Sunday, November 30, 2008

And So It Begins -






Advent, that is.  The start of the Christmas season for us.  The reason why we celebrate this season.  The time of preparing - not of buying, or cleaning, or cooking, or partying.  But the time of waiting and preparing our hearts that Lord Jesus might claim us anew and set us on fire for Him.  

And so as afternoon light wanes, I set aside the wish lists, the cookbooks, the craft blogs, the worries and gather the candles.  Some slightly warped from summer's heat, in different colors with mismatched holders but all with a wick waiting for the Light to come and shine from them.  

I gather my Bible, the devotion ideas,  my prayer journal and turn my thoughts on to the One who gives me life, blesses me and calls me every day.  I will sit with His word awhile and then enter the season, preparing my heart and my home for His coming.  I will wait patiently, calling on His name,  knowing that He may come at any hour, preparing to meet Him.   

And my heart fills with calm as the music swells and the light shines brightly.  

"Come thou long expected Jesus,
Born to set your people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in thee."
(Charles Wesley, 1707-88)


Isaiah 60: 1 - 3

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, 
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and His glory appears over you. 
Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn."
(New International Version)


Saturday, November 29, 2008

30 Days of Autumn Ends

Day 30

The lake is freezing over and so my photo journey through Autumn 2008 ends.  
Thank you for following the season with me!

Friday, November 28, 2008

30 Days of Autumn

Day 29


The days are way shorter now but the sunsets still are beautiful!  And there's still no snow or cold weather.  One of the ski hills in the city opened tonight - the latest opening date in 25 years!!

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Creating

We are more than halfway through Design Your Life now and I am so very happy that I decided to take this class.  I love all the layouts I've made and I feel like I have way better ideas about how to achieve great layouts.  Hopefully I can do this on my own after the class is over!  Here is my week 7 'Stand Out' work. 


Sketch #1 - Emphasis - "Germany" - I am SO happy with this!



Sketch #2 - Make a 4X6 photo standout - "Walking In Awe"
Pictures taken during our walk through Fern Canyon in northern California.

The Real Life Color challenge came from the kuler.adobe.com website - "rich and cool with a touch of orange-y goodness."

Thanks for looking!


Wednesday, November 26, 2008

Coming Soon


to our family will be grandchild #4!!!!!!!!!!



Melinda and Tyler are going to have a new baby sometime next May and we are absolutely delighted!  We pray that God's plan for this new little family will develop in His perfect image and that Mama will rejoice as her body performs its miracles.  It's going to be so much fun for all these cousins to grow up together.  We can hardly wait to see them - only 26 more sleeps until they come home for Christmas!!!!!

And I am trying to figure out how I can manoeuver a monthly flight to New York City, beginning next June :))))  In my dreams!!

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Ten on Tuesday

1. The weather here continues to be mild and relatively warm, especially for late November. Sometimes we have temperatures of -20 degrees Celsius, howling winds and a foot of snow by now. Loved that I could go to Airdrie and back and not have to worry about winter driving conditions.

2. It's great to talk to Melinda whenever we want, now that they have an unlimited North American calling plan.

3. Fabricland is becoming my favourite store!! The colors, patterns and textures of fabric are so inspiring. My sewing machine needs to log some serious sewing time in the next couple of weeks in order to finish my list of gifts.

4. I'm missing Helayna's little voice calling "Gramma, Gramma, Gramma" already - and I've only been gone for 6 hours!

5. I made Heather all 3 of the recipes we've done at cooking classes - and I think I successfully replicated them. They were so delicious and will be added to my regular recipe repertoire.

6.  Only 30 days until  Christmas!!  

7.  On that note, I did a little shopping tonight on my way home.  A little chocolate, a few clothes, toys and games - definitely getting things crossed off my list.

8.  From my reading today:
             80% of the land in Ukraine is arable
             25% of the population makes a living in agriculture
              5 millions small plot owners (average 3.5 acres) farm 38.8 million acres
             Canadian extension services provide consultation, training courses and field days
I've always been interested in this country and would love to visit  someday.  Another travel destination to add to my wish list :))

9.  For inspiration this week:

Check Kim Hughes at Paper Hugs for beautiful cards.

Her Space, My Space, His Space has a challenge using a daily word to inspire photography.

Karina is the author of Gluten Free Goddess, a source for delicious new recipes that don't use flour or wheat products.

