Accent? What Accent?

Here is the list of words you have to say:
aunt, route, wash, oil, theatre, iron, salmon, caramel, fire, water, sure, data, ruin, crayon, toilet, New Orleans, pecan, both, again, probably, spitting image, Alabama, lawyer, coupon, mayonnaise, syrup, pajamas, caught

The questions are as follows:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on someone's house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it rolls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a large group of people?
What do you call a spider that has an oval shaped body with extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when it rains while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you change the tv channel with?

This is actually really, really funny to me and I'd like to add one more word to the list: drawer. Cosmo says it oddly and the girls & I call him out on it all the time. We'll ask him, "what did you say??" and start laughing uncontrollably. It really annoys him which is even funnier.

Regarding crayons, my girls have NEVER EVER been able to pronounce this word properly. Both of them, to this day, say "crowns."

Here are my answers: rolling, roly poly, soda, sneakers, hey guys, daddy long-legs, grandma & grandpa, shopping cart, sun shower, clicker

Can't Wait to Wear My New Hat this weekend!

http://www.foxsportssouth.com/08/29/11/Football-life-inseparable-in-Alabama/landing_sec.html?blockID=555360&feedID=4354

Going Vintage?

What a great, busy, fun weekend! As always, they go way too fast!


Friday night KJ threw a little surprise party for her friend LG at the pool. I think LG truly was surprised. Nice group of kids, it was low-key and they had a good time in the pool. It was so freakin' hot that night. A couple of the mom's stayed and we had a good time chatting and catching up.


Friday Cosmo & T did a campus tour in the AM. This was the college she had absolutely ZERO interest in attending but after Friday's visit, I think it's moved up the ranks a bit. She was incredibly impressed with the communications department and got a much better feel for the campus. Being on campus on game day is very different than on a school day and she needed to see that.


After her tour she hightailed it over to our crosstown "rival" to interview some of the coaching staff and student body for a feature she's doing on this week's game. Then, she hauled butt back over to our side of town for dance team practice. From there she went to the pep rally at Beef's and went out to dinner afterward with a group of friends. The Boy picked her up and they went to the state fair later that evening. She was very disappointed....no monkeys riding dogs.





T woke up super early Saturday morning to attend a mini ACT class before she takes the test in September. She's already got a great ACT score, she just wants to get one or two more points to solidify scholarship opportunities. She had to be "field ready" (full hair & make-up and costume) by 1:30 PM so she was cutting it close.


The football game was SO much fun! I was totally dreading the heat, the crowds, the parking but everything worked out GREAT! We parked at the Met, took the shuttle to the stadium, the bus driver dropped us off right out front, and we found great seats during the 4th Quarter of the Prattville game. It was not near as hot as I thought it would be and was actually quite pleasant. KJ met up with some friends so she ran rampant during the game and we had a lot of laughs with our seatmates. Our defense played awesome and one of Cosmo's "boys" made a huge hit late in the game that got everyone really riled up.


After the game, T went out to eat with a group of friends and Cosmo, KJ & I went to Mugshots for dinner. I have to say, that was probably one of the best burgers I've ever had in my entire life. I luv, luv, luv Baha Burger but this totally blew Baha Burger out of the water.


Sunday T & I went homecoming dress shopping and bought the very first dress she tried on. Honestly, it took us longer to drive to the store and find a parking spot than it did for her to find a dress. She took 2 dresses in the dressing room and I picked out 2. We both fell in love with the very first one. She didn't even both trying on my selections so I put them back on the rack. Then, she tried on dress #2. A totally different direction from dress #1 and we both loved it. It had a vintage, 1950's prom dress feel but was updated and a little sassy. It was a strapless, ivory tulle with black appliques on the bodice and a flirty, floaty bottom. The minute she tried it on, this image popped into my head:

In the end, she went with dress #1. She said it was her last homecoming and she wanted to go out with a bang. She is so easy to shop with. She knows what she wants and, more importantly, what she doesn't.

Whoa !!!

