tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18623096761247249002024-03-13T21:09:01.847-07:00Leave it to the BeaversBrandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.comBlogger224125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-91744236254477889792014-02-26T11:07:00.002-08:002014-02-26T11:07:36.271-08:00That one time I read the Book of Mormon in 11 daysThis is a Longish story, but worth sharing.<br />
Once upon a time the Missionaries were over for dinner. We were talking about reading. If you know me well, you know that I do no allow myself to read because I get too involved in books and I forget important things like feeding my kids and sleeping. This was exactly what I was explaining to the Elders. Then one of the said, "imagine if you read the Book of Mormon the same way." I replied, "I could probably do it in a week." And that's how it all started....<br />
HOWEVER, you also know that I am the queen of procrastination. A long, long time went by. We challenged the young women to read the Book of Mormon by the end of 2013. I failed completely, and by failed I mean never even started. Yeah, not proud of that.<br />
Anyways, new year, new start, I've got this. I committed myself to the task. Yes friends, you read the title correctly. I read the Book of Mormon in 11. Honestly, it was a good experience, but I will never ever do it again.<br />
Most of it is a blur to me. I remember a few things here and there. I remember the familiar stories: Alma the younger, Nephi's adventures on land and sea, Ammon, the brother of Jared. A few verses here and there stood out to me. There was one that made me not feel bad about not understanding all the Isiah chapters. There were several mentions of pride and focusing on worldly treasures. I was impressed by the enthusiasm Ammon had as a missionary. <br />
The events at the very end of the Book of Mormon really made me think. The Jaredites went to war and fought until EVERYBODY died. It made me so sad to read that. The Nephites and Lamanites also fought until the only righteous person left was Moroni. I cannot even imagine what life was like for him. Then I realized that as wicked and scary as the world is today, it's not quite yet the end. I worry for my children and what the future holds for them.<br />
But the thing that stuck with me the absolute most was Moroni 10:32<br />
"Yea, <sup class="studyNoteMarker">a</sup><a class="footnote" href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng#" id="footnote56" rel="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/footnote?lang=eng&volumeUri=bofm&bookUri=moro&chapterUri=10&noteID=32a">come</a> unto Christ, and be <sup class="studyNoteMarker">b</sup><a class="footnote" href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng#" id="footnote57" rel="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/footnote?lang=eng&volumeUri=bofm&bookUri=moro&chapterUri=10&noteID=32b">perfected</a> in him, and <sup class="studyNoteMarker">c</sup><a class="footnote" href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng#" id="footnote58" rel="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/footnote?lang=eng&volumeUri=bofm&bookUri=moro&chapterUri=10&noteID=32c">deny</a> yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and <sup class="studyNoteMarker">d</sup><a class="footnote" href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng#" id="footnote59" rel="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/footnote?lang=eng&volumeUri=bofm&bookUri=moro&chapterUri=10&noteID=32d">love</a> God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be <sup class="studyNoteMarker">e</sup><a class="footnote" href="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/10?lang=eng#" id="footnote60" rel="https://www.lds.org/scriptures/footnote?lang=eng&volumeUri=bofm&bookUri=moro&chapterUri=10&noteID=32e">perfect</a> in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God."<br />
There are only two verses after this in the entire Book of Mormon, and it also happens to be this year's theme for the youth of the church. I know that this verse specifically was written for us, today. Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-59072820719768633642012-11-14T10:37:00.001-08:002012-11-14T10:37:30.338-08:00Personal Progress: Good Works #2Food planning and prep (yeah, that is what this one is all about)<br />
Ok, so as a teenager this experience would have been the death of me. Now, it's just part of my everyday life, so I shall list what I have learned about this through my mothering experiences.<br />
#1 Learn to cook before you get married, or have a patient husband. (Ask Jerry about the experimental chickens of our newly wed days)<br />
#2 Learn what food costs, so you aren't shocked on your first trip to the grocery store as a grown up. It also helps you know what really is a good "sale" price and what isn't.<br />
#3 Plan a menu and make a shopping list of what you will need to make those meals. Stick to the list, so you don't go over budget.<br />
#4 Never go to the grocery store hungry.<br />
#5 Always read the label of what you are buying. I have made this fail too many times: jalepeno olives, beef bacon, no sugar added nesquick<br />
#6 Set a timer (I often get distracted and remember something was in the oven only when I smell it burning)<br />
