Dental Visit

Edward is not very excited about this adventure

At the Park

Photos from First Night Dinner

Saffina and Edward


Kalim (on left), Dennis (on right), Edward (back right)

Our Visitors Have Arrived

We are now hosting our 4th group of kids from the Ugandan Children's Choir. What a blessing!!
I picked them up on Sunday and the group of 10 kids were split up between four families to spend their vacation break week. The two chaperones are with a separate family so they can enjoy rest and relaxation for a whole week.
We have three boys with us, Kalim, Edward, and Dennis. They are a little older than the boys from previous choirs, but so much fun for our kids. They love basketball, soccer and of course...the Wii. They've had quite a competitive Wii FIFA Soccer Tournament going on.
This group of boys has specific dietary requests that we haven't had before. One boy doesn't eat meat, only fish and another loves potatoes and would prefer rice or potatoes with every meal. Previous choirs have been voracious eaters, but its taken me a bit more time (actually just one day) to figure out what these boys might like to eat.
Fortunately, I've discovered some wonderful Asian markets here and yesterday I took them to find something they might like. After wandering the produce section and the beginning of the meat section, they said, "Mum, this store is like Uganda!" We found jack fruit, which apparently they love, mangoes, pineapple, cassava, fresh tilapia, rock cod, and more. The tilapia was fresh and packed on ice. The boys picked out a fish then we had it cleaned and fried on the spot. After the frying they'd walk behind the cart enjoying the aroma. It was a BIG hit and we'll be going back for more fried tilapia this week.
After the good eats it was time to head to the dentist. I've met a friend here whose husband is a dentist. He offered his services to the kids free of charge. Because the kids have a lot of dental needs, he took care of the most pressing issue. Two of the boys had cavities that made it to the root of their teeth and one boy just had little cavities and received fillings like sealants.
The whole experience was a bit traumatizing for the boys. I think after the tilapia, they were pretty excited about this vacation week, but then came the dentist. Edward was the most concerned of all. I prayed with him prior to his dental work. I wish I had an interpreter with us to explain how important it was to take care of these issues. His most serious cavities were between his two front teeth. On one tooth the cavity had spread to the root. I know they may have some pain today.
I have major dentist anxiety and when I saw the sweetheart sitting on his clenched hands I knew how he felt. Because we went to the dentist's office after hours, we got home at about 8:00pm.
I quickly fried up the beef liver with onions and tomatoes for the boys. They love liver...not so much a favorite among anyone in our family. We also had fried cabbage with onions and rice. The two older boys were still a bit numb and didn't eat much dinner.
Let's hope for more enjoyable days for the boys while they're on vacation:)

A Job for Momma

I have a friend who is an ebay queen. She's sold thousands of items, is a single mom and supports her family. Needless to say, she's amazing!!!

We met recently while she was in town for her son's baseball tournament. We figured we hadn't seen each other in about six (much overdue) years. But, while talking, introducing the kids and walking down memory lane we realized we've known each other for about 17 years!! Wow time flies!!

Back in the day, she moved back to her hometown to help her grandma out with her antique business. I was a newlywed, unemployed, and had just started a side crafting/floral business to supplement the substitue teaching. Married in 1992 I had resigned from my full-time teaching position after getting married and moved to a new town.

When looking for businesses to display my creations, I came across Lynn's grandma's antique store. Lynn was enthusiastic, encouraging and welcomed my wares. She's got a great business mind and to be quite honest, I think she's got a HUGE heart and wanted to help out a big-brown-eyed newlywed.

Thus began our friendship. A few months later we purchased our first home and Lynn's mom was our mortgage lender. A month or so after that I took a flying leap into the real estate business and soon became Lynn's Realtor. And that's how it all began.

I can confidently say, thinking back on the MANY clients I had over 11 years of selling real estate, Lynn was probably one of the most loyal and encouraging.

About 10 years ago, when ebay was just getting started, Lynn, having the great business mind that she does, expanded her grandma's business to the international world of ebay. She was able to sell so many of her grandma's antiques for a greater profit through ebay. I remember her repeatedly telling me I should sell on ebay. Over the years, I've sold many things, but just a couple here and there.

