Eternal Family At Last!

Jess' Sister and her Hubby and Niece were sealed in the Mt Timp Temple on Saturday.

It was an amazing event! Thanks guys for letting us share in your special day!!

And thanks for letting me take so many pictures! *grin*

A Day without Work...

So... we have had yet another day with no work for JWD Electric. Jestin was very motivated in the yard... for about 2 hours. LOL

All the other kids went to play with friends and Caleb was quietly playing in the sand box by himself. Jess was pulling weeds near by. All of a sudden he walked over and climbed in with Caleb.

They played together for over an hour! They built a huge mountain of sand... and then they dug a tunnel under it and drove Lub's Lightening McQueen cars through it. Caleb had SO much fun telling Daddy what to do and how to shape it... and Jess had just as much fun playing without a care in the world for a little while. (though these were the only photos he would let me take! LOL)

It was perfect for the two of them... and it made me feel a joy I cannot describe... :)

Daddy! We like it!!

The chickens moved into their new home almost a week before we could move it to the backyard. They really seemed to enjoy the space! (after that box do you blame them?? LOL!)

Maybe even Wilbur (my tiny one in the back) will start growing now!

It still has a few odds and ends that need finished... but WOWZA! It is a palace! And we have only spent less than $70 total to build it!

This is Jestin's chicken. He calls her Chicken. (and "sweetheart" if he thinks no one is listening...)

She loves him. This is a norm. She loves to have him talk to her & hold her...

And she follows him and clucks... She is in love with her "Daddy" that's for sure!

Squash Bugs

These are the culprits. They ruined most of my squash plants last year.

We have found 8 in the garden so far this year. They have been put to death. They are hard to squish because their backs are hard as shells and they can live through quite a lot!

And then their little eggs get cut off the leaves of my plants. I could use a poison to kill them... but doesn't that nix the whole point of growing my own food? lol

But this is what happens within a week if they are left un-checked. Wish us luck with these rotten bugs! *sniff*

Who's money was that??

So... despite bills that need paid I invested a bit in our family instead. *GRIN* The Buy Low grocery store had some GONGA deals!! I got Hamburger $.78/lb! When I broke it all down I had 4 pkgs of cooked hamburger, 8 pkgs of raw hamburger and 12 quarter pound hamburger patties! I got those pkgs of pasta for $.78 each! I got the apples for 4lbs/$1 and the peaches 3lbs/$1! The Bacon was $1.25 each...so I got 8 of them! And I got the red potatoes for 3lbs/$1!

And then this huge pork roast... we broke it down and got 6 Roasts out of it! It was $13! I LOVE Buy Low!!

And my friend Amy found a lady on KSL classifieds that was letting you pick your own cherries for $.75/lb! So the kids and I went and picked!

My fear level is reduced... I may not have all that I should... but I did SOMETHING... and it feels good!! All in all I only spent about $55... so I am a happy girl! ;)

But "it's tradition!"

Since they were little, I have made it a point to take the kids to the BYU Carillion Bells Concert every June. They love the tradition! We play on the huge grassy hill behind the Marriott Center and eat pizza and listen to the bells...

This is our last year to take the Sorensen's with us (they came last year) as they are moving the end of this month to Ely, NV and taking over half of our kids best friends with them.

They really had SUCH a good time!

And so did we!! Pizza, paper plates, shade with a cool breeze and distracted happy kids! What more could a mother want?? *grin*

...how does your garden grow?

I took these photos a few days ago... and already it looks so much better!

Our cabbage looks ready to pick, we have 21 tomato plants, 12 Pepper plants,

8 Zuchinni, 3 Yellow Squash and

8 cucumber plants...

The peas are going great!

The beans just came up a few days ago (after soaking them for almost 2 days they germinated FAST!) and they look fab-O!

Jess had a bowl of starwberries with some milk

And LOOK! He planted these just a month ago and there are berries!

