Mind-Blowing

This evening, Christian and I met up with our good friends, C & E

and we served in the temple together.

The temple is across from Costco, so of course we went there too

to pick up the essentials.

I don't think Christian and I will ever get over the 

fact that we are buying diapers again.

Mind-blowing.

Minnie was adorable at the store, especially with all the Halloween

lights and decorations. Christmas is going to be so much fun with her!

Having a baby during the holidays is the most

magical experience ever.

After the temple, we went to dinner with Lottie

(who was babysitting Minnie) and C & E.

The temple was the perfect activity to do before 

General Conference weekend coming up.

I am so excited!

8:00

 

It was a slow morning.

Minnie and I did the usual morning: feed Kitty, Carmel, Otis & Angus,

eat breakfast, go for a walk, take a bath, read books, eat & nurse.

Usually, I'm still in my PJs, feeling like a slob.

It's not until her second nap around noon that I can slip in the shower.

This schedule is beginning to be our usual routine

and I think Minnie looks forward to it.

When Lottie got home from school, we went and picked out 

our pumpkins!  Nice fat orange ones!

I grabbed several to decorate the studio with, too.

I had left the dishes in the sink the night before because I was

exhausted and didn't have the energy to do it.

Minnie is still attached to me, so when it's her bedtime, it's my bedtime, too.

That's around 8:00.

Goodnight.

I'm A Ghost To Scare You!

A few Halloweens ago, Gigs helped me hang spooky ghosts from

the trees lining our driveway.

Since he's gone, I decided to hang them from the trees in our front yard.

This morning, I put Minnie in the stroller, and she watched intently

as I hung the ghosts.

Then we went across the pastures to see what Christian was up to.

He was in the middle of the field setting up fences for the cows.

We quickly said hi to the cows because Minnie hates it when they moo.

We waved to each other, and then Minnie and I headed back home.

By then, the sun had made its way past the

 tall trees and was shining down on us.

It felt lovely on this cooler morning.

Halloween is going to be sooooo fun with Minnie!

Could You Die?

 My view today:

Isn't that the cutest thing you ever did see?

Couldn't you just die?

Welcome Autumn 2026

 This evening we celebrated AUTUMN!  It's officially here! Yipeeeeee!

Our good friends, Abby & Zach, live on a beautiful CSA farm close to Stillestead,

where they grow and sell the most beautiful and delicious produce.

Thursday has become my favorite day of the week because it's 

pick-up day!  Today we got a pumpkin squash

about the size of a Minnie.

It was a beaut, and I didn't want to cut it up.

But I am glad I did because I cooked it up and made the most

delicious sauce for our rigatoni pasta, along with fresh sage.

I also baked a loaf of sourdough bread, and earlier this afternoon,

Minnie and I baked a spice cake with cream cheese frosting.

Minnie watched me bake the whole cake from her high chair.

It was an A+ day.  Not all days are A+, but today was.

Later we all sat down and enjoyed the windy weather out the window,

delicious food (and bev), and the prospects of what Autumn will bring.

Sunny Day Any Day

Another fantastic stormy/overcast day here in NC!

I find it very interesting that these dreary vibes

give me energy.

I'd take it over a sunny day, any day.

Minnie and I went for a morning walk in the blustery air.

and then I started pulling out my exhausted and slightly diseased

Zinnia's out of the soggy earth.  

Minnie sat in the jog stroller mesmerized at my work.

She patiently waited for about 30 minutes, then decided she was done.

Until next year, my little beauties!

 

I Know The Feeling

 

This afternoon, Minnie and I took our usual morning walk together.

The day was perfect: overcast, mid-70s, and windy.

Is there anything better? 

Christian was out working the cows all morning and drove up as Minnie and I

were walking up the driveway back home for her mid-day nap.

Minnie lit up when she saw him and started waving like crazy.

  It's the cutest thing ever.

When she saw his car driving up, she flapped her arms like a bird

with so much excitement and joy.

I know the feeling.

I feel that way when I see his car drive up the driveway, too.

I've always felt that way, and 

I love being in this stage with him again.

Thankful For...

 This afternoon, Minnie and I got out more Halloween decorations
and in my glass pumpkin soup bowl that I haven't used (apparently) for
a few Halloweens, I found strips of paper inside where we wrote in 
things we were thankful for when I used it on Thanksgiving, 2021.
They made me laugh.
I love my family.

Later this evening, Lottie came home from school and took
Minnie for a walk in the stroller so I could start dinner.
Then she came home and put a plastic dog poop sack (unused, of course)
on Minnie's head, and she looked like a wizard.
We had a good laugh.
Actually, I'm still laughing.
We have a folder called Minnie Maloy where I share the best photos of Minnie
with all the other Nies so they don't forget that they have
a little sister in North Carolina.
I immediately put these photos in the album.