#7 Sometimes it is best to just walk away. What I mean is that you can't hover over hashbrowns if you want them to be brown.<br />
#8 Don't be afraid to try a new recipe. This is where I have found some of my favorite dinners.<br />
#9 Eat together as a family at the table. You talk, you laugh, you learn manners, your living room floor stays much cleaner, you are more likely to pray....good things<br />
#10 Teach manners to your children young. It's harder to teach them when they get older.<br />
Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-28199996187044035102012-11-14T10:24:00.002-08:002012-11-14T10:24:44.072-08:00Personal Progress: Good Works #6This is an easy one. 2hours of service outside of your home, and then tell y'all how awesome it is to serve.....<br />
Some how service is easier as an adult, or atleast it seems easier. My absolute most favorite service to do is feeding the missionaries. It gives me an excuse to make extra fancy things for dinner, and I love the spirit they bring into my home. On Halloween, I fed them navajo tacos. The missionaires are always happy to be fed, but for some reason they were extra excited about navajo tacos. It turned into a how many can you eat contest between one of the Elders and my husband. <br />
Anyways, feeding the missionaries is a fun easy service. If you haven't done it recently, you should.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-27207624098963652302012-11-12T09:32:00.001-08:002012-11-14T10:25:00.211-08:00Personal Progress: Knowledge #2This one was all about talents.<br />
Step 1: I have talents. It's true I do. I can sew. I can cook. I can craft. I can braid and braid and braid and braid. I can write. I can listen. I can forgive. See, I have talents.<br />
Step 2: Read the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30 in case you were wondering): As Polly Bottema once told me, "Don't hide you talents under a bushel"<br />
Step 3: (the actual story part) Pick a talent you want to develop. <br />
I decided to expand upon my hair doing skills, because you can never know enough hair styles.....to the pinterest....<br />
I learned a 5 strand braid and a 7 strand braid. I tried new things with Kadence's hair. I did a waterfall braid. I put braids in braids. And then there was the hairstyle of failure. I would show you the picture from pintrest, but it isn't on my board anymore. Anyways, I tried this hair style 3 different times and failed it 3 different times. Which brings me to the what I learned in this adventure....<br />
Some hairstyles I picked up quickly and easily. Others, like the fancy braids, took multiple tries. Just because you have a talent for something, doesn't mean it's going to be easy to do every time. You still have to put time and effort into making it work. Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-3914531299923085802012-11-12T09:18:00.000-08:002012-11-12T09:18:09.978-08:00Personal Progress: the explanation of this label Remember how I used to be in the primary a year ago when I was actually posting....yeah, not so much anymore. I am now in Young Women's. :) <br />
In case I have any nonmormon readers, Young Women's is an organization in our church where all the girls age 12-18 go. As a young women's leader, I teach lessons on sundays sometimes and attend wednessday night activities. It's fun stuff.<br />
One thing we do in young women's is personal progress. It's a program of goal setting that encourages the girls to build a closer relationship with their Heaven Father and Jesus Christ, discover who they are, use their talents, and various other wonderfully awesome things. I actually did finish the program when I was a teenager, and received my young women's medallion. However, since then the program has been changed and as a leader I am allowed to do the program with the girls and earn it again :)<br />
The new program involves alot of journaling. Since this is my journal, it only made since to me to put that stuff here. <br />
So....if you see the label Personal Progress that is what I am talking about.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-77910305615151041452012-09-05T12:29:00.000-07:002012-09-05T12:29:13.593-07:00The Lost dog adventureOk, since I haven't posted in a year my story needs back story:<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_X5dU-pSEZs/UEek6Yw31AI/AAAAAAAAA1k/5cAAwlTJu_4/s1600/IMG_0185.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_X5dU-pSEZs/UEek6Yw31AI/AAAAAAAAA1k/5cAAwlTJu_4/s320/IMG_0185.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
In aprilish we bought a dog. The little white fluffiness in the picture is him. (and the baby with the toothbrush...that's the evil beaver) He is a peek-a-poo. We named him peek-a-boo. <br />
Ok back story done.<br />
So sunday afternoon I took peek-a-boo out to go potty. The next door neighbor's dog Corona was out, and he folllowed her out into the forest. 10 minutes later Corona comes back, but peek-a-boo does not. We walked all over the neighborhood and through the forest looking for him. I even called animal control to see if they had seen him.We even made signs. No peek-a-boo. BTW, people think you are kindof weird when you walk around the neighborhood yelling peek-a-boo.<br />
