Love This!

This lady’s blog? Love! Stumbled across it on Pinterest and it is my new go-to for packing. I am not about that paying luggage fees life! I so plan on doing this for our trip this summer and henceforth now and forever more.

Her outfit pics are also quite helpful – I am bad about wearing the same clothes the same way all the time. Hopefully this will kick my remixing skills up a notch or three!

 

 

Everybody, Everybody Get Your Read On!

Drum roll please…our first book club book of 2013 is The Racketeer by John Grisham as suggested by TIH.

Let’s plan to discuss on Monday, February 11.  Cool?  Cool.

If there’s a book you’d like to read and discuss with the group, just let me know and we’ll put it in the rotation.  And by rotation I mean it’ll be our next book
Just remember, no Z.ane, etc.

Happy Monday and Happy Reading!

 

Thank you Jeanine!

I got my Secret Santa gift on Thursday and was so excited to see that Jeanine recognized my love of tea and my need to sit down and chillax!

I was gifted with a cute glass teapot – something I’ve always meant to buy for myself but hadn’t – and some flowering tea. Can’t wait to sit down and enjoy them both – thank you so much!

You’re probably wondering how I’m so certain my gifts were from Jeanine. Well, I’ve been telling my mom for the last few weeks that I thought Jeanine was my Secret Santa and…Amazon prints the name of the giver on their gift receipt which only confirmed what I already knew

Merry Christmas y’all!!!

If Wishes Were Fishes The Sea Would Be Full

Dear Blogland Secret Santa ~

Thank you so much for taking time out of your busy schedule to consider the things that I’m desiring after this year.  Whether or not you choose something on this list, I appreciate being thought of!

Let’s get this party started. Feel free to consider:

Hot tea (spicy blends), Charming Charlie, Target, nail polish (jewel tones, vampy shades and brights), e-books via Amazon, vanilla candles, fuzzy socks, dangly earrings, black picture frames, pistachios, cute little zipper pouches to fill and throw in my tote bag, Chick Fil A, bracelets, notepads, word games, Sonic drinks….really?  I’m easy like Sunday morning

I do have one request – please no bath and body type products.  My skin is more sensitive than a little bit and doesn’t take kindly to changes in routine.

Thank you!

Jesus Wept…and So Did We

So this past weekend, Smoochy, LG, and I traveled to Northwest Arkansas for my middle brother’s wedding.  Wrote a little blog about it.  Like to read it?  Here it goes:

