The Powells

The year of the Rabbit (2011)

2011-09-20T13:37:00.000-07:00

Skimming over this year Spring-Summer:
I am so sad summer is over but I also LOVE fall. I just hate winter so close. Winter is always hard here, not sure why, but it is. If it could be Fall for half the year then spring the other half I would be in love with Idaho, but it just doesn't work that way...so I "like" Idaho but my love is always Hawaii.

Here are some pics of things we did:

Libby figuring out Chutes and Ladders game

Colton mowing the Lawn for the first time ever!

Our new rental... it's a cute old farm house that has been remodeled inside!

Our yard is awesome! We have a tree swing and a trampoline...great for the kids.

Our wood pile I am very proud of, not an easy task to chop and stack! I only hope it lasts most of the winter.

COLTON!
Colton is growing like a weed, he has needed a whole new wardrobe for school and eats us out of house and home! He is discovering how math can be fun and still loves to try crazy science experiments!
LIBERTY!
Liberty is growing too...she loves pink and princesses! But she is also a tomboy, climbing on everything and collecting bugs is her forte!
Hugh and I are plugging along, I stay busy with school and the kids while Hugh is working crazy hours for weeks and then comes home for a little "R n R"... with hunting coming soon it will be filled with trips to the mountains! I can't wait for a full freezer!

My BAD!

2011-08-02T10:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, its been a while since I paid any attention to this blog...you might have noticed. I have been crazy busy with school (no I'm still not done) and I Have had a few camera troubles.
These last few years have been the hardest of my life! I didn't want to blog about such negative things so I just didn't blog. Maybe my trials aren't that bad but for me they were.

After having to sell all my furniture to survive, move into my parents humble home, relocate Colton into a new school in the middle of the school year, and feeling completely lonely while Hugh treks off to North Dakota in his new job; I have learned to be more grateful, helpful, and less attached to temporary things. The law of sacrifice was more evident than ever before and the blessing I have since received have been beyond what I thought was possible. Not only my testimony has been strengthened but also my ability to know what is really important has given me an eternal perspective I have never known before.

One of my favorite quotes is; “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things. It was through this sacrifice, and this only, that God has ordained that men should enjoy eternal life” (Lectures on Faith, 69).
My goals are always evolving and this quote, along with my trials, reminds me that I will one day find joy in the eternities. We have been blessed with wonderful parents who put up with us for 8 very long months, friends that are irreplaceable, and love for one another. Here are a few pics from the last few months.

My "other" site

2010-04-28T20:57:00.000-07:00

Check out my "other" site. I have published a few papers I have written for school on it and you might enjoy my point of view on the issues I wrote about. Make coments and let me know if you liked it! Thanks.

http://onlymythoughtsandmemories.blogspot.com

The girls!

2010-04-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

This is Emi, Libby, and Bella(The Cousins)at the baptism. They were so cute!

Pics!

2010-03-30T15:24:00.000-07:00

problem

2010-03-29T10:18:00.000-07:00

For what ever the reason, I cannot up load any pics at this time. Check back later for them. Sorry, I am having technical difficulties.

Hello Strangers!!!

2010-03-29T09:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, it has been so long since my last post that I feel we all have become strangers. Sorry about that, it's my fault. Lately Hugh and I Have been busy. Hugh and Dad have been working their tails off to make some money for the Business, I have become a full time student at College of Western Idaho, Cotlon has just turned eight and gotten baptized, and Libby is a full time preschooler(so I can go to school). In between all these daily activities Hugh has converted his truck over to Vegetable oil fuel, and we have a source that sells us VT oil for 30 cents a gallon. CHEAP!! Road trips here we come; if we can find the time, and make up the right excuses! I am trying my darnedest to train for an upcoming "Run for the cure" race in May. Time is not on my side, but I am making it my second priority next to the family ; number one, and number three my school work. I am also primary president (yes still, that has not changed) and have to find the time to get those duties done; thanks to my counselors, they do most of the leg work. So, here are some recent pics. I would also like to add that Kolbyn... one of our favorite cousins has moved and Libby is having a hard time with the concept that he isn't at Gma and Gpa's any more. She constantly asks for him. We miss you Maria and Kolbyn!!!!!

