A few weeks ago my friend Amanda gave me a heads up that there were some new varieties of Fig Newtons that merited my attention. I finally remembered to buy some when I was at the grocery store earlier this week, and while I think Amanda may have been talking about another new kind of Fig Newtons, I would just like to say that these?

ARE DELICIOUS.

They’re also pretty low in sugar – only 7 grams in a 3 cookie serving – and you can pretend like they’re totally healthy because, hello, 8 GRAMS OF WHOLE GRAIN.

They’d also be killer with a little cream cheese or peanut butter on them, but I’m trying to be a good girl.

Given the fact that a new skin care regimen that I was trying took me on a bit of a rollercoaster ride in December and January, I spent more than a few minutes wondering if I was going to walk through the rest of my earthly days with my skin looking like my 20-something self’s worst nightmare.

I don’t know. Call me crazy, but I feel like break-outs should be a thing of the past during this season of life. IT SEEMS ONLY FAIR.

Anyway, when I was in Houston a few weeks ago, I saw Melanie’s skin for the first time since September, and it looked FANTASTIC. I knew that she’d been using a Clairisonic Mia, and I’d been thinking for a few months about buying one for myself. When I saw what a difference it made (not that her skin looked bad before, mind you, but it just looks more vibrant now), I made up my mind once and for all and ordered a Clairisonic Mia for my own dadgum self. It was a splurge, but it’s still much less expensive than buying four or five products from an expensive skin care line. Plus, it doesn’t have to be replaced every 2-3 months like a pricey jar of moisturizer.

No kidding – my little turquoise Mia is my favorite skin care product I have ever used. It exfoliates (gently), and I can’t get over how clean my face feels – even when I’m wearing make-up. Best of all, I’m back to using my regular moisturizer (Eucerin with Q10), and it works better than ever now that my skin is finally back in proper working order.

The Mia was one of those purchases that I thought long and hard about before I ordered it, but if you have some extra gift cards sitting around – or maybe some extra birthday money – the splurge is a lot less painful. I LOVE IT.

(Those aren’t affiliate links.)

(Those are just want-to-share-the-goodness links.)

This post by Emily is encouraging and touching and wonderful and good.

Last night I watched Smash. I hadn’t really planned to watch it, mainly because I couldn’t figure out how a drama with musical numbers wouldn’t wind up being a little awkward (Cop Rock, anyone?). As it turned out, the show is really well done, and there were a couple of things that stood out. First of all, the music is beautiful – great arrangements, pheonomenal vocals – and second of all, Katharine McPhee is excellent. I’ll definitely watch next week’s episode, and in the meantime, I’ll be annoying the people in my house by singing this song A LOT.

(The two characters in the video are auditioning to play Marilyn Monroe.)

(That bit of context might prove helpful.)

So. Anybody else have a new cookie / skin care tip / blog post / TV moment / generally fun something-or-other you’d like to share?

Fire away.

I’m not gonna lie. Things have been just been a little hectic around our house lately. In fact, last Wednesday I decided I was going to drop all pretense of being able to handle everything that’s going on right now, and after the little man was asleep my poor husband listened patiently why I rattled off all the reasons why I can’t juggle everything that I’m currently juggling because, well, I AM NOT A VERY STRONG JUGGLER.

Don’t get me wrong: I love to be productive, and I’m so grateful for my work / writing / other commitments, but every once in awhile I start to dream of days upon days upon days of sitting on the couch in my pajamas, not to mention that there’s a whole new season of The Real Housewives of Orange County starting in a few days and I would really like to be free to dedicate more time to that because I understand that Gretchen and Tamra are friends now. And yes, even though that runaway train is no doubt going to jump the tracks before the season is over, I would sort of like to climb on board and pretend for just a few weeks that watching reality television is my job and at the very least maybe take a nice nap or two along the way.

So.

You know.

There’s that.

I have to admit, though, that there’s been a whole lot of happy weaving in and through all the busy. Last Thursday I discovered that The Fray’s new CD was streaming on iTunes (the album comes out tomorrow, at which point the streaming, it will cease), and I’m completely obsessed with it. It’s so great, in fact, that I looked into getting tickets for their show that’s coming up in Atlanta, but when I saw that the only tickets available were general admission, I backed off that idea, mainly because Mamaw here needs a reserved seat. If I had to stand in the middle of a teeming mass of 20-somethings jostling for the best view of the stage, odds are that I’d probably pop my hip out of its socket, not to mention that I’d run the risk of spilling my Ensure all over my fellow concert-goers. So I’m thinking that it’s probably better to just stay at home.

