Baby Grace Update

Ok. Back from the appt with some news. I'm measuring at 32 cm, which is 1 cm more than last time, and 2 cm smaller than I should be measuring. So now I have to go for another ultrasound to be sure that Grace is growing properly. The nurse said there are some causes as to why she's measuring small: 1. she is so low behind my pubic bone that she's measuring small, 2.she's not growing properly (which is what the measuring at the ultrasound would find out), 3. my placenta isn't giving her enough nutrients (which means she isn't growing properly) and if this was the case they would most likely take her early because I can give her more nutrients breastfeeding than I have been with just the placenta. So we will see. The ultrasound tech is supposed to call so I can set up an appt, but they haven't yet. I'm not too worried, but just a tad bit :) So that's the update. Her heartbeat sounded beautiful as always!! And she loves kicking me up a storm, so I'm not too worried about her not being okay because she moves SO MUCH!! So until next week!

Garden Update...and life update

Hello all...I know...it's been a long time! So you all are probably wondering how the garden is doing? Well, I just went out and picked abut 20 cherry tomatoes, and about 10 regular tomatoes!! We are definitely having hamburgers tomorrow, because two of the tomatoes I picked are big enough to fit nicely on hamburgers!! And of course the squash is doing fine, and we have some watermelon that are growing :) We have a watermelon plant that we didn't even plant that is doing nicely; two watermelons about the size of softballs, and then we have some that we did plant that are leafing now.

Now for life update...Baby Grace is doing great! Letting mommy know how much she likes gymnastics, or boxing!! 6 more weeks :) I can't wait to meet her. I had a dream about her last night; she was born and I was holding her. Not everything was pleasant about the dream *seeing how us poor pregnant women have to have such crazy dreams* but to have her in my arms was amazing. And now I feel such a stronger connection with her; as though I've already held her in my arms. It's a very...wonderful but different feeling! The nursery was recently painted by our slave labor...*the kids*...just kidding by the way! They were paid!! So it's much nicer looking now. And lets see...I have a doctors appointment tomorrow so that we can see if she is measuring closer to necessary size! And then an ultrasound in a week and 2 days!! So hopefully she will be head down!

I think that's pretty much it for now. We are planning on going camping in two weeks; our last outing before Baby Grace comes!

Temple Bound

Good morning my fellow sisters and brothers! I hope that you all have had a wonderful weekend. I sure know that I have. My husband had a very special meeting this morning, and I am so happy to say that our prayers have been answered :) He will be receiving a calling, and he and I will be meeting with the Bishop to discuss being Sealed in the Temple for all eternity. So one step closer to being together forever and all eternity. I am so excited, and can tell he's gotten a renewed Spirit in him as well! One step closer on the path towards righteousness and blessings. I feel so wonderful that Baby Grace will be born in the covenant, and that he and I will be sealed. This year has definitely been the best year.

Update On Baby Grace

So, I went to the doctor today to get a checkup, and it wasn't a 100% good appointment. This time I met with the nurse practitioner, whom I like better than my doctor because she's more interested in me and not just getting done... anyways, I measured at 31 cm...I'm 33 weeks this weekend and am supposed to be at 33 cm. So she's slightly worried. Baby Grace is also head down but not completely...if my belly were a clock and 12 o'clock was completely head down, then her head would be at 11 o'clock. And her feet are at my right side. So the nurse said she might be behind the bone where they start measuring from, which is why the measurement is less. But she was concerned...she also said I'm carrying really low, which made her worry too. So all in all, I have another appointment with her in 2 weeks even though I have one with my doctor in 3 weeks. She wants to check Baby Grace's growth. But she said the heartbeat sounded really strong, and I actually got to hear it speed up while we were listening because she kicked :)

So wait two weeks and there will be an update. I hope she's growing well. Maybe she was just hiding behind the bone :)

My garden

Well, I finally got to eat the produce from my garden that I've been waiting for!!! Tonight, I got the lovely ability to share two cherry tomatoes with my husband!!! Small feat, but totally worth it. So he got one, and I got the other :) They were SO delicious!! There are alot more that are out there, but none that were near ready to eat like these two were. So, I had to share with all.

