She runs this household. Make no mistake, her presence is not quiet or unassuming and abso-dang-lutely not withering. These months of moving into toddler-hood have strengthened her strong will and persistence to a degree that tries my barely-there sanity. She will zero to rage scream in .2 seconds. "They" say the tenacity she has will serve her well as an adult. One day I'll be thankful for that. But not today. Not in this Target checkout. While I'm kidding(?), the fact is- her scrappy pants ... View the Post
39 and holding
39. Today. I know it's my birthday because I just finished leftover 7 layer chocolate cake for breakfast (or it's just Tuesday). Truthfully and openly, it's the first birthday number to give me angst. Leading up to this day, the beginning of the end of my 30's, only a small part of my trepidation is about feeling old. Am I really about to become a mom for the second time at almost 40? Mostly what takes up my mind space about having only 364 days left in thirtysomething is that IT is still a ... View the Post
Always Buy a Dozen
“It’ll be no big deal.”, she said. “Just a few hours, he’ll be fine.”, she said. “What could go wrong?”, she said. She=Me. He=Tucker. And I am here to tell you, wrong=almost everything. The scene: My office after a therapy appointment. I needed to get just a few things done at the office, and his appointment was only 10 minutes away. We live a little less than an hour from my office (and this appointment), so instead of driving him home, then driving back to work, I brilliantly ... View the Post
Bribes R Us
Remember when he used to sit so adorably in front of my chalkboard wall for pictures? Without picking his nose. Smiling on cue. Without being distracted by the Giggle Bellies video playing in the other room. Yeah, I remember those days too. My friends, they are gone. My morning photo shoot with this 2-days-from-turning-two-year-old gave me a nod to our upcoming year with a deuce. My arsenal for compliance of this little human is lacking. I'm going to need a lot more Chocolate Cheerios and Ice ... View the Post
Capturing December Update
I totally forgot some days. And at least on a couple of occasions, my Monica Gellar-Bing started showing as I set up shots over and over. ('and over' says Darrin from the couch). But in all, Capture December is doing what I had hoped it would. I'm taking extra long moments to be present. I've seen things this season that might have otherwise gotten overlooked. Pieces of December that in all likelihood, would have been packed back into a box on the 31st without a single pause to appreciate them. ... View the Post
Capturing December
I've been waiting since Thursday. For the call from Southern Living. Asking to feature my turkey on the cover of their next issue. Y'all, it looked really pretty. All that rosemary, garlic (doubled garlic=open window) and sage roasting in the oven made the turkey look very official. There were bumps in the road, it wasn't perfect by any measure. What the heck is savory? I looked for 5 minutes in the spice aisle (which by the way is home to the most unattractive names for food ever-tartar? ... View the Post