Yes, you are seeing this right. Eva is taking a pacifier!
She suddenly decided she liked it one day last week and has been taking one ever since. If you've never had a baby that used you as her only means of pacifying, you might not get my excitement. But believe me, this is huge.
Eva's new diapers arrived on Monday, so we have been trying them out for a couple of days.
I settled on these Bum Genius Elemental diapers. One-size (so we don't have to keep buying them as she grows), all-in-one (because you all advised that this was the handiest option—thanks!), and organic (not the reason I bought them, but a nice bonus.) For the most part, I like them. They are easy to use, and they clean well in my washing machine. I even like using the cloth wipes. Easy peasy.
They come in a lovely array of colors. (They look pretty cute all strung out on the line!) I'm afraid I'll need a few more than 12, however, if I go for this long term.
And, they are pretty stinkin' cute on my chubby baby, I have to say.
But, I have one (not-so-minor) complaint. I'm not sure Eva likes them. The last two nights she has woken up every 2-3 hours, which is no picnic after she has been consistently sleeping for 5-7 hours straight a night. She isn't napping as well during the day either. I'm thinking these don't whisk the moisture away as well as disposables and she might find them a little bulky/uncomfortable. Anyone else have this problem? I am going to try disposables tonight and see if it makes a difference. If it does, I'll trade off a few more times just to make sure that is what is causing her to wake up.
In any case, the jury is still out on whether or not this is the solution for us. I'll keep you posted.
Abby started second grade yesterday! She had seemingly no fear considering it was her first day in a new school (new state!). We offered to take her on her first day, but no, she wanted to ride the bus. And she did great!
She has the same teacher I had in Kindergarten—same desks, same classroom . . . It was a blast from the past to take her in to back to school night and see many familiar faces. Here she is showing off her new backpack.
Sarah starts preschool in a couple of weeks. This move has been the hardest on her, so we will see how she does. I can't believe how big she is getting!
We also had many harvest dinners in our house, since it is conveniently located to many of the fields we were cutting. My new dining table got a great initiation, and I think we stretched it to hold 14 the other night.
Here it is, set for dinner.
A special friend gave me this vase as a gift a while back, and I found just the perfect thing for it to showcase. :)
We sometimes bring harvest supper right out to the field so the guys don't have to shut down too long to eat. It takes a little extra effort to bring chairs, tables, hand-washing supplies, and all the food out, but it is always fun and festive.
This year, I shared cooking responsibilities with my mom and my aunt Ruth. We took turns providing the entire meal each night, which meant the other nights we had the night off. I really enjoyed doing it this way.
My dad always comes in for dinner and steals the baby. Sarah always gets after him about it because she thinks he is too dirty to hold the baby. :) He washes his hands of course...
And Eva doesn't mind, obviously.
It's a great opportunity to catch a quick cat nap. They always go back out after dinner and work until the wee hours of the morning.
Yummy deserts follow every meal. We certainly can't keep up this habit. It isn't so good for the waist line. Sarah wanted a fork for her brownie and a spoon for her ice cream. You use both at once, right?
Abby enjoys her brownies and ice cream while listening to her tunes. Hmmm.
The evening light is a perfect time for photo ops, so we try not to forget the camera.
I've had fun showing you our house over the last few days, and I'll be back next week with more photos.
But for now, I thought I'd dedicate this week to catching you up on our busy life around here. Harvest is almost wrapped up. It is a festive time and takes everyone's time and energy and long hard days to complete.
The bins are full of pure gold—golden wheat that is, and our overflow quonset is full clear to the front. Trust me, this is one huge pile of wheat.
^ This is the quonset from the outside, but this picture doesn't really do it justice.
^ Unloading the combine out in the field.
^ The girls enjoy the occasional ride in the combine after we bring supper out to the field. More about harvest dinners in another post.
^ Here they are after a trip around the field with Grandpa.
Hello, my favorite farmer! (Never thought you'd be called that, did you?) Thirteen years has brought us full circle back to Montana, and I couldn't be happier.Thank you so much for taking this leap of faith to move home to the farm, to a place we believe will be so great for raising our precious family. I know it isn't your home, but I hope it will feel like it eventually.
Thank you for taking on a brand new career you know nothing about and diving right in.
Thank you for working these long, hard, harvest days and still coming home and pitching in around the house.
Thank you for being such a great daddy to your little girls.