Busy week and a big weekend coming up. Trixie had a much need groom yesterday, T got new Bnettes boots and I had to pick them up from the shoe place, KJ's had volleyball this week and we've been having fun planning her friend's surprise party. Tomorrow, along with the rest of Hoover, we'll be sweating our butts off at the big game. I've also been doing some errands/shopping for the annual Bnette/Freshman Dance Team dinner. I like to do the table decor.


Of course, I'm really looking forward to the actual football game, sitting with friends, watching T at half-time. The first game of the year is always exciting and the ESPN factor makes it even more thrilling! I'm just not looking forward to the crowds, the parking situation and the God awful heat!

Last night T was asked to homecoming so at some point this weekend we'll be dress shopping. She's usually pretty good to shop with. She usually goes in with an idea or a color in mind and runs with it.

Today she & Cosmo are on a college visit (under duress). Seriously though, it's her first campus tour and it will give her a good comparison for when she goes on her campus visits up north 2 weeks from now. I still cannot wrap my head around the fact that she's a senior. Last night a friend sent an e-mail about early planning stages of the the big grad party. I'm excited for T for the all the fun things she'll experience this year but part of me wants to take it really, really slow. I know this year will go by waaaaaay too fast.

After the campus tour, T has to head over to our cross-town "rivals" to interview some of the football coaching staff, players and students to get their prespective on next week's game. She interviewed Nibs the other day and asked his opinion on the "rivalry." She said she was going to walk around Spain Park in her orange sparkley, Bnette boots and interview everyone while holding the huge Bucs logo field flag. The kid's got spunk, that's for sure!

There are Just No Words

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/44271018/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/?GT1=43001

10 & Wordless Combo

Because I'm a dork and totally forgot about 10 on Tuesday, I am combining it w/ Wordless Wednesday.

Ten on Tuesday
This week’s questions are all job related and were provided by Rachel at Rachel Heather. This might be a tough one for you anonymous bloggers, you can just be vague. I’m not anonymous but I’m still going to be a bit vague.
1. What do you do for a living?
Sales Assistant
2. What’s your favorite thing about your job?
I work with an AMAZING group of people, I have met some pretty famous folks along the way, my position has many, many perks and every day is different. No two days are the same so it never becomes boring or monotonous.

3. What’s your least favorite thing about your job?
Sometimes working with the public is difficult.
4. If you weren’t a____________, what would you be?
I think I would be a teacher (either a Lit professor or a history teacher).
5. What is something that you would love to get paid for that you think no one would ever pay you for?
I would love for people to pay me to be a travel companion. Not a travel agent, but a high-end, on-site companion/assistant /concierge. I would take care of flights, hotels, transfers, dinner reservations, private shopping appointments, private tours/excursions, etc.
6. If you could have any job for exactly one day, what would it be?
I would like to be a co-host on the View.
7. If you had to do manual labor, what would you do?
Do cleaning/organizing closets count? I would do that. I like to purge and organize and buy cute little trays and baskets.
8. What is something you were forced to learn in high school that was supposed to be super important, but you never actually use?
The Metric System
9. Who was your favorite boss? Why?
Looking back, I would say my boss in Cincinnati was my favorite. I learned a great deal from him that has helped me in my current position. He drove me absolutely insane but was really a good person and gave all of his associates an incredible sense of empowermint.
10. Where would you rather work: Dunder Mifflin Paper Company (The Office), Wernham Hogg Paper Company (The Office, UK), or Initech (Office Space)?
I don't really watch the Office but Office Space was one of my favorite all time movies. I would have to go w/ Dunder Mifflin. I love Steve Carrell.

And now, for Wordless Wednesday:

My Peeps

Someone asked me the other day why I don't normally refer to my family members by their real names on my blog. The answer: they've ALWAYS had nicknames, no need to start calling them by their given names now.


The hubster has been "Cosmo" since we met way back in 1982. He's "Coach" during the lacrosse season or when I refer to him as it relates to lacrosse (which is about 99.9% of the time). He's "Champ" when he wins state championships (3x!) or when I'm incredibly proud of him (also approximately 99.9% of the time).

