My Little Alberta Family

Teens Photograph Lego Minifigure at Edge of Space for $400

2012-01-27T12:26:00.000-08:00

I thought this was such a neat story! Check out the link to learn more. I'm secretly hoping my kids can do cool stuff like this when they are older as part of their homeschooling projects! :)

Teens Photograph Lego Minifigure at Edge of Space for $400

Where I'm at With My Goals

2012-01-19T21:46:00.000-08:00

A couple of weeks ago I wrote about some goals to start off the new year. Well..........I'm not doing as well as I had hoped. Big Surprise!! :)

One goal that I HAVE kept up on is reading the Bible in 90 days using YouVersion. I am now reading in Joshua and I am enjoying getting that "big picture" feel from reading through so quickly. It really does give a different perspective on the whole thing. Sometimes I fall a day behind on the readings, but I manage to catch up again.

My weight loss goal...not going well. I really need some motivation to get back on track I have noticed that I have a much harder time in the winter. When I have lost weight before it has always been in the summer.

The Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge: I have not kept up with all the challenges listed BUT, I have been working on it. I think that I will not be able to finish it in the planned 52 days, but I will keep working on it as much as I can. My living room is pretty much done and I have been working on parts of the dining room and the kitchen.

23 Day Frugal Living Challenge: I have not gotten to this yet, BUT I still want to do it.

What to do With Milk that is About to Expire

2012-01-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

It's not very often that I can find milk for half price. I bought two jugs of skim milk that were a couple of days from expiring. Believe it or not, I purchased this milk on Dec 31(wow, that was lat year!), the expiry date is Jan 3, and today is Jan 14. I opened this jug two days ago (9 days after the expiry date) after ignoring it in the fridge for a while and it has not gone sour!!!!!

So, what can you do with milk that is near expiry and needs to be used up?

Freeze it. Since it's not really convenient to freeze a whole four liters of milk, freeze it in smaller portions. Use an ice cube tray if you want really small amounts or using a muffin tin will give you approximately 1/2 cup portions. Once it is frozen, remove to a plastic bag and then keep frozen until you want to use it for a recipe. I freeze a lot of liquids in 1 cup volumes and I do this by placing all the plastic cups in the house on a cookie sheet and then filling them up to 1 cup measurements.
Bake with it, double or triple your recipe and put the rest in the freezer.
Make a big pot of a cream-type soup for supper.
Have a hot chocolate night!

If the milk is just starting to turn sour, you can still bake with it or freeze it and bake with it later, there shouldn't be any taste difference.

Spicy Buttermilk Pancakes

1 large egg
2 cups buttermilk (instead of buttermilk, place 2 tbsp of vinegar in your measuring cup and then fill the rest of the way to get two cups)
3 tbsp cooking oil

2 cups flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice

Beat egg in a small bowl until smooth. Mix in milk (buttermilk) and cooking oil.

Measure remaining 8 ingredients into a medium bowl. Stir. Add egg mixture. Stir just to moisten. A few remaining lumps are fine. Fry 1/4 cup portions on greased frying pan or griddle. When bubbles form and edges appear dry, turn to brown other side. No need to grease pan between batches. Makes about 15 pancakes. This recipe is for one batch. I doubled it to use up more milk, served a bunch of pancakes to the kids for breakfast, and put the rest in the freezer. To use from the freezer, remove amount of pancakes need and reheat in the microwave.

Cinnamon Waffles

1 1/2 cups flour

2 tbsp granulated sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 large egg whites, room temp

2 large egg yolks

1/4 cup butter or hard margarine, melted

1 1/2 cups milk

Stir first four ingredients together in a bowl.

Beat egg white in a separate bowl until stiff. (This adds some fluffiness to the batter and give the waffles a lighter texture. If I'm feeling lazy, I just add the eggs to the batter without beating them.)

Using the same beaters, beat the egg yolks in a separate bowl. Add the butter and milk and mix well. If you melted the margarine and it is hot, wait for it to cool down a bit and then add it slowly while beating. If you just dump it in, the heat could cause the eggs to start to cook. Add this to the dry ingredients and beat to mix. Fold in beaten eggs whites. Cook in hot waffle iron until browned, using about 1/3 cup of batter per waffle. Makes about 12 waffles. I tripled this recipe to use up some milk. The kids ate a bunch for breakfast the next day and I froze the rest. I find these reheat nicely in our toaster oven, but don't leave in for very long or they will dry out. You just want them to heat enough to crisp them up a bit.

How I'm Reading Through the Bible in 90 Days

2012-01-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

This past week I posted about some goals for the new year. One of those goals was to make another attempt at reading through the Bible in 90 days. I found a way to help me do it. I am using an app called YouVersion on our i-pad. It has been very helpful as it outlines how many chapters to read each day and helps you keep track of your progress. Other features include the ability to choose which version to use, which reading plan to use, bookmarking, and also audio versions. So, depending on what I am doing, I either read it from my actual Bible, or on our i-pad or i-phone. What has been working for me is to grab the i-pad while I am nursing Chloe, which is what I had been doing anyway, but I was surfing and reading blogs and checking out Pinterest. I've made it a priority to do my Bible reading instead and have found that if I do that, I am actually able to read MORE than the suggested reading for each day. For example, yesterday I made it through two days worth of Bible reading while nursing.

So.....if you are a nursing Mamma, grab your Bible and read some chapters! What a great way to do two really important things at the same time! And if you are not a nursing mamma, think about another time of the day where you could do some Bible reading too. Check out YouVersion, it's a great resource.

Oh, and you don't have to do it in 90 days, there are lots of other reading plans to choose from! :)

AND, if you don't have an i-pad or smartphone, just go to YouVersion.com and you can access everything on-line.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

2012-01-07T21:48:00.000-08:00

This is another recipe that I found at Money Saving Mom and Oh my, are they delicious! They have certainly thrown me off my diet that last couple of days! Here's the recipe from Crystal's site with my changes added in.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

4 eggs
2 cups sugar (I used 1 1/2 cups and they still tasted nice and sweet)
1 (16 oz.) can pureed pumpkin (I used frozen pumpkin puree that I had made, thawed it and drained it really well)
1 1/2 cups oil (I used 1/2 oil and 1/2 applesauce)
3 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 package chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin, and oil until smooth. Add in dry ingredients and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake 16-20 minutes at 400 degrees.

Makes 24 muffins.

Double Chocolate Banana Bread

2012-01-03T22:07:00.000-08:00

I found this recipe over at Money Saving Mom and I had picked up a bunch of 1/2 price bananas the other day, so I knew I wanted to make this recipe. Banana bread with chocolate? Yes, please!

I quadrupled the recipe so that we would have one loaf to eat, one loaf to freeze, and two loaves to share.

When hubby asked what I was baking, he asked for a slice before it was even finished baking. He loves eating baking that come piping hot out of the oven. AND he doesn't like bananas, but he even asked for a second piece!

Chocolate Banana Bread

1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 stick butter, melted and cooled
3 ripe bananas, mashed well
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Mix together the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

Stir the mashed bananas, eggs, melted butter, and vanilla. Carefully fold the banana mixture into the dry ingredients until just combined. Mix in the chocolate chips.

Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 to 65 minutes until the bread has risen and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool and wrap in plastic wrap and foil or in a ziptop bag. Store in the refrigerator or freezer.

Adapted from Joy of Baking

Christmas Light Sugar Cookies

2012-01-02T22:36:00.000-08:00

One more Christmas cookie recipe, which I didn't get to post before Christmas. It's just a basic Sugar Cookie recipe but the nice thing is that you can pretty them up any way that you want.

I have a cute little cookie cutter in the shape of a Christmas light -- I LOVE Christmas lights. In my mind I had wanted to decorate my cookies like this:

BUT I ran out of time to decorate, so chose instead to decorate like this:

Here's the recipe:

1 cup hard margarine or butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

2 egg yolks

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Cream margarine and sugar in a large bowl. Add egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl. Add to the margarine mixture in two additions, mixing well after each addition. Divide dough in half. Wrap each half in plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.

Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutter. Place on parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake in 350 degree oven for 6 to 8 minutes until edges are golden.

To decorate I used milk chocolate and white chocolate melting wafers. Melt in the microwave. Pour into a sandwich bag. Snip off a tiny corner of the bag and then lightly squeeze a chocolate pattern over the cookies.

Linking up here:

Time-Warp Wife

Domestically Divine Tuesday at Far Above Rubies

Homemaking Link-Up at Raising Homemakers

Challenges for the New Year

2012-01-01T23:25:00.000-08:00

So in my last post I said that I was reluctant to choose a "word" for the year or to make many resolutions. I HAVE found a few challenges on-line that interest me....I wondering if I could stick to those. There is one that I am going to try for sure. Cheryl at On the Old Path posted about the Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge. It is a 52 day challenge that works on having your home in order and running smoothly and also having our hearts right with the Lord. This sounds like something I really need. Check it out on Cheryl's blog and if you are interested in joining in, let her know. I would also love to hear about it, leave me a comment. :)

I have always enjoyed reading Ann Voskamp's blog called A Holy Experience. She has a lot of beautiful printables available and and a new one is a Daily Planner. I'm often working on a planner or to-list that will work for me. I like this one and will be giving it a try. I was thinking of laminating it and then using a fine-line washable marker to write on it and update it daily.

Jaime at Like a Bubbling Brook has written about committing to daily Bible reading. She is encouraging readers to try a reading plan that gets you through the Bible in 90 days. I have tried this a couple of times and I have failed. I want to try it again. I have read before that when you do this, you really get a "big picture" aspect of the Bible and I have experienced this on my previous attempts. Jaime writes at the end of her post: In twenty years, will you still be wishing you had done it? Or will you make this year the year? Point made!
I recommend reading her other post in the same topic where she includes this quote: "Dusty bibles lead to dirty lives."

Ok, one more that caught my eye...Andrea at Frugally Sustainable has a 23 day Frugal Living Challenge coming up. It starts on January 6 and will consist of 23 ideas for living frugally. I am guessing that a number of the topics that will come up are ones that I already do, but I'm interested to see what else Andrea posts about. I hoping to involve hubby in this challenge as we really need to do something to get some of our debt paid off!

Now I'm sure this over-kill for me, especially knowing that I haven't been able to stick with things in the past, but I guess I won't know if I don't try! :)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T09:32:00.000-08:00

I just would like to wish every one a Happy New Year and to thank everyone for stopping by to read my little blog. May God bless you all in this coming year.

Wow, have the last couple of weeks been busy!

