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life{in}grace

live with more presence, passion, & purpose

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Day of Reckoning……

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I woke this morning and knew today was gonna be the day.   I don’t want to do it…but it has to be done.   So,  I sheepishly, almost as if I was apologizing as I got on,  stepped on the scale. WHAAAAAAT?   How does this happen?   I haven’t gotten on in quite a while.   I was sick, then I was busy homeschooling,  then I missed a few runs,  then I baked a few sweets,  then I…..well, heck,  I just mentally threw in the towel.   I give up okay?   I even thought I had convinced macdaddy to throw in the towel with me.   We’re in love.   Why fight it?   Let’s just get chubby together and it’ll cancel each other out–kinda like garlic, right?   Yeah, well except he promptly went to the gym again today and what did I do?   I got off the scale all motivated to lose 10 pounds before lunch….or at least before my  twenty year class reunion in October…..maybe I’ll get a stomach virus or a good case of strep throat….or a few days of an eating disorder.    So,   I had a small bowl of raisin bran and 10 cups of coffee and by 10 am,  I was calling my wonderful nurse neighbor friend Donna to come check my pulse and my blood pressure ’cause I was just about to pass out.   I can’t even cut back without drama. I can’t even skip the mid morning snack without issues.   That’s when I decided I’m just gonna  get me some ‘mom jeans’

and some comfortable shoes……
and a ‘mom’ haircut (unfortunately that’s me like 18 years ago) and 
call it a day.   What’s so great about skinny?   Or three inch heels?  or long flowing hair? Right? Can I get an amen?  BTW,  lest you fear that I’ve gone off the deep end….I will probably get my lazy bum out of bed in the mornin’ for what some  call a  ‘run’ ….macdaddy and I call it ‘slog’ which stands for Slow Jog.  At any rate,  I hear ‘mom’  jeans are really coming back.  Speaking of mom,   I do believe that this is my mother’s all time favorite ‘look’ for me.  I have no lies to tell.  

Oh yeah,  and after the whole fainting/hypoglycemic scare,  I made 3 dozen chocolate chip cookies.   I think I need an intervention.

The Stages of Funny Car Smells…..

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Kim and Sue, Leigh Ann,  Sis …..all of you type A, clean-your-car-out-everyday types…..look away, come back and visit tomorrow…..this post is likely to offend your clean car sensibilities.   Now for the rest of you,  listen close;  I need your help.
Day 1- There’s the faintest hint of a ‘funny’ smell in the car….you barely notice it and think about it for 3 seconds-max.
Day 2- The ‘funny’ smell is a little stronger–you give it some thought and a quick look around—don’t notice any obvious sources,  unless you count running shoes and an old poptart.   You give those a quick sniff and head on in,  puzzled.
Day 3-  The six year old says “Oooooh,  what’s that smell?   Yeah,  I’ve noticed it too.   Maybe it’s just because it’s so hot outside and the windows have been up.   Another quick look around reveals a petrified chicken nugget–which is not the source of the smell–and 4 day old TCBY leftovers—which is not the source either.   We roll the windows down and head to ballet.
Day 4- I’m starting to dread car rides longer than 5 minutes.   I look under the seats and in the ‘catch-all’ basket for the culprit.  No luck.    Clear out some old Mc Donald’s fries and buy ‘new car smell’ air freshener.   We then proceed to have a heated discussion about where to place the air freshener.   I’m not a fan of them dangling from the rearview—something so 1980’s-cheap car-tinted windows-dicey about it.  Nothing screams ‘my car is old and not clean’  like  ‘new car’ air freshener on the rearview.   So I find a much more appropriate place for it while my children point out every. single. car from here to Knoxville  that has them ‘dangling’ ,  to convince me of the error of my ways.   But I digress.
Day 5-  Weird air freshener-‘funny’ smell mixture goin’ on.   I try to diagnose the smell—at this point I’m thinking small dead animal—but who knows—-CAUSE I CAN’T FIND THE SOURCE. I drive an excursion so that’s like finding a small child in Walmart.
Day 6- My children complain that the smell is so horrific,  they may vomit.  I’m dry-heaving myself.  We roll the windows down and stick another air freshener up—not on the rearview, BTW.
And that brings us to today.   Do you have any suggestions?   Has this ever happened to you?  Cause it’s a quarterly thing for me.   Let me add that this is not the sweaty boy/feet smell that my sons’ car always has….no this is violent and wrong.    Can small animals die somewhere,  like in the engine?  Will I need to take EVERYTHING out of the car and start all over.   Do I need to call in special search teams?   Is it time to sell?    Am I a bad person/mother/homemaker/car owner?  Please advise.

Tales from the birthday girls…..

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Sunday,  my family gathered at my house to help Emme celebrate being 8 and Caiti, 16.   Emme got some fun new games, wrapped neatly  in brown packing paper with her name written right on the paper.   I do this at Christmas time with a little fancier writing.    It’s fun and different and saves having to buy  the little name taggy things which I do not enjoy.
Caiti shows off her new undies and not shown,  her new UGGs (the gray short ones…they are so cute)…..
Daddy helps Emme with her new bike….
Cousins Corey and Hope entertain Scooter……
I hustle to finish Caiti’s cake which turned out pretty cute…..
Let me explain the black high-heeled shoes…..and I need to stand on my soapbox to do so.   Ahem.   In our particular town,  many folks give their newly turned 16 yo’s new cars…..very, very nice new cars.   I’m not bitter but my sister and I shared a rough-riding, oil-guzzling,  black camaro all through high school……and felt thankful to have that.   Kids these days have way too much,  way too fast,  with little to no level or maturity or gratitude required.    I didn’t have a new car until I was 30 years old and graduated from medical school…..and I bought it myself.    Now, my sweet Caiti is no different than any other teenager.   She’s wonderful and funny and bright and self-centered and irrational and at this very moment is probably stealing my mascara.   She is actually a pretty good driver,  but do I think she is ready for the responsibility of a car?  No,  I get a little nervous when she borrows my hair dryer.    I know she will get there.  She will soon enough drive a car, vote, date, go to college and I am none to anxious for any of it.   But who is that started dictating to us that kids should get cars at all, let alone new cars for their 16th birthday?   It’s insanity.   She seems to be a pretty good sport about the fact that there won’t be a new red convertible with a big bow on it in the driveway on her birthday.   So, to add humor the situation,  we attached a note to her cake that said,  “At least you’ll look cute walking”……hence the cute black high-heeled shoes. 
Back down off soap box,   Elea and Marlea enjoy some games and art in the school room.
Corey,  Taylor and Emme pose for pictures after a game of Blokus.
Taylor and his super-sweet girlfriend Morgan…..playing games in the schoolroom with the kids.

My favorite fakes, in increasing order of prettiness…..

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My fall wreath….not my favorite….could use some updating….
this is my M.O. with fakes,   lots of grasses in pretty containers……
more grass…..with some added depth….
I love this container and love it hanging on the wall….and love the towels, especially the font of the ‘W’ monogram……. and  love the green wall….I LOVE IT ALL…..I love my house….Okay?
This is my “Pamela Anderson”  of fakes…..the feathers,  the curves…..I love this one.   What is this all about you ask?   Well,  one of my favorite blog sites is featuring fake plants this week.

The Nester whose blog is one of my favorites for decorating ideas and general fun,  has been doing some recent posts on the horrors of fake plants.   She’s asked her readers to submit some of their favorite or freakish fakes,  so I thought I’d join in.   As I mosied around the house looking at my fakes in a fresh new light,  with “nester” type scrutiny…..I think they measure up,  but I’ll let you be the judge.   Remember,  it’s plants we’re talking about here.