Prayer

Prayer works, and I have been praying alot lately- not that I didn't pray before but I guess my prayers have been more intentional over the past year or so. Which has me thinking. I believe the very best way anyone/everyone can support us through this adoption process is through prayer. Prayer changes lives and I truly believe it will change our lives and the lives of our new children.

I am going to try my hand at designing prayer cards. No idea how I am going to do this because I am clueless when it comes to computer designing but it will happen.

Thanks to all of you who have been praying for us. We have felt His presence through it all. I do have a few specific prayer requests-

1. Patience (for me in particular). I tend to want to take over the reins and get things done NOW, so I definitely need prayers for patience. Our homestudy cannot even begin until we begin our training classes which don't start until May 2nd. I'm already stressing about not being able to get the ball rolling now- time is precious.

2. Smooth process. Those two words and adoption seldom go hand in hand, but I know God can work miracles.

3. Social workers who honestly have our children's best interests at heart.

4. Finances. It's no secret that our economy is suffering. I stay at home with our girls and my husband is self employed. This adoption is a HUGE financial leap of faith. Not only providing for our new ones after they are home but remodeling parts of our home to accommodate more children. Also, since we are potentially adopting from out of state there will be several trips we will have to make to visit the children- airfare, lodging, etc.

I do want to add that we have total peace about our adoption journey and see God's fingerprints all over our story.

In Him,

E

More changes

We have a finished basement. It consists of a bedroom, full bath, large family room and 2 great storage rooms. But changes are happening. In order to have more sleeping space for kiddos, we are having to do some reconstruction. The previous owners of our home blessed (wink, wink) us with two gorgeous decorative pieces in the basement family room- a lovely rock formation that once upon a time held a wood burning stove and a cedar/parquet floor bar thing. Well, we made progress today and removed them both! YAY!!

Hubby and I trying to clean up some of the debris.

I think he had fun taking out all his built up frustrations on the rocks.

The rock/concrete thing was literally 1/2 the width of the room. The concrete that was holding the rocks together caused so much dust when it was whacked. It was quite a mess trying to break that thing up, but it's finished! The room is now so much more open. This side of the family room will be the new "hang out" room.

Almost finished cleaning up.

Now, I am all for doing it yourself IF you know how to do it. This was the "fix" the previous owner did after removing the wood stove. Not sure what we are going to do about that? I guess when all else fails, put a little concrete in it!

The side of the room that the beautiful bar lived in will be a large bedroom and walk-in closet. I am so sad that I forgot to take a before picture. So, y'all are missing out on the other cedar slats on the front and the oh so lovely parquet wood bar top. That parquet was so shiny- it must have had at least 8 coats of poly on it!

But I did manage to get a closer up view of some parquet on the foot rest- ignore the dust. I'm sure it's just from all that concrete stuff flying through the air!:)

The entire demo took us most of the afternoon but it was cold outside and I am just so glad one thing can be checked off the LONG "to do" list. Now for-

1. Carpet

2. New sheetrock

3. Paint

4. Outlets and lights

5. Closet shelves.....

In Him,

E

Lovin' the least

I am in love with orphans. Is that even possible? To love them all, I mean? Well, I do and think about them constantly. I could say that this is how our Father feels about us, but I'm sure my love is nothing compared to His.

It makes me want to fight for them and fight I will. We have had a tough week. Satan has shown his ugly face time and time again, and I'll admit I became frustrated and angry. But I also think that my frustrations were a call from God himself to not back down. I feel a new energy and strength this day to continue the fight. We will fight until we get our kids home where they belong.

I want to introduce you to the sibling group that has stolen our hearts and many of you will probably think we've lost our minds- and yes, you are seeing right. 5 boys and 1 girl. This group is in Texas and that in itself will make it harder for us. For some reason, I've heard that states don't always like to play nice together when it comes to moving kids across state lines but I believe the right people will help us make this happen. Well, that may not be entirely true, but we will have more red tape to get through. In reading my Bible tonight I came across this verse- "Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." Galatians 6:9. That pretty much sums it up- and I was weary this week BUT I am back on track!

