Another day

1. Fearless Faith/Everyday Holy Playlist

So I made us a playlist on Spotify to celebrate the one week birthday of Fearless Faith. These are songs I listen to when I feel scared or worried or just need to remember that God is in control and I am not. Some of them are new and some of them are old favorites, including an Amy Grant classic because Amy Grant is part of the fabric of my spiritual life from the earliest of days.

Here’s the link to the playlist.

If you haven’t bought a copy of Fearless Faith yet, you can find it here.

And don’t forget about our 100 Days of Everyday Holy and 100 Days of Fearless Faith read-a-long plan that starts Tuesday, September 4th. Some of you asked where everyone will be posting with the #100DaysOfEverydayHoly and #100DaysOfFearlessFaith posts so I wanted to clarify it will be on Instagram. You can follow me on Instagram here and you can find more details about the reading plan for fall here.

But in the meantime, just make sure you get your books ordered or pick them up at your favorite local bookstore.

2. Mrs. Maisel Season 2

This made my whole week when I saw it. I cannot wait for Midge Maisel to be back in my life. If you haven’t watched the first season on Amazon Prime, then you haven’t lived. It’s so good and so funny.

3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I read this book years ago and it was a favorite so I was so excited to watch the movie version on Netflix the other night and it did not disappoint. It is so, so good. I loved seeing the characters come to life and the scenery is breathtaking.

4. personalized styros for tailgating by Two Funny Girls

If I think too much about college football season starting in just a matter of weeks, I might run through a brick wall. But it’s imminent which means I need to get my game-watching supplies in order, starting with these darling styrofoam cups. And, yes, they have other tailgate cup options for those of you who cheer for a team other than Texas A&M. But as for me and my house? These are perfection.

Hope y’all have a great day!

So as it turns out summertime hasn’t necessarily been a season where I’ve found a lot of time to write on the blog. I’ve been very busy doing important things like relaxing and reading books and bingeing shows on Netflix and raising a teenager and trying to figure out things to cook for dinner that don’t require much effort.

Caroline spent the last four days at soccer camp at University of North Carolina and had the best time and is now so tired that I think she may sleep for the next two weeks. While she was gone, P and I went out to eat dinner AND to a movie so basically we were out of control.

And I realized I have a few summer favorites that I thought I’d share before I forget all about them.

But first just a couple of other things to share really quick:

This Thursday, July 12th I’m the guest speaker at a women’s brunch at White Chapel United Methodist Church in Southlake,Texas. I think there are still some seats available and you can register here if you’re going to be in the area and it sounds like something you might want to do.

Also, my new devotional for girls comes out August 7th. It’s called Fearless Faith and you can pre-order copies for the girls in your life here on Amazon or here on Barnes & Noble.

Several of you have asked about the age range and it’s for girls about age 8 and up. You can preorder copies for the girls in your life anytime before August 7th and email your receipt to [email protected] and immediately receive a download of the first seven days.

Now for some things that are making my summer a happy one:

1. How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

This wins for my favorite fiction book of the summer so far.

2. Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

I’m reading this right now after several of you recommended it and it’s fascinating so far. It’s the true story of a girl who grows up in a survivalist family that kept her out of school, yet she goes on to eventually leave and earn her PhD from Cambridge University.

3. Trish McEvoy High Volume Mascara

I saw this on Cameran Eubank’s (from Southern Charm) instagram stories when she talked about mascara and decided to try it because her eyelashes do look really good. And I LOVE it. I’ve always been a drugstore mascara girl, but this one might have permanently changed my mind.

Also, did you know that you’re supposed to wiggle the mascara wand from the base of your lashes up to the top to make them look fuller and get total coverage? I’ve been swiping up for over thirty years and no one told me. I asked Caroline if she knew about the wiggling and she said, “Yes, Mom. Everyone knows that.” Um. Not everyone.

4. yacht rock 2018

I believe my love of 70’s and 80’s music is well-documented and thus I committed some time to developing a comprehensive Yacht Rock playlist on Spotify. It is currently at 175 songs which is eleven and a half hours of listening joy. And I can’t promise that I won’t quit adding songs. It’s my Everest.

5. gimme some oven unforgettable italian chopped salad

This is such a delicious salad and I’m a little addicted to it. You can add grilled chicken or shrimp if you need meat to make it a meal. Or it’s a perfect summer side dish. I love the balsamic glaze.

6. framed cooks strawberry basil margarita

My friend Kate writes one of my favorite food blogs and she posted this recipe for a strawberry basil margarita. I adore both strawberries and basil and this drink is perfection for summer.

