Year: 2009

The post I should have written yesterday

For the last several weeks Caroline has walked around the house singing bits and pieces of God Bless the USA by the bearded Lee Greenwood. Then sometime last week I noticed she was humming a few bars of the Air Force theme, Wild Blue Yonder. It all began to make sense when she was sent home with a note explaining that her school was having a special program in honor of Veterans’ Day.

And here I’d thought she was just some kind of musical prodigy with a penchant for patriotic tunes.

So yesterday morning Mimi and Gigi met me at the elementary school. I don’t know what they were expecting, but just seeing that gym full of elementary-aged kids and eager parents elbowing each other out of the way with cameras brought me back to the days of my own star-making role as Narrator #1 in Bammel Elementary’s production of Bambi. Which is to say that my expectations were not very high.

Then the program started and it was the best Veterans’ Day tribute I’ve ever experienced and I say that without a trace of sarcasm and that’s something that rarely happens.

I generally stay away from controversial topics like politics and whether or not I believe the best boots are the ones that zip up the side or pull on, but I don’t think it would take a political science wunderkind (how long have I been waiting to use that word?) to figure out which side of the political spectrum I lean towards. I mean I’m a Texan, my husband owns mass quantities of weaponry, and WE WATCH NASCAR.

As I watched those kids sing their little patriotic hearts out yesterday, I felt a sense of pride and hope for our country that I haven’t felt in a while. I’m not happy about the direction things are going and, honestly, I feel like we’re paying for our apathy.

Later in the day, P called me. He’d just attended a weekly lunchtime Bible study for high school students and was blown away by the guest speaker. It was an 83-year-old woman nicknamed Grandma Hansi. She was orphaned as a child and brainwashed as a Nazi Youth Leader when Hitler’s troops marched in to Czechoslovakia. At the end of the war she found herself in a Communist Labor Camp. The things she suffered are unimaginable to us but the short story is she ultimately became a Christian and came to America in 1955. She talked about the extreme culture shock she felt upon her arrival because she couldn’t even fathom the freedom that Americans take for granted. As she says on her website, “I would rather die than ever be unfree again. I pray that we as the American people will never take freedom for granted or we might lose it. If Freedom is lost, there will be no more refuge left for those who try to find a better way of life as I did when I came to America. The lights will go out around the world when freedom dies!”

I don’t know about you but I don’t want to spend anymore time taking that freedom for granted. Our veterans have fought long and hard for hundreds of years for us to enjoy the liberty we experience as American citizens and I think the best way to repay them is to not let anyone or anything take that away from us.

At the end of Caroline’s school program, two children began to fold up the American flag like they do at military funerals. As they made each fold they told what each fold represented. It was one of the most moving things I’ve ever heard and I’d never heard it before so I thought I’d share it with y’all.

The first fold of our flag is a symbol of life.

The second fold is a symbol of our belief in the eternal life.

The third fold is made in honor and remembrance of the veteran departing our ranks who gave a portion of life for the defense of our country to attain a peace throughout the world.

The fourth fold represents our weaker nature, for as American citizens trusting in God, it is to Him we turn in times of peace as well as in times of war for His divine guidance.

The fifth fold is a tribute to our country, for in the words of Stephen Decatur, “Our country, in dealing with other countries, may she always be right; but it is still our country, right or wrong.”

The sixth fold is for where our hearts lie. It is with our heart that we pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The seventh fold is a tribute to our Armed Forces, for it is through the Armed Forces that we protect our country and our flag against all her enemies, whether they be found within or without the boundaries of our republic.

The eighth fold is a tribute to the one who entered in to the valley of the shadow of death, that we might see the light of day, and to honor mother, for whom it flies on mother’s day.

The ninth fold is a tribute to womanhood; for it has been through their faith, love, loyalty and devotion that the character of the men and women who have made this country great have been molded.

The tenth fold is a tribute to father, for he, too, has given his sons and daughters for the defense of our country since they were first born.

The eleventh fold, in the eyes of a Hebrew citizen, represents the lower portion of the seal of King David and King Solomon, and glorifies, in their eyes, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

The twelfth fold, in the eyes of a Christian citizen, represents an emblem of eternity and glorifies, in their eyes, God the Father, the Son, and Holy Ghost.

When the flag is completely folded, the stars are uppermost, reminding us of our national motto, “In God we Trust.”

I realize this is not my usual kind of post and some of you may not agree with me. And that’s alright.

Because it’s still a free country.

