In-Laws, Craigslist, and Plasmas, Oh My!

Okay, so I missed my January posting. I have lots to catch up on. I also admit that I am really bad at taking pictures so I have no interesting photos to include.

Things have been going well around the Caballero house lately. Starting in January I started a new job with Boeing as an Intern. Once I finish my Master's I hope to secure a permanent job with them. I am a "Human Factors Engineer" which basically means I help test and provide feedback for new designs on the Apache helicopter that Boeing creates for the US Army. We are working on the newest production of the Apache which probably won't be out in the airfields for another several years, but has some really exciting additions. Even though I am a lowly Intern, they have been giving me tons of responsibility (the pay isn't too shabby either).

A couple weeks ago we were having dinner at a neighbor's house and Felipe tells our neighbors (much to my surprise as well) that his parents are arriving from Mexico in 3 days. My excitement must have been obvious because our friends broke the long awkward silence with a tense chuckle, "Sounds like this is news to you Christy." I nodded trying not to choke on my dessert while we all proceeded to finish our homemade ice cream. From the shock of unannounced in-laws I felt a sudden urge to shop. Having just finished spooning homemade vanilla ice cream into my mouth, I had the perfect idea. My very own ice cream maker. Now I could drown my stress by spending and eating. I did some research and found that there is a Kitchen Aid ice cream maker that attaches to my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. This is the perfect solution to my desire for a high quality ice cream maker, and my low tolerence for the shrinking space in my kitchen due to infrequently used appliances. By the time you read this I will have already made vanilla ice cream, and it turned out excellent. The attachment was extremely easy to use and the ice cream was much better than any premium ice cream I have ever tried. I put a little malt flavoring in it to make it "vanilla malt" flavored and it turned out as well as I had imagined.

All my moaning and groaning about my in-laws coming isn't really about the in-laws themselves. I love them. I really do. (Just in case they are reading this). It's more the fact that I don't have enough time to get the house perfectly ready to impress Felipe's mom. I want the cereal boxes alphabetized and the linen closet shelves labeled with bows around the towel sets. For this visit I was very fortunate: I had only 2 boxes of cereal to alphabetize. On the morning The In-Laws were to arrive I called Felipe every 15 minutes for their arrival status. When they arrived, I greeted them with my hair in a 1980's scrunchie, sweat pouring down my face, and a one-armed hug while pushing a vacuum and hollering hello over the noise. If the house wasn't going to be clean, I was at least going to pretend that I was trying. My mother-in-law arrived with a wonderful gift for me from Mexico. She brought me an authentic handmade tortilla press. It was carved from beautiful caribbean wood. I am not a big fan of corn tortillas, but homemade corn tortillas are simply amazing. They are even better than flour tortillas, which is saying a lot. I was pleasantly surprised to find that making corn tortillas is incredibly easy. All one has to do is buy a masa mix (sort of like flour), mix it with water, roll it into balls, and set it on the press. We have been having some wonderful meals with homemade corn tortillas. I actually made my very own tortillas from start to finish while my mother-in-law watched, and I think I finally made her proud. Unlike the gift she brought me last year, which currently is a beautiful decoration above my kitchen cabinets. Last year she brought me this amazing copper pot for cooking carnitas. Recently I went to Williams Sonoma and found a pot not as well crafted, 1/3 the size, and costing several hundred dollars. Now that I have been able to see it is worth something in Williams Sonoma's eyes I might be able to consider its value and utilize it.

A few months ago our TV started to go kaput. It started with flickering into black and white mode, and we merely tolerated it. Then it went completely black and white and we considered limiting ourselves to old movies on the A&E network. Finally it reached its death by giving us great sound and no picture at all. The biggest disappointment was that we purchased the TV in 1999 and at the time it was the best of the best. I expected it to last us 30 years. You know the drill - in 10 years Jessica and Alisa will still have to point an ancient cancer causing remote control at the TV while everyone else telepathically controls the television. Similar to me in 1992 manually dialing into UHF mode while the rest of the country used remote controls. But I digress. After some research on CNet I decided that a 50" Panasonic plasma would be our best choice. For those of you who haven't yet discovered CNet, I suggest you check it out. It is great for reviews on electronics, and not only do you get professional reviews, but users like The Jones's will post their particular experiences with high priced gadgets. I count on reviews from the regular Joe Schmoe even more than those from the professional Techie Geeks.

