Star Gazing

It was a beautiful clear and still night, perfect for star gazing on the eve of Christmas eve. The kids got all bundled up and went out and laid in the snow, looking up at the stars. They looked so cute out there laying in the snow. When they came inside we had snowman soup. Yummy!! I got the idea from my friends blog, who got the idea from a blog, who got the idea from a blog. This may be a new favorite treat. Here is the recipe.

Snowman Soup

1 packet Hot Chocolate

2 chocolate kisses(or maybe a few chocolate chips)

Some marshmallows

Candy cane for stirring.

and of course hot water.

Put everything in a mug and enjoy.

My Christmas Advent Puzzle, day 21

Scripture: "Behold, there shall be a ^arecord kept among you; and in it thou shalt be called a ^bseer, a translator, a prophet, an ^capostle of Jesus Christ, an elder of the church through the will of God the Father, and the grace of your Lord Jesus Christ,...Wherefore, meaning the church, thou shalt give ^aheed unto all his words and ^bcommandments which he shall give unto you as he receiveth them, walking in all ^choliness before me;

 For his ^aword ye shall receive, as if from mine own mouth, in all patience and faith."

Doctrine and Covenants 21:1,4-5

Activity: Our prophet tells us what Jesus Christ wants us to do. Talk with a parent about President Thomas S. Monson's Counsel from the last General conference.


I read through President Monson's talk from the Sunday morning session of conference this past October entitled "The Divine Gift of Gratitude" first thing this morning so that I could think about it during the day. Tonight before bed, I read them the first part of the talk(up to the quote by President Hinckley). I asked them what they thought it meant to "walk with Gratitude". They didn't have an answer right off. So I told them to think about that while I read some more of the talk(up to the paragraph starting "Regardless of our circumstances..."). We talked about some of the blessings we have in our life that we can be grateful for. And then I asked them again what they thought it meant to "walk with gratitude". I told them that I thought that part of it was recognizing some of the little things as blessings in our life. Sometimes we think that we are just lucky, or that something was a coincidence. But really it is Heavenly Father blessing us. I asked them if they remembered that time that we were headed to Lethbridge, and we almost ran out of gas(you can read the whole story here). Kathryn knew the story right away. I retold the story and asked them if they thought we were just lucky that day. They both agreed that it wasn't just luck, but that Heavenly Father had been looking out for us that day. I challenged them to look for things like that, or maybe just simple things to be grateful for, and to tell Heavenly Father in their prayer before bed each night.

It was such a good discussion, they were really listening to me, and contributing. I love that they are growing up, and understanding and thinking about so much more and trying to apply that to their own lives.

Big Sisters Torture Baby Brother.

Doesn't this photo just make you laugh?

The poor boy, he has no idea what's still to come.

My Christmas Advent Puzzle, day 19

Today's Puzzle piece

Scripture: "And this shall ye always observe to ^ado, even as I have done, even as I have broken bread and blessed it and given it unto you.     UAdd a Note  And this shall ye do in ^aremembrance of my ^bbody, which I have shown unto you. And it shall be a testimony unto the Father that ye do always remember me. And if ye do always remember me ye shall have my Spirit to be with you."3 Nephi 18-6-7

Activity: Jesus asked His followers to always remember Him, especially when partaking of the sacrament. Write in your journal how you feel about the Savior.

What an appropriate activity for the Sabbath day. I encouraged my children to try to think about the Savior during sacrament meeting. I tried to focus for fully on Jesus Christ and his atoning sacrifice. It is hard to do just that with four children of my own, not to mention the few others that sit near by, that distract ones attention.

I'm not sure exactly how to write this with out using all of the regular somewhat cliche phrases that we all tend to use from time to time....

