our coastal cowboy.

in memory of the curls:

these pics arrived in my inbox today and made me so happy. they reminded me of our fabulous trip to nebraska (where they were taken). the boots you see above were found a the local thriftstore for $4 along w/ a matching pair for asher for the same price.

we stayed at ft. robinson, (see link) an old military fort with a lot of history. it was beautiful and there were so many fun things to do. we took a hayride up to the buttes for a chuck wagon breakfast where the boys mountain climbed to their hearts content, we went horseback riding, and watched a rodeo where afterward the boys were invited to lie down on cowhide while holding on to a rope for dear life as they were drug behind a horse around the arena!

which is how i nearly ended up shortly before this picture below was taken. ms. maggie mae (nilsson) raced passed me yelling, "yah, yah" in my horse's ear who promptly heeded her command and took off in a dead run. i managed to stop him, one foot out of the stirrup just seconds before we disappeared into the tree you see. this is me giving her a friendly shove. punk.
we spent three days at ft. robinson w/ all 5 of micah's siblings, each of their spouses and their 8 hildren in a three story house. there were 10 kids sleeping on the 3rd floor in bunk beds and all of the couples had their own room. so. much. fun! there were lots of cousins and extended family in the neighboring homes, too.

one night we all sat out on the porch and reveled in the magic of the most incredible lightening and thunder storm (and were glad that brian wasn't electrocuted by the live wire that was knocked down by a fallen tree).

we then headed up through the black hills of south dakota and custer state park to mt. rushmore. the drive was unbelievable. think wild buffalo grazing right along side of the road and big horn sheep literally running along side our car!! a tour through wind cave national park, the mammoth site and bear country usa were among other highlights of the trip!!

thank you kippy for getting us all there!! it was such a memorable experience!!

a staple at our house

i was so in love w/ the tomato basil hummus from trader joes but it was kinda pricey for a little container so i figured out how to do it myself:

1 can garbanzo beans, drain half the liquid
3 T tahini (ground sesame seed, found in the international food section of most grocery stores)
2 T lemon juice
1/2 t garlic powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 can stewed tomato
1/2 can tomato paste
5 big fresh basil leaves

pour all ingredients into a blender and puree.
pour into bowl and drizzle w/ olive oil

serve w/ pita chips or blue corn chips or any way you like

mexican quinoa salad

i know a lot of you read my happy little life but there are some who don't and i just wanted to add my testimony of the mexican quinoa salad! i know a lot of you would enjoy it, too!!

quinoa (pronounced 'keen-wah' in case you have to ask for it. read about it. it's so good for you. a whole grain that's hight in fiber and has 5g of protein in 1/4 c. you can find it at costco, tj's or any health food store.) was new to me but the salad sounded so good and after our meal tonight, i just sat there pondering the experience.

i'll post the receipe here because that puts you one click closer to making it.
it's from delicious by nature:

• Measure desired amount of quinoa into a large bowl
• Pour water over grain and scrub grains together
• Pour off top layer of water, add more water and scrub again
• Pour quinoa into a fine mesh strainer and now you’re ready to cook!

Salad:
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
2 cups water
1 mango, peeled and diced (use a big one, it was my favorite part)
1/2 can black beans (8 oz), drained and rinsed (i used a whole can)
1/2 medium red onion, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed and diced (i just used canned, already diced and drained juice. i also served them on the side so they could be added to each person taste.)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 avocado, diced

Dressing:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice of 4 lemons
1 chipotle pepper in adobo plus 1 tsp of juice (you can find these canned in the mexican section of your local grocery store)
1 tsp coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste

Bring water to boil in a medium pot on stove top. Once it is at a boil add in quinoa and return to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cover - cook for 15 minutes until water has been absorbed.

While quinoa is cooking, cut vegetables in preparation for assembling salad.

Pour olive oil into the bottom of the large bowl that you will be serving in. Blend the remaining dressing ingredients in a blender until combined (about 20 seconds). Pour into the bowl with the olive oil and whisk to combine. (i followed kelly's advice and served the salad w/ just the olive oil, juice from one lemon and salt and pepper. we served the blended dressing on the side so we could each add it to taste because it's a little spicy. the adults loved it!! but beckam perferred it w/o the dressing. jaden and asher would have preferred just plain black bean w/o the rest of the salad.)

