Catching Up On The Week

This past week has been busy.

The big news today:

Charlie finished preschool!

He loved it, made some sweet friends,

adored his teachers, and managed to keep

the parents in stitches on field trips.

Here he is at their post-preschool picnic today.

It was indoors because the north wind was just rippin'!

One of his best buds is the boy, 2nd from the right.

Look at his and Charlie's smile...

can you just see them in class together?

When it was still warm outside, Laura got comfy and played in pudding.

She didn't eat it...just smeared it all over the table.

Then yesterday...for the millionth time...the two

youngest boys knocked on my door.

Hopefully I'm not alone on this,

but when the kids go out to play,

I don't want to have to run to the door

fourteen times at their beckoning.

So, this time I was ready to give them a good talkin' to

about taking off their shoes, and coming to find me

if it was really necessary.

But then I saw this...

My boys had picked "flowers" for me.

Glad I wasn't on a rampage!

Ewwww...these smell.

What do you think, Amarin?

Psalm 50:18

Psalm 50:18

"Call upon Me in the day of trouble;

I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."

Please pray fervently for Adeye and her

sweet girls.

She goes before the judge tomorrow

in eastern Europe regarding their adoption.

Please pray that the judge will waive

the 10 day waiting period so she can

get her girls out of that orphanage!

Teddy Bears

What do you do with unwanted teddy bears?

It seems a shame to throw them away.

No one wants to buy stuffed animals from a rummage sale.

I think most of our kids have too many.

One of our pastors' wives has a collection of teddy bears.

They are a variety of sizes.

She's ready to get rid of them.

They've never been played with, only collected.

She has about 70 of them.

The police can't use them as they use a special kind

for children they are helping.

I've checked at a child's advocacy center,

but they can't use them because it could be

interpreted as bribery.

Honestly!

So, what do you think?

Is there somewhere overseas that could use them?

Is anyone going on missions trip that would like to take some?

Let me know your thoughts...

P.S.

P.S. A lady handed us a check at church today for $60.00

for Jenna Mei's adoption.

Not sure why that's significant?

Read yesterday's post about our rummage sale

and the amount of money we were short

for the check we have to send out for our adoption tomorrow!

So....

So, our rummage sale was a HUGE success.

HUGE, my friends!

And does God not work miracles still today for

us to see?

Here we are...

days away from needing to send in our next

big payment to our adoption agency.

Actually, we need to send it Monday

as our dossier is about ready.

Great timing, huh?

Yeah...like we planned it all ourselves!

Cause we all know how predictable the paperwork

process is for adoption....NOT!

But today was so much fun.

We opened the doors 1/2 hour early and

it was busy all morning.

We actually had a line of shoppers waiting to pay.

And people everywhere...making their piles

behind the counter so they could shop more.

Then, the typical lull during a normal rummage sale

hit around 1PM.

We thought perhaps our youth pastor should

don his pink gorilla costume and bring in more

customers...but it didn't happen!

Then another big crowd came in to close out the day.

We had a lot of help from our church family...

adults, teens, and kids, too.

They ran to local restaurants to distribute

more fliers, organized tables, cashiered,

handled the food and drinks,

carried boxes and bags and large purchases

to customers' cars, and just had fun.

So with all of that taken care of,

Jamie and I were able to greet customers,

thank them, and share our story.

We were able to share God's blessing of adoption

with people.
Some came in asking about adoption...

some came in just to shop...

some came in not wanting to shop,

but just to make a donation.

We were blown away by the generosity of the community.

Economic times may be tough,

but let me tell ya,

it was not evident today.

Now here's the coolest thing.

Ya know that big payment I mentioned that's due?

Can you believe that just from today's sale,

we were only $59.39 away from that exact amount?

Seriously...could we get any closer to the exact amount

we need to send?

Now tell me, is there anything too big

for God?

And does He not delight in blessing us when we

seek Him for direction?

One thing we did was NOT price a thing.

It was all good will donations.

That really stumped some shoppers.

Common sense would have told us to price

everything so we wouldn't get ripped off.

Especially those big items.

But I knew...I just knew...we weren't supposed

to price anything.

God reassured me time and time again,

even when others disagreed,

that He would provide.

We were blown away by people's generosity.

The gals managing the cashier stand kept sharing

stories about generosity.

What a great witness for all of us.

To truly sit back and just be amazed.

News

Great, fantastic, awesome news today on the adoption front.

US Immigration has given us their stamp

of approval to adopt Jenna Mei.

This is a huge step.

We now are approved by both countries.

Phew!

Next, the agency will double check we have

everything for our dossier

(huge stack of paperwork)

and then it's DTC, baby!

(dossier to China)

Then, our LID.

(log in date when China receives our dossier)

Then, we get to wait until China approves our dossier.

Hopefully, that won't take long.

We're still praying to travel late summer/early fall.

And,

tomorrow is our big fundraiser for this adoption.

We've never done fundraising before,

but we felt this was the right thing to do this time.

You should see the warehouse...oh, my...

The community has come out in a HUGE way!

