Archives for September 2010

First Things First

12 September 2010 by

I have loads of boring information to share about our weekend, including but not limited to when I cleaned out my closet and discovered a pair of long-forgotten tapered-leg khaki pants that screamed 1994 so loudly that I almost put on a Blues Traveler CD while I watched the DVDs from the first season of “Friends.”

But.

I would be completely remiss if I didn’t point you to some posts that have just blown me away over the last few days. All of these posts have come from the Compassion bloggers in Guatemala, and I really hope you’ll read them.

– Ann’s post about meeting her sponsored child is one of the best things I’ve ever read. In any medium. Period.

– Shaun writes (and sings) about When God Comes By.

– This post of Amanda’s is pure joy.

– Lisa-Jo wondered if writing letters to her Compassion kids really mattered – and she found the answer in Guatemala.

– Lindsey met Jenser. He’s four. And I’m pretty sure that he’s changed her life forever.

On a related note, this past Saturday morning my sister-in-law Janie and my older nephew left for Uganda. They’re safely in their hotel now – the same hotel where I stayed two and a half years ago – and over the next few days they’re going to meet the children they sponsor through Compassion.

I’ll be sharing some of their stories once they get home, and in the meantime, my family and I would be ever-so-grateful if you’d keep them in your prayers.

Happy Monday, y’all!

Filed Under: Compassion

All The Absentmindedness Made Me Forget

8 September 2010 by

Several of y’all have asked me if you missed the announcement of the Nations Outfitters giveaway.

And the answer is no. No, you didn’t. I just totally forgot to draw for the winner in the midst of getting ready for our company and watching the Bulldogs score 49 points against Memphis this past Saturday night.

Did I mention that the Bulldogs scored 49 points? IN ONE GAME? I still can’t get over it.

Anyway, I’ll draw for and notify the winner (by email) in the morning. Around 7:15 central time. There’s no real reason for 7:15 – it’s mainly for kicks and the sake of a firm deadline, I reckon.

Now.

I promise that I’m going to make a conscious effort to SIMMER DOWN, ALREADY with all the talk of college football, but the Bulldogs have a pretty big game on ESPN tomorrow night, and this video was on Coach Mullen’s Facebook page today, and I have watched it four times already and am about to make it five.

I would never presume to trash-talk about this game because I’ve watched us get whipped by Auburn more times than I can remember, including one time when I was about 13 and so sulky after the game that my daddy gave me a good talkin’-to at the Captain D’s in Starkville about how IT’S JUST A GAME, and we’re not gonna sit around and be upset about A FOOTBALL GAME, FOR HEAVEN’S SAKE.

Honestly, I don’t think Daddy had any clue about the degree of my allegiance to the Bulldogs. He just couldn’t have known that I would grow up and become a person who would drag her one year-old to an SEC basketball showdown. Or who would teach her child the melody to the Fight Song as soon as he could sorta/kinda carry a tune. Or who would try to cook up a Thursday night road trip to the State/Auburn game and feel sixteen kinds of crestfallen when it didn’t work out because WE PLAY SO MUCH BETTER WHEN I’M IN THE STADIUM.

I mean, you just don’t typically count on that from your daughter. Or, in our family’s case, daughters. Because Sister is just as Bulldog cuckoo crazy as I am, and that is just how we like it.

So all that to say: no trash talking from me. Just a whole bunch of excitement about the possibility of a great game against Auburn (a school that I actually like a whole bunch) and a very, very, VERY cautious optimism that the ‘Dogs will play well.

See? I’m very level-headed.

And I expect that level-headedness to be in full effect until 6:30 Thursday night.

At which point BULLDOG CUCKOO CRAZY will reign supreme.

Amen.

p.s. – Don’t miss the posts written by the Compassion Bloggers who are in Guatemala right now. Compassion is doing phenomenal work that will impact lives for eternity, and I know we’re going to see and hear some incredible stories from the Guatemala trip.

Filed Under: Beloved Bulldogs

A Very Good Weekend Indeed

7 September 2010 by

So this past weekend our friends Todd and Marti came for a visit. They brought their 9 month-old daughter Gracie with them, and we were really excited about that because one of my favorite pasttimes is gnawing on baby’s cheeks while sniffing their little necks for any remaining hint of baby wash and/or baby lotion.

