I labeled this picture "handprint" when it is in fact a footprint. Either way, I choose to torture myself by making indelible memories of how tiny Truett once was.
I looked around our office the other day and realized we have NO framed pictures of Truett. A symptom perhaps of THE INTERNET GENERATION, GASP. Anyway, this one is a framer for sure.
Bud's family's dog, Chan.
It's dangerous pictures like these that make me begin talking about a second child. And then Bud chokes on his Dr Pepper because DO YOU HAVE ANY RECOLLECTION OF THIS CHILD'S DELIVERY, WOMAN?
My father, Earl. I have no idea whether he minds be posted to this website because this website falls under the category of Things We Do Not Talk About. I think we can all agree it's better this way.
My two boys, who pretty much make my life worth living.
My cereal is so much better than your cereal because mine is HONEST.
Bud's enjoying his new tool sharpener. IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN.
Hey, good news on the camera debacle. Nikon's warranty is covering the fix. WHOO HOO. And thank God, in the meantime, for our little trusty Canon.
It has rained this summer like, I don't know. Forty gallons? People always measure rain in inches and I'm all, that doesn't make SENSE because it SOAKS IN. Right? Right? Anyone else share this weirdness? Just give it to me in plain old non-sensical gallons, thanks.
More from the abandoned gas station where we stopped. It was a little eerie, a little sad.
We stopped at an abandoned gas station on the way to Florida because REAAHHH and I snapped a shot of sandy dog prints. In between my full-time gig as milk machine.
The other day I asked Bud to bring home a bottle of wine on his way in from work. He stopped by a wine shop I like near our old apartment and this is what they recommended. Super affordable - I think $8 - and very good.
Target, new letterpress thank you notes. Not only pretty, but comes in a pack of 50 which means you're not always down to the last card and inexplicably missing the last matching envelope. These have come so in handy recently, as having a baby has brought out an extraordinary amount of kindness and generosity from our friends and family. I should just tattoo a giant IOU to my forehead.
The difference a year makes
Smooching.
This is like his half smile, you should see his grin.
I think this trip (1 year anniversary in New Orleans) feels significant because it was the month before we'd decided to start trying for Truett. I realize that's too much information but, as we refer to it now, it was our LAST HURRAH.
Look at Bud's gorilla hands in this picture.
I've been going through pictures, trying to find the perfect two for above Truett's crib in the nursery and this was a serious contender but for the wrong angle. Plus, a horses head to wake up to every day? Perhaps not.
Our tomato plants, they are doing well.
I'm a terrible dog mother in the sense that they hardly get new toys unless I find them on ridiculous sale from time to time. Because they are both trained, in some we-had-nothing-to-do-with-it-way, to ANNIHILATE any toy we give them. Hence the 4th of July toy Copper was playing with just the other day. ONE DOLLAR BABY.
AW YEAH.
Since getting my new computer I have attacked the frustrating and arduous task of switching all of my files, trying to figure out where the hell they went and then, how to edit or use them on an entirely different type of machinery. This task has been made SO MUCH EASIER by employing my favorite husband Bud, who generally attacks these duties far better than I and with much less hair pulling-out. Because of the file switching we've been enjoying the montage of all of our old pictures, sort of a This Is Your Life and I got seriously nostalgic the other day when watching the pictures flash onto the screen. Remember that? When we went to the beach and Copper horked up a rib bone? And THAT? Ha, that was fun, that time you got so drunk we had to leave early. Actually, that was a lot of times.
So, for the next few days I will be posting some archive pictures, ones I'm pretty sure I've never put up before but don't hold me to ANYTHING these days because PREGNANT.
This one was in a little junk shop in New Orleans where we went for our one year anniversary, shortly before I became pregnant with Cider. Yes, Georgia, I was going for artsy though it turned out more just Odd Mirror Picture. Suck it.
Please? Please can I come into the house and hide this in various chunks? Say, behind the couch where you will one day find a green piece of nastiness, stowed for that day when I MIGHT NOT GET FED?
When I snap these, I think of being in my grandmother's kitchen.
Here's the song playing in the background: Can't nobody hold ME DOWN, oh no I've got to keep on MOVIN.
The baby's mobile. Good because I can use it in a non-nursery also someday. ALWAYS THINKING.
Setting up the nursery. Bud was wearing no shirt, an old camouflage hat and holding a beer. I told him when the baby sees these pictures I will explain to her that, that? That's the guy I hired to help me set up your baby room.
I went to browse the earrings (the only thing that fits right now) at Forever 21 this weekend and found this pair, The Most Beautiful Earrings in the World, for like, $3.
A view of our rental house from the same walk.
One of the highlights of our trip to North Carolina was a long walk Bud and I took with the dogs up the mountain. You know those hindsight moments you realize you loved? This was one of them.
Even though he's a "mixed-breed" or whatever, I feel confident he could win a dog show or two.
And then what? Quack like a duck? Sure, if it makes you smile.
A typical reaction of mine, to nearly all animals is, "I want one of those." I know, I know, animals belong in their natural habitat and all that, but sometimes I can't help wanting a little land with a bunch of animals to looove. And take caaare of. These screechy, bizarre birds? Do not fall into that category.
Do you remember this time in your life? A complete lack of personal space such that if you wanted to see what the other person was looking at, you, without another thought, pressed your cheek to theirs? I miss that.
I think these are called Foxtails except every time I say, gasp! "look at how pretty the Foxtails are!" Bud says, "those aren't Foxtails." So, whatever.
One of two side tables I found on Craigslist a few weeks ago. And almost threw out the window after THREE DAMN COATS OF PAINT.
This is Zucca, my brother's two eyed cat, but I do guess the second one is kind of in the shadows.
