Lovely Fall Day

Today really was a lovely day, and it definitely felt like Fall. It started out with a beautiful fog that made everything look a little other-worldly. Since Terral's dad helped us get the heater going the other day, we were nice and cozy inside.

My sister Sarah and her family slept over last night to break up their trip to D-land. I love that we can accommodate people now! Ethan was asleep when they got here, so he had a fun surprise of two cousins that came running as soon as they heard he was awake! Ethan and H immediately started acting silly. It was really fun to see them all play. And I was glad that we had gotten some good visiting with Sarah and Kyle the night before since the morning was full of activity and corralling little boys.

Of course they all got a house tour, and we showed them the chickens too. And we had squeegie eggs for breakfast. But all too soon, it was time for them to get on the road again. Luckily, we get to see them in a week on their return trip. :)

After they left, Terral took Ethan outside to play while I showered. He was excited to tell me everything they did when I was done with my second breakfast. (First one didn't deign to stay in my stomach.) I can't remember everything, but they did things like balance on the concrete borders, saw big branches into pieces, and play with tractors in the dirt. Oh, and they played Rocket Moon. :)

Well, we decided it was such a beautiful day (the fog burned off as soon as the sun came up) that we wanted to go for a little ride. So we hopped in the car and took off in the direction of Summit. I don't think I'd ever been there before. It's one of those little towns that you always see the sign for but never stop because there just isn't a reason to. Well, we were really glad we went there today. As we were driving through just enjoying ourselves, we saw a handmade sign advertising a pumpkin patch. We decided to turn around and check it out.

Turns out the patch was in the backyard of an older gentleman. He said his granddaughter had come and planted them all. He was really nice, and we visited with him while Ethan inspected each pumpkin. The vines tripped him up a few times, but he was having so much fun he didn't seem to mind.

 Here he is with the pumpkin he picked out.

 We also ended up buying a box of apples (for $5!) while we were there. Yummy! I used them in dinner tonight and intend to make many delicious things with them. :)

After our impromptu stop, we continued on to Parowan so we could gas up the car. While we were there Ethan got antsy to get out of the car, so we decided to find a park. When we found the park, we also found a Fall Fest going on. I guess this day was just meant to celebrate the new season!

When we parked, I saw a little shop called Half Moon Trading Post, or something like that, and we went in to check it out, just because we could. They had lots of interesting things inside. We were particularly interested in the handmade leather working. I was impressed with how reasonably it was priced! I think we will be going back sometime. :)

When we finally made it to the park, Ethan took off running. I just love watching him run. :)

 He and daddy played with the swings while I investigated food options. We ended up with tamales.

 We might have stayed longer, but it was Ethan's nap time and we hadn't brought any extra diapers with us. And we didn't find the bathrooms until it was too late. But before we left, we played in the leaves for a little bit. I showed Ethan how to kick them, which he thought was pretty fun. Then he found a leaf with two stems coming out from it, and it instantly became an airplane that he flew around and around. What a cutie!

 Well, we made it home and took a nap. When we (Ethan and I) woke up, we had some more visitors. Terral's parents had come to see Ethan, but I found them outside helping Terral work on the power washer that we had borrowed from some friends. They got it going, and then put it to work!

Ethan got to play with his grandparents while Terral worked some more on the garage. There's plenty more to do, but every little bit done feels good!


It was fun to have a Saturday that really felt like a Saturday. We got to visit, play, relax, celebrate the season, and work all in one day. I certainly wouldn't mind having more days like this. :)


PS I nearly forgot to mention one of the loveliest things about today. Terral was able to feel our baby this morning!

Cherry Pickin'

In spite of going to bed early last night, I did not sleep well. So I decided to take a nap with Ethan today. Just as I was waking up, I hear a knock at the door. It's really not a usual thing for people to visit us, so I figured I would just ignore it since I wasn't exactly presentable. If it was a friend, they would get back with me, and if it was a salesman, so much the better. Well, the person just kept knocking, and it woke Ethan up. So I finally took our groggy selves to the door. I found two bicyclists parked on our lawn picking cherries. The older one saw me, apologized for waking us up, and then asked if they could possibly come back to pick a bucket of cherries. I was rather taken aback by this forwardness and wasn't quite sure how to answer him. I told him we were going to pick them tonight, but I supposed if there were any left that he could reach he could have some. I concluded that it was a very good thing we were picking the cherries for Family Home Evening, because otherwise whatever the birds didn't get to would be picked off by strange people passing by!

