It was a Wine and Country Song type of day....

Today was one of those days that a drunken country song writer could have possibly made his biggest hit with. My life is not close to being called boring; it's borderline crazy at all times. You NEVER know what could happen in the Beemer household.

My day started off great (yay) with girl talk at Starbucks with Susie but quickly went down the drain afterwards. I was supposed to help tutor at my underprivileged school today but learned I had looked at the wrong time to do so and that upset me. I look forward to seeing my two little students once or twice a week and I was really ready to see them after the Thanksgiving break at school. So I was a bit bummed when that plan didn't work out.

Next plan was to order our Christmas cards online since I already had the picture in mind that I wanted to use. I pondered over Wal-Marts photo lab online for hours and finally picked the perfect card and I was all excited until it came to checking out and that particular store had issues with their one hour printing and it was down for the day. *Gasp and tears*. My next best option was the Wal-Mart in the ghetto of Albany but I was determined to get those darn cards out this week so I ordered from there. By the time I picked up Brody at daycare the cards *should* be done and I would be on my merry little way home in a matter of no time. WRONG!!!!!!!! I picked up Brody and headed over to the ghetto WM only to stand in line behind a bunch of layaway customers because that is where this particular WM decided to set up their  headquarters for layaway. I patiently waited for 10 minutes until I was rather irritated and I asked about my pictures that I just had received an email alert that they were ready.....ummmm, "No, Maam, not yet". WTF. Are you kidding me???  I received an alert saying they were ready but they were only halfway through according to the photo lap tech. You gotta be kidding me After not so patiently waiting they were done in about another 30 minutes. I was just happy to have the things that I paid and went on my way trying to not cuss the next person I came in contact with out.

Brody and I finally got home and what I was hoping would be a quiet two hours of blissful sleep on Brody's part turned into a banshee screaming for over an hour! He refused to take a nap and was a very unhappy camper about the whole nap scenario. After hearing him play, cry, plead and  beg for two hours I finally went up and got him so he would be quiet. I couldn't take the noise any longer. So the next best thing was a quiet Brody watching Dora the Explorer. Things could be worse, I guess....like Barney worse. I just had to watch the "Gooey Guiser" episode 20 times to make the little guy happy. You know, it's the small things on a toddlers part.

As dinner time closed in I thought things would get better but they only got worse. Brody was a tiny terror and Vic was telling me how articles out of her art box at school was stolen. NEWS FLASH: Jamie breaks into the bottle of wine at this point. I can NOT take any more. I failed to mention that I had already been through two sets of clothes today because our dog Lucy continues to break out of her yard and roams freely until caught. She weighs as much as I do so you can see how that can be a problem especially on a pouring, muddy type of day. I was DONE and wine sounded GOOD.

After all of this I was reminded that my Birthday is this Thursday. Not sure how I feel about it. I also can't remember if I am turning 32 or 33. You kind of stop counting after a while. I don't care about it really. I want to celebrate it....not my age but just the fact I made it through another blessed year. That's all one can ask for even if your day was full of screw ups like mine was today :)

Take Off

Today Mike's Aunt Annie is coming into town for the Thanksgiving holiday and as usual we scurry around to get the house looking spotless...and that hit me today....WHY do we do this?

We put so much pressure on ourselves to make the house look immaculate when in reality most people "live" in their houses meaning...it's never spotless or white glove clean.

I don't know about other houses but ours is lived in. We have a teenager and a toddler living under this roof and it never stays "clean"; it stays picked up and tidy. That is all I can do. Yes, I am blessed with a housekeeper but honestly my house is a disaster 2 days after she visits.

Well, back to Annie, we are excited about her arrival. We have not seen her since Brody was a few months old. So it will be nice to see her this evening. Mike is beside himself he loves her to death and considers her a mother figure. She has been there for him a lot the past 20 years. He enjoys her company and she brings a piece of his "home" with her....and we all need that around the  holidays.

