My purse needs to be purged - a confession!

This is RIDICULOUS!  I have turned into the kind of woman I always used to make fun of when I was a kid.  Why the HECK do I NEED to carry all of this???

Here's a list of what's in there (in case you can't tell in the picture) - from left to right:
- Receipts from a trip to take Chelsea to vet a month ago
- An unwrapped cough drop (with the wrapper near by)
- My Toys R Us rewards card
- Sunglasses
- Glasses case for my regular glass
- Two spoons (one wrapped in a napkin because I had used to eat yogurt)
- Two wetnaps from Dreamland BBQ
- Business cards from people I have met recently
- Hairspray
- A pen
- 3 tubes of Chapstick
- 1 tube of lipstick
- 2 tubes of lip gloss (the same exact kind)
- 2 packs of gum
- 1 container of breath mints
- A pack of my own business cards (in a very fancy rubber band)
- Hand lotion
- Allergy medicine
- A badge from a convention I went to last month
- My keys
- A key to the station vehicle (that I didn't realize I had for the past few days...whoops!)
- My wallet
- My makeup case (which is packed with other stuff I probably don't need!)

Fear drives the reason I carry a lot of this stuff - "just in case".  Just in case I ever find myself with 3 friends simultaneously needing lip moisturization.  Just in case, I am ever in dire need of several forms of breath freshening.  Just in case I find myself in need of a spoon for an emergency bowl of cereal (I AM pregnant, so I need to eat more often).  Just in case someone has an allergy attack and can't possibly get to a pharmacy.

One of my quirks is that I am constantly afraid that I won't have "enough" - or that I'll get caught somewhere without something I need.  I am working on that...but my purse certainly doesn't reflect that.  

The other reason is because I shove it in there and forget.  Dreamland Wetnaps?  Name tag?  Receipts?  Good grief....I guess I need to work on that too! 

Am I the only one that does this?  What does YOUR purse look like??

Great reminder from my cousin

I received this from one of my favorite cousins recently, and wanted to share. What a GREAT reminder!

March gladness

Personal joy has more to do with your outlook than your state of affairs. Optimism breeds a sense of satisfaction that serves you well in good times and bad. Improve your perspective with these tips for taking delight in life:

Be present

. Hurrying from one commitment to the next can exhaust your ability to be in the moment. Stop and participate in the experience now — a shared laugh with your spouse, a warm smile from a child, a compliment exchanged with a colleague, a great dinner. Give the present its due attention, for yesterday and tomorrow can’t be touched.

Discover life

. It can be easy to sing the blues over what’s wrong in your world. But remembering that each breath is a gift can remind you of what’s right. Take stock of the good things: health, job, family, friends, or simply enjoying a hot cup of coffee or tea. There are always reasons to be grateful, and gratitude is a key that unlocks inner peace.

Find quiet. The noise of everyday existence can hinder happiness. Give yourself the gift of silence. Head to a library or a park. Feed ducks, write in a journal, meditate, or just take a walk on a trail removed from vehicle traffic. Turn off the radio and TV for a day to avoid news coverage that brings you down. Sometimes muting the world helps you hear your own music.

Getting more than what I was craving

While sitting in my studio, I had a sudden craving for Mexican food and ice cream - so, I grabbed my keys and headed to Edgewood to satisfy both.

I had a lovely lunch (with a basket of chips all to myself!), and was able to read more a few delicious pages of Anne Lamott's new book that she wrote with her son, Sam, called "Some Assembly Required: A Journal of My Son's First Son." Her way with words is one of the reasons I aspire to be a writer. The way she turns a phrase and bears her soul with candor, humility and humor are both qualities I admire and aspire to have one day.

After lunch, I dragged myself away from reading - the guilt from continuing to sit at the table in the restaurant without ordering anything else started to detract from the enjoyment of Anne's words. (...and yes, I just referred to her by first name...we are friends, at least in MY head.) I headed next door to the ice cream shop for a yummy treat.

Since I was the only person in the ice cream shop when I arrived, I leisurely browsed the flavors, and did some deep breathing to inhale the incredibly decadent smell of freshly baked waffle cones. I didn't realize I was doing it, but while I was browsing, I had my hand resting on my ever-expanding belly.

When I finally placed my order, the guy behind the counter smiled and asked when I was due...and then, I watched a panic set in as it occurred to him that I might not be pregnant. (When I wasn't pregnant, I did get asked from time to time, and it was always devastating for me - and horribly embarrassing for the person that had asked. For whatever reason, I take perverse pleasure in pausing for a second these days when someone asks me about being pregnant.) After a pause, I smiled and told him my due date, and we struck up a conversation that lasted over the course of my two scoops and covered everything from a crazy encounter his ex-wife had with a gun in a rental car to what we both did for a living to my pregnancy to how to get him back into the dating world. It was a great conversation - and I was grateful that I happened into his shop at a time when few others were craving ice cream. He seemed grateful to have the chance to talk. He even thanked for talking before I got up to leave.

On the way out, the only other woman in the shop (she arrived and ordered while he and I were chatting) mentioned that she had overheard me talking about being pregnant, and then, she and I had a great chat about being pregnant. As it turns out, she hasn't lived in Alabama all that long either, so she had lots to share about what is different about being pregnant in the South vs. anywhere else.

I left in the best of moods! Filling food, stimulating conversation and compelling reading - all in the span of 45 minutes. I am so grateful for the fact that the stars lined up for all of us to be where we were and also to be open to conversation.

