Plum Fruit Leather

Plum fruit leather....we finally tried to make some. Our yard is blessed with a very fruitful plum tree that produces far more than we can keep up with. Last year we attempted canning and made jam and syrup. So this year we are attempting the world of dried fruits. The process is really easy, it just takes a looooooooooong time. Basically we washed, pitted and cooked the fruit at 400 for 15-20 minutes. Then we put hem all into the blender and added a teeny bit of sugar. Gooey liquid should be the result, and this you pour into a prepared jelly roll pan (we just bought a Silpat to use and it is awesome!!). This pan is then put into an oven heated at its low setting of 150 for 6-8 hours. Ours seemed to take longer but it was it wasn't quite thinned properly. There were thicker areas then some making it cook a little unevenly. So making sure it's roughly flat and all even is pretty important. It turned out pretty yummy and was a fun way to use up plenty of plums!

Yummies help the Grumpies

This weeks been full of yummy foods and special moments with each other, despite the chaos going on. It's been another rough week with no sleep and getting on edge with one another more than usual. Jane's getting 4 teeth, William's got lots of gas, Mister James has lots of work and school duties, and I'm writing my next batch of Cook'n articles, getting a RS Activity planned and am running on steam. So needles to say we're all a little stressed and capooped. But that doesn't mean we don't enjoy life still and each other!

We went out as a family for an ice-cream date with some birthday coupons my sweet family gave me. I had not been to 31 Flavors / Baskin Robins in forever. And it did not disappoint :), soooo yummy! I got a "snickers" and Mister enjoyed a "moms cookie dough." Oh I love ice-cream way too much and wish I could just eat it all the time and never gain a pound.

Other adventures and yummies have included our chickens. Jane loves "feeding them" rocks and collecting their eggs with me. She's so funny and adorable with them. We've been enjoying lots of mountains and scrambled eggs in the mornings! Thanks chickens!

Then tonight after a really rough day for mommy here, we had one of my favorite dinners! Chiabata bread with fresh mozzarella cheese, amazing home grown tomatoes, a dash of fresh basil and drizzled with balsamic. Oh it is heaven in every bite! The savory and delicious moments of life help us to get through the bitter or hungry times. How grateful I am to be blessed with good food to eat and a beautiful family to eat it with.

Happy Motherhood

Becoming a mother of two has been quite the adjustment and whirlwind. The first month has flown by with all the crazy happenings of our little family, and now that we aren't traveling, aren't entertaining others, my bee stings almost healed and life is just us it has hit me that I have two kids!!! I have such a great respect for mothers, with each child I think that respect just grows and grows! The amount of energy it takes to take care of a newborn is astounding and then add a teething and very active toddler to the mix and it's exhausting. My days seem to just mesh into one another with spit up, nursing, diaper changing, laundry, dishes, entertaining and running after baby girl, making meals, reading books, wiping boogers...and all else that comes with motherhood. There are moments where I feel I am the worst qualified, or times I want to quit, or run away for a week long vacation with free massages. But then I realize this is the best job I could've asked for and the greatest dream come true.

I AM a mother of two and I love it! I may not look sane (ever), I don't look put together hardly ever, I don't have a perfectly clean and organized home, paper plates have been my friend, and I don't have all my ducks in a row. However, I have a little family that I care for every day and that I love endlessly. They are my world. When you look at the endless lists of don'ts as a mother you realize you're doing lots of do's. I do read to my children every day, I make sure my family is fed, I keep a home running, I take the time to thank others sincerely, I make sure family prayer is said...these are the things that matter most.

I have felt pretty inadequate up to this point at knowing how on earth I'd keep up with these two active kiddos and then today had a tender moment. I took the kids outside and after I nursed William I laid him down on the blanket and started blowing bubbles with Jane. In this sweet tender moment there was a great peace that came over me. The thought of "This is so fun. You are a good mom." and "These two love you and each other!" came into my mind. It was the first time I really felt like "YES, you can do this!" The first time my confidence rose to the challenge and joy of my life right now.

We all have changes in our lives, hardships we must face, and roads we must travel. How we think, act and live them out makes a big difference in how life turns out. I'm grateful, so grateful, for my little outdoor moment of joy today. It reminded me of the happiness I have and the capabilities I am blessed with. I love being a mother and am grateful for all it has me do. Each day is long, and each day is a blessing! Long live happy motherhood!