I believe it is okay to share a photo of them here because in actuality I am advocating for them (well, I'm not posting the photo but you can click on the link). Not just for them but for all without homes, and it's much easier to get peoples' attention with a picture. This photo is one taken by a professional photographer in order to generate interest for children in foster care. Navigate through the website if you have time and take a look at their eyes. They are desperate.

So, are these our children? I pray they are. Even if they are never to become members of our earthly family, I honestly believe God has great plans for them and I will pray that every single day.

Now, does anyone have any extra bunkbeds?!!!:)

In Him,

E

"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." 1 Peter 4:10

A step back in time

Yes, I'm ready for a change. I haven't clued my husband in yet but I think it's time to do some painting. We bought our home about 2 1/2 years ago. It was in dire need of some transformations. It's 30 years old and well... you make up your own mind. Here are the before pictures.

This is what we saw when we first looked at the house. And no, I'm no kidding.

We look back at these pictures and think "What in the world did we see in this place? Because it sure isn't in these pictures!!" I forgot how horrible it was! What's with the formica on the front of the cabinets?!

This next one was taken after closing and I was able to get in to begin cleaning.

Okay, since our home is 30+ years old we had several generations of wallpaper to deal with. Here is our first attempt at ridding the kitchen of the horror.

Still in progress. Hubby didn't want me doing anything with the lovely formica on the backsplash- not because he was in love with it but because he didn't want to have to deal with it at them moment. Sorry, babe- it slipped!!:) Formica came off!!

Because of the slip (wink, wink), we spent many, many hours installing beadboard as a backsplash (you can barely see it unpainted in the next pic). Not only did it give the kitchen some character, but it was inexpensive. A huge plus!

After it was all said and done, we came out spending very few pennies- just paint and new hardware. We worked and worked removing wallpaper, adding some beadboard and painting. I used the same color paint on the cabinets and backsplash so that I could add and change accessories and such as I pleased and wouldn't have to stick with one color. I still have the ugly stove and dishwasher, but they work and I am thankful.

And here's the dining area. All we really did was tear down 4 layers- do you hear me, 4 layers!!!!- of wallpaper. We then removed the molding and added something a little prettier about 2/3 of the way up the wall. One wall was actually the back of the kitchen cabinets but who cares?! We added the molding there, too, and pretended it was a "real" wall.

Okay, notice this lovely room. This was in progress- removing all that wallpaper. Notice the molding at chair rail height? That was the stuff we removed. We just bought something we liked better and added it higher up the wall. It has a nice "shelf" on the top- not too noticeable in the picture.

Okay, the new change. I'd love to paint our main living areas. Mainly the dining room and family room. I've had this yellowyish color in my past 2 houses and would like something different. I'm thinking cream (the exact color of the trim- no, it's not white as it looks) on the entire bottom part of the walls in the dining and a khaki/brown on the top. Hmmm.... I'm also going to finally take down that light from the dining room and paint it. I have been saying I am going to do it for over 2 years now- no time like the present. It will be much cheaper than a new one and no one will ever know.

Then, to talk to sweet hubby about painting. Do you think I can just slip and "accidentally" paint a blob on the wall somehow? I love you, honey!

In Him,

E

Progress and Cluckingham Palace

Well, hubby and I are heading to an "orientation" meeting tomorrow night at Bethany. Literally, they are the ONLY homestudy agency we have been able to find to do a foster adoption study here in our state. The study will be paid for by the state as long as we adopt from our state. We will pay for it if we end up choosing/being matched with a sibling set from out of state. That's fine and what we have been expecting throughout this whole process anyway.

My calls to the governmental offices haven't been answered yet. Maybe tomorrow I'll hear something and we can figure all this out.

In other news, anyone have chickens? I know certain types have better tempermants than others and some lay better eggs than others. Any suggestions? We have "Cluckingham Palace" waiting.

In Him,
E

FRUSTRATED!!!

This really has nothing to do with this post except that this is kind of how I feel

right now. My youngest and I were messing around on her

Glowstation the other night- those things are pretty cool!

