Facebook is so much fun! Everyone – and I do mean everyone …all the way up to my 80-something year old great aunt – is on Facebook! And that is a gigantic part of what makes it so cool. It is an opportunity – and an avenue – to reconnect with people from all of the different walks of your life! So come on over and join us!
I’m so excited, ya’ll! I am now officially part of the Soul-Flower Karma Krewe! Peggy just introduced me on their blog today and I’d love for you to go read it here:
Soul-Flower is a wonderful, heart-filled company that provides awesome, groovy products and is doing their best to do right by the world! Definitely my kind of company! You will be hearing more about my involvement with the Karma Krewe throughout the year!
I am such a major dweeb. I expect that you know this if you’ve read any of my uber redonkulous posts here. I definitely have a redonkulous way about me. And this time is no different. See, my mother bought me a gift certificate for one of my very favorite online stores, Soul-Flower. And if you’ve read my goofy carrying-on over here, you know how much I love that place and their awesome hippie clothes and bohemian clothes!
The really funny, super dweeby part about it is that I got the gift certificate for Christmas – and it actually arrived before Christmas! When it came, it was in a big manila envelope and I thought for some reason that Soul-Flower had decided to put their catalogs in envelopes….so I opened it. Oops – there was the GC with the catalog. LOL! I totally could have cheated and bought stuff with it before I was even supposed to have opened it! And here it is, March – and I’m just now getting around to it! Geez! Well, I did order some things in the end of February. So we’ll give me a little bit of credit. Not much, though.
I have SO. MUCH. TROUBLE. shopping there. I know, crazy, right? It is totally one of my fave online stores! LOL Well, I just like SO MUCH of their stuff that I have a hard time deciding what exactly to order! So I thought I’d show you a few cute things that I didn’t buy this time.
This is the tapestry patchwork backpack I’ve been oohing and aahing over for a very long time! And holy macaroni! I just peaked at the site and it says there is only one left! Wow! I suppose I’d better make my decision quickly on that one, wouldn’t you say? Ack!
UPDATE:Okay, they’ve sold all of those backpacks, but, there is a new one up that I’d like to show you. It’s very much like that one, but, it is smaller. It’s called the Remember When…. Mini Backpack and it’s just adorable. So it’s basically a backpack purse. Really cute. And it actually looks sturdier to me, with the corduroy trim holding it all together. I love it!
This tie dye hoody dress is fairly new and I absolutely love it! I really would not want to wear it until I lost more weight, though. I’m in the process again and have lost 10 pounds so far. Yea! I love the embroidered trim and flaired sleeves on this dress and the casualness to it, even though it’s a really pretty dress. I think I might take a gamble on it and just see if they still have it when I’ve lost all my weight. Who knows? They might have something I like uber tons better by then!
Okay, these spiral wood earrings are so. darn. cool.! I just absolutely love them! It’s a cute and funny trick that looks like you really have the piece of wood spiraling through your ear lobe! So interesting and cute! I have trouble wearing earrings, though, so I didn’t grab these for myself.
I really love this fairy tale top – it’s so dainty and sweet, but, not so much so that I would feel uncomfortable and too girly. I’m really not very girly or foo-foo, you know? The problem is, though, that I think tops with this style of cut looks that great on plus sized ladies, because, I think it looks like a maternity blouse when you’re fat. And that’s just not cool. My youngest is 14 years old. I’m so not pregnant and I sure don’t want to look it. Maybe one day when I’m thinner, we’ll see. For now – I’ll just enjoy it on others. Like on Peggy, the sweet and super cool co-owner of Soul-Flower!
This is the beautiful path necklace and I absolutely, completely love it! It reminds me of working to stay peaceful throughout my day and keeping calm through all the chaos of life. And it’s only $12! How amazing is that? This cool little guy is definitely staying in my Soul-Flower wish list!
I’m telling you – shopping at Soul-Flower is hard work! Whodathunkit, huh? They just have so many neat and wonderful and cute and pretty things! And they really are a cool company – you can read all about them here: About Soul-Flower. They are very interested in making the world a better place and they are very conscious of the vendors from whom they get their clothes and everything they sell. They only want to buy from vendors that are environmentally and socially conscious. I just love that about them.
Groovy shopping,
Macy’s was the one department store in Dallas that I actually liked. I mean, of the fancy ones, that is. I always felt like a fish out of water in fancy department stores, but, Macy’s had a ‘fun’ edge to it, for some reason. I really have no idea why or what in particular about it made me feel a little comfortable, a little bit welcome, there. And of course, it was always fun to go to the Galleria Mall, though there were not a lot of stores in there that I liked, either. Almost all of the small stores felt like mini fancy department stores. Or boutiques, if you will. Now I like boutiques that have some flair, some personality, maybe even some eccentricity to them. But fancy-foo-foo just isn’t my cup of tea. The structure, the design, of the mall was cool, though. And it was fun driving up in the parking garage in circle after circle after circle…
Yes, I’m a dork.
The trippy part is that now there are Macy’s Coupons! So strange to think about using a coupon at a nice department store. When I was growing up, I don’t think anybody would have walked into a store like that with a coupon. Today, though, saving – and frugality – are cool. It’s about time! Duh! Do you know that growing up, we never even went to the big discount stores. I mean – never. Not at all. I was married and out of the house before I went to one. I’ve always been a cheapskate, pretty much, but, grew up in an era of snobbery and people just didn’t do that. And to think all the wonderful thrift store shopping we missed out on! Thrift stores are amazing!
