the wacky and wonderful

wacky:

• running out of gas. not a great way to start your day. my gracious. i have been officially driving on my own for 11 years now and had yet to ever encounter this predicament until this morning. i was on my way to school and about two blocks from a gas station...putt putt putt. i had to drive into a strangers drive way and call some teacher friends...who told MY BOSS who called me and said, "I'm on my way." ok, awkward and weird to have this happen, but then to have your boss come bail you out. ugh. (but i guess this would also fall into the wonderful category, too, because i am so grateful to work for someone who is willing to help a sista' out).
• this conversation in class today:
  me: so kids...what do you want to do when you graduate high school? thoughts?
  girl: i want to go to texas a &m.
  me: really? awesome...so what do you want to study?
  girl: well, i want to do nails...so...nail technician?
  me: ummm...well, darlin', you know you can go to cosmetology school and save yourself a lot of money...
  girl: well...but miss simmons...i really want to go to college.
  me: oh, please do! so are you thinking business? like to own your own nail salon?
  girl: oh no, miss simmons, i think i am just going to study nursing.
  me: oh...nursing... you do realize you are going to have to go to nursing school. so...when you are finished with everything you are going to be a nurse?
  girl: ummm...no, miss simmons. i still want to do nails for a living...i am just going to save nursing as a back up.
  
  i can't make this stuff up, y'all. welcome to my world...

• the fact that kit kats aren't more diabetic friendly...boo, why you no healthy?
• it is almost may, and i am still having to wear tights. c'mon weather, get with the times!
• haven't seen Best Friend at all this week. we have a coffee date friday before i leave for the weekend, at least. what does she look like again? i am beginning to forget...

wonderful:

• diet mtn dew supernova. don't.knock.it.till.you.try.it. there are times when i forgo the cup of coffee and have a soda. my go-tos are cherry coke zero and diet mtn dew. i tried this baby for the first time today and my goodness, it is so great and so refreshing. i am always on the prowl for new diet drinks and this one will definitely be in my life this summer. strawberry melon goodness. getchu one...now!
• my sweet zumba class. we had dinner last thursday night and it was incredible. i really love those ladies and getting to invest in their lives outside of zumba. i am so blessed. so blessed, i say!
• this song. i have been listening to it on repeat all week. it seems to fit the tempestuous weather moods. still, so beautiful.

• cooking for myself. i really love having people over and cooking/baking for them. (you should come over. i mean it) but sometimes, it is nice to just do it for me, even though i live alone and will be eating it for days. it is nice to treat yourself as a guest. you should try it.

have a great rest of your week.
this tired lady is hitting the hay.

xoxo,

lady



 





wacky and wonderful

'ello, muh loves.
hope you haven't been washed away the past two days.
i have been horrible the past few weeks with the "wacky and wonderful" wednesday.
BUT
i  a m  b a c k.

wacky:

• this wind. i am over it. soooooo over it. this wind=me not being very ladylike. i have pulled multiple (embarassing) "marilyn monroe"s this past few days, and i don't have the white dress, boomin' bod, and blonde 'do to make it worthwhile. you're welcome for the show, fellas...
• these fake hair headbands for your baby girl. pretty sure this would make me plan a revolt against my parents later. did you click it? is that not the most ridiculous thing you've ever seen? i'm just sayin...
• last night. so...i am cozied up in my apartment listening to jazz music. snuggled ever-so-nicely in a blanket on my couch. dim lights. comfy clothes. i mean...the life, right? sure there was a crazy storm going on outside. i don't get worked up about these things. so remember when i said i was cozy? there i was. almost in that tranquil state of bliss and then "BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM" is the noise i hear on my front door. i shake awake, ponder if i heard it on my door or the one next door, hear nothing but the sirens going off, and snuggle down under my blanket. then...again "BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM" only now it is followed by "PLEASE LET US IN! PLEASE!" living alone can sometimes be uncomfortable and this was most assuredly one of those moments. then i hear it. the soft cries of a child. then i get some pep in my step and open it up to see two families at my door who are soaked. they live in the two apartments above me and due to conflicting schedules, i had never met them prior. they come in and one of the women is shaking uncontrollable and crying. i offer a glass of water. she says she was fine. now my relaxing evening is shot with 5 strangers in my apartment. the woman then proceeds to call her sister and refers to herself as "a hot mess" because she threw clothes on to come downstairs. at this moment i realize that she has her shirt on, not only backwards, but inside out, as well. in contrast with my own relaxed attitude on the subject of storms, you can imagine how i had to stifle my giggles.
• conversation in my classroom today: kid1: "mr. so-and-so lives in an apartment." kid2: "oh really?! he doesn't seem like the apartment type of person. he's more like a house." me: "so what makes someone a "house" person or an "apartment" person? i live in an apartment; am i missing something? kid2: "oh miss simmons, you are DEFINITELY not an apartment person!" kid1: "yeah...you dress like you live in a mansion. you're definitely a mansion person.'
  
