Picture Time!

Ok, I actually have an appointment to get Nathan's first potrait studio pics! I know, it's a miracle. We are going this Friday at 10am! Hopefully we'll do better with his 2 year pics (like not 7 months late!)

Oh man - I'm getting back into sewing!

Here is a TERRIFIC site http://www.sleepingbaby.net/jan/Baby/index.html with patterns for everything you could ever need (for kids anyway!)

I can't tell you how exciting this will be for me - I can't wait to get started! Here are some of the things she'll show you how to make:

• baby carriers/slings
• grocery cart covers (including no-sew options)
• sleep sacks for infants
• cloth dolls
• Boppys
• toddler sheets (with a top sheet built in so they never come untucked)
• diaper bags
• flat wallet with LOTS of card slots! (insurance cards, store loyalty, credit debit - I need this!)
• stroller storage bags
• and so much more - all for FREE!

What a great lady she is to post this for us!

IBC

I thought this would be a good place to put this link, http://64.94.114.73/KOMOTV/komo_ibc.wmv , so that everyone who visits will have a chance to see this information about Inflamatory Breast Cancer. It was completely foreign term to me and education is key in its detection. You won't find any lumps if you have it and a mammogram can't detect it. It's very aggressive and most people only find they have it when their cancer's in Stage 4 - and if you're not familiar with them, there is no Stage 5. It's scary, but early detection is key. There was a girl who was only 16 who died from it b/c she was too embarassed to tell her mom her breast looked weird. That part of the story scared me most of all, b/c I think if it was me I would be very insistent on getting it taken care of, but a young girl might not. Tell your friends and daughters about this! Get the word out and you just might save a life!

From the comments on my favicon...

I commented to Holly's "how did you do that?" question re: the favicon post, but maybe somebody else was interested too, so here it is.

Please note that the blogger freaks if I add code here so I added spaces before and after the <> to appease it. If you use the code, just take out the spaces.

Well, prplfsh, I see you figured it out on your own. :) For others who might be wondering - you can right click on my blog and pick the option "View Source". That will show you the html code that I've used on my page.

At the top there are <> and < /head > tags, with a bunch of stuff between them. That gives instructions as to how I want the page set up.

Look for some html < rel="shortcut icon" href="http://upurs.net/uploads/8b04509722.ico"> < rel="icon" href="http://upurs.net/uploads/8b04509722.ico">If you want to use my favicon then you copy and paste my code. If you want a different picture, then you need to 1. Make one, 2. Find a server to host it if you don't have one, and 3. Replace the http part in my code to the place where your pic is stored.If you want to see prplfsh's favicon then click on the link to my "sista"'s page in the links section of the sidebar.

Commenting on the blog

Why does everyone keep saying you have to sign up with Blogger to comment on my posts? I was able to comment on other peoples pages before I signed up. Hmmmm. When you click the comment link, like "0 comments" doesn't it have 3 radio buttons? These are the options I see when I click there...

Choose an identity :

TheOnesInColorado (Your Blogger display name)
Other
Anonymous

Or you can sign in as a different user

I always just signed in as "Other" or "Anonymous" I think and then signed my name at the end of my comment. Is this different than what you guys see? I love comments and I would hate to have you not comment b/c you don't want to sign up with Blogger. Hmmm. Let me know somebody!

Dentist Rant...

Ok, so we went to the dentist today. I hate our office. It is kind of ghetto - furnishing and amenity quality is equivalent to college student housing. And you can't schedule your next appointment as you're leaving because their software or computers or whatever they use only schedule a few months out. Sure, I could "make a note to self" in 2 or 3 months to call and get an appointment - but I shouldn't have to. It is so ridiculous. And you get no goodies! No free toothbrush, no floss, no nothin'. My children are being robbed of the dentist experience! All kids should get a fun toothbrush (and maybe a sugar-free lollipop). Ugh. There is just nothing to look foward to. There is of course one thing that my dentist does have like every other practice I have been to - BAD BREATH. Isn't that like a doctor that smokes? Shouldn't they know how to fix that? Hmmm. At least we don't pay anything for routine stuff. We'd have to upgrade our insurance and pay quite a bit out of pocket to go to one of the nicer offices. Today I'm thinking it might be worth it. Don't worry though, I'm sure I'll talk myself out of it.

Happy Pioneer Day!

