"Mist"ified

Our strange weather lately has brought us many evenings and mornings full of fog.  I've always been a little intrigued by fog and have always loved the new perspective it can bring to the world.  Sometimes I tend to overlook the little things and focus only on the big picture.  While it's good to see most things in the "big picture" perspective, I enjoy how the fog forces me to take a step back and look at the things close to me.

My favorite part of a foggy, winter night is the morning following.  Everything outside is intricately decorated in delicate ice crystals.  As the day warms and the sun begins to shine, each, seemingly insignificant, ice crystal magically catches the sun as it journeys to the earth, creating a dancing shower of glitter.

I haven't figured out how to capture the glittering in a picture or video and really do it justice, so for now I have to settle for pictures of the motionless ice crystals.

It amazes me that even the little blades of grass are individually decorated in the tiniest of ice crystals.  It's things like this that remind me that there really is something so much bigger than me out there.

"...all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." (Alma 30:44)

P-p-p-p-polar P-p-p-p-plunge

Some people will do anything for charity.

Take this guy, for example.  Jered has one of the biggest hearts and is always showing me the true meaning of charity.  Any chance he gets he's doing something for someone else.  I must admit that at times I get rather frustrated with him helping so many others while the things I ask him to do sit and wait.

Saturday, was Cedar City's Polar Plunge.  Jered is working on a project down there and some of the guys working with him suckered him into freezing his buns off.  All of the money raised by the event went to the city's special needs program so Jered decided it was a worthy cause.  Nothing like jumping into a frozen pond to show how truly dedicated to service you are.

That's Jered cannon balling away.  I've never seen so many people excite to jump into ice water before.  It was really quite a sight to see.  (I'm really not too sure that those two girls on the doc would have known what to do if someone really didn't come up out of the water.  That hook only does so much and I'm pretty sure neither of them would have jumped in after a drowning person.)

Once out of the water he realized that it really was COLD!  On our drive home he said, "I think I need to do that more often.  My whole body feels rejuvenated."  Well darlin', you did try to freeze your whole body.  I think maybe your body is trying to tell you it's not ready to be frozen.

Even though Camden kept telling him how stinky he was, I'm pretty sure my crazy man would do this again.  Like I said, some people will do anything for charity.

Ice Sculpting

Last February we had a new furnace installed.  The thing is supposed to be super efficient and do a better job than our old one.  Since the furnace was installed it has never really worked quite right.  It will do great for a bit and then all of a sudden the house will feel really cold.  The high limit switch keeps kicking off, but the furnace will continue to blow cold air.  We've had too many service calls to count with a different repair man almost every time.  We've been told some pretty dumb things, by said repair men, as to why the furnace keeps doing this.  So as I share some of these, please keep in mind that I'm not a furnace expert, however, these repair men seem to think I'm totally clueless.  Without further ado here are my favorites (Pay special attention to the last two, my all time favorites.  Sad isn't it that I have "favorite" furnace repair moments?)

• "Your coils are dirty." (Well you were supposed to clean them when the furnace was installed.)
• "The gas pressure is too high.  I'll adjust it and I'm 99% sure this won't happen again." (This guy seemed pretty ticked that no one else in the company had checked this and was kind of bad mouthing them the whole time.  I just had to smile and laugh because, hmmm I kind of feel that way too.  Sadly, adjusting the gas pressure didn't solve our problem.)
• "Your filter was in the wrong way."  (Before I could say anything this guy thought for a second then continued on with this...) "Wait, our guys put this in didn't they?"  (Yes indeed-a-reeno)  "You never know what those little buggers are going to do next."  (This guy was from Australia, hence the use of "buggers" in his comment.)
• "You don't have enough return air coming in."  (Again, no expert, but should't you check that there would be enough return air for the type of furnace BEFORE it is installed?  Guess it goes to show that it's all about the Benjamins.  This visit was followed by us having to leave the furnace doors open so it could get more air.  Let's just say that it was about as quiet as I imagine watching you favorite television program on the airport runway would be.)
• You might remember the guy who got stuck in the bathroom.  "I promise I'll fix the furnace."  (...didn't happen.  I should have shoved him back in bathroom, but he'd still be in there!)
• "Oh, it's because you don't have all of the vents in the house open." (HUH?!  Again, I'm not an expert...)
• "Well it couldn't be a faulty part because that's against code."  (I should tell you that this comment was made by the same guy that made the previous comment.  I wasn't quite sure what to say to this guy.  I really couldn't believe that someone could say such stupid things.  Apparently this guy has NEVER heard of a recall or had to take his car in for something not working right.  I could be wrong, but wouldn't you say that a faulty car part would be against code?????  I wanted to tell him that his brain was against code, but I refrained.)

These are only a drop in the bucket though.  We actually had repair men here Christmas Eve and they have since replaced some parts (maybe they should find that Adam guy and tell him that yes, some parts can be faulty).  We're crossing our fingers that this really works.  Every time the furnace comes on and I feel a little cold air I start to roll my eyes.  So far things have been ok, but the new parts have only been in since January 6th.  I guess I'll never be truly convinced that our problem has been solved.

