The Crew's Thanksgiving Menu

I love Thanksgiving time!  I enjoy the whole nine yards as far as the feast goes, and thought I would share our menu with you this year.

The turkey is brined in a mixture of 2 gallons water, 2 cups of kosher salt and 2 cups of white sugar.  I added three bay leaves and an orange and lemon sliced up.  After heating, to dissolve the sugar and salt, add some ice to cool it.  Not too much!  Brine the turkey an hour per pound.  My husband is smoking the turkey this year on our outdoor wood barbecue.

Also cooking outside, in a roaster oven, is a ham from Costco.

Side dishes will be homemade mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes with marshmallows, buttered corn, Granny's Stuffing, homemade cranberry sauce (and canned for the sickos that prefer it), and french bread rolls.  This meal will be neither gluten-free nor low-carb!

Desserts will be lemon meringue pie, cherry cheesecake, and cherry pie.

What are you serving?

Angelina in 3G

Angelina is in Abbott's region. I imagine them adopted together and growing up as brother and sister!  However, she is in need of heart sugary.  She's not a baby any more, she's four and a half years old! She's probably been transferred already, but news is sparse, so we are not sure. Who knows how she is doing and if she's being followed by a cardiologist?

She has an excellent Warrior who is working hard all year long to raise the ransom for her future family.  There are many ways you can help Angelina.  Firstly, pray for her.  Pray for her health, for her safety and for her family to find her soon.

To help financially, you can give $35 (or more) to her FSP and get a beautiful Christmas tree ornament with her beautiful picture  on it.

If you like to shop online for gifts, Deb has a great shop called Love Leaving Legacy.  She has a facebook page and an Etsy shop.

She's also doing a Wreaths of Maine fundraiser.  Just select "Wielhouwer L 5084"  as the affiliate upon checkout.

You can shop with purpose for many of the Reece's Rainbow children this upcoming Christmas season.  Just visit "Intentional Christmas Shopping" and visit the many links.

'Tis the Season....

...for coughs!  Make up a batch of this remedy to have on hand when they arrive.

Honey Cough Remedy
 ¼ teaspoon Cayenne
 ¼ teaspoon Ginger
 1 Tablespoon Cider Vinegar (an organic one is preferred)
 2 Tablespoons Water

 1 Tablespoon Honey (use a locally produced raw honey, if possible)

 Dissolve cayenne and ginger in cider vinegar and water.
 Add honey and shake well.
 Take 1 Tablespoon as needed for cough.

You can also take raw garlic and grapefruit seed extract to help stop any infection that may be developing. 

I found this recipe at Organic Herbal Solutions on 

Facebook.

Kitty Korner

Winter must be coming on....the kitties are all wanting to laze around and even spend time on laps!  The Lambies thought it funny that all three kitties were snoozing so close to one another the other day, and asked me to take a picture of "Kitty Korner".

Abbott's Teamwork Tuesday

My Abbott was chosen to be this week's Teamwork Tuesday child!  That means that several others will be posting about him and sharing the different ways that people can help him.  Also, to celebrate his $200 matching grant, at least 50% of each purchase made at Hooked on Hope will go into Abbott's account.  So far he has met one $100 matching grant during Angel Tree. Can we get this one met before Saturday the 17th?  His account needs to read $2985 for the match to be met.

Here's links to the posts about Abbott:

Flip-flops, Aprons and Pearls
Love Leaving Legacy
You Will Go Out With Joy
Tripping Differently
Once Child One Voice
Molette26

Abbott Has A Matching Grant!

My dear Abbott.  He's been waiting SO long!  Five year ago, a tiny boy was born in Eastern Europe. I imagine his momma had been waiting eagerly for him.  When he was born, the doctors were quiet. They examined him....they noticed his almond shaped eyes, the creases in his palm, his little toes.  They told her sadly that he was defective.  They encouraged her to cast him away. I wonder if she held him. I wonder if she whispered her love into his tiny ear before handing him over?

Whatever happened, he ended up at a baby house. An orphanage.  He lay there, just one of many other babies.  He spent his days laying in a crib, staring at the walls and ceiling, with little stimulation and no mother's love. Later, he was moved to an institution.  Some institutions are better than others.  I have no idea how Abbott's life is now.  From his profile: "Recently he has been transferred to an institution and nobody knows how he is now." How very sad.  I PRAY someone will visit his institution and get an idea of how he is doing,  Even better, GO GET HIM!  There's a darling little girl in the same region, maybe in the same institution!  The very best of brothers and sisters, I think. Someone go get them out of there!

