Bundling Sheets

I've been bundling my sheets for a long time following THIS method! It works wonders and all your pieces are together and you just take out a bundle and change your sheets.

I replaced the sheets yesterday and washed the old ones. Today when I got them out of the dryer they were naturally bundled together! Not perfectly but I thought, "Hmmmm, I could leave them just this way!" And then I remembered! I threw a table cloth in there and a set of socks.... so no. I had to take it all apart and start over. Boo!

For Such A Time As This

I have been known to love antiques, and to relish in history imagining what it would be like to live at the time of Laura Ingalls Wilder during her childhood; living in a log cabin on the Prairie. There was something about history that made me feel like I had been born at the wrong time period, and it would have been better to have lived long ago!

But over time, the Lord convicted my heart that this was a sinful attitude. I was born in HIS perfect timing, for THIS day. It is wonderfully freeing to look at life this way. I can still love history and admire things that are old, but also be thankful for the present time in which I live.

What a great opportunity is given to us to make a difference in the now! Things are certainly different than generations before, but there are so many opportunities that didn't exist long ago. There are food pantries to give to for those in need. There are missions opportunities both to be active in, and to offer support for. We have opportunities to fly anywhere in the World in a matter of hours! We have strong churches with Ministers that don't need to travel from church to church. We have beautiful schools and if we so choose, we can teach our children at home. Books are prevalent in our society at a much lower cost than ever before.

I am relatively safe in my home, which was much different than the realities of the little house on the prairie time period! Many families died during those times of todays preventable diseases and from hostile tribes who did not want westward expansion.

While many famililes never moved away from each other, many did, and it meant only letters being exchanged. Today, if people live far from each other we have cars and highways to stay in contact.We have cell phones and constant ability to take all sorts of photos to share with each other. And we can call each other and hear those wonderful familiar voices.

God chose for me to be born now, to live now, to thrive now. And what He has chosen, is good.
My satisfaction in this life is in Christ. He is my life. He is my song.

Sweet Grand Baby Woes!

I met Sarah at the ER today because sweet 2 year old Diane pulled her elbow out of socket. The Dr. said it is a very common injury and some kiddos are more prone to it than others. She was very cooperative to a degree! The Dr. came and and put it back in place pretty quickly. But to be sure, they wanted her to move it and she was very unwilling! We offered a mint to her to reach for it and she said NO! Moved it closer! NO!!! And then closer and the final NOOOOOOOOO! like a great 2 1/2 year old! LOL

The next strategy was to put a sticker on me while I was holding her. Her left arm behind me, she could only get it with her right arm. Bingo! It worked! She grabbed it and they said, You can go home now! :)

She is such a sweet baby! I'm so glad her elbow is back in place! And she wanted to come to Yaya's house! :)

The Path of Life

52 years ago, to be exact, I took a test in high school that would give me direction for my future. I lived in California at the time and we took these aptitude tests. My scores came back and while I wasn't surprised at my strengths, I WAS surprised at how strong my strengths were and HOW WEAK my weaknesses were. I scored in the 99% for engineering. All those gears and wheels made sense to me. I scored in the 5% for secretarial strengths. YES 5%! I was supposed to be an engineer. Ha!

What am I? Well, I have been the secretary in our small business for years, and I'm sure that Mike would be the second one to tell you, me being the first, that I am not the best fit. But I do try! And I would say, if I took that same test today, I would score higher, just because of all the years of practice. However, I'm not just a secretary. I am a wife, a mother, a grand mother a servant of Christ, a peer Biblical counselor, a "Sanitation Engineer". :)
Some things come easier for us than other things. And the truth is, those early tests, while helpful for deciding a career path, that is all they are really good for. They are suggestions.

A while back when I was in my 30's I watched a very funny skit about little souls getting ready to go into babies being born, (I know silly, but it was a skit) and the head angel was telling the souls what kind of baby they would be. They then told them about the kind of life they would live and most were excited except this one that began to rock back and forth, then suck her thumb and finally hide under the table. It was well done and very funny.

