V-day 2010

Our Valentine's Day was a little different than in previous years. It all started with these delicious "I Love You" cookies I picked up from Icing on the Cookie on Friday, the same day my sweet husband had flowers delivered to my office - while he was in Houston for work! He not only arranged this while he was traveling and completely out of pocket, but he also had them delivered early (Friday) so I'd get them at the office and have the thrill of flowers delivered to me since Valentine' s fell on a Sunday this year. He knows how much I love to receive flowers, and they honestly couldn't have come on a better day since that Friday was our snow day and we had a major donor event canceled at the 11th hour. It was a crazy day at the office - that my beautiful flowers made so much better. So, I got him cookies, and a miniature Wally.

Robert loves this movie....and robots. This gift was actually a pretty big hit - once I remembered to give it too him. He found it weeks before Valentine's so I had to re-hide the present and then completely forgot about it. He had to remind me to give it to him! How sad is that?

We babysat for a preciously family at church on Valentine's. See the cute pic (courtesy of Amy Henry's photography website) above of Lilian and her brother Griffin. They also have a precious baby sister Palmer. We love keeping these fun and energetic kiddos. They keep us on our toes! Griffin is a whiz, and I love Lilian because she hangs right in there with her brother. I can't wait for the next time we get to hang out with these kids. So fun!

Because we babysat on Valentine's, we celebrated ourselves the following Wednesday. Normally, we enjoy picking a unique-to-Birmingham restaurant and going out for a nice meal, the kind you only make the time (and have the budget) to do a few times every year. This year I wanted to do something different. It involved using my fine china for the first time...(ahhmm...)...ever! Yes, we have been married three+ years and I had yet to use our china. Trust me, I know how sad that is. I actually had fun setting the formal table (we NEVER eat at the table) for our special dinner - after I pulled the stickers off the bottom of the plates and other pieces!

The flowers Robert sent me were our centerpiece. I cooked one of his favorite meals - mostly made of some of his mom's best dishes that he especially loves: friend shrimp, brown rice, mac and cheese (yes, I know that's two starches, but he loves them!), bread sticks (because I have yet to gather the courage to attempt his mom's yeast rolls), and steamed broccoli.

For dessert? The cookies. (I had already eaten the "I" at this point, but don't they look great on my china?)

We actually only ate about a bite each because yours truly left them out in their box instead of storing them properly in an airtight container, and by Wednesday even these delicious cookies were dry. Oh well. You win some, you lose some.

Gettin' Crafty

Don't let the title of this blog post fool you. I'm not especially crafty or domestic. It's not that I don't appreciate those skills, I just don't find as much joy in doing those activities as others. I don't sew other than out of practicality, i.e., the occasional pair of pants that need hemming, and even then would be prone to ask my mother or mother-in-law first, or even go to the alterations place, before picking up a needle. Buttons I do - but that's about it. Fortunately, I have a wonderfully talented and generous mother-in-law who has made almost all the drapes and most of the pillow in my house. I get compliments on them frequently, and its' all because of her. I am most grateful.

What I do love is making something old into something new. I'm a big fan of thrift stores and craigslist and yard sales. I love to find a piece of furniture that someone else has given up on entirely and give it new life. Paint is my friend - primarily because it brings me near-instant gratification. I lose interest in long-term projects, but those only-gonna-take-me-a-few-hours projects are my best friends.

So, after recently amassing a ridiculous number (pretty much tripled my collection) of cute, dangling earrings (for less than $2.00 each at - of all places - SteinMart!), I realized I needed one of those fun picture frame earring holders. I found some online that were custom made for $50+! Yikes!

Then I found these easy how-to instructions and decided to take a stab at it. As you can see from the pic, it didn't turn out to shabby.

I decided to skip the step of painting an old frame and purchased a new one on sale instead. Then I had to track down some screen netting like what you would find in a screen door. Apparently, you have to buy this is large quantities, so if you're in the market see me. I spent $7 at Lowe's for a large role, and have a ton left over. I originally planned to staple the screen to the frame, but our staples were two large and would have pierced through the front of the frame. Instead, I opted for the hot glue route, which worked fine. I attached some black fabric to the back, again using hot glue, and ta-da. A finished product. I would have preferred to somehow made it so I could have inserted the original frame back to stand it up like you would a stand-alone frame, but it wasn't going to work that way. However, it looks great just propped against the mirror on my dresser.

Super fun project, and didn't take long at all. For more like it, or just for inspiration, check out one of my favorite blogs - DesignSponge. It's also listed among my favorite blogs links. You can also follow Grace Bonney, the blog writer/creater, on Twitter - @designsponge.

I especially love Wednesday when she posts reader-submitted DIYs and Thursday when she features reader-submitted before and afters. Good stuff and great inspiration.

