Ok, folks!! Here you have it – all the highlights of this last year rolled into one collage post!!! This is always a fun one for me. Its quick but informative, and tends to hold a lot of memories. For me and for the reader!! So if you haven’t followed for terribly long, no harm done! Here is our year, all laid out for you to see!

January was kind of huge, haha! Thats a not a secret. Right off the bat, we started with a baby surgery. Thankfully, it was simple enough and recovery wasn’t too terribly long. The weather got BRUTALLY cold, so naturally, we chose that time to move! It was a HUGE ordeal but we finally got into the new place, aaaaand within two weeks, Brady had his seizure that changed the course of the whole year!

Ooooo! Three nice pictures of Brady in a row!

February is always a big month over here. We celebrated our fifteenth anniversary a little bit before the day because that day is now shared with the birthday of a pretty precious member of our family! With feeing therapists on board, our baby ate brownies soaked in pudding and whipped cream! That was a pretty exciting thing! We continued to pick away at some house projects, knowing we didn’t have a ton of time to do them before big things would take us down a peg or two 😬 Wavy lost her first tooth in there, and Rowan turned nine!

March was a big one. One of the BIGGEST! Brady worked to get our pantry built beforrrrrrrrre he went for brain surgery. That was a whole thing. He only stayed in the hospital for two nights before coming home to recover. At the same time, we have a very unwell baby on our hands, so between the two of them, meds rolled around the clock. Who sleeps anyway?

April was better. April felt like progress. Spring poked its head out of the ground! Brady got his head staples out. That was gnarly and kind of awesome. Brady made his first appearance back at work. It was so hard for him to recover at home and not be at work! Meanwhile, my counsellor came back to Saskatoon for a few months and I got to have a few more appointments with her, which couldn’t have been better timed! We crossed “kid needing stitches” off of our list of firsts in April, and Rowan started his first season of soccer!

April showers brings May’s camping season!! Thats how the rhyme goes, right? We got back to Kinasao this month, and as that began, the girls’ ballet wrapped up. I got my Bosch mixer in May, which feels like a silly thing to add but it was truly a game changer over here! The month wrapped up with Solly turning eight!!

Juuuuune!! June was a fun one. The kids had their track and field days, and somehow, Wavy came out with a medal for being basically being the most athletic girl in Kindergarten, so that was a fun surprise!! Meanwhile, Rowan’s soccer wrapped up. As town things finalized and closed up, camp opened up!! I crocheted a blanket for the camps fundraiser auction, and it ended up bringing in over $700 😳 Who saw that coming?! It was a pretty beautiful month.

July got us into full swing of summer! Wavy turned six right off the bat! That same day, Brady began his six weeks of radiation, with chemotherapy running simultaneously. Kids started going to their weeks of summer camp, and FINALLY, Brady regained his license since losing it in January!!! 🥳 To top off that off, he got a promotion to sales manager at work 💜 And I had a birthday. 36, baby.

August had a lot of things to note as well. Our tube feeder went anti-tube! 🥳 I removed it at the lake, which was bonkers and also SO exciting! Speaking of exciting, Brady finished radiation this month 💜 We were not sad to see that go. We spent some time with my siblings and all of the nieces and nephews, which we haven’t done in years, and we wrapped up summer days.

Fall camping is always on the docket for September, however. Between our weekends at the lake, everything else got into full swing. School. Ballet. Parkour for Rowan. And Laela turned 11! She pees in the lake, if that was unclear…

October is when it really starts feeling fallish. We took some very flattering family pictures 🤣 Don’t worry, we got good ones too. We got Rowan connected to a paediatric psychiatrist who finally really changed the game 💜 Quality of life went UP for him in October! Thank you Lord!!! Cher and I had a great date to celebrate our friendaversary this month 💜 Brady birthdayed with me finally – also 36. And we spent a night at the Travelodge with our dear Dahlsjos. The amount of times Dekker rode the water slide could not be counted.

