I just had to...

Now, I know I said that all Feather by Feather posts would be contained to the blog I set up for it HERE, but I really couldn't help myself...I had had to share this little lady with all of y'all. er...the 6 of you who read this. (that's not bitterness you hear...just good 'ole feelings of failure).

Little miss Presley modeled the newest addition to the Feather by Feather line...Infant headbands! Completely impractical (unless your baby doesn't feel the need to grab at anything on their head with the strength of 10 grown men), but oh-so-stinkin-cute.

They'd make a great prop for pictures! Besides...they give me an excuse to make baby things. Hopefully I'll be making baby things for my own baby in the next year.

Ovaries...what are they good for?

This is Love

I read this today from a Tweet...and it's all I can think of. 5 hours later...it's all I can think of.

This is a letter that Richard Feynman wrote to his wife Arline in 1946. She had been dead for 2 years.

For any men reading...this is how a woman wants to be loved. And women...this is the legacy of love we need to leave for our husbands and children. There is such truth in this letter; such a profoundly simple expression of the love we all crave.

The original posting is here. Thanks to Chase Reeves for tweeting this.

The letter:

To Arline Feynman, October 17, 1946

D'Arline,

I adore you, sweetheart ... It is such a terribly long time since I last wrote to you — almost two years but I know you'll excuse me because you understand how I am, stubborn and realistic; and I thought there was no sense to writing. But now I know my darling wife that it is right to do what I have delayed in doing, and what I have done so much in the past. I want to tell you I love you.

I find it hard to understand in my mind what it means to love you after you are dead — but I still want to comfort and take care of you — and I want you to love me and care for me. I want to have problems to discuss with you — I want to do little projects with you. I never thought until just now that we can do that. What should we do. We started to learn to make clothes together — or learn Chinese — or getting a movie projector.

Can't I do something now? No. I am alone without you and you were the "idea-woman" and general instigator of all our wild adventures. When you were sick you worried because you could not give me something that you wanted to and thought I needed. You needn't have worried.

Just as I told you then there was no real need because I loved you in so many ways so much. And now it is clearly even more true — you can give me nothing now yet I love you so that you stand in my way of loving anyone else — but I want to stand there.

I'll bet that you are surprised that I don't even have a girlfriend after two years. But you can't help it, darling, nor can I — I don't understand it, for I have met many girls ... and I don't want to remain alone — but in two or three meetings they all seem ashes. You only are left to me. You are real.

My darling wife, I do adore you. I love my wife. My wife is dead,

Rich.

PS Please excuse my not mailing this — but I don't know your new address.

Blog Love--New Dress a Day

And now for a new segment here on My Life in Sweatpants. Blog Love Fridays. A new blog that i've fallen in love with every friday. Let's do this.

I can't even remember where I first found out about the fantastic New Dress A Day...but since that day my life has forever been changed. For reals. Since I've started on my path to becoming the worlds greatest seamstress (stop laughing), I've been totally sucked in to many sewing blogs. But let me tell you a secret...this one is my favorite.

This super-cool chic Marisa decided, after being inspired by Julie & Julia, that she'd embark on a fashion journey for one year. With 365 days, 365 dollars, and 365 items of clothing.

Check out some of my favorites...

Lemme break it down for you...she buys thrift store items, and refashions them to something FATNASTIC. My favorite part though...she's not doing anything super-complicated to these pieces...we're talking smart alterations and innovative re-purposing.

INSPIRATIONAL.

And she's frakin' adorable on top of it. Our local Goodwill has seen a rise in profits from me due to this blog.

Go check out New Dress A Day and just TRY to keep yourself from hitting the "Older Posts" button until you've reached the beginning.

Celebrity Look Alike Alert

This is Justin Beiber...

This is my nephew Isaac:

I totally see it.

I've Arrived!!

Allright...so...I've been blogging for over 2 years, and have been met with minimal success in terms of readership/comments/etc. However...i've been met with MAXIMUM success in regards to pure enjoyment of my soul, and friends willing to serve my literary ego. I'm enjoy it.

I was reading back over some old posts and comments today, having a good chuckle. I was particularly proud (humbly proud, of course) of my heightened level of snark on the day I posted about the great bird/cat conspiracy. I'm telling you...God stepped into my life that day and granted me some serious snark. I continue to thank Him for it, for it is my life's ambition to be considered funny by other humans (toddlers don't count). That sounded a lot less pathetic in my head.

As I was re-reading my comments (self-validation okay? what of it?) I saw this one that I hadn't seen before:

Oh Lord. Ohhhhhh Lord Almighty did I laugh and laugh and laugh. It reminded me of the great #FAIL of the internet-age: Tone.

