Times I've Cried In The Last Week Or So

1. Watching Parenthood. Always.
2. When Ben proposed to Leslie on Parks and Recreation
3. I was painting my toenails in the bathroom floor, and R came in to pee. When he was done, before he pulled up his undies or pants, he leaned over and kissed me out of the blue, then struggled to pull up his pants before walking out without a word. So sweet.
4. At chapel at the kid's school this morning...just hearing the kids sing and worship God. I cry every week at chapel.
5. When they announced the new team on Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
6. I cried leaving school on Wednesday after doing my "class librarian" duties for W's class. She had a rough morning wanting to cling to me instead of participating in class. Her teachers are so wonderful, and I am so thankful for them.
7. The kids and I always pray for people when an ambulance speeds by us while we're driving. Because of our accident, that's important to me. I always cry while either me or one of the kids is praying. I think it's happened twice this week.
8. I cried while talking on the phone to my Aunt Patsy about my Grandma.

What's Rollin' Around In My Head

1. I'm working really hard to get good ideas for an art project I'm heading up at my kids school. Lotta pressure.
2. I'm still mourning my Grandpa (seen here smoking while being presented a key to the city- love him). Feeling like a little of me died, too.
3. I've been in a food rut with the kids lately and am trying to get them to stretch their pallets a bit. I love packing school lunches and am always looking for new ideas.
4. Am starting to read Cleopatra: A Life to join in with the St. Louis Art Museum members book club. I'm nervously reading it and hoping something magical comes out of my mouth if I have to talk. Usually not the case.
5. I've been having pretty intense migraines lately (our car accident, the gift that keeps on giving) that are impervious to modern medicine.
6. One of my most favorite people in the world is suffering and hurting right now, and I feel a million miles away and can't stop thinking of her and wishing it were better.
7. Trying to prayerfully think about what kind of mother I want to be and what kind of mother I actually am and how I can bridge that difference.

Why Yesterday Was A Success

1. R is potty-trained! He is a pee-and-poop-on-the-potty champ! I even trusted him enough to take him to the zoo today in underwear without even bringing a change of clothes! (Not surprising, since I was the mother of newborns who never carried a diaper bag, who never had anything, just sometimes a crumpled-up size-too-small diaper in my glove compartment)
2. I got two stains out of clothing while doing laundry
3. I prepped supper before we went to the pool so that I could be quick when we arrived back home at 6:30. I've never done early meal-prepping/crockpot cooking/frozen casseroles before.
4. I bounced back from what felt like a slow death on Tuesday, to feeling fine yesterday.
5. I made two blueberry-cherry crisps (one for ME and one for my neighbors).
6. I showered.
7. I organized the kids clothes and folded lots of laundry

Some Confessions

1. I had a panic attack on Sunday that was triggered by a tiny seed tick I found in a reusable shopping bag that had my husband's hunting clothes in it.
2. Monday night is my guilty pleasures TV night. I watch Gossip Girl and Hart of Dixie. I just can't quit. And I'll watch The Bachelorette in May when Emily's season starts.
3. I judge people when I see what they are buying at the grocery store when I'm in line behind them.
4. I accidentally "poked" (why does that feature even exist??!) an old boyfriend's wife on facebook, who I am not friends with. I was just innocently stalking her. So awkward!
5. I ate an entire strawberry crisp by myself in two days.
6. You know how clean-freak Monica (on Friends) had her hoarder/messy closet? For me, it is my toaster oven. It is always disgusting, and I don't even really understand how to clean it.
7. I was seen in public yesterday in what could only be described as inappropriate lounge wear.
8. My sister blames my frequent depression on me only reading westerns and watching war movies.
9. However, I am starting to really enjoy watching Doc McStuffins.
10. I love mushrooms, especially baby portobellos, and eat them every daty, but hate washing them.  So I don't. Mushrooms have visible dirt on them. I justify this by sauteeing them and not feeding them to my children.

