Kim and Adam Family Blog

The Creek

2009-06-22T10:41:00.000-07:00

We went to the creek while Brittany was out visiting from Texas. She was with us for about a week. We had a full house with her, her son Kohl, Nathan sleeping here while his room was being moved, and Renee. Jordan was here a couple of days as well. All with only a kitchen sink for brushing teeth and washing hands (bathroom is still being worked on). It was fun though - here are pics from the creek last week.

Family Photos

2009-06-22T10:31:00.003-07:00

Nathan graduated a few weeks ago and we had a little party for him. Since most of the family was there * of 10 sibs), we took some pictures.
All of the grandkids. Back Row: Renee, Michelle, Scott, Tyler, Jessica. Front Row: Ryan, Kohl, Caitlin, Erin, Eric, Ashley.

Nathan and his Aunt and Uncle Austin and his cousin Matthew

8 out of 10 sibs and all the grandkids. L-R Brittany and Kohl, Cassandra, Sharon (Grandma), Nathan and Caitlin, Paul and Michelle, Adam and Erin, Shannon and Ryan, Renee, Alicia and Tyler, Scott and Eric, Christine, Jessica and Ashley

Sharon (Grandma), Cassandra, Nathan, Paul, Adam, Brittany, Shannon, Alicia, Christine

Moving the Shed

2009-06-22T10:09:00.001-07:00

Moving the shed turned out to be quite the ordeal. After getting a quote of $750 after I talked the guy into a cap (he wanted $150/hr) and no guarantee of the condition in which the shed would be delivered, Adam took on the task of moving the shed. He rented a tractor, bought some railroad ties and used the trailer the tractor came on to move the shed. I'm still not clear on just how exactly they got it onto the trailer. When I left them, the shed was at a precarious angle and Adam was about to just let the whole thing fall over and be done with it. A half day later, it was on the trailer. It made it down the bumpy road intact and the following morning I helped Adam set it down on the oh-so-handy-spools we got from the dump. Adam was able to return the tractor on time and the shed was resting comfortably on the spools. At one point, we considered leaving the shed on the spools. It looked like a tree house from down the road. With tires, several jacks and another tractor rental the following weekend, Adam, James and Nathan set it down. Well, technically, it set itself down since one of the jack fell over causing a tire to go through the floor and me to scream since I thought it was destined to fall into the RV. It landed nicely and Adam used the tractor and railroad ties to shove it into place. It sustained minimal damage and only cost $500 in tractor rentals in which Adam also dug a huge hole, graded a lot of the property, among other things. So, not too bad. But we're not doing it again!

The angle was greater when I left... too much anxiety to watch
Finally on the trailer

Me lifting the phone line over the roofIt actually fit through the entrance wall - Daisy was very interested in this whole ordeal and followed along
1/2 a mile or so later, it arrived and we set it on the spools in the a.m.

Desert Tortoise and Pig Cow

2009-06-22T10:00:00.000-07:00

A large desert tortoise wandered through our property on Saturday. It was the biggest one I've ever seen outside of a zoo. The kids loved it. We fed it some watermelon and then it continued on its way after we redirected it away from the hazards in our yard (like the giant hole Adam dug). Pretty neat! I still need to go back to our old house and get a better picture of the giant pig-cow creature. I've never seen such an enormous pig!

Drywall - Almost Finished

2009-05-25T12:59:00.000-07:00

After Adam painted with the semi-gloss we decided that the drywall was not as flat as we thought it was so this is what it looks like before the drywall guys came back to texture. We need to repaint which means a run to Lowe's for some more Lotus Flower. I don't see how we're going to get done in time to move next weekend.

Drywall

2009-05-12T19:20:00.001-07:00

Progress on the Kitchen

2009-05-05T22:15:00.001-07:00

Spring Pics

2009-05-05T22:07:00.000-07:00

More Projects

2009-05-03T17:29:00.001-07:00

This is what we did Saturday night....brings back memories of painting at 2am at our house in Ontario. I put in the closet organizer stuff and painted but I didn't get a picture - I'll get one later.

Working on the house...

2009-04-19T20:05:00.000-07:00

old carpet...yuck

Here are some pics of what was done in the last few days. My sister and her boyfriend painted Erin's ceiling Thursday night. My dad and stepmom drove out from Georgia for a visit and we spent 2 days prepping the house for carpet. My dad removed the carpet and padding from the house and then vacuumed up all of the dirt that was under the carpet. Then he sprayed the house. Carrie (stepmom) and I painted the living room by hand since the ceiling is exposed beams. On Saturday, the carpet was put in and it looks great. Once we finish the kitchen, they'll put in the vinyl. I (yes, me) put in the new door hard knobs and a wall sconce that was part of the housewarming gift my dad and stepmom got us. There is still a ton of work to do, but it is nice that everything will be new when we move in.

We have a house!

2009-03-20T19:41:00.000-07:00

We closed on the house today. It is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath fixer that is just around the corner from us. It is also really affordable. We have a month or two before we have to move in so hopefully we'll have it all fixed up by then. I'll hopefully post some pictures soon (although the house is not much to look at).

Also, I am done with school for now and got all A's. But the new quarter starts soon and I will be taking 4 classes and will be busier than ever.... trying to enjoy this little break!

