My mind has been every which way it seems and I'm trying to figure out what I've told you already and what may be new. We have had a couple of encounters with skunks in our garden. Luckily they weren't close encounters and nobody came back smelling real smelly. We think this skunk lives in our neighbor's yard and efforts are going to be made to trap him. I saw what happened when you trap raccoons but I don't want to think of what a skunk could do if it got trapped.
Our family enjoyed a quick mini vacation down to Layton this past weekend. We went to our former ward's harvest dinner and it was so fun to visit with friends and neighbors. It was a little saddening when we drove past our house and noticed that trees and flower beds had been removed. I guess there aren't very many people who enjoy yard work like I do. Well, we miss our friends but we do not miss the crazy-busy, traffic filled madness of that Wasatch Front location. I don't know if you heard about the tornado that went through there just a few days ago? We only saw a few areas that were affected with trees that were completed uprooted but I guess the golf course lost around 100 trees and Gentile street was out of power for three days because all the phone poles toppled over. And people told us that Idaho was a windy place. We haven't seen wind here like we saw while living in Layton!
Garrett was recently called as the new Young Men's president for our ward. So far he is enjoying the calling but he is struggling to find the answer to approaching the technology issue (cell phone use) effectively. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
The biggest news for the week is that we are getting five new little additions to the family! Okay, I am not have quintuplets (phew!) and I hope I didn't give you a heart attack by saying that. Tomorrow we are getting five miniature donkeys to add to our mini farm. Three of them are pregnant and our plan is to start a breeding business with them. There is not a single mini donkey breeder in Idaho or Utah so we are treading new ground. They are mostly pets but have proven to be extremely friendly, lovable and good with kids. They can be trained to pull a cart or carry a pack and are often times used as therapy animals. We are excited about it. If you are intrigued you should come visit or at least look them up online. Hopefully will have some pictures next week!
Sunday, September 25, 2016
Sunday, September 18, 2016
Hart Happenings
We have really been enjoying some good family time recently. We have wrapped up a couple of time consuming commitments here and have felt a little more available to travel, so we have!
We enjoyed the Parade of Homes here and then couldn't get enough so hit the one in Logan too. While there Jack and Nick went fishing and Jack was actually present to see a fish caught. First time in his young life. Very exciting. It was really fun to hang out with Emma and go drool over beautiful homes with Mom. I was also thoroughly inspired by long talks with dad while picking berries and sitting on the back porch.
We dashed home so Jack could experience a demolition derby with Garrett and Emerson. It was a hit! A huge shout out to excellent uncles who really showed up for their nephew this week! Nick, Garrett, you are super! And Nick, the boys are still talking about your dance moves.
While the rest of us were hanging out in Logan, Alex was running in dirty dash and watching a football game down in Provo with some of his siblings.
School starts at the Hart house tomorrow which is always very exciting. We are resurrecting Great Brains up here and are looking forward to that.
Thanks to everyone for making theFamily Gathering so lovely. I know we had an excellent time and hope it was worth the drive for everyone who traveled so far!
Tuesday, September 13, 2016
Hyde Park Happiness
I can't tell you how delightful it is when we are all together! A huge Shout Out to the Harts for making the gathering so wonderful!!! What a lot of work they went to in order for us to be together and have a great time. There were some very memorable moments - like Alex's magic tricks with Joy and Jake!, and some sweet moments for me - like discussions with each of you and watching the children seek comfort and get help from any available aunt or uncle.
Jack turned 8 on Sunday and the Harts traveled to Hyde Park to have dinner with Thomas and Victoria and the Mannings and us. It was so fun to have them come. I was thinking how nice it would be if we were all within an hour's drive and could have birthday parties and Sunday dinners frequently... Ah, well, we'll take them when we can get them! Jack was thrilled with the gift from the Mannings - a fishing date with Uncle Nick!
The Relief Society lesson on Sunday was about preserving and protecting the family. President Hunter said, "The family is the most important unit in time and in eternity and as such, transcends every other interest in life." Being with our family recently made me aware that you are all focused on just that - making family of utmost importance. Thank you for your efforts! We are so grateful to belong to all of you and to learn from your examples. You are the best!!
Just a comment about Jenn's post. I distinctly remember the morning of Sept 11, 2001. I was in the basement and turned the news on to see what was going on. It was devastating and quite frightening. I felt very vulnerable and violated. I was frightened for our children and our country. It was such an unknown experience to be attacked on our own soil that it was a little hard to believe at first. I had a hard time pulling myself away from the news. Most of you probably remember it clearly, but Thomas was only Addy's age and Emma was only Joy and Jake's age at the time. Emma was trying to understand all the fuss on Sunday... Perspective. I am truly grateful for where we live and for this country, with all of its struggles. Elder Cook gave a World Wide Devotional from Washington, D.C. on Sunday and talked a bit about 9-11. It's worth looking up.
