New happenings

Well hello blog! Whilst I have neglected any personal update, much has happened. I have talked about finally plugging into a church, and what a balm to my soul that has been. Feeling like I'm finally "home" in a sense has been a feeling I never thought I would have.

We have also had a number of exciting additions to the family!




 
 
In May, this little lady was born to my oldest sister! After three boys, having a girl around has been very different already! Its been fun getting to see more and more of her personality and getting to know her sassiness! (Which I like to think I gave her) She is a darling girl and we are so blessed to have her in our family!













We had another very exciting addition just a few weeks after this Miss made her arrival! I shall spur my sister on to a new blog post soon, and I will allow her the details of her beautiful love story, but in the meantime, my sideline view has been a privileged front row seat. At just the right time, the Father saw fit to bring "Mr. Right" into her life. It has been a joy to watch her love and be loved in a right and caring way. He is already such a part of our family, the receiver of many nicknames, and making jokes at my expense! He fits so well, and has been such a blessing to my sister!





The newest member of our family came just two weeks ago today! My second oldest sister welcomed her first son, and we are all SMITTEN! This is the fuzziest, sweetest, chillest little dude I have ever seen! Every time I look at him, I feel like my heart is going to explode. He is precious and perfect in every way. Four nephews and one niece into this family, a new one never ceases to bring so much joy and excitement into our lives! We love him soooo much and are thrilled to have these two babies joining us on the family beach trip coming up! (We're also especially glad, because this guy wasn't due until the 28th!)




That's pretty much the fast track of life since the last personal post! And don't worry, I won't wait this long again! :)

-Mal

 

Dress a Day!

In a world full of equalization of men and women, there seems to be an increasing number of attempts to eliminate the distinct differences between us. And when living in this kind of world, it's nice to embrace the femininity God has blessed me with. And although for me and my lifestyle, skirts and dresses are not always the most practical option, they can be my only option for say, a month? So for the month of May, I am embarking on my second "Dress a Day in May: challenge, and so far it's been remarkably easy. Why? Because leggings.

Leggings have become a staple in my wardrobe the last two years, and into the spring and summer they continue to be so. They are like magical little things designed purely for making my life easier. I work out in them, sleep in them, wear them to do yard work, wear them under skirts/ dresses(either for modesty or for leg coverage when it's cold.*)

But enough about my obsession with the little black wonders and back to the blog post at hand:

I was incredibly excited about DaDiM this year! So much so that I dragged my sisters to two different Goodwills on April 30. And although I only came away with one skirt and one dress, I was ready, ready, ready to start!

As you can tell from at least my first two, gray has become a recent favorite of mine. I don't intentionally look for gray clothing, but I do like wearing it a lot.

The skirt in the bottom picture is one of my Goodwill finds! Its got a thick waist band(my personal favorite!) and it's got so much materiel in the skirt that it just goes out when I spin! Such a fun skirt, and it's not like anything else I own. It's got a lot of yellow(yeah...I own no yellow) and orange with little teal coloured specks in it.

So here we are! Ta-da! The first three days! I'll probably blog through several days at a time, instead of posting each day! :)

Happy Dress a Day to any other participating ladies!

*Three words for ya: Fleece. Lined. Leggings.

Exciting Announcements!

Well this has most definitely been a season of change in my life. Gladly, its been mostly good changes including a new house and job.

My new "job" is getting to nanny this sweetie pie! He's about two months old and absolutely precious! I call him my little Bear, not because he's grouchy, he isn't! He's just like a cuddly little teddy bear! I'm starting out part time, since his mom hasn't gone back to work yet, but once she does I will be his full time nanny. He's been such a pleasure to get to know, and because of him, I have now mastered the art of cloth diapers!

In other news, I am going to be an auntie again!!! In May 2015, Baby Pepino will join us! This was very exciting news to hear, and we are all looking forward to meeting this little one! Girl or boy, we are always so excited to hear of another one coming! :) Read all about my sister's life with her three boys and being pregnant with #4 here.

