When things are hard.......

*When you start to feel . . . do. For example – when you start to feel scared because you don’t have enough money….find someone to give a little money to. When you start to feel like you don’t have enough love. . . find someone to offer love. When you feel unappreciated, unacknowledged . . . appreciate and acknowledge someone in your life in a concrete way. When you feel unlucky, order yourself to consider a blessing or two. And then find a tangible way to make today somebody else’s lucky day. This strategy helps me sidestep wallowing every day.

Don’t worry about whether you like doing these things or not. You’re going to hate everything for a long while. And the fact is that you don’t even know what you like or hate yet. Just Do These Things Regardless of How You Feel About Doing These Things. Because these little things, done over and over again, eventually add up to a life. A good one.

Taken from one of my new favorite blogs to read.....man, can she write!

Canoeing in the most beautiful place on earth......

Samarah and I try to walk in the morning as often as we can.....she is one dependable girl!!  Always at my door at 7:35 on the mornings we agree to walk.....and each time at the end of our time together, she admits, she always just wants to stay in bed...which makes me admire her more....woman of her word...nothing thrills me more than someone who does what they say they will do!  Well, today is this girls birthday!!  So, though i didn't climb the mountain with her this morning, which was her desire last night.....but we did walk and and then we took to the water!!

Caleb followed us in the canoe along the perimeter of the water...it was a really great morning.

 This morning, its time to tidy up and get lunch ready for chris and i....and then its off to work with the realtor for a few hours before i pick up the boys for piano.....and then home for Samarah's birthday!

Pasta, death and tears......

I locked down my blog recently.....i figured there were a few people in my life checking the blog and feeling as though they have visited with me...and that made me sad.  So, funny enough, after i locked it down, i got an email from Elizabeth, checking in!  And we had a visit today!  So....it thrilled me. 

As a side note, if you read this blog....please don't feel as though you have checked in with us!  Because i don't know about you.....but you know about us.  You need to check in....call, email, make contact....because if i start feeling like this again, i will be locking down again and keeping these records just for my family...which is what I am doing this for.  But my thoughts are, if you are interested enough in our little family and love us and want to keep up to date with our day to day stuff.....please read on!  But check in ..... ok?

Elizabeth arrived around 11....it was so good to see her...it had been ages!  I had made some pasta dough for her family to have fresh pasta tonight.  So, after she helped me get more wood from wildside, and  helped me take out my garbage and recycling {i mean, i didn't want her to feel like a free loader!}... we had lunch, Matthew and i made popcorn and then the HIGHLIGHT!!! 

Fresh Pasta!!  My first attempt at whole wheat pasta....I hope they liked it!!!

 The little goldfish we rescued 2 summers ago from an awful game at youth camp called 'who can eat the most live goldfish'......died today.  As you can see, he fell asleep on the leaf.....as i was contemplating how to handle this with the boys....the students were over and suggested i get a new fish, and then Lisa offered me her fish....so...flushed rescued goldie and picked up a zebra danio...from just down the hall!!!!  Kids got home, looked in the tank saying 'where is our fish?'...."did he guy?" says elliot.....yup! he's dead..."Hey!! There is a new fish in here" yells Isaac...."Yay!!  a new fish!!"

So...looks like all is well!!

 And though you may have thought the tears from this post title was for the fish, alas...it was from the onions!!  Isaac loves when i cook onions cause it makes him cry....i think its hilarious.....here he is...

 

 

 Tears and All!!!

funny kid.....got to love him!

Oscar turned 3!!

His birthday was a few days ago....but we were fortunate enough to be part of this little guys birthday party with all his little friends.  Cousins are so important so i was really very happy to have our boys part of this little get together....i really feel as though we see this family of 5 less now that they don't live in vancouver!!  How sad is that???!!  So....after church this morning {warmland!}.....we headed to mike and laura's.

Here is Elliot arriving with Oscars gift! 
All the cousins were on the landing laughing at his antics....

 Mike was busy in the kitchen making sushi and foccacia bread...to go along with Lentil soup, macaroni and cheese, veggie and fruit plates....oh my, can this family cook!!  They have some really nice friends who arrived just after noon.....but in the meantime...the little 3 year old serenaded us!

 Some listened....others DANCED!!!

 After lunch, it was time to hit the park for some play time!!

 The cousins have this great tire swing in their yard!!  Love tire swings!

 Know what else is awesome?  PARACHUTE games!!  Serious childhood highlight!!!! 

Look at Oscars face and tell me that Mike and Laura didn't just give him a childhood highlight of his own!!??  The game?  'catch the hat'....there were enough little hats for all the kids who were each given a turn in the crazy parachute to grab a hat of their choice!!  So sweet!!

 Happy Boy!!  Love the no teeth smile!!

