tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21519386716343009362024-03-15T18:11:05.782-07:00James & SachaAnd our five little munchkins: Joseph, Kenneth, Katie, Lewis, & Samantha.Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.comBlogger794125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-71258293684181383882024-03-14T08:46:00.000-07:002024-03-14T08:46:40.738-07:00ChillI've had a fairly relaxing few days, or at least I've tried to. Since Saturday, I've read 4 books and done 0 projects. The time change on Sunday was a bit rough, and I didn't feel my best, but it turned out to be a minor cold and PMS on top of regular old fatigue.<div><br /></div><div>It's nice to have nothing to report. A few of us have a minor cold and I have a presidency meeting soon, but that's about it for this week. James and Katie will be leaving for Rexburg tomorrow, but there should be enough going on during the weekend to keep me busy.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-37806165696437619022024-03-08T11:44:00.000-08:002024-03-08T11:44:42.176-08:00PhotosThe photos project is almost finished! What I have left today is to sort through a few videos, add the new photos to my PC from 2009 and later, and double check to make everything is on the right drive. Not counting 2ish hours today, I spent a total of 100 hours on the project and ended up with an album of 6, 253 items. There is another album with 128 that don't have dates yet because they're very old. All the photos for the Phenix family and Head family are sorted by year, month (when possible), correctly dated, uploaded to Google Photos, and saved to the correct locations, depending on the family.<div><br /></div><div>Well, it's a day later, and that didn't work out like I expected. I asked Melodie about putting everything on her Google Photos account, and she gave me her password, so I found myself with more work than I anticipated. I cleaned up random older stuff, added all the stuff I'd scanned, and then sorted through the years 2016-2023 since I hadn't seen most of them before. I also downloaded those photos to the external hard drives. Rather than sort them into months, I left them in zip folders. On Google Photos, I created a self-updating album for my household so when any photos of us are taken, we'll get them automatically. I added all those photos to my own account, computer, and external hard drive. We ended up with at least 1,000 new photos.</div><div><br /></div><div>I stressed myself out a little too much yesterday, but I've found the end of the project for now, or at least for the next week until James goes to Rexburg. Melodie has some scrapbooks she wants me to scan and another box to sort through when I visit next, but I think there won't be a lot of new stuff to add. I kept up on my house and family for the most part, but yesterday did not have a good balance. I hate it when I get close to finishing something but it ends up taking longer than expected.</div><div><br /></div><div>Next week, my plan is to sort through the videos of my kids from Melodie, edit where needed, and get them up on YouTube. I also have a pile of books I haven't looked at, so I'll work on those in my spare time instead of anything relating to pictures. This has been a great project, but at least for now, I'm tired!</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-8398128652355824252024-02-29T07:54:00.000-08:002024-02-29T07:54:44.231-08:00Anna's Visit<p>Anna arrived Friday afternoon, and we had a wonderful time with her here. We did a little shopping at thrift stores, had delicious food, watched Abbott Elementary, played board games, and went to see Emma: the Musical. All were fun, but I especially loved Emma in musical form. </p><p>Not all of my Saturday was great. It started off with a long wait at Walmart to get a new battery for the van, which cost almost twice as much as a few years ago when we last bought one for the Yukon. Both Katie and Samantha had birthday parties that overlapped, which I didn't realize at first, so it was stressful to arrange drop off and pickup. I stayed with Samantha at hers but regretted it because I didn't know anyone. I didn't feel comfortable leaving her with a bunch of strangers since she's too little for a phone. It was cold and dark at the black light place too. I was so glad to get home.</p><p>Anna left on Sunday after lunch. The girls cried. We love our Auntie Anna.</p><p>The kids didn't have school Monday, so I met James for lunch at the Thai place. It was delicious even though it took a while to get our food. </p><p>Tuesday was Samantha's first full day of school. She loves it so far. I volunteer on Tuesdays, so my first whole day alone was yesterday. It was kind of weird, but I don't hate it so far. It helps that for my first day, I had a new stash of truffles and some leftover pad Thai.</p><p>I got right in to the second round of Head photos starting on Sunday. So far, I consolidated all the digital photos from memory cards, flash drives, CD's, and external hard drives onto the biggest and best external hard drive. Next, I took everything out of folders, some 6 layers deep, and put them into folders by year. I also sorted the physical photos by year and put them in bags. There are only digital photos from 2019 back to 2009, but there are both from 2008-2000 and the just physical photos before that, some going back to the 60's. For each year, I create folders for the months. Then, I delete the duplicates and bad photos, fix dates as needed, and back them up to Google Photos and the other hard drive. Once I get to 2008, I'll also scan the photos that aren't already in digital format. All of those need date adjustments, of course. Everything from 2008 and before will also go on my computer's hard drive. I haven't decided yet if I'll include any from later years. I've already made scrapbooks for 2009 and on, so there isn't a big reason to include photos from later, but there are a few cute ones in there I might download just so they'll pop up on my screensaver. Everything goes into the Head family album too. There are currently over 3,000 pictures in there! I love this project, even though it can be tedious and takes a lot of time. I'm going to make James a really nice Shutterfly book of his life before we got married. I can't wait.</p>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-356157753473079312024-02-22T08:46:00.000-08:002024-02-22T08:46:50.544-08:00Long WeekendWe didn't have school on Friday or Monday due to the end of the tri and President's Day. James had wanted to go to Salt Lake for a day, but Kenny was still kind of sick on Friday. We instead stayed home and got the rest we needed after getting through that nasty illness. It got a little boring at times, but it was worth it to stay at home. James and I went on several dates: to a movie, to lunch in Roosevelt at a fun diner, and to dinner when I was feeling sad and grumpy. We figured it was still a lot cheaper than taking a trip to Salt Lake with the whole family.<div><br /></div><div>This week has been a lot less busy, and everyone went to school except for today. Katie never ended up getting sick, and I'd promised her a mental health day. I think she's been a little bored, but that's okay. I don't want to encourage her to stay home because it's fun. I've tried to put her to work too.