Books

Y’all.

It is May and it’s going to be forty-something degrees in the morning. I don’t even understand what is happening. Yesterday morning I had a speaking thing at a local school and I had no idea what to wear because it was cold and windy and definitely not spring-like. So I texted a friend and asked, “Can I wear my boots in May since it’s cold outside?”

And she replied, “I wouldn’t let the weather lead me into a fashion faux pas.”

Which is really just pure wisdom. So I wore my wedge sandals and my toes hated me and they may never be warm again.

Anyway, next weekend is Mother’s Day. And you know what might make a great gift for your mom/sister/friend/mother-in-law/girl who works at Chick-Fil-A that gives you extra polynesian sauce?

I mean, no pressure or anything. But people seem to like it. Even people who aren’t related to me by blood. So maybe some of your people might like it, too.

And if you’ve read it and loved it, then I would so appreciate you spreading the word to all your friends. I don’t want to ever be all BUY MY BOOK, but apparently when you write a book you’re supposed to encourage people to buy it. I’m not very good at that part.

It’s available on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can even walk into a real live bookstore in a city near you just like how people used to buy books in days of yore.

And just in case you want to give it as a Mother’s Day gift, I thought it would be fun to give away a pair of Towne & Reese Reynolds green earrings to two of you today.

Aren’t they pretty? And, listen, I have become an expert on green earrings.

If you win then you can give them away for Mother’s Day. Or you can keep them for yourself. It’s totally up to you and I’ll never tell your mom.

I’ll leave comments open until Sunday and then choose two winners at random. All you have to do is leave a comment for a chance to win.

And now for some other cute things I’ve seen this week:

1. monogrammed clutch purse

The sweet ladies behind Two Funny Girls sent me this darling monogrammed clutch purse. They come in all kinds of colors and are just so cute. I think they’d make a great bridesmaid gift. I mean, unless you’re not a bride because then you probably don’t need to buy bridesmaids’ gifts. Unless you want to say thank you seventeen years after the fact.

They have a ton of really great things and I’m already tempted to get one of these floppy summer hats or a pair of monogrammed running shorts.

And because they are so nice, they’re offering free shipping when you use the code BIGMAMA at checkout. Perfect timing for graduation and teacher gifts.

2. gap leather flip flops

Listen. I have these in gold. I bought them last summer and, I kid you not, have worn the fire out of them. In fact, I may need a new pair. I may also need them in this coral color. Or hot pink. Or blue.

I adore them.

3. eyelet peplum top

How cute is this top? Perfect for summer with colored jeans or shorts.

4. kendra scott tassel pendant necklace

I think we all know by now that I’m a little obsessed with Kendra Scott. I have this necklace in green and adore it.

This would be a great Mother’s Day present and comes in so many pretty colors.

5. fiesta fever swimsuit coverup

I know. Did you just gag when you read the word “swimsuit”? I’m sorry. But I do love this coverup. It’s a little Chrissy Snow from Three’s Company.

Maybe I’ll buy one and then put my hair up in a double side ponytail.

But probably not.

6. essential scoop dress

I saw this dress online at Gap and immediately thought YES PLEASE. There is nothing easier and cooler than throwing on a dress all summer long. And this one looks so comfortable.

7. old navy sleeveless tunic dress

And then I saw this at Old Navy and I channeled Rachel Zoe and said, “I DIE”. I love a casual summer dress. You could totally wear this at the pool or throw on wedge sandals and be a little more dressed up.

8. lavender roll-tab blouse

For many a year I have not been a fan of lavender. Or really any color in the purple family. But all of a sudden I’m feeling myself drawn to the occasional lavender blouse.

This would be great with white and maybe turquoise or mint green accents.

9. agnyss sandal

Last year I developed a fixation on finding the perfect gold sandal. And I ultimately settled on the Gap ones I featured above because they were cheap and comfortable.

But if I decide I need something a little nicer and more sandal-like, I’m totally getting these. Granted, they aren’t as shiny as Caroline’s Mr. T sandals because nothing is that shiny apart from the sun. But they are still lovely.

