Oakley Underwtater

I HURT!!
My husband and I have spent 9 hours today filling sandbags. We live in a small community at the foothills of the Uintah Mountains. The Weber River runs through our community then bends towards Rockport Reservoir.

Due to the sudden temperature changes we've had over the last week, the snow has been melting at lightning speed. The Weber River is a rolling tyrant.

Some of the pictures I've seen remind me of Thistle Canyon several years ago. My family always went through Thistle Canyon in order to visit my Grandma. Back in 1986ish the whole canyon was submerged. There are still remnants of the destruction today- houses sticking up out of lakes of water, rooftops that look like they are floating on top. Anyway, there are a couple of houses that look like this.

We finally stopped at 4 pm when we couldn't lift anymore.

Despite the circumstances surrounding the photo above, I like it. Unfortunately, this isn't a good picture. This is actually a field, or what should be a field. Bet you can't tell where the river should be. Definitely not right off of the road!

Isn't life exciting?

SPRING

So much has happened this week. We actually had 3 days of good weather. We got a puppy. His name is Gunther. We cleaned up the yard. KC's aunt, Ann, passed away. We were the hosts for the family since we are the only ones who live here right now.

And today is Mother's Day. I had a most unusual gift. Let me tell you about it!

Mother's Day Surprise!
At this very moment, I am laying on my bed with baking soda and vinegar pasted over the effects of an encounter I had with a bee! That's right. I got stung on my butt cheek by a bee AT church.

We had just come out of church. Tyler had kicked Aaron in the face. I made him stand on the yellow parking line. When KC made it to the truck, I told him what happened. He gave me the keys and said that Tyler had to walk home and he would walk with him.

As I was walking around the truck, I passed a bee. I didn't think much of it. I climbed into the driver's seat and felt a sharp prick in my rear. I jumped out, immediately remembering that bee. Sure enough. He was there on the seat. I ran to the back of the truck shouting, "OUCH. I just got bit by a bee on my butt." (I am sure that I turned a couple of heads.)

KC and Tyler quickly returned to the truck. KC told Tyler that he ought to thank that bee for saving him from walking home, and Tyler actually did!

We put mud on the area, but it didn't do much. The stinger was still in there. I looked up bee stings online. Apparently, it is important to remove the stinger as soon as possible. It takes 5 minutes for all the venom to be ejected into the skin. I am pretty sure I got the full dose! I also learned two effective ways of treating bee stings. The first- baking soda and vinegar. The vinegar is said to draw out the poison. The second- chewed tobacco. KC wanted to do this one. The idea of getting the poison out sounded better to me, so I requested the vinegar paste.

KC has quite enjoyed doing his "surgical procedure." We just removed the paste. Much better. His response, "Wow! I knew baking soda and vinegar were good on battery acid, but who would have known it could save my wife's butt."

I can't help but think it extremely funny. I started to get a weird headache and so have taken a benadryl tablet.

I hope you enjoy reading about my Mother's Day present. Hope yours isn't as exciting.

April Showers bring May Flowers??

I am having issues with the weather. I SO want it to be spring, but it is winter once again in my little corner of the world. We have had snow for the past 6 days. It is becoming quite dreary!

I made woofum sticks yesterday. What are they you ask? Woofum sticks are hot dog roasters with a wooden ball on the tip. You place biscuit dough on it and roast it over the fire, then you fill it with pudding, ice cream, or whatever else suits your fancy.

My sweetheart finally let us get a pet (besides a parakeet or fish). We got a puppy. Here is a picture of my two boys and their new friend, Gunther.



I have been watching birds. I LOVE to watch birds. I find them very fascinating. I also made a new bird feeder for them. Unfortunately, I haven't taken a pic of it. I recycled an old mayonnaise jar and 2 bucket lids. I drilled holes in the top and bottom of the mayo jar and attached the jar to the lids using brads. Then I glued it in place. I also drilled several holes in the mayo jar so food could dispense. Basically, it is a free rendition of some of the popular types you can buy at the store. Mine isn't as aesthetically pleasing, but it works just as well.

I am also working on some quilt blocks to exchange with my sisters. I will definitely have to post those.

New Perspective

I have been very busy. So much has been happening. Lots of changes in our lives. I have a dear friend who will probably be moving. I am sad. I enjoy our friendship. I always pictured her staying here in Oakley. We've talked many times about building our homes here in this area.

I have been researching homeschooling to see if it is something that would be for our family; however, after MUCH research and discussing with KC we have decided that it is not for our family at this time.

I help another friend's daughter learn arts and crafts. She loves this. I help her on Thursday afternoons. We have made hair bows, created wall decorations, sewed a baby doll quilt, made artist trading cards.

We recently said goodbye to KC's parents for 2 years. They are serving a mission in Independence, Missouri.

I have also gone through my own set of finding out what to do now in my own life, besides looking at homeschooling. I think I have finally decided that I am doing all that He wants me to do. I am kind of excited now and have a great sense of peace. I am looking forward to just enjoying life.

Little Tidbits

I'm not sure where the time keeps going. Life has been flying by lately. I was on the food committee for the recent Stake Relief Society activity, and I had the privilege of decorating a cake. I haven't done that for so long. It was really fun. Here's what mine looked like before it disappeared:



Besides cakes, I finally got my card done for our card club, but I haven't taken a picture of it yet. I have been so busy.

I haven't had a lot of free time lately. Do you ever feel like you go through cycles where you have more you time and then phases when you don't have any? Well, I am in the latter right now. What little time I have had, I've got sucked into genealogy. I have always loved genealogy. I don't really have anything to show for it. I am actually working on a surprise for Christmas.

