The Instant Pot....aka my new BFF

Totally in love with the.....

Instant Pot!!


Seriously the coolest thing...I mean, who woulda thought of a electric pressure cooker?!  It's about TIME!! :)

First time using it today...

Hard Boiled Eggs....7 mins....peels in like 3 shells...

Spaghetti squash....7 mins....SEVEN!!  Seriously couldn't believe that one!  And I was able to get it ALL out of the shell.  Super cool.

And cubed potatoes for potato salad....4 mins.

Awesome-sauce.

Can't wait to use it again!!

Mexican Village

At Mexican Village to celebrate Ariella turning 7!!! (the next day) ...and Graecia's first time in a restaurant highchair!

Eggs

Ariella made me eggs the other day and they were seriously some of the best eggs I've ever had. That 6 year old can fry em good!!

Bullet updates

Here are some bullets from our recent days:

Nathan went on storm on Monday to WI for a day...got back at 1am and then had to go to the cities to work again the next morning.

Saw my midwife Ruth yesterday.  I am 38+3 wks and measured at 33wks fundal height.  I was at a 2.5-3 centimeters dilated but she stretched me out to a 4cm and 50% effaced, although the cervix is still pretty far back.  We were hoping that'd push me into labor, but here I sit the next day and still no labor :(   ...although I have been losing bloody mucous this morning so hopefully that is a good sign, although I know that doesn't always mean anything.   I feel like my belly is lower, which is the same feeling I had the day I went into labor with Ariella...so we will have to see.  At my 36wk appt, I was dilated to 2.5, 25% effaced and baby was at a 3+ station....which is pretty much on it's way out and as low as you can possibly go.  But yesterday Ruth said that she thinks that baby is even lower!  What?!  I am *literally* sitting on my baby's head.  Hopefully it won't be long!!  My sister guesses today, Ariella guesses tomorrow, I guessed Friday (it's wed today) and Nathan guessed Sunday....so is one of us right?!  My due date is next saturday...but I'm REALLY hoping she doesn't wait that long bc Ruth is leaving for vacation the day before and I don't really want fill-in midwives to be here.  So anyway....I will have to continue this story later!!!  (my belly measurement around is 43inches)

Nathan got called out on storm again this morning before he left for work.  This time to Brainerd though so at least he'll be close, even closer than the cities.  They said it might take 4-5 days, apparently they got hit pretty hard with the storms that went through.

My Beach Ball

33 weeks...my beach ball!!

Ariella, my little diva :)

She obviously gets that from her siblings!!!  Trying to sneak water from the Berkey without using a cup!!  Little stinker!!  Up on her very tippy toes!!

 The kids had a "contest" to see who could rub mom's feet the best. They took turns and even did it in "heats".   Let me say that 1) they all did great and 2) it was one of the best contests ever!!

 Yay, the new chickens arrived and yay, they aren't dead!! :)

Laundry room redo

Yeah, I was thrilled when Tiernan brought this snake *inside* to show me.... It was cool though to see how it "bit" him and then got his teeth stuck in Tiernan's glove :)

Just breathe.... That's one massive fort...and they better clean it up! 

So my laundry room was getting to be a disaster area where stuff was just placed if it didn't have somewhere else to go.  It isn't big at all, which isn't all bad bc only a certain amt of stuff can fit in it...but also bc of it's size, it doesn't take much for it to look cluttered, etc.  So it was time to do something about it!!  I took some contact paper and re-covered my boxes, got rid of some stuff, re-arranged other stuff and voila!  I have a beautiful, functional space again!!'

Before

After!!!

Lucky Reunion

33.3 weeks

Selah found out what happens when you walk in front of your brother swinging :(

My patio out at the land!  Love it.  Gives me a nice shady area to sit and for the littles to play that's not in the dirt!

 The kids were re-united with Lucky!!  They were SOOO excited and looked forward to that visit for a long time.  (We gave Lucky to our old neighbors out by the land...and we were very glad they took him so we could visit...and best of all, they love him too!)