Christmas 2008

Finally got around to doing this. I was sick this year for Christmas. I know, "Merry Christmas to me." Oh well, not much I can do about that. So, unfortunatly, I actually don't have a lot of pictures. (I'm the picture-taker in my family.) But, thanks to Jacquie, I loaded this up to Smilebox and here's the meager offering I give to you. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. (We are heading to the zoo tonight to check it out, will let you know how that goes.) On the very positive note, gots myself a new iPhone, compliments of my very good hubby. Now, if I could only figure it out. ;S

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it... be warmer?

There is something about the cold and snow that suggests Christmas to my mind. There's something about the minus whatever weather that suggests perhaps a warmer climate should come to mind. I can't believe how cold it is before Christmas this year. Just goes to show that Calgary weather is just bizzare -- and sometimes us Calgarians are too. ;)
I love pictures of my kids, especially when they are doing something nice, quiet and not crazy. Which, then, as you know, means it doesn't happen very often.
Enjoy our gingerbread house night, random pictures of the kids and some shots of the snow. I'm not sure how to truly capture how cold it is here. Let's just say, "Global Warming" is not a "problem" this year.
Merry Christmas and as Caleb like to remind me, only 8 more sleeps until Christmas!

Christmas Letter

I'm no where near as organized this year to have had my cards all finished, started or even thought of. So, I'm doing the terribly impersonal thing and dedicating today's entry to the "Christmas Letter".
It's been a crazy and hectic year for our household. Clark went to Africa several times over the year. I had our last baby, Enoch. Caleb started school, is playing basketball and giving me a little bit of attitude. Aiden has started to leave the "terror" phase of life and is becoming a nice little boy. Kyrie is my singer, dancer and on a lot of days, my boss. Enoch is just happy to be paid attention to and loves to smile.
We have been getting organized and I'm learning to be okay with the cleaning aspect of life. It's been a hard adjustment but somehow I'm learning to survive. There is something scary and strangly satisfying about entering the realm of the cleaner. Next year? We'll see. I'm not one for resolutions, I can't get laundry done, why resolve to do something I can't get done too? I am about setting goals that I can finish. So, I'm working on my list of things to learn and things to get better at. So, I guess in that respect, my resolution. And of course any letter is better with a picture.

She's done it again!

Okay so first note, I had my 5 year old take these pictures. Anyway, I love to dye my hair. Yes, I'll admit to that. There's just something fun about being a "different" person. I have a great hairdresser-friend who is just happy to play with color in my hair. I always love the result and let's admit it, the shock value is fun too!
On a side note, we went to Clark's work family Christmas party last Saturday. Lots of fun, craziness and a closed in tent that the kids ran around in. It was at C.O.P. I had never been up there before and it was a really nice set up. Santa came and brought them each a gift, there was face painting, balloon "art", petting zoo, bouncy things and even gaming systems set up.

The Tree is Up, It's Christmas!

It should actually read, the Tree is STILL up... which is impressive in and of itself. We put the tree up on Sunday and then let the kids decorate it Monday night. Very chaotic. They were so excited to be decorating the tree, I couldn't keep them out of the decorations. There was no gently handing the decorations to them, which I'm not sure why I was surprised that didn't happen. Oh well, it's done, it looks lovely and the kids love it. Now, if only I can convince Clark that a pre-lit tree is the way to go!

Season of Reflection

I find that this time of year is not only full of winter and Christmas (and Thankgiving for those south o' the boarder) but also a time of reflection. We look back at the accomplishments of the year, try to forget the big mistakes (but maybe not the lessons) and look forward to the new year, with its clean slate to fill. I'm never good at Resolutions, I find they are something I feel good about, make to break two seconds later. But, I do have a wish list of things that I would like to get through this year.
1. Get the house cleaned up, organized and generally presentable to the General public, generally.
2. Look into a couple of different classes. (I have another list of things I would like to learn.)
3. Become more aware of those opportunities to serve and to continue to teach children my how to serve.
4. Crack open a good book. (Perhaps the scriptures?)
5. Look for the happiness in my life and try to spread a little bit to those who come in contact with me.
What about you? Wish list for you and your family? Something attainable maybe? As we put up our Christmas tree in the next couple of days, I look around at my home, which is clean right now and I'm grateful for the chance I've had to look a little out of the box, help a friend who helps me out with great results.

