There IS a God

Just seconds after my last post I sat down to do my devotion. The girls had friends over so were in the back of the house playing games and my husband was outside. It was quiet. I usually read "The Upper Room" along with reading part of the Bible and journaling in my prayer journal. I really have no rhyme or reason to my devotions- especially setting aside a certain time of day. I envy those who do. I usually spend time at night doing them when all the kiddos are in bed, but something told me make time this morning. Let me also add here that I NEVER look ahead in my Upper Room book and almost always look back at what I've read in previous days. This morning's devotion (and it is dated February 27, 2009 so I'm not behind or ahead at all!) left me speechless. Sobbing, really. Here is what it said-

God's Right Here

"Because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts."

Galatians 4:6

"My younger brother, Alan, had Down syndrome and died four months short of his 50th birthday. He was terrified of thunderstorms. Our mom taught Alan that when a storm approached, he should put his hand over his heart and say, "God's right here." After Mom died, Alan stayed overnight with my family once a week. When a storm was near, Alan would come to us and say, "God's right here." Then he would calm down. Later, when the storm passed, he would come to us and say, "Alan's all right."

What a wonderful picture of faith Alan gave us! When the storms of life threaten, we can follow Alan's example and remember that "God's right here"- right here in our heart, every single day of our lives. And if we believe that as strongly as Alan did, we, too, will be able to say, "I'm all right," even in fearsome times."

First, as soon as I read the Bible verse for the morning, Galatians 4:6, I paused. Hmmm...Then, I went on to read the first sentence and all I could see were those words- Down syndrome. Down syndrome. I completely lost it. Okay, God. Is this my thump on the head? My megaphone in the ear? The letter I asked you to write?

We are praying....please, join us.

In Him,

E

My heart is breaking...again

I woke this morning to some terrible news. Again, Ruslana's newly committed family is unable to proceed with her adoption. PLEASE, pray for this sweet angel. God has placed this child in my heart- I have loved her from the moment I laid eyes on her. She deserves more than a life in an institution which looking at the statistics wouldn't be very long. She turned 4 January 21st and is literally living on borrowed time. Ruslana needs a family NOW and has over $6,000 in grant funds! Visit Reece's Rainbow Adoption Ministry to find out more about this sweet girl. God has a plan for this angel- please pray.

I must also send out a praise that Leah has a committed family! Praise the Lord!

In Him,

E

Struggling

In all honesty, I have really been struggling lately. Not depressed struggling, just struggling. I feel with every fiber of my being that God calls us to adopt as He adopted us. There are many verses in the Bible that affirm this, one of my favorites being- "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." James 1:27.

A while back I was reading through the blog "A Place Called Simplicity" written by the Saunders' family Mom. You can read more about the Saunders by clicking the picture in my sidebar. I came across her post from this past December. I believe it says everything I feel. I believe in an Almighty God through whom which nothing is impossible. For the full post visit here. Here is just a portion-

"Some say, “What about my age?” Almighty God says: "Age, schmage!! Take in little ones!"

Some say, “I don’t really have time.” Almighty God, the defender of orphans and widows says, “You don’t have time? Time for what? The things you deem 'important'? I have told you what really matters – Caring for the orphans and widows!! How much clearer do I need to make it?!”

Some say, “But we can’t afford it right now.” Almighty God says, “You can’t afford not to! Watch me provide – you will be amazed!!”

Some say, “But I already have these kids and they are driving me crazy.” Almighty God says, “Stop using the world’s value system when it comes to kids! Their worth is beyond words – cherish them and bring more home!”

Some say, “But I need to spend time with the ones I do have”. Almighty God says, “Yes you do!! Stop wasting your time on all the things that don’t really matter and spend time with them – and teach them about selflessness by bringing home brothers and sisters for them….in fact teach them about sharing first hand! Teach them about caring for others first hand!!”

You might say, “My husband doesn’t want anymore.” Almighty God says, “Fast and pray for your husband’s heart to change – I am a big God and it certainly lines up with my will – fast, pray and watch and see what I do!!”

I will leave you with one verse that I hold dear to my heart and seem to repeat to myself often- "Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me." Psalm 51:10


Oh, and I almost forgot. I was driving home from town the other day and noticed a bit of wisdom on a church read-a-board. You know the church, the one that always has some neat little saying out by the street to get passersby thinking. Well, this one in particular said

"When you are too tired to stand...kneel." Love it!

