Everybody should have a sister

I'm so lucky! I have the BEST sisters in the WORLD! That isn't just my opinion it is an actual proven fact.

I have three sisters. Two that I grew up with and one that joined our family years later by marrying my Brother. They are three of the kindest, and most creative women I know. Up until a couple of years ago all of us lived within about 20 minutes from each other and I really miss that.
First I`ll tell you about the implanted one.
Heather and I are usually pregnant at the same time, and this time is no exception. We each are soon to have 4 kids. Out of our combined 8 kids- 6 of them are born within weeks of each other. We are like polar opposites. I`m tall and gangly. She is not. She handles pregnancy with ease and grace. I don not. She is calm and patient ....well anyways- you get the point. She practically lives in her kitchen and bakes and cooks for those she loves. I really like to visit them.


Crystal and I are closest in age and have probably spent the most time together in the past. We`ve lived together growing up, then again as university students and even once when her and her hubby opened up the top floor of their home to my family while John went back to school. She`s a biologist at heart. And her heart is REALLY BIG. She`s met David Suzuki and sat among a rare breed of spirit bears as they fed on Salmon at her feet. She`s a poet and a bird watcher and is always worried that she hasn`t been quite kind enough to those around her. Like she has anything to worry about!



And then there is my sister Jewel. Some things about Jewel that I feel need to be said:
* Our husbands are cousins. Therefore we still share the same last name and see each other at ALL family reunions.
* Both of our husband are science teachers and got hired in the same town at the same time. (I think that is because God knew I needed to be close to at least one of my sisters)
* She`s several things to me. A friend, my nurse, and my mom. She is the one I go to when I really need. But I don`t really need to go TO HER, she usually is already at my door helping before I have to ask.
* Her home is where we all gather when family gets together. She`s the perfect hostess.
* My kids ADORE her! ``Aunty Jew`s house`` was one of Jessica`s favorite things to say!
* Since I got pregnant she has been picking up Abby practically EVERY morning and takes her to school for me.
* She is always dropping off meals for me and has probably single handedly saved my family from malnutrition the past couple of months.


Take today for example. As I got to her house this morning to pick up my kids- Jewel handed me a box full of ready to go freezer meals. Not just dinner for tonight as she would normally do- but dinner for a WEEK! To top it off she had prepared THIS MORNING a dish full of the finest scalloped potatoes ever. These potatoes are like medicine to me- I`m not even kidding. She bakes them for several hours in a puddle of creme until the top is golden and bubbly. They are SOOO Good!

This is the coziest dish of potatoes you could ever eat. This is the perfect side dish to roast or ham and apparently it even works on its own while you sit on the couch watching The Drs. In fact it is shortly after 3:00. Dinner is not for a couple of hours and as you can see I`ve already polished off a good portion of these potatoes.

Seriously people- pray that I get some restraint soon or there really will be nothing to eat for dinner.

I don`t regret it thought because with every bite I have felt the love of my sister, and it has solidified to me the fact that I truly believe everybody, EVERYBODY should be blessed enough to have SISTERS.

...But not mine. They`re taken!

************************************************************
I`m including the recipe for these potatoes which Jewel inherited from her Mother in Law. Go ahead and try to make them. I`ve tried- and I guarantee they will NEVER NEVER turn out as good as Jewels!

But- Good luck just the same.


Old Fashioned Scalloped Potatoes
by Deanna Hardy
6-8 raw potatoes 2-3 cups whipping cream
1 small chopped onion 2-3 cups whole milk
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and slice potatoes very thin into a greased 9x13 pan. Stir in the onion and the salt and pepper. Pour over the whipping cream and stir to coat. Pour whole milk over to cover the potatoes. Bake at 300 F for 3 to 3 and a half hours, uncovered.

Things have been so busy. So SO busy around here. What with all of the hours I spend lying in bed whining about morning sickness, and then throw in the time I spend on the couch watching TV...I mean who has time to blog with all that going on?

I won't be pathetic forever though. ...I hope. Sometime soon I will take the time to share the wonderfulness of our lives again. Baby is growing big. I know that because my belly is growing exponentially so all must be well in that department. Sam, Abby and Jess have been playing so well together lately, and John has been so supportive. Overall we are all healthy and well and life is good.