We spent a few days with my parents for Christmas. It was a nice little visit and the kids enjoyed playing with their cousins again.
We had a mini Christmas dinner on the 28th at our house with hubby's mom, brother, and brother's girlfriend. They brought even more gifts over and spoiled our kids.
We had a lovely evening at a friends house for New Year's Eve. Good food, fellowship and fun with three other families from our church.
We have a virus or two floating around our house right now, so we are dealing with sniffles and coughs, but its not too bad. I'm staying home from church this morning with the kids, I hate to spread germs around and I feel bad that we may have already done that at the party we went to last night.
I'm trying to get my thoughts around it being a new year and where I want to go from here. I'm a bit reluctant to choose a "word" for the year and to make many resolutions. I don't feel that I can stick to things very well and don't like feeling like I have failed again. :)
I do have a goal for the next few months. It started out this past summer, when I decided I was going to do something about my weight. I was able to lose 24 pounds! Yay! BUT, then summer ended, the weather got cold, we stayed in the house a lot more, and I stopped eating well and exercising. I have put at least 5 pounds back on again. So here's where my goal comes in. I want to get down to 140 pounds by my 40th birthday which is April 2. So I have three months to lose just over 20 pounds. That should be doable, right? So my motto for the next few months will be: 140 by 40!

Music for Christmas Eve: Celtic Woman - Silent Night

2011-12-24T08:59:00.000-08:00

One of the commenters on You Tube for this video said that it reminded her of Christmas when she was little and that Christmas does not feel the same as an adult. I agree on both observations.

May we be reminded of that long-ago night when Jesus came to earth. What a Holy and precious event!

Cranberry - Orange Pinwheels

2011-12-22T09:08:00.000-08:00

These cookies caught my eye when I saw them on Pinterest because they are so pretty and because they have cranberries in the filling. And I was pretty sure Hubby would like then too. They do take a bit of extra work, but its not too bad. I used the recipe posted by Rachel at Baked by Rachel. She gives lots of great tips and how-to instructions on making these cookies look so pretty. Check out her blog, she has lots of wonderful looking treats to try.

Hubby loved them, but since he has a very sweet tooth, he asked if the cranberry filling could be a little sweeter. I have another batch of dough chilling right now and I will try increasing the amount of brown sugar that goes in the cranberry mixture.

1 cup cranberries

1 cup pecans

1/4 cup brown sugar (I increased to 1/2 cup)

1 cup butter

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

2 tsp orange zest (I increased to 2 Tbsp, Hubby likes big flavor)

3 cups flour

Combine the cranberries, pecans and brown sugar in a food processor. Chop until only small pieces are left.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add baking powder, salt, eggs, and orange zest. Beat for 1 minute. Gradually add the flour, mixing on medium speed until all is well combined. Cover and chill at least one hour.
Divide dough in half. Roll out one half on lightly floured surface into a rectangle approx 1/4 inch thick. Evenly spread half of the cranberry filling over the dough to 1/2 inch from the edges.
Begin rolling up the dough from one of the short ends. Pinch to seal the ends when it is rolled all the way. Transfer the dough to wax paper or plastic wrap. Gently roll it and then seal the ends.
Chill for at least four hours, or even overnight. Check occasionally for any flat spots and roll gently to keep the log rounded.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Remove wrapping and cut 1/4 inch slices from the log. Place on parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes or until just turning golden. Let rest on tray for 5 minutes before removing.

Gingerbread Star Cookies

2011-12-20T11:02:00.000-08:00

This gingerbread recipe is from Martha Stewart and I have been making it for Christmas every year for quite a few years now. It has a lot of spice in it and that gives it a great flavor. The pretty ornament in the picture was made by our pastor's wife. It is made from barley stalks and she made one for each of the ladies in the church. I love it because it was such a sweet gift from her and also, when my dad was farming, barley is one of the crops he grew.

6 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

4 tsp ginger

4 tsp cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp cloves

1 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups molasses

Combine flour, baking soda, and baking powder.
Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Mix in spices and salt. Beat in eggs and molasses.
Add flour mixture; mix on low speed until combined. Divide into thirds; wrap in plastic. Chill at least one hour.
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into shapes. Bake 8 to 10 minutes. Cool and decorate.

For the icing:
1 cup icing sugar
1 tbsp milk
2 tsp hard margarine or butter, softened
1/4 tsp vanilla

Combine all ingredients in mixer and beat well until smooth. Use a piping bag and small tip to outline the cookies. Then hold the cookie over a bowl of sugar. Spoon the sugar over the top to completely cover the cookie. Shake off excess sugar. If these are being packaged for gift giving, let them sit out for a few hours so that the icing can firm up.

Pretty!

Caleb decorated his very own cookie!

Linking up at:

Cookie Exchange Party at Tatertots and Jello

Domestically Divine Tuesday at Far Above Rubies

Homestead Barn Hop at New Life on a Homestead

Chocolate Chip Cookies and a Whole Lot of Dough

2011-12-19T21:59:00.000-08:00

I'm in major cookie production right now so that I can finish up my goodie bags that I am making for Christmas gifts. I was not feeling to good about things the end of last week. The list of things to do seemed so long and I was wondering how I was going to get it all done. Then I decided to eliminate some thing from my list -- just not do them, such as Christmas cards, extra baking, etc. I felt better about that. Then Saturday I was able to go out shopping and just had little Chloe with me. I didn't have to worry about the other kids as they were home with hubby. I was able to get ALL my shopping done! I even got most of the gifts wrapped over the weekend. PHEW, much less anxiety now! Since I was feeling much less overwhelmed, I did get a bunch of Christmas cards done to hand out at church and now the cookie baking is on again too.

I mixed up three batches of cookie dough which are now chilling in the fridge. Then hubby said, "Can you make chocolate chip too?" So I fired up the mixer one more time.

Here is my recipe for the chocolate chip cookies:

2 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. In a large mixing bowl combine butter, sugars and vanilla. Beat at medium speed until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs. Add flour mixture. Beat on low until soft dough forms. Add the chocolate chips and mix well.

Drop by heaping teaspoon about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

When I make chocolate chip cookies, I usually put some cookie dough balls into the freezer. I freeze them on a cookie sheet and then transfer them to a ziplock bag. Hubby LOVES fresh baked cookies HOT out of the oven. This way when he gets a craving he can pull half a dozen from the freezer and bake them up in the toaster oven for a quick treat.

This is all the cookie dough I mixed up today. Hopefully I will be able to get everything baked tomorrow!

Music for a Sunday - While You Were Sleeping - Casting Crowns

2011-12-18T08:24:00.000-08:00

Love this song, such powerful words.....

Christmas Treats - Oriental Crunch

2011-12-17T09:29:00.000-08:00

Here's another treat that will be aded to our goodie bags that we are making for friends and family. This is like a caramel corn, but it has a bit of spice added to it which gives it a more unique flavor.

6 cups of popped corn (about 1/4 cup unpopped)

2 cups dry chow mein noodles

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup hard margarine or butter

2 tbsp golden corn syrup

1 tbsp fancy molasses

1 tsp chinese five-spice powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds (Spread evenly in a shallow baking pan. Bake in 350 degree oven for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring or shaking often, until desired doneness.)

Combine popped corn and chow mein noodles in an extra-large bowl.

Heat and stir next 6 ingredients in a small heavy sauce pan on medium for about 5 minutes until boiling and brown sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to medium low. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add baking soda. Stir well. Pour over popped corn mixture.

Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Stir with wooden spoon until popped corn mixture is coated. Spread evenly in greased baking sheet with sides. Bake in 250 degrees oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven. Loosen mixture with spatula. Cool. Break into bite-size pieces. Store in airtight container for up to 1 month. Makes about 9 1/2 cups.

Linking up here, check out the fun!!!!!

Friday Fun Finds at Kojo Designs

Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum

Weekend Show Off Party at Ladybird Lane

Comfy in the Kitchen

Sweet Tooth Friday at Alli N Son

Strut Your Stuff at Somewhat Simple

Living Life Intentionally

Sweets for a Saturday at Sweet as Sugar Cookies

Sweet Indulgences Sunday at A Well Seasoned Life

Time Warp Wife

Skating for the First Time!

2011-12-16T07:06:00.000-08:00

One of the ice arenas where we live has free skating a couple of time a week. One of those times is Wednesday afternoons from 1:00 to 3:00 and quite a few homeschoolers go at that time. I decided to get the kids set up with skates and helmets and then add skating to our weekly schedule. The kids were so excited! So between skating and swimming lessons, they are getting some good activity during the week.

Here is Caleb on the ice for the first time, being helped by one of his friends.

Look mom!

Little Judah got outfitted with a pair of bob-skates.

Bekah got a pair of boy's hockey-type skates. I'm told it's easier to learn on those first. Since we have gone a few times now, I'm thinking we will need to take a step back and try bob-skates for her too. She is really panicky on the regular skates and I even got one of those support bars for her to hold on to, but she is just not having fun when she is on the ice.

Judah getting a helping hand from a friend of mine.

Folded Paper Christmas Treat Box

2011-12-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

A dear friend of mine at church gave one of these treat boxes to all the ladies on Sunday. I really should get the instructions from her on how to make them. They are so cute! And I love the pretty paper she used too.

She used a stamp to add the "Merry Christmas" to the paper.

When you pull on two of the triangle sections, the box opens up.

To reveal a sweet little treat nestled inside.

Mmmmm, I don't think I'm going to share this with anyone! :)

Christmas Treats - Chocolate Pretzel Bites

2011-12-14T07:50:00.000-08:00

The kids were happy to help make another Christmas treat. These were really easy to make and easy for the kids to help with. These will be going into our goodie baskets to share with friends and family.

All you need are:

a bag of small pretzels
chocolate melting wafers
M & M candies

Lay out the pretzels on a cookie sheet. Place a chocolate wafer on top of the pretzels. Put them in a 225 degree oven for about two minutes. You just want the chocolate to melt a little bit. Remove from the oven and then place an M & M candy on top of the softened chocolate. Then place the cookie sheets in the freezer to cool the chocolate more quickly. I actually put mine outside for a bit as it was cold enough to cool them that way.

Judah took a break from helping with the pretzels and decided to plaster Caleb's back with stickers instead!

Ready for the oven.

Busy with another tray.

With the M & M candies. A quick, easy, and yummy treat!

Let Them Make a Mess

2011-12-13T07:31:00.000-08:00

I read a blog post once by Sherry at Large Family Mothering. I don't know the exact post anymore, but in it she was talking about how she keeps the kids around her throughout the day. This cuts down on the mess through the rest of the house including the bedrooms and the basement. I've been trying this lately and it works really well, especially when I have extra kids during the day for my Day Home or if I have a friend's kids for the afternoon.

This is the living room which is just off the kitchen. I bring out a bunch of toys from my toy rotation downstairs, plus some of the the bigger things from the bedrooms, like the doll house, the play kitchen, or even a toy box. Then I let them make a mess.

There are good things to this method.

The mess is contained, therefore the cleanup is easy.
I can keep a closer eye on what's going on. I was finding that if I let Bekah and her Day Home friend play in Bekah's room, things were going on without me knowing about it. At different times when I checked on them I caught three kids jumping on the toddler bed. I caught one of them jumping up and down on the toy box. I caught one of them sitting on top of the doll house.
It's easier to break up a disagreement and find out who did something to someone else or who started something.

We also do a lot of activities at the kitchen table.

Busy bags
Coloring
Playdough
Lego
Puzzles
Read Books
Crafts
Leap Pad Games
And of course, homeschool!

So, between the kitchen and the living room, things stay under control. Now that the kids are used to this method, they don't even mind. And hubby likes it too. If he comes home early and sees a big mess in the living room, he knows the rest of the house will probably still be in order.

