Essie's Monty Python impression

I agree!!

This is a letter from Shannon at http://www.rocksinmydryer.typepad.comRocks in my Dryer. All I have to say is amen sister amen!

An Open Letter To the People In the Fashion Industry Who Design Clothes For Grown Women
Dear Fashion People,

Today I went to the mall to buy a shirt. Just a shirt. Something girly and springy to put with my khaki capris, something dressier than the solid knit shirts that serve as my spring and summer uniform.

I looked and I looked and I have finally reached a breaking point on an issue that has bugged me for some time:

The camisole.

Everything requires a cami, seemingly by design. It's a vast layering conspiracy, and the salesgirls are in on it. I come out of the dressing room wearing a shirt that plunges down to there. "Is it supposed to be this low-cut?" I ask.

"Oh," she says, "just throw a cami under it."

So I try on something else. The bodice has a lot of eyelet-ish trim on it, and eyelet has holes. Holes, all over my abdomen, including one gaping open over my most impressive stretch mark.

"Oh," salesgirl says, "just throw a cami under it."

Round three. It looks like a safe-enough white shirt, until I put it on and realize it's almost completely sheer. Bridal-veil sheer.

"Oh," salesgirl says, (all together now) "just throw a cami under it."

But here's the deal: I don't want to throw a cami under it. I don't want two shirts. I want one shirt. My reasons are excellent:

1. I'm cheap and I'm out of closet space. A cami is one more thing to buy, launder, store and generally deal with. Let's keep it simple.

2. I live in Oklahoma. In the summer, it is hot. Melt-your-skin-off hot. Even-the-pool-water-is-too-warm hot. What's-wrong-with-the-A/C hot. If I have to endure that heat wearing two layers of clothing, I might be (*shudder*) tempted to remove the top layer, which brings me to point three...

3. Ever since I hit puberty, I have devoted a signficant amount of effort to making sure that my bra strap doesn't show. And even if your cami matches your bra, your bra strap shows. I don't like that. I suspect you would recommend I find a cami with a built-in bra, to which I respond that such bras were not created for women who have nursed four children, and that's all I have to say about that.

4. I'm a middle-aged woman. I'm not overweight, but still, I have a general layer of padding around my mid-section, and it is a cause of consternation. The last thing I want to do is add another layer of squishiness. Your cami fabric may be thin, but if I wanted to add two milimeters of thickness to my abdomen, I'd much rather do it at Krispy Kreme.

Perhaps you will say that you have introduced the cami as a "stylish accessory" which provides "fashionable layering options".

I don't believe you.

I think you want to sell two shirts.

And I'd march right up to Madison Avenue and tell you this in person, except I'm stuck in the dressing room in a see-through blouse.

Sincerely,

Shannon

Nathan's sleepover

Girl's weekend in TN

Essie's big catch

While Abby, my mom and my sister and I went to Pigeon Forge last week, my dad kept Nathan and Esther. They went fishing and Esther caught a 20 inch catfish. She was soooo excited!

A few of my favorite things.....

Spring mornings on my back porch with a cup of coffee, my Bible and my handsome hubby
Peanut butter Easter eggs
April birthdays ( Nathan and Amy's) :)
Softball games
Count down until the end of school
Disney cruises
Homeschool conferences
Shopping trips with my mom and sis
Ordering next year's curriculum ( I know, I'm weird, but it gets me excited)
Eddie Bauer capri pants
My new iphone
pedicures
birdwatching with Esther...our new "hobby"
Planning my garden
Happy Spring Ya''ll!!

Pink Lemonade cake

Pink Lemonade Cake

(6 oz) frozen Pink Lemonade Concentrate, thawed
White cake mix
3 egg whites
2 Tbsp vegetable oil
Pink or red food coloring ( just enough to make it a pretty pink)

Lemon Buttercream Icing (recipe below)
.
In a stand mixer, add the cake mix, egg whites, vegetable oil, and the pink lemonade concentrate. Mix on low for 2 minutes.

Spray a 9x13 pan and spoon in batter. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick is clean. Cool completely on a baking rack.

Lemon Buttercream Icing
3 cups + 3 Tbsp confectioners sugar
1 stick butter at room temperature
2 Tbsp lemon juice
Yellow food color
Add the butter, confectioners sugar, lemon juice, and food coloring to the stand mixer and mix on low until combined. Turn the speed to med-high until the icing is fluffy and yellow

* I am thinking about 4oz of cream cheese would be good in the icing too, but I haven't tried it that way yet!

Frost cooled cake and enjoy!

April's Plans

Here are some things on the list for the 4th month of the year, a busy one at the Mullis house!

Celebrate our puppy Sammy's birthday on April 1st. I am going to get Abby to make some homemade puppy treats.

I am going to TN with my mom and sister and the kids get to spend two days with their Gramps! I think fishing and turkey hunting is on the activities schedule!

Watching lots of church softball and ymca baseball

End of the year testing for all three kiddos

A sleep over with some boys from church to celebrate Nathan's 9th birthday!

Egg hunt and Easter program at church

Coloring eggs and making Resurrection bread

Puppet show at Korners Folly on the 14th

Field trip with FHE to the Apple store on the 15th ( I think mommy is the most excited about that!)

Earth Day activities and possibly going to see the Disney movie Earth on the 22nd

Paint a bat house for our night friends

Do a study on Thomas Jefferson.. his birthday is April 13th

Order curriculum for next year and sign up for the NC home educators conference

Celebrate Amy's birthday on the 15th!

Leave for a week in Florida on the 27th and end the week on our Disney Cruise vacation!!!

Enjoy the beautiful spring weather with nature walks and journaling

Esther and I will finish up our Beatrix Potter study and are going to plant a teeny tiny little garden.

Happy April! March is sure going out like the lamb it should after the snow we had at the beginning of the month.

Memaw Ella

I became a little more homesick for heaven today. My sweet grandma went to be with Jesus this afternoon. She had a full life and has not been doing very well physically the past couple of years. I am so thankful the Lord allowed me to see her just this past Friday before He took her home. Please pray for us as we travel to Virginia this week for the funeral. We will miss you, Memaw Ella!

Work Boxes Work!!

I have started using Sue Patrick's workbox system with the kids for homeschooling. It is working sooooo well! It is helping us get so much more accomplished in a shorter amount of time. It is also keeping me accountable each and every day to have all the necessary supplies and plans for the next day. I love looking in the schoolroom in the afternoons and knowing what is waiting on us the next day. Instead of going into details about the system, I posted some pictures and also linked my pal, Heather's blog. She has a detailed description and also a link to other homeschooling moms that are using the system.

http://blogshewrote.blogspot.com/2009/03/workbox-system.html

Korner's Folly puppet show

Abigail, Nathan and I signed up to become puppeteers at Korner's Folly, an 1800's historic home in Kernersville. The puppet show is a way to introduce children to the history of the Folly on their level. They usually have preschools and elementary schools come in a few times a month for field trips and they use homeschoolers as the pup Today was our first show....we had so much fun! Here is some information about Korner's Folly. www.kornersfolly.org

St. Patrick's Day Fun