Fast forward to the present...Lynn and I met a couple weeks ago and just being around her is so encouraging. Her enthusiasm for ebay is infectious! I've been trying to think of ways to make a couple $$ to help buy some extras, pay for field trips, or treat myself to a new outfit now and then and the ebay thing seems to be the vehicle with which I can do it. And I can do it from home around our schedule.

So...I've opened an ebay store and am focusing on books (what I know) and/or cds. I may put on a few other things now and then, but books are easy to store and easy to ship.

Wish me blessing on this venture. The kids and I are trying to save for a trip to the east coast to culminate our year-long study of Colonial Life and I'd like to take them to Washington DC. I've never been and they're eager to see our country's capitol.

So, here's to Ebay!!

The Big Day Has Arrived!!

After many months of waiting and planning, today's the day I pick up a few Ugandan kids who will be staying with us for the next week. They are members of the Ugandan Children's Choir and most, if not all, are orphans. This has been our way of responding to the Biblical command to serve and care for the (widows &) orphans. And to be completely honest, I think we've been more blessed through this opportunity than any of the kids we've met.
This will be the fourth group of kids we've hosted and it's been an amazing adventure getting to know them. We cannot even comprehend what kind of life experiences they've already endured in their 10 (or so) years, but yet they are filled with joy and compassion for others. The smiles on their faces and the joy they exude shout to the world that Jesus is alive, He saves, He restores, and He has a plan for each of our lives. It's just absolutely AWESOME!!
We will have three boys staying with us. Here is how they are described to us through an email...
-Kalimu is our oldest boy, does not eat breakfast unless potatoes are involved, is a hilarious and respectful young man.
-Edward does not eat meat, except for fish, or anything that meat has touched. He is shy at first, but so warm and so loving.
-Denis is our youngest boy (by a few years), and as a result sometimes acts out to get attention, but you will also see how loving and grateful he is to you.
Good thing Momma here likes to cook a variety of meals. Looks like I'll be buying lots of potatoes and fish. My mom would love the menu!! Fried potatoes for breakfast and fish for the rest of the meals.
Time to get the room ready for them. I'll post photos as we take them.
Pray for safe travel as I head out about an hour drive to pick up six of the kids and deliver them to their host families, and prayer for a smooth, fun-filled week!

Some Dreams Must Be Abandoned

Surrendered

When God (Holy Spirit) places something so strongly on your heart at what point to you agree to follow where He may lead? I don't know the answer to this question. For a few years I've been led to ask God to open a door in an area that seems like a hopeless dream. I've tried to smother, deny, and convince myself that I've "heard" wrong. But it doesn't go away.

Pursuing this prompting will not make life easier, but I'm willing to endure any hardships that come. Isn't that what following the Holy Spirit means? We deny our Self and pursue a life that He desires for us.
Tonight at church our pastor asked if anyone has had a calling to a ministry to please stand for prayer. His sermon was on Luke and how Jesus called ordinary people to serve Him. The world is full of ordinary people being used or called by God. Before I knew it I was standing with tears streaming down my face. I really sensed God is not done with the calling He placed on my heart many years ago. Following the prayer we sang Consuming Fire. The words are...

"There must be more than this,

O Breath of God come breath within

There must be more than this,

Spirit of God we wait for you

Fill us anew we pray

Fill us anew we pray

Consuming Fire fan into flame

A passion for your name

Spirit of God

Fall in this place

Lord have your way

Have your way with us

Come like a rushing wind

Clothe us with power from up on High

Come set the captives free

Leave us abandoned to your praise

Lord let your Glory fall...

For those of you who know my heart, pray with me on this. I am content to continue life like it is. But I desiring to be obedient to the Holy Spirit. My passion is to have everyday of my life Glorify Jesus...I'm surrendered.

"Bleeding Hearts of the World, UNITE" ~the grinch

When I was a kid one of my favorite stories was The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Anderson. I'm not sure a little kid can have a more morbid story to choose as a favorite, but I somehow connected with the story and had such compassion for the little girl who sat freezing, hungry, and ignored by those passing by. I wished someone would notice her, care for her and then at the end of the story she would survive. But instead she tries to warm herself lighting her only possession, matches, and dreams of a warm stove, food, Christmas and her deceased grandmother. She asks her grandmother to take her away from the miserable existence she was living in.

