Wire Jewelry

I am so excited about the new toys I got for Christmas! Ben bought me a wire jig from wigjig.com and my mom bought me a "wire wacker," nylon pliers and a few other things I haven't had a chance to use yet. Christmas night after we had the kids in bed, I finally had a minute to myself to make these earrings. I did not make the ear wires, but I made the swirly connector. I also wrapped the top loop of each bead with the head pin. They were so fun to make and so much easier with the jig than without! I'm sure I'll be posting a bunch more pieces soon.

Fruity Christmas Project

Last Christmas, I got a strainer attachment for my Kitchenaid. I had wanted to can applesauce for such a long time. I love homemade applesauce and couldn't wait to do it. The only problem was, I found out that it takes a lot of time and a lot of apples to make applesauce. I decided to wait until apples came in season and then buy them by the box.

When October rolled around and apples went on sale for 45 cents a pound at Sprouts I knew it was the moment I had been waiting for. The only problem was, I didn't have time to do applesauce! I decided to wait a week or two. Then the window of opportunity was gone. Apples went back up to around a dollar a pound. I was so disappointed!

A couple of weeks ago, I saw that apples had gone on sale again. Not to 45 cents a pound, but to 88. I decided I would take it. I bought 140 pounds of apples. Ben and I worked together and even the boys helped. We washed, cut, and boiled the apples. Then we strained them in the Kitchenaid. The boys loved to mash the apples into the strainer. Then we boiled the applesauce, put it in the bottles, sealed them up, and processed them in our pressure canner.

I bought one box of Fuji, one box of Braburn, and two boxes of Gala. We made the first twenty jars with Gala and Fuji mixed. The applesauce was so sweet, I hardly had to add any sugar. I made half with cinnamon and half without. The second half we used Braburn and Gala. The applesauce was a lot more tart with those apples, so we added more sugar.

Overall, it was a lot of money, a huge hassle, and very stressful, but we now have 40 quart bottles of applesauce. It is worth it because homemade applesauce is so much better than store bought. Besides, now I have proof, I "can" accomplish something! :) I even bottled a few little half-pint jars to give to visiting and home teaching families. Now that makes for a very fruity Christmas!

Finishing Wesley's Room

It has been a year this month since Wesley was born. I still have not finished his room. (Long Sigh) I am making progress though! This evening, Ben and I hung this picture on his wall. The picture was taken by us on New Year's Day, we got the 16X24 print from Mpix, and for the last month, we have been working on matting and framing it. We got the glass and matt from a store in Arlington, and we made the frame from oak I bought at Home Depot. We cut the wood with a router and stained it with a Java gel stain. We assembled it with wood glue and brad nails and used a corner frame clamp to make the corners square. We were really pleased with the way it turned out.

Wesley has grown a lot since this picture was taken, but that print is bigger than he is now. It is bigger than his daddy! That is one big baby!

Two New Sites

Creativity is my thing. I guess having one hobby would just be too boring for me, so I have multiple. It seems that I must dabble in anything that involves any kind of creative expression.

(Sighing as I contemplate the growing pile of laundry and dishes)

Last week it was cake decorating and wood working, this week it is metal clay. I have three pieces that I am making as Christmas gifts that are drying on my dresser as I write this post. I have also been looking into wire jigs and wire jewelry which has always captivated the creative cogs of my brain. I plan to post pictures of everything as each project is completed.

I found this blog that is all about metal clay. Very fun.

http://beadfx.blogspot.com/

I also found this terrific site that is all about working with wire.

http://www.wigjig.com/

Congratulations Ben

We have come a long way since last year. Last month Ben started a new job. It is kind of his old job. He was working as a contractor for American Airlines, but they offered him a position as an employee. It was also a promotion of sorts, so we are very pleased.

To celebrate, I made this bow cake. The bow is entirely made of fondant and I am so pleased with how it turned out that I want to make another one again soon.

Wesley's Birthday Planning

I am getting ready for Wesley's first birthday. I am toying with the idea of a nautical theme. I love little sailboats and anchors. The colors would be so fun to work with. The picture above is of a wedding cake, but it could easily be scaled down to two layers. I would also switch things up a bit and put my own spin on things. As I was trawling around looking for ideas, I found this adorable picture of an elephant cake.

This cake is SO cute! The best thing about it is the adorable elephant. If you look really closely, he is even stitched! I could totally do a teddy bear theme and make this cake.

What do you think? Any ideas?

