Photo shoot

The girls and I had a bit of fun a couple of Sundays ago. Our youngest had just gotten out of the shower and wasn't really in the mood for me to be in her face with the camera, so we're going to try again with her in the next few days. P.S.- We LOVE jumping pictures!

And yes, for now our middle is the tallest.....by about 4 inches!

This is our middle's personality to a "T"!

I wished they hugged and laughed like this together all the time.

I hope each of you are having a blessed weekend!
In Him,

E

Overwhelmed

Sorry I've been missing for a while. Our internet went down a little over a week ago, but is finally up and running.

I'm overwhelmed. My house looks like someone put a stick of dynamite in the hall and lit the fuse. We have clothes everywhere. New baby clothes. Girl clothes. Hundreds of clothes that are patiently waiting to be tagged for our church consignment sale (this was suppose to be done last week but couldn't because it must be done online!). And thank you to each of you who donated clothes for the sale. What a blessing!! We are shifting stuff and kids around. I'm trying to make and freeze dinners to make life easier once our family has a couple new members. I'm trying to clean so that when we get home with new baby I don't have to worry about how dirty the floors or the toilets are. Oh, and when does the mountain of adoption paperwork end? Don't several of you keep telling me that one day I won't remember how long and how much of it there was? Can that day be tomorrow?

We have 2 weeks. 2 WEEKS!! We've decided to tackle one room a day- that should give us plenty of time.

2 WEEKS!! Ruslana's adoption is 99% funded. Baby boy's....about 20%. An adoption grant is not be realistic. There is lots of paperwork involved and they take a long time to be awarded. Time is not on our side. The only option we have right now is trying to get an adoption loan. Maybe a long shot given the short amount of time we have, but worth it for our boy.

Please, if you have any quick fundraising ideas, let me know. 2 WEEKS!!

Sorry for the downer post. Again, I'm overwhelmed. God is in control and I have to remind myself once again (after about 17 times today!) to rely on Him. He will see us through and has GREAT plans for these angels and our family. Have faith.

In Him,
E

EMERGENCY fundraising!!

**JUST GOT WORD THAT EASTERN EUROPE SEEMS TO BE BACK UP AND RUNNING!! PLEASE, PRAY WE CAN GET RUSLANA SOON!!**

First, I want to tell each of you that we have complete peace about our decision to move forward with baby boy's adoption (still working on a name:). We can't wait for him to be here and hold him in our arms. We know God has orchestrated this entire process and His hands will guide us. Time and time again we have seen Him in our adoption journey to Ruslana. Complete strangers are praying, sending notes and donating to help us get our girl home.


Which leads me to the dreaded "m" word. Money. Several of you have asked if you can help with emergency fundraising. YES- fundraise away!! This adoption is costing us, though not nearly what people think it costs for a domestic adoption. I will just lay it all out there for 'ya. Basically, since he has a special need, the agency fees have been reduced tremendously! So, baby boy's adoption will end up costing $6000 plus ICPC fees and our travel/accomodations in Florida. We will be driving because it's not terribly far (and we can take our time coming back home with a newborn!).

ADOPTION GRANTS AND LOANS- Does anyone have any suggestions? There are so many for adoptions, and we are overwhelmed. Without being able to sit at home on my own computer (yes, no internet until late next week- ugh!!), it's hard for me to get much done. Please, let me know if you have any suggestions.



As I said in a previous post, we are so close to being fully funded for Ruslana's adoption- really only about $2000 away. AMAZING!! God has provided every penny at the exact moment we needed it. I am in awe of the way He speaks to people. Those who are not financially "well off" have given because God spoke to them. Children have donated from their own piggy banks. Other adopting families (who are still fund raising themselves!) have given. Amazing.


In the past 24 hours, I believe we have EVERYTHING we need for this angel. Clothes, toys, stroller, carseat, crib, bassinet, highchair....everything. I looks like all we'll need to shop for are diapers, bottles and formula. God is so good and continues to show us that He is in control.

