Beautiful Cement

Many years ago when we were pouring the basement floor for our house, we had some cement left over. I remember hurrying to put together forms for a piece of sidewalk where the extra cement could be poured. As it turned out, we had more than that left over. As Chad and I mulled over where we could put it, the cement truck driver told us to be dead certain of where we wanted it because once cement is there it takes a LOT of work and effort to remove it for it is practically permanent. As it turned out that day, we found a location for another piece of sidewalk and fortunately we have never regretted placing it there.

In the years since that time, cement has become a fairly common element in our yard. In the early years of owning a home we decided to put stucco on the walls. Being on a limited source of income, we decided that we would learn how to do it ourselves. It took 15 or so years, but we finally did get our house stuccoed and in my opinion, Chad has learned the art well. In fact, he has learned to do many things with cement. In the fall of 2013, he put his masonry skills to good use and blessed our home and yard with his talents.

Not only did Chad do the scratch coat stucco on the summer kitchen, he also repaired the window (to the right of the door) which had been broken in the 2012 storm and he also put in a new door! All the way around, it is much improved.

Chad and Myles worked together off of ladders to put on the scratch coat. They make a wonderful team. We are so grateful for Myles and his many skills and talents which he freely shares with us.

In addition to working on the summer kitchen, we decided to improve the garden pathway... and since we had some cement left over, that is where we went next!

I LOVE flagstone! In looking back, this is one purchase  I am very thankful I made. It is a mold for a flagstone walk, and we sure love it!!! It is easy to use and makes cement look beautiful!

Before the winter chills came we decided to work on getting the back of the house finished. Now, the north side of the house was already stuccoed with the finish coat, but it was done in gray (this is where Chad practiced). We love how it looks, but it needs to be white to match the rest of the house, so we purchased some white paint just for cement and proceeded to resolve the problem.

I love the white stucco. It brightens up the deck SO much!!! We still need to do the finish coat on the summer kitchen, but I am so excited about each improvement we make. I am so thankful for the knowledge and skills my husband has developed. They bless our home and family EVERY single day!!!

One more thing, just because it looks so good...

One more cement story. Chad did a small rock face in Lethbridge for a customer. Here he is cleaning off the rocks after they had set for a while. 

Cement has taught me a number of lessons over the years, but this year as I reflect on what we were told all those years ago, I can attest to the fact that cement is very permanent. Cement is not easy to work with. It can really be a mess. We have done a few things with it that we hated and had to change! It was hard, and it took a lot of work. Sometimes, the very first thing we do with cement is something we love... kind of like our garden walk. Sometimes, the first try isn't the look we are trying to achieve and it requires a second and sometimes third coat... kind of like the stucco on our house - it took three coats to make it look good and in the back it required a coat of paint as well! And then there are times, when cement is the mortar that holds everything in place for a beautiful finish.

Choices are like cement. In fact many choices cement qualities and attributes into our lives. If we choose to speak poorly or even believe evil of another, we make a choice that is not always easy to undo, for words and actions which result from those thoughts, cannot be blown away like feathers as though they never happened. No, they are like cement. If one truly wants to remove the ugly cracked pieces of cement that are left in the wake of gossip, each and every piece of debris must be cleaned up and removed. Thankfully, we have the Savior to help us and He works right next to us in our efforts. Through His efforts and the principle of forgiveness, it IS possible to remove the scarring of gossip and unkindness. Our good choices, especially the choices that we make to bless and lift others, are also choices that cement attributes into our characters, but this time, the cement is a thing of beauty. We aren't always successful in our efforts the first time around, but as we add strengthening layer upon layer, we learn how to live and cultivate the righteous desire that we are striving for. As we continue to learn how to work with cement, we can make our lives beautiful. It takes work and practice and a desire to emulate Christ, but it IS possible. I am so very grateful for the Atonement of Christ and the light that shines brightly into my life and the lives of my family members as we embrace this great gift.