Speaking of the other aspects of the garden, the corn has been torn out for the season. We got a good bunch from the corn; alot that didn't fertilize, but enough to fill up about 15 gallon bags with about 6-8 a piece. The peas were also taken out (done as well for the season) and replaced with yellow cucumber, and the beans are supposed to be pulled out (but we haven't yet). We now have 3 pumpkins (even though we didn't plant them!) and they go from large to medium to tiny :) The small one is about the size of a cantaloupe, and the big one is one you would buy from the store :) The peppers are doing great; we've picked 2 so far, but there are 5 others that we are trying to procrastinate about. The squash are great as always, and the cucumbers are keeping my cravings (cucumber with balsamic vinaigrette) at bay. The grapes (green) are about the size of a penny but far from ready! The concord aren't doing well this year (good year, then bad year, etc.) but we were expecting that. The white peaches that hang over from our neighbor are pretty good :) And we got some apricots from a church member and made 5 jars of freezer jam. I have 10 more jars to make but didn't remember to buy the freezer powder when we were at WinCo. Oops.

So all in all, a good gardening year. I like to focus on the tomatoes the most :) I have one plant, in a pot, that has 15 tomatoes on it!! So I'm extremely excited about that!

Well, that's all I have for now. Tune in next time to hear more about the wonderful garden!

The Crib with it's Fixins

Aren't these the most beautiful pictures!! Can you all believe that this crib is homemade by the hands of my father-in-law?! I feel so blessed to have something as precious as this in my home. There are just some things that people take for granted that they shouldn't! I love it so...

Home at Last

Well, hello there fellow bloggers! I'm home from Montana at last, and must say that it's nice not living out of a suitcase! But the trip was fun, and it was wonderful to see almost all of the family! I also got to bring home the crib, which is already set up complete with mattress and 4 piece pooh bear crib set! Brad got the daddy shopping bug and bought the crib set, mattress (the most expensive one), rocking chair and footrest, pooh bear blanket and beanie set, and of course a mattress pad! So I am SOOOO excited! 9 more weeks! I also tried on the mattress the sheet that I made and.....YEAH!! It FIT!! I was super excited about that too. So now I have three more to make!! Brad and I were pretty excited about that too. While on our trip, someone dropped off a baby carrier for outdoor walking and a baby bouncer that's beautiful. We are trying to figure out who did it, but don't know yet! So if you are out there and are reading...thank you!

Well, the baby countdown has begun! The baby shower is in 2 weeks, and I can't wait! I am excited to see what things I can upwrap and put in the baby's room. Like my grandma said, "it's like playing house." Talk to you all later!

WOW Everyone should look at this!!

This is the crib my father-in-law made for little Grace!! He made everything himself!! I can't believe how gorgeous it is!! And I get to pick it up soon!!!! I know Grace will LOVE her crib! I hope all you guys do too. Please let me know what you think, because I think he would love hearing about what other people think!

Bad News

Well, we've got some bad news...our corn went capoot...I hope I spelled that right...anyways. So for some reason, the corn didn't fertilize itself right, and so all of the corn that shows signs of being ready to be picked weren't even fertilized. So we've lost all our corn...darn. We are thinking the sprinklers knocked off all the powder too early, and so there was no chance for it to get to the corn when it needed too. We had just a few corns that were good...but today we picked about 5 that were ready and all were the same. So that's a bummer.. Next year, we might just nix the corn and do something that is more expensive at the stores. At Winco we were able to buy corn for 10 cents a piece...so we might just do that :)

Garden Update

Oh, I was just scanning the pictures of the garden that I have down there...and...that is SOOOO 3 weeks or so ago!!! All the corn is taller than my husband now, and powdering! And everything is just growing before my eyes!!! So don't think that's what it looks like, because it ABSOLUTELY doesn't !!!

I will put more pictures up soon...some day...when I can get off work and not want to go to bed... (I get off at 5)

Oh So Sad...babysitter needed...

