Gingerbread house building ... and destroying

One of the nights we were at my parents' for Christmas, we gathered around the table to decorate gingerbread houses. I mean, is there anything more quintessentially Christmasy than that? And, as my family is known to do, it quickly turned into a competition between Scott, Courtney, and my dad. Preston was more interested in taste-testing than competing. 

It was interesting to see each person's take on decorating. Preston opted for the place and clap approach. Dad slathered his house in almost an inch of icing ("It's a snowy chapel!"), while Courtney incorporated a candy straw roof and peppermint walkway. Scott hoarded all of the candy wreathes for his windows and used M&Ms as shingles (they ended up sagging, much to his dismay).

Each accused the other of stealing key design elements (they were worse than the designers in the workroom on "Project Runway"). More than one time did Scott throw in the towel only to rally back, claiming he was back in the lead (his orange slice awning was pretty impressive).

Once they were all finished, though, we wondered what to do with them. In true, Southern tradition, we decided the best way to see them off was with firecrackers. So, we took them to my grandmother's where my uncle has plenty of ammo to choose from and set aside time one afternoon for their demolition. 

Not only did decorating the houses bring us together, but destroying them did, too!

Gingerbread demolition from Jennifer Hannigan on Vimeo.

Christmas 2013

Christmas Eve in our new Christmas pjs

My favorite part about the holidays is remembering the years prior while in the midst of making new memories to look back on later. This year didn't lack old memories or new ones.

Saturday when we got in, we had our traditional holiday dinner with our longtime family friends. In the midst of banana-less banana pudding and catching up, we monitored the tornado warnings in the area. I can remember white Christmases but never one with tornados. Luckily nothing came of the warnings, only jokes at my expense because I'm jumpy at the mention of tornados.

Sunday night after church, we drove Preston to a nearby house that went National Lampoon-style on their Christmas lights. We pulled over to take in the waving Santa and illuminated Christmas Elmo while Preston ooh-ed over them.

Christmas lights galore/checking out the lights/playing with Charlie Brown

Shopping selfie/coloring while Daddy shops/Preston enjoyed J.Crew's mirror

Watching "A Muppet Christmas Carol"/stealing my cousin's iPod/this rocking chair was my great-grandmother's/Dad and the elusive toaster

We all sat around in the living room Christmas Eve eve watching "A Muppet Christmas Carol" while Mom wrapped her gag gift for my uncle (this year a camo-wearing, gun-toting Santa who would've fit in perfectly with the Duck Dynasty family). Courtney gave Dad his gift from her early because it would be difficult to take with us. It was a new toaster oven, but not just any toaster. Dad had particular specifications — the toaster needed a toast button. Courtney had scoured Amazon and other retailers, zooming in on photos of toasters in search of a toast button and was victorious in her seemingly fruitless quest. Dad was more engrossed in his toaster's owner's manual than the movie, and it lead to much discussion over how to properly toast an Eggo waffle. All the while Preston was sucking up to anyone with a smartphone or iPad, running up and hugging them, saying, "Hey!" while snatching it from their hands. He's addicted to Candy Crush, too.

Lots of card games were played. Few were won by me.

Preston helped set out cookies for Santa. He even helped eat a few.

Opening presents/smiling with Pops/Mimi's Christmas tree/posing with his new tricycle from my grandmother/he also got this cute name puzzle

The biggest highlight of Christmas though was on Christmas Day at my grandmother's when my 13- and 14-year-old cousins decided to get baptized. My family of 11 plus a few members from church whom my cousins had invited gathered in the quiet church and watched as they committed their lives to Christ. Scott led a few songs, and Daddy baptized them. It was amazing to me, watching these two girls who were just tiny babies seemingly days ago become my sisters in Christ.

Checking out the cows

My cousins, Katie and Lauren, with my mom and Preston

I hope your Christmas was just as memorable!

Ho ho, oh no

My sister and I went to the same mall Santa for several years when we were younger. The man who played Santa (Sorry, spoiler alert, kids) lived in the same town as my grandmother. Whenever we'd go see him, he'd ask if we were going to her house again this year and what we wanted for Christmas. His knowing us and how we spent every Christmas at her house (and where it was!) convinced us that he was no ordinary mall Santa. He was the Santa — who just so happened to spend the peak of his busy season in a Nashville mall handing out candy canes and two 5x7 photos.

