And His Name shall be called...

Wonderful.
Counselor.
The Mighty God.
The Everlasting Father.
The Prince of Peace.

I have to admit that the last several weeks I have been having a difficult time getting into the Christmas Spirit, which is unusual for me.  I'm not really sure why that is. But I changed my mind Last Saturday night when  my dad and I went on our annual date to see the Messiah at the Seattle Symphony. 

The first thing to note about the Messiah is that it is unanimously regarded as one of the most important masterpieces in the history of music.  It would be beautiful and inspiring even if the words had nothing to do with Scripture.  But the best thing, the crescendo if you will, is that the words from this masterpiece come directly from the Word of God. 

The whole work is Piercing, Transcendent and Beautiful. 

For unto us a child is Born!
Merry Christmas!

THE FAM

On Sunday, we had a great Christmas celebration with the Lang family.  Grandiose, Good Eats, Loud, Hilarious, Eventful, Top 5 of annual Best Fun list. 
Of course this is my favorite picture of the bunch and I would like to make an attempt to tell you what each person is thinking:

Casey:  I know I'm supposed to smile but...I think there could be a lot sales potential if we make soft close standard in Amero.

Papa: Hey we're taking a picture and I'm holding my granddaughter!

Kyla: Ha ha, I'm with papa and you're not!

Andrea: I hope my children smile, I'll be a good example...

Heidi: I'm so over this picture taking thing

Grandma: Does everyone have enough food over there?

Chelsea: I'm prego and proud!

Pearson:  There's something over there that I want and I think I know how to get it...

Tyler: I'm cool

Loreen:  Chin up, leg bent, butt out, Please no double chin, please no belly pooch..

Amongst all this, we had a time of remembering what Christmas is all about and a time of prayer for my cousin Tony. It was one of the most amazing things I've experienced in a long time. I was telling a friend about this and she said, "well I wouldn't expect anything less from your family." What a testimony to what a wonderful family I have!

Numbers part 2 - LOVE

525,600 minutes
525,000 moments so dear
How do you measure a year?

In Daylights, in sunsets, in midnights and cups of coffee
In Inches, In Miles, In laughter and Strife

525,600 minutes?
How do you measure a year in a life?

Seasons of Love!

This song comes from Rent, a broadway show.  It's one of my very favorite songs in the whole world.  I woke up one morning last month with it stuck in my head and I haven't been able to get it out since then.

So lets not waste any more miles, midnights or minutes!

Click here to see the song on Youtube:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x8iTeDl_Wug&feature=player_embedded#

Numbers part 1

If  the world were a village of 100 people:

• 6 of us would own 59% of the world's wealth
• If you have a bed, a refrigerator, a roof over your head you are one of the top 25 richest people in the world
• 18 of us would struggle to live on less than $1 a day and 53 of us on less than $2 a day.
• All 100 of us would mean infinitely more to God than just a statistic or a number - a face, 2 hands and feet, a heart and a soul that He delights in and cares for.

Click here to see the miniature earth slideshow:  http://www.miniature-earth.com/

Full moon, vampires and black cats, oh my!

Yes, I've been "bitten" by the Vampire bug.  The vast majority of my Halloween weekend was reading and finishing the 2nd book - 400 pages in less than 24 hours!  Crazy-ness...
I never would have imagined myself getting so caught up in a story like that and one of my staunch policies for reading is NO sappy romance stuff, but this seems to be one exception.  It is rather addicting.

The other major event for my halloween weekend is my black cat escaping on halloween night and me running around in a panic for over an hour, it was a full moon even- of all the nights to escape!  Thankfully my wonderful neighbors came out to help me.  Literally as soon as they stepped out their door, Tami called his name and he came running to her.  Little stinker...

So he was not cat napped by wierd satanic people ready to do horrible things to him.  (yes, these are the wierd things that go on in your mind when you're looking for your cat at 10 pm on Halloween night.

Here he is playing in a box of yarn that I took with me to Africa last summer...