The truth is, God does not reveal to us our personal future and all that life will present. If he did, we would all be hiding under tables sucking our thumbs! However, in His WORD, He promises to never leave us or forsake us. He didn't prevent the children of Israel from being stuck at the Red Sea but He was there WITH THEM, and provided a way of escape right through the middle of the waters. He went with them, and guided and protected them.

I can see how over many years the Lord has been with me through all the twists and turns of this life. I never would have dreamed I'd be where I am now, sitting at this computer on a 100 plus degree day, not caring about the humidity and typing to you, my reader. But here I am.

How did I get this old? How did I go from NOTHING, abandoned with 4 little boys, to married 37 years and 8 children, including 4 girls? How did I go through some of the things we went through together that were tragic, including our son having a stroke causing Cerebral Palsy, our daughter needing her feet amputated, wrongs against us that cannot be mentioned?

BUT GOD!!

He says in Isaiah 43, "Fear Not! For I have redeemed you! I have called you by your name you are mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you. And through the waters they shall not over flow, when You pass through the fire you shall not be burned. Neither shall the flame kindle upon you, for I am the Lord your God!"

What a huge encouragement from the Lord. Of couse this is allegorical, but the implication is very real to my life. I'd be that little soul hiding under the table, but God in His wisdom only gives us the next step. And then He gives us His WHOLE WORD! Our thoughts are not his thoughts, and for those who LOVE Him, he truly does work ALL things for our good and for His good will and purpose.

There is much to learn through hardship and trial. It is best to lean on HIM and trust Him through it all. There is an old song by Andre' Crouch called "Through It All". It says, Through it all, I've learned to trust in Jesus, I've learned to trust in God, I've learned to depend upon His Word.

I am so thankful for all of my life. The Lord has been with me, with us, all along the way. I didn't like having cancer, or the surgery that followed, but He was there with me. I didn't like the betrayal, but He was with us all the way. I didn't like the long trials in my first marriage, but He was with me to lead and guide. And He is with us now. I have no idea of the future or what it holds. BUT I DO KNOW the one I can count on for all things. And I'm still a secretary! :)

Problem Solving

Have you ever thought about problem solving in life, similar to problem solving in mathematics? I used to tell my children, "If you don't have the tools for math, which are memorizing math facts, knowing times tables, memorizing Prime numbers; then it is very difficult to problem solve and you won't love math!" But if you learn the building blocks, everything will come easy and you just have to learn the proper method for solving more complex problems in algebra. Easy formulas such as parenthesis, exponents, multiplication, division, addition and subtraction, (Please Excuse My Dear Aunt Sally) are prerequisites for more advanced mathematics.

The same thing is true for emotions and relationships. You need the building blocks to solve relationship problems, or to learn how to discuss things properly so they don't turn into problems. Understanding your emotions and being able to identify them is important in communication. Expressing big feelings isn't enough of a definition for how another person is feeling. To identify the difference between sad, angry, disappointed, frustrated, confused, joyful, happy and satisfied, will help in developing commuication skills that are good problem solvers.


For a person to express tears of emotion and be able to say "I feel so disappointed that I did that", it can lead a parent to take that conversation to the next level and talk about the disappointment as well as how to express it without causing harm to ones self or another. A parent can come alongside in that moment and be encouraging to try again and offer solutions for what to do next. If a child is joyful, a parent can name the emotion to teach the child what it is they may be feeling.

Teaching our children what each word means and how to identify each emotion gives our children the tools they need to solve problems. We can be active in helping them identify the words and their meanings. Without the vocabulary and understanding of emotions, we may just get a lot of unwanted, misunderstood behaviors.

This isn't just for children, but for adults also and it works across the board in all situations. So be a problem solver, solution finder, encourager, and good communicator! If you do your homework in memorizing the building blocks, it will be rewarding in improving relationships!