It's the main reason I enjoy the consistency of the local Santa in the square. Hopefully Preston can build that same wonder about Santa through him. I'd been working on it this year, building Preston's Santa excitement, seeing as last year didn't go so well. I'd point to every depiction of Kris Kringle and say, "Ho ho ho!" Now Preston "ho-hos," too, whenever he sees the jolly ol' elf. But, as you can tell by the picture, Preston hasn't quiet warmed up to the "real" St. Nick. He did end up giving him a high five though, once he'd been rescued from his lap. 

So, perhaps next year the guy in red won't be so terrifying, but it seems that, much like Santa himself, crying on Santa's lap is itself a Christmas tradition.

P.S. It was 65 degrees on this day, so Santa opted for a non-traditional Hawaiian shirt instead of the red coat. Mele Kalikimaka!

Christmas card 2013

Every year I think to myself, "This is our best Christmas card! This one is going to be my favorite." And then the next year comes, and I have yet another new favorite. So, for the next 365 days, this is my favorite Christmas card. Once again, Cassie did a great job capturing our family — casually sitting out on a blanket in the front yard in our Sunday's best … like we're known to do from time to time. She especially did a great job getting a smile out of a grumpy, nap-needing Preston, who crashed soon after. 

So a very merry Christmas from the three of us. Come over and nonchalantly hang out on the lawn with us sometime!

(P.S. See my past most favorite Christmas cards here: Christmas 2012's card and cards from 2008 to 2011)

Weekend 1-2-3

1. I (finally) graduate with my master's in education Saturday. I remember sitting in the graduate director's office two years ago as she wrote "Projected graduation date: 2013" on my course list. 2013 seemed like an eternity away! We'd be living in a Jetsons' world by then. But, here at the end, it didn't feel nearly that long. My motto through the program has been "I can do anything for a little while," taking classes while nine months pregnant, working on a paper while nursing a baby, or balancing teaching a class and taking a class, I could do it because it was just for a little while. My family and Scott's family are coming for the weekend, so I'm looking forward to celebrating with them and not having to think about APA style for a while.

2. Now that I'm about to have more free time, I would like to actually read a book I chose rather than one assigned. This list review of several books from 2013 seems like a good place to start; I'd also like to read a few books that have been or are being adapted to movies, such as The Book Thief, The Wolf of Wall Street, and Serena.

3. On Sunday, Scott and I will have been married six years. I'll try to steer clear of too much mush here, but I am thankful to have had him by my side during these past six years. He's been incredibly supportive of me while I've been in grad school and has had to adjust his life to its schedule, too. They say that a marriage is a team, and he has been an incredible teammate, and that's something I've been extremely thankful for in this past year. I couldn't have done it without him.

I hope you have a educational, literary, celebratory weekend!

Snow day preparations

Grab some blankets and bread. The iceman cometh!

If you're anywhere in Arkansas, you know the end times are fast approaching. And by end times, I mean winter weather. Next to tornado season, I think this is the local weathermen's favorite time of the year when it comes to panic-enducing forecasts and serious storm team commercials.

Here in town, Walmart's bread, egg and milk supply are completely wiped out. (Why are french toast ingredients snow day essentials?) And, I'll admit, I'm following the herd mentality and will stop by the store on the way home just in case. If it does get bad, I'm looking forward to being snug at home, curled under blankets with my family, drinking hot chocolate, making a big pot of soup, and streaming Netflix.

Now, all of these sweet snow day dreams are completely contingent on no power failures. We have some candles and two dinky flashlights, but we're underprepared for any thing lasting more than an evening, especially since we are without a fireplace and our only means of cooking would be the grill outside.

So, in case the power does go out, who would like to keep a sweet baby and his parents for the duration? We might become hotel dwellers at the university's hotel and eat in the cafeteria. Anything for warmth and wifi!

What are your severe winter storm plans? Want to bunk with us in the hotel if things get rough?