Happy Relfections, but more importantly, Merry Christmas! Let's enjoy the season this year inspite of the commercializm, the chaos and just remember the greatest love that we celebrate - the birth of Jesus Christ.
PS Got a countdown to Christmas on the bottom of the blog, check it out!

The Flat Tire Fiasco

So, today was a simple day, errand-wise. I needed to hit Chapters and drop something off in Okotoks. The van was driving a little off, but I didn't worry too much about it. Yeah. Come to find out that one of the tires is flat. Again.
I'm to the point where I just shake my head. Off to Foundtain Tire again. Crossing my fingers that they will be able to fix it instead of me replacing it.

Quilt Giveaway

I was doing my blog hopping and found this site and the 3 quilts in a give-a-way! Go check them out, she's going to give 3 lucky people one of the quilts.


Here's the link and a picture of the one I liked.






http://oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/2008/11/win-1-of-3-quilts.html

It's the Middle of November...

...and frankly the weather is awesome. So I didn't get into the top 5. :( Sigh. I'll get over it -- eventually.

So, here's my new find... Cupcake Bath Bombs! Yummy right? I think so. I tried to get a picture to show you, but I wasn't able to. But, if you want something to do, check out the website.

http://www.feelingsmitten.com/

I drooled over the pictures for a couple of days. Now, I'm not much of a bathtub person, but I would seriously consider having a "tub" to try out one of these!

Fairytale Ending

I discovered Shabby Apple totally by accident and I have been eyeballing their dresses for waaay too long. I actually just ordered my first dress and it came -- today! I was even more excited to hear about their little contest on their blog. So, without further ado, here is my Vignette! I call it "Fairytale Ending."

Here's my story. I was (and still am, a little bit) a tomboy. Dresses were not for me. Neither was makeup, the color pink and many other things that would scream "girl!" Fluffy was out. You could ask most of the people I went to high school with and if you told them that I was okay with dresses and even wore make-up occasionally, they would laugh. I had boys that were scared of me, and even an offer to play on the football team from a couple of the players.

Now, bring us all forward 10 years later. I have found my prince (and a handsome one he is) and have 3 little princes (or terrors, depending on the day) and one little princess (just ask her.) And guess what? I have figured out that playing with a little make up, doing my hair and putting on a fabulous dress is not only fun, but helps me feel sexy! That's why this would be a fairytale ending for me. A beautiful dress with a bold color, a step away from the safety of black (with a very feminine name of "Ballerina"), shoes with the name "Beautiful", because aren't we all and a fun, flirty ("Daffodil") bag that can be clutched or looped over a wrist. Simple sophistication with a grand entrance!

Check out Shabby Apple for your "Fairytale Ending" and find something fabulous for you today! Also, check their blog, see if I'm in the top 5 for the contest. Help me to win something amazing!

https://www.shabbyapple.com

http://www.shabbyapple.com/blog/

Baby Mia

I love blog hopping, and every once and while, I find an entry that tugs a little at the heart strings. Here's a little story about Baby Mia, a friend of a friend. Any time a baby is involved, I always take a moment to appriciate that mine (all 4 of them) have been relativly healthy. Go ahead and check it out!
http://a-mama-drama.blogspot.com/

Why I LOVE Edible Arrangments

Like any woman, I love flowers. There's something nice about having some fresh plant-life in the house, to bring the garden inside. My loving husband just doesn't feel the same way. His response: Flowers die, why would I buy you something that's just going to die? It's a fair arguement on his part, but I like flowers.

Then we discovered Edible Arrangments. This love-affair started as an ad in a magazine on the plane and has "blossomed" (flower pun) into reality as Calgary has been blessed with this company's arrival. And now that there's a store on our end of town-- heaven.

