Some of my favorite websites!!!

I have a few websites (Wayne might disagree with a few though) that I LOVE to check out and I thought it might be fun to share them with you...maybe you can enjoy them too.

This first website/blog is BY FAR my favorite.... The Pioneer Woman also known as Ree is HILARIOUS. She is blunt, quirky, caring, city girl turned country wife (oh,the things she has had to learn).... I could go on and on but you just have to go and see for yourself. **Just a little warning, all dial-up users, Ree is picture happy***She has a "confessions" part which is the day to day life of the farm/family. She has a cooking section that oh my goodness....if you don't want your arteries to clog then don't bother cooking most of her recipes.....but let me warn you, they are SOOOO good.....Penne A La' Betsy is my FAVORITE....SOOO YUMMY!!! She has a photography section that teaches you photography tricks (go figure) as well as Photoshop tricks... very fun!! And she has a Home/Garden section where recently she has been showing the renos of the guest ranch house....SERIOUSLY I love this website.

Another website that I LOVE is Tip Junkie. The website is well...filled with tips. Laurie covers everything from baby showers to yummy foods (the tips are submitted by all the creative people in the world). It is filled with AWESOME tips, I seriously have found TONS of neat things, and wonderful ideas. Ohhhh... if only I had 30 hours a day...I could actually use some of these awesome tips.. someday....

A website I just found but really enjoy is Food and Garden Dailies...She has a BEAUTIFUL garden but the reason I LOVE the blog is because of all the yummy freezer meals she has. What is a freezer meal you ask?!? Well if you've ever made a meal and made a 2nd batch of it to freeze, that's a freezer meal. I LOVE making freezer meals...Another way you can do freezer meals I did a few years ago...I found about 5 recipes that could be frozen (they "looked" yummy). I bought all my ingredients (you bulk buy things and try to use the same ingredients in multiple meals, like chicken in 3 recipes, etc.). I decided I was going to really get a good bang for my buck and quadrupled all the recipes. I spent a WHOLE entire day chopping, sauteing(sp?),cooking, tasting, washing pots/pans/dishes, and making enough food to feed 100 people for a week. I froze all the food in ziploc bags, and fell in bed exhausted. A few weeks later I was ready to see the food again and took out some chicken "pocket" type things with a cream cheese/chicken filling....they were DISGUSTING!!!! Seriously...they were SOOOO gross. The other meals were just okay, and I vowed to NEVER make a recipe in bulk sizes until after I had tried them on a single meal size first. I finally have gotten the nerve to start testing recipes again and today I made twice baked potatoes and flash froze them (I'll fill you in on that one later) so we will see how they turn out after I thaw some and cook them. In the next little while I'll post some of the yummy foods that I have tested, that work and stay yummy after frozen. I love cooking like this because it's nice after a long day to be able to pull something out of the freezer, cook it and have a simple dish and no pots and pans to clean later (usually).

So these are just a few of the many websites I LOVE.... I look at quite a few friend blogs on a regular basis, and especially LOVE photography blogs but I'll save those for another day (maybe).

So leave a comment and link me to some of the websites that you like to look at... I always enjoy fun finds.

Just a test!!

I am trying to figure out some of the "tricks" of the blogging world and have seen people link to other's websites all the time so I figured I would try it.

So this is a website that I LOVE. The Nester has such creative and a neat style and I really enjoy her website.... I wish my house could be as pretty...maybe someday...

Well hopefully that worked... I guess we will see... I actually think it would be fun to show you guys some places that I like to spend my online time...I think that will be another day because a nap is calling me.

This is one post that I hope NEVER happens....well....kinda....

I wasn't going to post this cause I am hoping not to jinx us, but it's been happening too much lately, and I want to look back some day and say either... "I told you so", or "Thank goodness"

A few weeks ago my mom called me and while we were talking she informed me that at church she was just sitting there and all of a sudden she had an "inspiration"/feeling/whatever. She said that just as clear as day she felt....Jackie is going to have triplets, did you catch that TRIPLETS!!!! AGGGHHH!!!! Now my mom has always known what we are all having...did she know Eli was a boy... I don't remember...but she knew Kar was having a girl, a boy for us and I'm pretty sure she knew Ethan was a boy.

What really freaked me out was that the day before I was just thinking about random things, and then I thought...hmm.... I wonder if my mom is going to be able to take off 6 weeks of work when we have the triplets, are they going to pay her, will she be able to stay the whole time 'cause I'm going to need her.... I stopped myself in these thoughts because well.... I felt like puking...hehe...sort of.

My mom had a good laugh at my expense when she informed me of her feeling, I didn't think it was that funny. She'll be the one laughing when she is holding 3 screaming babies.

So I just let this all pass and haven't really thought about it too much...until tonight....

Wayne informed me that today as he was walking down the hall at work he thought "Hmmm....I can't wait to tell everyone at work that we are having triplets!!!" AGGHHHHH!!!!! I think I am going to go the nun route....celibacy sounds GREAT right now...

