So Close...

The other day, I thought to myself, "Man, we have made it through the entire winter with not one single cold or flu bug!"  We've come a long way, sista!  I remember when our Girls were little, and it seemed like every couple of weeks they'd have caught another bug.  Not anymore....until today.

Yesterday, Hannah & Molly were feeling a little tiny tinch under the weather, so we had a quiet afternoon and evening at home.  This morning, we woke up to fevers all around.  So.  Fun.

Hannah is the worst, definitely, but the other Girls are following close behind.  I suppose it'll be a long week of pajama days and sitting on the couch watching movies.  The good news is that when we woke up this morning, it was -32C, so I really have no desire to leave the house....

Primadonna

The other day, the Girls hopped in the shower to get clean.  I heard that they were out and went upstairs to put lotion on them, and this is what I see...

A little primadonna, this one is.  She did look awfully cute, though!

PBR

For Christmas, I bought Art tickets to go to the PBR Canadian Cup when it came to Edmonton, which was last weekend.  Art's sister had graciously offered to take our kids for another sleepover (yay for us!!), so we dropped them off Saturday morning and headed out for a day of messing around.  We met up with some friends for dinner at The Keg, and then headed over to Rexall Place for the event.

 Here's Art with his "day sheet" to follow along on the action....looking a little tough

They had about 30 cowboys riding bulls, and then the top 12 advanced onto the next round, and the highest score in the second round, won.  It was a very fun night out!  The next day, we slept in relaxed, hanging out together for the day until we went to Auntie Frieda's house for dinner and then brought the Girls home.  Thanks, again, Auntie Frieda, for a great weekend!  

Little CowGirls...and a big Cowboy!

The other day, Art had to take his truck in for an oil change.  While we were waiting, 3 of The Girls and I headed over to Lammle's, a western wear/tack shop in town to waste some time. 

Remember a few weeks ago, the Girls tried on my old riding clothes, well I thought it would be fun to have them try some stuff on in their own size....  And it was!

After they got used to how the chaps felt, the didn't want to take them off!  They eventually did, however, with some sadness.  I told them, "...If we ever get horses, then we'll buy you some chaps!"

Once Art's oil change was done, he came to find us and wanted in on the action...

 Here, he's holding..something...pretending he's riding a bull.  Not much changes...the Girls were running around the store with stick ponies and whips, and here's Art, pretending as well....

Doesn't he look good?!  I told him that he needs to pretend to be a cowboy more often!  Maybe we'll have to find some horses to go with these cuties - then I'll have an excuse to buy chaps, and they can actually use them, instead of pretending!

A Well Oiled Machine

Friday was the (almost) perfect homeschool day.  It was a day that things were running like a well oiled machine!  When I got up, the Girls were just starting breakfast, and I heard one of them pray, "...and help us to work hard at school today....", and I knew.  I knew it would be a good day.  After breakfast, they all dispersed to start on their school work.  I worked with Molly for a bit, and then Abby, and then, Hannah.  Their math was done.  And then language arts.  And then I looked at the clock.  And it was 10:15 am!

I was so proud of them for all buckling down and working hard.  And, they even worked ahead!  There are definitely days here when there is weeping and gnashing of teeth and procrastinating and pouting.  But yesterday was not one of those days!  And I was thankful.  I even got to say, "Look at how fast you girls can get school done when you put your mind to it!". 

The greatest thing about yesterday?  After a "hard day at school", they all put on their snow gear (because we have probably 3 ft. of snow!!), and played outside.  For 2 hours.  Until lunchtime.  And I stayed inside.  For 2 hours.  By myself.  It's a beautiful thing, friends, a beautiful thing!

Chicks

A friend of ours showed Art a picture of this chicken sign which he saw and knew that I'd love it.  It's brand new, but they did a good job of making it look old!  We bought it at UFA, which is a store that I love.  I could just sit in the store for hours and talk to people.  And listen to them talk...is that creepy?!

In the Spring, we're hoping to build a chicken coop and raise some chickens.....we'll see if that ends up happening or not!

My New Balls

I was in a store the other day and saw these great fabric balls.  Of course, I was too cheap to buy some, because I thought, "I can make those myself!".  Finally, I did!  On Saturday afternoon, I pulled out my scraps and started working.... Here are the results!

Some of them I made from Styrofoam and some I made from scraps of sheets.  It was quite a fun little project to work on for an afternoon.

The Forgotten Box

The other day, we were dreaming about buying a ranch...in Texas.  Where it's not -30C!  I was telling the Girls about how I used to ride horses, and I remembered that I had some of my riding stuff in a box still.  So, I went down to the storage room, dusted off the box and brought it up.  I was surprised to see that I still had my riding outfit.... of course, I had to try it on, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it still fit!  Not to bad, since it's from when I was 15!

 The Girls thought that was pretty cool, and they, of course, wanted to try it all on....

 I also found my chaps....which still fit too (I must admit, I did the happy dance!)

