diggin' on stings winter

farm fresh

papa bear took a little trip

up to cocolalla idaho

where my dad grew up

and came back with some farm fresh eggs.

from these...

to this...

into these.

i'd say it was better than walking through the door

with an arm full of flowers, almost:)

thank you luana and wilbur!!

blog hiatus

i have been chastized by "thousands" for not posting in weeks... please forgive the eight month pregnant lady overwhelmed by the rearing and raising of four precious souls... soon to be five on december first:) i have had to put motherhood ahead of my great pleasure in this creative space to focus on the creative space of my home. you'd never know that such energy has been directed towards said house at the looks of laundry waiting to be folded on the couch and the dishes in the sink (our dishwasher has been broken for three weeks... i am a pioneer). our days have been filled with piano lessons, basketball, homework, ballet and hip hop, dentist appointments, scouts, activity days, doctor appointments and meal making. the most exciting highlight of the past few weeks would be where the children took turns with their bouts of the H1N1 virus. i don't want to give too much attention to this episode, frankly i'm sick of the subject, but know this-- it is part of the circle of life. papa bear and i have been vaccinated after much pensive stewing, and the world will go on. life hands us thing after thing to deal with... what fun would a day of no surprises be... just like this morning when i was supposed to meet with some musical lassies to practice for our performance of singing and piano duets for the festival of trees and the little leprechaun had the beginnings of pink weepy eyes... fabulous. so even though i should be putting my halloween decorations away, or cleaning the pee around the bottom of the toilet on the floor of the boys bathroom, or sorting through the medical bills that are still in cycle from last years kidney incident, i am here writing about how much i love my life, and how thankful i am for the fullness, color, spice and gift that it is... and then later i will change my plans for the day once again and take tade to the doctor and hope that the kids get to piano lessons on their own okay. i'm okay. you're okay.

everything will be okay.

*****

can i just say how much i have loved this fall season here in idaho. there have been a couple snowy brisk moments, but all in all it has been pure joy. the kids have TONS of leaves to play in, there are yummy pumpkin spice smells in my house, and the fresh air is cooling my maternity hot flashes.

this little "tadertot" as we like to call him when he's not pillaging rainbows for gold, is giving me a run for the money. his pure adorableness keeps him out of harms way when for the millionth time he draws on his arms with markers or spills an entire bowl of cheerios onto the floor. god makes kids cute so it balances their naughtiness... i have a lot of cute kids:)
my eldest daughter and i went on a mother daughter date the other night. we clothes shopped, sub munched, candy nibbled, and then ended at a beautiful concert by jenny oaks baker. i'm so grateful i have a daughter. i love my boys to pieces, but the sisterhood addy and i share is so special... she has taught me patience, understanding, and no, i may not leave the house wearing that.just after i took the picture below of the mummy dog we made for a fun fall dinner, my camera battery died, and since the charger has been awol, i have been tortured by fantastic moments passing me by without a picture to snatch it... but want to hear a funny story?
***
i have been a cub scout den leader since june, and recently chris was made my assistant den leader... oh how cute:) last month at pack meeting we played frisbee golf and i was the lucky recipient of a runaway disc landing square on my cheek bone. i had a beautiful shiner that made me very self concious as i went grocery shopping as if people were looking at my big pregnant belly and then the black eye and thinking that someone needed rescuing... it definitely made me think twice about passing judgements about peoples appearances... for all i know that lady that shops at the dollar store in a oversized beer tshirt and cut off shorts just gave all her clothing to charity and is now stocking up on bandages to donate to the local shelter. anyways, anticipating what is to happen next at scouts has become a joke in our house after october. one of our den meetings we were to go door to door and deliver flyers for a food drive. unfortunately all my scouts were sick and couldn't make it, but luckily for them, i have a ready and willing child labor union right here in my very home. the schofield family set out at dark in the mini van, wife driving, husband and kids running door to door racing to see who could finish their road first. papa bear in all his hotness approached a black doorstep when he saw a cat... next he heard a sound... pssssssssss... then next he saw the cats big bushy tail rise... and next he saw a white stripe. he ran to the car in confusion-- but not before tucking a flyer in their garage door bless his stinky heart. as he entered the passengers seat and lifted his arm to my nose to smell and double check if he had truly been sprayed, i doubled back in agony at the poisonous toxic fumes that were now ingrained on my face by his long sleeve carhartt shirt. we finished the route, and i made him sit in the back with the trunk door up as i used all queesy courage to keep my composure during the stench filled ride. when we got home, there was a lot of freaky commotion as we hurriedly tried to figure out what would clean his clothes, what would clean him, and how we could avoid stinking up the whole house with skunk essence. he threw his clothes in a sink filled with witches brew cleaning products, told addy to turn off the faucet in a minute and ran up to take a shower. after he scrubbed himself silly he returned to the laundry room to find that the faucet had not been turned off, and there on our seventies carpet covered laundry room floor, the "cup runneth over"... with skunk essence water... flooding yo. normally a person would just suck the water out of the carpert, but this was no ordinary water, so it had to be pulled out.
i love scouts. at the school halloween parade i realized that my camera after being charged was actually broken... my heart thus is broken too, for these are the only halloween pictures i have of my kids. i may dress them up again for posterity sake. my sweet little sister cassie stopped by during the day while i was cooking to chat away while the yay-hoos decorated a haunted gingerbread house. i'm so proud of her and her accomplishments- she is one in a million! halloween evening we had hearty chicken corn chowder, breadsticks, salsa and chips, spinach/bean dip, and caramel apples. my sister just one month behind me in growing her little baby stayed warm inside with me and passed out candy while our husbands took the kids trick or treating. october has passed all too quickly and just around the corner is turkey dinner and a long awaited csection. little charlie will be here before we know it, and now i'm off to the doctor's.
farewell for now blog... hopefully less time will pass between our meetings.

