Blue Mts.

 I took a ride up the mountain the other day to see if things were finally coming  back to life.

looking south on ski lift road

If you look closely you can see the green creeping up the slope of the mountain in this picture. The quaking aspens are pretty much fully leafed out.  The maples weren't far behind.

Tiny maple leaves

lower on the mt. -scrub oak

The scrub or Gambel oak that covers the lower slopes of the mountain is the last to resume their green coat. Around town they are almost leafed out, but up here there are just hints of leaves.

One of my favorite things is to see the meadows on the mountain covered in wild blue iris. I was a bit early, but managed to find a few that were blooming. The meadow below will be covered in a few days. It will definitely be worth another ride!

wild iris

meadow waiting for irises to bloom

Crispy Almonds

 Well, I finally had some success with a recipe from the Nourishing Traditions book. Of course, it was one of the hardest recipes in the book. HaHa. I have been purchasing large bags of almonds from Sam's Club to have available as snacks. After reading NT, I worried that perhaps they weren't as healthy a snack as I had hoped. So I decided to try soaking and drying them.

 The 4 C almonds are simply soaked overnight in a mixture of purified water and a TBsp sea salt.

 Then, they are drained and dried in a dryer or oven set on a low setting til they are dry and crisp. 

They are delicious. They can be a bit squeaky, which the kids think is fun. This recipe is a keeper for our family. I store them in this cute jar and I've been amazed that they have lasted as long as they have.

Six months down, 18 to go....

Yesterday marked the 6 month point in my boy's mission. I am having a hard time believing he has been gone that long already. At this rate, he'll be home next week!

 These are pictures of him and the mission president that was there when he arrived. A new mission president has since taken over the reins. 

He is doing remarkably well and having lots of adventures. We love to get his emails each week that relate those adventures. He has always been a writer and is very good with details.  We don't have to pull teeth to get information, unlike a previous missionary who will remain un-named. 

It has been a different experience for us as parents this time. Having a child in a foreign country even if it's civilized is interesting. We haven't been able to send him lots of care packages because the cost of shipping is just too prohibitive. Christmas was surely interesting.  We are so looking forward to Mother's Day on Sunday when we will hear his voice again.

I am so thankful for the missionary program of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is truly an inspired program that not only helps God's children all over the world hear the message of hope and peace that His gospel brings, but it helps our young men and women grow up. There is a maturity that comes from thinking of and serving others 24/7 for 18 months to 2 years. It would be next to impossible to gain that maturity without serving a mission. I am so thankful that my two oldest sons have chosen to serve a mission and thus far have done so honorably. It has been such a blessing for our family.

Can't wait to meet the man who comes home in 18 months! 

Greenhouse?

One of the challenges we face living here in SE Utah at 7000 ft. is gardening. We have a very short growing season and it's very dry and windy, especially winds from the south and southwest. Last year we put one garden box in but the poor little plants just got beaten to death by the wind and didn't get enough warmth to actually reach maturity. It was a bit depressing.

 This the the south side of our house. We have been pondering the feasibility of attaching a greenhouse type room onto this end of the house. It's a huge blank wall that attracts lots of sunshine. The greenhouse would be able to use that heat and the plants would be protected from the wind by being enclosed. 

It's not in the cards this year, but we are hoping that it will become a reality in the near future. Growing our own produce would be so helpful to our family.

Simple or Prudent?

For quite a few years now I have had the goal to 'simplify' my life. To stick to the basics and not get caught up in the craziness that our society deems necessary.

One night as I was reading my scriptures I started reading through Proverbs. Some verses started catching my eye.

Proverbs 14:8  The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.

Proverbs14:18 The simple inherit folly: but the prudent are crowned with knowledge.

Proverbs 15:5  A fool despiseth his father’s instruction: but he that regardeth reproof is prudent.

Proverbs 16:21  The wise in heart shall be called prudent

Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.

Proverbs 22:3 A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.

I acknowledge that I am taking these verses out of context, but the term prudent really stuck out to me. And when I saw it in contrast to the term simple(which seemed to be equated with fool) I began to wonder if I have been attempting to reach the wrong goal.

Prudent is defined in Webster's 1828 dictionary as: 

PRU'DENT, a. Cautious; circumspect; practically wise; careful of the consequences of enterprises, measures or actions; cautious not to act when the end is of doubtful utility, or probably impracticable.

The prudent man looketh well to his going. Prov.14.

A prudent man foreseeth the evil and hideth himself. Prov.22.

1. Dictated or directed by prudence; as prudent behavior.

2. Foreseeing by instinct; as the prudent crane.

3. Frugal; economical; as a prudent woman; prudent expenditure of money.

4. Wise; intelligent.

It seems to me that prudent is actually what I want to be, to become and to be descriptive of my life. 

To be knowledgeable, wise, frugal, to understand, to forsee evil and escape punishment. That is what I want.

I think I may need to change that word on my kitchen wall from Simplify to Prudent! 

Another T2 look

This was an outfit I wore last week sometime. I really liked the subtle tone differences in the shirt, cardigan and flower. 

The shirt is taupe, sort of purplish brown/gray. Got it at our local thrift store for $2. It flows nicely, almost has a silky feel. I believe it's rayon. 

The cardigan came from Down East last summer. I love the soft lavender color and it's very lightweight. The only thing I've decided I don't love about it is the hanging open factor. For some reason I just don't like those ends flapping as I walk. So I tie them loosely and get that draping quality in the front. I've debated trimming them into a more rounded shape rather than how angular they are now. Perhaps that would make it more comfortable for me to wear. 

