Year: 2011

  • For lack of creativity, I’m calling this FUN TIMES

    So we had a big weekend o’ fun.

    It all started on Thursday afternoon. I picked Caroline up from school early so she could go to Alamo City Church with me and help the LifeWay event team set up for Priscilla Shirer’s Going Beyond conference. We unpacked boxes of t-shirts and unrolled large marketing posters and spread tablecloths on tables and a million other little things that I had no idea had to be done. Caroline had the best time and believes she has found her calling setting up posters and hauling boxes from one room to another.

    We left there around 4:00 and had to make the final decision about the Bike Rodeo which was happening Friday morning. Caroline said she was too tired to practice and I informed her that if she didn’t practice then she couldn’t participate in the Bike Rodeo, especially since she’d just learned to ride four days earlier. She announced she needed time alone in her room to weigh her options.

    Ultimately, the allure of the Bike Rodeo won.

    It wasn’t a flawless performance but she never gave up and, most importantly, never threw her bike to the ground and cursed the day bicycles were created. It felt like a victory.

    Friday evening I went back to the church to help with the conference and hear Priscilla speak. Y’all will be sad to know that I did not get my own walkie-talkie and headphones this time. Or maybe I was just sad about it and y’all won’t care. They said it was because they’d only brought five of them along and gave them to more crucial team members, but I suspect it might have had something to do with my inability to figure out the difference between the talk button and the listen button. Whatever. It’s not as easy as it looks.

    I worked the merch table. Mainly because I like to talk about selling merch. It makes me feel like Andy Barnard.

    And I got to slip in and listen to Priscilla speak. She taught an amazing lesson on Gideon and the Midianites that will stick with me for a long time. I’m sure I’ll end up writing more about it later but I’m still processing some of it.

    On Saturday morning I had to be back at the church at 6:45. For those of you doing the math at home, that means I had to set my alarm for 5:45. And because I am neurotic and tend to fret endlessly about oversleeping, I got a grand total of 15 minutes of sleep Friday night. Needless to say I left the house early enough to stop at Starbucks for some serious caffeine because you can’t work a merch table and do all that math (buy 2 CDs, get 1 FREE!) in your head when you’re delirious from lack of sleep.

    But I was so excited to meet the cutest group of girls from Waco. Shout out to the Waco gals! Loved meeting y’all so much. I’m so glad the bus didn’t leave you on Friday night.

    Anyway, after the event was over, we grabbed a quick lunch before dropping off most of the team at the airport. My friend, Paige, stayed behind to spend Saturday night so we could have a little more time to hang out. We headed straight to Caroline’s last basketball game of the season. I’m sorry to say that it was not their best performance. I’m even more sorry to say that they played the same team they played last week with the coach that made me want to throw something across the court. They were sad about their loss for all of two minutes until they discovered they were all getting medals.

    Upon receiving her medal, Caroline immediately announced, “I’M THE QUEEN OF THE WORLD” so it would appear the loss had a negligible effect on her self-image.

    After that, Paige, Caroline and I headed to get pedicures because we felt like we needed them after all the selling of the merch and the standing on our feet.

    I chose an OPI color called “You Don’t Know Jacques” and couldn’t be more pleased. It’s kind of a pewter color which is normally not in my color range, but I love it for this time of year. The highlight of the pedicure was when Paige’s male pedicurist (Is that what you call them? I have no idea.) put her flip-flops back on her and then did a Ninja move in celebration of his flip-flop putting on skills. It brought us untold joy.

    (Is this post as boring as it seems from this end? Because I’m kind of struggling. It’s also not helping that P is sitting next to me watching When We Were Soldiers which isn’t necessarily the lighthearted feel-good movie of the year. I may wake up with post traumatic stress syndrome tomorrow morning.)

    Saturday evening, we introduced Paige to the glory that is a cheeseburger from Chris Madrid’s and then we stayed up late visiting in between countless yawns because we were about to fall over from exhaustion. Eventually we gave up the fight and headed to bed.

