Prayers for 2009

Wow. I can't believe another year is gone.
I can't believe another year is gone.
I can't believe another year is gone and we're still in IBESR.


I pray that Islande and Katiana are home with us in 2009 (hopefully before the end). (We were told that IBESR would release all documents by the end of December. Well, here we are, Dec. 31 and at the cusp of 15 months, as others have flown by us. Please pray for favor with the IBESR director and that we hear some good news today!!!)

I pray that my friends get their kids home, too.


I pray that Mark's printing business takes off like wildfire (yes, it would be nice to pay off some bills, but mostly to ease his mind).


I pray for Mark, Lord, that you would keep him godly, honorable, full of integrity.


I pray that I become a better disciple of You, wife and mother (Lord, You know I need help!).


I pray that Charis continues to grow in God's grace and wisdom to become a girl who wholeheartedly serves Him.


I pray for continued good health, for us and others.


I pray that my family and friends who don't know Christ will embrace salvation through Him.


I pray for the precious people of Haiti, who break their backs to earn enough to barely feed their children. I pray for Islande's and Katiana's birth moms, that their lives would be easier this year.


I pray for the staff of IBESR, Parquet, MOI and all the steps in between. I pray that God would bless them.


I pray for jobs, homes, assistance, restoration of health, where needed.


I pray for revival.


I pray for President-elect Obama. Lord, surround him with godly people who will speak TRUTH into his life. I pray he will look to You before making any decision. Guide him as he leads our nation.

I pray for Pastor Steve as he shepherds MSC. Keep him humble and reliant on You.

I pray for you, my precious friends. Thank you for your prayers and support! I love you!

Going to Haiti

Mark told me to book my flight for Haiti. Unfortunately, it's already more expensive than it was the other day :(

Mark has to wait to see about the workload before we can schedule him to go (ie, we need a lot NOW).

I need to raise funds. Anyone local want cake? :)~

BTW, I found out that Katiana has been moved to the back-yard dorms with the "elders." So she is in the same area as Islande, probably the same room. I heard that Katiana really enjoys being in the back yard more (as I thought she would). I miss them so much and am glad I'll be able to go. I pray we can work it for Mark to go, too. He has only been once (June 2007).

I hope you all had a joyous Christmas! Ours was quiet, but Mark's family is here now, so Charis is really enjoying time with her grandparents and auntie.

Charis at 4 1/2

with new Mickey earrings

Christmas Cakes

I recently made a few cakes for Mark to deliver to some of his bigger clients/vendors.

I wasn't too thrilled with how any of them turned out, but here they are:


Two layer chocolate, filled with crushed peppermints between the layers. Chocolate-mint buttercream. The holly and berries are made with gel. I added gel dots between the shells in the border.


Two layer chocolate, filled with crushed peppermints between the layers. Chocolate-mint buttercream. An experiment with putting crushed mints in a snowflake pattern failed. I used a green ribbon to trim this one.

Three-layer cake, alternating chocolate, yellow, chocolate; filled with ganache and crushed peppermints. I iced with chocolate ganache. I followed the recipe, using bittersweet chocolate. I think if I do this again, I'll use semi-sweet. The leftover ganache made good truffles, though.

Three-layer cake, alternating chocolate, yellow, chocolate; filled with ganache and crushed peppermints. I iced with chocolate ganache. (Same thing as earlier, I'll use semi-sweet next time. I hope it wasn't too rich for the recipients).

A birthday cake order. The neighbor who ordered this wanted half white frosting and half chocolate. I had such issues with the frosting not sticking to the cake, and the cake itself falling apart. If he didn't need it for today, I would have started over. Oh to have an extra freezer to keep a stash of cakes ...

Photo from Haiti

I received the photo update from last month. It's sweet they put the girls together. They look like they're doing well. I've heard from other that their toddlers have been moved into the dorms in the back yard. Since Katiana is now 4, I wonder if she has moved, too. I hope so. I think she'll be happier back there.

I miss my sweet girls ...

Giddy-Up

Here is a horse cake I did for a friend's twin 3-year-old boys. She purchased the horses, fence and trees through a company.

