More Flowers

Our grocery store is having their annual Rose sale, so for 50¢ each, I had to get some. Roses, alone, however, do not a beautiful display make.

One of my ambitions is to have a garden with enough beautiful things in it that I can keep some fresh, beautiful flowers in my home all through blooming seasons. My vegetable garden is a marvel, but I'm still slowly figuring out flower and landscape gardening, although a lot of things could have gone better for us this year. I really think my new house will have sprinklers. Yes, definitely.

Some examples:

• Our siberian irises almost died because of lack of water while we were in Utah. As a result, they never bloomed. Their greens remain, though, and I am hopeful for 2013.
• Our peonies, in the same bed as the irises, suffered the same fate, and I just pray they return for next season.
• Hydrangeas ditto. They'll be dynamite next year, vibrant and blue. 
• Our roses are beautiful on the vine, but not hardy indoor display. They are loose buds, better suited to the outdoors.
• Our lilac tree took a freeze just as the buds started to appear. I didn't think the branches full of tiny, dry black buds would be very attractive on our dining room table.
• Daylilies are just ugly in the house. Actually, I don't really like them outside, either. End of story. They must die. This time I mean it.

 So, I'm going with what I have, and I figure if it grows outdoors, I might as well bring it in to enjoy more often. As a result, I've been experimenting with different greens, flowers, and fills. My herbs are awesome this year, so I'm using them extensively in flower arranging. As long as I don't use basil, which isn't very pretty, anyway, they don't smell so strong. Thai basil works, though. So, here's a walk through of how I've used things from my yard in my arrangements. Only now am I regretting pulling out those statice bushes. It's alright, though, because they smell like dog crap. True.

• Bushy fill: Oregano. Right now I have some with buds, so it's extra fun. Also, it's so prolific; I can't even tell I cut it for the last arrangement, and after a severe cutting today, it still looks great. I have also used Tarragon for this, but it doesn't wear as well because it's a more delicate herb. It does have a nice spindly, wild look to it, though.
• Leatherleaf lookalike: Mexican Heather. Also has some purple buds, so it's a flower and a fill.
• Ruscus: One of my favourite greens, I use vinca vines to get the look. I also threw in some vertical Thai Basil that mimics the look. I also just looked out at my monster, out of control patch of mint and realized that it would have filled that purpose, as well. It's in flower, though, and I didn't want to fight the wasps for it.
• Bear/Lily grass: Last time I used garlic chives, but this time I used the scapes, or the unbloomed flower shoots from them, to create a dramatic, strong arch. Little bunches of Sage also give a nice firework effect here and there, much like a loop of grasses would.
• Salal: This one I cheated on. I bought the roses and used the leaves as large-leafed fill. They didn't come from my yard. 

Today's additions included some garden phlox (big purple bunches down low,) and the greens from our thread leaf coreopsis, whose bright yellow flowers have faded. I also tucked one little bright rose from our climbing bush into the back, although it doesn't have much time left. I weeded out some Queen Anne's lace earlier this week, and i was just thinking about it and how lovely it would have been in my arrangement today. Alas.

So, there you have it—my magical fake cutting garden. Good thing there was a rose sale . . .

Canning Season Has Begun

Last year was the first year that I really canned and now that I am no longer pregnant I am excited to do it again!  I decided to start with peaches because they were on sale and tasted amazing!  I picked up 45 lbs of peaches on Tuesday.  All of the boys were going to be gone on Wednesday, so I thought that Hyrum and I would see what we could do on our own.  I got everything prepped in time for his usual nap, but then he decided that today would be the day that he would eat every 1 1/2 to 2 hour with little sleep between.  Hmmm. . . canning under those circumstances was a new adventure for me.  Sometimes he enjoyed the swing, sometimes he would lay on the floor and sometimes he would cry no matter what I did.  Finally I pulled out the Baby Bjorn which a friend gave to me.  It was the first time I used it and was pretty excited when I figured out to get myself in and then Hyrum in as well.  I am sure it would have been entertaining to watch, but alas no one was around to enjoy the show.

In the end I had to prep all of my supplies, go feed the baby, peel and de-pit the peaches, go feed the baby, but then I worked really fast to put the peaches in the jars, process them and get the next batch of peaches ready.  By the time I got the next batch ready to process I was feeding the baby again.  I'm pretty sure he is going to be giant by the end of the week.  So, why do I have time to sit and write this blog?  Because now he is sleeping, finally!  I am pretty sure that he will sleep all day today after staying up all day yesterday.  I should find something to do!

I am pretty excited about the peaches.  They look great.  I got 14 quarts, but two didn't seal and one broke during processing.  I have never had a jar break on me, so I was perplexed to see peaches floating in the water when I opened the pot.  I couldn't figure out what had happened until I lifted the jar and everything else fell out the bottom.  Yes, I am still a new canner.  :)  Other than that the peaches look great and I can't wait to do another batch tomorrow!

