Beau has been dealing with storm induced anxiety. And yes my Christmas tree is still up. Don’t judge me. | Pajamas | Blanket | Chair | Ottoman |
We’re no strangers to anxiety in my house. We deal with it all the time. The past week has been a long one because of all the storms that have been passing through the area.
Houston can have some pretty epic storms. Hurricanes aside. The past few years, January and February have been particularly gloomy and rainy. This past week has been filled with storms, which is particularly stressful for Beau. I was having a gloomy, emotional week completely unrelated to the weather, so I wasn’t too upset that we stayed in and cuddled. I’ve rather enjoyed listening to the rain outside my window as I work or rest or read.
Beau is fine with the rain as long as she doesn’t have to go outside in it and it’s not accompanied by thunder and lightning. Unfortunately, not going potty isn’t an option, and there has been quite a bit of thunder and lightning. So the week has not been ideal.
Mostly, Beau just wants to curl up and cry. Literally, cry. Sometimes she hides in the closet shaking when the winds pick up and thunder claps. She likes to crawl as far into my arms as possible or squeeze herself tightly between Dylan and I on the couch or in bed. When we cuddle in our chair, she nestles into the blankets and lays on top of me. Being touched, held, and loved on makes her feel safer. It doesn’t stop her shakes or whines, but it settles her as much as possible.
Beau has a whole collection of sweaters. They help keep her anxiety in check. On the very worst days, we give her benadryl, which makes her sleepy.
It’s heartbreaking that she has such a hard time with storms. I wish I could do more to help or make her feel better. It’s so much harder when she refuses to leave the house during a storm because she needs to go potty. Sometimes I drag her outside covered in a coat and an umbrella, but she hates when her feet get wet. I have even tried to make her go potty on our covered patio but no. She is a stubborn girl; I have no idea where she gets it from.
I’m hoping the storms will pass soon.
bisous und обьятий, RaeAnna
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Running because she wasn’t cooperating and it was the only way to get her to go straight.Walking away from the camera because you have to in order to walk towards the camera.Staring at the other dogs who CAN’T climb fences. | Dog Collar | Yoga Pants | Hat | Leash
We went to the dog park today, which is not unusual, but I did find out about a fun new skill Beau has acquired.
Abandonment issues are something both Beau and I have in common. Although, hers are much worse than mine. I don’t freak out when my people are within eyesight. Beau does. If there is something keeping her from me and I’m walking away, she’s not a happy camper.
Setting the scene: Dylan and I walked around the dog part as Beau zoomed and zipped and sniffed butts. She pooped all over the place. She did one last big poop as we were about to leave. Dylan stayed in the dog park with her to clean up the doo-doo pile. I walked to the truck to grab her towel and shampoo so we could clean the gross lake water off her.
Action continues: As I walked through the gate to go to the truck, Beau started freaking out because the gate and the fence was in her way. She didn’t care Dylan was right there with her. She ran from one side of the gate to the other, SCREAMING!!! Beau was so very unhappy. Even though she could see me, she wasn’t with me.
New found talent: I was at the truck and turned to look at her. Beau was CLIMBING the fence. When she was near the top of the fence, she looked over it and realized getting over it would be hard. She climbed back down the fence and continued to stare at me whining.
We were reunited a whole two minutes later. It was very devastating and emotionally traumatizing for Beau. I am, obviously, a terrible mother. She managed to survive the whole experience, and we’re curled up in our chair amid a pile of pillows. Tomorrow is a new day, and we will continue to work on our abandonment issues. For now (and hopefully forever) I will remain her dedicated stay-at-home dog mom.
bisous und обьятий, RaeAnna
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I’m not much for resolutions or goals, but these aren’t resolutions. These are small things I’m going to do this year because I’m going to need a reminder of the things I thought about doing at one point when I’m bored and can’t remember what I want to do. These are all blog focused because I have loads of ideas, and then I forget about those ideas the moment I sit down to write anything at all.
Make a point to see more murals in Houston.
Try new restaurants.
Take better and more unique pictures.
Be better about sticking to the schedule I set for myself.
Create a list of my favorite coffee shops in Houston.
Write about the things that are important to me.
Go on more Blips for Trips (short, drivable day trips) in my spare time.
Learn how to create a mailing list.
Write about the Iowa Law Library. (finally)
See more of Texas.
Support as many wonderful women as I can.
bisous und обьятий, RaeAnna
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Christmas in London by Anita Hughes has a lot of things you want in a Christmas story, but it falls short in just as many ways.
Louisa is a small time pastry chef working in New York City. Kate is a producer for a local cooking show. They spend Christmas in London to be a part of a holiday cooking show. Louisa grows close to an assistant from New York, and Kate revisits people from her past.
I’m fairly ambivalent about this book. It’s not bad. It’s definitely not great, but it’s what people want and expect during the holidays. Loads of ridiculous romantic stuff and drama for no reason. Hughes writes in the third person and switches between Louisa and Kates’s point of views throughout Christmas in London. It’s mostly told in the present, except for when Kate has flashbacks to the past for a muddy subplot. Honestly, the writing is really boring and cliché. There is an abundance of similes. Hughes is overly descriptive to the point of monotony. It became so repetitive when as the narrative said in one way or another “a man showed up and she realized it was Trevor/Noah.” Yuck. It doesn’t build suspense. It’s just boring and a waste of ink.
