Do You Have To?

This morning, I found our rooster, Donatello, eating a 

giant hole out of my front porch pumpkins.

The song "Linger" by the Cranberries 

came to mind, particularly this part:

You know I'm such a fool for you

You've got me wrapped around your finger

Do you have to let it linger? (Eat my pumpkin)

Do you have to, do you have to, do you have to let it linger?

(Eat my pumpkin).

Oh, I thought the world of you

I thought nothing could go wrong

But I was wrong, I was wrong!!!!!!!!!!!

Do You Remember The 21st Day Of Septemba?

Christian and I were swinging on our porch swing

a few weeks ago, discussing the significance of the upcoming September 21st.

(It's not just a cool song, you know!)

For members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints,

we believe that 200 years ago, the ancient prophet Moroni visited young

Joseph Smith and revealed scripture that we call the Book of Mormon.

That night was just the beginning of Joseph Smith's journey of translating 

the Book of Mormon and restoring the fullness of the gospel 

of Jesus Christ back to Earth.

We thought it would be powerful to read the Book of Mormon

together as a branch from start to finish.

Each family was given a set of chapters to read throughout the week. 

Today, we came together to celebrate the completion of this collective effort

 with some Costco cake and ice cream. 

Is there anything better?!

The sense of unity and shared purpose was so evident and beautiful!

We came together to deepen our spiritual 

understanding and strengthen our love and testimony of

 The Book of Mormon, and especially Jesus Christ.

We look forward to hearing from our Prophet and Church leaders

this weekend!

(And making cinnamon rolls!)

On the way home, the bright full moon cast a haunting 

glow over the eerie Mr. Bones 

hanging from a tree branch tonight.

I took a bunch of photos because that's what I do, but also because

I love sending them on to the missionaries and to Claire in Arizona.

I know all three are missing Stillestead, especially this time of year.

 

The First Of The Season!

After Gigs and Lottie got home from school, 

Gigs helped me line our long driveway

with pumpkins. It looks soOOOOOOOooOO spooky!

The temperature today were in the low 60s. You heard me right!

It was a glorious day with cloudy skies and lots of wind.

As the night grew colder, Gigs decided to make a 

fire in our living room - the first of this season. 

The warmth of the fire brought such good vibes!

Christian helped Lod with her homework while I cleaned up the dinner dishes.

 Later on, as I stepped outside to take out the trash, 

I turned to see our quaint little house with smoke

 gently wafting from the chimney. 

The smell of autumn leaves and wood smoke filled the air, 

and the moment was so peaceful and cozy.  I will never forget it.

 

Mr. Bones Returns

 When Lottie got home from school today, she climbed her tree- as usual,

and this time, she watched Christian hang Mr. Bones (per my request)

from the tree where he will stay until November 1st.

But he doesn't mind; I'm sure he even likes it!

It's kind of morbid that we celebrate this holiday

by hanging skeletons from trees and stuff...so do I love it so much!?

I situated the solar light to shine right underneath him

so he glows eerily at night under a green spotlight.

Today was 100% Autumn glory!

The day was cool and windy; there was something special about it,

 I could smell it in the air and see it in the way 

the leaves were blowing around in the wind.

I watched in awe as Lottie skillfully navigated her way up the towering tree, 

until she reached the very top branch. 

From so high up, she loved the sensation 

of the wind rushing past her.  I loved it for her!

Halloween Cheer

 Today was a very sacred special day in the Nielson home.

It was the day that we drove to the storage unit

and packed up the back of the truck with our beloved...

HALLOWEEN DECORATIONS!

Including Mr. Bones:

Tomorrow, I will unload the goods and spread Halloween cheer

throughout Stillestead.

I've been conjuring up a new, fun idea this year.

Excited to share later this week.

Then, for dinner, we ate a fresh-out-of-the-oven loaf of my

amazing sourdough bread while Lottie crocheted me 

a cute pumpkin coaster for my Dr. Peppers.

We sat down on the couch, sipping DP and reading some of our favorite

Halloween books.

I have to admit, it was pretty cozy.

Oliver in Brazil: September 2023

 Hey Fam!!! 
I wish I was having an awesome, 

beautiful Back-to-School Feast dinner with y'all, 

but I can't this year or the next. 

However, our theme is Legit!!!

When I think of Jesus Christ, I think of His genuine, caring, 

and distinct awareness of us all. 

He loves each and every one of us perfectly. 

He thought about every single one of us as 

He suffered in the garden of Gethsemane, 

and He is aware of us now. 

He's also aware of our plans, our goals, 

our wants and needs. He knows our intentions, hopes, and dreams. 

And like our family quote says, He's got confidence

 in us to carry out and fulfill our journey to become better 

disciples of Him and to experience joy. 

To serve Him with all our heart, might, mind, and soul. 
He also knows it's hard. Life is busy, sad, and sometimes frustrating. 