My sweet baby girl is about to get demoted in a big way and it just breaks my heart.
Look, unless I'm getting some sort of commission from your blog, I have in no way authorized the taking or posting of this picture.
AH MAH GAD. Pictures like these make me want to press the fast forward button on my uterus. Then I think about all the sleepless nights and I'm all NAAAAAAH.
You know how soccer fans yell, "GOOOOOAAAAAL!" when their team scores? When I see this picture I get the urge to yell "NEEEERDS!" while driving by in a speeding car.
Look at those pudgy little feet perched on an old step stool Bud's parents gave us (love it!). This is exactly the reason I am not so secretly hoping for a girl. And yet, if Cider is a boy, I have no doubt I will no longer be able to even imagine wanting a girl.
This picture was beautiful until I went and left it up for two and a half weeks or so. Now it just annoys me.
Summer (hotel in Nashville): Hope! What're you doing?
Hope: Putting on my makeup!
Ella: NEED TO PUT ON MY MAKEUP MAMA!
We threw many pennies into the "wishing well" at the hotel in Nashville. Ella mainly wished for a pool in her backyard. I may have influenced that decision.
So! Happy!
Now I'm getting all weepy and nostalgic: this was our first MARRIED home, now we will have a big, scary MORTGAGE, look how sweet the matted, cheap carpet REALLY IS.
A napkin holder I found on sale at Anthropologie a few months ago. Now paper napkins just look stupid in it, so I'm keeping my eyes peeled for some cloth ones.
Bud proudly brought these home after a walk with Copper. There is just something about Daffodils that rekindles a five year old feeling in me.
I chose this camera partially because of the great zoom lens and yet, until I force myself to read the manual, learning how to focus might be a little problem. This was on the cabin trip to Virginia. We looked out the window and no fewer than five deer were happily munching grass in the small meadow behind the house.
One of the nice things about our new stationmomcar is that the back seats will fold down, giving the dogs a nice area to lounge in the sun and snooze, while we take road trips. Unfortunately, Copper's debilitating need to be near us makes it so that he still crams his head between our seats.
I would love to find and salvage some of this old outdoor lettering and find a place for it in my house. Maybe above Cider's crib. It could spell out B-A-B-Y. You know, so there's no confusion.
Maybe time to put Christmas to rest. Still, I really, really liked how this picture turned out.
A couple of nights after Christmas, we did a little tour of the quaint downtown of Kilgore, Texas. This is one of the lonesome pictures I got.
They don't even CARE about this picture. Please. It's all about the treats sitting outside the picture window. JUST A DAY JOB for them.
Perhaps one of my favorite Christmas gifts, an antique martini set my mother in law found and gave me. I will not be able to use it for another several months because while some people say a glass of wine here and there is okay during pregnancy, I have yet to hear that slugging back cocktails is a good idea.
And behold, the mom and dad car we bought. I like to tell myself the red color makes it sexy. Aw YEAH I eat various flavors of granola, but my car IS RED!
My parents sent these around Christmas time, from a tree in their backyard. I'm telling you, you can GROW SHIT there.
A tour of downtown Kilgore, Texas, if you please.
This plant is called, I THINK, an Oyster plant and I uprooted it from my parents yard on a trip I took last year. My parents yard yields plants like there is some magic growing hormone in the soil and so I was surprised that this little guy took off in our HOUSE, simply by sitting next to a window. It's even developed flowers, something I had no idea he could do. Go plant!
Chan, Bud's parents' dog, enjoying a good brushing. Stress on ENJOYING.
I made linen sprays this year for Christmas gifts and so ordered a bunch of these dark blue glass bottles. I kind of liked the way they all looked lined up on the dresser, I'll call it installment art.
The backyard at Bud's house in Texas. I took the dogs out one crisp morning and then ran back in for my camera. I'm not sure if I captured just how pretty a morning it was, what with the sun making long, beautiful shadows across the yard.
The place where wine group met last month. They also had a small live band playing so we routinely hollered out requests, pretty much hits from the late 90's only. SHA LA LA LA LA.I'm not even sure who took this picture, which is the beauty of a new camera. Everyone in the room becomes a budding Annie Liebowitz, grabbing it and taking shots, if you will.
A typical dog battle in the living room. I'd tell them to knock it off, but then what would we laugh at?
I grow weary of all the stuffing and cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes each year around the holidays. Ew, sweet potatoes, I'm just now learning to admit I don't really like you. So this year the day after Thanksgiving, Bud and I whipped up a giant batch of enchiladas, margaritas and homemade salsa. Perfect antidote.
The kids table with drying stockings. The thing I am happy about with this particular kids table, is that it is physically too small for someone like me, forcing me to sit at the GROWN UP TABLE. And talk about the stock market.
Much like EWWA TYPING, here EWWA READING. The best part is the look on her face, all, hmm, maybe I shouldn't have invested in that not-so-well diversified fund.
Emeric might be the cheerfullest of all babies, embracing life like there is sure to be something wonderful around that corner. No? Well then, maybe THAT corner.
DOESN'T MAKE ME MISS THANKSGIVING AT ALL.
Ella was convinced so much of Emeric's babyhood that she followed him around trying to pick him up and mother him. And I kept thinking what the hell Ella, it was like, LAST WEEK you were the tiny fat baby.
Humph, get that camera out of my face. I am WAY too beautiful.
Every time I picked this monster up, he'd barf on me. Maybe my perfume triggered some kind of gag reflex but DUDE, gross.
Oh, you guys. I'm weeping on the inside for your indignity.
The meh picture except I was able to finally download the one I wanted. Funny how that works. The GREAT one only looked so-so once I was able to have it.
