Mom and I went to Amber's to visit on Thursday. We stayed and extra day than planned and didn't come home until Saturday. We couldn't drag ourselves away from Taylor. I would just hold her and stare at her. Her little breath bouncing off my cheek ever so softly. She's just amazing. She has that blinking thing going on like Fred did. We swear she was answering us when we'd ask questions. Twice for yes, once for no. She even has some of the same facial expressions like Fred did.

She was just resting and then for no reason, she just smiled. She does that. And that's how this picture came about. She is just as sweet as she is portrayed in this photo.

Word to the wise: Those warming devices for the wet wipes seem like a great idea, and sure, they like it better than a cold one on their tush...but beware! That warm sensation caused this little munchkin to projectile poop and pee while we were changing her diaper!!! Not once-but twice!
Good Times, good times.

Lil' Miss Taylor May, you melt my heart...

Mom and I are going over to spend the night with my new little neice. I can't wait to see how she's grown and changed since I last saw her one hour after being born. I usually get at least one, if not many (I'm not complaining!), pictures of her each day. Who ever invented camera phones deserves a big, fat, wet, juicy kiss! When I hear that little chime from my phone and see a picture of her before me, it makes my heart light up like a christmas tree!

Finally, some good news...

Taylor May Ruiz

Amber and her baby girl

Aunt Nichole with her first Niece

My Garden

These are cuttings from my front and back yard. There are yellow and pink Zinnia's, which are doing really well in the ground. They didn't take too well when I planted them in pots on the patio and in the front. Those died off. But the ones I planted in the ground took a little bit to get going, but once they do-sit back and enjoy! Because there is a new bud every other day if not more. All I have to do is deadhead them and water them.

There are yellow and orange Marigolds. I thought these plants were dormant and not going to flower anymore this season and I was just about to trim them back. Thank goodness I have been so busy and preoccupied because lo and behold there were tons of new flowers on them.

We have several varieties of Lantana in the front and backyard. I put the yellow in this cutting.
There is also some white Vinca's, but they don't hold up very well as a cutting. They were nice last night, but this morning a bit too droopy.

To add a splash of color I threw in some clippings of Purple Heart. These are really easy. They need to be kept under control, but they pinch right off with your fingers and have the cutest little pink flowers.

There is one more cutting that I can't remember the name too. I have all my paperwork for the plants I have bought, but didn't have a chance to look through them before I posted this. It is little star shaped red flowers in a cluster. This plant I bought several months ago before summer. I had it in a pot on the patio by itself. It died off, but I trimmed it back and through it in a bigger pot with a bunch of other plants. To my surprise, it came back and even has had flowers again.

They say the hardest part for a gardener is to cut back a plant, it is painful to do, but well worth it. Some of mine actually came back!! Very exciting!

Thought I would share this bouquet with you all. I cut it for my Auntie Mary. She passed away yesterday from Alzheimer's Disease. I know how much she liked flowers, so these are for her.
Your smile and laughter will be missed Auntie Mary!
Love,
Nichole

I miss you already.

Me and Fred


Frederick W Cronk Jr, 54, of Phoenix, AZ passed away August 30th. Fred was born on May 31st, 1954 in Streator, IL. He moved to Phoenix in 1973. Fred was a devoted son, husband, father, brother and friend who will be greatly missed. The founder of AZ Predator Calls, he loved the outdoors and is well respected in the hunting community. He loved nothing more than to be up in the mountains of AZ which he referred to as “God’s Country”. He is survived by his Mother, Lois Cronk; Wife of 14 years, Lynn Cronk; his children Luke Cronk, Amber (Dennys) Ruiz, Nichole, Timothy, and Kenneth Grosser; his sisters Cynthia (Michael) Shafer, Mary Ater, Diane Cronk, and his niece Rhiannon Cronk. A memorial service will be held from 11:00am to 5:00pm Sunday, Sept. 21st at Cabela’s, 9380 W Glendale Ave. Donations can be made to the ALS Association, Arizona Chapter, 4643 E Thomas Rd, Suite 1 Phoenix AZ 85018-7740, or call 602-297-3800.

Mom and Fred

Into the Wild

D and I volunteer for the Arizona Game and Fish Department at their Adobe Mountain Wildlife Center once a night to do night feedings and also every other Sunday to clean, feed, medicate, etc. We work very hard and it's little things like this that make all of it worthwhile.

We took only three of several barn owls that were brought in as babies and raised by a surrogate mom at the Center to Havasu with us. They were old enough to take a stab at life out in the real world. There are several wildlife sanctuaries located around Lake Havasu and Parker area, protected areas that serve as a great home to birds and mammals alike.

They rode in the back seat of the truck with us. You wouldn't have even known they were there except for a slight odor coming from their crate. Thank goodness Kyle, D's 16 yr. old son traveling with us, hadn't noticed! Or else it would have been a very long trip.

We waiting until dusk the following day to release them. It was a bit nerve wracking. There was a slight rain shower as we drove to where we were thinking of releasing them. I didn't want to have them spend their first night out in the rain, but we didn't have any more food to feed them. It was time. Thank goodness, the rain cleared up and we parked on the side of the road near the Bill Williams Bridge. We hiked down a rock slide to get as close to the bottom and away from the road as possible.

