Fashion Friday and other "Junk"

Did I tell you that Race is home??!! Oh my goodness, I can’t tell you the relief that I experience after he gets back from a trip. And this was definitely our most difficult deployment to date. So, we are getting adjusted to all being together again. We haven’t had any time off to help him adjust back into civilization, so he has been thrown head first into the quagmire that is our daily schedule, without even so much as a minute to de-compress. But the kids are beyond delighted to have their dad back home, and I am continually amazed at how differently our family functions when Race is gone. And how much more COMPLETE it is when he returns home.

Why, just last night the boys experienced this first hand. Race and the boys were in the car on the way home from a baseball game. ( No sooner than he had stepped off a plane, Race was thrown immediately into the position of head baseball coach for Austin’s high school team. ) They had just lost a hard fought, close game, and Race had kept the team up-beat and the playing was fun. They pulled out all their tricks and it was just a great game, so they were all feeling pretty good.
Jackson was discussing with his dad all the equipment that he needed for baseball this year, and mentioned that he needed a new cup. To which Race answered, “A new CUP? Whadya mean…..is your junk getting bigger or something?” Now this resulted in loud guffaws of laughter, with Jackson managing to spit out, ”Wwwwhat do you mean “junk”?” (Having never heard this term before used in that particular way………because his mother is a lady and doesn’t speak of such things. Right, mom?) Race quickly explained, as only a father can, “Ya know……your. junk……Your boys…... The twins…..” Riotous laughter ensued, and the boys knew that all was once again right with the world.
Dad was home.
Apparently this sort of banter continued for a bit of the car ride, but thankfully, no one felt the need to fill me in on any of the REST of the details. And I am absolutely ELATED that I do not have to haul my son to the store to buy a bigger cup.

Now, since it *IS* Fashion Friday, I thought I’d give a nod to one of my all-time favorite spring pieces. I didn’t even own one of these until 3 years ago, and I can tell you, life was bad. I didn’t know it. But looking back, life was definitely bad. Now I own 2 of these beauties, and I have my eye on one more.
SO. If you were only going to buy ONE piece this spring, may I humbly suggest that you consider the TRENCHCOAT.



This one is on sale at www.bananarepublic.com for $149.00, but www.target.com has some EXCELLENT, colorful and tailored trenches for less than $25. and www.oldnavy.com has some that are less than $50. (too lazy for linking right now...sorry)
I bought my first trenchcoat 3 years ago, it is from Banana Republic, and it is kelly green. I also own an alabaster colored one that is slightly less classic, and more feminine. Hands-down these coats get more wear in spring and summer, than any others. They keep you dry(but not hot) and can really help you look a little more "pulled together" even when all you have on is a t-shirt and jeans underneath. You know how, some times you depend on your sunglasses to hide what you just didn't have time to do??? Well....the trenchcoat works the same way.This makes a wonderful pull-on for those pouring-down-rain-church-mornings. It's a great staple for this time of the year, and you will wear it over, and over, and over.
I have a dinner date tonight with a hot baseball coach and our kids. Of course, it's over cast and dreary, but we are going to a nice restaurant to celebrate being together again as a family. Can you guess what jacket I'll be grabbing?
Cheers!
melissa

Fashion Friday.....or wHA? It's Friday again??

Since Laney over atRun Mother Run stole my idea to talk about skinny jeans and flats,(Great minds.. and all that jazz). I thought maybe I'd take a different direction and talk nails and lips.

I mean Spring is here, finally! Bare toes and heels sticking out of sandals everywhere, and of course lip colors take on a whole new trend each spring. Now. Before I go any further, let me just go ahead and say that I am NOT a slave to the trends. And the older that I get, the more I find this to be true. But I always like to keep one eye on new styles and colors, and try to be current. But let's face it. We all have our "go to" colors, no matter WHAT the runways are sporting each year. You know the color I'm talking about. That ONE lipstick you have that is worn down to a nub, but you continue to dig out the color with a Q-Tip because you love it SO much? I think it is important to have those, because after all "Style" is just an expression of who you are. It is an extension of your personality. So use that as your filter while you look at all the new spring colors.....and then edit for your own personal use!

For nails this spring, Essie has this beautiful spring collection:



With such lovely pastels and a classic red, along with color names like "Lilacism", and "Van D' Go", what's not to like, here? I really love these!
Now Opi went a slightly different direction this year and did some "Alice In Wonderland" colors. And while I like the deep, saturated colors, they wouldn't look good on my long, bony, 40 yr old hand, and they just don't scream "Spring" to me, like the other palette does.


And can I just interject here that if you have cracked, scaly heels and just haven't gotten around to de-scaling yet and I mean let's face it, we've all been there. We have lives. We have things of real importance to attend to, and we don't always get to our foot care as often as we'd like. But if you have feet that look like a giant flake of skin could fall off of them at any second......well.......DON'T WEAR SANDALS. Don't do that. It's not O.K. It's just NOT. I am sorry if your mother didn't tell you, but I am telling you now. It Is NOT O.K. Just wear something else till you get a few minutes with the pumice stone. Think of others. (I had a bad experience one time in a yoga class and I'd prefer not to talk about it. Those feet still haunt me.)

So how about that pout?? What's new? Well, this is very near and dear to my heart.And I must tell you that I LOVE lipstick. Always have. Even as a little girl, sneaking into my mom's vanity drawer and fawning over all the beautiful lipstick colors it contained. LOVE IT.

But here is an example of editing. When I was in my 20's I would DEFINITELY have rocked the hot pink that is one of the trends this spring. I mean with a vengeance I would have worn that color.



But if I have learned nothing else....and I do mean NOTHING ELSE, from watching Real Housewives of Orange County, it's that as you age....Less is More. I mean, holy moley, ladies...ever heard of "MOD-ER-A-TION"? Sheesh.
But alas, lucky for me, nude lips are still all the rage, as well as a classic red and that oh-so-perfect berry stain.