 Birthday Boy with his birthday toque!

 Friend of a friend ... 6 degrees of separation... small world...

 yea....we rock the hats.....me and the boys....

It was a really nice afternoon.....

 The 'tweens'.....i don't think Wren took those head phones out of her ears much this aft! 
She had a mixture of black eyed peas, stuart Mclean and Duplex.

 Sunday afternoon...we were all pretty wiped.

So.....almost time for a new week.  Its been a packed weekend.....

full of good stuff....but i see an early bedtime in all of our futures.....

Happy Birthday Oscar....

Elliot and Wasabi

Yup....chris took it on himself to introduce elliot to his first taste of wasabi at dinner tonight.  He reaches across the table with a pretty decent sized chunk of wasabi on the end of a chopstick and says 'hey elliot, you can have the rest of my pop, if you try this'.........i am shaking my head furiously at elliot to say NO, and to close his mouth.  He looks at me, and then looks at chris and closes his mouth around the chopstick.

Almost instantly, he starts to cry.

Immediatly after that, it seems almost like the whole restaurant stops talking to look at our table and chris sheepishly saying 'his first taste of wasabi'......he said he didn't think elliot would take it.  So, here is elliot crying, loudly...trying to drink anything to the taste out of it out of his mouth.  Oh man, chris felt bad....

Tonight, as i was tucking elliot in, i asked him if he was mad that daddy did that to him....you know what he says?

"no, i'm not mad.....because i love him"

OOH...could you not just eat him up???!!  Such a sweet, sensitive, forgiving soul.  And just so this isn't a 'oh chris is a brutal dad'...i will throw my 'brutal moment' in too...

On the ride home, i see elliot shaking the ds games bag around and i am so sick of finding $$ ds games between the seats, but i don't say anything, until isaac says 'Elliot!! you are dropping the games out of the bag!"  so i turn around and loudly scold, "Elliot!!!!  Stop DOING that!! You lose SO many games that way!!!!"......and then i really think nothing else about it.....said it, moved on, he probably didn't hear me anyways since he doesn't really listen to me most times.....but a moment later, i turn to see that he has put his ds away in his door and that he has curled up into a ball and he is crying into his knees.

sigh....i am a schmuck......i reach back, 'i am so sorry elliot, i didn't mean to hurt your feelings, are you ok?  i am sorry'....and all the while, he is looking at me, right in my eyes and nodding, like 'its ok, i am upset, but its ok....'   I gave him my phone (which i never ever do!)...and he was fine....but oh these boys!!

Playmobil Score.....

Look what Jinny and I found at thrift yesturday? 

 i may, or may not have been playing with it more than the boys......

But it should come as no surprise that because they don't love it as

much as i'd hoped they would....these pics are for the ad!! ;-)

How I got to go out for a Japanese Dinner.....

All you have to do is leave the element on after making popcorn

and it will explode any dish you may have made for dinner!!

 Yeah....my beautiful mexican lasagna.....blown up all over the kitchen.....

But on the upside....Dynamite Rolls with Brett!

It was a good day.....

Saturday Morning!!

So its saturday morning.....i have the zalinko boys today til mid afternoon.  Rach and Paul are over in vancouver for a wedding....its was nice that Rach stayed overnight last night and left this morning around 5:30.  The boys all got up around 7...and they played together til almost 9.  Made them these healthy banana oatmeal pancakes:

It was pretty easy and i added raspberries.....cause i can't have pancakes without berries. 

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour 1-1/2 1-1/2cups cups(375 mL) (375 mL) all-purpose flour
• 1 cup large-flake rolled oats 1 1cup cup(250 mL) (250 mL) large-flake rolled oats
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar 1/4 1/4cup cup(60 mL) (60 mL) packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp baking powder 1 1tsp tsp(5 mL) (5 mL) baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 1/2 1/2tsp tsp(2 mL) (2 mL) baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt 1/4 1/4tsp tsp(1 mL) (1 mL) salt
• 1-1/2 cups milk 1-1/2 1-1/2cups cups(375 mL) (375 mL) milk
• 2 eggs , beaten2 2eggeggs, beaten
• 2 ripe bananas , mashed2 2ripe bananas, mashed
• 3 tbsp butter , melted3 3tbsp tbsp(45 mL) (45 mL) butter, melted
• 2 tsp vanilla 2 2tsp tsp(10 mL) (10 mL) vanilla
• 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 1tbsp tbsp(15 mL) (15 mL) vegetable oil

Preparation

In large bowl, whisk together flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In separate bowl, whisk together milk, eggs, bananas, butter and vanilla; pour over flour mixture and stir until almost smooth. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Heat nonstick skillet or griddle to medium heat; brush lightly with some of the oil. Pour in about 1/3 cup (75 mL) batter for each pancake; cook for about 3 minutes or until underside is golden and bubbles break on top but do not fill in.

