New Years "Dedication"

I really dislike the term "New Years Resolution." So after checking the thesaurus i found a synonym that I like much better...DEDICATION. After marinating myself in the word for a few moments I realized that is what I was going to do with my next year. I would dedicate it to an idea or goal really that was "God Centered."

Over the last few months I have really been trying to focus on loving myself for who I am as a child of God. Loving what God has created me to conquer, accomplish and do in His name, for His glory and for His people. I have been striving to love others as God loves them. I have been striving to give of myself even when it is inconvenient for me. I want so badly to live as selflessly as possible and at the same time love and embrace the gifts and passions that God has given me. I can not explain how much joy I have felt in living out the projects He has dropped in my lap over the last couple of months. They have seemed so impossible at the start but so miraculous at the end.

So back to my New Years Dedication. Every year my children bring home a coloring sheet from preschool that is so simple yet holds -I think -the key of our purpose on this earth. It says God's Rules, Love God, Love People. I truly covet this little color page it over stays its welcome on our fridge nearly until the next years page comes to replace it. It is such a great reminder of how simple our calling is on this earth.

So this year I am going to dedicate myself to this simple calling. I have learned that the simple calling does not always come with the most simple jobs or responsibilities, however if Gods will is in it I know he will continue to bless me beyond what I deserve with joy and a feeling of true fulfillment. I know that in loving Gods people I am ultimately loving Him. I prayed last night and gave myself completely to Him saying, "God, here I am us me as you see fit." And now I am going to hold onto my hat because I am sure there are many journeys ahead of me this year and many of them will probably include feeding others. Boy am I excited!!

I will leave you with the simplest prayer of thanksgiving, one that we pray often at the Jager House. Thank you God for providing us with all that we need and some of what we want too!

How Was Your Christmas? Ours Was Great!

I had a hard time getting into the Christmas "spirit" last week. Things were crazy at my house. My house was torn apart, my husband was in and out (mostly out) with crazy holiday hours, and I couldn't seem to finish anything I started (probably because I didn't even know where to start).

By Tuesday I decided I was no longer going to try and clean around the construction, rather I was just going to live in the construction. I made myself at home among the torn up flooring and newly laid flooring. I got used to dust flying through the air and decided to embrace the fact that my white bathroom floor would be a constant shade of gray. This made me feel better for a few days.

Well then Thursday rolled around and the reality of Christmas was upon me. I realized that in a matter of 24 hours the wrapping paper would be flying, toys would be strewn across the living room floor and there would be a feeling of controlled chaos entering my home. So after a spilled glass of egg nog all over the newly laid, only clean piece of flooring in my house I decided that vacating the premises for a bit and returning with a fresh outlook would be my only chance of surviving. So thats what I did. When I returned all of the things that seemed like big deals were small and the chaos just seemed normal (which it is). I cleaned all surfaces as well as the kitchen and the dirty bathroom floor, made 2 dozen dinner rolls, homemade bacon onion dip and packed up for the evening. I was on top of my game and God had renewed my spirit.

Friday morning was great I looked around and attempted to forget about all that still needed to be done and decided to focus on what Christmas is really about. At this very moment I realized how much I love this life exactly for what it was in that very moment. My kids are healthy, my husband loves me, my house is warm, there is food in my cupboards and I have HOPE. And the reason I have hope is because my God gave his Son for me! And He loves me even when I lose sight of what really matters!

Here are some pictures of the kids enjoying Christmas.

The Post With No Name?

This post has no name! I wasn't sure what to call it so this will have to do. Seems incredibly wrong to not name because the contents are so great however it is what it is.

Four years ago the Jagers entered the great big chapter of "Preschool." We tried a preschool in our neighborhood for three days only to find out that it was not a "good fit" for us the teacher or anyone else involved. I was pretty much convinced that preschool wasn't going to work for us at all after the teacher did everything short of tell me that my child was a mutant:)

Well after many tears, a phone call to the first preschool we tried explaining maybe not so nicely that we would never be returning there and a letter to the preschool explaining my disappointment in there actions, we were onto the next step, looking for anew school. Well here we were school had already started and most places were already full as well as had active waiting lists, it was frustrating. My Mother-in-law (I hate referring to her this way by the way, it seems to carry such negative baggage with it however I will save this rambling for another post) suggested I call Leslie DeJong I half thought to myself yeah right everyone in their dog wants to go there I will never get in. I called anyway and wouldn't you know she had an available spot.

I was quite nervous in dropping him off seeing as our first experience was nothing short of well disaster is a good word:) But everyday I would ask her, half waiting for her to let me have it, did he do ok? One day she finally looked me in the eye and said you know Jessica he is just a normal little boy with lots of energy and lots of love he is great! Be still my heart it still makes me cry. I needed to hear that so badly and I repeat these words to myself even still on days that I feel like pulling my hair out.