I know that my Savior lives. That was the theme in Primary this year. We tried to convey to the children week after week the reality of the Savior and just what that means to them and how their lives can be greatly blessed by this knowledge. Even our school's Christmas concert touched on this subject. The question was asked "So what's the big deal over this baby born in a stable anyways?"  The answer came in a song with a message about how because of Jesus Christ all mankind will be saved. We will return to live with Him and have eternal life. Jesus showed us how to live, how to love, how to have faith. With out the knowledge of Jesus Christ and that He is indeed my Savior, I am certain my life would be quiet different. I could not say for sure how, because this blessing has always been a part of my life, it is all I know. Would I seek comfort from his loving arms in my times of need? Would I recognize that those little thoughts and coincidences are His way of showing His love for me? Would I have the same inner peace that I feel now, knowing that I can seek forgiveness and that I can do better with His loving guidance?
I love my Savior. My desire for this coming year, is to try always to seek to show Him that love through ALL of the things that I do and say. That I will be more mindful of those promptings to reach out to those around me to share His love with them.

My Christmas Advent Puzzle, day 18

Today I discovered that there are some who have been looking forward to my advent puzzle posts....and here I have been neglecting them. But honestly for good reason! This past week I have spent every free moment and then some to get finished Christmas dresses and vests. Check them out, what a good looking bunch :)

Yesterday's puzzle piece was this
Scripture: "^aLift up your hearts and be glad, your ^bredemption draweth nigh." Doctrine and Covenants 35:26
Activity: Jesus Christ wants us to be happy. Make a list of blessings that make you happy and hang the list in your bedroom.


Here are just a few of the blessings that make me happy, in no particular order.
-My house. It's not big or fancy. It is often in some form of disorder. But I love it. It is warm. It is cozy. It is ours.
-My family. In all it's forms. Parents, Siblings, In-laws, Cousins, Grandparents, Uncles, Aunts, Husband and Children. My best and closest friends are among those listed above.
-The Gospel of Jesus Christ. Truly the source of all happiness. The knowledge that I am a daughter of a Heavenly Father who loves me. That he sent his son, my elder brother, to come to earth and atone for my sins so that I may one day return to live with Him again. Not just me alone, for I have been sealed to my husband for time and all eternity. And with that our children are sealed to us.
-The bounty that we enjoy in this amazing country we call home. But it doesn't stop there. This community  we live in is simply amazing. The freedoms and peace that we enjoy are beyond compare. I am thankful everyday that we live where we do.

A Reply

 

She made me cry.

Me and my big ideas

Alright, well I haven't been very good at blogging about each day of our Advent puzzle. We've been doing it every morning together, but life is busy during the day with kids, exercise, baking, cresting jerseys, doing fun Christmas crafts and such that I just plain forget to sit down and do a little blog post. It was a grand idea, with definate potential...but I guess it just ain't gonna happen...at least not every day.

But let me tell you about the last one.

Scripture: Matthew 6:3-4
Activity: Jesus Christ taught that we should quietly help other people. Write a kind note for someone in your family and hide it for her to find.

Last night I got out a couple of Christmas cards and wrote a little note in each of them, one for Tansley and one for Kathryn, telling them how proud I was of them and what great big sisters they were and how special they are. I then put the cards in their lunch bags for them to find today at school. I had to stop by the school to get something this morning, and Tansley saw me, she ran over to me with a big smile on her face and said "thank you mommy for the card in my lunch today." She can't read, but I knew that if I wrote her name on the envelope in big letters she would know it was for her and get her teacher to read it to her. I got all teary eyed as I left the school. Mission accomplished, she felt special and knew that her mom thought she was special too, I could see it in her eyes.

I need to remember to do those kind of things more often. I remember doing it for one of my little brothers way back when. He was having a rough go at school(mostly self inflicted I believe). He was grumpy a lot for one reason or another. I must have had a lesson in primary of Family Home Evening or something, or maybe I just thought it up on my own, I honestly don't remember why I decided to start doing it. Ever once in awhile I would write a kind note and stick it under his pillow for him to find. He never said anything about it to me, but some how my mom found out because she commented on it. I don't remember what effect it had on him, if any at all, but I can still remember how it made me feel.

