Kids

Kids

Saturday, May 20, 2017

Connected

My blog.

This has been such a special place for me. I started this blog up 12 days before Nola was born. I had no idea then that I would stay committed to this for more than 7 years, documenting not only what is going on in our lives, but also sharing my thoughts, feelings and the revelations God has bestowed upon me. This blog, this history, has become one of my most cherish possessions. I love to go back and reconnect with myself. Sometimes I go back and reread my testimonies, or birth stories, or anniversaries, or compare my kiddos baby stats. I go back to laugh, to cry, to reflect, to remember. Oh Lord, how grateful I am to be able to 'go back' and remember!! I had never really journaled before, so for the majority of my life I had nowhere to 'go back' to other than what memories I had in my head. I am so, SO grateful I took the time to write this stuff down.

Back in October of 2016, I started a devotional journal. I had finished reading the Book of Mormon again and just wasn't too sure where to go for study, so Simone gave me the idea and I decided to switch it up. My devotional journal had become yet another of one of my most cherished treasures. It is a place where I go and dig deep...deep into the scriptures and deep into my soul. I have wrestled with God over SO many things through those pages. Through them I have battled demons and parted seas, I have challenged the adversary and been left with gaping wounds. I have sought, fought, clung, hoped, despaired, triumphed, screamed, cried, begged and listened. I have been stretched and pulled in glorious ways and now feel so much more rooted. Rooted in who I am as a person - in what I want, what I need, what I believe and what I want to advocate for in this world. I am more rooted in my faith - the testimony I have of the restored gospel and the reality of a loving Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, keep me grounded and present in who I am as an individual. I am more rooted in my family and have come to a much deeper understanding of what that means to me. Who are my family? What does blood have to do with it? What connections do I have with my ancestors? This crazy and wild ride of devotion is so magnifying.

So, my darling blog, I love you dearly and do cherish all the goodness and memories you hold. I will continue to visit you and update you, however much of my time is now spent exploring the yet-to-be-discovered depths of my devotion. I hope to have these two special records cross paths and to intertwine, however that season is not yet.

Until then, let's stay connected.

30 before 30 Update #3

Here is my update!!

