I have decided that having a puppy is kind of like having a toddler. Granted, one is human and one is not, but they operate in pretty similar ways. They put everything in their mouths, they fight sleep, they cry (bark) until they wear themselves out, and about twice a day they LOSE THEIR DADGUM MINDS. Fortunately, though, they’re cuddly and super cute, so it’s easy to forget the bad parts. Like about fifteen minutes ago when Hazel barked at me for a solid five minutes and by every indication was completely determined to eat my toes.

Now, however, she is sound asleep. It’s like she passed out mid-bark. And since apparently I am at a stage in my life where I can’t blog until THE DOG IS ASLEEP, I guess I’d better savor the quiet and get to typing. As you do.

(Oh! Before I forget. The oil I mentioned in my last post is doTERRA PastTense oil. I ordered it from my friend LoraLynn, and it’s in a handy little roll-on container. I’m sure you can get more details from LL if you need them, but I have found that it is especially great for a sinus or stress headache, and as an added bonus it smells FANTASTIC.)

(I don’t know much about all the oil stuff, but since I don’t love taking medicine, the PastTense has been a really good option.)

(And I won’t make one red nickel if you order it, by the way, so no pressure whatsoever from me.)

This past weekend turned out to be a really good one. Friday night I took Alex and one of his buddies to a high school baseball game (David wasn’t feeling great, so he stayed home), and it cemented my theory that there is nothing more relaxing at the end of the week than watching a baseball game and visiting with people and enjoying the sky and trees and whathaveyou. We were only planning to stay for a couple of innings, but we ended up staying for the whole game and having the best time. I also discovered these, which was a real highlight.

I know. It’s perplexing. Because they’re definitely orange-flavored, but they’re definitely minty, too. Somehow it works, though – almost like an orange candy with kind of a cooling sensation at the end. And since it’s rare that I find a new mint to add to the arsenal (I believe my affection for Wintergreen IceBreakers has been well-documented), I thought I’d pass along the Orangemint info.

Once we got home from the ballgame Friday night, I grabbed my computer to check the Twitter. Hazel isn’t really fond of the computer – I think it frightens and confuses her – and at one point when I left the computer on the sofa so I could go grab my phone, Hazel apparently decided to get a closer look at the machine with the glowing apple and inadvertently typed her very first tweet with her cute little nose.

I’m not sure what it all means. Either she has an affinity for 17th century British history, or something is up with the neighborhood cats and she misspelled “meows.” Only time will tell.

Saturday I worked most of the afternoon – there are a few work-related deadlines that I was trying to finish – and it felt like sweet, sweet luxury to have some uninterrupted time to concentrate and plow through a big ole stack of papers that had been demanding my attention. And the even better news is that there was a light at the end of the paper tunnel: our friend Shaun was in town for a conference, so we got to meet him for supper and catch up and marvel at his hair. It was some good time family fun.

Sunday morning I decided that I was going to take the day and press the “reset” button on my week. I mean, obviously it wasn’t a literal button or anything like that, but I think I’ve mentioned once or nine times that I am screaming for margin right now. SO. I didn’t go to church OR Chuy’s, but I did do lots of things that make my life feel more sane. While the fellas were off continuing the church/Chuy’s tradition, I wrote in my journal, I went to the grocery store, I finished a few things around the house, I rested, I washed clothes – and while I know it might sound strange, all of that stuff felt totally sacramental to me. It’s been a long time since I had a morning by myself at home, and while I don’t normally take a Sunday to make that happen, it was absolutely the cure for what ailed me. On top of that, the weather was gorgeous here, so late yesterday afternoon I turned on the grill and looked at all the buds on the trees and cooked some chicken and pretty much just tried to soak up some peace. It was DELIGHTFUL.

But oh, the fun didn’t end there. Because when I was sitting at the kitchen table about an hour after supper, David walked by and laughed.

“Is that your reward?” he said.

“YEAH it is,” I answered.

Because sometimes a hidden object game is all that will do.

