It's OK Thursday

It's OK . . .

...to be excited about tonight's Fantasy Football draft!  Whoop!  Whoop!

...to be dreaming of Fall sweaters and boots and bonfires. 
...to be excited about the changes at work.  It's all Good!
...that I'm in between sizes.  Current size pants is waaaayyy too big, size down fits good everywhere else but is a little snug in the waist.  Do they make half-sizes for short, curvy adults? 
...to wish there was something good to watch on Sunday nights.  Falling Skies is over for the season and so is The Newsroom. 
...to totally hate this season of RHONY.  Ramona annoys the crap out of me and is horribly crass, Sonja is way too old to be acting like a sex-starved teenager and Aviva has so many issues.  Heather is unlikable but I do like Carol and the Countess. 

VBall has begun

Great time last night at KJ's first middle school volleyball game!  She scored the very first point of the game, served great and had a sweet spike.  They lost to Berry but played good considering it was their first game.  Definately still some work to do.  There was a nice crowd at the game and afterward we went out for Mexican to celebrate a friend's b-day and had a lot of laughs. 

Sunday was my sweet nephew's 9th b-day, yesterday was his first day of school and today was my neice's first day of kindergarten (AKA Witch-face).  I miss them both so much and love talking to them on the phone.  Mr. B is so mature and such a pleasure to chat with.  The sister is such a mess.  But so damn cute and that what makes it even funnier.  My bro's got his hands full with that one for sure. 

Still a Work in Progress

Tweaked my dining room table & foyer Football decor this afternoon.  I added an Ole Miss runner to my buffet and also some Pottery Barn vintage inspired glassware.  I probably should have ironed the fabric I used as a tablecloth but didn't think of it until afterward. 

I'm still not sure about the blue glass plate in between the Ole Miss dinner plate and the Pottery Barn football plate.  I think it adds color but hides the Ole Miss logo. 

Cosmo & I rec'd these blue wineglasses one year for Christmas before we were even married.  Must have been the Christmas we were engaged.  Anyway, my one sister-in-law told me they were tacky.  They are.  But boy, I get so much use out of them!  I use them for my 4th of July table, my beach table and now my Ole Miss table!  Hotty Toddy! 

Some Crimson Tide wine "The Dominator" a friend gave me after last year's Championship game. 

I also have a "Roll Tide" banner for my desk at work.  We have Football Friday tailgate parties at the office and we all wear school colors.  Don't know what I should wear this year?  Red?  Blue?  Houndstooth???

I can't find the Bear Bryant wooden sign I had last year and I also can't find my favorite pic of me & Cosmo from the Penn State game in T-Town. 

 

Thelma & Louise and Vera

Had another great weekend!  One of those relaxing weekends where we didn't have too terribly much to do but still got a lot done. 

Friday night we had a movie night.  We had pizza and rented the Hunger Games.  I read all 3 books and liked the movie, too.  Saturday night we watched Thelma & Louise.  I am embarrassed to admit I had never, ever seen it! 

KJ had a vball tournament Saturday.  Actually, it was an 8th grade tournament and the 7th grade girls had to pitch in, take care of trash, keep the school clean, etc.  I helped out in the hospitality room and was at the school from 7:30 AM until about 3 PM.  KJ ended up going home with a friend after the tournament (shooting off BB guns) and then they came back to our house for a sleepover.  KJ's room was an absolute mess and her sweet friend helped her clean and organize.  I am SO over her bedroom and just don't have the energy to fight with her about it anymore. 

Cosmo made us breakfast this morning (and lunch and dinner!).  Honestly, if it was up to me, we'd eat cereal every night.  I absolutely, positively HATE to cook.  He also went grocery shopping this afternoon while I dismantled my beach-themed dining room table and foyer table and started my football theme.  It's still a work in progress but looks really great so far!

Spoke to T-bone a couple of times this weekend.  Friday she went to a party and the weather was kind of crappy in Oxford Saturday afternoon so she & a couple of girls walked to the Square and did some shopping.  From there they took the bus to Wal-mart and back.  She said she's barely used her car since move-in.  Today they had water parties which sounded interesting.  Some houses she felt extremely welcome, other gave off a different vibe.  Not bad, just different.  She's having a good time meeting people and really likes her classes so far.  It's all good!

