Archives for May 2010

I was all set to write a big ole post tonight (WITH SENTENCES! AND EVERYTHING!), but the onset of a delightful summer cold has stopped me in my bloggy tracks. So I’m going to make a list of everything I wanted to talk about so that I can address them at some point in the next couple of days or weeks or years or perhaps even decades.

1) Craig M. on “The Bachelorette” is Wes 2.0.

2) Ali’s more modest take on beach apparel is a refreshing “Bachelorette” change.

3) Last weekend we put a squirrel feeder on our deck, and it has changed my life forever.

4) Seriously. FOREVER.

5) This past weekend marked ten years since we moved to Birmingham. Moving here was one of the best decisions we have ever made. It’s home, and we love it so much.

6) Today is our 13th wedding anniversary – I just cannot believe that much time has passed since I walked down the aisle. I’ve been thinking a lot about the ups and the downs and the sticking it out and how marriage is so much more rewarding than a wedding.

7) This afternoon D printed out a sample ballot for tomorrow’s primary elections so that he’ll be well-prepared when he gets to the polls. You have no idea how much that makes me smile.

8) My heart was so heavy today for a local family whose son was recently killed in Afghanistan. It isn’t lost on me that one reason why #7 is even possible is because of the brave people who serve our country so selflessly. I am grateful.

9) I have a couple of giveaways scheduled to post in a few hours, and since I wrote them before the onset of the summer cold, you can rest in the peace of knowing that there are REAL-LIVE PARAGRAPHS!

(And also: gift cards!)

(FANCY!)

10) Happy Tuesday, everybody.

Mamaw here wants to talk about flowers.

Because right now, before the dog days of summer hit and everything gets leggy and peaked and wilty, I am just a wee bit obsessed with flowers.

And plants. I’m a wee bit obsessed with them, too.

So here’s what’s going on around our house right now.

Our Home Depot had huge palm plants on sale for cheap dollars and thrifty cents, and D picked up a couple of them last weekend. We put one of them on our deck, and I love how the wispiness of the fronds contrasts with the bulkiness of the stalks.

By the way, that last sentence is a sure sign that any remnant of my early 20s self is officially GONE FOREVER.

Because in my early 20s I’d have been all, “What? I don’t get it. Looks like a big green tree to me.”

And then: “I think plants are, like, STUPID. Because you have to take care of them and stuff.”

Oh, yes. I WAS A TREASURE AND A DELIGHT.

Anyway. These lilies – oh my goodness. They smell divine. They light up my life.

(Sing it with me: “Wiiiiiiiiith sonnnnnnnnnnnng.”)

I mean, just look at all that pretty.

Then there’s hibiscus – one of my all-time favorites.

And mandevilla, which I’ve never had before but am LOVING. My fellas gave me two big mandevillas for Mother’s Day, and they have grown by leaps and bounds since D planted them. Can’t wait for them to fill up the trellises. I’ll probably just sit and sing to them until that happens.

And by the way, I should point out that my husband is the one with the green thumb in our family. He takes such great care of our flowers and plants. I just point and tell him where I want everything to go, and then he makes it happen while I gaze at impatiens blooms and drink a diet Coke.

So what about you? What have you planted this year?

The second half of last week felt like a big ole chop block. And when tough times hit, I start looking for the happy wherever I can find it. It makes the not-so-happy a little more bearable.

Here are a few things that made me smile.

1. Liz Lemon singing on 30 Rock – “And a man shall leave his mother / And a woman needs her bones….”

2. Matt Damon on 30 Rock – He was, in a word, delightful.

3. Flowers – Our hydrangeas are starting to bloom, and they’re gorgeous.

4. End of the school year – It’s time, y’all.

5. “I Dreamed A Dream” on Glee – Oh my word it’s beautiful.

6. The Bachelorette starts tonight. LISTEN – I KNOW. I KNOW. But it’s Ali and I thought she was DARLIN’ PLUS on the last one and I can’t wait to watch.

7. Alex’s end-of-season soccer party – Such a fun time celebrating his great coaches and teammates. Loved it.

8. Jimmy Needham’s “Moving to Zion” – I bought this last week, and SWEET MERCY it’s a good’un.

9. Going to a bridal tea – I have no idea why, but there’s something very comforting about visiting with friends and eating cucumber sandwiches and drinking sherbet punch.

10. Royal Apothic High Tea candle – This was a gift from some girls who mean a whole bunch to me, and the scent is mellow and comforting and lovely.

What about you? What are some little things that have brightened your days lately?