So with that being said, I better stop the blog so I can finish up some things around the house ;)

Holiday "Ho Hmmmm's"....

I am one who can't wait to get through summer so I can celebrate my 3 favorite holidays: Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I honestly LIVE for these three occasions. However, it hit me today while I was in a discussion  disagreement with my significant other that even though I love these occasions they bring me the most stress. I worry about the preparation of the meals, decor, and I am really overly OCD about it all. This Thanksgiving will be especially difficult for me because I am sharing my kitchen with Mike's Aunt who will be flying in from Colorado. Southern Thanksgiving's differ HUGELY from Thanksgivings out West. So we are kind of doing a South meets West dinner and I am so stressed out about it. Don't ask why, I know it will turn out perfectly as it always does but the stress of it all will be brewing inside me until I eat my last bite of turkey and dressing. I need to learn to let go and be thankful that I have someone to help me with the preparation of a large meal but I don't think it's in my DNA. So I may have to have a bit of wine to help me get through it all. It will be 5 o'clock somewhere in the Beemer Bistro on the 24th starting at 11 am when the cooking commences. Cheers!

Leslie's "Cream of Broccoli Soup", thanks to Aunt Judy

A couple of years ago we were hanging out with our Concord neighbors, Leslie and Richard and we experienced the most amazing Cream of Broccoli soup on a very cold evening. It was so good that I knew I had to get the recipe so I could repeat the recipe for my family during the cold winter months. It's so good that I want to share it with my Facebook/Blogger world friends! So here goes.

 You will need the following ingredients:

1 lb of Broccoli (I buy the 1 lb bag of frozen florets)
8 oz of Butter NOT margarine
1 cup of Flour
1 Qt of Chicken Stock
1 Qt of Half & Half
Salt, Pepper and Garlic powder

Now you are ready to make this tasty dish!

Steam the Broccoli in 1/2 cup of water until tender. Do not drain.
Melt butter in a pan over medium-low heat.
Add flour by the tablespoon to make a roux. Cook 2-4 minutes.
Add chicken stock while stirring with a whisk.
Bring to a boil and then turn heat to low.
Add Broccoli, Half & Half, salt, pepper and garlic powder (to your liking).
DO NOT BOIL.....stir often.

Once this is made in the pot on the stove I transferred the soup into a crockpot on low heat. That way it's available all day long!

This is a quick and easy soup....a must try!

All Systems: Slow Down

Wow, where has this year gone?!?! I feel like time has flown by and now the holidays are fastly approaching us! Next week is Thanksgiving.....eeeeekkk.

This is really a random post because our life has been a whirlwind the past couple of months. I am honestly ready for things to slow down so I can enjoy the holidays and not feel so rushed. However, I don't think that is going to happen.

We started out the month attending my Dad's annual Hospice Charity concert and as usual it was a success and fun was had by all that attended. The music played and the wine poured freely. They raised money for a great cause and people were already signing up for next years even tickets. Can't go wrong with that. I am so proud of my Dad and his band for doing this. Hospice is such an amazing organization and it's something that you can fully appreciate until your family has to use their services. We have had to use them twice and each time I walked away with a new found respect for the nurses and staff that work within the organization. They truly are miracle workers.

We cleaned out Pappaw's house while we were there for the concert and rented a truck to bring back a few items that were left for me. My grandmothers dining room set, a bedroom set and some other miscellaneous things. All reeked of cigarette smoke so we spent most of Saturday bathing the furniture (and ourselves) in Murphy's Oil and Liquid Gold. I smelled like cleaning supplies for two days. We already have the dining room set in  the house and every time I walk in there I smell my Mammaw & Pappaw's "house". It's kind of weird but comforting feeling. I know my Mammaw would be happy that her set will still be used for holiday dinners. I am actually excited about using it this Thanksgiving and Christmas. I had to get the chairs recovered because the fabric was old and smelly so those cushions will be done today and I am looking forward to seeing what they look like when I pick them up :)

This past weekend we went and saw our neighbors children compete in their YMCA soccer tournament. We have the best neighbors and we try to support them and their children. It was a perfect fall day and they did a great job. They won their first game but lost and fell out of the tournament during the second game. They played hard and we enjoyed watching them since we are a soccer family....Vic's soccer conditioning as a FRESHMAN will start in a few short weeks. Say what?!?!??? My kids are growing up entirely too fast....TIME SLOW DOWN, PLEASE!

