First Load of Pictures

Here are the first batch of pictures my friend Missy took. See is so good at capturing the moment.

Home is the place to teach our kids

Here's a little thought for the day.
My new goal: adding a spiritual thought to my blog every Sunday.

Homemade Mayonnaise

Oh you thick and creamy goodness
may your yellow glow forever enrich my egg salad.

I found a recipe for mayo. I'm so excited. You see ALL mayo here in the States has sugar added to it. And since I'm intolerant to sugar... no can do. Sad but true.

Here's the recipe:

in blender combine and blend
3 egg yolks
3 tsp vinegar
2 tsp sea salt (I put in barely 1 tsp "normal" salt)
1 tsp ground mustard

Now take out the little plug in the lid and drizzle in
1 1/2C oil (I used canola)
You might not even need to drizzle it, I had to stop the blender and with a spoon, stir it and then pulse and stir again.
It is THICK and oh so good.

I now don't have to be frustrated because my mashed up eggs (for egg salad) keep falling off my bread... they kinda have a tendency to do that with out any mayo in it.

Enjoy!

Arilyn the Farm Girl

So this morning the girls went out to help me feed the animals and milk.
I got the first goat milked and put down in the pasture... while down there I filled their water buckets. I could hear Arilyn calling her goat Tinkerbell.
Well, when I got back up to the barn, there was Tink, tied to the milking stand, eating her grains and being milked by Arilyn. She had got her all set up, washed and dried her udder.
My Farm Girl!!! I love her!
She milked abt 2C before her little hands got too sore to continue.

Rhiannon spent the time giving bottles of milk to her baby goat Princess.

They really do amaze me!!!! My little girls are getting so grown up.

Rhiannon is 3

My Baby is now 3!!! Talk about mixed emotions. I'm so amazed that she has grown so much, and I can't believe that it's already been 3 years.

We had a great day, Toni , Jacob and Justice came over and celebrated with us.

Opening her presents from Bedste

Her sandbox from Oma and Opa

Arilyn on the big swing with Jacob

My two cute girls showing off their cupcakes

Jacob, Justice and Toni celebrated with us.

Elm and Alex

Rhiannon's cupcake

Loving the cuteness

Her horsey she got from Bedste

Elm and Arilyn

MMMmmmm cupcake!

Busy Spring

I'm working on some journaling and stuff like that today. So, that involves getting on here and writing on my blog.
March was one busy month, inclueding going to the Temple with some of our great friends and out to dinenr afterwards, for Elm anniversery (going to the MTC) and Trying my hand at soapmaking.... I'm hooked, and sure that my second try (next week) will turn out better.
Arilyn got to go to Silver Mountain in Idaho, with Oma, Opa, Rhonda, Julia, Jay, Lainey and Jaxon. They spent 2 night and 3 days playing at the waterpark and sleepingat the hotel. We (Elm, Rhiannon, Alex and I) went up and spent a day with them.
The joy that the girls expressed, was so very catching. How can you not love your kids when they are so very excited and enjoying themself so very much.

We're working on getting our garden ready..... the chicken houses and one of the goat houses got mucked out and the good stuff dumped on the garden plots. We need it tilled in (working on that tomorrow) and the top of my cupboards and my counters are overflowing with started seeds.
My tomatoes have been replotted and I'm so excited to be growing food for my family.

The Joy of Letting Go

You know how people always tell a couple, who are trying to get pregnant "Just relax. Forget about it" Yeah right people..... you try to not think about it, when all you want is to be pregnant.
Well, I've been reading a book on Chinese medicine. And one of the things in there is to let go. Ok, so what are we letting go of? Well, think about what the things that you think define you. You were away the chubby kid, and thought that if you could just be skinny, you'd be happy. Or if you could just be really good in school then everything would be good. So you try desperatly to be something, something other than you (I'm not saying don't do anything abt the weight.... just try to live healthy, don't compensate in some other way).
The book the said to let go!
So I looked at what I was trying so hard to do... and well, it was trying to get pregnant. I thought that if I would just get pregnant, I'd be happy, I'd be complete. I thought that was what I had to be.
Ok, the harder part, letting go. I started praying for help to let go. I realised that I have tow wonderful little girls, that I have carried and given birth to. I LOVE being pregnant, I might be sore and feel icky, but I love it. And the natural high I'm on for 12 hours following the amazing miracle of giving birth.... Well, I have done it twice, I've had the joy of that experience. So letting go.... realizing that I don't NEED to do it again. That being pregnant and giving birth is not what defines me. These things are not what makes me, well me.
It took me a week. And I am now ok with the idea, that if I don't get pregnant agian... that's ok.
I know I will have more kids somehow.... I know I will hold a baby in my arms again, and that that baby will be mine, I just don't know how that baby will get into my arms.
So in the last week, I have held 2 babies, and haven't had the "oh baby" feeling where I amost want to cry because there is a baby in my arms. I held them, and just enjoyed the cute little humans in my arms, and didn't crave them.
And I'm happy dang it all. Everytime I look at my loving, eternal companion, I love him more than I did, when I looked at him 30 sec ago.
I have let go! And I am happy!