There’s no way to explain the long absence except it was a long season and it seems as if I have been unable to get back on track. I eventually will share with you some of the things I observed and learned along the way. These last few weeks will be hectic as summer approaches. Remember to enjoy the good times.
Then you have to read this one, and you must read it for the next 40 days. I became addicted to Blogdorf Goodman last year during her reviews of 40 of her favorite beauty products. This year, she is producing 
It’s no secret to my friends and family that I was enamored with (Seasons 1, 2 and 3) — this year, not so much. But, when this tidbit in the
appeared, I couldn’t respond fast enough. The newspaper will mail you a packet of materials you will use to design an outfit for a
or any 14-inch doll. Photos of the creation are due Feb. 22. I hope they include our school colors and allow us to use the hot-glue gun.
I don’t like recommending products until I have tried them for a good while, but it’s been more than three months since I won the
in the
contest, and I’ve got to tell you - I’m hooked. I haven’t used another since I first unpacked it from its box. The brush conforms to the angle of your cheek giving you the perfect sweep. As someone who was turned onto make-up relatively late in life (I know, I know — it’s called aging), I have been scouring books trying to find the best way to apply make-up and constantly read beauty blogs to perfect my application. One coaches wife on our staff always looks flawless and I just want to sit at her feet every morning to see how she does it. One thing I learned several years ago is that you have to have good tools to apply products. You can purchase the most expensive products from
at
, but if you are using the applicator that came with the product, it’s just not going to look good. The coach wouldn’t send his team out to play in the in the state championship game with a football he bought off the shelf at a discount store, and you don’t need to cheat yourself when it comes to your arsenal of brushes. Available at
for $30. I think I may go back for the
when they advertise a GWP (gift with purchase.)
Been meaning to tell y’all about this contest for a long time. I love the Dallas Morning News’ contest because - 1. I have won it in the past 2. The artwork and photo illustrations in their
section are inspiring and beautiful and 3. I just love the name. Great prizes and all it takes is registering at the Dallas Morning News site, which is free. You should be subscribed to the newspaper anyway, because it is chockful of news and has the latest on many of your coaches sports teams.
A big shout-out to Carolyn Allen - - whose husband
, is guiding the
in the State Semi’s this weekend in Mesquite. The Coach always says “good things happen to good people.” Remember to enjoy this week.
The is one of the best sources for
news. I had read conflicting reports regarding the impact the writer’s strike would have on the series filmed in the Austin-area, but this
is good for fans of the show: six shows are in the can while other series are depleted and will rely on reruns. I still love the show but I have two pleas: I am glad to see they are slightly re-tooling the intro (it looks better), but please go back to the original version. The clip of Tim Riggins in the locker room before the first game is necessary to capture the feel of the series. And, two: you have some of the best writers in television. You don’t need to rely on promiscuous scenes to capture an audience. Believe in your abilities. The conversation Tami and Eric had two weeks ago regarding their relationship - priceless.
I am always on the hunt for a new purse that can lug all the stuff I need to tend to four children and a host of teams who always need something — tylenol, Band-Aids, safety pins, Kleenex, gum - and carry my personal belongings, wallet, sunglass case, make-up case, keys, digital camera, video camera, Game Boy, subscriptions to all my magazines - and that I won’t fret about when stuffing it under a stadium seat or on the gym floor where they are subject to Cokes, nachos, you name it. I have several but I found one this summer that has become my main go-to bag this season. And I read about it on . And when someone asks me about it, I can tell them about the
it went to instead of saying, I received it when I bought a bunch of make-up (I’m a sucker for GWP - gift with purchase). And, isn’t the little No. 1 on the reverse side appropriate for a coaches wife? The
. For $59.95, I bought one for my Mom. As Tim Gunn would say, “carry on.”
No matter how many times I tell the Coach and my kids that it was “cool to be in the band” at my high school, I still get the eye roll. Not a roll-back-in-your-head eye roll, but more of a raised eyebrow accompanied by a smirk eye roll. Ah, what do they know, anyway? One of my favorite marching band shows was our tribute to Neil Diamond (followed closely by the Pink Panther and Chicago). I haven’t stopped humming “Sweet Caroline” since I read this morning that Diamond finally that the inspiration for his song, “Sweet Caroline,” was President Kennedy’s daughter, Caroline. The no. 1 hit was penned years after seeing a photograph of her in her riding boots next to her pony. I didn’t know it was a closely guarded secret. Keeping it quiet all these years made the revelation all that more sweeter. Caroline’s youth was my youth. And this week as we head home to families (except those still in the play-offs), you can’t help reflecting on the past and simpler times.
A fellow coaches wife and I always smile when we remember the year our team made a run at the state championship. With each passing game, we piled on one more sweater and moved 10 yards down the field because of the growing crowd (winning does that 
). By the time, we played in the state final game, we were on the 5-yard line, 20 rows up and five sweaters deep. Last week, we were involved in one of those “end-of-season-both-teams-must-win” situations to make the play-offs, which meant a huge crowd. Normally, the huge crowd would have boosted my enthusiasm, but all I could think about was - that meant more trash. In an effort to teach my kids “how to work” I volunteered to clean the stadium (we did get paid). It was a humbling experience - that’s all I have to say. So, in an effort to educate crowds heading out tonight to support their teams, here are some hints to make the cleaning crew happy come Saturday morning. 1. Throw out your trash 2. If you can’t throw it out, leave it in the stands. Sliding it through the bleachers so you don’t have to see it anymore is death for cleaning crews. There are ants down there, licking their chops waiting for their next soggy bowl of nachos to make their way down and who are still there Saturday morning when someone reaches down to pick it up and throw it out! And, they hurt! There’s also a great number of metal bars that get in the way when you stand up and unwittingly smack your forehead against, and you subsequently blurt out something that you have to explain to your 10-year-old who you originally signed up to teach a lesson. 3. If you are trying to quit smoking, good for you! However, since you will be chewing nicotine gum or something similar, and I imagine, you will be chewing a great deal of it, find something else to do instead of wrapping it up in the 1/2 inch by 1/2 inch wrappers they come in and chunking them over the stands. 4. Sunflower seeds, peanuts — I love ‘em. They are an exception to rule no. 2. All kidding aside, as I looked at the field Saturday evening (I finished the last game by myself — basketball scrimmages and birthday parties) I took pride in my work. The long day gave me time to think, time to exercise (bending, bending and more bending) and it gave me time to think of the fresh start. A season completed, also means that its time to look forward to the next season. And that always brings hope. Losing is the pits. And putting away the equipment for the year always depresses the Coach. But he always looks forward to pulling it out again next year. It’s what keeps him going. Good luck in the play-offs, but remember not to mess with Texas (or a Texas Coaches wife)
I am the mother of four and the wife of a high school coach in a small town in Texas. It is a job in which I was unprepared but which I have embraced with passion, tears and enthusiasm.
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