Affluenza

I don't know if this Bozo is getting the same media attention across the country as he is here in Texas but Holy Cow!  What an ass hat.  This kid is as douchey as they come. Back in 2013 he was underage, driving around town in daddy's pick-up truck with friends high on vicodin and weed, stole a couple of cases of beer from a local Wal-mart and plowed into a crowd of people on the side of the road assisting a disabled vehicle. He killed 4 people while driving with a restricted license.  Apparently this was not his first run-in with the law or dugs and alcohol, either.  He was tried as a minor and basically received a slap on the wrist with his lawyers claiming he suffered from "affluenza" (i.e., he is too rich to deal with the consequences of his actions). 

Fast forward a few years later and he's seen at a party playing beer pong (after his daddy pulled him out of a cushy California rehab facility) despite his 10 year probation stipulating he was to refrain from alcohol and remain sober  Then, his probation officer can't get in touch with him. Turns out Affluenza Boy dyed his hair and he and his creepy mom fled to a resort in Puerto Vallarta (Creepy Mom testified that she had moved their beds into the same bedroom as he was her "protector."  Ewwww).  Eventually the law caught up with them, she was returned to Texas first while his butt resided in a Mexican jail until yesterday.  Creepy Mom complained about her overnight accommodations while being a guest at the county jail, had her bond reduced (despite being an obvious flight risk) and is now claiming to be broke. 

This kid (and his parents!) need a big ol' can a whoop ass opened up.

Jazz Hands

I don't know what it is about this time of the year but no matter where I've lived ...  North, South, New York, Maryland, Cincinnati, Birmingham, Texas ... January and February positively wreck havoc on my skin. 

I usually have "combination" skin or problems with my T-zone. If I break out anywhere, it's usually my chin.  Yes, at 48 years old I still have the occasional zit.  However, this time of the year my skin goes haywire.  My sometimes oily T-zone area gets very dry and flaky.  Over the years I've learned to exfoliate regularly, keep my face exceptionally clean and drink lots of water.

Unfortunately 8 glasses of water doesn't always do the trick and my hands get horribly dry and cracked.  They get so cracked they actually start bleeding.  My cuticles are the worst and it's not uncommon for me to be sporting band-aids on 5 or more fingertips at a time.  Although I love a good hand lotion (i.e., L'Occitane or Crabtree and Evelyn), they contain a lot of chemicals and make the situation even worse.  In the evenings I slather my arms and legs with Aveeno Overnight Relief lotion but that really doesn't help my hands. So, this winter I invested in a pair of therapeutic cotton gloves and a good old fashioned jar of Vaseline petroleum jelly.  It puts the lotion on and then it puts the gloves on.  Hopefully this remedy will help.  I look like a total clown but wear the gloves throughout the day when I'm at home.  KJ says I look like a crazed health inspector but I like to think I look like Mickey Mouse or like I have really happy jazz hands.

Happy New Year (a couple days late)

2016 is off to a great start in our household!  Coach and KJ spent the evening at Jerry World watching Alabama play, T was in New Orleans with Pony Boy and friends for the Sugar Bowl and I ushered in the New Year with a glass of wine and a bubble bath.  I think I was asleep by 10:30 pm. It was glorious!

Christmas was really great.  Very quiet with just the four of us but very relaxing.  Since the girls were very little, we've always gotten a new game for Christmas and we played it Christmas Eve.  We all slept in on Christmas morning and had our traditional breakfast casserole.  I think everyone was happy with their Christmas gifts (Coach got a FitBit, the girls and I got lots of Kendra Scott, James Avery jewelry, Hunter boots, Michael Kors bags, clothes, etc.).

Lax season is fully underway.  KJ is super duper happy with her lax team. It's a combined FloMo/Marcus team and she said the girls are all incredibly nice and have been exceptionally welcoming.  A couple of the girls knew a couple of her volleyball teammates so that was a Nice ice breaker.

The weather has been so crazy the last week or so.  Last week I had the heat off and some windows open, the weekend was noticeably chillier and the heat is back on. 

We've had a nice relaxing 3-day weekend. Friday KJ had a half day and the three of us had an awesome lunch at a little local place we've been dying to try.  We also did some furniture shopping and ended up buying a new patio set.  Saturday was rainy and dreary so Cosmo and KJ started painting the office. It was a dark, dark green and felt like an old man's office (previous owners had dark window treatments and old, boring golf prints).  I picked out a nice light color that's hard to explain ... not tan or beige but not ivory either.  The color perfectly matches the tab-top curtains I had in the upstairs hallway in our Alabama house.  The room looks so bright and airy now and ten times larger than it did!

Sunday the sun came out and warmed up a bit so KJ and I spent the afternoon walking around Grapevine. Such a cute little Main Street with great shopping!

We also bought new light fixtures to go over the kitchen island.  I like all of the light fixtures in this house, they had all been updated before we moved in.  However, I positively hated the dark Tiffany stained glass pendants. We bought very simple ivory shades to lighten things up and it makes a huge difference. 

The patio set was delivered Sunday afternoon; now we just need the weather to cooperate so we can have some steaks on the grill!