a sweet and merry Christmas to you

Surviving

is

important.

Thriving

is

elegant.

- Maya Angelou

i can do this

time out for a self-imposed pep talk: i CAN work obscene hours. we CAN survive football hell. one of these days i WILL have time with my husband. and, i WILL enjoy the holidays (if it's the last stinkin' thing i do.) all that said, i will blog. i will find time to blog. i enjoy blogging. i will take time to enjoy something i really enjoy doing. okay. done.

look at this!

how creative! i love it!

this has Christmas 2010 written all over it for friends and colleagues!

i wish....

i was sitting here...

wearing this....

draped in these....


sporting these...


sometimes it's just down-right FUN to be frivolous.
for me, it's a great escape from the everyday.

best ever

best thanksgiving -- ever.
precious family time - it had been months and months!
yesterday was our first FREE-of-obligations saturday since the last weekend in JUNE.

i will not allow that to happen ever again.

here are a few highlights...

countless football games were played - and i do mean countless. here little man tackled daddy and was in the process of stripping the ball.

coach with silly smile peeling potatoes for Thanksgiving dinner.

this was our centerpiece at thanksgiving dinner. note: mommy didn't make the cut for what little man was thankful for this year...though "losing" did? find me ONE spartan thankful for losing.

i had a craving one morning...biscuit donuts! take a can of biscuits, deep fry 'em, cover them with powdered sugar or powdered sugar icing. just like ruthie use to make!

here was our tailgate saturday evening. grilled sirloin (amazing!), several cheeses, crackers, warm bread dipped in olive oil and parmesan.

we watched about 10 hours of football yesterday (no exaggeration).
just the 3 of us. loved every minute of it.

additional weekend highlights - got my Christmas up! i'd fix the picture below if i thought anyone was reading the blog. oh! and we saw the movie, blind side.

wow. go. see. it. now.

loved it. a real feel-good.

p.s. don't make fun the skinny tree.

an excerpt...

"If I'm convinced that God really loves me and has certain priorities for me that may take precedence at times, then I am "safe" to walk by faith. I am freed to know that my God is huge and my God is able and that if I don't get what I asked, if I'll cooperate, I'll get something bigger. I'm going to believe Him to do anything His Word says He can, then if He chooses not to, I don't have to assume...

> He doesn't like me.

> He doesn't answer by prayers like He does others'.

> He hardly knows I am alive.

> He can't do it.

> He's never willing to do it.

> I didn't have enough faith.

> I wavered for a split second.

> I have that sin in my past.

> I'm a failure.

> I've made a fool of myself.

Instead I get to know that a greater yes is in progress, and I can count on the bigger miracle.

Beloved, we are safe with God."

Believing God, Beth Moore, page 80-81

This paragraph caught and kept my eye when reading (and re-reading) my fav of all favs Believing God by BM. How many times have we thought one of those lies? Believed one of those lies? And, which lie seems to have the most power over you? Those are all lies from the enemy. We must BELIEVE GOD.

warning: completely frivious post

i'm not a land's end gal.

but then again i was not a j. crew girl until creative genius Jenna Lyons

stepped onto the scene and forever altered the face of j. crew.
oh, if you only knew the number of j. crack bags

i have discreetly snuck into this house without coach knowing none the better.
(none the better - you can take the girl out of the south but...)

recently, i read that land's end launched a new line called Canvas and

that it was worth checking out.

wow.

the collection is small but they have some great pieces and

the prices are very friendly.

here are a few of my favorites.

love everything about this...the trench, the cuffed jeans the scarf that pops

i would live in this piece!

whoever styled this photo NAILED it. love, love, love this look

p.s. now, i'm super excited.
when writing this little diddy i stumbled upon a site called
jcrewaholics.
it's been a long day, i think i'll indulge a little.

bowl bound, baby!

what a wonderful place to spend a fall morning...

i love this photo. so sophisticated. so european.

in looking at it, i wonder...what is that gorgeous woman thinking about? her parisian lover, perhaps? what i can certainly guarantee is that she's not thinking about the same things i was thinking about when i was looking out a coffee shop window this morning. (sorry that was horrible run on sentence...but work with me, i'm going somewhere with this.)

in my far away, a half-awake gawk (as opposed to her poised, relaxed, very sexy gaze), i was...

...wondering if i should start making my hair do that flippy thing. i gotta bad case of "old lady" hair right now.

...realizing i gotta call my girl jenna!

...knowing that i need to talk to little man about nose-picking without cracking up.

...hoping that last night's chips on little man's dinner plate qualified as a true side dish.

...anticipating wearing my new chucks!

stupid cleaners.

...wondering how those people that research bed bugs ever get a good night's sleep! you know those people exist -- they look at 'em under microscopes and actually study 'em. THEN, they go home and crawl between the sheets. seriously. how? (this random thought was precipitated by the initial thought: i need to strip the bed tonight).

...and, the number one thing i was thinking as i gawked out the coffee shop window in my less than poised, relaxed, very sexy gaze was...i wonder if we'll win this week? Lordy, we gotta win this week.

