7 Quick Takes

1. I have 16x20 portraits of each of the children at three years old hanging in my living room. It's a tradition my mom started and I decided to carry on. That is until Maximilian came along. Now before you gasp and think I forgot him, let me assure you that I got his made too...about a month or two before he turned four. Technically I'm in.

However, I got that far and then never ordered the darn thing. There are a myriad of reasons this hasn't happened but none of them excuse the fact that the kid is on his way to five and he's still not hanging in the house. Well, yesterday I did it! Amazing the burden such a simple task has been and how great I feel knowing that he will not grow up thinking I forgot him.

2. I’m helping a friend with his wife's birthday party tonight so I volunteered to do the cake and an appetizer. Then I thought that for a party that's not a sit down kind of affair, cupcakes are really a better option. Along those lines mini-cupcakes are superb. People are much more likely to grab a bite-sized something sweet than cut themselves a piece of cake.

It's a good idea in theory. Practically, frosting and sprinkling 60 some odd mini-cupcakes takes exactly as much time as you imagine it would. On the positive side I finally bought my self a tiered plate stand to serve them on and I love it.

Dang, I may have to do these again now.

3. Nelson flew out to Philly yesterday morning and will be back tonight. Is it weird that I feel the need to celebrate my surviving his absence since many days we go this long without seeing him anyway?

Sigh, he's my heart.

4. In the 10 minutes the kids got home from school today and began to complain about how they didn't get to do this or that they wanted to do that...all while I'm trying to frost those little bites of torture, all three big kids got calls to go play with friends.

Excuse me while I jump up and down and thank the good Lord above that He knows when I need some time and space. Whoo-hoo!

Ok. I'm back. And, I love my children.

5. I'm still thinking about the cowboy boots. After I wrote about them, I started searching for the perfect pair. I was a little taken back by the fact that my perfect pair runs upwards of $150. Needless to say, this suburban mom in tennis shoes has not been able to justify this purchase.

I feel certain when the time is right, I'll find a pair for a steal, at which point I'll probably be over this weird phase.

6. Tomorrow night I'm hosting a dinner for 15 at our place. I've pulled out all my fall stuff and will put out the china.

I have finally owned up to the fact that I go a bit over-the-top when it comes to entertaining. I even said it out loud to someone the other day. I used to complain about all the work it takes to do things with such gusto but the reality is that I love it and wouldn't have it any other way.

When you come into my home I want you to feel special and loved. I want you to feel relaxed and welcome. Come see me sometime and I'll show you.

7. Mackenzie was getting ready for Social the other night (a program that teaches ballroom dance along with Southern etiquette and social skills...it rocks!) and I caught her in my bathroom with my mascara in hand. Other than a wedding and a photo or two, we haven't delved into the world of make-up yet, and we had talked about how we thought 13 might be a good jumping off point.

I told her she looked great, that she could put on some lip gloss and then she had to go. "You look beautiful," I reminded her as she sighed that come on mom it's only mascara sigh.

I was telling Nelson about the incident later that night and he said, "You know, we're trying to get her to dress nicer by telling her this is a special occasion, seems appropriate for her to wear a little make-up. Might just encourage her out of her ultra casual approach to dressing. You have to face it doll, she's growing up. You have to let her."

You can bet I cried off my own mascara that night.

I didn't expect to have growing pains along with my kids.

Happy weekend. Go check out some more quick takes while I finish frosting.