Friday, March 28

The Magic Mirror on the Wall


How many roly poly babies do you see?

Are any of you Sick of eating Yolks?

I remember when I was a kid, that after Easter, when we were slowly finishing our hard-boiled dyed eggs, that I would only eat the white part, and left the yolk on my plate. I also remember Mom trying to convince me that the dry, crumbly yellow part was yummy. It isn't. So, she always ate my yolks.

Well, now the roles have reversed.

I am now the Mommy trying to convince Timmy that the yolks are a healthy, tasty part of Easter eggs. I am failing. I have eaten all the yolks at our house. I'm now doing the countdown. There are only 5 remaining hard-boiled eggs of the nearly 2 dozen original eggs.

Nicole's latest ad-venture


Some of you may have noticed the new "Pay Per Post: Hire Me" button on my page. Well, I signed up to be sponsored by companies wanting people to blog about their products, services, web pages, or issues that affect their businesses. So, the entrepreneur in me decided to give it a go. These advertisers/ companies will pay me to write for/ about them. Sometimes, I wonder what I should blog about, so this will be a good remedy for the writer's block.

Another thing I have liked about this opportunity is the exposure. I often feel like I'm isolated in "Mommy-land" and have no connection with what is going on in the real world. By looking at some of the companies who are advertising, I get a glimpse into what the non-Mommies are doing out there. I like having a good excuse to explore the foreign realm of the real world.

I am not sure how much (if anything) I'm actually going to make doing this, but I doubt it will make me rich or famous. One thing I would like to do is get back into the Tupperware scene. I used to sell it when I lived at home with my parents, but that was many moons ago. When you sign up with Tupperware, you get a starter kit with a lot of great products, but it costs about $129.99. I think if I earn that much doing this Pay Per Post, then I'll invest the money on the starter kit. One thing leads to another.

I was on a friend's blog and noticed a button that said, "Get paid to blog about the things you love." It piqued my interest, so I clicked it, and was intrigued with what I saw, so I signed up. I guess one way you'll know if I like doing it is if you see me continuing to put the advertising-type posts up. I'm considering putting that button up, too, in case any of you might be interested in checking out this opportunity. In fact, here's a link to their site payperpost.

Don't worry, though. I will continue to post about my usual stuff: the kids, the construction, the chaos, the usual. :-)

Monday, March 24

Finally! Our first Video!

Happy Easter!

I mentioned that I got a video camera for Christmas. Well, I finally am able to post a video. I'm not that good with all hooking up, downloading, and posting technical stuff. We are still not Hollywood-quality cameramen yet, either. But, for a first attempt, I think it's pretty good. Hopefully, we'll get even better as we practice more.

So, after we got home from camping, we had a real Easter. We went to Church, and I sang 2 numbers with the choir. The Bunny hadn't come when we left for church at 9 am, but hid our eggs shortly after we got home from church. This video is just us and our boys outside. We had a nice Easter. We went to Great Grandma & Grandpa C.'s house for dinner and visited with that half of Troy's family for a few hours, then went to see Great Grandma Marilyn afterward, and visited with her for a while to round out the day. I like how we, as parents can slack off and get away with more since our kids are still so little. I like how laid back the day was. I must admit, I am not looking forward to when our kids will wake us at dawn to find eggs, etc. Oh, well.

Later that same day:

False Alarm.

I tried 3 times to upload the video clip. I couldn't. I guess we'll have to wait for my technical support to get home from work tonight. Sorry. Check back later.

March 27, 2008
Technical support has come to the rescue. Hooray! This is a big file, reduced to just 50MB, so it may be grainy. I would appreciate any tech. support suggestions of how to make our videos look as good as all of yours. Oh, well. It is what it is. Enjoy!

Sunday, March 23

Happy Camping Birthday to Me

















This year, Easter was earlier than most. So, Troy's family's annual camping trip coincided perfectly with my birthday. So, instead of getting a sitter, getting all fancied up and going out, I donned my scrubbiest jeans and a sweatshirt and headed to the desert for a campout. The Easter camping trip has been a tradition of theirs for a long time, so I usually go along, albeit with a moderate amount of whining, griping, moaning, groaning and complaining. It would be an understatement to say that I don't love camping. However, camping and dirt biking are 2 of Troy's favorite things, so we go whenever we have the opportunity.

To their credit: they did make a bigger deal about my birthday than usual because the first day of camp was my birthday. And to Troy's credit: He spent the day in camp with me, instead of out riding. He even promised to celebrate my birthday "my way" when we got home.

I read 4 books on the trip. What a treat! I usually feel guilty when I read 4 books in 4 days, but, there was nothing else to do, so I curled up and read. Troy even gave me a new book for my birthday that I am looking forward to reading: Presidents and Prophets, by Michael Winder. He came and lectured at a Relief Society party, and he even signed my copy, and wished me a happy birthday.