For now though, here is a picture of our youngest. She better enjoy life as the "baby" because those days are numbered!



Oh yeah and I think this may be how the whole Swine Flu thing got so out of hand:

So there was this Tree...

So there was once this tree. A beautiful, healthy, large thriving poplar Tree. It stood majestically on the Northeast corner of our property right before my garden. I had nothing against this tree-in fact I loved it.

My favorite thing about our home is the actually LOT in which our home sits. One day (we are talking a year from now) some lucky buyer will literally Drive our house off this lot and we will be left with a True Gem. Large spacious yard with beautiful full grown trees lining the entire property. Throw in a kick butt garden plot and a soon to be vegetable pit- and you can see why I love this place. The trees are a big part of that Love.

Back to that one tree. This one to be precise:


Over the last couple of weeks John and I have been dreaming about starting a small orchard. We are talking 3 maybe 4 trees. A couple of apple trees, maybe a cherry tree, John wants to try his luck at a pear tree...you get the idea. We plan to plant our trees in a couple of weeks and sadly the spot we want to plant them is occupied by none other then this old poplar. We want to line our garden with the new trees but they would never do very well next their much larger competitor for nutrients. So a decision was made.


The tree had to go.

Step 1: Get permission from our neighbor seeing as the tree lies mostly on his property line. That was a must.




Step 2: Invite John's Dad over for Dinner.

(But suggest that perhaps he come over a few hours early) Tricky eh. He's a handy father in law to have when it comes to all things that grow.




Step 3: Cut a wedge into the tree- that will cause it to lean a direction.

See it Lean. It's leaning!!!!!



Step 4: Get out of the way. That is important. A tree like this comes crashing down!
I was actually on the phone with my sister-in-law luci at the time and she could hear the tree cracking as it fell. This part made me really sad and regretful actually. Have you ever seen the cartoon movie Fern Gully? I felt like "Hexus" the evil nemesis who tries to ruin the rain forest by destroying every tree in it's path. I felt like him. No wait- I felt like I was MARRIED to "Hexus."


Step 4: Retreat into the house and let "Hexus the tree killer" clean up the mess he's made.



For the next several hours John and his Dad cut wood, hauled wood and worked on digging out this stubborn and deeply rooted stump. And I mean they worked. They hacked at the roots, neighbors drove by with trucks and tried pulling the tree out. John pushed. john Pulled. John Jumped on it. That stump was NOT going to budge.
Finally that evening the men took a much needed break in which they came in for that dinner we had promised my Father in law. I proved to be a real winner when I served the desert. A homemade cherry blueberry pie. The cherries were hand picked from my father in laws yard last year. It would have been a beautiful pie- had I remembered to remove the PITS from the CHERRIES! So after damaging their teeth on desert the men headed back out to attack that stubborn old stump.


The wonderful thing about living in this town is that it doesn't take long before a member of your ward Elder's Quorom presidency drives by and offers assistance. Even better when said ward member owns one huge mamma jamma of a tow truck.
This was cool to see and it drew quite a crowd.



Even with the tow truck this was not an easy stump to pull. I love how in this photo you might not see it well- but the front of the truck was actually lifted about a foot in the air!




After one broken chain, and another broken cabel out came the last remaining part of that tree.



John filled in the massive whole, raked up all remnants of branches and debris and this morning when we awoke it was almost as if there never was a tree there. It has actually made me sad when talking to people about it and they say, "Oh I never even noticed that tree." Poor little tree. To have grown so big and tall and been so unnoticed.


Well that leaves an empty spot in which we promise promise PROMISE we will be replanting three more fruit trees of some sort in it's place.

So we aren't that bad.


....are we?

Spring? Maybe...?

I'm nervous to say that spring is here. Last time I said that - we were greeted to this the next morning: But that is southern Alberta for ya now isn't it. It's been a beautiful week and I really think that we've seen the last of the snow. ...maybe. I think.


Do you want to know what the three best things about being married to a school teacher are? Well-in no particular order the 3 best things about it are:
July, August and Spring Break!!! That time off is the BEST time of year!