Here's the latest of my gifts from the hubby (thanks hubby!). Chocolate covered strawberries... Chocolate, always good, and the strawberries were to die for. There's just something so satisfying about chocolate with fruit. Healthy meets heavenly.

The moral of this story: If your hubby is anti-flowers like mine, this is the better alternative.

Picture Tag...

I've been tagged by a good friend for the "Picture Tag." Here's the deal. Look in your picture folder, find the 4th file, and the 4th picture in that file. Post it and tell everyone what it's about. So here's the very blurry picture. This one I took in June of the this year on our way down to Montana for a weekend vacation. So I tag anyone that looks at this entry and comments... you know who you are!

Win this quilt

I really love that there are people out there willing to do those things I don't have the patience for. Here's one of those ladies. Check out her blog to see this fabulous quilt! She's just loaded with talent. Also, put your name in for the draw before tomorrow.
http://www.pigtailsandsnails.blogspot.com/

I love Halloween!

I love Halloween. It's just fun and a little bit creepy all rolled up into one. I really love buying my kids the Halloween shirts that you can get from Old Navy. They are really cute and witty. So, for your viewing pleasure....

I'm actually impressed that I got the older boys to smile so well. Kyrie wasn't feeling well that day, poor thing. And Enoch, well, his shirt just "tells it like it is."

Okay, so I was surfing around the internet and one of the blogs that I was reading mentioned a Jane Austen movie called Persuasion. I had never heard of it, so I checked out the story and watched what I could on YouTube. It was interesting but I know that I had missed a chunk when I couldn't find the middle of the movie. So, I found it at Best Buy, picked it up and watched it. I love Pride and Prejudice, so I was hestitant. I think I actually really liked it. We'll see how much so, the more times I watch it. So, here's the cover for all you Jane Austen fans, go check out something new! (I'll tell you what it does do, makes me want to go check out the UK more and more.)

Pink for October!

I'm going pink for October for Breast Cancer Awareness! Those who know me know I don't have any love for pink (even though my little girl wears a LOT of it!) But, any cure for any cancer is a good thing to me. So, I'm happy to join in the awareness of it!
Happy October!

October means....

Pumpkins! The kids decorated their own foam pumpkins with some minor supervision from me, only to make sure that all of the glitter doesn't get used up on one pumpkin! Hope that you are getting excited for Halloween as much as we are!

Kids and their Darndest Things...

Every once a while I write little phrases or saying of the kids in their journals. I also write in their journals every once and a while. I thought that I would try to share a little with you.

Kyrie: "Boys! Boys! Come down stairs now." (Kyrie calling Caleb and Aiden down for supper... sure enough, they didn't rush down.)

Aiden: "Mom do you know what my favorite animal is? Scary dinosaurs... they're so cute."

Caleb: "What did you do today when I was at school mom?" Caleb asks me this every time I pick him up from school.

Kyrie's Birthday Party

It was Kyrie's birthday on Friday. She's 2 years old now and acting a little like it. We had a little birthday party with the Evanson clan. Really short and sweet. Tonight is a dinner with Kelly, Jen and boys and the Cairns. Happy Birthday Kyrie!

First Day of School Pictures

Here's Caleb with Aiden and Kyrie, posing in his new uniform. It's really amazing how quickly this day comes. I know people say that all of the time, but it really does go by fast. I think on the busy or difficult days, things go slower and then all of a sudden -- your oldest is in school.
Cross your fingers that he likes it and has a good time.


Outside the school, in new uniform, coat and with a new backpack. And sunny weather. Wave hello to his shadow!

I miss my camera...

It's sad when my camera does more travelling then I do. It's currently in Zanzibar enjoying the nice scenary and such. Anyway, we are eagerly awaiting Caleb's first day of school tomorrow. Okay, Caleb is more then I am. It's going to be an interesting adjustment having him gone Tuesday and Thursday all day long. I'm hoping to have some pictures next week of him heading off to school. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Thanks

Those who know me, know I make cards... so here's the latest addition to my collection. A thank you card to all those who helped out these last couple of weeks. It's been so nice to have so many people offer to watch the kiddies and bring supper for us (I really love not having to think up supper, don't you?) We really feel spoiled. So, to all those in internet-land, thank you for your well wishes and your thoughts, we really appriciate it!

