half way through the year

june has slipped away and this morning it's july
once again it's crazy how fast time flies

celebrating mitchel's birthday
a trip to zions
backyard fires
snuggles with the boys
good mail days
work is slowing down but filled with weeding, chickens and the occasional spider
dr visits
starting my gherkins... better late than never
welcomed our beautiful niece into our lives and kissing her goodbye as abby moves her family to AZ

dreams of the future
desires of my own little farm

my birthday just around the corner
25 was so good to me.

jake

the other day i was searching through photos and came across some real jewels.

grateful for mini trips down memory lane.

jake has been mine for over four years now.

he's such a sweetheart.

{and a handful sometime}

i love him.

national tragedy and dreams for the future

last week was a challenging week for the nation.

monday there was a double bombing at the boston marathon near the finish line.
3 lives were lost with numerous injured.
it's a tragedy. i don't understand how people come up with such evil thoughts and act upon them.

wednesday in texas there was a fertilizer plant that exploded.
they are still searching for survivors and sifting through the rubble.

friday they finally tracked down the suspects in the monday bombings.
boston city had been on lock down,
law enforcement searched each home in the area....

my heart breaks for everyone who had been effected

but there are evenings i prefer to turn the tv off and focus on my world, my family and my home.
there is plenty of evil in the world if we look
there is also an abundance of good and many blessing if we search for that too.

with all that is happening in the world,
the more i want our own homestead in the middle of nowhere.
life will consist of sun up to sun down
taking care of our needs.

thursday i went with my momma to pick up some probiotics for mitchel
and i was talking to her about my dreams for the future, living in the middle of nowhere...
she said we'd need to live semi close to town so our {future} kids could attend school and have friends.
i responded... eh. they can tend to the livestock and play on the farm.
then i said - you'll probably laugh... but i'd consider homeschooling

for all the years i swore i'd never follow in my own upbringing....
i've swallowed another round of nevers
chickens, orchids, canning, homesteading....
i want all of it

day dreaming

i think it's natural to day dream whenever you are traveling. imagining living in the place you are visiting and exploring. as mitch and i drove through ventura we passed this gorgeous home and wondered what it would be like to live a few blocks from the beach. living in such a beautiful coastal town. taking the boys to play in the ocean everyday.... the pace of the town was calling to us. we even pulled up mitch's property app and looked at home prices.

we loved walking the pier/boat harbor. listening to the sea lions, the tourists, and watching everyone and their dog enjoying the evening. it was magical if you asked me.

but when it really comes down to it... i'm in love with my home. born and raised here in utah i don't know if i could ever find another place that speaks to my heart the same. not to mention there is no yards to speak of in california. i think that my quarter acre corner lot may be small for my grand goals of gardening... but coming home to my yard it seemed ginormous. yes i may be envious of california's growing conditions... however i'm 100% in love with my home, my yard, and being near family.

when i really dream of our future, i dream of property. never in a million years did i anticipate my heritage, my upbringing, my roots to surface in such a manor. i want to have a homestead. mitch wants enough property to have a 'go cart track', i want plenty of space to garden, raise chickens and some livestock {mitch hasn't fallen in love with my ideas yet....}. the more we watch the news and hear of the unfortunate events world wide, the more we want our little place of heaven. a place that we can develop and grow and tend.

so as appealing as california can be. how amazing the coast line is. our dreams keep us here. growing together and building our future in our home state.

green passion

one of my wishes for this year is to minimize caffeine.... i haven't made any progress {yet}
and it's even more challenging since i have lots of lemons ready to pick and they are screaming to be squeezed into a ice cold pepsi. it was the perfect treat yesterday! {and will be today and tomorrow and... you get the idea} i have never had a better lemon too. they are on the small size but the amount of juice that erupts from one when i cut it open.... amazing!!!

for the past two years i've always had the 'pleasure' of listening to mitch talk stock market with both fathers.... it goes straight over my head. my eyes even glaze over on occasion. gratefully i don't have to worry about finances since mitch is my financial guru. but i do come alive whenever i get the opportunity to talk plants. yesterday one of my favorite customers came in and i spent a good 30 mins plus chatting gardening and homesteading with her. {perhaps mitch feels similar to gardening as i do to financial chat...} i'm quickly realizing though that i could spend hours talking about plants. there is something magical that happens when you are passionate about something and my passion for everything green is growing in leaps and bounds it seems.

towards the end of december i started some ghost peppers and it seemed to trigger some interest in mitch. over the last few weeks he has been browsing seeds online and getting excited to try growing hot peppers along side me. he wanted to compete growing... or least seed starting with me. so we started a couple hot peppers last week together. last night i went in to check on them and his first sprout made an appearance. i love seeing him get excited about plants! hopefully this is just the tip of the iceberg for him. i'd love to include him in all things gardening. he also wants to have a cook off with salsa making this summer.... this will be a fabulous growing season... i can feel it!

waking up to blues skies

i'm a little surprised that it's thursday already. this week seems to be flying by. gratefully there is a gorgeous bright blue sky waiting to see me on my way to work here shortly.