Snow Boots and Snowmen

Last Friday UAB officially closed at 2 p.m. due to the inclement weather. When I got home in the early afternoon, the yard was already covered in snow. I had to run a few errands, and after changing from my business suit to jeans realized - with pure joy - that I could whip out my show boots which I hadn't worn in almost 2 years! I love being able to use those items in my closet that rarely see the light of day because they are entirely impractical for our Southern climate.

We had our Sunday School class over Friday night for a Winter Olympics 2010 Kick-Off Party (cheesy, I know, but turned out to be super fun - here's the evite pic), and I ended up spending all night at the party in my snow boots becase I never got around to changing (figured they actually went fairly well with the party theme).

I used them again on Saturday morning when I took a nice walk through our neighborhood.

Though everything else was covered in snow, the roads were completely clear, and since I never once ventured off of them, my legs were exhausted from my half hour walk in heavy boots when tennis shoes would have entirely sufficed. Needless to say, they were quickly retired back to the closet (all the novelty long gone) after I finally made it back home at a much slower pace than when I first started. (Definitely got my calf workout in for the day.)

Long intro to get to the main part of this blog post - snowmen. On my walk, I quickly realized people in Homewood love to build snowmen. They were everywhere. And some of them were beyond creative. Others were hilarious in their various states of form. Let's just say in Alabama, the life expectancy of a snowman is short. I snapped pics of the ones I was brave enough to take a picture of without looking like a creepy person w ith a camera stalking everyone's yards. These are some of my favorites - with the cheesy names I've given them.

"True Fan" - you all know why. RTR.

"Valley Forge" - doesn't he look just like George Washington?

"Feeling the Spirit" - something about that second one just makes me think of a north Alabama spiritual revival where everyone is full of the spirit and falling out on the floor - or a robbery.

"Old Green Eyes" - sorry, I know I'm streaching, but I figured a slightly revised Frank Sinatra reference couldn't hurt. What are those? Easter eggs?

"Mount Wannahackaloogie" - I don't know why this one makes me think of that scene in Finding Nemo, but does. And Lost, and any other surviver-like, tribal movie. Yes, that's a dead mum in his head. You can't tell it but this one was huge. Probably as tall as me. Very impressive.

"Camellia" - props for using the state flower.

"Morrie" - becuase for some reason this one reminds me of what Morrie would look like from Tuesdays with Morrie. Actually never read the book, so I could be completely bombing this one.

"Morning After" - this guy was done in either by the rising temps, the ball, or the all-night neighborhood snowman party. Note the Coors Light beer can in the middle forefront. Hilarious.

"There's a Snake in my Boots" - everyone loves a cowboy...and Toy Story.

"Short and Stumpy" - because we're all special, regardless of body type. This is coming from a girl who has to buy petite jeans and can never find them in the perfect length.

What's That Fuzzy White Stuff?

That's right. It's SNOW. The stuff we never ever get in Alabama but somehow have gotten not once but twice in the last four days. It actually snowed some this evening too - just enough to give us a light dusting. It wasn't near the 2 inches we got last Friday though. Saturday morning it was still pretty until later in the day when the temps rose and it all finally melted. I was able to snap some pics of our house and the neighborhood while it was still covered Saturday morning. I have to say, Birmingham sure does look good in winter white!

'Bout Time

My sincere apologies for not having updated our blog since (...audible gasp...) November 15, 2009. I realize a three-month hiatus from blogging is completely unacceptable, and I have no excuses. So in an attempt to just move on, I'll give a quick recap of the last, say, 90 days, and we can hope for the best in regards to more timely and frequent blog updating moving forward.

November/December:
We enjoyed Thanksgiving in Birmingham with my family and then ended up with the blessing of seeing Robert's family several times over the next four weeks. Unfortunately it wasn't under the best of circumstances after his mother was hospitalized right after Thanksgiving. However, God was gracious and she has made a full recovery. I think Bama winning the SEC Championship (which we watched with her and Rob's family from the hospital room; that was certainly a first!) definitely contributed to her recovery!

I was extremely late getting my tree and Christmas decorations up this year, but eventually it all came together.



We were able to celebrate Christmas in Florence, South Carolina with Robert's family. Our niece, Tess, turned one in early December, and we learned she and her brother Tallon have another sibling on the way, set to arrive in August - actually very close to Robert's birthday on August 3.




We also celebrated a late Christmas in Birmingham with the Summervilles. This year I think a good 50% of all funds spent on gifts went to the University of Alabama in terms of licensing fees. Let's just say we all bought each other a ton of Alabama paraphernalia - SEC Championship hats, jerseys, t-shirts, framed prints, car flags, car magnets....it was a little rediculous.




This following picture has to be one of my favorites from the holiday season. It's of my dad, sporting his new XXXXXL Terrence Cody jersey courtesy of my brother David, emulating Cody's two blocked field goals during the Tennessee game. Hilarious.


In December I traveled to Baltimore for an Association of Donor Relations Professionals conference and was able to rekindle some friendships with some very sweet colleagues I hadn't seen in quite some time. Also ate some amazing east-coast seafood.


