New Leah Pictures!

My sweetie.. 19 months

She gets this goofy face from her dad.. :)

I love it! Enjoying licking the spatula

Our new Golden, Teddy! 6 months old

Official name: Meadowview's Golden Beau Teddy

Teddy and Leah!

One of Leah's Antiquities photos.. my favorite!

sorry for the picture of a picture...

Another cute shot.. everyone at the photo place oohed and ahhed at her curls..

what a lucky Helweg girl! (usually it's the guys in the family that have the curls)

Our New Look!

Hi Everyone,
As you can see, our Blog had a facelift! I rather like it! Something new is always fun!
Well, for those of you who have asked, we are finally moved and settled in quite nicely now. Our family farm, Meadowview Farm, is soooo wonderful compared to the city and where we were at. We LOVE the wide open space, the peace and quiet, and especially being with my family. The adjustment has been so easy, and all of us have taken to living together again so well! I love getting up and having someone else in the house to talk to! Human contact again! :) You SAHM know what I mean! It's been so fun to have a HUGE kitchen to make things in, and more people to appreciate my cooking! (I can make more things more often now, as we have more people to eat them up!) Isaac and Dad love having us "dueling chefs" in the kitchen and vote on our meals each weeknight. ( I won most last week! haha) (We take turns cooking on different nights)
Plus, Josh has been LOVING the chance to just get out of bed, walk outside and go hunting! He has gotten 3 so far this season, and we're hoping for at least 2 more.. I sound so selfish,(lol) but we eat a LOT of venison! :) Josh is loving the visiting with the guys, too.
Anyways, I will post pictures soon! I just have to get the computer figured out again and do it! (New computer ya know, new ways to do things.) Hope you are all having a great week!
OH! Baby updates... I am now 15 weeks along, and showing already! It's so nice to be past the 1st trimester "yuck".. and into the 2nd trimester fun stage. The baby is healthy and well, I heard its heartbeat at our last checkup, and it was around 150. Nice middle of the road number.
Isn't pregnancy amazing? Having a new life inside you. Leah has been loving the new "baby", kissing my tummy and talking to it. "Hi Baby".. so cute! I think she does understand that there is a baby in there, but just has no idea what that really means! But what a sweetie she is!
Great week to all of you!

Potty training Leah... please weigh in!!!

I have been looking into starting Leah's Potty Training soon.. I found all kinds of good advice and great ideas for helping the process.
She is only 19 months, and starting to take interest in Potties, and underwear.. ;) I wonder if the time is right. Plus in April/May we will have a new little one, and my time to have with Leah one on one will be limited. I'm not expecting her to be fully potty-trained by the time baby is born, I would just LOVE it if she was at least well on the way trained, maybe even day-time trained! But I'm not over-expectant.
One piece of advice I have read is no matter how early you start, each child will consequently finish whenever they are ready. Hence: you can start the race early or late, but your finish time never changes.

Here's a great readiness checklist on Potty training, for those in the same boat as me.. I found it helpful.. but I'm still trying to decide what to do.
http://www.babycenter.com/0_toilet-training-readiness-checklist_4384.bc

What do you all think?
1. Is it too early to start training? Or will it be beneficial for her?
2. What are your potty training stories and advice?
3. Did you use rewards/bribes? If so how did they work?

My Goals for Natural Living/Farming

I loved my friend Lindsey's post on this subject so much I wanted to post my own! (For link to her blog see my "Friends" list)

My Natural Living Goals-

1.Start growing fresh Herbs indoors and use them in cooking more!
2.Grow my own Alfalfa Sprouts and eat on everything!
3. Make more things with fresh ground Whole Wheat flour instead of White, and use more Organic honey instead of Sugar.
4. Eliminate "High Fructose Corn Syrup" products.. and either make own or buy organic (sodas, condiments, juices etc..)
5.Drink More Tea instead of Juice.. daily is best!
6.Use Brown Rice instead of White, possibly in place of noodles too!
7. Or just buy Whole Wheat Noodles... :)
8. Learn to make Whole Wheat Tortillas and Pita Bread
9. Buy Energy-Efficent Light Bulbs
10.Buy 3 Green Tubs and RECYCLE more!

My Natural Farming Goals: (So exciting now that I have a house!)

1. Build Double Chicken Coop (one side for egg layers, the other for meat birds)
2. Buy Chickens
3. Plant More Apple trees in Orchard
4. Plant 2 more matching strawberry planters to match one I have
5. "Resurrect" our dying Raspberry Patch
6. Buy 2 Patio Planters of Blueberries
7. Get 2 Baby Pigs to Raise for family and us
8. Plant Trees/Flowers around Yard (Landscape around house)
9. Grow HUGE Garden this next year

To do someday: (hopefully!)