When quinoa is done add it to the bowl along w/ the fruits & vegetables and toss.

If you have time, it is best if you let the salad sit covered in the refrigerator for about an hour to let the flavors combine. This salad was also great the next day, though you may want to add the avocado closer to serving in order to keep it from browning.

we served it as a meal w/ pineapple chunks, cantaloupe and rolls!

is there something seriously wrong with me?

we just got back yesterday evening from an AWESOME trip covering colorado, wyoming, nebraska and south dakota (more details later) and i'm already planning our next one. here is our agenda for any of you sac/davis folk who might be interested:

Monday
1:00: Jelly Belly Factory
3:30 ish: Play at Community park in Davis
Nugget Sandwiches for dinner!!!
Frozen Yogurt for dessert

Tuesday
10am: Sac Zoo
Lunch and Fairytale Town
No evening plans

Wednesday--Davis Day
9:00: Arboretum/Visit Horses (maybe cows,too)
10:30: Solano Park Playground by my old house

12:30: Plutos for lunch (or somewhere yummy downtown)
2:00-4:30: Rec Pool
(Clean up at the Wiscombe's)
5:30: Dinner at Farmers Market
More Frozen Yogurt

(I'd like to make a trip to the DI in Sac on Thurs. maybe)

We'll leave sometime Thurs. or maybe Fri.

long time no blog

and posting is the last thing i should be doing right now since we leave at 4 am to fly out to nebraska for a family reunion. except we don't actually get to fly to nebraska. we fly to colorado--the closest airport to the little town we're trying to get to in nebraska and then drive the rest of the way. the boys are super excited because it's cowboy country and truly they were born to live on a ranch. it will be a great trip i'm sure and a great excuse to see the whole nilsson crew again and a good amount of dyers (though some will be missed!).

today was the day that taco bell, a dr. pepper and finding nemo saved my life (or maybe it was my kids life). it's seriously the littlest things when you're a mom.

also today, i found jaden attempting to change asher's dirty diaper. clean diaper was in place, asher laying down on top of it, wipes open and ready and jaden mustering up the nerve to open the dirty one. i sat down and asked if he'd like my help to which he happily obliged. i handed him a wipe to help when he replied, "when the girl is doing the dishes, i'm going to offer to do them and she can change the baby." i asked if "the girl" meant his wife. affirmative. at least he's planning to share the work load. i also told him he may feel differently when he has a baby. because his dadddy had never changed a baby in his life and when jaden was born, i didn't change a diaper until he was 2 days old.

catch up:
we spent two weeks in bakersfield at the beginning of summer, which included a great getaway for micah and i to attend the wedding of two fabulous friends in los angeles and have a brief visit with the maughans. the boys did a sports camp together the week after we got home, which was the greatest decision ever (1-3, m-f: perfect). and today they finished their two-week swim school and not only do they look like little pros but they had a great time. beckam was SO excited for swim lessons to really learn how to swim, which is a huge change for him. he's usually very apprehensive about new situations but really seems to be maturing in that area. i'm sure it helps to have a big brother to keep up with.

last weekend we had a visit from the hill clan for 4th of july, which was a blast as usual. we met them in santa cruz and spent the day at the boardwalk. it was cousin heaven! ashlyn (14) was supposed to meet up w/ some friends but chose to stay w/ the family to hang out w/ her cousins--so sweet!!

so there's a quick recap on this familyofperpetualmotion. we'll be home a few days afer this trip before heading up to davis for some more summer fun. the jelly belly factory, sac zoo, rec pool, arboretum, farmers market, solano park and fun friends are all on the agenda!

they're engaged

he's 31 today

i had great intentions today to celebrate this fabulous man of mine. and i bought all (almost) the stuff we'd need for a birthday fit for a king. but here's how it actually went down.

