Picture Yourself.....

Being a nine year old girl, going into the coop to collect the days eggs, reaching up to get them and touching a SNAKE~! Then that snake uncurls from around the eggs and jumps down to the next shelf in front of you......



Are you breathing hard yet?

This is what happened to our Anna today. Just yesterday she was talking about how she would LOVE to have a pet snake. Somehow, a snake without a cage can cause absolute panic!

He was a bit of a big guy. Here he is with Mike! :)


Mike took him down the street and let him go in an ablidging field.

Thoughts About Disruption

(one of my favorite funny pictures of our little Petunia Sarah. She didn't like her dress)

When I first heard about "Adoption Disruption", I didn't know what it really was, and was shocked that it could happen.

Since that time, 3 years ago, I have come to understand it a little bit more. There are many reasons why different people adopt and many reasons why they disrupt. The big thing is, that no matter what, there is great loss and great gain.

If a disruption occurs, it is not a failure for the family who disrupted. It is to their credit, that they saw things were not working and WOULD NOT work. It takes a very strong person to disrupt an adoption. The disrupted family can feel scorned, rejected and even hated by those who do not understand.

The family who is the recipient of the child will have great work cut out for them in dealing with a very hurt child and respecting the family from where she came. In some cases, as in our case, the transition was pretty easy considering all our daughter had been through in her short life.
(abandoned at birth, contracted TB so placed in a TB hospital, loss of a leg, and fingers, TB sanitarium, finally an orphanage, 11 mos later adopted, moved to a new country, then 10 mos later, adoption disrupts and she comes to us)

As this has been on my heart the last 3 years, I have had many feelings about the whole subject. The conclusion I have come to is that God is in control. What Satan meant for harm, God turned into something good. It may not feel that way to the family who is dealing with the pain and loss of disruption. It may not seem that way when the child first comes. Natural thought would be, "It's a bloody awful mess and that is all there is to it!" But it ISN'T all there is to it.

There was much pain and hurt to work through for our Sarah, and we needed the Wisdom of Solomon to help her through it. It is a very difficult position to be in. We wanted to comfort her, but we also didn't want to make the other family look bad, or for them to be "all negative" in her mind. They did a wonderful thing to bring her here and we are forever grateful to them for that. Sarah has a healthy understanding, as much as a little girl can have, on what happened to her, and she too is thankful that she is here. She has been able to retain some positive memories of her life, both in the Orphanage and with the other family.

You know, We serve a multifaceted ALL KNOWING, heart healing, miracle working, life saving, God!

Mike and I would have NEVER thought about going to Ukraine to get Erika, because we wouldn't have even known about Erika.

Because of the disrupting family, we have Sarah AND Erika. We have been able to be part of a bigger ministry (in prayer mostly) for Dima and Hal. Our church, Community Bible Chapel has become involved, and Dima will be speaking at our church next month.

Children's lives are being changed and many more reached. Why? Because Sarah's FIRST family answered the call to go to Ukraine and get her. I know things did not turn out as they expected, and I know they will always have a hole in their hearts for her.
But I also know, that Sarah is where she is supposed to be, and I hope they can be comforted in that they had a HUGE part in the ministry that continues to unfold before us.
We can all rest in the comforting arms of our Heavenly Father, that HIS purposes are being fulfilled. We are but instruments in His hands.


(here she is 3 years later. Our blossoming little blue bonnet!)

Papa Dima is COMING and so is HAL!

We are so excited. Papa Dima, Galya, Olga and Irra are coming to town!
Olga is in Waco and will be graduating from College next month. Tomorrow morning, Papa Dima, Galya and Irra, will have their appts at the U.S. Embassy in Kiev. They are there to get Visas into the United States. Please pray for them tonight, that they will be granted favor and allowed to come.

Papa Dima was instrumental in helping us adopt Erika. He and Galya have a wonderful ministry to the Orphans in Ukraine. Their testimony is amazing and we thoroughly enjoyed being with them while we were in Ukraine.

There are so many awesome people that God has placed in this world to help those in need. Two of the most giving people I have ever met, are Dima and Galya. They serve selflessly and outside of "pubic view". What others think, does not sway them. They have taught Sunday School in the cold when they could not go into the orphanage. They have seen hearts change, they have been to places most people will not step foot in, including the TB Hospital and Sanitarium. That is where they found our Sarah. They have seen miracles take place in the hearts of those in authority and in the children.
They have had their hearts broken and felt the triumph of seeing a changed life. The biggest thing I see in their ministry is their commitment to prayer. They are on their knees without hesitation.

