Neglected...

This blog has been seriously neglected. I had all sorts of wonderful plans for the New Year and wonderful ideas that I wanted to blog about and so far nothing has come to fruition. So bear with me as we try to get organized, try to deal with a few issues that need to be dealt with and that seem to be taking up all of my time. Hopefully now that we have made a few changes to our schedule, things will settle down a bit.

In the meantime here are a few things that I am gratful for:

1. A New Year, a new start, a new beginning. I love the New Year!

2. New places to explore, a new city to add to the list of 'cities we have lived in'

3. No more 2 1/2 hour drives for me. I love that I am now only 10 min. away from work and that my wonderful hubby drives me and picks me up (we save on parking costs too)

4. My mom who celebrated her 60th birthday. I didn't even get a post up for her, but I will get something done for her..soon...

5. A new to us Heritage house (1910) to live in and call home for a stint. ;o) Although we have a lot of organizing to do, it is nice to have more space and two bathrooms!

6. Finding a new church and feeling like we are beginning to get connected.

7. Friends that care and pray for us.

8. Knowing that God loves me, even when I make mistakes, am not an easy person to 'love' and be around and don't spend enough time with Him.

9. Skyping with family and seeing my little nephew try adn take his first few crawls to get to us on the computer screen! So cute. My kids love seeing their Aunty, Uncle and cousins on the computer.

10. Hearing my littlest try and say the names of her family members.

Ech (Zech)
Annie (Auntie Mel)
Unc Ri (Uncle Cory)
Baba (Grandma)

Those are just a few...

11. Songs sung by little angels.

12. Questions like "Mommy what is your favourite instrument?" (this is what Zech asked me this morning as we drove to work--his by the way is a guitar and he is going to play the guitar and sing--I love this kid!)

13. Confirmation from my 4 year old about what the Bible says.

Zech: Mommy the Bible says that Jesus loves everyone. Mommy the Bible says that Jesus died on the cross to forgive us our sins and He is alive. Mommy the Bible says to obey my mommy and daddy (I love when he says that, now if only I could get him to put it into action a little more).

14. Kisses and hugs from my kids and hearing the words "I love You".

15. Patience, endurance and support from my husband.


On another note, we could really use your prayers for our little Princess. She has had a really bad rash all over her body for a couple of months now. At first we thought it was just exzema and we have tried medicated creams, Aveeno creams, Galaxal based creams, oils, using the humidifier, you name it, but it is getting worse. Now it has spread to her entire body. She is not comfortable and scratches these patches until they bleed. She will also bring the lotion and ask us to put it on. We are having her tested for allergies and we have also been referred to a dermatologist. So please pray that she will be healed and that we can find some answers.

And the Winner is....

I completely forgot until right now that I had a draw and announcement to make. Where is my head lately!

Thank you so much for your comments and for sharing who your role models are. I thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated everyone's comments.

This months Winners are:

1. Crystal
2. Casey

CONGRATULATIONS LADIES!! I will need your mailing addresses so that I can send you your lovely necklaces. I will be emailing you.

Next month I will be featuring some handmade items from a wonderful lady I met in Caronport. She just opened her Etsy shop and I am super excited to share with you the things that God is doing in her (and her families) life and where God is leading them too next.

Wonderful Wednesday

I am super excited for this month's giveaway. I have actually been trying to do this giveaway since I started in November. I had all sorts of problems with the company accepting international payments, but I must say that they have been so extremely forthright, honest and amazing at communicating with me and of now getting the product to me (thanks Gwen and Suzanne). So here we are with this month's giveaway which is really going towards helping raise awareness and financial means for two incredible organizations.

Up for grabs are two beaded necklaces made from recycled paper. The women in Uganda who make these necklaces roll the beads by hand, dip them in varnish and thread them onto the string. Prior to learning how to make these necklaces, most of these amazing women 'picked trash' or turned to prostitution to provide for their children.