I am so frustrated with this! I literally called between 12-15 different numbers today trying to get some questions answered about beginning our adoption! Guess what? Out of all those calls, I spoke with ONE live person and she sent me to someone else WHO WAS OUT OF THE OFFICE! I got her voicemail, too. I did leave many messages but some of the numbers I was given were out of order. Deep breath... Not only that, but the clock seemed to be moving at hyper speed because 5:00 came like a flash- then, of course, everything was closed.

So, I guess tonight I'll spend some time sending emails and seeing if I can't get some answers. Anyone out there ever been through a foster adoption (I know you have, Jen!)? Any tips?! I know they are much different than an international and even different than a domestic infant adoption. I thought I was pretty prepared for the international but none of that matters right now. I am clueless and just want to get started already!


Also, have any of you ever used Bethany Christian for a homestudy? I'm sure there are other agencies in our area, but I SURE CAN'T FIND THEM!!


I really just need to pray and go to bed. Tomorrow I'm sure I'll feel better.


In Him,

E

Stuff

Okay, anyone remember my post about fashion rules of an 8 year old. Well, I'm adding another.

"Who cares if it's too cold for shorts, just add some knee-high socks!"

And another picture from our trip to Nashville- my 3 and my sweet niece.

We had a wonderful time hangin' with my niece (and brother and sister-in-law, of course:). She is such a happy girl and quite the charmer. I hope she did okay yesterday and today without all the cousin attention she had become accustom to. Back to real life now...groan.

In Him,
E

Part II...Our answer written by My Husband

For those of you following, I told you there would be a part 2. This was written by my husband several weeks ago after an encounter he had. If you read through past posts, you will see how we were waiting for an answer and not just what we thought may be an answer. My husband wanted God to walk up to him and deliver the answer Himself. And don't be discouraged by the title- my husband is also a "Jesus Freak"!

Hubby gave approval to post this so here you go-

Feb 18, 2009

Jesus Freak!!

How many of us have actually thought something to this degree? Maybe it was because of the guy on the corner with a megaphone telling everyone that they are sinners and the world is coming to an end. It could also be the guy who turned his van into a moving billboard with a system on the roof forcing everyone to hear his voice of reason. I mention this because of what happened this morning as I sat at the bar in Waffle House having a late breakfast with my father. As we talked about various things going on in life he asked me about a friend from high school. We were discussing some of the issues between he and his father when the man sitting next to me chimed in on our conversation. Why is it that people always have to interject?! He immediately started quoting Bible scriptures and informing me of how the world was soon coming to an end.

I tried to disconnect from his conversation but in actuality this guy was pretty well versed in the bible and was able to throw out some pretty impressive scriptures. This went on for about ten minutes or so with me only having enough room in the conversation for an occasional yes here and there. This mystery man gave some good advice even though I hadn’t asked for any. He proceeded to tell me that if I wanted to know how I’m suppose to live my life I need to read Psalms, Ephesians & James. He then said I would need to primarily focus on James.

*Sorry, I have to interrupt- this is the really important part!

You are probably wondering why I’m telling you this? For a long time I have prayed to God for wisdom and guidance in my life. I have asked that I have the patience to listen when He is trying to speak to me and the wisdom to know His voice. Here is where things get really interesting. This man, whom I have never met, looked me straight in the eyes and said, “If you really want to know what God’s plan for YOU is, then there is only one sentence in the Bible you need to read." He then paraphrased this verse from James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by this world”. Then he finished with “I don’t know why I just told you that but I feel better now that I did”. It felt like someone just hit me in gut with a bat. He proceeded to wish my father and I a blessed day and went on his way. It’s not everyday that you have a complete stranger quote scripture to you that parallels your prayers to God.

My wife has had adoption on her heart for approximately 4-5 years and I have not been on that bandwagon. I started praying for God to reveal His plan for me about a year ago and let me know if this was the path that He wanted for us. My wife has often said that I must be waiting for God’s voice literally! My question is, did I just hear it? For the first time in a long time I’m scared! I want to obey Him with my whole heart but why do I have so many fears? Why were the other times so easy for me to follow and get out of my boat? Those times were so clear to me even though the task wasn’t always easy. I feel like Evan Almighty where he tells God that he has plans for his life and God started laughing. Is He laughing at me? Is He waiting patiently or is He frustrated with me as I would be with my child? I don’t know but I will continue to pray, pray without ceasing. Please pray with me for guidance, wisdom and strength to perform His will!

