Monday, June 30, 2014

Sunny Sundays

I have been reading many books on life, raising children and generally being happy.  Clearly I am a work in progress!

So many messages are saying stop the glorification of busy!  It's so true.  It's not cool to be busy, so let's stop making it seem that way!

The lessons I am learning are enjoy the simple times, make things less stressful and simpler.  While that can't happen every day, it's something to strive to have moments that are simple!

Yesterday was one of those days.  And really it was a whole day of simple!  It was one of my most favourite days in a very long time!

We lazily got up and around in the morning, snuggled on the couch to watch a movie and then made a wonderful breakfast of pancakes, bacon and fruit!  Delicious!

Our only plan for the day was to go to the lake to enjoy the plus 30 degrees Celsius temps (that's around 86 degrees Fahrenheit).

We piled in the truck, rolled down the windows and turned up the music!  Liam got a little embarrassed that everyone could hear our music which of course made me so happy!  I look forward to the days I can embarrass my children!!  Not bad embarrassing but fun!!

Then Rhys turned into our little puppy!




I have decided that this year I am going to swim more with my kids.  Now I haven't really ever been shy about going for a swim.  In my opinion the only reason to be pool/lake/beach side is to swim.  I don't like to just sit and sweat (which sadly I do!), I like to do activities.

However, sometimes I do just sit.  I end up doing something else or I just say no when my kids ask.  Not this summer!  Jill is saying yes!

Here is Alex and I doing our best dives! haha!


 
 
The boys wanted to fish.....Rhys just looks so cute and slightly like a little old man fishing from his chair. 
 
 

 
 
Not sure why we don't have any pictures of Liam but he was using the new kiddie kayaks like a pro!  They paddled up and down the shore line while Alex and I swam beside them.
 
 


It's a good day when the kiddies are asleep on the way home!  We had a wonderful day of doing nothing but having fun!

I plan to do the same thing tomorrow to celebrate Canada Day!!!

So to all my Canadian Friends.   Happy Canada Day!

And to any American's out there.  Have a Happy 4th of July!!





Friday, June 27, 2014

Happy Hearts

Hello Folks,

I hope that you are enjoying reading my little blog again.

I read a lot of other blogs and sometimes they lead me to others and sometimes they give me little ideas to use here.  To use and put my own spin on it.  I try to always link that site on here as well.

So this little gem first came from Mix and Match Family , Shay Shull has a wonderful blog and I feel like we could totally be friends except she lives in Texas and doesn't know who I am!! (haha!).  She was asked to do a little post over here on the Hill Collection blog.

So I thought I would give my little version of Happy Hearts.

These three make my heart very happy!
 
Here are 8 things that make my heart happy:

- big thunderstorms, I love the sound of the rain pouring down, the loud crack and rumble of the thunder and seeing the sky light up with the lightning!  This is only the case when I am happily safe and snuggled in my house!
- watching my kids jump and laugh on the trampoline
- a really great bowl of mint chip ice cream
- a night out with my husband competing for the world.  (we tend to be slightly competitive so when there is something to compete at, it's always for the world!)
- when the Kraft what's cooking magazine arrives at my door
- the fall leaves changing colours, the bright reds, oranges and yellows.
- seeing my boys snuggle on the couch watching a movie (and liking each other!)
- having a picnic with my little family (inside or outside!)

aren't they cute!


Have a fabulous weekend!

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

sunshine

Sunshine and rainbows!!



Doesn't that sound nice!  Although rainbows only come out with the sunshine AFTER the rain.

So maybe we have to have a little rain before the rainbows, it's ok.  The rain is good.  Not always fun but good.  Necessary.

These are lessons I am trying to teach my boys.  That we need the rain to help things grow.  They need rain and sunshine.

Same goes for us as people, we need a little rain and sunshine in order to grow.  So those bad things that sometimes happen, sometimes happen for a reason.  We need them to learn or adapt.  They teach us to be smarter, stronger, braver, all while we are just trying to move on.  Secret lessons are happening and we are made better for it.  Or I guess we have the ability to be made better, the choices are ours.  We can choose the good or the bad.  I want to choose the good!

