Waiting...

I love watching this squirrel behind our house, he's always busy!

 

Waiting is always hard, especially for impatient people like me.  Usually when you are waiting you have an end in sight- like when you are waiting for your wedding, you can count down the days, when you are waiting to give birth, you can count down the months and you know you won't be pregnant forever!, when you are waiting for Christmas, you know it is always on December 25th, and so on.  But waiting to adopt is a whole different story.  I realized today we have spent 44 months waiting to adopt in our lives so far.  Waiting to adopt is so difficult because that phone call telling you of your new child can come at any moment.  You have no idea how long you will be waiting, and you have absolutely no control over how long you will be waiting.  It's pretty much torture.  I don't know how many sighs have escaped my lips while we've been waiting to adopt, but it has been a lot.  I saw this cute Family Circus cartoon on facebook today-

 

 

When you adopt, there isn't any physical pain, no pregnancy sickness or contractions, but there definitely is labor of the heart.  And, having experienced both, I would say that adopting is a lot more painful than giving birth.  But the reward is great!  It's a good opportunity to learn to trust God and his sovereign control over each situation.

 

Wait for the LORD;

be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD.

Psalm 27:14



November is Going

 

November comes and November goes,

With the last red berries and the first white snows.

 

 

With night coming early, and dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket and frost by the gate.

 

The fires burn and the kettles sing,

and earth sinks to rest until next spring.

 

~Clyde Watson~

 

Isn't this a cute poem?  Thanks for sharing it, Sandi!

 

 

Crochet Stars

Here's a cute and easy crochet pattern to use this Christmas!  I found this on pinterest, here are the original instructions, although it's an older post and none of her pictures are showing anymore.

I have had fun making these stars in a variety of ways.  First I made a single star ornament with regular worsted yarn and a size G hook.

Then I crocheted several and tied them together to make a garland.  This is a silly picture of SJ but you can see the garland in the background. (:

Another idea is to use crochet thread and make a small string of stars for the tree.  These are really cute and if you were really ambitious a long string of them would be really fun.  (Did I use too many really's in that sentence???)

 

I enjoy fast and easy crochet patterns and this one fits the bill!  Hope you all have a great week- we have had someone sick at our house for 8 days straight now... tis the season!

Christmas Village

 

About 10 years ago I started collecting pieces of our Christmas village, and now it's quite a busy place!  Putting up the village is one of my favorite parts of decorating for Christmas.

 

 

I love how the light shines through the windows, especially in the evening.

 

The kids love looking at it too, it looks like a fun place to live!

 

So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee

to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David,...

While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born.

Luke 2:4,6

 

This is the village we had when I was growing up.

It's a lot simpler, huh?  In fact, I think all of Christmas

was a lot simpler back then, or maybe it just seems that way.

We do tend to over complicate life!

 

I love Christmas memories, I can't stand to get rid of any

of our Christmas decorations, no matter how out-of-date

they are!  They stay in the boxes and I look at them each

year even if I don't put them all up.  I hope our children

have equally good memories of Christmas when they are grown!

 

 

Sorry this picture is so blurry- I can't hold still enough

 in low light and neither can they! (:

 

Love your Neighbor

 

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture,

"Love your neighbor as yourself,"

you are doing right.

James 2:8

 

"God knows the tendency of the pious to use preoccupation

with Him as an excuse to ignore people. The 'I'm too busy

looking up to look out' kind of mentality doesn't hold water

with Jesus.  He'd just as soon pour that water from a

pitcher and wash somebody's feet." 

~Beth Moore, in James, Mercy Triumphs

Our Thanksgiving Table

 

Well, the Thanksgiving food has all been enjoyed (except dessert- we'll have

that later!) and the guys are all relaxing and watching football, so I have a little

time to share our Thanksgiving table with you-

 

I got these Pilgrim and Indian placecard holders at a yard sale

this summer, they were a fun addition to our table this year.

 

Our kids each pick which red transferware plate they want to use

for the holiday meals, and LA always picks this one.

 

This gravy boat is the first piece of red transferware I ever had.

 

Ready to eat- the kids had to endure a few pictures first!

 

I'm so thankful for my family!!

 

Give thanks to the LORD,

call on his name;

make known among the nations

what he has done.

1 Chronicles 16:8

 

I'm joining Tablescape Thursday, where there are lots of fun tables to see!

Baking up a Storm

The oven is working overtime today at our house!

This morning we made apple pie, pumpkin pie, and berry crisp.

 

 

Whenever I peel apples little people show up

to eat the peelings!

 

 

SJ had to help me roll out the pie dough.  He's so funny!

 

Now this afternoon I have to make cranberry bread and cranberry jello.

Everything else will have to wait for tomorrow!

 

We're going to start a new tradition this year.  I thought it

would be fun to keep track of what we were thankful for

from year to year, and decided to write it down in this notebook.

We're going to start with the youngest, and each list three

things with no repeats, so we don't end up with God,

family, and friends over and over. (:

 

 

He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me,

and he prepares the way so that I may

show him the salvation of God.

Psalm 50:23

 

I'm joining Sandi for her Home Party today.