</div><div><br /></div><div>We've had some snow, rain, and hail over the past few days, but the cows are back, so spring is coming! I can't wait! I'm also excited for Anna's visit, another Monday off (for the kids, though not James), and then full-day school for Samantha starting on Tuesday. I won't miss walking to the bus stop. I'm also getting a ton of photos, both physical and digital, from Anna that I'll be working on for an undetermined amount of time in the coming weeks. I still can't believe how fast this year has gone. I thought I was going to be bored, and that's hilarious to think about now.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-39746278131681273642024-02-15T07:13:00.000-08:002024-02-15T07:13:04.194-08:00More Stomach Bug, Valentine's DayThere's not a whole lot to report about this week except that more of us got sick. To recap, it all started with Katie (maybe?) who complained about her stomach hurting for about 4 days 2 weeks ago. Maybe it's 3 weeks now. I thought it was because she had a mean sub at school. Then, Samantha got sick for a few days, followed by Lewis. We had a Saturday where no one seemed sick, but then Sunday Lewis threw up again and then Joseph came down with it later in the day. Joseph missed Monday this week, then on Tuesday, it was my turn to get sick. Thankfully, it was short-lived, but it was not very fun while it lasted. Kenny started getting sick on Tuesday as well, so he's been home for the past few days. He had attempted going to school but threw up soon after getting there, so I went and picked him up after finding out the van wouldn't start, so I had to take the Yukon. Ugh.<div><br /></div><div>We don't have school tomorrow or Monday, so that's a huge blessing. The bug, though short-lived for me, really wiped me out. I'm feeling normal now except for some lingering fatigue. I've cleaned up more bodily fluids in the past 2 weeks than I have in years. I could definitely never be a nurse. Only James and Katie escaped without any real symptoms. I really hope they don't come down with it too. I don't think I can handle doing any more laundry.</div><div><br /></div><div>Despite the sickness, we had a fun Valentine's Day. James got us all goodies, and I made some sugar cookies with pink frosting. The stake primary pres and Sis. Hall both stopped by with goodies when I was lying on the couch feeling terrible. It made my day.</div><div><br /></div><div>I managed to get a few small things done, like cleaning my keyboard and learning a song I bought a few months ago. I also finished a couple of books and almost finished my pile from Christmas. I'm not going to run out any time soon because I have a whole bunch of recommendations from the book party I went to in January. I also caught up on my blog (mostly). After Anna comes next week, I won't have as much down time because I'll be getting a bunch of pictures to sort through. I'm so excited!</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-20947232356862469242024-02-08T08:32:00.000-08:002024-02-08T08:32:59.464-08:00Lewis's 7th Birthday, Stomach BugLewis's birthday was great. He loved his presents, and the cake and ice cream recipes I somewhat invented both came out great. We watched Jurassic World together after dinner. Unfortunately, the fun ended when Samantha threw up in her bed and I found it the next morning. I'd been hoping for some peaceful reading time before everyone woke up. I got it all cleaned up. She felt completely fine all day, so we did Sunday as normal with no one staying home.<div><br /></div><div>Things were fine on Monday too, and we did a playdate, but Samantha threw up that night in her bed again. I'd told Katie I would deep clean the room, and I did, but the number of biohazards was more than I expected. Yuck. I hate being a nurse.</div><div><br /></div><div>Samantha stayed home Tuesday and Wednesday and finally went to school today. I've not slept well because our blanket is too warm and I've been stressed. This morning, the boys informed me that Lewis threw up several times during the night and their lightbulb burned out. James graciously got the laundry into the wash while I made breakfast. Lewis is starting to perk up a bit. I hope the saltines and Gatorade stay down. I canceled everything I had for this week, and I'm going to have James take Lewis to his well check (ha). The number of times a kid has gotten sick right before a well check is crazy.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm glad I'm not working on anything big this week. It's been rough. I had some time to read and blog, but the extra laundry, sanitizing, etc. is stressing me out. Even though this winter has been warm and dry (relatively), I'm still ready for it to be over so we can be completely healthy. We have been pretty lucky this year, but I'm still not enjoying this week.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-18597739335263271732024-02-01T07:15:00.000-08:002024-02-01T07:15:18.097-08:00Science Fair and Bowl, KitchenAid, SewingThe science fair went well for Joseph and Kenny on Thursday. We'd had an awful morning on Wednesday, but Thursday was completely different and went very smoothly. I went to the awards ceremony in the afternoon, and Joseph won a community prize!<div><br /></div><div>Friday, Joseph left in the afternoon for the science bowl in SLC. They did all right, but it's a pretty new competition, so they didn't really know what they were up against. We had a game night, but I didn't love it. One guy brought his child, so that meant my children stayed up till 10 to play. Everyone was super grouchy the next morning too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Kenny and I took the KitchenAid apart on Saturday morning. We couldn't find what was wrong with it, which is what I figured, but it was nice to see that the insides were truly shot. Actually, the gears were fine, but everything was covered in thick, black grease and dust. The grease starts off white, from what I understand. Either way, I went online and ordered a new (refurbished) one that happened to be on sale. It should arrive soon.</div><div><br /></div><div>I finished 2 T-shirt quilts this week, one for Katie and one for Kenny. All I have left are a few scraps and repairs, which shouldn't take too long. I'll have more photos (both physical and digital) at the end of February when Anna comes to visit. My laminator came, so I can also work on updating my recipe cards and blog. It's been way too long since I even posted a recipe.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm currently making Almond Joy ice cream for Lewis's birthday tomorrow. I can't believe that kid is going to be 7.</div><div><br /></div><div>Samantha and I finally got to do some play dates this week! School is going to change things, but she really wants to go full day. That will give me a chance to work on those photos all day if I want, uninterrupted. I won't deny that it's going to be lonely, though.