I think it's time for her to start to think about a new Vera Bradley pattern.  LCM bought her a Java Blue bag for her 12th or 13th birthday.  She has a lot pieces -- large duffel, small duffel, ditty bag, etc.  I noticed at move-in her large duffel was getting a hole in the side and she said her ditty bag has a tear in the plastic liner.  Those bags have a lot of mileage on them and have taken her, literally, around the world. 

It's OK Thursday

It's OK . . .

 

...to intensely dislike Taylor Swift and her music.

...to find Taylor Swift's relationship with the Kennedy kid incredibly creepy.

...that my girl has been away at college for a week already!  Seriously.  It's OK.  She's loving every minute of it!

...to have slowly started to decorate for Fall.

...to love all this rain we've had.  Luv it!  Luv it!  Luv it!

...to be excited that our Ole Miss football tickets came in the mail!  Hotty Toddy! 

...that I hated the last book I read ("Seating Arrangements").  I'm now on to Emily Giffin's "Where We Belong."

...that Prince Harry had a good time in Vegas!  Go Harry!  Go Harry!



Tuesday. Blah.

I normally dislike Tuesday's as much as most people hate Monday's but this one wasn't too bad.  One of my dearest friends in the world is attending an event at the hotel so I got to see her yesterday and today and all we do is laugh when we're together. 

Sadly, Falling Skies ended Season 2 on Sunday night (aka "Mom's Alien Show").  The finale was good but not as great as I had hoped.  I had read some spoilers which maybe I shouldn't have.  I had some different expectations and the show left me with a lot of unanswered questions.  Which is probably their intent so I'll be sure to watch Season 3!  Noah Wylie's character, Tom Mason, is freakin' awesome.  I love how he protects his family and does the right thing even if it's not popular.  He's a man's man without being a bulked up steriod freak action figure.  He's just a regular guy in a post-alien invasion world. 

I think I'm participating in a Fantasy Football League with some guys from work.  This is normally Coach's area of expertise but the guys asked so I thought I'd get in on the fun.  The League is mainly 20-something year-olds so I need to come up with a super girly name to totally embarrass them when I beat them week after week.  Something like, "My Pretty Little Princess" or "Unicorns & Rainbows 4Ever"  or maybe "Glitter Goddess."  I'm thinking of showing up to our draft wearing my Namath throw-back jersey and a box of cigars.  They've also been after Champ & I to go to Karaoke with them one night.  Dear Lord that will be interesting.  I don't sing.  I mean like, I can't even whistle and I have a feeling these guys like country music or hard core rap. 

Everyone seems to have had a good day #2 at school.  T is loving being a college student.  Today I mailed her first care package.  She had ordered an Otter Box for her phone and of course it came in after she left for school,  I also sent her some of her Hotty Toddy thank-you cards (she has a couple of thank you's left to write to the ladies who wrote her Rec letters), some stamps, a Barnes & Noble gift card she left at the house and some other stuff.  KJ is enjoying being a 7th grader.  She had an upgrade due so Champ surprised her with an iPhone.  Last night they were too cute sitting on the couch together ordering Hello Kitty covers for her new phone.  He's a good dad. 

Champ got some great news the other day!  He was asked to participate in something really huge, on a national level with a lot of exposure.  I am incredibly proud of him.  He has done so much for the sport of lacrosse in the state of Alabama and he does it not for the money (trust me, there is none!).  He does it for the kids and for pure love of the sport.  When I told my brother about the opportunity, my brother's response was "Get the F out of here!!!"  My brother is the total opposite of me and does not have a potty mouth.  So for him to drop the F-bomb is pretty huge! 

1st Day of School 2012

Yay!  Sounds like everyone had a GREAT first day of school (other than KJ walking into the wrong class).  T has all 8 AM classes which is perfect her . . . she gets up super good in the morning and was happy to be done by 1 PM.  KJ, on the other hand, is not a morning person but she did get up pretty good today.  We'll see how she's doing after a week of school and volleyball.