Sephora says that the sky's the limit. But I will more than likely be sticking with my tried and true favorite from Bare Escentuals in the color "Dolly". Love it so much.
So what color toenails will you be sporting in your sandals or flip-flops this spring? Will you go out on a limb and try a new, bright lip color, or will you be sticking with your tried and true favorites. No matter what you decide, it's nice to be able to spend a few minutes on yourself once in awhile. Just finding a little shot of color that makes you happy when you look at it can really put a little spring in your step!
Cheers!
Melissa

Fashion Friday

O.K. I admit it. I am struggling getting back to blogging. Actually I am struggling with ANYTHING right now that requires concentrating for more than...oh.....I dunno....60 seconds?

And just when I was blowing off blogging for one.more.day, Dy over at Classic Adventures and
Urban Mom actually asked me to write something on 2010 Spring Fashion For the Busy Mom.(Why? Because they are super-awesome friends and knew I could use a good distraction with something that I love right now) And as if that wasn't enough to make me almost wet my pants with excitement, right outta left field comes Laney over at Run Mother Run with FASHION FRIDAY!?! Holy cow! How have I missed this??? Obviously, someone is sending me a message.Obviously this is a sign. Obviously I am MEANT to blog again.

So let's get to it, shall we?



The looks this spring are some of my favorites. Classic but comfortable. There is something for EVERYONE this year! But I want to talk about spring fashion for a special group of women. The women who are 30-something to 40-something who have small children at home. The women whose lives still involve a lot of diaper changes and potty training. The women who are at the stage in life where just getting all the children out of the house clean and clothed, is chalked up as a triumphant day. No really.....TRIUMPHANT. As in choirs and angels.

I've been there.



I was lucky to get the crumbs out of my hair, and the goop off the back of my shoulder before going anywhere. (I had 2 kids before I realized that there is ALWAYS goop on the back of your shoulder. No one told me.) I had no time to look or care about what was fashionable. I was too busy wiping mouths, changing diapers and keeping the youngest from escaping to freedom every time his feet hit the floor.

It would have been great to have had some uncomplicated "go to's" during that time. You know, something that made me feel comfortable and yet didn't look like I had just "given up" and thrown in the ole' towel. Something that made me feel confident and something that I actually LIKED. You DO realize that you should LIKE what you wear, right?

So. I am going to take a few posts to pull out what *I* believe to be perfect for the busy mom this season.The mom who is caught between lessons and practices and recitals and tantrums and diapers and dinner. Style for THAT mom. Feel free to give me some feedback and let me know if you think I've stepped off the deep end.

One of this seasons best trends, for me, is all about opposites. Pair your best looking, jeans-that-you-love-but-are-way-worn-in/out, with a beautiful feminine top and some pretty new sandals.

This look is a total winner with denim shorts too. (Take those old jeans that you still love, but that have holes in the knee, and CHOP EM OFF! Cut them just below the knee, and give em' a few tight rolls)These jean short are from http://www.jcrew.com/ and while the look that this model is wearing would be way too hot and impractical for a kids baseball game, you could pair the same shorts with something more feminine.

Below is another take on the same trend. Pairing the feminine blouse and earrings with the sturdy boots and strong jeans. Those boots make me quiver just a little when I look at them, they are the "I can take on anything" shoe. You could TOTALLY catch a darting kid in these.

Breezy Afternoon by Piperlime .

And again comfy, rolled up jeans and snazzy flat sandals with a beautiful feminine top.(And just think of all the sippy cups and diapers that can be held in that hobo bag!)

Vintage City Living by Piperlime

And again! Could we just bow our heads a moment to say a prayer of thanksgiving for the return of the TUNIC! You can hide that winter fat layer under there with no problem. And should the stars align themselves properly one night, and you and your main squeeze get to head out for dinner after a day of lessons and practices, just stash your heeled sandals in your sons baseball bag (so you'll be sure not to forget them). One lightening quick shoe change in the car and you're good to go.

pretty delightful by Piperlime

This same trend is hot with military-inspired pieces. Got some light weight cargo pants from way-back-when? Roll them up a bit, add some pretty flat sandals and a feminine print tee, like the ones below from http://www.sundancecatalog.com/ Wall-ah! Instant style update. Just think how the other mom's will admire your sense of style as you pass out the snacks after practice.

Now, I have added the photos from Piperlime and JCrew because they just pull things together SO WELL visually. But you can find these same looks EVERYWHERE right now. Target has some gorgeous, well made pieces, including shoes. And the best part is that you may already have some things in your closet to pull together right now. So get crackin' while the kids are asleep. Pull out the stuff that you really LOVE and put it with some new, feminine pieces.

Still fearful? For you, dear reader,here is your sure-fire, never fail go to for casual this spring: Rolled denim shorts, or jeans, flat thong sandals, and a crisp, white button down, untucked. Simple jewelry, or none at all. Cool, clean, classic. Never wrong.

The old with the new. What's not to love about that?

Cheers!

Melissa

An assortment, to be sure...

Well, for cryin' out loud! It's March already! Eh. Good-bye to February, and don't let the screen door hit ya.

You know the Little House on the Prarie book that is titled "The Long Winter"? Yeah...that's what it's been like.

Only WITHOUT Pa.

The first day of Spring Break, and it snowed. again.

An unexpected benefit to all this snow, is that now you can go to Barnes and Noble and pick up "An Inconvenient Truth" for a mere $5. Even less if you have a membership card. Poor Al.

On the school front, things are going fairly smoothly. Austin continues to work incredibly hard and score high in all his co-op classes, and continues to drag his feet and stare, open mouthed during his one course at home. Going away to college? Yes. It.Is.Time.

