Birthday Month Wrap Up

August is my birthday month!!  Not alot happened for my birthday this year, but it was good birthday just the same.  The actual date - August 3rd was a Friday this year.  Jason of course was busy working at the temple and at Aurum so he wasn't home until late, but my sweet boys tried to make it as special as they could.  Their dad hadn't had time to take them shopping so that morning they got busy figuring out gifts to give me.

First up were their trophies with the tags changed to Happy Birthday and filled with gum they had gotten for Easter!

Then Bowen made me a beauuutiful bracelet he made from his beads!  He just asked me the other day why I haven't worn it to church yet - I guess I better this Sunday!

The next day Sheri offered to babysit the boys and Jason took me out for my birthday celebration.  We went to Smugglers for dinner and had lobster tail - yum, then to the new Batman movie.  It was nice for Jason and I to have some time together - I must admit I've been really missing him this summer :( 

I've been wanting to get prescription sunglasses for a really long time so Jason thought I should get a pair for my birthday.  I went to Walmart and ordered a pair - when I went to pick them up a couple of weeks ago they had put normal lenses in instead of tinted lenses so they had to go back to the lab.  I finally got a call a couple of days ago that they were ready.

So what do you think?  When I picked them up yesterday Ashton told me he liked them and Bowen told me he wasn't in love with them, but they were okay.  Today Bowen said he was starting to like them - he just wasn't used to the "look" on me.  I didn't know I was raising such a fashion critic!

Grand Plans

I had big grand plans at the beginning of summer of all the things I was going to accomplish.  Sadly, most of them didn't happen.  I did manage to get one big project done however.

I finally tackled the dreaded pantry!!

Oh my the mess!  The items from the floor were as high as the bottom shelf.  I decided to clean it out the day before we were having company but I got it all finished except for the top shelf.  Well, I finally finished cleaning the top shelf today.  It feels great to have this project completed and knowing where everything is in my little pantry is awesome.

Isn't she beauuutiful!



New jars from mom for my flour and sugar.

The lazy susan with pasta jars and oils - looove!!

Cereal bins from Costco.

Spices back in alphabetical order - yes - I keep them in alphabetical order, so much easier to find what you are looking for.

Bins for potatoes and onions.

I'm so happy to have this done.  It feels very efficient and organized and I'm going to do my best to keep it this way.  Now to decide what project to tackle next!

I was in my bathroom the other day and was looking at the items I have on my tub.  I have this white pitcher that has these decorative branches in it and it just wasn't doing it for me anymore.  Here is a picture of how I was using it in my master bath.

In the back right hand side of the picture.

So I decided to repurpose the pitcher and use it in my kitchen.  I bought some flowers from the dollar store and put them on my kitchen island.  I love how it looks and can change it for each season - especially if I continue to use inexpensive dollar store finds.  I know real would look better, but the pop of colour makes me happy!

Gorgeous View at Lunch

Below is my gorgeous view during lunch today!

The boys and I grabbed KFC and took lunch up to Jason today.  We sat on the grass of the Royal Oak Chapel and enjoyed the view of the temple.  We had a great lunch and the boys enjoyed being able to spend some time with their dad.  We are having such a gorgeous late summer.

The open house is scheduled to start one month from tomorrow.  With the dedication 2 months from today.  I'm so excited to go inside and not only feel of the wonderful spirit that is always in temples, but to see the work my husband has been involved in.  Heavenly Father has definitely blessed us this summer in so many ways.  We've had to made some sacrifices as well, but they are so small in comparison to the blessings.

Jason heading back to work - we are so proud of him! 

Annual Work Barbecue

Jason's annual work barbecue was held this weekend.  We love this party as it has been held at the zoo for the last few years and we are given complimentary tickets to the zoo a few hours before the barbecue.

Jason hadn't seen the penguins yet so we made sure we went to their new exhibit.

A few of my favorite pictures of the day.

Best part of the zoo - the screamers!!

After a few hours of looking around the zoo it was time to eat.  First they had face painting for the kids.  Apparently Ashton thinks he is too old, but Bowen had his face painted.  He picked Iron Man.

They served hamburgers, hot dogs, caesar salad, a tossed salad and mini tarts for dessert.

Bowen was starving - he scarfed down two enormous hot dogs!

Definitely one of the best perks with Jason's job.  We always really enjoy these events!


The boys with the cute little penguins they were given.



One Week to Go!

