MPM

Here is a menu plan for this week. . .

Monday- Chili and Buns and Carrots and Dip

Tuesday- Italian marinated chicken on the BBQ, salad, harvest potatoes (I love this dish! My kids hate it. It is all gone! Guess who ate most of it?)

Wednesday- Grilled Sandwiches, soup (of some kind. . .I'm in the mood for broccoli cheddar, but I KNOW the kids are not!)

Thursday- Baked Spaghetti, salad

Friday- Left-overs or pizza

Saturday's Snack- gotta make some cookies!!!

Sunday-Pancakes and Bacon.

On the breakfast note, I tried to get the kids to enjoy a breakfast at Subway with me this morning. . .not the best move. Maybe it was breaking routine or maybe they can't stand egg made in a square, but I KNOW not to make breakfast sandwiches for a while. . .except for my hulk of a baby. He loved it. He loves anything that is good though.

Was playing around with my camera a bit the other day and I finally figured out how to use the "food" setting. Here was my first humble attempt. Stir-fry from last week. I wanted to see how it would look on the blog. I know this picture shows too many onions. Nice for the colour, but I don't typically eat that many in one sitting! :)

For more MP, visit http://www.orgjunkie.com/

Dandelions

Do you ever pick dandelions, just to blow the seeds into the wind?

To be a child again!

A whole field of pure joy in the eyes of a child.

A whole field of weed control in the eyes of the keeper of a manicured lawn!

To my kiddos, this is Dandelion Canyon.

Not sure where the name came from, but this little photo is a reminder to me to stay youthful in mind,

and take the time to enjoy the simple pleasures in this world.

MPM

Menu Plan. . . Yah, its been a while. All of our life and our eating didn't seem exciting enough to merit a post. And nothing has changed. Except that I decided to post about our {exciting} eats this week.

Monday- Corn and Sausage Chowder, garlic bread
Tuesday- Teriyaki Stir-fry, noodles, jello (strictly for the kids, of course!)

Wednesday-Taco Salad

Thursday (Crock pot)-BBQ Chicken sandwiches, cut veggies

Friday-left-overs or pizza
Saturday's Snack- Layered Fruit Salad for kids
(Haven't tried this one specifically, but will probably give it a try. I've kinda gotten bored of smoothies, so gotta try it a bit differently!)
Sunday-French Toast Casserole--because it's easy! And bacon. . .

On the food topic. . .the garden is planted. About a week and a half a ago it was done. Potatoes, cucumbers, zucchini, beans, peas, carrots, lettuces (spinach, lettuce mixtures and swiss chard), herbs and onions. I think that is it. I have a few potatoes showing some green, a few carrots sprouting and some lettuce, I think. My herbs are good, although a few of those perennial types didn't come back, so I'm gonna have to go buy one or two new ones (not sure if seeds will grow in time anymore). Some strawberries are making pretty white flowers already. . . looking forward to some sunshine to help it all grow. (Actually, I'm just looking forward to some sunshine. . .)

Well, have a good week. .

Check out more MPM at http://www.orgjunkie.com/

4x4

 This weekend we went on a little adventure. . .

 Off to the area of Chipmunk Creek by Chilliwack Lake for some 4x4ing. For me. . .it was my first time with the family. On the drive out there, the kids had to "catch me up" on the "regular stuff" that goes on with these excursions.

 And then it was just time to play around. There were four trucks (four families/people--one red Jeep isn't pictured here. . .not sure where he was off to. . .except that there were a few bumpy trails in the area to explore).

We passed a couple going down the road we were going up. They said that it was best we turned around because the road was washed out a bit farther up. So. . .the boys were ready to roll!

 Stopping for lunch. . .
And yes, we found ourselves some snow!

Soon after the group split up, my "fearless" hubby found an area where people must have been camping near. He drove in, covered the truck with mud and was about to go on. He stopped at a "cliff" (or at least that is what I saw!!!) I told him I loved him, and didn't really think he needed to show off any more for me as we had some children that I would love to wake up tomorrow with.

He smiled at me--a smirk, really--and pressed the gas!!!

We are still alive and in one piece.

Another great moment for me: The hubby asked the kids if Mommy should come next time. E goes, "well, not really, but just to be polite, I'll say yes." Hubby asks him why I shouldn't come. E says, "Gotta keep those top secret things a secret." And Princess A just wanted her "very best friend" (who is training her in the princess way of life) and Liam around. (Awww!)

