Thankful Season

No surprise that Thanksgiving is my fav, fav, fav holiday but man!  It goes by so fast!  T arrived very late Tuesday night as she drove from a meeting in Muscle Shoals.  I went into the office for a little bit Wednesday and am so glad my girls are old enough to want to take over the cooking responsibilities!  I received a huge bird from my hotel and our sweet realtor gave us an apple pie that was as big as a hubcap.  My friend LCM recently introduced T to splotchcocking and it cut cooking time in half.  T had also cooked a turkey using this method on Sunday for her B'ham Friendsgiving.  It's not a pretty presentation but it's delicious!

The girls did a fabulous job with their menu -- we had two different appetizers:  a prosciutto-wrapped asparagus and a baked brie with blackberry jam.  Besides the turkey and apple pie, they made green beans, stuffing from scratch, crock pot mashed potatoes, a mixed greens salad with feta, walnuts, cranberries and an apple cider vinegrette.  I really don't mind doing all the dishes if someone else cooks!

The previous weekend was spent w/ the Martins in Oxford.  As always, a super great time!  LCM hooked us up with the most perfect hotel rooms, Z, AG & KJ took care of the tent Friday night and now that KJ and Z are both 18, T and Pony Boy let them tag-along in Oxford.  Coach and Dean-o tormented our server at Old Venice and we did a little bar-hopping and ended up at the Round Table and spent some time at the fire pit at the hotel.  LCM is very creative and made an awesome banner for the tent and her table décor was perfect!  Of course we love walking around the Grove to sneak a peek at what everyone else is doing, too.  Game day started of kind of iffy weather-wise.  The rain didn't hit until 2 or 3 hours before kick-off and we hunkered down in the Grove.  And the rain brought much, much cooler temps and we were all kind of wet and cold and miserable because of the score.  LCM and the girls and I headed back to the hotel while the guys stuck it out at the game.  We had so much fun sitting in the hotel late night, BS-ing, laughing and finishing off our adult beverages and snacks. 

I've only gone Black Friday shopping once and I swore I'd never do it again.  I have been doing a lot of my Christmas shopping on-line and now those Amazon packages are piling up on the front porch.  KJ is at a weird place this year -- she had a bunch of dorm things on her Christmas list.  T and Pony Boy are going to Dublin for New Year's (yes, she has ants in her pants and gypsy in her blood) so her list consists of travel items and clothes.  And Coach continues to be an enigma.  He is the hardest person to buy for.  I mean, seriously.  What do you buy the man who has everything???? 

New Chapter

Someone recently suggested I change the name of my blog to "Keeping Up with the Cos's" because we've always got so much going on!  And things are about to get even crazier!

Coach started his position here in Dallas on April 1, 2015. I had been working at the Sheraton in Columbia but resigned mid-March so I would be available for house hunting trips in Dallas and be there for KJ during this big transition (which was essentially our second move in less than two years).  So, basically I've been a stay-at-home mom, a homemaker, a domestic Goddess, whatever you want to call me, for almost two years. T is independent and living an incredibly full life in Birmingham.  KJ is a junior in high school, driving and starts an after school job next week.  In approximately 18 months Coach and I will be empty nesters. And now I need to start making some changes. 

As much as I've loved being here for my family, getting everything settled in Dallas and being a lady of leisure, it's time for me to think about a career. Yup.  Forty-nine years old and I think I've finally found my dream job and something I would call a career, not just a job to fill time in between our moves.

I had been interviewing for a few months but nothing really seemed to fit. I love being in the hospitality industry and there are tons and tons of hotels and resorts in this area.  Unfortunately sales and catering positions don't come easily and I think my resume scared off potential employers. I obviously have the experience but there's always that chance we'll get transferred.

Before Halloween I started the interview process with a hospitality company and got a great offer on our drive to Nashville for Thanksgiving!!  To say I'm super duper excited is an understatement!  The two properties I will be selling are awesome and everyone I've met has been incredible!

So, pretty soon I'll be signing "Heigh Ho!  Heigh Ho!  It's off to work I go!!!"

Rivals

Watching the 3rd Quarter of the Iron bowl (right now Bama is down 27 to 36).  Happy to see Ole Miss defeat Mississippi State in the Egg Bowl earlier today and glad the Egg will be in Oxford for the year.  T, The Dew and his sister Cassi were all at the game.  Cassi was also there for the win over Alabama so I think she's the good luck charm. (OMG, as I'm typing Alabama just scored.  It's now Auburn 36, Bama 34).