Photo source: blankets

Thanksgiving, according to Instagram

I always have so much to be thankful for when this holiday rolls around, but I was especially thankful that I was able to have a whole week with my family due to "inclement weather" closing the university on Monday and Tuesday. We packed a lot in this week, mainly just relaxing and eating, but I didn't Instagram that. Here's what I did capture, though.

1. Soaking up the tree in all its glory
2. Preston got his first haircut right before we left town for Thanksgiving. We didn't do anything too drastic, and he handled the whole process very well.
3. Enjoying his tent from Gran. (We alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas between our two families, so we exchange gifts at Thanksgiving.)
4. Turkey Day = turkey bib
5. A mandatory family Thanksgiving photo
6. He was happy to be outside; I was happy he got one more wear out of the turkey hat I made him last year.
7. Cheesing it up coloring on the chalk table
8. A Throwback Thursday shot of little Scott. It's crazy how much Preston looks like him!
9. Preston helped make salt dough with Gran, but he wouldn't cooperate when it came time to make a handprint.



And here's a little video of Preston playing his drum with Scott. They had creative differences over who should be the drummer.

I'm so very thankful for my family and these times together!

Easy fabric garland

As I've mentioned before, a seamstress I am not. When it comes to DIY projects, it needs to include a hot glue gun or elementary school-level gross motor skills for me to do it. That's why I love this project: You just have to be able to use scissors and tie a knot. This is the second garland I've made like this, inspired by the rustic-looking fabric garlands I'd seen on — you guessed it — Pinterest. This one was for a camping themed baby shower, but I think the colors work well for Christmas, too, so I'm getting dual use out of it!

All you need is some fabric (about a yard of each should do it), scissors, and string (I've used twine before, and yarn for this one. Really, whatever you have around works). Cut strips of fabric twice as long as you want it to be (you'll fold it in half) and as thick as you want. I did about 10 inches by 2 inches.

Once you have a good little stack to work with, it's knot time. With your fabric folded in half, place it behind your string. Then bring the folded end to the front and loop the tail end through the folded part. Pull the tails to tighten the knot. And that's it! Like I said, simple. Keep doing that until you have as many fabric knots as you like, leaving some extra string at either end for hanging it wherever you'd like.

It would look pretty hanging from your mantle or even wrapped around your tree. Since we don't have a fireplace, I've taken to treating our buffet as a mantle. You work with what you have!

Let me know if you try this project. I'd love to see what fabrics you choose!

Weekend 1-2-3

1. We're getting our Christmas card pictures/Preston's 18 month pictures taken this weekend. Planning for these pictures got me thinking about last year's. Look at how little he was and what little hair he had. He was much easier to photograph back then — just a little, chubby lump to sit up and pose wherever we wanted. We'll see if he cooperates that well this Saturday, otherwise you'll get a Christmas card from Scott, Jennifer and the blurry streak formerly known as Preston.

2. Cold weather gets me in a crocheting mood. I have a couple of hats to finish, and I'd love to make a cozy, infinity scarf like this one. I live by a strict "you can never have too many scarves" motto; that's why I started making them myself. Yarn is cheaper than anything Anthropologie is peddling.

3. Lastly, since there's not a whole lot going on for us this weekend, I'd love to just have 15 minutes to paint my nails. That's not too much to ask, is it? I have this dark red polish from CoverGirl ("Wine Stain"), and I think it's a great fall/winter color. Plus, it was only $5, and I had a coupon so I got it for less than that. That makes it look 10 times better in my opinion.

I hope you have a photogenic, yarn-tangled, finally-some-time-to-yourself weekend!

(scarf, nail polish)

'Tis the season … a little early

I'm not trying to step on Thanksgiving's toes (I know there are some who are quite militant about protecting the holiday from Christmas' encroachment), but I'm getting into the Christmas spirit early this year. We put up our tree a couple of weekends ago because it was the only time we had free, and now that Preston's tree is up, too, I just can't help getting excited.