Looking Back at 2020-2021

So much happened during the lock downs and then the following year. I came down with Covid in December of 2020. I blogged about that; something I don't even remember! I did wind up being diagnosed with long covid. I did not feel well for a long, long time and the severe brain fog continued. I remember getting into the shower to clean it in around 2022, and suddenly I felt faint. Then I remembered that I could not smell yet and I was using bleach to clean. I couldn't smell it, so I got out quickly with my nose burning, drank water and went outside for fresh air. Yikes!
Our son, Tim, worked as a special Ed teacher at a High School in Dallas, and when the covid shots came out, he was required to get a shot. It was the kind of, "you can get the shot or lose your job" volutary program. :(
The first shot made him very sick. Then came the booster. He was placed in ICU with large blood clots all over his body. One was 10 INCHES saddling between both lungs and pressing on his heart. He was sent home. They said he could die in the hospital or at home. It was a very solomn time for our family. I could not believe that the son who fought so hard to live as a baby, was now going to be taken out by an untested vaccine MRNA shot.

Everybody flew in to visit, and knowing Tim and his HUGE LAUGH, every time he would laugh people would say "BE CAREFUL". Nobody wanted to see him go.

Praise be to the Lord that our precious Tim is still with us, with his big laugh and joyful heart! He now works for an insurance company and is finally off of blood thinners.

WHY NOT!

I found this popcorn at Sam's Club, and since it contained his name, I bought it! I think he likes it! :)

A Celebration!

First things first! One my dearest friends came by to help us celebrate! Everybody was so excited to see her. She has known our famiily for over 37 years!

Keith,Albina, Sebastian and soon to be Jacoby came to help us celebrate also! It was so good to see them!!

Our son Joseph and his new bride Eden came to visit from Florida. We were so happy to see them and have a fun get together with 6 out of 8 of the kids, and grandkids were here (not pictured) also! I'm sad to see them go back home tomorrow but I know they will be back! Apparently there is this great deal with Frontier. Pay a certain amount then fly as much as you want for 6 months for around 16.00 a ticket. Sounds like a great deal for us to look into. I'm thrilled for Joseph and Eden and pray that the Lord blesses this marraige. I was so impressed with how much Joseph and Eden are alike. :) I'm blessed with a new daughter in law.

Trying to Learn Piano, AGAIN!

I took piano lessons when I was 6 years old by a sweet woman named Mrs. House. After 2 lessons she told my mother she couldn't teach me, because I wasn't following the notes. It was so simple to just hear it and repeat what she was doing. So, that was the end of lessons for me. I have always wanted to play and have picked things out over the years, but what I'd really like to do is start with beginning piano theory and actually learn to play correctly!

SOOOO! Today I started! I am on PRE book A. I'm learning to keep my fingers in the correct place and read the notes on the treble cleft and then on the base cleft. Both thumbs share the middle C. :) So, I was able to play "I want and Ice Cream Cone" and "Old McDonald had a farm"... and then I broke out into the "Doxology" and "Fly Me to the Moon."
I think there is still hope for a willing participant! I made my self stop and go back to reading those little notes. But I admit, "Fly me to the moon" was a lot more fun! :)

The Books Continue

I wrote about MOM, DAD and ME books in this post, and a few others. :)


Do you know that we STILL write in them? Our girls are married and on thier own, but every now and then a book will show up with a very sweet note. :)
I love it! What a keepsake they can pass down to the next generation after them!

Infinitely More: a book review

Back in 2012 I spoke at an adoption conference called "Together for Them". Alex Krutov was the key note speaker. He shared his very raw testimony of his life growing up in the Russian orphanage system and how Missionaries that he met, sharing the Love of a Savior, Jesus Christ, caused a huge change in his life. At the conference we got a chance to talk and we formed a friendship that has lasted many years.

Today, Alex is a husband, father and leader of an amazing ministry called "The Harbor", that works with aged out orphans. Alex and Amy and the boys stop here periodically when in town and we host them at our home. It is always such a pleasure to see them.