Tuesday morning, animal control called me back to see if he was still missing and I said he was. Then I returned the brand new bag of dog food I bought last Friday because I was almost out. Less than an hour later there was a knock on my door. A neighbor had found my dog behind her back yard. His ears had gotten tangled in a barbed wire fence. I went to pick him up, but she was gone, so I left a note.<br />
A few hours later she finally called me back. Because he had the barbed wire stuck between his ears she had taken him to animal control, so they could take him to the vet. So I went over to animal control and picked him up. They seemed surprised to see me. I was surprised that they hadn't called me. After all, I was on their list of missing dogs. Anyways....they all liked my dog alot and seemed kindof bummed out that I was going to bail him out, but I think they will be ok.<br />
And that is how our dog got lost and found.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-75876865293947827342011-10-24T20:43:00.000-07:002011-10-24T20:43:11.474-07:00Agreeing to disagreeThere is an epic battle brewing at my house, and it goes a little something like this:<br />
I go somewhere, come home, and pull the van into the driveway because that is how it should be done.<br />
Then Jerry gets in the van to go somewhere, backs it out, complains about the traffic, comes home, and backs the van into the driveway because that is how it should be done.<br />
In my defense: I RARELY have to wait to back out of the driveway because a car is coming. And I really don't get why it is so important to back the van into driveway. Seems like a waste of time to me. All I can guess is it's because he is a man.<br />
In his defense: He ALWAYS has to wait to back out of the driveway because a car is coming. He really doesn't get why I think backing the van into the driveway is so to do. (I think he thinks he is doing me some kindof service by backing the van in)<br />
So, if you drive by our house and the van is pointed towards the house you know I was the last to drive. If it is pointed towards the street, Jerry was the last to drive. Currently we are agreeing to disagree.<br />
Yeah, it's a battle about nothing, but that's marraige for you.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-56551512149291587152011-10-17T07:56:00.000-07:002011-10-18T05:24:31.711-07:00The crib and the junk drawer (or lack thereof)Growing up we always had a "junk drawer". You know, that one drawer that gathers all the stuff in your house that has no where else to go and once a year or so you clean it out and wonder what all that crap is and how it got there. Yeah, the "junk drawer".....I don't have one of those. Probably becuase my current kitchen has a total of 3 drawers.<br />
So, instead of gathering all my junk in a drawer I strategically place it on my "computer desk". I say it's a computer desk, but it hasn't had a computer on it for more than a year and a half. Anyways, because I can see all my crap I clean it more often.<br />
About 6 months ago, I bought a crib from a friend. I took it apart and took it up stairs to store it until I actually needed it. In the process of taking it apart, one of those little pieces that holds the side up fell off, so I sat it on the desk where I would be sure to remember it. That's where I went wrong.<br />
Just before Jerry came home, I decided to clean off my "computer desk". I found the little white piece and couldn't figure out what it was. I put it back, and asked Jerry when he got home. Naturally, he didn't know what it was either.<br />
Part of me thinks I put it somewhere where I wouldn't lose it because it "looked important" but chances are I threw it away.<br />
This wouldn't be a big deal except that you can't buy a replacement part from the manufacture anymore because of some "safety notice" or something like that. Infact, they are offering me $20 to destroy my crib.<br />
Seriously, is there any baby product out there that hasn't been recalled? This is getting a little out of control.<br />
Update: I found a crib on campbell yard sales for $25 and bought it. Which can only mean that I will definitely find the part for the other crib in less than a week. ;)Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-40955327622179107972011-10-05T09:32:00.000-07:002011-10-05T09:32:56.654-07:00Why I haven't been bloggingI forget that not all of y'all do the facebook thing, so incase you have been wondering this is why I haven't been blogging lately:<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-peL01eGdNY4/ToyEE_sL3qI/AAAAAAAAAzE/BMxCFUFpw-g/s1600/DSC02594.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-peL01eGdNY4/ToyEE_sL3qI/AAAAAAAAAzE/BMxCFUFpw-g/s320/DSC02594.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sAymwdzIKQQ/ToyERZUr4JI/AAAAAAAAAzI/vzxqyuoYTzw/s1600/DSC02596.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-sAymwdzIKQQ/ToyERZUr4JI/AAAAAAAAAzI/vzxqyuoYTzw/s320/DSC02596.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qU5P977_ZjM/ToyEhUa5tpI/AAAAAAAAAzM/WBIG1pMwPvw/s1600/DSC02606.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qU5P977_ZjM/ToyEhUa5tpI/AAAAAAAAAzM/WBIG1pMwPvw/s320/DSC02606.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_cIWNHIHQA/ToyFDT1PDaI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/TCgsD0Tb9Oo/s1600/DSC02621.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-K_cIWNHIHQA/ToyFDT1PDaI/AAAAAAAAAzQ/TCgsD0Tb9Oo/s320/DSC02621.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IdsGtoeHQH4/ToyFPYliynI/AAAAAAAAAzU/RVdQwbmHZQ8/s1600/DSC02650.