:: Don't forget to Vote! ::

:: Hey Lovelies -- I just wanted to remind you that I have a few days left to win a room make-over through Benjamin Moore's "Share Your Style" ::

:: I'm currently 14th of 149, which isn't bad -- but it's not a win, so keep those votes coming, apparently you can vote as many times as you want. I would SO appreciate your vote! ::

:: Thank You Muchly! ::

:: Mothers Day * The story behind the photo ::

:: Normally this would look like just another cute photo of my littlest big boy and me ::

:: But no, there is quite the story behind this photo ::

:: You see my Dad takes our whole family out to a beautiful little golf course in Fort Langley every Mothers Day. Well this is the first year that I have had two little ones mobile and with little minds that have a thought pattern of their own ::

:: We had pretty much finished up lunch and so I thought I would take the boys out to the garden and let them run around a while, it was great until Cole decided to run down the hill, faster than I could in my boots, then turn around to look at me with his hands in the air and then directly bolt {and I mean bolt} towards the pond {see the good Mama is still taking pictures} ::

:: I know you want to see a closer view, so here it is...do you see the thought running through his little head "look she's way up that hill, if I turn around & give her another reason to take my picture I have a really good shot at getting into that pond!" - He was right! ::


:: I swiftly and unworried looking as possible follow him, thinking -- there is no way he would actually go in that there pond. No way. Yes way. Now if you know Cole, this wouldn't really surprise you. He took a large step and kurplunk into the water he went. He then started swimming! So by the time I got to him {Nikon in hand and leather boot on foot} I didn't know what to do, do I drop the camera possibly damaging it, do I have time to take my boot off and step in the scum water or do I just let him swim and call him back to me as he was enjoying his little dip?!??! I swiftly but gently drop my camera on the dry grass & moved my right leather boot fitted foot as far into the water as possible {a good 5 ft - I'm not that tall!} and kept my left foot on the dry grass to keep my footing. All this while Grammie SCREAMED from the top of the hill and then disappeared to find the daddy to this little pond scum boy ::

:: Yup, that was my happy mothers day from my little boy! And get this, all of this happened oh, say around 1:00 pm --- while all the golfers from the morning were having their lunch on the deck. Yup, right in plain sight this all happened. So after I pulled my very happy water logged boy out of the pond, I turned around to have the whole patio of golf-goers clap and cheer for me. So what do I do? Curtsy and take my soaking child to higher ground and Daddy who can't believe that I would let this happen - men say the darnedest things! ::

:: So the picture of Cole & I at the top of the post is when we were walking to see all of our audience on the deck. And what do you know, there were people who knew us on the deck and said to each other when the whole event unfolded "doesn't that look like Shawna" - oh yeah, I leave my mark everywhere! ::

:: Ps. Big Brother was very upset that this happened to Cole, and so the rest of the afternoon all Cole heard from Jacob was "COOOLe, No" with a very firm pointed finger - but no harm or water was ingested, his collar of his golf shirt was completely dry, see he really was swimming! ::

:: PPs. Being the Mama to two boys I had packed a full change of clothes for each of the boys from head to toe, so it didn't cramp our plans for the rest of the afternoon...oh and my boot dried out perfectly and is back to normal ::

:: God of This City ::

:: The Bachelorette w/ Supa Cute Jillian * Episode No. 2 ::

:: Well, I'm starting w/ my episode re-caps at episode 2 - why you ask? Because I was completely out of it last week when the season premier of The Bachelorette aired! I tried to keep my eyes open but just couldn't swing it, so here we are starting at Episode No. 2 - but don't worry I caught up on the whole thing by watching it online! ::

:: Let me preface this post by saying that Jillian is seriously an incredibly beautifully put together {wardrobe wise specifically}woman. I love watching the intro for the show and seeing Jill dance around in strategic locations all over our beautiful Vancouver! Yes it doesn't help that she's a size 2 and has no kids running underfoot so she can spend the time oogling over which scarf she's going to wear and picking the "perfect" one instead of just grabbing the one within reach. But still, their is no doubt that she's a looker! ::

:: This episode was jam packed with fun group dates with the Harlem Globetrotters, an adventurous scavenger hunt to find Jillian and win a one on one date with her and the ability at each group date to win the heart of the girl who holds the rose. And this week you not only receive the rose, but the chance to move from the testosteroneville to the mansion, the competition is on! ::

:: The first date starts off as a pool party with Michael, Brian, Brad, Sasha, Mathue, Tanner P, Wes & Ed. Jillian takes Michael upstairs to her rooftop patio & has fun conversation with him, she excuses herself and heads downstairs and it looks like she's getting a rose to give to Michael. Nope. She just walks away, now it's begun. The find Jillian in Hollywood Scavenger Hunt - Goal: To find her, woo her & get the rose ::

:: After all the guys jump in mini cooper's and head in the direction of Hollywood it of course wouldn't be a reality show if there wasn't a little big of frustration, and that there was! I won't go into the nitty gritty of it all, but it wasn't pretty, especially with Brad & Wes ::