SENSE THE TONE, PEOPLE.

I've totally been admonished by an anonymous commenter...my faith in question...as well as my parenting skills. THE TRIFECTA! Really...this person managed to hit all the main points of a judgemental comment IN ONE. I'm wholly impressed. Really.

I feel like i'm a legitimate blogger now. My brush with inane (anonymous) stupidity has elevated this little home-grown blog to epic proportions.

I've arrived.

Southerners are Weird

I know I've been waxing poetic about Texas lately, what with my Bluebonnet post a few days ago. BUT...I had had had to post this.

Growing up in Houston, TX...there's a lot of differences between me and your standard Oklahoman. I drive at "Texas Speeds", am shocked that there isn't a mall on every corner, and i refer to every single carbonated beverage on the market as "Coke". As the above illustrated map indicates...it's a southern thing.

I remember the first time I felt alienated up here in Oklahoma. We were at Ron's, and our waitress asked us what kind of "Pop" we'd like.

Yikes.

I'm sure we looked at her like she'd grown a third head before we remembered out manners and politely placed our drink order. Not long after that, when we were, again, out eating...I remember asking another waitress "What kind of Coke do you have?" She seemed confused, and replied: "Um...regular and diet?"

You see, in Houston, when a waitress asks for your drink order, she says "What kind of Coke would you like? We have Dr. Pepper, Pepsi, and Coke." Of course, anyone in their right mind will order a Dr. Pepper...but that's another tale for another day.

Marty calls it "Pop". Most of my girlfriends call it "Pop". Hannah even called it "Pop" the other day. I had a full-body shudder when I heard it.

"Honey," I told her "you've inherited the Texas from me...so it's your duty to call it 'Coke.' If I hear that p-word come out of your mouth again, you're dis-inherited."

Just doin' my job.

Happiness

Heather Ross' Mendocino line of fabrics is simply fatnastic. FAT-NASTIC.

I can't even describe the wash of euphoric feelings that come over me when I see them. It's surreal. And delightful.

Playing with iPhoto

I've been taking my iPhoto editing options for a spin lately. I could tinker with saturation levels, and contrast all day (regardless of the fact that I have zero idea what those things actually mean).

This was Ethan on Easter...and I just really love the peach hues...it feels very Easter-y to me.

These were taken at my husband's grandmother's house. We call her Nanny. And I love her.

Her house backs up to the bayou...and I can't help but take some pictures of "the flats" when we're there.

I tinkered with exposure and contrast on this one...and I really really like it.

And the same picture with some funky greens going on. This one seems really ethereal to me...and it matches my office perfectly. Decorating on the cheap!

This might be my favorite self-portrait (you know, because there's such an expanse to choose from. I simply *adore* taking pictures of myself).

Just think what I could do with a better camera and Photoshop! *chills*

I miss it so baaaaad

No, this is not a horticulture blog. I've simply got Spring fever. Spring FEE-VAH.

THIS is what I'm missing right now:

Beautiful, expansive fields of Oak trees and Texas Bluebonnets. Oh how I miss Texas.

Spring was always magical in Texas...not just because of the three-inch-thick coating of yellow pollen that would be covering your car in the morning, but also for the fantastic fields of Bluebonnets that would, seemingly, pop up out of nowhere. Or...if you are a Houstonian, the fantastic highway shoulders of Bluebonnets that would, seemingly, pop up out of nowhere. They do wonders to hide and disguise the shoes, hub-caps, and trash ! (I can love Houston and be snarky simultaneously. See that?)

I really really do love these flowers, though. My mom even tried to find some to put in my wedding bouquet...in January. Yeah. We were all so surprised when she couldn't find any.

Most of my childhood memories are tinged with the deep indigo blues and whites of the Bluebonnet. They were in the background of the start of me...framing the picture, their own little character in the story of my life. They are in the pictures of me as a toddler on a trip to San Jacinto, slightly older on an excursion to Washington on the Brazos, and as an adult on a return to San Antonio for my youngest brother-in-law's Basic Training graduation.

It comforts me to know that Texas will forever be with me...alive in me...even if it is by a trailing of precious little bluebonnets.

Those of you reading (oh, that's funny. People reading this? haaaa ha haaaaa! I actually had the gall to use the plural! haa hooo heehee *wiping tears from eyes*), that are NOT Texans are probably wondering why I haven't posted any adorable childhood pictures of myself clutching reams of Texas Bluebonnets, or wearing little halos of handmade bluebonnet wreaths.

