Archives for April 2008

Big Mama’s Fashion Fiesta (aka La Fiesta De La Moda Para La Mama Grande)

11 April 2008 by

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I will be the first person to tell you that I am no expert on fashion. I am a fashion enthusiast, certainly, but I don’t always know what looks great together and I get overwhelmed by trends and sometimes I have to call in the reinforcements (aka Emma Kate and Melanie) to ask for advice.

I am but a wanderer trying to find my way on the rocky fashion path, my friends.

And most of the time I’m a wanderer who’s wearing the wrong type of shoes.

Speaking of shoes (HOW’S THAT FOR A SEGUE?), you may notice a bit of a pattern with mine.

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I am a fan of the flip flop. I am also a fan of the wedge heel. And as a result, my absolute favorite shoe in the world is – YOU’LL NEVER BELIEVE IT – some sort of wedge-type flip flop.

I stick with what I like, you know?

As far as clothes go, I think I’m mainly going to focus on the stuff I’d wear to pick up the little man from school or run errands or whathaveyou. Or stuff I’d wear when I’m home and want to be really comfortable but don’t want to be embarrassed if someone comes to the door. I’ve never been much of a dressy clothes person, but I do enjoy sassy clothes.

Here is one such sassy item.

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Oh, I kid.

I bought that t-shirt at an outlet in Destin in 1998, which makes it ten years young. And every single time I wear it, my husband looks at me like, “Gettin’ yourself all gussied up for me AGAIN? Oh, bless your heart.”

In my defense it is the most comfortable thing I own, though I never, EVER wear it out of the house. My goal is to wash it enough that it’s the consistency of baby-soft tissue paper yet still completely intact. I’ll be sure to let you know how that works out for me.

Anyhoo.

So I pretty much adore yoga pants, and I wear them ALL. THE. TIME. I like them because they’re long and flared and stretchy and long and flared, and I have learned that long and flared works way better for me than short and straight. The whole stretchy thing is really just a delightful bonus.

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Long. Flared. Stretchy.

SCORE.

I tried to take a picture of my black yoga pants, but the light was weird so you’ll just have to use your imagination. Which shouldn’t be too difficult because you can just look at that picture of the hot pink yoga pants and imagine that they’re, you know, black. This year I had a couple of different “sweatsuit alternative”-type shirts that I wore with my yoga pants – they were pullover hoodies that I got at Old Navy, and I love love loved them because in addition to being super-comfortable, they made me feel like I was ‘dressed’ for the day and not just running around in my pajamas.

Not that I’m at all opposed to running around in my pajamas, of course.

I am also a HUGE fan of the trouser jeans – I can’t go more than two days without wearing them. Most of y’all know that my love affair with the trouser jean began when the Lord used Angela Cottrell to plant a trouser jean dream in my heart, and I haven’t been the same since.

Hallelujah.

Anyway, I actually was wearing a pair of trouser jeans today, and I took a picture and everything.

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INSPIRING, ISN’T IT?

Well, I mean, I couldn’t exactly stand in front of myself. I DID THE BEST I COULD, PEOPLE.

And I’m pretty sure that’s the camera’s wrist strap over to the right. Because I’m all about some photographic excellence.

The great thing about the trouser jeans is that they’re LONG, FLARED (ARE YOU SEEING A PATTERN HERE?) and completely eliminate the muffin top effect because they’re typically cut a little higher in the waist. I buy classic rise jeans almost exclusively, and hey, that reminds me, look at these super-cute pants I found at Old Navy, but I apologize in advance because I did not iron them before I took this picture.

Somebody may need to hug me because I’m feeling terribly vulnerable right now.

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And guess what?

They’re LONG and FLARED.

Shocking, I know.

I love knee-length skirts, too, and in the summertime they’re my wardrobe item of choice. I live in skirts like these – they’re adorable with a plain white or black t-shirt (and I really like the Mossimo t-shirts at Target, by the way) and a pair of wedge flip-flops.

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I bought both of these at Ross for, like, $6.99 or something like that. I love that they’re a little funky but not too short – and Ross always has a huge selection of skirts in a similar style.

And here’s the biggest thing that makes me feel sassy when I’m running around town with a five year-old in the backseat: wearing at least one piece of fun jewelry at all times. These earrings are my current favorite fun jewelry item.