  ...i've never felt so confused about myself. i had an identity crisis before 5th period. i felt like i was living in my own version of MASH...
• this version of "friday" by rebecca black as by "bob dylan." i just don't know how i feel about this...your thoughts?

wonderful

• the fact that this is a four-day week. so blessed beyond words for every part of that sentence and what it represents and means in my life.
• mono and karissa are back! so excited to see my dear friends and to have them with us stateside. i am also very, very overjoyed to have our lil' girlie slumber party at Best Friend's house this friday. we're still young, y'all. age ain't nothin' but a numba' :)
• blossom dearie. first off, isn't that the most presh name ever? secondly, she is quite the wonderful companion to this crazy, stormy weather. remember when i said i was listening to jazz? blossom dearie. today i was reminded how much i love this lil' ditty of hers. i've been listening to this and scootin around the apartment in thick socks, trying not to spill my coffee in hand. enjoy.

• my outfit from yesterday. i love spring and the color yellow just seemed appropriate :)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  sandals, primark in london.
  
  
  
  
  headband, f21. leather belt, goodwill.
  
  
  elephant necklace, f21.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  black jeggins, old navy. yellow stripped sweater, anthropologie. bag, all you need.

don't blow away tonight. stay safe. "peace piece" just started playing and it is about to relax me into slumber or force me to go take a hot bath, which wouldn't be the worst thing in the entire world ;)

xoxo,

lady



i'm in the market for a darling.

it's here!
and it is finally mine!
i have been in love with this print for some time and when i recently revamped my bedroom, it called for red accents. i knew immediately that i needed this for my very own and made the purchase from this adorable print shop on etsy.

ahem...now to wait patiently for a darling man who is in the market for an adventurous lady.

...and the wait continues.

xoxo,

lady



a few things i'm loving

hello. hello.

i hope you survived your monday with little bumps. i had a few today, mostly involving my car. boo for having to buy new tires.

ok...so, on to the lovin'.

• modern family.
  if you haven't seen this gem of a show, you must put it on some sort of to-do list you have. i recently bought season 1 for cheaps at target due to many of my friends telling me how smart it is. i had never watched an episode until this week, and i have been giggling like a small child. it showcases one large family comprised of three small, unique families. i don't want to give away too much. just...please. i urge you to watch. :)

• i like harry potter. i like satire. when they collide...pure magic. so...for all of you harry lovas out there. this one's for you. getcher groove on witcho wizerrrds.

• this outfit. i got this homesewn shirt/pancho thing at goodwill for $4, a steal if you ask me because i have gone to many a boutique and seen shirts like this for $125 easy. there are zero tags and few of the stitches are off: i loooooove things that are homemade.

• hot pink lips. i've recently gotten into lip color. i used to be a lip balm only gal, but this winter, i brought out red lips a few times. i wanted something summery and light. i recently purchased revlon's colorburst lip gloss in hot pink. i haven't been disappointed. go out on a limb and try something new and daring--if not hot pink lips, something else. ;)

have a great evening. what're some of the things you're loving?

xoxo,

lady

a montage

hello, my darling readers.
have you had a good weekend?
i do hope so.
i had a great weekend. nay, the best weekend.

the past two and a half days have been filled with two of my favorite people on God's green earth: my sister and my nephew. jade and elliot scooted in Bryant(6 baby chicks in tow)on friday evening and left sunday afternoon. before their arrival, my friend aaron stopped by for a couple of hours to lust at bedford camera and video, grab a bite, and return to my apartment to listen to vinyls.