Renovations

Sometimes in life, it is just time for a change. Time to change attitudes and strategies that aren't working. Spring cleaning for the soul, I suppose. Time to look into the recesses and corners of the brain, clean out the crap, and make a plan to reach goals. That is what I have been doing for the past month. Praying, crying, thinking, analyzing, remembering, understanding, forgiving, and moving on.

In many ways, I feel like a new person now. As the inside of me has changed, so has the outside. My smile is a little more confident, my walk just a little more sure, my attitude just a little more saucy, and ya know what? It feels good. Nothing like a good renovation to make life a little sweeter!

So, I have decided that my house needs renovating too. A new house for a new woman! So, I was trying to sew Halloween costumes this fall and every time I looked into my craft closet, I wanted to light a match and watch it all burn! Everything stacked pell-mell into massive awkward plastic bins that were impossible to get to, I found myself daunted by any craft project I attempted. I went to work.

I don't have a before picture, but that is a good thing. I don't want to remember the chaotic mess that the craft closet used to be.

This is my new craft closet. With a fifty dollar modular set from Lowes, along with a few small, clear plastic bins, and a few plastic drawers, I have recovered my closet!! Now that is power! Each drawer has a different craft supply like thread, cake decorating tips, pastry bags, food coloring, ink pads, stamps, etc. There are three bins, one for cake decorating stuff, one for scrapbooking supplies, and one for random crafting supplies like felt, googly eyes, and glitter.

Now I am free to create! Here is a bracelet that I made for my sons school auction basket. It was a Christmas theme, so I made it red and green with stars. It turned out so cute, I wanted to keep it for myself. (Sigh) I am going to take some pictures this weekend of the Halloween costumes I have been working on. Stay tuned, the blog posts are going to start coming again!

Bullying

I hate to read sad stories in the news. There have been a lot of them lately. I cried and prayed as I read about the students who have been killing themselves because of the bullying that they suffered in a place where they should have been safe; their schools. What kind of a society do we live in when we allow this kind of thing to go on? It is time for all of us to be more conscious of our young people lives, how they treat others, and how others are treating them. No child should have to live in a climate of fear and intimidation regardless of how different they are.

When I was teaching in the schools, I met a couple of teachers who saw bullying taking place with the students in their classes and did nothing to stop it. They seemed to think that if a child was different, their feelings didn't matter. Perhaps they thought that with enough pressure, the child would change and no longer be treated badly. Perhaps they thought that the child deserved poor treatment.

One second grade teacher had a sweet little student that was struggling so badly with reading that she was in need of individual tutoring rather than group instruction. She was sitting with the other students in her reading group when her teacher told her that she couldn't participate with the other kids because she couldn't read as well as they could. I watched her return to her seat and cry at her desk by herself. What did this tell the other kids in the class? It told them that it is okay to exclude people who are different. One teacher told me, "This child is always being teased for the clothes he wears. He just needs to learn that if he doesn't wear clean clothes, he is going to get teased!" I never saw her try to stop the teasing. The children in her class were horrible to each other, and they behaved like that right in front of her. One sweet little girl who was obviously neglected by her parents sat and cried at her desk because of the awful things kids would say to her. The teacher never intervened. What does that tell children? It's okay to bully people, and the feelings of kids that are different don't matter.

Now, for each of these bully teachers, I met a half dozen other teachers who were much better. For the most part, my experience in the public schools taught me that teachers are wonderful people who work very hard and don't get as much appreciation as they deserve. On the other hand, most of them have limited experience with being excluded, struggling in school, or being different. Most of them were the cookie cutter "good girls" with wonder bread sandwiches and A report cards. They were the ones who were teacher's pet and teacher's helper. They have a hard time understanding what children who can't be like that sometimes feel. I, on the other hand, know what it feels like to be labeled "special ed." I've known my days of standing alone on the playground because no one would play with me. I've felt different most of my life, and my heart aches for those kids.

I was far from the best teacher at the school where I taught, but there was one thing I did right. Every child in that class knew that I loved them. There was never a doubt in any of their minds that I would not tolerate them being unkind to one another. What is your child's teacher like? Behind the closed doors of a classroom, it is hard to tell sometimes. The teacher in the paragraph above that sent that little girl to her desk in tears was a very competent woman who had received recognition for her use of guided reading groups. I doubt very many parents knew how mean she could be. The other teacher who openly tolerated bullying was a ten year veteran teacher. How many other classes of students had passed through her doors learning firsthand the horrible feeling of bullied?

