This is what happens....

...when Joe is unattended.

Wonder when she took this photo?!?

Dear Lord, Thank you for food...and Emmy Xiang

Since she learned to pray before meals (shortly after she came to live with us, and really began talking), Emmy Xiang's prayer has been the same:

De-ah Lord, Thank you for food. Nourish it to my body. Jesus' name. Amen

We would knowingly smile at each other and say, "Sure are glad SHE'S being nourished!" But, really, how could we not?!? It's no secret she probably wasn't properly nourished before she came to us (though she was extremely well fed!). We would offer up our own silent prayers that this gift of food would nourish our bodies, too.

Recently, though, we've encouraged her to pray for "everybody's" food. So her prayer changed (a bit):

De-ah Lord, Thank you for food - for EVERYBODY. Nourish it to my body. Jesus' name. Amen.

I giggled to myself this morning when I realized that my girl is growing up. She's learning so much, and is beginning to distinguish differences. This was her prayer at breakfast with Gracie:

De-ah Lord, Thank you for food - for two people. Nourish it to my body. Jesus' name. Amen.

It is FINALLY finished!

IT....is done. It's been almost done for about 6 months now, though it was started over two years ago (yikes). I just haven't pulled out the sewing machine to get the last few stitches on. So, finally on Sunday, after a lovely, productive, wallpaper-stripping, garage-cleaning, movie watching Saturday, I gave myself permission (ahem....an ultimatum is more like it) to drag out the machine and sew on the binding. Then, I sat and handstitched it closed.

Drum roll, please. Friends and family, may I present OUR gift to Emmy Xiang. (Remember, we all contributed. I'll get to the scrapbook thing next year. Just kidding):



I'm so grateful that my little daughter doesn't have to sweetly ask (again and again), "Mommy, when you gonna sew my blanket?"

Emmy Xiang is absolutely thrilled with it. She spreads it out and sprawls on top of it....and sleeps with it and hugs it. Thank you, Lord, for reminding me again WHY I love to sew!



If you're new to us and want to know what this "blanket" REALLY is all about, check out these old posts....they tell the story (wow, it really was over 2 years ago! I guess waiting for a gift to be completed is just part of being one of dearest my family members. Is it like that for you, too? Do you take advantage of the ones you love? Forgive me, Lord.):

http://downtownwiththebrowns.blogspot.com/2007/06/100-good-wishes-quilt_01.html
http://downtownwiththebrowns.blogspot.com/2007/11/last-call-for-real-for-quilt-squares.html
http://downtownwiththebrowns.blogspot.com/2008/05/burning-up-sewing-machine.html