November already felt pretty Christmasy. At least at camp, it did! The Christmas baking began. The lights went up at Kinasao. We attended a Christmas retreat at Kinasao as well, and at least for me, the matching jammies were a highlight! Also noteworthy, at least for me, was my discovery of grocery delivery! WOW how that has simplified my life!!! And this was the month Wavy really got into writing and testing out her own spellings of things, which I’ve mentioned before is my FAVORITE thing about her age. I LOVE grade one spelling! Ack!!!

December carried a theme. Can you tell? Two themes, I suppose. Food, and wrapping things up for the year. This particular collage shows the tomato soup I made, the ghost jamjams (perhaps ghostghosts?) and the sushi bowls. As well, it shows the recitals for both ballet and piano. And lastly, Dekkers youth Christmas parties were a total highlight. I’m not going to pretend I don’t LOVE being greeted by an inflatable penguin every time I go into Dekker and Sollys room 🤣

And now, here we are, at the end of the year. It has been a gigantic year. I can’t believe we navigated BRAIN SURGERY 🤣 Even just typing that out makes me tired, lol! Yet God has been consistently good, carrying us through absolutely every single thing, with no forgotten details or issues. We are ALWAYS safe under His wings. And I don’t mean comfortable. But He doesn’t promise us comfort. If we were always comfortable, who would need faith?! So, we willingly receive His protection, and keep on trucking forward!

Thank you God for bringing us through 2024. We trust You, and we live for You. Going into 2025, we trust Your will! 💜 Thank you for never leaving or forsaking us! Amen.

Onto the next!! Let’s see where this one takes us!!

Once again, Brady got an advent calendar of brewskies! And once again, he brings you his review!

Being the season its been, we forgot to take a picture of the box, sooooo you’re getting a slightly more ratchet version of a review than in years past. But whats more ratchet than an advent calendar made up of beer anyway? Not much.

So here you have it. The Brewer’s Advent Calendar 2024, available at Costco!

1. Brewsters Original Lager – 5% – I’m back and to kick it off this time, we had a very standard lager. The beeriest beer I’ve had since last December. Lol Not a disappointment though. I’m excited for the next beerstravaganza – 3/5

2. Bridge Brewing Company Cream Ale – 5% – This cream ale was a very flavourful, full beer. Just a bit of bite and then it’s smooth sailing. Simple and enjoyable – 4/5

3. Black Bridge Brewery Original Stout – 5.5% – I didn’t know that I’d be a fan of stouts but I enjoy this one. It’s got a heavy beeriness with a smattering of coffee and chocolate. Quite enjoyable – 3/5

4. Nokomis Craft Ales Beer – 4.5% – Sometimes a standard lager is just right. This one doesn’t stand out as a winner but it’s also not a loser. It’s beer. And sometimes that’s spot on – 3/5

5. Boxing Rock Shuck Off – Blonde Beer – 5% – This one had quite a bit of flavour! And just a hint of clamato. This wasn’t a beer that was hard to finish. I definitely enjoyed it – 4/5

6. District Brewing Co. German Pilsner Lager – 5% – Pilsner. Not my first choice. Not my 9th choice. But I have now been subjected to it twice in two years. This one was meh. But much like the lager of two days ago, it was a beer. I finished it. It was okay – 2/5

7. Blindman Brewing Strong Ale – 6.5% – This is the first one I’ve REALLY enjoyed this year. It’s got more hops to it with a splash of that bitter, IPAish taste that I love. I would definitely drink this one again. Probably a whole case of it – 4.5/5

8. Dandy Brewing Strong Beer – 7% – It’s probably not lost on at least a few of you that I really enjoy the sour ales. I love when these bad boys come around and this one is no exception. It’s almost just lemonade. I really loved this one. 10 out of 10 doctors… – 5/5

9. Bow River Brewing German Amber Lager – Riverfest – 5.3% – This was a pretty average beer. It had that standard amber beer taste but otherwise it was not worth noting. Would I drink it again? Meh, I guess – 2/5

10. Medicine Hat Brewing Company Clear & Crisp – German Style Kölsch – 5.3% – This one didn’t have a whole lot to it. Flavour is definitely lacking here. But it IS crisp. This would be a great thirst quencher on a hot day while you build a deck with some buddies – 4/5

