Foto Friday

At our new house we get to see GREAT sunrises and sunsets. I love that I can see the paint brush of God every morning!

I love love love Heathers!!!!!

Listography: List 47

List 47: Things to be Thankful for.

1. Running water

2. A dishwasher

3. A warm house

4. Vehicles that work

5. Lots of yummy food

6. A stable job

7. The temple

8. Freedom

9. Friends and family (not really things but I had to add them!)

10. My camera and lenses.

10 on Tuesday

1. Yesterday I went to Costco. And my trip there involved a H-U-G-E blowout from Oliver. As in to use a lot of wipes. And then someone (maybe me) ran a cart full of food over poor Eli's foot. Causing MAJOR screaming and ending an X-Ray to make sure it wasn't broken. Sweet trip to Costco.

2. I am glad my husband is a doctor. It sure comes in handy.

3. I've been toying with the idea of taking a week or more to unplug. No internet. And then I think okay maybe just emails and that's all. I think it'd be good for me.

4. Oliver is so lovely.

5. I have some great ideas for taking some pictures of kids. Just for fun.

6. In the middle of FHE tonight one of my kids said "blah blah blah" while I was talking. That made me feel... um... mad.

7. I read a GREAT book in the last two days. Easy fast read with a great love story! Check it out!

8. My living room is now filled with 8 foot bookshelves. They just need to be painted. And they are cool. I'll be sharing before and after pictures some time soon. (as soon as they get done.) My brother Brad made them. He's great :)

9. I am going to actually decorate my house. And my dad gave me a whole pile of tools. As in a sander, nail gun, all these saws. I am going to use them and make my house MINE. :) And I got at least 25 frames from my mom. Yes my parents have all these things to give away and I love that finally after all these years my parents have something I want and I get it. That sounds selfish and funny but I mean we didn't grow up with a lot and I'd never ever thought I'd be wanting anything they had. And now I do. And my mom is kind and shares with me. And my dad too. It's nice.

10. If I took an internet break, just think how many of these projects I could do. Or these. Come to think of it, I think an actual USING pinterest challenge would be great!

Lucy at six

I always like to do a list of things about my kids at their birthdays and I never got around to it, so this is a make-up post!

At six Lucy is....

• a great reader! Reads above her grade level and finds it quite easy to do.
• has decided that she needs to read the scriptures each night as personal scripture study (we have Alden do it since he turned 8).
• still has major flip outs from time to time (more often than you'd imagine for a 6 year old!)

• loves wearing dresses and skirts but finally can be convinced on some days to wear pants
• favorite foods are chicken nuggets, fries, Hawaiian pizza, smoothies and cranberries
• seems quite interested in boys lately (constantly talking about some in her class and how smart and funny they are)

• loves to give a scowl look at you when you tell her anything that isn't what she wants to hear
• loves to play with barbies, littlest pet shop and also lego with Alden
• Alden is truly her best friend
• has asked if we can go back to Lethbridge since that is where her REAL friends are
• loves having her picture taken
• every night at bed she has Regan do a reciprocal quadruple Eskimo kiss
• loves to hold Oliver and thinks it is hilarious when he does baby cooing

• thinks her teacher, Miss Jensen, is hilarious!
• loves to be read to
• has an insatiable thirst for knowledge. She drinks it in. She loves to learn anything about anything.
• she asks a LOT of questions
• she loves to help in the kitchen
• has to make at LEAST one art project a day. But usually it ranges a lot higher per day.
• wants to keep everything. Has trouble throwing anything out.
• has an up and down relationship with Eli. Either they are having tons of fun together or they are fighting.

• has very sensitive feelings
• has the loudest cry of anyone in our family
• has her own unique sense of style in clothing
• loved playing basketball at the elementary
• is a very social child. Always learns people's names and loves to say hi to everyone
• loves to giggle and laugh and can really brighten the room with her smile
• is taking tap dance and looooooves it
We Love Lucy!

