The Minich Family Blog: Every Family Has A Story...Welcome To Ours
His Mercy
"His Mercies Are New Every Morning"
A Thought
In this life we can not always do great things. But we can do small things with great love.." :) Mother Teresa
Prayer Quote
“I pray because I can't help myself. I pray because I'm helpless. I pray becausethe need flows out of me all the time- waking and sleeping. It doesn't change God- it changes me.” ― C. S. Lewis
Faith
I believe in the sun even when it's not shining. I believe in love even when I don't feel it. And I believe in God even when He is silent. (quote found on the wall of a concentration camp)
I was surprised last night by 5 of my children's plans, and 3 more calls from my other children. They are all such a blessing in our lives!
I am having back problems so must have taken an awfully long nap, which COULD be why I'm up blogging at 6:00 a.m. LOL
Erika made the famous Lemon Cake, and did a wonderful job! They also went shopping and I had birthday presents and very sweet notes!
What rich blessings from the Lord my children are. I think of that verse in Psalms 128:3...."they shall be like olive branches round about your table."
Today is a very busy day, and I pray that my back holds up to do what needs to be done. So far, I lasted about 5 minutes. The Lord knows.
We left last Friday for Oklahoma, so that Alli could be reunited with her Russian Sister.
Alli, her sister and brother we all adopted 4 years ago from Russia, and brought to America but things didn't go so well. :( Alli's adoption was disrupted after much turmoil.
Today, Tatyana is also on her own.
Our visit however DID go well!
Both of these girls are amazing, strong girls. I am so thankful, that they were able to reunite and that they will have a relationship for the rest of their lives.
I feel as though we have added another daughter, with Tatyana. She is a sweet heart, and she and Alli have a lot of the same traits. It was so fun to just watch them compare fingers and toes, and talk about the same likes.... or have the same types of responses when language came into play. :)
I am so proud of both of them.
Some thoughts about this weekend have come to mind. I think sometimes as adoptive parents, even with the best of intentions, we have preconceived ideas about who our children will be and what they will be like. That is a dangerous thing, because our children are not blank slates. They come with personalities and behaviors that formed long before we met them. We cannot change them! But we CAN guide them and tweak those behaviors that are too strong, or too active, in the right direction.
Our children come to us with behaviors that are based upon survival. They cannot just shut that off and become what our dream of them would be. We need to love who THEY are! Instead, we need to support the child that comes to us, because I promise, they have a LOT to bring into our lives to enrich and teach US.
As adoptive parents we need to EXPECT to be challenged by our OWN behaviors, our own thoughts, our own expectations, our own failures, and our own selfishness... our own sin. That 3 fingers pointing back thing that tells us .... we still have a long ways to go in this life, in the area of loving acceptance, will help us to stay on our knees and know that we cannot do this on our own. We need the loving hand of our Heavenly Father to lead and to guide us.
If you are struggling, don't isolate yourself! Reach out for help.... But reach out to those who are doing well and succeeding! Go to those conferences that are offered, connect! Go to the online classes! Join the proper support group! ( I say proper because you don't want to belong to a misery loves company group) And trust the Lord that He is at work in YOUR life, just as much as he is at work in the life of your child.
This was an interesting year. I was nervous to turn 54. It seems silly, to be nervous, but my father died at 54. The entire year that was on my mind. He was so young. I miss my dad.
So now, I'm 55 and older than my dad. That is surreal.
I am so thankful for each day, each breath, each life that I come into contact with, and so thankful for God's intervening, causing lives to intersect, divine appointments, and just such a rich life of love.
I am so thankful for family and friends who are so special. I am thankful for the good times and the deserts. The "eremos".
On Sunday, when we were in Skiatook Oklahoma, the Pastor at Lakeview Baptist Church talked about the desert experiences we have, that are a part of the Christian walk.
We had a mountain top experience last weekend,when Alli and Tatyana were reunited, and we met new friends in the process.
However, when we got home, I was faced with a few emails that hurt my heart beyond belief.
While the person didn't mean for her comments to be "personal", they were VERY personal to me.
I had sat that Sunday watching a young couple lovingly care for their severely handicapped child.
I was thinking to myself, how isolated they must feel in such a small town.
I remember feeling very isolated when our Tim was so very young. There was nobody I knew that had a child which such severe special needs, or any special needs for that matter.
(back then, Children didn't normally survive being so premature)
I thought about the precious ministry my Daughter In Law has with other parents of children who have special needs. I couldn't help but go over and hug her and ask if she had heard about "Hope's Seed".