I don't think there's much more to say after that. The only thing I'll add is how many times do we miss God? I probably do too many. I think things are signs from God, but are they really? I analyze and analyze and analyze until I'm so confused I don't know what the "right" answer is. I believe we got the right answer this time, and we couldn't be happier!!

Thank you, God!

In Him,

E

Bliss...

I just discovered these most amazing treats- Cupcake Pops! What wonderful ideas for birthdays, baby showers or just 'cause. Oh, I can't wait to make some! Too bad I have given up desserts.:(

To find out more check out this post. I know they look hard but she gives complete (easy!) instructions in the post. And SO many ideas for any season or celebration. Make sure you visit the rest of her blog. Complete deliciousness!

Off to wipe up the drool..

In Him,

E

Our journey so far...

**This story will be in two parts. There is a very important piece to this puzzle that is not with me but is instead back at home on hubby's computer. Not only can I not publish it tonight because I don't have it, but I also have to ask his permission!:)

Well, the moment you have all been waiting for (I'm sure!). I haven't written about adoption in a while because I was unsure of what God was doing. I guess I'm still not "sure" but feel like we are at a place of peace.

As I have said before, I have prayed about adoption for about 5 years now. I don't know the exact moment when it began. I do know that in the very beginning I was drawn to children in foster care. I can not wrap my mind around the thought of being a child taken from home, taken from everything familiar. Siblings separated. Nothing familiar- good or bad. Feeling complete and total loss.

I believe the God's initial intention was to get my attention. This has been a true spiritual journey for me. There have been many valleys that I have walked through when I have felt like I was totally alone. Why in the world did God place this desire on my heart? I cried out to Him so many times to please just take it away- why wasn't He listening to me? Guess what? He was. He was trying to teach me a lesson- a lesson in patience, a lesson in obedience and how to listen and not talk so darn much! I finally got the hint. I'd like to say I completely turned it over to Him, but I'd be lying. Why is that so hard for me? Don't get me wrong- I did try to let it go, but it was always in the back of my head. I did eventually come to a place where I had peace about it. If it was God's will for our family to adopt, then it would happen. If not, that was okay, too.

We have researched domestic infant adoption. We researched international adoption. You name it, we've looked into it. I do want to tell everyone that we believe a decision has been made and this is kind of where I started several years ago. Could this change? In an instant. We will follow His lead. But we are so at peace with this decision (and elated!). My hubby once said, "I am perfectly happy with our family just the way it is." Well, guess what? I don't believe God is. And I don't believe that my husband feels our family is complete anymore, either.

I have had a dream for many years that we would one day be one of the "crazy" families that people just look at and wonder "what in the world?!". Not because we are so out of our minds (although, that may be true), but because of the amount of children we have. I have dreamed of a large family. One of those families that my girls say "have to drive a homeschool van". You know the one- the 15 passenger van that you must be a homeschooler to drive! I love those vans and can't wait to own one. So....beginning Monday, if all things go as planned, we will begin the process of adopting a large sibling group from foster care.

I will go ahead and answer the question you are thinking- Yes, we've lost it and I am proud to admit that. How will we feed them, you ask? God will provide. He hasn't let us down yet! Am I naive in thinking this will be easy? Absolutely not! I know we face many, many challenges. I'm sure we'll be ready for some of them and others will come out of nowhere. Are we okay with that? Yes.

One of my favorite sayings (and I have no idea who said it) is-

God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called.

That's exactly how we feel at this moment.

And just when we think we have a firm grasp on this entire situation, we will be gently reminded that it has nothing to do with how tightly we hold on. Instead, it's about having complete faith and remembering who is in control. I have no doubt that this journey will be full of unexpecteds, tears and moments of pure joy. We think we are ready, pray we are ready- what more can we do?

Like I said earlier, I left out one of the most important pieces to this puzzle. I will post more about that later. Until then, I hope you all have a blessed weekend!

