If the shoe fits....

We've all heard the old adage, but what if the shoe doesn't fit....or worse?!


I spotted this in a local music store.


Don't see it? Let's get a little closer look here:

I just wonder how bad her big toe must throb at the end of the day after being squeezed through that little hole all day?!




How about this Asian inspired look:


Dear College Boy, I bet the sorority girls LOVE this look on their man, huh?





And, from the "bless his heart" fashion collection:


Maybe he was headed home to cut the grass......or something.





Last, but certainly not least, this goes under the "Did you see that??" category:


Can you tell what is on those boots accentuating that lovely red and black ensemble??

Yep, you guessed it:




I had to consult the Google on these babies. **BAM**

"Nomad Yippy Natural Ladies Waterproof Rain Boots with Roses Skulls Rubber Cowboy Western Rainboots"

THEY ARE RAIN BOOTS PEOPLE! No kidding.




And just so ya' know....my shoe motto is: FUNCTION OVER FASHION. Always.

Hellooooooo

Remember me?!

I realize it's been a couple weeks since I've posted something here.

I've missed being here!

And perhaps you've missed me....or not.

During my last couple weeks "off" I have done something CrAzY!

For you, the 58 people who say you follow me, and for those of you who randomly landed here today, I am going to vow to do a little better in my blog posting.

Because, this cRaZy half-hearted-blogger has done something, quite frankly, out of the ordinary. I have signed myself up for Blissdom 2010 in Nashville. And even reserved myself a room at the Opryland Hotel...yee haw!

For those of you who don't know, Blissdom is a conference for BLOGGERS. Ahem. And as of lately, that has not been me.

So, now I have to start blogging again.....or there will clearly be NO NEED for me to attend a blogging conference, and I might as well have thrown some money down the ol' toilet.

Right?

I thought so!

So let's get this thing back on.......ROLL 'EM!

Wordless Wednesday-- Role Playing

Future Grill Master

Little Momma

An Angel's Wings

Yesterday was a difficult day in our household, but not as difficult as it was for another family here in our town! My heart is heavy, but theirs is much heavier.

God called Angel Burnett home early yesterday morning after a long fight with cancer. She was only 37 years old and was the mother to three small children whose ages are about 9, 7 and 4.


Look at this beautiful mother:

(http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/angelburnett)

Our local newspaper wrote an article on her story in February of 2008, click HERE to read more about her journey with cancer. Her spirit is completely revealed in this story!


Ever since I heard her story, it has touched me and I'm sure most people. I thought about and said many prayers for her and her family. We have so much in common....yet she had cancer.


I did not personally know Angel, but I have many friends who did. Our children go to the same school and her son is in the Princess' third grade class this year.

Her story is one of inspiration to all who hear it. Her faith in God was unshakable. This quote is from her Caring Bridge journal:

"my faith and trust is in the Almighty God who gives me the strength and perseverance to go on....Our God is good and He will lead us on the correct path. My trust is in Him for HE is bigger than any cancer that is in my body."

I have talked to many of the people who knew Angel and they all said the same things:

• She always had a smile on her face
• She NEVER complained
• Her faith was strong
• She is an inspiration
  
• She was a strong woman
• She was a blessing to all who knew her
  

I had a very difficult job yesterday as I called the Princess into her bedroom to tell her the news. It was hard. We cried. I had to try and explain to an 8 year old why God takes mommies to heaven. I don't know why God takes mommies to heaven. I just don't. And it completely breaks my heart!


I can't help but think of myself and how I would react to such horrid news as cancer. I have a faith in my God, but I'm not sure my faith is even a fraction of what Angel's was.


I'm sure Angel went through all the normal emotions with her initial diagnosis, and she chose to trust in her Almighty Lord and Saviour as she went through each day. Her strength was for her husband, her kids and her family. Her friends said she never felt sorry for herself or complained about the road God chose for her.

She faced the challenge head on and fought the fight.....ultimately she lost, but was truly still the winner! For today she is an Angel in heaven!

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me … Surely goodness and mercy will follow me all the days of
my life" (Psalm 23:4,6a, NIV).

360°

That's not an oven temperature folks.....that's the name of U2's current world tour.

Last night I was THERE....in Atlanta's Georgia Dome, 10 rows up from the floor, with a perfect view. *squeal* *SCREAM*

Props to the husband for his spectacular ticket purchasing ability.

I realize just a couple of short months ago I was singing the praises of the cute little Jonas Brothers on their awesome concert. Ummm, sorry guys....last night you got trumped by Bono, The Edge, Adam and Larry.


I have never been to a U2 concert before, but it was far better than any expectation I had. Their stage was a massive structure that resembled a Transformer. And the circular screen suspended beneath the behemoth was beyond impressive with all of its spectacular tricks.

From the minute U2 took the stage, the crowd was filled with excitement and electricity. We stood on our feet the entire concert.