    We woke up in the morning, went to church, and ate more Mexican food. And then, sadly, the fun had reached its end and we took Paige to the airport.

    And then we went to a birthday party for P’s mom and ate cake.

    And then Caroline wanted to go for a bike ride because she has decided her bike is the best thing EVER and can’t believe we let her go so long without knowing how to ride it.

    Right. Whatever you say.

    And that was the weekend.

    On a totally different note, I just dated this post and how is it already March? My word at how the time flies.

  • Checking in

    Wow. It has been a whirlwind of activity here since Thursday afternoon.

    And now I’m sitting here wondering what Anne Hathaway’s blue dress is made out of and if she is actually able to breathe in it or if she has to go backstage, unzip it, inhale a few quick breaths, and head back out.

    I also have questions about Natalie Portman’s earrings.

    Most of all, I’m questioning why I feel compelled to keep watching when I am this bored.

    And with that, I’m going to bed.

    I’ll be back tomorrow with a full recap of the weekend and who knows what else, but in the meantime I’ll leave you with this picture of Caroline I took last week.

    I realize she’s my daughter and I’m a little partial, but how cute is she in that flower headband?

    Also, do you think the leaves on that tree will ever be green again?

    See y’all tomorrow.

  • Fashion Friday: Edition complete with cuteness and a giveaway

    You know what’s so weird? Jennifer Aniston and I both got our hair cut this week. However, she made the national news for getting a blonde bob while no one in my life even noticed I had my bangs trimmed. It’s like no one even cares that my hair is two inches shorter than it was two days ago. This is probably because no one even cares that my hair is two inches shorter than it was two days ago.

    Anyway, guess what? The folks at Big Mama, Inc. have gotten together with the nice folks at Ruche again. And I’m so excited because the item potentially up for grabs is the adorable winter cabin sweater leggings I have coveted ever since I first saw them.

    Aren’t they darling? The only thing I’d like to make clear is that I do not EVER advocate wearing leggings without a top that covers the entirety of your booty region. In fact, I think you need something that hits at a minimum of mid-thigh.

    If you want a chance to win a pair of these leggings, click on over to my giveaway page for my information.

    In the meantime, here are a few cute things I’ve seen this week. Or at least found while I furiously scoured the internet over the last ten minutes.

    1. pintucked blouson tunics

    While I do think this floral pattern is adorable and would look great paired with white jeans this spring, the Old Navy store also had these in solid colors. I don’t know why they aren’t online. But they’re not. I know this because I spent three seconds looking for them.

    2. denim blazer

    You may be thinking to yourself WHAT? A DENIM BLAZER? That’s madness. Pure madness.

    And, honestly, the picture of this one (yes, the picture that I didn’t post because I forgot to upload it and was entirely to lazy to rectify my mistake once I noticed it) does not do it justice. I saw this denim blazer in my local Gap store and fell in love with it.

    But everyone else must have loved it too because they only had one left in an XL.

    3. big beach bag

    If I had this beach bag I would go to the beach every day. Or maybe I would just carry a beach bag every day. Because that would be easier. And cheaper.

    4. shirred ruffle henley

    I love cute cotton shirts that you can just throw on in the spring and summer. This one fits the bill.

    5. beyond vintage embroidered blouse

    Okay, so the lace top that I told y’all about earlier in the week is now completely sold out. And I can’t really find another one exactly like it. But I do really like this top from Beyond Vintage. It’s a similar look and, best of all, it’s on sale.

    6. smocked surplice dress

    I saw this in Old Navy this week and thought it might make a cute swimsuit coverup. Or maybe just the perfect summer dress to throw on and head to the HEB.

    7. camo surplus jacket

    I realize a camo jacket might not be everyone’s cup of tea. But there was a day last fall when I looked out in our backyard and saw Shorty, who worked for P’s landscape business at the time, wearing a camo jacket and I thought to myself MAN, I WISH I HAD SHORTY’S JACKET.

