Teeny and Bea

Monday CAN Be a Happy Day

2012-02-06T16:34:00.000-08:00

Three reasons why this Monday is a good day for me...

1. It is the only day of the week that I do not feel waaaay behind! Monday morning is a fresh start for all to-do lists. Plus, I feel very fortunate to not only have a grown-up job, but my own business, especially after seeing Sunday's headline.

2. I have leftovers from last night's Super Bowl party. My friend Megan made brie crostini. Yummmmm.

Here is how to make Megan's brie crostini. If you make this, feel free to share the creamy, sugary, most fabulous slices with me!

Slice french bread very, very thinly. Butter then toast in the oven.
Slice brie and apples thinly, place on top of each slice of toast.
Sprinkle with chopped walnuts and a bit of brown sugar, then toast to perfection.

3. Actually, I can only think of two right now, but that is enough for me. I am glad to be alive.

Enjoy today!
Emily

Family Heirlooms

2012-02-04T08:03:00.000-08:00

My family is growing heirlooms right before my eyes. And no, I am not even talking about tomatoes. My extended family is so amazingly artistic! In fact, when we returned once from a visit with Uncle Gary and Aunt Kathy, my husband suggested I personally create art for our house since it runs in my blood. If only it were that easy...

Today, I want to share a few pieces Aunt Ann painted. They are snapshots I quickly took in the hallways when no one was looking (yes, I felt like a spy and they are probably a little blurry), but she has since granted me permission to share publicly by facebook message. I was way too chicken to ask in person!

This is a painting from Aunt Ann's college days which is now the wallpaper on my iphone... Aunt Ann says there is a sadness in both girl's eyes. I see a wistfulness, a knowledge and hope that something better is to come, no matter the current circumstances.

This one is the view off the back deck of Aunt Ann and Uncle Todd's house. Love the mixture of angry clouds and serene landscape.

I'm not a horse fan (they are unpredictable at weddings which does not work in my favor on the job), but this painting is fabulous. Look at all the muscle detail!

And finally, here is a VERY blurry camera phone photo of my Cute Katelyn with her Great Aunt Ann. Loving family is the most beautiful thing of all.

Enjoy today!

Emily

Beautiful Boy

2011-12-28T08:27:00.000-08:00

Christmas is making it easy for me to remember to appreciate that God gave me three beautiful children. I wish I could remember this better every day AND that I would find ways of more actively enjoying the time we have together. Someday they will be grown with their own families and I will be extra sad when the Christmas festivities are over because they will go home and leave me in the dust. But for now, they are really loud and they never leave me anywhere and I have almost no personal space...just saying...

Like finding hidden treasure, I rediscovered these precious newborn photos of Brady when I was going through photos for my other job. Angela Stott, photographer, is a true artist. She spent four or five hours at our house waiting for the perfect shot of this sweet baby boy who had no intentions of cooperating, sleeping, cooing, or anything else newborns are supposed to do during newborn photo sessions. It was an experience that we will never forget.

This post is dedicated to My Mom, Gigi and Aunt Ann... Some of the best moms I know...and probably the only people who are reading this post. :)

Family Fun

2011-09-08T19:20:00.000-07:00

My Handsome Husband decided we need an RV this summer. Not only do we need an RV, but he made the exceptionally fine point that it would be a benefit for my business. Three or four months post-purchase, I must admit he's right. Having a place to stay for TONS less than a hotel, but with A/C and a working plumbing is a major plus when doing long-distance site visits. Of course, I'm not really a camping queen, so Handsome Husband knew he had to come up with some sort of catch to bring me on board with this decision and the business angle did it for me.

We have had some fun family trips, too. One of our favorite campgrounds is in Charleston, SC. Beach time with the kids is priceless (and exhausting). Here are a few photos of their favorite camping activites...

BUGS...

WAVES...

BIKING...

EATING...

trying to take time off

2011-06-09T18:50:00.000-07:00

I've been working like a crazy woman lately with my grown-up job. Sometimes I wonder if I should just move out of the house for the two busiest months of the year (June and October), but I think I would miss my kiddos and Handsome Husband just a little too much. Lately I've made an effort to knock off work sometime in the vicinity of 5 'o' clock which is way easier planned than accomplished. However, we had success this week because the girls and I spent Tuesday evening planning Wednesday evening which means one event completely occupied their heads for almost 24 hours!

