Fabulous Friday, FINALLY

I'm sitting at my kitchen island bar. I'm drinking coffee. The TODAY Show is on the TV in the other room. (i.e. No SpongeBob, no Little Einsteins, no Tigger & Pooh...) There are no short people here. It's quiet.

The children were on Spring Break this week. Our wonderful blessing of a friend, Miss Brittany, came and spent the days here at home with C&C Music Factory. I honestly don't know WHAT I would do without her. She is truly patient, and kind, and generous with her time. Yes, I paid her to "babysit" - but her availability and willingness and love for my children gives me a grateful heart. I feel guilty enough being a full-time professional working mommy. It's even harder when my babies (who are, I recognize, not really babies anymore at almost 4 & 5!!!) are out of their normal "get up go to school come home with Mommy" routine. Thus, when Brittany volunteered to watch the kids for 4 days during their Spring Break, I was relieved and overjoyed. The kids LOVE her, and I LOVE her, and somehow, she manages to spend a good 8 hours at my house, with preschoolers, and when I come home, it's more organized and cleaner than when I left!!! (Which, admittedly, is not that hard to do - but really, it made my life SO MUCH less stressful to come home to a clean(ish) house and be able to focus just on the Cs.) Thank the Lord for people like Brittany Smith!!!

Today is Friday. Last night the children went to Alabama to spend an extra day (today) with their daddy. Ahhh....sweet quiet. I slept like the dead last night (but, unlike the dead, I woke up refreshed and ready to conquer this day...) Luckily, there's not too much to conquer. My jury trials finished up this week already, and I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon at the jail preparing myself and my clients for Monday's hearings. Ahhh, the satisfaction of completing this week.

And here's the best part!!! I am actually, for the first time in AGES AND AGES getting out of town this weekend. Because of my schedule with the children's visitation, I'm just not able to go away...this extra day the kids are spending in AL lets me get out of town a little early this afternoon, without having to drive across the state line to carry the kids. I'm going on a little mini-break vacation. I'm headed to Nashville! And, as a bonus, I get to go with my sweetheart. SWWEEEEEETT!!! I am going to CELEBRATE my successful week in the courtroom, which includes a HUGE Not Guilty verdict on a felony drug possession case (and, for the record, she really was NOT GUILTY...) Updates when I return!!!

So. Going back to the "pretty things" from my last post...I happened across this lovely blog: Tea Rose Home - love what she has to say. GORGEOUS fabrics, wonderful ideas, loved the tutorial on the placemat apron!!! Pretty things make people happy, you know. And I am going to start linking some more "pretty things" here...so keep checking back!!!

I'm out for the weekend. Wish me luck and fun on my long-awaited, well-deserved, weekend away. Thank you, friends!!!