Pressure Cooker

I am soooooooooo very excited!!

I received a Pressure Cooker for Christmas from my Brother and Sister in Law and a cookbook to go with it, from my Mother in Law. I was so excited to try it out on Christmas Day I steamed my vegetables for the dish I took to Christmas dinner at our friends house. I was very vocal about how I steamed them, everyone was dutifully impressed, probably because I was so excited. 

I have been pouring through my new cookbook and instruction manual finding out how to use it and what I can make with it!

Last night I made scalloped potatoes the smelled wonderful and tasted really good too. A few of the potatoes were a bit crunchy but I didn't care, I was just pleased with myself. I called Marg and told her what I was doing and she was also excited for me, we talked about the recipe and how I was doing. After I explained it was good but a bit crunchy, after she read the recipe she said did you put in the baking soda - opps forgot that - she said it helps cook the potatoes, it breaks down the starches in the potatoes to soften them - wow - who would have guessed! Not me I know that! 

So next time you boil potatoes try adding a bit of baking soda and see what happens - there is your science lesson for today - class dismissed ;-) hahaha !

Taylers Christmas Present

In October I bought a buddy saddle for Tayler for Christmas. I was very excited because she loves to come for a ride with me but its very uncomfortable for both of us, especially her.,

 Tay was so excited to try it out but it required a bit of time as Spice hasn't been out for quite a while. First, we had to get her sillies out, so we both didn't go for an unexpected ride through the air. She has been very frisky lately when we let her out of her corral - she tried to play with Ed the other day - he was not impressed with her at all.

After lunging her, she was much calmer, so we mounted up and Spice was very good. We rode up to the big field and back and around the front yard. I figured that was good for a first time, not to mention Tay and I were very cold.

Spice did great, I wasn't absolutely sure how she would feel with the weight of Tayler in her saddle (I test drove the saddle in the fall, without Tay, of course and Spice was fine.) 

Spice is a wonderful girl, I'm sure she knows when she is carrying someone small and precious, her movements change. A couple months ago I took her and Tay around the property when we were almost to the edge of the property, where you can look off a bluff, Spice suddenly stopped and would not go any farther. She was obviously nervous of something out there, but instead of fighting me and bolting, she walked as fast as she could away from where she had stopped, keeping her ears focused behind her making sure nothing was following her. Some horses would freak out and do everything in their power to get away with or without a passenger and some horses protect themselves and their passenger(s)

We love her very much and are so lucky to have her with us.

I am having fun despite my very serious expression (what a horrible picture of me!) 

Christmas Fun

This year I took hardly any pictures of the Christmas Festivities! I have one from Christmas Eve 3 on Christmas day and that's it! How bad is that! Well, what do you do! 

I made gingerbread last weekend, amidst all the activities we were doing. I found a great recipe and started out. I was half way through when I noticed the dough needed 14 cups of flour - 14 cups! By the time I had finished the marathon baking, I had 4 gingerbread houses and 2 dz little people! The kids thought this was fantastic! 

Dylan and I assembled 3 of the 4 housesthe next day, and  we gave the 4th house to Bev and the girls. 

I worked half a day on Christmas Eve. When I got home I set the kids up with icing and candies and they decorated while I made the dessert to take to our friends for Christmas Eve dinner.

We set off to our friends house early in the afternoon to start the Christmas Eve Olympics - Sledding, target shooting, present wrapping and a sledding obstacle course. We had to speed up the outside games as it was -21 outside - BRRRR! The kids had a blast and each one won a prize (a Christmas present from our dear friends)

Christmas Day went so fast it was unbelievable - I kids got up late (thank goodness I was exhausted!) They found their gifts and set to opening everything as fast as possible! They were very excited and very happy. We received a few parcels by bus and post so it was fun opening those too. Lots of fun surprises.

We had pancakes and bacon for breakfast and spent the rest of the day hanging out and watching a movie.

We went to another friends place for Christmas dinner - there was so much food it was crazy, but super yummy! After dinner we took the kids out for a Bone fire and Hot Chocolate, they really enjoyed that! 

Tay making an angel 

Bone Fire - I love the lantern!

  On Boxing Day, Dylan and Ed went ice fishing for the day, while Tay, Russ and I hung out at home, we played a few games and learned a few magic tricks from Russ's new Magic Kit. I painted our kitchen floor (its been bugging me for a while)

 It was a very nice day, very relaxing.

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas Holiday.

See you in the New Year

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year 

From all of us! 

School Concert

December 19 was the Forest Grove School and Community Concert

The kids did amazing as usual, it was so much fun! 

School concerts are the best was to get into the Christmas Spirit!

