Blessed Christmas! Happy birthday, Jesus!

We woke up to a white Christmas Eve yesterday!

The sun came out after I got back from grocery shopping.

I chucked the ham into the slowcooker. And left some orange rolls like cinnamon buns I came across at the freezer section, out to proof first! (YAY for shortcuts! I am so organized NOT, Ho Ho Ho! True, too, we caught the sniffles and coughs).

The spiral ham became our dinner!

The baked orange rolls made for celebrating God's gift to us!

Christmas is special specially because it marks the day Jesus was born.

That was how I explained it to my youngest.

She also put green and red sprinkles on the "tree" of rolls. (No, I had to tell hubby when he asked, it did not come arranged like that ;p).

All to add simple, merry touches here and there!

BLESSED CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!

For to us a child is born,

to us a son is given,

and the government will be on his shoulders.

And he will be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 9:6

Prayers for Connecticut families

Thinking of and praying for the families and community in Newtown, Connecticut, after the terrrible tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

Dear Lord, be with them. Comfort them. Give them strength.

May the innocent lives lost rest in peace.

Holding my children tighter.

Came across these links from Momsrising.com, I hope they may be useful to you:
PBS: Strategies for talking and listening to children to news

Babble: 5 top resources for talking to your kids about school shootings

Campaign for common sense gun regulations

(My youngest's e-drawings).

Mt Spokane, catching up with a friend

It was a beautiful opening day at Mt Spokane, when our friend S came and spent the weekend with us!

Skiing was a new adventure for him; we were glad he gave it a try, YAY!

My sons hope I can one day learn to ski ski also; no, my feet making the 'A' a good part of the way coming down the bunny hill does not count! They tell me the views at the top of the other hills can't be beat, "Mom, you will spend hours there taking pictures!"! Oh I hope so, too, someday, yah!

For now, I think the view from where the beginner chair lift 5 takes me, is a GORGEOUS one!

Taking it in from the top of Mt Spokane's bunny hill, as the sun was setting...

*Breathe in* *Breathe out*
(Oh yes, I relied on my phone for this shot and the others)!

Then, as always when friends get together, we did more catching up over food! Outside for dinner, and also at home -- the breakfast S brought, and I made us slowcooked BBQ ribs for lunch. He had early Christmas gifts for the kids, we had something for him also, although we were all not expecting each other to do that.

Friendship -- the company of friends, old friends staying in touch like that -- is itself one of life's best gifts!

Think about His goodness

Thanksgiving came...

We had our turkey, I made a herb-roasted one without stuffing.

My little girl asked and asked me why it was taking forever in the oven -- because I had told her she could have the sparkling cider only after I was done cooking!

She helped me prep the green beans.

Her brothers helped... themselves to the food! Boys!

This was them having a bit of a *cheep* thrill with a different turkey last month. We went on to have a fun time with another family, new friends, who came over for trick-or-treating and an impromptu dinner on Halloween.

More I'm really thankful for that we squeezed in between then and now, amid busy, busy schedules -- hubby's frequent worktrips, and kids and I had (have, of course) our days, moments in Crankyville, too. Just keeping it real!

Praise God for the blessings of family, loved ones, and friends!!!

Think about His love, think about His goodness

Think about His grace that's brought us trough

For as high as the heavens above

So great is the measure of our father's love

Great is the measure of our Father's love

So great is the measure of our Father's love

(Lyrics from Don Moen's "Think About His Love")

We've got snow... and a birthday!

Last week the first snowfall arrived before the last leaves had fallen...

Our big boy grew a year older -- and picked out a cheesecake sampler with 12 slices as his birthday cake; how apt, he thought!

On the eve when a late cup of coffee kept me up, I did a bit of looking back...

God is good, there's so much to be thankful for!

Keep growing, keep going Jon, we love you lots!


Jon's birthday weekend he went for the scouts food drive, asked a friend to stay for lunch, and the kids all played in the snow! We also got to priming the walls for a basement project; white color was the flavor of the day! It got messier, alright, and wasn't always sane! But savor the joys, remind me, yes! 

Count our blessings!

New every morning

The other morning as my thoughts went to families here and loved ones back home going through health crises, my spirits were lifted taking in this brighter scene outside my younger son's school than other trees a little farther along that are balding faster.

The sun shining over the evergreens that will thrive after the other trees become bare, helped me focus on God's faithfulness. One season at a time.

