Well, today I am supposed to share some recipes that I enjoy. After all - a party needs FOOD:) Here are some super simple ones:

Dave’s (and the kid’s) Favorite Toast:

Top toasted white bread with butter, then sprinkle with brown sugar. For added flavor, mix in just a dab of cinnamon or use raisin bread instead of white bread.  Makes a great night snack, or after school snack.

Hamburger Rice One Dish Casserole:

This is something I started doing two years ago. It’s simple, easy, fast and the kids LOVE it! Here is how I make it: Brown 1 lb of lean ground been in a large frying pan. Add chopped onions or mushrooms if you want. Season as you prefer, I usually use seasoning salt, onion powder and a little Epicure Salsa seasoning.  Once meat is browned, add a can of pasta sauce, a can of water, and a cup or so of frozen corn. Bring to  boil. Add a cup of instant rice, cover, remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes.   If you want, you can top with grated cheese when you serve it.    Often, when I make this, it’s the entire meal - but a salad or garlic bread goes with it very nicely as well.

Enjoy:)

If you have a child in the Hanover School Division this fall - please read this!

Starting with this coming school year, in order to continue offering religious activity in school (The Lord’s Prayer, Bible Classes, etc) - each school must receive a petition with at least 60 parent signatures on it. One of the things I appreciate about our schools is that we still have those things available to our children - a lot of schools don’t. I know Dave and I have both already signed the petition at our children’s school. Our children spend more then 6 waking hours a day at school, 5 days a week - that is way to much of their life to be spent in a place were God is not acknowledged. Call your school, find out how to get a hold of the petition for your school.

It seems I have entered the era of Homemade Mother’s Day Gifts From School - and I LOVE it! This year, I got homemade gifts from all three:

Ariel made me this little pot with aster in it and a card she made in computer class.  The pot is actually a baby food jar coated with melted blue crayon wax. I don’t have a picture yet, but Ariel also surprised me with a beautiful painted terra cotta pot that she made at her friend’s birthday party last weekend!

Kahlan got to pick up a pansy from the green house on their class field trip last week, and they made glittery plant stakes. Kahlan picked the butterfly for me:) He also colored the card for me.

Rayelle got into the action this year in Sunday School which I thought was pretty neat. They made these cute posters.

I even got into the homemade mood. On Saturday, the “sunday” school class I taught made little “stain glass heart” cards for our moms, so I made one to and dropped it off to go with her rose bush we had already given her, lol. I bet it’s been a while since she had crafty little things for mother’s day, lol.

This was on Simply His and I LOVE it:

I love giving homemade gifts, which one of the kids would you like? - Heather, Desperately Seeking Sanity

Some more Mommy Fest fun:) The prize for this contest is being sponsored by my new partner at Chrysanthemoms, so that is very exciting:) So things I have learned since becoming a mom:

- Mom wasn’t always wrong, and some of those things I swore I would NEVER do, are now an absolute MUST DO, lol.

- There is nothing quite as rewarding as a hug from your own child.

- No one is a natural parent. Sure, some things to come naturally - but being a good parent is all about learning. Constantly learning, striving to be better, and knowing you aren’t smart enough to do it on your own.

- Barney isn’t all that bad, really. By the 259th time you’ve seen the show, you become immune to him, and you can finally tune it out! YEAH! Same goes for 4 Squares, Dora, etc.

- Pink is great, so is lace! I was one of those moms who was NEVER going to make my daughter wear pink frilly dresses. Then I had a girl, lol.

- Nothing is harder, or more rewarding then telling your child you messed up. Oh wait, yes - there is one thing harder: seeing them hurt and not being able to fix it. Dental Surgery Anyone?

- Life gets busy, and sometimes you feel like all you do is run. But, when you watch them hit their first home run, score their first goal, or preform on stage at a recital - it’s worth every moment of busy-ness.

I could go on for ages - but today I have two kids home sick from school who need some attention. Lol - joys.

