Lessons From Steel Magnolias

Hey friends!  I know I have been back and forth, but I’m trying my best to get back regular here. 

Truth is:

I miss blogging,

I miss you,

and I’m struggling to juggle the whole mom, wife, and professor gig.

But I’m working on it.  I’ve got a million drafts written, and I just need to add a few tweaks and get them published.  Thanks for your patience!

Okay enough of the apologies, it’s time to get to business.  As any true southern girl will admit, Steel Magnolias typifies the traditional southern lifestyle.  I am no different.  The movie is a classic and I can relate to it in more ways than I can count!  With this year being the 25th anniversary of the movie, I think we should reflect upon the 10 lessons we can learn from Steel Magnolias.  I think you will agree with every single one :-)

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“1. Pain Does Not Discriminate. When we meet Shelby she seems like a spoiled princess with every advantage. Then she nearly falls into a diabetic coma at the beauty parlor and we feel like jerks for misjudging her.  That one early scene reveals the heart of the whole film: everyone suffers; try not to do it alone.

2. Holidays & Events Are Meant To Be Celebrated. And unless that celebration can be seen from space, it doesn’t count.

3. ‘Thirty Minutes of Wonderful’ Is Better ‘Than A Lifetime Of Nothing Special’.

4. ‘Personal Tragedy [Should] Not Interfere With [The] Ability To Do Good Hair’.  Or wash your face. Or put on a pretty dress. Southern women understand half the battle to regain your footing is looking the part.

5. Perfection Is A Myth. Also, boring. Every character in the film is his or her own brand of crazy, and as such, none seem crazy at all.  They seem human.  Which is why we love them so dearly.  We should be so kind to ourselves.

6. Old Southern Women Are ‘Supposed To Grow Vegetables In The Dirt’. And wear silly hats. An utter off-color remarks. Eccentricity is our birthright.

7. There Is No Such Thing As ‘Too Much’. This applies to hair, jewelry, laughter, heel height, cake, cleavage, pulled pork, emotion, faith, persistence, and revelation.  Contrary to the old adage, less is actually less, and more is divine.

8. Busy Is Better Than Therapy. Just as M’Lynn goes right on cooking as Shelby delivers the news of her health-threatening pregnancy, women know that when calamity comes knocking, you don’t sit on your fanny and do nothing.  Productivity beats wallowing every time.

9. Women Can, Should, And Do Share Everything. TMI did not exist in the world of Steel Magnolias, and the women were the better for it.

10. Life Is A Joking Matter.  Southerners know the more serious the situation, the more critical it is that we laugh.  Humor is as lifesaving as any flotation device in the rough sea.”

Happy Monday sweet friends :-)

Glock, A. (2014, October). 10 Things I learned from Steel Magnolias. Southern Living, 49(10), 111.

“Uh Oh, It Broke. Mommy Fix It”

My best friend was watching Dutch the first week I went back to work, and it was a HUGE blessing.  It helped both Dutch and I transition into our new routine.  One of the best parts though, was getting to see my best friend and her boys when I got home from work.  One day when I returned from work, the older boy (2 years old, whom I will refer to as Mark Twain for the purpose of this story), saw that the table top for Dutch’s Bumbo had fallen off.  Thinking that it was broken, Mark Twain immediately looked at me and said, “Uh oh! It broke! Mommy fix it.”  This phrase hung around in my memory for several days.  It got me thinking about how when things break in our world whether it be physically, mentally, or relationally, we immediately try to fix it ourselves.  This is not what Mark Twin did though.  Without any worry or hesitation, he immediately looked to his mom, his caregiver, and had complete confidence that she could fix it.  There was no crying or concern; he was not anxious about anything.  As Christians this is what we are called to do.  When worries or problems arise we are not supposed to take them on ourselves.  If you are like me and have tried this, then you know we will always fail.  Instead, we are to immediately hand over our struggles to the Lord who promises to take care of us.  We should have complete confidence in His ability, because after all He can see much further into the past, present, and future than we can.

“Cast your burden on the Lord, and He will sustain you; He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.” Psalms 55:22

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

“We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God: those who are called according to His purpose.” Romans 8:25

I guess it is true what they say: children really can teach us so much about our own relationship with God.  Thank you Mark Twain for reminding me where I should place my trust.

The Time of My Life

I am not a fan of summer.  It's just not my season, and I don't even really have a reason for not liking it.  However, now that the fall has officially commenced (due to school, not the weather obviously), I am looking back on the best summer I have ever had.  The past three months have been the best months of my life and I treasure them dearly.