Also, please don’t miss Patricia’s video of the El Salvadoran Singing Bunny. It’s gold.

**Edited to add that Caroline attends public school which is what makes it even more amazing.**
Sometimes life is full of rainbows and bad cotton candy

I had to drag Caroline out of bed yesterday morning and when I finally got her in the kitchen she informed me she was too tired to go to school. And I knew just how she felt because I would have loved nothing more than for us to get back under the covers and spend the entire day in our pajamas. However, I know her well enough to know that the tiredness would wear off eventually and she’d begin demanding things like food and forms of entertainment more involved than watching Phineas and Ferb. So I drove her to school.

The weekend was exhausting. P was hunting and I discovered that being the head soccer coach is much harder than it looks. There are just so many times that you can yell “THAT’S NOT OUR GOAL! KICK IT THE OTHER DIRECTION! KICK IT THE OTHER WAY!” before you’re ready to pop a Valium and call it a game.

Normally P handles most of the coaching responsibilities and I serve as what I have come to believe is a crucial element of the game, the sideline hostess. I open Gatorades, hand out snack items, take out earrings that have come loose, and fix ponytails. Occasionally I’ll pipe up with a rousing “Come on Rainbows! Follow the ball! Get the ball!” but then I go back to sorting grapes in preparation for half time.

But this week I was on my own. I recruited Bops to serve as sideline hostess but he’s not one to sit around and serve Gatorade while there is any type of competitive sport being played, although in terms of this game I’m using the words “competitive” and “sport” very loosely, so he helped me yell out helpful strategies from the sidelines such as “YOU HAVE TO KICK THE BALL!”

We only had five players which left us with just one substitute. By the second half the girls were all exhausted. One of them begin complaining that her leg hurt so I pulled her out. Then about that time Caroline fell and scraped her knee. Both of them were on the sidelines and neither wanted to go in so I launched into a passionate lecture about MENTAL TOUGHNESS while they searched the cooler for any remaining bottles of blue Gatorade.

When the game mercifully ended, I gathered the team around to give them a little inspirational pep talk and let them know how much I appreciated their efforts. I was halfway through my impassioned speech when one of the little girls looked at me and asked, “Where’s that guy that’s usually here?”

I think it’s safe to say that P and I made a lasting impression on the mighty Rainbows.

On the way home I drove through a Mexican restaurant (I didn’t actually drive through a restaurant although I would have been totally capable of it at that moment. To clarify, I went to a Mexican restaurant with a drive-through) and ordered some self-medication in the form of two breakfast tacos with beans, egg and bacon and extra green chile sauce. If you haven’t ever tried that combination then I feel bad for you. I first discovered it at La Popular (emphasis on lar) Bakery in Pearsall, Texas back in 1996 and my life has never been the same. Colors are brighter.

Caroline and I spent the next two hours lying on the couch until it was time for Jackson and Will to show up. Gulley and her husband had to drive to Dallas and back for a funeral on Saturday and since you never hear anyone say, “You know what’s a great time? A ten hour roundtrip road trip with two kids to attend a funeral!” I offered to keep the boys. They spent the morning with some other friends since they had soccer and football games, but came to my house around lunchtime.

I talked to Gulley a little after lunch and informed her that everyone was pretty tired. I believe my exact words where “I’m not sure if Caroline and Brother (Will) are going to be loving or hating today”. Because that’s what those two do. They are either in love or uninviting each other to their birthday parties. There’s no in between which is why we will forbid them from ever dating because the drama would kill us all.

But we made it through the day with only a fair amount of wailing and gnashing of teeth. Late in the afternoon I told them we could go out to eat for dinner. When we arrived at the restaurant I told them we could sit outside. Will asked me if he could please sit at a table by himself and since we were the only ones there enjoying a 5:15 dinner on a Saturday night, I told him he was welcome to sit by himself.

So he did.

Will is his own person and every now and then he likes to be a loner. A rebel. A renegade on the loose with his orange Fanta.

Meanwhile, Jackson and Caroline were eating their dinner and contemplating the merits of an EZ’s milkshake for dessert vs. candy from the video store.

Sidenote: Caroline’s necklace is an original Caroline design made exclusively with the finest plastic beads that Target has to offer.

Ultimately, they all decided on candy from the video store. Will and Caroline insisted that they wanted that compressed synthetic cotton candy in a foil bag, but young Jackson chose wisely and picked Sweet Tarts. Once we arrived back at the house I got them all bathed and in their pjs, then they piled up in my bed with their cavities in a bag.

