Alabama + Graffiti

On Friday after work, Sheff and I headed over to our friends house.  She had baked me my grandma’s coconut cake for mother’s day, and y’all, she did such a good job.  I have never been able to quite get it just like hers, but she nailed it on the first try.  We ended up staying and ordering pizza for dinner while the kids played outside.  B joined us just in time to bring the pizza over.  The kids celebrated the weekend with Shirley Temples.  Sheff and I left a little before Bennett – we got home and immediately into pajamas.  I watched Free Willy, and got all the nostalgia feels – my sister and I used to watch the VHS on repeat.  They don’t make movies like this anymore!

Saturday morning, we woke up and got ready for Sheff’s ballgame.  Unfortunately, they only had five players, and put up a good fight, but came just short.  It’s hard to get kids out when you don’t have a lot of kids on the field!!  They played their little hearts out, and Sheff got to be pitcher again, so he was excited.  He had some pretty good hits, and almost caught a fly ball.  After that, Sheff and I met my sister for lunch at Cajun Boys down by where she lives.  It was so good and so much food.  After that, we did a little shopping and then came on home.  B had made an earlier mother’s day dinner of steaks and poatos, since we were headed to his parents house on Sunday.  We ended the night getting caught up on Handmaid’s, and went to bed.

Sunday, I got up early to get a ride in before heading down to B’s parents.  My boys got me the picture printer that I really wanted, and Sheff’s hand-written cards were perfect.  In Montgomery, we played outside and grilled burgers, and I even got a semi-decent picture with my kid.  The one below is super edited, but I had a fun time with it.  And this is pretty much our relationship anyway!!  Him rolling his eyes at me, and me trying to get him to pay attention!  We got stuck in a big wreck on the way home, so it took us about 45 minutes more than normal to make it.  B got me sushi, we watched some Schitts Creek, and went to bed.

Being a mom is super hard  – there is no denying that.  But it is so rewarding.  I love watching him grow – and I love watching his little personality shine through.  Most days, his squeezy hugs and kisses are enough to turn any day around.  I am very thankful that I was chosen to be his mom.

 

 

By Friday, I had had enough of the week.  It was just all around bad – trucks breaking down, me breaking down.  Just not great.  So when I got home on Friday, it was all about just having fun.  We played a triangle game of catch with Sheff – he is getting so much better at catching and throwing.  We then ordered a crap ton of pizza and watched the draft on the big projector in the basement.  We stayed up late enough to watch Green Bay trade up for a receiver (!!!), and then went to bed.

We woke up on Saturday and got ready for Sheff’s baseball game.  It was such a beautiful day for baseball, and the Sox took home a W!  I love this little team- they are such scrappy little underdogs.  And Sheff had an amazing line drive hit, that even the other team’s coach was impressed by!  The picture of the three kids below was taken by another mom on the team, but now they’re inseparable when they’re on the field.  So sweet!  We told Sheff that if he had a good game, we’d head down to the Pizitz for sno-balls, so that’s what we did!  We got some lunch, and for dessert hit up NOLA ice for a delicious treat.  I also got some treats from Birmingham Candy, because they’re my most favorite ever.

During Sheff’s game, we got a text from one of B’s coworkers, asking if we wanted to go to the hockey game.  HECK YES WE DID!!  So we got home and played around outside until it was time to go.  The seats we had this time were in the third row behind the ice!  We got to see some action up close and personal!  A puck even came across the top – that’s what the kiddos are holding in the pictures below.  The Bulls also won that night – we didn’t get home until about 10 – Sheff was exhausted!  But it was such a good day!

On Saturday, we had a friend text us and ask us to come over on Sunday to hang out.  Sheff and their kid have been friends since birth, and it ‘s always so fun to see them hanging out and playing together.  We brought over some Publix chicken, had some adult beverages and left after having a pizza dinner.  We were over there pretty much all day, and it was so nice.

Going into this weekend, we had zero plans, but am really glad it turned out the way it did.  It was a weekend full of catching up and hanging out, and it was so good for the soul.

Our past weekend was so relaxing – we had zero stressful plans and got to try a new doughnut place!

I’ve been having to come into the office more often than I like, but that means I’m closer to all the food downstairs.  I started the weekend a tad early on Thursday night by heading to Carrigans for some beverages and pub fries (SO GOOD!) with an old friend.  I am a huge fan of Carrigans – of their drinks and their food and their all-around atmosphere.  It’s just such a good space.  And then also, while I was in the office on Friday, Broad Street Peaux Boys and Nola Ice have finally opened their stall at the Pizitz food hall, and I got an AMAZING po’boy with some fried okra.  That thing was huge and completely stuffed – I only ended up eating a quarter of the sandwich and bringing the rest home, but I can’t wait to go and try it all!

Friday night, we did our normal pizza and a movie night.  We all had a long week, so no one was up very late.

Saturday, we woke up to rain, so Sheff’s baseball game had been canceled. We decided to hit up a new doughnut place over in Avondale, Son’s Doughnuts, and it was the perfect rainy Saturday morning treat.  They have mini doughnuts that come with dipping sauces, and you can add different flavorings to your milk.  We tried the cinnamon and cardamom milk shot and the strawberry milk shot, and they were both amazing.  One tasted like Cinnamon Toast Crunch milk and the other tasted like a milkshake.  Sheff was definitely a fan.

My sister and I went shopping around after that, and the day ended up being absolutely gorgeous.  We sat on the patio, soaked up some sun and listed to Jazz Festin’ in Place.  The rain eventually came, so we came inside and just chilled out.