Hope you have a blessed night!
In Him,
E

The answer to why showers are so long...

My Mom has always wondered why it take my kids so long to take showers. Well, here you go. And yes, it's an almost life size shaving cream horse. If you only knew my middle child.

Hope your days are as fun filled and exciting as ours'!

In Him,

E

My Other Love

This is what I found when I went to brush my teeth tonight. My guy knows my heart (and unfortunately my obsession for chocolate, I'm afraid). I LOVE YOU, BABE! Thank you!

In Him,

E

Weekend stuff

Thus far, this weekend has been busy to say the least. Yesterday started with our middle's basketball game. 19-19 tie in overtime. She played so well!

Hubby on his favorite toy

Hubby LOVES dirt bikes- the reason we have a track in the very back of our property. Our girls love watching too and join him on the track every once and a while on their 4 wheeler. Our two oldest have wanted to go to a Supercross event for some time. When hubby learned of the date the event would be held in Atlanta he immediately priced out tickets. Sorry- $50 each. Our oldest daughter said "wouldn't it be great if we could do that for my birthday?"- hint, hint. We told her "no" and dropped it....or so she thought. I asked hubby to look at tickets again and of course, there were some much cheaper. $10 to be exact. He didn't look at those before because he wanted "the good seats" (the cheap seats were awesome, by the way). So, in addition to her letters and the trunk, our girl got Supercross tickets for her birthday.

My middle making yummy banana bread- she loves cooking!

Friday began with making goodies for my sister and her family. Our youngest was going to spend Saturday night with them while we headed to Atlanta. One of the goodies that are so easy, we LOVE to make and people love to eat are Buckeyes (recipe at end of post). Chocolate and peanut butter- what could be better?!

Youngest making yummy Buckeyes!

The races were fun and as always, a culture shock for me. At one point I looked at my husband and said "I want to go back home to my bubble!". Can you tell I don't get out much? I know that God loves all people and that there are millions and millions and millions of people in the world, but when going to an event like this I am amazed. I see first hand how vast His love is. There were over 60,000 people there (not even a fraction of the entire world population), yet it seemed like so many to me. So many DIFFERENT types of people and guess what? He loves them all just as He loves me. It just blows me away. Maybe I'm a little naive, but it just puts things in perspective for me. At least a little. Thanks for the reminder.

We had a blast. Our guy (James "Bubba" Stewart") won, of course. Got home late- after 1AM. Headed over to my sister's this morning to pick up the little one. Now home to veg. It's cold today, so I'll probably be in this exact spot for most of the day. Oh, after I meet my brother-in-law to retrieve one pair of new glasses my youngest left there.

Out back on the track

Hubby is headed out to the track as I type this. Guess the races have him pumped. Better him than me!

Hope you all are having a blessed weekend!
In Him,

E

Yummy Buckeyes

1 1/2 cups peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup butter, softened

16 oz. confectioners sugar

1 package semisweet chocolate chips

Line cook sheet with waxed paper (or use metal baking sheet). Mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla and sugar with hands. Dough will be stiff. Shape into balls and place on wax paper or cookie sheet and refrigerate. Melt chocolate. Dip balls with toothpick until covered. Place back in refrigerator until chocolate is firm.

Changing

"Adopting one child cannot change the world. But for that one, the world has changed."

I read this somewhere this week and cannot remember where. Obviously, it is stuck- deep, deep down somewhere inside of me. I can't shake it. Praying for God's direction.
In Him,
E

A few things done..

We had some terrible storms last week so were stuck inside. Here is what I did one afternoon during a storm.

This is a picture of the window above my kitchen sink (check out the rain outside- our porch is 10 feet wide and yes, the rain is hitting the window!). I pinned just a few of my favorite photos onto the iron curtain rod so I can see them everytime I'm in the kitchen. I also pinned a photo I took of a cross, a photo of a door (just love it- no other reason) and a little something I typed up and printed out. It says "Love them like Jesus". Such a simple reminder. The sign "Live, Laugh, Love" is a treasure. My oldest made it for me last Christmas- I love that girl!

