The Bad and The Good

The Bad

We came home from spending Christmas with my family to find that ALL the pipes in our house were frozen solid. It really shouldn't have been that much of a surprise because it got down below zero several days and our house has no insulation in the walls. Really... it doesn't have any. We are putting a bathroom in our upstairs bedroom and Jon was able to drop the pipes right through the exterior wall. I guess 100 years ago they didn't believe in insulation yet. Oh, the joys of an old house! Remember OHDD? I think we have a confirmed case. Surprisingly though our heating bill isn't too high and our house stays remarkably cool in the summer... don't really know how but I'm not complaining.

Anyway, last night we heated our house up to about a thousand degrees in order to thaw out the pipes and ran a space heater in front of our main water pipe. We waited several hours hoping the water would start flowing again. No such luck. We had to tap into our food storage water supply in order to flush the toilet, make dinner and quench the parched lips of a demanding two year old. I've realized that we have NO WHERE near enough water for a real emergency. We had about 20 gallons stored and it hardly lasted us one night. We were humbled and realized we need to store about 4 times that much. I also gained such a greater appreciation for how wonderful indoor plumbing is and how much easier my life is because of it. I tried to make bread last night and after having to pour my water out of the big barrel, heat it up in the microwave, wash my hands in snow, and not have a way to clean my dishes I realized that I live a pampered life compared to most women in the world. At least I didn't have to build a fire to cook it over or boil my water before I used it. Gee whiz!

We went to bed hoping our space heater would do the job but this morning there was still no water... meaning no shower for me... meaning I was grumpy. Around 10 AM we finally figured out that the water line from the street to our house was what was frozen. We called the city and they came and worked their magic. Luckily none of our pipes burst (that we know of) and I was able to take a shower and wash my dishes. I now have a new understanding of the scriptures that talk about Christ as the living water. Nothing can get clean without water. A life without water is dirty and stinky. Ponder on that for awhile :)

Okay now for

The Good

We had a great Christmas with my family. I think my kids are going through attention withdrawals because there is no possible way Jon and I can give them the same amount of love and adoration they got from their grandparents, uncle and aunts.

It was also so much fun to see them open their gifts. I don't think Rosie really knew what was going on but Asher got the hang of Christmas and gifts real fast.

The Bad

Rosie has a major bald spot on the back of her head. Asher never had one this big and I feel bad because I think it means she doesn't get held as much as he did. Or it could just be because she sleeps in her swing. Or because she is super curious and is always wiggling her head around to look at people. Hopefully it grows back before she hits Jr. High.

The Good

Asher had a really wonderful birthday.

I wanted to make him a basketball cake that was shaped like a basketball. It turned out pretty good but Jon decided he wanted to frost it. After battling about the amount of butter that went into the frosting, what color it should be, how much should go on the cake, and how it should be applied I am happy to report that we are still married... though I might have to frost the next cake when Jon is in bed. He actually did do a great job even if it wasn't quite what I would have done.


Okay and one last sequence of pictures... just because he is cute. Asher got finger paints for his birthday and as I was trying to get a picture of him painting he gave me several different responses when I asked "Give me a smile!"

#1

#2 # 3

What a goof.

Hope you all had a great holiday!

Hosting A Carnival

I've decided to host my first blog carnival (a collection of links from different authors about a similar topic)

This is daring

This is brave

This is an experiment

I love Halloween, but I every year I have the hardest time figuring out a costume. Now that I have kids the problem has been magnified by 2. Last year I floundered all the way until the day of Halloween and then threw this together a the last moment. Granted I thought our scientist ensemble turned out to be remarkably successful, but it kind of stressed me out. I realized that it takes A LOT of work to get kids, and yourself (if you are into it), dressed up for Halloween. It's kind of disappointing that after all that work only a handful of people get to see them all dressed up like a giant hamburger. So I thought that it would be fun to have a "What Were Your Kids For Halloween?" carnival. Not only do you get to share your adorable hamburger with others, but you can get ideas for what your kids can be next year. Brilliant? Yes, thank you.