Now maybe there's another meaning to this story, but since I'm literal girl, all I can see is a freezing, hungry, little girl, on the street, being passed over by many adults who don't have the time or the compassion to offer her a warm shelter or a morsel of food.

This breaks my heart. Moreover, this happens day after day around our globe.

How can we as humans turn our backs or a blind-eye to the suffering of the little children? Are we cold-hearted? Where is our compassion? How can we look on the tragedy in Haiti and not have the Holy Spirit tug on our hearts? God's children are living in MISERABLE conditions. They are surrounded by death! That alone should prompt us to want to do something.

I read a Fox News report this morning by Adam Housley. He describes orphans living on a front lawn sheltered by only a tarp, with the dead around them. They have only a brown-gravy type porridge to eat. Such a sad description.

So, I may be a Bleeding Heart. I think the heart of God has a HUGE amount of compassion for these kids too. He tells us over and over again in His Word, as believers it is our RESPONSIBILITY to care for the widows and the orphans. I'm not sure what caring for the widows and orphans looks like in your life and to be quite honest I'm not sure what it looks like in my life. I know what I want it to look like, but I need to wait on the Holy Spirit.

So, I continue to wait, listen, and do what I can. For many it's donating money to a reputable charity. To some it may be offering time on a mission trip. To some it's adopting one of these little orphans and providing a true opportunity to experience the love of Jesus, sacrifice and family.

My prayer is that we don't just walk by the little one freezing on the street and turn away so as not to be bothered.

When It Rains It Pours

Yesterday we experienced something I never dreamed I'd experience outside of the midwestern states in America. A tornado touched down just miles from our home.

Prior to the tornado, normally sunny, southern California was wracked with strong, blowing winds, drenching rainfall, and dark, gray, dusk-like cloud cover. At noon it looked like evening. By 12:30 the torrential rain was dumping down in a side-ways fashion soaking any who dared to run through it.

The kids and I watched local television broadcasts alerting mobile-home residents to find more adequate shelter, which included huddling in a ditch. The kids were worried and I calmly reassured them, "All will be fine."

It rained. It poured. The wind howled. Lightning and thunder shook the sky. And then it cleared. The storm moved on and we were fine.

As the rain poured down yesterday, so did God's answers to months of prayer. They just kept coming down. I was surprised and overwhelmed and couldn't help but see the correlation between the rain and the answered prayer.

I've started a new Bible study, Discerning the Voice of God, by Priscilla Shirer and I realized last week that in my prayers to God I was praying like Habakkuk did in Habakkuk 1:2

"Oh Lord how long shall I cry for help, and you will not hear?"

Before our move my prayer was that God would provide opportunities to serve in our new church. I wasn't sure where He would direct my steps, but I was confident He had a plan.

Shortly after arriving here I began searching out where a need might be. I offered to volunteer for summer VBS. From this opportunity I met two WONDERFUL women who desired to have a woman's Bible study and a mentor. We formed a Bible study in the fall and meet weekly.

I still felt there was another opportunity for serving. So I set out again...I volunteered to serve in middle school ministry and marriage mentoring. In both areas it seemed as though I was hitting a wall. I didn't have the right reference letters. Our names and numbers lost in the shuffle. The meeting times didn't match our schedules. Emails never returned.

I felt dejected, rejected, lost in the shuffle, and just lost. I wasn't sure where I was supposed to fit into this new life at a new church in a new town.

And then pieces of a puzzle began to settle in. A friend who happened to move from our same, previous town down here began attending the same church. She is a precious younger mom with two darling children. This last fall she began attending a mom's group at the church.

During the Christmas holiday she asked me if I'd consider being a Mentor Mom at her table. This was not what I had applied for, but was God directing me to something I hadn't yet considered? I told her I'd pray about it and I'd ask my Hub and Mentor to pray along with me.

We prayed for a couple weeks.

I asked God if this is where He wanted me. I listened. What I heard back were affirmations of direction He'd been placing on my heart for the last couple years. Mentorship. Titus 2:3-5.

