shades on. sunroof open. music up.

so anybody else downloaded the hipstamatic app for iphone?

love it, like major. totally makes my otherwise-pathetic phone photos look like something at least blog-worthy.

score.

anyhow.

i really wish i had something share-worthy for you tonight but i'm totally fried, save for the lime green, mile-long-and-mounting to-do list staring at me from my otherwise-cute giraffe print day planner.

(anybody else on adjective overload?! forgive me - it's our language arts focus this week. i'm a walking, talking, noun-describing machine. --- oops. did it again. ignore me, y'all. my sanity has left the building.)

knowing that the last big push to spring break (9 more school days. dear Lord, please see us through. {read: please let me not run out of bubble gum to smack or sonic peppermints to crack instead of being smart-a with the children.} amen.) would be a total killer (truth!), i took the opportunity this weekend to soak up a little me time.

hubby had to work the whole time, and while i hate it for him, i'd be lying if i didn't say i enjoyed a few hours here and there to do whatever. i. wanted.

the next few photos pretty much sum it up.




shades on. sunroof open. music up.

i didn't realize how much i needed to decompress until i got the chance to do it.

please don't misunderstand me - i cherish the sweet man, wild little woman and two four-legged children that are my world, but ignoring my own mental health doesn't do any of us any favors.

anybody remember that old adage if mama ain't happy, ain't nobody happy? too true, y'all. too true.

i got my toes did (yes, i say it that way in real life too. judge away.) for the first time since september (no judging there - it's too pathetic.), drank more diet dr. pepper than can possibly be healthy, and spent a little time wandering around target. heaven.

my most treasured find of the weekend was new eyeliner. trashy or not, i can't get enough of black eyeliner. just thick and smudged enough to attract a little attention, but not thick enough to start attracting dollar bills.

sorry, y'all. gotta keep it real.

and with that little nugget, i believe i'll leave you and head to bed before midnight for the first time since i can remember.

i'll also leave you with this hipstamatic-ed photo of one of the paintings behind our bed - i thought it was fun.


love & there's 3 minutes of your life you'll never get back,

worth the marital risk: the laughing giraffe.

Y'ALL.

so i've done something you have to hear about. 'cause Lord knows i'm not ready to tell hubby. there's no sense in inviting trouble to the party any earlier than absolutely necessary. (read: i'm keeping my trap shut 'til he checks the mail {or our bank statement} and finds the evidence.)

like any good girl mommy, i started dreaming about easter outfits not long after christmas was over.

i looked at a couple of places in town but wasn't particularly impressed - nothing seemed quite special enough. blah.

i'd looked on etsy and found a couple of cute options ... sweet pillowcase dresses with satin ribbons and even a pattern for a cute outfit that nana said she'd be willing to attempt. but then the idea of ordering fabric, measuring the wild woman and having to endure the hellish experience of multiple fittings to get everything just right got pretty overwhelming. never mind how sticky the situation would have gotten if nana put in all that work and then i didn't love it. i get twitchy just thinking about it.

so.

i sat down during my conference period on tuesday to write lesson plans (which are still sneering at me from the corner of my desk - UNdone.) but naturally ended up perusing etsy 'for just a sec.'

i actually wasn't even looking for myself - my partner teacher mentioned she had never heard of etsy (ohh. emm. gee. are you living under a rock, sister?!) and wanted to know how to look for personalized birthday goodies for her sweet baby boy. i showed her the keywords i use to search (in this case: easter dress 5t {ordering it big enough so we can hopefully get a couple of years' worth of wear out of it.}) and how to narrow down the results to hone in on what you're really looking for.

and then, when i wasn't even really looking for it, i found the most adorable dress i've ever seen. times 3.

the shop is the laughing giraffe, and the fantastically talented creator is the too-sweet linda (she answered my constant barrage of questions and never batted an eye!), who does all of the designing and sewing herself. her shop is FULL of precious monogrammed clothes - for girls, boys & adults too! - and other personalized gifts and pretties that are indescribably irresistible.

i did my best to narrow down the choices for the wild woman's easter ensemble but quickly found myself hitting a wall. there was no way to choose.

so i didn't.

i ordered 3 dresses. at the same time. and i never even flinched.

before you see them, allow me to lay out my entire palette of rationalization. (i worked hard on this and y'all are my dress rehearsal before i have to take the stage in front of hubs when i get busted!)