10.  I have decided that I am a list maker!!  Have you noticed that about my blog? !!!

Monday, November 24, 2008

Simple Daybook #18




For Today... November 24, 2008



Outside my Window
... Helayna and I watched the sun come up but the chinook arch is keeping the bright sunlight hidden right now, temperature is +7 degrees Celsius

I am thinking... about all the things I should do around the house to help Heather before I leave for home tomorrow

I am thankful for... God listening to my fervent prayers

From the kitchen... Mexican Chicken with Green Mole' - from our cooking class

I am wearing... black jeans, green corduroy shirt, and slippers

I am reading... "November of the Heart" by LaVeryle Spencer

I am hoping... to get to the post office today

I am hearing... Helayna's Nursery Rhymes CD and her little voice singing :Humpty Dumpty"

I am creating... some gifts with my sewing machine

Around the house ... not sure what's happening at home - I'm thinking there are dirty dishes on the counter! Here at Heather's, we continue to run the washer and dryer non-stop, have floors to mop and bathrooms to wipe down.


One of my favorite things
... talking to Silas and watching him try to respond with cooing and smiling

A few plans for the rest of the week.... heading home tomorrow, subbing later this week and Bible study on Friday night

A picture thought I'd like to share with you . . . . . . . . . . . .



Helayna has this little Strawberry Shortcake book memorized and was reading to her brother last night - so, so sweet!!

Be sure to visit The Simple Woman to see what's up with the other participants!

Sunday, November 23, 2008

Grandkids

In the space of 2 days, I've got to hang out with all 3 of our grandchildren - life is good!!!



Meadow was all about driving her car to Edmonton for shopping on Friday. Panda and Bear were coming along in the car seat but there was no end of trouble with her car tires, according to her. Finally she decided to go to Wetaskiwin to buy winter tires! The imagination of a child is truly amazing!!




This little one is staying awake for longer periods, loves to listen to his mommy talk and smiles at her already! His toys are starting to interest him too.




Helayna and I are having all sorts of fun playing, reading, singing, cooking, shopping - and tomorrow, going for a haircut!!

Friday, November 21, 2008

Thanksliving

This week I am grateful for:

1. Supper, a game and a visit with good friends. This has been long overdue and was thoroughly enjoyable. We made a resolution to not wait so long to repeat it!

2. Email - so easy to communicate these days!

3. Candles burning bright, warming the house with their glow and reminding me of the One who lights my way.

4. A very cozy down-filled jacket, especially when the wind was howling here today.

5. Lower gas prices - nearly half of what they were this summer - what a difference this makes when we live in the country.

6. Morning devotions with my husband and messages that speak straight to our hearts and our circumstances.

7. Colourful fabrics, inviting me to cut and stitch and create with them.

8. Good food, hot and flavourful, abundant and varied - I know that I am blessed indeed.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Creating

Week #6 in Design Your Life with Cathy Zielske at Big Picture Scrapbooking was about unity. I am so happy with these layouts!!



Sketch #1 - Unity on one page - "Dresses After 50 Years" - I flipped the sketch to highlight our daughters wearing my mom's wedding dress and the bridesmaid's dress at the 50th anniversary. I love the black and white scheme.




Sketch #2 - Unity across the divide - "Celebrating 60 Years"




Sketch #3 - Real Life Colour - use green, orange and purple - but I skipped the purple. I love double sided papers - both patterns are from the same sheet of paper!

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Ten on Tuesday

1. Busy in the kitchen today with meatballs, shortribs. teriyaki stirfry, fresh bread and some cookies. ! I'm making a couple of meals to share, somethings for holiday entertaining and supper.

2. Feels like such a treat to have a day at home! I am so lucky to be at this space in my life!

3. Made the season's first batch of Poppycock (using my secret heritage recipe) today and a part of it is going to take a little trip east :))

4. The kitchen table is heaped with fabric, patterns and pinking shears as I'm trying to get serious about Christmas creating.

5. Love that I can get magazines from the library now!! Just finished reading Country Woman and Better Homes and Gardens.

6. Working on collecting some thoughts and stories for Jessica Sprague's Stories In Hand class. She shared pages and pages of prompts for gathering memories and my brain is working overtime!