7. Younger

This has been my favorite show of the summer. It’s funny, well-written and keep you guessing with where it will go next. Sutton Foster is perfect in the lead role of Liza who’s a forty-year-old woman who finds herself divorced and out of work. Through a series of events she decides to try to pass as a twenty-six-year old to get a job in publishing and it works.

8. two funny girls styrofoam cups

Truth be told I always love a styro cup, but never more than in the summer. I happen to love these blue stars, but you can also look on Two Funny Girls website and order a personalized version if you really want to be fancy.

9. twisted trim fedora

I don’t have this exact hat, but I have one that’s very similar and I love it. This one is on sale for $39.95 at Anthropologie and it’s so cute that people will think you’re making a style statement and haven’t just not washed your hair for four days. Or am I the only one who does that?

10. eltaMD UV clear broad spectrum spf 46

This is my new favorite sunscreen for my face. I put it on every morning and I love that the tint evens out my complexion and it goes on so smoothly. Plus, it doesn’t have a weird smell and lasts all day. I’ve even got Caroline using it daily because if I have any big regret in life it’s that I didn’t start wearing sunscreen until it was essentially too late.

11. Bible Binge podcast

I love The Popcast with Knox and Jamie and I love their Bible Binge podcast just as much. I’m not even a great podcast listener because I’m too busy listening to my eleven and a half hours of Yacht Rock, but I’ll make time for this because it’s educational, funny and informative. It’s a great way to learn things about the Bible that maybe you never knew or to look at the stories in a different light. I’m a fan.

That’s all I’ve got for now. I hope you all have a fab Tuesday.

Hello and welcome to Summer 2018!

I’m so happy that we are out of school that I will do my best to not even complain about how hot it already is for early June.

Except it really is so very hot.

But I don’t have to pack a lunch for approximately the next 100 days and that feels like a victory.

Caroline got out of school last Thursday and she celebrated by going shopping all day with one of her best friends. Like mother, like daughter.

Then we headed to the coast on Friday to spend the weekend with some friends. P went down earlier than us because he had plans to fish with a friend and so this left Caroline and me to get everything packed up and get Piper and Mabel to the vet for the weekend by ourselves. I woke up early on Friday morning and began to finish cooking for the trip, doing laundry, buying ice, packing suitcases and coolers, gassing up the car and then taking Piper and Mabel for a long run at the park so they could burn a lot of energy before being boarded all weekend.

While I was accomplishing all of that, Caroline managed to basically only pack a pair of bathing suit bottoms, a toothbrush and some face wash. Apparently just being fourteen is exhausting enough.

I did have her help me get Piper and Mabel to the vet because, well, it’s essentially a goat rodeo to get them in the doors. However, I’d come up with a strategy that involved leaving them in the car with Caroline until the vet techs were ready to take them back to eliminate the terrible waiting in the waiting room that only causes everyone involved to need a Xanax or a shot of tequila. Or both.

As I checked them in, one of the vet techs asked, “Do they still have a tendency to be a little fractious?”

Um. Yes. If by fractious, you mean more nerved up than a cat after thirty-four cups of coffee, then YES.

But they actually did pretty well during the drop off. Maybe they heard it was going to be 102 degrees this weekend and decided they should just enjoy their mini-vacation in an air-conditioned facility.

After that, Caroline and I made our way to Rockport. P met us there along with our friends and from that point on the weekend was full of eating, laughing, talking, floating in the water, playing cards and fishing. It was essentially the perfect kick off to summer vacation.

When Sunday came we were all relaxed, a little sunburned and sad that it was time to leave, but we packed up and made our way back to San Antonio. I woke up at 7:15 Monday morning to go pick up Piper and Mabel from the vet. Needless to say, they were a little overly enthusiastic at being reunited with their people and their yard. Mabel spent a full ten minutes running in circles around the backyard in between sticking her feet in her water dish. Why does she do that? I have no idea. Why does she do anything she does?

However, she did stop long enough to write two haikus about her weekend.

Some call it fractious
It’s more like stranger danger
I don’t need judgement

These dogs keep barking
Yet they have nothing to say
I feel so fragile

Anyway, we are all home and spent most of Monday unpacking and doing laundry and getting everything lined up for our summer calendar. Caroline is taking Drivers Ed (I know. I can’t believe it.) and has soccer training and other activities planned. At some point I’m going to have to go to the grocery store like an adult and think about meals that don’t involve me calling and ordering food to go. But I’m choosing to Scarett O’Hara that for now and think about it tomorrow.

