Summer is finally here

And going way to fast already!

And summer means fresh fruit that we can afford and is actually good to eat. Matt's been able to get out fishing, I have not had a change to get out on the water yet:( We have been working on the back yard a lot. Have been camping once and going again this weekend. We've been milking a lot of cows. Had some family in town the last weekend, it was fun to see them. Did I mention working a lot? Yep, we have been. Have had a good summer so far and plan on packing a lot more in so stay tuned...

Bunnies, bunnies!

This is Emma

These pictures are of Chester. He's rather anti social. Emma is a sweet heart. She loves any attention possible. Chester, really only cares for Emma:)

I LOVE little bunny mouths:) Isn't it cute!?

Lightning and lightning bugs.......

Some lightning we captured the other night when we were out storm chasing:) We were chasing lightning and this is all we really got. I wanna go out again sometime maybe when it's better and maybe in one place. It was all over the sky and really hard to decide where we should set the camera up. It was pretty even though we didn't get much of it recorded onto a SanDisk.

Matt was out walking Ollie one night and saw a lot of lightning bugs out. We went and tried to get some pictures. They were pretty too. There are just some things (like lightning and lightning bugs) that take a lot of practice getting a picture that really looks like what the naked eye sees.

Another really good book!

I love the main chorictor, she's a spit fire that speaks her mind. I also love the settler days. It all fascinating to me. She uses moss for a diaper. Wow. Can you say diaper rash?? All that they did just to survive!

What I'm reading........

I start a lot of books and then don't bother with them for one reason or another. I don't believe in wasting my time on a book I'm not enjoying.

This is such a good book! I enjoyed it so much. It was a little bit love story (and that I'm in to right now, taking a break from hard core mystery) little bit kept you guessing about a man in prison. It had a very unpredictable ending and I always LOVE that:) I would highly recommend this read if you want something light hearted yet keeps you thinking and wondering.

Enjoy some of the pictures from the baby shower that I helped throw. What fun we had:)

It's been so fun and.... a great morning process for me to go through all the old pictures that my mom has scanned. I just can't believe how much I loved my grandma and how much she was a part of my life! She really molded me and helped make me who I am today. What a special and amazing thing to have had her a part of my life so much that she helped make me who I am!? I am so blessed.

Wasn't I cute!?

Dad and Audrey. Looks like maybe she's heading off to school:)

See, I loved this lady I got to call Grandma for so long!

I use to think that grandparents who were just mad about their grandkids were a little... overboard, or fruity:) But, I know what it's like to be on the other side of that love and overboard-ness. Every time I'd talk on the phone w/ my grandma, from age 2 1/2 to 26, she's say, "grandma loves you" before she'd hang up. I loved that. It makes me realize how important it is to say things like that. It doesn't do anyone any good to keep those feelings inside. Today at her memorial service I had so many people come up to me and say, "you're grandma loved you so much" and "your grandma was so proud of you" and "she talked about you all the time." I know she loved me and it showed. Makes me choked up just thinking about it. I spoke at my grandma's service today and sobbed the whole time. She meant so much to me I couldn't even find enough words to say, to convey who she was to me, what an amazing, caring, loving grandma she was to me and my brothers!!

What a woman. What a blessing to be molded by her so that I could be more like her when I grow up:)

I loved this! I stole it off of a friends fb album and had to share it:)

This is in honor of my grandma, because she'd love it.

and in honor of my grandpa because he served in the US Army!!

So I got this scale at a garage sale for $3! It's an old baby scale from a Dr office... 50's maybe..? Very cute. It didn't have a price and when I asked I figured they'd want at least $20.

So last night I was using it for some baby photos of Addie. I forgot my big flash at home and that would have helped I feel, because it was later at night. Addie was hungry and didn't give us too much time. BUT, in her defense, she did really, really well for being hungry and we just kept torturing her!

I feel like there cute, but missing something... I don't know what it is. I feel like maybe it'd be fun to do the pictures out in the grass... or in a field w/ some tall grass...? She's a good sleeper I guess so we may have to do some more practice before she gets too big for my scale:) Tell me what you'd want to see or do different. What do you like about the pictures, and what don't you like? I just feel like there's something missing.... maybe I just think that way cause they're mine, but I do think somethings missing...

This is another recipe that really reminds me of my grandma. When I was little we had a lot of laying hens at home. We'd always give my grandma fresh eggs and sometimes I would get to take a dozen fresh eggs down to grandma's house and spend the day with her making a chiffon cake. It's just something that reminds me of her.. The day after she passed away I make brown bread and this cake. It was a great way to go back in time and remember when I was a little girl and would help grandma in the kitchen:)

MARBLE CHIFFON CAKE

1/3 c. unsweetened cocoa 2 tbsp. sugar 1/4 c. water 2 tbsp. vegetable oil 2 c. sifted all-purpose flour 1 1/2 c. sugar 3 tsp. baking powder 1 tsp. salt 1/2 c. vegetable oil 7 egg yolks 3/4 c. cold water 2 tsp. vanilla 7 egg whites 1/2 tsp. cream of tartar Combine cocoa, 2 tablespoons oil, 2 tablespoons sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small bowl. Stir until smooth. Set aside. Combine 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder and salt in large mixer bowl. Add in order 1/2 cup oil, egg yolks, 3/4 cup water and 2 teaspoons vanilla. Beat at low speed until combined, then at high speed 5 minutes. With other beaters, beat egg whites in large bowl with cream of tartar until still peaks form. Pour batter in a thin stream over entire surface of egg whites, fold in lightly by hand mixing. Remove 1/3 of batter to a separate bowl. Gently fold in chocolate mixture. Pour half the light batter into ungreased 10 inch tube pan; top with half the dark batter. Repeat layers. With a spatula, swirl gently through batter to make marble. Bake at 325 degrees for 65-70 minutes or until done. Invert cake in pan. Cool thoroughly. Loosen cake from the pan. Invert onto serving plate.

Me on a tractor... I was a daddy girl when I was little, spent a LOT of time on tractors, graders, in carriers on dads back, out testing cows with dad, farming with dad... everything!

not a very good picture, but still cute. I was so fat! Not like that's changed;-)

I was a very stylish little girl thanks to my grandma...

She was a great seamstress.

I always had very cute little dresses.

I've already informed my mom that she will have to make cute things for my kids.

I loved it when I grandma would come up and measure me, or have a half done dress that I'd have to try on to see where it needed to be taken in. Sometimes I'd get to pick the fabric, or at least a color. I think my mom still has some of the dresses. I should look for them sometime, I'd love to see them.

The more I think about my grandma the more thankful I am to have grown up w/ her being such a huge yet interact part of my everyday life. I was so blessed. I can't even put it into words. It makes me sad for people who are growing up with out an amazing grandma and grandpa. I would go on drives with them, out to eat with them, to church with them, to VBS at grandma's church, shopping for a very particular shirt for my grandpa - and it needed a very particular pocket on the front that had to be the exact right size for his wallet to fit. That particular experience was a little painful for a 6 year old little girl, if I have to be honest;-) Those are the memories I get to have for the rest of my life, though, and that is priceless!

Happy June First!!

it's really hard for me to believe it's the first of June already. i feel like summer is already going too fast. i try to enjoy the beauty around me still, even tho i feel it's all going too fast. i spend a lot of time w/ cows, and after while i don't see their beauty anymore;-) what do you have going on this month? anything you've really been looking forward to? hope this first of June finds you as happy, healthy and as blessed as i am.