That old song came to mind:
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
(from Lam 3:22-23)

Thinking also of those in the East Coast.

My prayers are with them.

Autumn's splendor

Life is busy, hurried, and although not stress- or worry-free, autumn's splendor speaks to me to embrace, enjoy the blessings right in front of us...

I love how the yellows glow, shine, pop in the sun!

One brother was happy to drop his heavy bags to climb this tree after school.

Another gave his l'il sis a hand, a boost, to grab some leaves!

The tree is balder now, and the chill is setting in.

How quickly seasons come and grow.

How fast the little years go by!

Treasure them!

Seizing the colors while they last...
It was really nice after another full week when I made an unplanned stop at this park for some playtime with my youngest. It was Friday (TGIF!) after her preschool and errands, and a PT visit for the hubby before that, before her brothers finished school. I had half an hour with her there before we had to run -- and pick up our pace again for the weekend and another busy week.

Go, girl... she made a beeline for the playground, of course!

And how could I not play tag with her -- to draw her to the leaves? They were everywhere; what a pretty sight!

Rustle, Rustle... Crunch, Crunch... Cannonball!

This is why I fall for fall over and over again!

(Other impromptu plans also over the weekend, asking a friend over for a playdate after one son's soccer game, and another son's buddy extended their scout camp with a sleepover in our home. The things I put off doing because the house is messy and I have a bucket list of chores to get to; still is, still do. But sometimes we've just got to seize the moment and wing it! For here comes the rain... and guess what... there's snow in the forecast?!)!

Fab fall colors

I am enjoying the fall colors on the go...

After the school dropoffs yesterday morning, I paused to gaze at these pretty red maples at the library! 

Isn't this better, running errands instead of running home to clean house and do laundry, only to have to drive out again all too soon? The chores will always be there, not the colors though!

If I have to choose, the reds are my top fav! ;p

Before that...

Get a load of these pumpkins at the grocery store! 

That was where I got to hang out with my cubscout to sell popcorn for his troop for 2h on Sat. We'd come from his soccer game, and lunch at Mac's; it turned out to be my 1-on-1 time with him that first half of the day! Hubby also made time to take the boys fishing, before the colder weather will be here to stay real soon.

Another day, inbetween running around, meimei and I also stopped to smell these flowers... 

But don't tell her I'm not buying that super huge pot. Er, MUM's the word, hehe!

Thanks for stopping by to enjoy the season's beauty with me like that! Will you also include in your to-do list, as a friend had just shared, to Count our blessings and Practice Kindness?

Have a fab fall! 

It's fall already?! Keep going!

Days before mid Sep, ahead of the calendar officially calling it fall, was when we spied a bit of color on the trees! Already?!

School is abuzz with open houses, picture days, fundraisers, field trips... And not to mention more homework also ;p.

As the trees change, my middle schooler has also to adjust to five new teachers, means new classes and schedules also, he'd been assigned out of the blue because enrolment figures had changed. It's rough, he feels the stress, being one of very few with the drastic changes -- new subjects and also topics taught differently for same subjects to play catchup, after three weeks into the schoolyear.

It really helps he is positive and sociable. Seeing my youngest hang in there with a long dentist visit she needed, reminded me also that kids are resilient like that, and more versatile than this grownup of a mommy, who has so much to keep learning from and with her children as they grow!

To encourage the big boy to keep going, I leave him little "You can do it" messages on his brown bag lunches! 

Younger brother also started his once a week in a second school under a program to tap more potential, that both boys had tested and qualified for. He really likes it there, and I remind him the basics matter also.

When I took him and younger sis in tow from his soccer practice to the regular school open house, glimpsing that first tree on that row always to turn orange, spoke to me to take five amid the daily hustle and bustle!

At the end of the busy, busy week while hubby slogged away still at his worktrips, the kids and I chilled over some strawberry-banana smoothie popsicles...   

Let's press on!

Chop, chop, let's go!

We've got a preschooler, an elementary schooler, and for the first time a middle schooler!

It's exciting, and exhausting, these first weeks back to school! Activities are back in full swing also. We have to keep working on our routines; those homework and bedtime battles are not easy. Hubby traveling for work every week this quarter also means I'm telling the kids "Chop, chop, let's go!" a lot!

So I was going from one thing to another when it hit me there are many things we try to juggle as mom, not always well, but one of the most important things we can do for our kids is to CHEER THEM ON!

