Who knew I was raising such a food snob?

For school, Maxine needed plastic eggs filled with candy for the class egg hunt. At Wal-Mart, I cheaped out and bought knock-off brand of foil-wrapped chocolate eggs. I had a few and thought, "These taste like shortening flavored with sugar and cocoa. But the kids won't notice." So I got all the eggs with candy in them and had a few left over for the kids to eat. Maxine had a bite and said,

"Mom, Hersey chocolate is way better than this stuff."

*sigh* I know, I know. I cheaped out!! So I downloaded a coupon so I could spring for Nestle NestEggs in ButterFinger and Crunch varieties. What I really want to get are those Kinder Eggs from Europe but I thought about it too late. They can't guarantee delivery by Easter.

And then today she came home from the Easter hunt at school and said, "I ate some candy on the way home. Not the jelly beans though because they aren't Jelly Belly's. The jelly beans I got were gross." So it seems I must purchase Jelly Belly brand jelly beans as well. When did she get to be such a food snob?

I guess it's hard to go back to single-ply toilet paper when you've been living the double-ply lifestyle. Happy Easter!

New plants!

When we moved into our house, I kept saying, "We'll finish the backyard some day and I'll plant my fruit trees then." This Spring, my next door neighbor put in a block wall and it added a finished element to that side of the yard. I got tired of waiting for the cash to "finish" my backyard. I saved up $80 and bought dirt, an apricot tree, a pomegranate bush and a grape vine. That was the easy part.

The hard part was digging the holes for said plants. Imagine my backyard as a huge boulder field. In between the boulders are smaller rocks, gravel and clay. The clay and gravel act as cement and holds all the rocks and boulders together. Yeah, good for house foundations, bad for digging holes with a shovel and pick ax.

But I was able to finish all the holes and only needed the Scout to pull out one of the boulders with a strap. (It was about 2 1/2 feet in diameter and about 1 foot tall.) Here's the apricot tree: (Notice all the small rocks in the background.) :)

Here's the grape vine. It's a red, seedless variety!

Here's the pomegranate with Juliet for scale.

The leftover boulder field that I'll move eventually.

The best part this adventure is that the apricot tree had blossoms on it when I purchased it from Star Nursery. It sat in the pot for about a week, waiting to be planted and meanwhile those blossoms turned into little apricots! I bet there's a dozen. I just hope the shock of transplanting doesn't make them fall off. I might eat an apricot this year! Yeah!

Jack's Mini Cooper S

A couple of weeks ago, Merril was gone for a bit because he was hanging out with some pals from Australia. They were in California and came up here to stay for a couple of days. The guys were gathering car parts from America that are otherwise unavailable in Australia.

Anyway, one of the guys, named Aden, draws sketches of concept cars for his occupation. While they were here, he was talking with Jack and asked what kind of car Jack likes. Jack said a Mini Cooper. So Aden, I'm guessing because he was itching to draw something, grabbed his art supplies and started sketching. This 12x18 sketch is what came out:

I was amazed because he did this completely from memory. I'm going to frame it and hang it in Jack's room!

Jesus and the one-armed man...

So anyway, a few weeks ago, Merril comes home from playing racquetball with his BFF, Jared, and said, "We played racquetball with Jesus and the one-armed man today."

I paused, blinked a few times and then said, "What?"

He kind of laughed and then said that He and Jared played another doubles team today and one guy was Hispanic and his name was Jesus (hey-suess) and another guy who was hurt in a motorcycle accident and only has the use of one arm. (I think his name was Brent or Brett) Technically, he has two arms but his right arm doesn't work anymore so he straps it to his body and has to play with his left arm. Merril says he's pretty good, especially since he thinks he used to be right handed before the accident.

So there you have it! Merril and Jared play racquetball sometimes with Jesus and the one-armed man.

A day of change...

It's that time of year again! The daffodils are springing forth from the ground, birds are singing in the trees and Merril shaved his head.

So this is how he looked Saturday morning.

By afternoon, he looked like this:

By evening he'd evolved to this: (The shaved head and beard was my idea. He didn't really go for it.)

By bedtime, he looked like this:

What can I say, he gets bored easily. At least he keeps things interesting! Hope you're having a great weekend!

Yeah Spring Break!

Even though we didn't go anywhere exciting, I still feel like we had a fun Spring Break. We roasted marshmallows and had s'mores for FHE with some neighbors and friends.

I think Maxine was trying to blow on the fire to get it going.

Juliet refused to wear shoes even though the ground was littered with glass and nails.

The fire could've been a little bigger but our Christmas tree just wouldn't burn after all the rain.

