Days of Christmas: Day 25

A very merry Christmas to you all!! So glad we can celebrate the Reason for the Season!

Days of Christmas: Day 24

After our Christmas service at church yesterday evening, we drove around and looked at Christmas lights! So fun!! I hope each of you is having a wonderful Christmas Eve!

Days of Christmas: Day 23

Reading by the Christmas tree. There's never enough time for one of my favorite Christmas pastimes.

Days of Christmas: Day 22

A handmade ornament that came in the mail! Thank you, Piper! I love it!! :)

Days of Christmas: Day 22

Presents under the tree!

Days of Christmas: Day 21

Christmas goodies!! Baked by my hubby! (Although I DID crush the candy...) ;)

Days of Christmas: Day 20

Well, I had a very busy day today!! So today's picture is from a few weeks ago - before we started Days of Christmas. The last Thursday in November, Mark and I enjoyed the local Christmas parade with our friends Andrew and Clara! Here we are after the official tree lighting! :) (Warning: very grainy cell phone pict to follow... sometimes the memories are more important than quality photos...) ;)

Days of Christmas: Day 19

Story time with Mr. Andrew. We had a Sunday School Christmas party at our house this evening. I'm just a little tired... ;) Mr. Andrew is a great storyteller... He read about Humphrey the Camel.

Feeding a bookworm: A Book list for tweens

As some of you know, I work part time at a local church library. I love recommending books to people, especially when they come back raving about how much they loved a book! :) I know it is just one week until Christmas (REALLY?? How did that happen!?) and some of you may be needing some last minute ideas for gifts. Might I recommend a good book? ;)

Several years ago, I did a blog post listing many of my favorite children's books. However, after looking back at the list, I really don't have a lot of options listed. I've had different people ask about some good books for their kids that they can't keep supplied with books! The kids just read way too fast! A few weeks ago, my sister asked if I could recommend some books for a friend of ours... so Nancy, this list was started with you in mind, but I have expanded it from there. (Hopefully many of these books will be available in your city library, since it sounds like keeping your reader supplied could be a budget breaker!) :) 

There are so many books coming out all the time - in the Christian publishing industry as well as mainstream market. But there are so many good "classics" that aren’t necessarily “mainstream” at the moment. Although I started this list with a preteen girl in mind, many of these books would be just as fun for boys.

I'll start with the ones that I feel would appeal to boys and girls.

Homer Price

• Caddie Woodlawn – Carol Ryrie Brink (Magical Melons is the sequel) 
• The Railway Children – E. Nesbit 
• Pippi Longstocking – Astrid Lingren 
• The Peterkin Papers – Lucrecia Hale 
• Homer Price – Robert McCloskey (and Centerburg Tales) Hilarious Books!! 
• The Bronze Bow – Elizabeth George Spear 
• Strawberry Girl - Lois Lenski (She wrote many books about girls from different regions, unfortunately, they have become hard to find. This one is fairly common.) 

 A few books that would more likely appeal to girls:

Betsy, Tacy and Tib

• Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace. (The series starts when the girls are 5 and go through the first year of Betsy’s marriage. I've read several of them many times over.) 
• The Pollyanna books – Eleanor Porter (There are several in the series.) Eleanor Porter has written several books, I remember enjoying some of her others, but I don’t remember what age they are geared to. 
• Pippi Longstocking – Astrid Lingren 
• What Katy Did – Susan Coolidge (I haven't actually read these yet, but they are favorites of several people.) :) 

Some more "boyish" books:

• The Kingdom Series and the Knights of Arrethtrae Series by Chuck Black. You may remember that I reviewed one of his books a while back and I was very impressed! His books the whole family would enjoy! 
• Rifles for Waite – Harold Keith 
• Johnny Tremain - Esther Forbes

 I will say, on all of these books, the enjoyment of them depends on the reading level of the child. And while I feel all these books are excellent, it has been a while since I read some of them. So don't just take my word on them, if you have any questions be sure and check them out yourself before giving them to your child. :)