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-56081361793434205742024-01-25T09:11:00.000-08:002024-01-25T09:11:38.554-08:00Photos, Sewing, Busy, GloomyI finished the photos! That giant box shrank down to half the size once I got rid of the bad pictures and organized everything really well. Everything is dated except for about 20 pictures, and I shared the album with the family on Google Photos.<div><div><br /></div><div>My next project has been working on sewing a few quilts out of scraps from Grandma Lee. I spent Friday cutting squares, then Saturday making a few small blankets. I'll be able to make 2 patchwork quilts, twin size, and 1 more small blanket for a total of 6 blankets/quilts. I had just enough squares to plan out the 2 patchwork quilts with only 2 left over.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday, I attended a murder mystery party that was Italian-themed. It was delicious and fun. I still have a pile of books to read from Christmas, but I'm working on them.</div><div><br /></div><div>It's been a pretty busy week with the orthodontist, a parent-teacher conference, activities for Katie and YM for the boys, and now the science fair. I took everyone with me and dropped the boys off at the Conference Center this morning, then took the littles to school. I'll go back this afternoon with Samantha to see the projects and the awards ceremony.</div><div><br /></div><div>Once I'm done with the sewing, I'm going to organize my recipes and catch up on the blog. It's been a while. I also ordered a little laminator so I can have nicer recipe cards. The card protectors have proven to be flimsy over the years. On the subject of cooking, my KitchenAid mixer currently isn't working. I replaced the motor brushes, but that wasn't it. There's a short in it somewhere, so I'm going to take it apart on Saturday and see if I can fix it. I give myself a 50/50 chance.</div><div><br /></div><div>I had a couple of gloomy days this week. It's been cloudy for a week now, and the past 3 playdates have been cancelled due to illness (though not ours, so I'm grateful for that). I also had a bad morning yesterday and send a kid to school crying (though that really wasn't my fault.) The sun came out and she returned home happy, so everything is good again. I also finished Stormlight 4. I can't wait for the 5th one to come out this year!</div><div><br /></div><div>Samantha wants to go to school full day during the 3rd trimester, and that was always my plan, but it's sneaking up pretty fast. I've got my work cut out for me, though. There are more photos to come, miscellaneous ones from another box, and then digital ones from SD cards. I have no idea how much time those will take up, but I won't get them till March when James makes a short trip to Rexburg for a comedy show with his sister. I am really glad I took on the project. I had never before seen any pictures of James for a good chunk of his life. I feel like I know his family better, too.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-91900733640946410252024-01-18T07:42:00.000-08:002024-01-18T07:42:00.801-08:00Photos, Party, WinterIt was another busy week with lots of picture organizing and scanning. I'm currently done with everything from 1980 and on. There aren't a lot of pictures left, just some random ones from my in-laws' childhoods and then a small pile that I couldn't sort before, but now I can make educated guesses on where they belong. I also spent some time on my family's photos doing a little cleaning up on the dates and putting them together into one big album. Phew. It's been an awesome project, but I'll also be glad when I'm done and can share it with everyone.<div><br /></div><div>Samantha went to Navy's birthday party on Saturday, and I stayed with her since she was a bit nervous. She had a great time, and I got to hold the babies. It was also great to visit with Makenzie since it had been a while, like 2 months, thanks to sickness and holidays. We haven't had a lot of play dates recently, which is a bummer, but I've also been able to work really hard on these photos.</div><div><br /></div><div>The past week has been wintering hardcore. We've had a few inches of snow, lots of clouds, subzero temps, and even some wind. It's been so much better than last winter, but I'll still be ready when it's over.</div><div><br /></div><div>James and I played a couple rounds of the new game he got for Christmas, Robinson Crusoe. It's pretty fun so far, even though setup is intense and it takes a while. I love cooperative games because they feel more like real life to me. Maybe that's silly, but I don't care.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-86876794303336561822024-01-11T08:14:00.000-08:002024-01-11T08:14:42.274-08:00PicturesNot too much stands out from this week except for working on the Heads' pictures. I started on them last Friday, I think, and spent about 7 hours organizing them into years. We set up a table in the living room for me to work and have the scanner next to the computer. Usually it's in my room to keep it from the kids. For each year, I look at the backs of the photos and see if I can sort them into months. It helps that many of them are in envelopes. For the loose ones with no ID, I've used context clues or had James help me figure them out. I've had to make a few adjustments along the way, but so far I've scanned from 2004 back to 1995. I should be able to scan them all by the end of next week, I'm thinking. They are all going into an album on Google Photos, which I'll then share with the family. I love that Google Photos makes it so easy to change the dates and identify faces. I hope it never goes away!<div><br /></div><div>We finally got some snow, just a couple inches. Too bad it's not good snowman snow. It's only our second real storm this season, but I'm not going to complain after last year. :)</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-5727334645535749122024-01-04T08:04:00.000-08:002024-01-04T08:04:02.075-08:00Christmas Break, New YearWe had a smooth drive to Rexburg in the Yukon with a short stop to see Samantha Foote and give her some elk meat. That evening, Samantha (Head) had a little bit of a fever, but she was fine when she woke up on Christmas Eve.<div><br /></div><div>We had the longest Christmas Eve ever. We went to church, which had a really nice program. At 2ish, a bunch of relatives came over (47 total!) to do the Nativity in the barn. It felt very authentic to sit on bales of straw and have a few loose goats running around. It was great to see the family as well, even though it was cold. We had a couple of hours with not as many people, then some came back for Christmas Eve dinner, clam chowder, plus snowballs for dessert. Once the kids finally went to bed, I set out all the presents, feeling grateful that I didn't have any more wrapping to do.</div><div><br /></div><div>Christmas morning wasn't too bad. I think the kids really liked their presents. I'm glad I had them make Amazon wish lists. The younger 3 kids went ice skating in the afternoon while James and I (mostly I) cooked dinner: prime rib roast, mashed potatoes, and green beans. All turned out excellent.