I am not sure if Heavenly Father is preparing us for having 3, so if we see 3 heartbeats at the ultrasound our hearts don't stop... or if it's just one of his little jokes (I totally think Heavenly Father has a sense of humour)....but whatever it is it sure is making my beautiful hair turn gray. :)

Now to be completely honest with you... I would LOVE to have twins or triplets. No, I am not dillusional right now, I have always wanted 4 kids, and well Wayne and I are tired of trying so why not have just 1 more pregnancy and have 3 and there you go 1+3=4!!! I am sure that it would be CRAZY amounts of work but I really think it could be a ton of fun. Maybe I am dillusional.... whatever it is... when we finally get pregnant I can guarantee you I am going to be FREAKING out when we go for the ultrasound!!! :)

WOW!!! I must be making up for the last month.

I feel like I have been posting like crazy the last few days....oh wait... I have been posting like crazy. There are sooooo many thoughts running through my mind right now... I have soooooooo many pictures that I want to post from our adventures in July.

But in the meantime... I found this fun little questionare. If you want to do it as well on your blog, let me know you did so I can see the fun stuff about you.

Q: What television show or movie did you want to be in when you were little?
A: I TOTALLY wanted to be in Dirty Dancing....isn't that horrible...I LOVED LOVED LOVED the dancing, especially the skanky club scenes ;)

Q: Which character or star did you want to be when you were little?
A: I again wanted to be Baby.... the water scene was just too much.... RRAARR!!!

Q. Most embarrassing moment your friends will never let die?
A. Oh I am sure there are A LOT of embarrassing moments that many of my friends won't let me forget...I can be a TOTAL blonde sometimes... but I have great friends that let me pretend like I am normal. (If you want to share a few of my embarrassing moments....here's your chance)

Q: Your proudest moment or accomplishment?
A: Wow, probably being a mom is my biggest accomplishment. A recent proudest moment for me was right before we came home from Alberta, my Grandma and Grandpa Butler stopped by to say Goodbye. My Grandpa (Grandpa Great) had gone with my Dad and Nate to go fishing (a special tradition that happens when the kids turn 3). I was really worried that Nathan would misbehave, but my Grandpa calmed my fears. He pulled me aside and said how impressed he was with my little boy, Nathan was incredibly polite and was always saying "Yes please" "No Thanks" I can totally admit this was a mommy proud moment...Great Job little guy!!!

Q: What adult did you have a crush on when you were little?
A: Again, Patrick Swayze (I still think he's hot).

Q: What habit or personality trait do you have of your mother?
A: I am calm, stress free, and patient just like my mom....haha...NOT!!! My mom is DEFINATELY those things, I am exact opposite, but I would love to be like that. I think though that I get my caring heart from my mom, she REALLY does care about everyone... she is the kindest person I know.

Q: What did you want to change your name to when you were little?
A: Hmmm.... this is a good one... I actually remember signing my name to see how it would "look" with EVERY boyfriend I ever had.

Q: Who was your first kiss?
A: First real kiss was a guy named Mike H. My first kiss that I truly enjoyed was with a guy named AJ L.

Q: What are 3 adjectives that someone from high school or middle school would use to describe you?
A: Outgoing, Missing, Fun (are those adjectives ?) :)

Q: What hairstyle, clothes, or other accessories did you rock back in the day when it was cool?
A: Oh I had older cousins that were soooo cool so I copied EVERY style they did... I had the tie-dye shirts, the huge socks that were pushed down, the folded and then rolled jeans (if you even know what I am talking about you were around in the 80's), the big wave of bangs, the wings...oh I could go on and on and on...but I think that's enough embarrasment for one question.

Q: What job did those long and annoying surveys in school say you would be good at?
A: Hmmm... I think it actually said a hairdresser, or another profession that worked with people. I am a hairdresser, and I will be working with people as a nurse so I guess it was true.

Q: And what did you try and make the test result outcome be?
A: A doctor.

Q: What made you laugh harder than you have ever laughed before?
A: Wayne's dances... Roaring... cruising in Lethbridge...

Q: Favorite memories of hanging out with your best friends?
A: Karaoke and King Crab legs, Roaring, Friend's night with our big coffee cups filled with hot chocolate/hot apple cider.

Q: What is the most trouble you have ever gotten in with your parents?
A: Oh man, I was not a good teenager, so I am sure there were plenty of times. I really don't remember anything in particular.....maybe I have blocked out those painful memories.

Q: What was your 5-year plan when you had to write it out in high school?
A: I wanted to be a teacher for kids that are deaf....probably wanted to be married, and already have 3 kids.. :)

Q: What is your 5-year plan now?
A: Get my nursing degree, have another baby, enjoy my family, go on a fun trip with just Wayne, but mainly be living the life I am right now.

Is it bad to ask for prayers again?!?