We have so much stuff...computers, tvs, 3-wheeler,

lawn mowers, toys, clothes, decorations,

dishes, generators (new!), collectibles,

baby "equipment," antiques...

It's all I can do to not "buy" some of this stuff.

But, like I told my kids, if we're meant to have it,

it will be there tomorrow when our sale is finished.

We're praying for a lot of shoppers...

we have a lot of stuff!

Not only has the community donated a great deal,

we've had friends making signs, organizing food,

setting up for the sale, etc.

And we have quite a few friends coming tomorrow

that have offered to work wherever they're

needed.

It is so cool to see a community pull together

for such a great cause.

I can't wait to post on how it all goes tomorrow.

OK....back to work!!

Happy Birthday, Jacob!

It was a snowy middle of the night, April 10, 2000, as

Jamie and I drove to the hospital for

Jacob's birth. He was 3.5 weeks early, and I had been

on bedrest for the past month.

Our first child...we had no idea how this would

change our lives!

We became parents.

What an awesome responsiblity...

HUGE!

God blessed us with a very healthy baby boy...

born on his papa's birthday.

(I told my dad not to expect that kind

of birthday present every year!)

He hit the double digits yesterday.

10 years old.

Where on earth did that last decade go?

And what will the next decade hold for him?

He's an easy-going, happy kid.

Loves history, Star Wars, Narnia, trees, cactus plants,

cutting wood, wants to go hunting someday...

He's enjoying the Narnia card Amarin drew for him.

Jamie and I were going to buy him a new bike for his birthday.

He asked if he could have this toy instead...okie, dokie!

Narnia guys he has been wanting soooo much!

And a pocket knife. Oh, please keep all of
your fingers!!

And for his birthday...rice krispie treats and

butterscotch pudding.

Happy birthday, sweet boy.

We love you!!

And he's off...

Today was the day to take off the training wheels.

Amarin has been riding a bike for less than 8 months,

and that's including the snowy months

that he couldn't ride at all.

I took him into the backyard,

and after a quick explanation of where to put

his feet and the pedals,

he was off...on his own...across the yard.

Within 1/2 hour, we were in the street

riding on the pavement...no problem.

He had one fall that brought a few tears,

but he got right back on and had a blast.

Faith Like a Child

Amarin asks a lot of questions.

Sometimes it's hard to answer

some of his questions because they're

hard even in my native language.

And he loves to ask a million questions at bedtime.

I think most kids do this.

It's uninterrupted time with mom or dad,

not to mention a great way to delay the

inevitable "lights out."

Sometimes I'm just too tired to

answer a lot of questions.

But the times I do sit and really listen and try

to answer...sweet times.

And those are the nights that I get THE BIGGEST

HUGS from Amarin. HUGE!

Along with his sweet smile.

Tonight he had a ton of questions about heaven.

Frankly, I can't answer them all because I don't

know...never been there.

And the Bible does not address all of his questions.

Here's a sample of some of his questions...

do we celebrate birthdays in heaven?

does God have a birthday? (most likely not, but fun to think about)

are there airplanes in heaven?

will my stuffed animals be in heaven?

what about animals?

will they bite?

what about mean animals?

can I take playmobil and St*r Wars?

where will I sleep?

do I take clothes?

does God wear a shirt?

I want to play with God and the angels.

is Moses in heaven?

and David?

and that big guy with David? (Goliath)

and that other big guy with no eyes? (Samson)

and Samson's girl?

and Noah?

**Then came a discussion about what God created.**

and what did Jesus make?

do we go to heaven when we don't obey?

do bad guys go to heaven?

where do guys go when Jesus is not in their heart?

is there fire there?

I tell ya, I'm lovin' these conversations, but they make

my mind reel!

And I'm prayin' that I'm conveying

the right information and not poor doctrine.

Some questions I just have to admit I don't know.

Of course, Charlie is hearing all of this,

and when I get to his room to tuck him in,

guess what starts? Yep...another million and one

questions.

But his are usually about Jesus and the soldiers.

He's hung up on Good Friday and Easter right now.

And he's pretty sure those bad soldiers

did NOT make it to heaven.

So, then in walks Jacob...not to be

outdone by his little brothers.

"So, do people live after they've been

thrown into the lake of fire?"

Oh, my goodness...

I think I need a hotline to God...

oh, wait...

I already have one.

I think I need to make a call!

In the news

Our story made it in the local paper today.

Praying that it brings in shoppers,

and touches hearts for adoption!

Sweet & Sassy

For the sweet part of my post...my Jacob. He loves to do things

that make others feel special.

Today, as has

been the past few days, was

raining cats and dogs.

We even had a dandy thunderstorm Monday night

and lost power for a few hours.

Luckily it was back on in time for me

to make my coffee Tuesday morning!

But this morning, Jacob went out in the rain

to pick some violets for me

as an early birthday present.

He said he wanted to wait until Saturday,

but they might not be so pretty.

As you can see...he was drenched!

As for the sassy part of the post...here's Laura.