Our dreams might not work out the way we want, 

or they might just take time (the Lord's time). 

Because of this, Jesus Christ carried out the Atonement,

so He knows exactly how we feel and how to counsel, bless, and help us. 

Because of this, we can have confidence in Him.

I love that it's a two-way street; have confidence in Him, 

and know that He has confidence in us. 

I love our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know He lives, 

and I am confident He will bless our family. 

I love y'all, and I think about you every day. 

Also,

Last week, a man was stabbed and killed, and we prayed with the murderer

as we walked up to him, except we didn't know what was going on.

We were scared coming up on this scene, and he was terrified.

We quickly prayed with him (as he was still holding the knife!)

and then ran as far away as we could!

For reals!

President wants us to always wear our jackets and ALWAYS

carry a copy of The Book of Mormon in our hands.

It shows others that we are ministers and not drug dealers or anything.

This says, "prohibited to throw trash here 

unless you wanna go to a PCC tribunal court." 

Been there, done that. Ha!

Supermoon!

I LOVE YOU, OLLIE!!

PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE BE SAFE!

With The Sky Close Above Me, The Earth Far Below

         "High up in the apple tree climbing I go,

          With the sky above me, the earth below.

          Each branch is the step of a wonderful stair

          Which leads to the town I see shining up there.

          Climbing, climbing, higher and higher,

          The branches blow and I see a spire,

          The gleam of a turret, the glint of a dome,

          All sparkling and bright, like white sea foam.

          On and on, from bough to bough,

          The leaves are thick, but I push my way through;

          Before, I have always had to stop,

          But to-day I am sure I shall reach the top.

          Today to the end of the marvelous stair,

          Where those glittering pinacles flash in the air!

          Climbing, climbing, higher I go,

          With the sky close above me, the earth far below."

Climbing by Amy Lowell

1874-1925

 

Stones

 Today, I took Gigs and Lottie to their well-child check-ups,

which were just perfectly, well...well!

I'm so grateful for healthy children!

Christian, on the other hand, did not feel well today.

He was driving home from a work meeting when he had

terrible abdominal pain and back aches.

He pulled the car over and called 911, where he was

taken to the hospital with the most excruciating pain.

 It was discovered he had a 3 mm kidney stone.

And it was only after the discovery, and 3 hours later, they gave him

some pain meds, which calmed him down considerably, and he slept.

But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Back at Stillestead, Around 6:00, Lottie and I were having dinner together

waiting for Christian to return.

Gigs was at his new job (milking goats) when my cell rang.

It was Christian.  I answered it,

"Hello, sweetie!  Dinner is ready."

But it was NOT received very well.

A very panicked Christian on the other line said,

"I don't mean to alarm you, and I'm in a lot of pain

and in the back of an ambulance.  I'm not sure why it hurts so

bad, but I can't drive...."

And I was like, "Ahhh, what?!"

Then I was talking to the EMT, who told

me the hospital they were taking him to, and that's all the

 information she gave me.

I was a little panicky.  Actually, I was a lot panicked.

Then, I realized Gigs had the truck at work, so I tried calling him, but 

he didn't answer; I called him like 40 times in a row because

sometimes he ignores my phone calls.

(Teenagers!)

But he didn't answer.

After calling my friend, who also works at the goat farm, 

she got hold of him, and within 20 minutes, he drove me and 

Lottie to the hospital, which was an hour away.

I wasn't sure what was happening with Christian, and I feared

he had a heart attack.  It was just a horrible feeling.

Finally, around 1:30, after a nice dose of morphine, 

I brought Christian home and put him

to bed, feeling so thankful he was alive and well again!!

The good news is that he passed the stone 12 hours later.

The bad news is he'll probably have more.

"They say it's worse than childbirth," he said to me

after it was all over.

"I've heard that." I calmly said.

But can it really be worse?

I was in labor with Gigs for a whole day and finally

pushed him (all 9 POUNDS of him) out without any medication.

Could it really be worse?

Gardening from Stillestead

This afternoon, I worked in the garden preparing for the changing season.

I protected my hydrangea plants with chicken wire to prevent my

 chickens from damaging them by jumping on the delicate branches.

I replanted the bulbs the chickens scratched out of the soil.

Then, I spent some time tidying up the front porch to make room for the 

pile of firewood that we are planning to stack up next week. 

Then, 

I found and admired a crazy-looking caterpillar moving around the lawn.

It looked fake.

It resembled a creature that a 5-year-old would imagine in their mind.

It is a good thing for Google Lens; I figured out it was a 

White-marked tussock moth was first discovered in 1797, and the four white

toothbrush-like tufts on its back can cause allergic reactions.

We didn't experience that, thankfully.

We also learned that when it finally becomes a moth,

it's not very pretty or colorful, as his caterpillar self suggests.

Lottie and I enjoyed observing and watching this creature 

crawl around our hands and tickle our arms.