I could get past the writing if the characters were more believable or even likable. Louisa and her love interest felt like they were in high school more than adults starting out in a romantic relationship. Kate is more mature but not by a lot. I have a hard time identifying with adults in relationships who are completely lacking in mature communication skills. At the same time, their conflict resolution comes far too easily after they’ve bungled the whole situation from poor communication skills. They’re also not very likable. The parallels drawn between Louisa and Kate are not subtle; they’re basically living the same story arc.The male characters are the worst. Honestly, I don’t know why either woman put up with it? No man is better than any man.
Anita Hughes’ Christmas in London is a decent mindless read to keep you busy instead of spending time with the in-laws or family. It’s not great, but it could be a lot worse.
Memorable Quotes ““But there isn’t time to be passionate about more than one thing. If you want something in life, you have to sacrifice everything else to get it.”” “She had never been able to separate love and attraction.” “That was the problem with sex; it made it impossible to think.”
I’m behind because the internet has sucked EVERYWHERE!!! I’ve also been disinclined to work. So here are 11… Holiday Outfits I Love. I wore them all this year. They’re cute and festive.
2. Green Turtleneck Sweater Dress & Red Flannel I love comfy yet festive. I do live in my pajamas, so sweater dresses feel like an extension of that. This cute green turtleneck sweater dress is amazing. I love tying a red flannel shirt at my waist. Over the knee black boots keep my legs warm, and a chunky hat keeps me cute and cozy. A sparkly touch is a cute pear shaped sapphire necklace and earrings.
3. Vintage Burgundy Off-the-Shoulder Dress I love this dress!!! It’s so cute and vintage. I’m always shocked when defined waist dresses actually fit me because I’m so tall. The green art deco earrings are gorgeous. Paired with silver heels and a rose gold watch, it’s perfectly simple yet classic and classy.
6. Backless Velvet Bodysuit & Taffeta Skirt This was one of my favorite Christmas outfits last year. The burgundy velvet bodysuit is backless with black trim and it’s amazingly Christmassy!!! I also love the green taffeta skirt. Nude heels let the outfit shine. Pair with a cute rose gold watch.
8. Classic White This is probably my favorite outfit ever. This white and black skirt is perfect, and it’s amazing to twirl in. I paired it with a simple white turtleneck. To make it festive and pop, red high heels.
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Worth A Read Yes Length 128 Quick Review The Herdman kids decide to take part in a church’s Christmas pageant, and it is the town’s nightmare incarnate. The director decides to make it the best pageant ever, anyways.
I had never read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson, but I had read the play many, many years ago. Not only did I read it, I played one of the main characters, Imogene Herdman, in the play as a kid. It was fun to revisit this poignant and funny story full of devilish children in a Christmas pageant.
Imogene, Ralph, Claude, Leroy, Ollie, and Gladys Herdman are a nightmare. With almost no parental supervision, they run amok around town and in school. A reputation for bullying, theft, and utter chaos follows them everywhere. None of the other children like them, and even the teachers avoid them. The Herdman’s are all but beyond help. By chance, they end up at Sunday school and take an interest in the Christmas pageant. Even as everything is falling apart for the director, she decides to make it the best pageant the church has ever had, even with the disastrous Herdmans.
Published in 1972, I was shocked by how progressive it was towards gender equality and religious views. Robinson calls out society’s female stereotype for being sweet in the first sentence, “The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world. They lied and stole and smoked cigars (even the girls)…” The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is 128 page children’s novel and a social critique making points on parenting, religion, the education system, government, and culture in general. Robinson writes an entertaining story full of funny and teachable moments sure to enchant children while leaving adults with a story full of nuance and insight.
A little girl in the same class as Imogene Herdman is the narrator of the story. The narrator is also the daughter of the pageant’s director. She has a fairly passive role within the story, but her narration has a really beautiful arc of understanding and growth, which is the same arc Robinson hopes the reader will travel on.
I grew up in a progressive, Christian church. I knew a lot more about the history of the Christmas story than others, but there is a gap in how the Christmas story is told in church and how it is written in the Bible. Robinson makes a point of calling attention to this gap. The narrator acts as the mirror for the reader to, likely, see themselves in. The Herdman children are the fresh perspective. Without a religious background, they’re making observations on the weird parts of the story most people and churches gloss over. The narrator is a good person, but her mind is opened by the seeming antagonists: The Herdmans. She has really poignant moments of growth, “[Jesus] could have had colic, or been fussy, or hungry like any other baby. After all, that was the whole point of Jesus – that he didn’t come down on a cloud or like something out of “Amazing Comic,” but that he was born and lived… a real person.” and “I had never thought much about Herod. He was just a name, somebody in the Bible. Herodtheking.” I thought these were incredibly beautiful moments within The Best Christmas Pageant Ever because I have seen adults who have not been able to make those same realizations.
One of my favorite moments in the book to read was the line ”We put Glady in a bureau drawer,” from Imogene because I remember saying it on stage. There were several scenes I very much appreciated. Imogene running around with a cigar was another because I had so much fun playing that character. Being a naughty Herdman was so fun as a little girl.
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is such a great story for the whole family. I absolutely loved reading it for the first time as an adult.
Memorable Quotes “We figured they were headed straight for hell, by way of the state penitentiary…”