Why is she smiling like that?

Because Charlie is in the broom closet and

can't get out because she's standing in the way

of the door. And she won't move.

I think she's gloating!

Nothin'

I got nothin'. Nothin' to blog of huge interest.

Writer's block?

Maybe.

Or just life without anything major.

And that's not all bad.

We did have an interview yesterday with

our local newspaper.

Our rummage sale for Jenna Mei's

adoption is one week from Saturday.

So, this Thursday, our family will be featured,

along with the details of our adoption

and rummage sale.

We're praying for a great turnout.

We obviously hope to raise decent funds,

but also raise awareness about the orphans

around the world.

They need families desperately.

I've cleaned out my house big time for this sale.

I can't believe how much we had sitting around,

that hadn't been used in several years.

And that was my criterion.

If it's not been used...it's outta here!

But the sad thing...

you could walk into my home and never know

we got rid of anything.

Shoot...I walk into my own house and wonder

what I got rid of because it's still chocked full of stuff.

Jacob asked me why I was getting rid of certain items.

"Why? Because Jenna's more important."

And because things don't matter.

People matter.

Following God's plan matters.

And God has never uttered a word about

how important material things are.

As a matter of fact,

He tells us that we're to cling to Him,

not material possessions...not yearn for the

latest clothing styles...or the latest gadget.

About 4 weeks ago, my microwave bit the dust.

Everything on it still works except the heating element.

And that's kind of important.

I went into temporary panic mode.

But ya know,

we've survived without it.

I've lived without my microwave popcorn. Barely.

I've managed to dig out pans to reheat food. Totally old fashioned.

And the days that I forget (wink) to take something

out of the freezer for dinner...

we eat sandwiches, or beans and rice.

And we're fine. And no one complains.

Jamie did bring home a small microwave last night

so I could have my popcorn again, and reheat a little

more easily.

We'll get a replacement sometime.

But I guess my point is,

we can do without so much more than we think we can.

And if by scaling back, we can help someone else,

why not?

Have you made changes or "cleaned out"

in order to help someone or some cause?

Leave a comment and share!

Happy Easter/Resurrection Sunday

Point of Grace Giveaway

A bloggy friend is giving away a gift pack for Point of Grace.

If you don't know their music,

you should look it up.

They're very, very good!

Bed-hog, begone!

Ruffey was a bed-hog, to say the least!

We'd find him sprawled out on Laura's toddler bed,

and the poor girl was stuck up in a corner. I think

Ruffey was very comfy, but not so much

for Laura!

So, a friend "just-happened" to have a twin-size

bedframe that she wasn't using. It's the kind that

has springs going across it, so no

box-springs are needed.

That was perfect, because we need to keep

Laura close to the floor in case she

falls out of bed.

We've kept her in a crib, portable crib, and

toddler bed for as long as we could.

Today, Jamie, Jacob, and Charlie went

out and bought a mattress, and

VOILA!

We have a bed just made for a princess and her

"prince."

Sweet dreams, baby girl.

Mommy's REALLY PRAYING for

a full nights sleep tonight!

What is Crazy Love?

A bloggy friend Linny is hosting a "Crazy Love" party.

Wondering what that is?

Here's how Linny defined it in her post:

Then since Dw returned from Haiti last Saturday, he and I have been talking about all this even more. He spoke a little about it Sunday morning.....and one of the things he called it was "Crazy Love". Dw and I both love the word "radical" - but it can, at times, have a negative connotation. Crazy Love seems to sum it up {for us} in a way that although one may not understand what that means exactly to Dw and I, it doesn't sound scary or intimidating. Basically, we are committed to living life for Christ with reckless abandon, and with hearts full of "Crazy Love. "

Stop for a moment and imagine what Crazy Love would look like? It's love that says, "only you God and everything I can for my 'neighbor'. Whatever you ask - I'll do. Wherever you want me to go - I'll go. However you ask me to do it - I'm there. Whenever you want me - I'm available. Whatever. Wherever. However. Whenever. Ready. Willing. Watching. Waiting."

Yep. That's crazy. Not striving to "keep up with the Jones's"...not

coveting everything materialistic...not working to please those

around us by their standards...

but living and doing right by God's standards.

Being available to do God's work when we're called.

So, I suppose adopting for the fourth time could be considered

"Crazy Love."

Believe me, there are some families that have done

much more than we are doing,

but it's not about keeping up with them, either.

It's about answering God's call.

So, we decided to take Linny up on her "Crazy Love" party.

So, to answer a few of Linny's questions...

1. Yes, we tithe. And before someone says "well, shouldn't

you be using that money for your adoption?" Go

read Linny's blog. She explains tithing very well.

We also sponsor three children...one through Holt,

and two through Compassion International.

2. Yes, we attend a church.

It's Evangelical, but it's not

"the religion" we try to follow...it's Jesus and God's Word.

3. Jamie has served on the Missions Committee at our church,

and recently headed up a collection for Haiti.

I've been involved with Wednesday night Kid's Life,

and have recently started an Adoption/Foster Care Ministry.