And, for your viewing pleasure... a 2-year-old winking. Enjoy!

Baby Enoch

We welcomed our little baby on Friday August 15th. Enoch was 21 1/2 inches and weighed in at 9lbs 15 oz, a surprise to us considering the rest of the kiddies didn't get anywhere near that heavy. It's a good thing too, cause everyone wants to hold and play with him. I think he'll need the girth to save him from being loved to death.
Everything went pretty good considering and we are just happy to be at home, trying to figure out life with 4 kids (not that we had 3 figured out.) Now we have September to look forward to and the adventures that it brings us! Happy Birthday Enoch!

When Wardrobe Attacks the Door....

We bought the boys a wardrobe for their room. They have been without a dresser for almost a year simply due to the fact that clothes had to be outside of the dresser and the dresser was much more useful laying on the ground, nearly taking a child out with it. So, we thought that they were finally old enough to upgrade to a wardrobe. Well, the second day of owning it, Kyrie and Aiden managed to pull it down. We put it back up and hoped for the best. Well, Sunday we heard this awful bang and sure enough the wardrobe had had enough of the door and ATTACKED! I think the door lost... you decide.

Lovely Looking Lizards...

Here's our lizards, to give a warmer feel to the house. Who needs a desert when a window will do? It also gave the kids something to do besides watching the TV. It was nice to sit around the table and color with them. :)

Position Wanted

I saw this over at Paper Pleasing Ideas, a blog I frequent and thought it was appropriate.

http://paperpleasing.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Besides being amusing, she's got some really great paper crafting ideas and tutorials. I have of course changed some things around to fit my family, but you get the general idea.

WANTED!

I am looking for someone to help me. The following would be your job description:

Personal Chef - there needs to be 3 meals made per day. They should be ones that picky children and a husband will eat with no complaining. Try and do this while keeping it healthy and with in the boundaries of the food guide. Snacks may also be requested at any given time, with a lot of whining or sneaking. Baking will be required and then guarded so that it's not devoured in one day flat.
Laundry- there will be lots of it. You must be adept at stain removal, especially chocolate, which a little girl will manage to get on most of her clothes and occasional mending.
House Cleaning- 1400 X 3 floors worth need to be kept immaculate, for those moments when guests drop in unannounced. This includes washing floors after numerous sticky spills per day, picking up torn bits of stuffed animals before you vacuum, dusting all the shelves. After the several hours put into cleaning, be prepared to do it all over again after a 15 second whirlwind comes through and destorys things again. Bonus - no knick knacks, there's no where to put them anyways.
Personal Shopper - Groceries need to be bought for the aforementioned meals. Clothes will also need to be purchased for the holes that could not be repaired. You will need to have patience and tolerance, since 2 small boys and a little girl that want EVERYTHING, will be with you. They will be as loud as possible and will stop at nothing, lots of tears can be expected and herding skills will be an asset.
Chauffeur- Need to have a valid driver's license and need to be available for this at the drop of a hat for quick trips to the store for milk. The bonus for you, is that you have the use of my vehicle and I pay for gas, just don't mind the moldy french fries in the back seat, or the garbage all over the floor. You may occasionally sit on a toy, or have one thrown at your head while driving.
Nurse- This position alone requires 24 hour on call dedication. You will know when you are needed by heart wrenching screams or cries that can break glass, if you do not get them quiet ASAP. Usually a quick kiss or band-aid is enough to fix the problem, but the chauffeur position comes in handy for a more disastrous ailment.
Nanny- I have previously stated that there will be 2 small boys and a little girl. You will need to provide for their every whim. You will need to be a referee, as they have hit the age where fighting becomes a minute by minute occurrence, usually over a toy that we have doubles of. They will test your patience by sneaking food right before a meal and spraying any sort of liquid onto mirrors all over the house. They will also undo any good cleaning or tidying you have just completed. They will also come up to you at anytime with a hug kiss, or a precious "I love you", and then go back to the mud. Bathing will also be a task unto itself as each child has different tolerances for getting their hair wet. They will also manage to have at least 1/2 of the water outside of the tub.

