Cute Little Birds :)

So far this winter, I have been greatly enjoying the Black Capped Chickadees that have been visiting my suction cup bird feeders that I have on our glass door leading to the patio.  I was super excited when they started coming regularly; they are one of my favorite birds! :)

So cute, look at those little black eyes! :)

Lydia, watching the birds. I have two feeders, so I put one down low for the kids to enjoy. 

Chickadees rarely stay at the feeder to eat, they will grab one sunflower seed at a time and fly to a tree to eat it, coming back to every few minutes for more. Thankful God made such cute little birds that help brighten my day. :) 

Cake Mix Rice Crispy Squares

I just made a pan of these and they turned out really yummy. :) I think the kids liked them more then usual because of the colorful sprinkles. :)

Cake Mix Rice Crispy Bars

4 T. Butter

10 oz. Bag mini marshmallows

1/2 c. Cake mix (I used rainbow bit, but you can also use yellow)

5 c. Rice crispy cereal

Sprinkles 

Melt butter in a large saucepan, add in the marshmallows. Stir until they are melted and remove from heat. Add in dry the cake mix and then cereal. Stir until the cereal is coated with marshmallow mixture. Add some sprinkles and stir. Press into a 9x13 pan and top with more sprinkles. Enjoy! :)

Mr. Matthew Charles, 24 Days Old

Hello bright boy! :) 

Taking in the world

Sleeping baby

Love him so much :)

~God's Word~

Tea Parties

 

While my sisters were here for a visit, we were able to have a few tea parties together. :) Before I was married, I used to collect tea cups and my sisters and I (and younger brothers:) would have tea parties often. I miss it, so it was nice to have a few again.  Even if it's nothing fancy, it's always fun and enjoyable to sit, sip tea, eat yummy snacks, talk, and laugh together. :) 

Brothers

William two years, holding Matthew 10 days old :)

It's a Baby Boy!

Our newest little one is here! Another son was born to my husband and I, on Wednesday, October 30th at 3:35am, weighing 9 lbs. 14 oz. and 21 inches long.  Matthew Charles, made his exciting appearance (he was born in the van about three blocks from the hospital) after a short labour of two hours.  Praising God that everything went well and both baby and I are doing great! 

Matthew Charles, sleeping contentedly just a few hours after being born.:)

"I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." - Psalm 139:14

A few Things I am Thankful For Today.....

~Sweet little girls who play with their dollies.

~For a son who loves to look at books, and gets such joy riding his little "bike" around the house.

~Warm sunshine on a chilly fall day.

~That, praise the Lord, our newest expected baby has turned head down instead of breech.

 ~God, and His mercy, love, and grace He shows me each and every day.

~For godly, wonderful in-laws.

~Answered prayer.

~For my husband who loves me, and makes me feel beautiful even when I'm almost 39 weeks pregnant and just feel big and tired :) 

~Our nice house that stays warm in the cold months.

~Good food to eat.

~Our health.

~A new vacuum that works great. 

~All the modern appliances that make life so much easier! 

~For sisters who can come for a visit and to help out. :) 

~The little family God has given me. 

"Ain't God good to give us so many blessings? 

Undeserving, that's what we are We ought to thank Him, love and praise Him A little more today and a whole lot more tomorrow. "

Breakfast in Bed :)

My dear thoughtful husband brought me breakfast in bed this morning:). Steak and eggs, hash browns, a cold cup of milk, and yogurt.  It was DELICIOUS, I mean, really, really good! :) I've got an amazing man! :) Love him sooo much! Thank you Graham! 

Our Moments

"Moment by moment I’m kept in His love;
Moment by moment I’ve life from above;
Looking to Jesus till glory doth shine;
Moment by moment, O Lord, I am Thine." 

-Daniel W. Whittle

Happy Moments, Praise God

Difficult Moments, Seek God

Quiet Moments,  Worship God

Uncertain Moments, Trust God

Every Moment, Praise God 

New Lip Balm

Now that fall is here it tends to be drier and having good moisturizers and lip balm is essential :). A few days ago I was happy to try out this new Vaseline product: Cocoa Butter Lip Therapy Balm. It doesn't seem as "greasy" as regular Vaseline, and it has a nice smell and it works really great! 

