Oroville

We don't have much going on by way of summer plans this year since our 2 big major projects (baby and house addition) have trumped everything else.  But when we got an invitation from James & Rosanna to spend a few days at James' family cabin in Oroville, Washington, we couldn't pass it up.

The cabin sits on a beautiful spot on Lake Osoyoos where the sun is always shining and the water is pleasant.  And with a trailer and a second smaller cabin on the property, there was plenty of sleeping space for the others in the Toews family as well as Rosanna's parents to all be there enjoying it together.  

(Silas & Keziah)

We arrived on the 4th of July and had a prime viewing location for some fantastic fireworks.  It reminded Erik, the kids, and I of our fireworks experiences on the lake at my parents' cabin in summers past.  The fireworks started before it was dark and kept going on and on and until we all decided we were too tired to watch anymore...

(Caleb, Micah & Keziah)

The number one activity and definite highlight for all the little cousins was Uncle James' famous tube rides.  Kudos to James for the many, many hours spent behind the wheel of that motor boat, keeping 4 eager little tubers quite content.

(Micah & Caleb)

(Silas & Keziah's turn)

Elissa & I watched nervously from the boat while our little ones bounced around like rag dolls on the back of that tube - we were waiting for the first spill, knowing it was inevitable.  And sure enough, one by one they all made it into the water over the course of the weekend.  Despite a few tears, they were all game to go back on - some of them even begging to be dumped again!

Uncle James had a system of how "spicy" the tube ride would be based on the number of jalapenos they requested.  After a few initial rides, the ideal number ended up being "Jalapeno 3" and the kids begged for it over and over and over again...

There were some though that requested less spicy rides.  Grandma & Grandpa took Emerson for a pretty tame ride.

Heck, they even convinced Elissa and I to get on that tube.  Our ride was probably jalapeno minus one and we still screamed like school girls the entire time.  It brought me back to all the reasons why I disliked boating adventures as a kid...

Thankfully the kids loved every minute of it.

(My blonde boys...)

On day 3, the kids got really brave.  After watching Daddy and Uncle Doug get up on the waterskis, they were begging to try them too.   

James had all sorts of contraptions for them to try out. Micah went first and had the most success.  He got up quickly holding onto this bar on the side of the boat.  

Next he tried getting up using this short rope attached to the bar. It proved to be a lot trickier - especially to keep those skis together...  

Next up was Keziah - she didn't have much success but gave it a good try!

And even Silas gave it a whirl - James gave him some special skis that were tied together.  He didn't get out of the water but I think he had fun trying :)

A few of them tried the knee board as well.  Keziah got going right away but when she stopped the knee board came up and bopped her pretty hard in the mouth.  She was done with it after that.  

(Silas getting warmed up with Grandpa after another tube ride.)

When we weren't on the boat, there were plenty of other things to keep us occupied... like entertaining 5-month-old cousin Sawyer.

Or paddle-boarding...

Auntie Elissa came up with a scavenger hunt one afternoon.

There was some great food to be enjoyed as well...

Waffles baked over a fire?  Yes please :)

Mmmm.  Bacon.

Baby Katie was a fan too...

And enjoyed being entertained by her big boy cousins.

Uncle Erik getting in some Sawyer time.  Hard to believe we'll be having another one of these little people in our family very soon...

Speaking of which...  At over 8 months pregnant, I took it pretty easy.  I could be found lounging on a lawn chair by the lake or - when I got too hot - lounging on an air mattress in the water.  I figured I should soak in these last few weeks of pregnancy where baby is nicely incubated inside and relatively easy to care for :)

All in all, we had a fantastic time.  The kids will have fond memories of our time in Oroville.

Thanks James & Rosanna for a great time!!

BBQ Margherita Pizza

After a week of rainy weather the sun has finally decided to reappear.  It's actually starting to feel like summer vacation now with blue skies and hot weather on the way.  Though the hot weather brings mixed emotions for me this year since my feet are already noticeably swollen on the cooler days...  Ah well, my cankles and I will enjoy the pool later this weekend once the heat wave hits.

Another great thing about the warmer days is cooking more meals on the BBQ.  We discovered a simple and delicious BBQ recipe last summer that has become a new staple around here and I thought it was the perfect day to share.  (You can find the original recipe HERE.)

Quick Grilled Pizza Margherita

Sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 cups (or about 1 can) whole Italian plum tomatoes with juices
Pinch of sugar
Pinch of salt

I chose this President's Choice brand of tomatoes from Superstore and it turned out delicious.  One 19 oz can seems to be enough for just our family, but our kids are not big eaters so you may need to double the sauce recipe and use 2 cans (and possibly triple it if you're serving guests).

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds or until it starts to smell sweet.  Pour in the tomatos and squish with a potato masher (I usually just chop them up with my spatula as they are cooking).  Add a pinch of sugar and bring to a gentle simmer.  Simmer on low-medium for 15 minutes or until rich and saucy.  Season with salt.

Once the sauce is ready it's time to spread it on the Naan bread.  The original recipe has instructions to brush the bread with olive oil and partially grill it before putting on the sauce but I decided to skip this step and keep it simple.

This is the bread I use, also from Superstore.  (It was still frosty from living in my freezer over the last few months but a little defrosting took care of that.)

Spread your sauce...

