They're Creepy and They're Kookey, The Beebs Family!

It is time for Halloween 2011 construction! Yes, we have to start the process early, because last year we went all out, and this year we plan on making it better. We sort of screwed ourselves with last years theme because the Mad Lab was pretty dope. We had crowds of people taking turns checking out our display. Now everyone wants to know how we are going to top it. Well, Beebs has been working on a few things since last year that I must say take The Lab from neat to awesome. Being a geek genius really helps. He has ideas that most sci-fi movie sets would love to pay for. Maybe geekiness is in the eye of the beholder, but I am pretty sure that if you saw our Mad Lab garage last year, you know what I am talking about. It is really hard to describe all the wondrously Mad things we had going on in our Lab, but the realistic jello brain was just the parsley on the plate. The main course was a life size zombie-ish guy on a torture rack. He was hooked up to all sorts of gruesome things, not to mention the realistic electrocution sound and light show that made him seem almost real. Body parts, and glowing, oozing substances aside, we honestly didn't expect the surge of onlookers that we received. We just love to see all the cute kiddos in costume, and to pass out copious amounts of candy. Last year, I believe was the beginning of a legacy of delightfully gory displays.

Just a taste of what's to come!! Muwahahahaha!!!

This year in order to extend the Halloween mayhem, I am planning a birthday party for my friend and myself since we happen to share the same birthday. The planned shin-dig is only a little more than a month away, so we have our work cut out for us! Any one know where I can score some realistic body parts on the cheap?

How much per pound does this cost??

Even though we are greenlight on gruesome, the Fa-la-la-la-la holiday is right behind it, and that takes as much, if not more preparation and work. I decided to be pro-active this year and come up with a feasable and affordible Christmas. Sadly, I have still not won the lottery, so I am coming up with more meaningful handmade items for the majority of my "nice" list. This past year Beebs and I have learned how to make our own soaps, and hope to branch out to body washes and lotions. I also sewed a purse. Now these are minor achievements, but I hope that we will be able to turn them in to a Christmas gifting boon this year. For the naughty, well, my puppy Hans is working on thier "gifts". (I am mostly just kidding. Ha!)

What list do you belong on??? (this isn't Hans by the way!)

Other than planning and prepping for The Gauntlet, which is the period between Oct and Feb that contains no less than 6 family birthdays and 6 major holidays, we have been busy enough at work, and regular life. This week was my nephew's first week in first grade. He is growing up so fast, and it makes me sad. Yesterday he was a tiny little wrinkled old man looking baby, and today he is zooming around us talking and thinking faster than we can keep up with. He is missing two baby teeth already, and a third is loose. He is even already mapping out his adult life. Just last weekend he was informing me that he plans on marrying at 25, and he will already be done working by then so he will have time to play with his jet skis and boats. We he is done with that, he will come home to his good wife. I asked him what makes her a good wife, and he said because while he is taking a shower, she will cook him dinner, and he will help her clean the kitchen. Sigh. My little romantic redneck tugs at my heart strings. He thinks that kissing is "marrying", and a good wife cooks you dinner after a long day at playing boats and jet skis. I imagine, since his mommy does exactly that for his daddy, that is what he thinks a good relationship is. This pleases me to no end, because while he is unable to understand the intracate workings of being married, he already recognises that in a good relationship there is support, and teamwork.

That kid blows my mind. I know that even though I don't want him to grow up so quickly, I am truly excited to see exactly who he will be. Already he is so dynamic and powerful in our world. I know that is a biased opinion from a doting Auntie, but I feel that way with all my neices and nephews. They have wonderful things ahead of them, and I am excited to see it all. For now, I will do what Aunties do best and spoil them as much and as often as I can.

Something I have learned from Being Married

There are times when you just won't be understood by your significant other. There will be times your reasoning makes no sense to your significant other. Honestly, the longest fought battles are the ones where you are trying to explain your opinion to your husband or wife. While your ideas may make perfect sense to you, it often sounds like gibberish and monkey noises coming out of your mouth. I have been told several times it is because men think logically, and women think emotionally. While I will admit to being overly emotional at times, I cannot say that men think logically. By reading the definition of the word logic, I realized that this is utter B.S.

log·i·cal  (lj-kl)

adj.