Daughter #1 has been "T" or "Tbone" since she was a (T)oddler. There was a time when she referred to herself as "TT" (it was just the 3 of us back then and she would point to me, then Cosmo and then herself and say "Mamma, Dadda, TT." It was kind of like our own little triumvirate.). Then we moved down south. We discovered people down here used the phrase "tee-tee" alot so we quickly put the kabosh on that and tried to discourage it. Folks just didn't understand when we called her "TT" and thought we were being crass and referring to the bathroom.



Then, Daughter #2 came along. Aforementioned Daughter #1 wanted to call her "Julia" from the very moment we sat her down and told her I was pregnant. Seriously. I was a minute or two pregnant and she said, "It's a sister and I'm going to call her Julia." We had no idea if it was a boy or a girl and we have NO idea where she got the name Julia (nor was I crazy about the it). But, we thought it would be sweet if the older sibling helped name her little sister. So we compromised and voila! "KJ!"

So, So, Sad

Summer is quickly coming to an end. It's time to start dismantling my beachy theme dining room table and foyer and start thinking about fall decor. Actually, I'm not really that sad. I luv, luv, luv the fall and can't wait for the house to feel warm and cozy and sunggly! The beach theme has been in place all summer and as much as I love it, it's time to go! I always do a little "Roll Tide" tableau in the foyer and this year I've got some new things to go in the entryway to celebrate game day so I'm pretty stoked about that!
I've been doing some searching on the web and have found some really great fall decorating ideas. I like to ease into the fall. I start off by changing up the color palette a bit (goodbye cool tones, hello earth tones!). By end of September, early October I'm in full on fall. I add some spooky Halloween decor in mid-October and by the beginning of November we're in Thanksgiving mode.

Sat-Sun

Nice relaxing weekend before the craziness starts. The calm before the storm. Actually, the storms rolled through here Saturday afternoon and apparently a house in nearby Lake Cyrus was struck by lightening.


Had such a nice morning with T! She's been cleaning and organizing her room for the last couple of weeks. She went through all her clothes, her closets, etc. and wanted to start senior year off fresh. She wanted to find a way to organize all her jewelry and saw a craft she wanted to try. We went to the antiques store and found a window frame with 4 panels. It was very shabby chic looking and had already been painted a cool green. She kocked out the glass, cleaned up the frame a bit and alternated cork board and chicken coop wire and hung the window horizontally rather than vertically and now has an awesome jewelery organizer on her bathroom wall.

Saturday morning the photographer called and asked us to come down to the studio to take a look at some of T's proof's so they could start working on her senior model cards. She looks totally badass in the lacrosse photos and I love the photos of her in her pointe shoes. After our errands, we met Cosmo up at the lax store and had lunch with him. T stayed and closed up the store like a good daughter so daddy could go home and chill for a bit.

Saturday night was very, very relaxing. We rented a movie with KJ and had some nice family time. Just as I was about to go to bed, The Boy showed up and hung out for a while.

Woke up Sunday morning, everyone chipped in and helped clean. T played soccer mom and drove KJ to lax practice and then actually stayed to help the middle school team and to get some reps in herself. Cosmo bbq'd tonight, homework is done and backpacks are ready for tomorrow.

Sweet Home Alabama

"It's like the 'Bachelorette' on steroids.

No, wait. Grits.

It's like the 'Bachelorette' on grits"

So tonight is "Sweet Home Alabama" on CMT. The whole family loves this show (even Cosmo!).

Only a couple of guys left on the show and we are all in agreement that since this show is on CTM, there's no way in hell she's going to choose a "city" boy. Adam and Collin are the "country" boys that have made it this far. Flex from Vegas is still in it and one other "city" guy (I think he's from Hollywood/LA; she visited NY with him) but this is who I think she'll choose:

Tribble (that name still cracks me up!) is from Mountain Brook, played QB at Clemson and I think he's totally her type. T is totally Team Tribble, too!

Here are some of the other guys that were sent packing:

Cody (the Cowboy); I think this was a hard elimination for Devin. He was very, very sweet and gentlemanly.