Well Leslie has been the gift that has kept giving for the last four years. I can not picture a better place for my children to get there preschool foundation. Last week Grace had her little Christmas Program. It is always so cute and at the same time so amazing to watch them all give Leslie their attention and respect as she leads them in 6 or 7 songs. She is always sure to praise them on the littlest things such as how quietly they are able to put their jingle bells away in the box. After they are done singing she calls them each back one by one to pick u there present they have made for there parents, we all open them at that time and praise our children for how beautiful their tiny creations are. This year I was sure to tell Leslie how much I appreciated her for what she does with the children. She shared a story with me in return. She told me they had had the Elders of their church over for dinner and they were all sharing stories of spiritual highs over the Christmas season. Do you know what this dear woman said hers was? Singing Christmas Songs with the 4 year olds in her preschool. She said this is when she sees God the most. As shes telling me a tear comes to her eye.

I can not explain how much I love this woman for loving my children, for teaching them about God's love and for allowing God to work through her in a way that most miss out on. My children are truly blessed and I am truly thankful!

The Joy of Christmas in Music and Song

This is an opportunity to enjoy some Christmas Caroling with your family right before Christmas. On the 23rd of December there will be a concert held at 3rd Christan Reformed Church here in Lynden. They will also be taking a love offering for Carl Haan. Carl is a friend of mines Dad who was recently diagnosed with Lymphoma. There will be Hot Cider and Cookies served as well. Its a free evening with the opportunity to give.

I Think We Jagers May Be Crazy?

Who decides to rip up all of there flooring in their home roughly 10 days before Christmas? Oh yeah, The Jagers.

My Husband was super crabby yesterday and this morning and so this morning I decided to ask what the matter was. Well it turns out that Mr. Jager was feeling like he had a lot of projects to finish. So being the wife that I am I offered to vacate the premises in order for him to get some work done. No problem he said he would work on some of the new flooring we had purchased. Great, I had some baking to do so I went to do it at my Mother-In-Laws. In returning to the house you see from the pictures what I found. I have no words.

By the way, do not mistake this post as complaining because I am very thankful for all of the things my husband is capable of however.....Christmas is next Friday. And my tree is not decorated and we don't have the proper flooring that we want for the kitchen.....ahhhhhhhhhh. Just going mildly insane this evening. I know he will complete it but as of now I can't even cook in my own home:(

May I add that I have not really been in the Christmas Spirit and so I have been praying a lot about this lately. Two days ago I really felt like God was telling me and trying to show me that Christmas is so much more than the tree, cards, presents and what not. And it is so much more about giving of your self and Giving of your spiritual gifts to others that is important. So maybe allowing my husband to do this right now without totally freaking out is a way I can give a gift to him this Christmas Season. Hopefully this is the final chapter in my study on what it means to have Christmas Spirit....I am not sure I can bear much more construction:)

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

So happy to report that we finally secured a Christmas Tree. And even happier to report it was snowing when we got it. My Dad promised it would be snowing and it did. We go to the same lot every year it is secluded in the middle of the woods and operates with an honor box. The greatest place ever I tell ya. They don't charge by the foot here folks they charge by the type of tree you buy. Borrow a saw from the wood shed and cut it down yourself. I can't imagine going anywhere else and did I mention how beautiful it is up there?

This year was a bit different though....I actually was realistic with the size of tree I bought. Almost every year I choose a tree that hardly fits through the door let alone fits within our ceiling limits. But I did it I think it made Brian a very happy man:) Really people have you seen Griswolds Christmas...that is much what it is like at our house every year. The tree looks so small at the lot but once you get home you end up being able to keep only top pf the tree:)

We also played in the snow yesterday at my mom's. They have a big pond in there backyard at it was frozen solid. My dad said we could walk on it. I was a bit of a skeptic but after everyone else went on I followed. I will admit it was a bit strange to step off of the dock onto a sheet of ice. But it was much fun to build a small snow man and do snow angels on the pond. How bazaar right?

Long story short it was a fabulous day! And I got a tree however the next post will show you why it is still not decorated.

P.S. Notice Graces snow pants.... I picked them up at a garage sale this year. They are from a girls only store but they happen to be blue which matches her jacket. The man at the Christmas Tree farm referred to her as a boy. Note to Mr. Christmas Tree man girls can wear blue and she also has a pony tail and a pink ear warmer on...Hello.

Bon Bon Part Deux

On Saturday night we went to Graces Ballet recital. The first half of the show is always a rendition of the nutcracker. This is Graces second year however at this age they take the same class twice which means same costume two years in a row. She did choose a different color this year though.

It was so cute to watch her dance this year. She is still learning a lot obviously, however this year she knows she also serves a purpose on stage other than just looking absolutely adorable. She followed along very well. Before going on stage she tugged on my hand looked me straight in the eyes and said,"Don't worry mom this is going to be great!" I love her!! She is the most confident little lady I know!

The Young Messiah

To preface this post I am now declaring a blogathon. I attempt to avoid this type of event however, its been a busy weekend and there is a lot to report.