Update

2009-03-06T13:20:00.001-08:00

Since I started school I'm not so good at keeping up with my blog. I have to post so much all the time for school that I am getting sick of it. But I figured it was time for an update. At least I am not having to post about sub-cultures, disasters, or Native Americans.

Here is a quick run-down of the current house situation. We have about 2-3 months left in our current home before we will be evicted. The bank already sent some people here to inspect the property (supposedly) to see if it was occupied, etc. The bank said they do this since typically the ex-homeowners don't notify the bank when they leave. Right now, we just opened up escrow (this will be our 3rd) on a very quaint little house that I call the "dump house" due to its proximity to the dump. I have to say that it is better than "Adam's shack" in regard to the actual domicile, but the property leaves much to be desired. The shack we were in escrow on had many issues regarding the title so we pulled out of escrow since we don't have unlimited time to wait for that to be cleared up. But should something happen with this transaction, we'll more than likely try that one again. I just want it done and to be settled somewhere. Also, for the extremely cheap price that the dump house is going for, it is a good investment and is satisfying Adam's need to be "Depression proof." Realistically, we could collect cans to make the payment.

Erin is in ballet and she is loving it. She has a recital in June. I'll send out notices when it gets closer with ticket information for those of you that are interested in attending. They will be doing a poodle dance and it is adorable from what I have seen.

I am spending a huge amount of my time doing school work right now. I feel good that I am making progress toward my degree but will be so happy for this quarter to be over! I hope I am done taking anthropology classes for now (I've take 5 in all). I think I'll go the opposite and take some science or math next quarter. We'll see.

Well, back to work for me! Hopefully I can post again soon with some pictures.

Tagged

2009-02-18T18:05:00.000-08:00

Becky tagged me....so here it is!

Here are the rules:

1. Go to where you store your pics.

2. Go to your 4th folder.

3. Go to your 4th pic.

4. Post it and tag three more people.

I tag Raela, Lisa, Dad

Avery, Erin and Lydia playing dominoes when we were camping

Sledding

2009-02-10T12:23:00.001-08:00

Cassandra had the day off from school and Adam had a snow day so we went sledding. It was a lot of fun. At 11am we were the first ones out there which was surprising since Wrightwood gets crowded early when it snows. However, chains or 4x4's were required at that time so that probably had something to do with limiting the traffic. Once again, Adam's old 4x4 came in handy on the ice and snow. All the snow has melted at our house now, but it was a beautiful day yesterday. Erin had so much fun sledding all by herself. I've included a clip of her bravery - head first!

I'm now a Beaver!

2009-01-06T16:21:00.001-08:00

That's right, I am now a junior at OSU working on my bachelor's degree in liberal studies. I officially started my classes today. Amazing that I can be an Oregon State University Beaver and live in Southern California. I love technology.

Happy New Year!

2009-01-06T16:04:00.000-08:00

We just want to wish you all a Happy New Year!

Snow!!!!

2008-12-22T08:37:00.001-08:00

We have been snowed in! On Monday, we received a few inches and then on Wednesday we received 2 1/2 feet of snow so far and more is expected to come. My grandfather said it is the most snow since the 40's. It may be a white Christmas for us our here in the DESERT in CALIFORNIA.... too funny. I like it better when the snow melts right away rather than lingering. Adam missed 4 days of work due to road closures even though his 1984 f250 4x4 has no problem navigating the snowy trail that is our road. The schools closed a week early so Nathan and Cassandra have 3 weeks off. We definitely feel Christmasy. Enjoy the slideshow!

A Visit With Santa

2008-12-06T10:36:00.000-08:00

We went and saw Santa yesterday. The kids were very excited. Unfortunately, I didn't get what Jordan asked Santa for on Video (they rushed us through pretty fast this year). Erin asked for a baby doll and train set which I am certain Santa will bring. Jordan asked for a Thomas train set but I think that is only because we were right next to the Thomas the Train store.... so I don't know what he really wants. The video is cute...take a look!

Jordan's Birthday!

2008-11-11T21:24:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe he is 5 years old!!! He had a fun little party at his grandparent's house. I made the cake. I think it turned out good. And for those who are wondering why it is not a Spiderman cake, as one would expect Jordan would want, he is now going through a Batman phase. He takes it very seriously by the way. He got so many cool toys for his birthday and lot of video games. I'm more practical and got him a coloring book, a shirt, a soft baseball bat and an Incredibles costume (it was only $2 at Target!). The highlight was the Wii that Danielle and others bought him. Needless to say he is really into video games.

The ribbon wouldn't come off this present so all the kids pitched in to help

Halloween Costume Pictures

2008-10-26T20:46:00.000-07:00

Cute Pictures

2008-10-23T21:24:00.001-07:00

Erin and Jordan Dancing at Taylor's Wedding (Adam's cousin ; Lisa's youngest son)

Don't they look cute all dressed up?!

My favorite picture - ever! They are so cute. They danced together for a long time.... I'll post a link to a video later when I get it uploaded.