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-IdsGtoeHQH4/ToyFPYliynI/AAAAAAAAAzU/RVdQwbmHZQ8/s320/DSC02650.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N31uwRPX_xM/ToyFd4gFbSI/AAAAAAAAAzY/tEE4LsAaUU0/s1600/DSC02651.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-N31uwRPX_xM/ToyFd4gFbSI/AAAAAAAAAzY/tEE4LsAaUU0/s320/DSC02651.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0I4OT9xZ2vs/ToyFrlxUpKI/AAAAAAAAAzc/1h6Z782q7l4/s1600/DSC02660.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0I4OT9xZ2vs/ToyFrlxUpKI/AAAAAAAAAzc/1h6Z782q7l4/s320/DSC02660.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CEwuJXJ4_g8/ToyF6Q4ExAI/AAAAAAAAAzg/l68C9NRQhDc/s1600/DSC02664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-CEwuJXJ4_g8/ToyF6Q4ExAI/AAAAAAAAAzg/l68C9NRQhDc/s320/DSC02664.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-82hxVWGsmzg/ToyGGj3MqvI/AAAAAAAAAzk/4srDjvsz9TY/s1600/DSC02671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-82hxVWGsmzg/ToyGGj3MqvI/AAAAAAAAAzk/4srDjvsz9TY/s320/DSC02671.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LXLDgk2qon0/ToyGauA1QYI/AAAAAAAAAzo/6se8T-KSatg/s1600/DSC02681.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LXLDgk2qon0/ToyGauA1QYI/AAAAAAAAAzo/6se8T-KSatg/s320/DSC02681.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Well, that and a bunch of other stuff I didn't take pictures of.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-51715039789122954862011-10-04T19:12:00.000-07:002011-10-04T19:12:53.953-07:00In the forest.....Caibo: Mom I looked and looked all through the forest, but I couldn't find Jade.<br />
Me: Did you find the bear? (He thinks there is a bear in our 100 ft strip of forest)<br />
Caibo: No<br />
Me: Did you find bigfoot?<br />
Caibo: No Mom!!! Bigfoot likes the water. We don't have water in the forest, not even in the ditch.<br />
<br />
So, just in case you were wondering, if you are looking for bigfoot, check near the water.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-90601211495348189842011-08-24T10:58:00.000-07:002011-08-24T10:58:48.642-07:00Confession: We had a fight over R&RYes, you read the title correctly. Believe it or not, R&R was not 2 weeks of complete bliss, but that's the reality of marraige. Isn't it? Anyways, the point of this is that maybe just maybe I won't have to explain my point of view on this to people for yet the 100th time.<br />
So if you remember back to Februaryish I was in a frantic state of cleaning. Mr. B was coming home and I wanted everything to be PERFECT. I succeeded too. The house sparkled and shined. The kids were clean and well groomed. I even managed to find the mostest wonderful new dress to wear to impress him. I was so proud of me.<br />
Insert reality: I only wore my fancy dress twice while he was here and my sparkly clean house was soon covered by the contents of his backpack. Seriously, how did he get so much stuff in there? I was still proud of me though. Until.....<br />
On the way to Florida, Mr. B confessed to me that he was a little weired out by the extreme cleanliness of our house. He even went as far as to say that it all felt fake (btw, fake is pretty much the worst thing you can call me). I was devestated. All I had wanted to do was make him happy and proud of me. <br />
The great thing about have time apart is that time gives you perspective. I know I am about to sound absolutely out of my mind crazy to some of you, but he was right. The reality of the matter is that, in the grand scheme of things, it isn't going to matter if my house sparkles and shines, if I have the perfect outfit, or if every hair is in just the right place when he gets home. What matters to him is that I am still here and that I am as happy to see him as he is to see me.<br />
Yes, Mr B. will be home very soon, and I am very excited. However, I have not purchased a fancy new outfit and I am not frantically shining every surface in my house. The house will be at a normal state of clean. There might be a dirty dish in the sink. There will probably be an unfolded basket of laundry somewhere in the living room. The walls will definitely need washed. And believe it or not, the world will not come to an end. It will still be an awesome day and we will all be happy because we will be together again.<br />
Honestly, I like it better this way. It's alot less stressful.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-38812105603058058652011-08-23T13:49:00.000-07:002011-08-23T13:49:36.680-07:00And now....A word about fundraisersMy kids have been in school for just barely 2 weeks. Today they brought home their SECOND fundraiser. Yes, I really did just say second. First they brought home the little coupon card things. Then today they brought home the cookie dough fundraiser thing. Really?!?<br />
*This is me hopping up onto my soapbox*<br />
First of all, I want you to know that I completely support the idea of earning extra money for our schools. I will support bake sales, carnivals, and probably even a raffle (eventhough I never win). I even collect the little box tops for education. But that is where I draw the line.<br />
Why fundraisers are evil:<br />
Somebody comes into my child's classroom and tells them that they are doing a fundraiser for (insert worthy cause here) and tells them why this is such a great cause and how awesome it will be to help people and blah, blah, blah......<br />