It really *is* time. And that is a great feeling. To know that he is prepared and ready to jump out there and test his own metal. It's true.....they DO grow up. He is a great kid with a lot to offer, and I am SO excited to see what lies ahead with that one.

(His electric guitar and the giant amp, I won't miss as much....)

Savannah is my wonderfully independent student. She is what has made it all possible this year!What a work ethic that girl has! She does great with all her work, because she is disciplined and she just knows how to work hard. Love.That.Girl. That work ethic has carried over into her MMA training. It's cool to see my sweet, quiet girl whip up on the boys in her class. She is the ONLY girl in the class. She is going to test for her driving permit next week.

Jackson still has the attention span of a puppy. But he has gotten HUGE, so...it would be more like Great Dane puppy. And that, my friends, can be hard to handle. It's true, I am looking UP to my 12 yr old, now.

He has come such a long way in his schooling this year, and he really does all that is asked of him. But his dyslexia is no.joke. And it is a constant frustration and stumbling block to him. We trudge ahead. And we rejoice in all the little hurdles that we continue to overcome. And we do continue! He definitely is still his own person and most recently surprised his poor, frazzled mother, by returning home from a reptile show in PA, with a python. Yes, you read that right. A python.

I guess tattoos and motorcycles are in our future???

So...Jackson continues to keep life interesting here at our house!

My focus during this ridiculously hard winter.....my little getaway in my mind......has been working out. I thought about concentrating on food. Or alcohol. But those outcomes didn't seem all that bright. So I decided to concentrate on my fitness. Seriously. I am working out like a prison inmate. Crazy push-ups, handstands, big olympic weights,in the Crossfit-style http://www.crossfit.com/ . It's nuts I tell ya. But it keeps me from losing my mind. And it keeps me fitting into my clothes. And it feels good to get stonger! So, I have my little goals. One of which, at the moment is to be able to do handstand push-ups. Grrrr....I can do handstands. I can do push-ups. So *WHY* can't I do handstand-push-ups???(and don't say"because you're old") And so it continues.....

Eventually Race will come home. I can't wait for that day.I can't WAIT for that day! Until he does, I will watch with pride, our almost-grown brood continue with their own personal goals and acheivements as they begin to carve out the next phases of their own lives. There will be plenty of MMA and baseball games to watch in the coming months. I will keep working on pull-ups and handstand push-ups with a vigor that would make an inmate cry. And of course, there's also...the python. Race is NOT gonna be too keen on THAT one. (big grin)

One of the best ways to enjoy winter: On the Slopes!

And THIS is Bejamin.

Cheers!

Melissa

Looking Forward.......

Jackson was off doing man-cub activities w/ the Boy Scouts this weekend. I was apparently cramping his style as I sat in the suburban waiting for one of the other leaders to show. He made it a point to come back to the car and say, "um...mom...you don't have to wait, ya know. You can go."
Yeah, yeah...well until you can start to fork over your OWN $$$ for these activities,and remember to use deoderant w/out being told, I'll just sit right here and wait until the guy *I* know gets here, kay? (ahhh...they're great aren't they?) I know he is having a blast and I can hardly wait to pick him up tomorrow after church and drag his sleepy, grumpy, hungry carcass home. :-)

I cleaned.

No, I mean it. I.....Melissa.....actually cleaned the house today. It took me forever to get motivated. I would start and then- oooooo....looooook....prettyyyyyy..........
It was stop and go at first, but then Austin and Savannah left to see Sherlock Holmes, so I put on some music and got down to business. The house looks great. And it feels good. But.....I don't want to do it again right away.

I have an exciting week coming up. (Of course the UPS truck coming up the driveway just about makes me wet my pants, so lets keep some perspective here.) Tuesday is "Hair Day". That one GLORIOUS day each month when I go to the salon and my hair looks great and all is right with the world. (Did I mention that my salon is like, less than a MILE from the JCrew Outlet Center??) And then, on FRIDAY it's GIRLS NIGHT!!! YEsssssssssss!!! 2 times a year this wonderful evening of abandonment arrives, and this Friday is. it!! But more on that later this week. It is too too exciting to be glossed over lightly.

Also, I am busy making plans for Savannah's birthday in a few weeks. Her 16th Birthday! Can you believe it? My one and only daughter is about to turn 16! Hmm... I'm not gonna think about it just yet. We'll pretend she.. is... turning...........9. Yes. 9 is good. I'll think about 16 a little later.

Tomorrow is church and yoga. Both of which I love and need dearly!

Cheers!
Melissa

weird weekend

Some weird stuff happened this weekend. First of all it is still bitter cold. The temp will be 11 tonight. 11!! Heat pumps don't do well with ELEVEN! So I pulled out the kerosene heater that I bought last year and have been running it in the basement. It seems to make enough difference to keep the heat pump from staying on all the time.

Being so cold, there isn't a whole lot to do around here right now. SO against my better judgement, I took the crew to see Avatar. My honest opinion is that people are only telling other people to go and see this movie because they are so embarassed by the abount of hard green that they forked over for the 3-D ticket, that they feel compelled to talk someone else into doing the same.

Of course, I am no great lover of science fiction.

Ask my sister, whose goal in life from the age of...oh....say...6, was to subject me to every manner of science fiction that was to be had on the tube. From He-Man, to The Incredible Hulk, to hours upon hours of Star Trek. And to be truthful that's what watching this movie felt like, to me. Like being a kid and being forced to watch a world of freaks that I could not believe in nor understand. But looking at my previous comments, maybe I'm not the best judge. So if you think you'd dig seeing Sigourney Weaver as some sort of blue, cat-eyed, lizard-monkey, then you're in luck! This is the movie for you, my friends! But just LOOK at that picture! And when it smiles a happy smile??!! Nightmares for a week.

But I'm pretty sure Thom will like it.