Amazed by His grace,
E

Lovin' this girl

Just had to post a few pics of my super cute niece and yes, that's really her- just on a pretend magazine cover. I have the honor of keeping her while my sister-in-law and my Mom head to Houston to visit MD Anderson Cancer Center. Oh, how I love this girl! And if you can believe it, she is even sweeter than she looks!



Hope y'all are having a fabulous week (remember, I live in the south so I probably say y'all about 100 times a day)! The weather is gorgeous here and we've been outside lots. I am checking email and blogworld periodically so feel free to leave me a note if you need to.
In Him,
E

Tile Smile and cheap, cheap gift ideas!

I'm not sure how many of you were my "friends" way back when I made the announcement that we wouldn't be purchasing anything new this year (you can view that post on January 1st). I will say that we have done extremely well. The girls needed some clothing so we found some super cute stuff at Goodwill and our church consignment sale. I have posted "wanted" ads on our local Freecycle email loop and have received several of the items I was looking for. But this post isn't about that.

We had dinner with some dear friends a couple of months ago and I wanted to bless them with a gift. Remember, I couldn't buy anything new. So, here is what I came up with....

A glass jar (easy finds at Goodwill or your local thrift shop for pennies). Fill full of something yummy- in our case I filled it with free pecans my hubby collected from a friend's pecan tree. I also added an extra special treasure inside the jar. I bought this tile from the silent auction we hosted to benefit Reece's Rainbow back in October. It was made by Tile Smile and I adore Ms. Tile Smile! What a wondrous, Christian lady she is!!

Next, I just added some ribbon and coordinating fabric from my scrap box that I tore into strips. And viola! An extra special (inexpensive) gift for some treasured friends! Now these jars can be any size, filled with anything and topped by your favorite scraps and still look beautiful.

Here are the other 2 tiles I was blessed to win- this one is in my kitchen where I see it many, many, many times a day.

This one sits on my favorite old round wooden box on my hearth.

I challenge you, next time you need or just want to give something special try to do it for free! Or at least for pennies! Search those closets, drawers and pantries, ladies- you'll be amazed at what you can find.

And don't forget to check out Tile Smile. This lady does beautiful work and has so many to choose from! She even says "Custom Orders Always Welcome!". What a wonderful gift- get one personalized for a special occasion. Have some custom ones made to be installed in your back splash. Or do as I did and get some with sayings you love and scatter them here and there around your home. Oh, I just love it!

In Him,

E

My dear friend

Some of you know Markana personally and others just from reading this blog. Markana is my dear sister-in-law- someone I can't imagine life without, someone very dear to me. She is such a sweet soul, full of determination. I'll never forget the first time I met her- she walked right up to me and gave me a big hug. We were at my sister's' baby shower and she didn't know me from the next lady but I tell you, she made me feel like I'd known her forever. She accepted me with all my weirdness and flaws (and that is a feat in itself!). She accepted our girls and loves them like her own. Not only that, but she puts up with our whole family and acts like she likes it!!

M and my oldest

My brother, my middle and M holding my youngest

M and my brother

Markana has made my brother whole and for that I can't thank her enough.

She is battling a nasty, mean, ugly disease, one that TOO many people fight daily- Hodgkin's Lymphoma. She is heading out to MD Anderson in Texas this week to get another opinion about treatment. The girls, my Mom and I get the awesome privilege of keeping one sweet, sweet angel- my niece, Miss Stella.

M with my 2 youngest

Please, keep Markana and my brother in your prayers. Not only this week but in the many weeks to come while she fights and WINS against this awful disease. You have been my prayer warriors over the past month or so, so let's keep it up!

I love you, Markana!

In Him,

E

P.S. We were even able to get the secret recipe for this fudge pie out of her. Maybe I'll share it...soon.

News, News...Does anyone want to hear our news?!

I have gotten many comments and emails about our news. "Any news yet?" "I can't stand it!" "I can't wait to hear...". Well, ladies (and gentlemen, if any really read this- besides my hubby of course who takes it upon himself to approve his OWN comments!:)......the......answer.......is.......(following in the footsteps of American Idol when they vote people off and make you wait through 10 commercials just to hear the results).....what was I saying again? Oh.....the......answer is.........