1. Of, relating to, in accordance with, or of the nature of logic.

2. Based on earlier or otherwise known statements, events, or conditions; reasonable.

3. Reasoning or capable of reasoning in a clear and consistent manner.

I am pretty sure men don't corner the market on being reasonable.  I would also put large amounts of money on the fact that a man declared that men think logically, and women think emotionally. I am not saying women are better than men in this respect, I am just saying the playing field is equal. Some of the most logical and rational people I know are women. I know a handful of emotional males too. This assessment of the sexes is antiquated, and ridiculous. A man is just as likely to start a fight out of jealousy, as he is if he is defending himself. Just because most women can say, "I was pissed because I was jealous." doesn't make her any less logical or any more emotional. My new stance on the way men a women think, is that most of the time, neither makes sense.

Just because it is mostly helpless cause, doesn't mean you should give up. When you give up trying to understand your spouse, or significant other, then you stop caring. We don't want that. Sometimes hand signals and morse code can help. But mostly they hear monkey noises. Promise. 

Oooo-oooo ahhhhh ahhhh ahhhhhh!!!

What counts in making a happy marriage is not so much how

compatible you are, but how you deal with incompatibility.

Leo Tolstoy

<3

Now All I Need Is A Pretty, Pretty Pony

I love to cook. I love to eat what I cook more. Food tends to be a key point of happiness in my life. It isn't just the comfort of eating it, but the process of making something to feed myself and my family that is made by my hand, and knock your socks off good. I would love to open a restaurant, but I would refuse to make the same thing two days in a row. No set menus, ever. I would call it "Beebs Sorpresa!" and every day would be something different. The menu would be written on a paper napkin, because I have class like that. Also, no two batches of something will be alike, because like my mom, and my grandmother I use the dash, pinch, a little, and alot measurements. 

I hate fractions, so I buy these.

But really, if I didn't make the same thing the next day, would you honestly remember exactly what something tasted like the last time I made it? As long as the ingredients remain about the same, I'll bet money you can't tell me if my noodle caboodle has 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder or a pinch (1/2 teaspoon). Professional tasters don't dine in my home. Although I do fancy myself a chocolate expert. (If you should ever need a chocolate taster, don't hesitate to give me a call! )

This is oddly appropriate and rather gross. For the love of chocolate!

Talking about food, and thinking about food reminds me that I am about to take a 6 week journey to cut out the added salt, fat, sugar, and other processed foods. I am starting off slow and easy, especially since my customers (my husband and his brother) are not out to get healthy with me. I mean really who wants to purposely eat ground turkey breast with a half a handful of brown rice and a load of veggies with no salt or fat to help ease your pain? Also, no sugar means no chocolate, and that is criminal. But things must be done, and I will get over it. In two months I will be 31, and I mean to be down a couple dress sizes by then. What a better way to celebrate my birthday than to go shopping!?

I have already submitted my birthday request to my husband. I truly want for nothing personal. I have my stupendously huge kindle, a rotten puppy dog, pots pans, and the like. If he gets me another crockpot or bottle of perfume, he is doomed. So this year, I have asked to have the nasty disgusting carpet ripped from our room. He jokingly said he would replace it with white linoleum. I would actually prefer it to what we have. I had the worst idea ever when I decided to put carpet in our bedroom. Our animals have not been kind to it. Not to mention my lofty ideas of having my room look like a beach and buying "sand" colored carpet. Oh woe is the naive first time home owner.I promise I will nevah evah ask for wall to wall carpet in another room as long as I shall live.

In other household news, we are finally reaching the end of our backyard makeover. The Sahara is no more! I have one planting bed to fill, and a few final accessories that I need to pick up. Steve finished his cooking patio, and we also received an early Christmas gift from my parents.

Isn't it fancy? Our new gazebo boasts privacy panels, and mosquito netting. It keeps our patio up to 20 degrees cooler!(ha!) It really is lovely. Mom and dad surprised us with the gift this past weekend, and even threw in some rope lights for mood lighting. We are overjoyed to have a nice place to hide under in South Texas' overbearing heat. Our neighborhood effectively blocks out the majority of the coastal breezes, so we have a small fan to help with the lack of breeze production. All in all, I am happy with our final backyard creation. I can't say it went as expected, or even turned out as expected. Someone needs to be in charge of kicking my butt if I EVER suggest to take on a project like that in the middle of summer. But the end result is a backyard we are proud of, and I finally have my private garden that I don't have to share with anyone except my husband. Although, most of the fun is in sharing.

One last thing: