The Granny of the Century

She's officially 100...this time it's for keeps.



G is for Grinkles, and Grinkles is for Granny Wrinkles. But you don't have many.
G is for Ganster, because you live in a place that is scary at night...and sometimes in the day, too.
G is for Give Me Some Sugar...your wish is my command.
R is for Reese's Pieces Cereal...because you like candy for breakfast.
A is for anemia, thank goodness for California peaches.
N is for nail biting tornado ride..but not for your cousin because he was too chubby.
N is for Nickelodeon and a good southern breakfast. You made my childhood complete.
Y is for Yodeling...I like it when you sing

Bonne Anniversaire!
Granny Beasley

I LOVE YOU BUSHELS

All I Want For Christmas Is....

• Andie's Christmas CD: CHECK

• The Soundtrack and DVD to Les Choristes:

It's a beautiful story about troubled orphan
boys who are saved through the inspiration of music.
Especially one boy...who has the face of an angel,
but the character of the devil!

• Gateway battery charger:
  

I bought a new one...it was faulty. It's really frustrating
to try to type while you have to hold the battery cord in. Spare me...

We were fated to pretend.

Once upon a time... from Capucha on Vimeo.

This little girl is a complete Dominic look-a-like and she speaks french. It doesn't get much better than this people. Plus, I can not say that I have ever heard such an interesting story from a kid before.

Check Moi

Têtes à claques



This is totally a month late, but worth the wait.

Even if you don't know French...I guess their faces are still kind of funny.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

PostSecret

SHEEPAREFOREVER

Maggie's First Weekly... PostSecret

It's a sleight of hand, a white soul band

I'm not a perfect person. I have my vices. One of these vices has been a long uphill battle and there is no end in sight. In high school a friend even dubbed me "Patches". For a nick-name, it really was not so bad, for two reasons. #1 Pirates are hot and the nickname derives from the great pirate patch accessory. #2 I have always been in love with 101 Dalmatians, so I consider it a privileged, really. One of my trials is that...when I am concentrating really hard...I blink with one eye. Just one. And it's kind of a slow one eyed blink. It was not brought to my attention until high school, but the persecution that followed was devastating. Just a lot of people saying, "Wait a minute. I think...did you really just blink with one eye?" The answer is YES, and is it really such a crime? I was beginning to doubt myself. This blinking disorder was really getting the best of me...until I found out my long time hero also has a bad case of the one eyed blink! So what does that mean? It means the one eye blink is the new black. SO who is this fellow Patches? I'll give you 3 hints:

1. Rick, Rick, Rick
2. Can I just spray a little PAM down there right before the baby comes out?
3. This is feirce! No tranny! No hot mess!


Ding, Ding, Ding! Amy Poehler!
I couldn't find a picture of her actually doing the blink...it seems slow to the human eye, but it's quick enough that no camera can capture it. So do your own research, next time you are watching her being her awesome self...look out for it.

Let me assure you friend, Every day is ice cream and chocolate cake

This is one of the things that I co-made for baby E (my artisan father helped). It's debut has been a long time coming because we finished back at the end of August, but not everyone was on the ball (me) and some stuff hit the fan (I left it with J, but forgot to take a picture), and seeing as the painting is in California and I am in Utah, it took some time to get proof of this fine creation. So yup, I did the most contributing parts of the painting (the blue sky, cotton candy clouds and green hills. I done good, right? Well, sure. Then I handed it over to PopPop and he made the real majik happen. He finished her off in one evening. I knew that I wanted a hot air balloon and humanized rabbits, but the man took it a step further. Really brought it to life one might say. So if you love it put in your order now for a Beasley-Beasley original. We also do bronze casting, playground installations, and the occasional miniature house replica.

What's the use of being young and beautiful...

...If not to keep a man waiting.....

This year for Halloween I decided to fashion a headpiece for myself Winona Ryder style, like in the movie Autumn in New York.  So...I decided to be a bird's nest...but I was mistaken for a pixie, a nyph...and a tree.  Pretty much I was different aspects of nature, mystical and otherwise.  Renee and Andie were Ralph Lauren models...pretty classy stuff.  They played it well.

