Back to Joy and Then Some

 

It has been a minute since I've shared on this blog!  So much has happed in life since I last posted.  I am now posting from a new home in a new town about new things... but on the same ancient computer!   I would like to renew sharing life's joys through my blog.  Sometimes it's the little things that bring you joy - and sometimes it's the big ones!  There have been a lot of both the past while.    

Joy ( both myself, and the emotion) and Then Some, will also share some of the sad, hard, tiring things in life.  It's reality that the pendulum swings both ways.   One of my favorite scriptures in the Book of Mormon is: 

2 Nephi 2:11

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.  If not so, my firstborn in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad.  Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.

If we only experience good, we can't really know how good it is without some comparison!   So... I'll share both.  However, I'll share more of the joy, because that's where I prefer to focus!

One of the little "joys" the past summer was discovering all of the little wildflowers in the forest when David and I went to cut a load of wood for our wood-burning stove.  Nature has the most beautiful décor!  I'll share the pictures i took and in another post I may share more about them.  I love learning to identify each variety.  As a child, I went camping a lot with my family.  I learned a love of the different plants then, and after Dave and I were married, his grandparents gave us a book they had of plant and animal identification in the U.S.  We always took that camping with us so we could look up flowers, trees, mushrooms, and other wildlife.  Now, most often, I take pictures, and when we are back in an area with phone service, I look them up on Google Search and find out all kinds of information about them!  

Enjoy these pictures of the beautiful Idaho wildflowers.  

You'll see lupine, wild geranium, and more!  

Joy in the Journey

The other day I went grocery shopping after my kids went to school.  It goes pretty quick now that my children are all in school and I just hop in my car, all by myself, and head to town.  That particular morning as I shopped, I noticed many cute, young moms pushing carts adorned with preschoolers and babies.  Some of them looked exhausted, others were full of energy!  A few sounded frustrated and impatient with misbehaving kids, a few seemed to ignore their kids (though you never know - I used that tactic some myself when one "no" didn't suffice), and one sweet mom was singing to her baby as she walked down the aisles. Nostalgia hit for a moment as I missed my young mama days!  I have 8 children with 23 years between the oldest and youngest.  I've spent a LOT of time the past 30 years being a mom to preschoolers!  

I finished my shopping and got in line at the checkout right behind a frazzled mom with 2 kids, maybe 2 and 4 years old, begging to help put groceries on the belt.  She looked up with a tired smile. "Sorry!", she said, "Sometimes all the help slows me down."   I laughed!   I told her how much I understand that stage of helping... and that it sure is boring to shop all by yourself.  You really don't feel the same sense of accomplishment getting through the store without someone knocking jars off the shelves, whining for a treat, hundreds of questions, and several potty breaks when you go all by yourself!  I mean really, if I'm having those issues and I'm there by myself, I have a problem! (though I can totally see the problem of several potty breaks being an issue in a few years lol  8 pregnancies does a number on your bladder control!)

Hindsight is the BEST teacher ever!  I learned with my last 4 children to enjoy them more.  What annoyed and exasperated me with my older four often just makes me roll my eyes with the younger children.  I have been blessed to have such awesome children!  It has been fun to see them grow into terrific, responsible, adults. (and providing me with 8 beautiful grandchildren is so thoughtful of them!)  

 These beautiful people are who I have cooked, cleaned and cared for the past 33 years! (well, not all of them the whole time, but it started that long ago!).  I love them with all of my energy!  They are who bring the most JOY into my life.  

The picture above is of my youngest son and my granddaughter a few years ago at the zoo.  They are such good friends in this journey of life!  I love the quote:

"Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling."  - Margaret B. Runbeck

The picture below is my beautiful, busy family last time we were all together.  We have welcomed 3 new grandchildren since this picture!  Our family is growing!

Eclipse Fun!

