New Arrivals

Barry was quite surprised when he went to feed the animals and we had two new baby sheep. We're weren't expecting any for another month. I thought it was rather random that both sheep would have their babies exactly a month early ..... we'll at least I thought that until Barry realized he had skipped September in his counting of months. SO though unexpected the little sheep seem to be doing well. The brown one is a male and is named Danny or Brownie, and the black one(yes with the white mother) is named Betsy or Spot or Belle, or whatever Ellie finally decides on, she is the Pate Family Farm Official Giver of Names.

Valentine's Day

Ellie making her V-day cookies



























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Happy Day!

We had a good Valentines Day. Barry brought me home some beautiful red roses on Friday, and some chocolates and Carmel's. He also gave Ellie some pink roses. She was ecstatic, more than ecstatic, she was bouncing off the walls. He also gave her some PINK Whoppers. She loved them.
It was very good of Barry especially since Ellie had spent the day decorating the house with Valentines for him. She sure loves her Daddy. It never occurred to her to make a Valentine for anyone else in the family, so Daddy received quite a few. She made Daddy an extra large cookie and wrote him a sweet note for his Valentine. She also made a Valentine for our home teacher that has taken quite a shine to Ellie. She personally delivered it with a bag of cookies.

I gave Barry one of our favorite movies Sweet Land, and a delicious apple pie. He and James cut up the apples for our pie, with our peeler slicer corer thing. James enjoyed trying to sneak bits of the peelings.

I'm in Love

I'm in love with a Cowboy. SHhhhh... don't tell Barry.

He's dark skin, dark eyed, and oh so handsome......

Perhaps I should keep his identity a secret.



but I just can't..............










Ahhh just look at him............




Couldn't be sweeter




Rumor has it,

If you're His girl,

By Night(and I mean MIDDLE of the night) he'll give you tight hugs and slobbery kisses, and
By Day he'll roam the countryside...




...and if you're lucky .....He may just ask you to go along.

Summer & Motherhood Lesson #3953

Please?

Please can summer and winter trade places?

and then winter would only be three months long, and we'd be done with it already, and then the sun would be shining, and there would be grass and leaves and warmth....ahhhh. Can't you just feel it?

When we're independently wealthy we're moving to Arizona, ....don't try to stop me.

Motherhood Lesson #3953
Asking the Right Questions, and Picking your Battles.

The other day I was in the kitchen making orange rolls, when Ellie ran in the kitchen carrying one of my blown-glass-hand-painted turtles from Italy (Precious to me and irreplaceable due to my bank account). Before I could reprimand her for having it, the turtle some how fell out of her hands and went tumbling down to the tile floor. It broke. Poor Mr. Turtle is now decapitated. I walked over to Ellie and said perhaps a little loudly

"How could you? You broke my turtle, you weren't even supposed to ever touch."

Ellie vehemently denied breaking the turtle and was sent to the dreaded pink chair (time-out) to contemplate her honesty, after a couple of minutes I tried again, telling her I saw her break my turtle. She again denied breaking my turtle, she was very convincing, in fact if I haven't watched her do it, I wouldn't have doubted her. We tried this process a few times, finally it occurred to me maybe I should ask her HER version of how the turtle got broke.

The explanation was simple, "I was just holding it Mom, and then I dropped it, and the floor broke it, I didn't break it."

Argggggggggggggrhhhhhhhhhhhhhhgahrhahrhghhhhhhhhh!!! (Pulling hair out)

Fast forward to later that afternoon.

James was tapping (really, very gently) a little Precious Moments figurine(Ellie's) on the window sill, when the oddest thing happened, the neck just cracked and the head fell off. Deciding to avoid a scene. I swiftly scooped it up, placed it on the kitchen counter with the head back on, with every intention of gluing it before Ellie noticed. It wasn't long before Ellie came into the kitchen and noticed her figurine on the counter, just as she was questioning me why it was there. I accidentally knocked the corner of a pan against the poor thing and the head came a tumbling off.

