The Mommy Pages

Baby Steps

2012-01-25T10:03:00.000-08:00

So...how many of my blog readers made a New Year's resolution that has something to do with fitness and/or health? I know one friend is training for a 1/2 marathon, a couple of gal pals of mine are doing the "Couch to 5K" program, several friends have stated that they are trying to eat healthier. In fact, most of my friends are choosing to get fit and healthy in 2012.

Being healthy is a real battle in this country, at least in my opinion. We have fast food restaurants on every corner, electronic entertainment and communication that means we never have to leave the house, lives that are busier than ever. Speaking as a homeschooling momma of 5, as a mother of two medically fragile children who require extra care, as a woman who loves to cook and bake and eat it all...let me tell you, I know all about excuses. I know how much easier it is to make something less than healthy for dinner because I'm tired, I know how much fun it is to sit and play on the computer when I really should be exercising, I know I'd rather be eating that bag of cookies or chips after a super stressful day at the hospital with my girls. I know.

Yet, I am changing. It takes baby steps. In November of 2011, I wore a size 14 and was fast moving into a size 16. Today, I am a small size 12, large size 10 and not nearly so jiggly. I have muscles for the first time in my life. I am stronger than I have ever been. In 1 1/2 months I have gone down nearly two sizes. I still need to be healthier but I am so thrilled to see results and it encourages me to keep going. Like I said, it takes baby steps. Everyone will need to decide on their own journey to a healthy lifestyle but I wanted to share my baby steps in the hope that it would encourage others.

1. You absolutely must get motivated to exercise. Join a gym with a friend. Have a spouse or someone else hold you accountable. Talk with your accountability partner at least once a week. I joined a gym the week after Thanksgiving with a friend. Since then, several other friends have joined up and I've made new friends who were already members. I am assured of seeing a friendly face every time I go and this encourages me to get up and out the door. I am in the gym anywhere from 6 to 10 hours a week. After one month of this schedule it became a habit.

I dance, I kickbox, I take boot camp and step classes. I lift weights, I walk on the elliptical, I spin. I try to do 2 hours every time I go. It's money well spent. I'm open to trying new classes and new equipment. If you aren't willing to try anything new or you are too scared of looking foolish, then joining a gym won't be much fun for you. I'm sure I look like a fool but I'm a happy fool and people like me for it:)

2. My second change, once the gym became habit, was to change my drinking habits. No more diet sodas except on the rare occasion when I want something sweet but don't want the calories. No more than one a week. No more 6-8 cups of coffee a day are allowed. I'm down to one caffeinated coffee a day and one decaf in the evening. I drink water ALL the time. Funny but sad story: When I first joined the gym, I didn't sweat at all but would still get dizzy when working out. It wasn't unusual for me, I've never been one to really sweat even when working really hard at something. Now that I am drinking tons of water, I sweat A LOT in the gym. Guess why? I WAS DEHYDRATED BEFORE!!! Friends, please make sure you are drinking your water, you do not want to be dehydrated. I have never been a fan of water but now I have acquired a taste for it. And it has so many benefits!

3. Now that I've formed the habits of exercising and drinking right, time to start on correcting my eating. This is going to be a long battle. I cook and I eat clean most of them time, BUT my portion control is out of control. I also have never been a morning eater. I usually eat from 10am to about 11pm. Terrible! So, my first baby step in the eating arena was to start my day off with a healthy breakfast. Everything I have read says that multiple small meals a day is best, starting right when I wake up. When I get up, I make a green smoothie (recipe and photos to come later) OR I have a piece of toasted Ezekiel bread with pink grapefruit on the side. I will occasionally have a cup of green tea with it also. I feel so much more energized when I do this! It is *almost* a habit, in another week I will start working on healthy snacks and portion control- although I'm doing that some already. Some other eating related baby step I have taken is to eat a lot more fruit and to cook differently for the family. More on that to come at a later date. Rich is down nearly 30 pounds from August and the kids seem to be more energetic...

I know I have a few friends who are trying to do everything possible to be healthy and aren't seeing results. Don't get discouraged! I read somewhere that it takes 4 weeks for you to see changes in yourself, 8 weeks for your closest friends and family to see it, and 12 weeks for everyone else to notice. If you get to 12 weeks and nothing has changed, then you obviously need to rethink your plan because you aren't doing something right. When you make healthy changes, you will see results, but you have to be willing to change...usually in multiple areas of your life.

2012. Forever to be known to me as the year I got healthy.

Bring it.

Welcome to Holland

2012-01-19T10:20:00.000-08:00

Happy 5th Birthday to my 5th child! I can't believe how time has flown since we first laid eyes on Mira in August of 2009.

Welcome To Holland
by
Emily Perl Kingsley
(with a few changes made by me to fit our circumstances)

I am often asked to describe the experience of adopting and raising a child with a disability - to try to help people who have not shared that unique experience tounderstand it, to imagine how it would feel. It's like this......

When you're going to adopt a child, it's like planning a fabulous vacation trip -to Italy. You buy a bunch of guide books and make your wonderful plans.The Coliseum. The Michelangelo David. The gondolas in Venice. You may learn some handy phrases in Italian. It's all very exciting.

After months of eager anticipation, the day finally arrives. You pack yourbags and off you go. Several hours later, the plane lands. The stewardesscomes in and says, "Welcome to Holland."

"Holland?!?" you say. "What do you mean Holland?? I signed up forItaly! I'm supposed to be in Italy. All my life I've dreamed ofgoing to Italy."

But there's been a change in the flight plan. They've landed in Hollandand there you must stay.

The important thing is that they haven't taken you to a horrible, disgusting,filthy place, full of pestilence, famine and disease. It's just adifferent place.

So you must go out and buy new guide books. And you must learn a whole newlanguage. And you will meet a whole new group of people you would neverhave met.

It’s just a different place. It's slower-paced than Italy, less flashythan Italy. But after you've been there for a while and you catch your breath,you look around.... and you begin to notice that Holland has windmills....andHolland has tulips. Holland even has Rembrandts.

But everyone you know is busy coming and going from Italy... and they're allbragging about what a wonderful time they had there. And for the rest ofyour life, you might say "Yes, that's where I was supposed to go. That'swhat I had planned."

And the pain of that may never go away... because theloss of that dream is a very significant loss.

But... if you spend your life mourning the fact that you didn't get to Italy,you may never be free to enjoy the very special, the very lovely things ...about Holland.

Thank you God, for taking me to Holland instead of to Italy. Thank you for knowing that Holland would be a far better place for me than Italy would ever be. In your wisdom you knew that I need Holland in order to become a different woman, you knew that Italy would only stunt my growth. There are times that I think about what it must be like for those that get to experience the olive groves and the grape vines of Italy, but I get to experience wooden clogs, and windmills, and tulips in a hundred different colors! Thank you for bringing me to Holland.

Happy birthday to my Mira! You are 5 years old this week! I look forward to your future and seeing the person you will grow up to be.

New Year's Resolutions

2011-12-31T12:21:00.000-08:00

1. In 2012, I want to be in the best shape of my life. I want to run and dance and enjoy living! I want to run in several races (5Ks) with my girlfriends....and maybe my hubby, if I can talk him into it:) I'm already down nearly 20 pounds from this past summer and am enjoying dancing most evenings at my local gym. I also adore cardio kickboxing. I am determined to continue clean eating, as I have been doing for over a year now. Finally, finally....I am no longer struggling with insomnia or RLS. I am no longer suffering from the effects of my bout with mono nearly a year ago. I am stronger than I have been in 15 years and I am excited to see what a new, healthy me can do in 2012!

2. In 2012, I want our family to really experience life. Last year, I set a goal to live intentionally and we did that really well, I think. Thinking so much about everything was good for me, because I was really able to see where our relationships, finances, and lives in general could use help. But.....and that's a really big BUT....we failed to be spontaneous at all. This year, I want to learn to be more spontaneous, to learn what it means to grab a moment by the horns and run with it, even if my dishes are dirty and the laundry needs folding. I want to look for the unexpected in the ordinary moments of my days. I want to take my kids on a road trip and stop every time we want to and not worry about getting to the destination. I want to love living!

3. I want to start a prayer photo book for our family. I've saved all the Christmas cards we received with photos. I want to get around to all our church family, our friends and relatives and snap photos of everyone. I then want to put all the photos in a photo binder, including the prayer cards of missionaries we support. Everyday, we will pray for a family in our book. We will devote that day to praying specifically for the needs in that family. We will still pray through our church prayer list every day, and of course pray and praise as we usually do in our quiet time, but I thought this would be a good way to remember those that are dear to us.
I love Philippians 1:3-5 "I give thanks to my God for every remembrance of you, always praying with joy for all of you in my every prayer, because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now."

And of course, I have the regular homeschooling and organization goals that any homeschooling, stay-at-home momma has.

How about you?

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

Luke 2:1-20

¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.
²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
¹⁷And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
¹⁸And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
¹⁹But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.
²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

2011-12-12T12:48:00.000-08:00

We are enjoying this most blessed time of year. We are really taking time to focus on relationships this year. Rich and I really want to teach our children that people matter.

We have enjoyed Christmas shopping with our friends and their children, baking and delivering goodies to neighbors and other folks in our lives, planning special outings with cousins, building gingerbread houses with good friends, wrapping and hiding treasures bought for siblings and parents, watching sweet and funny Christmas movies as a family, reading special books about the birth of Jesus to the little friends in our circle of influence. We are enjoying spending time in the homes of others and vice versa this holiday season.

Having wonderful friends and family to spend the holidays with makes it so much more special, with many wonderful memories to treasure.

Happy HOLY days:)

That Other Woman

2011-12-10T04:30:00.000-08:00

Can you believe I caught them in bed together?

Saturday after Thanksgiving

2011-12-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

The Saturday after Thanksgiving was a really fun day. Rich and I spent the morning lounging around in our pjs with the kids. After lunch, we headed to my uncle's farm for more eating and family together-time.

Hannah, Mom, Katrina, and Tina enjoy some yummy crackers and dip.

Loading up the wagon!

Ready to hit the road.

Going across a covered bridge, we were afraid it wouldn't hold us. We had a lot of people in that wagon!

Stopping at a park so the kids could play for a bit before heading back to the farm.

While the kids played, Aunt Thane and Hannah played the photo-expressions game. Here, they are scared witless. Hilarious!

Let the races begin! We did this the last time we were in GA three years ago. The kids love it, and the adults doing the pushing get quite a workout.

Throwing the football around.

All the kids gather around the fireplace in the barn for a photo. What a crew!

Bonfire time!

Roasting marshmallows.

Laughing hysterically over...something. That game is a hoot!

All the adult gals just enjoying each others' company.

We visited my Uncle and Aunt's (and Jim and Jennifer's) church the next day before heading back home.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Thank you God for family!

(and food and laughter)

Friday Afternoon

2011-12-03T05:10:00.000-08:00

After shopping all day on Black Friday, we headed back to my Aunt Thane's house for coffee. Jennifer and my Uncle Jeff wanted to show us a house that was for sale down the road (hoping that we would be convinced to move to GA), so Hannah and I hopped on the four-wheeler and golf carts. Let the races begin!

I love that above picture, Hannah is trying to speed things up by behaving like a Flintstone.! And no, we didn't wear helmets. I've been on four-wheelers all my life, Rich and I still take the old one out every time we hit the farm in NY and I have never worn a helmet. Bad, bad example!!! Do what I say, not what I do, hmm? We really didn't go very fast, I mean seriously....you don't have to go very fast to beat a golf cart.

Later, we headed back to my Nanny's house for pizza with the rest of the crew. Hannah dragged out a box of old photos. The girls enjoyed seeing all the old photos of familiar faces. We had a few laughs over some of the crazy pictures from "days of yore."

Cousin Joshua (Jennifer's twin) is quite relaxed as the kids play around him...and on him.

The boys play Playstation with their cousin Tanner (Joshua's son).

Photo of the boys....which Mira totally photo bombed (she loves getting her picture taken). Tanner (Joshua's son), Grant (Jennifer and Jim's son), and my boys.

The ladies decided to start a game in the kitchen. I love this photo of Hannah laughing so hard she couldn't write her answer down. This game is GREAT with a crowd, it's called "Things." We laughed so hard both times we played it.

Men are boring. While we were playing and laughing in the kitchen, this is what they were doing. Ho hum.

Time spent making memories with family is the best. You can totally put your foot in your mouth, say all the wrong things, and they will still love you. You can eat like a pig and they will still respect you. You can spend 12 hours shopping together and they will still spend more time with you after that. I love my family!

Black Friday Shopping

2011-11-30T05:37:00.000-08:00

Oh. My. Goodness. Shopping with my cousins, aunts, mom, and sister on Black Friday was awesome. I laughed and giggled my way through the day.

My cousin Jennifer picked me up at 4am, and we headed to Belk's to buy those wonderful slouchy boots that were on sale for $19.99. I wish I had take a photo, the shoe department was a total wreck by the time we got there. It was hilarious. Shoe filler and tissue paper was all over the floor, and you had to dig to find two matching boots. I got the very last pair of size 9 boots in black- WHOOHOO for me! We grabbed a pair for my cousin Kelli, who was on her way to meet us. My cousin, Katrina and my aunt Sandra met us in Belk's shortly after we arrived and our shopping began in full force.

After finishing up at Belk's we ran down the road to ToyRUs which was not busy at all- surprise! I found the DVD I've been looking for and everyone else came out with some fun items for the children in their lives.

Then we headed back to the mall, where we laughed hysterically over a whole bathroom incident. Long story short - never, ever go on and on about how terrible a bathroom smells until you've checked to see that there is no one in the stalls who is *perhaps* making that terrible smell.I was dry heaving the minute I walked in...but that's nothing new, I hate public restrooms. Bleh.

Jennifer, Kelli, and I try on these super cute caps which I think might be for adults but seriously look like kidswear to me. Fun and cute!

About 8:30am, we met up with Mom, Hannah, my aunt Thane, and my cousin Sonya. Here, we are all laughing because it looks like everyone else is shopping like crazy and I have nothing. I was on a very tight budget that day, but I did shop! At this point, I think I had put my stuff in the car before shopping for more.

My beautiful cousin, Sonya (Kelli's mom) taking a coffee break with my Mom and Hannah. Whew, we needed to rest our feet.

Mom will not like this photo, but I think it's great. We went in Charlotte Russe and Mom kept picking up this cropped tops and saying how much she liked them. Just before this photo was snapped my sister said something about us all being closet floozies. And of course Mom had to explain that she meant the top would be cute over something else, like a burka. And Mom, I kinda do like that top. Over a black tank with jeans:)

I had never been in a Charlotte Russe store before but I'm in love now. There were a pair of jeans in there that I swear are the "traveling pants of the sisterhood." (I love that book way too much) My cousin Sonya, myself, and my sister could all wear the same size and we ALL looked good in them. We are all different sizes and body types. I'm definitely gonna get a pair at some point. Super cute.