Now, yes, this is a photo of the inside of my closet. I have some wonderful things I received from my Grandparents' house when they passed away. Here are two things I have been carrying them around with me from room to room for literally a year! We are very limited on wall space in this house, so I decided to make my closet pretty. I hung the painting (of 3 girls!!) above the needlepoint my Grandmother did. I love it! I have a pretty closet and I'm reminded of my Grandparents everytime I open the door.

Here's my closet before.

And after-



Okay, now for the laundry room. Yes, I am showing you my laundry room but only half of it- you'll never see the other half! Before it was just a plain old boring, laundry cleaning room. That is until....I hung another of my Grandmother's needlepoints and added a few decorations. The needlepoint says "A Clean House is a Sign of a Wasted Life". Amen, Grandma!! I tell this to my husband all the time but he doesn't believe me.
The tassel is one of my favorites that I had left over from my tassel making frenzy during Christmas. The lamp was a 30 minute refurbish project I did that afternoon. A couple books and a glass jar full of York Peppermint Patties (just in case) and the laundry room was finished! Now, I flip on the lamp and actually enjoy my time in there.

Here are a couple photos of the lamp in progress. Before it was bright pink (I have 3 girls, remember?). You can see a tad of the pink at the top. I just painted over the pink with some of that Apple Barrel paint you can find at any craft store. Next, I tore all the pink fringe off the shade, got out my handy, dandy glue gun and added new black fringe around the bottom. It still didn't look quite right, so I added a bit of ribbon around the top. Viola! Finished in about 30 minutes. Of course, it was still a smidge wet as I carefully carried it to the laundry room, but I couldn't wait!

Hope you have a blessed weekend!
In Him,

E

Fashion rules from an 8 year old

Hat with pajamas

That's right. You are about to learn all types of things from this sweet 8 year old. I must first tell you that you have to learn to let go. Throw all fashion "rules" you know out the window because none of them matter.

Fashion rule #1-

Your clothing matches if each piece has ONE similar color in it.

And yes, each piece has a tad bit of pink in it.

Fashion rule #2-

You may wear as many pieces of clothing as you want regardless of the temps outside.

Fashion rule #3-

ANYTHING goes when it comes to accessories. And yes, that is a sheet around her shoulders.

Fashion rule #4-

As long as it's comfy, wear it to bed. And this is what she is wearing as I type this.

Fashion rule #5-

Leotards work for all day wear in any type of weather.

Fashion rule #6-

Shoes are so overrated!

Notice no shoes running at a track meet- and she won!!

Flip flops with a fleece jacket- it was pretty cold that day!

Hope you learned some valuable fashion lessons today. The one thing I've learned during my many years of mothering is that I honestly don't care if my girls match or are wearing something absolutely crazy. All I care about is that they are covered (and they MUST be covered and modest) and are happy about their choices!

One last rule for you- wear a wig, obviously it will make you feel better.

This is my middle in all her glory!

In Him,

E

More new glasses

Okay, I just realized I never posted a picture of my middle in her new glasses- bad Mom! So, here she is. She just needs them for reading, working on the computer, drawing, etc- not all the time.

We picked up our youngest's glasses on Monday. She will get her own post in a bit. Be sure not to miss it! Oh, the things you will learn about fashion from this dear little girl. Stay tuned...

In Him,

E

Are we willing to sacrifice?

"God has created a world big enough for all the lives He wishes to be born. It is only our hearts that are not big enough to want them and accept them. If all the money that is being spent on finding ways to kill people was used instead to feed them and house them and educate them - how beautiful that would be. We are too often afraid of the sacrifices we might have to make. But where there is love, there is always sacrifice. And when we love until it hurts, there is joy and peace." -Mother Theresa

Another one from the lady I love. I specifically love the part I italicized- actually, nevermind. I love the entire quote!!

In Him,

E

Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa- there are very few who have never heard her name. She has long been a woman of admiration for me. I am in awe that such a tiny woman left such a legacy of Christ's love. But, she didn't do it alone. He worked through her and only because she allowed Him to and fully submitted herself to Him.



You know, I read one time that her feet were so tiny and deformed because she took the leftover shoes- the ones that did not fit. She gave to everyone else first, not thinking of herself until those around her were taken care of. I think of this because my feet hurt today. Not sure why, just something weird going on and it drives me crazy! My feet HURT in certain shoes and so I change into more comfortable ones. Imagine taking those shoes that terribly hurt your feet, willingly and on purpose.


