It is extremely early in the morning. The sound of thumping coming from the ceiling above abruptly awakes me. I hope it’s just a fluke- the wind, perhaps a large truck that happens to be passing by our house on a tiny suburban street. The clock may say 6:30am, but my body is certain it’s just after midnight.

The banging and thumping continue. If you have never been in my home you’d be certain I housed a herd of elephants. Here in my house in Northern Idaho, a herd of elephants = 2 children awake and bouncing around cheerfully upstairs.

Lately, I’ve been really working on my telepathy. I’m certain it’s a skill that can be picked up with some practice. I send my children a mental message to GO BACK TO BED! That’s the best I can do for now. I don’t dare go up there. I’m feeling WAY too grouchy and unpleasant.

Either the telepathic message doesn’t reach them, or it does and they just don’t care. Either way, they continue on their mission to come downstairs via following through the ceiling.

I close my eyes, and roll over. I try to pretend that it is OK- I can go back to sleep for at least a few more minutes. That’s when the bedroom door flings open with a large force crashing into the wall! The kids removed the doorstops long ago.

A little light dances around the room and before I know it the light is pointed directly in my eye. “Never point that in someone’s eye,” I say. “You could blind them!”

Behind the light is my little girl. As she smiles, she gently tips her head to the side and in the sweetest voice you have ever heard- the voice of a young angel- she says, “Thank you for loving me, Mama.” Followed by an adorable, sweet little girl kiss.

As I can feel my heart melting and dripping all over the floor, the door crashes into the wall again...

“Mom! She was scared to come downstairs in the dark and wake you up so I gave her my flashlight! Isn’t that nice of me?”

I wonder, is it ever too early in the morning for praise?

We’ve decked the halls...

Baked a few special treats...

Brownies – mmmm!

Recipe Link- Very Tasty Vegan Brownies

Cake – also mmmm!

Recipe Link- Pumpkin-Gingerbread with Spiced Buttercream by Oh She Glows 

Substitutions:

• Replaced Chai Egg with a Flax Egg (1 Tbsp ground flax seed + 3 Tbsp water)
  
• Substituted toasted walnuts for ½ cup semi-sweet mini-chocolate chips (non-dairy). 
  

Simply Divine!

Cinnamon Rolls (Vegan) – triple mmmm!

Recipe Link – Skinny-Mini Globuns by Oh She Glows (in case you couldn’t already tell, I do LOVE her recipes! Every recipe I have tried has come out great.)

We pre-made some of these bad boys for Christmas morning! Super excited - these skinny minis will replace the traditional Pillsbury (non-vegan) version we are used to popping open every year.

And this one required NO BAKING!

Who could forget the wonderful Holiday drawings?

For the bargain price of $1!

And time spent with cherished friends

We’ve still got wrapping to do, but we are soaking up every glorious moment with joy in our hearts and sugar in our tummies :).

No matter what happens, stay in your happiness. Do not give that away! Aim to avoid complaining to keep your pure joy, and truly cherish this special day. It is your gift to unwrap.

May the joy and warmth of the holiday spirit fill you from the inside out. Let your spirit sparkle and shine this Christmas.

May your day be merry & bright, illuminated by your divine self.

Happy Holidays! Merry Christmas!

Most of all, Much Love ♥

“Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. “ ~Norman Vincent Peale

By it I mean Shredding Paper! My friends that have been with me on this journey for a while might remember how much my daughter LOVES shredding paper. I thought we were through this phase. Apparently not!

This is just a small sample of the paper she decided to shred. It wasn’t until after picking up most of the paper that I decided to snap a picture for the smiling memories folder. By smiling memories I mean, smiling in the future...  OK, I know she’s cute so it didn’t take me too long to smile :). The floor was covered in lovely Hello Kitty coloring pages darling daughter decided to rip up. I couldn’t help but think to myself I wish she at least colored them first. I’m kind of wondering if shredding paper is a unique talent of hers, or do other kids love doing it too?

There is a whole bucket of papers sitting in my office that need to be shredded each week. Bank statements and crap like that. Why doesn’t she want to shred those? Do you think I could pay her to do that? I mean, she doesn’t know the difference between a quarter and a penny now, right? Or would that be taking advantage?

I hope you have a wonderful day! If your kids love shredding paper send them over. We might as well contain it.

O You! is a day about putting yourself first. Realizing that YOU matter. So many women struggle with this. As Suze Orman says- it’s like putting the oxygen mask on yourself first, then your kids so that you are available to them. Many Moms and women burn out, putting their happiness last, becoming paralyzed with zero energy to make necessary change.