So if you would like to play here is how:

1) Write a post, with pictures, about what your kid/kids were for Halloween. If you don't have kids you can still play along and post a picture of yourself, hubby, friends, dog, or other furry animal. Somewhere in the post mention that you are participating in this carnival and put a link to this post so that others can join in if they want to.

2) On the Tuesday after Halloween (Nov. 3) check back on my blog and use the magical linky (example below-- don't actually use it) to link to your post.



3) Instead of putting in your name though, put in what your kid was for Halloween (example.. spiderman and princess, mommy web and spider, the baby mop)

4) Have fun reading the other links

5) Vote for your favorite by leaving a comment at the bottom. The winner will be announced on Wednesday and will receive something fantastic... promise!

Like I said this is an experiment... one that I really would like to work.

So while I know it's not classy to beg

PLEASE play along with me!

Life Just Isn't Fair

I don't really know what to say in this post, but I just need to write something down-- blog therapy or something like that. On Monday I attended the funeral of a woman in our church who passed away from cancer and then on Wednesday I attended the funeral of one of my best friends husbands who died in a motorcycle accident last week. Needless to say it has been an emotionally draining week for me.

While both funerals were sad because both people were WAY too young to die and were WAY too full of life, I have been having a really hard time dealing with my friend's husband dying so suddenly. She and her husband were high school sweethearts (they started dating our junior year) and they had only been married for five years. He left her with two little boys under the age of 4 and she is pregnant with their third child. I just doesn't seem fair that he was taken from her when she needs him SO much! My heart just aches and aches for her and I feel so bad that my life is going on normally while EVERYTHING has changed for her. It seems like this much grief and sorrow should just make the whole world stop, but it doesn't.

I'm a grown up enough of a girl to realized that life just isn't fair and that sometimes God allows bad things to happen to good people. but I am having a hard time seeing what it is that we are suppose to learn from a tragedy like this. Perhaps... that life is fragile, that life is way too short, that we need to be grateful for every moment we are granted, that we need to tell and show people we love them EVERY chance we get, that families are eternal, that the soul continues on after this life, that angels are with us always...

I think it has been especially hard for me, being so filled with a new life inside of me, to face so much death. And while I realize that death is not to be feared because life is eternal and that we will get to see our loved ones again someday, it is still hard to know that we don't have control and that sometimes things just aren't fair. I trust God and I trust his ways, but sometimes it is just downright HARD to have faith and find peace. Yet I do know that through Christ all sorrows can be healed and that true and lasting peace can be found.. and I believe in miracles. So if you happen to know this dear friend that I am talking about (and even if you don't) keep her in your prayers or in your heart because I know that the miracle of healing CAN come for her, for her family, and for everyone who loves them. It is just hard that sometimes the best people are the ones who have to suffer.

Not Another Sad Post... I Promise

After posting two sad and disheartened posts in a row I figure I better try to redeem myself so that you don't all think I've sunk into the depths of despair. I haven't, it is just that it has been a really hard and disappointing week. Sometimes those weeks happen and I've decided that when they do it is okay to be sad for awhile. But I am feeling better already and really, overall, I feel blessed and have learned some valuable life lessons. I can't really put into one simple concise sentence the lessons I've learned this week, but I want to try to put it into words somehow... so here I go...

Life Lesson #1

I feel a little silly that I've been so emotional and sentimental about my chickens, because really they are just chickens and can be replaced fairly easily. But I've noticed that when I am pregnant any form of life seems so much more precious to me. There is something about carrying a new life that makes me appreciate and value life, in all its forms, so much more. Having this little girl inside of me makes me look at the world with different eyes, and I find myself so much more full of love for all living things. I think this is why loosing our chickens last week has been so hard on me. Life just seems more precious now than ever before, and I realize how fragile and fleeting it is.

Yet, I've also realized that no sorrow lasts forever and that there are ALWAYS new beginnings. This quote from Elder Wirthlin's last General Conference talk has continuously been on my mind. He said:

"The Lord compensates the faithful for every loss. That which is taken away from those who love the Lord will be added unto them in His own way. While it may not come at the time we desire, the faithful will know that every tear today will eventually be returned a hundredfold with tears of rejoicing and gratitude. "

I realize that life will always go forward and that there will always be new joys. We may not be able to have exactly what we had before, and it is okay to mourn for that loss, but God will always help us find a way to heal our hearts and to be at peace.