D carried them down and my Dad, his wife Donna and myself all had our cameras ready. I thought for sure they would take a little coaxing, but as soon as D removed the towel that was in the crate, the first one popped out and nearly took D's head off! One by one they popped out on their own.

We sat there for a while until it was getting to dark to walk back up safely. Two landed together and the third landed in a different spot. Within minutes he joined the other two. The three were all very well camouflaged. All we could see were their little white faces bouncing around like ghosts. I'd like to think that it was their way of saying "Thanks!"

Babysitting

I wanted to see what a video looked like on this thing. Here is a visitor we have for a few weeks, possibly the summer. (Shhhhh, don't tell D.) It is a neighbors. It's a long story as to why we have it. His name is George, he's just shy four feet as D pointed out to me. I didn't think he was that long! He's merely a harmless cornsnake.

Sooooo, let's see. That makes it two parrots, one dog, one snake and a 16 year old boy. It's a full house!

Enjoy the clip!

Road Trip

We are heading out for a road trip. It may be a short one, but it won't be short on fun! I'll be dropping of Paige with Gramma for a few days and D, his two sons (Rhino and Kyle) and myself, are packing up and towing the boat to Lake Havasu City for two days.

D has always wanted to take the boat from LHC to Laughlin up the river and now his day has come. We will also visit with my brother Kenneth that lives there, as well as my dad and his wife.

All I can say is it's going to be HOT HOT HOT! Break out the sun tan lotion and aloe vera. See you when we return!

Two in one day? What's....going....on?!?!

I KNOW that is what you are thinking. Thanks to my good friend, Cinday, I stumbled across this woman's watercolor artwork on a craft site and it is just too amazing not to share. She goes by the name french toast girl.
Click Here to go to her artwork.
Here is one just one of many that I wanted to post.

She has a sketchbook fo some sort that is her diary and she writes in it these very colorful entries with pictures and whatnot. It is so cool!

Ta Daaaa!

Sorry for the delay. Much has been going on within the family life. But here are the results of the cut. Drum roll please...

I like it. I've gotten multiple comments (or should I say snears?) of "why'd you cut it?" in that jealous tone that they will never have hair that beautiful to have the option of cutting it. But I just try to blow it off.

I'm still learning how to mix it up. Now, what color shall I make it? Hmmmmm...

It is time.

I have been perusing through a stack of magazines the past few days and keep seeing all these amazing transformation makeovers. And I started thinking to myself, I think it's about time I did the same thing. I used to change my looks all the time. My makeup, hair color, hair style - I'd change it all without ever giving it a second thought. But I haven't really been doing that lately. Now, since I don't have Oprah on speed dial, nor is Glamour calling and leaving me messages to revamp my image, I am taking matters into my own hands.

Folks, say goodbye to the long locks.
Calm down. Take a deep breath. I can feel the panic! Just like the glimmer I saw in D's eye when I told him what I was about to do.

It's dragging me down. It is a constant mess to clean in the shower and all around the house. I'm giving Paige a run for her money! And it's just time.

I have a new cut in mind, but I'm not sharing it. You'll just have to see how it turns out. My appointment is tomorrow at 3pm.

Here we gooooooooo............................insert deep breath here.

We made it back!

Don't have much time to go into great detail at the moment, but thought I would share a few pictures from the trip.

Us at the hotel

Typcial vegetation we saw

View from our room

Just finished the best meal we had during our stay. I was happy!

Me in in front of the waterfall we swam in

It was as nice and refreshing as it looks!

I'll write more later...

Aren't these a trip?

I think these would be cool to put in the backyard! Creepy, but cool! lol

Speaking of trip.................we leave next Wednesday morning very very early. I have a binder of printed out sheets of information on sites to see, what to do, what not to do, what to pack. Pack! Oh, yeah! I'd better get started!

My mantra for the trip: Pack Light. Pack Light. I will just keep repeating it to myself and maybe I'll leave the kitchen sink at home this time! ;)

And the Saga Continues

Like I said, that was just the beginning. lolI am like a kid in a candy store when walking around the garden section at Home Depot and Walmart. I don't know where this sudden urge to garden came from, but I'll enjoy it while it's here. I'm sure D thinks I'm crazy, but I know he enjoys seeing all the color around the place.

I recently got a great review at work with a pay raise and celebrated by buying MORE plants!

This is the little wire fence that I put up to keep Paige out of this area. It used to be dirt, but then had to add the rocks to it to help keep her out. When that didn't work, I got the fence.

The little tiny green growth in the center is the cala lily that I am nursing back to health after Paige dug it to shreds. It's coming back though!!! I love cala lily's. They remind me of California. We used to have a row of them in the back of the pink house that took care of themselves. We reaped the benefits and decorated our house inexpensively. Being poor and all, you had to look for cheap ways to decorate.

I must be going through a purple phase right now, because I have at least three larger purple flowering plants.

This is D's grape vine and to the left is his peach tree. I think we are actually going to get some peaches this year if we beat the birds to it!

