Happy New Year

May you enter 2011 with expectation and anticipation of great things.

May you set your sights high.

May you achieve your goals.

May your dreams come true.

May your prayers be fervent and bold.

May you enjoy every moment.

Blessings on this last evening of 2010, from our family to yours.

Merry Christmas

He made it here, too.

Twenty Seven Big Ones

To The Tune Of The Old Familiar Birthday Song...

Happy Birthday to meeeee

On December twenty-threeeeeee

I can't believe another month's done

Hope soon we'll be number one

Here's to 27 months of waiting...hopefully not too many more.

Construction Of An Annual House

Just like the picture on the package...

{ours just boasted a little more leftover halloween candy...or something}

There Was A Shepherd

Making

I have a hard time with Christmas. I can't pinpoint the year I started to feel this way but I know each year I find it increasingly challenging to stomach. Stepping into the eye opening experience of our current journey made a significant impact for sure. The feelings of unrest, however, were birthed long before that.

The birth of Christ and celebration thereof: glorious, miraculous, breathtaking.

The consumption by us regular folks: (slightly) sickening.

Truly, the highlights for me include enjoying the blessings of seeing others with less - receive!, family time, turkey, a time to slow down and just be.

I was given the gift of time to myself yesterday and again today for several hours and it was truly was lovely, productive, energizing.

I do genuinely find joy in giving, however. Receiving? Certainly not something I can't wait for. I find pleasure in abundance when receiving gifts that are usable and "needed" (a seriously relative word on this continent), than when accepting frivolous offerings. (This rarely happens around here.) But homemade goodness is just lovely to me and items of use are on the roll call.

Our stockings this year will take on the theme of consumable and usable. Because, who really wants more little things kicking around right? And treasures made from the heart, hands (little ones and bigger ones), and with time spent in care of creation - those, in my biased opinion are awesome.

My few hours alone this morning were spent on lip balm, laundry* powder**, and peppermint bark. (All found via this Mama. I love her.) Um, yum. Productivity is very high when there are two hands instead of six. And start to finish all this was done while two small boys played with the most wonderful of Nanas far far away from this kitchen in our home.

(turtles made two or three days ago...how there are any left is beyond me)

(yeah, trader joe's baby...eat your heart out...i did)

(i truly never anticipated christening the mortar and pestle on candy cane crushing)

This will be a merry, consumable, homemade, simply lovely Christmas.

{*lola, i missed you while shopping for these items at the garage yesterday. i took a moment and thought of you. i miss you my friend.}

{**tracy, our efforts were not in vain - there was seriously only one place to find all that was on our list that crazy sunday in october!...i am all the wiser now.}

Oh Christmas Tree

After setting the tree up we had a brief conversation about how it went. Ben mentioned that he used to think (romanticize?) about how putting up the tree would be an enjoyable, slow, afternoon-long activity. There would be cookies out on the coffee table (ignoring the fact that our dog should have been more appropriately named "Hoover"), hot coffee or chocolate in mugs, and giggles all around while Christmas music played softly in the background.

Our tree set up and decorating nowhere near resembles this.

And Ben quite happily said that he enjoyed the fact that getting 'er up and done in a half hour was perfect. I agree.

Life truly is different with kids, isn't it?

Misc

Not much new right now. Seasonal busyness in the form of tearing carpet out - and a failed day of new carpet instal.

What a gong show.

(this should brag of wonderful new, non-70's berber...not raw floor boards)

Sugar cookies.

(yes, from a package. no, they don't take 20 minutes...a solid 2 hr activity I tell ya')

(say "cheese" mama!)

(we each get our own?! wow, thank you, mama - I am such a fan of this gratitude of simple things)

(stitches healing...to be removed tomorrow)

A break from this space may be temporarily necessary. You don't need to know the nitty gritties of our little life adventures...wouldn't that be rather egocentric? Plus, you're likely makin' sugar and gingerbread cookies of your own. If something rather exciting does take place, I'll be sure to fill you in.

Otherwise, perhaps photos from time to time over the holiday season and these days of family.

Highs and Lows. Sugar and Stitches. Guardian Angels.

I should clarify. Thursday was just a fun day for the most part. It was topped off with a bi-monthly email highlighting a record number of referrals for the month, allowing us to bi-pass a certain decision that could have needed to be made, had there been a continued standstill. A lot of prayer and faith went into that one and we are so grateful for the outcome. Following that was the announcement of yet another referral movin' us on up. Proceeding that still, was the realization of the few prior to us who have the (exact) request mirroring ours. All good. All great, actually.

Another high included the initial use of a Happy Light, on loan from a good friend. Living in BC has it's many advantages but the continual gray ain't one of them. So, while no medical diagnoses was made (or needed), a certain BA in psychology coupled with a noticeable difference in mood was motivation enough to turn that bad boy on. After only a half week in, I'd say it's worth it's weight in gold.

After a memorable Christmas party Friday night, we (all) went to bed late anticipating a Saturday full of carpet removal. The day started out slowly with much coffee. After that we started to get to it...preparation more than anything.

I hopped in the shower and after a few minutes, the calling of my name by one male adult voice was enough to make my heart skip a beat and allow the maternal "oh no" instinct to take over.

It seems (without going in to detail as they really aren't necessary,) that one small boy had a run-in with a (yes, real metal) golf club...head first.

Suffice to say we have boys. Trips to the ER are inevitable. Accidents happen. And life goes on.

Not without six stitches though.

And I hope never to see my son's skull bone again...okay, what the nurse and I assumed to be his skull was, in fact the muscles which reside on top of the skull bone - we'll let the actual PhD be the voice on that one. Um, yuck - either way.

