Just a quick note...

...while kiddos are tidying up, waiting to watch the Little House movie on my laptop. Wow! Life is busy with two little mobile people!

Our little red-headed peanut's name is Natalie and she is pleasant and funny and has the silliest laugh we've ever heard. We are all enjoying her and I know it will be a sad day when she is no longer staying with us. Chase and Natalie love each other, share snacks and say "I ugh oo" to each other and fight over who gets to cling to which leg of mine while I'm cooking dinner. I am also getting some buff arms as Miss Nat outweighs Chase by a good ten pounds. Who needs to run when I can do stairs with a toddler in each arm?

Already I've seen the unpleasantness of having her run to me when it's time to visit her mother and I hope, for her sake and her mama's, that it changes. I can tell her mother loves her. We've been blessed with an extraordinary social worker, for which I am so thankful. Many, many thanks.

And so life goes on... with an extra carseat, additional highchair, synchronized pooping schedules, more laughter and more schedule checking and really and truly enjoying quiet moments at home with everyone under the same roof.

Tomorrow we tackle the three hour long, twice weekly, 54 mile round trip for visitation, three dental appointments, and a home full of friends at night for small group. The lasagna is already in the fridge, ready to go...

Kabul24

It was a story I thought I knew. I picked it up and began reading, interested in learning more about the Americans I had heard about in the news and recalled praying for almost a decade ago. Heather and Dayna were two American women taken prisoner along with their fellow aid workers from Germany and Australia as well as sixteen Muslim Afghan workers.

Kabul24 is the story of eight westerners taken captive by the Taliban just a few days before 9/11. The punishment for the crime they were accused of was expulsion from the country. Instead they were held for months in some of the worst conditions imaginable, shipped from location to location by Muslim extremists, without ever having a trial.

These westerners were not newcomers to Afghanistan, their relief organization (SNI) had been instrumental in Afghanistan for many years, while the workers blended themselves into the culture of Muslim Afghanistan. Hearing what life is like under the Sharia Law, the strictness, the burkas and the allegiance to the Koran, I read a story I did not know. The story I thought I knew, one of Americans arrested for proselytizing, the story widespread in 2001, was much different.

I thought it was so significant to read about the friendships that they eight workers had with their fellow Muslim inmates while in prison and of the beatings and tortures the Afghan SNI workers underwent to convince them to testify against the westerners. The sixteen Afghan held strong in spite of persecution, imprisonment and torture and never betrayed their fellow SNI workers. It is a captivating story of Muslim and Christian friendship and allegiance.

As we all learned in the news, the eight aid workers were eventually freed (by Muslims) and rescued from Afghanistan.

Considering the recent news coverage on Afghanistan, I appreciated learning more about Sharia Law and the beliefs of the Taliban, something I was not very familiar with previously. I find myself thinking more about the plight of Afghanistan now and wondering how the 24 SNI workers fare these days.

We've got the sweetest little redhead sleeping in the library-turned-family-closet-turned-bedroom right now.
Social services called while we were at homeschool co-op lessons this morning and asked if I could pick her up in an hour. Some frantic scrambling (um..where DID today go?), a visit to her pediatrician, and before I knew what hit me I was home with a little girl Chase's age, sipping a cup of Earl Grey and watching Sean make an amazing rack of venison for dinner. Whew!
My kiddos are fascinated by her and everything she does. Even Chase. Ella is currently sitting in the rocker in her room, watching her sleep and giving me updates every 2.4 seconds.
I don't think this will be a long term placement but we have happy full hearts to share this evening.
Enjoy yours,
Hannah

Thieved.

Thinking about "things" and their value tonight. A neighbor called this afternoon and let us know that her driveway alarm went off and they saw a man trying to get in her daughter's car. Ugh.. I always leave our van unlocked. We live in the country. Its quiet. There's no traffic. Our neighbors are all awesomeness.

A few things were stolen from inside my van: a 1 ct. diamond tennis bracelet that I had been given years ago as a gift, $10, and my zune.

I had been thinking of selling the bracelet as I'm not a flashy diamond kind of gal and they were most likely blood diamonds (watch that movie), and I thought it would be great to have spending money and had been daydreaming about what I would buy for the house. I had recently worn it on a date with Sean but took it off and slipped it in my wallet because the clasp kept coming loose.