7:30 i wake up and get ready for my 8am meeting, leave the house w/ everyone still in bed
10:15 return from meeting to find an empty house, homemade waffles w/ fresh fruit and not a trace of breakfast mess
10:25 boys return from playing at the park
10:30 put asher down for his nap and then visit with our very diligent and dedicated home teacher
11:15 wonder why the baby is still not asleep and just jabbering away, go in and sing some more songs
11:25 take a phone call and talk church business
11:45 head into kitchen to find the birthday boy happily adding the last ingredients to the thai chicken crock pot dinner. i got to put the lid on and start fixing lunch for the boys while he goes in and finally gets that baby to sleep
12:00 i finish getting ready for church while micah assembles his own chicken wrap (yummm)
12:45 i'm off to church w/ the big boys, micah hangs out for the next two hours while asher gets his nap in (i know we're bad mormons but honestly--why take an unnapped baby to 1pm church until 4 o'clock?)
4:30 return home to find a beautiful chocolate cake already baked and frosted. (strike 3 for me). so the boys and i at least get the table set all fancy w/ place mats, napkin rolls and henry weinhards before micah gets home from his after-church-responsibilities. jaden prepares a delicious salad, including fresh chopped cherries, tomatos, raisins and carrots all by himself hoping that his dad will say "yummmmm." beckam decorates the birthday boy's chair w/ beautiful artwork. we call grandma doris and wish her a happy birthday!!
5:30 micah gets home and we enjoy a fabulous dinner where we discuss why our daddy is so special which includes jaden's declaration that "he's the smartest dad because he chose the best wife in the world AND he always makes me first even when his friends are around." and i shared that i was grateful for him because he always makes all of us first all of the time! he's completely selfless and i know that even though today is his special day, he loved every minute of serving his family all day!! and he always makes me feel like the best girl in the world!
6:00 call britney to wish her a happy birthday, too! and then eat cake w/ chocolate brownie ice cream (oh, that micah bought himself at the store yesterday because i didn't even think of it while at the store earlier)

and why is jaden's face all red you wonder? because minutes before he looked like this:

scary. darth maul has nothing on him.
they got into the face paints.

happy birthday micah.
we LOVE you so!
and how lucky are you that the whole nation gets the day off tomorrow to celebrate!

(sorry to those of you w/ reader for the duplicate posts. )

happy mother's day.

mine was spent on sanibel island celebrating the marriage of my brother-in-law dan to the lovely sara kramer! it was such a beautiful and perfect beach wedding with lots of friends and family there to support them. when we arrived at the hotel the scene was reminiscent of our davis days looking like we'd landed at the bike barn. there were over 50 bikes lined up for every wedding guest each one personalized w/ a name tag. inside our rooms we had welcome bags including bios of each family member on both sides, sights to see on the island, a daily agenda, water bottles, sunblock, saltwater taffy and the beloved insect repellant! learning from my sister-in-law's 500-and-something no.see.um (the bugs are that tiny) bites, i bathed in that stuff every night and got away unscathed.



images taken from minna dyer here and here.

we put many miles on our bikes mostly at night alligator hunting. at night they can only be seen when light reflects off their eyes that glow like fire. it was crazy creepy cool. we only had two minor biking incidents. one was my father-in-law who indoed and flipped over his handle bars, sending me into complete hysterics for a good 20 min. (i seriously have a sick sense of humor. what is wrong with me?!) however, i was repaid for my cruelty the following day, when i duplicated his accident as my dress got caught in my break pads and sent me sailing. i wasn't laughing then but fortunately, my adrenaline was at its max since we were on a photo scavenger hunt racing against the other nilssons and two of our competitors were actually passing us at that very moment so i didn't even feel the cut on my leg. we also spent a day at sea exploring different islands and marine life. we saw lots of dolphins and a sting ray JUMP out of the water. apparently they do that!! micah took me out on my first brief sailing excursion. besides my fear of feeling like shark bait, it was exciting and scary for a second when micah fell overboard leaving me to man the sail.

this image from christy dyer.
both of my sweet mothers spent their mother's day taking care of my children. a mothers job really never does end. i hope i can give my daughter, oh wait! i don't have one!!! my sons and their wives a kidless getaway one day, too (just not all at the same time)! and then do all their laundry when they get home so they don't have to (thanks again mom!). i hope i can show my children how much i love them the way my mothers show me! we so greatly appreciated our time together and squeezed every second out of our kidless getaway!


darron, dan and micah



















i returned to a beautiful new set of dishes from my boys that they remembered i'd been wanting and the sweetest homemade cards! these made my heart happy:

HAPPY mother's DAY
to mom
love Jaden Nilsson

mom I Love You so much you are the brite side of my life. love Jaden Nilsson.

and a picture of me watering my garden filled w/ beautiful flowers, a ladybug and bee. and a picture of jaden saying, "your garden is pretty" with me saying, "thank you."

in six days all the nilssons (sans children) will be gathering in sanibel, florida to celebrate the marriage of dan to the lovely sarah. and because this family loves a competition, we have been playing sanibel trivia. everyday brian sends an email with sanibel trivia and the first one to respond with the correct answer gets a point. sometimes there are bonus questions or challenges. like a seventy two word blog post.

sadness

it was with sad, broken and heavy hearts that we buried our precious tiny tim tonight.
i hate it so much and it hurts my feelings so bad. he was a 6 month old desert tortoise and was such a fun little pet. micah and i were amazed at how much enjoyment a little turtle could bring. he was so cute and social. he woke up every morning w/ the rest of the family. we loved him!

we're guessing he got dehydrated yesterday in the heat wave. i put him out on the patio to bask in the sunshine. he is a desert tortoise after all. he had fresh water and food and was in his little habitat w/ shelter from the sun. sadly, i never checked on him again yesterday to replenish his food or water and today i found him lifeless. such a sad, sad day for our family. i cried a lot.

he did have a good life but he will be sorely missed! and it's going to take some work getting over the guilt i feel.

jaden is worried about how we'll find him in heaven. "it's going to be so crowded. there's going to be so many angels and how will we recognize him from all the other turtles." i like his heaven. and this was a good life (death being a part of life) experience for the boys.

and just in case you thought turtles were boring, please look at these tricks he could do:



















and can you see him in this picture nestled snugly under micah's leg?


sleeping in my hand.

















rest in peace tiny.

easter 2009

family pics = super challenging. wish i knew more about photo editing.

i've been holding out for danny gokey but adam has slowly been winning my heart and his performance tonight...stole it! this song seriously made my heart race. just watch and see...



p.s. i saw him in wicked in real life.

please tell me you have all seen the goods at darlybird.com!

do you know i've never bought earrings anywhere else? (ok, maybe once but that's it. seriously).

and one year i did all my christmas shopping at the darlybird trunk show. her stuff is that cool. (especially if you like vintage)

i miss the days of shopping the darlybird collection in person and hanging out w/ one of the coolest girls on the planet! and indulging in her yummy eats! i miss her sweet little girls and awesome husband.

so guys when are coming to visit?

p.s. i still want a darlybird shirt w/ that cute little logo on the back shoulder. wouldn't that be so cute?!


oh yeah, and don't miss the giveaway! check out darlyblog for the details...

i love the sabbath...

especially w/ 1 o'clock church.

i love having a low-key morning to hang out w/ my boys. to make them french toast w/ veggie sausage and yummy smoothies, to play steam roller on the tramp and to pick carrots, broccoli and snap peas out of the garden!

asher gets a full nap.

i have time to iron.

i have time to really get ready (the only time all week).

and when we return from church, it's dinner, a little down time and the bedtime routine. today while i made dinner the boys played ring around the rosie w/ asher and watched planet earth--our favorite sunday show!! hearing the boys laugh and play is like music to my ears and amazingly i hear it a lot on sunday when we have 1 c'clock church.

i love that sunday is a special day!

when all else fails...

post a recipe. i can't think of anything else noteworthy to blog about but food is always a good option in my book. and remember my criteria: fast, easy and delicious. please share yours!

chile verde bowls

in large pot boil:
1 box chicken broth
6-8 raw chicken breasts, cut into pieces (scissors are the best)
1 onion, quartered
3 cloves garlic
salt, a good amount (tenderizes chicken)
pinch of sugar
lemon juice
1 can green ortega chilis (rinse can w/ water and add to pot)
1 jar salsa verde (rinse jar w/ water, 1/4-1/2 full and add to pot)
1 cup red salsa

boil 15 min. until chicken is cooked through. reduce heat and simmer until ready to serve. i also like to throw sliced zucchinni into the pot about 5 min. before serving.