Well, I just got inside from checking out my...our...garden, and I am sad to say that there are TONS of things growing...INCLUDING TOMATOES!!! I am sad about that because we leave in a week and 2 days for Montana, and my precious tomatoes and corn and peas and beans and assortments of squash will be needing picked and loved on, and I won't be here to do it...I am so happy to see that almost every tomato plant has at least one tomato, with the most being 5. But I'm sad about that too because Brad says they will most likely be ripe or past prime when we are gone...anyone wanna babysit? Someone who would be willing to shuck corn that's ready, bag it and freeze it. And then blanch ready tomatoes and skin and freeze those as well. Our freezer will fit everything...oh so sad that I won't be here!! I'm hoping the veggies will slow down so that they will be ripe a week after we get back!!! So if there's anyone willing to volunteer. There's also a small dog and cat that you throw food to one time a day :) Well, let me know if there's any volunteers! I would really appreciate it!! That way I know my plants are in good hands!! I mean...our plants... :)

Wow...canning is GREAT!!!

So, today my husband and I canned a bunch of stuff, and I have to say, it might be a lot of work, but the end result is WONDERFUL!! Today we canned the rest of our 13 bags of grapefruits, and with that we made 14 quarts of grapefruit juice and 4 of the 1/2 gallon jars of grapefruit juice. Then we did 3 quarts of green beans...we had 4 but one broke in the pressure cooker. And we also did 3 quarts of peas in the pod. So we did great today!! I enjoyed it!! We've already burned through 2 juicers...wow, either they are cheap or we worked them to death! Anyways, it was great to be able to do that. And all the food was out of the garden, which is even nicer because we feel like we are really living off the land. There are still tons of peas left, but they weren't ready yet. And we will have squash to can too...because our plants are all just taking off!! And we also counted cans today in our food storage, and we have 115 closed cans for food storage :) Yeah!! And 9 open cans... which are consisting of 3 open chopped onion...oops... So yeah, very productive day! My first time using the pressure canner, so that was interesting for me! Now I will know how to do it if I get the canning bug but the husband is at work!

Our beautiful garden

Here is the wonderful garden so far!! I am loving this whole gardening idea!! Oh, the joy of watching food grow, as well as your pockets with all the money you save from gardening! I am so glad that my husband enjoys gardening! And that he got me into it!

This is an Awesome Idea!!

How to Make a Cardboard Box Oven - a fabulous resource for emergency preparedness.
This is an awesome idea!! We are going to try it some weekend and see if it really works! We will take pictures and let everyone know how it goes.

Garden pictures

Hey there everyone! I didn't know that I could upload garden pictures to blog, and now that I know, I will be sure to do it. I'm on our old computer though, which doesn't allow for pictures to be downloaded to it, so I will have to wait until tomorrow so that I can use the new computer (which Brad is on right now). So until TOMORROW!!!

I got this from www.makeandtakes.com. Thanks to Marie!!

Strawberry Fruit Leather

by Marie on July 23, 2008

Every year my mom and I make Apricot Fruit Leather. It’s so good and super healthy. Since I posted it last year, someone asked if other fruit could be used. My mom remembers trying other flavors in the past, but always had the best success with apricots. So I decided to take up the challenge of trying some other flavors out. This week it was Strawberries and it turned out great.

I used the exact same recipe from Apricot Leather for the Strawberry. 2 cups strawberries, 2 T. honey, 1 T. lemon juice. Blend, spread, and dry.

I’ve heard you can dry your leather in the oven at a very low temp, but I love to do it in the sun. I use these old drying racks, but you can use almost anything, as long as the top is covered with holes to let in sun and air, but keep out bugs and dirt. The Strawberry leather took a little bit longer to dry, an extra day, but still delicious. And I don’t even notice the little seeds.

Since Strawberry Leather was such a success, I’m on to peach and possibly plum. I will have to take off the skins of those ones and that may make it a little too time consuming to be worth it, well see. What fruit have you tried to dry before?

Geneology

Family is such a strong word, and I believe that everyone in the world should try to find out everything there is about their family! I just recently connected with a relative that I didn't even know existed!! He is my second cousin, and already I have been drawn in to the information he has!! His family was brought over the plains with the Nebeker Hand Cart Company, and he met someone from the Nebeker lineage that had an ancestor who knew Brigham Young!! He said that Brigham Young and his ancestor would always argue about who grew the bigger garden!!! AMAZING!!! Oh, what blessings the Lord gives to those who search! I love doing geneology, and I think everyone else should do it as well!!

An Update

Hello all...I know I've been gone a while...I've been so busy!! But graduation is over, school is over, In-laws have come and will be leaving on Tuesday (sadly) and I will be gardening, working, and later, getting ready to go on vacation. And of course getting ready for the baby! It's overhaul time now that school is out! Painting, decorating, getting prepared...that way, when July and August comes, I can do canning rather than rushing to get ready for baby! Ahh...it feels good to be done with school, even if it's just a semester. So that's all for now!!