T's had a great first couple of days.  Her roomie officially moved in on Friday and the weekend was spent with friends (old & new) . . . a seminar Friday morning follwed by a free lunch, a party Friday night, lunch Saturday, work-out, dinner Saturday night followed by another party (one of the girl's uncles owned the restaurant and they ate free), ice cream social Sunday afternoon and a Freshman Welcome picnic Sunday night.  Tonight was another ice cream social.  She's loving all this free food, too!  She said she hasn't had to use her meal plan yet.  Busy, busy, busy but that's how she likes it.  She will lose her mind if she's got any down time.  She called me at work today to tell me she LOVED her journalism class!  She wore a cute dress to class because she wanted to introduce herself to her professor and she didn't want to look like a bum.  She said EVERYONE else was wearing Norts & a t-shirt so after that first class she went back to her dorm to change.  She also stopped in the broadcast room to sign up for broadcast auditions next week and she hung out in the Grove with some Hoover friends in the afternoon. 

KJ's bus was super, super late this morning and, on top of that, there was traffic on my way to work (a lady hit a mail carrier).  KJ said she was very late to school and the teachers were yelling, "Hurry Up."  Which I just don't get.  If you see an entire busload of kids, obviously the whole bus was late; not just one kid.   KJ's got her first vball tourney this weekend!  Can't wait! 

I am very, very blessed to work with such a wonderful, sweet group of people.  Everyone asked about me and my fam today:  was I okay?  did I cry when I left T?  is T doing okay?  how is KJ handling all of this?  how did Coach do?  how is T's roommate?  It was very nice to know everyone was thinking of us! 

Mission "Move-In" Accomplished

"Operation T-bone Relocation" was a total and complete success!  Typical T event -- no fuss, no frustrations, no drama, no tears.  Move-in was a breeze! 

T is a Provost Scholar so she got to move in a day earlier than everyone else and it couldn't have worked out any better.  We didn't rush out to Oxford, I think we left B'ham around 10 AM.  Stopped for lunch just outside of campus and from there it was easy-peasy!  No long check-in lines (in fact, there was one other girl getting her keys at the desk when we arrived).  We got two primo parking spots right in front of her dorm, got the carpet for her room, walked up the two flights of stairs (carpet was too big to fit in the elevator), unrolled it and got right to work. 

BEFORE

I made up her bed while T & Cosmo emptied the cars.  I think between the three of us it only took a couple of trips and we only needed a cart for the fridge and microwave (right when the afternoon monsoon hit!).  Bess doesn't officially move in until today so it was just the 3 of us in the room (very easy to get around!).  The girl's room is a LOT bigger than I remembered.  I think the showroom they showed us was a lot narrower than T's real room.  I remember T & I walking in that showroom thinking, "OMG.  This is TINY."

She had a Scholar's reception at 6 PM so Cosmo & I walked around Oxford for a bit.  Sat on a park bench is more like it.  I think at that time we were both a little over-whelmed and slightly dazed.  Paul Giamatti walked right by us.  It was kind of cool.  Cosmo recognized him immediately.  When I heard him speak to his son (grandson??) I knew it was him.  He has a very distinct voice (I always think of that scene from Sideways when he talks about not drinking Merlot). 

Bess, her best friend Tristian, her mom and her sister drove in from Austin and we met them for dinner at our favorite restaurant on the Square.  We had a really great time and I think the girls are going to get along just fine!  Bess was dying to see the room so we all went back to the dorm after dinner and Cosmo helped set up the TV. 

Earlier in the day the girls across the hall poked their heads in to say hello and T's RA also introduced herself.  After dinner the girls next door to T came over and were so excited to see someone moving in.  One is from Hartford, CT and the other one was from Cape Cod.  They had arrived early because they still had to attend Orientation and were kind of the only ones on the floor/wing.  Those girls are a long way from home and their room was a little barren.  The one girl said they just bought the basics at Wal-mart when they arrived and she hoped to go shopping soon.  She said the only thing she brought from home (other than her clothes) was a set of monogrammed towels she got as a graduation gift. 

Cosmo & I said our good-byes, drove a hour to Tupelo and spent the night.  Had breakfast this AM and were home in B'ham by 11 AM.  I was expecting move in to be an absolute nightmare and I still can't get over how easy everything went!  I hope everyone's move-in is as smooth as ours was.  I haven't spoken to T yet today but she did text me that she ran into her lax friend from SP this morning.  Meg is on the hall above her and T's friend Heather is on the floor below her.  When we first arrived at the dorm yesterday, her friend Caroline drove by and laid on her horn and screamed "T-BONE!!" out her car window.  T had a Scholar's seminar this morning at 9 and she still had to get her parking pass and I think she was planning to stop by the broadcast room. 