We are so honored and do not deserve to have them in our home; but they are coming and we are sooooo excited to see them.

Someday, we hope to see them in UKRAINE. But for now, we will settle on Wylie Texas.


(when in TeXas buy BREAKFAST!)

Hal is coming too! Hal was also instrumental in helping us with our girls. I will never forget calling him and asking about why Sarah was having a specific nightmare about being cold. He was able to give me helpful information about conditions in the TB Sanitarium and orphanage. We understood much more, when we experienced Ukraine for ourselves, but for Sarah, we didn't go to Ukraine. We just drove to Hillsboro. :)

The first time Hal called us, I saw the caller ID. It said, "The Pentagon"! I was thinking, who in the WORLD would be calling us from the Pentagon. We had no idea what a special little girl we were adopting and how many delightful people's hearts she had touched in her short little life. Hal talked for a long time about the ministry that was unfolding and about his dear friend Dima whom he had met in Ukraine.

What a blessing to have these people in our lives.

Happy Anniversary Dear One

Our final trip started on the 19th, and ended early on the 20th of April.
We were EXHAUSTED from the travel.
The highlights of travel were that the food on Air France is EXCELLENT. They were very nice to us. But the plane ride was LONG!!!!!


At the airport in Paris, we had to change planes, which meant we had to go through customs once again. This time, they wanted Erika to take her braces off for inspection.
I refused. So they put us in a room where a security officer could check her for bombs or explosives. She was terrified, but she was more terrified of having her braces removed.
In the orphanage, they didn't take them off much, and the first time we took them off, she wept.
I was mad at the airport security for asking. It was like saying, "Please remove your legs for inspection."
We got through, and then onto the plane of Atlanta.

When we arrived in Atlanta, there had been a security breach that day that shut the airport down, so there were MANY stranded passengers.

We had our own personal helper. He was a saint. I just know he was. He took us straight to customs (erika in a wheelchair) and then to the people we had to give the envelope to. Then, he took us to get our flight changed, and then to our gate.
It was AMAZING!
While we were in the airport, this is what we looked like: EXHAUSTED and DELIRIOUS!



When we arrived in Dallas, we were surprised by several friends. The little girlies were there and we were so happy to be reunited!
They wasted no time with starting to play!


Sarah was so happy to see Erika and surprised at how big she was!





The girlies just kept checking each other out, holding hands, and just being giddy with joy!




Our dear friends, the Verkler's drove us home that night. The girls sang "Jesus Loves Me" until they all fell asleep.
In the A.M. Gramma Dabba from Iowa had these special Bunnies for them to hold!


And life continued and began and was never, ever, ever, ever, the same.

What is Intermission For?

We watched "The 10 Commandments" over the last few days. The part that has "Intermission" came on, and Sarah asked what it was.

Anna said,
"It means they need to take a break so all those actors and actresses can go to the bathroom!" :)

The BlueBonnets are Here!

Anybody who lives in Texas knows that it is now BlueBonnet Season. That means you will see crazy people, cameras in hand on the sides of busy roads hauling their kids into the pollen to take a picture.

Here are some we took today. :)



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Leaving Ukraine for America!

Two years ago today, we left Ukraine. It was so amazing. We were full of adrenalin and soooo ready to go.

On Easter Weekend, we found out that we would be in Ukraine an extra day, so we had to change our plane tickets. We called the number for the airline, but it was out of order. So, we asked our translator, and weren't getting too much help. She said, "we'll take care of it tomorrow!" TOMORROW! That would be the weekend of Easter and we wanted to make sure we got home.

We were feeling a little down and I didn't want to cook dinner that night. Probably because when I tried to buy pepper the lady at the store kicked me out of line 3 times because I couldn't say the word pepper! I could say salt, but not pepper. Made me feel compassion for those who come here and people treat them badly because they cannot speak english. You never know, nor should assume that somebody has been here for a long time. Maybe they just arrived! A little compassion can go a long way.

Anyway, I wanted to go over somewhere and Mike agreed. So we set out to find a place.
We found a menu that was in ENGLISH! It said, come on in, cozy environment... etc.