I feel like I am being selfish, but the prayers really seemed to work when I had my surgery so maybe it can definately work for us now. :)

Today I went to see our Specialist again. We are finally moving on in our journey towards having another baby, which I am soooo relieved about. We are going to be doing Intrauterine Insemenation. From what my dr. says
****Disclaimer**** If there are any guys reading this or girls that don't like to talk about "that" stuff you might not want to read this next part :) Just so you are warned!!!

What happens is at the beginning of my cycle I take Clomid (that's what I have been on for this last year) which will help my follicles (where the eggs are) start developing and cooking the eggs. I will then have an ultrasound to see how and if any follicles are developing. If there are some follicles developing then I will get a shot in my muscle which will hopefully make those follicles pop and let the egg/s start going on their trip..:) Now, 24-48 hours after the shot a sperm donation will be made on behalf of my sweet hubby, this will be "washed" ,the sperm will be seperated from the semen (did you know they were different things?) the dead sperm will be removed and only the striving strong sperm will be kept. (Did you know they can also seperate the male sperm from the female sperm at this point? Hmm... I wonder how much I would have to pay off the people to only insert female sperm :) J/K..I'll take whatever I get!! ) The sperm will then be put in a turkey baster(not really, but close enough) and put into my uterus. So this is the procedure...my oh my... it seems like a lot of work.. I will definately be spending A LOT of time at the dr.'s office/hospital during this time, but hopefully it will FINALLY be all worth it.

I am very VERY excited about moving on... and I hope and pray this step works because unfortunately this is the last thing that we can do before IVF (Invitro Fertilization) and if you know anyone that's done this you will know that you pay A LOT of money (which we don't have right now) to hopefully get pregnant (like $10,000 per try).

So this is where the prayers request comes in again. We would really appreciate if you kept us in your prayers and thoughts hopefully things might happen!!

Pirates of Lake Koocanusa

For my parents 30th wedding anniversary, my parents, all my siblings, their spouses (and soon to be spouse) ;), and all the kids spent a week together in a houseboat at Lake Koocanusa. I must say that it was one of the BEST holidays I have EVER been on. It has been YEARS since my family has gone on vacation together... in fact, I think the last time was when we took Russell to the mission home. So it was just a lot of fun spending time together, not only as our original family but also with all our loved ones that have joined our family over the last 5 years.

The houseboat was (I believe) a 15 passenger boat, we had 10 adults and 5 kids, 2 of which were babies. Each family got their own room which was soooo nice, and then there was a fair size kitchen/living room area, 2 bathrooms, and an upstairs deck that even had a hottub which was used quite a bit.

The first day we got there we unloaded the vehicles, loaded the boat, picked our rooms, Dad was taught how to drive and then we were off. We found a GREAT beach, docked the boat in the sand (it was fun watching our big tough husbands anchor the boat to the beach) and then we started our week of fun.

We spent a lot of time playing on the beach, floating in the cool water, cooling off in the houseboat, watching movies, napping, eating (oh the food was SOOOOO good), and just having a grand ol' time.

We had a few accidents, Steven tried to kill Beth but Beth won (FYI, Steven is probably double the size of Beth, but Beth is FEISTY) Because of this altercation a hospital was visited which was good 'cause Lisa and Mom learned how to do stitches. Then Eli decided to prove that the fireplace hearth was not a good place to fall, but all in all, everyone came home in one piece probably a lot fatter but in one piece. :)

I took some pictures with my camera but I used Lisa's and Dad's (aka, spoiled brats...j/k) new cameras to take most of the pictures of the week. So until I get a cd of the pics...hint hint Dad... I can only post the ones I have from my camera. Probably the best part of the week (other than being with family) was when the kids found a TREASURE MAP... but stayed tuned.... that story and pictures will have to wait... again until I get the cd... :)

I should add the theme of the week was PIRATES... Beth and I made an AWESOME pirate flag, Mom and Dad(mostly Dad) went overboard on the pirate gear (swords, hooks, eyepatches, etc. etc.) and the kids went CRAZY!!!! Seriously, they all LOVED playing pirates, well I guess the big kids did, the little guys were happy eating sand, right Ethan. :)

Pirate Grandma on the prowl:


AHHH Protect your fort (I love Nate's look in this pic)!!!:


ATTACK!!!:


What a cutie, seriously, this kid is such a poser, everytime I would pull out the camera he'd give me this face.... such a sweetie:


The whole family (minus Dennis, Karalee's fiance) on our last day, right before heading back to reality:


We also stopped in Sparwood to take pictures by the world's biggest truck, Nathan thought it was a big Tonka truck.


Again, what's with this cute kid popping up in all my pics?!?:


The 3 cousins (we were missing Destiny and Ethan, they were party poopers... or at least their parents were):


Seriously, stay tuned... we had a lot of fun that week, and there are TONS more pictures and stories that I would LOVE to post.