Free money!!!

That's right. From now until Sun, Ordinary Hero is offering us free money to help with our adoption costs! 

Check out these beautiful bracelets! Mother's Day is coming up!

Beautiful Cuff Bracelets

Or what about this cute tote??

Cute tote bag

They also have added another option for the sheep. You can now donate half a sheep to those in need. 

Food for those in need

Please go and check out Ordinary Hero. You can change lives!! 

A fundraising grant opportunity!!

We have started fundraising to bring our babies home!!! 

And Ordinary Hero is stepping in to help us out. 

NOW is the time to order Ordinary Hero gear. 

Now through Sunday there are offering a $500 grant to the top seller!!! Plus there's another $250 grant available to us because we are brand new to selling with them. 

40% of your purchase goes towards our adoption costs. Simply choose my name from the drop-down affiliate box. Sale prices applicable through Sunday! 

Can you please help us? They have GREAT items to choose from. Beautiful jewelery, orphan-minded t-shirts for the whole family, etc. They even have some items on clearance this week. 


There are also options to donate items to families in need. You can feed 40 people in Ethiopia with your donation of one sheep!!!

All of our fundraising efforts will also be matched by Promise 686, up to $6,000. 

Take a look and Thank you!!! :) 

Pre-Summit Event for Adoptive Moms

I would love to attend this!! What a refreshing time for an adoptive mom.

If you're going to the Summit, you should really arrive a little early on the 11th and attend this wonderful time of rest, refreshment and encouragement. I was privileged to be able to hear some of these women speak earlier in the year at Created For Care and I was so inspired!!

Sunday's Comin'

A day in the life

My day began at 3am when my two middle children came in because of a massive thunderstorm. 

Since they share a room with the youngest, I was afraid she might wake up scared when she saw that they were gone, so I asked Tim to go get her too. When he laid her down next to me she looked at me and said, "I wasn't even scared." Alrighty then, next time we will leave you to your self ma'am. 

So after about 45 min of wiggling, all three were back to sleep and my sweet hubby was on the couch. 

At 6am, I received a call from my neighbor who drives the kids to school and her power is out and she wont be driving in this morning. Sweet. 

We make the hour round trip ride to school and back and walk in the house to find an open box that once contained a chocolate cross for Easter. 

I know this is terrible, but the first thought I had was, "I paid more for that than the stupid chocolate bunny that was on the shelf next to it!" Awful, I know. 

Second thought was to google how chocolate affects dogs. 

I quickly realized that the amount of chocolate multiplied by the size of my tiny dogs, was not a good combo. 

So I called the vet. They were not open yet. So I put the dogs and Vivian in the car to be at the vets office when they open. When we got there, I noticed that someone was already there, so I run in like a mad woman asking them what I need to do for the dumb precious puppy that has eaten chocolate. At this point, I could see the evidence on one of their faces but not the other, so I wasn't sure if they both snacked or not. The awesome vet told me what to do at home, so no $$ required! A benefit of living in a small town. 

So back home we all go, and I get the peroxide out and try to get the little one, who still has chocolate on her face, to drink it first. 

Or not.

She acted like I was trying to rip her little face off. So I called Tim and got cranky with him because he couldn't stop what he was doing and drive home to show this little 7lb puppy who is boss. 

I went back in to the bathroom with a new attitude and got some of it down her throat, and most of it all over the bath tub. Then I realized that I was out of peroxide. 

So Vivian and I ran to the little store right up the road and bought another bottle. While in the car, I called and apologized to Tim for being snippy and he suggested a medicine dropper. Aha!!

I went back into the bathroom with the medicine dropper, the new bottle of peroxide and decided to DO THIS THING!!

Now during all of this imagine a little voice behind you narrating your EVERY MOVE. Sweet, sweet Vivian was very interested in every step I took. 

After a few min, all of that chocolate came right up and we were in the clear. 