And lastly but defiantly not most important is my birthday next week. On Sunday, mom has lovingly planned a family get together! We have been on a 30 day detox, (which my other sister has been faithfully blogging through) and in short, you can have meat, fruits and veggies. And that's about it. So we've all been wanting lots of what we can't have, and the main thing has been pizza! So on Sunday, we are having pizza! Cheesy, breaded pizza!

Then on Wednesday, we're headed to my sister's house for her doctor's appointment. Its kind of been our tradition to go and watch the boys so she can go. But this one will be an ultrasound so I'm excited!  That night we're going to Peruvian for my birthday dinner with just mom and dad and the sisters here at home.

Then on Saturday after, I've got some of my friends coming over. Not a big deal, just four friends to come hang out and celebrate with me.

Well that's it for announcements! :)

I'm so behind

You know those times in life when something really matters to you and you just can't do it right then, and then it never gets done? Yeah well it has taken a stomach bug roaring its ugly head through my whole family for me to sit down and write this post. But this kid matters just the same to me.

I like to have like that one thing that I associate with each of my nephews. I find it important. For the oldest...its "ninja" school. We spar and kick and enjoy carrying on. Its my thing with him. As for the younger two, we haven't quite gotten  there. But there is this one thing, that I can think of that I just smile all over my body when it comes to #2.

See, in May of 2011, for the first time in my life, I lost someone dear and precious to me. I felt like everything was dark and heavy. But not a full two months later, God gave my family a gift. A tiny, wrinkled baby that lit up my world. He was the sunshine I needed right then. And I was so very thankful for God's timing.

Well on July 2, that little Sunshine turned three! We headed north on Sunday to celebrate him, and to this day, he is that gift of the summer.

The birthday boy and I at his "blue" party! :) When did he get so big??

Dress a Day

I don't know how to link up with other blogs, but my sister does; and I have learned about a number of link ups that are out there. One of which that sparked my interest was the "Dress-a-Day". For those of you who may be unfamiliar with it, it is a challenge to wear a dress(or skirt) every day in the month of May. This is not something that I typically do. I wear a number of different outfits, and I enjoy skirts and dresses, but find them difficult to work in, so often I default to wearing jeans or shorts, and I'll be honest: I don't feel as feminine when I do. I'll be doing this challenge, if for nothing else, to prove to myself that I can wear work-functioning skirts and dresses in the day-to-day, and to enjoy feeling beautiful and feminine for a whole month! :)

So, JOIN ME if you would like for "Dress a Day in May!"

(more) facts for Friday

Did this a few weeks ago and just thought, "why not?"

1. Little pet-peeves: people not putting toilet paper on the roll, but just starting a new one, and leaving it on the counter; people putting dishes in the sink when the dishwasher is dirt/empty; when my roommate steals the covers; having to figure out the tip at a restaurant. Its not that I don't want to tip...I don't know how. And Pandora/Spotify commercials.
2. My favorite book of the Bible is Philippians.
3. I have one wall in my bedroom entirely dedicated to important things. "Things" being notes, sketches, pictures, shells/key chains/etc., and other odds and ends of importance. One whole wall is (almost) completely covered in thumb tacks with the different pieces. Eventually I hope to have it absolutely covered. (well this post was started before the move! ;)
4. Although I am not an outdoors gal at all, I absolutely love camping. 
5. I hate watching movies alone; I would much rather do it with someone else than by myself.
6. I tend to be emotional/sappy/dramatic by nature, and I guess this is why I enjoy the "Quotes" board on Pinterest, second of course to the humor board. 
7. Four of my parent's five daughters are into photography, and good at it. I, am not one of them. 
8. I consider myself a fairly low-maintenance girl. One of my favorite quick lunches is a Clif bar and Naked fruit drink. 
9. While on the subject of food, I am a foodie. I love food. Not in a gluttonous way, but if I have the opportunity to try something new, I will try it. I may not like it, but I'll try it first. I love and eat a varying amount of cuisine, including but not limited to: Thai, Ethiopian, Peruvian, Indian, and Vietnamese(not my favorite!).
10. I collect name books! I have about 13(+/-), no repeats. My sisters keep suggesting I start a "naming agency" haha we'll see..
11. I am apart of an all girls, acapella(mostly) chorus group. This is my last semester :(
12. I love make up. I watched make up tutorials on YouTube and love experimenting with different and new techniques.  
13. I said that I didn't want to go into childcare, but the opportunity was placed in my lap and now I wouldn't trade my job for anything. I had an interview with a second family on Friday, and I think it went well! I'm super excited to see where God takes this!
14. I have been southern Baptist my entire life, and as of January, we began attending a nondenominational congregation. I heard a joke that "Basically nondenom churches are just Baptists with a cool website!" (See this post for more details on what God has been doing in this area of my life!)
15. Where most girls are stereotyped as "NEVER ENOUGH SHOES!" I quite dislike shoes.When I have to wear them, of course I want them to go nicely with my outfit, and match both style and coulour, but if I can, I will most definitely take them off at first opportunity.