So we went in. We were seated, but unfortunately, we unknowingly picked a "pick up joint" to eat at. We tried to ignore the cuddling couples but the blaring giant screen with Russian MTV was just too much. The last straw was they said they had no borscht!
You have no borscht? That is like going to china and them telling you they have no rice!
So we left. The lady was walking to us saying, "We make borscht!" "We make borscht!"
We said, no, since you don't have any, we'll eat somewhere else.

So here we are wandering around Kiev, with a need of new tickets, no IDEA how to get them, hungry, cold, and feeling very overwhelmed. We were praying that the Lord would help us and show us what to do.

Mike said, let's just go back to the apartment. I couldn't. I said, "can we please just go to that TGI Fridays! I need tortilla chips!" He chuckled and we went. When we got there it was a little late. Around 8:30, and it was TOTALLY crowded. No seating. Now in America, you wait. In Ukraine, apparently you leave. We said we'd wait. The hostess didn't know what to do! She said, YOU WAIT? DA, we wait! I had this mantra of "tortilla chips, tortilla chips, tortilla chips, going off in my head!

Just then, a fellow sitting fairly close to the door, by himself, at a table for 4 piped up and said, "I'll move over there, (a place for 2) and they can have my table!"
The thing is, he said it in perfect english!!!!

My husband said, "Why don't you just stay where you are and we'll join you!" He smiled and said, "Ok, great!" So we joined this very sweet man.
He asked us what we were doing in Ukraine. We introduced him to Erika who spoke no English at this point, but was trying very hard; we said "cheese" and smiled at her and she started singing "Jesus Loves Me"; we told him about how the Lord miraculously brought us to Ukraine, how each and every miracle took place while we were there and he said, "Wow, how many needles can be threaded at one time!

Then Mike said," Well, we need one more! Our tickets have to be changed and we cannot get ahold of the airline to change them, and we aren't getting much help from our translator. He asked, "What airline?" Mike said, "Delta". This man got a huge smile on his face as he told us,"I'm the new Director for Delta Airlines".

We both burst into laughter. God had answered our prayers of desperately needed help!
The tickets we had were for Delta Airlines and Air France. He just simply said, "Oh, come by Monday morning, we'll fix you right up, the ladies in the office are great and
be sure to ask for me. I'd like to see you again. So we had a wonderful dinner and fellowship with a guy who had only been in Ukraine for 5 weeks. Even he was blown away with the many needles being threaded on our journey of a life time.

So, now we are back to airport day.....

Here is a picture of Erika all ready to go:



We arrived at the airport, took a few pictures and were ready for our next adventure.
I was desperate to keep as little with us as possible because of Erika not being able to walk very well. I decided the lighter we can carry on the plane, the better.
So I packed everything except the envelope for the Custom's officials in America.

When we got to the second checkpoint, after check in with Air France, the man, who didn't smile, asked for Erika's ORIGINAL adoption certificate. We had her passport and a "Copy" of the original, but the original was packed and already checked on the plane! There was no budging from this guy. "No original document, no leave country!"

I ran down to Air France ticket counter and explained our dilemma. They were so kind.
They pulled our luggage off the plane so I could get the document out. I ran back up, the guy looked at it and handed it back to me, with that dull lifeless expression of "I'm bored with you". AHHH!
I could feel myself burning inside. I so much wanted to take off on that plane!

So, we made it through with about 15 minutes more to go before boarding the plane.

Erika and I had the most awful bathroom experience. She had to use the "toilet". I carried her to the bathroom. The first door, which was the handicapped bathroom was locked. I went to the next door, exhausted and nearly delirious from all that running around and panic... swung that door open and Erika and I burst into one loud "scream"!
AHHHHHHH!!!!! I thought that door would never shut. It was the men's room. There were rows of them! All staring at the crazy lady who invaded their privacy. Sorry.
So Sorry! We found our way to the next door and the right place.
When we got back to the waiting area, Erika had a great story to loudly rattle off to daddy with hand motions and expressions and the famous, "AHHHHH!" Of course everybody else in Ukraine was laughing at mommy, but daddy had to ask me for translation.
I embarrassingly told him what happened and then it was time to board the plane thank goodness!



(you can view Erika's takeoff, by going to the side bar under YouTube Videos)

We weren't on the plane for long and, itt started moving. Erika was so excited, and scared, and I'm so glad we caught that fuzzy little moment on Video. She burst out with "Bye Bye UKRAINE"! I couldn't help but have tears. It was so precious. People around us were chuckling at her excitement.

