Snickerdoodle Cake

Camilla and Hyrum wanted to make snickerdoodle cookies today. They followed the recipe all on their own, but the dough ended up looking a little runny. When I saw the glass measuring cup on the counter with a bit of milk in the bottom I asked how much milk they added. Camilla pointed to the line, 1 1/4 cup instead of just 1/4 cup. OOPS! After a few tears we decided that we could fix it. We added baking powder instead of baking soda and omitted the cream of tartar and viola! Snickerdoodle cake! It smelled so yummy and the whole thing got eaten within the hour. I told the kids they had better write down their recipe so that we can make it again! 

Greenhouse Update

Summer break hasn't been feeling very "summery" with all of the rain that we have been getting. Rainy days have meant Harry Potter on repeat all morning and afternoons spent playing Monopoly with Grampa. One of the great things about the greenhouse is that you can work in it rain or shine! This afternoon I went out to look around and help Grampa with a few things. While I was out there Camilla and Hyrum decided to make cookies all by themselves. They came out looking odd and after taste testing we realized they forgot half of the butter, a whole cup of brown sugar and a whole cup of oatmeal. They were pretty salty! They tried again with fresh ingredients and the first pan came out paper thin. We added a bit more flour and the second pan didn't spread at all and ended up burning on the bottom. It was an adventure and a great learning experience. I'm half way to having my dream of kids who bake for me!!

A Mothers Prayer

Let there be morning snuggles, quiet sunrises, and watermelon kisses.

Let there be dancing in the kitchen and laughter in the home.

Let there be grace when I fall short, and extra hugs when I'm feeling down.

Let there be stories read & games played.

Let there be faith to push through the hard days in anticipation of better days ahead.

Let there be bed time tickles, endless belly laughs, and "I Love You's" spoken. 

Let there be time to hold onto that sleeping baby for just a little while longer at days end, soaking in his goodness before placing him in his crib.

Let there be evening prayers to express gratitude for the blessings that are mine and to plead for strength to wake tomorrow and do it all again.

Overwhelmed

I have been feeling so behind in everything that I do lately. By the time I get around to publishing this post, I'm sure a month will have gone by. Despite my efforts to clean, things have gotten out of hand. It's so hard to keep things organized with so many people in our family. The bathrooms are a disaster, the floor is unswept, and I still need to vacuum the mud on the stairs. It's so hard to keep up for some reason. As I vacuumed the boot room I couldn't believe the number of shoes and rubber boots and dress shoes scattered all about. Even though I've had many years to practise, I still find it hard to keep calm sometimes. I have to stop and remind myself that I can do it just a little bit at a time and everything will be okay. 

I ended up having to take all six children to the grocery store with me after dinner, but we all survived! It's been a while since I've had to take everyone with me to the store as I usually shop during school hours or post bedtime. I let out a chuckle as I reached the dairy aisle. Sawyer was in the carrier on my back grabbing at my pony tail as it swung back and forth. Everyone was talking at once and hanging all over the cart asking for things. Joe was sticking whatever he pleased in the cart and convincing me why he needed this or that (some hand soap for the boys' bathroom in particular). The looks I was getting from people as I shuffled my crew through the store was priceless. When we got to the van they all fought over who would sit where and my patience was so thin.

And now my sixth child has finally drifted off to sleep for the night. I've been on my feet all day, but if you looked at the state of my house, you wouldn't believe me. Sometimes life can feel so overwhelming. But experience has taught me that when the task seems impossible, start small and work your way through it. Today my sense of accomplishment comes from the line of shoes at my back door and a freshly vacuumed boot room. I'll get to the rest tomorrow.

Canada Day

It has been a pretty chill Canada Day long weekend filled with evening fires, smores, and hiking in the rain! To celebrate this beautiful country that we live in we thought that we would head to the mountains today for a hike! As we drove out West, the clouds started to gather. The temperature was warm and we knew that there was a chance of rain, but decided to press on anyways. The kids were excited to get to the top of mount baldy and check out the view.

Sadly, half way up, our view was disrupted by heavy cloud cover and it started pouring rain in buckets shortly there after. The combination of strong winds and giant rain drops made for a very wet and cold hike. We sought shelter under some trees and debated whether or not to wait it out. We didn't end up making it to the top, and the hike down was difficult due to the rain and wind (even I could have cried). The children had a brief few minutes of whining and then remembered that they could do hard things. We asked them lots of questions to take their minds off how wet they were and soon their frowns turned upside down.

We made it to the vehicles soaking wet with our sense of humors in tact (barely). Camilla joked that every time we bring Reese along on a hike it rains. We ended up eating our lunch on the drive home and were happy to change into dry, warm clothes. I didn't get my picture at the top with the Canada flag like I had hoped and we never did make it out to the fireworks like we usually do, but we had a good time as a family and that's really all that matters! I sure am grateful for this beautiful country that we live in!