Friday at Five: Our Daily Red. The kind of wine you drink after a long hard day of work or a long hard day of listening to your family explain to you how to successfully find a job you like. SAME THING.
In our li ving room we have a huge picture window and so every morning in October I woke up to a spectacular show of the leaves seemingly on fire. I kept trying to get a good picture of what I saw, but it never really compared. Except for, I stumbled on this picture yesterday and held it against the bare twigs we're looking at now and thought, hm, it'll do.
Watering can. First installation. JUST JOKING I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS.
I'm thinking this will be a good wine to bring to my winter solstice celebration. The one where we howl, dance naked under the moon and generally threaten the religion of all good Alabama households. YEAH THAT ONE. (NOTE: Summer, if you are reading this I. AM. KIDDING.)
Ella has recently developed an affinity for pigeons, thanks to a book one of Summer's friends gave her, and so I am now always on the lookout for a good pigeon shot. Do you think she'd like that pigeon? How about THAT one, lurching around?
I'm on a mini-quest to find interesting or unusual picture frames for the house. I keep thinking I have SO MUCH to add to them but now that I've got one I keep staring at it, wondering which picture could ever live up to such a lovely frame?
Sarah recently went to France and so when she came to visit last weekend, brought us two bottles of French wine. This one didn't last long but I've kept it because the label is so pretty.
I took this picture as I was recovering from The Morning of Hell after Georgia's wedding (but by God we were going to see some sites!) and right afterwards a women walked up to the gate hollering, "Hey, President Barack! Hey! President Barack!" This was two days before the election. PROPHETIC, HUH?
I almost labeled this picture "angels" but my Cheesy-meter starting screaming noooo and so I called it something different. Still. LOOK AT THEM.
Georgia and Peter hired a belly dancer for their wedding and I thought it might be weird what with the very white sector of my family but, no, turned out beautifully.
The fungus on a tree. Getting it really close up makes it look almost...pretty.
The picture here is less about the dogs and more about the dappled sunlight filtering through the trees. Yes I did just finish reading a bad novel.
I took this picture of Sadie also on the fall walk and the funniest part about it are the little flakes of mud all over her fur. She is so ANTI-mud and would MUCH rather be walked around a quaint downtown thank you VERY MUCH.
We took the dogs on a long fall walk a couple of weekends ago, one of the few weekends we haven't been traveling, and it could not have been prettier. I think Copper had a little fall fever here, running around like he'd had a big glass of speed that morning.
These guys. Do you think they had any clue? Old fashioned Texas Law Men standing outside of the Alamo. Remember!
The view of the Riverwalk from the room where I stayed. I could have sat out there all afternoon if there hadn't been WORK and stuff.
This was my balcony on the trip to San Antonio and I could hear Mariache bands playing below. TRUE STORY.
If this place weren't so DAMN CROWDED all the time I'd grab some tools and take this sign home. HOLLA EIGHTH GRADE.
Doesn't she look lonely? Not to worry, only a statue.
We went back Monday morning for our second helping of these scrumptious, unbelievable little treats and although the service had Bud frowning very seriously, it was worth it.
Isn't this a lovely picture of us? The sunset, Bud's overly-serious face, the Miller Lite can, the MAN IN WHITE SOCKS AND BLACK SHOES BEHIND US.
We only stayed for Saturday, the truck race. I shudder to think had we stayed the entire weekend. The Port-o-Pottys alone might have eaten us.
Yet another picture where I kept begging Bud to please, slow down, I can't get a good shot. But I was embarrassing him - AGAIN - so this is the best I could do. We also witnessed one of these men lose his hat and then whip around to glare at his friends like, "CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT? THE WIND JUST STOLE MY HAT!"
And your comments were NOTHING compared to the emails I got from the same people who put up that devil sign.
When Summer was visiting we took Ella to the Botanical Gardens where we took some pictures. Somehow Summer managed to put my camera into, "soft romantic glow" mode but we did end up with sweet pictures of the babies.
I meant this picture sort of as a distraction but aww, look, it works.
This was another situation where I had to beg and plead with Bud to pull the car over so I could JUST GET THAT PICTURE. And look, how nice, a little water mill.
We asked a nice man to take our picture while at the beach. While he didn't agree with the college shirts we were wearing, he agreed. In this moment I did not realize he was actually taking the picture and in this moment Bud decided to do the jig.
OH. The excruciating pain of seeing a picture from a cheesy beach restaurant when you are on your way to work. I think it was called The Whale's Tail.
Do you know of anything better than sleeping in a cool, dark room with the waves crashing outside? Me neither.
This picture is way belated as is a caption, but here is the scene I was met with the morning after the last wine night. No WONDER I had a headache. I can do math like that.
I'm pretty sure I'm done talking about this.
I took this picture because of the sweet flower in a glass. NOT ALL I CAPTURED.
Here are the labels we decorated the party favors with, for Ms. Anonymous' bachelorette party. The same favors I reminded people over and over to "be sure and take home!" Or was that only in my head? BECAUSE NO ONE REMEMBERED.
This is the Marc train, a sort of shuttle from the Baltimore airport where I flew in, to DC. I found my way to the station all right and buying the ticket wasn't all that hard, though no one I asked seemed to be able to give me a straight answer. "You want to go to DC?" "Uh huh, get on that train." "Which train?" "The one across the tracks, go up the stairs then down the stairs then across the way," and so forth so that I ended up listening to a woman who bellowed at me to, "GET ON THE ELEVATOR HONEY." She was right, and I caught the correct train. She was also crazy, as when I glanced over at her, minutes after we'd found the platform, she was animatedly talking to herself. Ah DC how I missed thee.