Then all I had to do was give both dogs a bath (which may or may not have resulted in myself and the entire bathroom being soaking wet because the sprayer had a mind of it's own,) blow dry their hair, brush them, mop the bathroom floor, wash all the towels and floor mat, wash my clothes and take a shower myself.  

I am exhausted and it's only 10:30!!

Let's recap the blessings...

Both dogs are still alive

It only cost me about .25 worth of peroxide
No one got hurt even though all of this happened before I had my coffee

Palm Sunday

As soon as He was approaching, near the descent of the Mount of Olives,

the whole crowd of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles which they had seen, shouting:

"BLESSED IS THE KING WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD;

Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!" Luke 19:37-38

My week in review

 

 

I am really loving linking up over at Filled With Praise My Week in Review. I am challenged weekly to focus on what God is doing in my life. It's a great accountability tool for me.

 

 

 

 

Highs for the week:

This week was busy.

I had something that took me away from home every day. That equals lots of drive time for me and Vivian. It also means lots of sweet discussion and singing together.

We went to school and had lunch with the big girls. I brought in cupcakes to celebrate Leah's birthday, which is next week. I love catching a glimpse into their day and interacting with them while they are with their friends.

Cupcakes in the classroom. Madison got to pop over from her class for a few minutes.

Mama and Leah

I also was able to go to MOPS this week. It strikes me as funny that I have a daughter entering high school in the fall, and I have just joined MOPS for the first time. Now I realize, I have been missing out! This week was such a sweet time. A group of older women came in to serve the younger women with a tea party. Women who have grown children and now have grand children, ministering to moms with young children. Priceless! There was also a time of testimony that really touched my heart. These women truly love God and are so thankful to Him for the relationships that He has places in their lives through Mops. Women so need other women in their everyday lives. Such a great source of encouragement and accountability. I am really looking forward to getting more involved with these ladies in the fall and building some relationships.

Lows of the week:

The hubster and I had to make a decision this week that was difficult.

Lesson learned:

This was a week of reflection for me.

And what I came away with God's timing is perfect.

And He loves me right where I am. Ugly flaws and all, I am a precious child to Him.

I deserve His wrath, but I have His Mercy.   



Looking outward-Radically speaking

I have been thinking (almost consumed) lately about having an outward focus.

It's so easy not to.

We are all very busy.

And it's easy to stay in our bubble.

I have been praying that God would help me step out in Him.

Help me focus on others and how I can serve Him through loving them.

Most of the time we don't take the time to even know others, much less love them.

Jesus requires radical obedience.

Are we really serving Him, or are we serving ourselves?

Loving your kids from here

Loving them from afar has got to be one of the hardest things about the adoption process. You long to hold them. You long to have them in your world. You long to begin your new life together. But you must wait on the Lord's timing. 

I have been following a blog that had such an encouraging post about this a few weeks ago. I keep going back to it and re-reading because she "get's" it. And I need to hear it. 

Loving your kids from here @ Dreaming Big Dreams

Beautiful

We have an awesome radio station here in Atlanta, 104.7 The Fish. It's a very encouraging, "safe-for-the-whole-family" station. And on FB the other day, they asked if there's a song that's currently playing on their station that speaks to you. I called in and told them how "Beautiful" by Mercy Me is encouraging me greatly.

 

We are waiting for news from the opposite side of the world.




Waiting to hear if two beautiful children will join our family.

 

My comfort is knowing that God knows where they are.



He loves them.



No matter what their story is, they are beautiful to Him.

The FISH liked my story, and they are playing it on their station now. :)

Beautiful

Days will come when you don't have the strength

And all you hear is you're not worth anything

Wondering if you ever could be loved

And if they truly saw your heart

They'd see too much

You're beautiful, You're beautiful

You are made for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful, You're beautiful

You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His

You're beautiful

Praying that you have the heart to fight

Cuz you are more than what is hurting you tonight

For all the lies you've held inside so long

But they are nothing in the shadow of the cross

You're beautiful, You're beautiful

You are made for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful, You're beautiful

You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His

You're beautiful

Before you ever took a breath

Long before the world began

Of all the wonders He possessed

There was one more precious

Of all the earth and skies above

You're the one He madly loves

Enough to die!

