Oscar Night

Tonight is Oscar night. I have a very special place in my heart for Oscar night. I love the movies, I love the fashion, I love the traditions of honoring the best movies. I used to try to see all the films before the awards show. Now, that isn't possible with the little ones around (I have seen all of the animated films!!). But regardless, I love the show.

Eleven years ago, Joe and I were married the day before Oscar night. On the day of the big show, we began our drive to Key West to spend the week on our honeymoon. Our goal was to make it as far as Hollywood, FL to stay at my sister's house for the night. It seemed fitting to watch the show in Hollywood. Unfortunately, we couldn't get that far south in time for the telecast, so we spent the night at a Holiday Inn in Fort Pearce eating our wedding reception leftovers and drinking champagne. Steve Martin was hosting. Still my personal favorite host.

Tonight, as I live tweet the show (I have found my calling on Twitter - writing about awards shows. Other than that, my tweeting is crap.), I recall that lovely night that Joe and I watched our favorite awards show on our second night as a married couple. We both remember it fondly.

Even though Jacks was furious with me for changing the channel to the red carpet today, and he expressed confusion about the importance of the show, I think we might be raising a couple of Oscar lovers.....

Strawberry Shortcake

The date on this picture is December 1982.

I loved these dolls.

And now, so does Nealy.Over the course of 30 years, most of their clothes have been misplaced. But thanks to my mother's complete inability to throw anything away, every doll has been saved, every hat, every pet (every Strawberry Shortcake doll came with her own pet), most of their shoes and tights (all green and white striped), and both Strawberry containers and their play gazebo - all still in tact. I even found the original catalog of all of the Strawberry Shortcake collection (you know - those little look books that come with most toy packaging). Their hair is a little misshapen, their skin is kind of sticky, but they have maintained their signature aroma. Nealy already has a collection of modern Strawberry Shortcake dolls (in fact, her collection is pretty complete - from Lemon Meringue to Plum Pudding), but she spends just as much time with this retro set.

I'm so proud.

Count your blessings.....

I have had a rough week. I've complained to anyone who would listen that my week has been crap. I've been overtired and borderline migraine-riddled all week, I've had a ridiculous amount of work to do with little time as I was on my feet teaching bell to bell each day for the second week in a row (this isn't to say that I don't regularly teach my students - but sometimes some self guided work/group work/quiet time is nice to regroup, enter grades, answer emails, etc....), I managed to get my feelings hurt more than once, my life at work turned into a drama of epic proportions, I didn't make my workout goals for the week thanks to some afternoon detours, and my oldest child has tried me over and over again.

I have blamed my terrible week on a single black cat which literally crossed my path one night over a week ago. But, I know that in reality, it has just been a run of the mill week of trials and tribulations in the life of a working mother. And it all began the night before Valentine's day....

A trip to return a movie and pick up some candy at Walgreens turned ill fated. Nealy was in her bed with Joe fighting sleep, and Jacks joined me for what was supposed to be a quick and easy errand. We were both in pajamas, so we threw on some hoodies and boots and headed out. Jacks picked out a new movie from the RedBox kiosk, and we went into the store to pick up some SweetHearts candies for my math classes to use the next day.

Let me preface this by saying that the entire ride consisted of me explaining to Jacks that he could not have any candy, he did not need to ask for or beg for any candy, he would be coming home with a bagful of Valentine's the next day with plenty of candy, so he could just give it up. He met each statement with a very respectful, "Yes ma'am."

As soon as we entered the store, he simply could not help it. The begging began. What could he have? What was for him? Why would we go there without getting him a treat? Mommy get me this, mommy get me that, mommy I want, I want, I want. I quietly responded with no, no, no. I reminded him of his impending Valentine's treats. I reminded him of our car conversation. My calm did not waiver. When his requests turned to whines, my calm began to slip.

I bent over, grabbed his face, and said through clenched teeth, "Stop it right now. I. Am. Not. Kidding. With. You." That's when he began simply picking things up, shoving them at me, pinching my arm, and bending my fingers. I think it is the understatement of the year to say that I snapped. I put down the SweetHearts I intended to buy on the closest available surface, I grabbed him by the arm, and I began to storm out of the store while dragging him with me. He immediately fell to the floor like a sack of bricks. So I hoisted him up by his collar and threw him outside into the cold into the van.

