One More Time

The children have done this once before.

The opportunity to do it again presented itself,
and I agreed to take them one more time.

Really, I don't fancy the idea of it becoming a habit.

I'm not at all in favour of them doing it for real.

Inside.  With harnesses.  And ropes.  And thick pads below.

That I can handle.  A few times ~ I think.  :)

Austin and Calvin came along last time.

They were unable to join us yesterday.

That's why only Fraser and Emma are featured in this post.

It was just me and them.  My two youngest.

Dear me.  How quickly they grow up.  

Emma was able to touch that blue rock at the tippy-top of the wall below.  :)

Fraser's in the striped shirt.

He made it to the top and rang the bell.  :)

There were places where they could free climb ~
 Fraser made it to the top of the wall in the photo below.

I happily kept my feet firmly planted on the floor,

while cheering my children on and snapping photos.  

It was the safest thing to do, wouldn't you agree?  :)

Happy Weekend!

Camille

Big and Bright Classroom Numbers

I started brainstorming classroom ideas last night, and didn't get to sleep until 1 a.m.!  Don't you wish you could turn your brain off sometimes?  Um, y'all...my classroom idea journal is out.of.control.  

Anyway...I wanted some BIG classroom numbers in cheery colors, but I also wanted a picture cue to represent each number.  I am going to create a giant number line using these bright and cheery guys.  And, because I can't wait to put them to use, I am also going to use them this summer to help my little girl with number recognition and counting!  {P.S. I am LOVING Pink Cat Studio's animal graphics--bought the whole bundled animal set, and hope she makes more!}  You can purchase my big & bright numbers for your own classroom by clicking here. :)

There are 20 numbers in this set, and I would like to giveaway a set to the 20th person to leave a comment!  (I have to approve my blog comments, so don't worry if yours doesn't show up right away!  And don't forget to leave your email!)

Homemade English Muffins

Ever tried making your own English Muffins?

This was fun ~ I got the recipe from Mennonite Girls Can Cook.

They were not difficult to make and they tasted yummy.

Head on over to get the recipe and give them a try ~

I think you'll be pleased you did.  :)

The yeast I used was traditional,

and yes, there is only one rising time.

I baked them in my skillet at 325 degrees F ~

it took about 15 minutes per side to get them nicely browned.

I also made the leftover dough into a loaf of bread.

My family were very pleased that I did.  

There is nothing quite like bread warm from the oven ~
nothing quite like it at all!  :) 

Doesn't it all look yummy?
Go ahead...make some.  :)

Many Blessings,
Camille

Mum, Did you know Having a Budget is a Good Idea?

Our Fraser is a thinker and an asker of questions.
The other day he came out with this one ~
"Mum, did you know that having a budget is a good idea?
Do you and Dad have a budget?"

Too cute, don't you think?


It's a very good question, and one that required a good answer.
I trust that's what we gave him when we said yes, and explained why.
How about you?  Do you have a budget?

I cannot tell you how liberating it is to make one if you haven't already.
So liberating.  So freeing.  Not restrictive at all.  Well, not really.
In light of what is accomplished with a budget, it really isn't.
It's not difficult to get on track in this area.
  
There are many resources available to help you get started ~
that is, if you want to start at all.  :)
If you are going to begin, make sure to keep it simple.
And, don't be too hard on yourself at the beginning ~
things will become apparent and require adjusting
as you go along...that's normal.

Another great idea that we've implemented
around here is paying cash for things ~
especially for groceries.  It's been a wonderful thing.
And, it is true...we do spend less.

Just a little food for thought inspired
by my thought-provoking boy.  :)

Many Blessings,
Camille

**Image courtesy of Calvin ~ Thank you my love.  XO

Summer Bucket List

I am linking up with my bloggy friends, A Cupcake for the Teacher, Miss Kindergarten, and A Modern Teacher to share my summer bucket list:

Join the linky party!  Share your summer bucket list, too!

A New Favourite and a Recipe

I have a new favourite around here.

I've always loved to read cookbooks and try new recipes.
Howie surprised me with a sweet cookbook that I spotted
in the cutest little kitchen shop a few years back.
It was right about the time when things were a little crazy in
my kitchen due to cooking so much new stuff for our precious oldest son.
This sweet book was set aside for awhile, but now, it's finally getting put to use.
I've made five things from it, and they have all turned out to be yummy.

Within its pages, you will find everything from starters to desserts, 
muffins, soups and main dishes ~ it's a keeper!  

**Goodness Gracious Cookbook ~ it would make a fabulous gift.
The illustrations are lovely and the recipes appear to be handwritten.
It's picture perfect ~ wonderful for a teacher's gift, Mother's Day,
Birthday, Christmas or *just because*.  It's just so pretty.  

One of my new favourites is found within its pages.
Skillet Dinner is one of the five new things I tried ~ have you ever made one before?
I hadn't.  It was easy and yummy and quick.  How can you miss?
It's not *gourmet*...it's just *down-home-good* comfort food.