1. the prices are shockingly reasonable for being handmade AND monogrammed.

2. all 3 are size 5t and can be worn for a good long while - AND 2 of the 3 are adjustable and can even be worn as shirts when they're too short to be dresses.

3. i didn't buy her an easter dress last year because we re-wore the one from the year before. so really, that means i only bought 1 extra dress instead of 2. you know, if you make one of them retroactive to count for last year.

thoughts? observations? tips for improvement?

i doubt i'll ever convince hubby with any of these, but with any luck he'll at least get tired of me talking and drop it just so i'll shush.

my ultimate goal is to dodge the conversation until he's locked in a black ops death match and wired on sweet tea. a girl can dream, huh?
but back to the dresses. i can't get enough. and the coke money in my wallet says you can't either!

...all of the images you're about to see are taken directly from the laughing giraffe with express permission from the shop owner...

the molly. this one will be her easter dress ... i'm pairing it with the white ruffly petticoat pants she wore under last year's dress and a pretty white cardigan if the weather is cool. i'm thinking a high ponytail with a GIANT bow to finish it off. total swoon!

the mia. the only way i can think to describe this one is perfect. i love the knots and that it can be worn for a long time. i was torn between this one and another one i'll show you later, but like lots of my twitter friends said, i think the fun combo of colors and pattern just scream wild woman.

the poppy. this one was more for me than it was for my girl - i am pretty much obsessed with this fabric and these colors. it's another one that she can wear a couple of different ways, and i'm so excited about getting good wear out of some of her monogrammed pretties. (it makes me SO sad to retire anything monogrammed.) i'm also thinking this one could stretch into fall with some cute jeans and a long sleeve shirt underneath.

as much as i hated to stop my shopping spree at 3, i figured it was best to exercise at least a small degree of self control. (3 dresses instead of 13. baby steps, folks. baby steps.)

here are a few of the others that i hated to leave behind (at least for round 1 - there's always memorial day to think about!) ...

the violet. there are quite a few color combinations for this dress. the ruffled collar melts me. you have GOT to go check them out. totally presh. like wow.

the meredith. this is the one i was so torn about. i ended up going with the mia - but i adore how classic this one is. i'm a total sucker for seersucker, and i'm not totally sure i won't end up with this one too at some point.

the sweet pea. Y'ALL. i can't get over this one. if an unhealthy percentage of her closet weren't already pink and brown, this one definitely would've ended up in the cart too. ohmygoodnessgracious.



the charlotte. the sash. i die.

the elle. heavens to betsy. help me, rhonda.

the cooper. a seersucker jon-jon?!? almost enough to make me want another bambino right this second. not quite - but almost. there are several variations of this one too - just another reason to visit the laughing giraffe!

i told you she made gorgeous things for adults! a little more success on the weight watchers front (and back, for that matter) and this hot little number will be mine. no doubt.



who doesn't love a seersucker tie??? loooove.



monogrammed prissy pants. i better stay far, far away lest the cuteness sucks me into a bout of baby fever.



she even monograms sippy cups!

have y'all ever SEEN such cuteness?!

and in related news, have y'all ever seen a grown woman literally skip to the mailbox?

do yourselves a favor and visit the laughing giraffe. i promise you'll love the pretties, and i promise you'll love linda.

(fine print: this isn't a compensated review in any way, shape or form. i simply found the laughing giraffe and loved it so much that i asked linda if i could blog about her fantastic talents. thanks, linda!)

love & the Lord knew i was meant to be a girl mama,

out of the mouths of babes. and a(nother) sad obsession.

so there isn't much to report 'round these parts this week.

it's pretty much school, work, rita's, wash, rinse, repeat.

the highlight of our recent days was the wild woman's haircut yesterday afternoon.

