Tuesday, September 1, 2015

July!


The beginning of July and the official start of summer began with a Lowry family reunion at Bear Lake in Idaho. We all fell in love with Bear Lake and spending time with my side of our family was awesome! My parents did most of the planning and organizing for this reunion and they really did a great job of keeping us entertained and well fed. We had a two day washer toss tournament which Suzanne and Hanna won. Mark and Ken came in a close second place. We spent a lot of time playing in the lake, it was clean and warm and so shallow you could walk out waist deep for along way. The kids had fun connecting with their cousins and we all just had a really great time!




On the way home we travelled back through Lethbridge and spent a few days with Grandma and Grandpa D. They are both getting older. Grandpa's short term memory is basically gone but he still knows who we are all and his heart is as gold as ever. Grandma is trying to be independent but she is really worn out. She still works harder than most people half her age but trying to take care of Grandpa and do all the stuff around that big old house is a huge job. At the beginning of August Aunt Julie hired an in home care giver. It wasn't working out really well to begin with, but I think Grandma is coming to terms with the fact that she HAS TO have help. We love those two so much.


Back in Edmonton our garden was growing with out us and Harley was pretty darn happy to have us back again. Sam and I slept out on the tramp one night and Harley stayed close by and kept us warm, until about 4 a.m when the mosquitos and the sun came out and forced us into our beds!



Dallin and Sam went to NBC camp at Kings college for the second time. They stayed at camp over night this year and they both had a great time. NBC is a christian basketball camp and they focus on basketball as well as building the individual as a person. It's not a cheap camp though and I think next year we will look at some other options.



A few good child labor activities got thrown into the mix. 


I spent some good hours piecing quilt tops. This one is called Metro Rings and although it looks great from a distance, I am not happy with the piecing, its not my best work... 


Toward the end of July we drove back down to Southern Alberta for Magrath Days. Mark hadn't made that trip with us for over 15 years so it was time! The parade didn't disappoint with all the bucket loads of candy that we got and of course the fireworks on Saturday night are the best!!



From there we headed down to Montana to the Fairbanks cabin for a glorious 10 days of relaxing and fun in the sun! John and Mel were there when we arrived on Sunday night and for the first time ever we all got up Monday morning and went on a hike. It was a perfect day for hiking, a bit over cast and not too warm. We hiked a total of about 4 hours and just as we came back in to the parking lot to leave it started to down pour with some thunder and lightning too! We all said that this needs to be a yearly tradition... I'm already counting down the days till next year!


We did a lot of kayaking and SUP boarding. 


Dallin looking way to cool! How did he become so big all of the sudden?!


This isn't a good picture, but Sam tried wake boarding and actually got up! He didn't last very long but he did it! He tried to get up a few times before John got in with him and gave him some pointers and helped him to relax. The boating is fun, but honestly our kids have always been more than happy to just play in the water and hang out around the dock. It was great that Sam was brave enough to try!


Turtle catching was a highlight for Sam. He would load up the paddle boat with a net and anyone who wanted to go along for the ride and spend hours searching the shore line around the bay. It seemed like yesterday that Maryn Becca were the ones searching for turtles. Uncle Brent and Aunt Julie have been beyond generous to have us come to their cabin each summer, it is a little piece of heaven on earth. 


 July was tons of fun and our cabin trip continued on into August. I'll try to get more  posted soon! I haven't blogged in so long that I feel like I have to relearn how to do it... I don't think anyone really reads blogs that much anymore, I know I don't. Instagram is so much easier and less time consuming. But, I'm doing this more as a journal and a record for my family. I've missed a whole ton of stuff over the past few years, but I don't think I will go back and try to "catch up" I'm just going to start from here and hope I can keep going! Wish me luck!

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

July 2013


 I LOVE summer and the laid back life style that goes along with it. Staying up late, sleeping in, watching a lot of movies and enjoying the sunshine are just a few of the pleasures we enjoyed in July. Below is a more detailed run down of the month in pictures.


We painted our annual Canada flag on the driveway to celebrate CANADA DAY.



I made and gave this quilt to my sweet friend Jacqui who got married at the end of June. I was only a few days late!



MARK worked so hard and built this beautiful flagstone patio in the back yard! Didn't he do a great job?!!



SAM reading the Tale of Despereaux

JULIE heading up a rock painting art project.


DALLIN and SAM slippin n sliddin!


HARLEY and I got up early one morning and picked Saskatoon berries in the ravine, then came home and made a few pies. They were really good!!


I started a quilt for my nephew John. He's getting married in August. This one isn't going to be late!

The two little boys and I went to Fort Edmonton one afternoon.


