Lily's 4th Birthday Bash

Lily had her 4th birthday on the 23rd and we threw her a small party on Sunday. We had Luke's oldest brother, Nick and his wife and youngest son, Zeke and his two oldest boys since Maggie was at home resting, my parents, and a family that Luke and I really like in the ward come over.

Lily had a GREAT time. We had a BBQ with LOTS and LOTS of food - bruchetta, stuffed mushrooms, spinach artichoke dip, oysters, fruits coming out of our ears and a home-made cake that actually turned out pretty darn good. :) I spent 4 hours cooking right before we BBQ'd and my feet, ankles and calves were super swollen by the end of the night, but it sure was fun!!

I can't believe my little girl is already 4! We sure love and appreciate the sweet, thoughtful girl she is. She's SUPER into princesses and her favorite is Sleeping Beauty. She made quite the haul and has been playing with all her presents in turn ever since she got them. Thanks to everyone that made the party so fun and special for my darling girl!

Wearing the fun fairy skirts and shoes that aunt Maggie made and bought her.
Super excited about a princess book with little figures and a map to play on from my mom. She actually got some really fun polly pocket princess things from Luke's mom while we were down in ID and she had the exact same facial expression for that present as well.

Excited to finally get her Sleeping Beauty movie that she's wanted since February. :)

New Toy!

Luke grew up with a trampoline and really loved it. When we were looking for a house one of his requirements was whether the yard was big enough for a large trampoline. Well, a trampoline wasn't exactly in the budget this year, but I found a fabulous deal on craigslist that we just couldn't pass up!! Craigslist can be so great sometimes. The girls absolutely love it!

Who Would Have Thought - I Found a Purpose for Beer!

So, throughout HS and College I've had friends who drank beer. I've asked them what it tastes like and why they drink it and most often than not they say it's an acquired taste and they enjoy it for the affects. Apparently some beer tastes better than others - cheap beer tastes like urine and others not so much, but all far from a Jamba Juice Smoothy. To me, it's a big fat waste of money and brain cells... until now!!!

So, when I returned home to my completely eaten garden, I got the advice that beer attracts and drowns slugs. So, on Sat my mom and I went to the store and bought a six pack of beer. I felt extremely self-conscious but was excited to try it out.

We went out to my garden and replanted EVERYTHING that night. I still had some starter melons, peppers and tomatoes in pods so those were transplanted and I started a bunch of new seeds. I then proceeded to set up 4 beer traps in plastic containers set into the ground around my garden. After 2 days I have successfully killed 7 slugs and nothing has been eaten in my garden!!!

Conclusion - I LOVE BEER! It's the most effective slug killer I've seen! So, for those of you having slug trouble in your garden, I highly recommend going out and buying some beer. :)

Gardening and the Gospel

Last year my sis-in-law Marren and I were talking and she mentioned that one gains a new appreciation and understanding of Alma 32 in the Book of Mormon on the analogy of faith and planting seeds when she started gardening. I completely agree!

I've already spent roughly 20 hours total in my garden - I tilled it, dunged it, nourished it, tried hard to keep bugs, slugs, and deer away. I've recently returned from a 10-day trip in Idaho and my entire yard/garden has been destroyed. it's surprising how much damage can be done in 10 days, but it made me reflect on what happens to our spiritual lives when we neglect our daily spiritual nourishment for 10 days.

So now, instead of giving up, which a part of me really wants to, I'm going to start over again and make my garden stronger and better than the first time. I compare this to the whole repentance process, and renewing my faith in the gospel. I've made mistakes in my time and have become stronger and better for it. I know better now how to take care of my garden. I understand the whole process better and am determined to have a plentiful harvest in the next few months. I have also renewed my determination to nourish my spiritual life more each day so that "slugs, bugs, weather, deer, etc." won't destroy me when they come attacking.