Reddi-wip and grandma

My sister in law, Andrea, has this great recipe for Pumpkin cookies that are always a family favorite this time of year.  she put the recipe on her blog so I decided I was going to try it out yesterday.  If you would like the recipe, please check out Andrea's Blog by clicking here: http://cakhbell.blogspot.com/2009/10/delicioso.html

Those of you who knew my Grandma Lang would know that one of the very first things she would do when things were a little rough for the family is bake a big batch of cookies or cook an incredibly large meal for all of us.  So that was my motivation behind the cookies. 

I was at my parent's house baking them, I had some really good music on and I could almost feel grandma there beside me, inspiring and helping me.  One of the things she was really good at was mixing things up a little in a recipe, so in the cookie batch I put a couple of dallops of sour cream and a little extra flour, and they turned out so moist. 

When I got ready to make the frosting, I realized that my parents had no milk, (which the recipe called for) so being inspired by grandma's style, I found a can of Reddi-whip (that's kinda like milk right?) and I mixed with Cream cheese and vanilla, melted them together, whipped it and drizzled it on the cookies!

They turned out really good and the best thing I got to do is give them away so I could put some smiles on some very important people just like grandma.  Thanks Grandma and Andrea!

Crazy Cat Lady

Yes, It's true, I have officially become a crazy cat lady.

Sitting at home last Sunday vegetating under a snuggly blanket, I got up and wadded my blanket on the couch. When I came to sit back down, Mr. Whiskers had decided to take a nap on the blanket. So he was all curled up with a little ball of yarn I made for him (which he loves)...

so yes, I actually took time out of my day to make a ball of yarn for my cat, I let him take the blanket and Yes, I take pictures.

Giving me the evil eye. "When is this crazy lady going to stop interrupting my cat naps?"

But who could resist such cuteness?

VALDEZ

So the question is: To cry or not to cry...


Things here at Cabinetrends (our cabinet showroom) have been a little slow as of late, so I decided to go into my "clean sweep" mode. Over the years there has been a massive amount of samples, thousands of brochures, and other random supplies that have been compiled into every nook and cranny in this place.



So after spending DAYS cleaning, throwing out and organizing all of these items I was on the verge of my crowning moment in this process by finding a logical way of organizing brochures and then...CRASH! In slow motion all of those brochures exploded on to the ground as I was moving my brilliant organizing system.



Thus confirming the appropriateness of a nickname that my brothers have for me: Major Valdez - yes because I have a tendency to spill things.

Ladies you know those moments where you are on the brink and you have a choice to laugh or cry. Well...

I chose to laugh!

My hometown

Many of you know that I have been a lot of places and there is beauty in all of them, but I have to say that there is nothing in the world like coming home, flying over Mt. Rainier, the Puget Sound and Seattle.

(at the seattle center)

There's nowhere in the world like it - so many colors, sights and sounds. Where else can you find mountains, water, forests, and such a great city in the same place?!!

The beautiful Puget Sound!

So last spring I took a photography class (which I loved...) Today I came across some of those pictures and thought that I would share some of my favorite pics in honor of my hometown. :)

The beautiful Bellevue Botanical Gardens in the spring!

Cherry Blossoms at Mom and Dad's house!

The Space Needle

Only a few of the sights of our great city! Go Seattle!

The Big FANTASTIC

On Wednesday, Papa Steve, Grandma Carolyn and I got the privilege of taking the little girls to the fair and it was a wild ride to be sure! We started out with the Cotton Candy which they weren't particularly impressed with.

Then we attempted to go look at the animals. Pearson did the best with not being afraid of them and the camel was fascinating and scary...

Then we moved on to the rides which they enjoyed... although they kept trying to cut in line which was tortorous for them.


I love this picture of Pearson and Heidi. Pearson had a difficult time keeping her shoes on. during the boat ride she kept dangling them over the edge, as if to threaten to throw them at any time. I'm not sure what Heidi was thinking...

