Best Buys of the Year

You know when you find a remarkable product and you just can't help chirping about it to all your friends? Well, that's what this post is about. Three really cool, life improving items that I'm really glad I spent our hard earned dough on (thanks to my hard working hubby!).

ONE: Silicone baking cups. 
Sure the cute paper liners are adorable and a lot of fun.... if you like eating paper with your treat. It was a batch of muffins when finally I said enough is enough! It was a delicious pumpkin bread muffin but as usual half the muffin was sticking to the paper and I felt like a nut try to scrape off the last little crusty bits of goodness. No more. I ordered these reusable cups that make perfect, beautiful cupcakes and muffins. Hallelujah!

TWO: Then there was The Life Planner.
Actually I didn't buy this one for myself. My Aunt actually drove three hours to show the ladies in the family how life changing having a planner was. We were all thinking, sure, sure.... just another fancy dust collector, when the calendar works just fine. In order to prove her point she gave us each a planner. The year was half over so she was able to purchase them on a sale but half a year was long enough to convince me. You gotta try one. They are colorful and bring more joy to the daily, weekly and monthly scheduling process. They cost around $55... which comes out to a cost of $0.15 a day for a fun, useful and essential organization tool. Actually, the cheapest planner costs $35 and RIGHT NOW they have a 20% off on all their planners.

THREE: My favorite purchase...
I bought a Tempdrop and now I'm trying to convince all my lady friends to get one! It's a wearable thermometer that tracks your basal body temperature. What's so cool about this device is that it takes your temperature numerous times throughout the night (or day if that's when you sleep). I've never tracked my BBT without my TempDrop but I've heard horror stories from gals about how you have to take it at the same time every morning with a thermometer, before you stir in bed or get up. This must make it REALLY hard to get an accurate reading. And what happens when you want to sleep in? Or if you get up in the middle of the night for a snack or a trip to the bathroom? This can affect your reading. But not with a TempDrop!
If you're not married and in the baby making season yet you might be thinking you don't need one. But you do. Here's why: When you're single you have more money to spend freely. Whether it's a cup of coffee, a new dress or a tank of gas, money is easier to spend when you're single and don't have a family to feed. Take advantage of this time to prepare for your baby making days! Not only that but tracking your BBT isn't just about fertility. It's about knowing your body. I wish I would have started learning my body's signs before getting married. I had terrible periods occasionally where I'd be throwing up, faint, and have all sorts of other unpleasant symptoms. My cycle was longer than most womens and it would occasionally change on me due to stress or other things. Had I tracked my BBT I could have better know and prepared for my cycle and perhaps even learned how to change my diet and environment to establish better health. To add to the list I could have gone into marriage knowing when I was and wasn't fertile.
Which brings me to the reasons why I think you should get a TempDrop if you're in your baby making years. So many women are on unnatural forms of birth control that do a lot of damage to their bodies. TempDrop allows you to track when you ovulate and when you're fertile and not fertile. This could be an answer to prayers for some couples who are having more trouble trying to conceive!! The big bonus and selling point for me was that it works while breastfeeding. In spite of waking up numerous times throughout the night to nurse my little guy I can still track my BBT. It takes about two months of consistent wearing/data for the TempDrop to gather enough info to give you accurate feedback. If you think of how much people spend on contraceptives or fertility treatments over the course of a woman's lifetime this is SO CHEAP. How could you NOT afford to buy one?

There are a few different companies offering devices like the Tempdrop but my friend recommended this one to me and I really like it.  The added bonus is that you can get referral candy! ....which means that if I tell you about TempDrop and you buy one, I get $10 and you get $10 off! Pretty awesome, if you ask me!

FOUR: the Waterpik
My dentist recommended a waterpik to me and I've heard people talking them for a while but who spends $60 on a machine that takes up space in your bathroom when you can buy floss? Well, I did. My assessment? It's revolutionized oral hygiene. It takes a little testing and trying to figure out how to use a Waterpik efficiently without spraying down the whole bathroom, but after that it's a breeze. It cleans your teeth better than a toothbrush and leaves them feeling smoother than your honey's buns! But seriously.... for me floss is a thing of the past or perhaps something you carry in your purse for emergencies. Like those occasions when you go to a restaurant and leave with half a piece of pineapple stuck between your teeth! Dental health hasn't always been my strong point as my mouth as small and some of my teeth are hard to get to. The Waterpik has numerous attachments that make it easy to reach all those teeth in the back of my mouth. I wish I would have purchased one a long time ago.