T had a lovely week with Pony Boy's family for Thanksgiving.  On Saturday she competed in the Miss Amory pageant (and won!) and Sunday they headed to Johnny Frat Boy's house for the week.  I haven't had a chance to really talk to her but I think they met up with some of his high school friends, she met almost all of his family, had lunch with his mom, and went shining and shot off some guns.  T said she's dating Elmer Fudd.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving which also involved a little bit of snow from Wednesday.  My cousin Alison and her husband Zach came over as well as two friends from work.  I always have a hard time with timing the meal but this year everything turned out just right.

I had to go into the office for a bit on Friday and took KJ with me.  We also helped with the holiday decorations and I took her for sushi for lunch.  On our way home we stopped and did a little black Friday shopping.  We made it home in time for KJ to go to the high school football game.  Damascus is undefeated and is going to the Maryland state football championship this week (Thursday).  Not sure if KJ can make it to the game as volleyball practice starts Tuesday.

Super duper proud of her . . . she made the 15/16 travel volleyball team.  Over 70 girls tried out and since the team is also comprised of sophomores and juniors (depending on their birth date) and they only took 12 girls, we were really unsure how it was all going to play out.  She has also said repeatedly that she is going to play lacrosse.  Which just makes my heart happy.

OMG.  Alabama just scored again.  The score is now Bama 42, Auburn 36).

This morning KJ and I met our bestest friends for breakfast and had such a nice time.  I think we sat in Panera for over 3 hours.  AG was invited to cheer in the Philadelphia Thanksgiving Day parade so we met them just outside of Harrisburg while they were on their way back to Cincinnati.  And we did a little shopping on our way home, too.

Cosmo got some stuff done today while we were gone.  I think he was happy to have some peace and quiet in the house for a change!  He got the outdoor Christmas decorations out of the garage and also re-covered our kitchen chairs and bar stools.  It was time to change the black and white check and I found a gray and white link pattern I love, love, love!  Tomorrow I'll finish putting Thanksgiving away and start on Christmas.

Another crazy week!!!

At the end of May, I, along with several others, lost my job at the Sheraton.  I've been working since I was 15 years old and have never been laid off or fired from a job so you can imagine what a shock it was for me.  I knew it wasn't personal, I knew it was just business but still.  The hotel was doing poorly, they needed to cut expenses and since my position was a newly created position, it was deemed a luxury.  The timing actually worked out in my favor . . . I was home all summer with KJ, got to enjoy the pool every day and worked on my tan, I was able to see a lot of my lax family when they came up for tournaments, I was able to go to Vicksburg for 10 days in July for the pageant, I was able to spend quality time with T-Bone when she came home for a week at the end of July, I was able to drive KJ to and from volleyball camps and clinics and I was able to be involved in her JV volleyball experience.  I was also able to fly to Oxford for a few days in October and, had that damn hurricane not happened, I would have been able to enjoy a week in Cabo!  Now, the holidays are upon us and I was looking forward to hosting Thanksgiving and having all of our family here for Christmas.  Simply put, I have not been looking for a job.  But a job found me.

Tuesday I received a text from one of my co-workers at the Sheraton asking me if I was interested in a position in the Sales Department.  Something had come up and I was the first person they thought of.  On Wednesday afternoon I received a call from HR asking if I could come in Thursday morning to meet with the new GM.  Within an hour, I had an offer of employment.  My head is spinning!!!  I start on Monday.  Naturally, I ran to the mall to buy some new clothes!

We have got so much going on over the next couple of weeks, I'm questioning the timing of this new job but things have a way of working out.  We are also in the process of buying a house here in Maryland so I was very honest with the DOS and the GM.  I told them up front that I'll need some days off for the closing, the move, etc and I absolutely positively have to have off the entire week of Christmas.  That was not negotiable.

When we first moved here we decided to rent since we really weren't sure if we were going to stay.  Fortunately, KJ loves it here and is positively thriving.  She made the honor roll 1st semester of high school as well as all 4 semesters of 8th grade and we couldn't be prouder.  She's in all AP classes and did an incredible job of balancing academics and athletics.  This coming from a child who hated school in Alabama and begged to be home schooled.  Every morning was a struggle with KJ.  She begged to stay home, every morning brought a new ailment ... a headache, a stomach ache, etc.  She loves her school, likes her teachers, she's got a great group of friends, she's popular and she's got quite the social calendar.  So, we decided the time to buy a house was right.