:: In the end Brad & Wes are the first team to successfully make it to Jillian. But there is a twist; she can only choose to have a date with one of the guys. She chooses Wes. Brad is ticked off because he thinks Wes is a moron ::

:: Jillian is attracted to Wes. But she's worried about his "womanizer" qualities, she feels he might be the bad boy the the girls go for but never marry --- hmmm, I kinda agree there Jillian. But she doesn't hesitate to kiss him. She gives him the rose and asks him to move into the mansion and hang out tonight ::

:: Back at testosteroneville Jake gets a note from Jillian asking him out on a one on one date and to "cut loose" - he's stoked and can't wait to be one on one w/ Jill ::

:: Jillian get's Jake to loosen his preppy wear and dress in western get up, they head out to a bar and do some two steppin' which Jake teaches Jillian, Jillian is quite impressed with him & happy with her choice ::

:: Jake & Jill talk flying and his fancy to getting up ,and just leaving town, they talk marriage and they talk kissing, okay they kiss. Then Martina McBride shows on stage and they dance, once the dance is over Jillian gives him the rose, they dance and kiss more, it was a "magical moment" by Jakes standards ::

:: Again back at testosteroneville there arrives an envelope for a few of the remaining guys as put by Jillian " if you want to be with me, you have to play ball" - this was for Jesse, Mark, Kiptyn, David, Simon, Mike & Juan. They head off to the beach to play a round of basketball, but not just any basketball, basketball with the Harlem Globetrotters! Seriously fun for the guys and for Jillian to see how the guys let competition get in the way of a really good game. Mike is bent on getting Jillian to see his fun side and make an impression before the rose ceremony. Well, he did just that. Jillian thought it would be SO funny if someone asked a random stranger on the beach to borrow his speedo and jump in the ocean. Well, you don't have to ask Mike twice! He did it and Jillian thought it was classic! ::


:: Later that night they all go out for drinks and Juan & Jill get some alone, I mean kissing time. She dubs him a gentleman; the boys hate him & say he's fake. Kiptyn and Jillian have great chemistry and they talk a bit than kiss kiss kiss. Once returning from said kiss-fest, Jillian gives the rose to Mike. They too kiss and then get in their swimwear and get into the pool, the rest of the guys do too ::


:: At the pre-rose ceremony Mike, Jake & Wes already have roses but don't feel that is any reason to slow down their persistance with Jillian, if anything they feel the other guys should step up to the plate. Things are pretty slow until that little black box comes out and the guys are told to help Jillian out by voting on who should leave the house, but Jillian has the right to over-rule their opinion, and that she does ::


:: Since the three {Mike, Jake & Wes} already had roses they were not included in the voting process, which is too bad because Wes would have won for the most votes, that I'm sure! Chris comes in with the final tally and Juan was the one that was most disliked by testosteroneville. Jillian didn't agree and decided to keep Juan {go Jillian!} ::


:: So to re-cap: Jillian has already given roses to Wes, Jake, Mike & Juan - she continues to give roses to Jesse, David, Ed, Sasha, Mark, Michael, Tanner P, Kiptyn, Reid, Robert, Tanner F & Brad ::

:: So the four guys that were voted off were: Julien, Brian, Mathue & Simon ::

:: Phew, that was a long detailed show! I'm not really sure who I'm watching yet, I feel we're still in the prerequisites for the core group that I really want to watch. Do you have your eye on anyone? ::

:: Reality TV - Jon + Kate ::

:: It TEARS me up to have watched the carnage that the world has made of this beautiful thing that God made. I HATE the fact that Jon + Kate have decided to go ahead and let Satan have a foot hold in their lives. I BELIEVE that they chose to continue with the show against their better judgement (+ Jons choice of not wanting to be "Jon + Kate plus 8 anymore) ::


:: In Jon's original vows and the ones that he recited in Hawaii at their vow renewal he stated that they would "face new and challenging experiences together" emphasis on the TOGETHER - it seriously breaks my heart ::

:: Now not getting too deep on the subject, but there is something that God has taught us women, that is to listen to the head of the household {our husbands} not that we have to roll over and not use our brains or give our own input or thoughts, but that when our husbands feel passionately enough about a situation/issue/problem that they speak to us about it, we are to listen and heed their feelings and validate them. Satan/the world doesn't preach this to us, we are told that we can do/be/achieve anything a man does and sometimes do it better. Like I said I don't want to get into this too deep, but there is a point in time that we need to be still, listen and heed our husbands desires, it is dangerous for all involved not to ::

Here are snip its from Jon & Kate's Wedding (original & renewal in Hawaii in 2008)

:: If you want to hear a different side of the story you can go here, remember Aunt Jodi? Yup you do, the cute SIL to Kate {Kate's brothers wife} -- This link is from her sisters blog - you follow? ::

:: Tomorrow morning, update on how Jillian is doing ::

:: PS. Please PRAY for Jon + Kate, I'm sure no matter how messed up the story is, or what the truth looks like, that God cares for them and that His desire is to see them repent, return and not re-run over the past 8 months of crap. Pray they can overcome, I know I will be!