Game day... Younger son's stitches on his knee from last month's campout left some "train tracks". Otherwise he is good to enjoy a new season of soccer! He is player #7, and goes all out being goalie, too! 

My sons voted this as their favorite back-to-school dinner AND lunch... 
Ribs with BBQ sauce I'd left to slowcook while I was out and about for the schoolruns and afterschool activities. And the deliberate leftover meat I just plopped into hot dog buns for their packed lunches the next day! 

I am trying to get organized and think simple, think shortcuts like this for my housewifey chores and cooking, what with more driving again and other things to try and fit in also. A mother's job never ends, but hooray for easy-to-make healthy weeknight dinners that do double-duty!

To make this simple, yummy slowcooked BBQ ribs:
- Season 2.5lb of pork ribs with 2TB salt, 1tsp ground black pepper, and 1TB garlic powder.
- Boil the ribs in a large pot with enough water to cover, till they are no longer pink. Then rinse them out in cold water to remove the scum.
- Place the ribs in a slowcooker and coat them with BBQ sauce out of a bottle (yay for shortcuts!). We love ours with the original barbecue-sauce (slow-simmered) from KRAFT! I dumped in a 17.5oz bottle's worth, and that's all it needs!  
- Leave the ribs to slowcook away on high for about 4h (or on low for twice that time) -- till you can easily slip the meat off the bones.
- Serve with greens and potatoes. And roll over the leftovers to eat with hot dog buns for another meal. It is great with rice, and yummy with noodles, too! Any of these works well as a packed lunch for school! It does for us!

Works for me... I adapted this recipe from one that required the ribs to be boiled much longer, and instead of my slowcooker step, it was to bake them with BBQ sauce in the oven. So glad I took the chance to tweak it!    

See the beauty in every season

I really like these beautiful words from Emerson, shared by a friend, Yan:

“Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; 
for beauty is God's handwriting - 
a wayside sacrament...

They brought to mind this picture from our weekend spent camping at Glacier NP last month, when I stopped to take a closer look at these wild flowers...

The quote goes on to say this:

"Welcome it in every fair face,

in every fair sky, in every fair flower,

and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

A timely reminder to pause and see the beauty in front of us, in simple joys -- and give thanks in these busier days again. It is a hectic season for the hubby, and the kids and me.

"Call me Princess-Pie"

At TJ Maxx back in June was when I stumbled on a cute pink dress in my little girl's size. There it was, the only piece, for $10. Like it was meant to be!

Even more so, I needed to know what she thought: 

"It's poofy... not too princessy!"! 

And then I knew it was a YES when she said, "I am NOT your princess, mom... I am your sweetie, sweetie-pie, right? Maybe you can call me 'princess-pie'?"! ;) 

So that was how Princess-Pie came to be *our* (hers and mine) special nickname for her!

Turning 4 this month, Li'l Miss Princess-Pie continues to love to play dressup and pretend, draw, dance and sing, and enjoys jigsaw puzzles and computer and phone games. Outdoors, she'll jump at splashing around in a lake. I love to run to race her on her princessy bike or skatescooter!

There is the growing sassiness also. That's not exactly "easy peasy" as she likes to say, when she gives me the "C'mon!", "Really?", and "Yah, yah, yah (read: whatever)!", complete with the eye-rolling ;p.

I've to admit it's a bit hard for me not to laugh still whenever she does her mini-mommy thing. Never mind that she comes across more as Ruby in "Max and Ruby" than me, every time she folds her arms and goes, "Oh, little brothers!" to her BIG brothers!

Oh, my funny bunny, who hasn't tired of Tom and Jerry cartoons. And when she imitates her favorite mouse to go "Ha-poooooo!", she ends up blowing me *kisses*, kinda!

These silly moments and her infectious giggles are just some of the little joys that brighten our days!

Thank you Lord for the adorable, delightful bundle of energy my Princess-Pie is! Go, Babe, go!

Sunday's Sunset

Sunsets have that ooh and aah effect on me. They make me go "Thank you, Lord!"; big or small, I love them all -- and feel loved to catch them especially when I least expect it ;).

There we were on Sunday evening at this small Medical Lake. The guys were hoping for a quick bite on their lines before sundown.

As the minutes ticked by and the sun began to make its descent, I really thought it was just going to disappear behind that hill.

What a huge, blessed surprise to catch still more great beauty!