She hadn't, and NOW she has! :)
I know that Emily will minister to this mama's heart!
And now back to the emails.....
The gest of them had to do with a child who has developmental delays and how this child will never live on their own and that nobody would ever love this child......but worse.
Something in me just snapped. I couldn't help it. I was so angry. I was so offended, because my sweet grand daughter may never live on her own. I was told my Tim would never live in HIS own, let alone, LIVE!
I LOVE my grand daughter and I LOVE my Tim, and I LOVE Erika and Sarah! ( I LOVE ALL of my children and grand children) :) We were told Erika was an imbicile that would never live on HER own! "Why would you want to adopt such a child?" I hurt to hear those words! And Erika is NO imbicile! She is precious, and smart and she will most CERTAINLY be able to live independently!
And YES our son Tim was considered profoundly mentally retarded, and the schools treated him just that way, telling us he couldn't learn. They lied.
Handicaps, physical or intellectual do NOT define an individual! Those citizens in our lives who have special needs enrich our lives IF we let them. They are some of the strongest, bravest people I know. I know many folks, old and young who are considered "less than" by many. They are mistreated, and there is extreme prejudice in our society towards those who are deemed weaker.
But, for those of us who know personally, the preciousness of each and every life God has ordained to walk this earth, we see the blessings that have come through very dark times. Sometimes God's blessings do not come through rainbows....they come through tears.
May I be so bold to say.... if we don't have hard times, we won't be able to see the blessings?
So, back to the email again....
I let the person know how deeply offending the comments were. It wasn't mean, it was just factual; but it was not gracious either, and it was not received. And I most likely blew my testimony. And for that I am humbled and sorrowful. :(
I need to remember and keep in mind that ALL of us have Special Needs; even those of us who don't know it.
We are all poor and naked and broken before a mighty and Holy God. We are all sinners, who God, in His great mercy, LOVES and forgives.
So, it is my birthday today... and I am so thankful for my family. I am thankful that God is not finished teaching me and picking me up when I fall down.
I am thankful for the mountaintops and for the deserts.... He is there, in both.
So thankful to the Lord today that He is still molding and shaping my life.
Today He has seen fit to bless me with some pretty severe nerve pain in my back.
I always take this as a message to slow down and pray.
May I spend the rest of my days bringing glory to Him!
I read a recipe that was for a German Pancake several weeks ago and
wanted to experiment with it. After several weeks, Erika and I came up with
something quite different.... but the taste is wonderful!
I love accidently discovering good food! :)
These babies melt in your mouth and you cannot eat just one! (or at least I can't!)
The top variation has maple glaze... The bottom one was just butter and powdered sugar.
I can picture a few variations, including Lingonberry butter with powdered sugar for a Swedish variety, Lemon curd with powdered sugar....
Or just plain, for plain old folks like me! :)
I know they aren't pretty... I haven't perfected that yet. :) And don't know how I could.
They look interesting in the oven. They puff up, and then when you take them out, they sink down which is the desired effect.
So, here is the recipe: If you try it, please drop a line and say if you enjoyed it or not....or offer ways to improve! :)
Gluten Free Popovers
PREHEAT oven to 400º
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1/2 tsp salt ( I use sea salt)
1/2 tsp xantham gum
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
2 TLB sugar
STIR all dry ingredients WELL
add:
1 TLB vanilla extract
6 eggs
3/4 cup of milk
1/4 cup of melted butter
Blend with mixer until all lumps are gone and everything is well mixed.
It will be a very thin batter. (so don't worry)
Using a spray oil.... grease muffin tins. (I used a regular muffin pan and a mini muffin pan)
Pour batter into each muffin pan so it is about 1//2 full. (notice.... not half empty) :)
Bake at 400º for 20 minutes.
Popovers will swell up and even turn in the pan.....
They will start to get a golden color....
Remove from oven and place on racks.
Serve warm with melted butter and powdered sugar, or any variety of toppings you choose or just plain.
They remind me of the taste of a French Crueller.
Recipe for maple glaze:
9 TLB powdered sugar
2 TLB real maple syrup
2 tsp vanilla extract
mix well
drizzle over popovers.
Joseph had a busy day with four sisters. :)
He took them shopping to several different stores, and grocery shopping! Wow!
In the afternoon he played board games with Alli and Sarah and then tonight, he's giving a guitar lesson to the girls. :)
They are loving having their brother home.