Our cherry tree is loaded this year, which is nice because we didn't get any the previous two years. It's a little frustrating to see the branches covered in cherries way up high, past the reach of a ladder or even a climb. Even so, there were plenty that we could reach. Yum! We are going to try drying some this year since we don't seem to eat the bottled ones very much.

This is just before we started picking. As you can see, Ethan got a little spoiled today. Our friends the Murrays were getting rid of a bunch of toys, and they stopped by to see if we wanted any of them. They certainly helped keep him entertained while we were busy! Grandma watched Ethan for us, switch out bags, and gathered cherries we dropped.

 Ethan thought it was pretty cool to see us way up high, and he had a lot of fun eating the cherries and playing with grandma. I think we'll be seeing a number of pits in his diaper soon, though. . .

 I spent quite a while getting all the cherries I could reach from the roof. I think the back of my legs probably got a pretty good tan. ;)

 Doug's station was on the ladder. He told us stories of his parent's orchard.

 And Terral was our monkey for the day. :) No surprise there.

It feels good to have the majority of the picking done. Now we just have to take care of the fruit! Somehow I don't think we'll have any problem getting rid of the excess. . .

Wax On, Wax Off

Well, I was going to wax all philosophical on you tonight, but when I started to write it out, I felt kinda dumb. So I erased it.

And now I don't really know what to write.

I learned some very interesting things about spleens recently. I'm very passionate about learning.

Hmmm. Maybe I'll just write some random things that come to my head.

I have now been home from my mission 5 years. Or is tomorrow the anniversary? Obviously, it's been long enough that details have faded.

The one person I was blessed enough to teach from the very beginning through her baptism is currently serving a mission in Moscow. She'll be home soon. Crazy.

When she came to the MTC, Terral and I were able to meet her at the airport. That was something of a miracle trip. I had only hoped to just see her for a short while at the airport, but we were able to take to spend the night at my sister's house and then drive her to the MTC the next morning. It was so awesome to have that extra time to talk with her. She is such a sweet person and I just feel love every time I think of her.

(7 Dec 2010)

Sometimes I feel like my life before my marriage happened to someone else. I don't feel this way as much now, but I have sometimes felt as though I am a completely different person from who I used to be.

I often wonder how my children will think of me.

I enjoy the evolving relationship I have with my mother, and I am trying to see her as the whole person she is. Even when we spend years with someone, we still see just a segment of who they are sometimes.

The more I learn, the more I see connections in all aspects of life. Relationships, thoughts, spirit, emotion, energy, environment, diet, chemistry, form. . . so many actions and reactions.

Have I waxed philosophical after all?

Community Supported Agriculture

Oooh! I am so excited! We just joined a CSA! What is a CSA, you might ask? Well, if you read post titles, you might have guessed that it stands for Community Supported Agriculture. And you would be right. It's kind of like subscription farming.


I have really been trying to better our diets, but have felt kind of stuck. We decided not to do a garden this year because it turned out to be too much work last year with the little one, with not enough profit. When we have our own property we will resume. Until then, I thought we would be stuck with store-bought produce, which is sometimes okay and other times really not that great.


Last night I came across this website via another blog. If you live in the US, you can use it to find local farmers, CSAs, and farmer's markets. Very cool! I was really excited when I found this farm so close to us. And they have just recently started a CSA! Perfect timing. :)


Getting a weekly basket from them will cut down on what I need to buy at the store, making shopping less stressful for me. I like supporting local businesses—especially if they do something so beneficial—and I'm really excited to have locally grown, seasonal produce. Oh, the goodness!


Now we just need to find a good source for bulk grains.

