OUR LITTLE ARTIST

SUP'

I have had a busy week. Brian has been working overtime for the past 3 weeks. So when I get off work, I pick Brianna up from Memorial and rush home to get things done around the house. It's bad enough that Brian is going to work when it's still dark outside and getting home when it's dark outside. I don't want him coming into a CRAZY house too. Heck, I even cut the front yard this week. What about the back yard you ask? Well, I've been meaning to get around to that but have yet to get the chance. By the time I do, I will need a bushwhacker to get the job done! Let me tell you what Brianna has been up to. One day this week she informed me that she had another boyfriend. She said that Chandler wasn't her boyfriend anymore since he doesn't go to her school and he never calls her. The new boyfriend's name is Michael Robbins. She went on and on about how cute he was. Then said she wanted to write him a note. The note ended up with a picture of her in a wedding dress and him with a red bow tie. The note said, "Michael, I'm going to marry you." Wonder what Michael's mom thinks about that. Thursday, her school offered breakfast to the kids and their moms. It was nice getting to visit Brianna's cafeteria and having breakfast with her. She really thought it was cool. I guess my next visit will be for lunch. I think I might wait until they serve pizza though. That was always one of my favorites in school. Uncle Chris came down from Tennessee this weekend. I had to work Saturday, so Brianna spent the morning up at Granny's playing with Chris. It's sweet how much she enjoys playing with him. That brings us to today. We have been looking online for a Halloween costume for 2 weeks now, and during that whole time Brianna wanted to be a vampire. Well last night, she sees a zombie that she wants to be. So we headed out today to look for that costume. We went to Halloween Express, NOPE NOT THERE. Then to Party City, NOPE NOT THERE. Then I tried Target, NOPE NOT THERE. I was about to give up when I decided to swing by that costume shop on Pleasantburg Drive in Greenville. And guess what! YEP, IT WAS THERE. Thank God, because I was running out of energy and gas. There will be a couple opportunities in the next 2 weeks for Brianna to wear it, so I'm sure I will be posting a picture.

All right, that's all time will allow for today. Hope you all have a great week.

3RD ANNUAL TRIP TO DAN NICHOLAS PARK

Brian was supposed to have went with us. This is one of his and Brianna's favorite place. But the week before we left, he found out he had to work. So to keep from cancelling the trip altogether, I called my Momma to see if she wanted to take a ride up to Salisbury NC. We left Friday afternoon and arrived at the park around 3:00. We stayed long enough to enjoy the Gem Mine, riding on the Carousel, and taking a train ride around the park. We then took a walk down to the lake where we enjoyed an icecream treat and fed the ducks. After leaving the park we went to check in at our hotel and as soon as we got in the door, Brianna wanted to play in the pool. I obliged of course. After dinner, we made another trip to the pool and when we woke up the next morning, me made another trip. Don't you all know how AWFUL it is to have to put on a wet swimsuit? Regardless, Brianna had a blast. After breakfast Saturday, we headed back out to Dan Nicholas Park to enjoy another day of fun. They were having an Autumn Jubilee Festival so Brianna got to enjoy having her face painted and painting a pumpkin. We also visited the snake aquarium(one of Brianna's favorite), took a walk through the petting zoo, enjoyed looking at their wildlife exhibit, and taking a quick ride on the paddle boats. I say quick because
1.)My legs were getting very tired and 2.)Brianna was getting hot. Although there was enough to keep us all entertained, I must say everyone's favorite part was the Gem Mine. Brianna loved getting the bucket of sand and sifting through it to fine her treasures. Even my mother got a kick out of it. My favorite park was knowing that although Brianna was missing her dad, I made sure she kept a smile on her face the whole time. Afterall, that was what Brian and I had intended. To learn more about Dan Nicholas Park click here.

ANOTHER FUNNY STORY

This morning, Brianna wanted to have a try at tying her shoes. The conversation went like this:

"Mommy, I've got to tell you something. I made one loop and another one. I found the hole and I put one of the loops thru it. And suddenly, to my surprise, I had tied my shoe!!

I really don't know where she gets this stuff.
Hope ya'l got a kick out of it.

FUNNY TEETH

JUMPING ROPE

Brianna had P.E yesterday at school. She came home to tell me all about jumping rope. She said, "Mommy, I jumped rope today and I was awesome!" I said, "That's great Brianna." She replied, "Yeah, I was THE BOMB!"