The item I valued most was the zune MP3 player. When I think of someone snagging it and finding out they've got a zune with plenty of children's stories, audio adventures, classical music, soundtracks, sermons and worship music on it - I laugh. When I think of creepy thief guy looking through all my personal photos I cringe... and sorta chuckle. Home birth photos on there. Out there for the world to see. Lovely, eh?

Truthfully, my life is intact and my family is intact and those are the important things. Do I stop in pawn shops and look for my stuff now? What are you supposed to do when you've been robbed and filed a Sherriffs report?

A happy ending note is that our van is now paid off. And that was not stolen....

Individual Apple Crumbles

Peel, core and slice apples into 7 individual custard cups or ramekins.

Slide a few raisins in if you like.

Aiden asked if he could be my chef today. Of course I agreed. I love it when he asks to be my chef. I dream of having a chef on call!
In a bowl mix together 2/3 cups oats, 1/2 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp cinnamon, 3 tbsp honey, 3 tbsp finely chopped walnuts and 3 tbsp butter.

Sprinkle over the top and bake at 350 for about a half hour or until apples are soft.

Serve with a scoop of brown sugar ice cream and call it a day.

Foster Update

We received a quick call this morning, asking if we'd take in a three day old bundle of sweetness for just a few days. Of course we said yes.
The kiddos and I scrambled to pick up newborn diapers and bottles and formula while we talked about what it might be like to have a wee one in our care with bad drugs in his body.
Hurried home and tidied up, scrambling to find paperwork and think of the 10,000 other things I was planning on doing this weekend which would have to take a back seat.
The nice social worker called and let us know the aunt who had planned to take the babe next week, was allowed to take him today.
So, no baby in my arms this weekend. Sadly.
I made the social worker promise to send me another soon. :)

Just curious

What will your kiddos be receiving for Christmas this year? I'm working on busy books for our two youngest and an appliqued elephant blanket for Chase but haven't gotten my thoughts farther than that. I'd love to hear what you're buying or making....

Running.

I started running again. Its a slow, shuffling sort of run and there are no marathons in my future but I own the exercise and feel better for it.
This morning, earbuds in place and Christian oldies but goodies keeping me company, I ran the hills of our road. They aren't fun and the thought crossed my mind that walking would be about as quick or quicker than my snail's pace of two miles an hour up and down the rolling and winding hills.
Oh, how I wish I could share the view with you of coming over one hill and running alongside the most gorgeous fall foliage and farms laid out across the hills below and the sun in stripes all orange and glowing.
My hands were numb with the cold.
I was overwhelmed, suddenly with the beauty and the opportunity to get out early and run alone in the peace, family members snug in their beds, and meet the day at its dawn.
Hope you're having a lovely day.
Hannah

Weekly Menu

Monday am - cranberry and white chocolate scones
lunch - turkey dinner leftovers
dinner - chicken soup with roasted garlic, garden carrots and dumplings

Tues am - oatmeal
lunch - yogurt, carrot sticks, peaches
dinner - Italian greens, fried squash blossoms and baby squash

Wed am - cereal with bananas
lunch- baby spinach salad
dinner -lemon gnocchi with spinach and peas
Make English Muffins

Thurs am -poached eggs with ham and English muffins
lunch - Happy Plates
dinner -swedish meatballs over noodles, salad

Fri am- corncakes with toasted walnuts and honey
lunch - fried rice
dinner -creamy squash soup, rustic bread

Sat am - cereal with bananas
lunch - grilled cheese, salad
dinner - Hot potato soup with fried eggplant

Sun am - apple cider donuts
lunch - Pasta with meat sauce, garlic bread
dinner - Bulghur salad with smoked salmon and artichokes

Boundaries

While exploring the grounds of an old castle, we strolled down this beautiful tree-lined drive and admired the huge red iron gate sitting at the end of the drive. No doubt it protects the inhabitants of the property, providing safety, keeping out unwelcome guests or predators, and keeping animals and children in. It marks the property line too with a quietly bold statement: here is where our line lies, here is where our authority begins and yours ends.



Boundaries for life, parenting, marriage and family are like that too.

I hate saying "no" to anyone. I grieve over having to say it. God has been showing me that wanting to please people all the time and keep peace is a pride issue, not the beautiful gift of being a peacemaker.