    I then said it out loud to P and after he quit laughing at me he told me I could probably find one just like it in any Army Surplus store in town. Which is true. But I bet none of those have “SHORTY” written in calligraphy across the back.

    Neither does this one, but I like it anyway. I tried it on in the store last week and it even fits cute. Now I just need to work on my calligraphy.

    8. paraiso dress

    What’s not to like about this?

    9. rainyday duffle

    I’m always a sucker for a raincoat from Boden.

    10. turquoise and pearl ring

    Several of you mentioned your love of turquoise this week and how you’d like to add more of it to your wardrobe. I think this ring would be a good place to start.

    That’s it for today.

    Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for the winter cabin sweater leggings.

    And don’t forget to have a lovely Friday.

  • The next book in the informal, very casual book club

    So, I felt like the first meeting of our informal internet book club went pretty well. And I totally meant to announce the next book earlier this week but then I saw something shiny and forgot.

    Actually, I have to tell y’all that my blog friend, Chelsea, sent me a copy of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls and I read it in less than forty-eight hours. It was fascinating. Absolutely a must read if you haven’t read it already, although I’m so glad I read Half Broke Horses first because I knew the family history.

    On Tuesday morning I headed over to Borders to peruse the shelves, even though I already had a pretty good idea of the book I was going to choose. But I have to allow myself some time to obsess over these things.

    And so, after much deliberation, I’ve decided our next book should be Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.

    Here’s an excerpt from the review in Publishers Weekly:

    “De Rosnay’s U.S. debut fictionalizes the 1942 Paris roundups and deportations, in which thousands of Jewish families were arrested, held at the Vélodrome d’Hiver outside the city, then transported to Auschwitz. Forty-five-year-old Julia Jarmond, American by birth, moved to Paris when she was 20 and is married to the arrogant, unfaithful Bertrand Tézac, with whom she has an 11-year-old daughter. Julia writes for an American magazine and her editor assigns her to cover the 60th anniversary of the Vél’ d’Hiv’ roundups. Julia soon learns that the apartment she and Bertrand plan to move into was acquired by Bertrand’s family when its Jewish occupants were dispossessed and deported 60 years before. She resolves to find out what happened to the former occupants: Wladyslaw and Rywka Starzynski, parents of 10-year-old Sarah and four-year-old Michel. The more Julia discovers—especially about Sarah, the only member of the Starzynski family to survive—the more she uncovers about Bertrand’s family, about France and, finally, herself.”

    So if that sounds like something you want to read or at least something you might attempt to read, here’s what you need to do:

    1. Go get a copy of the book or download it on your Kindle or your iPad or straight into the microchip implanted in your brain. Amazon has it on sale for $6.36 right now.

    2. Read the book. If you just use it as a coaster it limits the impact.

    3. On Thursday, March 31st, I’ll write a post with my thoughts on the book. I’ll probably ditch the discussion questions this go round because no one really seemed to care about them. So we’ll just share our thoughts and insights.

    4. That’s it.

    5. Except feel free to suggest other future book suggestions in the comments. I’m always open to any input.

    See y’all tomorrow. It’s Fashion Friday and rumor around Big Mama, Inc. is that there might be a giveaway. See how book club brings out the giveaways? It’s just all part of my continuing quest to be the middle-class suburban mom version of Oprah.

  • Somewhere between a couple and several things

    Because I know the suspense is killing you, I’ll cut to the chase and let you know that I didn’t dream about Grover Cleveland, or any other Presidents, last night. In fact, I don’t know if I had any dreams at all because I didn’t sleep that great. Mainly because I made the foolish decision to stay up too late watching The Bachelor and was totally freaked out by the entire visit to Shawntel’s hometown. I learned more about funeral homes than I ever wanted to know.