This position is ready for immediate filling, and I may even take references. Please feel free to email me with your resume or willingness... I may just take the latter.

I Have A Green Thumb... among other things...

Here's a product of my meger abilities... I haven't killed these little flowers yet! Helps when you have some very willing volunteers as well. In fact they are fighting each other to help water my flowers and the tree. Actually it was rather scary for a little bit there. I had bought the flowers a little late (about mid June-ish) and they didn't have any buds on them at all. So we had to sit and wait to see what was going to happen. I think I like the mix of colors, next year I will try and mix the colors a bit better though!

On a much happier note for my family (not that they aren't thrilled with the flowers, I can assure you.) Dad came home safe and sound from Africa and took this past week off from work/going to work. So for Caleb's birthday, we headed over to Calaway Park for all the amusment rides we could handle! It was a fun day filled with log rides, bumper cars, food and fun times with family. Happy Birthday Caleb!

Happy Canada Day!

Okay I tried to load a very nice picture of the Canadian Flag and it didn't work. So Happy Canada Day to all of you living here, claim to have lived here or maybe knows someone who lives here, in Canada.
We went to the Airdrie Canada Parade today with my family. It was a lot of fun. The kids loved seeing all of the horses, music and automobiles of various forms.
I wish I had pictures. My camera is safely in Africa with Clark. Yup, he's back in Africa for 10 days. Anyway, when I get some pictures, if I get some pictures, I'll get them up here.
For now, enjoy your day! Happy Canada Day!

A Nice Moment...

Just a quick note before I go back to cleaning. (Joy.) I was working in the kitchen the other day when I came upon Aiden and Kyrie playing. These two are only 18 months apart and are the best of friends, the worst of enemies. So usually Aiden is torturing Kyrie or she's picking at Aiden. It's incredible how the two of them handle each other. So, here's your ahhh moment. (And for those camera-happy moms, this was not a posed picture, it`s actually genuine. I know, shocking, but it did happen!)

And then there's my little soccer player. Caleb played soccer this year with Clark as his coach. I think that overall they both did pretty good considering neither of them knew what they were doing. The nice thing is it's just 3 on 3, no goalie, no keeping track of the score and the coaches acting as the referees. Caleb did really well and I think will be a great athlete. As my mother-in-law says, the best way to keep boys out of trouble is to exhaust them and I would have to agree. :). Caleb's the one in the net with the light blue shirt. He ended up scoring twice a lot - once with the ball and the second time with his body.

A Little About Me...

Cleaning stresses me out. Not the kind of stress that comes from the chance that I may have someone drop by at any moment. It’s the actual process of cleaning. I have friends and family that get done cleaning a room look back, feel their stresses slip away and are able to bask in the great accomplishment before them. I step back and think about how much time it took to finish the task and how quickly it will take for my children to destroy it. (I’m pretty sure that they have land speed records for it.)

A couple of years ago though, I decided it was time to leave the land of messes and apathy towards cleaning and very cautiously enter the cleaner side of life. I will admit to being very hesitant about this transition. Would I lose my care-free attitude to the mess and destruction my children caused? Would I trade in my willingness to play for a broom and mop? Could I even find the energy to get on my hands and knees and work out that stubborn whatever that has been ground into the floor? I was very nervous.

A few things pushed me into this unchartered (for me) realm. First of all, we have 3 kids in a rather small house. Secondly I REALLY need to use our lack of space much more efficiently. Thirdly, it was time to grow up... just a little.

I’ll admit that I took a couple of months to “ponder” what I should do. I then decided that I should start breaking down some of things I learned from these various people who could clean and organize. First off, it’s okay that I’m not like them. I don’t have to have every inch of the house spotless. We have a “lived” in feeling to the house and I’m happy to have that. I’d like a place that my children will always be happy to drag their friends to and yes, you can sit on that couch, just don’t jump on it. Second, their advice is helpful. I don’t think they are trying to say that they wouldn’t house wild animals in my house, just that I could try out the cleaner side of things. Third, sometimes they are right and I don’t have to be ashamed to admit that.

