Merry Christmas...

may the loving spirit of Christmas be with you all year long..

See what happens when Daddy is in charge...

we seperated briefly to shop and the baby conned her Daddy into getting her ears pierced!!! I ran into oldest girly at Ann Taylor loft and she said Emme's getting her ears pierced at Claire's.. Dad tried to call you!! I dropped what I had and ran..walked down to Claire's and when I looked in the window..there she sat, so tall and so proud and not one single tear.. She is beyond thrilled.. and oh. by the way, she wanted to wear her hair down today and not in her standard barbie flip... I think my tomboy is getting girly!! The middle girly was so happy for her she was giddy that she is making the turn to prissy like her!

So just when I thought ...

I was caught up with the laundry..lo and behold 5 more loads..seriously where do they hide this stuff!!! Just a few more gifts to purchase and I am done. I could kick myself, but I am catering a job Christmas EVE!! I should be home by 7 though..it's the economy damn it, I couldn't say NO!!

Why oh why...

do I sign up to be a homeroom mother every year?? I stuffed 24 mugs full of cocoa, pepermint sticks and chocolate.. made 2 dozen cut out and decorated sugar cookies.. and to boot we are going to make make monogrammed Christmas ornaments!! I love helping out, but with my catering business in full bloom I am pooped.. it is 11:48am, is it to early for a cocktail!!??

On a serious note, I like winter break, because quite frankly, I NEED IT!!!

Say it ain't so,,,

I have been, and I am serious, happily married to the most wonderful, man, son, brother, friend I know, for 16 years today!! Happy Anniversary Tiger!! You had me at Beer!! inside joke..

My 200th Post and a holiday MUST...

I can't believe I have posted 200 times, not alot for some, but alot for me.. I hate to type,because I am horrible at it!! I love reading all of your posts and have gotten so much useful information. Most importantly I love looking at your lovely families and feeling like somehow we are connected.

Moving on to my holiday must!! I have 3 girls and they all love suckers, or lollipops, here in SC they are suckers.. anyhoo you HAVE got to get these and they are gone after Christmas so stock up!! Tootsie Pops Holiday toosie pop!! Yummoliciousa!!!

It's always nice...

to win the in state rivalry!! Carolina Gamecocks 29, Clemson Tigers 7!! Now, on to Atlanta where we will hopefully be victorious and beat those other TIGERS!!

Today....

I am thankful. grateful. and blessed. I hope each and everyone of you has a safe, happy and healthy Thanksgiving....

Save the Date...

April 29,2011. Gives me a few months to figure out my wardrobe!

From Doghouse...

to Top Dog, sorry no pun intended!! I am a Philadelphia native and the Eagles are my team. I watched that game in awe last night. What an amazing athlete and I pray that he has asked God for forgiveness and is on the right path and enjoying the game of football that God has bestowed on him, a sight to watch.

My NEW BUSINESS....

so what do y'all think? This is my new logo for my catering business Gourmet Gertie's!! Personally, I love it, depicts me to a tee! Don't you just love the lips and the kick!?? I am catering a tennis tournament at our Club this Saturday for 275!! Wish Gertie luck..

*Gertie was my late mother's name.. and oh what a cook she was. I hope I do her justice!

God Bless America..

land that I love!! Thank you to the men and women who have served, who are serving and a special blessing to their families.. the ultimate sacrifice!

Proof we can have fun..

I love this man!!!

Clearly I look afflicted, but what can I say I took the damn thing with my Blackberry!!
On another note, I don't care if you have the body of Cindy Freakin Crawford.. when you are over the age of 60 Please for the love of Pete, REFRAIN from wearing leggings and a T-Shirt..I almost hurled in Sam's this morning, the crowd that shops there is enough all on its own, we don't need Grammy showing everyone her Camel Toe at 8:30 am!!

seriously?

where was the USC team that smoked Alabama? Hello? Are you out there? That Arkansas game was just painful! Hubby and I left at the half I couldn't take it one minute more.. and for what it's worth.. there was not an ounce of excitement in the air, sorry Carolina fans.. you have to cheer for them when they are BAD and when they are good.. I just don't see it, sorry I said it and as a matter of fact, always thought it. Good game Arkansas!! HA I just contradicted myself.. I left!

we have been...

TEABAGGED!!!

Halloween Pictures..

clearly I am not a photgrapher.. oh well. The 2 youngest girlies BOTH lost a tooth on Halloween..scary!! Little girlie was under the weather, but managed to make a turn around the block.. they were all in their PJ's by 8:04PM except Oldest girlie, she was at a party til 11:00pm! YIKES, boy the stories she told.. and only ninth graders! YIKES!

Happy Halloween...

so Daddy decided to buy 10 more pumpkins and carve away..all day with the girlies and neighborhood friends! My two younger girls are going as "flappers" and my oldest is going as "FLO" from the PROGRESSIVE commercials!! I will post pictures for sure!!

Please be safe, do not eat too much candy and most of all have fun. I try to act like I don't like Halloween, but it's ok!! :)!

you will never believe this!!!

My tennis team is going to MOBILE,ALABAMA for the REGIONALS!! We are all still in shock!! I had a great time in Charleston...as always. Did a little shopping, had to get the girlies a treat and one for Tiger for handling the duties ALONE! I bought myself a pair of SILVER GLITTER TOM'S.. to die for, I love them!!

Girls weekend...

My combo tennis team is headed to States in majestic Daniel Island SC!! I am so proud of these ladies, we have come a long way baby.. Our Club's 5.5 combo is headed down too, makes for a good time. Hope we can bring back a win.

Although I am excited to go on a 3 day BREAK from my family, why do I cry when I leave? Seriously, I hate leaving, I am petrified that I am going to get in a car crash, or something will happen to them while I am away. Somebody once told me that that was the DEVIL, that I need to put GOD in charge, so I am . Here is to GOD being in charge.. I will no longer worry.. ok maybe a little!!

Undefeated!!!

this sweet young lady WON all of her matches this season and her team was UNDEFEATED!! Nothing makes a mom more proud than a hard worker and a nice, sweet girl!

Is it just me...

or does it come with age.. THICK SKIN! You know the kind that doesn't read into everything as a harsh criticism.. Trust me, I was critcized alot, and after awhile it drove me crazy, because it was mean- spirited. I have a friend who I adore and love and for some reason everything I say to her she thinks I am being mean and critical... and trust me I am not! What should I do.. I am afraid to say anything to her... I am an opinionated person, and I guess I need to keep my mouth shut alot, but with her I am not being mean!!

worth sharing...

USC beat ALABAMA!!!! Can I get a woo HOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I making 5 dozen of....

these Ooey Gooey cakes!! They are a favorite of a local HS boy and his mama orders them from me for the Football after party!! I hope y'all enjoy the different variations!! Paula Deen is the best for desserts, easy peasy and yummy! I am making the Peanut Butter.. they are so good, I never add the extra egg and I make them all of the time!! The Pumpkin are great for Thanksgiving they taste like Pumpkin Cheesecake!!
Cake

1 (18.25-ounce) box yellow cake mix

1 egg

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Filling

1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened

2 eggs

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1 (16-ounce) box confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 13x9x2-inch baking pan.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine cake mix, egg, and butter and mix well. Pat into the bottom of prepared pan and set aside.

Still using an electric mixer, beat cream cheese until smooth; add eggs and vanilla. Dump in confectioners' sugar and beat well. Reduce speed of mixer and slowly pour in butter. Mix well.

Pour filling onto cake mixture and spread evenly. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Don't be afraid to make a judgment call on the cooking time, because oven temperatures can vary. You want the center to be a little gooey, so don't bake it past that point!

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Cut into squares. Just remember that these wonderful little cakes are very, very rich, and a little will go a long way-even for piggies like me!