And I am loving having our son home in Texas again!
When Joseph was a younger teen he was always a little envious of his friends who had little sisters. He and Marcus both wanted a sister.
But Joseph said, "I would love to have a bunch of "insanely gorgeous sisters" to watch over. :)
And we had no idea that the Lord would bring into our lives.... 4 sweet girls to be his "insanely gorgeous" sisters. LOL
It was so sweet watching them all interact today. It is a brave thing to take 4 teenage girls shopping!
So proud of all of them! :)
I can't wait for the rest of the crew to arrive in about 2 weeks! :)
Oh! My! Words!
This was a weekend to remember! This was a weekend that has been bathed in 2 plus years of prayers!
This was a reuniting of what should have NEVER been divided!
And we had the honor and privilege to be a part of it.
Many of you know that we adopted Alli because of disruptions in her adoptions! I made that plural on PURPOSE.... Yes, 2 disruptions!
Alli came home to us 2 years and 5 months ago. (If you would like to follow her story from the beginning... go back to March 2011 on our blog and go from there....) :)
Sarah and Alli waiting......
Alli has LONGED to be with her sister and brother all this time. When she first came home she demanded that we go and just knock on the door and say, "I want to see them!"
I explained that we can't do that..... but we can PRAY for God's perfect timing. And we did.
This weekend, was God's perfect timing to meet her older sister Tatyana....:)
Her are some video's and pictures of our weekend:
The first meeting:
The Hurricaine! It was simulated.... at the mall. Only a category1. :)
We met at Uncle Bob's house! Thank you So MUCH Uncle Bob for being a very important part of this. We love Uncle Bob. He is such a great guy!
He even helps fix windshield wiper blades! :)
Let's go to the beginning:
There is one thing for sure about life! Change is a part of it! I just look at our header and see the changes in the girls and it brings me great joy. :)
Soooo, what is about to change in our family?
Well, for one.... Our son and daughter in law are moving back to Texas so he can begin his doctoral studies. We are very excited about this change... and it appears Joe will be here this weekend and Becca and the boys will follow after a nice visit with her parents in San Francisco!
Three of the girls are starting high school this year, and one is starting Jr. High.
Anna will be starting Public High School this year. She is very interested in the R.O.T.C. program, and having a career in the military. After much prayer and consideration, interviewing other parents who's children attend the school, soul searching, and wrestling over what is best for our sweetie, we came to our decision. She was willing to abide by our final decision whether it would be to continue home education, or go to the school. We are excited to see what the Lord has in store for her as she gets used to being in such a different environment.
Sarah and Alli will also be attending a Co-Op on Fridays where they will each take 3 classes. They are excited about these new changes. Alli will be taking Texas History at the co- op which will free me from having to teach two separate histories. :) Sarah will be taking writing, public speaking and American Literature. Second Semester, they will be taking Multimedia Art.
Erika was not interested in the Public High School OR the Co- Op. She keeps herself quite busy and has so many other things she is already doing, including photography and guitar.
Anna is continuing with her Fencing Lessons and Alli will be taking TKD....at Co-Op, which she is very excited about.
I am excited about this new stage we are entering into. Before we know it, they will be graduating .... it really does happen so quickly!
I never thought we'd be putting any of our children into school.... but here we are, doing exactly that! I pray that the Lord guides and protects our Anna as she goes off to school. This will be her first experience in a school. She even gets to take a school bus! She already knows a couple of sweet girls who will be attending also.
Soooo! Here's to all the changes about to come our way!
So today, we were hooked up to FIOS TV.... so we could bring our bill DOWN by 30 dollars!
We don't watch TV at all.... so we decided to see what this FIOS thing
would bring into our home.... How about several HUNDRED channels????
I'm lost with the whole button pushing thingy.... and don't really
understand how to find anything.. but we happened upon a channel that
had Little House on the Prairie....THEN....there were the commercials.
The first one showed this couple, OUR AGE, who were HAPPY to have all
the kids gone and they were doing what THEY wanted to do! Erika was standing next to me and said, "Wow! How sad!"......
I'm so glad she feels that way! I'm so glad that she knows how very
much we love her and cherish each of our children and would never want
them to just be "grown" so we could do whatever WE wanted.
And now, we will let that button pushing thingy rest... and enjoy the cheaper bill.
(All that was left was the rice and a brisket still on ice)
Miss Alli wanted to make a pizza the other night. She had taken it out of the outside freezer and brought it in to ask. I told her it was too late and she needed to put it back, and she could have a snack.