What have you bought this year that's made your life more enjoyable, easier and exciting?
It's been a good year with some fun finds. Can't wait to see what next year brings!

Early Morning Musings

It's not yet 7am. Jeff and I woke up with his alarm clock (although we ignored it through a few snoozes). The baby seemed to wake up from it too and was dancing away in my belly so much so that I couldn't really fall back asleep between the alarms. I told Jeff I thought the baby could hear the alarm but he didn't think it would be able to hear that well. I'm not sure what can be heard from the womb with little baby ears... but I suspect our little munchkin's hearing is quite excellent, and that it was indeed reacting to the song coming from Jeff's phone.

Once up, I made us oatmeal and packed Jeff his lunch and snacks for the day. After reading the daily Bible devotional he was off to work. Now here I sit pondering the course I should pursue for the day. I have lots of things on my mind. My friend is coming with her one year old for a photoshoot. It's actually going to be a smash cake session so that should be all the more exciting and challenging. It's the last day of January and I'm already trying to figure out what I should write about for the newspaper this coming month. The end of January also means I'm that much closer to the end of pregnancy and the beginning of mothering a child. I've spent a lot of time around babies yet I still suspect I'm in for a lot of surprises. Not only the mothering aspect but I will also be experiencing labor and birth for the first time. A part of this is exciting while on the other hand I worry that I won't be strong enough, fit enough, or calm enough. Yet worrying won't help me be prepared so I try to avoid focusing on the difficulties I may face and instead try to think of ways I can get through and overcome the challenges.

In the back of our daily devotional there's a poem that I quite like.

Why Worry?
Worry never climbed a hill.
Worry never paid a bill.

Worry never dried a tear.
Worry never calmed a fear.

Worry never darned a heel.
Worry never cooked a meal.

Worry never led a horse to water.
Worry never did a  thing you thought it oughta.
-Author Unknown

It's so true. Most of our worries never become a reality and just knowing that fact, worries are so much easier to dismiss. Not to mention we have our Father in heaven who we can call upon at any time and cast all our cares upon Him. We are to be anxious for nothing but give thanks in everything, thereby allowing the peace of God to rule in our hearts and minds. This sounds like a much better alternative to the stress and fear that worrying brings.

Well, it won't be too long before the sun creeps up. There's a blue-gray light making the out of doors visible. I see we had a little sprinkle of fresh, fluffy snow last night. I look forward to what the rest of the day may bring. I hope yours is fruitful and full of the blessings and peace of God.

Celebrating A Decade

I just realized I've officially blogged for a complete decade (and more!). From this blogs beginning in 2007 to this New Year bringing a close to 2017. Pretty neat if you ask me! It's hard to stay dedicated in the things we take up throughout the years but writing has always been something I turn to on a regular basis. Whether it's reaching out to people through Facebook posts and newspaper articles or updating my blog and keeping a daily/weekly journal. Writing will always be a part of who I am and how I communicate to myself and the world around me.
Cheers to 10 years!

A Photo Scavanger Hunt

We've enjoyed a few Photo Scavenger Hunts in the past and so this past weekend we did another! A few new faces, a few new ideas and a whole set of new pictures.
*if you want to see some of the older scavenger hunt pictures check out Sept. 2013 and Oct. 2013*

We split into three teams. Each team had a camera (or a phone camera in the case of team 3) and designated one member to take all of the pictures. I had the privilege of being the photographer for Team Uno, but I'm not sure who the other two photographers where. The goal was to attempt to only take one picture to demonstrate each number on the list. Then we'd judge to see whose picture turned out best in portraying each objective.

It was such a challenge for each team to come up with creative ideas and we agree that everyone did a great job. Which is why....

We need YOUR help to judge the photos! Please leave a comment and let us know which group you thought captured the best shot for each task. Normally I would say that anyone who participated in the hunt cannot vote, but I think this time around we'll open up voting to everyone. I'm trusting that if you participated you'll vote without bias or favoritism.

Each team's photos will always be listed in the same order: Team 1, Team 2, Team 3.... as I'll demonstrate in the first set of pictures:


1. "We broke it!"

Team 1:


Team 2:

Team 3:














2. A creation in sand.




*person in sand is named Sandy*



3. Shadows.


*photographer also made it into this picture*




*the shadows are "<3 br="" love="">
4. Everybody with someone with a birthday in July.