The flower I got at our local scrapbook supply store and attached a hairclip to it. It is also a taupe, but a more brownish version. 

The dark jeans are some Old Navy jeans I got at the DYT store in Jan. I love them and the subtle details on them. No bling on my backside.

I have on a silver necklace with personalized charms to honor my mom and her battle with cancer and my dad who passed away in Dec. I know the circular shapes aren't just right, but because of it's sentimental value and it connecting me to my parents I wear it every day anyway. I also have on a pair of oval lacy silver earrings from Wallyworld. Very lightweight. Love them.

This is my natural hair color. I have finally gotten rid of the highlights I had put in a year ago to 'brighten' myself up. I finally, for the first time in my life, like my natural hair color and am finding ways to wear it that are soft, flowy and comfortable. No more helmet hair! 

The Closet Makeover

This is the story of the transition of my closet. From black and white and blah.......(pre-DYT) to

COLOR!!

My closet really used to consist of mostly black, white and brown. I had a very few patterned shirts, mostly solids. I did have a few bright shirts, trying to add some color to myself, but they were more T1 tints.I had really fallen into that trap that 'black makes you look thinner' and 'black goes with everything'.

I love my closet now. I love that all the clothing there is intermixable. I can pull any of them out, put them together and they will coordinate and look good on me. I do need to expand my green choices a bit and maybe some more blues as well, but it's been a very liberating transition and I am so thankful to have found Dressing Your Truth.

My "Private" Son

In January Ford joined the Utah National Guard. It was something he had been thinking about for a few months. We let him think about it for those months to see how serious he was about pursuing it.
Ben, my Brother-in-law, happens to be a recruiter for the UNG, but he never approaches his relatives. They have to come to him. Anyway, he came over after Ford  contacted him and explained to us how it works, what benefits there are, what the commitments are and such. I know it's not for everyone but there are lots of benefits to it. We had to fill out paperwork indicating our approval since he was still a minor.
On Jan. he went up to SLC with Ben to officially join and be sworn in.
Am I worried? Of course. What mother would not be?
But I have seen the excitement he has about him when he comes home from drill weekends. I have seen his confidence in himself shoot upward a great deal and I imagine that when he gets home from Basic he will be less a boy and much more a strong, confident man.

And this was the boy that my DH and I joked about sending to military school cause we just didn't know what to do with him! Oh, the irony of it.

*I have pictures of him being sworn in, but I am new to my Mac and can't figure out how to rotate them. I'll add them when I get it figured out.

My First NT recipe try

One of the first things I decided to try from the Nourishing Traditions cookbook was a lacto-fermented vegetable. Lacto-fermented foods are full of probiotics which are fabulous for our guts. 

They are also easy to digest because the digestive process has already begun on them. It is suggested to eat some lacto-fermented food before every meal to get our digestive system jump-started. 

So, I thought I would try the Ginger Carrots recipe. It was suggested as a good place to start since the sweetness of the carrots would balance the tartness of the lacto-fermentation somewhat.  

So I got all the ingredients and equipment ready and grated away! 

 Put in my ginger and whey, pressed the carrots to get the juice out and get the carrots under the juice. Sat it on my counter for 2 days then put it in the fridge. 

When I opened it, my kids said, "ew, that smells like bathroom cleaner." It was a pungent smell, but I thought it would still be edible. I put some on my plate and proceeded to take a bite. Guess what? 

It tasted exactly like it smelled. Not very appetizing. 

 I did finish off my plate, but later I ended up dumping the whole thing out. 

I don't know if I did something wrong and it went bad. I am thinking it may have just  been the ginger. I've never had it before so I don't know if that's how it smells and tastes. 

I am pondering trying it again and leaving out the ginger this time.  But I keep managing to put it off. 

I think perhaps it would just be easier to take a bit of yogurt before each meal. 

At least I know I like that.

Like most of my attempts in the kitchen it was a bomb. So discouraging. 

But I'm determined to not let it sideline me. 

I plan to keep trying things til something works right!

Mt. Washmore

 I think one of the biggest challenges of having a large family is keeping up with the laundry. A family the size of ours can create what I lovingly call Mt. Washmore in just a couple of days. I know there are several thoughts on how to deal with this. I particularly love the Duggar's laundry set up of having a room, close to where the laundry is washed, set aside as a family closet where all the clothing is kept, but that is completely out of the question for our family. So I'm going to share with you what has worked for me for years. 

I know lots of families who have their older children start washing their own clothing as soon as they are old enough to learn how. I understand the idea of that, but that has never felt right to me. It is just one more way of isolating and separating family members. I fully agree that's it's important to teach each child HOW to wash laundry, but I have always just had them help with the family's laundry. I believe that that teaches them to serve the whole family's interests, not just their own. 

In the summer I have them help more frequently than I do during the school year when their schedules are so crammed with studying and extra-curricular stuff. But I've noticed that as they get older they will often go and throw a load in the washer that has something in it that they need, usually a sports uniform, but they have learned that they need to throw in enough other clothing to make a full load. So they serve their own needs and those of the other members of the family at the same time. 

It's a win-win in my book.

Our system starts with separating the clothing as it is brought to the laundry room. I have 4 spaces, (wish I had room for 5) for the loads. We have a white/underwear/socks, darks/levi's, brights/colors, towels/bedding. I wish I had a 5th space for cold water wash items. We have lots of sports uniforms, workout wear and other items with spandex that need to be washed in cold water. They usually end up on the floor. 