Yeah, I think I should do it more often.

Happy

 I love walking into my living room and seeing my two little pine tree's all lit up. It simply makes me feel happy. I could sit in my rocking chair, in the dark just looking out the window at them.

Christmas Advent Puzzle, Day 4 and Day 5

Ok, So I haven't been very good at blogging about each day. But life gets busy and then the day is done...and well, you all know how it goes.

Day 4

Scripture: "And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!     UAdd a Note 

 For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—     UAdd a Note 

 That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God."Doctrine and Covenants 76: 22-24

Activity: Even though Jesus was born two thousand years ago, He has appeared to prophets of this dispensation. As a family, read and discuss today's assigned scripture.

Oh we had such a nice discussion about testimonies!We first discussed what a testimony was. I then asked them who had given the "many testimonies". Tansley had the right answer with prophets. So I asked them if they could think of any Bible or Book of Mormon prophets that had given their testimony of Christ. In primary we have been talking a lot about Samuel the lamenite, so that was the first answer.  And then Abinidi, and Nephi, and Daniel. I asked them if they thought that they needed to see Jesus to have a testimony that he was real. They knew that you didn't. We talked about how some people think that you need to see something to believe it. Yes, Joseph Smith saw Jesus. But we have never seen Jesus face to face. I asked them if they knew Jesus was real. They both said that they did. So I asked them how they knew. They were kinda stumped...they just knew. So then we talked about the Holy Ghost and Faith.

It was such a nice discussion. I wish I would have had time to write about it right after so that I could share more of the details.What I got out of it? Well as I went to bed, I had a distinct prompting that today in Fast and Testimony meeting, I needed to stand and bare my Testimony of Jesus Christ. They need to see me do that more often so that they too one day will have the courage to stand and bare their testimony.

Day 5
Scripture: "Yea, repent and be baptized, every one of you, for a remission of your sins; yea, be baptized even by water, and then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost.

Behold, verily, verily, I say unto you, this is my gospel; and remember that they shall have faith in me or they can in nowise be saved;"

Doctrine and Covenants 33:11-12

Activity: Jesus taught the principles of His gospel. Memorize and recite the fourth Article of Faith.

Today we just went over the 4th Article of Faith. Kathryn could recall bits and pieces of it. I think we'll work on it through out the week and hopefully by next Sunday Kathryn and Tansley will have it memorized.Until then, I have very little to write about.

Stupid, Stupid me...

'nough said

If you can't figure it out, don't ask...yet. I'm still getting over my immense stupidity. Unfortunately it's not the first time I've been this stupid.

My Nativity Collection

 

Here is the top of my Piano. Looking at these makes me happy.

  

Here are my pretty new shelves with some of my gorgeous Nativities.

  

Now I'll give you a closer look at each one in order of when I acquired them.

 

I made this etched glass Nativity when I was in Young Womans. I have always loved it's simplicity and beauty. It is 6" tall.

 

This snow globe Nativity was given to us as a wedding gift. My first impression of it in it's box was that it was ugly. But when I pulled it out that first Christmas, I  couldn't imagine why I had ever thought that. It plays "Oh Little Town of Bethlehem" and the lights in the town light up. The Angels circle around the Holy scene of the Christ child. It is truly one of my favorites. It stands 10" tall.

 

I bought this little nativity at the dollar store in Saskatoon our first Christmas together. Each piece is 2" tall and the stable is 5" tall.

 

 My sister-in-law  made this block nativity for us when Kathryn was about a year old. Each piece is about 2.5" tall.

 My sister Chrystal made this one for us that same year. The blocks are 3" by 3.5"

 I found this one at a second hand store. The angels were a gift from a friend. The tallest piece is 4"

 This one was also a second hand store find, the same year as the previous one. The tallest piece is 6.5".