7. Compassion International has a cool calendar available to remind us of the children of the world. I love the work that is being done to release children from poverty in Jesus' name and I love this project that would be such a cool reminder everyday.

8. For the first time in my life, I bought a 10 kg (22 lb.) bag of brown rice. The 2 kg bag was $6.29 and the 10 kg bag was $20.49 - so that was a pretty easy decision and a nice savings of +$10.

9. Seriously, there is so much inspiration around for making Christmas gifts! Here are a few online recommendations:

If you like quilting and bright colours, go and visit Laurie at The Wooden Spool

Sew, Mama, Sew is in the middle of sharing tons of ideas for crafting and sewing. Today it's gifts for college students.

Elise has a handmade holiday going on and is making some cool wreaths that would be great for kids to do. I think some could even be made with your class at school - or your grandkids :))

The tiny shoes for little ones and the hand stitching is exquisite over at Tiny Happy. Just makes me want to find my embroidery yarn and hoop!

Have fun looking and please let me know what you create!

10. We seem to be settling into winter weekend mode with our movie watching - our Bible study group watched this on Friday night. It has an important message about prayer and trusting God and I needed the reminder!



We even had a movie concession going with popcorn, coke and pepsi, licorice and chocolate bars!!

Monday, November 17, 2008

Simple Daybook #17



For Today... November 17, 2008

Outside my Window... a grey, cold day with scattered flurries this morning, which turned into rain but then stopped altogether

I am thinking... about the visit I had with my friend over supper tonight

I am thankful for... lovely phone calls from our soon-to-be daughter-in-law

From the kitchen... spaghetti with tomato sauce

I am wearing... brown cargo pants, brown thermal tshirt, cream quilted vest and brown Sketchers

I am reading... the December issue of Canadian Geographic Travel magazine (from the library)

I am hoping... to have a day at home tomorrow and clear roads for driving on the weekend

I am hearing... Josh Groban singing Christmas carols on his NOEL album - I love this CD!!

I am creating... week #7 layouts for Design Your Life and a December Daily album, inspired by Ali Edwards

Around the house ... all's neat and tidy after we hosted our Bible study group on Friday night - love having everything done before the weekend and then being able to do fun stuff

One of my favorite things... reading stories with Meadow and Helayna

A few plans for the rest of the week.... Christmas sewing, batch of poppycock, buns to bake, 1.5 days of subbing (including a fieldtrip), play date with Meadow, cooking class, supper and open mike night at the Eco Cafe', trip to Airdrie - it's a busy, busy week!!

A picture thought I'd like to share with you . . . . . . . . . . . .



Along the roadside in central Brazil - just 1 year ago we were busy planning to go on this trip

Be sure to visit The Simple Woman to read more and let her know if you've decided to participate.

Sunday, November 16, 2008

801!!

This marks the 801st post on my blog!! Wow!!
And to use Karen Russell's idea:

2 years

800 posts

trips to China - Taiwan - Hong Kong, Europe, and Brazil-Argentina

2218 views

20 - 30 visits daily

regular visits from Poland, England, and Australia (thanks, guys!)

surprising visits from Brazil, India, Indonesia and Hawaii (thanks for finding me!)

Thank-you to Melinda and Heather for encouraging me to start. Originally I did it so that as a family we'd know more about the day to day happenings, thoughts and pictures each of us had. It's still about that but it's definitely grown to be so much more.

I never dreamt back in May of 2006, when I first started, that I would grow to enjoy this so much and develop such an amazing number of friendships with other bloggers. I am constantly amazed at the wisdom, encouragement, inspiration and faith that is shared by these online friends. I have so much to learn from their writing and living.

This online journal has become a great place for me to document life, travel and family events. One of my goals is to someday collect all of my posts into a book. I wish I had something like that from my grandmothers so maybe one day it will be enjoyed by our grandchildren. They'll definitely see enough of themselves in the book :))

Here's my very first post and here's the first picture I posted. And here are the first posts of our granddaughters, Meadow and Helayna! It was amazing to look back!

Thank you to all of you who come by to see what's up. I am so, so grateful for your encouragement and your interest. Sometimes I wonder if I really have anything to share but life is really about the small, seemingly unimportant moments that blend together to make a lifetime, isn't it? Remember I'd love to know you were here so please, please click on 'comments' and leave me a little message! I found a few questions from my blog-iversary that still need to be answered so watch for that later this week.

