Author: Big Mama

Until June

I believe I have mentioned that I am a fan of “Grey’s Anatomy”. One of the things I love about the show, other than Patrick Dempsey’s hair, is they play great music. Phenomenal, cutting edge music.

So every week, right after the show, I head over to the “Grey’s Anatomy” site to check out the songs played on the show, and then I download them like crazy on iTunes.

And then I feel really cool because I have something on my iPod other than Run D.M.C.

I wish I were kidding.

I am a fan of 80’s rap. I’ll just own it.

Anyway, given this love of music featured on “Grey’s Anatomy”, y’all can imagine my delight when some nice people sent me Until June’s debut CD.

Who is Until June you may be asking?

Until June recorded a little song called “What I’ve Done”, and the folks from Grey’s Anatomy heard it and used it on the episode where Addison leaves Seattle Grace for L.A., otherwise known as the set up for the new spinoff called Private Practice, which premieres this Wednesday night on ABC.

Word on the street is it has even been considered for the Private Practice theme song.

How cool is that?

And here’s the coolest part. Until June is a Christian band. Their music is incredible. And modern. And uplifting.

The band consists of two brothers, Josh and Dan Ballard, and Daniel Dempsey (no relation to Patrick, as far as I know, but I will say all the band members appear to have really good hair). They left their home in Arizona 3 years ago for L.A. to see if they could find success with their music. After a long, hard road, they finally gave themselves a deadline of June 2006.

Hence, UNTIL JUNE.

Is that clever?

I think so.

One of my problems with SOME Christian music is that it doesn’t sound current enough. I love bands like Coldplay and Ben Folds Five, but it’s hard to find something in the Christian genre that sounds like that.

Until June has that sound.

Their lyrics are uplifting and encouraging. They are filled with hope even in the midst of hard times and talk about redemption and forgiveness. They talk about their faith, life and love.

They may be my new favorite band. In all seriousness, if y’all are looking for something great to listen to, you’ve got to check out Until June. This CD is phenomenal.

I can’t even pick a favorite song because I’ll end up listing every song on the CD.

The other thing I love is that although they are a Christian group, their music appeals to everyone. In fact, when you look on their website, one of the places they are currently playing is The Viper Room in L.A.

I’ve never been to The Viper Room, but I’m willing to bet it’s a far cry from the First Baptist Church of Anytown, U.S.A.

I think it’s awesome that their music is reaching a wider audience. And you know what? That’s the sign of good music. That’s the sign of talent. That’s the sign of God using them for awesome things.

Check them out for yourself. Here they are singing “What I’ve Done”.

If you like them, I have one free CD to giveaway. Leave a comment and I’ll enter you in the drawing. And even if you don’t win, head over to iTunes and download it. You’ll be glad you did.

I’ll keep the comments open until Thursday.
When the moon hits your eye like a big dino nugget

We have got to start doing something exciting with our weekends. If we can’t step up our activity level, my posts will continue to suffer from lack of excitement. Oh, and we should do more stuff as a family and bond and blah, blah, blah.

I’m just not sure how compelling it is to read “I took a nap on Saturday”.

Anyway, I’ll soldier on because I’m like the guy at Dunkin Donuts. It’s time to make the donuts or write the blog post as the case may be.

And speaking of Dunkin Donuts, I read sometime last week they are opening 75 stores in the San Antonio area. Folks, that is ALOT of donuts. I mean, I am all for donuts. In fact, I’m such a fan it could be part of my campaign slogan if I were to ever run for PTA president or something, but 75 stores in one city?

It seems like a little munchkin overkill. (Isn’t that what they call their donut holes? I don’t want anyone to think I’m slandering little people)

On Saturday morning we headed to a birthday party for one of Caroline’s friends. It was at a local amusement park for little kids called Kiddie Park. And I’m using the terms “amusement park” and “for kids” very loosely. I mean, the kids love it but the little rides have definitely seen better days.

Case in point, check out the color of this water on the boat ride.

I don’t even want to think about the results a water quality test would show.

Black plague anyone?

One of the other moms at the party told me she had been there a few weeks ago and the little roller coaster was closed. The park worker explained it was closed for repairs, then pointed over to a far corner of the ride and said, “Right over yonder is where they always lose an eye.”

Lord have mercy.

Always lose an eye?

It seems like that would have made the local news.

Either way, I think maybe we’ll stick to the carousel.

After the party, Caroline and I headed home. I took a little nap while she climbed all over me. It was very restful and soothing, much like the sound of nails on a chalkboard.

She finally wore me down and we went to Mimi and Bop’s house so she could swim. In case I haven’t mentioned it, it’s still about 116 degrees here every day. South Texas in the fall is very similar to hell.

