Adopting Older Children

Most people who are in the adoption community know about the grim statistics of children who age out of the orphanages in Easter European Countries. Many of us shudder at what would have happened to our children, had they not become a part of our families.

But did you know that the statistics right here in the United States are not that much better?
Did you know that fewer than 50 % of teens in the foster care system are operating at grade level, and fewer than 3% of kids who age out of the system go on to get a college degree?

There are children who are released from Foster Care at the age of 18, with no visible means of support, no bank account and nowhere to go.
This doesn't sound too much different than what we read about in other countries.

We have adopted from Ukraine AND we have adopted from the United States foster care system. And I cannot imagine what would have happened to our precious daugthers if they didn't have a family.
Many people feel that they cannot adopt in Ukraine or Russia due to the extensive costs.

If you heart is wanting to adopt and bring a child into your family, please, PLEASE consider the Foster Care system. There are many children who need permenant homes. I know of many who will say, that when they read the files, all of the kids have problems. Well, just because Eastern Europe doesn't mention problems doesn't mean the children there are perfect and the children here are messed up.
OF COURSE they are going to have some issues. But these issues are there because of the lack of a normal family life. Much of the issues these children have are due to neglect and abuse.

pictures from heart gallery in N.Texas

There is a huge difference in cost when adopting in the U.S. An organization who is working hard to get children into permenant homes is called "Heart Gallery". Check out the Hart Gallery near you, and consider opening your home to a new family member. If you have any spare bedrooms, please consider filling those rooms with love and laughter.

Are you too old? Probably not. You can adopt in the U.S. until you are 63~!! :)

What I Believe My Dream Meant

Back to Matthew 11:
The first part of the chapter is about the rejection of John the Baptist, the 2nd part, is about the rejection of Jesus Christ himself.
The section I wrote about has to do with the generation itself rejecting both John's Words AND Jesus Christ.
He has much to say after those verses.
Also, in Matthew 7:21-23, Christ said, "Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Many will say to me on that day, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name cast out demons and in your name perform many miracles?
And then I will declare to them, I never knew you, Depart from me, you who practice Lawlessness."

In my mind, as was waking up, it was clearer to me that the house, was a church. The junk food being brought in, was the teaching within the church that does not lead to life, but is simply not of God. The children, in their mother's eyes were all dressed up beautifully on the outside.
I was seeing the sadness of the inside. They were not being given truth, for eternal nourishment, but junk.
The party that was taking place had to do with everybody being happy, dressing up, getting together for "church" to celebrate Christ, doing what in our own minds we think is "worship" what WE think is right, and in fact, the Guest of honor wasn't even there.

When I left, he was there, and knew a celebration was going on to honor him, but he sadly went the other way.
Why?
The Lord wants to commune with us, he wants to be in relationship with us, but many don't even know him. We are in the church for the party. We like our fluff and programs and potlucks.... we think we know what HE likes, but we really don't, many of us really don't.

I have to say, this brought me to my knees today, or I would not be writing about it.
I want my first love. I want communion with him, not on my terms but on His.

And the jury is out for more kids. :)

But You Did Not Dance

I don't put too much stock into dreams, but sometimes, just sometimes, there is a real meaning behind them.....

Since it seems sometimes that the Lord gives me dreams that have definite interpretation, and I could not get this one out of my mind.....
I decided to share:

Last night in my dream, I was driving a large RV.... I parked it, to go inside a convenience store/gas station type place. The parking lot was very small, so I was close to a busy road.
There was a high fence, and behind the fence was a house....
A man left the convenience store with a very small child. He was carrying all this junk food and cokes, and the little girl, was straggling behind him. She was not dressed well, had whispy hair, was frail and thin.
She was dangerously close to the street and he didn't notice.
He turned around and saw her and his hands were full, so he asked me if I could help him get her into his house, which was the house behind the fence.
I did.
Next, came in his wife, and another little girl, dressed in bedraggled clothing, looking rather the same as her sister.
The mother inquired as to why I was there, and her husband told her that I had helped him get his daughter in the house. She was friendly, and started to talk about what beautiful clothing she had her daughter's dressed in. She kept saying how fun it was to dress them up and make them look so beautiful. She herself was dressed well, and had herself well groomed.