Unfortunately, finding a house has proved to be difficult and not without it's challenges.  Obviously we want to stay within our current school district.  We do not need nor do we necessarily want a McMansion which seems to be the rage up here.  Houses in our current neighborhood start at $625K.  It's just the three of us for the next three years (we have accepted the fact that T-bone will probably never live in Maryland).  We do not need a 5-bedroom house.  We're trying to find a smaller house that fits our needs and a house that we can quickly sell once KJ is off to college and we can downsize even further.  Unfortunately, a smaller house in this area equates to a much, much older house needing updates.

We've been searching since the spring and think we may have found our next home.  It is an older home but the kitchen and master suite have been beautifully updated.  The house is on an acre and backs to the woods.  It's a brick ranch that has none of it's original floor plan.  The master suite is huge and also has a separate sitting room that was probably one of the original bedrooms, beautiful hard woods, his and her closets and one wall of exposed brick.  The family room is an addition it is also has beautiful hardwoods, walls of windows overlook the back yard and a wall of exposed brick.  The house has two fireplaces -- one in the formal living and one in the finished basement -- but my favorite room is the mud room off the garage.  I have always wanted a mud room!!!  There is a guest bedroom in the basement and KJ will take over the entire renovated attic.  So, if we do put an offer on this house and the closing goes through, we will be the proud owner of three homes and a lacrosse store!  Yup.  Our house in Hoover is currently being rented by a nice family from MS with 2 high school aged girls, the renter in our condo has been there for over 5 years and it doesn't look like he's going anywhere and of course we still have Stickhead.  We keep joking around that all we need next is a condo in Ocean City!!!

The Road to Hell

Gah!!  It's been an incredibly long time since I've blogged.  I've been meaning to.  I had good intentions.  But you know what they say about good intentions . . . 

So let's see.  Last time I blogged we were probably getting ready for our trip to Cabo.  Well, Hurricane Odile took care of that.  While we were naturally disappointed, everything seems to be working out A-OK.  It looks like we may be doing a Mediterranean cruise next year so we have that to look forward to!  I believe the cities are:  Barcelona, Palma De Mallorca, Marseilles, Florence/Pisa, Rome and Naples.  Works for me!!!

KJ's JV volleyball season is officially over.  She had an incredible season and made so many friends.  Unfortunately, they played their last game on her birthday and lost.  It was a very tough loss and she was so upset that the loss happened on her 15th b-day.  This weekend she has travel team try-outs.  

KJ also had a great time at Homecoming.  They do things a little differently up here than they did in Hoover.  Very few boys ask the girls to the dance so they all go in a big group.  However, they do go out to dinner before the dance just like they did at Hoover.  I think there were 13 or 14 in KJ's group and 6 girls came back to the house for the "after party" (a bonfire outside w/ s'mores) and they all slept over.  It was a gorgeous night and we had so much fun taking photos and it was nice for me to meet some of the parents.  

Friday night, prior to kickoff, they have a homecoming parade into the stadium and then the Homecoming King and Queen are announced.  Our football team in undefeated and the student section rocks!  The kids really, really get into it and KJ loves going to the games.  Our Varsity volleyball team is currently in the play-offs so KJ has continued going to the games to cheer on the older girls.  Girls Varsity soccer just lost in the play-offs but they had a great season, too!  The principal tweets alot and 

I broke down today and bought the latest Taylor Swift CD.  I've heard SO many people say it's really, really good so I thought I'd give it a try.  "Shake it Off" sure is catchy.  
http://youtu.be/nfWlot6h_JM

Had such a nice although very quick visit to Oxford mid-October.  T was competing in the Miss University pageant.  She did awesome (as usual!).  I wasn't sure about her new gown but the judges loved it and she got some extremely positive feedback.  She was a little discouraged because she didn't officially place but after speaking with the program director, she feels much, much better about her performance. As always, it seems like there were a lot of politics involved.  

I flew into Memphis Tuesday morning, we did some shopping and had lunch at Zaxby's (we don't have Zaxby's in Maryland!).  We had dinner and drinks at Boure with the Dew.  T had to leave early for rehearsal so the Dew and I walked around the Square.  It was very nice to spend some time w/ just him and get to know him a little better.  Wednesday we had breakfast at BBB (duh!!!) and I had lunch w/ the girls at the AOPi house while T was in class.  She had her private interview that afternoon and then the pageant was that evening.  She had a great cheering section!  Me, the Dew, Amanda, a ton of AOPi sisters and one of her AOPi advisors, a bunch of her residents and several of her co-workers.  Her residents were super sweet and had a bunch of funny posters and hooted and hollered whenever she was on stage.  Afterward we attended the cocktail party at the U Club and Thursday morning we had breakfast at Bottletree Bakery before heading up to Memphis for my return flight.  The Dew and Megan drove up to Memphis with us to keep T company on the ride home.  

