The Beauchamp Family

Meme: The Power of One @dynila @shawnp0wers @gdsjenny

2009-10-03T12:33:00.007-05:00

Michelle at Michellany has tagged me with a meme! The challenge - answers must be kept to ONE WORD.

Where is your cell phone? Touchstone
Your hair? Dye
Your mother? Cherish
Your father? Abusive
Your favorite food? Mushrooms
Your dream last night? None
Your favorite drink? Margarita
Your dream/goal? Retirement :-)
What room are you in? Office
Your hobby? Reading
Your fear? Unchanging
Where do you want to be in 6 years? Bliss
Where were you last night? Home
Something that you aren’t? Slacker
Muffins? Cinnamon
Wish list item? Housekeeper
Where did you grow up? Sticks
Last thing you did? Facebook
What are you wearing? Clothes
Your TV? Off
Your pets? Many
Friends? Need
Your life? Happiness
Your mood? Bursting
Missing someone? Mom
Vehicle? MomVan
Something you’re not wearing? Earrings
Your favorite store? Amazon
Your favorite color? Purple
When was the last time you laughed? Minutes
Last time you cried? Book
Your best friend? A-Moms
One place that I go to over and over? Gym
One person who emails me regularly? Clients
Favorite place to eat? Momiji

I'm going to tag Dy at Two Scoops or Me, Actually or Dynila or whatever she's calling herself these days (because if she refuses to do it, it will at least give her a rant), Shawn at Brain of Shawn (because well, we never know what he is going to say), Jen at She Walks ('cuz she'll probably do it and say something actually interesting) and all the rest of my Twitter, Facebook and blogging friends. If you're reading this, consider yourself TAGGED. Nyah!

It's not easy being married to Mr. Perfect...

2009-09-29T08:09:00.005-05:00

This morning was not a good morning. I got up 10 minutes late. I'm annoyed. It's raining. Tom tries to feed the kids pepper ham for lunch and I point out they don't like pepper stuff and won't eat it, so I'm annoyed I have to mix up the tuna fish and notice the stove and table were never wiped down after dinner, all that little stuff. So I'm double annoyed.

He leaves for school (substitute teacher) and the kids are IMPOSSIBLE. Not getting dressed, not brushing their hair. At one point I told them they could just walk to school in the rain and the next I told them "fine, we're not going to school" (Jamie, of course, was down with that). Just a bad morning.

So, I come back and a friend is on Skype and I'm venting to her that while Tom is this great husband, he's also a pain in the butt and I'm tired of being the one that always thinks of things ahead of time...

And then I get a text from Tom. "Look under ur keyboard".

Where I find this letter - and $20. (click to see it cuz I'm not retyping it)

Bastard. He makes it so hard to stay mad at him! Dagnabit! *laugh*

Sigh. I think I'll save the $20 and get us all Blizzards after the kids get their flu shots today. We all deserve them.

I guess at the end of the day, really the table and stove and all that stuff that annoys me when we forget is so minor...

I do want that maid though! ;)

A special comment on an old post

2009-09-27T18:27:00.003-05:00

I get comments emailed to me so I know when someone comments here. I got a touching one to a 9/11 tribute I participated in back in 2006. I remember doing research on the NY fire fighter I was assigned. I was honored to learn more about him and be able to acknowledge him and his (not to mention his family's) sacrifice on that day. I am even more honored that a friend of his found our blog and took time to share a few memories with me. Check it out here - http://www.beauchampfamily.com/2006/09/911-tribute-louis-arena-ladder-5-fdny.html. It's interesting and I think that project touched me in ways I wasn't expected. I still think of him when 9/11 comes around or someone mentions it. Thank you, Eddie, for taking the time. Louie sounds like he was a true friend to many.

Here's your sign...

2009-09-19T17:46:00.002-05:00

I have no idea why, but our neighborhood gets an INSANE number of people knocking on my door trying to sell me everything from siding to meat to jesus. The poor siding guy did me in this morning, so after telling him to go away, I made this.

And yes, it really is hanging up. I wonder if it will work. I really really really really hope so. My sanity depends on it!