The weather has cooled off and if feels like California again. I'm going to embrace it before the deadly heat is back. Well, time to get my hands dirty...

I've found a new hobby

Can you believe that this little plant....

Produces this...?

I do not have the greenest thumb, but I would say it could pass for a slight shade of olive. Gardening has taken up some of my free time. It all started with my backyard and a rose bush that Dave bought me for Valentine's Day when we first met. It was the best give I have ever gotten from a loved one. I never planted it in the ground at the place I was renting because I knew that I wouldn't be there forever and would just have to dig it up.

I have taken care of it and done all the motherly things-talk to it, water it, give it rose food, etc. and it has taken to me quite well as you can see! I've have many roses adorning my home but the most recent batch this year has been amazing! D always said that it would do much better in the ground, so after making the plunge and moving in with him, we finally planted it in the ground of our new home.

This was just the beginning.....

SATC - Get Carried Away!

OH MY - the shoes, the purses...those outfits!!!
May 30th the new Sex and the City movie comes out. The theaters are going to be nuts! Nuts I tell you!!! Women will be everywhere. There will be laughter! There will be smiles!! There will be screeches of excitement!!!

Soundtrack available May 27th
1. Labels Or Love - Fergie
2. All Dressed in Love - Jennifer Hudson
3. The Look of Love - Nina Simone (Madison Park vs. Lenny B remix)
4. New York Girls - Morningwood
5. All This Beauty - The Weepies
6. I Like The Way - Kaskade
7. It's Amazing - Jem
8. How Deep is Your Love - The Bird & The Bee
9. The Heart of the Matter - India.Arie
10. Auld Lang Syne - Mairi Campbell & Dave Francis
11. Kissing - Bliss
12. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Al Green with Joss Stone (exclusive version)
13. Walk This Way - Run-DMC/Aerosmith
14. SATC Movie Theme

Q: So tell me Ladies, what is your favorite SATC episode?!?!

A: ____________________________________________________

Calling all Bird Lovers...

As many of you know - I've got birds. Two very loud, very annoying, and very obnoxious - but cute! birds. See cute picture of obnoxious bird below:

There are not many bird people out there. Bird people ensue a streak of craziness themselves. I found this out after working at Marine World in the Bird Department. After shows or while walking around with a bird in hand answering questions, we would be graced with some very peculiar bird lovers and all their grandiose stories. Although, that is not the topic of discussion today - perhaps another day...

My dilema is that I am going on vacation. Now, normally, I would have roommates that could take care of the birds, the neighbors kid, or my mom would come over and check on them. But niether of these are the case anymore. My soon-to-be-at-some-point-and-time-in-my-life-mother-in-law will be staying at the house to drive Kyle crazy - uh, I mean, keep an eye on him. Niether of them are bird people.

One of the bird cages have the food and water set up so you can take care of it from the outside of the cage. But the other bird's cage, the crazy one above, does not have that option. This is what I'm thinking...

A) Switch birds so the crazy one is in the cage which can be accessed from the outside.

B) Rig up some sort of feeding container that can drop the food into the bowl from the outside of the cage. But that still leaves an issue with the water bowl. Perhaps a turkey baster to suck the water out and put new water in? Noooo, the bowl would still need to be cleaned because it would get all slimy.

C) Give each of them a crash course on Birds 101: What NOT to do followed up with my mother's phone number posted on stick-em's all over the house, in the bird room and her number on speed dial in case of an emergency.

I'm thinking it's going to be C.

It's going to be fine. Everything is going to be fine.

T.G.I.F.

The week has come to a close. My relief is somewhat hesitant. Since I was sick last weekend with the "bug", I didn't do my household chores nor did I do my laundry. So I have double the work to do this weekend. I am not looking forward to it. I have been planting in the backyard and keeping it tidy. Hung my dragonfly lights up on the patio and attempted to put up a fence around a few delicate plants that Paige seems to find oh-so- interesting. She got in there again, so I'll be working on that this weekend too.

I was perusing the internet for information and tidbits on Boca Chica and found the most amazing set of pictures taken by a woman named KellyCH on flickr.com. I don't know this woman from Adam, but she is an amazing photographer. I don't know if it's just a passion of hers or her actual occupation. I'm thinking of contacting her and talking to her about her trip, although I'd feel a little bit naive. She seems like a very knowledgable and worldly traveler. I have attached some of her pictures below, but you can view the whole set if you just Click Here. Some of the pictures below are of, as she says, a "charming new luxury boutique hotel that opened in zona colonial." I would love to see this place in person.

I find myself thinking about this trip often. So, if I'm not paying attention to you, chance are, I'm probably not.

Please don't take it personal. :)
Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Counting the days....

Dave and I are FINALLY going on a real vacation. Somewhere that requires a passport! We are both so excited and nervous. We are going to Boca Chica in the Dominican Republic for six nights and seven days the first part of June. Can you saaaaay....heaven? Where do I begin? There is so much planning to do! You know me, I can't just jump on a plane with a few things in hand and expect to have a good time!?! (Insert jokes about the size of my suitcase here)