Well, Friday night was Elliots Christmas Program. They chose to do The Young Messiah this year. Elliot was pretty stirred up about the fact of having to wear a costume for half of there performance. When asked about the sort of costume he would be wearing he told me he was going to be a shepherd. I explained to him all of the wonderful aspects of being a shepherd and told him his costume would be sort of like a bathrobe with a headdress of sorts and it would probably prove to be quite comfortable. (Now you see Elliot truly dislikes anything dressed up, puppets honestly terrified him as a toddler as well as anything pretending to be anything else.) So not being able to leave well enough alone and being the over achiever mom that I am I ended the conversation with at least you don't have to be a sheep that would be really silly. Well wouldn't you know that the kindergarteners were sheep. Nice!! So any mom of a kindergarten child that may have been teased by my dear sweet boy please accept my apology I was only trying to help my child:)

Anyway, all of that aside it was a wonderful program. Elliot did awesome!! He was a little distracted by his teacher from last year sitting in the audience though. He must of spent 5 minutes making sure she saw him winking at her;)

And the costumes were quite adorable. I wish I would have gotten better pics but there was a very tall person sitting in front of me and by the time I got back to class he had his costume off:( Another photog mom was there snapping away and was nice enough to take some pictures for me so maybe I will have some to post on a later date.

Dear Snuggie Marketing Team,

I just wanted to to take a moment to express my opinion on your success. You are very smart in how you advertise on some of the major television networks for children. My children and I am sure many others, have been very excited about the prospects of receiving a Snuggie for Christmas. You may laugh however every time your wonderful commercials comes on our living room is filled with squeals and talk of which color one thinks the other will receive. And now you have added the dog Snuggie bless you for thinking of such a wonderful and much needed item in our home.

Now my visits to Costco, Target, and many other retailers has become a game of avoid the aisle where this item may be housed. Otherwise our entire shopping trip is full of excitement related to your product as well as not so gentle reminders from my lovely offspring that I "promised" I would get them one.

You will be happy to know my dear grandmother went out and searched for the kids size Snuggie which is a rare stock item for retailers. After 3 trips to 6 different stores my children will now find pink and blue Snuggies under the tree.

However the dogs will remain freezing because your development team forgot to think of the Daschund market and they are much too short for our long variety dog.

Heres to hoping next year does not include a new and improved Snuggie product.

Sincerely-
Not So Excited About Snuggies Mom
Somewhere, NW WA

Just a random post of what has now been a daily topic in our home for the last 2 months.

You know you have a 6-year old boy in your house when....

you find this on the back of the sheep in your manger scene. Yes folks that would be lego dynamite or if you ask Elliot lego C-4. Poor sheep never had a chance.
Not much to say about this.? I will admit to a half smile and a bit of giggle when I happened upon it though. What about you?
P.S. this is the only piece of Christmas decoration you will find in my house at the moment other than a piece of mistletoe hanging in the kitchen.(can't resist the mistletoe. I keep it next to the peanut butter in the cupboard so I won't lose it among the other boxes of Christmas goodness.)Hopefully I will find sometime to decorate more this week.

Hope For Olive Olie Bollen Wrap Up

First off I must tell you how blessed I have been in the process of trying to bless precious baby Olive. My little tiny idea turned into something a lot bigger than I ever dreamed of. Once we decided to go with Olie Bollen we had a lot of needs to be met so no one person was pulling all of the weight. I never thought I would have so much help and support. There were quite a few times when I was confused and a bit worried that things would not be pulled off in a pleasing way. However thats when God took the reigns and showed me that he was the one that had things under control. I had to trust a lot(which is difficult for me) however each and every time the need was met with something more than I had planned on.

My guardian angel(Jan) and her friend(Coleen) organized all of the making of the olie bollen batter and we had 9 bowls full of batter by the time we got started frying. This was enough to make 970 olie bollen.

The restaurant space was donated so we could fry it all up. So we pretty much fried olie bollen from 5pm - 1am. It was fabulous!! God kept on bringing more people to help with frying, so as some left more showed up. Thanks to all who helped fry, sugar, shake and bag up all of the balls of fried goodness. You will never fully know how much I appreciate you!

The night of the sale I was again met with many familiar faces to help sell the olie bollen and hundreds of cups of cocoa. Thanks to everyone who froze their tushies off with me. I think the chapped cheeks and lips were worth it:)

And last but not least those of you who donated supplies such as but not limited to bags, cups, signs, napkins, cocoa, heaters, prayers, etc. I love you all, you are amazing and every little thing helped make my job so easy.

And not to be forgotten, my husband. He held down the fort a lot this weekend while I was running around. I am so thankful for you babe!! I couldn't do any of this if you weren't so supportive of my passions and crazy dreams. You are truly the best!

I will never be able to express to any of you what a blessing you have been to me in the last few weeks. However I will say that I prayed prayers of thankfulness for each of you by name this week.

So now I am sure some of you have scrolled to the bottom to see what we raised. And drumroll please....God brought in $1500 for sweet baby Olive.