More than just the waters reflecting the trees, the clouds...

See how that blazing radiance went on to paint the skies and literally the heavens and earth RED!

WOOOOOOOOO!!! *Deep breaths*!

Thank you, Lord! He reigns!

And to you who are taking in this with me here and now, feel loved, and be blessed also :D.

The heavens declare the glory of God; 

    the skies proclaim the work of his hands. 

Day after day they pour forth speech;

    night after night they reveal knowledge. 

They have no speech, they use no words;

    no sound is heard from them.

Yet their voice goes out into all the earth,

    their words to the ends of the world. 

In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.

- Psalm 19:1-4

Sun and shade

So fast July is coming to an end!

Here are some phone pictures I took this month* with a sun and shade theme.

When it gets too hot, we've been taking cover indoors, lest we bake!

Of course the children's different likes and temperaments also mean I really have to try and think cool, calm thoughts -- and learn how to be a patient parent! ;p



Eldest got better from his fever, and shared his cough with me, just in time for his second summer camp, the no phonecalls one in the next state.

When we caught the setting sun driving there to pick him up after his week away from us, I was reminded of God watching over our coming and going. Praise Him, from the rising of the sun to the setting down!

These longer days of sunlight are nice. But knowing also that the remaining weeks of summer will fly by, there are the pockets of family time we love to savor together, inbetween hubby's work and deadlines, and the chores and more stuff I've pushed down my list to try and play catchup. More often than not, it's the basics we have to keep working on.

Life is a balancing act, isn't it?

"Work... home
Family... friends
Self... others
Spend it... save it...
Hold on... let go
Fast... slow

"Just remember,
whether it's smiles or frowns,
ups or downs,
give or take,
it's bound to even out."

~ quote, unquote from a card for a friend.

I hope you'll find this encouraging, amidst the hustle and bustle of our daily lives, trying to juggle this and that. Pause to reflect, and keep going!

For the Lord God is a sun and shield;

The Lord will give grace and glory;

No good thing will He withhold

From those who walk uprightly.

- Psalm 84:11

Meimei's delightful drawings help perk things up on an upside-down day... 

She tells me the reddish-orange blobs in the second picture are hearts AND kisses! Both are paintings of herself :)

*This month, I'm glad to join in FatMumSlim's Photo A Day challenge, sharing these photos and more, after hearing it for the first time from Charmaine. It's been fun and meaningful, seeing others' creative takes and interpretations for the different topics, one a day!

I really also like the reminder to sit up and take notice of the little things around us, like these heart-shaped leaves under a bench.  

Nature's Lure

It was our first time visiting the Steamboat Rock State Park, about 2h away, and after 6pm when we got there.

Thankfully we got the LAST spot to set up camp, all the others were booked! We took the chance like that!

Younger boy woke up by himself at sunrise -- and caught a bass, not his dad who did not get a bite. I was glad they caught a bit of one-on-one time while the other two kids slept for awhile more.

We grilled the fish for lunch, inbetween the children going for a dip in the lake at the day-use area!

Staying the second night before hubby's work beckoned, made eldest's day also when he snagged a similar largemouth!

We'll have to come back another time to climb the basalt butte shaped like a battleship, from which the place probably got its name! ;)

Are you also taking some time out to enjoy the great outdoors?

Simple summer joys

This week, as hubby makes time to join our eldest to raft down the Missouri River in a high adventure camp two states away, it is also my bonding time with the younger two kids!

I LOVE it when they play together nicely...

At the park...

These are our saner moments ;p!

At the movies on a rainy day...
My 8yo gave "Madagascar 3" four stars, while the non-stop action and music held my 3+yo's attention, as did that TUB of popcorn! Both kids became too full though for the chicken-corn soup I'd left to slowcook for dinner. Meimei finally did eat that bunny face I added some breakfast leftovers to -- turkey bacon for its ears and that eggwhite of a mouth!  

Then, staying up to play Othello with them, a game that harked back to my childhood, but still novel to them, I was not kidding when I said that kids have to learn to listen and follow rules, follow directions. 

The Tom-and-Jerry ways between (among) siblings, and their tears and tantrums, are really not easy, *SWEAT*! 

Let's keep going...

Another day, I didn't drive out, got to more housework and just took the kids for a walk. Summer joys include the sun setting later, and a bowlful of strawberries picked fresh from our little wild patch! :D