Fatti Maschii, Parole Femine

Interesting post title, huh?  Answer will be revealed at the end!

The weather has been absolutely positively fabulous the last couple of days!  The service opened our pool on Wednesday and we had a ton of rain basically all day Thursday and Friday morning.  Cosmo put the pool heater on and by 12 noon on Saturday KJ was swimming (it wouldn't matter if the heater was on or not; she'll swim in anything!  If there is a body of water nearby, that kid will be in it).  And she had the dog in the pool with her.  It's so funny to watch!  Trixie jumps in and can swim from one end of the pool to the other.  Her little legs go a mile a minute and she looks like a little wind-up bath toy.

First weekend we didn't have volleyball and we were able to get so much done around the house.  We cleaned all the patio furniture, Cosmo put some mulch down around the pool and the patio and surprised me with several hibiscus potted plants and gerbera daisy pots to put around the pool deck.  We're having company Memorial Day weekend so I got all of my pretty plastic plates and serving pieces out of storage and washed them to get ready for some al fresco dining!  I also put away my "Spring Shabby Chic Parisian Flea Market" tablescape and my dining room and entrance way are full-on "Summer Beach House" mode.

Saturday night we decided to drive to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis to see the Bayhawks play the new Florida Launch.  We got to see Coach's buddy PT play.  They met at a lax camp they did together and have been friends ever since.  Always great to see great players such as Queener, Kevin Crowley, Polanco, and Mikey Powell.  The weather was perfect, we had great seats and KJ had a lot of fun.  She forgot to bring a ball with her so she didn't get any autographs this time.  MLL games are so fun because the players are so accessible.  No egos.  Most, if not all, of the guys also have regular day jobs and several of them also coach youth leagues.

Looks like we're going to have a busy, fun summer!  My bro and his fam will be here for Memorial Day as well as some friends from Alabama.  June 6 is KJ's 8th grade formal and apparently everyone's coming to our house for photos.  June 13 is 8th grade graduation and there's a weekend at the end of June that we will get to see our friends from Cincy as well as some Bama friends.  My cousin's wedding reception is mid-June, too.  After that we transition to full-on pageant mode and will have some free time mid-July to mid-August.

Post Translation:  

(Manly Deeds, Womanly Words)

http://www.netstate.com/states/mottoes/md_motto.htm

SB'13

So now it's KJ's turn to celebrate Spring Break at the beach!  I hope she has decent weather.  It doesn't really matter how cold the water is, she'll go in no matter what.  That kid is a mermaid for sure and if there's a body of water, no matter how small -- a bucket, a baby pool, a bathtub -- she's in it! 

I think she's all set -- yesterday she got her eyebrows waxed and we picked up some last minute items.  I made beach bags / gift bags for KJ and her little buddy with custom monogrammed beach towels, sunglasses, Frisbees and a bunch of other girly fun things for the beach.  She's packed and ready to go!



Zippity-Do-Dah

Took down my Spring table decor and packed everything away until next year.  Started working on my Summer beach-themed table.  This is one of my favorites because the dining room is painted a nice blue and the dishes and accessories compliment the color very well.

Got some Spring cleaning done today while I was in the dining room . . . mopped all the hardwoods and took down the sheers to wash and hang back up.  I also need to do that in the family room and our bedroom. 

So, these Senior Year "lasts" are totally killing me.  Monday night was the band banquet and Thursday night was the Dance Showcase.  Probably the last time T will ever dance on stage again.  It was very bittersweet and the senior dance was very beautiful.  I cried really bad and just couldn't stop hugging her afterward.  One of the mom's sitting in front of me was there to watch her son's girlfriend and she turned around, took one look at me & T and starting boo-hoo-ing, too.  The son plays lax w/ Cosmo and the mom said she didn't think she'd be this emotional. 

Tonight is the Alabama / Mississippi All-Star Showcase and at half time of each game they will announce the players that are recognized by US Lacrosse as "All-State."  Hopefully, Cosmo will have an extra special presentation to make during the half-time of the boys game.  He has a player that has been nominated for All-American.  It is a HUGE deal.  There have ever been only two lacrosse All-Americans for the state of Alabama (Brye for athletics and Jeremey for academics; Brye is now the captain of the Naval Academy football team).  All-American is the player who exemplifies all the best qualities of the sport.  I know Cosmo already knows if the kid got it or not and he's not saying.  I hope he did.  He's a very special young man and is a leader on and off the field. 

This may or may not be my last blog post ever.  I may not survive the Mother's Day activities my family has planned for me.  If it's not raining, the plan is to go zip-lining.  If it rains, I'd really like to see the Avengers and have a big bucket of popcorn. 

Open to Interpretation

Ask ten people what the beach means to them and you'll get ten different answers. To some it's soothing and relaxing, to others it's vibrant and exciting. Whether your beach is the Gulf, the Pacific, the Atlantic, Miami, Venice Beach, The Jersey Shore, Myrtle Beach or somewhere in the Caribbean, most people will say the beach evokes wonderful memories with family or friends.

I'm starting to think about my summer/beach dining room tablescape (some people meditate or pray when stressed, some eat, some enjoy a little retail therapy, some knit, some collect stamps or coins to relax. I decorate my dining room table.).

The beach conjures up many different images for me . . . sunsets, soft sand, blue skies, white fluffy clouds, brightly colored umbrellas and beach towels.

I found these photos while surfing the web (ha! I made a phuny!) and this is very, very similar to what I've done in the past. I have a beautiful burlap runner embroidered w/ soft blue sand-dollars, I have the same hi-ball bubble glasses with starfish accents and my margarita glasses are similar (maybe a darker blue).

I also really like the clean lines associated with the following tablescapes . . . the pure white combined with the rough textures of baskets and burlap or seagrass. So fresh and simple.

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.

I am SO there!

Got my hair did. My toes done. Got plenty of books and magazines. Got my flippy-floppies and a big ol' hat. I'm ready! I'm ready!