Cambodia and Me

I am back! Back to blogging. Back from Cambodia. I went to Cambodia this summer with a team from my church who also happen to be some of my closest and dearest friends. We brought 900 lbs of medicines, hygiene items, baby clothes and jewelry making supplies. I was especially excited to visit my friend Holly who I have mentioned before. She runs a home for vulnerable young women in Phnom Penh called ‘The House of Refuge’. 

The rehabilitated girls at Refuge make jewelry to raise funds to live without ever having to return to their old lives which usually involved sex trafficking. Unfortunately it is the norm for the poor people to sell their young daughters to pay off family debt. Holly rescues girls from different places, but one way is street outreaches. This is when you go out at night to the red light areas, speak to the girls, and offer them a new life.

Much prostitution centers around the temples, such as this one. We split up to cover more ground, each of us had a Khmer (Cambodian) girl from Refuge to translate. The girls who are rescued are so brave and eager to go out to the brothels and streets to help others. One girl did come home with us that night, which was beautiful. My heart broke though for the countless girls who didn’t.

My favorite place has got to be the province of Kampong Cham. I fell in love with the place and the people. They are living in a kind of poverty that we don’t know here in the US. This is a small “village” that is actually the dump. The garbage trucks dump the trash, the people here sort it and the trucks pick it up another day and pay them a pittance.

Such Beautiful children! Dirty and scarred from playing in the trash, but ever eager to flash you a playful smile. They are malnourished and are in great need of clean water and medicine. We hooked up with a local church that makes weekly visits to bring food and supplies. For these people the church is their lifeline.

This beautiful woman was left in the dump by her children. She lived through the Khmer Rouge. I asked her how she survived, I know they killed everyone who had a defect and she is blind. She says they spared her because she could cook! Everywhere we went we heard amazing stories like this. I so badly wanted to take her home, take care of her, and hear all of her stories. 

We got the word out that we would be having a medical outreach at the church near the dump. Many people came, for 6 hours we nonstop served the people. I was helping out my friend Jodi who is a chiropractor, she told me where to rub, massage or tap. She had 5 tables set up with patients and a long line out the door! It was hot and I should have been exhausted, but it wasn’t that bad. Once you get a patient you just want to do anything to help. Many people walked away who hadn’t walked in years! Crooked people stood and walked! 

Jodi said never in her practice would one treatment cause results like that. It was all God. We prayed with and for all the people we treated. Many people renounced Buddhism and walked out with Jesus after witnessing his power. Truly amazing!

We were able to get into a prison and a hospital. The Aids Ward at the hospital was my most horrible memory, it just makes you feel so helpless. I didn’t take any pictures because I think it wrong. We asked them if they wanted prayer, that we could give them. 

At the prison we had to leave everything electronic at the gate, all phones, cameras. Pictures are a no-no. They offered the prisoners the choice to come talk to us, sing with us and study the bible. We also brought gift bags of hygiene products.

It was all emotionally and physically draining, but great! I definitely want to go back and stay longer. I continue to support my friends who are full time missionaries with encouragement and finances. They are doing amazing, life changing work and it is not easy!

Yes, it is very hot and humid and it floods… There are bugs. I even ate some. (Yep)

But, Cambodia is one great adventure that I highly recommend. You will overlook the uncomfortable parts because the people will touch your heart and hopefully you will be able to touch theirs. 

My daughter's Cambodian Adventure HERE

Back on the Blogging Road....

HeLLo Everyone and Happy Fourth of July! Sorry if any of you kindhearted folks worried about my absence from the blog world. I am just fine, I just lost touch with blogging. 

It all started back in March, when my two lovely friends, Holly and Alicia came to visit us. They are missionaries who run a home for "at risk" girls in Cambodia called House of Refuge. Please visit their site and support them if you can. I know firsthand that the work they are doing is legitimate and is saving girls lives.

I had the best time showing them NYC and  getting to know them more intimately. Alicia ended up staying with us for an extended couple of months. My family and I fell deep in love with her and she has become a daughter/friend/sister to us.

During that time I just didn't think about blogging. And after they left...

 I was out of the habit, I felt so disconnected from the blog world. 

I started thinking things like, "why blog?". Questioning my motives. 

Why blog?

I am blogging again because I like it! It's that simple. I love the connections I've made with other bloggers over the years. The inspiration I have borrowed from fellow bloggers is amazing. You never cease to bring new and wonderful ideas to my attention.

 I can honestly say that my entire blogging experience has been a positive, happy journey and I've missed it and all of you who keep me inspired and keep my creativity moving forward.

All this to say, I am heading back down the blogging road and I am very excited to be back. I'm looking forward to taking unknown paths and falling down some rabbit holes with you.

a fighter's hat

About this time last year I posted The Prayer Hat, about my dear friend and her battle with cancer. She was losing her gorgeous hair and I made her what I consider a gentle, healing hat. It was slouchy, soft and the color reminded me of a dull cloud.