Needless to say, as my grandfather might say, he got told what for. I took away TV for the week, and I told him that his Valentine candy would be placed under quarantine. He was sent to bed immediately when we got home, and I cringed as I heard him sobbing into his pillow. I did go in his room to read him a book, give him some hugs and kisses, and attempt to comfort him. But I did not take it back. I did not apologize.

It was agonizingly difficult.

This single event set forth the week of difficulties that brought about a somber mood around my house that has still not lifted.

And yet.....isn't it funny how a series of unfortunate events can so severely outshine the blessings in your life? Let me count ours from this week:

• My children and amazing husband gifted me with more handmade gifts than I can count on Valentine's morning.
• Many of my students delivered handwritten Valentines to me, and one wonderful student brought her grandmother to school to visit me. This amazing woman brought me a kind gift of Valentine's chocolates and a handwritten poem written just to me. This single act of kindness should have been enough to keep me sailing through Friday.
  
• The no TV rule in our house granted us better family dinners, more time to visit with one another, and lots of requests for us to play with the kids.
• After Valentine's night, both kids forgot about all the candy that I took away from them and hid on top of the refrigerator.
  
• Our most favorite neighbor brought us a gorgeous handmade gift bag of candies and lollipops for the kids - also hidden on top of the refrigerator.
  
• We live in a comfortable family home with a host of treats on top of the refrigerator.
  
• The temperature stayed in the 60s all week long with enough sunshine to pull anyone out of the doldrums.
  
• So many of my dear friends sent well wishes to me via Facebook when I declared myself to be having a terrible day.
  
• We have health. We have family. We want for nothing.
• Even though we can't rightfully afford it, I'm currently figuring out what we can sacrifice so we can take a cruise for Spring Break. After the week I've had, I feel desperate for something to look forward to.
  

Despite this freakishly awesome list of blessings, why can't the difficulties of the past week roll off my back? Why can't I let the good things in my life wash away the bad? Why is it so hard to will yourself to remember to be happy? To be grateful for what you have? To remember that life could be profoundly more difficult?

I will continue to try to remember.



In the meantime, I will still be planning that cruise....

Reality Television

In general, I'm against it. I withdraw from entertainment that could be described as "cringe worthy." But when it comes to reality television, I have two exceptions to my rule:

1. Project Runway. I mean - have you seen it? It's genius. It never gets old. Any show with that much talent rocks the jam. Yes, these people are crazy and they are trying soooooo hard to create drama amongst their ranks in order to cross over from game show territory into reality show world. But, in the end, after a trip to what has GOT to be the most amazing fabric store in the free world (Mood - I want to go to there), and a whole lot of sewing, there's a super fabulous runway show. Who could ask for anything more? Well, there's something more.

There is currently a spin off from my beloved Project Runway which showcases a cadre of PR non-winners. I don't call them losers, because they won my heart the first time around, so they never really lost (Austin Scarlett - I love you and your crazy ass hats. Are you in a barbershop quartet? Are you going to a church as a black lady? So great....). And, even though this All Stars show does not feature Heidi Klum (so weird without her - and who else is heartbroken over her divorce from Seal? Come on!) nor does it feature Tim Gunn (how I adore thee), All Stars has something better.

Isaac. Mizrahi.

If you've never seen Unzipped, you should. If you've never watched Isaac talk about himself and bent collars and hushpuppy boots and fur hoodies and Eartha Kitt and Mary Tyler Moore and just whatever fabulous things pop into his brilliant, giant mind, you need to get on that. Or maybe not. I don't know. I just know that I love him. And he's on Project Runway All Stars giving his opinion, and it is GOLD. Isaac, y'all. Isaac.

2. The Kardashians Hot Mess of Reality Television. There are apparently several different shows that surround this freakish dynasty, but I honestly can't tell them apart other than in which city they are currently dwelling. Which is either LA, New York, or Miami. I'm led to understand that one of them will be moving to Texas soon, and you better believe that I will be watching. Well, kind of. I tend to watch it in bulk when they decide to show three or four shows in one night. And on that one night, I cannot look away.

Okay, so here's the thing. This is a clan of people who produce, create, and provide nothing of value for anyone. They loll about their embarrassingly huge mansions complaining about what can only be described as "white girl problems." There was an entire plot line where one sister brutally eviscerated another sister over being woken up on a day she wanted to sleep late. It was a multi-episode arc! So why can't I look away?

