Labels: Being a Chic, turning thirty

It’s a line that I’ve been near before.
A dangerous line.
I’ve never considered crossing it before.
I’ve considered considering it, but never even got close to actually thinking it would be okay to cross it.
Because it isn’t, not for me.
I don’t want to be that girl.
I want to be the girl who makes the right choices.
The girl who finds the things that she deserves the right way.
Not the girl who takes from someone else, who destroys lives.

So, now I see that line.
And I keep turning away from it because I don’t even want to think about the fact that it is there.
That it could be an option.
But there is a whisper of a hint, a subtle little glint of a daily reminder that it is there.
I am ignoring it.
I don’t even play around with that line.
I hope I continue to stay strong enough.

Labels: Being a Chic, My pathetic excuse for a love life

It’s called my Girl’s Night Dinner... The last Saturday of the month, I am hosting dinner at my house. It was this crazy spark of an idea that I had while I was talking to Jiffinner on the phone late last year. I was undoubtedly complaining about the lack of visiting I get to do with all of my friends when she made the comment that if it weren’t for me pushing all of them all the time, we would probably never see each other.
This is partially because, I realized, I introduced all of them and partially because I am “the glue” as Jiffinner puts it. Can you believe that? It’s MY CRAZY that brings them all together. Woot!
So, I decided at the end of December, in a haze of spiked eggnog, feelings of utter relief that my obligatory family visiting had come to an end and abnormally cold weather that I, your loving blog authoress, would start cooking dinner for all of my girlfriends once a month. And before I snapped back to my senses, I sent out the first invitation with the PROMISE that this would be monthly. Ladies, I will be doing this EVERY MONTH, I PROMISE.
Thus signing my own contract.
And it was a loop-hole-less contract my friends.
I made sure.
Initially, I thought we would mix it up... have a movie night, a board game night, cocktail night, other things that end with ‘night’... but it turned out that dinner, dessert and copious amounts of alcohol and conversation really were the best way to go.
But I am getting ahead of myself.
Our first dinner was the last Saturday of January. I’m not sure who all I invited BUT in attendance, we had Jiffiner, The Cake Lady and Fairy. I almost had a heart attack. Thankfully, Jiffinner came early to help. I was in full freak out mode by the time she arrived and she couldn’t pour wine into me fast enough.
I can’t help it, I am a worrier.
I worry about not having enough time, having too much time, burning the food, undercooking the food, whether people will have anything to talk about, if my house is clean enough, if anyone will show up, if too many people will show up, if it will be boring, if I have enough booze... If it can even cross my mind, I assure you, I have freaked out about it.
That’s why they make anti-anxiety pills and prescribe them to me.
Of course, with all of the freaking out that I was doing about this inaugural dinner event, I had done something else that I do too much of – I had overbooked myself. You see, dear reader, I have this idea in my head that I can accomplish anything. And I think it is correct. Assuming I could figure out a way to make more hours in the day. It is the whole not enough time thing that always kicks my ass.
So, as if FREAKING OUT about the dinner wasn’t enough, I had also divvied my children up to various friend’s houses to get them out of the way and then, I had made plans for after the dinner since, well you know, I wasn’t going to have any kids.
It’s truly amazing I didn’t have a heart attack.
But the short version is that I was pretty disappointed in the way the first dinner turned out. And it was all my fault. I tried to do way too much. I tried to make food that took too long and was too hard and untested, I made it to where I had to do too much running around that day so I was crunched for time and I made stupid boy plans for afterwards that had me super preoccupied and unable to just enjoy myself. And, the girls (at least the older two), didn’t want to leave... they are homebodies and it made me feel guilty that I had sent them away for the night. I decided I wasn’t doing it that way again.
I don’t think I could have handled the stress of doing it that way again.
So, the following month, I scratched boys off of my list and told Amanda and Emilee that they could stay home but had to hang out in their rooms. My girl Mary cooked and I made dessert and it was SO nice. So much more mellow and enjoyable and for the most part the girls stayed out of my hair.
March was the month I went from three guests to four and started inviting a few more friends. It was also the first Horror Movie Night for the girls. Each girl invited a guest and had pizza and brownies and scary movies. March was the month where I felt like I had figured it out. March was the first month where I really thought to myself, this is GREAT.
This past Saturday was the fourth consecutive dinner party at my house. And I can honestly say that this last dinner party was the first one where I was totally calm (or as totally calm as I am capable of being). I didn’t stress (too much) about who was going to show up, I didn’t stress about the food (which DIDN’T turn out right), I didn’t stress about the kids or the conversation. I just had a great time.
I plan on living in Texas for approximately another six years and I can say right now that I fully anticipate having dinner at my house the last Saturday night of every month from now until then because it is truly such a wonderful evening of food and friendship and it reminds me, every month, of exactly how lucky I am to have such amazing people in my life.