    If you’re a single gal with hopes of getting married some day, here’s a tip. Don’t ever utter the phrase, “Do you want to be cremated?” while you’re on a date. It’s a mood killer.

    Or maybe it’s just me.

    Anyway, my goal is to get to bed early tonight because I never sat down one time today unless you count the time I spent driving from breakfast with AJ to coffee with my friend Jenn to lunch with Gulley to carpool to pick up Caroline to gymnastics to the library and, finally, back home. I’m flat worn out.

    So here’s a quick list of somewhere between a couple and several things.

    1. Some of you asked about the top I was wearing in the the picture yesterday. It’s a brand called Beyond Vintage and I found it online at Piperlime. But before I give you the link, I am compelled to give a lengthy explanation about it because I don’t want you to think I throw around money like I’m Sue Ellen Ewing.

    I saw it about a year ago and fell in love with it. IN LOVE. It was everything I’d ever wanted in a top. But, alas, it was way more than my $15.00 limit and so I’d just visit it from time to time on the computer. Then, one day last fall, it was suddenly on sale for 50% off, plus I had a coupon for 15% off. MY JOY KNEW NO BOUNDS. I ordered it so fast it would make your head spin.

    Then I went back to the Piperlime site about an hour later because I was going to link to it on Fashion Friday that week and, LO AND BEHOLD, it wasn’t on sale anymore. It all happened so fast that I could only assume they made a mistake and worried that they were going to email me and explain it was still full price. BUT THEY DIDN’T. Clearly, it was all a fashion blessing sent straight from heaven.

    Here’s the link to it on Piperlime. And, let me just say, it’s even better in person. Also, it runs small.

    **Edited to add: Apparently it has now sold out. I wish that meant Piperlime would be sending me a big fat commission check, but all they’re going to give me is free shipping. Which they give to everyone. ***

    2. Speaking of heaven, yesterday afternoon Caroline was sitting at the island in our kitchen doing her homework. She was looking out our back windows, daydreaming instead of practicing her spelling words, when I thought she said, “Mama! I see an angel in the neighbor’s trees and he’s tying ropes to the limbs to keep them safe!”

    And I was like “WHAT? YOU SEE WHAT?”, thinking to myself OH MY GOSH! Is God giving Caroline some kind of supernatural sightings of heavenly creatures?

    Then she repeated herself, “I see Angel in the neighbor’s trees and he’s tying ropes to the limbs to keep them safe!”

    I looked out the window and realized she was seeing Angel, the tree guy who does a lot of work for P’s company, trimming our neighbor’s trees and lowering the cut branches to the ground with rope.

    So, no supernatural sightings of heavenly beings. Just regular sightings of Hispanic tree-trimmers.

    3. If you live in San Antonio I feel compelled to tell you that the West Elm store in the Quarry is closing and their entire inventory is 40% off. I went in there yesterday, felt completely overwhelmed at all the bargains and the pressure of ALL SALES FINAL and left with nothing. But they still have some really great stuff left.

    4. Yesterday Gulley and I went to lunch. We were talking about our night at the rodeo last week and I said, “I had to delete the picture Julie took of you and me. It was TERRIBLE of me.” Then I went on to say, “And I’ll be honest, it was a REALLY BAD picture of you, too.”

    And Gulley, bless her heart, didn’t even say anything about it. We just went on with our conversation until she brought it up about fifteen minutes later and, I’m not kidding, we laughed until we had tears running down our cheeks because WHO SAYS THAT TO ANOTHER PERSON?

    Me. I say that.

    I’m glad she loves me anyway because we called each other on and off the rest of the day and laughed about it all over again.

    5. I thought American Idol was on Tuesday nights and spent all day excited about it. So imagine my disappointment when it wasn’t on. Didn’t it used to be on Tuesday nights? Did I dream that? Did I dream I was watching American Idol with John Adams on a Tuesday night?

    Five seems like a good number to end on. Especially because I’m out of things to write.