Something Funny

2008-10-20T22:28:00.000-07:00

Several months ago, Erin decided that she wanted to go to church with Cassandra. After weeks of talking about wanting to go, we decided to let her go. Up to that point, the only experience she had with church was the Trunk-or-Treat at Water of Life in Rancho Cucamonga. She figured that church was a place to get candy, play games and jump in a bounce house. We figured that once she went to "real" church, she wouldn't want to go. Adam and I are definitely not church going people. I can count the number of times I've been to church on my fingers and Adam's experiences with church were of extreme boredom and the start of the most boring day of the week. So, we let Erin go to church with Grandma Sharon so she could see for herself what Cassandra was up to those 3 hours (that's right - Mormon's spend 3 hours on Sunday at church). So, Erin sat through Sacrament and then went into her class for kids her age. Well, she LOVED the class part. Of course Erin wanted to go again. Fortunately for Erin though, Adam's mom rarely goes to Sacrament so Erin just gets to go to her fun little class. I have to say I am impressed with what she comes home with. Her Sunday school teacher is very creative and Erin has learned a lot of good values. She is also gaining some knowledge of the bible....... sort of :) This is where the funny part comes in.
A few weeks ago, Erin came home with a cute little project based off of the story of Adam naming all the animals. Erin came home and told us that Adam named all the animals. We smiled and nodded our heads at her. Well, Saturday at Target, Erin and Jordan were picking up the little realistic model animals and Erin said to Jordan "my daddy named all the animals." She then took an animal to Adam and asked him to name it. Adam said, "it's an elephant" and Erin said, "no... what is his name." Apparently she thinks her Dad gave all the animals first names. What a job that would be! Kids can be so funny, especially Erin.

Pumpkin Patch

2008-10-20T17:10:00.001-07:00

Erin's Shirt

Above: Jordan's Pumpkins Below: Kim's

Above: Danielle's Below: Adam's

Jordan's shirt and hat

Jordan and Erin at the pumpkin patch

My sister came down for a visit this last weekend. Jordan stayed at our house too and we had a lot of fun. We made T-Shirts, hats, decorated pumpkins and all sorts of other things, and we made cupcakes and frosting. Yum! We also went to the pumpkin patch. The kids had a lot of fun. There was a petting zoo there and Erin was brave enough to hold a chicken and pet a pig.

Adam's 30th Birthday

2008-09-23T19:37:00.000-07:00

Adam turned 30 this year and I planned a surprise lunch for him on Saturday. He had no clue about it but figured I do something. We went to Olive Garden and then a few of us went to the park after since we have kids. Then, we went to Ron and Lisa's coffee shop and the best part, Costco! OK... so we are not the most exciting people but it was still fun! Here are some pictures. They're not the best because I wasn't feeling so well. It also didn't occur to me to take more than I did! Lisa M., you'll need to send me any you took! Thanks to everyone who came to spend the day with Adam!

Kim's New Job

2008-09-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

I have a new job! I am now a real estate agent at MGR. They have offices in Victorville, Upland and Colton. I'll probably have orientation next week and I have a LOT of training to go through. When I am done with training, I will be a commercial and residential agent, although I can start selling residential real estate now with the help of a mentor. So, if you're looking to buy or sell a home... keep me in mind! :)

Seriously?

2008-08-28T17:22:00.000-07:00

Am I really upset about not getting to buy a junky mobile home? Yes, yes I am! Adam has influenced me more than I imagined. His un-natural desire to find the least desirable house has finally worked its way into my thought process. Anyway, the crazy lady that owns the ugly mobile (in previous post) has decided that she now wants $40K down and much more for the property. Seriously? Not going to happen. Perhaps she thought since we were OK with her last offer, this wouldn't be much more. It's not like this is my dream home or anything... it's a dump, but I liked the idea of knowing where we might end up. It's the not knowing that is getting to me now. Now that the IRS thing is settled (yay!), I am focused on our housing situation. I apologize now if my posts become house-centric! :)

Could this be our new home?

2008-08-25T14:25:00.000-07:00

If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that we made an offer on a junky mobile home. Well, this is it. The lady that owns it came to her senses, sort of, and agreed to the purchase price, but she wants a lot more down. If we can figure out the down payment, then this could be where we will go when we are asked to leave our house.
It is definitely an ugly mobile, but at a great price, in the best area and it has an awesome view. If we get it, it will need to be gutted. There is also a lot of junk on the land that needs to be removed but we have a dump truck so that will help. We already met a couple of the neighbors and they are really nice - so much better than our current neighbors.

Above: Looking North

Some of the junk

Love the view - that metal building belongs to the neighbor

Needs siding, a roof, a door, a new front porch...

The living room - that stove would be replaced with ours

Kitchen - I like how it is open to the living room. It actually has more cupboards than our house.

Out the rear door... more junk

Erin's 1st Day of School!

2008-08-21T14:07:00.001-07:00

Erin officially started preschool today. She was so excited to go. She'll be in school every Tuesday and Thursday from 9-12. Today, they colored, played outside, went over the rules and some other stuff that Erin said she can't remember. Both of the teachers seem really nice and I am sure Erin is going to learn a lot this year. She looked so cute today too!

Let the house hunting begin!

