Thursday's things

Recently I've been noticing a new trend in nail polish.  Besides all the fantastic summer colors... including neon and soft, yet bright pastels...there has been an ever growing appearance of painting one nail, usually the ring finger or index finger in a different shade than the rest.  So, when I met some friends last week for pedicures, I decided to give the trend a try on my toes.  Aside from the initial response from the toddler and husband..."oh, no, what happened to that nail?"...the response has been fun and I really love the complimentary colors.  I chose Essie's "mint candy apple" for all my toes and OPI's "Cajun shrimp" for my big toe on the left foot.  I'm loving the funkiness of it!  So, give it a try on your toes or fingers...and say hello to summer fun!

image credit: Atlantic-Pacific

red, white, and blue

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

Whether you're headed to the beach, to the lake, getting together with family or friends...have a safe and wonderful Memorial Day weekend honoring those who have served this great nation.  We are eternally grateful for your preservation of our freedom...not just this weekend, but everyday of the year!

Thursday's things

A dear friend of mine recently experienced a situation that all of us have experienced at some point...leading to feelings of hurt and resentment, which got me thinking about how I, myself, handle forgiveness. If you haven't figured out by now, I'm a fairly emotional person. I take heart with my actions and try terribly to please everyone, say the right things, and be a friend to everyone. However, in doing so I often find myself buried chest deep in doubt and worry, and even sometimes anger. The husband always says, "you're gonna have to let this go". And I know he's right but sometimes it's not so easy. Which got me thinking about letting things go in general, what it means to forgive, listen, and understand...how is it that sometimes we are so blindsided by the truth that we...make up our own? There are always two sides to every story...good or bad. Don't you remember playing that game "I've got a secret" in elementary school? The teacher would tell the first person on the first row of the classroom a secret. We'd sit there in our little wooden seats with baited breath as the first student whispered to the next and then that classmate whispered it to the next and so on and so forth. The excitement building...what could it be? What "would" it be by the time it got to me? Rarely did the exact secret the teacher told ever make it to the last person correctly. It evolved, grew or got smaller, less wordy or more wordy, or sometimes it changed completely. What happens though in every day life when we make up our own "truth"? Sometimes in life we get knocked down...the wind taken right away as if we can't possibly draw another breath...but what makes us unique and resilient is that we have the ability to learn from mistakes...whether they're our own or others. We can pick ourselves and the pieces up and move on. But, to do so without regret, isn't it only fair to get both sides of the story? How is it possible to forgive only one side? Doesn't that just make you a hypocrite? And so I say this...in the immortal words of Paul Harvey...(sort of)...you should get "the rest of the story". To be a good-hearted person, true to faith, and capable of love...you have to be able to forgive or the chip will only get bigger, heavier...driving everyone away. How do you "let things go"? Do you prefer to get things off your chest, talk it out, forgive and move on, or do you stew about things? In thinking about what it means to forgive...I came across this from the Mayo Clinic...

What is forgiveness? Generally, forgiveness is a decision to let go of resentment and thoughts of revenge. The act that hurt or offended you might always remain a part of your life, but forgiveness can lessen its grip on you and help you focus on other, positive parts of your life. Forgiveness can even lead to feelings of understanding, empathy and compassion for the one who hurt you. Forgiveness doesn't mean that you deny the other person's responsibility for hurting you, and it doesn't minimize or justify the wrong. You can forgive the person without excusing the act. Forgiveness brings a kind of peace that helps you go on with life.

And so, think about your actions, make sure you're putting your best foot forward, and remember that moving away from your role as a victim is essential...because there is rarely one victim in a disagreement...in fact, sometimes there is an entire family.

image credit: weheartit
quote credit: The Mayo Clinic

Thursday's things

C. Wonder

I love everything about this store!  While I've never set foot into a brick and mortar, the online experience is "Wonder"-ful!  They have an amazing collection of, well...everything!  Classic, preppy, traditional items at a sweet price makes them top in my book...not to mention the glossy green doors...I mean...a page out of the Hermes-Burch-stunning-entryway-handbook!  I'll take one of everything please! 

Check them out for yourself...you won't be disappointed!

image credit: c.wonder

vampire teeth and fishnets not included

Something very strange is going on in this head of mine.  Somehow I've become a lady of the night...and by that I don't mean a hooker or a vampire.  However, I can't stop looking forward to the evening.  Every single day, I find myself thinking about relaxing and watching t.v. or looking at a magazine and going to bed.  Maybe it's my subconscious trying to tell me that I'm uber tired...and, well that is the case most days but that's not going change anytime soon since I have a toddler (although she's kind of a preschooler at this point)!  Maybe it's that the husband is home in the evenings and maybe I'm just lonely for some adult time or maybe I'm just one of those people who always wants something to look forward to and my nearsightedness has me shooting for the very short term...whatever the reason may be I can't stop willing the days away waiting for the sun to slip away.  Kinda funny how things go...when we were kids we couldn't wait for Christmas, or Summer, or Disney World, and now...I'm just waiting for 6pm!  Next thing you know I'll be eating the early bird special and home in time for Wheel of Fortune.  Maybe it's the gloomy weather we've had the past few days...or maybe it's just Monday! No worries, I won't be guiding any midnight cemetery tours or walking the streets...nope, I'll be curled up with new glossies, watching "my shows" and in bed after the 10:00pm news!  What do you look forward to?

image credit: sweet fairy boutique 



Thursday's things

Sunday is Mother's Day and for years I asked my own mother why they got a special day, to which she would reply that they got only one day and every day was "kid day".  Never could I understand this.  But now, as a mother myself, I fully understand the meaning of this day.  Here are some things that have helped me to understand what it's all about, and while this list is mostly filled with a wee bit of angst, I do have an equally long list of wonderful things that make me melt!  So, here we go...