Each class did a play, the little Strong Starters sang to jingle bells, we had a Brian play his trumpet to Christmas carols. Another Brain sang some beautiful Christmas carols, and a graduate of our school, Kira, sang with her cousin. It was so much fun.

This school year the PAC have decided to fund raise for a new playground for the school. We had a 50/50 draw and 4 raffle draws for baskets on concert night and we raised over $500, the community has been so supportive to us! Its wonderful! 

The kids are so excited for the playground !

Strong Start Class - remember when Tayler was up there?

Tayler as a homeless person in the primary play

 Christmas concert 2009

Russ playing his play as Jim

Dylan playing his part as the hotel owner

Intermediate Class 

Firehall Christmas Party

December 16 was the Forest Grove Firehall kids Christmas party. This year there was 48 kids coming (most I have seen in the three years we have been coming.)

Most of the time I couldn't find Tayler, she loves playing with everyone. Russ quietly sat in a corner with me and watched all the activities. Dylan was sick that day so he didn't come with us, poor guy.
Tay and Russ each received a gift from Santa, they were so excited.

As we were coming home Russ said "How did Santa know Dylan wasn't there? He never called his name." I said "Well, Santa knows everything - he knew Dylan was not feeling well and stayed home."
 Russ felt really bad that Dylan never received a gift.
When we got to the house I was getting out of the car and leaned over to get my purse and said "Russ look..." on the floor was a gift to Dylan. "How did that get there?" he asked - "I don't know and my car was locked!"
Russ was so excited to give the gift to Dylan he basically ran over everything in his path!

It was awesome - Oh the Spirit of Christmas!

Tayler and her pal Cameron decorating their cookies

Russ quietly decorating his cookies

Santa is coming!!

Hi Santa, Merry Christmas

Animals in the snow

Spice has mixed feelings about the snow. This day she loved it. But you can tell by the look in her eyes that its not her favorite most of the time. Right now she is snowed in, in her corral I have to dig out the gate to get her out.

Shayleigh loves the snow, she races around, rolls in it, eats it summersaults through it, chases the kids as they sled, and follows me everywhere

 Spice was having a great time in the snow cantering and bucking up a storm .

Honey tolerates it 

Shayleigh loves it! 

Bringing Home The Christmas Tree

Found our tree last weekend 

The big field was so beautiful covered in a THICK layer of snow and a blanket of fog - it was gorgeous!

I love this photo

Notice Tays little tree

Russell is that you?

Russell received a Goody bag at the 

103 Baptist Church Christmas Dinner Friday night

- he loved the glasses! 

Morning of Fresh Snow!

Here I go again ! More snow pictures - 

you will be seeing alot of snow pictures this Season!!

Oh so pretty - looks like a Christmas Card! 

Bring out the plow! 

Bates Rd. Only a few people had traveled the road. Look at the
snow on the branches of the Poplar trees! 

We followed a Snowplow truck to school Friday Morning 

I mailed the kids letters to Santa Friday,
I loved the icicles hanging off the Mailbox

Sunrise on the snowy trees (and yes I was driving as I took this;-))

Skating field trip

December 11 the school came to town for a skating field trip. The boys never want to go because they don't know how to skate but Tayler really wanted to go. The night before we were trying on some skates to make sure they fit, I told her Joanne (my co-worker) used to be a figure skater and she did twirls and jumps - Tayler says -"I want to do that!"

 "Whoa" I said "lets just learn how to go forward and stop!"

She had a smile on her face the whole 2 1/2 hours even after she fell 3 times!

Here Courtney came to help Tay it was so cute because Courtney could hardly skate either

She never stopped smiling 

Here Maryanna came to see how she was doing

I came down for my lunch hour to watch them, but I wasn't able to go out on the ice as I didn't have skates and they don't rent them out at the area, it just about killed me!!! 

This weekend I am going to find skates so we can do this more often as a family and maybe get the boys out on the ice so they will go next year! 

Making snow globe cookies

Today can we make them today, 

what about now, how about now?? 

Please can we make them!

This is what I heard all last weekend, 

but we finally had time Monday evening to make the cookies - so exciting!

rolling out the dough

almost ready for the oven 

Mommy iced them, now lets paint

they couldn't wait for the icing to dry completely
so it was  a little harder to paint them because
the paint brush would dig into the icing

But when frustration came, we just ate them!
Take that cookie!

My Snow globe

Tayler was so proud of her snow globe!

Thank you again Lisa for the kit, we had fun!!!

Enjoying the snow!

I can't stop taking pictures of the snow - it is so gorgeous!!!

 I have been known to drive and take pictures!

Our Driveway

Working on a snowman

Its up, but then it fell over 

I have one too 

Snowman Cariboo Style 

New hairdo for the Snowman 

Shayleigh is a snow dog - she rolls in it and running full speed through it!