Karin Louwerse Photography

Post #10 of Personal Project 52 weeks.

Okay a wee bit of warning. If you are squeamish, don’t look at the top right photo. It’s in black & white to soften the blow.

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* I always thought that by default any child of mine would love technology. As if technology-loving is a predisposition. Inherited. And definitely a dominant gene. Not Noah. I know he’s only 3, so yes, there’s plenty of opportunity for the “gene” to develop. It just surprises me: he has no interest in the computer.

* My lone cucumber is ready to be picked. I really hope that more appear.

* Art’s hand. 40 stitches. 8 pins in the ring finger. 2 pins in the middle finger. We went to the doctor on Wednesday to have the dressing changed and so that I could take photos. I know: I have issues. Wanting to document even these things. Then again, it’s an injury that will affect Art for the rest of his life. The knuckle is fused which means that it is stuck in place. We asked about a prosthetic knuckle and the doctor was against it. Too many issues. Art is too young. It would fall apart very quickly with day-to-day use.

* Yummy bbq chicken satay with peanut sauce and nasi goreng. We enjoyed it. The kids didn’t. It wasn’t a big surprise to me since they both don’t really like rice. But we keep on trying. I can see how eventually you just want to cook what the kids will eat. Putting effort into a meal and then fighting all dinner to get them to eat it is not an enjoyable dinner experience.

* Mattias is close-ish to walking. It would be so much easier than his current method of crawling over rough and uncomfortable surfaces. Bum in the air. Feet and hands on the ground. Careful not to let his delicate knees touch the rough concrete.

* Cheese & Potato slow cooker soup. It was really yummy. I forgot to write down how I made it. But the main ingredients were: potatoes (6), water, veggie bouillon, cheddar cheese. Then about 30 minutes before serving: butter & flour & milk to thicken (I think I added this. but it could have been just milk because it was pretty thick to begin with). I added crumbled bacon just before serving. It just adds so much flavor. And fresh parsley.

* Mattias is very interested in playing with the computer. He is SUCH a stinker. Up to no good.

* Yet another bountiful harvest of strawberries.

Post #9 of Personal Project 52 weeks.

It has been quite a week. Mattias started the week sick and puking. Noah was sick and puking by Thursday night and all day Friday. For once, I was spared. God knew that I would need my strength for something different.

Art sustained a work injury on Wednesday. He called me on his way to the ER at 9:00 AM. His hand was hurt in a forklift accident. He was calm and coherent so I didn’t think that much of it. He couldn’t tell me anything. Was he in pain? Yes. Did it look bad? Yes. Honestly though, I thought he’d be home in a couple hours. Or at least I could pick him up on my way to Mattias’ doctors appointment.

A couple of hours later he called again. He was on morphine for the pain. He had been sent for X-rays. They were bringing in the hand specialist and he would be booked for surgery at 8 PM. Yikes. Surgery. Two broken fingers and a crushed knuckle. We quickly headed out to see him.

Forty-five minutes for the surgery, they said. And of course, the surgery was delayed. I’m glad we decided that I should go home for a good night’s rest because surgery took 3 1/2 hours and then not back in his room until 2:00 AM.

The prognosis is that the knuckle is shattered. Like cornflakes, the doctor said. He spent 1 hour trying to put back together the knuckle. The other breaks will heal. But he will likely not have use of that one finger.

It could have been worse. Much worse. For that we are so thankful. Praise the Lord for He is good. We continue to rely on Him for all our needs.

*heart* this photo

* Art with his club. It’s a pretty soft club. Tensor bandages and gauze. There appears to be some kind of splint to hold his fingers and hand in position.

* Salad for dinner. This one is from the cover of the summer issue of Kraft Canada. I hoard these magazines for the eye candy. Just looking at them makes me drool. Made my own dressing.

* Mattias. Such an easy laugh. He brings us so much joy. He is especially goofy at the dinner table.

* Art modeling the dish brush (pre-injury). De Laval farm dish brush. They last forever. We are doing a fundraiser for the Aldergrove Church kitchen to sell them. You can own one for $13. We are also selling commercial glassware. This stuff is really nice, super durable and really affordable! We got GREAT prices on it! Order some for yourself or as a gift. It will last!

* Parsley. It’s taking over my garden. Not really but it is really lush and thick. Like I wish my grass looked.

* Art’s meds. Every 4 hours.

* Raspberry shortcake and blueberry shortcake. From Krause Berry Farms. I need to know how to make this. Yes, they have a mix for the shortcake but I’d like to make it from scratch. The raspberry one is particularly yummy.

* Dill flowers are so pretty. But letting them bloom kills the dill. Oops.

* Another salad inspiration from Kraft Canada. Except, I just used lemon + olive oil for the dressing. And fresh herbs: parsley + cilantro.

Up next, full post of the newborn session with Caleb.

~ K

Post #8 of Personal Project 52 weeks.

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* Self-timer family photos. Noah eagerly participated by pressing the shutter and running to get into the photo. He was incredibly pleased with his role as photographer. This is one of the outtakes. We did get some great shots. *Happy dance*

* We went to Victoria this week. I love that place. Traveling there and back is just as much of an adventure as being in a different city. BC Ferries has a sale for mid-week sailings until the end of July. We walked on and took the double decker bus into the city. So thankful for the extra 2 sets of hands: Opa & Oma V.

* Enjoyed lunch in front of the parliament buildings.

* Visited Beacon Hill Park. Art climbed this cool tree.

* While we were on the ferry on our way to Victoria, we received the phone call that H&A had a baby boy! Met Caleb the next evening. Photo shoot later this week!

* A walk in the park later in the week.

* Yep. Noah has freckles. I have been inspecting him for evidence every couple of weeks. He has my coloring so I’m not surprised but I was hoping not for him. They are faint. Just a few on the bridge of his nose. I love them. I also found one on his arm. He proudly shows me this little freckle when I ask. Then he checks Art for freckles. None. He so badly wants to be like his dad. He keeps telling us that his hair is black. We tell him he is blonde and he gets pretty upset. Then we tell him that he’ll probably be dark like his dad when he gets older. This usually satisfies him.

* Cinnamon buns. I really like this recipe. Only bummer is that it makes 16. When I bake (not that often) I like to bake a lot. Since it’s in the bread maker, doubling doesn’t really work. But it is a really easy recipe!

~ K