If you want to read a riviting book and testimony about God's grace through perilous times, this is the book for you! It is available for purchase on Amazon.
Alex and Amy's ministry is very active and dependent upon donations. This is their website. The Harbor

FRESH WATERS POURING OVER MY SOUL

I don't know why but today has been a day of brain fog, and feeling kind of meh... I don't have these days very often and busied myself with other things, like looking back at old memories and re reading some old posts. Doing that didn't really help. Then, it was obvious that I needed to refresh myself with scripture. I needed the pure milk of the word to overflow me. And THEN....
This happened!
I never just "open my bible and see where it will fall open". But I sat down and opened it, and it DID fall open to a very familiar passage that has washed over my soul many times. The first time was when I was 25 years old. I was in a very difficult situation and a few months before had given birth to my fourth son. Things in my home were terribly difficult. My then husband had walked away from Christ and embraced a life I had never dreamed could happen. But it did. My Dabba, his mother was a wonderful mother to me and a fellow sister in Christ. She brought to me my VERY FIRST study bible. It was an Open Bible, NKJ version which I loved. As I poured over the pages of this bible and learned about each of the books, the time it was written, how it relates to Christ, or prophecy, who wrote it, etc. ; I was drawn to the book of Isaiah. And then drawn to Isaiah 55.

This has become one of my favorite passages in scripture. I remember reading it and tears welling up as I read and knew it was speaking to me.

Here is the Passage: Isaiah chapter 55.


Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat. YES, come buy wine and milk without money and without price. Why do you spend money for what is not bread, and your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to ME and eat what is good, and let your soul delight itself in abundance. Incline your ear and come to Me, Hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, the sure mercies of David.
Indeed I have given him as a witness to the people, a leader and commander for the people. Surely you shall call a nation you do not know and nations who do not know you shall run to you. Because of the Lord your God, and the Holy one of Israel. For He has glorified you.
Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near, Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord and He will have mercy on him and to our God for He will abundantly pardon.
For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heaavens are highter than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain comes down adn the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth adn make it bring forth the bud that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my WORD be that goes forth from my mouth. It shall not return to me void; but it shall accomplish what I please adn it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

For you shall go out with joy and be led out with peace, the mountains and the hills shall break for into singing before you. And all the trees of the fields will clap their hands. Instead of the thron shall come up the cypress tree and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree. And it shall be to the Lord for a name for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.
So here I am, 68 years old being refreshed in my soul once again by the scripture that calls me to come, eat, rest and be satisfied in Christ alone.

The Natural Longing for Change: An Observation

I have been longing for it to rain. It has been over a month since we had any rain. It has been over 100 degrees for a long time. It cools down at night into the upper 80's and then comes the 100's. My desire is that it will rain and then that the temperatures will cool down. We are in the last few weeks of summer and then comes FALL!

Fall is one of my favorite times of year and I am always longing for it to arrive. It is so exciting to see the leaves change color and begin to drop to the ground.

After Fall arrives, then we desire snow. Sometimes our desires are fulfilled, sometimes not and we just get ice!

The fall and winter can cause us to LONG for the warmer days of Spring and Summer and we start all over again with the seasons!

I have been working on trying to embrace each season fully. When I am satisfied with the season I am in, I can be content in the heat as well as the cold! The same goes for the seasons of life. We have been through many seasons in our lives. Learning to embrace the season we are in is a lesson in trusting the ONE who created them all. From Birth to the End, God knows our days! Just as we can count on the sun to rise and the morning without question, we can count on the fact that our Heavenly Father placed it there and He is in control of all seasons, both in Nature and in the seasons of life.
As we learn to embrace where we are, there are many treasures to be found. The wisdom God gives us as we grow cannot be traded for earlier times. The rich blessings of being satisfied in Christ cannot be traded for our younger lives. It is often asked, "If you could do it over again, would you go back to high school, or being in college?, etc." The answer is NO!!
I love how Mike and I are growing old together with each other and in the Lord. I love our morning coffee and bible study and discussion that can go on uninterruped until he looks up and sees he is late for work. (in the back yard) :)
I love how our kids have grown up and while it is fun to reminisce, it is even more enjoyable to see them all embracing life, walking with Christ, and raising families.
This season is longer than the 4 three month seasons that divide our year up. This season can be long or short; that is up to God, but it is a season where we continue to learn and grow. It is a season of blossom and pruning. It is a cup of finely aged wine. It is a cup of reflection, but also a cup of joy. God created the seasons for us to experience and lift up praise to Him. The scripture says that the Trees of the field will clap their hands! He created our seasons in life to do the same. We clap with thankfulness and joy and we give praise to HIM, the author and creator of our faith.