In other weirdness....I was at yoga today, and there was this older guy..(how many times does a story start out like this?)...anyway, he was older, but his body was somewhat youthful. It looked odd. I couldn't figure out what was wrong. What was odd...out of place....and then...right in the middle of triangle pose, I realized what it was. Immediately I could hear Race's voice in my head as I had heard it once before exclaim, "That dude has no package". That's right. "No package". Of course I am not the sort to laugh at this sort of thing, normally. Being someone who prides herself on adhering to strict decorum. But it just kept playing in my head over and over, Race in a totally serious tone saying, "That dude has no package". I found it hard to concentrate after that. Mindboggling. It was weird.

It was cold this morning for church, and I have been wearing my Sundance boots TO DEATH, so today I tried something different. I wore my black ankle boots with skinny jeans and then put med. weight, black leg warmers on top. It looked awesome! They actually looked like scrunch boots. So,- weird, but in a good way!

Also this weekend I ate a sardine and liked it.

The lights all went out in the gym downstairs and won't come back on.

And I did hand stands several times each day.

All weird. All this weekend.

Cheers!

Melissa

A girl in Man clothes.......

I am still trying to find my legs, here. Race is gone. It all happened so fast. My mind is still just swimming trying to grasp some sort of normalcy(that's a word, right?), some sense of routine, and perhaps.....just perhaps...a GOAL or two. But right now it's just a bunch of mixed up ideas floating around in my head.
The weather here has not gotten above 29 in days and the nights are in the teens, so that brings it's own challenges and worries when one lives out in the country.
Each morning, I have to bundle up, and head out across the yard, to dump out random, solid blocks of ice from the animals' water containers, and refill them. This is very unenviable work anyway, but it proves to be humiliating when I glimpse myself in the mirror upon returning BACK into the house. I am dressed like a butch lesbian. Baggy Army sweats, rubber knee boots, huge down parka....Oh Make it stop. If I hope to actually succeed in my dream to be able to raise my own food while simutaneously keeping an eye toward the world of fashion...........I'm going to have to do better than this. But it's Coooooold, man. Which begs the question, "Are women of the, ahem, manly-persuasion, warmer than the rest of us?" You gotta admit, it's something to think about.
And of course, I am eyeballing warily all of our major appliances, the car and of course the motherload electrical power, to see which one of them will break down. It's like clockwork: 1. husband leaves...2.One of life's major modern conveniences tries to give up the ghost. (Personally I hope it's the stove or the fridge)
I'll get it all figured out before too long. But for now I'm going to go and lay out some warm, non-lesbian-looking apparel for in the morning.

Cheers!
Melissa

The Warrior Song

2010

It seems that 2009 was the year of the non-blog. Perhaps it was the year of Facebook. SO bear with me as I learn how to write again. My sentences will seem short and choppy and facebook-ish at first, I'm sure. But I'll find my groove. And I'll have lot's to say, of course.

Our family has a lot going on right now, with many different irons in the fire that all need tending. We're good though. And we're thankful. We have a lot to be thankful for. It's just that my head is swimming with responsibilities right now and it is difficult to write anything that even remotely resembles something that another human being would care to read!

But I am determined to get back to my blog! I truly miss it.

So today, we made the traditional southern "good luck" meal to bring in the new year: hoppin john, collard greens and cornbread. IT.WAS.GOOD. I am sure that we will all be rich and healthy in 2010, because of it. I'm sure of it. Don't mess with tradition, man.
We watched Bowl games on TV(till my eyes bled), we played video games, we cooked and we ate. We didn't leave the house even once today, and that was great!

This week coming up is gonna be a tough one. We know what we have to do, though. And we're ready. Bring it 2010.

Cheers!
Melissa

Class of 2010

So much is going on!!

Race has been home since the summer, recovering from an injury while working. His recovery has been long, but wonderful. While we are so sorry that he had to get hurt, it has been such a blessing having him home for so long. We had no idea how much we needed this time together as a couple, and as a family. So thankful for a little time to breathe.....

On the home school front........I. HAVE. A. SENIOR! Waaaaaaaaaay back when Austin was just a little guy, going into firts grade, I made the decision to home school him for that one year. Our reasoning was that Race was working shift work, and if he were in traditional school, there would be weeks at a time that he would not see his dad.That didn't seem right. He was so little. And after all......it would just be for that one year. I mean, seriously....how bad could I screw him up in that short amount of time? Well....fast forward 12 years , and here we are.

I am happy to report that he doesn't seem to be screwed up at all! In fact, quite the opposite. He seems incredibly......NORMAL. No, scratch that- BETTER than normal! Ha! Who knew?? Yes! You CAN do this! He is smart, social, good looking, athletic............we're breaking down barriers here people!!!

Of course, it's not over. Oh no....it's FAARRRR from over. Austin and I still have to convince the college admissions boards of his awesomeness, and he still has to dazzle a baseball coach or 2 with his rockin' baseball skillz. But we're getting there! We.Have.A.Plan!

Not unlike my shaking knees that first morning of school at home, I am now shakily writing to admissions boards, and collecting references, and overseeing applications.

I like to think that we end up at the same destination, but we took a different route and oh my, what a fun time we have had getting there! ! I wouldn't do a thing differently, and that is a really great feeling.

Cheers!

Melissa

http://www.photographybythomasina.com

Why Farmers don't major in Fashion Marketing....like I did.

The comments under my last post had me guffawing out loud, especially AnnieSue's. Thank-you from the bottom of my heart AnnieSue, it is so wonderful to know that I have such wonderful friends looking out for me(sniff,sniff). And if you EVER see me wearing a denim jumper and Birkenstocks w/ my hair in a long braid, it should be seen as a sad cry for help and an intervention should be undertaken immediately!

You will all be happy to know that you can stop waiting and wondering. You can stop the pacing and the biting of your nails. Yes, you can all put your minds at ease. The pullets are blossoming. They are becoming women. Chicken-women. They've begun to lay eggs! (I knew you were anxious about it).