You know your Husband loves you when:

2010-02-12T12:58:00.000-08:00

In school we have been writing an argument paper on if we believe in love at first sight. It has made me think, as well as Valentines coming this weekend, about my hubby. I have noticed all these sweet little gestures he does to show me love. So I am posting them to my blog! I encourage you to make of list of how you know your husband loves you! You might be surprised!

You know your Husband loves you when:

He puts all the kids to bed so you can take a long bath

He gets all the kids up and ready for school so you can sleep in an extra half hour

When he watches the Bachelor with you instead of hunting videos

He washes the left over dishes from dinner the next morning because you stayed up late doing homework

When he gives you the extra pillow and suffers through the night with just one

When he would rather be spending time with you instead of hunting

He constantly kisses you and tells you, you are beautiful when you’ve just woken up

He gets a gift certificate to Cabela’s and spends it on you

He chokes down an ill prepared dinner and tells you thanks for cooking him dinner

When you finally give in and go hunting with him, he carries everything so you don’t have to

He gets up in the middle of the night to put your two year old back in bed

He never leaves the house without saying I love you

To my dearest husband and confidant!

Mom and Dad Perry!

2010-02-06T12:17:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I try to help mom and get her communicating on the computer more because it is so efficient, and because we are all on here more than ever! I helped her set a blog, and get on facebook, and do you know what she does? She forgets her login and password. So, here is a second try at it. I helped her set up a new account with a new password, and I wrote it down then tapped it up to the computer where she can refer to it. So, if we are lucky we will soon be reading her blogs!!! Here is the new blog address, sign up and become a follower! momanddadperry.blogspot.com her email is charieperry1@gmail.com

Halloween!

2009-12-05T12:07:00.001-08:00

Late again, I know. It should be Thanksgiving, but I never took any pics. It was fun, Mandy did an amazing job at having Hugh and I over and her parents! The food was just delicious! I wish I had left overs!!
Halloween, was ok. Hugh had Drill that weekend, so it was just me trying to fulfill the kids-es Halloween dreams. We went to the trunk or treat at the church, since I had to pass out candy, Colton took libby around and he taught her how to get candy. He did a great job. They got tons of candy...thanks to Colton's slick ways, and then off to Grandmas we went! There we got to have a scary dinner (which the kids didn't eat very much of due to the extreme amounts of candy they had already ingested). We also watched a scary movie then drove home to our nice comfy beds! The next day libbys says; "wanna trick n treat!" I had a ruff time explaining that we only do that once a year and not when ever we want.

4th of July

2009-10-30T21:11:00.000-07:00

The 4th of July was a blast! This year we actually participated in our community's ritual celebrations they hold here each year. Plus we got to enjoy it with my fam! My parents lived in Middleton with us, so we all went to their house for some good country food. Plus Allen and Maria got to be here with us. However, we really missed Juliea, Darin, and all they're beautiful kids as well as Mel and Curtis!! Each year Middleton has a Huge street fair with free hot dogs, drinks, and bouncy houses for the kids. The local police put on a dog handling show, followed by a nice community parade and a huge "hose down" from the fire department. At the end of the parade the fire department turns on all their hoses and everyone gets wet! Lets just say it was the biggest water fight I have ever been apart of. On both sides of the street there are trucks spraying each other, as well as some driving down the road with hoses and one guy up on a huge latter in the middle of the intersection spraying everyone! Just take a look at the fun pics!

This summer!

2009-10-30T20:50:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I'm totally behind in blogging and summer is over now. But the kids are asleep and so is Hugh and it's about 9:30pm......I put ALL the "kids" to bed, FINALLY! Now I have time to blog. We went camping at MansCreek for a weekend, borrowed Casey's boat, and had fun fishing. It was Libby's first boat ride. She liked it and wanted to walk all over the boat. The boat was small and if it got off balance to much we would all be swimming for our lives, so I made her stay put! However, I did take some great pics. Funny thing was, it was Libby's first time camping when she was old enough to know what we were doing. Before we set up camp we spotted a Doe with her fawn eating some nice grass. We all excitedly sat still and watched. Libby was a little scared of the Deer and when it got dark she worriedly said; "Deer coming!" Of course, I explaned that the deer went nah-night and we don't have to worry. All night she kept asking me with the question tone of voice; "Mommy...deer nah-night?" Then when it was bed time she was very upset to learn she would be sleeping in a tent. She would say, no mommy my bed, go home! It was a rough night followed by a fun day. One of the pics is of a deer swimming across the lake! It was so neat to see that!