1. Read the Harry Potter books. UPDATE COMPLETE! I really did love the books. To be honest, I felt quite lost once they were done...i spent most of my spare time for months reading them! I did read The Cursed Child too. It wasn't my favourite. Honest, it reminded me of Shrek 4...same story line, same expectations. Meh. It was super short though, so I didn't feel like i had to commit to something I wasn't all that interested in. All in all, I am so happy this was a part of my goal. I loved it!
2. Start my personal history: complete my history journal.
3. Complete a triathlon.
4. Take a family name to the temple.
5. Learn how to braid my own hair. COMPLETE!
6. Significantly reduce my wardrobe. COMPLETE!
7. Take the family on a luxurious vacation. COMPLETE!
8. Try 30 new recipes. UPDATE I have tried
1. Gingerbread cheesecake dip. Verdict - not my fav. I don't really like the taste of molasses.
2. Baked Cranberry Brie. Verdict - this particular recipe had vanilla and brown sugar with the cranberries, so it was quite sweet. I will make it again, however without the sweetness.
3. Broccoli Chicken Divan. Verdict - yum! My mother-in-law makes this, but I had never. It was pretty yummy! This recipe has curry and i love that flavor.
4. Cripsy Tofu Tacos. A-MAZ-ING!!! Even if you don't like tofu, I bet you'll love these!
5. Rice milk. As Doug and I are switching over to organic and whole foods, I have started making my own milk. Rice milk good for cooking, but not on cereal.
6. Coconut milk. This stuff is delish!
7. Crackers. I have been making my own whole wheat crackers and I LOVE them! I season each batch differently with whatever I am in the mood food. Nutritional yeast is probably my favourite seasons.
8. Cinnamon Raisin Bread. I got a Bosch, which is a post in itself (YAY), so I have been making more breads. I make whole wheat cinnamon raisin bread with freshly ground wheat from my new grain mill (DOUBLE YAY!)
9. Crusty french bread. Ummm....my family may have embarked on a new addiction to this...
10. Thai Turkey Cakes. YUM! Ground turkey, ginger, garlic, spinach, tumeric. Holy deliciousness.
11. Granola. I have been adding candied ginger which gives it a little punch, which I love! It is also a great way to get my kiddos to eat seeds.
12. Winter Squash chowder. Super hearty, warming and filling! I add chickpeas and corn, which give it some texture. It is super yum!
13. Coconut tomato curry. LOVED IT! We made it with edamame noodles, so it was meatless. We only eat meat every other day, so its nice to have more recipes and options.
14. Black Bean burgers. Doug and I loved them, John ate about half, Robbie cried and Nola gagged. Haha!
15. Green onion pancakes. YES!!! I ate these in China and came across a recipe, so i gave it a go. So yum, so nostalgic. Doug and the kiddos loved them too!
16. Homemade goldfish crackers. Meh. They didn't taste amazing and were a super pain in the rear to make. Probably wont make them again.
17. Tofu pancakes. These are a BIG hit at our house! They are vegan protein pancakes that are delicious AND healthy! Last time I made them, Nola ate 6!
18. Gluten and dairy free cream of mushroom soup mix. Instead of using a can of mushroom soup for a cassarole I made, I tried a recipe I found in the cook book that came with my grain mill. It was super simple - fresh chicken stock, white bean flour and sauteed mushrooms. It worked and was a clean and healthy alternative (white bean flour has 22 gr of protein per 100gr!)
9. Print my blog books.
10. Organize a service project. UPDATE I will be sewing new book hammocks for the Elementary School! I am just waiting to hear back from the principle to see how many they need and such. That will keep me busy over the summer!!
11. Write a new piano piece. UPDATE COMPLETE! I wrote a lovely little piece about hope. Its simple, as that is as good as my piano skills can get me, but I am very happy with it none the less :)
12. Write a new song. COMPLETE!
13. Host a fancy dinner party.
14. Bring my children to see live music.
15. Explore Lethbridge. UPDATE This has been a wonderful little work in progress. Our family loves to eat out, and we usually end up in the same place everytime. However, we are changing that! Instead of taking the kiddos to Montanas, Boston Pizza or A&W, we have been to Broxburn Cafe, The Penny Coffeehouse, Edible Elegance and Osho's. The kids are LOVING trying new things! Our next meal out will be at the Mango Tree :)
16. Take a spin class.
17. Write a letter to each of my children for them to open on their 30th birthday.
18. Climb a mountain. UPDATE The date is set!! July 8th, Melissa, Deanna and a couple others will be climbing a mountain in Waterton! I cant remember which one...bit I'll be there!
19. Wear no make up. UPDATE COMPLETE! I'm still make up free and still loving it :)
20 Complete a pull up unassisted. UPDATE Pshht, ya right. There is no way this is going to happen. Haha!
21. Watch my favorite movies from my youth. Wayne's world, biodome, sword in the stone, the great panda adventure, Beethoven's second, Dracula: Dead and loving it.
22. Play scatagories with Ali.
23. Grow a herb garden. UPDATE COMPLETE! I got my garden in today! This year, we will be co-gardening with Trevor and Jo, so my home beds I just planted the things I will access on a daily basis, meaning I had a lot of room for herbs! Dill, cilantro, basil, rosemary, marjarom, thyme, sage, oregano and chives! Wahoo!
24. Read a history book. I know very little about any kind of history, so it doesn't matter what kind of history I read about.
25. Face a fear: shoot a gun.
26. Write a letter to President Monson or any General Authority.
27. Continue to encourage others to share their stories. UPDATE Oh, how i am loving this. I truly hope I never feel like I have 'completed' this, and that I will continue to connect with others souls for the rest of my days!
28. Watch a live sports event.
30. Play my guitar and sing for some of my friends. COMPLETE!

9/30 are complete, 5/30 are in progress, 1/30 will for sure not be achieved, 14/30 have yet to be addressed and after doing some math and referring back to my original list, I have not created a #29! Haha! Whoops! I have exactly 60 days until the big 3-0 and I am feeling so good about all of this! I have loved pushing myself to do the things that I have been wanting to do in life!

Oh, I'll add in #29 now :)
29 Attend the temple 5 times between now, May 20 and July 18th!