Turn and cook until underside is golden brown, about 1 minute. Repeat with remaining batter, brushing skillet with more oil as necessary. (Make-ahead: Wrap individually in plastic wrap and freeze in airtight container for up to 1 month. Reheat in toaster.) Source : Canadian Living Magazine: November 2007

We are now all on the couch watching Ponyo....such a cute little show. 

Good friend Brett arrived this morning to quad with Chris....he was funny, walking into the kitchen this morning he says to me 'i come bearing marginal gifts'....haha.....he and meg are moving to vancouver in the fall, so he brought us some intertubes and some inflatable boats for the boys and a bunch of his old hockey cards (like 2 huge flat rubbermaids full!)....chris figures the boys may like them when they are older....

Here they are about to head off on their snowy adventure....i am happy that chris has an adventurous friend.....brett is awesome.

Awesome Surprise!!

This morning i was just looking at the concert dates of Steven Curtis Chapman.....{none for awhile!}....but i did see that his new CD was out--so i spontaneously whipped out my credit card and bought the $11.99 CD.....are they EVER $12?? 

Entered in all my info, billing address, etc....pressed enter....got my confirmation.

A few moments later, an email arrived saying 'thank you for your order....which also includes a downloadable version of the CD'  WHA??!!  yay!!  So....as i sit here listening to my favorite artist, and know that a hard copy is coming soon {though i could care less now since i have it on my computer and soon it will be on my ipod!}......its been a good morning!!  His music makes me happy and brings back alot of really good memories of my days at Camp Arnes.........you know, the days when i was young and fun and crazy and very carefree!!

Shutting down shop...for just a little while.

yup....the window blinds are closing, for awhile anyways.

This is my blog...my journal of my life in this moment in time.  I have been feeling for awhile now that people come and go from my page here...peek in...check in...and move on.  And they feel as though they have had a visit with me and my family.

But you know what?  I don't want to provide a one sided visit.....this blog was started to keep my family in the loop and to keep my memories. 

So....the feeling was quite strong this morning to lock the doors for a little while....so if you are reading this, you are one of only a small number allowed in....your name is on 'the list'....the A list! My A list!

To getting our boat rocked......

"The truth is there are a million steps, and we don't even know what the steps are, and worse, at any given moment we may not be willing or even able to take them; and still worse, they are different for you and me and they are always changing. I have come to believe the sooner we find this truth beautiful, the sooner we will fall in love with the God who keeps shaking things up, keeps changing the path, keeps rocking the boat to test our faith in Him, teaching us to not rely on easy answers, bullet points, magic mantras, or genies in lamps, but rather rely on His guidance, His existence, His mercy, and His love." - Donald Miller, Searching For God Knows What.

 

thanks court....i loved this when i read it this morning.....so cheers to the ever changing path....glad you crossed mine.

Sometimes I hate being right....

My sister said something profoundly insightful tonight to me as we were skyping - she was feeding and changing baby Ellie as I was making a delicious dinner.....as i voiced my concern over how much work was going into this meal, i was almost 90% sure that the kids would not touch it.....she says:

Its almost like the more work you put into the meal, the less they are likely to eat it!  You throw together a peanut butter and banana sandwich, they are in heaven!  Spend an afternoon on a meal....they won't touch it.

Sigh.....its beautiful isn't it?  It was a Mexican Lasagna! 

 This wonderful boy ate his small piece, though he picked through all the tomatoes.....

 Good thing I made cinnamon sticks out of the leftover whole wheat tortillas!!  I cut the tortillas into squares so it would fit nicely into the casserole dish......haha...doesn't it look like Elliot is poking isaac in the eye with his tortilla??  Yeah....as predicted, I put a small piece on Elliots plate, and he saw all the beans and tomatoes and was like "no way!!"

Want the recipe?  It was amazing!!

Enjoy!!  I was able to make a huge 8x11 pan which i threw into the freezer for our next lucky batch of company...and then i made that small one which was perfect for us tonight!!!

He is in my favorite place.......

Yes....thats right....while I am back home in the rain, sleet, hail and snow....my dad is in my favorite town and in my favorite resort.......i love that he and his buddies are enjoying the sun...

 But i am feeling pretty thankful that I am not there with them at this current moment in time....

i think even my dad was looking for another place he'd rather be...at that moment?

But oh my goodness, am i glad i wasn't drinking anything when i scrolled down his blog to see this picture....the screen would have been soaked......i mean, is that a conch??

Pointing Out....

i feel the need to point out that only a mother would still:

*sit next to the 7 year old as they struggle through their piano lesson
AND the theory homework from said piano lesson
*do 2 loads of laundry
*1 load of dishes
*Field ALL questions from 5 and 7 year old throughout the day {which seems harder than normal due to lower capacity.....}
*read the school books needed for monday morning with 7 year old
*****AND make a nice chicken dinner !!!!

