fun on etsy

sometimes i just carouse etsy.com and marvel at all the unique creations people in this world make. some are so creative. some are so cool. some are a little weird. and some i just must have. so tonight, i thought i would share. tonight, if i had money to spend on etsy, i would buy...

this frame here and put a super cute pic of little miss in it.

then i would buy this little coupon organizer to help me save money. seriously people, my friend jennie bought something like $100 worth of groceries for $40 - from PUBLIX. i am definitely getting on that coupon bandwagon. join me and buy one here.

then i would treat my ears to these beauties...for only $18 here.

and i will definitely get this from here. i just can't do big purses anymore but a little clutch like this seems perfect - sigh, j'adore.

oh and this ring. i just love rings...and this hand crafted ring is so unique. hint hint hubby - just click HERE.

and i would buy these in a heartbeat. i love drinking coffee out of mugs like this...it just tastes better i swear. and i am southern girl and anything personalized gets me hook, line and sinker. you can buy a personalized set of four here.

i would definitely shop local and support this birmingham creator of comfy quilts.

but after all my browsing i am only bought this $10 birthday shirt for little miss' school party.

good night and happy etsy-browsing!

my mother's day gift

busy...and now lazy

it has been awhile.  i am sorry.  i have been busy, very busy.  so busy that i haven't balanced my checkbook in 2 months, something i do quite religiously.  so busy i have had to set up automatic bill pay so that my bank can write my checks because i have run out...and have been too busy to remember day in and day out to reorder some more dang things.  so busy that i spent two days looking for my birthday money that i misplaced.  so busy that i am now getting paid to work 30 hours while still working 40.  so busy that i cannot finish the things i need to finish in this house so we can put it on the market and buy the one we have fallen in love with in vestavia - two doors down from carrie and marca-marca. 

and so busy that yesterday i crashed...i mean really crashed and wrecked my car and put life in perspective for me.  i was driving to my mani/pedi appointment at the spa and then on to an afternoon board meeting.  it was a monsoon...i mean really coming down.  i was driving pretty slow when all of the sudden my car hit water and all i remember is spinning...lots of spinning and lots of praying. i just let go of the wheel, took my feet off the pedals and prayed - god save me.  please save me.  i was in the far right lane when it all began and somehow ended up across three lanes and about 30 feet down in a big ditch.  i opened my eyes, crawled out of my car and assured the 5 cars that i scared to death that i was ok.  really ok.  one lady said i flipped - i couldn't remember so i believed her.  all i do know is that no other car was involved.  i was only a little sore. and amazingly, after the tow truck pulled me out, we were able to drive my car back home.  but the tears came and poured for a good while.  a long while.  

so saturday morning i was busy, sunday afternoon i am lazy.  it feels good.  it feels safe.  i am loving sitting next to my sweet husband and just being.  i am loving hearing addison yell from upstairs "mama, where's mama.  maaama!"  such sweet, sweet words for a lazy sunday afternoon.

beverage delight

i find something i like and i get on a kick.  most of the time it is lunch somewhere downtown that has a certain something (usually chicken salad) that has grabbed my attention.  so much so that i frequent there - like everyday.  my lastest kick comes from a fun friend who has introduced me to a fun drink...diet cherry lime-aide from sonic.  not only is this drink fabulous, sonic is fabulously on my way to work.  just a couple of turns and i am on my way to beverage happiness.  what is even better is in the morning my large slurp of heaven only costs me $1.08. a buck for a happy.  

sooo, my diet cherry lime-aide and I have been going steady for about 3 weeks.  3 glorious weeks of puppy love.  3 wonderful weeks of refreshing drink, perfectly crunchable ice, and then a cherry to end the date with.  i am telling you people, it is good. so good in fact on friday morning, i pull into sonic, drive up to the drive-through and instead of the take-my-order-lady saying "welcome to sonic would you like to try our tater tots" she bellows out for every car to hear "you be havin' a laaarge diet cherry lime-aide, right?".  to which i smiled, laughed, blushed and replied "yes ma'am, you got it".  so began my drive-through-of-shame.  i have been exposed. i am officially known at sonic.  she knows my car, she knows my order and she probably knows my back left tired hits the curb every time i make my way to the window.

