– The $100 Walgreens gift card giveaway (courtesy of BlogHer) is still up and running.

– The winner of the Nations Outfitters $50 gift certificate giveaway is comment 309.

Linda has already responded to my email notification and claimed her sassy prize.

– Right now it doesn’t look like my Bulldogs are going to make it to the post-season this year (unless we win the SEC Tournament this weekend, which, hello, COULD TOTALLY HAPPEN), but I’m still planning to set up a group for ESPN’s NCAA Tournament Challenge. It’ll be open to anyone who wants to participate and purely for fun (apparently I never, ever tire of watching my bracket BURST INTO FLAMES sometime around the Sweet 16). All you’ll have to do is sign up with our group once I set it up and then make your picks after Selection Sunday. Anyway, I’ll post more details as soon as I have them. I’ll provide a little prize (or a “happy,” as we like to say in the Deep South) for the winner. MAYBE EVEN A CROWN.

For the last couple of days I’ve been seeing stuff all over the interweb about people being deeply, unabashedly, completely captivated by the banana pudding milkshake at Chick-fil-A. And honestly, at first I didn’t pay the recommendations much mind because I am not typically a fan of banana-flavored frozen treats. I chalk up my aversion to lingering disappointments from the fake-tasting banana popsicles and bananas Icees I tried as a child, not to mention an unfortunate banana Laffy Taffy incident that we need not mention ever again.

But tonight, around 8:30, I read a Facebook update about the banana pudding milkshake that considerably upped the curiosity ante for me, so I closed the computer and marched in the den and asked my husband if he’d heard anything about this whole banana pudding milkshake craze.

He considered my question for a second and then said, “It’s a banana pudding milkshake? Not just banana?”

“Yes. Banana pudding.”

“But how would that be? What would make it more like banana pudding?”

“I have no idea,” I said. “BUT FOR SOME REASON I’M STARTING TO THINK THAT IT SOUNDS DELICIOUS.”

“Well, let’s try one!” he answered. “But let’s get a chocolate milkshake, too – because we may need a back-up if we don’t like the banana pudding one.”

“Roger that,” I replied.

And really, is it any wonder that two people who think of things like BACK-UP DESSERT OPTIONS found each other and decided to spend their lives together?

It explains so much, doesn’t it?

So I threw on some shoes and grabbed my purse and hopped in the car and headed to Chick-fil-A. I called Melanie before I pulled out of my driveway to see if she had any thoughts about what might make it different than a plain ole banana milkshake, and she speculated that there might be some vanilla wafers incorporated into the shake.

Quite frankly the possibility of vanilla wafers had not occurred to me, but if there were in fact vanilla wafers mixed in? Well, clearly that would change everything. THAT WOULD JUST CHANGE EVERYTHING.

I pulled up to the drive-thru menu a few minutes later and scrutinized the picture of the banana pudding milkshake while I waited for someone to take my order. Sure enough, Mel was right. The vanilla wafers were mixed into the shake. It was a hopeful sign. But still, I wondered: would the banana flavor taste too fake? Would I have banana Laffy Taffy flashbacks? Was I prepared for the possibility that it could turn out like that time I tried a peppermint milkshake and had to throw it away because it was so sweet that it made my toes curl?

After I placed my order, I drove up to the window, paid for the shakes and had a frighteningly close call when the top came off the banana pudding milkshake and I almost spilled the whole thing into the console between the front seats. I think you can agree that that would have LITERALLY BEEN A TRAGEDY.

(I miss Rachel Zoe.)

(Life without her show is LITERALLY A NIGHTMARE.)

When I got home D met me in the kitchen, and we settled in for a taste test. Despite the fact that I was prepared for the worst, I have to say: MY WORD Y’ALL THAT IS A TASTY SHAKE RIGHT THERE.

It does taste slightly more banana-y than regular banana pudding, but it totally works. The vanilla wafers are critical to the shake’s success, I think, because they change the texture in a host of wonderful ways. And by the third or fourth bite – once you’ve adjusted to the fact that it tastes like banana pudding but it’s way colder than banana pudding and how can I be enjoying this delicious banana pudding through a straw? – you will be a believer.

Provided that you like bananas. Because if you don’t like bananas, I’m gonna wager a guess that this particular shake isn’t for you.

So there you have it. Another Monday night of LIVING ON THE EDGE in our house.