The original recipe just calls for sauce and then the cheese (a true "margherita pizza" I guess) but feel free to customize with the toppings of your choice.  We like ours with pepperoni and mushrooms...

Next comes the BBQing.  This part happens quick!  Once your BBQ is hot and ready, place the pizzas on.  They will take only about 5 minutes before the cheese is melted and the bottom is nicely toasted.

Finally, top with fresh basil (we've been enjoying some fresh from our garden these days) and dig in!

Not only simple, but a crowd-pleaser as well and perfect for entertaining...

Happy Summer BBQing!

The Homestretch

It seems there are really 2 major projects to be updated on these days:
Project House-Addition & Project Baby-Addition

The house hasn't changed much since I last posted, so we'll make this particular update about Baby Toews...

(32 weeks)

She certainly hasn't stopped growing in the last couple of weeks.  In fact, when I went in for my recent visit at 31.5 weeks, I was measuring at 33 weeks.  I'm pretty sure I always measured right on or even a little smaller with my other pregnancies (even though the rest of me seemed enormous).  Perhaps this means that I'll deliver earlier than I did with the others?

Ahh, likely wishful thinking.

The real reason I'm making a big baby this time is probably because I've been diagnosed with Gestational Diabetes :(

I was pretty shocked to hear that I had "failed" my glucose test at around 28 weeks since I had never had any problems with this test in the past.  And after watching my sister-in-law deal with GD a few months back I thought, really, what are the chances?

But it just so happened that my levels were high enough to lump me in the diabetic category.  So after a 3 hour diabetes training session at the hospital I implemented a new diet and started checking my blood glucose levels several times a day.  Now that I've been at it for a few weeks it really isn't so terrible.  I've found some decent replacements for the sugary sweets that I crave.  In the grocery store I keep my eyes peeled for items labeled sugar-free or no sugar added.  I quickly learned that the diabetic candy is actually kept in the pharmacy section of most grocery stores (go figure!)  I've learned to be careful about which fruits I choose to eat (hint: tropical fruits are higher in sugar than fruit grown in North America...)  And I've learned to be mindful of the sugar content in things like breads, chips and french fries...  It seems strange to be on the prowl for artificially sweetened foods when I've grown accustomed to the idea that "natural is best".   But thankfully it's only temporary.  And in the meantime I'm grateful for sugar-free options to curb those pregnancy cravings...

The bonus to all of this is that the numbers on the scale have slowed down significantly.  And hopefully I will have less to lose when all is said and done.  Of course, it could go the other way - when the baby is born and I can have sugar back in my life, I may just pack on all the pounds after all...  Oh well.  We'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

It's funny how I thought I was huge 3 months ago.  I forgot how big "huge" really is.  And I've still got  8 or 9 weeks to grow.  I've discovered that my belly has become a bit of an unwieldy battering ram.  Silas' head happens to be right at the same height as my rounded tummy and I have 'belly-checked' him multiple times in the last several weeks.  Whether we're trying to fit through a doorway at the same time or I simply turn around too quickly with him beside me... It's a bit humorous how many times I've nearly knocked him off his feet with it.

With the 3rd trimester well under way I'm starting to experience a lot more aches, pains and exhaustion.    Simple tasks are starting to feel overwhelming and when the days are a little hotter like they have been, it seems like I'm doing everything in slow motion, especially by late afternoon.  I've determined that an afternoon nap is vital in helping me function with those school pick-up to bedtime hours.

Thankfully we have a welcome addition to the farm these days that has made both the late afternoon hours and the heat a little more bearable.  This previously owned pool has seen better days (and is losing water daily despite our patching attempts) but it has already provided hours of entertainment for the kids.  And I may or may not have awkwardly climbed my pregnant self in there and lounged on that green floaty tube.

I can foresee much more swimming/lounging happening here in the next couple of months.

It's hard to believe we're in the home stretch of this pregnancy.  School will be done in a few short weeks and then the real countdown is on!

One Last Hurrah

Yesterday was the last day of August.  And with it came the end-of-summer regrets.

We didn't go camping, we didn't do enough day trips...  Sheesh, we didn't even swim in a lake this summer!

So we planned a backyard camp-out.

I had a bunch of leftover fondue chocolate from a baby shower, so we enjoyed a little fondue by the fire for our night snack.  (I must add that my new favourite dipping item is rice krispie treats... so yummy)

(This camping stuff is serious business around here)

I listened to Erik tell the kids a bedtime story as I sat by the fire and enjoyed a peaceful evening with a starry sky and the spotlight of the blue moon behind me.  We learned the blue moon isn't actually "blue" but is the event of a full moon happening twice in the same month.  Apparently it's rare.  It only happens, like... once in a blue moon.

Admittedly I wasn't keen on sleeping in the tent with my own warm bed calling me from so close-by.  The one other backyard camp-out we had this summer was pretty squishy with the 5 of us so I let Erik enjoy the tent without me.  But it definitely didn't mean a sleep-in day for me.  The kids all traipsed in the house shortly after 7 and then it was time to think of a Saturday morning breakfast.  We decided it would be appropriate to make our breakfast over the fire.  And it also seemed appropriate to pick some fresh blackberries to go with it.

Erik got the sausages and pancakes cooking on a nice hot fire...

And the kids said good morning to all the animals.

Breakfast of champions right here...

 After a few extra cuddles in the tent, it was time to start our last summer Saturday.

So long, Summer...