I'm back!

I really need to get back in the habit of making this a weekly occurrence...I have a lot to catch up on! I think I've got this computer most of the way figured out, so it should be easier from here on out.   

My sister Julieanne and I got together a few weeks before Valentine's day to craft.  It was a lot of fun to spend the day together on a project.  We made these nail/string art boards out of some old wood she had around.  I ran the jigsaw, and only had one measure-once-cut-twice accident, which we both got a good laugh about.  We spray painted over some lace, and if you look real close you can see the design.  I love how subtle it turned out.

I finished Heather's saddle horn and as promised here's a picture.  I am falling completely in love with leatherwork. It helps that I'm getting better and faster at it the more I do it, but there's also something completely satisfying about feeling the new texture of the leather under my fingers once I finish carving and stamping it.

It was my turn for preschool again.  I'm starting to run low on ideas.  I always try to include a fun science experiment, I guess because science was one of my favorite subjects, and I hope it can get them excited about learning.  So, here's our experiment for the day.  There's nothing blocking the yellow and blue water in the jars from mixing, so why isn't the water turning green?  I'll tell you in a minute, but first a funny story from preschool...

Maggie has two little boys wrapped around her little finger.  One of the little boys (Conrad) has told me that he's going to marry Maggie in the Bountiful temple.  The other little boy (Jed) is equally in love with her, and at times it seems to be a fight over who is going to win her over. In fact, Jed brings Maggie Smarties to church every Sunday I think to get the upper hand. (I am teaching four/five year olds, right?  Sometime's I'm not so sure.)  So, this particular day, Jed was sitting by Maggie during preschool.  The Sun was shining through the window right in Maggie's eyes and she asked if she could move.  I told her yes, and we went on with the lesson.  Shortly after, I noticed Jed was quivering like he was trying real hard not to cry.  I walked over to him and asked him gently what was wrong.  Then the waterworks came.  Between sobs and heaves he muttered, "I wanted Maggie, sniff, to sit, sniff, by me!"  I felt bad for the kid, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't laugh too :)

So, back to our science experiment.  The yellow water on top is hot water.  The blue water is cold water.  Since heat rises and the hot was on top, the water doesn't mix.  But if you reverse the order and do cold on top and hot on bottom, they will mix to turn the water green. The kids thought it was neat, but they didn't get as excited over it as I thought they would. I'll keep working on them :)

My sister and I had so much fun crafting that we decided to do it again at my house.  We made some St. Patrick's Day/spring decorations.  Maggie and Marshall are around 9 months apart and they have so much fun playing together.  We thought it was cute that they were cuddled up together on the recliner while they watched a movie.  

My finished St. Patrick's Day wreath.  I really needed some green to get me over the winter blues.  

My finished mantle.  I made the topiary in the middle.  It was my first time working with moss and if you ever feel inclined to do the same, let me warn you that it is a messy process!  

Unfortunately Maggie and Lane are not always best of buds like they used to be.  There's enough fighting with generous doses of "that's not fair" and "that's mine" to drive me to the brink of crazy.  A lot of days I feel like all I do is clean up messes and play referee, while the growing piles of laundry and dishes remind me of their presence each time I pass them.  I know this all comes with the territory, and I'm trying to teach them best as I know how, how to treat each other with love and respect, how to work, how to be responsible, how to gain a testimony, etc.  Truth is, a lot of days I feel like I'm falling miserably short as a mother, but all I can do is just keep plugging along and savor the moments like this picture when they are best friends and there's no sibling rivalry going on and I feel for a moment like I must be doing something, at least one thing, right.  I know this sounds negative, but it is something I struggle with--finding joy in the journey when joy seems to be at the bottom of the bucket of emotions.  I came across this blog post and it was just what I needed to read.

Not too long ago in Sunday School we read this fable as told by by Elder George A. Smith, who was a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles:

“A man, traveling through the country, came to a large city, very rich and splendid; he looked at it and said to his guide, ‘This must be a very righteous people, for I can only see but one little devil in this great city.’

“The guide replied, ‘You do not understand, sir; this city is so perfectly given up to wickedness, corruption, degradation and abomination of every kind that it only requires one devil to keep them all in subjection.’

“Traveling on a little further he came to a rugged path and saw an old man trying to get up the hill side, surrounded by seven great, big, coarse looking devils.

“‘Why,’ says the traveller, ‘this must be a tremendously wicked old man, only see how many devils there are around him!’

“‘This,’ replied the guide, ‘is the only righteous man in the country and there are seven of the biggest devils trying to turn him out of his path and they all cannot do it’” (in Deseret News, 11 Nov. 1857, 7:287).

In a conversation with Jonathan the other night I told him I relate to that old man.  Since becoming a Mom I feel the attempts of the adversary to coerce me off my path a thousand times stronger than I ever have before. I know it's because if he destroys me now, he affects generations.  I also know his greatest tool against me is to make me feel insufficient and inadequate to the point of wanting to give up.  So I'm starting to blab now, which was not my intent, but hopefully these thoughts can help someone else. I think there's more pressure on young moms than ever before, and all we can do is our best, and through Christ's grace it will be sufficient.    
      