Williams ONE month

Oh wee little William!!! We love you so much little man and can't believe a month has passed already with you in our lives! It goes so quickly. You've been an awesome baby to be on the go so much the first weeks of your life. We are grateful for your calm nature. You definitely know how to use those lungs to though! We have learned so much about you even in this short time of knowing you and have noticed cute little habits you have.

Here are just a few:

- you love to be held!!

- you have "firecracker" toots, and lots of them!!

- you do the cutest "cheerio mouth" with your lips in a circle.

- you love to have your hands close to your face/head

- you love being outside

- you love to be swaddled up

- you love your gas drops

- you hate being burped!!!

- you have the strongest neck EVER!

- you've got a good grip

There is so much we love about you! Thanks for being in our family William. We love you little one month old!!

(This photo is of you just a few hours old!)

Family Dinner Time

Dinner time is very special and important in our home. It is a time to gather, to talk with one another, and to eat a yummy meal. I love setting the table, I have loved that task from a very young age. Dishes are one of my weaknesses and making a table look nice is so fun for me. We have made a great effort even during the crazy stages of little kids to strive to eat together every evening.

Mister James and I love to cook and so it works out nice because we help one another with the meal making. I'm so grateful and in love with that trait of my mister. Cooking time is pretty romantic and special! Besides the prep, we also love to eat!! Good food makes us happy. We call taste bud happy moments, "Ratatouille Bites." These are especially great with a bite of cheese and fruit!!!

We recently have LOVED eating outside more. If you recall in my birth story, the night of Williams birth we had drove all the way up to Ashton to pick up an outdoor table. My brother and sister in law are in the process of moving :( and this was an item I took off their hands. Than my awesome and wonderful mother got us the umbrella. Isn't it cute!! I have yet to get some comfy cushions (they are PRICEY!!) for the chairs, but we just sit on the unfinished chairs anyway. I love eating outdoors and this little set has been a dream come true! Hurray for family dinners and especially when they can be outside!

The Golden Birthday

The Golden Birthday was very different than I pictured it would be for so many years. It was a little less gold colored and themed, and more filled with golden kids and family. William gifted me the grossest spit up he's had yet and right down my shirt. Jane was/is teething really bad and so she was needing a bit of extra love. Needless to say by kiddos bedtime I was very ready. We shared some really special times throughout the day. I made breakfast, then we took daddy out for Thai food for lunch, then Jane and I painted feathers and her toenails!!

Our dinner was leftovers and salmon with asparagus. It was delicious. We ate by our new TP that my mom helped me finish while she was here. It was such a fun and magical setting. Here's to 28!!! I am thankful for all that's gotten me to this golden year and what's in store for me in the next 28!

28 Years of Life

Today marks my Golden Birthday and so I have decided that I need to recognize the many treasures I've been blessed with these 28 years of life! I have a tradition I've started to write letters to others, for how old I am. So, this year I would need to write 28 letters. Instead of all of them being handwritten I did some via Internet which I'd not done before. It's been fun and special to keep this lovely little tradition each year.

Highlights of Gold:

- My mission to PA

- Singing in front of my High School and getting a standing ovation 

- rolling down hills

- my college years

- pretending with my brother Spencer and neighbor friends!

- Making cookies with my mom

- riding the Ferries in Seattle and feeding the seagulls!

- sleeping under the stars

- seeing fireflies for the first time!

- watching sunrises and sunsets

- going down the river in Moab with Janes, Spencer and Molly

- having one on one trips: WaDC with Spencer, Leavenworth with Andrea, Portland with Molly, PA with mom, Nickel Creek with Matt and Time out for Women with Lara.

Golden Moments:

- Being married in the temple to Mister James for time & all eternity. He's my partner in crime though it all and I couldn't imagine a better companion.

- Having my children! There is not a moment in life that compared to finally meeting the child you carried for 9 months. It's golden!

- Going through the temple for my mission, and preparing to be worthy of the great blessings and promises given there.

My Gold:

- My Faith, God and the knowledge of who I am!

- My husband, Mister James. He's my golden boy.

- My children, they mean the world to me!

- Family. They are the most important treasure on this earth.

I know there is much more gold I could recognize in my life, but there's a little fleck of it. There really are tiny flecks that really do add up. I'm so thankful for the 28 years I've been blessed with and for the joy that all the golden things have given me. Here's to 28!!!