Thank you for not getting angry when I wake you up and tell you to roll over so your snoring won't wake the baby.
Thank you for being understanding about how little I have been able to accomplish during the days when you are out working so hard.
And thank you for always cracking jokes at the dinner table and making everyone laugh. I love you so much for that.
Thank you for 13 amazing years, and may there be many more!
We ventured out this afternoon to check out the County Fair.
I must admit, however, we were a bit disappointed. No carnival, not many vendors, and even no cotton candy! It certainly wasn't what I remembered as a kid, but then I could have been seeing it through candy coated eyes at that time. Tom was hoping to get Abby excited about the possibility of joining 4-H and we were all hoping to experience a bit more small town spirit. Maybe next year we can get our kicks at the state fair!
A friend told me about this magazine that specializes in mid century homes in rural areas. How perfect is that? (Thanks, Tanya!)
The description reads:
Atomic Ranch celebrates midcentury houses—from 1940s ranch tracts to 1960s architect-designed modernist homes. With an emphasis on affordable solutions and homeowner renovations, our quarterly magazine shows you how to make your house cool, both inside and out.
So, of course I subscribed.
(Note: These photos were taken before we moved in as the house was with my Grandpa's furniture still in it.)
^ This is the first of the two bedrooms in the basement. It's hard to tell scale in these photos, but both bedrooms are large.
^ This room has a cool brick wall because it is on the back side of the fireplace. 
^ The second bedroom.
^ I bought this sectional in the family auction also. Not sure what I was thinking, but maybe there is some potential here? They need some work.
^ The carpet in this room takes the cake, but its in competition with the upstairs bathroom orange shag.
^ And last, but not least, is the basement bathroom.
^ The shower is large enough to fit our whole family. In case we ever needed it to...
So there is the tour! I hope if my extended family (or Grandpa!) ever reads my blog that they won't be offended by the fact that we plan to make some changes to update it for our family. It really is a great house. Our tastes have just changed from the styles 40 years ago! :) This will be a fun journey to share with you as we remodel, and we hope you'll stick around to give your suggestions and tell us what you like/dislike.Thanks for stopping by!
(Note: These photos were taken before we moved in as the house was with my Grandpa's furniture still in it.)
^ This is the stairway landing, and on the wall are memorabilia from my Grandparents visits to Korea.
^ And on down into the basement. I remember the shelf at the bottom of the stairs being full of my Grandpa's Louis L'Amour westerns.
^ The basement fireplace. Notice the duck tape on the last staircase rung? That's because all the grandkids would fly down the stairs, grab onto the rail, and swing around to the floor. 'i guess it gave in eventually.
^ Check out this wallpaper!
^ The paneling in the basement is no more. My dad tore it off along with all the ceiling sheetrock so duct work could be added for the new heating system.
^ It's a daylight basement so this door leads out into the front yard. My parents held a family auction when they cleaned out the house so everyone in our large family would get a chance to keep things they liked from the house. I was able to acquire this houndstooth sofa. Sweet!
^ Many a ping-pong match were played in this room. I wish there were just a few more windows along the left wall to take advantage of the daylight basement, but its still nicely lit for a basement.
^ This back room is large but unfinished. It has no windows, but we are thinking it would make a great media/family room.(Note: These photos were taken before we moved in as the house was with my Grandpa's furniture still in it.)
^ This bedroom now belongs to Abby and Sarah. It's nice and bright and has room for 2 twin beds.
^ Lots of good storage, too.
^ When my girls are teenagers they will be able to fully appreciate having a sink in their room. Right now it's just an unusual novelty (and a bathtub for Sarah's Polly Pockets.
^ This room will eventually be Eva's room. It is pretty large too, as you can see by the twin beds in here.
^ Again, tons of built-in storage. 
And that's it for the upstairs! Next up, the basement. I know you can't wait!(Note: These photos were taken before we moved in as the house was with my Grandpa's furniture still in it.)
^ Here is the main bathroom. You got it—that is classic orange shag carpeting.
^ And the laundry room. I like this room. There is a door leading out to the backyard where there is a clothesline. I've never had a clothesline before. Turns out I like to line dry clothes. Simple pleasure.
^ On the other side my Grandma used to have a sewing area here. A couple of these drawers are full of old fabric.(Note: These photos were taken before we moved in as the house was with my Grandpa's furniture still in it.)
^ This is looking into the living room from the dining area.