I have been spending the past few Mondays at Morningside Elementary School tutoring children that come from lower class homes that do not get the support they need at home. Either they come from a broken home, their parents are not able to help them or far worse; their parents aren't around. I have truly enjoyed my Monday mornings with my two little boys Juaneye and Jordan. They light up when they see me walk into the classroom and that makes my day. I was able to volunteer through our church. It's a great mentoring project that helps our community and that is what First United Methodist Church is all about; giving back to the community.

I am SUPER excited about Thursday because I will be attending the Stewart & James holiday show. Kristen and Arre Fuller always have amazing frames and all are unique and one of a kind. They are a little pricey but you know you are getting a one of a kind reclaimed wooden frame. I have several around the house and I always love to add more to my "collection". It's a nice night to get out and have girl time with wine and cheese. It's an event I look forward to every fall.

Well, I will wrap it for now because I have been in my PJ's too long! It's time to get dressed and try to get some things done today!! I do have another recipe to add so be looking for that one to be added to my blog later in the week.

Rosie's O-Mazing Pot Roast (Have to Share)

When my Pappaw passed away we were given loads of food from friends and family and there was one meal that my Dad and I could not get enough of....Rosie Culbreth's Pot Roast. It was the closest thing that I have eaten that compared to my Mammaw's Pot Roast so you know I *had* to have the recipe to cook for my family back in Georgia. My husband is a Pot Roast connoisseur so I will be anxious to see what he says about our meal tonight!!! So on to the recipe....make sure you have a crockpot (Yay, that makes this recipe even better -- easy cooking and easy clean up!!!).

(I used a 2.5lb Chuck Roast)

Season meat with Salt and Pepper and brown Roast on all sides with 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil on High Heat. Put Roast in Crockpot with Lipton Onion Soup (just the packet; no liquid). Add Worcestershire Sauce until the bottom of the Crock pot is covered. Cook on High for 6 hours. Peel 6-8 small/medium potatoes and place under roast. Add a bag of small baby carrots on top along with another packet of Lipton Onion Soup. Add enough water to cover the entire Roast. (I may try beef stock but her recipe called for water). After the ingredients are added cook for another 2 hour; voila' your meal is done!!

Thanks Rosie for the great recipe!! This is something that I will continue to cook for our family.

Happy 236th Birthday Marines

Some people spend an entire lifetime wondering if they made a difference in the world. But, the Marines don't have that problem.
Ronald Reagan, President of the United States; 1985

Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They're aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They've got really short hair and they always go for the throat.
RAdm. "Jay" R. Stark, USN; 10 November 1995

The wonderful love of a beautiful maid,
The love of a staunch true man,
The love of a baby, unafraid,
Have existed since time began.

But the greatest of loves, The quintessence of loves.
even greater than that of a mother,
Is the tender, passionate, infinite love,
of one drunken Marine for another.

"Semper Fidelis"

General Louis H. Wilson
Commandant of the Marine Corps
Toast given at 203rd Marine Corps Birthday Ball
Camp Lejueune, N.C. 1978

What's so special about a number?

I have asked myself quiet frequently what is so important about a telephone number? I mean it's just a number, right? The more I thought about it the sadder I became because the number I had on my mind was 782-6320. That set of  numbers I have dialed a million times but in a matter of one day, I no longer had a reason to call because my "reason" no longer resided at that number. Heartbreaking. I can remember calling that number as a little girl excited to ask my Mammaw & Pappaw if I could spend the night or if they could come get me so I could come play. I would call them with exciting news from school like good report cards or receiving special awards.

