Some total randomness...

I'm feeling very scatterbrained this morning so this post will most likely express that. Just a warning.

This is my friend Carmen's farm. I love Carmen. She's one of those special friends that always makes me feel so welcome in her home. She pays attention to the small things, the details, and always makes me feel so special when I visit (which is as often as I can!)

Yesterday, I stopped to get eggs and she had chocolate muffins ready for me to take too. Be still my heart ~ chocolate muffins with chocolate chips in them. They were super yummy.


And she doesn't seem to mind drop-ins either. You know, when I stop in unannounced or last-minute. She's the kind of friend I can do that with. I think everyone needs a friend like that! And I'm pretty sure she knows that I don't mind when she drops in unexpected!

I love their driveway. It's tree-lined, and I've always wanted to have a tree-lined driveway!




Oh, and look at these trees. They're almost completely bare. I noticed that for the first time coming home from town yesterday.

Oh, and this is something I've always loved. This fence-lined portion of our road is about 1/4 of a mile from our home. I love this stretch. There's just something about a white fence that makes my heart pitter-patter.

We had some fall fun yesterday afternoon. Lots of leaves to jump in. The girls had lots of fun.

You may have noticed Ian's absence in the "fall fun" pics. I fear my little boy is growing up. He would rather build with his Star Wars legos than jump in the leaves with his sister and cousin. Sigh.

Then Lily found a tiny little worm. And she was enthralled. She named it Wormy, of course. She wanted to bring it in the house and give it a warm bed to sleep in. She's very caring like that.

This morning, Lily and I are heading to my mom's with our aprons. We're making hollibchu. What is hollibchu, you may ask? Well, it is simply the Ukrainian version of cabbage rolls (and so much better than ANY other cabbage roll I've ever tasted.) My grandma's recipe, and it was probably her mom's recipe before that. So that makes it extra special. A recipe passed down through the generations. We have a few of those around here.

Did I ever tell you that I'm Ukrainian? That makes having Sergei here even more exciting! If only I had retained more from the language lessons my grandparents gave me when I was young!

Well, I best be going. We've got a busy day planned today!

Have a blessed weekend!

Giveaway Winner & A Cozy Day

We were up before it was light. I was so excited to find out who was going to be blessed with "A Life That Says Welcome."

I got my little yellowware bowl and filled it with all of the names ~ 44 to be exact.

Here's my helper making sure the names are all mixed up.

Pick a name, Lily!

Drum roll, please...

And the winner is...

Cris - I sent you an email to the email address that you left in your comment. Congratulations!

Moving on...

This past Saturday was rainy and cool. Perfect day for baking bread. So that's what we did.

We got started before the sun had completely risen. I like to start bread first thing in the morning since it is a long process.

(That little bouquet of wildflowers was picked by Lily. She loves to pick flowers for me to put on the kitchen windowsill.)

Then I lit my pumpkin spice candle. There's just something so warm and cozy about a yummy-smelling candle this time of year.

Here's my little helper after donning her apron. She loves to wear aprons! I think it's just so cute. I feel so blessed to be able to share these opportunities with her.

Here she is hard at work, kneading the bread...

And here's the finished product. Boy, were these rolls yummy. I found the recipe for them at Farming on Faith.

We also made a huge pot of chicken and rice soup while the bread was rising. Lily helped with that too. She used her Pampered Chef knife

I can't remember the exact name of this knife. Maybe safety cutter? I have two, one for each of my kids. There's no way they can cut themselves with it, but it still manages to cut food. This is another one of those products that I love because it allows for my kids to participate in food preparation without me having to worry about their safety.

And I was able to put to use some of the inspiration I've gleamed from "A Life That Says Welcome" on Saturday as well. Some of our youth were painting at the parsonage getting it ready for our new pastor and his family. The parsonage is just down the street from our house, so I invited them all up at the last minute for BBQ pork sandwiches on the homemade rolls.

I had exactly one hour from the time I invited them until when they were to arrive. And I had to be on schedule because they were all going to the "silver ring thing" conference at 6pm. My first reaction was to panic. But I gained my composure and focused on what I had learned in the book, and I pulled it off - BBQ pork on homemade rolls, ranch-flavored fried potatoes, and garden corn which I had frozen at the end of summer. I also had the huge pot of soup to serve as well.

