About 3 months ago...we downsized our flock of chickens. Forrest has been working on a chicken tractor for our backyard. If you don't know what a chicken tractor is...it is a portable coop that is on wheels that can be moved all over the yard. The brilliant hubby that I have came up with the coolest design! The coop is a long rectangle and has wheels on the back and then he cut up part of a bicycle and mounted to the front. So we use the handle bars to steer the coop around the yard.

Well I came out to move the coop and this is what I found......

Caroline had taken it upon herself to give it a shot. She was trying to help out with the chores on the homestead.

Anna graduated Joy School!!!

Since the beginning of September of 2009, Anna has been attending a Joy School with other kids from our church. All the moms would rotate teaching twice a week. So for me I taught one week a month. Anna loved it! She really came out of her shy shell......met great little friends and I got a nice break twice a week for 3 weeks at a time. We had all the families over for graduation in our front yard a few weeks ago. Each family brought something for the potluck...One mom made the cute graduation hats and Forrest made the diplomas.

Here are the kids with their diplomas and hats! Forrest was the MC for graduation night!

Here is Anna walking down the isle to get her diploma.


Anna with her classmates!

Here are some of the families enjoying the meal before the ceremonies!

Congratulations Anna!

What happened to May?????

Boy oh Boy the month has flewn by here are some snip its of what happen this month....

Made my first pink baseball cake!

Ella finish her second year of T-ball.

Anna got her first tropy ever...and finished 1st year of T-ball!!!

Mathew got more awards at school!

After 9 months of work his class finally got the revolving math trophy...So I had to bring cake and drinks since Forrest promised it to the class! We told them this promise in September and now we had to deliver.

Mathew's 9th Birthday....

Ohhh the waiting....he was up at 5:00am to open the presents...but we made him go back to bed! Aren't we mean parents...

Forrest made a Death Star cake for Mathew....if you don't know what that is it is the planet thing from Star Wars.

He really enjoyed his dinosaur wood puzzles! He had them put together by the end of the day!

Over all Mathew had a great birthday...he got his very own fish aquarium for his room along with all the accessories. Then he also got to go out to the movies with his best friend and see the Shrek movie.
Happy Birthday Mathew....We love you!

What is happening on the homestead!

Well for the last few weeks, Forrest and I have been attending a Family History Class. We are learning how to find people and how to get them all set up for Temple Ordinances. It has been very interesting and any time I go to class. I always think about my grandparents and how I have been holding up their eternal progression. I have everything set up to get them sealed...but haven't done it yet. So last week we got our temple recommends renewed and I am setting a tentative date for 1st weekend in June. I just need to talk to my mom and see if she can make it on that weekend.

Other happenings around our house is that baseball is done! Now we just have another week until school is done.....Hooray!!!! I am so looking forward to sleeping in and not having to keep a tight schedule for the kids. Our only commitments for the summer are...Scout camp...Day camp... possible a trip to Eagar....and lots of swimming lessons!!! I might be taking a class over the summer but not really sure about that yet.

My garden is growing....but to me it feels so slow...Here are some pic's of the garden about 2 weeks ago. It has grown some since then I have a ton of tomatoes but nothing is red yet. So hopefully this nasty hot weather will help with that!

This is my bed of Yellow Squash...by next week I should be eating some of it.
This is my tomato bed...I never got a chance to cage them so they are wild and we will see how it grows. The things in the back ground are my compost bins. For those who live in Mesa, You can order them through the city for $5.00 bucks each.

The garden bed that is closer in the photo has eggplant and cucumbers in it. The bed that is farther away has herbs in it....Basil, oregano,lavender, mint and stevia.

Well this a glimpse into whats happening on the homestead for the week of May 19Th. Hopefully next week I show off my backyard and what it is looking like since we have downsize the chicken coop and added a garden and shed.

Until next week....

Tour of my kitchen!

Here is my cook top where I prepare all the meals.
This is my bread station...I keep all my supplies for bread making in this cupboard and pull drawer.

This is my open storage shelves in the kitchen....I keep everything on them. So that I can have my coutertops clean. I got these shelves at Costco for $29.99 each.

This is my new chest freezer. I love it....If you notice I keep my broom and mop hanging on a nail so it is out of the way. Then on the left is my handy step stool which is usually floating around the kitchen and my food storage closet. This is one of the best investments I have made for the kitchen.

Thanks for taking my tour!

Happy May.....

It is crazy to think that it is already May? Where did the time go..... Well what is new with us???
--Forrest has now taken up the hobby of Rabbits. We just got 3 Tans and one is Preggers. So we are expecting bunnies sometime this week. It is very exciting for the kids! He is still plugging along with his Chinese course and should be done before fall.
--Grant is almost done with 7Th grade and is really looking forward to the summer so he can sleep in and watch Price is Right ever morning.
--Mathew has made it into math club at school and is very excited for his Birthday on the 17Th of the Month.
--Ella is cruising through Kindergarten and by the fall that she will totally be reading. She loves school and her class.
--Anna is finishing up Preschool for the year and loves to play with all the kids in the neighborhood. It will be sad for her because in a few weeks most of them are moving. So I will have to start having play dates for her.
--Miss C is pure sweetness and trouble all mixed together. She loves playing outside and is just the biggest ball of fun!
--And Me....I am just trying to keep up with them all. I will be ending my semester at the end of the month. I am going to be teaching the ladies at church how to use their food storage. Which I am so very excited to do. But I think it will challenge me to see how frugal I can be. I also have started my garden again. But this time I put up a fence....So I am very hopeful to have a good productive garden before it gets to hot. Once I have my garden totally put together I will post photos of it.
We are finishing up T-ball this next week and I have finals. But I really am excited for the Summer to come. I am tired of the craziness and looking forward to the slower pace of Summer. Our plans for Summer...include swimming and having extended use of the WII. I am hopeful that we can also have field trips to library and the museums. So we will see what the summer holds..... That is it for now!

Goodnight！

Jodi