Well, maybe I'm fascinated to watch these beautiful women (I know it's hard to see - but they are gorgeous) who choose to alter their appearance with layers upon layers on make up and lip plumpers and fake eye lashes - on a NORMAL day. Fake eyelashes. Not for Halloween. Not for a fancy dress up occasion. For a Monday. And the boots - I think I witnessed three different pair of over the knee boots in one episode. The hand bags. The jewels - that famous one's engagement ring was the size of a mah jong tile. The nails, the monstrous hair. Does anyone know how long it takes to get those long flowing locks? They might look effortless and free form, but it takes a lot of product and tools to create that easy going hair.

And the homes these people live in. With some of the most beautiful pieces of furniture. If I walked into my bed room and regularly saw a king sized bed with a perfectly upholstered head board with nail head trim, I think I might smile a little bit bigger. I wouldn't be flopping around against it with my over processed hair (think Soul Glo from Coming to America, y'all).

Is it the life they live? Is it that they don't seem to work that hard for it? Is it that their idea of working is making appearances, choosing products to attach their names to, and talking excessively about NOOOOOTHING is all a recipe for television gold? I really don't know. But it is just one of those dirty little secrets of mine. I love it, I can't look away; I hate it, I can't look away.

That is all for now. I'm staying up too late on a school night once again....

Long time no see

Well, the blog has become an abandoned space. The elements have taken over, and the old place is nearly undetectable. I will try to inch my way back in with tales of my little family and our crazy antics.

The holidays nearly zapped me. And there are so many things that I still didn't do - like send a few presents to far away family members and finish some sewing projects for gifts. When the new year hit, I hardly knew what had happened. The passing of time seems to speed up with every year, and I can barely catch my breath.

Throughout this joyous holiday time, the children managed to have a wonderful time, we managed a few trips to see family, I managed to find 10 lost pounds, and we managed to rip apart and slowly rebuild our tiny master bath. And the latter of which is what I'll tell you about today.

Back in the fall, a simple plumbing job turned into a major ordeal when our plumber discovered disintegrating pipes dripping behind our tiled walls. Repair meant tile removal, which would soon lead to bigger problems. The tile was original to the house, and replacing it would be nearly impossible. After a little research, I learned that the pink tile in our 1950s house was called Mamie Eisenhower pink, and there were nearly 95 shades of it when it was new. The discoloration with age can make the shade different over time, and warehouses that sell replacements are hard to come by. And so it was determined that with no budget, no time, and no desire to start ripping out walls, that it would be done anyway.

Basically Joe planned to do the majority of the work himself, but in the end he mostly contracted it out. He certainly did a tremendous amount of work. The demolition itself was a major job, and he painted, poured a new concrete floor, painted it and stenciled it, he built a new shower pan, and he sealed up seams and trims and more.....the jobs that he completed were things we had no idea would need to be done. Mostly because neither of us had any idea of how to even begin to completely renovate a bathroom - a job which was much larger than we ever imagined. Even for our little tiny bathroom. It seems that size has very little to do with the amount of work.

Anyhoo.....on the day that the last trailer of debris was hauled away and this eve of the first shower to be taken in the new bathroom (nearly three months since the first hammer crashed through the walls), I will share a few before and after shots with you. I am a little embarrassed to share these because the before shots are really bad. We didn't take any when the bathroom was clean and presentable, but they were taken when things were beginning to be dismantled. Ok, ok.....here they are.....


There are still tons of details to finish, and the after shots here are still not representative of all that we have done in the past few days. A ceiling height shower curtain was added (which I don't love - it was not the spa waffle pattern I had hoped for, but it will have to do until I can find the right one), the shower head was replaced and a corner shelf was installed, there is a second wall cabinet above the one you see in the middle picture. Also, there are lots of things I would still like to do - the window shade is a little plain and I'd like to make a curtain with a fun print, the mirror is the perfect size but not the right color so I'd like to paint the frame, accessories and towel hooks/racks and new towels need to be found. And then there is the issue of the door. You might notice in the middle picture that there is no door or door frame. We have a plan in the works, so I hope to post more on that later. It's going to be good. (sneak peek: click over and scroll down to the yellow door)

I hope I will be posting more this week. For now, this has been a good inch into blog rejuvenation. I promise I'll become an oversharer again very soon. Let's look forward to hearing more on the bathroom, tales of my journey into the world of yoga, plans for class Valentine's gifts, the constant hilarity of Jacks and Nealy, my opinion on the Kardashians (yes - I have one), reviews of new and awesome shows (Portandia! Revenge! Project Runway Allstars!), upcoming Oscar coverage, and more. For now, peace be with you. :)