I was planning to leave, but then all these women started coming in, all dressed wonderfully.
They all went to the kitchen. The lady told me that they were having a wonderful party and that is why everybody was so dressed up. She said it was her son's birthday, and they planned all his favorite foods, colors, drinks, everything..... she seemed so caught up in the party.
I asked her, "where is your son?" She replied, "Oh, he isn't here."

And then I left, feeling so odd.
I walked back to my RV, and a young man walked up to me, seeing I was struggling getting back into the vehicle. He asked me if I needed help. I said, yes, and he gladly helped me. He was a nice young man and asked if he could join me. We talked abit, a nice conversation, and then he said he had to go. He said it was his birthday and that he lived in the house behind the fence.
And then he sadly walked the other direction......

THEN.... I woke up, and this was the verse on my mind:
Matthew 11:16-17......
But to what shall I compare this generation? It is like children sitting in the market places who call out to the other children, and say, "We played the flute for you and you did not dance, we sang a dirge and you did not mourn".

I believe I understand what it means.... but before I share, what do you think?

Green Forest Orphanage

Click here to view these pictures larger

The Frozen Banana Recipe

Well, it really isn't much of a recipe; more dircctions. :)

As many bananas as you want, peeled and cut in half.
Put a popsicle stick in the end and then place in a zip lock bag in the freezer
for about 2 hours.

Melt chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi sweet) until syrupy... be careful
not to burn. We melted ours in the microwave.

Crush some almonds and place on waxed paper.... you can use chopped peanuts if you prefer.

Remove bananas from zip lock back and use a spoon to put melted chocolate on banana working quickly so chocolate doesn't get hard.... roll in nuts and place on waxed paper.

When finished, roll up bananas still in waxed paper and place back in zip lock bags.

Freeze for another hour or two and then Enjoy!~

So What Do You Do When You Fail? BCLC Moments

I have heard many people say that in order to parent in a BCLC model, you have to be perfect.
"I could never parent that way, because I am not perfect". "It is impossible!"

These statements, most of the time are based in fear of failing. Being afraid to be vulnerable, being afraid to be transparent. Which can also be a form of Pride.

Pride prevents us from being vulnerable, honest, repentant and transparent.
Much of the time, fear is behind that pride. We are afraid for somebody, especially
our children to see who we really are; that we too make mistakes, that we too sin, that we too can have a rebellious heart.

Guess what? They already know, and so does God. :)

So, in seeking to be a better parent, we also need to seek the Lord for forgiveness, strength,
wisdom, guidance and healing.
As we receive forgiveness, strenght, wisdom, guidance and healing in our lives, we will also begin to live our lives accordingly.
The fruits of the Spirit which are : Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control..... are replaced for our old awful attitudes, WHEN we walk in Christ.

As we model these to our children, they will respond in a way unimaginable, and they will also want to be like us. That is when we direct them to the Lord. :)
Because HE never fails.

So what DO you do when you lose it? What do you do when you are impatient or not gentle?

It is really simple: You stop! You say,, "I'm really sorry that I was unkind, or impatient!"
Will you forgive me? You come down and look in their eyes and ask your little one to forgive...
and then you rock them and hold them and speak kindness and gentleness into them.

They will learn to forgive, because you forgive them.... and we all learn to forgive because HE has forgiven us.
When we are honest and vulnerable to our children, they know it. Kids WANT to be loved.
They WANT to be cherished, even when they are too hurt and too afraid to be vulnerable and show it.
Our job is to model to them, what we want for them to model back to us.

As we teach our children forgiveness, it will spill out into their relationships; especially the relationships they have with their siblings. They will learn to understand and forgive each other's short comings, because they have learned that we forgive them and they forgive us.
And BECAUSE there is nothing held back, it makes it easy for love to flow and reign in your home.

I had a situation this week, where I was not as patient as I should have been. Mike gently pointed that out to me, and I asked my daughter for forgiveness. You know what? I had hurt her feelings and didn't even know it. When I asked for forgiveness, our relationship went right back on track and things were back to normal.

