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I can’t believe it’s already Friday. Our week of stomach bugs and relaxation and sunshine has flown by. And in some ways it’s made me wish summer would hurry up and in other ways it’s made me realize I need to get us some activities on the summer calendar because we fall into a pattern of sleeping in until 10:30 every morning way too easily.

So here are a few things I’ve found this week:

1. embroidered pintuck dress

I bought the royal blue version of this last year and loved it so much. And now I really want the white version. But can’t decide if I need white and royal blue in the same dress. It might be redundant.

However, there is no doubt it would be redundantly cute.

I have no idea what that means.

Also, Gap has 30% off everything online this weekend when you use the code GAPFRIENDS at checkout.

2. the perfect sun hat

I believe I’ve mentioned once or several hundred times that with my advanced age has come an unfortunate skin development where sun on my face tends to give me dark spots in the perfect shape of a mustache. It’s a low.

And it’s why Mamaw needs a good sunhat that offers full facial coverage. I love this one. And it’s from Noonday so you get the added benefit of giving back.

3. fluid roll-cuff henley

I tried this on in Gap the other day and really liked it. It’s super soft, comes in pretty colors and is the perfect thing to just throw on with jeans or shorts or a skirt. Or even some culottes.

Not really on the culottes. Do they even make a culotte anymore?

4. tiered habitual shirtdress

I love this. It also comes in royal blue and the biggest question is would I want the red or the royal blue. And then I remember my royal blue Gap dress I mentioned above and think probably the red. But you don’t have that same issue unless you already have a blue dress in your closet.

I also think this would look cute over some white skinny jeans.

5. ruth necklace, turquoise and red

And then this necklace? Sigh. Love it so much.

6. front zip tweed moto jacket

I’ve been on the fence about buying myself a little tweed jacket. They’re very in right now and look really cute just paired with jeans and a t-shirt. But we have weather issues here in South Texas. Specifically, once it gets hot, it gets HOT.

And then this jacket isn’t so much cute and trendy as it is a device of torture and agony.

But if you live in the North or the Midwest, then I totally support this jacket. It’s also 40% off when you use the code LUCKY at checkout.

7. colorblocked 3/4 sleeve cardigan

This is super cute and makes me think of neopolitan ice cream. And while I don’t care for neopolitan ice cream at all (Get your strawberry away from my chocolate.) I do think the colors are bright and fun.

Plus, a 3/4 sleeve cardigan is a great spring item to throw over a dress or pair with a skirt. Or with jeans and a tank.

8. fiesta chevron dress

We’re not far away from Fiesta time in San Antonio so maybe that’s why this appeals to me. It’s a little bright but super fun for spring.

9. piped cotton eyelet trench

This is super darling. I love the coral color and the little detail in back. It falls into my whole issue about the necessity of a jacket in South Texas in the spring, but I still love it a lot.

10. old navy chiffon sleeveless tunic dress

I haven’t seen this in person, but I feel like it has potential to be great. I love the coral color and think it would be so cute with sandals and some jewelry.

And that’s it for today.

Y’all have a great Friday.

It appears the plague of Spring Break 2013 has come to an end. No one else has contracted the bug and I’m choosing to believe it has run its vile course. Gulley read through comments yesterday and appreciated all the good thoughts. She will live to eat another day.

But there really isn’t much to report here so here are just a few things you might be interested in knowing. Or not. Either way.

1. Christy Nockels

I have long been a fan of Christy Nockels. And the one time I met her in person for a brief moment, I could not have acted more awkward because I was torn between wanting to be normal and crying to tell her how much her lyrics have meant to me over the years. But I’m hoping maybe she doesn’t remember.

Anyway, she wrote a blog post the day that the new Passion CD came out and I love it so much. You can read it here.

2. Ice cream

You are not going to believe this tale of woe and sadness. Actually, you aren’t going to believe that it qualifies as a tale of woe and sadness.

But here goes.

Several years ago, Dreyer’s made a chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream. It was delicious. Words really can’t describe it, but it was far superior to Baskin-Robbin’s chocolate peanut butter cup ice cream of which I’d been a fan since childhood.

Then they quit making it. And there was sorrowing and pain in the Embassy of Spain. Or at my house. Whatever.

But wait! They started making it again but with vanilla ice cream. Get away from me, wretched subpar imposter!

There has been a chocolate peanut butter ice cream void in my life. That is, until Tuesday. When I went to HEB and discovered Breyer’s Blast Reese’s Chocolate ice cream.

Life is worth living again.

(Also, does anyone know why there is a Dreyer’s ice cream and a Breyer’s ice cream? It’s kind of confusing.)

3. Book signings

I have two events coming up in San Antonio.

