End of Year Parties and Such

This time of year is always so busy with the school year winding down, spring sports coming to an end, school activities ending, etc. KJ's middle school lax team has one last game this weekend and we'll try to do the team party afterward. Auburn has started a youth program and their middle school girls want to play some Birmingham teams to gain experience. The girls were freaking out thinking they were playing Auburn the college team. I don't think they realize that Auburn is a town too, not just a college. T had her girls varsity lax party on Saturday, last night was the boys turn at a local Mexican restaurant. We had a good time as always but it was kind of comical how many parents asked Cosmo at the end of the night if he was planning to come back next year (I don't know if they were asking out of concern -- i.e., "Boy! I hope Coach comes back next year" or if it was more like "Boy! I hope Coach hangs up his cleats next year!"). They know it was a rough year and those close to us know he personally struggled with missing out on some of his daughter's events. The girls, however, are totally OK w/ him coaching and are so proud of him. They BEG him not to quit (unlike their mother). I've been asking him for months if he's planning to coach next year and still haven't gotten a straight answer out of him.

KJ's 5th grade graduation is coming up and this weekend T & I are attending a Buccanettes tea honoring the seniors. I've been to several "teas" since moving to the South . . . bridal teas, baby shower teas, pageant teas, etc. but have never actually been served a cup of tea at any of these events. Interesting. I think I'm going to buy a big ass hat and wear it to Sunday's tea to liven things up!

Time to take down my spring/earth/nature/French Flea Market/orinthology-themed tablescape and time to start thinking about my summer tablescape. Loved the table I did last year but always like to change things up a bit. While doing research I found some inspiration in an old post from "Between Naps on the Porch." My table last year had very similar elements: casual seagrass placemats, lots of shells, lots of candles, shabby-chic shell patterned plates, pacific blue accent plates, sea glass, lots of layers, blue cobalt rimmed Mexican bubble glassware (see May 23, 2010 blog post).

Guess I'll get my table up this weekend and do a little side-by-side photo comparison!

Hats

Absolutely, positively obsessed with hats lately! First the royal wedding and then Derby day! I'm all about the accessories and could totally rock a Derby hat. I would wear something classy and elegant like this:

Or This:

But not like this:

or This:

and DEFINATELY not like this:

Big Feet Part 2

(My children are mad at me because I blogged about their big feet the other day)

"Don't mess with anybody on a Monday. It's a bad, bad day." -- Louise Fitzhugh

Had such an amazing, relaxing weekend. First full week that I didn't have to cheer someone on at the lacrosse field and it felt so nice. So normal!

Had the house to myself Friday night and enjoyed some peace and quiet. Cosmo took KJ & a friend to the Drive-In movie at Regions park. I'm pretty sure it was the same company that we used for her movie birthday party last year. We paid for one size screen, they upgraded us to the next larger size but Cosmo said the screen Friday night was GIGANTIC and the sound system was awesome! I spent Friday afternoon at the salon getting a much needed haircut. My hair has never been this long. I love it! T had a friend's b-day dinner that night but her car wouldn't start so she took my car. She spent the night and worked at the lacrosse store the next morning and from there went to her end of year lacrosse party. She was home for a few minutes and then off to hang out w/ her friend Devon.

Saturday morning Cosmo got up early and headed to Samford for the men's game. He played, not coached. The old man's still got it. I'm so proud of him for being active and still playing lacrosse. He's out there playing with guys 20+ years younger than him but he can totally still hold his own. It's a tough, tough sport and the younger guys love playing with him. He knows the game, knows what he's talking about when he coaches and hits like a Mack truck. Interestingly, he told me he didn't score any goals this game but did have a lot of assists. The old guys crushed the younger guys and he said they were beating the youngsters so bad, they actually gave them several of the older players to even things up.

Had a wonderful Mother's Day with Cosmo and the girls. They spoiled me and I loved every minute of it! Saturday night Cosmo & KJ bought some flowers and hanging baskets for the back deck to brighten things up out there. Sunday morning Cosmo & I slept in (so nice!) and then he and the girls made me my favorite breakfast in bed: French toast, a cup of tea and a couple of mimosas! I love breakfast in bed. Not because I'm a princess but because while I'm eating Cosmo & the girls join me in bed and we just catch up and snuggle as one big happy family. After breakfast we had Godiva chocolate covered strawberries and opened presents. Cosmo bought me a day at the spa and the girls bought me an awesome Alabama hat! I luv, luv, luv it. It's SO me! Cosmo put the new battery in T's car and then made my favorite Sunday dinner before he left for all-star practice. I spent the rest of the day doing a few things with the girls. T had a bunch of DYW stuff to do and KJ & I made chocolate tarts and watched a movie together.

Got good news from my eye doctor today: we're going to give soft contact lenses another go around! Whoo! Hoo! I absolutely, positively HATE wearing my hard lenses. They are so scratchy, so uncomfortable, so gritty. Blech. Very excited about the possibility of soft lenses again!

