A few things going on this week...
Thursday night we had a stake camp  certification night.  Stacy does such a great job as stake camp director!  
She asked President Child to come give a flag presentation.  I sure miss seeing Stan and JoAnn since they are not in our stake anymore, But when you do see him, it's like old times. He's one of those people who makes everyone around him feel loved.  Stacy thought of him because he is a scouter extraordinaire! He has helped so many young men through the scouting program, with that alone, he is sure to go straight to heaven!  Not to mention being a wonderful Stake President.  
He gave a great presentation that taught us all a lot about the flag.  Our camp devotionals with raising and lowering the flag have been less than desirable (girls just really didn't know how to do it!) so we thought it would be a good thing for every one to be reminded of.

After he finished, we divided the girls up and they went to the different certification stations.  The youth leader.s really came through on teaching these and it was a very successful night

We got some new bees this week!  

Really, the saddest thing when all our bees flew away last fall.  We have been researching and from what people have told us, we probably had the veroa mite and that caused them to leave the hive.  (seriously, we went out one day in November and they were  just all gone!  No dead one's laying on the ground...just gone.)  Kelley had seen them just the day before.  So we were just mystified and really sad.  

Tommy has just been to California and gotten a new load of bees, so Kelley got his last three boxes.

Kelley had put the old frames in the freezer for a few days to make sure any wax moth or mites were dead.  

We suited up and got the new boxes all set up.  It's pretty interesting to watch.  He opens up the little box with a queen, then puts a marshmallow in the opening so the other bees can eat their way through it to let her out.

He taped up the box openings so there was only a small space to get in and out so they would get used to being here and not fly away. Today he took the tape off and filled the box with more frames. 

This has been a trial and error experience...we are learning new things all the time.  

 Bees really are so cool! They are so smart and amazingly instinctive to just know how to take care of the queen and gather the pollen, then make the honeycome.  In the sweet little book "One drop at at time"  it says that it takes 1000 bees to make just one teaspoon of honey!   I love watching them.  They have never scared me...I feel like they won't hurt you unless you bother them or threaten their hive.  I haven't been stung since I was a little girl and stepped on one out in the back yard.

 Hopefully from what we have learned we will be able to take better care and have a better year with happy bees and lots of honey!

Candice loves the chickens.  When she comes to visit she always takes time to go out and say hello and gather the eggs.

Kelley and I went to Lambert and got some vegetable plants.  We got a flat of Coleus for the front yard too.  I hadn't cut down the tulip and daffodil leaves yet but I knew if I waited till we got home from Mexico to get the Coleus it would be gone  I got that flower bed all cleaned out today and planted the Coleus.  I sure love digging in the dirt!  They look so cute!

Anyway, Kelley was ready to plant the garden on Thursday, but I've been having this dumb toothache and dr Ludlow said I could come in that afternoon so I missed the planting.  I was sure grateful Candice would come and help Kelley get it done.

Aren't they just the best!

 Wednesday night while Kelley was at Bishopric meeting, KC and I got up into the boat and tried to clean it up.  It was full of junk and so so dirty!  

(So this boat belonged to Jimmy's famiy but his mom wanted to get rid of it so Jimmy said we could have it if we could come get it.  Of course Kelley wanted to have it!!! So a few weeks ago, we took a road trip to California to pick it up.  I'll do a post about it...it was such a fun time!)

Anyway, it was really dirty and in pretty rough shape.  It has been sitting outside at Jimmy's  mom's house and hasn't been registered since 2007.  It does have potential though and I think with a lot of work and a complete overhaul, it could be a nice fishing boat.

I'll post updates...last night Kelley power washed it and and it made a world of difference...there is a cool boat under all that dirt!