T is not coming home for Thanksgiving this year (she has to check everyone out on Sunday but be back by 8 AM Friday).  She'll have Thanksgiving w/ the Dew and his fam.  She hasn't seen Cosmo and KJ since July so we're super excited for her to come home for Christmas.  Christmas is going to be INSANE at our house this year!!!!  Not only will my mom & dad be here for the week but Cosmo's bro from FL and his fam will be here too!  And then Cosmo's niece (and her hubby) that live here in MD will join us for Christmas dinner.  And then my bro and his fam will be here for a few days after Christmas.  It's going to be one big slumber party!!!  And I'm SOOOO excited!  That's what we moved back up here for!!!  

Happies & Crappies

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It's been a quick week in the Cos household!  Can't believe it's Friday already!  Whoop!  Whoop!  No major plans for the weekend but KJ has a b-day party on Saturday and I think on Sunday we might go see "The Book Thief."  Cosmo has also talked about going to the Caps game Sunday night so who knows!

 

Happies

• KJ had half-days on Monday and Tuesday which was nice.  Monday I picked her up in the carpool line and got her some Starbucks as a treat.  I don't drink coffee so I ran thru the Dunkin' Donuts line and got a Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate.  Oh.  My.  God.  Heaven in my mouth.  I got a small but will be getting larges or extra-larges in the future.  Wow. 
• KJ made the travel volleyball team!  Whoop!  Whoop!  Let the Spring insanity begin!
• Just a couple more days until I fly to MS to see T!  Whoop!  Whoop!
• KJ brought home an incredible report card.  Best report card she's ever had!  Very, very proud of her!  I've said it before but I'll say it again . . . She LOVES her new school and is just flourishing!
• I got a haircut yesterday.  Kind of scary going to someone new after going to Jeffrey for almost 15 but I liked the new salon. 
• I'm making a dent in my Christmas shopping!  Thank you Etsy!  Whoop!  Whoop!

 

Crappies

• The weather has been so weird.  Tuesday and Wednesday were very cold, Thursday was gorgeous and I had my sun roof open while running my errands.
• I don't like when people start decorating for Christmas in mid-November and totally by-pass Thanksgiving (I know a couple people who had their houses completely decked out for Christmas by November 10).  And I don't like that stores are opening earlier and earlier to capitalize on Black Friday sales.  Black Friday is bad enough, then stores started opening at mid-night and now some stores are opening on Thanksgiving night.  We need to just slow down.   I like my house decorated as much as the next person.  I love the holidays and don't mean to come across as a Scrooge but we put too much pressure on ourselves to live a perfect, Instagrammed, Pinterest-worthy life.  Let it go.  You're not Martha Stewart who has dozens of minions doing her bidding.  Focus on your family and friends and the rest will fall into place.  Thank you.  I'll get off my soap-box now. 

 





 

 

 

 

A little Fall Fun

KJ had a great Halloween and trick or treated with a couple of girls from the neighborhood despite the light rain.  We had a ton of kids at the house which was pretty fun and I had just enough candy.  My favorite costume of the night was Troy Polamalu.  One of the boys KJ goes to school with wore a Steeler's jersey and had a huge wig on.  Too funny!  She didn't have school on Friday so we got to sleep in for a bit.  We met Cosmo for lunch and did a little shopping in the afternoon.  KJ picked out a Michael Kors bag and it will be put away for a Christmas present.  She also bought two cute dresses and a couple of shirts. 

Saturday KJ was invited to the movies and shopping with a girl from her Math class so Cosmo and I took advantage of the free time and had a date day.  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, mid-60's with plenty of sunshine.  We had a GREAT lunch at the DC Boathouse in Georgetown
http://dcboathouserestaurant.com/ and walked around the campus for a while.  We found the football stadium and caught a bit of the game vs. Lafayette.  Nice stadium, very small (nothing like Bryant-Denney!) but nice nonetheless.  Can't wait to see some lax games there!  I was so mad at myself . . . I lugged my camera around all day but it didn't have a memory card in it but did get a couple of good pics with my phone.  I luv, luv, luv Georgetown.  I've told Cosmo repeatedly that I'd give my right arm to live there. 

