Wednesday, August 27, 2008

The last Thursday before school starts.

1. can you tell I am so excited for school? I have said it before, and I'll say it again. I can't wait!

2. I love my kids, really I do. but I love to be away from them, so I can miss them, and when they come back I can love them more.

3. on Tuesday I took all 5 of my kids, and 3 extra's I had that day to the cheap theaters to see Kung fu Panda. but we got there too late, and it was sold out- to a bunch of day care groups- so I was kind of glad we weren't in a theatre with that many kids.



4. so we divided and conquered- I took the girls and saw Kit Kittredge, and the boys went to more manly movies. good times.



5. then I had the hankering to see Mamma Mia, so I went with my sister to it that evening. when we got to the theatre, it was packed- the lobby. it was insane. really. so anyways, when it was our turn to pay, the lady said there was front row only. so we took it. why they even have seats that close is beyond me. but I loved it. and want to go back- to the sing along version, and sit in the back, so I can see the whole screen at once, and not have a sore neck at the end.



6. when we were at the movie an old lady kept walking past us, we were confused, then I heared someone talking on their cell phone in the hall, yep, it was the old lady. funny. not just teenagers, but old ladies get important calls too. really.

7. now I can't get enough of ABBA. just want to dance. out on a peir. with flippers on my feet, and a whole lot of guys. so funny. loved it.

8. while on that awesome sandbar in Saskatchewan, Cory made a maze in the sand, and the kids, and adults had a fun time wandering through it. Cory commented that he was sad not to see it on my blog. funny.
so here it is, with his brother, and a sister in law trying to figure out how to get out of it. good times.


9. oh, I long for that hot sunny day. this week has been quite chilly. I think summer is over. sad. so short. but bring on fall! and school. I am ready.

10. actually, I am not quite ready. still have some more school supplies to get. must get on that.

11. we all have dentist appointments this afternoons. now that is a fun way to spend an afternoon!

12. the kids did get turns on the computer yesterday, I must confess. I am a big softy.

13. I am going to go make myself a toasted tomato sandwich for lunch with a tomato from my neighbors garden. mine are not quite ready yet. yummo.

today.

here is where we are at today.Jack is on strike. he won't do any work until I let him on the computer.
funny, because the kids really do very little work around here. contrary to their beliefs. and as I write this, and Jack bugs me, the other boys are downstairs on the game cube.
6 more days, and counting.
I can't wait.

Monday, August 25, 2008

we are family.

and what a big family we are! we had our Livingstone family reunion last weekend! it was fun. and hot. and wonderful!
while we were waiting for Dad to empty the yucks out of the trailer I asked for volunteers to pose for me, and this cutie piped up. I am so glad she did!
while I was taking pictures of her, the other four were having a small war in the van, so the photo shoot was cut short.
rotten kids. Grandma requested a picture of her and grandpa with all the grandkids-
only one was crying, I think,
but look who was in the front row making faces-
yep, one of my own. nice.

Where we camped was right next to the South Saskatchewan River, and we went down to a sand bar- oh, it was nice!

the sand was so great, the water- cold, but not too bad. ( I don't think I would ever set foot in the north Saskatchewan river- so nasty) and it was so sunny and warm. I could have stayed there all day. or maybe all week.

it was that nice.

there was a nice pool there too, and a little mini golf place. it was free- not sure if it is alway free, or just because it is the end of the season. you just needed your own putters and balls. good times.

we thought it was funny that all this nice stuff was there - kind of out in the middle of nowhere. but it was great.


thanks Leanne! loved it.

it's our turn in 2 years. better get planning! who knows how many more kids will be added to the brood by then!

oh- not my little brood, but the group as a whole- just in case any of you might have been thinking that. nope. my brood is quite big enough, thank you very much!

we are home

we had a great time. hit the beach on every nice day there was- which was every day except 2, and those days were very rainy and chilly.
the lake there- Sylvan Lake, was very high this year, so the beach was really small- there were only a few small parts that actually had sand you could play in! but we had fun there.
We headed in to nearby Red Deer for some shopping, hit our favorite places- thrift stores, and found some pretty fun stuff.

we played a game of Settlers- I have never won that game, and vow to not play it again. no fun when you never, ever win!

the trailer was so great. love having a place to hang out with a stove, fridge and bathroom.

but it was very nice to have a shower this morning in a nice big tub with a bathroom I can actually move around in!

My washing machine has been running all day- actually it is quiet now, I guess I need to change the loads. so much fun! I pulled out the extra school supplies I had picked up when they were all on sale last year, and went through what all the kids needed. just need to pick up a few things. I can't wait till school starts!

Thursday, August 21, 2008

together forever

Since this weekend we will be heading to a family reunion,
thought I would share things about my family.

1. my kids fight. a lot.

2. they love to bug each other. bug, bug, bug. what is with that?

3. sharing? what is that?

4. quiet=trouble.