The fabulous event? A "Ratatouille" party, in the tradition of the small French rat chef! The girls made chef hats with our sweet artist friend Lily when she was at the house Wednesday morning. They also created black and white checked place mats, inspired by French cafes.

We made steak frites for dinner with cream puffs for dessert--all from scratch! We had so much fun with our grown-up dinner party. I'm glad so we found time to make special memories.

cream puff with one bite missing :)

My Best Recipe

2011-05-19T06:34:00.000-07:00

Aunt Ann asked me for this cake recipe several months ago. I haven't give it to her...perhaps in hopes that she will think it was a complicated endeavor and be somewhat impressed by my skills. The illusion will be shattered today. Here's the recipe. No need to put anything in the bowl in a certain order and substitutions work well!

Million Dollar Cake (from Nicole)
step 1: mix together thoroughly
1 box cake mix
4 eggs
1/2 cup crisco oil
1 stick soft unsalted butter
1 cup sour cream
1 package (small) instant vanilla pudding
4 teaspoons vanilla

step 2: add
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
1 1/4 walnuts (something I usually don't have)

step 3: back at 325 for 55-60 min (or until set)

step 4: try not to eat it all in one sitting...like we do

And here is a picture of all the family (including Aunt Ann) gathered for my baby's baptism. It meant so much to have family and friends there who will support him in faith throughout his life.

2011-05-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

Just wondering... Does it look like we're related?

Family Time at the Ag Center

2011-03-28T07:32:00.000-07:00

This weekend I took the kiddos to a really fantastic family-oriented event at the Agricultural Center. A group of homeschool families hosted this event to raise money for a local teen who has cancer and constantly multiplying medical bills. The event had a cow and "patty" theme and included all sorts of activities such as facepainting

A cow patty walk (sort of like a cake walk or musical chairs, cute Katelyn placed fourth!)

A cow patty walk for bigger people

There was some other entertainment and talking which Natalie and Katelyn enjoyed while practicing their farm girl perch. Thankfully the photo is a little blurry so you can't tell that my poor girl's pants are drooping...again...

A cow look alike contest (cute Katelyn entered herself in this one before I even knew what was going on!)

Sadly, I have no picture of the Chick-fil-A cow. Chick-fil-A in Hendersonville was a huge sponsor of the event. As usual, they put their chicken where their "moo" is.

And finally, the grand finale! A calf from Tap Roots Dairy was released in the ring to well, create a patty. The ring represented a giant bingo grid. Each square "sold" for $10. If the accommodating calf plopped on your square, you won $500. The gracious winners contributed their winnings back to the fund to raise over $10,000 for the cause--Naomi's Blessings. Sorry for the lack of photography skills...still trying to figure out how to work my camera phone. :)

The kiddos and I had a great time. I'm now trying to talk their dad into taking us to the rodeo for some good family fun. Wonder what we'll wear...

Sleep

2011-03-25T08:09:00.000-07:00

It's Friday morning and I really just want to go lay in my little bed, covers over my head. Who knew living life could take so much energy? However, deep down I know I LOVE my life and would not trade any part of it, except maybe the cooking, cleaning, laundry and other not so fun work things...

So, here's to a weekend of sleeping--some of my favorite photos of the younger kiddos grabbing a couple of winks, or in my Swedish Grandpa's terms, "resting their eyes".

Cute Katelyn ALWAYS seems to have crumbs on her face. She's a little like the dusty kid in Charlie Brown, poor thing.

One tired chickie. So glad you can't see the staph infection she had that summer, poor thing...

Please do me a favor and do NOT mention to my handsome husband that his picture is here... But I love this image. Daddy and his Boy.

Sweet beginnings. My children hold my heart in their teeny tiny hands--especially when they're sleeping...

Clear and Present Danger

2011-03-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

That is so how homeschooling feels this morning. My firstborn and I started on time, 9am on the dot. But at 9:03, my handsome husband asked me to look at something for him. At 9:35, my cute Katelyn decided to play piano. At 9:15-10:05, my brawny Brady yelled (this happens to be his favorite new activity). My family is really cutting into my blogging time about my family...