My Hub gave his blessing and I agreed to email the director of the program and fill out the Leadership Questionnaire.

Yesterday (Stormy Day) was our first Mentor Mom/Table Leader meeting. My heart was bursting with excitement. Sitting at the table with other Mentor Moms I felt such peace. I was greeted and included. I didn't feel like an outsider. I felt like a welcomed sister. After the meeting the Mentor Moms on each side of me asked if Hub and I would consider being Marriage Mentors. I thought, "Didn't I hit a wall with this one?"

Hmmm....my mind was pondering these mentoring opportunities.

Then when I got home and checked my email, there was a much delayed (2 months) email from the gal in charge of middle school ministry asking if I'd still like to volunteer in middle school and would I come for an interview.

Wow! How crazy is this?? For six months I've been wondering where God would like me to serve and in one day opportunities pour down!

Today as I look back at my attitude and my angst in waiting, I'm reminded that it's ALL in God's Timing! My prayer is that I' come to a place of more trust and faith relying on God for provision rather than on my own understanding. I want to be as Habakkuk at the end of his book:

"Though the fig tree should not blossom,

nor fruit be on the vines,

the produce of the olive fail

and the fields yield no food,

the flock be cut off from the fold

and there be no herd in the stalls,

yet I will rejoice in the Lord;

I will take joy in the God of my salvation.

God, the Lord, is my strength;

he makes my feet like the deer's;

he makes me tread on my high places.

Habakkuk 3:17-19"

Out of Balance

Life of luxury. Million dollar mortages. Streets lined with Lexus, Mercedes, BMW, Cadillac. Private schools. Spas. Gardeners. Nannies. Housekeepers. White sandy beaches. Botox. Plastic Surgery. Implants. Teeth whiteners. Cocktails. Pottery Barn. Neiman Marcus. Sushi. Stilettos. Doggie Daycare. Excess. This is where I live.
I live in a world where I feel like I don't belong. We have a scratched up Honda and a Ford pick-up. We prefer to eat at home. I clean my own house, make our food, and take care of the kids God blessed us with. I do my own laundry. I mostly wear tennis shoes and prefer sweats and t-shirts. I like to compost and try to find places to plant a seed of lettuce just to feel like I have a garden. I choose to homeschool our kids. We are really simple people living amongst so much prosperity.
Devastation. Hopelessness. Death. Tears. Urgency. Crumbling buildings. Shattered lives. Hunger. Thirst. Sanitation issues. Disease. Relief coming? So much tragedy. Surgery without anesthesia. Crime. Violence. Aftershocks. What does tomorrow hold? This is what I see on television and read from people who have been to Haiti.
I sit at home feeling helpless. I sense an urgency to do something, but what?? Pray.
Just Pray.

Things I've Learned Living in the O.C. #3- The Tooth Fairy

I'm sure I can stir up the big controversy whether parents should do the Tooth Fairy thing or not with this post, but that's an individual family thing. We happen to be visited by the Tooth Fairy at our house.
Little did I know how the cost of living in the O.C. affects the value of baby teeth.
Recently our little girlie lost one of her baby teeth. The night it fell out we had guests over. As they were leaving late that night, she announced, "My tooth fell out!!!"
She excitedly placed it in a baggie and wrote a note to the Tooth Fairy:

Dear Tooth Fairy

I Love You

and

God Loves You Too!

She placed the note and the baggie under her pillow and went to sleep.

DH and I were so exhausted we headed off to bed and also went to sleep.

The next morning as I was making my coffee our little princess glumly walked down the stairs, her little face was hanging on the step below her. I immediately went to her, hugged her and asked what was wrong. With big teary eyes she told me the Tooth Fairy hadn't come, and it was probably her note that blocked the tooth so she was missed.

My heart began to break for her. Such a sad face! I tried to reassure her that all was fine and that she would be taken care of. I went to my purse and grabbed all the change from my wallet. Kneeling down before my girlie, I offered her the coins from my purse.

She looked at me and with a quiet response said, "Mom, I don't want your money."

Let me say, at this point I'm feeling like the BIGGEST loser of the Universe. I can hear the mockers saying, "You shouldn't do the Tooth Fairy thing!!" I just couldn't believe we slept through the night without a thought of her little tooth and the precious, heartfelt, little note.