I hope your week is a reflection of God's love!

30 Days of Autumn

Day 28



The view from our door, out across a resting landscape, waiting for a blanket of snow

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Creating

Here are my layouts for week #5 in Design Your Life with Cathy Zielske.



Sketch #1 - "MacBook" - grouping elements on a self-containing mat, create a photo essay.

I used stamps to create a visual frame and wrote about my laptop, an everyday thing in my life.




Assignment #2 -"In the Month of September, We . . . "

I love how these 4 little pictures capture 4 big moments in our month. I think it would be cool to make a layout a month using this sketch.




And a second one using the same principles, "In the Month of September, I . . . "




Assignment #3 - less Is more - "Jars" - a journaller's layout, in Cathy's words.

Thursday, November 13, 2008

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Tuesday, November 11, 2008

Ten on Tuesday

1. Today is Remembrance Day in Canada - a time to honour those who have served our country in war and in peacekeeping around the world. We attended the local service at the high school this morning where this poem was sung by the choir.




IN FLANDERS FIELDS

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch, be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

(Poem and picture from the website of Veterans Affairs Canada)

2. Bob's parents celebrated their 64th wedding anniversary yesterday! Wow - that's a long time together!! We are so blessed by their love and presence in our lives.

3. One of my life goals is to visit some of the battlefields of Europe, to see where the Canadian troops fought and where so many are buried.

4. I baked the yummiest "Pear Pie with Cheese Crumble" yesterday! I found the recipe in the bottom of my cookbook drawer on the weekend, in a column by Judy Schulz at the Edmonton Journal, October 15, 1985! Nothing like saving a recipe for a long time before trying it! I'll definitely make it again - it was so good! Who knows what other treasures lie buried in that drawer!!!

5. There are 33,618 "Krueger's" in the United States and Crystal is the 198th most popular first name in the US. Oh, the trivia you can find on the internet :))

6. It's fun listening and watching as Darrin and Kelsey set up their wedding registry at The Bay. Only 4 1/2 months now until their wedding!

7. Morning Glory, who was hosting Alphabet Soup, is taking a break from blogging so I'm not sure if I'll continue with that little project.

8. Have you seen the movie "Outbreak"? Dustin Hoffman plays a virologist in this suspense movie about the outbreak of a deadly African virus in an American community. It's very dramatic and had me on the edge of my seat a few times! It's full of big name actors and was released in 1995. We hardly watch any movies or ever go to the theatre but Bob and I had a home movie night on the weekend.

9. This week's blog pick is Sandra over at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom and Full Bellies, Happy Kids. You are sure to find some great recipes and menu ideas when you visit.

10. I love this picture of Naomi sitting patiently while Helayna brushed her hair and Meadow cuddled with her "Mommy 'Omi" - her favourite term of endearment!

Monday, November 10, 2008

Simple Daybook #16




For Today... November 10, 2008

Outside my Window... a bleak and grey autumn day, temperature of +2 Celsius and some wind moving the boughs of the spruce trees

I am thinking... about Tyler and his first day at the hospital in Brooklyn - praying that it is a good one for him as he has lots to absorb in orientation and praying for Melinda, who is unpacking and setting up their home

I am thankful for... an afternoon visit with my sister and a little time to create some cards together

From the kitchen... Sopa Azteca (Tortilla Soup), fresh bread and a pear crumble

I am wearing... jeans, a grey school shirt, green fleece jacket and slippers (Can you tell the weather is cooler?!)

I am reading... The Power of Simple Prayer by Joyce Meyer

I am hoping... to be very productive with my sewing machine this week

I am hearing... the soundtrack from the Broadway musical "Rent". My favourite song is "525,600 MInutes" and the line "how do you measure the worth of a man".

I am creating... week #6 layouts for Design Your Life and a binder for Stories In Hand with Jessica Sprague

Around the house ... dealing with some 'clutter clusters' in our bedroom, writing a long overdue letter and mailing a few pictures here and there, packing a little care package to send to New York City

One of my favorite things... the voices of our granddaughters on the telephone

A few plans for the rest of the week.... making the season's first batch of Poppycock tomorrow, Remembrance Day service at the high school, lunch at the local Chinese restaurant, lots of sewing, 2 days of subbing in junior and senior high school - at 2 schools I don't know very well!, Bible study movie night at our house on Friday

A picture thought I'd like to share with you . . . . . . . . . . . .