Sunday morning, on our Atlanta trip, I realized I'd hardly taken any pictures which is close to the time I ended up sitting outside, waiting for Bud to pull the car around. I sat right next to this potted plant and snapped several pictures - none of which turned out to be as pretty as the real thing. The best part of this shot MIGHT be the cigarette butts some douchebag thought it was ok to tuck into a decorative living plant.
This is the main entrance to the hotel where we stayed in Atlanta. The same main entrance we had to walk what felt like three miles to get into because for security reasons? They wouldn't let us use any other doors? It wasn't frustrating, walking from that parking lot, lugging our stuff, turning every corner and seeing a Please Use Main Entrance sign. I'm pretty sure I didn't complain at all.
I was waiting for someone to email me about this, that kind of special person who always CONNECTS ALL THE DOTS when watching intellectual movies. But no, no one did. Here is the street sign to the very first street I ever lived on. It was also the name of this blog when it lived over at Blogger. And if Bud hadn't been driving, I so would have pulled over and found a way to scrub this thing clean.
Here's the explanation and it goes something like this. We have a friend who's dog is dying. I know, so sad. This dog is very, very loved, particularly by all the neighbors who feed her. Perhaps that is why she is well over one hundred pounds when, by a vets standard, she should be around seventy. So, her owners had a farewell, celebration of life, "birthday" party for her two weekends ago and we attended. Included in the festivities was a moon bounce.
And this story is so ripe for yuppie comments even I want to take a shot.
These are some of the vegetables we bought at the redneck farmers market a few weeks back. The peppers are quite hot and, just a small bit of friendly advice, do not cut them and then immediately, say, scratch your nose. YOU WILL REGRET IT.
Another shot from the party a few weeks ago.
We are at a place called the City Federal Building in this picture, that party I told you about, but never expounded on. It's because it was fun, but nothing to really mention. At least not in the sense that someone plunged to their death eighty million feet below or anything.
Here is a picture of the inside of the French! bistro! I can't quit talking about. People ask me how my trip to Denver was and it's just about all I can come up with. Well, there was this great little French bistro. And it was really good, but, man, why do I speak in so many cliches?
I know this picture is a bad one, all fuzzy and shit, but I NEEDED to document the way MY restaurant will look like one day. One exposed brick wall, warm wooden floors, colorful lights, too much wine in the back kitchen, investigation that eventually leads to being shut down. THAT kind of joint. I labeled this picture "room service" because, what else is there to say? Except, tripping around the room trying to find the ironing board in order to look presentable at a seminar: not so glamorous.
This picture is the kind that puts me in danger of quitting my job and hitting the road with a camera, a guidebook and some peanut butter crackers. Look at all the pretty there is to discover out there.
This is the view from the party we went to last Thursday night, it was spectacular. Another girl had the same idea and kept crowding me in the window to get her shots. Which is why I made sure to have my elbows in their upright and pointy position. That is called "well-adjusted".
And here, ladies and gentleman, is the LAMP from my hotel room in Denver. This kind of lamp says, I might just be running hither and thither grabbing documents for various people while still trying to jump online and read a little news when no one is looking in the seminar lobby, but by God I've got a nice hotel room.
This was the view from my hotel window and though not Central Park, I really liked the copper roof.
Turns out, I was on the Shamu plane!
One of my favorite things about traveling is the view I get from the airplane window. Come hell or high water, I will find a window seat. I will probably also be one of first to die should the plane go down because, hello, trapped in a window seat. Anyway, my frustration is usually that I can't get a good picture of what I can see out the window. Like the lightening storms inside the clouds on the way home. I didn't even try for that one, best just to keep it in my head.
Ok, here's the story. Bud likes to dance, a lot. So much that the first few weddings we went to, I had to loan him out. As in, he's the only guy who will dance, DO YOU MIND? Not at all, just bring him back by midnight or we may have to tangle.
Aaaand, about to miss my flight. Remind me to tell you later about how Bud likes to dance.
This is the last faux old picture I'm doing, I'll put a few up of the actual wedding (though, slim pickings) and then hopefully while I'm in Denver, in between what sounds like A LOT OF WORK, I'll get some good ones.
Second ONLY to glass-blower, when I was growing up I wanted to be a blacksmith. Had I lived on the prairie. And been a man.
Time to sit on the porch, whistle and maybe take a little sippy sip from the giant glass bottle. Then perhaps spit tobacco and shoot at a tumble weed.
Growing up I was consumed by the Little House on the Prairie book series and even now I find myself slipping back into that romantic mindset, telling Bud we need to go camping because guess why? We can make a fire ring and pretend like we're pioneers. Bud says I would last five minutes as a pioneer woman I say DO YOU KNOW HOW TO MAKE A SOD HOUSE? NO? I DO. Or at least I read about it once or a million times. And I'm not sure why I've always been slightly obsessed with the past, I mean, couldn't have been all THAT great. I don't even know where you go to poop in a sod house.
The Good Old Days. Recreated in a bizarre attempt to make us feel warm and fuzzy. WORKED.
Another picture from Memphis, but have no fear, I'll get my camera back today!
It's a picture of a picture of Mark Twain. One of my heroes but not so much because he is a literary giant and more because he just told a really good story.
This is a picture of wood samples. I took it thinking I might be able to turn it into art somehow. Ooh, what a lovely picture hanging on your wall, what is it? Wood samples? Hope.
Here is Sadie, once again, at Doo Dah Day. I'm pulling some photos from the archives until my camera arrives! but this one seemed about right. Sadie's nose in the air. An ornament of a woman holding a bunch of stuff in her arms. She is labeled with the stamped word, "HOPE". She is worried about having lost her camera and if the dogs have been out recently? Also, what's for dinner?
