Sweet Charley B's

"Mandy... you Goonie!!"

Ok... The real line is "Andy... you Goonie!!"  It's what Troy yelled when Andy sent the bucket back up the well with his letterman sweater on it instead of riding it up herself... So if you are not a Goonie's fan you have NO idea what I am talking about.  It is one of my all time favorite movies... AND this past week, during Spring Break, we went down the Oregon Coast through Astoria where Goonies was filmed.  We stayed in Cannon Beach... parts of the movie were filmed there also.  Haystack Rock is a big focal point of the movie and we stayed right down the beach from it!!

Ok... off the movie track... We really did have a beautiful time.  It was amazing for Zach not to be tied to work, for me not to get up at 6:30 and pack lunches, and hustle out the door like a crazy woman!!  We roasted marshmellows and hotdogs, watched salt water taffy being pulled, had the BEST hamburgers on the way down and back at a place called Mrs. Beasley's (it's the Vadar exit on I-5 if you're interested!) and spent time with some of our friends that were down there also. I guess you can tell I really enjoyed myself. 

A picture montage below!!

My little peeps exploring the beach...

All of my loves really enjoying themselves

Georgie Lou feeling the breeze!

Haystack Rock in the background...

 
Brother and Sister at the campfire... Mesmerized...

My sweet friends and me at the campfire... 

Sam and Charley posing on our way out of town...

What a wonderful 4 days!!  (Side note, Sam got a haircut as soon as we got home! It was out of control!!)  

If you ever have a chance to go down the Oregon Coast, do it!  You'll love it...  

Did you know that Cheeseburgers are my favorite food?

They really are, but that is not the kind of cheeseburger I'm going to talk about today.  Have you ever looked at Bakerella's blog?  It is AMAZING!  She bakes the most awesome things!! Anyhow, a while ago she made some cupcakes that look like cheeseburgers.  I have been thinking about those little confections ever since I saw them.  I've wanted to make them, but I just haven't had time!

So, Friday at the kids school they had Family Fun Night with a cake walk, and I was asked to bring a cake... Guess what I made? Nope, not cupcakes, but a WHOLE CHEESEBURGER CAKE!!

 

I made  homemade butter cake for the "bun" and then a brownie for the "patty".  The "cheese" is orange fondant and the resting is colored frosting.  The "sesame seeds" are sliced almonds.  I was going to use jordan almonds, but those suckers were $8 for a bag!

Of course my little people tried and tried to win that cake and bring it back home!  Alas, it was won by some other wide eyed-little sweety, for it alone stood out amoung all the store bought goodies!   

It was really easy to make... Try it!!

In other Beers' family news, we have been on a steady diet of mashed potatoes, ice cream and yogurt because of these...

My dude got braces... Here's to years and years of nagging about brushing! 

The D40x is home, so I am ready to get back to blogging!!  Enjoy the beautiful weather!!  
  

Retro

Still waiting for the sweet D40x to come home from the camera hospital.  She should be home soon & then we can document new adventures...

I thought while we were waiting for something new we could go a little retro... some old pictures of myself and other unfortunate souls who's pictures have fallen into my hands mwa ha ha ha!!

Oh gosh... this is my freshman year in high school... 1989!! Braces, slicked back hair (at least I didn't have big bangs!!) Dig those shorty shorts!!

This is my dude... The one with the striped shirt & sweet batman glasses on...  I'm telling you swap his clothes for something pink and that could be Charley sitting there!

This is my Aunt Cindy sometime in the early 80's.  Zach swears she looks just like Jennifer Aniston!!  I think he's right!!  Funny thing, as I look at what she is wearing, I would actually wear all that today!!

This is my mama in the pink coat.  What I wouldn't give to have that coat today!!  It's so cool!!  She's got that snazzy hairdo too!!  Her birthday is on Friday... She's a good mama... a little crazy, but I'm guessing that comes with being a mom?  Will my kids think I'm a little crazy someday?  Probably... Oh well!!

That's all for my retro post... Hopefull I'll be back soon with NEW PICTURES!!  
   
  

Faith

I love my faith.  I love God. I love knowing how good He is. 

My husband has a cousin.  His cousin has a 16 month old baby who in an instant was taken from a situation which doctor's thought was constipation to having a tumor wrapped around her spine.  It is malignant and she is undergoing chemo.  This has all occurred since Friday afternoon.

God has a plan.  It is not our plan to understand.  I pray that my faith would be strong if I were in the same situation.  Please say a prayer for Jordan.  God is good & does miraculous thing EVERYDAY!!  He can heal this sweet girl.