2008-08-20T22:31:00.000-07:00

Most of you know our sad story about our house. If you don't, here are the basics: we were sold and unpermitted house, fradulently. After wasting $2200 a month for this worthless house and after mounting a lawsuit, we have decided to cut our losses and we are preparing for foreclosure. There is still a chance we will win the lawsuit, but there is a big difference between winning and collecting. As a result of this housing debacle we are left in financial ruin. We have been unable to refinance out of our bad mortgage and it has cost us dearly. This, coupled with the loss of our biggest job last October has put us in such a bad situation. We will not be able to buy a house ourselves... but there is a light amidst all this financial darkness: real estate prices are down and my dad and step-mom are going to help us secure something. However, the price of a "normal" house is still out of our reach. So, we are once again looking for the undesirable.... *sigh*

I thought I had found the perfect property for us. It was the best of both worlds - crappy place to live to make Adam happy (inside joke - just kidding, Adam :) and a great area for me. We made an offer on a piece of property that only we are crazy enough to consider. There is so much junk on the property and the dwelling (a single wide trailer) is in need of some serious TLC. Fortunately, Adam has learned a lot about remodeling and we have a dunp truck. The reason we like it is the awesome view, the great neighbors and the location. We could rehab the trailer before we are forced out of our house and then live in it for a number of years before we built the house we want. Then after the house is built, Adam's mom will have a real home to live in (she'll get the trailer). We made an offer and it was rejected. The crazy lady that owns it is out of her mind. We offered less than she wanted but this is a buyers market and there are about $15K in repairs needed for the trailer and about the same in dump fees to remove all the junk. It has been for sale for 3 years now and we are the first offer. I am bummed since I love the area and the neigbors and I liked knowing we would have somewere to go, for cheap. Guess not.... we will keep looking. I should go back up there and take pictures of the junk... it is kind of funny.

Good bye, my beloved sunglasses....

2008-08-19T13:10:00.000-07:00

I never thought I'd be sad to lose a pair of sunglasses. Normally, I'd just go out and get a new pair. But alas, I cannot afford to replace my beloved Coach sunglasses. I was never a sunglasses snob until my 25th birthday, just over a year ago today, when my mother bought me my first pair of designer sunglasses. I was admiring their beauty inside the glass case and asked to try them on just to see what they felt like. They were perfect and my mother generously bought them for me for my birthday present. I loved them. They went everywhere with me. I wore them with pride and I loved showing them off. And now they are gone..... *sigh*
I lost them in the Cinemark movie theater. We were watching Tropic Thunder. Adam asked for the candy I snuck in inside my purse. And that is when it happened. My purse fell through the gap in the seat onto the floor. I thought I picked everything up off the floor but I was wrong. It wasn't until the next day I missed them. I went outside to look in the car just in case they were there. I was blinded by the sun as I walked back from the car, disappointed. I dug out an old cheap pair from my dresser. They just didn't feel the same. They felt cheap, uncomfortable and were scratched. I wear them in shame - shame because I am now a snob and feel self-conscious about wearing cheap sunglasses. I called the theater and they were not in their lost and found. Undoubtedly, someone else picked them up and realized their value and is now wearing them or selling them on ebay. Perhaps my sunglasses were picked up by someone who travels and they will get to see great beaches, mountains and other things they have missed out by having been forced to be worn by someone they would consider beneath them - a person who lives in the dirty desert, a person who doesn't wear designer clothes, a person who didn't put them away in a case, a person who wore them casually on top of her head but loved them nonetheless... Good bye dear sunglasses, good bye.

Erin's Birthday Party

2008-08-03T10:26:00.000-07:00

Erin's birthday party started Friday night with a sleepover. Amber, Makayla and Acacia came over to stay with Cassandra and Cadia and Jordan came over to stay with Erin. We ended up putting Sharon's girls and Cassandra out in our trailer because we knew they would stay up all night and be really loud. That worked out really well. That night, I made Erin's Barbie cake and Amber decorated the ''back-up"cake should we need it (and we did - we had a lot of people).
We BBQ'd hamburgers, had a pinata (I made it - saved $15 on something that was just going to get destroyed), we swam, jumped on the trampoline and generally had a good time. Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate Erin turning 4 with us!

Food Frustrations!!!

2008-07-31T16:39:00.000-07:00

Aaaaaah! I am really frustrated with food right now - all food!! As some of you may know, I have an intolerance for MSG (monsodium glutamate). It does awful things to me, and has even landed me in the emergency room, twice! Some of the things that happen to me are: headaches, severe neck and upper back pain and stiffness, difficulty breathing, heart palpitations, weakness. It took me years to finally figure out what was causing it. So, I look for it on all products. Pretty much, anything that comes in a package or box is bad news - even canned and frozen food. I have seen an elmination of MSG in lots of products. Yet, I still get symptoms occassionally from these "MSG" free foods. So, I did more research and have found some pseudonyms for MSG. Pretty much, if a product has an ingredient in it I can't pronounce or don't know what it is, I don't eat it. I also don't eat at most restaurants either since I know it is in their food - including all fast food except In-N-Out. I've been happy that MSG is being elminated from foods, but now I am very distressed by this. Come to find out, they are just using different names or putting MSG in the other igredients in the product to hide the fact that MSG is in it. One of these is hydrolized vegetable protein. Yuck! But this is NOTHING compared to what else I've discovered. I am OUTRAGED that this is happening: Farmers are using a fertilizer with MSG in it!!!! It is inside and outside of our vegetables! Even organic produce can have it since there are no standards for its use in Organic farming. Now I know why I get an MSG reaction to supposedly healthy food sometimes. And now I know why some wines bother me while others don't (yes, they even spray it on grape vines used for making wine - ridiculous!). I have always wanted to grow my own produce and now I am ready to become Farmer Kim! I swear this is ridiculous. MSG can cause learning disabilities and whole host of other problems. It is not natural to eat modified food yet it is in everything everyone eats. I am going to look like a crazy hippy now - growing my own organic food, making bio-diesel, looking to start using alternative energy to power the house, reclaiming our water, etc. Just for everyone's reassurance, I am definitely a Republican - I just want healthy, natural food for my family's body. Is that too much to ask!!