Thank you for your continued support. I am so blessed to know each of you. I am adding a new chipin and will leave it up for a couple of weeks. It's crunch time and we have lots to do.

In Him,
E

WE'RE EXPECTING!!

Yes, you read that right. We are expecting but not biologically. I'm sure you are all thinking "duh- we knew that", but believe me, you didn't.

Sunday afternoon we received a call out of the blue about a "situation" (adoption terms for a baby available for adoption) in Florida . We had not been looking for a domestic situation- after all, we are in the midst of an international adoption. I returned the call in order to get more details. We prayed about it Sunday and Monday, and felt like we should submit our homestudy. Our internet is down right now, so I scrambled to get things together and went to Starbucks. I was able to submit all needed documents late Monday night. Around 5 o'clock Tuesday afternoon, we got the call- WE WERE CHOSEN!! I wish I could have seen my face. Hubby wasn't even home yet, though he did get home while I was still on the phone. When our caseworker told me, I sat silent for a moment and then said "really?"! She assures me she has heard it all, so my response was okay.


We still felt like we should pray about this situation- again, we are still in the midst of an international adoption!! Our decision had to be made very quickly, though. Wednesday morning it was an absolute "yes". Hubby's exact words to me were "We've been chosen. We've been chosen." And we couldn't feel more blessed.

I know I'll receive some questions, so I'll try to go ahead and answer some of them-

1. Yes, we are still adopting Ruslana. Her region in Eastern Europe is a little wacky right now. Basically, adoptions are at a standstill. The only way I can explain it is to compare it to the way Democrats and Republicans fight. It's all about political power. So, two different "sides" are fighting and it truly has nothing to do with adoption. Unfortunately, adoptions and children are being affected because of silly political power struggles.
This only applies to her region, not all of Eastern Europe . Prayerfully, they will come to a resolution very quickly and we can move forward. We are waiting for one additional clearance stateside before we can submit our dossier anyway. We hoped (and still may) that we would be able to travel at the end of September. I am getting mixed responses about what may happen. Let's just pray that everything is able to be worked out quickly so we can get our girl home.

2. This new baby is a BOY- yikes! Birthmom will be having a scheduled c-section around August 20th.

3. He will stay home with our girls (and other adults, too:) while we travel to get Ruslana. No children are allowed in Eastern European courts, and we will NOT leave him at the orphanage while we attend court (we do know of a family who had to do that!!).

4. And yes, he also has Down Syndrome. We are blessed!

So, we are starting over...literally. Bringing a 4 year old girl home is one thing. Bringing a newborn home is quite another. We have lots to do- anybody ever been pregnant for 3 weeks? Yes, we only have 3 weeks to get ready- aaahhh!! All of our children will now be 4 years apart-
girls 16, 12, 8, 4 and new baby boy 0.

And we need a crash coarse on raising boys. Thanks for your continued prayers!! I'll keep you posted.
AMAZED by HIS grace,
E

Internet down

I guess that's what I get for threatening to cut back. Now we are totally offline!:) It has actually been quite nice- no internet, no phone, no tv- except that I am trying to accomplish some adoption "stuff" and can't. I am at our local library now writing this quick update.

And boy, do I have something to tell each of you....maybe tomorrow!
In Him,
E

My leg

My leg looks worse today. Maybe my flesh is rotting away!?! Eeww! At least I don't have such a huge knot on the side of my leg. Hope we're headed in the right direction.
In Him,
E

Self Diagnosis...not for the weak stomached

This is your warning- if you don't like the site of yuck, do not proceed!!

I am a self diagnoser (I may have even made up that word). Now granted, 92% of the time I am wrong. This time I believe I am right, though.

About 10-12 days ago I was bitten. At first I thought it was just another annoying mosquito bite. For a very brief time it itched but then it became quite painful. Yes, I SHOULD have gone to the doctor but I didn't. I will add here that I would be out in public and people would say "what happened to your leg?". Complete strangers!! I'd never ask someone "what's wrong with you?" which is what I felt they were asking. Anyway, the bite became a huge knot and was very irregular in shape and size. And it HURT! It still hurts to move my leg in certain directions. The bite is on my calf.

