Quilts again soon..

 Last Christmas I dove into this project from my talented son.

Though I had seen many t-shirt quilts over the years this is the way I chose to do Danielle's 6 years ago and David's 4 years ago.

With running shirts the print can sometimes be very small and other times very large, by cutting out the designs I allowed for more variation and more shirts to be included.

Some of the small designs in the middle are from sleeves or front right corners when the backs have large prints.  This lets you get some of the name brand logos too.

One of the small ones is actually from the top of a sock!!

For Drew's I also sewed a couple of patches on the front of the quilt before backing it.

I also took his high school letter and sewed it onto a piece of T-shirt and used it as a square.

Knowing I wanted this to be a large full size, when I had a lot of t-shirts cut out I lined them up by widths and started playing with it till I had my rows figured out.

I then backed each t-shirt with heavy iron-on backing and quilted around the block with four different colors of fabric---Drew's color choices.  When I was working down a row I tried to keep colors from touching at I attached each block.  My strips were about 2 inches, I think.

Then to give it a little more size and consistency I used the large blue strips in the middle and then black and gray around the edging in sizes to make it to what I was wanting.  I just tied this to finish.

It was so much fun and everyone I have made them for has really enjoyed them.

So now with no runners in the next couple of years what am I to do?

Well I will be starting in January on one for Drew and Danielle's high school cross country coach.  He is getting married this summer and I wanted to gift him with a special memory of his own.  

Should be a lot of fun!

Think about it....

Pac-12 All-Academic Cross Country Team!

Nov. 22, 2011


2011 Pac-12 All-Academic Release
WALNUT CREEK, Calif. - Five men and three women from Washington State University were named to the 2011 Pac-12 Conference Cross Country All-Academic teams, Commissioner Larry Scott announced Tuesday. Justin Englund, a senior from Federal Way, Wash., was named to the men's first team for the third consecutive year. Englund, a member of the WSU Honors College, is a mathematics major with a 3.90 grade point average. Andrew Gonzales, a sophomore from Kennewick, Wash., and a general medical sciences major with a 3.53 GPA, was named to the second team for the second straight year.
Three Cougars were named to the men's honorable mention team: Drew Jordan (sophomore, Medford, Ore.) an undeclared major with a 3.38 GPA, Andrew Kimpel (junior, Spokane) a management information systems major with a 3.24 GPA, and Richard Shroy (sophomore, Carson City, Nev.) a movement studies major with a 3.14 GPA. Englund, Gonzales, Jordan and Kimpel competed at the NCAA Championships Monday where the Cougar men placed 21st.

Congratulations Drew we are very proud of you!!!

Success and Full...

 David had the privilege of heading to Eastern Oregon this last week to enjoy the wondrous beauty of God's creation, coated in its first snow of the year.

 He was also there with his good friend, David, and his brother, Paul, and his nephew, Preston, to seek out the all elusive elk.

THIS IS FAIR WARNING IF YOU ARE NOT INTO HUNTING-----

THE FOLLOWING PICTURES AND STORY ARE NOT FOR YOU!

David and his friend, David.

David thoroughly enjoyed his time with the guys and his evenings spent catching up with old friends from our days living in Baker City.

David and his brother, Paul, well decked out in their hunter orange.

Their hunt started on Friday, and on their last hunt on Wednesday, before heading home for Thanksgiving, they were blessed by one very large cow elk.

David W. was blessed to be the lucky shot of the week.

This is a perspective shot for those of you who are unaware of actually how large and elk really is.

Sorry it is sideways:/

This beautiful animal was very gratefully split between four families who  are blessed by its provision.

David brought the heart and liver home to enjoy.

I sadly missed the pictures of all the kids and their amazement at how large it was.

The heart was the size of a very large melon and they loved seeing all the valves and arteries.

The liver was massive and very slick.

We may be weird, but the kids really did enjoy the science lesson.

Along with the elk meat, David brought home a half a beef we bought from some friends in Baker.

So it was a successful hunt and we have two very full freezers:)

Amazed....

This kid amazes me.

He is growing and maturing is so many ways right now as to spin the mind.

Today was one of our challenge days---they tend to be Mondays:/

But as we were discussing one of our issues today, God slowed me down, as He has been a lot lately with this one.

He said, "Show your son the root of the sin, show him the reality of how he is gripping on to it, help him learn to release it."

Yes, we are moving beyond behavior modification to helping him really come to grips with how our sinful hearts can deceive us.

He really has trouble understanding his sin, yet don't we all!

I am so very thankful for my faithful husband and friends that lovingly point out my areas of blindness.

So I in turn, seek to help Caleb to learn it is something we all deal with.

