Family – Page 3

Friends, Farms and Fun!

Published on July 24, 2012July 24, 2012 by SydneyLeave a comment

Well it’s that time of year again…the berries are ripe so it’s time to make freezer jam! Normally I just buy some berries at Costco and make the jam but this year we did things a little different. The moms group from my church organized a trip to Raising Cain Ranch to pick organic raspberries with the kids. I’ve never picked berries before so I was really excited.

When we arrived the man explained that the you pick berries were $4 per pound and you were allowed to eat as many berries as you want while you picked! The kids were super excited about that!!

So away we went!! I strapped Bryson into the Baby Bjorn and Tay and got to picking!

We had an amazing time with all our friends. After we were done picking we found a spot on the grass and ate our picnic lunch.

When I got home I washed all our berries in a vinegar rinse, laid them out on a cookie sheet and flash froze them before I transferred them to a gallon sized freezer bag. If you want you can make the jam right away instead of freezing but I knew we had a jam making day planned a couple of weeks after the berry picking so I wanted to save the berries for that get together.

Today was that day and we had a fun time making jam together. I ended up with 6 containers of raspberry freezer jam.

Last week I also spent a morning with my husbands grandma and my sister in law making strawberry and raspberry jam. We had a wonderful time with her and I ended up with 15 containers of strawberry jam and an additional 4 containers of raspberry jam!

If you’ve never made freezer jam before it’s super easy! I always use the Sure Jell brand pectin so these are the recipes they include in the package of pectin.

Raspberry Freezer Jam:

3 cups prepared fruit (buy about 6 cups fully ripe red raspberries)

5-1/4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

3/4 cup water

1 box SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

CRUSH raspberries thoroughly. (Press half of pulp through a sieve to remove seeds, if desired.) Measure exactly 3 cups crushed raspberries into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.

MIX water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min.or until sugar is almost dissolved and no longer grainy. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

FILL containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or freeze extra containers up to 1 year. Thaw in refrigerator before using.

Strawberry Freezer Jam:

2 cups crushed strawberries (buy 1 qt. fully ripe strawberries)

4 cups sugar, measured into separate bowl

3/4 cup water

1 pkg. SURE-JELL Fruit Pectin

CRUSH strawberries thoroughly. Measure exactly 2 cups prepared fruit into large bowl. Stir in sugar. Let stand 10 min., stirring occasionally.

MIX water and pectin in small saucepan. Bring to boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling and stirring 1 min. Add to fruit mixture; stir 3 min. or until most the sugar is dissolved. (A few sugar crystals may remain.)

FILL containers immediately to within 1/2 inch of tops. Wipe off top edges of containers; immediately cover with lids. Let stand at room temperature 24 hours. Jam is now ready to use. Store in refrigerator up to 3 weeks or in freezer up to 1 year. (If frozen, thaw in refrigerator before using.)

Happy berry picking and jam making!

One Month Old

Published on June 28, 2012September 21, 2012 by SydneyLeave a comment

It’s crazy to think that Bry is already one month old! Time goes by so quick!!

This is an ongoing project I will be working on over the next year or two. I set a reminder on my phone so I remember to take monthly photos of Bryson. Then I will write down things he loves to do! After the year I will compile them into a baby book for him!

I’m excited!! I think it will turn out really cool…I just need to follow through on it!

I’m Back!

Published on June 24, 2012 by SydneyLeave a comment

Well it’s been a long time since I have posted anything and a lot has happened!! So I’ll just post some pictures to get you caught up!

First of all I had beautiful maternity photos taken by my wonderful friend Brea Bursch @ CYE Photography

She truly is talented because I looked at myself and though, “wow I look pretty good!” and I think that says a lot when your 9 months pregnant!!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the shoot.

Then my sweet boy made his arrival into the world (very quickly!) at 39 weeks! Again my wonderful friend Brea was there to capture the moment! Here are a few pictures from his birth!

Bryson Thomas Ross, 7lbs, 10 ounces and 20 1/4 inches long.

