Merry Christmas!

May you experience the magic & wonder of the season as we celebrate the Birth of our Savior.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Reindeer Root Beer & Christmas Popcorn

Just in case anyone is looking for a last minute fun Christmas activity with your kids....

 Reindeer Root Beer & Christmas Popcorn!

Christmas Popcorn = popcorn with red & green M&Ms :)  I saw a friend on facebook with similar root beer reindeers, so I made my own version based on the materials I already had laying around the house.  I bought plastic bottles since I thought they would be safer with the kids, a word of warning - the labels were a PAIN to remove.  My advice is to go with the no-label glass bottles and just pour the kid's root beer into another cup when it's time to actually drink it - that's what we ended up doing anyway.

We ate & drank our special treats while watching a Christmas movie and then had our annual weekend before Christmas sleepover under the tree.  I love making memories!!

 Linking to:  simply {kierste}, The Frugal Girls,

Candy Bar Christmas Gift

The kids & I put together some Christmas goodie bags for J's teachers.  Nothing fancy because I wanted J to be able to do most of the work, so it was really from him and not me.  I have seen different versions of these candy bar gifts, but we made up our own based on the candy we could find.  We appreciate J's teachers and his school so much and I hope these treats were a hit!

Each bag contained a copy of the note and each of the candies (and Shout wipe - random I know) pictured above.

If you can't read the note, it said...

KUDOS to you...I want to SHOUT it from the rooftops!

You are EXTRA special, a real ORIGINAL, and one of the RIESENS I love school!

I have MOUNDS of fun here and you are a such a life LIFESAVER, helping me become a SMARTIE!

I wish I could give you 100 GRAND for your PAYDAY ~ you are worth a MINT!

Enjoy your Christmas break, TAKE FIVE, relax, and have fun with your family!

The finished product was definitely not fancy & crafty, but it was filled with love from a student to his wonderful teachers!

 Linking to:  simply {kierste}, The Frugal Girls,

Easy Christmas Card Display

I absolutely love the anticipation of going to the mailbox every day this time of year.  In a time when 99% of our correspondence is done via email or facebook, it is so special to me to actually get Christmas cards from friends and family.  I love every card I get, but I especially love photo cards.  I like to display them throughout the Christmas season, but we do get a lot and sometimes it is hard to find a good spot for them.  For the past few years, I have been taping them to my freezer, but this year I wanted to move them to an area where we would see them more often.

I thought the kitchen or the dining room would be the perfect place since we spend a lot of time in those rooms.  We have a lot of wall space, but I didn't really want to use tape, so that took that idea away.  (Although since then, I have thought about using painter's tape, so that might be an option someday!)

In keeping with my "simple is better" theme, I hung twine from the curtain rod over the sliding doors that lead to our screened-in porch.  I used mini clothespins to attach the cards, and voila ~ instant Christmas card display!

(You can also see the Christmas Burlap Table Runner I made a few years ago, and the Red Chair that we use because our other matching black chair broke!)

Here's a closer view so you can see those cute mini clothespins!  (Find them at places like Hobby Lobby or Michaels).

How do you display your Christmas cards?

Linking to:  simply {kierste},

Crowdtap & Old Navy

I love free stuff.  You too?  I thought so.  Thanks to my friends at Crowdtap and Old Navy, I was able to get some free stuff today!

If you haven't heard of Crowdtap, their mission is to "shift marketing to a fully collaborative and participatory process between brands and consumers."  Crowdtap achieves this by an interactive website - survey questions, web tasks, moderated discussions, and sometimes even sample shares.  For each action you participate in, you earn points which can eventually be used to purchase gift cards or donate to charity.  Just like in Swagbucks, I typically use my points to purchase Amazon gift cards.

I was lucky enough to be chosen for an Old Navy ActiveWear sample share!  I received coupons for one friend and myself - we were each able to pick out an ActiveWear top & bottom, totally FREE.  Old Navy ranks right up there on my list of favorite stores... FREE is good, but at a great store = even better.  Super exciting and maybe, just maybe, this will even give me a little motivation to be active.... currently my treadmill is serving more as a storage area than an exercise machine.

