Let me introduce to you my new little niece, Miss Welby Ann !  She is a super cutie, and has stolen many hearts in her 4 months... especially her big brother, Johnny's heart!  He loves her so much and is always giving her hugs and kisses, sometimes even waking her from a sweet slumber to do so. He can't help it, she is his little sister and he needs to be sure she has all the love and attention she needs during this difficult first year.   If anyone is up to the challenge of giving lots of love, it's Johnny!

He is a GREAT big brother.  Sometime to a fault, but he means well, and is always wanting to hold her hand, kiss her cheek and read books with her.  He is truly a blessing to all of the family and we are so lucky to have both him and Welby in our family!

Our "orchard"

Our little (one tree) orchard is ready to harvest. This year, the cherry tree was loaded with so many cherries, we were afraid the birds would feast upon it before we could get the cherries picked, so we invested in some netting to protect the little red fruits before they ripened.  It worked!  We have been sneaking some here and there and finally decided to get busy and pick them.

I wanted to get a few pictures of them before harvesting, so I got the camera and ended up spending nearly a half hour getting every angle I could... after all, who knows what next year will provide?

Of course, when taking pictures of beautiful red globes of deliciousness, one must always be sure they taste as good as they look!

look at that branch! It is begging to have it's burden relieved!

Mmmmmmm!  That one is definately good!

Oooops!  That accidentally came off the tree... I must give in and eat these too.....

Well, I guess it's time.  To harvest, that is.

It took me nearly 2 hours, but I was able to get the tree done (no thanks to the wind)  I got some sun, good pictures and a bellyache! 

Oh, and did I mention 5 quart sized ziploc baggies full of cherries?  YUM!

Kaylee

Kaylee.  My niece.  She is 18 and has, for many years, thought of herself as an adult.  In part, that is true.  She had to grow up fast due to the environment she grew up in.  Her home life was not the best. I guess you can call it a broken home.  She was witness to abuse, drugs, alcohol and ultimately, divorce. She and her Mom left a bad situation and came home to Utah several years ago for a fresh start.  It was very difficult for Kaylee to leave her friends and come to a place where she knew no one.  She didn't like it here, and she wasn't the type to try to like it, either.  School was not easy for her.... she is very smart, but lacked the motivation to try, so she struggled.  She looked to friends who also lacked the motivation needed to succeed in school.  I worried about her choice in friends, activities, and future.  If you tried to talk about what she should be doing, she would do the exact opposite.  It is very frustrating to watch someone (seemingly on purpose) throw her future away by trying to show you that she would do anything and everything she wanted to do, and there isn't anything you can do about it.

Teenagers are interesting.  I don't remember being moody, depressed, snotty, silly, giggly and loud all in the matter of one hour.  I learned that they can be fun and talkative one minute and then pissed off and give the cold shoulder the next.  I learned you have thousands of eggshells beneath your bare feet and have to walk very carfully around them. 

Fortunately, I am not her Mom.  LOL.  I think I might have ended up either in prison or a mental institution if she had been mine!  I struggled daily watching her waste her life away hanging out with friends I didn't think were worthy of her.  That was my problem...a problem I had to deal with and "let go of" as it were.  So I finally came to the realization that it wasn't for me to decide who she would be, what friends she should have, or how (or if) she would finish High School.  I simply "let go". 

Last year, Kaylee was told that she would not be allowed to come back for her senior year if she didn't get certain credits done. I guess it must have been the kick in the pants she needed to get herself motivated to finish school, because she worked through the summer taking online classes and tests and it must have helped, because she was allowed to come back for her senior year. Not only that, but her counselor told her that if she took a CNA course, she would have enough credits by March to graduate early!  What???  Well, if not coming back for her final year wasn't motivating enough, the thought of getting out 2 months early certainly was!  She really got her butt in gear and did it... she really did it!  Wow.

I guess she showed me!

Now don't think I have actually completely "let go".  I still think she can do amazing things if she puts her mind to it.  I still want good things for her.  I still think she needs to have good friends surrounding her and uplifting her, but I can let her make her mistakes and know that she will (hopefully) learn from them just as I have, for I do remember thinking I knew everything at the ripe age of 18, too!