After a few minutes Will and Caroline regretted their cotton candy purchase (just like I warned them they would) and wanted to horn in on Jackson’s Sweet Tarts. I told them that Jackson made the better choice and they needed to live with their decision.

So I guess the theme for the day was MENTAL TOUGHNESS.

And I also may have slipped them each a few Gummie Sours LifeSavers because when it comes to choosing the wrong candy, mental toughness can be overrated.

Make sure to read Kelly’s post from today about their first visit to a Compassion Project in El Salvador. And don’t miss Keely’s amazing photos. If you don’t hear from me tomorrow it just means I’m on my way to El Salvador to see about adopting one of those beautiful faces.
A quick lesson from the weekend

I had plans to write about our weekend and my coaching experience but I have a little girl that just informed me that she needs her mama because she had a really bad day and could “use some snuggles”.

And that takes precedence.

But I will share one quick thing I learned this weekend.

It may seem like a good idea to let two little yahoos eat cotton candy in a bag in your bed while they watch a movie, but it’s not.

Actually I knew it wasn’t a good idea at the time but I’m a sucker.

A sucker who had to change the sheets before I went to bed Saturday night.

On a totally different note, a group of Compassion bloggers are in El Salvador this week. I especially loved this post by Molly Piper yesterday.
If only I could makeup my mind

I headed to the mall on Friday armed with a limited amount of makeup knowledge and a Route 44 Diet Cherry Limeade from Sonic. I hadn’t really planned to make a stop at Sonic first, but that morning Caroline asked me if I’d come eat lunch with her at school and could I please bring her a Wacky Pack with a side of mozzarella sticks? And how do I say no to that?

Especially when I know that she won’t eat all her tots or the mozzarella sticks and I can eat whatever is left over with no caloric consequences because every mama knows that the food you eat off your child’s plate doesn’t count towards any official calories.

So I experienced all the entertainment and mouths full of missing teeth that the elementary school cafeteria has to offer and then grabbed my Cherry Limeade (and maybe a mozzarella stick) and left for the mall. Since Caroline eats lunch at 10:40 (absurd) I still had plenty of time to conduct my makeup research.

Here’s what I ended up with:

1. Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

I walked into Sephora already totally biased towards this product, mainly because Gulley loves it and I totally trust her opinion on these sorts of things. Plus, it got a lot of shout outs in the comments.

I’d like to say that I’ve already used it and gotten countless compliments on my glowing complexion, but when you spend all weekend coaching soccer and laying on the couch in attempts to recover from aforementioned coaching experience, makeup doesn’t really seem necessary.

But I loved it when I tried it in the store and the nude shade is perfect for my skin tone.

2. Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna

Nars has a blush that people rave about (I’m not going to mention it by name because, MY WORD, at the google searches it would generate). Anyway, I tried it but felt like it looked too pinkish for my skin. I don’t really enjoy a pinkish hue as much as I like to look as if I just returned from a long weekend at some tropical resort.

Even though if I’d just returned from a tropical resort I’d still be pale because Mamaw would wear her SPF 75 and oversized sunhat the entire time.

So this is like I’ve been to the tropics and live in a world where a little bit of sun exposure doesn’t come with ugly consequences like basal cell carcinoma and brown sun spots.

3. Cargo Blu-Ray High Definition Mattifier

A reader named Sara emailed me about a year ago and told me about this product. I’ll admit I was hesitant to buy it because I generally believe that any sort of makeup primers are just a big scam to get you to spend more money.

But on Friday I purchased my second tube of it because it absolutely makes a difference in how my skin looks. It evens out fine lines and covers your pores so your skin looks smoother even before you put on any kind of foundation. Or maybe I’m just seeing something I want to see and it’s just a placebo effect. Either way works for me.

4. Benefit Big Beautiful Eyes Palette

I wasn’t really looking for eyeshadow but I was walking through Macy’s after I left Sephora for other non-makeup related errands when the girl at the Benefit counter called me over and asked if she could do my eye makeup. It’s like she had a window into my soul.

And so of course I said yes because I am committed to the research. Next thing I knew she’d made my eyes pop and sparkle and highlighted my brows and she’d done it all with just this little palette of eye makeup.

What really sold me was when she showed me how I could use it to give myself a natural eye or a smoky eye depending on the occasion. Granted, I haven’t worn a smoky eye since I inadvertently got a little carried away with my Merle Norman palette of blues and purples back in 7th grade when I tried to match my eyes to my blue Izod shirt. But you never know when I might decide I want to sport a smoky eye at a PTO meeting or for a trip to HEB.