I think this next photo was in Macy's. Hannah and I decided to try these sweaters on over our clothes in the middle of the store. We got some weird looks from people:) I could barely get that hip band over my chest and I thought for sure someone would have to cut me out of that sweater. It's a no-buy for me:) Notice the sides of my striped vest hanging out, real classy.

We all met for lunch at Rafferty's. Well, everyone except Tina, my cousin Michael's wife. She shopped all night and went home to go to bed about the time we were all getting going. Next year, if we do this again, she is definitely going to be talked into meeting us for lunch:)

After lunch we headed back out to shop, mostly to Barnes & Nobles and Old Navy. The rest of these photos are out of order.

I think this was Charlotte Russ...or maybe another store....we went in so many. Jennifer is a petite girl, so these boots were super tall on her. She didn't feel like taking all the stuffing out to try it on, even though the sales guy tried to talk her into it. I really want to know who would buy these and what they would wear them with.

You know the photo game that I play with my sister sometimes? Well, we played it several times over the weekend. I'll show you more of those later, but I have to leave you with Katrina and Jennifer's nauseous look. Hilarious!

We finished shopping around 3pm. I had so much fun! But the day wasn't over yet....Friday afternoon and evening was a blast also...more to come:)

Thanksgiving in Georgia: Thursday

2011-11-28T19:17:00.000-08:00

We were so blessed to be with extended family this Thanksgiving. We had so much fun! I have so many photos that I need to do several different blog posts to document it all. I ended up forgetting my camera on Thursday, so here are a few of the photos from Rich's phone taken at our Thanksgiving feast.

Uncle Mike and Jim frying up some chicken tenders to go along with our turkey and ham. Yum!

My cousin Jennifer (married to Jim) and I pose for a photo on the stone fireplace in the barn. I love this place! Perfect for parties and get-togethers.

Everyone waiting to eat, we were hungry! There was so much food! I think there were 35 of us.

Jennifer and Katrina made pilgrim hats and indian headresses for all the kids. Cute!

The pilgrims and indians sit down to share a feast together.

Oh my goodness....this picture makes me laugh. My cousin Katrina and cousin-in-law Tina plan out their plan of attack for Black Friday. I rarely look at the paper, I just go for the fun and if I see something that would be a nice gift for a good deal, then I buy it. But these gals! They have strategy and energy and know-how. Fun to watch!

Stay tuned for fun photos from Black Friday shopping with all my gal kinfolk. So fun!!

2011-11-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving

(Lizelia Augusta Jenkins Moorer)

Let us give thanks to God above,
Thanks for expressions of His love,
Seen in the book of nature, grand
Taught by His love on every hand.

Let us be thankful in our hearts,
Thankful for all the truth imparts,
For the religion of our Lord,
All that is taught us in His word.

Let us be thankful for a land,
That will for such religion stand;
One that protects it by the law,
One that before it stands in awe.

Thankful for all things let us be,
Though there be woes and misery;
Lessons they bring us for our good-
Later 'twill all be understood.

Thankful for peace o'er land and sea,
Thankful for signs of liberty,
Thankful for homes, for life and health,
Pleasure and plenty, fame and wealth.

Thankful for friends and loved ones, too,
Thankful for all things, good and true,
Thankful for harvest in the fall,
Thankful to Him who gave it all.

Mother-Son Date Night at Chik-Fil-A

2011-11-20T04:52:00.000-08:00

I love Chik-Fil-A! They have good food, they are a Christian company, and they have fun activities. Recently, they hosted a mother-son date "knight." I reserved my spot way ahead of time, Chik-Fil-A events get filled up pretty quickly. Connor ended up with pneumonia, so Brandon and I went without him to this special event. (don't worry, Connor got souvenirs, and a date with Mommy at a later date.)

The them of the evening was "knights in shining armor". There was a balloon artist there who made swords and shields, among other things, for all the boys.

Brandon and I enjoyed our meal as well as the table decorations and fun suggested by Chik-Fil-A. We had a shield that we could color and design with our own coat of arms. We also had a list of mother-son questions to answer that mostly had to do with what heroism is and what makes a hero. The candle holder was a crown which we could take with us when we left.

I forgot my camera that night....grrrr....so all these photos are courtesy of the Chik-Fil-A employee who took them for their Facebook page.

Brandon with a shield and sword. He chose for me to be a princess he could rescue. He could have had me put in the stocks as many other sons chose for their mothers- hah! The Chik-Fil-A cow was there and had plenty of sword fights with the little boys. Brandon enjoyed shaking his hoof and chatting with him.

Brandon waits patiently for his gift to Connor, a red set of balloon knight equipment. This little girl who was at Chik-Fil-A jumped in front of everyone else waiting and demanded a pink cat. It was quite funny (sad) how badly behaved she was, but I was proud of Brandon and the other boys for not complaining and for waiting patiently.

It was a really fun night (knight) and I am so thankful that I was able to take Brandon. Time spent one-on-one with each of my kids is precious. These growing years go way too fast!

Money management

2011-11-13T04:35:00.000-08:00

I'm curious....how are you teaching money management to your kids? Do you give them allowance and how much do you give them? Is it based on age or responsibilities? Do you pay them for odd jobs and chores?

This is an area that Rich and I do a terrible job at. We have tried over the years to come up with a plan but we haven't stuck to anything. We will forget to get cash from the bank, and then we just keep forgetting. We are even those parents that forget to be tooth fairies- no money is ever found under any pillows in our house!

I constantly feel bad about this because I know we are not doing a good job of teaching our children money management. I do feel like it is never too young to start, our children are 9, 8, 6, 6, and 4. I would really love to know what my blog readers are doing so Rich and I can hopefully come up with a plan by New Year's.

Yes....I've already started working on my New Year's Resolutions:)

Dilemma: discuss

2011-11-07T14:06:00.000-08:00

A friend and I were talking yesterday about a certain situation. I decided to ask my blog readers (that's you!) what they thought. So, here's the scenario....

Do you tell someone that something might be wrong with their child?

Some of you started laughing at that question, because it depends on what "wrong" means. So here are some examples...
You are a teacher and you think your friend's child might have a learning disability.
You are a nurse and you think the child might have a serious medical condition.
You think the child might have a vision or hearing impairment.
Your friend's child has autistic tendencies but she just thinks he's shy.
The child has serious discipline issues. - ok, I'm kidding on that one, seriously, as much as I'd love to tell some people that their kids are brats, they probably think the same about mine, and I'd hate to start a "who's a better parent" war.

I really do want to know what you think. Where is the line between meddling and caring drawn on this issue? Does it depend on how well you know the person? What is a nice way to approach the subject? Should nothing be said, and we just pray that the pediatrician or teacher notices? What if we aren't really sure or we aren't an expert on the issue involved?

I have these types of situation pop up every now and then. I'm always so cautious, because I have been on the other side of this. People sometimes assume that maybe I don't know everything that is going on with Lauren and Mira. People assume that because I haven't said something about a certain issue that I may not know about it. I have even had people who have never been anywhere near our situation try to give me advice- one woman even tried to tell me how to "cure" spina bifida with a different diet. Hah!

I did have a situation occur, one that is a major medical issue. I don't know how to tell the family involved that I think it's serious. They don't really know me well. And just for your info- you don't know them and they don't read my blog:)

What would you do?

New Art Center

2011-11-02T07:00:00.000-07:00

Super cheap at Ikea! Love it!

Good for a laugh....

2011-10-31T12:40:00.000-07:00

Seriously....how is this known? And that cat doesn't even have a moustache.

Really? We now need instructions for how to use a hat?!

Do not sit on it, do not stand on it. For wearing on the top of the head only.

Star-gazing

2011-10-28T13:34:00.000-07:00

Fall is the best time of year for star-gazing. The skies are usually clear and the temperatures are usually nice enough for staying outside and not getting eaten up by bugs or freezing to death.

Rich and I like to lay on the hammock and look at the stars from our yard. It'll be better when we have a farm in the country and no light pollution, but for now, we'll take what we can get.

We were laughing here, because, in the photo I took before this one, Rich looked like a deer caught in headlights. He wasn't expecting my bright flash after having his eyes adjust to the darkness of the night sky.

And just to show you what dorks we are...Rich wears socks and shoes with his flannel pj bottoms, and I go barefoot while still covering up with a down-filled throw. And one of my pant legs is missing...apparently.

It was so nice out, if I wasn't such a wuss and scared of robbers and wild animals and mass murderers, I totally would have spent the night on the hammock. So peaceful and quiet and dark, and truly awesome to feel the breeze and see the stars overhead. God's creation is truly wonderful.

From Dad

2011-10-25T05:38:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I accidentally stumbled upon an old website of my Dad's. It really was accidental, I had completely forgotten he had the site, he hasn't updated it in a couple of years. I was google-ing something else and up his name popped. I found a story he wrote for Lauren and wanted to post it here. Here's how he prefaced the story:

The inspiration for "Lauren and the Sock Gremlin" came from my granddaughter who was born with spina bifida. Though limited by her physical handicap, she has all the dreams and interests of any little girl her age. More than once I have seen her dressed in one of her princess dresses, and she will say, "Watch, Granddaddy." She will twirl on her knees to make the dress flare out as if she were Cinderella at the ball.

Recently, now at the age of four, Lauren has begun to walk with a walker. It's a struggle, but Lauren is determined. Soon, she will begin to question why she was born in such a way that she can't run and jump the way her brothers and sister can. It is our prayer that she will understand that God made her with a special purpose in mind, a purpose that can only be lived out in total surrender to Him.

And you can go here for the story itself: Sock Gremlin

I'm so glad to have this story to give to my children from their grandfather. Thank you God, for sweet reminders and wonderful blessings!

Day Trips

2011-10-24T05:14:00.000-07:00

I love day trips and short overnight trips. It's a nice, inexpensive way to see the state I live in. I'm so blessed to be able to take several day trips a year with my sister. We always take a whole Saturday, and it is just the two of us. We have been to Cameron, Wilmington, and Charlotte, among other places. Some places we return to multiple times.

A couple of weekends ago, Hannah decided that I needed to visit the Ikea store in Charlotte. I had heard so much about it and was DYING to go but hadn't had the chance before. So, I swung by Hannah's apartment around 7am and we began the 3 hour trek to Charlotte. We talked non-stop, so time flew by.

By the time we got to Charlotte, we were hungry and tired of being in a car. Hannah had eaten at a great little place called Zada Jane's before that she wanted to take me to. We ate outside in the beautiful fall weather.

I ate every bit of my:

Bunny Rancheros $8.95

two fried happy eggs, black beans, home fries, your choice of: chorizo, turkey sausage, or soysage, topped with a white queso and pepper jack cheese sauce, guacamole, salsa verde and cilantro crema - served with warm flour tortillas.

Oh my....it was so yum! Their sausage is from a local farm and it was delish! I am very picky about meat:)

After breakfast, we spent a couple of hours at Ikea. I bought a few things for the house and have some ideas for the future. It really is a neat store.

Hannah tries out a fun little chair.

After shopping, we headed to Amelie's French Cafe for drinks and pastries.

I tried to get a photo of us with the cafe behind us but the sun was in my eyes and I couldn't tell what I was doing. I found a new brand (to me) of root beer that I love! Sprecher's!! YUMMY!

After that, we drove around Charlotte admiring the historic houses and buildings. Hannah got excited about seeing the republican picketers. I can't remember what they were picketing...gun control? Marriage?

It was a really fun day, the best I've had in a long time. I enjoyed the time with my sister, the weather was perfect, and food and shopping are true therapy indeed:)

Next up: Another short jaunt, only this time....with my dear hubby:)

The Wonderful Tasty State Fair

2011-10-19T13:07:00.000-07:00

My friend Carroll and I have a standing date to meet at the NC State Fair every year. It's nice to know that even if we don't see each other at any other time during the year, we will get together for eating, chatting, and exhibit gawking every October. We've been doing this for five or six years now. Sometimes it's just the two of us, and other times we hang out with a few other gal pals. This year, we were joined by our friends Monica and Amy, which made for a fun foursome.

I know there are a couple of you who follow my blog only to see my Sate Fair food posts every year:) To read the other posts on our State Fair food binges, check out the State Fair link in my menu bar up there.

So....here's what we ate this year.

Fried macaroni and cheese. So yum! I'm gonna figure out how to make this. I'm pretty sure they used Kraft mac n' cheese.

The foursome shares an ordered of fried Wisconsin cheese. I liked the fried mac n' cheese better, everyone else preferred the Wisconsin cheese sticks.

Well, I had to take something home to the kids....

Amy tries to act drunk because she's pretty sure the muscadine grape slushy smells alcoholic.

Rich requested that I bring him an elephant ear and two apples- one caramel and one candied. And I did. I'm such a good wife:)

Monica bought this cupcake which looks like a hotdog. She offered me a bite, but I don't eat food that doesn't look like what it is. This doesn't look at all cake-like to me.

Al's french fries with malt vinegar and ketchup are the BEST.

Mmmmm....Carroll and I love our fried candy bars. This year Carroll got a Milky Way, and I got a Snickers. I think I like the Milky Way best.

My favorite thing is the chicken pita. I start out with it every year. Oh man, it is awesome.

Monica and I tried gator on a stick this year. It was like a very tough, chewy chicken. It did remind me of calamari, but not as good.

Amy knows the family of the seafood place, so we had to try some. The shrimp was very good, even in the rain.

I was so thirsty all night. Must be all that greasy, salty food and the humid air. I drank 2 bottles of water and a root beer. Monica enjoys a coke icee.

This post is dedicated to Joy Sleep who went with us once and then moved far away. Guess our eating habits got to her....

What did you eat at the fair this year?

Family Reminders

2011-10-09T15:44:00.000-07:00

For a couple of years now, Rich and I have ocasionally discussed the idea of having a family motto or set of rules that identifies who we are as a family. We wanted something that really states what we believe in. A few weeks ago, I stumbled across a really neat piece of artwork on Pinterest. You can see my original inspiration here:

http://pinterest.com/pin/164179419/

Here's my slightly abbreviated and far less fancy (neat) version.

Sorry about the flash- it's a terrible picture! I love this set of rules- it's great reminder and I love having something to point to when I need to discuss an issue with a child.

What are your family rules? I still want to come up with a one to two sentence family motto that I can paint somewhere for our family to memorize and live by.

Fall!

2011-10-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

It's the most wonderful time of year! Blue, blue skies and lovely breezes. Red leaves and cool mornings. Time for star-gazing and s'more making. An extra quilt on the bed and hot cocoa on the stove. Fair food and early holiday shopping. Apple cider and candy corn. Sweaters and hoodies and boots, oh my!

It's my favorite season!