But I have four NEW little chicken ladies, which have gone a long way to heal my heart again! Last week I found a lady who was selling her year old hens and who happened to have the EXACT same breeds as the ones we lost. So we got half back of what we had before. They are older and are already laying eggs. We like to think that they are just our chickens but grown up-- really fast. We've taken extra precautions to keep them safe from raccoons and Jon is working on a super duper new chicken run and coop. I think I am also going to get some more chicks from the farm store this week--- and they are going to be Silkies! (These aren't my birds, but I like pictures of Silkies so I thought I'd put it up :)

So, see... there are always new joys to be found in life.

Life Lesson #2

I've learned that things can ALWAYS be worse than they are, and that when hard things happen I need to learn to look for the good that comes from them. Even though it has been really painful and really hard to have this broken foot, I find myself grateful every minute that it was me and not my little boy who got stuck under the beam. It really gives me nightmares to think about how close he came being crippled or crushed by the beam. It doesn't make sense to me that it didn't tip over on him because I barely moved the beam and it fell, while he had been climbing all over them that morning. God really is merciful and so despite my pain I am filled with gratitude.

I've also been SO humbled and grateful for the wonderful people in our church who have reached out to me with sympathy (I've had 3 other women come up and tell me that they also broke their foot when they were pregnant and that they could sympathize with me-- I guess it is more common that I would have thought!) , with offers to watch my son, to help me around the house, to bring me dinner, or to just come over and sit with me for awhile. Being on the receiving end of so much love and kindness makes me want to be a better friend and neighbor. I think it will be harder now to justify not taking someone a meal or not visiting them or not offering to help when I feel prompted. Because now I realize HOW much it is appreciated and HOW much someone might need help, even if they don't ask you for it. I feel blessed to have so much support around me.

So overall I am doing fine and am sort of enjoying being able to slow down for a little while. I'm praying that my foot heals fast and that I won't have to be on crutches too long. The doctor told me that if I am good and stay off it I might be able to walk on it in 3 weeks. Even though this is frustrating I've decided to have a positive attitude about it and to make the most out of what God wants me to learn at this time in my life. Thank you for all your kind words of support, it means a lot to me... oh, and stay away from raccoons and I-beams!

It Has Been A Hard Week

Not only did we loose all 8 of our chickens to a rascally raccoon Wednesday night but THEN on Saturday we were sorting through the big pile of metal scraps that the previous owner of our house left behind and one of these

a 300+ lb steel I-Beam, tipped over and crushed my foot underneath it. It hurt SO incredibly bad, I really don't think I've ever experienced that much pain before. I had always wondered how people could be in so much pain that it makes them pass out, but now I know. I didn't pass out but got really close several times. Jon took me immediately to the InstaCare to have it looked at and I really wish I could somehow thank the wonderful people who, after seeing me bawling (I was trying so hard not to) graciously told the receptionist to let me go ahead of them. There really are angels everywhere! It turns out that I only have a small break, a chip out of the bridge of my foot, which was such a relief! But I still need to go see an orthopedic doctor this week to take a look at my ligaments and tendons. My foot was crushed pretty badly under the beam and I think that it bruised and stretched all the ligaments in my foot really bad. I hope it is all it is and that I'll be able to get a walking cast soon and not have to use crutches, because really there is NOTHING worse than being on crutches. Oh, wait-- yes there is... being pregnant and on crutches... wait, wait... having an 18 month old to take care of, being 7 months pregnant AND being on crutches.

Yeah... I 'm trying hard not to feel sorry for myself, but it is hard. Especially when my foot still hurts really bad and is swollen so big that I look like I am elephant. It is also REALLY hard to feel useless. I am not able to do anything I normally do and can't really take care of Asher. Jon has been really good about doing things, but I feel so bad putting so much responsibility on him. Tomorrow might be an interesting day for Asher and I when Jon is at work. Luckily, Asher is getting better at listening and following commands so hopefully he will be good and we can just watch movies or something.

