Week 39- A bottled up good-bye

When I get stressed, 

I often find myself reaching a breaking point....

when I decide to stress myself out even more by trying to add "enjoyable" activities to my "stressful" to-do's.

 I think deep down I know that it will blow-up in my face in the end, creating an "ultimate" breaking point....

yet it happens far too often.

One day I'll learn.

Hence, our "bottled-up good-bye."

My first attempt at "clean" strawberry jam. A future must in this fall kitchen!!

Packing, de-junking, apartment searching, moving arrangements, being nauseous & ridiculously tired, along with the day-to-day of taking care of a toddler just weren't enough for me those last few weeks in Logan, I needed something more.

When reaching that initial breaking point, in a moment of spontaneity and effort to de-stress, Emelia and I found ourselves on a lovely, hot, afternoon walk. A walk that possibly turned into 4 miles round trip. And that very randomly (no sarcasm here) passed by a fruit stand...foolish me. 

I should have known this was a ridiculous idea from the look on the fruit-stand man's face...but, I proceeded anyway, and embraced my ridiculousness. Disclaimer: No child, stroller, or fruit was harmed on this 3/4 mile journey home, but it did result in a wicked arm workout for yours truly.

The fruits of my labor. Thanks mom for helping peel when you could! 

And...the "ultimate" breaking point. This picture is the only one I got of my lovely tomatoes...taken in a moment of trying to find humor in it all while choking back tears. Happy to say that ALL of my jars sealed and everything tastes fabulous.

Yes, somehow boxes did get packed amidst it all.

Thank you amazing friends and family. I couldn't have done it without you!

There is a little too much mischief to be found among the mess of packing a home. So grateful Grammie was eager to squeeze in as much Em time as possible before we made the move. Em did a good job of being mischievous at her house instead.

Good-bye Logan home. The friends and memories made here will be in our hearts forever!

Week 29- Wicked

Wicked

Denise and Gregg gave us an unforgettable graduation gift! We were thrilled to attend Wicked at Captiol Theater in Salt Lake as well as stay at Little America. The free babysitting was much appreciated as well.

Couper's phone-photo-documenting:

A "quick" stop to the tantalizing downtown bakery "Gourmandise" left us with a sugar rush and smiles on our faces. We enjoyed being able to walk to dinner and the theater from our hotel. Marshalls did not disappoint.

Wicked was even more than I had anticipated.  The show was OUTSTANDING. And the voices flawless.

We were lucky enough to make it to Music and the Spoken Word at the LDS Conference Center Sunday morning. Between the music and a stroll around temple square it was a great way to start the week, turning our hearts and minds to our pioneer ancestors with Pioneer Day approaching.

Week 20-Juice

My brother and sister-in-law have been hyping up juicing for the last few years. We (I) was always intrigued, but never wanted to fork out the dough for a juicer. Earlier this year when I was visiting my brother and his family he was showing off his new and improved juicer and offered to let us take the old one off his hands.

Couper was skeptical at first. But once we hopped online and started reading up on all of the benefits of juicing he was sold pretty quickly. I think the real starting-line-gun-shot for him was when we watched the documentary "Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead" with Joe Cross. Very motivating to get healthy and stay healthy.

Some juices we have liked more than others. And, in short, we are mostly juicing for snacks and drinking with meals to get our daily nutrients. However, there are some great ways to loose weight and reboot your system with juicing too if that's what you're going for. When we're at our best we try to follow the 80/20 rule (80% veggies, 20% fruit).

We've gotten really good at making messes! And can't wait to be a little selfish and keep the compost for ourselves when we have a garden in the future...

Don't worry, we've already started a money jar to save up for a more efficient juicer; to get more of our money's worth from our produce!...and hopefully a little easier clean up.