Unfortunately, despite my attempts to convince Gracie to stay at our house and live with us forever, they all headed home to California this morning. That is very unfortunate indeed because Alex doesn’t really appreciate it when I try to gnaw on his cheeks. And I don’t really try to sniff his neck anymore because most of the time it smells like a combination of old leaves and Skittles.

The weekend was so relaxing and made even better by the fact that my beloved Bulldogs won their game against Memphis. I told a friend of mine this morning that I haven’t seen the ‘Dogs complete that many passes in my lifetime, and even now, three days later, I think about how consistently our receivers caught the ball and I have to shake my head a little bit. Was it all a dream? A mirage? I’m pretty sure that it wasn’t, mainly because I’ve re-watched the game approximately two and one half times over the last couple of days and do you know what happens every single time? WE STILL WIN.

I made sliders for the game Saturday night, along with homemade salsa, pasta salad and a big ole thing of Rotel dip. I was going to make corn dip – had all the ingredients, even – but we were so full from our lunch at Chuy’s (are you noticing a pattern in our weekend dining?) that we didn’t eat supper until later than normal and I was afraid that the addition of one more dip would push us right over the edge into full-on misery. But the sliders were delicious. They may be my go-to gameday menu item this year. I can’t say just yet. It’s quite a commitment, after all.

And speaking of commitment.

Sunday afternoon the menfolk went to the bookstore for a little while, and since Marti decided to rest during Gracie’s nap, I made it my personal mission to spend as much time as I possibly could reading the MSU message boards. This endeavor is never for the faint of heart, especially given that State fans are almost always wary of sporting event prosperity and seem to err on the side of EXTREME CAUTION in terms of demonstrating any real optimism for the upcoming season. We’ve just been burned by unbridled enthusiasm way too many times.

This fool-me-once mentality is all over the message boards and is precisely the reason why several posters – after a game where most of us were overjoyed by the fact that the Bulldogs scored almost 50 points and accumulated over 500 yards of total offense – expressed little-to-no happiness at the outcome of the game and preferred to focus on WHAT IN THE SAM HILL IS GOING ON WITH KICK-OFF COVERAGE? DO WE HAVE ANY IDEA HOW TO RUN TO THE BALL? GAH.

Anyway, I was knee-deep in a vat of some healthy sporting cynicism when the guys got home, and as I walked in the kitchen to get the full report about their bookstore adventures, here is what I saw:

They wanted to figure out which flavor of Zaxby’s shake is the best. So they bought one of each.

Is that not impressive? It was like a wine tasting, only without the wine or anything even remotely resembling a discriminating palate.

We already knew that we liked the chocolate, but the vanilla was a revelation. And the strawberry was as tasty as could be. There was some dissension in the ranks about which kind we’d buy on a return trip, but after some reflection and no small degree of prayer, I’m pretty sure that I’d go with the vanilla. And by the way, the fourth flavor was birthday cake, but I did not sample it on principle because I do not want chunks of birthday cake in my milkshake. Or sprinkles, for that matter.

So what about y’all? Did your team win this past weekend? Did you enjoy any delicious new dips or tailgating foods?

I’ll be waiting in the comments with pretend milkshakes for everybody.

You’re going to be so excited when you pretend taste their pretend deliciousness.

Two items of note: The Laughing Cow $150 gift card giveaway is still up and running, and I just posted a new $100 Kellogg’s giveaway. Don’t miss the fabulous prizes!

Filed Under: Rambling

Kellogg’s Love Your Cereal – Post 5

7 September 2010 by

This is sponsored content by BlogHer and Kellogg’s.

I’m really sort of annoying sappy and sentimental as far as summer is concerned. Not about the heat and humidity, OH MY WORD NO. But the other stuff? The uninterrupted family time? The swimming? The time at the beach? The trips to see family and friends? The wide open days with nothing but fun on the horizon?

I could write a Deeply Moving Ballad just thinking about that stuff. I love it all so much.