4. So, what is our need? Well, we are adopting internationally

for the 4th time, and this will be our 5th child.

You can see sweet Shasha's photo on the right of

this blog.

We are raising money for this adoption.

We are having a rummage sale/silent auction on April 17th,

and a friend also wants to help us plan a spaghetti dinner

after the rummage sale is finished.

So, let's see how this "Crazy Love" thing works.

Please do not feel obligated...that's not what this is about.

If God truly does move your heart to give,

you can send it c/o Jamie Miller,

PO Box 302, Lapeer, MI 48446.

Why Ruffey?

A bloggy friend asked last week why we were getting Ruffey,

and what he would do for Laura.

Before we ever started the process of getting a dog

through 4Paws, we had heard what awesome

things animals can do for people.

It's like the animal has a sense that humans don't...

a sense of what a person needs without words being spoken.

So, we researched service dogs for Laura last year.

(Laura has microcephaly, epilepsy, possible CP,

and global developmental delays).

Surprisingly, very few organizations will match a dog

with a child under about 12 years of age.

4Paws does place dogs with very young children

because they want the children and dog to

grow up together. Also, some behaviors can be

disturbing to an older dog, so younger dogs

are trained and matched. Ruffey is 17 months old, but

some of the tracking dogs were 11 months old and

doing an amazing job!

We read a lot about 4Paws, talked to them, and

began the process.

Laura was accepted into the program, and we decided to

request an in-home companion dog rather than a full-service

dog. Our reasons being that Laura cannot command the dog

on her own, she's not a risk for running away and

needing a tracking dog, and her seizures are not severe

enough that she would benefit from a seizure assistance dog.

Besides, can you see me handling a dog

as well as 4 children in public??

That could be its own comedy hour!

Hmmm...maybe that could have been a new reality show.

Yes...4Paws trains dogs for search & rescue, often for children

with Autism, as well as to predict seizures so the children

can get to a safe place so they don't get hurt during a seizure.

This actually happened to a family the first night they had their

dog, and an additional time later in their training!

Anyway, we wanted the dog to be first and foremost, a

buddy for Laura.

Her brothers love her and dote on her,

but they run off and play, as they should.

And Laura plays by herself.

So, having a buddy to lie nearby sounded great.

Also, we wanted a dog trained in behavior disruption

since Laura was waking almost nightly crying...and we didn't know why.

Now we know it was seizures that woke her, and we've since

gotten them better under control, but there are still those nights

when she doesn't sleep well.

So, we've been home one week with Ruffey.

He sleeps on her bed, or right beside her on the floor.

We're working with him to "lap" or "over" which means he

will lay his head or his whole body on top of Laura's legs

to help her feel safe or calm...not that she's ever very upset.

Other than being her buddy...I'm not sure what else will

happen. Time will tell. But even if this is all Ruffey does for Laura,

it will be enough. Enough for her to have a buddy that hangs

close and makes her laugh.

Just now, I heard Laura laughing.

I checked on her and she was sitting in front of Ruffey

holding onto his chew bone, while he chewed on a toy

wooden bolt. I had to discipline them both.

They pouted together.

Earlier, I caught her holding on to his bone

while he chewed on the head of a rubber dinosaur.

I think they're partners in crime.

Angels Rejoicing

Isn't it funny...some of the most important conversations

seem to happen in the van.

Or, maybe it's just because we spend so much time

in the van.

Anyway, we had another awesome conversation...

this time it was Charlie.

Now, Charlie talks non-stop...or sings...whatever it is

just to make noise. So, sometimes the radio gets turned up

just to drown out...er...so we can all hear some good music.

Today, I was glad it wasn't up too loudly.

Charlie: Mom, I want to go to heaven with Jesus and God.

Me: You do?

C: Yeah. Jacob are you going?

J: I know I'm going because I prayed and asked God into my

heart a couple years ago.

C: Mom, are you going?

M: Yes, I know I'm going to heaven. I prayed, too.

(All I hear now is whispering).

C: OK. I'm going to heaven, too. I just prayed to Jesus so I'm going.

Yahoo! I can hear the angels rejoicing now!

A "Ruff" Night

Well, we are home. The drive home was so easy with Ruffey.

He didn't budge. I think he was tired out from full days

of training!

I'm buried under a "Mt. Everest" of laundry now.

But it was really nice walking into a home that had been

tidied by the guys before they met us in Ohio.

Last night, Jamie and I debated about whether or not Ruffey

should sleep in Laura's bed.

The trainer said that we could use the kennel, and just

put it in Laura's room so Ruffey would get used to sleeping

in there, and then take the kennel away when we

were ready to let him sleep on her floor or on her bed.

So, we put Laura in bed, and told Ruffey "kennel."

Well, he looked at us, looked at the kennel,

and promptly jumped up onto Laura's bed.

I so wanted to let him sleep there, but since the house is

new, and it was his first night here,

we made him get into his kennel and all was well until

11:30P.M. Laura woke up crying.