Toxic Topic

Well, I had quite the "conversation" on Face Book today. Since I spent so much time writing there, and since the subject is something I think about quite frequently, I thought I would share it here. It is rather lengthy, but I think it's worth the read. And while you're at it, check out the links. :D


ME (posting a link): An interesting review article on a study finding a correlation between acetaminophen and autism, particularly when it is given for a reaction to a vaccine. Whether or not it is one of the causes in the "autism epidemic", I think each of us needs to take a closer look at the amount of toxins and man-made chemicals our kids internalize and are otherwise exposed to.
http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/14/4/364.pdf


FRIEND 1: I think that many human-made components and natural elements were designed to be of use to humans. I also think that many people do exactly opposite of your caution to consider exactly what we are doing to children, and they look for fix-alls or "lifesavers" and unfortunately rely too heavily on medications and/or other means of helping themselves...I mean, their children! So, my feeling is that most things designed for providing aid, and when used appropriately, can be beneficial to address their designed purpose.

Nice review and thanks for sharing :)

FRIEND 2: That article seeks to correlate two exponentially growing things, acetaminophen use and autism diagnosis simply because that are both growing. But, that is a terrible basis to make that correlation with. The price of gas has exponentially grown since the 80s, maybe autism is linked to that because of the stress it causes parents. Consumption of orange juice has also grown exponentially. It means nothing with regards to autism. Finally, don't forget that 100% of organic tomatoes are 100% chemicals that people would gasp at the name of... and the most toxic chemicals on the planet, like cobra venom, are 100% natural!

ME:  I was hoping you'd comment, FRIEND 2. :) I wondered what your take would be.

I realize you can't really pinpoint something like this because there are so many possible factors and a lot of things have increased at the same time. However, I did find it interesting that when certain events prompted a decrease in acetaminophen sales, there was a similar decline of the number of autistic children. Of course, they were only looking at children in California, but it was still interesting since there were multiple occasions. More than that, the article talked about the way acetaminophen can impair sulfation, which I understand to mean the process (or at least one of the processes) the body rids itself of toxins. I personally don't think acetaminophen alone causes autism , but I do think it is a likely trigger for those whose bodies are already overloaded with toxins, especially if they are genetically inclined to poor sulfate metabolism. I also don't think autism is the only result, it just gets a lot of attention.

When you look at the amount of aluminum (which is a natural toxin) in the vaccines in the childhood schedule and the frequency with which it is injected, honestly I have a hard time understanding why the system is the way it is. If you must have aluminum in the vaccines, why not delay and space things out to give the body a greater chance of coping? And then of course, there are numerous other ways in which one can be exposed. The study I've linked to below found "On average, for each 1,000 lb of environmentally released mercury, there was a 43% increase in the rate of special education services and a 61% increase in the rate of autism."

http://www.seedcoalition.org/downloads/autism_study_UTHSCSA.pdf

I just think we assume too often that if some government entity says something is okay, that there's nothing to worry about. And maybe if you were only taking one drug, or we only got one vaccine, etc. there wouldn't be so much of a problem. But when you add everything up for the average person, it's no wonder that so many people are suffering from chronic disease and disability, even if you push aside things like unhealthy eating habits. That's why I think we need to take more personal responsibility to be aware of what we are taking into our bodies, whatever the method.

ME: Sorry it's so long! It's just something that's been on my mind quite a bit.

FRIEND 2: Well, Mary, I would say that we pretty much agree with each other then. It is quite refreshing to talk about a sometimes volatile issue rationally. I especially agree that we should question what our government says is okay. In this day and age we truly should be skeptical about the choices our money-driven and lobbyist influenced government makes. The part that confuses me, I think, is how things are designated as toxins in some circles. You give an excellent example of a natural toxin, aluminum. It just seems to me that chemicals artificially purified or synthesized are too often talked about in a negative context while natural chemicals are implied as safe, when whether something is synthetic vs. natural has absolutely nothing to do with it's toxicity/safety/healthiness. Know what I mean? Are the volatile organics in a tomato any different or less carcinogenic than the exact same molecules made in the lab? At least with an artificially made aspirin, you know what is in there as opposed to chewing willow bark, which contains thousands of unknown chemicals that react with individuals in an unknown way.

FRIEND 2: Sorry for my rant, I guess that has been on my mind lately too. I tip my hat to you Mary. You clearly have thought through this carefully.

ME: Glad to hear it! It really is refreshing. Honestly, I was a little nervous to post this because I didn't want to offend anyone, but I felt it would be decent introduction to a topic I am (obviously) passionate about.