“Courage is doing what you are afraid to do. There can be no courage unless you’re scared.” - Eddie Rickenbacker

“Courage is fear holding on a minute longer” - General George Patton

Someone asked me what happened to Ariel’s facebook account - so in case anyone is wondering:

Originally, my almost nine year old wanted a facebook account because her nana, d’dad and a lot of aunt’s and uncles where on there. I gave her permission to have one, and then checked to make sure it was set so on one could see her profile unless she first invited them. She wasn’t allowed to invite ANYONE without my permission. So, I wasn’t worried about safety. But, then I was taking a look at the TOS a while back (terms of service for my less computer-techy friends) and discovered that not only do they not want members under 13 - it can be treated as a criminal offense if you aid someone under 13 in getting an account. I know they had asked is she was over 13 (and we said yes, blush) but never realized how seriously they took that so I decided to pull it rather then risk problems in the future! So - that is why Ariel is no long on facebook, at least for another 4 years.

Now you know, lol.

It’s PARTY time:) I am participating in Mommy Fest 2008 as a sponsor at ChrysAnTheMoms and we have some really awesome stuff planned over there! I am also going to participate over here, just for the fun stuff:) So - here is my intro first of all:

My name is Crystal, and I am a 26 year old Canadian wife and mother. I married my high school sweet heart in 1999, and we have three children - Ariel, Kahlan and Rayelle. In September, they will all be 9, 7 and 5. My passions include God first, my family, my church, my business and blogging:) I am an avid blogger, with 5 or 6 blogs right now, lol. I have a degree in Graphic Design and a Graduates Degree in Matrix IT. I own The Invitation Atelier and Chrysanthemoms.

I hope you join us and have a blast at Mommy Fest:) At Chrysanthemoms, we’re having games, prizes, favors and tons more so come check it out!

Tishia, a friend of mine, is dating a great guy who is currently deployed in Iraq. One her personal blog, she often writes about him and their relationship. Someone earlier this week commented, asking if he reads her blog or not. You can read the answer here if you really want to know

Any- that lead to some interesting discussions on her blog and on twitter about blogging, and if who reads and if that effects how you write.  I know my husband doesn’t read my blog. Actually, it’s a pet peeve of mine. I’m a blogger - its what I DO! He says it’s just not his thing. Now I understand him not wanting to read my mom and wedding blogs, but if he had a personal blog where he wrote about me and our family, I would DEFINITELY be reading, lol. The funny thing is, he told me the other day that it really makes him feel special when I come watch him play baseball. Cause that’s his “thing” even though it’s not mine. Men.

But there are many people who do read my blogs - friends, church members, family members, clients, etc. So the other half of the question was: Does that change what and how I write? Some of the women said no, others said they actually have blogs they don’t tell friends and family about so they can vent. I don’t have any of those, tempting as that sounds, lol. But, I would have to say, Yes, I do think about who might read it when I post.

For example, I know potential clients might read my blog - so I am careful not to post anything would look really bad. I’m not a drinker, but if I was, I wouldn’t be putting those pics up here, for example. I also often find that I avoid writing about things on my mind, because often the involved other people who may or may not read my blog. I suppose you could say that defeats the purpose of a personal blog, but I’m not sure I agree. After all, it’s open to anyone who wants to read it - if I wouldn’t be willing to say it, shouldn’t I think twice about writing it? There are sometimes negative reasons behind not posting as well. I have been guilty of not sharing things God has been teaching me/sharing with me because I don’t want to sound preachy or I worry that people might think I am just targeting them. That is something I am not proud of, because how people might view me is not a good enough reason not to share my faith.

So what about you? What things do you take into consideration when you decide what to post on your blog?

I had an “It’s A Small World” experience this morning. You see, next week we are announcing a new partner at Chrysanthemoms and we are announcing the partnership through an audio interview with an outside party. In order to make this interview happen, I had to find an optimum time for all. You see, I am in Canada on Central Time. My new business partner is in Florida on Eastern Time. The woman who interviewed us was in California on Pacific time. So while the interview happened at 11 my time, it was 12 in Florida and only 9 in California.

As I was trying to figure it out, it struck me how amazing it is that the internet makes things like this possible. Two small business owners in different countries, at opposite ends of the continent really, are joining in a partnership and having it announce with a women who is located 3 time zones away! Amazing! It really is a small world!