We actually have been getting alot done around here,which is great. But I've gotta tell ya... All this homsteadin' can throw a girl off balance. Make her doubt herself. WOnder about who she REALLY is.

Don't forget that I'm pretty much on my own here with Race at work and Austin off working this summer at Boy Scout Camp. Savannah and Jack are a big help, but thre's some stuff that I still just have to do the majority of by myself.

I hit a proverbial wall last week, when I took a good, long, look at myself in the mirror: Baseball cap pulled down over my freshly highlighted hair.Not in a cute way, but in that way that screams "I hate my gender!"... One of my nails was broken down to the quick, giving my finger that mannish-sort-of-look...... my right hand had a blister from using the hammer (the HAMMER!).... and I had a band-aid on my knee from cutting it on an AC untit that I had to install upstairs.
And we won't even talk about bug bites and chicken wire scratches(which, btw, are scarring!!).
And do you want to know what I was wearing??? My orange Nike yoga shorts(at least I'm still working out), a T-shirt, and my rubber wellies that come up to my knee. (shudder)

It wasn't a pretty picture, my friends.
I know, I know....I hear your "I told you so's".
Somethin had to be done. I am just not ready to concede that a girl can't grow her own vegetables, raise her own chickens, and still pull herself together in a way that she can hold her head high when she goes out. In a way that says, "Look at me.I still give a damn and I know what looks good".

So, tonight I decided to take action.
Tonight I have a movie on the DVR and an In Style magazine on the table. I am cleaning the chicken shit off my feet and giving myself a good pedicure. And a manicure, too.

You girls have all been there, right??....... *crickets chirping*........ RIGHT?

Ah well, no intervention needed yet.

Cheers!
Melissa

Help! I think I might be getting Crunchy!

At the very least, I'm gritty.

Yes. that's right. In an effort to FURTHER alienate myself at otherwise great parties, I am now firmly seated on the "Crunchy" bandwagon. Actually, they probably wouldn't let me on the wagon due to some of my other silly ideas, but I'd probably be running along side it.
Sometimes I scare me.


I mean, I won't be stopping my monthly salon visits for fresh hair dye anytime soon, and I haven't actually been able to make myself care too much about how or where or by whom my favorite skinny jeans were made.

But for the life of me, I can't figure out why the hell I've been smearing toxins on all of my eating surfaces for years!!!! Why I have been eating vegetables grown in human sledge.(Thanks for looking out for me Big Brother, it turns out that eating your own crap won't kill you.....right away.)

And why on earth I have been drinking milk and eating meat that is chock full of hormones and medications!! Why?!

So that's it.

Without even thinking about it, I have been making changes.

I have found myself increasingly aware of my own environment, and what we are putting into our bodies.

Plastic containers? gone. I switched back to old fashioned glass.

grocery store meat? No way. Can't do it anymore. We have found local sources where we can actually SEE how our food is being raised.

Vegetables? Gardening along with the Farmers Market.

Milk? ONLY organic.

Cleaners? I switched to vinegar and hydrogen peroxide.(2 spray bottles) Cheap, effective, and it actually dissenfects!

So that's it. I'm on a mission to erradicate as much of the foreign crap that we put in and around our bodies, as possible. To begin to "eat out of our own yard" more .

It's just logic that I cannot argue with. Put food into your body that it recognizes and can use.


But where does this leave me? Where's my "group"? My "gang" My 'club"??


The "Greenies" won't have me because I'm too conservative,
The Conservative homeschoolers eye me warily, because they know that I've been known to have a drink from time to time.
The Liberal homeschoolers, while they WILL kick back a beer with ya, also know that I go to a PCA church.
The "Crunchies" won't have me because I heart JCrew and Nordstrom and despise the whole rubber-shoe-croc thing .
And, of course, I could never really get along with the Fashionistas because eventually they'd spy my fake True Religion jeans, and they's know I wasn't a believer. It'd be ugly.



But maybe this.
Yes.....yes.. ...
This is where I belong. What's HER club?



Cheers!
Melissa

Keepin' it rural........

Race has gone back to work, and so have we. The slave labor force was immediately called into action to help get things back into maintainable state, here on our 13 acre bit o' earth.

I am currently super-jazzed about the still small, grass roots trend across this country toward sustainable agriculture. So, in between baseball or music, or theater, the kids have been forced into supporting my move to become more self sustaining, here on the hard, rocky, unforgiving mountainous land that we have. (Of course they are also directly FED by this as well, so there is SOME motivation. ;-) )


Here you will see part of the unskilled labor force painting our newly resurrected chicken house.(Thank-you G.W) It has a simple, but very sturdy construction: chicken wire floor, plywood walls, and a metal roof with a sky light.

The next day we built the run. Austin and Jackson dug all the postholes and set the posts in a bit of quickcrete, and Savannah and I were in charge of the poultry wire and the staple gun and the Lowe's runs.
I used the Big Saw for the first time and I am no longer afraid to do so. Raw power, man....Raw Power!
When I took this picture, we hadn't hung the door on it's hinges yet. (Because SOMEONE forgot to get them on her 2nd trip to Lowe's that day!)
The girls will stay in their run all summer until my gardening is done , and then they will be able to forage to their hearts content.

Here are the girls in their new home. They are quite happy little pullets, and had already scratched in a bunch of leaves from outside the door. The girls are fed a diet that consists largely of vegetable scraps. The idea is this: The wire floor is covered with about 4-6 inches of wood shavings. the girls constantly scratch and turn these shavings under. CONSTANTLY.The wood shavings and chicken manure make awesome compost. After the summer, we will shovel this all out onto the compost heap, which will go onto the garden. And then we will replace the floor with fresh shavings. No waste! And we replenish the soil for the next season.