Here's what you do.

Take a pound of ground beef ~ I used the organic ground beef
from Costco which comes in 1.33 lb packs.  
Why do they do that, I wonder?
Consequently, I used the full package rather than just one pound.

Scramble fry the beef in your skillet until cooked.
Drain off the fat if necessary.
Add in 2 cups frozen corn kernels,
28 oz tin of diced tomatoes with juice,
2 cups fresh carrots chopped,
 1 cup shaped pasta, uncooked 
(use a little more for a more hearty end product) ~ 
I like using rice pasta in this recipe,
and a sprinkling of chili powder (approx. 1 tsp).

Bring to boil over medium heat ~ add water if it's sticking.
Reduce heat and simmer with lid slightly ajar, stirring occasionally,
until vegetables are tender and the pasta is cooked.
This will take about 20 minutes.
Add a little water as it cooks as needed ~
the end result is shown in the photo below.
I used some sea salt to season at the end of cooking ~
taste and see if it's necessary.
Sprinkle grated cheddar on each serving.  

Serves four generously.

This is on the menu this week ~ it's so easy and yummy.
I hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Many Blessings,
Camille

*A note to my sister ~ Don't buy one of these cookbooks for yourself
or for any of our family as gifts...just sayin' ~ Love you!  XOXO

**I am not compensated in any way for my opinions...
I just enjoy sharing my finds with my friends. 

Challenge 11 - Dad

Time sure is flying!  I can't believe we're almost in June - soon be time to start Christmas Cards.  Not quite though.  Our challenge this time is 'Dad' which is apt because the finishing date is the week before Father's Day in the UK.  Traditionally, we get a lot of entries to this challenge, so please don't be disappointed if we don't get around to comment on your card.  All cards get looked at for our top 3 and all cards go into the draw.

Our challenge this time is sponsored by Dr Digi's House of Stamps and the prize is 2 digis of your choice.

Welcome to the brilliantly bizarre brain of Dr. Digi's House of Stamps. Here you will find Monsters, Aliens, 
Odd balls and Dundertons as well as many many more wonderful digital stamps. Our artist and founder cut 
his teeth in the craft world at the company "Just Inklined", where his unique digis made a huge impression. 
We're hoping to continue to entertain and amuse, with our growing catalogue of great value digis with
a sense of humour.

The Design Team got some great images to work with, here's what we came up with:

Shirley

ALAN

 

 

Anne

 

Kate

 

 

CAZ

Patricia

 

Donna

 

Michelle

Told you they were fab, didn't I?  So now it's your turn..... here are the rules:

1. Your card must be for a man or a boy.
2. Your card must be new for this challenge and follow the theme set.
3. Your post must mention Cards for Men and contain a link back to this post.
4. You can combine your entry with others up to a maximum of ten challenges.

The challenge will run from now until midnight (BST) on 9 June 2013.  Enter a link to your post (not just your blog) in the link list below.  If it's not there for some reason, leave a comment and I'll add it in before the draw.  Good luck.

Another *L* in the Family

It's official ~ I'm getting old.  :)

Our Calvin has his learner's license ~

wasn't it just yesterday that he was our baby?

Time waits for no man, or, in this case ~ woman.

We must enjoy these seasons or we will forever be looking back

with fondness on days gone by all while missing out on today.

One day, I will look back fondly on these days ~ 

at least, I think I will.  *Wink*

As I advised when Austin got his learner's ~

Get out of the way!  :)

This is going to be an adventure.
Calvin's logged just over an hour ~ only 59 to go.
He must have an instructor (mostly me) with him for the first year and 60 hours ~
then, he will be able to challenge the road test for his *N* classification.
I'm in no hurry for this year to pass by ~ however, I do hope I survive it. 

On a side note ~ I have a little story to share about the 

vehicle we teach our children to drive in...

she's affectionately known as "Old Betsy".

When we acquired this family van, I was expecting Emma.

We were unable to fit another baby into our car, so a van was a necessity.

When we purchased her, Betsy was a new-to-us seven year old vehicle.

I casually mentioned to Howie that I thought she would be a

great van for the kids to learn to drive in ~ he laughed.

Austin was not quite seven years old at the time ~
when he would be old enough to drive, the van would be sixteen.

I smiled and secretly hoped I would be right.
And, I was.  Betsy is perfect.
And, she made it.  She's eighteen.

She's got a scratch or two already and

over 200,000 km on the odometer ~ a great provision, if you ask me.
Hang in there Betsy...you only have to last another six years ~
That would see us through to the end of Emma's year of learning.

What about you?  Have your children begun the adventure of driving?

Will you teach them to drive when the time comes?
If you do, please know that you have my greatest respect.  
It's certainly not for the faint of heart ~ or the weak of stomach. 
Let's cheer one another on...okay?  :)

Many Blessings,
Camille

Slow and Steady ~ An Update

The progress with Austin has been slow and steady.