:: You'll thank me for this post... ::

:: Drop by any participating Tim Hortons store between 12:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. TOMORROW on May 21, 2009, and enjoy a new small Iced Coffee for F R E E. No purchase necessary. Limit one small Iced Coffee per customer ::

:: It's a creamy, sweet blend of Tim Hortons coffee on ice. It's a refreshing way to enjoy your Tim Hortons coffee! ::

:: More details here ::

:: See, told you, you'd thank me! ::

ENJOY!

:: Now head over to Susan's blog and talk coffee...that's what she's up to tonight! ::

:: Rhubarb "Big" Crumb Cake ::

:: I have a garden of rhubarb, this is my second year of yielding crop from my very own garden. I'm the proud Mama to two little boys and a crop of rhubarb ::

:: My MIL told me to pull my first crop of rhubarb early so that my garden is more fruitful, so I obeyed and pulled a lovely handful of fresh rhubarb ::

:: A few days prior to pulling this years first crop I was reading PW Cooks {If you don't make this a weekly read you should!} & she had a visitor to her ranch, Smitten Kitchen - in which she shared this recipe. Now if you know PW - you know that she don't make nothing that don't taste real good! So since I had such a fabulous crop, I thought why not give it a try ::

:: The cake was declared by my very own food critic aka: Handsome Paul "the best crumb cake ever, it's amazing" - less than 14 hours out of the oven and this cake was devoured ::

:: So here is the recipe directly from Smitten Kitchen's blog - try your hand at it, I'm sure you won't be let down! ::

‘Big Crumb’ Coffeecake with Rhubarb
Adapted from The New York Times 6/6/07

Not rhubarb season? Don’t fret. I think this cake would be amazing with a blueberry, raspberry, sour cherry or any other tangy fruit filling you can think of. Simply adjust the sugar level accordingly–most of these will need far less than rhubarb does to make them palatable.

Time: 1 1/2 hours, plus cooling

Butter for greasing pan

For the rhubarb filling:
1/2 pound rhubarb, trimmed
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

For the crumbs:
1/3 cup dark brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup melted butter
1 3/4 cups cake flour (I was out and used all-purpose and it worked great)

For the cake:
1/3 cup sour cream
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup cake flour (ditto on the all-purpose flour–worked just fine)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons softened butter, cut into 8 pieces.

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan. For filling, slice rhubarb 1/2 inch thick and toss with sugar, cornstarch and ginger. Set aside.

2. To make crumbs, in a large bowl, whisk together sugars, spices, salt and butter until smooth. Stir in flour with a spatula. It will look like a solid dough.

3. To prepare cake, in a small bowl, stir together the sour cream, egg, egg yolk and vanilla. Using a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add butter and a spoonful of sour cream mixture and mix on medium speed until flour is moistened. Increase speed and beat for 30 seconds. Add remaining sour cream mixture in two batches, beating for 20 seconds after each addition, and scraping down the sides of bowl with a spatula. Scoop out about 1/2 cup batter and set aside.

4. Scrape remaining batter into prepared pan. Spoon rhubarb over batter. Dollop set-aside batter over rhubarb; it does not have to be even.

5. Using your fingers, break topping mixture into big crumbs, about 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch in size. They do not have to be uniform, but make sure most are around that size. Sprinkle over cake. Bake cake until a toothpick inserted into center comes out clean of batter (it might be moist from rhubarb), 45 to 55 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Yield: 6 to 8 servings.

:: And still, there is more! ::

:: Told you I had LOTS to catch up on here...and there is still more to come! I know, you're waiting with baited breath I'm sure! But first I must go feed my little ones ::

:: Welcome Jack Michael Becher ::

:: Early last Tuesday Morning, my SIL Jennifer {Paul's Sister} welcomed her second baby into the world, a BOY! ::

{Picture from Pixie (Michael's Mum) an hour or so after Jack was born}

:: Jack was a quick little arrival, her water broke at 12.30 am and he was born just before 5.30 am, and he was born 5 days before his due date {lucky girl!} -- He's a beautifully perfect little guy and a welcome addition to our family. Victoria is a big sister at 15.5 months old - Yikes! ::

:: Congratulations Michael, Jen & Victoria...can't wait to enjoy some Summer BBQ's and family time with y'all! ::

:: XO - Shawna & the Boys ::

:: A work in progress ::

:: Did you know that we, er I mean Paul owns a 1972 VW Beetle? ::

:: Well, we do and it's a work in progress, we're really hoping to get it "road worthy" this Summer, it's about time that I was able to go for a ride in it. I've only been with Paul for 10 years this Summer...I mean really! Let's get this baby on the road! ::

:: Pray for us ;) ::