BOO!

art by Laurie Smith

for eliza

this photo channels tades inner nacho libre with the snug sweat pants and shirt that has outgrown his belly. i have come to believe that his favorite canine friend who shares similiar facial expressions is actually a brother from another mother. i especially delight in the jelly around the mouth and smell he carried with him when he finally decided to come back in the house.
this photo reminds us that gaps between teeth are usually only acceptable on cute blue eyed two year olds and will be later corrected by lots of painful wire and money.
this photo reflects the pirate in every small boy. observe the way he grips his plastic sword which is ready to strike at the precise moment that you deny him his third chocolate peanut butter granola bar.

september wrap up

September was a busy month and it went by fast!

Two of my boys had birthday's...

one of them sternly requested not to be blogged about...

so I won't post festive pictures of the celebration,

just imagine that we had a grand carnival

complete with elephants, camel rides, and cotton candy...

you'll be non the wiser:)

***

Nana and Pa (Chris' parents) came to visit over conference weekend, and we relaxed to the inspirational messages while Nana made her chicken soup for the soul. She also had a birthday this month, so the three september birthday's blew out a candle on a fruity tart.

Pregnancy got the best of me more than once last month, and while I was pouting on the couch unable to move my sexy whale-like body, Papa Bear handed me this plate over my shoulder and kissed me gently on the forehead. I was brought to hormonal tears which totally confused the Leprechaun and bewildered the other children...

I love my man and his generosity that arises with perfect timing...

I will reach the end yet.

The kids didn't completely receive my passion for reading when their bodies and spirits were forming in the womb, but luckily they have found a couple of books that keep their attention enough. It warms a mothers heart when books bring about smiles...

even if it is a highly illustrated watered down version.

I've seen more spiders around here than I'd care to remember, and I seem to be the spider whisperer... in other words, the only family member who holds it together enough to smash the culprit into a wall or floor accent while the others scream and flea the scene of the crime.
We had a sweet photo shoot with three of the most photogenic people on this earth. One little girl in particular has more personality and dang cuteness than anyone can handle. All I can say is, watch out world!

I'm almost ready to document the evolution of this blessed house from out of it's cocoon. The wings have a little tweeking more to go... a before and after post will be coming soon!

hazel...a baby story

My dear sister Eliza, aka mother theresa, is expecting her very first baby right after halloween... it is a girl, and her name shall be called HAZEL... our great grandmothers name. We are so excited for Eliza to become a mother because she has been nurturing and mothering all of our children for years, and I have a hunch things will come very naturally for her.

***

We celebrated last weekend with a pretty fabulous shower led by Sadie and supported by other helpful sisters. It is quite a terrific force when we all get together to put on a production involving baking/cooking, home sewn goods, and decorations. The party was a super success, and I am still dreaming of all the amazing food that was so lovingly prepared.

Sadie made a very cute diaper cake, and the fluffy pink

martha stewart pom poms and sweet roses added the perfect

girly touch. The "I am a child of God" print can be found

on Etsy- www.persimmonandpink.etsy.com

FAMILY... the three on the couch donning purple are

all pregnant (we missed you tiffany and lauriekae!)

