sometimes you don't even need a lot of words

  

It was a great weekend full of a lot of him ;)

Y'all have a great night!

A Tale of a Table

Alternately titled "Anything he can do, We can do better!"



Since I've been wanting a table for my back porch for what seems like a long time, my family decided they would give me one for Mother's Day.  (They love me and are thoughtful like that.)  In the nature of things never being as simple as they should be, we set out to find a table.  Now I won't go into how completely paralyzed I am when faced with such crucial decisions, but suffice it to say I looked at a lot of tables.   I finally settled on one that was at Big Lots.  I know, right? I almost never go there, but they were having a sale and I thought it was really pretty, so the decision was made. 


Of course they were out of them, so I had to wait until they got mine in.  By that time there wasn't a child-of-mine in sight, so I headed out to pick it up by myself...and it was then, in the 142-degree heat, that Nice Big-Lots-Guy and I realized it wouldn't fit into the car.  Good ole Larry saved the day with his truck, and he even unloaded it onto my porch.  I assured him that I would have my guys put it together for me that next weekend. 


Unfortunately for the aforementioned plans, we ended up at Kari's, and the whole Memorial Day weekend passed without said assembly.


A few days later I found that box that was holding the key to all my summer happiness just hanging around mocking me.  MOCKING ME.  So I pulled out my miscellaneous basket of tools and set out to do it myself.   I saw EASY ASSEMBLY printed all over the box, so I was feeling quite confident.


I got it out of the box and marveled over the enclosed miscellany of screws and bolts and whatnot.   And then I came to the terrible realization that there were no directions.  No. Directions.  Just a pile of things I could not identify, much less use in a competent manner.


Now I'm not gonna lie.  I said some unkind things about Big Lots.  A lot of unkind things.  There may have been Facebook postings and perhaps a tweet or six.  After maligning the good name of all-things-Big-Lots I got tired and shelved the whole project for a different day, perhaps a day when I was less dying of heat and also less cranky.


A couple of days later Sheri came by because I made spaghetti and like to share, and after we ate we decided to take a look at it.  We ascribe to the school of thought that two heads are practically always better than one, so we settled down to do some serious figuring-out.

And figure-it-out we did. 




We pulled out the miscellany of screws and bolts and whatnot,

looked this way and that,

stood on our heads a couple of times...

and finally decided we were ready to proceed. 

And as is so typical of life in general, just as we had things all figured out, that's when it happened...

Y'all. 



I found the directions.



That's right.  I'm not ashamed to admit that I was completely and even 100% wrong in all my blaming, and criticizing and yes, even a bit of mocking of The Big Lots. 


The instructions were tucked in a corner behind some cardboard and I missed them. 


Because that is far too often the way I roll.



Nonetheless, I choose not to belabor the fact that I was quite the goober and instead would like to point out this one undeniable fact.


We didn't need them silly directions anyway OR the aforementioned sons, or even the laughing-from-his-own-yard neighbor.


I'll have you know that Sheri and I got that little table up in no time flat an hour or three all by ourselves, while having all manner of fun laughing at ourselves. 


Of course just as we finished the neighbor-man who had been gauging our progress from his backyard offered his help.


No thankya nice-neighbor-man...we can do it ourselves :)



 

























Happy Friday Y'all!

And I Have No Pictures Because I'm a Forgetter

So last night my mom, sister, and I hit the bright lights moderately dim lights of The Olive Garden for a girls-only Mother's Day repast.

It was ridiculous how tasty and yummy and calorie-laden the ensuing meal was.  Equally ridiculous was how I drove home, put on my sweats (because RAINY and CHILLY and GLOOMY around these parts this weekend) and proceeded to watch episode after episode of Say Yes to the Dress for the rest of the evening.  and I might have shed a tear or three because those brides with their mamas?  too PRECIOUS.


We thought on a whim about taking in a movie, but our timing was all off...so straight home to be a lazy slug it was.

This turned out to be a very fine decision.


Anyhoo, I arrived early, and it's a very good thing that I did because already at 4:30 there was a 30ish minute wait.  I got my name on a list, received my little buzzer doohickey, and returned to my car with my reclined seat and a touch of Natasha Bedingfield's Pocketful of Sunshine because, HELLO, celebratory dinner out means breaking out The Happy CD! 

(Why yes I do have a mix(ed) tape CD full of the happy.  I put it together upon discovering every single song I seem to like is full of the melancholy and tragic.  I pull it out when I'm supposed to be full of the UP and the HAPPY.  I'm strategic like that.)

(It should be noted that I'm referring to my junk-food-y-type music here.  Of course my beloved praise & worship & what-not are full of The Hope and The Wonderful without a sign of the melancholy or tragic.)

(Just SAYIN'.)


Now I don't want to be unkind because I tend to lean toward the kind, but while waiting for our table and watching the parade of people coming and going, quite frankly I was shocked and horrified at how many, well, SLOBS show up at the Olive Garden looking completely like slobs.  Seriously, y'all, when did the whole entire world seem to stop caring?  The jammies at the grocery store are bad enough, but the ripped up jean shorts with unkempt (that's right, I said it, UNKEMPT) hair accompanied by the t-shirts that are two sizes too small are simply not appropriate for such a fine establishment. 