    Good day to you.

  • I’ve always been partial to conservative federalists

    So it wasn’t all bike riding around here this past weekend, but before I recap the whole shebang in mind-numbing detail I have to share what I dreamed about last night. John Adams. That’s right, I said John Adams. And maybe you’re thinking that John Adams is a neighbor or a family friend, but you would be wrong. I mean John Adams as in the second President of the United States, John Adams.

    I don’t understand.

    P and I watched the HBO miniseries about John Adams last summer in a fit of 4th of July patriotism, but I haven’t given him much thought in recent months because, well, he was the second President of the United States and doesn’t really fit into my day to day life. Sadly, I don’t really remember much about the actual dream but only that I woke up around 3:00 a.m., remembered I was in the middle of a dream about John Adams, and wondered if being almost forty years old means your brain is so bored that your subconscious finally says, “What the heck, let’s dream about American history”.

    Or maybe it’s because John Adams was such a piece of eye candy.

    That must be it.

    Anyway, back to the weekend. Or the days prior to the weekend.

    I realized I never mentioned that last Wednesday night I went to the rodeo with a group of friends. My friend Julie invited our Birthday Club group to see Miranda Lambert at the rodeo and rented us a limo to get there. The best part was it ended up being a gigantic, white limo and felt a little bit like something from a Madonna video. Naturally, I took no photos of the limo because that would have made too much sense.

    Here’s a picture of us before we left though.

    The cute two year old grabbing his mama’s leg did not go with us. Although he really wanted to. And I can’t speak for the rest of the girls but I immediately regretted my decision to wear my hair down. The humidity wreaked major havoc on it by the end of the night. Not even my Freeze It hairspray could save it. Pitiful.

    We all loved Miranda (like we’re on a first name basis) and she put on a great show. After it was over we decided that the corn dogs and gorditas hadn’t filled us up and asked Norm the limo driver to take us to Taco Cabana. Sadly, they were just about to close but Norm came to the rescue and talked them into opening the doors for us. I’m sure they were totally disappointed to see that the limo only contained six middle-aged mothers and approximately zero celebrities, but they served us some tacos anyway.

    Saturday morning we woke up to drizzle and rain. Caroline wanted to go play with Jackson and Will so we headed over to their house. Will and I were visiting in the living room and somehow the subject of my age came up. Gulley asked Will how old he thought I was. He looked at me for a second and answered, “Fifty-nine”. I was already in the midst of some self-image issues so Gulley said, “Don’t pay any attention to him. He doesn’t know.” She even pulled out our old favorite, “REJECT IT”. Then, in an attempt to prove her point, she asked, “Will, how old do you think I am?” He looked at her and said, “Thirty”.

    It’s like he knew I was going to start having dreams about former Presidents.

    Caroline had a basketball game later that afternoon and she scored a career high THREE baskets. (I know, I know. It’s not called a goal. It’s a basket.) After that, the boys came over to spend the night because they’d spent the entire earlier part of the day informing us that we NEVER let them have sleep overs. NEVER. Caroline even told Gulley she was going to give her a THOUSAND BOOS for the lack of sleep overs.

    So the boys came over and they all climbed in my bed to watch a movie.

    The movie ended about 9:30. And that’s when Jackson decided he wanted me to call Gulley to pick him up, while Will announced that he was STAYING. He said, “MEL, I’M ONLY SIX YEARS OLD, BUT I’M STAYING!” Gulley showed up to get Jackson, asked Will if he was sure he wanted to stay, and he said, “YES!” By the time I walked back inside, Will was sitting on the couch crying and said he’d changed his mind so I called Gulley, she made the block and came back to pick up Will.

    This happens almost every time we agree to let them have a sleep over. Which is why we are the meanest mothers around and almost NEVER let them have sleep overs.

    That was the weekend.

    And now I need to go to bed.

    Fingers crossed that tonight I dream about Grover Cleveland.