For party favors we had to go boxes and "baby bites"

to fill in them... candy kabobs, cheesecake pops, m&m's,

chocolate covered rice krispie treats, almond bark,

pear jelly bellies, and peanut butter balls

The food was amazing... teriyaki salmon, greek salad,

red potato salad, cookie salad, cheesy breadsticks,

pecan bars, fruit tarts, and lemon shortbread

I made applique onesies and bibs for little Hazel,
and Sadie made adorable burp cloths.

The cute mama all tuckered out with Aunt Berta.

I LOVE BABIES...and PARTIES!!

Sister Wives Club- PEACH PICCADILLY

We canned 84 jars of peaches today.

8 hours later...

we're finished,

and 36 of those bad boys

are coming home with me.

Thank you mamacita for showing us how!!
***

be still my heart

Headed for NYC

There has been a very talented man living in Jackson.

He likes to change his hair color like he changes his shoes.

He makes friends easily and is oozing with styling talent.

This amazing little brother of mine is chasing his dreams

all the way to the exciting (and far away) city of New York

where he will start a job at Butterfly Studio Salon.

We spent a few moments with him saying our farewells

and now I sit here teary eyed as I think of how proud

I am of all his courage and hard work at such a young age,

to go for what he wants in life and pursue ambitious endeavors.

We share so many of the same passions in life,

and I hope the distance keeps us close...

Keep it real in the big apple Jair Bair!

Remember Who You Are!

I LOVE YOU!!

Really, we were there.

Yesterday we attended the

Eastern Idaho STATE FAIR

in Blackfoot.

***

(bubblespot)

HIGHLIGHTS:

seeing Jessie, Emily, & Lilybugs

taking in the latest Idaho hairstyles (woo baby)

gigantor horses, fluffy sheep and plump rabbits

eating corndogs, curly fries, and a gyro

Addy buying Ollie a spiderman fingerpuppet

watching the little girl rock out on stage to black sabbath in her pleather pants

free parking

LOWLIGHTS:

fighting crowds of insurmountable measure

not getting to try a deep fried candybar

lower pubic bone pressure from the baby while walking

not being able to see the pigs

accidentally clocking Addy's mug

driving to Costco another 20min. only to find it's closed

yelling at naughty whining kids in the car

5SF Edition 38

FIVE SENSE FRIDAY

***
TASTING-

Blueberry Pomegranate

Trail Mix Crunch

*

SMELLING-

Spray Paint

I'm under a nesting spell, and I've been currently obsessed with spray paint...

more later on my colorful projects!
*

FEELING-

An "AHA" Moment

Yesterday I was watching the farmers harvest the wheat, it was mesmerizing. But what I realized that I had never known before, was that the left over stalks after they take the wheat is what they use for straw...DUH!! You learn something new everyday in the country. Once the crops are gone, you know fall is on it's way.
*

SEEING-

NOA NOA

(via Decor 8)
*

HEARING-

Owl City

Maybe I'm Dreaming

Sister Wives Club- SIDE PONYTAIL SALSA

Today mom and some of the sisters gathered again so our fabulous friend Cruz could honor us with an education in real south of the border salsa. I wanted to drink it... pure heaven... made from fresh roasted tomatoes and jalapenos, bell peppers, onions, cilantro and seasonings. Eating it transports me to a tropical place where troubles melt like lemon drops, and for reals, just try not to down a whole jar by yourself. I'm thinking these bottles of love would make great christmas presents with a bag of chips... but i would really have to love you... my fingers are still burning from peeling the peppers... and there's a funky smell happening here...

VIVA LA SALSA!

THANK YOU CRUZ!

(next time, she'll teach us salsa verde & enchilada's)

Never Never Land

First day of school was today, and I SWEAR I'm not going to talk about how big my kids are getting, or how fast time flies, or how quiet the house was, or how loooong/short the summer was, or how sad/happy I am that they are back in school, or how old I feel, or how I wish I could just freeze time and land my kids in Never Never Land so they stop growing up...

Enthusiasm

"MOM, CAN I PLEEEEAAASE

HAVE THIS
CRACK-I-LATOR!!??"

