Meet my family...

So I often talk about how grateful I am for my family but today I am going to tell you why I am grateful for my in-laws the....

                                                                               Maralon and Delbert

Delbert is a good old country boy and proud of it. He is hard working, straight forward, and loves Dr. Pepper, John Wayne movies, and old country.

Maralon is constantly looking for ways to better herself whether at school or home. She is often seen driving the countryside helping her University students become the best nurses they can be.



                                                  Katie

Katie is smart, kind, and everyone favourite auntie. She is the most nonjudgmental person I know and is quick to include everyone. She loves to travel and has recently been on all kinds of fun adventures including a trip to Disneyland with her roommates. She is a first rate hockey player and not bad on the guitar too.


                                                                           Jake and Lyndsey

Jake is a funny guy who loves his family and works hard to provide for them. When he isn't busy with his 4 boys (and 1 on the way) you'll find him playing hockey, hunting, or fishing.

Lyndsey is creative and giving. She handles her crew with more patience than I've ever had with just my one. She loves her family and her farm.

                                   Erin and Ross

Erin is creative, organized, and has a talent for thoughtfully planning family activities. She has an amazing capacity for love and patience (with three active children she needs it!). She loves taking pictures, being crafty, playing instruments, and blogging. She has become a great friend.

Ross is a talented designer and builder. He also has a great sense of humour and a great life story. He enjoys relaxing with a good book or by watching shows with his wife after the kids have gone down for the night.

                                                 Caleb and Cynthia

 Caleb is always willing to put in a hard day. He thinks nothing of helping others and is a bit of a jack of trades. He spends lots of time with his family but when he gets some down time he enjoys playing hockey with his brothers.

Cynthia works as a recreational therapist part time and mom full time. She loves spending time with her family and is especially close with her sister.

So this is my extended family and a few of the reasons that I love them!

Busy Week- Happy Girl!

Well I must say this week has been busy. Between finishing assignments, a quick trip to Calgary for the opening day of the final instalment of in the Twilight franchise (a family tradition for me and my sister Stephanie), photo shoots, and hockey it has been go go go. Here are a few great moments from our week.

 

~Double Date at the Movies~

 

 

Luke has grudgingly gone to all of the opening nights of the Twilight Saga with me. My wonderful sister Stephanie use to live 10 minutes away from me for years and we started the tradition of going on a double date to each part of the instalment when she lived here. Two years ago her husband got a job in Calgary and since then we have kept up the tradition by going there to watch it with them. The highlights from this year were:

- Luke Actually enjoyed this one and the look on his face during the fight scene was priceless.
- Kristen Stewart actually looked like she was semi enjoying herself.
- The end of the movie... as much as I hate to admit it, I love a sappy happy ending.
- There was action, humour, and love... all things I can get behind.
- It's nice to let the kids all play at home with uncle Mitch while we got to spend some quality time with each other and our spouses.
- My theatre poutine! It was great.

~Family Pictures~ 

 

 



I have to say even though its a bias, my sisters family is beautiful! What a wonderful mom she is and what a wonderful family she has made. Rob is a great and devoted husband and their boys are just adorable. Robbie and Charlie are getting so big, it won't be much longer before they are heading off to school, and sweet Liam is always ready with a kiss for auntie. While visiting for our movie date we took 5 minutes to do family shots (quite literally 5 minutes, if anyone else takes pictures of toddlers you can attest to their attention span- especially with Aodhan all ready to play with them!). Though they all turned out great I loved this one, and as a special bonus Robbie didn't have his braces on anymore (he has Cerebral palsy in his legs and has had casts on for the last 2 months to help correct it). And so because it was a beautiful day with a beautiful family and we had beautiful results this was a great moment in my week.

 

~ Christmas Crafts~ 

 

 

 

So I'm trying to be creative this year and I saw a cute idea on pinterest from a girls blog where she made a fabric wreath. I thought it looked so cute and since my mom has an obsession with wreaths I thought I would try my hand at it. Tada, the results look great! I know you can't really see from the picture but all the fabric is Christmas related. Now to get to all the baking and other gifts I need to get done before the holidays.

