Friday Weigh In

Well, another goal not met - yet!  I've kind of lost track of where I was in my weightloss goals so once again I'm going to start over!  I weighed this morning and I'll start again from that point.  I've got to have long term success one of these times, right! 

I've been in a funk this week.  Ever get in one of those.  I don't have them very often, but when I do, I do it up right.  I've been slacking in the housekeeping duties which results in a very messy house - which depresses me.  Been eating terribly which results in looking and feeling awful - which depresses me.  It's a vicious circle. 

So enough is enough - time to snap out of it.  Jason even asked if I'll be able to handle him being gone so much this summer and if he should quit working at the temple.  AS IF - that would make me more depressed!  I'm fine, it's just hormones and self pity.  Both temporary!

So I'm going to exercise today - that should get some endorphins going and I know will make a big difference to my mood.  I'm also going to get out of the house - that will help too.  I will also eat better and track my food.  I made a nice meal last night as a kick off, out of the Eat Shrink and Be Merry cookbook.  It's a pork loin with apricot-mustard sauce.

LIFE IN THE FAST LOIN

Sauce



2/3 cup water

1/2 cup apricot jam

2 tbsp each balsamic vinegar and mustard

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp each salt and pepper

4 boneless pork loin chops

Salt and pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside.

Sprinkle both sides of pork chops with salt and peper and let stand for a few minutes.  Heat olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium heat.  Add pork chops and cook.  Cover skillet with lid if they're splattering.

Remove pork chops from skillet, cover with foil, and keep warm.  Pour sauce into same skillet.  Using a whisk, cook and stir sauce for about 5 minutes, or until it thickens.  Make sure you scrape up any brown bits on the bottom of the skillet for added flavor.  Serve pork chops drizzled with hot apricot-mustard sauce.

I served mine with rice and corn.  So good!

So there it is - my plan for the week.  Exercise, eat well and I hope to have a good weightloss next Friday.  I need a good jump start to get me going again.

Jason has had a good week at the temple.  He is sure sore!  I slathered him with deep cold the other night.  With his arms over his head, and standing all day, he is using muscles he's not used to using.  He was able to take some pictures the other day.  Unfortunately I'm not allowed to post them.  But it will be nice to have them.  They are close ups of the bearded wheat in various stages of painting and then applying the gold leaf.  He was smart enough to have someone take a couple pictures of him applying the gold leaf and then painting on detail by hand.  I bought him a journal yesterday that he is going to start and we'll print off some pictures to include in that.

Well, I'm going to go tackle cleaning my messy house and then I promised the boys I'd take them to McDonald's today for breakfast and let them play in the playplace.  We have Dane today so I'm sure he will enjoy that as well.  Wish me luck I hope to lose between 2 - 3 pounds this week!

A Cold Dip & A Hot Soup!

My boys played so well together yesterday.  I love when they are best friends and have a great time.  They played all day.  It was a little cooler so they mostly played inside - until 7:00 p.m.  For some reason they decided after 7:00 p.m. to go out in the pool.  I'm sure it was freezing.  What a crazy pair!

Then they asked if they could have a sleepover and sleep in Bowen's room.  I don't know why they don't like sleeping in Ashton's bunk beds.  They played in bed for a while and read stories.  Love those boys of mine!

Don't let Bowen fool you - he's just pretending to be asleep!

If you are looking for a super easy, good for you, delicious soup - I've got the recipe for you!  Last night I made the yummiest taco soup.

Taco Soup

1 lrg can diced tomatoes
1 can black beans
1 can kernel corn
1 can tomato soup (with 1/2 a can of water)
3 tbsp taco seasoning
2 - 3 boneless chicken breasts

Put all ingredients in a crockpot and cook for several hours on low.



Take out chicken and shred, then return to pot.  Serve with shredded cheese, sour cream and tortilla chips if desired.

Yummy!!

Bearded Wheat

Jason has been enjoying his experience working in the temple.  The schedule is grueling juggling two jobs, but it is so worth it.  He had a nice experience this week.  On Thursday his boss was reviewing the plans for the ceiling of the celestial room and decided he didn't really like the look of the wheat that had been designed in Salt Lake.  He thought it looked to computer generated and modern.  Jason said the way it was designed it was closed off and kind of looked like a pea pod.

Jason told him about bearded wheat.  A few years ago Jason was working on a project and wanted to add wheat to it and my dad had given him some bearded wheat to use as a reference.  Jason made a quick sketch to show him what he meant.