• "mama, mama, mama, mama..." - screamed from top of lungs EVERY morning about 7am is terribly jolting for those sleeping.
• "why, but why, but why, but why??" - my response of "because I said so" is TOTALLY ineffective as are most answers.
• "mama, I like daddy the best" - I'm fully aware that this switches whenever convenient for her.
• "mama, I really NEED that" - she is 3, there isn't much she needs other than food, shelter, clothing, and a bath.
• public meltdowns - my excuses are endless but the "no nap" one usually is my go-to excuse for all those staring.
• "I'm taking my shoes off" - I feel as though I am putting shoes on her all day long.  She will never love shoes the way I do...which might be a good thing!
• wide awake at 3am asking..."what are we going to do today" - this doesn't happen every night but it's never predictable.
• "I want mama to do it" - no matter how much help I try to solicit I can still hear her from the next room saying this, which usually requires I intervene.
• "I'm in charge now" - fun for obvious reasons, especially in public.
• "you're mean mama" - this is also fun in public.
• "mama doesn't do that" - usually heard when by chance she lets someone do something for her other than me.
• "can I get a surprise", "did you get me a surprise", "do you have a surprise for me" - apparently we have given her too many surprises...ugh! 
• "help", "rescue me"  - these are fun quips to hear in the middle of the night, in a frantic voice, for obvious reasons.

Of course there are many, many more things that make up the not so glamorous part of motherhood and what makes Mother's Day the very deserving day it is.  And then, out of the blue the toddler will ask, from the next room over, if I can feel the kisses she blows to me, or she will tell me I'm her best friend and make me forget all those other things altogether.  It's a give and take, I suppose, and well...I plan on taking a nap someday...maybe Mother's Day!

image credit: Walter Chappell  1962 

Mrs. Roper

If there was ever a style I've loved...it's Mrs. Roper...you know her...the caftan wearing, loving wife of Stanley.  Soooo, imagine my excitement when I got a sneak peek of The Webster of Miami's spring line for Target!  I couldn't wait for it to hit stores and just in time for summer and our family's annual jaunt to the beach. The collection hit stores yesterday and unlike the Missoni debacle, it was still there when I arrived later today to try on a few pieces. I ended up getting the "wallpaper maxi" which looks incredible on! There's something about that wallpaper look of big green leaves that transcends time.  I can remember a childhood friend's powder room growing up having nearly the same paper as a friend of mine now who ironically has it in her powder room as well.  The vintage charm of it begs for a lawn party or outdoor wedding of which I hope to oblige! Or maybe I'll just sit around sipping cocktails and flirting with Jack...either way, I'll be channeling my inner Mrs. Roper, er, minus the hair! 

image credit: (first) The Webster of Miami (second) The Webster of Miami for Target

Thursday's things

GO BABY GO!  This weekend is one of my all time favorite events...The Kentucky Derby! While the husband and I won't be able to go this year, we will be there in spirit.  While perusing our local swanky men's store this week I came across a gem of an item.  Of course I'm a huge fan of needlepoint and that being said...a huge fan of Smathers & Branson.  Nestled among the needled crab, sailboat, and trout...a hunter green hat with a little mint julep gleamed back at me!  I debated on getting it for the husband but he's super picky about the fit of hats...so, I thought maybe I'd get it for myself.  But, I have the tiniest head ever and usually have to wear youth size hats. Alas, I left it at the store but not before encouraging the sales guy that they should do a Derby window display with that hat and a seersucker suit.  He was excited at my suggestion and so now even as I'm typing this thinking I may go back and take a chance on the husband's picky-ness...I bet someone else is already sporting this number and, well...that's a little needling to say the least!  Check out Smathers & Branson for all your needlepoint needs. 

image credit: Smathers & Branson

Done

And just like that...the toddler is potty trained.  After a year of systematic begging and backing off she finally decided on a whim...on her own...that she wanted to start pottying in the potty.  It has been a long time coming and it has transformed our lives!  No longer do I feel the weight of the world on my shoulders as a Mom who, like her toddler, had no interest in the potty training battle.  I will say, one of my best friends, a mother of 3, once told me that no matter how much I push her, she will not go until she is ready.  It's a decision they have to make on their own, she told me.  After hearing stories of her putting a potty in front of the television and still having her son not go in it, I decided that she was probably right.  And so, after a year of tear-filled bathroom sessions something clicked.  Now...the toddler's teeth might possibly rot out of her head as she's consumed enough Starbursts to account for every star in the universe!  But alas, if that's what it takes...then so be it.  There also may have been mention of her getting an iPad for using the potty with no accidents...we're going on day 4 with no accidents...who's counting?  Er, uunfortunately, she is!

image credit: baby bjorn