And you know what? We had a good time. And they were so appreciative because they were planning on just grabbing bags of potato chips to eat on the way to the conference.

And I don't share this story to give myself a pat on the back. Rather, I share it because of something that I learned in the book. So many times, we hesitate to show hospitality because we're worried that our house isn't clean enough, the food isn't good or gourmet enough, or it's just not the right time.

But really what matters most, is that our guests feel the love of Christ while they're at our homes. That's what really makes them feel at home. Showing how much we care for them by opening up our homes and ourselves to serve them.

Giveaway Reminder

This is just a reminder that today is the last day to enter for the chance to win an autographed copy of Karen Ehman's book "A Life That Says Welcome." For a review of the book you can go here. To enter your name into the giveaway, go here.

Giveaway ends tonight at midnight. I will randomly draw a name tomorrow morning and post the results sometime during the day tomorrow!

Have a blessed day!

What's Been Going On Here...

I've hinted around that we've been up to something around here. And you may wonder what the picture in my sidebar titled "Sergei" is all about.

Well, my lovely readers, it is with great excitement that I tell you all that our family will be hosting a 13 year-old orphan from Ukraine over Christmas this year. His name is Sergei. He will be arriving on American soil mid-December and will be staying 6-8 weeks.

Brad and I are so excited and feel so blessed that God has given us this opportunity to minister to Sergei. And I'm sure that we will be blessed by him as well. We don't know a whole lot about Sergei other than what the interview team learned when they met him in August, but here is what we do know:

* He was one of the interview team's favorite boys.

* Sergei deeply desires to be adopted. He really wants siblings, especially a younger brother.

* He wants to help his new forever mom.

* His favorite animals are rabbits and otters.

* He loves to read.

* If he were president for a day, he would create programs to help the elderly.

* He lived with his grandparents before coming to the orphanage.

I also ask for prayer for us and for Sergei. Please pray for the following things:

1. That God would prepare our hearts and Sergei's heart and we would have a smooth transition.

2. That God would provide the money needed to bring Sergei here.

3. That God would direct us and make His will known regarding the potential adoption of Sergei.


As many of you know, Brad and I have been in the adoption process for the last year. We were devastated last February when we found out that the boy we were going to adopt from Korea had a life-threatening illness and we could not adopt him.


Over the last six months, Brad and I have gone through the healing process and have seen how God worked everything out for Jin (the little boy that we considered ours.) Now we feel that God is telling us it's time to move on, and we're ready. So please pray that God would bring the child(ren) into our lives that He would have for us. And if that's Sergei, pray that God would reveal that to us.


Thanks for all your prayers!

Reminiscing...

The weather here was absolutely beautiful yesterday. Ian's been sick with the H1N1 virus since last week. So we decided to get a little bit of fresh air since he was feeling a little better and it was so warm and sunny. So we hopped on the quad and took a little ride around the family property.

And sitting in the midst of the old family farmland, is my grandparent's old farm house. It has been unoccupied for the last eleven or so years and it has definitely seen better days. But without fail, when I look at this very old structure, my mind goes back. Back to my elementary and teen years. Back to when I spent hours upon hours inside the warmth of this home. Back to family dinners at the holidays when all the family came back to gather together.

It never fails, my mind goes back. And it often saddens me to see the state of the place now. I had always dreamt of living in this house when I married. Of fixing it up and adding a big huge porch onto the front where I could sit out on my rocking chair! I even went as far as designing how I would remodel the inside.

Even to this day, I still wish that that big old farmhouse was ours. The inside of the house held so much character - the big crown molding, the fireplaces, the mural that my Papa had painted on the ceiling of the dining area. Every door had big thick, detailed trim. The windows were long and tall.

And so as we rode past the farmhouse today, I couldn't help but stop and let my mind go back. Freely. As I peeked into the windows, I saw myself sitting at the dining room table eating salami and onion sandwiches with my Papa and helping my Gammy make pascha. I saw myself in the informal living room surrounded by my family while my Gammy handed out Christmas gifts and my Papa very carefully cut the tape on his gifts so the wrapping paper could be spared.

I saw myself running down the field from the bus stop and running into the side door of the house, where my Gammy waited for me and my sisters. I saw us climbing the big old chestnut tree that was perfect for climbing because of all its low thick branches.