I first learned about these necklaces through this first amazing blog/organization/young woman over at AMAZIMA. It is what has helped start an amazing personal journey for me, which is by no means even close to being completed, but has really changed my heart and challenged it. You see Katie is an amazing young woman (in her early twenties when she started) who has adopted 14 girls . Please check in and read her blog, her posts bring me to tears all of the time. Why has this woman and her God given mission affected me so much? So much can be said, but something that has really been on my heart lately is the whole idea of Role Models. Especially now that I have a little girl, I want there to be positive role models for my Princess. Not the role models who litter the media today, whom little girls go crazy over and they really have not done a thing to warrant such admiration by these young, naive, impressionable little ones. Not the fake, phony, plastic, money hungry, hollywood stars that are taking our young girls by storm, that our young girls aspire to be like. You see Katie is real, she is young, beautiful and most importantly she has left all, yes I said ALL the comforts of her native land, to pursue what SHE KNOWS GOD wants for her life. AMAZING! I can not believe how 'together' she is at such a young age. How she is taking on so many hardships, responsibilities and roles at such a young age. How honest and so completely real she is. I pray that my little princess can look to this amazing woman as a positive role model for her life and walk with the Lord.

The second organization is called 147 million orphans (their website is currently under construction, but do check back). Gwen and Suzanne are two families that are "following our calling in speaking up for those who do not have a voice". 147 million Orphans was created with a threefold purpose:

1. help feed children world-wide (50+%)
2. bring awareness to the orphan crisis,
3. assist adoptive families with fund-raising (100%) through the sale of original and handmade products.

So this is the organization that sells the beaded necklaces along with various other handmade products from Uganda to help both local African refugees and Ugandan woman.

I am so excited to be able to offer two necklaces. Yes that is right.... TWO lucky readers can win these beautiful necklaces (as you can see they are a big hit with even the littlest princess). Please leave a comment on my blog by next Wednesday evening (Jan.12). I want to know who your Role Model is and why?

I am reminded....

With Christmas only two days away, I am reminded as to why we really celebrate this incredible season.

I am reminded that because I haven't finished my 'baking', it really does not make a difference.

I am reminded that all of the things that I felt that I needed to accomplish to make this Christmas special are insignificant, it will be special because of the baby born in the lowly manger so many years ago.

I am reminded that our gingerbread house making expereince and the fact that it completely collapsed and broke into bits and pieces, will not put a damper on the true reason we celebrate. Besides it tasted really good and I got some great picutres before it collapsed! :o)

I am reminded that the imperfections on this year's Christmas cards and the fact that they are not the quality that I would have hoped, are not going to matter to the friends and family that we love and send them too (and if they do, I do not want to hear about it--lol).

I am reminded by a certain 4 year old, who is anxioulsy awaiting our Saviour's birthday and has been practicing singing 'Happy Birthday to Jesus' for the whole month of December.....yes this is the true reason we celebrate.

I am reminded by an 18 month old, who is trying so hard to keep up with her brother and sing the words that he is singing and shares in all of the excitement that he has, although she probably does not quite understand why yet, she will in the seasons to come and I look forward to teaching her the true meaning of CHRISTmas.

I am reminded by the amazing generosity of some anonymous Santas ( in Calgary) that we are so incredibly blessed, that God really does look after us and provide for us and that God has blessed us with some incredible brothers and sisters that love us, support us and pray for us, encourage us and bless us. We were brought to tears.

I am reminded that even though this Christmas will be financially tight for us, we are so incredibly blessed in comparison to the rest of the world. This site puts things into perspective and makes me realize that I do need to continue give and that we are so blessed in comparison. Check it out and see how 'rich' you are in comparison to the rest of the world. http://www.globalrichlist.com/

I am reminded as packages come in from our loved ones, that even though we are far away and will be not spending the holidays with them, we are still thought of and so are they.

I am reminded that I have an amazing husband who loves me, knows me, encourages me, prays for me and puts up with me (even when i am feeling extremely stressed, grumpy and tired). Love you honey! Not to mention all of the hard work he has done to get us moved, prepare the house for company and look after the kids.

Most importantly I am reminded that "God loves the world so much that he gave his only Son" - John 3:16

And when I watch this video I AM REMINDED about the incredible gift Jesus is and how much he really loves me, us, the whole world!
http://www.godtube.com/watch/?v=GD6PNNNX

I hope you too are reminded of the incredible, magical, true meaning of this season.

And the Winner is.....

Thanks for the comments ladies. I actually put both of your names in a hat and still drew the old fashioned way (no picture this time though).

The Winner is...... HEATHER!!!


Congrats and I have your contact information, so I will take care of everything.

I am SUPER excited for next months Giveaway. I have been trying to get them for a few months now and I finally just got confirmation from the company on Wednesday that they are in the mail and being shipped out as we speak. YAY!! So check back on January 5th, for the next Wonderful Wednesday Giveaway.