Attending an Oprah show has always been a dream of mine. I never got to do that. Quite frankly, as Oprah so nicely puts it “God can dream a bigger dream for you than you could ever dream for yourself.” O You! 2011 was that bigger dream for me. Although I was part of a larger audience, getting to hear Oprah speak for most of the closing ceremony was better than anything I could have ever imagined.

Oprah live is just like watching her on TV. For my fellow Oprah fans out there, listening to Oprah speak at O You!  was similar to watching the very last Oprah show with an extra dose of light heartedness and humor. The energy she exuded, which was in turn magnified by the crowd was more incredible than words could possibly explain- pure magic.

By attending O You! not only were you able to listen to and learn from Oprah about what she knows for sure, but you also got to learn from many talented stars at the top of their game- Dr. Oz, Gayle King, Suze Orman, Donna Brazile, Lisa Ling, Martha Beck, Nate Berkus, Peter Walsh, Bob Greene to name a few of the many great people who were there to speak.

In the lunch tent I saw David Venable from In the Kitchen with David on QVC. I was immediately reminded of my Grandma who would have loved that! I’m pretty sure she got most of her Christmas shopping done in the middle of the night when she turned on the TV to QVC as light to go to the bathroom.

In between sessions, I visited the Kleenex booth to meet the very lovely and talented Erica Diamond founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on the Fence. In my pure joy to meet her I forgot to ask my husband to snap a picture. Hopefully one day I’ll get the chance to see her again and do that!
What I really wish is that you all could have been there with me to share the experience. Although I know that didn’t happen this year, what I can do is share with you some of the great lessons I learned while I was there. So stay tuned for more about what I learned at O You! 2011.

Have a great day, friends!

Last Saturday, while Grandpa & Grandma/Traveling Pat were visiting we spent a day at the Spokane Fair in Washington. It was the perfect day for the fair. Sunny and cool. It’s really starting to feel like fall in this beautiful part of the world, that is until the end of this week when it is supposed to be 90 again?!

We started things out by taking Big Brother to the pumpkin carving contest. I have a little obsession with pumpkins. Soon my house will be covered in them, and it is never too early to start buying them. We already have 2, of course ;-).

Despite my cringes and worry that my son might in fact carve his hand, he did a great job! Here is what the fabulous work of art looked like.

We completely forgot to go back and pick up my son’s pumpkin before we left the fair. I was totally bummed about it. I’m pretty certain it would have had a first prize ribbon on it! Grandma guessed it would probably go to a child who doesn’t have a pumpkin, and Big Brother thought that was a pretty awesome idea.

After the pumpkin carving, we went and visited lots of animals. Too many to share them all here, but don’t worry I took 800 pictures of animals just to make sure my computer was completely jammed with them :). This is a picture of the hairiest rabbit I have ever seen.

There were so many adorable bunnies at the fair. And, also snake skins, because it wouldn’t be a fair without snake skins.

They had real snakes, too! I’m happy to report I do not have a picture of my children petting the snakes.

After seeing all the cute & very stinky animals it was time for a little more action.

PIG RACES of course!

I was rooting for number 7. I can’t remember his name. I just liked the number. And although he didn’t say so, I’m pretty sure my husband was cheering for Natalie Porkman.

As you can see my piggy was in first place. I should have put money on it! The piggies surprised me with their hurdle jumping capabilities. Pigs and hurdles, who knew?

The pig races made us hungry. While we scoped out the food tents Grandma and Little Sister watched the Hawaiian Hula dancers.

The wonderful smell of fair food definitely had me wondering if fried dough was Vegan? If you happen to know, please tell me because if it is... who cares about all that oil, I’m totally going to get it next time! I’m sure it would be much tastier than the bean & rice wrap I ended up with. Although, that wasn’t bad either.

Luckily Grandpa bought some cotton candy for all of us to share. Little Sister had her first ever bite of cotton candy. Her face was priceless. She HATED it! I know. I’m as shocked as you are.

After lunch we went on a few rides. Despite the fact that I took my kids on the tilt-a-world, and they cried and hung on for dear life, they didn’t puke. Thank goodness, or I’d feel like even worse of a Mom than I did for taking them on a ride they were nowhere near ready for at their age. 

All in all, it was a gorgeous and fun day at the fair. Thank you Grandma & Grandpa for taking us! :)

On the way home the kids fell asleep in the car, which was a sign that I should absolutely stop to buy ingredients to make COOKIES!

There was a recipe I came across on the fantastic blog Oh She Glows by Angela Liddon. Ever since seeing the recipe I’ve been dying to try it out. Angela notes that this particular recipe for Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies is her favorite. Her blog is my #1 go-to site for Vegan recipes.  You should really check it out!  You can find the Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe here.