Muddie, I Love You Bushels

Okay, I understand that I am posting a lot about things that happened back in August when it’s now mid-September. What’s up with that, right? The problem is I have not been living in the 21st century these days…the heart of the little computer down at the corner of my screen has hardly been beating. No sign of internet life. Comcast was suppose to come bless my house with the gift of cyberspace, but they completely forgot about us. Thanks again dude for leaving me waiting all Friday morning… But anyways...that's not what I am here for. What I really want to say is that the tea party wasn't the only reason I took a visit to Chico. I had other agendas well. For instance, Granny Beasley’s 100th Birthday (everyone gasps and spits out a few “Oh MYs”). Crazy, I know. It was quite the occasion. Granny is the gift that keeps on giving. We would be bored, less kind, and less sugared without her. She’s the best of treats. For Granny’s birthday bash, family came from all around. Granny enjoyed bragging about her amazing life, that I am so jealous of, and we got to hear her stories one more time. It was the best. Did you know the lady has been picked up by a tornado! Seriously…blows me away every time. The fine lady of the hour received some flashy presents of the gardening genre (right up her alley), a Benjamin (one hundred years of hard earned cash), candy (which is more like a restock of groceries for her), and a new bottle of her favorite “smell-a-ma-good” (aka White Shoulders perfume...paints a great picture, huh). We also played a game called Who Knows Granny Best?. You had to answer questions on the ins and outs of granny’s life. The winner of said game won the rickety wooden ladder that was bribed away from Granny after she was caught using it to prune her pomegranate tree (much taller than your average pomegranate “bush”) . She’s a live wire. Anywhoo...I just want to use my blog to give Granny B a shout out. I love you bushels! Just so you know who you're dealing with.

Give Me Your Milk

C'est encroyable! Je peux gouter l'hostilite! Les enfants sont impressionnants.

By George, I do Declare it's Tea Time

The end of August went down smoothly, kind of like a warm cup of earl grey tea...Speaking of tea, the last days of August brought us the eagerly anticipated Aunt Maggie's Annual High Tea, held in honor of my cheeky nieces. Invitations were sent out prior to the great event, of course, to get the little nieces pumped with excitement, it worked. I read up on tea parties before hand and it was clear that invitations are mandatory in tea party etiquette. I hand-made the invitations, but I didn't snap a picture so just imagine the most grand card you can think of, (insert image here), and consider me an amazing craftswoman. So the day of the party came on the 25th of August. It began with the baking of pastry delicacies. On the menu for the great event? Eclairs, Raspberry Cake, Strawberry Croissants, and Sugar Cookies. So I slaved away making these "sugar cookies", which weren't really your conventional sugar cookie, just a cookie with a lot of sugar. They have chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, and a lovely surprise of caramel tucked in the center. The fine people of Raley's slaved away making the rest of the afters. We also had loads of chocolate covered strawberries, who can go wrong with that. Grandma Sousa's decadent China finally got some show time, a great addition to the ambiance.

Honey (my mom's grandmotherly title) got the girls all dolled up and they got to come down the stairs like little debutantes. While we were finishing the food preparations, the girls indulged in some present opening and games. In the gifting department were some new clothes, paintings and necklaces. Here's the shirts I finished for E, so my first go round at baby making apparel is complete. I did a little painting for K, too. Coal Umbrella also was selling skeleton keys that caught my eye, so I nabbed some of those and made little necklaces for the girls. They were supposed to be magic keys, turns out the are. K's a believer after she managed to locked D's bedroom door with it. Then for games, we opted for the obvious choice of croquet, not as obvious as cricket, but still very respectable. A took to croquet like a Brit takes to fish n' chips. The fun escalated when D started up some musical games. She is a pro at those. Some took these games more seriously than others. Then the girl sat down for tea after this, but the tea was substituted with chocolate milk, obviously. They even practice proper lingo like "mademoiselle". Then when tea time had commenced they moved on to swimming and painting. And of course, everyone knows I would never throw a party without some psychedelic trip, and that's where the bubbles came into play. Seriously, it's impossible to look at this picture with K and her giant orb bubble and not think, "Donny Darko, how existential...". All in all, it was a smashing day govna' with heaps of fun. So, don't be ashamed, I know next August you'll all be anxiously hovering around your mail boxes waiting for a High Tea Invitation like you waited for you invitation to Hogwarts when you turned 11. I understand, but like Howgarts, all the best things are exclusive.


And Z wants to let all those foxy ladies out there know that he is single and looking, but he makes no promises. All he asks in exchange for his snuggles is some assistance in the hygiene department, an offer no one can refuse.

The Lovers, The Dreamers, And Me

So here is the Lullaby CD I made for E. My musical mixing capabilities at their finest.

The Rainbow Connection: Sarah McLachlan
Somewhere Over the Rainbow: Israel Kamakawiwo'ole
The Greatest: Cat Power
Such Great Heights: Iron & Wine
One Love: Bob Marley
A Rainbow: G. Love & Jack Johnson
Love And Some Verses: Iron & Wine
Honey And The Moon: Joseph Arthur
Wild Horses: The Sundays
Somebody Loved: The Weepies
See You Soon: Coldplay
Corner Of Your Heart: Ingrid Michaelson
Dear Prudence: The Beatles
Moon River: Henry Mancini
Nightingale: Norah Jones
Julia: The Beatles
Bookends: Simon & Garfunkel
Où vont les fleurs: Charline Rose
Hallelujah: Imogen Heap
Elle s'en va: Camille
You Are The Moon: The Hush Sound
Sea of Love: Cat Power