Grandma and Pa don't have and little kids at home anymore, so they were excited to have someone who could hunt for eggs. Tiffy and I colored eggs on Saturday, and then later that day we had an Easter egg hunt. Timmy was so funny to watch. He would often run past 2 or 3 eggs to pick up one he saw first. We had a makeshift Easter basket- a metal mixing bowl, but Timmy didn't care- he filled it up anyway.

After finding most of the eggs, one broke open, and the candy spilled out. That was the end of the hunt. Tim sat down in the dirt and started munching. Someone, we won't mention names, (see photo for identification) fed Spencer a bright blue Whopper egg. You can see the drool coming from his mouth is the same bright blue color. Gross!

I think one reason boys like camping is purely anatomical. Luckily, our trailer has a toilet, shower, sink, oven, stove and microwave, but even so, Timmy and his dad love to pee in nature. I think I will never truly understand the thrill it must be for boys to pee on rocks, holes, trees, sticks, bugs, and all the other things God created for us to enjoy. They would come home from motorcycling and Timmy, among other things would tell me all the interesting places he found (with Daddy) to pee. On the opposite end of the spectrum are us: We women do not enjoy squatting on a bush and dripping dry. Like I said earlier, it has to do with anatomy. Men were created for peeing outdoors.

New subject.

I am spoiled to have such a nice camping trailer when we go out in the wilderness. There are a few pictures of us inside the trailer. When we camp, the floor quickly acquires a thin film of dusty dirt. It was funny to see that when we let Spencer crawl around on the floor, it is cleaner when we pick him up than when we put him down! That can only mean one thing: Spencer was a dusty, dirty baby when we finally came home.

I don't want this post to sound like a complete whine session, but the scenery was lacking. Normally when we camp, there are beautiful vistas, lots of trees, water, flowers, all the things you think of when you hear "camping." But, this campsite was desolate. I have the ugly pictures to prove it. It was also windy and Spencer and I got sunburned, in spite of wearing sunscreen. (sun"scream" as Timmy appropriately calls it- he screams the whole time we apply it to his face.)

Timmy is growing up to be more and more like his Daddy every day. He is falling more and more in love with motorcycles every day. He knows what has to be done before he can go, and he eagerly helps to get it all done: put on socks, shoes, gloves, helmet, goggles, and coat. Make sure Daddy has all of his gear, and his pack with water, and lunch packed. Make sure the bike has gas. Go to the bathroom (preferably on a rock or anthill). Then, we're finally ready to go!

The other thing that boys love is getting dirty. Camping is the perfect opportunity to fulfill this great desire. From the moment we arrived, Tim sat in the dirt and was soooo happy. He made himself a slide out of a dried up river bank. He just sat down at the top and pushed himself to the bottom. He climbed back up and did it over and over and over again. He invited us to join, but we politely declined the offer. Spencer also loved the dirt, especially eating it. Yuck! He somehow filled his mouth with dirt, which quickly turned to mud, and we met with much resistance when we attempted to clean his face and mouth.

We made a big dent in our firewood pile; after loading the bikes, we filled the rest of the truck's bed with wood. This made life easier in camp, we didn't have to hunt for wood. (Which is good, because there weren't any trees to be found.)

Overall, it was a better birthday than I anticipated, so I really can't complain too much.

Friday, March 14

Hot Dogs, Marshmallows, Books? and Firewood






As you can see from the enormous wood pile, we need to get rid of some of it. What better way than with a backyard cooking fire? So, while Troy was at work today, we walked to the store, bought the hot dogs (Oscar Mayer Cheese Dogs- My favorite!!), buns, and marshmallows.
We also dug the firepit and hauled the 10 stepping stones to border it, filled 2- 25 gallon water jugs with pitchers and water from the kitchen sink, and selected the book to use to start the fire.

When Daddy got home, we were ready! Because it rained today, the wood was a little damp, so it took a little longer than normal to get it going. But, Troy is really good at making fires. When we camp, all the girls try to start a fire and after a while, they inevitably come find him to really get it going. In the meantime, Timmy got tired of the fire, but busied himself climbing on the woodpile. The first 2 pictures were taken with him standing in the same place on the wall. So, you can see what a huge pile it is. Soon enough, the fire was ready for cooking. We all cooked our own hot dogs, including Timmy. He was so pleased to eat his charcoaled outside, cold inside dog, just because he had done it himself. What an independent streak! Then we roasted some marshmallows, and for dessert, We burned a book.

What!?!

Yes, I am in a book club, and last month, someone, I won't mention names, chose the worst book I have ever read. The storyline was terrible, the language was so foul it was offensive, and I didn't like the writing style. I almost hate to mention the title, to peak your curiosity, because I would never recommend this book to anyone. But just to illustrate the irony of the title and the book's fate, I will. It was titled "Juniper Tree Burning," and I told someone in the book club that it deserved to be burned, so I included 2 pictures of the book in the fire, just to prove the point. I know it's silly, but it made me smile.