11. Born Brewing Company Get Lucky – Premium Style Lager – 5% – This beer had a light hoppy taste which is right up my alley. That slight bitterness is exactly what I look for in a beer. This was a crisp, delicious beer for me. I’d definitely drink this again – 4.5/5

12. XhAle Ultrasonic – Light Beer – 3.5% – Mmm… this was the antithesis of ultrasonic. This was carbonated, alcoholic water. Alchoseltzer is what Hailey came up with. 😂 This beer has ZERO flavour. None. This is sparkling water with a splash of …vodka? Idk. I definitely tasted like nothing. 10/10 dentists do NOT recommend – 1/5

13. Original Malting & Brewing Co. Ol’ Dog – Brown Ale – 5% – This beer started out a little odd. Very flavourful with a bit of a chocolatey taste  but it was a little over powering at first. But then I paired it with some chips and it made total sense – 3.5/5

14. Pile O’ Bones Brewing Co. Vienna Style Lager – 5% – This is a pretty standard beer. Decent flavour, no strong aftertaste, no add on flavour to prop up its downfalls. Take a sip and you think ‘Hmmm well that’s alright – 3/5

15. New Level Brewing Valkyrie Berry Ale – 5.5% – I expected this one to have a more fruit heavy flavour but it was really just the essence of blackberry. Mostly just beer. Lol Meh – 2.5/5

16. Burdock Brewery ‘Deluxe Golder Lager – 4.5% – A decent beer. Not exceptional. Not mediocre. I like this. But I’m not blown away. Decent – 3/5

17. Manual Labour Beer Co. ‘Thats Gold’ British Golden Ale – .6% – Oh man! I knew before I tasted it.  Just a little whiff and I was in love. It’s classified as a ‘British Holden Ale’ but this is 100% an IPA. SO good. I love IPAs but this was one another level. Anticipating every sip, this was easily my favourite to date!! – 5.5/5

18. Tool Shed Brewing Company “Petes Pils’ Pilsner – 4.5% – Well, it’s a Pilsner. I’m not a fan but it was passable. Probably the best Pilsner I’ve ever had. Which isn’t saying much. lol. If you like Pilsners, this will be a winner! – 2/5

19. PEI Brewing Company Vic Park Pale Ale – 5% – A mild pale ale. This was the least hoppy ipa I’ve ever had. It was clean and crisp delightful. Would drink again – 3/5

20. 2 Crows Brewing ‘Badabing!’ Italian Pilsner – 5.5% – Well here’s another beer that was quite u remarkable. I didn’t hate it and I didn’t love it. It was beer. To quote myself at the end of a hard day “Oh well!” – 2.5/5

21. Skeleton Park Brewery Proper English Ale – 4.5% – IPAs should be called DPAs. D is for delicious! And this isn’t even an IPA, it’s an English Ale. But man, it was good! A perfect amount of that bitter hoppiness. Big fan! – 4.5/5

22. Blood Brothers Brewing ‘Blood 5.0’ Ale – 5% – This ale was decent but I feel like the powers that be could have done a better job of finding a variety of beers to add to this compilation. As the can says, “It’s wet” – 3/5

23. Spearhead Brewing Company ‘Festbier’ Copper Lager – 5.2% – The label on this one described itself much like I describe myself, “Rich & Smooth”. I have to say, it’s true. Lots of flavour and no big downside. A solid beer to go with just about any meal or setting – 4/5

24. Village Brewery ‘Mis-Heard Lyric’ New England IPA – 7% – What a way to finish!! Best beer of the season! By far! I love IPAs but this one was above and beyond! All the dentists and doctors recommend this one. I could drink this for the rest of my life! – 10/10

This is one happy man right here.

The beer calendar is more so a journey than a promise of 24 delicious, perfect beer. The bad ones are part of the fun, and I believe there is no bad blood between Brady and Costco, or frankly, Brady and beer.

Welp. The time of year has come and gone! Brady is no longer a “beer a day” guy. But it was fun while it lasted!