This is our other project. I expanded our garden this year, and this is the newest part. You are looking at broccoli, peppers, and potatoes. (Even though you can't really see the potatoes!)

This is one of the raised beds that we built this year right beside the house. We have already eaten alot of the lettuce out of this, but you get the idea. And I planted broccoli here as well. I really like the raised beds, because as long as you pay attention to the soil, you can really grow a lot in a very small space.

And this is the rest of the garden. The brown container is planted with carrots. The other things in the picture are strawberries,blueberries, cabbage,peppers, tomatoes, squash, green beans, and cucumbers.

I also planted tomatoes and squash up near the house, just outside the kitchen.

I love this stuff, and I am thinking hard about the whole concept of sustainable agriculture,which is nothing new, but was actually quite commonplace before Big Brother got involved in our food supply.

So that's what we've been up to! I already wish that I had tilled up an even bigger garden, and I am wondering how well crops would grow on a mountainside.

Cheers!

melissa

tap...tap....tap....

Anyone out there? It has been so long since I've blogged that I think that I've forgotten how.

No point in trying to re-cap,.. so I'll just jump on in.

I've been doing a lot of gardening this year, and so far things are looking pretty good. I am fairly certain that the only thing that makes a good gardener is experience(and the friendly advice one gets from other successful gardeners). In the beginning, you end up with so many things that DON'T work-out, but the measly harvest that you DO get makes you jump for joy and you begin to think excitedly about what you'll differently next year.

So I am excited about this year. I've added some raised beds and containers, and I expanded the whole original garden by about 1/3. All this has led me to think more seriously about food storage, and the different options available to us there. I have a closet full of junk that I could possibly use for food storage......but then where would we put the junk?

*I feel that I should stress,here, the importance of a "junk spot" to my over-all house cleaning strategy. Every room in my house has one and it's where all the "uncategorizables" ? go. So...seriously...where WOULD the junk go?*

Also, in the name of food storage and growing your own fresh food, we are working on a chicken coop! Actually thomasina's boyfriend G.W got it done yesterday, and the kids will be nailing chicken wire, painting, and digging post holes for the "run" this week. Now.....just gotta get some pullets to put IN it. This sort of thing totally excites me. I swear I think it's in my blood.

But just so you know that this is the same girl that you've come to know and wonder about I want you to know that on Monday, I bought the most amazing patent leather, peep-toe heels.They are from banana republic, and they are espresso colored with a creamy colored swath across the toe. Yes, that's right.. Timeless. and they were originally $120, marked down to $33.99. ...AND IN MY SIZE! no brainer. they shall be mine forever.

Now......let's talk about the pros and cons of chicken shit in the home garden, shall we?

Cheers!
Melissa

Reluctant runner

We had a great Sunday today. Over lunch Race and I discussed going for a run this afternoon. Since we spend so much time apart, we both tend to get a little rusty on reading each others ques when we get back together.

You know…those little unspoken matrimonial nudges that one develops after being married for some time. So I didn’t pick it up. It slipped right past me.

I really didn’t think that a run today was very likely, since our Sundays are usually sort of lazy days spent at church and then tying up loose ends of the prior week and preparing things for the one to come. But as I said….we’re a little rusty . So I quickly quipped that I would love to run with him, but I didn’t know if he would be able handle the embarrassment when I left him in the dust.

He smiled.

I think that he secretly thinks that this is cute. As in…..”Awwww….isn’t that cute? Look at her try.”

So you can imagine my surprise when, just as I was settling in with a cup of coffee and my laptop, Race says, ‘So, when do you want to go for a run?” (gulp)

I tried the usual stall and run around tactics. But he was changing his clothes and grabbing his shoes. There was no avoiding it.

There is a fundamental difference between my husband and myself when it comes to running. For me, it’s simple: I eat. Therefore I run. That is all. If running 30 min. 3 times a week, will allow me to eat a normal diet without the worry of ballooning up, unexpectedly to sumo-wrestler size…so be it. 30 minutes it is.

But with JBA there is a complexity that I simply cannot comprehend. He runs with drive and ambition. He runs against himself. He is always looking for something more challenging, a way to beat his own personal time, etc.

This is like speaking Chinese to me. I mean…you know….I like where his heads’ at……but….my thought process just doesn’t GO that way. ;-)

So we had to run through the logging trail near our house that I have nicknamed “Hell”.(Not very original, I know) Oh. My. Gosh. Why would anyone CHOOSE to run this thing???? I took pictures so that you could see what it looks like. I was determined to keep up, and I did a pretty good job. Did you see the creek at the bottom of the first hill?

Well, our deal is this: If I keep up, and we get to the creek, I hop on his back and he carries me across. If I fall behind, I have to slush through the icy creek on my own. I’m happy to say that my shoes are dry.

So we were finished and I was feeling pretty darn good about my performance today. I tried not to think about the fact that I was carried across the creek twice or that I felt like I was coughing up a lung, and just focused on the fact that I had really kept up on the hills. JBA was standing at the end of our run telling me what a good job I had done, and pulling off his running shoes and ringing the creek water out of his socks. I was having trouble walking and gasping for air, but feeling very accomplished. It was right about this point that he put his shoes back on and said, “O.K. I’m gonna go again. I’m gonna try and beat my time.” And off he went. And of course, he did.

您贵姓大名？

Cheers!

Melissa

Yoga

So. As I said before, I took my first yoga class the other night.

It was....

well.............

It was...............

weird.

Weird but wonderful. And strangely enough I have a strong desire to go back!!

The instructor was a tall, strong, lithe woman whom I felt quite certain, just by looking at her, could bend over backward and continue to just roll slowly around the room like a fluid wheel.

As soon as we came in, we took our shoes off: bare feet only. I breathed a sigh of relief that I had painted my toenails.