My particular favorite was the "carriage" ride. It was a train that Kyla and I decided was a carriage that would take us to our prince charming. We waved to all the people passing by which she was very into. :)

Then we moved on to the eating portion of the day which of course concluded with Icecream.


It was an unforgettable and wonderful day of memories!

Skinna Marinky Dink...

Sorry it's taken so long to post, I've been getting back into the swing of things since I've been home and I wanted to post a video of the last day I spent with the kids in Rwanda.

All my nieces and any other little kids I spend time with know that Skinna Marinky Dinky Dink is "Aunty Reen's" song. And of course, would you believe that I taught all the kids at the orphanage to sing it too! Super cute!

here is one of the little girls singing it - with great excitement

here is the whole group singing on the last day...

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Dear Dad,

Once upon a time, not so long ago, your little girl found herself in a land far far away. She had worked herself to a point of incredible exhaustion, mentally, physically and spiritually and was in desperate need of some hospitality and support. She went to a place where she thought she would find a source for that hospitality and was bluntly refused. She was desperate for some Jesus with skin on and she had nowhere to go.

Then out of almost nowhere, someone showed up to offer a shower, a good meal, and heartfelt prayer on her behalf. The real Jesus had provided a miracle! This got her thinking about why she was so hurt and offended by the original refusal and why the hospitality offered freely was so meaningful. But this took her to another once upon a time, a long long time ago in a land not too far away...

We were all sitting down at the many makeshift tables that were filled with wonderful Thanksgiving food. All of the family was there, Grandpa and Grandma Bell, aunts, uncles and cousins. There were also a number people who were not related but were invited and treated as family members anyway.

On many other occasions around the same time and same place, we were at Grandpa and Grandma Langs house. Again with all the family there and those who were not family but treated as such anyway.


So many stories of Grandparents and you and mom, with doors constantly open to people who didn't have anyone or anywhere to go. Hospitality for all of us, kids, cousins, aunts and uncles on both sides of the family became a part of us. It's just what you do. It's a part of the heritage that has been given to us - a heritage of compassion, hospitality, love and steadfast faith. A heritage of being Jesus with some skin on.


So now as I'm writing this, I can hear some kids dancing around outside, singing, "Give your heart to Jesus, that's what it's all about!" I wish I could describe to you what it's like holding the hand of a little orphan girl raised up in the air praising Jesus in church with the most beautiful music you've ever heard. Somehow the Lord has provided the opportunity for me to do that. He has given us great opportunities to accomplish great things for His kingdom in the future.

But even now, when I think about it, I am convinced once again that the use of our family's resources is not as much about the future as it the past - about honoring those who have come before us. Those who've shown us that it is in the simple things that you can change a person's life for eternity and that by daring to dream you can change the world.

and THATS what its all about!

So thank you for being my dad. Thanks for picking such a great mom. Thank you both for believing in me unconditionally. Thanks for teaching me to look beyond myself and that i can reach out and accomplish the dreams that God has for me.

I love you with all my heart,
Loreen

And Me!

WhenEVER I get out my camera, the first the thing I hear is "And ME, Dodeen, and me!" Which means that they want to be in the picture too. So I have many "and me" pictures and here are a few of my favorites...

And ME!...

This is Peace: All the kids got huge kick out of my pose in the picture. they laughed for quite some time and they wanted to see it a hundred times atleast.

This is Esther: She is definitely the class clown.

Little Monkeys

So one of the events here at the house that occurs on a daily basis is playing "tag" with Dodeen. This usually entails approximately 7 kids running circles around me while I "attempt" to tag or tickle them. Just my attempts alone makes them laugh a lot, so for the sake of entertainment and fun I just go for it.

One day they decided that the best way to avoid my tags was to climb in the trees. "Dodeen! you no tickle me now! HA HA!" So here are some pictures of that particular day - So cute!

This is Prince: He's 4 years old and got very upset when he lost his shoe in the tree climbing process.

