Monday, April 30, 2012

Strange Confessions: The Wiggles Edition

I am overly curious about behind-the-scenes type stuff. If I had time, I would watch the bonus features of every DVD on the face of the planet.

(Alas, I do not).

Scotty is the same way, so we are both constantly trying to figure out how things are done. A few weeks ago we went to Disney on Ice, and our seats were so high up that we could see backstage over the black curtain. We spent most of the performance watching what was going on back there. We do the same thing at Disneyland, we both hang over the edge of the rides trying to see the mechanical stuff. It is our dream to tour all of the rides with the houselights on.

I also really like learning about celebrities and what their lives are like. I shamelessly stop on E! True Hollywood Story more often than I care to admit while flipping channels, and I have a fantastic idea for a reality TV show which I call Celebrity Family Values (you read it here first!) in which celebrities let us into their homes, and we get to see what their family life is like!

I know, I know. That's really not all that strange.

Here is the strange part, though:

Lately I've had an obsession with The Wiggles.


Daisy adores The Wiggles and always wants to pick a Wiggles DVD from the library. Thus, we've been watching a lot of Wiggles around these parts recently.

As I watch these four confident men in their brightly-colored skivvies* I can't help but wonder what they are like in real life. I mean, they run a corporation together - it can't all be eating rainbows and pooping butterflies. They have to get in arguments. There have to be moments where Anthony gets mad at Murray for having sloppy dance arms.** They have to have days where they hate each others' guts.

Don't they?

Don't they???


There just has to be some intense Wiggle drama behind the scenes (you know... more than just giving Sam the boot), and I'm dying to see it. Perhaps I'll reserve the first openings on my reality TV show for any willing Wiggles.



*Part of my behind-the-scenes curiosities led me to discover that The Wiggles refer to their shirts as skivvies. In America, skivvies are underwear, so naturally, I had to do some research to see what, exactly, qualifies as a skivvy in Australia. In the world of The Wiggles, a skivvy is a garment resembling a sweater with long sleeves and a polo neck usually made of stretch cotton or cotton-polyester and worn by either sex.


**Because if you know anything about The Wiggles, you know that Anthony has the most refined dance skills.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Currently {April 2012 Edition}

Reading: Tinkers  by Paul Harding, but I'm *this close* to giving up on it.


Wondering: why adverbs are so complicated.


Procrastinating: scheduling my root canal. I just can't make the phone call.


Craving: a maple bar from Reams. I like their fluffy frosting. They also have donuts shaped like feet... in case you were in the market for some.


Wanting: $10,000 so I can knock out a wall, repaint my entire house, get all new baseboards, and put in new carpet. 


Wearing: a dress. In fifteen minutes, I'm on my way to a church meeting. 


Needing: a new garbage disposal. The plastic knife that has been holding ours together for the past three months isn't cutting it anymore (ha ha! Cutting...)  Done! The new one arrived via UPS this afternoon, and now it is installed and working like a champ!


Suffering from: a sinus infection.  There is a sneeze stuck in my head somewhere.


Neglecting: the dishes. After weeks of having an overflowing sink, I finally got caught up on dishes two days ago. I had a pot of mashed potatoes that had been sitting on the counter for TWO WEEKS with water in it. When I dumped it out, it smelled like something had crawled in there and died! Now my sink and counters are full all over again. I just can't win.


Loving: having Internet service again. What a wonderful thing!


Excited to: finish planting our garden. We have all of our cold weather crops in, and now we're just waiting for May when we can plant the rest. Squee!


Struggling with: my children's feet. They are so ugly and gross, but the kids won't let me anywhere near them with nail clippers. Nicky's are especially bad. I'm worried that both kids are going to have foot problems from lack of maintenance. 


Splurging on: stain remover, Jet Dry, dryer sheets, toilet paper, and propane. In other words, stuff we've been living without for way too long (we've been using napkins for toilet paper - for reals).

Sunday, April 8, 2012


{Happy Easter}


by Nicky

(It's no Apryl Stott original, 
but I'm in love with this bunny illustration anyway).

Friday, April 6, 2012

52:6

{Pink}

52:6

This week I forced myself to try something different in Photoshop. I'm feeling so conflicted about this one because I LOVE the bokeh blossoms in the background with this processing, but the blossom I focused on looks better in the SOOC shot.

(Leave it alone, Britt. Just leave it alone!)

In the meantime, I'm praying for a good crop of peaches, but with how windy it has been, I just don't know. 

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Got Crabs?

Ever since he was able to speak in full sentences, my son, Nicky, has been very curious about crabs. He is always asking me about them - Where do they live? How big are they? Does it hurt when they pinch you?

I don't know where his fascination with crabs originated. In fact, I was quite shocked that he even knew what they were since, at the time the obsession began, he didn't even know what elephants were. I would assume that, in most cases, elephants trump crabs as a matter of toddler-interest, but what do I know?

Scotty and I didn't read too much into the crab thing. For a few years Nicky would mention crabs here and there casually and ask his curiosity questions. We just figured that our kid likes crabs. Whatever.

[photo: Animal Planet]

Around Christmas time last year, Scotty came home with a $25 Costco gift card. We were so financially burdened at the time that it felt like a million bucks to us. We happily loaded up the family that evening and went shopping, telling the kids that we were going somewhere special. We wandered up each aisle of Costco and looked at every bit of merchandise they had, including the seafood. The kids were mesmerized, and Nicky got to see crabs.

After our Costco trip, during the unspeakable hours of the night, Nicky came into our room sobbing and shaking uncontrollably saying that he had had a scary dream. Scotty made him a bed on our floor and tucked him in. I was barely conscious, but I heard Scotty ask Nicky what he dreamed about. Nicky explained that the crabs at Costco were getting him.

The next morning, I hardly remembered what happened until Scotty called home for his routine check-in and said, "I guess we need to keep Nicky away from the seafood section."

It was then that I finally realized that Nicky is not fascinated with crabs, he is terrified of them. All of those questions he repeatedly asks about them are to ensure that he is at low risk for a crab attack.

Fortunately, we live in Utah... far, far away from most sea creatures.

Unfortunately, we have crawdads.

Monday, April 2, 2012

Moments Worth Re-Living

There are two moments of my life that I wish I could re-live over and over again.

One of them is the birth of my daughter. Everything about delivering Daisy was absolutely amazing (except for the part where I passed gas multiple times right as my doctor was getting in position to catch the baby - but we don't talk about that).

And the second?

Is not Nicky's birth.

I love the kid with all my heart, but I never want to go through THAT again.

Instead, my second moment is my the first time I tasted Vanilla Coke.

Ten years ago, I graduated from high school and went on a trip to Las Vegas with three of my closest friends.

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What do four Mormon girls do on a senior class trip to Las Vegas? 

Drink caffeine, get airbrush tattoos, and jump on the beds in the hotel room, of course.

My littlest friend, Lynsie, was the last of us to turn 18. When she was a kid, her dad made a deal with her that if she didn't drink any caffeine until she was 18, he would buy her a grand piano. Lynsie had followed through diligently, and having turned 18 a few weeks before our trip, decided to enjoy her first caffeinated beverage at the World of Coca-Cola store in Vegas.

To celebrate Lynsie's journey into caffeine-consuming adulthood, we decided to each purchase a drink. Crowded around the beverage cooler, I caught my first glimpse of the new product, Vanilla Coke.

I bought a 20 oz. bottle, and it was love at first sip. It was expertly chilled with the perfect amount of zing. I still remember the feeling of absolute joy that I experienced in that moment.

Vanilla Coke, I want to re-live you!