along with the blue sky that today brought... mitch started training at his new job. he left the investment firm last week. he received a job offer at wells fargo as an investment banker that he couldn't turn down. this is the best move for him and our little family right now. the best part of this will be working face to face with clients. mitch excels in that area. handling customers via phone only wasn't the best match for his personality. plus he'll be working along side his best friend who is a branch manager. i'm very excited for him as well as a very proud wife.

i've been enjoying work and the endless shelves that need to be dusted... the nature of the game. more like the nature of january --  a slow month. new product will be arriving in the next few weeks. yesterday i was tickled happy by the surprise of one of our seed racks being delivered early. i can't say it enough... i really enjoy my job and plus i keep falling more and more in love with it. i feel as i'm growing into my place more as well.

another benefit of the chilly month.... i get to enjoy the sunset as i leave for the day and make my way home. there really isn't anything more beautiful than the sky being painted gorgeous warm hues.

my desires for 2013

today is one of those days where i need an extra extra dose of caffeine. which may be odd considering i've been able to spend the morning in bed. our church time has changed to 1. lets be honest, it is not our most favorite time.


however.... i've been putting a lot of thought into the new year and some of the things i am hoping to accomplish. however you wish to call them - resolutions, goals, wishes.... here is a list of things i hope to check of during 2013.

-practice yoga regularly
-cook more {i'm very focused on what i am eating and the health benefits. home cooked meals is my goal even if it requires more effort and time. i honestly feel that it will be worth it.}
-manage my personal garden better {i'm determined to grow primarily if not 100% heirloom varieties. being able to harvest and preserve my harvest for the winter months = canning. and learn recipes to correlate with what is being grown in my garden.}
-gather fresh eggs from the chickens at work. {i haven't been able to convince mitch of raising chickens here at home... until i do at least i will be able to take advantages of grandpa's chickens}
-continue to nurture my marriage
-learn photoshop elements. {along with learning the program, i plant to improve my photography skills}
-continue to read more
-sew curtains for my office
-make homemade biscuits for the boys
-minimize caffeine {everyone needs  lofty goal....}
-become more happy
-be more grateful
-visit pack trials in california in april {plant show for new varieties}
-compete in the tough mudder or spartan race
-vacation to disneyland with mitch, nanna and we will be taking hope along too.

i'm sure as the year continues so will my list of goals/wishes will too.

in the words of my grandpa "dream big for it has the power to stir one's soul"

thanks for the memories 2012

2012 was quite the year for us. i had high expectations and gratefully the year did not disappoint. it really was my year.

january started out a bit rough.... mitch and i stayed home and rung in the new year playing games and spending time together. cezar injured his leg somehow new years eve and wouldn't use it. actually he could barely walk. a trip to the vet on monday showed no serious injury and seems to have sprained it somehow.  the jetta died on us at the car show mid january and we got lucky with an incredible deal on the Z. i also found out that i had mono on top of being hypothyroid.

february things started to swing upwards for me. i was still feeling the effects of mono and was learning how to deal with my health limits. we celebrated valentines and i managed to surprise mitch with a car full of ballons and a few gift cards to the car wash and his favorite smoothie place. work was showing all the signs of spring. which is undoubtedly my favorite time of year there. grandma holdaway was struggling with her health and we thought we were going to lose her. i was able to extend myself and help out at the house with her and grow to love her in a whole new capacity. i also started practicing yoga and it brought a new balance and happiness to my life.

march. all my spring shipments started arriving. i was feeling a bit better health wise. i located some darling baby silkie chicks which started my desire to have chickens. mitch and i finally conquered our main wall and painted over the not so lovely nutmeg color.

april i tackled more than i could handle. i was busy in the greenhouse trying to keep on top of everything. amy texted me to see if i'd be interested in helping her out again with the boys. i absolutely wanted to do so and figured out a way to squeeze her into my schedule. mitch was hesitant and i felt like i could be superwoman...... i quickly realized that 50+ hour weeks weren't going to be in my favor and that the garden center needed my full attention. not to mention i felt like i was taking way too many steps backwards in my health.

may. the busiest month of the year for me. april showers bring may flowers... and mother's day brings out all our customers. i managed to get my garden started and spent as much time with the boys as i could.

june. we celebrated mitch's birthday. spent time with friends and family. i was finally feeling on top of the world health wise {as much a possible} i was started to enjoy the first of my garden harvest. we squeezed a few hikes in with the boys. abby had my take her and russell's engagement photos too.

july was a busy month for us. we started out celebrating my birthday and having an adventure down in zion's subway. nanna joined us on our vacation along with mom and dad dayley and ashley and brendon. abby and russell got married on the 14th. plus we survived all the smoke in the air from the many many wildfires.

august i was thrilled with being able to harvest lots of goodies from my garden. we added a few new toys to the household - mitch got his fourwheeler and i in turn got a camera upgrade :) we attended the salt lake city farmers market. i got to being the 'photographer' for my cousins wedding. plus we managed to fit in a boating trip with joe and his girlfriend. on top of everything... i seemed to be the only employee that was able to work that month. everyone one had vacations and previous engagements.

