Week of Parks

I wanted to savor the unseasonably lovely weather by visiting a park every weekday evening for a week.

Picnic at Landa. We picked up some victuals at Central Market.

Olmos Basin Park.

Amy's ice cream then Brackenridge for C and Luke...

... Josie and I stayed in the car. (She doesn't nap most weekdays).

Thursday was Cinco de Mayo at Pearl - not too much going on yet no pics - my hands were full.

Friday was a very fun day! I took a day off and made an appointment at Nordstrom to address my civilian work wardrobe. After spending two hours with Patsy*, I had lunch at the Bistro (cilantro lime shrimp salad and a glass of sangria) and spent some time at the mall and enjoyed being alone around a lot of people.

*gonna blahg more about this

That night we picked up picnic supplies and went to the botanical garden where the ballet was performing short rehearsals.

Some peanut butter 'sammich' smeared on her cheek.

Saturday was the Alamo 180 benchmark + bouncy house + BBQ. The workout was the 300 - 25 pull-ups, (with a band por supuesto) 50 deadlifts (95 lb), 50 push-ups (knees here), 50 box ascents, 50 floor wipers (at 95 lb), 50 dumbbell clean and press (15 lb), 25 more pull-ups. I went in the first heat and went home to retrieve the fam for post-workout bouncy house and John D's barbecue chicken. (John D's family owns the next door construction supply company and they have a smoker = in-gym catering. Luke and I agreed - best barbecue chicken ever. John says he watches Aaron Franklin's videos for instruction - noted.

We celebrated Mother's Day by getting a sitter and heading to Paramour for a coffee and a donut and the paper.

favorite barista Chelsea

Ahh, Sunday night.

What's Making Me Happy This Week

// Accomplishment: One-repetition maximum of 100 lb clean and press! ONE HUNDRED POUNDS! Looks like this plus more grunting. I felt like a badass and totally, Teutonically, tectonically proud.

// Interesting reads:

   - "Never Diet Again" by Sandra Aamodt. The house always wins, it seems.

    - In praise of "Tiny Spaces" by Molly Young. I love looking at cabins, treehouses, @house_bus, Rising Barn, and anything described as a bungalow. Tiny space versus large space was a concept discussed in House Thinking, a book that I've thought about so much it's definitely due for a re-read. (Hope I still have it). We're moving into a townhouse but will eventually buy a home -- my current ideal possesses: 1) an expansive kitchen 2) I'm talking a really amazing kitchen 3) dedicated reading nooks with perfect lighting and ergonomics 4) teeny bedrooms 5) a xeriscaped lawn. Stay tuned...

    - Ross McCammon's Works Well With Others: An Outsider's Guide to Shaking Hands, Shutting Up, Handling Jerks and Other Crucial Skills in Business No One Teaches You. A very quick, humorous read. Wondering if, like Gretchen Rubin's books, this is a book that I finish thinking, well, I'll never think about that again but then meditate on and employ the tactics described. This was a great little chapter.

// Having dinner with Oklahoma's most photogenic mother and son.

// Dranks.

   - Chameleon cold-brew coffee concentrate in caramel flavor. No sugar, no calories. Delicious. Must be consumed while singing CARAMEL CARAMEL CARAMEL CARAMEL CARAMEL CHAMELEON, YOU COME AND GO, YOU COME AND GO-OH-OH-OH.... 

   - Sodastream. Luke is drinking La Croix (blech) and I suggested a Sodastream - no waste! Unlimited cold bevs! We've had it for two days and love it.

Ahhh.

// This lady in my neighborhood who I haven't seen in a while but here she is in the farmer's market IG. She rides a tricycle with big basket and a poodle/flag/streamers. This is someone I want to know.

Kisses & Quesadillas

Being their mom is awesome.

And Kisses & Quesadillas is the title of the Texas chapters of my memoir.

May Days

 Corn baked on the oven rack at 350 for 30 minutes is my new favorite thing.

Post-La Cantera trip. We went to Nordstrom and Hanna Andersson.

On Sunday I took the double stroller to the donut place (1.5 miles), across the street to Target, then to the kids' club at the gym for an hour, and home -- Luke was able to sleep.

Springfest at their school.

Cascarones.

Checking out her tattoo.

New Products

// Dr Dennis Gross Dark Spot Sun Defense SPF 50. I tried this as a sample at Nordstrom and then regretted not buying it halfway home. This sunscreen has very little of the white cast that makes zinc oxide products difficult to wear until makeup. (Beautypedia hates this product - maybe I'll change my mind after a few weeks of use.)

// Urban Decay One and Done - though Armani CC cream remains my all-time fave because the finish and amount of coverage are exactly what I want.

image via

// Urban Decay brush - a weighty, densely bristled brush. I'm debating whether I prefer using this or a BeautyBlender.

// Urban Decay bronzer in Sun-Kissed. As someone with pink skin made more pink by my aggressive skincare regimen, I've finally been forced to admit all the pink lipstick and pink blush I'm drawn to is a terrible idea. This bronzer is much lighter in person.

// Exhibit 2: Pop of Passion Lip-Oil Balm in Nude Passion. Doesn't look at all pink in the tube but goes on lip color.

image via

// Smith & Cult Tainted lip gloss. I like it for the texture (not tacky or too shiny, the reasons I dislike most lip gloss) and slight stain but love it for the website descriptions of the two shades:

When I wait, hoping for them to come back, I am stuck watching a parade of work out clothes and mindless ensembles that only make me realize I may never see my perfect, color coordinated, quiet couple again.

 It smelled like cotton candy, not in the gross way, but like a puffy sweet pink cloud.

// Tom Ford Burnished Copper creme eye color - doesn't crease much even without a primer.

image via

// R+Co dry shampoo paste - dry shampoo in a paste form that's great but would be perfect if I could get my learning-to-do-face-framing-braids game together.

via GIPHY

May Goals

My April goals (with a really perfect gif):

// Read one parenting book. CHECK. I read No Drama Discipline and took a four week hiatus from Outlander. When I get in a gym groove (which I did - 18 times in April!) waking up at 4:30 precludes most tv.

// Make a photo book. CHECK. Yes, I did it using only Instagram photos and an app, but I did it.

// Get rid of a bunch of stuff when Elise is here. CHECK. I have the bookshelves to go.

// Have 15 days of <25 grams of sugar! Errr, no.

// Two dates. Escondido and Harry Connick Jr.


Our time in Texas is quickly drawing to a close! Things are ramping up moving-wise so I'll have to keep the goals simple and antithetical - go to the gym a lot and eat as many still-warm flour tortillas as possible. And:


// Read other parenting books.

// Get more than 6 hours of sleep per night, something I don't do according to my Fitbit.

// Cull cookbooks and [all the rest] books.

// Do a little bit of research for our fifth anniversary trip - I want to make the most of it! At this point booking some lodging and a way to get there would be good.

take it away, Lyle!  

Fern Hollow

Clementine's favorite books of several months are the Fern Hollow series. Many are books from my childhood and once Luke discovered how much she liked them he bought others on Amazon and Ebay.

The beginning and end of each book shows this map. She knows all of the characters (more than 40?), their occupations, their relationships to each other, and where they live and work:

It's really astonishing.

Mr. Acorn the baker has several specialties - crusty loaves, cream buns, and jam tarts. Here we are improvising jam tarts by folding cut-out pie crust over a spoonful of jam.