Summer bought and sent her to me and I keep wondering, HOW DID SHE KNOW?Last, last, LAST picture from Anthropologie, but hello, little rabbit. It's not odd seeing you in a picture frame AT ALL.
I found two of these strange looking candle holders beside the dumpster last week and though I felt sort of foolish (and a little homeless), I picked them up. I plan to re-paint them and keep them on the plant table. Bud picked this one up and asked what's hanging between his legs? Um, had not noticed that.
I think Cari was all, my God, what have I gotten myself into? And then she slugged down her fifth beer and realized HIGH SCHOOL REUNIONS ARE FUN.
I don't have anything remarkable to say about this picture, just that I like how Cari captured it.
This was the same night we busted up the high school reunion and afterwards we went to our favorite dive where Cari and Bud played some pool. You cannot see it here, but I am behind the camera, talking to this local guy eh, about 75 years old. Does not wear his teeth very often.
This is one of those cosmic times where I was all, whoaaa, did you know if you cut the tops off celery you'll be left with a flower? DUDE. Also, is that a pink unicorn opening your fridge for a beer?
I named this picture Granny Glasses, because the brown glasses on the right are made with the same color glass as some cups my grandmother had when I was growing up. Except she didn't have cool, exposed shelving like this. Come on Granny, get with it!
There was also a carafe that went with this straw held glass and it was only, say, half a million dollars. I considered it seriously because it conjured up all of these images of white wine on a summer porch. But then I remembered, I'd rather buy a house one day.
I don't even know what these are, just that they are pretty. When I edited this photo, I labeled it "kaled" because I don't know how to spell kal, great, now I have to go to dictionary.com and figure it out anyway for this explanation: kaleidoscope. There, happy NOW? Because that's sort of what they remind me of. Could be some newfangled container for heroin though, I just don't know.
You could almost pretend this were my living room. Minus the wide-planked wooden floors and incredibly stylish chair with a price tag still affixed. Oh, and that pot in the corner. Don't have one of those either.
More pretty-ness from my Anthropologie trip.
Knowing I had to get out of the house, Wednesday I took a trip to our nearby Anthropologie which can be alternately a lot of fun, or very depressing when you wonder Who the HELL can afford this stuff? No, I'm not just asking a rhetorical question. I really want to know. Because last time I paid $80 for a shirt was, never.
Anyway, it did the trick, lifted my mood enormously. Even just to window shop amongst all their artsy displays. So get ready for some Anthropologie pictures. Also, I can't give you a good reason but I fell in love with this wooden bird sculpture. Then I started thinking on a more practical level, even if we could afford him, what would we feed him?
Every week or so we get a hard rain like this and last night we got another. Because our porch plants aren't doing so well, I asked Bud to catch some rain water for later use. So he got a bucket and stood under the gutter, catching rain water. I know, true love, Alabama style.I thought this picture was at least mildly funny, not hilarious, but ha ha, get it? NOT ASPARAGUS. But Bud was kind of like, uh, ok, yeah, when I tried to explain.
The great thing about sushi is that it is nearly impossible to NOT get a good picture of it. And now I want more.
Copper was AN ASS on this trip to the park, but how cute does he look swimming? You know how they say that about babies? Good thing they're so cute, or we'd eat them for breakfast? All I can say to that is, YEAH.
Pretty, pretty pink bag. Perfect for stowing DOGGIE POOP BAGGIES. And then taking dogs to the park where they run amok and I chase after them, all dignified, screaming COME BACK HERE COPPER.
And, the last stop on the Southern States Tour. This was after two Champagne Freezes, but before the obligatory Yelling at the DJ commenced.
Here I am at Doo Dah Day, holding both big dogs with my foot. Yep. That'll hold them.
And here is Copper at Doo Dah Day. Enjoying himself. Like a normal dog. And by the looks of it, thinking of peanut butter.
This is Sadie at Doo Dah Day, a local dog parade and festival. It is so fun, but she would have none of it, preferring to sit in the shade with the HUMANS. Who are these DOGS? And why would you imagine I wanted to play with them? Also, I ended up carrying her through most of the parade.
In the past few years, my mother has become something of an amateur bird watcher, something we give her no end of grief for. Unfortunately, I realized the other day the gene may have been passed to me when I was on the phone with Summer. OhmyGOD, one of our first hummingbirds just showed up!
This is (I think) a Snowy Egret and I snapped the picture while visiting my parents in Florida.
Several months ago, Bud and I collected these river rocks in Virginia while visiting Summer and family. I had intended to put them in a glass hurricane until I realized, um these are way too big, most of them. So I stacked them on our plant table, all zen like. Until Bud knocked them over, and there's no way I have the patience to keep doing THAT.When we had our girls' (mom! mom! Is the apostrophe there correct? Possessive, yes?) weekend in Virginia early this month, Georgia brought each of us a sweet little notebook that snaps! shut with a magnet. That jewel? It's really a magnet!
This fits into my purse perfectly and allows me to write small To Do lists that eventually get added to my larger, master To Do list at home. Also, to write while swerving on the highway. This is Summer's dog Dixie. Her personality is the exact opposite of Sadie's in that she has no concept of entitlement. Whereas Sadie is still plotting ways to off me for her inheritance.
We found this wooden vase at a small art gallery in Memphis. It was a thank you gift to our friends for taking care of the dogs all weekend while we stood in the rain under train tracks. Ah THAT'S why it's still raining on us. I feel pretty confident that it was a good gift because I was annoyed in giving it away.
Here is my lime version of a Champagne Freeze. Could easily be confused with a What the Hell Did I do Last Night Freeze.
Don't cry for me Argentina.
No, not one, not two, not four, but FIVE STICKERS. There, perfect.
