Beekeeping Spring Update

Early last week, when it FINALLY stopped snowing(!!!) and warmed up above 50 degrees, I took the insulation off my beehive and was really bummed to find piles of dead bees. It was really traumatic, even though I knew their odds weren't good in the super cold.

This is a Langstroth Hive like Mine.

Two days later I picked up my new hive, from a friend who wanted to try beekeeping, but then ended up taking a new job clear across the country--so he said I could have his hive, which is a totally different type,which I have been excited to try. After consulting with experts last year, I found out the best way to move the hive was to:
1.Wait until spring, so they had eaten their honey stores, and the colony was at its smallest level, so the hive is lighter,
and
2.Wait until after dark so all the bees are inside sleeping, load it in the back of a truck, haul it to its new home (my backyard), and (still in the dark) unload it at it's new spot.
The ground had finally dried out enough to back the truck up, and the loading went very smoothly! YAY! I got the new hive set up around 10:45pm and dropped exhaustedly into bed. PERFECT TIMING! It started to rain during the night and didn't really stop all week.

This is a top bar hive like Dave's.

I really tried in the fall to make sure they had plenty of food, since I suspected that it would be a long, cold winter (HAH! Called that one!), but I knew the odds weren't very good for either hive. I have been pretty bummed since it appeared that neither hive survived the winter, but was too cold and rainy to do anything about it, so I just ignored it.

Today the sun came out, and I got to go out and check them and--

HALLELUJAH!

Both hives survived and have activity! Yay,YAY,YAY!! I am really happy that I gave them a lot of food, I think it may have made the difference!

In other news:
Saturday before last, SmallDaughter dropped my cake plate, and a piece of the broken glass cut the knuckle of her ring finger. So, we got to drive through the nasty, icy, sloppy snow (we ended up with 4 inches!), to the Emergency Room. The only reason for the ER visit was to get glued and splinted, because I knew she would keep breaking it open. I am grateful I was able to take BigGirl and her sweet friend Miss M, who kept pressure on the bleeding wound, and then kept her entertained and happy (she was very bored in the ER, and kept signing "all done")!

The cake plate incident distracted me from cleaning up the "bottle of black RIT dye all over the bathroom" incident. It looked like a troop of orcs were slaughtered in there!

The boys are all planning and plotting for a multi-week campout (consisting of most of the summer) in the woods behind the extra boy's grandma's house. With Machetes. And fire. I am...resigned. But doing a happy, hopeful, honey inspired dance!


--

Some long awaited pictures!

I have been to busy to post--finally here is some proof!
Here is my lovely cousin Miss B as Maria in "The Sound of Music" in the wedding dress I made/remade for her. She was truly spectacular, and I was not the only person to notice that she was by far the best actress in the production!

And, here is a truly terrible picture of the little Belly Dancer costume for Miss K's niece's birthday.

I also hemmed a really beautiful bridesmaid dress, but I don't have any pictures of that.
I am still working on the Prom dresses. I promise I will post pictures.


Eventually.

Better Late than Never, right?

So, I have had a request to restart my blog.
One of my favorite bloggers just finished up a "blog challenge", and I thought I would give it a try.
However-I just reviewed my calendar, and--the next couple of weeks look pretty crazy--even crazier than usual. Some of the crazy includes:
*Making a wedding dress (1/2 done--for my sweet cousin, Miss B, who is playing Maria in "The Sound of Music")
*Altering an existing princess dress for Miss C, who is the queen in her school play
*Making a prom dress (also for Miss C)
*Teaching early morning seminary--and prepping for the Quad Stake Seminary Activity and dance next Saturday)
*Planning for Girl's Camp (I just got called to be the leader)
*Helping with the Young Women's Chili Cook-off fundraiser
*Preparing my Gospel Doctrine lesson
*Visiting with my dear Aunt S, who just flew in from California,
and
(Yay oh YAY!) STARTING SMALLDAUGHTER'S RIDING THERAPY CLASSES--she has missed her horsies ALL winter long!

Just a little explanation of why the blog challenge may have to wait!

Progress

After my last post on the Temple, I think it is pretty appropriate that I come back to blogging after a day spent at the Temple. It was beautiful. And I got to be there with my baby brother and sister--the youngest ones in our large family (with me, the oldest). I spent a lot of time praying for the people I love--Miss K, who just had surgery yesterday, Miss P, who is still having problems with her eyes, my sweet cousins who are expecting babies--and the one who just lost a dearly anticipated baby. It was nice to do service for others, and sweet to recieve blessings for myself.

