When your 5 in an 8 year old world

This sweet muffin....

....hasn't been so sweet.  In fact, she had a very difficult summer.  Unfortunately, her older siblings had a lot of great stuff going on.  Birthday.  Baptism.  More birthday celebration.  Running stuff.

And someone was feeling neglected.

And became naughty.

And Mom and Dad didn't know what to do with their "SO SWEET" Peachy.

None of the tricks we used on the big kids worked.  Now what.

There were several days when all she had in her room was her bed and dresser.  All her toys, books, stuff had been put into timeout.  We didn't know what to do.

A neighbor and very good friend gave me a wise piece of advice.  "Love them when they least deserve to be loved". 

Right at that time, the big kids went back to school and our Peachy was inundated love.  More love than she could handle.  And she earned all her toys and books back.  She filled up her "Happy Chart" with stickers and earned a trip to Chuck E Cheese.

Our Peachy is back.  We missed her.

And Mom and Dad learned a very valuable lesson about love.

The Family Cow

Several years ago, our church offered a family relations class to all members with children.  Tim and I took the class.  We were amazed by the instructors; our current bishop and his wife.  WOWZERS...did we learn a lot of valuable parenting stuff from those two.

They told us the  story of their family cow.  The "cow" had to be milked every day.  Fed every day.  Taken care of every day.  Whether they were tired or sick or just plain lazy.  They do all these chores everyday because the cow provides a lot of valuable "stuff" (milk...butter...cream...beef).

The bishop related this "cow" to piano lessons.  Piano lessons are a pain to do everyday.  BUT they provide lots of valuable "stuff".  This little life lesson about hard work.  Sometimes we have to do things we don't like.  But we do it because it is good for us.

SO the Barlow family bought a cow to learn one aspect of hard work.  To learn about music and all of its benefits.

And piano lessons started last week.  I think I had to psych myself up more than the kids.

(excuse the blurry iphone picture)

Practicing has been one extra thing to do each day.  But I'm excited that we are learning about quarter notes and forte/piano.  Someday, I hope to look back when my children are playing beautiful hymns and know this was all worth it.  But for now, I'm listening to bad versions of "Peter Peter Pumpkkin-Eater".

B.M.W.

The 4th annual BMW (Barlow...Macdonald...Wilson) campout just concluded.  The last tent was put away and the dirty dishes washed.  The dirty feet still need a bath.  But the memories are firmly etched in everyone's memory.

These two families are very VERY dear friends.  Heck...they have to be if they will go camping with US, they must be.  We all have small(ish) children and are willing to conquer the mountains.

This year we headed up American Fork Canyon to Mutual Dell.  We loaded several wheel-barells full of essentials for a 12-hour stay.

By the time we unloaded everything, the kids were fighting in World War 3 against chipmunks and the playing preschool.  Faces and hands were filthy.  (Dirt=happy kids)  Giggles were echoing throughout the trees.  Campfire was the new eu-de parfume.  Moms were commenting on the beautiful fall foliage in camp chairs and Dads were talking football.  It really was heavenly.

Food ALWAYS tastes better when eaten outside by a campfire.  Then came the s'mores....mmmmm...the sticky goodness!

We had a fantastic snipe hunt and the little black creatures (aka Oreos) were waiting for the kids when they got back from the hunt.

Our kids did a great job sleeping in the tent and were excited to wake up and start exploring immediately.

  I was sad to leave our little slice of heaven.  Everyone was getting along nicely and weather was still crisp!  But we had to head home to wash everything and fulfill our other obligations for the day.

Lately

Most nights, we put the kids to bed and I follow suit (because the running alarm clock goes off early).

BUT because I don't have a running alarm clock (sniff...sniff), I can stay up a bit later than normal.  So many of my nights are spent like this....

Foot propped up, working on some sort of quilt and a football game in the background.  Wow...that is definitely an old lady sterotype.

But I did just finish this beauty.

Since we finished the basement, we are needing a few more blankets down there.  Perfect.....

First Day

It has been two weeks since the big kids started school and FINALLY someone was able to start preschool!  It has been a long wait!!!

But she loved it and is anxiously awaiting to go back!

