Our New Son! :)

It's a boy! :) Introducing: Luke Alexander!

Born January 23rd, at 6:20am

Weight: 10lbs 4oz

Height: 22 1/2 inches 

We are all doing really well; my labor was only two hours and my easiest thus far.  :) God answered prayers, and I am so thankful how the birth went! Thanking the Lord for blessing us with this precious baby boy! :) 

I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.  O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.  I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. Psalm 34:1-4

Indoor Fun: Making Cut Out Cookies! :)

A few nights ago I thought it would be fun to try making cut out cookies with the kids. After Graham went and bought us some sprinkles and picked up a bunch of cookie cutters (we were borrowing them from his mom), we were set to go! :)

Ready to start cutting out cookies.

Lots of sprinkles!

Helping to roll out the dough. 

Some of the cookies before going in the oven. :) We had a great time together! It was even better because Graham was able to come in from working and make them with us. :) 

Promises of God

Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises. 2 Peter 1:4

We have the promise of His presence; "I will never leave thee nor forsake thee"  (Heb. 13:5).  The promise of His grace; "My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Cor. 12:9) . The promise of His protection; "As the mountains are round about Jerusalem so the LORD is round about his people henceforth even for ever" (Ps. 125:2). The promise of His guidance; "God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tested above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13).  And the promise of His coming; " I will come again and receive you unto myself" (John 14:3). Are you living in the enjoyment of His promises? 

"By the living Word of God I shall prevail, Standing on the promises of God" -R. Kelso Carter

Quick Sketches

It has been a long, long time (a few years at least) since I last picked up a pencil and attempted to draw or sketch anything.  A few days ago I pulled out some paper and had fun doing these quick sketches.  Despite the fact that I'm way out of practice, (and yes, my one year old was beside me almost the whole time bumping my arm) I had fun and hope to do more soon! :) 

Let the Guessing Begin! :)

Just for the fun of it, I thought it would be interesting if everyone had a guess on if our newest little one is a girl or boy, and the date and time when they think he or she will arrive. :)  I'm due Jan. 13th. :) 

Whoever guesses the closes will get a prize. :)

Something I've Been Wanting For a Long While...

During our last move, we had to leave behind our piano, which I missed a lot. This past Monday, Graham took me and the kids to a thrift shop in Regina after my midwife appt. :)  and as soon as I walked toward the back of the store I saw this piano. I have never seen a piano sold at a thrift shop in Canada so I was excited! :) Long story short, we were able to get it the next day for around $50! 

Real piano keys! :) I have a small electric piano, but nothing compares to playing on a real piano!  

I love it! It's just the right size, has a very nice sound, and the color also matches the rest of our dining/living room furniture. A huge thank you to my father and mother-in-law for going and picking it up for me!! And to my husband (who first off, took me to the thrift store when it's not his favorite store) and also made all the inquires about the piano so we was able to get it! :) God is so good to me! :) 

Winter Beauty

"Hast thou entered into the treasures of the snow?" Job 38:22a

Yesterday, I ran outside to take a few pictures because it was just so pretty how the snow/frost was covering everything. :)

Part of the side yard. 

A tree. I know, not very original...:)

One of the flower bushes in the garden.

A bit of green in a white and gray world. :)

Every branch and twig covered.

A little tree by the side of the house. 

"By the breath of God frost is given: and the breadth of the waters is straitened." Job 37:10

Getting the Laundry Done with a Family of Six

Laundry, it can end up being a dreaded never ending chore, especially if you have large family.  Today, I thought I'd share a few "tips" and ideas that I use to get the laundry done at our house with our family of six. :) 

1. Involve the kids! 

* one thing that our kids LOVE is bringing the laundry down from upstairs. They all sit on the landing downstairs while I will throw the clothes down. They think it's the greatest game and after I throw down one pile, they all help carry the clothes to the laundry room running as fast as they can, and then come back for more. :)

* My two year old especially likes helping me unload the dryer! It's nice for me since she will hand me the clothes to fold and I don't have to bend over, (Trying to bend over to pick things up at 36 weeks pregnant is lots of fun I assure you. lol)

* All the older kids (ages 4, 3, and 2) have their own accessible drawers, and all of them carry their pile of clothes upstairs and put them away after I finish the laundry for the day. They seem to think it lots of fun, - working to help that attitude continue!  I'm not too worried if their drawers are organized or even if the clothes stay folded. Maybe it's laziness on my part, but I will be the first to admit, I can't do it all.  Keeping up with all I have to do with small children overwhelms me at times and I don't want to stress about everything that's not perfect, at least their clothes are clean and put away! :)  

2. Get all the laundry done once a week, and try and finish it all in one day.  Growing up, this is how my Mom did it (and I have seven siblings), it is so freeing to only do it once a week! On the days I don't get it finished the same day, it can feel like it drags on and on, versus the great feeling of accomplishment when I finish it all.  Right now, I have three (once in a while, four) loads of laundry per week with our family of six.  All the children are little, so their clothes don't take up as much bulk as older kids would. All the kids have plenty of clothes, (they have never ran out waiting for the next laundry day) but at the same time they don't have excess either. Actually, I suppose I'm a bit of a  minimalist in some ways :),  I'd be overwhelmed with stuff and constant picking up etc. if I wasn't careful. 

3. Buy some good smelling laundry soap. :) Normally, I will buy the cheapest unscented brand, but
last time I got a different kind and I've been loving it!  It helps motivate me when walk into the laundry room now and it smells so fresh and good.  Plus, I love how the clean clothes smell now! :) I have been thinking about trying to make my own laundry soap as well, my sister-in-law just posted
her recipe for homemade detergent HERE if you want to check it out. :) 

4. Fold the clothes right out of the dryer while they are still warm! Doing this eliminates probably 98% of ironing.  I don't have a lot of time to spend ironing, if I end up buying an outfit for one of the kids that wrinkles very easily, I'll usually donate it right back to the thrift store. 

5. Right now I have just two laundry baskets for dirty clothes, one upstairs and one down. It makes it super easy for me to gather the clothes up on laundry day.  All the kids know when they change into clean clothes, the dirty clothes ones don't go on the floor, they go straight to the laundry basket which they can all access. 

Well, that is all I can think of at the moment, hope some of these "tips" will be of help! :) 

Humbleness

God is looking for broken men. For men who have judged themselves in the light of the Cross of Christ. God uses people who have come to an end of themselves, and whose trust and confidence is not in themselves but in God. -Unknown

Red Rock Canyon, Waterton Lakes National Park, Alberta Canada. One of my favorite stops on our vacation! :)

For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he  that humbleth himself shall be exalted. Luke 14:11

Indoor Fun: Shaving Cream Car Wash

When it looks like this outside, it's time to try and find indoor activities to help keep the one, two, three, and four year olds who live at my house occupied. :) I searched online and found the following idea:

A shaving cream car wash! :) lol, If the picture is any indication, I'd say the kids were quite excited! 

The first tray (or lid from a plastic tub in this incidence) was the "dirty" tray where the cars got a big squirt of shaving cream. The second tray was filled with warm water to wash the cars off in. 

The kids had a ton of fun with it, and played for a long while.  The mess created was minimal, and clean up afterwards was super easy too, a big plus for me! :)