My Newest Bargain

I would like you new meet my newest bargain. This Monday Brian and I went shopping for flooring for Elliots room. It is the last room upstairs to be finished and boy was I excited to finally finish it. We got to the store and in looking we found a bit of flooring on sale for 17cents a square foot. This is really cheap people like ridiculous cheap. Well we made a split second decision and decided to get enough to refloor the entire downstairs as well. Woohoo. I can not tell you how excited I am. After three storess and many miles on the car i have secured enough flooring to complete the project. And do you know what the best part is. Wait for it....Wait for it......It only cost me $140. Are you kidding me?
Now to get it installed. I think we have some back labor stored up in a few friends:)

Three types....

So the following is some form of a wrap up of my thoughts over the last 24hours. As many of you know I am working on 2 very large projects right now. I too them on after much prayer and did choose on my own and after Gods prompting to to them both and although I am a bit stressed I am at complete peace this morning with both projects. Lots more still to be done, however God has assured me that if I continue to let Him take the lead that the path would be laid smooth before me.
After that little tangent I have come to the realization that there are 3 types of people that you come in contact with when taking on these types of projects. None of them are bad however some are better than others.
The three types are the Well Wishers, the Hand Holders, and the Neigh Sayers. Maybe you have found yourself in one of these categories before I can relate to each at one point or another.
The first type the Well Wishers are in my opinion the best at times. I do not reside in this classification often however I hope that I can learn to occasionally rest here a bit. They are the people that have boundaries, know what they can handle, are often extremely great at supporting in prayer and encouragement. They just jump in to projects with both feet but do let you know that they are cheering you on. They know what they are able to take on and are very good at noticing when their plate is full. They know how to say no and have no problem with that.
My final comment for you Well Wishers is....I sure hope I can learn a thing or two from you over time. I admire your greatness!
The second type is the Hand Holders. Bless these people they have full plates all the time and have earned their buffet size plates from even bigger hearts. They often are able to multi-task, are not afraid of a challenge, know how to manage a very full schedule, and love to help others. They are not good at saying no they may not even know how to say no, they often have a hard time with boundaries,they love to come alongside and help with whatever they can, there is often very little that freaks these people out. They often jump in with both feet and often end up over their heads in work but when God is with them it always seems to work out.
My final comment to these people is.....I am so thankful for you, people view you as a constant blessing but maybe we could learn something from the Well Wishers balance is good.(Balance is something I struggle with at times)
The third type is the Neigh Sayers. This type is the hardest for me to deal with however the serve their purpose in this world. These people are great at seeing every little thing that could go wrong, pointing out where you mess up, and overall putting a negative spin on everything you are doing. They are not good at giving you advice that is beneficial because they wouldn't dare tell you what they really think, they are not good at offering to help out because they want to see you sweat, and they are not good telling you they were wrong when you turn out to be a rock star and prove it had nothing to do with you anyway because God is in control of your life.
My last comment to these people is.....Thank you for being who you are, you make me work harder and cling more to what really matters because I want everyone to see what gives me strength at the end of the day.
I know this was a bit random but it was something I needed to get out of my mind.
This is my 300th post by the way. Thanks for reading.

A sign for Olives olie bollen sale.....

So our needs have been above and beyondly (not a word I know) met for the olie bollen sale. I would still love a couple more women to shake and sugar but I am comfortable where we are:)
However I do have one more thing that maybe one of you would be willing to help with.
I know there are quite a few crafty creative ladies out there that would love to make a sign for the olie bollen sale next Saturday evening. I am not really crafty or creative however I can be when forced in that direction. That being said......
If you are interested or have a couple of lovely children that are able to make one please let me know. I would love it to be a banner type of sign with Hope for Olive written on it(just regular paper is fine nothing fancy)?

Whirlwind of a Thanksgiving But Thankful Nonetheless

I had three Thanksgivings this year and I wish I had pictures to share however my camera conveniently broke last Saturday. Not to fear though with some frugal and smart after Thanksgiving Day shopping my wonderful husband let me pick out a new one for Christmas. This I am still a bit confused about because we do not generally buy each other Christmas gifts, however I am not complaining at all just a bit confused.

So back to my three Thanksgivings which I am so THANKFUL for.
#1- Actually titled "Friendsgiving" was celebrated last Sunday at our house with 12 of our closest and dearest friends. Its was a full house, a bit noisy however these are my favorite times and they have created some of my favorite memories. These 12 people happen to also make my thankful list which I will hopefully post tomorrow.
#2- The Units Thanksgiving (at my inlaws) Brian and I generally cook this Thanksgiving feast it was held on Monday night at my in-laws and since there weren't any leftovers to speak of from Sunday we started from scratch and made another delicious turkey in a completely different way. To some this may seem exhausting to me it is somewhat exhilarating and fun:) This was a much fun evening in which we also celebrated my Father in Law and nieces birthdays that fall on the same day. I would love to bump my birthday to Thanksgiving time this menu suits me quite nicely.
#3- My Moms Thanksgiving. It is always very nice and she always makes the things that bring tastes from my childhood. My other favorite thing about Thanksgiving traditions with my mom is that she takes my children the night before and has them help her with the preparations for the meal. I love, love, love this. This year she actually kept them for two nights which was oh so wonderful.
I love all of these traditions they each are great in their own way.

