its still rock and roll to me

my heart belongs to rock and roll. i sing it all day and in most conversations.
well, rock and roll and broadway music, but my kids get a little cranky about andrew lloyd weber, so i stick to aerosmith, led zeppelin and their friends to provide most of the background music these days.

this morning i was singing "whats the matter with the clothes i'm wearing..." (and you will soon know why) so billy joel is my companion for now.

i got dressed in a brown giraffe-print skirt with a green sweater set and a brown belt. i slipped my shoes on and my darling daughter said "uh, that would look better if you wore brown shoes mom" -- (this should be read with as much 6 year-old fashionista attitude you can muster.)
"i AM wearing brown shoes" i informed her, to which she responded "let me get a closer look" she dropped herself down on the ground and put her face 3 inches from my BROWN pumps and conceded. "ok. youre right. i see now that they are brown. thats ok."

as we were leaving the house i noticed something odd. so i mentioned it "baby," i asked her sweetly, with much loving kindness, "do your socks match?" with a little smirk she said "nope." when i asked why, i got this for an answer: "cant i just be silly?" and so she went to school in black mary janes with one white sock and one pink sock. --and i wore brown shoes.

Doxology

praise God from whom all blessings flow
praise Him all creatures here below
praise Him above ye heavenly host
praise Father Son and Holy Ghost
Amen

today is the beginning of the Lenten season. though my denominational affiliates do not collectively observe Lent, i do every year. it is an intense and challenging season in which those who participate strive for prayer, self denial, repentance and spiritual growth in preparation for the observance of Holy Week marking the death, burial and resurrection of the Christ; Jesus.

i will tell you, though i am ashamed to, that this season is the most special time for me, personally. it truly is the only time through the year that i focus on self denial and repentance. by the time Holy Week gets here, i am (generally) more sensitive to the Word of the Lord, more patient, more loving -- more of the things i should be all year long.

i would love to tell you that i am always consistent with my Lenten commitments, but i am not. i would love to tell you that my devotion to my Savior is unwavering, but its not. i am constantly reminded of my weaknesses. and subsequently reminded that "His strength is made perfect in weakness." --and for that, i am grateful.

the big easy

saxaphones saxaphone-ing. magicians magician-ing. the river rolling. the garden district gardening. trumpets trumpeting. st. charles sainting. bourbon street bourboning. where am i?

well, right now im pretending to be there in the big easy. new orleans. today, more than most days, i am longing for the music and the festivity and most of all the food that new orleans has to offer. i love food and music more than love folding laundry or picking up toy cars.

in an effort to bring new orleans cuisine here (since i clearly cannot go there) i will be visiting my friends at the cajun king

i rank this restaurant in my top 3 favorites in the metro area.

since Lent starts tomorrow i will enjoy this buffet A LOT.

i will try to forget that when bub hugged me last night he said "wow, youre soft" which i took to mean "wow, youre fat" because thats how i hear things. but i like food. i like it.

you got a friend in me

i was ironing my shirt this morning- its a white button-up tunic - and i started thinking about the first time i wore this particular shirt. it was memorable, i dont always remember 'the first time i wore _________' , but in this case i do.

it was a friday. i know this because at work, we have 3 o'clock break time on wednesdays and fridays, chelsea was babysitting my kids that day - i remember because she said i looked cute, and she watched the children on fridays. thats how i know.
so, at break time, my "friend", curt, asked me how many months til i was due. at that particular moment, i wanted to punch him in his face. he was kidding (i think) but still, he knew i was not pregnant, he just thinks hes funny.
curt is not a good friend.
chelsea IS a good friend because her comment was encouraging, kind, brilliant and clearly the more correct of the two.

today, i went to tell curt about my painful memory, and this is how the conversation went:

me: i was ironing this shirt this morning and thinking about the first time i wore it
curt: (interrupting) oh, when you were pregnant?

again. i would punch him in the face if he was not 12 feet tall.

when i see chelsea again, maybe she will say i look cute. i will hug her.

your fault

when things get busy, i stop writing. i think of all sorts of things that would probably entertain you, but by the time i slow down enough to write them i have forgotten what i was going to say in the first place.
second place... (if you havent seen Into the Woods, SEE IT. read the lyrics to this song here and you will be glad you did -- at least i will be glad.)
today is dr. seuss's birthday.
we were almost late to school because of this important fact. sissy was making dr. seuss a card. i didnt have the heart to tell her he was dead. i just told her to put her shoes on... in the car... because we were late... and what in the world had she been doing all morning anyway?!?!
it wasnt pretty. the conversation, that is -- i never saw the card, but she said it was left in the floor of the living room because i made her hurry. ugh. it was all my fault.

last night we (the kids and i) were watching an undisclosed music competition on tv. some not-so-good singer was on and i said "i dont like this guy". my smallest child thought i said "i dont like the sky" to which he exclaimed "GOD MADE THE SKY AND YOU DONT EVEN LIKE IT???!!!" i laughed. i thought about telling him that i said 'this guy', but i figured the response could be exactly the same. i should work on liking the things God made. i will start with the sky and then move on to endangered species. i choose not to start with people, for obvious reasons.

you are now completely up to date on the goings on in my life.
oh-and evidently, i am allergic to the meds i have been taking for strep. i will stop taking the meds against medical advice. vanity, my friends, is near the very top of my list of priorities.