10. crochet lace shift dress

I am a fool for a white crochet dress. But this also comes in black and a really pretty burgundy color.

Personally, I like the white. With sandals. And turquoise jewelry.

Now I just need somewhere to wear it.

That’s it for this week.

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win the green earrings.

Y’all have a great Friday.

Listen.

I know there are days that I say I have nothing to write about it and then blah, blah, blah for the next 1,000 words.

But I don’t think today is going to be one of those days.

I’m out of words.

And here’s a large part of the reason why.

I’ve been writing my second book for the last six months. I KNOW. I haven’t even said a word about it.

But it’s true.

It’s tentatively going to be called The Antelope in the Living Room and will be a memoir of marriage. Specifically, my marriage. Because how weird would it be for me to write an entire book about someone else’s marriage?

Not to mention the potential to wind up as part of a lawsuit.

Anyway, my deadline to turn the book in is April 1st. As in this April 1st. As in OH MY WORD IT’S ALREADY MARCH AND WHAT IS HAPPENING?

Apparently I struggle with time management. Or perhaps I write books just like I worked on college term papers which is to say I find new ways to turn procrastination into a form of high art.

Whatever the case, I can’t promise I’ll be posting every day during March and I wanted to give you the heads up because it seems like the right thing to do. Otherwise you might begin to wonder if something is wrong and if I’m not mentioning it and the whole thing could truly become like an antelope in the living room.

Or whatever.

And the truth is that sometimes it gets easier for me to write once I give myself permission not to write. Does that make sense anywhere besides my head?

Probably not.

Thanks for understanding, y’all.

When you write a book entitled Sparkly Green Earrings you get a lot of pairs of sparkly green earrings.

And I love each and every pair. Because green goes with a surprising amount of stuff. And it’s the color of the year. And each pair of earrings has its own unique personality.

I don’t really know if an earring can have a personality, but let’s go with it.

By the way, my next book will be titled Big Louis Vuitton Purse with Matching Wallet.

Oh how I love to kid.

But, seriously, I have a theme going and so I’m going to go with it and today I’m giving away yet another pair of sparkly green earrings. These are from Francesca’s and are so pretty. This picture doesn’t do them justice.

All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment on this post. Maybe you can tell me if you’re doing something that sounds more uncomfortable than watching your daughter play soccer at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday morning when the temperature is supposed to be 33 degrees since winter decided March was a good time to show up.

Of course if you live up north you can tell me that you laugh in the face of 33 degrees and if it were going to be 33 degrees at your house you’d put the kids in their bathing suits and go for a swim.

Either way.

Now for some cute stuff I’ve seen this week.

1. watercolor striped maxi skirt

I realize this skirt is not subtle. But something about it beckons me. I like the vertical stripes. I like the colors. And I think it would look darling with a denim jacket, a tank and some sandals.

2. tie dye dress

I like this. It’s a little funky. By which I mean it’s tie-dyed and bohemian. Not that it smells bad.

3. cozy short sleeve tee

This is the perfect tee. A little oversized, but a great color that would look so great with white shorts or jeans for spring and summer.

4. you’re so sweet top

I think we all know how I feel about a white top. I have a problem.

5. canvas field jacket

This is a great jacket to just throw on with a t-shirt and jeans. Or to put over a navy and white striped shirt with maybe a scarf. It’s just versatile.

6. la dee dots top

I like this top. I think my favorite is the coral one, but they are all cute depending on how you feel about various color combinations. And dots.

If you don’t like dots, then you should move along to the next thing.

7. gap skimmer jeans

Someone asked me last weekend about my thoughts on capris. It’s all so complex. First, I think the term “capri” has jumped the shark. Gap, for instance, has decided to call them skimmers.

Second, you need to make sure a cropped pant (no matter the name) hits you at the right spot. NEVER just below the knee. That’s tragic. They should hit below mid-calf or longer so that they create a flattering silhouette.

And apparently once you get the length right you feel free to walk around like a cat stretching as demonstrated by this Gap model.