It was fun to take a little meander down memory lane.  In the box were also all my old picture albums, which was quite fun to look through with the Girls. 

They especially enjoyed seeing the (very) old pictures of Grandpa from when I was a little girl.  I didn't realize that I had never shown them the pictures, and it was fun to be able to tell them about some of the events in the pictures.

Breaking News!

I read some breaking news this morning and it made me very, very happy!  Ecstatic, actually!  You wanna know what the news is?  It's a rumor I've heard for a very long time, but finally, the rumors have become truth.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  Here it is:

Target is coming to Canada!

The articles I read said that they bought up leases of 100-150 Zellers and will be taking over certain stores.  Can you believe it?!  The only downfall is that I will have to wait until 2013 to see my beloved Target come to town.  However, knowing that there is an end in sight, I can now wait.  Somewhat patiently.  Because

Target is coming to Canada!

True story, friends, true story.



The New Look

Since I took down the Christmas decorations, the house is a little bit empty.  Here's how I filled it...

New Boots

My parents have made a tradition of taking each of their grandchildren, when they turn 10, for a special little trip.  Since Hannah turned 10, we`ve been talking about what Hannah would like to do for her birthday trip.  Hannah had been horseback riding for a birthday party in the fall, and now has the "horse bug"....you know, the bug that most girls around this age get.  A love for all things horsey.  Well, I suggested that her and Nana go and visit a ranch.  Of course, Nana was quite excited about that idea, so she booked a weekend in May to go with Hannah on a ranch vacation in southern Alberta. 

Since Hannah has grown so much this year, she grew out of her boots.  In my shopping expeditions lately, I finally found her a new pair:

Now, she`s all ready for her cowgirl adventure....when the weather gets a little better!  I keep asking her if she`ll pack me in her suitcase.....

The funny thing is, the only shoes she wants to wear are these.  I think it's fantastic!

Snow!

This past weekend, we got a HUGE dump of snow....to the tune of about 18 inches.  Roads were terrible (we didn't leave the house!), and Art spent a good 3 hours out on the quad, clearing our driveway and road.  The girls bundled up and headed out to enjoy the snow.  In some places, it was up to Ellie Mae's waist!  Art cleared a path for them to walk up the hill (which is now covered in snow), and they played for hours outside

 Hannah has this down to a science...she has a "new way" to keep the little girls bundled and warm

 Ellie Mae stands up on the back of the sled, and Hannah sits on the front down the hill.  It was a riot to watch!

 We'll have to get these girls into snowboarding soon...

 One of the things I love about the snow is the peacefulness of it.  Everything is covered, and it just is....quiet.  And beautiful!

 Check out the bird feeder!

When the snow came, it was quite a nice temperature outside.  Now, the mercury has dropped to about

-25 C, so it's a little to chilly to be playing outside!  I guess the snow's here for a while....

Cinnamon Raisin Bread

One of my most favorite things to do is to bake.  I call it therapy.  Especially when it involves yeast.  I don't know, something about the smell of the yeast, and feel of dough in my hands is therapeutic. 

The other night, I had a hankering for cinnamon raisin bread.  One of my all time favorite things is cinnamon raisin toast...loaded up with butter.  Or cinnamon raisin french toast....mmm...

Anyhow, I figured, heck!  I can make this!  So, I pulled out my trusty dough recipe, through in some cinnamon and raisins, and, "Viola!"

The dough needed a bit more flour, which I didn't realize until it was too late, but oh well, it still rose fairly well, even though it was a bit flat. 

And the smell.....heavenly!!  A great way to wake up!

Bah!

This is where I would like to be....

And this is where I am.....



Tell me what is wrong with this picture!

Let Your Yes Be Yes

We have a singer in our family.  This little singer sings.  All.  The.  Time.  She sings as she's washing her hands.  She sings as she sets the table.  She sings as she plays.  She sings in bed.  She sings in the shower.  You get the idea.  She sings.  And the songs that she usually sings are not songs previously heard by...anyone.  She sings anything....and everything.

The other day, this little singer was walking upstairs to put away her laundry, and this is what I hear her singing:  "Let your yes be yes, and your no be no.....let your yes be yes, and your no be no...." over, and over and over and over.

I laughed.  A lot.  I actually tried to video it, but it didn't work.

You may ask, where did she get this little ditty?  From me.  Not the singing part, but the saying.  Here's the rest of the story....

Our girls had gotten into the habit of answering, when they were asked to do something, "Yes, I promise.", or even "Yup, I pinkie promise."  Well, that's all fine and good for a laugh, but I realized that they were thinking that if they promised, then they'd do it.  But if they didn't promise, then they weren't really bound to do whatever it was they said they were going to do.  Once I realized this, I decided it needed to change.  Then, I came across Matthew 5:37, where it says, "Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.".

So, we had a chat.  And we've taught the girls to "Let your yes be your yes....".  Apparently, a three year old can learn this, so I have no excuse!  Now, anytime we talk about promises, any one of the Girls will pipe up, (yup, you guessed it!) "Let your yes be yes!".  

