i love a sesame bagel with plain creme cheese

I always feel the need to redeem previous posts.

I got a topiary today from Harris Teeter. It might as well have been ordered from a Williams Sonoma catalog. Originally priced at $36.99, I got it for $8.66. I have no idea where they get these prices, but regardless it was a steal. While checking out the woman behind me exclaimed, "Was that topiary with the Halloween markdowns?!" "Yes!" I replied with joy. You know it's worth it if someone is willing to get out of the "short" lane at Harris Teeter Barracks road on a Friday at 3:00 in order to hopefully nab one of the few remaining marked down topiaries. I'm very pleased with my purchase.

Grace had a parent observation day today at dance class. It was almost too fabulous to take in. She was so stinking adorable. However, on a random side note... I've noticed that this dance studio has earned the buisness of several trendy upper-class cville families. Granted, the classes and instruction are fabu, but the studio itself is totally rundown, ya'll. The carpet needs replacing. The tile floors in the bathroom are filthy. The paper towel dispenser is rusty. The picture frames are dusty. The chairs in the waiting area are dusty blue, scratchy polyester, that look as though they came from an early 90's event and conference center. It is such a clash of realities to see the Petunia pickle bottom diaper bags slung onto these chairs. I don't get it. I guess the owner has a corner on the dance market and can maintain her income without having to invest in decent asthetics. I'm over it, but it initially pained me.

Tonight was Halloween. Pictures will be available very soon. Nana and Papa came over, as did the Dickersons and we enjoyed filet, garlic red-skin mash, pencil thin asparagus, olive oil bread, apple-pie, hot chocolate and ice cream. We sat out front with a blazing chimanea, wrapped ourselves in quilts and spilt a few Coronas on the driveway. It was just lovely. Christa blessed us with her artisan pumpkin carving ways, and Beau kept us entertained with his unintentional Dwight-isms. Despite Grace being over-loaded with candy and needing a good spanking by the end of the evening, we made out alright. She was so adorable, of course.

Before dinner my skin was so dry and itchy I decided it would be a good idea to utilize my Walmart rosemary peppermint foot scrub toward an all-over body exfoliation. You know, it really wasn't that bad. I closed my eyes and tried to imagine I was in the spa at the Ritz getting an aromatherapy sugar glow. The shards of pumice and menthol ushered me into that holistic tranquility just fine I must say. This is not an indication that my standards are slipping. It's just the fact that a tub of sugar scrub from Bath and Body can never be purchased with a coupon and always seems to be over $18. Is anyone else bothered by this? I am thankful for my vivid imagination which can transform and/or deny reality at times.

I have been recently obsessed with sesame bagel's and plain creme cheese. I have gained like 5lbs over them. I have at least 2 every day. It's out of control and yet totally intentional. I can't seem to get enough of them.

I'm sorry I've wasted your time with such a random and non-uplifting post. These are the random things that fly through my brain.

hardware

Do you not love this? In the spirit of full disclosure these are not the first un-safe "toys" that the Face has played with. The list includes matches, Venus razor refills, nail-polish, and a swiss army knife. You have to just trust that I am big on safety. Let's face it. We've all got just a little Britney in our backgrounds.




We are getting new dressers so Grace is taking the older ones. Of course, I want to change the hardware and paint them. Can you believe crystal/acrylic pulls are $18 a piece!! Insanity. I was so pained. Antique bronze it is.

Let's not get hasty

My, My. I sense that my handful of readers felt my last post was more of a snip than a snipet. If ya'll keep insisting on a perfected future version of me than I just don't know what I'll do. I must remain transparent. Deal with it, siestas.

Hum. So what to blog about? Well, on a superficial note, we got a new stainless steel refrigerator, stove and microwave today. They were supposed to deliver yesterday and dropped the ball, so we scored a customer service induced upgrade to the GE Profile line for our microwave. It is a convection microwave. Supposedly I could cook steak in it. Although delighted and thankful for the upgrade, I doubt that I will actually ever cook steak in a microwave, or any other main dish for that matter. I am completely in the tank over healthful, organic, and all-natural foods. Sometimes microwaves creep me out. I totally buy the cancer causing hype, and try to limit my re-heats to java and popcorn only.





Mark is at small group right now. I felt wretched tonight so I didn't go. Grace was being a pill and not feeling well herself after 24 hours spent at Gigi's house, and I really didn't think we could muster the energy to go. I rarely ever miss and struggle with giving myself a break over things like this. I need to let it go and not be so self-condemning.

Some of you may remember my mineral mocking ways. WELL, I've actually come to embrace the mineral makeup for gym days. It takes me the same amount of time as my regular makeup, and I look half as nice, but more natural. I would feel silly at the gym with a full face of base, so the minerals is more culturally appropriate. I had tried a Physicians Formula version at one time, and I am using the MK now. The MK definitely has more coverage, which I appreciate.