Last night, I decided that I was going to diagnose myself. Several people have wondered if I was bitten by a brown recluse. I sure hope not because those things are deadly!! Or so I thought. Yes, they are deadly if there is a lot of venom involved. But you can be bitten and live. Hallelujah!! And thank goodness I'm not one of the victims whose flesh is rotting away (I warned you- weak stomach?!).

It has been almost 2 weeks and here's my leg. I've read that it could take up to 6 weeks to completely heal. Mine doesn't look as bad as some but worse than others. At it's biggest it was about the size of a half dollar. No wonder people were asking what was wrong with me!! Praise the Lord it is healing, though!!

Did I mention, I dislike spiders!!

In Him,

E

To Blog?

Hmm...I've been pondering the question "To blog or not to blog" for a couple of months now. Actually, I've been questioning the impression that the internet has on our family for a while. And one of the reasons why is above- "changing the way we communicate". I don't like it. Fifty years ago technology as we see it now was unheard of. And guess what? Those people made it just fine!! I'm not saying that the internet is bad and must be avoided at all costs! No, that's not it at all.

Granted, without the internet I would have never found Reece's Rainbow. No Reece's Rainbow, no Ruslana. No Ruslana, no support group. No support group, no amazing forever friends. You get my drift. BUT, how much time is all of this taking away. How many hours have I literally stolen from my kids and husband only to surf the net.

I am not a go-getter in "real life". I am most confident and comfortable within the walls of my own home. So, being able to "meet" ladies with the same interests and views has been a true blessing. In the end, though, I continue to go back to the "what about your family?" question that I truly feel is coming from God. He is trying to get me back on track.

And I have chosen to listen. I will continue to blog for a while. I will blog about our life and our journey to an angel. I will occasionally post updates after we are home. I am realizing more and more that my children need me and I am not always available- not only because of the internet but because of various things that have captured my attention. I will do away those things that are not necessary. We will simplify.

We will continue to use the net for some schooling. It is a wealth of information for the projects my girls work on.

I know that my little piece of cyberspace has opened the eyes to some who may not have realized that so many children do not have families. I hope through this blog that just one family has heard the call to adopt. I pray that this blog is even more than that, though. I pray that God shines through.

In Him,

E

Not much...

There's just not much to talk about tonight....I'm too tired. These days I feel as if I'm running in circles and getting nowhere. I have a few things I'd like to post about but my eyes are literally about to close. Maybe tomorrow....
In Him,
E

*Thanks to each of you who left comments about our new pictures. Oh, I just can't wait to see and hold her "for real" as our youngest would say.

Legacy

What will you leave behind? I urge you to visit Amy's blog and read this post. I pray it changes you. It hit me hard tonight.

In Him,

E

SAVE HAILEE!!

My dear friend, Adeye, is on a mission to bring sweet Hailee home. Hailee is 4 years old but only 15 pounds. She needs to be home NOW!! Thankfully, adoption from Hailee's country is fairly quick and Hailee could be home by the end of the year. BUT, that means that Hailee's family only has a few very short months to raise almost $24k!!



One very sweet lady has offered to help this angel. Visit Adeye's blog now to learn how. This opportunity ends Wednesday evening!

And more importantly, pray for Hailee that she can hang on just a bit longer until her Mommy and Daddy can get her.
In Him,
E

A treasure...

Look what I received today. I actually got several of them. This photo is from last October but a treasure nonetheless. And look at her eyes? I wish you could see them better. I think they may be blue. Dark hair and blue eyes- a beauty for sure!!

What a blessing for an adopting family to get "old" pictures. These are part of her life story.

This was exactly what I needed today.
In Him,
E

Waiting...

Waiting is hard. We have learned to WAIT and WAIT and WAIT on our God's timing throughout the past few years. God is amazing and His timing is perfect!!