I picked out a pair of ActiveWear capris and a fleece jacket.  I'm loving both - the fleece jacket is a little longer than usual and almost has a peacoat-look.  My daughter was a little disappointed - there was a pink sports bra hanging right at her eye level that she thought would be perfect.  (She's 3 and anything pink is perfect).

(That's my blur of a 3 year old in front of me)

I also bought my first ever pair of skinny jeans at Old Navy today.  I have always been intimidated by skinny jeans, mainly because I don't really feel skinny.  But my friend convinced me to try a pair on, and actually....I liked them!  We'll see if I'm brave enough to wear them out of the house.

Thanks for a fun day, Crowdtap and Old Navy!

Christmas Mantel

A post not related to adoption?!  It's a Christmas miracle!  :)

Although I haven't been blogging much lately, I still do read some of my favorite blogs once in awhile, and saw that today at The Lettered Cottage there is a link party for Christmas mantels.  I thought I'd share a few pictures of our Christmas mantel.  It's simple, but I love it.  I love to have a cozy home, and I always think it is the coziest at Christmas!



I've been collecting the Willow Tree Nativity pieces since the year Jon & I were engaged.  I love the simplicity of it.  The old window behind it was the result of some dumpster diving :)

I don't like to be ultra matchy-matchy, so the stockings are all knit but aren't part of the same set.  Two are from a flea market, and two were bought at the Pottery Barn Outlet (different years) after the season when they are all clearanced.  If I'm remembering correctly, the reindeer stocking had monogramming, but the price was right at around $1.97, so my seam ripper and I got to work and it looks great!

 It may not be the fanciest, most unique Christmas mantel, but I love it!

Also linking to:  simply {kierste},

12 Months DTE

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Tomorrow is a bittersweet day for us ~ twelve months ~ yes, a year ~ since our paperwork went to Ethiopia.  We are thrilled to be a year closer to our little one (or ones), but it has been hard to see our wait time estimate increase three times in the past year and realize the likelihood of more increases is pretty high.  We are so thankful we can trust in God's plan for our lives & our family!  We are also thankful that this week there were a few referrals for families in our agency!!!  Our current unofficial numbers are...

Infant Boy (0-18mo) = 49

Young (under 4 yr) siblings = 28

Siblings with older child = 8

Toddler Boy (19-47) mo = 16

Over the course of the year, not a day has passed without some daydreaming about our sweet boys.  So many unknowns - will there be one or two?  How old will they be?  Will their personalities be like J, or C, or totally different altogether?  What will their laughs sound like?  Will they be able to learn to trust me and love me?  Is someone taking care of them now?  Are they going to bed with empty bellies tonight? 

To our boys...I wish I could start now telling you now how much you are loved and wanted.  Not only are you missed, but you have missed a lot of things this year....

• Big Brother J turned 6, graduated from Kindergarten, and is now in 1st grade.  He lost his first 2 teeth this year, and thinking of you & Ethiopia, threw his teeth up on the roof for the Tooth Birdie!
• Sister C went from a barely talking 2 year old to a silly chatterbox of a 3 year old ~ always dancing & singing.  She thinks of you a lot too ~ her imaginary friends are often Ethiopian :)
• 2 new boy cousins were born this year!  
• My Grandma (your GG) passed away in June.  I am so sorry you never got to meet her, because she was the BEST EVER.  I will tell you all about her someday!
• We took many day trips to Baltimore and visited the zoo, Science Center, Port Discovery, and went to lots of Orioles games!  Your daddy can't wait to someday take all his boys to cheer for the O's!
• The annual beach vacation
• Many many many fun times just being together as a family...can't wait until you are here with us!  We love you!!

We don't really have a great estimate of how much longer this journey will be, but we know that in this time of waiting, God is knitting together the story of our family!

11 Months DTE

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Yeah, it's been awhile (again).  We had our 11 month DTE-iversary earlier this month.  It was a pretty blah month as far as the waiting game goes.  Only backwards movement.  Ugh.  Big, fat, UGH.