Sunday the in-laws came up to hang.  We went to lunch with them – and then after they left, we spent the whole day outside again.  We found out Sheffield is indeed allergic to poison ivy – but he still had a good time jumping in his trampoline and running around outside.  The boys came in and played video games while I finished up a book.

I was thankful for a quiet weekend and a weekend spent soaking up the weather and Jazz Fest.  Sheff’s baseball game has been rescheduled for Wednesday, so we’ve got two games this week, but I think that’s about as exciting as the week will get for us.  I’m really glad for it, because Monday has already kicked my ass.  I hope you all had a great weekend!

Bennett liked that I did this last year, so I’m helping him out again this year.  Also, there is some really fun stuff on this list that I think could work for a lot of different moms!

// Like a ton of people, I became obsessed with Schitt’s Creek during quarantine.  I love having a little bit of color on my keychain to be able to spot my keys in my endless work bag/purse, and I just love this cute little keychain, paying homage to the Rosebud.

// I’m an Atlanta girl at heart, so it belongs to the Atlanta Braves during baseball season.  This sweatshirt looks beyond cozy, and love the funnel neck.

// I’m really bad about printing pictures.  Most of it is because I’m lazy, and don’t like to have to upload all of my picture to a website and wait for days/weeks for them to get to me.  This picture printer is a little pricey, but would love to have it at the house to print pictures galore.

// I love this Pink Drink from Sunday Riley – again, it’s pricey, but man do I love it.

// Walking into hotels and smelling that lovely clean scent is something I have missed this past year.  This November Rain candle is supposed to be reminiscent of Marriott hotels, and I would love to smell this every day.

// I’ve seen these link necklaces everywhere, and would love to have one to layer with my other ones.  This Uncommon James one is just so darn cute.

// Sometimes when I’m running out the door just for a quick errand or at work when I’m going to pick up lunch, I really don’t like lugging my entire purse with them.  This little strawberry Kate Spade card holder would be perfect!

// I am a tennis shoe addict.  They’re so comfortable and easy, and these pink Nikes are just so cute.  Plus, I go through them pretty quickly with the running and cycling.  Am in need of a new pair!

What is on your Mother’s Day wishlist?

Friday was Sheff’s first ever baseball game!  We were so excited to see him play – and I mean, he looked so gosh-darn cute in his uniform.  Sheffield was playing third base Friday night – he grounded out two times, but then started to swing that bat.  The Sox took home a W on Friday!  It was so sweet to see the team come together – I am so so thankful for Joy League – I’m glad for an amazing coach that takes the time to work with each kid.  I know I’ve said it before, but it is far from what we experienced with the Hoover league, and man – this is what we were looking for for Sheff.  He even has a classmate from school on his team – and they are so sweet together.  #18 and #19!

My sister came to the game that night too, so we all went over to Dave’s Pizza in Homewood to celebrate.  We got a big giant pizza, a pitcher of beer (root beer for the Sheff!), and cheesy bread.  It was such a fun way to celebrate him and his first baseball game!

Saturday morning, we had another game!!  Sheff got to be pitcher this time, so he saw a lot of fielding action.  I was super impressed with how focused he was – he did such a great job.  He scored a run and got an RBI!  Unfortunately, their team lost, but the kids still had a good time.  We even chatted with Sheff’s friends parents, and have made some summer break plans for the kids.  Plus, they seem super cool – and are our first “school” parents we’ve gotten to meet this year.

After that, we headed home to have some lunch and get cleaned up.  Meemaw and Pappy were in town, and were getting to spend the night at my sister’s!  They pretty much took him for the whole weekend, so B and I got to have a date weekend!  We started off at the new Beer Hog in Pelham – we tried a bunch of new to us beers – our favorite was the Westbrook Strawberry Milkshake – and got an order of cheesy bread.  After that, we headed downtown to Ghost Train – and to our surprise, they had live music!  It was a little bluegrass band, and luckily, we snagged a front row bench!  We tried their frozen drinks, and just chilled out for an hour.  It was so nice to see live music.  And they were really fun.  After that, we went home and got cleaned up a little.  We had reservations at  5 Points Oyster House- and it was one of the best meals I’ve had in awhile!  We started off with raw oysters and fried cheese curds – we got a sushi roll to split and split their Gouda burger.  I didn’t get any pictures from dinner, because I was honestly just enjoying dinner and the company.  We had a night cap at home and went straight to bed.

Sunday, we got up whenever we wanted, because there was no child to wake us up early!!  We went down and both got a workout in – me on the bike, B on the treadmill.  We then went in search of brunch and ended up at Black Market Bar and Grill downtown, and we were really happy with that decision!  They have $11 mimosa pitchers, so we got two and delicious breakfast foods.  We sat in our super classy blow up hot tub for the rest of the afternoon watching Derry Girls.

After that, we got ready to head down to my sisters.  My mom was making us her famous spaghetti, and I couldn’t wait!!  Even Sheffield got in on the spaghetti goodness.  We hung out just catching up for a few hours before we headed home.  I know Sheff loved getting to spend that time with Meemaw and Pappy and his Juney – she sent me these pics of them while the parents were away.

It was such a good, fun weekend.  I woke up on Monday and told B I didn’t feel right, and he said it was because it was such a great weekend that I felt bad having to go to work.  I don’t think he was wrong.   We’ve got more baseball coming up this weekend, and I can’t wait.  Hope y’all have had a good start to the week!