Foto Friday: Week 5

Every week I am like man these two are killing me with their pictures..... mine is the goofy one AGAIN.... Do you ever see faces in your food? Apparently I do :)



hahahahahahaha! Hope that made you smile.

Listography 5: 10 things I love about Lucy

1. That she likes to cook and bake with me

2. The way she says something and then says "right mom?" in this sweet little voice that is hard to describe.

3. That she can mostly read and did it mostly on her own

4. That she has a testimony of God and loves to bear it to other people.

5. That she loves arts and crafts as much as I do

6. Her heaps of creativity

7. Her sweet blue eyes

8. When she decides to be helpful she can do a lot and especially helps out with Eli

9. How she calls her pj's her "night night clothes"

10. That she loves to sing and wants to be a singer when she grows up

Ten on Tuesday

1. I HAD to go take a picture tonight of the sunset. It was so pretty. By the time I actually got out on my own it was -35 degrees C out and I was shaking from the cold and the light was almost gone... but I got it.


2. There is NOTHING that annoys me more than when my kids are eating and they don't eat all their supper and are crying to be done and then right before bed they ask for a snack cause they are hungry. NOTHING.

3. I am totally doing my 365 pictures this year. But instead of stressing myself out by trying to post them on a whole other blog, I am just putting them up on flickr and then sharing some here and there on my blog. Like these ones....




4. I love the show White Collar. Anyone else???

5. I am NOT A fan of this weather we have all of a sudden again. -30? BOO on that!!!!

6. Some brought me flowers a few weeks ago as a hostess gift at Ukrainian Christmas. And I really enjoyed them all. And taking pictures of them too!


7. I got a scensey (and I know I am behind the times) but I am loving it!! Makes my house smell all purdy and stuff!

8. Today is my SIL Jen's birthday today and my friend Kelly's yesterday. Love them both! Wish I got to see them both MORE!

9. I am always behind on housework lately. It's kind of depressing. And speaking of that I need to go clean up the kitchen! (Probably since I made bread and muffins today.)

10. I really struggled coming up with 10 things.... hmmm maybe I should switch it to Two or Three on tuesday. ;)

Spiritual Sundays

“I believe the test of a great man is humility. I do not mean by humility the doubt in one’s own personal power; but really truly great men have the curious feeling that greatness is not in them but through them and they see divine in every other human soul and are foolishly, endlessly, incredibly merciful”
- Anonymous, quoted by Vaughn J. Featherstone, in ‘The Millennial Generation’

Foto Friday: Week 4

Well this week I wanted to try something different for me. And well.... I did. And the entire time my kids were watching me and kept saying but WHY are you doing this? And finally I just said sometimes creativity just IS. You just try things. So that's what I did. I have no idea what I was trying to say with mine.... I just thought of someone all covered in white. Which apparently so did Mary - although her's seems much more moody than mine. Mine is just goofy. Hahahahaha!

I loooove the DOF in Heathers!! Totally cool!

Listography: Best Snack Foods

hhhhmmmmmmm food. Did I mention I love food??! Hahahahaha. I love cooking it and I loooove eating it. sooo this list is right up my alley!! I am sitting here trying to think what I eat for snacks.

1. Spinach Dip. LO.V.E. this.

2. Guacamole and chips. mmmm. I love avocados! And as guacamole even better!

3. Muffins. I loooove muffins. Some of my favorites are pumpkin, Chunky Banana Bran Muffins, Banana Crunch . I think muffins are a great choice since you can make healthy ones (and not so healthy ones) and then keep them in the freezer so you can pop them in the microwave when you need a snack.

4. I love baked things as snacks (like pretzels or cinnamon knots or pizza buns, etc)

5. Toasted Tomato Cheese Sandwiches... in fact I just had one before I wrote this post :)

6. I love fresh fruit. Bananas, oranges, apples. I looooooove fresh fruit (with a dip like this.) And fresh veggies. mmmmm especially with a yummy dill dip. (like this one)

And if you are looking for new snack foods there are some lists here and here and here.

Can't wait to see what Mary and Heather are eating!

10 on Tuesday

1. This past weekend Regan and I had a little mini get away in Calgary. We were not there long, went up Friday evening and came home Saturday. Thanks to our friends the McClung's who watched two of our kids and the Smiths who watched the other!