Leo Carrillo 2008

2008-07-29T19:17:00.000-07:00

Chase boggie boarding

Erin on the swing at camp

Just hangin' out - Chase, Lydia, Cadia, Erin, Avery

Celia, Nathan, Amber

Craig, Denise, Lucy, Adam

Cove 2

Kim (me) and Erin

Adam and Erin

Our little camp area (trailer is behind the bush)

Enoch, or "Jungle Jim" as Adam calls him

Avery, Erin and Lydia playing dominoes

Erin put herself in that pose - what a ham!!! :)

Avery and Erin in a big hole

Trey, Makayla, Cassandra, Acacia

Acacia as a crab person

Almost the entire group of campers

Erin and Jordan with a baby star fish

Erin and Jordan in the cave

Erin and Jordan in the bike trailer

Craft time - making boats and jewelery boxes

We went camping for a week at Leo Carrillo State Beach in Malibu, CA. It was so much fun this year and we had great weather. Erin loved having all day to play with her many cousins and having free range in the camp ground. It was fun watching all the kids play. Adam's Uncle Craig and his wife, Denise, and their 8 kids came out from South Carolina. We enjoyed meeting all of them. I think there were 8 families total there this year. It was a lot of people (as you can see in the photos). I didn't want to come home and neither did Erin. Some of the highlights of the trip were the little kids boogie boarding at the "kid's beach" (didn't have my camera for Erin's attempt), the talent show where we got to watch Cassandra, Makayla, Acacia, Makayla and Trey doing a dance they made up to a Jonas Brothers song, Erin singing and playing her guitar, Heidi and her kids singing, Chantel and Robert singing, and a Jedi sword fight by Levi and Joe, a couple of skits by the Tuwalla's, and roping done by Chad. The talent show was a really fun night! We also had a night where all the families competed against each other for fabulous prizes. Our team won a laundry basket for our 3rd place finish, the Tuwalla's won sleeping mats for their 2nd place win and 1st place went to Sara's team for her fabulous ice cream eating skills - she got to take home a crock pot. There were also great crafts this year for the kids. Oh, and we can't forget Robert proposing to Chantel on the beach at sunset. This is going to be a hard year to top. I think pretty much everyone had a great time.

Photos From Alicia's June Visit

2008-07-29T19:09:00.000-07:00

Adam, Nathan, Christine, Cassandra, Mom, Alicia, Shannon, Paul

The Original 5

All of Grandma's Grandkids (except for Kohl)
Top: Scott, Eric, Ryan, Tyler, Renee
Bottom Row: Erin, Jessica, Michelle, Caitlin, Ashley (front)

7/10 Siblings (in birth order)

What State Do I Live In?

2008-07-16T16:08:00.001-07:00

Wacky, crazy weather every afternoon has left me confused. Exactly what state do I live in? (and I'm not talking about my state of mind). Yesterday, it was like a monsoon and made me feel like I was back in Minnesota - really hot in the morning, getting cloudy early in the afternoon followed by thunderstorms, not to mention, humid! Poor Christine had to load her kids into the car in the worst of it (all 4 of them). She said it was clear when she got about 10 minutes away. I guess Pinon Hills is the only lucky recipient of this delightful weather.

If you read my blog you know that Adam recently finished the central swamp cooler installation. Let's just say, it wasn't completely done, but close enough. We figured, we had all summer before we had to worry about the holes in the roof it created and we also figured we had lots of time to replace the shingles we lost during the last winds we had. Well, guess not! I had a flood in my kitchen and the water followed the ducting into Erin's room. It is getting ready to rain again. Time to get out the buckets and towels and hope that toxic mold isn't forming anywhere (except the for the bathroom ceiling that I already know about). Tell me again, why did I "agree" to a fixer-upper?! Oh, another thing. Swamp coolers don't cool in the humidity. I am sooooooo looking forward to our week at the beach. I just hope we don't come home to a flooded house. Maybe a nice wildfire will come through while we are gone and destroy the place. The cats wouldn't survive but oh well, I'd get a new house! Yes, I am evil. I forgot to get a picture of the lake in the kitchen, but perhaps I will get the opportunity to take one today. On a humorous, related note, Adam's mom was able to remind me of our lovely floors, "Quick, Kim! Get a towel! The water's running into the other wall because the floors are crooked!" Nice, right? *SIGH*

Erin's Room (above) Kitchen (below)

This looks safe, right? Should I be standing in a puddle?

Ceiling in kitchen

Pool Fun

2008-07-09T17:10:00.001-07:00

Adam's Sister Christine and her 4 kids came over today and swam in our new pool. Considering it was 106 degrees today, it was a good day to go swimming. Erin and Ashley preferred the little pool with all of the big kids in the big pool. I'm really glad we bought the pool. Last night, Adam, Nathan, Cassandra and I made a whirlpool. When I tried to swim against the current, it was like having an endless pool. good exercise.