Also, a couple of words of caution that I give to many mothers of preteen girls: First off, while I loved the American Girls series when I was young (my favorite was Samantha!), be careful when you get outside the main historical series - such as "Meet _____." In some of their other series, I have run into language issues (as in words we don't feel comfortable using), some PG rated content, and even tarot cards. I have written to the company personally to voice my concerns so I have no reservations sharing my concerns with you here.
Also, there is an author in the Christian fiction genre - she writes for children, teens as well as adults - that I have had some major concerns about. In fact, at one point we removed all of her teen books as well as an adult series from our library. It just shows that even in with "Christian" publisher one must use caution, as I'm sure many of you moms already know.

Well, I hope you have enjoyed my little list. Maybe it's been an inspiration anyway. :) OR maybe you have some favorites I forgot to add?

Days of Christmas: Day 18

Just some favorite music! What's on you list to listen to each year?

Days of Christmas: Day 17

Wrapping presents with my sis! So glad to have her back from college!!

Days of Christmas: Day 16

Church Christmas program! The kids did so good!!!

Days of Christmas: Day 15

Christmas fudge! Yummy!!!

Days of Christmas: Day 14 and Finished Object Friday

I finished the Christmas star ornament!! :) It was a very quick knit.... you, know... when I actually took the time to do it! :) I used this pattern, and only went to row 9 - I think... after a year of resting, I wasn't sure WHAT row I was on! :) But I'm really glad I stopped when I did, because it was quite big enough already.

I wasn't sure about the "stiffening." I've never used that much starch before, but it turned out really cute!! Hmmm... maybe I should make more of these! ;) I did use some pins to block it nicely. (Instead of just doing it by hand. The yarn has a little sparkle to it... it shows up a little better in the picture below:

Ok, it's your turn! Any little holiday projects that you have been working on??

Days of Christmas: Day 13

Loving my Christmas cards!!!

Days of Christmas: Day 12

Just a little bit of Christmas knitting!! I've hardly knitted at all recently. When I picked it up this evening, it felt so relaxing! I wondered what was keeping me from it?? :) This is a little project I started last year (see, I told you I haven't been knitting much!). It is a small star ornament for an aunt that hosts a family dinner every year. Shhhh... Don't spoil the surprise! (Hmmm... I don't THINK she reads my blog....) ;)

Days of Christmas: Day 11

Our newest Christmas ornament - bought this summer on our trip.

Days of Christmas: Day 10

Christmas in my kitchen!

Days of Christmas: Day 9

A little late... But still blog worthy. ;)

Days of Christmas: Day 8

The tree - the official picture!

Days of Christmas: Day 7

Christmas concert!

Days of Christmas: Day 6

This is not the recommended method of tree decorating. Thankfully the tree is now safely decorated. :)

Days of Christmas: Day 5

Christmas program practice: behind the scenes.

Days of Christmas: Day 4

After reading about how "Ma" fixed Laura, Mary and their cousins pancake men for Christmas breakfast, Hope and I decided we wanted pancakes! She thought the men needed buttons, so we added blueberries! Yummy! So glad she could come visit me for a little while! :)

Days of Christmas: Day 3

Pinterest-y treats!

Days of Christmas: Day 2

Some Christmas-y snuggles with my friend's youngest little one. She is growing fast!! :) (This was taken at our Church Christmas dinner and party yesterday).

Days of Christmas: Day 1

Happy December!! I am excited to join in Melissa's Days of Christmas again this year! And I do intend to enjoy this Christmas season to the fullest! It helps so much to have dear friends in each of you! Your support means so much.

I am going to try something a little different with my Days of Christmas posts this year. Since I use my phone so much for pictures, I am going to be trying out mobile blogging for some of my posts. :)

Without further ado, here is a picture I took yesterday. Have you fed the kettle yet this year? :)

Raw.

