Mother's Day Weekend

This past weekend I was on my own because of the school Carnival being Friday night I wasn't able to join Tommy and his parents for a trip to visit Beth in Charleston.

Friday: School Carnival. It was a great turnout and the kids seemed to have an awesome time. It was HOT outside and so the Firemen decided to spray from the truck which was a HUGE hit! 

Saturday: I slept in! I enjoyed my coffee and breakfast in peace and quiet at home. Then I ran to the mall to make some returns before meeting my best friend, Ansley, at Chastain Park for a walk and lunch at Zoe's Kitchen. It was just what I needed! After my walk, I ran a few more errands to Target and Home Depot. I bought new curtain rods for the dining room and flowers for the yard. Soon I will show the updates I'm making to the dining room! I came home and made the dessert for our tennis semi-finals. I decided I would try the Watermelon Cupcakes from the blog Mix and Match Mama. After the cupcakes were out of the oven, I headed to my parents for dinner with my family (minus the Willi's). After dinner, I rushed back to monogram a few items for my friend Sarah that she needed for some graduation gifts for her sister-in-law! Phew what a busy day!!!!

Sunday MOTHER'S DAY!: I woke up early to get ready for brunch with my family. We went to my mom's favorite, J Chrisophers. It was delicious as usual! Then I went back to my parents to hang out for a bit before running home to change for my tennis match. I played with Katie Booher and we kicked butt winning 6-1, 6-1 fairly quickly so we got to enjoy watching the rest of the matches from the shade. It was again HOT outside! Our team won enough lines to carry us through to City Finals next weekend. Hoping to come away with another win and City Champ plate! The cupcakes were a huge hit! They were all gone from the tennis match. Sunday night Tommy and Cooper made their way home from Charleston and we enjoyed dinner and just hanging out for a low-key end to the weekend. 

(My little sister, Claire, nana, mom and me)

We missed having Bonnie, Brett, and Collier around for Mother's Day/ Brett's birthday but I know they so enjoyed getting to celebrate their nephew's first birthday, Bonnie's first Mother's Day, and Brett's birthday with his family up in Ohio! 

(Bonnie sent this of him all dressed up for Mother's Day)

I put these images up on Instagram yesterday as a way of celebrating my mom and Bonnie. I am so thankful for the unconditional love and support my mom has given me my whole life. I know I have given her a hard time in the past but she is my best friend now. I can't imagine not living close by and being able to grab a quick lunch or go for a walk by the river when I'm off school. She is such an inspiration to me having raised four kids while across an ocean from her family. I don't know how she does it all!

And to my sister, Bonnie, I have been amazed watching you transform into such a wonderful mother over the past two months. Collier is just perfect and you have really got everything under control. I am amazed and hope my first two months look as easy as you've made it seem! I am so thankful for your friendship and how much of a role model you are to me. I can't imagine living farther from you. We are so lucky to have you right around the corner. Thankful for the random texts I get each day and being able to rely on you always for a good laugh or support. I hope you had the best First Mother's Day! Love you so much!

Have another busy week ahead at both school and outside of school. Looking forward to Supper Club tonight! 

Have a fabulous week! 

Stelling Wedding Shower

One of Tommy's oldest friends, Drew, is marrying a good friend of mine from college, Caroline. Their wedding is August 8th and so this weekend along with five other couples we threw them a couples shower! We did a seasons theme for their gifts but then at the actual event we did a fiesta theme for decor and food/drink. The Kreisses were so kind to host the event at their beautiful home. They had the perfect backyard for it and the weather was wonderful this weekend! Here are some pictures from the event!

(Aren't these the cutest cookies!) 

(Moe's catered)

It was a great night with great friends celebrating a wonderful couple! We are looking forward to their wedding and seeing what God has in store for their marriage. 

Friday Favorites

I'm linking up with Erika, Andrea and Narci for Friday Favorites! 

1. Maxi Dresses: anyone who knows me knows my love for a good maxi dress. I have too many to count. I feel the best when I'm wearing a maxi skirt or maxi dress. I bought this one recently and can't wait to wear it to a couples shower we are helping host next weekend! 

I got it from yet another one of favorites only places I shop , The LOFT. I have it in Turquoise and a floral pattern from last summer so I knew how it would fit me and so it was an easy decision to buy.