 These are my new toys. I got them last year with our tax refund. They have simplified my life so much by cutting in half the amount of loads I wash and time I spend doing laundry. LOVE them. I keep the baskets on the floor below them to put in wet loads waiting to dry and to catch the stuff coming out of the dryer. My goal is to never have any clean laundry sitting in baskets or on furniture so my laundry rarely leaves this room unless it's folded and on it's way to someone's room. I fold it as it comes out of the dryer and put it in piles (by child) on the counter top that is on the wall opposite the washer/dryer. 

(See photo at right.)

It's at this point that I do require the kids to pitch in and move their own piles to their rooms. Ideally, they are supposed to check laundry every day and take care of it. The reality is that the piles often sit for days on the counter, but at least it's clean and folded. I have to get on them to put them away about once a week. 

One thing that I implemented when we moved to this house that has really helped is putting all the socks and underwear in bins in the laundry room. (The above picture shows the girls' bins. The clothing you see was folded at one time!)I don't have to sort it and try to figure out whose is whose. They just grab what they need when they need it.  I used to have bins for the big boys socks/underwear also, but since I only have one teenaged boy at home now, I know it's all his stuff so it just gets put in his clothing pile. 

I still put all the little boys' stuff in a basket and I haul it upstairs for them. The 6 and 3 year old help me unload the basket into their drawers. 

One of the most helpful tips was given to me by my mother years ago when I only had 3 kids. I was getting overwhelmed by trying to do all my laundry in a day and having it DONE. She told me to just wash 2 loads a day and be DONE. Laundry is never done, is it? Over the years, as our family has grown I have had to shift that to 3 loads a day, sometimes 4, but I have that feeling of being done at that point and don't worry about what's left in the hampers.  Since getting the larger machines I usually can do 2 loads and wash the same amount as the previous 3-4 loads. Getting some laundry going is one of the first things I do every day except Sunday. It's just become such a habit, I really don't think about it anymore. I am usually done with my two loads by noon.

Anyhoo, that's my laundry system. It works wonderfully for our family and you will never see piles of clean laundry lying on the couches in the living room cause it just never leaves the laundry room unless it's folded and ready to put away. 

What works for you?

Our 4H summer project

When I was a teenager, my dad had me and my sisters raise lambs for 4H to show and sell at the county fair. I remember being less than enthusiastic about it. I'm sure I did the bare minimum. I vaguely remember the show and auction.

 Last year our family decided to raise a couple of pigs to sell at the Jr. Livestock Show and Auction. Ford and Cambria each raised a pig. It seemed like a long boring summer, taking care of those pigs. But as soon as they sold them and realized how much money they had made, they were gung ho about doing it again this year.

This year we have 3 pigs we are raising. Ford will be leaving mid-summer so he is not going to show a pig, but is helping take care of the 3 we have until he leaves for a share in the profit. So the 3 girls will all be showing and selling a pig.

I appreciate the 'investment' and money making potential, but for me, the best part of it is getting to take care of animals. We will most likely never have a farm or have to care for farm animals, so this is probably as close as we will get to that process. It's a good lesson in responsibility and dependability. Knowing that those animals rely on you for every thing they need. When we go to feed them, I have been so happy to see my kids get right in there and try to get those pigs to know them. They enjoy spending time there picking grass and greens for them to eat in addition to the pig feed. They get in the pen and try to get the pigs to let them touch them. I'm so glad they aren't as ornery about raising a 4H animal as I was.

I'm thankful we now live in a place where this is a possibility for our family and for their willingness to take this opportunity and have these experiences.

Tres!

A week after James turned 1, Charlie turned 3. It's been an intense year with two boys so close in age. But I  know as they grow they will be close and hopefully each other's best friend. Charlie decided he wanted a rocket cake just like the one I had made for Soren two months prior. We just changed up the colors we used. It looks so cute when you light the candles that are the rocket boosters. Super easy and fun birthday cake.  

 Chuck LOVES cars. He now owns some of his own so he doesn't have to fight with his older brother to use some. I love watching him drive them, make roadways for them and line them up just so. It's so interesting to watch them play and 'see' what is going on in their minds. You can really see some of their traits and characteristics start to emerge. We are so blessed to have this boy in our family, as well as all the other interesting personalities that make up our family. I LOVE having a Large Family!!

Whew that takes care of our birthdays for a couple of months. Gives me some time to gear up for the next round.

Birthdays

 Birthday happen pretty frequently around here. With 11 people in the family we get to eat cake and ice cream once a month average. Actually it turns out that we have a couple of times in the year when we have a cluster of birthdays and we get to eat goodies so often we almost(!) get tired of it.

This is James’ first birthday. The Big ONE! At our house children do not get to eat sugary treats until after their first birthday so for them, their birthday is the first time they get to taste cake and ice cream or cookies or candy or any of that stuff. Some have loved it at first bite and others have pushed it away from them. It's always interesting to see what their reaction will be.

As you can from the pictures, he LOVED it. He dug right in and had it gone in no time. Must have that sweet tooth inherited from Great Grandma H. We got some of the best genes passed on to us!!

It was a happy birthday for our sweet littlest guy. It has been a wonderful first year with him and I look forward to many more to come.

An Amazing Woman

I know that this has probably been done all over the internet since General Conference, 

but I just can't not pay a little tribute to Sister Julie B. Beck. 