I find myself asking some questions. What is my child learning from his or her teacher that might cause him to think that bullying another child is okay? If my child is ever mistreated at school, is there an adult who he feels he can go to for help at the school?

It is vital for every parent to think long and hard about what their attitudes are toward those that are different. If we are honestly able to say that we don't condone the bullying of anyone regardless of how different they are, we need to make sure that our children know how we feel. We need to talk to them regularly about bullying and why it isn't okay. We need to explain who to go to and how to deal with bullying when they see it or experience it. A friend posted a link to this site on Facebook and it is an excellent resource on bullying.

Check out this website: http://stopbullyingnow.hrsa.gov/kids/default.aspx

It has some great videos that show what bulling looks like, girl bullying, and boy bullying. They are different, but equally harmful. This website doesn't address the bullying of gay children specifically, but it seems that the bullying of these children is becoming worse. It is an issue that is not going away and I find myself thinking about how I can communicate to my children the importance of showing love and acceptance to these children.

The church has a lot of good information that I have read through the years. The most recent press release by the church was in response to a firestorm of anger over Boyd K. Packer's talk on "Cleansing the Inner Vessel," in General Conference. Here is a link to that press release.

Mansfield Shares the Light

I wrote the following for my stake as they are doing a special missionary effort called Mansfield Shares the Light. I thought I would post it here as well for all my blogging friends. It is basically my testimony of the gospel and how it has impacted my life for good.

My name is Bridgette Burbank, and I am a mother of three young children. My husband Ben and I were raised in the church and have been married for nine years. I remember as a young girl, I attended Primary and later Young Womens. The teachers that taught me on a volunteer basis (they were not paid), had a huge impact on the development of my moral compass. By the time I entered the volatile teenage years, I had a solid knowledge of right and wrong.

As a teenager, I attended seminary. In seminary, my testimony of Jesus Christ, which was in its infant stages, grew and matured at a rapid rate. Brother Ramirez was my Book of Mormon teacher and I remember him explaining the atonement to me and the love that the Savior has for those who sin. I will never forget how I felt as I began to understand what He went through in the Garden of Gethsemane, and later on the cross. It was in those classes that I really started to feel like the Savior was a person and not just a cultural icon. It was then that my desires to be righteous were no longer rooted in pleasing society or my parents, but were rooted in a love for the Savior. That love has guided me in making pivotal choices in my life that have resulted in who I am today.

My husband and I met while I was going to school to be an Elementary School Teacher. I was in my third year and he had just returned from a mission to Brazil. Although neither of us had a penny to our names, we were married in the temple for eternity. Those first years of our marriage were a struggle financially and we learned how to live on very little. Our decision to be married younger than most people outside of the church might seem foolish to some, but looking back I see that because of our poverty in those years, we learned budgeting, saving, and delayed gratification. Those habits and skills have benefitted us greatly. Currently we have no credit card debts and we live on a monthly budget. I stay home with our children and Ben works as an account manager for American Airlines. I have never regretted my decision to marry Ben. After we were married, I finished school and then helped my husband to finish his education. Just before school started in my first year of teaching, we found out we were expecting our first child.

I remember how much I loved and cared for each of my little fourth grade students. During red ribbon week, I encouraged them to shun alcohol and tobacco. I was able to stand before them and say that I had never smoked a single cigarette, or ever even tasted alcohol. I explained what a blessing it was as a pregnant mom, not to have to battle an addiction to a substance that could harm my baby. I encouraged them to do the same. The only reason I was able to say those words truthfully is because of my upbringing in the gospel of Jesus Christ. After my baby was born, I stopped teaching, but I think of my little class of students often. Now that they are fourteen and starting high school, I pray for them and hope that they are following my advice.

Looking back on my experiences with the Church, I wouldn’t change a thing. I have had so many different bishops in my life, I have lost count, but my policy has always been to do whatever my bishop tells me to do. I have never regretted it. Every time I have followed my bishop’s counsel, I have been blessed. My bishops have helped me repent, helped my husband and me through marriage difficulties, and been there to counsel and assist us financially when times of unemployment or underemployment have come. My bishop, no matter where I have lived, or who he has been, has always been there for me and my family. I have served in many different callings. Every calling I have had has helped me to be a better person. I’ve never turned one down, and I never will.