Yet, despite the little pity party I am hosting for myself I am SO grateful that it was my foot crushed and not Asher. Asher had been climbing all over the pile of beams Saturday morning and we didn't think twice about it because we thought they were stacked better than they were. I can't imagine what one of those 300 lb beams would have done to his little body. It gives me chills just thinking about it and makes me REALLY grateful that it was just my foot that got hurt. So there is a silver lining to this cloud, but I just really hope that we don't have too many more clouds in our path because I am feeling stretched to my limit. Sob.

Halloooooweeen

This was one of the best Halloween's I've ever had. I think that it was the combination of having a really fun costume, a baby to dress up and take around, and a great neighborhood trunk-or-treat. Also, the fact that Asher hauled in the candy and we (the parents) got to revel in the rewards... hehe. In fact, the very first thing I did when we got home was sort all the candy into piles! Ha, it made feel like I was 10 again. Jon and I even got in a fight over who got what candy. We ended up having to divide it equally, and then each of us hid our horde. Yep, it was 10-year-old heaven all over again!

Jon and I dressed up like mad scientists. I coated my hair with egg whites (which is a really good gel) , rolled it up in curlers, and then ratted it like mad. It was amazingly huge. It looked fantastic, but washing it and brushing it out is an experience I don't think I want to repeat anytime soon. I broke all but three of the tines on my pick! Ouchy mama.



Jon also got a dose of egg whites in his hair, and he wore these spooky orange contacts he got free from Wal-Mart a few months ago. He really played it up at the trunk-or-treat. We had a little table set up with his "experiments" (baking soda and vinegar, and milk, food coloring and dish soap). It was a big hit. I've decided I am a fan of the trunk-or-treat, especially when people decorate their cars and really get into the fun.





And Asher was Baby Einstein! I told you he was a genius! ;) I'd say his costume was a hit, and his hair just kept getting messier and messier as the day went on. He was adorable. I think his facial expression looks down right "Einsteinian".





I had to include this picture, I think it shows how big my hair was, and my facial expression is...um... scary!



Oh, and just for kicks and giggles, here is a link to Asher's costume last year!
And for even more kicks and giggles, check out what Asher WILL NOT be wearing next year-- and yes this is a shameful plug to get you to read my other blog :)

The Worst Night Ever

Last night we (as in only Asher and his little mother-- because they were "babysitting" in Idaho) had the HARDEST NIGHT we've had since Asher was 2 months old. Let me tell you the sad tale.

The little nursling went to bed around 7:30 PM, like usual, but then woke up again at 11 PM. His mother, me, had not as yet gone to bed because she was reading a really good book (Dracula-- which I highly recommend as good October read--it will scare your socks off). She went upstairs thinking that all it would take to calm the raging nursling was a quick shot of breastmilk. Nope, 3 hours later (2 AM) she still had not got the nursling back to bed. She pulled out every trick in her hat, rocking, singing, stroking his hair, laying in bed with him, patting his bottom, rubbing his back, breastfeeding, massaging his legs, blowing in his face, but nothing worked. Even the NEVER FAIL trick of rocking him while listening to the running water in the sink FAILED. She was in despair and tears. Several times (literally 20 times) she got the nursling TOTALLY asleep, I mean he was snoring, and then AS SOON as she put him down he woke up and screamed, and screamed, and screamed, and screamed. Finally, after several episodes of bawling (on the Mom's side)she finally came to realization that she was NEVER going to be able to put the baby down. So, she laid him on her tummy and they finally fell asleep. Yet fate was against the lovely mother this night, because only 2 hours later (4AM) she was awakened by a little nursling poking her in the eyes.

That was my night. Sob. And I have to admit that I did not handle it well. I was SO tired and frustrated that I found myself doing all the things I told myself I was never going to do. Like spanking him! Oh man, I get the "bad mom award". Even thought it wasn't hard, I felt SO bad after. It just made both of us cry harder. Maybe this sounds REALLY bad, but I can see how some babies get shaken to death. Not that I EVER considered it,but because I can see how a parent, especially a single mom, could get so exhausted and worn out that she would take her frustration out on the baby. It just made me realize how important it is that ALL parents, especially moms, have the help and support they need. I have a new respect for moms who have to do it on their own.