GrEightful

I can't believe it is December already! I have always loved Christmas, but have been finding it really hard this year to do all of the things that I want to do. Most importantly I want it to be memorable, exciting and Christ centered for the kids. I don't have the time or energy like I had last year and I am feeling like I am letting the kids down. We are trying to do some fun things and baking, and most importantly we are really trying to ensure that we focus on the incredible gift of His birth. So with that I will focus on all of the things I do have to be grateful for!

1. Safe travels on the roads.

2. A wonderful group in Calgary that we can Skype in with, that loves us, that puts up with us, that knows us and most importantly prays for us, encourages us and uplifts us! We love these guys!

3. Memorizing Bible Verses. They are so awesome at it!

4. Singing Christmas carols with my little ones. Hearing their voices trying to sing along makes my heart sing!

5. My wonderful, amazing husband whom I love and cherish more than words could ever say!

6. An amazing weekend with visits from some friends of ours that we have not seen for 6 years. We met them in Korea and they just moved 3 hours north of us. We had such a great weekend with them and it was like we just picked up right where we left off.

7. Our first time leaving the kids with a babysitter. Even though we were very close, it was so nice to get out and enjoy some alone time, and adult talk that was un-interrupted!

8. A new beef stew recipe that was a big hit!

Wonderful Wednesday

It is time for another Wonderful Wednesday giveaway!!!! YAY!

First, I just want to congratulate Melanie (my dear sis) on winning the first giveaway. She actually matched the gift, so thank you Mel!!

Second, the original plan I had for this giveaway kind of fell through. I have been trying to get it completed for a couple of months now, but they are having problems with their international orders. Hopefully this will be resolved soon. I was pretty excited about it and have been eagerly awaiting for them to arrive. So we will wait.....

This month's giveaway is very special and dear to our hearts none the less. It is an organization that I first got involved with when I was single, freshly out of University and trying to make ends meet. I am surprised that I even considered it, as I was pretty shallow, and self centered during that time and couldn't really see beyond myself. It has been a true blessing in my life even at that time and continues to be a blessing in our lives as a family.


So this Month's giveaway is from Compassion Canada. My first Sponsor child is a little boy named Narongsak, from Thailand. I have been sponsoring him for over 6 years now. It is amazing to see how much he has grown and developed and the difference that sponsorship has made in his life. After we were married, John and I sponsored a couple more kids. We have Yari from the Dominican and Anthony from Guatemala. I even try and write my letters to them in Spanish. They know that they are my teachers right now! :o)

Now that Zech is older we really try and ensure that he is involved and that we show him their pictures and we pray for them every single night. I love what it is teaching him. I know that this is something that is going to be a part of our family for years to come. I won't lie though, it has been a bit of a struggle writing our compassion kids. We have tried to have compassion nights once a month, where we sit down as a family and write letters, draw pictures, etc. That hasn't worked so well lately, but I will keep trying and hopefully we can get some sort of scheduled writing and communication going. One great thing about Compassion is that you can now write them online and even upload pictures. They also have special paper gifts (paper activities that they can do) you can send your sponsor kids free.

If you haven't heard about Sponsorship, or have thought about it, but have never really known where or how, check out Compassion Canada. It is a $41 dollar a month commitment and it really does make such a huge difference to the life of a child and their family in developing nations. My cousin Heidi shared about how she sponsors a child and what an awesome experience it has been for her and her family. I know of a lot of people who are sponsoring a child and have talked about the blessing it has brought to their lives, not to mention the impact that it is having on the child's life.

So for this month, Compassion also has a gift catalogue. I have picked out a few gifts that I would love to give one of you. So please pick one gift from the list and leave me a comment telling me which gift you would choose and why. Also let me know if you are involved in Sponsoring and what the experience has been like for you.

1. Education Supplies - $30

Around the world, 104 million primary school-aged children don’t go to school. This gift can help provide children with the school fees, uniforms, books and other resources they need to get an education.

2. Kits for New Mums - $40

Babies need healthy moms to thrive. This gift can help provide a new mother with the resources she needs to raise a healthy baby, including health check-ups before and after the birth, vaccinations for her newborn, and education to prevent the transmission of HIV.

3. Baking Supplies - 2@$20.00 each

Giving kids the training, resources and facilities they need to become employed or entrepreneurial adults is a recipe for success! This gift can help older children learn vocational training skills like making pastries and baked goods to generate income once they leave school.


The comments will be open until next Wednesday, December 8th. I will announce the winner on Thursday, December 9th.

Thanks!