Hug your kids, hug your husband or wife.  Be patient when you don't want to be.  Say yes to a piece of candy when you think you should proabaly say no.  Go to the park even though it's cold.  Snuggle them for a few extra seconds... Be thankful...

Charlotte Marie

My sweet little Charley B...  We try so hard not to let her get over shadowed.  She's got a really cool older brother, and a cute baby sister & to top it all off her dang birthday is December 23rd.  Who does that to their kid?  Who makes them a middle child AND gives them a crappy birthday?  In all honesty, we didn't mean for her to be a middle child, Georgiana was a little surprise.

 
Charley 2004

Charley stands out on her own.  She is amazingly athletic, kind-hearted, smart & full of life.  There is not a word for me to properly express how she amazes me. 

Charley Spring 2009  

Charley & I had a REALLY hard week this week.  We bickered, she cried & whined.  I responded without patience, but tried to redeem myself by having a snuggle with her.  She has the same January/February affliction that I do... cabin fever/vitamin D deficiency.  When the two of us butt heads, it's NO GOOD! I felt like a bad mom this week.

Summer 2009 our front yard (hillarious!) 

This coming week (with God's help) I will be a better, more patient mama!  I will help Charley B expend her energy & I will work hard on my own mopey attitude so it doesn't rub off on her!

Here's to a new week!

I hate blog posts that don't have pictures...

My camera is broken, so I don't have any pictures of the stuff that has been going on around here.  I sort of feel like I am missing an appendage without my beloved D40x... She's been shipped off to NIKON, and hopefully I will hear something soon!!

So here's a picture of some goodies that I baked from Christmas & then we'll get onto what I really want to post about...

Peppermint Pinwheel cookies for a cookie exchange that Georgie & I went to...

So the main reason for this post was to give you a small update on my resolution progress.

1. This week I cleaned out the hall linen closet & the laundry room... both had tons of junk in them!! I had 2 bags for the dump & 1 for the Goodwill (I had empty swiffer boxes in the closet that I was just to lazy to throw away!!! SHAME!)

2.  I went to church this morning.  It was great to start my day that way!  I'm so glad that I didn't make excuses & I got up and went.  The message was not the uplifting one that I was hoping for.  It was about the Tribualtion, which is not my favorite topic, but still important to learn about... Glad I went!

3.  I have been crafting this week.  It is not my own project, but one for Sam.  He has to build a pirate ship for class & we've been doing paper mache and cutting & painting!  Fun times!  Valentines are next on my list!

So, it's a good start... I am planning to register for The Portland Marathon this week, clean Sam's closet & maybe even squeeze in a date with my man on Friday!

Hope you all have an awesome week! 
 

Christmas Goodness...

I am sometimes very guilty of getting caught up in the materialistic aspect of Christmas.  I want my kids to have these AWESOME memories of cool gifts & AMAZING Christmas mornings.  Every year I want so much to do a better job of celebrating Christ's birth; of teaching my kids the joy of giving!  While we still got them some sweet presents (Barbie camper, DSi, Green Machine) we did not go overboard gift wise & we did do some giving!  In fact, I think some of our giving was the very best part of our holiday season & all of my family would agree!

I spent Monday morning baking 6 different types of cookies (no-bake oatmeal, fudgy oat bars, candy cane swirls, cherry almond shortbread, cranberry-orange-coconut cookies & butterscotch cheesecake bars).  We plated them up & delivered them to the police & fire station.  One of Zach's best friends growing up is a detective for our local police department & one of my friends from high school is a fire fighter.  They were so gracious.  The kids got to sit in the cars & on the engines.  They got to see where these men & women who put their lives on the line everyday for us work!  It was so awesome!!

 

Charley & Sam behind the police car...

Georgie & Charley checking out the sweet motorcycle!

All three of the kids in an OLD engine!  Super cool!

Georgie & me in the backseat of the engine...(I was more excited than they were!)

 
Sam workin' the headphones!

Charley LOVED our trip!  Can ya tell?

 
The whole fam.. We had an incredible day... It was a big highlight for me & I hope it was for my little stinkers too! God Bless you & your family.  May your New Year be amazing!
  
 
 
 
 

Breakfast is HARD!!

Sometimes I struggle with what to feed my kids for breakfast... do you?  I don't really remember what I ate for breakfast when I was little except for the apple fritters that my dad used to bring home Saturday mornings.  I'm pretty sure I ate cereal before school, but who remembers?  For some reason I just cannot bring myself to feed the little peeps cereal before school.  I like to think they are going off with bellies full of nutritious, warm food.  So, we have a regular rotation, but I'm always on the lookout for new recipes to add into our usuals.

