Ready for Bulk Clean Up

The bulk clean up was supposed to come today, but it didn't, so we worked this evening bagging more needles and getting up as much as we could. 

Sadly I did not have Wes here to help. Corey, Sophi and Natalie came through for me. We got a lot put out there! Tonight we worked more. 

The little boys weren't much help - they kept getting distracted by the sports balls and/or the snails and rollie pollies

(Daniel's was BLUE!)

So I was chopping down Chinese elms this evening with my new axe that I got yesterday yay... 

Corey snapped that pic of me in my new happy place as he took the kids swimming. It's a lot of work! (They said the pool was very crowded.) I got a few cleared out from the playground area in the back yard and started to haul them into the front yard. I started grabbing other loose branches from here and there, and that is when I discovered my "would have been blooming so beautifully so soon" rose bushes that Wesley cut out on May 12th, exactly two weeks ago. 

All dried up, dead, their beautiful potential - gone. Such strong branches but there's no life in them. I was mourning them all over again as I drug them out one by one to the street. SOO SAD and pointless!!! Ahhh, I wish I could go back in time. 

When Katharine woke up this morning she straight away asked me if she could go to Bella's house, cause last night at Alvie's party she asked if she could, and I said something to the effect of "not today, but later you can" and this morning was "later" so she wanted to go to Bella's. I said I didn't have a car. She was sad and started to whine that she really wants to go to Bella's! I send her a text asking if we could do a facetime today and that appeased Katharine to do a call. Then I thought I'd text the same thing to Eliza. She and Joseph were on our mind because today Joseph took his big deal Step 1 test. I was at the temple in the celestial room praying for him when he was just beginning it (5:30 am Utah time, 7:30 Ohio). Yesterday we chatted with Joseph, he said his test started at 7 and was like a 7 hour test, woo! So today it was time for us to really try and consecrate our prayers. So I texted Eliza to see if Mary was available, and she had just woken up from a nap, yay so Katharine was able to talk to Mary. "Awww! Mary is so cute!" 

I haven't been very happy with my sourdough lately - it's been too flat. I "researched" on youtube for a bit. This one lady said to get like 2 Tbsp of starter and then do a 1:5:5 ratio of flour and water, wait for that to activate, and then make your bread from that. Lily and I usually feed our starter after we make bread, so this would be a new approach. Hmmm, I think I'll try it. I'm still figuring it out.

I did have a ok loaf that I gave to a lady that Kathy and I went to visit for Relief Society today. We stayed there for 2 hours yaking it up! It was fun. We talked about everything under the sun, including fasting. The lady we visited, Kim, gave me some LMNT Electrolytes and said she takes them when she fasts, and that a 7 day fast every year will guarantee you don't die from cancer (according to one guy she listens to). I hadn't eaten yet that day, and so with the electrolytes she gave me in hand, I decided I'd start now. So I did a water fast all day today and it's been a good day!

Owen is playing legos up in Idaho and having fun

They are building a big lego set and watching star wars and playing star wars battlefront.

Last sad news: Natalie's phone is broken again. She got it repaired on May 8th after months of not having it, and it lived for a little over 2 weeks. Somehow she needs to learn to be more careful with it. It had cracks all over the screen again. We paid half last time, I don't know if we're giving her that deal again.