Empty and quiet, the world is resting and waiting - I rest and wait on God's goodness and His timing too

Be sure to visit The Simple Woman to read more and let her know if you've decided to participate.

Sunday, November 09, 2008

If Only . . .

- nachos and cheese had zero calories

- we could have all our kids home for Sunday suppers

- my sister and I could create and visit together every Saturday afternoon (like we did yesterday)

- the dishes, especially pots and pans, miraculously washed themselves

- airfare, fuel surcharges and airport taxes didn't add up to more than an arm and a leg

- universal healthcare was available around the globe

- I had 2 hours everyday to read

- Adobe Photoshop engraved itself into my memory

- I could host a blog party at my house and invite all my online friends to attend

- I could sit a spell with my grandmothers and hear some of their stories

- there were a Starbuck's within walking distance

- I could get together for a scrapbook weekend with my 3 girls

- I had learned to speak German from my parents

- I could make a living scrapbooking!

- our bedroom had a fireplace, wall-to-wall bookshelves and a rocking chair

- we could visit our Compassion-sponsored child in Brazil

- wishing made it so!!

As inspired by Karen Glen in this month's issue of Simple Scrapbooks - what would be on your list?

Saturday, November 08, 2008

Thursday, November 06, 2008

Creating

Here are my layouts for week #4 in Design Your Life with Cathy Zielske. I'm finding all kinds of interesting pictures to use these days!



Assignment #1 - Use repetition - I found these pictures of the quilt that Heather made for Naomi and Jerry's wedding gift and they were perfect with the ' remember' journalling block that Cathy provided!




I found another set of older pictures so I created another LO, repeating the elements. This one details a fishing trip Darrin and Bob took in 2001.




Assignment #2 - create a mini-album about those you love, using the same format for each 8 X 8 page




And a few more pages - I photographed them 4 at a time




Real World Color - "Happy Camper" - use earth tones - brown, gold, rust, green - as inspired by a new restaurant in Cathy's hometown

30 Days of Autumn

Autumn - the empty branches, frosty mornings, need a warm jacket kind - continues to linger here so I continue to share images of these last days until I reach the magic "30".

Day 24



"Along the Path" - How much have I left on my pathway through life? Has there been any beauty or is it broken, stepped on pieces?

Wednesday, November 05, 2008

Cooking Classes

Just half an hour away from us is a wonderful little restauranat called the Eco Cafe' which specializes in regional cuisine using locally grown products. We have several favourites on their menu! The owner is teaching cooking classes at a local school so Naomi and I are going to learn and try some new tastes.



Tim previously taught in the culinary arts program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and was a successful restauranteur in Edmonton. He has travelled extensively and it's really interesting to hear him talk about his adventures.



Wild Pacific Salmon with Roasted Red Pepper Pesto on Pasta and Autumn Salad with Mango Vinaigrette - it was just as delicious as it looks!!

And this week he prepared authentic Mexican dishes (after spending 2 weeks there on vacation last month) like Tortilla Soup (Sopa Azteca), Chicken in Green Mole, and Mexican Empanadas with Pork Picadillo. I forgot to take my camera but please take my word - it was scrumptious. And Bob came along this week too!! Maybe I can get him to be the sous-chef :))

Tuesday, November 04, 2008

Twelve on Tuesday

1. Please read about day 2 with the Compassion Bloggers on their trip to the Dominican Republic. The stories, pictures and hope are absolutely amazing!



2. So it's finally election day in the USA! What a process and what an expense to get a new leader!

3. The weather is cooling off and a bit of snow is predicted for later this week. So not ready for this season but the garden is put to rest and we are nearly winterized outside.

4. Melinda and Tyler have safely arrived in Brooklyn, New York City and are getting living arrangements sorted out. Please pray that they will find a home that is safe, affordable and meets all of their needs (like furnished!).

5. Go and visit SouleMama to see how you can help with this cool new project she has started. Such a simple thing that can make a big difference - very appropriate as we start to gear up our giving for Christmas.



6. Did you know that you can use crushed flavoured rooiboos tea as a spice when making cookies or muffins?! I am so going to try this!

