Christmas Time is Here

Thanksgiving

I came across my dad's charge from our wedding this morning and sat down with a cup of hot tea to read it. I cried. This is the season of thanksgiving and I am grateful for a loving and sacrificial God, faithful parents whose obedience to Him echoes out of truly thankful hearts, for a husband who loves God and opens my eyes to see more of God's glory and grace every day, and for the opportunity and blessing that we are given to teach our children to walk in His ways, to love Him and know Him that they may reap the benefits of His blessings.

The Charge:

Anna. You were first placed in my arms in Seoul, Korea under the name Bae Yun Mee. They told me and your Nana, who was with me, that name meant “Forever Beautiful”. My charge to you is related to that name. Some will say you are the woman you are now in part because of me and your mom. And to the extent that is true I give all the glory to God. But I say I am what I am in part, because of you. What a blessing you have been to me from the first day you became a Hostetter.

I mean, look, I get to stand here and look at my daughter dressed in pure white, knowing that for you the white dress is not just a tradition or a symbol of purity…in your case it reflects what is true. You stand here a picture of faithfulness, obedience and purity. But this day did not come without pain. I think you understand that the pain that accompanies living unto God is temporary, while the pleasures and joy of doing so are everlasting. And the opposite is true; the pleasures of living not unto God are temporary (and there is pleasure) but the pain is everlasting. So, you stand here now ready to have your faithfulness translated this day into great pleasure and great joy. Today you are dressed in white and tomorrow you will be whiter than snow.

The Preacher asks in Proverbs 31:10 “A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies.” Henry, I think you found one. Now Anna you will be what you are not because of me or your Mom, but in large part because of Henry. And I know he is ready to follow his father’s good counsel. And Henry will be what he will be in large part because of you.

Here is my counsel. (And in saying this I already know you will be faithful to your pledges and vows—I know that.) But do it not out of obedience or duty, as good as those character traits are in a noble woman, but out of gratitude and thankfulness to please a Savior who gave His life for you and to please a husband who loves you and is ready to give his life for you. The Preacher also says: “charm is deceptive and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”

That is what will enable your husband to be respected in the city gates, that is what will cause your children to arise and call you blessed, and that is what will cause you to be what the Lord ordained when before we knew you, you were called Bae Yun Mee.

Fall

New love: pinterest

Idea: wreath with burlap flowers (I liked that they turned out kind of like nests) and ribbon

Took about 10 minutes and cost around $5

Ta-da!

Oh and this was me last night.

Clara's 1st birthday!

I can't believe it has been a whole year. I still hold her in my arms and stare at her perfect little features and wonder that God gives us so much. It has been a blessing to get to know this sweet babe who comes speed crawling across the floor to give us a hug and a kiss. Her curiosity reminds me of my own, as does her love for books (her sense of adventure and interest in things that roar come from her father). It is very fun to have a little buddy to hang out with, and also terribly scary to see a little 'me' running around - yes mother, all those years of saying "just you wait" have finally paid off =) We had a little Dr. Seuss party - since the first birthday is really for the parents - for Clara and her cousin Isabella who just turned six. Lots of food, fellowship, and presents made for a fun evening...

We had tortilla soup, salad, sparkling cider...

and rainbow fruit twizzlers, chocolate raspberry cake,
 and truffula tree cupcakes

Clara's first cupcake

Marmee and Papa got her this sweet little ride

and found this guy creeping outside.
The moral of the story: sometimes the moral of the story
should be disregarded...especially when it comes to
squishing spiders...

After receiving this super cute book (Be Nice to Spiders)
from Grandma and Grandpa,
along with a super cute stroller for her baby doll,
We opened the door...

We pray for you Clara, every day. We have faith that you will come to know the love of your Father in heaven and know the peace and joy of those who trust in Him. We love you so much, and remember if you ever find a spider as big as the one in the picture above, please squish it or get your father.

Love, Mom and Dad

Home Sweet Home

My living room is coming together and as much as I LOVE neutral colors
and that whole sort of fresh look, I can't live without splashes of color...

....and neither can Clara.

A Walk in the Park/The Gnome is Back!

The Angels are Coming

My grandma, Ethel Schmid (Mimi), was one of a kind. Probably because God knew that people just wouldn't know what to do with more than one of her. She was sassy, outspoken, feisty, and owned a whopping sense of humor. She was a faithful example of a true servant. Her hands prepared marvelous meals, her feet hastened to help others, she offered words of encouragement, and spoke her mind in a way that made you sit up straight when you were around her. Mimi never sugarcoated, she always told you what you knew but maybe didn't want to hear. She wasn't always the easiest person to get along with, she didn't always have patience, but she was always quick to make things right. 

If it couldn't be done perfectly by Mimi, it couldn't be done at all by anybody. She was a true artist, and took pride in doing things the right way. Three hours of every morning were dedicated to applying makeup, fixing hair, and picking out an outfit. Yet, I have never seen her look so beautiful as when she lay there at the end of her life, full of peace, waiting for the angels to come take her away. She will be forever remembered by friends and family, and probably by that nice restaurant where she sent the food back a billion times. She was a person you just don't forget. 

