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:)