Overwhelmed

This adoption thing has been very overwhelming...in a good way.

Everyone has been so supportive and encouraging.  We had a yard sale a few weekends ago to raise money for the adoption expenses.  I sent out an email a few weeks before and announced on facebook. 

We had about 25 families contribute items.  And I'm not talking junk they didn't know what to do with.  I'm talking furniture, electronics, expensive purses, clothes, toys, strollers, carseats, skis, etc., etc.

The yard sale was scheduled for Friday and Saturday.  On Wednesday, Jessica came over and helped me pull everything out of the garage (except the furniture) and get it organized by categories.  Blessing!

Could you just eat them up?
Two of the boys were MIA.

My friend, Courtney, told me I could borrow a couple of tables and she would bake some goodies for the kids to sell.  She showed up at 7am Friday morning from the other side of town not with a bunch of cookies on a plate, but with individually wrapped packages of cookies and these cool brownie pops with sprinkles wrapped and tied with ribbon.  I could kick myself for not getting a picture!  Blessing!



The garage Friday morning before the sale!

Denise showed up to drop off a few items a little later and asked if I needed any help.  I said, "Are you sure?"  She made the tables pretty and helped me with pricing and ended up staying until just before lunch time!  Blessing!

Kim came by to donate and shop and ended up staying until the afternoon.  She helped negotiate when people wanted to pay nothing for something by reminding them it was for a good cause.  And when my mom went inside to heat up leftover soup for lunch, Kim said, "Oh no, I'm buying you lunch."  So off she went and brought back pizza!  Blessing!

Mom was here both days organizing the tables.  When it got too hot, she'd go inside and clean up the kitchen or work on laundry for me!  Our feet were killing us but even at the end of the day Saturday when I thought mine were going to fall off, she was in the kitchen washing dishes and cleaning up.  You should have seen this house!  It was a disaster.  I can't imagine what it would have been like without her! Blessing!

Papa brought Chick-Fil-A for lunch!  My absolute favorite!  Blessing!

And Jessica and Nick came Saturday afternoon to help clean everything up.  Blessing!

The blessings really have been endless. God is so good!

Giving Thanks

Oh, give thanks to the Lord; call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

Psalm 105:1

I wanted to share some fun ways God has been blessing us during this adoption process.

First off, not long into our paperwork, Roddy came home to announce he had gotten a raise. The raise was just to show his employer's appreciation for his hard work. The amount of the raise was 10% more than the amount we needed to send in with our contract.  Of course, we don't get the raise all at once but it was a cool confirmation of what we are doing.  Did you notice the 10%?  Remind you of tithing?

Then, we were praying for the large amount of money we needed all at once to send in with the contract and referral acceptance.  We had read, initialed and signed the 28 pages and post-dated the contract for August 20.  I had not looked at a calendar, just picked that date some time in the future hoping we would have the money by then and could send it in.  I think it was the next week when Roddy decided to sell his car.  He listed it on a Thursday.  One week and one day later - on August 20 - he met the couple at the DMV and received the cash for the car!

I didn't even realize it until I was going through the paperwork again to have it notarized!  How cool is that?  So with that cash and money we've saved and sweet friends have donated, we finally got to send those 2 big items in.

Then, of course, God has chosen to bless us with another baby!! So very thankful for and excited about that.  Well, it's been 6 years since I was first pregnant with Iris.  I had gotten rid of and passed on my maternity clothes - the few timeless pieces went to my sister.  I was thinking I was going to have to go to Goodwill and look for some clothes to wear because even though I am only 9 weeks, I am already out of all my pants and skirts.  I have nothing against Goodwill.  In fact, I love that place, but it would still be money going out out the door.

Well yesterday, my sister came by with 3 garbage bags full of summer and winter maternity clothes!!!!  Skirts and shorts, dresses and shirts and pants and capris!  I had so much fun trying them on and sorting them out by season.  Now I just have to take all the clothes I can't wear off their hangers so I have room in my closet for the new stuff.

The other thing that happened yesterday is that we found out we didn't have to wait for this certain government form to come back before sending in our dossier.  It does have to be done before we can travel, though. Well that certain form costs $830.  And the dossier has to be sent in with $1000.  We had enough for one but not both. 

So while I was excited that we didn't have to wait almost a month to get our paperwork moving ahead to get an earlier court date (which means getting the girls home sooner), I didn't know where we would get the money to send both of them in.  We were praying about it a lot throughout the day.  That afternoon, some certain someones very close to us, handed us a wad of cash making it possible for us to do both!! They didn't even know that we needed it right now!  I couldn't help but cry.

Isn't God good?  What an exciting journey He has us on!

Hallelujah!!!

9 weeks along

Estimated due date: April 3, 2010

(Technically, I guess this child is #9 since the girls should be here before he/she arrives.)

Praise

Roddy's car sold this morning.  So as soon as I get a chance, we'll be mailing in our Agency Contract and Referral Acceptance form. 

The girls' blood work was checked out and is fine.

The homestudy came in the mail yesterday.  Now I can send off for our last clearance.  When that paperwork comes back the dossier and done!

Thanks for praying!

In Gratitude

Today I'm joining Ann in gratitude.

I am thankful for friends who are my friends in spite of the kind of friend I am.  You see, I'm not your average call-you-every-day-just-to-chat kind of friend.  Shoot, I'm not even a call-you-once-a-week-to-see-how-you're-doing kind of friend. 

I'm not your let's-have-a-girls'-night-out kind of friend. I'm not opposed to it, I just like being home when my husband's home.  And with a $50 a month eating out budget for the 7 of us, there's not a lot left over for individual use~at least not as far as I'm concerned.