On a Bed of California Stars

I just arrived back in Utah after spending an wonderful week with the Poole family. A week away from Provo was greatly appreciated and the company was very well, as usual. It made me miss California and my sister more than ever, both are fabulous. So the weeks itinerary went something like this: 12 mile run with Adam Saturday morning, lots of shopping in Huntington, Newport (where I saw dolphins for the 1st time), and Irvine, chiropractic adjustments (having a chiropractor for a brother-in-law definitely comes in handy), trips to the park with the kiddies, and bursting water pipes that left us relocating to a hotel. Adam compared it to the Suite Life of Zach and Cody. I thought that was hilarious, but it really wasn't so sweet. There was also many breakouts in song, generally preformed by K. She was born with pipes and she is always obliged to share...if only the water pipes in the house were as strong. Then, we would never worry about leaks. We also sang along to the great Edith Piaf's Rein de Rein...just slipping in some culture. Mostly the singing involved Ariel and Gwen Stefani, which I didn't mind. K also impressed me by using words like disgusting and reprimand. She even spelled "park" and she is only two and three-quarters. I am already collecting Harvard brochures for her. No doubt she'll be there in 15 years. One thing I learned from my stay was that raising kids is hard. Dana said it was like I was on that new show where they give teenagers babies. It's their attempted to shake that desire of early parenthood right out of unaware teenagers. It was like that show...only I'm not 16 with my boyfriend and convinced the next move in our relationship is towards the delivery room. But, even still, consider me shaken. I don't know though. By the end of the trip I couldn't even hear babies crying. Either way, my sister is amazing.

Other important news. I have finished the final piece in the Z clothing line. It received the best reviews of them all. It was an embroidered monkey stitched on muslin. I would post a picture, but I forgot to take one before I gave it to Dana and Adam. Maybe I can get them to take a little snap of it and send it to me. Now I am on to E's pieces. One involves birds and the others is yet to be decided, but I have some pretty good ideas to choose from. It will probably involve embroidery...

Oh...and also, my nails are growing out, so I am pretty happy about that. There's nothing like a beach vacation with la famille to set the mind at ease. I'm still trying to organize a Beasley family reunion to the great north coast beach haven, Fort Bragg. I am dying to drive through a redwood tree for eleventh time and relax with the hippies of Mendocino. Unfortunately, I don't have a personal picture of the tree with me, but I thought this would help you understand the legend of the Chandelier tree. If you ever journey up north, definitely include this stop.

Summer Delectables

Good News! Sweet corn is on sale at target: 40c a piece. I jumped on that and bought 6! Had one for lunch today. It was huge, delicious, and sweet!

Leave me your star dust to remember you by...

These are the baby lullabies mixes that I made for the little ones...they were made with a lot of love and, well, I think they are adorable. They are good lullabies for adults, too. They cure even my insomnia sometimes. Feel the love...

Z A:

Godspeed: Dixie Chicks
Going Whichever Way The Wind Blows: Pete Droge
Mother Nature's Son: The Beatles
Lullaby: Jack Johnson
First Day of My Life: the Bright Eyes
The Past and the Pending: The Shins
Forever Young: Youth Group
Something: Jim Sturgess
Each Coming Night: Iron & Wine
Lullaby: Dixie Chicks
Across The Universe: Jim Sturgess
Passenger Seat: Death Cab
Three Little Birds: Bob Marley
Crosses: Jose Gonzalez
Shoot The Moon: Norah Jones
La ou je suis nee - Camille
Boats and Birds - Gregory and the Hawk
Kathy's Song - Simon & Garfunkel
Can't Go Back Now - The Weepies
Forever Young - Bob Dylan

Oh man...that took a lot out of me. I will save E's CD for later. Before I go, I do want to bring attention to the Weepies newer song Hideaway. It makes me a bit giddy. Believe me, it has inspired a new mix...the beat goes on.

Two Drifters, Off To See The World

Je te present, mon nouveaux niece et neveu...

This is Z A...he is pretty charming for a newborn. Usually newborns look pretty sickly, kind of alien-like, but not this little guy. He came out a heart breaker. Watch out!

K is absolutely loving this new big sister gig. I'm sure she will do an excellent job and teach him all the important things, like every word to "Part of You World" from Little Mermaid and the ins-and-outs of Dora. That's really all anyone needs to know.

