I usually make an effort to be upbeat and positive and etc. here on the blog, but there is no getting around the fact that last night was one of the worst sleeping experiences of my life. I don’t even know why – though I vaguely remember having all kinds of sleep woes in the weeks before A Little Salty came out, so maybe book stuff is at least part of the culprit. Regardless, I will forever regard Friday, January 9, 2015 as That Night I Took A Bunch of Naps. Because SERIOUSLY. I tossed. I turned. I dreamed – OH MY WORD I DREAMED. In fact, I’m a little exhausted by the number of people who made an appearance in my dreams, not to mention the various plans and projects that we undertook (I specifically remember going to a mall, helping some folks build a barn, and attending an out-of-town wedding).

So needless to say I am terribly refreshed this morning.

Our week took a little bit of a turn on Wednesday night when Alex mentioned that his throat was hurting. I didn’t think too much of it since it’s been so cold and we’ve been running the heat non-stop and that always dries us out like crazy, so I gave him a couple of Advil and told him to get in the bed a little earlier than usual so he could rest. Well, an hour later he was complaining of chills, and then a few hours after that he woke me up to tell me that he didn’t feel well at all. Long story short, he has had a run-in with the flu, though thankfully he seems to have had one of the milder strains. He’s so much better now – just running a low-grade fever – so we have high hopes for a full recovery by Monday.

There were definitely a few bright spots in the week, though (in addition to The Bachelor season premiere, which is always a highlight in its own very unique way). For example, Tuesday afternoon I got a big ole box from UPS.

So there’s that.

And I will go ahead and tell you that I’m a little in love with the cover. I can say that because I didn’t have a single thing to do with creating it. Everything about it makes me smile, and I just hope y’all like the inside as much as I like the outside.

Also, earlier this week my friend Heather and I discovered these little gems.

If you enjoy an almond – and if you also enjoy spicy – then please know that these right here are THE BUSINESS. I have many wonderful things to say about them, so treat yourself if you run across them at the grocery store.

(I hope y’all don’t mind that I’m sort of jumping all over the place in terms of topics.)

(It wasn’t exactly what I would call a streamlined week.)

This past Wednesday was a terribly exciting day because I got some much needed highlights. It had been a while because if I waited until January I could get 20% off (it’s a promotion thingie at my salon), so I walked in Wednesday afternoon with inch-long roots and kind of a mullet situation going on with my hair.

Anyway, I took this picture because in a moment of weakness the sight of all those foils made me laugh, but after I looked at my salon selfie, I quickly changed my mind. Because what was going to be a lighthearted picture quickly became my own personal evidence of why I might need to look into some Botox and/or fillers.

Y’ALL. Seriously. What is going on with those two eyebrows above my eyebrows? And the area underneath my eyes? And the area underneath my nose? I mean, I know that I’m supposed to see all of those things as evidence of a full, happy life (e.g., I might not have those lines above my mouth if I didn’t laugh / smile a lot), but all I could think when I saw this picture is DANG, MAMAW – you are BROKE DOWN.

So what I’m saying is that the 40s will humble you and strip you of your vanity. That is what I am telling you.

The flip side is that my hairdresser Carla cut off two inches of worthlessness, and as a result my hair looks so much better that it’s taken a little of the sting away from the DEEP CREVASSES OF DOOM on my face.

Last thing.

Earlier this week I made a quick trip to my hometown to speak to a women’s group, and when I got to town late that afternoon I had just enough time to stop by Mama and Daddy’s, change clothes, freshen up my make-up, and go over my notes before I went to the dinner.

Well.

Mama and Daddy keep their house a lot warmer than we do because, you know, they get colder than we do. I think that’s typical of lots of folks as they get into their golden years. If I’d been sitting around I would’ve been fine-ish, but since I was doing more running around what with trying to get ready and all that, I broke a sweat in something like four seconds. And by the time I was ready to go over my notes, my internal warmth factor was somewhere near MAY POSSIBLY COMBUST AND/OR SMOTHER.

