Wordless Wednesday- Love my Boy!

(pictures Courtesy of Merrie Melody Photography)

Lately

It's been too long since I posted about everyday happenings. So here they are-

1.Spencer is growing up. And getting so smart. The other day out of the blue he started counting with me. He is talking so much now and communicating wants and needs. How did this happen? Where did my baby go?






2. Timothy is my big boy. He started pre-school last week. He is in a 3 year old class that meets twice a week and he LOVES it! He asks to go to preschool everyday. We are still struggling with potty training. It has become fight with him. We'll take it in stride and keep working on it.

(he got his face painted like a cat at our ward fall festival)




3. I'm trying to be a better mother and play/spend time with my kids more. Yesterday we played chase around the house for a good hour. We loved it and had so much fun running and laughing and squealing, and of course, being caught and tickled.


4. More time spend with kids involves doing one-on-one time with each boy. I get time with Timothy alone when Spencer is napping. The other day we painted for 45 min. Timothy Loved it. I spend time with Spencer while Timothy is at preschool. Today we went to the park for an hour. Great fun!



5. I got a new calling at church. I am now the Primary Music Leader. It is going to be Awesome! Crazy and a lot of work, but tons of Fun! I'm Excited.


6. We've been making a more concerted effort to do daily family scriptures and prayer. Spencer and Timothy like to help read, and Timothy volunteers to pray almost every night.

7. We've also been trying to do more for Family Home Evening. We even made a chart together as a family! A few weeks ago we went to a free pumpkin patch and had lots of fun! (it's own post to come)




8. I'm still running a little bit. I did a 10K on Saturday. It was GREAT!









9. We really loved General Conference. I was actually able to watch and glean from it. I can't wait for the Ensign so I can read and re-read the talks.

 10. It seems that I always have 4 things on my daily to-do list- Laundry, dishes, Chickens, and bread. Laundry and dishes are never checked off (not a fan), I have an obligation to feed and water my chickens so I can get eggs! And bread, I guess it isn't so much a daily task as it is weekly or twice a week, but I really enjoy making bread for my family and I'm really grateful I can do it and that my bread is so yummy!

TIMOTHY (he wanted to type his name... so there it is)

Homemade Bread

I have had several people ask me to share my bread recipe... most of them say they just can't find one they like or that works for them. So, here is one that is EASY, works for me, and I LOVE.**

**Disclaimer: I don't have success every time (usually because I'm not paying attention). Also, I have only ever tried this recipe in Utah, I cannot guarantee the success of this bread in other climates.

Also, I'm sorry but I tend to get wordy. I tried to bold and underline the main points.

Carlie's Honey Whole Wheat (adapted from "Honey Wheat Bread II": on allrecipes.com)

1 Tbs. Yeast (I have used active dry or instant dry, both work)
2 C. warm-hotish water
     --combine: sometimes I let it just sit, other times I mix with a fork--
1/3 C. Honey (Sometimes I add a squirt more)
     --Mix in w/ fork
2 C. Whole Wheat Flour 
1/3 Cup. Oil (I use Veg. oil, you could probably use any kind)
1 tsp. salt
     -- Dump in: Mix all (I use a Kitchen Aid w/ dough hook, you can use Bosch, handmixer, whatever)
         -if it if still too lumpy (the dough hook doesn't do liquid well) I use a fork to get the BIG lumps.
1 C. All-Purpose Flour  -depending on what I have,
3 C. Whole Wheat Flour     these amounts vary, totaling 4 cups-
     --Add 2 cups to start, Mix, Slowly add rest of flour. You may need more or less... add until it can be
turned out on counter (not really sticky) (If you used hand mixer for liquids, use wodden spoon until you can't stir more, then use hands to mix/knead)
     -- Knead by hand for 5-10 min on floured surface, add more flour as needed
Dough should be soft and elastic, but not Sticky
     --Form ball, put in greased bowl (I just grease up my mixing bowl), can grease top of dough ball.
      -Cover with towel (damp if you want)
    -- Let Rise 1-2 hours - ball doubles in size
      -Punch down, divide into 2 balls
       -Roll out air and roll into loaves- OR- knead our air and form into loaves
       --Put into 2 Greased regular loaf pans (I use real butter)
     --Let rise covered with dry light-weight towel until 1 1/2 in. above pan edge (don't let it get too big)
Bake 375* for 23-25 min.
     -Cool in wire rack immediately

Our YARD: Beauty and Harvest

We LOVE our yard (...for the most part. There is a lot we are going to do to make it better, but...)