I have a strong testimony of the gospel of Jesus Christ. As I have lived in Texas and met the wonderful people who live in the DFW area, I have felt a great desire to reach out to them, and especially their children, and show them what I know to be a sure foundation and safe haven in a very dangerous world. The values and standards I was taught in Primary, Seminary, and Young Womens, are being cast aside by the world and the churches of the world. Despite this, the standards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints remain constant. This is because the church is not lead by men, who shift and change with the times, but by God who is unchanging and constant.

There is only one Church of Jesus Christ, and only one who offers the saving ordinances that can protect us and our children from Satan. That church is the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God. The church he restored under the direction of our Savior Jesus Christ, offers the world a better view of the Savior and a clear picture of what we need to do as his disciples to prepare ourselves and our posterity for his second coming. I encourage you to join with me and be a light to the nation. Stand on a sure foundation, the rock of our Redeemer, where values don’t shift and standards don’t change. In a world of increasing wickedness, it is time to rally around the Savior and heed His call, join His church, and be His people.

Wordart

I found a new site that has great Wordart for making cards or digital scrapbooking. Check it out!

Elegant Wordart by Bethany

End of Summer

Our Crape Myrtle tree had a setback in July. We had some aphids that left sticky honeydew on the leaves of the tree. The leaves then turned black from sooty mold, a mold that grows on crape myrtle trees with aphid problems. I had to spray it for several weeks before it started showing new growth again. Now it is blooming again. How fun! The begonias are also liking the cooler weather at the end of the summer.

Senate Bill

For those of you who are interested, there is a bill coming before the Senate in the next week regarding the "Don't ask, don't tell" policy in the military. This policy prevents openly gay people from serving in the armed forces.

Although on the surface, the inclusion of those openly practicing homosexuality wouldn't seem to be so harmful as they are in almost every profession, but due to the nature of the military, I believe it would likely create a hostile working environment for those opposed to the practice. Culturally, the military is geared toward heterosexual orientation and changes will need to be made such as living arrangements, bathrooms, showers, and other things. These changes will cost money and take time and may not be effective. For those of you, like me, who have young sons who might be interested in serving our country in the armed forces, this issue is particularly important.

If you want to contact your senator, you can do so online at http://senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Autism and MMR

I know this is a controversial issue, and I hope no one takes offense at my position. On the other hand, it is an issue that I feel very strongly about and hope to persuade as many people as I can to look at my point of view.

For those who are unaware of the issue, there has been some speculation about a connection between the MMR vaccine and the development of autism in children. Many people cite this as a reason that they have chosen not to vaccinate their children. CNN did an article on the subject that explains the origin of the controversy and the effects it has had on the health of children in the UK and other places. I encourage you to read it. Here's a link.

In summary, this article says that a doctor published a study in a very reputable scientific journal in the UK. It showed a connection between the MMR vaccine and the development of Autism. Later studies showed that there was no connection. Furthurmore, they also found that during the study, he was in the employ of lawyers who were representing parents who were suing the vaccine companies because they felt their children had developed Autism as a result of the vaccine. Consequently, his study was officially removed from the scientific journal where it was published and the doctor who wrote it is no longer allowed to practice medicine.

The sad side story is that three children died and hundreds of children were hospitalized because many parents in the UK did not vaccinate their children out of fear of this supposed connection suggested in the study.

As a former history major in college, I see the world differently than some moderns. I used to walk across campus at Utah State. There was a grave yard between my apartments and the buildings where I had class. It never ceased to amaze me to see all the little headstones showing the deaths of children. Mortality rates have improved greatly for children as a result of medicine and vaccines in particular. My dad remembers going to sleep at night moving his feet because he was told that you wouldn't get polio if you moved your feet at night. The fear of outbreaks of dreaded illnesses like Diptheria, Polio, and Small Pox was universal. Vaccines were a God send.

I will never forget listening to Joseph B. Worthlin's talk in General Conference May 2005. Part of his talk on kindness was an account of James E. Talmage's service to an unfortunate family. Such a dreaded scenerio is scarcely comprehensible to the modern parent's mind.

"Elder James E. Talmage, a man who is remembered for his doctrinal teachings, showed great kindness to a neighbor family in distress. They were complete strangers to him. Before he was an Apostle, as a young father, he became aware of great suffering at a neighbor’s home whose large family was stricken with the dreaded diphtheria. He did not care that they were not members of the Church; his kindness and charity moved him to act. The Relief Society was desperately trying to find people to help, but no one would because of the contagious nature of the disease.

