shirt with the sleeves cut off and possibly a bandana tied around the leg of their jeans.

Most of the time I try to stick with questions that are a little more general in nature because it can be so hard to figure out what to tell you to wear to your second cousin’s nephew’s graduation in Vermont when it might be 80 degrees or could be 34 degrees and you’re trying to lose some baby weight so you might be a size 14 or you could be a size 6.

I vow to do my very best, but please don’t be offended if I don’t get to your question. It’s nothing personal; it’s just that sometimes I have to eat and sleep and feed my family. Sadly, none of those things happen while I’m searching the internet for fabulousness, which is really something Al Gore should have thought about.

Blah, blah, blah, just get to the point.

I thought we’d start with the top 10 trends for Fall. I’ll discuss four this week and six next week because I am a fan of suspense and intrigue.

(I have to confess that my original plan was to discuss five this week and five the next, but it’s late and I’m tired so I’m leaving it at four. We have meet the teacher tomorrow and I want us to be stunning and impossibly fresh-looking for the occasion. Not to mention, I’m going to need my strength to get Caroline to wear something other than the hot pink velour sweatpants that she’s determined to wear because she wants to have a heat stroke.)

1. Red

I have a complicated relationship with the color red. On one hand, I love it. On the other hand, it sometimes frightens me with its boldness. So, in many ways, it’s very similar to how I feel about Richard Simmons, which is to say it might be best in small doses.

Of course that being said, I would totally wear this gorgeous Calvin Klein dress but it’s probably a little much for Mexican food on a Friday night.

On a more practical note, you could add a great pair of red shoes or a red bag like this to an outfit to give it a little bit of fab.

If you’re a mom on the go, I think these would be a fun way to add a little red to your wardrobe and if you laugh at the idea of a budget, then please buy these and let me live vicariously through you.

Another great way to add some red would be with a cute blazer (Oh my word, is it 1993 again? When did I last use the term ‘blazer’?) or a trench coat. I also love this scarf in red and black.

And if you’re really daring and avant garde, then check out this red satin jacket. It takes me right back to 1979 when the hottest thing in my closet was a red satin jacket with blue stripes from Weiners.

2. Leopard Print

If loving leopard print is wrong, then I don’t want to be right. I am a fan.

I adore this little faux fur coat, but something like this trench might be a little more understated and practical.

You can never go wrong with a great leopard print flat or even a great heel. And I’ve been in love with these clogs for years.

Also, never underestimate the power of a leopard print handbag. It’s a very versatile accessory and I even saw some at Target yesterday but I can’t find the link because the internet hates me.

But, totally off the animal print subject, I saw this fabulous bag while I got lost in the world of Kate Spade and am officially in deep like.

3. Leggings

Don’t shoot the messenger. I would be remiss if I left leggings off the list because they are one of the top fall trends. It doesn’t mean you have to wear them so just settle down if this news makes you feel a little irritable.

Truthfully, I’m not opposed to leggings. I can actually envision an outfit that involves leggings, a long sweater and tall boots and in my mind it looks pretty cute. It’s just a look that will work for some people and cause others to curl up in the fetal position and wait for the leggings mania to die down.

On the upside, you can find leggings in every color, price range, or pattern that your heart desires.

And don’t forget that they also come in denim. Gulley and I saw those in Nordstrom this week and I swear I thought they moved the childrens’ department upstairs because I never see denim that tiny unless I’m shopping for Caroline.

4. Ruffles

Ruffles are everywhere for the fall. You can find them on bags, shoes, and even boot shoes.

There are also several great shirts that allow you to add a little ruffleage to your wardrobe and that’s hard to do since I just made up the word ruffleage.

Or you could go with a faux leather jacket with ruffle details.

That’s it for today. Stay tuned next week when I’ll discuss the final six trends for fall.

Or maybe just three of them if I’m tired and want to go to bed.

Y’all have a great Friday.
Maybe she’s been reading The Zoe Report

I’m sure you’ve all been worried sick about our backpack deficiency so I am proud to share that, as of 11:00 a.m. yesterday morning, we acquired a Disney Princess backpack at Academy. I’m not sure what the difference is between the Disney Princess backpack at the Disney Store and the one on sale at Academy, but it’s probably better for my mental health if I just let it go.

I have no doubt that we would be better served with a sturdy backpack from L.L. Bean or Lands End, but when I showed them to Caroline this morning they were met with a resounding “THOSE ARE SO BORING”. She has never been a big believer in the whole less is more theory or in carrying around an accessory that doesn’t come complete with sparkles.

Academy was our first stop of the day because, geographically, it made more sense to go there before we went to Target. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it once or seventy times, but the Target moved to a new location and it takes an additional seven minutes and three stoplights to get there. Meanwhile, Academy isn’t close to anything except for a Wienerschnitzel because everyone knows that folks who enjoy sports and outdoors like to indulge in the occasional footlong chilidog.

The favor of God rested on me at Academy because finding tennis shoes was unbelievably easy. We walked down the aisle while I silently willed her not to notice all the ghetto fab shoes complete with lights and Bratz dolls on them, and she picked out a sporty pair of Nikes with a hot pink swoosh and, hear the chorus of angels sing, velcro closures. It took everything in me to only act moderately interested in her choice because I knew if I got too excited she would sense that she’d made the wrong choice if there was any hope of driving me to the brink of a psychotic episode.

After we purchased the shoes and the backpack, I still felt like we should go to Target to check out their selection. We strolled the back to school aisles filled with tired mamas holding their Venti Lattes and, lo and behold, there was a Barbie backpack.

Apparently Barbie is SO YESTERDAY because she wasn’t interested.

However, she was very interested in the clothing section and saw several things she wanted. For several minutes I felt like I was shopping with Rachel Zoe because she kept saying, “Oh I am dying to have that”. I was just waiting for her to declare that something was “bananas”.

We got home and received our letter from the school informing us who her teacher will be this year. I was thrilled because it turns out that her teacher is a good friend of my dear friend AJ and I’d secretly hoped that’s who she’d get.

Caroline sat next to me while we opened the letter and I told her that her new teacher is a good friend of AJ’s.

She was excited because she loves AJ and asked, “Is she the same age as AJ?”

“Yes. I think they’re the same age.”

“So…she’s young?”

“Yes, she’s young.”

“Oh good! That means she probably won’t die soon.”

Well, yes. I guess that’s one way to look at it.

Of course maybe she didn’t mean “die” in the literal sense as much as “die” because her mom refused to buy her a bright green t-shirt with a glow-in-the-dark panda bear on the front holding a red lame’ heart in the girls’ department at Target.

It could go either way.

And on a fashion-related note, there’s an 84% chance that I’m resuming Fashion Fridays starting tomorrow.