Kids Craft - Paper Lanterns

2011-12-12T07:18:00.000-08:00

Last month I had an afternoon where there were a bunch of extra kids here and I wanted a simple craft to keep them busy at the kitchen table for a little while. We made paper lanterns and they all really enjoyed making them.

The finished projects.

Supplies needed: construction paper, tissue paper, glue, scissors and a stapler.

Take a few sheets of tissue paper and roughly cut them up into squares that are about 1 to 2 inches square.
Take a sheet of construction paper and add some glue to it. Don't really need a lot and you can work in small areas and keep adding glue if needed.
Decorate the construction paper with tissue paper. Some of the kids just added flat squares. Others used the tip of a pencil to make a bit of a flowery design with the tissue paper to add some dimension.
Once the decorating is finished, fold the construction paper in half the long way.
Cut slits about 1 inch apart along the fold and stop about 1 inch below the edge of the paper.
Open the construction paper and staple it together vertically to make the lantern.
Staple a strip of construction paper across the top of the lantern to make a handle.

Adding tissue paper.

Everyone busy at work.

They all really got into this project!

Even Chloe had fun watching the activity.

Of course Caleb had to make his look more like a boy's lantern. :)

Music for a Sunday - Mary Did You Know

2011-12-11T07:05:00.000-08:00

Just think......

Mary did you know that when you kissed your little baby, you KISSED THE FACE OF GOD!

\

Crafting Wish List

2011-12-10T10:53:00.000-08:00

This is what I would love to be crafting for Christmas IF I actually had time to craft! Oh well, a girl can dream, right? These are all ideas I have picked from Pinterest. Have fun browsing and have a lovely Saturday!

This wreath is made using toilet paper tubes! Check it out at Create Serendipity.

Glitter covered light bulbs at Crafting and Creativity.

Snowflake Pillows at Noodlehead

Felt Snowman Ornaments at Talk to Me Crafty

Woven Star Ornament from old book pages at House Revivals.

Brown Sugar and Spice Cookies

2011-12-09T22:10:00.000-08:00

The kids had a ball getting to help make these cookies today. They tasted so good that there are hardly any left and they will be asking to make another batch tomorrow!

1/2 cup margarine or butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 large egg
2 tbsp milk

2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

Cream margarine and brown sugar in large bowl. Add egg and milk. Beat well.

Combine next 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Add to margarine mixture in 2 additions, mixing well after each addition. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to about 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. Roll out scraps to cut more shapes. Arrange 2 inches apart on parchment-paper lined cookie sheets.

If you look in the picture, we made the bears with little red hearts. I used a small heart cutter to cut out the shape. Then I crushed a couple of Jolly Rancher candies and filled the heart spaces. I wasn't actually to impressed with the way the Jolly Ranchers melted, but that was all I had available at the time. The original recipe suggested to use crushed hard caramel candies, which sounds really good too. Just remember to use the parchment paper on your cookie sheets for easy removal of the cookies with the melted candy.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 8 to 10 minutes until golden and candy is melted. Let stand on cookie sheets for 10 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool.

Makes approximately 2 1/2 dozen cookies.

A Yummy Meal of Greek Food

2011-12-08T07:37:00.000-08:00

Here is a flashback to a meal we had this past August and I'm finally getting around to posting about it now. Better late than never, right?

On the menu:

Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes

Seasoned Lamb Chops

Greek Salad

Steamed Asparagus

Greek Lemon Roasted Potatoes, the recipe can be found at Mennonite Girls Can Cook. I have tried making lemon potatoes before and was never happy with the results. But this recipe is perfect, the potatoes roast beautifully and taste wonderful. I would be happy just easting a plateful of these!

Seasoned Lamb Chops: I sprinkle these heavily with oregano and the lightly with salt and pepper. I bake them in my toaster oven at about 400 degrees for approximately 35 to 45 minutes. I turn them over about half way through so that everything browns evenly. I know they are done when they start to smell amazing!

This is a typical Greek Salad with cucumber, tomato, Greek olives, and of course delicious Feta cheese. The dressing is olive oil, red wine vinegar and oregano.

I don't know if asparagus qualifies as Greek food, but hubby loves it, especially when it is smothered in hollandaise sauce and he loves to have it with lamb chops. Two of his very favorite foods.

Mmmm, this looks so good, I want to make it again real soon! Too bad lamb chops are sooooo expensive!

Change For A Dollar

2011-12-07T08:22:00.000-08:00

I saw this video posted by Cheryl over at On The Old Path and I had to repost it! When you watch it, make sure you have some tissue handy!

It reminds me of the passage in the Bible found in Matthew 25:35-40.

"For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me." The the righteous will answer him, saying, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?" And the King will answer them, "Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me."

Sean Quigley - Little Drummer Boy

2011-12-06T18:04:00.000-08:00

One of my friends posted this on her Facebook page. I don't always bother with clicking on links to stories or videos, but I'm glad I did with this one. Sean Quigley is a 16 year old Canadian high school student who put this video together. Watch it and then read the story below.

Here's the story from the Winnipeg Sun:

A new Christmas video produced by a young Charleswood musician is drumming up attention online, in Winnipeg and beyond.

And Sean Quigley, the Oak Park High School student who plays all instruments in his video for his rendition of Little Drummer Boy, says he did it only to honour Jesus and his birth some 2,000 years ago.

“I guess it comes back to the story of the song — just a drummer boy who goes to find Jesus, and has absolutely nothing to give him,” Quigley, a 16-year-old in Grade 11, told the Winnipeg Sun on Thursday.

“He plays the drum for Jesus, and that makes him so happy. And that’s me. That’s why I’m doing it.”

The video — also shot and edited by Quigley, and posted to YouTube on Thursday — has several of his school friends and his older sister appearing at points throughout the production, holding signs saying, “Merry Christmas,” in a number of languages. He plays the drums and sings the Yuletide staple, while seemingly on a joyful trek across Winnipeg with his instrument.

When recording the song in his home’s basement studio, though, Quigley not only sang and drummed, but played all the instruments — including guitar, bass and piano — heard in the video.

“My dad was a drummer, so he got me into that early,” he said of the instrument he began learning at the age of four.

“Then I just sort of expanded my music in general, learning different instruments. A lot was self-taught. There were a few formal lessons, as well.”

James McLellan, an Oak Park film teacher, describes his student’s production as an “incredible feat of artistic achievement,” particularly for such a young performer.

“This video has a lot of heart. It’s Sean. He’s a super nice guy,” McLellan said.

“You can tell how hard he works, and how positive he is. It comes through in the video. That’s the most beautiful thing about this. It’s just honest.”

Quigley explained that he “sort of just picked up the knowledge” of video shot selections and editing while working on other school films. As for his music, it’s a passion that comes in part through performing with a band about three times a week at Oasis Community Church.

Though he would “love to do it as a career,” he added, his musical aspiration is not about fame.

“It’s not about me getting recognition,” Quigley said.

“This song is about Jesus. That’s what it’s about.”

Still, Quigley might have to accept a little more recognition around school for a while. He’s heard “really positive stuff,” he said, since putting the video online in Thursday’s wee hours.

“I was up all night. I didn’t get to bed until about 8,” he said at school in the early afternoon.

“So I slept all morning. I showed up now, and it’s been played in almost every class.”

ross.romaniuk@sunmedia.ca

How to Laminate Without a Laminator

2011-12-05T08:37:00.000-08:00

While browsing on Pinterest one day I came across the idea of laminating without a laminator. I knew I had to give it a try. I had an activity book for the kids that I had purchased a while ago and there were were quite a few pages with pictures to be cut out and laminated. I haven't had a chance to get to Staples to have them do the laminating and I didn't want to sped the money at this time to buy my own laminator.

Sorry for the glare on my photos, I was working with a lot of glossy material! :)

I purchased a package of laminating pouches at Walmart. I think it was around $8.00.

Arrange the pieces to be laminated inside the pouch. Then sandwich the pouch between some fabric. I used a tea towel folded in half. Because I was working on my kitchen counter top, I placed my wood cutting board under the towel.

The I took my iron and let it sit in place for about 30 seconds in each place. I suppose it depends on the iron and how thick the tea towel is. I just kept checking every 30 seconds or so.

It can be seen on this pouch that part of it had laminated where I applied the heat on the right. Before they are laminated the pouches are kind of cloudy. I just kept checking it and applied more heat where needed.

Here is my nice pile of pictures all laminated and cut out!

This works really well if you just have a small amount of laminating to do. I'm not sure that I would use it to laminate full sheets of paper though, as they would not turn out to be very smooth.

Music for a Sunday: The Piano Guys - Nearer My God to Thee

2011-12-04T20:46:00.000-08:00

I just found out about The Piano Guys this week. I like!

Christmas Baking Exchange - What I Brought Home

2011-12-03T08:29:00.000-08:00

I posted about my Caramel Pecan Cookies for the baking exchange I participated in this week. Here's all the yummy goodness that I got to take home. I think I may need to track down some recipes for some of these.

Coconut Jam Tarts

I didn't get the official name of these, but don't they look good?

Nanaimo Bars

Crispy Fudge

Midnight Mints

Butter Tart Squares

Jam Filled Cookies

Caramel Pecan Cookies for a Christmas Baking Exchange

2011-12-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

These cookies turned out beautifully for a Christmas Baking Exchange that I participated in. There were eight of us ladies involved in the exchange and I will be posting pictures of some of the other goodies that were brought.

1 cup hard margarine or butter, softened

1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

3 large eggs

2 tbsp milk

2 tsp vanilla

4 cups flour

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

CARAMEL TOPPING

bag of caramels (about 40)

2 tbsp milk

Pecan halves (approx 2/3 cup)

1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/4 cup whipping cream

Cream margarine and sugars in large bowl. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Add the milk and vanilla. Beat until smooth.

Combine next four ingredients in separate large bowl. Add to margarine mixture in 4 additions, mixing well after each addition until no dry flour remains. Divide dough in half, shape into a ball and flatten. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 1/2 hours. (I put mine into a covered bowl and chilled overnight.) Once chilled, roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to about 1/4 inch thickness (I found the dough to be quite sticky and had to use a fair amount of flour to roll it out). Using a round cookie cutter or a drinking glass cut out circles. Roll out scraps to cut out more circles. Arrange 2 inches apart (make sure to leave this space as they spread out a fair amount) on ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in 350 degree oven for 7 to 9 minutes or until edges are just lightly golden. Let stand on cookie sheets for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. Cool cookie sheets between batches. Repeat with remaining dough.

CARAMEL TOPPING

Unwrap and place caramels in a heavy saucepan. Add milk. Heat and stir on medium-low until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. Reduce heat to low to keep warm. Makes about 1 cup of topping. Spread 1 tsp on each cookie, leaving a 1/4 inch edge.

****Here's where I had a bit of an adventure. I decided to try making my own caramel sauce. It starts with cooking sugar and water until it starts to turn golden. My first batch burned because I think I had the heat too high. The second batch did not work because I think I had the heat too low. The water kept cooking off before the sugar could start to turn color. Then I decided to use caramel ice cream topping instead. ****Ice cream topping is fine to use if you are NOT transporting the cookies. Since these were for an exchange I actually had a really hard time packaging them as the caramel and the chocolate drizzle would not dry enough to prevent smearing. ****Next time I will try melting the caramels.