Spiritual Sundays

Foto Friday: Week 46

And last week's (which I took but never edited and got up)


And a make up one for a missed week....

Listography: List 46

list 46: People I love
I thought I'd add some pictures of people I love... and I obviously couldn't add everyone... but here's some I love...

Regan

Alden

Lucy

Eli

Oliver

My parents.

All my Davis family.
My in laws.

All my Steed Family.

Spiritual Sundays

Today's topic is gratitude. The first two quotes are insightful but more on the ills of ingratitude so I added a third quote that is a bit more on the positive side and describes well the blessings of living a grateful life.

“Comparatively, we are so much quicker to return favors and to pay our debts to mortals — and we should be responsive and grateful. But what of Him who gave us mortal life itself, who will erelong give us all immortality, and who proffers to the faithful the greatest gift of all, eternal life? We are poor bookkeepers, indeed!”
- Neal A. Maxwell, General Conference, October 1988

“Our society is afflicted by a spirit of thoughtless arrogance unbecoming those who have been so magnificently blessed. How grateful we should be for the bounties we enjoy. Absence of gratitude is the mark of the narrow, uneducated mind. It bespeaks a lack of knowledge and the ignorance of self-sufficiency. It expresses itself in ugly egotism and frequently in wanton mischief. We have seen our beaches, our parks, our forests littered with ugly refuse by those who evidently have no appreciation for their beauty.”
- Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, August 1988

"Mercies and blessings come in different forms--sometimes as hard things. Yet the Lord said, 'Thou shalt thank the Lord thy God in all things' (D&C 59:7). All things means just that: good things, difficult things--not just some things. He has commanded us to be grateful because He knows being grateful will make us happy. This is another evidence of His love."
- Elaine S. Dalton, General Conference, April 2007

List 45: Things I've lost or broken

My first thought was hearts. hahahahah But that's not true at all. So.....

1. I've broken almost all of my toes at one time or another.

2. Lots of glass in picture frames.

3. A few weeks ago I was cooking with a pyrex dish (which aren't supposed to shatter) and I put it into the sink and it shattered in the sink.

4. I used to have a cool ring that was given to me as a gift. Who knows when or where I lost it.

hmmm I'm having trouble remembering anything else!

And here is (that I missed too):

List 38: People I'd love to meet:

1. Jesus Christ

2. President Thomas S Monson

3. Jesh de Rox

4. Becky Higgins

5. Tara Whitney


And here is another Foto Friday picture to make up for one I missed a while ago...
Week 29: Flower

In the Kitchen: Pumpkin Muffins & On the Bookshelf

This recipe comes from a great cookbook all about baking from Sarabeth Levine called "Sarabeth's Bakery", From my Hands to Yours."

It is a great cookbook that I want to buy now that I've made a few things out of it. A few recipes that have caught my eye already (besides the pumpkin muffins!) Pains au Chocolat, Chocolate Babka, Banana Streusel Muffins, Maple Muffins, Rosemary Focaccia, Mrs. Stein's Chocolate Cake and Lemon Raspberry Cake.

Now on to the muffins! Here's a snapshot of one in yesterday's morning sunlight coming into my kitchen.


3 2/3 cup pastry flour, sifted
1 Tbsp plus 1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
8 Tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups superfine sugar
4 large eggs at room temperature, beaten
One 15- ounce can solid pack pumpkin (which is almost 2 cups)
1 cup seedless raisins
1/4 cup hulled unsalted sunflower seeds

Preheat over to 400. Brush insides of 12 muffin cups with softened butter, then brush the tops.
Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, ginger and salt together in a medium bowl. Beat the butter in the bowl of a heavy duty mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed until creamy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in the sugar and continue beating, scraping the sides often until the mixture is very light in color and texture, about 5 minutes. Gradually beat in eggs. Reduce the mixer speed to low, Beat in pumpkin, the mixture may look curdled. In thirds, beat in the flour mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl often, and mix until smooth. Add the raisins. Increase the speed to high and beat until the batter has a slight sheen, about 15 seconds longer.
Fill muffin tins. Sprinkle with sunflower seeds.
Bake for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temp to 375 and continue baking until tops of muffins are golden brown and a wire cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Note: I shortened the writing (since I'm lazy and a slow typer) the the basics. And using lots of softened butter on the pans gave a nice crispy outside to the muffins!

