While The Boys Are Away...

Scott is working 16+ hour days and my dad has been in China, so Madeline and I decided to come down to Logan for a few days and visit my mom and sister. It never fails that these little visits turn into days packed with driving, shopping, and projects. This trip has not been an exception.

We arrived on Tuesday afternoon and started some projects. On Wednesday morning we drove up into the mountains near Price, Utah (4 1/2 hours) to visit my maternal grandma. She's been living in a little cabin up there for the past five years, and I'd never been to visit. She actually just met Madeline for the first time a month ago, so we also thought it would be nice for them to get to know one another. On Thursday morning, my mom's two sisters also drove up to the cabin. We had fun riding four wheelers, roasting marshmallows, playing cards, and telling old stories. We also went on a little fishing trip in the middle of the day. You'll never believe who the only person to catch fish was...Madeline. She caught three. This was a good thing, because she kept assuring us that she really needed to catch a mommy and daddy so that her first fish wouldn't be sad.

We left Thursday evening and stopped in Orem to pay a quick visit to my paternal grandma, and finally made it back to Logan late that night. We've been running around yesterday and today shopping, cleaning, and finishing our projects. I've got a sign and a chair sling yet to finish. Halloween costumes are done. Hair bows for Madeline are done for now, until she breaks them all, which is just inevitable.

My dad returns from China tonight, and we'll head back to Idaho in the morning. I'm exited to hear all of his stories. If he's awake enough to tell any.

Harvest

It is harvest time in Paul, Idaho. There is an air of excitement around town. This is the season when the farmers are able to reap the benefits for the seeds they sowed in the spring and the hard work of the summer. Scott is participating in the sugar beet harvest this year. He's a real trooper, and I'm proud of him for being willing to work hard for his little ladies.

The other thing we are reaping are the benefits from the good friendships my in-laws have sowed for so many years. We've been able to pick up potatoes left in the ground after harvest in a friend's field. We've also picked corn, tomatoes, italian prune plums, pears, peppers, onions, and peaches. It was all given to us by friends. Some of it is being stored in the garage, some has been frozen, some canned, some dried, and some eaten. I'm so exited to be able to eat all of this fresh produce this winter. We've already enjoyed peach cobbler, plum pie, fresh marinara sauce, and stuffed peppers. Lets not forget the potatoes. They're pretty much a staple of life here in the winter. We've tried potato leek soup, baked potatoes with bbq shredded chicken, au gratin potatoes, and potato pizza. How do you like your potatoes? I need some good ideas. We've got 9 boxes to go through.

I think this season is full of rich symbolism. We don't get something for nothing in life. I've been thinking a lot about the "seeds" I've been sowing, and hope they are good seeds. I know that with hard work and time I will reap the blessings of an abundant life.

“Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7)

Peapod Plus

We had a hard night last Friday to top off all of the hard nights we'd had for the past couple of months. The transition out of the crib had not been going well. Not well at all. As I laid in bed at 1 am, prayerful, exhausted, and frustrated, I had the thought to move her to a different bedroom than she had been sleeping in and buy her this little beauty.

This is the new addition to our family. It's called the Peapod Plus from Kidco. I'm in love. This is Madeline's new bed. She loves to play in it during the day, and is learning to love sleeping in it at night. It weighs about a pound and folds up into a small circle. When you pull the strap off from around the circle, it pops open to a tent. No assembly required, except blowing up the mattress. It's so much more portable than our pack'n'play, and the mattress is more comfortable. Madeline does better sleeping in a secure place. I do better when I get more than two hours of sleep at a time. We are both happier.

Projects

This is my project of the week. I think it's turning out quite nicely. Everything looks better with a fresh coat of paint. Best of all, it gives Madeline and I something to work on every morning. Grandpa gave her her own little paintbrush and a can of colored water to "help".

My other current project is to help my child to stay in her bed, instead of getting up MANY times a night, during all hours of the night. This has been a tiring and frustrating project, to say the least. And her nighttime adventures affect more people now that we are living with family. I've tried about every solution and incentive I could think of, positive and negative. She's not buying any of it. I've got one more trick up my sleeve that I'm pretty optimistic about. We'll see...