Just for Mom

2011-09-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

Here's a BIG thank you to my mom for buying Brandon and Connor new bedroom furniture. The boys are loving their western themed room. I love how much more organized and neat their room is.

All their toys are kept in the blue dormer so that the main room always stays neat. There is plenty of drawer space for clothes and other little things they like to stash away.

A friend was kind enough to give us the cowboy bedspreads and shams a while ago and we are finally making use of them! Since these pictures were taken, we have also put horse decals on the walls, found on clearance at Walmart.

Thanks, Grandmommy, for our new furniture! We love it!

Vacation!

2011-09-26T11:45:00.000-07:00

We really enjoyed our vacation to the mountains of Virginia. We stayed at a lovely mountainside resort where there was lots to do. We loved our condo and enjoyed reading, playing games, and watching movies together. We really needed to recharge as a family.

The resort had an award-winning miniature golf course which was beautiful.

We had our pick of several pools- indoors and outdoors. The kids had a ball improving their water skills.

The deer on the mountain are so used to tourists that they are pretty tame. We were able to hand feed and pet some of them. It was so neat to walk out our door or sit on our back deck and be greeted by these graceful creatures.

Rich took each of the kids for a go-kart ride. Kimberly can't wait until she is tall enough to drive one herself.

The view from the overlook above our condo was nice.

On the back deck of our condo- time for a family photo!

It was so nice to get away with no phone or email for an entire week. I could probably live like that:)

Adoption Support

2011-09-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

Last night I was able to get out with four other adoptive moms for some much needed chat time. I do have wonderful friends and family that encourage me regularly, but knowing that someone truly understands what you are going through is such a blessing. Adopting an older, special-needs child is hard. The difficulty of it can only be understood by those that have gone through it themselves.

I love these ladies, who remind me that I am in it for the long haul and that I will not give up- because God will never give up on me. Thank you, ladies, for making me laugh last night and for letting me share my heart. Love you gals! How 'bout that Italian version of banana pudding, huh?

Notice the waiter in the background. Cheesepuff.

On that same note...(the note of adoption, not cheesy waiters who are trying to steal my photo op...)

Here's an update on Mira:

August 30th marked Mira's two year anniversary as part of the Wells family. Yay! I can't believe it's been two years!

We are making our yearly rounds through the specialists with some new ones thrown in. Mira has a big urodynamic study at UNC coming up. I could use your prayers for that, since Mira gets very nervous and upset in any type of medical environment and it just makes everything more difficult to do. The results of that study will determine if Mira needs to have a surgery for a bladder sling and also if we need to begin a regular catheter regime.

We see a GI specialist next week. We will find out then if Mira will need a feeding tube. Hopefully we will also get a real diagnosis as to why Mira is not gaining weight. We recently learned that Mira's body is not absorbing nutrients the way it should, and also that she is bleeding internally. The blood loss is minimal, but we need to find out where and why as it it causing anemia. I really would appreciate your prayers for definitive answers by the end of this month. I just feel like so much is on hold with Mira and that she can't really enjoy life as long as we have all these questions and appointments.

Mira still has a syrinx in her spinal cord, but for the time being we have decided to leave it. She isn't in pain from it and it doesn't cause mobility issues. Mira has major issues with her knees and hips, but we have also decided to leave those for the time being. She should start using a wheelchair this month. I'm excited about getting her out of the stroller- no more babies in this house!

Mira moved out of the nursery at church this month. This is a huge deal for her! I'm excited to see how much she is able to learn in the preschool class. We are also looking for a preschool for Mira. So far, we haven't found one that meets our expectations for Mira. Please keep us in your prayers- it is a hard decision for me to leave any of my children with others.

Mira started working with a new physical therapist this month and will start working with a new speech therapist soon. She enjoys her therapy time. I'm praying for major improvement in her cognitive abilities. It will be so nice when Mira can answer my questions concerning her feelings.

So, just an update for those of you that keep up with our adoption story. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Before & After

2011-09-21T08:20:00.000-07:00

Found this sturdy table for $12 at Goodwill. Colors are all wrong for my house and there is a hole in the top for a lamp cord. But...it's solid and has good storage, perfect for Rich's side of the bed:)

I glued a wood applique over the hole and decoupaged toile fabric over the glass top. With a little black and ivory spray paint, this table turns into something quite lovely.

Next up is this little green table I found for $9 at Goodwill the same evening I bough the other table. I love little tables! Again, the color is all wrong, but a can of spray paint can fix that easily.

It's a perfect side table in my living room. Love it!

Vacation photos are coming soon. What have you been working on lately?

What we've been up to...

2011-09-08T12:17:00.000-07:00

The first month of our new school year has just flown by! We are having a great year so far, and learning so much.

We are studying flying creatures this year. We love exploring and finding nests, feathers, flying insects, birds, and bats. We are spending as much time outside as possible and are enjoying the hiking trails of a local state forest.

Looking into a tree hollow (hoping to see a sleeping bat or owl).

We are also really focusing on loving and serving others this year. Every day, we pray for our friends and family and at least once a week we set aside time to make cards and write letters to others.

We just finished a history chapter on the Celts (Dark Ages). Did you know that they greased their hair with animal fat and painted themselves blue? I didn't have any blue body paint -guess I ran out:), so we made do with make-up and a little acrylic paint and used mousse to spike the kids hair up. They tried to look ferocious for this picture- LOL!

Mira loves being outdoors. She doesn't enjoy joining in with school unless fresh air or water is involved. Here we are on a hiking trip. I'm so proud of Lauren for hiking over a mile all by herself! That is a huge accomplishment with walking sticks! She was one tired little girl when we got home.

Moss and mold and fungi, oh my! So fascinating. The kids loved this spongy fungus that was growing on this rotten tree. It felt like playdough.

We love to watch documentaries focusing on what we are learning. Here we watch "The Life of Birds," A really neat series that we are working our way through. Notice that Thomas doesn't seem to care about watching flying creatures on TV.

This next picture has nothing to do with school but it's too cute to NOT put in this post:) Brandon fell asleep during one of our Family Movie Nights and Gracie had to curl up next to him. We love our sweet kitties!

We're off to the mountains! See you soon!

How I feel about Facebook

2011-09-06T06:50:00.000-07:00

I have now been a month without Facebook. It's been nice. Last night I activated my account because I really needed to get in touch with someone and had no other way to do so. I was a little worried that it would be too tempting and I would get sucked back in to my old FB habits. Let me explain...

I love Facebook for a number of reasons, and I hate it for a number of reasons. I first joined Facebook in 2009 while Lauren was in the hospital recovering from major surgery. I didn't want to receive multiple calls to Lauren's room, she needed her rest. I also didn't want to have to send out multiple emails or worry about compromising the email accounts of others (hospital internet isn't really secure). So, I created a FB account, thinking that if I got "hacked" I could just delete the account with no worries. Facebook helped me get through 20 days in the hospital. I was able to feel like a part of the outside world and keep up with my friends. I knew they were keeping up with me and praying for Lauren. It was nice.

After we got home, I didn't really use Facebook for a while. Then, slowly, old friends started "finding" me and I started spending more time on the computer. I would keep up with the lives of others and let others know what was going on in mine. At first it was fun.

Then, a few months ago, I started feeling really convicted about a number of things. I realized that I was spending a little too much time focused on the lives of other people, looking at what they were doing and judging their lifestyles. Sometimes I would go to bed really upset because I felt that someone was wasting their life or not living rightly. I would pray about it, but the concern and sometimes anger would not go away. I began to realize that sometimes it is not a good thing to be so visible to others. I also began to worry that maybe I was judging too harshly and was losing the ability to give grace to others. I did not like the feelings I was having or the person I was turning into. I also could not say "no" to friend requests (that just seems so rude) and was sometimes embarrassed by the language or lives of others. I not only want my life to honor God, but my friendships to glorify Him also.

I also began to realize that Facebook can foster feelings of discontent and jealousy. People are so visible to each other, and we love to give status updates on our lives (I know I did!). Sometimes, I would forget to praise God for my blessings and instead would complain about the blessings I perceived others to have. I also was on the receiving end of the jealousy of others. That is not a nice things to deal with! There were times when I would share a blessing that our family received and I would get comments like, "Must be nice!" "Wish we could do that, we just don't have the (time, money, ability)." An "I'm so thrilled for you!" would have been so much nicer to read. It's a bad feeling when you think you can't share your joys with your friends. The worst is when someone is envious of your fortunes but is can't seem to see all the blessings that are right under their own noses. I am guilty of this! Rich and I don't date regularly. We go out on less than 5 dates a year(last year was 3). All the time, I hear people talking about their wonderful date nights with their hubbies and I get a little envious. Then I have to remember, we don't get date nights because we have five children to take care of and we CHOSE to adopt a little girl with severe needs, many couples can't have children and aren't even able to adopt. We might not have money for expensive dates but we are able to pay our medical bills, many folks can't. Many folks feel that they need date nights for their marriage to succeed, Rich and I have a good marriage and we don't need to leave the house for that to be so. We might not take cruises or go to Disney World like other families I see on FB, but we have been blessed with some wonderful vacations given to us by dear friends who are willing to share their beach house or mountain cabins with us. Our family has received blessing after blessings but I believe Facebook caused me to forget my blessings!

So, about a month ago, I decided to deactivate my Facebook account. It has been the most freeing thing. I have more time in my week, I'm not concerned with what others are doing, I'm not letting others know my every move. I'm not jealous of who is getting together with who (why wasn't I invited?) and no one knows what I'm doing. I am more at peace than I have been in a while. Who knew Facebook could steal peace? My real friends know where I am, they can email me or pick up the phone and call me. Real face time is so much better than a few words on Facebook.

That being said...I like Facebook because it allows me to update people on the urgent prayer needs of our family. When I'm in the hospital, as mentioned above, it keeps me from going crazy and feeling out of the loop. When I was sick for 3 months earlier this year, FB allowed people to share their words of comfort and allowed me to know how to use my time to pray for others.Facebook is the quickest way to get a word out, like when my Dad passed away. There are some really good things about Facebook.

So my dilemma has been this: How can I make Facebook work for me? I'm still praying about it, I'm such an all-or-nothing gal that I'm afraid of being sucked back in again if I keep my account. Here's what I think will happen. I think I will keep my FB account. I will no longer post status updates, unless we are having medical concerns that I know my church family is praying about. I will not look at the FB walls of others unless I am specifically writing that person. I would prefer to write everything in a private message and no longer have anything public. I am always surprised at the level of jealousy people (especially women) develop over the friendships of others. Myself included. As of this morning, I have opted not to receive any FB notifications unless someone has written directly on my wall or sent me a message. I don't care who "liked" what status, I don't need to be invited to a game or club, I don't want to be worried about who commented on a photo of me.

If you really want to chat, please email me anytime. lydia@strongsignals.net. If you live local- call me!!! I'd love some real face time with my gal pals. Let's get together soon.

How do you feel about Facebook? I'd love to know your thoughts!

Can you say, "Project Runway Addiction"?

2011-09-01T05:48:00.000-07:00

The girls are full swing into designing clothes for their 18" dolls. Note the assistance of sweet Thomas.

Kimberly has been begging for a real sewing machine of her own. Hopefully, this month she will begin sewing lessons with her grandmother (my mom). Can't wait to see what our Christmas gifts from Kimberly will be this year!

Bugs!

2011-08-29T07:27:00.000-07:00

The homeschoolers in our church were recently privileged to receive a visit from two entomologists from NC State. What a fun lesson! You can go here for more info on planning your own experience with bugs: NC State University Dept of Entomology.

My kids really loved this outing. We met at our church for an hour and a half of learning all about insects. We were able to see insects from all over the world, from the rainforest in South America to Australia. All of my children (except Lauren) loved being able to hold some of the creepy crawlies.

Brandon checks out the flying insects, butterflies and dragon flies and beetles, which are long dead and pinned to boards. We think we are going to start something like this with the dead insects that we find. No killing for us!

I was asked if I wanted to hold this live hissing cockroach. No thanks, I'll just take a photo while you hold it:)

We had 15 kids at this session, it made for a good variety of questions and interest.

Connor was a bit braver than Brandon. Here, he gets excited about a walking stick insect(not from NC). My only real exposure to walking sticks is from the movie, "It's a Bug's Life." And the few tiny ones we have found around here. Did you know that females have wings? Neat, huh?

We also got to see and hold an Australian walking stick which is more like a branch, it's so big. I hate that I don't have a picture of that. I'm pretty sure all the scariest looking creatures in the world are from Australia. Although the rainforests of the world are a good contender...the big, the bad, and the ugly, eh?

I believe this critter is also from Australia but I cannot remember what it is called. It closely resembles a scorpion without the stinging tail. Once again, I was asked if I would like to hold this insect, and once again I said no. The kids of course, had no problems jumping in and holding out arms and hands. Several bugs managed to crawl up the chests and necks of a few kids. (shudder)

Connor holds the biggest millipede I've ever seen. When scared, this critter squirts out an orange liquid that is harmless to humans but can cause illness in its predators.

Kimberly watches a brave little friend hold one of the walking sticks.

I didn't get many photos but came home with lots of information. Nothing like hands-on experience to teach one about BUGS!!!

Harry Potter

2011-08-24T11:28:00.000-07:00

     I've known Harry Potter almost as long as I've known Rich. Shortly after we (Rich and I, not me and Harry Potter) got engaged, I was alone in Barnes & Noble and my eyes happened to fall upon a book titled, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone." It looked interesting so I picked it up and read the cover insert. I had never heard of the author, and actually assumed at that moment that J.K. Rowling was a man. The Harry Potter craze had not yet hit the U.S. On a whim, I bought the book.

...and fell totally in love. The story grabbed me from the very first sentence. I read the book straight through in one sitting and upon closing it, determined that I would promptly re-read it. And I did. Only this time, I read the book more slowly, really taking the time to savor it.

     I began telling friends and family about the book and how good it was. No one paid much attention to me. I anxiously awaited the next book by the author, not really knowing if there would be another. For some reason, I never bothered to research the author or the books, so I had no idea that more books were forthcoming and had already hit the stores in the UK. Remember, at that time there was no Google or Wikipedia. I worked across the street from Barnes & Noble at that time, so I made pretty frequent trips to check out the lastest arrivals. When the second book did come out, I grabbed it up. Then I ran home and gobbled it up. It was just as good as, if not better than, the first. And the books just kept getting better. To this day, I still can't tell you which of the eight books is my favorite. I love them all. So, I kept buying the books, and I kept reading them.