Monday, March 18th from 5-7 p.m. I’ll be at Adelante Boutique courtesy of The Twig in the Pearl Brewery. There will be snacks and shopping and it should be big fun. Plus, it’s a great chance to check out all the new stuff down at the Pearl.

Wednesday, March 27th from 5:30-7:30 p.m. I’ll be signing books at Julian Gold as part of an event that benefits Girls, Inc. of San Antonio.

4. Miracles & Moments of Grace by Nancy Kennedy

This collection of essays from fifty different moms in all stages of motherhood just came out last week. It’s filled with funny and tender moments that define motherhood. There might even be an essay by me. And some other bloggers you know. You can read more about it here.

5. Beauty Balms

Have y’all heard about these? Apparently they’ve been in Europe for years and have just now made their way to America. Or at least that’s what I read in some magazine at the doctor’s office. I have no idea if that’s true or just a clever marketing ploy.

They claim to moisturize, correct and protect in one convenient application. The coverage is a little heavier than a tinted moisturizer but lighter than foundation.

Anyway, I’ve tried the L’Oreal version the last few days and I like it. I can’t decide if it’s a replacement for my tinted moisturizer, but it has possibilities. I’d be interested to know if you’ve tried it and what brand you like the best.

And that’s it for today.

See y’all tomorrow for Fashion Friday.

Well the good news is I’m finally better. I can’t remember the last time it took this long for any type of food to sound remotely appealing. Probably because it’s never happened. This was an unprecedented level of gastrointestinal distress.

And the semi-good news is that, as of this writing, it’s only taken one other person I love down.

The bad news is it was Gulley.

And the really bad news is it meant we had to cancel our Spring Break road trip to Dallas.

We had planned to leave on Monday around noon. And our itinerary involved a stop at Shady Grove in Austin because I felt like if any food might provide a source of healing and comfort it might be their jalapeno ranch dressing and chips. I realize this sounds like a bizarre and ambitious choice for someone recovering from the worst stomach virus ever, but I will tell you I’ve been known to eat a Frito Pie less than six hours after being sick on previous occasions. My stomach makes cast iron envious on most occasions.

(Every time I write about Frito Pie some of you ask what that is and I grieve for you. I grieve deeply. A Frito Pie is simply Fritos covered in chili with grated cheese on top. Some people like to add onions or jalapenos but I’m not one of them. Also, they never taste better than when served in the actual individual size Frito bag.)

(Which reminds of me a place called Lake Tejas in Colmesneil, Texas where I used to swim in the summers with my sister. Our grandmother would take us there and we’d swim all morning and then sit in our bathing suits and eat Frito Pies right out of the Frito bag for lunch. That’s some body joy when you can eat that type of meal while wearing nothing but a swimsuit.)

Anyway, I was packing up my suitcase and Caroline’s suitcase on Monday morning, still feeling more than a little puny myself, when Gulley called and said, “It may be psychosomatic but I woke up feeling a little queasy. I’m going to lay down for a few minutes and see if I feel better.” And I agreed that sounded like a good plan because you know what’s worse than having a stomach bug? Having a stomach bug in the midst of a five and a half hour road trip with three kids.

About thirty minutes later my phone rang and it was Jackson. He said, “Um, Mel? My mom is in the bathroom throwing up.”

Yep. That is the sound of a nail in the coffin of the road trip.

I told him she was going to be fine even though I know one of our friends got this same bug so bad that she passed out cold and then asked him to have her call me if and when she could talk. When she called she began to apologize profusely for ruining our plans in a whisper of her normal voice and I cut her off by assuring her I’d never had more empathy for someone with a stomach flu than I did while still in recovery myself.

And so I made all the calls to let various people know we weren’t going to make it to Dallas. Which included canceling my book signing on Tuesday night and I hated to do that. But we’re going to try and reschedule at some point because I would love to visit Dallas, just not while I’m still feeling slightly like death with a side of black plague.

Basically what we were left with for Spring Break was the distant memory of a time we ate food for pleasure and three disappointed kids who are bored and possibly ticking time bombs to also become stomach bug recipients.

So on Monday I picked up Gulley’s boys and brought them to my house. It wasn’t necessarily the makings of the vacation they’d dreamed of but at least they were all together and got to play Wii and mill around the backyard and eat generous amounts of ice cream because I felt kind of bad for them. I even made them popcorn because I think we all know the clean, fresh house thing went out the window with the stomach bug.

And then yesterday morning I called Gulley and she was feeling better but far from 100%. Or 35%. So I told the kids I’d take them bowling later that afternoon. Which kind of seemed lame considering the weather is absolutely gorgeous, but Caroline still has a boot on her foot and that puts a limit on most outdoor activities. It didn’t really work well for bowling either, but since she bowls an average of 39 when completely healthy, I figured it didn’t matter much.

I meant to take some pictures of our afternoon of bowling to document Spring Break 2013: The One Where We Gave Thanks for Zofran, but I only got this one of Will.