Infant Boy (0-18mo) = 53

Young (under 4 yr) siblings = 28

Siblings with older child = 8

Toddler Boy (19-47) mo = 18

10 Months DTE

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We have officially reached the double digits!  Ten months ago when our paperwork was on it's way to Ethiopia, the wait time we were given was 10-16 months.  We had high hopes that maybe, just maybe, we'd see a face by this Christmas.  Our hopes have been attacked a few times since then.  The wait time has increased twice, and another increase is looking very likely.  But we still have hope.  (Maybe by next Christmas?)

So here's how the numbers are looking at 10 months DTE:

Infant Boy (0-18mo) = 53

Young (under 4 yr) siblings = 28

Siblings with older child = 8

Toddler Boy (19-47) mo = 16

As a family, we had an interesting month, with a unique situation that had our hopes rising and then falling again....(I know I'm being vague here; maybe some day I will elaborate).  The point is, I am so thankful that instead of putting all my hope in a person, or a situation, I can put my hope in the Lord and in HIS plans.  

Our "song of the month" in church in September was "My Hope is in You."  I have liked this song since I first heard it, but this month I felt like it really took on a special meaning for me as I hope in the Lord.  It has been constantly in my mind and on my lips ~ I hope it may encourage someone else today, too!

I meet with you and my soul sings out

As your word throws doubt far away

I sing to you and my heart cries

"Holy!  Hallelujah, Father, You're near!"

My hope is in you, Lord

All the day long.

I won't be shaken by drought or storm.

A peace that passes understanding is my song

and I sing - my hope is in you, Lord!

I wait for you and my soul finds rest.

In my selfishness you show me grace.

I worship you and my heart cries

"Glory!  Hallelujah, Father, You're here!"

My hope is in you, Lord

All the day long.

I won't be shaken by drought or storm.

A peace that passes understanding is my song

and I sing - my hope is in you, Lord!

I will wait on you.

You are my refuge.

I will wait on you.

You are my refuge.

My hope is in you, Lord

All the day long.

I won't be shaken by drought or storm.

A peace that passes understanding is my song

and I sing - my hope is in you, Lord!

(It's sung by Aaron Shust if you want to look it up and hear it!)  So thankful I have a reason to HOPE!

Blogging for Compassion

 If you are a blog reader, you may have noticed that this month, you've been hearing about Compassion International a little more this month than usual.  It's blog month at Compassion, and because it is a cause I wholeheartedly love and believe in, I have joined the ranks of Compassion bloggers.

We are so blessed to have a lifestyle where yeah, sometimes money is tight, but we never have to look at empty cabinets (unless I haven't gone grocery shopping in awhile). Our kids can have great educations, and we are able to buy them the supplies they need.  We have fresh drinking water available, and we don't have to walk miles and carry it home in a bucket.  The sad thing is, many people in this world do not have those luxuries.  Compassion works in the name of Jesus to provide needs to children all over the world, and remains in the top 1% of all charities for integrity and financial accountability.  (Our money is going to the needs they advertise, not to fatten someone's wallet).

We have been sponsoring a little boy from Ethiopia for almost two years now, and I absolutely adore him.  (It is actually a pretty neat story of how we came to sponsor him that you can check out here).  It is a highlight for our family when we get mail and we love seeing how he is growing.  He is my son's "twin" - born on the exact same day, which also serves as a teaching point for our son, who prays for his buddy and has his picture hanging in his room.  We hope to meet him when we travel to Ethiopia someday.

I encourage you to find out more about Compassion and pray about your involvement.  Go here and look at some of these sweet faces.  Maybe you are unable to financially commit at this time, but could you can pray that these children find sponsors?   

9 Months DTE

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Here we are at 9 months since our paperwork has traveled to Ethiopia.  Nine months!!  I'm a little more sentimental over this monthly anniversary.....nine months of being "paper pregnant" with no delivery in sight.  Nine months is usually that magical time period when you are waiting for your little one when you can say "any day now" - or in the case with my older two, wait for the induction to be scheduled!  Instead, we are waiting - most days patiently - and encouraged knowing God is knitting the details together. 