A new life awaited her and she was going to be re-united with her dearest friend, and meet her family for the first time.... 26 hours later.

Oh My!

Imgaine a little girl in a fancy hat, coming in the house....

In a perfect "English accent" she walks by, nose in the air, "Oh MY! That man is SOoooo disgusting!"

I was puzzled....
What man?

"My Husband! I just saw mouse brains all over the place!"

"You're married to the Cat?"

"NO MAMA!"

"I'm married to ANNA! and she wanted to see the cat eat a mouse!" "It is just Sooooo disgusting!"
"That man!"

LOL!
These are what the hats look like:


I can't speak for the mouse. :)

Last Full Day In Ukraine

Today was the last full day we had in Ukraine 2 years ago. We were living in a beautiful apartment overlooking DownTown Kiev. I remember the Easter Weekend Church bells ringing as we stood out on our balcony.

I was trying to take in every moment and savor it. Kiev is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. Living in Texas, we don't see many "Old" things. We walked in Churches that were Centuries OLD! Our building was OLD; probably older than any building in Wylie. Here are some pictures from our Apartment. Made me nervous standing on that balcony!



Our last day, after going to the Embassy to finish paperwork and pick up the visa, we spent our time walking around, playing in the apartment with Erika, and mostly "waiting!" We were soooo ready to get on that plane and go home.

We missed our other girlies so very much and couldn't wait to see their sweet faces.

We finished the food we had left that night instead of going out. We had simple eggs and bread and milk. Erika was happy with anything.

That night, after putting Erika to sleep; Mike and I just stared at each other in wonder and awe at all the Lord had done for us, even up to the very last minute. We thought getting the visa was the very last minute, but it wasn't. (that I'll mention tomorrow)


Here is one more picture, but this is from Kharkiv. I was so disappointed that when we flew into Paris, my hopes of seeing the Eifel Tower were dashed because of fog and rain.... I was so pleased to find my own Eifel Tower in Kharkiv~!

Our Newest Neighbor

He was born yesterday...
The girls PROUDLY announced they could tell he was a boy because of "That thing!" ;)

You know You Live In The Country When....

You know you live in the Country when your daughter sees the price of a new skirt and says,"Gee mom! You could buy a goat for that!" :)

The 2 Year Countdown!!!!!

Today is April the 16. Two years ago today, at this time, Mike and I were sitting with Erika at the American Medical Center to get a physical for Erika. Tomorrow, we would have gone to the Embassy to file for her Visa, pick it up that afternoon, and then Fly home on the 19.

We arrived home on April the 20th, 2006 at around Midnight or so. We were delirious from flight, and staying awake for endless hours, but so excited to see the girls again.

My heart swells when I think about that moment. That moment our lives were forever changed once again. That moment when Erika stepped onto American soil and became an AMERICAN CITIZEN! I remember thinking, "She is so little and has NO IDEA what an important step that was off of the plane. She has no idea how the Lord moved on her behalf through incredible circumstances and fervent prayers to bring just one little girl to her new home. She has no idea what awaits her!"

She looked so small, so frail.. so scared, and yet there was a braveness in her that showed she was strong. She walked into the "unknown" world, never to look back.

I remember on the way to the airport she asked the translator "How long will it take me to learn English?"
"When will I see a doctor?" With that question, her eyes were filled with fear. :(

Just a little over 4 weeks before, she met us for the first time. She had been waiting; according to her, 50 years! She knew we were coming, but didn't know when.
She had become sad and depressed, as it took so long. One family on one side of the world, and one little girl on the other side, both longing to be together. Had it been up to us, it would have happened much sooner, but it wasn't up to us. Even though it seemed to take forever, mountains were moved to get her here.

Just 1 week before we boarded the plane, we were able to pick her up from the orphanage and take her with us forever.
She could barely walk, but she nearly RAN out of that orphanage. She was so excited.
We taught her to say, "Let's Blow this Joint!" She bellowed it with gusto! :)

So, she was thrust into a world she had never known. She had never seen the cathedrals in Ukraine, the beauty, the monuments. She had never seen an airplane or a train. She had never tasted spices on food. She had her first tortilla chip in Kiev at TGI Fridays. She ate EVERY jalepeno on the plate! (a girl after my own heart!)

TGI Friday's Picture


She had never heard of McDonalds and when we took her there, she wasn't amuzed. She told the translator we ate at a cafeteria.