7. Remembrance Day is one week away and we are starting to see lots of red poppies on lapels. The grade ones made poppies and we put them together on the bulletin board to make a giant wreath today at school.

8. Still adjusting to the end of daylight saving time - and darkness at 5:30 p.m.! And not liking it very much!

9. I think Meadow and I are going to do some print painting tomorrow using a potato and some orange paint :))

10. Silas is two months old today - where has the time gone?!! He has grown so much and is getting so strong too. I feel so blessed to have seen him nearly every week. This is why I left my full time job!



11. To answer the question about my banner: it's a picture taken at the EcoLodge in the Amazon Jungle that we stayed at last winter during our trip to Brazil and Argentina. Ahhhh - it was marvelous - just thinking about it makes me smile!

12. Just about forgot! Today's alphabet soup with Morning Glory is brought to you by the letter "H".



Harvest - such a good feeling when "all is safely gathered in"

Homemade - cooking, baking, sewing, crafts - so much goodness made with love

Hair - I have lots, although it needs help in the color department these days- and I don't have too many bad hair days

Health - a blessing indeed

Hotdogs roasted over a campfire on a summer camping trip

Help - coming from so many in so many ways

Heather and Helayna - two very special people who bring smiles and joy to our lives

Hymns - old favourites and new arrangements too

Hot cross buns - a yearly treat around Eastertime

It seems I think of more to put on my lists every week!! Life is good :))

Monday, November 03, 2008

Compassion in the Dominican Republic

You can see Keely Scott's pictures from the first day of the trip. Wow!!!

Simple Daybook #15




For Today... November 3, 2008

Outside my Window... a warm (+15 degrees Celsius) and sunny fall day - the leaves are gone, the grass is brown and growing things are definitely in rest mode

I am thinking... about Melinda and Tyler navigating their way in to Brooklyn, New York City today - and praying that it will all go just fine

I am thankful for... for days at home to catch up on paperwork and house chores

From the kitchen... Honey Whole Wheat Buns, chicken stir-fry on rice, and maybe some fresh baked cookies

I am wearing... black warmup pants, green golf shirt, runners

I am reading... Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (about halfway through)

I am hoping... the snow stays far north of here - the weatherman says it's supposed to snow tomorrow

I am hearing... Celine Dion singing "It's All Coming Back to Me Now"

I am creating... week #5 mini-album layouts in Design Your Life class- so fun!!

Around the house and yard ... rototill the garden(finally), fresh sheets on the bed, sparkling bathrooms, now on to the kitchen

One of my favorite things... fresh chocolate chip cookies, still warm from the oven

A few plans for the rest of the week.... printing some pictures at Costco, subbing in grade 1 and grade 7 this week, playday with Meadow, cooking class and a delivery to the accountant (so glad to be rid of this project!)

A picture thought I'd like to share with you . . . . . . . . . . . .



"Buddies"

If you'd like to join in or read more, please visit Peggy at The Simple Woman!

30 Days of Autumn

Day 23

Sunday, November 02, 2008

Please Watch, Pray and Consider

with me this week as Compassion International leads a bloggers tour to the Dominican Republic. Compassion International is a Christian child development organization dedicated to releasing children from poverty in Jesus name.

You can follow the trip here here or you can go and visit:

Mary at Owlhaven
Melanie at Big Mama
Tim from Challies.com and his son
Jennifer from 5MinutesforMom
Marlboro Man, Ree's husband at Pioneer Woman and their 2 daughters
And the trip leaders:
Brian Seay
Shaun Groves

Here is what Compassion says about this trip: “Known for its resort-speckled beaches, there’s another side to this Caribbean nation unknown to most vacationers. Our bloggers will visit a city dump where families scavenge for food and clothing. They’ll tour a neighborhood where drugs are trafficked and children live beside open sewers. And bloggers will also see firsthand how Compassion International and child sponsors are bringing hope to children living in these places by releasing them from poverty in Jesus’ name.”

Please consider if you might be able sponsor a child this week. The support you give with your financial contribution ($35 monthly) and your letters to your sponsored child will change a family's life. And it really is offering hope when life seems hopeless. I pray that your heart will be moved this week.

Saturday, November 01, 2008

Helping

This little one had fun emptying the box, gathering up all the green papers and putting the oranges in her basket - all while still in her pyjamas!









She is a great helper - no matter what the task is she wants to be right in the action!