Please enjoy some pictures of the things we enjoy about our yard.

 The view (even in Winter)

 Robby loves the sound of the wind through this tree.

In Spring, our yard came ALIVE with Beauty.

 daffodils

 These purple things I don't know what they are called.

 We have awesome, HUGE shade trees. I think they are willows.

 Spencer loved to rip these little flowers apart.

 Timothy smelling the flowers.

 This tree also provides an awesome climbing spot.

 Our back yard backs to a sheep pasture... so we enjoys our neighbors!

 My dad saw these all around our deck and said they were called "Bleeding Hearts" (this was before they had bloomed, I didn't get it)

 Until they flowered. So neat!

 Our awesome front yard!

 And back yard.

 There were LOTS of sticks throughout our yard and Timothy took advantage of that.

 I was so excited when these bloomed

 They are so pretty and really added a POP of brightness to our yard.

 And there were lots of different colors of them.

 This is the lavendar in the back... it is really pretty and smells nice too.

 Apricot tree 

( was able to make 2 jars of jam + we enjoyed just munching on them)

 This WAS our Cherry tree... we got about 1 handful before the birds.

We have three garden boxes that we planted
These are really outdated pictures, but this is what you get for now.

Tomatoes

broccoli

zucchini 

plum tree (they are now very ripe and dark purple)

I have plans for plum jelly.

This is a small sampling of what we get from our harvest.

We have made lots of yummies with these. Blackberry jam and smoothies, cucumber and tomato sandwiches up the wazoo,  tomato sauce, and fresh salsa, ratatouille, and steamed broccoli.

There you have it. The Beauty and Harvest that is our yard.

I would go take more pictures of what things look like now, but I am too lazy and I promised to blog more, so here is a post that is somewhat incomplete.

Our front flower beds have needed a bit of work, so I have been slowly working on those. We also have BIG PLANS for out back yard. We'll see how things come to be. Stay tuned.

The Beautiful Blogger Award

THANK YOU:
Lucky me, I was nominated for another award! THANK YOU Melody at Merrie Melody for the Beautiful Blogger Award. I'm not sure I deserve this, as you definitely have a BEAUTIFUL blog, and mine is...not. But I am excited for the opportunity to nominate some BEAUTIFUL BLOGS and bloggers that I follow!

Rules

7 Interesting Things about Me:

1. My favorite color is yellow... so I painted the whole upstairs of my house yellow. So now I have sunshine wherever I go!
2. I have chickens! 6 beautiful hens that give us wonderful eggs to eat! But I'm the big chicken when it comes to being near them. Poor girls have been rudely scared away too many times because I don't want them near the door when I get their waterer (otherwise they peck me or I think they'll peck me) Robby laughs at me for this, but it's something I've accepted about myself- I'm jumpy with animals.
3. I like to read (not as much as some people I know). As in movies, I'm a chick flick kind a girl... but don't give me dirty trash, I'll take an LDS Romance novel (say Anita Stansfield addict) anyday.
4.  I love and have always love dill pickles. (and lucky for me I discovered recently that they are 0 calories)
5. Something that I am always surprised at when people say they didn't know this about me (like... I haven't told you that before?) is that I am from Canada. I was born there and therefore will always be a Canadian! My family moved to North Dakota when I was 10 and I have since become a naturalized citizen of the USA.
6. I like to think that I am crafty... I sew a little, scrapbook a little, attempt to make cute things for my kids rooms or my door a little... but really I'm not. I have pipe dreams that usually don't happen but in all reality I think it comes down to me being too cheap to get the tools or materials I need to make my craftings great.
7. Bragging moment! I was the 5th child in my family and 5th to enter college... but the FIRST to graduate! That's right, when does the 5th kid ever get to be the first at anything? Well, I'm proud to say I was my parents' first college graduate!

Nominations:

The rules said to nominate 7. Well, to continue with my adjustment that I did for the Lovely Blog Award I will half that and do 4 beautiful Blogs:

1. Shelley at Burdens Made Light- because she is beautiful inside and out. She has a beautiful heart, a beautiful testimony that she shares, and a beautiful angel baby. She has been through a struggle that would break most women, but she is strong and helps others by sharing her thoughts on her Beautiful Blog.

2. Kayli at Bells and Whistles- because she is the most beautiful redhead in the world, her children are absolutely the most beautiful kids (aside from mine own, of course), and they live in Switzerland (what's more beautiful than that?). She is funny, and clever, and she shares her life.

