our new thanksgiving tradition

is it just me or does thanksgiving seem to get blown by in the rush to get to christmas?  last year, as i was thinking about ways to create traditions for thanksgiving for our little family (since we never celebrate it at our house), i had this idea of making a thanksgiving tree.  it would be a big, fall tree that we could add leaves to each year.  well, it didn't happen.  but i was determined to do it this year.  so after much wailing and gnashing of teeth (on my part!), jon and i got our corduroy tree cut out and our leaves purchased from bed, bath and beyond (they are parchment paper).  the idea is that each year, we will each get a leaf to write our names, the year and what we are thankful for.  over the years, our tree will get fuller and we will have a living reminder of God's faithfulness to us in the past.  pretty fun!  gotta love it when the Lord gives you a good idea that works for your family.  it was great sitting and writing down what abby said she was thankful for--good to share too what we were thankful for.

turkey cookies!

yes, we're making cookies.  hope you are having as much fun...more, actually (as jon and i wound up finishing these up when abby burned out.)

happy thanksgiving from our family to yours!

melanie would be proud

tonight, i made biscuits.  from scratch.  without using bisquick.  and they were good.  very good.

yes, i had to google how to cut in butter (as i at least intuitively knew that didn't mean just literally cutting up butter and putting it the flour).  and yes, i used a potato masher to cut in the butter (because it was the closest thing i had to the tool that the they used).  yes, i used a glass for my rolling pin, and a smaller glass for my "2.5 inch biscuit cutter."  and yes, they still worked.  hip hip hooray.  i feel like a rock star...well, maybe that's not a good analogy.  now, if i can just learn how to make white gravy.

and mel, all i could think of was watching you make biscuits.  it didn't look nearly as messy, and you didn't seem nearly as stressed out as i felt!  one day, i will be as martha stewart as you are.  a girl can dream, can't she?

my heart is sad

i've been wanting to blog about wendjina, our compassion child.  she's five and from haiti.  abby loves writing her letters.  she loves getting letters from her too.  wendjina has helped ALL of us remember how much we have to be thankful for.

she entered our family this spring, after i saw a youtube video of people in haiti that were so starved for food that they were making cookies out of mud to at least fill their bellies.  it broke my heart.  i showed it to abby.  we decided that if we have money to go out to eat ever (and we do), then we needed to take action.  wendjina was the child we chose.  her picture captured me.

so today, we got a letter from her.  it was newsy at first, and then halfway through, i found myself sobbing as i read out loud to abby,

she tells you during the time of the hurricanes it was not good for the family at all because alot of damage were caused where she lives.  her parents lost all that they had.  now they are living in neighbor house.  she tells you the vacation did not bring joy to her.  she live a expensive life.  despite all God does not leave her.  she tells you she loves you....

they lost everything.  their meager bit is gone.  and i'm making christmas lists.  maybe the best thing we can do this year is give.  not more stuff to each other, but give things that will really make a difference...like food, water, malaria shots.  the list goes on and on.  one opportunity is to donate $5 to soles4soles.  for five bucks, you can provide two pairs of shoes to people who have never had shoes.  can you imagine never having shoes?  ever?  i'm going there now to donate.  and then calling compassion to see how we can help wendjina's family.  who needs another sweater for christmas?  i don't.