</div><div><br /></div><div>I can't remember specific days on the rest of the week. We went to Green Canyon, celebrated Jacob's birthday with pizza and cheesecake, went to the temple and lunch with the family, and played lots of board games. I aimed for 1 a day. I'm not competitive like some of the others in the family. I much prefer fun, party games or cooperative games, so I have my limits. I did a lot of reading in Stormlight 3, and if I hadn't been so busy since we got back, I would've finished by now. A couple of kids threw up, Joseph got a swollen finger from a hangnail infection, and he broke a couple of brackets on his braces. All are better and fixed now, though, except for a lingering cough in the younger kids.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had an uneventful drive home on Saturday, the 30th. Panda Express was a huge hit, only 4 bucks more than McDonald's, tastier, and everyone loved it. That put me in a good mood. I regretted not doing any laundry while we were gone, but I've caught up on that.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a relaxing NYE just reading and hanging out till 11:30, when I got really tired and went to bed. Only Joseph and Kenny stayed up. Everyone was a bit cranky on Monday, but we got Christmas taken down and put away. During school, I finished the rest of the decluttering and caught up on some family history stuff that I'd been putting off. I even made a photo book for our entire 2023, which took me 3 hours and I won't buy until Shutterfly does unlimited pages. I love the quality of their products, but the regular prices are outrageous.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have a presidency meeting today. I think I'm all caught up on new things for the new year. The next Sunday will be a bit chaotic with getting everyone to their new classes, but it'll be good. I feel a lot better about it than I did a year ago, but it's not nothing. This calling has been incredibly stressful, even when it's not.</div><div><br /></div><div>I have the scanner in the living room. Next project up: Head family photos! I honestly have no idea how long it's going to take me to sort and scan them, but I'm excited.</div><div><br /></div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-82620267438638839942023-12-21T08:26:00.000-08:002023-12-21T08:26:52.486-08:00Organizing, A BreakdownI decided to hold off on the photos project until January and started tackling the decluttering/cleaning that I've been putting off. It's funny how I think it'll be terrible, but once I get started, I enjoy the process and results. So far, I've done the laundry room shelves, spice racks, misc. technology/cords, girls' bedroom, and bookcases. Today, I'm tackling the TV stand since it's really dusty and has a big pile of DVDs that need to be sorted through. I have a lot more to do, but those things are the ones that have been bugging me for a while. I wish everything could stay clean and organized in the first place, but that's just not how it works.<div><br /></div><div>I had a mini breakdown a few days ago. This time of year is just hard, and I've felt like all the "Christmas magic" has been from my hard work with very little help from any of my family members. Over the years, I've tried to scale back Christmas as much as possible, but it doesn't change the fact that I have a big family, lots of presents to buy and meals to make, family to visit (but never all of them since they live so far apart) and a little bit of seasonal depression to go with it.</div><div><br /></div><div>On the bright side, there are only 2 days of school before we get a break. I look forward to sleeping in. I've also received a couple of small gifts with thoughtful notes in the past week. Those are my favorite. I keep those little notes forever (in Google Drive) because it's rare to get anything handwritten anymore. I was sick on Thanksgiving and hardly remember the meal due to brain fog, but I made a simple turkey dinner this week so we could have turkey pot pie. Eating that yesterday reminded me of helping my mom make pot pies the day after Thanksgiving for so many years. It was always one of my favorite meals and is still the BEST way to eat turkey leftovers. No one will change my mind on this. We also opened our NC family presents and played one of the new board games, Cascadia. I'm still nervous about travel since we'll be taking the Yukon. It's just not as reliable or comfortable as the van, but it has the snow tires just in case. It will be a good Christmas. I'll still be glad when it's over.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-14042481084926411362023-12-14T07:37:00.000-08:002023-12-14T07:37:25.742-08:00Mom's VisitThursday, I picked up Mom from the Vernal airport in the afternoon. We went to the ward party that night, which was fun.<div><br /></div><div>Friday morning, Mom and I went to the temple, then Deseret Book and Distribution. It took a little longer than expected, but we got home in time to spend 3 hours grinding elk meat with the boys. Joseph, Kenny, and I had a good system going. I chopped, Kenny ground, and Joseph wrapped. We completed 45 lbs. of meat. I made some dinner and we watched a show after the kids went to bed. James butchered the last quarter of elk.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday after breakfast, the boys and I finished grinding all the elk. We ended up doing about 60 lbs. for Devin and 25 for us. With all the roasts and steaks we have, we got about 100 lbs. of meat. If we didn't plan on giving any away, that would last almost a year since we still have some deer left as well. It made for a very busy week, but it was good all the same. Saturday afternoon around 4, the missionaries came for dinner. (That's when their mission president wants them to come.) It was a little weird to eat that early, but we had delicious elk steaks cooked sous vide and finished by James, potatoes, and squash.</div><div><br /></div><div>Sunday, everything went well with the Temple and Priesthood Prep meeting. I'd been stressing about it, of course, but it turned out good even though the music went a few minutes over.</div><div><br /></div><div>Monday, I went on a walk with Mom. We went to see Wish for FHE. It was a cute movie, definitely a classic Disney plotline and FULL of Easter eggs. I'd watch it again. I delivered several loaves of bread to ministering families after we got back.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday, Mom and I went on another walk. We helped with the younger girls' activity group. Only 1 showed up, but we had fun doing quilts and chatting with the other ladies.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wednesday, I took Joseph to the orthodontist while Mom went on a walk and got packed up. I dropped her off at the airport in the afternoon and immediately felt sad for the rest of the day. I made some Chex mix that didn't turn out perfect, so that made me feel annoyed AND sad. She made it home safely, though, we are missing her. It had been over 3 years since she visited last. Why does my family have to live so far away?