2. We went out friday night with our good friends the Chutes to this amazing Italian place. Our bill was surprisingly expensive (which often seems to happen when we get together) but that might of had to do with the fact that we had two appys, main courses and dessert. Both Regan and I had stomach aches when we left! It was SO GOOD. GO there if you get the chance. The old Italian chef even came out and talked with us during our meal. It is a family run restaurant and so amazing!

3. On Saturday I laid in bed and got up and ate and then went back to bed while Regan was off doing the RAS interviews (which is why we were there.) It was AWESOME. So sad how much sleep is something I look so forward too! Anyways, for lunch I got to meet up with HeatherM and Mary at the coup which was completely different but so good too! It was so fun and so good to see them both!


4. I got new dishes like a week ago at the thrift store. They are white and have scalloped edges. And every time I open my cupboards and see them they make me excited. Sad but true.

5.Eli is getting ridiculously funny. Listening to him talk (which he is constantly doing lately). I took this little video of him the other day while the two of us were just having a little morning snack. It's so HIM right now.


6. This is my new favorite song. If I had music on my photo blog I'd put it up there. But I don't. It just makes me happy.

7. Today I am shooting head shots at a dentist office for their website. I'm a little nervous. It's a bit out of my regular shooting. Hopefully it all goes good.

8. I am tired of winter. Yep. officially done already and it's not even V-Day yet.

9. I am taking a picture of all of us every month. At the end of the year I'll have 12 family pictures. This one: Everybody in their pus. ISO hiked really high. Holes in dads socks. Alden posing his current favorite book. Lucy with today's craft. Eli trying to escape. Perfectly us.


10. I have been scrapbooking a lot more in the past while. Winter is a slow season for photography which equals time for scrapbooking. Tomorrow I'll share some pages I've made lately!

In the kitchen: Spinach Dip

This is one of my new favorite recipes. It comes from my good friend (and a GREAT cook) Cherisse.

Spinach Dip
2 8 oz packages Cream Cheese softened
1/2 cup mayo
1/2 cup real grated parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated ramano cheese
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp garlic salt
salt and pepper to taste
1 can artichoke hearts drained and chopped
2 packages frozen spinach thawed, drained and chopped
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat the oven to 350. Mix cream cheese, mayo, cheese (not mozzarella) and spices with a hand mixer till smooth. Chop artichokes really well. Add in along with spinach. Put mixture in greased 8x13 baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Then add the mozzarella cheese on top and bake for 5 more minutes. Enjoy with your favorite crackers or bread.

And since spinach dip just did NOT look good in pictures... here are my current favorite crackers to eat it with.... Breton mini cracked pepper and olive oil.

Spiritual Sundays

“We cannot see the future with precision, but we can know what the Lord intends and what it will take [for] each of us to qualify personally to participate.”

Henry B. Eyring

Foto Friday: Week 3

For our (Mary & HeatherM & me) photo this week the theme was signs. (mostly cause last weeks really could have been used for this weeks but I didn't read ahead to plan for that!) And I wanted to do something besides just a sign. Well what I really wanted was to take pictures of someone who was homeless with their sign, but that didn't really happen.

Soooo instead I was thinking about other signs in life. And aging comes with signs (like hairy ears and droopy parts - hahahaha but hands seemed a much nicer thing to take a picture of.)

Mine is of Daisy. She is 92. And she has worked hard her entire life. Right now she is taking care of her daughter (who is 75) and has cancer. She is an amazing woman!

Kinda of funny that I now have taken 2 of the 3 of hands...... well actually hands were in all of them. Next week.... my goal - NO HANDS. HA!



Love both Heather and Mary's again! These girls! Making me try harder!

List 3: Quirks about Me

I asked Reg what some of my quirks were. It is kind of hard to think of them about yourself. Cause you do it, and normally you wouldn't do something you thought was quirky. Would you? hhhhmmmmm..... ANYWAYS,

1. I make the bed in the morning while I am still in it. As in I sit at the top of the bed pull the blankets and sheets up around me so they are neat and then slip out of it. Fix the top. Add the decorative pillows and done.

2. I detest people clicking their pens. It drives me batty. Go ahead and scratch the blackboard that won't bother me, but clicking pens. ANNOYING. I've gotten a lot better about this as I get older. But man I just do not like that.

3. I get waaaay more books out the library than I will ever read. Like i love books. And I come home with these piles of books. I do read a lot but it would be physically impossible to read all the books I bring home. Yet I keep doing it. Cause they look great and they are right there!

4. I have trouble throwing away papers. So I keep them in piles. And more piles. Mostly hidden. And then I have one crazy day where I go through and throw them all away (or file). WHY can't I just throw them away when they come in?? who knows!