AND, I've been using an airbrush self-tanner in DEEP of all shades and I love it. It is a non-rub formula and dries almost instantly. One puff to the face every 3 days and I maintain golden brown color. I have never been more pleased with a self-tanner. No odor too! (it bothers me to write that, but you know what I mean) I didn't intentionally purchase the deep, and remarkably it isn't too navajo.

a snipet

My mom sends random clippings of randomness. There is usually an accompanying sticky note with some cryptic message directing me to really read the enclosed. I can so see her at the kitchen table trimming the thing from the Post. Coffee grown cold. Sometimes the call to read on the sticky is underlined. It's like she already knows that I'm liable to immediately toss the whole thing. Is anyone else's mother like this? Today I received a same such clipping with corresponding sticky. It was actually a heart wrenching article about women dieing in Africa in child-birth. Just the clipping intended for a daughter come from the throws of infertility struggles, evidently. I got over that rather quickly, believe it or not. I suppose the underlying moral message intended was that I should be grateful. It could be worse. Of course, in typical fashion, the sticky had some reference to my sweet friend who is living in Abuja, Nigeria. Mom thought, of course, that the area named in the clipping was the same area that my friend lives in. "Am I remembering correctly that this is where your friend is?" No mom. No. Thanks for the clipping. I've recieved all manner of topics. From heirloom tomato farming to look-alike relatives to random girls I don't know winning pageants to any imaginable global tragedy or freak-show health condition. I wonder how certain things get through the filter.

I would like to put the disclaimer that my heart has not grown cold to issues in Africa. According to the statistics, 1 in 8 women die in childbirth. Us girls like to laugh at mom's ways, but certainly the issues in the clipping were no laughing matter. It is truly unfathomable that women die from complications that could be easily treated. God's heart must break over the hypocrisy of our lavish lifestyles and unaffected prayer lives. May it not be, Lord.

Now it's my ginger tea that has grown cold, and hubs has gone to bed. The contacts are beginning to feel like saran and I'm beginning to regret the chocolate butter sauce that was consumed just prior to the roast tonight. The political roast, I mean. Was anyone else in awe of Katie Couric's gorgeous necklace? McCain was brilliant. Why can't he pull it off in a stinkin' debate! Pain.

Alright, time to go before the throne. Anybody else in need of some grace? Thank you, Jesus.

Nothing to do with it

Confession: Today at the gym I was scanning through the t.v. channels on the mini screen that is attached to my precor elliptical machine. I really wanted to watch a baby story on TLC, and paused momentarily on that channel, but wisely/pridefully returned to Fox News. Some random women's contractions would have distracted me far better than the dropping (or was it rising?) Dow, but I was just too embarrassed to openly proclaim that to all the weight lifters behind me. Like they care.

Mark and I are convinced that America is still the best nation on earth. Thank you, Sean Hannity. SO, we are refinancing with cash out. Our interest rate was super low, so we won't see much of a change in our monthly payment. We are in the process of deciding weather a Pottery Barn farmhouse bed, or a new hvac would be best. How do you really prioritize those? My flesh crys out for a matlasse duvet drapped over an espresso stained post.

Major update: Wednesday the clown car departed the 201 at 5:45 and headed down to Raleigh, N.C. for a church planting regional event with A29. We stopped at the Buck's in Richmond and I got two breakfast items. I really didn't feel as bad about that as I should have. Their old-fashioned cake doughnuts will change your life. When we finally got to Vintage, Portico's band had the honor of leading worship for the deal. It is so funny to go to these events. Every A29 guy looks like the next. Vintage 21 resembled Portico as well. Concrete floors, earth tones, exposed beams, etc. One thing, though, I was so thankful for, was our parking situation compared to theirs. They are literally in the heart of downtown and as far as I could tell you have to park blocks away. I was totally imagining a curbside baby bjorn service for families. The worship rocked and the speakers proved gospel centered. Elliott Grudem looked nothing as I imagined. Sadly, I had slept through some of his talk. Can you imagine? I was discreet, don't worry. Going to bed at midnight, and banking on an iphone for a wake up calls equates to not sleeping at all. I was completely a shell. Sad. Dinner out was so good. I ordered pork nachos. Did not disappoint. Stay tuned for a video that Mark is making on A29. I'll try to post it to my blog.



I returned Gracie's halloween costume. I was afraid she would be cold. It was a lady-bug tutu ensemble that could not accomdate the wearing of sweats or a black turtleneck. I exchanged the costume for a chocolate brown Ralph Lauren barn coat, so it was fine. I'm guessing she will only end up wearing some sort of headband thing.

I'm tired, now. I hope you get a kick out of this photo of my gorgeous husband. Evidently, by the way, the Dollar General refuses to carry any product that is all-natural.

Palin

She rocked the house. How sweet is little Trig? I can't wait to see how Obama supporters are going to try to defend and argue this one.