I have no idea the name of the guy with the mohawk.

Tripp (not to be confused with Tribble). Tripp cried like a baby when he was eliminated.

I have no idea what this guy's name is either. He was kind of weird and very metrosexual.

This is Kash. The Klingon. Did not like him. Not a fan.

This is the dumbass from NJ who also dated Snooki. He really was an idiot.

It's going to get a little hairy up in here

Almost completed the first full week of school and both girls seem to be enjoying school so far. T loves her classes with the exception of one (her Forensics class. She didn't even want to take this class but last year's teacher wouldn't sign off on Marine Biology. She told T it was beneath her. Whatever.).

KJ had a little snafu the other night. She couldn't find her PE uniform and Thursday was the first day they were dressing out. She was starting to panic but eventually found her t-shirt and shorts. Then, she starting to freak out because she couldn't find the combination to her gym locker. Turns out she left it in her jeans pocket. Then, yesterday afternoon she couldn't find her science book. Sheesh. KJ likes all her teachers but says some of the kids are still struggling w/ their lockers and always ask her to help them. Over the years we've gotten to know several teachers on a more personal level (through church, lacrosse, etc.) and I always felt really weird calling the girl's teachers by their first name. I always referred to them as "Mrs. So & So." KJ on the other hand thinks it's funny that she knows her teacher's first names and has been referring to her science teacher as "Carol." I told her she needs to knock it off because she's going to blurt out "Carol" in class and it won't be so funny.

Next couple of weeks are going to be absolutely physchotic around here. Because our family never does anything the easy way, T's got college visits planned for almost every weekend in the Fall. Cosmo will go on a couple trips with her, a couple trips she's going solo. It's been stressful trying to schedule college visits because of her Buccanette commitment. Most of the coaches want her to fly up on a Friday so she can practice w/ the team on Saturday which would mean she'd have to miss a Friday night high school football game. She's so so so excited about being a senior Buccanette this year and we're trying hard to make sure she doesn't miss many of her senior year football games, homecoming or pep rallies. So, we had to drag out a big wall calendar and write out everything going on from now until December 1. We had a big talk last night and I told her she may have to make some compromises now but she'll be sitting pretty after January 1 and will have the entire spring to enjoy senior year.
We have loved looking at all the dorm room photos friends have been posting on FB! Wow! A couple of dorm rooms we saw looked like luxury hotel suites! Things sure are different from when Cosmo was in a dorm his freshman year in Vermont. Kids are so much more sophisticated these days.

Kendall-ism's

Daughter #2 totally butchers the English language and it's really, really funny.

Some of my favorites are:

"Thank you Catherine Obvious" (rather than "Captain Obvious").

"It was an obstacle illusion."

"She Pacifically told me I had to....."

"I don't know what substantial means."

"Grape Myrtle"

Whoop! Whoop!!

First day of school and it sounds like everyone had a great day! KJ said she had no problems opening her locker, lunch was fine, PE was fine, it was all good. She said she knew alot of kids in all of her classes and met some new kids. I'm so glad!

The weather today was absolutely amazing! A little cooler this morning, no humidity and there was a nice breeze. Kind of felt like fall; a little football weather in the air today. Which segues nicely into my next topic: football!

Yesterday was Fan Day at the mall. The football players, the cheerleaders, the pep band and the bnettes were there to kick off the 2011 football season. It was very crowded which is a good thing! The players signed posters and I'm sure it was a little awkard for them being on display but the little kids really look up to them. I stood off to the side w/ KJ while she got some of the boys to sign her poster and they were all very gracious and humble and most of them said, "thank you for coming out today, Go Bucs!" A couple of the boys knew who she was and called her "Little Cos" which aggravates the crap out of her. I think it's cute.