She was released as the General Relief Society President during General Conference just a couple of weeks ago. 

I first came to love Sister Beck when she was a counselor in the General Young Women's Presidency. Her talk on scripture study (2004) seemed to be written just for me, as I was struggling with figuring out how to do more than just read the scriptures. 

I was thrilled when she was called to be the Gen. RS president. I knew I would get to hear many more wonderful talks from her over the years. I was right. They just kept coming.  Mothers Who Know (2007) is such a classic to me. I'm gratefully reading and studying the book the RS published and gave to all women last year, Daughters in My Kingdom. Through Sis. Beck's words I have come to understand the importance of the history of the RS and that I need to study and learn and apply it to myself. I have learned so many things from her and am so thankful for her ability to preach and testify in a way that I connect with. 

A highlight in my life was when she visited and spoke in a stake RS meeting here shortly after we moved back to my hometown. It was a powerful experience and I was amazed at her knowledge of scripture and wisdom. She spoke to us but then opened it up for a Q&A session. It didn't matter what the question was, she had a wise response and used the scriptures to teach us. 

I don't remember where I read it, but someone posted that she was probably the closest thing to a prophetess that we have had. I couldn't agree more. 

Thanks for the last 8 years of wise counsel and guidance, Sister Beck!

General Conference Book Club

I am so thrilled to have stumbled upon this  book club. For years I have wanted to reread and study all the talks from General Conference before the next conference rolls around and every time I have failed.
But now that I've found this club I will have some motivation, inspiration and accountability. Hopefully this time I will be able to say "I DID it."

For more information, visit here or here.

Signs of Spring

Some photo evidence that Spring is trying to make her grand entrance here in the high desert.

The first burst of yellow I found in my lawn. I used to curse dandelions, now I love to see their sunny cheerfulness after a long, dreary, gray winter.

 That south-facing flower bed always has the first blooms of the season. Hardy little grape hyacinths thrust their heads up through whatever is there, snow or hard, sunbaked soil.

Yellow has long been my favorite color. I know Spring is truly on its way when the forsythia blooms.

 

Promise of lavender splendor. It may be an old-fashioned flowering bush but I can't think of Spring without thinking of lilacs. Spring brings with it the promise of new life and opportunity. It's no wonder that Spring is my favorite season.
(all this and fewer bugs! LOL)

Spring Break

It is not often here in our little corner of the world that you get a Spring Break 

with spring-like weather.

We had an entire week of beautiful weather and we surely took advantage of it. The trampoline is put up after a long winter. Hopefully the normal spring winds will not blow it out of our yard!

We were also able to get the new engine successfully put into the Suburban and we are no longer a family of 9 crammed into a vehicle that is too small. We can actually carry our luggage when we go on vacation this summer.

What's for supper? Some interesting reading about food.

This is the question that has given me fits for almost a quarter of a century. I really don't mind cooking but I hate trying to think of what to cook. If someone would just tell me what to make, I'd happily make it. Or so I thought.

A couple of years ago I came across the idea that perhaps I should be questioning not only what to cook but how to cook it and where in the world did the food come from? As I began to look into nutrition and the SAD(Standard American Diet) and health issues arising from poor nutrition I realized that I needed to do some serious contemplating and praying for guidance on how to best provide nutritious meals for my family                                                                         

This is the book that started it all. I was browsing in Pioneer Book in Provo for homeschool resources and the title of this caught my eye. I picked it up and flipped through it. The author's story was so compelling that I bought the book so I could read about his story in depth. 

    

That led me to look into this book and

this one.This book I also found very compelling simply for  the reason that I was trained and worked as a dental assistant for several years. I was absolutely fascinated by the photos showing obvious deformities of the facial structure and dentition.        

Last fall I read this book that addresses specifically eating locally, in season. The theme shared is that we need to know where our food is from, who grew it, how they grew it and that it's more nutritious if it is not imported or hasn't been sitting in warehouses since before it was ready to be picked. Made me wish I lived in a place that had a longer growing season and more water to allow a wider variety of things to be grown. Made me start looking into greenhouses.

This is my latest read. Saw it on Barnes and Noble and thought it would be worth reading. It has lots of quotes in it from various LDS people/journals. Each chapter addresses a different type of food and shares how that food was incorporated into the diets of early to modern LDS people. It's very interesting.

As a mother, it is my duty and responsibility to nurture and care for my family. Have I been damaging them rather than nourishing them by the food I am preparing for them? That is a sobering thought. I am still trying to come to a conclusion about how to best feed my family.  It would be easy to become disheartened and frustrated given the state of our 'food' in this country today. I am concerned about the amount of chemicals and non-food substances that we put into our bodies. I believe we need to eliminate them from our diet, and attempt to eat foods in the state God created them, whole and as unprocessed as possible. As I study about food and nutrition I take the LDS Word of Wisdom as my guide. Found here in Doctrine and Covenants Section 89. 

If something I'm reading about goes against what the Word of Wisdom teaches me, then I have to question the validity of that information. As an example, I looked into the Primal/Paleo type diet. I just can't reconcile not eating grains and legumes with what the Word of Wisdom says. 

14 All ^agrain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;

That said, I do believe that we have a growing health problem caused by eating grains that have been prepared improperly. The Nourishing Traditions book teaches how to properly prepare them so that the vital nutrients contained in them are available to be used by our amazing bodies. 