Houston Wine Conference - possible road trip

2009-09-12T13:20:00.005-05:00

A few of my friends over in Houston are holding this Wine Conference. Looks to be really good food and wine there. I'm not really a wine drinker though, but love new and interesting foods. I wonder if they will laugh me out of there? I think it sounds fun actually. Hmmm... anyway, here's some info. Any of my Amoms interested in a road trip? I wonder if us Austin girls can get kicked out of a wine thing? Hmmmm.... ;)

HOUSTON'S FIRST WINE CONFERENCE ARRIVES IN SEPTEMBER
Houston, TX – September 10, 2009 – Wine enthusiasts and foodies from around the country will converge on Houston September 26th for the highly anticipated Wine Conference. The event aims to connect people of all levels of knowledge and palates with experts in the fields of food and wine. Attendees will have the opportunity to learn from and mingle with key speakers in an intimate setting, taste dozens of wines from around the world, and sample food from Houston's finest chefs.

The 2009 Wine Conference will showcase dozens of wines from countries including France, Italy, Spain, Greece, Israel, Argentina, Australia, Chile, Portugal, the U.S.A., and more. Wine makers and distributors pouring at this star-studded event include Virtuoso Selection, Fleischer Wines, Messina Hof, Salute!, Janco Beverage, American-Nordic, as well as several others to be announced.

Celebrity chefs include Iron Chef contestant Robert Gadsby (most recently of Bedford's fame), James Beard award-nominated Monica Pope of t’afia, Food & Wine magazine’s “Best New American Chef” Scott Tycer and Plinio Sandalio of Textile, Randy Rucker of Rainbow Lodge, Carmelo Mauro of Carmelo’s, Jonathan Jones of Beavers, and Clive Berkman.

A key element of The Wine Conference will be the educational sessions held in an intimate venue. Conference tracks will feature wine luminaries Gary Vaynerchuck, founder and Host of Wine Library TV; Guy Stout, Master Sommelier, CWE; Denman Moody, Wine Writer and Critic; Shawn Dougherty, CSW, Sommelier, CSWE; and Richard Shaffer, of Israeli Wine Direct. Discussions will focus on wine today, old world vs. new world, origins of wine, sharing your passion, discovering your sense of taste, and where to start. Learn more about the speakers at
http://www.TheWineConference.com/category/speakers.

"We wanted to create a wine event on a more intimate scale that would focus on educating our attendees and allow them personal access to renowned experts", said Wine Conference co-founder Geri Druckman. "The Wine Conference is a unique opportunity to experience the finest food and wine with leading experts in a fun, unpretentious environment."

Tickets for the premier Wine Connoisseur track are $149 each; tickets for the Wine Enthusiast track are $85 each. Limited space is available. Find out more about the tracks and register today at http://www.TheWineConference.com/register.

Follow The Wine Conference on Twitter via @WineConference, sign up for the newsletter at
http://www.TheWineConference.com/newsletter, and stay current with the conference on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/WineConference. For more information about The 2009 Wine Conference, visit http://www.TheWineConference.com.

What the flock?

2009-09-10T12:15:00.002-05:00

Last night between and 6 and 10pm, a dozen or so pink flamingos showed up on my lawn along with a sign. We didn't venture too far out in the yard because it was dark and we were tired.

We've had some odd things happen to our yard over the years (someone stabbed our blow up Frankenstein, knocked over pumpkin heads, dumped and crushed a LOT of holiday lights into the our yard, random mostly harmless kid stuff like that), so we assumed some kids gathered up stuff from other people's yard and played a prank. No biggie. I posted to our neighborhood listserv that if someone was missing their flamingos, that I had them and they were welcome to come get them. Hey, who am I to judge how people decorate their yards...

Well, come to find out, this is a fundraiser for Westwood High School Project Graduation. So an anonymous friend (who-shall-remain-nameless*ahem*Martha*ahem*) had them to sent to us. How fun!