I love John Waller's song "While I'm Waiting". I will continue to worship...while I'm waiting!! Hubby and I are strongly attached to this song because of timing. He first heard it while deeply praying about our adoption and seeking guidance.

And so I go back to waiting. Waiting for some much anticipated news....

In Him,
E

Love Them Like Jesus

PRAYERS PLEASE!! I'm calling on all my faithful prayer warriors. I am seeking prayers for a situation that may or may not happen. Please, pray with me for God's clear direction for our family. I pray I'll be able to elaborate soon.

This is something I say often and has become somewhat of our "saying to live by". It's posted in our home and repeated to my children daily.

Heather (creator of Distressed Designs) is at it again. Although our official fundraiser through Distressed Designs ended on the 15th, Heather created this sign to help continue raising funds to bring Ruslana home. WOW! What a gift!! 100% of all proceeds go directly into our family fund on Reece's Rainbow.

Heather's work is stunning- I have been blessed to be able to hold some of these treasures in my own 2 hands! The sign is a whole 24 inches long and can be customized in a whole array of beautiful colors. Cape Cod blue, anyone? It sounds terribly delicious to me.

Please, help me spread the word and "Love Them Like Jesus"!!

In Him,

E

The 80s, the Orient and Nighty Gifts

What? The 80s and the Orient? Our 2 youngest enjoyed camps this week. Our middle was a counselor at Girl Scout camp. The theme was "Dancin' Through the Decades". Can you guess which decade she would have fit in? This girl cracks me up. She was terribly excited in her outfit and even wore the skirt (with leggings underneath) to our weekly dinner out to Moe's.


And the Orient- our youngest enjoyed a week long art camp at our church. The theme this week was "An Orient Express". The artwork she created was absolutely amazing. Here are just a few samples.

She also made some blue and white pottery similar to that from the Ming Dynasty, Haiku, a Zen Garden and more.

Our youngest is also quite the gift giver. She loves to leave little gifts in unexpected places in hopes that the recipient will find it when she is gone or in bed. Just look at what I found when I went into my bathroom to get ready for bed. What a treasure!! You ask "what is it?". I didn't have a clue. The next morning she told me it was a bobby pin holder (notice the pins underneath waiting to be inserted into the foam ball). She was kind enough to show me how to use it. It now looks like a blue porcupine. Too bad I don't wear bobby pins in my hair! It is a wonderful art piece, though.

In Him,

E

God's Children

Here are some faces that I must share. These are just a few of the orphans living in Eastern Europe with no family to call their own. Please, take today to pray for each of them.

My prayer is that by the end of the year each one of these angels will have a forever Mommy and Daddy. And that IS possible through Christ!!

If you are interested in learning more about any of these angels, please contact Andrea Roberts at bamaroberts@comcast.net.

In Him,

E

Today's the day- HURRY!!

YIKES!!! Today is the last day to order one of these beauties. Heather is a sweet, sweet blog friend of mine who has such a God-given generous heart. She is super talented and we are so thankful she feels like she is being called to help us get our angel home. Her work is absolutely beautiful (I know, I've actually held a few in my hands!) and SO well priced!! I truly don't see how she gets away with charging so little.

Sorry for the late reminder. Don't forget to type in "Ruslana" in the Message to Seller section, so we are able to get credit toward our adoption.

Hurry- time's running out!!!

In Him,

E

Financing adoption

Now, I want to first say that I am NO expert. This is our first adoption and it's not even complete yet. So please, no criticizing. I'm just telling it like it's happened to us.

Financing an adoption. What I've heard from most people when I answer the infamous "So, how much will it cost you for this adoption?" question is a gasp. Well, either a gasp or .....a gasp. Then it's "I can't believe it costs so much!" "Why does it cost so much?" People, truthfully I don't know. There is SO much paperwork, fingerprinting (costs $), background checks (cost $), passports (cost $), certified marriage licenses and birth certificates, etc, etc....all cost money. Our "total" includes all these things, our homestudy, travel, lodging estimates, a wonderful facilitator to act on our behalf- the whole shebang (is that how you spell that?).