This rather long story brings me to the actual reason for my post.  This furnace does do something pretty cool (Ha...no pun intended there, but feel free to laugh.  I did.)

 Behold our spectacular ice volcano.

It's right outside our back door and is about 2 feet tall.  It doesn't spew molten lava or anything, but can you tell me of another volcano that can double as a dog's outdoor drinking station?

Let me show you the where our volcano comes to life.

This BEAUTIFUL (Yes, you're sensing some sarcasm.) furnace exhaust mess.  The condensation that collects when the furnace is off, drips when the furnace kicks on.

You can't tell from the pictures, but the guys who installed the furnace cut a hole in the outside cold air return (thus creating a rusted bent cover) and there is blue PVC glue all over the ceiling of the patio cover.  When I saw this for the first time he said, "They make a box-like covering that you could get in the same color siding to hide it." (Yeah, that's just what I can do since we have a money tree in our back yard.)  The end of the pipe where the exhaust actually comes out is just a big open pipe hooked to the roof with a metal strap.  (I know they make covers for the ends of ventilation pipes...I've seen them.)  Since the pipe creates a triangle shaped vacancy between it and the roof, we get birds creating little homes there.  Don't get me wrong, I love birds, but when they live in this little space it creates all kinds of fun noises, like the scraping of sticks and their fast and furious landings and take offs, and sends them right through our furnace.

Needless to say, I am not happy with our repair people, but unless we want to raid our money tree we're stuck with them for the next four years.  Here's to the hope of NEVER having to see them again!

Goodbye Ticklish

Camden has had her special little bear, Ticklish, since she was born.  She and this little toy have had such a connection since day one.  Well, as all well-loved toys do, he started to get pretty ragged.  You may recall that for Christmas 2008 we found her a brand new Ticklish thinking that she'd let us trade for a nice fluffy, soft version of her old friend.  She wanted NOTHING to do with this new bear.  He couldn't even be called Ticklish.  He had to be called Pickles.  We knew the day would come that there was no way I would be able to fix her beloved Ticklish bear.  He started to get holes in his feet and they were just about big enough for the "beans" inside to fit through.  The only way to fix this would be to replace his feet.  I love Camden and I'd do anything I could to save her heartache or grief, but let's be realistic.  This bear is really disgusting.  Most of the time it's wet because she chews on it..  (I should apologize to all of the parents with children Camden INSISTED on sharing Ticklish with.  So parents, I'm sorry you/your child had to touch Ticklish.  I hope you sterilized your hands after the encounter.)

With Ticklish full of holes I couldn't fix, we decided it was time to say goodbye to our dear friend.  We didn't want Camden to be totally without a friend so we took her to the store and let her pick out a new cuddles as part of the goodbye process.  Not wanting to influence her decision we let her just start looking through the baskets and shelves of cuddles.  Wouldn't you know that the one she wouldn't put down was a bear dressed in Shaq basketball gear.  I was not too thrilled, but if that's what she wanted, so be it.  Jered, on the other hand, was not really ok with the Shaq gear.  He took her aside with a few other options and talked her into one that was "so much softer and better for cuddling."  She ended up with a dog named Juneau.

On the drive home she rubbed him on her shoes.  Wet from walking on the road, dirty shoes.  I had to clean him before she could even cuddle with him the first night.

Not really knowing how Camden would handle Ticklish being gone, I purchased a clear box to put him in so she could still see him in her room.  It turns out it was a waste of money.  Camden would have been fine if we'd just put Ticklish away in a box in the closet.  She said her goodbyes and she was done with Ticklish for good.

One last big hug.

and kiss.

Ticklish in a box and new cuddle friend, Juneau.

Loving on both her friends.

She was being so silly while Jered was taking pictures so I still wasn't sure she understood that this was the last time she'd get to really cuddle Ticklish.  I guess she got it because the only one who shed tears for Ticklish was me.

Dear Ticklish,
I love you so much.  Nothing could ever take your place in my heart.  I'll miss not cuddling with you.  Thanks for being my very best friend.
Love, Camden

A note from Ticklish in his much loved, but  much cleaner days.  We'll have to make a "goodbye" page now for Camden's scrapbook.

Boring Beginnings

We're a week into 2010 and I have nothing exciting to talk about.  I just looked at the camera to see what pictures were waiting to be downloaded and the card is empty.  That's right, we haven't even taken any pictures yet.  I sure hope this is not some sort of preview to how the rest of our year will be.  I hope your first week of 2010 has been more eventful than mine!

Christmas "Re"do

We decided to do Christmas a little different this year.  Instead of spending a lot of money on things we didn't really like, we completed a few projects (and added a few new ones).

I'll start with my favorite.  I've wanted for Camden to have her own little table and chairs for quite some time.  Seeing that she loves to "cook" in her kitchen, I thought she would really enjoy being able to present her "home cooked" meals on a table that was just her size.  My mom said we could redo the table and chairs that her grandpa had made for her when she was little.  We were excited for Camden to "eat" at the same table her grandma did when she was a little girl and brought the set home.  After much discussion with Jered on how the table should be repaired and look when it was finished, we put it up on the self in the garage and didn't do anything with it.  (This is pretty typical of us.  We discuss things and get excited to do them, but then most of the time don't follow through right away.)  With Christmas coming I decided I would revisit the idea of Camden having her own table.