Evening Fires

The weather has been so lovely this weekend! To celebrate our wonderful country Camilla made sure to dress in red and white for church today. I dug out the Canada flag tie that I made for one of the boys when they were little and spiffed Ollie up. The rest of the kiddos weren't that into it.

We sang "Oh Canada" for the opening hymn at church and I couldn't help but tear up as I sang! I am so grateful for our country and all that it offers. 

The afternoon was slow and quiet, just the way we like things. Sawyer and I hung out in the greenhouse chatting with Grampa and enjoying the weather.

 

While the little boys napped I whipped up an apple spice cake with my Gramma's maple icing. It's been a favorite around here for the last few weeks and doesn't seem to last long. 

 

 

 

 

 

 We finished off the evening with a roaring fire, smores, and good conversation. These kids are getting older and wiser too and they are so fun to talk with! It was nice to just relax and enjoy the evening outside. Being together as a family is one of my favorite things!

My Whole World

Today was so wonderful! We took the littles to a new favorite park and went on a short walk down to the river after they had finished playing. They were all in such good moods and getting along so well. As they walked ahead of me on the trail chatting away to their Dad I couldn't help but feel blessed! 

My whole world.

We made our way home for lunch with two hot pizzas on my lap. After they filled their bellies they spent the rest of the day playing outside under the birch tree. They hung a blanket over a couple of branches to create a cover from the rain and played "survivor" all afternoon. They packed oranges and homemade fishing rods and the boys ran around the yard without shirts (because that's what you do in the wilderness apparently). Camilla was the mother and Fin and Ollie were her children. The other two boys were the protectors and chased off wild cougars and such. I loved looking out the window and seeing the big kids piggy backing the littles around the yard, using their imaginations and playing together. This is what Summer days are made for.

Wild and Free

There is a corner of the acreage that is covered in wild strawberries! The littles ventured out this morning to pick for a little while. We got a small bowl full and enjoyed every last one!

We took advantage of the beautiful weather and went into town to hit up a park. The littles needed to get some wiggles out and thoroughly enjoyed the monkey bars and slide. They played grounders and ran to their hearts content. 

Oliver loves playing at the park and climbed up all of the tricky things (which made this mamma nervous). I love watching them discover and learn!

The late afternoon brought us to the lake for a few hours of boating. It was a tad windy and choppy, but we made the best of it and enjoyed a few snacks!

Some of the highlights included Camilla jumping from the boat to the tube and falling into the water instead. And Hyrum's solo tube ride where the tube turned into a kite for a few seconds and flew through the air. 

Until next time!

School's Out

The kids are officially out of school and we are all in relax mode. The rain has put a damper on anything Summery being done outside, so they spent the majority of the day today watching Harry Potter movies and eating cake and cheese knots. It's crazy to see how much they have grown and changed this year!

The rain always puts me in the mood to bake and I really went crazy this morning! I made a rhubarb cake (that was promptly eaten), an apple spice bundt cake, bread, cheese knots and three chicken pot pies. The baby napped three times, and I filled the sink with hot soapy water that many times just to get through the mountain of dishes I created. While I was busy in the kitchen the boys used half a bottle of hand soap in the bathroom sink for their army men. I'm sure they will live in my bathroom sink for the next few days until the  boys get bored of playing in soapy water and sloshing water on my bathroom floor all afternoon.

It rained all day and in the late afternoon I found out that the last soccer practice of the year was cancelled due to the weather. I was a little bit relieved because it made dinner time so much easier. Joe helped me make a warm pot of chili for dinner and loved dumping all of the ingredients and spices in the pot. He taste tested it right off the wooden spoon and was so proud of himself. We husked the corn together, boiled the water, and set the table. His reward was licking out the icing bowl after we iced the bundt cake. He loves to help cook and I need to call him into the kitchen more often because we had a lot of fun!

I am looking forward to Summer and a more relaxed schedule with less obligations. We like a slower pace and I'm trying to be ok with that. The kids helped Daddy clean up the kitchen and then enjoyed a Movie after dinner and cake. Just as I tucked into bed the rain turned from a gentle drizzle to a complete downpour. I pulled the windows down to let the fresh, cool air in and tucked under my duvet. I layed there listening to the rain and trying to figure out why I stay up so ridiculously late all the time. Perhaps it's waiting on the last loade of laundry to finish so that I can put it in the dryer before bed, or it's the quiet of the house and ability to collect my thoughts or do something that I enjoy. I will probably be a night owl forever!

Eleven Years

Today Mike and I are celebrating our eleventh anniversary! Time has gone by so fast. I am so grateful for our marriage every day and for the man that Mike is. He is patient, kind, and affectionate and takes such good care of us all! Life has been full of changes and unexpected surprises but together we have been able to overcome any obstacle and enjoy all of the blessings that have come our way. He truly is my best friend and I couldn't imagine spending eternity with any one else.

"It's not always easy 
and sometimes life can be deceiving,
I'll tell you one thing, 
it's always better when we're together. 
Yeah, we'll look at the stars when we're together. 
Well it's always better when we're together.
Yeah, it's always better when we're together....."