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They’re big ole hoops, and they go with almost everything. They also cost a whole $7.00, and if I ever lose them I will cry.

I also wear this necklace that Lisa made me ALL THE TIME – it’s one of my favorite pieces of jewelry ever.

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So, to sum up: I enjoy sassy, inexpensive clothes and funky, affordable accessories.

And I don’t know if you picked up on this, but I like for my pants to be LONG and FLARED.

And for yay, even more fashion fun, head over to Big Mama’s place and check out all the Fashion Fiesta goodness.

Filed Under: Rambling

Big Mama’s Fashion Fiesta

11 April 2008 by

I’m hopeful that I’ll have an actual, you know, POST (WITH PICTURES!) up later today for the Fashion Fiesta.

Because I believe in bloggy goals, my friends.

However, I did not meet this morning’s blogging goals because we had a little shindig at our house last night, and as Big Mama so succinctly said in an email yesterday, I’ve been very busy distributing Chex Mix to people.

I also made two pound cakes, and one of them hasn’t even been sliced yet, so may I offer you some for breakfast?

No? Really? Well, suit yourself.

Anyway, for the time being, LOOK! A BLOGGY BUTTON!

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Have fun, everybody!

And adios.

Word.

Filed Under: Bloggity Fun

We Love The Night Life, We Got To Boogie

10 April 2008 by

As a general rule, BooDaddy is not a huge fan of live music unless it’s the live music we hear in the church house on Sundays. I can usually convince him to go see Alan Jackson / Tim McGraw / Insert-Name-Of-Country-Artist-Here once every couple of years, but by and large, I’m sad to say, he is not terribly enthusiastic about a concert.

Clearly we are POLAR OPPOSITES.

I’m pretty sure that his lack of concert-going zeal developed during a trip to L.A. the first year we were married. We were visiting our friend Todd, and the three of us decided to go see a Very Talented Musician play in a Very Intimate Setting.

We were understandably giddy with the anticipation of a Very Memorable, Music-Filled Evening. So once we got to the show, we found a table and waited on the edge of our seats for Very Talented Musician to hit the stage.

But when VTM finally started his show, I knew we were in trouble. First of all, it was VERY LOUD, so loud that I didn’t just WANT a pair of earplugs – I LONGED for them.

Second of all, VTM played the same three very loud notes on a very loud electric guitar at slightly varying degrees of very loud vibrato. And I don’t know if I mentioned it but it was very loud.

And also, third of all: MONOTONOUS.

After about an hour, we couldn’t take it anymore. We left the show, and as soon as we stepped outside, D looked at me and said, “That was the worst experience of my life. That was awful. It made me angry. I did not enjoy it.”

And I was all, “HUH? WHAT DID YOU SAY? SPEAK UP! EARS RINGING FROM LOUD GEE-TAR! CAN’T HEAR YOU!”

Needless to say, the night with VTM has become a running joke with us. And every single time I want to go to a concert, D says something along the lines of, “You know I don’t enjoy live music. It’s too loud. Because REMEMBER THAT TIME IN L.A.? IT’S A WONDER I CAN EVEN HEAR YOU TALKING RIGHT NOW.”

Strangely enough, the loud doesn’t bother him when he’s blowing up aliens in surround sound on the Xbox 360.

Funny how that works.

But over the last six or seven months, there’s been a bit of a turn in the musical tide in our house. D has really liked a lot of the music that people have sent our way, and he’s been much more willing to go to LIVE CONCERT EVENTS as a result.

And really, if you think about it, going to a concert has to be more fun than sitting here in the house with me while I ramble on and on about, among other things, Glory Revealed, Shane & Shane’s Pages, Monk & Neagle’s The Twenty-First Time, Matt Maher’s Empty and Beautiful, and last but not least, Everything Dave Barnes Has Ever Thought About Singing At Any Point In His Whole Life Ever.

And it just so happens that Dave Barnes was performing in our fair city last night.

OH, HOLLA.

So BooDaddy and I, we had ourselves a date. We lined up Alex’s favorite babysitter, unearthed a restaurant gift certificate that we’d forgotten about, and as soon as A. the wondersitter arrived at our house we hopped in the car and blazed down the road at a white-hot, lightning-fast speed of 30 miles per hour.

