My Crazy Life

Sorry that I haven't been around in a little while. I've actually had several things to write about; just no time or drive to do it.

Our plans for vacation have changed.... again. Now we've been told that if we don't take our vacation between leaving Israel and arriving in Estonia, we will lose the time, not just get to take it later. So, it looks like we will be homeless for 2 weeks when we leave here. We're pretty sure that we're going to head back to the U.S. for that time. We haven't seen our family in 2 years, so it's probably best that we visit them. My husband and I aren't close to our families, but our kids want to see their grandparents, and I'm sure the grandparents would like to see them, so that's what will happen. Prayer is appreciated during this time, since visiting with our families isn't always an easy experience. Please also pray for an opportunity to be a witness to them, as none of them are saved.

I was so delighted to read all of your nice comments about the rain skirt from my last post. I'm still waiting for the fabric to arrive for my skirt (it's so late!). When it does finally get here, I'm hoping to do a tutorial on how to make one. So be looking for that if you're interested.

I've been sewing a few other little things here and there. I made a couple of cozy flannel nightgowns for my daughter, and some neck pillows for the airplane. I'll get some pictures on here another time. Still on my list to make are: 1 dress, 2 skirts, 1 rain skirt, and travel accessories. I only have about 4 weeks left before my machine gets boxed up, so I need to work fast! Of course, it would help if my fabric orders would ever arrive from the states.... grrrr... where are they?!

Yesterday we had a church picnic at our local park. It was so much fun!! Surprisingly, an Arab picnic is not too different from an American one. One family insisted on bringing everything and taking care of all the cooking. They really outdid themselves too. We had chicken, beef, lamb, pork chops, hamburgers, and hot dogs.... and that was just the meat. They also had a whole table full of side dishes and homemade pickles (yum!). More than the food though, we really enjoyed the fellowship. It's so nice to be with a group of believers and just have fun together. You would be surprised by the barriers that this type of Christian love can cross. The majority of people there only spoke Arabic, but we had no trouble "communicating" with one another.

Today, Saturday, we made our final (maybe?) trip into the Old City. A couple of friends asked me to pick up souvenirs for them (Laura, Heather... they're on their way!), and I wanted to visit the Temple Mount, so we ventured back inside the walls. In case you've missed reading this fact, or you're new here..... we don't like the Old City. Today was no different; maybe even worse. Between the crowds, the smells, shopkeepers trying to sell us things (one even yelling at us for no reason), and getting lost for hours and having to walk all the way around the city walls to find where we needed to be... we were more than ready to leave. By the time we finally found where we needed to be to visit the Temple Mount...... it was closed!! All those hours wasted. My husband said he'll take me back another day before we leave, but we'll see. At the moment I don't think I ever want to go back there, but I might change my mind tomorrow ;)

Okay, I think that about catches you up on what's going on around here. I have a busy week planning for our big Thanksgiving dinner, so I may not be around. I hope you all (Americans) have a blessed Thanksgiving; there's always so much to be thankful for!