I am a give-you-the-shirt-off-my-back kind of friend, a stand-up-for-you-while-adrenaline-pulses-thru-my-veins kind of friend. I'm an encourage-you-to-love-submit-and-care-for-your-husband kind of friend.  And an encourage-you-not-to-follow-the-crowd kind of friend and keep-it-simple kind of friend.  I love my friends.  They are all so unique and perfect in their own ways and I would love to spend more time with them.

But, I also love my husband, five children, parents, in-laws, and siblings.  I have a home to run, parenting classes to teach, ministry opportunities to do with my husband and five children.

All that said, it's the friends who understand this about me and like me anyway that I am praising the Lord for today.  As much as I would like to, I can't be all things to all people.  I have to live in this season.  And I'm choosing to live in it joyfully and with gratitude!

The Body of Christ

Have you ever looked at your foot and criticized it for not being able to write?  Sound like a really stupid question?  It is. But go with me on this.

Have you ever looked at your hands and judged them for not helping you breathe?  Of course not!  It's obsurd.

God designed our members (body parts) for specific purposes to serve our bodies.  In the same way, He created each member of the body of Christ with his/her own purpose to serve that body.

So, just as it would make no sense to criticize an elbow for not serving our body as our eyes do, it would be ridiculous to criticize ourselves, our husbands, our children or our fellow Christians for not serving the body of Christ as someone else does or as we think they should.

We each have a function...

...some to minister through music.
...some to change diapers.
...some to encourage with notes in the mail.
...some to feed the homeless.
...some to live in foreign lands.
...some to homeschool.
...some to foster children.
...some to adopt special needs kids.
...some to organize large functions that bless many.
...some to minister one-on-one.
...some to take care of sick parents.
the list is practically endless.

This, of course, does not mean we are exclusive in our ministries.  I can pick up objects with my toes.  This is very helpful when I already have my hands full.  (I know you really wanted to know this about me!)  I have friends who minister through music and to the homeless.

And sometimes our functions change as the seasons in our lives change.  A little over ten years ago I had no children in my home. It was my husband and me. In 5 1/2 years God gave us 5 children who are now my primary ministry along with my husband.

My point is this...whatever situation you are in, be content, and be thankful.

Be thankful for the way God made you but also be thankful for His creativity and variety in the way he made others who are different from you.

How I function as a member of the body of Christ, how I minister with His love, how I walk out my faith will differ from others.  Not better. Not worse.  Just different.  And accepting the vast differences in the many members of the body of Christ is as sensible as accepting the differences in teeth and ears.

I'm thankful I've been reminded of this recently.  And I want to pray for eyes that see myself soberly.  For eyes that see the members of the body of Christ as individuals with gifts that differ according to the grace given to us. It's just makes sense.

Give Thanks!

Oh give thanks to the LORD; call upon his name;

make known his deeds among the peoples!

Sing to him, sing praises to him;

tell of all his wondrous works!

Glory in his holy name;

let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice!

Psalm 105:1-3

Hand-Me-Downs

Gotta love 'em!

One of my summer projects was to go through all the hand-me-down clothes and shoes that I've gotten from my sister for Iris and from a friend for Emma. Both love to shop and have great taste. So I have a ton of clothes for the girls. In fact, I really don't ever have to buy them anything!

I also had some clothes and shoes from my sisters-in-law for the boys and Emma.

This is a picture of almost 200 pairs of shoes (this does not include the shoes in their closets that they currently wear!)This is the pile of clothes we are giving away! The guest closet is full of totes with clothes waiting to be worn.

Praising God for Great Neighbors!

I was working on the "other wall" of the office and wanted to get some things thrown out in the big trashcan before it started raining. As I walked to the edge of the driveway, I noticed Mario (Tina's husband) and their friend holding on to our trampoline. It had blown into the neighbor's house to the right of us.

I had no clue!

So I run to help and then the neighbor to the left of us comes running out to help too! He goes back in while we try to figure how to position this thing from flying away again. After we moved it to the other side of the wooden swingset out comes Mr. Booth again with heavy weights to hold it down!

I felt so loved to have all them helping me out.

Then, of course, Tina and Emma ran out to help me get the chickens in their crate to put in the garage.

Thank you, God, for GREAT neighbors!

Recession?

Has the "recession" affected you? Before you answer, check this out first...

Hallelujah!!

YEA!! We have our appointment set for Roddy's reversal! May 8th is the date ~ just 3 weeks from tomorrow!

I'm claiming this verse from Hebrews 11:11:

By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive...since she considered Him faithful who had promised.

A Very Happy Easter!

This was probably the best Easter I've ever had. Probably because it's the first year I was really focused on Jesus and what He did for me.


Last week we did a play-by-play with the kids of the events that occurred from Jesus' triumphal entry to his resurrection Sunday morning. For example, Thursday morning I talked with them at breakfast about how when Jesus woke up that morning He knew what was coming that night.


Each day we read Scripture that went along with the events of the day - sometimes right at the time they occurred. Like at noon on Friday I read the verses about it becoming dark for 3 hours. We stopped and thanked God for Jesus dying for our sins.


At night, we even acted out the day's events with little paper puppets we made of all the characters.
By Saturday night I was so excited about Sunday morning. The celebration of Jesus' resurrection was so real and exciting! All day yesterday I would say, "He is risen!" and the kids would chorus, "He is risen indeed!"


It was truly a very happy Easter!!

Abundance

Abundantly blessed...children are a reward from Him.

Abundantly Blessed...Sacrificed that we might be called sons and daughters.

Abundance

Abundantly loved...love notes from my children.

Abundantly Loved...love notes from my Father.

Abundance

ABUNDANCE, n. Great plenty; an overflowing quantity; ample sufficiency

This week I want to thank God for the abundance of blessings He gives...

Abundantly fed...

Abundantly Fed...