.....all while just wanting to be in bed....because she is sick.

Not at full capacity.....

I have been fighting a cold this past week and on friday...i lost the fight.  Mainly my plan of attack was a ton of water, as usual...as well as my moms suggestion of a raw clove of garlic, every 3 hours!  Started the day off on track until an hour later in the car with Chris, he pulls over and buys me a gigantic tub of breath freshening gum....i mean, he can barely get out of the store the container was so big....sigh....so in my desire to keep him happy and not smell garlic for the rest of the weekend, i gave up the garlic and in turn gave up the fight.  Enter ---> misery.

 But there is still work to do!  And not much was motivating me to get off the couch this morning....that is, until Paul and his little ones arrives and ramped up the energy in the house to the point that i pretty much dragged myself to my room for some clothes, a hat, tylenol and then ran to the car where it was quiet again.  I love those boys....but when they all get together...all adults need to be well fed and rested and up to full capacity!  Of which, i was not.

After a bleary eyed ride to Duncan.....we dropped off Rachel, who was such a nice houseguest....always is!  I sure hope she doesn't catch what i have......but the timing of having here was good....she read to the boys every night.....such easy company....i was sorry i was so miserable near the end.  So....dropped her off.....cleaning the chiro went in slow motion {as everything seemed to today!}.....after chiro, i sat in the car and skyped with mom: i was waiting for the boys to all finish their lunch in subway, and she was waiting for her delayed plane to take off in San Fran.

Made meal plans for this next week...so the grocery shop was huge.....got home, put it all away and chris went for a nap.  By 5, i delivered this to him in his room {sheesh, i am sweet}.....

 Yes...that is home made whole wheat pizza dough with salami and mozza and fresh feta on top.....i haven't been hungry for much else other than fruit, soup and yogurt....so i wanted the boys to actually eat alot of dinner...after dinner, Isaac talked Chris into helping him make his little robot that he got for christmas......

We have alot of healthy food in our fridge that should last us all week.....as well as a whole tank of gas....so here is to just enjoying the week and hopefully keeping our wallets in our pockets!!

Isaac and I are currently enjoying a Jurassic Park marathon this weekend....we are on #2.....

 oh those velociraptors are something else eh??!!!

 Where is my kleenex box? 

"Ice" Day .....

Freezing rain shut down all the schools in the cowichan valley today.....and i wished that I had checked the websites before i woke my kids up out of their coma sleeps to get them ready for the bus!

Thankfully Rachel is here and entertained them while i went back to sleep for just a little while!  So....we had a busy morning together.

We made playdoh......lots of salt goes into playdoh.

 Isaac spent alot of the morning with his new potion maker from Christmas.....his favorite is making people smell his final potions - hard to believe elliot continues to be willing....sweet little brother.

 We caught a glimpse of this sight outside the kitchen window this morning....our classy dog lugged corpse bone back home....see the long bone bottom right of the picture?  The other part was in in his mouth....minutes later when i looked out again...the long bone was gone.....bleh....guess i don't need to worry about his calcium intake.

 After eating the lunch i had packed for them last night....there was a promise of popcorn and a movie upstairs.  New love is the Zalinko's popcorn maker.....every kernal pops and its fun to do on the stove!

Today we have made pizza dough, playdoh, granola bars, pasta dough (since i changed my mind on pizza tonight and will enstead make a healthy alfredo version with fresh fettucini since i have all the ingredients for that!)......fire is one and isaac and i are watching Jurrasic Park.....

Let the weekend begin....

Well....this is a little un-nerving....

I thought they were supposed to be sleeping right now.......taken today....in Mesachie Lake by one of the neighbors.

New Housecoat....

He has been wanting a new housecoat for ages....something cozy for when he gets out of the bath....jackpot at thrift this aft with Rach!  Here is his little fashion show:

ps: just please don't tell him its from LaSenza girl...ok?

promise??

 A quick skype chat with my mom who...as you can guess....is hanging down by the pool in Arizona...Yuma to be exact!  Remember when we went to yuma?  Loved it there......i was a little envious at her sunny adventures...but i guess we just had some, so i can't really complain to anyone out loud, can i?

Our day .... so far.

Chris and i drove the boys in again this morning because of the icy conditions ... Chris thought i looked creepy taking a picture of the kids in the parking lot....but they are mine...and they are so cute!!

 Rach is visiting for a few days!!  I love when she comes...easy company....She and i made soup...checked out the bag sale at thrift....put a fire on....had a nap....now i have to go grab the boys and the day will start its next chapter!!!  Dinner at Rentons!!