Eleven more months until the next one!

We aimed for a routine Sunday over here, but it kind of didn’t take, lol! But that’s fair, because our routine kind of tanked anyway.

We were going to church fairly consistently, but we had a kid shuffle in our family that turned a few things on their head, and the babies no longer would hang out in the nursery during the service. Now, I am a full supporter of pacing in the back of the church while holding a baby. I did it for years with our kids. But now I have three at once, which definitely complicates it. And add to that, for sure two of those babies will likely only come to me and no one else. Which speaks beautifully towards our attachment, but stinks when I don’t have three arms. So.

We went this morning, and I tried to sneak out of the nursery. I made it back into the service for less than ten seconds before I heard my one little toddler just screaming. Knowing there was a bit too much trauma attached to that scream to ride it out, I grabbed my coffee and made myself at home in the nursery for the service. No big deal.

We came home and put the babies to bed right away. I got into a new puzzle yesterday, so I worked on that and ate leftover cheesy chicken noodle soup.

Once the kids were up, we loaded them into the van and we drove around town, delivering some Christmas cards. If you didn’t get one here in town, I’m so sorry! You can still have one! It was a very scattered effort :/ Let me know 💜 And there are still many to mail. I’m behind. I conveniently blame Canada Post. But! We still ran around and dropped a handful off around town. Dekker got out of the van to run a few to mailboxes, but he had to climb over a baby seat 🤣 Which was way too much fun for us, lol!

Once we were home, we got out the griddle Brady got for Christmas and cooked up some pancakes and bacon for supper. The dial on the griddle made us feel like our kids are missing some things. Did yours come with that dial?? 🤔 Maybe we need to upgrade…

I tease. It felt like a bit of a struggly day over here, but I think its mostly just me. The last few days have been challenging, and my nerves are pretty shot. Hopefully tomorrow brings some peace. God takes care of us, absolutely always.

Parts of this Christmas have been oddly griefy, but I’m managing pretty well. We have kept things pretty quiet and simple, which has been nice. Yet there are still things to do each day, which helps, too.

Today, sweet Cherice came over for morning java 💜 It had been a while, so it felt really homey to have her around. Dekker had a Christmas gift he had been aching to give her, so that was fun to watch, also.

She headed out after a while to do her day, and we continued on with ours. Brady did a little bit of prep work for one project we want to do in the house soon. He did the loud stuff, because the babies were up at the right time. So now, whenever the time suits, he can do the rest with minimal noise or issue. Smart.

We lunched, and my mom came over for the afternoon. We kept things going really slow. I worked on a puzzle and my mom read to the kids while they painted or just sat and listened. I don’t think any of us are feeling 100%, though all in different ways. Wavy left for a playdate mid afternoon. I eventually headed to the kitchen and picked away at making supper. I chose to make a really yummy soup thats a little bit decadent, so its crazy delicious but it takes a while to come together. I worked on that and visited with the family, puzzling in between.

Supper was yummy. I overate. My mom left shortly thereafter. Wavy came home. Everyone was tired. I puzzled a little more while the house got tidied up and kids got ready to wind down.

Now, they are in bed and so am I. Tomorrow, we will attempt to get to church. And we didn’t get around to delivering cards this evening as we had hoped, but maybe tomorrow will be the day for it. Its not too late, right??

Right.

Today has been a little bit of an odd, disheartening day. Possibly the letdown from all the festivities. Possibly being short one family member for longer than was planned. Possibly too much idle time, or not enough. Possibly a shortage on sleep.

We wrapped the day up with a movie night so we could all be still and our brains could rest. Cool Runnings was on the docket, and the kids loved it so much more than I imagined. It was a happy time.

But I am happy the day is done. I am ready to let down a little bit in my bed. Pull out some unsuccessful crocheting while watching some relaxed tv. There is always something to do, but balance is tricky.

Tomorrow will worry about itself. There is nothing positive that worry can add.

I trust you, Lord.