The Tooth Fairy was going to pay BIG for this bungle!

So that afternoon the Tooth Fairy appeared and left a whopping $5.00! That's the most ever paid at this house for a baby tooth.

When the discovery was made, there was celebration and amazement from our girlie and the boys. $5.00!!

I was feeling like the Tooth Fairy had made good on her mistake and all was good...or so I thought.

A couple days later, while playing with a friend they began comparing missing teeth. Our girlie proudly displayed her gap where her $5.00 baby tooth once was. She boasted of the $5.00 gift. Then her little friend replied, "$5.00??? I get $20.00 for mine!!"

TWENTY BUCKS!!! What??? For a baby tooth??? Let me figure that out...If kids lose 20 teeth, that's $400 per kid. That's $1200 for our family!! That's a big chunk of change.

So, there's one more thing I've learned living in the O.C. The Tooth Fairy pays according to the cost of living.

If you're from the PNW you're happy to receive fifty cents to a dollar. If you're from the O.C. you're probably guaranteed double digit dollars. Our poor kids...they'll continue to receive the pittance received in the PNW.

Home Economics Day- Learning to Sew

I'm drawing a blank for words today... I must have used all my creativity trying to teach the kids some sewing basics. The kids received a great little sewing calendar for Christmas. In it there are a number of sewing projects that are fairly simple with great directions. The first project is quilted coasters. We found some great fabrics at a local craft store. Here's our sewing day in photos...

Cupcake Pops

Last year a friend shared the Bakerella link with me. Bakerella makes amazing cupcake pops and other yummy looking desserts. It's inspiring just viewing her website. Our little girlie and I decided to try the cupcake pops. They are really easy, but a bit time consuming due to the chilling of the cake after baking and before decorating. It was great fun and a big hit with the kids!

Good Bye 2009...What's Ahead in 2010

Goal Setting. For most of our 17-year marriage my DH and I have sat down in January, usually at the local Starbuck's, with a laptop and a list of goals we hoped to accomplish in the upcoming year. Before we began our new list we retrieved the list from the previous year and evaluated what we achieved. We are a couple who tends to dream big so sometimes our goals remained unmet (like the years when I consecutively tried to read at least one adult book a month), but often times we reflected on great accomplishments.
Then after this time of reflection we would enthusiastically type up the coming year's lofty goals and discuss how we planned to help the other person reach his/her goals.
A couple years ago I became increasingly frustrated with this goal-setting event. Year after year, as I reflected on my previous year's goals I realized I accomplished very little, at least according to my list. Heck, I could not even manage to read a book a month! I would then begin to get down on myself and soon our Starbuck's trip would turn into a pity party/cry fest about how I can't manage to even reach the most mundane goals. Needless to say, DH was not particularly thrilled with where our productive goal setting meeting ended up.
DH would then reassure me that I do a lot, homeschool the kids, make meals, maintain the house, etc. but I wanted to live a life that screamed significance. I wanted to be someone who accomplished more than cleaning the house or teaching a kid to read. I wanted to save orphans, feed the hungry, write cookbooks, learn photography, and serve in ministry. I wanted to be a Martha Stewart, or a Bakerella, or a Beth Moore, or a Farm Chick, or a Dara Torres, or a Max Lange, or a...you get the picture. I now think it's my pride and ego that wanted to be all these things.
Well, this year after six months of slowing down (and reading a lot of books) and enjoying some peaceful living, I think I'm finally realizing I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. I can be a Martha Stewart for my little family, a Bakerella for my girlie and her friends, a Farm Chick in my little world, a Beth Moore in my prayer/Bible time, a Dara Torres in my jogs along the beach, and a Max Lange to our two beautiful sponsored children. But most importantly, the goal isn't doing these things to prove significance to anyone, but to be significant to those around me and to live a life doing what God wants me to do.
So this year's goals may seem smaller, but I think they'll be more significant. They'll be: To enjoy each day to the fullest. To live a healthy and happy life. To love on my husband and support him. To Cherish the three precious children we've been blessed with. To know my God tomorrow, more than I do today. And to live a life that brings Glory to God, and no one else, especially not me.