I came upon a recipe on Bakerella (fabulous, awesome, delicious blog).  It was for Chocolate Chip-Maple Pancake Dippers.  They went over REALLY well around these parts!

 You want some, don't ya!!

They each got their own little dish of warm maple syrup to dip them in.  Can you say MMMMM?  Here's the link... give them a try, your little people wont be sorry you did!   

  
 
  

Peanut Butter Cups & Field Trips...

We have been trying to come up with activities to keep us busy inside when it rains... The kids have had a glimpse of the sun and all they can focus on is playing outside!  Alas, that leaves me to come up with SUPER exciting things to do inside to distract them when it rains!  So last week for one of our rainy day activities we made homemade peanut butter cups... Let me just say... YUM!  I'm not a huge chocolate fan, but I could live on peanut butter and mashed potatoes...

Finished product...

Here's a shot of the inside...

 You may never buy Reese's again...  I used this recipe.  Life in a Peanut Shell is such a cool blog!  She bakes the coolest stuff!  Totally inspiring!

We also had a field trip to the zoo for preschool last week.  It was CROWDED.  The zoo is in Tacoma, and it was "Free Tacoma" day.  Meaning if you live in the city you can go for free... Everyone and their uncle was there!!

The girls still had fun, and watching them encounter new things is priceless :)

  

Those are Gerogie's hands on the belly of a walrus... he swam right up against the glass and she wasn't scared (if you have ever encountered my little person you would know she's kind of a weiner, God love her anyway)

Here's a pic of the big sissy on the Merry-Go-Round... This might've been the highlight for her!  She didn't want to get off... She could've stayed on except for all the dang middle schoolers that were there! 

Sam went to the beach with his best friend & family this weekend...  They were there all weekend and I could tell they had so much fun...  He hasn't stopped telling about his adventures from the minute he walked in the door.

 Sam and Ben...

This one is a little hazy, but they look so happy... I love it!  It's a little bitter sweet for me, watching these two.  Ben"s mamma is also a good friend of mine and his little sister is close with the girls.  They are moving across the counrty at the end of July.  It breaks my heart to see them go... I'm trying to remind myself that with every door that closes, another opens. 

Alright... enough sappy!  It's supposed to be 81 degrees on Thursday!  Enjoy that my peeps!  Lover every minute of it!

My mojo went missing...

I think it might be coming back though... I have been doing things, but I've been having a hard time taking pictures.  I've also been having a hard time focusing on life.  It's been topsy-turvy around my house for the last 4 months or so.  My husband, Zachory, works at Microsoft.  They have gone through two rounds of lay-offs recently.  So far we have come through unscathed, but it REALLY makes you feel vulnerable.  He's been with the company for 11 1/2 years... I am biased, but he is brilliant... I don't know how they could get rid of him, but you just never know...  Anyway, I got a forward in my e-mail in-box the other day... It was a conversation with God.  What I gleened from it was to focus on today... not tomorrow.  Today Zach is employeed. Today we have money in the bank, and our bills are paid.  Today everyone in my house is healthy and for the most part happy :)!  Today our lives are in God's hands!!  For that I am enternally greatful! Soo... with all that out, here are some of the things I've been up to lately!

Here are some cards that I made... The first two are a little blurry... Zach messed with my camera, and I had a hard time getting it to focus. 

 This was for my neice... I took a class from Julie way back in February and she colored the cone like this on one of her cards... Needless to say I like it!

   This one was for my nephew... His first b-day...  I think two minutes from beginning to end... Gotta love that!

This is a little something I whipped up for one of my friends.  Her family is moving across the country to MO.  It's really hard on her family and my own.  Her 10 year-old is my 10 year-old's best buddy, and our five year olds are besties too!  I thought I'd send her a little pick me up...  (Plus I wanted to use my chalk!)

On to a little something yummy...  Sunday, at Zach's request, I made Chicken Pot Pie for dinner... It's my own special creation...  I usually make it with a kind of cheese sauce inside, but he prefers  just gravy... I have to say, YUM!  My crust turned out GOOD too... Crust is iffy sometimes... I'm getting better though...

Of course yesterday was Cince de Mayo... We had a little fiesta around these parts...

 Charley was the only one I could get to pose in costume... She's always game!

We had tacos, homemade guacamole, pico de gallo & orange soda in margarita glasses...  It was fun... The kids always enjoy a little celebration!

Have an awesome day & I promise to be back REALLY soon!