ALSO--for those who haven't heard--I got a new calling in church! After years in Young Women's and Primary, I am now the Gospel Doctrine Teacher in the Adult Sunday School Class! And, I'm teaching Old Testament, which is MY FAVORITE! so, I am pretty pumped!

The Beautiful Temple

The Temple is a very precious and important part of my life, and like all good things I love to share it! I love this beautiful movie about Temple Worship. It is neat to me to see Temples I have been too, as well as those I haven't had a chance to attend yet! The sealing room brings back wonderful memories of the day I knelt across from my beloved, and we were sealed together as a family--not just until "Death do us part" but for Time and All Eternity.

We were married in the Washington, DC Temple, and my youngest sister is currently serving as a Missionary on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah. Temples have always been important to me, and I am happy to share this beautiful movie with others!

The Party Never Stops (REALLY!)

I am beginning the New Year on a wonderful note--with a house full of youth who are awesome, having a party that has been going on for 4 days now, and doesn't show much sign of stopping! It evolves as it goes along--it started out as just girls having a "Disney Movie Marathon" (which included a theater trip to see "Frozen" on the big screen--we all loved it!), and then morphed into a New Years Eve party with both guys and girls, which involved moonlight sledding, mixing up all kinds of crazy mixed (non-alcoholic) drinks, all kinds of junk food, and a LOTS of laughing! Everybody slept until noon today, and then they pitched in to clean up and cook yummy food, so I'm not complaining!

People come, people go, but the laughing and talking go on and on!

My Christmas Post

Here is my (now) Annual Christmas Post.  I wrote it in 2011 for  Heidi Poppins, but the Christmas Music is back on the radio, and I am back on my Pandora and YouTube mixes.  Just an FYI--each word in blue (on the words "Truly great music of the ages")  links  onto a beautiful performance of a beautiful Christmas Carol.

I have stopped listening to "The Christmas Station" on the radio. I used to love to turn it on in the background to help me get into a Christmas-sy mood--but now it just enrages me, so I leave it off.

There is a simple explanation (and no, it is not my hormones making me madder than David Banner on a bad day!). It is that some of the greatest music ever written is about the birth of the Christ Child--and very, very little of that great music is played on the radio. Instead, we are subjected to the worst twaddle of the twentieth century (and yes, I am referring to Wham's nausea inducing "classic" "Last Christmas" or the electronic saccharine of "Do They Know It's Christmas").

Apparently 1984 was the bottom of the barrel, song-wise--or it would have been, except that was the year that Mark Lowry wrote the words to "Mary Did You Know" (although it took another six years for someone to set it to music).

In this song, the author, Mark Lowry cites a laundry list of disabilities and sorrows that the Savior miraculously healed. Most of us know or have interacted with people who were blind, deaf, crippled or lamed in one way or another. When I was young I wondered if being "dumb" or mute still existed, because I had never met or even heard of someone who was mute. Very few people have.

Now I am the mother of one.

Partially the reason we don't hear about it is that the name has changed. Now it is called being "non-verbal"--which is actually more accurate. My daughter can not speak, but she is FAR from being the silent creature that the word "mute" implies, and, while she has neurological and developmental issues, no one who has ever met her would consider her "dumb". Also, it is statistically quite rare.

However, that doesn't change the fact that she doesn't speak. I have never heard her say "mama" or tell someone her name or how old she is. She can’t tell me where it hurts, or what she is thinking about. I would give anything to understand what is going on in her head, what she wants and how she feels.

Which is why listening to "Mary Did You Know" invariably reduces me to tears, especially when it is sung (perfectly) by Kathy Mattea.




This song is not only beautiful, reverent and thought provoking, but when she sings (at 2:07) that "the dumb will speak the praises of the Lamb" I am reminded that the true meaning of Christmas is the birth of Him who heals all sorrows, including my non-verbal child. I know that someday, my funny, loving, adorable daughter will look into her Savior’s face and "sing his praises".

So, instead of listening to the radio, I made myself a playlist on YouTube, so I can listen to the truly great music of the ages.

May you have a wonderful, joy filled Christmas--and may you be aware of the miracles that you take for granted every day.