So my quest is to glean the truth from these books and apply it in my family and home. It means learning to prepare some foods differently and learning to eat things in ways I've never tried before. 

Even though it's been a rather hard road, (hard in realizing how much I could be doing better) it's also been a very fulfilling road. I can't explain how it feels to know that the time I have spent on studying and learning has been so worth it and that the time I take to prepare nutritious food never feels like wasted time. 

A couple of other resources I've found useful:

This blog post by Tara-her whole blog is about NT type eating

Sarah's entire blog

Some eye-opening information about the SAD(Standard American Diet)

Big Fat Fiasco-1st part of a 5 part lecture on the truth about fats in our diet.

Hungry for Change - documentary about diet and health and our need to change what/how we eat.

A Decent night's sleep! What's that?

A night of uninterrupted sleep. That is my dream. I've been doing the baby thing for the last 23 years and it's getting a bit old. I'd love to finally be able to get a full night's sleep every night. Sigh. It looks as if the dream will stay just that for a while longer.

Charlie, at age 3, has quite an imagination. Here is a little conversation that we had a couple of weeks ago at 4 a.m.

I had gotten up to get James a bottle. and had just crawled back into my own warm bed, closing my tired eyes. Then I heard, "There's a snake in my room."  I chuckled quietly so as not to disturb Curtis.  In a minute I heard it again, but a little bit louder. This time Curtis laughed with me. He crawled out of bed and went in to the boys' room and wrangled that invisible snake. Thinking he had solved the problem he crawled back into bed, telling me quietly that Charlie had seen the "snake" on the baby's crib.

We were just settling back to sleep when we heard,

"It's still HERE!!"

Curtis went in and talked to him telling him there was no snake and all the reasons why there would not be a snake in his room at night. He was not convinced. Curtis  had to get up and go in to work early to do snow removal so he ended up bringing Charlie in to our bed. He tucked him in, got ready and left.

I told him that it was way too cold for snakes to be out of the ground here, that they'd be frozen. After all Dad had just gone to shovel snow. Told him that there was no way for a frozen snake to get upstairs to his room because the cats would get it anyway.

Thinking the issue was resolved I began to drift off to sleep again, only to hear,

"Now it's in HERE!!"

Yup, uninterrupted sleep is still a dream. But maybe it's overrated.

I've decided to post some of the outfits I put together. Mostly as a visual for myself to see how they look somewhere other than in the mirror. (My mirror has issues with telling the truth). Also as a catalog of possibilities. One thing I really love about my closet now is that all the clothing coordinates and the possibilities are limitless. It's so fun to see what new look I can create. This will help me see if it was a win or not.

Today I went for a very casual look. Since I started DYT I have been trying to be more dressy than just jeans and a T, my standard uniform prior to DYT. But there are days when you just want to be comfy and casual. Today was one of those days.

I layered a light gray tshirt under a gray burnout tshirt from Aeropostale'. The Aero tshirt is a big too large and so it drapes but since I'm T2 I think that's perfect!

I put on my silver oval earrings but still felt a little blah, so I added the dusty blue scarf I made from an old tshirt.(love, love, love these scarves!! Tutorial here) I think it adds just enough interest at the neckline.

I still find myself doing a bit too much contrast. I originally put on a purple/lavendar tshirt scarf, but decided I wanted to go with a more blended, monochromatic look. It's a challenge for me to go monochromatic.

*Please ignore the visible muffin top, I'm working on removing that!

As you can see I've changed my blog title again.

I changed it a couple of years ago to reflect where I was at that point in my life. I had grand plans to write a lot about the things that were important to me, the things that I was passionate about and the things that I was learning about and trying to implement in my life.

Then life happened.

And the writing never happened. Having baby #9 really threw a wrench in my works.

Lately, I've been thinking about this blog and now I think it needs to go back to what it was in the beginning. A record of the events and happenings in our family's life. A family journal of sorts. As I'm a part of that family I can still include the things I'm thinking about and learning about. I just think I'll have more things to post about. After all, there are 10 other people in this family!

At least that's my hope. Onward and forward!

I am what I thought I was.....

Wow. I really meant to be better at updating this blog this year. Guess the year is not over and I still have time to do better.

So after my trip to the DYT Center in Draper, I'm happy to announce that I'm a Type........................................................................................
2!!
I am what I thought I was. And I'm very happy about that!

It was a very interesting experience. I was privileged to meet with Sarah Tuttle, and she spent about 20 minutes with me, helping me decide/see for myself that I am a Type 2. The draping consisted of (with as few specifics as possible to not cause a problem with the DYT co.) placing on me type specific versions of one color. Along with that there was a piece of a patterned cloth that was type specific and a piece of jewelry that was type specific.

Sarah sat me near a north-facing window for true light and in front of a mirror. She looked at me and shared with me what facial features she did see in my face. She said she saw T1 in my upturned nose and higher forehead as well as rounder cheeks. She saw T4 in my straight eyebrows and parallel lines on the sides of my nose. T2- she saw my oval face and softer cheek/jaw and s-curve from brow to around my mouth. Then she put the fabrics for the type that I thought I was on me, then layered the others over that from the type with the features most recognized to the least. So T2 was on the bottom and T3 on the top.