I know I am (probably more often than I'd like to admit) the one who stands in the way of Him using me. Not my age, not because I am a woman, not because of finances, but because of my lack of willingness to let go. As much as I want to allow Him and wait for Him to use me, I feel like I miss Him all too often. I believe that what I need sometimes instead of a quiet whisper is a megaphone in my ear!!


I challenge myself this day to release myself TOTALLY to Him. I want to strive to be like Christ. I pray to have a heart like Mother Teresa's. I pray that I will be able to move mountains to help those who need it the most.



So, here are just a few (times 10) of her quotes that I LOVE-

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat.

Do not think that love, in order to be genuine, has to be extraordinary. What we need is to love without getting tired.

Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.

Even the rich are hungry for love, for being cared for, for being wanted, for having someone to call their own.

I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness.

I know God will not give me anything I can't handle. I just wish that He didn't trust me so much.

If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one.

If you judge people, you have no time to love them.

In this life we cannot do great things. We can only do small things with great love.

It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish. Jesus said love one another. He didn't say love the whole world.

Let us touch the dying, the poor, the lonely and the unwanted according to the graces we have received and let us not be ashamed or slow to do the humble work.

Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.

One of the greatest diseases is to be nobody to anybody.

The biggest disease today is not leprosy or tuberculosis, but rather the feeling of being unwanted.

The greatest destroyer of peace is abortion because if a mother can kill her own child, what is left for me to kill you and you to kill me? There is nothing between.

The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.

There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those.

We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence. See how nature - trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence... We need silence to be able to touch souls.

We think sometimes that poverty is only being hungry, naked and homeless. The poverty of being unwanted, unloved and uncared for is the greatest poverty. We must start in our own homes to remedy this kind of poverty.

Words which do not give the light of Christ increase the darkness.

Have a blessed night!

Amazed by His grace,

E

Love

One thing I don't understand is why do so many people choose to celebrate love just one day a year? I understand the "celebration" of love part because being in love is so amazing- I just hope they also celebrate the 364 other days.

I LOVE THIS GUY! He is my rock. I am so truly blessed. I wish I could shout it from the rooftops but I am scared of rooftops! So, here's my shout out-

I LOVE YOU, BABE- MORE THAN I EVER THOUGHT POSSIBLE!!!

With ALL my love,

E

What an eventful day!!

Our oldest in her new eyewear! She is amazed at how well she can see and can't believe everything she's been missing out on. I can't believe I've been letting her drive without them!!

Let me first say that all of our children had eye appointments not too long ago and were fine. Well, in my mind not too long ago seems like 6 months ago, but it was probably more like 3 years ago.

What started out as a routine trip to the eye doctor for all 3 girls (for a quick check-up) turned into 5 pairs of glasses!!! Now until today, noone in my house wore glasses so imagine our astonishment when all 3 needed them. Our oldest has the worst vision- astigmatism in one eye and both near & far sighted. She also needed bifocals! Our middle has the best vision but she too has astigmatism in one eye and is far sighted. Our youngest has also been blessed by astigmatism in both eyes and I can't remember which "sighted" she is- need to ask the Dr. again. I also learned today that astigmatism is genetic. Sorry, girls!

Our insurance covers one free pair of glasses per child per year. Since the oldest and youngest were the worst and need to wear glasses most of the time, they each got a free pair to be used as backup. We also let them pick out a more stylish pair for everyday wear. Our middle found some cute ones that fell into the "free" category and since she only needs to wear them part time, they were the only ones she got.

We were only able to bring home 2 pair- the free ones for our middle and not so free for the oldest. (I will clarify that our middle looks very stylish in her new purple glasses, too. It's just that most of the free glasses weren't as cute as the ones that cost $$$$.) Everything else had to be ordered and are anxiously being waited for by a couple cute little girls.

What an exciting (expensive!) day we had! Honey, now your turn- I promise it will boast your IQ at least 20 points and you will look just as cool as the 4 of us!

