We live a life of faith-filled adventure! We are a family with eight energetic, loving, crazy, happy, and very noisy children. Ray and I thought our family was complete when we had four children. Now, when people ask us if we will have any more children, we simply answer, "We don't know." We have learned that God sometimes has surprises in store for us, as He did when He brought home our two girls from Ethiopia!
We are so very blessed!! When we made the decision to move to the country it was with the understanding that we would utilize the land by buying some 'toys'. We had no sooner made the decision to buy our land than we fell across an ad in the paper for two snowmobiles. We were only thinking of buying one at this time, as they would be very expensive.
This ad seemed remarkable! They were asking for less than half the cost of one new one, for two models that had less than 100 miles on each machine!! A friend offered to drive over with Ray to check them out and see what he thought. This guy is a pro and we knew he wouldn't steer us wrong. After a visit to see them Ray and our friend were very pleased. It was a remarkable deal. They had barely been used and were in mint condition. God is good! We ended up with one for Ray to use and one for me and the smaller kids. Both good machines, but according to our friend, "Justine will need velcro to stay on the bigger sled!" LOL!!
Watching Daddy bring in the snowmobiles.
A few days later, Ray decided to head out to the land to clear the driveway of snow. He neeed to be able to let the hydro man in. Ray took Cooper along and Coop had a blast!
We don't want to use the sleds on the land yet, because there are stumps everywhere. But we do understand that the rancher that owns the land next door lets people on his land. We will contact him and see if he will let us on. That is a huge piece of hilly ranch land! .
Part 3 - My brother had plans to bring his daughter over on Boxing Day and then it turned out that she, like some of our other children was slightly under the weather. We didn't mind. We were so thrilled to have her with us, that bug or no bug, we wanted the show to go on.
The cousins had a wonderful time, and it was great to get them all in one room.
The kids quickly decided that Uncle Carl made a wonderful target as a punching bag!
This was so cool! I had not seen Jaymie for Christmas or gift giving before, and I so didn't want her gift to not work. I was trying to make it dance on the charger! Silly me. Wondering why it didn't work. Feeling bad. And then the brain figured out the dancer comes OFF the charger and dances on the counter. She was such a patient little trooper while I was hounding out batteries and then trying to get the thingy-ma-bob to work!
Then Jaymie was enraptured. So precious!
We love Little House on the Prairie, so it was fun to get my sister's daughters hooked, also. .
It is hard to believe that Cassidy is 13! He had a few friends over for a sleepover for his birthday. He also had his grandparents come over one day.
A good time was had by all.
The boys all moved out to the recroom that we have built out of one half of the garage. I didn't get pictures out there, but I should have! They only imerged from the room to use the bathroom and to get meals! But they had fun: Playstation, Nintendo DS, board games, videos, air hockey, foozball - anything that they wanted - and no grownups present!
It proved to me that we really need a full basement! It was wonderful that the guys had their space and yet, we really didn't even know they were here because of having that outside room. They were able to stay up late and yet didn't keep the rest of us awake. Gotta love it!
They made their own pizzas and made ice cream sundaes. The next day they made icecream floats. The food was a hit! But then isn't it always - with boys?!
Jake and John
Brady
Then because I had told the little kids that I wanted them to stay out of the reccroom because that space was for the big kids this weekend, Briton decided to make his own 'party'. He would sit in front of the juke box and listen to his music.
Soon his brothers and sisters joined him. They thought the party was wonderful too!
Part 2 - While the big kids were still sleeping some of the little ones were awake. St. Nicholas had already visited at our house as we celebrate Santa on December 6. So our children were aware that their cousins would be receiving from St. Nicholas on December 25th morning. But all the same, I was very proud of them because there was not a whisper about their gifts, while they saw their cousins opening their gifts from under the tree through-out the days we were visiting.
My sister was very considerate and tried to open them discreetly, so that our children wouldn't notice the number, but honestly, they didn't even notice or comment, for which I was proud of them. We had not yet had our family Christmas and so their patience was admirable!
Austin had fun being the garbage man, while collecting the St. Nicholas wrappings.
Pajama Cousins
D.S. Cousins
And of course, St. Nicholas made a drop for Colt, at our house on his way by with the other children's gifts. He knew I would be seeing Colt on December 25th!
Enraptured Audience
Everybody had a hand in preparing the food. I brought and made breakfast and desserts.
The first hit of the day was the Instant Cinnamon Rolls. So easy. So quick. But watch out! They do rise!! Oh my goodness. I thought they rose high when I made them at home, but at my sister's they took over the table!
Christmas Morning Cinnamon buns
Angel cake pan with solid bottom (not one that comes apart) OR I used a 9 x 13 pan for the second batch
20 frozen dough dinner buns (2 bags)
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vanilla instant pudding mix
2 Tbsp cinnamon
3/4 cups raisins (optional)
1/2 cup melted butter.
1) Before going to bed Christmas Eve pour the frozen buns into the pan.
2) Sprinkle the remaining ingredients over the top in order given (do not mix them).
3) Cover and leave on counter over night
4) Christmas morning bake at 350 deg for 30 to 35 minutes, then turn out onto a plate.
These were so simple and so yummy!!!! We used whole wheat buns and they were delicious!
A tip: put a baking tray underneath to catch the raisens, sugar and goodies that decide to fall off during the baking process, or you will end up with a stinky oven.
And now for the desserts!