so there you go.  hi, my name is whitney.  i am a sonic diet-cherry-lime-aide-aholic. now if i can just figure out how to start getting a few more cherries in my drink for being a frequent customer.  

p.s. while typing this up i got so thirsty i called in an order to terry on his way home from lowes.  oh man, elizabeth, you have created a monster :)  cheers!

happy deadline day!

as of right now, 12:11 pm, i have completed my deadline. the new mortimer jordan high school is officially designed, detailed, and specified to near perfection. and as for me, i officially have my nights back, my weekends back, and (hopefully) my stress under control. but i think the best feeling right now is a sweet sense of completion. i can prop my feet up and tell myself job well done. heck, all i am missing is a smooth glass of wine to round out the celebrations.

so, this project that has slowly consumed my life over the past 6 months is over and gone. i think i am finally realizing why this project has been harder than others. you see, terry is a coach and teacher for mjhs. there were, are, times when i know things about terry's school that i can't talk about. not bad stuff, just job related stuff that if word got out it would be obvious where is came from. on a normal project i get to come home and vent to terry about crazy happenings but not on this one. this one has been silent. this one has kept me from being able to communicate to terry about my work side of life. kinda hard. on the flip side, i have put every bit of thought, energy, excitement and loyalty into this school. i have a personal attachement to the jordan blue devils and dang it, i made sure that it is the best. it has been fun to know the ins and outs of a school, it's staff, it's athlectics. to take that knowledge and incorperate it into a new building to make it, well, like i said, the best.

but more than anything, on this deadline day, i am happy to say hello to my life. to spending weekends with terry and addison riding our bikes and heading to the zoo. to actually cooking dinner and not hitting up the drive-through. to thursday nights with friends that we miss so much. to emails that i have long forgotten to respond to. to my life. it is a good, good day. happy deadline day!

from baby steps to giant leaps

little miss had a big weekend.  friday night addison went to bed in her crib safe and warm. saturday morning she climbed out of her crib...well, climbed and fell more than likely. whatever the case may be, we realized that it was time for a little change.  for we know our little girl and if she figured out how to escape once, she will figure it out again, and again.  and again.  so we have officially moved into toddlerhood with a toddler bed.

the funny part of all this is when i put her to bed last night for the first time i semi-threatened (a sweet motherly threaten) her that she was NOT to get out of the bed.  technically she didn't. but i do think she was a little tempted...

the temptation must have faded because i am happy to say little miss made it through the night. then we had some fun at pottery barn kids purchasing some new linens to celebrate her big girl transition.  

addison had so much fun helping me make her bed for the first time.  she was so excited even bryson (our little neighbor and addison's bestest friend - seriously, she wakes up asking for "brysie") came over to view her new digs.  

onto the next milestone..."brysie" has just been potty trained so he is all about going tee-tee in the big potty. addison, who must do everything exactly like "brysie" has become, how should i put this, obsessed with going tee-tee.  this afternoon she said "i tee-tee" so i took her to her little potty, she sat down on it for the second time in her life, she asked for some privacy, and she tee-tee'd. just like that. seriously? it cannot be this easy people.  or maybe it is for us. maybe that is god's little piece of mercy for terry and myself.  all i can say is AMEN!

baby steps...

...to simplicity.

we live in mccalla. i drive to work 40 hours a week in downtown birmingham. i then drive to pick up addison in gardendale. and finally, we land back home in mccalla around 6 on a good day.

terry is teaching and coaching in morris, north of gardendale. there is nothing we can do to change that. but we can make things a bit more simple. so, i am cutting back. to 30 hours. it might not seem like a lot but when i get to leave at 2:00 as opposed to 4:00, well, to me that is A LOT. so yeah.

next step, moving addison to a daycare closer to home. baby steps.