Sean and I used to talk in private about family issues that arose and I'd try to sweep them under the mat. Forgive and forget. Obviously, those aren't the healthiest ways of handling conflict and we found ourselves discussing more and more what we would allow and what we wouldn't allow to affect our home and children.

When we examine boundaries for our family, here is what we look at:

In relationships and friendships we keep an eye out for the health of a relationship. Is it healthy if we're always called upon to defend our parenting, defend our spouse, or defend anything at all about our family life? (I appreciate honest, curious questions and those aren't what I'm referencing.) Healthy friendships and family life are so vital to me in this job of parenting my children. I have enough doubts that I bring before God about doing things properly as a Mama and I don't need those added to.

Spiritual Boundaries - Am I allowing seed to be put into my children's minds that goes against the absolute truth found in the word of God?

One example for our family involves the movies we allow our kiddos to watch. We read in the Bible that God hates witchcraft. Can I then willingly let my daughters (or sons) watch any movie that portrays any witchcraft or magic, coming from any source other than God, as good? Someone eloquently put it as the "cute-ifying" of evil because cute = good, right?

A way that we set in place another spiritual boundary is by talking continually with our children about what we believe and why we believe it and the Biblical, historic, and scientific evidence that confirms our beliefs. Tonight on the way home from the grocery store, my nine year old and I talked about a strip club we passed and the implications of all that. We talk about anything. Even the hanky-panky Mr. Duck does on the front lawn with Mrs. Duck. :) Because if our kids don't learn the right way from us, they'll listen to anything the culture tells them and grab ahold of it.

Mental Boundaries - Am I allowing my children to be stressed, tired, worried, hurt, scared...

The world is a harsh place. Home is a safe place. Am I protecting my children's hearts? I haven't always been able to. They've been lied to and let down and had promises broken and sat on my lap and cried. That hurts. I know I cannot protect them from everything. If someone hurts your children once, shame on them. If they hurt them twice, shame on you.

I also don't believe it is healthy for children to hear their parents being spoken of falsely or in a ill way or being spoken to in a disrespectful manner. Can I tell you the words I wish I could take back speaking disrespectfully about some of the people I love when I was younger? I did what was modeled. Sean knows there are people I won't talk about if I'm asked. I brush it off sweetly, change the subject. I've been gossiped about and it isn't pleasant. I won't "prayer request" gossip either. We don't like hearing our children spoken to disrespectfully. Here lies our gate, our property line. That doesn't happen here.

Physical Boundaries - Am I allowing my children to be bullied or harmed in any way?

We are very careful who our children's playmates are, we know their close friends and their close friend's parents. We don't allow them to be alone with any child, teen or adult that we don't know. We have two babysitters that we trust and love and even then, we talk to the kids afterward. If you think we are paranoid, google the statistics of child abuse or molestation.

I love that our children's wing at church is a safe place for our kids. The workers have back ground checks and there are security boundaries in place to protect my kiddos while they are away from me for a bit.

If we're out in a public place, and the boys need to use the rest-room, I stand right outside it and listen. When they come out, I ask them who else was in the room, did anyone talk to them, did anyone look at them or do anything to make them uncomfortable? If someone walks into the mens room while my boys are in there, I'll even carry on a conversation with my boys from the door. I appreciate when those strange men smile at that and nod in approval when they walk past me.

Our children are not allowed free access to the computer. This is another safety boundary we have in our home.

Let me say that putting up boundaries in relationships isn't giving the cold shoulder. I think you have to bring all things before God in prayer, every difficult relationship, every conflict, marital or relational or otherwise.

Our memory verse on our chalkboard right now speaks of being a peacemaker and having patience with difficult people. I'm sure that applies as much to me as to anyone else with me wearing the crown of "Miss Difficult" sometimes. I put it up there more for me than for the children this week.

Those are the boundaries for our family that I can think of off the bat. What are some of yours?

Boundaries and peace

These unique children are such a blessing to my life. Yesterday Aiden was helping me paint and, seizing the opportunity to praise him for being a diligent worker, I told him that if he likes to paint, as he gets older he can earn money by painting for other people.