2 weeks

Adventures with Boys

As always every day is an adventure with our boys.  It amazes me the things they will do.  For instance, they all now have battle armor made out of cardboard.  Joshua even hung his in his closet.  It is pretty impressive and if it protects them during battle I am all for it!

Last week Michael found a new place to read.  Yes, it is in a tree.  He learned to climb up the tree with a little help from the trampoline.  He started taking books up there to read.  As usual he would spend hours reading but now he prefers the tree to any other place.

He even helped his brothers get up, so they could check out his new place of rest.  They thought it was pretty awesome!

Not all adventures turn out the way they plan.  They decided they wanted to be abel to sit on the trampoline and stick their legs through the bottom.  So, they grabbed some hedge trimmers and made a hole.  Well, they made several holes.  They were sad to learn that the trampoline is now unsafe and off limits.  When I say sad I am understating the fact severely.  But even though we miss the trampoline (and yes as parents we miss the hours of playing they do on the trampoline) we are trying really hard to help them see the consequences of their actions.  Fie on good parenting.  :)

Then, today we went to a cold-blooded animals program at the library.  I must admit that it was much more impressive than expected.  They had just a few animals, but they were all HUGE.  Actually the picture below may have been of the smallest animal of them all.   Michael loved getting to hold this young alligator.  They had a full size gator as well that was completely trained and even gave rides to a couple of small children.  It was awesome!  We did learn that while he has managed to train alligators, crocodiles have a menu that includes humans, so he will have to stick to gators.  I thought this was very good to know.

Our greatest adventure, however, is with Hyrum.  The boys love holding him, kissing him, hugging him and anything else I will let them do (which isn't much).  They sure can't wait until he quits sleeping and eating all of the time.  I am pretty sure they think I am hogging all of the baby time.  Soon enough they will get all the time they want to play with him.  But for now they get a few minutes here and there and will cherish every moment!

Happy Father's Day

I am sorry I am a little late posting this, but better late than never.  First, Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers in my life and thank you for all you do!  I thought it would be fun to look at the last year and see some of the fun things that these dads have done!

 We'll start with James . . .

This year James got to spend some fun boy time at Cub Scout Day Camp.

Made Pine Wood Derby cars . . .

Baptized Joshua . . .

Directed a musical with Joshua in it.  . . 

He also coached soccer, went on bike rides, baked treats, wrestled and played with his boys as much as possible.
 

It has definitely been a fun year with daddy!  As our boys get older I have learned that they need their dad and am glad that they have a dad who is there for them!  Thanks for being a great dad!  

We also got to see my dad this year in Florida which was a lot of fun.  I don't have any pictures but he took the boys to the beach and showed them how to play in the big Atlantic waves.  That was a great adventure.   

The boys have had several opportunities to see their Grandpa Hutchings and during those times they have heard many 'grandpa stories.'  I am pretty sure they would listen to grandpa stories all day long.  It is great to see them learning about family history and hearing about some great examples in their family they can follow.  

I have learned that once you are dad, you are always a dad, as we see below as Grandpa H. is teaching Michael how to mow his lawn.  Being a dad is a wonderful thing and I am grateful for the fathers in my life and the ones in my boys' lives.   I want you all to know that the work you are doing is important and the influence you have is crucial.  Thank you for being great dads and I hope you all had a Happy Father's Day!

Ready for a Baby?

Before we had the baby we kept asking ourselves if we had everything we need.  We knew we had the basics like diapers, wipes, car seat, and a crib, but what did we miss?  Not much but I thought it was fun to reflect on.

alcohol (for cleaning the cord)
Mylicon (for gas-this is a must have)
fingernail clippers  (We still need these.  Fortunately, he hasn't scarred himself yet.)

There were a few other little things but those were the ones that I recommend not forgetting.  So, what other things did I forget?

I forgot that you have to teach the baby to fall asleep in their crib.  In the hospital he just fell asleep all the time and never needed to be put to sleep.  It didn't take long to teach but it was easier to do during the day when everyone was awake then when everyone was fast asleep at night.  Fortunately, only the grown-ups seem to hear him in the night.  Also, it was nice that he never cried more than 10 minutes.  So, we have been victorious in that category (and yes, it was awesome to get more sleep because of it).

I also forgot that it takes a few days for your milk to come in.  It isn't such a big deal but Hyrum sure seems happier now!

It has definitely been an adjustment to have a baby at home again but we are adjusting well and all growing to enjoy being together.   The boys will be happier when Hyrum will play with them but for now they get to just enjoy holding him and waiting for him to wake up.