isn't it divine to be surrounded by some of your favorite people in your very own abode? once jade and elliot showed up, aaron and i got our cameras out and went to town with elliot. babies are some of the cutest and most frustrating things to shoot, but i am super partial to this one. :)

bless his heart. he wasn't here 10 minutes and the paparazzi had already shown up.

saturday morning was wonderful. we got E up, bathed, and i made egg sandwiches for breakfast. i also learned that elliot has an affinity for the strokes's new album. he went nuts when i put them on, giggling and wiggling and such. stinkin' cutie, i tell ya. as we got ready, i whipped up another pie for later (is there a clinic i can check into. no really...pie bakers anonymous? what.is.my.deal?) we headed out to thrift in the benton area: habitat restore and then the benton goodwill, also known as my mecca. jade and i bought them out of their cute vintage pillow cases; we bought them for the fabric. one of my favorite moments was when we checked out. our cashier had a heavy southern accent and made a comment on almost every thing jade and i bought. jadey and i snagged some amazing deals. as jade was paying i looked to her and said, "that is insane" (about how little our totals were) our cashier: "honey, we're all insane here, and we'll teach you FOR FREE." gosh, i love people who are quick with wit.

we headed in to little rock to do more thrifting and enjoy guacamole and cheese dip at Las Palmas for lunch. we got the same server i have had every single time i've been there. i kind of think he may have worked at chick-fil-a before scoring this gig because every time we thanked him, he said in a rich Antonio Banderas sort of way, "muh playzure." Best Friend met up with us at park plaza mall for about an hour; it was high time she met my sister and nephew. needless to say, it was a hit. i love it when the people you love hit it off. i had no doubt. she headed off to a wedding, and we headed off to my apt. after going back to my apartment and napping, we went back to little rock to the Union so jadey could try THE DONUT BURGER. now, if you have yet to try this magnificent creation, i would urge you to. i have tried it once and that was enough for me. this is a bacon cheese burger with grilled onions and instead of a bun, they have grilled a krispy kreme donut. it is a once in a lifetime thing (at least for this diabetic). there is really nothing like it; those of you who enjoy a good montecristo sandwich should most assuredly try out this bad boy; it is a great blend of salty and sweet. anyway, jadey gave it two thumbs up. she's a champ.

early sunday afternoon, we took boo's easter photos. living on a golf course has its perks: beautiful scenery. it was quite bright, so we took boo out by the lake under a shade tree. he was kind of hit with all of the country clubbers whizzing by in their golf carts. the ladies would giggle and look over their shoulders at us, and we had one guy come to a screeching stop and in his best Walter Cronkite impersonation say, "i'll give ya a dollar for that little boy." oh gracious. anyway, i looked through them and here are just a few of my favorites so far.

gosh, it'll be all over when he learns the name "Aunt Josie"

also, this weekend, i received a lil' package in the mail from the ever-lovely Angie Ford. fun story: angie knew me back when i was a wee girl in kindergarten. :) she is unique soul from memphis who is a dabbler, like me. she creates photographs, loves recipes, and makes super cute jewelry. i saw these wonderful earrings she made from leather and pearl. i commented on how they'd be great in my collection, you know, a fun way to compliment. AND SHE SENDS THEM TO ME IN THE MAIL! ahhh...an overload of three of my favorite things ever: handmade jewelry, snail mail, and acts of kindness. (lucky for her, i, too, like to create things, and now that i have her address, i shall be sending her some goodies soon :)

word on the street is she is in the works of creating an etsy account. when she does, i'll be sure to let you lovelies know. i am in love with these lil' darlings and am so excited to have them as a staple in my collection. thank you so much, angie!

well, my sweets. i am kind of exhausted just typing all of this out. i am sure you are just from reading it. i wish you all a happy monday and sweet dreams

xoxo,

lady

a lil' sneaky peek

wednesday evening i had the great pleasure of shooting my sweet friend ginger and her hubby-in-training, chris. it was great fun, and can i just say, these kids have the best smiles (that only grow wider when they're with one another). i will get to edit these when my crazy weekend subsides, but until then, here's a lil' sneaky peek...