We also need sunshine, we need those great moments, fun times and wonderful family and friends.  We need this sunshine to keep us going, to make us want to choose the good.  To want to help other people choose the good.

So if today is a particularly bad day, be comforted in the fact that the rainbow comes out after the rain.

This is my sunshine when days aren't so sunny!

Monday, June 23, 2014

BBQ Pulled Pork Spagetti

Oh My Goodness!

So Joel and I have a tendency to watch cooking or home renovation shows when are usual favourites take a break.  This is usually a bad idea.

It's late and then I want a full meal - not good

Or it's late and I want to start painting or tearing something down - also not good!

However, it does give us lots of fun ideas and branches out our cooking!

So we were watching Diners, Drive-In and Dives on the Food Network and Hwy 61 Roadhouse came on and showed us this delicious recipe.

I didn't actually know until right now when searching for a picture (because we were so excited that I forgot to take one!), that you could get the recipes from the shows.  I am both excited and slightly nervous about this wonderful news!

So I just made it with what I thought it should have


BBQ Pulled Pork Spaghetti
picture and recipe adapted from watching this recipe take place!

Ingredients

Pork Roast
whole bottle your favourite BBQ sauce (we used Bull's-eye original), maybe more!
1 cup apple juice
one package of spaghetti
one clove of garlic minced
olive oil
feta

Directions:


1. I used my slow cooker and put the pork roast in the crock pot, pour about 3/4 of your BBQ sauce on top and pour apple juice over it.  Cook on low for 6-7 hrs
2. Once pork is ready, shred it.
3. Cook your spaghetti as directed
4. In a large sauce pan, heat olive oil and garlic for 2-4 mins. Add cooked spaghetti, pulled pork and the remaining of your BBQ sauce.  You might need (or want) to add a more BBQ, I think we probably added another 1/4 of a bottle.
5.  Serve and top with crumbled feta (if you don't like feta, just leave it out!)

This make plenty - like 5-6 servings.  We served ours with salad and bread.

Enjoy!

Monday, June 9, 2014

A little snippet


Since this blogging thing is hard sometimes.  I am going to start with this.  and we will see how we go!

This is a little list I got from following the list of blogs below! 

 It's a little snippet of what's going on around here.

Making : a vegetable garden...we are working hard and hope we have some veggies in the end!
Cooking : A fantastic BBQ pulled pork spaghetti.  Simple simple recipe to follow. here
Drinking :  Water and lots of it.  Once it gets hot, if I forget to drink enough water out come the headaches and feeling yucky.
Reading:  So many wonderful books, my husband organized for everyone to get me books!  Just finished Balancing it All by Candace Cameron Bure and just started reading The One and Only by Emily Giffen
Wanting:  more sunny days and less working
Looking: at my wonderful little boys explore and learn
Playing: rugby on Saturdays and soccer on Mondays
Wasting: time
Sewing: so many projects but so little time...perhaps if I wasted less time, more things would get done!
Wishing: for a little more time home and a little less time at work.
Enjoying:  saying yes to little request from the boys...they enjoy it so much and we all end up having a great time
Waiting: for vacation to start
Liking: the sunshine and the amount of time I can spend outside
Wondering: what life has in store for me
Loving: my husband
Hoping: for more memories made
Marvelling: at the things my children can learn
Needing: extra hugs
Smelling: fresh cut grass....it's my favourite.  I actually used to buy and wear the Gap cut grass perfume!
Wearing: dresses all the time to work and shorts all weekend!
Following: so many fun people on instagram!  Check me out hjdickinson
Noticing: the good in people....so many times it's the bad we see, I need to see the good for awhile
Knowing:  that I am doing the best I can
Thinking:  of so many projects I would like to get done
Feeling: slightly overwhelmed by those projects
Bookmarking: time out for relaxing
Opening:  new books!
Giggling:  at my kids and there love of shaking their booties!
Feeling: happy


I got this from following a line of blogs.    from here , to here ,original here