*the sign says "Happy Birthday", and
Patrick the driver turned 16 in July, hence the vehicle*


*Rachel was the July birthday girl and if you didn't notice,
those bodies on the lawn spell "J U L Y"*


*the signs say "Happy"  "Moo" "Day" as the calf was born in July*

5. A Bible verse.


2 Timothy 3:6 For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,*the bags say "SINS" but it doesn't show up in the photo very well*



Acts 7:58  And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.


Matthew 25:5 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

6. Wedding.


*a bunch of the adults were awesome enough to join in this photo*






7. A song title.


 The Wise Man Built His House Upon the Rock


Rescue The Perishing


Give Me Thine Heart


THANK YOU FOR PARTICIPATING IN OUR SCAVANGER HUNT!!!
*cast your vote in the comment section below*

Looking Forward, Looking Back

March has almost whisked itself away and in a few days it will be April already. I'd thought the long wintery months were behind us but a blizzard brought over a foot of snow. I should have known because March usually brings one last heavy snowfall.
I've been thinking about Colorado a lot these past few days. It was this time last year that my bros and I were enjoying the excitements of that gorgeous state and the company of my Aunt and Uncle. We did so many memorable things that I believe it may have changed me in some ways. I'm not sure how but I suppose magical things happen on vacations like that, in ways that cannot be reversed. Change and growth in this case is good.
This year has been quite different and promises big excitements. Like new babies, new business ventures and I feel that it will not be a disappointing year. ...but I suppose I won't know 'till next year when it's all done and over with. I'm sure next year is only a few days away since time flies faster the older I get. Which is exactly why each day must be taken advantage of, to be used to it's full purpose. 

Anyways, enough vague rambling about time. Granted, I love blogging because it is the one places where I am allowed to be vague, ramble and not be responsible for my bad grammar or random thoughts. Programmers haven't updated the blogging world by adding like-buttons or heart-buttons or videos that play when you scroll past and overwhelming business like they've done to Facebook. I suppose Facebook has always been a bit silly, but as much as it has become necessary to have lately in order to keep in contact with people, it's become a circus of nothingness. People spend more time sharing video clips and memes than they do updating their "status". I used to think updating your "status" was a bit much but I'd gladly take that any day than the constant entertainment and information that has nothing to do with the people are who sharing and posting this stuff.

Or maybe I'm just getting old. Next year it'll be a decade since I joined Facebook. I've been weighing the pros and cons of deleting my account lately. Maybe the real fix would be to not log into my account so often. Delete the app off my phone so I don't have easy and constant access. Deleting Facebook itself is like burning your address book full of names, addresses. It's like choosing to live in a world where you unsubscribe to the local prayer chain and newspaper, saying, "I don't need to know if your baby died, if you're moving to Texas, if you were married yesterday or if you have photographs of your life events to share."
It's these things that I do want to know. The important stuff. Without that social media connection it seems I find out about the relevant information months later. I cannot convince myself which extreme is better.... not just yet.


Lately I've been drawing and painting a good deal more than I have in the past. I'm really enjoying it.. especially the painting part as it's something I haven't done more of and each time I dabble in it my paintings improve. It's exciting to see the evolution of my understanding of the art. I also was given an easel... which is a new experience. I'm currently working on a painting of a New York City street scene in the morning. I'll share it when I'm finished.

Wintry Days

Somehow these wintry days remind me of the bliss of my youth. Not that I'm old ...but I've been a lot younger before. I speak of the days when I was in school, when I'd sit in my room and attempt to study History or Math without getting distracted by writing a poem, listening to music, writing a song or some other form of pleasurable pastime.

 

The beams of morning sun on a January morning strike a cord of reverie it seems. Ahhh..... the days when there was no real responsibility or work to make you timely and always headed out of the warmness of the house.



Apparently, the middle of January can be the most depressing time for a lot of people. The bills from the holiday expenditures are coming in the mail, the stratus clouds keeping the sunshine in hiding and lack of hope for Spring. Maybe those people don't work enough or have enough excitement in their lives? Because it doesn't get me down.



Winter is the time when the whole family gets trapped inside with each other. Just enough to drive everyone nuts at the same time as finally catching up on life. Now that it's too cold to do concrete work the guys are around all the time. It brings a bit of balance to the household and lively fun as well.



I don't like how much cold weather the forecast is predicting. The below zero temperatures aren't very pleasant. However, the sparkly snow is quite lovely. There's always a silver liner if you simply look around and observe the beauty life has to offer.