Then they hand them an envelope full of brightly colored advertisments and MOST IMPORTANTLY the little sheet that says if they sell one item they will "earn" a 25cent icecream cone and if they sell 1000 they can "earn" a cheap I-pod knock off and every dollar store toy underneath it on the sheet.<br />
By the time my children make it to me I am doomed.<br />
I think it was the "jump rope for heart" fundraiser that pushed me over the edge. Honestly, the idea of getting a prize for raising money for charity that drives me crazy. Isn't giving to those in need enough anymore? <br />
So, I made a deal with my kids. If they don't make me sell or buy (insert crazy fundraiser item here), I will take them to the DQ and get a better icecream cone than the one they would have "earned" for selling 1 item. <br />
And rest assured that I will not be asking you to buy a coupon book, cookie dough, wrapping paper, bag of nuts, whatever......However, if you like the girl scout cookies, hit me up the first of the year and I will hook you up. I do have a girl scout.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-90183126737550661282011-08-15T21:17:00.000-07:002011-08-15T21:17:37.754-07:00Sorry, no clever titleI went to my regularly scheduled Dr. appointment this morning. You know they one. They weigh you, measure you, listen to your baby's heart rate, and 15 minutes later they send you home. After the nurse asked me her standard list of questions (the ones they ask every visit to verify that I am not depressed or being domestically abused), she handed me a piece of paper with the date and time for my next appointment. 1500 (3pm if you don't speak army)?!?!?!? Ummmm....not physically possible. That is when I am retrieving my children from school. So as I am explaining to the nurse that unless someone invents teleportation in the next month then she is going to have to reschedule my appointment it occurs to me<br />
by the time I have my next appointment I SHOULD have a husband again. Whoa!!! Has it really been a year already?Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-15842465804555848152011-07-14T20:31:00.000-07:002011-07-14T20:44:07.930-07:00The return of the best question ever<div>When Caibo was about 2 years old, Jade got to thinking (she's a thinker that one) and asked me, "You know how you went to the hospital and got Caibo out of your tummy....Can I see the hole?" At the time she was only 4 and I was able to avoid the question. Thank goodness!!</div><br /><br /><div>Well this morning we were getting an ultrasound done (yes, again). Caibo kept asking me when they were going to cut my tummy open. I guess when I told him that we were going to see the baby today he assumed that they would pull the baby out , look at it, and then put it back in. I explained that they weren't ever going to cut my tummy open. Then they both asked, "So how are you going to get it out?"</div><br /><br /><br /><div>Yep, the best question ever is back.</div><br /><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5629419355733941874" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LJlMf_SoCck/Th-3E_463nI/AAAAAAAAAzA/-DaSEn9uH_k/s320/BEAVERBRANDI20110714103113826.jpg" /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div>P.S. The baby still doesn't believe in stretching out. Here's another picture to illustrate that for you and because why not.</div><br /><br /><br /><div></div><br /><br /><br /><div></div>Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-8047033793004489582011-07-08T14:36:00.000-07:002011-07-08T14:47:20.781-07:00Tales from the laundry room: the bleaching banditLaundry is not my strong point. Never was. Never will be. Mount Landry in the corner of my living room will confirm this fact. Although lately, I have been pretty good at keeping things clean and dried (just not folded or put away). I have been so good at this that the other day I went to fill the washer with my dirty clothes and did not have enough to make a full Load. I'm not sure why, but I cannot justify running the washing machine if it is not full. So, I left the clothes there and completely forgot about them. A couple days later I remembered and finished the load. No big deal........<br />Or atleast that is what I thought until I started pulling things out of the dryer. My purple shirt is now spotted (as in sploches of bleached out completely) and so is my black one and my red one and Jade's pink one (not distraught about the pink one it also had a mustard stain). That right there is pretty much half of my wardrobe, and it is now unwearable.<br />So I asked the kids if the had put anything into the washing machine. Of course, nobody did it. Finally today out of no where Caibo confessed to putting the bleach in the washing machine. I can't really be mad about it because he was just trying to help, but if it ever happens again.....<br />he has been warned.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-13373510846294127372011-07-04T12:43:00.000-07:002011-07-04T12:52:13.013-07:00This falls under the category of overachievingSometimes the deployment forces me to put my big girl pants on and do things that I don't think should be part of my job. This is one of those stories.