Hyrum Dale Hutchings

Welcome to the world Hyrum!  So, what do I know about Hyrum already?  He is just like me.  He wants things done his way and when he wants something done, it will get done, and there will be no negotiating.

So, how did our newest arrival come?  Almost exactly the way I planned.  Almost!  Every night for the past few nights I have prayed that if this is the night that I am allowed to sleep first, so I will be well rested for the delivery.  So, when I woke up just after 4 and wondered if I had had a contraction I was pleased with step one.  After about 45 minutes of contractions about 6 minutes apart I decided I should get ready to go to the hospital (I have never had false labor and counted on this).  So, I got up and showered quickly which, of course, woke up James because this is the first time I have been out of bed before 8 in weeks.  :)  He showered while I prepped my backpack.  People always say they pack a bag in advance but I had decided that was unrealistic since I need most of those things every day, but I did make a list, so it didn't take long to get ready.

Then, we told Michael and Joshua where we were headed and who would be taking them to church.  We hoped they would go back to sleep but knew that it was an unrealistic hope.

At the hospital they wheeled me up to the maternity ward which was nice because the contractions were coming more frequently.  They put me in a room and shortly thereafter realized that I was laying in a non-birthing bed.  I'm not going to lie,  the non-birthing bed was much more comfortable, so I'm glad we didn't make the change for awhile.  The first thing I told them was that I wanted an epidural.  That is the part of the plan that I know needs to be known upfront, so they have time to do everything needed.  She warned me that it would take at least an hour to get that going.  Fine, so lets get it going.  But no, we answered questions and filled out papers.  She called my doctor to see if I could be admitted.  I was 3 cm and he said that when I progressed I could be admitted.  Now normally I wouldn't care, but I knew that if I wasn't admitted they couldn't start prepping me for that epidural.  Ugh!  So, I told her to check me again.  She warned me that I had only had 5 contractions and that progress was unlikely.  I didn't care (you know how I like things to go my way).  So, she checked and was surprised to learn that I was now 4 cm.  That's right.  Oh baby yea!  Both James and the nurse were shocked and said that that I willed my body to do that.  Really I think it was that painful contraction I had right before she checked.  You decide.

So, I was admitted, they took my blood, hooked me up to an IV and we were on our way.  Then, the shift changed.  Not a big deal just a new nurse and she was all about getting me my epidural, so I was happy enough.  She slowly prepped for delivery and I continued to progress.  She finally had good news, the blood work was done and the anesthesiologist was on her way.  She said 10 minutes, so I checked the clock and told myself I could make it 15 minutes.  Let me just say that I was right.  In about 10 minutes my contractions took a leap for the worse and I started feeling pressure.  I was only 7 cm, so it was ok but those contractions begged for the assistance of an epidural.  I asked at what stage they call the doctor and they said when you are 10 cm.  WHAT???  Isn't that when you have the baby, not when you call the doctor?  Go figure.  So, at 7 cm (after 10-15 minutes of waiting-yes, I held up my end of the deal) my body decided it was done and within 3 - 5 minutes I was crowning.  So much for that epidural.  :(  But hey, if I can't get my epidural at least I only had to be in intense labor for 15 minutes.

So, what is it like having a baby without an epidural?  It HURTS!!!!  I'm pretty sure I heard a nurse tell me not to scream.  Yea, like that's going to happen.  So, we delivered our sweet little Hyrum right onto the table with three very calm nurses coaching me through, reminding me to stay calm, and breathe.   I am pretty sure that they are the only reason that I was able to make it through.  One of them had such a calm face that I could look at her and calm down (well relatively calm down).  I would have been toast without her.

So, everything was exactly as I planned.  I got a good nights rest, my labor lasted under 4 hours from is that a contraction? to hello baby, everyone was healthy and happy, but no epidural.  :(  Maybe next time.   What have I learned?  Don't wait very long to go to the hospital or I will never get an epidural again.  Ask that my doctor come at around 6 cm, well, if he wants to make it on time anyway.  And finally, you still forget the pain pretty quickly after delivery.  I'm not sure how that works but I am grateful.  So, now my body just gets to heal and I get to enjoy some quiet time with the newest Hutchings!

It has been a calm day (post delivery).  James and I took a nap while they took care of the baby.  Glorious!  Then, James brought the boys in to see us after church.  They bored pretty quickly and now they are with someone else and James will be back soon, so we can just enjoy a quiet calm afternoon and evening together.  It just sounds perfect!

Oh, I didn't give you stats.  Hyrum was born at 7:50 AM on June 10--9 days before my due date just like Michael and Joshua.  Yes, I am a control freak and somehow I manage to control even child birth.  He was 8 lbs 4 oz, 20.5 inches and has Michael's red hair and facial features.  Michael is, of course, thrilled!  Here is a fun comparison picture for you.