Pinterest is also to partly to blame for my early excitement because it's chock-full of Christmasy crafts, gifts, decor, recipes, parties … the list goes on. I would love to make that vintage garland to wrap around the tree or drape over the buffet by our front door. And the card holder would be so easy to make and is a cute way to display Christmas cards. We have a wire wreath holder, but it doesn't showcase the cards like I'd hoped it would. A shadowbox would be an easy afternoon Christmas project and a great handmade gift. I've seen some half-filled with jingle bells that are cute, too. As always, Anthropologie has the best stuff, and I love their simple dishtowel. We've already bought a few gifts since we're doing Christmas at Thanksgiving with Scott's side of the family, and this gift record download is a great way to keep up with gift ideas and what's been purchased, wrapped and delivered. I'm terrible at picking gifts, so I need all the help I can get. Lastly, these gift tags would be a great finishing touch to the presents under the tree.

So where do you fall on the Thanksgiving/Christmas continuum? Are you a strict no fa-la-laing until after Thanksgiving or does your jack-o-lantern wear a Santa hat?

O (felt) Christmas tree

So, it looks like we won't have to ignore my whole "I'm going to try to make a felt Christmas tree" promise after all. Saturday after my comprehensive finals (which didn't go so badly, but I'll find out the final results Friday), I tackled my own version of a child's Christmas tree and am pretty pleased with the outcome! I think Preston was pretty happy, too.

I decided to make Preston his own Christmas tree because 1) I thought it'd keep his hands off the real one and 2) he loves stickers and sticking things on/pulling things off stuff, so having his own tree to decorate seemed like his cup of tea. However, most of the felt trees I had seen on Pinterest were flat and stuck on the wall. I didn't really want to put anything on the wall, and I liked the idea of a stand-alone version we could move around. So I started working on how to make a base for a 3D tree.

I figured cardboard would be the easiest thing to find and began a search for a large box. Luckily, I didn't have to look too far because we still had the box our dining room table was delivered in. It was perfect. I used a tripod box to estimate the height and a diaper box for the length of the base to achieve that perfect Christmas tree isosceles triangle. I cut out the first triangle and used it as the template for three more triangles.

Initially, I'd brought out a pair of scissors to cut the triangles out, but just three cuts was murder on my hands, so I opted for Scott's knife. It was much easier to manage, but the whole time I felt like I needed adult supervision. Then I realized I was the adult in the situation and worried for the future generation for whom I'm responsible to watch in blade-wielding situations. 

I used the pieces as the pattern for four triangles of green felt, which I bought four yards of, before my sister and I taped the cardboard pieces into a pyramid with packing tape. We ended up only making the tree three-sided because it was easier to keep three pieces aligned to tape than it was with four.

My biggest concern with an angled tree was covering the angles. I'd been working out the logistics in my head for this tree for a couple of weeks, and this was the issue keeping me up at night. So, I decided to cover the angles in green felt first before I placed the green triangles I'd already cut onto the tree. There was a lot of hot glue involved and a lot of finger-burning in the process.

I didn't like how flat the tree looked with just the felt triangles. It needed some texture, so I cut five-inch wide strips of felt long enough to wrap around the tree and scalloped the edges. Then I wrapped each around a section of the tree. I cut down the excess fabric that would result in the strip turning around the angle and tucked it under each side with some more hot glue. It caused a little bumpiness in some spots, but not too badly.

Then, using square sheets of colored felt, I cut out the ornaments, their embellishments, and the star for the top. One sheet of each color was plenty, and I had some leftover even after making 15 ornaments. I also bought some thick, yellow ric-rac for tinsel that I ended up not using except as ornament embellishment. In the end, the whole thing cost me $17, and I had a lot of green felt left over. I would've probably been OK with just three yards, but I didn't want to run out mid-project and had no idea how much I'd need having never done anything like this before. It took me about four and a half hours to complete.

I'm really happy with the end result! Preston has been happily taking the ornaments off and sticking them back on, clapping for himself every time. I hope it becomes one of those iconic Christmas decorations for him — like the pair of wooden reindeer my grandfather made are for me — that whenever we unpack the Christmas boxes, it's the thing he looks forward to and feels like Christmas to him.