So what did I do with all of the free time without my kiddos you ask?

-The first night my wonderful husband took me out to a fancy dinner at Giuseppies in Bellingham. I wore a dress had time to do my hair and even put on some make-up which are all bonuses at this point:)
-Then the next morning I was treated to the Thanksgiving Newspaper and an egg nog latte in bed where I was left alone to enjoy the peace and quiet and start looking through the ads for the things left on my Christmas list as well as a new camera. In the afternoon we went to my moms enjoyed Thanksgiving #3 and then came home and watched a movie with the Bajemas. One of the things on my shopping list was some new work clothes for Brian because he now gets to follow Business casual attire guidelines. I found an ad for a Midnight Madness sale at Van Heusen in Burlington so on a whim we hopped in the car and went for it. It was so much fun because it was so out of the ordinary we didn't by a ton of stuff but it was a great time and I was with my best guy.
-This morning I braved after Thanksgiving Day shopping. Let me just say I have never gone before out of principle. The principle being I think it is odd to go the mall and shop on a day that is filled with psychotic crazed women on a mission for a tickle me elmo and possibly risk you life in the process. There are many reasons why I have avoided this day of shopping but mostly it is just because I think its a bit silly. However this morning I was among those women except I wasn't on a mission for anything in particular. My sister-in-law asked if I wanted to go and since I had a babysitter already in place (thanks mom) I thought what the world why not. We started at 9am much later than most everyone else however we had a great time got a few things we had on our lists but mostly just enjoyed a morning and afternoon without children talking about them but not mothering them. Shopping for them but not with them, it was fabulous.

I appreciated my time off however I was more than excited to pick them up this afternoon and bring them home with me. We had a family movie and pizza night and snuggled with our new down alternative comforters (courtesy of a fabulous Kohls sale regularly $100 for $29.99) on the couch.

Its been a whirlwind of a week but I loved every moment of it!!

Hope for Olive Update 2.

Remember how I told you a restaurant owner offered up her fryers for us to cook the Olie Bollen? Well it is finalized now:) We will be cooking from 5pm on on December 4 at the Dutch Treat. Thanks so much to Millie Blok for offering up her space to be used!! We still have a few needs if you are interested in helping. We are in shortage of man or woman power at the moment. Frying up 900 olie bollen is a big task! So if you are willing even to come and help for an hour with sugaring and/or boxing that would be greatly appreciated. Thanks to all who are helping it is amazing to watch God to provide for each of our needs.

Please pray for Olive and her parents today as they just found out that she will not be able to come back to the U.S. tomorrow due to infection:( As you can only imagine this is a pretty large blow for them. Read about their story at http://www.rustylynette.blogspot.com

You can also help by bidding on something on this great auction site set up to benefit the Polinders rising medical bills. There is everything from baked goods, to vacations to handmade items. http://auctionforolive.blogspot.com

Material Needs
Cocoa has been bought thank you Sarah!!
Brown Lunch Sacks have been donated...thanks Mom!
400- paper cups for cocoa Thank You Traci
400- paper napkins Thank You Traci
1- bag of sugar- 10
1- canister of cinnamon (xtra large Costco size)

Labor Needs-
I HAVE SIX WOMEN WILLING TO MAKE OLIE BOLLEN BATTER AND 3 TO COOK PRAISE GOD!! ANY OTHER TAKERS?
As of right now we will be cooking Olie bollen on December 4 @ 5pm @ the Dutch Treat.
You have two options to help on the big fry day-
1-Drop off your batch of olie bollen and sacrifice your self to help us fry, sugar, eat and bag up the olie bollen.
2-Or if cooking is not your thing at all and you just want to come and join in the craziness that is fine as well. Surely you can sugar these little chunks of goodness:)

-We need about 4 women to help at the actual booth on December 5th during the Lighted Christmas Parade. This will entail selling, serving and smiling:) I know it will be cold it always is but if we huddle together and partake in some cocoa I think we will make through just fine.

I know this is a lot of info but if you find yourself pulled in any direction let me know as soon as possible.

Again if you have any questions email me at Jessica@angryblueberry.com

Things That Make Me Happy Right Now.....

Its been a hard week. Yesterday evening I pulled myself up by my bootstraps and started reminding myself of all the things that make me happy. Some small some big but all an all they make me happy right now.

#1- Jesus Loves ME This I KNOW!

#2- Laughter- Lately when something is funny I catch myself laughing a lot harder than before. Maybe because all of my emotions are raw. But this makes me happy nonetheless.

#3- My children and the oh so funny and blunt and true and sometimes extremely inappropriate things they say. Grace is so not P.C. lately but I secretly love it and Elliot is so introspective and honest!

#4- Bounce Dryer Bars -(I told you some things small) I have been using this product for about a month now and let me tell you it has changed my life. No more sticky dryer sheets and every piece of clothing and every linen smells fresh. For you stay-at-homers this is a must have it costs around $4 and lasts 2-4 months depending on how much laundry you do. Did I mention how yummy it smells when you open the dryer door.