5. I have a color coded closet. I don't really think that's quirky (I think it's smart) but Reg does. :)

6. I always finish eating first. Even if I started last, I finish first. I'm not trying to eat fast, I just do.

7. I don't know if you've noticed but I always make my blog posts come up at 6am. Why 6am? I have no idea. I think it started cause I thought people I know out east get up earlier then out here so I started doing it then.

8. When I use the microwave I always use straight lines when typing in the numbers. Mostly 123. Even if I think it needs longer I'll just do 123 then when it runs out of time add 123 and run it again. Or stop it in the middle and reset.

9. If I was driving and you told me to turn left or right, I would shake both my hands to see which one I wrote with so I knew which way to turn.

10. I always say thank you out loud to other drivers. Who can't hear me. (and Lucy is always asking me who I am talking too.)

Check out Mary and Heather :)

In the kitchen: Oriental Lettuce Wraps

One of my favorite suppers. So easy and so good.


1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1 green pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic minced
1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked rice
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2-3 Tbsp chicken broth or water
1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3-4 Tbsp chopped peanuts
1 head crisp, cold iceberg lettuce
Spicy Vinegar Dipping Sauce

Heat oil in the large skillet. Add onion, pepper and garlic, saute until barely tender. Add chicken, rice, soy sauce, broth, ginger and red pepper flakes. Cook and stir until heated through about 5 minutes.

Stir in peanuts. Transfer to serving bowl. Wash lettuce and pull off leaves, keeping them as intact as possible. Put leaves in another bowl.

To serve, have each person spoon some of the hot rice mixture onto a lettuce leaf and wrap like a taco. Wrapped leaves may be dipped in sauce.

Spicy Vinegar Dipping Sauce
In a bowl mix 1/2 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/4 cup water, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, 1/4 teaspoon brown or white sugar and 1 Tablespoon minced green onion tops. Serve with lettuce wraps.


Try it!!!

In the Craft Room

Starting a new series on my blog. Now this is not going to be every Tuesday or anything like that. But if I am sharing a craft, then it'll be "In the Craft Room" and if I am sharing something from the kitchen then aptly will be called "In the Kitchen" (brilliant names I know! hahahaha)

ANYWAYS, Today's craft I'm going to share...... something is different in these pictures??!! Besides Eli causing trouble!


I made this today.

Super easy - found the board in my board pile in the garage and painted and sanded it. Hung it. Took me about 30 minutes. yippee!

Another recent addition to this ocean themed bathroom....

A really small old painting I found at the thrift store. I just painted the frame white to match.

Ukrainian Christmas & MSBH Update

This past weekend we celebrated Ukrainian Christmas. Yes it was a week late. But we were out of town the actual weekend and ended up celebrating it on the Ukrainian New Years. So that works! This year we had a lot of people (although there were quite a few I would have also liked to invite but we just didn't have the space!).

I looooove celebrating with lots of friends for Ukrainian Christmas! We had 23 people over and it was jam packed in our little house but so fun!!
I made 12 dishes (including cabbage rolls, perogis, etc) 7 meats and 7 desserts. It was a really fun time! I love this tradition and I love inviting different people. It's just so fun!


I also used the opportunity to finish off a whole pile of MSBH Challenge recipes.
Baba Au Rhum
Rum Syrup (I made Apple Syrup instead)
Kouigh Amans
Chocolat Babkas
Streusel Topping
Pissaladiere
Pissaladiere Dough
Plum-Oat Crisp
Dried Peach and Goat Cheese Galette
Corn and Shiitake Tart
Cornmeal Pate Brisee
Lime Glazed Cookies
Lime Glaze
Coconut Macadamia Nut Cookies

So I have 10 recipes left.
I am going to make them all before the end of January!

Spiritual Sundays

Alden made this video (with help from his mom) for two Cub goals, telling the story of the First Vision.

Foto Friday: Week 2

This week the challenge was self. And that for me was hard. I see the pictures people take of themselves and i love them.... but it seems it is hard for me. Anyways, here are the three pictures. (I LOVE both Heather and Marys again!)
I wanted to say something.... but I came back to this.


If you are new to this, check out last week's and check out my photographer friends Heather and Mary.

List 2: 13 Things to Do in 2011

I am joining up with my good friends Heather and Mary on another project, in which we post one list a week in 2011 resulting in 52 lists.