Fun times!

life of a mom. . .

Another Happy Mother's Day to all. . .a little bit late, I know.

(But I'm sure many moms out there totally understand!)

I am so very blessed by my mom, mom-in-law, and all the mom-friends in my life.

And I thank God for all of you and the impact you have had on me!

And of course I am so very blessed by my own family--the ones who make me a mother!

(My husband's fine art--our family in our new paint colour. . .we had to test it out to see if it was  acceptable before painting ALL the walls!)

 My little munchkin who decided to give me the treat of walking through rain puddles left on our deck. . . and it was just so darn cute I had to take a few pictures.

 And my other little miracles making me breakfast (because I *totally* eat breakfast every morning!)

 And their little cards and gifties (now that I have a kiddo in school, I get to celebrate and show off the heartfelt gifts made in the classroom. I LOVE IT!)

On Saturday a.m. we joined the local Community School in celebrating Mother's Day. How can kids complain when they get breakfast and to play in an open gym and in a bouncy castle all morning?!?!? (And I got a massage. . .not too shabby, I say!). Here was my little flower to take home. The biggest treat, however, was the compliments I got from the hosts in how well-behaved, polite and cute my kids were. That just did it for me. I guess then all the energy in the every day stuff is worth it!

Below was the annual fish release in a nearby creek. The kids do this every year, and they LOVE it! This year, the youngest needed lunch and a nap, so the two of us stayed home while all the big kids went out to play with the "little fries!"

 Opa took the kids to Buckerfield's to make a hanging basket for me. They had a lot of fun and got to share with me about their adventures. . .which led to us going back on Monday to check out all the things I had missed--especially the animals (in their opinion!)

 And then I got to start some gardening as well, since this was the weekend to get plants!

Still a bunch more work that needs to be done and a few more trays of plants, but. . . it's not like the sun is shining or anything like that! Won't that be a treat when spring weather decides to stick around!

Menu Plan Monday

I can't believe it has been over a month since I have posted. . .much less done any type of menu plan! Things have been kinda crazy with some Reno's going on (as in the kitchen!) a trip to visit family, the normal busyness of life, that kind of thing. Maybe I have an excuse, right. . .?

Here is a MP once again.

Monday-Grilled Cheese (fancy-ish), yam fries, veggies and dip
Tuesday-Greek Chicken (either this recipe or this CP one), tzatziki, pitas, mixed veggies
Wednesday-Salmon Strudels, corn and pepper salsa
Thursday-Spaghetti garlic bread
Friday-left-overs or pizza
Saturday-TBA. . .maybe?
Sunday- French Toast Casserole, sausage

Enjoy your week. For more MP, visit www.orgjunkie.com

First Spring Adventure

Here is the latest adventure my hubby went on with some friends and the kiddos. The trail is called V-Rock on the way to Sunrise Lake. A good time was had by all. . .and they all came back in one piece! ;)

In every situation, there is some saving grace, some positive to see.

Aside from Christ, this is my happy thought each and every morning. Yep, this is my coffee nook! Pathetic you say? Yes, but if you saw the rest of our house right now. . .

 This is the rest of the house. . .someone should have let me know that when my hubby has a brilliant idea. . .this is what it will turn out to be!!!

We couldn't find someone willing to get rid of the rest of the texture on our ceiling so our next option was take it all down. When I say the rest of the texture, that means I have taken into account the stuff that has just fallen down on its own (which is why we are in this mess in the first place!) as well as the stuff that my hubby and I have spent hours scraping off. . .only to realize that our small square meter means that is we continue at the rate we were going, I might have a working kitchen by 2015!

So after finding someone to do the ceiling for us, we were happy--adjust the budget. . .

Then we get the phone call. . .yah, the guy doesn't want to remove it, so we have to. Granted, they gave us 2 days notice!!! Thank you to Opa for some help, and thank you that we didn't run into any more problems, and that we got to move some light fixtures around since the attic was exposed. . .

And now we live in a plastic bubble for a while!

We are making our "home" in our basement. Shared with the furniture and extra things to store of course! So our main area of living is the playroom. We are doing breakfast and dinners there, playing there, dancing there, resting there. . .thank goodness for the improvement in weather and parents who live near by where we can eat lunch!