#5- The way God uses people in my life to come along side me to bring smiles, support and love.

#6- The way God uses me everyday in ways that I am not aware of or prepared for when my feet hit the floor in the morning.

#7- Pandora Stations- Right now my favorites are Jennifer Knapp(plays all of my favorite P and W from high school), Watermark, and Ginny Owens. Music is my favorite thing after cooking and has a way of helping to release all of the stress I hold in my heart.

#8- Cooking- (May I mention that these are in no particular order.) Seriously cooking dinner, baking cookies whatever it is seeing the ending result is extremely satisfying. This is the best form of therapy I have sometimes. And in case you wanted another tid bit I pray while I cook. And I sing whatever comes to mind out loud.

#9- Pink Ballerinas on Friday Mornings- Grace has ballet on Friday mornings and seeing the joy and excitement in these little girls is so happy it makes me cry sometimes. Oh and did I mention how cute they are, especially in the one who insists on wearing argyle leg warmers and headbands that don't match anything she has on her body.

#10- My Husband, My Best Friend, My Earthly Companion. He is the best!! He is always here when I need him. This past week we have been having mini Praise and Worship jams after the kids go to bed. He plays the guitar and we sing. And sometimes we laugh and sometimes I weep it is fabulous! Thank you God for a husband who loves you just as much as I do.

#11- This LIFE!! I know I have said this before. This life is everything I have ever wanted. It is far from perfect but God gives me everything I need at all times. And through this time I feel a pull in the opposite direction but it only makes my faith stronger and it only makes me cling to the ONE who gives me this life tighter!

What makes you happy?

Hope for Olive Update as Promised

It is so amazing to see God work!! My little dream for selling oliebollen and cocoa to benefit the Polinders and their sweet baby Olive has grown to become something that is bigger than I ever expected. Not only have people come alongside to help but doors that appeared to be closed have been opened. It has built my faith and it is constantly reminding me to turn and ask God in all things no matter how small. How amazing that God is using this tiny little baby to bring glory to him. She and her parents story really is a complete inspiration to us all. Today was major. I have been praying for a location to be provided to cook the 900+ oliebollen. We had a couple of options but wouldn't you know that neither of these options were the ones God chose to use. A restaurant owner in town offered her restaurant and fryers for our use!! Cutting out a load of the logistics. This is such a blessing to say the least. Below you will find the needs we still have and there are plenty of spots open for volunteering in the areas of cooking and serving. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all of you who have helped me in accomplishing this little project. So far I have only facilitated the details and watched from the sidelines as God works.
Here is a list of items that we will need to be shopping for. If you would like to purchase and/or donate something from the list leave a comment on the blogpost and I will take note and mark you down. Make sure to leave a phone number or email address so I can organize collection of the goods. As people offer to donate I will update the list so it stays current.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at Jessica@angryblueberry.com
Most importantly please remember to pray for Olive and Rusty and Lynette as well as they continue on their journey. www.rustylynette.blogspot.com

Material Needs
Cocoa has been bought thank you Sarah!!
Brown Lunch Sacks have been donated...thanks Mom!
400- paper cups for cocoa
400- paper napkins
1- bag of sugar- 10
1- canister of cinnamon (xtra large Costco size)

Labor Needs-
I HAVE SIX WOMEN WILLING TO MAKE OLIEBOLLEN BATTER AND 3 TO COOK PRAISE GOD!! ANY OTHER TAKERS?
-As of right now we will be cooking Olibollen on December 4 (time to be decided) We will need a bunch of women to make up one recipe of oliebollen each I will give you the recipe we are using and you can make up the batch yourself in your own home. Once you are finished making your batch you can do one of two things
1-Drop off the oliebollen batter and run never looking back as the rest of us crazy women sit back and cook up hundreds of olibollen chucks and then sacrifice ourselves by eating any that may not fit up to our standards.
2-Drop off your batch of olibollen and sacrifice your self to help us fry, sugar, eat and bag up the olibollen.
3-Or if cooking is not your thing at all and you just want to come and join in the craziness that is fine as well. Surely you can sugar these little chunks of goodness:)

-We need about 4 women to help at the actual booth on December 5th during the Lighted Christmas Parade. This will entail selling, serving and smiling:) I know it will be cold it always is but if we huddle together and partake in some cocoa I think we will make through just fine.

I know this is a lot of info but if you find yourself pulled in any direction let me know as soon as possible.

My kiddos are so cute

We are trying to get back to normal life around here and with that comes a lot of my favorite times of the day. On of these times is dance time in the evenings. I started doing this with the kids when we first moved into the house 3 1/2 years ago. Brian often worked very late long days in Mt. Vernon so I would have to be quite creative with my 1 and 3 yr. old to keep us all happy. This is when Jager Family Dance Time Started. It is so much fun and it gets the kids worn out for bed. Well last night was so funny because Elliot asked Grace to dance with him. they are actually pretty good:) Oh how I wish I could figure out how to get my videos turned. Sorry for the cramped necks.