When he arrived, James found one toddler already dead and two others who were in agony from the disease. He immediately went to work, cleaning the untidy house, preparing the young body for burial, cleaning and providing for the other sick children, spending the entire day doing so. He came back the next morning to find that one more of the children had died during the night. A third child was still suffering terribly. He wrote in his journal: “She clung to my neck, ofttimes coughing [germs] on my face and clothing, … yet I could not put her from me. During the half hour immediately preceding her death, I walked the floor with the little creature in my arms. She died in agony at 10 a.m.” The three children had all departed within the space of 24 hours. He then assisted the family with the burial arrangements and spoke at their graveside services. 3 This he did all for a family of strangers. What a great example of Christlike kindness!"

I wonder what that family would say to moderns who refuse vaccinations? Some see these dread diseases as being a small risk, but are they? Who is to say that a child who visits Mexico or Europe over a holiday won't bring back a disease that is rare here? Will that child go to school at your Elementary? The world is awfully small with airplanes around. That family in the above story could be YOUR family! Those children suffering and dying a slow, painful, and unnecessary death could be YOUR children. Is that really a risk you want to take? Especially when your fear has no rational basis?

I have noticed a trend to the "natural" in the past decade. Organic, natural, no preservatives, and "green" are all buzz words in the natural fad. That's fine. Put your baby in cloth diapers if you want to. Buy organic baby food or make it yourself. Breastfeed! If you are a really dedicated fadist, forgo the epidural, but don't choose not to vaccinate because of a stupid marketing trend. There is nothing natural about the dreaded diseases we have vaccines for. Only needless suffering and death.

If you choose not to vaccinate your kids because of this fear of causing autism, I'll still be your friend and I'll respect your prerogative to make that decision for your children, but please don't criticize those of us who do. After all, it is our decision to vaccinate our children that makes your decision not to vaccinate yours less risky.

One more point. I was badly hurt by speculation from relatives this summer about vaccinations possibly causing Layne's delays. I'm sure that they didn't mean any offense, but that kind of talk is hurtful. Autism and other developmental disorders are multifaceted and complex. It is superstition to run around speculating about different causes for it. Leave it to science to research and trust to the facts. If you choose to buy into the fear of vaccines, fine, but don't expect everyone else to be looking for the boogy man in the closet. He isn't there.

P.S. In response to some Facebook dialogue, I also found a couple more articles. Thanks Polly Snelson! Why Does the Vaccine/Autism Controversy Live On? and Vaccine Phobia Becomes a Public Health Threat.

Also, a friend brought to my attention that there are some serious side effects to vaccines. Personally, I have not researched much into it, feeling that the alternative of not vaccinating is more risky. I think most people would agree that there are members of the population of children who should not get vaccinated. The exception is, of course, not the rule.

One more thing, according to the article listed above, vaccines have drastically changed the morbity rates for children. You don't have to walk through an old graveyard to see that. The data shows it. Here are some interesting figures:

Vaccines are, as the IOM puts it, “one of the greatest achievements of public health.” The CDC estimates that thanks to vaccines, we have reduced morbidity by 99 percent or more for smallpox, diphtheria, measles, polio, and rubella. Averaged over the course of the 20th century, these five diseases killed nearly 650,000 people annually. They now kill fewer than 100.

I am guessing that those 100 were not vaccinated. Sobering thought.

Trees Planted!

It took a while, but our trees are finally planted, staked, wrapped, and tied into our drip irrigation system. Here is our front yard tree, the Shumard Red Oak. It is doing well. I love how Ben did such a good job on the tree circle. You rock Love!

For the Pecan tree in the backyard, we decided we would encircle it with black edging.

Here is the tree all planted, wrapped, and staked. For both trees, we circled them about two feet away from the trunk with 1/2 inch tubing. Every foot or so around the ring, we put a two gallon per hour emitter. We connected the tubing in with our drip system so we can water all of our trees at the same time. If you look closely at the picture above, you can see the line of dead grass where Ben dug the trench for the 1/2 inch tubing.

We also wrapped the trees with a protective wrap. This protects the tree from sun scald.

The Pecan tree is already starting to produce some pecans. How fun!

New Look, Nicer Weather?