Best Homemade Caramel Dip

A couple of  Sunday's ago I tasted the best caramel sauce! Caramel sauce is one thing I like better than anything else on my ice cream, so when I discovered that it was homemade, I sought out the recipe and was delighted to receive it only a few days later via email! This dip is so easy to make and is absolutely scrumptious served with apple slices!!! The sauce is made with sweetened condensed milk, another recipe which I think is great! I wanted to share them... so here they are!

Best Homemade Caramel Dip

½ cup butter
1 ½ cup brown sugar
¾ cup light corn syrup
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla

In a medium saucepan melt butter over medium heat. Add the brown sugar, corn syrup and condensed milk, stirring to combine. Stir constantly until mixture comes to a light bubbly boil. Don’t let the caramel come to a full rolling boil, just let it get nice and bubbly. Remove from heat right away and add the vanilla. Stir to combine. Serve warm with apple slices, pretzels or drizzle over ice-cream. Can be doubled

Homemade Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 cup boiling water

1 cup margarine, softened

2 cups sugar

4 cups instant powdered milk

Mix all together until smooth and creamy. Makes 2-3 cans (1 1/4 cups each). It will thicken as it cools.

A Little Artistic Fun

So last fall, Charity cam home with a unique book that helped her draw people. It's pretty amazing, in fact it kept her pretty occupied for some time. However, before the day was through, she presented me with a cartoon caricature of myself. I was duly impressed. Here it is...

She got it all. My curly hair, the glasses and even my love of photographs. I LOVE this drawing. It is so much fun! I love to see my children cultivating their talents and sharing them with others. This particular drawing brought a big smile to my face. It was a joy to receive to say the least.

I love art. To me art of any kind is an outlet for spiritual expression. In Charity's drawing it is the smile and the symbolism of the camera. I love to use symbols in my art and creative pursuits. I find such joy in expressing myself through art. I am so grateful for the gift of talents, not just my own, but all those of my children. I am often overjoyed as I recognize the budding of yet another talent or skill that one of my children begins to discover. This is what life is all about. Growing and learning together. I LOVE it!!!

Fathers Day Visit

After church on Sunday, we decided that since it has been a few months since we visited Chad's parents, we would head up their way for a visit. We let them know a few days before, and were able to coordinate our visit with several other family members.

We ate before leaving home so that they wouldn't have to feed us when we got there, besides which, it was kind of late in the afternoon when we arrived. Regardless, after walking in the house, Grandma had a whole spread of food which she offered to the kids, and they ate again! LOL! Grandpa liked his fathers day card - he laughed a bit as he read it. I love how he laughs so much more than he ever used to! It sure is fun.

We visited with Terry and Maggie, Maureen, Gayle, Lynn and of course Grandma and Grandpa. Grandpa was in his element. He told story after story and just giggled at how funny they were. When they were kids, not much more than preschoolers, him and his younger brother Gordon, would take their fathers tools out to an old threshing machine and then proceed to undo EVERY bolt they could find. I guess they took the whole thing apart. But the funny part was, when Carl (their dad) would need those wrenches and of course couldn't find them. Allen, just laughed and laughed as he recalled the memory of his father exclaiming, 'Where did you little beggars put my tools?!!!" 

What an appropriate fathers day story to tell. I don't know of many fathers who haven't had to hunt down tools that have sprouted feet (in the form of their young sons), sometimes never to be found again.

Grandpa also likes guns, and he gleefully told about how he had shot the kitchen door full of holes. I didn't get the background story on that one, but I guess his mom was none too happy about it. ☺

After an enjoyable afternoon of visiting, and another round of vittles, we headed out. Maureen and Gayle had invited us out to the farm to pick up some eggs, so we thought we'd stop. They have scads and scads of eggs and often end up throwing them away, so this time we served as their outlet for getting rid of a fridge full of eggs. I thought we would get 5 dozen or so....