So, we tried letting Ruffey sleep on her bed....

didn't help her crying.

After a few hours, we put Ruffey back in his crate

and gave him some treats

in case he was feeling stressed by Laura's crying,

and let her finish it out on her own.

It's hard not knowing why she cries.

When Ruffey was in Laura's bed, we noticed that he's a bit

of a bed hog. Laura's in a toddler bed, and we're thinking we might

need to convert it into a full size to fit them both.

We'll try again tonight and see how they do.

Right now, Ruffey is sleeping under my feet as I type.

He is our shadow, and is sooooo calm. He doesn't bark or whine.

He's obeying pretty well, especially since he's in a new environment.

OK...time to tackle "Mt. Everest."

Final Training Day with Ruffey

You can read about our final training day at 4Paws.

www.4paws4lauralingyi.blogspot.com

Day Four with Ruffey

Read about our fourth training day with Ruffey.

www.4paws4lauralingyi.blogspot.com

Day Three with Ruffey

You can read about day three of training.

www.4paws4lauralingyi.blogspot.com

Day Two with Ruffey

More on our training with Ruffey!

www.4paws4lauralingyi.blogspot.com

Day One with Ruffey

You can read about our first day with Ruffey on Laura's blog.

www.4paws4lauralingyi.blogspot.com

Rummage Sale

Here we go!

We're starting to raise funds for our adoption,

and on April 17th,

we're having a community-wide rummage sale.

For the past few weeks, I've been cleaning out our house.

Boy, oh, boy...I never knew how much stuff

I had sitting around my house that I

didn't use.

I'm going room by room, and if it hasn't been used

in the past few years, it's outta here.

Our friends from church came over

last night to help us get organized.

I'll tell ya...they have such big hearts!

They're letting us use their warehouse which is in the middle

of town...perfect location.

They're contacting newspapers and radio stations for us,

donating some big ticket items for our silent auction, and

organizing the sale of pizza and drinks.

We are so thankful for all of their help!

What a great example of fulfulling James 1:27...

see the top of my blog if you're not familiar with the Bible verse.

They may not be adopting, but they are reaching out to the

orphans by helping us in the process of bringing home Shasha.

Break My Heart

Some of you have probably heard or read something like this:

God, break my heart with the things that breaks yours.

I found A BLOG this morning.

The woman writing is on a trip with Compassion International

in Kenya for a week.

The things she is seeing and experiencing.

Oh, my goodness.

One of these days,

I really pray that I can experience what she's

experiencing now.

My heart has been called to Africa for a while now.

I would love to go to Africa, with Jamie and the kids,

on a missions trip.

But it's not time, I know.

But someday...

You can visit her blog HERE as she writes about her experiences

with families and orphans in Kenya.

And have the tissues handy!

Is anyone else...

experiencing a head-rush??

How can they read like this?

I'd have a migrane in a matter of seconds!

Can you tell these three do practically

everything together??

Science

What do we know about science and theories?

If one states a theory, then it was proven with tangible

evidence. And it can be proven again and again

using the same process.

If it wasn't proven with tangible evidence,

then it's only a hypothesis.

This rang very true this morning when I read a headline

'Dream Team' Agrees Huge Asteroid Killed Dinosaurs

A group of scientists have "figured it out" that a huge

asteroid hit Mexico and killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.

HUH?

One scientist stated that the answer was quite simple.

And the article goes on to explain how it all happened...right down to

the planet broiling, chemicals blotting out the sun, melted rock splattering

all the way up to Canada.

Again, I say HUH?

Believe me.

I think science is a remarkable study,

and when used correctly,

has given us vast amounts of knowledge.

But this study makes me laugh and wonder how many

people are now going to say, "Oh. That makes sense."

Including the textbooks from which students learn at school.

How many science teachers are going to share this "knowledge"

with their students today as fact?

I have two major issues with studies like this.

ONE:

Were the scientists there when this happened. Obviously, no.

How on earth can they prove this happened?

THEY CAN'T!

They are making a hypothesis, albight an absurd one, and

people will gobble this up like candy.

They can make all the assumptions they want,

and try to piece it all together.

But there is no way they can prove it. Period.

SECOND:

Their hypothesis is totally unBiblical...and before you stop reading...hear me out.

The Bible is one book that has never, EVER been

proven false. NO ONE, even the most learned scholars,

have ever been able to prove the Bible wrong.

One may not agree with the Bible,

but they can not prove it wrong.

So, are their dinosaurs in the Bible?

YES!

Are there asteroids in the Bible?

I sure haven't read about any!

Floods, yes. Fire and brimstone, yes. Asteroids, no.

My opinion only, but I can't imagine God leaving

out something of that magnitude.

And how old is the earth anyway?

All of this talk about millions of years old...

that's from a bunch of scientists who are

labeling the earth so they can put some kind of order to it.

It makes it easier to organize found bones, artifacts, etc.

But what about scientific carbon dating?

Surely, it does not prove anything is millions of years old.

More accurately, and provable,

is that the earth is closer to 6,000 years old.

