Prayers for a friend I’ve never met

It’s a funny world, this whole internet social scene.  In this world, I have many friends who I have never met, will likely never meet in person.  But I know the daily comings and goings of some of my blogging “friends” better than some of my day to day real life friends.  And the whole blogging community clusters and hovers over folks who are going through a difficult time or a joyous time.

I’ve been reading Alicia’s blog for years.  It was one of the first I ever kept up with regularly.  (It’s the third on my list of favorite places……out of hundreds and hundreds of others!)  We have all been waiting with great joy for word from Alicia who had gone to Chicago to be present for the birth of their baby girl.  We’ve all grown impatient and left hundreds of comments as we waited to hear all of the details. I don’t even want to say how many times I have checked in to see if there had been any news.

And today there was news.  And while I have always thought highly of Alicia, who has been through some very very big struggles in her adult life, I have never respected her more than I do after reading this post.

I can’t stop thinking of all of the people who get pregnant easily and take that for granted, or of all of the children who languish without love, and of all of the people I love right now in my own world who are longing for a child.   Praying tonight that big empty arms and little hungry hearts could find their way to each other, and soon.

Underneath the Same Big Sky

Tonight my heart is filled with love and admiration for two dear friends who stepped in to parent a newborn baby who needed lots of love and tender care.  From the neonatal ICU to his own bed in their home, they have spoken love and hope over him, have insulated him from things he wasn’t ready to bear, have given him the safe place he needed to grow confidence and strong legs and big dimpled smiles.  Today by court decision, they have placed him back into the arms of his birth mother.  The nine months of care that have undoubtedly changed the course of his life have also changed the course of theirs.    Somewhere, under the same big clear night sky, another mother is trying to get to know her son, and I sincerely hope she can be the mother he needs.  I hope that she will tell him in years to come that when she couldn’t give him what he needed that two amazing generous moms stepped in and gave him what he needed and more even at the cost of the heartbreak of saying good-bye.      Here’s to foster parents everywhere who don’t hold back, who give their hearts anyway. 

Wednesday Link Love, at last!

As pretty as the aerial view of this cake is, it’s even more beautiful when it’s cut!

And it would be perfect to wash it down with a glass of this! I’m told that the ice cubes are made with jello and then sprite is poured over them. Drink it before it turns brown!

It’s about time to gather these supplies to start the holiday season off with a great smelling home!

Dear little Mabel- I wish you would come live with me. And bring the “It’s Okay” banner from your shop with you!

Oh my. My kids never had the rug, but I wonder if I couldn’t find one at the thrift store? These are so pretty and would be nice and cushy comfortable to stand on while doing chores.

Why do I love these? Well, for starters, they delight me!

Daniel is lucky to have such a crafty mom! From the looks of it, he could be a great fabric designer!

Wednesday Link Love

I love this brooch….but when I looked at it in scale with the woman who is “wearing” it, it appears to be huge. I love it a lot, but smaller!

Just for fun, I’d like to let my daughters chalk my hair over Christmas break. One of my girls is sporting some purple hair that is woven in that I have a love/hate relationship with. (Her hair, not her!) I’d like to give it a temporary try!

I’ve been watching my thrift store for paint by numbers, but they are popular enough now that I am just not finding them. But this is a possibility!

Patience is at it again!

This is one of those times I wish I knew how to thread my sewing machine and sew! I would make a sun dress for sure!

I’m a sucker for index cards, so of course this sounds fun to me!

I’m not so into coffee, but I do love mandalas. This one is very cool.

I LOVE this idea!!!

TNT Tuesday

Kinda starting to find myself a bit again, and working my way back to the blog a bit more. 

We’ve been enjoying the last of our summer bounty.  Last night we had this great Southwestern Stuffed Spaghetti Squash.  When DH says in mid-meal, “Be sure to make this again.”, it’s a keeper.

Several years ago after eating ajvar at a local Bosnian restaurant, I fell in love.  If  you love red pepper like I love red pepper, and if garlic and eggplant and olive oil are okay by you too, then I think you would love it.  I am known for the kooky things I like for breakfast, and ajvar mixed with cottage cheese became my standard breakfast for literally over a  year!   I kind of wore myself out on it and hadn’t had it for a while.  But, I had some eggplant I needed to use, and an abundance of roasted red peppers.  Made some, and my love affair has begun again.  It’s good on the falafel crackers I got this week, or any cracker (or on cottage cheese), bread, you name it.

     NPR did a nice little piece on it- check it out. They call it Serbian Salsa!

 

 

 

 

Then there would be the 7-Up Biscuits.  Which are just way too easy and way too good, and so very perfect with the sweet potato butter I bought this week. 

And if the 7-Up biscuits are not unhealthy enough, let me send you over the edge……I give you the Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie…..

I like to think I made the Chocolate Chip Oreo Brownie Lite……I did omit the ice cream AND the hot fudge sauce. 

Late Link Love

I spy a toilet back there behind the curtain.  Maybe I could re-think camping…..Aren’t these beautiful?!

Time for a little Cake Wreck love.  It’s been a while.

I think I have found a reason to use this template every day since I found it last week!

I think I am going to just have to try a batch of this for research purposes.

Need a friend?  One that will go everywhere with you?

I cannot stop looking at this.  I want it.  Bad.  Been checking craigslist about every 15 minutes for two matching dressers like this!

We have this at the work cafeteria and it is so so good.  Good enough that they have it most every day.  Now I can try to make my own.

Wednesday Link Love

This is only one of many wonderful ideas from this great site!

Ever since seeing these, I’ve been watching Craigslist and have seen several great pieces you could score for not so many $$$ to make one of these, if you have a special child in your life.

A couple of fun ideas/ways to capture your kids as they grow can be found here and here. 

Now, I’m a sucker for a cozy place to nap…..but I’m just not sure about these.   I’m afraid I would get all settled into the nest and then would just have to laugh out loud…And for a minute I thought this looked divine, but then I thought a little more about it…

Orange is kind of growing on me, and this room is so happy and wonderful I can hardly stand it!