Pumpkin Gooey: This variation has to be at the top of my list, especially around Thanksgiving. For the cake part, I sometimes use a spice cake mix. I have even used a chocolate cake mix, but I think my favorite is the basic yellow cake mix. Follow the original recipe, adding a 15-ounce can of pumpkin pie filling and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Bake as usual, remove from oven, and allow to cool. Cut into squares and top each square with a pecan half. Serve with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. I promise you'll never want pumpkin pie again!

Pineapple Gooey: Add a 20-ounce can of drained crushed pineapple and an extra egg to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Lemon Gooey: Use a lemon cake mix in place of the yellow cake. Add the juice (approximately 1/4 cup) and zest of 2 lemons to the cream cheese filling. Proceed: as directed above.

Carrot Cake Gooey: Use a spice cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts and 1 1/2 cup finely grated carrots to the cream cheese filling. Proceed as directed above.

Peanut Butter Gooey: Use a chocolate cake mix. Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and an extra egg to cream cheese filling. You can sprinkle the top of batter with 1 cup chopped peanuts if you like. Proceed as directed above.

Chocolate Chip Gooey: Use either yellow or chocolate cake mix. Sprinkle 1 cup chocolate chips and 1 cup chopped nuts on top of filling. Proceed as directed above.

Banana Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix. Prepare cream cheese filling as directed, beating in 2 ripe bananas and an extra egg. Proceed as directed above.

Nutty Gooey: Use a yellow cake mix, and add 1 cup chopped nuts to the cake mixture. Proceed as directed above.

Chippy Gooey: Stir 1 cup white chocolate chips, peanut butter chocolate chips, butterscotch morsels, Heath Almond Toffee Bits or Heath Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits into filling. Proceed as directed above.


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More From This Book:

The Bag Lady's Favorite Chocolate Pound Cake

Gooey Butter Cakes

I am so excited...

my husband, who thinks all you have to do is mow, rake and spray weed killer, has succumbed; he hired a landscaper!!!!!!!!!!!! YAY! My yard is a hot mess! We have good intentions, things start out well and then bam.. ghetto yard again. I can't take it.. I said we need a "professional" that, you know, knows what he is doing! I said "honey, really, you wouldn't want ME to do your job, right"? He arrives today at 11:00am and I am so happy that I made the landscaper guy some chicken salad.. you know, to butter him up over the price! I think a "finally" coiffed yard is just as important as a "finely" coiffed head!

I Wish....

it were cooler and leaves were turning, but here in ol Columbia, SC the temperature will be topping out at, oh, 96 degrees! I , however, still sport remnants of summer color on my cheeks, which is nice, but we NEED a reprieve!

a sad day for Gamecocks everywhere...

Former USC Gamecock standout and Broncos WR Kenny McKinley ended his life last night. This young man was a father and only 23 years old. He was recently put on the injured reserve list , but seemed according to people around him ok. He was at the recent USC vs. Georgia game grinning that famous grin and signing anything in sight for the children everywhere! Such a tragedy and something my children do not comprehend. We never truly know what is going on with someone do we?

I refuse to do this on the weekend and now look...

my pile is actually twice this size!! How in the name of heaven does it pile up so quick? I don't mind doing laundry, in fact, I actually like it, but I LOATHE and DESPISE, putting it all away!! Three girls, 14, 10 and 7, you can picture the pile right? Well. back to the grind! Have a great Monday, at least my home will smell Downey fresh.

Guess what I just purchased???

I have got to thumb through this quick before I have to pick the girlies up from school and head to a tennis match!! I feel like I have died and gone back to 1981!!

TTFN,
Beth aka Buffy

Last weekend of summer...

We had a great summer, as always!! Fun days with friends at our Club.. Weekends at Sullivan's Island and the Isle of Palms with good friends and a great lunch at Poe's! Spend the nights with grandma. Catching fireflies, blowing bubbles and letting ice cream cones melt down their arms( quickly spraying that off with the hose). Our Sunday grill with daddy spoiling us with his homemade Pimento cheese burgers and desserts. Big fat juicy Watermelons, they were so good this year. Yummy peaches and blueberry crisps. Little girls with tan lines and pink cheeks.. I love it it all. It has been so relentlessly hot this summer, but I wouldn't trade one minute of it!! Happy Labor Day!!