ANYWAYS...

Place 1 pecan half on top of caramel. Let stand until set. May be chilled to speed setting.

Heat the whipping cream in a double boiler until warmed, then add the chocolate chips. Whisk until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool for about ten minutes. Spoon into a piping bag or into a resealable freezer bag with a tiny piece snipped off the corner. Drizzle the chocolate in a decorative pattern over each cookie. Let stand until set.

Makes about 4 dozen cookies.

I used the caramel ice cream topping but if I make these again I will use the melted caramels.

Adding the chocolate with a fine tip.

Pretty cookies!

Now to package them for delivery...

I could only put six on a plate in order to avoid the caramel and chocolate from smearing everywhere.

Welcoming Visitors in Church

2011-12-01T09:25:00.000-08:00

Our pastor sends out a weekly newsletter by e-mail and he included a link to a video which made me laugh. Because we are a new church plant, there is a big emphasis on inviting people to come and to make visitors feel welcome. This video demonstrates how it can feel to be the new person walking into a room of intimidating strangers.

Canning Apple Pie Filling

2011-11-29T17:56:00.000-08:00

I made these up a while ago and I'm finally getting around to posting about it.

6 quarts fresh sliced apples (about 30 apples - to keep the apples from browning, place the slices in a bowl of water with a good splash of lemon juice)

5 cups sugar

1 1/2 cups Clear Jel. I got mine from Golda's Kitchen - The very best in cooking starches for home canned pie fillings and other bakery products. Unlike other starches, it retains a smooth consistency during heat processing.)

1 tbsp cinnamon

2 1/2 cups water

5 cups apple juice ( I did not have apple juice at the time. Instead I used approx 4 1/2 cups of water and increased the lemon juice by about 1/2 cup for acidity.)

3/4 cup bottled lemon juice

Combine sugar, Clear Jel, cinnamon, water, and apple juice in a large pot. Stir and cook on medium high heat until the mixture thickens and begins to bubble. Add the lemon juice and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add the apple slices to the sauce. (I had to transfer everything to my biggest Tupperware bowl in order to mix everything.)

Fill jars with mixture, leaving 1 inch of head space and make sure the jar rims are clean. Add lids and rings. Place jars in canner with at least 1 inch of water above the jar lids. I processed mine for about 40 minutes for altitudes above 3000 feet.

*****IMPORTANT*****

After the processing time is complete, remove the canner from heat, but do not take the jars out of the canner. Leave them for at least fifteen minutes. From my experience, if they were removed immediately after processing, the gel mixture was still boiling inside the jar. Because it was so thick and bubbling, some of it would actually seep out under the lid and ring. This caused a huge mess and some of my jars did not seal. By leaving the jars in the canner under water, there was little to no seeping and it was enough time for the mixture inside the jars to stop boiling. I also kept my jars out on the counter for a few days to regularly check and make sure that they had stayed sealed.

Use this yummy filling for apple pies of course, but also to make apple crisp, as an ice cream topping, or for Mini Apple Pies.

Makes about 7 pints and each pint is enough for an 8 or 9 inch pie.

Operation Christmas Child - Shoebox Delivery

2011-11-28T08:04:00.000-08:00

We live close to a warehouse for Operation Christmas Child, so I really like to have the kids bring their shoeboxes for drop-off there. We could have brought our boxes to a nearby church, but this way makes it a bit more real for them. I have done this in years past and we bring the boxes, say hello to the nice volunteers and the kids might get a balloon or a sticker or a tattoo. This past week when we went, they staff asked if we would like a tour of the warehouse. We were happy to accept the offer!

Caleb and Bekah putting our boxes on the shelf.

Calen, Bekah, and Judah. So proud of the boxes they helped to pack.

Even Chloe got in on the activities.

Gordon was our guide. This display case shows the many different ways that shoeboxes travel to get to their destinations. We learned that they no longer ship by air due to the costs involved. The boxes from the Calgary warehouse will travel by truck to Vancouver. Then they will be loaded onto a ship and head out to their destined countries.

The Calgary warehouse. There was not any work going on when we were there. This shows some of the sorting stations.

Cartons ready to be filled with shoeboxes. About 7000 shoeboxes were delivered this past Tuesday by the EMS services participating from Southern Alberta. We missed it this year, but I have tried to time our drop off on the same day that all the ambulances full of boxes arrive at the warehouse. It's pretty neat to see the big caravan and the kids love it.

Gordon showed us where the boxes from the Calgary warehouse would be shipped.

Argentina, Equatorial Guinea, Guatemala, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Sierra Leone, Venezuela

The Shoebox Hospital - Boxes that are not full enough come to this station to be topped up with treats and toys.

Each carton is labelled with how many boxes are inside, if they are for boy or girl, and the age range of the children.

Empty shelves waiting for more cartons to be filled and then shipped.

The kids were excited to see one of the big trucks.

And another big truck!

The Calgary Location of Samaritan's Purse and Operation Christmas Child

Linking this post with:

Sponsor a Child or Buy a Chicken

2011-11-18T18:47:00.000-08:00

I'm sure this is a familiar sight to many moms. Along with the words "Mommy I'm full. What's for dessert?". Well dear, how about bread crusts and cheese for dessert! So I tell her that she can put her food in a tupperware container and when she gets hungry she can finish her lunch.

This irks me anyways, but even more so at this time of year when we get all the gift catalogues in the mail for Compassion, World Vision, Gospel for Asia, etc. I also makes me think of the two kids we sponsor through Compassion and how before Compassion they probably did not have enough to eat!

Please consider sponsoring a child this Christmas. They need the money so much more than we do! Or even buy a chicken in someone's name rather than giving another gift that isn't really needed.

Not Enough Hours in the Day

2011-11-17T16:52:00.000-08:00

I keep wanting to post more here on my blog.....where do I find the time? I have ideas and recipes and stories that I want to write about, but I just can't seem to find the time lately. I am constantly trying to work on becoming more organized and less cluttered. I know it will help, but I'm just not where I want to be yet. This, along with caring for my family, homeschooling, and providing child care as a Day Home Provider leaves me with little time left for anything I want to do hobby-wise like blogging, reading and crafting.

I guess I will just keep on trying.....

Back to Work - Day Home Provider

2011-11-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

Back in the fall of 2006 I started a Day Home in order to bring in some extra money and still stay home with Caleb, he was 1 1/2 at the time. I continued providing child care with a break of one to two months after Bekah and Judah were born until this past spring when I had made the decision to quit before Chloe was born.

Unfortunately we find ourselves missing that extra money each month. I felt that caring four our own four young kids plus homeschooling Caleb for grade 1 was more than enough for me to handle every day and it was not my intention or desire to start proving child care again. We were making ends meet financially, but that's about it. I discussed it with hubby and told him that I didn't really want to add extra kids to my busy work load but I was also willing to do what was needed to help out.

When I was working previously my Day Home was registered with a government accredited Day Home Agency called Sonshine Family Day Homes. Working with an agency in Alberta gives many benefits, including insurance, extra subsidies, and support.

There is also the option of working as a private Day Home Provider. This means that you do not have anyone checking up on you and you do not have agency support.

Currently I am a private Day Home due to a delay in paperwork. Day Home agencies require a Criminal Records Check for all adults living in the home. If one of the details of your information matches that of a known criminal, fingerprinting is required. So this is what happened with Hubby's criminal record check and now it has been sent off for processing. There is a back-log with fingerprint processing so it could take from three to six months for it to be returned to us.

Working as a Day Home Provider can be a difficult job but what makes it easier is great clients and kids that fit in with your own family. It's nice for my kids to have a playmate that comes every day and they have developed some friendships that way.

I have two friends from church that are also Day Home Providers. This is a huge bonus for support and understanding when we run into frustrating times on the job. We are also able to provide back-up care for each other when we need some time off for appointments or holidays.

How much does a Provider earn? It can depend on where you live and if you are registered with an agency. Where I live the average monthly rate for full time care is about $750.00 per month. Daily rates are about $40.00 per day. When I do start working with Sonshine Family Day Homes again I will also be subsidized $2.14 per hour worked and an incentive of $150.00 per month for each child that is under 18 months of age.

At this time I have a four year old girl who will be here 10 days per month and a sixteen month old boy who will be here 7 days per month. That will keep me busy enough for now and I will see how things go before deciding to take on any more part-time clients.

Isn't Bekah cute? We were visiting at my cousin's farm this summer and she carried this kitten around for at least an hour!

Sigh....It's Monday....

2011-10-31T05:39:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when you stay up late, one of the kids wakes up in the middle of the night and then the baby starts her day at 4:00 AM????? To makes things more interesting, we have a doctor appointment this morning and a homeschool meeting this afternoon. It's going to be a busy day with little sleep. I am trying to start it with a good attitude -- this is my job, my profession, and I will try to do it well for today and then again for tomorrow and the day after. I will persevere and rely on God's help to make it through today.

Spending time with Oma. This was taken a couple of weeks ago after my parents returned from a visit to Holland. My mom had to get her baby fix in after being overseas almost three weeks.

Butternut Squash and Bacon Pasta

2011-10-27T07:41:00.000-07:00

This is not my picture and this is not my recipe. You will find it over at Alli-n-son where Allison made this delicious meal. And Allison got the recipe from Rebecca at A Dusting of Sugar. So check out either one of these lovely blogs to find out how to make this. It's really yummy.

I was facing the four o-'clock "what am I going to make for supper" dilemma. I happened to click on Allison's blog at that time, saw this recipe, and knew I had everything to make it. It is a bit of work to put it together but it's worth it. COMFORT FOOD!!!

Hubby was skeptical about this because of the squash, be he ended up having two big helpings and raving about how good it was. Caleb is definitely the pickiest eater here and he even had two helpings of it. You know you have a keeper when they say "Can you make this again?"

Chicken and Soba Noodles

2011-10-26T10:58:00.000-07:00

I happened to buy a package of Soba noodles from the discount rack and thought I could do something with them just for a change. They went into the cupboard for a while and then I found a recipe in Family Circle magazine using these noodles. Soba is the Japanese name for buckwheat. They are very thin noodles, though the package I bought was 10.25 oz and it made a lot of food.

3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp fresh grated ginger (I used 1/4 tsp dry ground ginger)
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp lime juice (I had to use lemon juice)
1/4 tsp hot sauce (I did not add it to the recipe because of the kids, but added it to my plate when it was time to eat)
1 tbsp canola oil
1 lb boneless, skinless, thinly sliced chicken breasts (I used leftover turkey and since it was a little dry, I just simmered it in some water for a few minutes to add a bit of moisture)
1 pkg soba noodles (8.8 oz)
3 cups broccoli florets (I used some snow peas instead)
1 small sweet red pepper, diced
1 tbsp sesame seeds for garnish

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, ginger, sugar, lime juice, and hot sauce.
In a large skillet, saute the chicken in the canola oil until cooked through; set aside.
Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook noodles following package directions. Add broccoli florets (or snow peas) to pot for final 4 minutes of cooking time. Drain noodles and rinse with cold water.
Place noodle mixture and red pepper in a serving bowl with chicken. Drizzle soy sauce mixture on top and toss well to coat. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top. If desired, serve at room temperature or cold. I served mine as a hot meal and it was just fine.