Settling In Nicely

Still have a ton of boxes to go thru but for the most part we're settled in nicely.  I do have to open every box and look thru the contents in case anything is broken and need to place a claim w/ in 60 days of delivery so that's taking a while.  I did come across a box of Thanksgiving table décor which had a couple of broken items (which upset me greatly because it's my favorite holiday!) and my chocolate fondue ceramic pot was also broken.  :-( 

The weather has been wonderful.  It's nice to have some cooler days on tap.  The A/C has been off and the windows have been open for several days now.  KJ, of course, is loving the pool and goes swimming every chance she can.  God only knows what my electric bill is going to be like heating the pool!  She likes her volleyball team very much, likes her school, likes her teachers so that aspect is going great.  I attended a meeting on Ed-line (similar to the STI program we had in Alabama but a little more user friendly and ALL of KJ's teachers use the program).  After the Ed-line meeting was a PTA meeting and from there we walked our child's schedule and met w/ each teacher.  All of KJ's teachers were great and each and everyone of them asked how we were handling the move, how was KJ adjusting at home, etc.  One of her math teachers (her algebra class is co-taught which I totally love!) gave me #RollTide as well as one of KJ's PE teachers!  Pretty funny! 

Had such a fun, relaxing weekend with my family.  We drove up to my bro's Saturday morning and met everyone at Mr. B's football game.  So exciting to watch him play.  It was only their second game of the season and unfortunately they lost but it was still fun.  After the game the "girls" went shopping (I promised Sassypants I'd buy her some new earrings for her b-day) and the "guys" went home to watch more football (Alabama vs. Texas A&M, Penn State and then the Ole Miss vs. Texas game). 

T had a good weekend, too!  She and a bunch of friends drove out to Austin to attend the Ole Miss game.  She said it was hot and flat but they had a good time.  They spent the first half of the game at one of the Texas fraternity tents and then one of the dad's handling the smoker in the tent gave her and her friend Josh his two tickets so they went into the game for the second half.  They made a slight detour on the way home and stopped at LSU and had dinner.  She said LSU was not a pretty campus at all but Mike the Tiger being right on campus was pretty cool! 

Milos Anyone??

Adjusting to life in the South story #2:
Thanksgiving 1999; T-bone's Kindergarten class.
Room mom sends home a letter about the upcoming classroom Thanksgiving feasts and asks for parent volunteers to bring in various items.  I call her, leave a message and say I will be happy to bring in whatever she needs.  She, in turn, leaves me a message asking me to please bring in some Milo's.  I've lived here just a few months and have NO clue what Milo's is.  Fruit?  Vegetable?  Animal?  Mineral?  I leave the room mom another message explaining that I'm not really sure what Milo's is but if she tells me where to find some, I'll bring it to the class party.  She leaves one last, final message asking me to please bring in paper plates. 

Getting Ready for T Day

Last week I got all of my Halloween decorations down and finished getting the house ready for Thanksgiving.  I luv, luv, luv Thanksgiving and can't wait to have everyone home for the holidays!  I know everyone loves Christmas but I get upset when Thanksgiving is overlooked.  I have a friend who hosts Thanksgiving every year at her house for her large family and she runs herself ragged trying to cook, clean and decorate her house in all its Christmas glory before Thanksgiving dinner (she usually puts up a couple of Christmas trees indoors, does her outside house lights, her mantel, etc.).  Crazy I tell ya!  Just crazy!  Slow down.  Enjoy Thanksgiving.

Social Sunday

Today didn't start off too great.  Or maybe Saturday night never really ended?  Too tired to tell the difference.  All I know is insomnia and a migraine are not a good combination.  I was up until 5:30 AM.  Wide awake.  With a raging headache.  No Bueno.  But the Bagel Boy took good care of me.  I do luv me some Bagel Boy on Sunday mornings! 

So we're down to the ten day mark.  In ten days T-bone will be leaving for college.  The Auburn girls were moving in today (I think Rush starts tomorrow) and I know the Alabama girls can't be far behind.  Thinking of all the moms (and dads!) today.  I know it's going to be much harder on me (and Coach) than it is T.  She's excited to start this new chapter in her life and I'm going to have a hard time letting go.  And I can tell you right now Coach is going to be a wreck.  This is the man who cried when the girls got their ears pierced. 

Ok!  Moving on to Social Sunday!  So excited for this week's questions!  I luv, luv, luv the Fall.  It's the best time of the year in our house . . . my b-day in September, our 20th Anniversary in October, Coach's b-day the day after that and KJ's 13th b-day the day after that!  I hate Alabama summers but luv Alabama Autumns!  I luv being able to open the windows and get some fresh air.  I luv sleeping with the windows open.  I luv waking up with a slight chill in the air.  I luv football season.  I luv having friends over to watch football on the back deck with a bonfire going.  I luv decorating the house for Fall.  I luv decorating the house for Halloween.  I luv Thanksgiving.  Yup.  Best time of the year for me! 