 

Anyways, I'm off to go do something enjoyable. I crocheted a pair of slippers yesterday as my feet were cold. Maybe today I'll paint a picture....

Go West Young Woman....

Well, we're about to leave for the long trip to the airport... and then there's a plane ride. I'm pretty excited about everything but having to deal with my ears popping from the change of altitude/air pressure. It's a first time experience, thought. First time is the best time, right?!

Sometimes, when I travel somewhere new... or farther than I've traveled before, I feel like Sam and Frodo when they leave the shire for the first time. Who knows what wonders await? .....but as Bilbo said, "I'm going on an adventure!!!" It doesn't get much more exciting than this!!!

Anyways, hehe......

I'm off on an adventure!!! Just like Bilbo Baggins! Until next time, folks. :)

Like A Box of Chocolates

Sometimes, amidst the swirling chaos of life, I forget to just chill and remember that life is like a box of chocolates:
Simply try new things, don't attempt to finish the pieces that you almost broke a tooth on because the caramel filling was as hard as plastic, savor every sweet and exciting bite of goodness... and be sure to thank the Lord for the guide on the lid of the box....

Over-Thinking

When one is stuck in a grove of pines all day, chopping, sorting and piling branches beyond their heart's content, thinking becomes a necessary escape from the endless scape of evergreens.

So tonight, rather coincidentally, I came across this article: 13 Things People Who Overthink Are Tired of Thinking About

I don't think I over-think all of the things mentioned in the article. ....but usually when I do over-think I know that I am ...which only makes it worse. It's a downward spiral of delusions and desperation that usually brings about insanity and paranoia.

Okay.
Maybe I'm being a bit extreme here. :) It's not a bad think to think. In fact most people don't think enough so it could be argued that some of us over-thinkers are simply making up for the lack of thinking that goes on in the brains of the majority non-thinkers. Then again I would bet that those of us who think too much wouldn't have so much to think and worry about if there weren't so many careless people out there not thinking!

Yeah..... it's getting a little too late to keep up with so much circular reasoning. Anyways, It's Wednesday. Maybe that explains it. Mid-week mind trauma.

Let us conclude with a few words that are infinitely wiser than anything I can pull out of the box tonight:

Philippians 4:4-9
⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
⁵ Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand.
⁶ Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
⁷ And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
⁸ Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
⁹ Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

There it is: Rejoice in the Lord. Be moderate. Don't worry, but instead, pray. Think about praiseworthy things ...things of good report and virtue. 
Peace will ensue.

On Ethnicity

On documents and forms they often ask me to select my ethnicity. I couldn't help but notice that all the choices have corresponding places but my choice is simply "white".... I've never been to White before but I'm sure it's cold... probably too much snow there. They really should have "pink" or "beige" on the list. ....or maybe seasonal options like "tan in the summer but a waxy grey in the winter".... yeah, anyways. ;)

Squigglism

Brittany and I had a little fun one night. She introduced a new concept to me. I nicknamed it "squigglism". We each took a blank paper and made random squiggles on them. Then we traded papers and turned the nonsense into a picture. It was a great excersize in creative thinking! Here are the before and after pictures we made:

My squiggle:
 












...transformed by Brittany:

Brittany's squiggle:














...how I transformed it:














My squiggle:













...transformed by Brittany:













Brittany's squiggle:














...how I transformed it:














It's a fun exercise. You should give it a whirl sometime! ;)

Jaunt

Examining the trees in hues of green, warm from the magnanimous rays of morning sun, their glow melding with the stark contrast of blue sky in the 10 o'clock haze. 
August beginning in continuation of Summer and I my day with the usual routine of milking cows. My eyes dilate as I turn my focus from the out-of-doors to the pulsating milking units. The darkness blinds my eyes for a second, as I have left off the lights in the barn to keep away flies and encourage the cool temperature. 
I ponder the earth and it's place in the universe and I suddenly jaunt through the layers of firmament and sky below me right out into space, gravity not withholding my mind, I leave my body behind. 
I see the earth, a globe of blues, grays and murky greens. I am vaguely aware of the black intensity around me, the sun in the distance and other planets too... all that my imagination could afford. This heaven not being so important however, as the earth fixates my attention. A toy ball rolling on a floor, a top set in motion on a table, I behold the smooth sphere wobble and pivot as if dangling from a bedroom ceiling on invisible strings. I am frightened. I shutter through scenes of my home, then a busy city street, and at last the entirety of humanity going about living. A whole world of people. I fear for my own feet that are left supporting my flesh in the little barn there on that earth. Stunned by this sudden insecurity, would it all give way? 
And then I know that out there, beyond the sides of the sun, stars and space is God. Holding it all together. 
Peaceful. Safe. Solid. 
Insecurity vanishes. I fleet back to my body, awed by His greatness, back to the dim barn and the sweetness of Summer. Who are we, so tiny and decaying, to magnify ourselves? Our cities of skyscrapers, laboratories - plains of microscopic discovery, our highways of traffic by land or sea or sky or airwaves. We are small. So small. So finite. Surrounded by a vastness of universe and even this is diminutive, unpretentious. 
In this I see the true, immense greatness of God in heaven, who does not need anything we have to offer, who is Lord of all. I humble that He should make a way for even insignificant me to be a part of Him and His creation.