Our House.

2009-10-29T10:01:00.000-07:00

Here are some very recent pics of our house. Since I took the last pic we have done a few things different. This spring we got a nice return on our taxes and our neighbor was bugging us about a fence. So, we put up a fence, and we did some trade with our friend Burt to get some nice concrete curbing done. Here it is!

Update on the Garden....

2009-10-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Our Community Garden did very well! We had more tomatoes, corn, potatoes, zucchini, squash,onions, peppers, carrots, green beans, sweat peas, watermelon, and honeydew than we knew what to do with. Our freezer is full! Here is a pic of all the potatoes, the little girl on top is Ali. She is one of the "community garden" family kids. We grew reds and purple viking potatoes. They are so big! I have never seen ones this big in the store. All of these potatoes are feeding three families, and our portion is probably too much. We have already given lots away and have plenty more for the winter. Our Strawberries we only grew in our back yard. They were a huge success! We got about 6 bowl fulls and a few stragglers through out the end of the season. I froze some but we went Berry wild and ate them everyday. They were the best tasting I have ever eaten. I do have tons of canned tomatoes, as well as peaches. We found an empty farm house that has a peach tree just loaded with peaches. We and some friends went and picked them. We made peach salsa, peach pie filling, and froze the rest.

Hunting!

2009-10-29T09:14:00.000-07:00

Hugh took me out on a Cow Elk hunt this last month. I was hoping we could get it all over with in one day because it was a very busy week for me. He took me to what he and his fellow hunter men call "The Arena". It is shaped like a stadium. You start out at the very top steps (hill) and it has a range of hill circling a very beautiful canyon full of trees, bushes, and Elk. We hear the Elk bugling first thing in the morning! It is so loud because of the shape of the mountains, it echos off of them. We are able to somehow sneak down through the trees to give us some cover from all the watchful cow eyes. As we get closer to a specific bugle sound we have to belly crawl through the tall grass. Looking down I see a monster Elk and his cows are every where. Hugh is whispering; Janess, that one right there, wait, no, that one over there....... Suddenly I see a really big cow. She steps right in front of me. I scope her out, while Hugh tells me her range (about 140yards). I put my cross hairs on her close to the front shoulder and squeeze the trigger. BANG! Looking up from the blast, all I see is the elk running everywhere. We wait a while and then head down to find her. No blood trail. I was positive I hit her. Still no blood! An hour later we founder her at the bottom of this canyon dead. Still, no blood. I thought she died of a heart attack. While we are cutting into her our curiosity is growing..how did she die? We finally find a tiny hole right on her shoulder. It turns out that the bullet hit the bone, and went into the heart (She was standing at an angel) and fragmented into her lungs. The bone broke up and caused the hole to be sealed, not letting any blood out. So, she bled internally. Then we hiked (it took about four hours) to get out of that canyon with all that meat. I think next time I will hit the smallest one. It was great because it all happened just as I had planned! Enjoy the pics.

Colton!

2009-10-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

Colton likes to read. He is really good at reading the scriptures during scripture time. He also loves to read mystery books and anything that tells you how to build fun things. He is still our little bug lover! He has a stink bug in a fish bowl he is keeping as his pet. He feeds it apple slices, any kind of juicy fruit, and the occasional grass hopper. Every where we go he looks for bugs to find. The other day while walking to the park, Libby stepped on a spider. Colton was furious with her! He gave her a good lecture about all wild bugs being part of mother nature and the gifts that Heavenly Father has given us, so we shouldn't Kill them" just because"! Of course Libby decides it would be best to step on every bug she sees just to make Colton mad. If Colton gets the opportunity to go hunting with his dad he is so excited, can't sleep, and has the best attituded I have ever seen! He does everything you ask him and is very attentive when your talking to him. This is very unlike Colton. Last time he got to go with Uncle Seth, Howard, and Hugh Antelope hunting. Howard was very impressed with him. He didn't complain about all the walking, or his very cold feet, and he got a very good anatomy lesson when they quartered up the Antelope. School is very different. Colton has discovered being the class clown is way better than listening to the teacher. He also talks way too much. He is worse than a girl. He can literally talk a leg off a donkey! He is a very smart kid too. I just wish he would let all his smartness out in his school work and not on me!

Libby!