Ellie shrieked at me. "YOU broke it"

The first words out of my mouth, perhaps a little loud, were "NO I didn't!"

Then came Ellie with, "I saw you!!!"

....and then I started having all sorts of De ja vu, so I took a deep breath and decided it wasn't worth it. Told her sorry, gave her a kiss and told her I would have Daddy glue it later. (while he was gluing the Mr. Turtle.)

Days like this I wonder why I'm in this business, I'm no good at it, and I still have about a bazillion motherhood lessons to go.

So you might ask, why do I suddenly have time to blog today, we'll I've been sent to pink chair for yelling. Ellie says I have to sit here half-a-minute .....if I'm quiet.

Blink

Yesterday, I was holding my little girl on my lap, playing with her, making her smile




......and then I blinked.....like this






.....and there she was, not a baby, not even a toddler, but a kid, and I wasn't holding her anymore but watching her play from an upstairs window.





So I cried for a hour




Luckily, I have Sweet Baby James





.....for a little longer.

Dreams and Your Slice of the Pie.

For Barry's birthday I made him a delicious Blueberry Pie,

Yes, I know you may be reading this and thinking "Hey, I didn't get any pie, I was served a slightly dense, slightly spongy piece of carrot cake with zingy lemon frosting."

I know.

Barry didn't want to share his birthday pie, and at 4$ a pint for blueberries I didn't really want him to share either.

So here is your "piece of the pie".

Rather late Sunday night I consumed a piece of the pie. It was delicious, it really was. I've never had blueberry pie before, and now I think it's my favorite, but on to "your piece"....


After consuming my large piece of pie I went to bed and I slept, soundly.
Hands down, best that I've slept in 10 years. It was wonderful, it wasn't that I didn't wake up. I was up with James 4 times, but when I was sleeping it was so restful, I didn't even mind getting up. Barry had a similar experience.

What could it be, but the blueberries?

In an effort to replicate the results (purely experimental) I ate another piece the next night, ...again I slept soundly, not AS soundly, but it wasn't as big of a piece. ;)

So after this thorough study and intestigation I have concluded

Blueberry Pie = Good Nights' Sleep.

Now how's that, for your "piece of the pie?"

Now during my good nights sleep, I've been dreaming and this is what I've been dreaming of.....



Yes, I want one badly. I've wanted one for years. Barry thinks I wouldn't use it. I know I would (isn't that how it always works, besides you'd think he'd want his wife to work out and get those tight buns).
Anyway I'm saving my pennies, and this is my year ...Beg, Borrow, or Steal.




I had a very local artist borrow Ellie's watercolors and create me a rendition of the other reaccuring dream that I've been having.

(Stop That! Stop that right now!, my dream IS not to be an artist, so stop all your smirking and snicking, but My House... (yes..that's what it is)

Look at My House, ....See the addition, See the Chimney (yeah, I know it was previously a pine tree)
Think Family Room! Think Storage Room! Think Another Bedroom!
See the Detached Garage. See the Green Grass and the Lovely Fence.

Ahhh, oh yes and the Shudders, I dream of Shudders.)

What do You dream of?

Barry's Birthday Bash!

I wanted to do something special for Barry's birthday this year because he was turning 35, and if I was turning 35 I'd be depressed ;), so we had Barry's brother's family come up to help us celebrate. They haven't been up to visit us before, so it was a special treat. I was a little concerned because our house is so small for an extra 5 kids, but it worked out. Barry gave pony rides to those who were willing. We had a delicious lunch provided by me, and some yummy salsa my sister-in-law made. I think everyone had a pretty good time, and my nephew even liked my crab salad, that I was sure none of the kids would eat.
So kudos to me, I did something right for a change, and kudos for Barry for another great year of life completed.

(Sorry no good pictures of the birthday boy.) but here's HIS boy.




Within 5 mins of arriving Ellie had her cousin up in her room trying on princess dresses.


Can you identify the scene?


I wanted this picture because it has the boys in it, too bad you can't really see it. Sorry all the other pictures were blurry.