Notes On My Running

1. I've been running a little less than a month, and my status is being able to run 2 miles without stopping.

2. I am SLOW right now...last night I did two miles at a 12 minute/mile pace. 

3. I am not going to increase distance until I can get those miles down to a 10 minute pace.

4. I bought these yesterday at Missouri Running Co. because my old, too-small cross-trainers were KILLING my feet.

5. I also got some of these Balega socks, not for any reason other than they were the cheapest of the blend socks.

6. My preferred music while running is bluegrass for the rhythm, but I like anything I would consider "old school," (especially high school music) because a song will remind me of something, then my mind will wander and I'll be distracted reminiscing. Like tonight, I was listening to Aerosmith, remembering when my friend Sam Glover and I drove my little sister and her friend Stacy to Memphis for a concert. It was a fun night to laugh about while I was running against the wind most of the time.

7. So, like I said before, it's not even been a month, and I already have obvious increase in my muscle tone. I would name where I see the differences, but I must've slept through that part of science class.
8. Running has made me more conscious of drinking more water and eating better, so it's good all around.
9. My ideal running time is around 6:30 at night. I will make the kids their dinner when A gets home, then leave so that I can be home to bathe them and put them to bed. And I hate waking up early, so that's mostly out of the question.
10. It's hard for a stay-at-home mom (especially me, as I am always struggling to find "my thing"- something that makes me feel like I have purpose and talent) to feel accomplished, and running allows me to feel proud of myself.
11. Missy and I are running the Make Tracks for the Zoo 5K in a few weeks, and I hope to run in regular 5Ks and maybe set a goal for a 10K later.
12. My earbuds are the worst. One of them is only like 5 inches long, while the other ear cord is like 2 feet long. Maybe I accidentally bought the ones fashioned for people with medically diagnosed fat face?

What I Do To Take A Load Off

1. Walk the art museum and bring something to write with
2. Run (not really. I should say this, but I'm not there yet. Maybe soon? Right now its still torturous)
3. Listen to one of my friend Scott's sermons
4. Bake cookies
5. Get in my bed, under the covers, and watch something on TV
6. Yoga
7. Listen to music on headphones while the kids are sleeping
8. Soak in the tub
9. Pray
10. Go get a drink with a friend
11. Go on a walk and get some fresh air and sunshine
12. Eat an orange- those things always make me feel better

My Birthday

1. I spent the morning at my daughter's school because it was her birthday star day
2. On the night of my actual birthday, I went to dinner at El Maguey and a 31 party with Missy
3. My birthday is less important because the next day is my daughter's birthday, and we had a amazingly fun, but exhausting day of celebrating her.
4. We celebrated my birthday on Friday night with our friends Josh & Missy and Rick & Lauren.
5. We started the evening with drinks at BrickTop's- I had a blood orange martini that was so good
6. Dinner at Paul Manno's is always a special treat. I had a few bites of Lauren's fried eggplant caprese salad and a vodka cream sauce penne dish that was a rich and delicious.
7. I was gifted a necklace from Anthropologie from my big sister, a shopping trip a couple weeks ago with my parents, and a coat from my husband. And a stack of homemade cards from my children.

I'm A Sucker For...

1. Historical documentaries, ones about WWII, the wild West, the Civil War...I like them all
2. Fruity desserts
3. Clothing with the word "boyfriend" in it
4. Fried pickles
5. A good red lipstick
6. Veggie sandwiches and sweet potato fries at restaurants
7. Snakeskin (preferably faux)
8. Legally Blond on TV
9. A twirly skirt
10. Pie
11. A water park
12. My son saying, "Plllleeeaassee!"