Have any of y’all tried it? What did you think?

p.s. Nobody at Chick-fil-A asked me to write this post. Mainly because they have no idea who I am.

p.p.s. Your sweet comments on the last post humbled and encouraged me more than you know. THANK YOU.

p.p.p.s. I don’t know that the banana pudding shake is better than a Zaxby’s shake – they’re just so different – but please know that I’ll be giving that matter the careful consideration it deserves in the days and weeks to come. Oh yes ma’am I will.

A few weeks ago my fellas and I were having lunch at Chuy’s – as we tend to do every single Saturday of our lives barring illness or some inexplicable urge to eat elsewhere, though why, why would we do that, WHY, WHEN WE KNOW THAT OTHER RESTAURANTS DO NOT OFFER DELUXE TOMATILLO SAUCE, MY WORD – and after we’d placed our order, Alex said, “Mama, can I borrow your phone for a minute? I want to type out a story.”

So I handed him my phone, showed him how to pull up the “notes” feature thing-y, and for the next ten or fifteen minutes he typed away at his story, only pausing occasionally to ask us how to spell a word or to make sure he was saving the document correctly.

He put down the phone when it was time to eat, but after we finished he asked if he could read us his story. And he did. We laughed so hard at what he had written that just thinking about the sweetness of the memory brings tears to my eyes. And at the end of the story – when he smiled so big just from knowing how much his daddy and I had enjoyed what he’d written – I thought, Well, it’s finally happened. His stories really are his own now.

I started this blog when Alex was two. It blows my mind to think about that, to remember how he toddled around with a pacifier in his hand, how he threw fits in his car seat when he didn’t want to go somewhere, how he’d always say, “God made you special and he wuvs you BERRY MUCH” every single night after we said prayers. And for about four years, there was something so fun and so therapeutic about being able to document our days here on my blog. I wouldn’t take anything for having this little record of family memories, and I’m grateful that I’ve written about so many of my favorite “mama moments.” Our stories – his stories – are precious to me; they’re our history, you know?

But now he’s seven. Almost eight. And a lot of his stories? Well, they’re just not mine to tell anymore.

(I just realized that so far this post is making it sound like I’m about to shut down my blog.)

(Unfortunately, that is not the case even a little bit.)

(But apparently I get a little sentimental when I think about the fact that my boy is growing up.)

(I will now attempt to be somewhat more upbeat.)

Anyway, my point in writing this post is just to say that I know I’ve been in a bloggy slump lately. A big huge part of that is that I struggle with what to write about, especially now that the boy is getting older and it makes me feel uncomfortable to share too much of his life here on the interweb. The irony is that I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE having a child this age – I get such a kick out of our conversations and his sense of humor and the way he looks at the world – but I want to be protective of his boundaries. Because even if he doesn’t really understand right now that he needs boundaries, one day he will. And I want him to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I tried my best to be respectful of that.

So given all of that, there’s been a little bit of a bloggy identity crisis going on with me (for the record, that was the absolute lamest thing I’ve EVER written, but I don’t know how else to say it). I’m not good at the home decor stuff. I don’t post a lot of recipes. I love sports, but people get tired of reading about them. I love the Lord, but I’m a smidge too irreverent (and also wordy) for devotional writing. I like to write about family, but honestly, it has been one sad thing after another in my extended family over the last year or so, and that doesn’t really lend itself to WITTY. I like lighthearted and kicky and punchy and fun. But I almost feel like I’m fresh out of, you know, TOPICS.

(Does anybody have an upbeat-yet-poignant piece of music that they could start to play softly in the background?)

(Because I’ve started to sound like the end of a “Doogie Howser, MD” episode.)

(You know, when he was typing in his journal on his sah-weet blue-screen monitor.)

Last thing. And then I’ll stop oh sweet mercy I promise I’ll stop.

The blogosphere is a very different place than it was back in ye olden days, when we wrote posts with fountain pens and delivered them via the Pony Express. People are super-sophisticated about how they market themselves and brand themselves and etc. and so on and so forth. That stuff just isn’t my thing. And because it’s not my thing, there have been times – like, oh, NOW – when I think that I don’t really fit in with whatever this new model of blogging is. I have Twitter because I enjoy it. I have ads because they enable me to cover the cost of running this little parcel of interweb real estate. I don’t have a Facebook page for my blog because I think the internet is probably sick and tired of me already. I don’t really know what all that SEO stuff is and certainly have no idea why I should care.

But despite all the changes, I still love blogging. I really do.

And even though I’m struggling a little bit with what to write about – and with the confidence to post what I write (there are a lot of unpublished posts in my drafts folder because I decide they’re terrible and then I chicken out) – I’m gonna keep trying to push through.

