15 on the 15th (but really it was the 17th)

Can't believe it but I totally spaced on the 15th and all of a sudden it was 530pm. Regan tried to convince me I could still do it that night but nope. And I didn't want to do another sunday (seems a lot of 15th's this year are Sundays... so I went with the 17th instead!) Here they are from Monday.

















Five things about the day:
1. It was Oliver's B-Day Party.
2. I am embarrassed you can see the room that all the kids are currently sleeping in cause of the loss of the basement. But that is our life right now and it is always a disaster. 3 kids plus a craft room all in one room equals a disaster!
3. I didn't really get a whole shot of all the people who were at the party -it was all family.
4. Tomorrow I'll show you about his cake and the simple party we had for him.
5. Even though I got other pictures of my day I can't help but share ones where the kids are smiling and really happy :)

10 on Tuesday: 1 Years Old!

This little man is one.

Can you believe it??
This year has gone by so fast.

10 things about Oliver at one:

1. Only says "dadadadada" and sometimes "babababababab"
2. Is SUCH A happy baby!!! He is always smiling!
3. Loves to wrestle with Eli. (And it makes me nervous)

4. Finally is sleeping a bit better. Only up once a night lately.
5. Cries when anyone goes outside. Whether he knows them or not. He's just sad he didn't go too!
6. When it's bedtime, he is READY for bed and doesn't do well with staying up late.
7. Is VERY loved by his older siblings! They love to help out with him!

8. Has one nap a day (which I try and keep for the afternoon.)
9. Isn't a great eater and makes a huge mess every single meal cause he won't wear a bib.
10. Brings such joy into our home!!

Spiritual Sundays

From President Thomas S. Monson:

“Many years ago,” he says, “on an assignment to Tahiti, I was talking to our mission president, President Raymond Baudin, about the Tahitian people. They are known as some of the greatest seafaring people in all the world. Brother Baudin, who speaks French and Tahitian but little English, was trying to describe to me the secret of the success of the Tahitian sea captains. He said, ‘They are amazing. The weather may be terrible, the vessels may be leaky, there may be no navigational aids except their inner feelings and the stars in the heavens, but they pray and they go.’ He repeated that phrase three times. There is a lesson in that statement. We need to pray, and then we need to act. Both are important.

“The promise from the book of Proverbs gives us courage:‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths’ (Proverbs 3:5-6).

“As we offer unto the Lord our family prayers and our personal prayers,” President Monson says, “let us do so with faith and trust in Him. Let us remember the injunction of Paul to the Hebrews: ‘For he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him’ (Hebrews 11:6). If any of us has been slow to hearken to the counsel to pray always, there is no finer hour to begin than now.”

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 9 Week 2: Details

Well I switched the theme this week just so I could share this little detail.



She has been waiting for this day FOREVER. And she was sooo excited to leave that little tooth for the tooth fairy!



Can you tell????

10 on Tuesday

1. I hate songs that have profanity in them on the radio. I rarely listen to the radio because I don't want my kids to hear that. And if I forgot my iPod that just means we don't get to listen to music. It makes me think of this quote by Spencer W. Kimball.


2. Last week we made a fort in the living room and Oliver thought it was AWESOME. (Eli liked it too!


3. The wind around here has seriously been insane! And fires again? Crazy!

4. Trying to make lemonade out of lemons, I took the opportunity to paint the kids rooms downstairs while they have no carpet (or doors or moulding) in them. Colors?? Mostly grey with some orange :) I'll show you when they get all put together!!

5. Oliver will be a year this Saturday... that is INSANE.

6. I've taken a few family pictures of people lately. And all of them are such cute families! Like this one I love! (The family AND the picture)


7. I guess it's been a week of school now hey?? Yep it's great. The only downside has been for poor Eli. He doesn't understand why there is no one around to play with. He doesn't believe me and keeps going to knock on doors and ask for the other kids of the neighborhood. It's kinda funny and kinda sad. Good thing he starts preschool today!!

8. As soon as the kids are back downstairs I HAVE To make Oliver cry it out at night. I can't take getting up with more than one kid plus being pregnant.. oh vey!

9. Oliver really really needs to learn to go down stairs! As soon as the basement is done we are going to put some serious stair time in and get this done!

10. I just noticed the date. The 11th. I remember I was going into work at the Lethbridge Herald when the planes hit the towers in New York. It was insane and busy around the paper - even in a small place like Lethbridge. I can't image what it was like at a big newspaper!

In the Kitchen: Reese Mini Cookies

One of my very favorite treats are Reese Peanut Butter Cups. And then I found Reese Minis. And I love them even more!!


And the last bag I was enjoying made me think how great they'd be in cookies. So I got to work and came up with these little gems.