Of course in order to have such a nice new TV in the house, we had to change our furniture in the family room. We had formal sleek shiny leather which boded well for dog hair and popsicle spills, but not great for loafing around and watching movies. One night, at a little after midnight, I tiptoed through the house, turned on the lamps in the family room, took some photos of the couches and posted them on Craigslist. We awoke the next morning to phone calls of awaiting buyers, much to Felipe's surprise. Unfortunately I had no plans for a replacement so for the next week or so we sat on barstools facing the TV. In order to eliminate the barstool scenario ASAP, I had to limit my sofa shopping to stores with stock on hand, which is basically Costco or Sam's Club. Luckily I found a theater style sofa that I really liked at Sam's. The ottomans lift up for storage or pinching small fingers in the hinges. I love that feature.

Okay, well I better save some good gossip for the next posting. Hopefully I'll be able to make it for March.

Thanks for tuning in.

"Christmas is coming the geese are getting fat..."

I figured I should make an appearance before Christmas comes. Once again, I did NOT do a Christmas card, and I feel terribly guilty. Maybe I can somehow manage to mail out a New Year's letter. Oh, who am kidding?

Things are wrapping up for us gift wise. The girls are excited for Santa to come. We went to the mall and picked names off the tree to buy gifts for the needy. I was explaining to the girls how fortunate they are and that the gifts we were buying for our "angel" might be the only gifts those children receive. Alisa corrected me that the kids would receive gifts from Santa. Hmm, I had no response for that. It made me wonder how less fortunate families explain that Santa doesn't bring their kids the same Playstation 3, motorized scooters and designer clothes that he brings other families. It made me sad, and very thankful for what we have.

The weather has finally cooled off and we can start to wear sweaters. It is nice to have the cool crisp air to keep the smell of pollution to a minimum. The kids go off to school bundled in mittens and scarves and at the end of the day they ride their bike home with everything stuffed in their backpacks because by late afternoon the weather has reached warm temperatures. At this point their backpacks are only used for transporting coats and scarves.

2008 will mark a turning point for me. I have been offered a new job as a Human Factors Engineering Intern at Boeing. This is a great opportunity because I will finally be able to utilize my exact undergraduate (and graduate) degree. The internship is for the duration of my Master's program and then I hope to be hired as a regular employee. I have been with the Air Force Research Lab for 5 years now and will be sad to go, but it is definitely time for a change. I have decided to use this opportunity to focus on school, and work solely part time. The sooner I finish my Master's the sooner I will be hired on as a regular employee so it is in my best interest to focus on school. At the same time I hope to be around the house with the girls more, which is something that I haven't been doing in the last year or two. I am very excited for this turn of events!

So far that is all that is newsworthy. I'll write more after the holidays...Thanks for checking in.

Tis the Season

Hello,

I noticed that I last posted on 11/5, so I guess I am keeping up with my once a month promise so far. Not bad.

We had a great Thanksgiving, just my mom, dad, brother and sister were in attendance. Lots of leftover turkey since I made a total of 26 lbs for just the 6 adults. For the first time I tried a 12-hour brine solution, and the turkey turned out very juicy. I will definitely do a brine solution every year from now on. I must say it smelled pretty disgusting and I almost lost my appetite when I was rinsing the turkey the next morning, but I managed to control my gag reflex. Felipe actually enjoyed the smell and thought it smelled like a solution that needed some gin or vodka. And people wonder why I don't enjoy alcohol. Adding alcohol to a "s0lution" that smells like some combination of vomit and mold to make a tasty cocktail just doesn't do it for me.

