Home sweet home... again

We moved again! This marks our fifth house in our almost 3 years of marriage... Yep were crazy like that!

There are a lot of great things {and some not so great things} about our new place!

We have tons of channels we didn't have before and a PVR! {this is probably good and bad :P}

We get to sleep in a king size mattress- it's like I have a bed to myself!

One of the levels has AC... I'm counting that as a plus even though we will only be living here for the winter.

There is a real fireplace, I'm actually looking forward to colder weather!

There is a garborator! I love those things!
The house is 100 years old so there is so much character- like gorgeous crown moulding!
There are a ton of stairs so even when I'm not working out I'm working out.. right??... haha
Rope's favorite parts are:
The "Man Cave" which is actually just the attic level that has been turned into the tv room, and it actually is pretty awesome!
And the fact that he can walk to school in 10 minutes! Which has also been great since the buses have been on strike since we moved here!

The not so great things..

The basement is super creepy! You don't even know how creepy- there is a weird little room and a coal shute. And the laundry is down there so I'm going to have to get brave one of these days!

The mattress is hard as a rock... I think I am actually bruised from it..

The dishwasher doesn't work :(

Buuuuuut mostly the house is great and we are loving it!  

And everyone is invited to come visit because it's big and we actually have a spare bedroom with a bed! But Hurry we are only here until April! :P

From Bushes to Berries

A few weeks ago we were outside working in our yard doing some mowing and watering. As we admired our own yard we noticed our neighbours weeds from their yard were starting to creep through the fence. I'd planted some sunflowers along this fence line and the weeds were starting to over take them and I was worried they were going to die. I picked the weeds but not before making some comments to Rope about our neglectful neighbours.
Now fast forward to this past Friday. We were back in our yard again and I was admiring my growing sunflowers when from between the fence posts I noticed raspberries poking through. We were thrilled  since we both love them! We went right over to our neighbours house to ask if we could pick some. When we walked up to the house the door was open and there was a man laying on the couch with a beer in his hand. I'll admit I was a little apprehensive as we approached the door but I pushed passed this and asked if we could pick a bowl. He seemed nice enough and agreed to us picking some berries.
We went around back and started picking. We'd been out there about 5 minutes when the man from inside came out. He apologized for not introducing himself better. He told us he was a mechanic and had a long week of work. He also told us he was living with his mother and 2 brothers. He was born and grew up in Pakistan and his family moved to Toronto when he was young. Later he moved to Europe met and married his wife who later passed away from a brain tumour. Before going inside he offered his mechanic services to us if we ever needed them. I felt embarrassed for the judgements I had passed before I even knew his name let alone his story!

Not only did we get a bowl of delicious raspberries that day but we met a wonderful man and neighbour. I also learned an important lesson, Something that can seem bad at first can actually turn into something beautiful. Those weeds creeping into our yard turned out to be a raspberry bush and an experience I will never forget. Things are not always as they appear!

happy

Today was a rainy summer day. I usually don't mind rainy days, but we've had quite a few lately and I would love a hot summer day even more.
I decided to bake something new to distract myself from the dreary weather outside. (Also we don't have AC so a cool day is the only time I will even think of turning on the oven in the summer ;) )
While searching Pinterest i came across a recipe that looked delicious! I'm a sucker for a crumble topping..
Is there anything better then Strawberry lemonade in the summer?? Now imagine that transformed into a scrumptious square.

If you feel as tempted as I did by it.. you can find the recipe here. You may also want to check out a few more of her recipes... they all look AMAZING! Also, the recipe was step by step and easy to understand which is always a bonus.

Here is my version of the Strawberry Lemonade Bar.. Now quick go make it and Enjoy!

Also what's a rainy day without a trip to the store..
You'll never guess where i picked up this adorable wrap headband. I may go back tomorrow for 5 more!
hint: 2 words, 1st word starts with d, 2nd word starts with s and everything happens to be a dollar there ;)

Waiting on summer

It seems like this year summer is taking its sweet time getting here! Maybe it's 

always been like this but I feel like we are still trapped in the eternal winter.