The story of a boy who changed my world.

Yes. I was 100% sure I wanted to meet him. But I was nervous. I wanted him to like me. I thought "I'll do anything to make him happy." And the moment I saw him, I knew I was right. The moment I laid eyes on him, this love I never knew I possessed welled up within me and it hasn't gone away since. Instead, it increases. Every. Single. Day. Every time he looks at me and grins, I think I'm going to melt into a puddle on the floor. He has no idea that he has this power over me, but one little kiss, and I cave. This boy literally changed my whole world. Do you want to meet him? Well let me tell you the story. I promise, it's worth the read.

On March 28, 2009, at 8:23 P.M., this red, wrinkly little guy flipped my whole world upside down. 

 

I walked into the room just an hour or so after my sister had given birth to him. And there he was, laying in that plastic bassinet screaming his little fuzzy head off. But it was the sweetest screams I have ever heard. The scream that signaled: I was an aunt! 

Every day since that moment has been a walk on the wild side, as that tiny human became more and more of a person of personality.

Tell me to imagine one more day without him, and I can't. You wouldn't be able to either if this was the face you fell in love with.

Every day I get to spend with this crazy little boy is an adventure.

I love every face you have.

Every mess you make.

Every time you cuddle.

Every silly "Bubbyism"

Yes you dapper little gentleman, I love you head to toe. Every little thing about you. I think I will keep you. Thank you for letting me be your tia. You mean the world to me, and I love getting to love you! Sweet guy, YOU ARE THE BESTEST, WHOLE HAND OLD GUY!

Dear nephew, may God bless you today as you celebrate all things YOU! I pray your heart continues to be as tender and sensitive as it is now. The Lord has many big things in store for you. And know that as you embark on each journey, you have a slew of family being your prayer warriors. I love you SO much Fluffy! Happy birthday, Little Mister!
~Love Tia Squishy


Joshua 1:5, 9:
"No one will be able to withstand you as long as you live. Just as I was with Moshe, so I will be with you. I will neither fail you nor abandon you...Haven’t I ordered you, ‘Be strong, be bold’? So don’t be afraid or downhearted, because Adonai your God is with you wherever you go.”

Here comes Mama Bear

No, this is not a post about my mom.

Its not about my sister or any friends who are moms.

In fact, it's not even about a specific mom, or moms in general.

No. This is a post about me.

Me, who is most definitely not a mom.

As an act of love and service the sister I do most everything with; from scrubbing down the kitchen to taking care of babehs to teaching ESL; has left me, FOR TWO WEEKS. I'm very thankful she is where she is, but I am already missing her something fierce.

She has flown south to help out some friends that we call "family." They have three children, and we love the whole family dearly. Just a few short months ago, we got a picture via text letting us know, there was one more coming! (8 years after the youngest!) It was like being told one of my sisters were pregnant! The next nine months were very hard, and her pregnancy was rough and medically dangerous.
Finally, on the 17th, a beautiful little girl arrived! Healthy and whole! However, there were still some complications, as the mom has been hospitalized since with high blood pressure, and the baby in and out with high Bili Reuben levels. Enough was enough. So off she went down to be with them for two weeks. So understand me when I say this: I'm not sad she's there; I'm sad she's not here. Make sense?