Sometimes people will show me pictures of the cute kid in their lives and I'm all, ohmygoodness how adorable without, let's be honest, REALLY focusing on the picture. At least not in the same way they are. My life does not hinge on Janie's funny facial expression, especially since for the first 9 months of her life we thought she would be slow on the facial expression development. BUT HAVE YOU SEEN ELLA IN THIS BELOW SNAPSHOT?
Mm hm. Mm hm. Let's see, tomorrow? No, no can do, I'm busy rubbing makeup on my mom's bed. The next day might work though.
Moments after Ella and I applied our makeup. Moments before she rubbed her face all over Summer's cream quilt.
I will not always remember this moment just because of the sweetness, but because Ella insisted I put my boots on (with my short dress) then dragged me upstairs so she could put HER boots on, with her short...dress. Or tshirt. Whatever.
I can pinpoint this exact moment in time. It was when Bud was walking quickly the other way. Crazy wife! Crazy wife taking pictures!
Inside of the trolley in Memphis. Scene of the embarrassing singing.
I asked Bud's dad why Jerry Lee Lewis's nickname is The Killer. He said he didn't know. The rest of the concert I kept wondering, do I need to be worried about this?
We talked about this picture last night and Bud said, what's the caption going to be? And I said, I don't know, you think I should tell them how you leaned against this fence at the festival? And then a woman came up and yelled at you to stop and you were all, Why? and she said, Because I'm the law? There, done.
The entire time we were in Memphis, Bud kept singing a song that went something like this, "EM EE EM PEE AYCH EYE ES," It was fun, try it on your spouse.
What it feels like, being married to a forester.
Bonnie: this guy looks loaded.
Hope: he looks high to me.
Bonnie: that's what loaded means.
Perhaps this is too maudlin, but I'm going to say it anyway. There's this Otis Redding song called, "Pain in my Heart" and when I look at this picture, I can't help it, it pops into my head. I just know someday Sadie will be gone and I will stumble across a picture like this and it will hurt really, really badly. But I would not trade one single hour of my time spent with her in order to erase that inevitability. 
No, really, YOUR CHOICE.
At our local grocery store you can pick up a bag decorated by what, I'm assuming, is a child from a nearby elementary school. Because if it wasn't, I may have some words for the store manager.
I grabbed this one because I am really feeling all of those !!! 
I took this picture while stopped at a red light last week. Since I was alone in the car when I saw this gigantic bird I thought, better get the camera out! Or else I won't get my point! Whereas most people might just enjoy its beauty.
I'm thinking this game has gone too far.
I found this bookshelf on Craiglist, and Sunday morning Bud and I went to pick it up. I get no small thrill when I look at it sitting in our living room. Bring me a shot of tequila or, better yet, just let me gaze at our new piece of furniture.
Meow is right.
This is probably my favorite shot from the whole Bike Riding Series that Anne got and, wouldn't you know it? It's of the dogs. I imagine the conversation went something like this:
Sadie: Wait, what? I didn't authorize this trip, this trip on a bike without me. Where are you going? When will you be back? About how long does that take? Can I come with you? Put me in a saddle bag.
Copper: Well, you know, ya'll were nice and all, but best not to stress on those things we can't change. I learned that in a book...or something. Where'd my beer go?
Roxie: What?
Here I am about to go riding down a small neighborhood hill. The look on my face though would suggest I am being asked to perform several flips while going down that hill and also? We're going to sprinkle these bags of gravel in front of you to make the whole thing more interesting.
This was pretty much the scene all weekend, since Bud wanted to take! the! bike! The store? Let's take the bike! You want to go clothes shopping? Ok with me, as long as we can take the bike! And I'm fine with all that, except I think my side needs a drink holder.
A classic pose assumed by Bud, Telling Hope What to Do And Anyone Else who Doesn't Follow My Directions. Also, Pointing Finger. This way! THIS WAY, IT'S DONE THIS WAY!
As a side note, these bike pictures were all taken by our friend Anne. Her camera is lovely and large, not the kind you have to hide shamefully in your purse when in front of real photographers. In short, it takes awesome pictures, but somehow through editing I have made them sort of blurry. Bummer, or you might be able to actually SEE my fear in this shot.
This picture should make everyone feel better. At least they're even.
Georgia felt frustrated with this picture because Sadie's ear is flipped backwards and because she is OCD, which obviously runs in our family. I'm also beginning to think it runs in the Entire World Female Population Family. And because I love Georgia, I replaced it with the picture up now. 
Last week I went outside, in the pretty, pretty sunshine, and took this picture of a dogwood near our house. It is beyond lovely. And then a huge storm ripped through Birmingham, bringing with it cold, wet, wintry showers. Lesson? SPRING'S A BITCH.
Friday we were all sent home a few minutes early from work because of a huge storm bearing down. I never saw much terrible weather, I think I rode ahead of it the whole time and by the time I got home I was all, huh? What's the big deal? Wasn't so cavalier when I realized hail had ripped holes in all of my porch plants. 
These shoes might, in fact, be the answer to all of life's little unanswered questions. I have been searching for the perfect black flat for several weeks now and finally Georgia, right before she began smacking her head rhythmically into a wall, said, "Why not try the sale section at Nine West online?" I found these there for $40 and they are perfect. I want to wear them with everything, including my pajamas, but Bud has to draw the line somewhere.
One of Bud's coworkers picked a case of Charles Shaw (otherwise known as Two Buck Chuck) up for us at Trader's Joe's a couple of weeks ago. I would not have immediately picked Shiraz but AM I COMPLAINING ABOUT A CASE OF WINE? I'll let you answer that. 
