Surprise

We always told the kids when Owen got potty trained we could get a dog. We even had the kinds narrowed down. Well Owen is now potty trained but instead of a dog you get... a new baby. Surprise! (to us all.)

I am finally getting over the shock. Sorry to my friends and family who are trying for babies right now. I'm not sure how I got bumped up to the front of the line. Perrie is taking it very well. She thinks about it almost as much as me and has been such a little mother to Owen since she found out. She says she wants to be there when I deliver, hmm I'm still thinking of that one. When I asked Owen if I should have another baby he said with panic "NO!" He tries to lift my shirt and look for the baby. Dave is taking it well too. Maybe it hasn't hit him yet, but he hasn't complained about me being so lazy lately so that is a good sign.=)

February 14th!

Natural Beauty

I was inspired by Ashley’s blog to write about my “beauty regiment”. I have very sensitive skin and used to have alot of breakouts. I bought this book a few years ago called “Absolute Beauty” by a gorgeous woman from India. I have a lot of respect for ayuervedic medicine so I was drawn to this one. She basically says, your skin is your biggest organ right? So why would you put something on your skin that you wouldn’t eat? That made a lot of sense to me. She has various recipes for different skin types and more information on massage, meditation, and diet.

For the last few years I have used only food grade oils for my skin. My favorite is almond oil for a body oil, which you can mix with a favorite essential oil. I have also tried grapeseed oil, apricot kernel oil and even extra virgin olive oil works well. For my face I wash with a homemade scrub of barley meal, powdered milk and dried lemon peel. Then I nourish and moisturize with pure absolute Rose Oil, mixed with a little almond oil. This has worked better for me then anything ever! I never feel too dry or too oily, my skin rarely has a breakout anymore. The real Rose oil is a little pricey but last a long time. Otherwise I am saving a ton of money and doing my body good.

Now I have been trying to eliminate shampoo and conditioner. I know you are thinking stinky hippy, but after reading about the known carcinogens in that stuff I was looking for alternatives. I heard about this baking soda wash and apple cider vinegar rinse. I was skeptical but since I have all those items in my house I had to try it. So far it has worked great. There is more info here http://babyslime.livejournal.com/174054.html

I am excited by these simple, healthy choices and I am saving a lot of money. What beauty treatments do you find helpful?

Garden Help

We peek at our garden daily, but it is barely growing in this 50' weather. =( Owens tool of choice right now is this edger. He loves the sound it makes when he pushes it. The kids dare each other to run thru Papa's bee-infested raspberry rows. We love working in the garden.

Note to Self:

Alpine lakes & trails are still very snowy late May. While hiking you will fall into snow pits as high as your waist, many times. You will not be able to see the trail because it is buried. Everything is white and you will get lost, many times. It is cold at the lake and the kids are wet (extra socks would be good.) You cannot start a fire because all the wood is wet. The fish are not biting so don’t bring your fishing rod. You will hear an avalanche!

In other words- Please don’t go hiking at higher elevations in May ever again!

Priceless treasure

Today some neighbors trimmed there hedges and we found this little fellow very exposed. I knew the family would not return to the nest out in the open, so we claimed it. This is a real treasure to our family, we are very excited. We marvel at the complex and laborous work. Over the last few years we have become bird watchers. It is like a treasure hunt looking for birds. You have just a brief moment to observe & memorize some features before they fly off, and then try to identify them in your book. It is a fun challenge.

Mouthwatering Rhubarb

If you have rhubard, you know it is growing CRAZY right now. Here is my favorite rhubarb recipe. So easy, so yummy.

Rhubarb- Strawberry Crisp

Stir the following together in a bowl:
4 cups diced rhubarb
4 cups halved strawberries
¾ cup sugar
2 tsp orange zest
2 TBL cornstarch
¼ cup orange juice

Pour into a greased 9x13 in pan. For topping, cut together:

9 TBL cold butter
1 ¼ cup flour
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup sugar
Pinch of salt

Spread over fruit. Bake at 375’ for 45 minutes. Top with cream or ice cream. Enjoy!

Chopper man

A good part of each day is spent following this fellow around with his real hammer and ear protectors. Yesterday we actually got out to the fabric store and can you believe he found a hammer for sale at the fabric store? I never knew. Well of course I had to buy it. It was destiny. It is smaller and safer looking then our others. He keeps me laughing.