Erika's first french fry! :)



Here we are on the train.


After 1 week of being FREE from that orphanage, she was in America.

Oh my the interesting things! Toilets that flush on their own, water that comes on by putting your hand under it, never ending paper towels that just "show up" after you get one. And that was all at the Atlanta Airport!!!!

Upon coming home, besides all the excitement of sisters and brothers, there was the dishwasher, the washing machine, dryer, our own car?????!!!!!!, DVD player, locks on doors, refrigerator! "A MAMA CAN COOK???" WOW!
The newness was endless.

I waited 2 weeks before taking her to the store. I didn't want to overwhelm her. She asked for "chips", so I figured it was time to show her SUPER WALMART....
We walked in and inside I was laughing because I KNEW those eyes were going to have that funny look of surprise and awe!

(Can you really have surprise and awe at Walmart? If you are a Ukrainian orphan you can)

I walked this awe struck child to the "Chip aisle". That isle where there is every type of chip in the world. :) Mind you, she had asked for Chips in Ukraine and they had limited kinds; mushroom flavor, tomato flavor or nothing. :) She actually ate mushroom flavored chips!
There went that look of awe and surprise at the chips and this little girl burst into quiet giggles of glee. She couldn't believe what she was seeing.

Many people think when adopting an older child that you miss out on all those firsts.
To that I say, the firsts are different. I really don't mind missing potty training, but there is no first like a kid who has never seen anything remotely modern and is suddenly thrust into the modern world.
It is both sad and hilarious. Can those go in the same sentence? Only in the world of International adoption.

So, our remembrance begins. The remembrance of a sad little girl who was all alone in this world. The remembrance of a GOD, who looked down and had compassion for and loved that little girl with an everlasting love. The remembrance of God's providence in our lives. The remembrance of "leaving the old and cleaving to the new".
The observance of "adoption" and the REAL AWARENESS AND DEEP UNDERSTANDING that we are ALL adopted. We are ALL rescued, we are dead to our old life and alive in Christ and we walk in that Newness of Life.

And we are cherished and loved.

Here are a few pics from Ukraine:

Rest Time for Mommy

Our little Sarah is going through such a sweet stage. She is just appreciating her family and has expressed how much she just loves having a mommy and a daddy.
She's played baby a little bit lately, so I know she needs the rocking time and cuddle time and I enjoy the snuggles with her.

She told me, "mommy, you just rest ok? We'll take care of the kitchen for you!"

I thought, "How sweet!" So I rested. I kept hearing "questionable" noises coming from the kitchen, but I was in that "twilight zone" between awake and asleep and just layed there paralyzed on the couch. :)

When the girls had finished the kitchen, they came and woke me up. It was time to get dinner started and I needed to get movin'!

I went to the pantry and they were so excited they were all bursting with giggles and glee! They had such a surprise for mommy!

THEY REORGANIZED THE ENTIRE PANTRY!

Now, this would have been wonderful, if they had used their newly acquired alphabetizing skills! OR... the lessons we learned about food groups, or ANYTHING remotely close to that....

No... it was all topsy turvey. I was trying to cook dinner and it felt like I was in somebody else's kitchen who had severe ADHD...:)

I started thinking, "If I were very short, where would I put the dried bell peppers!
Yep, there they were next the cereal, nuts and jello on the bottom shelf!
If I were very short, where would I put the olive oil? Yep, bottom shelf too! :)

I smiled at them, and thanked them for being so nice and trying to help. I didn't have the heart to tell them, it wasn't a help.

So, after they go to bed, I'll re arrange things and get it back to semi normal organized.

But, I'm so thankful for their hearts. They really wanted to do something sweet and nice for me, and that is really what counts.

Those proud happy little faces were worth a messed up pantry.

NOW... NEXT TIME they want me to take a nap, I'll suggest sorting laundry. :) They KNOW how to do that. :)

Real Applied Science

Lesson 1....

Why did we save all that poop?

Lesson 2....

What is the real reason for a hoe and rake?

Lesson 3....

Mud boots are not just for looks, they do have a purpose

Lesson 4....

Rotten Eggs do stink after they explode....


Lesson 5.... Goats are very curious creatures.

Moments In Time Designed By God

I had a few minutes alone yesterday between going to the Dr. for a physical and coming home. Many times, when I am alone, that is when I have a chance to think and reflect and worship and sing, and then I am home.:)

I began to think about all the women I know who are unable to have children, or have been caused to be unable to have children due to illness. I was also thinking about the blessings of the Lord in our lives.

