Dehydrating

There's a little orchard place (not near the actual orchard, but I don't know what to call it because it is less than a store and more than a stand) not far from here. I finally went there to buy some fruit. Their "good" half bushels cost between 15 and 18 dollars, but their half bushels of "seconds" are only 6 dollars! You have to get there early and wait for seconds because they are in demand, but considering the fruit is about 25 cents per pound it is definitely worth it in my book.
Well, I got a half bushel of apples and a half bushel of peaches to share with my sister. She took care of Jared during the 1.5 hour wait, which was awesome because it would've been near impossible without her.
Anywho, instead of doing canning, which is heavy and hard to move, I chose to dehydrate my produce! I made dried apple slices and peach leather. It has been truly satisfying to take something that is literally second rate and turn it into something awesome.

The apples and peach leather don't last long in our house!

Enjoying My Chocolate

This past weekend I went up to Salt Lake with my new friend Jamie to see the General Relief Society Broadcast. I love to go and be a part of all the energy and excitement surrounding this wonderful meetings!
Well, as there usually is, there was a message that really has stayed with me because it was what I needed to hear. President Dieter Uchtdorf talked about 5 things we should not forget. The one that touched me was about remembering to enjoy the happiness of every day. He shared the story of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. When people start frantically looking for the golden ticket to tour the factory that is all they care about. They are then disappointed by their chocolate bar when it is not accompanied by one of those tickets. People who live their lives this way are missing out on so many things that would have otherwise made them happy.
For those of you who don't know, this spring we were planning on moving to a job out in Indiana. They had all but sent the official paperwork for a job that I was very excited about. (Ken like it too!) But in late June, they informed us that they were in a hiring freeze and would not be offering Ken a job anytime soon. This was devastating for me. I LOVE stability and I had already imagined a future in Indiana, but that was gone. So I cried for that day, but since then I've let it go.
Since then, Ken has applied for lots of jobs all over and has had some promising interviews. It seems that every week we are anticipating a job offer. None have materialized quite yet. Which is fine because he hasn't finished his thesis yet, but it will be soon.
Meanwhile, I want to nest! And since I am anticipating moving before this baby arrives I can't set up her room or decorate or hoard frozen meals. So I've used this energy to thoroughly research the four or five cities that are our most likely future homes. I can tell you where the best schools are, where the housing I am looking into is located, which hospitals have the best reputations, which midwives or doctors are covered by our current insurance and the prospective insurance we may have if we take a job with the local company. (Yeah, I've researched that too.) It has been a nice way to expend some nervous energy and feel prepared(ish) to move a couple of weeks before this baby is born.
However, yesterday I had an epiphany (supplied by my sister, Ruth) in which I realized in all of my nervous anticipation of the future I am wasting time and worrying about possible futures that may very well not happen. I need to fill my life with things that are enjoyable now and are about my life here in Provo. I'm very good at the internet and I can be fully confident that if we are offered a job in Timbuktu, I can find out the things we need to know very quickly. And there are things I don't want to miss out on here. There are museums I can visit, food I can try, crafts I can make, corners I can tidy, people I can help, errands I can run, friendships that I can strengthen. All of these things are more important than my "golden ticket" of having a stable job and home. And no amount of fretting is going to get us a job!
And seriously, we could have a job offer in a couple of days or weeks. Or it might even take several more months, but I need to focus on finding happiness in each day. I know that things will work out just fine! I want to live my life each day and not be waiting for some future event to happen before I let myself relax and enjoy things. There is no way I am going to let myself be disappointed with a great chocolate bar!

Ready like Daddy

Jared got all ready to head out the door with his dad!

I'm pretty sure just about everyone has a picture from their childhood wearing gigantic shoes. I love it! Jared just loves Ken so much. It is so sweet to watch their relationship develop.

Mmmm, Fiber

Recently I bought some of this at the Stadium Farmer's Market.

They were giving out samples and I couldn't help myself! This stuff is seriously awesome! Now I am trying to tread a fine line between feeding my family cheaply and feeding them healthfully. This mix is a bit on the expensive side (for a student family) at $7 for two pounds, but on the other hand it has 5 grams of fiber per serving and is probably the most delicious pancakes I have ever tasted. Quality has won this round!
I got a bag of sugar free pancake mix and was not disappointed by the flavor. I simply added bananas and served!


If you are interested in getting in on this scrumptiousness even if you do not live in my near vicinity, you can visit their website: treestreetgrains.com. They ship!
Enjoy!

Another Year, Another Wymount Opening Social

Yeah, we did this last year too. All the events are the same, just with a bigger boy!

Jared with his orange balloon bear and cookie. He spread on the frosting by himself, then found a spoon and scooped it off and ate it that way.

Train ride!

Ultrasounds are Awesome

I have a little case of the blah this week, but I have a nice pick me up on the fridge!
We got another ultrasound this week! At the first one the technician wasn't able to see and measure all that she wanted to so my midwife suggested that I get another one. However, ultrasounds are pretty darn expensive, so we were going to put it off until we got a new job with fancy insurance. Fortunately, I found out from a friend that the on-campus health center now offers ultrasounds for $10! (With a doctor's order of course.) So we went this week and got another peek at our little girl. Everything is measuring well and she is definitely a girl still, so that was nice too.
Hurray for modern technology!

Our Best Parenting Trick Yet

As most toddlers do, Jared has become much more picky about what he will and won't eat. I've been amazed at his dexterity and ability to pick around the vegetables in our meal and only scoop up meat, carbs and cheese. Fortunately, we found a technique that gets him to eat just about anything. It combines a desire to be like his father and a desire to take things that aren't his and claim them.



So we just tell him what is on his plate belongs to Dad! He quickly throws it in his mouth to tease his dad and then he usually likes it!
This happens at almost every meal these days. But he is eating vegetables, even tomatoes!

Toddler Speech

I just want to remember his cute pronunciations forever! I just love the following things: "Noke" is milk, his exaggerated "oo" sound, how he sounds Irish when he says "trow it," ham is "sam," his current preoccupation with silly geese.
He is so cute I just want to squeeze him!