Sometimes it is our children who may be unwilling to ask for forgiveness, and they may have a streak of stubbornness... that is ok... they are still learning. It is at that time where we simply model what we want them to do. "I forgive you, even though you haven't asked.... but you don't feel forgiven, because until you are willing to be vulnerable, you can't receive it." Our kindness can reach deep into the heart of our children, causing the softening of even the hardest of hearts.
It is then we can teach them about the Love of our Lord... and teach them about eternal forgiveness.

So, failing in parenting can be a good thing! It gives us opportunity to learn together.
We are all on a journey in life together. It sure makes sense to hold hands and stay on the path
of life. :)

Soverignty, God's Timing, and Adoption

Can you tell I have been thinking about adoption lately??? :)

As our lives have unfolded and we look BACK, we can truly see the soverign hand of God weaving our lives' stories in an intricate tapestry that tells a story of Love.

Looking back is much easier than looking forward. Many times we are blind to what the Lord is doing in our lives. Many times, we can't understand the circumstances. But we can rest in the fact that HE knows and he has plans.
While we are stalled, or seemingly stagnant in direction, He is just threading the needle with a new color. :)

Those mistakes that happen to delay.... those moments that things don't seem to go right.
The lost paperwork, the redo's, the waiting because the entire country has SHUT DOWN, is all for a purpose. It is all for His plan, and we can rest in the fact, that His plan is perfect and good.

Right now, I do feel like He is threading a new needle to add a new color to our lives.
We have had no less than 3 opportunities to adopt again, and the door was shut. SLAMMED
shut each time. The first time I was heart broken. The second time, I was more cautious, and the third time, we were not comfortable and felt the Lord telling us no.
We do not believe we should go child shopping, but that the Lord will send the child to us He has chosen for us to have, OR He will close the door, and turn us in a new direction.

So we wait on Him, who is the author and FINISHER of our faith.
And we trust that HE knows what is best for our family.
In the Living time of every day, we rejoice in the Life He has given us, and seek to serve Him in every way we can.
We are so thankful for all of our children and greand children.

For those of you waiting..... Trust, that His perfect timing is what is best. :)

Expedited Adoptions

I was watching the news last night, and there was a segment covering the sad, tragic situation in Haiti. As everybody must know, there was a terrible earth quake on Tuesday evening of last week. It hit right about the 5:00 hour, when people were out and about and still at work.
Some were cooking dinner, some shopping, some finishing up business, and some relaxing in their homes.

Disaster struck, and 2 minutes later, an entire nation was changed.

Over here, there were many families, something like 300, who have been trying to adopt from Haiti; some for YEARS. Many were adopting older children who have been languishing in orphanages.
These poor families, many who were prepared to pick up their children, and some who were still in the process, found themselves frustrated and anguished waiting to hear the news of weather their future children were dead, alive or injured.
One family had tragic news. Their little boy, died in the earth quake. They were just 3 weeks away from bringing him home.
What were they waiting for?? A VISA.

My mind got to thinking about why it takes SO LONG for simple things to happen, like a signature, or an approval for a visa. Why do our kids have to wait so long to come home, when in reality, 300 kids were able to come home at the near snap of a finger?

Somehow, within 5 days, 300 children were expedited to leave Haiti and go to America to their new families. I am so happy for them, and so glad that those in power, made a good decision.

The question that languishes in my mind though, is why does it take months for one, that can be done in 5 days for 300? Why can adoptions not be expedited on our side at least?
Why should it take weeks to months to get approval from the Gov't.?

If it is possible to act quickly, WHY DON'T THEY?

Just thinking out loud.

New Life

The girls were missing Mr. Kitty Winkle so badly. I started looking for a new kitten, and came across a family that was planning to send a herd of cats to the pound.

I asked if we could take 2 and care for them, instead of sending them away.
So, here they are. Tiny, and bottle feeding.
We will keep one, and give the other to a friend.
The kids are VERY excited about being mothers again. :)

These kittens are tiny, and need constant care.
Their eyes are not open yet.
They are younger than Mr. Kitty Winkle was when we found him at about a week old.


Aren't they adorable? I figure they eat as much as they weigh, every meal.
We use an eye dropper and then a nuk nipple. They suck on the end of the nipple really well.
They like the fake mama, and the heating pad keeps them warm.

We have had them for almost 3 days, and they are doing really well, so far.