1. Raise Own Honey.. Get into Beekeeping!
2. Raise a beef cow

It's so exciting to think about, being self-sufficent as far as food goes.. reminds me of the Pioneers in the old days. That's what we strive to do as a family, provide our own meat (or organic) and grow our own vegetables and fruits. It's very neat to see my "dreams" come together in our own house and farm!

Best wishes on your Natural Living Goals, too!

Fun at the Pumpkin Patch!

Fun at Carter's Red Wagon Farm in Park Rapids...

Leah and all the pumpkins!!! Wow!!- she says

Sittin with the Scarecrow!

Fun pictures!

HUGE Pumpkins!!

Wagon Ride, eating her apple!

Enjoying the Corn Maze.. which was REALLY hard by the way.. I never figured it out... lol

Maze entrance... eaten by a Pumpkin!


"Grandma" (my mom) took us girls here a few weeks ago, and we had so much fun! Leah LOVED the maze and seeing all the huge pumpkins! It was a great way to enjoy fall!

We're Moving! - Diary Entry Week 3

Has anyone out there ever moved before? I'm sure most of you have... and hate it as I do! I never knew how much junk you can accumulate over a brief period!!! and Boxes, Boxes, Boxes everywhere! Everything is a disaster zone, and mice are over-populating your house faster than you can trap them! This has been week #3 for me, of our Moving Adventure.

But maybe I lost some of you... let me back up. We are officially MOVING!
As of November 1st, we will be living out in the country!!! We're moving in with my parents for the winter, in their big blue "hotel" as they call it.. a 5BR 3BA Farmhouse.. which in the spring will be officially OURS, as we are purchasing it! My parents are building a smaller house next door.. (Their "retirement house" as they call it) so we will be homeowners.. and land-owners.. with 20 acres!!!!!! We are so very excited, and I especially can't wait to start hobby farming. (I need to post a blog just for my dreams of farming, gardening, and landscaping!)
My parents graciously asked us to move in with them this winter, which will almost triple our heating savings as opposed to staying in the house we are now. So, when spring comes, we will have a great down payment put away for our house payment! :) So great!

So, we're moving our whole entire household of stuff out to the country, and will be getting 3 bedrooms of the upstairs for us. (One for us, Leah, and a nice sitting room/living room area) So privacy won't be such a hard thing, but it will be an adjustment! Sharing kitchen space with my mom, storage space with my dad, and lots of other things. But we're all very excited and I think it will work out very nice. Another huge plus about moving is Leah LOVES it out on the farm.. so much she cries when we have to leave.
We also have gotten a 4 month old puppy!!! Another great reason to move out! His name is Teddy, and he is a purebred Golden from my parents' dogs. He was the runt of the litter, and never sold.. I have no idea why, he is the sweetest, most loveable dog! Leah and him have so much fun together, when he isn't over-licking her! (I'll post pictures of him soon)

So all in one month so much can happen! :) Moving has been an adventure... but not so much as the mice have been lately. Yuck... I hate mice! They are over-taking our entire house... and forcing me to be extra-cleanly while in the midst of moving... when my house is a disaster area!!! They come up on the counters and eat food I leave there... (Like one night my biscuits... which WERE covered!) Josh has been very diligent in trapping them.. in about 1 1/2 weeks we've gotten about 11! Isn't that just creepy???? So.. at least we leave that problem behind us. :)

All in all, moving is hard work. Our final move in weekend is next weekend, and then we will be out of our little house forever. It seems so sad to leave.. this was our first house together, and Leah's only memory of home. But what a great opportunity to live out in the country, in a HUGE house on a farm! :) We're excited! Plus with the new baby coming in May, we will need the extra room! :) and that is our life so far... will keep you updated and post pictures after our move! :)

Itasca Trip Pics

Here are some pics from Leah's first trip to Itasca State Park! Grandma Tracy and Uncle Isaac came with! Leah just LOVED the park, especially walking through the water! (Don't worry this was from a month ago, when the water was still warm!) Enjoy!

Grandma and Leah take the first dip

Leah and I at Headwaters!

Walking across the bridge, as I did as a child

LOVING the slides!

Even went down the big one all by herself!

30th Anniversary Pics!

As promised, and very late, here are some of the pictures from my parent's 30th Anniversary Open House!

The celebrated couple!

Feeding each other cake!

Anna and her helper make more punch

The photo slideshow Dad and I made was the highlight of the party!

Auntie and Leah hang at the party

Their wedding album and 30th Anniversary scrapbook

This cake was as scrumptious as it was beautiful!

Our refreshments; peanuts/M&M's, meat/cheese tray, crackers, cake and punch!

Their lovely welcome table

Special Friends Gardell and Judy Emery

Gardell and Judy play a special song for Mom and Dad

Grandma Elizabeth, Catherine and Eric enjoy the slideshow

Pregnancy again...