This was good, but I found it definitely needed a bit of kick with the hot sauce. The kids ate it quite well without the hot sauce.

Busy Bag Swap - Some of the Results

2011-10-25T07:52:00.000-07:00

I participated in two busy bag swaps a while ago over at Unsolicited Advice. It was fun and exciting to get the boxes back in the mail to see what we got in return. The kids couldn't wait to try things out!

Spell the Word - The free printables can be found at Unsolicited Advice. I need to make some more letters for this one, there were not enough included to spell some of the words.

Pinchers and Small Items - I added an ice cube tray to this bag and will keep my eyes open for better pinchers as these are a bit hard for the kids to use.

Kool-Aid Play Dough and Play Mats - We got some lovely purple play dough and a recipe was included to make more if we wanted. The mats are from a website called Sparklebox where there are tons of printable mats available.

Spell the Word - These letter tiles were also laminated which is great for keeping them more durable.

Eye Spy Bottle - I have seen these around and had thought about making one. This one has rainbow rice in it.

It came with a list of items to search for in the bottle. Also included on the list were different activities and ways to use the Eye Spy Bottle.

My kids aren't able to use the printed list that came with the bottle, they can't read (though Caleb is starting to catch on). I cut the bottle open (the lid was glued on, which is great as you do not want little hands opening this and dumping the contents everywhere) and removed all the items from the rice. Then I put them all out on the table and took a picture of them. I will need to get this printed off and then the kids can use the picture to help them search for the items inside the bottle.

Ladybug Math Mat - Choose a number card which has the number on one side or the same about of dots on the other side. The child then puts the same number of black dots on the ladybug.

Pictures of the Family

2011-10-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

Just posting some pictures of the family today. I know some relatives are checking in, so here's an update on the kids.

I love when the kids just sit themselves on the couch and quietly "read" books together.

Caleb's lego creation

I had to get a picture of Judah in this outfit. It will be the last time he wears it as summer has gone away and it will not fit him next year. I have a picture of Caleb wearing the same outfit.

Bekah showing a book to Chloe. The kids love their baby sister.

Cuddles with mommy.

Sweet happy girl.

Having a chat with daddy.

Hubby was shaving, so he put Chloe in her bumbo seat and parked her on the toilet so she could watch! :)

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving

2011-10-10T09:33:00.000-07:00

We had a beautiful impromptu church service outdoors yesterday in the late afternoon. Normally we rent space in another church for a morning and afternoon service, but yesterday we did not have a key to get into the building for our pm service. It was decided to have the service at a nearby park which has a small stage area and amphitheater seating.

So imagine this...

5:00 Sunday afternoon, October 9.
The sun still nice and warm on your back.
The beautiful late afternoon sunlight of a fall day.
The creek behind the pastor as he preaches.
The sound of a water fountain in the creek.
A wonderful message of giving thanks to God in all things, for God commands us to give thanks to him.
Singing praises to God in the great outdoors.
Cuddling my sweet baby Chloe on my lap while listening to the sermon.
Fellowshipping with church family on a peaceful Sunday evening.

Psalm 92
How Great Are Your Works
A Psalm. A Song for the Sabbath.
¹ It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
   to sing praises to your name, O Most High;
²to declare your steadfast love in the morning,
   and your faithfulness by night,
³to the music of the lute and the harp,
   to the melody of the lyre.
⁴For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work;
   at the works of your hands I sing for joy. ⁵How great are your works, O LORD!
   Your thoughts are very deep!
⁶The stupid man cannot know;
   the fool cannot understand this:
⁷that though the wicked sprout like grass
   and all evildoers flourish,
they are doomed to destruction forever;
⁸but you, O LORD, are on high forever.
⁹For behold, your enemies, O LORD,
   for behold, your enemies shall perish;
   all evildoers shall be scattered.
¹⁰But you have exalted my horn like that of the wild ox;
   you have poured over me fresh oil.
¹¹My eyes have seen the downfall of my enemies;
   my ears have heard the doom of my evil assailants.
¹² The righteous flourish like the palm tree
   and grow like a cedar in Lebanon.
¹³They are planted in the house of the LORD;
   they flourish in the courts of our God.
¹⁴They still bear fruit in old age;
   they are ever full of sap and green,
¹⁵ to declare that the LORD is upright;
   he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

A Strong Woman Versus a Woman of Strength

2011-10-09T11:13:00.000-07:00

A strong woman works out every day to keep her body in shape...
but a woman of strength kneels in prayer to keep her soul in shape...

A strong woman isn't afraid of anything...
but a woman of strength shows courage in the midst of her fear...

A strong woman won't let anyone get the best of her...
but a woman of strength gives the best of her to everyone...

A strong woman makes mistakes and avoids the same in the future...
a woman of strength realizes life's mistakes can also be God's blessings and capitalizes on them...

A strong woman walks sure-footedly...
but a woman of strength knows God will catch her when she falls...

A strong woman wears the look of confidence on her face...
but a woman of strength wears grace...

A strong woman has faith that she is strong enough for the journey...
but a woman of strength has faith that it is in the journey that she will become strong...

--Marta S. Hardy

Boston Cream Cupcakes

2011-10-07T16:12:00.000-07:00

Oh dear, these were NOT good for my diet, and that was even before I tasted a cupcake. The bowl of vanilla pudding and the chocolate ganache were just as fun to lick out!

6 tbsp shortening
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp milk
1 pkg prepared vanilla pudding (you will have leftovers)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

Cream shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and beat well. Stir in vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; add to the creamed mixture alternately with milk, beating well after each addition.

Fill paper-lined muffin cups half full. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until baked through. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool completely.

Cut a small hole in the corner of a pastry bag or plastic bag, insert a small decorating tip. Push the tip at least half way into each cupcake. Squeeze until a bit of the pudding starts to ooze out around the decorating tip.

Using a double boiler (I used a bowl that fit over a saucepan) warm the cream to almost a boil. Add the chocolate chips and whisk until melted and smooth. Cool, stirring occasionally, to room temperature or until the ganache thickens slightly, about 10 minutes. Spoon the chocolate over the cupcakes. Let stand until set. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

Make 1 dozen cupcakes.

World Record Attempt for a Soybean Harvest

2011-10-07T13:25:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite bloggers, Ann Voskamp of A Holy Experience just posted about a soybean harvest which was an attempt to break a world record. There were 120 combines harvesting 160 acres is less than 12 minutes. Ann writes "I am choked up and it has nothing to do with the air." I felt the same way as I was reading the story and watching the video clips.

Read Ann's story here.

Watch a video clip here:
CTV Southwestern Ontario - Farmers just miss soybean harvest world record - CTV News

Country Wisdom - Just for Fun!

2011-10-07T08:33:00.000-07:00

I saw this in a little local newspaper and had to share. As I was reading it, I found myself nodding my head in a agreement to more than one of these. :)

COUNTRY WISDOM

Don't name a pig you plan to eat.

Country fences need to be horse high, pig tight, and bull strong.

Life is simple when you plow around the stumps.

A bumble bee is faster than a John Deere tractor.

Trouble with a milk cow is she won't stay milked .

Don't skinny dip with snapping turtles.

Words that soak into your ears are whispered, not yelled.

Meanness doesn't happen overnight.

To know how country folks are doing, look at their barns, not their houses.

Teachers, Moms, and hoot owls sleep with one eye open.

Forgive your enemies. It messses with their heads.

Autumn Pear Muffins

2011-10-06T05:21:00.000-07:00

The smell of these muffins as they were baking was wonderful!

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 cup cold butter
2 eggs
1/4 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup finely chopped peeled ripe pears (my pears were really ripe and I did not bother peeling them, I also chopped them up in my food processor)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and nutmeg. Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, buttermilk, and vanilla; stir into crumb mixture until just moistened. Fold in the pears.

Spoon into paper lined muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until baked through.

Courageous Movie and Music

2011-10-01T07:03:00.000-07:00

Hubby and I are looking forward to seeing this movie which was released yesterday. Sounds like it will be really good. AND we really love Casting Crowns and the song too!

Cinnamon Bun Layer Cake

2011-09-30T13:43:00.000-07:00

Mmmmmmmm, you need to make this!

FIRST:
Coat two 9" round pans with cooking spray and then make the bottom coating of the cake.
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter at room temperature
1 tsp cinnamon
Combine ingredients and then spread half the mixture in each pan.

I used square pans as I do not have two round pans the same size. One of them is lined with parchment paper or I would have had butter leaking from the bottom of the pan. My base coating here is actually too thin and runny as my butter was too warm. Then when I poured the batter on top, the coating got pushed to the sides. You want the coating mixture to be a bit more solid, and then spread it out to cover the bottom of the pan.

SECOND:
Make the cake batter.
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup sour cream
3 eggs
1/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup milk
Combine all ingredients in mixer bowl and mix until blended. Increase speed to med-high and beat for about two minutes. Transfer 1 cup of batter to a separate bowl and set aside. Divide the remaining batter between the two pans.

Batter added to the pans.

THIRD:
Using the 1 cup of batter that was set aside add:
3 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon
Mix well. Drop this cinnamon batter by tablespoonfuls onto the batter in the pans. Then using your spoon, gently swirl the cinnamon batter without disturbing the cinnamon coating that was first put in the pan.

Cinnamon batter.

Cinnamon batter added to each pan.

Swirl the batter with your spoon.

FOURTH:
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes or until cakes are baked through.

FIFTH:
Make the frosting.
2 pkg (8oz each) cream cheese at room temperature
3/4 cup butter at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
3 cups icing sugar
Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla until smooth. Beat in sugar until light and fluffy. Take one cake layer and place it sugar-side up on a plate. Spread about one cup of icing on the cake layer. Top with the second cake layer, placing it sugar-side down. Spread remaining frosting over the cake. Garnish with cinnamon sticks if desired.

Isn't it pretty? I really like the way this picture turned out!

Easy Home Made Playdough

2011-09-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

The kids wanted to play with playdough today, but when we brought it out, the old playdough was certainly looking old and getting a little too dry, so we made up a bunch of new colors.

1 cup white flour

1/4 cup salt

2 tbsp cream of tartar

1 cup water

1 tbsp oil

food coloring

Mix the flour, salt, cream of tartar in a medium pot. Add the water and oil. Cook and stir over medium heat. When the mixture starts to come off the sides of the pot and is no longer sticky, turn it out and knead lightly on the counter top. Mix in your food coloring, I used the Wilton gel colors, and continue to knead until the color is nicely incorporated.

Store in an air tight container or plastic bag. This makes really nice dough and it stays good for a very long time.

Caleb is building volcanoes.

Judah having fun.

Bekah showing off her teal playdough. Hmmmm, I haven't done her hair yet today!