One of us was ready for anything, if the music so moved us:

(Everyone needs the Zippo app, just in case)

However, I was certainly caught off guard as Bono broke out into the first stanza of "Amazing Grace." Which was immediately followed one of my favorite U2 songs, "Where the Streets Have No Name."


Plain and simple, the U2 360° World Tour was AWESOME! Best.Show.Ever.



If you have about 3 minutes, check out my slide show from the concert. The background song is "Magnificent", a song from their latest album which could also describe their concert.

We've got the spirit

Yes we do!

We've got the spirit, how about you??

In honor of the homecoming game on Friday, our school had Spirit Week last week. Each day is highlighted with a theme and the kids dress up to get in the spirit.

If I must say, last year's themes were much better. Not to rain on anybody's senior year parade but "Decade Day" trumps "Comfy Day" at any given moment in the time-space continuum.

Ahem. Moving on.


For "College Dress Day" we decided to go outside of the typical University of Alabama "box". Not that we don't love our Crimson Tide, but we chose to go with another team we cheer for in honor of my brother.






Lego-Man actually had to defend his team of choice, by explaining to one of his buddies that the Navy IS actually a college team!


And then there was "Disney Day". I don't know too many 10 year old boys who are in the least bit interested in dressing up like a Disney character, well except for the boys who came to school as female characters.

Seriously.

Not my boy.




Who is the Princess dressed up like, you may wonder? Isabella from Phineas and Ferb, of course.






I'm gonna have to skip "Comfy Day" due to lack of interest. Because kids in pajama pants at school is just not very exciting to blog about.


"When I Grow Up Day" was a bit tough for Lego-Man; however, the Princess has was easy with her always ready veterinarian costume. We decided to go with Lego-Man's new sport for his costume. By the time he got home from school he was done with the hat and goggles part of his costume.

We've got the spirit down deep inside, so bring it up, don't let it hide!

Finish the Race

This weekend was a very exciting one for us at the Casa de GRITS. Our weekend was highlighted by Lego-Man's very first swim meet.

Although he's only been on the team about a month, the coaches encouraged us to let him compete and literally get his "feet wet". So we did.

We are not the overly competitive parents, so we gave Lego-Man a pep talk which basically amounted to "do your best and just finish the race".

Check out our super swimmer:

This is how the kids keep track of their events.

Warming up

Ready to go!

We did have one bump in the road all weekend....Lego-Man does not dive, yet. We were told that he would be able to do a sitting dive to enter the water for his events. One judge did not get that memo and our coach was not standing close by to realize what was going on.

Look at my poor son's face:




But you know what he did?! He got right up on those blocks, and entered the water the best way he could and he finished his race! I have never been more proud of him.

For those of you who know Lego-Man, know this might have ended his swimming career. It almost happened again on the 2nd day of the meet, but thankfully his coach was right there and intervened. Phew.


The Princess was less than interested in her brother's activities:





If I'm going to be an official swim mom, clearly I'll have to work on my photography skills:





All in all it was a great weekend and Lego-Man accomplished his goal by finishing the race!

Look out Michael Phelps....there's a new swimmer in town!

Chicken what?

How bad do your lips have to be chapped to put this on them:





Just wondering?

(For more information on this weirdly named product that I did not buy...click HERE)

Taxi! Taxi!

I know, I know.....it's been a while since I've been here.

Yes, I am still alive and the entire GRITS household is doing well. Thanks for asking.

We've been in school now for almost six weeks and have a steady stream of nightly homework. And let me tell you I am NOT fit for supervising homework.

But I do.

And nobody has died.

Yet.

And this year we have added a couple of extra-curricular activities into the mix. Because school alone was not enough madness.

This year I became the CEO of a new business, you may have heard of my company.... "Mom's Taxi Service".

I'm sporting a brand new logo this year:



Here's a photo of my client:






Isn't he handsome? And he's a pretty good swimmer too. He started on a local swim team about three weeks ago and practices 2-3 times a week. His first meet is in two weeks.


Here's our new home away from home:


Awesome, huh? I think so.



I have another famous client, I drive on Wednesdays. You may recognize her:





Yep, it's the Princess and her new PINK guitar. She's going to be a rock star.

Or something like that.

And starting next week, Mom's Taxi will be taking her to swim lessons twice a week in hopes of joining her brother on the swim team.

Because we just need one more thing to do!

Mom's Taxi service is open and business is BOOMING!

Ready, set....GO!

Remember this epic failure?!

This weekend the Princess decided it was the right time to get her ears pierced. I reminded her of her bail-out last summer....she quickly informed me, "I was LITTLE last time!".

I still laid odds that she would once again jump out of the chair just before the "shooting". The hubby bet she would do it.

He was right.

Ready, Set.....





GO!

She started to hyperventilate as the guns were placed on her ears and the countdown began..... 1, 2, 3..... *BAM*

There was NO screaming, no nothing. Just that look on her face.



And the happily ever after:




She hopped out of the chair and we continued shopping as though nothing ever happened:





She has six weeks marked on her calendar and now in search of "cute" earrings!