Anyways. We pretty much work as a team, her and I. Without her here, I'm doing what we normally do together and then some and it is crazy! Since I could not go and be with the family, I volunteered to take her little boy for the next to weeks, in addition to my baby. And in a single week, we typically deep clean the house, have dinner ready most nights, get laundry done and dishes, and keep our babies clean, happy and fed. I'm finding that it is quite a feat.

She just left yesterday and already I'm counting down the days. And finding myself increasingly grateful for little things. Like only having my baby two days a week, instead of five. Like having my mom home three days a week instead of only two. Like friends who are willing to do stuff at weird hours so I'm not alone when mom and the Little do have to go to work. Like having only one baby in diapers (AH's little guy is newly potty-trained, however this has been quite a funny story for him and I...more to come on that.)

Yesterday, after deep cleaning the stairs, foyer, living room and bathroom; getting all the laundry done, and having the kitchen cleaned(i.e. just the dishes, but hey.) I was feeling preeeeetty awesome. But I got the little Pickle (as I call him, affectionately) up from his nap, and took him potty. Not to be all TMI, but basically, my clean bathroom had to be re-cleaned after a miscommunication between him and I. As he looked at his bull's eye wet spot on the back of his pants and then up at me, I literally sat down on the bathroom floor and just started laughing. What else could I do? There was no point in any other reaction, and it eased him up. We fixed our new found issue and went about our afternoon (only to repeat the incident today, and this time the pants were not there to catch it =/)

But today I had both kiddos. And thank the Lord, my mom as well. Up earlier than normal, working a little harder than normal. And feeling accomplished, but very tired. And the only label I can put on it is: mom. I feel like a mom. Not playing house with a silent, plastic baby doll that never actually needs a clean diaper or food. Yes its only been two days (roughly) but I'm starting to have a new found appreciation for young mamas all over the world. And thank goodness, there is no one coming home that I have to look all nice for, because I'm not sure that will happen so much the next few weeks. I'll get there eventually.

And even though it's been a harder two days than normal, it hasn't deterred me at all. This is what I want. This is what I'm training for. And I guess that's why I'm thankful for these few weeks of "trial run" by myself. I obviously have some work to do, but I am loving every crazy, chaotic moment of it! :)

As I type my little girl is screaming in protest of a nap. This may become the chronicles of a mom in training for the next few weeks but until this....

~the lady with snot on her shirt

The Coca-Cola Controversy

Well I was about 55% American on Sunday night, as I rooted my team along (I was proud they won, too by the way.) and watched as they tore down the field and scored on and on. I laughed, cried and smiled my way through the best commercials of the year. And a few points after the half-time show, I hit the sack. Seems as though the flu was keeping me from the one game I watch a year, and one I was particularly interested in. This is A LOT coming from me, I'm generally anti-sports, but I was absolutely enthralled in this game. But alas, I could no longer stay awake, exciting as it was. However before benadryl and general "I'm sick" sleepiness over took my body, I saw one of the BEST commercials I have ever seen, to date. 

This one.





So why am I considering this the best one to date? Because this minute long commercial more accurately portrayed America than any story, description, or detailed 400-page book ever could have. And as an American citizen, I was proud of how well this was done.

I'm choosing to write this, because there was a HUGE controversy that sparked over this 60 second gem. People began trending on twitter #speakAmerican and other more hateful things going from racism, to blaming the commercial as communistic to being as extreme as terrorist. HOW?! I have no logical idea.

America is called the Melting Pot nation. It is a culture made up entirely of other, already existing cultures. I heard someone say once something like "America is a young culture. We are hardly established compared to the world we live in. Most other governments and cultures are far older than ours." Its part of what makes us unique as a culture. We're still figuring things out. We're the "teenagers of the nations," if you will.

