Favourite Thing

This is Kenna with her freshly washed 'really really soff thing', as she calls it. She loves 'soff' things! This is the blanket that came with the crib bedding set from when she was born, and it's still her fave. She steals it any chance she gets!

She got another haircut after her bath tonight. Can you tell it's shorter?

'08 Grads

We had 10 teens in the youth group graduate this year! Last night was a little graduation ceremony at church. Pastor Dave gave a message about intentions and making plans, encouraging them to map out their paths and continue to pursue the Lord. Then Brian spoke a little about each one and listed their high school achievements. It was all followed by a potluck. A very nice evening all around, and it even got Brian into a suit!...I think that is only the 2nd time he has ever worn a suit to our church!

Only a few pics...

Summer Salads - Recipes

We are recovering from a bit of sunburn today. Kenna got only a little on one shoulder, despite being slathered in sunscreen, and I have some on my back and shoulder, much worse than hers, but I was much lighter on the sunscreen. Plus it washes off when swimming with two kids hanging off of you. These past few days it has been SO hot and I have been very uninspired to actually cook anything. Even with a/c the oven still warms up the house too much. Here are two of my favourite summer time salads.

Taco Salad

Yield: one very large salad

All ingredients are approximations and can be altered according to taste.
1 lb ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning
1 head iceburg lettuce
4 roma tomatoes, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1/2 a red or yellow onion, diced
yellow cheddar cheese, cubed or chunked
1 cucumber, diced (optional)
1 or 2 handfuls of plain nacho or tortilla chips, slightly crunched
ranch dressing (about 1/2 of a larger bottle, about all of a smaller bottle)

Cook ground beef and drain. Add taco seasoning and cook according to package directions. Let meat cool.

Make salad, adding all ingredients except chips and dressing. When meat is cool, add to salad.

Just before serving add chips and pour dressing over salad. Gently toss so dressing covers everything. Can serve as a side dish (perfect for pot lucks & picnics), or as the main course (refreshing summer dish), also can stuff salad into half of a pita for a sandwich.

Fruit & Snickers Salad

From: Betty Wells

Fruit: use any fruit you like, just nothing sour (like a grapefruit)

apples
oranges
grapes
strawberries
blueberries
peaches
1 tub Cool Whip, thawed
1 (or so) Snickers chocolate bar, cut into pieces

Dice and/or slice all fruit & snickers bar into bite size pieces and place in serving bowl filled with Cool Whip. Gently stir/toss to mix all together.

Refrigerate until ready to serve. Don't make too far in advance. Leftovers taste fine, but the consistancy of the cool whip will change over time when mixed with the juices of the fruit.

The End of Alone - Video

Well, I figured out how to get the VCR to record to the video camera, and then the video off the camera, onto the video card and onto the computer. Problem is our camcorder is 4.5 years old and it only records to the card in 30 second (max) increments. So I also had to figure out a movie-making program to link it all together. Whew! There are some little gaps due to the recording every 30 seconds thing, but it is the general idea anyway, and pretty close to perfect, if I do say so myself:-)

Here are the lyrics

I am trying to play the video straight from blogger instead of through youtube. Please leave a comment if it's not working etc. so I know if it's ok. Otherwise I can upload thru youtube.

Snack Time

I was baking this afternoon, so for snack I put some leftover icing on a graham cracker. It was quite a hit! (as if there was any doubt:-)

My cutie-boy needs another haircut!





Laughing

Pretending to cry, like babies. Looks convincing, doesn't it? She loves to play pretend and when the 'babies' cry, she says "Aw! He wants her Mom"...she says this a lot actually, for any whining or crying child here at home or at church. We haven't quite got the gender designations down pat yet.

Stolen Pic

I stole this picture from Heather Wilson on facebook:-)

Here is my brother Davis (on left) with his friend Caleb. Davis & Caleb grew up together in Ontario, and then both families moved to Sexsmith, AB a few years apart.

The End of Alone - Lyrics

Our 5th anniversary is coming up June 14th, and so 'tis the season to reminisce! There were many special things about our wedding (to us, of course few others would really care, I know:-) but one thing that stands out was an incredible song our friend (and groomsman) Josh wrote for us. Brian grew up with Josh in NY, and I met him in my early 20's working in Chicago. Brian asked Josh to write a song for us, which he did, and preformed it for us for the first time at the ceremony. It was just beautiful! Brian actually almost cried (there were tears present!). I have only heard it that one time, so thank goodness for the wedding video! I took the words from listening to the video, so I might not have them all perfect, sometimes it was hard to decipher. I don't know if it means as much without the music, which was beautiful, but I really love the lyrics just by themselves. Thanks again Josh for making our wedding so memorable (even if we are the only ones remembering...it counts!)

The End of Alone
By Josh Dufek

I see the faces surrounding me, as I came into this world. Loving arms reached out to hold me, echoes of laughter unfurled.
But the years fly by and eventually life takes on a new phase it seems. Loved ones die, friends move on, 'til we find ourselves in a crowd all alone.

And the gift of each day I was given, was still shadowed by all the unknowns, and I longed for the day when your love would be, the end of alone.

Alone in a crowd, looking for someone, I cried out not knowing who is on my lips. The friend I missed most I had never met and yet it seemed just beyond my fingertips.
Did I ever tell you I prayed for you? Those nights when I felt so alone. Longing for one who is faceless, nameless, I sat in my house begging for home.

And the gift of each day I was given, was still shadowed by all the unknowns, and I longed for the day when your love would be, the end of alone. (x2)

And then there you were on the day that I first knew your face was the one I'd been dreaming of. From best friends to lover I dream of no other, the end of alone is your love. Your love. The end of alone is your love.

The days that we live in the future will be spiced by adventures unknown. And what we now call love will pale in the glory of the love that we'll have when we're old.
And the wisdom the journey has given - today we are coming home. And we know in our hearts that we've finally found the end of alone.

Overwhelmed by this gift God has given, together we face the unknown. With a prayer and a promise, Love, this is the end of alone (x2). The end of alone.