Linda, the chocolate trifle was a big hit! I make another trifle that is known as Justine's Trifle, but really, it came from my aunt 24 years ago, when I was living in her little island restaurant. I ate it loved it and learned the recipe. So here are two delectable, but very different trifles. I now have two that I will be known for.
Justine's Trifle
enough white cake to cover bottom of glass dessert bowl (about 4 litres size) 1 large raspberry jello package 2 bananas 1 large instant vanilla pudding package 1 large can (19 oz) can fruit cocktail real whipping cream shaved almonds (optional)
1) Make your cake mix and when it has cooled, break into a piece big enough to cover the bottom of the pretty glass serving bowl.
2) Make up the jello and pour it over the cake. The cake will rise slightly.
3) Drain the fruit cocktail and spoon the fruit cocktail over the cake and into the jello. It will still slightly rise. Let set in fridge.
4) Make up the instant vanilla pudding mix.
5) Slice up the bananas and cover the entire surface of the trifle with a layer of bananas.
6) Pour the vanilla pudding over the bananas. Smooth over the surface.
7) Whip up the whipping cream and smooth over the vanilla pudding.
8) You can decorate with some shaved almonds on top. Delectable!
Linda's Trifle
enough chocolate cake to cover bottom of glass dessert bowl (about 4 litres size) 2 packages of instant chocolate pudding mix 2 real Skor bars. Do NOT buy the chips 1 tub Cool-Whip
1) Break up the chocolate cake.
2) Make up one chocolate pudding.
3) Add some thawed Cool-Whip to make it milk chocolate colour.
4) Make up another chocolate pudding according to package directions.
5) Now begin to assemble your layers:
Put a layer of cake pieces, then a layer of chocolate pudding, sprinkle with Skor pieces, a thin layer of milk chocolate pudding, a layer of Cool-Whip.
6) Repeat the layers until your bowl is full. Sprinkle with Skor pieces on the top.
I actually doubled this recipe and made two bowls of the dessert and it was quickly gone!
My dad having his second bowl. He *says* he wasn't eating by the bowl so he could have a third bowl. I believe him, but millions wouldn't! :o)
Making Tree Decorations of Cookies
Girl Cousins
Dad and His Biggest and Littlest Boys
All Hands on Deck - Preparing the Turkey Dinner
I love the relationship between my mum and Ray. He knows how to play her, like he is here, and she loves it.
Hungry Little People
My Baby Sister's First Christmas Dinner - Delicious!
In early November we headed back to the land to see if we could decide where to build the house.
Checking out the view from the top of this hill. He is trying to see past the trees that are in the way. Actually, he is being silly. LOL
Big brother helping little brother over all the logs and branches. It was getting a little tiring for his short little legs.
The marsh grasses were nice and dry, and so we were able to hike out into them to see how close to the train tracks we could get. We heard a train but it didn't come close to our land.
In time we will figure out what time of day the trains come by. The kids had fun falling into the grass. .
Part 1: This was a wonderful Christmas. It was the first one that we got to spend time with my 8 year old niece. She lives a distance from us and circumstances prevent us from being together each year. This year my sister bought a house that was big enough to house our whole family, my parents, her in-laws, and my brother and his daughter.
The best part of all, though, was Colt had managed to get Christmas off. We surprised him by organizing a flight home for him, so he arrived in Vancouver at 9:oo pm Christmas Eve and we would have his company until the wee hours of December 27th.
We headed out to the airport knowing that we had a few minutes to spare. At it turned out, when we arrived we found out his flight had already arrived!
I have to mention here that this was Colt's first solo flight. Ignore the fact that I had flown to Europe at 20 years of age and travelled independently around the continent for a year. This was my baby! grin
So when we are waiting for him we are wondering where we will find him, since he was not at the luggage turnstyle. Thankfully we are in the technology age and I could call him and find out where he was.
He had no clue, as what he said did not match what we said. We had come upstairs and so had he! His flight should have been upstairs and he should have been going down.
I approached this kind lady that worked at the airport. Actually, she approached me. We had ascended the escalator intending on finding Colt and discovered that only people coming IN could use the escalator and they should be going DOWN.
So she made us stand in a certain area that was 'behind the boundary', while she asked us his name. I told her how old he was, his age, and that he was 6'3" tall, but that this was his first flight. She probably was nodding her head at me, thinking, "Oh, yeah. First-born. Yep. I've seen enough of those to recognize it!" *grin*
We decided to go downstairs and wait by the turnstyle again. In a short while, Colt called my cell and told me he was getting near to our turnstyle. It was like waiting for a celebrity! "He's getting closer. He says he just passed turnstyle #3. He's got to be nearly here. Oh, look! There he is!" And we were off and running. *grin*
Dane was so thrilled to see his big brother. We all were. When he finished hugging everyone he told us what had happened. As he had entered the security area upstairs a bunch of people had descended upon him. They were the security that we had met. They asked him his name and then laughed and told him that everyone was looking for him! They told him, "Looks like your whole family came out to meet you!" He laughed at that because half the family was still at my sister's! LOL!
Cassidy held on to his brother's luggage like it was the crown jewels. You could see the love in his actions and noone was taking his job away from him. :o)
We got home to my sister's and Cooper was still awake.
Poor little Briton had been under the weather for a few days and because I had had to leave him, I had put him in the music room before I left. So he was asleep by the piano on a little pile of blankets. I didn't want him far from the grown-ups if he woke up.
We don't want to use the sleds on the land yet, because there are stumps everywhere. But we do understand that the rancher that owns the land next door lets people on his land. We will contact him and see if he will let us on. That is a huge piece of hilly ranch land!