(See CD's below)

And the Big Bang theory?

Physics (science, my friends) states that something must

happen to cause something else to happen.

So, something must have caused the Big bang...and

that would be...what? Nothing comes from nothing.

We have purchased some great audio CDs that speak specifically

about science and proofs. They give actual, proven, scientific evidence,

and why some other "scientific" proofs are nothing but a bunch

of hypotheses.

You can find them HERE.

They are told from a Christian perspective, but

don't scoff at them until you've listened. And then if you

can truly prove them wrong, I'd love to hear from you...nicely, please!

A Job Description

A little humor for this morning...albight true!

PARENT - Job Description

POSITION : Mum, Mummy, Mama, Ma, Mom

Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION

Long term, team players needed, for challenging, permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES

The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability forthe quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION

None.

Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills,so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you PREVIOUS

EXPERIENCE

None required unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION

Get this! You pay them!

Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS

While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

AND A FOOTNOTE 'THERE IS NO RETIREMENT -- EVER!!!

Safely Home

I love to sit and read before I fall asleep.
Sometimes there are books that are a good read,
and then there are books that are great-can't-put-it-down reads.

This is one of those.
Safely Home by Randy Alcorn.

In short, this book is about two young men who are roommates

at H*rvard University.

One is a Christian American, and the other is Chinese

who is loyal to the Party.

The American man leads the Chinese man

to Christ.
This Chinese man graduates top of his class, and heads back to China

to become a university professor.

Life twists and turns for these young men.

The American becomes a very wealthy, and successful

businessman and heads to China to build more

business relations, and decides to stay with his

college friend to get the feel for real life in China.

From there, you read about the house churches,

the Party, and what life really is like for this Chinese man

and his family.

An amazing book.

Meet Ruffey!

Laura's dog match was emailed to us tonight!!!

Click HERE to read about her new, special friend!

Mmmmmmmm...

School was canceled again today because of snowy backroads,

(cool living in the country!),

so Charlie didn't have preschool.

As the bigger boys were working on their subjects,

I pulled out Char's ABC notebook we're putting together,

and the letter M page.

Charlie: M!

Me: Yep, that's m.

C: (looking at the little "m" pictures) M for mouse,

mother, and what's that?

M: That's a moose. Mmmmmmoose.

C: Mmmmmmm

M: What else starts with Mmmmm?

C: Mmmmmmm rabbit!

(big brothers start giggling)

M: Um, how about mmmm meatloaf.

C: and mmmmmm potatoes!

(big brothers are now laughing loudly!)

Figuring he must be hungry, I just let him cut and paste,

and grabbed some mmmmmm snacks for the the kids.

Oh, well. At least there was some humor in it!

Homemade Laundry Soap

OK...here's my recipe for homemade laundry soap. I received this from the store where I purchased my ingredients, and the website listed is www.tipnut.com.

Happy Washing!

Ingredients:

1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap

1/2 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax powder

1 large bucket

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dossolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use 1/2 cup per load,or 1/4 cup for front loaders.

A Few Notes:

1. The finished soap is not a solid gel. It will be more of a watery gel that has ben accurately described as an "egg noodle soup" look.

2. The soap is a non/low sudsing soap. So, if you don't see suds, that is OK. Suds are not what does the cleaning, it is the ingredients in the soap.

3. If you want your soap to have a scent, you can add 1/2 to 1 ounce of essential oil.

4. The soap does settle in the bucket and you have to give it a stir before you use it. I fill a gallon jug so I can give it a quick shake before pouring it into my machine.

Egg Roll Recipe

OK...I'll share a frugal recipe that we enjoy...egg rolls.

I've taken a little bit from one recipe and

added a little bit from another

to come up with one we like.

I think with egg rolls,

you can pretty much add what you like.

I make ours vegetarian, but you can

add ground meat easily.

I buy shredded broccoli slaw (which is loaded with

fiber, vit. C and vit. A),

and stir-fry it in water or coconut oil along with

saifun bean threads.

Add ginger and garlic powder to taste.

Then I wrap it up in the egg roll wrappers,

fry them in coconut oil,

and enjoy!

We like to use sweet & sour sauce, peanut sauce,

hot chili sauce for garnishes. Add some rice and

you have a healthy, easy meal.

OK...here's the cost:

20 Wraps: $2.78

2 bags of Broccoli slaw: $3.00

Bean threads (lasts 3 meals): $1.18

Rice: $13.00 for a 20 lb. bag...you do the math

Not bad for being a healthy meal, at a cheap price, that

feeds a large family.

A Frugal Share

I think a lot of us are being more frugal these days.

Maybe your family is growing (like ours),

maybe you're feeling the pinch from this economy,

maybe you're realizing that less is more,

or maybe you're realizing that the money God

has given you is not being used

in the most selfless ways.

Spending less on our unnecessary items

can be used to help others in so many ways.

So, let's share...

My friend Adeye beat me to the punch!

She just blogged about a new way to save money...

making your own laundry soap.

I have to say, when I first heard

about this a few months ago,

I thought...no way!