I’ve also had a whole bunch of fun with my people – they are so great about rolling with everything and making me laugh when work stuff and writing stuff start to err on the side of crazy. There’s an eight year-old in this house who’s so over the moon crazy about his daddy right now that I occasionally feel the need to put a twist on the Star Wars tradition and wake him up by saying, “Good morning, my son. I don’t know if you remember or not, but I AM YOUR MOTHER.” On one hand seeing the little guy with his daddy completely melts my heart and tickles me to absolute pieces, but on the other hand I kind of want to gather him up in my arms and stick my nose in his hair and sway him from side to side like I used to do when he was a baby.

But that wouldn’t really work because 1) I would throw my back out and 2) have you smelled an eight year-old little boy’s hair lately? It is not always so pleasant. Regardless, I love my boy. And I love how he loves his daddy.

Now. Let us talk of carefree things and have some show and tell. I think you’ll find that these pictures will make you feel really good about your organizational and housekeeping skills. At least compared to mine.

This is my suitcase from the trip to Houston. I unpacked it last week. Approximately 10 days after I returned from said trip to Houston. Sometimes I tend to move at a leisurely pace where pesky bits of follow-through are concerned.

This is a pile of clean towels on the bed in our guest room. I did fold them eventually. But now there’s another big pile of clean towels on the bed in our guest room. If you know of a laundry fairy, I would very much appreciate it if you would pass along her number. She could really fulfill her calling here.

This is a map that my Sister spotted in HomeGoods over Thanksgiving. She pointed it out to me because she thought I’d like it, and I liked it so much that I bought it. Isn’t it whimsical and kicky and fun? The problem, however, is that I can’t decide where to put it, and that is why it has been propped up next to the wall in our hallway for the last two and a half months.

TWO AND A HALF MONTHS.

If you know of a map hanging fairy, I would very much appreciate it if you would pass along her number.

This picture represents what I feel is the dominant organizational structure in our home right now: set out a bowl, then put some stuff in it.

As you might imagine, our current organizational structure is somewhat lacking. However, it is nice to know that there’s a purple marker, a tube of ChapStick, and two different varieties of gum in the same bowl. IT ALL MAKES SO MUCH SENSE.

A sweet friend sent me these flowers about two and a half weeks ago. They are still so beautiful. And as you will notice, they are flanked on the right by A Bowl With Some Stuff In It. We are consistent with our preferred methods of inefficiency.

So that’s what’s going on around here. It’s not the strongest housekeeping season of my life. It’s one of the busiest work seasons of my life. But thanks to the people who are in my life – and thanks to the very good God who put them there – it’s one of the richest and sweetest seasons I can remember.

Funny how that works.

Happy Tuesday, y’all.

I’m going to be a little out of pocket for the next week or so. Granted, I realize that people aren’t exactly sitting around and hitting “refresh” and waiting for me to write a blog post because, well, not even my own mama cares that much about what I have to say, but since the blogging schedule is going to be reliably unreliable for a few days, I thought I’d go ahead and get my “uncle” cry out of the way.

For the record: UNCLE.

And also: TÍO.

See? I said “uncle” in two languages. Because 1) I am very fancy like that and 2) I am still trying to redeem myself from the unfortunate “My name is fried chicken” incident in Ecuador.

Anyway, the good news is that I’m still planning to do a vacuum (Oreck!) (yee-haw!) (I think that’s maybe the third time I’ve used the phrase “yee-haw!” in my life) (when not watching The Dukes of Hazzard, of course) giveaway this Thursday, and next week will hopefully be a little more normal-y. Or normal-ish. Or at least not as HOLD ON TO THE REINS, GLADYS, ‘CAUSE IT IS ABOUT TO GET LIVELY as this week.

So. If I don’t see y’all before Thursday, I will definitely see you Thursday. Or at least I will see those of you who are interested in entering a giveaway for an Oreck vacuum cleaner. Or maybe I will see some of you who just want to say “hi” and then maybe we can sing a medley or something. It’ll be a bonding experience.