I didn’t want to ask Daddy to turn down the heat since he was sitting under a blanket and Mama was wearing a fleece top, so I just decided that I’d take my Bible and my iPad outside and look over my notes there.

When I started to walk out the door, Daddy said, “Why don’t you just sit at the table? It’s really cold outside!”

And I said, “Yessir, I know.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell him that was the whole point.

So I went outside, and I put my iPad and my Bible on the trash can so that I could make sure I put my Bible bookmark in the right place. And then I scrolled through my notes while I silently rejoiced in the brisk January air.

It was 30 degrees outside. And I am here to tell you that IT. WAS. REFRESHING.

Hope your weekend is, too.

Earlier tonight I looked at the TV schedule and thought, There’s a three-hour premiere of The Bachelor? That is ridiculous. And I have a feeling that it’s also about two hours too long.

But then I found out that parts of it were live from Los Angeles, with red carpet interviews and whatnot, and suddenly I was all, Well, now I sort of feel like I have an OBLIGATION to watch. In the interest of keeping up with pop culture, of course.

There is nothing like a live television broadcast to ramp up some crazytown shenanigans.

Given all of that, I’m about the fire up the DVR, not to mention that I need to do a little research on Blake Lively’s new baby. Because anyone who works with teenage girls knows that if Blake Lively experiences any sort of major life event, you’d better bring your A-game in terms of information. I would totally prepare a spreadsheet if I had the foggiest idea how to actually prepare a spreadsheet.

So. Three quick things before I close the computer and pick up the remote:

– I watched Downton Abbey late last night (you may want to stop reading now if you haven’t seen it yet, because SPOILER), and as I thought back on the episode while I was getting ready this morning, here was my big takeaway.

– This has nothing to do with anything, really, but a few days ago I had to buy eyeshadow, and I realized that it’s the third time that I’ve bought this particular kind. If you are fair-skinned or just don’t like to wear a lot of shimmer-y make-up, this Naked Basics Palette is THE BEST.

It also lasts a sweet forever. Can’t recommend it enough (and there’s also a palette with darker matte colors if you feel like those shades would work better for you).

– Three TV shows really surprised me in 2014, so I wrote about them over at Ree’s blog. And judging by the comments? The first show that I wrote about has developed a big following in a relatively short amount of time. Made me smile.

All righty. I’m gonna do my best to get through this THREE HOUR TELEVISION EVENT with Farmer Chris and the latest round of bachelorettes. My guess is that there’s a whole lot of awkward in store.

Are any of y’all watching?

Whether I wanted to or not, I learned some things in 2014. I won’t bore you with ALL the lessons, but here are three that stand out: 1) What I thought was a very manageable speaking schedule was probably about two times too much; 2) Life is even more fun than usual when the Bulldogs are #1 in football; and 3) I adore having a dog again. I specifically adore having a Hazel, high maintenance though she may be.

Oh, wait. There’s another big one: Even though I’ve always considered myself a homebody, I have realized that I really do get out of sorts (emotionally, spiritually, etc.) if I don’t have enough time at home. And not just time to be inside my house when I’m washing clothes and cooking supper and unloading the dishwasher and all that kind of stuff. I crave hang out time at home.

That’s why I’ve been what some people might call worthless for the last four or five days. I’ve mostly stayed in pajamas. I’ve watched an obnoxious amount of football and cooked some of my people’s favorite foods. I’ve sat in the quiet and journaled and prayed; I’ve even cried a little bit because it seems like there’s been more sadness swirling around us than usual. Even still, it’s been so good to be at home and relax and remember that I can be very, very good at napping when given the opportunity.

And honestly, somewhere underneath all this new year introversion is the realization that the new book comes out in a month (a month!), so my nesting / lay low / all pajamas, all the time tendencies are basically ramped ALL THE WAY UP. I feel like could sit right here and watch OnDemand and pile up with Hazel and hang out with my people and basically crack open the door sometime in April but preferably not until the pollen is gone.

