The Harwards

I have seen deer in our yard every day for awhile now. They keep nosing around the garden wondering where all the produce went! Maybe they'll get it in their heads that my garden is not for them! Doubtful though, I've seen more than ever since the summer ended than I did during the summer. It seems like they are reproducing and sticking around instead of heading back up the mountain.

All I can say is that it will be war once spring comes around and I plant the garden! Maybe we'll follow the Indians' example and station our children in the garden to throw rocks at the birds and deer.

I have a fun family. Jami and the girls spent some time with her family in St. Gorge while I hacked away at my final projects of the semester. Two weeks! Originally the plan was for me to drive down and get them sooner, but things popped up, and the school work was stressful. It seemed better at the time for me to not break up my studies, and to go get them when everything was done. The first half of their stay they had some fun (as you can see in the posting below). The second half they all spent it sick. My time was spent with the constant mental buzz caused by feelings of stress and being overwhelmed. I cleared my head on the drive down on Thursday and as I arrived I was met with big smiles, and big hugs. We are now all home in Salem. I am happy to have them back. Not everything is perfect though. There is still a bit of sickness, but there is a lot of love.

This is one of those rare time that I, James, make an entry in our little blog. I had my birthday this last Thursday. Unfortunately I spent more time than I wanted at school, and at the DMV renewing my drivers license. I was excited to get home and spend a little time with my family. My sweet sister in-law, Lindsey, came over to baby sit so Jami and I could go on a date.

My gorgeous wife had some secret plans that she revealed at different points throughout the night.

First off, Jami told me to pick a place to order take-out for a picnic later that night. We drove to Gloria’s Little Italy to pick out dessert (that was part of her plan), and then we went to The Italian Place to get a sandwich for us to share.

We then went to the Museum of Art on the BYU campus. Jami had reserved tickets to an art exhibit showcasing the works of Carl Bloch. He has been one of my favorite artists, and it was special thing for me to be able to look at the original artwork close up.

After that we found a somewhat secluded bench surrounded by trees on campus. We sat close and ate out Italian sandwich and desserts. The air had a slight chill, but it was not too cold. For November, we could not have had a better night for a picnic like this.

After great food, and a tender kiss, we moved on to our last activity. Jami had tickets for the play Romeo and Juliet. This was also on BYU campus, so we did not have to walk far. The play was great, and the cast did a good job.

Some have argued that Romeo and Juliet is the greatest love story ever told. I have to disagree. For me the greatest love story is the one I have just told. I wish I had the writing skills necessary to convey the feelings and the emotions surrounding that night. I loved the sparkle in Jami’s eyes as we went through the well thought-out night. I thrived off of the feel of her hand in mine as we drove, walked, and talked. I can’t even begin to describe the exhilarating feeling I would get each time she would lean into me to give me a kisses during that night. Romeo and Juliet both took their lives to express their love and devotion. Our contrast to their story is the best part yet; we get to give our lives to express out love and devotion. Our love story continues on. I just can’t wait to see what happens next.

I found this tutorial over here. As soon as I saw the shirt, I knew I had to make it.

Here's how they turned out:

This is the table runner I made for my Mom for her birthday. It was relatively simple to make - lots of applique!

It runs in the family I guess . . .

There's not much worse than opening the freezer to find a putrid puddle of thawed foods wafting up to your nostrils. I guess I take that back -- cleaning it is MUCH worse.

That's what I found this afternoon when retrieving a container of black beans from the freezer for dinner tonight. I often check the light on the freezer since, about a year ago, the outlet went out and subsequently the freezer. None of the food was ruined that time, but I've kept a close eye on it ever since. This time the light NEVER went out. It was still on when I was getting the black beans. It kind of baffled me - I thought maybe one wire was loose and that was the problem.

However, after I cleaned it all out and was wiping down the outside, I discovered this:


I hope you can see it. If not, the thermostat is turned to OFF. I'm sure this was done by Addie or Ella, maybe both. There's no point in asking which - Ella would just say yes and Addie would blame Ella.

My question is, why on a freezer thermostat is there an option to turn it OFF?! I just don't get why you'd want it plugged in, yet not have it functioning.

I am glad to know the freezer isn't broken and on the up side, I did get my freezer cleaned out!

I've been out of the loop on blogging for awhile now! Three months . . . I guess business had a lot to do with that.

The farmer's market is coming to an end - just two more weeks! Spending almost 5 months doing this has given me a whole new appreciation for the vendors you see at events around here. It's a lot of work! And, I'm not so sure the payoff is worth the amount of effort. I might do it occasionally next year, but every week is out of the question.

Back to the purpose of this post - Addison's first attempt at taking a picture:


She had fun! Her birthday present is a kid camera (Black Friday special last year) . . . it will be good for practicing!

James: "I'm feeling pretty full and bloated."
Addison: "Yeah, you're getting to be a fat boy."

So Funny.

Yesterday, I overheard Addison telling Ella (several times) Happy Child's Day!

I guess she figures that if there's a Father's Day and a Mother's Day why not a Child's Day?!

The garden began back in March, hauling compost, tilling it in, planting all those cool weather crops - peas, carrots, beets, broccoli, cauliflower, etc. It has taken awhile, but it's finally paying off!
Here are some pictures of my garden this year, or rather, the garden I took over. :)

It has been almost two months since I last posted anything! My excuse is that a friend and I, Serena Cofer, have a booth at the Provo Farmer's Market and it really takes A LOT of time, but that'll be another post.

This is about Sleeping Beauty. If you are around Addison much, you know that she adores her sleeping beauty dress and wears it quite often. She's always been required to wear a shirt under it because it's sleeveless, but now she must wear shorts under it since it's split up the back. It is literally in tatters, but until I get around to making her a new one, it'll have to do!

About a month ago, when the tulips were still blooming, we found a few to put in a vase and she had to have one of her own. Almost as soon as we entered the house she tells me that I (prince Phillip, of course, whom I often am commanded to pretend to be) must slay the dragon. She disappears into her bedroom and this is what I found (after I slayed the dragon).
Princess Sleeping Beauty awaiting her true love's kiss. After I gave her one, on the cheek, she gives an amazing rendition of sleeping beauty's actions in the movie, comically blinking several times with a dazed expression on her face.

My friend Ashley came up with the brilliant idea to have a craft exchange for our two oldest girls once a month. She lives in Maryland, so this is a fun way to keep in touch. For last month, (I know, I'm slow posting about it) I decided to finish these felt ice cream cones that I began LONG ago.

Addie went on a walk with Uncle Perris and picked some beautiful flowers. She gave me a lovely dandelion, which Ella promptly stole and ate. Addie is wearing her Easter dress that I made. I'll post a full-size pic of her and Ella in them one of these days . . .
The feast of curry and naan that Ali and Lynds prepared. It was delicious! James was at class . . . we met up with him for dessert and games at our house though!

Happy Birthday Jami!

I Love you, and I hope this will be a fun birthday for you.