Last week my friend Chelsea turned 30, so I threw her a tea party. (Why does everyone I know have a birthday this week? Happy Birthday, everyone I know!) Jeff says throwing tea parties is like throwing near beer parties on Super Bowl Sunday. I tried to explain to him that it was just a chance to get together with friends and act sophisticated, but he didn't get it. Here are some tips on how to be a sophisticated lady:
I would like to take a moment to wish you all a Happy Belated Paul Newman Day! Mr. Newman's birthday is on the 26th of January and it has been my custom for the past ten years to celebrate it and spread the word about this merriest of holidays. Somehow I let the day pass by without even eating a single Newman O. I felt horrible about my neglect. The more I thought about it the more I realized that the spirit of Paul Newman Day doesn't exist on the calendar, it dwells within our hearts. And so, it doesn't matter when we celebrate it, as long as we take some time to enjoy the little joy he brings into our humdrum lives.
Here are just a few ways that you can have a Happy Paul Newman Day:
-Rent "Cool Hand Luke" and watch it while enjoying a bag of Newman's Own microwave popcorn.
-Rent "The Sting" and watch it while dipping Newman O's in milk.
-Rent "Hudsucker Proxy" and watch it while eating pasta topped with Newman's Own spagetti sauce.
-Go to McDonald's and get a salad topped with Newman's Own salad dressing and speed on your way home. (Newman's really into car racing.)
-Watch "Cars" with your kids and then tell them that the old car used to be one hot hunk of man.
-Watch "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid" and pretend you get it.
These are just some quick ideas I jotted down for you. Truly there are no rules to celebrating this joyous day. Make it your own. Make it Newman's Own.
Happy Paul Newman Day to you and yours!
P.S. Nobody can eat 50 eggs.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YL7Vc1QG_BE
My darling husband turned 28 this past week. Somehow that seems a whole lot older than 27. He said he felt old because he could remember when his mom was 28. Then I reminded him that my grandpa was turning 90 that same day. 28 didn't sound so bad, after all.
Here's Jeff at eight years old and Jeff at 28. Still adorable.
Happy Birthday!
This past week we experienced a typical North Carolina "snow storm" complete with live minute-by-minute coverage and closings of schools and businesses. I believe some areas saw as much as two whole inches of snow! I know that people who aren't from around here think North Carolinians are wimps when it comes to snow, and for good reason. Any time there's a chance of snow, the whole area shuts down and people run to the store for bread, eggs, and milk. (Because what's a snow storm without french toast?) What these newcomers don't understand is that for every three or four exaggerated forecasts, there's one doozy of a snowstorm. Such as:
Winter Wonderland '00: This storm started out as most do here. At first we were thrilled to see snow.
Then we realized we had no way of getting out of our driveway unless we got rid of the snow. Since this sort of thing happens so rarely, no one owns snow shovels. I'm not sure anyone sells snow shovels. So we make do, as demonstrated by my father in the picture below (wearing dress pants, gardening gloves, a camping hat, and using a rake).
After about four days of being cooped up in the house, my sister Makenzie and I go crazy and do things like give each other makeovers.
(Please note how I made her over and how she made me over. P.S. She is a Mary Kay saleswoman now.)
Romantic Freeze of '02: Jeff and I were engaged and heard there was a blizzard headed our way. How would we ever live through it apart? We wouldn't! We devised a plan in which I would "accidently" get stuck at his house. In order to make it look believable, I couldn't bring extra clothes. I was stuck for three days at his house where his mom washed my underwear and I went without makeup or hair products.
Yes, make no mistake, scary things happen when it really snows around here.
Last week Jeff interviewed in Utah and he was away longer than he's ever been before. But our love is so strong, it can endure anything. Also, I had a lot of DVD's to keep me company.
I was so jealous that I couldn't go to Utah for two reasons:
1. Jeff go to meet my new nephew, Gabriel.
and 2. He got to see snow in the winter.
He had a great time touring the hospitals and getting to know the area. The night before he left, his family staged an intervention to convince him to move to Utah. Refreshments were served.
Actually, we're thrilled that anyone would want us to live near them. My mom sent him back with some propoganda to indoctrinate the children.
They didn't look thrilled enough in this picture, so we had to keep trying.
Harrison told Chloe her shirt said Utah and she said, "Yeah, MY tah."
Last week Jeff and I dropped the kids off at the inlaws and headed to Charlottesville, Virginia for another one of Jeff's interviews. By my calculations, the last time we were without the kids overnight was last March and the last time I spent the day by myself was . . . before I had kids. I had no idea what to do with myself. I felt like I was missing limbs. 
I went to the famous Downtown Mall, got myself a steamer, and walked around stores full of beautiful things I couldn't possibly afford. Then I remembered that I hate my hair, so I had my hair cut by a rude woman. I spent the rest of the afternoon crying about how rude she was and deciding that everyone in Charlottesville is a snob. I probably could have planned that better.
How would you spend a day off?
Next time, I think we'll stay at this place.
We spent New Year's Eve with Jeff's family and had a fun time participating in their family tradition. Every New Year's Eve everyone creates a "pinata" out of a paper bag by decorating it with drawings.
Harrison drew a picture of himself and his Aunt Amy. Amy drew a picture of our family. I don't know why we're so sad.
Then we take turns being blindfolded and trying to catch our pinatas.
Inside is a variety of snack cakes, pens, and post-it notes. This year they added pajamas. I believe the inclusion of pens and post-its started when Jeff's parents were poor students and it was their parent's tricksy way of giving them the office supplies they needed.
This was the first time I had participated in the tradition, which is weird because we've been married for nearly six years. Now that I know new pens are involved, I'll be sure to do it again.
What are your New Year's traditions?