Big Feet

Last night I took T shopping; tonight was KJ's turn and boy are my feet tired! I feel like I walked all over that mall last night. T has some parties coming up and needed some new things to wear and she also needed a suit for her interviews. She bought the cutest little suit in Belk and a great pair of white patent leather peep toe pumps to wear with it. She looked so professional and so grown up! She has such a great sense of style and it's been interesting watching her develop her own personal style over the years. She likes taking fashion risks and has never follwed the crowd. She doesn't like to dress like everyone else and stays away from big national chain stores. She luvs, luvs, luvs to shop in little out of the way boutiques as well as consignment shops and can really pull an outfit together. She knows her likes and dislikes and doesn't waiver when she shops and doesn't "settle" for something if she can't find exactly what she's looking for.

While Cosmo & T were at BamaLax try-outs tonight, I took KJ shopping for a 5th grade graduation outfit (let's not go there. I can NOT believe she's graduating from 5th grade! I've had a kid at that elementary school since 1999!). Fortunately, we both loved the first dress she tried on. She also bought super cute shoes in a size 7. Guess I won't be borrowing them anytime soon. She definitely has bigger feet than T did at this age. And, at the time, I thought T's feet were HUGE. T wore a pair of my beige kitten heels to her 5th grade graduation and I remember thinking she was doomed to having huge man-feet (she's kind of maxed out at an 8 - 8 1/2). Back then, I just couldn't believe my little 5th grader was wearing a size 5. Now, KJ's size 7 doesn't even phase me in the least. I have completely accepted the fact that both of my girls will be several inches taller than me and have bigger feet.

HAPPY STAR WARS DAY !!!

May the Fourth be with You !!!

We Are!

Penn State!!!

I've always, always, always loved the fact that there was healthy respect between Alabama and Penn State football fans. While there are certainly much bigger things than football going on in the world right now, it's wonderful to know that my Northern breathren stepped up and answered the call for help. The Nittany Whiteout blog post was written just a few short hours after the tornado hit Ttown. Amazing.

http://nittanywhiteout.com/2011/04/27/alabama-needs-our-help/

http://joepasdoghouse.com/

http://victorybellrings.com/

What a week of Extremes

Last week was probably one of the craziest weeks in local, national, and international news.


Wednesday night's tornadoes have left so much devastation in their wake. It's still very, very hard to fathom. While I don't have any family here and don't really know where some of the towns affected are located on the map, I certainly know how it feels to be worried about loved ones and friends. For us, this is reminiscent of 9/11. The not knowing, the who, the what, where. The rumors, the desperation to find out any information, the sense of wanting to help but not even knowing where to start, the greving process. The rebuilding.


All of my chicks were in the next Wednesday night when the storms hit. We were watching James Spann on TV and saw the tornado touchdown in Ttown. Shortly after that we lost power until 9 or 10 PM. We had our phones and FB and Twitter but had no idea what was happening downtown Bham or north of the city. Then, our cell phones died and we couldn't charge them because the power was out. When the power finally did come on, we didn't have cable so we didn't realize the magnatitude of the storm until Thursday morning. Immediately, Cosmo started texting and FB'ing his "boys" @ Alabama to make sure everyone was OK. We sat at the kitchen table and made a quick list of the students we could think of: not only his Hoover lax boys but the boys we know from other schools in Birmingham, the kids from our neighborhood, so and so's son from work, the dentist's daughter, girls T danced w/ at the studio, KJ's teacher's son, our friend Randy's neice, older siblings of some of the girl's friends, friends in the Huntsville area, etc. All day long we updated each other, "Ok, I heard from XXX; he's OK." "I just spoke w/ XXX's mom, they didn't get in touch w/ her until late last night but she's safe." Thankfully, everyone we know is safe and accounted for.


On Friday, there was a bright ray of sunshine when the ENTIRE planet watched the Royal Wedding. The females in my house are obsessed with Kate, Will, Harry and of course, Pippa! Kate Middleton is so elegant, so mature, so classy and so incredibly poised. I think Diana is looking down and is thoroughly pleased with her son's choice for a wife.
We TiVo'd the big event PLUS all of the shows leading up to it: stuff on TLC, 20/20, E, etc. Still can't get enough! KJ and I were watching a show on Charles & Diani and saw some of their wedding day footage. KJ said, "Mom. She doesn't look very happy." And she really didn't. Looking back now, everyone can see the sadness and sorrow in her eyes. Kate, on the other hand, really seemed to enjoy the moment. From the minute she walked out of the car with her father, she seemed to be taking it all in and savoring every bit of it. We all agree that Wills is not going to age well and will be totally bald by his 30th b-day. Harry, on the other hand, was the goofy looking one and is now quite handsome and rugged. Pippa, well, Pippa kind of stole a little of the spotlight from her big sister. She is just as stunningly beautiful and elegant as her sister and that MOH dress was to die for. I love the photos of Pippa holding the little girl's hands and corralling them into the Abbey and I also LOVE the photos of her helping Kate w/ her train. Their mom, Carol, also looked very beautiful. Fergie's kids, on the other hand, looked ridiculous in their crazy hats.
Then, last night Americans rec'd word that Osma Bin Laden has been killed and buried at sea in keeping with the Muslim custom of being buried within 24 hours. When I got into work this morning, a friend ask how I felt about Bin Laden being killed. As a New Yorker, do I feel vindicated? Do I have some closure? My answer, No. Not because I'm vengeful but because it will not bring back the friends we lost.