 

 

~Welcome Payton~ 

 

 

I love babies, and beautiful Asian babies even better! Our great friends Bailey and Keylan Kado had cute-as-a-button girl this week and asked me to take some quick shots for them while her parents visited from California. We got some great shots but this one made me laugh. I can almost hear her saying "NO MORE, and get this thing off me!"







Scentastic!

So anyone that knows me knows I am obsessed with nice smells. It drives my husband nuts but hey who doesn't want their house to smell good?!? So with that in mind I have been trying some new products I want to share with you!

~For your Carpet~
So first on my list of new must haves is Arm & Hammer Vacuum Boost. I'm not sure what the scent is but its the one that has oxi-clean in it and a white flower. It has such a nice subtle scent and just brightens up the floors in your home.

~For your Whole Home~
I love Scentsy because I find that the smells they come up with are not overpowering and they have a great selection. Right now I am rocking the Happy Birthday Scent, Rio Beach, and Coconut Lemongrass. It doesn't take long for the whole house to smell uber yummy!

~For your Wash~
Oh my goodness! This stuff rocks. I am always trying to find ways to have that fresh out of the dryer smell last longer and I have found it. Downy in-wash scent boosters give your clothes a wonderful fresh smell that lasts so much longer than I thought possible. I find this especially awesome for towels and bedding. There are many different brands of this out now so I suggest smelling them all in the store till you find one that you like.

~Disneyland~

So my awesome SIL and BIL invited us to go on holidays with them to Disneyland in May. I can admit that I was a little unsure of how it would go as I have always heard horror stories about the lines and crowds there. We packed up at 5 a.m. on May 12 and headed out making it all the way to Cedar City the first night. We had a more relaxing travelling day on the 13th and made it to our hotel by 3. I have to give props to Aodhan for being such a fabulous traveller. We decided to go with a 3 day hopper pass and a day at Universal studios (we got the City Pass) and I must say it seemed like just the right amount of time at each place.What a great time and great company. Thanks again to Erin, Ross, Amy, and Beth for showing us how to party like a rock star. So here are some things we loved, and things we would do different.

Must do Rides~

Disneyland-

Peter Pan
Space Mountain
Splash Mountain
Pirates of the Caribbean
Indiana Jones
Toy Story Lazer Gun Ride
(And for your Star Wars loving child....
 the Jedi training camp was awesome, Aodhan loved it).

Adventure-

California Screamer
Wild Raft Ride
Toy Story 4D
Flying Simulation
Bugs Life interactive show

Universal studio's

Jurassic Park ride
Transformers 4D ride
Mummy Roller Coaster
Waterworld Show
Bus Tour

Additional Love goes out to~

-Getting a stroller for the kids. It came in handy!
- Getting fast Passes, Ross was seriously awesome at timing stuff.
- Having a game plan (again Erin and Ross rocked at this).

Things I would do different~

For some reason I didn't realize you could take snacks into the parks and if I had one regret it would be that I had gone and got more snacks and food instead of buying so much in the park. I also would suggest doing the same for breakfast items as the Continental breakfast in the hotels around Disneyland are a little sad. I also would have taken a few more days either travelling down or to have breaks in between the park days. Maybe just one or two but that can make a big difference. Overall though it was way better than I expected and Luke is already talking about going back so you know it went well!


 And now for the good part... PICTURES!

 Erin giving me dirty looks as we rush in early our first morning =)

Amy showing me how to work the camera even while climbing a rope!

Miss Beth and her pretty painted face... I think it lasted half the day before it got smugged off lol.

 LOL I don't think Luke can make a normal face.

Us all screaming like little girls!

 Luke enjoying the dumbo ride with Amy and Aodhan.

 The gangster side of the family.... Shifty Liz and Shady Luke. Love this picture!

Jumbo Turkey Legs- They were neither turkey nor legs. But man were they good after 12 hours in the park!

 The kids convinced Luke and Ross to take them on the farris wheel. It was great because Erin and I got some girl time to ourselves.

Love this shot.

 Caught the parade one day and I loved the energy of the performers.

 Ross is boss! I have never seen a person enjoy the thrill of the ride as much as he did. Him and Aodhan were in a class of their own lol.

So much detail in all the rides.

 We went on a boat ride through the "jungle"... seriously though doesn't he look real.