I feel so very blessed and tickled all in one to be able to have a garden this year and to have the strength and health to tend it!! I can't wait for canning season!! *GRIN*

Weekend Overnighter

Our neighborhood/ward had an informal "ward Overnighter" last weekend. We were not going to go, as I have been working a TON of hours with the Parade of Homes and Jess & Cody were set to go to the Weeblos Woods Campout. It was a very rainy weekend, and it worked out that I would be off for a couple of hours in the evening and a couple of hours the next morning, so since we have a trailer and all we had to do was load some food, last minute we loaded up and went. (Cody and Jess decided camping in a trailer vs. camping in a tent in the rain and thunderstorms was a no brainer! LOL)

We got rained on on and off... and so mud abounded!

But it was a lot of fun to laugh with friends and "have a life" for a few hours anyway!

The kids really enjoyed themselves... and I loved the thunderstorms as they rolled in... very pretty!

This is one of our favorite neighbors... and if there is a baby within arms length... he has it! He was one of the best sunbeam teachers we have ever had!

And of course... "Kick and Side Kick" were joined at the hip!

We are so thankful to have our trailer and be able to take such fun adventures together! It was so pretty up the canyon and smelled SO good! (We brought back a pound of mud I am sure! LOL)

And the verdict is....

Going to the dentist is not so bad!

Caleb got to choose bubblegum flavoring, have his teeth "tickled"

And use the "Mr. Thirsty" vacuum all by himself! AND they gave him a new Lightening McQueen toothbrush! AND they got all the "sugar bugs/germs" off his teeth! (for my little germophob this was "awesome!") so.... all in all... between the giggles and the learning experience Caleb approves. The dentist's office is a fun place to go! LOL

Is it ok to be a little affraid??

I am sharing some religious and political views in this post... take it for what you will. I am just trying to get some feelings out and give them a voice... because I feel like I may explode...

I just listened to the this talk radio show about the world's leaders having meetings the USA are not invited to because they want to overthrow the US Dollar as the world's financial leader/currency. It is a FREAKING SCARY thought!! The amount of detriment it would do to our nation is catastrophic! And that is IN ADDITION to the holy terror of damage and financial FUBAR our new "savior" President is causing!! We are headed for a fast crash in the slow lane!!!

Now I am not trying to get too political here. I dont want to debate. I dont. But I know what my heart and spirit have been telling me for the last couple of years.
The last days are here.
All that was predicted in the scriptures must be fulfilled if God is not a liar - and deep in my soul I know that (unfortunately) I get to witness and endure it.

Now I know before we came here to this earth I agreed to this.
I know I was excited to come.
I know it deeply and truly.
I know I knew it would be hard.
And now that I am here... I am a little scared.
I am not as brave as I seem to everyone else.

I dont like the thought of not having a home for my kids. I dont like the thought of not being able giving them that "beaver cleaver" childhood that really ALL kids deserve! (Even though I *know* it is just a fantasy life on television) I am scared at the prospect of not having enough for my kids to eat. I wonder how long Jess/ I / the kids can survive without the medications that keep us alive! Or my little family not being safe because of evil people with guns trying to take what food/shelter/provisions we have! Or worse a government taking away MY gun to protect them with...while the criminals get to keep theirs!

*SIGH* I know SO many people dont buy into this kind of scenario. But I personally do. We as a nation LIVING IN GODS PROMISED LAND have chosen to stop standing up for what we KNOW is right. We are too complacent and affraid of offending those that make the wrong choices. And God has promised we WILL NOT PROSPER in the land when that day comes. And it has LONG past!

And what about God? We have kicked Him out of everything. We spit upon morally clean things. We embrace the filth and invite it into our homes and hearts DAILY! We run and hide. We don't want to "rock the boat". Well... the boat is SINKING. Sinking!!!!! And each night as we get ready for bed I read more and more about it in our scriptures to my kids, and more and more I feel the soft nudging that that day is here.