This weeks questions:

1. What is your favorite Fall activity? I absolutely luv everything about the Fall so this is going to be a tough one.  I would say Friday night high school football games, Saturday college football games and Sunday NFL games.  Decorating the house for Fall, bonfire evenings, and Halloween.

2. Do you follow a football team? if so which one and why? We've always been Alabama fans and of course this is a New York Jets house.  I guess this year we'll need to root for Ole Miss, too.  

3. What is something fun about Fall in your area? We've been going to the same pumpkin patch since we moved here 13 years ago.  It's a family tradition.   And Coach carves the pumpkins with the girls.  It's just one of those "dad" things.   

4. Fav Fall outfit staples? Jeans, a long-sleeve V-neck t-shirt from either Gap or Old Navy.  Cute scarves.  Lots of bracelets.  A great brown leather bag and brown leather boots with a heel because I'm vertically challenged in a big way. 

5. Thing you are looking forward to most about this coming Fall season? I am really, really excited about football season.  I'm really looking forward to tailgating in the Grove.  I'm looking forward to seeing Brye play and Rory cheer!  

6. Favorite Fall holiday? Traditions? Thanksgiving is my absolute favorite holiday.  It's just such a simple holiday.  No cards.  No gifts to buy.  It's just a day to reflect, be thankful and spend time with your loved ones.  I luv cooking the turkey, I luv the textures of Fall, I luv the smells.  I luv having the girls help in the kitchen on Thanksgiving day (they like to make the mashed potatoes and crescent rolls).  I luv when Coach carves up the turkey.  

Next Week's Questions:

If you could only eat one thing for the rest of your life, what would it be?

What's your guilty pleasure/comfort food?

What's the weirdest/craziest thing you've ever eaten?

What foods do you avoid at all costs?

What meal reminds you of your childhood?

Share one of your favorite recipes and the story behind it.

Happy Thanksgiving !!!

It's been nice having all my chicks back in the nest and it was so great having a couple of days off! Cosmo & T made it home from Naples safely w/ stops in Gainesville & Tallahassee for some college visits. FSU has always been her dream school and she takes every opportunity she can to visit whenever she's on her way to / from a lax tournament. She's applied and I'm sure she'll have no problem getting accepted, however that out-of-state tuition will just about kill us.

Thanksgiving was kind of weird with just the three of us but I know KJ had a great time in FL w/ my parents! Thursday / Thanksgiving was a very laid back kind of day. We all slept in and T gave the dog a bath and Cosmo did some yard work. I started cooking the turkey but we kind of over-did it on the appetizers and then none of us were really in the mood for turkey. We ended up eating (kind of) late but it was all good.

Cosmo spent most of Friday at the store and Friday AM T took a dance class with a friend. So glad she's been going back to the studio! I know she's really missed it! She had to be at the high school Friday afternoon for the game while Cosmo picked KJ up from the airport. Big girl flew home all by herself from Tampa! Had a good time at the game (T's last ever home game at Hoover Stadium) and so glad the Bucs are going to the championship game this week in Ttown! T is looking forward to dancing on the field at Bryant Denney! Whoop! Whoop!

KJ had a good time with my parents during Thanksgiving break and came home nice and tan. Her hair even has some blond highlights! They went to the beach or the pool every day. One day the drove down to Captiva and had lunch at Bubbles (our favorite!). One night they played mini-golf and one night it rained so the went for ice cream. One of the days my parents surprised her with parasailing. She had a GREAT time and lucked out because their was a 16 year old girl on their boat who didn't have a friend to go up with so they asked KJ if she would "mind" going up again. Uh, yes please!

T went to the Iron Bowl in Auburn with friends this past weekend and spent the night with a freshman friend in the Village. She had a good time and said the campus is really pretty but it's so sad about the trees. She said they are pretty dead looking.

Saturday I took down Thanksgiving and started putting up Christmas. I also took this opportunity to re-organize and re-pack some things. We watched the Iron Bowl outside on the deck and enjoyed the gorgeous weather! That night we rented the movie "Super 8." It was good and a little scarier than I had anticipated.

Sunday Cosmo put up the hallway "travel" tree and the big tree in the family room while KJ & I were out doing some shopping. Lights are on both trees, no ornaments yet. Mantle is done (went with a red only theme this year and the jury is still out . . . Cosmo likes it; T does not. She thinks it needs a pop of color), the foyer is complete, I just need to set my dining room table now. And the kitchen needs a little more work. I usually put things out and then for a day or two I walk around the house and kind of re-arrange or "tweak."