I was told I couldn't have children. That is a laugh. 4 boys later, the doctor was scratching his head with wonder. I'm not kidding. He couldn't beleive it.

Now, as a Gramma, there are new blessings coming along, and my mind went back to a time when Our oldest son Chucky was 2.
In order to wash his hair I used "Gee Your Hair Smells Terrific!". I'd tell him, your hair will smell like flowers! So he'd be willing to get that hair washed. And he had LOADS of long blonde hair.

One day, we were going to have lunch with my mother in law at her medical building.
She worked for that doctor that said she wouldn't be a gramma, by us anyway. :)

Chucky had just had that head of hair washed and we went into the medical building to see his Gramma. Well, he saw this lady sitting on a bench. She was probably my age now. He ran up to her and jumped in her lap and said, "Gramma! Gramma! Then, very seriously, "Smell my hair it smells like flowers!". This shocked woman smelled his hair and said, "It smells very nice!" He still didn't know it wasn't her and continued to sit on her lap, as we waited for his gramma to come down stairs. This woman started to cry a little. You see, her daughter was in the next room having final tests for ovarian cancer, and this woman was sitting there thinking about her loss.
Her personal loss of not being a gramma, and her daughter's loss of not being a mom.
She was praying that the Lord would let her know the experience of being a gramma.
And then....
There came Chucky. All chunky toddler that he was plopping himself in her lap and being so natural with her.
She said, the Lord had answered her prayer.
That was 27 years ago.
I have thought about that lady and her daughter over the years. Did her daughter become a mom, either by birth or adoption? Did she become a gramma? The story was not over, but this woman was touched that the Lord saw fit to give her that oh so personal experience at her time of need.

Isn't that just how God is? He is so very concerned with the personal, with the little, with the detail. Sometimes we see the problem and not the end result.
Most of the time we see the problem and not the end result. Then, when that end result comes, we see the Wisdom of God, and we worship.

PROGRESS

Wow, I have sorted through all the books and made 25dollars on PRE SALE!

We are having a yard sale on Friday and Saturday. Spring Cleaning can mean $$.

I am going to Paint sometime in the next few weeks before Papa Dima comes to visit.
Our guest room has been needing a paint job since we moved here over 5 years ago.

PRESSING ON! :)

The Time Has Come

It is time to start weaning from stuff. I have been collecting books for years. They are great books, but one could not possibly read all these books again. My fingers are being pried from them, as the possibility in the future of going to Ukraine comes 1 day sooner every day.
I started thinking.... "If there were a fire, what would I want to save?" Of course my bible... Then after that? The Complete Works of Johathan Edwards. After that? The complete works of John Bunyan. After that? The sermons of Martin Luther.

I started thinking... All these men's lives were changed by Jesus Christ and they studied.... The Scripture. :) I have what I need.

Then, there are the reference books. The ones about the Amish, about Islam, about Israel, about The Charismatic Movement, about Child Rearing, about Adoption, about Raising hurt children.

Then, there are the LOADS of kids books, that we will keep for a while, as we still have kids.

Then, there are the movies we have collected again over the years from that 5 dollar bin at walmart.

Then, there are the excesses collected over the years from garage sales.
The baskets,
The glasses
The storage jars

I'm exhausted and I haven't even started.

I WILL DO THIS! I CAN DO THIS! THE LORD WILL HELP ME DO THIS!

I need a nap. :)

When Green Meets Walmart

I HATE plastic bags! They are a waste and I always see them blowing across the freeway ready to get trapped under my vehicle and wreak havoc, getting twisted around something and causing damage. One of our customers had to fix his vehicle after a bag got twisted around his inside wheel and caused fluid loss! The seal had to be replaced.

So, I'm a green girl. I like to bring my cloth bags to the store, but sometimes I still forget.

Yesterday was one of those times. I noticed however that Walmart is selling cute little bags that say, "Paper or Plastic, Neither" on them; for 1.00.

I can always use another bag, so I took 2.(thinking this would solve my "forgetting the bag problem")

So, we put our stuff on the conveyor belt and the register locks up. I have to put all the stuff back into the cart and move to another check out stand, and wait again. By now, I'm a bit frustrated waiting so long, as the person in front of me left a bag and the checker ran out of the store to catch her. By now, I have sent the girls over to sit down on the bench as Erika's legs were getting tired.