We also celebrated our third anniversary on December 9 with a night away at Ross Bridge. Normally we like to take a trip, but since we had been traveling so much we really just needed a low-key celebration that didn't require a flight or multiple hours traveling in the car.


We had one of the most fun New Year's that we have ever celebrated in Atlanta at the home of our dear friends Matt and Amy Bogue. They actually rented craps and blackjack tables and we rang in 2010 after a very fun casino night with some really great people. I think we're definitely going to have to repeat next year. Tons of fun. As you can see, they had a packed house!




January
Turned out our no-travel anniversary trip was a good plan since we were fortunate enough to get tickets to the National Championship and found ourselves in Pasadena on January 7 routing on the Crimson Tide. We had such a great time on the trip, turning it into six days in Southern California visiting some of Robert's distant family in San Diego and San Bernadino, seeing Marshall Brown in Los Angeles, meeting up with several close friends in Pasadena, and enjoying the lovely 70 degree weather. Did I mention we won the national championship? It was certainly a trip to remember. It was a perfect time to travel seeing back in Birmingham we had some of the coldest temps we have had to date this winter. We loved the San Diego Zoo and Little Italy, enjoyed a tour of Stone Brewery, and did some classic sightseeing in LA and Santa Monica.







As I mentioned, the temps in Birmingham have been unusually cold this winter, but it made for the perfect setting for our fourth annual Acoustic Soup. I chaired this fundraising event for VSA arts of Alabama (a local nonprofit) last year, and was glad to pass along the reins to my good friend Katie this year. She and the whole group of Junior Patrons did a fantastic job. We raised the most funds to date with this event. Sixteen Birmingham area restaurants participated, providing a variety of really delicious soups. Most of all, I think we introduced many new folks in Birmingham to VSA arts of Alabama and the wonderful work they do providing opportunities in the arts for adults and children with disabilities and chronic illnesses. Here's the marvelous Katie with our great Board president Michael.



Dyron's Low Country, one of our participating restaurants, is new to Birmingham. I've been meaning to drop by Crestline Village to try it out for quite some time, but after tasting their gumbo at Acoustic Soup, Robert and I have decided we definitely have to pay them a visit. We need to take his parents by the next time they are in town to try Dyron's Charleston-style, coastal seafood. I hear their shrimp and grits bar is amazing!

February
February is young, so there's not too much to report. My baby brother Ryan celebrated his 17th birthday on February 6. I am officially feeling quite old. Here he is with his Christmas/birthday gift of speakers (or maybe it's the amps...I have no idea) for his car. He also made the Clay-Chalkville High School golf team, so we're super proud of him.


Robert's dad returned safely from a trip to Haiti to provide emergency medical care with a disaster response team from the U.S. His health also seems to be improving, for which we are grateful. I haven't had the opportunity to hear all of his stories yet but am so thankful for his willingness to go serve and use his skills and God-given talents to help the Haitian people during such a sad time of disaster. Here's Pop getting his farewell thumbs up from Tallon right before he left. (Bec, thanks for letting me steal this pic from your facebook album.)


My dad gave us a brief scare with an admission to the hospital with chest pains early in January. Turns out his heart is fine but he was having some issues with his acid reflux. He is now doing well. Robert's PaPa also recently had a pacemaker installed but is now home and recovering. We are hoping for an illness-free February with no hospital visits by any family members!!

My brother Kyle is hoping to be a homeowner in the next month. He's got a contract on a home in Bluff Park he plans to remodel, and if all goes well hopefully he will be able to move sometime in March. We are looking forward to having him closer and helping him fix up the house.

I think that's a wrap...oh, I also finished my master's in December, so we are thrilled to both finally be finished with our graduate work. Don't plan to hit the books again anytime soon, but you never know.

Geaux Bama

I only took a handful of photos at the Bama/LSU game, but what a great weekend. Lots of friends and family came down and we had several tailgates on the quad we made our way though, seeing old friends and giving lots of hugs. It was also nice to drop by the RUF tailgate and see Ryan and Ada Moore. My Aunt Cathy made the trip down and had a blast with all the pregame festivities on the quad, as you can see from the pics below. I have to thank my brother, Kyle, for sharing his extra ticket and getting me in the game. And what a game it was. This is one of my favorite rivalries, and I can't wait for our trip to Baton Rouge next year.



And, I have to plug my friend's new shop in Homewood, Icing on the Cookie, where I ordered these super cute and really tasty Bama cookies. They were delicious and such a huge hit at the tailgate. I forgot to take a picture of them on the platter, so I stole these from their website. They've got cookies for most the local sporting teams as well as for holidays, babies, etc. You can even send in your corporate logo and they will turn it into a cookie. My friend's husband is the master chef. He has worked at Bottega and other local restaurants, and this is their new adventure. They're so good!