Beautiful Example

Last night we had the privilege of attending a foster parent couple shower for our dear friends, John and Jenny. I had never been to a shower to celebrate the decision to become foster parents. They have worked so hard through the classes and training and preparing to get ready to welcome children into their home. They are such a beautiful couple and the children that get placed with them are going to be so blessed to have a wonderful example of loving parents. I look forward to witnessing them transform and impact these children's lives and watching their family grow....I am touched by their courage and generosity to open their hearts and home to children just waiting to find a family!! I hope someone took pictures last night because I forgot my camera and would love to have some!! But....of course there were lots of good friends to catch up with and like usual some yummy food!! I am posting the recipes of some things I brought and were a huge hit.....enjoy!!

Meringue Cookies
Chocolate Caramel Slice (a recipe from my friend in Australia that converted the measurements and ingredients for me...thanks Kate)
BBQ Glazed Homemade Meatballs....these were a HUGE HIT and very yummy.
Zippy Cranberry Appetizer
Apple Cider (I just buy apple cider and then in stock pot add numeg, cinnamon, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1 cup OJ, 1 TB butter, and mulling spices...so yummy)

St. Andrew (Christmas Novena) Starts Today

St. Andrew Novena

Hail and blessed be the hour and momentin which the Son of God was born of the most pure Virgin Mary,at midnight, in Bethlehem, in piercing cold.In that hour, vouchsafe, O my God!to hear my prayer and grant my desires (here is where you mention your request), through the merits of Our Saviour Jesus Christ,and of His Blessed Mother.

Amen.

(It is piously believed that whoever recites the above prayer fifteen times a dayfrom the feast of St. Andrew, on November 30th, until Christmas will obtain what is asked.)

[Imprimatur: +MICHAEL AUGUSTINE, Archbishop of New York, New York, February 6, 1897.]

Making our Thanksgiving Place Cards

For the past several years, I have always liked making personal place cards for our Thanksgiving table. This year, Angel helped and did a fabulous job making hand and finger turkeys...the perfect size hand for this project. She wasn't too sure about getting her hands dirty at first....my little clean queen!

Emma's gifts or Angel's new toys??

Emma's Birthday Party

On Monday we celebrated Emma's birthday with a spaghetti dinner (which she loved as long as it was ground up) and the most delicious cake....I have made it the Hartsell kid's traditional first birthday cake now...the super moist Chocolate Carrot Cake. Angel and I enjoyed making a poster and decorating the house with streamers for the party. Marmee and Poppy brought some balloons and we all had a fun time watching Emma (or Angel) open her gifts (including a piggy bank, beautiful engraved jewelry box, blocks and a dolly) and of course eat her birthday cake!! (video below) (although she was hesitant, making funny faces and just wanted to mush it more than eat it....she would rather have ice cream...which I gave her after she got messy!) Thanks to all for her gifts and birthday wishes!! (there are some funny pics in slide show including one of my dad with the new doll!!)

Off to Nationals in Daytona

Last weekend, we went down to Portland to watch my sister Caitlin play soccer for the first game off the National Tournament. It was a great game and she even had one shot on goal and three assists. They won 5-1 and get to head to Daytona, FL today to continue on their chance to win nationals. It was a little bittersweet because after about 10 years of watching her play soccer, this could have been the last time as she graduates in May. But we are hoping one day maybe she can coach her nieces. We stayed the night so we could have some time visiting and catching up with her and enjoyed hearing her give her testimony at church the net day for Christ the King. Way to go Caitlin and good luck in FL...wish we could be there!! Here are the STATS from the game and definitely READ THIS for the write up and a great pic and comment about Caitlin. And....if you are interested in following them in Nationals you can go to this NAIA site for game times and HERE to pay a fee to watch which games you want to on the computer.

(the slide show has some cute pics of the game)

Story Time

Our Angel Fairy

(thanks to her friend Lili in Australia)

The Bear Hunt

Angelica loves the book "We are going on a Bear hunt" and her Papa decided that they should go on their own personal bear hunt...all around the house....and....

......they did.....

...and they found one!!

Birthday Clips

Emma had a fun birthday...(sorry I know I am just getting around to posting things)...Since we were celebrating on Monday, we just enjoyed the day, let her open the cards that came in the mail, and had some ice cream with a candle of course!! Angel kept telling Emma all day "Happy Dirt-Day Emma honey!" So cute....and yes dirt-day is how she says birthday. Enjoy the clips...will post birthday party pics soon.

-They enjoyed some fun times playing in the tupperware drawer...like they do every day!!!

-This is Emma not really interested in opening cards, would rather play with the toys, but Angel decides to volunteer to open them and read them! I think she was confused why all the festivities were for Emma.-

-Finally got her to open a couple, even though Angel still wanted to read them herself!-

-And the ice cream birthday wishes!! With Angel blowing out the candle....of course!

Happy Birthday Sweet Emma!!

A year in pictures:

Hard to believe that this sweet girl is ONE today!! (at 3:24 pm to be exact!) In one year she has almost tripled her birth weight of 7 lbs 9 oz and definitely gotten longer from her original length of 19 inches. We will have updated stats next week when she goes for her one year check up. It is amazing to me how much they grow and change in one year and how much you can love an individual. There are so many things we have learned and love that make you you:
-how you love to snuggle to sleep
-how much you love nursing and call it "mum-mums"
-your little temper and strong spirit that shows when you want attention
-your sweet smiles and kisses
-how you hate wearing bibs
-how adventurous and how you have no fear and climb on everything
-how much you don't like changing your diaper or putting on clothes
-your funny words for things such as "bup" for up, "Gel-Ka" for Angelica, "Ni-Ni" for Night Night, "Mo" for More
-how much you love the water and your baths
-how you love birdies, string cheese, balls, and actually anything your big sister has
-how you love crawling up stairs
-how much you are already talking and SHRIEKING
...all the little quirks and things about your personality that make you are sweet, stubborn and special Baby Girl...well not so baby anymore!! Here are a few pics from today...Angel was a little jealous I gave Emma a balloon and said it was her birthday too!! We are going to celebrate with family on Monday so more to come!! We love you Emma Catherine and Happy Birthday! Saint Catherine of Siena, pray for her.

