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...

Pictures with Erin! So much fun!