Not that I don’t absolutely love it, of course, when D drives at the speed of turtles while mamaws pass us on scooters.

Because his whole “stop and smell the roses” approach to ground transportation is utterly charming and endearing.

Really. I’m totally fine with it.

Really.

And after our leisurely two-hour, four-mile drive was complete, we ate supper at a very nice restaurant that had NAPKINS MADE OF CLOTH AND EVERYTHING.

Oh, it was fancy, my friends.

It was also free. And “free” is one of my favorite words in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD.

We had a lovely dinner, drove to the concert, and took our seats just as the opening act, needtobreathe, was about to start playing. You never really know what you’re going to get with opening acts, but may I just say? The needtobreathe? They were EXCELLENT. D and I both enjoyed them so much (they were loud enough, but not too loud, and apparently that differential is critical for BooDaddy’s optimal concert-going experience). Their song “Washed by the Water” is phenomenal, and I will be downloading it immediately, thank you.

And then – AND THEN – the tremendously talented Dave Barnes took the stage with his tremendously talented band. I seriously had a headache because I COULD NOT QUIT SMILING. I smiled and I bounced and I sang and I laughed. And my husband was right there with me.

It was so much fun, y’all.

Even if now I’m probably going to have to pay somebody some licensing fees or something because I posted a clip from the concert.

ONLY FOR YOU, Dave Barnes.

Well, or for Jesus.

But I don’t think he’s touring this spring.

BADABING! ThankyouI’llbehereallweek!

After the show we got to go backstage and talk to Dave Barnes and his beautiful wife Annie for a few minutes. Dave Barnes was warm and funny and gracious and unassuming, and honestly I wasn’t surprised by any of that because he is, after all, a good Mississippi boy.

Keep in mind that I know all about some good, unassuming Mississippi boys, because I married one, oh yes ma’am I did.

And that Mississippi boy I married? He absolutely loved the concert last night. He did!

So thanks, restaurant-with-cloth-napkins. Thanks, needtobreathe. Thanks, Dave Barnes-plus-your-fabulous-band. And thanks, husband-who-occasionally-drives-like-papaw-but-makes-me-laugh-really-hard.

It was a happy time.

Amen.

Filed Under: Family Fun

American Idol – Top 8

8 April 2008 by

I must confess: I’m intrigued by the theme of inspirational songs. But so help me, if somebody tries to break out Whitney’s “One Moment In Time” from the 1988 Olympic Games, I’m out, people. Done. Nothing left to give.

Oh, I kid.

Kinda.

And here we go.

Michael Johns – “Dream On” – ROCKIN’ THE ASCOT for the second week in a row! And I think he did a great job, even though I thought the end of it was a little shrill. Also, DON’T TALK BACK TO THE JUDGES, POR FAVOR. Still, it seems like he’s confident and on a bit of a roll – especially with the audience. I didn’t love it like I loved last week’s performance, but I think it’s good enough to keep him around for another week. Like Simon, though, I really prefer to hear Michael sing more bluesy / R&B stuff.

Syesha Mercado – “I Believe” – I really don’t understand why Syesha keeps picking these songs that are SO identifiable with the person who recorded them. I just think she’s singing such straightforward arrangements that she’s not putting her own spin on stuff. And I wanted to like it. I did. But it was just a’ight for me. And again: DON’T TALK BACK TO THE JUDGES. It’s an evaluation, not a conversation, thank you.

Jason Castro – “Over the Rainbow” – Oh bless heart – did he just get the lyrics messed up? I think he just got the lyrics all confused. Maybe I’m wrong. As far as his performance, I thought the whole ukulele thing was perfect for him, and he sounded great. I don’t think I loved it quite as much as the judges did, but I thought it was really good.

Kristy Leigh Cook – “Anyway” – So at the beginning of this performance I couldn’t help but think that a Martina song was verrrry ambitious. But you know what? That was actually pretty good – the best she’s ever done, I think. Good for her. I feel strangely proud.

David Cook – “Innocent” – It was a little rough at the beginning, but about midway through I thought he found his groove. It wasn’t his best performance by any stretch, but he was still good. And I have to say this or I’ll start to twitch: the jacket was a little weird for me. But the hair is SO much better. I think we can all rest easier now.