  

This too was a second hand store find, again the same year as the other...

it was a great year for finding amazing Christmas decorations and things. The stable is 7" tall and the tallest piece is 5"

  

This porcelain one I painted one year at a Relief Society Super Saturday (Christmas Craft making day)The tallest piece(camel) is 4.5"

 

This one and the one in ths background of the previous picture were once again made at a Super Saturday. The plaque is 5" square

  

My sister, Chrystal made this one for me. It stands 8" tall.

  

I bought this one from the Oriental Trading company our First Christmas in our new house. Each letter is 4.5" tall

  

I bought this one off of Ebay that Christmas too. It came from Peru.Measures 2" tall by 2.5"wide

 I bought this one off of Ebay last year, in September. This one came from Peru as well. When it arrived both the angel and Mary were broken. The angel I could live with, but Mary is really rather important. The seller had no problem replacing the broken pieces, but when they arrived, I had an extra wise man and a new baby Jesus. So I contacted him again and he sent out two new pieces. This time I got another Joseph and the angel. Once again I contacted the seller and he willingly sent out the replacement pieces. Finally I got my replacement Mary...and another extra wise man. It usually sits on a mirror, but I couldn't get a good picture of it. The tallest piece is 2" tall.

 This one I also bought off of ebay last year. It is the biggest of all of my Nativities, the stable is 15" tall and the tallest piece is 10". It has a music box that sings "Silent Night" and a light that lights up the stable.

I have some small ones that hang on my tree, but I don't have those out yet to share with you. Surprisingly enough I haven't bought one at all this year. I usually buy at least one....Christmas has just begun. There is plenty of time to find the perfect one for this year.

Christmas Advent Puzzle, day 3

Scripture: 3 Nephi 17:21-24

Activity: Jesus blessed little children because He loved them. Show you love for a brother or sister or friend by sharing a toy or helping he or him in some way.


We choose the puzzle piece in the morning at breakfast so that we can read the scripture and discuss the activity first thing in the morning. Through out the day I then encourage the children to think about the assigned activity. I'm not sure if that is what made a difference in the way the children acted today...they were so quick and eager to help. Tansley without being asked, helped Kymberly when she had an accident in the bathroom. When I told the kids that I wanted to take them to the craft fair and then to start making chocolates, they were more than eager to first clean the bathrooms for me.

6 hands are better than 2

Kathryn shared with me the things she had tried to do at school that day to be help out both friends and teachers. If only every day could be like this, with children so eager to be kind and helpful.

making pudding centers for chocolates

Advent Puzzle Day 2

Scripture:"And they brought young children to him, that he should touch them: and his disciples rebuked those that brought them.     UAdd a Note 

But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said unto them, Suffer the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God."Mark 10:13-14

Activity: Jesus showed that children are very important to Him. In your personal Prayer, tell Heavenly Father about your day and the things that made you happy.

Kathryn was excited about this one, and reminded her sisters when it was bed time to remember to do this. I really wanted to listen to each of their prayers so that I could share with you what their thoughts were, but unfortunately the older two finished with their prayers while I was getting Kymberly to bed. And I am sorry to say, that I neglected to remind Kymberly to add this to her prayers this evening.

As for me, I have to really think about this one. Today was a busy day. I had a dentist appointment first thing this morning, followed by a trip to the health unit for James' 6 month shots, then a late lunch, a quick nap, kids home from school,(here there was supposed to be Kathryn's clogging lessons, but they were canceled at the last minute) making supper and off to the public library for a Christmas shindig. It was a busy non stop day. So what happened today to make me happy? Well I can't say that anything extraordinary happened. The visit to the dentist wasn't as painful as I had thought it would be. That was a nice bonus. The cancellation of Kathryn's clogging lesson meant that I could actually make supper tonight instead of just a quick bite of cold cereal before heading off to the library. But did these things really make me happy? Sure they made life more pleasant and easier, so I guess that means that my happiness level was increased...but...that just seems so....boring. So what really made me happy today???  I think I'll have to get back to you, as I think about this a little more.