Despite the not so summery weather we still headed out camping last weekend up to Northern Saskatchewan! After driving for about an hour I felt like we had transported into a different province, We were surrounded by trees and lakes and it was gorgeous!  I loved spending the time in nature and with family- two of the best things ever :)

Be a cork

It seems like there is a lot of change around me lately and I find myself wishing my own life could change. I usually am wishing that we could fast forward  the next 10 years to when we will be settled!
With these thoughts in my head I have read a few talks lately that have help put things back into perspective.
One of my favorites I read was "finding joy in life"  by Richard G. Scott. I love listening to talks by Elder Scott- his voice is so loving and tender. When I was in YSA in lethbridge Elder Scott came to visit and it was also that night I met Rope, so that might also be part of the reason he has a special place in my heart.
A few of my favorite quotes from his talk were...
"Do you take time to discover each day how beautiful your life can be? How long has it been since you watched the sun set? The departing rays kissing the clouds, trees, hills, and lowlands good night, sometimes tranquilly, sometimes with exuberant bursts of color and form. What of the wonder of a cloudless night when the Lord unveils the marvels of His heavens—the twinkling stars, the moonlight rays—to ignite our imagination with His greatness and glory?"

"A pebble held close to the eye appears to be a gigantic obstacle. Cast on the ground, it is seen in perspective. Likewise, problems or trials in our lives need to be viewed in the perspective of scriptural doctrine. Otherwise they can easily overtake our vision, absorb our energy, and deprive us of the joy and beauty the Lord intends us to receive here on earth. Some people are like rocks thrown into a sea of problems. They are drowned by them. Be a cork. When submerged in a problem, fight to be free to bob up to serve again with happiness."

"Find the compensatory blessings in your life when, in the wisdom of the Lord, He deprives you of something you very much want. To the sightless or hearing impaired, He sharpens the other senses. To the ill, He gives patience, understanding, and increased appreciation for others’ kindness. With the loss of a dear one, He deepens the bonds of love, enriches memories, and kindles hope in a future reunion. You  will discover compensatory blessings when you willingly accept the will of the Lord and exercise faith in Him."
This last quote was my favorite! Exactly what I needed to hear! Instead of focusing on things I think we deserve and are being deprived of I need to think of all the MANY blessing we do have and enjoy. Accepting the will of Heavenly Father is something I have been and will probably always be trying to get better at.

So for now I'm going to be a cork and enjoy the season we are in literally and figuratively. :)

Simplicity

As I have looked over my notes this week from the past weekend General Conference I can't help but notice a theme in the notes I had taken...
Simplicity
So often in my life I get very stressed and worked up about how things are going and how they may not be following my personal timeline. I am a HUGE planner, I come home with pockets full of sticky notes after work listing all the things I need to be doing! However I am learning its ok to not be in control all the time. It's most important for me to be doing the things that will strengthen myself and my testimony and my marriage.
In this way I could use some simplifying
I am going to work ok having more faith in the future, even if it's not going according to plans! 
I paid special attention to Sister Jean Stevens this conference as she is the General Primary President and i am currently serving as our ward's Primary President.
One of my favorite quotes from conference came from her talk when she said 
" We can trust that He will help us, not necessarily in the way we want but in the way that will best help us to grow. Submitting our will to His may be difficult, but it is essential to becoming like Him and finding the peace He offers us."
This past year has been a major growing year for me, I have been stretched beyond what I thought I was capable of handling. It has been through this stretching that I have learned so much about myself and about becoming like the Savior. 
I hope that as I work to simplify my life and focus on the things that matter most I will continue to be strengthened and receive peace. 
A few other Conference Favorites Included: Linda S. Reeves, Russell M. Nelson, Robert D. Hales, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, President Monson and actually everyone else! There were sooo many good ones {as usual} that applied to exactly how I have been feeling, I love how personal it makes each talk feel :)
I can't wait to read and re-read them ALL!

sisters... sisters...

Let me just start off by saying I LOVE MY SISTERS
I don't know how my parents managed to do it but we all get along!.. and with 5 girls who are all different that seems like a miracle to me!
Of course growing up {and sometimes still} there was some drama {who took my shirt?!... my turn on the computer!} but we always worked though it and ended up "best sisters" again.
I think now that there are more siblings out of the house then at home it has made me appreciate them even more and love the times we all get to be together again.
I love group chatting with them and catching up on the lastest funny thing trey or claire did/ysa activity/basketball game/sleepover. It's just like when we were all living together and we would have sister meetings with the Barbie airplane intercom :)
Somehow we survived many loooooong road trips together all in the same vehicle without seriously hurting each other- again good job Mom and Dad!
I wouldn't change a thing about my childhood with my sisters, all the forts, Barbies and made up movies! Even when we found out Abby was on the way! {I can only speak for myself though :P}
I love laughing with them! Some of my funniest memories are with my sisters being silly.
I know I can always count on them to cheer me up or to just be there to talk- Sisters make the best friends!
I can't wait to get to watch them all continue to grow- for my younger sisters to graduate, make life plans, get married, start families. For my older sister to continue to build her family and for the chance I have to be such a big part of her kids lives :)

I don't know how people can go through life without a sister.. and I'm even luckier I got 4!