So, new resolve and a happier outlook took over. I figured out how we best store and clean. We are a happy "bin" family. This means if it’s easily thrown into, we love it. Bins without lids are the best. If the bin does have a lid, it must be secured on one side and easy to open. Loose lids get lost in our house. They become shields, sleds, or whatever my kids can come up with that’s fun.

Next, I picked the easiest place to clean. I then gathered a good collection of music. I also realized that kids are a nice source of labour. Not only are you making life for them a little better when they move out of the house, but it helps you out as well. It’s that sort of “Teaching Responsibility that Benefits Me Too” moments.

I learned what sort of cleaning supplies are out there. Is there ANYTHING that can make your life easier? Here’s a couple of things I love:
· The Bleach Wipes: Any brand, I go by smell. But the nice thing is if you have a child that is old enough to help, even if they do a bad job cleaning, you can have the comfort to know at least what they touched with the wipe is clean.
· Wet Mop: The kind with the disposable cleaning clothes. Good for those last-minutes swipes of your floor, just to make it look like you’ve worked hard.
· Hand-Held Dusters: Also with removable dusting clothes. Again good for kids, one less thing to clean.
· Toilet Bowl Cleaner and Solution: The scrubbers are nice for a quick clean and the cleaning solution to help freshen things up. Plus, I make sure to get a nice colored one and have my kids clean up the “color.”
· Cordless Mini Vacuum: Good for the left-overs from sweeping, having your kids clean the crumbs off of whatever they put them, and weird places that you don’t want to drag the broom or big vacuum.

Lastly have clean friends and family. I guess little to no pride works as well. I have people over regardless of the condition of my house. Eventually these friends and family very "graciously" start to help me out around the house. I try really hard to let them just go for it, but I do try to have some sort of reward around. We all like to be acknowledged in a good deed and something tangible is also helpful. (Cookies, pizza, Playstation time, Money, etc.)

So there you have it, a small look into the chaos that is our life.

Why I Love Dibs

I don't know if any of you have ever tried Dibs before. They are a bite-sized chocolate and ice cream concotion that are absolutly awesome. On a really bad day, I could eat a whole container all to myself, that's 60 pieces of chocolatey-ice cream goodness. Sigh, I think I would like some right now. These are something that you can grab a quick handful while the kids aren't watching and shove them in your mouth without too much of a brain freeze happening. (You know what I mean, it's that moment when you'd like a treat and frankly, you're not in the mood to share with anyone else.)

My favs are the Vanilla and Rolo. The Vanilla has that nice Dairy Queen taste to it, so sometimes I feel like I'm getting just a little bit more out of my quick snack. So, for all of you with a chocolate/ice cream tooth, you must try these delectable little treats, I highly recommend them and please, don't blame me if you find yourself equally hooked as I am. I just wouldn't be a good friend if I didn't add to the chocolate addictions list, now would I?

Getting Organized and More!

I have debated starting a blog for quite a while. It just feels like something more to add to my busy life. But, I'm going to give it a shot and see how things pan out. Here's just random thoughts and stories to entertain my friends who need a reason to laugh (or laugh at) something.

We are in the process in figuring out how to cram as many people into our house. So, as always, organization-things come to mind. And here is the begining of those "things..." Meet our PODS. It stands for Portable On Demand Storage and for those who haven't seen these before, it's a little storage box that it delivered to your driveway. You can fill it up and have them store it or hold on to it yourself. Now, we just have to start filling it up and dejunking the rest of the things we don't need. Oh Saturdays, why do you have to fill up so fast with stuff to do?

And for your listening pleasure, here's some snap shots of the kiddies, I think that they turned out rather well. I've got a list of things in my head that I would like to learn to do. One of these days that will include better photography (and perhaps a better camera to go with it? I mean, have to get the kind the class recommends right? It wasn't my idea, the teacher told me that I had to... anyone buying this?)