My Christmas Advent Puzzle, day 1

Last year, you may remember that I did 12 days of Gratitude. I had intended on doing that again this year.but now I have decided not to.

This morning we started an advent puzzle. A few years back my mom gave me a copy of this advent puzzle from a Relief Society Christmas party. She got it from the Friend magazine . I thought I'd be all clever and give you a link to the actual page, but it must have come from an issue of the Friend prior to 2001, and since the Friend website only has digital copies dating back to 2001, I can't share it with you so that you can do it for yourself. But I can hook you up with one that is kinda that same, but different. Here(pg 26,27,&37) is an Advent Wreath that I did with Kathryn a few years ago.

The idea is to choose one of the puzzle pieces and then read the scripture and do the activity that goes with that piece. So I thought that it would be fun to write a post to go along with each day.

So here is day one.

Scripture: 3 Nephi 25:5-6 "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord; And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse."

Activity: Jesus said that the hearts of the children should turn to their parents. Ask your parents or grandparents to tell you about Christmases when they were young.

So here is what stories I'll tell my children tonight before bed.

I remember that as a young kid we used to always spend Christmas eve night at either grandma&pa Paxman's or Grandma&pa Forsyth's. I remember one Christmas at Grandma&pa Forsyth's, my brother, sister and I were so excited that we didn't wait for mom and dad to get up, we just went right into the living room to check out what was in our stockings. When dad came and found us he wasn't very happy that we were up so early and peeking at the gifts. I believe that was the year mom made us matching striped yellow pj's, but I could be wrong.

I remember another year at Grandma&pa Paxman's, it was the year that we got our first real color TV and VCR!!(what year was that? I must have been 10ish) Here is what I won't tell the kids...my sister and I were sleeping in what we called "Aunt Corrinne's room"(for obvious reasons), it was right off of the kitchen and right beside the living room. I woke up in the middle of the night because I had to go to the bathroom. But I could here the "Santa Clause's" in the living room putting out the presents. I laid awake for awhile listening to the adults playing with the toys, in particular a little dog that barked, walked a few steps and then did a back flip, it was a gift one of my brothers was getting from Santa. I remember trying to just go back to sleep because I didn't want my parents to know I was a wake. You see, I would have to walk right by the doorway to the living room. I just couldn't hold it any longer, and so I got up and as sleepily as I could manage left the bedroom. sure enough my dad saw me and asked me what I was doing. I told him that I need to go to the bathroom, ho told me to hurry up and get back to bed...I did just that, and as far as I can remember went back to sleep fairly quickly.

I remember a year that my parents took us all to the grocery store for Family Home Evening. We all got to pick out one of our favoritest Christmas treats. When we got back home, my parents informed us that we were going to be donating all of the delicious goodies we had just purchased to our church's Christmas Hampers. I'm sure it was done in a much more gentle way, but I remember the initial disappointment that I and a few of my brothers felt...and may have even expressed. But however it was done, and my initial feelings, it is a FHE lesson that I will always remember, and hopefully pass on in my own way to my children. We may not have always had lots, like the year we gave and received all homemade gifts( I remember my little brothers immense disappointment over a bleach bottle ball toss game that he received that year...but that is his story to tell). We had so much more than so many others. It is only now when I look back that I realize how my parents must have pinched every penny for so many years. And they did such a good job at it, because I never felt like I didn't have everything that I could possibly need or even want. Even the year of the homemade gifts, somehow my mother made it into something that was fun and very exciting(although Jace didn't seem to feel that way Christmas morning...but again, that is his story), it wasn't ever stated that money was tight that year. In fact, I only assume that that was the reason for that adventure. But I could be wrong, maybe again it was a lesson to teach us children that gifts were not the real reason for the season. Whatever the reason, it is a Christmas that sticks out in my mind.

I can do a knock off too.

My Sister-in-law isn't the only one who can make a Pottery Barn Knock off. I saw this tutorial for poinsettia pillows about a month ago and bookmarked it so that I could find it again when I had the materials and it was closer to Christmas.