     And then the craze hit. Suddenly I was hearing about Harry Potter everywhere, even adults were falling in love with the books! I was right there with them. My timeline may be a little off, but I think the first movie hit the theaters around the same time the fourth or fifth book came out. I was heavily pregnant with my firstborn when Rich and I went to see that first movie. I remember the long line at the theater. I remember the ushers opening the doors and everyone racing to find a good seat. I was neck-and-neck with a cute kid in superhero pajamas and bright green rainboots. I think he had a black cape on also. All I know, is that I was bound and determined to beat that 3 year old to the best seat in the house. Poor Rich got left behind, he couldn't even see me over the crowd. Despite all the kids in the theater, there was an almost magical hush when the lights dimmed and the movie started. And everything else from that point on was magic. I love that my 25 year old self could share a theater with 3 and 4 year olds, with teenagers, and with my 35 year old husband and revel in the magic that is Harry Potter. We all cheered and laughed together. We watched with baited breath as Harry came face-to-face with Voldemort. It was history in the making, the story that would change the world indeed. Kids who once hated reading were now devouring the books cover to cover. Adults who had forgotten what it was to be a child and lose oneself in a book were now remembering.

     And so the books kept coming and so did the movies. I enjoyed them all. Books are always better than movies, but I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the Harry Potter movies. I have watched Daniel, Rupert, and Emma grow from precocious pre-teens to mature young adults. I love them almost as much as I love Harry, Ron, and Hermione. I'm not a follower of pop culture and I'm not a big fan of watching the lives of the rich and famous. But I have followed the shenanigans of the entire cast of the Harry Potter movies. I know, I'm crazy. Alan Rickman brought Snape to life in ways I never thought possible. Snape is, of course, my favorite character. He's the one we all love to hate, and in the end, he's the one we love wholeheartedly because we understand him, finally. Imelda Staunton did for Dolores Umbridge what my imagination never could, she made her horribly real. Never, in all my years of reading books and watching movies have I hated a character so much. She is a fantastic actress. I adored Richard Harris, and then later, Michael Gambon, as Dumbledore. Tom Felton made a very good Draco Malfoy. And...so...on. The casting for the movies has been spot on. Yes, I love the Harry Potter movies.

     Still, I love the books far more. I have read all the books several times. I have waited with baited breath for each new installment in the series. Upon buying the new copy, I make sure I have a number of hours with no real committments and then I start to read. I have sometimes stayed up all night to finish a book. They are too good to put down, and too exciting to lay aside the first time you read them. After I have finished each book, I have breathed a deep sigh. A sigh of contentment, because I know the book could not have been written any better and the story played out in a perfect way, although not in an always expected way. A sigh of sadness, because the book was finished and I now knew how it ended. I wasn't too sad, however, because I knew more books were to come. ...Until Rowling wrote the final book in the Harry Potter saga.

     When the last book became available on Amazon for pre-order, I ordered it right away. I anxiously awaited its arrival. And then, when it did come, I did something I had never done before. I waited two weeks to read it. I knew that "The Deathly Hallows" would be the last of the Harry Potter books and I didn't want the magic to end. I read that last book far more slowly than I had read any of its predecessors. I loved every minute of it. I actually sobbed out loud at parts, and continuously cheered the characters on (or scolded them, as in the case of Ron) throughout the book. I nodded and bit my lip through the last battle and "death" scene, as understanding came full circle. I got chills as I compared each part of the last story to the Christian walk, I exclaimed in excitement over the allegorical moments...even if the author didn't intend them to be there. And when it was all over, when the last sentence had been read, I slowly closed the book with a big sigh and a holding back of tears. It could not have ended any other way. At least, not for me. Everything I needed to know about Harry Potter and his world, I now knew. Everything that needed to happen, happened. It was absolutely perfect. I will stand by that until my dying day, even though others may disagree.

     J.K. Rowling knows how to write. She knows how to start a book so that it catches one from the first sentence. She knows how to keep an audience on the edge of its seat. She knows how to write a book that is just as good read aloud as it is read to oneself. She knows how to keep the momentum going for eight amazing books. And she knows how to end a series well. Not many authors can claim all these things.

     And the last movie? I haven't seen it yet. I'm scared to. When the credits roll, it will be like saying goodbye to very dear friends, despite the fact that I can revisit them time and again for the rest of my days. When I think of saying goodby to Hagrid and Professor McGonogall, to Luna and Neville, To Harry and Ron and Hermione, an ache starts in my chest and I feel a little emotional. The first 25 years of my life were spent with one foot in Narnia. These last ten years, that foot has straddled the line between Cair Paravel and Hogwartz.

     Thank you, J.K. Rowling, for reminding adults everywhere that childlike wonder doesn't end when childhood does. Thank you for writing books that we can share with our children, books filled with courage and hope and love, all those things we want to teach our children but maybe don't know how to exemplify. Thank you for reminding readers everywhere that there is a very real line between evil and goodness and for portraying the good side as the one to be on. Thank you for loving your characters so much that the readers could feel it and fell in love with them too.

J.K. Rowling,
Thank you for the last 13 years. It's been magical.

Remembering

2011-08-21T16:30:00.000-07:00

As you know, I'm in the process of updating my blog. In doing so, I'm re-reading many old posts. I am amazed at all that God has done in my life over the past 4 years. It's enough to bring me to my knees in thanksgiving. I'm also really enjoying reading some of the comments that my Dad left on this blog.

One thing that really amazes me is the blog post I wrote just a few minutes (I hit publish 5 minutes before the phone rang) before discovering that Dad had brain cancer and was dying. God knew the mindset that I needed to have, because He knew what was coming.

You can read that post here: Conversations with Kids

These reminders of God's goodness and faithfulness...this is why I choose to blog.

What I've read this year...that I enjoyed.

2011-08-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

I adore books. If you've read this blog for any length of time, you know that. I love books so much that I refuse to own a Kindle even though I can CLEARLY see the benefits. More space in my house, quicker access to new books and old favorites, etc. I'm not against Kindle, I just love marking up and dog-earing my own copies of great writing. I seriously could spend hours in a bookstore and still feel happy if I walk out with nothing. If I had a Kindle, I could probably find what I want more easily than perusing through a used bookstore searching for that one copy of something I lost years ago.

That being said, I should also tell you that despite being married to a computer engineer, I start kicking and screaming when confronted with the choice to go more technical or electronic. This is why no one ever receives text messages back from me. My darling husband just this week managed to rid me of my old flip phone. I, so far, have managed to prevent the dear man from getting a flat screen TV. We have one of those old boxy TVs that no one owns anymore. I do love the internet, but even that gets to me on most days. So, you can see why I'm fighting against owning a Kindle even though it is the one gift that everyone assumes this bookworm will love.

So, that was just a little something for you to learn about me...not that you wanted to:) I'd love to know how many of you own a Kindle and what you think of it. Do you really use it? Do you still read "real" books?

Anyway- on to the book discussion! Here we are, into month eight of 2011. I've read a number of books this year and wanted to recommend a few for great reading and discussions.

1. The Hospitality Commands by Alexander Strauch. Read it. Even if you don't think that you struggle in this area. Good food for thought.

2. The Happening by Harvey Yoder. This is a version of the truth about the Amish school shooting (happened in 2006) that is ok for children to read. It would also make a great read-aloud book for a family. Really makes you think about forgiveness and moving on after a tragedy. Not graphic or too scary at all. Told from a child's perspective.

3. Holding On To Hope by Nancy Guthrie. Oh wow. If you have had any hardship or trial in your life, this is the book to read. It is the story of one woman's struggle with her own sorrow and grief and how she is able to continue to follow Christ. At the back of the book is an in-depth study on the book of Job which is well worth doing, even if you aren't suffering or struggling right now.

4. Living by a Leap of Faith by Deb and John Ritter. Highly recommended for adoptive families, families of kids with special-needs, people considering fostering or adopting, or even people who wonder how in the world large families do "it" and why do they do it? What is so wonderful about this book is that each chapter is written by a different Ritter child and the reader is able to see what a difference a Christian home can make in the life of a hurting child. My faith concerning my own adoption journey was renewed after reading this book.

5. In the Land of Believers by Gina Welch. The most thought provoking book I have read in recent years. Highly recommended to book clubs everywhere for a great discussion time. Gina Welch is an atheist who goes undercover into the evangelical church movement. Some readers will become angry at her deceit and hardened attitude, some readers will be angry that the church she attended didn't measure up to certain standards. I don't agree with the book author, HOWEVER, I can read the book with compassion and I can examine myself to see if I live in such a way that Christ is apparent to outsiders. This book really shows some of the hypocrisy in the church today but it also shows how unwilling most non-believers are to even consider the truth of the gospel. Let me know what you think if you read it.

I realize these are all non-fiction. I haven't read much fiction this year. I've only read about 40 books so far this year and these were the most impactful. Most of what I read are books dealing with our particular special-needs, so I won't bore you with those selections:) I'd love to try to do a book post every month or so to find out what you are reading and let you know of any reads that I find to be thought-prevoking. Maybe next week, I'll do a post on kids books. We have read a lot of kids' books this year!

Books, books, and more books

2011-08-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

Ok, friends! Time for another book discussion:) It's been a while since we discussed our favorite new reads. You can see up there in the menu bar that I now have a link for all the book posts that have been done on this blog. I still have 200 posts to go through so there may be more, but I thought it would be fun to get some new ideas from y'all. I'm at Mom's house all weekend,so I'll tell you my new favorite finds early next week. Be thinking of books you OR YOUR CHILDREN have read lately that have made an impact and let's start talkin'!

Whew- blogging is hard work!

2011-08-11T13:15:00.000-07:00

Ok- I think I have the format I want now...I'm no techie and I seriously don't want to be. I have enough on my plate without spending time keeping up with the writing of multiple blogs. I still have about 200 blog posts to re-read and label, but I can take my time doing that. I have deleted all my personal blogs except for this one and the Ukraine one (which I'll keep for the sake of other adoptive parents).

Just below the blog title you can see a menu bar with different links. The sites and blogs is for my personal reference, people and sites I want to keep up with, but feel free to peruse them:) I was asked my another blogger to please keep my recipes and DIY projects. You can see the recipes in the menu bar, and the labels to your left there should help you find my DIY projects. So, between the menu and the label cloud, you should be able to access anything on this blog that you want to. Let me know if there is anything you want me to do differently or would like me to show more of.

Under construction

2011-08-09T12:14:00.000-07:00

I'm in the process of importing all my posts from my other blog. I'm also wanting to gather my writings from our adoption journey and put those on this blog...if I can find them all. So please, be patient with me as I organize this site.

My New Year's Resolution this past New Year was to live intentionally. I have since changed that to the more realistic expectation of balancing life with joy. (Thank you, Georgia, for introducing me to that phrase) If I am going to blog, I want it to be real, I want you to see me as I really am, a woman who loves Jesus and wants to follow Him, but who sometimes struggles in doing just that.

I want you, dear readers, to know that adopting was hard, but the blessings far outweigh the trials. Losing a loved one is difficult, but the promise of heaven is far easier to bear. Having (and homeschooling) 5 kids is no walk in the park, but oh, the laughter and amazing lessons that it brings! Medically fragile children bring with them a different kind of fear, but the courage learned is worth the price.Loving God with all my heart, mind, and soul is a hard road to walk but one very much worth walking.

And so my "new" blog will be all the joys and trials that is a part of my life. I want to really show you the difficult things, the trials and the hard lessons learned. But I also want to balance that with all the joys that are in my life- homeschooling fun, DIY projects, time with girlfriends, family vacations, etc. Life is full of blessings!! May I daily count every one.

Food, food,and some raspberry lemonade.

2011-08-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

A sweet friend surprised us with a bag of goodies from her garden. I was so excited to be able to make little mini crust-less quiches with the veggies and herbs.

These freeze really well and are also great as breakfast basket fillers (for taking to shut-ins).

My friend also delivered fresh-picked cherries right from her own tree. The kids had a blast pitting the cherries (and eating a few). The cherries were probably the sweetest cherries I have ever tasted- so yummy. We enjoyed the cherry pie that we made for July 4th, delicious with vanilla ice cream! Notice the blue and red pinwheel cookies dipped in sprinkles, also yummy:)

I recently ran across a recipe on Food Gawker for raspberry lemonade. I like this recipe because it uses herbal tea (tea is SOOO good for you) as well as fresh lemons (real fruit juice is always best). I don't use real sugar because I really struggle with my weight, but most artificial sweetners aren't that good for you. I've recently switched to Truvia, thanks to my friend, Sara's, suggestion. I really do like it and after researching, have determined that it is fine for me to have in my coffee and other drinks.

Perfect for taking to friends!

(I used Starbucks bottles that my Mom gave me in the above photo)

Last, but certainly not least, I have been on a major mousse kick this summer. It is so very hot here in North Carolina this summer, with record breaking highs. I am craving cool, fruity desserts. I have made mousse the old fashion way and the quick and easy way. I have decided that it is too hot to do anything the old-fashioned way...which requires WORK, whether it be washing clothes or making food. I would never have made it as a pioneer woman. I like this century:) But...I'm getting off track. The heat is frying my brain cells.

The best way to make mousse: Make your favorite pudding. Lemon is awesome. Then fold in a whole container of Cool Whip. Let it refrigerate for a few hours. Serve in chilled glass bowls. Mmmm...

New Favorite Site

2011-07-27T15:06:00.000-07:00

I'm still here! I have a couple of big projects that I'm working on, creating an outdoor/porch living space as well as reorganizing the kids rooms and creating more sleep space. Stay tuned for those posts as well as some smaller, fun things I've been working on. For now, I want to introduce you to my favorite new website. Be warned, it's addictive!

FOOD GAWKER- the name says it all:)

I've already tried quite a few recipes from this site, but the real beauty is in the photos. Please don't try this at home...when you're hungry. I'm totally serious.

Let me know what you think! Go ahead, click on the link now: Food Gawker

Life goes on...

2011-07-26T14:59:00.000-07:00

At some point I am going to do a blog post about my father's death. I was with him when he passed from this life into the next and it was so precious and so meaningful.

For now, I am reminded every day, that even when we look death in the eye, life all around us still goes on. We have had a summer of blessings, blessings that we are so undeserving of. Here are a few of the things that have fillled our days in the weeks just before and just after Dad's homegoing.

Kimberly went to camp for the very first time. This is the first time I have been out of contact with any of my children (or their caregivers) for more than 24 hours. It was very hard for me, but she had a blast and can't wait to go back next summer!

Setting up a tent in the living room for quiet time is so much fun. So is sleeping in the fort:)

We adopted two new little ones. Meet Gracie and Thomas. You can look forward to more "that other woman" posts on this blog as Gracie has already stolen Rich's heart. Thomas....well, Thomas is all mine:)

Mira continues to thrive. She enjoys having tea parties with Piglet and Gracie at the bottom of the stairs. She's so silly!

The girls are pitting cherries for a yummy cherry pie.

We are having record-breaking high temperatures this summer. It's way too hot to be outside unless there is water involved! The boys love a good water gun fight.

We really enjoyed visiting sweet friends and meeting their farm animals.

Mira gets up close and personal with this hen.