2009-10-29T08:18:00.000-07:00

Potty training! Libby loves to go potty when its a community effort. She is a very social girl. If Kolbyn or Bella is going potty Libby wants to be right there, encouraging them and taking turns. When it comes time to do it all by herself, when no one is around (except boring mom) she just won't do it. So, here is Libby and Kolbyn washing hands after taking potty turns. I think it is just adorable! Libby is our little attitude girl. She knows what she wants and exactly how to get it! Weather its finding the gum, or cuddling with Daddy, she is a pro. Don't ever underestimate her abilities to manipulate, find, or sneak away. She most recently has figured out she can blame things on Colton. Of course she has learned from the best (Colton), it took Colton a lot longer to figure that all out. I guess having an older brother to learn from helps. She also loves men. If she meets a a man she has never seen before (like at church) she will let them hold her and she is very friendly. When it comes to women, she is quite the opposite! I am very worried my parenting skills might not be good enough to keep her out of some serious trouble when she is a teenager. She is still small for her age, well below the weight chart (she's not even on it), and looking at the pic above you have to remember Kolbyn is only a year and a half! She is 5th percentile on the height chart. This 2 1/2 year old is only 24lbs, but definitely smarter than a 2nd grader! Don't get me wrong, she is very lovable, and sweat, but that is why she is so dangerous. Its hard to get mad at her, she just loves to smile and laugh which often throws a wrench in our efforts to discipline.

A Few Oldies For Fun!

2009-07-27T14:09:00.001-07:00

When?!

2009-07-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I've tried sitting down to update my blog and I just can't! One of these days I'll get around to it. I have some cool pics of things we've been doing. This morning, I was on here trying to update it and read every one's stuff and I turn around and Libby has poured out all her baby soap on the floor, and the Bathroom is covered in water! While trying to clean it up the phone is ringing, libby is crying and running out of her room to stay out of "time out" and I am so mad! Similar situations happen everytime I try to sit down. No breaks for me. The only way I was able to type this was because I locked libby in her room and gave colton some cleaning work to do. I have to wait till they are both in bed to do it, but usally by that time Hugh is home and using the computer for work, and we are so tired at the end of the day we collapse on our bed and breath a sigh of relif before falling asleep. Do we really want another kid? Both of ours so far have been the most independent, supper strong willed and curious kids I have ever met! I really don't know if I have the mental capacity to handle another one just like that. I'm terrified of the teenage years.

More May Pics!

2009-05-16T13:21:00.001-07:00

Kim, Case, and Gage feeding horses with us!

Kids Fishin'
Our self portrait!

Libby's self portrait!
Our Strawberry patch!

May 2009

2009-05-16T12:48:00.000-07:00

I love spring! We have been having fun. We got to go to Shoshone Falls, here are a few pics...and Kim & Casey came out from Utah to hang. We are loving the weather here. Our garden is growing and we love to feed the horses that are down the street! We even have been going fishing at the little lake behind our house, and now Libby is always asking if we can "go fish"!

The kids are growing up fast. Colton went from having a hard time in school to glasses and now to "wow, school is great mom"! Those glasses sure make a big difference!

Libby, is talking up a storm ( just like her brother) all though we can't always understand what she is trying to say she knows how to get her point across.

We haven't sold our house yet, and no one is looking either. I really don't want to sell it anyway, so as long as we can catch up with our payments, then we might be here longer than July. Sorry Juliea, I know you need some one in your house to "keep the grounds" but we did make an obligation to pay our mortgage and we are always catching up at the last minute. On that note, things are looking up for Hardware Solutions (the company we run) and I am praying for enough work this summer to get us through this winter, because I realy don't want to sell my house.

Thats about it for now, enjoy the pics!

Spring is Here!

2009-04-11T10:05:00.000-07:00

Here are some most resent pictures. Colton's Birthday and our community easter egg hunt. Enjoy!

Colton took his pic with the Easter Bunny. Libby just ran away screaming!

This pic of Libby is just too cute! I had to show it off.
At Colton's party they had a silly string fight.
All the kids that came to his party, all though he really just wanted his cousins there.

Yeah! My Bulbs have sprung and now I am awaiting the blooms. I've started a Begonia in my kitchen. Soon we will be planting a garden! This year for our garden we are going to do an above ground one at Juliea's house (we will be renting from her and Darin) and we are also doing a "community" garden this year. Our friends have permission to use the lot next to them for a very large garden. We have gotten a farmer in our ward to till the ground with one of his cool machines. So for Family Home Evening we went over there and planted red potatoes and Sweet Peas. We are also doing carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, jalapenos, bell peppers, water melon, cantaloupe, and cucumbers. Anyway, it'll be fun. We are also going to Can jars as much as possible. This will save us lots of money in the winter.