... but when we left we had 12 dozen or so eggs. The picture above is what our fridge looked like after fitting them all in (and there are more in the other fridge too)! Looks like we'll be doing a bunch of baking! ☺That will be good. While we were there Ron and Lois came over so we got to visit with them as well.

While we were there, Maureen and Gayle had a fancy machine that shakes you. Well, that sounds weird when you describe it like that, but you stand on it and it vibrates at different speeds. I tried it and it was an interesting experience, but you know, after I got off, I felt energized! It was pretty cool. The kids were quite interested in it and spent a bit of time taking turns trying it out.

We got home late, but you know, we sure had a wonderful day. It was so nice to just sit back and enjoy visiting with family, sharing stories and experiences, and we even found some possible things we can use for decorating for the wedding reception. We served and were served. We were certainly blessed by Lynn's generosity. We are so blessed to belong to the Rice family. We sure get to associate with good people as a result. It is no different with those on my side of the family. Family is all about delightful moments spent together. I am so thankful to be so richly blessed.

Playing in the Water

How many kids do you know that can resist the lure of a puddle or body of water. It doesn't seem to matter the size of the puddle, stream or lake, there is something about making a splash that simply enchants the heart and mobilizes the legs. This summer we were blessed to find some rubber boats on sale at a price that was impossible to turn down - especially since we knew how much fun we would have using them! One of our boating adventures this summer took us to Park Lake!

We invited the whole family to join us for an afternoon of wet fun and picnic food. Alisha and Brandon were able to make it and we spent the afternoon playing in and on the water. Chad even took me out and paddled me around on the lake. It was a beautiful day, just perfect for the activity. 

With a couple of boats the kids couldn't resist paddling up next to each other and then splashing!!! ☺

 Alisha and Brandon even got a chance to take the kayak out together and paddle around for a while.

Meanwhile back at the shore we had flotation devices that the kids loved playing with. They would sit on the tubes and splash or just float around. They build little sand structures and explored the shoreline.

 Of course there was lots and lots of splashing!!!

Myles took the raft out with a load of his sisters, and they left him to the work of paddling while they hung their feet over the edge of the boat and SPLASHED!

I loved watching my kids relax and be kids - even my teenagers - were able to let go of being 'grown up and mature' for a few hours as they played together in the water! What a joyful day!!! Chad and I mostly watched, just enjoying the opportunity to see our children playing together. It was fun to get to know Brandon a little better too. 

Did you notice in the pictures how the light catches the water as it is splashed? Of course everyone knows that if you get splashed, you usually get wet, if not drenched, but first the light hits that water.. before it lands. Imagine the light of Christ working that way. Wouldn't it be wonderful if you could simply splash it on others and have them feel it as it soaks through them like water does? When one feels the light of Christ - His pure love shedding forth from another - IF they allow it in (you know, take off your raincoat ☻), they become drenched in it and the walls come down - much like I saw the need to be grown up and mature disappear as we enjoyed playing together in the water. It was a wonderful, beautiful day. Oh, that we could always be secure in the knowledge of the love our Father in Heaven sends to us, and then may we shed it forth to others, sharing it and drenching them in its goodness and light. I am so thankful for the joy I felt as I soaked up not only the rays of sun, but also, the love of my good family.

A Father's Day Tribute

I cannot think of a better place to save this tribute given today in Sacrament meeting by my current graduate - Naomi. The following is her talk on Father's Day...

"I apologize to everyone who may think this is one of those boring talks, mostly because it's true, but also because I wrote it in a rush Saturday evening. I can attribute that partly to procrastination,  but most of it is a result of all of the studying, practice finals, and diploma's I've been stressing about. So if I start talking about the anti-derivative of a trigonometric statement, the relevance of Shakespeare in the English language, or the molecular structure of a benzene ring, just bear with me...

Now that I've proficiently used up the first thirty seconds, I'll begin with a poem that I thought to be a perfect description of fathers.