If you want to really "speak American" then lets all learn Cherokee or Sioux, because that's American. The English were the invaders. I'm not going to beat a dead horse, or use everyone else's arguments. But I will say, that our forefathers recognized this nation as the nation of open arms, that wants people to come in. Its why France gave us Lady Liberty. We have the "American dream" that people leave their homes for. They don't want to take our jobs, or change our national language, they want to be apart of a nation that is made up of many nations, and continue to make America the beautiful, multicultural nation it is. And that is why, this commercial is so beautiful.

15 facts Friday

Why not, ya know?

1. I have four sisters, and our ages spans 17 years. We got the best looks when Little was born! :) 
2. I recently became ESL certified(English as a second language) and have class of Spanish speakers I co-teach with my sister, AH.
3. I still don't have my license(and I turn 20 this year).
4. My favorite hoodie is a hand-me-down from my brother-in-law. 
5. My dad, second born nephew, and myself all share a middle name. (As well as several distant family members.) 
6. In continuation of the last fact, only one other female in the family also has it(as far as I am aware at least). 
7. I am the first of my immediate family to have been 100% home-educated. My older sister went to pre-K and I pride myself on never having received alternate education ;)
8. I have never traveled out of the country, but I hope to go to Costa Rica, Puerto Rico, or El Salvador soon! (These are just the first places on my list :)
9. Both of my grandma's were able to be in the delivery room when I was born, and my dad's mom actually named me!
10. For my birthday, my parents gave me a queen sized bed; however I still sleep to one edge of it as if it were my old twin bed. I'm slowly working my way to the middle!
11. My favorite Disney princess/movies are: Mulan, Beauty and the Beast, and Tangled. For my 16th birthday, my parents got me the special edition of B&B, per my request.
12. Although I love a good romance novel, my most read and enjoyed authors are Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti. (Christian thriller/horror) 
13. I'm not much of an animal person, but I one day hope to own three dogs: A basset hound, a blood hound, and a beagle. 
14. I have visited Philadelphia three times and LOVE it! (Not being punny...)
15. And last and definitely not most important, I am the only Android user in my family. Everyone else either has dumb phones...or Iphones! O.o

Chocolatier

Thanks to my sister, EP, I got a wonderful chocolate recipe and I have been busy in the kitchen aaaaall week long creating some yummy(if I do say so myself) confections! I have made eight batches of chocolate (only six successful ones) and the texture has been spot on! I purchased some Special Dark cocoa powder from Hershey's instead of regular(milk) because I really like dark chocolate! I made my first batch of milk chocolate today and it was a hit! I've also made several batches with coffee in them, and those are absolutely decadent. My latest endevour was raspberry flavored dark chocolate, and it isn't turning out so well. I think because there was so much liquid in it, that it's not firming up the way the others have been. We'll see. Its been fun experimenting! I'll post what I call the "skeleton" recipe below. (And also the recipe for raw sugar solution, which is what I use as my sweetener. The recipe I use comes from the "Skinny Chocolate" recipe by Trim Healthy Mama.

Smooth and melty chocolate:

What you'll need:
1/2 C. measuring cup
1/4 C. measuring cup
Table spoon
metal whisk
small sauce pot
*parchment paper
*small petal pan (I've been using toaster size)
metal soup spoon

*You only need these if you chose to do a sheet of chocolate. I've also been using candy molds. If you have candy molds, use them. I found that a more uniform looking piece of chocolate is more enticing and presentable.

Ingredients:
1/2 C. coconut oil
1/4 C. cocoa powder
3 T. raw sugar solution
1/2 T. vanilla
Flavoring of your choice (I've done coffee, coffee raspberry, and my sister has done toffee flavoring, and caramel.)

1)Melt down the coconut oil in sauce pan. (It melts quickly, so stay right with it.)

2) Remove from heat promptly and wisk in sugar solution, vanilla, and liquid flavoring(this is when I added my coffee concentrate; only about a tablespoon or so. Judge the amounts for yourself, I like mine with more flavor, but found that more liquid alters the texture making it difficult to freeze.)