They will be here for 48 hours or so and then be removed. I donated to the cause because I thought it was hilarious. This one is pretty straight forward, but apparently there are other variations where you "have" to pay to get them removed from your yard. Or you can pay to have them moved to a friend's (or enemy's I suppose) yard... you can even buy flamingo insurance. LOL.

Anyway, fun! And it's for a good cause.

And now for a special annoucement...

2009-09-08T10:00:00.001-05:00

Lanel Taylor, who works with me and is a fabulous friend and lady, is doing the Komen for the Cure. Please click here to if you are able to help. Even $5 helps this worthy cause (and it's tax deductible). Thanks much!

This has affected a few of my family members and I've seen friends go through a few scares as well. The risk factors are easy - you are female and you are getting older. Every year I try to give to breast cancer research in the hopes that we find a cure - if not in my lifetime, in my children's lifetime.

If you can help, then please do so, otherwise, please take a moment to post a note of encouragement to Lanel - you can just comment here :)

Thank you!

Buy a hat, Save a house... #500hats

2009-08-28T19:38:00.005-05:00

I thought this was a really creative idea. There's a lady trying to save her house, so she started a Squidoo Lens about her plight and selling hats. She needs to sell 500 of them.

I thought it was such an interesting and fun idea that I've purchased 3 of them. 1 for each of my children and 1 that she has offered to donate to a charity of her choosing.

She even takes photos of them and puts them on her Flickr account.

For those of you that like doing random acts of kindness (and in this case, my kids have been asking for hats for this Winter anyway), stop her buy her Squidoo Page and Order a hat. I gave her very loose guidelines - let's see what she comes up with for my kiddos!

Fun!

Cassie's Name Assignment

2009-08-26T16:15:00.003-05:00

Today Cassie came home with an interesting assignment "Explain the origin of your name." Simple, right? Most people are named after historical figures, carry on a family name, or their parents just made something up. Lets look at some examples:

George Washington Carver: Easy one here! His folks hoped that naming him after a great person would help him be great. I don't know if it really helped him out, but look at his accomplishments and you tell me if it hurt.

Tom Pierce Beauchamp: Maybe not so obvious to those that don't know me, but my name follows the second rule. Tom Beauchamp was one of my Great Grandfathers, and Pierce Turner was yet another one. Unfortunately, I never got to know either but I must assume that since we share names that they were pretty awesome.

Dweezil, Moon, Diva, and Ahmet Zappa: I think by now everyone knows which rule this follows. Rule #3: If you can't think of a name just pull something out of your butt.

So anyways...enough background...on with the story...

Cassie comes out of school today and is all excited about her homework,"Where did your name come from?" She needs to write a little report school. So, I explained to her that Cassandra Erin was her whole name and that Aaron was my Grandfather that died before she was born. Then I had to explain her first name, which is a bit more "interesting":

You see, Cassie is named after a tractor.

For the 9 months of Candy's pregnancy with Cassie, we threw names back and forth. The Erin part we figured out right away but no other family names really stuck with us. We tried out hundreds of other names and even asked for help from friends, but we never found anything that stuck. We were sitting at the table one night and decided to ask Jamie,"What would you like to name your sister?" His response? "Tractor!" He was so serious...so set on that name...(You have to realize, he was INTO tractors at that point...he LOVED tractors of all sizes and types).

So for a while we joked around and called the not-yet-born Cassie "Baby Tractor". We tossed around all types of tractor names...but "Ford" and "John Deere" don't really lend themselves to a little girl. Candy remembered her fathers tractor was a Case.....We played with Kayce, and Kaycie....but we didn't really like those..plus we wanted a name that could grow with her. So we came to Cassandra (I personally voted for Cassiopeia, but Candy out voted me) and from that Cassie.

So Cassie, my dear princess, light of my life, hope for the future: You are named after a tractor.

She looked at me and said,"Uh uh!" I just held her on my lap and nodded. The woman standing beside us almost fell over laughing. Cassie looked at me, saw that I was serious and just shook her head.

I think she took it pretty well.

First Day of School

2009-08-25T19:53:00.002-05:00

Today was the first day of school around here... the kids had a tiring day...

