Another day

I loved all the book recommendations from yesterday. Thank you so much! Now I have to add a trip to Barnes and Noble to my To Do list before I leave town at the crack of is-that-even-a-real-time on Thursday morning.

And that list is already very lengthy which is why I’m just going to share a few quick things today that might be on interest.

1. King of Love by Austin Stone Worship

This is the latest worship CD from Austin Stone and it is amazing. I received an early copy about a month ago and have listened to it almost non-stop ever since. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

2. Mix and Match Mama’s Crockpot Jambalaya

I made this for dinner last night and it was so easy. The only downside was that I had to cut up raw chicken, but I handled it and only gagged once or four times.

But it’s so delicious and tastes every bit as good as the much more complicated jambalaya recipe I used to make.

And if you’re looking for easy meal ideas, I am loving Shay’s Menu Planning Mondays. I’m a terrible meal planner, but this is helping significantly because it requires almost no thought on my part.

She also did a a whole feature on wearing scarves yesterday that you will love if you are interested in scarves and/or the wearing of them.

3. swirled symmetry mug

This is the time of year that I get slightly obsessed with the perfect mug or bowl because ’tis the season for sitting by the fireplace eating big bowls of soup or drinking hot chocolate.

4. Janet Hill Halloween print

I’m also more than a little bit in love with Janet Hill. This is one of her prints that I’m totally going to buy to put up next year during Halloween.

5. gap flannel pants

I love Gap flannel pajama pants. I have at least three pair that I’ve had for years and plan to restock my flannel pj wardrobe this year.

Right now you can get 35% off with the code GAPGIFT at checkout. They make great Christmas presents.

That’s it for today.

Well I almost thought I wasn’t going to have time to write this tonight because I had so much homework to get done.

But the fashion prevailed and that’s good because I found some cute things.

Including the softest hoodie ever. Which is great because ’tis the season for a good hoodie.

Amy from Evy’s Tree sent me two darling hoodies a few weeks ago and I can’t wait for the weather to cool off for real so I can wear them every waking minute.

This is the Lizzy.

And this is the Cabaret Simple.

They are equally cute and equally soft. And there are more styles to choose from, including hoodies for kids.

Best of all, you can get 15% off your order when you use the code BIGMAMA15 at checkout.

It’s like a hoodie dream come true.

And here are some other things that might help take your mind off the helium shortage.

1. feather in the wind tunic top

Listen. Free People can make a good top. I really, really like this one even though it’s a little pricey.

2. cable poncho

Last year I had big plans to buy a cable poncho from Gap. But I wanted to wait until they were on sale and then they were all sold out in my size. You can imagine the horror.

Don’t let it happen to you. Gap is offering 35% off through Monday when you use the code GAPSAIL at checkout. God bless Christopher Columbus for discovering the New World.

3. drama open knit cabled sweater

I seem to be on a sweater kick.

4. saipan zigzag tunic dress

I really like the colors in this. And while I’m not sure it works as a dress for everyone, I think it would be darling with skinny jeans or leggings.

5. embroidered cuff henley

It’s like a regular henley but with flair.

6. roanoke island scarf

This scarf is so cute. Love the color and the style.

7. deja vu high-low blouse

I love this because it can be worn year round. It’s one of those great short sleeve options that’s perfect for fall in Texas.

8. fable yarn cardigan

I realize I featured this last week. However, it is currently 30% off at Piperlime when you used the code FALL at checkout. There are many, many other things that are 30% off at Piperlime through next week so you should probably go to there now and check it out.

9. jude booties

These booties fall into the 30% off sale category. And they come in black. I think they are perfect.

10. jacquard draped front cardigan

One last 30% off item. I nearly featured this last week but already had ten items. And now it’s on sale so it all worked out in that way life does sometimes.

That’s it for today.

Y’all have a good Friday.

Last night I was sitting on the couch playing Candy Crush and trying to come up with something to write about. This is basically the Cliffs Notes version of every night of my life. But then I started looking at Facebook and noticed several of my friends mentioning they’ve received the renewal notices from their health insurers and the common thread is that their monthly premiums have almost doubled for the same level of coverage.

And this sent me into a little bit of a tailspin of worry because P and I are both self-employed. We already pay quite a bit for health insurance and I’m really not looking forward to that number doubling. At some point you have to think we’re better off just taking the hit and using the money we’re saving on insurance premiums to stock up on Band-Aids and a few tubes of Neosporin.

On a related note, I just read an article that said the NINETY-THREE MILLION DOLLAR website developed for people to sign up for Obamacare is expected to have months of glitches. I verified this earlier when I went on to act like I was going to create an account and all I got was a bunch of gibberish computer code.

So. Let me get this straight. You want to be in charge of my healthcare but you can’t build a reliable website for the bargain price of NINETY-THREE MILLION DOLLARS?

That sounds totally reasonable.

And not at all frightening.