It must not work very well,

and it's too much work.

Well, I've eaten my words and I started

making my own soap last December.

Wow! It really does work and it's

easy to make!

Our clothes are not stinking,

and they're getting clean.

And talk about a cost savings!

I can do over 400 loads of laundry for less than

$12.00.

That's right, folks.

Gone are the days that I'll spend buku bucks on

name brand laundry soap.

And for those who are "green,"

it's much better for the environment.

So, now for the sharing part. I'm looking for ways

to cut back on the grocery bill.

Honestly, I'm not one to spend hours clipping

coupons while matching them to the sales ads

and rebates.

I just don't have the time.

So, what else have you got?

But what about healthy meals

(stress on the healthy part)

that are low on cost?

One meal I shared in my last post from Adeye...

Mexican stacks.

Healthy, and inexpensive,

and feeds a large family...

we now are one.

So, go ahead and share.

For those of you lurkers...you know who

you are...this would be a great time to

introduce yourself and share some ideas.

Keep checking back to the comments to see

what great ideas are being shared!

Childproof Icecream

Who would have thought that Tupperw*re had

childproof bowls?

We made snow-icecream last night,

(thank you, Brandy),

and the kids loved it!

I saved the leftovers in a tupperw*re bowl

in the freezer.

Tonight, they couldn't wait to have more.

But try as they might, they could not get the lid

off the bowl!

It took Jacob, Amarin, and Jacob's friend

to pry it off.

Hmmmm...maybe I should try this with more

food and save on the grocery bill!

A New Favorite

Here is a new favorite of Amarin's.

HOT sauce!

Even on the bottle, the word HOT is enlarged!

He eats it on everything...rice, chicken,

beef, Adeye's Mexican Stacks (which

has become one of my

favorite meals to prepare and eat)...and

even cookies. Yes, cookies.

Thanfully, it's not difficult to find so we

can keep stocked!

Holidays

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Those of you familiar with Gary Chapman's Love Languages,

mine is "acts of service." I love for someone to pitch in

and help me do something.

Last night,

Jamie went shopping, and cooked dinner for me. He rented a

movie for the boys to watch while

we had a "Valentine's Day date" in our diningroom.

He even made the boys' dinner.

For us, he cooked steak on the grill (which

he had to shovel snow off first),

lobster tail, french bread with dipping

sauce, a salad, and a glass

of red wine. He even brought out

our good dishes.

What a treat!

My boys presented me with these:

this from Jacob...

and this from Amarin.

Charlie gave me big hugs and kisses!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR

Two holidays in one day! We're ready!

Here are the paper lanterns we made

which are hanging around the house.

In only 6 months...

...this is what God has done in Amarin's heart.

We were driving last night, and spontaneously,

this is what Amarin shared:

"I like Jesus. No, I love Jesus. He a good boy. When

everyone hurt, He help them."

6 months! With a language barrier!

God can change hearts in amazing ways.

Here is a little boy who had no idea who Jesus

is, had never heard the gospel,

and never seen a Bible.

Now, he loves Jesus.

Now, he asks for prayer at night...it might be

that his cold goes away, or his skin stops itching.

But, he understands!

He has seen answered prayer.

He wants us to pray for him, too.

Oh, the blessings of spending each day, every day,

with our precious children,

and sharing God's word (the Bible) with them,

and helping them grow in faith and character.

I wouldn't trade that for any worldly treasures.

The world can have their big bank accounts,

and their huge stash of material goods.

The more that is hoarded,

the more that shows that God is not trusted

to provide.

Either you trust God, or you don't.

But I tell you,

the Bible makes it very clear that we will

take nothing with us.

The only things we will have are the treasures we

store up now in heaven.

Matthew 6:19-21

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth

and rust destroy, and thieves break in and steal.

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven,

where neighter noth nor rust destroys,

and where thieves do not break in and steal,

for where your treasure is,

there your heart will be also.

So, what are "treasures in heaven?"

Those treasures are the things you do here on earth

to build God's kingdom.

But be careful...

these are not to earn your way to heaven.

If that's why you're doing good,

it's pointless.

You can't earn your way to heaven.

That's free...and that's another post.

But as for building treasures...

Have you fed the homeless?

Have you cared for the orphan or widow?

Have you studied the Bible?

Have you helped someone who has been

sick, or needed prayer?

Have you really looked for the direction

in your life that God has for you?

Have you turned away from the things that

take our thoughts away from Jesus...like

gossip, drunkeness, jealousy, anger,

grudges.

When we get to heaven,

God wants to shower us with blessings, beyond

anything we can imagine.

But like with our kids,

if they don't obey us, we don't readily give more

and more, right?

No, we take away blessings and privledges.

Same with God.

We are His children and He wants to bless us abundantly.

But not if we don't handle what He's given us here on earth well.

If we squander our money and time, if we don't help where

needed, if we waste the talents He's given us,

He will remove blessings from our "stash."

He will still welcome the saved into heaven

free and clear, but don't you want the full blessings He

wants to give us?