You know how kids are... I didn't get much in the way of how it went out of them. They both like their teachers. Jamie said his class got too loud at one point (ut-oh). Cassie, of course, came home with 5 stars. The day she gets 4 stars or something, she will be in tears. She's NEVER had anything less than perfect behavior - getting either 5 stars or a very special GOLD star.

Cassie got snubbed on the playground by her 2 BFFs. Jamie sat on the side because he said it was too hot.

And that was about it. They don't give us a lot of info. Cassie did have homework, Jamie didn't really have much. They appear to be happy to be back in school.

Tom and I usually drop them at school the first day and then go out to breakfast, but our favorite breakfast place closed down. In it's place, a sushi place opened, so we decided to go there for lunch. It was nice to be alone in the middle of the day like that again. If he does get a job (he's currently looking for a teaching position in the Austin/Round Rock area - applied to all of the ISDs in the area), it's going to be weird not having him here.

Oh and my mother got text messaging on her phone. Help me.
(kidding, mom, love ya!)

Jamie also wanted me to take this picture, so here ya go!

School starts tomorrow and other randomness

2009-08-24T11:19:00.003-05:00

The teacher walk was Thursday. Our school is so freaking cute. The teachers come and knock on your door and that's how you find out who you have. (Yes, you could look 2 hours earlier when they post them at the school, but the anticipation is fun). We are happy with both kid's teachers, of course (thankfully). Cassie will be absolutely fine. I just hope Jamie's teacher is able to be stern enough with him. She's really really really nice. Hopefully it's a facade and she can turn into super-bitch-teacher-from-hell and keep Jamie in line.

This morning, we picked up supplies from the cafeteria (we always buy them from the school) and took them to their classrooms where they got to see where their room is and where they will be sitting. They are excited and ready to go back... I just took a quick pic of them, see how happy?

In other news... Tom got a new grill. He wanted a searing-something-or-other and his old grill, one of the burners went out and whatever, so...

Cassie and 2 of her friends had a sleepover a couple of weeks back because one friend started school early (alternative school), so they had one last hurrah..

Leo thought the popcorn kernals they left all over the floor might be edible so made a rare appearance.

Speaking of the dog, he is driving us all crazy. He barks when anyone walks by the kid's rooms and doesn't stop for a while. He runs away from Tom and I (although not as badly now). He's driving us CRAZY.

And he is stupid. No really, he is, in the words of my friend Elaine, as dumb as a box of rocks. He's been with us for what? 2 months? He STILL hasn't figure out how to use the dog door, so Julie will go out and he'll stand there. I'll get up to open the door for him and he run away barking and won't come back until I close the door again. Tom has to get the kids to catch him so we can take him outside (which he likes).

Moronic dog.

Overheard and a quick update

2009-08-18T08:50:00.003-05:00

Jamie and Cassie are playing the computer this morning and I hear Jamie say, "That's just like such an 'LOL' thing, ya know?"

Ummmmm... I don't even know where to go with that.

Otherwise, everything here is fine. Tom passed his certifications for Middle School Science, Middle School Math and Early Childhood K-4. He's still looking for a job, but none of the districts around us are hiring right now. They probably will within the next couple of months. I think he has to have something by October 31 or lose his current certification and have to redo it again next year.

If he doesn't find anything, we'll be fine. His decision to become a teacher was/is more about his heart than about money or anything like that. We like the idea of having our Summers free to go on vacation (I own my own business, him being a teacher would be idea) or whatever we want. But he also loves teaching kids. He really really loves it. I think he's mad, but whatever, right?

If he doesn't find anything, he will continue working with me a little, but also continue substitute teaching. He'll be fine, although it's a little frustrating for the poor guy.

I'm well. I am, of course, running with a few new ideas I have business-wise. I'm on the board of IVAA again. Yes, that makes me crazy ;) and I have gotten a few new awesome clients, so life is good. Been trying to make more time for myself and spending time with my friends. I love my kids, but sometimes it just has to be about you, ya know?