He is meticulous in whatever work he does and I love that. He looks up at me with his little blond head shaking and says, "No, Mama. I'm gonna be a farmer. Because when I pray, I know that's what God wants me to be."

This is the innocence I want to protect as long as possible. Simple faith of a five year old farmer. This is why our family has boundaries.



Contemplating the unpopularity but amazing peace that has come this past year because of boundaries set in place to protect our home and family, I've resigned that I won't be the peacemaker at the cost of truth. With that comes the peace, rushing, following, settling in my soul. In struggling to maintain integrity in a gritty situation (so hard because I am oh, so sinful), biting my tongue and not speaking out in my own defense, asking forgiveness and holding.

As we talked, I told a sweet friend that I often regret that I didn't come with a big happy family to share with my children.



Later, I realized that they only know what they experience and we do family BIG. We do birthday's BIG. Not with gifts or parties but with the celebration of their lives. We do love in a BIG way. We do fun and adventure BIG. We do time together BIG and Sean and I rejoice to see the heritage we didn't think we had to share, our kids are being blessed with.

The kiddos already talk about coming over to our house when they are all grown for brunch with blueberry pancakes, or so this someday Grandma can babysit and give raspberries to grand babies, or so farmer boy can bring me some milk from his farm.



This, I love. Even my little wanna-be missionary knows that wherever the world takes her, there will always be a room and a cozy bed with a quilt on it waiting just for her.

I have them so briefly, I am realizing. Can I really spend the time worrying about critiques of my parenting, my faith, my boundaries?

My children wrap their arms around me and we pray. We spend family days. Beautiful family days. Grandpa telling stories around the bonfire of when he was a little boy, tracking deer, picking apples, picnics overlooking the lake, and listening to owls hoot at night at the cabin. We build truth into their hearts, value for one another, respect for God's written Word, prayers for those who hurt us and prayers for peace. A little of what the whole world needs, right?

Shabby Chic to Modern Country

courtesy of "All that Jazz" blue from Lowes. And a free wooden mirror on the curb which I promptly painted black. It makes my dining room happy.

Grocery Shopping trip #2

I stopped by our church's Compassion Coalition food thrift store this afternoon. Here's what I bought:

2 boxes frozen chopped broccoli - .49 ea
2 boxes frozen baby peas - .49 ea

2 bean and cheese burritos for Sean to bring for work lunches - .50 ea

2 boxes knox gelatin - .79 ea

1 loaf organic 7 grain flax bread - $1.99

Organic sprouted wraps - .99

Organic baby spinach -$2.49

2 pkgs chunk light tuna -.99 ea

1 lrg tomato - $1.49 lb

1 pkg all beef hot dogs - .99

2 Jones all natural sausage patties - $2.49 ea

8 frozen juice concentrates - 2 for $1.49

Spent roughly $24

$19.82

Breakfast - Pumpkin Pie Oatmeal, Earl Grey Tea

2 cups oats - .22
brown sugar - .25
1.5 cups pumpkin - free wintersquash from our garden
1.5 cups milk - .20
2 tbsp butter - .15
coconut - .10

side note from Sean: It tasted awesome

Earl Grey Tea - .10

Breakfast total: $1.02, .15 cents a serving

Lunch - crackers, fruit snacks, water, natural root beer, cups of fruit, milk

(Yes, bizarre lunch. We drove to Syracuse to see an art exhibit at the college and ate in the van.)

Crackers -$2
Fruit snacks -free from a birthday party goody bag
Water- free
Natural Root Beer - .89
Cups of fruit - $2.89
milk - .25

Lunch total: $6.03, 1.00 a serving

Dinner - miso soup, buttermilk biscuits

miso- .50
noodles - 1.18
leeks - free via garden
cubed tofu - .50
bottle of milk for Chase - .25
biscuits -$2.88

Dinner Total: 5.31, .76 cents a serving

Dessert:

Pumpkin Buttermilk Bundt Cake: $2.25 for dry ingredients, free egg, .25 for buttermilk, free winter squash from garden -$2.50 total

Pumpkin chocolate chip cookies - free wintersquash, $2 for dry ingredients, free egg, oil approx .30, chocolate chips -$2 $4.30 total

Popped corn - .30, butter - .35 Total - .65

Water -free

Dessert Total - $7.45, .32 cents a serving for 23 people