Fathers are wonderful people too little understood,

And we do not sing their praises as often as we should …

For, somehow, Father seems to be the man who pays the bills,

While Mother binds up little hurts and nurses all our ills …

And Father struggles daily to live up to ‘HIS IMAGE’

As protector and provider and ‘hero of the scrimmage’

And perhaps that is the reason we sometimes get the notion

That Fathers are not subject to the thing we call emotion,

But if you look inside Dad’s heart, where no one else can see,

You’ll find he’s sentimental and as ‘soft’ as he can be …

But he’s so busy every day in the gruelling race of life,

He leaves the sentimental stuff to his partner and his wife …

But Fathers are just WONDERFUL in a million different ways,

And they merit loving compliments and accolades of praise,

For the only reason Dad aspires to fortune and success

Is to make the family proud of him and to bring them happiness …

And like OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, he’s a guardian and a guide,

Someone that we can count on to be ALWAYS ON OUR SIDE.

This poem was actually written by a woman with the name Helen Steiner Rice. I'd never heard of her before now, but if you get the chance, you should look her up. She was a rather spectacular woman.

But anyways... The reason I liked this poem so much is the honesty that it conveyed. It made me proud to have a father, but also a little upset that I don't always treat him with the respect he deserves. Fathers are the patriarchs of the home; their generous character is encased in love and wrapped in humility. Their divine role in the home has been established through the mouth of prophets by our loving Father in Heaven.

In the Proclamation to the World it says, "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protections for their families."

Unfortunately, the world's views on fatherhood are sliding. As soon as we say that a father is to work in love for the general benefit and protection of the family, we are suddenly seen as old-fashioned and confined to roles that dictate our lives. But isn't confinement defined by misery? And who says living God's law was every misery? All one has to do is look at the life of a righteous father and know that he is not held back by the torrents of the world, but rather he has wings to rise above the storm.

I know this to be a very accurate description of my father, and I doubt I'm the only one who feels the same about their father. However, I can attest to the fact that he's not perfect either. No dad is. He wouldn't be my father without his flaws and imperfections. In fact, his quirks make his kind and thoughtful actions more sincere.

That is where one might begin to feel guilty. Often times we forget the blessing it is to have such a loving parent. We assume our father should be perfect and better than everyone else. We want our father to be hardworking, wise, compassionate, witty and sensitive - but only at the right times. This is a selfish desire. As mortals, we are prone to selfishness, but this still doesn't make it right.

Maybe it's just a childish thing to believe, but in the few short months after my 18th birthday I began to pay closer attention to the way adults treated each other. And to be completely honest, most of them are still children. My hope here is that I can be better than that, and I can begin at home with my relationship to my father.

Fathers work their hardest to make their children happy, but sometimes the things children expect from their father simply aren't feasible. Alma the younger was a rebellious youth who dismissed his father as old and unwise. He chose to tear down the church rather than  to try and align his will with his father's. But through it all, Alma the elder remained patient, praying daily for his wayward son. This is just one example of what fathers do for us. Even through our selfishness and rebelliousness, they will love and protect us.

But through all our ups and downs, we forget that we do have a Father in Heaven who is perfect. He is everything we need and at all the right times."

Naomi then concluded her talk with her testimony, bearing witness of the love she has for her father in Heaven as well as her earthly father. I simply cannot express the joy I feel in my heart, when I hear one of my children express such inspiring thoughts. I am so thankful for Naomi's willingness to speak to the ward this morning and share her thoughts and experiences with us.

Family Photos 2014

Time has a bad habit of moving far more quickly than I am prepared for it to do... hence I am VERY thankful for the technology that makes family pictures possible. I love to be able to look back over the years, remembering all that has passed and, because I am a visual person, I love having photos to help me remember the colors, the smiles, and even the feelings of those moments. Family is VERY important to me, and because of that I try to have family photos taken every year - that way I can preserve at least annually the dynamics of our family. I also LOVE seeing everyone together, smiling, and this year, all dressed up. We are missing one important family member, this year in our photos - Shylah. Hopefully next year we can all be present.