I don't know what kind of signals I give off, but I'm guessing it is similar to DOESN'T REALLY CARE FOR DESK JOBS. This is another gift I got from the Easter Bunny, that cynical bastard, and the caption to these note cards reads: The will to succeed is only surpassed by the fear and humiliation of complete and total failure. Hey note card tagline maker - have we met? Because I think we could be VERY good friends. 
This is probably one of my favorite wedding gifts: a frame that was not on our registry and is different than all the other frames we got. And so, on the wall with all the others it says, look at me, I'm different but still look good next to these others. These conformists. I like his personality a lot.
We inherited this sad little guy from my parents, I think, and I also think he is from South America somewhere. There was a time, that I don't speak of anymore, when I had him in the giveaway box. But then we took a second look and thought hey! doorstop! and now he is gainfully employed. And not only that but I think it gives our apartment a little character like, yeah, cough, we travel A LOT.
I have decided to extend Item Week into this week. I'll call it, Item Week Part Two. Last week's plan didn't go quite as I'd...planned, what with me mostly showing gifts my more thoughtful sister's gave me. So this week, it's the real Item Week.
This glass jar sits on top of a bookshelf in our bedroom and I think my aunt gave it to me after I told her I collect old jars. That was kind of a lie because I only have one other one, but I do love Old Things and this fits into the house nicely. 
Attached to some hot sauce Georgia sent for Bud in the New Orleans gift package was this bizarre but strangely appealing key chain. Small alligator paw? Are they called paws? Or is it merely the hand of a huge lizard? I don't know, but it sits in our house now like, yeah, we have a small weird streak. 
When deciding whether or not to include this picture in Item Week, I began to look at appropriateness on a sort of sliding scale. This might fall between hugging one of Bud's coworker's when he least expected it and meh, who really cares. I got these polka! dotted! underwear at AE a few weeks ago and I don't know if they are still running the special, but they are 8 for $25 and as I stood in the store trying to do the math, I realized, while I can't really DIVIDE in my head all that well, they are a great price. And polka dotted. Oh, and they are that sort of boy-short, lacy kind that I find flattering AND comfortable. You know, the kind I described at work? Disclaimer: I have already had a couple go loose in the strings. 
I guess all Item Week is proving is that my sister's are far more generous than I am. Here is a quaint wall hanging Georgia sent me, after a recent trip to New Orleans. I like to think she did it because when she saw it in the store she thought, Ah, Okra AND Tomatoes, I have to get this for Hope. Also, I love it and have it hanging in my kitchen now. 
Summer included these magnets in my Easter basket and, although not particularly useful, at least not until we have kids and we can hang their school drawings with sarcastic retro pictures attached to smart ass comments, they do make me smile.
If challenged to describe my doll-faced niece, Alison, in five words or fewer, it could only be, "I do what I want."
If someone had asked me, when I was still just a speck, what color I'd like my eyes to be when I was born? I would have picked the color of the sky in this picture.
I'll tell you exactly what Emeric is thinking in this picture and it goes something like, "Must...learn...how...to...raise...middle...finger."
When we took Ella golfing, at one point Bud handed her his club and let her try and whack the ball. We both stood there watching her struggle, wondering, if she's been golfing with her dad before, why can't she do this simple maneuver? When I showed Summer the video she looked at me and said, well, when Browning takes her, he HOLDS THE CLUB WITH HER. After all, she is just a ONE YEAR OLD. It is one of the videos I'd like to get uploaded when I have time. Sorry Ella, your aunt is an idiot.
Do you SEE THIS? Do you see why I have to sneak her M&M's when no one is looking, especially her mother?
Also taken at the concert the other night. It is wall art and has nothing to do with the music itself, but isn't it pretty?
A few nights ago I went to this concert and I don't have the time I'd like to tell The Internet about it, but, doesn't this art remind you of the book The Giving Tree? I kept looking at that little guy walking away from the trees and thinking, he took everything from them. Except, these retained their limbs.
During one of our many, many, let's! go! do! something! ideas this weekend, we headed to a bagel shop in an older part of town. When I say older part of town I mean a down payment for a house there also requires a kidney. In lieu of a kidney, a right arm will do. And that's on top of the down payment no one could possibly imagine saving. Ok, but, right, large chess pieces. In front of their quaint Town Hall. Rich people like to play chess with THIS size. AND THIS SIZE ONLY. Why do you think I worked so hard saving money in my youth? TO PLAY WITH A LARGE CHESS SET.
I found this change purse while shopping with Sarah at Forever 21 this weekend, and I think it's funny to call it a change purse when really I am mainly going to use it for lip gloss and tampons. The latter because I am tired of muttering something like, "can't think how to do this delicately!" as I pull a tampon out of my purse, shove it in my pocket and head to the bathroom at work.
There is a woman in our wine group who takes pictures for the newspaper. The newspaper. She was at this particular meeting to shoot for a possible upcoming story. So imagine, if you will, how I felt with my itty bitty point and shoot next to her, trying to get some Friday at Five pictures. This? No, ha, it's not my camera. You thought THIS was MY camera? No, no, just a compact piece of chunky metal I carry with me everywhere. 
There is this game we play in this family and it's called, simply, "Hawk!" And, have I told you this already? I will say it again in case, in case you didn't have enough ammunition for questions like, "Just how dumb is she?" The game goes like this, if you spot a hawk while driving, you point and yell, "HAWK!" And you get a point. The person with the most points at the end of the trip wins. There are a few more details to the game but I just realized this might be a statue of an Eagle, so I'll stop there.
This is my cousin's other dog, Mattie. She has a severe under-bite and had I gone to grade school with her, I probably would have made fun of her. And then regretted it terribly in my twenties.
