A Full Plate

Last week was quite the week for our family, actually, for Jared in particular!! He was asked two weeks ago if he would speak in church...no big deal!! Then he was asked to give a short talk about pioneers for our 24th of July Potluck, not impossible!! And finally, just last Sunday Jared was called to be the new music leader in Primary! Now this he was totally caught off guard with and felt completely overwhelmed! So last week he started preparing for his four assignments all happening on one weekend!! The Pioneer talk, singing time, his primary lesson and his talk! He was just a little stressed, not to mention he had his job and cows!! I was quite impressed with how well he handled this stress! I am happy he was able to take a break on Saturday and go to the Columbia Falls water slides with the kids and all the rest of the Puzey clan!! I unfortunately had to work, but I was at least able to help Jared with his talk while he spent the much needed break with the kids!! He did a great job with all of his assignments, he is going to make a great music leader for the kids! I can really see his love for each of the primary kids and his love of music will really help inspire and teach the kids the gospel!! I am proud of him and I truly admire his faith and commitment to our family and to our church!!

To Always Remember

There has been lots of memories made these past few weeks. One Friday, after a long day at work and an even longer day at daycare for the kids, I was tidying up the house while Emry helped me and the boys watched a show! Before long I realized it was well after nine so I went downstairs to get the boys ready for bed. It was much too quiet and I soon found out why...Calum and Armin were both fast asleep and leaning on each other! It truly was heart melting!

Almost two weeks ago Jared and I started cutting the alfalfa to let it dry so we could bale it. I got to spend a day on the tractor by myself cutting and I so enjoyed being in the beauty of nature, I was able to see some hawks and rabbits and many many birds!! My hay fever really was acting up, I'm sure I broke a record for how many times in a row I sneezed, my abs hurt and my throat was raw by the time I finally decided I needed to go home and take an allergy pill. But despite all that I really enjoyed being out there!

The next week I was able to rake, though not quite as enjoyable as cutting!! A lot less comfortable!! The old Massey Ferguson tractor I drove while raking has no cab and one rear tire is slightly bigger than the other so to begin with it was a little off kilter, and soooooo bumpy!! My insides hurt the next day!! But despite all the bumps I still enjoyed it, I love helping Jared on the farm!

Last week Jared, the kids and I drove down to the field with Dave to bring home the truck and tractor that we had left there. Dave drove the tractor home, Jared the truck and I drove Dave's car home. Once home I left his keys in the ignition. The next morning we got a phone call at five in the morning saying Dave couldn't find his car keys. The only thought I had was maybe they fell on the floor when he got in because I pulled them out of the ignition just a little so the door wouldn't beep when it was opened. 10 minutes later I saw Dave drive away in his car so I knew he found them! I later texted Myrna to find out where he found them and she said she found them in some tall grass just beside his car. I read what she wrote out loud to Jared and out of nowhere Calum says, "that's weird, how'd they get there?" Well, I think we found the culprit!! The keys will be coming into the house from now on!

Armin has always called Calum bubba I think because he can't say Calum! I think it's adorable and I hope it sticks!! Armin also can't say his own name so he calls himself Buzz!! Last night when I was washing his face I always tease the boys and say, oh hi Frank it's nice to see you, and as I continue washing I'll say, George when did you get here? And finally when they are clean I'll say, oh it's Armin!! Well while I was washing Armin and I went through the ritual before I could say his name he said it, "me ahhmin"!!!! And quickly after he said and buzz!!

I love how Calum plays the DS in a variety of unusual positions!! Sometimes he will set it flat on the table and just use his fingers, no thumbs, maybe that's the primate coming out of him!!

I love how Jared can't relax on the floor without the kids piling on top of him!!

I love how Emry absolutely loves cats, kittens especially, and when we have some on the farm she just can't leave them alone!! We actually let her name them this time, and this is what she came up with, Lightning, Marshmallow, and Meow Meow!!

And I love how much Emry loves to color and write notes! She is always leaving notes and pictures around for us!! She also colors pictures on my phone and saves it into my pictures!! I love coming across her pictures!!

I love my family so much! I love how helpful Emry is with the boys and how well the boys like to play and use their imaginations!! I love how Emry LOVES to read, just like me!! I love living on the farm and I LOVE the beautiful house Jared built for us! I love how Jared is a hard worker yet still finds time to run around and play tag with us, or wrestle with Calum, or give piggy rides, or read stories to Armin in an array of different voices! I love how our kids usually want to go out and help daddy or always beg for hugs and kisses when he has to go to work!! I am so thankful for all I have and truly I couldn't ask for anything more! Without all the wonderful people in my life helping us and supporting us I wouldn't be able to be where I am or even who I am!! Thank you so much everyone who has had a hand in shaping me to be the person I am!