Anyway, the point is I went to bed and tossed and turned because I was worried about our insurance premiums. Which led to being worried about paying for Caroline’s college. Which led to worrying about the science crossword puzzle she had for homework because we barely knew any of the answers. Which led to thinking the sleeves on my pajama top were too scratchy. And, thus, I was up most of the night. Welcome to the state of my brain.

In the morning, the first words out of Caroline’s mouth were to remind me that I said we could run to HEB to buy flowers for her to take to her teacher from last year for her birthday. So we rushed through our morning routine to ensure we had time to go get flowers and make it to school within reasonable range of the ringing of the tardy bell.

However, we arrived at HEB and Caroline found the flower section overwhelming. Lilies? Gerbera daisies? Roses? An orchid? I implored her to make up her mind quickly and walked over to the edge of the flower section to take deep, calming breaths. It was then that I noticed a sign on the helium machine next to all the balloons.

It read: WE CAN NO LONGER FILL UP BALLOONS DUE TO THE WORLDWIDE HELIUM SHORTAGE.

Well. I had no idea.

As if I didn’t have enough on my mind. Now I have to worry about the clowns.

Because I yearn for knowledge on any crisis that may lead to lame balloon-less parties, I immediately consulted the internet as soon as I got home. I discovered many things. Most importantly, the worldwide helium shortage is a real thing and balloon artists are having to resort to using wooden sticks to hold up their creations.

Now I’ll never sleep again for thinking about some poor clown having to make a balloon poodle look lifelike and interesting using only his mind and some wooden sticks.

But, more importantly, the U.S. Government is in charge of one-third of the world’s helium supply.

Of course it is.

With all the things Congress cannot agree on, they managed to reach an agreement about the helium a couple of weeks ago. I assume because a shutdown of the Federal Helium Program would result in lost revenue to the U.S. Treasury averaging $430,000 a day. And then how would they pay for that healthcare website?

Also, we have a Federal Helium Program.

We have a Federal Helium Program.

Now the President just needs to sign the bill so it becomes a law. Otherwise, none of us will ever be able to talk in funny voices at a party ever again.

Helium is also used in a wide variety of things like the aerospace industry, MRI machines, and fiber optics.

And I guess those things are important, too.

The most important thing you need to know is that fall weather finally made it to San Antonio around 7 p.m. Saturday night. And there was much rejoicing in my heart. Especially because I’d spent two hours of Saturday morning sweating through another 95 degree soccer game.

The cooler temperatures almost inspired me to do my bi-annual clothing switch in my closet, but that idea lost out to the superior plan of sitting on the couch most of Sunday afternoon. And the reality is that it will be in the 90’s again by Wednesday so it’s a little premature to relegate my flip-flops and sleeveless shirts to the top of the closet.

We had a relaxing weekend around here. By Friday night all three of us were so tired that we just picked up pizza for dinner and were all in bed by 10:00. Of course part of the reason for this was because we knew we had to be up early on Saturday morning to drive two hours to Hutto, Texas for Caroline’s soccer game. Two of her teammates rode with us to the game and they spent the entire trip making those bracelets out of rubber bands. It was like an arts and crafts session in our backseat set to the music of Katy Perry singing “Roar”. Which you have to admit is a catchy tune. It’s just a shame that in about two weeks I’ll be so sick of it that I’ll want to throw the speakers in my car out the window.

The game was a good one even though we lost. The other team was a little more aggressive than what we’re used to and the ref failed to charge one of their players with a penalty even after this girl tripped Caroline and caused her to flip on her back. However, Caroline took it upon herself to push the girl with both hands the next time she got in her way. And that’s when the foul was called.

We had to explain after the game that while we appreciated the intensity, she might need to learn to be more subtle than to shove someone with both hands. That kind of thing tends to get noticed.

But it gave her something to talk about all the way home. She loves to have a grievance. I think it’s the Sicilian in her. In fact, there are times she’ll tell me a story about someone eating her Cheetos at lunch or some other crime and I’ve learned the most important question I can ask is, “When did this happen?” Because invariably her answer will be something like “when I was in third grade”.

And then we have a refresher course on concepts like mercy and grace and forgiveness. Heaven help me when she’s old enough to watch The Godfather.

Anyway, we didn’t get home until mid-afternoon on Saturday. P’s birthday was Sunday so we ended up grilling some quail and I baked a chocolate sheet cake that Caroline put six candles in since he turned forty-two and four plus two equals six. The only problem was he actually turned forty-three. But it was a nice thought. She also made him a card with a drawing of the two of them on the back and even included the laugh lines around his eyes. I’m really hoping she doesn’t do the same on my birthday.

Our Sunday was spent mainly in our pajamas. We made breakfast tacos and ate more birthday cake and enjoyed the cooler weather. It was the kind of day that gave us all a chance to catch our breath before another week hits us with all the math homework and science worksheets and soccer practices.

And that was our weekend. Hope yours was good, too.