It has been SOOO nice to have John home all week long. No evening lesson prep. No marking. We've tackled lots of little projects around the house during the day and in the evenings we've enjoyed Lord of the Rings. Luckily I've had more good days then bad lately as far as the "morning sickness" goes. I'm sure John has appreciated having someone a little more human- like around here.


Easter weekend we brought out the picnic table. One of my FAVORITE favorite favorite things to do is eat dinner outside. The spring air is refreshing, the kids stay put longer, neighbors pass by, and cleaning up for some reason is a cinch. Love it.


Mind you we weren't expecting these little bovine buddies to join our little picnic, but ...then again... that's southern Alberta for you.





Earlier in the week, some of John's siblings planned a tinfoil dinner in Waterton. Despite the fact that the thought of leaving the house seemed like too much work for me- the thought of waterton was enticing enough. Luci made yummy tin foil dinners for everyone. Rachel brought s'mores. It was cold. There was snow. Perhaps we should have dressed the kids better. But it was so Nice!

Of course we could not have left Waterton without flying at our favorite spot. John and Jord flew those remote planes of theirs and Abby got to fly her Princess kite!

I like this pic with the hotel in the background. If I had a dollar for every photo I've taken of this hotel...

John took this photo of the kids on Sunday morning. Sundays are rough around here these days so you can appreciate the little miracle it was that all THREE were actually dressed in time for church!


Other exciting news of the week: For me, the most exciting news is that I've felt a bit more human! I have good days and bad days. But not ALL BAD days anymore. Progress right. I've taken a walk around our house and I see flowers and plant popping up out of the soil everywhere. My Rhubarb I transplanted last fall actually appears to be taking, and today- I noticed my parsley popping out of the ground!

I am really Really excited to start my garden this year. I'm not sure how I'll be able to tend to it when I have a stomach the size of my house- but then again I'm married to a school teacher right? Perhaps I need to start calling it "our garden" and let john help me in it a bit more.

This was my passion last summer and i have to admit I got a bit territorial over it.


I've spent some time planning our garden for this year. There are a lot of things I want to do differently. Ahem... I mean - there are a lot of things that WE want to do differently this year. Today we actually completed phase 1 of our plan. When I say we- I mean John and my Father in law. I'll blog about it tomorrow, but I'll tell you this. It involves a chainsaw...one REALLY big poplar tree... and a very cool tow truck.


Don't worry "tree lovers"- it's all part of our Master plan!

Perspective

It's been a rough few weeks. I've been putting off writing on my blog because, well I've had nothing I felt was worth recording. Our days have consisted of the same monotonous routine. John goes to work, I spend hours at a time in bed, and the kids watch FAR too much TV. I've not cooked a meal for weeks so our meal times have been equally redundant. Ichiban...kraft dinner...repeat. I'm at the point in my pregnancy where SICK has set in and I can't believe I let myself forget this part of it. The morning sickness is more like All day Sickness and I feel like I could sleep for 8 hours and then fall asleep without a problem at night. Blah. I waft between feeling sorry for myself, and feeling guilty for the bad mom I've let myself become. Those emotions have pretty much consumed me and prevented me from feeling anything towards anybody else. Shame- I know.

Just when I felt like I couldn't feel any worse physically, I heard some news today that broke my heart. You see my biggest fear, MY BIGGEST FEAR as a mother, as I'm sure it is for so many of you as well, is the thought of losing one of my kids. Sometimes the worry from this has kept me up at night. Today as I was laying on the couch (I know pathetic) an Amber Alert came on the TV. A little 5 month old baby had just been kidnapped in Sherwood park. As the broadcaster continued to ramble off information about the stolen vehicle the baby was in, I felt myself saddened and listened in shock. Doesn't that make your heart ache? Somewhere at this very moment, my greatest nightmare has become one Mother's reality. I hope they find him soon.

It was enough to make me sit up straight and resolve to love my kids a little more and think of myself A LOT LESS. To just be glad that they are here, safe and sound. Another story dominating the news today was about two parents who's infant is literally dying and they are fighting to have her heart donated to another dying baby. I instantly felt ashamed for the lack of gratitude I have conveyed over the past several weeks. I'm keenly aware that some people would LOVE to be given the opportunity to have kids. Others would give anything to have kids who are healthy. Some would give anything to have their children safe at home with them? I have that all.