Eclipse 2017 was an amazing experience!  Our family joined millions of other eclipse watchers, but we were blessed to stay in our own back yard to do it.   We live where we thought we'd have 99% though we had totality for about 60 seconds.  BEAUTIFUL!!!
School started last week for us.  The district scheduled a day off for the eclipse which was a smart move.  Not only would many children be missing to watch the eclipse, it would have been nearly impossible to get them bused home in a timely manner.  You should have seen the traffic in our little town!!!   On a normal day if I drive about a mile from my house to the school and see more than 3 or 4 cars, it feels like rush hour.  Haha!  However, after the eclipse there were cars backed up on our highway that runs through town, for more than 10 miles.   It took several hours to travel what usually takes an hour or less.  I am grateful they canceled school!
Those viewing at our home were just my littles that still live with me, the girl I tend on Monday's, and Mr. D was able to drop in on his lunch hour from work.   This is our experience in pictures!
The morning began with the choice of Eclipse Eggs or cold cereal. (you can find directions on my food blog under Peek-a-Boo Eggs)

We started off our viewing in some comfy, reclining, lawn chairs... At around 10:20 a.m. in our back yard.  These chairs are terrible for sitting in to visit because they recline back so far, but for eclipse viewing they were PERFECT!

Since you shouldn't stare at the eclipse the entire time, even WITH safe viewing glasses, the kids entertained themselves between peeks at the sun.  Bubble Gum was the first choice.

All of this sun watching makes a person thirsty!

Check out these cool crescent shadows that were dancing on our house a few minutes before totality!  They were amazing to watch!  It was where the sun was trying to shine through our tree leaves.  Mesmerizing!

Right before totality, even though we were in the sunlight, there was NO warmth from it!  We grabbed jackets and blankets so it wasn't so chilly.  We looked at our thermometer soon after the eclipse started, and it dropped 12 degrees by the time the sun was completely eclipsed.

For the minute that the sun was totally eclipsed, it was like late dusk, but not the same sun on the horizon that we see at sunset.  It was almost silent.  Our chickens quit clucking, our llama perked up his ears and stood at attention, our dog paced back and forth near us, the same as he does when there's a thunderstorm.  So interesting!
All this Eclipse Watching worked up our appetites, but no one wanted to miss out on the rest so we had lunch outside.

Such a beautiful opportunity to view this part of the solar beauty God has put into action and provided for us!  Grateful to live in an era where we are aware of what is happening and have safe ways to view it.  What a blessed event!   If you were lucky enough to view this, write it down!
Happy Eclipse Day!

A Joyful 4th of July

Holiday's and family are just THE BEST!  I love when my children can all be together and this 4th of July we were!!   My son McKay was getting married on the 7th so all of the other kids were in town.  We got together earlier, before the wedding craziness, and celebrated our dear USA! In addition to our own 8 children and their families, two other young families came and we enjoyed getting to know them as well.  I think we had about 35 people all in all.

My oldest daughter was in charge of planning and activities.  She did a terrific job and included some of the other kids in planning and helping.  We tie-dyed shirts with sharpie markers, played corn hole, had a photo booth for pictures, bean bag toss for kids, bubbles and lots of visiting.

The food we enjoyed was a nice, cold, Chicken Cashew Salad with croissants if we wanted to make it a sandwich.  Kids with less discriminating tastes had hot dogs.  Everyone brought side dishes to share!  I wish I'd gotten pictures of our food table - it was laden with delicious salads!   Green salad with walnuts, tossed green salad, chips, whipped cream berry salad, watermelon, a vegetable tray and some yummy Rhubarb bars!   Homemade ice cream for dessert, in 3 flavors....   Chocolate, Iron Port, and Vanilla.

As the night grew dark enough we enjoyed watching fireworks in our driveway and finished the night off with an outdoor movie.  Some of us slept outside and others enjoyed nice, soft beds inside.
I am grateful for a country that enjoys the freedoms we enjoy. I love celebrating that with my family!

A Joyful Family Backpacking Excursion!

We had a fun vacation backpacking with part of our family this past weekend!  This is our crew at the trail head before we began.  I should have taken a picture of us at the end... not nearly as energetic looking!  This is me, my hubby, oldest son and his 3 kids, 2nd daughter, her hubby and fur baby, and my 3 children still at home.
Our hike was to Independence Lakes about 3 hours from home.  It was supposed to be 4 miles and was steep enough in spots I needed to stop on the switchback corners and rest, but it was easy enough for my youngest son who is 9, and 3 of my grandchildren who are 7, 6, and 4 to go along without much help.

