Just a smidgeon of catch-up.

Oh. My. Gosh.

I don't even know where to begin with filling you in on everything. It's been a whirlwind of activity in the Heinrich Household. And I am proud to say (tooting my horn here) that I have had zero issues with me (you know what I mean). My perspective and outlook has been positive and going strong. It's been nine months since any downers. I don't know what has changed or what I am doing right. It seems things have "clicked". I am weary tho of saying all this. . . it's like walking on eggshells. . . do all good things come to an end?

 I got a job. Yup. I did. I'm working for Limeberry in Lacey. It's a bit of a commute for me, but I gotta do what I gotta do. The work is fun and easy. There's a lot of customer service which tends to be my strong point, if I do say so myself. I really like my boss, Alex. She's very fair and personable. We are becoming fast friends. Her and her hubby, Chris, are a hoot! They have the greatest sense of humor! I started working July 5th and really haven't slowed down since. I feel bad for the kids because they have been cooped up at home while Scott and I are gone during the week. So, on the weekends, we've been blowing off our seven thousand projects and doing stuff with the kids. One of the weekends, we took a day trip to Ocean Shores. 

 The kids kept their fighting to a minimum. When Scott fell asleep, Nina took pics. 

 Usually Scott's mouth is hanging open, catching flies when he sleeps. LOL 

 Now I'm gonna back up to before work and before Fourth of July. June 30th I threw an eighth grade grad party for Nina. The theme was Milk and Cookies for a Smart Cookie! I baked, I think, eleven different kinds of cookies. I had so many cookies, people took some home and we still had leftovers. 

 I didn't get any close-ups, but on the chalkboards I did Dr. Seuss quotes from the book, Oh, the Things You Can Think! I decorated with vintage books and pics of Nina. I also dotted her awards and Honor Roll stuff on the table. It was all about my Smart Cookie!

 I thought it was pretty cool. . . I used Starbucks frappucino bottles as milk bottles.

 I think Nina had a good time. She was nervous with all the attention being on her. I kept reassuring her that she's worth it!

 So, Angel has been walking into stuff and walking slower, using her paws to feel around before she takes a step. We believe that she is going blind. She's never had the best depth perception (when we throw a ball, she waits to hear it land before she goes after it) and now we know why. We have to lead her sometimes to places and she follows the sound of our voices. It's really a heart breaker.

Another heart breaker. . . on August 3rd, we put down our (almost) fourteen year old cat, Reagan. We were forced to do this because she would potty all over the house, in our shoes, in our dirty laundry, randomly any where. Then she'd throw up everyday for a couple of weeks at a time. She was losing weight and drinking a lot of water (and then turning around and peeing everywhere but the cat box). When we took her in to be euthanized, the vet told us that she more than likely was diabetic and had possible renal failure. She reassured us that we were making a good decision because cats with diabetes cost about $400 a month in insulin and vet bills to keep her alive. We just don't have that kind of money. The vet tech gave us a paw print on clay with her name and date. We also had her cremated so we could bring her home and bury her. We miss her, but we know that she would have suffered.

On a brighter (literally) note, Scott and I ran the Seattle Color Me Rad race August 10th. Actually, I take back the race part and substitute it with Fun Run. They didn't even keep time! I had Scott keep time for me tho. I can't help it. I run intensely and I need to know things like time. When I ran, I picked people off and passed them one by one. See that guy? I passed him. Uh-huh. Notice Scott is behind me. Lol.

 Part of the race, as you can see, was color bombing. 

 When I was on the starting line, I was kinda emotional. I couldn't believe that I was actually doing it! At this point, I lost ninety pounds to be on that starting line. I've worked my butt off. Really. I still got a ways to go.

I think it was the Sunday before the race (I'm not sure because it all blurs together), I woke up and yelled for Scott. . . the kitchen and living room floor was covered in water. Scott, of course, went running to his fish tank. It's his pride and joy and he didn't want an empty tank. That, however, was not the cause. Apparently, our fridge has a drain issue and water backed up and froze. It froze the filter and the filter exploded, somehow freeing all that backed up water. It was all over. It took five days to dry the sub floor and our kitchen is now gutted. Our floors are ripped up all the way thru the living room. Our kitchen cabinets are salvageable so we plan on refinishing/painting them. I think we get a new dishwasher and floors out of it. But they (insurance) won't pay for the fridge. We've been told that even if we fix it, it will happen again. It's a bad design in the Samsung fridges. We told our insurance company the prognosis but they still won't help out there. 