Prayers and Updates

First, we wanted to let everyone know that Jason has been back at the job and working a lot!!! First, we complain that we didn't have work at all....now that the strike is over and he is back they are so far behind that he hasn't had a day off in almost two weeks and coming home very late. So...we are trying not to complain now that we are working TOO much....thank you again for all the prayers and support during that time.

Wanted to update you on my mother-in-law, Mary Hartsell. She has successfully pulled through several rounds of chemo and is doing pretty well. She is very tired and weak during the week she gets the chemo treatment and the next week has a little more energy. She is working when she can but knows when to let herself rest. A couple weeks ago her hair was starting to thin so she decided to go ahead and have it. She wears synthetic wigs when she goes out and enjoys some hats when she is inside. She takes medicine and Pepcid to fight the nausea symptoms and has done alright with those side effects. She starts her weekly chemo and Herceptin treatment starting December 8th....so is a little anxious as to what side effects might change then. For those who don't know, I have been coordinating daily envelopes for her to open since she started treatment and hope to continue through her chemo. I label each envelope with the date and inside is a quote to think about that day, a picture to focus on and put in her chemo album I sent her....and then any card or gift or momento people have sent me to give to her. I made her a binder that she can keep all these support, prayers, and treasures in. She has greatly been touched by everyone's support, prayers and love especially those she doesn't even know. Thank you to all who have contributed and helped me in the endeavor. It is the only I feel we can "be with her" since we are across the country! We miss you Mom and are so proud of you!!

Just in case you didn't have a long enough prayer list....I have another special intention if you could please add. A friend of mine, Christina Campbell, has just been diagnosed with an aggressive type of breast cancer and will start chemo in December. She is only 34 and has 5 young kids at home so everyone was pretty shocked. She is an amazing, strong, devout and courageous woman and I know we will all support her through these upcoming challenging times. She and I were organizing the Martha Ministry together at church, which is a ministry that provides people meal support for different circumstances in their life. So....for all your locals out there....if you would like to help with meals for Christina...please contact me because we are trying to stock her freezer so she doesn't' have to worry about cooking for her family right now. And please.....just keep praying for her healthy and recovery!!

Fighting the Colds

Well, these little sweeties (yes we need some better matching leggings for these Hanna tops) are fighting their second cold of the season.....you know the lovely runny nose and cough stuff. Poor Angel keeps saying "me sick" and Emma has a hard time sleeping. Just curious if anyone has any good cold remedies that you use during the winter...we have tried all the usual stuff but hoping we can avoid more of them during this season. Up for any suggestions!!

Bunny Moods

Everything you wanted to know about me...

...because these are so profound and accurate, right? But they are fun....thanks Ellie....it was great seeing yours and I just had to try!! Enjoy!

You Are a Strawberry

You are friendly, outgoing, and well liked by many people. You are popular, but there's nothing you ordinary or average about you. You a very interesting person, and you have many facets to your personality. Sometimes you feel very conflicted. Your different sides of your personality pull at you. You are a very sensual and passionate person. You are fiery... you can't help it. In general, you keep your passionate side under wraps. You are only wild in private.

What Type of Fruit Are You?

You Are a Plain Bagel

You are hardworking, honest, and down to earth. You don't like surprises, and you need security to feel happy. Of all the types, you're the most likely to eat for comfort. You tend to have the same thing for breakfast every day. Why change what works?

What Kind of Bagel Are You?

You Are Corn Flakes

You are traditional and easy going. If something is high quality, you're satisfied with it. You don't need much variety or novelty in your life. You're happy with what you have. You're quite loyal. You're the type of person who eats the same breakfast every day... And likely at the exact same time each day!

What Kind of Cereal Are You?

You Are a Brownie

Decadent and intense, you aren't for the weakhearted. Those who can deal with your strong flavor find out how sweet you really are.

What Dessert Are You Most Like?

You Are A Chocolate Ice Cream Girl

Dramatic. Powerful. Flirty.

What Flavor Ice Cream Girl Are You?

You Are Apple Pie

You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional. You prefer things the way you've always known them. You'll admit that you're old fashioned, and you don't see anything wrong with that. Your tastes and preferences are classic. And classic never goes out of style. Those who like you crave security. People can rely on you to be true to yourself - and true to them. You're loyal, trustworthy, and comfortable in your own skin. And because of these qualities, you've definitely earned a lot of respect.

What Kind of Pie Are You?

You Will Not Be a Cool Parent

And that's pretty okay. While your kids may not think of you as a friend, they will respect you. You know that kids need discipline and structure, and you're not afraid to give it to them. Just be careful that your strictness doesn't lead to rebellion. It's good to have standards and rules, but you don't need to have an iron fist when enforcing them.

Would You Be a Cool Parent?

What Your Home Says About You

You come across as somewhat intellectual. You can be quite insightful at times. You have amazing hygiene, and it shows. You are sparkling clean! You are a very domestic person. You enjoy decorating, cooking, and making things homey. You are not a very nurturing person. You have enough trouble taking care of yourself. You don't feel settled in your life yet. You are scrambling to figure things out. You are a very self sufficient person. You can get along well without much help. Your friends see you as honest, humble, and responsible.

What Does Your Home Say About You?