So the danger is that I may stab a pencil in my eye. Not on purpose of course, but because I'm wildly flailing.

Let me explain... As you can tell, I love running my mouth, whether through the written or the spoken word. This love does not go away when I get overwhelmed or grumpy. Nope, the desire to run my mouth becomes stronger than ever. And my sarcastic abilities can reach new levels... As nutty as it sounds, it seems the harder I try to control my mouth, the harder it is to control other parts of my body. Thus my tendency to flail...and why it is better for me to type than to use pencils.

In an effort to get back on schedule and bring my blood pressure down to normal, low levels, I leave you with a few calming photos as I pray "Please, God, make me a normal person..."

the Library

2011-03-21T07:44:00.000-07:00

The library and I have a very complicated relationship. I honestly love reading and read so fast that if I bought every book I ever read, it would cost a billion dollars and my handsome husband would have an excuse to add on another room so the children would have place to lay their heads. Borrowing books from the library is truly a necessity, not a luxury, for our budget and home.

And yes, our car DID look just like this!

As a child, I was an exemplary library patron, thanks in large part to my model mother. Yes, she was beautiful, but the "model" term refers more to her citizenry, housewifery, volunteerism, homeschool teaching skills, and well, I think I've made my point. In any case, her method of keeping up with the library books we borrowed once a week and hauled from town to our home in the middle of the mountains (a good forty-five minute drive) involved a library bag and a number system. Obviously, the number system was a bit of a challenge for me, being a numbers challenged individual, but model mother kept it simple. Each of her children were allowed to borrow equal number books to years lived. This worked fairly well for me, especially if I stocked up on classics.
You know, the kind that has 450 pages, plus a prologue.
Thankfully mom made the library trip weekly...

As an adult and mom myself, I would love to pattern our lives after my model mother's marvelous common sense efforts. Unfortunately, several things stand in my way:

I can't seem to make it to the library once a week during working hours. And I'm not about to drop due books off when the library is closed because I would not be able to refill my library bag.

I can't find my library bag.

I feel badly about only allowing my oldest child six short books. The second born would only get four short books. How would they possibly have enough to read for the next week. Never mind that even the six year old is barely able to read at all...

Thirty-two books is a little much for me to carry home for myself, even if it is equal to my age, so I always end up with some other number of books I can't remember.

The library gives receipts now for books, but I lose them, immediately, on the way out the library door.

Maybe if I could find my library bag, I could keep the receipts in there...

Thus begins my very complicated relationship with the librarians. Sadly, I must avoid the kind volunteer folks whenever possible. They do not have a firm grasp on my issues. The veteran library employees understand things such as the Annie DVD is never, ever, ever coming back, no matter that a well-meaning volunteer marked it "lost". Nope, my second child did a marvelous science experiment with that one. She discovered that three pieces are not better than one.

Reading with Gigi

The regular librarians understand that I cannot pay all my fines at once. They realize that this is not particularly a financial issue for me. Rather, it is part of how I claim ownership in my local library. By paying in installments, I am investing in my librarians' salaries and ensuring the purchase of future titles. In fact, I would say that I am a very important entity when it comes to ensuring the longevity of lending libraries in our nation.

A fun retro poster from Phil Bradley, British supporter of libraries. Click on the photo for some more fun images.

I know many would be tempted to encourage me to move to an electronic reader such as an ipad or kindle as a means of simplifying life. I am pleased to report that I actually have the kindle app on my ipad. However, I miss the feel of books when I read on the ipad. I miss knowing how far into a book I am. I miss the ease of going back a page or two to find an important point. It's just not the same thing... Plus, an ipad requires a charger which would require finding mine...

Constant Renovations

2011-03-16T08:23:00.000-07:00

My Handsome Husband loves new projects--especially the part where he gets to knock down walls. My master bedroom became a dining room over the weekend while I was at a conference. Photos and story another day. However, I really want to ask your opinion on this picture... Do you think my house would look lovely in these colors? I love their quiet excellence. Oh, and I shamelessly borrowed the photo from www.thepioneerwoman.com.