THE LAST NIGHT IN THE HOUSE THAT RUTH BUILT:For Brian

The "old" Yankee Stadium saw it's last game Sunday night. It was a night that my husband will not forget. We both spent the evening watching the pregame show in which they paid tribute to the Stadium and to all the players, past and present, that donned the pin striped uniform. We are very fortunate that we got to attend games here.

Monument Park at Yankee Stadium

CARSON'S 6TH BIRTHDAY

Carson had his party at the YMCA today. I was a little apprehensive about the whole idea. I was so scared that Brianna wouldn't want to get in the water without me. But guess what! That little booger ain't scared of nothing!!!! After a few minutes of getting used to the idea, she jumped right in (with a life preserver of course). Boy was I excited, I really didn't want to have to put a bathing suit on. You all know how it is, your figure isn't as cute as it was when you were 18. Anyway, Brianna had a blast and Carson seemed to enjoy playing with all his friends and opening his presents. Thanks Heather!

TYING SHOES

Brianna is learning to tie her shoes. I haven't forced the issue on her. The only thing that I've done is supplied her with a Scholastic book that shows you ways to tie. She occasionally picks up the book and fiddles with it, until she gets mad and aggravated. Then she throws it down. This behavior reminds me of when I was her age, I did the exact same thing. Anyway, so this morning she asked me could she have her book so she could practice tying. After about 5 minutes she said, "Look, I did it!" She was just so very proud of her self. She said, "I knew I could do it." I did too. It just had to be at her own pace. But she hasn't mastered this new craft completely. She untied it to try again and wasn't as lucky that time. Regardless, it is good to see that if she sets her mind to doing something, she will get it done.

HELLO MY BLOGGING FRIENDS

I know it has been awhile. I have just been way too busy. We have been working really hard on getting Brianna's bedroom finished. I just got done. Thank goodness! Now we can finally move all her things back into the room and I can get my bedroom clean. The only thing that we have left to do is to put trim up around the windows. Lets see, what else has been going on? Well, I've been reading a book. Sherry gave it to me to read this week. I told her I didn't have time to read, but she said to make the time. She said that once I started to read it, the story would draw me in and I wouldn't want to put it down. She was right. The name of the book is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. It is the 1st book in a series of 4 and they are making a movie based on the book. I can't wait to start on the 2nd book now. I took Brianna today to see about signing up for Girl Scouts. I was under the impression that I would go and sign her up for a troop and that was that. WRONG!! There is no troop, that is what we were there for. Needless to say, troop leaders are needed. I just don't know if I'm up for that type of dedication. Maybe co-leader...who knows. I guess we will just have to see. Brianna is very excited about it though. That's it. That's all I have to write about at this point in time. Hope you all are taking care!

UPPER SC STATE FAIR

Brianna and I went to the fair yesterday. Robbie and Tammy were going and asked if we wanted to tag along. After paying $12 to get in the door, we then had to pay $25 more for an armband that entitled you to unlimited rides all day/night. I got one for Brianna and bought $10 worth of ride tickets for myself. Brianna enjoyed herself tremendously. She went "fishing" for sharks and dolphins to win prizes, rode a pony, visited the petting zoo and rode many rides including her very first roller coaster. But the thing she wanted to do most was to have her face painted. We walked all over the fairgrounds trying to find the place to have it done. When we finally found it, no one was working at the booth. It took us about 4 walk thrus before the girl was finally there. Brianna decided to have her face painted like a butterfly. The cost was $5 but seeing her face light up as she looked into the mirror was worth it. As we walked through the fairgrounds, everyone approached us to comment on how pretty she looked and wanted to know where to get it done at. I told them and wished them luck! Brianna and I had tons of fun together and she kept saying "Thank you Mommy for bringing me here." Precious, I know. At 8:30, the crowds were coming in and we were exhausted so we headed for home. Here are some of the pictures:

BRIANNA VISITS THE SCHOOL LIBRARY

Today when I picked up Brianna, she was so excited! She had visited her library and got to check out a book. She met the school librarian, Mrs. Grubbs. She keeps reminding me to make sure she takes her book back to school tomorrow because she has to return it back to the library. Too cute!

I'M HAVING A PARTY

While I was in NY this summer, my mother in law introduced me to food products by Tastefully Simple. I have got to tell you, that these items are EXCELLENT. If you enjoy cooking or even eating, this is definitely the thing for you. Everything tastes wonderful and it is so EASY to prepare. The spices are great. I bought the "Seasoning Salt" and I use it on just about everything I cook. If you have parties or get togethers, there are items that you can purchase that taste so good but require no time to make! Go to the Tastefully Simple site and look around. If you are interested, I would love for you to order something. Leave me a comment and I will let you know how we can get your order sent in.