This is a hard post to write. I should be out in the living room... puttering with my Christmas decorations. Getting excited about putting up a tree. But I'm not. I don't even know if I should be typing this. Maybe I won't publish it. I don't know. I've had some hesitancy about Christmas this year. Couldn't really get into the mood or get excited about my favorite time of year.

I'm not ready for it to be Christmas yet. Yes, I know, it comes around faster each year.

but it's not supposed to be here.
not yet.

He (or she) isn't here yet.

How can we have another Christmas without him?

I thought I was upset about one thing, then I thought, No, it's something else. Then when my Pandora station played a song with children singing I realized what really was bothering me. That's when I lost it. That's when I realized why everything else wasn't falling into place.

There are still only two stockings on our mantle. There won't be any toys under the tree for our little one. I lost it. And I don't "loose it" very often. (ok... maybe I loose it more often than I think... but I try not to show it.)

How strange it is to miss someone you've never met. Someone who may not even exist yet. But their absence is felt. I miss his big smile and her beautiful eyes looking up at me.
I try so hard. I try to be the one that lifts everyone else up, tries to fix it all, help everyone feel better. (Hmmm... think maybe I'm an eldest child?) I know we are "paper pregnant," "officially waiting," and it could be "any time." I should be positive and say that it's a  "Time for Joy" and still the "Perfect Christmas" but I'm not feeling all of that now. Not yet.

And I thought. Why try to always help somebody else? Isn't it ok for me to hurt every now and then? Maybe I can get the hurting over with now - enjoy the rest of this festive season. Maybe even be festive myself. Or maybe I need another good cry - me in my red "Christmas-y" shirt and candy cane socks. No, dressing the part isn't really helping me much either.

Don't worry about me. I'll pull myself together! Next time you see my face, I'm sure I'll be wearing a smile. But that smile will be fought for. Joy is something worth fighting for. Even though it's not an "easy" Christmas, I will rise above it. Just as so many of you do in one way or another. We are each fighting our hard battles. But with God's help, we will win them. And we will have joy and a smile. And hope. Because HE came. He came to do something very hard. And HE did it, HE won!

I may have lost my "happy" for a little while, but my JOY isn't something I will let go, and as I hold to the Joy, the hope will follow.

I'm going to hit publish. I want you all to know that I am "real." Somehow, in a strange way, I want someone out there to know that I do hurt too. I know my hurt is so small compared to what so many others are going through, but I won't hide it. Together, let's have a "JOYFUL" Christmas. (And thanks for listening to me...)

October Baby

Mark and I watched October Baby recently. What a wonderful film! I'm not here to give you an in-depth review of the movie - watch it yourself! :) Mostly I just wanted to give you my reaction to it.

***note: post below may contain spoilers!***

I cried.

No, I promise, I'm not one to cry at most movies - in fact, I'm generally a non-crier. But when you bring in adoption... yep, there you might have me!

Within the first few minutes of the movie, you find out that the main character, Hannah, was adopted and she is just finding that out at the age of 19. My reaction in seeing the character's reaction is that "This" is why we want an open adoption. "This" is why we aren't keeping secrets.

As Mark and I sad and watched this movie and cried - we weren't just crying because it was a touching movie. It touched us because we were watching "our daughter." Even though our child will be raised with the knowledge that we became her parents through adoption - there will come a point when that knowledge will make sense to here. All the pieces will fall into place. She will want answers - some answers we won't have - and she will grieve. But in that grieving, we hope she will come to realize that she is treasured and that her life is so precious.

There is so much good in this film, such as the value of every human life. It is inspired by the story of Gianna Jessen, an abortion survivor. Have you seen it? I'd love to hear your reactions to this movie!

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This is my last scheduled post on adoption this month. Thank you all for your support and encouragement and for "listening" to my thoughts - random they may be. :) I hope each of you has a very happy Thanksgiving! We have so much to be thankful for!!

To Live With a Purpose

Life is hard. God didn't put us here for everything to be easy. Sometimes things are just hard. Circumstances are hard. Relationships are hard. And sometimes? God asks us to DO hard things.

