Thankful for Mayonnaise!

Here is another page I have done this week, this took me awhile because I've been on the road so much this week. I posted this on facebook but want to try working with my blog more, wish I could figure out how to post here and then just send it to facebook!

Me Abridged More Pages

I am still working on my Abridged Book! I've decided that I can't take anymore classes until I've finished this one and since I'm really anxious to start another digital one, this will give me incentive to keep working! The writing is hard, but it always is but it is so satisfying when you finish one. I've been posting them on facebook and I think my kids are enjoying it too!

Singing in the Church

Don't let the title fool you, it is not me singing in church! My Vanessa and Rebecca will be singing today: "Jesus was No Ordinary Man" and so I'm a little nervous. Vanessa has asked Derek Deschenes family and her boss from Quizno's all to come and they said they would. I know Derek will be there but not sure about the others, so hope they do well.

I'm grateful we are able to get Rebecca into singing lessons this year, I just wish we could have persuaded Mitchell to continue with piano.

Well, we have an electrician coming over this morning to get our hot tub running and I need to go pick up Kevin Lee from the airport all before church so lots to do and hoping to get some writing down for my album.

Me Abridged Pages A and B

So I signed up to take an online scrapbooking class with Big Picture Scrapbooking and I am loving the challenge. It's by one of my favourite scrapbook authors, Cathy Zielske and it's so much fun. There are over a thousand women registered in this class from all over the world. We are making an album about ourselves using the alphabet and I am doing it completely digital. The hard part is the writing.... we have to keep the entries to a certain format and so it has been making me really think about what is important in my life. Of course it's hard because we have to use all these letters, but that makes it challenging too!

So here are my first two pages and I have to keep working because I have 24 to go!

Camping in Lac la Hache

Camping always means lots of dishes.........but it also means lots of food too and that's always fun!

We went on a nature walk and it ended up being quite the adventure because we had to clear a lot of the trail.......I use "we" loosely here since it was Don and Ryan most of the time but even Darci helped! Here I took a picture of Sam and Zac resting with Superman snacks!

The kids were pretty excited because Dad took them fishing!

We had to laugh because Ryan and Darci brought the biggest tent we had ever seen! They borrowed it from a friend because Darci gets claustrophobic. We could have had a party in this Taj Mahal!

I had fun getting these pictures! These squirrels were so tame and were coming up and eating right out of Ryan's hands! Then I caught this one climbing up!

We decided to take some couple pictures while we were there and we happened to catch this beautiful sunset!

The kids took some pictures of Don and I! We celebrated our 24th wedding anniversary while we were camping!

Group pictures while we were on our adventure hike!

Journaling time!

Just read another blogger today who blogs every day...and she scrapbooks every day and adds templates. How do people do it? I am just so lucky to get a little scrapbooking time! I'm really thinking it's time for the kids to go back to school because I am starting to go crazy. Maybe I'll have some day time again if I can quit answering the phone, driving kids to friends (like that will stop) and being bombarded with questions all the time. We've had lots of company this summer and teenagers especially, who hang out in our pool. I am still recovering from Vanessa's 18 birthday party where almost 30 kids showed up! Back to scrapbooking.....today I am especially feeling overwhelmed.

Mitchell turns 10!!

Hard to believe my Mitchell turned 10 on May 21st. My last baby and my only boy. What a treasure and I know I am biased but he is such a nice boy! All his teachers love him because he is kind and helpful. He's also pretty smart, makes up his own spelling lists! He is in Grade 4 this year and loves to play basketball, soccer and baseball. Not too keen on going to watch his sister's dance recitals.......is sure he can find something better to do but he goes anyway.
This is a picture Maranda Schwarz took about 5 years ago, time goes so fast.

Loved this picture, he had hurt his ear but was still hungry. Can't believe I've forgotten how he did it but not surprising, maybe one of his sisters will remember!

Rebecca and Mitchell and all you need to have fun.....a big box. I don't know if they would sit this nicely together any more!

Happy Birthday Mitchell! We love you lots!!

What's Been Happening!