Our pastor recently used a sermon illustration where a Grandmother was working on her needlepoint.  Her little grandson was sitting below her and looking up seeing all the knotted ends and hanging strings said innocently enough, "That's ugly, Grandma!"  Wisely, the Grandmother lifted him up on her lap where we could see the whole picture.....and see how beautiful it really was.  Looking forward to the day when we see the big picture!

We have updated our request a little recently, so we are actually listed in a few extra categories now.  Here's our unofficial numbers as of today.....

Infant Boy (0-18mo) = 55

Young (under 4 yr) siblings = 29

Siblings with older child = 8

Toddler Boy (19-47) mo = 17

I should add that although that single digit number looks pretty sweet up there, it doesn't mean that we are expecting a referral anytime soon.  These numbers tend to move up quite slowly!  But, that being said, we are thankful for the progress that has been made!!

Since I've been thinking about my 9-month paper pregnancy, I thought it would be interesting to check out what some of our other mammal friends go through before they get to see their young.  At 266 days average gestation, humans are actually a little less than 9 months.  We are most similar to the cow at 284 days.  The most disgusting animal on earth (in my humble opinion), the possum, has one of the shortest gestation periods at only 12 days, hardly time to prepare a nursery.  Some of the longest gestation periods include the camel (400), giraffe (425), grey rhino (480), black rhino (540), and Asian elephant (610).  Topping the list with a whopping 660 days is the African elephant.  

9 months is a long time to wait.  But there are so many mamas out there waiting longer.  Praying for those mamas, especially the ones I have come to know through our agency, who have surpassed mama elephant and whose hearts & arms are aching tonight. 

I Can Can

I've been fascinated by the idea of canning for awhile now.  I love love love freezer cooking, but let's face it - a person only has so much freezer space!  Last year I bought all the typical canning equipment, only to come home and realize there was a warning on the enamel pot that it shouldn't be used on a smooth top stove.  My dreams of having shelves stocked full of delicious foods faded away, and I sadly returned all my goodies.

After talking to many people and doing more research over the course of the year, I came to the conclusion that I would re-try the Great Canning Experiment.  This time, I started with a different pot.  I heard from several sources that a stainless steel pot would work better on the smooth top stove, because it doesn't have the ridges on the bottom like an enamel pot, and it holds the heat better.  So I bought a stainless steel canner, thinking if the worst happened and I hated canning, at least I could use it for when I make huge batches of spaghetti sauce.  At the time I bought it, it was not only available at a great sale price, but came with all the extra tools I needed - funnel, jar gripper, etc.  Winning!

I also purchased two highly recommended books - the Ball Complete Book of Home Preservation and You Can Can! - yes, the latter was mostly because I love a good pun.  These books have proven to be very valuable sources of information.  If you are a canning beginner, or just looking for more recipes, they are great ones to add to your cookbook library - although there are many recipes you can find online (free!)

This post is not going to include any step-by-steps or how-tos, but look for those in the near future!  Instead, for now I am going to share some pictures, recipes, and links I have found helpful.

Here's what my canning shelves are currently looking like:

Yay for shelves in the dark cool basement - perfect for my jars!

And the list of what I've made so far (with links if I have been able to find the recipes online)...

• Peach Butter (Ball book)
• Peach Jam (Ball Book)
• Peach Fondue (Ball Book)
• Peach Salsa (You Can Can)
• Peach Pie Filling
• Honey-Packed Peaches
• Peaches in light honey syrup
• GG's Pickles (3-day Lime Pickles)

 

• Pizza Sauce (Mrs. Wages packet)
• Sweet Pickle Relish (You Can Can)
• Lemon Ginger Marmalade (Ball book but also found in a step-by-step format with pictures at Wendolonia)

I love seeing those flecks of lemon peel as the light shines through!

Yep, I've been having some FUN with canning!  And it wasn't even a difficult learning process - as long as you can follow instructions, you will be fine!

It's apple & pear season now....can't wait to get the canning started!!

If you are interested in canning, you can follow my I Can Can Pinboard here!

What have YOU been canning????