WHERE'S MY COFFEE?!

market totes

little man was home sick last week - ALL week. yes, a fever that would not go away. momma was scrambling trying to get him taken care of and finish up some projects at work. craaaazy.

however, i must share when i was home with him on day, i got a great deal of Christmas shopping done! oh, yes i did!

my goal for this holiday season was twofold 1.) to never do to myself what i did to myself last year thus goal #2.) to have my Christmas shopping done by halloween. well, that didn't happen....BUT, much of it is now done and my calendar says it's not quite mid-november.

here's a favorite find - i ordered several as christmas gifts!

i love these! a friend has one and i have coveted it for more than a year now. she uses it ALL the time! i found these (aren't they fancy?) at one of my favorite little southern on-line shops whitney caroline designs.

oh! and sorry, i must brag a tiny bit more...i even ordered my Christmas cards (via snapfish) and they arrived today!

exhale.

our first

our first parent teacher conference was last night. little man earned glowing remarks from his teachers. one teacher had this little tale to tell:

on the day before the michigan state/michigan game, it appears little man was out of the room for a few moments when the teacher asked the class who they thought would win the big game. the votes were close! the race too close to call.

enter little man.

when he was asked he said,"the SPARTANS will win for sure!"

"okay," said the teacher, "it looks like the spartans will win tomorrow."

here's where i get tickled.

about an hour later, when the kids were lining up to go to gym, little man cornered his teacher! he wanted the names of the kids who said michigan was going to win.

the teacher - perhaps scared for the kids (wink) - told little man that she simply could not remember! that didn't sit too well with him, but he did let it go.



here's that sweet baby on the first day of kindergarten.

perspective and pruning

football has me down. i haven't been feeling inspired or particularly chatty lately.

funny, the difference losing makes in our life. i started to draw the analogy that losing feels like a wet blanket covering everything in our life - for the week, sometimes week to week - but its much, much more subtle than that. it's more like an undercurrent - a strong undercurrent - that exists in our day-to-day living. saturday is never far from our mind. more specifically, hoping and wondering about saturday's outcome is never far from our mind. boy, oh boy, do saturdays matter.

make me ask the question: what would our life look like if each saturday didn't bring a host of emotions, pressure, stress (and - to be fair - a huge dose of excitement). really, what would it look like? would dw and i be doing yard work? running to the grocery store? taking in a movie with little man?

hmmm....

hmmm....

ya know, i just discovered i don't want to find out. just writing this has been therapeutic. in thinking this whole thing through, i realize i don't particularly like yard work, i despise the grocery store, we're really not movie people.

yes, i think i am...i'm feeling better. i'm even feeling grateful.

as our dear head coach's wife said to me on the sunday morning following our loss to notre dame, "one thing about it, leigh ann, we're living this thing!"

and, we are.

our lives are full of emotion, hope, faith, wins and losses that stretches us and pulls out of us strength, patience, confidence, poise and even perspective.

we may be experiencing a pruning season...ahhh...but think of the harvest to come!

friday's INspire

i'm starting a new ritual on fridays.

i'll feature images - based on a theme - that i find pretty, inspiring, cool and just down-right FABULOUS.

this friday...dresses, plus one pair of trousers.
most pics via the bottom of the ironing basket.

lie up

in this month's edition of southern living chef Domenica Catelli is interviewed. something she said caught my eye.

my mom always said, "if you are going to lie about your age, lie up." so, with that i would say "50" and the response is, "wow! you look great for 50!" but in reality - 39.

now seriously, who, at 39, would claim to be 50? how hard-up must you be for a compliment?!? that said, i did find the concept intriguing. having just celebrated a birthday, i thought i would give "lying up" a try.

the perfect opportunity presented itself at work on friday. as i opened my mouth, took a deep breath, prepared myself to say "45"....

i couldn't.

i was physically unable.

i couldn't mouth it.

i couldn't speak it.

why rush it.

right???

though our chef Domenica doesn't hesitate to tack on more than a decade (why?) i find myself unable to add 2 simple years.

so I guess i'm gonna keep it honest (except to my child who thinks i'm 29 and his daddy is 80) say "43" (gads!) and hold my breath hoping that the person receiving the horrifying news is a kind, kind soul, having no conscious (what-so-ever) to openly lie to my face and say, "wow, you look great for 43."

after a SEVEN day visit

my mother-in-law just departed.

pics from a fun weekend

guess who??

the child can't read a lick but he (seriously) loves his sports illustrated!

sweet alex was in from kansas this weekend!

below we're celebrating a win over northwestern!

yea, spartans!

faith, family and fun

i'm so excited to share with you a project i've been working on for the last couple of months! it's a blog we are launching at church called, Faith, Family and Fun.


families are busier than ever. how do we keep faith the foundation - the guiding force - in our family? it can be TOUGH! therefore, we have created a blog as a way to inspire, motivate and equip parents in reaching their kids toward Christ.

each week, we will feature new posts emphasizing faith (monday), family (wednesday) and fun (friday). join us as we share, grow and learn together! please consider bookmarking our blog and checking in often!

notes to self - part II

a quick follow-up to my "personal 10 commandments" from last week --- items 6 - 10.