serve over this most delicious spanish rice. i finally found the perfect recipe by combining 3 other rice recipes:

saute 1 1/2 c long grain white rice in
4 T olive oil w/ 1 finely chopped onion and 2 cloves minced garlic until rice starts to brown

add:
2 c chicken broth
2 t cumin
1/2 t salt
1/2 t paprika
1 can stewed tomatos, pureed (or 1 can tomato sauce)

bring to boil. then reduce heat, cover and simmer 15 min. turn off heat, let stand additional 5 min. and then remove lid to avoid over cooking rice.

serve w/ warm tortillas or corn chips and garnish w/ cheese and/or sour cream

i did go a fun fieldtrip w/ jaden's class today to the natural history museum. jaden was so cute and cuddly w/ me. i guess he knows he has to take advantage of his mom time and get his cuddles in when he can. i loved it! he was so cute answering lots of questions and has really improved w/ his impulsive nature. he patiently raised his hand every time he had a comment instead of blurting out the answers (even when other kids were). this is really a big improvement.

the docent was showing us two feathers; one from a hawk and one from an owl. when she waved the hawk feather it made a big whoosh sound but when she waved the one from the owl it was silent. she asked the kids why that would be. i couldn't come up w/ a good explanation. then jaden raised his hand. i wondered what he would say. when she called on him, he responded, "because an owl has to sneak up on its prey so it has to be silent." and he was right. uh-oh, i better get back to studying.

really good information for those who want to know....

visit www.mormon.org and/or www.lds.org for more truths about
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints

(i think in facebook language now...)

cheryl wants to know if the homemade french toast, 30 min. reading session, batch of cookie dough (for eating), trip to the beach, help cleaning "their" room, apology, bedtime stories, kisses and hugs count when she also did all that screaming? seriously. i think being the mom is hard!

goodnight. and here's to a better day tomorrow.

and if this makes you think about judging me than please just erase it from your memory.

more food...

grilled turkey panini

yummy turkey (costco's columbus brand is good)
yummy cheese (provolone and blue cheese crumbles are good)
yummy bread (sourdough, focaccia, ciabatta are all good)
spring mix salad greens
sliced tomato
thinly sliced purple onion
spreads:
pesto
red pepper and artichoke tapenade (from tj's)
mayo and mustard

pop in the panini maker (or in a pan) and grill

sweet potato fries
(so delish. would i lie to you?!!)

1 - 1 1/2 lb sweet potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cinnamon

preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil

peel sweet potatoes and cut into strips that are about 1/2 inch wide on each side.

place the sweet potatoes in large ziplock bag. add oil, salt, paprika and cinnamon. seal the bag and shake well to thoroughly coat the fries. spread the potatoes out onto the baking sheet in a single layer.

cook 30 minutes, turning every 10 minutes. transfer immediately to a paper towel lined plate and serve warm.

mix mayo and ketshup w/ a little cayenne pepper for a tasty dip.

girls weekend

ixchelle, adie, me, paola, sue

we stayed up way too late, we lived on caffeine for two days so we could function and pack everything in, we caught a late night showing of he's just not that into you, we (paola and adie) made chilean empanadas and ate lots of good food, we basked in anthropologie and all its carmel glory, some got new haircuts, some picked up some awesome souvenirs at the local toy store, and micah so willingly put up with it all, including full-time kid duty (and claims the chocolate covered cinnamon bears and empanadas were good compensation),
now we're wondering when we can do it again...

the pinnacles

this national monument is only an hour away from us and we finally got to explore it. well a little at least. it was so beautiful and refreshing to be there. there were lots of rocks to climb to perilous heights and there were caves to explore. the boys loved it.

balconies cliff

about a 2.5 mile hike

i think the caves were the highlight of the trip. they were perfect for our family. not too deep and dark. well they were pitch black and very wet but it only took 10 min. or so to get through.

jaden and i are wondering if that's really the way out.

and it was. this is when jaden turns his back on us, stamps his foot refusing to go through and declares: "i'm not going to die here!" all serious and dramatic. that is until the rest of us started through, including beckam at the front of the pack.

micah (and asher, who suffered a few knocks to the head) was such a trooper. this wasn't the only time he had to do a manuever like this. once he was on all fours crawling. his shoulders felt it for days.

he was SO glad he did it!