I wish I was better at keeping my Blog! I go through good days and then get busy and don't do it for awhile. I've been reading a writing book that encourages you to write every day for at least 10 minutes. I answer emails but that's not always what I want to write and it's not really keeping track of my own life.
I've been so happy to be home, just feels good to be here getting things done! I think we have been so focused on Disneyland for so long that it's funny to have it all over and be focusing on different things.
What I want to remember about these last few weeks:
*The wonderful memories that we made in Disneyland!
*How grateful I was to be able to gather with Don's family for Burnie's funeral.
*Thankful to have Ryan and Darci (with their 3 boys, Sam, Zach and Connor) visiting with us this weekend.
*Especially happy to have Ryan here to help Don empty the pool so we can get the liner changed in the next couple of weeks.
*The fellow doing our pool explained to us how he can get our hot tub up and running for a pretty reasonable price so hope to do that this fall!
*Another anxious morning waiting for a daughter to come back from a driving test......third daughter and she didn't pass but learned lots from the experience so will be doing it again.
*Happy to have Sandra buy my camera today, it was the one that had to be sent to be fixed, didn't get back in time for my Disneyland trip so they replaced it.
*We went to the airport to welcome our two missionaries home, Lauren Razeau and Corey Jensen, it was a special night.
*Pretty happy to know that Vanessa is a co-valedictorian for her graduating class! She is just thrilled to be doing something her sisters haven't, lol.
*Still love scrapbooking digitally and just wish I had more time for it!
*Excited to find out that Melodie has won an all expense paid trip to Quebec for an RT conference because she and her roommates entered and won a contest for RT students to make a video!
*Learned again a valuable lesson: People are more important than things!!

My Boogie Kids!!!

Rebecca and Mitchell who I usually have to drag out of bed on Wednesday and Friday mornings to help me do their papers, informed me last night that they wanted to get up this morning and go running! I was a little nonplussed but told them I would get them up. So to my surprise, Rebecca was up and dressed before I was (Mitchell was ready to go back to bed but then found out Rebecca was up) and so at 6 this morning I have these 2 wide awake kids ready to run...and run they did. They were half way down the street by the time I dropped off my first paper and they kept going. Our block is about half a kilometre and they ran down our street and Greenfield a couple of times, so by the time they were done Rebecca had run about 3km and Mitchell about 2 1/2km (he helped me do papers). I couldn't believe it as I watched them running the whole time, crazy kids! I think they are planning on doing Boogie the Bridge, so I better get going if I want to do it with them! (Boogie the Bridge is a big family, community run that we have every April started by Jo Berry......it's amazing, fun, energetic and really promotes being healthy and happy!)
What makes me really happy is that I think I have "MORNING" kids! Kids who like mornings and who have energy in the morning, because it's my favourite time of day!

Just 15 MINUTES at home!

Yesterday, Wednesday was a good day for me! I actually had the whole day to be home.....and it was wonderful. I've always been grateful to be a stay at home MOM (SAHM) but now that I'm working 2 days a week I find I appreciate it even more. The days I am home seem to be filled with appointments, meetings, grocery shopping and driving kids to lessons, so a real at home day is rare. I have to be careful when I'm at home though, because I'm a computer junkie and can spend more time there than anywhere else, although yesterday I was pretty tempted to just get in the bath and read. I used my flylady skills (flylady.net) and got out my timer, set it for 15 minutes and got tons done. I really wanted to tackle my downstairs, especially my craft area that had got overrun in the last week........so I did it 15 minutes at a time. I then spent 15 minutes on the computer scrapbooking, so fun too. I ended up going through my kids school boxes and dejunking a ton of stuff......I'll be so glad to get that organized so I can find things and stay on top of it. Looking through Rebecca and Mitchell's old schoolwork brought back so many memories.....I still miss Mrs. Cowden, their Grade 3 teacher!

So after a day of decluttering, it was fun to just go over to Sue Ferguson's last night and make cards!

This is a picture of Kathy and I playing colour Yahtzee on the computer, one of our traditions whenever she visits!

Vanessa is a HAPPY girl!

Vanessa called me yesterday and was pretty excited!! I was working ( I do bookkeeping at the Petro Canada up the hill two days a week, I have been enjoying it, it works right into my schedule, I have been learning lots about Simply Accounting and it gets me motivated to do my own accounting, lol) and it was around lunch time. She had went to school but forgot her lunch.......tried to persuade me to drop her off some but I was the mean Mom that day and told her I was too busy. I had just tried to phone a few minutes earlier because I knew Don was home but there was no answer and I laughed to myself. Figured Don had probably brought Vanessa her lunch, (he's much more patient with that kind of thing) but actually he gave her a ride home.