The T3 color and pattern were just completely wrong. Too much movement. They were quickly discarded. T4 was next. Colors weren't too bad, but when the patterned piece was near my face, it was just overpowering me. They were removed and we went to T1. We played around with it for a time. The colors were actually quite good on me. Again it came to the pattern and metal. The piece of fabric was a polka dot and in Sarah's words,"Just looks 'silly'". The animation of it was not good for me. Then we just had the T2 fabrics to look at. Again, the colors are good, and the patterned piece just made my face look smoother and softer and not so blotchy. And it flowed with me.

I was thrilled to get this chance. I was a bit nervous going in, but it was a great time and I'm so glad I took the chance to do it. Sarah was so kind and sweet, making me feel very comfortable and at home. I also took the time to shop while I was there. I think that is something I will do as often as I can. I loved that I didn't even need my style guide. They have all the clothing sorted by type on the racks. So you just head to the the T2 rack and start shopping. I found a pair of much-needed jeans, a jacket and about 4-5 shirts, as well as a pair of earrings.

I'm looking forward to catching a club night this year sometime and I'm also planning to attend the annual event they hold. This year it's the end of September. Can't wait to meet so many women who are living their truth.

HMMmmmm......

Well, on top of all the other changes this one is not so important but it is interesting. I have been trying to live as a Type 2 (DYT lingo) for the last 9 or so months. I have enjoyed it and been happy doing so. But a chance comment from a person on the T2 Facebook page has made me have some questions. She mentioned that I look very T1 to her, possibly even T4. The avatar that I had on fb at the time was 10 years old so I decided to take some new pictures and post them. I did so on a day that I was dressed T2 with wavy hair and grayish clothing. I posted them on my fb group and hoped that someone could see the 'blended' look to my face in spite of the turned up nose and 'apply' cheeks'. Everyone who commented mentioned something besides T2, mostly T1. Here is that picture. I look old and tired. ( I am, mostly)Someone then asked me to take and post a picture of myself in something more T1, just for comparison's sake. So I went to my closet and dug out a bright pink cardigan I kept and threw it on over the brown shirt I was wearing that day. Took the picture, posted it and you know what? Even I could see it. I looked more alive in the brighter color. One lady said I looked 10 years younger and I had to agree. Check it out below.

So now I'm unsure again what my dominant Type is. Maybe I am a T1 with a strong secondary 2 instead of the 2/1 I thought I was. I'm heading to Draper in a couple of weeks to get an energy draping done. I just want to know for sure. It has caused me to do a lot of reflecting and thinking about why I would choose to live in my secondary if that is truely what my T2 is. It's quite an interesting journey. I'll let you know how it turns out!

Last quarter of 2011

I just can't seem to keep up with my own life. The last couple of months have brought lots of changes to our family and I'm still trying to come to terms with it all. Just a quick recap. I'm hoping to write individual posts about these things, but if I don't at least I've documented it here. Nov.-Elder Welch #2 (Montana) heads off for the MTC and then to Toronto Canada where he will serve for the next 2 years. He is in an English speaking mission, so only spent 3 weeks at the MTC. Had a wonderful experience going to the temple for his first time. Then he and I and James went with Grandma and Grandpa to Provo to drop him off. Jordan was able to come down to Provo to see him before he entered the MTC. It was a nice time. Had a lovely Thanksgiving at our house with Grandma and Grandpa and Karla's family. Wendy's family had to go north to support their Crane family during a very difficult time. Curtis's grandmother passed away on Nov. 29 at the age of 101 11/12. Missed her 102 birthday by 21 days. She was such an amazing person and we were all so happy for her to be released from this mortal experience. We went to Provo area for her funeral on Sat 12/3. Sunday morning 12/4 as we were getting in the car to head to church we got a phone call from my mother telling me that my dad had passed away that morning. It was a phone call I was totally unprepared for and not expecting. We hurriedly threw our things in the car and headed home to be with Mom. We spent the next few days preparing for a funeral. I was so amazed at the love and support shown to our family at this time. This town and county we live in is amazing that way. So many people came to pay their respects for and share their memories of my dad. It's been 3 1/2 weeks and I miss him so much. I keep thinking he'll show up on my doorstep, knocking instead of walking in. He always did that even though we're living in his house. At certain times of day I seem to think of him the most. When it's quiet and I'm getting ready for the day or for bed. Often seeing something or hearing something will trigger it all again. I am so sad that my littlest kids won't remember or know him well. I'm sad that I can't see him or talk to him. But, I'm SO THANKFUL to know that this is not the end. He lives on and if I choose to live worthily, I WILL see him again. That truly brings me so much peace. I am also thankful that his aching joints are not troubling him anymore. They were really getting to be painful for him. In fact, I believe that it was a blood clot from the knee surgery he had on Monday prior to his death that caused his death. We are thankful it was quick and hopefully relatively painless. We had a nice Christmas and are staring the New Year in the eye. I'm hoping that we don't have another year like this one has been. Hoping for continued good health for my mom with no more cancer. Hoping for a good experience for both of the boys who have left our home. Hoping for peace and joy here at home with the time and ability to do some of the things that we feel are important. But if not......with the help of the Lord we can do all things. I have faith in his ability to see us through all things.

Modesty

This post has been in the back of my mind for over a year. You'd think I'd have found time to write about it before now, but better late than never I guess. I'll go back to the beginning of the thoughts I've had on this subject.

My daughter was given a CD of music for LDS Young Women in 2010. The music was written by Jenny Phillips. I found that I loved the music almost more than my girls. (I'm not a poet and don't love poetry, but I do love poetry set to music. It truly speaks to my soul.) I found myself listening to this CD often as I worked around the house or drove in my car.