A friend stopped by in the afternoon and we had a nice little visit on a cruddy, rainy day. She mentioned that Trixie looks like a Gremlin but KJ had no idea what she was talking about so tonight, after dinner, we are watching Gremlin's as a family. It's a little gorier than I remembered. I just about lost it when the mom puts the bad Gremlin in the microwave and cooks him up.

Thanksgiving Week

Crazy weekend as always. Lots of lax (really, what else is new in this household??). After Friday's football game, T & I headed to ATL for her flight to Ft Meyers. Champ & KJ were already in Tampa for KJ's first big middle school lax tournament. She had a lot of fun hanging w/ the girls and playing in the big leagues. Unfortunately, the BamaLax girls (middle & high school) couldn't catch a break this weekend and didn't do so great. The boys, however, all won their games. BamaLax had kids playing all over the country this weekend: Naples, FL; Tampa, FL; Atlanta, GA and a couple of Champ's high school boys were playing in Annapolis and Baltimore. It's all good! And, as always, so proud of Champ's efforts to grow the sport in the southeast and so proud of both of the girls!

Speaking of sports, if you have a chance or are interested, check out Stefanie Williams blog. The girl is raw and not for everybody but she says whats on her mind and isn't afraid to admit she's made some mistakes. I like that. She also cracks me up because she's got a thing for athletes. Girl, I can relate! Hubster played three sports in high school and lax in college. I do like a man in lax shorts! Running joke in our house is that lacrosse players have the best bodies. Great legs from all that running up & down the field and just the right amount of muscles on the upper body from throwing around. Basketball players are too tall and gangly. Football players are so over-built. Baseballers tend to be a little fat and hockey players have too many scars/bruises and not enough teeth.

There is absolutely nothing sexy about these two knuckleheads but I do appreciate the effort by the designer and the photographer.

Got some more Christmas shopping done today. I have nothing bought for Cosmo, a few things for KJ and I could easily spend a fortunate on T. She is SO easy to buy for!!! I"m going to need a lot of help with KJ this year and I may just give the Hubster cash. Seriously.

I realized I haven't had a chance to post any of my Thanksgiving decor photos. I noticed on several of the decor blogs I follow, they take photos at odd angles to make the photo look more interesting. So here goes!

(yes, I know. That candlestick is a little jank)

Just a few of my favorite things . . . .

. . . . family, Thanksgiving,and table decor!!!

Dreary Couple of Days

I guess the weather really does affect people's outlook. Yesterday almost every one in the office had on black or gray or a combination thereof.

I've got tons of laundry to do, tons of packing to do and I'm also trying to make a dent in my Christmas shopping. I can't believe we're almost to Thanksgiving and shortly after that is December 1! Thank God for on-line shopping (particularly Ebay and Etsy!). T has given me a couple of good ideas but so far KJ hasn't mentioned anything she wants or needs. She just got new cowboy boots for her birthday, she's got a fairly new phone, she's got a camera, she's got a flip video camera and she's got an iPod. Other than clothes, I don't think there is anything else she needs. T will need a laptop to take off to college but said she'd rather wait until her July birthday so it's the most current, up-to-date laptop on the market. And she definately doesn't want any dorm stuff just yet. Both girls luv, luv, luv gift cards but I feel like we did that for their birthdays.


Had a great meeting yesterday w/ T's college advisor. She suggested two great Communication schools that we hadn't thought of. T sat down last night and applied to one; need to think a little on the other one. Right now she's 3 for 3. Applied to 3, accepted at all 3. We'll see what happens. Quite honestly, I'm getting a little tired of it all and while I don't wish it was over because that would mean she's away at college, I just wish all this paperwork and other stuff would disappear.

Sunday Miscellaney

I am so disappointed with the current selection of books I've got on my Nook. I like a serious, saga that sweeps across continents and centuries. I need to find something like Ken Follet's "Pillars of the Earth" or "Fall of Giants." Right now I've got a lot of quick, easy read chick lit. I need to find something a little meatier and hunker down. I like books that follow characters and their families for generations. I like the "City of ...." books by Beverly Swerling; they are a series of historical books about a New York City family. Yup. Definitely need reading suggestions.

Got my Thanksgiving decor completed. I've started some Christmas shopping. Everyone I shop for is pretty easy except Cosmo. He is just awful to buy for and I get very frustrated. He's got enough NY Jets stuff to last him a lifetime and the guy owns a lacrosse store so equipment/accessories/apparel are out of the question. And, on top of already being difficult to buy for, his b-day is in October, our wedding anniversary is in October and our "real" anniversary is in November. By the time Christmas rolls around, I'm fresh out of ideas for him.

