Other

So yesterday Sophie and I recorded a podcast with our friend Travis Cottrell. He used to occasionally podcast with us but we realized yesterday that it has been six and a half years since he’s been on one. Which only serves to confirm my suspicions that time is a freight train barreling down the tracks.

We talk about Neil Diamond (Yes. Again. But Travis does the best impersonation.) and Christmas foods and all manner of other things that I can’t remember.

You can click here to listen. Or here. You can even listen right here.

Or, as always, you can subscribe on iTunes.

This has been a strange Christmas season for me in a lot of ways. I’ve had my tree up since the week after Thanksgiving, the house is decorated, presents are wrapped and under the tree and I’ve made a batch of eggnog. But it has still felt a little bit like Christmas has snuck up on me when I wasn’t paying attention and I think I realized on Friday that it’s because I’ve done all the normal Christmas things without my heart really being in it as much as usual.

Some of it is that we’ve just been busier than normal with school and activities and things, but I think the heart of it is that I’ve been so sad about Jen’s cancer being back. It’s like that bruise that you forget about for a minute until you bump it again and remember it still hurts. And last Wednesday night I was in the middle of helping Caroline finish a science project (This is squarely not in my set of skills) when I received a text from Jen that she sent to several of her close friends that basically let us know that her hard news just got harder when they went to a follow-up appointment and discovered the cancer has spread to her lower back, ribs, lungs and more lymph nodes as well as more spots on her liver.

Honestly, as I read her text I didn’t even let myself process it because I knew I couldn’t without falling apart and I still had to help Caroline finish making videos showing the difference between physical and chemical changes, cook dinner and get everyone settled in for the night. So I felt tears in my eyes and then quickly compartmentalized it into “Things to Think About Later” like Scarlett O’Hara.

On Thursday morning I woke up and Jen had posted the news on her blog along with an update that she was headed to Houston to see some specialists there on Friday. Since Mimi and Bops have a house in Houston, I texted her and asked if she had a place to stay. She said they were planning to get a hotel room, but I told her Mimi and Bops would love for her to stay at their house but I would need to overnight her a key since they weren’t there. She loved this plan and I loved that I was able to do something tangible because it’s hard living five hours away and feeling like there’s not much you can do to help.

So I got the key to the Houston house from Mimi and Bops and then drove to the mail store where I paid not a small amount of money to get guaranteed delivery by 10:30 a.m. the next day. Which is why I was none to happy when Jen texted me at noon the following day to let me know the key still hadn’t arrived and they needed to get on the road in the next hour. I immediately drove to the mail store to track down the key and knew I was in trouble when the girl behind the counter typed in the tracking number and said, “I’m going to go get the lady that helped you yesterday.” This is normally not a harbinger of glad tidings.

The lady that helped me the day before explained the package hadn’t been scanned again since it left her store the day before and there was no way to know its current location. That’s when all my pent-up feelings from the last forty-eight hours decided to rise to the top and make a fool out of me. I fell apart crying, right there in the mail store among all the people happily mailing off their Christmas packages, as I explained the package had a key for one of my best friends who has cancer. As Gulley said later, I literally went postal at the post office.

It was so bad that the sweet lady in the store wrapped me up in a hug as I cried and she apologized even though it wasn’t her fault, promising me that I could get my money back as soon as the package was located.

I called Jen as soon as I got back to the car and started crying again as I told her the key was missing. But then, like we always do, we found the humor in the whole situation. One of my favorite things about Jen has always been that she is quick to find the funny and so I hung up the phone with tears from laughing instead of crying. But then I decided that the delivery company was responsible and should pay for Jen’s hotel room in Houston for the night since it was their fault that they key was missing and she didn’t have a place to stay.

And so I spent the rest of the afternoon emailing back and forth with their customer service department until they agreed to cover the cost of her hotel for the night. Then I made a hotel reservation right in the Medical Center and texted her the information since she and her husband, Scott, were on their way to Houston at the moment.

The best part is Jen got some good news on Friday morning in Houston about various new treatments and things they can try that offer a 50-60% chance of stopping tumor growth which was much more hopeful news than they’d gotten earlier in the week. You can read Jen’s whole account of this and her update here on her blog.

But I’m really telling you this whole story because as I drove to pick up pizza for dinner on Thursday night, I found myself praying for Jen and thanking God that the delivery company had agreed to cover the cost of her hotel room and asking for the doctors to have wisdom about the best treatments going forward. And then I turned up the radio and heard a Christmas song that sang the words we all know so well, “Do not be afraid, a Savior is born to you this day.”