We made blue, green, yellow, brown, teal, red and purple. I made a triple batch the first time and a double batch the second time and then just divided the dough into similar sized balls.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

2011-09-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

Canning can be such a big job and it is always more fun to do it with a friend or two. Lots of work gets done and lots of conversation is had. The kids get to have a play date too and the moms can take turns helping the kids if they need something. So put on a pot of coffee, plug in a crock pot full of soup for lunch and do some canning for the day!

Last week I got together with a couple of friends and we made zucchini salsa. Today I had another friend over and we made Black Bean and Corn Salsa. We started with a case of 20 pounds of tomatoes and ended up with 30 pints of salsa, plus almost four quarts of the liquid I drained off from the tomatoes. I'll add the tomato liquid to soups this winter.

This salsa is so yummy! I enjoyed some of it at supper time with a taco salad, and when I added a little sour cream, it was delicious. I know what I'm having for lunch tomorrow!

Thirty jars all filled up!

8 cups tomatoes, peeled, chopped and drained (make sure to drain or it will be a very soupy salsa)
2 1/2 cups onions, chopped
1 1/2 cups green pepper
1 cup jalapeno pepper, chopped (remove as much seeds and membranes to suit your taste)
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp black pepper
1/8 cup pickling salt
1 cup vinegar
2 small cans tomato paste
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 cups corn, you can use frozen or canned or fresh
1 1/2 tsp Sambal Oelek (or to taste) I find Sambal in the ethnic aisle at the grocery store. If you can't find it, you can also use dry crushed chilies to taste.

Combine all ingredients in a large pot and heat just to boiling. Fill hot sterilized jars and process in a boiling water canner for 30 minutes at altitudes over 3000 ft. One recipe makes approximately 7 pints.

So yummy!

Beautiful Music for a Beautiful Sunday

2011-09-25T14:17:00.000-07:00

I have been enjoying the music of David Nevue. Here is one of my favourites.

Have a blessed Sunday!

What Happens when Your 6 Year Old Has the Camera

2011-09-23T15:46:00.000-07:00

Caleb had the camera the other day. It's interesting to see the perspective of a six year old!

Self portrait.

Current favourite toys

School stuff

Game on the i-pad.

Lego creation

Lego Knight

Silly sister.

Sweet baby.

The Chaos of Canning

2011-09-17T10:44:00.000-07:00

During canning season I just can't help myself, I NEED to fill jars with wonderful fresh fruit to feed my family during the long cold winter. Doing all this work with four young children in the house is not an easy task, but I work on it whenever I can and also experience some sleep deprivation. It's just for a short season, so I don't mind. It's extremely rewarding and satisfying to see all those beautiful jars lined up!

Along with all the work comes all the mess......

Kitchen counter piled high with stuff. It doesn't help that I don't have very much counter space.

Clutter everywhere.

This pictures doesn't show it too well, but the floor under my table is a disaster. When is the last time that got swept up?

And the laundry......Piles folded and not yet put away. And in the mean time, more baskets ready to fold.

HAPPY CANNING EVERYONE!

Sweet Pickle Relish

2011-09-16T08:33:00.000-07:00

6 lbs cucumbers (I used the small pickling cucumbers)
1/4 cup finely chopped red pepper, packed
3 1/2 tbsp pickling salt

2 2/3 cups granulated sugar
1 cup vinegar
1 cup water
1 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp celery seed

Clean cucumbers and remove stem ends if needed. Chop them up in a food processor. Place cucumber and red pepper into a large bowl and mix in the salt. Cover and let stand on the counter overnight.

The next day, line a strainer or colander with two layers of cheesecloth. Working in batches, place some of the mixture in the cheesecloth, rinse with cool water and then gather the cheesecloth and squeeze out the extra liquid. Put the mixture into a large pot and add the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil on medium heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Boil for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour into hot, sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch from the top. Process in canner for 20 minutes at altitudes of 3000 feet. Makes 4 half pints.

Baking Day: Zucchini Bars, Zucchini Muffins, and Banana Bread

2011-09-15T11:03:00.000-07:00

I did a bunch of baking yesterday and here's what I made.

At the top of the picture is banana bread, the squares to the right are zucchini bars and the muffins are also zucchini.

The recipes can be found here:

My banana bread recipe.

One of my favourite blogs to read right now is Heavenly Homemakers and I tried out a couple of recipes from there. There are tons of great family recipes and lots of other interesting reading.

Zucchini bars from Heavenly Homemakers

Whole Wheat Honey and Zucchini muffins from Heavenly Homemakers

Spicy Gingerbread Muffins

2011-08-24T10:19:00.000-07:00

When I saw this recipe at Sweet As Sugar Cookies, I knew I had to make it for hubby. It sounded exactly like something he would like to eat, as he really enjoys big bold flavour in his food.. So I made them and he loved them. There is an interesting spice combination which includes black pepper, white pepper and cayenne pepper. Try these out and see if you can taste the pepper!

1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp ginger powder
1/4 tsp powdered dry mustard
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp cardamom
2 eggs
1/2 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup molasses
3 Tbsp freshly grated ginger
2/3 cup hot water

Combine the flour, baking soda, salt, and spices. Beat the eggs and sugars until thick. In a slow, steady stream, add the oil and molasses. Stir in the grated ginger.

Add the flour mixture in three batches, alternating with the hot water and mixing well after each addition. Pour the batter into the muffin cups and bake at 350F for about 20 to 25 minutes. The batter will be quite runny, but they bake up very nicely.

Canning Gooseberry Jam

2011-08-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

I love gooseberry jam and I made it for the first time last year and it was so good. I needed to make another batch for this year. I buy my berries from the Hutterites at the Farmer's Market.

Gooseberries are rich in pectin and this jam is made the old-fashioned way without added pectin by just cooking until it reaches a setting point.

Ingredients:
6 cups gooseberries
1 1/4 cups water
5 cups sugar
juice of one lemon

Wash the berries and remove all stems.

Place the berries in a deep pot. Add the water and cook over medium heat until the gooseberries are just tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the sugar and the lemon juice. Stir continuously until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Then reduce to medium and continue to cook rapidly until setting point is reached, about 45 minutes. To avoid burning you MUST stir continuously.

Ladle into warm sterilized jars and process for ten minutes in a boiling water canner.

Pretty Princess Chloe

2011-08-21T20:47:00.000-07:00

All dressed up and ready for church.

Isn't she sweet?

My Very First Raspberry!!!!

2011-08-20T07:06:00.000-07:00

This is the very first raspberry from my back yard!!!! Yay, I'm so excited, but at the same time I'm kicking myself for not planting raspberry bushes when we first moved here. I planted two bushes last year and now we are getting a few berries on one of them. I'm looking forward to even more berries next year!

Swimming Lessons for the First Time!!

2011-08-19T05:34:00.000-07:00

We did swimming lessons for a week with Caleb and Bekah and they sure did have fun! This was their first official swimming lessons for each one. It was amazing to see the progress they made in a week. Bekah had a really hard time at the start, she was extremely anxious and afraid, and wanted me right beside her in the pool. My goal had been to not go in with her and then just take Judah into the baby pool while we were waiting for the lesson to finish. But that did not happen, so I went in with Bekah and had Judah along on my hip. Thankfully Chloe slept in her seat each day while we were at the pool.

By the end of the week Bekah did not even want me in the pool with her. She actually told be to go sit on the benches! Both of them gained so much confidence in the water but they will have to repeat the level they were in as they need to improve some of their skills first.

Bekah: "Mommy, this is fun!"

Happy girl.

Caleb

Catching the balls.

"Watch this Mommy!"

No hesitation, just jumping right in!

Canning Raspberry Jam

2011-08-18T08:05:00.000-07:00

We went back to our favourite berry picking place, Jungle Farm. This time it was for raspberries which are hubby's favourite berry. The Farm has had a very good berry season this year and the raspberries were delicious. We picked about 9 pounds and I was able to make two batches of jam and then put the rest in the freezer. Hubby loves to eat them with a big bowl of ice cream.

I just followed the easy recipe that is included in the packets of pectin. I like to throw my jams in the canner for about 10 minutes of processing which is appropriate for our altitude of over 3000 feet above sea level.

Raspberry Lemonade Bars

2011-08-17T12:45:00.000-07:00

These sounded soooo yummy and since we had just gone raspberry picking, I decided to make some. Oh dear, they taste good, very tart, but so delicious! I adapted the recipe from one found at Sophistimom.

For The Crust:
1/2 cup plus 1 tbsp butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup flour
pinch salt

For The Filling:
1 1/2 cups sugar
3 egg whites
1 egg
2/3 cup lemon juice (from 3 lemons)
2 tbsp lemon zest
2/3 cup flour
pinch salt
1 1/2 cups raspberries
1 tbsp icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter, sugar and salt with an electric mixer. Mix in flour just until incorporated. Flour hands and press into an 8" x 8" square baking pan, so that it comes up about 1/2" around the sides. It is not necessary to grease the pan first.

Bake the crust for 20 - 25 minutes or until slightly golden brown. While it cooks, prepare the filling.

Whisk sugar, egg whites, egg, lemon juice and zest, flour and salt in mixer with whisk attachment. Add raspberries and whisk until incorporated. Pour the mixture into the crust. Bake until the filling is completely set. Start checking it at 30 minutes and depending on how wet the filling is, you may need to add more baking time. Mine took at least 50 minutes before the filling was set. When it is done, allow to cool and then dust with some icing sugar. Cut into 16 squares.

I calculated the calorie content and it came out to 181 calories per square.

Strawberry Picking at Jungle Farm

2011-07-25T20:55:00.000-07:00

Saturday we took a little drive to go berry picking. Our destination was The Jungle Farm, which we had discovered last year when we wanted to pick raspberries. It is a wonderful place to spend an afternoon. They grow strawberries, raspberries, vegetables, flowers and pumpkins.

Judah was so excited to discover that the strawberries he loves to eat could be picked off the plants growing in the field.

Bekah

Beautiful berries!

Caleb

There are lots of things for the kids to do while visiting jungle farm.

Checking out the ship.

Judah loved this little play house.

Caleb loved the race track.

He went around and around; his legs were really tired that night. Don't you just love little boys wearing shorts and rubber boots? :)

Chloe slept most of the time.

A train play structure.

Judah having fun.

Having a snack.

Jungle Farm also grows lilies for cutting.

Pretty pink.

Vibrant.

This is the little store and picnic area.

We filled four boxes and ended up with just over 20 lbs of delicious strawberries. They taste so much better than the ones from the grocery store. It's a wonderful once a year treat and outing. Something that I hope to make a family tradition.

Canning Mangos And What a Mango Seed Looks Like

2011-07-21T21:35:00.000-07:00

I friend of mine gave me the idea of canning mangos, so I decided to give it a try. I was able to get a good price on them; $4.97 for 4kg (8.8 lbs). That works out to 56 cents per pound, which is a great price for fresh fruit. I bought two boxes and had to let them ripen a little bit more before I could work on them.

I peeled them with a vegetable peeler. My favourite peeler is made by Tupperware, it works great!

Then I used a knife to cut out sections. This worked quite nicely.

Keep cutting out sections or wedges.