I confess that I don't know what you're talking about as far as tomatoes go, but I certainly see your point. I do know that many drugs are based on chemicals found in essential oils. My personal preference is to use the version made by God, because I trust Him a lot more than man. ; ) But just because something is "natural" doesn't mean it is good for us--Adam fell, after all. Research is often lacking when it comes to herbal resources, which I find frustrating. Fortunately there are some "natural remedies" available that have numerous studies done showing their efficacy. In the end, I'm grateful that we can have heavenly inspiration to help us make decisions in this confusing mess.

FRIEND 2: Tomatoes, for example, contain ethylene - a volatile organic chemical (VOC) used in the production of plastics among many other things. There are literally thousands of different VOCs produced naturally by tomatoes. While apple seeds contain cyanide, the same chemical that they use in gas chambers, etc. etc.

FRIEND 2:  I too trust God much more than man, but it is tricky to say "the version made by God." After all, God may have made the lavender plants, but he didn't artificially harvest them, dry them, and then distill them to extract and concentrate the chemicals contained within them. See what I am saying? Is a distilled extraction from a plant more natural than other chemicals? Unless you are talking about eating a fruit that has fallen naturally from a tree, it is to one degree or another unnatural. I might also add that the glory of God is intelligence, and it might be possible that He has inspired mankind to make tools that better use the resources He has given us. Finally, though, I do see some great appeal in natural simplicity... I do think there is prudence in eating the most whole foods... I think this helps us live our lives closer to our ancestral roots. Also, I usually want to eat fresher food the less preservatives it has in it, and fresh has to be good. Hmm... amen to the thanks for inspiration!

ME: Now you're just getting picky. ;) I do get what you're saying, and I agree--to an extent. There are a lot of variables that go into what is actually in an extracted essential oil. Where did it grow, when was it harvested, how was it harvested, what part of the plant was harvested, was the plant treated with some sort of pesticide, was it dried or was the oil distilled immediately,etc, etc. All of this can affect the make-up, even chemically, of what the final product is. Since essential oils are much more concentrated than using the actual plant, I think it's pretty important to check into the quality of it. Still, I stand by what I said about what I trust more. I think God put certain chemicals together in a certain balance for a reason. Man and circumstance can affect that, but I'd rather choose the closest option to the original that I can. I have big plans for our landscaping someday. :)

I truly believe that God has inspired man to make use of what He has given us, and I believe He has influenced a good amount of modern healthcare treatments. A lot of chemistry is beyond me, but I find it fascinating and I know good has and will come from the lab. 

I love the way you said "natural simplicity". That really is a lot of the appeal for me. I love that I can have some basic ingredients in my home and use them for a wide variety of applications. For example,I can use vinegar in food, as a hair conditioner, to treat sunburn, and as a cleaner. And I don't have to worry about Ethan playing nearby or even in the bucket when I wash the floor.

As you said, the glory of God is intelligence, and knowledge is power. As long as we are taking an active role in deciding what we allow into our lives, rather than passively going with the norm (not that the norm is necessarily a bad thing), and doing our best to be guided by the Holy Ghost in those decisions, I think we'll be just fine. I love learning about this sort of thing because I think it helps me really make a difference in my life and my family's life, and hopefully some other lives as well. And it really does amaze me when I think about all the goodness God has put in the earth.

Thanks for the discussion, FRIEND 2. :) We need to have dinner or something again soon! Then we can have some enlightening conversations in person. :)

Possibly Pox

For the past couple days Ethan has been inexplicably whiny, which is a pretty good bet that he's not feeling well. Then yesterday evening he started getting a runny nose which got much worse as the night wore on. He also seemed to be running a slight fever last night, but no temp today. Tonight I noticed two little spots on one of his arms. They don't exactly look like blisters, but it certainly raises the possibility of chicken pox.

I can't tell you how happy that makes me! 

And no, I'm not being sarcastic.

My personal view on vaccines is that we should treat them with much more caution than most of us do. The vaccine issue is a complicated one that requires a lot of digging before you can even begin to feel confident in forming opinions. After doing some digging of my own, I would much prefer that in the case of chicken pox my children get the actual disease instead of the vaccine. For one thing, there is a much higher rate of lifetime immunity for those who experience the disease versus those who are vaccinated. Unfortunately (in my opinion), it is rather difficult to get the actual disease these days. Incredibly, Ethan had a possible double exposure last weekend. We went to Kanab for Easter (post on that coming soon), and out of all of my family, the two sisters that were there had kids just recovered from chicken pox. Amazing. 

