Blue or Pink???

Well, we are tickled PINK to announce we are having a baby girl!!! Mark even wore his PINK Sunday shirt from Jared and Jenna's wedding yesterday to church (he said it was because it was Easter, and PINK is an Easter color, but I know the real reason for the PINK shirt). Needless to say we are soooo excited!

The Past Two Weeks

Where do I begin? Mark and I have been busy. Mark has begun cutting and shipping seed from Arco, and I've just been driving around in my car... what I do best! You never know where I'll be each day!

Two weeks ago today our dog Rebel was hit by the neighbor. Mark believes he slipped on the ice and fell too close to the tire, but however it happened, it was quite traumatic for us. (Mostly me). Rebel has been my first pet, so I have become to love him and treat him as a good preparation for kids. Just ask anyone who knows me, this dog is PAMPERED, and I enjoy every minute I pamper him. I already know things will change when the baby comes, but in the meantime I want to worry about him all day every day. He makes a good traveling companion when I'm going place to place in my car every day. Anyway, I was rushing him to the vet in Terreton when I found out he was in Utah, so I just kept driving to Rexburg. That was the longest drive of my life! Looking back, I now realize that Rebel was dying and that was the reason for his behavior in the car. Luckily, we got him to the vet in time to get his pain under control and get him out of shock. On Tuesday the vet called me and told me Rebel had lived through the night, and so he would be able to perform surgery on his broken leg. I was one happy girl! (Let's just say I didn't get much sleep wondering what the vet would tell me the next morning.) The vet called on Wednesday morning after the surgery and told me to come get Rebel because he was growling and barking at anyone who tried to get close, so they couldn't give him the medicine. When I got there he was happy to be carried to my car and go home. I had to wake up every 2 hours and take him to the bathroom (carry him outside basically) and all that fun stuff. But it is worth it! He is eating and drinking now, and acting like the old Rebel. He has to be in his cage or a small room for the next 2 months, and we are getting his staples removed on Wednesday. This has been good in a way, because we are not letting Rebel into our house anymore, so we can keep him more confined, and also prepare for the baby.

Luckily he only had to wear this one night, since then he has left his leg alone!

This was 2 weeks ago, now the bruising is almost gone and the swelling is almost gone. His hair is starting to grow back!

Now for the fun stuff! Last weekend we were in Rexburg for Kimaree's Jr. Miss. She did so awesome and was BEAUTIFUL! The theme was Fabulous, and they danced to High School Musical Songs. The stage decorations were so great! She didn't win, but I have to keep reminding myself that, because in our eyes she won before she ever stepped foot on the stage. Some of the other participants were a little rude to Kimaree (to say the least), but she just turned the other cheek and was her same sweet self. She worked 24/7 on all the routines and her talent, and it showed on stage. The theme of Jr. Miss is "Be Your Best Self", and it's nice to know that Kimaree really is her best self inside and out. Hopefully the other mean girls will learn from her example! We love her a lot and couldn't be more proud. (Plus it has helped to have half the crowd come up to us afterwards and tell us they thought she should have won! I don't know why, but that always makes me feel more validated!)

Aren't those decorations cute!?!

Kimaree's suit for interview.

That's the genuine smile we love! Good Job Kimaree! We love You!

While I was in Rexburg I had another Dr's appt. I made my next appointment for April 10th. Mark and I have decided to find out what we are having, so on April 10th we will find out! I have been feeling much better the last few weeks, and we haven't had to have any emergency PULL OVER moments for a while. So we are making progress! And, I got my hair cut and colored last Thursday. Not just a trim and hi lights either, it's like a new hairdo! I'll have to post pictures of the new do soon!

Life is Great Because of.....

My butter crock! I got my butter crock almost a year ago. My mom, M'Lisa, and I were staying at Debbie and Kevin's house when she whipped out this handy little thing. Needless to say, before we left Utah we all bought one! So in case you don't know about these (I had never seen them before our Utah trip) I will tell you. Butter left open on the counter top quickly goes rancid, and when refrigerated it tears holes in your bread. Happily, there's a third way — the butter crock. What butter requires to stay fresh isn't cold temperature, but protection from the oxygen in air. Butter crocks keep your butter soft and fresh, right on the counter, for up to a month! Just put about an inch of cool water in the base, pack the bell with butter, and invert it in the base. The water seals out air, keeping your butter soft, sweet & fresh for up to 30 days. The only maintenance required is to change the water every third day.
So, if you come to my house and I serve hot rolls, (ha ha ha) you're going to think this little tool is just about the coolest thing ever invented. Who doesn't LOVE real butter that is soft the instant you need it? And, what made me post about this? A conversation I had with Mark the other morning over pancakes. He asked me how much the crock cost. ($5.00). He then asked me why everyone doesn't use them, because, "That fake butter is so nasty. It ruins everything it touches. Sure it's always soft, but don't people care about taste? And this thing keeps butter soft. Besides, that fake butter is bad for the Dairy industry." So now you have it. If you don't go out and buy one of these crocks, you're ruining the Dairy industry one tub of fake butter at a time. Hope you can sleep at night!

Exciting News!

Mark and I have been so excited about the day we would finally tell everyone we were having a baby! We decided last weekend that Mark would tell his family while he was with them, and I would tell mine. Well, Mark didn't get the job done. (Probably too busy having FUN... sounds like I missed out!) But... he finally told his mom the other night, and so now more people are becoming aware. So, to those of you trying to beat the news out of me (Ryan Telford) it's true! And we couldn't be more excited. The due date is August 14th. I have been feeling ________ (fill in the blank). You name it I've been down that road and felt like that. BUT, to focus on the positive, I feel like I am back to my "new normal" self and the only difference is I don't EVER skip a meal and Mark says my tummy is starting to poke out. Those of you who enjoy those "belly shots" sorry! You will never see me post a picture on purpose like that. I'm too private or something. But honestly, I can still do up my pants so it's not like there's much to see anyway. Thanks for being excited with us!! Also, If you haven't heard Dallin got his mission call to Fresno California, Spanish speaking. We are totally excited for him. He leaves April 29th. Kimaree is working super hard on Jr. Miss and is going to blow everyone away with her talent on March 13th and 14th. So we are just looking forward to a ton of exciting things around our house! Being busy has helped us to not have the winter blues!