(don't worry - it was just a trim. which is exactly what i told my mother all 7 times she checked with me to be sure i wasn't going have the girl's head shaved or something else equally tragic.)

i snapped this with my phone and sent it to her daddy with a caption that read she's so big!!

and she is.

there have been a handful of times lately that i've stopped in my tracks and just sat in awe of how grown up she is. and consequently, how grown up that mouth is too.

since i'm sure we could all use a good wednesday chuckle, i figured i'd share a few of her most recent declarations.......

addressing her daddy while we were eating dinner and having the usual how-was-your-day conversation ... daddy. you DO NOT speak to my mother! you just eat your food and be QUI-ETTT. did you hear me?

while making herself red in the face and working hard to accomplish some potty-related business in the bathroom at target (gross!) this afternoon ... oh no. my face is blowin' up!


from her perch in the back seat while i'm navigating 5 o'clock traffic (and cussing under my breath) ... you just gotta hold that circle and move the other cars outta the way so you can go. drive hard, mommy!

as she was pulling at the collar of my sweatshirt and plunging one ice cold little paw down the front of it ... MOTHER. i just need to look at your bumps!

in an attempt to avoid bedtime yet again ... mommy, if that big monkey tries to bite me, you gotta spank him on his bottom. don't spank him on his butt, 'cause we don't say butt. we say bottom. so you just gotta spank his bottom. OH and mommy! we don't say ass either. night night!

standing in front of the full-length mirror in the bathroom just after getting out of the bathtub ... i just need to do my wiggle dance while i'm naked (pronounced 'nekkid'). that's how you're 'posed to do it, mama! ... says who, kid?! jenna jameson?! i think not!

when she realized that i had in fact removed the previously chewed wad of gum she was saving for later in the fridge of her barbie dream house ... awww crap, mom.

and my personal favorite - when i started coughing the other night for whatever oddball reason ... uh-uh mama! you don't frow up anymore. and neither does daddy. 'cause when you frowed up and daddy frowed up and i had to go to nana's house 'cause i didn't like the frow up. so you feel better. you don't feel bad. you're not gonna frow up. understand?

yes, darling. i understand.

poor kid. our post-christmas battle with the stomach bug seems to have scarred her for life. so much as a hiccup from either of us and the wild woman loses her cheerios. big time.

and speaking of frow up (how'd ya like that for a segue?! gag.), i caved and bought enough of these babies last night to make me sick until at least halloween. maybe even new year's.



i tried to talk myself out of them before they ever hit the stores, but resistance was futile. i was in the check-out line with a basketful within minutes of the first sighting on facebook.

cadbury: 1 . will power: 0

errrr, actually, it should read more like cadbury: 36 . will power: 0.

i should probably have at least a slight twinge of guilt over this severe lapse in judgment, but i most definitely don't. i only let myself have 1 a day, and when easter is over, so is my obsession.

(i looked it up last night and each egg is 4 points, which is actually lower than i had guessed. easily doable if i cut out the skinny lattes i managed to get myself hooked on - and that's really not a big deal since i've found i don't' love them as much as the weather is getting warmer. yessss! ... gotta love a little early-morning rationalization.)

and don't get me on my soapbox about the mini-eggs or the caramel or the chocolate versions. there is ONE and ONLY one cadbury egg. the original. the granddaddy. the one true incarnation of a perfect springtime confection.

as far as i'm concerned, the others may as well be lumped into the same pitiful category with new coke and that miserable attempt Gap made at changing their classic logo last year.

sad.

love & this morning when i pushed the button at sonic the guy just came on and said i know,

a broom full of chili.

so our valentine date was beyond lovely. it was beyond simple too, which for me contributed a large chunk of the loveliness.

hubby was decked out in his favorite powder blue polo, those dark jeans that make my palms all sweaty (just keepin' it real) and his beloved leather flip flops. i opted for my favorite taupe gap turtleneck, a long teal cardigan, jeans and leopard print ballet flats that i practically stole from the gap outlet last summer ($2.99. seriously.). i include this tidbit so you understand just how simple i mean.

