Fall in the Country

If you live in Texas, you like Fall.  Because it means NO MORE SUMMER.

It's mostly Fall-ish around here these days, but the ladies over at SITS - with their Fall Back Into Blogging event - have given me a bout of Fall Fever.

Day 2 of their blogging challenge is a photographic challenge...the prompt is to show a picture of what Fall means to me.

To be honest, I barely even remember last Fall.  We were in a new house, in a new town, with a new baby.  The newborn haze was thick and I don't really remember much for the first few months seasons of Claire's life.  My memories don't start to sharpen until sometime in the Spring.

But!  I remember the previous Fall.  When it was just me, Charles, and Jack.  Living in the country.  Claire not even a figment of our imaginations yet.

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Celebrate Big Tex's Birthday (And Win Tickets to the Fair!)

Do you live around Dallas?

If you do (or anywhere around Dallas, for that matter), you know what a big deal the State Fair of Texas is in these parts.  And if you don't live in Dallas, or Texas...you might want to keep reading just to learn about a Texas icon who kind of weirds me out but is slowly growing on me.

His name?  Big Tex.

See the tall guy?  In the yellow shirt? That's Big Tex.

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Here's To You, Mrs. Cavanaugh (and Mrs. Jones, and Miss Berry, and Mr. Tamborrino)

I'm reading "Don't Sweat the Small Stuff - And It's All Small Stuff."  It's an easy read, a self-help book full of tips on how to chill out and live a better life.

One of the things it says to do is to write a letter to someone you appreciate and are grateful for (actually, you are supposed to do this on a regular basis - in case you were wondering).

When I think about things I am grateful for, and people I appreciate, I always have my English teachers in the back of my head.  Because truly, this blog is an extension of something I love doing - writing - and I can honestly say that my English teachers, ALL OF THEM, from middle school through my senior year of High School, were stellar.  I mean it.  If every student could have had my English teachers, the world would be a well-written place.

Over at SITS (a blogging community for women), they have a "Fall Back Into Blogging" event going on that involves a writing prompt each day.  Today's prompt is "school" - and so I'm going to kill two birds with one stone and write a thank-you letter to my English teachers and participate in today's "school" prompt over at SITS (multi-tasker, HOLLA!).

Before I get started, you need to know what I looked like in High School, right??  And on a side note, I wanted to show you a picture of me and my friends in 8th grade, when I was extra awesome-looking with permed bangs...but I posted it on facebook and every.single.one. of said friends untagged themselves - LAME - so I'm going to be cool and not use that picture.

That's a PICTURE of a picture.  As in, a Polaroid picture...and not because we were being cute, but because that's what we had when I was in High School.  And Birkenstocks.  We also had Birckenstocks.  And plum lipstick.  And sheep.  And I didn't crop out the dirt on the side because I like to keep it real.

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The 21st of September, Again

Last year, I was inspired by Jill over at Baby Rabies to record "a day in the life" - an hourly journal of our typical day, in pictures.

I had so much fun that first time - which was the 21st of September, 2011 - that I decided to record one day each month for an entire year to see how things would (or would not) change over the course of the year.

As I look back through some of the posts, a few things have definitely changed.  My kids are a year older (and at this stage in their lives, a year is a Really Big Deal).  Claire, while still nursing, is no longer nursing.all.day.long.  Jack, while still throwing me into a complete tizzy every now and then with his meltdowns and general three-year-old behavior, is settling down (I think?).

And then, a few things have *not* changed.  I'm still a stay-at-home-mom, who mostly sucks at her "job."  The kids still don't sleep, and this still drives me batshit crazy (seriously, kids...SLEEP, already).  And our house is still a mess that I just cannot keep up with, no matter how hard I try.

I was hoping to get really creative for this last "21st of..." post.  I thought I'd break out the fancy camera and actually schlepp it around with me all day, maybe...or do a compare and contrast of today's pictures versus the pictures I took on September 21st of last year.

I got off to a good start.

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Make Things Pretty with Paper Coterie

I've posted a few coupon codes (for free stuff, WIN) for Paper Coterie lately and several times now I've received the question, "What is Paper Coterie?"

So, I'm going to show you.

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Trader Joe's Comes to Texas

Texas is getting more California-ized by the day.  And I love it.

A few years ago, I told Charles that I'd top complaining about Texas (and I mostly love Texas, let me be clear - but I'm a California girl through and through, and growing up in Southern California and then moving to rural Texas was a bit of a culture shock) if we got In-n-Out, Trader Joe's, and Pat & Oscar's (which is probably nothing to waste my prayers on, but HEY I like their bread sticks, ok?).


So guess what came to Texas last year?  In-n-Out.  I now live *closer* to In-n-Out than I did when I lived in California (and coincidences being what they are, the closest In-n-Out to me in California and the closest In-n-Out to me in Texas are both located on a Highway 78).

And guess what came to the area just last week?  Trader Joe's.

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9/11 and Kids

Today is a big day.

It's September 11, 2012.  9/11.  Eleven years after those airplanes flew into the World Trade Center buildings, the Pentagon, and a random Pennsylvania field.

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My Kid is Sick, and I Know What Will Make Me Feel Better!

You know what I'd *love* to be doing right now?  Sitting on the couch, catching up on The Real Housewives of Orange County (because I still haven't watched part two of the reunion and I somehow feel as if my life won't be complete until I see it), sipping a glass of wine, and leisurely finishing up a blog post during commercials.

Instead, I'm in my dark bedroom, propped up in bed with Claire sprawled out next to me, listening to Jack protest bedtime over the sound of my white noise machine as I try to remember if the shower I just took was my third - or my fourth - of the evening.  Because Claire has been throwing up, and in between vomit baths and adding another load of laundry to the washing machine, I've been taking showers (you should see how much vomit this little baby can produce - and every.single.ounce has found it way onto me).

This little lady finally fell asleep on me after what was, I hope, her last time puking tonight.

We were all sick with The Pukes a few months ago, and it was way (WAY) worse than this has been.  This has been relatively easy.  Claire is her normal happy self and then randomly defiles me with regurgitated turkey bits or breast milk.  I seem to be suffering more than she is.

I don't think I ever thought parenting would be easy, but I never realized how hard it would be, either.

The thing is, I wouldn't trade even the sick days for a whole herd of magical miniature unicorns, and I really like miniature animals, and I love unicorns (who doesn't??).

Sure, I'd much rather be watching trashy television than picking bile-soaked bites of turkey out of my bra (why didn't anyone tell me how glamorous motherhood was going to be?).  But Claire needs me.  And The Real Housewives don't.

But you know what I need??

A TV in this bedroom!  Think of the multi-tasking I could do - catching up on reality shows, blogging, and being next to my sick and sleeping child all at the same time.  Seriously. That would be awesome.

Do you have a TV in your bedroom?  I wonder if it would be as awesome as I remember it (I don't think I've had one in the bedroom for seven years, at least) or if I'm just really jonesing for some lame TV right now.