A few other images I love that incorporate some of my "calming" colors. Really, would they look good in a house?

the Swedes

2011-03-15T07:43:00.000-07:00

The Swedes are an amazing group of people. They seem to be a quiet, nice, reserved, able to deal with extreme and harsh conditions kind of group. Or rather, a group of individuals, because the ones I know seem just as happy on their own as they are in a crowd.

This is my favorite Swede...

Yes, that is my dear dad. My mother has a coffee mug that says something about marriage to a Swede being bliss or a slice of heaven, or some such sappy thing. I think it's a physical reminder of a happy marriage because unlike me who loves to remind my husband how fortunate he is to be married to me, dear dad just kind of goes with the flow.

And of course there is my sweet southern friend who moved with her Swedish husband back to Sweden. Her biggest struggle was that no one wanted to shoot the breeze in the grocery store, on the street, or at the public park. I'm with her, if you can't talk to strangers, what are you supposed to do with your time?

Strangers we met standing in a line in Vegas.

All that being said, I visited IKEA over the weekend. And was astonished as usual. First of all, it is just so ginormous. It makes me dizzy and I spend too much money because when you buy 50 cheap things, it is still expensive. Go figure. Second of all, they sell Pepsi products. Did Coke not make it that far North? I can just imagine some sales rep with poor blood circulation saying "there is no way on earth that I am going to sell to any country past the Mason Dixon line, no matter which continent I'm on."

My child as a Diet Coke rep to the frozen tundra.

The third thing that astonishes me is that the biggest store on earth (seriously, it is bigger than a super Walmart) only has one up escalator and one down escalator!

That has to be Swedish design. What other people on earth would expect such good behavior from mobs of people shopping? I'm sure no self-respecting Italian would ever expect hundreds of people to line up for an escalator in a nice, orderly fashion. No, the Italians would have built several at various speeds so that people could go at their own pace, enjoying a snack, each other and life in general.

On the other hand, Americans would also build several escalators for completely different reasons. Americans need to compensate for their constant hurry and fear of fire. We simply must get in and out of a place with no waiting, ever. Things to do and people to see and all that mess. Our multiple escalators would go super-fast. Hmmm, as the mother of three children, I kind of like that idea...as long as dramamine is available and there's someone to catch the kids at the top before their shoe laces get stuck and I lose them forever.

In any case, I did manage to find lighting for my children's rooms at IKEA. Pink reading lamps and blue stars. I will leave it to you to guess which ones go to which room.

Have a great Tuesday!

Spring Snow

2011-03-11T13:36:00.000-08:00

We woke up to a dusting of snow on the ground. What crazy weather we "enjoy" here in the mountains. Here are some of my favorite photos from a spring snow last year.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend! See you Monday!

Driving

2011-03-10T07:14:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have a marriage-long conversation going about my driving. You see, our auto insurance rep's career depends on me. Thanks to the law in NC, every one of my accidents (usually nicely spaced one to three years apart) has stayed on my license for a really long time. This means that my insurance rates remain higher for a really long time. I'm just kind to the State Farm man and his family like that.

However, my husband feels it is not very kind to him. Let's see, it all started in 2000 when I ran into the back of an Isuzu Trooper. Do you know that a Trooper's back bumper is $1000 to replace? Of course the front end of my little Chevy Cavalier cost quite a bit more... Oh, no injuries. This particular accident was quickly followed by a complete totaling of the little Cavalier (not to nice to the Geo involved, either). Zippo on the injury list.

Then I got the Saturn. Love, love, loved my Saturn. Never mind the car I bumped getting on the interstate. Never mind what I was applying to my face at the time... The dealership was very kind, and hey, no injuries. It was a medical transport vehicle that I tapped, but I'm pretty sure they were only transporting oxygen, not a heart, or a liver, or something really important like that.

Then I managed not to run into anyone for a really, really long time.

Until...

Yep, that's the end of my mini van. I just can't even tell you the story because the police involved were so kind (gracious, merciful, understanding and just plain nice) and I don't want them to question their judgment. But, again no injuries and now I have a small, but very heavy, HIGH safety-rated SUV. Which brings me to my point:

My Handsome Husband thinks I would be safer with the children driving a large vehicle. Like Ford Excursion size.

Or maybe a Suburban.

Or an Army issue Humvee. My Dear Dad suggested it be bright yellow so my potential targets could see me coming. Camouflage just might not be fair.