6.) lay it at the foot of the Throne.
"God says I have victory for you! But, you kept the battle alive and kept it for yourself - you didn't see the battle was Mine."

7.) envision the life I want to live, then go create it. only I can.
finally - at 42 - i am learning and grasping what this really means. i'm no longer giving it lip-service, i'm stepping up and taking responsibility. (btw, my vision includes lots of laughter and love with my amazing husband).

8.) stop fighting my circumstances.
truly, i'm making progress here. no small feat.

9.) spend less time with people who do not bring out the best in me.
i've given myself permission to do this.

10.) if the heart is right, God can change the flesh.
there is nothing God can't do!

from this weekend's message...

the very same circumstance that God wants to use to perfect you
is the same circumstance the enemy is using to try and defeat you.

who is winning?

we brought home the win!

our 2009 wives trip!
i love these ladies.

go green. go white. go state.

chalk talk, girl talk

heading here in about an hour.

memorial stadium, champaign, illinois.

MSU vs. IL

12 noon kickoff

hmmm...will cousins be ready to go? is zook really on the hot seat?

will we be able to establish the run game?

will we see juice? and, just how good is this eddie mcgee?

many questions loom.

for those of you who simply don't care about football (how can that be!?),

here's a little girl talk.

i'll be wearing this new scent (new to me!) chance by chanel. love it.

and, these cute pants from j. crew's fall line.
so cute - though i'm afraid my ankles will get a little chilly.


okay, i think i've covered all basis. off we go!
go SPARTANS! beat the illini!

boo!

girlfriends, i love the little on-line shop whitney caroline designs .
love. love. love.

and, recently i saw this...

with all these yankees around, i immediately decided i MUST have it! :)

it came with a price tag of $39.

hmmmm, i got to thinking...

now, i'm NO martha stewart (excuse me for stating the obvious)

but i did make both of these for $4.39.

yes, sir-ree i sure did!
i made one for home and one for the office.

now don't laugh, y'all!
it was the best i could do and i've still got $34.61 in my pocket!

super cute for fall...

courtesy of boden

notes to self

okay, here are a few "notes to self" to accompany my personal 10 commandments as found below - numbers 1 through 5.

1.) Be PRESENT.
this is a tough one. i've come to realize the VAST majority of my moments are spent one of two ways - either mulling the past or planning the future. i am failing to be present in the present. therefore, i am trying to become more immersed in the moment.

for example, little man's bedtime can be one of my least favorite times. why? i can't say. maybe my patience is gone and my day has been long. bath, brushing teeth, snack, book and bed! during this time, i am usually always thinking about what i need to get done after little man is down sooooo i become impatient and grouchy. BUT when i become PRESENT with him - relax into the moment - my impatience turns to patience and my grouchiness to laughter.

2.) Laugh more.
for heaven's sake, leigh ann, lighten up!

3.) Close thee mouth, open thine ears.
pretty self explanatory.

4.) Go to bed earlier.
i found these interesting facts on the happiness project blog: according to one study, a bad night’s sleep was one of the top two factors that upset people’s daily moods (along with tight work deadlines). another study suggested that getting one extra hour of sleep each night would do more for your daily happiness than getting a $60,000 raise.

5.) Stop being ruled by feelings and emotions.
ahhh...it seems, with me, it always, somehow, manages to circle back to this. see this and this.

my list

I consider this post a work in progress. it is not the final draft but about the third iteration. i've been working on it since august and thought i would go ahead and share.

i really want to become more deliberate in how i'm living this thing. for a multitude of reasons, life has been happening to me. we've move from mississippi to california to ohio to michigan in a very short span of time. we've created and re-created our lives, our homes and our careers. i'm now at a point where i can take the reigns back. in doing so, i started creating this list as inspired by the blog, the happiness project. i envision the list changing over time but, for now, it is helping me discover things core to my being, my happiness, my life.

My personal 10 commandments

1.) Be PRESENT.

2.) Laugh more.

3.) Close thee mouth, open thine ears.

4.) Go to bed earlier.

5.) Stop being ruled by feelings and emotions.

6.) Lay it at the foot of the Throne.

7.) Envision the life I want to live then create it. Only I can.

8.) Stop fighting my circumstances.

9.) Spend less time with people who do not bring out the best in me.

10.)

i know the concept of #10, but have yet been able to verbalize it succinctly. but i will. i think in the future, i may take a few of these "commandments" and expound upon them a bit.

what does your list look like? does it help to have a list? does it help to think about a list? will a list truly help in taking back "the reigns"?

i don't know the answer to these questions but i plan to finish #10 and put the list on my bathroom mirror. what can it hurt?

at worst, i won't read it. at best, i'll live by it.

blog has been very short on content lately.

i apologize. will do better in the coming days.

until then, keep calm and carry on!

look at that sweet boy...

whew! it's tough work being a kindergartner.