* I know that this may seem a little "cheesy" to put this on the blog. But how many candle parties, jewelry parties, etc do you go to and you think to yourself "I'm buying this crap and I won't ever use it." Well, I can attest....This is something you will use and will definitely be worth your money.

SPENDING TIME WITH BRIAN'S MOM

It has been great to spend time with my mother in law this week. I have tried to keep her occupied while the guys worked. I know it can get boring just sitting around a house. While I have been at work, she has kept my house picked up for me and kept the dishes clean. I really appreciate that, seeing as how the back rooms in the house are such a disaster. Last night, she even treated me to my very first pedicure. I should have treated her, for all the good things she did this week.

THIS IS WHAT BRIAN AND HIS DAD HAVE BEEN DOING ALL WEEK

Brian and his Dad have been working very hard in Brianna's room all week. They start in the morning and work until evening. They have put in 2 new windows, cut out some of the old wall and installed some really good installation, put new drywall up and have spackled. Except for some last minute touch up things, her room will be ready to paint next weekend. In addition to working on Brianna's bedroom, Brian and his Dad also installed 2 outside outlets on our house. Brian is really excited about that--no more running an extension cord through the house. I am so thankful that his dad was able to assist him in getting this big project done. Lord knows they worked hard and have the muscle and back aches to prove it.

If you notice in the pictures, there is hardly nothing in Brianna's room. Guess where all that stuff is----IN MY BEDROOM!!!! So needless to say, I am very anxious to get this project completed.

FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

The alarm clock went off bright and early this morning at 6:30. Brianna had no trouble getting up. She watched cartoons for a little bit then had a waffle for breakfast. When I asked her to get dressed, she hopped right off the couch and put her clothes on. I sure hope I get that lucky every morning. Brian and I took her to school this morning. I was just going to drop her off, but then I saw everyone else being walked in by their parents, so I followed suit. While walking her down the hall to her class room Brianna said,"I feel a little nervous." I told her not to be nervous, she would be just fine. We got to her class, I helped her put her things in her cubby and gave her a hug bye. That was that. And no I didn't cry. I think probably because she had went to preschool for 2 years already. I did however feel a little sad. I really can't believe that Brianna is officially a "school girl". All day today I would find myself wondering what she would be doing at that very moment. I could not wait to go pick her up to find out how her day went. So after sitting in school traffic for 30 minutes, she hopped into my backseat and I tell you it was like looking at someone else's child. I swear she looked all grown up, like she had aged since I dropped her off earlier this morning. She told me about taking a field trip around her school to learn where everything was, meeting the school nurse, playing drums in music class and eating her WHOLE LUNCH! She said she had a chicken sandwich and she even got to put mayonaisse on it all by herself. She had that and carrots and cucumbers, greenbeans, a banana, and chocolate milk. I asked her if she had a good day and she said yes. I'm so very glad. But by the time 6:00 rolled around, she was dead tired. After spending time with Nana and Poppa and getting a bath, she decided it was time for bed. She went into my room and made a tent out of pillows and was out like a light in about 5 seconds.

NANA AND POPPA COME FOR A VISIT

Nana and Poppa drove into town Saturday afternoon. We all are enjoying spending time with them. Brianna has been busy playing Wii and I have been busy getting things ready for school to start tomorrow morning. Yesterday, Brianna and I took Nana to Reedy Falls and then to lunch at Mellow Mushroom. We then went to Kohls to get Brianna the last of her school clothes. After that we came home to grab some socks and went bowling. It was alot of fun. Nana said she hadn't bowled in 10 years. She really enjoyed herself. And Brianna is too funny. Everytime I would get up to bowl, she would have to smack me on my hiney. Funny, but embarrasing. We bowled 2 games each and then came home to rest. Today we had another girls day out. We took Brianna to the Greenville Zoo and had a picnic lunch. After that we stopped by Best Buy to get an extra Wii controller, then spent some money at the Yankee Candle store. We ended our day out at Dobsons Gifts where Nana bought Brianna some clothes for her Webkinz.

CLIPBOARD

Brianna is not allowed to carry a backpack to school this year. She has a canvas sack, in which she is to carry a clipboard and a folder. Since Heather and I worked on "jazzing up" clipboards for gifts last Christmas, I knew I had to make Brianna one. Here are some pictures:

MEET THE TEACHER

Brianna is going to Meet her Kindergarten

Teacher, Mrs. Rita Danner.