Harvest Time

We've been reading Farmer Boy by Laura Ingells Wilder as a family.  The kids love reading about Almonzo and his adventures.  We just finished the chapter on Harvest Time.  The chapter talked about how a frost was coming and the family spent dawn until dusk picking fruit and vegetables.  The book explained how important it was to gather ALL the food so they could survive through the winter.

In addition to our home vegetable garden, we have a plot at the church garden.  Last weekend, we picked the remaining vegetables.  The kids played "pioneer children" while we were there and picked all our veggies.  I think they started to understand HOW much food those pioneers had to pick.

We were all excited to reap our harvest.

Carter was in charge of cantaloupes this year.  We had 10 of them!

Abby's watermelon

Cantaloupe, corn, baby pumpkins and watermelon

Part of our harvest....we had already eaten a lot of it

Abby's watermelon...she was sad it had seeds in it!

Dinner....everything was from our garden (except the bacon in the green beans)...YUM!

Now we just need to get everything from the home garden.  I still have a lot of green beans, raspberries, and carrots.

Labor Day Festivities

I've always loved Labor Day.

A.  No work or school

B.  End of summer

C.  Beginning of fall (and I LOVE fall...it is by far my most favorite season)

Georgia and I dropped the big kids off at school and headed up to Midway, UT to Swiss Days.  Driving up the canyon, I was surprised to see the trees already changing colors.  I L.O.V.E. crunchy fall leaves and soaking up their color (and the cooler weather).

We walked through all the various crafter booths.  I had to get a Swiss taco (part of the reason I drive all the way up there).  Mmmmm....it totally met my expectations.

Then on Monday (Labor Day), we hiked up Labor Day Canyon (aka Dry Creek Canyon).  The kids like to make up otheir own names for various mountains we hike. 

This has been my favorite family hike.  Everyone had fun and there was NO complaining.  Not one iota of it.  I count that as a huge success! 

On the way down the canyon, Tim and I already started planning out a family Grand Teton backpacking trip.  It is still a few years away, but it is definitely in pipeline!!

(sorry for the blurry iphone pictures)

Eating our breakfast burritos.....yum

We saw several folks riding horses up the canyon followed by pack horses.  My kids thought that was so "pioneer-ish".  Hunting season is starting and those folks were heading up the mountain to set up camp.

Hooray for a great Labor Day!  Hooray for fall!

This is the ugly

Remember a few posts ago about having several ugly workouts.  I guess it is time to talk about this UGLY. 

I had a really hard time recovery from the Ogden Marathon in May.  Granted, I ran a 13-minute PR and pushed my body to its very limits.  Of course, it would take time to recover.  Mentally I needed to recover, as well as physically. 

I took what I thought was an appropriate amount of time off and then started active recovery.  But during that active recovery, I pulled a tendon on the bottom of my foot, which left me really resting for additional 10 days. 

As I started running again, I noticed a slight achiness above my left ankle.  I attributed it having taken time off and the muscles and tendons were sore and weak.  This pain would come and go and I was able to continue training. 

In 4 weeks, I have the St George Marathon.  One more intense week of training and 3 taper weeks.  So close that I can almost taste it.

BUT (the big B.U.T.)  during my long run last week, the ache in my ankle intensified and never went away.  It was the same feeling I had 2 years ago.  A feeling that every runner knows will cost them 8-12 weeks of insanity.  The stress fracture ache.

My doctor confirmed the "ache" by stating "that fuzzy stuff right there on your ankle....it isn't suppose to be there" when he looked at the X-ray.  3 weeks in a boot.  Then I can walk.  And depending on the pain level, I can start a walk/run program with physical therapy exercises.

Telling a runner not to run is like taking the air out of a balloon.  The balloon just doesn’t work.  And I just don’t work when I don’t run.  Running is my “catch-all” stress reliever.  Some people shoot up drugs.  Or drink.  Or eat.  Or whatever.  I prefer leave my stresses along the streets of American Fork.  And some days, I am on those roads for hours leaving my trail of junk behind.