Weekend 1-2-3

1. My comprehensive finals for grad school are this Saturday. Despite the fact I feel it's a little unfair that my graduating hinges on being tested over a classes I took in 2011 and made A's in, I have been studying and crying and studying and crying to prepare for the seven-hour ordeal. It hasn't looked nearly as picturesque as that picture. There's been a lot more sweatpants, Hershey Kisses' wrappers and papers strewn about in my version. So, if you think of it, say a little prayer Saturday that everything I've studied stays well-organized in my brain and readily accessible. Or simply that I pass.

2. My sister will be here this weekend! I'm looking so forward to seeing her, and she's looking so forward to seeing Preston. I know where I am on the totem pole, and I'm OK with that. He's definitely cuter than I am. I see some chocolate-covered potato chips in our future.

3. With Courtney here to help wrangle Preston, I want to attempt to make him my own version of those felt Christmas trees and ornaments I've seen floating around Pinterest. If it turns out well, I'll share the process and final results here. If it doesn't, let's pretend it never happened, like all those times I've tried and failed at running.

Have a happy, test-free, chocolate-dipped, felt-covered weekend!

[photo 1, photo 3]

Thoughts from the mister: Binge-worthy

Breaking Bad photo, House of Cards photo, Downton Abbey photo, Mad Men photo

Thank you, Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, etc., for bringing binge watching television shows into our already lazy lives. In addition to binge eating, drinking and candy crushing, we can now pass the time watching 30 consecutive episodes of "The Wire." In an effort to put together the ultimate list of binge-worthy shows, I did what any good researcher would do and Googled it. As expected, I came across an article published by the foremost expert in streaming television, the AARP. Yes, the AARP! What else are retired baby boomers to do other than spend hours of their time binge watching the greatest television shows of all time? We all know they worked hard and shored up all that money in their 401K not to travel and see the world or spend more time with their grandkids but to catch up on "Breaking Bad" or see if the new season of "Arrested Development" can live up to the hype. I have to hand it to AARP; their list is a darn good one.

So, if you have some free time on your hands, don’t complete that project you have been meaning to finish for a year or collect coats for the needy, sit down with feet up and enjoy these 10 binge-worthy shows:

1. Breaking Bad
2. House of Cards
3. Downton Abbey
4. Mad Men
5. The Wire
6. ER
7. Homeland
8. The Sopranos
9. Friday Night Lights
10. Arrested Development 

To read the full article, go to http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/television/info-10-2013/10-great-tv-series-to-binge-watch.3.html.

Weekend planner

Fall porch, Harding Instagram, pumpkin coffee cake

I don't know which makes me happier — that it's the weekend or that it finally feels like fall. Who am I kidding? I'm happiest that it's the weekend. Here's what we'll be up to.

1. First order of business: It's time to decorate the porch. I'm planning on picking up some mums and maybe a pumpkin so that our porch can get with the season.

2. It's Homecoming weekend! Sometimes the ceremony of Homecoming or these other events that bring alumni back is lost on me since I work here, too. Living here, coming here every day can take away from that feeling of nostalgia because, now, it's been the office longer than it was my school. But Homecoming helps me see the university as an alumni and not an employee — once all of the publications are properly edited, of course. I'm excited to take Preston to the family picnic and the petting zoo, with lots of hand sanitizer in tow, and to finally get to see a football game this season.

3. 'Tis the season for pumpkin-flavored everything, so I think I'll make this pumpkin coffee cake this weekend, too. How can you say no to that streusel topping? (Says the girl who eats brown sugar all by itself.)

Plus, Preston will get to wear his Peter Pan costume to the church's fall festival on Sunday.

What are your weekend plans? Anything particularly fall-ish?

Have a good one!

Not my mother's Halloween costume

Too legit to quit

In my Halloween costume hall of fame, there is one that tops them all — the pink Power Ranger. I mean, that helmet, those boots, the iron-ons! How can anything top its majesty? The costume was made all the more special as it was tirelessly crafted by my mom. She has always been a great seamstress — whether it was sewing my sister's and my Easter dresses, making our American Girl dolls' clothes, or just hemming our always-too-long-for-our-short-legs pants.

Her sewing abilities, despite her best efforts, were not passed down to me, though, and when it came time to create Preston's costume for this year, I was at a loss. I picked Peter Pan because 1) I think Preston would make a cute Peter, 2) maybe if I dress him as the boy who never grew up, he won't grow up himself, and 3) it's easy to hobble together without really making anything.