My cousin sent me some links about "sleep regression" which made me feel better knowing that there are other mothers suffering too. I didn't know this, but at about 10 months babies go through a growth spurt and have an exceptional amount of brain activity because of all the new things they are experiencing, like teething, crawling, walking, etc... This extra activity makes it hard for them to take naps and to sleep at night. It also makes them very clingy and want to be held all the time (sounds familiar). I am encouraged by the fact that this is just a developmental stage and I should try to enjoy it.

Even so, I just need to remember what my Dad told me when Asher was first born. I was complaining about how much he cried and my Dad just turned to me and said, "Be grateful that you have a crying, healthy baby, because there are many mothers out there who wish their sick baby would cry." That humbled me quick. Because as hard as it is to have a crying baby, a silent sick one would be MUCH harder. It is just hard to be grateful at 2 in the morning!

What One Does on One's Weekend When One is Married to an Environmental Engineer

Go to the local waste water treatment ponds and collect buckets of sewage! Yippee!




Last Friday I went to "help" (I was mostly along for the pretty ride) Jon collect duckweed (the green plant that is floating on top of the ponds-- you didn't think that was something else did you?) for the project he is working on at school. They are doing an experiment to find out if duckweed can remove phosphorous and other nasty things from waste water. He needed about 75 gallons of waste water to take back to the lab. He thought that there would be a pump that he could use, but discovered much to his chagrin that he would have to bucket it out by hand! The water that goes into these ponds has already been treated a little, but is still really gross. Needless to say, I let him do all the dirty work.






I just enjoyed the view of the mountains!



I do have to say for being a waste water pond it sure was beautiful, and it didn't stink--just in case you wondered.

So, I've learned a lot in the past year about water treatment. It is actually really interesting, and I bet that most of you don't know where things go once you flush them down the toilet. And in all honesty I bet most of you don't care, but you should-- so keep reading.

Surprising, there is actually very little that is done to sewage. In most medium sized cities (big cities usually have money to buy fancy equipment) the sewage goes to tanks where stuff settles to the bottom, is filtered and chlorinated. Then it goes to big ponds, like the ones shown, where it moves VERY slowly from one pond to the next until it is dumped back into a river or stream. The UV rays from the sun kill a lot of the bacteria. EXCEPT, things like birth control and other medications (excreted by humans) which stay in the water and end up back in the rivers. They actually have been finding fish with three heads as a result of the birth control medications that are being excreted into the water! Jon's project is trying to find plants and other natural ways to clean the medications out of the water.

Okay, so that was probably A LOT more than you ever wanted to know about water treatment, but I think it is really important for people to know that when they flush things down the toilet that they don't just disappear. In all honesty, I think everyone should have to take a tour of their city's water treatment facility and landfill. I think it would make people realize that just because something is out of sight doesn't mean that it should be out of mind. Be careful with what you throw away, you never know when you might be seeing it again!

I can almost picture the look on your face right now. I think it might kind of look like this.

A Mouse in the House

We have a mouse (mice?) in our house! About two days ago I noticed some suspisous looking black droppings on the counter, and then the next day saw that our big bag of oatmeal (that was sitting on the floor) had a hole chewed into it. Then yesterday I saw the mouse (mice?) two times, one ran under the door of the utility closet and the other ran behind the stove! Those both happen to be places where we still have holes in the wall leading down to the basement (and hence outside). We even heard them in the wall the other day! YUCK!!!!!!!!! I guess it is just to be expected though when you live across the street from the mountains and your backyard is a field. I am sure we are going to have many more animal encounters (deer, rabbits, coyotes, and other varmints) at this house.
Jon wants to trap the mouse/mice as humanely as possible. I am all for squashing them. But to appease my husband I am going to at least make an effort to find a humane way of trapping them. Then I'll taken them for a ride up the canyon and let them take their chances with the hawks. Any tips for catching mice? Too bad this wouldn't work!

Hobo Heather

I've been hoboing it for the last week with Asher, and man... it is hard to be homeless with a baby. It has been an amazingly crazy week.