we're not fancy, dress up-y people by any stretch of the imagination. if he can't wear jeans, my hubby's probably not going. he does have a few nice pairs of slacks and a couple of good suits (and ties too!) for special occasions, but they definitely aren't part of his regular rotation.

back to our date though ... we left for dinner about 5:30 in hopes of beating most of the crowds and actually managed to avoid any kind of wait at the restaurant. (we got there at just the right time - a line had formed out the door before we even had our drinks. score!)

our dinner destination was a new mongolian grill here in town, and we both loved it. you get a bowl and then go through a line to choose everything you want - proteins, veggies, seasonings and sauce and then hand it to one of the guys behind the grill to cook. at that point you also choose a starch - steamed or fried rice, noodles, tortillas, etc.

the first time was a little intimidating for a girl who likes to find something she likes at a place and then order the same thing every time she goes. i grabbed whatever i thought looked good and totally guessed on the seasonings and sauce and just hoped it would all work together.

oh. my. YUM.

i couldn't tell you what all ended up in that bowl if i tried, but i know i'm still thinking about it more than 48 hours later. hubby was equally smitten with his concoction, and we already have plans to go back this weekend with some friends. my tummy is super excited, but i'm sure the weight watchers app on my phone is ...... not.

i waived the white flag about three quarters of the way through my bowl, but my go-for-the-gold husband polished his off with only minimal abdominal or esophageal rebellion. then he had the nerve to order some kind of molten chocolate cake. (which was only so-so ... i can spot a frozen dessert at a hundred paces. but. it was still chocolate, and it would have been a pity to waste it.) that i somehow ate at least (read: definitely more) than half of. the fact that i was even physiologically able to ingest so much food left me with the only explanation that really makes sense:

there must be some kind of second stomach/tank/receptacle area in the body that is reserved only for chocolate.

and mine must be uncharacteristically large.

we enjoyed a blissfully low-key supper, one free of the standard half dozen trips to the restroom, flying salt and pepper shakers and a knife-obsessed three year old.

as we waddled back out the car we kicked around the idea of seeing a movie but quickly decided neither of us would be able to stay awake that long. we opted instead for a quick trip to the mall. (please don't be jealous of our high profile evening on the town. i know you must be positively green with envy.)

you may remember that i had gifted hubby with two valentines already: a dumb xbox game and a dumb xbox headset. both of which he adored.

he, however, had yet to purchase anything for moi. which was totally, swear-on-a-stack-of-diet-dr.-peppers fine with me. beyond a new bottle of perfume (which i have zero shame in buying for myself), i'm pretty content. but when we walked into dillard's to find a massive shoe sale i certainly didn't hesitate when he suggested i look around a little.

i walked out with a cute pair of metallic gold flats with big buckles on the toes for 70% less than they were originally priced. and with a secret intent to go back tomorrow when i can more fully investigate the situation. alone.

we made a final sashay through the gap (nothing terribly exciting to report there - except maybe for the extra % off of girls' sale items. another situation that i'll be fact-finding tomorrow. will keep you posted.) and decided to head on home. (read: i stuffed myself stupid and wanted out of those jeans. immediately.)

hubby took the long way back to the house and we enjoyed a little quiet time and got a little mushy reminiscing about all of our valentines past. (this was our 10th one together.) total dorks.

our little date barely lasted two hours, but it was long enough to remind me of all the reasons i love that man of mine so much. we got home, got comfortable and were sound asleep by 10. (well, one of us was asleep by 10. the other one was up until after 1 playing black ops.)

hubby didn't have to work the next day, which meant i got about an extra half hour of sleep. i drug myself up with just enough time to get ready and allow for a stop at sonic on my way to school.

on my way through the kitchen to let the boys out for their morning stroll i decided some leftover turkey chili sounded good for lunch and grabbed the (nearly full) casserole dish out of the fridge. i put it on the counter and tried to take off the lid, but nothing budged. .... so i pulled on it a little harder and still no dice.