He doesn’t know why people keep asking about his hair.

And, like Gulley said, this was a pretty tame day.

I drove the kids home about 5:30 and all of a sudden had an epiphany. I mean, white smoke didn’t come out of the Vatican or anything, but after days of no appetite I knew there was something that I actually wanted to eat for dinner. A craving, even.

Red beans and rice from Pappadeaux’s.

And I’m back. The cast iron stomach is back.

Every January since 1997 there has been a conference for college-aged kids called Passion. And it’s always been a dream of mine to attend even though I’m now a little bit beyond college age. But just by a few or twenty years. The good news is it’s now simulcast every year so I can watch it from the comfort of my couch like an old person.

Here’s the thing about Passion, the teaching is phenomenal. But I think my favorite part is the music. In fact, from the moment I watch Passion every January I can’t wait until March when the new Passion CD is released because I know it will pretty much be my soundtrack for the rest of the year.

And this year is no different. I received an advance copy of this year’s Passion CD called Let the Future Begin and I’ve already listened to it about twenty or fifty-six times. It is so good and I know y’all will love it.

Here’s the best part. I get to give away five copies of Let the Future Begin today.

All you have to do for a chance to win is leave a comment on this post. I’m thinking you can tell me your current favorite song because those are the things I like to know.

I’ll leave comments open until Sunday at noon and then choose the five winners using Random.org.

And if you can’t wait that long, then you can download it on iTunes right now for just $9.99.

So there was a point around 2:00 a.m. on Saturday morning when I believed I may not live to see 2:05 a.m. In the words of Fred Sandford, “It was the big one, Elizabeth”.

Except I didn’t think I was having a heart attack.

I had succumbed to the dreaded stomach bug. Like the worst stomach bug I ever remember having in my life.

But let me back up so I can bore you with all the details. Also, you may want to quit eating your breakfast while you read this. It starts off innocently enough, but ends in a dark, dark place that is not for the squeamish.

On Friday morning I’d scheduled a housekeeper to come clean my house because it just felt like it needed a good thorough cleaning and not the half-hearted wiping of the countertops with a damp paper towel and then lighting a candle so it smells good type of cleaning that I have perfected into an art form.

And then I left the house for the next few hours and went to Starbucks to try to get some writing done because I believe I mentioned that I am now under a deadline that is drawing closer by the day and I can’t talk about it anymore or I will have to put my head between my knees.

Caroline had early dismissal from school so I stopped by the house briefly to drop off my computer and take in the wonder that is a house you didn’t have to clean yourself and then I picked her up from school. We ran a few errands and then picked up Gulley’s boys from school and I brought them back to my house.

Let’s not even pretend that I didn’t threaten them all with all manner of spring break fun being taken away if they dared to mess up my freshly cleaned house. All I wanted was twenty-four hours of clean. No dirt on the bathmats, no mud tracked through the kitchen, no boys with bad aim using my toilet. I wanted to squeeze all the clean enjoyment I could out of my house.

In fact, at one point the kids came in and asked me to make them popcorn on the stove which I normally do on Fridays and Gulley said, “No. She’s not making you popcorn today. Her house is clean and smells clean and she doesn’t want to ruin it with popcorn smell.”

See? That’s why we’re best friends. She gets me.

And then we spent the rest of the afternoon catching up on life because we’ve both been busy lately. Later on I talked to Mimi and Bops because they were going to take Caroline out to dinner so P and I could have a night out. We’d planned it earlier in the week because there are a bunch of new restaurants that just opened in the Pearl Brewery area and we wanted to try something new and hadn’t been out in a while.

So Mimi and Bops picked up Caroline and we got dressed for dinner and decided on The Boiler House which is like a Texas Wine Garden and Grill type place. It was a great dinner. We split the fish stuffed with crabmeat and ordered a side of au gratin potatoes and some roasted brussels sprouts. And then we shared a chocolate cake with creme brulee ice cream for dessert.

Well, I say we shared it. The truth is that by the time dessert arrived I started to feel really full. And not great overall. I figured I’d just eaten too much and the feeling would pass. So I took a bite of chocolate cake and let P finish the rest.

By the time we got home I really felt bad. I was so irritated at myself for eating too much but didn’t feel like I really had in the whole scheme of things. P suggested we take a walk around the block to work off a little bit of dinner and I agreed it was a good idea. I picked up Caroline from Bops and Mimi’s house about an hour later and still felt bad. And had a hard time telling them about the fish we ate for dinner because I was really starting to feel like FISH IS EVIL.

Finally, around 11 p.m., it hit me. I ran to the bathroom. And I forever ended my relationship with fish and au gratin potatoes. They are dead to me.

Which is such a shame because I find there is really no better combo than cheese and a potato.