Snow, Cake and Parades

Charis catching snowflakes on her tongue Thursday.

Charis decorating the Christmas tree Thursday night. At least this year she was wearing clothes (rather than her gymnastics unitard).

After attending a Christmas brunch for the women's ministry this morning at church, I took Charis to a friend's birthday party, for which I made the cake:

Princess carriage pan, buttercream icing, fondant banner, and frozen buttercream transfer Cinderella.

And then Santa showed up and let each little girl have some one-0n-0ne time. Charis waited patiently for her turn and then was starstruck. She quietly asked for books.

We then went to the Christmas parade downtown. She was very excited to see Santa again.

All I Want for Christmas are My Two Haitian Girls ... (Alternately Titled: Happy 4th Birthday, Katiana!)

Maybe I should sing that for next Christmas.

Still in IBESR. No surprise. We're now entering 14 months of what should have been 4 to 7 months.

I pray we're out by the end of the year (and others stuck with us).

I pray that families that aren't in IBESR yet are in by the end of the year.

Even once we're out of IBESR, the wait will continue. I modified this from Lisa's blog:

The next step, Parquet, could take 2 to 12 months (some friends got out in 2, others have been waiting half a year). Then there's 3 to 6 months for Judgement/2nd Legal/Archives. Apparently there is a new step of verifying archive signatures, too. Then Ministry of the Interior (MOI), which could be 3 to 6 months. After MOI, they'll print the passports, which can take a week to a month or two, depending on whether their printer is working and they have a supply of paper. Once passports are printed, our completed dossier is sent back to U.S. Immigration where they'll approve the I-600s (which we signed back in July), schedule the Visa appointments, and then issue the Visas -- I think all of this can take about a month (or so).

You do the math.

Also, Katiana will be turning 4 tomorrow. Yes, 4!!! I have two 4-year-olds. Happy Birthday, my sweet Katsi!! I pray this is the last birthday you spend without us.

Guess the Christmas Song

This was a game we played at MOPS yesterday. Each table had only four minutes. My table won, missing only one (#2). See how you do:

Example: Bleached Yule = White Christmas

1. Boulder of the Tinkling Metal Spheres

2. Castaneous-colored Seed Vesicated in a Conflagration

3. Singular Yearning for the Twin Anterior Incisors

4. Righteous Darkness

5. Arrival Time: 2400 hrs - Weather: Cloudless

6. Loyal Followers Advance

7. Far Off in a Feeder

8. Array the Corridor

9. Bantam Male Percussionist

10. Monarchial Triad

11. Nocturnal Noiselessness

12. Jehovah Deactivate Blithe Chevaliers

13. Red Man En Route to Borough

14. Frozen Precipitation Commence

15. Proceed and Enlighten on the Pinnacle

16. The Quadruped with the Vermilion Proboscis

17. Query Regarding Identity of Descendant

18. Delight for this Planet

19. Give Attention to the Melodious Celestial Beings

20. The Dozen Festive 24 Hour Intervals

ANSWERS:
1 . Jingle Bell Rock
2. Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire
3. All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
4. 0 Holy Night
5. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear
6. 0 Come, All Ye Faithful
7. Away in a Manger
8. Deck the Hall
9. Little Drummer Boy
10. We Three Kings
11. Silent Night
12. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen
13. Santa Claus is Coming to Town
14. Let it Snow
15. Go, Tell It on the Mountain
16. Rudolph, the Red-nosed Reindeer
17. What Child is This?
18. Joy to the World
19. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
20. The Twelve Days of Christmas

River of Lights

When we were in Rio Rancho, NM, visiting Mark's family, we, along with Mark's sister Kim, went to the Rio Grande Botanic Garden for its annual River of Lights. It was a fairly warm night and not crowded, which made for a more pleasant evening. Several of the displays progressed, like elephants spurting water, cheetahs running, frogs jumping, hummingbirds fluttering. It was very cool.