The Christmas Snow Globes

I just found some more Christmas Activity Pictures. :)
Becca led everybody in a craft....
Snow Globes made from Baby Food Jars and some sort of clay.
The kids had a great time making them.


All the snow globes
Katie and Erika
Chuck
Felix the Cat
Chuck was really concentrating. :)

Our Beloved Mr. Kitty Winkle is Gone

Yes.... It is true.

He was always looking in, longing to play with the girls, and the first thing they would do in the morning, and with all their spare time, was to play with him.
He also visited the auto shoppe regularly, spending time with Mike in the office and while he was working on cars.

Last night, Mike went somewhere, and apparently, when he was getting in the van, Mr. Kitty Winkle got in too; which was a bad habit of his. He just wanted to go somewhere! We always caught him and told him no-no, but he didn't understand.
This time, he stowed away, and when Mike opened the van door, he jumped out and ran off.
It is only about 2 miles from the house, where he ran off and of course, Mike feels awful about it.
We are hoping he makes it back home to the girlies and we have an "Incredible Journey" ending. That would really be great.
Anna is holding out hope, Erika has been sobbing and Sarah was crying. I'm figuring, he will wander until he finds a place to be comfortable and that will be it.

So, our life with Mr. Kitty Winkle was great fun and adventure. Maybe he will be thankful that he never has to wear a dress again. :) I already miss him. :(This is one of my favorite pictures of him. He was about 6 months old and already living outside on his own. He loved coming in for a bottle now and then. I couldn't believe a cat would lay on his back and hold his paws up like a baby to drink a bottle. :)

Beeca's Hair Blog

My daughter in law has a new blog about doing hair for weddings.
It is really beautiful. She does a fabulous job. She did hair at one of our
other son's weddings, and she is always available to do hair when she visits. :)

If you are in the DC area and need a hairstylist for your wedding or prom or any special event, or if you just want to look beautiful........ She is the girl for the job!

Below was her most recent wedding work. :) The bride was stunning.

Anna's Funny For the Month

Anna was sitting down working on her Language Arts.
She saw my grocery list, which I always title "Grocery List"; and then she sighed, "Oh MAN!"

I asked her what was wrong....

She said, "Oh nothing, I saw your geography list, and I thought, "Oh NO! We are going
to have to do more math!"

LOL

So grocery list, looked like geography list, which she figured was the same as geometry. :)
Oh what goes on in that dear girl's mind is amazing. :)

Sarah and the Math Problem

Poor Sarah has a sore nose from her cold. :(

Ok, so I'm teaching common denominators. She knows how it works, but can't seem to understand why it works.
So I drew some pies on the board. 1/2 and 2/16.
I showed her the difference on the pies and then asked, "So would you rather have 1/2 of a pie, or 2/16 of a pie?
She sheepishly said, "2/16?"
I asked her "why 2/16?"

She said, "Because I don't really like pie!"

I guess she understands! :)

So Far in the New Year... EVERYBODY

has been sick!
It's like we have the plague or something! Fevers, high blood pressure acting up, urinary tract infections, shoulder problems, colds, back problems, and the list goes on! We need relief.
If you are inclined to pray, please do.

As a plus, Our pipes are frozen under the house, due to unusually cold weather.
It is 17. It was 16 earlier and they don't expect it to get above 27 for the next couple of days. Back to the teens in the morning.
Here is Anna going out to take care of the goats. :)
Mike put a heater under the house all night, and we have warm water starting to drizzle.
We are concerned about what is going to happen when it gets above freezing on Sunday.

We are so thankful for our wood stove that is keeping us warm. :)

So, with all this what do we do?
We trust the Lord. That is all we can do. He knows, and we know He knows.
Headed to the Dr at 2:10. Please pray.

The New Year Is Here

It is already January 5th! I wrote my first check and put the wrong date on it; a habit of mine.... since the writing of checks began... it takes me a few months to get used to the new date year.