So I couldn’t tell you why, but Facebook is consistently removing the blog links I’ve shared on my page, saying they’re promoting things or trying to sell things. They are not. Not even sort of. This blog, while a total labour of love, and I suppose what you’d call a passion project, is really truly just not that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things. It is a glorified online journal that is read by a fairly consistent audience (thanks, guys 😘) but not an especially large one.

Last night, I posted about the gifts I got the kids for Christmas. I didn’t even add links, and still my link was removed for “promoting.” Annoying.

Anyway. I made party mix today. Again. For the… I don’t know how many times I’ve made it this season.

But it doesn’t last long! Pairs beautifully with Kirkland sangria that is loaded with oranges.

Goodnight, all. Tomorrow will be a good day 💜

Today I bring you the present report for Christmas 2024! 

We all know its not about the gifts, totally, but aren’t they fun?? And don’t you sometimes find yourself stumped on what to get who? And isn’t it helpful to sometimes hear what other people get?? I digress. You know me. I’m not worried about excusing this post. I write it every year, lol! I hope you enjoy it! 

Every year, we get the kids something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. Then I usually get them a onesie, and either socks or underwear, which alternates from year to year. This yes, I included an extra – a cheap little throw blanket. I did my best with pictures but they’re not all great, haha! Give me some grace, and read on! 

Dekker first! 

Dekkers want was a leatherman! The real deal! His need was a smart watch. Like a young, starter, training smart watch, haha! A gateway smart watch 🤣 You get it. His item to wear was his Dave hat (which is funny because we regularly call him Dave) and his gift to read was Far Side comic books. He’s never read them, and I figured he was old enough pick through them, hahaha! He doesn’t understand them all, but he thinks the ones he does grasp are HILARIOUS. 

Dekker got Puma socks, a brown plaid bear onesie, and a round blanket that looks like a burrito wrap. 

Laela next!

Laela’s want was a bracelet making kit, since she recently learned how to do friendship bracelets. Her need was a new set of crochet hooks with rubber grips in a cute little carrying case. So her item to wear isn’t here yet :/ She wasn’t too upset about it, and knows its coming in January. But to keep the picture count uniform, Rowan bought her yarn for Christmas 🙂 And her something to read was a Gordon Korman book called Forts. We LOVE Gordon Korman over here, but no one has read that one! 

Laela got super cute athletic socks from Walmart, almost identical to the ones she got last time that she loved, as well as a sparkly pastel deer onesie, and a round waffle blanket. 

Rowan’s up next! 

His want was lego, and probably one of the coolest lego sets ever. He LOVES foxes. His need was a good durable waterproof. His something to wear was a shirt from his parkour gym, and his item to read was a Calvin and Hobbes book. 

Ro got a ton of basic black and grey socks, a cozy grey onesie with Christmas trees, and a tomato slice blanket. 

Ok, Solly, you’re up! 

Sollys want was also lego. His FIRST technics set! His need was some frames to display his artwork in that are easily interchangeable. So he can proudly show off the work he’s proud of, and it can change every day if he wants! His item to wear was a watch, too, but more his style. He is now a constant time keeper, lol! And his item to read was a set of three Big Nate books. My boys are their comic books! 

Sol got socks that are his length, and his colors. He got probably my favorite onesie – navy with snowflakes and animals on it, and a round pizza blanket. 

Wavy is next!

Wavy’s want was a Chelsea camping Barbie! Her need was the same frames that Solly got for her mountains of artwork. Her something to wear was a long colourful dress (that she has worn ever since) and her something to read was a “Pizza and Taco” Christmas book. Yet another comic, haha! 

Wave got bright ankle socks off of Amazon, a purple unicorn onesie, and a round cookie blanket. 

For the babies between the ages of 18-24 months!

The wants were bath toys. An egg beater, specifically, and some light up, swimming ones. The needs were magnadoodles. To wear, there was a funny t-shirt and a soft hoodie with animals on it. And to read, I went with Sandra Boynton, because she rocks. 

The toddlers got toddler Puma socks, mostly because of the novelty. They got onesies as well – a Disney character and an animal – and they got round blankets that were a fried egg and a watermelon. 