Clearly this is a very healthy outlook, not to mention realistic.

Tomorrow, though, we’ll jump back into normal life and normal routines again. I’ll get to see the folks I’ve missed over the break. I’ll start to remember how much more productive I am when I’m on a schedule, and I’ll make 19 to-do lists that will hopefully make some sense out of everything I need to do this next month.

Because even if I haven’t been super efficient and task-oriented the last couple of weeks, I have reveled in being able to spend time at home with my little family. It has been delightful.

A photo posted by Sophie Hudson (@boomama205) on Jan 1, 2015 at 4:32pm PST

And on top of all that, there’s a brand new episode of Downton Abbey waiting for me on the DVR. It’s like Christmas all over again.

Happy New Year, y’all!

Now that Christmas is over, I’ve been trying to shift my focus to the new year and yay, 2015 and all that. But before I can fully commit to some reflection and intention and planning, I really need to GET THESE DECORATIONS OUT OF HERE. Normally I wait until after New Year’s to take down everything, but not this time. In fact, when Sister and Barry were getting ready to head back to Nashville this morning, I was walking around with a giant trash bag and throwing away wrapping paper and Christmas cookies and Christmas card envelopes that I’d saved in case I needed addresses when I sent out Christmas cards (fun fact: I never got around to sending out Christmas cards this year). My plan was to continue with the takedown after church, but it was the middle of the afternoon by the time I got home, and at that point it seemed like the only appropriate thing to do was to take a nap.

But tomorrow? I am putting that Christmas tree ON NOTICE.

I feel like the last week has just flown by, and that may be because it’s been a whirlwind of family and cooking and general merriment. On Christmas Eve I made the hamburger and potato casserole that I blogged about a couple of weeks ago, and then I made our little Mexican feast on Christmas Day. I liked having Mexican food because it was so easy to fix, but I don’t know if I’ll do it again or not. Plus, my parents aren’t Mexican food super fans like the rest of us are, so I kept wondering if they missed having sweet potatoes or a good green salad or something at least a little bit traditional. So next year I may go back to steaks or prime rib or some such identifiable meat. I will certainly keep you posted.

But there was one new thing this Christmas that I think will be a lasting favorite: sitting down after supper during Advent and reading devotions from Unwrapping the Greatest Gift. It was a really sweet time for us as a family, even on the nights when David had to leave the table and sit on the couch with Hazel so that she’d stop barking her head off when we lit the tealights on the Advent wreath.

Apparently those tealights were terribly menacing.

Anyway, I know this is all REAL boring, but honestly I’m so excited about watching TV and not cooking that I’m having a hard time concentrating on writing a blog post. And on top of that, tonight on Oprah’s Where Are They Now? there’s a feature about the first cast of The Real World, and if my initial experience with watching that cast (back when I was living in Starkville in the early 90s) is any indication, I will need to watch the update at least 46 times before I go to sleep tonight. That is roughly the same number of times that I watched TRW episode where Julie and Heather went roller skating.

So. I’ll be back in the next couple of days with thoughts and observations and lo, maybe even a story or three, but for now I think I’m gonna hunker down in front of the TV and see what in the world Heather B. has been up to for the last twenty years.

I hope y’all had a wonderful Christmas and got to spend lots of time with the people you love most!

Love,
Me

p.s. Though she still has her issues with the menacing tealights (and with wrapping paper, based on her Christmas morning reaction), Hazel has LOVED having company these last few days. She was so sad when Sister and Barry left this morning, and then she promptly decided that she was exhausted. Save a couple of walks, she has been asleep on the guest room bed for the better part of nine hours.

Bless her.

Two things right off the bat:

1. We’re so happy that our good friend Travis Cottrell (aka FryDaddy) is with us on this episode of the podcast. It’s been way too long. I would love to tell you that we’ve been ironing out the details for months, but the fact of the matter is that we sort of pulled it all together about 9 o’clock Sunday night (please remember that this is nothing if not a fly-by-the-seat-of-our-pants operation). But oh my goodness – it is always the most fun to talk and laugh with Travis. Yay.

