Building

Last Friday I was babysitting the Winward girls. When Jay came to pick them up he said to me, I had no idea that you guys were building a house, I laughed about it then but now I realize that that was ridiculous that my brother in law that lives in town didn't know. I decided that this week I would fill you all in on the progress of our house.

We started on August 19th. The first week they poured the concrete slab. The next week they framed the entire house. Then this week they have put the roof on, and are doing all the plumbing and wiring. They say that it will be done in 55 days (maybe even 50 if everything goes according to schedule, which I know it never does). That means 55 days from when they started will be October 12th. I wish we could be in before they baby comes but I am pretty sure I will not go past my due date with this one!

First of Second Week- First Wall is Up.

End of Second Week.

First of Third Week.

Sorry the pictures aren't the greatest- they were taken from my phone.

Sheets

I really love crawling into a freshly made bed. I like the sheets to smell of laundry detergent, and for them to be crisp and tight on the bed. One of the biggest ongoing disagreements Darin and I have is how a bed is supposed to be made. If he had his way - he wouldn't tuck in the top sheet. He always complains that his feet get stuck at the bottom of the bed. The other part of the disagreement is how the sheets are put on the bed. I was always taught that the top sheet goes face down so that when you pull the bed back, it looks good. Anyone else?

Okay, that was a little bit of a tangent - but the point is - I love a well made bed.

For as long as I can remember, I've heard my Grandma Teddy Sue talk about laundry. She's always done it on Mondays, she loves to iron, and she has certain ways she does things.

One of those things is that she always puts her freshly washed sheets back on the bed wet. No dryer. She takes them directly out of the washing machine and puts them onto the bed. Without tucking the sheets in, she lets the fan in the room dry the sheets before making the bed.

I gave this a try last week for the first time - and I'm so glad I did! Not only did the sheets, and the whole room smell of fresh laundry detergent, the sheets felt so crisp and clean. I'm a fan!

I'm also a fan of high thread count sheets. Totally worth the investment if you ask me. Anyone else?

Jogging Strollers

So I am in the market for a new Double Jogging Stroller. I had one in PA but gave it away when we moved (someone had given it to us so we were sharing the love). I am planning to run the Rock n Roll half marathon in December here in Vegas (supporting Chrohns Disease, check it out and join me if you want- it's supposed to be a fun one)! Anyway, I am going to start running again and am trying to do it during Annabel's morning nap. I have been shopping around, and everyone says that I should bite the bullet and get a BOB because they're the best. I met a lady today who is going to let me borrow hers and see if it lives up to the hype. I found one at Babies R' Us today that is less than half the price of a BOB and I loved it (has reclining seats, mp3 speakers, and movable sun shades). Anybody know anything about strollers? Here are some samples at what I'm looking at:

Schwinn Double Jogger

BOB Jogger

Baby Trend Jogger

Please let me know what you think. I have a $200 Visa card we got for free, so I'm going to use it toward whatever I decide. If you know anything about any of these brands I would love to know. Also, please sign up for the Rock & Roll half...it would be fun to do it as a family, and put Meg's face on our t-shirts!!! Seriously.

Millions of Peaches...

We love it around here at this time of year when peaches pop up for sale on every corner. Saturday I got a box of peaches from my mom and they weren't going to be good for much longer so I got to work. I thought I would share with you some of the things I've done or plan to do with peaches this time of year!

• PEACH JAM: I made some peach jam a couple of days ago and last year I made raspberry peach - yummy!
• PEACHES AND MILK: For as long as I can remember fresh peaches with milk and a little granulated sugar has been one of my favorite treats. 
• PEACH SYRUP: If you like cinnamon, try this recipe. If not, we like to use the peach jam instead syrup. 
• PEACH SHAKE: A cup and a half of fresh peaches, ice cream, and a little bit of milk makes a great shake. Add a few slices of strawberries for a little variety!
• PEACH SMOOTHIE: I haven't made a smoothie yet this season, but I'm going to make one in the morning for Spencer before his first day of school. I plan on including fresh sliced peaches, a little milk, ice, strawberries, and spinach. I also froze some sliced peaches to use another time. 
• FROSTED FLAKES WITH FRESH PEACHES: Frosted Flakes are on my "do not eat" list, but if it's not on yours go ahead and try some fresh sliced peaches with your Frosted Flakes. I'm pretty sure it doesn't get any better than that!
• PEACH PIE: I'm not much of a pie eater or maker, but if you have a good recipe please leave it in the comments below. 
• BRIGHAM CITY PEACH COBBLER: I made this recipe below for Sunday dinner yesterday, it was delicious.  

BRIGHAM CITY PEACH COBBLER
From The Essential Mormon Cookbook
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 T cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tsp almond extract (I used vanilla because I don't always love almond flavor...)
4 cups peeled and sliced fresh peaches
1 T lemon juice
1 T butter
1 cup flour
2 T sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup milk
Ice Cream or whipped topping (optional)

For filling, in a large saucepan combine brown sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add almond extract. Stir in peaches, lemon juice, and the 1 tablespoon butter: heat through and keep warm while preparing topping.