I was thinking maybe if I change my blog to fall, we will start getting cooler weather. Okay, so we're out of the triple digits. (Praise the Lord) But 97 degrees will still just about kill you off when you have to walk a mile while pushing two heavy children in a stroller. (Not to mention the occasional sprints to catch up to my five year old riding his bike.) Yes, I am walking Devin to and from school every day, which amounts to about two miles of walking. I am determined to loose the last five pounds of baby weight that are hanging on, (yes, and tone the nasty post-partum flab), but do I have to do it covered in sweat? Not just a little glistening! By the time we get home, it is truly disgusting. Here is hoping. . . .

digital scrapbook 2009

Click here to view this photo book larger

Real Beauty

I watched a video today that my friend posted on Facebook. It was most thought provoking. It showed the transformation of an ordinary looking woman into the image that was put on a billboard. The video was made by Dove which has created a campaign for real beauty about building the self esteem of young girls and breaking down beauty stereotypes. I tried to imbed the video, but I couldn't get it to work. You can watch it here. The other two videos are excellent too.

The beauty and fashion industries are notorious for making unrealistic role models for women's appearance. That is unfortunate, and it does cause problems for girls and their self esteem. I applaud Dove's attempt to make this issue known and combat the objectification of women.

This issue is becoming more and more of a problem in society. Many women will do almost anything to loose a few pounds, many who don't need to. Some women refuse to have children in hopes of preserving their figures. Even in Mormon society, eating disorders are alive and well. One of the most insidious forces at work to objectify women and destroy loving marriages or prevent them in the first place is pornography.

The obvious problems that pornography can lead to like fornication, adultery, and other evils are not what I see as the biggest problems that pornography creates. What I see is the biggest problem is the objectification of women and the effect on a marriage. For example, take an average Mormon man in his thirties who views a pornographic image. Likely the woman in it has been doctored with Photoshop similar to the one in the Dove movie. If not, she has probably had expensive plastic surgery and implants. The reality is, the woman is vain, self-centered, and lacks moral values. What the man sees is sensual perfection.

Then he turns from the image and sees his wife. What does he see? Not the woman who has born several children, serves in multiple callings, manages a household on a budget, and has the potential of being a Goddess. What does he see? A woman who is not nearly as exciting in the bedroom as she used to be, a woman who has not quite lost the weight from the last baby, and a woman with a modest wardrobe full of "mom clothes." This is the objectification of a woman in action. No longer are her virtues seen. No longer is her value as a human being important. How she appears is the only thing that matters, and in this, she falls short of the unrealistic ideal in the image.

Next thing you know, he wants her to change for him, loose weight, exercise more, and in a word, be more like the pornographic image. The reality is, the two women cannot be one. Pornography puts an unrealistic expectation of women in a marriage situation. This leads to damaged self esteem for the woman, and resentful disappointment and disillusionment for the man. If left unchecked, it can destroy a marriage and an otherwise happy home.

This is an issue I feel very strongly about and hope that I can raise my boys to see womanhood and the divine role of women with due respect.

Planting Trees

Planting trees in triple digit heat is not fun! Especially with it being as humid as it has been lately. Ben planted one of our two trees last weekend.

First, we dug out the grass and threw it away. We dug the hole to a diameter twice that of the tree's container. Then we removed the pot from the root ball and shook out some of the roots. Because container trees are usually root bound, the roots have a hard time breaking away from the knots they have created for themselves. They have a harder time branching out if they aren't loosened up a bit before planting. Then we mixed some garden soil with the clay and sand mixture that was already there, and then we put it around the root ball. (The orange dirt is the sand. The big clods are the clay.) I put about three gallons of root stimulator on the whole thing and put down a generous layer of mulch over the top.

We put a stone circle around the tree to protect it from the encroaching Bermuda grass.

Ben is terrific at this. His attention to detail always makes for flawless tree circles. You go Ben! First he digs out the dirt to the level he wants the circle to sit. Then, he places the first brick and uses some scrap lumber, a hammer, and a level to ensure that it is sitting firmly level. Next, he puts a second brick next to it, and hammers it down so that it is flush with the first. Then he uses his level to make sure everything is plumb. He repeats these steps until the circle is complete.

We also wrapped the trunk to protect it from sun scald, and staked it. The relentless wind was part of what got our Shantung Maple that died.

The Shantung Firedragon is doing well after its recent pruning. I thought I would post a comparison of the leaf structure of our different trees. Above is the maple tree.

This is the red oak. I love red oak leaves!

This is the Pecan. We are going to plant it this weekend. It is already producing some fruit. I don't know if it will be edible, but I am stoked about that. I can almost taste pecan pies I will make. . .