One song really stood out to me and I just love the beautiful message it shares. Here are the lyrics.

Virtue
Because I love the Father
I want the minds of men to be lifted when
They look at me.
Because I am His daughter
I want my devotion to Him
To be what they see
I don't need the attention of immodesty
I am confident in my divinity.

Chorus: I didn't come to earth to compromise
I came here to hold up my light
No matter what the world may do
I'm a daughter of God, and
I'm holding on to virtue

I want to lead a life that
Is full of so much good
It attracts the light to me
So I'm trusting in my Father
To magnify the beauty
he has placed in me
I am confident in my divinity.

I live in a place with lots of beautiful, amazing women who are wonderful people but I wonder sometimes if they realize how they've been misled by the society we live in.There is so much emphasis placed on the beauty of the physical body and showing it off. I have never lived in a place with so many people who run. I have also never lived in a place with so many 'moms' who are considered 'hot' by the high school boys in town. What message is being sent to the youth and everyone else? That you can be a wife and mother and still have the body of a 20 year old? That you should have lipo and implants to get that 'hot' body? That it's okay to wear skin tight clothing to show off that body and draw attention to your hard 'work'?
I believe that it encourages our young people to focus on things that are of little worth eternally and is damaging to all, women, men and youth. I imagine that the young girls are envious of them and threatened by them at the same time. They want to look like them because they see the attention it garners. But are they also seeing them as 'competition' for the boys' attention? And it's just not right to flaunt it in front of young (or old)men who have a hard enough time controlling their thoughts.

I think our Stake Presidency(LDS Church leadership in a geographical area) and the Stake Relief Society(LDS womens' organization) Presidency must have had some similar thoughts and misgivings about what is going on. They held a special meeting for all RS sisters in our stake and essentially gave us a 'Standards Night', focusing on the topic of modesty. I was thrilled to see the topic addressed but disheartened at the turnout. It was basically preaching to the choir, those who needed to hear it weren't there. Regardless of that fact I was so thankful for a reminder that we as adults are just as accountable as our youth for upholding the standards the Lord has set forth.

I hope as I continue to raise my sons and daughters that I will be able to teach them to be modest and to not seek for attention with their bodies. Instead, to be a light of Christ to those around them and draw attention to themselves in a Christlike way.

I didn't come here to compromise but to hold up my light. I'm learning to be confident in my divinity and I'm thankful for reminders in music and word that this is something to strive for.

*disclaimer-I am not saying it's wrong to run or exercise or try to dress beautifully. Exercise is important for physical health. Dressing nicely is important as well, but it can be done modestly.

DYT update

So the promised pictures will have to wait. I can't seem to find my camera which has my memory card full of pictures in it. I really wish I could find it, or at least my mind. Maybe then I could remember where I'd put the blasted thing. LOL

It has been a crazy summer. I was really hoping to go to SLC to attend an intro night or a club night at the DYT center, but that never happened.

I was able to go up in August and had every intention in the world of stopping by the center in Draper to look at jewelry and accessories. But again, it didn't happen. It was too hot, the vehicle I was driving had no a/c and I had the baby with me, so I decided it was not the right time for me to shop. On that trip I did make it to a DI and can I just tell you what a different experience it was for me? I took my style guide with me and I first pulled things off the rack if they were the right color. Then I looked at the fabrication and design lines and if they were Type 2 AND close to my size then I put them in my cart to try on. I went to the dressing room with probably 30 items in my cart. That has never happened before. EVER! I ended up with about 5 shirts and a pair of jeans for $29. Then I found a cute gray T with soft, vintage embellishments in pinks and purples at Sams Club for another $7. I was so happy to have some new items to wear. Still wishing for a scarf or two or some jewelry. One of these days.

I think that day will be here soon. Someone kind ;) (you know who you are) used my DYT link and purchased a book and online course, and I received a commission for that. I'm so excited to have some store credit to use. I'm sure that true to my type, I'll debate and debate about how to spend it, but I am looking forward to putting some of those wonderful items in my virtual shopping cart and then getting a fun package in the mail.

I have not made as much progress with my hair redo as I would have liked. I had my hair-wiz sister cut it quite short in May because I was having the post-partum hair loss. I think though that that has mostly ended, so I'm in the growing it out a bit mode and it's in the icky in-between stage. You know the one. The one where you can't do a thing with it and just want it to grow fast or get it all chopped short again. I do need to visit my sis again and have her try to get my hair back to its natural ash blonde and maybe put some lighter ash highlights in it. Can't believe I'm saying that. For so many years I've tried desperately to add some brightness to my hair with golden and reddish tones. Typical Type 2 trying to be Type 1 thing to do. Haha.

I will take some new pictures and try to get them posted sooner rather than later. I'm anxious to share my very gradual transformation.

Dressing Your Truth

I have been in a fashion funk for a long time. Lot of things contributed to that. Too much weight from lots of babies, very little disposable income (gotta feed all those kids), and just not knowing what looked good on me or how to put things together. Last fall I was introduced (through the internet) to a program called Dressing Your Truth. I was intrigued and asked my family to give me the book about it for Christmas. I read it and thought I knew what my type was but wasn't sure. I watched some of the videos that are available to watch online and still wasn't sure. Then I listened to a conference call and true to my type was too reserved to ask any questions, although I had them. So I read the book again, with the things in mind from the call as I read, and things started jumping out at me. Why I do things the way I do them. I was able to pin down my type. FINALLY!! I saved up the funds to purchase the online course for my type and I've been attempting to 'live my truth' since then. Of course I can't do a complete overhaul in a month. I just don't have the funds, but I have been able to purchase a couple of things and it's so nice now to know what colors, lines and types of clothing to look for. I don't feel lost in the store anymore! And for me that's huge! I have always hated to shop cause there are too many choices. Now I can really zero in on what will look best on me. HOORAY!!!! I will make some changes to my hair and clothing. This is so EXCITING!! This experience it has been very liberating in many ways beyond the clothing/beauty part. 