Here's why:

In Texas, you are taught from an early age (read: birth) that picking a Texas Bluebonnet, the state flower, is illegal. Should a plucking occur you are sentenced to the gallows, or some equally disasterous fate. If you even THINK about it, you've got some seriously bad juju coming your way.

Even now, after living in Oklahoma for 10 years, I can't find it in myself to pick one. I even grew a whole planter full last summer with the intent of picking EVERY SINGLE SOLITARY ONE, but couldn't bring myself to do it. I even tell Hannah to keep her grubby little hands off...'cuz girl, you don't pick the Bluebonnet. It ain't right.

Present day: I just found out that it is not, in fact, illegal to pick a Bluebonnet. My world has been shaken, and I shall never be the same. This website explains it.

You might think, new found knowledge in hand, that I could go medieval on this field. Pick the holy-crap out of it...really make up for all those years I was lied to and denied my girly right of picking and frolicking (ok, I frolicked).

But I can't.

Yet.

Everything is Blooming Most Recklessly

In the words of Martin Luther King Jr...."Spring is here, Spring is here, thank God Almighty, Spring is here!"

Wait...

That's not right...

The breath of Spring has blown right on through Oklahoma, alongside the horrid 30+ mph winds. Seriously ridiculous winds. Hailing from Houston where the wind DOESN'T blow...I'm wholly unprepared for these gusts.

I mean...give a friggin' break and let me enjoy this fantastic weather with a DRESS why dontcha?

Pistol Pete is in need of a serious paint job....poor guy. That's my next project.

Tulips...oh how I love Tulips. I bought 150 daffodil/tulip bulbs last September for super cheap at Lowe's (most had mold on them). I planted them and prayed prayed prayed that they would surface this spring. I'm notorious for killing things, and bulbs just seem like a big, fat leap of faith to me. You take this bulb, plant it, and then WAIT for, like, a million years to see if it will actually flower. Seeing as I have the patience level of a fruit fly, this was a bargain at best.

In February when I started to see little green nubs emerging from the soil my heart did a little happy dance...for real. I promptly commenced with counting the emerging nubs on a daily basis (ridiculous much?) and giving Marty the latest headcount over dinner each night.

Me: "20 babe. 20 BULBS ARE COMING UP OUT OF THE GROUND! BULBS I PLANTED!"

Him: "That's great"

Me: "BULBS I PLANTED WITH MY OWN 2 HANDS"

Him: "yeah...that's great"

Me: "20! Out of 150! That's not great...that's AMAZING!!"

Him: "yeah..amazing. We should alert the local news stations."

Me: "Funny...I thought you enjoyed sex? Apparently not."

So..as of now 143 bulbs are popping up through our nasty clay soil. SUCCESS!! And i've read that lilies/daffodils/tulips are a great investment, because they tend to at least double with each flowering. So next year our beds will be even more filled out and lovely.

Even our burning bushes (which I was 100% certain I had killed) are budding out in fantastic green leaves.

However...we did have a fatality...of the yew variety...

She's supposed to look like this...

Yikes. I'm totally reluctant to dig it up, though...as a few families of birds have begun nesting in it. The kids love that.

Emboldened by my bulb triumph's...i've added a member to the family.

An orchid. Uhhh yeah...one of the most intimidating species of flowers, the diva of the plant world, if you will, and I've convinced myself I can keep it alive and thriving. We'll see.

She really is just the perfect color of yellow for the new office, though. So I had to have her. I'll love her until she betrays me and then I'll drop her like a bad habit.

Healthy, huh?

I have horticulture issues that run deep and wide.

J Crew Love

I'm sorry, but...I love this trend. At first I thought it was ridiculous, socks with high heels and nary a pant in sight...but now; I'm hopelessly in love.

There's something so sweet about it...kind of a nerdy sweet...but that's even better. Apparently, I'm very drawn to the whole "I don't know why I love that, but I totally do" look.

I'm not sure if I have the chutzpah to pull of this look (or attempt for that matter)...but I commend those who can and do pull-it-off with success.

Marty would have an absolute field day with it, I guarantee. When he saw me in my blazer with rolled up sleeves the other night (and my aviators), he queued up the Miami Vice theme song for my benefit. Nice.

What do you think about this trend? Love it? Hate it? Would you try it?

Coming soon to a Norman near you

This event is the ONLY REASON i'll ever step foot in Norman voluntarily. I'm busy building up stock for this fantastic show held on April 25th, 11am-5:30pm. It's free...it's outdoors...and this year it coincides with the Norman Music Festival.

Good times people...good times, and FANTASTIC vendors. All of the Handmade nature. This is a great way to buy local, handmade goods...and support some of Oklahoma's greatest talent.

Check it out at the Dustbowl site.