Then we have E as the other addition to the family. She weighs in at 6 lbs. 8 oz. and takes up 21 inches of space (These weights and measurements are entirely fabricated, but they are probably pretty close). She is also quite attractive for her early stage in life. A is also doing a good job satisfying the duties of elder sister. However, she does find the baby crying slightly alarming, but who can blame her. I find it alarming, as well. You can see concerned look expressed in this picture, which I think is adorable.
Another important update is that I finished another piece in the Z A Collection. It is a flashy number...a show stopper, really. This shirt is especially appropriate for Z A because K has already given him the nickname Sharky. Also, his dad is a regular on the surfing scene who has had a run in with a shark previously. A dramatic story for another time, fortunately Adam Sr. is still with us. There are still 2 more pieces that will be added to the Zach Adam Collection, so stay tuned - the best is yet to come.

I Think We've Hit Rock Bottom

Lately I have been scouring the internet for unique indie and/or vintage craft ideas that I can steal and use to make adorable outfits and art for my soon-to-be niece and nephew. I have come across some great fashion and decor, but there have also been low points. I would say this very possibly is the lowest. Like with any mistakes we make, we should learn from them. The lesson to be learned here: Stupid is never pretty. In this case, blonds DO NOT have more fun.










If you feel the erg to adorn your cat with a headdress, please opt for a less humiliating style. I would recommend dressing you cat as if he were from the docks of Limerick...

Next time we make pancakes at 2 AM, I want them to look like these. Well, preferably not just like these because the lady is pretty creepy. I couldn't make myself eat her, but you get the idea.

The Long and Unwinding Road

The end of the semester sent me on another 11 hour road trip back to California. The only difference, this time I was leaving at 7 PM unaccompanied after my dead-beat brother abandoned me. So how was I too keep myself stimulated enough to not fall asleep driving on the very deserted I-80? Along with turning every song into a Broadway musical, I also followed the lead of the book Sean and David's Long Drive. I decided to rate each town I stopped at. First stop....

Pit Stop #1: Windover, NV

It is mostly known as a mini gambling mecca. It draws in all the wayward sons from across the Utah border. That is its appeal: it is the closest casino convent on East Nevada border. It is not a classy place. I gambled here once, but an old man kicked me out. Apparently the gambling age is 21. I’ll be taking my business elsewhere. I was pretty tired so I took a cat nap in an 18-wheeler parking lot. The flashing lights from a David Spade Comedy Advertisement and the big rig traffic hindered my sleeping a bit, but I managed some shut eye. Afterwards I went to the Flying J for gas and a bathroom break. There was only one clean toilet…and it wasn’t that clean. The door didn’t have a lock either. There was a bonus though. When I purchased my energy drinks I was hit on by a rotund trucker. It was 11 PM. So, all in all, I left Windover with a full tank of gas and my self esteem increased tenfold. I’m making this a reoccurring stop.

Pit Stop #2: Battle Creek, NV

Another stop at the Flying J where the gas is cheap and their bathrooms are cheaper. This one had electric purple stalls…I liked that. I didn’t like the dilapidated toilets, though. You can’t blind me with your exciting color choices…I know dirty when I see it. They also had a dispenser in these bathrooms…but it wasn’t for feminine hygiene products. I think we all know that we don’t want to share a bathroom with someone so desperate they are willing to buy protection out of an electric purple bathroom. I’m curious why this transaction needs to take place in the bathroom...it seems like you could just as easily buy them with the migraine medicine they have stocked in the gas station. I’m concerned about this…but let's move on. Battle Creek = Gross

Pit Stop #3: Winemucca, NV

This Flying J was everything it should be: there was a homeless man outside that made me feel uncomfortable, it had Starbucks Double Expresso shots, and a clean bathroom. The best part was the mirrors made you look thinner. I bought gum, expresso shots, and a Dr. Pepper. They now have come out with light expresso shots that have half the calories. I jumped on that and bought two…so total I got the same 140 calories, but double the jolt. And believe me…it was a jolt. This was the point in the trip where I entertained myself by turning any song into a Broadway musical. I was fantastic. Tickets will go on sale June 1st.

Pit Stop #4: Truckee

I was pretty tired of Trucks by this point. I had been driving/sleeping in one for the past 10 hours and now I had to stop in a town called Truckee. This was not an intended stop. I was so involved in my musical performances, channeling Jack Black and Sir Andrew Loyd Webber, that I drove through Reno without making a desperately needed fuel stop. Big mistake. Right after I got out of Reno I noticed my gas light on…and I was driving up hill, in my dads uneconomical truck, in the middle of no where with rain pouring, by myself, with my cell phone battery near death. I miraculously made it to Truckee. Gas was $4.10 and it was snowing beaucoup. I am never coming back....

That pretty much covers it. Lesson learned. Drive up 70 and do it in the daylight.

So Good To Be Here

I am officially in on the blogging scene. It's probably the best decision of my life. I am starting off slow so this blog doesn't have very much substance yet. It's not that I am not uber creative and witty, because I am both of those things, but I just really don't have the time to blow your mind today. Soon enough I'll be covering this blog with all sorts of stimulating conversation pieces. Until then, keep yourselves classy and I'll do the same.