What We've Been Up To

...and suddenly it's been almost 2 months since an update!  We thoroughly enjoyed the rest of our summer...had the annual trip to the beach, lots of day trips to Baltimore, relaxed & played together, I had a blast and an awesome several months with my Thirty-one Gifts business, and I even taught myself to can ---- those posts will be coming shortly ;)

Now that school has started (can't believe I have a 1st grader!!), I'm once again hoping to be a little more regular on the blog.  Even if no one reads it anymore, I'd like to keep it up for our own family records.  (If you are reading this.....wow!  Hi!!)

Here's a few pics of our summer fun....

 I'll be back soon! 

Yard Sale Fundraiser

At the end of June, we put together what we were praying would be a major fundraiser for our adoption.  We had been tentatively planning a yard sale since last summer, knowing they are pretty popular fundraisers for adoptive families.  So since last summer, we have been collecting other people's junk (or treasures depending on how you look at it....we actually had some really NICE stuff!)  Our basement was FULL!

We were very blessed that our church allowed us to use our youth center/gym to hold the yard sale.  This was such a huge blessing for two main reasons....1) It was indoor, so we could have it rain or shine!  We did have a major storm go through, so we were soooo happy to be dry and sitting inside!  2)  I was able to set up for the sale all week at my own pace, instead of mass craziness the night before.

The kids and I spend pretty much a full work-week at the gym preparing for the sale.  I have never lifted so many boxes.  It was organized chaos.  There was so.much.stuff.  The donations we had been saving, plus my post-Radical house purge, and then a friend who had leftovers from her own fundraising yard sale donated the rest of her stuff.....which happened to be an entire trailer load!  We were blessed!

Deciding it was best to spend our time sorting & organizing items rather than pricing them, we decided that everything would be for sale BY DONATION.  This was a little scary for me.  I was imagining someone saying "I'll take it all!" and giving $1  :)  But I knew it was the right thing to do.  And aside from a few circumstances where the situation was taken advantage of, people seemed to be very generous!  Thank you, Lord!  For those who were "less than generous," it is my hope that we were a blessing to them, and that they needed the items more than we needed the money!!

We were also thankful for the help we received - since Jon was working all week, I really could not have done it without the help of a few people.  I don't know that they read this blog, but I will mention them by name anyway - thanks to Jill & Amanda for spending an afternoon organizing, to Sherrie who literally kept me sane and was there several days & nights helping - from set up to tear down, and to our 4 favorite guys - Tyler, Nathan, Kaleb & Eric for being there when it started and helping box up all the leftovers.  We were so blessed by all your help & hard work!

Here's a few pictures so you can see the crazy amount of stuff we had.  We did get compliments from people saying it was the most organized yard sale they had ever been to!  We also had some people wondering if we were open every weekend ;)  Sorry, just a one time only yard sale, not a flea market!

 Wondering about our grand total?  Let me start by saying I was praying for $1000.  I was thinking this would be an amazing almost unattainable goal to reach.  If we got to $1000, we would know for sure it was a God-thing.  Well, amazingly enough, we didn't hit $1000.  We blew $1000 out of the water!!!!  Our grand total ended up being......

$1516.50!!!!!!

Glory to God!!!!  We stand amazed at the way He is providing for this adoption.  Who knew lots of "junk" could raise so much money?!

Speaking of junk, here's what we had left over....

Let me just say getting rid of this has not been my favorite part of the yard sale!  :)  But still, we are SO THANKFUL!!!!

7 Months DTE

Here we are, 7 months into our wait!

source

 Our agency had a flurry of referrals a week or so ago.  It was incredible and gave us a decent shot of HOPE!  For the first time since we have been DTE (Dossier to Ethiopia), our unofficial number in the toddler boy line has decreased overall!!!  (We started at #19 but because of request changes from those ahead of us, our number climbed pretty quickly).

So here's where we are (unofficially):

Infant Boy (<18 months) = #58

Twins/Young Siblings = #28

Toddler Boy = #18

 We have also had some great things happening in the fundraising department!  Hoping to find time to post about our recent yard sale fundraiser soon!