So suffice it to say that I have enjoyed the fire out of the last few days. I feel a little more together and organized. This morning I even put on a pot roast for tonight’s supper, and I decided right then and there that nothing makes me feel as accomplished as walking in the door in the afternoon and knowing that, for the most part, SUPPER IS DONE.

It made this afternoon so relaxing, in fact, that I was able to carve out a little time to play my hidden object game. Just doing my part to keep my inner nerd alive, you understand.

Y’all have a great week.

Love,
Mamaw

This afternoon I got a bad headache out of nowhere (well, I say “out of nowhere,” but it was at least loosely connected to a certain puppy who was riding in the car with me and barking in the most high-pitched manner possible – at the rate of about 84 barks a minute, it seemed), so after we got home I took two Advil, drank a diet Dr. Pepper, and tried to find a spot in the house that was dark and quiet. The dark part wasn’t hard since it was raining outside, but the quiet part was another thing altogether. I finally gave up and decided to cook supper, and on the way into the kitchen I thought, You know, I’m going to use some of that essential oils blend that’s supposed to be good for migraines. So I put some on my temples and on the back of my neck, and SWEET FANCY MOSES THAT WAS SOME RELIEF.

That was the first time I’ve ever used it, I think, when I was smack-dab in the middle of a headache, so I was ever-so-delighted that it helped.

I’m not exactly sure why I told y’all any of that. However, a few minutes ago I touched the corner of my eye with a finger that I’d used to rub in the oil, and I just want to go on the record and say that if you happen to rub a peppermint oil blend near the eye area, THAT WILL WAKE YOU RIGHT UP.

And speaking of waking up (well, kinda).

There are times when I manage the whole family / work / writing thing pretty well. But I can say without hesitation that the last two weeks have not been my finest. I have been like a dog chasing its tail, and I feel like I’m forever playing catch-up, only I’m so far behind that part of me wonders what’s the point. This afternoon I talked to my mama for the first time in almost two weeks, and when I start to feel disconnected from my family, that pretty much sends me into all manner of guilt and condemnation because 1) I feel very selfish and 2) hey, I think I wrote a book about how we need to be intentional about time for our families, only I haven’t been to Mississippi since November, thank you very much. I’m behind at work and behind on the new book – so tonight I just opted to sit on the couch and watch American Idol with my people. I’ve been asleep by 10 o’clock every night this week, but when I wake up every morning my to-do list starts running on a loop through my head.

Basically I’ve spent the last two weeks like the woman in the first chapter of Boundaries. For example, yesterday at 4:15 we had just walked in the door from school, and I was just about to put on pajamas when it occurred to me that we had a vet appointment at 4:30, so we rushed out the door and went to the vet, which meant that I didn’t get to cook supper, so I picked up Zaxby’s instead, and I HATE IT when I get in the way of following through with the original plan and things start to feel chaotic.

I’m just trying to tell myself that for better or worse, it’s just the nature of things right now. I always – ALWAYS – feel like I’m forgetting to do something.

Gosh. The more I talk about all of this, the more I just want to get that essential oils blend and pour it on top of my head. So in light of all that: what say we talk about some DIVERSIONS? :-)

Here are some recent favorites.

1. Phillip Phillips – Raging Fire

Alex likes to be the DJ when we’re in the car, and he has played “Home” by Phillip Phillips about 4 gazillion times in the last two years. It may be his all-time favorite song. So tonight when I saw that Phillip Phillips was playing his new song on American Idol, I couldn’t wait to hear it. Turns out that it has a DELIGHTFUL Dave Matthews-ish feel to it (but still distinctively Phillip Phillips), and I promptly made the AI marketing machine’s dreams come true by immediately buying it from iTunes. It is $1.29 of almost-springtime fun. Love it.