For the littler baby, under a year. 

Baby also got a bath toy – a floating otter with babies. The need I passed off as a developmental need, lol, because I wanted to buy a Lamaze toy. My favorite baby gift ever. To wear, this baby got sunglasses. And to read, another Sandra Boyton book. 

Little baby also got a very plushy pink onesie, Amazon socks, and an orange slice blanket. 

I hate how vague I have to be about the babies :/ Anyway. 

It was a VERY fun year for gifts over here. When I asked the kids each what their favorite gift was, they all listed off at least three gifts, haha! I’m calling that a win 💜 

Lol! The title suddenly looks like an error message, which is not what I anticipated 😅 But I’m not mad at it. Todays post was going to be a structured blog around Bradys beer advent calendar, but alas, the man is a couple of days behind and rather than slugging the last couple in the afternoon here, it’ll just have to happen on another day. Hence, the blogs are out of the order I expected. The blog itself is not out of order. Follow? I hope so.

It has already been a rip roaring day of activity, though it has felt calmer than yesterday somehow. There was a Christmas treasure hunt early in the morning for my dear mom, courtesy of sweet Cherice 💜 Then I ran into the city with my mom to drop a baby off for a Christmas visit. Back we came, where kids opened more gifts from Auntie Cher while babies napped. An unexpected Christmas gift walked through the door, and there is promise of another to come! 💜 The day took a restful turn at that point, and big kids played quietly with their fun new games, Brady and I ate lunch, and my mom went home.

I have been on my phone, trying to build photo collages for upcoming blogs, and prewriting the posts I didn’t get to earlier as I had planned. The house is at rest and buzzing at the same time. I took a little break in my room to be able to actually focus on my phone, which feels like a dick move out in the living room, and to get pictures and posts organized. I won’t get it all in place, thats for sure, but I’ll hopefully take a bite out of it anyway!

Tonight, we indulge in appies with Rae and Tom and their family! A day full of beautiful things 💜 I am so grateful!

Today was our Christmas 💜 We had to do things a little earlier than usual to ensure we’d all be together at the right time, so rather than waiting until later in the holiday, we opted for early, which was more fun anyway!

We ate delicious food, opened a mountain of gifts, ate more good food, broke for naps, and then opened the rest of the gifts into the evening. Homemade pizza closed the evening off, and everyone went to bed nice and tired.

Many events and fun things still to come in the next few days, but today was beautiful and comfy and peaceful. I am overwhelmed with gratefulness. What fun was had by all 💜

We had the pleasure of spending the evening with some family that we haven’t spent time with in absolute ages. With some, it had been more than a decade, I believe.

There were eighteen of us altogether, and it felt very much like how I want my house to feel. Bustling with people who are eating, chatting, laughing, and building a closeness. From room to room, the conversation could be anything from politics to fostering to childhood memories to “pick a number between one and one hundred.”

The kids talked boisterously amongst themselves, and spent a good chunk of time playing downstairs. The babies were a total highlight, and were both welcoming, and well received. The Morsel was tucked up on someones hip, eating chocolate by the end of the evening. The Lemon Drop was jumping and flapping all over the place, rocking only a pair of jeans with a soft little belly hanging out after eating taco salad and a cookie.

We ended the evening with an impromptu gift exchange, and then some sweet goodbyes between everyone, many of us who really were connecting for the first time in a long time, or ever 💜 We waved goodbye at the window, as we always do. The Morsel actually waved as the car drove away, rather than just watching, and then waving. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen that kid THAT proud of themselves.

At warp speed, Laela and I unloaded the dishwasher and loaded it back up to run. I am all for paper dishes for ease, but I was the one who insisted on using real dishes tonight, so there were many to wash! But the dishes were locked and loaded in probably fifteen minutes flat, and everyone tidied up, got ready, and packed it in.

It was a beautiful evening. Truly, I loved it. I am BEAT. But it was worth it 💜 So thank you, dear family, for making your way out and being with us for the evening to celebrate Christmas. Let us not wait another decade to do the same.