Labels: Being a Chic, cooking, soul sisters, stuff I like

~Train



Forever can never be long enough for me
Feel like I've had long enough with you
Forget the world now we won't let them see
But there's one thing left to do

Now that the weight has lifted
Love has surely shifted my way
Marry Me
Today and every day
Marry Me
If I ever get the nerve to say
Hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm

Together can never be close enough for me
Feel like I am close enough to you
You wear white and I'll wear out the words I love
And you're beautiful
Now that the wait is over
And love and has finally shown her my way
Marry me
Today and every day
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Mm-hmm

Promise me
You'll always be
Happy by my side
I promise to
Sing to you
When all the music dies

And marry me
Today and everyday
Marry me
If I ever get the nerve to say hello in this cafe
Say you will
Mm-hmm
Say you will
Marry me

Labels: Being a Chic, song of the day, stuff I like

I'm weird.
Now that we've gotten that out of the way...
Every year, on my birthday, I like to pre-shop for stuff I like so I can help the girls pick something out for me that I will like.
Like I said, I'm weird.
I just figure if I am spending the money, I should get some say ;-)

Oh ETSY, you evil evil website you.









GAH! The purple!!


In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of on a bird kick.
But this one? This is my favorite.

Labels: Being Mommy, birthday, stuff I like

I read.
I read A LOT.
And my most favorite book IN THE WORLD is Walk In My Soul which is written by one of the best authors I've ever had the pleasure of reading; Lucia St. Clair Robson. I love this book so much that I FOUGHT hard with Amanda's dad to let me name her Tiana. Obviously I didn't win BUT it wasn't for lack of trying.
Book description is here:
This is the story of Tiana Rogers of the Cherokee, the young Sam Houston, and the Trail of Tears.
Tiana grew up learning the magic, spells, and nature religion of the Cherokee. And in a tribe that revered the life force that was female, she became a Beloved Woman—priestess, warrior, healer, teacher.History knows him as the father of Texas, but the young Sam Houston ran away on a lark from his family’s general store in Maryville, Tennessee, to live among the Cherokee. He hunter and played ritual games with the men and was adopted as a headman’s son and known as Raven.

I can't tell you how excited I was to "friend" Lucia St. Clair Robson on Facebook but I can tell you that the excitement didn't even compare to the INSANE EXCITEMENT I felt when I received a message from her!
And even that was paled when I checked my mail yesterday and saw this:

I'll admit, I screamed.

More than once.

It was like freaking Christmas.

Can I tell you that when your DREAM is to be an author, receiving something like this from one of your FAVORITE authors is like meeting Brad Pitt in person.
You're all like BRAD PITT TOUCHED MY HAND!
I'm all like LUCIA ST. CLAIR ROBSON KNOWS MY NAME!
Shut. The. Front. Door.

And now, I have this!

To put in my copy of this! (Which you should read if you haven't already because, holy crap! SUCH A GREAT BOOK!!)


The photo and card are happily tacked to my story board for the book I am currently working on. Where I can look at them. And smile.
Oh the smiles!

Labels: stuff I like, writing a book

Labels: being a Home Owner, being Earth Friendly, Daisy Dog, gardening

Labels: Amanda, Being Mommy, photography