***It does not me we are irredeemable.

***It does not mean we are unlovable.

***It does not mean that grace cannot met us where we are.

***It does not mean we cannot be forgiven and start afresh.

For kids from the 'hard places' who have experienced significant pain and loss in their young lives, there is an extra layer to work through.

It is easy for Caleb to reject the above truths.

To go to his place of comfort.

But to allow this would be to short change my wonderful son of all the blessings:

***that lie in walking in the freedom of guilt and shame

***that lie in living a life fully focused on bringing God all the glory

***that lie in living in the truth and not being blinded by bitterness

So, though we have our rough days, I am learning, as I believe Caleb is, to rejoice even in these days because God is so good to give them to us so we can be challenged and changed into the likeness of his precious Son.

Because that is the only prayer I pray for ALL my children regularly----

That they may be molded in the potter's hand into the likeness of Jesus---

And the hard part is "whatever it takes".

Thank you Lord for loving us so much that you refine us!

Don't Say Never

I have been very guilty of saying NEVER way too much!

My wonderful husband loves to call me on it :)

I can officially say I broke one of my avowed NEVERS this weekend!

Oh--can I say it?

Will I be judged by the rest of you NEVERS out there?

Oh well..

I have been learning this year not to let others opinions be so important to me :)

Here goes....

I put up all my Christmas decorations (besides the tree)---BEFORE---Thanksgiving......

Oh there it is.

One of my NEVER in my lifetimes.

I want to focus on the Thankfulness of the Thanksgiving holiday, so I never wanted to venture into the decorating too early.

But the way it came about this year was interesting.

David was gone for the week---always a great time to do a messy project.

Erinn called and asked if I could pack up some of her Christmas things and get them ready to send to Hawaii for her.

And well, one box led to another and another and well you get the idea.

And mess in hand I decided I was very THANKFUL for the time and uninterrupted days to accomplish the daunting task of removing Thanksgiving decorations and redecorating for Christmas.

Now when we get back from celebrating with David's family, I can rest and enjoy the rest of my long weekend with my family.

And you know what?

For that I am very THANKFUL and isn't that the idea anyways.

So if you are afraid of snowmen till after Black Friday....

Don't come to my house!!

Mary and Joseph are starting an early journey to Bethlehem this year too.

Maybe it will be more restful for her that way :)

Remembering to Thank the Lord in ALL things.....

Even NEVERS that are no longer!

Six Years Ago.......

Six years ago....

we became a family of 7 at the Portland International Airport (Danielle was at college)!

What an amazing day full of so very many emotions for everyone of us.

Oh the amazing joys and trials and frustrations and victories adoption brings!

It is a journey of love and growth that is incomparable to anything I have ever experienced!

We are so thankful God led us down this path to bring this two beautiful treasures into our family! 

May His name be forever glorified!

What to do???

When David is gone for a few days I usually use the time to get a big project or two done that is messy, like painting or deep cleaning.

So this week I had a couple of painting jobs lined up, one of which was painting the legs on this table!

I really was not into a messy paint job and things kept interrupting full days.

Yesterday was a surprise trip to the doctor with Hannah, then to the pharmacy and back home for some treatment---praying it works!

Today was a surprise morning of testing at the school district.  We had asked for testing a while back and had some meetings, but I had not heard back on actual testing dates.  Got home from the doctors last night at 4:30 to a message that there was a 2 hour testing this morning at 8:30.

Along with all this is my still not feeling up to my old energy levels with all the diet changes due to food sensitivities.  I am thankful for how it is working, just need to get the eating figured out so I have energy all day.

So I decided no painting or big yard projects.

Then Erinn called and asked if I could get a box of her Christmas stuff ready to send to her in Hawaii since she will be arriving early December and wants something to make the house somewhat festive, even though they will have no furniture. 

So that started.....

You see where this is going, right?

Well one box of Christmas led to another box of Christmas.

And well lets just say that Thanksgiving is somewhat getting the shaft around here this year. 

I figured we were not going to be home for the holiday any ways so why not.

So right now at 4:00pm this is as far as I have gotten. 

Mess city.

And you know how one mess leads to another clean out messy job.

I have both school closets all over the place too waiting to be organized or cataloged!  I have to get a list of what I have because I am always changing things up as Hannah needs it, and I order lots of things from my PBS and I don't want to be doubling up, but I do want to get things on my wish list.

And the big Christmas change over means cleaning all those little nooks and crannies that only get cleaned a few time a year--sad to say, but too true.

Amazingly we have completed a full day of school everyday this week so far---yeah!!

Caleb aced a Science test today!

Hannah had all her school completed by noon even with our morning doing school at the school district offices.  Then she happily jumped into helping me because Christmas is just too fun and she is lighting up all over!

Goal tonight:

1) lesson plans for the next two weeks done

2) put regular school closet back together.