3) Whisk in cocoa powder. The texture should be liquidy and smooth. If you still have clumps, whisk them out.

4) If you're using candy molds, spoon or pipe(if you have piping bottles) the chocolate mixture in. If you're using a pan, line it with parchment paper and pour the chocolate in. The bigger the pan, the thinner the chocolate. I don't like my too thick, but too thing is just unsatisfying. Again, judge this for your own personal preference.

5) Freeze it. The time depends entirely on the overall texture and thickness of your chocolate. Some of my chocolate has taken as little as 10 minutes to freeze completely, and some has taken upwards of an hour. If they sink at all to touch, or seem tacky with you touch them, keep freezing. If they're still tacky or sticky after an hour, the batch is, sadly, scrapped. I've done this twice now :(

6) Once your chocolate is frozen through, pop it out.

For candy molds:
turn them over, and bang the back of each candy with soup spoon. The should pop out fairly easily; if not try freezing them a tad longer.

For a pan:
Lift the parchment paper out and simply bang the chocolate with the soup spoon. The pieces will be unevenly shaped and sized, but oooo so tasty!

I store my chocolate in Rubbermaid containers in the freezer, but it can also be kept in the fridge. Because of the coconut oil, it needs to be kept cool.

Raw Sugar Solution:

What you'll need:
1 C. measuring cup
Glass 2 C. measuring cup

Ingredients:
1 C. boiling water
1 C. sugar in the raw(found with normal white sugar)

1) Simply put both ingredients in the glass container, and stir with a fork. The sugar won't dissolve completely, so I pop it into the microwave for 1 1/2-2 minutes and the sugar is usually fully dissolved. I keep mine in a Rubbermaid(no...I'm not actually obsessed...) container that has a small pour hole on the lid and store it in the fridge. My sister uses it in cold coffee, my mom uses it in plain yogurt, and I use it in my chocolate. It's a great little sweetener to use! 


Hope someone finds this and enjoys it! :)

A year in Review:

This has been one of those years, where I look back on it, and I have one thought: "I wouldn't trade it, but God, please never give it to me again!"

This year, like any, had its ups and downs. But I feel like these were on the dramatic/big side and thus felt like I've been on a roller coaster for the past 12 months. So hitting the big stuff:

(A snapshot from January)

January: If you recall this post, my year started off kind of rocky. By my own choices I found myself in the slumps by January. People talk about the new year as a "starting over" time, but I had never experienced it quite like this. In addition to starting off a little rocky, it was my final semester of school. I had worried my brain for months about finishing school and finding a job or taking classes and not being sure what was next, so January was bitter sweet. I went on my final youth retreat, and honestly, I don't remember much of it.

February: In February we journeyed to DC for AH's birthday. I enjoy trave

(DC birthday excursion)

ling a lot, so this was my highlight this month! We did a lot of walking around and eating of some amazing food! (Panas was the best for me!)The Little also had a birthday and turned 12, making me feel ancient.

March: Not a whole lot happened in March, except for the only "big" snow, EP's first anniversary and my oldest nephew's fourth birthday.

However, April began the busy season for me, and I feel like maybe that hasn't stopp

(Me and the birthday boy from March)

ed yet! My third nephew made his grand entrance into the world! How much love you can have for such a little person never ceases to amaze me! Also, I got the privilege of traveling to Philadelphia with the student pastor, his wife and one other student who just happens to be a good pal of mine. It was a unique experience to say the least. We kind of went as a "prep" trip for the missions trip that we took in June. We got to meet the pastor we'd be working with and see the church and area ahead of time, as well as tour the area we'd be staying in. The student pastor and his wife are from the area so they took us around to some of their favorite places, and it was fun seeing a local's point of view without a large group to tote around. I enjoyed the quality time with just a few others.