Despite any struggles, they sure are cute and I love them beyond measure!

I didn't realize that one little boy could take up the entire couch!

About five years ago I toured through California with my Ag Business class in college.  One of our stops was Grimmway Farm's carrot processing plant.  It was completely fascinating to see the process from harvest to bagged product.  When I got home and told my mom about seeing the carrots in a matter of seconds get washed, peeled, cut into "baby carrots", and bagged, she got kind of sad and said, "you mean baby carrots really aren't 'baby' carrots?" I bought this bag of baby carrots the other day and inside was proof that they really aren't "baby" carrots. Sorry Mom ;)

And while I'm thinking about it, I'll share one more story from that trip. We also toured the Diamond Almond plant.  Keep in mind that this was a group of clean shaven BYU-Idaho students and one of their employees, who the tour was set up through, also happened to be a Latter-Day Saint.  Their policy is for everyone to wear hairnets, and beard-nets if needed, to tour their plant.  Prior to us showing up he made an innocent bet with one of his coworkers that they wouldn't need to pass out any beard-nets when we showed up.  His coworker, knowing we were a group of college kids, took the "bet" and said there was no way that they wouldn't need to pass out a single beard-net.  So when we showed up, this coworker had about twenty beard-nets in hand ready to pass out, while the other worker passed around the hairnets.  He was completely shocked and confused that he didn't have to pass out a single one, until we explained to him why.  I still laugh about the look on his face :-D

We finally finished our Christmas puzzle.  It was a LOT harder than it looks.  I've framed a few puzzles that we've completed in the past, but I think this one is going back in the box and I doubt we'll be doing it again.  Who wants it next?

We've been finding a few sheds now that antlers are dropping.  Doesn't she make a cute deer?

We've lived in this little valley for almost a year now, and the time has flown by!  This arch is near our house, but for one reason or another Jonathan has never been at the right angle in the car to be able to see it when we're driving by.  I'm still not sure if he's seen it or not, so I stopped one day and took a picture for him :)

This silly boy is wanting to be completely independent, but as you can see there are occasionally some snags in the road, like getting his shirt stuck on his head :)

A little project I was working on as a housewarming/thank you gift for Jonathan's brother and his wife. They recently moved back to Idaho and we went up and spent nearly a week with them.  The kids had fun playing with their cousins that they don't see often, Jonathan had a good time working with his brother, and Dawn and I had a good time talking and catching up.

At one point when I checked on the kids playing, Lane was crawling into the tote and his cousin Bryce was folding the lid down (no worries, it wasn't locking shut), then Lane would climb out and they'd do it again.  Silly boys.

Jonathan helped his brother with Riverbend's bull sale, and then Jonathan managed Loosli's bull sale.  Both sales went well and it was good to see the friends that we've made in the industry.  In between the two sales I ran errands, helped him doctor a few bulls, checked on our old house, etc.  

Jonathan ran the door to let the bulls into the ring at Riverbend's sale, and from what we hear, this is the first year a bull hasn't broken the door completely off.  Ha ha, maybe they'll want him back next year too :)

Here's the finished product.  I was so happy with it, I might have to make one for us :)

In between the two sales, we stayed in a hotel.  I took the kids swimming for the first time.  They had a blast and we were all worn out when we were done.  Jonathan was still busy getting ready for the sale, and I feel bad that he missed out on them swimming.

Lane will not smile normal for a picture if I tell him to smile.  I'm not sure what's happening here, but it made me laugh.

Maggie has enough sass some days to make me fear what she'll be like as a teen. I have to admit, she's still cute when she's being sassy.

Watching the cows and calves at the bull sale.  

We spent the next night with Jonathan's parents so that we could get to a bed a little sooner, we were both pretty exhausted.  As always, the kids loved being there (and we did too).

When we left on our weeklong trip it was cold and snowy and when we got back it was warm and the lawn and pasture had turned green!  It was so nice outside that we had a picnic in the yard for supper.  The difference in that week left me feeling like I had just waken up from a coma and I wasn't sure how long I'd been out.  

The warm weather kicked us into major yard work mode.  I pruned the apple tree before it was no longer dormant, we trimmed some other trees, and we burned the thick dead grass off of our little pasture by the house.

It's nice to have the assistance of heavy equipment while doing yard work.

I can't do yard work without giving the kids an occasional ride in the wheelbarrow.  Again with Lane's crazy "smile" faces.

Today we got a new stake presidency.  Our bishop, who we dearly love, was put in as the first counselor.  We're sad to see him released as our bishop, but we're excited he still gets to serve and have that mantle over us.  

Phew!  You deserve a metal if you stuck with me all the way to here!