the tragedy that befell me immediately following that moment can only be attributed to the disastrous combination of my early-morning deficit in fine motor skills and my early-morning propensity to instant rage at the drop of a hat - or in this case, the drop ... er, shattercrashexplosion ... of a ceramic casserole full of once delicious, but now totally disgusting, chili.

the third time i yanked on the lid, i managed to sling the entire thing frisbee-style across my kitchen. in hindsight, i probably had time to catch it before it ricocheted off the laundry room door and exploded all over the floor, but instead i just stood there in shock.

i don't' think i moved a muscle for at least a minute, maybe longer. everything was covered: the floor, the rug, the white cabinets (there was even chili inside some of them that i didn't find until today. sick.), the microwave (which is a good 5 feet off the ground in its little cabinet - just wanted to give you an idea of the breadth of the splatter), the top of the stove, the oven door, the door to the laundry room, the front of the washing machine (which was at least 7 or 8 feet from the point of impact), the side and front of the fridge, my entire right leg and both socks. (thanks be to Him that i wore socks the night before. chili between my bare toes before dawn would surely have done me in.)

the boys were still in the backyard and thankfully weren't able to track the goo from one end of the house to the other. (again, thanks be to Him.) i squished my way to the laundry room and stripped off my now soaked-through pants and socks. take a moment before we move on to enjoy that mental picture if you will - me with my greasy, dust-it-matted hair, bleary eyes, still wearing my retainer, and a ratty (and probably previously stained) razorback sweatshirt pulled down as far as the rapidly deteriorating threads would allow to cover my now pants-less lower half.

i was absolutely stunning.

i checked the clock, and by this time i had zero cushion in my schedule - in fact, i was about 17 seconds away from being late. i knew i didn't have time to clean up, get dressed and get to work.

so, i did the only thing i could think to do at the moment short of lighting the place on fire .... i woke up my poor husband on his only day off this week and begged him to clean up the mess. i tried to whisper and only poked him slightly, but the pungent combination of retainer-enhanced morning breath and cold chili startled the poor fella.

after he had a second to sit up and process the carnage all around him (not the least of which being my appearance), that sweet man got out of bed, kissed my forehead (probably the only spot that didn't smell or wasn't covered in congealed meat), told me to get dressed and then spent the next 45 minutes wiping and scooping and scouring and sweeping and mopping. and he took out all the trash. and he plugged in the scentsy. all without a single complaint or nasty comment muttered under his breath.

i peeked in the kitchen to check on him when i got out of the shower, and at that single moment, as he was sweeping another broomful of chili into the dust pan, i realized i'd never loved him more than i did right then.

forget the flowers, forget the chocolate, forget the bottles of perfume (not really - i don't want to live a life without brighton.) ... that kind of mr. clean-inspired chivalry is what romance is all about.

then he came in the bathroom while i was fighting with my hair (read: teasing it so hard i left indentations in my scalp), laid a $5 on the vanity and told me to make sure i stopped at sonic on my way to work.

God bless him. yet again.

it almost makes me hate black ops just a little bit less. but not quite.

i can only hope each one of you pretty girls is lucky enough to find someone like this someday.

love & i've gone a whole week without perfume,

iValentine.

happy valentine, y'all!

i hope this day is finding you all warm and cozy ... whether it be on the outside - thanks to gorgeous sun and 70 degree weather like we are enjoying - or on the inside - thanks to your sweetheart or sweet treats or the sweet sound the cork makes when you dislodge it from the wine bottle.

i spent much of my day with the children in valentine class party hades. i'm sorry. i know this may knock me down a few notches in your eyes, (probably ain't the first time, and most definitely ain't gonna be the last, i'm sure...) but i'm the teacher who doesn't love class parties.

and when i say i don't love them, i really mean i would rather have something waxed than to participate.

maybe it's sorting and passing out 22 sets of 22 addressed valentines. or dividing 22 bags of candy among 22 lunch sacks when i should be teaching a math lesson. or opening 22 juice packs and 22 little debbies and 22 bags of chips and 22 iced cookies and putting it all on 22 plates. and then cleaning up 22 piles of crumbs and 22 sticky desks caked with cookie icing and exploded juice.