In other news, there is now a snake in the garage. You can guess where I am not going. We identified the snake on the internet and determined it is a glossy snake - definitely not a rattle snake or anything dangerous, but still. It's probably eating all the lizards I've allowed to live in there to eat the spiders. The circle of life...

4th of July

2008-07-07T00:49:00.000-07:00

Yea!!!! We have a pool now and it is a lot of fun. We finally filled it up all the way today, but it was fun with a only a few inches, especially for Erin. We sat in it on the 4th for a few hours. Then we BBQ'd, took a nap, and went to the high school and watched fireworks put on by the local Kiwanis club. I have a few gripes for Kiwanis (not that they'd see this, but...) "Why did the girls sing lame pop songs and not the national anthem before the fireworks? And why was Pinon Hills not represented in the shout outs - come on people, it was the tri-community Kiwanis and we were forgotten while Apple Valley was given a shout along with El Mirage?!? Who lives in El Mirage except for, apparently, 1 lady who came to see the fireworks!" LOL - OK so I am ranting :) Anywho, it was fun and it was a good show. Erin wore ear protection, as you can tell by the pictures. Then, we came home and did our own little ground show. Erin loves sparklers... what kid wouldn't? Even though it was just the three of us, it was a fun day. Adam's mom and sibs were in Long Beach if you were wondering. Hope you all had a great 4th!

FINALLY!!!!

2008-07-03T21:43:00.000-07:00

It's finally cool in the house! Adam got the swamp cooler put in and repaired the old one. So, we have a direct down draft in the kitchen that keeps it nice and cool and a ducted system for the rest of the house. It's also nice and humid now and my skin loves it. It doesn't get above 80 in here during the day and I am MUCH happier. Sweet relief..... :) Adam spent many weekends up on the roof in 90 and 100 degree heat to get it all done. I even brought dinner up there to him once! Now, he is working on getting the ground leveled out for the above ground pool I bought with the money I got selling our window A/C's on craigslist (we had them in last year but after exhoribitant electric bills, opted not to put them in this year). We also have a few solar panels we are hoping to use to power the swamp cooler motors. Right now, I want them on the trailer so we can power our batteries while we are camping, especially since the generator is broken and it might not get fixed in time (another thing for Adam to fix). BURR! I am getting chilly. I think I'll go get my blanket!

Cassandra's Promotion

2008-07-01T10:41:00.000-07:00

I forgot to post this back when it happened... Cassandra is no longer a middle-schooler and will be moving on to Serrano High School. I don't envy her since I greatly disliked high school. However, she is much more involved in school activites than I was and she makes friends easily. And the girls up here are not the stuck-up, evil girls that I remember. They drive normal cars (no BMW's here) and have modest wardrobes. I am sure there are the exceptions but it should be much easier to fit-in at this high school. Anywho, I digress... Here are the few pictures I took. Hard to believe that the 5 year old that once sat in my lap will be graduating high school in 4 short years. *sigh* And Erin is supposed to start preschool this year?! I am already having second thoughts. Kindergarten will be here soon enough!

Erin, Shannon, Cassandra, Nathan, Sharon (Adam's mom)

The Beach - with Alicia

2008-06-13T07:52:00.000-07:00

Adam's sister Alicia from Texas and her family have been out visiting. So far, we've gone to the beach and to Disneyland with them. Here are some of the pictures:

Kim's Dad's Visit

2008-06-04T16:12:00.000-07:00

My dad came and stayed with us for a few days. We had a lot of fun. We went to Santa Monica and played in the water and then went to the pier. The kids had a lot of fun. It was so beautful that day. I really liked the beach there since the waves break far out. It is a great beach for kids. I didn't check the water pollution but it was really clear. I imagine it gets polluted as summer goes on since it is a crowded beach. We got to see the new Ferris Wheel but we didn't stay long enough for the innaguration, although we should have since we spent a long time in traffic going home. My sister, Danielle, did a trapeze lesson while we there. The New York Trapeze School set up a school right on the pier. Talk about a great location. She did really well. Adam's sister Alicia is coming out for a visit so we'll be at the beach again this weekend.

My sister on the trapeze

Me, my dad, my sister, Erin and Jordan - I was really white (makes me look chubby!)

Now I am peeling :(

Danielle and my dad (with Jordan) and Adam (with Erin)

Erin's Castle

2008-06-04T15:55:00.000-07:00

Adam and I spent memorial day working on Erin's castle. I painted it and Adam notched the top. It finally looks like a castle! I want to add some more windows, put a hinge on the door and finish the faux rock. I decided the rock/bricks I painted are too dark and I'm going to repaint what I've already done. It was good technique practice though and now I know exactly how I want to do it. Just 2 more towers to build! Adam has a lot of work ahead of him and I have a lot of painting.

Above: looking south from the sand - needs more windows

Below: my dad

Above: what the rocks/bricks will sort of look like

Below: I want to make a real door out of the cutout

Hot!!!!

