Bobo the Clown

I am not an interior decorator, but even I know that this picture is probably not the envy of all the neighbors. So why do I have Bobo the Clown up in my beautiful home? Pure sentimentality.

Many of you know that I grew up on a farm, by my Grandpa and Grandma Z. Grandma was a spunky old woman. I remember her riding motorcycles with my cousins, coming downstairs with her sister to play tea party with us, and trying out roller blades. Even when she got Alzheimer's, I loved it when she would forget she gave us candy for mowing the lawn, and would come out several times, then there was the dead cat she displayed on her fence, stories she would retell, and her just watching me on the trampoline. She made me feel like I was putting on an acrobatic show.

Needless to say, I loved my Grandma Z, and when she passed away a few years ago, one of the things I inherited was this painting. Her artwork was all over her home. This particular picture was on your way up the stairs...and to many of my cousins, it was a scary picture. I also have to admit that it was not my favorite picture, but Grandma painted it...and so it is displayed in my home. Bobo the Clown reminds me of my Grandma Z. I miss you Grandma!

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween! We had fun this year. Lots of treats = Lots of fun. Rachel wanted to be Tigger, again. Katie, the unicorn. Sarah wanted the Care Bear. And Nathan fit the Monkey. I never go all out, and usually we just wear what we have, but it was a fun weekend anyway.

Katie asks to take pictures every day. She is getting better, so this is me with our two youngest, Sarah and Nathan. Cute.

Then, we got out the snow clothes, and there was this hat that we decided to put a flower in...and Katie wanted a picture with Nathan...and they just looked perfect.

Snow, Snow, Snow. What more can I say?

Snow is Falling All Around

Hey, we've got snow! I love it. It doesn't even matter that I don't have grass, because the snow makes my yard look immaculate. We got up at 6:30 this morning, and Katie got herself all ready to go out, so by the time I dropped off Rachel at school this morning, Sarah and Katie were ready to go play in the snow. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

Our Little Man

I needed to show what my sweet little baby is turning into. He gets this grin that makes me think he's up to something. He is into everything right now, but in my mind, there is still no competition on who is the cutest baby!

Pumpkins

Family Home Evening this week was carving pumpkins. It wasn't too messy, because the girls thought pulling the seeds our was gross, and it wasn't too dangerous, because they just told us the shapes they wanted and David and I carved them. They turned out good!

Nature at our Door

We've had a doe and buck in our yard the past week. The girls have been so excited to see them...even though Katie keeps calling them kangaroos. I'm glad we didn't plant many new bushes or trees. The deer are no respecter of shrubbery.

World War III

My cousins brought over their four children for about 3 days. I have to admit that it was a bit overwhelming. Then, the two oldest boys made friends of our two neighbor boys, which brought the grand total up to 10 children running around our house. The boys posted signs that read WW3 all over our house, and that pretty much sums up the weekend.

Katie's Pictures

Since our move, I have not found a place that does pictures...cheap enough for me. So, I finally decided to do it myself! The canyon is so pretty this time of year, and we found a perfect spot for some pictures of Katie. Then, I wanted Nathan's pictures because during the first year they change so much. So, we got some 7 month pictures of him. For an amateur, they turned out great!

If you've ever wondered...

If you've ever wondered what a one year's supply of food looks like, look no longer. My wonderful David has spent so much time figuring what we would need and how to track and replenish it. It has taken a long time to get here, but it feels great to be able to obey what the prophets have ask us to do. We finally have the space to hold it all.

During our eight years of being married, we have always done what we could to have a food storage. We have had to use our storage several times in order to get through life. But our storage has never been a complete one year.

Now, because of the ability to save some money last year, and the planning we have gone through to catch sales, and bottle as much as possible, we have the food storage we have always wanted. David has even got the water containers for a two week supply of emergency water and backpacks with emergency supplies if we ever had to leave quickly.

It may sound extreme, but I don't believe it is. We have peace of mind that whatever comes, we will have done all in our power to be ready. And that is worth a lot.