I've been collecting the materials when I see them on sale. Now that I have them all I decided it was time to make my fabulous Christmas pillows. I gave my pillows a nice patterned background because when it comes to sewing, I have no problems using bold beautiful colours.Check these out!

Aren't they to die for!?

The only problem is that I expect them to just sit and look nice on my couch. However, my children can't seem to leave them alone, and it's driving me CRAZY! And it hasn't even been a day yet.

Keeping warm

Last week winter finally came. Which meant that I needed to get busy and make a carseat cover for my little man(did I really just call him little?). I had intended on making one with some of the fun fabric from this post. But when I mentioned making one to my husband he said "can you make an Oilers one?". Finding Oilers printed fabric is pretty much impossible. So I asked him if he had any cheap Oilers T-shirts at work. He had a better idea. I could just use one of his.

Here is what I came up with using an old Oilers T-shirt and some gray polar fleece that I got for free. Basically all I did was cut it up the sides and lay it out flat. I did need to make the neck hole bigger for the peep hole. and I cut the sleeves off and resewed them back on to make it lay flatter. Now my little man is all cozy and warm, and totally stylin' too!

The shelving unit.

OK, so I know all of you have been dying to find out what I have done with my shelving unit. You all gave me some wonderful ideas, so I got to work. I sanded it all down and stained it this colour.

And then I got stumped. Well, the author of the blog with the red bookshelf left a comment on my last post pleading for help. First of all, I was honored, thrilled...I don't quite know the right word, to have Bethany comment on my blog. You really should go check out her blog if you haven't already. Her and her husband have done some really amazing stuff. Secondly, she gave me the perfect idea. It was exactly what I wanted, but hadn't yet been able to come up with it on my own. I needed paint(our little hardware store doesn't have the greatest selection of paint). So I thought on this idea for about a week. In my thinking and wondering I came across this fun colour wheel site. It is fun for a couple of reasons. First because it tells me what colours will look good with other colours. Secondly because it also has a feature that gives me an idea of what the world looks like to my 4 colour blind brothers(and if it is accurate...how boring their world is!).So I plugged in the colours of my room and came up with some fabulous colour combinations. I loved the idea of a green colour and could almost visualize it. But I wasn't completely sure. I called my sister-in-law and had her talk me into it.



I painted the back this colour first.

Then I marked off and drew a argyle like pattern using a tape measure, a piece of wood(as my meter stick) and my chalk pencil(used for marking when sewing).

I then taped off the lines of the argyle pattern one direction at a time and painted them with a sparkle glaze. This I thought was going to take me FOREVER, but it actually didn't I got it all done in one evening.





Shall I remind you of what the shelving unit looked like before?

And here it is after it's little make over.

The Finished Product

 Isn't it Beautiful? I loved it so much that I almost didn't want to put anything on it to hide that amazing back!

Just a shot so you can see it next to the piano.

Here it is with some of my Nativities displayed on it. I love it. I don't think my Nativities have ever looked so nice. If you are interested in seeing them up close, don't worry I will be doing a post on them with up close pictures.

Still not getting it.

Last week my sister relayed a story to me. Late Monday night she had the thought to go buy some milk, eggs and bread because she was out. But it was late and she didn't want to go, so she told herself she would do it in the morning. When she went to bed(at 1am) it was only raining. When she woke up in the morning it was completely white outside, she had no power, and all of the kids were home for a snow day. She realized then that she should have heeded the promptings of the spirit the night before. We had a good chat about this. We talked about how sometimes it is easier to heed those promptings when it is helping some one else or when it is one those BIG things in life. At the end of our conversation I said that I would learn from her mistakes.