So, do you want to know our estimated adoption cost? $24,000! GASP!! Remember, the whole shebang. And SHE IS WORTH EVERY PENNY!!!

When speaking to people about adoption, I hear over and over "we just can't adopt because of finances". Guess what? Neither could we! But God has provided and we totally trust He will continue to provide. Let me show you what I mean.

Our total cost $24,000
- 5,350 Ruslana's grant from Reece's Rainbow
- 2,000 first yard sale
-1,800 second yard sale
- 150 online raffle
-1,000 anonymous donation through our church
- 515 anonymous donation from ANOTHER ADOPTING FAMILY
- 200 donations to our Family Sponsorship Page on RR
- 300 generous gifts from family
-10,000 generous gift from family friend

$21, 315 total amount raised and grant from RR

And I want to tell you that this is ALL through GOD!! He continues to show us day after day that He is in control of this adoption. Not only because of the overwhelming support we are receiving, but also because of the people we are crossing paths with. We are able to share our story, HIS story, with people we may have missed otherwise.

So, I say to each of you who thinks that there is no way you will ever be able to adopt because of financial constraints- PRAY!! Pray like you never have before and wait on our Almighty God to open doors. Many doors may be slammed shut in your face before you are invited in, but when you are invited, GO! God will move mountains and provide every penny you need. We are living proof of that.

In Him,
E

Neglectful Blogger (and other important stuff)

I'm sorry. I have been a neglectful blogger. BUT I have reasons. Let's start with last week....

We hosted another successful yard sale! We raised $1845 plus a hole bunch of change that I haven't bothered to count yet! AMAZING!! I cannot say "thank you" enough for each and every person who donated items and those who shopped at the sale. It was H-O-T, but we made it.

At the end of the sale Saturday, I began having that feeling. You know the one (well, I know the one). I knew a migraine was coming on. Stress, busyness and lack of hydration were the culprits. So, we headed to good 'ole Rite Aid pharmacy to refill my prescription. And guess what? They were closed!! Yes, it was 10 minutes after 7PM and they were closed!! Now, those of you who suffer from migraines know the despair I was feeling.

By this point, I was beginning to really suffer. I called my Mom because I had no access to a phone book or the internet and asked her to find a pharmacy that was still open. After several minutes, she called me back. We headed north to a pharmacy about 15 minutes away. I ran (or ran like any person suffering from a migraine can:) inside and straight back to the pharmacy counter. After explaining that my pharmacy was closed (I had my prescription box in my hand), they told me that there was nothing they could do without speaking directly to my pharmacist!! What?!! "You have no idea how I'm feeling at this moment!!" were the words that shouted in my aching brain! So, off to home I went and directly to bed. Where I stayed until about 2 PM yesterday. (Amazing Hubby was able to fill my prescription after church). It's astounding what that stuff will do!

Migraines wipe me out, so the past 2 days have been low days. I have had some lingering "almost" migraines come back but think I'm now in the clear.

I have some important posts in the works- one specifically about affording adoption, so stay tuned. You WILL be amazed!

And don't forget to pick up the cute newest button in my sidebar. Hailee is the soon-to-be daughter of a dear friend of mine. She is also BLESSED with Down Syndrome and living in Eastern Europe. The Salem family needs to raise funds quickly so that they may get to Hailee before it's too late. She is 4 years old and only weighs 15 pounds.

Praying each of you has a blessed night! Now, off to bed before that migraine comes back.

In Him,

E

Here's Your Sign

Don't forget to hop on over and check out Heather's amazing talent. A percentage of all orders place until JULY 15th will be donated to us to bring Ruslana home! Heather is a true angel.

View complete details and check out some of her work here. Praying for a restful night sleep.

In Him,

E

*In case the link doesn't work, her address is www.distresseddesigns.etsy.com. You MUST type "Ruslana" in message to seller section in order for us to get credit.