It started with our move, which went REALLY well thanks to wonderful family and helpful Elders Quorums. But I've decided that I own WAY too much stuff. My friend mentioned that humans are like goldfish, whatever size "bowl" you put them in they grow to fill it. When Jon and I moved from our one bedroom Provo apartment we only had a U-HAUL trailer and a suburban. This time we barely fit in a 17 ft U-HAUL and truck! Uggg. There is something really humbling and overwhelming about seeing everything you own in the world sitting out on the front lawn, and then trying to stuff it into a truck.

After the move, Jon went back to Valmy, Nevada for the whole week to work on the pilot water treatment plant they are setting up out there. (Just for your info, Valmy is the middle of nowhere northern Nevada, by Winnemucca and Battle Mountain-- in case that means anything to you). I went up to Logan to work on the house, but since our house is in various stages of demolition, I stayed at a friend's house. They are living in SLC for the summer. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday I tried to paint the house with a baby strapped on my back. It worked fairly well, but I am SO grateful for my cousin who came and helped me for two days. By Thursday night I was BURNT out and I had to call Jon and complain and cry for awhile. In classic guy manner he tried to fix the problem, but I told him that all I wanted was for him to tell me "I love you, I'm proud of you, and MAN YOU ARE ONE HOT SUPER MAMA FOR PAINTING THE HOUSE WHILE TAKING CARE OF A BABY ALL BY YOURSELF!" Yep, I'm glad he's home and I'm glad his work had pity on me and isn't making him go back to Nevada for another week!

Okay, enough of my sob story. Now the exciting part. Asher says "Mama" and Jon and I both swear that he knows it means me. He's been babbling "dada" and "ma ma ma" for awhile now, but the other night Jon went to put him in his crib before I'd fed him for the night, and as soon as Asher saw me he started crying "Ma ma ma ma" and reaching for me! I think he knows that is me. So we are officially counting that as his first word. I'm not sure if he knows "da da" yet. I really want his next word to be "kisses" but that might be too hard:)

Other exciting Asher news. A few days ago during his bath, I was SO surprised to see Asher lean way forward, grab the side of the tub and pull himself up! I think he was really suprised too because then he almost dive bombed it over the edge! He hasn't done it again, but he is trying SO hard to move, crawl and stand up. I sure hope we get this house cleaned up before he can start moving all over.

I might be really sporadic in my blogging the next couple of weeks because life is going to be B-U-S-Y. This week Jon is here (yippee) and we are going to finish painting (in shalla-- Arabic for "God Willing) and then go up to Idaho for my little baby brother's wedding! Only a few more weeks of hobo heaven... or hell... depending on the day :)

MASSIVE OVERLOAD OF PICTURES

Yippee! I finally got some pictures downloaded so here are all the pictures I have been storing up-- yes and most of them are of Asher. I'm a crazy mom like that.

First time biting his stroller-- okay actually it is like the 100th time, he does it all the time!



First bag of cotton candy-- no I didn't let him eat, what type of mom do you think I am!



First time sitting in a shopping cart-- the belt was broken so I strapped him in with my sling



First time at the Shakespeare festival, and unfortunately NOT his first mowhawk



First time putting his hand on Wiiliam Shakespeare's leg



First time on the Merry-Go-Round at Lagoon




First time backpacking with Mom



First time sleeping in a tent--man what a rough night! I kept wondering what someone walking in the woods (in the middle of the night) would think if they heard a baby crying way up in the mountains.



This is my FAVORITE picture! Asher LOVES hiking and camping--I've never seen him so happy!



Zonked ou from all the strenuous hiking--really how can anyone fall asleep like that!


First time trying on glasses. Dad was getting a new pair- not these ones, though he almost did--really!It was a hard battle but I won.

Painting Palooza!

WOW! What a crazy week this has been. In one mad crazy day of paper, tape and paint we got the outside of the house all painted. It was a lot more work and money that we'd thought it would be, but I guess that is going to be our theme song for the next few months. When I went to get the estimate for how much paint we were going to need the guy at the paint store told me that I would only need 5-6 gallons for that square footage. Little did we know that because the house has this strange old stecco on it ( it is really bumpy-- we think they mixed pea gravel in with it) the surface area was increased by almost 3 times. We ended up using almost 17 gallons of paint! Woah Baby! It reminded me of the intestines-- you know they have all those bumps on the inside of them that increase the surface area by 100 times so they can absorb more nutrients. That is like the outside of our house, except our house absorbs paint.