So those were my four purchases of the day. I still need a good eyeliner but couldn’t make a decision and, truth be told, I was actually pretty happy with my Revlon ColorStay eyeliner before I got overzealous and broke it in half the other day.

And the girl at Sephora and the one at Macy’s both tried to sell me on new mascara, but I’m a big fan of CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara. The price is right, I love the brush, and it doesn’t clump when I put it on. I’m sure I’d love DiorShow or one of those fancy battery-operated ones if I tried them, but since my family likes to eat and Santa Claus needs to show up next month I’m going with the whole ignorance is bliss thing.

I also neglected to buy any sort of lipstick because I have approximately 84 tubes of various lip products floating around in the bottom of my makeup bag and countless others that I carry in a Ziploc sandwich bag in my purse. Gulley made fun of me for the Ziploc bag a while back and I tried to explain that it’s because I travel and need the Ziploc bag to get through security. Of course since I hadn’t been on a plane in about a month at the time, my explanation didn’t hold a lot of weight. What’s closer to the truth is that I’m lazy and don’t want to take the time to move all my lipgloss from the ultra classy Ziploc to a fabric makeup bag because can you even imagine the amount of energy and time that would take? How would I ever get those 30 seconds back?

Anyway, in the interest of knowledge and frugality, I’ll share with you that I’m a huge fan of CoverGirl Lipslicks in Daring. It’s a great color and it’s cheap. I own no less than six tubes of it because I keep losing them and finding them again. It’s my prodigal lipcolor.

And there you have it. I realize on the scale of boring to moderately interesting that this entire post would fail to register, but y’all were so helpful with all your suggestions that I felt like you deserved to know how it all turned out.

You should also know that the downside to makeup experimentation is that my face is breaking out like I’m a thirteen year old with a mouth full of chocolate and braces.

Of course it could also just be PMS.

But I believe it’s directly related to having my face covered with more makeup in a two-hour time frame than it usually sees in a week.

Unless I get all dolled up to deliver Sonic at 10:40 a.m. to the school cafeteria.
Edition 73: Fashion Friday

A few weeks ago my friend Steph and I had plans to go shop at the outlet mall in San Marcos. But then the day before we were supposed to go I came down with a cold/sinus issues/allergies/black plague and I knew I wouldn’t have the stamina to endure the marathon that is outlet shopping, so we rescheduled for yesterday.

On Tuesday I received a text message from Steph that read “Torn between two lovers. The semi-annual sale starts at Nordys on Wednesday. Should we go there or to the outlet malls?”

I don’t know. What’s more important, my left arm or my left leg?

Ultimately we decided to shop the Nordstrom sale because it only happens twice a year, plus the cafe upstairs serves those thin little french fries with the kalamata aioli dipping sauce.

My original plan was to take pictures of all the cute stuff we saw as we shopped. But you know what’s useful when you make that type of plan?

If you remember to actually take your camera out of your purse and use it. I cannot tell you how sorry I am, especially because that plan would have been so much simpler than trying to recreate all that I saw using only the internet.

But I’ll do my best.

Also, did you know that there is a Zara store at La Cantera? I originally heard about Zara at a Deeper Still conference when Beth and Priscilla mentioned on stage that they liked to shop there on occasion, but had never experienced one for myself until yesterday when I discovered that there is an ENTIRE SECTION of The Shops at La Cantera that I never knew existed. The only excuse for this oversight is that it’s located beyond the Food Court and I guess I get distracted once I see Chick-fil-A.

Anyway, here are a few things I thought were cute.

(By the way, Zara did have some really cute, very affordable things, but they don’t have a shoppable website)

(Is shoppable a word?)

1. Gumshoe Sweatercoat

I hate to do this to you because all I’m doing is causing you to join in my deep longing. If this isn’t one of the cutest sweatercoats you’ve ever seen, I’ll eat my hat.

Unfortunately, if I brought this coat home with me it would be all I’d have left to keep me warm at night. P wouldn’t understand the way the ruffles whispered my name and caused me to lose my sense of restraint and cost-appropriateness.

2. Ambition Corduroy Blazer

I didn’t buy one of these because I’m not in the market for a new blazer. Also, I’m a little afraid of the term “blazer”.

However, this is a really great jacket and even better in person than in the picture. Plus it comes in some great colors.

3. Naughty Monkey ‘Ring Maestro’ Boot

I love the detail of these boots. I love the color. I love the wedge heel that makes them so versatile.