Brea also did newborn photos for us so here are a few pictures from that session

I didn’t take a ton of pictures at the hospital but this is one of my favorites of Tay meeting her baby brother!

Now that you are all caught up on the last couple months of my life we can get back to the crafty things!!

Bryson’s Rustic Nursery

Published on April 27, 2012April 26, 2012 by Sydney13 Comments

Bryson’s nursery is complete…well mostly!! I decided since I’m getting close to my due date I wanted to post some finished picts of the nursery. There are a couple of small details that still aren’t done but it’s close enough. We are still waiting for the log to dry out for the end table so in the mean time we are using an extra TV tray that I had. Also Tom still needs to put up the blinds in his room…other then that we are pretty much good to go!

Overall I love how it came together…I know I’ll tweak a few things here and there but for now it’s ready to go! I just need the little man to make an appearance so we can really enjoy the room!

35 Weeks and Counting!

Published on April 26, 2012 by SydneyLeave a comment

Well It’s been awhile since I posted a pregnancy update! I’m 35 weeks pregnant…only 29 days until my due date! I can’t believe it! I feel like it’s gone by quickly…I’ve been blessed with a very healthy pregnancy and at this point it’s just a waiting game. We want him to stay in until at least 37 weeks then he is free to come out anytime!

I’ve already been having a ton of Braxton Hicks contractions and real contractions so I’m wondering if he might make an early appearance into this world! We will just have to wait and see!!

When I was 31 weeks I had the opportunity to go get another 3D ultrasound and it was so amazing! He opened his eyes a couple of times, smiled and she was even able to tell that he already has some hair!! Our technology is beyond amazing these days and it’s been such a blessing to be able to see him doing well in there!

A couple of my favorite picts…

The other fun thing we did recently was some maternity photos with my great friend Brea from CYE Photography.

Here are a few from the sneak peek!! I’m so excited I love them so much…she has such an eye for posing and knows how to make you feel and look beautiful during a time where I really just felt like a buffalo!! LOL

Yesterday my friends at work threw me a baby shower…we got some amazing things and have truly been blessed!

God’s In Control

Published on April 12, 2012 by Sydney1 Comment

I’m not exactly sure how to express all that is going through my head right now. The last week has been super intense…lots of things changing that are out of our control and intense emotions around it.

Here is what I know – God is asking us to serve more at the church – specifically Tom, but I know my support at home is all part of what God is asking us to do as a couple. This is extremely nerve-wracking for me since we have a baby due in 6 weeks and in addition to serving at the church, Tom will also be working every other Saturday throughout the summer.

I know that God has us there for a reason and for this season. I know that we will look back on this and know we were doing what God had asked of us…but that doesn’t mean it’s going to be easy. I’m just praying for peace and patience as we enter this time in our family.

A couple of verses that have been given me peace many times over the last few months

Don’t panic. I’m with you.
There’s no need to fear for I’m your God.
I’ll give you strength. I’ll help you.
I’ll hold you steady, keep a firm grip on you.
Isaiah 41:10 (The Message)

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” – Deuteronomy 31:6 (The Message)

God’s word adds peace to my life during these times of change and uncertainty. I’m thinking I will print both of these verses to put on my fridge…I’m going to need the daily reminder!

I’m so grateful for all the wonderful friends God has placed in our lives that know how to encourage both of us and are a great support during this new season!

I’m excited to see how God uses us and see all that is coming in the next few months.

21 Weeks, Nursery Inspiration And Progress

Published on January 15, 2012January 15, 2012 by SydneyLeave a comment

Well this week I hit 21 weeks – I can’t believe that I’m already past the half way point! It’s crazy how time flies! Bryson is a very active baby – he seems to be moving around and kicking all day and all night – he even wakes me up sometimes in the middle of the night with all the kicking!

We had snow this weekend in Seattle so I decided an outside picture was appropriate! We don’t get snow very often and having grown up in N. Idaho I really miss it so when we do get it I get really excited!!