 Miss Amy rocking that pooh ride.

 Our cool submarine ride.

 Man you could spend a fortune in this place!

 I was glad we got to do a few rides with just the kids. I love the bonding time.

Till next time... Parting image from our last night <3

Family Fun Time....

There is nothing like my boys dancing like fools to bring a smile to my face. We all ended up doing the next song, good times were had by all.

Crafting Madness!!!

There are so many amazing idea's on pinterest and though on the one hand (as I posted on facebook recently) it makes me feel like the most unorganized and uncreative person in the world, on the other hand I am in awe of what some people think up! My SIL Erin is amazingly creative like that and last year she made us these uber fun family rule boards... LOVE LOVE LOVE! I wish my renovations were done so I could put it on the wall already but that's a totally different post lol! On the Bevans side of the family we usually try to do homemade gifts for each other, a tradition that started a few years back. I must say my in-laws are pretty creative, especially my SIL's. A good idea I once had for our gift exchange was a family tree Christmas tree skirt. The great thing about this gift  (I gave this to Luke's parents) is that I can add to it with each addition to the family. This year was a little different with all the crazy schedules we decided to have a board game gift exchange which was great because it still encourages family time together.

On the Dautel side we are given the option of what we want to do but there is a lot of creativity and thought on my families side too. This year I had my brother for our gift exchange and I made him a chest filled with things we enjoyed together as children. I took a wood chest and covered it in crafting paper, then added pictures of their own family over top of the paper. I filled it with Lego, pick-up sticks, and books. My brother had me as well and I got a huge pail of farm honey for my food storage as well as some fun Christmas decoration blocks. I think it is so fun how everyone has their own personal touch to whatever gift they give.

So this leads me to next year and I feel like I should kick up the creativeness factor. I have found several fun ideas on Pinterest that I hope to try. One I want to do are a box of homemade ornaments for each member of the family..... maybe if I start now I will be done by December or maybe it will just be a really small box lol.

Another fun idea I saw that I thought might be a cute gift (especially for the kids) is a crayon letter of the first letter in their name. Though I am still undecided as to what exactly I want to do, I am grateful for other peoples creativity for inspiring me. 

~Eat Your Veggies! and Other Food Adventures~

So lately I have been on a kick to get more veggies into my family meals... but in a way that the boys will eat them. I'm lucky in the fact that Aodhan and Luke both love vegetables but I don't like doing the same old same old.

 One of the great things about Aodhan is he loves soup and one of his favourite kinds is Wor Won Ton. When we were in Taiwan I learned how to make lion head soup which is similar minus the won tons. I found a basic recipe years ago and from that I have customized it to our families tastes (I am not a measuring and recipe following kind of girl). The base of my Lions head soup is pork meatballs that are kind of like the filling for a won ton. I use bok choy, carrots, baby corn (Aodhan's favourite), celery, red peppers, mushrooms, onions, chicken broth, and noodles. You cook up the meatballs, add the veggies, next comes the stock, and in the last few minutes you add the noodles. A yummy, hardy, vegetable filled meal for the family.

Another thing we eat a lot of in this family is salads. Recently I decided I wanted a Greek salad (minus the olives) for dinner and I was having a hard time thinking of what would go good with it. Then I thought well what about pitas, chicken, and tzatziki sauce?!?! So me being me I looked up a recipe for Pita bread and made my own from scratch with a yummy salad, chicken skewers, and homemade tzatziki sauce. Everyone loved it!

This week I am trying the Salads in a jar idea I found on Pinterest. I will have to post if it is a success or failure.

Death

Today is a vent day.

So I sit here thinking of my grandma as she lays dieing and I have so many things that are going through my mind. Death is not unknown to me, I have had 4 people close to me die in the last few years. Each death brings with it different regrets and pain. I don't know what is worse, loosing someone so quickly that you do not get the chance to let them know how much you love them (that one last time) or watching someone suffer as you selfishly hoard as many memories away as you can.

I can say with my grandma as hard as it to fathom not having her, that I hope that her journey on this earth does not last much longer. I feel shame for being frustrated with her the last few good months I had with her before she became sick, I regret that I didn't make the effort to see her more when she lived so close and I had the time, and I selfishly think how come there are bad people still walking around when someone so good has to leave us. In the end I guess the only thing I can do is hope that she truly knows how much I love her, how much she impacted me, and how empty a part of our lives will be without her presents.