Our church celebrated it's annual Family FunFest. Rich and Kimberly worked all day at the FunFest.

The boys turned 6!

I took Lauren and my niece to get make-overs. It was so fun and they looked quite...colorful when done.

I so enjoyed getting away with friends for a day of thrifting recently. We stumbled across this yardsale going from one place to the next. So fun!

The kids all started swim lessons this week. Kimberly has had lessons, but the boys haven't. We are so blessed to have found an instructor who is comfortable teaching Lauren how to swim. We kind of "fell" into this blessing and it just shows that even after 4 years of looking and praying- God was finally ready to answer YES!

I hope you are all taking time to smell the roses and enjoy each moment of your summer days. God is good and so faithful to provide all we need.

Where am I?

2011-07-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

For those of you that stop by this blog often and are wondering where I am...

My father met his Savior face-to-face on Friday night close to midnight. We are grieving for ourselves but so happy for him. His battle with brain cancer is finally at an end. It was the most difficult year I have ever experienced. Still, I wouldn't trade it for anything. I learned so much about myself, my parents, and my beautiful, lovely, wonderful family and friends during this trial. Most of all, I learned what it truly means to lean on Jesus and follow Him even when the way seems dark and His voice is silent.

If you are interested in following our journey over the past 14 months (since Dad's diagnosis) you can read about it here: Aiming at Heaven

If you want to pray: Of course, pray for peace and joy for all the family and friends who are grieving the loss of this amazing man. Pray for opportunities to share the gospel and for us to be able to use Dad's home-going as a chance to witness to others. Pray for my brother, Philip Carson, as he travels home from overseas. He is preaching our father's funeral.

I'll be back soon!

He's with Jesus!

2011-07-15T21:00:00.000-07:00

11:45pm- just a few minutes ago, Dad passed over into his new life! Praise the Lord, he is alive with Jesus!

A Hard Day

2011-07-14T09:13:00.000-07:00

Today has been a hard day for me. I've lived for over a year now with the knowledge that my Dad is dying. All along, I have prayed for either healing or a quick, painless death. Neither has happened. My Dad is suffering, his body is rotting, his mind is not clear, he is unable to do anything for himself. He has lost nearly everything that made him David Carson. It is hard to watch.

For the past week, I have been really dwelling on what he must be thinking and feeling, if he is able to think much. I don't know since he doesn't communicate with us anymore. Is he focusing on heaven? Is it dark where he is at? Is he groaning in his mind? I hear his sighs and quiet moans and I know he is hurting, though he has never once complained. Is he talking to God or is silent in his mind? Is he only capable of feeling the weariness and pain that I know he is feeling? Does he ever allow the thought to cross his mind that maybe God has forsaken him? OR is he content to suffer, knowing the glory that is coming?

I have had many conversations with God over the past two days. For some reason, my Dad's voice enters these conversations. Because I know my Dad's heart so well, I am easily able to imagine his interjections into these conversations, where I am, at this time, unable to hear God's reply. The great I AM is very silent right now. But my Dad, well, I can hear him pretty clearly. I know some of you may think that I am only giving my Dad's voice to God's replies...maybe.

When I rant and say things like, "It's not fair! My Dad is a good man and has served you well." my Dad's voice reminds me that no man is good enough to enter the presence of God and that no one deserves mercy. My Dad reminds me that we all deserve eternal separation from God, that we all deserve suffering and death. It is because of Jesus Christ and his death, and my Dad's acknowledgement of and acceptance of that, that my Dad will (eventually) enter heaven and spend eternity gazing on the face of his Savior.

When I *remind* God (as if HE needs reminding) of all the sacrifices my Dad has made for Him, of all the ways that my Dad has served and followed and loved Jesus Christ, my Dad's voice reminds me that he did not do those "works" to get to heaven or to make death easier. He lived the way he lived because he loves Jesus and wanted to honor Him with his life. Dad has always desired that others see Jesus in him, he has never cared that they see David Carson. One of my Dad's favorite verses is 1 Corinthians 2:2- "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified." Dad did not need lofty speech or wordly wisdom to show others Jesus. I believe others so clearly see Jesus in the life of my Dad because he resolved to live the gospel for all to see.

As I watch my Dad's body fall apart, as I reflect on his life, I feel closer to him than I have ever felt, even though we are no longer able to communicate. Even though God remains silent to my entreaties and questions, I am still comforted by the knowledge that what I believe is REAL and it is TRUE. Even as I shed tears, I am at peace, because I know He holds the future and my Dad's future is with Him.

God sent His son,

They called Him Jesus.

He came to love, heal and forgive.

He lived and died, to buy my pardon.

An empty grave is there to prove my Savior lives!

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know, I know, He holds the future.

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

How sweet to hold a new born baby,

And feel the pride and joy he gives.

But greater still, the calm assurance

This child can face uncertain days because Christ lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know, I know, He hold the future.

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

And then one day, I'll cross the river.

I'll fight life's final war with pain.

And then as death gives way to victory.

I'll see the light of glory and I'll know that He lives.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow.

Because He lives, all fear is gone.

Because I know, I know,He hold the future.

And life is worth the living just because He lives.

Use those extra linens!

2011-07-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

I love linens. Tablecloths, quilts, sheets, you name it, I'm scouting it at thrift stores and flea markets and yard sales. I really do have uses for them all. We have picnics in the living room regularly and old tableclothes save my carpeting from spills. I almost always have a tablecloth on my kitchen table- it looks so fresh and pretty that way. We use sheets and quilts outside to make tents or to cover prickly grass when we want to sit down. And when the weather cools off, we will love snuggling on the hammock with a great blanket.

I have an old copper tub sitting by my front door that I keep filled with old linens I don't mind taking outside. We just grab and go!

That was a what?!

2011-07-05T15:11:00.000-07:00

I love repurposing items. I really love when I see something in a magazine that inspires me to create something new. As is the case of this next project...

I received this cassette tape holder back in high school. It's at least 20 years old. I'm pretty sure that tapes went out a while ago:) I found it in my parents' attic a few months ago. I almost threw it away, but the fram of it is nice, heavy, solid wood. I thought maybe I would hold onto it and get inspired to do something with it.

A few weeks ago, I was flipping through a magazine, Cottage Style? Country Living? , and saw a rack/shelf of some type hanging on a wall and filled with seashells. It really looked like my tape cabinet but I don't know that it was a tape cabinet. Anyway, I was inspired. The shelf I saw wasn't painted or "fancied up" at all, just hanging on a wall and shells stuffed in.

I decided to paint my shelf white. I removed some of the slats in order to fit larger shells and painted and distressed the whole thing.

I put it on the shelf in my bedroom so Rich and I can enjoy our seashore finds.

I'm linking to:

Enjoying our summer!

2011-07-05T14:57:00.000-07:00

We love trips to the Farmer's Market for fresh fruit and veggies...mmm. Folks always stop and chat with us and ask all about our special family (my kids are getting WAAY too used to all the attention). We never leave without spending at least $25 and we come home with a ton of food. I love supporting the local farmers.

Michael's is offering the best summer crafts camp this year. And it's free! Every week, a different country is featured. Last week, we studied Germany and made Logan hats and cow bells. Fun!

We have had the best corn this summer...shucking it ourselves makes it taste so much better:)

We had a blast shopping in Michaels for activities to do this summer. The kids enjoyed trying on these July 4th hats- so funny!

Doughnuts are probably better in the fall and winter but hey- we were craving them and decided to make a batch of homemade. Yummy!

The boys received their first badge from Lowe's for building a July 4th project. I still need to sew their badges on their aprons.

We are trying to send one package to Uncle Philip (my brother, who is in Afghanistan) every two weeks. We have a gift station set up on our living room so that we can just put something in the box every time we see and buy something that might be nice to send. Doing this really allows the kids to understand what their uncle is doing and makes them think about and pray a little more for those in our military.

We are really enjoying our summer. We are getting together with friends, swimming, having water balloon fights, going to the movies, splurging on ice cream outings, and working together to create an outdoor living space to be be enjoyed this fall. Life is good.

Thank you God, for summer vacation! Help us not to take it for granted and to find joy in every moment that we are given on this earth.

For the Birds

2011-06-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

Connor found this sweet little resin bird in the yard. I think it must have come off of a birdhouse.

I found this lovely jar at a local thrift store for $4. It's very big and will hold a lot of whatever I need it to hold.

Using my trusty Gorilla epoxy glue, I attached the birdie to the top of the cannister lid. Then I spray painted the whole lid with oil-rubbed bronze (Krylon). I love it!

I have this jar filled with the kids' gummie treats right now, but I think it would make a great hostess gift for the bird-lover. Fill it with bird food and Voila! A wonderful gift.

I'm linking to:

and

Things that make me laugh

2011-06-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning/organizing the kids' rooms a few weeks ago and throwing out everything that was broken. Which the kids did not like. I stumbled across this lovely Barbie in the process.

I think that at the time, she didn't have her head on either. I got sidetracked, so I didn't actually pick her up and throw her away at that time. Later that week we had company, and my friend and I were discussing how toys take over our homes. That reminded me of this Barbie, so I turned to Lauren and told her that she and Kimberly needed to find the doll and throw it away. Lauren immediately said, "Mom! That's Becky and she has special-needs! We can't get rid of her." I nearly died laughing. How many other kids can use the excuse of special-needs in order to save their mangled toys? Seriously, I am now unable to get rid of a single ugly doll in this house. It doesn't much matter that Barbie's special-needs were caused by two rambunctious boys and were completely intentional. sigh.... Any advice on how to win the war on headless, armless, legless, dolls?

On another note, but still funny (my kids keep me laughing, that's for sure!), I found this note at the bottom of the stairs one day:

Note the skull and crossbones and the XXXXs which apparently stand for something bad.

Lauren,
If you ever want to see Bobo again (Bobo is a monkey that Pastor Mike gave Lauren while she was in the hospital and it is one of her favorite animals), leave money on this paper by the front door. Do not call the police, you cannot find us.
From Kimberly Connor and Brandon.
PS. It has to be more than 5 cents.

Well, I'm sure glad I'm teaching the kids the value of money.

Critters

2011-06-22T08:45:00.000-07:00

We love ~~all~~ most of God's creatures. We are blessed that we always seem to find critters wherever we go, especially right here at home. We have frogs and crickets and butterflies and moths galore around here.

Rich found this while working in the yard one day recently:

Upon closer inspection, I was informed by Connor, "That doesn't look like the salamander in the Harry Potter Playstation game!" hmmm....I'm thinking that my kids are getting fantasy and reality confused:)

We found this next critter at the beach:

We had no idea what it was, it looked a little like a mini horseshoe crab. We were told by our beach-dwelling friends that it is a sand flea. I always assumed that "flea" meant something super tiny.

Anyone who has ever seen "A Bug's Life" knows what this next thing is:

My boys were so excited to find this stick insect on our wheelchair ramp. He really blends in quite well, don't you think?

The other day, I thought I saw a leaf on one of my kitchen curtains. I assumed that it had blown in when the back door was left open. Upon closer inspection, I realized it was a moth! Great camouflage, huh?

This next school year, we begin studying the animal kingdom. I think we already have a pretty good headstart. Good thing all my kids love nature and "critters."

Updates

2011-06-14T04:19:00.000-07:00

My brother, Philip Carson, left on Friday for Afghanistan. He chose to be on the last unit (team, crew,???) out, as he explains in his blog Chaplain Carson. I am really excited about being to keep up with Philip while he is overseas, and also very interested in how life as a chaplain really works. For those of you who are also interested, feel free to follow along on his blog- http://www.chaplaincarson.com/

My father continues to walk the line between this earthly life and the glorious future that awaits him. My mom just did an update on their blog Aiming at Heaven. As I go back and read all that we have written on that blog during the past year, I am amazed at what out lives have displayed and what our words have shown. God is carrying us, indeed! The hardest part for me, here at the end, is the waiting. Some days we will think, "This is it!" only to find that the human body can linger long past what one would think. I find myself searching for answers and looking for meaning and reason when God has chosen not to display those to me. I only know that there is a reason and that no suffering is ever meaningless. I know that God's plan is perfect and that He is good always.

I believe that I shall look upon the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living!
Wait for the LORD;
be strong, and let your heart take courage;
wait for the LORD!"
Psalm 27:13&14

Historical Treasures

2011-06-11T05:59:00.000-07:00

I love shopping yard sales. My oldest daughter (age 9) and I have a Saturday morning routine. We wake up, throw any old clothes on (sometimes we don't brush our hair), and are out the door by 7. What makes this special time so fun for us is that we make a game out of yard "sailing" by having three rules.

1) We cannot spend more than $20 total.

2) We only get an hour to shop, we must be home around 8am.

3) We must only buy what we really love or need.

Kimberly mostly shops for books, but sometimes buys toys for her siblings. I look for housewares that I can repurpose. But...every now and then, I find a diamond in the rough, a treasure in the middle of someone else's junk. Usually people don't know what they have. I don't care much about the monetary value of an item, but I love researching the history of an item. Remember when I told you about the ironstone platter that I found for $1? I loved researching that piece.

This past Saturday, I found this great wooden bowl that looked really similar to the large wooden doughbowls that I'm on the hunt for. I love the rustic textures, the history, the patina, and the uses of these bowls. This bowl seems to be more of a fruit bowl, since it is round. It was only 50 cents so I grabbed it up. When I flipped it over I saw this:

I love stamps or carvings on the bottom of an item because it really helps in the research. What I found out about this piece is this:

Munising Wood Products were manufactured in Munising, Michigan from 1911 to 1955. So upon initial research, I know my bowl is at least 56 years old. It is made from Michigan sugar maple. From what I can tell, if my bowl was in good condition it would be worth $50. I probably couldn't get that for it, though, since it looks like the bowl was dropped or broken and some point and someone glued the piece that broke off back on. It looks fine and you can barely notice the break and it is still a useful bowl for holding fruit.

I'm thrilled that I found such a neat piece of American history and workmanship for only 50 cents! Can't beat that:)

Summer Love

2011-06-10T07:02:00.000-07:00

I love spring and summer. And fall. Not a big fan of winter, but I'm usually ready for it by the time it rolls around. But summer. Summer I love for all the colors, the relaxed days, the smells. The blue, blue skies and green, green trees. The red tomatoes and the yellow squash. The scent of freshly cut grass and the neighbors grilling. Summer.

Add color to your summer by supporting your local farm stands. Shop the Farmer's Market near you. I love to walk in my kitchen and see a bowl full of fruit on my table. I love my triple hanging basket filled with fruits and veggies. I love knowing that we have healthy choices to snack on and that we are supporting our local farmers by eating this way.

When was the last time you went to a local farm stand or farmer's market? We've been at least 5 times since April already, and I'm sure we'll go many more before the summer is over. Don't you love the way fresh produce smells right out of the farmer's basket?