Jamie and Cassie are eagerly awaiting to hear who their teachers will be next year. They find out on Thursday when they do the 'Welcome Walk" - which means the teacher comes and knocks on your door, you spend a few minutes talking to them, they give you some stuff and then all the kids in the neighborhood meet outside to find out who got what teacher and who will be in the same class. Ah, the beauty of a small neighborhood school :)

They start back on August 25. I'm excited, but if I'm a little more truthful, I will also miss having them around. I am very lucky that I really like the people my children are. They are kind of fun to be around at this age. :)

Jamie is adorable. He's decided to let his hair grow out so looks like a surfer skater dude.

I already have contacted the principle and speech therapist for Cassie at the school. She has a slight speech impediment, she drops letter sounds completely. Most people can understand her (80% or so?) but it's hurting her writing (they are doing phonetic writing) - she writes it how SHE says it, not everyone else. Anyway, they are going to observe her and try some stuff in-class as well as at home before we do anything too formal. I think that's a good plan. She stopped responding to private therapy we had her in 2 years ago or so.

Anyway, here's an example... if you don't "get it", here is what she wrote:
tomio is the la se ov sool
i coe to mis miss lweis

Here is the translation:
Tomorrow is the last day of school.
I'm going to miss Miss Lewis.

I got a good one...

2009-08-08T18:53:00.002-05:00

I woke up this morning with the sprung spring in our mattress sticking me in the hip. I told Tom, "We are getting a new mattress today." I don't think he believed me, but I went with Jamie to Sam's Club for the usual and came home and told Tom I found one I liked, he needed to go test it out and bring it home if he liked it. He didn't do it and didn't do it. I think he thought I was kidding, but by 6pm, I had this...

... it was 100 degrees here in Austin and he still did it... gotta love that man! AND to boot, he came home and made his fabulous homemade pizza for dinner for him, myself, our two kids, and 2 kids that are spending the night.

Sometimes I feel awfully darn lucky. That could be the vicodin talking though... (don't ask)

My hubby cracks me up

2009-07-31T22:00:00.003-05:00

Someone asked me how Tom and I stay married and pretty happy. I think our ability to laugh (and his weird sense of humor) help, to be honest. We never take anything too seriously...

So, I was working on something earlier today and was trying to figure out what I wanted to say, so I was talking/thinking outloud. I said something like, "I have these people in Texas getting together, and I'm going to have..."

I'm thinking like reunion, cooperative, group, club, bunch, crowd...

Not Tom, who without missing a beat says, "A Chili Cook-Off!!"

The weird part? Yeah, he's probably right. Get a group of Texas folks together and someone's gonna make chili. It doesn't matter if it's 50 degrees outside or 110, someone's gonna do it.

The neighbors think we are crazy...

2009-07-30T10:00:00.002-05:00

Every Summer we do something that makes our neighbors think we are crazy. I just know they have to think we are insane...

This year we bought a new water slide. With 2.5 slides. The lady behind us gets extra water for her lawn (err.. or maybe mud), our neighbors send their kids to wear themselves out. For the record, the old slide lasted 2 years and was used a LOT, so I figure we got our money's worth. I also don't like to use a lot of camps or daycares so I figure I'd be spending the money there if not for something to keep them busy while I work. That's my own little way to make it "okay" in my head. LOL... so here ya go...

Yes, it's huge.

Cassie INSISTED that she be the first to come down the slide.

But Jamie wasn't too far behind!

The most expensive piece of paper in this house...

2009-07-29T10:00:00.001-05:00

(Congrats, babe!)

The fiercest dog EVER

2009-07-28T10:00:00.002-05:00

Leo is so scary! He protects the kids, we think... any time we even walk by their door, he starts barking up a storm. I came by one day and had my camera, he scampered up the big stuffed animal, up on top of the bed where the kids were and started howling and barking like I was a stranger with an Uzi.

I think this dog is a moron. No really. He hasn't figured out the pet door, he finally realized that when I say "treat" and drop something on the ground it's not poison. I don't remember Julie ever being such idiotic dog.

Sushi Girls!