(Graduation with Ginger)

May: This was when things really started getting busy for me! I graduated in May! (Along side one of my dear friends! Which was such a blessing, since neither of us wanted to have the spotlight all to ourselves, and we had talked about this for years, both being homeschooled! :) After graduation, I spent a week back in DC with my sister's family. It was nice to get away from the norm and spend the extra time with her and my nephews! Only a few days later, I went to the beach with some friends. It's been kind of a tradition in my church for the juniors and seniors to get away for a few days towards the end of the school year. So off we went. I was a lobster. On a more solemn note, we lost a nephew to heaven this month. All that love you build up for a person and not meeting them. The suspense of waiting for Heaven to hold the little one is hard. It was not a fun or easy thing to pack on to such a busy time already. Although the season may have been busy, my Angel nephew is not forgotten and little Enoch Barnett, my other nephews and brothers are all waiting for us.

(Philadelphia skyline)

(Quince Princess)

In June I went back to Philadelphia for the missions trip and honestly, I love this city so much! In this month was one of the coolest and most special things I've ever done. Both DC and Philadelphia are special to me, for different reasons. The earlier part of June held a different, cool and amazing experience for me. One of my dear friends celebrated her 15th birthday. Although she was born here, she is El Salvadorean and had a traditional quinceañera. She had a big princess dress and a few of the traditional tokens or ceremonies of a quince. However, since she is a believer, she chose not to do a lot of them; she just chose a few that were special to her, instead of the extensive ceremony. We also have a large homeschool convention that we attend every June and the past several years I've volunteered in the children's program. It's about 22 hours of volunteer service, all said and done. And I love it! This past year especially I got to know a handful of girls that I've kept in fairly good contact with (facebook is good for this, as well as instagram).

(4th of July with the sisters)

By July I was somewhat worn out from a whirlwind two months that proceeded it. I was thankful for what felt like at the time, a dramatic halt in life. We had our one or two fourth of July celebrations and celebrated my nephew's second birthday. Other than that July was slower-paced for the most part.

August was much fuller. I went roller skating for the first time in YEARS! It was an absolute blast! I also sang with the Spanish church for a community event, finished my time with my youth group, went on a weekend conference with AH and spent a weekend at a friend's house with a few other girls. The five of us are pretty good friends, and all homeschooled. We range in ages from 15 to 19 and enjoy being together. My grandfather got really sick, and we stepped up our involvement with them. In pleasant weather, I go over once every other week and mow for them and my cousin cleans indoors.

(sibling picture from the beach, 2013)

The end of August/beginning of September came biting with a brain tumor. A unpleasant experience to the max. God's hand was seen all throughout it, though, and even still we can see how He worked; at the time it was little things, and looking back, bigger things. God has chosen to heal J this side of heaven and for that we are SO thankful! (You can read J's journey here) He is now undergoing radiation treatments and is halfway done! The hope is that the radiation kills off anything that was leftover after his second surgery and he will be officially cancer free. Keep praying for the Father to be glorified! Along with this, my family's yearly vacation had been planned for just days after his first surgery, and since there was a lot invested in the trip and enough people at home to take care of him, we went ahead and went. It was nice to be away for a while. When we got home we jumped in with two feet. Life was crazy, far from normal, and working forward with incredible speeds. The Little started 7th grade, and AH began homeschooling Yenny (who's quince we celebrated). "Madhouse" doesn't even begin to describe life at this point!

(My birthday dessert)

(Yenny, the Little and I "planning" fundraising)

In addition to being here for school, Yenny and I felt very burdened to help raise some funds for J. So when October rolled around we had our first two fundraisers! The first one we had nothing to do with, save Yenny singing. We held a benefit concert and raised far more than any of us had expected. A few short, crazy weeks later we had event #2 and held a dinner. (Too many people trying to plan! :) Oh well, both were blessed events!) In the weeks in between the two, Yenny and I (along with LOADS of help from other adults) spent a lot of time seeking donations from local businesses and even some bigger stores like Kroger) also, my family went apple picking and spent a day in the mountains. This was very nice and felt a bit like the calm before the storm! I also began nannying! Crazy month! But all too quickly, October drew to a close and I celebrated my 19th birthday! My sister made me lomo saltado (a Peruvian dish) and my mom made me these tasty little raspberry chocolate tarts. DELICIOUS.