In the last weeks of her life, she was a witness to all those around her of God's love and grace. She told the gospel straight to her nurse, asking her if Jesus was her Savior. When the nurse replied, "sometimes," Mimi fired right back, "get with the program." She told us over and over, "I have such peace," and her hand would reach out for yours. She was hesitant to take the morphine that would make her passing easier. When the doctor questioned her, she quietly explained, "I want to see the angels come." I have no doubt that she did. Heaven is rejoicing, and she is home at last.

We love you Mimi, and we miss you.

2nd Anniversary!!!

Henry surprised me for our anniversary this year!
His sister, Hannah, graciously agreed to babysit Clara for the night
so Henry took me downtown to the Nuart (Christian ministry center/theater/church).
The Nuart was closed, but they had left it unlocked just for us.

We made our way up the stairs and into a back closet
where we proceeded to climb up this ladder, which led to...

The roof! This cozy little corner was adorned with lights, and
the table was furnished with silverware, flowers and a bottle of wine

We watched a beautiful sunset...

And ate a fabulous dinner from the restaurant across the street, Nectar.
Our food was served to us by William (Henry's brother), our waiter for the evening.
Will's wife, Carolyn, made us those delicious salads you see in the picture.

Clara's Photoshoot

Family Shot!!! Thank you Jack Knecht for taking these amazing pictures!!!

Happy Mother's Day!!!

My mother is a lovely woman,

Full of beauty and grace.

A ray of gleaming sunshine

with blue-as-the-sky eyes.

She's got flair, panache, and style

That none of us can rival.

She's got swing, she's got rhythm,

She loves to dance and sing.

She is wise, she helps her husband

She loves others and speaks her mind.

A daughter, wife, mother, marmee,

She is blessed with family.

You are a great teacher and inspiration

By example you taught your children,

And around the covenant table

"The wheel is come full circle."

Green is the color...

Of a brand new hat!
Remember that knitting project I was working on? It's done!
It turned out pretty well but the pattern called for too many cast on stitches
- making it too long.
In the end I had to turn up the bottom and make a brim - almost like a cloche.
A couple more changes and next time I think we've got it!

Renaissance to Wireless

To catch up....
We are completely moved! Everything (mostly) is in order, boxes put away, storage bins stored, a happy baby gurgling in my ear...yes, this is home.

Friday evening we celebrated Henry's birthday - Clara helped me wrap his present...
mainly she just munched on the corners...with love.

Saturday we had a huge yard sale and finished cleaning our old apartment. (Hooray!)

Sunday after church we went to the Renaissance fair, 

listened to Runaway Symphony, got Henna'd, --->

and polished off the day with some delicious BBQ'd steaks in the sun.

And as of today I once again have internet. A successful weekend.

Sleeping baby...

I'm in the middle of piles and piles

and mounds and heaps...

but I couldn't resist putting this picture up.

She's too sweet=)

We're moving!

Tomorrow we will be leaving our sweet little apartment on 2nd street!

Our new apartment is about the same size (minus the little nursery and large closet).

The kitchen is about as small as a kitchen can get, 

but I LOVE the retro green countertops!

We have been slowly gathering our things together over this past week

and it is so very apparent that:

1. God has blessed us abundantly with material possessions

2. We need none of them. God always has and always will provide for us
and He is all we need.

I am so thankful for a God who takes care of us.

PS. Henry just got off the phone with our landlord, 

and he lowered our rent...again. Praise God!

Before and after...

I've been waiting for the weather to change

been waiting for the sun to share

decided to do something brave

so I cut and colored my hair...

RED!

Green is the color of the sparkling corn in the morning...

I'm teaching myself how to knit! 

Here's how it is going so far: 

I've learned to Cast On, Knit and Purl....

And Undo and Start Over. 

From 25-85 in a day...

Dollars that is.
This morning I was reading one of my favorite blogs - www.pinkpeppers.blogspot.com
and the travel bug started tickling and the mouse ran out of control.

protips.blogspot.com

And...eventually I found a Phil and Ted's baby travel cot for $25 (normally $170) on craigslist. A few other people were interested as well so I offered the gal another $10 to hold onto it for me. So far so good. I arrived at her house, following her directions to drive down the bike path to her house on campus. I figured I would run in and run out so it was no big deal. As it turns out this lady is a former elementary teacher from California who decided to homeschool her children. She gave me a wealth of information on curriculum and did I mention she is a Christian? Well, we had a lovely conversation and I went back out to my car flush with the success of another great craigslist buy...only to find a yellow stub under my windshield wiper.....for $50!!! Arrgh. Oh well. I tried.

So here are a couple pictures of Clara to cheer myself up.

Yep...That's better.

It's snowing!