This week I started working on the nursery – I’ve been working on de-cluttering but this weekend I was able to get the nursery started by painting and sewing the crib skirt.

I saw this picture on Pinterest and knew I had found my inspiration for Bryson’s room. I showed Tom the pictures and he was sold!

Picture from Bower Power Blog

This weekend I got started by making the crib skirt

The crib skirt is blue, cream and has a small pinstripe of orange. The project was pretty simple but a little time consuming to cut all the pieces out.

I painted the room a blue with gray undertones it turned out a little bluer then I wanted but it still looks good!

The next step is going to be having Tom do the pallet wood accent wall but that may not happen for a couple months. It’s definitely an outside project since we will have to tear the pallets apart, stain the wood then cut them all to fit…considering that our weather is in the 30’s right now we will have to wait until it warms up a little! For now I will keep working on finding a dresser and figuring out art/wall decor!

Christmas At The Lodge

Published on December 26, 2011 by Sydney1 Comment

I’m sitting here in Jefferson, CO reflecting on our amazing Christmas and family vacation we have had. Vacations are few and far between and this was the first family vacation we have taken with Taylin. We were blessed to have such amazing hosts for our trip. My aunt is the most amazing cook and my uncle is one of the most generous and funny people I know!

It has been so fun watching Taylin experience so many new and amazing things. She had so many questions about the airplane, traveling and The Lodge. Every night we were here she prayed for all the normal people (Judah, Jossy, Kai, Noah, and Emmi Girl – her cousins) but it was so precious to see her pray for her “new family”. She is such a sweetheart and has been so great even with less naps than normal, she still had a great attitude most of the time.

A few of my favorite pictures from our trip:

I can’t believe that this our trip is almost over. This will be a Christmas full of great memories of laughing, yummy food and great people! I’m so grateful we were able to have this trip and enjoy some quality time with my aunt, uncle and cousins!

Weekly Lunch Prep

Published on September 21, 2011September 19, 2011 by SydneyLeave a comment

Recently my daughter moved to a new class at daycare and now I have to pack her lunch. I am already super busy and didn’t want to pack lunch her a lunch every morning. I decided I would just prep everything in one day and then all I have to do is make a sandwich every night.

What I do is pack all the “sides” every Sunday afternoon/evening. I try to do a fruit, veggie, cracker and sometimes a string cheese.

I pack all her lunches in divider Tupperware containers and then I just make her a sandwich every night. You could probably do them ahead of time as well but I don’t because I’m worried about the sandwich getting soggy. If you don’t want to pack them in containers for the week you can pack everything in baggies and put them in a Tupperware to grab and throw in the lunch box each morning. Just a few examples of items I send – oranges, cheese, grapes, and carrots.

A couple alternatives to sandwiches I’ve done are to create my own Lunchable – I cut lunch meat, cheese and put crackers in her lunch. I have also thrown a piece of banana bread or pumpkin bread in instead of a sandwich. She loves it. She is a great eater and really loves veggies and fruit. Another thing she really loves are nuts! Try to think outside the box. If you need ideas Google it – there are a lot of great ideas out there!

One thing you may have noticed in the first picture are the heart shaped containers holding some of the sides. They are Wilton’s Silicone Baking Cups. They are made to make muffins and cupcakes. I got mine at Joann’s with a 40% off coupon for around $7.00. 12 come in a pack and they also have square ones that are blue and green.

Image Source

Do you have an great lunch tips? Or other time saving tips you do during the school year??

Kum Ba Yah My Lord….Kum Ba Yah {Printable}

Published on September 14, 2011September 14, 2011 by Sydney2 Comments

Last weekend we went camping with some really great friends. This is our second annual Ross/Arceo camping trip. We went to Alta Lake State Park for the first time and absolutely LOVED it!! The weather was beautiful, the park was clean, the sites were great, and the lake was warm! They have great little beach area for the kids to play and even have some swings. We had a blast and wished we could have stayed for a couple more days!

Here are a few pictures from our trip.