This sweet little baby turned nine today. Arabella Claire was my favorite birth ever; five hours from start to finish (my fastest), a kick-A epidural, and she was one of the few babies that I didn’t know ahead of time what gender she was (sometimes I like to know and sometimes I like a surprise. […]

(This picture captures her personality perfectly) My mother, known by the grandkids as “Boppie”, just left after a two week visit. She spent a lot of her time doing this: (otherwise known as finishing up my sewing projects. Although during this visit I think she was  stuck making a couple of Halloween costumes.) She is well […]

If you were to spend the weekend in Dallas doing this: And came home to find this sitting next to your sink, what would you do?  Would you figure that the babysitter bought some sort of weird potatoes to feed to your kids?  And then would you pick it up to examine it closer? That […]

I hate when people are so coy and call these items “feminine hygiene products”. Americans can be so Victorian about the weirdest things. Nevermind that there are tons of high school girls out there wearing short shorts that show their butt cheeks and skimpy little tank tops. But let’s not shock anyone by saying tampon. […]

I was at the library last week and thought I would be nice and check out a movie for the kids. I know they are fans of the entire Spy Kids oeuvre so I rented Spy Kids II (or was it Spy Kids III or IV? As if there is any difference). When I got […]

Today is our school’s Homecoming. The football game is this evening and the dance is tomorrow. The game is, obviously, the big deal but there’s another big deal: the Homecoming Mum. That’s mum as in Chrysanthemum, not mum as in mother. It’s basically a Corsage of Insanity. They’re a tradition all over Texas but not […]

I can get lots of cool things here in Austin, but one thing I can’t get is Mast Brothers Chocolate. So I am telling you about something that I’ve never actually eaten. Despite that little detail, I am very in love. These bars had me at hello. Look at these beauties! I went to the […]

Hey, it’s date night! I lucked out at the movie theatre this week and saw two really great films. They were both at the artsy fartsy theatre which means  they may not show up near where you live (although I guess it depends on where you are). But they’re so definitely worth seeing. It’s not […]

I can get lots of cool things here in Austin, but one thing I can’t get is Mast Brothers Chocolate. So I am telling you about something that I’ve never actually eaten. Despite that little detail, I am very in love. These bars had me at hello. Look at these beauties! I went to the […]

Today is one of those days of mothering penance.  A day to pay the piper. In other words, my day to chaperone Cub Scout Camp. Forecast: 99º and sunny (That’s 37º Celsius, my European friends) I have no tolerance for heat.  And direct sunlight just about kills me. Sure I can survive a jaunt across […]

I dearly love birds. To me there is nothing more cheerful than listening to the sound of them; throw in a lovely sunny morning and a tidy house and there is nothing more delightful. Mockingbirds have one of the most beautiful songs around, particularly since it’s varied; they have a whole repertoire that they sing […]

Y’all, I still don’t have a computer. I can fight the kids to use the playroom computer, but mostly I’m limited to using my iphone. Blogging on an iphone is somewhere between maddening and suicide-inducing. I can’t believe I’m not blogging about the Olympics! It’s been a frustrating ten days because not only do I […]

I can get lots of cool things here in Austin, but one thing I can’t get is Mast Brothers Chocolate. So I am telling you about something that I’ve never actually eaten. Despite that little detail, I am very in love. These bars had me at hello. Look at these beauties! I went to the […]

Hey, it’s date night! I lucked out at the movie theatre this week and saw two really great films. They were both at the artsy fartsy theatre which means  they may not show up near where you live (although I guess it depends on where you are). But they’re so definitely worth seeing. It’s not […]