FAFA: fun and funky art

FAFA: fun and funky art...my business with my friend Stephanie! Many of you know that I paint and many of you don't! Well, for all of you I have FINALLY started a blog for fafa! Just click on fafa and it will take you to the blog! My friend Stephanie and I started fafa about 4 years ago! We started doing the craft show circuit then started sticking to home shows and custom orders! We do some really cool funky art that can be custom made on wood or canvas! We also paint canvases (quotes, birth announcements, names, initials, anything)! Stephanie and I will paint just about anything on anything. You can bring us a picture of what you want or colors or a certain font! If you want it, we can do it! Go visit our blog!!

If you would like to see some of our stuff in person, my friend Tracy Lofton is having an Open House at her house Wednesday, July 2nd from 3 - 7! It is a come and go and will feature, fafa, custom frames by David Peeples, Personally Yours Monogramming, Southern Baby: precious clothes, jewelry by Nikki Dearman, and photography. Just click on the name and it will take you to their blog! Anyone is welcome to come...it is very casual and laid back! We are calling it Christmas in July! If you would like to come and need directions, just leave me a comment with your e-mail address! It doesn't matter if I don't know you...you are welcome to come!

funky circle art

Name plate hanging outside a teacher's room: GREAT teacher's gift

Custom birth announcement to match baby's bedding!

Potty training or bust!

What's wrong with these pictures you say???? Oh, I know! Manze is NOT on the potty! Okay, here's the deal...Manze LOVES to sit on the potty, but will only sit for a minute then say, "Nothing, all done!" She won't go to the potty for me, but she will go at Mother's Morning Out and when she stayed with at her friend Caroline's house she went for Ms. Brittany! All you potty training pros out there, I need some advice! HELP! Any suggestions anyone??

The Natural Science Museum

We went to The Naural Science Museum on Wednesday to see the Dinosaur Exhibit and we had a blast! There was one room where they had a bunch of dinosaurs that were made to look real and were moving and making sounds...Manze didn't really like that room...it scared here...that's why there are no pictures of her with the dinosaurs! She had fun wandering around and loved the fish!

"Riding" the frog
checking out the HUGE catfish!

Here she is in front of one of the huge fish tanks!

Swimming Lessons...

with Daddy!!! They had FUN!

Here are some pics from week #2


We LOVED swimming lessons with Lu Lee...Manze keeps asking when she is going again! I am very impressed with how much Manze learned and how far she came from Day one! I am glad, though that we don't have to wake up and hurry to lessons anymore! Here is Manze when I had to wake her up on our last afternoon lesson! She was NOT happy that I woke her up! Ugh! She likes her sleep like her mommy! :o)

Photo Shoot

My niece came to visit over Spring Break and I had some pictures taken of her and Manze by Melanie Thaw! Melanie has been taking pictures of Manze since she was 10 months old and we LOVE her! If anyone is looking for a great photographer who has reasonable packages, please let me know and I will give you Melanie's information! She will also be taking family pictures of us at the beach in July and we are so excited!! I finally ordered my pictures from March (I'm a little slow) and I just got them in...I just wanted to share a few! Warning: I scanned them and my scanner isn't that great, so the quality isn't as good as the real thing!!

All Photos by Melanie Thaw

Day Two of Swim Lessons

After our first day of MMO, we had to come home and take a nap so we would be ready for swimming lessons! Day two started out great! Manze was so excited to get into the water! Emma...not so much! I put Manze's "Safe T Seal" on and her "water wings" and she was good to go! She jumped in was splashing around like a fish! When it was Manze's turn with Lu Lee she got a little mad at her when she made her go under water, but she did everything Lu asked her to do, even if she was gritting her teeth! After Lu was done with her she played with Emma in the water and they kicked together! By then, Emma was loving the water and kicking, blowing bubbles, and "swimming" to her water toy! Emma was Queen of the water today! Yay Emma! Manze, on the other hand, got a stubborn streak in her! She decided she wanted to go up the stairs on the side of the pool! When she did not get her way, she had a screaming fit! So, we ended up leaving early! Maybe she will get over her stair fetish on Thursday! Manze is having a blast and loves the water! Wahoo!

Manze and Emma "swimming" in the water together!

Mothers Morning Out

Today was Manze's first day of Mother's Morning Out at Lakeside for the summer! Yesterday my friend Cathy monogrammed 2 sippy cups and a lunch bag for Manze to take to MMO! I packed her lunch and got her all ready and was a little nervous about leaving her! I was more nervous than she was! We met Emma and Lainee at the church and we all walked in together. They are both in her class, so I knew she would be excited to see them! I was prepared for Manze to be a little nervous and shy and not want me to leave! Boy was I wrong! She is a very social child...I should have known better! Her teacher couldn't get the gate opened fast enough for her. She ran right in and never looked back! Sadly I walked away but was glad that she was happy and content! When I went to pick her up and she got in the car, I asked her how her day went! She was so excited and told me all about the slide and her friends! As we drove away she said, "I don't want to go home Mommy, I want to go to cool (school)!" I'm so glad she had fun!

Swimming Lessons

Today Manze had her first day of swimming lessons for Summer 2008! Emma is in her group and they had fun together! Manze is taking lessons from Lu Lee...I call her the Rock Star of swimming lessons! I have been hearing about her for years now from everyone and I'm glad Manze finally gets to take lessons from her! Manze LOVES the water and had a blast! She went right to Lu Lee and was ready to go until she swallowed "freddy the fish"...that would be pool water! Then, she cried a little bit, but Lu Lee kept going and pretty soon Manze was okay and going under water and kicking her legs! Lu Lee put goggles on Manze and I wasn't sure she was going to wear them. I was wrong, and she had to have her "glasses" on the rest of the time in the pool! I can't wait to see how she progresses these two weeks!

Blueberry "pickin"

This morning we met Cindy & Emma and went and picked blueberries from a co-workers blueberry trees! They girls had a blast and ate more blueberries than they picked!

(click on the collage to make it bigger)

A MUST see...

Last night a bunch of us went out to eat and to see the movie Sex and the City! It was FABULOUS! I LOVED the series on HBO and watched till the end. I was so excited when it hit the big screen! Even if you did not watch the series, you will enjoy the movie! Go get "the girls" and go see it! I promise, you will love it!

"Going to School"

Caroline and Hayes came over to play one day last week and Caroline and Manze ended up in Manze's room playing dress up! They each found a back pack and said they were "going to school!" They put their juice cups in their back packs and each found a pair of rain boots to wear! They helped each other put the boots on...it was so cute! They had a blast! Caroline and Hayes...come over to play again!

(About a week later I found Manze's back pack and opened it up...there was her cup with yucky moldy apple juice...you never know what you might find when you have a 2 1/2 year old)

playing "dress up"

"Going to school" with our backpacks and rain boots!

Jumping up and down in our rain boots!

My sweet girl...