but alas, such is the life of a kindergarten teacher.

i always manage to put on a happy face (the kids deserve a good time even if all i want is to just want to kick back in my rolly chair and eat cheesecake bites i found in the lounge), break out the hot pink sharpies and get after it - calmly and controlled, of course. but only for 30 minutes. we follow the 2:00-2:30 party rule very strictly.

in my other life (the one as a mom and wife and lover of all things sparkly) though, i adore the day of the pink puffy heart.

love the pink and red, love the sparkle, love the aisles and aisles of pretty pretties, love the cute polka-dotted dishes, love the holiday candy, love the excuse to leave a cute surprise for my sweet friends, love knowing my perfume bottle won't stay empty for long. (brighton perfume is my love language. like totally.) especially love the opportunity to have a little themed fun with my favorite little wild woman.

which is exactly what we did this weekend.

i don't have pictures from saturday because we spent the vast majority of it laying around in our pj's reading books ... p-dub's black heels for mama and the berenstain bears' valentine party for sophie b.

yesterday, however, was a different story. we were up and at 'em pretty early. sadly, though, we didn't make it to church. sweet tom had a pretty sour tummy and it worried me to leave him alone. (part of me seriously thinks his run-in with rat poison a couple of summers ago weakened his insides so that even little things are a lot harder on him than they should be....)

we got dressed (i use the term loosely - sweats and mascara for mom, ballerina pj's and a tutu for priss) and headed to lunch at mama shu's house. (loooooove sunday lunches at her house. xoxo, gloria. you're the greatest.) tacos and chocolate pie - don't get much better than that.

from there we hit up sonic happy hour for an extra large diet dr. pepper (which we shared - no haters, please.), drove through the car wash and then rode around with the sunroof open while my sweet girl snoozed in the backseat. perfection.

we got home with a few good hours of warm sunshine left and made the most of it. barbie jeep driving, baseball playing, cupcake baking, valentine card decorating, chocolate eating and all kinds of other fun.

i thought it might be fun to document our afternoon adventures with my phone (read: i was too lazy to drag out the big camera) and post them here.

enjoy!


the sweetest tutu-wearing baseball player ever. maybe she'll start a trend?!

my first encounter with funfetti. i'm hooked.



my sweet helper stirred in the bits of candy.

i went in for a taste but stopped myself before she saw ... don't want her trying to copy. eek!


anybody else ever noticed how much stickier funfetti batter is? or am i just a klutz? it was like dealing with marshmallow cream.


and then the cupcakes got HUGE!


i adore looking at iced cupcakes.


they managed to turn out pretty even despite my lack of culinary sense!

that smile. i die.



not bad for a $2 decoration. cute!

i don't know who stashed the dark chocolate dove hearts all over my house, but i totally don't appreciate it.



gotta love the cute frame that's been sitting there for a month sans photo. maybe in time for next year?!

again with the chocolate. this madness has to stop!



she picked them out all by herself.


it sure was a shame that the accompanying tattoos somehow ended up in the trash.... awwww shucks!


it was quite an unfortunate moment when she realized that she had to give some of these away.



making up a few little sweet treats for my sweet school friends.


she chose and decorated a valentine for daddy.

how precious are these?! LOVE target holiday goodies.

we're rita's favorite.

like, totally.

not bad for an $8 bundle of flowers i tied up myself. LOVE how homemade they look.

the card i gave hubby last night with his gift ...

i continue to amaze myself with my lack of good sense - an xbox headset for him to talk to all the other dorks he plays with.

the card i got for him to open today ...

i added an extra caption ... which is pretty much all the time. ha!

silverlicious!!!!!!!!!!!!!

valentine goodies for the wild woman.

and this morning ... my sad little valentine.

mommy said no to her makeup jewelry - i had nightmares about purple glitter lip gloss all over this precious outfit - and so she sulked all the way to rita's.

love & a fancy, official, even though the restaurants are overcrowded we're going anyway, date night!!!!!