On Friday, I took the kids to see The Princess and the Frog at the cheap theater with some other friends. I had visions of my kids sitting and watching the movie without moving a muscle. And they all did great for a solid hour. Then Juliet had to go to the bathroom and when she came back, she didn't want to sit still anymore. About this same time, my friend Shauna gave up and took her wiggly kids home. Then Jack had to go to the bathroom. Then they were all switching seats and Juliet spent the remainder of the movie running up and down the aisle. We made it until the end of the movie but I was exhausted by then. Juliet needs another year.

On the last day of Spring Break, the kids and I took a picnic and went hiking. Jack perfected his bum slide. Then he found this hole and climbed up into it. I promise I didn't pose him. That's just how he sat for his picture.

And then Maxine and Juliet didn't want to be left out of the hole so they all climbed in.

Then we hiked up some narrows. I should've been in the middle so I could help Jack and Juliet climb up so we got stuck for a second until I told Maxine to boost Jack up. That place is skinnier than I remember.

Wahoo Spring Break! I can't wait for summer!

Enter the Easy Bake Oven...

For a couple of months, Maxine has been bugging me to get her an Easy Bake Oven. I have miniature cake pans and loaf pans and said we could make a little cakes in the big oven. I got an eye roll and was told, "That's no fun." But Christmas is over and her birthday is not for another 9 months. (Basically, I said she was out of luck.)

But then I came up with the idea that she could sell something on Ebay to earn money for her Easy Bake Oven. So that's what we did and she made enough money. Today we purchased the Easy Bake Oven and a clear 100w bulb. (Which was harder to come by than I thought it would be.)

She donned her apron:

Waited patiently for it to cook and cool:

And frosted her cake:

Apparently Lucky Charm marshmallows needed to be added:

I remember it taking forever to cook something but it only took 12 minutes. That's about as fast as my oven. So it's all good. I always loved my Easy Bake Oven as a kid.

On a side note the quality of the cake mix and frosting were, how do I put this, so extremely poor. I've already found a ton of Easy Bake Oven recipes so we can make home made cookies, cakes, brownies, and even pizza instead of the crummy, and might I add overpriced, Easy Bake mixes. Not that she noticed, it was just me. I guess my standards for baked goods have gone up over the years.

The Tahoe drove away...

The guy that was going to buy the Tahoe didn't work out but another guy came and looked at it on Wednesday night. He arranged for financing and drove it away Friday night. *sniff, sniff* I'll miss it. (No, the Jeep isn't ready yet but that's okay. I'll ride my bike or something.) As fun as it is to have a 3rd row seat, it'll be nice to only have one seating option. With 2 rows of seats, someone always wants to sit in the very back and then there's whining if someone gets left out.

I did fix the door on the Jeep today. It wouldn't open very well from the outside. For me, that's a frustrating issue. I don't like objects that don't function as intended. I'm waiting for the JB Weld to dry and then I'll put the door back together on Monday. I LOVE JB WELD!! If you've never used it, think of it like liquid metal glue stuff that bonds items for life. The only downside is it takes a long time to cure (15-24 hours.) I've used it to repair motorcycle fairings, a broken knob from the radio, chess set pieces, china and much more.

Sorry you had to suffer through that infomercial.

Crazy hair day...

This week at school has been Dr. Suess week. Yesterday was crazy hair day so we did this to Maxine's hair:

There's a u-shaped wire from a hanger weaved into the braids to make them stand up. I actually had to fix them around lunch time. I was in the library anyway for a PTA meeting. Other than that, they stayed up all day.

By the time I turn 30...

Last night, I was looking through my past blog posts and ran across one entitled, "What do you want to accomplish by the time you're 30?" It was written in December 2007. Now that I'm 30, I was interested to see if I'd accomplished any of my goals.

My first goal: To survive until I'm 30. (Juliet was a hard baby.) DONE!

Second goal: Finish the backyard and basement. Not so done.

Third (and my favorite) goal: No more diapers. All kids potty trained. DONE and DONE!

Two out of three ain't bad!

P.S. Can you believe it's March already??

Fixed window...

My bedroom window was replaced today. It cracked after a neighbor shot it with a BB gun. The whole thing was an accident and she paid for it so it's all good. And we're in the process of selling the Tahoe. *sniff, sniff* Cue the sad music.

I know she's a beauty but let's face facts, I can't afford it anymore. We've got a guy who's getting his financing together so for now, I'm still driving it.

Which is good because my new ride, a 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee, is sitting in the garage all torn apart.

What's that you say? You don't see the potential there? I know, I know...it's dirty, it's broken, and it's a little older. BUT, we've already got parts and it's going back together tomorrow. I've already detailed the interior and am waiting for it to roll out of the garage so I can detail the outside. It was cheap, $400. The parts to fix it were another $400. Not bad. Plus I won't have a car payment anymore! Yeah!!

The body is free of dents and the interior's in great shape. The paint could use some help but I've already got an idea for that.