10 on Tuesday

1. Sweet weather lately!

2. I did a photo session of Alden (finally!) for his birthday. We tried an indoor studio session for something new and fun. My favorite from the day....

You can see the rest over here.

3. This little man slept last night SO GOOD. He's had a few great nights lately. And I am soooooooooo thankful!


4. I have a yawn picture of everyone of my kids now :)


5. Being true Raymond-ites, we've put our kids in sports :) Here's Alden playing basketball.


6. oh how i looove when my babies start cooing to me :)


7. Oliver is 7 weeks old now. Crazy!


8. i've been thinking lately about how sometimes the last kids in the family get less pictures taken of them than the beginning ones (right Brooke?).... and I don't think that's the case at our house.... since most of this post is pictures of Oliver :)

9. Yes I am nerdy. But this picture just seemed like he was yelling at me.... something along these lines...




10. I made some yummy pumpkin muffins today. I'll share the recipe tomorrow. Tasty!

and

11. How are YOU all out there... WHO are all you out there?

Spiritual Sundays

Our beloved prophet Gordon B. Hinckley has promised: “If you have any doubt about the wisdom, the divinity of observing the Sabbath Day, … stay home and gather your family about you, teach them the gospel, enjoy yourselves together on the Sabbath Day, come to your meetings, participate. You will know that the principle of the Sabbath is a true principle which brings with it great blessings.” 17

Foto Friday

This week's was hard! I apparently don't have very smokey candles!

and i am trying to make up the ones i missed... so a few weeks back was doorway.So here is the doorway to our new house!

list 44: the best desserts

I could make a LONG list here :) Dessert is my favorite course! So I'll just stick to categories of them.



1. Chocolate anything. Like these and these and this... I could go on but I'll stop there!

2. Pumpkin anything. Like these (that I made last Saturday night but didn't take a picture of) or these or these and a whole lot of all these

3. Carmel or Butterscotch. Like this and this and this

4. Cookies. I love them. All sorts and we usually have some around our house.

5. Ice cream. My very favorite is homemade vanilla bean. Y.U.M. (And look at this one!)

10 on Tuesday

1. I'm glad Halloween is over.

2. At the school here in Raymond they have a costume parade. Where the parents and family sit in the gym and then each class comes through and parades their costumes. Great idea. :) Lucy was too worried about keeping up with her class to stand still for me to take a picture of her. But here is Alden aka Mario.


3. We split up the trick or treating. I took them around our block. Alden did our street with a friend.


and Regan took them to his parents street. Which provided more than enough candy!
Halloween at Dusk on our street.


4. We went to two dress up parties. One for adults and babies on Friday night. My nephew Oscar.

And mom and kiddos one on Saturday. I actually kind of dressed up as an angel. :) I'll have to show you some pictures from Nichole to prove it! Having a small baby makes it hard to take pictures during events so I didn't get many of my own!

5. mmm sunday dinner. Pork loin stuff with goat cheese, raisins and fresh herbs.


6. My throat feels TERRIBLE.

7. I am trying to get back into the habit of taking just every day shots again. Like this one. Cause it 20 years these are the ones that will really represent our life now.


8. Did you notice the wall color? It used to be red like the background in this one.

Thanks to Derek it looks way better. Some things are getting done on our house! And I got my new chairs! Note to self to take a picture of them so you can see them and the current living room look.(in the middle of the changes.)

9. We tried two different times to get a few shots of Sage. Newborn shoots are hard work. Add in two newborns and two new moms and wow. I feel lucky with the ones we got!