Two steps forward and one step back at times, or so it would seem.

It's been quite a journey and one in which we find ourselves

looking to the Lord each step of the way ~ a good thing, really.

Isn't that how we always ought to live?

Day by day.  Moment by moment.  Step by step.

Yes, I believe it is.  

As a Christian, it's through these sorts of situations 

that we are taught this valuable lesson.

We will learn it until the day we go to be with our Saviour.

We will not arrive until we close our eyes in death.

How precious it is to know that He knows.

To know that He cares.  To know that He will carry us through.

Since our recent low point with Austin

two months ago, he has gained 18 pounds.

He now weighs in at 110 ~ he's nearly six feet tall.

Obviously, he is still underweight, but far better off than he was.

Needless to say, we were very concerned when his weight plummeted.

It was absolutely terrifying.

We prayed and asked the Lord what to do next and we waited.

A few days later Howie had a business meeting ~

the business person discovered some of our story

and loaned us a book which I subsequently devoured.

We were desperate and felt that the suggestion of

an elemental diet was the next step to take.

That's what we've been doing.

Austin was able to tolerate and receive the nutrition.

Day after day he grew stronger ~ very, very slowly.

His weight inched up ounce by ounce.

It's been an uphill battle these last two months.

There have been good days and bad ones,

but, overall the good outweighs the bad.

What a blessing.

The road ahead is still a long one.

We must battle through one day at a time.
We know that wherever this road leads the Lord walks it with us.
He goes before us.  We have nothing to fear.
He has proven to be Faithful over and over and over again.

Currently, Austin continues to put on weight ~ however, 

he is growing weary of the way in which he must nourish his body.

It's not for the faint of heart or weak in spirit, that's for sure!

We so covet the prayers of God's people.

We are thankful for each one of you who has

written and inquired and prayed ~ you are a blessing!

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

May the Lord's will continually be done.

May He give us the grace we need to seek Him first.

With Love,
Camille

Bits and Pieces

Life's been full of random things lately.

It's been busy and good.  Never a dull moment.

These are bits and pieces of our lives from recent days.

Howie had the rare opportunity to work on his R/C plane

and take it flying ~ he only broke one piece of it this time!  :)

Calvin is one brave boy when it comes to electronics ~

here he is attempting to replace a computer part.
In case you are wondering, it hasn't come together yet.  
Perhaps it will ~ time will tell.  
He has had success in the past, I'm sure it will happen again.  :)

Emma has quite the collection of Geronimo Stilton books ~

they are silly and colourful adventure stories.

They are great for reading in the bath.  :)

I've been baking a few new things lately ~

this was one of those *new things*...YUM!  :)

Even though the weather on May 13th was cold,

Fraser and Emma braved the waters of the outdoor pool.

It was the opening day of the swim season ~

Emma's philosophy is that if it's open, we must not miss out.

Don't they look like they are having a good time?

Brrr....it was too cold for me!

Mother's Day produced some of these ~ aren't they beautiful?

The *old* Austin continues to emerge ~ It's a wonderful thing!  :)

Fraser got his first *for pay* lawn cutting job

at a neighbour's house ~ it's to last for the season...what a blessing!

Calvin graciously went to help out ~ another blessing.

Howie tackled a plumbing job for me ~ 
now, that's love...don't you think?

Only one part was required for the job, and below is the bill ~

what a provision!  SO thankful we didn't have to hire a plumber.  

Emma's taken to playing outside on a picnic blanket with

the neighbour girl ~ they play Monopoly, Uno, Life and Taboo.

What about you?  Are you treasuring up some memories?
It would be lovely if you would share them with us here.
Enjoy these days ~ each one is a gift from HIS Loving Hand.

Many Blessings,
Camille

Challenge #10 - Fancy Folds

So we had over a hundred entries for our last challenge which is great.  Let's hope we can interest so many of you again with this one, which is sponsored by Scribbled Kidz.  The theme is Fancy Folds, by which we mean, anything but the basic square fold card.   You could do a stepper or a joy fold or any number of fun folds, we'd love to see what you come up with.  The prize is 3 digis from Scribbled Kidz,

Scribbled Kidz is all about fun images largely inspired by my family and what they might get up to. They are all hand drawn originals scanned in at 300dpi and saved as jpegs.   If you have any suggestions or special requests please let us know.Please pop along and see what we have to offer.

Here's what the DT have come up with to get you started:

Shirley

Caz

Lisa

Michelle

Patricia

Hopefully that's got you interested and ready to go, now for some rules:

1. Your card must be new for this challenge and follow the theme set.
2. Your card must be for a man or a boy.
3. Your post must mention Cards for Men and contain a link back to this post.
4. You can combine your entry with others to a maximum of ten challenges.

The challenge will run from now until midnight (BST) on 26 May 2013.  Enter a link to your post (not just your blog) in the link list below.  If it's not there for some reason, leave a comment and I'll add it in before the draw.  Good luck.