Not Jason's sketch - just an example for you city folks!

When Jason came in the next morning he discovered that his boss had spent the evening reworking the design and had incorporated Jason's idea of the bearded wheat.  This experience just keeps getting more and more special.  Now when he is looking at the detail in the temple not only will he have painted it, but also had a hand in its design.  I'm so proud of Jason and the sacrifices he is making to have this experience.  I think he is pretty amazing!!

Calaway - Again!

My sister Rachel and her family came up to Calgary yesterday and met us at Calaway for a day of fun.  And a day it was - we spent almost 6 hours at the park.  The boys all had fun together.  Even Jonas got to go on a ride.

Ashton had been sick earlier in the morning but he swore he was feeling fine so we decided to still go.  He is such a daredevil, he will absolutely go on anything.  He tried a new ride this time - "Chaos".  You're strapped in two to a seat, the ride spins horizontally and then vertically and then they let the brakes go on the individual cars and they flip upside down and spin around.  I told him I didn't know if he was brave or "crazy".

Bowen had fun taking the little kids on the rides.  He was sweet with them - taking care of them, getting them in and out of their seats.

Liam didn't like this ride very much!

Bowen went on the big swing for the first time.  He rode with his Dad and when it started going higher and higher before it starts spinning he turned to Jason and said "OKAY!  Now I'm a little freaked out!"

Little Jonas was such a good little boy.  He just sat in his stroller and watched all the action.



I think Dane had a good time too.  He got kind of drug around with us the last couple of days.  It's great he is such an easy going little guy.  I think next time a girls night is in order so Rachel and I can talk a bit more - but I still had a great time!

Summer Fun Continues

Thursday was a beautiful day so the boys spent a far bit of it in the pool again.  I'm so glad they are getting alot of use out of it.  It's not going to be long before they start complaining it is too small.  We were watching Dane so he was able to get in on the fun!

On Friday it was a bit overcast but I decided to take all the boys to the zoo with some friends of ours.  Really we had Shelley, Lauren, and Ashley with us but somehow I didn't get one picture of them.

We waited in line to see the new penguin exhibit.  Actually the wait wasn't bad at all.  They were so cute.  They almost don't look real.  The king penguins are very regal and stand so still.  Dane enjoyed watching them swim.

The hippos were just hanging out together in the water.  Probably to keep cool.

The poor giraffe was trying so hard to reach a branch to eat some leaves.  He'd get the end of the branch with his ridiculously long tongue and pull it down to his mouth but he just couldn't get to the leaves.

The "craziest" animals in the zoo ...

I love the elephants - I'll be sorry when they leave the zoo.

We saw the sweetest baby tiger cubs!!

I love my camera - got the greatest close up of the snow leopard.

We had a great time at the zoo with Dane and our friends.  The weather was perfect too - a little cooler and we felt a few drops of rain just as we were leaving.  Perfect!

What's Going On At Our House

With the gorgeous weather we've been having the boys have been getting alot of use out of their pool.  It is such a great way to cool off in the summer heat.

We've had Dane on Thursdays and Fridays.  The boys love their little cousin, they are so good playing with him.  They even endure watching Toopy and Binoo because it is Dane's favorite.

Bowen informed me yesterday that he wasn't going to waste his summer inside so he decided to do his colouring on the deck.  His new favorite is colour by number.

The boys have started an art gallery in their playroom.  We'll see how full they make it this summer.

Bowen has made a lego studio for filming lego movies.



Ashton spends hours playing with lego.  Have I mentioned I have a love/hate relationship with lego.  It is ALL OVER MY HOUSE!

The boys have been able to just play this week and do what they want, but starting Monday I'm going to have chores for them to do each morning and then they can play in the afternoon.

The boys played so nicely yesterday I was able to get laundry done, clean my kitchen and make a cheesecake for a meeting I was having that evening with the ladies in the stake primary - then I got a call.  Jason had accidentally locked his key in the car while up at the temple.  He was expected at his other job soon.  So the boys and I made the trek up to the NW in the middle of rush hour.  It took 1 1/2 hours to get there and back.  At least now I feel comfortable with the drive up there.

We'll see what excitement today brings!

We Survived Day One

Well, we survived day one of Jason working both jobs.  He headed out just after 6:00 a.m. for the temple.  He had a good day there. He first had to have a safety orientation from the foreman.  He informed him of some specific rules for working at this work site.  Things like - absolutely no food is allowed in the temple.  You can take a bottle of water in but that is it.  No gum.  No smoking is allowed on the grounds at all - if you need to smoke you need to leave the property.  No swearing, etc.  He finished up by saying "This place is holy ground to "these" people and it needs to be treated as such."  Jason let him know that he was one of "those" people - so he understood.