Angela’s recipe was an absolute success! I only wish I made more. Without a doubt, it is the best homemade Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookie I’ve ever made. 

Vegan or not, 

don’t you want to try one of those?!


Have a beautiful day, friends! Thanks so much for coming by :)

Tuesday was my son’s first day of kindergarten. He woke up bright and early, well before he needed to, because he was overcome with excitement. A few days earlier we had purchased his school supplies, carefully going though the list his teacher had provided. It was finally the day he would get to put all his supplies in his VERY OWN DESK!

He combed his hair and even put a little gel in just to make it look extra nice. He wore his favorite new pants with LOTS of pockets, because boys need lots of pockets, of course, to stash things. Moms just hope they’re not living!

We arrived to school 30 minutes early, which gave us plenty of time to find his special cubby, locate the desk and stuff it with supplies. Once everything was inside, I let my son know he could play with the other kids for a few minutes before school started. He wasn’t interested. He wanted to sit patiently at his very own chair, at his very own desk and wait. Whose kid is this I wondered?

3hours and 15 minutes later I eagerly arrived at school to pick up my beautiful little boy from kindergarten. His hair was dishevelled. His face, red as a cherry. And yes he was a tad bit sweaty. I think it is safe to say he played hard!

When I asked him how school went, he replied “I didn’t get to use my scissors!”

I think he had a great time ;).

1.       HELPING AROUND THE HOUSE

He’s really great about helping around the house and cleaning.  Most nights he is the one who cleans up from dinner.  He washes everything, except one thing... never the wooden spoon.  I don’t understand why that is.  Every morning in the sink, there it is... that darn wooden spoon!  I even tested this whole wooden spoon thing out once and secretly made a pact with myself that I wasn’t going to wash it.  It stayed in the sink for days, until one day...  I finally caved and washed it myself.

2.       COOKIES

He’s never met a chocolate chip cookie he couldn’t eat in one bite.  OK, maybe that is not entirely true.  Some are big; however, I’m certain he doesn’t breathe.

3.       CALM

He is really calm, cool, and collected.  He rarely stresses, even over big things.  It’s a great influence on me.  There is one exception, and it’s a BIG exception... SPORTS!!! 
Let’s just say it’s the one thing that can make him loose his pleasing personality real quick.  If only there was time to share with you all the great sports related stories his friends have told me over the years.

4.       GOLF

He tells everyone that he is a fair weather golfer. DO NOT BELIEVE HIM! It could be a full on hurricane outside, and if he had the opportunity to golf, he would.

5.       MORE GOLF!

Speaking of golf, every time he goes golfing he loves to tell me how quick of a round it is going to be for x, y, or z reasons... he saw a bluebird outside so that means golf is going to be quick today.  Nevertheless, he is consistently off the mark by a solid 2 hours.  Has anyone actually ever seen their hubby come home after just 4 hours?!?  Just sayin.  YOU’RE NOT FOOLING ANYONE!

6.       THE MALL

My husband is a gifted athlete and really strong, but the moment he steps into a mall his back starts to hurt, and he’s really tired, and he just can’t go on...

7.       SICK

If he’s sick he’ll tell you that he just wants to be alone.  That’s not true.  He wants attention.  A LOT of attention!  And if you have an 'I’m sick badge' you can give him, even better!

8.       TOES

He can cross his toes!  How many people do you know that can do that?

9.       SARCASIM

He is extremely sarcastic.  It is like a walking comedy show for me to watch when people don’t get his sarcasm.  When in doubt – Don’t believe him! Here’s a hint: If you’re not sure if he is kidding look at his mouth.  He always gives it away with a little corner smile.  If it weren’t for that he’d be a great actor!

10.   LIGHT

No matter what the weather, or how dark the clouds, he consistently lights up the world.  If I were the earth, he’d be the sun!

I love you more than words, and look forward to many, many more years with you and all the bizarre things you do! :)

And a BIG Happy Birthday to Traveling Pat as well, who has a special birthday coming up this weekend!! We love you ♥

Have a great day, friends ☼


What bizarre things do your loved ones do?

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See the bizarre things my kids do here.

The only reason he will eat an apple whole is for the seeds. He eats one side until he gets to the center, then runs to the kitchen to get a utensil in order to pry the seeds out of the apple core.  He’ll carry as many seeds as he can manage to remove securely around the house in a tightly clenched fist, until he finds what seems to be the perfect spot to grow an apple tree- indoors- then stashes the seeds.  Oh how I love finding piles of apple seeds!  It’s like treasure hunt for Mommies.

