What's Next? Nascar?

There has been one unintended consequence of having my most dear, gracious, and wonderful parents live close by: the molding of my children into...ahem...how do I put this delicately?...dollar store snobs. And not in a good way. More in a snobby preference for certain dollar stores over other dollar stores.

I didn't witness the account first hand, but my husband told me about his adventures in shopping for Mother's Day gifts at a (notice the choice of definite article - I'm not 'in the know' enough to specify) dollar store. Yeah, yeah, I know...we go all out. He further relayed how mortifying it was to take 3 kids (anywhere!) into the Dollar Tree only to have them pontificate on the finer points of the Dollar Store over the Dollar Tree. Loudly.

Of course, I still chuckle at the visual.

Gavin Degraw

Go ahead. Ask me what I did tonight. I spent the night with this guy! Ok, it was from a 100 feet away, and I only talked to him for a minute, but I listened to him for hours. I went to a Gavin Degraw concert and met him afterwards. It was amazing. He has one of the best voices I've ever heard. He and Joss Stone. Fab live performance. Take that you stupid wrinkles. Although I was probably one of the oldest people at the concert...(to which dear Gavin Degraw responded that surely I wasn't...sigh...).

TXGNO

No...not a license plate, but Texas Girls Night Out. I've been trying for a couple of months to duplicate the infamous and notorious Wegman's night here: a place where ladies could come and go, eat or not eat, stay late with plenty of space, and enjoy the company of good friends and possibly meet some new ones. I thought that I'd overcome the venue stumbling block by suggesting a 24/7 Krispy Kreme...only to discover on arrival that the restaurant part closes at 10 pm. Whoops. So the 4 gracious girls (Amy, Danielle, Elaine, and Liz) that met me there were totally cool about it, ate doughnuts, and moved the party to Barnes and Noble when the Krispy Kreme guy kicked us out. After shutting down the BN, we enjoyed the outdoor seating as the temperature was still close to 75. Ahhh. Next...Mission: Venue.

Midnight Musings: The Company I've Kept, Helaman, and Robert Redford

It's midnight, and I've just finished showering - it's like that...and I'm waiting for the acne medicine and anti-wrinkle cream on my face to 'set' - also like that. Sigh.

And these are my musings as I enjoyed a few minutes of soaking solitude:

Company I've Kept: Before showering, I went a-blogger-stalking and caught up (in a digital, impersonal way) with some friends. I've benefitted tremendously from these women I've had the honor of associating with. For example, two VA girlfriends, Audrey and Samantha, just finished Race for the Cure in DC to support their (mid-30s) friend who's fighting breast cancer and their father/in-law who's battling throat cancer. Jodie is a woman who (cheerfully!) aerates her own lawn, with 3 kids, while her husband serves in Iraq. Women whose writing inspires me: Allie and Jana (look for a copy-cat post soon). And props to the other cool ladies out there, but hey, my shower was only so long.

(random ADD shift)

Helaman: I was listening to an interview with the authors of Do Hard Things and was so impressed that I ordered their book as soon as I got home. The gist of the book, written by teenagers, is that, culturally, not enough is expected of teenagers - and that needs to change. (Wow! Look at all those commas! Must, read, sentence, like, William Shatner, in, Star, Trek.) So, I got to thinking about Helaman and his 2000 warriors. How old was young - back in the day - 75-ish BC? I don't think it was 16, 17...I think it was 10, 11, and 12. Here's why I think so: the age of social (and possibly physical?) maturity and 'adulthood' was lower because of shorter life expectancies and the imperative (vs. optional!) need to repopulate. 'Young' would have been relative. A lot was expected of those boys - and they performed.

(random ADD shift)

Robert Redford: As many of you know, I have a total teacher crush on Mackey's preschool teacher. She's AWESOME. Today, we were talking about (facial) plastic surgery, particularly how unholy she thought it was...as she just turned 40 and has nary a wrinkle. And, in the past, as I have reflected on all of my aunties (well into their 70s and 80s) who STILL go under the knife in the name of youth, I, too, would have eschewed such practices and said, "suck it up buttercup! Age gracefully for goodness' sake!" However, as my 'laugh lines' are looking less like Jennifer Aniston's and more like Robert Redford's, they're no laughing matter. What's a girl - who has abused her skin with sunblock-free tanning, little sleep, water derived solely from caffeinated beverages, etc. - to do? And, lucky me, Strivectin makes me break out. What are the rest of you guys doing to keep your skin youthful??? Products? Facials? Dish!!!

Yes, these are the things that I think about as I shave my legs.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things...Right Now

Forget raindrops and whiskers, these are a few of MY favorite things:


Facials on noses and whiskerless pittens,

Trendy new haircuts and nights without littlens,

Little blue boxes all tied up with strings,

These are a few of my favorite things.

Cream colored cashmere and spicy thai noodles,

Love notes and bank notes and little kid doodles,

Sweet kids that jump on the tramp as they sing,

These are a few of my favorite things.

Bra top for running that supports not mashes,

New shoes that stay on my feet without crashes,

J Crew, Gap, Vera - oh, I like that new ring!

These are a few of my favorite things.

When the bills come,

When the fees sting,

When I'm feeling bad, I simply remember my favorite things,

And then I will feel so glad...

Happy Mother's Day...right?

For the Bedroom...

What do you think of these pics? I'm trying to put the finishing touches on our bedroom...you know, before I attack the dining room where there's no table...