The next day my sister and I decided to brave Black Friday. I wonder if it is called Black Friday because you are waiting foolishly in line in the pitch black of night to save a couple dollars on some crazy toy. I thought the girls were old enough that I didn't need to do Toys R Us, but I saw something in the ad that looked promising. Since Toys R Us opened at 5 AM we decided to get there at 6 AM in hopes of passing the departing crazies while we entered. No such luck. At 6 AM the line was wrapped all the way around the building. Once we got in line we felt we couldn't leave, so we were stuck waiting outside for about an hour to save about $20 total. Hmmm, needless to say, I doubt I will be doing that again (I say this every couple years). The Mesa High School orchestra and choir had a great fundraiser though. They sold donuts, coffee and hot chocolate to everyone waiting in line. The prices were cheap for those of us waiting ($1), and I bet they made some good money. What a great fundraising effort!

Today I am by myself at home while the girls are out with my sister buying gifts for the disadvantaged and Felipe is off buying my gift. Supposedly. I say supposedly because we don't usually exchange gifts. Very unromantic, I know. I strongly hinted that I would like some upgraded diamond earrings, but I doubt that Santa or Hubby will bring those this year. Sigh.

Our 2 year old Dell computer completely crashed a couple weeks ago. According to Dell, our motherboard and memory needed to be replaced. The good thing was that Felipe managed to salvage our hard drive (it had all our pictures). Then Dell did something really surprising and just sent us an entirely brand new computer. It is the latest and greatest and we are so excited! I will definitely buy a Dell computer again. We bought the computer at Costco.com and it automatically came with an extended manufacturer's warranty for 3 years. Dell sent a technician out to us when it initially crashed and eventually they determined to replace the entire unit. It's nice to have a technician come out and work on it because even though Felipe could have done it, it would have taken him several hours on the phone with tech support while they ask him questions like, "Are you sure the computer is plugged in?". Here's a question for you computer/itunes geeks out there (you know who you are). Do any of you know how to "unauthorize" a computer that no longer exists?

The weather today is beautifully cloudy, windy and rainy. We have been desperate for some rain, so it is a good thirst quencher for our state. The bad thing is that since the dogs have been getting wet our bedroom smells like a bunch of dirty gym socks. So romantic. On that note, I think I will go and make some hot chocolate and curl up with a good book. Thanks for checking in.

Love to all,
Christy

Manic Mondays

Back to work this week. Blah. No fun, but necessary.

For my birthday, a good friend of mine gave me this fabulous gift pack from Bath & Body Works with a new scent they were offering. It is exotic and mysterious, and I love it. Last week I was getting ready for a very important meeting and I decided to use the lotion in the basket to make my arms and legs smooth. After I lathered the stuff on like there was no tomorrow, I realized that it wasn't getting absorbed into my skin very well. My skin had this pasty whitish color and to top it off, it was all sparkly (it was sparkly glitter lotion, better suited for a 12 year old). Needless to say, I didn't have time to wash it off, so I sat in my very important meeting hunched over the conference table, hoping that my teenage sparkly arms and legs were hidden under the expansive table. The next several days I decided to try the great smelling perfume. I realized that the same days I used that perfume was also when I was suffering from hives. I have since stopped using the scented perfume and lotion, and have been hive-free. Thank goodness. No more exotic smelling goodness for me. I guess I might have to start taking showers like the old fashioned way.

I have been obsessed with looking for a dog at the pound the last month or so. I have been visiting the dog pound every several days. Many times I almost came home with one, but for some reason or another decided not to act. Last week, I finally found the dog that was perfect for our family. His little nose was squeezed in between the chain link fence and as I reached in to rub his ears, he closed his eyes and tried to lay his head on my hand. He was quiet, unafraid, and calm. I knew he would be perfect. We have had him for almost a week, and he has been the perfect dog. He is about 1 year old, and they think he is a dachshund (wiener dog) and chihuahua mix. Whatever he is, he is cute! He hasn't had any accidents in the house (almost a given when you have a new dog) and he has gotten along fabulously with Nika, who is at least 10 times bigger than he is (he weighs 12 pounds, she weighs 130 pounds). Best of all, we saved a life! As Bob Barker says, "Please help control the pet population. Spay and neuter your pets..."