8. fluid henley blouse

This is a great blouse. Lots of great colors. Good length. Good shape.

9. striped dolman top

Y’all. This shirt is only $11 at Forever 21. Okay, it’s $11.80. But still.

It’s the perfect striped shirt and also comes in other good color combinations.

10. colored bangle set

The other thing I mentioned this weekend is my love of buying accessories at Forever 21. They’re cheap and easy. (Insert joke here.)

But, seriously, you can buy a stack of bracelets for $5.00. And then you can buy another stack to create more layers and you’ve only spent $10 total. This is also a great thing to do to create that multiple layered necklace look without spending much money.

And that’s it for today.

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win the earrings.

Y’all have a good Friday.

I can’t tell you how y’all have come through for me this week. Many of you have bought my book, you’ve told me about great pillow options and yesterday you mourned with me over the inadvertent drying of my favorite old jeans.

That’s why I know you will rejoice with me when I tell you that all is not lost. I managed to pull them on and after a couple of rounds of making my way through the house doing my best Sally O’Malley (I can KICK, I can STRETCH, I can KICK) I was even able to get them buttoned without feeling like I’d need surgery to get them off.

You can’t imagine my relief that they will live to see another day.

But the big news for the day is that I have another gorgeous pair of sparkly green earrings to give away to one of you thanks to my friend Allison. She emailed me last week and said she’d love to donate a pair of Stella & Dot’s serenity stone drops in green for me to give away to one of you to celebrate the one week anniversary of Sparkly Green Earrings being out. How nice is that?

Aren’t they gorgeous?

All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment. Maybe you can tell me if you’ve read the book yet. Or maybe you can just tell me what you’re doing this weekend. Or maybe you can tell me why P never gets tired of watching people hunt on T.V.

Whatever.

I’ll leave comments open until Sunday night and then choose a winner using Random.org. One comment per person please. I’ll have to delete duplicates and that makes my life hard.

Now, here are some things I’ve found this week:

1. simply charmed dress

I can’t really tell what’s going on with this dress, but I think I like it. Maybe with leggings. But I like it.

2. elizabeth green bracelet

I’ve been eyeing this for a while now. I showed it in green because it would look great with those earrings and I’m into green right now. But it also comes in turquoise and a few other colors. All are equally pretty.

3. always skinny skimmer jeans

I realize that more than half my household believes that camo is really just for hunting. I was going to say 75% but I don’t think that’s right. I’m not good at fashion math.

But I happen to think these are cute. Picture them with a white shirt and some gold sandals.

4. oregon road trip striped cardigan

I’m powerless to resist a striped cardigan.

5. erin braided sandal

Listen. Target is a great place to find cute sandals for not a lot of dollars. Because sandals aren’t usually that comfortable anyway so you might as well spend less money and get more pairs in a variety of colors and/or leopard print.

That’s a life lesson that will serve you well.

6. bora bora dress

I wasn’t sure about this until I saw that the description mentioned it could be used as a swimsuit coverup and then I immediately fell in love with it.

7. michael stars blouson stripe maxi dress

The maxi dress is still with us. And so are stripes. So you might as well put them together and I think this dress makes it work.

8. pattern of events top

Just a good top to wear with jeans.

9. sophia dress

I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this, but I love a bell sleeve.

10. anchors aweigh necklace

How pretty is this? I love it. And great colors for summer and spring. Or spring and summer.

So that’s it for today.

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win the Serenity Stone drops. And if you’re in Houston, don’t forget that I’m signing books at Books-A-Million at Katy Mills at 1:00 this Saturday. I’d love to see you.

Y’all have a good Friday.

Y’all.

First off, I will never ever in a million years be able to thank you for all the kind words and comments and emails. I read through my comments and cried. Several times.

It may have been ugly.

I have never loved you more.

I wish we could all get together for one giant party with a bottomless basket of chips and queso and celebrate the official release of Sparkly Green Earrings today.

And I have loved seeing all the pictures of you with the book on Facebook and Instagram and Twitter and the ones delivered to my door by carrier pigeon. Thank you for that.