2. This week the SUN has been a favorite of mine. Over the past week or so we have had so much rain that finally the sun has come out. If I had to go through testing week without sun I just don't know if I would make it! 

3. This week I am thankful for family living so close and loving on me when I am stressed. My sister, Brett, and Collier had us over for dinner Sunday night. This was one of my FAVORITE days recently because it was a casual dinner where we just got to relax. I helped with bath and bedtime reading with my nephew too which was also a treat. My mom also randomly made us dinner for Tuesday night and left it at my sister's house for me to pick up. Blessed that my family is so loving. 

4. On Monday night I had dinner with my 4 best friends from growing up/high school. This is always a favorite when we can get all 5 of us together because Katherine lives in Wyoming. It's between seasons for Jackson Hole right now so she came home for the week. Love getting to spend time with her! We went to our usual dollar sushi joint called Fuji Hana in East Cobb that we used to frequent when we were in High School. Every time she comes into town we always make a trip on Monday/Tuesday night for dollar sushi.

5. A favorite of mine this week is my nail color. I know I mentioned it over the weekend but I really am so happy with it. OPI- don't burst my bubble

(disclaimer those are not my nails. I wish mine looked that nice)

6. A big FAVORITE of mine this week is getting to see all my friends because it's yet another WEDDING weekend! This weekend I am in my friend's, Audrey, wedding. We have a luncheon at the Swan Coach House today, rehearsal at Puritan Mill, rehearsal dinner at the Georgian Terrace hotel, and the wedding at Puritan Mill tomorrow. I can't wait to celebrate Audrey and Rob! Here is a picture from their engagement party. Audrey and I met through our sorority in college. She is one of the most genuine, selfless, and cheerful people I know. I miss her now that she lives in Kansas City but treasure the time we do get to spend together. 

7. Anthropologie: I LOVE Anthro so much and they are having a 20% off dresses sale so I just couldn't resist this adorable dress. With the amount of weddings/showers/events we have over the Spring and Summer months I feel I will get a lot of use out of it. I am in LOVE with this dress!

That's it from this week. Looking forward to this weekend and blogging about the wedding later! 

Friday Favorites! May 1st

Linking up for Friday Favorites! 

I wasn't going to link up this week with Erika, Narci, and Andrea but there were a few important articles that I felt needed to be shared as FAVORITES for this week plus a few random things from our week.

ONE

As the school year comes to an end, teachers are burning out trying to keep behavior under control and teachers are weary. I read this article written to Christian Teachers and it really struck a cord with me. I am here every day as a stable person for each student in my classroom. Working in a Title I school gives me a unique opportunity to really be a shining light in my students' lives. Even though I won't be in the classroom next year, I can only hope I can have an impact each day on a child. I cherish the quiet moments where I get to just ask my students about their lives. I have struggled with the group I have this year, but that doesn't mean that I don't want what is best for them and that I won't miss them. Each child brings something into my life and I learn as much from them as I hope they learn from me. 

Also, with all the riots going on in Baltimore this teacher wrote an excellent article about what persons of color are feeling during this time in history. Having not had to experience this myself I work with students who have and will continue I'm sure to feel similar feelings. It's a MUST read. 

TWO

This week I had to say "see ya later" to one of my very dear friends, Lauren, who got a great job opportunity with Twitter in New York. She is one of the hardest working people I know and she has really made a name for herself in her career. I can't wait to see what she accomplishes in New York and I am going to miss you dearly. I was able to spend the whole weekend with her because she too was a bridesmaid last weekend, but then we also went to Sushi Kiku Monday night to say goodbye! 

(this is an awful picture but hey we were there)

THREE

On Wednesday night, we took dinner to my sister's house and ate lettuce taco wraps with them and I got my Collier fill for the week. He is just the sweetest little nephew! Whenever we go over for dinner, I help my sister with bath and bedtime routine. It's definitely a weekly favorite of mine! 

(what a cute little monkey playing on the quilt I my mother-in-law made for him!)

FOUR

So when we were registering for wedding gifts, I was dead set on having a pure white duvet cover. Well as I have learned over the past year, they are hard to keep clean (especially with a dog who likes to snuggle on the bed) so with some gift cards and a sale I replaced the pure white with this new duvet cover from Pottery Barn and I LOVE it!