In all seriousness though, I am blessed. Please don't read this post as a complaint in any way, because this is blessing! Why? Because I have a house to live in and a bed to sleep in and a family to surround me and friends who offer to meet me at the park and yummy (and not-so-yummy) food to eat and the list could just go on and on. My heart is heavy for those in Japan right now and also for our little sponsor children, because I, in my unbelievably privileged and blessed life, have an itty-bitty minuscule of a fraction of an idea of what they are facing. And so we, as a family, are offering our prayers for them daily as we cuddle together in our playroom every morning and night.

Menu Plan Monday

Now that it is a month later. . .I figured it was about time to do a MPM again!
 
Monday- Crock Pot Chicken Wings, cut veggies, noodles
Tuesday- Tacos and fixings
Wednesday- Potato Soup, Cheesy Garlic Bread
Thursday (CP)- {out}
Friday-pizza or left-overs
Saturday's Snack- Cranberry White Chocolate Rice Krispie Treats (see below)
Sunday (BFS)- French Toast Casserole, fruit salad, ham steaks

Saturday's Snack-- Fancy Rice Krispies
My daughter has this way of smiling at people and making them melt. I think it is her age. And the fact that she knows she is a princess and uses this to her advantage. A week ago we were meeting Daddy for coffee, and the beloved coffee shop owner melted over Princess A and brought her this WONDERFUL treat. It was so simple, yet so good. (I may have snuck a bite or two). Rice Krispie Squares with added dried cranberries, chocolate chips, coconut, and walnuts. Mmmm. . .Her recipe is probably top secret, but I tried to reinvent it at home on my own.
My original recipe came from here. (Not tough when you know the basic rice krispies square recipe) and then I changed it up a little to suit our likes. . .

Ingredients

4 tablespoons butter
4 cups miniature marshmallows
1/2 tablespoon good quality vanilla
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
6 cups Kellogg’s Rice Krispies cereal or equal
3/4 cup dry cranberries
1/4 cup toasted coconut
a handful of walnuts (crushed if you'd like)
*If you don't like the last two ingredients, then just up the chocolate chips by 1/2 cup.

Directions
1. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
2. In a large pan on the stove top, melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows. Stir until the mixture is melted, hot, and smooth. Add the vanilla.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients. Stir quickly (the chocolate chips will begin to melt!) until the cereal is uniformly combined with the marshmallow mixture.
4. Remove the mixture to the buttered pan. Evenly distribute the mixture and press it down into the pan with buttered fingers, a piece of waxed paper, or a spatula. Let cool and cut into squares.

Mmm. . .
 
Check out more MPM at http://www.orgjunkie.com/!

Old Chairs

Our kids have really grown to love some neighbors on our street. They love walking through their gardens and talking to the elderly man about birds and flowers. During the Christmas season the kids were invited in the house to check out their extensive Christmas village and train set. (By extensive, I mean it probably spanned two or three sheets of plywood, and there was more in another area of the house! It was absolutely beautiful!

The kids have really grown to love these neighbors and I think they have grown to love our kids as well! A week ago, we got a phone call asking if we wanted some child-sized chairs. So we popped on by to pick them up. This elderly couple was just ready to get rid of them as their kids and grand kids had outgrown them, but wanted to check if our kids could use them before donating them elsewhere. They had one at their house, and got the other one from their daughter's place, who also brought over a wooden rocking chair because she knew they were going to be given to our kids.

The story behind these chairs. . .they were made in the early 60s by prisoners in one of BC's local-ish prisons. This man also has some big garden urns that were made by these inmates as some of their work-projects as well. Not a story we are going to share with our kiddos just yet, but interesting anyway!

I wish I had a "before" picture. But just imagine the dust and build up of sitting around in a basement or garage for some time. Here is my "after" pictures. We had a sunny morning this week, so I took them outside and started the big clean-up! Here they are sitting on my driveway after a first clean.
I know--as if you wanted to see the bottoms of these chairs! But I was so impressed with how well they were made--and how long they have lasted!!! There are a few tears here or there, but nothing major or really noticeable unless you look closely. (Doesn't the colour just remind you of your old fridge?!?!)

Here is the bit on the back of the rocking chair. . .I'm no antique person, but I've watched my share of Pawn Stars (boring TV my hubby watches!) to know that these labels are important! :)

And here are my kids enjoying the finished product. Having a cozy chat in front of the fireplace (Old chairs and an old fireplace!).

Our "new" chairs. . . thank you neighbors!