</div><div><br /></div><div>Today, I'm volunteering at the school (changed from Tuesday for this week). I'll hopefully finish the newest Sanderson book so the boys can get started on it. I had to cancel our playdate with the Nielsons since Samantha has a bit of a cough and they have tiny twins right now. I hate that we're not 100% healthy yet. Everyone else is fine except for Samantha, and this cough has lingered for quite a while.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for projects, I'm not sure if I'm going to do some deep cleaning/decluttering that I've been putting off or start on the photos project. Maybe I'll do both at the same time. Haha. This house isn't too bad, but it lacks storage space and has a few problem areas that I need to attend to. I guess I have enough time before Christmas to get that all done if I want. We will see.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-47615864800017351172023-12-07T10:07:00.000-08:002023-12-07T10:07:51.439-08:00ElkJames went hunting on Friday with Joseph but didn't have any luck. Saturday was a different story, though. He shot an elk fairly early in the morning, but it was a ways from the road. That meant leaving the kids at the car for a while, so he drove them back to the house, then went back to Devin and the elk, almost a 2 hour drive each way. They gutted it, quartered it, and got it back to the car. By the time they got back, it was dinner time. I hadn't been feeling amazing thanks to the stupid cold I got over Thanksgiving, but Joseph and Kenny were great at keeping track of all the kids while I got some rest. James and I went out for dinner since I was feeling a little better.<div><br /></div><div>The butchering started on Monday, and James finished one quarter. Tuesday, Devin came over to help butcher more, and they got 2 quarters done. Wednesday, I chopped up the meat for hamburger and made sure it was clean. I ground all the hamburger we have so far, 17 pounds. The plan is to finish butchering the last quarter and grind all of Devin's by Saturday night. I calculated that I can cut, grind, and package 6 pounds of meat in 1 hour when working alone. I'll have help when we do Devin's, but I don't know how much we'll be grinding yet either. I think Saturday night is still reasonable.</div><div><br /></div><div>Mom is coming to visit today! She gets in this afternoon. It'll be fun to go to the ward party with her.</div><div><br /></div><div>So far, we have more than enough elk (and still some deer) so that we won't have to buy beef for a year. I'm really grateful, even though it's been a ton of work. We will have spent probably 12 hours each after getting the animal home. That's not counting the stuff we'll process for Devin.</div><div><br /></div><div>I still can't believe how busy I've been since the kids went back to school. Things were just about to slow down when we got this elk. Hopefully after we're done with it, I can start sorting through my in-laws' old pictures to scan. I'm looking forward to seeing pictures of James from ages 10-18 because I never really have.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-58575755971785867842023-11-30T07:29:00.000-08:002023-11-30T07:29:50.748-08:00Thanksgiving, Sick, Canning, Christmas Season<p>The Hunger Games movie was good, though sad. It's hard to see a villain become more evil as time goes on.</p><p>I can't remember a lot of the past 2 weeks because we've still been sick. One cold turned into another over Thanksgiving break. I know this because the other had lasted about 2 weeks, then I started over with a sore throat and a lot of fatigue. Our entire break was spent trying to get enough rest while we were there. Because of other family events, it was more possible than usual. I didn't go shopping or play any board games either. Even sitting through the Thanksgiving meal was hard because of the fatigue. We still had a good time visiting with family, though, and I'm glad we went.</p><p>We returned home on Sunday to 2 inches of snow, our very first of the season. It was too powdery for a snowman, but there's supposed to be more today.</p><p>Not too much has happened this week. I got the rock chip fixed on the van and finally finished canning! Ashley is coming over soon to learn how to do spaghetti sauce. I did apple sauce and some meals in jars on Tuesday. My final count for the season is 144 jars! That's more than double of what I normally do.</p><p>I feel like I'm ready to start Christmas-y things. We put up our tree and train on Monday. I've started buying some presents on Amazon as well. Hopefully I can have all the shopping done by the end of next week. I'm still trying to keep things as simple as possible. Not shopping in person is one of the ways I save myself some stress. :)</p>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-60309814698186000052023-11-16T09:04:00.000-08:002023-11-16T09:04:51.275-08:00Presentation, RecoveryEverything went well with the presentation, but that didn't stop me from losing sleep over it and being in a cold sweat all of Sunday. I think I got pretty dehydrated because I was extremely thirsty for the next 2 days and even had to resort to Gatorade to start feeling normal again. I've recovered about 90% now, but I had to spend a lot of time resting the past few days, to the point of getting super bored. I still feel a little lightheaded occasionally, but I'm doing so much better. I cancelled everything on Tuesday just to be safe, but I was feeling well enough to go to the Relief Society activity last night. We made thankful trees, and they turned out really cute.<div><br /></div><div>I'm so happy that it's raining today because IT'S NOT SNOW! We still haven't had a single flake of snow and daytime temps are in the low 50s. I couldn't be happier. Well, there could still be more daylight, but I can't change that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today I'm going to see the new Hunger Games movie with the boys. I hope it's good!</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a presidency meeting earlier this week, and it went well. There's nothing we haven't done before since we've been in there for a year now. I'm really happy that I have all the notes and things from last year, so nothing feels like a big deal. Last year at this point, I was SO stressed because I didn't have a lot of resources to use to figure out what the heck I was supposed to be doing. I lost a ton of sleep over it. Not this time! I'm going to keep Christmas as simple as possible for the Primary and for my family. The traditions that take too much time, money, or stress are going to go!</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-86754939833364734472023-11-09T08:30:00.001-08:002023-11-09T08:30:03.776-08:00Time Change, November GlimmersThe time change has been just as hard as I thought. I'm still tired, and it's Thursday. I've tried to get enough sleep, but that's easier said than done. Plus, it's the season of being "kinda sick" (meaning, just having a headache and fatigue), so I don't know which thing is more of a factor today. Maybe both are.<div><br /></div><div>I stressed about it a ton, but we had our first practice for the Primary program on Sunday. It was a great success! Yes, there are some things to iron out, but we made it through the entire thing, which is a miracle. It went a lot more smoothly than I thought it would.