Came with the Girl Scout cookies in the mail. This is the prettiest little mug and bonus! has an H on it. Do you know what H stands for? Megalomania, that's what.
Georgia, in her infinite mercy, sent me a box of Thin Mints. WHO'S THE BOOB NOW? PS - why are all the Scouts wearing helmets and what's with the chic in the front?
Minutes before they went on their first run. Perhaps their last, at least until it warms up again.
It took me a long time to jump on this bandwagon of large, seemingly ugly ring really looks extremely cool. But when I saw this on Etsy a few weeks ago it said, Nuh, uh, you're not passing ME up. I am genuine glass AND I'm pink. I think you see why I had to buy it. Now I wave it around like I'm not three years behind the curve.
I have long wondered what this old sign font is called. I wish I knew, so I could plaster examples of it all over my website and house. Probably it is not referred to as a font.
Last weekend we visited my family in west Alabama, which really just stands for Middle of Nowhere. They have a long-haired miniature dachshund named Reesie and I tried so hard to get a picture of her running next to Sadie. It was. Well, just incredibly cute. Like two sausages running around except one up and grew some hair! Reesie paws obsessively at puddles and it made me feel a little better about the weird things Sadie does. PHEW, I GUESS THEY ALL HAVE BRAIN DAMAGE.
For when the regular Piggly Wiggly is just too much.
I think this flower is called a mimosa and, I cannot think of anything prettier.
I could SEE that the water glistening on the leaves was beautiful, but could not capture the water on the leaves in the way that I so much wanted. So I handed the camera to Bud and he reached out his monkey arms and got me this shot. 
SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWED TO MARRY
Mary Alice was never as popular as Mary Jane. She lived a quiet life and when she died, they named a flower after her. 
I know I promised to minimize these types of pictures, but I dare you to to tell me this isn't so pretty, and such a creamy white, that you don't want to lick it like an ice cream cone. Also, smells like spring. 
I hesitate to write this, but when I first saw this picture I'd taken I thought, Hairy Witch's Butt. I don't know why. Like an ink blot test, could be I need therapy, could be I am a five year old boy.
This vase looks like it either fell into the hands of a five year old with a yellow marker, or someone incredibly talented who took days to produce his opus. Either way, I love the earthy brown and would tell people I got it on a recent trip to Africa.
These shallow bowls had square edges and would be so perfect for understated decorative plates around the house, or really cool for sushi. Unfortunately, we only have so much cabinet space and, as much as I'd like to break down our kitchen walls and build an addition, I don't think our apartment neighbors would appreciate that so much. 
If you're tired of the ceramics pictures, you're going to have to go ahead and say so. I have today's and probably one or two more. Then onto something else!
Here is another bit of prettiness I wanted to share. This has Hope at Age 13 all over it. Obsessed with Laura Ingells Wilder and things like "paisley" without really knowing what paisley meant. 
You may be asking yourself, how many lame ceramics pictures can this girl take? The answer would be many, but I will probably only post a couple more this week. If your kitchen is too small to buy them all, SHARE THEM WITH THE INTERNET THROUGH PICTURES. 
I will be honest and go ahead and tell you that snapping pictures in a big pottery warehouse is kind of embarrassing. But seeing all those stacks of brightly colored ceramic made me feel wild enough to overcome any shyness I might have felt. Luckily, I was shopping with a girlfriend. Had it been Bud, no doubt I would have been bundled out of the store immediately.
There's something so attractive about the willy-nilly-ness of a room just after a woman has gotten ready in it. Plus, yeah, late afternoon sun.
The color contact fad was modeled after eyes like this.
The card I gave Bud for Valentine's Day.
Here is the heart mold filled with chocolate, sweet chocolate. I added milk to the melting chips which I think is why I had to dig the chocolates out with a knife, and ruined the heart shape. No matter, I put the misshapen chunks into the brownies I made Bud yesterday for Valentine's Day. Those brownies are the anti-Christ of dieting.
Georgia has a tendency to be infuriatingly generous. This morning she asked me, "What'd you bet Summer sends us Valentine cards and makes us look like boobs for doing nothing for her?" which right, ok, I get what she's saying except for, she provided us goody bags for COMING TO HER ENGAGEMENT PARTY. Which included this sweet little rubber mold for candied hearts. WHO'S THE BOOB NOW GEORGIA? 
This is one of the cakes Georgia's friend Marie brought to Georgia and Peter's engagement party. I wanted to caress its smooth loveliness, but I thought, that might make some people uncomfortable.
Pen in mouth AND showing me how how many? Save a few party tricks for later.
I like to think, had she been born twenty years ago, we would have been best friends.
Georgia has two of these really cool retro prints my parents bought way back in the day. Somehow, in the whole Acquisition of The Only Three Cool Things My Parents Ever Bought, I am the loser.
The cap to the Amaretto. Bottle of Deliciousness. 
That bird, the one who snuck in the house and hung out? Left me this gift. I am thinking of adding a sign to this standing lamp now, one that reads: NOT A PERCH.
This picture pays homage to my mother. When I was very young I asked her to check into the prices for renting a cherry picker. You know, so I could collect birds' nests.
I hesitated to even post this picture because the bigger the shot, the worse the fondant looked. But I also found out yesterday that you can buy fondant at the store, already made. Something that should make my project so much easier. I wonder if they have entire wedding cakes premade.
I also bought these mainly because the labels are pretty. Unlike the bottle we bought this weekend based on label, these were not so good. Still, I have pretty little mini bottles. I took this picture because I am predictable and love late afternoon sunlight. 
Sarah and I bought this wine at Whole Foods yesterday. Our two criteria: cheap and cute label. Not exactly professional wine tasters.