But, let’s be honest, what really sold me was the name brand. I’d like to buy them just so I could make references to my naughty monkeys and cause people to wonder if I have a side job raising spider monkeys in my backyard.

Of course I guess a side job would require me to have a real job first.

4. Daytrip Plaid Coat

When Gulley and I were in college, the Diamond Darlings held a garage sale to raise money. I kid you not that we sold an old coat of Nena’s that looked EXACTLY like this one and oh did we laugh and mock and use the word “groovy” and other insults circa 1970’s.

But now I kind of wish we had the original.

5. Cable-knit Hooded Sweater Dress

In the interest of full disclosure I have to confess that I didn’t actually see this yesterday because we didn’t go in Old Navy. As far as I know, there isn’t an Old Navy in La Cantera unless I’m missing out on a whole other section of the mall. Which we now know is entirely possible.

Anyway, I’m including this hooded sweater dress because the number one fashion-related question I get in my email inbox is some version of “What’s a good alternative to the sweatsuit?” or in other words, “How can I walk around in my pajamas without looking like I’m in my pajamas?”

Steph and I pondered this question yesterday and ultimately decided that there really isn’t a good alternative for the sweatsuit. I mean, sure, you can run around in your velour sweatpants (guilty!) or your yoga pants (guilty again!) but you can only make those things look so cute. There is a cuteness threshold.

However, I think that you could easily pair a sweater/jersey/cotton type tunic/dress with leggings and either flats, sneakers or boots and have yourself a presentable look that would provide the comfort of a sweatsuit. Maybe I’m delusional, but I thought I’d throw it out there.

And on that note, I’m wrapping it up.

I realize I only featured five items today but that’s because that number coincides with the time I was rudely awakened this morning by a child who has the morning sensibilities of an overeager rooster. I need some sleep.

And to save some money for blackout shades for Caroline’s bedroom.

And to get my playbook ready for my solo coaching effort on Saturday since I don’t know anything and there is no rain in the forecast.

Y’all have a great Friday.

For more Fashion Friday, you can click over to Jo-Lynne at Musings of a Housewife where she’s discussing the trends she doesn’t get and I definitely agree with her on some of them.
I don’t know much

It’s a shame y’all don’t have any opinions about makeup.

All I can say is if you have an hour or two to spare, the comments on yesterday’s post are SOLID GOLD. I don’t even know where to begin but I adore all the input. If I were Estee Lauder I would invite you all to my home in the Hamptons so we could discuss the pros and cons of various products all weekend long. Of course since Estee has gone to that big cosmetics counter in the sky, I guess I’d prefer to be her granddaughter, Aerin. My only regret is that I didn’t ask everyone to state their skin type so I’d know all the various skin issues represented. Live and learn. As Max Factor used to say, “The beauty business is tricky”.

(I have no idea if there was actually ever anyone named Max Factor or if he said that, but it sounds good.)

Last night I took the time to read each and every comment. I made copious notes. I clicked on links. I ate three small bags of M&M’s from the Halloween candy bag. I read reviews on websites.

It turns out that many, MANY, of you are big fans of Bare Escentuals. It was the hands down winner for the most shout outs.

I actually used Bare Escentuals for about a year and liked it. The problem is that I have dry skin. The kind of skin that would make the Sahara desert feel like a tropical rainforest. I ultimately decided that the Bare Escentuals products weren’t the right fit for my skin, although they did provide great coverage and I loved that it felt as if I weren’t wearing any makeup at all.

The bottom line is I’m planning to spend most of my Friday morning at Sephora. It’s all in the name of research. Selfless research. I kind of have an idea about some of the products I’m interested in but I’ll provide a full report on Monday.

In other news, the mighty Rainbows have their last game on Saturday and I’ll be coaching solo since P has some hunting obligations to fulfill down in South Texas. I was feeling pretty good about the whole thing until Caroline let me know her thoughts on the way to soccer practice yesterday.

Thoughts on Soccer from Big Mama on Vimeo.

I guess we’ve officially passed the stage where she thinks I know everything. If we ever went through that stage to begin with.

The important thing is I’ll be able to tell her all about the best products to have in your makeup bag and that’s SO MUCH MORE IMPORTANT AND LIFE-CHANGING than the difference between a corner kick and a goal kick.

The winner of the Tiny Prints giveaway is posted over on my giveaway page. Make sure you click over and check it out. There’s also a special offer for those of you who entered and didn’t win. Oh I do love a consolation prize.