I do have doubts that Ethan has really contracted it, though. For one thing, none of the kids had spots left when we were with them. For another, the incubation period is usually longer than just the few days we've been home. Even so, I am very hopeful. I know that is so weird to say. I'm hopeful my kid is sick. But honestly, even though I had logical reasons to hope he would get chicken pox, I was surprised at how light-hearted I felt thinking he might actually have it. I think it just boils down to the fact that for me, it would be an answer to prayer.

CC Salve

Yesterday Ethan developed quite the diaper rash, and it reminded me that I never posted about our Christmas gifts. I just reread that sentence and realized that may like quite a stretch, but hang with me for a moment and it will make sense.

One of the gifts I made Terral was a Calendula-Comfrey Salve. He liked it, but truth be told, he was more excited by the home made deodorant. ;) He has used it a few times since, but it turns out that little boys learning to walk, run, climb, and explore get quite a few more "owies" than their dads who teach and make sandals. So even though the salve is still Terral's, it kind of became Ethan's too. Especially once we found out how good it works on diaper rash.

When I was researching cloth diapers, most of the websites made it sound like diaper rash was practically nonexistent with cloth diaper users. Although it hasn't been a real frequent occurrence, Ethan has definitely not escaped this babyhood experience. But the care instructions for our diapers forbid the use of creams, so we had to find another way. We used cornstarch as a preventative measure when he was younger. When he did get a rash, we usually applied silver gel. That helped prevent the rash from getting worse, but it didn't speed up the healing process much.  The thing that seemed to aid healing the most was baking soda in his bath water. That usually cleared it up pretty well.

Some time after Christmas, Ethan got another rash and I tried the salve I had made. It cleared up so quickly! I was definitely impressed and vowed to make another bottle to keep in the nursery. Only I haven't done that yet, so we're still using Terral's. :) He's very generous with it. It helps that a little goes a long way.

Which brings me back to the beginning of this post. As I said, Ethan got a rash yesterday, and he somehow pooped in his diaper twice after that without us catching it quickly. The result was one sore little man. A baking soda bath and a couple salve applications later, and not a sign of red lingers.

It feels so good to know that I can make something like that to help my family. I'm continually amazed by the gifts God has given us, and the wisdom He used in making them.

PS The above recipe made enough to fill 2 baby food jars. I gave the other one to my dad. And just in case you were wondering, I took these pictures today, so you can kind of see how little we've used the past few months—in spite of frequent use.

Fever Fight

Not sure anyone noticed, but I didn't blog yesterday.  The day started out pretty well.  The morning was nice, and then Ethan and I took a nap together. When we woke up, I realized that he was feeling quite warm. Sure enough, a thermometer confirmed a high fever. As afternoon turned into evening, he got worse and required all my attention. Our normally full-of-personality boy just lay there, like it was all he could do to look at us. Terral's dad came over to help give him a priesthood blessing. The blessing was very comforting, but we still worried about our miserable-looking son and what we could do to help him. We had given him some essential oils, but wondered if there was something else we should do. We debated taking him to the emergency room since everything else was closed. In the end, we decided to wait until morning.

In the morning, Terral called our doctor (a naturopath), and although he had a full schedule, they fit us in at 1:30. Ethan seemed marginally better, but still needed to be held all the time and wouldn't eat or drink anything besides breastmilk. I was so glad that we are still nursing and I could know he was getting some nutrition and antibodies to help his little body fight. I gave him some baths, lots of snuggles, and some more essential oils. I cancelled my violin lessons, and Terral went to work for a little while to fix the sewing machine. Ethan was so sad when he left! He wasn't gone long, though, because he had decided to take time off to help at home. What a blessing that he can do that, and do it so willingly!

A couple hours passed and Ethan seemed a little better. We went outside for a walk in the stroller, and he actually jabbered a bit because he enjoyed it, but you could tell he was still struggling.

When we went to our appointment, the doctor talked with us about what we had tried already and gave some suggestions for other things we could do at home. Then he recommended hydrotherapy, which we did, and also suggested an herbal throat spray. He was really nice and helpful. And even though they had to squeeze us in, he didn't charge us for the office visit. So nice!