Trees

Apparently, late summer is the time to buy trees. We got a flier in the mail for 70% off on trees, so we went and checked them out. They were so beautiful and such a great price, that we bought two, one for the back yard, and one for the front to replace the Shantung Maple that we killed two years ago. The Plant Shed, where we bought them, offers a 6 month guarantee on their trees, and they were confident that planting them in triple digit heat wouldn't kill them. Here's hoping . . .

Each of these trees were in thirty gallon pots and were three hundred dollars regular price. We got them for less than $100 each. They are huge! We are so excited to have them in the landscape.

This tree is a Pecan. It should start producing pecans in a couple of years. We are going to plant it in the backyard.

This one is a Shumard Red Oak. Red oaks have beautiful fall color like the Shantung Maples. Transplant stress may prevent it from doing much this fall, but next year it might be pretty.

This is not a new tree. This is our Firedragon Shantung Maple. Ben decided it needed the bottom limbs removed so it could focus on gaining some height. He used to work as a tree trimmer, so he knows what he is doing, but I have a hard time with pruning. I do much research before I ever cut anything on my plants, so I had to close my eyes while he did it. I must admit, the shape of the tree is better now. I am looking forward to seeing some increase in height as well. I wish I had a before picture, but I don't. The most recent shot I have of this tree is from last fall.

More Summer and Temple Square Pages

More Digital Scrapbooking

Here are some of the pages I have done in the last couple of days. The top ones are of our Temple Square Trip last month. The last one is today when the boys were playing in the backyard.

Sweet Potato Vine

Well, I was able to get roots to grow off of my sweet potato shoots. I planted them this morning and already it is 102 degrees. The heat index has it at 107. They are looking very droopy, but we'll see if they are able to survive.

Digital Scrapbooking

Okay, I am nearly unpacked now. Yes, I have been home from Idaho for almost two weeks, but unpacking four people after a month being away from home is a lot of work! I decided today that I needed to take a break and do some scrapbooking. I finished a 2 page spread I had started on months ago and just needed to do a few things to finish it up. It has pictures from the fourth of July parade that we attended with the Leonards and the Tanners. I got the spread idea from the scrapping sisters.

Waterfall Pictures

Photography has been a hobby of mine for half of my life now. I took a photography class in high school and have been taking pictures off and on ever since depending on whether or not my old film SLR was in working order. I have tried unsuccessfully for the last fifteen years to capture the perfect waterfall picture. Getting the perfect scene with the light just right to create the right amount of blur to the water, was just about impossible. I still haven't taken the perfect waterfall picture, but these were pretty good.

My husband grew up, not in the country, but in the mountains, in a place called Cub River Canyon just South of Preston. If you drive up that canyon to a place called Willow Flat, you can go on a hike to where the water springs fresh and clean right out of the mountain and tumbles down the mountainside making a beautiful mountain creek with lots of picture taking potential.

The Burbank family reunion is always at Willow Flat, and since we were visiting up North during the reunion, we got to go for the first time in eight years. After a night of camping, Ben and I got up before the kids were stirring, and hiked up the trail a few dozen yards to get some pictures. It was so romantic to be together, doing something we both love to do, in the early morning light of such a beautiful place, and no kids to distract us. These were the pictures we took.

Summer Garden

It was hard to leave our garden, but we drove to Idaho at the end of June and we just got back. That is part of the reason I haven't posted for so long. Ben came back after about a week, but the boys and I stayed for three more weeks. Ben did a good job keeping up on the yard work while we were gone. We celebrated Layne's birthday, went to three reunions, and had a lot of fun with all the relatives we don't get to see often enough. Be sure to scroll down through all three new posts!

This summer, the garden has never been more vibrant. With the new border that Ben finished while I was gone to Idaho, the flower beds really stand out.

In the bottom right hand corner, you can see our pepper plant. It has produced a whole shopping bag full of green peppers. I can't use them fast enough!

Here are our scruffy looking tomato plants. Devin agreed to pose for scale. We are still getting a few tomatoes off of them, but they are struggling in the heat.
The sweet potato vine took over the fence flower garden. I trimmed it out from around the vinca flowers so that it wouldn't choke them out. I'm going to fertilize the vinca in hopes that it will compete better with the sweet potato vine.
I am rooting the sweet potato vine cuttings to see if I can grow it in some other areas of the garden. I have never done this before, so I will keep you updated on how it goes.