On the first night of Angel Tree, I was blessed to be able to announce a matching grant for Abbott.  $100 automatically doubling to $200 as soon as it was raised!  I went to bed, praying that my boy will find a family in these two months, and that I could help with some of the financial burden.  I woke to find the grant MATCHED and $200 offered as a new matching grant!

So if you donate to Abbott, using that handy little widget on the right sidebar or the donate button on his profile, your dollars will DOUBLE!  $5 becomes $10, $10 become $20, Slowly, slowly, $50 becomes $100 and $200 becomes $400 more dollars to help Abbott find a family to call his own! When his grant reaches $2985.00, this matching grant will be met.

Angelina has almost $5000 in her grant, which will be $6000 very soon, because she was one of the children selected to benefit from the Cultivate Wines grant!  Her advocate is working tirelessly for her, and has some mighty big fundraisers planned for Angel Tree.  Much of these children's adoptions are paid for in advance.  The Lord want to place the lonely into families!  Will you pray for Abbott and Angelina?  Will you share some of your blessings with these that have nothing?  Will you pledge to pray for them; that they would be protected in their health, their spirits and that a family would choose them SOON?  Please?

Donate to Abbott HERE    

Donate to Angelina HERE 

It's the LAST Day!!

It's like the last mile of a marathon....the last hours of a fast....the last few minutes of giving birth!  IT's the last day to vote for Reece's Rainbow in the Cultivate Wines $50,000 grant contest!  Please take a moment and go vote.

For Asher, Angelina, Tara, Kyle, Dawn, Kai and all the rest.  Their lives will be forever changed.

All it takes is a click, a share, a word of encouragement.  VOTE!

VOTE HERE FOR REECE'S RAINBOW

Persevere!

There's only a week left in the Cultivate Wines contest.  Reece's Rainbow is in the running for $50,000!! Fifty THOUSAND dollars!  Advocates beg and plead for $5 and $10 dollars....just think what $50,000 will do for the ten selected orphans!  They will find families much easier, those families are likely to choose siblings to bring home, too, and their entire communities, both physical and the online ones, will be touched! People will be inspired to begin praying about adopting  More advocates will be born.  More families will be created.

Have you voted yet?  Please vote and share the link.  Any adult with a facebook account can vote once a day.  PLEASE!

VOTE FOR ORPHANS HERE

Angel Tree Season

I'm gearing up for Angel Tree season.  Angel Tree is Reece's Rainbow's biggest fundraiser of the year! Each child, 0-5 years old, is eligible to have an Angel Tree Warrior. Sadly, there are some children still not chosen.  Go choose a child to fight for for yourself!  The children who are available are those without a badge to the right of their profiles.

Angel Tree Boys
Angel Tree Girls

Once you've chosen a child or three, go to this page to request to be a Warrior.

My little guy is Abbott. I can't wait to see his little face smiling because his mommy is there with him, but for now, he remains forlorn and frightened.  We haven't received a new picture for some time, and I rather fear it when we do.

Will he still have pudge in his cheeks, or will he be gaunt like Sasha?

Will he be bitten like Archie?

Starving, like Lina?

Forsaken and forgotten like Ekaterina?

Perhaps he'll be well cared for still.... like Kai, but still longing for a family of his own?

Maybe the next time I see a new picture, it will be of his family celebrating having found him, like Lyla!

Please consider making a donation to Abbott's fund, in honor of his family to come....to lighten their burden, to let them know that they are not alone in their love for him. And please, say a prayer for him. It's the most important thing that can be done and it costs NOTHING but your time!

Missy's Triumph!

For so long now, Missy has wanted to crochet!  EmBlem, Polly and I have been crocheting as much as possible lately to help a certain friend raise the fees needed to commit to the child they want to adopt, and Missy has felt rather left out.

Polly sat down with her again this last week and helped her try to hold the yarn and manage the hook correctly.  This time MISSY DID IT!! See the chain she is holding?  She did that all by herself!  She can even start the chain by making a slip knot by herself.

Missy even helped on her very first crochet project for Reece's Rainbow.  She made the foundation chain for this cute little guy:

He's up for grabs right now, for a very limited time.  Only eight entries are being accepted, at $10 each. Paypal dannovit@gmail.com if you want to participate!!  This should be the last time I send you to that paypal address.  My friend Colleen should be able to officially commit to her daughter this week and she'll then have a tax-deductible account to use!