When we got home, we tried the method he told us to help the fever do it's job, applied some more oils, and continued with the cuddles. This evening Ethan was doing so much better! It started with a little more animation, and by the end of the night he was jabbering, walking around (albeit a little wobbly still), and playing! He even ate and asked to go to the potty! What a relief to have our little man back! His fever has gone down, and he's sleeping now. We are so grateful for everything (and everyone!) that is helping him to get better.

Toothpaste Update

Just a little follow-up on our move to homemade toothpaste. . .

We are now on round two of homemade toothpaste, and it's working better for us this time. We liked the first stuff, but since coconut oil is solid at room temp., it was rather difficult to get on the brush, which resulted in us using it up rather quickly.

When I made the second batch, I added some vegetable glycerin, which softened it up and made it easier to use. As a bonus, glycerin can be used to treat gum disease because it kills the associated bacteria. A word of caution though, I have read that glycerin can form a film on teeth which hampers remineralization, and I haven't gotten to the bottom of the question of whether it's good or bad. The raw honey I used this time had not yet crystalized, so it mixed in better. And finally, I added peppermint essential oil instead of tea tree. We like it, but I'll add a few drops more next time. Overall, we have definitely been enjoying this batch.

Ethan likes it too. He's never tasted commercial toothpaste because before I made my own, we just used water.

 Ethan makes a cute little green caterpillar, no?

Did I mention we were excited?

Well, my voice is still MIA for the most part. There were a couple times today that it almost sounded normal for a sentence or two, but I'm really trying to not talk, so I of course didn't see what the limits were. The first day was rather difficult (it's hard to say anything with authority when you can only whisper), but I've gotten somewhat used to it, and Ethan has too. We've both been signing more, which is cool. Terral's a little too used to it at times. He starts whispering back, and then half-way through the conversation he remembers that he can talk at a normal volume. :)

Back to the topic of Ethan signing, he's still doing really well with signing "potty". In fact, last night he even went to the bathroom door himself and pounded on it to go in! And he did more than just pee in the toilet! It was very exciting. It made up for the fact that he wouldn't go to bed. (And it, along with a late nap he had, explained why he wouldn't.) So in spite of the late hour, we bundled up and went outside for a bit for his reward.

And today, he peed two more times in the potty! Hooray!

Okay, I promise this blog will not turn into a daily log of bowel movements. I'll just record the big stuff. Unfortunately for you, I get to decide what counts as big. ;)

Another exciting thing happened today. We got an awesome package in the mail! On Monday we took a big plunge and signed up for doTERRA and our essential oils came today! And boy, were we eager to start using them. It was heavenly to breathe deep without feeling like I had to cough.

So, yeah. Lotta excitement 'round here. :)

Homemade Toothpaste

I thought I'd do a follow-up post about making your own toothpaste for those of you who might be interested.

As I was looking at various recipes, I ran across this page, which weighs the pros and cons of making your own toothpaste.  The pros are you save money and avoid bad stuff. The cons are you have to research and spend a little time and effort.  I thought that was kind of funny.  It really wasn't difficult at all, although the some of the ingredients are not what most people would have on hand.  I didn't have them on hand until just recently, but I love having them because you can use them for so many things!

Although honey does have sugars in it, which is listed as a reason to not use it in the above link, I decided to add it to my toothpaste not only for the sweetening factor, but also because honey is antibacterial.  This page has a whole list of uses for honey, one of which is diluting it in water and using it as a mouthwash.  Since the honey (and consequently the sugar) doesn't stay on your teeth, I don't imagine it could cause tooth decay.  But I'm not an expert or anything, so take the advice of the first link and do your own research. ;) Other sweeteners I've seen used are stevia and xylitol.

Here is a kind of homemade toothpaste buffet.  It lists options for the basic ingredients of most homemade toothpastes, including several essential oils.  This way you could flavor it any way you (or your kids!) would like.  You should note that not all essential oils are created equal, and for internal use you should make sure the EO is therapeutic grade.

The essential oils are not just for flavoring, this article talks about some of the EO's in the above link (plus lavendar) and how their antibacterial properties aid in preventing dental problems.