I was a horrible mom on Halloween and forgot to take photos of the kids. I had three opportunities to do so (2 parties and one night of trick-or-treating), but forgot. I have half a mind to dress them up again just for photos, but the make-up this year was a pain. With Jessica being a punk/goth angry person she had a lot of black eyeliner and dark eye shadow. It took days for it to finally wash off completely. I guess I will have about 8 more years of watching her act sullen and gloomy for photos, so I shouldn't be in such a hurry.


Until next time, thanks for checking in.

Itchy Insmonia

I have some tendencies toward insomnia several times a week. I decided that maybe while I am up twiddling my thumbs in the wee hours, I could actually be writing in my blog! Wow, wonder of all wonders.

Tonight, along with my regular insomniac moment, I seem to have broken out in hives. I cannot stop itching like crazy. I finally turned on the light, and low and behold, the right side of my body is covered in welts. The worst part of it is my palms. They are completely swollen and red. Tingly sensations accompanied by pulsing heat penetrates my skin from within. I was so proud of growing out my nails the last couple weeks, but since I have been using these clawed beauties to scratch my skin raw in the last couple hours, I doubt I will have any nails left. Or skin. I swallowed two Benadryl capsules hoping to stop the insanity, but so far nil. I fully expect to feel a little woozy and drugged from the Benadryl, but if it helps the hives then so be it. I just hope I can wake up in the morning when my alarm goes off. If this doesn't stop in the next hour, I will be making a solo trip to the ER, because I simply cannot stand it any longer.

This weekend I threw caution to the wind and dusted off my road bike. I decided it was time to get back on and see if I can actually put this thing to good use. The first day the whole fam damily decided to go. We took the girls with us on an 8 mile ride, and of course they did just fine. They are total champs. The bad thing about this ride is that there is no bike lane or shoulder for some portions of the ride and cars can go whizzing by you at 55 or 65 mph. Not good, when you have an 8 year old cranking down on her mountain bike pedals just trying to keep up with us. Needless to say, we all made it home without any of us becoming road kill, and we enjoyed the ride very much. This morning, I woke up to some very stiff shoulders and a very sore posterior. Before I even had a chance to open my eyes, Felipe was bouncing around asking me if I was ready to go biking again, this time without the kids. Uh, sure. I did almost the entire ride in an upright position off my seat because I thought for sure that my posterior was so black and blue, I would only add to further bruising. Eventually we made it back home, and I even think I might want to torture myself again tomorrow.

Wow, I just realized that I have stopped feeling the overwhelming urge to scratch myself to death. Along with this feeling of relief comes a very fuzzy headed feeling that can only be attributed to the miracles of Benadryl. I guess sleep is approaching quickly.

Plagiarism and nothing new (mutually exclusive)

As my dear friend Maren commented, keeping up with this blog might be the greatest challenge. The hardest part about writing is waiting until something defining or earth shattering happens. Because our lives are mundane and rather boring (yet always busy), I have nothing great to report. Then I realized that apparently it is okay to write about our everyday routine life. Maybe reading a blog is like reading someone's secret diary. You want to know the ins and outs of their life. Wild.

I have also decided to officially change our title from Caballero Musings to Caballero Candor. Mostly because the alliteration sounds cool, but more importantly because I inadvertently copied the "musings" title from a fellow friend and blogger. Originally I was going to call it Caballero Cantor, but according to dictionary.com, cantor has something to do with religious singing. Not quite the idea I was trying to convey...

