Kayte is FIVE!

Funny and fun, Kind and Sweet

Delightful Smile, bright shiny dark eyes...

A new birthday tradition,

an idea from my sister.

Puppy pancakes!!

A quick little photo shoot...

Kayte is our quiet child. Quick to forgive, easy to please,

and delights in the little things of life.

How thankful I am for the honor of being her Mama.

We love you Kayte!

Thank you...

Thank you so much, friends and family, and EVERYONE who made my birthday special by sending cards, newsy letters, money,  voxer messages and emails.  I am thankful for each one of you! My day was quiet... in the afternoon the ladies of the compound dropped in one by one and brought sweet cards, 8'oclock coffee, and one brought a cute red mug. I felt loved.

I am not sad that I am another year older, not really. I am so grateful for another year of LIFE, another year to be married to a wonderful man, to be mommy to 5 precious and beautiful children. Some women are not granted any or even all of these things. I am richly blessed.

This year has been so full of change. Some so hard, and yet, He has led us all the way, and we have peace that He will make our path straight in the future too.

Its been full of hard things, But these hard things are to draw us closer to HIM. And they have.

Its been full of loss. My niece who went to be with Jesus. My Grandpa's too.  

There were losses in other ways too.. most  that left us walking in faith. But HE HAS BEEN FAITHFUL.

We've moved from all we have known. We were gifted with a clear call, and He has been with us all the way.

So in this year ahead, we press on in the path He has chosen for us. Thank you so much for being part of our journey.

Things i love...

I promised to share a few of my favorite things in our new home, so here goes:

The warm sunshine, and clear, clear blue sky.

The little hummingbird that frequents my porch, and reminds me of Gods love for even me.

For rice and beans and spicy sauce.

For shining black eyes and little brown skinned children all around us.

For the ability to learn a new language, and friends who help me.

For team members who care, and share, and live life closely with us, generously.

For a strong husband, and how he leads, and loves, and gives so much every day.

For 5 beautiful, healthy, growing children who make my life so rich.

Mangos. mangos. mangos. 

The ocean, our "extended " back yard.

These are a few of my favorite things...

(and not in any special order)

Things i miss....

I rarely get real personal in this little space. When the my vistor count jumps in numbers by the 100's , but very few people sign their name, its a little a lot scary, ya know?

But today, I am stepping out to share. Someone ask me one the other day what I miss the most here.

I honestly could not think. I very much miss my mom, sisters, friends that are more like family, and friends all around. 

But what I miss otherwise?  I feel so at home here.. and the peace we feel about listening to the call of God is incredible. It carries us. It makes the missing less harsh.

But then, as I was thinking about it,  I realized there are things I miss.

Like turning on the faucet and getting hot water. For dishes or showers, or for washing clothes.

Like the smell of spring, with the cool mornings and birds appearing.

I miss not seeing my nieces and nephews learn and grow. (although I must say the aunties do a great job of sending videos and pictures. Thank God for VOXER!)

I miss not being able to thrift shop when I choose to.

I miss a big yard of green grass. And mowing it.

In my next post I will tell you about the things I love. Some of my favorite things.

There are many!

Of veggies and other favorite foods...

Fresh ginger and anise make a

delicious Haitian tea. They add sugar of course!:)

We enjoy fresh mangoes often!

Fresh cabbage, eggplant, onion, garlic and tomatoes

are easily available at market

Some of our favorite foods as a family are fresh made

banann with picklies,  or

fresh bananas with honey and peanut butter

(Thank you Uncle Ave, for the invention and introduction!!)

We are eating from this hanger of bananas right now:)

Happy Birthday Abby!!

Have I ever seen a child like you?

-Abby May Myer-

You bring such life and such love to my days.

Some days I wonder if you are 6, or 16,

because you see the world through deeper eyes than those of

a 7 year old.

You have the softest of hearts. So gentle,

full of love, oozing with joy.

When you pull my face into your hands when I kiss you goodnight,

you tell me I am "the most kind and loving mother you have ever

known- could we please get up early to have tea and a little chat

together?"

My heart  knows that God has big plans for you. You will see the

weak among the crowd, and love them.

You will see the hurting,

and hug them.

You sing on rainy days, and you ooze with life on the sunny ones.

Don't stop loving life. Don't stop serving, and giving, and

smiling.

Your first birthday in Haiti....

-Haitian friends decorated your cake

-You had a new dress, a gift from "Mum"

-Richa ordered soda after the party started "because its for her birthday!"

You were so excited for your party you could hardly contain yourself.

Daddy found you a bike!!

New friends to celebrate with. (I think she was missing Pa and Mum:))

My beautiful girl... keep squeezing the breath out of every moment.

I'm SO GLAD you are ours!!!

My New Favorite Recipe

I'm not a master of breads, but I have had to learn to make it since we are here. After many loaves of typical  white bread, I was happy to have my dear friend, Ada, share this sourdough recipe with me! Its absolutely easy, it only has 4 ingredients, and it is a cinch to mix up.

In a glass or plastic bowl, use a wooden or plastic spoon to mix:

3 cups warm water

1 1/2 TBSP salt

1 1/2 TBSP yeast

6 cups flour

Stir til dough is evenly wet with no dry spots. Cover the container LIGHTLY (It has to be able to "burp") and let it sit overnight. This can then be chilled for up to 2 weeks. The longer you let it sit, the more fermented it becomes, and so more "sourdough". So far I have mixed mine up in the evening, then made a loaf for breakfast, and another for supper. Its to good to let it sit around longer:)

When you are ready to make it, use only water to handle the dough. It will be kinda sloppy like, but just wet your hands and take about 1/2 the dough out to make a round loaf. I put cornmeal in the bottom of a cast iron skillet, and plop it in there. Let it sit for 20 minutes, then come back and turn the oven on to 450. Put three slashes across the dough with a scissors or knife, then set timer for another 20 minutes. At this point you can sprinkle any kind of seasoning on it that you want. I used oregano, basil, and parmeson cheese, but you can do whatever.

When the 20 minutes are up, bake it for about 15-20 minutes. I just kinda watch it.

Happy  Breadmaking!!