"Farm" Life

Damian and Ben built two raised beds a month ago. Oh look, there is our deceased dog, Buddy. He liked to watch over everything. He LOVED to lay in that first bed of dirt.

It was pouring rain while the MEN were working, they were sopping wet, but don't they look so cute?

Now, look over Ben's shoulders and see the beds, full of plants!! OK, except the 1st one. I still haven't planted that one, since it was Buddy's bed. I did fill one, though! The tomatoes will be ready while I'm in Utah for a month. OH, BROTHER!!

We pick this many berries each morning and the kids love how sweet they are. YUMMY!

These were once our cute chicks. Now they are almost full grown and not so cute. They have beady eyes and make a lot of noise, attract skunks and smell horrible themselves. They do eat a lot of bugs around the place, but then they poop everywhere. Just notice how lovely their $500 home is. Now I ask you, was this investment worth it???

Today, Damian brought home 4 new chickens. A client had 60 hens and 2 roosters and the roosters were mating with them so much they were miserable. I wonder if that's where the word "Hen-pecked" comes from. These hens are missing half their back feathers from so much pecking or whatever you call that thing they do.

So . . . the client gave us 4 of his laying hens. One liked her new home with only 9 roommates rather than 61, that she laid an egg in the first hour. Ben was so proud. And he wants it for breakfast in the morning.

I just have one thing to say to you, Ben, "After you clean the coop!!

Father's Day Tribute

There is a children's song in my church that goes,

My Daddy is my favorite Pal and he helps me everyday.
It's plain to see I want to be like him in everyway!
He teaches me that honesty is best in all I do,
I'm very glad that he's my Dad,
And I know he loves me, too!

It is such a great song and very true for me. I do love my Daddy. He's really so much fun to be around. He's a great teacher and friend. He's always supported every decision I've made. He's always called me "Princess" and treated me with much love and respect. I am thankful for the things he's taught me and all the sacrifices he made for me.

These pictures were on a CD I found in my attic. My paternal grandfather took them, when I was a new baby. I'm the oldest grandchild on my Dad's side and I was pretty spoiled. Although the cloth diaper thing, I'm not too sure about.

In the second picture, you can see that my dad is trying to teach me, a newborn, to walk. That picture says a lot about Dad. He is a teacher by profession and made sure to teach my siblings and I important things, when we were young. For example, we learned to sing "Give, Said the Little Stream" in Scottish Brouge, from his mission days. We learned to dance from Dad, and let's just say he's always had interesting moves. He took us swimming almost every weekend. He'd throw us in the deep end and say, "SWIM!!" He taught us to love adventure and growing up in Alaska there were adventures around every corner. He'd start by tossing us up in the air, in our cathedral ceiling living room. That must be where I got my love of cliffs and roller coasters. Where is that picture of him doing that? Then came the hiking, 4-wheeling, camping, and flights in his little plane. Thank you Dad for those early lessons.

You can see in these pictures that my dad is really strong. Strong but gentle. I've loved seeing my dad become a grandfather. He is such a loving grandpa and so sweet with the little ones. Thanks again Dad, and I hope you have a nice Fathers Day, on the beach in Italy, this year. xoxox

News . . . Good or Bad?

Remember how much I love the Nursery?

The barefoot idyllic days, eating gold fish and cheese squares?? Singing and dancing to Wheels on the Bus? Acting out all the scripture stories and being adored by babies of all ages? Playdough snakes and bubble machines to your hearts content . . .

HOW I MISS THOSE DAYS!!

I was the Nursery Leader for one month.

I am now the Young Women's President.

No need to weep, I've already done that.

RIP Buddy

When I started blogging, one of my first posts was about our newly acquired OLD dog, Buddy. And I compared his arthritic hips to Damian's. Click HERE to read it.

We found Buddy through Craigs List. The owners were going to put him to sleep and we rescued him from death. We have loved this gentle, sweet guy for 14 months.

Today, Buddy moved on to greener pastures. Namely, Heaven.

We put him down this afternoon. His hip dysplasia was getting very painful for him. He bore his pain like a champ, though. He always came running when the kids came off the bus, visitors arrived, or anytime we went outdoors. If the deck was wet, he'd still come running and then slip. He'd land hard, sliding into things/people. People were wincing right and left as they watched the poor beast hobble around our yard. Sometimes, we'd check his location, sneak out the opposite door and tiptoe to make an escape, just to spare Buddy a greeting.

Buddy, we'll miss you. You are irreplaceable.

I hope.

Although Damian told the kids tonight that the next dog we get will be an indoor dog and a puppy. I felt like shooting myself. Or him.

I said, "What's wrong with an OLD, outdoor Dog?" Everyone yelled at me saying, "THEY DIE!!"

I think they're the perfect kind of pet. Is something wrong with me?

I do have one regret. We never got a family photo that included Buddy. Dang it.

Scenic Honors Night

Emma has a 4.0 GPA and was celebrated at Scenic Middle School's "Honor's Night." This is Emma in her fancy dress, with her friend Julie. Julie was also in the play with Emma.

This cute red-head is Sarah. She and Emma have been friends for a LONG time and Sarah's mom is pretty much as strict as I am. I love it.

This crazy little gal is Paige. She and Emma are the only Basque girls at their school. At least, the only ones I know of! Congrats to our little braniac Idiart, Emma! We love you! We're so proud of all your hard work to maintain straight A's!