Doesn't she look so Excited!

Brianna takes a picture with Mrs. Danner.

Mrs Danner gave Brianna a big kiss and hug

to welcome her to her class room.

Brianna explores all the learning centers in

her new classroom.I am so very excited about Brianna starting Kindergarten. I think that first impressions say a lot, and Mrs. Danner made a very positive impression on me this evening. I feel very confident that Brianna will be in excellent hands while in her class. I think Brianna is most excited about getting to eat school lunch in the cafeteria. I'm sure that will change as she grows older. :)

BRIANNA'S NEW FISH TANK

After 2 visits to the flea market, and selling Brianna's playkitchen and train table, Brianna was finally able to obtain her 10 gallon fish tank. Of course as expected her Daddy didn't make her pay for the whole thing. She used the money from the playkitchen she had made, $40, to pay for the aquarium stand. Her Daddy bought the new tank set up and I bought the first fish that went in there. Like I mentioned just a minute ago, we also sold her train table thanks to Craig's List. We made a whopping $75 on it. I think that was pretty fair. So $25 of that she got to keep to by herself a dancing dress and the other $50 we put toward the purchase of a Wii. All the other money we had made from the flea market, I used it to purchase her school clothes and shoes. So I would say all in all, this was a pretty successful venture. Now if I can get mine and Brian's things out of the attic for a yard sale, I would be doing excellent. That may take a while. It is just so hot up in the attic, I may wait till it cools off a little before I start that "project".

FRANKIE'S FUN PARK

Brian and Brianna headed out to another trip to Frankie's Fun Park. We are so different. When I take Brianna, I spend $20 and we are there for an hour. When the money is gone we leave. I do believe she has more fun with her Daddy. They left that Wednesday morning and were still there at 4:30. Brianna ended up with over 1800 tickets. Which she used to get several prices including a new Webkinz. It is a lizard that she named Sarafina. For the amount of money her Daddy spent, he could have taken her and bought 10 Webkinz, but it probably wouldn't have been as much fun. Here is a picture of the new addition to Brianna's Webkinz Family:

BRIANNA MELTED MY HEART TONIGHT

After work tonight, I took Brianna to get her hair cut followed by a trip to PetSmart. While we were out, I asked her if she wanted to go get icecream. While she was sitting there eating her Cotton Candy Icecream Cone with Sprinkles, she looked up at me and said the following:

"Mommy, you do such fun things with me. I love you now more than ever."



Told you! My heart just melted right away.

IT'S BEEN AWHILE

I know. But I've got to tell ya that I guess I am suffering from "Blogger Burnout". I just haven't had to much to say or talk about lately. So I don't even bother. So let's see.....

Well school is going to start on August 19th. Brianna will be attending Crestview Elementary and is very excited. Her teacher, Mrs. Rita Danner, called the other night to welcome Brianna to her class. We have meet the teacher this coming Friday. I have done all the school shopping I think I need to do. She has summer clothes, so I picked up some outfits for the fall. We went yesterday and got a pair of sneakers and a pair of black mary janes. So I guess she's pretty much set. She isn't allowed to carry a backpack in kindergarten. They ask that she carry a clipboard with her name on it. I plan on fixing that up real pretty for her. Other than that, I took her to Discovery Island WaterPark in Simpsonville yesterday. She really enjoyed it and so did I, but boy was it sure crowded when we left. We went shopping for her shoes afterward, then had lunch at Burger King and ended the day with a trip to Dillards Peach Shed for icecream. Today we went to church, then had lunch at Wendy's, then went by Granny's for a visit and then we went bowling. Boy, I can't wait till we get a Wii. Bowling is alot easier that way. I had hoped that Brianna and I would get a chance to see Heather and Carson today, but he was playing outside and Heather had errands to do. I haven't seen her in forever and Brianna is missing Carson. Heather, we have really got to get together.


Brian's Mom and Dad are coming next weekend to visit with us. His dad is going to help him put new windows in Brianna's room. Brian has also informed me that her outside walls have basically no insulation, so he plans on knocking down the old walls to put in new insulation and redo the walls. Yes, the walls that I just painted a few months ago. :( However, I won't complain because this house needs all the improvements that it could get. Not to mention, it should save us some moolah on the electric bill.


Well like I said earlier, not too much going on around here to talk about so I will leave you with pictures taken today of Brianna and Oreo.