This summer I didn't:

go to the beach, or on vacation

read a book or magazine by the pool

work in my garden

go shopping

catch up on sleep

do a single DIY project

rarely cooked, blogged, or saw the sun

watch a single baseball game

host a bbq

prep for the school year

look forward to the fun of the fall and Christmas season

This summer I did:

go days without a shower

spend days covered in spit-up

woke up all hours of the night and rocked a baby to sleep

mastered the art of 7 loads of laundry a week

figured out cloth diapers

washed pump parts multiple times a day

rarely peeled my yoga pants off (and if I did it was to put on my skinny jeans or leggings and a maternity shirt)

forgot about email

walked around the neighborhood with a stroller

learned all about baby poop (color, scent, & texture)

played on the floor

read children books

watched all 10 seasons of Greys Anatomy

watched the 4th of July fireworks on TV

mastered the majority of communication with the outside world through my cell phone

wore a nice spot on the couch that matches the shape of my new giant rear-end

learned that Saturday and Sunday means nothing

built a stock of breastmilk for my return to work

discovered hgtv, diy network, and Chopped!

To be honest I didn't miss a single activity that I would have normally done in the summer.  Not one. My perspective has completely shifted.  Instead, this summer ended up being the best of my entire life, and I'm sad to see it end.  For the first time ever I am holding onto and day dreaming of the "dog days of summer" and looking forward to the fun of next summer!

Scalloped Fettuccini

Like I mentioned last Friday, I’m a big fan of cheese and carbs.  Pasta is my all time favorite comfort food. Yum! Going back to work has been tough and called for some comfort food that I can easily & quickly whip up so all of my extra time is spent snuggling with my little boy.  This might become a new staple in our house!

Ingredients

1 lb fettuccine noodles
1 stick unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream
salt & pepper, to taste
2 cups grated parmesan cheese
coconut oil
1 lb scallops
Italian parsley, to garnish

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.  Over warm heat, melt together butter and cream.  Add cheese and stir as it melts, then add salt & pepper to taste.  Reduce heat to low.
2. Heat coconut oil in a skillet on low-medium heat.  Add in scallops and brown on both sides for about a minute and a half.  It will not take long to cook the scallops.  If you leave them on the heat too long they will end up chewy (like shrimp).  So pay very close attention.
3. When the scallops are done add them and the cooked pasted to the alfredo sauce and mix. 
4. Dish up your pasta and garnish with parsley.
5. Enjoy!

Hope you enjoy this as much as we do!

Happy Monday!

Friday 5 Facts

I’ve shared some random facts before (here & here) and it’s been a long time since I shared.  Too long.  So I’m fixing that today my friends!

1. Bangs- I have not had bangs since I was in 2nd grade.  That was several decades ago folks.  I need a hair cut badly because these split ends are about to drive me up the wall.  I’m actually contemplating getting bangs again, but I’m so nervous!  I’ve got a round face, and the last thing I need is to accentuate my chipmunk cheeks with bangs. Decisions decisions!
2. Comb- I don’t know why my focus is my hair today, but it is. Ha!  I never brush my hair; I only comb it.  I feel like brushing my hair is so aggressive so I only brush it with a wooden comb.
3. Food Groups- My all time favorite things to consume: chocolate, carbs, cheese, and coffee.  I think I should have the authority to change the food guide pyramid. Don’t you?
4. Snoring- I absolutely love to hear Dutch and the puppies snore.  The Mr. and I will mute the TV so we can hear them snore.  We just think it is the sweetest and funniest sound.
5. Back to School- I went back to work last week and Dutch started school this week.  Everyone told me that it would be tough to return to work, and I believed them; I really did!  But like most things you don’t understand until you experience it, I was blown away by how tough this was going to be.  Tuesday, Dutch’s first day, was terrible!  Both Dutch and I struggled all day long being away from each other.  Wednesday was better but it was still pretty tough.  We are navigating this uncharted territory (to us) and really learning a lot.  This has been the toughest back to school week for me.  Each day is getting better, but I still rush through the day to go get my baby boy from school.  I know logically that what I am doing is good for him, and now I just need to wait for my emotions (errrrr hormones) to get on the same page.  Dutch doesn’t know this yet, but after this week I’ve decided I’m officially going to college with him.  Think he will be okay with that? ;-)

Tell me some random facts about you! Have a great weekend!!!