When It Rains...We Bake

watching the butter and sugar- looking for a fluffy consistency

carefully reading the recipe

mom, I've got it under control...thumbs up!

6 eggs!

beautiful batter

ready for the oven

finished

beautiful...Great Cake

A pouring-down, rainy kind of day is an excellent day to try out that recipe that's been on your "to try" list.

A couple weeks ago the kids and I went to Starbuck's for a little coffee treat. Standing in front of the baked goods display case our oldest son was trying to convince me that we should buy a slice of pound cake for him. Being the frugal mom that I am, I chimed, "Why buy it? You can make that!"

So yesterday was his day to create his own pound cake. We selected a recipe from Country Living GREAT CAKES. I purchased this book a couple years back when I attended The Farm Chicks Antique Show with a friend. My friend, owner of Summerland Style, had a display booth and I was blessed to be there with her.

GREAT CAKES is a Fabulous cookbook filled with classic cakes. If you're calorie concerned this is not the book for you. But if you want a flavorful, tried-and-true cake pick one from this book. Every year on our kids' birthdays I hand them the book and ask them to choose which one of the cakes they'd like me to make. It's a treat for all of us.

The editors from Country Living also attended The Farm Chicks Show and graciously signed my book. It's become one of my treasures.

Yesterday our boy made...

Spice Pound Cake

3 cups sifted cake flour

3/4 t. ground nutmeg

1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. baking powder

1/4 t. baking soda

1 c. butter (2 sticks), softened

2 c. granulated sugar

1 c. firmly packed brown sugar

6 large eggs

1 c. sour cream

Confectioners' sugar (optional)

Make the Batter: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 12-cup Bundt pan. Dust with flour and tap out the excess. Set aside. Combine the flour, nutmeg, salt, baking powder, and baking soda in a medium bowl. Set aside. Beat the butter and sugars in a large bowl with a mixer set on medium speed until light an d fluffy- about 5 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the flour mixture by thirds, alternating with the sour cream and ending with the dry ingredients, mixing just until the batter is smooth.

Bake the Cake: Pour the batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Bake until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean- about 1 hour 20 min. Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Use a knife to loosen the cake from the side of the pan and invert onto a wire rack to cool completely. Sprinkle the cake with confectioners' sugar, if desired.

Nutrition information per serving (makes about 14 servings) Protein: 6 g; Fat: 20 g; Carbohydrate: 77 g; Fiber: 3 g; Sodium: 259 g; Cholesterol: 132 mg; Calories: 499.

Luke

The kids like to dress him up. This is Luke in his special Volcom hat.
Just over two years ago a VERY special little cat walked into our lives.


At the time we lived out in the country where coyotes roam at night and cats live a life of risk and/or adventure if they stay out past dark. We had a precious orange tabby cat who was an indoor cat. But late in his life he decided he wanted to hunt for bugs and hang out on the deck. One day a terrible storm came rolling through and that was the last we saw of our orange tabby named Louis.


I combed the shelters put out ads, but no one had heard nor seen our 11+ year old tabby.


After about 2 weeks from his disappearance, I was startled by a skinny, malnourished orange tabby who peered at me through our kitchen window. Being the animal lover that I am I opened the back sliding door and in ran the fur covered bag of bones. He was so skinny and pitiful.


We still had Louis's food and water out in hopes that he would return. This vagrant cat speedily ran to the food and began devouring it.


The kids thought this cat was Louis, but I knew better. I was confident that this kitty was a gift from God. I so missed my orange tabby and since I don't believe in coincidence, the fact that an semi-identical orange tabby showed up at our doorstep, in the middle of country fields, just reminded me that God was looking out for us and this little kitty.


After a trip to the vet we learned that this guy, we now call Luke, was about 3-4 years old.


I put out ads and alerted local veterinary offices in case someone was looking for him, but never received a response.


Now this guy has been with us for just over 2 years. He's left the life of skinny, wandering cat. He's the most friendly cat I've ever met. Our neighbors love him. He's gone from wide-open spaces to the life in the O.C.


This morning as I was holding him I thought back on his last two years. What a change! He was found by a family who would love him. And I think he's got quite the life!