Getting back to Macy’s, you can now shop online from their store. That’s really cool. I guess I just don’t think of stores like that having online ordering available. But they do and not only that, there are Macy’s Coupon Codes and Macy’s Promo Codes that you can use, too!
When I discovered that, I figured it would be kind of like some of the grocery coupons. You know how it’s often cheaper to get the generic cereal than the name brand cereal using the coupon? That drives me crazy! So I was thinking Macy’s stuff would still be outrageous, price-wise. We’re a cash-strapped family with three teenagers, worried about getting them through college, we’re not going to be buying super mondo expensive stuff, you know?
I went and looked through the plus-size section since I’m a plus-size (now…) and they really had some decent prices in there and some cute things. So many plus-size sections have ‘grandma clothes’. It’s like, “Um – hello? I’m fat, not geriatric!!” And truth be told, they did have a few pieces that screamed ‘grandma’, but, they also had a ton of really nice-looking stuff.
And GUESS WHAT!!!
Their plus-sized clothes were modeled by plus-size models!!!! Now that right there is downright amazing! Way to go, Macy’s! One more reason for me to like you!
Happy, groovy fat chick signing out,
[SUBTITLE: Irritated, Annoyed, and Embarrassed]
Where Can I Go To Be Me?
Have you ever had that thought? Have you ever thought that you are just so freaking tired of not. being. you. that you think you’re going to explode? You keep thinking that with this certain group of people you have to ‘control’ you, keep you in – but with the next group you’ll be okay to just be you. (Like say you’re with you’re in-laws one day, but, the next day you’ll be with your daughter’s t-ball families – or something like that.) And yet, all you discover is that parts of you need to hush there, too….? Or maybe lots of you…..
And you keep thinking there is this magical, comfortable group with whom you can relax and be you …but ….you just can’t seem to find them? Sometimes you almost get there ….or sometimes you’ve experienced it in the past. But then you wonder, ‘Gosh, maybe they were just biting their lip at their disgust/shock/humor at the real you? Dang – maybe even that wasn’t real?’
Irritated, Annoyed, and Embarassed
I’ve spent a great portion of my life having the people around me irritated, annoyed, and embarrassed. And yep, you guessed it – that’s when the Real Lisa is around. I’m loud, I talk to strangers, I’m silly. Gosh – what else? Well – a multitude of things, really. Oh – you know, a big one is – related to that loud thing, I laugh really loudly. Can be hard to watch a movie with me, heh.
And you know what? Most of the time I’m okay with all of this. I’m okay with being different, with carving my own mold, with traveling my own road. It’s my thing. It’s what I do.
I often liken it to Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He had his own route to take, you know? (If you haven’t read it, you simply must. Really.) Though unlike Jonathan, I’m pretty sure I don’t have some big, earth-shattering thing to teach the world – or a crowd – or even you. But I know I’m learning from all of this myself.
The thing is – it’s hard. It’s hard work. It’s hard work being me. Hard work being Lisa Roberson. That’s a funny and a truth all rolled up into one.
Because see, sometimes the continued reactions of people can really get to you.
7th Grade – to Young Married Life – to Now, Living With Teenagers
So What’s This All About?
Some of these goofy things I’ve shared with you are just a snapshot of my silly, goofy differentness. And sometimes I just get so frustrated and so lonely and scream in my head,
Where Can I Go To Be Me?
…and you know what? I think right where I’m at is where I’m supposed to be. In this family, with this family – not on some deserted island for someone as crazy as I, I mean…
And it’s all okay.
The thing is, you guys letting me spill all these words here just totally fixed me right back into my proper headspot.
So the fact of the matter is…..it can (and often is) hard to be me, but, I just can’t not be me, so I’m gonna be me.
Much love and GROOVY dreams,
The weekend before last, my boys were in the Calhoun County All County Band. This is a very cool opportunity to get to play with other musicians like themselves, who are really interested in learning and progressing. I’ve been told they learn in a weekend what would take two weeks or more in a regular band class. I kind of liken it to a ‘gifted class’ for band members. And my kids really enjoy doing it. Well, the boys do, that is. Sammie hasn’t done it yet, but, I’m going to really encourage her to do so next year! This is her first year playing with the high school band and she is just getting used to everything, so that’s cool.
A really, super-cool thing about this year was that the high school group of kids were led by one of the band directors from Auburn University and he worked really well with the kids. And they definitely enjoyed working with him! And he is also from the area, participated in this County Band himself, and his father was a long-time band director in the county, as well. So that was really neat to have him there from all counts.
He really just was a neat guy and a great director! I’m so thrilled my boys got to work with him.
There are a lot of different things that the kids do with the band every year, but, All County Band is one of my very favorites. I’m not even sure what I love about it the most. I know that the year Shawn told me how great it was to be with kids who cared and listened and paid attention, that that made a big difference to me. But now that the boys are in the Etowah Youth Orchestra, they experience that level of commitment and involvement from their fellow musicians all the time. So I thought maybe this year, All County wouldn’t be that exciting – for me, I mean. (Living vicariously through these kids. Or just THOROUGHLY enjoying this whole ‘Band Mom’ thing!) It was just as great this year as the years before, though! It was actually kind of even better, thanks to Dr. Spurlin’s direction and excitement at being involved, and his family being there. Yep – his dad, veteran Calhoun County band director, was there for the concert! That was really cool!
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