As I am unwinding right before bed, I have been perusing a book called, "Hidden Utah." It is a treasure trove of ideas of places to see. I have started a list. I want to take my children to SO many that are within an hour of here. We could all use a little more culture, history, and learning in our lives.

This summer, I am looking forward to taking my children letterboxing, visiting lots of cemeteries and making tombstone rubbings, and getting to know more about the amazing history our state has to offer.

March Madness

I have been busy lately, however, not sure what I have to show for it. Bet you've never felt that way before! On Tuesday, Alayna and I got together to work on projects. I still haven't finished my card for our card club this month. My Emma just wouldn't let me.

On Thursday, I teach a young girl arts and crafts. We created some artist trading cards. They are really fun. If you've never heard of them, google "artist trading cards" or ATC's. There is even a kids group that is well moderated. It is a yahoo group. I made a few to send to my sister, JaNae, and her kids. Hopefully, I can get them in the mail soon.

We went to the Air Force Museum today at Hill Air Force Base. I must say that I was very done by the time we left 4 hours later! All the males who went had a GREAT time. I enjoyed myself, too, but I could have been done after an hour. NOW, if it had been a quilt museum or craft fair or..... you get the picture. Here are some pics of our adventure:

I did write jazz piece for one of my piano students. He REALLY likes it. I think it will be a great recital piece for him. I love to see the kids find something they enjoy. They work harder to play them AND it keeps them wanting to learn more.

Hobby wise, I have been working on genealogy, just finished making a delicious loaf of whole grain bread and a batch of rolls. They are SO good. Here's my original recipe:

Dari's Whole Grain Bread Recipe

(makes 2 loaves)

2 1/2 C. HOT tap water

2 T. olive oil

1/4 C. honey

2 heaping T. yeast

1 C. oats

1/2 C. sunflower seeds

1/2 C. vital wheat gluten

4 1/2 C. Whole White Wheat flour

Preheat oven to 350F.

In kitchen aid (or other mixer), place water, yeast, oil and honey. Mix together. Wait for about 5 minutes, then add oats, sunflower seeds, and gluten. Gradually add flour while mixer is on. Mix well for 5 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes, then mix again for a few seconds. Take out of bowl and divide dough in half. I like to roll my dough out using a rolling pin. Then, I roll it up into a tight log and tuck the ends under. This reduces the risk of holes in the middle of the loaf. Place the rolled loaf into a greased bread pan. Cover with a HOT damp dish towel and let rise for 30 minutes. Bake for 25 minutes or until golden brown. Note: You can use half of the dough (1 loaf) for 1 dozen rolls. Simply divide it into 12 balls and place in a greased 10x10 in. pan. Follow same directions as the loaf. ENJOY!!

Valentine's Creations!

I enjoyed making these treasure boxes for lots of people. At last count, I had made 8 of them. They are perfect little gifts for any occasion. After I made a couple of the taller ones, I decided to modify the pattern and make half size boxes. I love them! I know my wonderful friend, Alayna, put the instructions on her blog. You can get them there if you're interested. She follows my blog, so just click on her icon.

I also made an accordion style card for my in-laws for Valentine's Day. This was my own creation. I think it turned out quite well.

Happy Valentine's Day!

P.S.: I just created a new blog- "My Incredible Heritage." I am going to spotlight different ancestors. This is another passion I have- family history.

I did it!

I actually updated my blog within a month. Not even 4 months! Yea! And to top it all off, I took pictures of some of my other projects I've done lately. So, here they are:

This is a miniature wall quilt I made for Emma's room. I got the inspiration from a Debbie Mumm quilt I saw. I, however, do not have 50 hours to hand embroider ALL of the butterflies, so I cheated! I traced a butterfly, copied it, colored them, scanned them, then printed them on a fabric sheet and ironed them on. I machine quilted this. I also created the wood blocks using scrap 2x4's, light blue paint, fabric pieces from the quilt, white paper, a cutting stencil and a swivel knife.

This is how it looks in above her crib:

Here is the hair bow holder I made for Emma for Christmas. I made almost all of the hair bows as well. I had so much fun making the bows that I need a bigger holder. Oh, and I crocheted almost all of the headbands, too.

Hope you like these. I have loved doing them!

2010!

I sure hope it isn't another 4 months before I update this blog again! Life seems to be taking me for a ride. I'm now past the point of feeling overwhelmed after having Emma, and now trying to establish a new norm.

Of course, during the past several months, I've been working on Christmas presents. I lowered my expectations and shortened my list of homemade gifts. Here are a few I did:






As you can see, I had lots of fun! I also made hair bows and a hairbow holder for Emma as well as a dress for her. I will have to post pics of them when I take photos (ha ha)!

I am finding that I do not have as much time to create. I am teaching piano, trumpet and guitar lessons. When I'm not teaching or practicing myself, I am feeding a growing 6 month old, preparing meals for my family, cleaning up, helping with homework, or spending time with them. Thank goodness for Tuesdays when Alayna and I have a designated project date and for my card club once a month.

I am looking forward to a great year filled with lots of joy and learning. Speaking of which, I heard a thought that I think I will use for my personal theme this year. It is, "Become who you are." I believe I am a daughter of God. In that line of thinking, becoming like Him is my ultimate goal. Awakening to my true potential and learning who I really am. There is another thought that goes along with that. It reads, "When you learn who you really are, you will be sorry you didn't try harder."