Check this out!

2011-06-09T07:15:00.000-07:00

I am IN LOVE! Because it isn't always easy for me to get out and shop for gifts and clothes with five kids in tow, I have been looking for an affordable and trustworthy company that I can shop online with. I found Zulily about a year ago. After several transactions, I then recommended the online store to my mom, who has enjoyed shopping for her grandkids even while being housebound with my sick father.

Check out the site here: http://www.zulily.com/invite/wells579

If you join using that link, then I will get a $15 credit when you make a purchase. I promise I wouldn't send you anywhere that wasn't legit and that I didn't enjoy myself. Let me tell you some of the "steals" I have gotten on this site:

Remember the pink ballet/tutu dresses that my daughters and niece wore for the mother'daughter tea in this post? Well, each of those dresses came with a matching dress for an 18" doll and a headband. The sets cost $10 each! Now you know you can't get dress up clothes, much less with a matching doll outfit for that price in regular stores!

I also recently bought cute super hero capes for my sons...to be given to them on their birthday in July. This picture is similar to what I ordered (I just ordered different emblems and colors).

These capes retail for $25 online elsewhere. I paid $13 each on Zulily. I am very pleased with these capes. They are made of heavy satin and the edges are finished nicely. The are plenty large and will fit the boys for a long time.

Zulily changes their sales every day. They will only "hold" an item in your cart for 10 minutes before allowing other customers to grab it up, however, it will stay in your cart if another customer doesn't take it.

I have been very pleased with the items I have gotten and have already ordered an adorable tutu set (3 pieces- a tutu, a crown with steamers, and a fairy wand) and jewery set (four pieces- a chain with three pendants to interchange) for Lauren's birthday in September. Total spent on Lauren's birthday is $25. Can't beat that!

The quality of all the items I have received has been excellent. I'm already on the lookout for Christmas bargains. Zulily is mostly about the kids; clothing, toys, books. There are a few things for women, though. Most of it is pricey, boutique stuff, but gorgeous. I may have to breakdown and buy Rich's aunt that lovely, soft nightgown that I know she will love.

Check it out and don't forget to link from here so I can get credit for sending you!

http://www.zulily.com/invite/wells579

It's Summer!

2011-06-06T08:57:00.000-07:00

We enjoyed four days at the beach recently. It was so nice- beautiful weather! Lots of sand and water and sun. We played games, ate delicious food (everything tastes better at the beach), read books, swam and rode boogie boards, built castles, collected shells, watched movies, and slept really well. It was wonderful!

We've got lots more fun planned for this summer! Hoping to get in a week at the mountains plus some more beach time. Lots of outings and day trips planned also. We do love our family time!

Do you have some family fun planned for this summer?

My favorite project yet

2011-06-06T04:53:00.000-07:00

I'm slowly getting back into yard-saling. I think I've been out 3 times this spring and hope to make it a weekly habit this summer. A few weeks ago, I hit a wonderful sale. I bought clothes, crafting supplies, housewares, etc. And I only spent $20. I was home by 8am, having spent my yardsale budget!

I saw an idea in a magazine and have been wanting to try it. (I have a dream book, full of ideas that I tear out of magazines and intend to try.) So, armed with this 50 cent find:

And this $2 find (the curio/cubby shelf):

...and using spray paint that I already had on hand (I think I finally used up all my white paint), I created this for my girls' room:

They love having a shelf to put their tiny, breakable collectibles on.

(my eldest collects penguins)

I love how this came out and am already looking for another cubby shelf for my boys' rooms. I want to do it in western-themed scrapbook paper. It would make a great place for all those lego men and tiny action figures, don't you think?

Linking to:

and

Now, go check out all the other goodies that bloggers have posted. There are some really neat crafts, recipes, and DIY to try out!

paint, paint, and more paint.

2011-05-22T04:38:00.000-07:00

I received a sweet outdoor bistro set for Mother's Day years ago...7 years ago, I believe. The paint had faded quite badly after years of being moved from front porch to back deck and back again. I absolutely loved the shade of green this set orignally was painted in, but decided to go with something different this time around. Here is a before picture, snapped after I had already painted one chair and the table. Sorry it's not a great shot, I was too focused on painting.

Here is the set now, looking lovely in all it's glorious red. My NC State lovin' friend Carroll would be jealous:) I love sitting out here with a book and watching the kids create works of art on the driveway with chalk. All I need now is a citronella candle, the bugs are getting terrible!

Another recent paint job I undertook...

My Mom gave my this gorgeous milk cannister that was painted black by my grandmother. It was given to my grandmother by her uncle, who owned Herndon Dairy Farm in Virginia...which I can't find, so I guess it got run over by the "big" farms and no longer exists today.

This took tons of paint remover...the powerful kind. I wore gloves and a mask due to the lead that was likely in the paint. Under the black paint, was a galvanized metal cannister with silver painted numbers that I couldn't really make out. There was also a lot of rust. Too much rust to be nice and "chippy" if you know what I mean. So I sealed it all and painted it a creamy ivory. Someday, I may stencil the word DAIRY on the front, but for now I like it the way it is, plain and simple.

Notice on the mantel is my achitectural creation from the chandelier I took apart. I originally made two different pieces from it, as I showed you in an earlier post, but I kept playing around with it and and came up with this. It's nice and sturdy, thanks to Gorilla Epoxy Glue. Love that stuff!!! I think I want to make more pieces from chandeliers, all different and in different colors. Might be fun:)

Have you been painting and creating lately?

NOTICE

2011-05-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to let y'all know that I changed my other blog. It still has all the previous posts, I just wanted a name that better defined what I'm wanting to do with that blog. the new address is: wantedonehobbyfarm.blogspot.com - would love for you all to visit! I love feedback and comments, especially from other gals who are keepers of the home and trying to balance everything life throws at them.

I'm also linked to the blog in my sidebar. Hope to see you all soon!

All dressed up!

2011-05-19T10:34:00.000-07:00

I was so blessed this past weekend to be able to take my three daughters and two nieces to a mother-daughter tea party hosted by the ladies in our church. It was so much fun!

My two oldest girls were so excited when they found out that their cousin would be getting a matching dress for her birthday (we kept all the nieces and nephews for a few days), which was the day before the tea party.

Here are the three oldest girls in their party frocks.

And just 'cause I think my girls are so beautiful, here are close-ups I took of their sweet faces:

What a difference a coat of paint makes!

2011-05-18T12:47:00.000-07:00

When I was pregnant with Lauren, and I found out I was going to have a second daughter, I decided to go all out and make a really girly bathroom for my girls. That was 8 years ago. It was pink. Bright pink. My husband said it was what being inside a pepto-bismal bottle must feel like. It was floral. Floral pictures, floral garlands, floral towels, floral shower curtain, mat, and garbage can. Even floral shower curtain hooks!

Here's the only before photo I have, sorry I didn't think to take more photos before I got into the make-over.

A sweet friend was giving away a gallon of Robin's Egg Blue paint. Another sweet friend who had the chance to take it gave it to me instead. Thanks, Denise and Sara! This paint is gorgeous. I want to paint my master bathroom the same color. I have enough paint left over to do the backs of my open kitchen cabinets. Which I will do at some point.

Here are the "after" photos:

Buckets for girls hair things, $1 each at Target. New white hand towels, $1.50 at Walmart. Total so far- $5.

Had this old shower curtain already, re-used the artwork I had in the bathroom before. White towel with green stripe- $4 (I think) and green hand towel, $1.50 at Walmart. Total now- $10.50.

Lime bath rug- $14 at Walmart. This was a splurge for me, but I knew I wanted a nice bath mat that would withstand the kids and still be nice enough for guests. And that was the color I wanted. You would be surprised how hard it is to find the right shade of green in bath accessories. So my total for this bathroom makeover is $24.50. Not bad, eh?

And I love it:)

Linking to:

I feel...

2011-05-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

I Feel

(by Lydia Wells)

I know what it is to be strong.

I know how to put up a wall,

to keep myself safe.

I know how to be calm and to keep peace,

I know how to look only at the surface of a thing,

So the depth of it will not scare me.

I know what it is to be stronger still.

To let myself go, to weep and wail and sob,

so that I am startled by what comes out of me.

I know how to be real and true,

How to share the pain of others and to open my heart to those that need me,

And to bear up when the suffering of all around me is great.

I know what it is to be strongest of all.

I know who it is that gives that strength that is not of myself,

That perfect peace that guides my focus each moment of every day.

I know where to turn for comfort and joy and grief counseling,

I know the ONE who knows my days,

And numbers them.

So I am not afraid...

...to feel.

Special Delivery!

2011-05-09T12:24:00.000-07:00

The kids and I have been trying to surprise at least one person a week with a special delivery. One week, I made apple-pumpkin muffins and cut up fresh fruit. We filled 2 baskets and delivered them to people that we thought needed cheering up. Last week, I made 4 loaves of banana bread and gave those away. The kids get really excited about surprising our friends and it really makes me feel so happy to bring a smile to that someone's face. I've really been focusing on creative ways to encourage other people because my friends and family do so very much to encourage and lift me up.

I'd love to hear any ways that you try to lift the spirits of others. I'm needing more ideas!

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-05-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

This weekend, on May 7th, my Dad will celebrate 58 years on this earth. The next time his birthday rolls around, he'll be celebrating in heaven with Jesus and he won't be thinking about birthdays. No, that eternal celebration will be like nothing else that Dad has ever experienced.

I thought that this year, on this birthday, I would share some of my memories of life with my Dad. Memories of earthly experiences that have a heavenly meaning for me.

(this photo was taken this past Christmas at our church's Christmas program.)

As long as I can remember, my Dad has been fascinated with the world around us. I remember when we lived in West Africa, my Dad loved to go snorkeling. He would stay out for a very long time, just marveling at the variety of life in those tropical waters. He would show us rays, urchins, colorful fish, amazing things! He was a very good swimmer and loves the ocean.

He loved to hike and explore. I remember camping trips and hiking expeditions. My Dad taught me that even spiders have beauty, he never destroyed a web if he could help it. He was fascinated with nature and all creatures, great and small. He knew how to "rough it," none of this RV/pop-up trailer camping for him!

He loves the open sky and dreams of outer space. He studied the stars and planets and loved discussing astronomy with my husband, Rich. Dad loves the fact that we don't know all there is to know about this universe.

Yes, my Dad loves the oceans. He loved the jungles and forests of the earth. He is fascinated with the sky above. My Dad loves creation because it shows him so much about our Creator. My Dad loves His heavenly father and all HE has made.

This is my Father's world,

and to my listening ears

all nature sings, and round me rings

the music of the spheres.

This is my Father's world:

I rest me in the thought

of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;

his hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world,

the birds their carols raise,

the morning light, the lily white,

declare their maker's praise.

This is my Father's world:

he shines in all that's fair;

in the rustling grass I hear him pass;

he speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world.

O let me ne'er forget

that though the wrong seems oft so strong,

God is the ruler yet.

This is my Father's world:

why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!

God reigns; let the earth be glad!

(Dad used to carry Lauren on her Easter egg hunt every year before she could use her walking canes to get around. He made sure she got lots of eggs!)

My Dad loves to read. He is also a gifted writer and story teller. He knew how to teach and how to preach. I can't tell you how often I still laugh today over silly little stories that he made up when I was a kid. I will always have memories of my Dad reading and writing, studying and teaching.

I know that any ability I may have in the teaching, writing, and reading arenas was passed to me through my Dad(but given to me by God). My parents are both avid readers and we always had a variety of books in the house. But the best story I ever heard at my Dad's knee is the greatest story ever told. And for that I am forever grateful.

Tell me the stories of Jesus I love to hear;

Things I would ask Him to tell me if He were here;

Scenes by the wayside, tales of the sea,

Stories of Jesus, tell them to me.

First let me hear how the children stood round His knee,

And I shall fancy His blessing resting on me;

Words full of kindness, deeds full of grace,

All in the love light of Jesus’ face.

Tell me, in accents of wonder, how rolled the sea,

Tossing the boat in a tempest on Galilee;

And how the Maker, ready and kind,

Chided the billows, and hushed the wind.

Into the city I’d follow the children’s band,

Waving a branch of the palm tree high in my hand;

One of His heralds, yes, I would sing

Loudest hosannas, “Jesus is King!”

Show me that scene in the garden, of bitter pain;

Show me the cross where my Savior for me was slain;

Sad ones or bright ones, so that they be

Stories of Jesus—tell them to me.

(Dad with the boys about 4 years ago)

My Dad loves to joke around and cut up. He has a quirky sense of humor, which I got from him. He has a quick wit and a ready smile and people always feel comfortable around him. He loves board games and movie nights. He loves junk food and making silly faces. He loves a good comic book and every Sunday he fights for his right to read the "funnies" first.

My Dad is one of the most fun people I have ever met. I cannot ever remember him complaining or acting discouraged or depressed. I know he has suffered a number of disappointments, his life did not go the way he intended it to at all. He certainly didn't expect to leave this earth this soon (although he's very excited that it has happened sooner rather than later). Yet he has still enjoyed life and really lived it despite any personal struggles , because he knows what really mattered. He has that deep, abiding joy that other people are envious of. That type of joy can only come from knowing one thing, -that the disappointments of this life are fleeting and that what waits "beyond" is worth it all.

When peace, like a river, attendeth my way,

When sorrows like sea billows roll;

Whatever my lot, Thou has taught me to say,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

It is well, with my soul,

It is well, it is well, with my soul.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,

Let this blest assurance control,

That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,

And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

My sin, oh, the bliss of this glorious thought!

My sin, not in part but the whole,

Is nailed to the cross, and I bear it no more,

Praise the Lord, praise the Lord, O my soul!

(Doing a puzzle with Mira, summer of 2010.)

My Dad is a dreamer, a visionary. He never needed to plan too far into the future, he always seemed comfortable going wherever God led without asking too many questions. He somehow always knew that God would provide what was needed, even though sometimes he has no idea how God would provide. When God called Dad to Africa as a missionary, Dad took his family and went. When God called Dad to pastor various churches over the years, Dad went, even though sometimes the cost to our family was very high and the income was very little. Looking back, I seriously have no idea how food was always on the table, other than to acknowledge that God provided. As a child with parents always in full-time ministry, I can say that it was very difficult to grow up that way. But I wouldn't change a thing. I hope my Dad knows that. I hope he has no regrets because I would not be who I am today if I had not had the life I had growing up. (Mom, I know you are reading this out loud to Dad at his bedside- make sure you tell him that. NO REGRETS, NO CHANGES! It has been a good life!)