5. or it means they are playing the game cube with the tv volume really low so I won't know=trouble

6. sadly my kids (each one individually) feels they do all the work around here. funny because no work is getting done.

7. Jed never wants to go anywhere- if we have to drive there- he doesn't want to go. funny. I have no idea where this came from.
but once we get where ever we are going, he is good.

8. Ben never knows what is going on around here. apparently we never tell him anything.

9. Sadie has picked up on spitting when she is angry. nice.

10. Maggie is pretty much potty trained- but apparently pooping on the potty is not a good thing in her book.

11. I love them all

12. school is starting soon. really soon :)

13. I am so glad we get to be together forever.
really. I am.

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Boys and Girls

I have boys, and I have girls.

looking around my house it is obvious.

there are signs of boys, and signs of girls.

thought I would share a couple of scenes with you.


I will let you guess who did what.

I thought it would be fun to document a random moment in my house at this time in life.

that is what blogging is all about.

isn't it?

Monday, August 18, 2008

1994

I really should scan in a wedding picture of us. that is what we were doing on this day in 1994. getting hitched.

we were so young!

I was so skinny

and Cory had hair.

those were the days. but now we have 5 great kids.

a house- and a bit

(I'll explain that later)

life is good.


top picture by Rebecca Cooper (about 2 1/2 years ago)


bottom one by Bobbi Jo (last fall)

Thursday, August 14, 2008

1. this is my hour glass quilt top. I thought I was done. I took it to show to my mom and sister, and they think I should add some borders. I am not sure how I feel about that. I do like it though!2. can school start sooner, because I am so ready.
3. okay, not really ready, as in school supplies bought, or anything like that- but so ready for most of my kids being away from me for many hours every day.
4. although we do get to go camping- finally, so that might be fun. but I will still have to be with my kids for a majority of the time- but it is at a scout camp, and the kids are actually going to have scheduled activities that they will go to without me, so that is a great thing!
5. I finally got my hands on Breaking Dawn. hoping to read it during the camping trip.

6. this is Milly. she is sweet. but I think her dress needs a couple of buttons, just for fun. I got the pattern here.

7. the weather was down right chilly at the beginning of the week. now today it is back to hot again. I wish we could just even out the weather and have pleasant warm days all the time. wouldn't that be nice?

8. I had a little meeting with the other two seminary teachers this morning- I guess it is time to start thinking about that again. I am happy to be teaching home study- just once a week in the evening, as opposed to every day, early in the morning for the other teachers. this year I am hoping to get my kids to do their home study work every day, like they are supposed to. could be interesting.

9. so, my kids have some friends who were grounded off screens for a week- no computers, tv, game cube- that kind of thing. and one of them is over here. do I make my kids turn off everything? not sure what is the right thing to do. maybe just send the kid back home!

10. my kids are just on my back, waiting for their turns on the computer, so I had better get finished with my thirteen things quick- so they will stop bugging me!

11. I did it! I got my hair cut short. it is fun, quick, and easy. love it! here is just part of it. it is tough getting a decent self portrait. someday I will have it down!

12. I don't think we have ever gone camping yet for as many days in a row as we will be this time. that is alot of food and clothes and stuff that needs packed. yikes. at least we will be close to stores- in case anything gets missed. and hopefully close to a laundromat, because I doubt we have room for enough clothes for that many days- without washing at least once.

13.alright, I had better go get some food for our trip, some laundry done, so we have clean clothes to start with at least, and maybe even a clean house, so we can come home to one. isn't that the best part of a trip- or at least I imagine it would be, since we never quite get to that point, but to walk into a nice clean house at the end of it all would be really great. here's hoping!

Wednesday, August 13, 2008

tonight

oh, I wish I had my camera with me.
I usually bring it along with us most places we go.
but not tonight. sadly.
I headed out to a family's farm in our ward.
they have chickens.
and they were selling some.
dead. not alive.
and I forced all the kids to come with me.
a couple against their will.
I guess it wasn't such a bad place after all.
the kids didn't want to leave.
I was driving out of the driveway with Maggie screaming because I was leaving the boys behind- because they just weren't coming.
but I ended up bringing them all home.

Jack and Jed were all over the chicken barn.
they discovered if you throw anything- even a rock into the chicken yard, they will all gather to it. it is kind of a funny thing.
and those chickens are stinky.

when we were getting our chicken, Maggie said she wanted to go see the alive chickens. I thought that was hilarious.
there was also a dog, that terrified Maggie,
and three very cute kittens.
sometimes I think I would like to live in the country.
(but with no chickens.)
and then we head home.
the long drive home.
and I like my little city home again.

Monday, August 11, 2008

apple sauce

thanks to Sadies great love of apple sauce, grandma called her to come and help make some from the apples on her tree.
in her own words, this is how you make it.
you pick some apples from an apple tree. (or get some that grandma has already picked, and one that maggie has to pick, just because!)
then you take them, and put them in a little machine thingy like we used.
(pictured above)
then you take them and put them in a pot an heat it.



then you put some sugar in to make it taste better.

then you can taste it if you want- in a bowl.(as she did here)

then I guess you are done. you can put it in a jar, and then you can eat it.
and that is how she thinks you do it.

yumm-0!