You're beautiful, You're beautiful

In His eyes

You're beautiful!

You are made for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful!

You are treasured, you are sacred, you are His

You're beautiful!

You are made for so much more than all of this

You're beautiful!

You are treasured

You are sacred

You are His

Who do you admire most?

Admire- To hold in high regard, to esteem, to regard with wonder

I think in our culture today we often regard things (and people) that are worthless. Money, fame, power...

I want to admire people with good character. 

A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.

Prov 22:1

I admire someone who stands up for what they believe in. I admire those who are passionate about those they love. I admire those who will do "hard things" in life.

I admire my husband for stepping into the role of father for a child who was fatherless.

I admire my mother for having raising my sister and I on her own.

I admire my daughter who is extremely shy as I watch her interact with her peers.

I admire the members of my family that have fought for my freedom.

Lord, help me to stay focused on things that are worth heavenly admiration. Things of you and you alone.

What I spend my money on

This is not a rant.

Well, maybe a tiny one. ;)

We are on spring break and I took my girls to the mall today.

There really are no words for how materialistic our society is. It was sickening.

Don't get me wrong, I like pretty things. I even have a couple of things in my house that aren't broken. Yet.

Most of the time I am pretty frugal. But the light has come on in a whole new way recently.

I am sure it has something to do with the upcoming trip to Africa. All of my thoughts filter through that lens right now.

Judging from the mall, no one is feeling any sort of economic pinch. As we walked out of the PACKED OUT American Girl Place (after window shopping only) we had a little chat about what is most important. Buying another doll or feeding children who have no food. We shouldn't feel guilty that we live in America. God has given us a great life and luxuries like having dolls to dress up. We should enjoy that life and be thankful. But we also shouldn't spend money like fools. The hard part is finding that balance in a "must-have-everything" society. Especially when you are raising little ones in it.

Highs and Lows

My week in review....

The Highs:

Not having to get up early
Relaxing with my girls on spring break

Watching a movie with my hubby

Date night!!

The Lows:

Still sick

Date night ended with a dead car battery

Still no news from Ug*nda....This is the hardest one.

"Yet those who wait for the LORD Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary." Isaiah 40:31

Can we change the world?

The blog idea today is to share some way that you dream about changing the world.

"Sometimes I would like to ask God why He allows poverty, famine and injustice in the world, when He can do something about it... But I'm afraid He might ask me the same question." -Anonymous

I read this on an adoption blog a few months ago and it really resonated with me. God was moving in my heart and I began to pray that He would show me something that this mama could do boldly for Him. He answered that prayer and began to really open my eyes to the orphan crisis in Africa.

Now don't get me wrong, we have an orphan crisis in America too. There are children that need homes. And don't even get me started on the abortion EPIDEMIC that is reality here.

But the orphan crisis is on a MUCH larger scale in Africa. My heart broke when I saw a documentary by Sixty Feet just days after we heard about the twins in Ug*nda needing a home. The children in the documentary are living in unspeakable conditions and God used a small group from a church in Atlanta to go there and help. You really should check out the amazing things that God is doing through the ministry of Sixty Feet. I sat in the room that night and thanked God that I was there to see the film. As hard as it was for me to watch, I needed to see it. I needed to have my heart broken for what breaks His.

The way to change the orphan crisis in Africa is not adoption. That will help, but not eradicate the problem. We have to be on the ground, helping, equipping, encouraging and bringing light to the gospel there.

That's my dream to change the world. Tim says that I will step off the plane in Ug*nda and call him and tell him to pack up the kids because we are moving to Africa. I don't know about that.

I really, really hate bugs.