 Meanwhile, when all this happened, my summer squash, zucchini, green beans, and beets were ready. Scott has made a makeshift kitchen for me so I can do my canning. It's been an experience. I think I'm doing green beans tomorrow. It'll be my first time using a pressure canner.

 The ice chest is my "sink". Crazy. I have now a small inkling of how it was to can back in the day when there weren't conveniences like today's kitchens. I now have a huge appreciation for how and what they did.

That's that for now. I know there's more to say and write about, but I'll fill you in as I remember. Oh, Nina is in California this week. She's enjoying her Aunt Ayla. She texts me like crazy tho. I think she's homesick. If I can get any pics of her trip, I will show ya! Time to get ready for work! Bye!

It's been a long time, baby!

 Hello all! I know it's been awhile, huh??? I have been up to my ears in living! I/We have been, busy, busy, busy in a wonderful way. It's been great! First, I want to report about, and show off, my garden. Scott gave me raised beds this year and it looks amazing. I've noticed that I have less weeds and with the mushroom compost garden soil I am using, the veggies are really taking off. I am growing green beans, watermelon, zucchini, summer squash, sugar pumpkins, sweet meat (another type of squash), beets, cucumbers, broccoli, cabbage, and carrots. Every morning, after I feed the goats and give them their morning rubdowns, I walk the garden and pick the baby weeds that are sprouting. By doing this everyday, I am keeping the weeds to a minimum. In the blank spaces of the garden, we placed giant pots and put dahlias, a Japanese maple tree, and hydrangea in the pots. We worked hard on putting it all together and it's paying off.

 I have been milking Frankie since end of March, but her milk production really slowed down the last few weeks. I am only getting three cups a day--on a good day. So I said forget it and now I am drying her up. It's just not worth the grain and udder wipes to milk out that little. In the Fall, all the girls will be bred and next Spring, I will have THREE goats to milk!

 June 18th, my cousin, Ammee, had a baby boy. Michael weighed in at 6lbs, 9 ozs (just like Nina). We got to visit him when he was just a couple days old. He is such a blessing. I loved holding him!

We went to visit my G'pa and G'ma recently because 1) we haven't seen them in forever and 2) G'pa isn't doing so great. He's got problems with his arteries "clogging" up and he's been in and out of the hospital a lot over the last few weeks because of trouble breathing. To me, it's getting to a scary point where I wonder how much longer he will be with us. Please pray for him!

So much more has been going on. . .we are preparing for Nina's 8th grade graduation Milk and Cookie Party this Sunday. We will be attending a Rainier's game this next Tuesday. 4th of July, we have some great people coming over. And I am still running, preparing for my Color Me Rad race in August. There's other stuff I am sure I am forgetting, but right now I just know I love life and am enjoying the smallest moments!

Our 17th Anniversary!

Saturday was me and Scotty's 17th wedding anniversary! We had made plans to do something extravagant, but life happened and we settled for Plan B: a trip to Millersylvannia State Park with the kids. We had a picnic: Scott's favorite spiral pasta salad (with sausage, olives, smoked cheddar cheese, and tomatoes all tossed with italian dressing) and a yummy chocolate cream pie (I used goat's milk, of course!). 

 After the picnic, Scott and D tossed a line into the lake for fun. 

 There was heavy debate between D and Nina as to whether or not this was a bullfrog or a frog. I chose not to get involved. What do you think?

 Then there was the tadpole that was huge!

 D was really hoping to catch something. We just didn't have the right tackle stuff.

 We went on the trails for a little walk. And no trail walking is complete until you get a full moon!

 The kids fought for half the trail. I was so fed up with them. But then like a switch was thrown, they started getting along. What the heck???

 D claimed this branch as his own. 

 Dominic looks so tiny!

 I finally got a picture of Nina. She spends so much time avoiding the camera, or making faces at it. 

 Scott's favoritest living creature. . . 

 Dominic started playing in the shadows of the sun. He says this is a chicken.

It was a good time. After the park, we ditched the kids and Scott and I ran a couple errands then out to dinner at our little hole-in-the-wall mexican restaurant: La Tarasca's. 

The last 17 years have been the time of my life. I couldn't have chosen anyone better than Scott. We're not perfect, we don't have the perfect life, but we are perfect for each other. I can't wait for the next 17 years!