• The fact that Smoochy went with us?  Had LG and I all beside ourselves with excitement.  I’ve mentioned on here before that Smoochy is always reluctant to take a day or two off from work.  Well, we had a ball!  Even he had to admit that he’s going to have to make a more concerted effort to relax and enjoy life a bit more.  Yay!
• Smooch’s assignment for the trip was to a) get the rental car and b) make sure my brothers were uh…sober enough to stand.  Let’s start with the rental car.  I am notoriously “thrifty.”  Smoochy?  Not so much.  I usually always rent the smallest, most gasoline efficient vehicle on the lot.  Smoochy pulled up in a Suburban.  I was HOT!  He had not even considered that filling this thing up was going to cost more than I spend on gas in a month.  Wooo sah.  We’ve been married for 13 years.  I knew this was one I was going to have to let go…after I told him it was crazy.  And aren’t you proud of me – I only told him once twice a few times.
• Eight hours – and $100 worth of gas later – we pulled into Fayetteville.  Met up with the rest of my family – mother, father, brother, niece, nephew, uncle, aunts, grandma and we all caught up.
• Saturday morning we got up and most of us went to the Crystal Bridges museum in Bentonville.  Y’all.  This museum is gorgeous! Built with WalMart money it is located in a natural, wooded area, suspended over a natural hot spring, and no expense was spared.  Saw an original Norman Rockwell, a few from Georgia O’Keefe, and the creepiest, most realistic sculpture ever.
• Oh, and if your mother hops into the passenger seat so she can help you navigate?  There’s a good chance that even with two smartphones in her hands, one of which has voice navigation turned on, if you ask her which way to turn she’ll say “how should I know?”  Ma’am….
• Fast forward to the wedding.
• Hated my ensemble.  Really I did.  Moving on…
• I walk in to the space – they married at the aviation museum – and who do I see but my youngest brother!  You know, the one who wasn’t coming?  The one whose relationship with the rest of us is strained at best?  Yeah, him.  I was in a state of shock.  I was like “hey” and gave him a hug.  Then I started crying.  Then my oldest brother walked over and started crying.  I later learned that my mom and future SIL were in the back crying.  God is faithful, I tell you!  I had prayed and prayed and prayed and prayed some more that that dude would not miss the wedding – and he didn’t.  He didn’t stay long, maybe 2 hours, we didn’t hash anything out, I’m not sure our relationship is any better today than it was a few days ago, but he came.  My prayer – and the prayers of many – was answered and for that I give God all the glory.
• Then my brother and now SIL exchanged vows.  The wedding ceremony was great – totally them.  They wrote their own vows, the groomsmen wore Vans tennis shoes – as did the bride, and they were surrounded by an awesome group of people who love and support them.  My heart was full of joy.
• And then it was time to party!  Do I really need to tell you that Smoochy failed at part 2 of his assignment?  Those jokers were still lit up from Friday night and proceeded to indulge a bit more Saturday night!  My SIL’s cousin was the DJ and he did a great job of playing a variety of music that appealed to everyone present – from line dances to The Devil Went Down to Georgia to Don’t Stop Believing to The Percolator – there was something for everybody and we danced until we couldn’t dance any more!
• Sunday we slept as long as we could, said our goodbyes and everyone headed back to their respective homes.
• We had an awesome time.  My brother and his wife are happy, we got to see family and hang out with hers (I love my SIL’s family – they are fun, down to earth folks), and got in a little bit of culture, and Smoochy drove the entire trip!  I had prepared myself to drive since he was going to work as soon as we got in on Sunday night, but I think he was really feeling that truck and drove all the way up and back.  Yay!
• Yesterday LG was out of school – thanks for “discovering” America Senor Columbus – so I took an extra day off and took my girl to the fair.  We had big fun!
• And that my friends, is what we did over the course of the last few days.  How’s life in your neck of the woods?

Two more things – Happy 40th Birthday to Me!!! and Happy Anniversary to Psonya!

What Say What?

So I was talking to my friend the other day and we were talking about the upcoming football season.  I was telling her about Smoochy’s plans to buy a few tailgating spots pre-season so we’d have the same spots all season long and that she and her fam should stop by and hang out for a while.

And she said…”girl, I can’t even see you tailgating.”  What?!?!? What does that even mean?  So I asked her.  And she said that I am funny but that she sees me as a totally serious person – like too “proper” to tailgate, doesn’t go to football games, doesn’t dance.  I was really, truly confused.  I’m no party animal, but I like to have fun – sure it’s my own nerdy version of fun, but still.  It’s not like I wear head to toe black and eschew socializing.

Anyhoo, that got me to thinking.  I’ve been cool with this girl for almost as long as I’ve been in Jackson and she thinks I’m all serious and bundled up.  Then I remembered a comment one year from Secret Santa where someone guessed their gift was from me because it was “serious and practical.”  It so was not from me.  I – obviously – don’t see myself as others see me.

So this is where y’all come in. Please head over to the comments and leave your impression of me in a few words or sentences.  If you want, I’ll do the same for you in the comments – just let me know.  Should be fun.  If Too $hort’s favorite word is one you’d use to describe me, you can sit this one out.  Deal?  Deal!