It is said it will "come as a thief in the night". How many people seem so shocked that we are where we are as a nation right now?? We are being "robbed" left and right by a spending-happy government with no real thought for the consequence of where their choices to earn them the good ratings *now* will take us around the bend!! And it is not just $$ I am talking about!! They are slowly and deliberately taking our GOD GIVEN rights and choices away from us. (And I not talking about the "right to make evil good"! I am talking the right to have a home, family, earn your own keep, protect your own family & seek for good) More so each day! I can't even keep up with how much the new reign in our government has steam rolled over since January!! (HAS IT REALLY ONLY BEEN 6 MONTHS??) A thief in the night huh? Interesting.

I guess what this post boils down to for me today is this. I am having a hard time knowing we have been through a hard time as a family the last few months and are now not where I would like to see us, as a family, in this day and age. We have used all our savings and credit lines to survive the last 5 months. We are down to the basics in our food storage. My pantry is not as full as I would like it to be! My debt to income ratio IS NOT where I would like it to be! I am not prepared as I would like to be!! My family's spirituality is not where I would like it to be! I am not ready!! And I know I have had as much time as everyone else... I am just not pleased with the choices *I* have made. I know that if I live worthy Heavenly Father will provide... but I am not sure I have done all that *I* can to receive the help I may end up needing! I feel too uncertain and that does NOT bring me peace.... so... today... is it ok to be a little bit affraid??

Holy Smokes! My new favorite blog!!

http://preparedldsfamily.blogspot.com/

Caleb-sim

Jestin was re-building the kids bunk beds late last night. (The ladder needed the steps turned different to make them less painful to climb.) We discovered Caleb had put a magnetics ball into the hole for one of the pegs to make the beds into bunks. It took drilling out the ball to get it out. Well... when it finally came out Caleb was out of the room. When he returned he wanted to know "How did Daddy do dat??" I replied with "Daddy's Magic!"

Later, as we were repairing the ladder, Caleb was nearby chatting incessantly. Jess finally asked him to go listen to the story that Cody was reading to Cam (so he could have some peace and quiet while he worked) Caleb teared up and said he didn't want to. I asked him to please go and he still was super sad... I finally asked why? Why don't you want to go listen? It's one of your favorite stories!?

With a tear on his cheek he replied " 'cause I don' wan to miss Daddy's magic!!"

Needless to say... he got to stay! LOL!!

In fact later... after oooing and aaahhhing over the "new ladder" he said me... "When I grows up and be's a Daddy I am goin' to do Magic and build fings too!!"

*GRIN*

Like Father. Like Son.

Chick-deville

Our kids and the neighbor kids have LOVED it!

It's been their own little playhouse during construction...

Caleb LOVES to help! And he thought the missing roof piece was a hoot!

(Got to love the remenant of a Moose Bar all over his face)
We have done next to nothing extra but eat, sleep, dream chicken coop!

Jestin has been making the plans up in his head as we go...

We have been SO very blessed in our efforts though! In recycling (dumpster diving as it is affectionately refered *grin*) we have come across enough roofing material, most of our particle board pieces and 2x4's, screws and nails, and even a ripped screen door that we can use to ventilate the top windows! We have spent less than $60 total so far!!

The linoleum we got at a yard sale for $2! Great way to limit mess and replacement of the floorboards!

We are down to the siding (Jess is making his own with scrap wall boards from one of the homes he is working on... the homeowner gave it to him...it's already painted grey, so we may leave it grey until I can find a "Oops" exterior tan or cream at Home Depot to replace it!

We have had SUCH a good time!!

Can't wait to get it finished... I can have the garage back! *grin*

(Though it will take us a month of Saturday's to get the wood dust and construction materials cleaned up! Ugh! what a dusty mess!) LOL

Rainbows through the Rain

We have had a very rainy start of June.... but the rain has brought some amazing rainbows.

Emma has tried to capture as many as she can...

This one was a double rainbow and VERY bright for quite awhile!

Rainbows always bring me such joy... they have a special significance in my life and have answered more than one prayer. Mostly they offer hope. No matter what I am going through...they offer hope!

(I will get back to the Tucson trip photos etc and put them in order of correct dates so be sure to check further down.... I just miss blogging...I have been tryin to not until I got all the vacation ones done! Oh well... onward and upward! I will catch up eventually! LOL)