Hey, if anyone has pictures from the gathering, it would be fun to see them here on the blog :)
Jack turned 8 on Sunday and the Harts traveled to Hyde Park to have dinner with Thomas and Victoria and the Mannings and us. It was so fun to have them come. I was thinking how nice it would be if we were all within an hour's drive and could have birthday parties and Sunday dinners frequently... Ah, well, we'll take them when we can get them! Jack was thrilled with the gift from the Mannings - a fishing date with Uncle Nick!
The Relief Society lesson on Sunday was about preserving and protecting the family. President Hunter said, "The family is the most important unit in time and in eternity and as such, transcends every other interest in life." Being with our family recently made me aware that you are all focused on just that - making family of utmost importance. Thank you for your efforts! We are so grateful to belong to all of you and to learn from your examples. You are the best!!
Just a comment about Jenn's post. I distinctly remember the morning of Sept 11, 2001. I was in the basement and turned the news on to see what was going on. It was devastating and quite frightening. I felt very vulnerable and violated. I was frightened for our children and our country. It was such an unknown experience to be attacked on our own soil that it was a little hard to believe at first. I had a hard time pulling myself away from the news. Most of you probably remember it clearly, but Thomas was only Addy's age and Emma was only Joy and Jake's age at the time. Emma was trying to understand all the fuss on Sunday... Perspective. I am truly grateful for where we live and for this country, with all of its struggles. Elder Cook gave a World Wide Devotional from Washington, D.C. on Sunday and talked a bit about 9-11. It's worth looking up.
Hey, if anyone has pictures from the gathering, it would be fun to see them here on the blog :)
Sunday, September 11, 2016
Flake Fun
11 September 2016 - Not much has happened since we last saw all of you so this will be short. Having a short work week was really quite nice. The only thing out of the ordinary that we did since arriving back home was that we spent all day yesterday cutting firewood. It hasn't been split yet but we have a large pile of logs in our backyard. And that's it! Oh, and we saw a deer while we were there. It wandered up to us (about 100 yards away) while Scott was sharpening the chainsaw and just stared at us for a minute or two before scampering off.
It was interesting today to think back to 9/11. Scott reported to the MTC on September 12, 2001 which put a unique perspective on his memories of that day. As many of you might remember, I was in Ecuador getting ready to come back. Also a unique perspective. I'm sure that we all have unique memories of where we were and what we were doing. I am grateful for the blessings of liberty and safety that we enjoy.
It was so fun to see everyone for the gathering. Thanks to Joe and Lori and their kids for letting us "have a sleepover". And for Grant saying that we could have 10 sleepovers if we wanted to! Can't wait to see you all at Christmas time!
It was interesting today to think back to 9/11. Scott reported to the MTC on September 12, 2001 which put a unique perspective on his memories of that day. As many of you might remember, I was in Ecuador getting ready to come back. Also a unique perspective. I'm sure that we all have unique memories of where we were and what we were doing. I am grateful for the blessings of liberty and safety that we enjoy.
It was so fun to see everyone for the gathering. Thanks to Joe and Lori and their kids for letting us "have a sleepover". And for Grant saying that we could have 10 sleepovers if we wanted to! Can't wait to see you all at Christmas time!
Sunday, August 28, 2016
Nilsson News
I don't know how I always get so behind on writing on the blog. I recall the song we used to sing "My mommy said not to put beans in my ears..." and I definitely haven't put any in my ears but they are coming out of my ears like crazy! This past week I bottled 51 pints of beans, gave a sackful to Elise and Mom and still have plenty to spare. Tomorrow it will be the peaches turn.
A couple weeks ago, our neighbor and another ward member came over with a backhoe to remove our nine huge lilac shrubs that divided the backyard from the garden. It only took about a half hour for them to do that and then they asked if there was anything else and we happened to mention our big elm trees, the ones that were going to be the family gathering service project. Well, that only took them another half hour and they were done. It was amazing! I think we need to invest in a backhoe for all our project needs. Things are slowly transforming around here.
We are hoping soon to start work in the basement on the master bedroom and bathroom. Garrett said that since our family will be welcoming another little person the beginning of March, we would need to have a bigger bedroom. We are still waiting on an estimate from the contractor but hope to get that this week.
The family gathering is just around the corner for which we are VERY excited. We hope that the big fire up here will be out by then so the air can be more clear. We look forward to seeing you all!