Supplies//Trying on the shirt//Zig-zaggy cutting

I picked up some black leggings and a green shirt a couple of sizes too big at Walmart and cut the shirt bottom and sleeves zig-zaggy. (Is "zig-zaggy" even a word? Let's roll with it.) Belt it with some yarn I had on hand and *ta-da!* Peter Pan. The only problem? The hat. Peter Pan needs a classic Peter Pan hat. It makes the look.

And to my great fear, every Peter Pan hat tutorial I found included the S-word — sewing. I thought about fabric gluing it, but I didn't want it looking horribly made. I could hear Tim Gunn critiquing its poor construction in my head ("I'm sorry. This hat just looks tortured. I'm just flabbergasted.") Luckily, my friend Cassie came to my rescue. I cut out the pieces from green felt, and she sewed the two sides together. While it sounds simple enough for even a beginning sewing student, to me it was basically brain surgery, and Cassie is a skilled surgeon. She was even in the midst of making her own son's costume — the cutest little squirrel costume you've ever seen. She's definitely beating me for Mom of the Year this year.

Peter Pan and his remote, the only way he would stand still// "Preston, please wear your hat." "No no no!"

I'm pleased with the final outcome. I still need to make the red feather for the hat (or maybe I'll just leave it off) and maybe a little cardboard sword for him to stick in his belt. He at least looks like Peter Pan — or an elf. Hey! He could wear it again for our Christmas card!

Maybe next year I'll have tackled my sewing fear head-on and created a memorable costume for Preston. Or I'll just break down and have mom do it.

The freshman blog fiasco

Blogs were my generation's first form of social media. Everyone had one. It was sort of a public form of a diary ("Here'z wut i did 2day"), place to post pictures, and place to fill out those forwarded surveys (When's the last time you cried? What does the third line on the 25th page of the first book on your right say?). I had my fair share, too, between LiveJournal and Xanga. I tailed off on those around sophomore year of college when Facebook came onto the scene as a sort of public diary ("Going to get some fro-yo! :))) — with 3 others"), place to post pictures, and place to fill out those forwarded surveys ("25 things about me!").

It was during my freshman year of that I learned the ramifications of blogging everything that you think and feel or that happens to you.

I was sitting in my chemistry class a few weeks into my fall semester. I was a prepharmacy major for some terrible reason, and this class had a higher sophomore to freshman ratio than my other classes. I knew no one. I stared blankly at the white board in front of me while others around me talked before class began. A sophomore guy intersected with my gaze. Then I noticed he was coming toward me. To preface, I never dated in high school. It was part purposeful and part my own personal awkwardness, definitely leaning heavier (OK, all the way) toward the awkwardness. The awkwardness was about to kick into high gear.

"Hi," he said. "I've seen you around."

[My internal dialogue] Holy moly! Is that how people really start a conversation? What does he mean he's 'seen me around'? Is he a stalker? Is that a good thing? What should my hands be doing at this point? Since he's standing up, should I stand up, too? How do you respond to that statement? 'Good?' 'OK?' 'You must have good vision?'

"Oh ... ?" I said.

So eloquent you are. You better not ever have a job that requires words or anything. What are you doing with your hands?! Place them at weird angles on the table in front of you. That reads casual!

"Yeah. I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner Friday night or maybe see a movie."

OK. Blink at arrhythmic intervals. You don't want to forget to blink. And make sure your mouth is hanging open like a trout. Think of a nice way of saying no. Say you admire his courage, that this must be a hard thing to do. That you're just settling into Harding or maybe you'd like to know is name before you agree to this. Whatever you do, don't crush his ego. Men are fragile creatures according to Chicken Soup for the Teenager's Soul.

"Um... I think I promised my roommate I'd do laundry with her that night, so ... sorry."

And that was it. I returned to my gaze at the board and class soon started as he walked back to his seat.

The story could end there and be a shining example of how not to handle a situation. But no. It got worse.