That's my girl!

 So. . . Nina got an invitation from school called the Evening of Excellence. It was an award ceremony, but she was not told what award she would be receiving. So we went out of sheer curiosity. (Just kidding.) Come to find out, she was awarded Student of the Year for Art! I bragged to her that she's only good at art cause she has me for a mother. (Just kidding, again!) Actually, truth be told, Scott was the one who won awards in high school for his art. So either way, it's in her genes! The teacher who awarded her said that Nina was innovative, creative, and was a joy to watch. She said some other really cool things, but I was so excited, I forgot what she was saying. 

 Here's a picture of Nina with one of her best buds, Shawnee. Nina doesn't like pictures, so she always makes a face. I wish she would just realize that it's a parent's moment just as much as her moment and all I ask for is decent pictures!

 Another good friend of Nina's, Jason. He won a Music award.

 Nina with Kaitlyn and Mariah. All of them soaking in their glory.

 Sorry, but you'll have to tilt your head for this picture. . . (can't get the computer to save it the right way.) This is Ms. Echtele, the teacher that awarded Nina. She was telling Nina how much she will enjoy high school art. And that she's gonna drop Nina's name and let them know how great a student she is!

Sorry, gotta tilt your head again. . . here's Nina with the goods. We are very proud of her. I hope she loves art as much as her father and I. 

Goats and things.

So, it's been awhile! I have been up to my ears in busy! Dominic's soccer, Nina's dance, getting the raised garden in, picking up a running regime, taking care of goats. . . plus, just daily living and its challenges. . . whew!

Dominic ended soccer with a concussion and was not allowed to finish the season as goalie. He had a pretty good concussion and required three days of bed rest--no t.v., no video games, no reading, no thinking. I think it was more brain rest than bed rest! He spent A LOT of time outside with the chickens, just hanging out.

Nina had a production in May for Coppelia and then a month later her Spring Showcase. She did really good! She has found this year that she likes ballet more than jazz now. It was originally the other way around for years. I think she is super excited because she's been "promoted" to Ballet 3B next year and will probably get her point shoes in February. Getting point shoes is a big deal (and super expensive). It's like a right of passage. It marks her "grown-up-ness" in ballet.

Scott has been consumed by work. The tempo has been bumped up in what the Special Ops do and so that means the training is increased. These people jump out of airplanes every week now (used to be every other month)! Scott's responsibilities have also been bumped up and he has a lot on his shoulders. That's not saying he doesn't like it--he loves his job! I feel bad for Scott because he does so much at work then he comes home and I put him to work. He is so amazing. He doesn't even complain. I am excited for him though; this week he starts softball for the church, Mountain View, and on Thursday's and Friday's he'll be playing coed and the men's team. He coaches the men's, so that's one more thing on his plate. I like softball season. I try to put together picnics so that before or after the game we chillax and have more of a good time.

As for me, I'm boring. I do the mom thing and the wife thing. I am always behind on housework, always trying to craft something or plan something, and always driving a kid around. In fact, yesterday, I was driving Nina and her friends around so we could piece together some poodle skirts for her school Spirit Day. I have to say it was pretty fun watching the girls try on wedding and prom dresses at the thrift store. They were all giggly and cute. I tried to keep my distance so that I wasn't impeding on their good times, but I did get a couple looks at what they wore and the girls looked so beautiful! I wish a could have been a fly on the wall taking pictures!

Something worth acknowledging: I have lost 65 pounds! And I have started running. I don't like the initial start of running, like it's hard to get going, but I am always glad I did it when I'm done. I can run a mile and a half now, non stop. I think I could do more, but I don't want to injure myself, or do too much too soon. My current run consists of running a mile and a quarter, walking one hundred yards, and then another mile and a quarter. I've swapped my workouts to mornings and I hate running in the mornings because I'm slower and it seems to be harder to do. But at least I get it out of the way for the day. Besides when I do my fun run in August, it'll be a morning thing, so better to get used to it now so I am prepared for the run. Did I even tell you about my fun run? I am doing the Color Me Rad in Seattle on August 10th. Basically, it's a 5k and they have stations that you run by. As you run by these stations, people "bomb" (fire extinguishers are used) you with colored cornstarch so that when your run is over, you're a rainbow gone awry. Think tie-died human. I chose this race to celebrate me and how far I have come to achieve my second chance at good health. My goal is to just finish. I'm really nervous about the run because 1) I hate starting lines (even back during my cross country days I hated the starting line) and 2) I have self-doubt that I am good enough to even be running this fun run. Scott and hopefully Ayla will be running with me, so that'll help!