(Gettysburg with the fam)

November rolled around and it was a bit of "big event let down". All of the sudden everything I had spent my whole month pouring into was over. I got to go to a Chris Tomlin concert with my oldest sister, her husband and their oldest. It was a blast! Later on we traveled to Pennsylvania for a weekend in Gettysburg and I got some bangs to change up my look a littl
e. Towards the end of the month things got a little busy again with Thanksgiving, Black Friday (an actual event in my house), and a surprise birthday party for my oldest sister. This was one of the best/coolest Thanksgivings ever! I loved every second of the weekend!

(FINALLY!)

Although December is a fairly busy season, I didn't go to any Christmas parties or events this year. Even though I always look forward to it, I was thankful for my evenings to be mostly at home. I enjoyed family time in the Bible leading up to the birth of Christ, and making an ornament for different key events along the way. I did, however, get to meet up with a friend that I have been talking to via social media for over two years. She's moved closer to me, and so we've already enjoyed a closer-distance friendship!

That brings me up
to this week. We spent Christmas morning here at home with just us five. We were then joined by EP and MrP. And a little later on for brunch by my mom's family. In the afternoon we had Christmas with Dad's side of the family and then we left Thursday morning to spend the weekend with Meg and her family. It was nice, overall, even if somewhat chaotic.

To look back on the year is both good and odd to me. I started this post, almost with a "WOE is me" attitude, thinking "Oh SO much has happened!" And a lot has, but not nearly as much as I thought had. It feels like a lot, and of course there are things I chose not to make public that will stay in my heart to ponder. However overall, God was with me through all the ups, downs, ins and outs of my year, and for it I now look at the year and can say "Its ok." Am I making any sense??? :)

Merry Christmas from the Sibs at National Harbor!

God has brought me a loooong way since last December, and for that I am most thankful. I'll just briefly say a few things He's taught me:

~To trust Him, and His unfailing will. No matter what circumstances I face.
~We often see our circumstances with a very distorted view of flawed human analysis, seeing things as far worse than they really are.
~God has my parents as my parents for my benefit, and to talk to them is a greater blessing than I had ever imagined possible before this year.
~The Father works ALL things together for the good of those who LOVE Him!

May each of you have a blessed NEW YEAR with all things bright and new!

Blessings to each of you!

~Mal

The story of a Ginger friend

Once upon a time, two little girls grew up together. They went to each others' houses a lot, and spent the night often. They got to do a lot of cool things together:

They went to a horse farm when they were little. And one time, they were pirates:

They were very apart of each others' lives. They had a pretty cool childhood together. When they got just a little older, they decided, "hey, we actually like being friends." As if they didn't already do a lot together, they started doing more and more together. They became apart of so much. One thanksgiving, they even spent the night with each other! These girls were inseparable!

Over the next few years they had some pretty cool adventures:

they got cool Indian shirts at a festival

they got to go to the zoo together!

oh and one time, they were ninjas for a while

they were free entertainment to their families, because they're just so funny

 

they made each other laugh, a lot!

they made messes...

...and new friends

and then, they graduated...TOGETHER!

They're grown up now. (Note, not ALL grown up ;)) And that crazy red-headed girl is off following the greatest call of her life: making disciples. She will be leaving the country soon. She's been gone for a few months, training already, and the other girl misses her terrible. But more than all that missing, she is so proud of her. Because she can't imagine having all these wonderful memories with someone more amazing! This ginger is another sister. Loved by her family, and cherished by so many. They're still very dear friends, and skype once a week as time allows. But on the edge of adulthood, they see how the Father is working to use them best to His glory in different parts of the world. Although the girl is sad to see her friend leave for a time, she can't imagine her firey-haired, partner in crime doing anything less than EXACTLY what The Lord wants of her.

To follow this amazing gal's journey across the Nations, visit her blog.

I love you so much girl and I'm praying for you as you GO! :)