As I got older the questions turned into what time do I need to be there for lunch or dinner. I ate at my grandparents house every day for lunch once I went to college and Sunday dinners were a must....you did not miss those.

Once I moved out on my own the calls were to confirm if I was coming over for lunch on my lunch break at work. Mammaw always cooked for me if I was coming and I was a permanent fixture at their dinner table Monday - Friday until my Mammaw became sick with Leukemia.

As I got older the calls became less frequent but I did do my best to call and check in on my grandparents on a weekly basis. I called to check on my Mammaw and her illness. I called to let them know what was going on in my busy chaotic world of racing. They were so proud of that. Their "darling" was involved in a sport that shutdown the house on Sunday's after dinner.  

But it still brings me back to the fact the feeling I feel knowing I will no longer dial that number. Over 30 years of dialing it and as of 2 weeks ago the number has been disconnected and no longer in service. Honestly, that is how I feel.....disconnected.

I will no longer hear my Pappaw's voice on the other end asking how "His Boy" (Brody) is doing and how "Sugarfoot" (myself) was getting along. I will no longer hear how I am missed or when am I coming to visit again. I will no longer say "Goodbye Pappaw, I love you" and I will never ever hear " I love you too, Sugarfoot".

I guess the moral of this tiny blurb of a blog is don't take the smallest things for granted because one day they may not seem so small.



I'm Thankful...

Last year two new traditions were started in the Beemer house thanks to ideas from a few of my Facebook friends. The first tradition I started was each day in November my status update will read something I am thankful about. We all spend so much time griping or blabbing about nothing that it's nice to take 30 days out of a month and think about something we are truly grateful and thankful for. Halfway through you really have to start to think about them because they don't come rolling off your fingertips as fast as they did in the beginning. That to me is sad, but I am guilty.

The second "new" tradition we have is our "Thankful Tree". I go out in the woods pick up a few long branches and stick them in a large vase full of seed (so they will stand) and place it on our front porch with all the fall decor. Every day each family member fills out what they are grateful for on a leaf made out of construction paper; that leaf is then placed on the tree with ribbon. Sometimes I have to push a few family members to add theirs but they do and at the end of November we have a full and beautiful tree. When November is over I take the leaves off and place them in a Ziploc bag and save them to look back on. I have already went through last years and a few warmed my heart, made me smile and chuckle. Making memories....that's what this stay-at-home Momma likes to do.

The Princess Fairy and The Little Dragon

For Halloween this year I found the cutest costume at a consignment sale I went to last month. Brody is all about Dinosaurs and Dragons and I was lucky enough to find him a very nice and pricey Dragon costume for only $10! Great find if you ask me (consignment sales are the best--they rock).

Brody was beside himself when I told him what I bought for him and I have had to hide it in my closet for the past month so he wouldn't play with it! I am so glad Halloween is over now so he can have it to play with because it really is too cute to not use.

We did trick-or-treating a little early this year because he is so small and can't "hang" for very long. We hit about 7 houses and he was pooped and I was pooped from carrying him to the last few homes. He was happy with his loot so we came home and handed out candy to the trick-or-treaters. All in all it was a very good Halloween for the Beemer bunch!

Redder Regalement

We were lucky in the neighbor department recently when our old nerighbors retired and headed further south and sold their home to a family of 5....well, nine if you count their animals. The Redder family is a fun loving bunch that we enjoy hanging out with when we can; which is often because....well...they are right next door! They have 3 precious boys and the youngest is Brody's age so he has a partner in crime these days. The other two boys are sweet and a joy to be around. You have Jackson who is the creative artistic one and you have Nolan who is a little dare devil. Hudson the youngest is Brody's bestest "freend".

We had the Redder's over on Sunday to carve our pumpkins for Halloween so here are some pictures of our afternoon. We ended up having some pretty cool pumpkins but I may be a little partial : )