The 3 Amigas

I'd like for you to meet Silvia, Gabriela and Florence (left to right). These 3 little girls live in the same house I'm in right now. They are 2 and 3 yrs old, so a little too young to be in school just yet.
They are always eating, playing and getting into trouble together.

When Silvia was a baby some policemen found her in the middle of the forest. These men knew about New Hope homes and brought her here and she's been here ever since. She is a teenager in a toddler's body. When I sit next to her, she'll look at me with a straight face and start talking to me as if she's having an adult conversation (of course all in Kinyarwanda, the native language). She's quite bright for her age and circumstances.

Gabriela is the youngest. they know that she's somewhere around 2 but they can't confirm a birthdate. She's just so sweet and whenever she sees me she yells, "Ahyo!" in this little high pitched mousy voice. "ahyo dodeen!" (her version of hello Loreen) She looks around and smiles with her 2 front teeth missing. I 'd have to say that if I had my choice out of any of the kids that she would be the one I'd bring home with me.

Florence has a similar situation as Gabriela, they know she's around 3. She's also quite talkative and always wants a hug, or to dance. She likes to show me random things that she's found to play with, (a leaf, a stick, a piece of scrap paper, a crayon for instance). she runs up to me and says, "yooch, yooch!" Not sure if that's an actual word in her language or just her version of saying Look, Look!

So every morning they start their day by sitting on this bench, drinking their porridge. Then they play, usually dancing.

What is it about the universality of little girls loving to dance? Doesn't matter if you're from Maple Valley, Washington or Kigali Rwanda!

I love this picture of Silvia bopping her head holding the radio next to her ear!

Then lunch time they all have their special little place to eat. All 3 of them have their plates FULL and they gobble it all down, then lick their plates!

So funny and adorable. So awesome that the Lord provided these little girls to have a place they can call home surrounded by people that love them and the opportunity and dignity to just be little girls.

The Quilt

This week we've pulled out the paints and it's going much better than I expected, and the kids LOVE it!

Today we made a big paper "quilt" where everyone painted a part of the design on their own paper and this is what turned out!

We talked about how in the states, quilting in the "olden days" was a community event, coming together, sharing resources and then giving their quilt away to someone who needed it.

So as a community we all participated in making it and it turned out beautiful! Definitely my favorite project so far.

Colors of the Rainbow

Last week we started talking about colors. One of the first things we talked about was the rainbow and how that is a sign of God's promise. So we took some tissue papers and made some rainbows with them. The kids really enjoyed scrunching up the tissue and putting on the paper. Here are some pics from that.

Suds in a bucket...

how to wash your hair in a bucket:

1) Get half a bucket of steaming water from the cook

2) Check to see if there are any "floaties" in the water (learned that the hard way)

3) Then pour enough cold water to make sure the water isn't scalding

4) When you've reached the desired temperature, dip your head in the bucket!

5) For the part of your head that doesn't fit in the bucket, take the little bucket and pour.

6) Shampoo! It's important to keep your head away from the big bucket at this time so as to keep the clean water as uncontaminated as possible.

7) Rinse, using the same method as steps 4 and 5

8) Towel dry then air dry

9) Voila! Clean hair! Before and after, I really hope you can tell a difference.

If this post has not made you laugh out loud and very thankful for your next toilet flush, shower, and/or hand washing then I got nothin' else...

The fish lives in the water

DA FEESH live een dee wotah!
That's what it sounds like when 15 kids from Rwanda are saying it.

We've been practicing our drawing skills this week and we got to add another page to our special art books. We talked about fish in the water (not to be confused with the fish on the table) and then drew some cool pictures!

Then they had to show me their fish faces.

"SPORTS"

This week we did some "sports" activities which included dancing to my crazy "muzungu" music, Putting a couple of mattresses on the grass and doing flips and summersaults. Don't forget the potty breaks

They were very impressed with my attempt at a cartwheel...

riding bikes with one training wheel,

throwing frisbees.

It also included me teaching the kids some crazy faces as you will see... and just laughing a lot!