Happy Thanksgiving!

I thought I would share with you a poem I wrote. For those that don't know, I love to write poems. Someday I hope to gather them all together and publish a book of my poems and stories.

This week I shared my poem with our local paper and it was published in their paper. Isn't that wonderful? Well, I thought it was.

In our time of celebrating, remember that OUR Blessings are far more than just food....loved ones, faith, health, etc are the bounties that we need to be thankful that we have.


Thanksgiving Blessings
By: Sandra L Wellens

Thanksgiving is a day to count our many blessings
Sharing in our bounties of harvest we'll partake
To celebrate our ancestors journey and hardships
To examine their paths they endured for our sake.

Thanksgiving usually involves a great feast
Planned over many days most made by hand
The table is set all the fixings displayed
All our family gathers to eat the feast the was planned.

We always say a blessing before we ever start.
We all have a blessing for which we are proud
We all go around the festive table
Each one saying their blessings aloud.

The feast represents our bounties gathered to share
These are the ones that have grown bigger all year
Some forget that our bounties are more than just food
It's what we hold in our hearts that are cherished my dear.


Happy Thanksgiving!
**s**

Adoption update

Not much to tell. Still no LID (log in date) for China.
They promised it should be done before November ends.
I begged to see if they could call and get an update or at least a new picture. Some kids on their site have gobs and gobs of pictures, while our little girl has 2 pictures that are a year old already. I wish time would quicken so we could go and bring her home.

Rachel Qin, Mama loves you! Someday you will come home and see your new room. I have toys for you and even some clothes hanging in your closet. I bought you a winter coat that I'll bring along to keep you warm during our journey.

Soon my angel you will be with us in the USA.


**s**

My $2 story

National Adoption Day --Nov 20th

I wanted to bless everyone with a story. I need to write it out anyways as I want to share it on a few of my lists. Remember the story of the little mustard seed?

We sent out our newsletters and enclosed an envelope to all that received them. I got one back. It was from my long-time friend and ol' first grade teacher, Sister R. She's a retired school teacher and is a nun. I read her letter and it made me cry.

She wrote she doesn't have a lot to spare but she gave me $2 to help bring Rachel home. I saw she had enclosed my envelope but I thought her letter was far enough. To hold her $2 (which to someone who has just a bit more than Qin herself...), it's like holding a million dollars in my hands. See she understands following God....she lives it too. I might not get any other envelopes back, but I asked anyways.

Most don't have much, or could spend it on something else....but her $2 was a bigger blessing than she could ever have imagined. I shared her story with a lady at my Avon booth on Saturday. Her $2 story still makes me cry with love.

God knows our heart, and he loves a cheerful giver. There are many on my mailing list that are quite wealthy. I have a couple Aunts that are VERY well---off. Time will tell if they can even match a nun and her $2 pledge to bring Qin home. This nun is also one of my references that took the time to fill out all the adoption reference paperwork for us. And I know she prays for us. :)

Isn't it a blessing? Doesn't this $2 story really show the meaning of Christmas? I think it does.

In our upcoming time to count your blessings, how are you helping orphans?
This is National Adoption Week ---think about those that need help and have nothing, then think of all that you have that you take for granted. I too have many, many things.

**s**

Nursery blues

I know I shouldn't complain, but when Alex was little he could sit in the pew and be silent. Toddler age is much harder. He didn't even make it thru the song service today. It was my turn to go to the nursery. Sitting in the nursery is like staying at home--you don't get anything out of the service.

Lots of people just drop off their kids at the nursery door and go back to the pew. I would have had to rush my kid to the ER after every service since there is 1 lady for however many kids show up. There were 3 kids almost 2 yrs and an infant. This infant is one that they hold constantly so they don't have to do anything else. If I wasn't in there, Alex would have split his head open playing on the play slide they have in there. Of course the floor is cement covered over with cheap carpet.

They keep the sound low in the nursery and you can't hear anything that goes on outside in the church part. I guess I liked the Catholic church's idea that the kid should scream and hang out in the pew with the parents. Playtime should not replace churchtime.

I can see Alex's point, why sit in boring church when I can be playing with kids my own age. Maybe that's why grownups don't attend too? Who stops and thinks about this stuff?

So John leaves church refreshed and refilled. I leave the nursery and go home to take a nap. Who wins? Next Sunday Alex is staying home with my brother while John and I go to church and enjoy a quiet prayerful time away from home. :) Awwww I can't wait!

**s**

Vendor Sales ROCK x2

Hi:
I had to use the same heading --vendor sales rock!