The celestial room isn't quite ready for the detail work yet so he worked with a couple other people finishing the bride's room.  He did mostly gold leaf detail.  Sounds like today they will start on the initiatory room.  He had a stitch in his side from standing all day and his feet were pretty sore (just getting used to his new work shoes).  He was able to go to lunch with the team in charge from Salt Lake and a couple of other workers.  He enjoyed getting to know them better.  It is just the few of them right now, but once more rooms are ready to be worked on a few other people have been hired to start in a week or two.

Then it was off to his regular job from 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.  The boys and I were missing Jason so I decided to take the boys to a matinee to break up the day a bit.  We went to the Lorax at the cheap theatre.  It was a cute movie and we had a good time.  Bowen however ate all the popcorn, I only got a few handfuls.

Jason finally got home at 9:20 p.m.  He was then able to skype with his new found aunt (his dad's sister) and was able to see some pictures of his dad.  He was pretty excited for this opportunity.  His dad had lots of dark hair and he could see a bit of a resemblance to himself.  He was excited to see in one picture his dad wearing a necklace with a cross.  Jason was given that exact necklace a few years ago from his mom, his dad had sent it to her shortly before he died.  He saw a picture of his grandma who had auburn hair - exactly the same colour as Jason's.  He also looks quite a bit like his aunts son.  We are looking forward to meeting her this summer and being able to get some copies of pictures.

One day down - approximately 49 to go!

Another Hazard at Our House

A couple of Saturdays ago when we went to Jonas' 1st birthday party I wore my green sandals that I hadn't worn yet this summer.  When I got home and took my shoes off I had a spot on the bottom of my left foot that was sore.  I assumed that my feet were not used to the shoes and it had just rubbed wrong during the day. 

I switched back to my other flip flops but that spot kept hurting me.  It didn't seem to be getting any better, in fact, the last few days it was really starting to hurt and it was getting hard to walk.  I even found I was starting to limp a bit.

So I thought I better have Jason have a look to see if something was in my foot, or I had cut my foot.  The first time he looked there was a little red mark but it didn't feel raised and he couldn't see anything.  I figured it must have just been a small cut that was aggravated and taking its time healing.

Yesterday it was really starting to hurt me so Jason took another look.  He thought it felt raised this time and was pretty convinced there must be something in there.  So with my foot in the air, and a needle and flashlight in Jason's hand he got to work.  Sure enough once he started digging he noticed something.  It was small and in deep.  He finally got it exposed enough to grab a bit of it with tweezers.  He slowly pulled it out and much to our surprise it wasn't a thorn, or a sliver, but ...

Jason's Hair

a tiny piece of Jason's hair.  His hair is so coarse it had slid into my foot just like a splinter and was digging its way in deeper.  Just one more hazard at our house!

What A Week!

In addition to Jason's fabulous news to being hired at the temple, he also had another wonderful thing happen this week.  It's been an emotional time for him.

Jason doesn't remember his father.  He passed away when Jason was just over a year old and his Dad had only seen him a couple of times.  Over the years he has learned a few things about his Dad.  He knew his name, where he had grown up and when, where and how he died.  That was about it! 

A couple of years ago we took a trip to Edson where his father is buried.  We went to the cemetary and then to the local library to see if we could find anything out.  We were able to obtain the death certificate and a copy of the obituary from the Edmonton Journal.  In the obituary the names of two sisters were listed.

Jason is always thinking of how to contact some of his Dad's family.  He has searched the internet for his aunts, but with no success.  One of the main reasons he would like some contact is that he has never even seen a picture.  With the anniversary of his Dad's death in June, the search was on his mind again.  As in the past he thought he'd just try the names again on facebook.  To his surprise this time a name popped up and it was in Alberta.  She looked like she'd be about the right age so he thought he had nothing to lose and he sent her a message in her inbox.

A couple weeks went by and he heard nothing (more attempting to wait patiently).  Last Sunday it was just driving him crazy as she doesn't seem to go on her facebook page very often.  So he looked on 411 and found a phone number and decided to give her a call.  He was so nervous to make that phone call.  He dialed - a woman answered - Jason told her that he was looking for relatives of the late ... she said she was his sister - Jason informed her that he was his son and she replied "Oh neat!"