8 days left

If you all haven't noticed, I love having a count down for many things in my life! It helps me to see that things are going to end, especially the tough things (like school). So I have 8 days until I graduate from Cosumnes!! And 7 days until school is officially out!! I am so excited. In-laws will be here in 7 days, and they are staying a week. And then they leave a week after, taking the youngest son with them, and then we go up to their house in June for almost 3 weeks! So yeah, lots of things to look forward to! I just had to let you all know that the countdown has begun...actually, it started about 2 months ago!! But who's counting!! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention...I got a "Big Fat A" as my professor calls it, in Sign Language! So 1 down, 2 to go!!

Mother's Day

Well, here we are at Mother's Day! I can't wait until next year's mother's day, when my little one will be here! But I still feel like a mother, seeing how I've been with Brad's kids for so long :) But I must say, it's most likely going to feel SO much different when I have my own little one, made from Brad and I, crawling around on Mother's day next year. Mother's day is such a great time! You don't have to make breakfast...all I had to say to Brad is what I wanted and off he went! And you don't have to do chores on that day either...unless you want to (which I DON'T!!) All in all, it's like a small vacation; of course next year with the little one it won't be a vacation! But that's okay! It's a great reason!! Happy mother's day to all you mothers and mothers to be!!

KFC coupons :)

SWEET!! Talk about awesome! So I heard from a coworker about Oprah and free coupons, so I had to check it out! It's true! You can go on her website www.Oprah.com and download free coupons for a 2 pc Kentucky Grilled Chicken meal. So I downloaded 6 of them, and that's dinner tonight. YUM! I hope that you all read this in time so that you can download it yourselves. I think you can download it until tomorrow night...so everyone take advantage of the free meals!!

Baby Registry

Well, Ciara and I went and did baby registries this weekend!!! So for all of you interested, I have a registry at Target, Toys-R-us *which is also connected to Babies-R-Us, and WalMart! And for those of you who know anything about me, they know I can't wait for the Baby Shower...so because of that and my desire to buy some REALLY CUTE BABY CLOTHES FROM DI, baby clothes are on the bottom of the list for necessities!! So please remember that when checking out the registries! Well, I must say; spending 4 hours doing registries is SO much fun! Especially since I know the sex of the baby!!! I had so much fun!! Well, I am going to Wal-Mart and Target with Brad to get another scrapbook because mine has just been finished with three pages for my graduation coming up! I love Scrapbooking!! I have a 12" X 12", and it's absolutely FUN!!!!!

CAMPING!

So we ended up not going! It was raining the whole weekend and so we decided not to go because it would have cost too much to get rain gear! Plus we wanted to go to have fun, not be rained on. But it's a good thing we didn't go, because Brad's back REALLY acted up on Friday; bad enough to where he finally succumbed to seeing a chiropractor! I am super excited about that because just with one visit he's doing better! So it's a good thing we didn't go. Another appointment on Monday. Good!

Camping in the Rain

So, for one of the classes at the college, we are going backpacking/camping for the weekend. Of course, two weeks before this weekend when we were meeting, the professor said "it's not gonna rain! Are you crazy?" Well, I must have been because it's going to rain the whole weekend we are there...ug...so we either wear cotton (which is like a sponge) or buy something called poly propylene clothing that I have NEVER seen before!! Yikes!! I hope that it's going to be a little fun at least! I just hope that if it gets to be too much for Brad's back, he tells me! Yeah, so check back on Monday or so if you are interested in an update on how the trip went. We leave Friday morning and come back Sunday night...oh boy...here goes nothing! We had a two man tent from the professor, but it was full of mold so we are now using the kid's single person tent...for two of us! We'll see how that goes. Brad fits...when he not only lays diagonally but has his head 6 inches into the side of the tent. Oh sheesh!

This is a Wonderful Quote!