I also don’t want to keep bugging you but it would be awesome if you could go “Like” it and leave a review on Amazon today. Or this weekend. Or at some point when you have time. Or never. Whatever works for your schedule.

You’ll be glad to know that I prepared for the book release just like Hemingway used to, by which I mean that I washed the slipcovers on my couch and spent most of the day wrestling them back on to the cushions. I know. It’s all very glamorous.

And then I took my car to the carwash and did laundry all day and swept my house from top to bottom. Gulley said that it really is like I’m having a baby because I’m nesting. Yes, nesting and slightly neurotic. I may be experiencing some adrenaline surges.

Anyway, I’m so excited because I have a special giveaway to celebrate the release of the Sparkly Green Earrings. You have the chance to win a signed copy of the book (I’ll sign it however you want) AND your very own pair of sparkly green earrings, specifically my very favorite Kendra Scott Danielle earrings in green.

I have these and cannot express how much I love them. You’d be shocked at how many outfits they work with. You will love them and wonder how you lived without them in your life. I promise. Not to mention that emerald green is the color of the year for 2013. That’s real. I didn’t make it up.

Just leave a comment for a chance to win. I’ll leave comments open until Sunday and then email the winner.

In other news, because real life still goes on even on book release day (see above: washing slipcovers), here are some cute things I found this week:

1. sweet tea crochet top

This is the kind of top I just love. Perfect with jeans and cowboy boots. And maybe green earrings.

2. munich crocheted sweater

I saw this and loved it immediately. I like the charcoal color, but I also love that it’s the perfect thing to layer over a top and jeans. Or with a skirt. Or over a dress. It’s very versatile is what I’m saying.

3. greek goddess dress

Nothing in my life requires this dress. But that doesn’t mean I don’t like it a lot.

4. water nymph scalloped blouse

Love the color. It would be gorgeous with white shorts or jeans for summer.

5. lightweight patterned shirt

Have I ever mentioned that I am a sucker for a gingham shirt? Not to be confused with a gangnam shirt.

Old Navy had these in the other day and I ran into a girl I know and she was buying one. And then mentioned she was going to get the pocket monogrammed. I may have swooned. Because Laverne DeFazio will always be my style icon.

6. maura shift dress

This may not be long enough to actually wear as a dress. I have no idea. But it’s really pretty and would look good even with leggings. And it comes in some gorgeous colors.

7. striped bow tank

Stripes? Bow? What’s not to love? Except that it’s sleeveless and my arms have issues now due to a chronic condition called lack of push ups. However, it would be darling under a light jacket of some sort.

8. crochet trim shift

Is it just me or is a lot of stuff crocheted this week? I believe we’ve stumbled upon a trend.

Obviously I love this because it’s green. And obviously most humans will need to wear it with some sort of leggings or pants.

And it would look great with the Kendra Scott earrings while you sit reading Sparkly Green Earrings.

9. picado necklace

I just really like this. Fun for spring.

10. notched v-neck tee

Have I featured this before? I can’t really remember because I may have killed a few brain cells trying to get the slipcovers back on my couch. Either way, I really like it and it comes in some gorgeous colors.

Including green.

Which would look great with the earrings.

Because if you give a mouse a cookie he’s going to want some earrings or something like that.

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win the Kendra Scott earrings and a signed copy of Sparkly Green Earrings.

Thank you so much for everything. I promise next week we’ll get back to our regularly scheduled program and it won’t be about the book all the time or anything. It will be about important things like my hair.

And if you’re new here and thinking, WHAT BOOK? You can click on the widget below to buy a copy from your retailer of choice.

Y’all have a good Friday.

So.

Y’all.

This week is a big week in my little corner of the world. After four years of back and forth and maybe I’ll write a book and no I can’t write a book and now I’ve written a book but books take forever to actually come out and be placed on bookshelves in bookstores, Sparkly Green Earrings officially releases this Friday, February 8th and rumor even has it that it’s already on the shelves in various stores.

(By which I mean that I saw it at Lifeway and it was on a middle shelf and I moved it to the top shelf next to Jen Hatmaker’s book because I’m no dummy.)