Ellie's Art

Ellie's Artwork is on display. Take a look.

here

http://rifambassadors.ning.com/profile/JeanaStuart

Goldy Locks and The Lion

Finishing up the laundry, I decided it would be a good idea to wash the cloth part of the baby walker, so while I was trying to remove the cloth cover,(this process involving angry words, brute force and finally a screw driver) there was mischief afoot in the other room.


First as I peer around the corner I spy this



.............Obviously a trap had been set,

Listening I can soft murmurings from Ellie "Here lion, Comemere lion" in her sweetest voice

(I decide this situation may need adult supervision so I stay in the doorway and discretely observe.)






It wasn't long before the lion was lured in.(He's actually laughing)




The proud lion tamer, (Happy not to be in trouble) gracefully allowed me a picture of her posing with her catch.



The ferocious lion was displayed throughout all the land.







In the end the lion decided even fame and adoration were not worth his freedom and he made a daring escape.

A Forgotten Gift?

I remember back when Barry and I were going through premarital counseling. Our counselor lady gave us a series of personality tests to see if we were compatible ....or something.

One of the tests was on love. How we show it, how we receive it, that sort of thing.


I remember several questions on how, as an individual, we showed our love. Whether it was through vocalizing, touch, gifts, or service for the person. Apparently, people basically fall *mainly* into one, maybe two of these categories in how they show and interpret love.

So, if you're the type of person that says I love you by going to work each days without complaint, your not going to get on too well with a person who NEEDS to hear those words to feel loved. Of course if you're willing to make some adjustments for your partner, things can still get on splendidly.


Knowing Barry, I arranged my answers to match his, "vocal".

Bingo! We were a match.

Saying "I love you" was enough for him, so It was enough for me too. I wasn't one of those shallow people that needed roses, chocolates, a beautiful bracelet or a weekend away to know that I was loved.


........Okay, okay, so I WAS one of those people, ..........OKAY! so I AM one of those people, and now I have found some support for my shallow wanting of gifts. God gives us gifts to show his love for us. The gift of the Holy Ghost, The Atonement. Hah! God, He's is the lest shallow of us all, and He's on my side.

My lesson this week in Young Women's was on Spiritual Gifts, perhaps because of my love of gifts -a topic I have always found fascinating. Christmas is a wonderful time for many reasons. I can admit it now though, I love the gifts, and not just giving them either. I love the excitement of wondering what they could be, who they're for, etc.

Because of my lesson on Spiritual Gifts I spent a little time researching the topic. I was enlightened by what I learned.

-Everyone who has received the Holy Ghost has also been given at least one spiritual gift. These gifts are intangible and work directly through the spirit.

-Through prayer and reflection, it is our responsibility to find out what our individual gift(s) are and to develop them.


Do you know what your gifts are?
Have you asked?
Don't you want to know? I do!!, ....I need all the help I can get in this life, and besides it helps me feel special and loved. (hint, hint) :)

I know, I know, you're wondering where I'm going with all this, we'll this Christmas I figured out one of my gifts and it was an amazing experience.

I have been curious over certain special experiences I've had over the past couple of years.  I finally went to the Lord in prayer and asked Him specially about these experiences,

I was given the words "they (meaning these experiences) are to help me work out my eternal salvation."

Wow! I have never received an answer like that to a prayer, it was very direct, and immediate. I didn't know what the words meant exactly, but I pondered over them.


Weeks later, one Sunday as I was reading my patriarchal blessing, I read the words,
"You have been given many spiritual gifts and these gifts are given to you to help you work out your eternal salvation.

Bingo!

My heart soared. I have found a gift. A special gift, a personal gift for ME from my Heavenly Father.

So why am I sharing this with you? Because the joy I have felt in finding this gift I want to share.

Seek out, find your own gifts, don't leave them forgotten, they are for you from a Heavenly Father who loves you and wants to help you by giving you a very personal gift that will never wear-out, break or ruin, but that will help you become a stronger, better, more amazing person. Now what could be better than that?

Find them.