^ Looking from the living room into the hallway back into the bedrooms. My grandma always had a fish tank on this shelf, which was made by my uncle Raymond. Pretty cool—except we are took it out to open up the room and make the layout work better with our furniture. (We kept it, R & K, if you are interested in having it!)
^ The painting on the wall was done by my Grandma. She painted quite a bit, along with her photography and other hobbies. I remember her working on this one.
^ The carpet in this room is pretty cool. My Great-Grandma had the exact same carpet in her house. I'm told that was an accident! Anyway, it's lasted for years and is probably in the best shape of any of the carpet in the house.
^ Pretty sweet furniture, yeah?I am very seriously contemplating going the cloth diaper route. I've been inspired by various friends and family, and this blog post. The diapers I'm considering are these by Bum Genius.
They are adjustable and should last until she is potty trained. I would buy the ones with the snaps, however, because I've heard they last longer than the velcro. This particular kind has an insert that goes inside. They also have an organic cotton variety that is all-in-one. It is more expensive but seems convenient, too.
My mom thinks its pretty funny that I'm considering going that route on my third (and probably last) baby. She did cloth diapers on her first two, and thought it was a luxury when she could do disposables with her third baby.
The reasons I think I might like cloth this time are:
^ These cabinets and all the other built-ins in the house were custom built by the builder. The kitchen isn't entirely original. The counter tops were once avocado green, and the stove and dishwasher are updated too.
^ These cabinets and the others throughout the house have very elaborate hardware. And carpet in the kitchen? It might have worked for my Grandma, but I wouldn't recommend it when you have 3 children. 
^ The secretary desk is a handy spot. The fireplace beyond matches the planter in the entry.
^ On the far right of the fireplace is a wood box. Can you see the horseshoe handles? Well, as long as I can remember this was carpet-lined and contained toys instead of wood. It is a favorite hideout of the kids.
^ Another view of the kitchen from the dining room.
^ The dining room. Behind the curtains are sliding glass doors that lead out to the deck. The buffet and china cupboard on the wall were made by my Grandma's dad and were brought over from their old house.
^ Master bedroom.
^ The closets—a bit smaller than what we were used to with our big walk-in.
^ Doorways that lead to the entry hallway, den, and bathroom. 
^ The old wall-mounted that toilet that takes like 6 gallons to flush each time, and the shower which is also a bit smaller than what we are used to. 
^ The master sink. Again a bit smaller than what we are used to. Spoiled? Yes. What's your point?Okay, so I know a house that is built in 1971 isn't that old. It is old enough, however, to have possible asbestos, lead paint, and electrical and plumbing that isn't up to code. Its old enough that some things have reached the end of their lifespan, like the roof. And heating system. And pipes. And carpet. Oh, the carpet in this house. Much of the decor is original and was picked out by my very savvy Californian Grandmother. While I appreciate and admire her style, and I love how the house represents so much about her and my Grandpa, the house needs some updating to fit the tastes and lifestyle of a family in the twenty-tens. I hope we can do right by them and bring this house back to the glory it was when they built it while still incorporating our own personality.
I hope you enjoy the tour.
(Note: These photos were taken before we moved in as the house was with my Grandpa's furniture still in it.)
Part I—Entry & Den:
^ There is a big planter right when you walk in the door. We will probably take this out to expand the master bathroom area. (More on this later).
^ Another view of the entry area, looking into the den/office beyond. (The heat registers on the baseboards are all gone now! My dad replaced boiler and hot water pipes with forced air heat and air conditioning.)
^ One of the many built-ins in the house. The scallop trim is a common theme.
^ Looking down the hallway past the den. There is lots of wallpaper in this house. It all has to be removed. Even if I wanted to keep it, removing the heat radiators revealed lots of holes in the wallpaper behind them.
^ The den, looking back toward the entry. The door to the left leads to the master bedroom. I think every house built in the 70's has paneling everywhere. 
^ The den looking the opposite way. This door leads to a little dark room. My Grandma did a lot of photography and some of her own developing.1 c. brown sugar
1 c. white sugar
1 sq. margarine
3 eggs
1 tsp. corn syrup
1-1/2 c. peanut butter
2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla
4-1/2 c. oatmeal
1/2 bag baking M&Ms (or regular dark chocolate works great too!)
1/2 bag white chocolate chips
1 c. raisins
Bake at 350˚ for 10 minutes.
We freeze them by the bucket full so they are always fresh and ready for harvest lunches. Enjoy!