<br /><div><br /></div><div>I made spaghetti sauce on Monday. 1 more batch of sauce to go before I finish with the tomatoes! I'm still waiting on the rest to ripen. I'm not done with canning yet because apples will be coming my way from my in-laws. Maybe by December?</div><div><br /></div><div>I met my friend's twin babies on Tuesday. They are the tiniest babies I've ever held! I can't even imagine having 2 newborns at the same time.</div><div><br /></div><div>I've been struggling with November a little. Suddenly, it's dark and cold. I'm trying to find the "glimmers" in this month, though. I know it's important to stay in "fall/Thanksgiving mode" and not start anything relating to Christmas because it makes me feel rushed and stressed. It's already been so much better than November of last year. We cleaned up the yard on Saturday, and the kids had a wonderful time playing with their friends in the nice weather. It hasn't snowed yet, and no one has died either. Last year, we had a record-breaking amount of snow and lost 4 relatives. We were also constantly sick. This year has already been a lot better in so many ways.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I'm still stressing about the Primary program, but not as much. The main planning is done, and it's going to happen on Sunday no matter what. I feel a lot better about it. I don't regret all the organization I've done for the Primary in the last year. It's one of my greatest strengths, and I've had lots of opportunities to use it. By Sunday, we will have done everything at least once, so I already know what to expect from here on out (theoretically).</div><div><br /></div><div>One thing I'm glad I started doing a few years ago in the fall: rereading a favorite book series and doing a movie marathon (not necessarily the same series). As I get stressed about the cold, dark, and holidays, it's nice to revisit something comforting and familiar. I read the Hunger Games and have almost finished all the movies with the boys. I'm also starting The Stormlight Archive again, and I love it even more this time. Thank you, Brandon Sanderson, for being the best author ever.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-12843675893217640062023-11-02T10:05:00.000-07:002023-11-02T10:05:36.664-07:00Dad's Visit, Halloween<p>I spent Friday morning grinding up deer meat. We ended up with about 30 pounds of meat, which is a lot when translated into current beef prices. Dad visited us on Friday and Saturday. We of course had to get some KFC for dinner. We also tried some of the deer, and it was delicious, not very gamey at all. It's probably because James got a young deer, butchered it as quickly as possible, and didn't overcook it. It was especially tasty with butter and some fresh herbs.</p><p>Saturday night, we went to the Jensen Pumpkin Festival. It was cold, but fun.</p><p>I went to Halloween parties for both Samantha and Lewis. Everything went well with the Trunk or Treat on Tuesday. It got a little chilly, but we had the right amount of pizza and treat bags. The kids are still working on their candy. I hope it's gone by Saturday because they've been grumpier and leaving candy wrappers on the floor. I'm always glad when Halloween's over. I don't hate it, but it's not my favorite either.</p><p>James and I went on a date yesterday to see where he shot his deer. It was good, but I got kind of carsick after a while. The view from Little Mountain was especially beautiful at sunset.</p><p>Today hasn't been the best so far. I took Joseph to the orthodontist, and while I was at the gas station, the power steering stopped working in the G6. I drove it home after the ortho to switch it out, but the Yukon had a completely flat tire so I couldn't. Ugh. Luckily, the power steering started working again. I got my book at the library and stopped at Smith's for sales. I didn't have much luck there, but I got Katie her pomegranates there were on sale.</p><p>I'm not looking forward to the time change this weekend. The stuff I love about fall has come to an end, and now it's just cold and dark.</p>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-246686276983504272023-10-26T10:52:00.000-07:002023-10-26T10:52:01.884-07:00Katie's 10th Birthday, DeerIt's been another busy week. I have lots of green tomatoes in the living room, and I started a batch of sauce that I'll likely finish on Saturday. Hopefully, the rest will ripen in the next few weeks, or at least before Thanksgiving. I had to buy more jars again, and I bet I'll use most of them.<div><br /></div><div>We celebrated Katie's 10th birthday on Tuesday since she was hunting with James on Monday. She loves her presents, and I made dirt and worms for her dessert. It was a huge hit, and I'm sad it's gone. Putting homemade ice cream and homemade pudding together was a delicious idea. She had also requested tamales for dinner. I wasn't crazy about how they turned out, so I'll use beef next time and not chicken.<br /><div><br /></div><div>James went hunting on Monday with Devin, and on Wednesday, he shot a deer! He field dressed it, skinned it in the yard, and then butchered it with Devin. Friday, we will turn the scraps into burger. So far, we have over 30 pounds of meat! I had to squish things in the deep freeze to make room for it. That's a testament to how bountiful this fall has been. I can't believe it's almost Halloween.</div><div><br /></div><div>The parts for the Primary Sacrament Meeting Presentation are trickling in. I have a lot more confidence now that it's going to go well. The kids' testimonies are so sweet. Everything for the Trunk or Treat is ready to go as well. The kids and I passed out a bunch of invitations yesterday. The biggest downfall will be that the weather's going to be really cold over the next few days. On Halloween, we're going to freeze with a high of only 40. Sad day. Hopefully it's not the end of the mild weather.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>I deep cleaned the girls' room for the first time since summer. It was cathartic. I've gotten behind on deep cleaning things since it's been so busy for the past few months. Now if only I could start and finish a book...</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-20468161655371179872023-10-22T16:07:00.000-07:002023-10-22T16:07:33.719-07:00Fall Break, Carmel's WeddingThe boys and I started our Hunger Games marathon last Saturday. The weekend wasn't too bad. We took it easy since we knew the next week would be crazy.<div><br /></div><div>Monday, I canned spaghetti sauce and beets for the Binghams. I ended up doing 2 batches in the pressure canner to get it all done. I was disappointed in the beets' final color, but everything sealed.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday, I left for NC in the early afternoon. I got there really late and spent the night with Myles and Skyla. Skyla and I hung out the next day and did a little shopping to get things for Carmels' bachelorette party. I went over to Christian and Rachel's first to spend some time with them. The party was so much fun, with lots of delicious snacks, facials, and fun company. I got to know Carmel's new sisters-in-law a little bit, and they are awesome.