1) I changed our weekly menu a little and ended up cooking this catfish recipe tonight. It was really tasty, I must say. However, the next time I make it I’ll probably half the butter – and it’ll still be plenty. The recipe adds a little variety to the standard chicken / beef fare – and it’s a different way to prepare catfish, which typically just gets deep fried in this part of the world. So there you have it.

2) I am in the throes of a major fashion dilemma because we are going to see the Bulldogs play baseball tomorrow, and the game is at 11 o’clock in the morning. In Mississippi. In June.

Which means that you may want to say your goodbyes in the comments, because I’m not entirely sure that we’ll survive the heat and humidity.

So, long story long, I have resigned myself to the fact that, since I would prefer that the top of my scalp not be burned to a charry crisp by the end of the ninth inning, I’m going to have to wear a hat of some sort. Perhaps even a baseball cap. And because the top of my head is as flat as a pancake and my face is as round as a dinner plate, I don’t pull off the whole baseball cap look very well. In fact, I would go so far as to say that I look ridiculous when I wear one.

And yes, I’ve thought about wearing a straw hat – but I’m telling you: I will sweat so much in a straw hat that the materials used to create it will decompose and be fit for a compost pile by the end of the ballgame. Something made from cotton is of the essence.

WHATEVER WILL I DO, INTERNETS?

Any suggestions?

3) Today I had the special privilege of going to that annual doctor’s visit we all love and cherish so deeply. I actually adore my doctor, his nurse, and all of the staff, so seeing them was great fun. But there were other parts of the visit that were decidedly, um, less enjoyable. And I’ll just leave it at that.

Anyway, I determined, as I was lying on the examination table waiting for my doctor and nurse to come in the room, that we’ve just got to do better than the usual white paper examination “outfit.” That sassy sleeveless paper jacket with no closure IS pretty happening, I’ll admit, but when you combine it with the paper “throw” that you drape across the lower half of your person, it doesn’t exactly take your mind off of the unpleasantness of the day’s activities.

So I have a project for one of you industrious inventor-type people. What if we added some prints to the paper? A cute floral, some colorful stripes, perhaps even a paisley. I mean, if you’re going to have to wear paper clothes while you’re being mashed, poked and prodded, the clothes could at least be cheerful, you know?

Feel free to tell me THAT I’M INSANE in the comments.

4) Several of you were sweet enough to email and tell me about places you’d spotted the white terry cloth pants I dreamed about the other night.

Jenna actually saw some at Walmart, and since I am in Walmart approximately ten times a week, I decided that would be the first place I looked (y’all suggested Target, Costco, and several different websites).

So today I walked over to the swimsuit / workout wear section, and lo and behold, look what I saw:

Dreams do come true, y’all.

They really do.

For the low, low price of $12.44.

Honestly, I had great intentions of returning from vacation and crafting blog post after blog post. Posts about family, about perspective, about motherhood, about friendship – posts that might make you nod your head as you read, posts that might cause A Single Tear to roll delicately down your cheek.

While Air Supply plays softly in the background.

But seriously, I really did want to use my travel time this last week to pray and think and write – and I imagined that I would come home with blog material for days – lo, perhaps even weeks. It all seemed so promising.

However, what I actually did on the airplane(s) was to dig repeatedly through a Superman backpack in order to find the book / movie / toy of my child’s choice. Also, I read many magazines with colorful pictures of celebrities running errands / going to dinner / walking dogs. I watched two utterly lame movies, and I drank copious amounts of diet Coke. I coated Alex in Purell – because two stomach viruses in the last two weeks are p-lenty, thankyouverymuch. I studied every single page of the latest editions of Southern Accents and O At Home. I remodeled our master bathroom and our kitchen in my head.

And as a result of all that blistering productivity, now that I’m home, I’m dry as a bone in terms of blog material.

Unless you’d like to know my opinion on Jessica Simpson and John Mayer. Because OH, I DO HAVE ONE.

And besides the fact that I’ve fallen behind with writing, I’ve been completely surprised by the recovery time that our trip has required. All three of us have been tired, despite the fact that we had a pretty stress-free vacation. In fact, the only things I have done with some degree of success since we’ve been home are 1) grocery shopping 2) television watching and 3) napping.

In these three areas I have been, I must say, in top form.

All that to say: vacation WORE ME OUT. And the words that it takes to write these things called the blog posts – well, they are not cooperating. They are crossing their arms and rolling their eyes and refusing to move where I want them. I am very frustrated with the words, though I suspect their lack of cooperation has something to do with the fact that I’m, you know, exhausted.

So if I’m not around here much for the next few days, it’s because I’m either sleeping or thinking about sleeping. Alex and I took one of our best naps ever this afternoon, and it was a time so magical that it’s going to be our napping standard-bearer for the summer. I not only want to maintain that level of napping excellence – I want to surpass it.

Doing so will require some serious committment, but I am willing and able to make whatever sacrifices are necessary.

Because goals are important, y’all.

Just a few things I’m loving right now:

I Love You, Stinky Face – made even better by the fact that the little boy in the book calls his mother “Mama,” just like A. does. Plus, the story makes the little man laugh out loud, and by the time I get to the last page, he has his arms wrapped around my neck. Can’t beat it.

Chicken and Spinach Pasta Bake (thanks, Barb, for the recommendation) – somehow it manages to be filling but not too heavy. I used whole wheat penne pasta, and it rocked.

My beloved MSU Bulldogs making it to the NCAA Baseball Super Regionals – and playing Clemson this weekend at picture-perfect Dudy Noble Field.

These sandals – OH MY WORD AT THE COMFORT.

These environmentally-safe cleaning products – everything I’ve tried smells great and works beautifully – and the lavender disenfecting spray was a godsend when A. had his last stomach virus.

These popsicles are TASTY (I love the no sugar added tangerine).

I still think this lotion is divine. Now that we’re in full-fledged sandal season, I’ve been using it on my feet – and it works better than anything I’ve ever tried. As you may have gathered, I’m a fan.

I have SO loved reading your comments about our Martie Takes Manhattan trip (which probably won’t be until the end of the year, just FYI) – and now I can’t help but wonder:

What is the one place in the world you would absolutely love to visit but haven’t yet? What’s your dream destination?

For what it’s worth, here are my top three:

1) London
2) San Francisco
3) Madrid