His eyes are extremely sensitive to light.  Think vampire or bat.  If his sunglasses aren’t on pre-walking out the door he’ll cover his eyes, circling around like a chicken with no head yelling “I CAN’T SEE!”  At the dentist he began to look upset.  The concerned hygienist asked “What’s wrong? Does it hurt?” Nope.  It was those darn florescent lights on the ceiling.  Apparently the sunglasses didn’t work.

When he wants his little sister’s attention, he gets down on all fours and pretends to be a cat.  He meows at her side until she gives him her affection – sweet kisses and the usual “Aw, you’re a cute kitty!”

She tells everyone she’s three, but she’s not.  She’s 2.  I’m pretty sure she doesn’t believe me.

She is showing early signs of a love for baking.  Her favorite books to ‘read’ are not kids’ books.  They're my cook books!  Last week she napped with her pretend cookie sheet.  The next day she followed it up by napping with my chocolate cookbook.  All her idea!

She loves to look at dogs.  From across the street she’ll go on and on and on about how cute they are.  Then when they get up close she runs frantically away and SCREAMS! I’m talking as high a pitch as you can possibly imagine- like she has seen a rat!

We’re trying to potty train her.  She’s showing all the signs of being ready, but she refuses to go on the potty chair even though she hates being wet.  Her favorite place ‘to go’ -- the garage!  Hey, at least it is easier to clean up!

Her favorite things to wear-- Mommy’s heals and Daddy’s toque (yes – she’s 50% Canadian).  Summer, winter, spring or fall. Often simultaneously.

Hi Friends!  We are home from our summer vacation.  We traveled to North Carolina to visit lots of family.  It was a great time.  The weather was amazing!

On the way to North Carolina we opted for an overnight flight in the hopes that our children would sleep on the plane.  Ummm... it sounded like a good idea until we realized that it is really hard for the kids to lie down and get comfy to sleep.  Fun stuff!  Let’s just say the travel part was my least favorite part of the trip.

Once we arrived we had lots of fun.  

The kids were basically water babies the whole time!

My sister snapped this great picture of my Hubby and son on the Jet Ski.  Big Brother has been talking about it ever since.

Here is a picture of my daughter and me watching a beautiful sunset together.

The sky was breathtakingly beautiful!

These next 2 pictures of Hubs fishing on the dock are completely unedited, except for the added signature.  The sky was really that vibrant and striking.

At the ocean we had a great time digging in the sand.  I wish I snapped a picture of the professional looking sand castle my husband and brother-in-law, Uncle Dan built together.  It even had seashell floors!

Even though it was zoiling hot I still managed to drink hot coffees on the beach and loved it☺!


My son was 100% convinced this was a REAL pirate ship in the background.

We paid the fee to go out on the pier.

It lasted approximately 1.2 minutes before my son announced he had to go to the bathroom, so back we went.  Money well spent.  Hey, even though we didn’t make it to the end of the pier at least I got a picture!  


On the last evening Uncle Dan wanted to go fishing, so my sister Rachel, my husband and I tagged along.

This is how the professionals cast!

I’m happy to report it was a successful ocean fishing adventure.

BIG fish ...

He caught a SHARK!


Fortunately, Uncle Dan is a fireman and really brave so he held the shark up for a picture...

Thank you to our family for a wonderful time!!!


I hope you have a beautiful day, friends ☼

One of my favorite things about living is learning from others.  The lessons surround us and are ours for the taking.  When I was a young teen my sister, Rachel, taught me a valuable lesson that is imprinted on my soul.

One Christmas Rachel told our parents that instead of receiving any gifts, she would like the money to be donated to an animal shelter.  A very remarkable deed for a young girl growing up in our materialistic society. Rachel has one of the biggest hearts around.  In that moment I received a gift- a truly pure glimpse into her heart. 

Rachel is especially in touch with the souls of animals.  Something that was very apparent early on.  In fact, I suspect she sees them as more than merely animals, she sees them as beings.  They are her and she is them.  It is a union many of us are not bravely open enough to fully understand.

Rachel is the courageous girl who asked the boy everyone is ignoring at the school function to dance.  She has taught me a great many lessons.  She accepts and loves me even though I subjected her to some pretty crazy things as children- such as making her wipe her feet off before climbing into my bed :0)

I feel truly blessed Rachel is in my life.  I thought it about time I finally write that down.

You are an amazing mother, sister, woman, soul ♥
Your beauty shines from the inside out☼

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Have a wonderful weekend, friends!  I’ve decided to join Twitter @Wendy_Irene if you would like to keep in touch with me there.  It is even more fun than I was expecting ☺