2. OPI Brazil Collection

One of my favorite springtime traditions (can you tell that I am laser-focused on spring? so tired of the gray and cold and rain) is getting my first sandal-weather pedicure. I’m always curious about what new polish colors OPI may have, and when I looked at their latest collection, I was beside myself. The bright colors are so wearable (well, maybe not the yellow for me, but the others are great), and the neutrals are just the right blend of fun and trendy. I especially love these two:

I Sao Paulo Over There

Live, Love, Carnaval

3. L’Oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions

A couple of weeks ago Melanie made the comment that I am always on a quest for the holy grail of mascaras, and she is so right about that. It is a quest – a LIFE MISSION, if you will – and I am bound and determined to find the best mascara for the money. For a while I was smitten with the Rimmel, but I started to have issues with smudging, so I decided to see if there was something else out there since apparently I lack contentment with my mascara choices.

About a month ago I tried this one.

I really, really love it. It also comes in waterproof, and it doesn’t smudge. Between this mascara and my new eyelash curler, it’s like a whole new eye make-up day has dawned.

Until I resume the quest, of course. But in the meantime: EYELASH BLISS.

4. Brook Hills App

Our church has released a new (FREE) app. I have to say that it is pretty snazzy, and you should totally try it. You can listen to sermons, watch sermons, and my favorite feature is that every morning I can open it and it will tell me what I need to read for our two-year Bible reading plan. It was just this morning, in fact, when I realized that I can actually read the passages within the app (I’d never scrolled down the page – I just used the app as sort of a memo), and I think it’s safe to say that it’s going to change my whole life.

Oh, technology – sometimes you are very convenient.

5. Palazzo Pants

When I got my very first real job, I took my 23 year-old self to The Limited and bought myself some palazzo pants. I thought they were very fancy and sophisticated, and I really liked to wear them with my metallic Nina flats because to me it was the very best way to pretend to be a grown-up.

Well, in light of the whole “so long, skinnies” news that we talked about last week, I was thrilled to see the palazzo pant might be making a bit of a comeback.

Wide Leg Batik Palazzo

Tribal Print Palazzo

Y’all, what does it say about me that I WANT TO OWN THESE? I mean, are they at all age-appropriate? Probably not. But I just think they’re so fun and colorful and flow-y and would be absolutely adorable with a pair of wedge sandals.

And if those wedge sandals happened to be metallic?

KILLER.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Hazel is, of course, a puppy. This means that she enjoys biting, she enjoys running, she enjoys playing tug of war with towels, she enjoys baying (it’s the beagle in her), and she enjoys wrestling with chew toys.

Another one of her favorite things is to “hide” under the tablecloth while David, Alex, and I are eating supper so that she can attack our chairs after we sit down. Usually this means that there’s a whole lot of “No, Hazel!” in the middle of the dinner table conversation, and eventually she gives up on the table and starts hunting for crumbs underneath the cabinets.

It’s a very relaxing dinnertime environment. Clearly.

Last night, however, Hazel wasn’t of a mind to play. In fact, she stayed in D’s chair during supper, and when Alex went to check on her after he finished eating, he ran back in the kitchen almost immediately and told us that Hazel was sick.

Oh, y’all. Was she ever. It was obvious that her stomach was upset, but what concerned us even more was that she was so lethargic. She could just barely hold up her little head, so I called the emergency vet (it was after 6, so our vet was closed), told them her symptoms, and tried not to jump to a worst case scenario when they said, “Bring her in.”

Long story short, Hazel is fine. She doesn’t have any of the things we were concerned she might have, and she’s all better today. In fact, she perked up a good bit right before the vet gave her a shot (apparently there is something along the lines of puppy phenergan). I was so relieved to see her stand up that I took a picture and sent it to my fellas, who were waiting and worrying at home.

And, you know, that was pretty much it. I mean, I guess we could pretend like the story was a whole lot more dramatic than what I just told you, but it wasn’t. It was, however, an excellent excuse to share a picture of the cutest dog that has ever lived.

(I promise that I’ll stop it with the dog pictures.)

(I just can’t promise that I’ll stop this spring.)

(Because THOSE EARS.)

The end.