I did cut the wedges into smaller chunks, but I don't have a picture of that, here are my wedges. I had six mangos in my first batch and that gave me about 14 cups of cut up fruit.

Here's what is left, just the gigantic pit.

One of the pits got away from me and ended up in the garburator without me noticing. When I turned it on, there was quite a noise and after checking what the problem was, I discovered a mongo pit that had gotten cut open. So it has an outside shell, and then a big seed inside.

This is the seed part of it when looking at the side.

The seed when sliced open. I just thought it was kind of interesting....

To the 14 cups of fruit I added 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Then I made a sugar syrup of 1 1/2 cups of sugar and 4 cups of water. I boiled the syrup for a few minutes until the sugar was dissolved. I packed the fruit into hot sterilized jars and then topped up the jars with the sugar syrup. I canned then in a boiling water canner for 30 minutes.

After canning a second batch, I ended up with 14 jars of mongos. They will be a treat to enjoy this winter!

And here are some of my canned mangos!

Linking to:

EEEEEEE!!!!! I've been pinned!! :)

2011-07-18T17:07:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I discovered a website called Pinterest and I am finding it to be a bit addictive. Pinterest allows you to create various "pin boards" to which someone can "pin" any image that is found on the internet. In the past week some of my projects from this blog have been pinned. HOW EXCITING!!!!

Check it out:

Rainbow Rice

Felt Cupcakes

Busy Bag Ideas

Recycled Calendar

Felt Snowflake Activity

Busy Bag Swap

2011-07-16T07:25:00.000-07:00

A busy bag is a small activity, craft or project stored in a ziplock bag. It is meant to keep a young child busy and occupied for a time. They are great for taking along to an appointment, for use during homeschooling or any time when you need to keep your little one busy.

I am participating in a busy bag swap over at Unsolicited Advice for busy bags for children about 2 to 5 years old. This particular swap has 368 people participating and they will be divided into groups of 12! That's a lot of coordinating!!! There are separate coordinators for each group. Everyone will choose an activity, prepare 30 bags of that activity, keep them at a cost of about $1.00 each and then send them in. The group coordinator separates and repackages everything and mails them out to the participants. This means I will receive a package with 30 different busy bags!

I will be making a project that I posted about a while ago. The Felt Snowflake Activity.

I better get to work, I have A LOT of snowflake pieces to cut out!!!

Dehydrating Green Peppers

2011-07-12T14:19:00.000-07:00

I was able to get some green peppers from the half price rack a couple of weeks ago and there was nothing wrong with them. I was excited to save some money and I did not have to cut any parts away that had gone bad. Now, what to do with 8 green peppers....dehydrate them!

My half price peppers.

Cut them up and remove pith and seeds. Slice into wedges. After I did this with the eight peppers I ended up with 4.125 lbs of peppers which means each pepper was around 1/2 a pound.

Slice wedges into chunks and place in food processor.

Pulse a few times or how ever long it takes to get pieces that are not too small.

Spread out on dehydrator trays.

Dehydrate in the setting that is for fruits and vegetables, which is around 130 degrees. It took approximately 6 hours for everything to dry.

So my 4.125 lbs of peppers now weighs 4oz. One cup of fresh peppers dries down to 1/4 cup.

What to do with dehydrated peppers.... Add to soup, stew, chilli, etc. I was also inspired to dehydrate peppers in the first place by a post where dried peppers are rehydrated and added to home made salsa.

My Toothless Boy!

2011-07-11T21:37:00.000-07:00

He looks so odd right now. No front teeth on the top. He just turned six in May and he has already lost six teeth. Seems a bit early to me but I guess every kid is different.....

Strawberry-Rhubarb Streusel Pie

2011-07-07T22:06:00.000-07:00

I love Strawberry Rhubarb pie and I made this one last week. OOOHHH YUMMY!!!! You have to try it!

Crust:

Pioneer Woman's Perfect Pie Crust

Filling:

3 1/2 cups rhubarb chopped

1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced

3/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp flour

1/2 tsp lemon juice

Topping:

2/3 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/3 cup margarine or butter

Line a pie plate with pastry.
Combine filling ingredients and pour into crust.
Combine topping ingredients and use a pastry cutter to blend in the butter or margarine.
Spread topping over the filling.
Bake @375 degrees for 50 minutes.

ENJOY!!!

Rainbow Rice

2011-07-06T21:53:00.000-07:00

I have seen rainbow rice in a few places in blogland lately and just HAD to make some for the kids! Easy to make and they LOVE it!

Supplies Needed:

5 lb bag of rice
glass or metal bowl (plastic will get stained)
vinegar or rubbing alcohol
2 cookie sheets covered with foil or parchment paper
food colouring, liquid or gel

I started with mixing the rice and the food colouring in jars, but that involved waaaaay too much shaking and I found it MUCH easier to just mix it up in a bowl. I used both the liquid food colouring and the gel kind. If using the gel, it's a good idea to mix just the gel and the vinegar together first. I did not do this at first and found that I still had little globs of gel in the rice which would not dry properly. It would have ended up making a big mess when the kids were playing with it.

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 175 degrees.
In a bowl add 1 1/2 cups of rice, 2 tbsp vinegar and a few drops of food colouring.
Mix well until all of the rice is evenly coated.
Put the rice onto the cookie sheet.
Rinse out the bowl and repeat with as many colours as you want to make.
Place cookie sheets in the oven. Check every 10 to 15 minutes to see if the rice is dry.
Once the rice is dry, remove from the oven and let cool.

Yellow rice before it was completely mixed.

And after mixing.

Pretty colours.

Love the purple.

The kids were so excited, they each had to have their own bowl to play with.

They played for TWO hours!

Rainbow Rice!

It is now stored in a rubbermaid bin with a bunch of old measuring cups and spoons. It does make a mess on the floor with spilling, but it's really quick and easy to clean up. To make cleanup even easier, lay a sheet down on the floor and have the kids stay on it. When they are done playing, just pick up the sheet and pour any spilled rice back into the container.

Jello Kool-Aid Popsicles

2011-06-22T09:25:00.000-07:00

My mom always made Jello Kool-Aid popsicles for us when we were little. Now that I have young ones, I wanted to make some for them too. These popsicles are nice because they are not ice cube hard when they are frozen. The addition of the jello makes them slightly softer and easier to eat. They taste great and are much cheaper than buying ones at the grocery store!

Simple ingredients.

1 package jello
1 package kool-aid
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups boiling water
2 cups cold water

Combine jello, kool-aid, sugar and boiling water. Mix until sugar and powders are dissolved. Add the cold water. Fill popsicle moulds and then freeze.

Yay!

Yummy!

Cantaloupe Jam with Cinnamon

2011-06-20T11:39:00.000-07:00

I had a cantaloupe sitting on the counter that needed to be used up. I started wondering if there was such a thing as cantaloupe jam. After a bit of on-line searching I found a recipe I wanted to try. The recipe and instructions can be found here.

The process to make it takes about 24 hours. I'm not really sure why it needs to take this long, though part of it has to do with cooking it down to thicken it as there is no added pectin used in this recipe.

If you try this recipe, please follow the instructions to include the lemon juice. Since cantaloupe is a low acid food, the lemon juice must be added in order to safely can it using a boiling water canner.

I was happy with the way this jam turned out for consistency. I had expected a stronger cantaloupe flavour, but it does taste really good. I ended up with three half-pint jars of beautifully coloured jam!

It's Already Been a Month!

2011-06-13T08:50:00.000-07:00

Sweet little Chloe is doing well and a month has already gone by!

Tiny Fingers

So Sweet

Meeting Cousins

Snuggles with Mommy

Big Brother

Cute

Adorable

After Bath Time

Snuggles in Blanket from Oma

Time with Opa

Big Borther's Kitty

The Munchkins

Big Sister

Our Beautiful Little Girl!

2011-05-17T15:16:00.000-07:00

Our little girl has finally arrived. She was born on Saturday, May 14 at 9:53 AM weighing 7 lbs and 13 oz. Her name is Chloe Annabelle and she is so sweet!

Chloe's Birth Story

The evening before she was born I had lots of Braxton Hicks contractions, which is normal for me, but it was supper time and I was busy with the kids so I didn't pay much attention to it, though in the back of my mind they seemed to be quite regular. Once things were a little quieter in the evening I was able to time them and they were very regular at 10 minutes apart, but no intensity to them. Around 10:00 I called my friend to come stay at our house. I decided I wanted to go to the hospital to get checked, also because this delivery was going to be a VBAC. We got there around 11:00 PM and they checked me, but I was only 3 cm dilated. It was suggested that I walk around the hospital for 2 hours and then get rechecked. After walking around for that time, the contractions were down to every 4 minutes but still no intensity. By the time I was checked again at 3:30 AM the contractions were every 3 minutes, no intensity and I was at 4 cm! Very strange and it amazes me how each labor and delivery can be so different from the previous ones!

By 5:00 AM the intensity finally picked up and by 6:30 AM I was 6 cm and they moved me from triage to a delivery room. I had decided on an epidural for this delivery as the first two I did without drugs and the third was a c-section. This time I wanted a less pain-filled experience. After the epidural had taken effect and the Dr. had broken my water it didn't take to long before I was ready to push. Pushing did take almost an hour as Chloe was still rather high up and a few different positions were tried. I was finally put on a delivery stool. This was a new experience for me and it turned out to be extremely effective. I wondered why I didn't have this with my other babies! After about four or five pushes on the stool, Chloe was ready to come out. I had two RNs with me during this whole time and they quickly called the Dr. in for the delivery. Two more pushes and she was out!

Wow!!!!! I it is so amazing how you can instantly fall in love with a little someone when she is immediately placed on your chest!!!! Tears and joy and relief!! So beautiful, I have tears in my eyes as I type this. From there everything was great and she started nursing well right away.

The following day Chloe started to develop some jaundice. We were able to get released from the hospital Sunday evening, but had to get her checked Monday and Tuesday for her jaundice levels again. Thankfully today it has dropped significantly and and she should be just fine.

The kids just love her and no one seems to be showing any signs of jealousy. Chloe is doing really well and eating lots. I keep telling her not to grow too fast, I want to enjoy this little babe before she gets too big. There something so special about snuggling with a newborn! Though snuggling with the bigger ones is great too.

Snuggling on mommy's chest right after I was born.

So sweet.

Meeting Daddy.

All snuggled up.

More time with Daddy.

Adorable.

Ready to go home.

My big brother picked out a hedgehog for me.

Meeting my sister and little brother.

Time with little brother.

Meeting my Oma.

This note is for Chelsea: I'd love to chat with you. I can't message you as your profile will not let me. Please send me a note at margaretaleblanc (at) hotmail (dot) com.

Winner for DVD Giveaway!

2011-05-08T13:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to everyone. Hope you are all having a lovely Sunday!

No, baby has not arrived yet........sigh........ I was too tired last night to post a winner and this morning we had church and then lunch, so now I am finally sitting down at the computer.

But I have a winner!!!! Comment number #14 from Brooke who became a new follower! Congratulations Brooke! Thanks to everyone for entering my first giveaway. It was exciting!!

Hopefully I will get to post soon about our new arrival. I was hoping for a Mother's Day baby, but so far nothing is going on......oh well, it's got to be soon now!

