Natalie and Jared returned from their vacation this past week and my glorious week at home by myself ended. If anyone doesn't think being alone for a week is "glorious" you need to read Gifts from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindberg.
Besides, I was hardly alone and had plenty to keep my mind off empty beds and other little reminders of my sweet family. This is one of my favorite "I was here" marks I discovered. It's a drawer in our kitchen, the one Natalie plays in with all the cooking utencils.


Highlights from Jared and Nat's vacation:
*seeing family, family, and more family---so much family she barfed at the airport. Just kidding, she did barf after getting off the plane, but that was before they even got to Utah. Seriously, we'd almost convinced ourselves we were OK without loved ones nearby, but after being with so many all at once, homesickness is seeping in...
*playing with grandma's cat, who has since been the subject of my drawings
*camping in a tent for multiple days and taking a bath consisted of taking a dip in the lake (there were no showers)
*camping in a mountain desert---no humidity, HOORAY!

This is a photo of Natalie asleep in the tent sporting her "Howie Hat" original made by Jared's brother and his family.

Wow! plane ride.

These are happy little mud medallion cookie things made by some of our cute nieces at the reunion. They made 50, one for each family member there.


Highlights from mine:
*Finally read/listened to The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm by Nancy Farmer. Here's what the cover looks like.


Loooved it! Full of everything weird a kid into sci-fi/fantasy would love.

*Scrubbed my house from top to bottom. Four+ magic erasers later it looks sparkling. Pulled out each closet in turn and ran a few trips to the "DI" with very little guilt from "someday we'll want this" syndrome.
*Got my first pedicure. I have nice pink toes for the delivery room. There is not a photo because my feet have swollen past recognition of feet except for the 10 pink toe nails.
*It was also my birthday and had a buncha friends over for Black Eye Susan cake.


Bad news this week. Tomato Horned Worms. I now am on a every other day THW hunt. They are the sickest things ever! THWs are the same color as tomato leaves and stems and are super tricky to see. Thank goodness for the extension service here in Ohio for helping me figure out what was eating my tomatoes. They look like horned caterpillars and can grow to be as big as your fingers and take such incredibly huge bites I serious thought there was a racoon feasting at night. If you don't want to glimpse the horror creature from the garden, don't look at the following photos.

This is the first signs of something underway.

Oh, the nightmares!

Can you spot the THW? Pretty ellusive, hun?

Well. That's all for this marathon Blog. No baby yet. Maybe the next blog will be all baby news!
Oh, and one more thing. There isn't a THW in the last picture. Just being funny. ha! :)

a step up or a step down

Guess what?! I'm on-line again. Oh, and...drum roll...we got a cell phone. Of sorts. I'm relieved and super excited to be up on technology, but that "up and up" feeling is fastly fading because we've had it all of 15 hours and I still can't figure out how to turn it off. I refuse to give it to Jared though, because knowing him, he'll have that thing all of two seconds and turn it off just like that. I'm determined to do it myself...I wonder how long the battery lasts...

In the mean time it's awfully fun and I've been punching in everyone's numbers, setting and re-setting the ring tones (and at various volumes), trying out the stop watch...hmmm...can you tell I'm killing time for this baby to come?

Easy going Sunday

You know you had a good calling when you feel a little bit sick when it's over. Today was the first Sunday either of us can remember not having a church duties to work on---minus the weeks of just moving into a ward because it's still a little overwhelming and getting to know people is a full time calling in itself. It was so nice! We slept in (I mean caught up on much need z's) and when Natalie heard us talking in bed came to join us. Here's a few pictures. Hmmm...who wins the Perky Award?





Even though it's nice to have a little hiatus, I MISS OUR FOUR LITTLE SUNBEAMS TREMENDOUSLY! Relief Society was great, but I couldn't help wishing I were singing Primary songs instead. Here are a few of my favorite lines: "Hey, what's that big bump?" (thank goodness I am actually pregnant) and "I hope I get a sister for Christmas!" and after a 15 minute quality (or so we thought) Sharing Time about Joseph Smith the only response to the question what was something good that he did was "Guess what? I like to go pee-pee in the toilet." Three and four year olds are delightful! What I miss the most...having a calling with Jared and getting to spend time each week preparing together and then teaching our little class. Mabye I can sneak him into Relief Society...


Here's our little helper after setting the table by herself.

carrot cookie memoir

My dad's mom is a great lady. She may even be one of the first to read this because she's one of those people that are up to date on all that life has to offer including technology. Not very many people can say their grandma is internet savvy!

Well, this is a memoir about carrot cookies (maybe I should just write an ode). A memoir because it's my own memory and perceptions. As I was making a batch this afternoon, these thoughts came to me. Grandma makes carrot cookies---really good carrot cookies. I first remember them as a freshman in college during a family reunion although I probably had them as a small child. Maybe I was particularly hungry so they tasted especially good, I'm not sure, but they were the best ever. I've since made these cookies countless times never achieving the same perfect sweet goodness. So, here's my theory: grandma has a secret carrot cookie recipe. This is why...grandpa loves these cookies too! One day I walked into grandpa and grandma's kitchen to find grandpa on his hands and knees pulling out a secret stash of carrot cookies hidden behind some canisters in the bottom left hand cupboard next to the fridge. Honestly, he looked a little bummed to have been discovered. I like to think my grandma has a secret recipe just so she can be the only one to make them just right for grandpa. Everyone needs a secret something only they can make for the one they love most.
Here's a picture of a carrot cookie fresh from the oven---I couldn't resist a bite.

And, since this is a multi-generational recipe (grandma getting the recipe from grandpa's mom which makes me wonder if she had her own secret something...) and since it's my theory it's been a little tweaked, I've added my own secret change, too. These cookies are exceptional with a lime glaze.
Here's the recipe for carrot cookies:

Grandma's Carrot Cookies
3/4 c. shortening
3/4 c. sugar
1 egg
1 c. carrot cooked and mashed
2 cups flower
2 tsp. baking powder
salt
1/2 cup coconut
Mix ingredients together. Bake at 375 for 10 minutes. These cookies do not brown.

Sorry to disappoint you, but you'll have to experiment with the lime glaze part on your own because after all, that's my secret. :)

Being safe around things with wheels

My mom sent Natalie a book about being safe around things with wheels---buses, bikes, roller skates, cars, etc. Very informative and a current favorite (after Alice the Fairy by David Shannon). Anyway, we were reading this book together and she said "Look me! I getting on the bus wear yellow backback." Then she said "Look, there's you! Pushing baby sister!" (We're working on that...) A page later, "Look, there's daddy on motorcyle!" It's actually us, too.
Obviously a lot of good all the information about what to do, or not do, did. Either that or it just didn't stick, because we found her doing this last night!