Since then she has called Jason twice.  She seems genuinely excited that he has contacted her.  She has gone through some old boxes and found some pictures of Jason's dad to show him.  For this we are so excited.  She looked through some of Jason's pictures on facebook and told Jason that his eyes and nose remind her of her brother.  They are going to skype on Sunday so Jason can finally see some pictures of his father.  We hope to visit on a weekend this summer and hopefully take some copies of the pictures for Jason to have.

After years of looking Jason has finally found that side of his family.  It has been an emotional and happy experience for him.  What a week!

Michelangelo Himself Was Never So Blessed

A few weeks ago Jason heard that Salt Lake was looking for local artists to help with architectural painting at the LDS Temple being built here in Calgary.  He had no idea how feasible it would be with his current job, but it was just something he had to try for.  He sent off his resume with a few samples of art he has done and waited patiently (okay, maybe not so patiently!)

Weeks went by, no word, and he was heart broken thinking they had just picked other people and this opportunity would not be coming his way.

Yesterday morning he received a call from the person in charge of the detail work at the temple and asked Jason to come and meet him today for an interview.  He told Jason if he was able to track down a hard hat and hard toed boots he would take him into the temple.  I emailed a friend of mine whose husband is a contractor and asked if Darcy had a hat and boots Jason could borrow.  He did - and as luck would have it they now live across from the temple!

So this morning Jason left his nervous wife behind and left for the interview.  He met him at the temple and after looking at some of Jason's art work he told Jason to follow him.  He took him up this really tall ladder that was going through a hole in the ceiling and as they stepped into the room he was told it was the celestial room.  He said "because of your attention to detail I think I'll have you start in here on Monday". 

So Monday morning Jason will be painting the ceiling of the celestial room in the temple!!  We are so excited!  What an amazing opportunity.  Still figuring out how to work it around his regular job - but it looks like he'll probably be at the temple from 7 - 4 p.m., and his regular job from 5 - 9 p.m.  It will be a sacrifice as he won't be spending much time with his family this summer.  But Michelangelo himself was never so blessed!!

Who Knew!

I'm taking today off!

Yesterday I worked so hard and did so much housework I had sweat dripping from my brow!  We had the bishopric and their wives over for a barbecue in the evening.  Jason made ribs and steaks.  I made some baked potatoes (I KNOW IN THIS HEAT!!)  Everyone else contributed as well with a caesar salad, beans, watermellon and a yummy cake.

We had a nice evening.  It was great weather to be outside and we enjoyed a couple of hours visiting.

The house is hot so I'm sitting outside on my deck, watching my boys play in their pool.  Enjoying the breeze and a tall, cool drink of water.  Who knew my computer would work outside!  I'm thrilled!  I know it's pathetic I'm so excited, but now I can browse through pinterest, learn the latest gossip on facebook and read all my friends blogs while enjoying this gorgeous summer weather.

We've had quite the exciting week around here.  I'll be blogging about it all soon.  In the meantime I hope you are enjoying your summer afternoon as well.

Look Ma, No Hands

Okay, he used his hands, but there are no training wheels.  Ashton has been so embarrassed that his bike still had training wheels on it.  We could tell that he wasn't really using them, and in his defense we just didn't give him enough opportunities to ride his bike.  So today he finally decided he was ready to try without the training wheels.  Within 10 minutes he was riding around the cul-de-sac.  He was so proud of himself.

He's a little wobbly in the video, but by the end of the day he was riding around like a pro!
The boys spent hours going around and around at the end of the cul-de-sac.  They felt so independent when I'd leave them outside alone and just check on them periodically.  I was nervous doing so, but they know the rules and I need to give them some independance.

Next goal to get Bowen off his training wheels.  Maybe we'll try on the weekend!

Cousin Jonas' 1st Birthday

Saturday we went on a little road trip to Lethbridge for our little nephew Jonas' 1st birthday party.

We rented the new Muppet movie for the boys to watch on the way.  Bowen spent alot of the trip doing this ...

He loves working in his school book.  He's going to have it done in no time.

We had a great time at the birthday party.  Liam was quick to give us a fashion show of all his superhero costumes.

Even Uncle Jared and Calum got in on the action.

We had great food and the cousins had lots of fun playing in the backyard.

Little Jonas wanted in on the fun!

Then it was time to open presents and birthday cake.

Rachel made the cutest "monkey" cupcakes!

Before we headed for home we had to try out Uncle Jared's new 3D TV!!  Don't get any ideas Jason!

Thanks for the fun birthday party Jonas - we love you!!