Book Club

I joined my Ward's Book Club in November and have been loving it!! I have really enjoyed the books we've read, and the ones I've read on my own. It is always nice to read something highly recommended by people you trust! Here is a list of the books I have read so far: (Mom, prepare to be amazed. I am not the same girl who took 9 months to finish Les Miserable my Senior Year in High School. I can actually read faster now!!)

The Last Lecture, Randy Pausch

The Christmas Sweater, Glenn Beck

When the Heart Cries; Sisters of the Quilt Series (3 books), Cindy Woodsmall

The Bishop's Mantle, Agnes Sligh Turnbull

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens

And I'm finishing up The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter for book club on Thursday. I would highly recommend any of these books to someone looking for a good book to read. Just a warning.... Do Not begin the Sisters of the Quilt Series unless you have all 3 books in your possession. Your husband can not handle listening to you guess what the outcome will be, and he really doesn't want to know about each of the Amish characters in the book!

It has been really fun and thought provoking for me to read these books rather than watch every reality show or news commentary as an alternative. However, please do not bug us during the show True Beauty, we love this show and are rooting for Julia. (Please do not tell Mark you heard that from me. I think he wants that 1 indulgence kept secret).

Cooking with Pumpkin and Garbage Pickup

I have been trying to think about what Mark and I have been doing lately so I can update my blog. Sometimes I get thinking that I can only blog when something major happens, but actually it's the little things that I enjoy reading on others blogs, so here's some "everyday" happenings at the Telford house:

This fall I have had a fun time cooking with pumpkin. I don't know why I was so into that flavor this year, but I tried some new recipes that I think I will make every year! I made a pumpkin puree' by cooking a whole pumpkin in the oven and then putting it through my blender. I had enough puree' to make several different recipes. I made pumpkin flavored bread and dinner rolls, pumpkin soup (sooo good! you have to try pumpkin soup!) and also dinner in a pumpkin. Just yesterday I made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins and mini-loaves for visiting teaching; and before Halloween we had orange colored pancakes, no pumpkin in them, just food coloring so I could get an eyebrow raise out of Mark.

I should have turned the picture! Sorry! This is my pumpkin bread. I was so proud. In my mind it looked like something Grandma Zelma would have made! It tasted like homemade white bread with the slightest hint of pumpkin.

Orange Pancakes!

Dinner in a pumpkin has become a yearly Halloween tradition in our house. It's pretty delicious!

This time of year I always try to be thinking of the little things I am grateful for. As a result of our recent move to Arco, I have had a few new things to add to my gratitude list. The one I'd like to share today is:

That's right! I never thought in a million years I would add a garbage can to my list of things I'm grateful for. In fact, I'm so grateful to not have to burn my garbage that it almost brings tears to my eyes when Thursday morning rolls around and I see all the cans pulled out to the curb. You might think I've lost my mind, but if you have ever tried to burn garbage over an extended period of time, you will understand how awesome city garbage pickup really is. When we lived in Kimama, it was my first experience with burning garbage. And really I don't know why they call it "burning garbage" because it never really burns. It just smokes a lot and stinks up everything. When the fire is finally out you can go look in the can and there is still the same amount of garbage in there, it just looks black. And every couple of weeks you have to take the burning barrel somewhere and dump out all the garbage that never burns (so pretty much you are dumping all the garbage because only the Kleenex burns). In the summer the pivot walks over the burning barrels, and it's so wet you can't burn it. In the winter you wake up to discover that the barrel is 5 feet under a drift. (It will only drift around the burning barrel, the rest of the driveway will not even have a flake of snow on it.) So as you can see, this year I am most grateful for that blue can which conveniently has a handle and two wheels which can be moved with only one hand to the curb. So to all of you "garbage burners" out there: my hat goes off to you!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Harvest Pictures

I was amazed at how many people would stop on the side of the highway to take pictures and watch us harvest potatoes. Then it occurred to me that if you had never seen spuds harvested before, it would be pretty cool! So here is my interpretation of how it works:

The windrowers (or crossovers) dig in front of the digger (some call it a combine). This gives the digger and truck a place to drive. The windrower drops the potatoes it digs into the next row over so the digger will dig twice as many rows at one time. Our windrowers dig 4 rows at a time, and we had 2 of them; so one windrower would dig 4 rows of potatoes and drop them on one side, and the other would do the same on the other side so the digger could dig 12 rows at a time. You can fill a truck really fast digging 12 rows at a time!
The windrower at work!
When the windrowers have "opened up" the digger comes through and fills the truck. The trucks have little doors on the side that can fold down so the digger boom can be lowered inside the bed of the truck, lessening the bruising that can occur. When the trucks are filled, they return to the cellar and the next truck pulls under the digger. Each truck can hold around 32,000 pounds of potatoes. On a good day we could fill 50-60 trucks.

We have people all along the "line" that take out rocks and clods before they reach the pile in the cellar. There are pipes on the floor of the cellar which air blows through so that the temperature can be maintained until we take the potatoes out in the spring.

We are happy to have finished harvest before that crazy snow storm hit on Saturday! We feel it is a blessing that we had no injuries or other major problems. We hope all of our neighboring farmers and friends will have good luck as they finish up also.