Plus, one of the best things about it? It comes in an adorable little container (smile). Just look:

Ahem, I thought it was cute anyway. :) You should give it a try! :) 

Posterior Pelvic Pain a.k.a. Sacroiliac Joint Pain

With all three of my previous pregnancies, and now into the 34th week of my forth, I really can't complain about much.   I've been blessed that I haven't had morning sickness or any other major problem or complication (although right now our baby is in a breech position, so we are praying and I am doing some different positions to hopefully flip baby).  Having said that, there is one thing that causes me trouble and that is: Posterior Pelvic Pain (sacroiliac join pain).  It usually starts around the 18th week of my pregnancies and lasts until delivery or longer.  With me, it comes and goes (which is great that it's not a constant pain!), but some days can get pretty bad with me ending up limping around because it hurts so much, and sometimes its hard to get up from sitting, and trying to turn over in bed, let alone get out of bed? Not very fun....

I thought I'd share a few websites that I found helpful on this subject for any other ladies out there who might be experiencing this as well. 

The first Posterior Pelvic Pain  is a great page that explains what is causing the pain and also helpful info on the best ways to move.  If you've ever experienced this you'll know what I mean. 

The second This Spine of Mine Also has some helpful information.

My midwife suggested I get a pelvic support band and so, I'm planning on buying one of these soon:  A Sacroiliac Belt I haven't decided yet if this is the one I'll purchase, but it will be something similar.  

Lastly, I thought I'd also share the two biggest tips I've found most helpful when dealing with this.

1. Always sleep with something between your knees. I found just doing this one thing to greatly improve the pain I experience during the day. 

2. If possible try to avoid sitting on the hard floor. Also for me, certain tasks such as hand washing the floor or cleaning out the van, (activities that require a lot of crawling/bending up and down really aggravate the joint pain quite a bit. 

Quick and Easy Peach Cobbler

Need a quick idea for dessert? Try this peach cobbler, it would be great served warm with ice cream! :) 

Super Easy Peach Cobbler

For the Batter:

1/2 cup melted butter

1 cup flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cups milk

1egg

Melt butter and pour into a 9"x13" pan. Mix together the next six ingredients and pour evenly over butter.

Now the Peaches:

1 28oz can of sliced peaches, drained

1/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon 

3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Combine and pour over batter. Do not stir! Bake at 350 degrees for about 35 minutes, or until batter comes to the top and is lightly browned.  Enjoy! :)

Dear Little One

Lydia Faith,  we sure love this little sweetheart!!! :) Here she is sitting on her daddy's lap on on old 1880's train ride. :)

September Daybook

Outside my window... I can see the now clean pea field across the road from our house. Harvest time has started here on the farm and the peas were first to be combined.  It will be a very busy month or more here to get crops all off.  

I am thankful....for so many things!  Lately, I've realized afresh, truly how much I have to be thankful for! God is so good to me! 

In the kitchen.....I have a few boxes of fresh vegetables from the neighbors garden, sweet corn, cucumbers, zucchini, and my favorite: tomatoes!  :) I love slicing the tomatoes and eating them with salt, or putting olive oil, oregano, a little vinegar on them for a yummy treat. :) Store bought tomatoes can't even come close to how good homegrown ones are! 

I am wearing... A black skirt, and a multi color shirt of white, black, aqua, and blue.  Even though it's not maternity, it it works great as one because it is has stretch. :) I actually wish I could find more of them in different colors;  yes, it's that comfortable. :) 

I am going... to head to the kitchen as soon as I post this and start supper prep. I'm doing something simple and easy tonight: smokies, chips and cookies; easy to take to the field, and the biggest bonus?it leaves me with no dishes after the workers are done eating. :) 

I am wondering.... If Lydia is going to take off walking before her birthday next month. The most she's walked so far is around five unassisted steps in a row, she also will walk around the house using a push toy for support.  She just cut her forth tooth, (finally!) and has really started to act older lately. 

I am reading... Trim Healthy Mama, by Serene Allison and Pearl Barrett.   I haven't gotten very far into it yet, (with three little ones it's tough at times to get much quality reading done), but what I have read and skimmed through,  I've enjoyed and found helpful and interesting! :) 

I am hoping....We will have a nice warm fall and winter will take its time getting here! 

I am looking forward to...Having our newest baby arrive! I'm starting to feel big as an elephant and I'm only 31 weeks, lol   :).  I'm also very excited that my two sisters will be coming (LW) to help out and visit around the time of the birth. 

I am pondering....How great and good God is to us each and every day. 