Adoption for us isn't an easy thing. Because adoption itself is brought about by difficulties, the need for adoption is a hard thing. There is a lot of fear for us - as prospective adoptive parents. We don't know what the circumstances will be surrounding how our little one comes to be a part of our family. But truthfully? We don't know how a lot of "life" will turn out. God doesn't always promise happy endings - or maybe I should say "Happy middles," because for a Christian, "The End" is always happy. Each of us has decisions to make, and sometimes those decisions are hard.

But we are choosing this route not because it is easy. Life isn't about making things as easy as possible. It's about doing the right thing. We want to live our lives with purpose

We want to have a purpose in life. Purpose to love others and not just to seek our won happines. Purpose to  build meaningful relationships, not to just "hang out." We want to care, not just go through life in our own little world - our own little bubble.

We want our children to know that they were born for a purpose - that their life has a plan. And although they may not have a "happy middle," the ultimate goal IS a "Happy Ending." Eternally.

Open Adoption in a Nutshell

I LOVE this!! It's not long at all... please take a minute to watch.



Birth parents have had a bad wrap for a very long time. (You can read last year's post on birth parents here.) The producers of this video have an website dedicated to: "change the perception of adoption through honest, informative, and hopeful communication that conveys the heroism and bravery a birth mother displays when she places her child with a loving family through adoption." 

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I know I haven't posted a whole lot this month... get ready because I have a few more posts scheduled for early next week. Thanksgiving is a bit early this year and I wanted to get these posts in before the holiday season really starts ramping up on us! :) 

Waiting is tough...

We are expecting.

No, this isn't an announcement about my physical condition. But, we are expecting. I think that is something hard for those not as close to us to understand. And many times it may seem so strange.We are waiting and it could be any day. We could get a call tomorrow to come and pick up our little one, or it could be a year from now. But we are expecting.

So as any expectant parent, we have been preparing practically. We have drawers full of infant things - bottles, blankets, and clothes. We have a pack-n-play, baby swing, bouncer, changing pad and so many other needed things. Our home is more "baby safe" than most expectant newborns, thanks to the prep work necessary to pass our home study. I've even thought how, maybe, I should park in the "expectant mother" parking spot. (Ok, so I realize that it's to help mothers who's pregnancy is a bit more "physically demanding" then my "paper pregnancy" is for me... but still...) :)

But we haven't just be preparing physically, but emotionally. Our hearts are wide open. I had a close friend tell me a while back that she has seen a change in me - like I am becoming a mother. Of course, as long as we have been waiting to have a child - we have had a lot of time to think through how we want to parent. No way am I naive enough to think that with all of this time to plan, we will be the perfect parents. But I want to use this time of waiting responsibly so that we can be prepared to be the best parents possible!

Finished Object Friday - Skirt Redo

Last Saturday, we went to a wedding... Friday night I still hadn't figured out what to wear! (Yes, closet full of clothes and NOTHING to wear...) So I did what any girl would do...first, in a panic, text a friend with some fashion know-how (Thanks, Brittany!!) ... then I remade a skirt I had on hand!  (well, maybe not every girl, but it reminded me of Kristina...) First the "after:"

I have had this skirt for years, and couldn't bear to let it go. It is such a classy print. Before I messed with it, it was a Talbot's wrap skirt that (ahem) was just a few sizes too small... Wrap skirts, in or not, are pretty annoying to wear, or maybe it's just me.... They never seem to lay right, and I'm always worrying about "gappage..."

SOoo... I cut off the top, made a new seam up the back and put elastic at the waist. (Cutting off the top was so much easier than trying to hem the skirt and lining - and it took care of the darts that hit at the wrong spot. And it shortened the skirt to a more "modern" length. It was much more comfy and less worrisome... Of course Saturday morning, I had to make a quick shopping trip to find a matching tie for hubby! Here we are in our "wedding guest finery!"