MOPS Cake

Tomorrow is the last MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting for the semester. I was asked to make a cake for the occasion. It's frosted in buttercream. I patted the top layer with sprinkling sugar. The snowflakes and MOPS are made of royal icing. I then brushed them with lemon extract and white luster dust for sparkle. The snowflakes are so fragile, that I broke most of them trying to put on the sparkle. I hope they all make it to the meeting.

I hope we even have a meeting. We cancel if a certain school district cancels or delays due to weather (because we'd have too many children attending with their moms). And a storm is supposed to come in. Well, if we are canceled, I'll donate the cake to the church staff. They'll get the remainder of it anyway.

Tagged With the 8s

I was tagged by Lisa. Here are my subjects and answers:

8 Favorite TV Shows:
NCIS
Ugly Betty
The Next Food Network Star
Naked Archaeologist
What Not to Wear (Is there a non-clothing theme here?)
Mythbusters
Dirty Jobs
Whatever intrigues me on Discovery, TLC, NatGeo, Bio, etc.)
(sorry, that's my list ... I don't watch anything on a regular basis, and catch up on some shows via DVD)

8 Things I Did Yesterday:
Waited in line
Shopped
Ate
Visited with Mark's family
Waited in more lines
Ate
Napped
Laundered flannel bought earlier to make pajamas today

8 Things I Look Forward To:
Hearing "Well done, my good and faithful servant" from my Savior!
The day we get out of IBESR
The day we get out of Parquet
The day we get out of MOI
The day there are five of us in our Christmas picture.
Watching my girls grow into godly women.
Spring.
The day I can fit into my pre-pregnancy pants :) -- like that will ever happen


8 Favorite Restaurants:
PF Chang's
In-N-Out (which I get only when I visit CA)
Islands (ditto)
On the Border
Red Robin
Qdoba
Amanda's Fonda
NYPD


8 Things on My Wish List:
Charis, Islande and Katiana would grow into a girls/women who love and serve God wholeheartedly.
Healing for my nieces.
Islande and Katiana would join our family before summer.
All my friends who are adopting would get their children home soon and transitions would go smoothly.
That I would become a better wife, mother, disciple of Christ.
That Mark's business would take off financially.
Our country would return to God and Christian values.
We would endure until Christ returns.

I tag Emily, Sue, Vonnie, and Tana if you haven't been tagged already.

Family Pictures

Mark, Jodie and Charis with Mark's parents and sister.


Mark, Jodie and Charis


Jodie's parents, sister and her family in California.

Thankful Thursday!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Here are a few things for which I'm thankful:

• A loving God who became man through His Son Jesus, who died for me so that I may have fellowship and life eternal.
• I live in a country where I am allowed to worship openly.
• I live in a country where people are free to disagree.
• I have a Godly husband.
• I have a beautiful daughter and someday will have two more.
• I have wonderful parents and wonderful parents-in-love.
• I have a wonderful sister, her family, and sister-in-love.
• I have a house.
• I have a car.
• I have more than one pair of shoes.
• I have my health.
• I have food in my cupboard.
• And I am thankful for you!

Little Pilgrim

We were instructed to dress Charis as a pilgrim or Indian for AWANA yesterday. I had forgotten until the last minute and we started looking for something that would go either way. Charis found her Holly Hobby costume from Halloween two years ago (I'm surprised it still fit, but it was a little short--very unpilgrim-like).

She won for best costume in her classroom.

Choose Wisely

Hungry Children Dying in Haiti

Aid workers: Hungry kids dying in Haiti
At least 26 malnourished children have perished; scores others treated


Ramon Espinosa / AP
Venecia Lonis, 4, who suffers from malnutrition, is weighed at the Doctors Without Borders hospital in Port-au-Prince on Wednesday.

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti - The 5-year-old teetered on broomstick legs — he weighed less than 20 pounds, even after days of drinking enriched milk. Nearby, a 4-year-old girl hung from a strap attached to a scale, her wide eyes lifeless, her emaciated arms dangling weakly.

In pockets of Haiti accessible only by donkey or foot, children are dying of malnutrition — their already meager food supply cut by a series of devastating storms that destroyed crops, wiped out livestock and sent food prices spiraling.