But seriously, I don't know how I will feel. I have never been out of my comfort zone like that. The extent of my mission work has been to facilitate a VBS for a small church in Michigan by walking through the neighborhoods and inviting "underprivileged" children to come. I have never seen poverty and need up close and personal like I will experience in Africa. And as hard as it's going to be to see it, I pray that God will use that knowledge to help me change the world.

UBC- Day 4 (Problem Solving)

 Yes, I skipped Day 3. Still Sick. :(

Day 4 is......

 Problem Solving

Pick a problem and tell your blog readers how you solved it. 

I had great plans of taking a picture for you, but it just didn't happen. So you will have to visualize a bit. 

THE PROBLEM: Having multiple kids means having multiple towels in the bathroom. I have tried assigning each child a certain color of towel. That is all well and good except when said child is wet and the certain color of towel is not available. And that doesn't address the question of where all of these towels are going to hang to dry. 

I have put command hooks on the back of the door. The towels fall and/or make the door where it wont open all the way. 

I bought an expensive over the door drying rack that broke after about 4 months of heavy, wet towels hanging. 

Then one day I was visiting a bloggy friend, when I saw the perfect solution. 

Parents of a Dozen

She's brilliant!! 

So I went to Hobby Lobby and found a similar system. I bought two racks that have three hooks on each and put them side by side, right outside of the shower. There's room to put their names on their hook if I get around to it. For now I have told them it's oldest to youngest and it seems to be working well. We have room for two more. ;) 

Day 1 of the Ultimate Blog Challenge

I am on a quest to blog more so I am joining the Ultimate Blog Challenge.

Every day in the month of April, they will give me something to blog about. Easy Enough!

April 1

Tell your readers why you blog and what you enjoy most about blogging.  You could share what prompted you to start your blog, too.

Well, the first thing I want to say is that it's funny to me that I have "readers." I know you're there, because I track my readers, but it's hysterical to me that anyone cares what I have to say!

I started the blog to show pictures of the kids to out of town family. Simple as that.

But what I found was that I like to write. It's a good outlet for me. Let's face it. I have four daughters, so you can imagine how many words my husband hears in a day. The last thing he wants to hear is me carrying on about something silly. Soooooo, I blog it. :)

It's also been a way to connect and encourage others. That's what the body of Christ does y'all. And I love that part about blogging. If my joy and tears can bring glory to the Lord, then blogging is worth it for me.

And hopefully when I turn this in to a book for my kids, they will find it amusing.

UBC Day 2- National PB&J day!!

April 2nd is National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day!!!

(I am sick and waiting on adoption news, so humor me with this silly post.)

Now in our family, the PB&J is a big deal. We make homemade lunches 5 days a week for at least 4 people. Since the girls go to private school, we have the choice to make their lunch every day or pay about $5 a day, in advance for lunches. There is no, "I don't feel like making lunch today, so here's some money."
And then there's Tim, whose office is his truck, so he requires a lunch. And then on the days that Vivian and I are out of the house for lunch, we also require a lunch.

LOTS OF LUNCHES!!!!

PB&J is our go to sandwich.We do get creative with the jelly and buy different varieties. I believe black cherry is the fav at the moment.

Now, we do have one child who has thrown a wrench in the plan and doesn't like peanut butter. Seriously, what's not to like? So for her, we have to be more creative.

We also doll out peanut butter on a spoon occasionally for snacks. And we can't forget the PB&J crackers that I found last week. They were a big hit with the PB lovers.

We also recently made our own peanut butter with the Vita Mix. I will tell you more about our adventures with that in another post. It's AMAZING!!!!

My Week in Review @ Filled with Praise

My Week In Review

Low: Sick, Sick, Sick

Everyone in the house with the exception of Mackenzie is or has been sick this week. It's a cold virus, so nothing earth shattering. But it really hit me hard. I had to cancel several things today that I was looking forward to because I am just wiped out.

High: SPRING BREAK!!!!

It's here. The week we have all been waiting for. It officially starts now and we are so ready. No plans. Just hangin' out for 9 days straight. Oh yeah!!