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.