A year has passed since that hat. More operations, more chemo, more battling. More Prayer. When I love someone and feel helpless to fix their pain, I pray. I pray to God for their healing and I pray for an idea of something that I can do to ease that pain or sadness. For me the answer usually comes in the form of an image of something I can make for the person. Whether it's a doll, a shawl, a meal, or a hat. Praying through the entire process of creation is such a good way to pray. You not only devote that time with your head and your heart, but you also dedicate your hands to the task. 

This new hat is a strong, non apologetic screaming red. A fighter's hat.

If you can, please say a prayer for healing. You don't need to know her name. Just call her the beautiful red hat mommy. God knows who you're  talking about.

blizzards, bobbles and beans

I’m sure you all saw how NYC got slammed with snow and wind this past Saturday. It was convenient to be snowed in on a weekend. We were ready for it. I planned to knit, bake and enjoy the beauty of the snow. Which I did. I made another bumpy hat. This one is less slouchy and more bumpy. My daughter modeled for me, much better than those weird angled selfies!

Bean Cake. I found a garbanzo bean cake recipe in an old Mexican cookbook. Folks today are baking with beans for GF and other health reasons, I was surprised to see it as an old  fashioned, traditional cake. 

The basic recipe:

 2  10oz. or 1 19 oz. can garbanzos 

4 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. baking powder

Bake at 350 degrees in a loaf pan for about 50 minutes

I have been tweaking and messing around with this. It is very adaptable to all kinds of flavors. You can add a grated apple, banana, vanilla, lemon, coconut, ginger, espresso powder, cocoa, cinnamon...you get the idea!

I also made a chocolate one with black beans instead of garbanzos, it was really good and less “beany”. The garbanzos do have a distinct flavor that some people won’t like. I have tried white beans and they are milder. If you are trying to hide the fact that you are eating beans go with the white or black beans over the chick peas.

freestyle booble hat

After that fussy cabled sweater I had the urge to knit something without a pattern or plan. What began as a wide scarf ended up a slouchy hat! As I was knitting I realized that I have a wide large scarf from last year that looks pretty much the same. 

I ripped it out and started a hat.  I wasn't having enough fun with it, so I started throwing in some random bobbles to make it interesting. As soon as it was finished I tried it on and took this selfie. Which doesn't do the yarn justice at all.

In need of some natural light, I went outside and popped it on the bird feeder. You can see the delicious color and the bumpy bobbles much better.

Birthday Sweater 2016

My birthday falls in December. Each September, I get started knitting my next birthday sweater. I finished this one in time, but couldn't wear it on my birthday because I just couldn't settle on the buttons. I sifted through my extensive button stash. Not satisfied I ordered some pretty abalone buttons. When I laid them out on the sweater I didn't like it. I realized that with all that cable going on up front I really don't need buttons showing off.

* Oh, that deer head in the background was a gift from my husband. Pretty cool! You can stick anything into it to make antlers. 

I finally found buttons that work, simple brown buttons made from coconut shell. The brown is actually the underside of the button, the front is speckled beige. I'm pretty happy with the finish. My thoughts are moving on to the next project. I think it's going to be a very colorful scarf that is much too long and much too wide. Winter temperatures have finally hit NY and I am not used to it!

Christmas and a lady

Isn't this rainbow tree beautiful? Such a good idea, and it looks much more amazing in real life. That lady peeking around is pretty amazing too. That's my Aunt Millie. She came to spend a couple of weeks with me and my family. I always liked her, but after spending so much time with her we found that we are kindred spirits.We stayed up each night talking and she shared many stories about her life with me. 

Like how she came to NYC from Puerto Rico as a child and how she met her husband at a dance in Brooklyn. It was just like a scene from West Side Story, he is Italian and even though they were married her father in law never knew that she was Puerto Rican! He assumed she was also Italian and the family kept the truth from him because "it would kill him". That's just one of the crazy things that I never knew. 

I also found out that Aunt Millie can do anything. She wanted a koi pond. So she built one, with a fountain. She can fix your ceiling fan or your toilet. She is an accomplished seamstress, cook, gardener and has a knack for taking in and nursing small hurt animals. She's had every type of rodent, fish, bird and cat. She once turned her son's closet into a coop for a broken pigeon, she housed an abandoned young hedgehog, she saved a baby squirrel and raised it to maturity. She is sweet, humble and always eager to give.

My girls are as smitten as I am with Aunt Millie. We knew it was a good sign when we picked her up at the train station and she had her guinea pig (Piggy-Woo) with her. She is the first person ever to see my girl's taxidermy and ask for a lesson. So, my daughter taught Aunt Millie how to skin and mount a mouse. She got a real kick out of it.  She told us, "See, you're never too old to learn something new!".

Millie is my Mom's sister so I've "known" her all my life, but I really have never known her until now. It's a shame that it took us so long, but I am thankful that we've connected and now my girls have her wonderful influence in their lives. 

This Christmas I found out that there are riches hidden right under our noses. The people in our lives are the greatest gifts we will ever be given, starting with Jesus Christ himself. 

Thank God for the people in your life and ask him to to deepen your love for them. Be deliberate about seeking out that hidden treasure that may be right under your nose.

M e r r y   C h r i s t m a s   &  G o d  B l e s s  Y o u   &  Y o u r s