Birthdays

This month there is a menagerie of birthdays in our family!! The month starts with Jonas, then my little sister, my mom, Lily, and then my Dad!! The boys already celebrated with Jonas thanks to Lalainia for taking them down with her!! And today we celebrated Arren's, my moms and Lily's!! We had a nice supper at our house! Jared barbecued super yummy steaks supplied by Z62 and Junior! Arren brought a salad, with the lettuce from her garden! My mom brought everyone's all time favorite jello pretzel salad!! I made roasted potatoes again. And, yes, I made cupcakes too!! I had some raspberries and limes and I thought they would pair nicely together!! I was not alone in this thought as I googled that combination and I found a recipe or two that I could handle!! The one I chose was pretty simple but time consuming, but the results were a taste of heaven!! It was a basic white cupcake with lime zest and lime juice added in. It was then filled with a raspberry curd. The icing was whipped cream with some of the curd and icing sugar mixed in!! Very yummy! I also made some without the curd inside and a plain vanilla buttercream so as to appeal to the kidlets!! I even decorated them like frogs for Lily!!

It was a fun evening!! I love spending time with family, laughing and visiting! The kids had a hoot with some gigantic balloons that mom and Mark brought over and filled up! They also had fun jumping on the trampoline with the sprinkler underneath! Armin fell off twice and finally Arren decided her heart couldn't take it anymore do she brought him in. He cried harder when he realized what she was doing than when he actually fell off and into some prickles!!

A truly great day!!

I LOVE Cupcakes

I absolutely love making cupcakes!! I love it more than baking a cake...I'm really not sure why! I had some extremely ripe bananas that I needed to do something with and I really didn't want to make a boring old loaf of banana bread. So I went to my favorite blog I follow, The Cupcake Blog, and I found a simple banana cupcake recipe. So I gave it a try!! The batter was much like a traditional loaf recipe but the icing is what caught my eye...a honey cream cheese frosting! It is soooooooooooooooooo yummy!!! And paired with the banana it is quite satisfying!!

Last week I made an Orange Creamsicle cupcake and it really tasted like a Creamsicle! The recipe also came from a link on the blog I follow! It is turning out to be quite a useful blog!! Maybe one day it will be my blog giving out the yummy ideas!! And I can rate them all and then sell them in my own "cupcakery"!!

"Poor" Auntie Val

Last Wednesday, June 26, 2013, we were woken up with some very unexpected and tragic news.  My Auntie Val had passed away in her sleep.  Her heart just stopped.  Two days before, June 24, 2013, she celebrated her 47th birthday with her two favourite people, her husband and son!

My first memory of Auntie Val was when I was around six years old.  She was dating my dad's younger brother, Brett.  One weekend while my sister and I were staying with Grandma and Grandpa Livingston, Uncle Brett brought Val over.  Arren and I fell in love with her the moment we met, she was kind and loved to tease, also from that moment on we called her Auntie Val even though she hadn't yet married Uncle Brett!  Five years later my Uncle Brett asked her to marry him and when they told Arren and I the only thing we said was "Poor Auntie Val"!  This name has stuck ever since!  Even on her birthday this year I posted this on her Facebook wall, "Happy Birthday 'Poor Auntie Val!'" :)

Uncle Brett as a teenager was not that tolerant of my little sister and I!  When a hockey game was on and we walked into the living room all he had to do was point his finger toward the door and we turned ourselves around and walked out!!  He would also get angry if we double dipped our chips in the dip!!  Though he was tough on us we still loved him, and truly I believe that Auntie Val smoothed out his rough edges!  I also remember going to visit her regularly at SEARS in the home furnishings department with my dad!  I can still picture her sitting at her desk with all the area rugs and drapes behind her!!

We spent lots of time with Uncle Brett and Auntie Val, especially when they lived in Stirling.  They had Kyle two years after they were married and dad would haul us out to their house and we would entertain ourselves with our newest little cousin!  They also had a menagerie of cats and dogs and they always were quite the bit of entertainment!  They had three part wolf, part german shepherd dogs, which loved Arren and I, but my dad not so much!  Sometimes we would stop at the gate into their yard and dad would make us run up to the steps to ring the door bell so Auntie Val would come out and keep her dogs in line!  Dad was too scared!!

Kyle's Grade 12 Graduation

Last July for Kyle's 18th Birthday

When Emry was Blessed it was Uncle Brett and Auntie Val who came from my side of the family to show us their love and support.  We have always received Christmas cards and family pictures and I have always sent some in return.  We kept in touch through Facebook and visits when Uncle Brett would come out to haul David's barley!  I have always admired their family.  I love how what you saw is exactly who they were.  There was no hiding, no being fake.  They were always accepting and supportive.  Yet they had their opinions, they didn't care what others thought of them and they lived their lives the best they possibly could.  They have raised a good boy, who is a hard worker.  I truly learned a lot from the lives they have lived and I hope to exemplify their example in how I live my life. I will not soon forget the words my dad used to describe Uncle Brett and Auntie Val, "They truly complimented each other."  I agree, they brought out each others better points.  I am thankful I had the opportunity to call Val my Aunt, to have her love and support, her friendship and concern in my life.  I am thankful I have been able to witness such a sweet relationship between her and my Uncle Brett.  I will miss her dearly but I will always hold her memory close to my heart!