Great Grands

A wee bit late, but we had a wonderful 4th celebrating with our families. First, we had a good 'ole cookout with hubby's family complete with lots of wet kids. Then, off to "The Hill" to visit with my entire family including my Grandpa. I love each and every one of those whom I was able to surround myself with this weekend. Here is a picture of my Grandpa with each of his Great Grandkids.

What a blessing they are to him but even more he to each of us. WE LOVE YOU, BIG PAPA!!

In Him,

E

Urgent prayer request

My sister J is in the middle

I came calling on you, friends, for prayers. My dear sister is having some health problems (possibly with her heart) and will be having more tests later this week. She is terribly young (just turned 30) and way too young to be having to face such issues. Please, pray for a healthy heart, complete healing and peace.

In Him,
E

Check it out!

Ruslana has a new button- look to your right!! My oldest asked if we were all going to get one- smile!! She thought it was something we could pin on our clothes! I love that girl- good idea!

If you feel lead, please "grab" it and post to your blog or on your shirt.:) THANK YOU Amanda from RR who blessed us today with this treasure. It will certainly help raise awareness!!

I could just stare at that button all day. Oh how I can't wait to hold her in my arms. What a glad day it will be!! Tears flow just thinking about it. Honey, how you pack some Kleenex!

In Him,
E

We are so great!!

Not really. I understand why people say "You are so great for adopting Ruslana". I understand it's because they could never imagine themselves doing such a thing, but I want to set the record straight. This is NOT about us!! This is NOT something we EVER imagined for our lives. This is absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt, GOD!

We have chosen to answer HIS call. Please, know that I do not say those words lightly. He has specifically called us to adopt this angel. Countless things have happened in our lives over the past couple of years that have lead us to this point. Some of you may not think that this example has anything to do with our journey, but I can't help but think that it does. Several months ago I subscribed to a popular homeschooling magazine. At the time, I didn't realize it's only published a handful of times a year. Just last week I wondered what happened to my subscription. The next day I received it in the mail. Do you know what 2 of the "featured" articles were on the cover? One was "Homeschooling the Special Needs Child" and the other was "Adopting Homeschoolers". Coincidence? I don't think so.

You may be thinking "man, she reads WAY too much into everything". But I tell you, God sitting down by my hubby in Waffle House was no coincidence! Me running into Cathy at our local Publix the day I prayed and prayed and prayed about clear direction was no coincidence (Cathy has Downs). As sad as I was for Ruslana to lose 2 other families before us, I can't help but think that God planned her for our family all along (I've been praying for her for 2 years). Another adoptive family telling me about Ruslana and handing me a photo and brief description of her while having NO idea of my connection to her was no coincidence.

In the beginning we were scared. Did I hand it ALL over to Him? I'd love to tell you I did, but that would be a lie. I am human and have a very hard time handing it all over. I partially hand it over, though.:) I prayed for centuries (well, maybe a couple of years) about adoption. "No" was the answer I got from hubby. Then came Reece's Rainbow. "NO WAY" was the answer. So, I prayed. And prayed. And....you get the idea.

At this point I truly had total peace that we would be adopting through RR some day. Hubby began to ask questions (well, actually list the items I needed to find the answers to). Some of them were-

1. Health insurance- he is self-employed and add to that a special needs child!

2. Cost of adoption- oh, the show stopper for so many!! I'll write a separate post about that later.

3. How will our kids handle it?

4. What will happen to her if we can't take care of her at some point?

5. What about homeschooling?

6. What about the long travel?

Guess what? I found the answers!! Do you know what his response was? NO! What?!! So, I was back on my knees. After hubby was struck in the head with a lightning bolt (just kidding), he wanted to commit to Ruslana. Our story is woven through the pages of this blog and I won't repeat it all now.

Back to my original reason for writing tonight. We are NOT great! We are NOT special! We are simply answering God's call for our lives. Down Syndrome orphan ministry is something we feel called to be active in. And I want to tell each of you- we have NO experience with Down Syndrome. We truly believe that each of us is called to something. I know we aren't all called to adopt, but we are all called.

