Friday, October 29, 2010

They are ours!!



At ten o'clock this morning, we all met at the courthouse for the most wonderful reason I've ever been in a courtroom.  The adoption of our two newest grandchildren is now final! 


With the judge

We have waited for over fourteen months for this day.  We have not been able to post any pictures of them online all this time.  So, we've been saving up!  You may now see an abundance of pictures of two of the cutest kids in the world!  (There being thirteen others, you understand.)






Deonte (age 3) and Rhema's (age 2) parents are Joel and Sarah-Kate.  Their brothers are Diego (age 4, almost 5) and Donovan (age 2).  Rhema is eleven days younger than Donovan.  Yes, Joel and Sarah have their hands full!


(l to r:  Deonte, Rhema, Diego, Donovan)

All fifteen grandchildren!

Our entire family!

Our hearts are full.


Friday, October 15, 2010

Autumn Manifesto

Inspired by both last day of may and in other words..., I present my:

Autumn Manifesto


1. On chilly days, I will remember to drink tea.



2. I will invite people into my home to “Share the Harvest” -- my theme this season.



3. I will put thought into our meals to make them both tasty and comforting.



4. I will place pumpkins and fall decorations throughout the house – and keep tweaking it all season to keep it fun.




5. I will use pumpkin and apples freely in my cooking and baking.

Pumpkin Spice Oatmeal Cookies

 
6. I will light my candles and little lamps as dusk falls to make my home cozy feeling.



7. I will visit Farmers' Markets more frequently.



8. I will pay more attention to the journaling of my life (this blog).



9. I will use my Silhouette Machine.



10. I will let my gym see my face more often.



11. I will complete my 10-day Give (which I forgot about the first time around).



12. I will go outside every day just to breathe.



13. I will buy some tights. And look for a new coat.


14. I will use my stationery.


15. I will trust God and my husband as I discover grace.



Monday, September 20, 2010

What Are Your Ultimate Concerns?

Are they reflected in how you spend your time?

“But, far too many of us confuse the Gospel of Christ with the American Dream. Instead of our highest and most motivating aims being serving God and conforming our lives to his will, we avidly pursue college credentials, lucrative career, large home, nice things, financial security and ease of life. In effect, academic and material possessions become our gods, as well as the measure by which we judge others. No, we don't bow down before them, but as much as these are what primarily motivate and interest us--and are our ultimate concerns in life--they take a dubious place beside the Lord Almighty.”
(Homeschooling or Discipleship? By Wendy Bush)




I’m not a homeschooler anymore, but this quote got me to thinking about our “gods”. The last part of the paragraph says, “but as much as these are what primarily motivate and interest us--and are our ultimate concerns in life--they take a dubious place beside the Lord Almighty.”

What primarily motivates and interests us in our daily lives? What are our ultimate concerns? When I was younger, I would imagine someone making a documentary of my life. Filming the road to my house. Showing the fun stuff I was involved in. Of course, I was always interesting. Probably more so in my imagination than in real life. However, it is an ingenious way to look at your life.


What if someone were to document your life in film, what would we see? I pray it wouldn’t bore us to pieces as we watched you watching television late into the night or sit at the computer day in and day out, or anger us as we watched you yell and belittle your children or your spouse, or hurt us when we saw you never paying attention to the beauty and love around you. What would it show were your primary interests and motivations? Would there be any “ultimate concerns” in life taking their place next to the throne of God? When we watched you spending your time, would we cheer or cry?








Friday, August 6, 2010

Aquarium, Part 2


So, I thought I'd better post this before Part 3 happens.  Which happens tomorrow.  Part 1 is here.

Way back in May, we took the Gombojav children to the Monterey Bay Aquarium as part of their last year's Christmas present.  We took the Abdelaziz children in March, and the Correa children get to go tomorrow.  Now, it might be awhile before I can post Part 3, because we cannot post pictures until the adoption is complete.  *sigh*  Sometimes, paperwork can take forever.

So, here we go!

 Not a little excited, are they?




If you can overlook all the political environmental propagada all over, it is really a fun place.  I love that children can have so much hands-on experiences and learning.



Where there is a will,


there is a way!


Though some may think some things are just too wet and slimy to actually want to touch.



 Pure joy.


These two big ol' kids:


are these two (on the left)!


They've added a few siblings as you can see.


Belgee, second from right.



If you look really closely, you might see baby penquins in that nest.



I understand the feeling.







The following picture was requested by Israel as we were passing this store.  Just because his mom would really like it.  Enjoy, Daja!



This time we stopped for cinnamon rolls as we were walking back to the parking garage.  Nana's choice.  No one minded.



Sunday, August 1, 2010

It's the itty bitty things that add up in life.


Most of us are dreaming, wishing, praying for something to happen. A clean house, a new house, a new direction in life, a ministry to be birthed, getting out of debt, losing weight, toned abs, something. And as fervently as we pray, or as tight as we squeeze our eyes while wishing, it doesn’t happen. We’re hoping for the lightening from heaven, the miracle, the lottery win. Odds are that none of that will happen.

But life can change. It does change. It will change. Only it will be one step at a time. Not giant steps. Not even regular steps. Baby steps. When you drive a car at night, you never see further than your headlights. However, you can make your whole trip that way. Progress is not made by huge leaps toward success, but by baby steps.

Life is made up of choices. When you choose A, you cannot choose B. If you choose B, then you are closing the door to A. You cannot have both. You want to be debt-free? You want financial freedom? Then you will need to make a decision over every penny that lands in your pocket. You must choose if a) that penny will go towards paying off a bill or b) go towards that candy bar or that wonderful sale item you found while shopping. If you choose A, then you cannot have B. If you choose B, you cannot have A. Which one do you want more? Which one will benefit you more? Which one will get you to your goal? Ah, but it’s only a penny you say. Yes, but it is the little foxes that spoil the vine (Song of Solomon 2:15). It is not the great big decisions, the giant steps, in life where we usually stumble; it is in the small little choices.

Every choice we make will either bring us closer to our goal or further away from it.

It truly is the itty bitty things that add up in life.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Breakfast Cookies

A couple of weeks ago, I was blessed to care for a bunch of my grandchildren for eight days.  I loved playing “Mama” again! I had fun in the kitchen as I prepared nutritious kid-friendly meals with variety. Some of the variety was from necessity as I challenged myself to use as much as I could of what I already had on hand. You've probably heard it called “eating from the pantry.”

Here is a recipe I used to make for my children when they were young. It is definitely a “treat breakfast” and not something you should offer every day, but I bet it still beats most cold cereals in the nutrition department!

There should have been a picture.  I thought I took one, but I must not have since I can't find it!  In my head, it was a very pretty picture with the cookies all stacked inside of an old-fashioned jar.  So, pretend with me, okay?


OVERNIGHT BREAKFAST COOKIES
(from the 1979 edition of Feed Me!  I'm Yours.)

The evening before, combine:

4 cups oatmeal, uncooked

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup oil



The next morning, add:

2 eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

(you may also add ¼ cup wheat germ)



Mix well. Drop by spoonfuls onto a greased cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for 12 -15 minutes. Watch them carefully. You may not be able to remove from the cookie sheet immediately, but please remove them as soon as possible or you may never get them off later!



Cookies and milk from Nana’s kitchen for breakfast! What could be better than that? 

Maybe a picture?


Sunday, June 6, 2010

One Fantastic Man!



If you ask him how he is, he will answer,
"Fantastic!  But, I'll be better tomorrow!"

And you know what?  He is.  Fantastic.  Very.




I only have to ask once and the favor is done. 

Even if it does mean balancing on the furniture.

How blessed am I?



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