I kept waiting for a huge wave of sadness to come over me and it really never did.  I teared up once or twice but I think I'm more excited for T than anything.  Yesterday wasn't about me and what I was feeling.  It was about getting her ready for this next, thrilling chapter in her life.  We were almost finished unpacking and decorating and T turned to me and said, "This is everything I thought it would be."  I think that's a pretty successful freshman move-in!

AFTER

Getting There

I can't say that I never thought this day would come because I always knew she had to leave for college at some point.  But boy.  It's hit me like a ton of bricks this week.  My mind is spinning.  I keep feeling like we've forgotten something or overlooked something important (I dunno?  Her tuition or something????). 

Last night we went to Gianmarco's in Homewood for our last nice family meal (or, as a friend referred to it, "The Last Supper").  We always have fun wherever we go and last night was no exception.  A lot of laughs, only one or two tears (and that was all Cosmo). 

Poor KJ just doesn't know what to think.  One minue she's happy about having the house to herself; one minute she's upset at T for leaving.  She also thinsk she's going to be sleeping in the dorms and hanging with the big girls on game weekends. 

Today I'm just doing last minute laundry and helping her pack up her clothes.  She's been pretty organized and there's not much too do.  Monday she & a couple of friends from the lax team went to Sips & Strokes and this afternoon she's meeting a friend for mani & pedi's. 

I spoke w/ Bess's mom yesterday and she hasn't been depressed or emotional until this past weekend.  She said it really hit her that she's going to be an empty nester.  Since we get there first we'll get the carpet for their room installed while the room is fairly empty.  One of the Hoover girls is one floor below her, one of the SP girls is one floor above.  Plus, poor N doesn't know a soul and last time he checked, he still doesn't have a roommate.  He's already told T that they are walking to a couple of their Provost events together because he doesn't want to sit alone (I think their first seminar is Thursday night).  And, she's already been invited to a sorority ice cream social on Sunday.  She'll be fine.  I just need to keep telling myself that. 

Roughing it

I was doing really great until this morning.  I had a little meltdown and think it's going to be the first of many this week.  Heard that one of T's friends is having a rough time during Rush and that upset me.  A lot.  I got very, very emotional and started crying.  It's starting to hit me. 

Little by little the kids are heading off to college.  The Troy girls are waiting for their bids as I type.  Last week the Auburn girls moved in and they are all anxiously awaiting Bid Day (Sunday?  Monday?).  This week the Alabama girls moved in and are all anxiously awaiting Rush.  Now the guys are starting to move in.  Some of T's friends moved in earlier this week, some are moving this weekend.  One of Coach's boy's came by the other night to say good-bye.  Thursday night T had a BBQ for the friends that are still here and some of the Mississippi State boys are moving in this weekend.  T has just been a roller coaster of emotions the last couple of weeks and said it just sucks to constantly be telling friends good-bye.  This is why I don't ever say "good-bye."  I always say, "See you soon."

It's OK Thursday!

It's OK . . .

...that T leaves a week from today. 

...that she's having a bunch of friends over tonight for a BBQ and it's rainy.  Guess we'll just move indoors. 

...to love this rain.  I mean, I REALLY love this rain! 

...that I just can't seem to get into the book I'm reading.  That has only ever happened to me once before.  Didn't enjoy reading "Wicked" at all (but loved the musical!). 



Wordless Wednesday

Shark Week Countdown

http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/shark-week/ Wow!  25th Anniversary of Shark Week! 

Get your official Shark Week 2012 countdown here:  http://sharkweekcountdown.com/

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.

It's OK !!!

It's OK . . .

...that my oldest daughter is leaving for her freshman year of college in 2 weeks.  That's 14 days.  (I keep telling myself it's OK)

...to wish I had fresh sheets on my bed every day. 

...that my family had a GREAT time in Disney and brought me home a big bag of laundry.  (And yes, they did bring me home a present)

...to really not care about Kristen Stewart cheating on Rob Pattison.  So over it already. 

...to have Olympic fever!!!

...to not enjoy Ryan Seacrest on aforementioned Olympics. 

...to enjoy watching Ryan Lochte swim in aforementioned Olympics.  :-)