Me as a young baby, a teen, and then as a new mom

REFLECTIONS ON ADOPTION PART 2

I wrote a post a few years ago here and at the end it said, "To Be Continued"... so HERE is the continue. :) Mike and I are getting close to retirement. We already qualify for Medicare, and I started drawing my social security over a year ago. He will have full benefits in February. So, I guess that qualifies us as "elderly". :) It IS however a little humorous when you ready the news and they say something about an "elderly" person and then you find out they are 8 years younger than you are!

Even our old rocking chair is showing its age. That rocker holds many, many memories and now new babies are being rocked in it. In fact, I think I have rocked almost every grand child in it. It is the place to talk, to sing songs, to read books and to pray.

As I reflect on the last 35 years when adoption touched our lives, beginning with Mike adopting all of the boys, and then 22 years ago when we began with the girls, one thing rings out. INHERITANCE! Every child born to their parents inherits their name and legacy. It is a gift from the Lord. A child is securely placed into a family and they identify with that family, that name, those grand parents, great grand parents and they take on the identity of that individual family. In our case, our children are MINICHS.
I remember explaining this to the children when they were very young; "You are Minichs! That comes with responsibility! Honor your name!:) Sometimes they did, and sometimes they didn't. :) But it didn't change who they were.
Our children, because they are OURS, and there is no distinction between biological or adopted, are inheriters of what we leave behind. That isn't just the physical, but it is what our family has built over the years. It is a legacy of love and acceptance, of memories and of a solid future built on the Solid Rock of Christ.

As Christians we too have been reminded that we have an inheritance in Christ and adoption is a perfect reflection of our relationship with God. It is mentioned in Scripture that we are joint heirs with Christ and that we can come to God the father and call him Abba, which means Daddy. He lovingly accepts us with all of our flaws and slowly and perfectly teaches us to be His children through His sanctifying work which begins at His beckoning to us to come, just as we are, and rest in His love. He'll wash us, He will cleanse us, He will guide and teach us.
Oh what an inheritance we have! So now that our children who range in age between 26-47, are grown and have their own families; some just beginning, and some are close to the finishing line,they too will carry on the inheritance of how they were raised. They will carry the good and the bad, and as we always say, "Keep the good, throw out the bad and make things even better for your kids!" And they will provide for thier children the inheritance of a good name. They have and will continue to establish their own legacies for their families; and the generations go on. This blog has taken on many topics and has been an honest look into life. We are no longer adopting, but we are LIVING and I will continue to write and reflect on our lives as I can. I don't want to start anything new, this place feels like home. I wanted to finish that reflection. So there you have it. :)
And now I will go and rock in my rocking chair. It is still a great chair!

I'm A Coffee Roaster

I started roasting my own coffee about 5 years ago after Mike and I visited our grand daughter at a fresh coffee house called Michael Thomas Coffee in Albuquerque NM. She worked there and inspired us to start roasting!

So the first thing we did was research roasters and read roasting reviews.

We settled on this machine which was warranteed for a year. We used it for 3 and then ordered a new one when that one wore out. We are on our 3rd year with this one and it is going strong! Our favorite roast is Red Sea Blend from Coffee Bean Corral, and then LaLaJa Honey from Coffee Bean Corral. We also purchase from Sweet Maria's. We drink both caffinated and Decaf coffee. The newest DeCaf is La Victoria, an organic Decaf from Peru.

Even the Cat likes coffee! :) Erika has started roasting coffee too. She just upgraded to a fancier roaster. And she has become quite the barista! She has a new fancy coffee pot that makes regular coffee and specialty coffee! I could learn much from her expertise!

CHEERS to a great cup of Coffee!!!