And as much as I’d love to be able to pick one moment of our summer and say, THIS, THIS ONE WAS THE MOST SPECIAL – I just can’t. There was too much goodness. There were some sad times and some hard times, of course, but by and large it was chock-full-o-sweetness. I’m so grateful for the days I got to spend with a little guy who starts off every single day with a big smile, a head full of hair that sticks straight up, and an ongoing insistence that cereal should be eaten without milk, LIKE THAT EVEN MAKES SENSE.

There’s just nothing better than doing life with that little fella.

And because I am a gigantor sap of epic proportions, I made a slideshow to document some of our favorite summer memories. Because remember when you were little and one of your relatives made you sit on the floor while he or she showed 400-600 slides of their vacations from the 1960s?

This is pretty much the 21st century version of that. Only hopefully you’ll be spared the bee-hive hairdos and horn-rimmed glasses.

“Loving You Is Easy” – by Ben Rector

The summer really was so good.

So what about you? How do you like to document memorable times with your family? Scrapbooking? Blogging? Making videos? Leave a comment with your answer, and you’ll be entered to win a $100 Visa gift card (and come back next week to enter again – because these giveaways will continue for the next 7 weeks).

And be sure to visit the BlogHer.com Kellogg exclusive offers page – you have 24 other chances to win $100 every single week that this program is running!

Mom’s Breakfast Club was started to help educate moms and families about kids’ cereal and share the scoop on their nutritional benefits and ingredients. To learn more about the program, visit www.loveyourcereal.com.

This giveaway is now closed.

Filed Under: BlogHer Reviews

A Few Announcements Before I Start Grating All The Cheese

3 September 2010 by

Question: How much do I already love this weekend?

Answer: A WHOLE LOT.

Some friends of ours are coming to town, and in addition to a menu line-up that would make a dietician weep, there’s a whole bunch of college football on our horizon. There’s also a forecast that features highs in the mid-80s, lows in the 60s and sunny skies all the live-long day.

(By the way, do you know what we’ve enjoyed all week long in Birmingham?)

(A BREEZE.)

(Hallelujah.)

Anyway, here are a few things I’ve been meaning to share:

– This past week I mentioned Deeper Still – Birmingham to two different friends, and neither of them had the faintest idea what I was talking about. But when I explained what it was, they were understandably delighted. So I thought that there might be some other folks in this neck of the woods who might also be delighted to know what’s headed our way in December.

Deeper Still is a two-day women’s event with Kay Arthur, Beth Moore and Priscilla Shirer. Travis Cottrell leads worship. And there’s going to be a Deeper Still here in Birmingham on December 3rd and 4th at the BJCC. I for one cannot wait. If you’re interested in attending, here’s all the info.

And if you’ve never been to a women’s event like DS because you think it would be too overwhelming or you haven’t been to church in eight years or you have a lot of questions about your faith or whatever, BE YE NOT CONCERNED. I think you’ll feel right at home.

– There’s a new group of Compassion bloggers heading to Guatemala next week. I can’t speak for them, of course, but I’m pretty sure that they’d treasure your prayers.

– If you’re a Mississippi State fan, remember: Respect The Bell and Ring Responsibly. :-)

– I’m going to be cooking up a storm tonight, and while I’m cooking, I’ll be watching this webcam. OBSESSIVE MUCH?

All righty. That is all. Except that I’m trying a new corn dip recipe this weekend. I’ll be sure to let you know how it goes.

HAPPY FOOTBALL, EVERYBODY!

Filed Under: Rambling

What The Ibex And I Have In Common

2 September 2010 by

Last night we were eating supper when I realized that I had COMPLETELY dropped the ball for something that was going on today. The sad part is that this is something that I’ve helped organize for years, and even two days ago I would’ve told you that I could pull off the whole shebang in my sleep. Only apparently that would’ve been a lie. Because I forgot to take care of two critical steps in the process. Which means that I can’t even pull off said activity when awake.

Anyway, after supper I made a phone call so that I could head off any potential early morning confusion, and I figured out a way that I could take care of everything I was supposed to do and still get the little man to school on time. It meant that we were going to have to leave the house pretty early, but that wasn’t a big deal since Alex views any early-morning activity as a WIDE OPEN ADVENTURE FILLED WITH EXCITING POSSIBILITIES.

Much like his mama.

(I can totally see you rolling your eyes at me right now.)