The view along the way was beautiful!  Looking out across the valley below you could see fields and a small town.  We hiked most of the time in pine or aspen trees.

There are 4 high mountain lakes at the end of this hike.  The first was pretty grassy and beginning to dry up, but the little fish in it were jumping like crazy!  A large group was camped at the second lake so we hiked to the third lake to camp.

There's just something wonderful and peaceful about these beautiful mountain lakes!  I've come to wonder if some of the awe I feel has quite a bit to do with the hard work I put in to get there!  Packing a 35 pound pack, up a decently steep mountain, using my over 50 body is challenging!  I earned that beautiful, mirrored lake!  I took a few minutes to sit out on the large rocks at the lakes edge to just breathe.  I felt my shoulders and muscles relax, the weight of everyday worries just wafted away leaving me peaceful and warm.

We ate a variety of freeze-dried backpacking food, but good ole' Cup O Noodles were a hit with the under-10 set, and the rest of us enjoyed instant potatoes as a side with most of our dinners.  Breakfasts were instant oatmeal and homemade granola (which you can find on my other blog HERE).  Cooking at home is easier and tastier, but those freeze-dried meals are convenient, and most importantly, LIGHT!  Here's our lovely outdoor kitchen.  Notice the granite counter tops in this baby!

Backpacking isn't where you go to enjoy the food, or the comfy bed, or the nice, hot, shower, but it is a wonderful way to get away from the hustle and bustle of our busy world.  My husband commented that he'd woke during the first night and had a hard time going back to sleep because it was SO quiet!  Not even frogs croaking! (There were tadpoles in the lake, but we never saw a frog!)

Hiking out was so much easier than hiking in!  Those switchbacks weren't nearly as challenging!  It was a warm day though, and gratefully my wise husband had a cooler of A&W Root Beer waiting at the truck when we got back. (No ice cream to go with it however, and that caused a bit of weeping and wailing from our 4 year old granddaughter because she wanted a Root Beer Float!)
I am filled with gratitude for this beautiful world God has provided for us to live in and enjoy.  I cannot see the beauty of it without feeling His love.

Who's up for planning a backpacking trip for next year?!  I'm in!!!

Auctioneering and Fifty Bucks

Each year at church, our young men and women hold an auction in the spring to raise funds for their summer camps and activities. It is quite successful!   My husband grew up going to cattle auctions and bull sales.  He has been asked for years to auctioneer at these church events and does a great job.  While he auctioneers, I usually wander around and keep track of my bids on silent auction items and keep an eye on my kids.

A few years ago, when Wes was 5, while we were at the auction he came running up to me excited and we had the following conversation:

W: "Mom! I need $50!"
Me: "What do you need $50 for?"
W: "I need it for Dad."
Me (feeling confused): "What does DAD need $50 for?" 
W (with urgency in his voice): "I don't know! He just keeps asking people for it!"
...... and I started listening more closely and realized that to begin the bidding, my husband was saying "Can I get $50?... $50 for this item... Can I get $50?"!  OH! MY GOODNESS!!!  Poor little Wes just felt so bad for his Dad up there begging people for $50!    

We have chuckled over that incident every year since, as my hubby begins the bidding.... "Can I get $10? ... $10 for this item?  How about a $10 bid!

---

The picture above is that same year when W had a short fascination for Indiana Jones.  He's pretty creative with his costumes!

Sisters, Friends, or Both?!

Isn't this picture adorable?  What cuties these little girls were at this age.  

My two youngest girls are 10 days shy of being exactly 2 years apart in age.  Really, neither of them remembers life without the other.  Since the beginning they've been best friends, best enemies, and just acquaintance's living in common territory.... it really just depends which stage we're looking at.

Overall, they've been the best of friends.   These two had many a tea party when they were little girls, played dolls, watched Disney movies, made crafts, rode bikes.  As tweens, they battled, and ignored each other more than they played together.   As teenagers, they compete in similar sports, share secrets, talk and giggle LONG after the lights are supposed to be out at bedtime, and lend a shoulder to lean on when times are tough.

That's what sisters are for!