The girls got their first quarter report cards. Jessica was moaning and upset because she didn't get straight A's. She said, "I try really hard, but I just can't get straight A's." Of course her sister gets straight A's without effort. Jessica struggles and works hard on her homework every night while Alisa skips around the house begging for more homework to do. Naturally an argument between the siblings ensues, and then I have to play policewoman while juggling dinner, laundry, and being a tutor.

A week ago we decided to go out for some Thrifty ice cream. Thrifty was an old drugstore we used to have here in AZ. They sold the best ice cream amongst the aisles of hemorrhoid creams and Tylenol. If I remember correctly, it used to be only 5 or 10 cents for a scoop which was in this cool cylinder shape. You can still get cylinder shaped ice cream scoops at the local Water 'n' Ice stores. If you happen to find Thrifty ice cream near you, try Chocolate Malted Crunch. That's my favorite. But I digress. On our way to getting ice cream we noticed a hair salon (one of those cheapies in an outdoor strip mall) and decided the girls needed their hair trimmed. We walked in at 5 minutes till closing, the only customers there, and begged them to do a quick trim for both girls. As Jessica sat in the chair, she decided she wanted more than just a trim. We decided we wanted to be able to donate the hair to charity and she would need to cut off 10 inches. Without hesitation, she agreed. Jessica has super thick hair, so the hair dresser put her hair into two ponytail braids, and lopped it off. Those two braids from her head probably are equivalent to two people's donation. Jessica was very excited about the possibility to donate her hair. We are going to send it to Locks of Love which makes wigs for children who suffer from long term medical hair loss. To top it off, Jessica's new haircut is adorable. She really looks like a pre-teen now. Or "tween" as they call it nowadays. Alisa walked out with just a trim, but of course she now wants her hair cut short just like her sister. She is pretty close to the 10" mark, so we are going to grow it out just a little more and then cut and donate it.

Our next edition will of course have Halloween photos, financial updates (a job change perhaps? real estate windfall?), and more interesting family tidbits. Thanks for joining.

~cc

I've finally joined the masses!

Well, there's no turning back now. I have officially become one of "them". You know the type, the ones who post adorable pictures of their children on the Internet for all to see, keep us updated on their ever changing lifestyle, and enlighten us with their opinions and ideas. In all seriousness, this blog idea is absolutely brilliant. What better way to keep in touch with family all over the US (and more)? I am actually very excited to start.

I suppose some catching up is in order...

Jessica is now 10 and in fifth grade, while Alisa is 8 and in third grade. I am proud to say that both have already received their first quarter progress reports and they did extremely well! However, Jessica did disappoint in one area...she got an average grade in Music! Is this my child? It's incomprehensible really. Didn't my playing the piano while she was in utero count for anything? Apparently not. Good thing I have another child I can place all my hopes and dreams on...

Felipe is still working at SRP (Salt River Project) and enjoying it very much. Of course, in addition to his regular work week, Felipe has been having a lot of fun helping all our friends with their weekend household projects (plumbing, landscape install, kitchen remodels, etc). The downside to that is that our own home is still in desperate need of some finishing touches. Patiently I wait. My time too, shall come.

I am working at the Air Force Research Lab as well as selling real estate part time. Although the Phoenix market has been hit pretty hard with the real estate slow down, luckily I have remained fairly busy. Busy enough to juggle it part time, at least. I also am enrolled in the Master's program for Applied Psychology at ASU. This is the complimentary degree to my undergraduate degree. So far I am enjoying it very much.

Now that I have caught everyone up on our most recent accomplishments, I will be able to publish our regular old fun stuff. (Gee, I wonder if this means I don't have to do Christmas Cards anymore?)



Well, I couldn't find any other recent photos, so you will have to settle for this old Christmas photo from last year. We went to go visit Santa Claus at the Val Vista Lakes Clubhouse (beats the mall every time!) and he wasn't there. Poor Felipe had to sit on Santa's chair. We had to leave Alisa's list behind and hope that Santa found it. Of course the darn kids get everything they ask for. That Santa!


I promise to publish a photo of all of us (read: me included) in the near future.

Love to all,

~cc