One of my favorite sayings is- "God doesn't call the equipped, He equips the called." And we are living proof of that.

Will you answer the call?

In Him,

E

And the winner is....

MICHELLE HOWARD!! WooHoo!! Michelle is a friend of mine whom I've only known for a couple of years now, but she is a faithful supporter of us and our adoption journey! Please, pray for Michelle. She is in Pennsylvania now celebrating the life of her Grandmother who passed away last week.

Thank you to each and every one of you who entered the giveaway. We have been given several additional very cool gadgets and may just host another giveaway very soon. Stay tuned...

In Him,

E

Ganglion

To be more specific....ganglion cyst. Doesn't that sound yucky?!!

Well, that's probably what my middlest has (no, that's not her foot in the picture, but a photo similar to what her cyst looks like). She goes in for an MRI Monday morning, and we should have results by Tuesday. Please, pray for her. She's nervous but wants her foot to feel better. There is a real possibility that she will have to have it surgically removed because her's is quite painful (they aren't always). She can't even swim without it bothering her. Any physical activity seems to aggravate it and makes it swell more. So, she's alternating ice and heat now.

Praying you all have a wonderful Fourth! Giveaway ends in less that 24 hours!!

In Him,

E

Chip In

Evidently, my "chip in " in the right sidebar hasn't had it's morning cup of coffee and is acting a little temperamental. So, if you are trying to enter the giveaway and it's not working, please send me an email at nogreatergiftmom@yahoo.com and we'll get you all hooked up. Remember, tomorrow night's the night!!

In Him,

E

REMINDER and new rules

Just a quick reminder that our Kodak giveaway ends Saturday, July 4th at 9pm (EST)!! And we decided to change the rules just a bit-

Instead of 1 entry per $10 donation, each $5 donation will receive an entry!! Woohoo! So, all of you who have donated in $10 increments will now have twice the chances to win.

"Grateful" does not even begin to describe how we feel about the support we are receiving from those close to us to those far away. We are so much more than grateful- I can't even describe the feelings we are having. Each prayer, each word of encouragement and each penny means SO, SO much! We are truly blessed!

In Him,
E

Jumbled post

I have been so out of the loop trying to get ready for our homestudy (which went SO well, by the way), so this post is a catch up post.

First, I have a love/hate relationship with our garden. I love it when we are able to gather this-

Oh, how we LOVE fresh veggies around here! I find it so hard to go back to buying them in the store when our garden has had enough and is plowed under. But, I can't stand having to be out there weeding when it's 90+ degrees out. Can't stand it! Call me a wimp, I guess I am.

The past two years we have planted a wonderful snack for the deer that visit our property in the evenings. Well....we don't exactly plant black-eyed peas FOR them, but they seem to think we do. Just Sunday afternoon, hubby said "it's about time to fence in the garden before the deer get the black-eyed peas". Seriously, not 3 hours later we saw a deer running across the pasture away from the garden. Guess what she'd been snacking on? Our poor peas...time for the fence.

Sunday was my birthday. My girls are the sweetest- they know my heart. Look what they surprised me with.

And don't forget these- that's right, chocolate letter forms made by our 8 year old. How sweet!

I told hubby that I truly wanted nothing for my birthday but to work in the basement. We need to save money for the adoption and finish the basement. I know, weird that I ask to do nothing but work on my birthday, but I guess that's me. Just look! I didn't take an "after" picture, but it now also has sheet rock. Woohoo!

And the pics you've all been waiting for. We are hosting another yard sale next weekend and have been overwhelmed by the donations pouring again. Here is just a sample of some of the wonderful items we'll be selling.

And we have so much more. Not one but two cozy coupes. 4 or 5 strollers. Yes, that's a train table. Dining room furniture. Many Little Tykes big toys. And more and more and more!!

Join us if you live in the area!

In Him,

E