Vote for the Boise Limited Rail Road!

The Boise Limited!



Starting in Salt Lake City, the segment travels north to Ogden and Brigham City then north to Pocatello, Idaho, then west to American Falls, Shoshone and Mountain Home, concluding at Boise.

One of Union Pacific's steam engines will travel the route segment with the most votes!

Winter 2010

We've had a good winter so far! Enjoy the pictures...

DH & I in McCall sharing some alone time.

Sky at her Christmas concert in December.

Mel & I

Mel

Granddad and the boys enjoying hot cocoa

2011 Priorities

With 2010 ending today and 2011 beginning tomorrow, I thought I should think of some priorities for the new year. I don't resolve to do anything anymore but I do try and think of things I wand to do and what I'd like to do differently.

1. I still want chickens. It's been on my list since 2009... so this will be the third year it's listed.

2. Garden - I'd like to have a large enough garden that I can can food from it. Especially tomatoes and green beans.

3. I'd like to get my composting worms back in business. They took a year off.

4. QUILT! Having just begun this journey, I can't wait to see what gets completed this year. Thankfully, I have a new sewing table to make it less painful on body. For Christmas, Roy got me a quilting retreat in McCall in March! YAY! I can't wait. So, quilting is on the list for 2011.

5. Keep snowballing our debt.

6. I want to learn to bask in the love of Jesus. To grow in Him, show His love more, be His hands and feet regularly.

7. Show love to my family... they are the ones it's easiest to be short and snippy with.

That's my list. Short but loaded!

2009 List

Back in 2009 I had this list and after 2 years of working on it, let's see how I fared and what 2011 looks like:

#1 - Get my own chicken flock. This includes having our own eggs and raising some birds for fryers. Sadly, no. This has not happened yet. I have not given up hope, though!

#2 - Finish converting my pantry to all organic staples and as many items as I can buy organically. Yes, this was accomplished in 2009 and I've continued to buy as much organic and natural products as I can.

#3 - Return to having "Coffee with Jesus" each morning. I did this when I was single and need to get back to it. Now. This year. This entails, simply, doing nothing but having a cup of joe with my Lord and Savior, Jesus! If led, scripture reading and always prayer. Not exactly but I have started a Beth Moore Bible Study and will take another one.

#4 - Continue to improve my Spanish speaking. I did in 2009 so it was accomplished. I have not continued to seek out ways to speak Spanish though in 2010.

#5 - Get back on budget and stay on track to live debt free. Did in 2009, took Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University class and have done our best to keep on track. I think we've done very well in this area. Many debts paid this past year and it feels good to keep knocking them off.

#6 - Grown my own organic garden this year! I have started the process by already buying many seeds and have a nice pile composting. Doing well in this area. Even had enough to can tomatoes. Green beans did not make it. :(

#7 - Convert to cloth napkins - make my own napkins! This was done in 2009. We have kept our cloth napkin craze up and don't have paper napkins or paper towels anymore.

#8 - Do one "new for me" thing a month to be as frugal as I can! Yes in 2009... now I'm just trying to live daily frugality and sometimes I fail!

#9 - Get a clothes line up and stop using my dryer so much! YES! However, I would love an outside line... I select dry the kids clothes but still have a long ways to go in this area.

#10 - Use my gym membership at least twice a week!! (I wonder when this should start???) I did this in 2009 and beginning of 2010 but alas, need to add it to this year's list. Ick.

#11 - Learn to sew. This is huge for me. I want to make napkins (see #7) and grocery/shopping/cloth totes. YAY! Not only did cloth napkins happen in 2009 but this past June is started quilting! I have completed two lap/crib sized quilts PLUS 5 pillow cases and 12 rice pillows that I gave as Christmas gifts. I have lots of fabric purchased (CLEARANCE!) and am ready to start 2011 with a quilting bang!

#12 - Focus on 2009 General Priorities (above). If I don't do anything else this year, I want to grow spiritually and enjoy my family. Everything else is second. By growing spiritually, Jesus will continue to guide me into becoming the wife and mother He created. Still my goal. I pray it always is.

I'll update a 2011 list so it's easier for me to track what my year priorities are.

Early Christmas Present!!!

I am one happy gal! My girlfriend and I exchanged gifts last night and she gave me the most perfect gift! You see, she is the one who started me on this passion.

The inscription is perfect, too, showing our true friendship,
" Joy ~ Now you have an answer to ALL your questions! Merry Christmas, A."

I got home a little late last night and as quickly as I could without be overly rude to DH, i climbed in to bed with warm rice pillow and carafe of tea and read the first two chapters through!

Can't wait to read more and then put it to the test on my machine!

There are several things for quilting I want/need that are on my Christmas list... I've bought myself a couple of them already to help DH out but I'm hoping the most exciting one I get from him is a quilting retreat/workshop in McCall at Quaker Hill in March! I'll let him combine it with my birthday present for ONCE. I'm that nice of a gal.

My machine is humming along with Christmas gifts! I have 9/14 completed! WHOO HOO!

Tis the Season!

My parent's 41st Open House is this Sunday and I thankfully got the peppermint bark finished today. 2 big batches ought to do the trick!

Christmas music is blaring and I'm singing at the top of my lungs as I putter around the house. Many in my family are getting rice pillows I am making. Shhh, don't tell. I'm using lavendar from my island and oh my they are wonderful. I need to get moving faster on them if they're all to to be complete for this Christmas! HA!

Our December calendar is made I am so happy with it. The kids love seeing what's coming up and when things are happening. I included many more pictures with it this year so Javi can get all excited, too.

Tonight we'll watch The Christmas Story and get the boys wanting BB Guns even more than they do now! Tomorrow our decorations go up and we'll trim the tree tomorrow evening. It will be our first year without Troy and that's sad but life.

Am sure you're all busy too! Don't forget...

Jesus is the Reason for the Season!

Snow Suits

Boys will be boys.... they got themselves a snow fort!


And I can I just say.... the new suit that Javier has on is the BEST ever?!?!?!?! It's from Cabela's and we got it for Paco when he was 2 1/2. It's a 4T and he wore it the 2 1/2 winter, the next and the year after that (4 1/2) for a total of 3 years. I think he even wore it some last year but it was a bit snug - he just loved it too much. At a whopping $70, it might make you turn close your eyes and head to Walmart for the suits at $20... DON'T! This suit HERE is worth every single hard earned penny!

Why?

They only have to wear one single layer under it to stay warm. It keeps them DRY and toasty warm no matter what the temperature is... and believe me, we've put it to the test! It's sturdy, well made and went through Paco for 4 years and now is on to Javier and you can't tell it's been used at all!!!

Paco came in from playing outside today... cold. wet down to his britches. cold. What was he wearing? You guessed it. Walmart bib overalls. They were wet clear through to his pants. He was miserable! We put him in another pair from Walmart and sent him back out after changing his clothes and when he came in... wet all over again.

Javier? Same snow suit each time he's gone out to play (3 times so far) and it's dry and he's warm.

Why did I buy those bibs for Paco when they were on sale? To save a buck. Was it worth it? No. I'm kicking myself now cause someone had better hold me back or I'll be down at Cabela's by sun-up getting my boy some good snow gear.

Now, if only we could find some snow boots that worked as well...


P.S. Cabelas does not pay me one iota for this blog post. They may know I exist after flooding them with darling pictures of Paco goose hunting in all Cabela's gear... but this is not a paid advertisement. I would let them send me suit for Paco if they wanted, though.