FIVE

This is the current status of my classroom. We SURVIVED FINISHED Milestones testing this week and are celebrating with a movie and pizza. My class chose 101 Dalmatians which is a favorite of mine from my childhood. Every class picked a classic Disney movie. The kids are so happy and it's nice to see them relax a little bit. Mine all brought in pillows and blankets to make themselves comfy. They really can be children sometimes even though most days they try not to act like it! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! 

What's Up Wednesday

What we're eating this week... We are having a pretty busy week this week between our different hobbies so I'm resorting to some crockpot meals that are quick and easy that we can each eat at different times. I've made my salsa chicken that we enjoy on salads and tortillas for both lunches and dinners. 

What I'm reminiscing about... All my friends weddings we have had lately. It's been busy but so wonderful being able to get together with all my girlfriends from college. I don't get to see many of them often so it's been great to catch up with everyone!

What I'm loving... the beautiful weather that allows me to enjoy my walks in the afternoon with Cooper and time spent with Tommy out on the back deck. Everyone is in a better mood when the sun is shining!

What we've been up to...WEDDINGS, SHOWERS, AND MORE WEDDING RELATED EVENTS. Yes this is our year of crazy. We have 8 weddings this year and many of them are our closest friends so we not only have the wedding but all the events leading up to the event. This is also some of the busiest time of year for me at work. The end of the year is testing and 5th grade crazy time. 

What I'm dreading....I am really not looking forward to having to pack up my classroom and finding a place to put all my stuff. I will probably end up giving away a lot of it but want to keep some stuff in the off chance I go back into the classroom soon. Over the past 4 years I have accumulated a lot of stuff and I hate having to pack things in boxes. 

What I'm excited about...I'm really excited about celebrating our 1 year anniversary next month! I can't believe how fast the past year has gone. A lot has changed over the past 11 months with us. We both have applied for new jobs. Tommy started his new job in January and I will start this summer. My sister had a baby and many of my friends have gotten engaged/married. It's been a wonderful year filled with many great memories to last a lifetime!

What I'm watching/reading...I am on a serious binge of watching PARENTHOOD. It's just such a great show. I've been watching since about Easter and I am obsessed. It's driving Tommy crazy because it's the only thing I want to watch. I ordered Carry On Warrior that I'm really looking forward to reading. A friend from work highly recommended it and so I am going to start that whenever it comes in the mail. 

What I'm listening to...I just have been listening to the Bert Show and their tunes whenever I'm in the car. Nothing really new in my music listening. 

What I'm wearing...I am back in my full-swing of spring Maxi Dresses. I can't wait for my new one form Anthropologie to arrive! I am OBSESSED with the Colors and Poppies on it. 

What I'm doing this weekend...This weekend we are watching my parents dog, Holly, for the weekend while they are at the beach. On Saturday night, we are throwing a couples shower for our friends Caroline and Drew. On Sunday I will most likely be playing in the tennis playoffs and delivering dinner to our friends, The Stewarts, and meet their precious baby girl. 

What I'm looking forward to next month...I'm excited about closing one chapter in my career and starting a new one. I'm ready for this school year to be over and start my summer vacation. We have some fun events planned over the weekends in May leading up to our anniversary which we will be celebrating in Atlanta on the day and taking a trip in July to celebrate. We are going to a friends lake house for Memorial Day weekend which is always a great time! Looking forward to enjoying the beautiful weather with the ones I love. 

My appreciation for my Husband

Ok I just have to do a sappy post every once in awhile and after this weekend I needed to do one about my husband, Tommy. I had my friend, Samantha, and her boyfriend, Dave, staying with me for the wedding. I was IN the wedding so I wasn't really around at ALL. He took the reigns and really filled in for me. On Friday, he ubered (not sure if that could be a word!) to Midtown and just sat in a bar waiting for me after the rehearsal making conversation with people he didn't know from the wedding family. Then on Saturday, he went to brunch with all my girlfriends and their significant others. After brunch, he took the boyfriends/husbands all around town to try Top Golf (total bust b/c of the wait) then bowling (again a total bust) and then eventually somewhere to play shuffleboard. He doesn't know the significant others very much but he entertained them for the whole day without a single complaint. It is a wonderful quality of his that I don't have to be around for him to show my friends how much they mean to not only me but to him. I am so appreciative of his understanding and help. He loves my friends and they love him back. He is just the best and I am SO lucky that he is mine!