On another note I am hoping to be able to post some big news about the Hope for Olive Cocoa and Oliebollen sale:)

My Grandpa.....

I didn't even know what to title this post....however I knew I should do a blogpost because I know so many of you have been faithfully praying for him. Thank you for that.
Well my Grandpa passed away this morning after being under the care of hospice for many months. I actually had told myself that I was going to be O.K. when it happened because I was so prepared and knew it was inevitable. However, this morning that news was the largest blow I have ever had to my system. You know I would like to say he was the best Grandpa ever but I am sure many of you have had a great grandpa too. So maybe I will just say Grandpa isn't a big enough word for him because he was so much more than that to me.
My grandpa was in the room with my Mom when I was born and he was at every major moment in my life from that point on. He loved me so much I could feel it without him even telling. He always interviewed my dates and boyfriends to make sure they were trustworthy. He would make sure they knew how he felt about me and how he felt about them. Its actually funny because he told Brian when he was picking me up for tolo one year not to get to close to me. So as we were dancing he was really nervous and was almost stiff in the arms. So I asked what his problem was and he informed me that my Grandpa said to mind his hands and that touching me was not advisable:)) I love that he loved me that much. He also had a strange attachment to my hair (its the same color as his mothers the only other red head in my family) and anytime I did anything to it he would be sure to tell me his distaste in what I had chosen. I would laugh and he would pretend to be upset. He was one of my biggest fans! He loved and adored my kids beyond belief, Elliot was his buddy and Grace was his sweetheart. Towards the end Grace would sit in his chair with him for hours and she would let him stroke her hair. So many memories I can't even organize them in my mind right now!
He would try to be a tough guy but he was really just a softy however he didn't want anyone to know that. He would have done anything for and he did!!
I love him so much its hurts. It was really odd to be at my grandmas yesterday. His shoes were where they always are and his watch was next to his chair. I expected him to walk down the hall at any moment. But he won't do that anymore.
I am so sad however I know where he is and I know in that place he will feel no pain and he is happy!!
The world may not change much without him in it, but my world is forever better because he was.

Hope for Olive Cocoa and Oliebollen Booth Needs.

So there are a lot of people that are interested in helping with the booth but don't want to help with prep or the running of the booth itself. That is great and fine we have other things that you can help with and other needs to be filled.

Here is a list of items that we will need to be shopping for. If you would like to purchase and/or donate something from the list leave a comment on the blogpost and I will take note and mark you down. Make sure to leave a phone number or email address so I can organize collection of the goods. As people offer to donate I will update the list so it stays current.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at Jessica@angryblueberry.com
Most importantly please remember to pray for Olive and Rusty and Lynette as well as they continue on their journey. www.rustylynette.blogspot.com

Material Needs
Cocoa has been bought thank you Sarah!!
Brown Lunch Sacks have been donated...thanks Mom!
400- paper cups for cocoa
400- paper napkins
1- bag of sugar
1- canister of cinnamon (xtra large Costco size)

Labor Needs-
I HAVE SIX WOMEN WILLING TO MAKE OLIEBOLLEN BATTER AND 3 TO COOK PRAISE GOD!! ANY OTHER TAKERS?
-As of right now we will be cooking Olibollen on December 4 (time to be decided) We will need a bunch of women to make up one recipe of oliebollen each I will give you the recipe we are using and you can make up the batch yourself in your own home. Once you are finished making your batch you can do one of two things
1-Drop off the oliebollen batter and run never looking back as the rest of us crazy women sit back and cook up hundreds of olibollen chucks and then sacrifice ourselves by eating any that may not fit up to our standards.
2-Drop off your batch of olibollen and sacrifice your self to help us fry, sugar, eat and bag up the olibollen.
3-Or if cooking is not your thing at all and you just want to come and join in the craziness that is fine as well. Surely you can sugar these little chunks of goodness:)

-We need about 4 women to help at the actual booth on December 5th during the Lighted Christmas Parade. This will entail selling, serving and smiling:) I know it will be cold it always is but if we huddle together and partake in some cocoa I think we will make through just fine.

I know this is a lot of info but if you find yourself pulled in any direction let me know as soon as possible.

Hope for Olive Part 2. God Is So Good

The blog is now public due to the need for a hub for the Hope for Olive Cocoa and Oliebollen booth. I have a lot of interest so far with people wanting to help with the booth. It is becoming a lot bigger than anything I ever dreamed of, however I guess this is what happens when God is involved. I don't have a lot of new news tonight but I am hoping to have some new information tomorrow. So that being said please direct anyone that might be interested in helping with this cause to my blog www.thejagers.blogspot.com.
Just to recap what I am talking about. We are going to be selling cocoa and oliebollen at the Lighted Christmas Parade downtown Lynden in front of the Chamber of Commerce on December 5th. 100% of proceeds will be going to Rusty and Lynette Polinder for the care of their precious baby Olive.
Prayer Need - Please pray that we can find a kitchen equipped with enough fryers to handle the amount of Oliebollen that we need to make.
New Tid-Bit - We are going to bee using Olive's Grandmas Oliebollen Recipe:)

For any questions, comments, or interest in helping please leave a comment here or email me at Jessica@angryblueberry.com.