Week 7-Love Day

Love Day

Bright and early V-day morning (even before Em was awake), Coup headed to Vegas with the WBB team via bus..yuck. Em and I were sad we wouldn't get to spend the day with him but tried to make the most of it. I surprised her with her favorites for breakfast: pancakes. I attempted the heart shape (which I found was quite popular as I scanned the virtual world Saturday morning), in which I was partially successful. As the pictures indicate, I don't think she minded what shape they were in :). Later in the day we watched a slideshow of videos from her first year that I made for her, Coup, & the grandfolk and we spent some time helping Aunt Shantel move into her new apartment.

We've been trying to eat a little more nutritious (from scratch) and on a budget (the two don't go hand-in-hand very well) the last several months. Our minimal amounts of food storage have come in handy though to support both accounts; nutritious/thrifty. So these are homemade wheat pancakes (ground white wheat), smothered in low-sugar home-canned strawberry jam (thanks Summ :) ) with some banana slices on the side. They tasted quite fantastic if I do say so myself!

I actually made a pretty big batch of the pancake mix early in the fall so that we would have it on hand; it's been great, and made eating healthy pancakes more convenient. The recipe is listed below if you're interested. Side-note: I actually never really liked pancakes. (More of a waffle person..and even then I maybe had them a couple times a year.) Ever since I had Em I've warmed up to them, and these are my favorite.

This is a 3x5 card if you want to print it.
I originally found this recipe on Allrecipes.com
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So...with LOVE, OPPOSITION is always present. (If you don't believe me, read the scriptures -just read 2Ne Ch.2, Lehi sums it up nicely-, or just take a closer look at your own life ;) ) I've been constantly reminded that the grass isn't always greener and we need to be consistently helping one-another. 2014 has already had a lot of ups and downs for our families, and even close friends. Sometimes it feels like more than our/their fair share, and there are moments I feel my heart may burst with sadness, confusion, and helplessness. Many days it has felt like the downs-the OPPOSITIONS-have outweighed the ups-the LOVES. I know those days are the days the devil is getting into my head and controlling my thoughts, but in those moments, even realizing that doesn't change the overwhelming feelings of anxiety, sadness, fear, and doubt.  

With that said, I am so grateful for the moments of LOVE; the days I become clear-headed. There is opposition in all things so that we may love deeper, be humbled, learn to use our agency wisely, and use the gift of the Atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. Whether it be to forgive, ask for forgiveness, or find comfort, love, and peace to let go of the hurt. I hope we can all search for the LOVES in our lives, enough to outweigh the OPPOSITIONS, even when there isn't a holiday to remind us to show others we love them, and to feel loved.

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Hmm..to lighten the mood that I didn't mean to let get so heavy, a minor OPPOSITION (in comparison to what may others are going through) that faced us this week is partially explained in this picture:

I purchased Shirley from my Grandma Lucy the summer of 2007. Grandma passed away a few months later. I have loved having Shirley as part of my life for so long; a temporal way to keep memories of my grandma close. We've had a few close calls with Shirley, wondering if she would make it through another year. (Mostly Couper's doubt, I've always believed in her. ;) ) For the past three summers we I have gotten sick for a good month before inspection, crossing my fingers that we could prove Couper wrong and make another years worth of memories (without having to pay an arm and a leg). And for the last three years, all we have had to pay for is the safety inspection and renewal fee. Truly, she's amazing.

On Thursday, Em and I broke down in Shirley and had to walk home (..okay, don't feel bad for us. It was at least 40 degrees and sunny, and we were only a block away from our front porch ;). )  A kind neighbor out working on his own car took a look and said he was almost positive my transmission was shot. That didn't sound right to me, but I won't pretend to be an expert. It made me nervous, and I was upset, but I didn't shed a tear. I was keeping my faith; this is much too inconvenient a time for us to go down to a one-car family (is there a convenient time?). Anyway, to wrap up, Shirley will once again be resurrected! She has just been well used (and is a quarter of a century) and the passenger CV axle had served it's time, but it wasn't her time. I couldn't be happier, and neither could our bank account! Hip-hip for Shirley (and a quiet 'thanks' to Grandma ;).)