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thursday, we got up and headed to the state fair. Wow. I last went almost 20 years ago and forgot how fun it was. I went on kiddie rides with Emma and Kaya, the on some adult ones with Mara. We went upside down and all around. My favorite is still the one where they just drop you. The adrenaline rush is amazing. I had a Flamin' Hot corn dog and fried pecan pie, both of which were delicious. After getting ready at Mara's house, we headed to the Taylor Swift movie along with Mom, Grandma, and Carmel. It exceeded my expectations. I had a comfy recliner and they turned it up loud, so it felt like a more comfortable version of being at a concert. I could've done without the swearing, though, but I knew that was coming. The visuals and costumes were absolutely stunning.</div><div><br /></div><div>Friday, Mara, the girls, and I went to the Benson Museum. It was a fun little place with an old guy who talked my ear off. :) We saw downtown Benson as well and then went back to chill for a little while. After dinner, I left with Ricky to set up for the reception. I stayed as long as I could, then went back to Apex with Carmel since I hadn't see Dad or my grandparents yet.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday was the wedding. It went well, and it was beautiful. The luncheon afterward was delicious too. We had a little time to kill before getting there for the reception. There was a huge turnout and all the tables were filled almost the whole time. Carmel and Matthew look so happy together.</div><div><br /></div><div>I got up very early to catch a 6:45 flight to Vernal with a 3-hour layover in Denver. Somehow I survived, and now I'm waiting on the rest of my family to get home from Rexburg. I had a wonderful, very busy trip. Now only Nash remains!</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-49192385541235317302023-10-12T16:11:00.002-07:002023-10-12T16:11:50.979-07:00Primary, Canning, Conferences, Surgery<p>Last Thursday ended up working out fine. I took the day off on Friday, no big projects of any kind, so I could regain some sanity. It worked pretty well. Saturday morning, I buckled down and worked on stuff for Primary while James took the kids out for 2 1/2 hours. It was the perfect amount of time to get it all done. We did a little date afterward and had lunch outside in the perfect fall weather.</p><p>Sunday, I was the only presidency member in Primary due to illness and travel. 2 of the ladies from the stake helped out, so I survived a really stressful Sunday.</p><p>Monday I made spaghetti sauce with meat. This was after babysitting my secretary's boys since her daughter was in the hospital. I went to parent/teacher conferences for the middle schoolers.</p><p>I ran a bunch of errands on Tuesday and then finished canning the sauce with the rest of the tomatoes I needed. That night, James and I went on another date to get food and watch a favorite show.</p><p>Wednesday morning, I had to run more errands, but I had time to make pepper jelly afterward. It's my first time making it, and it turned out great, about medium spicy. I included some lemon drop peppers from some ward members. Those are SPICY on their own! I went to parent/teacher conferences for all 3 elementary kids. All 5 kids got glowing reviews from their teachers, which is always nice.</p><p>Today, I got up early to drive Joseph to his surgery. It didn't take long, I paid it off, and his mouth didn't hurt too much afterward. We got food and milkshakes at Dairy Keen and got home around 4. I'm so tired, but I'm glad everything went well. Joseph wasn't too weird afterward; he just kept on asking the same questions over and over as he mumbled though the gauze.</p><p>I have more Primary stuff to do this weekend, but I should sleep better knowing that the surgery is out of the way. We don't even have to do a follow-up since we live so far away.</p><p>I just need to stay awake during the stake Primary leadership meeting tonight.</p>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-78470132758028553702023-10-05T06:51:00.000-07:002023-10-05T06:51:13.011-07:00Rash, Conference, More Canning and StressWe had a playdate with the Abarcas on Friday. Samantha ended up with a weird rash on her legs, which made me really worried. After consulting Rex, we gave her Benadryl and rubbed on some calamine lotion. It was completely gone after a couple of days. I have no idea what she had a reaction to, maybe something outside?<div><br /></div><div>We had a decent General Conference weekend. I didn't pay attention as well as I should have, but I'm going to make a goal to reread all the talks this time. I've let that habit slip since being called to Primary, but I need to study the Gospel more than ever since I don't get a lesson on Sundays. The kids and I put together the treat bags for the Trunk or Treat.<div><br /></div><div>Monday, I canned spaghetti sauce with Ana. Though she was late, the timing ended up perfect since I pulled the jars out right as I needed to leave. We decided to get our passports, so I had to pick up kids from the elementary school, run over to the county building, get pictures taken, pay all the fees by check (ugh, haha), and then run to the post office to mail off James's and mine while the county finished the ones for Joseph and Kenny. The plan is to go to Ecuador next summer, and I keep hearing horror stories about passports, so I'm feeling happy about getting them done. Honestly, there's never a good time to drag everyone to a 3:30 appointment anywhere, so I'm glad we got that out of the way.</div></div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday, I volunteered at the school and then canned spaghetti sauce and beets. I also finished the hot sauce. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed after dinner, so James and I went out to get some dessert and a fall candle. It helped cheer me up a bit.</div><div><br /></div><div>Yesterday, we had a playdate with Navy and got flu shots after dinner. </div><div><br /></div><div>Today is packed too. I need to return the scooter that James used off and on for the past week. I have a presidency meeting to plan the Primary program, an orthodontist appointment, a ministering appointment, and sealings at the temple after dinner. A lady in my ward and I are related to the same person, though her relationship is by marriage, so we are going to get that sealing done along with some others.</div><div><br /></div><div>I'm worried about a lot of stuff, but it helped yesterday when I collected all my notes, said a prayer, and typed up an outline for planning the Primary program. It's going to go fine. My biggest stress is thinking about driving Joseph to Orem next week for dental surgery. It'll be a long day, but it'll all work out. I really wish things would slow down a bit so I have a chance to get bored. That hasn't happened yet!</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-30270812702966659672023-09-28T10:18:00.000-07:002023-09-28T10:18:01.373-07:00Broken Foot, FanX, Canning, BracesIt's been such a busy week. James found out on our drive to Salt Lake that he had broken his foot and needed to follow up with the orthopedic doctor. That didn't end up happening until Tuesday, but he has a boot now and is getting around more easily. He wheeled around on a scooter during FanX, and it actually worked really well.