 

 

A Quick Four

1. My mother wrote about the Great De-Friending of 2012. Click here for her feelings on the matter
2. Dear people of the ATL – I’ll be there for a few days at the end of the month.  Anybody want to get together for dinner on Sunday the 29th?  Hit me up at azatbailey@live.com if so.  Even if we can’t get together, do you have any suggestions for meals?  I’ll be at the CNN Center.
3. Do you have any idea how outraged I am that a plane ticket from here to ATL costs $1015?!?!?!?  I’m not paying for it, but I’m still quite hot over that price for a flight that won’t last a good 70 minutes.  Have mercy!
4. Next book club book will be Michelle Norris’ The Grace of Silence.  Remember – all are welcome to participate – just read and come back here on…Monday, August 20 to discuss.  Cool?  Cool.

Have a great Wednesday!

Tomorrow

Let’s discuss “My Name is Butterfly” tomorrow.

Today – and in the days ahead – let’s keep Mrs.TDJ lifted up in our thoughts and prayers.

 

A Week & A Day

As most of y’all know blogger, attorney, mom, and friend extraordinaire Psonya is packing up and heading for greener pastures.  After much struggle and sacrifice she and her family – Thug Thizzle, N, and A – will all be living under one roof.  In Memphis. And while I’m happy for P and her family, for me? This really sucks.

I’m totally going to miss P.  We don’t see each other as much as we did when our children were enrolled in the best little Christian preschool ever.  Their schools, interests, and friends have changed but we still manage to get together for dinner ever so often and her phone number is one of the few I can almost dial from memory.

Over the last four years I’ve picked A up from school when she wasn’t going to be able to make it to after-care in time.  She’s picked LG up for me and let me get in study time when I was working on my last degree.  She’s encouraged me to buy tshirts in colors other than black (who knew???) and I’ve been able to counsel her on red beans and rice and watermelon.  We’ve shared meals at the Waffle House (because we’re fancy like that) and at each others’ kitchen tables.  We’ve sweated, laughed, and cursed (that was mostly me) through the Insanity workout, a few bootcamps, and Zumba.  We’ve met other people from blog-land together and I’ve witnessed at least a few of her encounters with crazy people colorful characters.  I was blessed to see she and T exchange wedding vows.  Our husbands have met, received stamps of approval and somehow adopted complimentary nicknames….The kiddos still see each other on occasion and every time I turn right toward A’s school instead of left toward home I can hear LG in the back exhaling “thank you God for answering my prayer! I get to see A!”

In a week and a day, she’ll be gone.  Settling happily in to the life she has dreamed about.  And while 99.9% of me will be totally happy for her, that last little .1% will wish she were still just a 3 minute car ride away.

I mean look at her here after our legendary garage sale.  How I could I not miss her?!?!?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Don’t tell her ’cause she’s so not a touchy-feely type girl, but I totally plan on hugging her before she leaves!

Since You’ve Been Away I’ve Been Sad And Lonely…

Okay, so the title may be reaching a bit, but I really have missed blogging.  The problem was is that I just don’t have much going on right now. I’ll sometimes have a fleeting thought that “oh, I should blog this,” but by the time I’m in front of a computer, yeah, I can’t remember what I thought I might blog about.  And it seems like everyone has slowed down on the blogging front. Much as I enjoy Twitter and though I still check in on Facebook every now and again, I miss reading blogs. So I’m going to start writing and reading and commenting and hope to get back in the groove of things. Cool? Cool.

So, shout out to Single Ma for this list of blogging topics. I’m going to do them.  Probably out of order. Not necessarily every day. But a girl’s got to start somewhere.  So, here we go…

1. List 20 10 random facts about yourself.

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.

3. Describe your relationship with your parents.

4. List 10 5 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.

5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?

7. What is your dream job, and why?

8. What are 5 passions you have?

9. List 10 3 people who have influenced you and describe how.

10. Describe your most embarrasing moment.

11. Describe 10 5 pet peeves you have.

12. Describe a typical day in your current life.

13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have.

14. Describe 5 strengths you have.

15. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?

16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?

17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?

18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?

19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?

20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.

21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?

22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?

23. List your top 5 3 hobbies and why you love them.

24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.

25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?

26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?

27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?

28. What is your love language?

29. What do you think people misundertand most about you?

30. List 10 5 things you would hope to be remembered for.