Ok, I'm back in the blogging world! I hope to have pictures to put up soon, but for now it's my chance to update everyone on our newest little one!

10 weeks along already! It's so hard to believe, yet I wish it would go faster. At least through the morning sickness. Well, for me it's more like evening sickness. Every night at 5:00 I start feeling naseaus, and yucky. I'm not actually throwing up, only feeling like I could, which I think is worse. But at least it's not feeling like that all day! I'm very thankful!

I've also had kinda odd food cravings already! And things I can't and can eat! For example, eating food in the morning is sooooo hard for me! For the last 2 weeks the only thing I can stomach and keep down (that tastes good) is cottage cheese with an avacado sliced in it. weird huh? It just is so good to me! Funny how cravings go. One week I wanted nothing but egg salad sandwiches, then it was Mac and Cheese. Then chinese food cravings! It's been an adventure! :) Now I have been able to keep more breakfast food down, so that is good, because even cottage cheese/avacados can be boring sometimes!

The next weird side effect of early pregnancy I didn't remember was the emotional basket case I become while watching movies!! I cried the other day watching "Pinnochio" with Leah!!!! How mushy can ya get?! Seriously movies I don't usually find sad or emotional I suddenly do and am crying like a baby! For instance watching "Little Women", I cried for the whole second half of the movie!! Crazy. does anyone understand this weird thing called pregnancy???

Thanks for letting me share my life, as I see it so far. The baby is very healthy, continuing to grow, and I am looking forward to being done with the first trimester! :) Will keep you updates and hopefully post our first ultrasound pics soon! :)

It's finally here!

Finally the planning is complete! My parent's Open House is tomorrow!

All of my (and Anna and my mom's) work over the past weeks is aboutto be paid off! It will be so much fun, I am so excited! I'm especially excited about taking pictures of all their friends and family, and enjoying visiting with everyone. I'm hoping their Maid of Honor and Best Man will be there, and get to take fun wedding re-creation pictures! Just so much fun to see! I got the slideshow finshed today, and it is so amazing to see 30 years of pictures! :) Very special.

You are all cordially invited!

It will be at the Evangelical Free Church, Bemidi MN from 2-4 pm. Please stop by and wish my parent's well, and enjoy the yummy cake! :) ( I can't wait to see it!)

Have a great weekend, I know mine will be!

Fall Days with Leah

Leah just LOVES this fall weather, and I like being outside also, (helps morning sickness) but it's been so cold lately, it makes us really enjoy the nice days we do get! Here are a couple pics of our little sweetie.. isn't she just getting big? :)

My Little Leah Rose... what a sweetie!

Smellin' the flowers!

So cute!

such a great shot... pretty fun

Running from mom and the camera! :)

Here at Canning Central...

The title just makes me smile! I have been doing so much canning over the past couple weeks... wow! Add on top of that morning sickness, which is in full swing now (more like all day-sickness) and it is amazing I got even a fraction of this done! Here's to great new kitchen tools which save so much time! :) I have to share this new recipe for the World's Best Apple Pie Filling! When Fall rolls around, I just dream about apples.. cooked or plain... Mmmm! This is by far my favorite I've ever made.. and the first time I've canned it ever! It was pretty easy, and oh so good! :) (I think I'd eat a can- just plain! hee hee)

World's Best Apple Pie Filling (Canned Recipe)

makes 6 quarts

7 Quarts sliced fresh apples

5 1/2 Cups Sugar

1 Cup Cornstarch

1 T. Cinnamon

2 1/2 Cups Cold Water

5 Cups Apple Juice

1/2 Cup Bottled Lemon Juice

1 Tsp Nutmeg

7 Drops Food Coloring

Use firm crisp apples such as Rome or Golden Delicious. Wash, Peel, and core apples. Slice about 1/2 in wide and place in a large bowl of half water/half lemon juice. (To keep apples from browning) Place apples that have soaked for a while in a big pot of warm water (NOT boiling) to keep warm until ready to can. In large saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, water, apple juice, food coloring and nutmeg. Stir and cook on med. heat until mixture thickens and begins to bubble. (This will take a little while) Drain apple slices from big pot of warm water, and add to apple juice/cornstarch mixture. Fold in apples. Add lemon juice to mix and boil 1 min more. Remove from heat and fill jars with mixture. Seal and Boil in Water Bath for about 20 min. Let cool and sit for 24 hrs before labeling and storing.

Laura's kitchen hints:

On this recipe I used apples similar to Granny Smith (I love the tart/sweet taste!) I also "cheated" and used my Pampered Chef Apple Peeler to peel the apples. Then I used my Apple Cutter/Corer to slice and core them. Easy, easy! (You can get cheaper just as nice versions of both of these tools at Target!)

Here is my canning section in my basement: now overgrown to all my shelves! It's addicting!I just love it! Enjoy and may your fall canning go well!