2009-07-27T20:33:00.002-05:00

I forgot to take anything out for dinner tonight, so it was either spaghetti or we go out for dinner. I put my foot down and made them go with me to Momiji, this sushi/hibachi joint down the road from us. The kids weren't happy, but whatever...

Cassie ate 3 of my shrimp/asparagus roll pieces. Yay! She loved it! Just wait until she gets older, we have a sushi lunch and then go shopping. Err, if I liked to shop. Maybe we'll see a movie instead :)

She ended up only eating a few pieces of her hibachi...

On a serious note... So You Think You Can Dance

2009-07-26T20:06:00.003-05:00

Yes, I watch a lot of reality TV and most of it is silly, but sometimes something happens that touches me deeply. This is a beautiful tribute, a wonderfully danced piece of work. I know a few of you out there haven't seen it, so I wanted to share... it made me tear up.

You can donate to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Center by visiting http://ww5.komen.org/. Most of us have known someone that has been affected by breast cancer... anyway... enjoy this moving piece.

Visit to Rockport Aquarium

2009-07-26T10:03:00.003-05:00

While we were on vacation last month, we visited the Rockport Aquarium. Yes, that little town has it's own aquarium. It only had a few tanks, but it was worth stopping in (it's free and the volunteers there were SO nice). I only got one picture that was worth keeping, but that's okay, we had a great time!

Marie and Cassie fooling around

2009-07-25T18:43:00.003-05:00

Marie and Cassie wanted to make faces at the camera. I, of course, obliged. They had a great time and it was a great way to blow off some steam after a hectic vacation day!

Shell Beach photos from Key Allegro

2009-07-25T17:47:00.002-05:00

We had a short little walk from where we were staying on vacation last month to "shell beach". I don't know that I'd actually go swimming there as the waves break pretty hard, but it seemed to be where all the shells dumped on to. It was a great place to take the kids after dinner... we went several times actually...

I snapped a few photos, of course...

Jamie didn't pick up just any shell, he had to analyze which one he wanted and why.

Cassie, on the other hand, grabbed any shell that got her fancy. We later went through them and made her narrow down her choices. No need to take ALL the shells from the beach, other families will want some too. (hey, whatever works, she's 6)

The had a great time!

Pool photos from vacation

2009-07-25T17:44:00.002-05:00

Just a few more of the pool... I'm behind, as always, in going through photos. Trying to get better about that ;)

This is my nephew... He looks pretty serious about that water cannon!

Cassie just hanging out...

Tom and his sister doing the sibling thing... I had to get the kids out of the way... Tom is brutal with a pool noodle!

Heard from the Chisholm Trail

2009-07-07T20:09:00.001-05:00

Cassie: What's a covered wagon?

Tom: It was a very old-fashioned minivan

Heh.

Newest member of the family...

2009-06-29T12:45:00.003-05:00

Saturday night, I got a message from a friend that there was a chihuahua breeder that was being shut down down in San Marcos because of a city ordinance that said she couldn't raise dogs anymore. I'm not really sure of the whole situation, but basically the rescue group was coming to take what they could on Sunday and the rest would go to animal control on Monday. We've had Julie for 2.5 years now and had talked about getting a 2nd chihuahua, but never really sat down and looked up where/when/etc...

So, yeah, Tom jumped in the car Saturday night, drove to San Marcos and checked the place out. He came home with 7 month-old Leonardo Rojo-Boy (Leo for short). He's pretty nervous, I take it the past week has been rough. The best part is that every time Tom picks him up to take him outside, he pees on Tom. It's infinitely funny to me for some reason. Leo goes to the vet tomorrow for a check-up and to talk about getting him fixed. We are thinking he'll be a long-hair too.

In the meantime...

Here he is trying to hide under the edge of the cabinet in the kitchen. He does okay as long as you don't move or if he can follow Julie around (who has decided that if she ignores him, he will go away).

I guess he then decided to try to blend in among the colors....

... and here's Julie looking decidedly annoyed with the whole situation (actually we are glad she seems to be okay with it, they sniffed each other and she stalked off and that was that, we were worried she'd go ape like she does sometimes around other dogs)...