So, the checker comes back and apologizes. He continues to check my things and before I know it, I see him putting them in those awful plastic bags.

The funny part is: He checked my "cloth grocery bags", and proceeded to put them in a plastic bag! By now, my frustration had turned to humorous amuzment.
Of course I smiled and said, "Have a nice Day", and went on my way home, contributing to the floating plastic bag problem once again.

I'll prevail next time. :)

Amazing Books

I need to get past my toilet problems, as I am tired of staring at that glaring picture. (it looks the same in real life)

I wanted to write about 2 books that I read this week.

I have always had a deep admiration for the Amish communities in our country and the Anabaptist Heritage. Our own church has Anabaptist roots.

The Anabaptist's split into 3 main groups... The Amish, The Mennonites and the Brethren. Our church is "loosely" affiliated with Brethren; but seems more like a
regular bible church; except for women who cover their heads and our church government.

The Books I read this week had to do the with the Nickel Mine's Massacre of the Amish School Girls in Lancaster County. It was a terrible tragedy, but the books brought to light a different side of that tragedy.

The first book "The Happening", by Harvey Yoder; was a true glimplse into the personal effects of the tragedy on each family and the general community, and how the families felt about the intruding public into thier lives.

The second book was called, "Amish Grace". Its focus was on the forgiveness offered after the tragedy and how the community pulled together after unsepakable suffering.
This book was a fascinating study into what forgiveness looks like and what it is.
It is also a look into the struggle to forgive and what the Amish see as true forgiveness.

If you have an opportunity to read either of these books, I'd recommend them, especially the second one.

There were many challenges and questions and explanations into the deep issues presented in Matthew 18 and Matthew 5.

How About Toilet Trouble!

Oh my, what a beginning to a week! I noticed last week that the bathroom floor seemed like it was sort of wet. I thought the 5 girls had been sloppy, dried it and went on.
Then on Saturday, I noticed the wood laminate flooring in the bathroom starting to buckle. There was a leak under the toilet, seeping along under the floor.

So, it looks like we will be "remodeling" a bathroom. If you have to change the floor, you may as well paint right? And fix a few other things too. :)

We had agreed to no jobs being done until the siding was finished, but this one seems that it will have to trump the siding for now.

Here is a lovely picture of the floor buckling.


The hole in the floor actually reminds me of some of the "toilets" we saw in Ukraine.

Camera Troubles

For the past few months, I have been having a battle with my camera. It seems to get stuck out of focus even on automatic and manual and it takes a zillion tries to get a focused decent picture. Isn't that a tortuous picture to look at? That is how many of our photos are turning out, and then all of a sudden, we have 1 good one. But guess what! Our friends from Church are getting a new camera, and when they do, they said we could take over their older one. Horray!

God really does provide. We take photos for many different reasons. For out of state family and for others. I send pictures to Ukraine every year, and sometimes mid year to the Embassy. (This helps keep open relations in the adoption world)

Many times, the only thing the EE gov'ts. hear about is when there is a problem, like the recent arrest of 2 parents in the death of their newly adopted 14 month old and severe malnourishment of their 2 year old. The baby died of blunt force trauma to the head. He had only been home 2 weeks. The 2 year old had been home for 3 months and was on a feeding tube to help him. The verdict is not yet out on what exactly happened, but it doesn't matter to foreign govt's. They want to make sure ALL of their children are safe, even if they haven't taken the best care of them either. So if we can assure them that our 2 are safe, I think it goes a long way in positive relations.

If you are reading this, and your are an adoptive parent, take time to get natural, play time pictures of your children, with you, in your home, in the back yard, with your spouse and with other family and send them to the embassys of your children's country. You would be surprised how much it helps, just by being a good Unoffical Ambassador. :)

We did this rather innocently with Sarah for nearly a year, every month, emailing pictures to the embassy. We did not know it, but every picture was forwarded to the judge who handled her failed adoption. He was very pleased, so when we went to get Erika, he had already seen our pictures and read our letters and was really very friendly. He even asked us why we were so serious. (we were told not to smile) He smiled for everybody.:)

I will pray that the Lord Uses this new camera to do His work, in opening the hearts of those who have power over the lives of Orphans in Ukraine and other places in Eastern Europe, opening the doors so more children can find forever families that they so desperately need.