3. Sarah at Sarah Rae Photography- because she takes beautiful pictures and lets us all see them.

4.Brittney at Seth Loves Brittney- because she shares the little things that make her life beautiful and things she loves about her beautiful kids! She also takes beautiful pictures! (although her blog is private, so most of you can't link to it, you'll just have to take my word for it. Beside the award is for her anyway)

The One Lovely Blog Award

THANK YOU:
My Blog was nominated by GlowWorm at Marvelous Pigs in Satin for the One Lovely Blog Award. Thank You so much! I was truly surprised and honored to be given this. (Especially since you only nominated 1 person for each award you gave). On her blog she said this about me: She shares her family and her struggles and successes and I love reading her tiny adventures whenever she posts.  She is also a rockin' kickboxer. 

Thank you. I'm not really a rockin' kickboxer, but I do enjoy it!

Criteria

Nominations:

For the next part of the criteria (after Thanking GlowWorm) I was really torn. The rules I read said to nominate 15 blogs for this, BUT she only nominated ONE, me. It made me feel special to be the one chosen out of all the blogs she follows.

WELL, I decided to choose 8 (half-way between) and to help you feel special about your nomination, I will tell you all why I chose them!

1. Michelle at The Richardses- because she is HILARIOUS! I love reading about her adventures as a mom and the pictures she shares of her little girl are adorable. It reminds me why she was one of my favorite roommates (even if that was for only one summer).

2. Katie-bo-batie at Dear Goodness- because she shares about her family (her 3 boys are dang cute) and the crazy outdoor endeavors they go on the make me wish I was more like her.

3. Becky at My Reason to Smile- because she is inspiring and beautiful and strong and I love reading about her love for her family.

4. Ilene at The Thatchers- because she is the best mom I know and she uses her blog to share her family and is able to share so much in few words (something that I have never been able to do). AND she's the Real ROCKIN' Kickboxer.

5. Sarah at Dave & Sarah- because she shares lovely things about her life. She is honest about it and continually shares how she is working to improve.

6.April at The Carrs- because she has a fun and cute family and when I read her blog, she helps me to realize how much more I should appreciate my kids. She is awesome!

7. Lisa at For Kicks and Giggles- because she shares her happy moments, her frustrations, her cute kids, and the things she loves to do.

8. Kami at La Familia Latorre- because she is just amazing. She has darling kids, but shares all the funny and frustrating moments as well as the happy. And she is the best seamstress I've ever known!

7 Things about Me:

1. I have a hate-hate-love relationship with dishes. I hate dirty dishes all over my sink and counter, I hate doing dishes, but I love the look of a clean kitchen with no dishes in sight. (remember this?) Sadly, the middle hate over powers the other two, but when when the hate of dirty and love of clean kick in, it's a beautiful thing. (having a great dishwasher helps too).

2. I am not a great/consistent blogger. I have at least 4 unfinished posts and way more ideas for a post floating in my head... but do I work on them? No, I tend to blog read rather than blog write. So thank you for supporting my obsession for living through others. I think my main problem is that I want to get things just right, I want to be witty and funny (really, I'm not either) and try to appear better than I am... that's why it takes so long to post, I can't really ever get there.

3. I've recently taken up running (always hated it before, then I wanted to lose weight and running was a way to help). I got myself signed up for a race to keep motivating me and have now run five 5k's this summer and just last Saturday I ran my 1st 10K. It was awesome! I plan to post about this... soon.

4. I probably have an unhealthy fixation with facebook. I really don't even get into all the apps or games or anything, but I have gotten into the bad habit of checking facebook all day long (in the interest to see if anyone as commented or liked a status, or whatever). I need help.

5. I am #5 in a family of Eight! I have 6 brothers (3 older, 3 younger) and an older sister. I love my family.

6.I have 2 adorable little boys. They make me smile and laugh... they also drive me nuts and make me want to hide. Sadly I need to be better and play with them more (rather than play on facebook and blogger) btu I love them

7. I think my favorite game of all time is Wackee Six. I could play and play and play. Good thing I have Kathy and Robby to play with. (and it most likely comes down to the fact that I am good and I win often. I mean who wants to play games they lose all the time?

Amateur Night in the Sewing Room

Well, I did another sewing project. This was a bit more complicated (still basic though), and I'm proud to say I finished (in basically 1 day). Wahoo!

CURTAINS!

 And believe it or not (i'm more on the not side) the pattern mostly lines up.

 The upclose of this darling fabric I found.

 Technically it is reversible... but when I reversed it in front of the window, the pattern showed through.

I could also put it this way if I so choose.

Now Spencer's room looks a little bit more complete.