“We stand at the crossroads, each minute, each hour,each day, making choices. We choose the thoughts weallow ourselves to think, the passions we allow ourselvesto feel, and the actions we allow ourselves toperform. Each choice is made in the context of whatevervalue system we’ve selected to govern our lives. Inselecting that value system, we are, in a very real way,making the most important choice we will ever make."Benjamin Franklin1706-1790

Graduation is on the way... :)

Well, today at the college I finally went to buy my cap, gown and tassel. Shew...$27! But seeing how I didn't walk for high school because I was absolutely DONE with the high school scene, I am definitely taking full advantage of this graduation. Yeah, whatever, some might say "it's just community college" but yeah, did you see that one word in there...COLLEGE!! 3 years at this school and I'm finally moving to bigger and better things. And the only reason it took so long is because I not only got my general ed done, but also finished about 1/2 of my liberal studies degree as well so I don't have to at Sac State! So there! Anyways, I'm going for the huge deal bit...grad invites, big dinner after, family coming, my grandma already said she will cry because she a "blubberer", I'm totally psyched because I'm graduating before my older brother (yeah, the usual sibling rivalry at it's best) and this gets me one step closer to my career of choice! Brad's pretty excited too. Seeing how our marriage isn't the norm, he is actually going to benefit immensely from my getting the necessary degrees and credentials to teach because that means retirement for him :) He's worked hard enough for the past 20+ years, now it's my turn! That's one of the plus' for him with our marriage :) I start my career and he finally gets to relax! A plus for me is that he will be home, which is what I LOVE coming home too!! But still, that's a few years away. But 23 more days and there will no longer be college for me for a little over three months! WONDERFUL!!!

BABY NEWS!!!

Well, I am happy to say that the little one is a healthy baby girl!! It took an hour for us to see what "its" gender was, but finally she did us the honors of uncrossing her legs!! I just had to eat some food, and then she was happy :) S0 it's a strong looking baby girl, and we are thinking of the names Grace, Willow, Elizabeth...and that's all for now. We had liked Willow for a while, but now Grace is the new favorite. We shall see though!

7 hours to go

Well, I thought that maybe if I didn't think about what was coming up, the time would go by faster, but I see that I was extremely wrong!! I am so excited about the appointment today!! As is my stepdaughter...she is getting out of school to come and see the sex of the baby (She really wants it to be a girl.) I really just want it to be healthy. I'm hoping that the things I have planned today will make my day go faster so that I don't have to think about what's coming. But with my luck, it will be on my mind until it happens! Come back soon to find out the sex!!

Baby Gender News

Well...long time coming but finally we are 29 hours away from knowing what our precious baby's sex is...I am walking on eggshells with so much excitement that I wish the day would just fly by, but of course I must also have the mindset of not wasting the day that you have. So it's tough to balance my excitement with my desire to have the best experience with the day at hand! But oh boy...it's on my mind every second! I am thinking girl; hoping I can use the half of my huge trunk that is filled with girl clothes, and Brad is thinking Boy just so that we don't agree on the sex! So we shall see...29 hours and counting! I have to drink 32 ounces of water between 1:15 and 2:15, making sure that I am done with all 32 ounces by 2:15, and then my appt is at 3:15. I hope I don't sneeze between then!!! Wish us luck!

Brain Surgery and Multiple Sclerosis

So I recently found out that my mom had brain surgery. Yeah! Crazy, huh? I haven't had contact with my parents and brother for certain reasons, and then all of a sudden I get a call from her. She lets me know she's in the hospital after having brain surgery, and that the brain tumor she had was bigger than the doctors thought and was also connected to her brain stem, and so they had to remove it! Amazing what your mom chooses not to call you about...even though I told her to call if there's something super important or life threatening. Anyways, I went to visit her at the hospital and was glad to see she was doing well despite surgery two days before. After talking with her and being about ready to leave, I find out from her that my brother has an MRI on the 29th because he might have Multiple Sclerosis. Wow...what news! So it's now pretty much a hurry up and wait game to see if she will let me know what's going on. And to see if that's what he really has, or if he just sits around to much playing video games. Harsh, I know, but I also know my brother...we'll see...hopefully prayers will help with a miracle or two.

Baby KICKS!!!

Well, I was sitting here reading my responses to blogs and scoping out other blogs, and I kept feeling things on my stomach. So I leaned back and lifted up my shirt and saw a super big kick!!! Wow it was awesome!! Of course, it only went about 2 cm up from the level of my stomach but I absolutely saw it!! It was an amazing thing to see! I have been feeling it the past week or so, and felt it earlier today really hard after having lunch with my grandparents, but didn't look then because we were visiting together and that would have been crazy to yank my shirt up and my pants down to see my belly! But this is the second super kick, and I've been feeling the flutters this past week...I absolutely love it!! Thank you Lord for this blessing inside of me!!