My Bed Rules

1. I cannot sleep without a flat sheet and some type of blanket on top of me. Even if it's 100 degrees. I think that it keeps me safe.
2. In the wintertime, we sleep with an extra blanket between our sheet and duvet. It's an electric blanket that has a satiny-ribbony edge on the top. I hate the way that edge feels, so it CANNOT, under any circumstances, touch my face. I literally freak out.
3. I like to sleep on two pillows, and the top pillow needs to be pushed back about 4 inches so that it makes for a smooth ramp for my neck and head.
4. I'm extremely picky about my pillows. Not too hard, not too soft. My favorite pillows are the latex foam rubber ones from Bed Bath & Beyond.
5. I will forevermore only use Dwell bedding. THIS is our current set.
6. I like to be tucked-in down my body, and cannot handle if my husband is too close as to break my "cozy seal."
7. I like the blankets to be pulled up enough so that they cover my ears and mouth, just below my nose and eyes.
8. I typically fall asleep on my back, but actually sleep throughout the night on my side with the top leg pulled up pretty high bent at the knee and dropped down onto the bed.
9. I can't sleep without washing my face and brushing my teeth and hair.
10. I can't sleep without something blowing in my face, so fans of all types are a no.

These Days

1. What I'm Eating- Almost every day, for lunch or supper, I eat a wrap that has tons of veggies and some kind of beans, and some kind of grain in it. Sometimes I add a scrambled egg. I affectionately call it a "Beans-n-Grains-n-Things," which is what Whole Foods in LR was called before it was called Whole Foods and before it was called Wild Oats Market.

2. What I'm Listening To- I'm really into Trampled By Turtles right now. Also Emmylou Harris. And Ricky Skaggs.

3. What I'm Reading- The Sistine Secrets: Michelangelo's Forbidden Messages in the Heart of the Vatican. I'm also finishing up Empire of the Summer Moon. It's so good and meaty and I re-read most of the paragraphs for retention purposes.

4. What I'm Doing- I'm trolling the library, my art book collection, art magazines, and my saved paper treasures for pieces to use for a board I'm making for a friend

5. What I'm Drinking- Tazo Thrive nearly 3 times a day. It keeps me warm and my metabolism going

6. What I'm Interested In- NPR. I don't love radio music, so mostly in the car if the kids allow me, I listen to NPR. I despise watching the news on TV. NPR allows me to feel connected intellectually to the world.

7. What I'm Working On- Making our loft livable for the time being. We've been organizing and planning and redoing things to fit our family needs.

8. What I'm Watching- I'm really into PBS right now. Downton Abbey, of course & R is at the perfect age for Sesame Street & I LOVE these American Experience biographies they do (Wyatt Earp, Geronimo, Annie Oakley, etc) & the historic love stories pieces they do.

A Jeopardy! Game I Could Dominate

The Jeopardy! Round

1. David Gray Lyrics

2. Fruits and Vegetables

3. Gangs

4. New Testament Verses

5. Arkansas

6. Bravo TV

The Double Jeopardy! Round

7. Native Americans

8. Gabriel Garcia Marquez Novels

9. Modern Art

10. Saturday Night Live Commercials

11. Capitols of the World

12. John Hughes Films

The Final Jeopardy! Round

13. George A. Custer

Goals For A New Year

1. Learn the accordion

2. Get my hair long enough for a wavy side ponytail

3. Read more. I have a stack of books borrowed from my dad to get me started and a brand new Kindle Fire.

4. Try a new recipe once a week

5. Detox/cleanse in the beginning of the year

6. Start cross-stitching again

7. Put myself out there more- I'm signing up for two things to jump start this resolution

8. Reacquaint myself with the basics of sewing

You're Invited To My Dream Wedding

1. You'd get this in the mail

2. If he was game, Joshua Jackson- groom. If not, I guess I'd marry Andy again.

3. Would have the ceremony in Bella Vista, AR at the Mildred B. Cooper Memorial Chapel

4. I would have pink dogwood trees placed in the front of the chapel instead of flower arrangements

5. I would wear Vera Wang's Esther gown (no bow in the front, however. I think this was Ivanka Trump's gown) with blue heels underneath

6. Twilight and Mist played by a violin and piano when I walk down the aisle

7. No bridesmaids or groomsmen...I love the idea of having just the bride and groom and pastor at the front of the church