List 2: 10 Things to Do in 2011

1. Sell our house and buy a new one in Raymond

2. Get into shape. Like actual in shape. Running and everything.

3. Go on a trip with Regan and me (sans kids)

4. Sew at least 4 articles of clothing. Not just altering something but sewing it.

5. Take a picture of our family with everyone in it once a month

6. Sew curtains for Eli's room and hang them up

7. Refinish my headboard and actually use it on my bed.

8. I am going to learn to crochet this YEAR. (and maybe even Knit)

9. I am going to build something. Book shelves, a bedside table, I don't know what. But something.

10. Mail out Valentine's day cards (instead of Christmas cards)

11. Potty Train Eli.

12. Purge, purge, purge, My entire house. And Purge again. Too much stuff.

13. Fix the second hand lamp I got that matches the one we already have. (Finish them both!)

Independence

This year one of my goals is to teach more life skills to my kids. I am reading a book right now about teaching my kids to work and it really had some things in it that really stuck with me. The point of parenting is to prepare my kids for adulthood. To be capable, able adults. If I am not teaching them things, then I am giving them MORE problems in the future. Yes it can be more work. But is it worth it. Yes.

So this year one of the skills I am going to teach is cooking. Each week they will each help cook one meal. They can pick whatever they want to make but it can't be cheeseburgers every week for Alden and chicken nuggets every week for Lucy. They have to try new things. Alden will be Tuesdays and Lucy will be Wednesdays.

Alden's was last night. He picked stuffed manicotti and garlic toast with fresh veggies. We worked together and he was totally excited. He first wanted stuffed shells but I didn't have shells so I showed him manicotti and how it was the same just a different shape. And he said great. The best part is, he totally ate it and so did Lucy.

After I was thinking, maybe the way I have gone about trying to get my kids to eat has been all wrong. If they are more involved with the picking and making perhaps they'll be more involved in the eating too.

In the Kitchen: Thai One On

from Eat Shrink and Be Merry

2 tsp butter or olive oil
1 cup each chopped onions and chopped red bell pepper
3/4 cup celery
2 tsp minced garlic
4 cups peeled, cubed sweet potatoes (about 2 large)
1 Tbsp grated gingerroot
3/4 tsp each ground cumin, ground coriander and curry powder
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
2 cups chicken broth
1 can (14 oz) light coconut milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 Tbsp each chopped fresh cilantro and chopped fresh basil leaves
2 Tbsp light peanut butter
1 Tbsp brown sugar
1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice
1 lb cooked medium shrimp, tails removed (thaw first if using frozen)

Heat butter in a large non stick soup pot over medium heat. Add onions, red pepper, celery and garlic. Cook and stir until vegetables begin to soften, about 4 minutes.
Stir in sweet potatoes, gingerroot, cumin, coriander, curry powder and cinnamon. Cook and stir for 30 seconds more. Add broth, coconut milk, salt and pepper. Bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, just until sweet potatoes are tender.
Transfer half to blender and puree until smooth. Return to pot with remaining soup. (instead I just put my braun mixer thing right in the pot and pureed it right in the pot.) Stir in cilantro, basil, peanut butter, brown sugar and lime juice. Mix well. Add shrimp and heat for about 2 more minutes, just until the shrimp is hot.


Super easy, super tasty and even low fat :)

RAS Retreat

This past weekend we went up to Bragg Creek (well just outside of Bragg Creek) to the RAS (Rural Alberta South) retreat. It was a mix of fun company and activities, horrible sleeping, beautiful scenery, doctors learning, loads of food, lots of kids and a crazy drive home that took us over 4 hours, lots of prayer and driving as slow as 5 km/ hour with Regan watching out his side to see the yellow line and me watching out mine to see the white. I took lots of pictures (I know you are TOTALLY surprised!) Thought I'd share a whole lot of them.

Alden tried for his first time with his dad on our weekend away. He thought it was hard but fun. It was FREEZING cold so I was super proud of him for doing it (he's not a cold kid!)

Lots of sledding!




Our view in the day

Lucy playing in the fort she build.
And Eli outside wandering (what he does best)

Cloe going fast (well not really) but panning is coool (and hard to focus!)

Lots of hockey going on at our retreat

The retreat we went to was for all the residents in our residency program. They spend all of one day learning about outside winter care.

Just out from our camp was this beautiful view. This was at 11 at night so it was pitch black out, but I used my tripod and had a long shutter and got this.

Smores in the freezing cold winter. It was fun (but cold!)

What did YOU do this past weekend?