Then Paul stood in the midst of Mars' hill, and said,  

Ye men of Athens, I perceive that in all things ye are too superstitious.  

For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, 

I found an altar with this inscription,  

To The Unknown God. 

Whom therefore ye ignorantly worship, him declare I unto you.  

God that made the world and all things therein, 

seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, 

dwelleth not in temples made with hands;  

Neither is worshipped with men's hands, 

as though he needed any thing, 

seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;  

And hath made of one blood all nations of men 

for to dwell on all the face of the earth, 

and hath determined the times before appointed, 

and the bounds of their habitation;  

That they should seek the Lord, 

if haply they might feel after him, and find him, 

though he be not far from every one of us:  

For in him we live, and move, and have our being; 

as certain also of your own poets have said, 

For we are also his offspring.  

Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, 

we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto 

gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device. 

And the times of this ignorance God winked at; 

but now commandeth all men every where to repent:  

Because he hath appointed a day, 

in the which he will judge the world in righteousness 

by that man whom he hath ordained; 

whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, 

in that he hath raised him from the dead.  

And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, 

some mocked: and others said, 

We will hear thee again of this matter.

Acts 17:22-32 

Just Beecause.

I am currently sitting at my Grammy's house. Swollen and covered in hives (hives are a rash caused by allergic reaction or stress).
I was driving down the road yesterday afternoon to go to my sister's house when a bee flew in though my car window and stung be on my back... the left side... near my heart.
I have always been allergic to bees but I haven't had a sting in a while and I don't think I've ever been affected this badly. It only took 5 minutes or so before the bee sting started to affect me. A cold bath and benadryl didn't seem to be slowing things down so my sister ended up driving me to Urgent Care. There were a few times when my throat started to seize. That was pretty freaky and I almost decided to go to the ER.
Once at the Urgent Care they gave me an EpiPen and a saline IV. I was shivering/shaking from the shock, medication and the room temperature IV pulsing through my bloodstream.  It was pretty crazy.
So here I sit. Trying to recover and stay comfortable. It's pretty tricky...
I'm just thankful that I was so close to my sister's house and in town close to Urgent Care or the hospital.
On the bright side I get to spend time with my Grammy, stay in an air conditioned house and I get a few days off from milking cows/work. I'm hoping recovery goes quickly because there are lots of things to be done.
Oh well... life is like a box of chocolates: You never know what you're gonna get.

So Far This Summer

So, today is the first day of Summer! ...according to the calendar that is. It really doesn't feel like Summer is starting today. It feels like Summer started a month or so ago. The long rays of sunshine, mowing the law, smells in the evening air, flowers, birds, working hard in the warm heat of the day, .... so many things that, to me, say Summer has been in full swing for a while now.

The calendar may mark days by which we can calculate the seasons, but I think for some of us Summer does not begin on some given day of the year. Rather, it awakens with the feelings of joy and productivity we experience after the snow has melted away, and the Spring winds have died down. Summer begins with a walk down a country road on a muggy, sunny evening. Summer begins at the first bonfire of the year with friends gathered around. Summer begins when you chase seagulls on a beach and go running to meet the waves. Summer begins when you can wander through the woods and find the faces of little flowers opening for your delight.
Summer is so much more than a day on the calendar, so though today is technically the official first day of Summer, for me summer started a few months ago.

And so far this Summer...

Paddy caught a little bird that had a little wing problem... and he saved it from becoming the cat's next snack. He kept it in his bedroom until it was starting to fly around. We decided it was probably time for him to let it go when one morning I was woken up by a bird tweeting in my room! Quite an unusual wake-up call!