Here we go...

GAMECOCKS, here we go..... Don't you just LOVE College football? Beers on ice, wine in the fridge, appetizers made.... Hubby is going with his buddy and the girls and I will visit the neighbors for kickoff!! Going to get the girlies from school and YES they are ALL sporting their Garnet and Black, and Gamecock Grosgrain ribbons of course!!

Prayers needed...

My sweet friend Jessica over at Learning as we Go, delivered her son Andrew "DREW" on Friday and he is in the NICU unit, please say a prayer for this sweet family and new mommy, who is stationed in El Paso so far from her SC family!!

Guess what he can do...

make the best Fig Jam ever.. isn't he the cutest cook ever?? XOXO

forgive the Soul Patch.. he thinks he's cool!!

Starting a new venture...

Gourmet Gertie's!! I have always loved to cook and I am starting my own catering service for busy families on the go. Meals for pick-up, showers, birthday parties, tailgaiting(busy) and whatever suits your fancy.

Logo and menu to soon follow!!!

Thankful Thursday...

I am glad she covets her Pearls as much as I covet mine!!

Why oh why....

do I miss her so? My oldest(14) went to Edisto Beach for a week with her cousins and I was so grateful, because I was tired of looking at her doing NOTHING all day..except tennis on the weekends and a jaunt to the pool. Well, now that she is gone, I miss her sooooo much.

I am going to take her for a mani/pedi when she returns just to let her know how much I missed her..then I am going to let her start taking the dog out again, wouldn't want her going and gettin the big head!

Another day like this...

wow! Columbia, SC was hit hard for 2 hours and I heard we are in for a repeat tonight. The girls were scared, mostly because the cable was out for about 30 minutes!!

He thinks THIS is a good idea...

HE meaning my better half! trust me this is NOT a good combo!! Neighbors beware! This is not a good picture of her, but best reflects her devilish qualities! Heaven help us/me they just left for Wal-Mart.. her $1.00 in hand, so help me God if she comes back with Water balloons I may have to decapitate my husband, we have been telling her NO since 7am!! Update soon!

Go see this...

sorry the pic is little, but this little girl Joey King that played Ramona is just precious!! Took the girlies to lunch and a movie today... before I headed to an MRI of my Achillies, I was finally able to hobble a bit today. I really did a number on it tuesday night at tennis. The only thing that makes me happy is drinking iced tea out of my Lilly cups!!

NEW JOB!!!

ladies, as most of you know, I have been in the mortgage business for a little over 6 years now, and while I truly loved it, mostly my fellow employees, I was ready for a change, because as you know our industry is changing by the minute and it is annoying to say the least, so I decided to seek a new venture.

I have always been in sales and mortgages are sales, however I am now working for a specialty promotions and advertising company. I LOVE IT! It is challenging creating a client base, but I love selling, selling, selling! We have such an amazing array of products I encourage all of you to visit our website and email me with any questions or orders you may have!

Special Offer: 4 color process business cards Matte or Gloss $79.99 for both sides!! 1000

visit me: www.gillisadvertising.com
bcleary@gillisadvertising.com

Happy 4th of July!!

Have a safe, happy and healthy 4th!! God bless America!

Am I the only one....

who still uses this MASCARA??? I heart it!!!

Sweet Victory...

Congrats to Coach Ray Tanner, an absolute stand up Man, Coach and father.... Job well done boys, mostly freshman and sophomores. I love baseball players, they are just the sweetest guys!

Happy Birthday...

to you!! My sweet darling first born daughter, you have been an absolute joy for the first 14 years of your life. You are so easy going, smart, kind, generous, loving and you are mine and I thank GOD every single night of my life that he thought I was special enough that he chose me for you! June 24,1996 I was so blessed and you continue to make me happy and thankful!