ONE week later, I am sitting at my sewing machine sewing name bars on hockey jerseys. I had already done two, PERFECTLY. In fact I had thought to myself(which I often do) "you are AMAZING!". As I sat sewing on the third one I had the thought to stop and check that it was straight. I argued and told myself that I already had, twice in fact and had pinned it securely in place, besides I had already done two perfectly. So I kept on sewing. Half way through, I thought that I should check it. Again I told myself that it was fine and finished the name bar. When I held it up to look at...imagine my surprise(OK not really) when I saw that the name bar was crooked...and not just a little bit. If I would have heeded the promptings of the spirit and simply taken the time to triple check I would have saved time and the anguish of having to unpick the entire name bar(I HATE unpicking!). I immediately thought of my sister and how I did NOT learn from her mistake. As I finished the rest of the name bars I couldn't help but think of how often I have done the same kind of thing. How many times have I let my pride, (for surely that is what it was, I KNEW that it was straight) stop me from heeding the simple promptings of the spirit? Yes, in the grand scheme of things sewing a name bar on straight doesn't mean anything...but it would have made life just a little easier. Just imagine how easy life could be if we always heeded the promptings of the spirit in the little things that don't mean much in the grand scheme of things. I can think of dozens and dozens of times where I have had this similar argument with "myself", I think that the majority of the time I don't realize that it is the spirit prompting me. I once heard it said in an Relief Society meeting, that all good things are of God, so when you have a good thought you should follow through on it because only good can come of it.I try to always remember this, but it is apparent that I haven't yet mastered this idea.

New things aren't always fun.

Since James is almost 6 months old, I figured it was time to try something new.

He looked excited enough.

Does this kid look like he needs solid food?(all of his clothes are labeled 12 months)

But then...

...not so much.

I'll try again in a day or two.

May we never forget, and alway honour.

This year Kathryn came home from school and asked if we had any relatives that served in the war. They had been talking about World War I and World War II at school in preparation for Remembrance Day. I told her that we did, and that I would get some info from Grandpa Forsyth for her to share with her class. Grandpa sent us some journal entries from his grandfather Neil Forsyth who served in WWI. you can click on the following links if you'd like to read them.
pg1, pg2, pg3, pg4, pg5, pg6, pg7, pg8, pg9

  

My dad also sent me this letter that Neil Forsyth received about 27 years later. 

I sent a copy of this letter along with some of the journal entries, up to the school for Kathryn to share with her class. The school asked if it would be OK for Kathryn to read the letter at the School's Remembrance day ceremony.

I am so thankful that we have these tangible items for me, and for me to share with my children. My hope is that one day they will realize the significance of the sacrifices that their ancestors made so that we could enjoy the Freedoms that we have.

S.A.M.M....even though it's now Tuesday

I meant to share this yesterday but I was awfully busy sanding and staining my shelves.

Once again this week I don't have anything exciting to share, but here is a recipe that we are known to use as a breakfast/lunch/supper meal frequently, I think we used it at least twice last week for supper.

Good morning Pancakes

3 cups flour
2 tbsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup margarine, melted
3 eggs, beaten
1 1/4 cup milk
1 cup water
1/2 cup apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla

Mix flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder in a large bowl. Make a well. add milk, water, eggs, melted margarine, apple sauce and vanilla. Mix until blended, but still somewhat lumpy. Make delicious pancakes. My children also love it when I add a little food colouring to the mix, a trend that started when I made them this breakfast for Valentines day one year. We've had green, blue, pink, orange and yellow pancakes, just because it's fun to eat coloured food...or something.

For a little extra yummieness try making different "fruit whips" by putting 1 can of fruit in the blender and blending until smooth. You may want to add a little extra sugar to some fruit. As a kid we always had what we called "Peach Whip". Lately we have tried some other variations. Canned pears with frozen or fresh berries blended in. Apple sauce with canned pears and cinnamon, this was a huge hit with the kids.


As always I am linking up with my fabulous sister-in-law Mitz.

Somebody, anybody, just tell me what to do!

OK, So here is the plan...well the beginnings of a plan for this shelving unit.