 She really did show me.


 Congratulations, Kaylee !  I love you.

Happy Easter !  :O)

Spring?

Pretty mild winter.  The daffodils are in bloom now and the tulips are peeking out from the ground. Our forcythia is also blooming and the peas have been planted now.  Looks like spring is on the way!  I haven't had the gumption to get out with my camera yet... I really should just do it. The people up the street from us have 2 new baby goats that are only two weeks old, and they are simply adorable!  I held them both as they protested verbally... even their little voices were adorable!  That made me want to pick up the camera and get some pictures of baby farm animals... maybe even one of me holding those sweet little guys!
Easter is around the corner and we made some sugar cookie dough today for Mom's DUP meeting on Monday.  We made a double batch so there would be plenty for us as well. :O) I found the recipe on Pinterest and hopefully it is a good one.  It has sour cream in it, so they should be soft ones.  Not sure about how we will frost them yet... I've always wanted to try the smooth looking icing that looks glossy when it dries, but we shall see.
The wind is blowing like crazy today. It was warm, but so very blustery! Tomorrow the temps are plummeting into the 30's and we are forecasted for snow!  Can you believe that? High of 80 today, and a high of 48 tomorrow... well, it is general conference weekend and as the saying goes.. "When the Mormons meet, the heavens weep" !

Winter frame of mind

Time flies when you are having fun, or does it?  It seems 2 months have gone by and I haven't posted anything, yet I feel I have nothing to post... So I look at my blog and think to myself , 'okay, Christmas is over and you really should do another post', but what do I have to say?  Nothing.  Really, nothing is going on in my life that is worth talking about...the weather?  Well, winter is finally making its presence known... a month and a half of decent temps without any snow is kinda newsworthy, isn't it? 
The family?  Roger is getting called in more and more and it seems exciting, except I have this doom and gloom feeling that it will end and we will be back to struggling again. Living in the parent's basement isn't something you can be proud of at any age let alone being 'middle-aged'.  If we could just get the hubby to the 'full-time employee' status, I would be more enthusiastic about looking for a place to call our own again...it seems lately it may happen, but me and my negative thinking keeps us from that. I call it cautionary, others may see it as lazy, but I have a bad habit of determining the future before it happens. Too many times I have felt comfortable only to have it come back to bite me, so forgive me if I am fearful of taking that "leap of faith". Sometimes bad things happen to good people, and the bad things just keep happening.
I guess most times I try to paint a different picture.  Reality sucks almost always and I have become very cynical  in the last three years.  Should we have stayed in Georgia?  Probably.  Would I have been happy staying there?  Probably not.  I wanted to be closer to my family. That is important to me. Did I think things would fall into place if we moved back to Utah? Yes.  I really did feel in my heart that it was the right thing to do at the time.  Did I think it would be as hard as it has been to find full time employment for the two of us?  No.  I figured I would find something quicker than Roger, but didn't think it would take 2 1/2 years to find (part-time) employment. I also knew that we wouldn't make as much money as we did in Georgia.. I didn't realize that it would be as low as it is, either.  Am I glad I came back home to Utah?  It depends.  I got what I wanted (to be closer to my family) but I have lost my independence.  Is that a good price to pay? I really don't know right now. 
I may feel better in a couple more months and be in a better frame of mind. For now, let's just chalk it up to the winter blues.

Christmas Tree 2011... Mom and I found the snowman topper and it got me thinking all things snowman...of course, I didn't hang carrots or coal on the tree, but I did make some mittens and top hats to add to the theme... they did turn out pretty good if I say so myself! 

Add a scarf....

Some top hats and candy canes....

... don't forget the snow!

Be sure to wear warm mittens, too!!!   :O)

Add a little boy who steals your heart.. (and the decorations off the tree)  LOL

...talk about your "peace, love  and joy" !  Merry Christmas everyone.... and to all a good nite!  :O)