But right now….it is what it is.  I can’t fix my bone.  I have to let nature run its course and let it heal on its own.  But I’m sad.  When I can’t run, I feel like I don’t fit in with my circle of running friends.  I’m sure they will laugh when they read that.  They will always be my friends, but I feel like I can’t be in the club because I'm not running.  I will read race reports with envy and watch runners on the side of the road with animosity. 

We have trials to learn from them.  This is my trial right now.  For those of you who know me well, know I truly love to run.  The power of running flows through my veins. 

So long 4:00am runs.  So long compression socks.  Running shoes…I will see you in a few weeks.  Gu’s…please don’t expire. 

I need to catch up on life and on some sleep.  I need to help my kids plunk out songs on the piano (YES...I did just start 3 kids in piano lessons).  I have a million raspberries that I need to pick in my garden.  My sewing room is busting with fabric that needs to be sewn.  My shutters need to be wiped down.  My kids are already talking about Halloween costumes and Christmas lists.  Life moves on and injuries force us to have balance. 

Soon enough, I'll be back lacing up the Asics.

A little bit of time.....And an old lady project

A funny thing happens when everyone starts school.

My food bill has dramatically dropped.

My house stays cleaner longer.

I don't have 500 cups laying in my sink from every thirsty kid in the neighborhood.

AND I've had a few minutes in my sewing rooms.  Refreshing!

Last year during swimming lessons, I saw a woman sewing little fabric hexagons onto paper pieces.  This  greatly sparked an interest and I sat by the swim mom all week asking questions about her hexies.

I looked for an online tutorial on making a hexagon quilt.  I was instantly hooked.  So back in May I started my "old lady" project.

I ordered 1 1/2" hexagon squares online.  I soon realized that one package of 50 hexagons was not nearly enough (I needed more like 300!!!).

Then I started hand basting the cut out hexagons I had cut.

 I wanted my "flowers" to have a black center and yellow or green petals.  Then I outlined the lines with red hexagons.

 All of the hexies are hand stitched together with a whip stitch.  Once a hexagon is completely surrounded, I remove the basting stitch and pull out the cardboard.

 I quickly realized when I stitched the hexies together, I needed a filler color.  I didn't want to take away from the flowers, so I thought white would be a nice contrast.  I am making the quilt 5 flowers by 7 flowers and have about 3.5 rows completed. 

 I take my basket with me where ever I go.  Swimming lessons, basketball games, football games, waiting to pick up kids from school, driving on road trips, etc.  It is totally an old lady project.  And I'm not ashamed.

 All of those little hexies are hand stitched together.  As I get closer to finishing the quilt top, I've been contemplating how to put the quilt together.  Do I want a border?  Should I hand quilt it or have it machine quilted?  (As much as I would love to hand quilt it, I've already spent A LOT OF TIME putting together the top.)  Lots of GOOD options available.

Thank you swimming lessons lady for the inspiration!

THEN (as if I already don't have enough going on), I pulled out a Christmas quilt kit I bought 4 years.  Sadly, it has been sitting in my closet for way to long.  Though I sew A LOT, I mostly sew children's clothing.  Pieced quilts are quite foreign to me.  So cutting all these teeny, tiny pieces and sewing them back together....well....it is a lot of work!!!!


Here is my kit fabric.  Nicely piled on the floor!

 All my cut pieces for each block.  (Yes....that is my Aiwa stereo from 9th grade.  Yes....I still use it.  No...I'm not getting rid of it because it still works.)

 My first official pieced quilt block.  Gotta love the blurry Iphone pictures.

First Day of School

Can you believe these kiddo's went ahead and grew up on me???  The big kids started third grade.  It seems like yesterday that they were heading off to preschool.

We had our annual "ice cream for breakfast" because the first day of school IS A CELEBRATION!!! (please note...they did eat a real breakfast first)!

Third Graders!

 Annie - age 8

 Abby - age 8

 Carter - age 8

Though I was sad to see them run off to the playground with their friends, I did breathe a large sigh of relief.  Tim and I (and Peachy too) had our annual "first day of school" lunch at Costa Vida to celebrate.  Every year on the first day of school, we eat lunch there.

Now, we need to get a 5 year old off to preschool next week and maybe I can get something done during the day.