Friday, August 08, 2008

today is the day

08-08.
Jeddy's birthday.
too bad he isn't 8 this year. that could have been cool.
but it's okay.
because he is 9 now.
wow.
he gets to go to a sleepover birthday party for another friend tonight,
and we are doing his party tomorrow.
good times.
whenever the big brothers are bugging him today he says, "be nice to me, it's my birthday." indeed!

Thursday, August 07, 2008

it's a miracle!


firstly that I am blogging twice in one day, but also that I got the kids to help me gather up all the pop cans and bottles that were by the back door, and throughout the garage, and where ever we could find them, and we took them to the depot and got some money, so we could do this-
celebrate miracle treat day at Dairy Queen! I didn't get a blizzard, but got filled up helping those who couldn't finish theirs!
sweet! (Jed is shivering in the back, he was frozen after eating most of his blizzard)

more randomness

1. okay, this picture doesn't really show it well, sorry,
but Sadie finally got rid of that really loose tooth she had on the top. she has lost a couple on the bottom, but now she has a hole at the top. Jack actually pulled it out for her.

2. and the toothfairy even came last night!
I know! wow!

3. so I stopped at a couple of thrift stores yesterday looking for a cute vintage sheet so I could join this.
I found one and it is cute, and I am excited, and I thought I missed the deadline, so if you do sign up, don't read my lame comments. I am having issues.

4. anyways, when I was shopping I happened upon these cute pyrex bowls that I had to get, because if you read this blog, you know all about the wonderful things about pyrex! I love them, and used them for my supper last night.

5. in my outings yesterday I stopped at Costco to get some photo's printed- I had 2 I wanted in 12x12 for my square frames for my someday photo wall, and when I got home, and pulled out my frames to put them in, there was only one picture in the bag. sheesh. now I have to go back and see if I can get the other one. and I was so excited to get them in their frames.

6.two more days of swimming lessons. good times.

7. so in about a week and a half we get to go on our big camping vacation. I think next year we really need to do it earlier in the summer. because it has kind of been a long summer, if you know what I mean, and now, bang- vacation, then whammo, summer is over. yikes. where did the time go?

8. so you think you can dance, I think it is pretty much between Twitch and Katee. according to the judges, anyways. we will find out tonight!

9. Isn't she cute?

10. Jed's birthday in 2 days. I don't know what to get him. isn't that sad? He has a friend who has a birthday a few days before him, and he is having a sleepover party on Friday, so we are having Jed's party on Saturday. It was going to be a lego party. we shall see. I can't find those fun lego candies, and I wanted to give out a small lego kit for a treat, but I can't find any of those either. sheesh.

11. but I have plans for the cake. so fun. I will show and tell after!

12. finally did some laundry yesterday. yikes. it has been a while. I really need to tackle the floors today. some serious mopping is on the to do list.

13. I woke up early today, and couldn't get back to sleep. hate that! so anyways, thought I would get my blogging in early. now it is time to hit the shower, wake up the kids and get this day rolling! good times.

Tuesday, August 05, 2008

here they are

can you see the sheep in the distance?
they came out for pictures, but it was so windy!
I think I did get a few good ones.

but since we were in the area,
we went over to where the sheep were all in their pen.
just then the shepherdess (is that right?) came and unlocked the pen, and let them out.
then she had the dogs herd them right to where we were. it was a bit freaky.
but kind of cool.
this is what it looked like.


sheep everywhere.
big,
smelly,
wooly
sheep.
fun.

Monday, August 04, 2008

I tried

I tried uploading a few different pictures.
I was going to show you where we were today,
which was some waterslides.
that cost a lot of money.
and was a pretty old place.
but it was fun,
and sunny.
and I went down lots of slides with Sadie.
and I was going to show you that I took my sister to see the sheep.
see, come to my city, and I will take you there!
but
something is wrong with the uploading,
so you will have to wait and see.
I will try again another time.

Saturday, August 02, 2008

new favorites.

the feet.

the dudes. and dudettes.


and this is the one that is going to go on my picture wall. in a square frame. I love it. even more than the one I took earlier. you might remember it. it was taken in my house, and I used a flash. this was outside. love the texture. and no flash. love love love it.

Friday, August 01, 2008

if you came to my city

in the summer months,
and on a Thursday to Sunday,
we would take you to see the sheep.










our city has hired some sheep to mow the lawns. very earth friendly of them! - but only in one part of the city.
they aren't everywhere.
in case that is what you were thinking.
and my kids have discovered that they really like leaves, so when we go see them, we pick them some treats.

and then since I had my camera,
I bribed my kids with ice cream sandwiches if they would let me take some pictures.
they decided 10 was a good number.
I think I got about 13, with some arguing, but it was worth it.
I have some new favorites.
and I will show you- tomorrow!