Soon.

Not too long now and I'll be able to hold this new little one in my arms.

I am officially due on Friday.

Exciting!

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Photo's from this morning at Henderson Lake. 39 1/2 weeks pregnant.

For My Sister...

The moment a child is born,
the mother is also born.
She never existed before.
The woman existed, but the mother, never.
A mother is something absolutely new.
~Rajneesh

A mother's arms are made of tenderness and children sleep soundly in them. ~Victor Hugo

Mother's love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved. ~Erich Fromm

Parents have the glorious opportunity of being the most powerful influence, above and beyond any other, on the new lives that bless their homes. ~ L. Tom Perry

We can see that the baby is as much an instrument of nourishment for us as we are for him. ~ Polly Berrien Berends

Photo: A rest in the blueberry patch. My sister, Racheal, and her newborn son.

*****
I hope you like the picture, Racheal! Feel free to use it if you want. I think it's beautiful.

My Newest Nephew

I was so thrilled to be able to take a few pictures of my newest nephew, Jem, while I was visiting family this past week.

He is almost 1 month and already 13 lbs... such adorable chubbiness!

He looks so amazingly like my own babies that I had many flashbacks while cuddling him and watching him and smelling his precious newborn skin. Just a couple months to go for my own little one! :)

I hope your happy with the way they turned out, Racheal!

Hiking in Waterton National Park

In this family, we really enjoy the great outdoors and hiking up in the mountains is one of our favorite things to do. This past Canada Day it was a free pass to get into the Waterton National Park and so we packed a lunch and took the hour and a half drive out of the prairies to the Rocky Mountains.

Despite a day of very mixed weather; cloudy... windy... rainy... sunny... we still had a wonderful time hiking up to Bertha Falls. It took us about 3 hours because of all the times I wanted to stop and take photos!

The scenery was breathtaking... so much more so since it is so rare that we get to enjoy the mountains, lakes, trees and wild flowers.

Not to mention the fresh and woodsy scent of lush forest!

We are so glad we took the time to go... even if I am 30 weeks pregnant and a little slower in my walking than usual!

Such a beautiful way to spend our Canada's birthday... I love this country.

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For more photo's of captured beauty, visit here!

Slow and steady.

Just a few things I've been up to lately.



-Making rhubarb sauce. (One of my favorite homey sounds is hearing the "pop" as the lid seals on the jars.)

-Slowly clearing out my kitchen of highly processed and refined foods.

-Finding ways to make snacks and other food items from scratch.

-Trying our best to stay off the "whites" ...sugar, flour, rice, pasta...

-Finding ways to get as much calcium and magnesium into our diets without having to drink pasteurized, homogenized (store bought) milk.

-Finding simple, eye pleasing ways to store the bulk items that I buy. (Eventually I would like to go with all glass containers and jars.) Slowly weeding out the bad plastics from our home.


I really love to organize my kitchen and am so thankful for the convenience of it's size and the simple look of it's decor.

What's your favorite room to keep organized?

What's Better than a Stack of Freshly Laundered Newborn Clothing?

...Having a baby to make use of them, right?


I am almost 30 weeks along and so, so excited.


I adore dressing my babies in pastels and whites, don't you?

... so precious!


Thank you to my dear friend who so generously gifted me with some of these
and many more...

I am thrilled!

Simple Pleasures

Sometimes it's the simplest of things that bring me the most joy and contentment.

I am finding so many little pleasures throughout these last few days and thought I would just make up a small list of them here to remind me of the peace that can be found in quiet and basic homemaking activities.

-listening to jazz and many other favorites as I putter about my home.

-folding laundry warm from the dryer.

-Exciting conversations with dear friends about all the new things we are learning.

-Lighting a candle while reading to my children.

- Vegetables grown local, purchased at the Farmer's Market.

- Savory, pure steaks from grass fed, organic beef barbecued to perfection... a treat for him on Father's Day.

-Being able to provide whole, real, often organic foods to my family. And having them say, "Mmm... this is GOOD, Mom!"

-Opening the fridge and pantry and seeing them full with nature's gifts, His Provision.

-Seeing the bread dough rise to perfection.

-Kneading that dough by hand.

-The aroma of baking bread that fills the house.

-Eating this again for lunch.

-Preparing a wholesome vegetable soup which now simmers in the crock pot.

-ridding our homes and our bodies of toxins and packaged, processed and refined "foods".

- having the energy to do my work as a mother and housewife and to find excitement in it.

There are so many more things that I could list, I am just so thankful and can think of so many things right now that bring a smile to my face, but I will stop here. What are some of your favorite pleasures today?