It’s been awhile since I linked up with Darcy & Co. for 5 on Friday, but I have a few fun things to share this week that don’t warrant their own post. Nothing is better than playing catch up with a short list before the weekend begins.
1. BOOKS. I know I shared a post last week about The Fault in Our Stars. I’m still pretty smitten and I’m getting ready to read another of John Green’s books this week. I go through spells where I don’t read for a few weeks and then I manage to cram four or five books into a few days! This was definitely one of those. I had seen The Selection in my Amazon recommendations for a few weeks, but I hadn’t even clicked on it. Then I read a review last week and I was hooked (I wish I could remember who wrote about it, but I can’t figure it out even after scouring my Bloglovin’ feed all morning). It’s like the Hunger Games + Cinderella + The Bachelor all rolled into one. Yes, I realize this is two weeks in a row that I’m touting young adult fiction, but I can’t help myself. If it’s well written, I don’t care who it was intended for! It’s dystopian, has a serious love triangle and all kinds of angst. Better yet, I actually enjoyed the third book. You can click the image below to find the Kindle books on Amazon and there are even two short stories that go in between the main three if you want a little additional insight. So good!
TWO: These four girls are precious! I had the pleasure of spending last Thursday afternoon with them at my house while we worked on a fun little project for next winter. It’s too bad I can’t share photos for awhile because these girls worked hard and had such a good time together. Their personalities were all so different and it was hilarious to watch them all interact. Blakelee is the youngest and she was just happy to be there. She wanted her picture made as often as possible and smiled on cue every single time. Sophie whined that nothing on her plate tasted good and she didn’t want to go to a “pretend party” but a real one! Ava Reese was the quiet one. She soaked it all in with a smile on her face, but she didn’t have too much to say. Braylen was a hoot! She thought the cupcakes were too yummy to pass up and put them away like it was her job. I can’t wait to show you the finished product, but mum’s the word for a few more months.
THREE: My sweet cousin, Kalli, graduated from the University of Alabama last weekend (#rolltideyall) and we got to spend the day in Tuscaloosa celebrating with her! There are fifteen cousins in our generation and if you count our kids, there are 18 of us! This was all the cousins who were there on Saturday and we couldn’t help but mug a bit for the camera (Karson, why are your eyes closed?!). After the ceremony, we had a late lunch at Five Bar downtown and y’all. That’s all that I can say. I had a pork chop and macaroni & cheese. It was on a pile of “Uptown Sauce” that Kalli said was “everything” and she was so right! Ella had a massive cheeseburger (and ate every bite) with the best bacon relish known to man. I seriously need to pirate that recipe.
FOUR: What’s a weekly recap without some mention of dance, right?! We seriously live at the studio with these girls right now, so there is always some little piece of information to impart. This year, the mini competition group is getting to dance in the recital finale with all of the big girls. They are pretty excited! We had a last minute photo op for the program on Sunday afternoon, so these girls got to hang out again for a few hours.
>We are so fortunate to have a great staff at our studio and they have made all the difference for Ella this year. We have had a great experience since Ella started dancing five years ago, but this year’s crew has turned dance from something she liked to something she can’t live without. This is Ms. Katelyn who helps with her group and dances on the senior team. Ella LOVES her and they don’t miss many opportunities to pose with one another. How cute are they?!
FIVE: I know I talked yesterday about Sophie growing up and going to big school. Right after I drafted that post, I got a text message from our care-giver. One thing I will miss big time is middle of the day text messages and photos of what is going on at her house. This is all nine of her kiddos in various states of dress and cooperation. Photos of this crew are almost always blurry because they are all on the move! You can see that Soph went to school in her pajamas on Wednesday and her hair is out of control. We should just be thankful that she’s clothed, because sometimes they like to strip at Mrs. Heidi’s!
SIX: What about one more to grow on? This is my new favorite picture of me and the hubs. We had been planning for weeks to kick off summer concert season with a Vampire Weekend show last Monday night. It was our first show at Sloss Furnace and since we both adore the band we were super excited to dance and sing and act like we were in college for a few hours ;). Wouldn’t you know, Alabama weather struck and ruined our plans for the evening. At first, they just relocated the show to an indoor facility and released a few extra tickets at the last minute. We were on our way for some quick greek food before getting in line (hello, general admission) when we got word that the show had been postponed. Whomp whomp. We were already back in town, so we decided to skip the quick meal and enjoy some yummy Italian food instead. There were no other patrons in the restaurant and all of the waitstaff were watching the weather at the bar, but we had a good time. We picked up a movie (Dallas Buyers Club is super good, by the way) at the Redbox and were home before the stormy weather headed our way. Not the way we planned on spending our childless Monday night, but I think a good time was had by all.
Here is hoping you have a FANTASTIC Mother’s Day weekend with your family!! I’m looking forward to some rest, reading and a little Saturday afternoon adventure