I was talking with my friend, Angie, about our plans for a table and chair set.  She said she had a table in her basement that they were getting rid of if we wanted it, it was ours.  I decided to look at her table just to see my options.  While we were looking at the table she said someone had suggest that she just Mod Podge some torn paper on top and it would look so cute for her kids, but that she had never found the time, or energy, to do this project.  In the mean time she'd found a kid table that matched her furniture so she didn't have a need for this table.  (I know clear as mud right?)  So needless to say I brought this little table home and even used her idea of Mod Podged paper on top. 

I painted the table black with a few coats of high gloss paint.  Then it was time to bust out the Mod Podge.  This took WAY longer than I thought it would.  After DAYS of paper gluing, I had to put five or six coats of clear gloss on top to really protect the paper.  I'm really pleased with how it turned out and Camden loves the Mickey Mouse theme.

Now for the chairs.

I had these yellow and green school chairs hiding in the garage.  I had taken them from my parents about a year and a half ago, (The same day we brought the other table and chairs home) intending to redo them shortly after I brought them home.  I took them apart and pulled the green vinyl and carpet padding from the seats and scraped a little paint off.  Thinking to myself that the paint was probably lead based, I stopped the scraping and just tucked the little darlings away until I could protect myself from the harmful paint.  Alas, the chairs just stayed on the shelf in the garage awaiting the day that I would really give them some love.  I sanded them down (safely) and Jered cut the seat corners to remove some damage.  Then they received the love they deserved; a few coats of black paint and some paper Mod Podged on the seats to match the table.  The chairs and the table turned out so much cuter than I imagined, but I'm not sure I would jump into doing this sort of Mod Podge project again...any time soon at least.

Than came the sewing projects.

As Angie, was loading the table into her van so she could bring it to our house, I asked her where she got her baby doll high chair.  "Oh, it's going to the DI so if you want it you can have it."  (She also gave us some two-drawer dressers.  We haven't decided what we'll do with them, but stay tuned for more on them.)  I cut apart the old high chair cover and made a new one out of my sister, Kim's, fabric stash.

I didn't want the high chair to be the only hip and trendy baby doll item so I also remade the stroller we already had.

Then just because I'm a freak, I made a blanket and pillow for Camden's new baby doll.

Jered, being the good dad he is, spent a long time out in the cold garage making Camden a doll cradle.  (He also made one for Angie's little girl since they were kind enough to give us so much.)  Camden loves to wrap her baby in the blanket and rock her back and forth.  She is such a little tender heart and I love to watch her care for her babies. Hopefully she will be just as caring when a new baby joins our family.  I should mention that she has tipped the cradle over a few time from rocking it too hard.

The last sewing project was for Camden's friend gifts.  I have to go back a little for these though.  We had a family party at our house in November.  It was really snowy outside so the snow from people's shoes melted into little puddles all over the entry.  Although the floor is tile right there, I decided I would make a rug.  I cut up a bunch a pants I had waiting to be used for just this purpose and crocheted them into a rug.  Once the rug was done, I had all of the pockets left over.  The more I looked at them the more I thought what cute purses they would make.  I suggested the idea to Camden and she loved it.  After each purse was finished she would put it on her arm and ask, "Mies mommy?"  Each time I had to tell her no she was heartbroken.  She was so happy to see her very own purse on Christmas morning.

They turned out so stinkin' cute!  The best part was I had all of the stuff to make them right here in my craft/fabric stash.  I even had stuff to personalize each one.

We hope that Camden will enjoy these things for many more years to come and can some day appreciate all of the time and energy mom and dad spent on them.  We really had fun redoing so many things and can hardly wait for more fun projects.  (Angie, we hope you are saving us some good stuff for next year.  We'll be by to do some shopping.)

Christmas 2009

This year was so much fun with Camden. It's great to see how much she really understands about Christmas. She LOVED all of the music and fun we had, as well as the stories of Jesus' birth and love for us. She had fun decorating (and un-decorating) the tree. Several times we even caught her trying to eat the ornament that looks like a cookie.

We loved her smile and the amazement that came with her first look at what was under the tree Christmas morning.  She couldn't believe that Santa had actually come to bring her presents or that he had eaten her cookies.  (Maybe she was so surprised because she had been so naughty the whole month of December.)

We loved her mouth-wide-open-with-surprise look that accompanied EVERYTHING she pulled out of her stocking and EVERY present she opened.  I started to wonder where she really got this look from and then I saw this picture of Jered.

Yep, she learned well!

I however, was still mostly asleep.  I got up earlier than Jered and Camden to get our breakfast going.  Every Christmas morning we have homemade bagels, hot from the oven....YUM!

We were really surprised when Camden started hugging us and saying, "Oh, thank you, mommy and daddy" all on her own.  Who would have known that our little two year old would be so appreciative and remember to thank us on Christmas morning?

With all the gifts and fun the best part of Christmas was just being together as a family.