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Thursday, October 20, 2011

Botas



Have you been to Heritage Boot on South Congress?

Have you lived?

This week I finally made my pilgrimage.  It was long overdue, honestly.  On September 27, Greg and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary, and I was gifted a gorgeous pair of handmade boots. I'd been dying to wear them all over town, but I was told that I had to go to SoCo to have a look-see in the store before I broke in my new kicks. Three weeks later, and recently invigorated by our awesomely autumn weather, I loaded up my little shopping partner and we trucked it south of the river for a peek.

...For all of you who I haven't emailed/called back recently, please know that my lag time on life is unfortunately long right now, as is evidenced here... I'm working on getting better, but the insurmountable laundry mountain is always calling my name...

Jerry Ryan, our local boot designing Dubliner, is clearly the best at what he does. His shop is stacked floor to ceiling with shelves of the most gorgeous boots you've ever laid your sweet eyes on. Baby in arms, I pushed through the glass door painted with the rules, including "No Strollers," and "No Ropers," and was suddenly overtaken by the sweet smell of gen-u-wine leather. Heaven on God's green Earth.

Mr. Ryan helped me sort through the big footed ladies' styles to ensure I'd have a chance to see all of the boots available before making my decision.  I tried on the stunning Flores Boot, as well as the divine Katy Boot. Two very different styles. Both delectably comfortable.  It was settled: my man knows me like the back of his dadgum hand.  That GB. He bought me the perfect boots for our year number three.  Sharkskin wingtip limited edition beauties with the softest leather shank you've ever seen.  I snapped a few photos of my new lovelies:

Tall Girls


Wing Tippy Tappers


Glorious Stitching

Thank you G Love! You sure know your way right to my heart!

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Radio Flyer Inaguration


Come Fly with Me, Let's Fly, Let's Fly Away!
Yesterday evening Greg pulled up to the house in his the newly-operable-again 1986 Jeep after a day of volunteer work.  He'd told me he was stopping by Sears on his way home to pick up the weed eater that had been getting a little rehab work done.  When Piercy Joye and I met him in the driveway, a big cardboard box was sitting in the back seat.

A brand-spankin' new Radio Flyer.

I feel like the purchase of a Radio Flyer, its simple presence in the American garage, is some sort of rite of passage. Greg and I had been planning a Saturday trip to the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center for their incredible plant sale, and I know he was wanting to include his Little Lady in the fun with a shiny, red wagon (for pulling plants and PJ!).

Smarty Pants Daddy had this great idea to bring along Piercy Joye's Bumbo seat for her to sit in inside the wagon. Genius! *It should be noted that, while the Bumbo has been an integral part of our life for the last three months, we are hours away from retiring it as Peejalicious has shown that she is capable of providing an early death by heart attack for Mommy due to her near ability to squirm out of the seat.*

When we arrived at the plant sale today we found these guys at the pond:

Monarch Caterpillars

We quickly realized that we should have brought a hat for our bald-headed baby (Duh!). The gift shop, was open, thankfully, and we picked up the best solution we could find: a visor (not very helpful) and some baby shades (that don't fit).

Clearly, it didn't really matter that the purchases were not entirely functional.

Piercy asked me to leave the sticker on her visor... How very hip-hop of her...
This evening when I was emptying my diaper bag (thrice) in an attempt to find my camera (which had actually slipped into the crevices of the car), I realized I'd had Piercy's cute, white sun hat in my diaper bag all along. Good thing it was hiding this morning.  The pic of the visor/shades combo was worth every penny!

Petting a Kitty at the Wildflower Center
I can't help but think that someday Little Miss P will be sitting up by herself in that red wagon, riding in the neighborhood Fourth of July parade, pulling a younger sibling behind her, or maybe even taking off down the street with a load of Girl Scout cookies. Today she broke in the Browne family wagon in perfect style!

Friday, October 14, 2011

Things That Make Me Laugh

We got this in the mail this week (page two of a two page letter asking us to participate in a study concerning infant brain development):

Click to Enlarge and Get a Good Look...


As a graduate of the Liberal Arts and SCIENCE Academy of Austin, Texas, I am a not-so-closeted science nerd.  I love scientific experimentation. I secretly can't wait until Piercy Joye wants her first bug motel because I love entomology. The Science Fair was my favorite part of elementary school.  However....

Dear sweet Jessica M. Jankowitsch, Ph.D. in training, please do not take this personally, but the photograph of the infant sleeping with all of those electrodes on his/her head is too much.

This peaceful nirvana would not be achieved with my baby or any other babies, save the actual baby you photographed. Our baby is a good baby.  A "conspiracy" baby, as our Mommy and Me Yoga instructor calls her (you know, the kind that makes your friends get pregnant because your baby is so "easy"). But, but, BUT, she would NOT ever wear that many electrodes and simply fall asleep. All sorts of clawing and screaming would accompany such a headpiece. Sorry.  Baby in said picture might actually be a doll. I hope you find a willing field of babies to fulfill your quota, but I am sorry to say that we will not be participating.

Also, in related "Things That Make Me Laugh:"

-Gummy Smiles
-Tyrannosaurus "P" (what we've named our girl who "talks" like I imagine a dinosaur may have sounded)
-Herman Cain: it's a love/laugh relationship
-The new season of The Office
-The "Occupy (Fill in the Blank City)" Protestors
-My husband on the phone at the dove hunt with a few too many tequila shots down the hatch
-The posts on our neighborhood association's listserv... Holy goat, if you don't want your double BOB stroller stolen, please don't leave it in your front yard every day and night for six months straight.
-The conversation that ensued with Greg while I was driving/talking on my celly and ran over a curb in an empty parking lot at 10 am (getchyur mid-morning-stay-at-home-mom driving skillz on!)

This.


Things that are not at all funny: Being deliriously tired at 10:15 pm on a Friday night....

Hasta luego.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

...Ahem...Yes, We're alive...

Really, Flanagan?

Really?

This is how the voice in my head sounds when it accidentally comes out... Except sometimes with a few more expletives...

Rather than try to explain away my blogging paralysis, because, even I know you simply can't care enough to engage in that, how about a couple (plus one) sweet pictures to win back your readership?

Oh. My. Gosh.


Sweetest gummy smile, playing with Peter while Daddy hangs the classic Browne Giant Spider Web!


A hard day holiday decorating deserves some fall-themed sweet potatoes for dinner!
Oh! And, she's decided to keep those baby blues!

Little Sugar Pie is six months old today. I still have to pinch myself that we have been so blessed beyond measure for our girl's health, happiness, and lovely heart.  Even when she's crying screaming an inconsolable bloody murder, even when she won't. let. go. of. my. hair., even when the days don't seem to end and the nights are naps strung together between feedings that she's still hanging onto: my heart aches with love for my daughter and the way she has recreated our family (from the tops of our heads to the tips of the toes of her great-grandparents). Piercy Joye's BeBe, Greg's mother, says that, "Grandchildren are God's proof that the world must go on."

Onward, sweet girl!

I cannot wait to pretend to show you this big world, while tricking you slyly into opening my eyes for the very first time.