At least 26 severely malnourished children have died in the past four weeks in the remote region of Baie d'Orange in Haiti's southeast, aid workers said Thursday, and there are fears the toll will rise much higher if help does not come quickly to the impoverished Caribbean nation.

Another 65 severely malnourished children are being treated in makeshift tent clinics in the mountainous area, or at hospitals where they were evacuated in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere, said Max Cosci, who heads the Belgian contingent of Doctors Without Borders in Haiti.

One evacuee, a 7-year-old girl, died while being treated, Cosci said, adding: "The situation is extremely, extremely fragile and dangerous."

Click here for the rest of the story.

Mickey on Ice-ing

I learned a new technique today called "Buttercream Transfer." It's an easy way to put just about any image onto a cake or cookie. I was fairly pleased with how the transfer turned out. I also tried two other new things within the cake itself that I didn't like: torting and whipped buttercream. The whipped buttercream was way too sweet and too grainy, clogging my tip as I piped the border. The torting allowed me to put too much icing within the cake layers, and I'm not a big fan of icing anyway — especially overly sweet icing. I think I'm going into a sugar coma thinking about it ...

Islande Said "I do"

This weekend I learned that my precious Islande has given her heart to Jesus!

I also was told that she is a "Mother Hen" and really watches out for the younger kids. She also is a big helper (which I have witnessed firsthand).

My heart rejoices to hear such wonderful news! But it also makes me miss her (and Katiana) all the more.

Charis' Week

At the zoo with Jackson.

Flying around the yard (it was 70 degrees that day, and 30 with snow the next; we're expecting 70 again this week)

Tackling chopsticks at Pei Wei on Friday night. She did a pretty good job.

While I'm Waiting

Mark and I had a rare date Friday night. We went to the movies and saw "Fireproof." It's a great script, but it still had that "Christian movie" feel. But overall it was a good movie, definitely worth seeing.

During a portion of the movie, this song was playing in the background. It really struck me that I need to continue worshiping as I wait.

(Make sure to pause my player at the bottom of the page before playing the YouTube clip).




While I’m Waiting
Psalm 5:3, 27:14, 33:20, 37:7, 38:15, 40:1, Isaiah 30:18, Lamentations 3:24
John Waller

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord

© 2007 Travelin’ Zoo Music (ASCAP) (admin. by EMI CMG Publishing)

Early Decorating

I love it when my house is decorated for Christmas.

I decorate ONLY for Christmas. Well, a couple things come out for fall, but that's it.

My gripe is that it takes so long to decorate for Christmas, that I don't want to take it down so soon. But I do. And I'm not allowed to start decorating until after Thanksgiving. So much work for only a month of enjoyment!

So, I've changed my blog early (maniacal laughter!). And it's wintry, so I can leave it up until spring (except for the play list).

So enjoy for a few months anyway.

Fun at Little Gym's Fall Fest

The Little Gym, where Charis attends gymnastics, held a Fall Fest members-only party on Saturday, complete with an hour of gym time per age group, face-painting, games and snacks. There were hordes of kids and they all had fun.

Dark Chocolate Goodness

I did this one as a "last-minute" decision for a Taste of Home Entertaining party, where I was demonstrating. It's a chocolate cake with dark chocolate buttercream basketweave. The poinsettias were extras from my previous cake.

13 Months

Check away another month in IBESR.

I was told a month ago that the new director's assistant said they were "specifically" working on our dossier. I believe he "specifically" said that to "specifically" placate us for another month while they "specifically" do whatever.

Maybe I should "specifically" send them a cake!

Antiquities

Our MOPS group held an Antiquities fund-raiser (you know, the old-time darling photos of the kids). I picked up our photos today. It was too hard to choose. The first one was a 10x13 that the company chose, the other two I picked (with help of friends).

Pretty Poinsettias

This is my cake for my Wilton Course 3 (Fondant and Tiered Cakes) final.

I did two 10-inch rounds topped with two 6-inch rounds. I used chocolate and yellow cakes, filled with chocolate buttercream and topped with chocolate fondant. I made red and ivory poinsettias from royal icing. I attached the flowers with green royal icing for the leaves.