Carly Smithson – “The Show Must Go On” – I just think this song was wrong, all wrong. Her voice is beautiful, but she has a tendency to pick these Pat Benatar / Heart / Bonnie Tyler-ish songs, and it’s difficult to connect to those kinds of songs in a minute and a half, ESPECIALLY when she’s supposed to be singing an inspirational song. I think it would’ve been great if she had done something like Faith Hill’s “There Will Come A Day” – and it seems like that’s much more in her range. Anyhoo.

David Archuleta – “Angels” – I really, really love the original version of this song by Robbie Williams. And David A. did a nice job – but the mama in me is worried about him because it seems like he is just worn down and worn out. That being said, I don’t think he’s in any danger of being voted off this week – plus, it was fun to hear him sing something a little bit more contemporary than what he’s been doing.

Brooke White – “You’ve Got A Friend” – PERFECT song for her. My only “issue” is that she didn’t do anything different than the original version – not that she’s required to do that, of course – but there was nothing about the arrangement that made it uniquely Brooke. So in that sense it felt a little bit like a talent show. With a different arrangement, it could’ve been special. But with the arrangement she used, it was just good.

Should go: Either Carly or Syesha – both of them have had about six weeks now to show us what makes them “tick” musically – and so far I don’t feel like either one of them has really set themselves apart from the pack. And I mean that in the nicest possible way, because it makes me a little disappointed for them.

Will go: I don’t think anybody will go because during “Idol Gives Back” don’t they do that whole thing where nobody goes home this week and then they eliminate two people the next week? So I think everyone is safe for the time being.

Best of the night: To be honest, I really don’t have a favorite – it was sort of an “eh” night for me. But if I had to pick anybody, I’d probably pick Michael Johns – up until he did the whole falsetto thing.

If you’d like to add your American Idol post to the mix, just add a link to your specific post – not your general URL – in the Mr. Linky below.

Filed Under: TV Is My Friend

Hello, I Have Some Music News

8 April 2008 by

All righty, internets – three things:

1. Dave Barnes (have I mentioned him before? I wasn’t sure) is going to be in Birmingham (Alabama, not England) tomorrow night at WorkPlay. He has two shows – one at 7 and one at 9:30. You can get ticket info here.

2. Trent Monk (from Monk & Neagle) is going to be performing in Birmingham (Alabama, not England) Thursday night, April 10 – you can email me for more info if you’re interested.

3. And Emma Kate asked me to tell y’all that Trent will also be in Tupelo, Mississippi on Friday night, April 11 at The Church at Trace Crossing. The show starts at 7, and admission is whatever you want to give. I’m not even kidding. So if you need more info, click here.

I believe that’s all.

As you were.

Filed Under: Rambling

La Fiesta De La Moda En El Interweb

8 April 2008 by

See that title?

It’s in SPANISH, Y’ALL.

Como estas?

Estoy enferma.

Estas enferma?

Si. Con la gripe.

Did you see what I just did? I pretended that you asked me how I was doing, and then I said I was sick, and you were all, YOU’RE SICK? And I was all, Yes. With the flu.

I’m not really sick, by the way. But I learned that little bit of dialogue in 9th grade in Senorita Calderon’s class. KNOWLEDGE IS POWER, internets.

And I hope you weren’t distracted by the fact that I didn’t use any accent marks or upside down question marks. My only excuse is that I have not yet mastered international typing.

But now that I think about it, I may have just saved your life. Because if you ever find yourself lost in a Spanish-speaking country and unable to communicate with that country’s citizens, you can, at the very least, tell everyone you meet that you have EL GRIPE, and I bet eventually someone will help you get to a hospital, where you may be able to find some sort of computer. And then you can use the Google to get directions.

I’m telling you: Google can fix everything.

Anyway. I digress.

My sweet friend Big Mama is having a bloggy party this Friday, and I just wanted to help spread the word.

Except that I think every single person who reads my blog also reads her blog, so I’m really probably not spreading much of anything aside from some really elementary Spanish.

But still. I like for the internet to be aware when there’s a fiesta on the horizon.

Or, I should say: UNA FIESTA EN EL HORIZONTE.

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It’s gonna be fun.

Hasta luego, y’all.

Filed Under: Bloggity Fun
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