Curve balls

Ever had a curve ball thrown at you? You're standing there in the batter's box, all settled into your stance and ready for that pitch. Then it's on its way and it looks like hundreds of pitches you've swung at before and you think,"Oh, easy hit." You begin to take a mighty swing and then you realize that it's moving away from your hit zone and you're not going to hit it. In fact, you're getting nothing but air with your swing, and starting to feel pretty foolish for swinging at all. Then it's past you and you're standing there looking for the ball you thought was a sure hit.



I'm not sure I've ever had a literal curve ball thrown at me, although I did play some softball in jr. high. I do feel like life has been sending a few figurative ones my way lately though.



Like the one last summer.



Just finished nursing child #8, really excited to be able to do more intense exercise and I was attempting to eat much differently than I had been doing. I was researching and reading about whole foods and really trying to eat natural, non-processed foods. I was even contemplating getting a goat for the raw milk. Then came the blahs. The upset tummy. The unending tiredness. I blamed it all on eating different foods. That must be it, right? Well, it took me almost a month to connect the dots and realize that perhaps it was more than the food I was eating. Enter a pregnancy test. With a big, fat, positive result.



Out the window went the exercise and good eating. In the window came naps and eating whatever tasted good and didn't give me heartburn.



Seems like every time I try to improve my health something comes along to stop me. Often it's been this particular curve ball. And it's not that I mind the result. I really love my kids. But I would also love some time to give some attention to my aging body and help it become healthier as I slide into middle age.



My latest curve ball has really thrown me for a loop. No way did I see it coming.



After 8 kids I figured I knew all there was to know about baking, birthing and feeding babies. I've nursed for well over 7 years of my life. No brainer. This baby #9 would be nursed, just like all the previous babies.



And he was nursed exclusively for 3 weeks. And he didn't gain any weight. He was just barely maintaining his weight. And he was starting to look bony and was very lethargic. But surely he was okay. He had wet and poopy diapers and he latched on fine.



The problem? He was not actively nursing or swallowing. Ever. He had been starving himself for 3 weeks and I didn't know it. What to do ? I borrowed a pump to see what was available for him and was shocked to see how diminished my supply was due to him not stimulating
production with his nursing. Enter formula and pumping. Maybe if he got stronger he would then nurse properly and I could stop pumping and supplementing.



Nope. He is the laziest eater I have ever had. Now at 8 wks since his birth, I have stopped pumping because the supply has run out. After 18 years of nursing I am now back to formula feeding my infant. I have gone through all the emotions, the guilt, the grief, the acceptance and excitement.


I so wanted to nurse him. I love nursing. I love being able to have that one-on-one time with my babies. I like an excuse to sit or lie down and read and have it be okay. I miss it very much.



However, I am thrilled that there are other options and I now have a 10 lb baby with chubby legs and double chin. I love that my other children get a chance to hold and feed him, bonding with their baby bro. I love that I have a bit more freedom, allowing me to keep up with the 2 year old and the 22 year old. I am excited to be able to get back to my exercising and eating better that was sidetracked a year ago.



Maybe this curve ball is to make up for the one thrown at me last year!

wait over!

Welch baby #9 finally made his appearance on Feb 28, 2011 at 6:44 a.m. He weighed in at 7 lb 4 oz., 20 inches.

Like all our multiple of 3 children, ie. #3 & #6, he has sparse hair on top and the rest of it is quite blond.

He is my smallest baby and I jokingly asked Curtis if he thought we were running out of baby making materials. It is interesting to hold him. He feels a little fragile to me and I keep him well wrapped up so that I feel like I am actually holding onto something. He also cannot keep his clothes on. Everything falls off his little shoulders.

Regardless, we are thrilled that he is finally here and that he is healthy. His jaundice is going away and we have a beautiful little pink baby boy to love on.

*pictures to come, if I can get my regular computer up and going.

Waiting Game

Wish I had some exciting news to share here, but we are playing the waiting game....

waiting for this new little boy to join our family.

waiting to see how my mom's chemo treatments are going. Is that *&^*&(^ tumor gone yet?

waiting for warm sunshine and blue skies.

While I've been waiting I've been a bit busy. I made a sidecar for my bed from a crib. I have a smaller bed now than I've had for 16 years and there was no way that 3 of us were going to sleep comfortably in that bed. Did some looking around on the internet and found out how to make an attached sleeping place for a baby. Thanks to a nice neighbor it cost me nothing.

I also took an adorable baby blanket someone had made me and added some more flannel to it to make it a bit bigger and it is now my new car-seat tent. Love that it is tied to the handle of my car seat making the handle useable.

Made myself a new nursing cover. I've never had one before, just used whatever old blanket I could find that wouldn't suffocate the baby. I actually made one out of a cute print with boning to make a place for me to see him and for him to breathe.

Also finished up the little boys curtains today. Just need to wash, iron and hang them.

Think I'm nesting yet?????