I am blessed.


Sometimes I just need a little dose of perspective.

The Kindergarten Gazette

Abigail LOVES kindergarten and she has such a wonderful teacher. It's always so fun to hear about her day when I come to pick her up. On a good day, she'll present to me a copy of their class "News" which is printed weekly and sent home. It's the kids chance to share exciting news with classmates and families. This week it was Abby's turn to share a story and I laughed so hard when I read what she wrote.

(click on this to read it more clearly)

I guess the word is out!

When oh when will I learn?

If the kids are too quiet...

It's because they are up to NO GOOD!

I should know this by now.

The healing power of SPRING!

I've not been feeling well lately. Seriously what is the deal? It's been a week spent on the couch for me which has been a little bit of a bummer. My sisters all gathered together this weekend for a "sister's retreat" of sorts and I opted to stay home. As soon as Jewel left town I felt so sad to be missing out on all that they would be doing.

So when John came home from work yesterday afternoon and tore the blankets off the bed (which I was sleeping in), threw my coat at me, I was a little bit taken aback. Okay really he just suggested we all go for a drive, but I`m pretty sure he wouldn`t have taken NO for an answer even if I`d tried it. We needed out of the house. bad!

Within ten minutes we were cruising the back roads of southern Alberta looking for wildlife. Sam and Jess had their eyes closed most of the way, but I'm pretty sure they were having a good time just the same. Abigail stayed awake thankfully and proved to be quite the little birdwatcher.

We were super thrilled when on two or three different occasions we'd spot a bald eagle soaring over the grassland. This one time we saw three eagles flying together.

What magnificent birds they are to watch! We stopped and sang ``The Star Spangled Banner`` in honor of our American sister in law Luci.

She wasn't with us to hear it though.
So actually maybe we did- and maybe we didn't - she'll never know.

We saw some cute little calves every other mile or so. And in one field we even watched a little baby buffalo.

Now baby buffalo - those are CUTE!



We ended up in Waterton and got held up waiting for these sweet things to cross the street. The little baby sheep were so fun to watch as they'd climb down a rocky slope and then follow their mammas out onto the road.

It's at this point that I started to notice just how many BABY animals we'd seen already. Geesh. You'd think it was the first day of spring or something!

oh wait. ...it was.

While in Waterton we drove around and enjoyed the scenery, passed by the apartment where John's sister Sarah will be living for the summer. Turned green with envy about that and then drove on. You might remember a couple of months ago when I wrote about our last trip to Waterton. The kids and i had eaten at our favorite restaurant the Lamp Post which was located inside the Kilmorey lodge. That night the lodge burnt down. We were thrilled to learn that the Lamp Post restaurant had been moved for the next little while and is still serving our favorite meals.

Of course we just HAD to stop and enjoy some of the food.

Then it was time to head home. We'd grown tired of watching for wildlife by this point so most of us just stared aimlessly out the window. We were a little bit confused at one point when John pulled over to the side of the road to throw snow balls.

It was Odd. He did get our windshield pretty good!

And in case you needed any more signs of spring here is one more. John drilled into one of our maple trees last night and instantly the sap started dripping. He's got big plans to turn this stuff into maple syrup like we did last year.


And does anything say spring better than a new baby lamb? How adorable is this?

Our neighbors down the street have a whole field of these darling little things.

Couldn't you just eat them up?

Our freezer is stocked with Popsicles, the winter boots are put away, rubber boots are out, and our sidewalk is decorated with sidewalk chalk.

You heard it here first. I'm making it official. Spring is here!

I don`t know about you but that has done wonders to improve moods, and restore health around here.

Welcome Spring. I`m feeling better already!

Happy PI day!

Tomorrow is Albert Einsteins birthday. How do I know that? Well it is easy to remember. His birthday is ALWAYS on the 14th day of the 3rd month. (March 14th. ) In other words- 3.14
A.K.A Pi!

Don't you think it is a little bit cool that a famous scientist was born on a date that is also a famous mathematical equation?

Ok I didn't really think it was all that exciting either, in fact I still don't really remember much about my old Math classes. I've tried to block out all memory. But when you are married to a science geek...ahem I mean a strapping young physics teacher - you learn to remember dates like this.