Even, now, Dad is going where God is leading and he is content to let God work His plan. Dad has always said that he wants to die well, I say that here is a man who has lived well. Everyone who has ever met my father knows that he is sold out for Jesus Christ and only wants others to know Jesus too. Even after 40 years of serving the Lord, Dad is still amazed that God saved him and he still loves to tell other about that wondrous work done on the cross. Can you imagine when Dad finally gets to meet Jesus face-to-face at last? Do you think he will run to meet him or will he fall on his face? Or will it be Jesus running to him? My imagination fails me at this moment...it's too glorious to think about.

Be Thou my Vision, O Lord of my heart;
Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art.
Thou my best Thought, by day or by night,
Waking or sleeping, Thy presence my light.

Be Thou my Wisdom, and Thou my true Word;
I ever with Thee and Thou with me, Lord;
Thou my great Father, I Thy true son;
Thou in me dwelling, and I with Thee one.

Be Thou my battle Shield, Sword for the fight;
Be Thou my Dignity, Thou my Delight;
Thou my soul’s Shelter, Thou my high Tower:
Raise Thou me heavenward, O Power of my power.

Riches I heed not, nor man’s empty praise,
Thou mine Inheritance, now and always:
Thou and Thou only, first in my heart,
High King of Heaven, my Treasure Thou art.

High King of Heaven, my victory won,
May I reach Heaven’s joys, O bright Heaven’s Sun!
Heart of my own heart, whatever befall,
Still be my Vision, O Ruler of all.

(Dad and Kimberly on a trip to visit family in Georgia in 2004)

The thing that I think that I will remember most about my Dad is his music. It seems like we always had a piano in the house...and we lived in a lot of houses growing up! We always had a guitar, a flute or recorder,and various other instruments also. Dad was always playing the piano, from classical compositions to songs he wrote about Jesus. I learned all the old hymns from him and they will always remain my favorites. Dad loved to tell the story behind a particular song, because to him, a song is more than just words. The old hymns were written by people who were on fire for Jesus, who were in awe of God's grace and mercy and it tells in the lyrics of these old songs.

My Dad was a very gifted pianist and once trained at NC School of the Arts. He had dreams of being professional...and he could have been. But he chose instead to follow Jesus and live a life without fame or recognition.

And that brings me to what I admire most about my Dad. In a world where everyone is clamoring to be recognized, he is the most humble man I have ever known. I don't know if I have ever heard my Dad actually talk about his gift for music, ever. Everything I know about his abilities and music career, I know from my mother and others. But I know what I hear when my Dad plays the piano, and what I hear is a man who is sold out for Jesus and plays only for his heavenly Father and not the accolades of earthly beings. I have sometimes wondered why God gave my Dad such a gift for music when he has not been allowed to do anything "big" with it. No money or fame ever came from using that ability. I know he got the scholarship to the School of the Arts because of his gift. I know teaching piano paid the bills at times, I know he inspired others during his stints as worship and music leader at various churches. But those aren't big things (by earhtly standards). In fact, the only thing Dad really ever did with his music was worship God.

And maybe that is why God gave him that gift...for worship, pure and simple. I'm inspired to take whatever gifts and abilities I may have and use them solely for worship. And isn't that what humility is? Using what you have been given by God for God, and not self? Instead of using our gifts to bring recognition to ourselves, we should instead use our gifts to bring recognition to God.

Thank you Dad, for teaching me a lesson in humility and for teaching me what true worship is all about.

O Lord my God,

When I in awesome wonder

Consider all

The works Thy Hand hath made,

I see the stars,

I hear the mighty thunder,

Thy pow'r throughout

The universe displayed;

When through the woods

And forest glades I wander

I hear the birds

Sing sweetly in the trees;

When I look down

From lofty mountain grandeur

And hear the brook

And feel the gentle breeze;

Refrain:

Then sings my soul,

My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

When Christ shall come,

With shouts of acclamation,

And take me home,

What joy shall fill my heart!

Then I shall bow

In humble adoration

And there proclaim,

"My God, how great Thou art!"

Refrain:

Then sings my soul,

My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

Then sings my soul,

My Savior God, to Thee,

How great Thou art!

Happy birthday, Dad!

(Do you think there are pianos in heaven?)

Now we know...

2011-05-03T11:32:00.000-07:00

We adopted Mira in August of 2009. Since then, we have been scurrying around trying to found out everything that is "wrong" with her. We have no prior medical record and what we learned while in Ukraine wasn't entirely accurate anyway. We keep getting told one thing, only to later learn that maybe that "thing" isn't the case. Doctors keep telling us what they think, but so far there hasn't been real proof OR Mira hasn't lived up to expectations on what they thought. We thought we were adopting a little girl with only spina bifida. We understood that there would be institutional delays and issues to go along with that. We just weren't prepared for the severity of these issues.

(on the airplane coming to the USA)

Finally, after all these months, I took Mira to see a geneticist.It was the best appointment we have had yet. We learned some very sad things but now at least I KNOW. I know that autism is a word that professionals like to throw around when they don't know what is really wrong with a child. I know that Mira does NOT have autism. I know that for medical support reasons, we will continue to label her as such even though the geneticist assures me that it is only a label and not an issue Mira has. I know that Mira has moderate mental retardation caused by nine months in an alcoholic mother and minimum nine months with uncontrolled hydrocephalus and many more months of neglect. All of these things damamged different levels of the brain, so that rather than one area of the brain being damaged by all these things, many areas are damaged. Mira's mobility is obviously impaired due to Spina Bifida, but her judgement, emotions, empathy, social and sensory centers were all damaged also.

I had an amazing talk with the doctor, I feel like I finally REALLY understand what Mira's little brain has gone through. I learned so much about what the future will look like for Mira and our family. I'm a little sad that she doesn't have autism, because autism is so much better in so many ways than what she does have, but I'm thankful that I now know what is going on. Mira will require constant, consistent care for the rest of her life, but I laid down my independence a long time ago. Right now my biggest prayer is that Mira would learn empathy, compassion, love, and all the things that usually develop in those parts of the brain.

God is good and I am so thankful for doctors who care enough to explain every little detail of the human body and how it is so wonderfully created. In a perfect world, the human brain is an amazing thing. Only God could have made something so intricately detailed and to function so marvelously.

If you read this blog and would like to know more about Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, neural development, spina bifida, etc. please feel free to email me anytime.
lydia@strongsignals.net

What to do with leftover paint

2011-05-02T09:57:00.000-07:00

I have several 1/2 full cans of spray paint in varying colors. I hate to waste, so I save them, waiting for a small project to come along. A couple of weekends ago, while picking the girls up from a sleepover, I stumbled upon a great little yardsale. I picked up these two little items for 50 cents each.

The first is a solid wood tray and the second is/was a tin planter with a flower painted on it.

That planter is now jade green and holds my biscuit cutters. I like to find unique ways to keep my open kitchen shelving tidy.

The wood tray was painted a light celadon green and is used to hold various candles.

That above picture is old, that tray isn't even there any more. I moved it to another spot with another candle. In case y'all haven't figured it out...I move stuff around pretty regularly.

Next up is a desk I bought for $3 at a yardsale. It's old but solid, and it works for a kid's room due to its small size. Kimberly has been wanting her own desk for writing stories and solving mysteries ( she is now begging for a vintage typewriter in a cool color).

Before:

Sorry, I had removed all the drawers and primed them before I thought to take a picture. And here is the after:

Remember, I'm using leftover paint, so nothing matches:)

Kimberly loves her little desk and can't wait to get the typewriter. I've found several but am holding out for the perfect one in a perfect color. I love vintage typewriters, they are so cute and colorful. Fortunately there are several dealers who still make supplies for them so Kimberly will be able to type her stories the old-fashioned way.

Do you throw your 1/2 empty spray paint cans away or save them up for future projects?

Finally!

2011-04-26T12:31:00.000-07:00

I have finally finished multiple projects. Yay me! I'm hoping to show you at least three this week, if I find time to blog.

This first one is a fun first-time project for me. I had been seeing all over the blogosphere that folks were repurposing their brass chandeliers. When Rich and I bought this house there was a chandelier in the dining room. We took it down immediately and threw it in the crawl space under the house. See, even way back then (10 years ago), I knew it was ugly.

Here's mine:

I removed all the wiring, took it apart, and spray painted it. Not necessarily in that order. I really wanted to make a hanging candle holder but it wasn't working for me. I intend to try again if I can find a freebie chandelier at some point.

So here's what I turned that ugly piece o' brass into.

The little one is more of an architectural interest piece and the taller one makes a great pillar candle holder, don't ya think?

I'm linking to:

I pity the dragon...

2011-04-26T12:16:00.000-07:00

I pity the dragon...and the horse. This knight in ~~shining~~ plastic armor makes do with whatever steed he can get his hands on. If even if it does belong to an American Girl. What she doesn't know won't kill her, right?

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

2011-04-18T06:32:00.000-07:00

A Prayer For Children

Written By: Ina J. Hughs

We pray for children...
Who give us sticky kisses, who hop on rocks and chase butterflies,
Who stomp in puddles and ruin their math workbooks,
Who can never find their shoes.

And we pray for those
Who stare at photographers from behind barbed wire,
Who've never squeaked across the floor in new sneakers,
Who've never ‘counted potatoes,'
Who are born in places we wouldn't be caught dead,
Who never go to the circus,
Who live in an X-rated world.

We pray for children
Who bring us fistfuls of dandelions and sing off key,
Who have goldfish funerals, build card-table forts,
Who slurp their cereal on purpose,
Who put gum in their hair, put sugar in their milk,
Who spit toothpaste all over the sink,
Who hug us for no reason,
Who bless us each night.

And we pray for those
Who never get dessert,
Who watch their parents watch them die,
Who have no safe blanket to drag behind,
Who can not find any bread to steal,
Who don't have any rooms to clean up,
Whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser,
Whose monsters are real.

We pray for those
Who spend all of their allowance before Tuesday,
Who throw tantrums in the grocery store, and pick at their food,
Who like ghost stories,
Who shove dirty clothes under the bed, and never rinse out the tub,
Who get quarters from the tooth fairy,
Who don't like to be kissed in front of the carpool, \
Who squirm in church and scream on the phone,
Whose tears we sometimes laugh at, and whose smiles can make us cry.

And we pray for those
Whose nightmares come in the daytime,
Who will eat anything,
Who have never seen a dentist,
Who aren't spoiled by anybody,
Who go to bed hungry and cry themselves to sleep,
Who live and move, but have no being.

We pray for children
Who want to be carried, and for those who must,
For those we never give up on, and for those who don't have a chance,
And we pray for those who will grab the hand of anybody kind enough to offer.

(Mira in the orphanage)

This poem makes me cry, because it is true. I have four children who have experienced all the sweet, funny, charming, exasperating things this poem speaks of. But I also have one little girl who has known some of the horrors mentioned in this writing. And when I look at her and think of where she has been, I am so very thankful for where she is now and hopeful about what her future holds. She is home, home, HOME! And she knows what smiles are, and what laughter is, and what a hug feels like.

Satan is trying his best to destroy what FAMILY is all about. I pray every day that God will allow Rich and I to be an example of what marriage should be and what family should be, and I pray that my children will grow up to continue the example that they learned at home.

Wouldn't it be something if they all ended up adopting children someday?

Update on Us

2011-04-11T07:40:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't been blogging very frenquently lately. So much has been going on in my life and this blog hasn't been my first priority. However, this week is a school-free week for us, since the girls are in standardized testing Monday through Wednesday, so today I am finally going to update you all!

We are enjoying the warmer weather. We take school outside on many days, especially botany class. Even Kimberly has taken her personal journaling and drawing outdoors, just to get away from the clamor of 4 siblings inside.

Kimberly is such an awesome help around the house, entertaining her siblings and helping me with the housework. I am so blessed to have her for my firstborn. She's a good kid!

Kimberly has been flying through 4th grade, although she is still doing 3rd grade math. She recently memorized the entire 145th Psalm for a speech recital our church held.

At age 9, Kimberly doesn't get much opportunity to "just be a kid" and I am working on ways to make that happen. She has finally found a special friend that she can have sleepovers with and share laughs with (that isn't related to her), that has been an answer to this mommy's prayer. Remember those special friends from your own childhood?

Lauren is doing great. She recently got new orthotics and walking sticks and is adapting to both. One blessing that came out of my illness is that Lauren learned to take care of her own toileting routine. She can now catheter herself and change her own pull-up. We ask for continued prayer for Lauren as we work towards getting her into real underwear this year. We are really praying that surgical intervention will not be required, but we just don't know yet. Her bowels are the main issue at this point, everything else related to Spina Bifida is under control.

Lauren is still very much a little princess, a total girly-girl. She loves dress-up and Barbies and musicals. Lauren will be singing a solo in our church's Easter drama. I'm so proud of her for stepping out and doing this, because she is really not comfortable getting up in front of people. She worries that they are seeing her orthotics and crutches instead of the girl wearing them. Rich and I pray that God will really give Lauren a desire to minister to people musically and that it will inspire and encourage people to a closer walk with God and a better understanding of His perfect plan for the lives of all people, especially those with special needs.

Brandon and Connor are still my crazy boys. They are growing up way too fast. In May they will complete kindergarten. The try my patience every day with their "boy" ways. I long for a place in the country where I can let them run wild, climbing trees and catching critters. They need to get that energy out! We do what we can on our small property, though!

They both feed off of each other and will encourage each other to climb to new heights (literally). There isn't a tree on our property or a wall in our house they they haven't attepted to scale. Broken collar bones are worth it. Bugs are their friends. Everything is a sword. New paint is meant to be picked off. Holes in walls are places to store treasure. Curtains are meant for swinging like Tarzan. So are ceiling fans. Stairs are for sliding down. Rugs burns are worth it. Touching electric fences is fun. Giving other people a "jolt" by sliding your feet across carpet is hilarious. Monkeys aren't the only ones that can jump on beds. Hardwood floors are for sock-skating. Bruised bottoms are worth it. Twin brothers are God's way of giving you a wrestling partner. Sharing a bed means sharing a wrestling ring. Parents yelling up the stairs all evening to "Stop that!" is worth it.

They boys are thriving, alive and well, and it is only by the grace of God. I am seriously surprised that they have had no serious injuries yet. And I am also surprised at how often and well I laugh at/with them. A mother of twin sons either lives in constant fear or knows no fear...cuz it just ain't worth it:) God is in control and I gave my boys to Him a long time ago.

Mira is doing so well. I am starting to really believe that her autism is institutional and that *possibly* she can outgrow it. In 6 months, her speech and cognitive development has jumped from that of a 12 month old to that of a nearly 3 year old. That is huge! She is beginning to use complete sentences and make her needs known. This is so much better than the guessing game we were continually playing. Communication is the key for peace of mind for parents and their kids.

Mira still struggles with echolalia and this is the one thing that really gets on my nerves. I'm being completely honest here. I know a lot of adoptive moms read my blog, and I struggle with how open to be concerning our struggles, I would never want to turn people away from adopting. Please feel free to email me if you are having struggles with an older adopted child or FAS, RAD, autism, etc. Anyway, back to echolalia....I have to bite my tongue any time this crops up, I know it isn't Mira's fault...but still SO annoying. But....it is getting better. If we could get this worked out, Mira would probably no longer need speech therapy.