We started school today. I had the girlies turn in last semester's work, so they could fit new work into their notebooks.
After studying Ancient Greece last semester, it is time for Ancient Rome this semester. We had our first craft, making like homes of the Latins.... (the early Romans) I learn something new every day. The early Romans, spoke a primitive type of Latin. Maybe it was much like MY primitive Latin? :)

I went to the doctor yesterday for my shoulder, and he was very happy with my progress.
I am in greatly reduced pain and I am so thankful! Now, I am allowed to start to move it and
exercise it a little, to get movement back. YEA....
He talked to me about retraining my brain. I hope this old brain can learn new tricks.
Or at least remember the old ones. :)

Is it cold where you live? Brrrrrr!!!!!! We are in the 20's.... As of tomorrow, we will go up to the 40's, then down to the teens, and it won't be above freezing until Saturday. That is COLD for Texas.
Our little wood burning stove is working overtime! It is our heat source, and has kept us at about 69-72 degrees day and night. Sometimes we forget and when we walk outside it is like....AHHHHHH! Its cold out there!!!!!
I am really thankful for the stove.

I already miss the kids....and grand kids. We had such a fun time with Sam.
They'll be back.....

A Sweet PaPau Story

Mike told me a sweet story about Sam the other day.
Sam is our 2 year old grandson, who visited us for 10 days over the holidays.
He is a wonderful little boy.

He was getting ready for bed and winding down with his favorite movie, "Thomas the Train".
He happened to be on our bed. Becca, his mama had gone back home already because she had a wedding to fix hair at, and Joseph was visiting with a dear friend.

Sam started to cry and I went to check on him. He was really upset and when I got on the bed he said, "Go Away Ya-Ya!"....
I went in the other room and told Mike that he was very upset. So Mike went in.
He didn't get on the bed too close but knelt down near Sam and said, "I'm sorry you are so sad."
Sam looked at Papau and said, in a sad voice, "I want my train."
Apparently he lost his train in the covers of the bed. So he and Papau found the train together and he calmed right down. He gave Papau a big hug and had a smile on his face when Papau left the room.
Papau came in with a big smile and said, "I tried the BCLC stuff on him and it worked!" LOL

Why I Like New Year's Resolutions

Every year, ever since I was a young girl, I have made "New Year's Resolutions"... I'm not sure how it started, but it has always continued.

Often times I have heard folks say they don't like them because they can never keep them, or they are useless, or they are fleshy.

But I really like them. It seems that if you have no goal to aim at, you will not hit any target; yet if you at least have a target to aim at, you just might hit it, or come close, which is much better than not having a goal at all.

In the back of one of my favorite books, "Marriage To A Difficult Man" the uncommon legacy of Jonathon and Sarah Edwards, but Elizabeth Dodd, Mr. Edwards 100 resolutions are written.
(For those who aren't familiar with Jonathon Edwards; he was a famous Puritan Preacher who lived in Connecticut before the American Revolution. He ministered to the Indians at one time, living among them, and eventually died from volunteering to get one of the first Small Pox vaccinations, which resulted in him getting small pox and dying.) By the way, the title of this book is very misleading.

Last year, my New Year's Resolution was to have all my filing done on time every month, and file as things came in, so that I didn't accumulate a pile. That lasted until October! Then, because of physical troubles, I couldn't keep up, but I was able to finish on New Year's Eve.
Because of that goal, I learned alot about trimming my filing time, what categories are most important and the joy of "keeping up" and not having a terribly messy desk!
(that was until October)
This year, I am even more motivated to do things in a way that will help me to save time and stay on top of things, making them easy to find if I need to.

I have a few new resolutions....

I would like to spend more time in prayer. Not the kind where you bring a list to God, ask him for things and then sign out. I want to be bathed in prayer this year. I want to commune.

I would like to spend more time in scripture, not just for study, but for enjoyment.

I would like to spend more time on personal writing and actually FINISH something. :)

I would like to be successful with my personal diet; and help my family convert from
meat eaters to vegetarians who also eat fish, even though it DOESN'T taste like Chicken.:)

I would like for Mike to go grocery shopping with me, to help me stay on track and not buy
anything we don't need.

I would like to figure out a long term plan for financial freedom.

Our Fun Picture Blooper

We were trying to figure out a caption for this one.
Mike said, "Honey, you know that new car I bought?"
Mine is , "I'm so excited at how much money I saved at
the sale today!"

Some More Pictures

Here are a few more pictures from Christmas.
I think my favorite is the one of all the sisters.
Becca gave the girls flower hair bands.... and she had a flower too.

Ya-Ya, Popou and Sam
The Girlies
The Family that still lives at home. :)