After class, I had a break until lunch, so I went back to my dorm room and began typing out my version of events for my LiveJournal audience — how this completely random guy came up to me and asked me out, how I wasn't interested and made up some terrible excuse, how this must be the norm for Harding guys and have more of these to watch out for, etc. I quickly hit "update" and started getting comment from friends on how awkward it must have been for me and how it must've been a confidence boost, yada yada yada. And it was. Not to be asked out, though, but to have a LiveJournal post that was that popular! My chronicles as a freshman were a hit! (And you see why I didn't date much ...)

A day or two later, a friend of mine who also knew Random Chem Guy as he was so cleverly dubbed in my blog came to me and said RCG had actually found my blog, read that post, and was kind of embarrassed. He was also confused by me because I had really spared no time in blogging my account of things. I was mortified. I don't know why I never thought he might read something open to everyone on the Internet. And then I had to sit in the same room with him for the rest of the semester, every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, completely humiliated — the weird freshman girl who blogs the insignificant happenings of her day. I could never look to the left side of the room for fear of possible eye contact. Luckily, it probably stuck with me longer than it ever did with him. I'd see him around campus every now and again during the rest of my time in school, hoping that he'd forgotten about the Random Blog Girl from Chem Class.

The moral to the story? Be careful what you blog ... or just don't be so awkward in the first place.

And, yes, I have a similar internal dialogue whenever I speak to people. What on earth are you supposed to do with your hands when you're talking?

Getting to know Scott

This is Scott's admissions office photo, and it's one of the few where I've seen him genuinely smile. It's a good smile.

After laughing hysterically at Katie's post about her husband, Nate, I knew I had to do the same to Scott. I mean, when is annoying your husband with questions for your blog not fun? Here's a little about the man of the house.

(My comments are in bold.)

What is your current profile picture? 

A picture of me and Preston with you cut out of the picture. 
Thanks for that. 
Oh, no, it's us at the zoo. I changed it.

What is your middle name? 
You know what my middle name is. 

What is your current mood? 

Exasperated. I don't like this.

If you could go back and change something about your past, what would it be? 

Coming to college with a girlfriend.

So you could mack on all the ladies?

I'm not falling for these subquestions. To explore opportunities; let's put it like that.

Maybe I shouldn't change that, though, because then we might not have ended up together.

Do you have a crazy side?

No. No, I don't. I'm pretty consistent and like things around me to be consistent. 

What are you writing? I don't think you're writing what I'm saying.

(I was.)

Have you ever had a near death experience? 

I don't think so.

What about the time you were stung by all those bees?

Oh, yeah. The yellow jackets. I was 3 or 4 and picked up an anchor next to the garage, and it busted the hive open. My great-grandmother had me in the backseat of the car pulling the stickers out of my face on the way to the hospital.

(This led to a discussion on great-grandparents, which I've cut for time.)

Whom do you look up to? 

My grandfather because regardless of the consequences or if someone would pay him back, he would help anybody. That could have a positive outcome or it could mean someone drove off in a truck he'd help cosign on the loan. He never expected anything in return.

Do you still watch kid movies or television shows, and if so, which ones?

No. 

You didn't really watch kid stuff as a kid, though.

If a good kid movie came on though, I'd watch it.

Like what?

Mighty Ducks!

(Followed by his best Hans impression.)

If you had one wish, what would you ask for? 

I would wish to not have to wish.

Then just don't wish.

OK, my first inclination is to wish for money, but I feel bad about wishing for money. So I wish for money with built in stipulations.

Like what?

If I don't have to work, then I have to spend my time helping out someone. The money is to free myself up to help other people.

I would just wish to fly like Peter Pan.

Ooh! And teleportation!

Can you sum up your life in a word? 

I can't think of one word, but I can think of a phrase. I'm a glass half full guy (No you aren't!), but it's still only half full. 

Uncertain? No, that sounds like you're going to die. 

Don't put that. And don't write that.

Acceptable. This is the longest "one word" answer. 
Routine.

What is your eye color? 

Blue.

What was the last movie in you went to in a theater? 

Gravity.

Do you have a favorite store? 

Store? I thought you said "storm." Monsoon.

But favorite store, it's a tie between William Sonoma and any privately owned men's store.

