WIDTW

Another "What I Did This Weekend"  (again, because I know you all are deeply interested)

My Aunt Dee and I left Birmingham Friday afternoon and headed over to Atlanta.  I used Hotwire to book a hotel and we actually ended up at The W in Midtown.  I've stayed there before and was happy to go again, though sadly there was no time for the Bliss Spa that is there.   We had dinner at South City Kitchen.  I try to eat there almost every time I go to Atlanta and it did not disappoint.  The best part was dessert - pecan pie with brown sugar bourbon ice cream.  Yum!!  I didn't take any pictures at dinner because it was sort of dark in there and I didn't want my camera phone flash disturbing anyone.  The meal was delicious and it was a fun evening out in Midtown.

On Saturday morning, we got up and out early to head a little north for sweet Baby Owen's baptism.  I've never been to a Catholic baptism and it was really nice.  Isn't this just the sweetest baby boy!!

Parents James & Micki, Baby Owen, big sister Ellie (being held by daddy), and the God parents.

Cassie, Micki, Owen, Aunt Dee

I got this handkerchief made for Owen.  I hope he has it forever, then his bride can have it as her something blue and/or old.  During the baptism, the Deacon talked about how that day was Owen's "birthday" in the church.  

After the baptism, Micki and James served lunch at their house.  Their house is really nice and the lunch was delicious.  We hung out for a while, then we left from there and headed a little further north to some outlet stores.  They were ok......your typical outlets.  I could have shopped more at Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware, but it's hard to know what I really want for my townhouse at this point.  We made our way to a Nordstrom Rack and the serious shopping began.  It was awesome.  Micki met us out for dinner that night at an Italian restaurant.  I stuffed myself with bread, wine, Mediterranean salad, and gnocchi.  I never get to spend that much time with my cousin, Micki, and it was so nice to be there with her and her sweet family.  Micki - get that guest room ready! :)

On Sunday, our only plans were brunch and shopping.  We had a yummy breakfast at Murphy's in Virginia Highlands.  We did "cheers" with our coffee since you can't order alcohol until 12:30!!!  Who knew GA was just as backward as AL.....

My handsome friend, Chad, met us for brunch.  He and his family live in the area.  His wife and kids were supposed to join us, but weren't able to make it.  I haven't seen Chad in about 11 years and I swear he hasn't changed at all.  I love it when I see old friends and it's like old times picking up where we left off.  I'm excited to meet his wife and kids in Lineville soon.

Brunch gave us just the energy we needed to hit Phipps Plaza.  I needed to spend a little time at Tiffany and actually see the inside of a real Nordstrom.  The kind folks at Tiffany saved the day and served us mimosas.  That's a good way to get me to spend $$......several hours and one worn out credit card later, we headed home.  I made it back to Birmingham just in time for the last service at COTH, then to my new friend Melanie's to have birthday cake.  I loved spending time with family, old friends, and new friends all in one weekend.  I was sad to see it come to an end.  Now, on to planning the next weekend.

No More Shoes.....

As I mentioned the other day, my shoe-buying days are numbered.  I've spent lots of quality time with all of my old and new shoes, so I think we'll be OK for a while.  While we all are sad that there won't be any new additions to the collection, we are all very excited about our new home.  I'm under contract on a townhouse!  Yea!  (I'm slightly excited, in case you missed that)  It's a 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath townhouse at a development here in Birmingham called Acton Park.  The master bedroom is on the main level along with a garage.  My Realtor can confirm that my biggest requirement for a place is to be able to live all on one level.  Upstairs, there are two bedrooms, a jack-and-jill bath, and a loft/den area.  I like that my guests will be able to be upstairs and have privacy.  The rooms also each have large walk-in closets (no doubt my master closet will have to spill over into one of them).  Who will be the first lucky visitor????  Maybe I should have some sort of blog contest like other bloggers have....

Here's a quick tour of the place.  Please note that none of the furnishings are mine as these are the pictures from the MLS listing.  I think all of my things from my old house will work well and I'm very excited to get all of that out of storage.  I haven't seen some of my belongings for almost 6 months.....I doubt that I will have to buy anything new since I have a whole house full of furniture, but I'm sure a few new things will be needed wanted. 

Looking directly at the front.  That's my garage door on the right.  

My front porch stops in the middle where the two columns are close to each other. 

 

Looking from the front door to the porch and street.