8. Our friend Mark would marry us

9. Be Thou My Vision and Just As I Am sung at the wedding. Iron & Wine could do that because I'll need them later, too.

10. I would have Mark read our "Story of Us"- our stories up until the wedding instead of doing a homily/sermon

11. People would throw flower petals when we walk out of the chapel. I love that. And the band would play Flightless Bird, American Mouth as we left (it's lyrics aren't really in line with a wedding, but I love that song and it's my wedding)

12. The reception would be in the Fountain Garden at the Crescent Hotel in Eureka Springs

13. White tents and little Christmas lights and dogwood trees with antique lanterns hanging from them everywhere

14. Guests would pick a penny from a Mason jar to toss into the fountain and make a wish to us newlyweds

15. During the reception, I'd change into THIS DRESS and a pair of cowboy boots

16. Food would be a burger bar and sweet potato fry station and fruit kabobs and macaroni-n-cheese in cups and Arnold Palmers for everyone

17. For dessert, I would bring in a funnel cake stand from Silver Dollar City and the cake would be coconut cream with flaked coconut all over it and decorated with pussy willow branches

18. Alison Krauss + Union Station would play us some bluegrass at the reception, and we'd dance, dance, dance

19. We'd have an old-time black and white photo booth that spits out the strips of photos

20. The party favors would be little trees you can take home and plant

21. All of our guest would stay the night at the Crescent Hotel and we'd have a huge brunch the next morning

22. Honeymoon in Vancouver

What I Should Have Asked For For My Birthday

1. People to stop making those smiley faces out of a colon and ).
2. For my iPhone not to auto-correct "the" and change it into "Tge" every time I type it. That's not annoying.
3. Generally, for my iPhone to not be a piece.
4. This dress
5. For everyone to please stop talking about Charlie Sheen. I can't take it anymore. He's not even cool. His last moment of coolness was in Lucas, circa 1985.
6. For Greek to not have ended. I don't care. I loved that show. I'm not ashamed to say it.
7. These boots

8. For my inner ears to not feel like they are being pierced until they are about to explode every time I move faster than a slow jog

9. A maid

10. One of my sister's full-body massages. That might sound awkward, but my family is very close.

11. This shirt

12. Stoby's strawberry cake

13. A warm weather day at the Buffalo River

14. For my children to have non-runny noses for just one day

15. For Genevieve Gorder to be my friend

16. A personal Ray LaMontagne concert

I Don't Like...

1. Store-bought baked goods/packaged cookies (one exception- Nutter Butters)
2. Waking up before 8:00
3. Watching poker tournaments on TV
4. Clutter
5. Cords
6. When jeans bunch up behind my knees
7. Female business clothes
8. Walking into the bathroom and finding my one year old shaving his face with a disposable razor
9. Public restrooms
10. Tampons
11. Socks- I rarely wear them
12. Smugness
13. Broken vases
14. Feeling sick
15. Hurry up-ing and waiting
16. When people use full-body paint and go to a sporting event
17. That no one uses cursive handwriting anymore
18. Saying "pork loin"
19. The Duke cheerleading uniforms tonight
20. Clowns
21. Cleaning bathroom tiles
22. Snow
23. Popping knuckles
24. Movie popcorn
25. Coffee
26. Products that come over-packaged



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

InStyle Mag's Style Questions

1. What's the secret to making yourself stand out?

Laughter

2. Is there one piece of jewelry every woman should treat herself to?

One statement piece that is you. It can be diamond earrings or a chunky stone necklace. Something that you can save for special occasions that instantly allows you to feel like you are doing something special.

3. What do you splurge on?

Art. Art. Art.

4. The one piece of advice most women need and don't get?

It's you, and only you, who decides if you are beautiful or not.

"Beauty is how you feel inside, and it reflects in your eyes. It is not something physical."