The wedding was very sweet! I'm so glad we were able to go! It was fun being able to catch up a little bit with friends! So glad Melissa (and all three of her littles!) were able to come!

(The smallest two "littles" aren't real visible in THIS picture... but they are there!)


So anyone else done some crazy last minute altering? Or maybe you've done something a little more relaxing...

Adoption - Plan A or Plan B?

Adoption may have been our "Plan B" in building a family, but what if our "Plan B" has been God's "Plan A" all along? I believe that it is!

It seems that so many times life is that way. We think we are going to do one thing or go a certain direction and God may lead us in a total different path - closing some doors and opening others. And isn't it so true that God's way is always so much better than anything we could imagine? Sometimes the way may be rough for a while - the best things rarely come easy, but they are oh, so worth it!

Adoption is not second best, or a sub par way to become a family. It obviously wasn't our first choice. Infertility was our "closed door" so to speak. And we feel that God has shown us the "open door" of adoption. So many times we get the comment "Now that you are adopting, you'll get pregnant."  Usually I just kind of smile and nod. Yup. I've heard it before.

I guess what I'm trying to say is that we ARE expecting. No, my tummy won't be growing. (At least it had better not... I don't need to gain anything...) ;) But our hearts grow larger each day. We are eager to share the love growing there with the child that will be ours - not by birth, but through the trust and love of birthparents and the miracle that is "Adoption."

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November is National Adoption month. I plan to do several posts about adoption, and my take on it. I'm not sure how many yet... I'll write as the inspiration strikes and I have several drafts already... ;) It won't be quite as structured as last year's posts. But please feel free to revisit last years posts if you have questions on what adoption will look like for us. You can find them in our "Adoption Journey" tab a the top of the blog.

Book Review: When Hope Blossoms

First off... I promise this hasn't become solely a book review blog. However, I do love good books!!! :) And I am soooo happy for the privilege of reading them in exchange for a copy. If you are a blogger and love books, I recommend getting involved in some of the great review programs available. I do reviews for Bethany House, Thomas Nelson and Waterbrook. Ok.... on to the review!

Amy Knackstedt is a young Mennonite widow who is doing her best to get a new start for her family in the town of Weaverly, Kansas. She has three children, and is doing her best to earn a living with her quilting business. Her next door neighbor, Tim Roper, a former Mennonite, who has also lost his spouse. Tim runs an apple orchard and is still grieving the untimely death of his wife and son.

When I finished this story I thought, "This is the Kim Vogel Sawyer I know!" Such a great story line! (An improvement, in my humble opinion :) over her last novel.) This is a contemporary novel, instead of historical like many of her books. I really liked the development of the characters, especially the children. Some authors have a hard time representing children accurately, but these children, at very different ages, all seem very real and accurate to stages they would be going through. The book kept my attention, and was very believable. I really like how she dealt with raising a child with special needs. Very enjoyable read!

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Thank you to Bethany House for this review copy... my opinions are my own!

Book Review: The MoneySmart Family System

The MoneySmart Family System by Steve and Annette Economides is an in depth resource book as well as instruction "manual" in helping your family learn how to manage money. I choose to review this book, mainly because I knew it was something my husband would be interested in. (He is the official money manager in our home.) There is sooo much jam packed into this book. I'm not even sure where to start.

First off, it is an enjoyable read. Books like this could easily read as text books, but the Economides do a great job in keeping the book interesting. They use many stories of their own family as well as families they know to illustrate their points.

This book could also be classified as simply a parenting book. They have a lot of practical advice for how to keep your family on the right track. Being over committed is a common problem in today's society, and the authors have very practical advice on how to keep families from falling into that trap as well as building family unity.

Most chapters have a section at the end showing how to relate the information to children at different ages. Through the whole book they are building the groundwork for raising independent, confident adults. It is much easier for lessons to be earned at a young ages. As they say, "The cost of an unlearned lesson will always escalate with time." Better to learn a lesson the hard way, when the most lost is $5 or $10 rather than $10,000!