2008-05-20T13:11:00.001-07:00

OK - it's really hot. Today is actually cooler but not much. I just checked and it is 88deg. in the house. Yesterday at this time it was 91. It reached 98 in the house yesterday. IN THE HOUSE! I took a really long, cold shower to combat the heat. Erin and I also spent the heat of the day over at his mom's since she has A/C. I am glad we did since Erin has sun poisoning. She must have got it Sunday because she was only out in the sun for a little while late yesterday afternoon and she started having stomach cramps. Today, she woke up with a fever and complaining about her stomach hurting. I gave her some tylenol and she has been drinking lots of water and resting. She is much better already. I'll keep her out of the sun for a few days. I am now considering getting her one of those SPF 50 swim suits that covers her whole body since I know we will be out in the sun a lot this Summer. I hope Adam gets the swamp cooler in next weekend before we have another heat wave again. Supposedly, it is going to cool off this week. We'll see...

Top number is the relative humidity and the bottom is the temperature inside the house.

HOT!!!!

2008-05-16T21:08:00.001-07:00

We went down to Victoria Garden's in Rancho Cucamonga today and it was REALLY hot!!! It was 100 degrees and windy - it felt like a heater was on. At our house, 38 miles away, it was around 85. When I got home around 7:30pm it was a breezy 75 while it was still 95 in Rancho. Erin and Jordan didn't mind the heat though. They played in the fountains for a couple hours. Since the heat is here and becoming unbearable, Adam will start installing our swamp cooler this weekend. I hope he gets it in before my dad comes to visit in a couple of weeks. Other than the heat, it was an enjoyable day. Here's the pics:

Bones

2008-05-15T17:30:00.000-07:00

Adam put in our new security screen door Tuesday night. Being that nothing in our house is standard or built porperly, we needed to modify our threshold. Adam removed some concrete from under the metal plate and we found bones embedded in the underside of the concrete! I don't know what kind of bones they are. All I know is it is really weird!! Why would someone put bones under their threshold? I shutter to think if there are more hidden under/in our house. Oh how I wish we had a "normal" house. Bones aside, the door frame is so crooked we had to make a decision. We could install it to match the crooked door or install straight. We opted for straight and now it is really noticeable how messed up the door frame is. I guess levels were scarce when the guy built this house as pretty much nothing is straight in this house. So, what should I do with the bones? They're probably animal or from a steak or something like that but I wonder if I should call someone. I'll save them for now. Here's a pic of our screen door and a pic of the bones:

The Cost of Going Various Places

2008-05-15T14:10:00.001-07:00

OK, so last night I was discussing with Adam the total suckiness of Diesel prices right now. It just costs too much to go anywhere. This time last year I didn't think too much of cruising over the the Victorville mall to escape the heat. Today, as it approaches 85 degrees inside our home, it is tempting the spend the money. But, since it will be even hotter tomorrow, I might want to wait to splurge. Once we get our biodiesel setup going, I will be able to escape from the jail that is our house right now. Today, I broke down how much it costs to go to and come back from the various places we generally go. I get 18mpg in my Excursion and the cost of diesel is approx. $4.65/gal right now. So, here's the breakdown:

Grocery Store: $1.98
Phelan Park: $2.05
Wrightwood Park: $5.74 (Sorry Becky, but we'll be meeting at Phelan park from now on!)
Pinon Hills Park: $1.77
Super Target (Apple Valley): $15.62
Sharon's House: $13.73
Our P.O. Box in Rancho Cucamonga: $18.30
The Mall of Victor Valley: $11.37
Adam's Daily Commute: $39.14 in his truck (10mpg @ $4.65/gal) , $15.38 in his Mustang (18mpg @ $4.11/gal)

After my calculations, I find myself not wanting to go anywhere. I can't wait for our biodiesel set-up to arrive! Still working on finding more used cooking oil sources.

Biodiesel!

2008-05-13T15:04:00.000-07:00

We finally ordered our biodiesel equipment today! After about a year of research and learning how to make biodiesel, we came to a deceision to purchase a complete system. Adam was ordering tanks to make his own setup and he was asking a lot of questions. They referred us to Sonicbiodiesel.com and their complete processor is not much more than building it yourself. Not to mention all the time it would take to track down all of the components. So, we're hoping by June to be running biodiesel in most of our vehicles. Now, the problem is collecting enough waste vegetable oil. We have already started gathering it from the donut shop but it is not enough. We have a verbal agreement with one of our customers (Wienerschnitzel) to get their oil but we need to provide them with a drum first. Still, we need more. We need to make about 100 gallons per week so we need about that much oil. The demand is way up too so we are not the only people asking for it. I'll probably start canvassing the area's local restaurants to see what I can get. We are excited to get started! Yesterday, diesel was $4.79 a gallon in town!!!! At worst, we have to buy unused, crude grade vegetable oil at $2.00/gallon. Even with the cost of the methanol and lye, it is still almost half the price of the gas station. We'll keep you posted on how the whole system is working out and how much we are saving. Here's a picture of the equipment we ordered:

Lazy Cats!