2. When I was editing I became aware of an issue we had the last time we recorded a three-person podcast – and that is that my microphone sounds way louder than everybody else. So please know that it was never my intention to scream at you.

Other than that, we cover all manner of topics: what we’re cooking this Christmas, the music of Bruno Mars (we were specifically talking about “Uptown Funk,” but I accidentally cut out the part where I said the name of the song), everything we adore about Jimmy Fallon, the wonder that is Amy Grant (seriously – this comes up in EVERY SINGLE PODCAST), our Christmas plans, the holiday music of Neil Diamond, and a whole bunch of other stuff.

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

Or, as always, you can subscribe on iTunes if you’re feeling particularly fancy.

Hope y’all enjoy it – and Merry Christmas, everybody!

We started Christmas vacation on Friday, and I have basically been hanging out in my pajamas like it’s my job. I did put on regular clothes before we went to church this morning – I felt like it was the least I could do – but after I got home this afternoon, I immediately made the switch back to loungewear. There’s just no good reason to stay confined in things that button and zip.

Our weekend wasn’t eventful at all – which means it was my very favorite kind. Plus, Thursday night I remembered something that made Friday even better.

Yesterday, out of nowhere, I remembered the gift wrapping counter at McRae's, our favorite department store when I was growing up. The ladies at the wrapping counter were FAST, and between watching them and watching Sister, I learned how to wrap presents by the time I was 8 or 9. So last night I thought about the bar in our living room and decided it would make a fine place to wrap; it's not nearly as big as that big ole gift wrapping counter at McRae's, but it works. And after I started wrapping this AM, it was all I could do not to say, "Complimentary or custom?" :-)

A photo posted by Sophie Hudson (@boomama205) on Dec 12, 2014 at 6:59am PST

I know that’s sort of a strange memory, but I thought about those McRae’s gift wrappers all day Friday. Alex was playing with friends most of the afternoon, so I just cut and taped and tagged and had the best time (I also started listening to Serial, but that is probably another discussion for another day since I am still trying to process it all).

Saturday I wrapped the last few things while David and Alex made a Costco run, and then I did a whole lot of nothing in particular for the rest of the day. I cooked some stuff, watched some stuff, washed some stuff – but it was all so low-key that there was a point late in the afternoon when I thought, AM I BORED? IS THIS WHAT BORED FEELS LIKE? But then I decided that was crazy talk and started to work on my grocery list.

Clearly this is exactly the level of wild and crazy activity that inspired Ricky Martin’s incomparable “Livin’ La Vida Loca.”

And then today, after we got home from Chuy’s, I decided that I would brave the crowds and go to the grocery store. This was a COMPLETELY AMATEUR MOVE on my part – I should have known better – but I wanted to get all my canned goods and breakfast stuff squared away. And while I guess it’s nice to know that I have almost everything I need for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day meals, I won’t soon forget the chaos of the grocery store. I’ve never seen more people hovering over a meat case full of hams in my life.

And the paper goods aisle? ENTER AT YOUR OWN RISK.

By the way, I decided that I’m going with a little bit of a Mexican food theme on Christmas Day. I’m keeping it pretty mild since Mama doesn’t like spicy food, but I think it’ll be a fun change – and I’ll get back to the more traditional fare on New Year’s. Right now I’m planning to make creamy chicken enchiladas, a beef and rice dish that looks like it’s going to be so good, salsa and guacamole (of course), and a Mexican twist on Brussels sprouts because the recipe intrigues me. Tres leches cake is dessert – and then we’ll need some real strong coffee to counteract the sugar crash. As you do.

So that’s the latest from our house. And while I don’t have any idea how often I’ll post these next couple of weeks, I do think that there’s a better-than-average chance that there will be a new podcast Tuesday morning (with a special guest, no less).

Hope y’all had a wonderful weekend – and Merry Christmas, everybody!