But with mosquitoes.

Finally, we headed home. P had gone hunting for the evening and wouldn’t be back until later that night, so I asked Caroline if she wanted to order pizza since it was “just us girls”.

Last Saturday night, she stayed at Gulley’s while P and I hosted a baby shower. Gulley “made” the kids a pizza by unwrapping and heating up a frozen pizza in the oven. Caroline talked all week long about how delicious the pizza was that Gulley made.

So, I suggested pizza and she said sure, pizza sounded good. And said it with the same enthusiasm as if I’d asked her if she’d like to go dig a 10 foot ditch in the backyard.

And I know that because I frequently ask her to go dig large ditches in the backyard.

I put her in the bathtub and told her I was going to order the pizza. What kind did she want?

She sighed deeply and said, “There’s no way any pizza is going to be as good as the pizza Gulley made, I’ll just have dino nuggets.”

Yes, because Gulley slaved over that $3.00 frozen pizza. It was a labor of love.

But I guess what they say is true, DiGiorno really is better than delivery.
We have a winner

I just did the drawing for the Pocket of Light CD using a random number generator from the internet. It was like magic!

Anyway, the winners are:

Lisa Kay at Ellijay at Heart

Jenna at The In Between Scene

Ladies, email me with your addresses and I will get the CD in the mail on Monday. Hope y’all love it as much as I do!
The big boo cast, episode 4

Tune in as we cover more of life’s most serious issues, including the embarrassing fact that I may be somewhat of a stage mother when it comes to Halloween costume contests.

Which is only slightly better than buying an N’Sync Concert DVD when you’re 30.

It promises to be loads of fun and when it’s all over, there will be no doubt that we are Southern girls through and through.

Listen on the blog here:

Subscribe via iTunes here.

Subscribe via RSS feed here.
Edition 1: Fighting fashion faux pas friday

Is there really anything better than hearing a sports commentator talk about another team “building a woodshed” for your beloved football team?

Joy.

Thankfully, I have fashion to get me through.

Fashion and chocolate.

So, welcome to the first Fighting Fashion Faux Pas Friday here at Big Mama. Thank goodness that in times like these, I can turn to a good pair of jeans for comfort.

Enough of my woe. Let’s get to the questions.

And after it’s all over, feel free to send some more questions my way. I can churn out this kind of advice based purely on my opinion all day long.

1. DCRMom asks: What is your opinion about wearing dark tops with dark denim? Do I need to invest in some khakis and cords? Is lighter denim too dated? I’d love to hear what others think too.

Well, I think there are variations in the darkness of denim. But really, I think dark tops with dark denim are perfectly acceptable.

All that darkness is slimming.

Because otherwise this size 00 model would totally look like a cow. She’s just creating an illusion with that dark top and dark denim.

And it helps that she just eats one piece of lettuce every other day.

That being said, you really don’t want to pair a dark top with a really light denim. It will cause the focus to be on your bottom half. Of course, maybe you don’t mind the focus being on your bottom half.

However, I do. I prefer to draw the eye up.

Up.

Way up.

I think really faded denim is dated. And I’m hoping I don’t even need to mention the words “acid washed”. However, I think you can go with a little bit lighter denim without being out of style. I like a good vintage wash if it’s done right.

As for the khakis and cords, I like both of these options. The only word of caution is go for a modern style. You certainly don’t want any sort of elastic waistband or a waistband that covers your belly button.

Of course, that’s pretty much a rule of life and not just for khakis and cords.

I bought these on sale at Old Navy this week. They’re really cute and come in a variety of colors.

2. Kelly asks: I’d love to see you address maternity clothes. Even in the four years since I was last pregnant, there are so many more cute options. Whadda say?

I say thinking about maternity clothes makes me want to curl up in a ball.

One of my friends just found out she’s pregnant and I told her that, other than the part about having a baby, I was so envious of her pregnancy because fashion-wise there has never been a better time to be pregnant. Everything looks like maternity wear anyway.

The best part is due to all the loose fitting tunics, and sweaters, and what-have-you, you can put off wearing actual maternity clothes for awhile. Which is a total score. I have a theory that maternity designers think mothers-to-be are so fried that they don’t care that they’re wearing polyester.

And if there is ever a time you need fabric that breathes, it’s when you’re serving as an incubator.

Here’s my best piece of maternity clothes advice. Find yourself a great pair of maternity jeans. Seriously. They will save your life. I wore mine until I ripped them down the side seam.

Which was a proud moment and didn’t cause me to have any type of hormonal breakdown whatsoever.

Here are some from Mimi Maternity.

Here’s some classic boot cut maternity jeans from Gap. They’re even on sale.