As for goats, they are doing really well! I have a breeding schedule set up for this fall and I plan on breeding in October then November then December. I don't want them all freshening at the same time, so I am going to stack the breedings.

Frankie, my girl in milk, is giving me some heartburn because her milk production has dropped significantly. She only gives about 3 1/2 cups a day and that is so frustrating. I was getting a quart a day. I feel like I go to all of this work just for a few drops? I was gonna dry her up because I don't think what I get is worth the udder wipes, teat spray, and grain, BUT Scott asked me to keep going because he loves her milk so much. And honestly, that's the least I can do for him. I could milk her three times a day and up her production, but honestly, I don't want that commitment. That would really tie me down and I'd have to plan everything around milking times. No way.

 Just for the record, the chicken on Alice's back IS scratching on Alice and I dunno what she was getting, but she was going to town. And Alice was just taking it.

Star loves a good scratch and rubs up against anything that'll help the cause. Here, she is using the milk stand while the rooster enjoys the ride, lol!

Memorial Day.

So Scott and I are firm believer's that Memorial Day isn't National BBQ Day. It's a day to literally memorialize the lives sacrificed for our freedoms, and the freedoms of other's in the world. As a result, we celebrate with a freedom--like bbq-ing. We explained this to the kids this year and we chose to honor the lost with memorial push-ups. Scott does these after every work out. Although you choose a number like, let's say, 10, you actually end up doing 20. You count out, 1, 2, 3. . . 1. . . 1, 2, 3. . . 2. . . 1, 2, 3. . . 3. With each 1, 2, 3 you are pushing up or going down on the push-up so that you've actually done a push-up before the count. Although the kids thought Scott was joking when he said that's what they were gonna do, it ended up being a good thing and I think the kids understood the solemn aspect of it all.

Yum!

So today I'm kinda having a rough time, so I got busy in the kitchen to distract me. We had four and a half quarts of goat's milk in the fridge, so I made cheese! For the first time ever, I tried my hand at mozzarella cheese. And it tastes just like it's supposed to! That sounds a little weird, I know, but I thought it was gonna taste awful. I actually impressed myself.
Then, I decided to make oatmeal bars that has my plum jam in the middle. Delicious! That's right, I tried a bite. . . or two.
Both recipes I used were from Pioneer Woman's blog. I've been checking out her blog since I tripped across her cooking show. She's a real down to earth wife, momma, sister, and daughter. And blogger, lol.
Well, after all this diddle-dallying in the kitchen today means I'll actually have to fold laundry tomorrow! Phooey!

Mazurka! **clap,clap**

(Nina's on the right in the picture)

Coppelia FINALLY arrived! Nina performed as a Mazurka dancer in the Saturday evening and Sunday matinee. Her part was, by far, the liveliest! And the most colorful! I was so proud of her cause she did an awesome job, had lots of smiles, and just seemed to be enjoying herself. We went to the Saturday evening showing and after the dance, we celebrated the night by going to see Iron Man 3. (Which was so cool.) Sunday I stayed home and baked Nina ladybug cupcakes (ladybugs because when she was a baby we dressed her in ladybug outfits and called her our little ladybug) to continue the celebration of her hardwork. She really gave this dance 110% and deserved recognition. Way to go Nina!

Hello Everybody!

I just wanted to say, it's good to be back! Somebody {ahem} flaked on paying the internet bill, so there was an "interruption" in our service. My bad!

Things have been so good and busy the last few weeks! I am enjoying so many aspects of life. The kids are doing good, the hubby's doing good. . .the goats are doing good! All is well on our end. How are YOU??

Honey-Do.

 *Sigh* Have I ever told you that I love my Honey?

He makes me laugh, sheds light on my darkest days, completes my life. I thank God everyday for the gift He has given me. You know, we have been married 17 years this June? We are more in love today than we were almost 20 years ago. We've grown up together and plan to grow old together. He has supported me through so much that he hasn't had to. He could have chosen to walk the other way. If humans were capable of unconditional love, he would be the poster child. He is nearly perfect in all ways. Again, thank you sooooo much Father for the gift you have bestowed upon me!