Don't worry folks, by the time Merril and I are done with it, you won't even recognize it. (I love before and after pictures!!)

Three-zero...

Turned 30. Did a back flip on the trampoline. Decided I wasn't that old. Smiled.

Valentine's Vegas...

Merril took me to Vegas for Valentine's Day and my birthday.

We ate dinner at the Top of the World Restaurant at the Stratosphere. The dining area revolves so the view changes throughout dinner. It takes 1 hour and 20 minutes to make a complete rotation. (Apparently going that slow can still make some people sick.)

Then Merril wanted to ride the new ride, Insanity, at the top of the Stratosphere. 900 feet from the ground, they strap you in, swing the crane arm over the edge and then spin you around and around. Merril said the feeling is very similar to skydiving. (My pictures were either too dark or too blurry so I nabbed this stock photo.)

Can you imagine the insurance it takes to run that thing? I opted not to ride because it was really cold and I was really full. We'd just spent a bunch on dinner and I felt like keeping it where it was.

This was in front of our hotel right before we left. We were in the tall tower on the left, halfway up. It had a great view! It was great to have a night to ourselves without the kids! Thanks to all who helped out!

Ice skating...

Maxine's school had a field trip to our town's first ice skating rink last week! There were 6 classes of kids learning how to skate. We did shifts and 3 classes were on the ice at a time. I went as a parent helper. The big dome on the left is the indoor ice skating rink and it's really cold in there!

I was amazed that I still remembered how to ice skate. When I was a kid, my Dad would take us up to Pine Valley Reservoir when it was frozen so we could skate. Maxine was a little shaky at first but managed to stop holding onto the wall and skate in the middle. Some of the kids I skated with could not get it! They looked like they were trying to run on the ice and were slipping all over the place. Luckily, I managed not to land on my rear end. Here's Maxine starting to get it.

So if you haven't been to the ice skating rink yet, it was a lot of fun!

It's Friday, I'm in love...

Merril called last night and said, "I'm going to give you your birthday present early...I've got babysitters for the kids, a hotel room in Vegas, and reservations at the Top of the World Restaurant at the Stratosphere." I was like, "WAHOO!"

Merril's been doing a Japanese tour this week and he'll end up in Vegas tonight. I'm going to drive down to meet him and we're going to have a night away from the kids. YEA!!! Merril thought it would be fun to go to The Stratosphere because 10 years ago on Valentine's Day, we were there and he gave me a ring box. Good guess ladies but there wasn't an engagement ring inside but a necklace instead. We'd been talking about marriage but I knew he wouldn't pop the question on Valentine's Day, it's not his style. Gag ring box on Valentine's Day, totally up his alley.

Have a Happy Valentine's weekend!!

BB Guns...

I'm not a huge fan of BB guns. Mostly because people think they can shoot them within city limits and no one gets hurt. Right? Last summer, our rental neighbor across the street had 2 kids with BB guns and our truck windshield received 2-3 holes. Not good. Merril talked to the Dad and we got a new windshield but it's still irksome.

Today I was in my room and heard a big thud. Thinking a bird had run into the window, I pulled up the blinds and saw this:

"That's no bird," I thought.

When I looked down, a lady and her daughter were target practicing in their back yard and her line of sight was pointed at my window. They're using a metal target and I think it ricocheted poorly. I walked out and said, "Hey, I think you just shot my window." She apologized and called the glass company and they're going to pay to have it fixed but like I say, irksome.

I really don't have a problem with BB guns as long as they're shot out away from kids, houses, and cars. Anyhoo. That's our 2nd BB gun incident in under a year, from 2 completely different families.

I'm Lost...

I love the tv show LOST. Ahhh.

Most people either love it or never got into it. Tonight was the premier of the 6th and final season. This season is supposed to tie everything together and answer all the questions floating out there. I've been promised answers!! Let's just say I'm still puzzled. But I can't wait for next week!!

P.S. Merril noticed that 2 of our kids share names with characters on the show, i.e. Jack and Juliet. We didn't really name our kids after the show, it's just a coincidence just in case any of you were wondering. ;)

P.P.S. This is totally off the subject but if it weren't for Chuck, I'd totally write off NBC because I'm steamed that Conan isn't hosting the Tonight Show anymore. Urgh!

Out.

Sometimes simple things create happiness...

When Merril's finished using the bathroom, he turns on the fan to rid the area of any unwanted odors. Unfortunately, sometimes the fan is left on...ALL DAY. Urked that the fan was running all the time and never getting shut off, I purchased this:

It's a timer switch. Hee hee!! So now when he's finished, he can just select the amount of time the fan needs to run and then it shuts itself off automatically!! It's become really awesome at night when we use the bathroom before bed, let the fan run for 10 minutes, and hear it turn itself off. Ahhhh, technology is wonderful! (I apologize for the crappy camera phone picture.)