(By the way, my computer almost crashed uploading those Gap jeans. And as God is my witness, if Gap had made my computer crash, causing me to lose this post, I would have never stepped foot in their store again. We are already on very shaky ground.)

I know some women say they never feel more beautiful than when they are/were pregnant, but I am not one of those women. Just remember, great accessories can be your pregnancy friend. They are one size fits all and will bring you much joy even after the baby is born.

In contrast, you will want to burn every piece of maternity clothing in your closet.

3. Emily asks: What are your thoughts about flats?

I like flats. I do. I saw some darling giraffe print flats the other day at Target the other day and nearly bought them.

But I already have leopard print flats and felt like one person only needs so much Wild Kingdom on their feet.

I get that they are practical, but I think everyone looks better in some sort of heel. And, trust me, I don’t wear heels all the time. I wear my flats on a regular basis but, no matter how cute they are, they just aren’t as flattering as a heel.

So, here’s the bottom line on flats. Stay away from anything that is too reminiscent of the Connie flats we all wore in high school. If the “leather” appears to be synthetic and it’s all one color with no texture or some sort of decorative detail, you need to move on down the aisle. Do not look back or you may turn into a pillar of unfashionable salt.

To look current, flats should have some sort of design or pattern. Animal prints are very in right now and Target has these flats which I think could just be precious with the right outfit.

But they still won’t look as cute as a good wedge heel. In my opinion.

Like these from J.Crew. Notice there is a significant price point difference. But aren’t they pretty?

4. Jen asks: What type of shoe do you wear with your velour yogo pant/jean jacket combo?

I just wear my tennis shoes. I’ll wear my Nike running shoes if I’m feeling ultra casual and semi-athletic and I’ll wear my fashion tennis shoe if I’m going for a little more polished look.

And to reference the previous question, I think a cute, patterned flat could look cute.

However, if it’s cool enough outside for me to have on velour yoga pants, I like to have on socks. I have circulation issues. If someone felt my feet, they would think I’d been dead for at least 3 days.

5. Elizabeth asks: What are your thoughts on scarfs, pashminas, and wraps? Especially in the south.

Right now my thought is how can I even think about those things when the temperature outside today was still about 118 degrees. Just reading the word “scarf” makes me start to itch and feel angry.

But, eventually, the weather will cool off and when that happens I am a big fan of wraps, pashminas and scarves. I have a darling Burberry happy scarf that makes a black turtleneck and jeans turn into a great outfit. It’s one of my favorite accessories EVER.

I also have several long scarves that I like to wear with other outfits. I think they are a great finishing touch to an outfit.

Like this one from Nordstroms.

As for pashminas, they are the perfect thing to wear over a dress on a cool evening. I have a black one that gets worn to pretty much every winter wedding I attend.

Which is about one a year.

But still, it’s a great thing to have.

As a bonus this week, here are a few great items I found that y’all may want to check out. I can’t guarantee this kind of information every week, but I shopped ALOT this week and found a couple of good things.

Remember my quest for the denim skirt? I found this at Old Navy for $12.99. It’s not perfect, but for $12.99 it works.

I mentioned this in my favorites, but here it is again in case y’all missed it.

I also found a great pair of Champion brand yoga pants at Target, but can’t find them online. Just know that Target is a great place to go for inexpensive activewear.

And in closing, Caroline and I went to get ice cream after school the other day. The ice cream store is right next to one of my favorite boutiques, so after she finished her ice cream I hosed her down with water from the water cooler and we went in to check out the clothes.

I was browsing around, looking at all the cool stuff, when Caroline came up and said those words every mother dreads.

“Mama, do they have a bathroom in here?”

Great.

Yes, they do have a bathroom. Caroline starts to go to the bathroom and then, in a voice loud enough for anyone within 5 miles to hear, says, “Okay Mama, I’m going to POOP!”

I bet that’s never happened to Anna Wintour.

***Edited to add: Kate defended me in the comments, but in case someone doesn’t read the comments, I have to mention that the denim skirt has a box pleat. That is not a huge slit down the front of the skirt. I repeat, it is not a slit. But I appreciate y’alls concern for my very soul if I were to wear something split right up the middle.
With any luck there will be a Mayflower truck in front of Coach Fran’s house tomorrow

It’s halftime of the A&M “game”.

I am self-medicating with Blue Bell ice cream and Hershey’s chocolate syrup.

The second half may cause me to drink syrup straight from the bottle.

There’s really nothing like watching your team get humiliated on national television.

My favorite moment of the night was when the announcers wondered aloud why A&M was running a high school defense.

Understandably, it filled me with pride and joy in our coaching staff.