I have this box. I love this box. I love the colour of the stain on this box and it looks nice with the colour of the piano(not to mention easier to take with me to the hardware store to find a match). I plan to stain the shelving unit this colour, hopefully with some of the same colour variations as this box. I've never stained anything before, so I am kinda, sorta scared that I am going to screw it up. Tomorrow I'll start sanding the shelves.




I bought a piece of masonite to fit the back of my shelving unit. The original plan was to wallpaper it(thanks to Kim's idea). However, being a newbie at this, I had no idea where to find wallpaper at a cheap price, and the stuff I did find, I didn't like. So I came home Saturday frustrated and not knowing what I was going to do. Then I happened to check out my sister-in-law's blog and was led to her sister's blog and found this great idea. I was inspired!
So I have painted the masonite the colour of my tan wall(because I am cheap and this is what I had). This will be my base coat. Now the original plan was to paint an argyle pattern similar to this.


But in different colours...which is still up for debate...because honestly, I haven't a clue what to do. I like the chocolate brown, but then what do I put with it? I thought about using a similar blue and copper that are already in my room, but then maybe that is too much. So then I thought about using just different shades of brown that will match the stain. And then I started thinking that maybe the argyle pattern would be too busy as a back drop for my pretty things and picture frames. I always clear that stuff off my shelves at Christmas and put up my Nativity collection and I wasn't sure if I would like the argyle behind them. So then I was thinking that maybe instead of doing three colours, I would just do a brown with the light tan lines....or maybe the tan with brown lines. But maybe....oh forget it. I just such a wimp. I have no idea what colours to put together, I'm afraid that whatever I do will look awful. I'm not as brave as this person and her fabulous red and brown shelf, although I LOVE it. I would totally put it in my house, but I'm not brave enough to make it, forget even coming up with the idea in the first place. Or how about this one, it's my sis-in-law's  fabulous project. What I need is someone to talk me into doing something brave. So go ahead, tell me to be brave...or better yet, just tell me what colour/pattern/texture to paint the back. I'll do whatever you tell me.

For all Moms...within a reasonable driving distance

OK here it is, Mandy Baker Photography is doing a giveaway.  And trust me, you want to win this. Mandy is so incredibly talented!(must be something in the name)  She did our Forsyth Family Photos at our family reunion a few years ago. She was great then, but now she is beyond AMAZING! But don't take my word for it, go check out her blog, and while you are there enter her giveaway. You won't regret it...especially if you win!

Oh, and if there are 50 entries or more, she'll draw two winners! That's double the chance for YOU and ME!

HELP!

I have this shelving unit.

I hate this shelving unit.

OK, hate might be a bit strong.

We have owned this shelving unit(and several others like them) our entire married life. Most of the time it has held our TV, photo albums, movies and various books. It is a sturdy unit, but somewhat industrial. What I hate is how it looks in my Living room.Over the past week or so I have been thinking about how to rearrange my living room. I want to really love this room. I am tired of it always being a mess, being crowded. I want it to look classy, I want it to be a nice place to sit and visit. So all the toys were moved downstairs(hopefully they will stay there...they tend to migrate). The TV is no longer going to live in this room(in fact, I kinda accidentally broke it today while moving things around). I would love to just move this unit right out of my living room, the problem is, I have too many books and photo albums and nifty thingys that I really need a shelving unit to put the all on. I don't think this is the look I am after.

 I know what I want, but  don't have the money to buy what I want. So I have to make this shelf work until I can get what I want. This is where I need your help. First; do I put the shelf on the light tan wall or the blue wall?

Tan wall

Blue wall

Blue wall looking head on

Just ignore the mess on the floor...it will find it's home tomorrow.

Secondly; do you have any suggestions as to what I could do with it to help it look less industrial, and a little more classy? Is that even possible? Picture it with some photo albums and nice picture frames on it. As for the big bare tan wall, I have a variety of large picture to choose from, but that will depend on where the shelf ends up going...ideas and suggestions are welcome...I'm basically stumped.