We opened class with the traditional yoga pose, prayer hands in front.....and then.....ahem..the first sound in the universe: "ooooooommmmmmmmmm...". I was hoping that everyone'e eyes were closed because I had the BIGGEST dumb grin on my face as I supressed my laughter.

One of the first things we did was to sit on a folded blanket, and "pull up our sit-bones". I've thought about this alot since then, and I am still not sure that I actually WANT my "sit-bones" up. In fact I am pretty sure that I DON'T want my "sit-bones" up.

But after we really got into the class, I really learned A LOT.

(I learned almost immediately that "childs pose" is my favorite. ;-)).

It was so different than any other sort of excercising I've ever done.I've thought about my posture all week, and have really worked on finding that perfect balance. And I FELT so much better AFTER the class.The last 5 minutes of relaxation were incredible,and I actually slept sounder that night than I have in months, and yoga was the only thing that I could attribute it to.

So. I am excited to go back and really get into it. I've already caught myself using the phrase "downward dog" in a regular conversation. So.....ya know...I'm practically a yogini.

Of course, I will probably still immaturely laugh when we "oooooooooommmmmmmmmm", and I may be walking around with my "sit-bones" all up, but I think that I'll actually be standing up straighter, and feeling better than I did before.

Cheers!

Melissa

Maybe I'm just easily distracted.

SO. Can you believe it??? My husband is STILL gone?? How long has he been gone now.....? About 5 years I think.

No. But it really DOES seem like a long time.

The kids seem to be doing really well, but it is wearing on us all and it will be like party central around here when Race gets home!!

Schooling has been keeping me busy, but I can't say I have been extremely "passionate" about it lately.
To help me stay "in sound mind and body" I have been trying to branch out a bit more and try some new things.
Savannah and I are taking a rock climbing class next week, and that's a little terrifying. Not because of the actual climbing, but because of the fundamentals that we will be tested on.
Let's not forget that I was the girl who had faithfully practiced her knot-tying for DAYS before going out on her very first rock climb. And there, standing in front of my husband, my children, and our guide, I readied myself for my first climb. I tied my knot perfectly, and double checked it. I held it up to our guide and said, "Is this O.K.?" The look on his face said, "You've GOT to be kidding". And he said, "Yep, that's right. But you MIGHT want to actually pass it through your harness." OMGosh!! I hadn't tied myself in!!! (The sheepish grin and giggle)
So, yeah....I'm a little nervous.

I went to my first yoga class the other night, (which I loved). I found out that my many years of ballet left me completely ill-prepared for yoga. They are like polar opposites. Who knew??
But once again, I was the girl to whom the instructor had to say, "No.... no..your OTHER left". (Again with the sheepish grin and giggle. Which, for the record is only gonna get you so far at my age).
But let's not forget, that although I have to spend Race's hard earned money, these days to remain blonde, I WAS born a tow head. So...maybe there's something to all that.(shrug)

Cheers!!
Melissa

A glimpse..

As you may have guessed, the various responsibilites that fall to me in this life, have been collectively kicking my butt.

Every time I get up and running.....I slip and fall on my face, due to various unforseen curves, pot holes, and stumbling blocks that inevitably come into everyones daily experience. And it's not that I don't heed the old addage of "get back up and dust yourself off". I do. It's just that here lately, theres been A LOT of slipping and falling, and that in turn has caused me to just want to lie and wallow a bit, before the aforementioned "getting and the dusting".

I don't advise this.
Because I've noticed that after you wallow, there's more than just "dusting" that needs to be done. At that point it's more like dried mud that has to be removed, so you've really done yourself a disservice.

During my blogging hiatus, however, I have seen glimpses of a close family now and again. I think far too often I am focused on the little "fixes", and I forget to really LOOK at the little things that happen each day that ARE what we strive for.

The day that Savannah got her braces off, we came home and the boys couldn't stop talking about how awesome her "new smile" looked. She was absolutely beaming. Brothers usually don't take much notice of the personal appearance of their sister. At least THESE brothers don't. I'm pretty sure that she could shave her head bald and it would be days before one of them said something like, "Hey...has your hair always been like that?"

The day that we were going to leave for a road trip to my mom and dads, I had a ton of errands to run that morning, and this was going to set us back even further from leaving. I don't like to come home to a dirty house, and since ours looked like some nasty dwarves from middle earth had taken up residence in it, I knew it would be awhile before we could shove off. When I walked in the door, the kitchen was SPOTLESS. In fact, the whole main floor of the house was clean and swept. ANd I mean really clean. Jackson had gotten up and cleaned the whole thing that morning while I was gone! Once the smelling salts were administered we left for mom and dads.

Savannah had her birthday party at mom and dads skating center. Having grandparents that own a skating center to which you get private, VIP party rights, is one sweet deal for my kids. Just think of it: not only do you get the WHOLE skating rink to yourself, you get your own tunes, you can eat all the junk food you want....self-serve, you can play all the games FOR FREE, and what kid wouldn't LOVE to stand behind the snack bar and serve up drinks from the drink fountain??? They had been looking forward to this for-ev-er. After we arrived there was a glitch in the music. Austin saved the day, and spent the entire party up in the DJ booth blasting all of his sisters favorite music for everyone to skate to. It really did save the party. ANd while this probably WAS his dream job......he also enjoys being in the middle of everything skating, so I thought that it was really great.

Savannah is a very thoughtful and sweet girl each and every day. (No, she is not adopted).SHe really is a sweet girl, by nature. Just the other day, she spent a good part of her day helping Jackson understand and organize his ipod. She downloaded new music for him, (which she is careful to screen and be sure that he doesn't listen to anything "unsavory"), and helped him figure the whole thing out. And trust me when I tell you that Jackson is NOT the most patient student.
And then on Valentines Day, Savannah made valentines for each of us, and bought me a box of chocolates because she knew that dad wouldn't be able to send anything.