Just inside the front door.  

In that little hallway ahead are a coat closet and powder room (half bath - but I prefer the term powder room and have always wanted one!) on the left and the door from the garage on the right. 

Looking toward the front door

Kitchen, looking into dining area and living room.  

That's the master bedroom off to the back right and the two big doors just on the right are the laundry closet. The other door is the pantry.

Kitchen

Kitchen looking toward front door

Kitchen (have we seen enough of the kitchen yet??) 

Let me take this moment to note how badly I want to get rid of that long fluorescent light.  Ugh....

Dining area looking into Kitchen

Dining area looking in to Living Room

Living Room

Living Room

Back porch

Master Bedroom

Master Bath - shower on the left.  

Directly ahead is the closet, toilet on the left, linen closet on the right.

Upstairs loft/den area

Guest room

 

Guest room

Jack-and-Jill bathroom

I'm also VERY excited that there is a pool.  

It looks very nice and I can't wait to start napping in some lounge chairs there!

Closing will be at the end of August, then I'll have a little work done before actually I move in.  I want to take out all of the tile and carpet on the main level and put in hardwoods (including master bedroom for allergy reasons).  That will definitely have to be done before I move in.  If my budget allows, I will also put in a new counter-top and back splash in the kitchen.  Maybe paint the cabinets.  Of course there are many other things I would love to do (hello, kitchen light) and I'll just have to make a wish list for later projects.  I may have to become some sort of DIY expert.....if other people can do it.....I know some of you are laughing at this thought, but remember that toilet seat?  I have some hidden and untapped talents!

I've NEVER lived alone and am really looking forward to having something that's all my own.  While I have enjoyed this transition phase and appreciate my friends letting me live with them, it's time to take this next step.  I've prayed about it a lot and feel like God is getting me to where I need to be.  Things seem to be happening easily and naturally.  Of course, I still need and appreciate your prayers.  I'll do another home tour once I'm moved in - which seems like will be forever from now!

WIDTW

WIDTW - What I Did This Weekend (yes, I"m making up acronyms)......because I know you are all wondering and deeply interested.

On Friday night, I went with Dana and Leanne to an Olympic Opening Ceremony party at the Lakeshore Foundation.  My company had generously sponsored a table.  There was good food and wine, though the party itself was sort-of lame.  We dined and ditched....

Leanne really wanted a skinny margarita from Cocina Superior and I wanted a bellini from Brio, so we did both.  I had a fun night out with two cool girls.  I'm so glad that Leanne is finished with the bar exam!  I've missed her so much while she's been studying.  It's going to be a long wait for grades till the end of September.

On both Saturday and Sunday, I had the pleasure of joining my friends at their neighborhood pool.  I know how to take advantage of some good pool/lounge chair time and stayed there longer than everybody!  I was joined a little while today by two sweet boys.  Dylan and I played a lot and he borrowed my extra hat.

Harrison had his snack with me on my lounge chair (actually, he ate my snack because he didn't want the one his mom packed for him), then got a little tired and needed to take a quick rest.  He has one towel for a pillow and another towel for a blanket.  Hilarious child!  

After everyone else went home, I finished reading a magazine and took a quick nap.  The pool was crowded and kids were playing loudly, but I have this amazing ability to fall asleep on a lounge chair.  What can I say, it's a gift!  Thanks to my friends for sharing their pool!

Friday's Five Faves

As another week comes to an end, I'm reminded how fast time flies.  It's almost August.  August people.  Where is 2012 going??  Anyway, here are some things that I'm enjoying at the moment:

1.  Peanut M&M's - I could seriously eat these all the time.  I love them so much.  What's weird is that I used to only eat Plain M&M's.  I made the switch about 7 years ago and haven't looked back.

2.  Shiseido Eyelash Curler - got this a few weeks ago and I love it.  It gets every lash.  Of course, I ordered mine from Sephora and you can get it here.

3.  Cool Shoes - so as not to incriminate myself, I won't say how many pairs I've purchased recently and how many I have it total.  I love shoes.  If I have on a cool pair of shoes, I may as well be wearing a cape and have super powers.  My favorite brand at the moment is Via Spiga and I love it that they have been having a 60% off sale.  My shoe-buying days are numbered, though, but I'll save that news for another post.