Can you imagine how different our society would run if we all were people of our word?  How businesses would change?  And relationships?  It would be a whole new world.  I know that I am only responsible for me....and my family (kind of!), so we will strive to be people of our word.  And let our yes, be yes.

Girl Sandwiches

The other night, I headed out right before dinner to do a few errands (and get out of making dinner!).  When I got home, this is the conversation that followed:

Me: "Girls, what did you have for dinner?"

Ellie Mae: "Girl sandwiches"

Molly: "Not Girl sandwiches....Girl Cheese Sandwiches"

Ellie Mae: "Yah.  Girl Sandwiches"

Me: "You had Girl Cheese sandwiches?"

Molly: "Yes!  Girl Cheese sandwiches!"

I didn't have the heart to correct them....it was so cute!  If their older sisters had been in earshot, they would've likely corrected them, but that'll happen soon enough.

New Crocs

The other day when we were at the mall buying Hannah`s new charm, we stopped in at the Crocs store.  They were having a buy one, get one free sale, so of course, we had to take a look around.  Can I just say....Crocs has come a long way!  Since we are even numbered, we decided to let each of the girls choose a new pair of shoes.  While this may not seem like that big of a deal to some, to our girls, it`s quite exciting.  I must admit, Hannah is usually the only one to be a recipient of new shoes, and then they get passed down the line...  Anyhow, here are the girls choices:

Some of them have suede on them.  Some have fun sparkly pieces.... Hannah is now in women's shoes, size 6 to be exact.  How crazy is that!!  Anyhow, they have been anxious to wear the new shoes (Ellie Mae and Molly sleep with them on the headboard of their beds), so we decided that until the snow is gone, these shoes can be their ``inside shoes`` for at home.  It`s a win-win situation, friends!

Happy New Year

Happy New Year, friends!  I hope you all had a great New Year`s Eve.  We spent the night at home, cuddled up on the couch together.  We were supposed to have friends over to play games last night, but Art has somehow injured his knee and is in quite a lot of pain, so we decided to be losers and cancel on our friends (sorry, guys!) and just veg.  I think we were in bed by 11:30 pm.  Yes, this is what it`s come to...

Anyhow, as I look back over the past year, it has been good.  God has continued to be faithful to us in loving and providing for us (really, sometimes I am surprised by that, but it`s one of God`s attributes...faithfulness).  Although not everything, or anything, really, has looked how I thought it would, it`s good.  I am so thankful for my family and friends that God has put in our lives to walk alongside us, in front of us and behind us.

As I think about the new year, I can`t help but wonder, "Where will we be in this next year?"  Not literally where will we be (although Hawaii would be nice!), but what will we be facing and expecting and frustrated about and looking forward to and thankful for.... It`s amazing when you think about all that happens in a year...

As I was re-decorating my home last week, I put out my pomegranates.  I bought a these a few years ago as a visual reminder of one of the promises God has for me.  And I was reminded...I guess they`ve served their purpose well!  Anyhow, this is what I am asking God for, during the year of 2011:

"For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with streams and pools of water, with springs flowing in the valleys and hills; a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills. When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the LORD your God for the good land he has given you." (Deut. 8:7-10)

I don`t know what it is about pomegranates, but something about them resonates within me.  When I see them in the store, I am reminded.  When I read about them, I remember.  I think maybe it`s the whole idea that God not only wants to provide for us what we need, but sometimes, he wants to give us abundance....extravagance, even.   That has been shown to me many times over the years, and I believe it.  So I am asking for a year of extravagance.  Extravagance in my giving, my loving, my ability to receive what God has for me...  What about you...what are you asking for?

Another Birthday

On the 30th, we celebrated Hannah's 10th birthday.  She entered double digits!  For her party, she wanted to go and see the movie Tangled, and then have a sleepover.

Since her birthday is during the Christmas holidays, it doesn`t often work out that many friends can make it.  However, she had two friends that were able to join us.  All of us wanted to go and see the movie, as well as one of Molly`s friends and Auntie Frieda, so we took up a few rows at the theatre and had a good time!

 After the movie we headed back to our house for pizza...

 ...and cake!

 The next day, after we took the girls home, Hannah opened her presents from us.  She was very excited to get some new clothes for Kaya, her American Girl.

 As well, Nana and Grandpa bought Hannah a beautiful Pandora charm bracelet.  For the money she received from her birthday, Hannah was able to purchase her first charm for the bracelet....an H

 After picking out the charm, we headed over to Moxie`s for a late dinner.

 While we waited for our food, of course, this is how Hannah spent some of her time.  Reading....on her new Kindle.  This is a very familiar picture in our house!  She didn`t even notice when I took the picture!

After a great few days of celebrating her birthday, I asked Hannah what her favorite part was.  Her response: `Spending time with my family!`

Oh, how I love this sweet little lady, who is growing up so quickly...