And here’s where I really let you peek into my twisted psyche. I was simultaneously elated that I knew my toilets were squeaky clean as I threw up repeatedly and traumatized because MY TOILETS WERE SQUEAKY CLEAN. And it was all ruined.

In hindsight, the popcorn smell wouldn’t have been that big of a deal.

Around midnight I thought it might all be over, but I was wrong. 2:00 a.m. was really the low point. I vowed to never eat again and then made my way back to bed where P asked, “Are you okay?” and I whispered, “I may never be okay again.”

The rest of the night is a blur of trips to the bathroom and wishing for death and trying not to think about potatoes and cheese or fish. I don’t know what any of this means for my former love of cheese fries.

And before you ask if it might have been food poisoning, I’ll remind you that P and I ate the exact same thing out of the exact same plates. It was clearly just an ill-timed stomach bug.

(Yes. As opposed to a stomach bug that comes at a good time. Like a plague of locusts.)

I finally fell asleep around 6:30 a.m. and woke up about 10:00 still feeling like warmed over death with a side of blech. I knew Gulley had a stockpile of Zofran from when Will was sick a while back so I texted her and said, “Zofran? Please. Help. Me.”

She was at my house in five minutes and I’ve never taken a pill so fast. And then I laid in bed for the next four hours because I couldn’t even move. P kept checking on me to see if I needed anything but lacked the ability to provide me with a new stomach lining and a case of amnesia, so instead he just kept the air-conditioning cranking and the fan on high.

I finally crawled out of bed around two on Saturday afternoon feeling like I’d been hit by a truck. About an hour later I attempted to eat a Saltine and drink some Gatorade.

On the upside, I woke up Sunday morning after sleeping twelve hours and felt much improved. However, I can’t not say the same of my relationship with food.

*******

Okay, due to stomach bug issues the Dallas signing has been cancelled. I am so sorry! I hate it so much, but we are going to try to reschedule. I’ll keep you posted!! Thanks for understanding!

***Edited to add two quick book-related notes*****

1. I’ll be in Dallas signing books this Tuesday, March 12th at 7 p.m. at the Lincoln Park Barnes and Noble at 7700 West Northwest Hwy (across from North Park Mall). Would love to see you there if you don’t already have big Spring Break plans. Plus the bookstore is almost like a beach vacation but without the beach.

2. The kindle version of Sparkly Green Earrings is only $5.00 right now. FIVE DOLLARS. You can get it here.

I have no idea how long it’s going to last so you may want to get it now instead of procrastinating like I do.

******

I have missed you terribly.

Honestly, I didn’t plan to take a three day break but I ended up taking a little road trip to Houston and accidentally stayed up until 2:45 in the morning with some dear friends laughing and talking and solving many, many problems and then I got home and was exhausted and we were out of toilet paper and Advil.

Clearly, we were on the verge of disaster.

But fashion always prevails and so I’m glad that I’m back for Fashion Friday. And I so appreciate y’all being excited about the next book even though you share my concerns over what types of giveaway items I’ll have for a book called The Antelope in The Living Room when it comes out sometime in 2014.

I have no idea. But I promise it won’t be your very own stuffed antelope head. I’m deeply sorry because I can sense your disappointment.

Anyway, here are some cute things I found this week. Or maybe that I found online in the last three hours. Whatever.

1. embroidered spirit tunic

This is just so perfect. I love the embroidery. And the flowy-ness. I can just picture this with some skinny colored jeans and a cute pair of sandals.

2. calexico colorblocked dress

Ditto for this. It’s a totally different look, but I’d never wear it as a dress. But as a tunic? Perfect.

3. towne & reese coral earrings

If you’re going to buy one pair of earrings for the spring and summer, well, they should probably be green. However, coral is a close second.

4. maritza print shift dress

I saw this online last week and couldn’t decide if I liked it or not. But now it has firmly moved into the LIKE category. Love the colors and that’s it kind of different.

5. pleated tank

This comes in yellow or a great royal blue color. Perfect for spring and summer in either one.

6. braided hoska belt

I love a good belt. And this is a good one.

7. sail away dress

I realize online this may not look like anything great. But I saw it in person in the store the other day and thought it looked so cute paired with gold jewelry and sandals. It’s more chambray than it looks in the picture.

8. san fernando printed dress

Another item called a dress that probably isn’t a dress for most of us. But I love the colors and I think it would be cute paired over pants or leggings.

9. seafoam crochet shorts

Now. I realize that some of us may no longer be fans of shorts. But I had to share these for those who still feel okay about shorts because they are so fun. I love the colors. I love the crochet. I love the chevron.

10. perfect everyday shirt

This is called the Perfect Everyday shirt. And I agree that it’s perfect for everyday. And it comes in all manner of colors.

So that’s it for today.

Y’all have a great Friday.