I saw the mountain laurel plants that were always so beautiful to me and my Papa's roses right outside the side door. I saw myself sitting on the front porch on the old metal glider rocker with my Gammy. I saw my husband, who was then just my boyfriend, helping my Papa fix the brick under the steps leading up to the front entrance.

I saw myself climbing the stairs to the upstairs on the many nights I stayed over while my mom was out of town for work. I saw myself sitting on the living room floor in front of my Gammy while she braided my hair.

Oh, the memories. And I just wanted to capture some of them despite the peeling paint and dirty glass. I just wanted to take a picture of the beauty that maybe is visible only to me. And I reminded myself how wonderful it was to have these warm memories of all that lived on in that big old farm house. But it is just that. A house. An earthly, temporary dwelling. And I'm reminded of that now as I look at its dilapidated state. God has given me these beautiful memories, and they will live on.

And this kind of reminds me of life. How easy it is to get caught up in the earthly things. How many times have I obsessed over something transient, something that could be burnt up and gone tomorrow? And this reminds me that I must make it my goal to focus my eyes toward Heavenly things - the things that will last eternally. The things that really matter in the eyes of my Father.

And so it does sadden me that the old family farmhouse has seen better days, but the state of the house does not affect eternity. What's more important is the family that filled the rooms of the house. And the many wonderful memories that we all made together, and that each of us still holds within our hearts. And these memories made at this home, will bind us together forever.

A Spectacular Giveaway!

Ladies ~ You are not going to believe this. I have so enjoyed and learned so much from Karen Ehman's book, A Life That Says Welcome, that I did something a little crazy this morning.





Well, let me just say that I've wanted to buy an extra copy to give away here on my blog, but money's tight because of our water well situation and because we're saving money to host a Ukranian orphan this Christmas (more on that to come). So I could not bring myself to spend the money. But it was bugging me because I knew how good this book was and how it could really impact and inspire so many women out there.


So here's the crazy part ~ I wrote an email to Karen Ehman this morning. And I asked her if she would consider donating a copy of her book for me to give away on my blog. And. she. said. yes. Oh, goodness, what a sweetheart! And she's even going to sign it for the winner! Yay!


Ladies, I am so excited about this giveaway because this book is awesome! I wouldn't have emailed Karen and begged on my hands & knees for an extra copy if I really didn't think so, would I? No, I'm not the begging type, girls. So rest assured, this is good!


So here's what you gotta do. Simply leave a comment on this post. If you do not have a blog, you must leave an email address so I can contact you and get your mailing address if you win. If you'd like another entry, please post about my giveaway on your blog and link directly back to this post on my blog. And then let me know that you did so by leaving another comment on this post. And if you want to use the picture on your post, feel free to copy it!


Okay, ladies. I'm dancing in my seat right now. Now, go visit Karen and let her know what a sweetheart she is!


Oh, the giveaway is open until midnight Monday, October 26th and the winner will randomly drawn on Tuesday. Sorry, but due to shipping costs, this giveaway is only open to those in the States.


p.s. - It's time for any lurkers to come out of hiding! Oh, and all my friends that I know read my blog but never comment (you know who you are) ~ make sure you comment on this post so you have a chance to win!

*Note* Please see my previous post from today for a more detailed description of Karen's book.

A Great Hospitality Book...

I love reading books on the topic of hospitality. Probably because I LOVE providing hospitality. However, I will admit that sometimes I get so wrapped up in trying to impress that I tend to forget the Biblical reason for why I'm to show hospitality.




That's where this book comes in. This book has both convicted me and inspired me greatly! This book offers some wonderful tips on offering hospitality from a Biblical perspective.


I've included some of the chapter titles just so you can get a taste of what this book is about:


Family First
Cleaning and Clutter, Dustballs and Dirt
The Myth of the Too Small House
Decorating on a Shoestring
Sure, Stay for Supper!
Hospitality on the Road
And more!


I'm definitely not getting paid for this little advertisement, but I know a good book when I read one! And I definitely think this is an excellent book to provide a well-rounded approach to Biblical hospitality. I've definitely been motivated, and I think that it can be a big help to other Christian women out there. That's why I'm sharing it!


Here's an excerpt from the back cover of the book: "A Life That Says Welcome helps you make others feel refreshed, rather than impressed, in your presence." Sigh. That's what I want. I want my presence to make others comfortable and refreshed.


Go here to see the book and reviews. A Life That Says Welcome - by Karen Ehman

My Kids...