Reese Mini Cookies
1/2 cup softened margarine
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
2 cups all purpose flour
1 bag of Reese Minis

1. Dump out all your Reese Minis and chop them in half. Spread them out onto a plate or pan and pop them into the freezer for 15-20 minutes.


2. Meanwhile, Cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each. Add in salt, soda and flour and mix well.

3. Add in your frozen chopped Reese Minis and mix but not too much as it'll chop them all up and you don't want to do that :)


4. With an ice cream scoop, scoop out the cookies onto a pan prepared with parchment paper. The slip the pans into the freezer for about 10 minutes. Bake in a preheated oven for 12 minutes. Enjoy!!




(When you see this little logo in the future, that means it's a recipe I came up with myself.)

Spiritual Sundays

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 9 Week 1: Back to School

Well my kids were not really into the whole let's take a picture the morning of... and I would have done it at home before but it was raining... sooooo here they are.... ever so impatiently waiting for me to HURRY up!


Lucy in her classroom.


Alden was not having any of me taking one of him in his room.... I knew that'd day would come....

So after school I cornered them on the deck to take a couple more "good ones"... and instead I got these....

What's with the mouth???


Again with the mouth.... and Alden wasn't supposed to be standing in the way...


This is soooo one that will be enjoyed later in life...


Eli's first day of preschool is next Tuesday.... and I'm not holding my breath for a better one from him. He still won't let me do his 4th birthday ones from JUNE!

Did you capture your kids on the first day??

Listography

List 87: Things I love about my son:


Alden:
1. His creativity
2. How comfortable he is with himself.
3. His handsome blue eyes and blonde hair
4. How he helps take care of Oliver.
5. How whenever I am wearing my housecoat he loves to snuggle with me in it.
6. His tender heart.
7. To hear his testimony about the gospel growing.
8. His random knowledge about things (just like his dad)
9. His love of math.
10. His goofy antics.


Eli
1. His sense of Humor!!!
2. His voice. I wish you could all hear it!
3. His handsome blue eyes and blonde hair
4. How me makes up words... like motorbikle... or bazanga.... etc
5. How much energy the child has!
6. How he can NOT put his underwear on the right way... EVER.
7. His ability to get people to do what he wants and they never even notice.... (well I have a love-hate relationship with THAT one!)
8. His fake laugh that he thinks is hilarious.
9. His curiosity about life.
10. His absolute silliness.


Oliver
1. His laugh.
2. How he looks at me with SUCH love and adoration.
3. His handsome blue eyes and blonde hair
4. How he does a slow motion double blink now when he notices he is the center of attention.
5. His sweet little hands.
6. How he laughs SO hard when I growl at him.
7. How his face lights up when he sees me.
8. His tickley spots on his legs.
9. How much his face lights up when he sees his siblings.
10. How hard he laughs when on the trampoline.

List 88: Things to do this Fall:
1. Can some food. (Check).
2. Go on a sans kids trip.
3. Enjoy a fire.
4. Buy a cute sweater? :)
5. Get the kids rooms decorated.
6. Get ready for another baby.

In the Kitchen: Dixie's Bread & Butter Pickles

One of the stories my mother looooves to tell about my childhood is about how every year in her canning she would do cases of these pickles and every year we would eat every jar. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have hear her say it. And for all the times she's said it, I really have no recollection of them specifically. Just her canning. A LOT.

This year a nice Hutterite man stopped by my house and wanted to sell me some pickling cucumbers. So I agreed (although Regan told me to be careful... hahaha). So when I called my mom she was SURE I had to make these. After all "every year in her canning she would do cases of these pickles and every year we would eat every jar."....


Dixie's (My Mommma's) Bread and Butter Pickles
Ingredients:
• 4 pounds pickling cucumbers
• 1 large onion, quartered, sliced about 1/4-inch thickness
• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 3 cups cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
• 2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds, or use half pickling spices
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional

Preparation:
Wash cucumbers and cut off the ends. Slice crosswise into 1/8-inch slices. Toss in a large bowl with the salt and onion slices;

Cover with about 4 to 6 cups of ice cubes. Cover and let stand for 4 hours or refrigerate overnight.

Prepare the boiling water bath. Add water to a large caner with rack and heat to about 180°. The water should be high enough to be at least 1 inch above the filled jars. I usually fill it about halfway and I keep a kettle or saucepan of water boiling on another burner to add to the canner as needed. Wash jars thoroughly and heat water in a small saucepan; put the lids in the saucepan and bring almost to the boil; lower heat to very low to keep the lids hot.

Drain the cucumber mixture. In a large pot (nonreactive) over medium heat, combine the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.

Add the drained cucumber mixture and bring to a boil. With a slotted spoon, loosely pack the vegetables in prepared jars.

Ladle the liquid into jars, dividing evenly among the jars.