So there have it. A few resources for the interested and adventurous.  Let me know if you decide to try it!  Cuz that would be fun. Then we could, like, swap toothbrushing stories and stuff.  Um, yeah.  I'm going to bed now. G'night!


PS Apparently I only had one link in my last post.  I fixed it, so now both recipes are there.

Who Are You, and What Have You Done with Yourself?

That's the question I felt like asking myself a few times today.  It was kind of surreal.  I didn't get up particularly early, but by 2:30 I was pretty much done with all of my "have-to's" of the day.  Dishes done. Laundry caught up.  Bathroom clean.  Living room and bedrooms picked up. Weird.  So I cleaned some windows.  Then I took Ethan on a walk and dropped by a friend's house where we spent a couple hours just because we could.

When we got back, Ethan was acting ornery and tired, so I put him down for a late nap and started making toothpaste.  I've been wanting to try it for a while, and this was the perfect opportunity since our tube had just run out.

I combined elements from these two recipes and went for it. I used baking soda, coconut oil, tea tree oil, and raw honey.  The honey didn't mix in very well, which is maybe why the baking soda taste ended up being rather prominent.  I'll see if I can figure out how to fix that.  In the mean time it seems to work better than the commercial stuff, and I shouldn't have any problems with spoilage since I used honey as the sweetener.

Speaking of teeth, two more just popped out in Ethan's mouth.  That brings the total up to six—two on the bottom and four up top. Crazy kid just keeps growing!

The Blue Coat

When I was still in high school, my mom bought me a coat (I think it was a Christmas present?) with the idea that I could someday use it on my mission, but when I got my call to Russia, I decided I would need a warmer coat and it was left behind.

After I got home, I pretty much only wore it over a dress to concerts or on an occasional Sunday, which means I didn't wear it very much.  I tinkered with the idea of shortening it so I could wear it more frequently, but I was intimidated by the thought of actually doing it, and it just never seemed urgent, so I just left it the way it was.

This winter I decided that I was tired of having only a brown coat to wear (I lent my black coat that I bought in Russia to someone a couple years ago and they lost it *grr!*), so in November, I determined to forge ahead with the blue coat.

I apologize that the quality of the first photos is so bad.  It was a quick-take-a-picture-before-I-cut-it-up kind of thing.  Terral snapped the "after" pics during Ethan's one year old shoot.  He caught me unawares. So just in case you were wondering, no, I wasn't wearing half my collar up on purpose.

Anyway, there you have it!  I certainly didn't do a perfect job of it, but I'm really pleased with the way it turned out over all.  I wear it all the time now, and makes me feel a lot cuter than the brown coat ever did.  Yes, I do believe this one will be filed under Success.

O Christmas Tree

I was really excited about our Christmas tree this year. It started when Ethan was playing with an empty baby food jar. I realized that those things are fairly indestructible. Suddenly I was looking at the jar in a new way. With the label gone, it was really quite pretty. I decided to make some ornaments. I didn't have enough time to make all of my ideas, but I was happy with the way the ones I did make turned out.

I hope you like the pictures Terral took for me. I asked him to take them during the day because I love the way the sun looks through the glass. Also, we have LED lights, and the blue just kind of throws everything off. I need to get some white lights.

For the jar ornaments, I spray painted the lids, and then used jute twine and hot glue to decorate the jars. Next year I'd like to gather mini pine cones to put in some of the jars, and maybe do something with glitter or shredded sheet music. But this year I kept it pretty minimal.

I really like the snowflake ornaments. I made some extra for gifts to friends, and I filled them with candies.

I really like the look of this one with the red and white striped candy. I actually didn't hang any like this on the tree, but I had several of them on the piano.

For the bell garland, I got some copied sheet music and aged it with tea. Then I used a bell punch I got at a thrift store for $2 and punched out a bunch of bells, making sure to utilize the notes well. Then I sewed them all together on my sewing machine. I really like the way it looks, but it was kind of time consuming, and is rather fragile. Not the best thing with a babe around. On the up side, it cost next to nothing, and I can always make more.

My mom gave me these violin ornaments several years ago.  I only have three of them, but maybe someday I'll get some more. I love taking them out of the box every year and thinking of my mom, my years studying music, and all the times my family has supported me in that. Music means so much to me. There's a reason why Christmas Carols abound. What better medium could we have for praising our God?