Our First Visitors

Over the weekend Nana & Pa came to stay with us and were our first visitors. We had so much fun with them just hanging out and taking in the great outdoors! We also had Chris' brother Jon and his family from Utah stop by on Sunday for dinner. It somehow made our house feel complete to have all the familiar faces around, and we look forward to lots of future visits:)

***

CRABBING 2009

First of all, thank you to Papa Bear for making such great memories with the kids this year, and for being so capable without me... I joke with my sisters that if I were to "pass through the veil" and leave Chris with our kids he would function perfectly well without me, and perhaps do a better job than I would do on my own. Secondly, thank you to all my siblings who I stole pictures from for this post:) It looks as though Mr. Oliver is the crabbing mascot this year...

***

ITINENARY:

Thai food dinner in Portland

late night swimming at the Shilo

stock your boat and let the crabbing begin!

back to the dock to measure, cook, and clean crab

Tillamook Cheese Factory for ice cream and cheese

dinner feast of the day's catch at The Troller

beach time

&

home again, home again, jiggity jog.

***

Road Trip

This weekend was the annual CRABBING TRIP to the OREGON COAST with my family. The three older kids were big enough to go but since Tade was too young and I am "great with child" and not much help I decided to hang back with him and saunter over to Utah on a road trip to visit friends and family.
Unfortunately I didn't take any pictures of the whirlwind stops where radical chics dropped what they were doing and made time to briefly see me... can I just give a great big "AMEN" to my peoples in Tooele, Lehi, Lindon, and Provo... and tell you how precious you are to my bosom and how much I LOVE you all...

TRULY, TRULY, TRULY!!
***
I had great plans to visit all my favorite boutiques and leave some goodies on YOUR doorstep, but the trip was cut short on Saturday when I just plain ran out of energy. Come to find out, wrestling a two year old when you're six months pregnant in over hundred degree weather in and out of the car to stores with lots of valuables just plain sucks the life outta ya.
***
I'm already dreaming of another road trip, perhaps without the "extra luggage" this time, where I can visit and hug my other fond fellows. Until then, the Leprechaun and I are patiently awaiting the arrival of the rest of the stinky Schofield clan... can't wait to help unpack the wet fishy smelling clothes... NOT! They better bring me back vintage white cheddar and caramels from Tillamook... I just know Chris is going to love the new spider ring, colorful ribbons and PAPAYA calendar I picked up...

uh yeah, sure he is.

Peaks and Valleys

We recently went to a renewal celebration for my husbands brother and his wife, (pictures to come) and it made me contemplate my relationship with Chris and the kind of life we are making with our family. Very courageous and tenderhearted words were spoken by them about peaks and valleys that we all experience in our marriages, and it is these ups and downs that strengthen us and bring us closer.

*

While Chris was away last year working for eight months I camped out in a very low valley. I struggled by myself during the week trying to hold everything together, but on the weekends when he would come home we realized how much we needed eachother and our love was renewed. The distance had made us grow fonder and had brought back the spice that kids and routines had taken away. There were also valleys during his tumors and radiation complications. When you have a sick spouse, there is no more dark and frightening thought than that you might be left to face your journey alone. In God's own time, Chris pulled through and we climbed a peak out of harms way. I have also felt great sorrow through heartbreaking family circumstances and Chris has carried me in these deep valley's. Then there are those times where we simply get in a groove and feel like we're living with a roommate. Couples drift apart persuing their different interests and each person is left feeling disconnected and misunderstood. Jon and Les made sacrafices in cutting out activities important to them to make more time for their family. Jon took dancing lessons just to be with Leslie even if it wasn't his thing... at the party they danced together inspiring others to come together and leave selfishness aside.

*

If there is one bright lesson in all of this, it is this;

family is life's greatest joy.

Togetherness and service nurtures our relationships no matter where life takes us. Whether you're living in a tiny apartment abroad, a gorgeous home in the suburbs, or a fixer-upper in the country... whether you are jobless, childless, moneyless, or brainless:) My happiest times have been spent with my family. I am excited and recommitted to face each day with a fresh outlook never to forget my countless blessings.

No Reason

by Cori Connors

*

I'm yours in the sweet in the bitter

I'm yours if you soar if you fall

Love keeps no account of the winners

Ask why I love you, I'll tell you

There's no reason at all

*

After all of these years I'm still crazy in love

If you want reasons there's more than enough

Times going to change them and life rearrange them

But one thing will always be true

That's the way my soul rises to you.

*

Gorgeous photos taken by

www.scenesfromthewild.blogspot.com

My life is complete...

and the cravings have taken me over.

*

The dashing knight in shining armor

has come bearing gifts of

succulent french fries with fry sauce,

a cheeseburger,

and an oreo shake.

*

The heartburn

will be totally worth it.

*

dude, check out the grease on the bag,

that's when you know it's going to be good.