YES!!!!!!!!

Aaaahhhh! We are adopting! Aaaahhhh! We don't know exactly who, when or from where, but God knows. He will reveal his plans to us in His time. Of course, now would be my perfect time, but this is another test of my patience.

So, please continue to pray for our family and our unknowns. Hope you all have a blessed night!

I am skipping off to bed!
In Him,

E

And the winner is.....

MELISSA!! New mommy to Liza, this Eastern European beauty! Melissa and her hubby just committed to Liza this past week- what an exciting time for their family.

Congrats Melissa! Send me an email at the address in the right sidebar and I'll get your goodies to you.


Thanks to everyone who entered and left me very sweet comments. You guys are the greatest. Now go...giveaway some LOVE!
In Him,

E

Remember..Giveaway Love ends tomorrow!

Just wanted to remind everyone that "Giveaway Love" ends tomorrow. See my post from March 7th for prizes and ways to enter. Good luck!
In Him,
E

Robin Hiser- A True Disciple

"When Robin Prays"

Robin Hiser has Down Syndrome. I just learned about her last November when looking at one of my favorite Christian movie sites- Franklin Springs. She is an amazing woman of faith, a faith so strong that it challenges my walk with Christ.

While much of the world looks down on people with disabilities, I believe we have so much to learn from each of them. If you live close, I am more than happy to let you borrow my copy of Robin's DVD. If not, order one for yourself. I promise, you will never be the same. I have watched this movie over and over, and for those who know me, I am NOT a movie person. I just can't stand to sit there for hours on end watching worthless junk when there are so many more important things I could be doing. But, there is something captivating about Robin. She is a true disciple.

Go check out the trailer here. Oh, oh, and....the DVD is on sale now for $12.95.

In Him,

E

Silver City Quartet- A MUST HEAR!!

Good morning! I just love it when I find out that someone I knew once upon a time, well, went to high school with, is doing well. Jeremy Skinner is the lead singer of Silver City Quartet. You MUST hear them! God is working in his life! Check them out at www.silvercityqt.com.

Strict directions here- scroll to the bottom half of the main page and listen to "Hero". Amen!

Again, its www.silvercityqt.com. Now, go.....
In Him,
E

In Memory...

Time stopped for a brief while this afternoon while we celebrated the life of our friend, Pat Hetzel. Pat leaves behind his dear wife and 4 young children- 1 boy and 3girls. Please, pray for them. His death was unexpected and sudden, and their lives have been turned upside down and are grieving like nothing I can imagine. They need to be completely covered in prayer. And not just a prayer today and tomorrow, but prayers for weeks, months, years.

I am attaching 2 songs that were played at Pat's service today. He loved his family deeply and these songs were perfect. Remember to turn off the music at the bottom of the page.

In Him,
E

GIVEAWAY LOVE!!!

WOW! 150 posts (well, as of my last post)! Who knew I had so much to say?! In celebration of this amazing feat, I am hosting a giveaway. Please note, the giveaway will end this coming Friday, March 13th. Oooo, didn't realize it was THE Friday the 13th. I happen to like Friday 13th, my middle darling was born on that day in December. No superstitions here.

Here's the lowdown-
1. Leave me a comment and receive one entry.
2. Link back to this post on your own blog and receive a 2nd entry (let me know about the link).
3. If you are already a follower, you will receive another entry. Decide to follow during the giveaway and I'll give you another entry.

Too many rules I know, but I want to make sure you get your name in the pot as many times as possible.

What's the prize you ask? Well, here you go....included in the giveaway are the following-

One puffy and pink snowball tassel made by Your's Truly! This would be perfect in

a little princess's room.

A set of 2 adorable monster finger puppets made by my oldest.

A pair of these terribly cute hair clips made, again, by my oldest.

And the absolute cutest pink polka dot owl pony tail holder you have ever laid your eyes on! Again, made by my terribly talented oldest.

I may even throw in another surprise or two. How does chocolate sound?!!
In Him,

E
**Stayed tuned....a special announcement may be coming soon and I'll need your advice.