I don’t even know what song it was – I hadn’t ever heard it before – but in that moment I was hit with the full realization of what Christmas is about. Yes, it’s about a baby born to a virgin and laid in a manger. But those words by the angels to those shepherds that night hold the weight of it all, “Do not be afraid, a Savior is born”. I’ve always read those words and just thought of them in terms of the angels reassuring the shepherds there was nothing to fear as they saw a heavenly host of angels in the night sky.

But through the angle of the lens of watching my friend fight this battle with cancer, I see more. “Do not be afraid, a Savior is born”. Because that’s what God gave us as his son Jesus was born that night so long ago, the assurance that we no longer need to be afraid because we have a Savior. We don’t need to be afraid of death or the future or the present and all those other fear-mongering rabbit trails our minds go to in the middle of the night when we can’t sleep, because we have a God who loves us so much that he sent his son wrapped in the soft skin of a newborn. I feel like until Thursday night, I’d lost some of the wonder of that this year.

“For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

And that’s what Christmas is all about, Charlie Brown.

I wish you and your loved ones the merriest one yet.

This is going to be quick because I wasn’t even going to do Fashion Friday but then I couldn’t help myself because I saw so many cute things that I loved. And some of you might have some Christmas money burning a hole in your pocket by next week.

1. saunter through saturday top

I’m a little obsessed with anything that resembles a baseball tee right now. Love this.

2. once upon a thyme coat

How gorgeous is this coat? Perfect with jeans, pants or over your favorite dress.

3. max & mia crinkled maxi skirt

I bought this skirt last spring and have worn it so many times since then. And now they’re offering it in a few new colors. Even better, it’s on sale for $46.80.

4. frenchi shawl cardigan

This is one of many great items that’s on sale for 40% off at Nordstrom right now, making it only $23.98. It has great reviews and comes in several different colors depending on your sweater needs.

5. hinge lace sleeve top

This is just so pretty. And on sale for $46.80.

6. chevron crest dress

This immediately caught my eye. I can’t tell you much about how it fits or what it looks like on, but I can tell you it kind of felt like love at first sight.

7. cadi clipdot pullover

Umm. Yes. This looks like a baseball tee. That’s what I’m saying.

8. boden rainy day mac

The raincoats from Boden are my favorites and I’ve wanted one for years. And now some of the patterns, including this precious plaid, are on sale for as low as $71.20 plus free shipping.

9. sabine bead necklace

I have a turquoise necklace similar to this, but I’m loving this cobalt blue. So pretty! And on sale. But beware that it’s a final sale item. Don’t buy unless you love.

10. j.crew cable knit sweatshirt

The other day I saw a girl wearing a top like this with skinny jeans and cognac colored boots and I thought she looked so cute. I really like this. And J.Crew is offering various discounts and free shipping depending on what you order.

So that’s it for today.

Have a great Friday.

I mean. Glad tiding is probably overselling it. But I wanted a festive way to convey a few things of interest and so there you have it. Glad tidings. To you and your kin.

Which makes me think of a story from years ago when Gulley told our friend Jamie about something her “kinfolks” did and Jamie, who’s from Dallas and very much a city girl, asked “Who is Ken Folks? Do I know him?”

You’re welcome for that little side note.

Here are a few things you might care about it:

1. My toffee recipe

Toffee
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. sugar
1 c. butter
1/4 c. water
12 oz. chocolate chips

Line a 9×13 pan with foil, butter the foil. Spread pecans on the foil. Mix sugar, water and butter in a skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly until caramel colored. Pour over pecans. Spread chocolate chips over mixture while it’s still warm and can melt the chocolate. Wait until it cools and break into pieces. Eat until you make yourself sick.

(I don’t make mine with pecans anymore. We are just straight up chocolate, butter and sugar at my house these days)

2. Boomama’s gift guide for teen girls

I loved this gift guide Sophie put together for Ree for teen girls. So many great ideas on this list.

3. Riffsey gif app

I was texting with a friend the other night and she suddenly texted me a gif. It’s not like I don’t know about gifs. I do. Because I am up on my current events and such.

However, it was a game changer when she told me it’s an app you can download that you can add to your keyboard like emojis so you can easily find a gif to fit almost any occasion. So now if you ever text me you need to know you’re probably going to get some type of gif in response.

I apologize in advance.

And that’s really it. See? I oversold it. I have given you approximately THREE things. I’m just trying not to overwhelm you here at Christmas time.

