2010|7|31

Loving simple summer fruit salads.

2010|7|30

These two have grown tall enough to reach over the sink and they've taken a liking to washing dishes...I couldn't be happier to have them help with another chore around the house.

2010|7|29

On our drive home today from our last ultrasound for baby #3 in Regina, I saw my first rainbow of the season...gave off such a sense of peace.

2010|7|28

This little mini cake keeper makes me smile. It's something I didn't need to purchase (from Hobby Lobby) but it makes me happy...and is the perfect place for yummy gingersnaps.

2010|7|27

Ace lost his FIRST tooth today! Wow, our little guy is growing up.

2010|7|26

As a treat to our dog, Cory sometimes takes her to work with him when he's on location at a farm. But she usually has encounters with cows (if you know what I mean) and needs a bath when she arrives back home. She truly is a farm dog livin' a town dog's life...she loves the country.

2010|7|25

We headed to the Minot State Fair for a day as our one & only family vacation this summer. So glad we could do this for the kids as they enjoyed it so much last year. I think going to the fair will be a summer tradition for us since Cory will have to stay close to home during the summer months as it's his busy season at work.

Auntie Amber came with us to help out with the kiddos...I sure appreciated having her there to help as I'm not too quick on my feet these days in the heat.

Let the ridin' rides begin!

Those smiles are priceless...made the whole trip worth it to see the joy on their faces!

Scarlett & I...cotton candy gals. We take a photo every year in front of the cotton candy shack.

Games...I love how I caught Daddy diggin' more money out of his pocket for Ace to try again...isn't that what fairs are all about!

More rides...

Merry go round

We ended our time at the fairgrounds with a ride on the ferris wheel.

View on the ferris wheel

And last but not least, some shaved ice to cool down!

2010|7|24

My sister Christa and her family invited us out for an evening of boating and tubing tonight. We had a wonderful time with them! Living only 5 minutes from this great lake has set our sights on owning our own boat soon, hopefully by next summer. I am looking forward to doing watersports again and teaching my children in the next few years how to waterski and wakeboard.

Ace with the Aunties...

...and Scarlett with the Aunties.

2010|7|23

Scarlett amazed me today with this beautiful artwork.

2010|7|22

I was having a serious craving for peanut butter. My friend Michelle gave me this quick & simple recipe and I am happy to say it worked.

PEANUT BUTTER RICE KRISPY CAKE

1 cup sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

rice krispies

Melt & stir the sugar & corn syrup in a saucepan until it comes to a boil. Take off of heat and add peanut butter. Stir in rice krispies to your preference (less is better than too many). Press into a buttered pan. Takes 30 minutes to firm up before cutting.

2010|7|21

KOOL-AID PLAYDOUGH

2 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup salt

2 pkg (6 g each) Kool-Aid

2 tbsp cream of tarter

2 cups boiling water

3 tbsp oil

Mix first four ingredients in a large bowl. Add boiling water and oil; stir with fork 3 to 4 minutes or until cooled, then mix with hands until well blended.

Place on waxed or parchment paper; knead until no longer sticky, adding additional flour 1 tsp at a time if necessary.

Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

*Tip from my friend Lachalle, add glitter for extra fun, especially for all those little girls in your life!

35 Weeks

2010|7|20

Today was the first time the kids saw hail...luckily it was pea-sized, towns North of us weren't so lucky!

2010|7|19

Everyday do something that will enable your soul to dream ~ Unknown

Photography Update

Photography editing has been priority #1 for me these days,

getting things finished up before baby arrives.

I recently finished editing graduation client packages.

You can check out the latest here!

2010|7|18

Waiting for baby #3. We were sitting around tonight thinking about how excited we are to meet this new little one! Our lives are going to CHANGE in a few weeks and relaxing on the couch might be the last thing we think about. Life will be louder, we'll be more tired, back to changing diapers and the children will be hunting for new attention. But with that comes the excitement of meeting this baby girl, fresh cuddles, new routines...we are thrilled to jump into this new adventure. There will be hiccups & smiles and nothing else will matter for a while except this new little person.

2010.7.17

We had a great time at the Irwin's annual summer BBQ tonight.

This is what summer is all about! Loved getting the kids together, they played for many hours, stopping only to eat treats.

Then it was time for the fireworks display.

It keeps getting more and more impressive each year!

Thanks for having us Cory & Michelle...we look forward to next year already!

7|16|2010

Tonight we enjoyed the first harvest from my parents vegetable garden during a family meal. Beet greens are my favorite...yum!

7|15|2010

Scarlett havin' a little visit with Auntie.

7|14|2010

Our dog Piper with her favorite person in the house after he arrives home from work.

34 Weeks

The canola fields in our area are breathtaking!

My sisters & I took a drive this afternoon to snap a few photos to capture this beautiful time of the summer. Huge thank-you to Christa for taking these shots and documenting my 34th week of pregnancy.

7|13|2010

Little Farm Girl

7|12|2010

Took a quick trip to Flaxton to pick up the mail from our US post office box today. Since I had my camera, thought it would be a cool opportunity to take a few pics of the kids in front of this old rusted truck. Next time I'll be more prepared since I have so many more ideas I'd like to try at this location...but for now I love these spontaneous few.

BBQ Ribs

It is my summer mission to master the art of grilling ribs and more importantly, discovering a recipe our family loves! This is the best one I've found so far from the July 2010 issue of Canadian Living:

SLOW-GRILLED BBQ PORK RIBS

RUB INGREDIENTS

4 lbs pork back or side ribs

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 tbsp paprika

2 tsp chili powder

1 tsp pepper

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp salt

RIB SAUCE INGREDIENTS

1/2 cup ketchup

3 tbsp packed brown sugar

1 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp chili powder

1 tbsp worcestershire sauce

2 cloves garlic, minced

dash of your favorite hot pepper sauce

Remove membrane from underside of ribs, if attached. Combine all rub ingredients in a dish. Add ribs and rub all over with spice mixture. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or up to 24 hours.

Rib Sauce: Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, combine sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until reduced to about 1/2 cup, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

Set foil drip pan on bottom rack of barbecue. Heat barbecue to medium heat leaving one burner off. Place ribs, meat side down, on greased grill over unlit burner. Close lid and cook, turning only once, until meat is tender and pulls away from ends of bones, about 1 hour.

Brush ribs with about half of the sauce; cook, turning once, until glazed, about 10 minutes. Serve with remaining rib sauce on the side.

7|11|2010

Spent the afternoon at the beach with family. The girls soaked up the sun as the boys made elaborate sandcastles...I think the older boys enjoyed it most of all.

And a random photo of Ace & Scarlett in Auntie Ambers garden.

7|10|2010

I love photographing weddings! Today I traveled to Wolseley SK to photograph Kyle & Annie's wedding...my final wedding booking of season as it is getting close to baby #3's arrival and I did not want to make any future commitments I possibly couldn't keep to a bride & groom on their special day. It was such a beautiful day for a beautiful couple and I had so much fun with this great group. Thanks for ending my season with an amazing wedding photo session guys!