Feelin' Good

After my bout of an awful time with this infertility monster (see here and here in case for some reason you want to relive that dark spot), I am having a really good day today. I am totally content, very happy, and hopeful tomorrow will bring the same feelings.

First thing's first, Josey won the giveaway!! Josey, email me your address and I will ship you your natural dishwasher detergent!! I hope you like it as much as I do!!

Secondly, I just want to bask in today. I hope that's okay. Those of you who are not having good days, be assured you are in my prayers. I have been where you are- when it seems so dark you can't possibly imagine light again. Hang on as best you can- we are all here for you (HUG)!! Just to show you that things do turn around, here are some things going on:

• I had an amazing afternoon with my beautiful friend and her daughter yesterday. I invited them over so I could introduce them to the mennonite farm and bulk store I have grown to love so much. Luckily for me, they loved it, too!! And time with them is just such a balm to my heart. She struggled with IF, too, and her daughter is a beautiful example of God's plan for adoption- as a result, she is so sensitive to how it feels to deal with IF. We have an honest, prayerful relationship, and it is so wonderful! If I could pass along two prayer requests from her, please pray that her husband is led to the job God has in mind for him, and also please pray that God will give them clear direction on what is next in the building of their family. Thanks!
• I made amazing pizza for dinner last night. The crust turned out perfect! I also used our own tomato sauce, with fresh mozzarella from the mennonite cheese shop, and ground beef from the farm!
• I also made an apple crisp last night with apples from an orchard we went to last Sunday! The crisp turned out really good- it was all I could do to avoid having it for breakfast!
  
• This morning my cousin came over to go hunting with Mr. A (bow deer season now). He's a senior in high school, and it was really nice to just hang out with him! They are gone all day, but it is the most perfect fall day you can picture, so it will be an amazing time in the woods. Not sure they will get a deer, but that would certainly liven up our activities tonight! Nothing like butchering your own deer...
• Because they are gone all day, I have had a great day to myself. I've hung out 2 loads of laundry, and washed/hung up all Mr. A's work clothes. I went and got my dad a birthday card and some organic strawberries for.....
• ANOTHER TWO BATCHES OF FREEZER JAM!!! I'm not sure if you can sense my enthusiasm. ;-) I picked another 8 cups of raspberries from our bush recently and wanted to make a different combination this time (last time I combined the raspberries with rhubarb). This time I used some pectin I got at the mennonite store that allows you to use less sugar or HONEY! This universal pectin's jelling power is from calcium, not by the sugar you add to the jam like other pectins. Long story short, I made one batch with honey and one batch with sugar (lower quantities than my previous batch), and it was VERY easy!! I can't wait to try the one with honey- how cool is that!
• I am also making chicken and dumplings from scratch for my hungry hunters tonight. I am boiling the chicken right now, with some carrots, celery, garlic, and onion, and the house smells wonderful!! AND I already have some dumplings frozen from last time- the dumpling recipe made too many! It will be a really satisfying dinner (I hope) on such a crisp fall evening.
• Our dogs are being so precious today. I don't know how we ended up with the world's two greatest dogs (am I biased?), but we sure hit the jackpot with them. Even though Bert is only 10.5 months old, he (and Banana, but she is always great with kids) did so great with my friend's daughter yesterday- they are the same eye level! I was a tad worried he'd knock her over, but he was wonderful! I don't think my friend's daughter was prepared for all the doggie-kisses though ;-)

Well I better scoot and do up some dishes from my cooking escapades this afternoon. It has been so wonderful to create things in the kitchen! I wish you were all here with me hanging out and making stuff :)