I’m going to go ahead and make a declaration right up front. I can’t guarantee that I am going to be a faithful blog writer over the next three weeks because I have every intention of fully immersing myself in all the Christmas festivities and can’t promise that on any given night I won’t be in the throes of some type of sugar cookie/egg nog/mint M&M stupor. I need to give myself permission to enjoy it to the fullest before the New Year arrives along with all my striving to be a better person who eats vegetables and works out.

All that being said, I need to discuss a pressing issue.

I’m having some hair issues. Specifically, I have these little baby hairs that are growing in at a rapid rate along my temple. I regret to inform you that to add insult to injury, the majority of them are gray. And they don’t really grow long. They just fill in and stick up all along my hair line. Which means I wake up every morning looking like a cockatiel.

Actually, I don’t look that good.

This is very reminiscent of the baby bangs I had during pregnancy so I’m assuming this is something along those same lines, except much more glamorous because these are apparently perimenopausal bangs. With any luck they come with a discounted subscription to AARP and a side of Metamucil.

The good news is I’m getting my hair cut and colored this week. I needed to have it done about a month ago but my fabulous hair person has been out on maternity leave and I totally mis-timed my hair situation leading to an abundance of gray and split ends right now. She won’t be able to do anything about my cockatiel situation because she’s only human, but at least I’ll look like a brown cockatiel instead of a gray one after Thursday.

Also, speaking of glamour, something just really made our living room stink and P asked, “Is that you or one of the dogs?” What I’m saying is don’t hate just because romance and mystery are alive and well at my house.

In other news that may confirm this is becoming a blog for the elderly, I went to the dermatologist today. I initially made the appointment because I have a touch of the rosacea and some discoloration, but I’ve also reached the age where people need to have things cut off that look suspicious. Fortunately, she didn’t see anything that looked too suspicious today because I wasn’t really up for being sliced up before Christmas. Or ever.

And so that’s what’s been going on around here.

P was at the ranch this past weekend and Caroline and I did a whole lot of not much. Last week felt like it lasted for a sweet forever and so it was nice to have no schedule or pressing commitments and just spend a lot of time in our pajamas watching movies. I have to say we excelled at it. Which made Monday morning that much harder.

But now we’re on the downhill slide to Christmas break. Caroline has three and a half days left of school and then we are officially on vacation and free to make cinnamon rolls and toffee and stay up way too late.

My gray bangs and I can’t wait.

Today’s edition of Fashion Friday comes with a disclaimer.

I met my sister and my nephew, Luke, for lunch on Wednesday and Luke and I were dressed the same.

And the worst part is we were dressed like Waldo from “Where’s Waldo?” fame.

The only solace I have is that he had on red Adidas tennis shoes and I didn’t. So at least I wasn’t totally dressed the same as a five-year-old boy.

Here are some cute things I found this week:

1. know every dangle

I really like this. Great pop of color for any outfit.

2. complement your charm top

I think this is so pretty and perfect to dress up or down depending on the occasion.

3. sam edelman foster boots

These boots are so gorgeous and also come in black if you prefer. They are on sale right now for $181.90 which I realize isn’t cheap but a great pair of boots will last you for years.

4. cable knit cowl neck poncho

Yes. It’s a poncho. But it’s cream-colored, would look great with jeans or black pants and is on sale right now for $29.90.

5. barefoot dreams drape front cardigan

So my friend Sheaffer at Pinterest Told Me To has been talking about this cardigan for a long time and I’d always resisted the urge to buy one because I just didn’t feel like I needed it.

But I finally gave in and bought one about a month ago. It may be my favorite thing ever. It’s like wrapping yourself in a cloud if clouds were as soft as angel wings. I’ve worn mine around the house every day since I bought it.

6. shawled wool sweatercoat

This first caught my eye when someone mentioned that Joanna Gaines from Fixer Upper had it and she is my unofficial style icon right now. Then I saw that it’s on sale for $97.46. Which makes it even better.

7. bajwa maxi dress

When Gulley and I were shopping last weekend I saw this in Anthropologie and thought it was gorgeous. I have no need for it, but I thought maybe someone out there could buy it and I could live vicariously through you. It’s on sale for $139.95 which is a pretty good deal for a great dress.

8. embroidered tulle tunic

I love this top. Another great piece that could be dressed up or down.

9. fair isle knit leggings

Yes. I realize I’ve shown these a lot but that’s how much I love them. And Gap has restocked them in more colors and sizes. Plus you can get 30% off with code SHOP. These are a great gift idea for someone on your list.

10. reversible vegan leather tote bag

I saw this in person in Urban Outfitters last week and it’s even better in person than it looks in pictures. It comes in several different color combinations and looks much nicer in person than I even imagined.

That’s it for today.

Have a good Friday.