Given my disdain for really early mornings, I decided that I would go to sleep super-early so that I could maybe act like a human when the alarm went off at 5. I know I’ve mentioned it an annoying number of times before, but my preferred schedule (in a world with no responsibilities) would be to stay up until 2 or 3 in the morning and then sleep until 9 or 10. Everysingleday. Why? BECAUSE I AM DEEPLY MATURE.

So at 8:30 last night I got in the bed. My plan was to watch a wee bit of TV, become very, very drowsy, sleep the sleep of angels until the alarm went off at 5, then wake up by stretching very gently and serenading my family with a medley of Disney theme songs. While a bird rested happily on my shoulder.

I dozed off around 9:15 but woke up about 5 minutes later because I heard the TV in the den. Dozed off again – then woke up when D let the dog outside. Tossed and turned and turned and tossed. Finally decided to watch “Top Chef.” Dozed off – then woke up when D let the dog back inside. Dozed off – then woke up because of the aforementioned dog’s INCESSANT PAW LICKING (I’m convinced the dog was wearing a microphone). Didn’t fall asleep until 1 – then woke up at 2 when a certain 7 year-old took a roundabout route to the bathroom that involved turning on about sixteen different lights. Dozed off. Woke up at 2:12 because the 7 year-old couldn’t find his pillow. Got up. Found the pillow ON THE SIDE OF THE BED. Tried to go back to sleep. Except that I was burning up. Got out of bed again and turned down the thermostat. Wondered how a little nighttime peace can be so hard to come by in a house THAT ONLY HAS THREE PEOPLE IN IT.

My alarm went off at 5, and I was just as tickled and delighted as you might imagine after my two or maybe even three and a half hours of sleep. Not a Disney medley in sight. If a bird had been nearby I would have swatted it. I managed to shower and get myself ready, and then I tried with everything in me to be cheerful when I told Alex that it was time for him to get up. He hopped out of bed, put on his clothes, brushed his teeth and was ready to roll in no time at all. I’d promised him a donut for breakfast since we were leaving the house so early, and he was all about it. Happy as a clam. At 6:05 in the morning.

We made it through the Starbucks drive-thru without incident – I would even say happily – but by the time we got to where I needed to be to do the stuff I was supposed to do, I was beyond frustrated. I was frustrated with myself for dropping the ball, and I was frustrated by all the NOT SLEEPING I did last night. Every little thing was just on my nerves, and after Alex was the lucky recipient of a couple of my on-edge responses, he said, “Mama, I feel like you’re being a little hard on me.”

My heart sunk. So I apologized, explained that I was tired and a little frustrated, and Alex said, “Well, Mama, it hurts my feelings when you use your exhausted voice with me and when I’m trying my best and you’re still hard on me.”

Since when did seven year-olds get so articulate? Has he been minoring in counseling when I wasn’t looking?

By that time I was finished with what I needed to do, and as we walked back to the room where we’d left our stuff, I reached for his little hand. He’d have none of it. He crossed his arms and walked behind me. I knew that he was upset – because Mr. Relational typically has two moods: 1) happy and 2) really happy. He doesn’t spend a whole lot of time in the angry zone. So I gave him some space and tried to pull my mood out of the gutter. We walked in silence.

A few minutes later I started to gather our stuff without saying a word. As we were getting ready to walk outside, I remembered a YouTube clip that I watched yesterday. And since I knew it would make him laugh and hopefully lighten his mood, I said, “Hold on, buddy – I want to show you something.”

Oh, my child laughed. He laughed and he laughed and he held his sides and he laughed some more. And as I watched the giggles overtake him, one very sobering thought popped into my head:

OH MY WORD – I’VE BEEN THE WILD GOAT THIS MORNING.

It’s the great paradox of motherhood, really: some days you’re the good-natured Disney heroine, and some days you’re a hissing, bleh-ing mess.

Fortunately, the funny video broke the ice and helped us mend our morning. The little man threw his arms around my neck and nuzzled his head into my shoulder. We smiled. And as we were walking out to the parking lot, he grabbed my hand.

Or my hoof, as it were.

Here’s to a better tomorrow.

Filed Under: Family Fun, Oh Howard
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