4.  Ice cream at the office - the past two weeks, we've played a little game called "Squeeze" at the office. The winner (or loser, as I call it) has to go to the nearby grocery store to buy ice cream.  I don't know who made up Squeeze, but it goes like this:  One person (the previous week's winner/loser) thinks of a number between 1 and 100.  Then, everyone goes around guessing a number and is told higher or lower by the leader.  You eventually get "squeezed" into the number and the person who guesses it wins (loses) and has to go buy ice cream.  Everyone chips in a buck or two.  I lost last week and bought chocolate and birthday cake ice creams with hot fudge and sprinkles for toppings.  The toppings were a hit and now people want me to lose every time!

5.  New People - I love making new friends and meeting new people.  During a recent lunch outing to Panera with a couple of girls from work, we found ourselves in line behind this girl who was alone.  She had beautiful red hair and was wearing cool shoes, which I immediately commented on.  Once we all made our way through the line, ordered, and got our food, there was no place to sit.  It was packed!  All 4 of us are wandering around, trays of food in hand, searching for a place to sit.  We finally notice this man sitting alone at a table for 4 (yes, during the crowded lunch hour) and he appears to be finishing up.  We ran over to stake it out, then I noticed the other girl still looking so I invited her to sit with us.  She happily accepted.  Turns out she is new to Birmingham and her husband just started a residency at UAB.  My co-workers and I bombarded her with questions and tips on where to eat/go/visit in the area.  Her name is Melanie and we were fast friends.  We have been out to lunch and hung out a few times.  Melanie is super cool and has a fabulous job at the Bobbi Brown counter at Saks.  I went in recently and she did my make-up.  It was so fun and she made me look so pretty.  Before/After shots didn't occur to me at the time, but I see many more fun makeovers in the future.  Mel has been gone this week because her grandfather passed away.  I've missed her!  Prayers for her family, please.   


That's it for now.  Stay tuned for my exciting news that is going to put an end to the retail therapy!  Happy weekend!

Wordless Wednesday

A View to a Weekend

I had a pretty good weekend, despite being worried about how it was going to go.  It started with a fabulous lunch at Olexa's on Friday.  Grilled cheese, tomato bisque, and salad followed by their amazing chocolate cake.  I shared this with another person even though I wanted to eat it all myself.

Friday night, I went with the family and some other friends to Free Friday Flicks in Homewood Park.  Movies are shown on a big screen and everyone brings chairs/blankets to sit on.  Kung Fu Panda 2 was the feature presentation.  The weather was great and it was a pretty perfect evening.  I could see myself spending many Friday nights doing just that.  Saturday was warm and spent at the pool - another pretty perfect day. 

Saturday night, I met up with some other girls for dinner at Hot and Hot Fish Club.  Dinner was delicious!  I had their famous tomato salad with lady peas and fried okra then a red snapper entree served with tomatoes and avocados.  I drank my dessert in the form of a glass of champagne.  Cheers!

My poor attempt at a few pictures from the evening.  I got this dress on clearance from Nordstrom and love how the blue made me look so tan.  Paired with my favorite pair of shoes at the moment, I was feeling alright.  I don't know why we didn't get a shot of the whole group.
 

Yesterday was nothing exciting - church, lunch, Belk clearance rack, followed by a quick nap.  It didn't end the way I wanted, but everyday can't be perfect.  It would probably be weird if they were.  Or, I would be lying if I said they were. 

4th of July & Upcoming Weekend

I hope you all had a great 4th!  Mine was awesome and started with this fabulous breakfast provided by my super cool roommate (no, I'm not sucking up because she doesn't read my blog - she has 3 toddlers and a full time job, so I understand).  I thoroughly enjoyed my grilled cheese cut into the shape of a star with watermelon and Dr. Pepper served on a princess plate.  Don't be fooled by the lack of crust--I ate that part, too. 

We slowly (and with a couple of meltdowns) made our way to Cullman to hang out at the pool.  We stopped for lunch at Top Hat BBQ.  I hear it's famous, so I had to get some.  I had a sandwich and it was pretty good.  The best part was the fried pecan pie a la mode.  Delicious!  Once at the pool, the beer margaritas were served and the relaxation began. 

It was such a nice day.  I don't recall ever getting really hot.  It was nice and relaxing.  I even got a short lounge chair nap!

We grilled out burgers and hot dogs, then made our way to see fireworks.  It was a pretty good show.  No 4th of July ever seems complete without a few fireworks.  One meltdown later, we made our way back to Birmingham.