A few years ago she asked me to make a poem for her funeral (she has always been one of my biggest fans), at the time I told her to stop talking like that and she chuckled in the way she always did and said well we all gotta prepare for the end. I decided instead to write a poem celebrating her life and I gave it to her the next Christmas. I am going to add it below, though the end has been changed to what it will be for her funeral. I don't know how I am going read it there but maybe her love shining down will give me the courage. Sorry about the vent but I needed to write somewhere all the thoughts going through my head.

Grandma

She came from humble beginnings with two loving parents,

A bright beautiful child, sibling, and friend.

To a family that loved her to the depths of their hearts,

Can any of us ask for more than this gentle start?

And as she grew her beauty shone bright,

An inner peace, a radiance of light.

She dreamed of a husband and a child or two,

And one day not long after her dreams came true.

But life tends to hand us adversity to face,

But along with adversity, strength and knowledge follow its place.

No matter what trials or tribulations came her way,

She would cry, she would pray, and than face each new day.

For she was a mother with children in her keep,

And that was always more important to her than losing some sleep.

She tried to give them the world in the palm of their hands,

Instead she built strong loving children like only a mother can.

Step by small step, with heartache and tears;

with pain and joy, with love and fears.

With kindness and patience she faced the world,

For family, for love, and a shy little girl.

She taught me to be the best me that I can,

She imprinted my life, all that I will be, all that I am.

And as she aged and wisdom she faced,

More beautiful she became in her last earthly stages.

She gave herself freely to church, family, and friends,

Because she learned in life love is eternal, it never ends.

And as we weep for the loss of this angel on earth,

The angels in heaven rejoice in her worth.

Thank you dear grandma, mother, sister, and friend,

Your legacy lives on forever, because of you we never end.

Jessi Leigh

JOURNALS... JOURNALS... JOURNALS!!!

I LOVE WRITING and though I enjoy many different forms of writing the one that I've done the longest is Journal writing. Throughout the years I have  filled more than my share of journals with age old woe's and what I thought was wittiness. Seriously, go back and read some of your diaries from when you were a teenager (it's hilarious). I know what some of you are thinking... I can hear the "BUT JESS, IT'S SO BORING THOUGH" as I write this, anddddddddd I agree with you to some extend. So with this in mind I decided to try some fresh approaches to the old style diary.

The first one is my quote journal. As an avid reader I found myself constantly stumbling upon the great words of wisdom throughout the books I was reading. Now anytime I find something that gives me a "AH-HA" moment I go right away and write it in my journal (and why I found it important enough to write about). I honestly think this journal says more about me and what I believe than my daily events diary.

The second type of journal I am currently working is a journal for my son. I have always found it funny that kids do not think their parents can understand how they feel (let's face it.. I'm guilty of this too). I thought it would be awesome if I wrote to my son from his birth until he is a teenager and give it to him to read at a time we all need guidance. I think it is important for him to not only hear the stories I have from memory but see how I felt, why I felt that way, and what my hopes are for him through his life. I write everything to him, including when I am mad, when I am wrong (and when I am right), the things in the news that make me sad, the joys we have for the day, the lessons I hope he never has to face in life, and everything in between. I also  keep little stubs and pictures from different trips we take and add them in there as well.

I will add some pages from my journal once I take some pictures of them and maybe this gives you a new idea for your own journal.

Snapshot of the Year...

So I have this great friend Bailey who is super crafty. That combined with Pinterest (one of my newest obsessions) inspired me to create a snapshot of the year for Aodhan putting together all his favorites. What a great idea!! And here the result of the first two I tried. I am going to go back in and darken up the font on the first one but not bad so far.

Things I can't live without.....

In no particular order...

10. My toes being painted! Ok so I have to admit that I hate having nail polish on my fingers but I love having cute toes. How is one ok but not the other you ask me?!?! I don't know, like my husband will tell you I'm just weird that way. When me, my mom, and my sister go to get them done, they always get these cute french tips done or sophisticated pale pinks... well not me! I'm all about the bright colours with butterflies or flowers thrown in their for good measure. I think my sassy toes are a representation of my inner spirit.