For more information on Olives Journey visit www.rustylynette.blogspot.com

Longgggggg Weekend.

This last weekend Elliot had an extra two days off and Brian worked a lot. When I say a lot we are talking one 17 hour day and a couple of 12s along with several regular shifts. Survival was a combination of Gods Grace, some pity offered up by very good grannys and grandmas, unusually well behaved children and creativity. Yes creativity was my friend and by Saturday I was at a loss. We had played every game, built tons of lego creations, made numerous different train tracks, homemade play dough (even though I really dislike play dough it grosses me out big time.), movies, cookie baking, cookie frosting, playdates, jungle playland etc. I think you get the point. We had fun!! Thankfully my children were happy to mostly just be home and enjoyed wearing comfy pants (sweats) and we just plain hung around.
The picture is of our resident Lego princess. The kids came down from their rest times with one of Grace's dress up crowns with a Lego Mini fig taped to it. So funny and cute at the same time. It was very serious though and my giggles were not appreciated. Aren't they cute though???

Hope for Olive

I have shared with you before about my friends the Polinders and their precious baby Olive. They are still currently struggling day to day with medical care and costs for Olive. It looks like they won't be able to move her to the U.S. for at least another two months and so she will be having the surgery for her new shunt there. It has been so amazing to watch their journey and be able to see their faithfulness in Gods work in their lives as well as Olives.
As you can imagine they are racking up quite a bit of bills at the hospital as well as living expenses for themselves. I have been praying specifically for this subject of need and have asked God to show me how I can help them out.
This all being said I was able to get approval from the Chamber of Commerce to have a cocoa and oliebollen sale during the lighted Christmas parade on December 5 with all proceeds going towards the Polinders financial needs. Lynette told me that their bills will continue to pile up for some time yet and they are still going to have to come up with the funds to come home once Olive is stable enough to travel. This will not be an easy task and there will be much labor involved as far as making the oliebollen and serving on the day of. So I guess I am saying or asking rather for help. Now I am not expecting everyone to be able to, so do not feel obligated your prayers would be enough support. But if you are willing to help I am hoping to find people to help cook the oliebollen as well as serve the cocoa and oliebollen during the parade.
If this at all sounds like something you want to help with shoot me an email at jessica@angryblueberry.com.
And in the meantime please keep praying with us for Olive.
rustylynette.blogspot.com

Princess Grace La La La La

Lately I have been a tiny bit stressed, things seem to pile up and I wonder how I will get everything done. Appliances seem to be breaking every time I turn around. And my heart has been heavy with quite a few things. But I am so lucky I have this little peanut Grace with me all of the time right now because even though she tests every fiber of my patience at times, she is also the sweetest, cutest and must lovely little girl in the world. She keeps me grounded and reminds me every minute how thankful I am for what I have right here and right now.
I know I have blogged a lot about her so I will spare you from my normal comments and raves. However, lately she is most definitely 4 and sometimes I actually wonder if she is 12:) She loves to help me bake and we have been baking nearly everyday since school started. She loves to read books and play with all of the normal girl toys. But lately she is really into story telling, which is so funny because she is so serious about what she is telling you that if you didn't know her you would probably believe her. Just today she was singing a song that she is learning for Christmas in Preschool its about the shepherds going to see baby Jesus but instead of going to Bethlehem Graces shepherds were going to Bellingham. So I took the chance to challenge her and I asked her are you sure its Bellingham not Bethlehem and she said yes Bellingham mom and I then I asked where in Bellingham did they go and she replied a field somewhere. Well there you have it folks. There was no changing her mind. She did add though that Jesus' moms name is Mary so if you find her you will find Baby Jesus. At least she has that right and the rest will come later.
Her new nickname is sassyfrass and that is the best way to describe her. I am just so thankful for these two little ones that keep me sane as much as they make me insane sometimes:)

Happy Halloween!

I love Halloween. I totally believe that holidays such as these are what you make them. We invite everyone over make homemade doughnuts, treats and crafts. I love the feeling of my house being full of life, love and happy faces. There is really nothing greater to me than being surrounded by the ones I love and enjoying this life to its fullest.
We had Luke Skywalker and Aurora this year. They were adorable as usual.. Especially my Elliot because he so serious about his costume it has to be just right. Well unfortunately he left his costume belt out and the puppy ate it so at the last minute we had to to talk him into wearing a regular belt and Brian fashioned him a "ammo belt" out of any empty cantine holder. In the end of course it was totally cool and he made some grenades for his ammo belt:) Kolby and Savannah were here to so we had Darth Vadar and the cutest little girl pirate you ever did see. The boys even treated us to a light saber show in the living room with all of the lights turned out.
This was the first year Brian had to work on Halloween(and the last) so my did and Jaime took the kids out trick or treating and my Mom, Kristin and I finished the doughnuts so the kids would have a warm treat when they got back. Bill did the door answering and MomL did the dishes.
These are really what memories are made of and that is what we are going for these days.