PAGING NURSE BRITTANY

Last weekend we got to watch and celebrate #1's

graduation from UNC Chapel Hill.

She graduated from the school of nursing.

We are so proud of her and so elated that she is finally a graduate!

After the ceremony we went to the different UNC landmarks to take some pictures, but everyone that graduated had the same plan we did. 

It was too crowded and there were lines. 

So we headed to the Fearington House to take pictures.

The famous belted cows were out so why not take pictures with them?

We then headed back towards campus…

and walked around Franklin Street before our dinner reservations.

We finally made it home and Brittany had a few graduation gifts waiting to be opened.

I decided to keep up with our birthday sign tradition

(just simple signs on notebook paper)

and made her some special ones. 

Maybe in a few weeks I can make her a

"I got a job"

sign?

WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY

Happy Thanksgiving!

Art, Barrett and I will be having a quiet Thanksgiving at the beach.

We left Raleigh this afternoon and drove through the wind and cold rain. 

We have our fireplace logs on right now and are watching a movie. 

We had Thanksgiving at my dad's house on Sunday. 

Since Brooke is living in DC and on call tomorrow, she was not able to come home.

She did have last Sunday and Monday off and was able to come home then, so my family decided to  get together for the holiday then. 

***********

We went to the last NC State football game of the season on Saturday.

We tailgate with over 20 - 30 great friends and couldn't miss our last home game with them even though the team has had a very bad loosing season. 

Brittany and BF1 tailgated with us too.  

As soon as we got home from the (sad) game, we were busy in the kitchen (again). 

Barrett loves to cook and helped me out a lot preparing things to take to my dad's. 

We made fresh cranberry salad, squash casserole and marinated carrots. 

(We also took a Honey Baked Ham.)

Barrett has become a great baker and wanted to make the desserts. 

She made a pecan pie and a pumpkin pie. 

She even decorated the pies with piecrust cutouts.

The pecan pie had a squirrel and acorns on it. 

She dressed for the occasion….

Actually that is the dress she wore to the football game - NC State red -  and once we got home and started cooking,  she put on my grandmother's apron.  

She just looked so festive I had to make her pose outside for a picture, 

On Sunday morning, Art picked Brooke up from the airport 

and once she got home and freshened up we headed to my dad's house.

He lives 1 1/2 hours away from Raleigh. 

I have a very small family.

I have one brother who is married and they have one daughter, M.

(M got married this summer and is expecting the first great grandchild early summer!)

It is still so strange to not have my mom around. 

This is our third holiday season without her and I do not know if I will ever get used to not seeing her buzzing around the kitchen.

 She is missed. 

We got home late Sunday, unloaded the car, put our comfy sweats on and headed out to the late movie.  

Even though w were tired we wanted to see The Hunger Games - Catching Fire together since we all read the books.

I actually didn't fall asleep! 

That's saying something! 

On Monday while Art was busy making bacon, the girls and I went shopping. 

I would love to say it was Christmas shopping, but it was not. 

Let's just say we had a lot of fun! 

(oops!)

When we got home, I made the girls go outside in the freezing cold to take Christmas card pictures. 

It was very very cold! 

They were not happy. 

I got a few good shots and a lot of bad shots. 

This pretty much shows you the trouble maker……

Charlie would not cooperate. 

He was either looking sideways or wiggling. 

Lola was the total diva and thought the photo shoot was all about her. 

She is perfect in every picture! 

Tomorrow, Thanksgiving will be quiet for us. 

This is the first time my family will not be together. 

Brooke is in DC on call. 

It is amazing she will not be on an airplane, especially with all of the airline delays and weather drama tonight. She cannot be here in NC, because when you are on call you have to be an hour away from the airport. She and the new BF are cooking in DC. Yes, she landed on her feet in the BF department 

and is very happy. 

The new BF2 seems to be a great fit. 

The most impressive thing about him is that every time I have talked to him,

 he has complimented and gushed about Brooke. 

Mom's like guys that gush about their daughters! 

Brittany didn't come to the beach so that she could go to BF1's Thanksgiving. 

After six years of dating, this is the first year she has had the opportunity to go. 

Art, Barrett and I will have a simple Thanksgiving together. 

We have decided to pass on the turkey since we had that on Sunday and are having beef instead. 

We are making fresh cranberry salad, mashed potatoes, gravy, marinated mushrooms and a salad. 

Friday we are going to visit friends in Myrtle Beach and fight the crowd at the outlet mall there. 

(Myrtle Beach is only thirty minutes away.)

Although this is a different Thanksgiving for us, I am looking forward to it.  

Happy Thanksgiving!  

Safe travels!

Hug your mamas!

And your dogs!

WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY

We had a birthday at our house last week.

#1 is 24!

#2 wasn't able to be home on Brittany's actual birthday so we celebrated twice, 

during the week on her birthday and then again on Saturday.

Unfortunately, #1 had to spend the day of her birthday working a twelve hour shift at the hospital, 

but after she got off, we went to the Bon Jovi concert.

I have always wanted to see them and was so glad that Brittany didn't mind spending her birthday there with me.

(They were great!)