So she's on the phone with me with "great news"! "Guess what Mom? I just got a scholarship in the mail!" I was thrilled to hear that Thompson Rivers University here in town where she applied for the nursing program last month just sent her a $3000 TRU Regional Board of Governors High School Scholarship! What a gift! We were all so thankful, that almost pays for one year of school and with what she has saved, her first year is covered. She's hoping to get a few more and then to work during the summer because 4 years is a long time........but this is such a wonderful start!

The other wonderful blessing for her yesterday was that she received her patriarchal blessing. Patriarch Branchflower dropped it off to her and so that was pretty special as well.

So Tuesday, March 24 was a spectacular day for our Vanessa. We are sure happy for her!

Camera woes!

I have been so thrilled with the Canon Rebel camera Don got me for Christmas! The pictures it can take even though I am a complete newbie (I usually just keep it on automatic), are amazing. The last couple of months I have been learning more every time I use it. I have been taking it to basketball games, using the zoom lens on sports mode and getting some good shots of the girls playing basketball.
Here Kathy took this picture of the kids and I home from church. It can be fun just pointing and shooting.

I also took it with me when I was down in Vancouver at a scrapbooking convention in February. Melodie and her roommate Jade Shultis joined Jen Oviatt and I and we had fun doing some pages....... I'm pretty much digital now, the only traditional I occasionally do, are cards. (I think the picture with Jen is on her camera!!)

So you can imagine my dismay when in the last 3 weeks my camera keeps reading Error 99 and that I have to take out the battery or turn the power off and on. I went online and tried everything I could think of and nothing worked. So I took it back to Future Shop (they figure it is the lens) and they said all they can do is send it back to Canon to have it worked on.......... so I am without my Rebel for 4-6 weeks! I'm just hoping I can have it back before we head to Disneyland in April!!!!

Edis Reception

We were happy to be able to attend the Edis/Everett reception last month! Aaron and Savannah were married in the Seattle temple and we went up to Kelowna to their reception. I worked with Nadine in the Stake Young Women Presidency and still miss her so it was sure fun to see her and all the family. Of course the bride and groom looked absolutely happy! We were also glad because Melodie was able to get a ride from Vancouver to be there. We just wish that Danielle and Tim could have made it especially since we were able to visit with the Wilsons, Carole, Kristina and a very pregnant Jaime.
My two beautiful girls, Melodie had her hair cut and a darling new dress from Le Chateau. We brought her back to Kamloops with us and Vanessa was sure happy to have her home. She really misses her and would go live with Mel in Vancouver if she didn't have to go to school!

Poor Mitchell, dances are really not his thing yet! So he was pretty patient with us that night, just sitting around waiting!
Vanessa was able to get Mitchell up dancing at least once, sisters are okay, girls are not!
Even our Rebecca was dancing with a boy!! I'm not sure I'm ready for another dancing daughter, where has the time gone? She is as tall as Vanessa now and is often mistaken for her!

As usual Melodie found someone's cute baby to hold!
Vanessa and Dad!

Warren and Nadine Edis, the happy bride's parents!

It was a beautiful cake!

Vanessa and Basketball

Well Vanessa is on the senior girls basketball team this year at Brocklehurst High School. It makes our lives very busy but it's also kind of fun to go watch their games, too bad they always seem to be right during supper!She went to Merritt this afternoon because they have a game there (its about an hour away) so we'll miss this one. She does have a tournament in town this weekend so I'm sure we'll get lots of watching time in then. This year has been going so much better because she actually gets some playing time, last year was awful and as a parent my heart goes out to all those parents who have to watch their kid sit on the bench game after game. Thank goodness for the coaches out there who play fair and want a well rounded team.She has learned so much from basketball, made friends, learned to work harder and take disappointment. Best of all it keeps her super active and running around all the time! Too bad at my age that just sounds like too much work........

Mitchell's New Year Endeavor

After reading a post (in The Simple Dollar) regarding the importance of learning new things every year, we had a family meeting about it and we all picked one thing we would like to work on this year to learn. Mitchell decided he wanted to learn how to do the Rubik's cube! So he worked on it for a good couple of weeks (he was able to get the top layer done) and then asked me for help...... I used to be able to do it when I was a teenager but that was years ago, so I went to my trusty Internet and downloaded the instructions! Then Mitchell and I read them together, took awhile and it was pretty complicated but right in the middle of a paragraph I noticed that Mitchell had already done the moves! He caught on pretty fast and so little by little we have been figuring it out. By following the instructions we've been able to do it a few times, but it still takes lots of work! Funny though because when he found out one of our missionaries, Elder Nelson could do it, he right away grabbed it and tried to get clues!
So I've pretty impressed at how perservering he's been with it! Mitchell loves math and puzzles so this is right up his alley........had to take a quick picture of it done!! Yeah for Mitchell!