<br />I have been waiting 3 months for the propane tank on my (yes it is MINE) BBQ grill to magically refill itself. Do you know what? That doesn't happen :(<br />Finally I gave in and drove down to the convenience store and traded my empty tank in for a full one. I even hooked up the new tank all by myslef, and nothing blew up. Yeah, I am that good.<br />Well now, I have a BBQ grill and no meat or atleast that's how it was until this morning. I took my two whiny kids down to the comissary. We bought meat and lots and lots of other things. (The commissary is a trap kindof like the walmart. Leaving the store without spending less than $150 is considered a miracle.)<br />Then we came home and I divided up my meat into meal sized ziplock baggies and put the marinades in with them and threw them into the freezer. I even wrote on them, so I knew what was in each bag. That for me would be considered overachieving.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-20251597178130807552011-07-03T21:39:00.000-07:002011-07-03T21:51:52.200-07:00Photographic proof<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oi82SschOkQ/ThFEiYaK7hI/AAAAAAAAAy4/8_crugPV6L8/s1600/BEAVERBRANDI20110628145043667.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625352767020920338" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-oi82SschOkQ/ThFEiYaK7hI/AAAAAAAAAy4/8_crugPV6L8/s320/BEAVERBRANDI20110628145043667.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><div><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDAlhx3g2jo/ThFEiUvs1BI/AAAAAAAAAyw/zVy95Ui_JFY/s1600/BEAVERBRANDI20110628144841347.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5625352766037480466" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xDAlhx3g2jo/ThFEiUvs1BI/AAAAAAAAAyw/zVy95Ui_JFY/s320/BEAVERBRANDI20110628144841347.jpg" /></a><br /><br />There it is.....the 3rd smiley. No, we do not know if it is a boy or a girl yet, so it will do no good to ask. Since Jerry is deployed right now, we decided to wait until he comes back so we can find out together.</div><br /><div>The whole ultrasound experience was kindof funny. I was actually out in Utah on vacation (btw, I went to Utah for a month) when I hit the 20 week mark, so I had to wait until I got home to do the ultrasound. Because I had just spent a month in the desert, hydration wasn't exactly working for me. I ended up having to drink 5 glasses of water compare to the usual 3. In case you were wondering, 5 glasses of water is not a pleasant experience. </div><br /><div>They finally got me hydrated enough to see the things they needed to see, and as you can see from the second photo the baby decided not to cooperate. I am pretty sure it is impossible to tuck those legs any tighter into the chest. That's how it was most of the time. The poor tech had to move the table so my head was lower than my feet to get the baby to stretch out. Yep, good times.<br /></div><br /><div></div>Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-29602345126478802962011-07-03T21:01:00.000-07:002011-07-03T21:27:56.380-07:00Tales from Sacrament meeting....I could have easily skipped out on sacrament today. It was 20 min before it started, my hair was not done, my bag was not packed, yeah....I wasn't exactly ready. Anyways, I put my shoulder to the wheel and got us ready and out the door. We made it to sacrament meeting half way through the opening hymn. (not too shabby if I di say so myself) I am not sure why, but the overflow was not open. The only place left to sit was on the very front row. You know, the middle one right in front of the Bishopric.<br />Surprisingly, the kids were very good through the meeting. Jade filled two pieces of paper with doodles, and Caibo rested while evil Beaver kicked the back of his head.<br />The closing Hymn was America the Beautiful. Everyone stood to sing it. Caibo was not amused. I tried and tried to get him to stand, but he refused. Finally I gave up and let him sit down. I glanced down at him a couple of times, and he was just glaring. It seriously looked like he wanted to hurt someone (Sorry Bishopric. He wasn't mad at you just the song choice).<br />So, if you saw me laughing during the closing hymn in sacrament meeting today, that is why. You would have laughed if you had seen the look on his face, too.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-75897406663363219142011-05-10T19:47:00.000-07:002011-05-10T19:57:04.955-07:00This is what happens when you suck at keeping secrets.Confession: On a scale of 1 to 10 my ability to keep a secret is probably a 2. It's true. I can't keep a secret. I can't pull off a surprise. I just talk to much, that's all.<br />So, that is why I haven't blogged in (lowers head in shame) 2 months and 4 days. I have been keeping a secret, and since I know that I talk too much I figured silince was the best policy.<br />I suppose you are wondering what this secret might be. According to things I found on google, it is now safe to tell you all that I am pregnant. Yes, I know I have said millions of times that I was completely done having children, but somewhere between here and there I changed my mind. Honestly, I can't tell you why. It was just time.