Bittersweet {first day of school and some musical suggestions}

I remember when I was little plundering through my Mom’s pantry looking for a treat.  To my dismay, she wasn’t much for packaged sweets.  She baked plenty but not near enough for my sweet tooth.  One time as I came across some baking chocolate, I thought I had hit the jack pot.  Huge chunks of chocolate and lots of them.  You guessed it.  Bittersweet chocolate.  Not happy chewing.  Bitter.  But she could take that same chocolate and make delicious things for me to put in my mouth.   Sweet.

Today.  Bittersweet.

Side note-- as this whole post seems to be--
We {B and I- since I am the driver and payer of bills} are vacillating between "great hair!" and "a bush" right about now.  When Julia was starting to make a comment, I am doing the "cut it" motion across my neck in the mirror.  If she had finished her thought out loud, he may not have come out of the car.


It was the kid’s first day back at school.  Oh, there are many things to be happy about.  Of course.  The kids were excited about new backpacks, new supplies, new shoes, seeing their friends.  And I could hardly sleep last night thinking of all that I could accomplish today only to sit down and realize I had saved WAY too much for one solitary day.  I spoke briefly with a mom at drop off that said she had a bit of a melt down last night just because of how ill prepared for the school year she felt and how brief she felt her summer had been.  Oh, yes.  My book stack on my nightstand is still a stinking STACK.  Here, I’ll just show you.

I had high hopes, friends.  So that makes me sad because I just find it hard to read for fun during the school year.  Maybe that’s just a quirk of mine but that’s how it goes for me.

I am happy about the routine and then I am not.  I thoroughly enjoyed the many days no alarm was needed and the kids could awaken at leisure or when the dog next door- or our own dog-  would start barking.  I liked late breakfasts and early dinners and just a snack in between.  I liked being irresponsible and staying up way too late--reading chapter after chapter ignoring the clock.  I never even got tired of packing the cooler to take to the pool.  I’d go after school today if B didn’t have football practice.

Yes, FOOTball practice!  Tackle.  Foot.  Ball.  Do you know that I have a thing for football?  Not like some of my die-hard friends {AJ and VB!!!} but I do love it.  I grew up watching my big brother play way before his voice changed through his dramatic last game his senior year in high school. {Can tell you about that ANY time you want to hear it.}  I got to watch Jeff play his senior year at Furman University-- totally smitten, I was, watching #75 trying to take down the quarterback play after play.  I graduated from an SEC school and so, there is just something wrong or misfiring entirely if you don’t love football coming from SEC territory.   Putting aside ANY thoughts of bad injuries, I am very excited about Brighton learning the game and having the team experience.  As I was doing laundry yesterday, I put his football pants aside because I wasn’t sure about washing the pads. Well, guess what?  Football pants have changed over the last, what, 25 years?  Imagine that.  The pads are SEWN IN.  You just throw the pants in the wash.  There was a mom around that idea table the day they were deciding whether to sew them in or not.  {Thank you, idea table Mom.}

Okay, so I’d go to the pool if it weren’t for practice.  I will also miss the Lego creations I have seen this summer but I won’t miss all the requests to play the Wii.  I will miss the play dates but I won’t miss the days someone gets invited and the other one doesn’t.  I will miss the free days but I won’t miss the “I am bored” days, which isn’t actually allowed to be said in my house but oh, can they say it with their ENTIRE BEING or what?

Absent of all thoughts of boredom, today, they will come home with a myriad of things to tell me. I am bracing for many "Hey, she/he interrupted me!!!" There will be a slew of papers for me to see, answer key books for grading and their week of assignments that we will need to organize right away.

Bittersweet.  Summer is over and school has started.

Can I just say how LOVELY their naked faces are?!  I just love this no make up-look and wonder why we all ever start it?  What sweet girls.  Radiant.

Wondering if this is by intelligent design?  His seat placement?  Note teacher stool.  To make it sting even worse, there  is a "Jane" placed to his left.  I am sure "Jane" is great but the fact she is of the female kind is the rub for him.

Sweet Atlee behind her.  Thankful for these girls.

Bush here, maybe.  B with Preston-- one of my favorite kids.  Their hair contrast is a bit much for me.  They hold the title of belly roll champions at the pool and yet his Mom gets him in these smart clothes for the school day.  I am guessing she bribes him with doughnuts every morning!

I filled the first part of my morning with answering emails that should have been answered weeks ago, putting a roast in the crock pot, a little laundry, searching for the kids SSN's, and possibly the highlight of my day-- it's not over yet.... downloading new music and listening to one I got last week.

Ben Rector -- pick and choose what you like.  There will be a couple I skip.  He reminds me a little of Mat Kearney.  I like his sound overall.
Ellie Holcomb-- This one came out yesterday.  Thankful for this girl, her Mom and Dad and her husband's music, Drew Holcomb. A gifted crew.
Christa Wells-- hers came out last week and I was only getting to listen to it today and I heard a familiar voice and here is what I saw on my player.....

Well, well!!!  Christa and Ellie together!!!  Really fun and really lovely.

Happy Tuesday.