These four went to a "Harry Potter" party.


DALLIN and SAM did this several times each day!!


Some of us went down to Cardston to a Sloan Family Reunion. It was fun to see family and oh man, we love those two cute little people in the yellow vests! They are the sweetest grandparents on the planet!!


We spent the last few days of July and the beginning of August at the cabin down at Echo lake.

It is a never ending good time there. We love to play in the water and soak up the rays.


I got a good start on my granny square blanket while I worked on my tan!


The kids played in the water every chance they got.

They even played on a cold rainy day! 

While we were in Montana, Maryn went to Peru and Bolivia. 

Here she is in the Amazon with monkeys crawling all over her. Let's just say she was realizing her wildest dreams and she had the time of her life!

Poor Russell, all he did in July was WORK! I guess I should go snap some pics of him so he won't feel so left out!


That wraps up July, I sure wish that the days would slow down... 

I know it's been a couple of  years since I blogged, but I've decided not to apologize or try to play "catch-up", I'm just going to begin from now and do the best I can. Hopefully I will be back soon!!!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

I am not a quiter...


This challenge has gone on way to long (I knew it would) so this might get a bit long but I'm going to try to finish it in one post...

Day 9 Put your ipod on shuffle, first ten songs.
EASY... I don't have an ipod!
We have a few hanging around our house and I guess I could count my phone, but really I don't use it for that very often and for the sake of getting this done I'm just going to leave it there!
Day 10  Something I'm afraid of.
SPEED... this never used to be a big deal but the older I get the worse its become. 
Here are a few examples of things that I really like to do but am secretly (ok not really secretly, my whole family knows I'm a total wimp!) afraid of!






I don't like to be out of control and I guess excess speed makes me feel that way. 

Day 11 My favorite TV show...
EASY again! I really don't watch t.v
Seriously I'm not just trying to speed this up, I don't watch enough to say I have a favorite.

Day 12 What I believe.

I believe in the Savior Jesus Christ. I believe that by living his commandments and having faith in Him we can find true happiness in this life and joy in the eternities with our families.

I believe that being kind and showing unconditional love is the key to solving most of lives difficult situations. 

I believe in the restoration of the gospel through the prophet Joseph Smith. I believe that he saw our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ and that they gave him the keys to bring the gospel of Jesus Christ to the earth again. I believe that Joseph Smith was given ancient plates and translated the Book of Mormon which is another testament of Jesus Christ. I believe that reading the Book of Mormon daily with real intent brings access to revelation as we ponder and pray. I love the scriptures and I know they are true.

I believe in a living prophet on the earth today and that these great men are here to instruct, guide and help keep us safe. I believe that the words the prophets speak are Gods message to us today and that as we read and follow their council will will always be on the right track. I love President Monson and his unwavering example of caring for and showing love to those around us.

I believe in families and that they are the "fundamental unit of society" as stated in this inspired and God given document. I believe that families are what matter the most and that the time we spend nurturing and strengthening them is critically connected to our happiness. My family means everything to me and I am blessed beyond measure to be a part of their lives!

Day 13 - Goals
I have a few goals but will just share one: Be healthy and free of back pain!
I have had to be creative in my attempts to accomplish this goal because simply put, I can't exercise the way I used to. I love to run and be active but right now it's just not an option. SO, I made the decision to EAT CLEAN! This can mean a lot of different things, but for me it's just this--eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk which includes man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white flour, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: "if man made it, don't eat it."...
So far it is going well and I feel like the changes I have made are making a difference in my energy levels and as an added bonus I feel like my clothes are fitting better too!

Day 14 - Some pictures I love-
in no particular order... just some of the good ones!

Dallin checkin out the crawdad

Baby Sam all decked out in Nike!  

Harles

Glacier climbing
Maryn and Grandpa D

Classic Jules
A few years ago but still my favorite!

Snow dog
Best buds!
So pretty



Very cool!
Handsome missionary

So lush and green

Duet 

In looking quickly through iphoto, I realized that i really need to make a concerted effort to take more pictures of MAX!!

Day 15! Pictures of my dream house

 
I know I'm not very original... this is exactly what Maryn put up as her "dream house" it's here for two reasons- 1. I am soo tired of this challenge and I really want to be done with it and 2. I really do love my house!  It is everything I need and so much of what I want. Of course their are things I would change and maybe in time I will but for now it is perfect and  I really do love it. One of my favorite things to do is make our "HOUSE a HOME"- it always feels better when my house is clean and a nice candle is burning and of course when it is full of happy kids!!



"The most important of the Lord's work you will ever do will be the work you do within the walls of your own home." 
— Harold B. Lee