Two Candles

Two years ago today our baby girl was born! We went to Starbucks to have a little celebration!

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Birthday Joy!

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On Saturday we celebrated our daughter's 2nd birthday. We had some family and friends over for a small party and fellowship. We had a wonderful day. Here is a video montage of pictures and video that cover the day!

Lithia Park

Here are some beautiful pictures of Lithia Park that my friend, Kristine, took this weekend. It is such a lovely park and I have many fond memories from there. As I child I waded in the creek in the summer and had so much fun in the play ground.

Magic Carpet

We bought a new carpet for our living room, at Lowes, a couple of weeks ago and we put it down on Saturday. Of Course, Mary helped! Here are some pictures and a video of the big event:)

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Enjoying the fruit of her labor.

Show and Tell Friday

It is Show and Tell Friday and my special thing to share this week is a lamp that my husband made me when we first started dating. He customized it for me by asking me what scripture I would like to put on it. I gave him Song of Solomon 2:10-12 because that is how I felt when I first started dating him. My winter of singleness was over and a time for celebration had come. During a 7-year period of time, in my life, God had given me the timing of when my beloved, the one I would marry, would come into my life. Rich was that man! I had confirmation beyond myself that he was the one! This lamp is an example of my husband's talent. It is ceramic and fired in a kiln. He invented a special process to make the design hollow, which allows light to shine through. It is beautiful and I love it. He makes all kinds of lovely lamps and I am so proud of him!

Have a great weekend! For more Show and Tell treasures go to Kelli's blog.

Sugar Plum Fairy

I made Mary a ballerina tutu for her Harvest Festival costume on Saturday. To my surprise, she took great interest when I was sewing it at the kitchen table. She was even more excited when I let her try it on. Bear in mind that Mary is not quite 2 years old! So, I videotaped her with it on. I think she is going to be a dancer. She definitely gets her dramatic flair from her father :). For those of you who don't know, Rich was involved with drama for many years at our church in Oceanside, California, and he was in several productions at Mira Costa College, the local junior college down there. In the video her back is to the camera most of the time because she is looking at her reflection in the oven door.

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Share and Tell Friday

My Share and Tell item is a figurine of a Schnauzer dog with a dog tag attached to it. I keep it on a shelf above my computer desk. It is in memory of my sweet little dog, Willy. He died at the ripe old age of 14 and that was 8 years ago. He died on October 12, 2000. I loved that little dog very much and he was such a comfort during my years of being single. He was always my little buddy, loving and happy. I have not owned a dog since. We plan on getting a dog again when our daughter is about 5 or 6 years old. We would like to get a puppy that is a terrier and poodle mix. We would like her to have a little buddy to love and cuddle:)

Here are a few pictures of Willy during his happy years with me.

Have a blessed weekend. Love, Elena

To see more Share and Tell treasures go to Kelli's blog at There is no place like home.

Children of the World

Last Sunday was Missions Sunday at my church. The guest speaker was a missionary to children all over the world. His organization concentrates on child evangelism. It was a very powerful and moving message. It made me think of the little Bolivian boy we support through World Vision. We have sent him regular support for 6 years now and occasionally we are able to send him an extra gift of money. Yesterday we received a letter from him and I wanted to share it with you:

Dear Sponsor,

I am very happy to get your gift once again, I'm very happy and thankful for the great gift you sent me. I used the money to buy socks, underwear, a pair of sneakers, a pair of sandals and I shared all things with my siblings. All of us are very happy because now I have sneakers and my siblings also got what they really needed. We thank you a lot for making all my family smile. My parents send you many greetings and they're also thankful and happy. I'll be praying for you and your family, may God bless you today and always. I'm very happy to get nice news dear sponsor. I thank you for everything and I finish this letter with a big hug.

Sincerely,

Marcos

Marcos is a small Indian boy, living in the Andes above La Paz in a village called Carnavi. He doesn't have much but he sure is a sweet and happy boy. It is amazing how what we consider a small amount of money can mean so much to him! He is getting an education and a good meal everyday because of what we send each month. I have his picture on the side of this blog. If you click on his picture it will take you to the website where you can sponsor a child through World Vision. The plight of the children of the world is very dark but we can make a difference through praying for and giving to Christian organizations that are working to help them and lead them to the Lord.

Yee Hah!

"Yee Hah"is one of our daughter's favorite sayings. Since we live out West, it is appropriate! In honor of the "Yee Hah"spirit my husband fixed barbecued ribs on Saturday along with setting up our greenhouse for the winter. I feel so blessed to have a guy who is handy at building and repairing things and is really good in the kitchen too!I fixed corn bread

and baked beans to go with the ribs.

Mary took a big bite

and gave her approval!

She also put on her dad's cowboy boots to celebrate!

The Next Day... Sunday

I dressed Mary for church

I love these little shoes I got for her at Walmart

She's ready to go!

She had a great time in her class. I was able to go into service with Rich and she didn't cry and get upset. She loves playing with the other little kids. Mary is quite social and loves people. We weren't sure how she would do as we have now changed churches and are putting her in class. Before we kept her with us and watched the service on a monitor. She has adjusted just fine. A real answer to my prayer!

When we got back from church, Rich and I put all my plants in the greenhouse while Mary took a nap. Here are a few shots of our plants and avocado trees.

Have a blessed day! Elena

Country Roads

I love country roads. The country roads near me soothe and rejuvenate my soul. I can see how someones heart can be tied to the land they grew up on. Earl Hamner (writer of The Waltons) always speaks of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with so much nostalgia and passion. So, too I feel about the Rogue River Valley of Oregon. Many times in the mid-afternoon I will take my two year old daughter on a drive through the countryside near our home. I tell her after a morning of her playing and me doing my daily chores, "OK, Mary lets go Bye-Bye!" She runs and gets her blanket and waits patiently by the door while I put on my tennis shoes and shut off the TV. I buckle her in the car seat with her soft pink blanket on her lap. I jump in the drivers seat, don my sunglasses, turn on the praise music, and head out for the country. I drive a mile square route taking us past beautiful pasture land, alfalfa fields, cherry orchards and beautiful homes set on the hillsides with deep green lawns flowing down. There are beautiful stands of oak trees and elms. Most of them follow the creeks that criss-cross this fertile valley. I love to look at the weathered barns that have been there for who knows how long and then up into the majestic deep blue sky with white puffy clouds. The setting is framed with the beautiful dark blue and purple mountains in the distance. Sometimes in the fall the clouds hang low and softly on the mountainsides like blankets or herds of sheep. My spirit is lifted as I see the mown hay fields and horses out to pasture. Right now, the trees are beginning to turn radiant colors of autumn. It makes me so happy to see the beauty of God's creation. I then look in my rear view mirror and my daughter's sweet little head, full of curls, has slumped to the side and she is hugging her blanket, fast asleep. I love seeing her sleep and hearing the praise music playing in the car. It is so wonderful to be driving through this gorgeous countryside and having her, my precious gift from the Lord, in the back seat. I give a big sigh... all is well with my soul!