Like I mentioned in the last paragraph, we will be renting Darin and Juliea's house this summer. We are hopping our house sells. Keep us in your prayers. The business Hugh runs comes and goes in spurts and it is really hard to regulate our income. We are cutting back and getting rid of as many bills that we can to keep the company running and our selves taken care of.

Thanks for visiting!

How Frugal Can Ya Get?!

2008-12-22T19:42:00.001-08:00

Our Garden at the beginning of the season.
The pig we raised.
One of those free pumpkins!
Idaho can be a great place to live when times are tough. I have learned some great lessons here. Being frugal is one. Here are some ideas for you that I have done. Make your own bread; lots of hard work if you don't have a bread machine or a kitchen aid, but even better is the day old bread from the bread store. You can buy a truck load for about 3 dollars, we freeze it. Use the bags from the groceries for trash; don't buy trash bags! If you are lucky to live near a farm...and we are surrounded by them; gleaning is a must; we have dug up potatoes after the harvest, pumpkins, tomatoes, corn, lots of fruit and we always stop on the side of the road for the onions that have fallen off the big trucks( onion season is big here). Gardening has become second nature, although we only grow what we can't get cheap in the winter for canning and freezing( mostly fruit and a few select veggies). Hunting has become a way to fill the freezer before the paychecks stop. We grind our own elk and deer meat (mixed with bacon or pork fat, you can get for free at most meat departments in the grocery store) This year we raised a pig (fed it day old bread..cheep food) and only paid 47cents a pound for it to be butchered. It taste great. I have also found that soapy water and watered down bleach are great for cleaning everything, and you can buy it in big enough bottles to last a few months. If you have any other frugal ideas you have done, please share them!!

Us!

2008-12-09T18:13:00.000-08:00

We have been on a roller coaster ride since we moved to Idaho. I would give my right arm to move back to Hawaii, but since that isn't an option, we are plugging away at life here. We bought a Commercial door business two and a half years ago. Since the economy is so crappy, we are going to have a very interesting winter. Hugh Finally has decided to go back to school (thanks to the crappy economy I guess it isn't all bad) and he wants a job that isn't effected by it. I go hunting with him mainly because it is the only time we can ditch the kids at grandmas and leave for a couple days. Plus we get to fill our freezer and not buy meat for a year. This pic is the most recent one of our trips. It was so cold that day it started snowing about an hour after we took this pic. I am working with the company answering phones, invoicing, collecting money (when we actually get paid, which is like pulling teeth most of the time) . I also am busy with church activities.

Liberty

2008-12-09T18:00:00.000-08:00

We call her Libby for short. She is very head strong, likes to scream and gives the best smile. She also says "Hello" to every person we walk by. She is really funny girl. She can even beat up her big brother! She is 18 months now and is way to skinny for her age. She isn't even on the growth chart. Colton was the same way, I don't know why....I am always giving them fating food. She is a climber! If you turn your back for a second she will climb up the bar stool and on the counter pulling everything out of the cupboards. Libby loves to color and draw, its so cute she gets very serious about it. Today Hugh was doing his math home work and getting frustrated, so he let out this grunt/ sigh, Libby made the same noise and started drawing faster. She is just like her daddy!

Colton

2008-12-09T17:50:00.000-08:00

Colton has changed quite a bit! He is 6 and in first grade. His school has an all boys class that he is in and they are taught different from the girls. Even down to the temperature of the room, it is all conducive to the way boys learn. He actually remembers his math, and is getting an "E" on his report card in phonics. He also had to get glasses, and right now he likes them. We'll see how long that lasts. He hates brushing his teath, and last time he got the flue shot, he had a panic attak and tried to run out of the room, but we held him down on the floor and let the nurse give it to him. It was pretty funny.

We've Got One Too!

2008-12-09T10:47:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I feel really bad for not keeping in touch with good friends and family. I never write one of those end of year things about our family and I am the worst at sending out cards. You might think why not? Its really simple and easy. Well for me it is the hardest thing to do. But I am trying this blog thing and will be better at keeping it updated, all though I have failed in the past. So, wish me luck......