A couple weeks ago, our neighbor and another ward member came over with a backhoe to remove our nine huge lilac shrubs that divided the backyard from the garden. It only took about a half hour for them to do that and then they asked if there was anything else and we happened to mention our big elm trees, the ones that were going to be the family gathering service project. Well, that only took them another half hour and they were done. It was amazing! I think we need to invest in a backhoe for all our project needs. Things are slowly transforming around here.
We are hoping soon to start work in the basement on the master bedroom and bathroom. Garrett said that since our family will be welcoming another little person the beginning of March, we would need to have a bigger bedroom. We are still waiting on an estimate from the contractor but hope to get that this week.
The family gathering is just around the corner for which we are VERY excited. We hope that the big fire up here will be out by then so the air can be more clear. We look forward to seeing you all!
Hectic in Hyde Park
Well, we had a delightful trip to Alaska with Grandpa and all of Dad's siblings. We saw some beautiful territory (including some amazing glaciers that breeched just for us), a few animals of interest (including one sweet beaver that I named Bravo), visited with Rhonda and Eric and their family, attended the farmer's market in Anchorage, went on a riverboat excursion in Fairbanks, and learned a lot about the history and culture of that area. But it was a little long to be away and we are happy to be back. Things survived here, thanks to Elise, Ruth and Lauren who came to keep Emma company, care for the yard and garden and re-do Emma's room. Many heartfelt thanks to all of you!!! Thanks, too, for entertaining Becca and keeping her company and getting her to the airport. Uncle Burl's passing was really hard for her and she was very grateful to spend time with so many of you while she was in Utah.
We hit the ground running when we got home from our trip... answering a bunch of texts that we didn't get until coming home, a large pile of mail, long list of emails, and phone messages, attending a very long (38 hour) birth, mowing the lawn and harvesting peaches, etc. It's been great to eat regular food again!! Like the Flakes, we've enjoyed some luscious garden dinners. The favorite dish has been our very delicious home-grown watermelons. We've had several large and medium ones that are very juicy and sweet. We keep hoping the cantaloupes will begin to ripen soon, since there are too many to eat in one sitting! The potatoes and tomatoes are very yummy, as are the cucumbers, berries and beans. It is certainly a yummy time of year!
Emma survived a week of band camp then another three days of drill camp. She finally got her schedule arranged and has an AP government class and some concurrent enrollment classes, as well as trying to finish up a few American School courses. Still can't believe she's a senior...
Thomas and Victoria got moved to another house close to her family. It is a home Victoria's parents intend to "flip" but the newlyweds get to live there in the meantime. They will be very busy again starting tomorrow... classes, work, Big Blue, etc., etc. We won't see much of them for a few months.
It was fun to have Ruth and the children come this week. They weren't here long, but we did have fun while it lasted! Henry has really grown up and is talking up a storm! They brought peaches and pears, so we have our work cut out for us this week.
We are so excited to see all of you in a few days we can hardly stand it! Please travel safely everyone, and be prepared for a great time! The Harts have a wonderful gathering planned....
We hit the ground running when we got home from our trip... answering a bunch of texts that we didn't get until coming home, a large pile of mail, long list of emails, and phone messages, attending a very long (38 hour) birth, mowing the lawn and harvesting peaches, etc. It's been great to eat regular food again!! Like the Flakes, we've enjoyed some luscious garden dinners. The favorite dish has been our very delicious home-grown watermelons. We've had several large and medium ones that are very juicy and sweet. We keep hoping the cantaloupes will begin to ripen soon, since there are too many to eat in one sitting! The potatoes and tomatoes are very yummy, as are the cucumbers, berries and beans. It is certainly a yummy time of year!
Emma survived a week of band camp then another three days of drill camp. She finally got her schedule arranged and has an AP government class and some concurrent enrollment classes, as well as trying to finish up a few American School courses. Still can't believe she's a senior...
Thomas and Victoria got moved to another house close to her family. It is a home Victoria's parents intend to "flip" but the newlyweds get to live there in the meantime. They will be very busy again starting tomorrow... classes, work, Big Blue, etc., etc. We won't see much of them for a few months.
It was fun to have Ruth and the children come this week. They weren't here long, but we did have fun while it lasted! Henry has really grown up and is talking up a storm! They brought peaches and pears, so we have our work cut out for us this week.
We are so excited to see all of you in a few days we can hardly stand it! Please travel safely everyone, and be prepared for a great time! The Harts have a wonderful gathering planned....
Hart Happenings
Here are some pics from this week:
Ian's genie outfit
Raspberry/huckleberry jam
Trying to hike with some friends (we ended up having to turn around)
Making flatbreads at garden class
Our new yard care crew
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