I know that a lot of the time, I have my head buried on my iPhone - or I am so distracted by my own selfish issues that I don't take the time to savor the moments that come along like these. Do they happen every day? Nope. But COULD they? I guess there's only one way to find out. :)

Hunger makes me MEAN!

If I wasn't already becoming obviously pregnant, I feel like I should wear a sign that says "Don't talk to me when I am hungry!"

Yesterday, I was JONESING for a peanut butter and jelly sandwich - and couldn't get the dang jelly jar open. I was close to a meltdown when I remembered that my fabulously strong and capable husband was working from home that day and could probably remedy the problem. With one strong twist, he yanked that puppy open, and I was in business.

While I was preparing to eat the much anticipated PB&J, I noticed him sneak out to the garage and come back very quickly. I wouldn't have paid much attention, except I heard a very recognizable noise coming from his general direction as he scurried back into his office: the sound of a candy wrapper.

Me: "Hold it, mister. What was that noise?"
S: "Nothing. What are you talking about?" (hands behind his back)
Me: "What are you hiding??"
S: "Nothing. Just had to grab something from the garage really quickly...."
Me: "What the heck would you possibly need from the garage?"
S: (sheepishly holding up a piece of chocolate) "Just this...."
Me: (being observant) "Um, is that CHRISTMAS chocolate?? Have you had that stashed out there since Christmas????"

My beloved just smiled and shrugged his shoulders - and walked into his office. That was probably for the best since I yelled some not nice things about how he probably doesn't love me, and that he is mean for hiding it for so long, etc.

As it turns out, he had stashed a couple of them in the freezer - but I discovered them when I was dishing up a consolation bowl of vanilla ice cream...so, the last laugh was MINE!

Epilogue: I apologized for my reaction - and went to the store and bought him replacement chocolate.

Lesson learned: Don't talk when I am hungry - and don't hide chocolate from a pregnant woman.

He's just trying to share the experience with me - right?

We had some of our neighbors over on Sunday for a little BBQ - Steven grilled up some steaks and BBQ chicken, and I made cupcakes for dessert. After dinner, we were all sitting around talking, while the kids played in the other room. I was enjoying the company so much that I wasn't paying too close attention to how many cupcakes Steven was consuming. I did notice that he had more than one - but didn't want to point it out in front of our friends, because I didn't want to embarress him.

Well, as he was eating another tasty cupcake, one of our neighbors couldn't help but comment: "Brother, let me stop you there for a minute - is that your FOURTH?" Everybody at the table laughed, as Steven smiled sheepishly. Jason, the neighbor continued: "I'd expect that from her...she's pregnant...but you know you aren't eating for two, right??"

The way I look at it, my husband is just trying to share the experience WITH me, right??

Sick Day Gratitude List

I've literally spent most of the past 24 hours on my couch - not because I am feeling supremely lazy, but because I can't seem to shake this bout of morning sickness and/or stomach flu and/or food poisoning. I am not writing because I am feeling sorry for myself, but as a reminder that even in this yucky state, I can try to find things to be grateful for. It's good practice - even when I don't "feel" it, I can still practice displaying gratitude.

Today, I feel grateful for:
- Being able to get pregnant - I know it's a miracle, and despite the fact that I don't feel so hot most of the time, I am really excited about the end result (which is the size of a naval orange these days....)
- A call from a friend that brightened my afternoon - and reminded me that having time to sit and watch TV is not a luxury some people ever get these days.
- DirectTV - lots of options to keep me company today
- Sick days - some people don't get the option of taking a day off when they don't feel well, but I can.
- Well behaved dogs - I am not sure how long it'll last, but for now, I am grateful that they have been so low maintenance today.
- Comfy PJ's and couch - at least if I am going to be stuck on a couch, it's a good one and I've got something comfortable to wear.

Dear God, thanks for Your healing powers - which I am sure are on their way any minute now. I am grateful for my life, and the life inside of me. I am grateful for my friends, family and loved ones, and ask that you keep, protect and comfort them, as the case may be. Amen.

Everyone knows that diapers are expensive, right? Not my husband!

I've been babysitting since I can I remember - and I've had lots of friends and family that had children. So, I guess that I am a little more "in the know" than my husband, when it comes to babies and how much things cost. That was VERY clearly illustrated to me recently when we were at Target.

We were doing some shopping and I remembered that we were headed to a "Diapers and Wipes" baby shower the next day. In order to save time, I suggested that he go grab a pack of diapers while I finished up the rest of our shopping.

After a few minutes, he came back VERY frustrated. He couldn't find the diapers. "I looked in the feminine hygiene aisle - and they weren't anywhere!" I guess in his head, that made sense - all of those items were designed to absorb. I smiled, and directed him back to where the diapers were, and assured him that he would be able to find them. I told him I would meet him at check out.

About 15 minutes later, I was getting nervous. I was in the checkout line, and he was nowhere to be seen. Then, I see my beloved running up, triumphant, grinning ear to ear, with a pack of diapers in hand. He didn't know that diapers came in sizes, so he had spent a great deal of time trying to figure out which would be the best size to get (he settled on newborn, since the baby hadn't actually been born yet).

As he put them on the belt, he said "Phew! Diapers are expensive! Do you know how much these things COST?" I smiled, and said that I did...but then, he said, "At least, this 30-pack will cover them for the month." I burst out laughing, and asked, "How do you figure??" He smiled and said, "Well, one a day - 30 days..they'll be all set!"

Oh boy... :)