If any of you locals want to join us for a backyard cooking fire, just let us know. Or, if you need wood to have one in your yard, you know where to get it!

Thursday, March 13

What have we been doing lately?

Eating (and wearing) chocolate!
Wearing Timmy's safety goggles
Sharing Timmy's safety goggles
Cutting colored shapes and gluing them to paper
Dressing as twins- Thanks for the shirts Aunt Wendy!
Shaving heads bald
Riding 1-seater bikes in tandem
Celebrating Grandma Melissa's birthday

What have you been doing?

Taking the first step




No, this post isn't about Spencer learning to walk. It is about taking the first real steps toward our house project. We found a cute little old German man, Manfred to survey our lot. He told us in his accented English that he has "been doing this since [he] was 16. It is a little different now then it was back then." Ironically, when he was staking our lot, the GPS he was using miscalculated the boundary by almost 4 feet! There were also some trees that interfered with the satellite, so he had to do some of the measurements "the old-fashioned way." That made us laugh. You might be able to make out the can of neon orange spray paint he used to mark the boundary points. It is very apparent that we have been surveyed. He came out to the lot 3 times, which surprised me. I thought it was a one-shot deal.

Step two was to find an architect we liked. We did. His name is Mike and he has been wonderful so far. He has designed a lot of the homes in this area, and his portfolio was amazing. His bid was not the lowest, so hopefully we made the right choice and he will improve Troy's design (the floor plan posted on this blog) enough that we won't regret spending the extra $2G to use him.


To protect these guys' privacy, I haven't used their last names, but we would be more than happy to give you their contact info if you will be needing their services in the future.

State Capitol Dinner





Troy & I went to a dinner at the State capitol building a few weeks ago with his parents. It was the annual meeting for the Convention and Visitors Bureau, which the hotels are members of. The dinner program was borrrrring. But, there were tours of the newly renovated building, and that part of the evening was wonderful. I was disappointed with how most of my pictures turned out, but I have included a few of the good shots.

The first is of the outside of the building with our state flag flying high. (I still cringe when I call it "our" state. Arizona will probably always feel like home.) The next two are murals from the Senate room and the State House [of representatives] room. I found the cherubim interesting because of all the controversy we hear about separation of church and state. The other is a landscape painting of the southern part of the state. (Yes, the ceiling was curved- it's not an optical illusion.) We go camping there a lot, and it is beautiful.

The last picture was taken in the "Gold Room." Once the computer reduces the resolution when I post it, you will probably have a hard time making out the thing I was trying to get a picture of: the incredible view of the Salt Lake Temple framed perfectly in the window with its ornate drapery, moldings and carpeting. This room is intended for hosting dignitaries from other countries and other important people. The photos don't do it justice; this room is so formal and fancy. The gold leafing was so intricate and the woodwork was all hand-carved and is the original. It was so well- preserved. Well, enough of the history lesson! I don't want to bore you to death.

Sunday, March 2

The Park, Model homes, and our future home







Last Saturday, we decided to look through some model homes in a new subdivision that's being built about 15 minutes away from here so we could get ideas of what we would like in our new house. The models weren't open when we arrived, so we went to the park to pass the time. Here are some fun pictures from the park. Since then, all the snow has melted and maybe we will have an early spring. I hate when there is snow on the ground (or especially falling) on my birthday. We had a fun time on the slides. Timmy was especially proud that he could climb up the ladders all by himself. He did not, however, like the monkey bars; his dad did, though! Spencer is growing up too quickly! He is now able to crawl and can walk along the furniture. He loved standing on the jungle gym and holding onto the bars for balance. He has a real independent streak like his dad and brother.


We thought you might like to see some of the things we liked about the model. Here are few of those pictures. After looking at these new homes, we came home and incorporated some of those things into our plans on the computer. Troy bought some CAD software (for drawing floorplans of houses) with 3-D ability and we have designed what our "addition" look like. The elements we added were: the stairway shape and the wrought iron ballasts. It's a little hard to see the angles in this picture, but the stairs start in a straight line, then turn 45 degrees, then continue, and then turn another 45 degrees. It has a look similar to a round staircase, but it's a little more modern (and a little less expensive). Besides, Troy will be doing most of the building, so he said straight lines are easier to build.
The corner fireplace, rather than the traditional.We like the way the tile was laid, more like a brick design, than a square design.
We like how on the island, rather than just overhanging the counter and pulling barstools for informal dining, they added legs to the island so it looks similar to a table. It looks better once the counter tops are installed.

We also re-arranged the layout of the master bed/bath after seeing these model homes and made ours a little more "standard." We want a house that will accommodate large groups of people, because I like to throw parties and the way it is designed, we have a lot of open space from the kitchen to the living room, and I think we will really love it.