I am thankful for Halloween, daughters, babies,
and cooler weather.

Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

 This afternoon, after I taught a class at the studio,

Christian took the girls camping, and Minnie and I had our own

little mommy-daughter evening together.

We went to Target (where else) and wandered the aisles,

admiring all the Halloween decorations.

I bought a few super-soft Halloween blankets,

one for each of my Nies as we head into the most wonderful

time of the year—fall cold nights, Halloween, and conference weekend.

Then we came home, and Minnie fell asleep on my bed

 wrapped in her Mr. Bones blanket.

Favorite Part Of The Day

Minnie is the luckiest baby around.

Not only does she get boobie juice on demand,

sleep in my bed every night, and has five much older siblings

who spoil her rotten; she also

gets two extraordinary tubs a day.

One from me in the morning, and her evening tub is usually

given by one of her sisters or her daddy.

If you ask them, I'm sure they would say it's their favorite

part of the day.  

Tonight was Lottie's turn.

 

A Moms Gotta Do What A Moms Gotta Do

 

Sometimes I put Minnie in her highchair in front of the window

where she can get a glimpse of the kitties playing around the back porch.

Or sometimes she sees a bird or Angus wandering 

around the backyard.

This distraction usually gives me just enough time to load the dishes.

But sometimes I need like 2-3 minutes more, and so I plop her in front

of the refrigerator so she can pull the jars from the bottom shelf.

I do what I gotta do.

The Babysitter Ship

This evening, Christian and I served in the temple,

which was such a meaningful experience for us.

We needed to feel close to the Lord and to remember

the promises we made with Him as we figure out

some things and decide others.

Lottie happily watched Minnie, and afterward,

we enjoyed a nice dinner together.

I thought the babysitting ship had sailed after Lottie, but here we are,

and here we will stay for several years.

 

It's Tiiiimmmmmeeeee

  I am writing this blog post in a rare moment these days- 

I am...are you ready for it? 

 I....am.....ALONE! 

This evening, Lottie took Minnie in the stroller to 

visit her North Carolina grandma, Caroline, who is our closest neighbor.

We share pastures.

She loves Lottie, and Lottie loves her just as much.

Sometimes, she makes Lottie a grilled cheese while Lottie plays with her dog, Jack.

Other times, they bake cookies together with all organic ingredients.

Caroline shares her eggs with us since I gave her all our chickens in the spring.

(Not going to lie- I'm happy there is no more 

chicken poop on my walkway anymore.)

At Christmastime, Caroline also cuts fresh holly from her backyard

and piles it on top of the package bin at the front of our driveway 

because she knows I love to decorate with it.

Earlier this afternoon, Minnie and I got out our fall/Halloween decorations.

One would argue it's too early.

I would disagree, but decided to only put up the fall-ish decor

instead of going full-Halloween.

Minnie was pretty excited about all the new things to look at

and chew on.  I read her a few Halloween stories before her afternoon nap.

I LOVE having a baby around to share all our fun traditions,

stories, songs, and sights with.

I have to pinch myself sometimes because having a baby

around is so much fun.

I Can't

I can't with my cats.

They are THE cutest things in the whole world.

(Besides Minnie, of course.)

The way they lounge lovingly on each other.

The way they play together.

The way they sleep cuddled to each other just about does me in.

I can't give the babies, Carmel and Otis, away.  

I can't.  What am I going to do?

1940

It was really hot this afternoon.

Minnie and I had just come back from a walk in ninety-eight-degree weather.

Afterward, we relaxed on the couch and watched the 1940

Disney movie Fantasia. My favorite part is the one with the Pegasus, the little cherubs,

and the centaurs. To me, it’s the most magical Disney cartoon ever.

She watched the whole segment with me.

After that, she got tired, nursed, and then slept for an hour.

Later in the evening, I was glued to the TV.

I think I've watched every 9/11 documentary out there. 

With the 25th anniversary of that horrible day, there are some new ones, 

and I stayed up late watching them. I still find it hard to believe it actually happened.

That day was so traumatic and confusing for me.

I was eight months pregnant with Claire, wondering if the world was ending.

I watched live on TV as the second airplane crashed into the second tower.

I remember crying and waiting for Christian to get home from school.

He was at BYU in Provo, and I just wanted us to process it together.

School was canceled, so he came home, and we sat in our

bed, snuggled together, asking questions we couldn’t answer and feeling shocked.

Bless everyone whose lives were, and still are, directly impacted.