DVD Review - What's in the Bible Vol #5 Israel Gets a King! and A Giveaway!!

2011-05-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

Please check out my FIRST GIVEWAY for a copy of this DVD! Information is at the end of this post!

Phil Vischer

I was chosen to be a member of the What's in the Bible Street Team and given a copy of DVD #5 Israel Gets a King! to promote and review free from Tyndale House Publishers. I was excited to be able to do another review for this DVD series as I previously reviewed DVD #3 Wanderin' in the Desert. The What's in the Bible DVD series is created by Phil Vischer who is the creator of VeggieTales and who now has a new company called Jellyfish Labs. This series will eventually comprise of 13 DVDs and is designed to walk kids and families through the entire Bible. The viewing is fast paced, catchy songs are included, and the characters are all puppets along with Phil Vischer appearing throughout each episode.

Israel Gets a King covers the books of 1 and 2 Samuel and part of 1st Kings. It includes two episodes: The People Want a King! and Kings Make Mistakes Too! and covers the stories about King Saul, King David and King Solomon. When the story of Saul is explained, it is also made clear the Saul did not always obey God, that he made excuses, and that he did not repent of his sins. With King David, it is explained that David was a man after God's own heart, that he confessed his sins and repented and that God gave forgiveness. The first part of King Solomon's reign is told, along with a list of sins that Solomon did. The story ends with the question of what happens to Saul because of his sins? The story will continue when DVD #6 is released.

The last time we watched some of this series was last fall. When we were watching today, my almost six year old remembered some of the characters and also remembered what happens during the opening song. He enjoyed watching the DVD and I could tell that now that he was a bit older, he was able to learn more from it. This is certainly something for children 6 and up to watch as the fast pace is a bit much for younger kids to enjoy. There are resources available at What's in the Bible, including curriculum, downloads and DVDs which can be purchased. There is a parent's page which has a family study guide, colouring pages, crafts and games, and flash cards, but they are only available for DVD #1 at this time. There is also good information available on the site's Blog. I would recommend this series to families with children about 6 years old and up and this would also be a great resource for homeschooling families.

And now for my first GIVEAWAY! Tyndale Publishers has provided me with a certificate for a free copy of What's in the Bible Vol #5 Israel Gets a King! This certificate can be redeemed at your local Christian bookstore, or if no store is available, the DVD can be ordered direct from Tyndale.

To enter:

Just leave a comment saying why you would like to win!

For Additional Entries:

Become a follower of my blog My Little Alberta Family or if you are already a follower, just leave me a comment saying so.
Share about this giveaway on your blog. (One entry each, leave 1 comment each)
Like "What's in the Bible" on Facebook . (One entry each, leave 1 comment each)

This giveaway closes on Saturday, May 7 at 10:00 PM MST. I will chose a winner by using Random.org. Please leave an e-mail address if you do not have a blog. I will try to have the winner chosen immediately after the giveaway closes, BUT we are expecting a baby any day, so I may be in the hospital at that time. So if I don't post immediately, then you will know why! :)

Book Review - Attack at the Arena by Marianne Hering and Paul McCusker

2011-05-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

Attack at the Arena is book #2 in a series of stories about the Imagination Station, a time travel machine. Patrick and Beth are cousins and they travel through history together on exciting adventures in response to mysterious letters that appear inside the Imagination Station. In this book the letter lands them in a Roman arena in the year 404 on a quest to find a special silver cup. Patrick meets Telemachus, a monk who is credited with bringing about an end to the Colosseum gladiator games and the martyrdom of many Christians. Beth meets Emperor Honorius, the Roman ruler who finally bans the cruel sport that took place in the arena.

I read this book with my almost six year old son. He really enjoyed the story and was VERY disappointed when it ended, leaving him wondering what is going to happen next. I called up the local Christian book store to get the next book called Peril in the Palace and the first book called Voyage with the Vikings. We have now read book #1 once and book #2 twice. We will be starting book #3 this weekend.

This book is not just a great story to read with your child, there are also many further teaching resources available at www.theimaginationstation.com.

There is a parent's page with tips on teaching reading, vocabulary words, etc.
At the back of the book is a crossword puzzle to solve which will give you a "Secret Word". Enter this word on the website to listen to a free Adventures in Odyssey episode on-line.
A family devotional based on the story and suggested activities to do.
A web page of historical information and pictures relevant to the story.

I would recommend these books to anyone with young children. I like them for the stories and for the extra resources available which also makes them an excellent choice for homeschoolers. I also like them because they are created by Focus on the Family which is a valuable family resource whose mission is to encourage and strengthen families through education and resources based on Christian principles.

To comply with new regulations introduced by the Federal Trade Commission, please mention as part of every Web or Amazon review that Tyndale House Publishers has provided you with a complimentary copy of this book or ARC.

Book Review - Max on Life by Max Lucado

2011-04-18T21:49:00.000-07:00

Max on Life - Answers and Insights to your Most Important Questions

This book contains 172 questions and answers on a wide range of topics which are divided into the categories of Hope, Hurt, Help, Him/Her, Home, Have/Have-Nots, and Hereafter. These questions are taken from the many that Lucado has fielded in his career as a pastor and as a writer.

I have always enjoyed Max Lucado's writing and this is another good book to have on the shelf. Some of the questions certainly related to things I am wondering about or have gone through in the past. Lucado gives simple and logical answers along with relevant Bible verses.

Other questions did not relate to things I have experienced, but I still learned from reading through them. Lucado's explanations and answers gave me the knowledge and encouragement to be able to help others who are experiencing difficult times and insight into their worries and concerns.

Even though these essays are short, they provide for a lot of material to think, study, and learn more from. I would recommend this book and give it four out of five stars.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

When I Survey the Wondrous Cross

2011-04-17T13:49:00.000-07:00

I love this version of When I Survey the Wondrous Cross, sung by Kathryn Scott. It is sung to the tune of an old folk song called The Water is Wide. I googled The Water is Wide, but it seems to be unclear where it originated from and is called Celtic, Irish, English, or Scottish.

Book Review - The Final Summit by Andy Andrews

2011-04-11T08:45:00.000-07:00

This book reads like a novel but is actually listed as a self-help book. It tells the story of David Ponder who has been selected as a "Traveller" through time along with many great historical figures including Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, and Anne Frank. The archangel Gabriel gathers these Travellers to a meeting in which they are given the task of answering the following question, "What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?" The chosen Travellers are given five chances to answer the question with a two word response.

I liked this book for the historical information provided and certainly learned new things about some of the people listed including Joan of Arc and Eric "Red" Erickson.

I was disappointed by this book for a number of reasons.

First, why would God give humans, dead or alive, the task of solving the problems faced by humanity? God does not need our help.

Second, very little mention is given to spiritual matters and in fact, the behaviour and actions of some of the characters was a bit questionable especially considering that it is implied that they are meeting in some heavenly place.

Third, as the Travellers were coming up with responses to the question it bothered me that they did not come up with an obvious answer having to do with loving or obeying God. The discussion was always focused on human traits like courage and hope and self-disciplne in order to solve the world's problems and make things better. In my mind I kept thinking that it should be something along the lines of the first question in the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Q: What is the chief end of man? A: Man's chief end is to Glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

This book did get me thinking on ideas and ways that I can improve my life. But as I mentioned, it is a self-help book. We need to keep in mind that the only self-help book we really need is God's word, the Bible.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Did You Know.....

2011-04-05T10:14:00.000-07:00

I'm learning some new things with this pregnancy and with five weeks left to go, I can't wait to get my body back! Looking forward to meeting this new little one. I had an ultrasound yesterday to check on baby's growth. It is estimated that baby is about 6 pounds, so I'm thinking we will have a baby that weighs at least 8 pounds by delivery!

Here are some things that can happen to the body while pregnant and are considered normal for pregnancy.

Arrhythmia - I have been experiencing irregular heart beats for the past two weeks. It can be a very normal thing for pregnancy and is usually not a big concern, though the doctor is sending me for testing to make sure that it is not something else. The hormones and the extra blood (50% more) make the heart work a lot harder and sometimes the heart rhythm can get thrown off. It feels like a fluttering or thumping in my chest, so I can feel when it happens and I have also listened when it happens. I used to work as a veterinary nurse, so I have my own stethoscope and I know what to listen for. So even though the doctor says it's likely a benign condition, it's still kind of crazy to know that your heart is doing things it is not supposed to!

Heart Murmer - Along with the irregular heart beats, I also have a slight heart murmur. Apparently 90% of pregnant women have a heart murmur and again, it is due to all the extra blood in the body that the heart needs to pump.

Hydronephrosis - A big medical term that means that urine from the bladder can back up and kind of "flood" the kidneys. It makes the kidneys swell up and OH MY can that be uncomfortable. If I get hit with one of those attacks, I have to make sure that my bladder is empty and then go and lie down for half an hour until the kidneys settle down and are happy again!

Dental Problems - This is not a new one for me, but I will include it anyway. I have experienced dental issues with each pregnancy and today I "get to" go for a root canal. Oh Yay, not only do I get the root canal, but I also have to lie back in the dentist chair with a big belly pressing down on me! I have heard it said that you "lose a tooth for every child" and in my experience it is true!

So anyway, I hope I don't sound like I am whining, but that's what I have learned this time around. The body does some crazy things while pregnant!

Felt Cupcakes

2011-03-24T07:49:00.000-07:00

I liked this project as soon as I saw it. It's cute, it's easy to make, and I have all the supplies at home. Oh, and one more reason for liking it, another activity to add to my quiet bins! I found this idea over at alphamom so head on over if you would like the instructions and pattern.

Cute and "yummy"!

Frosting, cupcakes, and liners.

Coloured sprinkles, marshmallows and chocolate chips.

Hearts for cherries.

Munchie having fun making delicious cupcakes for everyone.

Linking up here today...

Cloth Baby Wipes

2011-03-23T10:11:00.000-07:00

I spent the last few days making up a big stack of cloth baby wipes. I already have a bunch that I made with the last two babies, but I could always use more. I like using them, though I have gone through stages where I have relied on disposable too. I have cloth diapered with two out of three kids and plan to do so again when baby #4 arrives. My youngest right now turns two next month and I gave up cloth diapering him about six months ago. He drinks a lot of milk, water, and juice and I just got tired of trying to keep up with the diapers on him. He was always leaking and I would have to change not just the diaper, but his clothes too.

I used flannel squares that had already been cut up to make a rag quilt that was never completed. I used one of the zig-zag stitches on my sewing machine to finish the edges. Pretty easy, just a little time consuming. For the wipes solution I just use about 2 cups of water and about 10 - 15 drops of tea tree oil. I LOVE tea tree oil. It smells so clean and it has great properties to it like, antibacterial, antiseptic, antifungal and antiviral. I have never had a problem with the wipes sitting in the container for a while and then developing an odor or mold. So that's great proof that the tea tree oil really does work.

Here are my supplies....

homemade cloth wipes
recycled wipes container
jar with lid to hold water/tea tree oil solution
tea tree oil which can be found at pharmacies and grocery stores

Linking up here today....