Here's the whole story...I got hooked up with this tupperware person who said she would love my help making the posters for her sale. She said the whole space cost her $75 and she'd split the cost among the vendors. I guess she forgets who she tells things too...... So I made the posters and hung them up as I promised. Then she decides to rename the event and redo the posters.

What makes more sense: "Christmas Craft & Gift Sale" or "Deerhunter's widow sale" --you decide? My idea is to say what it is so people won't get confused. Oh, then she uses my poster in the paper. Crazy!

Oh, split the costs must have gone to her blonde head....I paid $40 for 2 tables space.

Guess who's laughing? I made a profit baby! Most of the vendors didn't sell too much or not at all. Some were not happy campers. I was there selling Avon, like I know how to sell it....and blow the rest of them out of the water! Hurrah for me! :) Toot toot, my own horn.

Maybe next year I'll organize my own sale since I did most of the work for this one.

Fall colors amaze me.

Here's a picture taken just outside our town/city. I love the trees! Autumn is my favorite season.

We bought a new digital camera not too long ago. It's much smaller than the last one that we had. The other one put the pictures on a disk. I'll have to get use to downloading the pictures onto a CD now that they are just loaded into my computer so I don't loose them just incase my computer crashes.

You know what it means when the trees change color? It means that winter isn't too far away.

Turkey Day isn't too far away anymore. It seems like the last 2 years I have slid from Halloween into New Year's really quickly. I'm trying to enjoy everyday more this year so it doesn't seem like such a slide again this year.

**s**

tail chasing week

Do you ever find yourself chasing your own tail? Ever meet yourself in the bathroom? I was going to sleep while I was getting up. Who wins?

Then the funny question is when someone says, "Sandra, do you work?" I like to tell them, nope I sit on my butt all day and watch tv. John usually corrects me because people can't tell I am being funny. Maybe that's what they wanted to hear?

Of course, silly! I wonder if I ever stop working? Do I? My many hats --online I run probably too many yahoogroups. I love some of them and almost avoid other ones. I also talk on lots of them that I don't own. I probably read about 300 emails a day. I won't tell you that I have more than 10 email addresses.

Then I sell Avon. I actually do make a profit at selling it. I could always sell more, or reach a higher level---but I get bored or distracted. I love the products. This is my 5th year at it.

I am involved in the American Legion. Can you believe I am 2nd Vice Chair? That means 2 people have to die before I am President. LOL! I have to be careful who I tell that too, some people can't take a joke.

I make a family newsletter. I read about 2-3 books a week (it's slowed down.). I love to do crafts and quilting. I need to do some more crafting as I owe a few people some exchanges. I love to cut coupons and exchange the ones I can't use. I dream of making a cookbook with my Mother's favorite recipes. I write poems and would love to see them in a book someday. (Imagine my poems on a shelf in a book.) I write letters.

Then there is the Mommy hat and the housekeeping hat. I'm a flybaby. I even own a list. Although at times I seem clueless on what the heck a flybaby even does. (Where are your dust bunnies hiding?) Our house now has 3 bathrooms and 4 bedrooms, 2 offices, and 2 living room areas. One is becoming a library/craftroom when I get it all organized. Also the Christmas tree is going to go up in that room before Christmas -"no pressure."

Oh, did I tell you we added a 2nd floor and the builders walked away before it was officially completed? (Another long story!) And we are adopting a 5 yr old girl from China....so I read lots of emails on that, and have done lots of paperwork this summer to get our dossier (a group of papers needed) to send to China. It's finally done and we are awaiting our date to go to China.

My hubby, John works out of the home. He is a WI Tax Assessor. I am more or less the main office manager and hold down the forte when he isn't home. I answer the phones and have been learning to look up the information needed.

Do I work? What do you think? Tell them to come over sometime and see all the activity that goes on during the day. Our helper, Laura is probably ready to go home after she's here a few hours working. LOL

Oh---tell me I'm doing a GREAT JOB, instead of asking if I work here, okay?

**s**

A helper a Helper

If I remember I should start every month with these cute teddy bears.

We found a Mother's Helper! Hurray! Actually the local rural school put it in their family/school newsletter and someone answered. She's been a great asset to our household. Alexander says "Laura" so cute. That's her name.

She's been working around here helping me out. It's been nice to have someone watch Alex so I can go somewhere else in the house and get things done. Somedays he seems like he's into everything.

Little by little things are getting back into their spots since they were boxed up in early May when we started building. It's nice to see some of our favorite things finally get unpacked.

**s**