When we got home late that night we had a little cake!

I found the cutest little fall themed cake at Whole Foods

and

it was delicious!

(Their cakes are always very good.)

Friday night, Brooke flew home from DC.

She and Barrett got started on the real birthday cake Saturday morning.

(I love that the three of them make each others' birthday cakes.)

They decided on an old fashioned southern Caramel Cake. 

It turned out to be a little more complicated than they expected….

involving melting granulated sugar over low heat, stirring constantly forever and ever, 

reaching an exact temperature and not going over it……

and well, 

after much labor,

here is a picture of Barrett trying to stretch and pat what was supposed to be the caramel frosting onto the cake.

And here is the cake after a trip to the grocery store to buy canned frosting! 

(The caramel frosting was literally rolled off the cake and thrown into the trash.)

That night we finally let Brittany open her gifts…

 and after some primping 

we took the traditional picture of her holding the notebook paper sign. 

We went out to eat at a new mexican restaurant in downtown Raleigh,

BF1 joined us.

Not your typical mexican fare, but in my opinion it was so much better!

Afterwards we came home for cake.

 

Happy Birthday Brittany!

I have a feeling that this is going to be really big year for you!

WHAT'S UP WEDNESDAY

Well, it is Halloween Eve and there are Christmas commercials on TV right now.

I guess on Friday we will all need to toss the pumpkins and 

jack-o-lanterns out and start decorating for Christmas.

  According to the malls, I am already behind.  

Are you feeling it too?

It was homecoming last week at #3's school. 

So that meant a week of themed dress up days.  

There was no school on Monday so that did eliminate one day of costuming

(and tearing up the house looking for things to wear). 

Tuesday was USA Day and #3 was a  cute sailor.  

We had everything already except for the sailor's hat and that was a quick find at the Halloween store for only $4.00! 

#3 is a preppy girl so her closet and jewelry table was already full of anchors and other nautical things.

She has had her sailor style pants for several years. 

Her navy blouse, earrings and the lining of her red blazer all had anchors on them

and her bracelet had a ships wheel.

Her necklace had a lobster and hook on it and her Sperrys were gold. 

Her eyelids were even patriotic too! 

Such an easy and fun look to pull together!

Wednesday was Fashion Disaster Day.  

#3 wore several things that just did not go together.

I guess the proper way to describe the coat she wore is to say it is "vintage" 

instead of saying it is an old hand me down.

It was my great aunt's coat.  

I told Barrett after seeing the coat on her that she should totally wear it this winter. 

I think she could pull it off! 

Don't you think this outfit could be in a J Crew catalogue? 

I don't guess J Crew would be too happy that it was worn on Fashion Disaster Day! 

The fox bow bracelet is one of Barrett's favorites. 

She loves JKP.

Thursday was Dynasty Day - based on Duck Dynasty. 

We forgot to take pictures that day, but there wasn't a lot to take a picture of.  

Barrett wore her LL Bean boots, my dad's "vintage" army green military pants, a flannel shirt, hunting hat and a stuffed duck hanging out of her back pocket.  

Friday was School Spirit Day.......

so nothing fancy there.

You can only do so much with blue and gold.

I always have fun getting things together for Spirit Week 

and seeing that I only have one more after this year I really tried to enjoy it even more.

TIME FLIES

Time really really does fly. 

Back in June, Brooke applied for a flight attendant position on a whim. 

She graduated from NC State in May with a degree in graphic design and went straight into a full time position as the graphic designer for a jewelry designer.

She loved what was she was doing and was making a great name for herself.

She just is not a sitter, right now.  

Sitting in front of a computer screen from 9-5 was not what she envisioned herself doing straight out of college.  

Just days after clicking the "submit" button on the application, she was called for a phone interview.

She was successful.

She was flown to Charlotte, NC just days later for a full day face to face interview.

She was once again successful and was offered a flight attendant position.

Again, just days later she was on a plane to Phoenix to spend the next six weeks in full time training. 

I had to put my big girl/mama pants on and get used to the idea that my girls are at a very exciting part of their lives. I  had to  join in on the excitement instead of looking at these days as something sad. 

I have been so excited for her.  

Arizona was a fun experience for her, however, 

the 100' plus heat was a new thing for her and her new friends. 

She met and mad some great friends and some very interesting characters!

The day they got their uniforms was an exciting one!

I told her I wanted a picture the day she had to start wearing them to training....

Before they graduated they each got scheduled on a flight to work their onboard exam. 

Brooke worked a flight from Phoenix to Chicago. 

I could not wait to hear all about it!

After six weeks she graduated....

 and found out that she would be based out of the DC area 

with five others from her graduating class.  

We had five days to get her there, settled and ready to travel the world.  

We reluctantly did it. 

After her orientation,

she was on call for a few days and has been a little jealous of her classmates being given trips to Paris, Amsterdam and Belgium.

She is low on the totem pole because of her age and in the flight attendant industry it is all about seniority. 

She is finally excited tonight though!  

She got a call from scheduling....

and  

tomorrow morning she is headed out.

She will spending some time here.....

and hopefully sitting here...

 I am jealous.

Proud, but still jealous.