Pam...this ones for you!

To all of those out there that have their own garden, and have to deal with the cats using it as a litter box...don't fret any more!! Just recently a garden plant has been developed called Coleus Canina that cats, dogs and even foxes will avoid.

Coleus Canina is also known as the "Pee-off plant" or the "Scaredy Cat" coleus

This attractive Coleus has excellent foliage and small, attractive spikes of blue flowers in the summer. It releases a stench that cats just can’t stand. Thankfully it only smells to the human nose when touched! Could this be the solution to your feline intruder problems you’ve been longing for? The plant is an annual, but can easily be propagated and cuttings kept in a frost-free place over winter. Plants need to be established before the smell is released. They need to be in drier rather than wet soil and planted every 1-2 yards.

You could also try using the herb rue. The blue leaves are a lovely garden accent, but cats seem to hate the odor.

Cats are not keen on the smell of citrus either. So you could try using orange or lemon peel in your yard as a deterrent. Similarly some folks advocate coffee grounds, blood meal, cayenne pepper, lavender oil, lemon grass oil, citronella oil, peppermint oil and eucalyptus oil.

You can also...So many gardeners stick with protecting particular plants or beds by pouring vinegar, or placing orange peels or moth balls in a vented jar (where cats can't get directly at them) near the base.

Also...Plants Cats Don't Like
There are a number of plants cats are known to dislike. These include geraniums, marigolds, petunias, lavender and coleus canina which will emit a foul smell if the cat was to brush up against it.

The moth balls are a controversy because if the cats eat them, they could die. So they would have to be put in a jar with holes in the lid. I think planting cute flowers, as listed above, is the best bet! Hope this helps all you gardeners!

Oh Everyone needs a flat tire in life!

Well, this past week has been wonderful, as usual. We got the garden planted just in time because the rain came, which I'm happy about! Not only does it mean that the garden gets watered, but that my allergies go away!! So it's been wonderful for me. But of course, this morning...the flat tire! Brad left for work and called me letting me know my car looked crooked...well, my tire was plum FLAT! I was like a fish out of water...don't know how to fix a flat and he had left for work. It's amazing to see how small things are thrown into your life to help you learn to help yourself, and especially to appreciate others. I say appreciate others because while I was frantically looking at the E-tran bus schedule (I had a dentist appt to get to) I heard the garage open, and he walked through the door!! Oh my night is shining armor!! He had come back and fixed it for me!! He said he couldn't leave his "damsel in distress!" I feel like when life gets too easy, there needs to be things thrown in the mix, just to let us know that there are things that need to be learned. Never are we to just skate by and let the days waste away; which I learned today. Also, I learned that you must listen to your promptings that you get. I had heard a weird sound for the past two days while driving my truck, but it really sounded like a bag stuck to my wheel and so I didn't think much of it. That was for two days...now I know...next time, check out what the sound is!! So everyone reading...take my advice!! Listen to the promptings, and always try to learn something new in each of your days that pass. I'm glad for the flat tires...for the things in life that help me to learn good lessons and to realize the things that other people do for me.

The Best Year so far

Oh, wow, I just can't seem to find anything that has happened this year that I can complain about...I graduate from community college, I find out I'm pregnant after two years of trying with my wonderful husband, we celebrated two years of marriage in December, and we will soon be embarking on a journey once again to Montana. Not only will it be a wonderful trip because we get to see the family again, but I will be 6 1/2-7 months pregnant (which by the way has gone smoothly! No sickness at all, and I feel just like I'm not even pregnant except I am super hungry!) And we will also be saying goodbye to my husband's 4th child as he leaves for a mission in a few months. Oh, and how could I forget that I was accepted into the University I had hoped to go too! So all in all, everything has been great!! Many blessings upon me as well as the family, and I have no reason to complain. We just listened to parts of the General Conference, and not only enjoyed that but heard some talks that could be used in our lives, and that was such a blessing to be able to do! We also hear about the sex of the baby on the 21st!!! So that is exciting as well! You all will have to wait for that answer!