After an hour of checking in, questioning, vitals checks, more questions, a bit more waiting, some topical numbing cream, six games of "X and O" (he won - four to two - that only seemed fair), the doctor was ready. As brave as can be, he squeezed my hand when the needle punctured with freezing...several times. Then, face covered with only the wound visible, the Doc got to work. And the eldest little boy, exhausted from the night before and the events of the morning, fell asleep while his skull was being sutured.

And, as anticipated: he bounced right back.

The Kinder Surprise likely helped.

We returned home and were thankful as we looked at the location of the golf-club-wound. Any more south and there would have been major eye damage. Any more east (his) and it would have been temple-city. Either way, what was a painful wound could have been significantly more so. This, we do not take for granted.

And after lunch (yes, this all happened before noon,) carpet removal continued.

The end product result is going to look great. Bye bye 1979.

Repeatable

Without going into any detail, it would suffice to say today started out well...

included some fun...

endured a few hiccups...

and ended on some sort of unspeakably phenomenal high.

Do you think it would be possible to press repeat throughout tomorrow also?

It's Started

The making and baking of things Christmas-y.

Namely in the form of little men & odd shapes.

We often get the compliment (and yes, I'll toot my own horn here) of "wow, that's really great gingerbread". So now loyal, faithful friends, readers, and stalkers, I will let you in on two of my few little secrets.

First off, Mrs Fields and I are buds. Good buds. Especially this time of year. I'm not much into following recipes (baking or cooking), and we have but one or two cookie recipes we put on rotate around here. But at this time of year, her's is kick-butt, hands down, a great one for this.

Second, it's all in the ginger. I mean real, fresh (okay I grabbed mine from the freezer) grate-it-yourself ginger. Yes, freezing ginger root keeps it fresh, crisp and ready to use at any time. I believe mine's been in there for several weeks. Doesn't pick up any funky smells....uh, not that my freezer breeds funky smells. Doesn't shrivel up like your small child's hand after a long bath. Doesn't need to be wrapped up. And man that stuff is easy to grate when it's as hard as a rock. Yes! Skin on. Don't, please, don't ever take off the skin. Trust me on that one.

And for the love people - under bake. Always, always slightly under bake the gingerbread.

Okay, and one more thing: dump the cinnamon in. Measuring is simply a waste of time. You can never have enough cinnamon. You wouldn't believe me if I told how big my cinnamon container is. Trust me on that one, too.

Yeah, this is before any sugar.

In our house we find the use of the tongue many-fold. In this instance, it enables much accuracy when placing the cutter.

And yes, our gingerbread comes in the form of men, musical notes, trees...

...small stars, mini candy canes, tiny dog bones, hearts, bells and multiple other random shapes.

We made much. It was fun. It's all gone. (We had guests!) And we're all stoked to do it again.

But my little secret is the anticipation of gingerbread houses - now that's gonna be a great day.

How are you getting in the spirit of this season?

Timely

It seems timely that one year to the day, an article is posted about the ongoing investigation of the Imagine bankruptcy. November 30, 2009 it was confirmed that a sufficient number of families had coughed up sufficient funds to ensure a viable agency. One year ago. Wow.

The investigation is still ongoing...

Fraud probe continues into bankrupt Imagine Adoption

November 30, 2010

BY BRIAN CALDWELL, RECORD STAFF

CAMBRIDGE — Fraud investigators are still sifting through documents more than 16 months after an international adoption agency went bankrupt.

“I wish I could, but at this point in time I can’t commit to when we’re going to be completed the investigation,” said Staff Sgt. Dale Roe, head of the Waterloo Regional Police fraud branch. “We are making progress.”

The collapse of Imagine Adoption in July 2009 shocked more than 400 Canadian families hoping to adopt children from overseas, primarily Ethiopia.

Police began probing the Cambridge agency after allegations surfaced of six-figure salaries, leased luxury vehicles and more than $300,000 in suspect expenses charged by senior executives Susan and Rick Hayhow.

Included in the expenses were a horse and saddle, cosmetic dental surgery, trips to Disney World and New York City, and extensive renovations at the couple’s Cambridge house.

Roe said the “quite active” investigation involves one local officer and a member of the RCMP.

“It’s just a complex, long investigation and there is a lot of paperwork to go through,” he said.

In a court document used to obtain financial records for the non-profit agency, police alleged that credit cards were used for personal expenses, senior staff overpaid themselves and “excessive funds” were transferred to Ethiopia.

Susan Hayhow, the executive director, and Rick Hayhow, the chief financial officer, have not commented publicly since the Christian agency went bust.

The couple separated about four months before the bankruptcy. Rick Hayhow resigned and was given a year’s pay as severance without approval by the agency’s board of directors.

Two board members were alarmed after discovering the deal. They began scrutinizing the agency’s finances and went to police with their findings.

After months of turmoil, a majority of clients voted to salvage the agency with a new board and much smaller staff.

Families paid an extra $4,000 each – on top of previous fees of $15,000 or more – to put the agency on solid financial ground. Adoptions have since resumed.

Photo Friday

Another day of snow.

Another morning of fun.

Another bank of memories for the iphoto files.

Another couple referrals.

Another request for mega-prayer. (Yes, I think I will now officially hyphenate it. There are only a few before us with our exact request.)

A first USA Thanksgiving Supper. (It didn't disappoint.)

Another set of firsts...

{okay boys, you can only eat the snow if it's clean and no one has walked in it.

and only eat it if it's white}

{noah! noah did you know that snow turns in to water noah?! let's take some inside in our cups and then put it in tucker's water bowl for him okay, noah?!}

i seriously, seriously love these boys