<br />Sooo.....coming early November 2011 (hoping for 11/11/11 or even 11/12/11 but it's probably not happening) is evil Beaver #3 aka Smiley #3. Eventually, one day, I promise to give this child a real nameBrandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-48091052325848074722011-03-06T08:22:00.000-08:002011-03-06T08:32:34.504-08:00R&R Story #2--The snowSo Monday morning came, and I am a mean mom, so I made my kids go to school, and did what I do best. Yes, I went back to bed. I woke up a while later to the sound of my from ringing. School was getting out early. I looked out the window and what did I see? No, no popcorn, but it was white. It was snowing. We spent the day watching the snow and packing to go on our trip to Florida.<br />Tuesday morning we got up, loaded the van up and were on our way. The snow was gone by the time we hit nashville. I guess that wasn't the end of the snow in Clarksville though. Every night for our first week, we got a call from the school saying there would be no school. Normally, I would protest this many snow days, but this time it worked to our advantage.<br />You see, CMCSS (or whatever they are) has a pretty strict attendence policy, and my kids had already missed 5 days a piece. I went into to the school to find out what I needed to do to excuse the absences for our trip to Florida. After much research they found out that the policy is to only excuse 5 days for R&R. LAME!!! We had planned to be gone for 10.<br />So eventhough my friends back in Clarksville we terribly annoyed at the snow, this is the snow storm that saved me from going to truancy court.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-50217065205819025312011-03-04T13:20:00.000-08:002011-03-04T13:32:49.996-08:00R&R Story #1--The surpriseIf you remember from back in the day, Mr. B was pretty determined that he was going to surprise us for his R&R. The bank account revealing his whereabouts kindof ruined that up for him, but he still tried. Just in case, I went on a massive house cleaning rampage so everything would sparkle and shine when he got here. I talked to him Sunday morning before church. He was in the US but still not sure that I would need to pick him up from the airport.<br />Finally, I decided that I was done playing the "I don't know" game. I put on my new dress, got all fancy, got the kids ready, and went to church. He called me I assume from the runway in Atlanta and told me that he did need me to come pick him up in Nashville while I was hanging out with the nursery kids. My awesome friend (Thanks Sam!!!) volunteered to watch the kids while I went to get him. I told the kids I had to go "pick something up for daddy" in Nashville. Then I started my drive to Nashville. I was not even out of Clarksville, when Mr. B called and said that he had just landed. Ummmm....Really?? Not much I could do at that point, so he had to wait. I went and retreived him, dropped him off at home, and then went to pick up the kids. Jade was super curious about what a had gone to get from Nashville. When she walked into the house, she saw a pillow on the couch. She picked it up, "Mom, really?!? you drove to Nashville for a pillow??? Couldn't you have gotten that from Walmart??" This was the point where she turned around and saw her daddy sitting on the stairs. To describe her as excited would be an understatement. Had I been on task I would have made a video of this event, but I wasn't so there isn't one.<br />Where was Caibo during this whole adventure? He was getting a hotdog out of the fridge completely oblivious to it all.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-25479641096799046642011-03-04T07:37:00.000-08:002011-03-04T08:00:09.240-08:00Dear So and So: Half Way FridayOnce again, Friday has snuck up on me. This time it's a good thing. Yep, today is half way Friday. Half way to what? The return of Mr. B. In celebration, I bring you some Dear So and So. Mostly because I love Dear So and So.<br />Anyways......<br />Dear City of Clarksville,<br />What exactly is the point of having tornado sirens if, "The siren system is not designed to be heard inside every home."? Also by "every home" I think you mean most homes. According to<a href="http://www.cityofclarksville.com/siren.php"> your map</a>, I am smack in the middle of 4 of your sirens, and I have never heard one.<br />Sincerely,<br />Mrs. B (just not hearing it)<br /><br />Dear 2nd grade teacher,<br />If you expect me to help my daughter with her research paper, I expect communication from you as to what she needs to be researching. I am not going to put my 7 year old on google and let her "research" to her hearts content.<br />Sincerely,<br />Mrs. B (over protective internet mother)<br /><br />Dear Troop (actually I don't know what number it is),<br />How can we be out of thin mints already?<br />Sincerely,<br />Mrs. B (cookie problem solver extraordinaire)<br /><br />Dear Facebook Friends,<br />Just to be fair, I wanted to let you know that I play Zuma, Bejewled, and Pathwords. I will ignore all other requests.<br />Sincerely,<br />Mrs. B (not playing Texas Hold em poker)<br /><br />Ok, that's all I have for today. Happy Half way day!!!Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-90238723565913747102011-02-23T21:13:00.001-08:002011-02-23T21:35:10.230-08:00Catching up that photo thingy<div>I was taking pictures all along. I just never posted them, so I will now. Ok?<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577120526014651586" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ixW8i_S4X6Q/TWXpkc6knMI/AAAAAAAAAxk/wwOhQ_OJhm8/s320/DSC01675.JPG" />Week 3: Sharing the brownie batter beater (say that 3 times fast)<br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LXXZfd47IhQ/TWXpZ260LqI/AAAAAAAAAxc/sXTrpxRRHRs/s1600/DSC01702.