One of my favorite things... Sitting outside watching the children play!  Usually every morning after breakfast and clean up, we will head out for an hour or more of good play time.  I also enjoy going for a walk after I get supper made for the harvest crew and everything is pretty much taken care of for the evening. 

A few plans for the rest of the week....I went shopping yesterday so that is taken care of for awhile hopefully.  I have a midwife appointment on Thursday, but I may reschedule, I'm not sure yet. 

A peek into my day.....

                                      Abby and Willy at their birthday party on the 18th :) 

Eat Your Greens

Here is a fast idea for a healthy "snack" :) Take fresh spinach and quickly cook in a frying pan with a little butter until wilted. Sprinkle with bacon and there you go; so good!  :) 

A Quote For Parents :)

"Children are not a burden to escape or endure; they are a blessing that drives us to Christ because we are incapable of parenting well without Him. GOD is Who we need."  ~Kim Brenneman

Yummy Green Guacamole!

I bought an avacado for the first time in my life a few days ago.  :) I can't really say why I'd never bought them before, maybe because we never ate them growing up. Anyways, I'm glad I decided to try one! :) Of course I'd heard of guacamole, even had it once at a get together, so I thought I'd try making some. It's so simple and taste great! I am looking forward to finding other yummy ways to use avacados! Do you have any recipes to share? :)

Happy 4th!

Growing up, my family always had lots of fun on the Forth! Sometimes we'd go on picnic or just grill out in the yard, play games, make a flag cake, buy sparklers and little firecrackers, and when we were able, go to the big firework show. :) Happy Forth of July to my readers, (and family, :) wish I could be there with you today!) :)

#4

#1

#2

#3

and......

#4!

20 weeks along :)

A Joke For Today :)

As a young minister, I was asked by a funeral director to hold a graveside service for a homeless man, with no family or friends. The funeral was to be held at a cemetery way back in the country, and this man would be the first to be laid to rest there.

As I was not familiar with the backwoods area, I became lost; and being a typical man did not stop for directions. I finally arrived an hour late. I saw the backhoe and the crew, who was eating lunch, but the hearse was nowhere in sight.

I apologized to the workers for my tardiness, and stepped to the side of the open grave, where I saw the vault lid already in place. I assured the workers I would not hold them up for long, but this was the proper thing to do. The workers gathered around, still eating their lunch. I poured out my heart and soul.

As I preached the workers began to say "Amen", "Praise the Lord", and "Glory"! I preached and preached, like I'd never preached before: from Genesis all the way to Revelations.

I closed the lengthy service with a prayer and walked to my car. As I was opening the door and taking off my coat, I overheard one of the workers saying to another, "I ain't never seen anything like that before and I've been putting in septic tanks for 20 years."

Scripture For Today

"Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer." - Psalm19:14

Snake!

The children and I found this big garter snake a few days ago.  When I was a little girl I used to catch these snakes whenever I saw them. I thought they were the neatest things.  I can only remember being bitten once, the snake would not let go of my hand, and by the time it did, I had quite a bite.  Until yesterday, I had know idea that garter snakes were venomous. Thankfully, their venom is mild and they only produce small amounts, they also can't deliver it effectively enough to do any damage. So these snakes are welcome around my house (as long as they stay outside!), they might even help keep the rodent population down which would be great! 

A Beef Stir Fry

Last week I made a beef stir fry; for the vegetables, I added: snow peas, carrots, red pepper, garlic and green onion.  I love stir-fries because the are so versatile and you can pretty much add what ever veggies you have in the fridge.  I marinated the beef in some soy sauce, a little ginger, and a little tiny bit of brown sugar. :) It turned out great! 

Ready to cook! 

Cooking the vegetables first, doesn't that look good?! :)

Remove veggies from wok so they don't over cook, then add in the beef.

Add vegetables back to pan after the beef is cooked. And ready to eat! :) I served ours over hot cooked sticky rice. Delicious! :)

The difference of 13 Days :)

"While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Genesis 8:22 

This photo was taken around the first of May after we had yet another snow storm. 

13 days later and here we are today! The grass is getting green, and you can see the buds all over the trees. I think Spring has finally arrived here in Saskatchewan. :):):) 

May Daybook

Outside my window: The clouds that looked like they might bring a rain shower have cleared. It is now bright and sunny. The trees have buds all over them, it will be nice when the green leaves make their appearance! :) 

In the kitchen......The dishwasher is going (I love that thing, don't know why I didn't use it sooner! :)) and everything is pretty clean. Just waiting on my wonderful husband to come in for lunch. 
 