The big prayer request for Mira right now is her weight. She is still not really gaining weight or growing fast enough. We start genetic testing in a few weeks (which had to be put off due to my winter illness) and are hoping to find out an underlying cause for her problems. There is definitely a metabolic problem. We are also hoping to find out if Mira has any other genetic disorders. She seems to have so many things already (sigh)...poor kid. Arthrogryposis, Spina Bifida, RAD, FAS, Autism, and definitely some GI issues. God knew all this before her life began and for some reason He chose our family to be hers, so He definitely knows we can provide for her care...which sometimes I honestly wonder about.

Mira is working on weight-bearing and trying to be mobile right now. I honestly believe she will spend her life in a wheelchair, but we are giving her every opportunity to make it otherwise. She is learning to dress herself, and we hope to have that down pat by the summer. Giving a special-needs child even just a little bit of independence is HUGE for them.

Rich is still plugging away at IBM. We thank God everyday for a steady job and a steady income. Rich is very involved in our church and loves serving alongside others in our church family. Rich also enjoys helping other Christian families and churches set up websites for their businesses. Right now, his big "thing" is Stargate. He working his way through all the series and all the movies, and even some of the books! I thank God every day for my man, he is such a good provider and father!

I'm slowly getting back to "normal," whatever that is:) My bout with mono really set me back some and it is taking time to get back into the swing of things. I'm loving the warmer weather (some days have been in the 80s) and have enjoyed painting outside as well as reading on the hammock. Life is sweet right now, filled with friends, children, family and laughter. I thank God continuously for the many joys in my life. He is so good to me! I know I've shared this with you before but I'm sharing it again because it is such a sweet reminder of His overwhelming goodness.

Are you counting your many blessings?

It's been a long time...

2011-04-09T12:21:00.000-07:00

It's been a long time since I've posted anything. I'm still painting (the weather has been so nice lately) and decorating, just too ~~lazy~~ busy to blog about it.

I love vintage art that has a known history behind it. I love it even more if it's something a family member made and if it ties in with my whole "cottage" scheme. My mom is an amazing seamtress/fabric crafter.She does beautiful embroidery. Check this out:

Look at that detail! This "picture" is quite large, so many years ago my Mom had a custom frame made for this piece. The frame is beautiful solid wood, but dark. Too dark for the light colors in my home.

So, of course I painted the frame. I really love how this piece of embroidery looks in my kitchen. Every single detail, even the brick wall behind the milk jug is hand embroidered by my Mom. Pretty special, eh?

My Mom also recently gave me a milk jug similar to the one pictured in her embroidery. The jug belonged to my grandmother and before that to my great-uncle who was a dairy farmer in Virginia. I'm in the process of stripping and sealing it (it was painted with lead paint) and re-painting it. Maybe someday you'll get to see it. I'm still trying to decide what to do with it, it's quite large. My grandmother used it as an umbrella stand. I'll probably put it on the hearth with a plant in it.

Do you have any family heirlooms or pieces of interest that have been handed down to you?

Good grief...we need some good climbing trees in our yard!

2011-04-01T06:34:00.000-07:00

My kids love to climb. They climb the walls, they climb the furniture, they climb trees that clearly cannot hold their weight. Many branches have been broken around here. There have been many falls and many yells of, "Help me, Mommy, I'm stuck!" We need some good climbing trees! Still dreaming of that place in the country...unfortunately by the time we get it, the kids will be too old for climbing. But the grandkids won't be:)

Coffee Table

2011-03-21T11:23:00.000-07:00

I bought this coffee table just after New Year's. I found it at Goodwill for $12 and grabbed it up. I loved how rustic it looked and also how solid and heavy it is. I knew it needed some paint but for $12, it was a steal.

First I sprayed it with Krylon's Ivory. The table had stains and rough spots,it was pretty beat up...therefore, no sanding was required. I usually only sand items that are slick or glossy in order to give it a good surface to stick to.

After spraying it, I went over it with antiquing glaze. I love glazing! It gave the coffee table the rustic look I wanted. It looks old and vintage now (at least I think so).

The trick is to not wipe too much of the glaze off, let some it stick behind. It looks like industrial grease, or something to that effect.

It really looks better in person, I don't have the best camera for blogging this type of thing.
How do you like that pillow? Found it at TJ Maxx last week. It was a splurge but is perfect for me, since it says "tea" in French and then lists several types of tea. French and Tea are two of my favorite things.

More projects in the works. I am loving spring and spray paint! Linking to:

ROFL!

2011-03-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

In case you didn't know, ROFL means "rolling on floor laughing." While I don't actually roll on the floor, I do laugh a lot. Having five kids is so good for the soul. Kids are hysterical. You may not find this story funny, but I wanted to document it for my own sake.

My kids are constantly inventing things. What this really means is that toys get purposely taken apart in order to create new things. It also means that string and tape get used in obscene amounts around here. I don't complain too much, I believe in letting the kids get creative, as long as nothing important or special is destroyed in the process. Remember the "bad" neighbor kid in Toy Story? All those mix n' match monster toys he created? Sometimes I find things that look like that around here.

Other times I find things like this:

I found this on top of the boys dresser. It case you can't tell, that is a maxi pad wrapped around a bracelet and attached to a book. When I asked Brandon what it was, he informed me that Lauren made it for him so he could carry the book around. It's a book handle.

I'm still laughing over this. I still have no idea why Lauren thought it was ok to "publicize" a maxi pad. Yes, she knows what it is and what it is for. Every year (started spring 2010) I take the girls away for a weekend for girl talk." Sometimes it will be with another mommy and her girls, sometimes it's just us. Last year, my girls got baskets filled with stuff that we were going to "discuss" over the weekend. Deodorant, razors, pads, washcloths, etc. Every year we talk about the facts of life (what I think they need to know), what it means to be a Christian girl in today's world, and what a keeper of the home really is. I love my special talks with my girls, and that one weekend a year carries into the year with open communication and trust all year long.

Anyway, to finish the story...I asked Brandon how he was supposed to actually read the book since it was held shut by the pad. He peeled one side of the pad back, showed me how to read the book and then slapped it back on. I was biting my lip to keep from laughing.

Needless to say, I had to "undo" this invention. It just wasn't appropriate with all the kids we have over on a regular basis. What funny kid inventions have you seen lately?

Days made for painting...and adding "spring" to the home.

2011-03-16T09:56:00.000-07:00

Years ago, when my brother worked for a moving company, he was given two chairs which the owners didn't want in their new home. He gave them to me. They are heavy and pretty solid. I don't usually pass up on free chairs, extra seating in our home is always nice to have. Here is one of them on my back porch, which looks really rough after a winter of neglect.

I spray painted one of the chairs gray and the other one jade, using Krylon, which I love.

I decided that since I was adding newly painted chairs to my living room, I needed to rearrange everything and create a cozy seating area as well as add some spring vignettes. Here is one of my spring displays before I put my new tablecloth on the table, which you will see later.

Here is our living room! I love it! There is enough seating for a crowd if we need it. The kids and I love to gather around the coffee table (which is a project I will work on at a later time) and read our history lesson together. I am also going to paint the bench and already have a phrase picked out that I will stencil on the seat. Look for the coffee table and bench in future posts.

See my beautiful new tablecloth in the background there? My sweet friend gave that to me. I just love it, very "shabby" and cottage-y. I have no idea what that white spot is on my blanket basket which is under the table. And who can spot my cat's hiney? And Lauren's leg? Another project you can look for in the future...see that chair next to the fireplace? The dark wood one? My friend gave me two of these, they are antiques with twine seats...but the seats are very damaged. I think I can remove the seats and upholster them. I also want to paint the chairs. I'm still thinking through this project, so it may have to wait until this summer. First comes the coffee table and the bench! And a couple of other things that are currently in the works.

What are projects are you working on right now?

Gorgeous weather!

2011-03-14T05:16:00.000-07:00

Don't you just love when the first warm days of the new year arrive? I do! The Bradford Pear trees that line our property are blooming, the forsythia bush is aglow in sunny color, and the temperatures are occasionally hitting 70 degrees Farenheit around here!

I just love this time of year! The paint projects get carried outdoors and the wheels of my mind are turning to decorating projects. Last night I completely rearranged my living room...again:) I have 4 different projects in the works, which will be shown on my other blog.

The kids are really enjoying the weather. Every moment that they can, they spend climbing trees, picking flowers, making chalk drawings on the driveway, biking and pogo-hopping. Every thing comes alive in the spring, including kids who have spent way too many hours playing Playstation while their mommy was sick.

I've switched out most of our wardrobes and we are wearing sandals and flip-flops on a regular basis now. The boys are in short sleeves (they can throw on a jacket if chilly) and the girls and I are wearing dresses and skirts a little more frequently. I've already been asked when we will be going swimming...not quite yet, my dears!

Homeschool is more fun because we can take it outdoors more. Reading on the hammock is so restful. Botany class has more meaning in the spring and the kids are soaking up the information regarding the green kingdom. We use nature in our math examples and story problems.

...and did I mention that I get to paint stuff again? Paint doesn't "set up" right in the winter months. I love spring!

Thank you God, For spring!

St. Patrick's Month

2011-03-11T06:13:00.000-08:00

We are trying to add more green food to our plates this month. And by green, I don't mean healthy. I mean GREEN in honor of St. Patrick's Day which we celebrate this month. We eat healthy green veggies all the time, so that doesn't count. We are trying to add items that we don't make on a regular basis.

Lauren made green spiral cookies. These are so fun to make and we can change the color up for any season or holiday. We don't make cookies much during the winter and spring because I get so burnt out on baking sweets during the holiday season, so this was a real treat for our family. Yummy!

Brandon tried his hand at following the recipe for Watergate Salad. Or is it Waldorf? I love both salads (the other one is made with apples) and they are both named after hotels but everyone I talk to disagrees on which salad is called what...

This one has mini marshmallows and lime pudding in the mix. Pineapples and walnuts and Cool Whip, oh my! Just delish! Again, this is something that I don't make often because I almost never have mini marshmallows or Cool whip on hand. Although...this is so easy, I should have the kids make it more often.

Happy St Patrick's month! Have you researched it's origins yet? Go do it and then make something green for your family to eat.

Hospitality Link-up party and a give-away

2011-03-05T05:58:00.000-08:00

Ok, let's try this. It may not work and I may not do it again. I thought it would be fun to tell about a time that we showed hospitality (or received it) in the last month, in order to encourage others to do the same. I'll go first:
In February, we decided to have several families over at one time, since I had been sick for almost two months and our hospitality had really suffered. Since I am still recouperating, I really needed to keep things simple and easy. Here is the meal: Spiral ham, baked mac n' cheese, broccoli salad, rolls, chocolate pies with cool whip and strawberries.

The mac n' cheese is my own recipe that I adapted from others. It is super yummy and so easy. The nice thing about it is that I can cook the noodles a day in advance, then all I have to do on the day we have guests is to put it together and in the oven. The broccoli salad can be made the day of and refrigerated until guests arrive. The pies were made that morning. I also cut the strawberries that morning. One of my friends brought the rolls, so I didn't even have to worry about bread which was so nice. I tried something new with the ham and stuck it in a crockpot all day. It worked really well since I didn't have to use up oven space (which I needed for the mac n' cheese). Next time I will cook it for a shorter length of time since it was a little dry.

Seating arrangements for a crowd:

Adults were at a long folding table (borrowed from a friend) in the living room.

Boys were in the kitchen.

Girls were in the schoolroom at the coffee table.

I used paper goods for the kids, so they could just throw their own stuff away when they were finished and then go play.

The kids had a ball with all their friends, playing indoors and outdoors. Once it got dark, I think they all played "Spies" and tag. There's nothing like a yard full of laughing, screaming kids.

We adults visited a little during dinner. Next time, I would definitely like more of a chance to chat but we pulled out a comedy DVD for our guests after the meal was over on this particular occasion. Some of our guests were/are going through some tough times and laughter always makes everything better...at least that's what I think. And boy, did we laugh. I absolutely love laughing and joking with my friends, there's almost nothing better. The gal pals that I am closest to are the ones I can laugh with and let my hair down with. They are the friends who know I have a really weird laugh that I hate...does anyone else hate their laugh?

So, I would definitely change the fact that we didn't have as much conversation as I would have like. And I would change the fact that the ham was so dry. But other than that...I think this hospitality venture turned out ok. I am most thankful for the friendships that Rich and I develop through opening our home to others and so very thankful that my kids get so excited about having guests over.

Now your turn! If you have a blog, post about a time during this past month (February) that you showed hospitality to someone in your home. Tell me the pros and cons, what you would change, what you loved. Don't feel like you have to post photos. Leave a comment telling me that you are posting so I can visit your blog. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling me about your hospitality experience. All comments will be entered in the give-away. I still haven't decided what that is yet....

And yes, I am still working on that linky button for this hospitality party. I have the design and the saying/motto all completed. I just need to figure out how it works on Blogger...I'm no techie, that's for sure!

Thanks for joining me!

The Mommy Pages

Baby Steps

Welcome to Holland

New Year's Resolutions

Merry Christmas!

Luke 2:1-20

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

That Other Woman

Saturday after Thanksgiving

Friday Afternoon

Black Friday Shopping

Thanksgiving in Georgia: Thursday

Mother-Son Date Night at Chik-Fil-A

Money management

Dilemma: discuss

New Art Center

Good for a laugh....

Star-gazing

From Dad

Day Trips

The Wonderful Tasty State Fair

Family Reminders

Fall!

Just for Mom

Vacation!

Adoption Support

Before & After

What we've been up to...

How I feel about Facebook

Can you say, "Project Runway Addiction"?

Bugs!

Harry Potter

Remembering

What I've read this year...that I enjoyed.

Books, books, and more books

Whew- blogging is hard work!

Under construction

Food, food,and some raspberry lemonade.

New Favorite Site

Life goes on...

Where am I?

He's with Jesus!

A Hard Day

Use those extra linens!

That was a what?!

Enjoying our summer!

For the Birds

Things that make me laugh

Critters

Updates

Historical Treasures

Summer Love

Check this out!

It's Summer!

My favorite project yet

paint, paint, and more paint.

*NOTICE*

All dressed up!

What a difference a coat of paint makes!

I feel...

Special Delivery!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Now we know...

What to do with leftover paint

Finally!

I pity the dragon...

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month

Update on Us

It's been a long time...

Good grief...we need some good climbing trees in our yard!

Coffee Table

ROFL!

Days made for painting...and adding "spring" to the home.

Gorgeous weather!

St. Patrick's Month

Hospitality Link-up party and a give-away

NOTICE