For now, I’m sitting on the couch with Mabel curled up next to me. I’m about to get caught up on The Bachelorette before I watch a few episodes of Riverdale on Netflix because apparently summer for me means rotting my brain. I also just put some essential oils in the diffuser because I’m a little addicted to the combination of peppermint, eucalyptus and lavender. However, I just realized that I accidentally put in patchouli oil instead of peppermint and now I have the urge to put on a caftan and eat some avocado toast.

But I guess I’ll settle for some peanut butter and chocolate ice cream instead and finding out if Becca has a chance at true love instead.

So these two crazy kids got married over the weekend.

Maybe you heard about it.

I think it was on T.V.

(Side note: I have so many thoughts and feelings about the wedding and Sophie and I are recording a podcast all about it later today, so stay tuned for that.)

We spent our weekend in College Station at a soccer tournament. It wasn’t quite a royal wedding and there was nary a carriage ride to be had, but I was pretty happy all weekend because it was Caroline’s first time back on the soccer field after two months of being injured and, well, we were in College Station and got to stay at Honey and Big’s house.

The three of us left town on Friday afternoon as soon as Caroline got out of school. Apparently 4:00 is the new 5:00 rush hour and the traffic gets totally backed up on I-35 because I-35 is the devil’s road. But we eventually made our way to College Station and met Honey and Big for dinner at Wings-N-More. That was P’s favorite back during his time in College Station and he always loves to go back there for wings when he’s in town, which isn’t that often. In fact, the last time he was in College Station was several years ago when we picked Caroline up from Aggie Soccer Camp and that’s when he learned that hot, spicy garlic wings aren’t nearly as good as he thought they were when he was nineteen. I feel the same way about pepperoni pizza rolls dipped in ranch dressing.

Actually, I take that back. I still think those are delicious. I’m just older and wiser and have a slower metabolism now and know that pepperoni pizza rolls are bad for my goal of being able to wear pants that button and zip.

Caroline’s first game was Saturday morning so we had to be up bright and early. I took the time to get a quick glimpse of Meghan’s dress because I couldn’t stand not knowing and then we headed to the soccer fields. Caroline played about half of the first game because none of us were sure how long she could last, but she did pretty well considering that she’d been out for so long.

After the game we went to lunch with the team and then back to Honey and Big’s house to cool off and rest until the next game at 3:30. It was during that game that a couple of Caroline’s teammates got hurt and so she ended up playing almost the entire game because we basically had no subs.

I also got to see my friend Tiff because her daughter was playing in the same tournament. So we took a picture with Honey because it was like a mini-reunion at the soccer fields.

What this picture doesn’t show you is that it was approximately the same temperature as it would be if we’d been sitting on the sun. Except it was even more humid.

Later that night we went to team dinner and then basically fell into bed. We had one last game on Sunday morning and that’s when it decided to pour down rain. There’s really not much that feels as good as being soaking wet from the rain and then having the sun come out to really heat things up. And it’s an extra special touch when it lightnings and there’s a thirty minute lightning delay which means you take your sweaty, drenched self to sit in the car until the weather passes.

But the girls were able to finish the game after the delay. It was a rough one. Gulley texted me later and said, “Honey says Caroline got hurt during the last game. Is she okay?” And I texted her back, “She didn’t really get a specific injury. She was just kicked in the stomach, elbowed in the stomach, kneed in the back, and did a flip on the ground when a girl tripped her.”

Seriously.

Needless to say, she was a little sore on the drive back home to San Antonio. We were doling out all manner of Advil, chocolate milk and ice packs.

We had to board Piper and Mabel at the vet over the weekend and couldn’t pick them up until Monday morning. P went to go get them first thing and then took them immediately to the park to let them burn off all their pent up energy. They both gave me the cold shoulder when they first got home. Especially Mabel. But then I let them get on the couch and we all watched the Royal Wedding together and that seemed to help, although Mabel requested a tiara and was really put out that I didn’t have one for her to wear.

She wrote a haiku about it:

I would like a crown
Spent the weekend at the vet
I think I earned it

And now we’re just getting through the last real week of school. I had to make the tough decision to throw away her lunch box yesterday morning even though it only had to get her through a few more days. But apparently some combination of spilled salad dressing and fruit came together in the interior lining of the lunchbox and created a smell that can’t really be described without excessive profanity.

Anyway, that’s what has been going on around here. And I realize it’s kind of boring, but I really just wanted to check in and say hi.

Hi.