september we celebrated cezar's 2nd birthday. made a day trip to idaho to surprise grandpa hatch for his 80th birthday and visit my grandpa taylor. harvest season was in full swing and i finally got to taste the joy of digging in the garden for the potato harvest. it's like a treasure hunt. finally manged to get back into the swing of yard work. the summer heat had taken it's toll on me and the yard. plus we had a overnight camp trip to the dunes with joe and alyson. it was quite the adventure sleeping under the stars, joe burning his hand on the camp ring and a fox sneaking into camp. it was the perfect little getaway.

october came and so did pumpkinland. the 2nd busiest season for me. {a double dose of birth control} our theme was alice in pumpkinland which was by far the most favorite from all the years. we also made an unexpected trip to idaho to be with family with grandma dayleys passing. we were grateful we made it in time to say goodbye. mitch was also studying for his 66 license exam. gratefully he passed even with all the current challenges. we also celebrated our 3rd anniversary. worked on conquering my fears of snakes and scary movies and haunted houses.... i'm better than i was. and we also traded in the Z for a hybrid. the Z was allergic to snow and we are old people now and enjoy the comfort of a full sized car ;)

november brought new changes to work. sanna left and i became the manager. there was a lot of clean up from pumpkinland to be done and getting ready for the holiday season. yay poinsettias. we went shooting with abby, russell and nanna. i got to try out my new gun. and it was a perfect way to dispose of some excess pumpkins. and of course we celebrated thanksgiving with the people we love the most.

and last but not least december. we had beautiful weather for most of the month. i managed to plant garlic around the 7th. i also got to take abby and russell's christmas photos/we are having a baby pictures. after 3 years of marriage we finally made it to temple square with the dayley family. enjoyed a wonderful dinner and mom dayley said we should offically adopt nanna into the family since she is always joining in on our fun. plus i am tickled to say that we had the best poinsettias sells in the past many many years. at least in the 10 years i've been working. it feels good to see so few at the end of the holiday. we also enjoyed a very wonderful and blessed christmas with each other and our families. and i've finished the year out with the week off and enjoying time with the boys!

2012 had some ups and downs and some health challenges. but i'm so blessed and have truly felt like i have come into my own self. i have to declare that it is the best year yet!! i am sure that 2013 will be filled with it's own challenges and good moments but 2012 has been very good to me. i may just be a tiny bit sad to say good bye to it. thanks for all the memories this year... and here's to the next. may you be just as wonderful and fulfilling!

...had ourselves a merry little christmas...

we had a very wonderful christmas this year
it wasn't over the top
we celebrated on the simple side and it was absolutely perfect.
since mitchel played santa last year, i manged to pull of a surprise or two for him.
a new riding jersey and a new dress watch
for our family gift we added to our preparedness storage.

usually i have difficulty sleeping christmas eve...
this year was a bit better.
as we were crawling into bed christmas eve, mitch was pulling down his side of the bed....
cezar jumped up and lost his tummy all over the inside of mitch's sheets.
nothing is worse than cleaning up after a sickie at night....
after getting the laundry started and putting cezar in his room
we managed to curl up and relax for a bit waiting for the laundry to cycle.
10:30 rolled around and i couldn't wait any longer.
we slept with just the comforter.... i was to exhausted to stay up waiting any longer.
the boys slept together downstairs and i enjoyed curling up with my own blanket {no sharing required}

my alarm sounded at 7. i quickly turned it off and curled up waiting for sounds of the boys.
they didn't sound for another 15 mins or so but demanded attention as soon as they did.
i originally planned to get us all up at 7 {my little inner child is in full swing on christmas}
but i'm grateful i took it nice and slow.
once i let the boys out, i brought out their christmas bones and set them under the tree
next started bacon for breakfast and whipped up the batter for german pancakes {hootnannies}
i then debated whether to get mitch up or let the dogs in and see if they could stir him.
i tried with the dogs but jake quickly found his christmas treat under the tree.
there is nothing more charming than watching him attempt to drag around a 2 foot bone!
mitch finally came down and joined us.
we exchanged our gifts and then enjoyed our delightful breakfast.

we spend time with both families on christmas
this year was the dayleys. so we made our way to my families first and spent a little time with them.
christmas morning has always been magical at my parents house.
i'm grateful we haven't had to miss out yet.
we headed to mitch's parents around 12:30 and spent the rest of the day there.
being the first to arrive, we enjoyed visiting with his parents.
i may have been slightly moody {according to mitch} .... good thing i remembered caffeine :)
we had a delicious assortment of finger foods to munch on.
christmas was exciting on a whole new level now that kennady is older.
it was magical watching her excitement.
and in true dayley fashion we played lots of games.
we are so blessed and grateful for all the thoughtful gifts!

now the holiday season has just about come to an end for the year
we are so grateful for everything, especially for the wonderful families we have.