The Crazies, Gatherings, Guilt, and "Special" Kiddos (I.E. Random Bits)

It's been a doozy of a week friends...I finished a two-day shoot for D Moms this afternoon then headed to another shoot right after. In between I've been planning for back-to-back D Moms shoots on Tuesday and Wednesday of next week, the fun shoot at our house on Thursday, and, oh you know... trying to actually write articles and hit my deadlines. I'm running on fumes, and excitement, and adrenaline (I'm actually kind of having a blast), all the while hoping I don't crash and burn before it's all done.

The best part is that in the midst of all this crazy, I often get to tote the girlies along (I'm not sure I could pull this off if I had to be away from the girlies non-stop). That's Audrey above chillaxin while I was helping to prep the set yesterday. We spent the entire day together, and she was a total and complete rock star -- helpful, patient, funny... That kid is goodness; I'm a lucky mom.

image by Marcus Nilsson for Gather

So suffice to say, free time is not so much a part of my world of late, but if it were, I'd love nothing more than to spend it cooking (and eating) with friends... Oysters and cocktails would be nice, yes?

Heck, in lieu of a full-blown dinner, I'd be content to linger over coffee on my back porch and slowly flip through Gather. It just looks stunning. (Perhaps a replacement for the greatly missed Gourmet?) Michele Outland and Fiorella Valdesolo started the new bi-annual food journal, "because of a shared love of food and cooking, and a desire to create a magazine with staying power on your bookshelf... devoted not just to cooking and eating, but to what those acts inspire: the bringing of people together."
Amen.
There's also a Gather online shop filled with goods that coordinate with the theme of each issue. Count me in.

Ok, a couple more quick things. Kay Wyma, author of the genius Cleaning House: A Mom’s 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of Youth Entitlement wrote a really fantastic post for us over on tinyDallas this week based on David McCullough's "You're Not Special" commencement speech. It's a really great read if you want to take a peek...

And last but not least (and speaking of parenting), my "Summer Guilt" post over is on The Huffington Post. Such an honor!

Have a fantastic weekend friends.