Snob. (Mocking tone) "I like high-ended kitchen supplies and preppy Southern wear."

If you could live anywhere, where would it be? 

Charleston, S.C. or ... 

(After several minutes deliberation) OK, it's not an exam. 

Hey! I just want to think about my options.

Have you changed much since high school? 

Yes. Bald and fat. (No!) Write it down.

Have you ever slapped someone? 

Probably

Who?

I don't know, I'm just going to say probably.

Would you like to? 

In my current maturity, I'll say no; I can think of much better ways to punish someone. 

That sounds diabolical.

Who is your favorite author? 

Anybody who writes screenplays.
You don't read.

I do like Julia Reed, though.

What did you read? 

Queen of the Turtle Derby

Pick a sitcom character whom you relate to: 

Chandler from "Friends." Broken home, married a girl outside of my league, a little nerdy, use humor as a defense mechanism, but still cool enough to hang with the group. And I tend to fluctuate in my weight and Chandler seemed to.

But that's because Matthew Perry was on drugs.

It's not because of drugs.

What is your happiest moment? 

Preston being born and showing him to you for the first time.

Where do you want to be five years from now? 

I just want to be somewhere. 

I don't like to think about the future. Whenever I plan it, it always turns out differently.

Do you have a phobia? 

Not really, do I?

(He doesn't.)

Do you have a weird quirk? 

I probably do, but I can't think of anything specific.

What about having to have the cereal boxes with the nutrition facts facing out?

That's not a quirk. That's just correct.

What is your favorite thing about me? 

I see what this is. It's a lot of questions to throw me off guard 
then you ask the one you really want the answer to. 
You're very tenderhearted and a very caring person.

If you were stranded on a desert island, what three things would you bring?

A TV, you and Preston, and a couch.

No way to get off the island or some means of survival?

No, that sounds pretty good.

What is a great weekend to you? 

TV, you and Preston, and a couch

What is your favorite color?  

Blue. No, red. Blue. Red? I don't know.

What is your favorite breakfast meal? 

Bacon, eggs, biscuits and gravy. Can't go wrong with that.

Thanks for indulging me.

Thanks for ruining my day.

Monday miscellany

Hello, Monday.

I don't have a clever title or purpose for this post, but here are a few things I've been drawn to lately.

1. I graduate with my master's in December, so I've been planning for the most important part of this academic achievement: what I'm going to wear. Winter graduation has thrown me for a loop, wondering if bare legs are completely out of the question or how funny tights would look along with my regalia. I love this Anthropologie dress and think it could be a cute contender, but it's definitely out of my price range. Textbooks trumped the graduation outfit budget, so I'm still searching. Any suggestions for what would look good on its own but also under this.

2. Like everyone else on Pinterest, fall makes me want to bust out the crockpot. I love having the crockpot fairies cooking dinner while I'm at work, and chicken chili sounds like the way to go, too. That's definitely going on next week's dinner menu.

3. "Royals" by Lorde is everywhere right now, but I'm also addicted to "400 Lux." The whole album is good. It's worth a listen. I linked it below, just for you!

4. These brown booties may have found their way into a shipment from DSW to my house. I had been wanting a pair since Hannah's post on booties. I have a black pair that get lots of wear to work in the cooler months, but I thought a brown pair would be a nice to have. I typically wear my booties with skirts, but I'm going to bust out of my comfort zone with these and try them with jeans because, you know, I'm crazy like that.

5. The weather also influences my hobbies, and I've picked up my crochet hook again this month. I was making Preston a newsboy cap similar to this one, but when I went to try it on him, I'd made it too long/tall, so it looks more like MTV veejay Sway's hat (pictured below) than a cap. Since Preston doesn't have dreads (yet. If we keep avoiding a haircut, he might get close.), he really doesn't need a Sway hat. And when I mess up, I tend to give up. I've got to motivate myself to unravel the bottom third and start again.

6. Fancy sweatshirts. While it might sound contradictory, they are one of my favorite fall trends. There are days where I hate to get dressed because it's cold and I just want to be a bum. In a fancy sweatshirt, I can look cute on the outside but feel like a grumpy bum on the inside. Win!