With a clean damp cloth (I keep a little bowl or cup of the boiled water handy for this step), wipe away any drips around the rims of the jars then cover with 2-piece jar lids. A lid lifter comes in handy to get the flat lids out of the water, or you could use tongs. Adjust the screw on rings firmly but do not over-tighten. Place filled in the prepared boiling water bath, adding more hot water as needed to bring the water up to about 1 inch above the jars. Bring the water to a boil. Cover and continue boiling for 10 minutes. Lift the jars out of the water and place on a rack to cool.
Makes about 6 pints.


That's it. I did more than 6 pints :).
And now hopefully MY kids will eat them all and I will start telling THEM about how every year I made piles of these pickles and every year they ate them all up.

10 on Tuesday

1. Yesterday we did "get ready for school stuff". Which really included a lot of cleaning and some last minute laying around :) hahahaha.

2. Regan won the inaugural Labor Day tennis classic in a tiebreaker.

3. Last week Regan took a couple days off work. We went to the HooDoo's one day. We had fun.

(Lucy took this one of me and Eli)


4. And I spent one day shopping in Calgary by myself. It was fun to have no one to stop and take to the bathroom or anyone being bored. But really the best part was meeting up with my good friend Sarah for a little bit. Ah I miss her.

5. I got to take few shots of my sweet new niece Ivy.


6. Do you see the face in the hoodoo??


7. Yep... almost a family picture but Alden wouldn't move down sooooo here we are.... kind of.


8. Did I mention the basement is driving me crazy??

9. The kids started school today and they both came home happy. I'd say it was a success!

10. I realized this morning that I really need to go grocery shopping for basics.

10 on Tuesday

1. I didn't have anything to say yesterday, so I didn't post :)

2. I need to can a whole bunch of peaches

3. I had my mid way ultrasound last week. Yep I am half way to having this kid.

4. MY kids are getting excited about the baby.

5. I am SO tired of all of my family living in three rooms. I wish our basement would get fixed already! When Oliver naps the kids pretty much just have to be outside or else they wake him up.

6. I picked out carpet for the basement and now we just need it put in.

7. I am excited about back to school.

8. I have a few ideas for Oliver's bedroom decorating. And as soon as our basement is put back together I am decorating his room.

9. Speaking of Oliver, he is almost a year. CRAZY hey?

10. I am going to Calgary to do some school shopping probably all by myself. And that sounds awesome.

Spiritual Sundays

This great talk has been on my mind lately. This part specifically:

"I cannot promise an end to your adversity in this life. I cannot assure you that your trials will seem to you to be only for a moment. One of the characteristics of trials in life is that they seem to make clocks slow down and then appear almost to stop.

There are reasons for that. Knowing those reasons may not give much comfort, but it can give you a feeling of patience. Those reasons come from this one fact: in Their perfect love for you, Heavenly Father and the Savior want you fitted to be with Them to live in families forever. Only those washed perfectly clean through the Atonement of Jesus Christ can be there.

My mother fought cancer for nearly 10 years. Treatments and surgeries and finally confinement to her bed were some of her trials.

I remember my father saying as he watched her take her last breath, “A little girl has gone home to rest.”

One of the speakers at her funeral was President Spencer W. Kimball. Among the tributes he paid, I remember one that went something like this: “Some of you may have thought that Mildred suffered so long and so much because of something she had done wrong that required the trials.” He then said, “No, it was that God just wanted her to be polished a little more.” I remember at the time thinking, “If a woman that good needed that much polishing, what is ahead for me?”

If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if we choose it. And with prophets revealing to us our place in the plan of salvation, we can live with perfect hope and a feeling of peace. We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up.10 And He always keeps His word.

I testify that God the Father lives and that His Beloved Son is our Redeemer. The Holy Ghost has confirmed truth in this conference and will again as you seek it, as you listen, and as you later study the messages of the Lord’s authorized servants, who are here. President Thomas S. Monson is the Lord’s prophet to the entire world. The Lord watches over you. God the Father lives. His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, is our Redeemer. His love is unfailing. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen."

- BY PRESIDENT HENRY B. EYRING

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 8 Week 4: Details Summer Feet.

Well I totally forgot to take this shot :) But I do have THESE summer feet that I caught of mini golf :)

Listography 85 & 86

List 85: If I could I would

1. Pay off all our debt today
2. Travel. Lots.
3. Buy land and start designing my dream home
4. Learn to speak French
5. Get a community center built in Raymond.
6. Buy a whole lot of new books for the library.
7. Wave a wand and have our basement fixed TODAY.
8. Take my mom on a trip somewhere fun.
9. Be better.
10.

List 86: The Best Snacks:

1. Chocolate
2. Fresh Nectarines
3. Fresh peaches
4. Goat cheese, crackers & cranberries
5. Strawberry bread
6. Chocolate Chip cookies
7. Muffins. Like these or these
8. Fresh peas or carrots from the garden