Summer is quickly coming to a close and I'm noticing the boys are getting restless.  Ashton says he's not anxious to get back to school but he's crabby and quick to tease his brother which are sure signs that he's bored.  The other day he had been in the back yard for quite a long time and I went out to see what he was up to.  He was working on his latest invention.

Sorry for the quality of the picture - he stomps on the bottle on the ground and the one on the top flies into the air!!



I encourage any activity that keeps him from bugging his brother and keeps his mind busy.

Bowen on the other hand would spend all summer doing this ...

 if I let him.

The boys and I did a little back to school shopping yesterday.  They say they are not wanting to go back to school but I couldn't get them out of their new clothes.

One week to go!  Going to see how much we can cram into our last week of holidays

Friday Weigh In

1st week back at my weightloss efforts.  I didn't track my food but I was more aware of what I was eating.  I weighed this morning and I lost ...

3 lbs



I'm happy about a great first week and hope to keep it up.  I know that exercise is critical to my overall success so this week I made my workout tips jar.  Every time I exercise I will be putting a loonie in the jar.

So my plan this week is to put 5 loonies in my adorable new jar, to track my points, and to drink lots of water.  I hope you will see less of me next week!



And the Winner Is ...

The winner of my 300th blog post contest is ...

(I know the suspense has been killing you)

RACHEL



CONGRATULATIONS!!

I hope you will enjoy your candles, body lotion and rice krispie squares.  I will get them to you as soon as possible!

Thanks everyone for your comments, I always enjoy getting them.  I hope you keep reading and better luck next time!!

Sikome, and Barbecue, and 300th Post Contest - Oh My!!

Yesterday Jason and I hosted my side of the family to a barbecue at our home.  We first went to Sikome beach for a swim.  It was a gorgeous day.  Unfortunately the sun is not my friend.  I got a little burnt and gave myself a bit of sun stroke.  The kids had lots of fun playing in the sand and swimming.  I love to see all the cousins together - I hope they are always good friends.

After a couple of hours we headed back to the house for a barbecue.  Dave, Char and Jared met us there as they weren't able to join us at the beach.  We ate hamburgers, hotdogs, potato salad, lemon lime delight salad and chips.  For dessert we served ice cream cones. The kids played and the adults visited and then Jason shared some pictures he has taken of what he is working on in the temple.   I love when my family is able to get together.  I appreciated that they would travel to us so we could host.  I'm thinking next time I may choose an activity out of the sun.  ;)

300th BLOG POST CONTEST

For those of you who read to the end of this picture overloaded blog you have a chance to win a contest.  Today is my 300th blog post.  Definitely worthy of recognition.  If you want to enter my contest this is what you need to do. 

You can either leave a comment on this blog post, or on my facebook link.  Enter by Monday, August 20th before midnight.  I'll draw the name of the winner on Tuesday morning and announce it on my blog.

Now that I have your attention - what can you win!!

You will win 4 little candles that are melon scented, some citrus handlotion, and a plate of rice krispie squares.

Good luck everyone!



Friday Weigh In

I was looking through some old blog posts and realized that I started my Friday Weigh In's almost a year ago to the day.  I started off so good and lost about 15 pounds.  Then I plateaued and stayed around the same weight for several months.  Then my weight slowly started to creep back up.  At this point I'm pretty much back where I started.  So it is time for a fresh start.

Losing this weight is important to me.  For my health, energy level, appearance.  So here is the new plan.  I've weighed in this morning and that number is my new start weight.  I will do all the things I had in my original plan.

- Track Food
- Drink 8 glasses of water a day
- Exercise 4 - 5 days a week

In addition I'm going to start a "Workout Tip" jar.  Everytime I exercise I will put $1.00 in the jar, then that money will be mine to spend however I wish.  I may still have rewards for every 5 pounds lost as well.  Haven't yet decided what those things will be.  I'm open to suggestions if you have any ideas.

Any other ideas?  This week will be a challenge as we have family coming for the weekend.  I need to be committed and focused on my plan to have a good weightloss this week.  Wish me luck and I'll be back next Friday!

Not One More Bite!

I made a delicious cheesecake on the weekend - my family loves cheesecake.  It was a big pan so my boys have been enjoying a piece almost every day.  The other night they were having a piece before bed.  Ashton says to me - "I'm full, can I put the rest in the fridge and eat it tomorrow?"  Me - "of course."  So Ashton put his plate in the fridge and headed to bed.

Later that evening when I looked in the fridge.  This is what I found ...

I guess he was full - he just didn't have room for that last bite!