A Tea Party

Lately, it's been all too easy for me to get caught up in the when-it-rains-it-pours circumstances that are out of my hands. I begin walking down a mental road that leads to worry and a heavy heart. No fun.

It's times like these when something lovely falls into my lap, like a tea party, and I snatch it up--eager for a change of demeanor. My mind says, Yes! Embrace light-hearted tea parties, frilly doilies, sugar cubes, and good friends.

I ripped about ten outfits off of hangers (all pink or green or cream-colored) to find the perfect thing to wear. And after my Goodwill pile grew and I determined for the fiftieth time that I needed to get back into running, I crammed on a grey sweater and jeans. Not exactly tea party attire, but c'est la vie. The most important part of a tea party, as with everything in life, is that you show up.

The tea party was wonderful, and it was so relaxing to chat with good friends late into the night.

"Another novelty is the tea party, an extraordinary meal in that, being offered to persons who have already dined well, it supposes neither appetite nor thirst, and has no object but distraction, no basis but delicate enjoyment."

-The Physiology of Taste

I want to embrace life's tea-party moments: those just because times when you get together for the sake of seeing a friendly face and sipping warm tea. For laughing really loudly or for sharing pain with people who care.

Go do something fun for the sake of it. Throw a tea party.

Where Someone Loved Him Best of All

I came across this picture tonight. Here's my son: barefooted, on an old tractor, with a stick in one hand. It made me think of what I say to him every day: "I'll eat you up I love you so!"

And that of course got me thinking of my favorite part of Where the Wild Things Are--the part that always makes me tear up: "And Max the king of all wild things was lonely and wanted to be where someone loved him best of all. Then all around from far away across the world he smelled good things to eat so he gave up being king of where the wild things are" (Sendak, 29-30).

How could I love this little boy--this wild thing--any more than I do?

I am so very, very grateful for my loving husband, my son, my family, and my friends. God has taught me something lately: I cannot always control my circumstances, but I can lean on those who love me best of all.

First Haircut

About a week ago, I decided that the toddler's hair couldn't keep growing longer and longer. I bit the bullet and declared that it was time for those beautiful, wispy curls to be gone. It made me sad, but it was time. :)

One of the many perks of growing up in a smallish town? The salon is opened for the sole fact that your son is getting his first haircut, so that you can take pictures and be loud without a care in the world.

As we were waiting for Trinity and enjoying the amazing weather, the toddler decided to chase a grasshopper and to inspect some flowers.

He picked a flower just for me.

Please notice those beautiful curls. Oh, I could kiss them until I die.

My happy, yellow flower.

The toddler and the hubbs decided that the best place for the flower was behind my ear. So, feeling like an island princess, I obliged my men.

When it came time for the toddler's haircut, he absolutely would not sit in the chair. So, he (unhappily) sat in my lap while Trinity worked her magic.

His hair looks so cute! It definitely doesn't look "babyish" anymore. He looks like a little man.

He's very happy with his new haircut! :)



From Cinnamon Streusel To Please Pass The Ketchup

This morning started off the way most Saturday mornings do: a crackle on the monitor, the toddler's precious voice breaking through and coaxing me from the warmth of our bed, and a slow shuffle into the kitchen to start making breakfast. This morning, cinnamon streusel muffins sounded like just the thing.

And, indeed, they were just the thing--just the thing to get my unbelievably-picky toddler to eat and just the thing to get my exhausted hubby out of bed.

Mismatched jammies! Elmo on top, Christmas on bottom. :)

Then, as I started my work for the day, the men started on their work for the day--yard work, that is. It was a day for raking the leaves and spreading the weed killer.

And everyone knows you cannot properly go about doing yardwork without clutching tightly to at least three pieces of chalk.

After a lunch of leftovers and a short nap, we all headed over to a friend's 2nd birthday party at The Little Gym. What fun!

The toddler was so excited about his goody bag that he didn't want to let anything go. He clung tightly to his rubber ball and plastic harmonica like they were gold and jewels.

And our day ended with a fun dinner out with friends to Arkansas Burger Company.

source

Although I'd heard about their fried pickles, I'd never eaten there before. OMG, yum. So yum. The toddler ran around the restaurant while we sat and enjoyed our delicious meals.

What a perfect Saturday. :)

All You Need Is Love (And A Babysitter)

Just go ahead and call me a hermit because that's exactly what I've been for the past four days. Hear me, people: I haven't left my house since Friday. The toddler and I have been sick and miserable together. Fevers, coughing, runny noses, sore throats--the whole, glorious nine yards.

And today is Valentine's Day. And I'm sort of obsessed with Valentine's Day. So, I tried my hardest to pretend that I wasn't sick today. We stayed inside in our jammies all day, but still we tried to do Valentine's-ish things.

First order of the day? Bake heart-shaped sugar cookies from scratch!

My little helper! He was very careful about the big "no-no" which was my KitchenAid mixer.

Homemade icing = yumzers

Of course, after I had baked a couple dozen of these delectable cookies, I realized that no one would eat them because the two people who baked them are--hello!?--sick. Whatever. We'll be sick and . . . pudgy. . . together. ;)

And then (because I felt like the worst momma ever for not having a cute Valentine's Day gift for the little one), we did a craft that involved paint, colors, and some crazy-awesome artistic skills. (Yes, as always, there were helicopters, rockets, and airplanes involved.)

And then after convincing our babysitter to come babysit even though two of us were sick (we promised to have the toddler already in bed--no easy task at 6:55 PM), the hubbs and I headed out the door for dinner!

We ate at Bravo; I'm so over that place. We usually do Trio's for Valentine's, but last year their food wasn't great. Anyhoo, the conversation was wonderful, I managed to not feel awful through dinner, and more than anything I just enjoyed getting to spend some time with my man. This is our sixth Valentine's Day together--that makes me feel old! I am so grateful to be married to this Godly, hard-working, looooving, SEXY man!! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world! :)

My favorite part (mainly because it made me laugh out loud) of my Valentine's card from the hubbs: "I am so proud of you! You are the quintessential Southern gal: charming, gorgeous, classy, fun, and a damn good cook." Hey, I'll take a compliment when it comes my way. :)

I hope your Valentine's Day was special as well! Cheers to love!