The bottom line is that my lack of bloggy consistency has been bugging me, so I wanted to say something about it, but for heaven’s sake please don’t let me interrupt even one more second of your weekend with my silly nonsense.

Now go eat some fried chicken or something.

And I’ll see y’all next week.

This past fall we hit some sort of family record for weekend trips and activities. We were out of town more than we were at our house – but once Christmas came ’round, we SHUT ‘ER DOWN. And I’ve been a total homebody ever since. We’ve now been in town for something like ten weekends in a row, and let me just tell you: IT HAS BEEN DELIGHTFUL. We’ve enjoyed our fireplace and our flannel pajama bottoms and our assortment of very cozy blankets. I’ve loved being at home SO MUCH, even the times when we stayed home because we were coughing so violently that we expected to lose a lung at any minute.

But now the trees are budding and the Bradford pears are blooming and there’s a Japanese magnolia at the end of our street that makes me sigh contentedly whenever I see it. I’ve been doing some springtime nesting as well as a little vacation planning, sure signs that winter is about to give up the ghost. This past weekend I went shopping with friends, and there were bright colors and fun new finds all around us. So I thought I would tell you about a few of my recent favorite things. Because, well, I like to share. And just so you know: these aren’t affiliate links. They’re just regular ole links. From crazy ole me.

Mary’s Gone Crackers Herb Crackers – OHHHHHH THESE CRACKERS. OHHHHHH MY GOODNESS. I picked up a box at Fresh Market last week, mainly because I was curious and because I love me a grain-y cracker, and y’all, these are delicious. I used them on a tray of cheese and crackers last Friday night, and everybody agreed that they were all manner of tasty. I think I’ve gone crackers for these crackers, in fact. And yes, my early 20s self just looked at that last sentence and ROLLED HER EYES.

Alphacritter Mousepad – This little mousepad really is genius. Because it’s also a to-do list. And do you know what I see ALL DAY LONG when I’m working? My mousepad. Which, thanks to this handy little item, is now my to-do list. I can’t tell you how happy it makes me. All of the illustrations on the mousepads are great looking – whimsical and fun and easy on the eyes. Plus, at the end of the day, I can tear off my completed to-do list and start the next day with a fresh sheet of paper. LOVE IT.

Volatile Sandals – I can’t find the style online, but my Steinmart had Volatiles this past weekend, and they were about $15 cheaper than what you’d normally see in stores. Not bad for one of the most comfortable shoes known to man. Or to woman, as it were.

Citron Honey & Coriander Hand Therapy – So in all honesty my hands are a little BROKE DOWN right now. Winter has taken a toll on my skin, and the other day I looked down at my hands and thought, Well hey there, Mamaw. That dry skin is LOOKIN’ GOOD. But my sweet friend Elizabeth gave me a tube of this lotion last weekend, and IT IS DIVINE. It makes your hands super-soft, and the scent is really mild and light and lovely.

Adele – 21 – This is grown-up music that sounds like spring. Just beautiful. And if you listen to it in your car, you’ll want to roll down your windows and sing your heart out. Not that I would know anything about that from personal experience, of course.

Bermuda shorts – I adore Bermuda shorts. Adore them. They’re comfortable, cover a multitude of sins and look great whether you dress them up or dress them down. They’re a go-to for me in the spring and summer, and last year I finally had to retire a khaki pair and a white pair that I’d been wearing for a few years. They served me well, and I will hold them close in my heart forever.

Anyway, I’ve started to investigate Bermuda short options, and I’ve found some good ‘uns. This black and white striped pair is really cute – and comes in missy sizes or women’s sizes. I also like these Ann Taylor Loft “walking shorts” – they are Summer McSassyson. I’m crazy about the Lead Gray.

But in all honesty, the chances that I’m going to spend $50 on Bermuda shorts? THEY ARE NOT VERY STRONG, my friends. I’ll bide my time and wait for a sale. Or maybe go with one of these less expensive options.

I was iffy on the prospect of denim Bermudas, but Melanie assures me that they’re fine. And I think these from Old Navy are really cute. And these navy gingham Bermuda shorts from Target would be a kicky addition to any girl’s wardrobe.

There. I believe I’ve completely used up my allotment of the phrase “Bermuda shorts” for 2011. But it’s kind of a catchy name for a clothing item, don’t you think?

Bermuda shorts Bermuda shorts Bermuda shorts.

BERRRRRRRRRMUDA SHORTS.

The end.