There we are, all dressed up. These are the people +1 that I want to give the most time and love I can. They are the source of my joy, my happiness and my contentment in life. I am SO grateful for each of my children, and I am thrilled at the prospect of more children being added to my family through marriage! What a wonderful blessing marriage and children are!!! So saying, here are my children...

First we have the girls and their dad. How precious they are.

And then me and my boys, flanked by the priesthood. This is a group that will definitely grow over the years...

Chad and I...

Alisha and her special man... Brandon.

Beth...

Breanna...

Charity...

 Myles...

Naomi...

And if Shylah had been with us...

After our photo session we went for one of our traditional family picnics. We discovered a new park this time and had a pleasant meal, despite the breeze that wanted to blow our potato chips off our plates! ☺

And there you have us all. If anyone had told me 20 years ago that I would have eight children, I probably would have told them that they were nuts. But I am so blessed to be the mother of eight. They are a precious group of people to me, among those who I hold most dear, worry over more than any other, and invest the most time, effort, love and prayer in behalf of. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of every one of them, consider what I can do for them, what words they need to hear, what I can do to lift them up, or just simply give them a smile and a hug. These people, have made life worth living. They have filled my life with meaning and purpose. While I have invested the most in them, the rewards in joy and happiness have been exponential and far outweigh the effort. The investment in ones own family proves to be the fruits of the greatest treasures on the earth. No money, job, or career can replace them. No relationship, possession or hobby can bring as much joy and satisfaction to life. When one loses themselves in the work of building and strengthening a family, they indeed begin to find themselves. They discover talents, attributes, abilities and characteristics that are fulfilling and joyful. For as you lose yourself in your family, you become better. Your goals reach new heights, and you stretch and grow in ways that you never could have imagined - finding in the growth a person you like... it is important to like yourself. ☺

I am so thankful for the institution of marriage and the children that come as fruits of the love that joined me to my husband. This life is so good.

Butterfly Gardens and Outdoor Fun 2013 Part II

After lingering at the Butterfly Garden, we travelled to Echodale Park for a picnic lunch and a little boating. Traditionally, when we do picnic meals we purchase fresh baked buns and them load them with sliced meat, cheese, lettuce and sometimes tomatoes along with mayonnaise. We add to the meal, potato salad, potato chips, and carrot sticks and usually a jug of chocolate milk. Dessert consists of baked goods. That is our tradition and we always have food left over to take home. I love it because it is easy, affordable, everyone gets full, and we get to enjoy a natural setting in whatever area we are in. This time it was Echodale park - one of our favorite places that is relatively close to us.

Once we had finished eating, we began to play. The kids changed into water attire so they could get wet. We got out the boats and the air pumps and inflated them. We found a convenient place to put them in the water, and the boating adventures began. I, personally was not feeling up to boating at that time, but I thoroughly enjoyed playing the part of the family photographer as everyone played. Three people were in the kayak and four were in the raft. That is all the life jackets we have, so we could only put seven on the water at a time --- ho--- that was everyone but me!!!

Boating is a new adventure for our family. Only a few short weeks before Chad invested in two inflatable boats and we have put them to good use. This was their second debut. The two boats kind of followed each other around a bit on the water, separated, and came together again. Then everyone switched up the boats they were in, and off they went again. Pretty soon we had more that wanted to play IN the water that ON the water, so we pulled the boats out of the lake and went over the hill to the swimming area. It was a very nice and pleasant evening. What a wonderful family day!

I cherish the good memories that come from days spent like this. The summer of 2013 was filled with lots of fun family activities. Time that builds family bonds, and nurtures common ground and interests. Moments that everyone can look back on and smile, content in the knowledge that they love doing things together - even if they don't always get along, or see eye to eye. These are beautiful days and I am so grateful for Chad's foresight in purchasing the boats that have added to our fun this summer. I have a feeling that they will fill the pages of many blog posts yet to come. What a joyful prospective!