In Him,

E

Ruslana and Nikita's Family

Ruslana (new name Haven) has a family! And I have finally "met" them. She will have a beautiful new brother (new name Joven) who will be adopted along with her. Just check out the button in my right sidebar. God is so good! Please join me in praying these angels home.
In Him,
E

Two new angels

Yesterday we found out that 2 sweet girls, Margarita and Katerina, with Downs living in an Eastern European institution died of the flu- alone. Many, many people involved with Reece's Rainbow loved these girls and were fighting to bring them home. But, rejoice today for they no longer feel the pain and loneliness of being an orphan. They are both safe in our Father's arms!

Please, visit the Reece's Rainbow site and consider making a donation to one of these deserving children and help fight to get them the love they deserve. Each one is perfect- made precisely in His image but for some reason the world doesn't see them that way.

Hug your children extra long today. Tell them how very much you love them because somewhere not very far from here, there are children without warmth, love, hope. Please, pray for them.

In Him,

E

Happy Birthday!

Oh my! I can't believe that my girl is 16! Yeah, that's right! 16 I tell you!!! Her entrance timing 16 years ago was less than ideal for both of us, but we have persevered and are stronger and wiser because of what we've been through. I tell you, God's plan is always perfect. As I look back, I see how our lives have been perfectly orchastrated by Him.

My fiery red head is sometimes just that but more often a very caring young woman. She never ceases to amaze me. She volunteers to help others all the time. I almost never have to ask her if she has done this or that because it's already been done.

Okay, for the gifts. Not only did we want to make this birthday an extra special one, but remember our challenge (I wrote about it here on January 1st)?

Many weeks ago we began brainstorming about how we could make this day meaningful for her. We decided that we would ask those who love her the most to write her a letter. A letter of challenge. A letter of love. A special birthday wish. Many people included favorite Bible verses. Some included funny stories. A few even included pictures. In one letter I was amazed to find a copy of a drawing my girl had given a friend 8 years ago one early Sunday morning. The friend still carries that drawing in the front of her Hymnal. We received 32 letters in all! My girl is LOVED!



Just some of her letters

Her box filled to the brim with love

One gift was this box. My mom helped me find and copy pictures from the past 16 years of my oldest in black and white. I then covered this box inside and out with the pics using Mod Podge (I love that stuff!). The box was filled to the brim with her letters- a very special gift.

Made by her Daddy

My hubby and I also wanted to give her something she would have forever. Something that would remind her not only of our love for her, but Christ's love also. We came up with the idea of getting her a chest/trunk of some sort. We thought we'd "find" one somewhere until hubby decided he wanted to build it- extra special! So, build it he did with extra pine lumber we had saved from other projects. It is beautiful!! On the bottom of the inside we each wrote a special birthday message, the date and this Bible verse- "For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding." Colossians 1:9. My husband then put a couple coats of poly over our writings so they will stand the test of time. She was in awe of his beautiful gift that her Dad made for her and tears were flowing. Get ready honey because you have a few more to make now!!

The inside where we wrote special birthday messages and very meaningful Bible verse.

Instead of the usual sausage ball birthday breakfast, we had monkey bread. She is the only member of our family who doesn't like sausage balls and since it was her birthday, monkey bread it was.

Monkey bread for breakfast

Our youngest and a carrot butterfly- super cool!

She also got to choose where to go out for dinner. She chose a wonderful Chinese restaurant around the corner from us that we hadn't eaten at before. Here's a picture of when they sang "Happy Birthday" to her- did you know the Chinese add "cha-cha-cha" to the birthday song? Well, at least these guys did. It was hilarious and got a huge clap from all the diners!

"Happy Birthday, cha-cha-cha!!"
Myself, hubby, our three girls and my parents in front of the Chinese restaurant.

We had such an wonderful day celebrating the birth of one extraordinary young lady. I love you, my sweet girl!

In Him,

E

Oh, Happy Day!

HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL!!!

Sorry, I know I've been missing- but for good reason. Hubby and I have been feverishly working on some extra special things (I'll let you in on them tonight) in anticipation for OUR OLDEST'S 16TH BIRTHDAY TODAY!!!

So far the celebration has been all that we hoped for. I'll post much more later with details and pictures. Have a blessed day!!

In Him,

E

Scattered thoughts

Tonight I have several things on my mind.