<div><br /></div><div>We had an awesome time at FanX with Anna and Joseph. Though we walked a lot, we saw amazing costumes and lots of fun, nerdy things. We all ended up buying fun things too. James got Stormbreaker for only 40 bucks! We returned home exhausted, but happy.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday, the kids had to do school. We went to a baptism for Joseph's friend Tyren, and that was really nice. We then attended a party with the Spanish ward, which had amazing food and dancing.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was really stressed on Sunday since we had teacher council and I needed to orient some new teachers. It all worked out, though.</div><div><br /></div><div>Monday and Wednesday, I spent the entire day in the kitchen. I canned salsa, candied jalapenos, spaghetti sauce, beets, and pickles. I also cut up peppers, turnips, and squash to freeze for later and prepped the peppers for hot sauce. It's fermenting on the counter and will be ready in a week. Currently, the counter is clear of all veggies except for a few winter squash and a small bowl of unripe tomatoes. I know there are more coming, though! I had to buy more jars and sprung for a food mill so I can make the process a bit easier when it comes to making sauce. I suspect our first freeze will happen in the next few weeks, and that's when I'll really get inundated with tomatoes.</div><div><br /></div><div>Joseph has adjusted well to having braces. The first few days hurt a bit, but he was able to figure out how to brush and floss his teeth pretty well. It's a learning curve with eating, but I'm doing my best to make sure we have things he can eat without too much trouble. Halloween may be the biggest challenge yet.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-85425570791925134062023-09-21T06:50:00.000-07:002023-09-21T06:50:21.369-07:00Los Boyle, Salsa, Breaker and SprainI went to the temple on Friday despite almost talking myself out of it several times. I'm really glad I went.<div><br /></div><div>Saturday, James took the kids to play in the creek while I read my book. We had the Boyles over for dinner since it was Mexican Independence Day. We didn't realized that the grill was out of gas, but with all the prep on the food, getting more slowed us down by only 20 minutes. We didn't end up eating till almost 8, but it was all delicious.</div><div><br /></div><div>Devin and his kids came over for lunch and dinner on Sunday since Ana was taking her parents to the airport. We successfully ate the rest of the leftovers, something I'm always glad for.</div><div><br /></div><div>Monday, I made my first double batch of salsa and got 8 pints. I've done so much canning already that I'm running a little low on jars. I went around the house to find ones that were being used for other purposes and washed those, so that gives me 5 more. I also cut up all the carrots, cucumbers, and squash, which have now been eaten. All I have left (fresh) are a few spaghetti squash and some serrano peppers. My freezer is still very full, and I'm so grateful.</div><div><br /></div><div>Two crummy things this week: a circuit breaker tripped while I was making dinner, so I had to move everything to the other counter while we tried to fix it. After tithing declaration, James was able to reset it even though it had gotten stuck. We've had no further problems, and I moved the toaster so that won't happen again.</div><div><br /></div><div>Last night, James sprained (probably) his ankle in a hole in the yard. It's now been filled in, but he's got a swollen ankle that he can't walk on. He went to urgent care last night, but they weren't the most helpful. They took an X-ray but didn't have anyone left to read it, so we don't know for sure if it's just a sprain.</div><div><br /></div><div>We're supposed to go to FanX tomorrow. We still plan to, just with James in a wheelchair or with one of those scooter thingys. It makes things more complicated than it needs to be. We have been successful at saving money for it too. It's been really hard to not eat out or take any random shopping trips for 6 weeks, but we did it!</div><div><br /></div><div>Today's a busy one. Joseph gets his braces on, then I have a presidency meeting, then we go to a community carnival after school. Hopefully we have some answers for James soon so we know what we're in for.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2151938671634300936.post-21446119696997329122023-09-14T08:25:00.000-07:002023-09-14T08:25:09.330-07:00Kayaking, Pickles, Kindergarten, PeachesLewis went to his first birthday party last Thursday, and he had a great time.<div><br /></div><div>The boys did yard work on Friday so we'd be able to have a relaxing Saturday. We're getting to the point where we don't have to mow every week, and I'm completely fine with that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Saturday, we went to Jensen with the Murrays and hung out on the Green River and had lunch. I tried kayaking some, but the current was too strong for me to go anywhere. It was really fun to hang out with everyone. When we got home, we watched the new Little Mermaid, and it was pretty good. I wish she still had bright red hair, but that's my only real complaint.</div><div><br /></div><div>Monday, Ana came over to learn how to make pickles. We did 2 batches and got 20 pints of dill pickle spears. The kitchen was absolutely destroyed for a while and my feet hurt, but it was worth it I think. I didn't end the day in the best mood because I also had to take Samantha to the dentist, but it was fine.</div><div><br /></div><div>Tuesday, I volunteered in Samantha's Kindergarten class for 2 hours. I spent the whole time cutting things out for Mrs. Batty. It was delightful to listen to all those cute voices. About 1/3 of the kids sing in the bathroom. In the afternoon, Samantha and I went over to Navy's house, which was also nice. We went swimming at the rec center after dinner, so no one really went to bed on time, but it was worth it.</div><div><br /></div><div>Wednesday, Katie stayed home sick but ended up feeling fine. I peeled and cut up 32 cups of peaches from the 2 boxes I got from Sister Hall. The best ones are in the fridge for eating over the next few days. I took dinner to a family that just had a baby, so peach crisp was part of that.</div><div><br /></div><div>Today has been the first restful morning in a while. I don't feel all lonely and weird either. It helps that things got worked out with Joseph's math class as of last week, so I'm not getting calls from the counselor every day. I don't currently have any produce to process, at least for another few days. I think the days of squash and cucumbers are over but the tomatoes are coming soon. I'm excited to make more salsa and sauce. We have the ward Harvest Dinner tonight, so that should be fun. I'm using the rest of my (not frozen) zucchini to make a casserole.</div>Sachahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07656832861343790974noreply@blogger.com0