We had a fun weekend with Kurt, Jami and boys coming to see us for a quick visit. We met up on Lookout Mountain and had a fun picnic with the stake to celebrate Pioneer Day. I was very grateful to not have to cook dinner for 10 in our hot hot weather (or have to find chairs for everyone - my kitchen is so small)!

Ashlyn and Nathan had SOOOOoooooo much fun with the cousins. I was amazed at how well everyone got along! The boys are so big! We took them to see the dinosaur footprints on the way home and the boys were climbing up on the rocks, pretty high up I might add, and Nathan and Ashlyn (especially her) really wanted to be like the big boys and climb up too. She did try once and fell down, skinning her shin and that was the end of climbing for her. They chased each other around and had such a fun time. The boys were so sweet with her and Nathan! Dylan cooked up a storm as a "swamp monster" in Ashlyn's kitchen and Riley hung out "waiting for Ashlyn" for over an hour the next morning so they could play. It was really a delight to have the family here. Rick was excited to show off his progress on the house and I was thrilled to have some family here! It really is not very fun to be so far away from everyone.

Today was also our family dentist trip. Most notably it was Ashlyn's first time there. She did great - no cavities (just like momma). Of course Daddy had 2 more. I want to know how it's possible. Isn't there a finite surface area upon which to rot out your teeth? It's weird how he just keeps getting cavities. I have to say I would have died if I had had a cavity. Most of you know how upset I was (like in tears) last year when I went in for a checkup and they told me I had a cavity. This is something I have prided myself in - Erika doesn't have cavities. Oh man, I had to struggle to keep my composure when the dentist told me. I knew they would think I was crazy to cry. Pretty much everyone has cavities - no biggie. But it was like I lost part of my identity. Hard to understand - I know. But the weirdest thing was it was under a sealant I received AGES ago in a molar. Since the sealant was intact that means that my previous dentist had sealed it up. I felt cheated - like I'd really been a "cavity-haver" for more than 1/2 of my life and not known it. Anyway, no such drama today. Clean bill of health! But my teeth still ache. I should start flossing or something.

Feedblitz

One...is the lonliest number...one...is the lonliest number...

Ok, so I'm the only one subscribing to my blog... hmmmm. Does that make me sad? (like pathetic, not sorrowful). You can become a subcriber to my blog by entering your email to in the box on the right. I love feedblitz to help me keep up with the blogs I read. It sends a post to your email address each day that something is posted on the blog (only 1 email a day no matter how many new posts). That way you never miss a thing! And you don't waste your time checking the page only to find nothing's changed since last time. Not that that's been a problem so far huh? Love you guys! Feel free to comment on the posts - it's nice to hear from you!

Got love?

Wow - saw this on April's page and just had to share - what an amazing video. She said to sit down, grab some tissues and watch it - no joke, I was sobbing, not just crying. This is so inspirational and speaks to the power of love of a parent for their child. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! (push the play button below the picture). http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjPrL3n63yg is the direct link if you have any problems.

You can check out their website at www.teamhoyt.com.

MMMM.... sinus infections

Well, everyone in the fam is doing great except the mama bear. This is the worst sinus infection I think I have ever had. This is going on 3 weeks now. And I have to say that despite the antibiotics I feel the same every day. My teeth even hurt. Ugh. So welcome to my newly discovered world of nasal lavage. Look it up - it's gross. Let me just say have Kleenex at the ready and don't have makeup on.

And on a happier note - Happy Anniversary Ricky Baby! We've been married 8 whole years today (as of about right now as I write)! I think we'll be going on a family date (not the ideal - but still fun) to Applebee's tonight. And I think I'm going to splurge and maybe get an appetizer! :) You know me, water, entree and nothing else. I remember how shockified I was when Rick ordered a DRINK when we went out to eat together as a couple! (I still discourage it - I know I'm a big meanie). Hope you all are doing great!

April's Playdough Recipe

This is from a mom in Tri-Cities whose blog I LOVE - read it religiously. I'm super excited to try this out!