Why is it that when someone wants to criticize you or attack you for your beliefs by leaving a comment on your blog, they always sign it as "anonymous"? I would very much like to have an intelligent conversation with the person who left a comment about adoption, but I DON"T KNOW WHO THEY ARE!!! (if you go looking for it, it has been deleted) I realize that not all people believe the same things and I'm glad they don't (what a boring world we'd live in if we were all the same), but I don't appreciate people hopping from blog to blog leaving comments "anonymously" criticizing the authors of those blogs.

This is a blog I created to keep track of and share my own thoughts and beliefs so it is just that- my blog.

Sorry for being negative, but that is really one of my pet peeves!

ALL, I repeat, ALL children deserve a family whether they live in the US or another country. I do know that in certain countries, orphan care is something unimaginable to anyone living in the US. No child is more worthy or "better" in God's eyes. Period. So, although I personally feel a call from Him to focus my energies on orphans overseas, there are many, many people who are focusing their energies on orphans here in the States. And not one of us is better than the other. Just different and EXACTLY how GOD created us.

Who knows what tomorrow may bring?! Could He choose to change my path? Absolutely! And I will follow wherever He leads. That's all.

I pray you all have a blessed weekend!
In Him,
E

**After posting this I decided to add some verses I hold dear to my heart and that make it clear that we all are called to defend all people-

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." (James 1:27)

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." (John 14:18)

"Remember those...who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering." (Hebrews 13:3)

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and need."(Proverbs 31:8-9)

Another video

No, I am not out there searching God Tube or You Tube for hours on end. I just came across this and find it fitting in so many different ways. It's from the movie Fireproof (a MUST see!!!) which is obviously about marriage. But this song can be about many things. Just listen. I am waiting....

Leah

Okay, time to advocate for another couple of sweeties. Since Ruslana has a forever family, I am on another mission- to find sweet Leah and Kristin their families. Both have Downs and live in an Eastern European orphanage. Leah will be one in April and Kristin just turned one in January.

In many, many European countries, children with Down Syndrome are labeled as inferior. Many are sent away as newborns to orphanages with less than adequate care. Fortunately, Leah and Kristin both live in an orphanage where they are loved and well cared for. They are still young enough to benefit from early intervention therapies. Both have captured my heart- they are such sweeties!! Below you will see a picture of Leah. Am I right? Isn't she beautiful?!!! I will post a picture of Kristin if I am able.

The country that these two live in is one of the most expensive countries to adopt from, but with God all things are possible!

Please, pray for these girls. Pray specifically that their forever families will hear God's call and step forward to rescue them.



Loving these girls,
E

Birthday gifts on the cheap!

Okay, I'm not sure how many of you know but we have challenged ourselves this year to buy nothing new (see post from January 1st). Well, if we NEED new underwear or socks or something then we'll buy it- but ONLY if it's a true need! So, with many birthdays falling in the first part of the year we have had to get creative with presents. As you know we celebrated our youngest's birthday on Monday, and I must tell you that in physical gifts we spent.....drumroll please......$7.60!!! Yep- you heard right! All you have to do is get a little creative.

Now I must say that our kids need NOTHING! Our youngest has been wishing for gymnastic lessons/classes for several months now, so she is getting those (those were not included in the $7.60 total). I printed up a cute little gymnastics birthday card telling her about her classes, Daddy colored it and viola! The perfect gift! I highly encourage you to look into lessons or classes for your children instead of material gifts. Brainstorm and figure out something they love to do then go look for someone to teach it to them if you can't- I tell you, it's a wonderful gift. Me? Gymnastics? Many, many years ago!!

Now for what she received totaling $7.60-

She is completely in love with all things girlie. I found this flower girl dress at a local thrift store for $1!! The picture is terrible, but it is a pale purple with flowers around the waist, tulle around the entire bottom half and ties in the back. A little girl's dream! It is super twirly!

And yes, she will probably be wearing these while wearing the dress. These "heelys" came from Goodwill and cost me $2.60. They are literally brand new but absolutely made for a boy- notice no sparkle or pink. And I don't like the whole "skater" look. So, we decided to make some pompoms to tie to the laces. Perfect!! Let me also add that of the total 54 hours she has owned them minus 22-24 hours of sleep, she has worn them around about 29 1/2 hours!! They were a hit and "just what she's always wanted!". Hope they have our room ready at the local Children's Hospital my kids share with my sister's kids!

