LIFE'S LITTLE DETAILS

"THE DETAILS ARE NOT THE DETAILS. THEY MAKE THE DESIGN." — CHARLES EAMES

Happy Tuesday, m' dears! A fresh week in Swell Rio calls for a another batch of my favorite details...

• Last week Max and I managed to get a cruddy summer cold. Bleh! Aren't those the worst?! Despite the inclination to drown my sorrows in Dayquil and throw a giant pity party (BYOT = Bring Your Own Tissues), I kept thinking about this Henri Matisse quote: "There are always flowers for those who want to see them." So off we went to HEB and Walmart to find those flowers and more Boogie Wipes. Because I'm determined like that, I kept clinging to the beloved artist's words and came home with Carnations. Ahem. You guys, I've never purchased the flower in my life. Growing up, my mom put the kibosh to these blooms. They were verboten. When Flyboy saw them in a vase on the dining room table, he looked at me in utter disbelief. Not even a day after bringing the bouquet home, I had to come clean to my mom and confess. I guess desperate times in Del Rio call for desperate measures. Sigh.
• Since the flower idea was a giant flop, I kept searching for bright spots in the week to keep me motivated. This tenacity resulted in pulling Max's teepee out of the closet and setting up in the backyard, swinging outdoors, devouring unhealthy amounts of vanilla Noosa yogurt (which doubles as a hair mask—conditioner is overrated, folks!), and mixing paints during nap time. Our first full week back from Missouri wasn't quite as productive as I hoped, but considering Max's need to remain active and mobile the snuggle to sniffle ratio was on point. I'd chalk that up as a win.
• Speaking of winners, let's talk about the Olympics. Flyboy thinks my sentiment toward the event is un-American, but let me explain. It's not that I don't enjoy it, because I do love learning the stories behind the amazing athletes. I also don't mind watching an event or two, but the fact that it dominates every stinking station (looking at you, BRAVO!) for almost two weeks is a bit much. Thank goodness I had a lot of TV to catch up on after Missouri or I'd be going NUTS!
• You see that adorable vintage toy truck?! We visited my father-in-law's mother when we were in MO, and we learned that she has the neatest collection of toys that she's saved over the years. It was a blast looking through her toy box of treasures, and she was kind enough to let me take this piece home. I'm obsessed with Leslee Mitchell's artwork, specifically the Matchbox series, and this chartreuse jeep got me thinking about how neat it would be to use a similar concept and photograph a toy that has actual sentimental value for Max's room. I still need to play around with the car some more (lighting, editing, etc.), but the excitement was killing me and I just had to take it out for a test drive.
• Because these photos could easily give the appearance that life here this past week has been all fun and games (trust me, it's not!), I should mention that Friday was a total bust. After being at odds ALL morning, Max and I set out to get groceries. The high was 108 degrees that day (116 heat index), so we needed to get an early start. With a few miscellaneous items left on my lengthy list, the tot managed to bust a Febreze oil diffuser ALL over the groceries in our cart. I quickly hid the evidence behind a random bag of rice and we finished our errand as I intended. It was only when I began unloading the cart amid an epic toddler meltdown that I realized everything was sopping in scented oil. The ink from labels and packaging were bleeding and the liquid from the diffuser was absorbed in anything and everything you could possibly imagine. It was a nightmare! I just wanted to get out of the store as fast as possible. Thankfully, the kind cashier didn't say a word. Hallelujah! Oddly enough, I was so annoyed by my child's antics that I forgot about the dinosaur I threw in the cart when we started. At that beginning of our trip I felt he deserved a special reward—it probably had something to do with his pitiful puffy blue eyes and stuffy nose. Anyway, I just wanted to get to the car without any more tears and screams, so I asked the kind employee to leave the dino out and I'd let Max hold on to it as a last ditch effort to keep him content. Of course he could have cared less about the T-Rex in that moment because he knew there was string cheese somewhere in the cart. He threw a humongous fit and pitched his new dinosaur into the parking lot. I was absolutely enraged and had more uncharitable thoughts about my child on the ride home than I care to admit. Hours later someone shared an article on Facebook about why it's HARD to be a toddler (I'm being honest!), and I wanted to have a few colorful words with the PhD author. I'm not buying it! Not today...
• For the record, our pantry still reeks of Febreze scented oil and I had to repurchase many of the groceries I bought on Friday because the food smelled and tasted like the busted diffuser. Yuck! Toddlers are crafty like that.
• On a funnier note, watching Max devour a whole apple reminds me of the SNL skit with Mr. Peepers. You feel me?

Enough rambling on this end. How the heck are YOU?? Also, get excited for a really fun giveaway tomorrow!

P.S. I PROMISE TO GET MY ACT TOGETHER AND REPLY TO YOUR COMMENTS ASAP. I SWEAR THEY MADE MY WEEK.