Happy Father's Day...

Our three girls are so lucky to call you daddy!! And I am so lucky to call you mine...

Charleston....

So I am emabarking on a new career, sales of specialty items and promotional products, I had to get out of the mortgage business, exhausting, to say the least! With that said, where better to sell my goods than to one of my BFF's at her educational store TEACH in Mt. Pleasant! I made my very first sale! Actually made a dash to the Isle of Palm beaches with my girlies first!!

Advice? Me thinketh NOT!!!

This is what I made....

for a sweet little girl's 1st birthday.... along with the chicken salad and Southern Caviar!

Do you think...

I can make a living off of my famous chicken salad recipe??

It's Official...

My sweet little blue-eyed, auburn haired , freckled faced baby is going to be a Freshman in High School! What an absolute joy she has been, seriously.. so far.. so good!

one crazy B**tc*!!!

seriously, I know I am sick for partaking in such trash on TV, I love it though, but this broad is bent!

A Quote from my late mother GERTIE...

" I am not your friend, I am your mother, I am much more valuable than a friend"! When she said that to me, I must have been no older then 10. I remember thinking, why can't my mom be my friend, you know nice all of the time like some of my friends mothers. As I look into my girls eyes I realize what my mother meant.. A mothers love is so valuable, yet know value can be placed on it for it is, how do you say... priceless! I applaud my late mother who was always honest with me, said what she meant and didn't sugar coat things. Always a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen. It will be 15 years in June since her death and I am reminded of her daily, time heals wounds, but the heart, well I am not sure if a broken one can be repaired, just bandaged perhaps. I love my girls and I know my mother is shining down on them daily, I see her eyes in their eyes, her laugh in their laughter and her generosity in their hearts. Love your mother today... I sure love mine!

This is how I feel...

and to top it off... our dog Butterbean has some sort of Obstruction in her colon and I really don't want to think about that fee!!! Work is so unenjoyable anymore, the changes in the mortgage industry are making the mole hills into mountains and quite frankly I just want to crawl under a rock!!

It has come to this..

compression socks! usually reserved for the elderly and heart patient But, oh no, I need them for lower leg water retention!! trust me, my legs have gotten better, a little weight loss is helping, reduced intake of sodium, and tennis has helped, but still not completly fluid free and a puffy ankle is not very cute, so as I pondered the aisles of publix yesterday, I spotted these bad boys and decided to give them a try! Those damn things are tight, but I must say, thy really do work! I have ankles like a Princess today!! LOL!

She just about D I E D!!!!

when she saw as she said "that God awful picture" of herself.. so here is a much better one.. I think? She really is cute! Here she is with her two little sisters... badness on the left, sensible in the middle and Obedient on the right!

So proud ...

of this girl.. 3 years Honor roll in middle school and just became a middle school scholar! Off to HS next year and already enrolled for college credit classes! WOW! And to think, she did it all by herself, we did not help her one time or ask her to do her homework. Totally self motivated and driven! Her Dad and I couldn't be prouder! Now the little one.. we just hope to get her out of Elementary school!

I am ready for this to VACATE.....

seriously, the girls and I are about to die.. and the hubby.. well, let's just say he is fine! UGH!

Too Funny!!

After the said Teacher graded the picture she sent it home, much to the shock of the momma! The momma clearly explained that she was NOT a POLE DANCER, but a sales woman at Home Depot and just recently after a major snowstorm, told her daughter how much money they made selling shovels!!! It is her with a shovel.. I think it is funny and as a former K5 teacher even funnier!

A Gentleman Prevails...

now we need to work on the hairdo!!!

Devil"s Fork State Park Re-Cap!

We had an amazing time sans the pearls!! I never thought I would say that! LOL! We ate at The Beacon in Spartanburg, SC on our way up there UGH! We all felt horrible, but the experience was worth it!