Every one's been asking if T wants stuff for her dorm for Christmas but she said no. She wants to wait to see where she's going first and wants to decorate with her roommate. One thing she vehemently expressed is that she will NOT be having any of the cutesy, monogrammed, matchy-match stuff. She hated that stuff as a kid and will not have any of it in her dorm. Which just breaks LCM's heart. I know LCM wanted to buy T some cutesy, girlie, polka-dotted things.

This Pink & Green dorm room would be KJ's dream room / T's worst nightmare

Heartbreaking loss for Alabama last night. I was really into the first half and couldn't believe it was such a low scoring, tied up game at the half. Second half I started to read and barely watched any of the OT. Hope today's Jets game makes up for last night's Bama loss.

Hello Friday, my Old Friend!

Lots of football fun at work this week. Most of the staff seems to be Alabama fans, a couple of Auburn fans and a few LSU fans. We've all decorated our desks and today we are all wearing our "colors" (sounds very "LA Gang" doesn't it???). Since most of my Alabama shirts are more casual, I'm wearing black pants, a white v-neck sweater and a houndstooth scarf (I guess you could say that's my "OOTD"). My buddy Chuck is in head-to-toe purple and even has the little LSU logo sewn on the back of his jacket. Jill came into our morning meeting wearing an LSU helmet. It was pretty funny. One of the girls made a bunch of "Les Miles/More Saban" pins for us to wear and today is our weekly Friday group lunch. Of course this week's theme is a tailgate party (last week we did Halloween themed food). I made my famous chilli dip and brought in houndstooth napkins.

Lots of drama this week with a local football team and play-off eligibility. It was very confusing and the decision to let them play seemed to change daily. I feel bad for the seniors of the team involved but somewhere along the line, someone didn't do their job and verify a transfered student's eligibilty. I guess that's part of playing on a team. You win as a team, you lose/forfeit games as a team. All I know is our high school is playing tonight and has home field advantage.

November is starting off great! Pop turned 65 and the next day he had his follow-up cardiologist appointment (I can NOT believe we're almost at a year since the "Event"). Doctor B said everything looked great, my dad (and mom) have been keeping the weight off and have been eating very, very healthy and getting their exercise.

Cosmo has worked out everyone's FL schedules and made flights while I've handle the hotel end (natch). It will be very crazy but KJ is totally looking forward to some beach time! Whoop! Whoop!

On to the Next Holiday !!!

A friend of mine on Twitter was this past weekend complaining because she can't start her Christmas decorating because this year is her turn to host her large family Thanksgiving. Slow down girlfriend! Take each holiday as it comes and enjoy each one! And by all means, Don't skip over Thanksgiving!!! It's the best holiday of the year!!!

Halloween is over so now it's time to finish up my Thanksgiving decor. I like to do it in stages as many of my Halloween decorations carry over to fall and Thanksgiving . . . the browns, the orangs, the rust colors; the pumpkins (not jack-o-lanterns), sunflowers, scarecrows, etc. All of my scary decorations are down and now I need to fill everything in with turkeys and pilgrims.

I love searching the internet to get inspiration from various websites and different decorators (amatuer as well as professional). I love to see how over the top some people go with their decor and how simple some folks keep it. I think I'm somewhere in the middle. Certainly not spartan, but definately not to the extreme either.

I like looking for those little touches, such as the personalized pear placesetting below:


And, as always, thee are lots and lots of candles in mason jars all over my house!

Fall Decor

Anyone who regularly reads my blog knows I luv, luv, luv this time of year! I love getting cozy and having candlelight EVERYWHERE. I luv the smells of autumn, the textures, the weather. I think this is the most perfect time of the year.

This weekend we did some of our outdoor decorating (hay bale, corn stalks, pumpkins, garden flag, etc.). I've got my autumnal dining room table complete and the kitchen is decorated for fall (pumpkins & scarecrows on the baker's rack) and Bucs football season (lots of black & orange & white -- polka dot plates, checked cloth napkins, serving dishes shaped like footballs). I have a little Alabama tableau in the foyer (lots of houndstooth and photos of the family from various Alabama games in Tide frames and a couple of Bear Bryant quotes on distressed wood and, of course, a Bear Bryant hat). The family room has scary Halloween decorations. The scary stuff will come down after Halloween and Thanksgiving will go in it's place.

One of my favorite blogs, The Tablescaper, always posts GORGEOUS photos and I love getting some inspiration from her (I'm assuming it's a female!). http://thetablescaper.blogspot.com/. We have very similar tastes in dishes and table decor and I like using what I have on hand and putting my own spin on it.