-Sophia Loren

5. Who is your style icon?

Kelly Wearstler

6. What is your favorite brand of jeans?

Citizens of Humanity

7. What is one thing a woman can do to her wardrobe to make it look chicer?

Belt a cardigan or sweater vest over one of your usual shirts

8. What is your secret talent?

Looking through recipes, which I do a lot, and knowing which ones will be good or not

9. What is your favorite beauty product?

Aveda products. I love them all...their hand relief cream, rosemary mint shampoo and conditioner, blue oil, foot cream...

10. What is your guilty pleasure?

TV. I watch a lot of it and love it. No excuses or apologies.

11. What do you sleep on?

Pure Beech modal jersey sheets. They are heavenly. And Dwell bedding--so cozy!

12. What is your secret cheapie?

Plain white mens undershirt tees from Target in the packs. They are comfy and versatile and CHEAP. You can cut them up or layer with them or just rock them plain. I love them.

13. What is one piece every woman should have in her wardrobe?

A perfect pair of dark jeans

14. What is your signature scent?

I go back and forth between Gucci II and Origins Ginger, that I've been wearing for ages.

15. What is your go-to accessory?

A watch. I could get rid of all other jewelry (rings, earrings, necklaces, etc.) and just be happy with a good watch.

16. What is your must-do when traveling?

I love to visit an art museum or art festival in that city. I love checking out a vegan or vegetarian restaurant. I also can't pass up visiting their Anthropologie store. In my defense, they are all different.

17. What is your favorite flower?

Right now, light pink/white peonies

18. What is your favorite comfort food?

A big ole veggie burger and a pile of sweet potato fries

19. What is the secret to having great style?

Being brave! And being yourself.

What's Wrong With Me

1. Sore, achy body
2. Sore throat
3. Black lung cough
4. Runny, yet congested nose
5. Chills
6. My head feels like it's floating two feet away from my neck.
7. Sandy suitcases that need to be unpacked
8. I have plenty "wrong" with me, but this is just about how bad I feel right now.

Why I USED To Enjoy Getting Sick

1. Calling in sick to work or getting to stay home from school

2. Laying in bed all day

3. I used to drink purple Gatorade Frost whenever I was sick

4. I always watched Remember the Titans, Moulin Rouge, and Almost Famous when I was sick as an adult.

5. When I was younger and sick, I'd get to watch Young and the Restless with my mom

6. It is nice to have someone take care of you

7. My old go-to snack when I was sick was rolled up wheat tortillas dipped in pasta sauce

8. A few years ago, I was really sick and stayed in bed for two days and watched every single episode of my Dawson's Creek dvds.

9. I used to love the taste of Children's Aspirin

10. I actually liked kids medicine...grape cough syrup was my favorite

11. I always liked doing my "make-up work" at home.

Things That I Don't Like

1. Buzz words

2. All of these Charlie St. Cloud trailers

3. Well, and Zac Efron

4. T-shirts that are too short

5. 6 hour car drives

6. When people play the victim

7. Car alarms

8. The commercials when you are watching something on the internets

9. When fruits or veggies are secretly rotted in the inside

10. My dog licking me

11. My itchy head. Could I have head lice?

12. R constantly throwing his cup on the ground from his high chair

13. Those sandwich board advertisers for restaurants that take up the whole sidewalk

14. Runny noses
15. Commercials that scream at you
16. Commercials (mostly furniture & car places) that showcase a lady with bad hair and clothes who thinks she's pretty hot
17. Terrible kids menu options
18. Air blowing into my face
19. Dry contacts
20. Thinly-veiled marketing strategies
21. Bad font choices
22. Fake Southern accents
23. Being between sizes
24. Not being able to sleep when you desperately want to
25. Smugness
26. Mealy apples

What I'm Into Lately

1. Coconut water

2. My steamer...naked steamed broccoli is my current favorite

3. Knowing secrets

4. Baby boy snuggling

5. Little House on the Prairie

6. Keeping things clean

7. Looking at houses for sale

8. Grocery planning and budgeting

9. Max and Ruby

10. Herbal water