1. 

such a pretty couple, no?

xoxo,

lady

may be time for a shave.

in my last post, i mentioned my dear friend, jacob.
i feel like you all should meet him.

friends, Jacob. Jacob, friends.

isn't he presh?

we've been friends now for 10 years. we met in youth group at temple baptist church in searcy, ar. hands down, the sweetest man in the world. one time he made me over one hundred snickerdoodles and delivered them to me at church. while in iowa, we took a walk one morning, and i mentioned how pretty this single purple flower was. this kid not only went back and found it but braved the stickers and briars, put it in water, and left it in my room with a note. we've seen each other through joys and sorrows. getting new jobs, careers taking flight, and losing parents. we both lost our fathers just a few months apart, he losing his first and i following just a few months after. he has remained such a great blessing in my life, and i am so thankful.

anyway, this fella is turning the big 2-6 tomorrow(woo!), and as a birthday gift to himself, he is shearing himself(his words, not mine). i quote, "i've got my clippers charging. i'm going brazilian, girl." :) oh, this guy. you see why he's so dear, no?

today i had a doctor's appointment in little rock, so jacob and i met up for lunch, and he asked if afterward i would take some "before" shots of him. our lunch ran late because of great conversation and partially because i ordered "the cowboy burger" seriously...what in the world was i thinking? we left and went to shakes, a nearby frozen custard stand. with frozen custard in hand, i shot; he posed. we only had about 10 minutes before he had to be at work, so here is 10 minutes worth of shooting jacob in his "farewell to hair" shoot in the parking lot of shakes. nothing staged, all of this is jacob's winning personality.

he asked, specifically, for a unabomber shot.

 so emosh.

my favorite.

what a fun afternoon. i hope you got out and enjoyed the sunshine in some capacity today.

i'll be posting "after" photos later.

xoxo,

lady

edit* i take it back. real favorite. boom.

brodeo

yep.
i had one tonight.
so very good.

two of my favorite men folk graced apt 501 tonight, and boy, did we have a grand evening. clint and jacob have been friends of mine since high school, and this year is the first year we have all lived in the same area since high school. we took advantage of the situation this evening, now that our schedules have somewhat died down and enjoyed dinner together. i cooked pistachio-crusted chicken, mashed potatoes, and lemon garlic broccoli, and then we had chocolate chip pie for dessert. ladies, if you have never had your man friends(men friends?) over to your place for dinner, i'd highly recommend it.
a few reasons being:

• not having to worry about looking cute. tonight i wore some grey skinnies, and a raggy old smashing pumpkins tee. when they got here, my hair was still wet from having hopped out of the shower 10 minutes before. low maintenance dinner? yes, please.
• being among people who eat with no regrets. generally, men will eat your food without stating every 5 seconds how bad this is for his diet, how he is going to regret it, or verbalizing how much of a pig he feels he is for eating so much. tonight it was all, "jordan, you're the best!" "let me know anytime you want to have us over again." "oh my gosh, this is so good." etc. girls, you want a nice ego booster? invite boys over for dinner.
• for further studying the male species. while the boys were talking at the table, i washed the dishes (before you think that they were jerks who didn't offer to help, they most certainly did. i just shoo'ed them off because it is just easier for me to do it myself. plus, when guests come to your place, don't let them work. that's why they are your guests. ha) as they spoke, i listened to their conversation and giggled to myself because the differences between men and women astound me sometime. it was nice to hear of their joys and struggles. just their life. another reminder of how rich it is just to be removed from some things and just listen.

one of the things i was most excited about was making a pie that my father used to often make. a couple of christmases ago, my mother gave all of us kiddos framed recipes my daddy had handwritten. most of them were the same: chocolate chip pie. i don't know if he kept misplacing the original or what, but it is really cute to see the quirks he had. this was just one. i keep my favorite winky faced photo of him in my kitchen, since that was one of his favorite places. so...with the wink close by...i took care of business as best i could with making a chocolate chip pie for this evening.

...and let's just say...it was a hit.

hope your weekend was playful and full of loved ones.

xoxo,

lady