Oliver and Sage


10. Oliver was up every 2 hours last night. wowzers! I sure love snuggling that little boy! In fact I think I'll go do that right now!

Spiritual Sundays

"A wife may love her husband, but it is different to that of the love of mother to her child. The true mother, the mother who has the fear of God and the love of truth in her soul, would never hide from danger or evil and leave her child exposed to it. But as natural as it is for the sparks to fly upward, as natural as it is to breathe the breath of life, if there were danger coming to her child, she would step between the child and that danger; she would defend her child to the uttermost. Her life would be nothing in the balance, in comparison with the life of her child. That is the love of true motherhood—for children. … I have learned to place a high estimate upon the love of mother. I have often said, and will repeat it, that the love of a true mother comes nearer being like the love of God than any other kind of love." - BY PRESIDENT JOSEPH F. SMITH

Foto Friday

List 41: 10 Halloween Costumes I've had

To tell the truth I can't even REMEMBER 10. My mom was NOT a fan of halloween. She still isn't (funny I married someone with the same feelings about the holiday!).

Instead I will list things I remember about Halloween as a kid at our house.

1. My mom made donuts and handed them out. Since we lived in a small town (not even big enough to be a town - it's actually a hamlet!) you could hand out things you made. And you ate them.

2. Our costumes were always made from things around the house. A plaid shirt and jeans made a farmer or a Hutterite. A white sheet over you made a ghost. We didn't buy costumes. That went against everything my mother feels about halloween!

3. I think there are two pools of thought about candy and kids at Halloween. The parents that ration out the candy their kids collect and the ones who just let their kids eat it all and then it's gone (usually ending up in stomach aches for the kids.) My parents were the second type. Eat it all at once and get it done. Although me and my brother Justin usually hid pieces around our rooms to save for later.

4. I remember one year when my brother Bryan had an eye patch. (from an icicle falling into his eye. Seriously. And I was standing with him. It was FREAKY) ANYWAYS, he was a cowboy with an eye patch. Makes perfect sense.

5. We ALWAYS used our pillow cases to collect the candy.

6. My mom thought that once you reached 12 going trick or treating was not acceptable.

7. We carved pumpkins but never decorated in any other way.

8. I remember learning that if you went to the "rich" houses you got GOOD candy.

9. I've never liked the yucky part of halloween. Especially as a kid. I don't like being scared. Some people find it funny. I never have. Ask Reg :)

10. I've never seen either one of my parents dress up in a costume.

Spiritual Sundays

‎"Greatness is best measured by how well an individual responds to the happenings in life that appear to be totally unfair, unreasonable, and undeserved. Sometimes we are inclined to put up with a situation rather than endure. To endure is to bear up under, to stand firm against, to suffer without yielding, to continue to be, or to exhibit the state or power of lasting." - Marvin J Ashton

Foto Friday

Three things.

1. I couldn't find my remote and then I found it and the battery is dead. Sooo this had to happen with a timer. Sooo this isn't TOTALLY in focus. But I DID it.
2. My color looks all funny and off next to Heather's great shot of her kiddos and her.
3. Oliver is just so cute.

List 42 : Things I Wish I was better at

1. Parenting. There is a lot I could say about this. But I'll just leave it as that.

2. Knitting / crocheting (Easier to be better at it when you don't even know how to do it!) :)

3. Photography. I want to improve more.

4. Accomplishing things. Lately at least. But then I realize I've got a 4 week old.

5. Not caring what people think.

6. Sending thank you cards. It's my goal lately. I've sent out a few. I LOVE it when people take the time to say thank you to me, so I'm trying to do it for others.


And since I missed a few.... here is List 40 from two weeks ago....



List 40 : Things that Inspire Me:

1. My faith

2. this blog

3. Reading good books.

4. Stimulating conversation with great people

5. A good night's sleep.

6. Great photographs.