I am thinking.....That I should try harder to take time to read good helpful books and spend less time on the Internet.  I am doing better at this, but I'm not all the way there yet.  Of course there are tons of good helpful things to read on the Internet as well, there has just has to be balance. 

I am wearing..... A long sleeve shirt, and jean skirt. It's cooled off a bit from yesterday and the shirt feels nice. 

I am going.....to have to make a trip to the store soon. It's almost seeding time and I'll need groceries. I'm also getting dangerously low on diapers.

I am wondering.....if I should try having a garden this year. I'm leaning toward a yes, but also have a few doubts that I might not be able to keep up with it.  If I have a hard time keeping up with cleaning and laundry, I'm probably crazy to add any thing more to my plate at this busy time of life. :) we will see.....

I am hoping......to build/make some kind of nest boxes for my four hens.   Right now they lay their eggs on the floor or get into the feeder and lay them; not the best. I am also hoping to get rid of the nine roosters, yes, you read that right, nine, haha. Sometimes hatching your own chicks has its drawbacks. I'm not brave enough to kill them, and so, they live happily in the hen house, eating good feed and crowing. 

I am thankful.....For God's mercy and love, thankful He doesn't leave His children alone, but corrects, chastens, and sanctifies. Praise His Name!

I am looking forward to....Trying to catch up where I'm behind, and read through the Bible this year.

Around the house.......There is plenty to do; as always. :) I need to deep clean the bedroom, and organize most of the closets in the house. 

One of my favorite things.....Hearing my children laugh, and seeing them play nicely together. 

A few plans for the rest of the week....Being Saturday I don't have many more plans for this week, except for possibly trying to get to the store this evening. 

A peek into my day......

Little miss baby sweetness (7 months) has learned to pull herself to a stand. Here she is playing with her big sister. :)  Sorry for the bad picture quality, I have been having trouble blogging off our iPad. I don't know why the pictures are sharp when I take them, but lose resolution after being posted.  Also if you noticed any posts disappear its also because of iPad blogging, sorry. 

New Fire Pit

Growing up it seems we always had a fire pit.  Us kids had lots of fun starting the fire and cooking our hotdogs on sticks we cut from the woods. On warm summer nights sometimes would get out our pup tents and set them up around the fire for a campout.  Anyways, I thought it would be nice to have a fire pit at our house, so yesterday I made one.

Part of the time was spent digging out the pit.  Thanks to my strong man for helping me empty the first  heavy  load of dirt!   

 Here you can see the back of our house.  When having a cookout you are bound to forget something, and it's nice if you are not too far from the house. :)

View from the other way.  Now it would be nice to get a few park benches and solar lights:). 

The first fire :) I only had a few minutes so I just burned some dry weeds.

A Little Man

Sitting in his Case tractor chair "reading" The Western Producer. :)

I think he is pretty cute:) :)

Indestructible Books

I was going to invent these myself, but someone beat me to it. :)  Both my husband and I love for our children to have books, lots of them; the problem? Well, the children (at least the two that are under two years old) are rough on books, very rough.  So I was excited to find these indestructible baby/toddler books! Yes, they claim they are tear resistant, and water proof (teething baby's can chew on them, and they can even be washed in the dishwasher!).  I don't have any yet, but I am looking forward to ordering and trying them out! You can look them up HERE if you like. :)

Ideas for the Attic

 Sometimes time goes way to fast! How did a month go by since I last posted? I think I have a good excuse though, with three kids ages:  2, 1 and 6 months I stay kind of busy! :)  I've been giving some more thought to fixing up our attic lately.  I still don't know if it will happen or not, but it's fun to think of ideas. :)                                      

Here are some pictures of what it looks like now...

                                                            It would need work...

One of the corners.

Its a bit hard to tell from the picture, but two windows could be put here and maybe a window seat added.

And now for some ideas as to  what it could be turned into, a little ambitious maybe, but why not think big? :)

Can never have too many books, even in the attic:)

I'd love to make a window seat!

I thought the stairway looked nice how it was finished in this photo.

Our attic also has a chimney going up through the middle of it. I like how cheerful and bright this one is!

I love the look of this one! If you know what you are doing, it's neat how much stuff can fit into a small space and look great.