What treasures are you storing up right now?

Another Walm*rt Conversation

Is it just me, or do these conversations tend to happen at Walm*rt more often than not? Or, maybe I just spend too much time at Walm*rt. Whichever it may be...here's another funny conversation for you!

Sunday is the start of the Chinese New Year celebrations. We've never done much for it, but I thought this year, since we're awaiting little Shasha, and we have two other little ones with Chinese heritage, why not do something? So, we made paper lanterns the other day. And today, I picked up some bamboo chopsticks, made in China, from Walmart.

So, I'm at the checkout and the gal is ringing up my order when she comes across the chopsticks.

"What are you going to do with all those sticks?" she asked.

"We're going to celebrate the Chinese New Year on Sunday, and I thought those would be fun."

She looked at me a little funny, so I added, "Some of our children are Asian, so we're going to have a little celebration."

She replies, "Oh! (like she gets it now) Do they all eat with chopsticks?"

What on earth do you say to that? Nothing clever popped into my head, so I just said, "No, but it sure will be fun trying."

She says, "What did you say you were celebrating? The Chinese Christmas?"

Oh, that sounds wrong for so many reasons!

"No, the Chinese New Year. It's just a little fun thing we're doing," I said trying to leave before it got any more complicated! I still don't think she got it. But at least it gave me another fun blog post!

It's all downhill...

for these goofballs!

Jamie took Monday afternoon off work, and the

boys all went sledding.

Posing before they get going.

Scopin' out the hill...

Here we go!

Let's try it now with a partner!

Reading Material

TGIF!

Jamie treated us to our favorite burger place...actually voted best burgers

in the state! And is standard protocol when we go out to eat,

the boys all grabbed a book to keep them

occupied at the table.

Jacob came down with a library book about dragons.

Amarin came down with a Disney/Pixar sticker book.

Charlie...well, he came down with something different.

Peanut Sauce

Now, before I get too far into this post...I hope I don't offend anyone. If you are easily offended, please don't read on. It's a post about something that happened at the dinner table...something silly...and it landed us all in hysterics.

A little preface. First, we do our best to not swear. My kids think the s-word is "shut up" and that an a** is the donkey from the Christmas story...still not sure why some stories choose to use that word. We even try not to use the word "g*sh" because it is slang for God, and we don't use His name in vain. Nor do we talk silly about bodies. We use the real words, and bodies are private. Period.

Now for the story. I decided to make homemade egg rolls tonight for the first time. So, Jamie went out and bought sweet & sour sauce, peanut sauce, and a couple other sauces that sounded fun. Jacob and Amarin remembered eating the peanut sauce in Thailand, so they were pretty excited to try it again. So, we dished up the egg rolls, some rice, and left over meats from a couple dinners.

Time to pour out the sauces. They were all really good, and Amarin decided he wanted more peanut sauce.

So he says, "More peanuts right here, please," pointing to his chicken drumstick. However, when he said the word "peanuts," the T did not sound. OK...go with me on this...and if you didn't catch it...go back and pronounce it again without the T sound.

Obviously, Charlie and Amarin did not catch it. Jamie, Jacob, and I are sitting there silent and perfectly still. All of sudden Jacob bursts out laughing....really laughing! Jamie and I can't help it and start, and we're laughing so hard because Jacob's laughing so hard, that the younger boys start laughing, too. Funnier still...they had no clue what they were laughing about!

Laughter is so contagious, and when we laugh like this at the dinner table (even if it's not totally appropriate), it makes me so thankful that we have this time together!

The Little Gifts

I think we'd all agree that sometimes it is the little things that God does that just make our day so wonderful! Yes, we pray and pray for those big things...good health, safe travels, secure jobs. And it is awesome to see God answer those prayers...a great testimony to the one true God that listens, and cares, and knows what we need before we even ask.

But what about those little things that we don't even think about? That we couldn't even orchestrate if we did think about them? I think these are even more telling about how much God cares, and how much he wants to show his love.

Here are two examples that just happened. Yesterday at church, a friend of ours brought 2 colleagues to church, and these colleagues were from a business location in China. Wouldn't you know it...that would be the day that our two little ones stayed home and our friend couldn't introduce them to his colleagues! Anyway, they asked me questions about why we adopt, and I shared with them that we are adopting one more little girl from China...from the Chongqing area. Can you guess where these two colleagues were from? Yep! Chongqing! Now what are the chances...with all of the millions of cities and billions of people in China, that they would be living in the same city??

The second thing happened today. I found a yahoo group, the only one in fact, that deals specifically with Shasha's orphanage. So, I filled out the invitation to join and within the hour, I had a reply from a member. Her daughter and Shasha were friends at their orphanage! WHAT?? This lady knew about Shasha, and had even talked to another family that had been viewing Shasha's file. Coincidence? I don't think so.

I think both of these "little things" are just fun gifts that God sends to us. I mean, don't you like to surprise your kids with a little treat now and then when they're not expecting it? How much more does God love us, and want to give us little treats now and then?