T got another "official" letter in today's mail from a school in OH. The coach saw her play in FL and is interested in getting her up there for a visit. She sent T a very nice letter about how she didn't grow up in a lacrosse "hotbed" and she knows how difficult it is for kids from non-traditional areas to get noticed. We'll have to do a little investigating on this one, not sure if they have her major. But hey! It's all good! We so incredibly proud of her and so happy that she has several options for college. As my brother reminded me, she's the first one on both sides of the family that's ever been recruited for a sport and that's a pretty damn great accomplishment! Not too many kids can say that! I'm also proud that she's paving the way for the next generation. Maybe things will be a little easier for Alabama lacrosse girls (and boys) in a few years. She amazes me. She's our little engine that could. When that girl puts her mind to something, there is no stopping her. She is so focused and determined. I'm 40(something) years old and am no where near as focused as she is!

Bloggity Blog Blog

I love to blog. I really do. I like Twitter and Facebook, I like Goodreads, Pinterest, Get Glue and Foursquare, too but I always seem to come back to blogger.

I started the blog as a daily journal, a way to communicate w/ my out of town family and friends and just try to make sense of it all. I don't write about anything specific, I don't post recipes, I don't exclusively write about fashion or home decor. I don't blog about diet or exercise. Cosmo & I aren't newlyweds any more so we're not planning our wedding or in that "honeymoon" phase, my "babies" aren't little any more so I'm kind out of the "mommy" loop, too. I just blog about whatever pops into my head. Which can sometimes be scary. I like to check out other people's blogs. I like to see how other folks live (particularly those in other cities/countries), I like to see that I'm not the only one who's husband / kids / whatever get on their nerves. I also love to look at crafty blogs. I am the least crafty person I know and I'm always amazed at the talent of some people. I also like looking at the design and layout of different blogs...some people so put so much time and effort into their blog and it shows! I always feel like mine is a total hodge-podge!

Back-to-School

Last day before the 2011-2012 school year starts. Taking a few minutes to reflect and I think we've had a pretty good summer! Went to the beach for T's b-day, Cosmo & KJ went to New Orleans, lots of lacrosse tournaments, T went to Baltimore, dance camp, band camp, volleyball camp, DYW pageant, lots of sleep-overs, lots of pool time. I guess that's what summer's all about!

Going over some last minute things with KJ. She's a little nervous about tomorrow and has been walking around the house reciting her locker combination, her bus # and her classroom schedule. She's been asking me random questions all morning: how many times will I get to go to my locker or should I just wear my backpack? what should she bring the first day of school? is this outfit OK?

T, on the other hand, is sitting at the pool working on her tan.

Method Behind the Madness

So yeserday's Wordless Wednesday post probably made me look like a total creeper/stalker but there is a reason behind the "Crazy About Pippa." The girls & I had watched the special on Tuesday night about Pippa and since I'm not very original and didn't know what to post for Wordless Wednesday . . . . but yes, I do admire Pippa & Kate's style and they present themselves as very poised, elegant, confident young ladies. That's all a mom could ask for!

So, KJ's all ready for "intermediate school" to start on Monday. She picked up her schedule, spirit pack, school supplies, met her teachers and decorated her locker (complete w/ carpet, wallpaper and a chandelier). She totally dissed me over this whole "meet the teacher" thing. I was crushed but Cosmo reminded me if just meant she and T are getting closer and how much she looks up to T. She told me she didn't want to hurt my feelings but she really wanted T to take her (guess having your mom take you to open house is not cool anymore). She wanted T to show her how to open her locker, give her a tour of the school and introduce her around.

T is so happy that band camp is over! She is positively exhausted but has had fun so far being a senior Buccanette. She is really, really, really looking forward to football this year. One night all the seniors had to stay late to decorate the field and the next night was the annual Senior Skit night. She's had all the seniors over to the pool this week and they've gone out for lunch a couple of times during band camp too. Nice group of girls, nice moms. A couple different personalities on the squad but they all seem to get along OK. I guess at lunch the other day some of the girls got into a heated discussion about religion and T and the 2 other Catholic girls on the squad just kind of shrugged and smiled. T said she was not going to go there.

Wordless Wednesday

CRAZY ABOUT PIPPA!!

