Eight days old today

Piper Virginia came into the world and our hearts on November 13th, a few days before her expected arrival.  

A precious bundle of joy!

Mama, Daddy and Piper ready to go home.

Such a contented sleepy head.

Proud and happy Nana!

Papa holding Piper as she lays on the UV light for her jaundice.

Big sister, Gabriela, loving on Piper.

Beautiful Piper Virginia welcome!!

Pumpkin magic

Today we had our 4H club meeting at our house, only we aren't really a 4H club anymore, but for lack of a better name, we still say 4H.  We did a really fun and easy fall craft. 

I first saw this on the Better Homes and Garden site and then on Etsy.  All is needed is an  old paperback book and a xacto knife.  

Trace this shape onto the middle of the book and cut around it with the xacto knife.  Then glue the spine together and color the edges orange.

You end up with a lot of paper scraps. 

Cut our leaf shapes from green felt, twist wire around a pencil for curly vines, add a stick from the yard and voila--it's a pumpkin!

I made ghee...

I am following the Whole30 eating plan for the month of September.  
It is a very simple plan for me because I already eat close to that way, yet this challenges me to go further, and to get rid of all sugars, grains, legumes and dairy ( and even wine ).  It will clean up my diet and help reset my metabolism.

This cool pale yellow jar of deliciousness  is called Ghee. It a staple in India  and is very easy to make.

To prepare ghee, melt one pound of  unsalted butter in a pot over medium heat. The butter will melt, forming a white froth on top. Simmer it, stirring occasionally and the froth will reduce slowly and the color of the butter will change to pale yellow. 

Then  cook on low heat until it turns golden. The residue will settle ( and it makes nice crackling sounds) at the bottom and the ghee, which is now clear, golden, translucent and fragrant, is ready. Strain the ghee through cheesecloth or a small strainer to filter it. 

  Your ghee will solidifie when completely cool.  Ghee has a long shelf-life and needs no refrigeration if kept in an airtight container to prevent oxidation.

Why use ghee?  

I found lots of reasons why people love it.  Here are a few:

*It is devoid of any solid milk particles or water.  Some even say that it is lactose-free.  I am     giving it to my dairy free daughter and she is able to digest it.

*It also has a high smoking point which is great for sauteing or pan frying food.

 *In India it is used for the whole body, including inflammation and it is also known to be good for one's digestive health.

To me it just taste good and one more healthy food  I can include on the Whole30.

The River

A favorite part of my summer spent at Aylen Lake is our trips to the river that runs into the lake.  My Canadian friend, Leslie, first took me to the river a few years ago.  We look forward to exploring its beauty every year.

We always take our dogs.  Clyde, our Australian Shepherd, and Max, Leslie's  black Lab and Aussie mix, love to run through the water.  Gigi, (the brown speck on the road in the pic) my Yorkie loves to go, but does not like to swim, so she walks in the shallow parts and I carry her through the rest:) 

Gigi and me.

Leslie, Nan and I were amazed at how low the water was this year.  This area had been in a drought.

Still the flowers were lovely.

Red Cardinal flowers grow along the river bank.

A purple beauty.

Nan and Clyde.

Ancient trees.

Cate taking a break.

Crayfish also resting in the crystal clear water.  But not near Cate!

There are no poisonous snakes in Canada, thank goodness!  Again the water is so clear that we could get a good picture of it while under the water.

Until next year...

First day of school

The big day is tomorrow, the first day of school.  
This is Cate's senior year and Nan is close behind as a junior.  
Maybe that is part of my dread at starting our school this year,  knowing it is about to come to a close in just two short years.  Also I know a part of me is mourning the easy carefree days of summertime.  I love having no set schedule, to do just what I please.  But whatever my  reasons, we will begin and they are excited, which is a blessing.  Am I completely prepared?  No but I have found that we will spend the first week or two reviewing the old  and previewing our new books.  So ready or not  here we go!

My lovely and wonderful students.

Busy Bothered Bees

I'm supposed to be on my way to my vacation destination, but due to unforeseen events, I am not leaving for a couple of more days. Which in reality is better, because we will not be rushed and I can leave my house sparkling clean, which I like to do.  

One of the chores my husband needed to do before we left was to check on the bees.  In this 102 degree weather, they looked mad and hot.  I guess even bee hives get hot and I imagine these bees are fanning each other, trying to stay cool.  Hart took a frame full of honey from the hive and replaced it with an empty one.  There is already about 30 pounds of honey.  Yummy!

Special moment

Congratulations to Dr. Jered Hull!

When Lauren and Jered moved to Atlanta five years ago to embark upon this journey of Chiropractic school at Life University, little did they know they'd finish with a degree, a toddler and another little girl on the way!

Such a joyous occasion all around!

And yes, Lauren deserves praise too, for grad school isn't hard just for the student!

I love these series of photos.  They are unedited and depict life with a toddler perfectly!

(Cate got some perfectly posed shots of Jered and the family later.)

Gabriela had had enough waiting for the ceremony to end.  It was a lovely graduation.  I loved the bagpiper leading the graduates  in and out of the auditorium.  Ela was a good girl while waiting for her daddy to graduate.  I am so proud of them all.