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577120344016432802" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LXXZfd47IhQ/TWXpZ260LqI/AAAAAAAAAxc/sXTrpxRRHRs/s320/DSC01702.JPG" /></a> Week 4: When life gives you a snow day, make a blanket fort</div><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SeliswwBL3M/TWXsrXDqf0I/AAAAAAAAAyM/gu0JP0rKEvI/s1600/DSC01723.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577123943236140866" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-SeliswwBL3M/TWXsrXDqf0I/AAAAAAAAAyM/gu0JP0rKEvI/s320/DSC01723.JPG" /></a> Week 5: I found theese folded together. Someone owes me 10 cents<br /><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QKBI_HDT7io/TWXsrs5p35I/AAAAAAAAAyU/W4oOC0Y7Q9Q/s1600/DSC01729.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577123949099736978" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-QKBI_HDT7io/TWXsrs5p35I/AAAAAAAAAyU/W4oOC0Y7Q9Q/s320/DSC01729.JPG" /></a> Week 6: Don't let them fool you. They are freezing.</div><div align="center"><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577122507164556146" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-dSADaoWCvN0/TWXrXxRhG3I/AAAAAAAAAx8/tr5LKjgfy1Q/s320/DSC01771.JPG" /> Week 7: Elevator lottery-- Jade wins<br /></div><div align="center"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5577122511572048530" border="0" alt="" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--odXmoCPX5g/TWXrYBsWGpI/AAAAAAAAAyE/ngaCOLUDcXk/s320/DSC01794.JPG" /></div><div align="center">Week 8: quick family pic before he got on his plane</div><div align="center"> </div><div align="left">And now: I am all caught up. Yay!!<br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div align="center"></div></div>Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-27362666543486472582011-02-23T13:22:00.001-08:002011-02-23T13:48:28.707-08:00Is it earrings or ear rings?This is kindof a long story, but if you don't understand the history of the situation it doesn't make sense.<br />Long, long ago I mentioned to my husband that I wanted some new earrings. We went online and browsed. I found lots and lots that I liked, but he said I couldn't have earring for Christmas. Thinking that I wasn't getting any, I bought a pair I liked on ebay. When the earrrings from ebay arrived, he was upset. I was confused. It wasn't like I had spent too much money or anything (If I remember right, they were less than $10 shipped). What I didn' know was that he had gone to the jewelry store and bought me fancy earrings. So, that was the great earring battle of long, long ago. Moral of the story: "You can't have that" means "I am going to buy that to surprise you"<br />After that, I was pretty sure I would never be receiving jewelry from my husband ever again. A couple of Christmases later we were shopping for the kids and he had me pick out a pair of earrings at the walmart. Christmas morning came and I opened the earrings I had chosen, except they weren't the earrings I had chosen. He had switched them out for a cute little pair of diamond stud earrings. I LOVED them. He was excited because they were "upgradable". Random Brandi fact: I do not like big jewelry AT ALL. I had zero interest in upgrading my earrings ever, and in order to prevent this from happening I rarely take them out.<br />Ok history lesson over.<br />Last Sunday we were at a friend's house when I noticed I had lost my earring. When Mr. B found out he was excited. This meant that he finally got to buy me bigger earrings (Seriously, I haven't taken these things our for literally years.) Monday, while we were out and about running errands, he took me to a jewelry store where we met the most annoying sales person ever.<br />Things to know about me and jewelry shopping: 1) I might not look like it but I am almost 29 years old. Unless you are related to me, don't call me sweetheart 2) When I say that I don't ever want 3/4 carrot diamonds in my ears I am 100% serious 3) I don't care what S V I or whatever the diamond is rated as long as it is sparkly I am good 4) I don't require some weird certificate or whatever 5) I have expensive taste, but I will never like a pair of earrings as much as I like $600 6) I am not a fan of "protection plans"<br />Needless to say we did not buy earrings from the evil sales lady. We did check out a couple of other stores, but never found a pair that I just had to have.<br />Besides, we all lived happily ever after because that very same night Jade found the earring I had lost.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1862309676124724900.post-40497455943598567462011-02-04T11:02:00.000-08:002011-02-04T11:06:08.515-08:00and one more thingCaibo said to me yesterday, "Mom guess who I have a crush on." After I finally guessed who it was (I would tell you who, but I can't spell it), I asked him if she was cute. He responded, "No, she doesn't get fancy." So, I asked if she was pretty. He blushed and replied shyly "Yeah."<br />So, according to Caibo, you have to get fancy to be cute, but you don't have to be cute to be pretty.<br /><br />Ok, now I probably should go tackle my to do list.Brandi Beaverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15862420913161394740noreply@blogger.com0