(In my humble opinion.)

The truly awesome counterpoint to that is the fact that it was prom night around these parts, so we have the SLOBS eating right next to the pretty little things in their prom-y finery.  No kidding, the people watching was truly DELIGHTFUL tonight ;)

Annnd the above observation is what is known as a rabbit trail, leading to a soap box, and landing directly in NOWHERE.  Consider it a bonus.


To sum up my Mother's Day journal-y goodness.  We indulged all over the place.  There was my favorite raspberry peach tea, and then bruschetta for an appetizer and those wonderful, obligatory salads, followed by my deep, dark, guilty pleasure known as chicken Alfredo, and culminating in CHOCOLATE CAKE.

There was also freshly grated cheese offered by the sweet - and patient - waitress dumped on each and every layer of said meal, except of course for the CHOCOLATE CAKE.

That would just be silly.

I ate exactly half of everything and brought the other half home, promptly putting it in the freezer to be eaten after my body recovers from the calorie overload of the day.


We sat there for about two hours and therefore had to leave a most generous tip to assuage our guilty concern for the waitress.


And then we left, and I came home to the aforementioned comfy clothes/wedding-dress-shopping goodness.

And that, my dear friends and family, was my Saturday night, consisting of about all the excitement I could handle. 


Happy Sunday!

Those kids of mine. I love 'em

I have like, the greatest kids in the world.


No, really.


Jeremy & Kate brought the babies to town Friday night for another one of their whirlwind trips just so I could kiss their little faces over and over. and over.   


They might have wanted me to also kiss their (not little) faces and perhaps acknowledge their actual presence, but I was pretty distracted by all the preciousness and adorableness and baby-ness going on.

Anyhoo, those crazy kids of mine collaborated and schemed and devised a meal plan.  They then proceeded to cook me a yummo dinner.  and then they washed the dishes.


Could there be a greater gift? 

Hard to imagine what it would be. 


As an almost old-ish lady I have washed an awful lot of dishes in my time. 

I'm kinda over it.


Moving on....



We stuffed our faces with grilled chicken kabobs & veggies with Drew's special green beans with garlic & brown sugar (frankly I think that sounds several different kinds of odd, but they were awesome!!) and yeast rolls.  I'm feeling kind've starving just thinking about it.

There was no dessert, but this is only because they are total amateurs in the meal-planning department, so I'm giving them a pass on that one.  Besides, my nemesis winterchubby is still hanging around like a bad cold, so dessert probably isn't needed around these parts.

Before and after the meal there was some (as previously mentioned) kissin' and huggin' and Tootsie-Pop-eatin', and a whole lot of pretend stethoscope usin' going on. 

and Owen ate some sweet potatoes.  


And so did Audrey, because evidently the novelty has worn off, and the bloom is off the rose, and she is officially over this whole being a big sister, and thus being a big girl, thang.


We had dinner outside wrapped in blankets because it got downright nippy and chilly sometime between chopping up the red peppers and pulling the kabobs off the grill, but It's May, daggone it, and it's just wrong to eat inside in the month of May.

My daughter is a goober. 

 
Seriously and I'm not even kidding about this, my children never fail to be an encouragement and a joy to me.


And I think they're pretty great.


 
Thanks for a happy weekend, guys - I love you!




(By the way - I have a stethoscope story that I'll share at another time when I'm less sleepy and tired and delirious.)




(I also have my usual well-intentioned-yet-sub-par pictures from the strawberry festival coming your way in the sooner-rather-than-later department.)




Happy Wednesday ;)

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

You're a great mom,

...and we love you!

(me with my brother and sister :)

Happy Mother's Day to Me

Look who came to give me hugs!

...and check my heart rate :)

Happy Saturday!

Five Minute Friday: Motherhood Should Come With...

It's Friday!  So without preamble...


{Start}


I think motherhood should come with a pause button so we can sit and stay a while in those precious times when everything lines up just right, and we are all happy and smiling and clean...and life feels just too full to bear.

It should also come with a rewind button so we can hop back just a bit (or a lot!) and undo the cranky tones and frowny faces and exasperated sighs and distracted hearts - -

- - and also so we can re-do the big days, like when she toddled into my arms that first time, or that first day of school...the day I drove away from her freshman dorm or that last night with my babies sleeping in their own beds before becoming married women.  


Yes, a go-back button would be quite desirable to help grab the tail of those days that fly by in a lightening-fast blur.


That little hollering bundle of joy should come with an unlimited supply of tissues, and energy, and extra time - and an always-turned-on video camera to capture all the things going unnoticed while busy wiping up the messes.

Motherhood should come with perspective, and patience, a great sense of humor, clear priorities, and an unlimited supply of understanding the big picture.


Right from the start, motherhood should come with a warning that my heart will never be truly safe again, that it will fill with unfathomable highs and break with remarkable ease.

And I wouldn't have it any other way.

{Stop}

Happy Friday!



p.s.  I went over approximately five minutes on this one.  To my shame that means I doubled my time limit.  Very not cool, I know.  I'm officially sorry for breaking the rules - - next week I'm back on the straight and narrow, so to speak :)  Have a great weekend!