~Decisions, Decisions~

Some days I make good decisions, some days.... not so good. Nothing drastic... most of the time :0)

Wet went over to help the neighbor round up their sheep. They were in the lower meadow and she wanted them in the upper meadow.
The only trouble was there was a big muddy spot that they wouldn't cross. Jordan jumped across and tried to encourage them to come over and I decided I could help. The mud is much softer and deeper than it looks :0) My one foot got sucked in... like REALLY stuck! LOL! It was so funny.


We did manage to get them around another way and the boys got to feed them!


While we were there, we saw some barn swallows! Aren't they cute!!!

I also decided to give the girls a buzz. Only got River partially done today... she looks silly!

We have finally had a break in our heat wave and I decided to open up all the windows tonight! It will be so nice to have windows open again!

My worst decision of the day was treating the boys to ice cream on the way home from the store. It was a little bit messy:-)

I should be paying bills but I decided to play around in blogland too late and now I can't think straight.

Should I stay up and do it...or head to bed... decisions, decisions!

~Blogversary Giveaway Surprise Package~

Jenny has received her surprise package so I get to share what I sent!!!!

I have this thing about making stuff... so I hid away in my craft room and made her an apron. I prefer my ties long so they go around and tie in the front. No one would be a model for me (hehe) So I tried it on the tree:0) I loved the fabric with the kids playing and since Jenny loves kids I thought she'd like it too! I picked this cute polka dot to make it a little more modern.
I also have a thing about making a matching necklace?!?!?! I don't know why but I seem to do it that way! So, here is the necklace with earrings. I sent along a copy of this handy reference chart that I highly recommend! I also think everybody needs some extra chap stick!
I raided my bathroom for some extra fun girly stuff! This stuff was all bought with coupons for occasions like this:0)
The last place I raided was my kitchen. Jenny loves tea so I sent along some loose leaf tea for her to try! I wasn't sure if she had loose leaf tea before so I included some instructions and a little tea pot infuser. Isn't it just the cutest!?!?!?
Oh, that was so much fun! I'll have to do that again next year:-)

~Race Update~

I have been jounaling the boys' races by using my digital scrapbooking program. I take an hour Sunday afternoon to record some of the details. I'll be printing a book for them at the end of the season. Not all the photos are of them racing because I want to remember all the aspects of the day... and in my opinion :0) that would be boring to just have race photos. Watching a race is fun but photos all begin to look the same!

Here they are... one page per Saturday...

Keeping with my goal of meeting one mom each week, I met a mom that has a son that used to race sling shots. I don't know what that is but my boys were impressed:0). She was checking out the track as an experienced mom for another family that would like to be involved in the sport.

This week we also brought a canopy along!!!! There is no shade at the track and Kiersten and I have been huddling under an umbrella. It was so much nicer this week to set her in the stroller beside me and not worry about sunburn! Eric and Nathan also enjoyed the shade too!

Overall it was a good day at the track. Jordan finished 3rd in his race. He was disappointed. He knew he was faster than the 2nd place car but couldn't seem to get around. He is learning that racing isn't just about a faster car! Jared had his best race yet! He lead just about the whole race. His class has a bunch of drivers that really bump each other. He is learning to control his car better. Once the 2nd place car got around him on the inside he was basically freight trained to the back. Poor Aaron didn't get to finish the race. He had engine problems.

~Sisters' Shoebox Swap~

Carrie and Monica hosted another Sisters' Shoebox Swap! I missed the last few with being pregnant and having a baby so I was excited to join in this time around!

I was paired with Crystal!

I enjoyed getting to know Crystal through her blog. I really liked reading about her family and peeking into her life these last few weeks! She seems like such a sweet mom and loving wife.
I thought Crystal needed an apron :0) I have gotten so used to wearing one that I think everyone would love one! I love being able to wipe my hands off without looking all over the kitchen for a towel! I sent along a matching necklace... so Crystal can look gorgeous while cooking! It is hard to see but it's in the picture.
Here is everything all wrapped up with bows on ready to stuff in to the box!

I found some new towels that I thought would look nice in her kitchen. I made a dishcloth and sent along a crochet scrubber too! I had some sample coffee packs that I wrapped up and some chap stick from my stash. No box would be complete without chocolate so I wrapped up some Wilber Buds (way, way better than Hershey Kisses) and chocolate covered coffee beans. I found a hanging candle at the thrift store that I thought would match her other rod iron decorations! The last thing I included was some cotton yarn, a crochet hook, and directions for my favorite dishcloth. Crystal wants to learn to crochet/knit so I thought I'd encourage her a little:0)

This is what Crystal sent me!
She colored these glass jars! I love how the light hits them in the window sill. The best part is I saw them online and thought I'd like some...hehe! Now I don't have to make them:-) I probably would have never gotten to it!
She also sent a pretty picture frame with verses on it, trail mix, tea, coasters (that she also made!), and a yummy smelling candle!

Thanks so much Crystal for swapping such fun packages! Thanks also to Monica and Carrie for hosting:-)

~Saturday Fun~

I was home with the three littles on Saturday while the big guys raced. I was trying to make it a fun day for them. They got to choose a movie, I let them paint and we sat on the floor together and played.
My plan for nap time was to do a bit of cleaning out... I needed to finish sorting the girl cloths and pack them away. I've had a HUGE mess for a few weeks now!


BUT... I decided to look through two boxes of fabric my mom was getting rid of and found some strips sewn together that screamed bonnet!!!! I couldn't resist. Of course, I looked for some other scraps and found enough to make Kiersten a dress to go along with it!
And if your keeping track... Jordan placed 2nd, Jared 5th and Aaron 2nd!

We headed out to a graduation party in the evening and were very thankful that it started cooling off. It was such a hot day!

~Strawberries~

I almost missed out on strawberry season this year. I couldn't figure out how to finish school, take care of Kiersten, and pick strawberries!

My neighbor came to the rescue by letting me pick a big bucket from her garden! I was able to make two batches of strawberry freezer jam and two strawberry rhubarb pies! YUMMY!

Here are two tips I learned this year!

* Clean your strawberries with the tops on. If you take the tops off the strawberries they will soak up the water and make the strawberries really wet. This is especially true if you fill the sink with water to wash them instead of just spraying them off.

* Tapioca is the best thing that ever happened to fruit pies! We are, without a doubt, a cake family. We love fruit and will eat pie but don't normally crave it. I don't like the leftovers either. All that runny fruit juice making a mushy pie crust. TIL NOW! I read somewhere that if you use tapioca with your fruit pies it jells up and you can't even see the tapioca. I used the recipe right on the box and, wow, it really works well and is soooo easy! I'd be making more pies... if only I could figure out how to make a pie crust!

~Nine Months~

I almost can't believe Kiersten is nine months old already! Can you believe it!?!??!

Kiersten is sitting well and often gets up onto her hands and knees. She does manage to scoot a little backwards. She can roll... she just doesn't
Mom is still her favorite person:-) Strangers are still a bit much.


Kiersten finally got one bottom tooth and the two top ones are on their way.

I started giving her biter biscuits when I'm fixing meals. It keeps her busy... and happy! I haven't started her on baby food yet. I am going to try to skip that whole messy step!


Even though she isn't mobile, she still gets into mischief. She can find the littlest things to put in her mouth. I also had her on the floor in the bathroom so I could brush my teeth and she managed to unroll the toilet paper.


She takes two naps a day... normally. She loves to sit in the stroller for our daily walks. She is starting to copy things and tries to clap. Peek a boo is becoming a favorite game. She doesn't like the entertainers anymore so I'll be putting those away. She does well in the pack n play so I do have a "safe" place to keep her!