I feel like I’ve been pregnant for about twenty-six months. The good news is I’m having a book and not a baby elephant.

Although I think baby elephants are very cute.

Sparkly Green Earrings is so special to me. I remember being about ten years old and picking up a copy of Erma Bombeck’s book If Life Is A Bowl of Cherries Then What Am I Doing in the Pits? and reading it from cover to cover because I thought it was hilarious even though I had to be too young to understand some of it. And while I am no Erma Bombeck, I wanted to write a book that you could leave out on your coffee table and not be afraid for your ten year old to pick it up and start reading. In our culture of trashy commercials and other questionable things, that’s become a rarity. I wanted to write a book that will hopefully make you laugh and cry and feel a little less alone.

As much as it all still doesn’t seem real, I look at Sparkly Green Earrings sitting on my bookshelf and it’s a reminder that God sees us. He sees the little dreams we have that we’re scared to voice out loud but whisper as a prayer in the dark. And then he works all things together for his good and puts pieces together in ways we never could have imagined.

SparklyGreenEarings4 from Big Mama on Vimeo.

I couldn’t be more humbled. And grateful. And so appreciative because none of this would have happened if y’all didn’t show up here to read the silly words I type out on the computer every day.

Over the last year I have been so thankful for your kind words and your prayers and your support. You have encouraged me and blessed me and cheered me on more than I can ever convey. You’re a part of this book, in one way or another, and I would love for you to be a part of it again this week as it’s released.

And on Friday I have a really fun giveaway planned just to say thank you for all your support.

Here are some ways you can help make the launch of Sparkly Green Earrings a success. You can do all of these or any combo. Or you can do none of them. I mean that. But maybe you could still buy a copy and use it as a doorstop or for kindling on a cold winter’s night.

1. Buy the book

It’s officially out this Friday, but I happen to know a few of these retailers are already shipping it out. I’ve also heard it’s even at Sam’s Club and I don’t know if anything says REAL AUTHOR like being sold in the same place people can buy toilet paper and dog food in bulk quantities.

Here’s a handy widget if you’d like to purchase it from one of the following places online.

2. AMAZON REVIEW

You can start leaving reviews for the book on Friday and it would be great if you would take the time to leave a review. I’m not sure why that’s important, but people who know things tell me it is.

And I believe them because, while I can tell you all about the Crawley family or Friday Night Lights, I know shockingly little about book sales.

You can just briefly write your thoughts on the book and don’t feel like you need to lie and say it’s the best book you’ve read since To Kill A Mockingbird. However, I hope it’s better than the instruction manual that came with your refrigerator. I have lofty goals.

3. SOCIAL MEDIA

Feel free to post about it or tweet about it or hire one of those airplanes that writes stuff in the sky.

You can also find easy ways to share the book or tweet or pin or hashtag or whatever the kids are doing these days on the official book page.

Also, I’d love to see pictures when you have the book or see it at a store. Nothing would make me happier than seeing my book in your hands. Except maybe if it’s in a shopping cart full of economy sized toilet paper and Ol’ Roy dog food.

4. TELL YOUR FRIENDS

You know, everyone you see today. And tomorrow. And this week.

And for the next year.

5. PRAY

This book is the thing in my life that God wouldn’t let me give up on. And I don’t know why. But my prayer is that it makes women everywhere know that they are normal and we all make mistakes and sometimes we all want to run away from home to a really nice hotel. I want it to be an encouragement and help us all take some time to laugh.

The bottom line is that I’m beyond grateful for you. It means so much that you even care about Sparkly Green Earrings.

For me, this is a dream come true. And it’s also filled with a little bit of insecurity as evidenced by all the dreams I’ve had in the last week where I’m jumping off a cliff and realize there’s no net or someone tells me my nose is too big or my eyebrows are too wild.

But y’all are my safe place.

Thanks for being a part of this. And now I will stop before I start crying and can’t stop and get those ugly puffy eyelids.

Love you so much.

Thank you isn’t enough.