CHICKEN SITTIN'

Yup.

She's still sitting. 

  

Should be starting to hatch in 6-7 days. 

I'm a little excited. 

She's gonna be a great little mama!

FOOD STORAGE

My daughter and DIL went to Brigham City to Honeyville Farms to learn about Meals in a Jar.

I have always had a passion about food storage.

These meals were made using my current long term storage and some freeze dried meats that I purchased while I was there. 

Baked Ziti.
Yankee Pot Roast.
Mac and cheese.
Taco Soup

I made some personal sized ones as well to take to work. 

Add specified amount of water and microwave for 10 minutes. 

Delicious and convenient. 

BROODY AND CRANKY

Not me.
Lucy, my hen.
We have four chickens and they are ALL supposed to be laying.
Lucy has decided she wants to sit in the nest all day
and all night.
And NOT lay eggs!

For the last three weeks!!!

So Jon, my chicken pimp, suggested that I let this broody hen hatch out eggs.
If she wants to be a mommy, let her.

Jon has an amazing chicken operation.
He's hatching out hundreds.

So today I brought home a dozen fertilized eggs.

A DOZEN!!!!
I pulled Lucy off the nest and placed a dozen fertilized eggs in her nest.

Apparently they like sitting on a lot of eggs.
Not just one or two.
So in 21 days Lucy should be a chicken mama.
And should hopefully lay eggs again.

I WASN'T PERFECT AFTER ALL

I've personally been acquainted with 34
Mother's Days.

I finally had children so I could be the
perfect mother!
"I'm never gonna....."
"I'm always gonna...."
"My kids will always..."
"My kids will never..."

I guess my kids didn't read the manual.

So I fumbled through the Motherhood thing.
Sometimes pretty badly.

I remember every moment of inpatience.
Every word I shouldn't have said.
Every moment I wasn't there.
Every word I should have said but didn't.

I remember them.
Sometimes I lie awake over them.
And I've shed many tears about them.

Howie wrote me a note this morning.
Before he flew out of town for the week.
I saved that note until tonight.

He told me I was the mother that our children needed.

He's told me that before.
But today it felt different.

Maybe I was the right mom for them.

Today I held the hands of my daughters.
My 34 year old and my 21 year old.

Today I hugged my mother.

And I hugged my daughters
And I hugged a granddaughter

I wasn't a perfect mother.

But I believe I loved each of my 5 children perfectly.
Unconditionally perfectly.

And maybe...
just maybe...
it's OK that I wasn't perfect after all.

SINCE THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY

Our empty nest became full again.
And again.

Lynsey and Lexi came home.
Unexpectedly.
Unsure about her marriage.

We are happy to help and offer comfort.
And solace.

It is a joy to have that little 5 year old dancing and singing through the house.
Such a happy child.
Our prayers of course are with our daughter as she searches what she should do.

Then about a month ago Candice and her hubby needed to move back home for a few months.
They are trying to be in a better situation in all aspects of their lives.
It's been good for us to be able to get to know Tyler better.

It may not be what we expected, but it's ok.

We learn to adjust.

We accept and we love.

Unconditionally.

TODAY I NEED TO BE....TALLER

I have some seriously bad "roots" going on.

I was a hairdresser.
I know how to color this mess.
I just don't wanna.
My baby girl hairdresser is going to do this job for me tomorrow.

But today at work,
I need taller.

Instead of people looking "down" on me as I run into their xyphoid.
I need taller.

I blame this gray hair of mine on him:

It's contagious.
I caught it from him.

TOTALLY his fault!
Don't let his cuteness fool you!

Or maybe it's hereditary.

And I got it from them!

They are gray hair makers for sure.

And right now,
I need to be 6'4 so that no one can see that white stripe
running through the part in my hair!

LDS GENERAL CONFERENCE

Sometimes life is hard.
Oftentimes overwhelming.

So very thankful for messages given at General Conference.

Matt, Tara, me and Lynsey. 
I would love to come here with all of my children.
Need to figure out a way to get that many tickets for another time.

Cute!

Me with my oldest two. Older doesn't necessarily mean mature.

FRIENDS AND BABIES

I posted here about an awesome couple of ladies I have met through blogging.

Well, I met them again today.

Camille moved to my hometown a couple of years ago after marrying the man of her dreams.

Connie is Camille's mom and came to visit.

Because Camille has a brand new human!

While we were visiting I also got to see Kimmie.

Mom and baby are doing great.

Connie is awesome and has such a cute haircut!

Kimmie, darling as ever!

I've made some incredible friends from blogging and I don't regret it a bit.