Little gems...

I'm usually better about keeping the pictures off my camera but I've been lazy this month. I was pulling pictures off and noticed a few that haven't made it to the blog. This was New Year's Day at the sand dunes. Max and Juliet wanted to ride in the back of the Scout while I was much more comfortable driving the Tahoe which has doors and a heater. Very important features for me.

They look like they're having fun any way.

While I was making the quilts, Jack took a picture of Juliet . This was about the only good one. There's 15 more of his bowl of frosted shredded wheat and super close-ups of his pants. Why that was so important at the time, I'll never know.

And lastly, Jack and Juliet were playing some sort of winter expedition game and needed warms hats and scarves. (Juliet decided a lei was close enough to a scarf.) Notice Jack's red fingernails. As I was finishing the quilts, he and Juliet decided to paint their fingers and toes by themselves. I was so close to being done that I just let them keep doing it.

Both hats and the scarf Jack is wearing were both knitted by my SIL Rachel! She does amazing things with yarn.

Twilighter's husbands unite...

I saw a funny music video on YouTube called Twilight (what have you done to my wife?)

Part of it was filmed locally so natives might recognize some of the locations. If you love the Twilight series, you probably want to skip this video. Hee hee.

Sewing sleepover...

My mother-in-law, Janet, has her grandchildren sleepover so the cousins can play together. Last weekend, Maxine went to a sleepover at Grandma Janet's house and they sewed pillow cases. (Grandma Janet used to teach sewing.) First they practiced sewing straight lines on paper.

Here's Maxine sewing her pillow case.

They actually turned out super awesome!! I had pretty low expectations but the kids did great! I'm having Maxine sew the next quilts. Thanks Grandma and Aunt Megan!

You are quilting masters...

I think it's hard for me to sew a straight line, even with guide lines to follow. But the 2 quilts are finished. I decided not to tie the quilts, but machine quilt them. I finished Juliet's first. Jack had my camera and snagged a picture of me sewing.

Here's Juliet, with a plastic hot dog on her new quilt.

This is how much thread I had left.

Jack's quilt is finished too and they're both quite happy to be sleeping with them tonight.

I'd show better close-ups of the quilts but you'd just see the meandering sewing lines. If I had to do again, I might just tie them. But it was an interesting adventure and now they're done. I think I'll leave machine quilting to the pros.

Quilts...

I'm not an avid quilter but lately, I've decided that I like the look of patchwork quilts. A friend of mine in the ward is an awesome quilter. So armed with some tips and her rotary cutter, I've started quilts for Jack and Juliet. The part I struggle with the most is translating the idea in my head to paper and figuring out how much fabric it will take. And then things like seam allowances mess me all up. So my quilts are coming together okay. (I try to keep them as simple as possible.) Juliet's has a purple bottom with blocks of purple Tinkerbell fabric and lime green on top. I was channeling my inner 5th grader because I loved dark purple and neon green then. Here are the blocks laid out.

I was having a hard time getting it to work until I realized that I hadn't purchased enough green, by almost a full yard. Once I figured that out, I was less bugged by it.

Juliet likes her quilt already. She kept trying to lay on the quilt squares while I was laying them out. (I meant to rotate this one but I'm on the laptop and there isn't any editing software on it.)

Jack's quilt is even easier. He has a big block of Mater and Lightening McQueen in the middle with red and tan on the edges and a black bottom.

Jack's top is finished and Juliet's is almost finished. I purchased the rest of the green fabric yesterday and I need to cut it out this morning and sew it together.

Then comes the topic of getting them together. I usually just tie quilts but I like the look of a machine-stitched quilt. I'm hesitant to machine stitch it with my machine because it's just an average machine, nothing special. I just don't want to mess them up with my machine after all the work of getting them ready. I almost wish there was a different way to tie the yarn so it didn't leave the strings hanging out. So if anyone has any tips or ideas, let me know!

Fixing things...

I like to fix things. It must stem from my Dad because he was always fixing things. I think it's fun to make things work that weren't working before. When I sought out a spouse, I deliberately looked for a man who was handy. Then I met Merril. He's been able to fix everything I've put in front of him. From cars to digital pianos and everything in between, he can fix it, usually.

He was working out of town for more than half of December and took his laptop with him. When he came home, his laptop screen wasn't working. The backlight came on and I could hear Windows boot up but no picture. I was bugged. So using my other computer, I googled why the laptop would do that. It said a faulty video card might be to blame but try the display connectors first. They might have become loose. So I grabbed a screwdriver and starting pulling it apart. 20 teeny, tiny screws later, I'm able to post on my blog from the laptop!!

Yeah!! The display connector had just wiggled loose! I really love it when a plan comes together!