I also remember this date each year because it marks the one time a year that I ever attempt to bake pies. Not "Pi", but "Pies." You see John celebrates this prominent day with his classes by having a Pie Party. I've never been invited to such a party, as it's a pretty exclusive group. Apparently you have to be under the age of 18 and own a scientific calculator! I imagine it is a party in which 15-20 students gather together, eat all sorts of fruit filled pastries and celebrate both Science AND Einstein.



sounds fun.



well the pie part at least.

I tried to research this morning more about that man but I couldn't get past a lot of the big words. Theory of relativity...mechanics...electromagnitism...metaphysics, ...all words that make John's eyes light up, and his dimples show. To each his own I guess.

I did find this quote by Albert Einstein that was inspiring:

The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious. It is the source of all true art and all science. He to whom this emotion is a stranger, who can no longer pause to wonder and stand rapt in awe, is as good as dead: his eyes are closed.

So Happy Birthday this weekend to a very smart man.
And happy "PI Day" to you all!

May we all find something to be in AWE of!

Is this gross to you?

I don't know where the time has gone, and more importantly why have I chosen to not write about all that we've been doing. Consider yourselves lucky I suppose. I'll spare you the details about the funny things my kids have said, our Sunday visit to the old folks home in Magrath and other such excitement, because today I'm in the mood to write about nothing but FOOD. More specifically...a sandwich!

Not just any sandwich though. This is an old favorite of my Dad's. Now admittedly my Dad had an interesting taste in food and often those "tastes" presented themselves in the form of an odd little sandwich. There was the "Cheese whiz and strawberry jam sandwich," the meat lovers "meatball and mayo" sandwich, the traditional "bacon and tomato" (though I have to say that one is good), and then his very own creation, the pièce de résistance ... the "Missionary Sandwich."

I'm not sure if my Dad created this himself or if he just learned it from one of his companions when he served a mission in Belgium (he served a little bit in Holland too), many years ago. I have a sneaky feeling that this is NOT a Dutch specialty, as much as it is a stumbled upon secret by a bunch of poor and starving elders.

Whoever cooked up this idea- I thank you very VERY much! It was the perfect cure to an afternoon craving.

So hear is how you make...a Missionary Sandwich:

First take several pieces of bread, and put some slices of cheese on top of each slice. See...just like this!


Then, brace yourself, get a can of mushroom soup. Spread a couple spoonfuls straight from the can over top of the cheese.


Then...Broil until the soup starts to bubble a bit.


After a couple of minutes, pull it out, and enjoy!
You'll notice I made two sandwiches without the soup on top. My children are wimps who have yet to catch the vision. Grandpa Rausch would not be impressed.

So there it is. I have to admit that for all logical reasons there is nothing very appealing about this sandwich. I mean, it doesn't even LOOK good.

That said, unless someone stops me in the next couple of minutes...

They will be in my tummy in NO TIME!

Try it.

...I Dare You! But don't hate me after!

Dear Abby...

This kid we LOVE! She's 6 today you know.

Last night we had an early Birthday dinner so that she could have some of her cousins over. Today we are going to celebrate as a family this special little girl.

I love it when people post "progress reports" about their infants or babies. You've seen them. A list of all that their child can do at such and such an age...

I thought Abigail deserved just such a list today.

So...at 6 years of age Abby Can:
* Ride a bike (with training wheels)

* Swim on her own without plugging her nose!

*She can operate a computer better than I can at times.

* She can now read level 1 books. She surprises me sometimes when we sit down with a book. When and HOW did that happen?

* She has memorized 3 articles of faith so far

* She loves to eat pizza, pasta and fish

* She's a tad bit dramatic and enjoys acting out movies she's seen. (Without FAIL I have to be the evil stepmother EVERY time!)

* She's been known to kiss two boys in one day

* She can change a diaper, sweep the floor, wash windows (or at least the bottom half of a window), and loves doing the dishes.

* She's a dreamer. She has big plans for her little life.

* She considers EVERYONE a friend, even if they don't know her.

* She can act like a teenager better then anyone. "Whatever"..."As-IF"...and "Totally" have recently become some of her most commonly used words.

* She's great at being the oldest child. She's a peacemaker when she needs to be.