9. My king size, over the top, comfy bed! I literally live in my bed. I know you all know what I mean when I say there two types of people in this world....  those that like to cuddle and those that don't. I am not really a cuddlier, instead I'm a "take-up-more-than-half-the-bed-with-one-arm-out-of-the-covers-and-one-leg-out-the-side-its-all-about-me" type of sleeper. So you can see why I decided that to save my poor marriage it was best to get a king size bed. Now the thing is that a king size still allows you the opportunity to cuddle when your inclined to do so but the rest of the time you have your space.


8. Board games! If you don't like gathering around a table with friends and family in a heated game of anything than you have no soul.... ok maybe you do but I cannot understand anyone that doesn't like games. For me games are comforting, from my earliest memories I remember my mom and dad with friends around the table laughing and having a good time. Its one of those things I will always associate with happiness. Well since then we have had 30 years of challenges, champion's of the table, throw downs, and upsets. Whether its rook, crib, domino's, what, scategories, or simple cards you will find me there and ready to go. The best thing about it is I married into a family that loves to play games as much as my own.


7. Books! I have a serious love for books and always will. There is something about books that pull you into their world. You can relax and you fall into the pages. The more I read the more I realize how much I don't know but that gives me a greater thirst for knowledge. I don't care if it is a textbook on the Inca's, a thriller, a romance, a biography, or a children's book, they all have something to offer.



6. Laughter! The truth is without laughter I do not think Luke and I would have made it as long as we have in marriage. There is something refreshing about just laughing at yourself, at each other, and with each other, in a marriage. I learned long ago that there are too many good things in the world to not look at the brighter side of life. I also think that if you are in a bad spot nothing brings you out faster than laughter.





5. My Husband! Ok sappy but true confession time.... I love that man! Sometimes he frustrates me like only a husband can but at the end of the day I love him more than I did when we first married. It's has always been hard for me to understand friends that have gotten divorced. I know there are some very valid reasons for divorce but when couples say they just drifted apart I cannot fathom that. Maybe it is because we are so honest with each other, or maybe its because we have a sense of humour about life, or maybe its just because I feel like I can tell him anything... regardless of what it is, he is one of the best parts of me.


4. My photography! I swear I would loose my sanity if I didn't take pictures. It is as much relaxing as it is fun and exciting. I must admit that I am one of those people that lose interest in things quite quickly... just look in my "closet of shame" with half finished quilts, the guitar I just had to have, the half done projects, and the list goes on. That being said, I have stuck with photography and I love it! Now I don't think I will ever try to do it professionally because I am not one for stressing any more than I have to but I think the sheer joy of it will keep me busy forever.


3. My son! I don't quite remember life without him and though like his father he has a tendency to drive me nuts he is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen... How is it possible that we created such a perfect child. I love his smile, his innocence, his laughter, the joy and zest that he has for life. I hope that he always knows how much I love him. I cringe thinking about when he becomes a teenage... I tell him all the time when I go in and check on him while he sleeps that he has to be nice to me when I'm older lol. We have had a lot of trouble having children and it has given me a greater appreciation for Aodhan. I struggle knowing that I will most likely never get the chance to have another baby because I know I have so much love to give... that being said I am so blessed to Aodhan


2. My friends! What would I do without my friends?!?! Probably be a little less sane, that's for sure. I can say being a housewife and stay at home mom is a tough gig, anyone that says different should try it. As much as it is a labour of love I can honestly say I absolutely live for those few days a month when I get to go out of the house and visit with my friends. The great thing about a group of girls is you can all relate on some level and laughter is always present. I have been blessed with some lasting older friendships and I have been blessed with some new friendships. Each one of those girls (and some guys) has a special place in my heart. Whether its lunch out with just one, a much needed phone call, or a chick flick they got my back.


1. My family! I have got one of the best families in the world... and I'm not just saying that. I am lucky enough to not only have siblings but also friends. I go on vacation with my parents, I sleep over at my sisters, I chat with my brothers on the phone. We are one ball of crazy energy and I love it. The best part is I married into a family where I was lucky enough to find even more friendship and love...