The Christmas tree is waiting.....

Okay couldn't resist posting a picture of our Christmas tree because it is January 10 and it is STILL UP! I hope Danielle realizes this is a testimony of how much I love her! I am a real Scrooge when it comes to decorations and the tree, I want them down the day after Christmas because they are now cluttering up the house. Since Danielle and Tim are coming next week I reluctantly agreed to leave it up..... thank goodness it's our artificial one because it could be much worse, dead pine needles all over the floor! I have found this year so much easier..... I am a big FLYLADY fan and I have learned to put everything into totes and so I put one tote away at a time and it makes it so much easier. So our tree is the only thing left up and standing, it is brightly twinkling waiting for Tim and Danielle because next week it too will be back in its box waiting for next year.

Danielle is now 22!

Wanted to mention that my Danielle turned 22 this week on January 6th. When I was younger time seemed so slow, I used to roll my eyes when "old" people kept talking about how fast time went...... I don't roll my eyes anymore because I'm now one of them.
Danielle was actually not due until the second week of February but she came 5 weeks early. I went into labour 7 weeks early, just before Christmas and it was the scariest thing. I didn't know what was going on and had to be in the hospital where they tried to stop it....... she held off for a couple of weeks but then there was no stopping her and we had a brand new baby on January 6. Unfortunately she had trouble breathing and was only 4lb. 9oz..... so she was in the ICU for 2 weeks. I remember how hard it was when other babies would be wheeled into their mothers and I would have to slip on my hospital housecoat (nightgown turned backwards) and head on down to the ICU. I couldn't even nurse her for the first while because she was full of tubes and in the incubator. Pretty special moment whenever we were allowed to hold her. The nurses were so kind and caring........

Even though I was anxious to bring her home, that first day was so scary....... what did I know about a 5lb baby girl! Thank goodness the lovely nurses gave me their direct line to the ICU, because I called it a few times. She was so tiny and scrawny!! I know, I know but she was......had absolutely no meat on her bones, but oh we were so proud of her!

If Daddy was napping he made sure it was with Danielle, pretty hard to let her out of our sight that first few days. ( On a side note......ugly love seats, but they were free!)

Here we are with Don's family and our new little family! We were visiting with his Mom, Vera, sisters Jeannie and Kathy and nephews, Ryan, Cleve and Harrison. The cute little knitted outfit was from my mom, Reina Granger. Mom made me so many beautiful little outfits for my girls.

So Happy Late Birthday Danielle. We have been thinking of you this week...........

Smith-Mecham Reception

The beautiful bride and groom......Chet and Angela (Smith) Mecham.

Terry and Mary Smith....... realizing this is their fifth child married with one left to go.......... hang in there Mary, just one more reception!!
Melodie surrounded by admirers! We can just hear little Wyatt telling Kevin: "Hey Kevin, I'm DANCING with YOUR girlfriend!" We all had to laugh because apparently he said this to Kevin once when he was sitting next to Melodie..... "Hey, Kevin, I'm sitting next to your girlfriend!"

Melodie even got Mitchell up on the dance floor a few times, we were so impressed.

Isn't this just the cutest little fellow, he is Steven ( Kevin and Angela's brother) and Charisse's littlest!
Me with my sweetie, I took the kids up early to Salmon Arm so we could help if they needed it and Don came up after work. I was so happy to see him and he's wearing his new Christmas shirt!

Had to take a picture of this beautiful cake that their friend Laura made (Miranda Poitrie's mom). It was absolutely stupendous and this is only one layer, there were three altogether (this is a Maranda Schwarz angle!!)

Well Kevin may not have been able to make it since he is serving a mission in Minneapolis, Minnesota but he was certainly here in spirit! This is his brother Steven, reading a letter he wrote to Chet and Angela..... we were all laughing like crazy, it was typical Kevin and we sure missed him!

Believe it or not, MITCHELL took this picture and we loved it! It was our picture of the night, Melodie and Vanessa together again dancing insanely. The only ones missing were Danielle and Tim but luckily we will see them in a couple of weeks when they come to visit!

Vanessa with her friend Andrew Cooper. Vanessa seems to be surrounded by boys these days, we have a hard time keeping track of them all! With Rebecca coming up I don't think this will end anytime soon!