The best playdough recipe EVER.
(because I say so.)
2 C. Flour
4 tsp Cream of Tartar
1 C. Salt
2-4 packages of kool-aid (depending on how deep you want the color. I normally use 4 no matter what color I make)

Stir ingredients together in a large pot. Turn stove on medium high and add:
2 C. Water
2 T. Oil (I usually use Canola)
Use a whip to make sure you have all the major flour lumps out, and all the flour from the edges stirred in. Switch to a heavy heat-proof scraper or a wooden spoon and start stirring. DO NOT STOP! It will start to stick on the bottom, and you want to get up as much as you can and continue to turn it over. As it cooks it will go from glossy to matte, and you want to try and get the glossy parts down by the heat when you're stirring. Once it forms a nice ball smash it down to make sure there are no more sticky parts inside and then dump it on a counter. This will take (depending on the stove and pot) anywhere from 5-10 minutes.
Knead until cool.

This playdough keeps FOREVER, store in a ziplock bag. The kool-aid once mixed in and cooked doesn't stain hands or clothes, and it gives the dough a great smell. We usually throw it out every 2-3 months or when the boys want a new color, but it doesn't mold and doesn't get sticky if kept a LOT longer than that. (I know because I just found a few bags from BEFORE we moved almost 2 years ago in a box downstairs! Perfectly good still!)
Anyway. Always keep these ingredients on hand. They are cheap, and everyone gets a good "AHHH" when the water hits the flour and color appears. It's jolly good fun.

Thanks April!!!

My little addition to Murphy's Law

I have to say that this has been uncannily accurate at my house: whenever you clean the bathroom, within 24 hours Rick will cut his hair. I will say that he does try and clean up, but boy hair (especially Rick's) is tiny and it's virtually impossible to get that fine layer of hair off the sink, walls and floor. I outwitted him yesterday though. I only thought about cleaning the bathroom Saturday morning before I left for the baby shower - thus tricking him into shaving his head that night. So guess what I'm doing on Monday?

Favicon

Sooooo, can anyone see my favicon? (this pic is 64x64 and the icon is actually 16x16 - but if your browser doesn't show it I wanted to at least show off all my hard work). That's pronounced "fave" as in favorites and "icon" as in well, icon. If you add the site to your favorites it should have a picture next to the site name. Some browsers put it on the left of the url bar too (the long white rectangle where you see the site's address http://.......) I can see my icon using Firefox and Explorer (different internet browsers), but my MSN browser just won't show it. Can you see it?

Getting a new Moroni

The statue of the angel Moroni atop the Denver temple was replaced on July 5th. It had been hit one too many times by lightning. The beauty of the temple is marred by a singed and scorched Moroni I suppose. Anyway, we thought it would be a neat experience to go and see this feat of engineering take place so we went and watched the old Moroni come down. It was neat to see how it all worked. They unscrewed the bolts at the base of the statue first. There was a loop they screwed into his head and then they looped a rope-thing through it and pulled him out! There was a long cable attached to the statue (a ground wire or something) that they unattached and then down he went!

Quick Pics

Here are Nathan and Ashlyn wearing the matching shirts I made the fam (Rick, Dad, and I actually had different ones - I thought they were cuter).

And on to my next trick...

Memorial Day weekend we seeded our lawn, edged and rocked near the driveway and barked and planted around the tree in front. Here is what it looks like now!

And if you can see the bushy green plant (the only one that's not a grouping of flowers) to the right of the front steps you will be looking at the current extent of my garden this year - Basil. Mmmm, pesto. (I guess technically Rick is growing potatoes in the backyard where the patio used to be - the word "growing" is used very loosely!)

Just for Dad

My dad came to stay recently and requested (of all things) a functioning toilet somewhere on the floor upon which he would be sleeping. So we pulled all-nighters for a solid week and ....voila! Toilet! But, to which my dad and myself can attest, it is not bolted into the ground. So don't lean over after you use the facilities - or else!

Houston - we have water!

You are taking a gander at our brand new furnace and hot water heater. The furnace currently is not needed (did you see our triple digit high today?) (Could I be any more like Chandler Bing?) and would just blow hot air into the basement since there's no ductwork. But it's in the place that it is going (half in the hall-to-be and half in the pantry-to-be) so it's pretty much in. The hot water heater however is fully functional - but not in it's final position. The studs you see (don't try and look for Rick and Nathan - they're not in the picture) to the right of the heater are the wall to the hot water heater closet. We just need to move a gas line (Rick assures me that this is not a big deal - goin' on faith here) and all is well. They are both super efficiency models since these are the only kind we can vent horizontally (which it turns out only the hot water heater needs to do now since we moved it out of the closet and into the hall to simplify ductwork - oh well, I guess we bought the crazy expensive furnace for nothing). I had better be getting a nice reduction in my utility bills, that's all I have to say.