3) pre-pack Erinn's box and put the rest of her stuff back in the attic

4)catalog rest of grade school books and replace them on shelves

5) totally IGNORE the rest of the Christmas stuff and cleaning.

and finally

6) play a game of trains with the kids:)

I am exhausted just writing it down:)

A Fury of Football Frames....

 So what do you do when you keep saying more to come on your blog....

 So what can I do when I have posted at least three blogs on Drew's races.....

 So what can I do when football season has already been over for two weeks and still no pictures....

 Well you got it....a fury of football frames!

 Caleb just finished his third year of football with the same team and the same great coaches

 His first year was four years ago when we were still unaware of some of the issues he faced in his birth country---football brought much of that to the surface and allowed us to deal with some previously unknown circumstances---and for that we are truly thankful.

 The next year we took off because it was Drew's senior year of cross country and there were many conflicting dates, plus we wanted to make sure Caleb was ready for another foray into such a rough sport.

 This year he really started to figure it out and was off to a great start, due to a first game injury he became a little hesitant, but worked through it during the season.

 Caleb played starting defensive back on a team that was second in their league.

The first place team won state by a landslide and Caleb's team only lost to them by 4 points.

 I believe Caleb was the only 5th grader on a team of 6th graders, so they will all be moving on to jr. high next year (seriously that can not be so close to happening with our second set of kids--boy I am getting old!)

 That means  next year, if he chooses to play, it will be with a new team and new coaches.

 Caleb is extremely social, the total opposite of Hannah, and he will really miss these guys.

He loves it when we see them around town or at other functions.

 Here is the first hit of the season where he got hurt.  I think he was the guy underneath and got hit in a pretty sensitive area:(

 Coaches checking him out on the field to see if he can play.

 On the Sunday before his final regular season game, we believe he dislocated his knee running to the bathroom at church.

Yes, you hear that right, not playing football as all parents worry about, but at church!

He missed the first play-off game which was hard for him, but the swelling was gone by the final game and he played in that game.

 What a great season Medford Pop Warner Black Tornado!

 Caleb with Coach Faust, their official head coach and his defensive coach, who was amazing with Caleb all 4 years.

Caleb with Coach Rumrey, their acting head coach, overall tough guy who expected a lot from his kids and taught them a lot about teamwork and discipline---oh and he is the ex-head high school football coach that coached lots of winning high school teams.

Great season Caleb, we are very proud of all your hard work!

Right time-Right place

 So does this little girl look happy to see her big brother?

She was so excited.

She misses all the big people around here.

 David was very aware that there was way more going on at Stanford this last weekend than the Regional NCAA Cross Country Championships.

Gotta love the welcome the hotel had for all of the out of town college guests staying at their hotel---LOL.

 And then there was this lovely sign right out front.

We may have been sporting our Washington State University Crimson and Gray but......

We are Oregonians after all.

So early Saturday morning we headed over to Stanford University.

Their campus is absolutely gorgeous.

 Hannah beside one of the 'small' statues on campus.

 But this is why we made an early morning trip to the campus.

The right time-right place part.

 For all you football fans.

Saturday's College Game Day program was done live from the Stanford Campus for the 

Oregon vs. Stanford football game later in the day.

 Quite an experience to be there among all the craziness.

And yes, David yelled right along with all the other crazy people when the camera would zoom across the cables above us.

Though we are Duck fans, we were wearing our crimson and gray for WSU, so we actually looked somewhat like Stanford Fans.

But if you look at the red flag flying on the right hand side of this picture, you can almost tell it is a WSU flag!

Most of the colleges in the new Pac 12 were represented in one way or another.

 Yeah our crimson, kinda blended in with this side of crazies.

 Thanks ESPN and Home Depot for the unique experience.

 Caleb, David, Hannah, and David's nephew and name sake, David enjoying the cool morning.

Sometimes David's need to fill every moment of the day makes for fun memory makers!

Oh and by the way...

Even though Oregon was predicted to loose this game here at the Game Day hoopla...

We were privileged to listen to the whole game on our drive home on our XM radio and.....

Oregon proudly pounced on Stanford!  Yeah!

A two hour diversion

 When you are in the bay area of Central California, what do you do? 

 But head a couple hours out of your way to hit a famous landmark and see the city from afar in the fog and driving rain!

Especially if you are a Jordan!

 They were doing some work down here low and up higher.

Caleb, who is afraid of heights, was amazed at how high people had to go to work on it.

I think he was sick just thinking about it.

 Do we look cold?

It was!

What an amazing site, even after all the times I have seen it.

 Fun times---Fun memories

 My amazing husband who is usually behind the camera.

 A rescue training operation out of the coast guard station.

On our way out to seen Drew and thankful we could use the bridge to get there faster now rather than driving all the way around the bay!

I was one anxious mom to see my far away son!