Dark chocolate. There is nothing to be compared. It's rich goodness can add instant happiness to any situation, making a good day better or a bad day good.  ...speaking of which, my supply has run out. It's time for another trip to the store. :)

I was able to go on a second road trip to Southern Wisconsin this month. I helped my brother, Isaac, move back home for a summer job doing concrete. I was able to spend a day with Isaac, Brittany, Courtney and Christopher while I was down there. We went to Lake Michigan, played Frisbee on the beach, tested out some hammocks and danced in the waves! Well... Isaac and Brittany decided to take off on a walk and we lost them for a few hours, so we went on an adventure in search for them. En route to a lighthouse (where we figured they may have gone) we came across an old pier. Christopher walked out to see what he could see... and not seeing anything but sea he dared me to come out there, just for kicks. I handed Courtney my phone and car keys.... just in case I were to fall, and ventured out to the edge. It really wasn't that dangerous, but it was fun all the same. Courtney decided to snap this picture with my phone. I had forgotten my camera and so this is the only picture of the whole trip that I have. Yay, for Summertime fun and randomness!!

I went to a wedding last Friday night for an old homeschool friend. It was a beautiful wedding with a great emphasis on Christ being the foundation and center for their relationship. After the ceremony I got to dance the night away with my friend Sandy. Being single I had to participate in the bouquet toss. Murphy, as always, had his share of fun in the event and the bouquet hit the ceiling and fell on the ground in front of the group of single girls. An awkward moment passed and then one of the younger gals just walked up and picked up the flowers! It was really, quite funny. In the process one, single, white rose had broken off and was left on the ground, neglected by the 'lucky' recipient of the bouquet.... so I took it home with me. :) Murphy would just give me a piece of luck, eh?! ;) I also got to dance with a stranger. A cowboy fella' from North Dakota, who stood out in the crowd with his black cowboy hat and western apparel. He was there with his girlfriend and they could sure swing dance (they were so good that everyone cleared the floor to watch them do aerials and awesome swing dance moves)! ...so it was quite a pleasure to get to dance with a pro. 

A side note to any single fella's who might be reading this: It's sad that there are so many guys out there where are too chicken to go for a spin on the dance floor. If you go to a wedding or some jazzy event, ask the single ladies for a dance! It'll be fun and it will likely make their day! It's the gentlemanly thing to do.

My sister-in-law Kendra and my sister Emily are both getting close to their due dates, and they are looking so good!!! You'd never guess they were almost full term. Kendra is due in July and Emily is ready to go any day!!! We know that Kendra and Jed are expecting a little girl (this will be their 3rd child).

Emily and Jacob are keeping it a surprise (this is their 1st!). We are all taking bets and making "educated" guesses. There are more of us that think it will be a little Jacob Jr. :) How exciting it will be to have two more little cherubs around!!!

Channing took me for a spin in his Ford truck the other day. It's a manual... and so he was trying to teach me to drive it. It actually didn't go too bad in my opinion but I don't know if Channing thought I was exactly a pro. He didn't like how quickly I'd let off the clutch or step on the gas.... sheesh! What a process. I definitely appreciate driving an automatic vehicle now. This was my second attempt at driving a stick-shift. On the bright side, at least there was no smoke this time.

Another crazy thing I've done so far is what my mom called, "Buckin' Bales". We're such spoiled farmers and we normally feed big square or round bales. My dad can use his skidsteer to move those around so we don't ever have to worry about dealing with small, square hay bales. Since hay is quite hard to come by this year we have to take what we can get and that happens to be the small, square bales. We borrowed some hay wagons from the neighbors and have been loading small hay bales into a wagon about every 3 or 4 days. You work up a pretty good sweat heaving bales around for three hours. Then the hay/straw sticks nicely to your sweaty skin and there is no layer of clothes that it cannot manage to get through. Scratchy, itchy, sticky work, buckin' bales is. But hey, I may have some pretty swell muscle tone by the time we've loaded the last of it up. Gotta love the farming life! Sure makes me appreciate those big square or round bales that my dad normally feeds the cows.

I am excited to see what adventures are waiting to happen as the Summer rolls on. Tonight is my dear cousin Julianne's graduation party and I'm sure that'll be a blast. ...and since there's only so much time in a day, I'd better scoot and get some things done before the fun begins.
Hope y'all are enjoying this day of "Summer Begins"! ;D