Well, it’s Oscar night, and since I haven’t really seen anything that’s up for an award (well, I saw Gravity, but I was underwhelmed), I’m going to watch the Red Carpet and feel really relieved that I’m here at the house wearing a t-shirt and yoga pants. I mean, those gowns are gorgeous and all, but I’d rather hang out in pajamas any day of the week. I can’t even imagine the how many pairs of Spanx have been called to duty tonight in the Greater Los Angeles Area, but I’d be willing to bet that it is significant. And also somewhat restricting.

Since I barely blogged last week, I turned to Instagram a little bit more than I usually do – and in case you missed it, I want to be sure to pass along what was most definitely one of the high points of my week. It came in the form of an email from Anthropologie, and I am here to tell you that reading it felt like freedom to me.

 

Honestly, I don’t know when my calves have been more thrilled.

And to be clear, I think that skinny jeans look darlin’ on other people. But someone in my Instagram comments said it so well when she remarked that she no longer has to feel pressured to make herself look like an ice cream cone.  I’d never thought about it that way before, but that is EXACTLY how I’ve felt whenever I’ve tried on the skinnies. And after clinging to the boot cut with everything in me for the last four years, I’m so relieved that I can embrace the wide-legged pants again. ALL HAIL THE TROUSER JEANS.

Oh! And speaking of wide-legged pants…I really do love these from Old Navy. I bought a couple of pairs last spring because I thought they’d be great for work, and I just ordered two more that got here yesterday. They are super-comfortable. I just have two suggestions, though: order a size smaller than you normally wear because STRETCH (at least that was my experience), and be really careful about putting them in the dryer because they’re linen and they’ll pill if you aren’t careful. They’re on sale, though, if you order by Tuesday (code MARCH), and personally I am a sucker for an Old Navy discount code if it’s at least 30% off. It’s the little things, you know.

Another thing that brought me great joy last week was watching The Tonight Show. Maybe it’s because it was such a big deal to get to stay up late and watch it when I was growing up, but something about having a host from my very own generation – the first Gen-X’er to take the reins – well, it made me feel kind of old but mostly oh-so-happy (plus, I have a husband who has watched Jimmy Fallon since his very first Late Night show, and we always talk about how his genuine enjoyment of people makes him so fun to watch). Anyway, this was my favorite Tonight Show moment last week, and while yes, I know that Melanie mentioned it on her blog, too, I figure that maybe there are four of you who might have missed her post and therefore need to see the delightfulness that is Paul Rudd.

In addition to all of that, this weekend ended up being the greatest joy of the whole week, really. We had big fun with some sweet friends who were in town, and it was so good to relax and laugh and drink coffee and laugh and talk and laugh. Did my heart a world of good.

Plus, you know, there’s this sweet girl, who was waiting for Alex with me when I took this picture. We are CUCKOO about her – to the point that we have to laugh at ourselves because it’s ridiculous how attached we are.

And for what it’s worth, here are my favorite red carpet dresses (for the most part, tonight sure was a big ole parade of neutrals, now wasn’t it?):

1. Charlize Theron

2. Sandra Bullock

3. Amy Adams

4. Lupita Nyong’o

5. Olivia Wilde

They all looked beautiful. But I bet they’d give anything for a good pair of yoga pants right about now. And I bet they could put the hurt on some cupcakes, too.

Hope y’all have a great Monday!

I have a lot of very good reasons to explain my absence.

But I can pretty much sum up all my reasons in two words: BOOK DEADLINE.

What this means is that I’m going to be totally unreliable with the blogging for the next six weeks or so. I’m trying to work on the book in whatever little pockets of time I can find (last night, for instance, David and Alex went to Scouts, and I started a blog post that got up to around 1500 words, at which point I thought, Oh, I believe we will go ahead and call this the beginning of a chapter). Plus, my real job – which takes up a significant chunk of my day – is extra time-consuming during this part of the year. And since my people developed what may be a lifelong aversion to the phrase “Hey, do y’all want me to just pick up something for supper?” when I was doing this whole book thing the first time, I am trying to be intentional and mindful about the purchase and preparation of things like fresh vegetables and real-live bacon and substances that aren’t French fries.

But you know what’s neat?