*She has a heart of GOLD, and one of MY DEAREST FRIENDS!

Today as I dropped her off at school I watched her as she climbed out of the van. I noticed how carefujlly she crossed the street being sure to look both ways WHILE holding her arm outstretched in front of her the way we taught her. She turned once she got across the street, smiled at me and gave our secret signal that means, "I LOVE YOU." Then she ran to the big school doors, struggled a bit to heave them open all by herself, and in a moment...disappeared from my view. Despite the fact that her oversized pony backpack was almost as big as she is...she seemed older today. Bigger.

Suddenly I was depressed.

Someone else gets to have her for the next several hours.

I get to sit at home and lament the loss of my little baby!

I suppose I could also rejoice in the fact that she's now a beautiful, healthy and delightful 6 year old. But no- I'll likely spend half the day praying she'll never grow up any more then this.

Dear Abby,

We love you very much. We hope you have a WONDERFUL birthday. Please do us a favor though and don't ever EVER change! Stay my little girl forever.

Love,

Mom.

Make photo slide shows at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Today I'm feeling especially grateful for the knowledge that I have that Families can live together eternally.



Of all of the things that I do have Faith in- that is one of the most comforting of all!

Because you all care. ...I know you do!

The thing that I love about "Blogging" is that I can type about my life, plans, kids and family and actually pretend that there is an audience of friends and family who actually CARE about what I'm writing about. Whether it is about my daughter`s second birthday, some home renovations or the status of my recent near death illness...ur cold - I have pictured in my mind a faithful group of people on the edge of their seats waiting...just waiting to see how things in our neck of the woods have ended up.

Well today's post just so happens to be an update on all the happenings in our oh- so- exciting life.

Here is Jessica blowing out the candles on her second Birthday Cake EVER! At least she tried to blow the candle out by puckering her lips together and puffing ever so cautiously, while remaining as FAR from the flame as possible!
Jordan and Luci were kind enough to let us have a family dinner at their house because our house had been overtaken with reno supplies, wood, and sawdust. Ew Ew and EW! I'm pretty sure that Luci slaved all day to get ready for the company, but she never let on. It was sure nice of them!
Jessica's Aunts and cousins know her well. Luci got her a doll and a stroller which she hasn't stopped pushing around. Jewel and her family got Jess a "Belle" dress and some jewellery. As you can see in the photo...it took about 45 seconds for her to open the gifts and put every single thing to good use!

Is this not the cutest Birthday Girl you`ve ever seen!! By the end of the day she`d gotten pretty accustomed to things being all about her. She played the role of DIVA oh so well!




As far as the renovations went. Yes you all were right John is AMAZING! This became especially apparent to me after I spent two days TRYING to mud and tape and sand the walls and get them ready for paint. I don`t think John and I have the same work ethic. ``Stupid, dumb boring Hate it!`` That`s all I have to say about renovations. John on the other hand actually enjoyed it.

We spent last Saturday painting together and aside from the door that we still need to install, things are done!


This is the empty space before the Reno began:


This is it After:

I love that we now have a hallway AND I love the little nook that John made for boots and shoes to go. That will help keep the entrance tidier.

The girls room is pink. Very girly. Jess has a real bed now too!



The tacky old style wood shelf that was once our entrance has made for a decent closet for the girls.


This was the kids room before Reno`s began. All three kids slept in here together. (What I mean is that ALL three kids would fall asleep in here, and then ALL three kids would wind up in our bed at some point in the night)
But this is where the would each fall asleep at least.


This is now Sam`s room now:
A nice MANLY blue, his own bed which he thinks is SOO cool, and toys fit for a boy. No more of those stupid princess dresses getting in his way. Nope he is a big boy now!





So there you have it. That is the first half of our home makeover. The second half will have to wait until Easter Break but it is going to be a goodie. It involves a new oven, a DISHWASHER, an Island and a little demolition just to make things FUN for John. He deserves to enjoy himself.

But like I said, you will have to wait to see that!

More and more we are feeling like this is a place we could stay for another year or so. We`ve been talking with the town about building on our property in 2010, but in the meantime we are pretty darn comfy where we are!

The best part is that LAST NIGHT not a single child left their bed.

I think it is a good sign!

We should have done this a long time ago!