She also got a nativity scene to hang on her wall (I forgot to take a picture). This girl is in love with nativity sets, scenes, you name it so every year she receives one on her birthday. This year I bought it a Hobby Lobby during the after Christmas (but before our new year challenge) sale for about $4.

It can be done. Get creative, shop around. My girls love thrift stores and yard sales and you'd be amazed at all the wonderful finds!

In Him,

E

Migraines

Sorry no post yesterday, I wasn't feeling so well. If anyone has any pointers about "healing" from migraines, I'd love to hear them. I have been suffering from them for about 16-17 years now. I definitely believe they are hormone related (and sometimes too much chocolate related!). I take either Imitrex or Maxalt for them but both are so terribly expensive and our insurance doesn't cover any part of the cost. Any pointers are welcome!

Also, wanted to share a quick story with you. Yesterday while riding in the car our youngest went to toss her coat into the very back seat and hit her older sister in the eye with the zipper. Tears were flowing as I'm sure it hurt! I scolded my youngest then overheard her quietly saying to the sister she hurt, "I'm sorry, will you forgive me?". WOW! Not just "I'm sorry" then back to what she was doing, but "will you forgive me?". "Will you forgive me?"!! She wanted to make sure that she was forgiven for what she had done. I need to take note of that and learn from my little ones. It's not always about being sorry but truly about asking for and receiving forgiveness. I think there is a HUGE difference. Lesson learned. Have a blessed day!

In Him,
E

The Sky Angel Cowboy

I saw this video some time ago but was reminded of it this morning. What a strong boy after God's own heart! What a great reminder for all of us- God sacrificed the ultimate while sometimes we are drowning in sorrow about not getting our Starbucks (not really, but I couldn't think of anything else). People are distraught over the happenings of our world today. Money is just money. Stuff is just that. Let's get down on our knees and try to have a heart like Christ.

Be prepared- quick, go grab a kleenex before pushing "play". Also, remember to pause the music at the bottom of this page before playing. And a quick plug for God Tube. For those of you who haven't visited, check it (www.godtube.com) out. A nice Christian alternative- boy, do we need those!

My Birthday Girl!!

Her birthday pin I helped her make yesterday- check out the crown

in one of the following pictures.

What a day!! Today we celebrated our youngest's birthday. She is now 8 (or 6 like Mimi likes to tell her!). I can't believe it has already been 8 years since I gave birth to that sweet girl. I remember that day like it was yesterday and I'm terribly sad to see time flying by so quickly.

She has been a true blessing to us all. She is the girl that my poor husband has tried to make into a boy from day one. And I will say, she takes it in stride- while wearing a princess dress, of course. She likes camo, loves to shoot her cap gun and play her Daddy's dirt bike game on the Playstation. But, she is my snuggle bug, too. Last night toward the end of the Super Bowl she climbed up on my lap and fell asleep. I couldn't believe how long she was- she doesn't fit on my lap anymore!

We see our little one's heart turning more and more to our God's. She is a pray-er. I see her praying silently over every meal no matter who is around and regardless of whether we have a sit down meal together (in which we have a blessing before eating) or she's eating a quick lunch on the run. She's not afraid to pray out loud and is always the first one to volunteer if a prayer needs to be said.

I thank God today for our girl. She has brought that needed spunk to our home! I pray blessings upon her this day- that God will lead her into a life of servanthood to her family and all people. I pray she grows into a strong, God-loving woman.

My 3 favorite girls and myself


Birthday girl in the arcade

We spent a wonderful day celebrating her life. After the traditional birthday breakfast of sausage balls and strawberries (who knows how that got started?!), the girls had their homeschool enrichment classes. When they were over, we met my sister and her boys at the bowling alley. After a game of bowling my Mom joined us and we spent some time in the arcade (which my kids have never been able to do because I am so cheap- what a treat that was!!). After playing games, we headed over to our local Dairy Queen for dinner and icecream with my sister, the boys and my parents (Mimi and Papa). Birthday girl requested a Blizzard instead of a cake this year but was very afraid of what the 8 blazing candles stuck in her Blizzard may do to the icecream. All turned out okay.

Celebrating at Dairy Queen with our dear family.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY LITTLE ONE! WHAT A GREAT DAY IT WAS!!

In Him,

E

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