For topping, stir together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the 1/4 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl combine egg and milk: add all at once to flour mixtrue, stirring just to moisten. Turn hot filling into a greased 1 1/2 to 2 quart casserole. Immediately spoon on topping in 6 mounds. Bake at 400 degrees F. for approximately 20 minutes. Makes 6 servings. this recipe also works well with 4 cups fresh raspberries or blackberries, or a combination of raspberries and peaches.

We just got another box of peaches in Brigham City today, so this list may get longer!

The adventures in Pine Valley

I would like to fill you all in on a few adventures you are missing out on this weekend here at the Orton cabin in Pine Valley.
Adventure #1- The Buggy.
Ya'll know about grandpa Rod's buggy, but only a select few have had the privilege of meeting the nameless horse that we like to call the black nightmare. Grandpa bridled up the buggy horse getting ready for a ride. We all watched as the horse repeatedly tried to kick dad while he was attaching the buggy. But don't you worry dad was kicking the horse back (in the flanks, none the less) while mom was whispering "come on horse, just be a good horse". The horse was bucking and jumping and grandpa was yelling at us to get our kids out onto the buggy. Cameron was the only one brave enough to jump on. The horse took off before grandpa was on all the way and lost one of the reins. The horse continued to run over the grass, into the road while Jay and Don Ipson ran behind trying to get the rein. Luckily no one was injured during this buggy ride. We all agree (except Grandpa) that black nightmare has got to go!
Adventure #2-BB guns.
Boys are running loose with BB guns. Grandma's the sharp shooter and Michael's the "dead eye" shooter.
Adventure #3-Water Snake.
The kids caught a water snake at the lake, and made a home in a cooler filled with water, some rocks and a tree branch. Cameron carries the snake around most of the time.
Adventure #4-Butterflies.
Grandma has purchased butterfly nets, which the kids have become masters at handling. Now they have vetoed the nets and are catching most of the butterflies with their bear hands. Grandma says we have 15 butterflies in the freezer waiting to be pinned.
Adventure #5-Rescuing William.
Grandma Bridget came up for Sunday dinner, she had just arrived when William chased Snickers into the horse pastures. Grandma Michelle started yelling at everyone to save William. Cameron immediately turned to Grandma Bridget, said hold this, and started running after Will. Bridget didn't realize she was agreeing to hold Cameron's water snake. Kelsey ran into get Will as the horses were coming after Snickers. By the time Cameron made it back to Grandma Bridget she had been holding the snake for a few minutes. She finally started saying "take it, take it away". We all had a good laugh, no animal or human was injured.
Adventure #6-Rope burns.
Cameron had Snickers on a leash, when a few dogs, not on a leash, came upon them. Snickers went crazy and kept wrapping around Ashley. She now has rope burns all up and down her legs.
Adventure #7-Horse Shoe Catastrophe.
Lex and Jay were playing a friendly game of horse shoes and the kids were playing hide and go seek tag. Jay threw his horse shoe just as Allison was running to her next hiding spot. Jay immediately saw the danger but the horse shoe had already left his hand, he yelled "Allie, watch out". She froze and her head collided with the horse shoe. She fell to the ground with blood gushing from her head. Grandpa Rod watched from the porch and started yelling profanity as he was on the phone with Kent Provsgard. Kent and his son Matt who works in the E.R. were here in seconds. We brought Allie inside and laid her on the table to inspect the cut. The cut is right at her hair line. We decided to take her down to Dr. Booths cabin. He said we needed to take her to Insta Care in town. Jay, Michelle and Allie headed to town although they didn't make it past Dr. Staheli's house in Diamond Valley. Dr. Staheli gladly placed FOUR stitches in Miss Allison's noggin. They were back to the cabin in no time. Her mom is hoping this hasn't affected her perfect part line.

We have missed you all and can only imagine the adventures were missing out on by not having you all here! Hope you are having some good adventures of your own this fine holiday weekend!

Life Lessons

Allison and Cameron both tried out for lead parts in Dixie Highs upcoming play Les Mes. The try outs were held only for the children who had parents that worked at the school. Somehow we convinced Mr. Saxton to let Allison try out( she had been working on her song for weeks). Cameron and Allison were by far better prepared than the other children. They both were amazing and not just because I love them. I knew that he couldn't cast Allison when there were several little girls whose parents worked at the school. Cameron made it. I am so excited for him and cant wait to watch him preform. The interesting thing has been how nervous Krista and I were. I never understood how tough it is to watch your children do emotionally scary things. I know Allison really wanted to play young Cosette. All day I have wanted to do something to make Allison feel better. The reality is that all that would do is make me feel better and deprive her of a really important life lesson.
Parenting is tough!


The more we shelter children from every disappointment, the more devastating future disappointments will be.

(Fred G. Gosman (20th century), U.S. author. How to Be a Happy Parent...In Spite of Your Children, ch. 1 (1995).)

New Job

So I finished esthetics school over a year ago and haven't been able to find a job working in the field. Well last week I was offered an esthetics position at a salon/spa called Dolce. Finally! I'm so excited to be able to go to work everyday and do something that I love. No more Nordstrom :) I'll miss the girls I work with but I'm so happy to be leaving retail. And more good news, I can put you all on a friends and family list for discounts! Now you all just need to get down here and visit us :) hope everyone had a good week!