Honestly... there isn't enough room for me to write everything about this book! If you are a parent, or plan to be, then this book is for you! Also you can check out their website: http://www.americascheapestfamily.com


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Thanks to Thomas Nelson (Book Sneeze) for this review copy... my opinions are my own.

Book Review - Almost Amish

In the book, Almost Amish by Kathryn Cushman, two families find out what it would be like to live as Amish in today's society. Julie and her two children, along with Julie's sister-in-law Susan and her daughter, go to live in an old farm house and experience the simple life. It's all done for reality television, but what the two families learn is what is truly important and what is real. Julie also learns a lot about who she is as a person and what she really wants to be.

The premise of this book really interested me when I first got the opportunity to read it. So many times in my review book choices, I stick with authors and genres that I know I will enjoy. And very rarely am I disappointed. (Thus so many positive reviews!) :) This book was a little different for me. It really sums up the big interest in Amish fiction in the Christian fiction market. (I do enjoy a little of that myself!) I think so many of us yearn for a simpler life, but the important thing is to really figure out what is really REAL and the most important. Both the women in this book learned some of those things and made it a point to stand up for what they believed was right and best for their families. An great book that grabbed me from the start.

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Thank you to Bethany House for providing this review copy. My opinions are my own. :)

Thrifty finds!

Yes, once again... Mom and I went to our favorite thrift sale!! LOVE that place!! We actually went twice... the first day we went, our favorite building wasn't open yet. So... of course, we had to go back the next day! (And I'm glad we did... we had a lot more time to browse, and I got a chance to have a quick chat with bloggy friend, Shelly, and other good friends - the "J" family!)

First, a couple of finds from the first day... I collect Boyd's Bears Yesterday's Child figurines. Mark's mom is always finding them for great prices, but I rarely run across them! (It's great to have a mother-in-law with an eye for bargains!) I did find this one, and I love it! It's more fallish - I'm wanting to collect more seasonal figurines so I can rotate them. (I'm not into a whole lot of knick-knacks, these are the only ones I collect and there aren't many more I really like... love the vintageness of these pieces!)

So sweet! This one is "Waiting for Grandma." It reminds me of myself... when I was young. About this time every fall, my grandparents in Idaho were getting ready to make their annual trip down to Texas for a month long visit. They usually brought a truck full of apples from their farm to sell. Happy memories!

I also was thrilled to find me some real cowgirl boots!

Just a few scuffs, but almost brand new looking and for just a fraction of the cost!

Now on to Friday's shopping and our favorite building!!! We always find really good "treasures" in this building! I found a few books.... (Sigh.. me and books. I'm afraid it's hopeless... if there's anything I have more of than shoes, it's books!)

And how about those vintage covers on a couple of children's classics?!


A glass globe:

Can you have too many? So fun to put cute things under!

Some various and sundry things:


Aren't those vintage games great? I've been on the lookout for some classic games for a while. Not exactly sure what I'm going to do with them yet, maybe hang them in the family room - fun, non-breakable wall art! The puzzle is an annual holiday tradition with Mark's family, and we don't always have a "Christmasy" one to do. The set in the bottom left of the picture is a Scripture memorization curriculum as best I could tell... I haven't looked into it a whole lot, but for 25 cents, who could go wrong? :)

I found a few more games... some for me (maybe):


And some for our kiddos at church. We have a prize box that they earn points for (by being good, helping, and listening in "big" church, among other things...) Some of the kids said they didn't have games at home to play and wondered if we could put some in the box. Soo... I found a few for a fraction of the price new. I'm sure they will be excited to see them appear in the box! (Except for the "Bendaroos" that's for a fun, open-ended craft some night!)  :)

 

Seriously, Mom and I get the "itch" to shop this sale a few weeks before it opens yet again (They hold it in the spring and fall.) Love me some good thrifty finds! Anyone else found any good deals recently? :)