SO there you have it! Glimpses that we MIGHT actually come out on the other side of all this with something that resembles our goal. Of course all the other animal-like behaviour still happens around here too, but I will save those for another post. Sometimes I need a little reminder!

Cheers!
Melissa

Happy Birthday Savannah

Today is Savannah's 15th Birthday. And as has been the custom for the last 15 years, it is icing outside. Every year during the week of Savannah's birthday, we usually have some of the worst winter weather for our area. This birthday was no different, so the "going out" plans that we had, had to be moved until tomorrow. She didn' bat an eyelash, though. Not a hint of discouragement. Just, "That's O.K., mom. Today will still be fun. And now we have something to look forward to tomorrow!" Sweet, sweet girl.

I woke up this morning wanting to see everything layered with a blanket of snow, and instead saw that everything was encased in ice, and it was still coming down. So, I got out of bed, headed for the coffee machine, and then went around doing all the winter-check-list things that you have to do when you could be without power. Then I fed the birds, read my Bible, and hit the treadmill.
*Before I typed that sentence, we had not actually lost power, but I kid you not, just as I typed that...the power went out enough to reset everything, so we may not be out of the woods yet!!*

I made Savannah pancakes for her breakfast, and before I could get my one bite of my OWN breakfast eaten, Jackson bounded into the room to cheerily tell us all that he had discovered that he had 3 actual armpit hairs.

The day hasn't really gotten a lot better.

These are my happy place right now. I got them a few weeks ago at the JCrew outlet store for practically nothing. I Love them. And everytime I have to have a congratulatory discussion with Jack about his armpit hairs, I sneak into my room and pull these beauties out of their box and smile at them. (It's all I got right now, people.)

Cheers!

Melissa

Profane R Us

So, I have been working my fingers to the bone in this house rearranging, cleaning, sorting,etc. And for the past few weeks, there has been stuff all over the dining room table, so we have been forced to eat in front of the TV. Which I HATE. So, today, one of my goals was to get all the stacks of books and things cleared off the table so that we could have a nice family dinner this evening. I planned ahead and put chicken in the crockpot this morning, freeing up my afternoon to clean, sort and organize.

I was feeling prrretty good about myself come dinner time, as I served up lovely platefuls of chicken caciatori over rice, side salad, and lightly toasted garlic bread. Little did I know what was in store for me as I sat down to partake of this lovely meal with my three children.

Let me just add right here: I am SO, SO, SO, sorry Mom. Yes , you DID raise me better. And I am SO, SO, So sorry Grandmama (Race's mom). No I will NOT be the ruin of Race's offspring.

At the dinner table, as I have mentioned on here before, we play a little game called "high-low". We have done this ever since the kids were little. After we ask the blessing, each person says the very best thing about their day(their high), and the very worst thing about their day,(their low).

We went around the table as usual and finally came to Jackson. Now, let me stop here and quote him directly:
"My high was being able to play "line rider" today on the computer. My low..(and here he paused for emphasis, and spoke in a deeply, overexaggerated, dissapointed tone)"My low....was finding out.....that....my mother curses."

Of course the other 2 went absolutely wild with gut-splitting laughter while I tried to figure out from whence this ambush came.

Apparently my youngest son had been listening in on a phone conversation that I had earlier in the day with Race. I was lamenting the pathetic fact that we have no back-up heating system in place and I was forced to go out and pick up a kerosene heater....just.in.case.

This was all fine and good, except that I am an idiot, and I seriously had NO IDEA that you actually have to PUMP kerosene into your OWN little blue can. OR that you would have to ASSEMBLE the kerosene heater yourself.(All the while reading about the dangers of explosion or carbon monoxide poisoning if you should screw it up!) OR that you would have to let the wick SOAK for an hour BEFORE you ever light it!!!(Shyeah...imagine reading THAT by the light of your headlamp in 8 degrees) All of these revelations today, had combined to create quite the difficult and humbling day for me.

The man at Lowes actually laughed right in my face when I asked him so innocently, if they sold kerosene. He laughed right.in.my.face. I wanted to scream, "I DON'T LIVE IN A TRAILER PARK, O.K.??!! I SHOULDN'T EVEN HAVE TO USE THIS!!(and then in a smaller voice),"we're gettin' a woodstove next year."

So anyway, Race called right about the time that I had locked myself in the bathroom reading about the whole "wick-soaking" thing.

In the course of explaining to him the whole ordeal, I said, "And...THEN....I mean...who KNEW you were gonna have to ASSEMBLE the damn thing!"

So, Jackson chose the dinner table tonight, to tighten the old screws on his mom, in a somewhat humorous manner. He had me. He KNEW he had me and he was enjoying it.

I started back-pedaling.

"O.K, O.K, you're right. *I* shouldn't talk like that. But sometimes, when I am under a lot of stress--"

And Jack in total sarcasm interrupted-"No, noooooo mom. It's perfectly O.K. for YOU to talk like that. I get it.Or- hey- maybe you have tourettes"
(thank-you "What About Bob").

Me: "O.K-NO. I do NOT have tourettes. And I shouldn't talk that way, but keep in mind kids, I grew up in a house with PAP-PAW as my dad."

They all nodded knowingly, as they had all heard the expertise with which Pap-paw sprinkled profanity in his speech, that made it sound as natural as a babies cry.

But then one of them interjected, "But Mam-maw was your MOM!"

They had me once again. My mother has never uttered a curse word. EVER. She once said "dang it!" and it was as if you could FEEL the arctic blast from hell freezing over.

So. I accepted defeat.

My children have a mother who uses profanity.(Even though I *try* not to).

A swearing, cursing, card-carrying member of the Profanity Club.

But you know the thing that really struck me??

I can't believe the little guy is just now hearing this.

I mean he is ELEVEN and he has never heard me swear before??

Damn. I'm a better mom than I thought!

Cheers!
Melissa