Why, I will be glad to tell you.

When I was working on the first book, David and I laughed about how much more social it made me. It was sort of ironic considering that I am never more content than when I have changed into a t-shirt and yoga pants and I know that I don’t have a single thing on the calendar for, like, FOUR DAYS. But when I was smack-dab in the middle of A Little Salty…, I craved face-to-face conversation like crazy. So once-ish a week I’d run off to meet up with a friend who was passing through town, or I’d go to supper with girlfriends and talk for hours, or I’d ask somebody to meet me at Starbucks so we could visit before I hunkered down for some writing. There was even one time when I met my friend Pattie for lunch, and – I kid you not – we stayed in that restaurant for five hours (we were there so long, in fact, that we tipped two different waiters). It’s almost like the writing made me crave the sound of other people’s voices (other than the ones that run around in my head, of course), and I’ll be doggone if the same thing hasn’t happened this time around.

So here’s the neat part – or at least it’s neat to me. That whole phenomenon is totally at work again, and I’m starting to think it’s the Lord’s protection against isolation because staying in my head so much can make me a little, um, weird (I feel certain that my husband will vouch for me on this one). Last week I got to sit down with one of our neighbors and talk for two hours – something that is oh-so-rare. Then this past Friday night, my sweet friend T-Riels (that is not in fact her real name; it’s just what we called her in college and continue to call her even now) was in town for a soccer tournament, and we went to dinner and laughed our heads off. Sunday after church my fellas and I went to lunch with one of our most favorite families before they drove home to the town where they live now. My friend Katy will be in town tomorrow night – she has some work stuff here – and I’m going to get to hang out with her for a little while. And then this weekend I get to see some friends who have known me since I wore high-top Reeboks with peasant skirts (oh yeah I did – it was my nod to edgy when I was a senior in high school, never you mind that I was about as edgy as a butter knife).

It’s weird. Because under normal circumstances, I’d probably be completely overwhelmed by All The Activity. But as it stands, I’m just as tickled as I can be.

So. That’s all a very long-winded explanation of what’s going on around here: lots of writing and lots of time with my people. As far as the interweb is concerned, I’ll still be on the Twitter and the Instagram (they’re mighty fine ways to document my ongoing obsessions with sunrises, sunsets, and Hazel the dog).

(For example.)

(I can’t help it.)

(It’s like a sickness.)

But. For the next few weeks, I’m gonna try to put most of my words into the book instead of here.

Please know that this entire strategy will be flung STRAIGHT OUT OF THE WINDOW if anything even remotely memorable happens with Mississippi State sports and/or American Idol.

I’m mighty grateful for y’all.

Love,
Me

— We are watching American Idol right now, and I am enjoying this speedier approach to the festivities. I think it’s a nice change that the preliminary rounds won’t take as long, and I like that we’ll be in the heart of the competition a little faster. It’s also fun seeing more of what’s going on behind the scenes with the mentoring and the coaching and the “mic-ography” and the styling.

— Dave Barnes’ new video for “Good,” his latest single, is just about the sweetest thing you’ve ever seen.

— I can’t remember how I ran across this blog post by Mo Isom called “I Just Got Engaged And Immediately Doubted My Decision,” but oh my goodness. I so wish I’d had this kind of wisdom when I got engaged 17 years ago. Such great perspective on marriage.

— Jessi at Naptime Diaries has such well-designed, original printables every month. I am such a fan of having fun, colorful, encouraging stuff to put on our walls, and for only $5 each month, you can download all sorts of great printables (and in lots of sizes). You get calendar pages, scripture memory cards, wall hangings – all sorts of goodies that will brighten whatever month it happens to be.

— This is different from normal linky material, but last week my friend Amie Beth linked to this video, and while the subject matter is interesting, what I love the most is the way Ravi Zacharias responds to the man who asks the question. He’s respectful, logical, pointed, and gracious.

— This post by Nester is so great: “Why You’ve Got to Have Guests When Your House Isn’t Perfect.”

— I hope y’all have a great Wednesday!

And so does Hazel.