1 Week from Today

"Time is change; we measure its passage by how much things alter." -- Nadine Gordimer

Wow. One week from today I will have a senior in high school and a middle schooler (well, officially an "intermediate" schooler but middle schooler sounds much much cooler).

Cosmo & KJ had an awesome weekend in NoLa visiting Lou, Mel and the kids. We had planned to go to NoLa in December as a little get-away since we weren't going home to NY for Christmas. But then my dad has his "event" and I rushed to FL and had to cancel NoLa. So, we thought we'd try again and go for a long weekend before school started. Unfortunately, T had band camp two-a-days last week (8 am to 12 noon, 6 to 9 pm) each night and she worked at the lax store all day Saturday. So I stayed home with her while Cosmo & KJ partied on Bourbon Street. They stayed at the Roosevelt hotel Friday & Saturday nights and had so much fun with Eva. KJ said she is super sweet, super friendly & outgoing and very silly. Saturday they had the obligatory beneights at Cafe du Monde, went to Eva's b-day party mid-morning, strolled around for a bit w/ Mel & Lou and hit the aquarium in the afternoon. That night they met everyone for dinner at Bubba Gumps and had breakfast with them Sunday morning before heading home. KJ had a lot of fun but really did not like Bourbon Street. She said it was skanky.

T and I had a great weekend and got a lot done. She went out with friends Friday night, worked Saturday and I made her stay home Saturday night and relax. She's been running full-speed the entire summer and just needed to chill. Between lacrosse all summer, 2 weeks of DYM rehearsals, 2 weeks of band camp, I felt she needed a break. We made a big bowl of popcorn, watched a movie and I think we were both in bed by 11 PM. She told me the next morning she really needed that. Sunday afternoon we did some shopping. T needed jeans and found 3 pairs, usually we find a bunch of shoes we love at Belk but didn't see anything we liked this trip. She did buy some wedges and a shirt at Buckle, a shirt from Free People @ Belk and a gorgeous dress from Lotus that fits her to a T! The mall was packed. We were pretty quick and stayed focused. I hate wandering around the mall aimlessly. We ended up see half the dance team and their mom's, a friend I used to work with at the playschool, and our server at CPK was a friend's son.

We had such a nice chat over lunch and talked alot about college, her expectations, our expectations/wishes for her future, sororities, room mates, etc. She's narrowed down her choices, Cosmo & I are pleased with her selections and she'll start the application process shortly. We're all on the same page so I'm really happy about that (T did, however, break my heart when she told me she has no plans/desire to apply to Alabama). She did great on the ACT's, has a great GPA and tons of community service so she should be in great shape! KJ is really, really going to miss her older sister when she goes off to college. They have become so close this summer and I know KJ really admires her big sister (plus she really wants T's room when she goes off to school).

Fall 2011 Preview

So ready for this hot, sticky, steamy weather to be over! I absolutely hate living here in June, July and August (unless we're at the beach!) but LUV, LUV, LUV being here in the fall. I like late September, early October best.

I like being able to wear a pair of cargo's with a lightweight sweater and some cute shoes, a pair of jeans with a short-sleeve top and killer shoes.

Happy Snails (see below) is my new favorite Vera Bradley pattern. This is a photo of the "Grand Traveler" (very similar to the "Weekender"). I have the "Weekender" in a couple different patterns and LUV it! Lots of room, lots of pockets and I love the option of using either the should strap or the hand straps. It's a great all-purpose / carry-on / long-weekend kind of bag!
I love a big brown leather bag to carry around, too. Coach recently issued a vintage collection (I think they refer to it as "Classics"). I have a bag very similar to the "Station" bag below but mine is that gorgeous British Tan color and was the very first Coach bag Cosmo bought me. I took exceptionally good care of it and it's in excellent condition. That bag has to be 13 to 15 years old (we were still living in Cincinnati when he gave it to me). It's one of those leather goods that actually looks better with age.
Love the Transatlantic bag, just not sure about the color. I love the color but don't know how much use I would get out of a green bag. I do wear alot of neutrals so maybe I could get away with it.

Of course, the mac-daddy of all bags is:

Wordless Wednesday