I'm a little worried about my ability to judge space based on past experience. I think you must see where I'm coming from... However, my Handsome Husband assures me that when you drive something big, you don't run into things, you run OVER them and that may be better for preserving life. I think he must be thinking of the children, though, because he keeps urging me to take out a life insurance policy.

Now that we have our third child and I have my "?" business that requires lots of transportation, I am about won over to the large vehicle concept. However, if I'm going to be driving something large enough to pull a house, I feel it needs style, class and a little bling. Something that says "a beautiful capable woman is driving this car" or maybe "hot mama". Something comfortable for running over curbs and small farm buildings. Something a bit more like this...

Oh, and just for the record, I've actually been in two other moving vehicle incidents that weren't my fault at all. However, the drivers at fault have been very glad to have me involved. I am a very understanding victim, I know proper accident procedure, and I am fairly good at guessing how much the whole mess is going to cost someone. It's a talent.

Wednesdays

2011-03-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

Today I must do real work all day... Sadly, that means not much time for teeny and bea. Oh, but I will have mexican for lunch. That always makes things a little bit sunnier. And yes, I had it for dinner last night, too... Someday I may be able to explain my love affair with mexican food. But not today. Today, I will explain my love for thrice filtered water (as named by my newly acquired uncle). It brings energy, motivation, flavor, heat and interest to my life. While I clearly recognize that a fresh pot of coffee is nowhere near as vital as God's daily mercies, I still quite enjoy a fresh cup of java each morning (or maybe two or three). Have a wonderful day!

On a Roll

2011-03-08T07:33:00.000-08:00

Today dawned bright and early and I found myself responding to the call to trust my body to that "Israelian Stallion", Gilad, and his trusty team of work-outers in outdated outfits. I am certain Gilad is still buff, but would argue that it is a bit easier to remain a fitness legend when you have your shows from maybe the 80's and 90's replayed on television regularly. However, I think this image is fairly current, and it seems to support his legendary buffness. (My apologies if this is a copyright issue, click on the photo to see its original source.)

But of course, I needed to do something with my body this morning because our pot roast turned out perfectly! Unbelievable. Obviously Pioneer Woman is an excellent role model. Imagine the possibilities for my life if I followed her example and moved the family to a ranch in the midwest. No wait, then I would have to do barn chores and smell manure...that's not going to work out for me... Anyway, since I was not organized enough to take a photo of my family's rapturous faces as they savored my pot roast, here is a picture of beef tenderloin from my friend Cynthia, who happens to be a caterer... Catered food being one of the normal ways my family enjoys well-balanced, delicious meals.

I am a little worried that you all will think this is a cooking or exercise blog... So you should know that there will be no cooking at my house today as the local burrito restaurant is hosting free kids meals night. And there will be no exercising tomorrow as I have far too much to do. My secret to balancing family and work? Remain as flexible as possible and be prepared to compensate for change. This secret works at least one-third of the time.

Because it's fun and I need something to do during school...

2011-03-07T07:50:00.000-08:00

I have another blog, different, more official, real... With industry photos of my work, links to my colleagues and all other sorts of important public information that builds the business. But sometimes I want to share non-business building thoughts with my virtual universe friends. Things like, will I ever make it out of my fleece pants today and look like the "?" that I am. Note "?" stands for my chosen profession, not that I don't know who I am. Or what about my pride of accomplishment because I actually walked up and down my mile long road today (feel the burn, baby!), or maybe that I am homeschooling this morning before I start working because my daughter's education is very, very important to me (not that she believes me as she dissolves into tears because I won't tell her all the answers...mean mommy). In any case, I am excited to start typing in this outlet for all my thoughts, crazy or brilliant, because my handsome husband just doesn't have the time to sit and listen 24 hours a day.

This morning I want to tell you that besides walking the hill bright and early, I made a pot roast. For dinner. If you knew me, you would know what an amazing accomplishment this is. I. Made. Dinner. Not only that, but I did it at 845am, the old-fashioned way, in a pot, on the stove. I was inspired by Ree Drummond of Pioneer Woman. She seems to have, be, do it all, so I figure trying her recipe is a step in right direction. I'll have to let you know if it works out, or becomes something that leaks out of my trash bag tomorrow morning onto the kitchen floor...