We also painted about a thousand box elder bugs. One time I found one in my hair all painted white-- it looked really funny.

The house looks much better now though. I am a bit more optimistic that this house will turn out really nice with just a bit more TLC-- and a whole lot of paint. I have some before and after pictures but my computer still isn't working-- so I'll post them later. Oh, my dad-in-law said that the outside of the house reminds him of cottage cheese. I think that might be an appropriate name for our house-- The cottage cheese cottage! Maybe I'll have to make a sign to go above the door ;)

And So It Begins

This weekend we got our first taste of what "fixing up" a house is going to be like. The appraiser had a few conditions for the house to pass the FHA inspection, like some of the electrical had to be fixed and the outside of the house painted. So Saturday we went up to Logan and my Dad and sister came down from Idaho to help fix the electric and get the house prepped to paint. We are going to have a PAINTING PALOOZA this Thursday and try to get the whole house painted in one day. Jon's uncle doesn't think we can do it (which is probably true) and so he has volunteered Jon's entire exteneded family (who will be up in Logan for the 4th of July) to finish whatever we don't finish so that we can go up to Idaho and celebrate my b-day (the 4th of July) in Idaho with my family.

We are closing on the house in Logan next Tuesday, provided all goes as planned. It still needs a lot of work but I don't know when Jon is going to have the time to do it! This month is going to be CRAZY! First off, we have a week of family vacations, then Jon has a three day back packing trip with his scouts, and then he is going to Valmy, Nevada for the last two weeks of July to set up a pilot plant for work! CRAZY.

It looks like I will be doing (and organizing) a lot of the work that needs to be done on the house-- like painting, carpets, windows, tile, refinishing floors, etc, etc, etc... Actually, I am kind of excited about it. I really like projects and it might be fun to show Jon that I can be a handy woman too. I've started practicing-- the other day my wheat grinder broke and I took it apart and fixed it without even having to call Jon! Whoo- hoo!

So if anyone has any advice about home repairs, remodeling, and such... let me know... I'm going to need all the help I can get!

Here are some pictures of the house-- I'll try to get some better ones so you can see it in all its tacky glory!

View of the dining room from the living room-- the pad is for a wood burning stove, which we will put back in ad the weird white thing on the side of the wall is coming down (does anyone have any idea what that is for?)

Living Room-- I still can't figure out what would posses a person to choose this carpet!

One of the upstairs rooms.

Eggs and Butter

Last Saturday Jon and I took Asher to the Farmer's Market in his bike trailer. He isn't quite big enough to fit in it yet, so we strapped his car seat into it and took off. He really likes riding in it-- I have the cutest pictures but our laptop is on its last legs and the USB port isn't working, so no pictures till we get something else figured out!

Anyway-- we bought some really fun things at the Farmer's Market-- including-- FRESH CHICKEN EGGS! I really have my heart set on having chickens next summer (if this house we want in Logan works out) and have been reading up on them. I thought that I better see if fresh eggs are worth all the work-- and they are! I read in one of my chicken books that you can tell an egg is fresh by how tall the egg yolk stands up when you crack it. These fresh ones looked like eye balls they were so tall! They really tasted a lot better than store bought ones.

We also bought a tomato plant, which we made the mistake of putting next to Asher on the ride home. When we got home he was happily chopping away on a tomato leaf. I hope that it wasn't toxic.

We also bought this



a French Butter Dish!

One of my friends has one and I have been coveting it for awhile. It is really neat. You put the butter in the lid and then put it into the bottom which is filled with water. The water makes a seal around the butter. You can keep the butter on the counter keeping it fresh and at the perfect spread-ability softness. I LOVE real butter, but HATE it when it is too hard or goes rancid. The potter who made it also makes these



It is an egg separator!
We didn't buy one, but that I thought they were really cute. You crack the egg into it and then pour the egg whites out of its mouth. Maybe when I get my chickens I'll have to get one of these!