2008-05-07T09:58:00.001-07:00

My cats are really lazy! They sleep in the most ridiculous positions too! I have some of these pictures on my myspace page but thought I'd post here too. I got a new picture yesterday. They aren't even a year old and yet they sleep like old cats. They seem to follow me around and sleep wherever I am. At night they like to sleep right on my rear end (if I am on my stomach) or they sleep on my stomach. They also refuse to move when I need to get up. Other than their sleeping habits, they are not very remarkable cats. I had hoped Marvin would be a talker since he was in the shelter, but he barely makes a sound. They also tear everything up. Moona at least has the decency to wait until I am not looking but Marvin just stares at me with a "what are you going to do about it" look. He knows he is not supposed to (he runs if I start to come near him while he's scartching) yet he does it anyway! I don't know what I was thinking getting cats again. I keep hoping to replace my beloved Beast but he was 1 in a million. Some of you met him and will agree with that. Even if you didn't like cats, you liked Beast. He was my baby before we had Erin. Maybe after we fence the rest of the property, the cats will want to live outside and they can quit bothering me!!! :)

L.A. Zoo

2008-05-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

We went to the Zoo with our neighbors (Buck, Santina and their son, Hayden) on Tuesday. It was fun. Erin really liked the animals and LOVED brushing the goats. It was nice to spend the day with Adam doing something besides working on the house or picking up supplies to work on our house that usually occupies Adam's time at home. Here are the pictures....

Pictures from last weekend

2008-04-23T14:23:00.001-07:00

We had a good weekend. We met my Aunt and Uncle, whom I hadn't seen in over 10 years, for brunch on Sunday. I took some pictures of Erin and Jordan with them. Afterwards, we walked around the mall and then went to the park. It was a beautiful day. Here are some of the pictures I took and a video clip.

Erin Dancing

2008-04-10T19:55:00.001-07:00

Here's a couple of pictures of Erin. The top one is Erin and Cassandra. There is a video clip of Erin dancing to her favorite Hannah Montana song. Should I be worried that a 3 1/2 year old likes Hannah Montana and knows most of the words to her songs? :)

Erin Singing

2008-04-10T19:42:00.000-07:00

Erin LOVES to sing. I got this little video clip of her tonight. She learned the song while Cassandra was rehearsing it for her recital. She is so cute and funny! :)

Cassandra's Choir Concert

2008-04-10T12:16:00.000-07:00

We went to the school district's spring concert last night. It was a lot of fun to watch. The high school show choir was really good. Erin was really excited because they did a few "High School Musical" numbers. I think Cassandra will be really good in that choir when she is in high school. Cassandra (Adam's little sister) performed with her Jr. High choir. They have their own spring concert coming up so this was good practice for them.

Miscarriage

2008-04-08T18:50:00.001-07:00

I miscarried last night (Monday). I had absolutely no pain so I waited to go to the hospital until today. I was prepared for this to happen but it is still upsetting. It's hard knowing that I am no longer pregnant. It's especially difficult after seeing the ultrasound today since my uterus is now empty even though there was a heartbeat there just a few weeks ago. We'll try again in a few months when my body is back to normal.

It's back :(

2008-04-03T17:23:00.000-07:00

The bleeding has returned. It came back on Monday. At least I got a short reprieve. I am really looking forward to my OB appointment in a couple of weeks. They should do another ultrasound then and hopefully everything is as it should be and perhaps even tell me why I am bleeding. In the meantime I didn't get to start at the University of LaVerne and I have missed my class at Victor Valley. It was so much work to get everything in order to attend ULV that I am pretty upset. Right now, I am working on a speech that I may not even get to give if I can't make it to school tomorrow. Hopefully I can go since I have already done so much work for this class and would hate to drop it now. I feel alright but then when I do pretty much anything (like drive, walk, shower) I am really tired. So, we'll see....

It's stopped!

2008-03-30T12:07:00.000-07:00

The bleeding has stopped! Just had a few spots over the weekend. I am so relieved and ready to be mobile again. Yesterday we all went to Target and the grocery store. It was nice to be out in the world again. I don't know how all you who have been on bed rest longer than 2 weeks did it. I hope it never happens again so keep positive thoughts for me :)

Erin helped Adam wash his car yesterday. She was so happy to help. I sat outside and watched. She is a really good helper. She also helps Adam work on his trucks. She knows what most of the tools are and hands them to Adam like a nurse would for a doctor. It is cute. I'll have to get a picture sometime.

Stir Crazy

2008-03-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Erin came up to me and asked if we can go to Target. Now, normally errands aren't her favorite thing. I think being cooped up is starting to get to her and she wants to go somewhere - anywhere! (she's definitely her mother's daughter). Apparantly Target will suffice! Poor thing - I hope we can become active again. I think Adam will have to take her out this weekend. He could take her to Target.

Pregnancy News...

2008-03-25T18:08:00.000-07:00

If you didn't know already, we are pregnant. I am at the beginning of the 7th week now. However, there have been some complications. I have been on bedrest for a week now due to bleeding. I have had 2 sonograms and each time there was a heartbeat so that is a good sign. They don't know why I am bleeding and I am listed as a "threatened miscarriage." After doing a LOT of research, it's common for women to bleed during the 1st trimester so I am trying to be positive while preparing for the worst. Fortunately, Cassandra (Adam's little sister) has the week off for Easter break and she has been keeping Erin entertained while I am resting. I'll keep you updated as I learn more.

Our Blog!

2008-03-25T17:22:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Since I have a lot of time on my hands right now, I decided to start a blog to let everyone see what's going on with us. I will try to be dilligent in keeping up with the blog. Hope you check on us often!