Have a great week, everybody!

1. I am so behind on DVR’d programming. In fact, I haven’t watched a single episode of American Idol this season. I’ve only seen one episode of The Bachelor. The only show I stay caught up on consistently is Top Chef. What does it all mean?

2. Dave Barnes’ new single is called “Mine To Love,” and it makes me sway and smile. Totally infectious. I think you need it in your life.

3. Slowly but surely I’ve been following up on some of y’all’s new music suggestions. I’ve loved NEEDTOBREATHE’s music since we saw them open for the aforementioned Dave Barnes a few years ago, but somehow I neglected to buy their latest album. WELL. I bought it earlier this week, and SWEET FANCY MOSES it is a winner.

4. It’s a winner because of songs like this one.

That right there? Will restore your faith in American music.

5. I have a big giveaway coming up next week. And it’s for a fancy vacuum that I have grown to love and treasure. Stay tuned.

6. Earlier this week Melanie wrote a post over at Ree’s about her favorite book quotes, so I spent the next two days thinking about all of my favorite book quotes. There are a couple from classics like To Kill A Mockingbird and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe that make me teary-eyed every single time I read them, but here’s my favorite makes-me-teary-eyed quote from a more recent book:

“My sister, Swede, who often sees to the nub, offered this: People fear miracles because they fear being changed – though ignoring them will change you also. Swede said another thing, too, and it rang in me like a bell: No miracle happens without a witness. Someone to declare, Here’s what I saw. Here’s how it went. Make of it what you will.” – Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

I adore that book.

7. Remember how I told y’all that I was using a new skin care regimen that a sweet friend sent me? Well, I’ve had to stop using it for a little while. I think some part of it is just too much for my skin. I say that because there has been a great deal of itching (especially after I use the morning moisturizer) and no shortage of break-outs. So I think a change is in order (cue the sad trombone).

8. This little sign is speaking volumes to me these days.

9. This little sign makes me say “amen.”

10. And this one? Just makes me laugh.

Have a great weekend, y’all!

Sister sent me a link to this video earlier today, along with a message that said, “Oh. This is STRONG.”

So I watched it. And after I managed to remove my heart from my throat and put it back in its proper place, I responded to Sister’s email and told her that I might need a mild sedative in order to avoid a prolonged bout with the ugly cry.

If you’ve ever loved a young’un all the way down to your toes, watch and listen at your own risk. And for heaven’s sake, make sure that there’s a stash of Kleenex nearby.

Pretty much the sweetest thing ever, isn’t it?

Yeah. I think so, too.

…from a very fun weekend in Houston. Melanie and I had all sorts of adventures with sweet friends (and with some MIGHTY FINE Mexican food, I might add), and I’ll have much more to say about all of that as soon as I get my suitcase unpacked, catch up with my people, and recover from one of the craziest days-o-travel I have ever experienced.

One good thing about the crazy day-o-travel is that I was able to sit and read and enjoy a few magazines, and I would just like to encourage you to buy the February issue of Southern Living at your earliest possible convenience, mainly because there is an article about pimento cheese that almost made me weep when I read it. There is also a recipe for some savory pimento cheese cookies with a strawberry preserves filling, and I kid you not: I TALKED BACK to that recipe when I read it. It got a hearty “COME ON” from me, and I might’ve even thanked the Lord out loud when I saw the part about the strawberry preserves.

Because that’s not embarrassing or anything.

I also read a New York Times article about Apple (the computer company – not the fruit – and certainly not Gwyneth Paltrow’s daughter) while I was waiting for my plane to leave Houston this afternoon. I cannot quit thinking about it. It’s fascinating and sobering and maybe even a little bit scary. But mainly it’s fascinating. Here’s the article if you’re interested.

And not that I’m proud, of course, but I may or may not have read an Us magazine from cover to cover on the way to Houston. I can ignore new issues of Us all the livelong day when I’m in the grocery store at home, but at an airport? Oh, forget it. Put a boarding pass in my hand and suddenly I AM LIKE A MOTH TO THE US MAGAZINE FLAME.

What do y’all do to pass the time on airplanes? Are you a book person? A magazine person? An iPad person? A movie person? A stare-into-space person? A fall-asleep-at-the-gate person?

I’m beside myself with curiosity.