She did put it back.
BUT.... she didn't get the freezer closed all the way.
The result was rather disastrous. All ice cream and popsicles that I had just purchased, were ruined.
Pork roast, chicken, tenderloin, brisket, all thawed! and it was a slushy mess!
My first reaction when I saw the mess the next afternoon was, "Who left the freezer door open?"
Then, I realized who had been in it the night before.....
So, I said, "Alli, last night when you put the pizza back in the freezer, the door didn't get shut and I want you to come with me and see the result."
She did. And hung her head down.... "Mama, I am so sorry!"
If we step back about 8 years..... I seem to remember 2 little girls named Anna and Sarah who learned how to turn the freezer off! They were playing and turned the knob. Right before we were ready to leave for a church meeting I noticed liquid coming out of the freezer. I thought it had broken. We had a lot of frozen meat and veges, so Mike sent me to Home Depot to buy another one, so the food wouldn't be ruined. We transferred everything to the new one, and then the next day, he looked at the old one and saw that ...... the little girlies had turned the other one OFF! :/
I asked them, (both were 6 years old) "Did anybody turn that knob?" It was a knob I didn't even know existed! And 2 sweeties said, "I did!" :)
"Let's not turn knobs like that anymore, ok?" OK!
Mercy.... :)
Back to present day.....
I said to Miss Alli..... "Let's clean up the mess, and get the meat into the fridge." "We'll have a smoking party tomorrow!" and you can help me!"
She was still very ashamed.
Was she irresponsible.... maybe.... maybe not. Would it do any good to get mad? No. What's done is done.
Would it help to ground her or punish her to make her remember to shut the door next time?
No.... that would just bring more shame.
Instead, Mike and I talked and we decided to start using the LOCK on the freezer. You know that weird key you never use? We have had it on a hook for years.
So today, we locked the freezer. Then we called our sweet Alli over and told her.... "This key goes to the freezer. This is how it is used. If mama needs something from the freezer, it will by your job to get it by unlocking the freezer, getting it out and then locking the freezer back up."
Do you think you can do that? "
She was beaming.... "YES!"
And so far.... so good! :)
(I did go ahead and get more ice cream and popsicles..... because I really wanted one. :) It is HOT!
Giving her that responsibility is good for her.... and I know she is going to take it seriously.
In the mean time, she did a good job getting the freezer nice and clean.... AND we had a delicious pork tenderloin tonight for dinner. :)
An area in my personal life that I struggle with is God's provision. It seems silly, living in the richest country in the world, and worrying about God's provision.
But even in America, you can be poor, and you can struggle greatly with having enough for basic food, clothing, utilities and housing.
This was my life a long time ago. There were many days that I did not eat so my children could. Sometimes we didn't have the money to keep the utilities on. We struggled to make ends meet each and every day. There were some very dark days that seemed they would never end.
And honestly, I was a happy person then, even in the darkest of struggles. I took it as just part of life.
I honestly didn't realize how much my life had been effected by those struggles.
However, over the years, as times have become easier, I have found myself making sure there is enough food. MORE than enough. Enough to share, enough in case of an emergency and enough if there isn't an emergency.
I found myself going to the store way more than necessary and buying larger quantities than necessary.
I mean, who needs two 25 lb. bags of rice in the freezer?
For a while, I told myself that it was so we had extra to give! And we DO give. But inside, little by little, gently, the Lord was revealing to my heart that there was hidden fear and lack of trust in HIS provision for my family.
There is nothing wrong with finding things on sale and putting them in the freezer, UNLESS, you are buying those things for security.
My security should rest squarely on the Lord, and I found myself NOT depending wholly on Him, and at the same time very thankful that He was providing for our needs.
So, I am facing a giant. I need to remember every day that God is my source and He is the sustainer of my life. The very thing that I know to be true, and teach to my children, I need to live!
So, here is to a cheaper food bill and a neatly organized pantry and refrigerator! :) With much less clutter. There is more to this area of my life that I am needing to hand back over to the one who is in control of all things..... Oh this is freeing! :)
And the meditation for today is:
Matthew 6: 24-34
24“No
one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the
other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and money.f
Do Not Be Anxious
25“Therefore
I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or
what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not
life more than food, and the body more than clothing?26Look
at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into
barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more
value than they?27And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?g28And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,29yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.30But
if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and
tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O
you of little faith?31Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’32For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.33But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
34“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Oh Lord, help me to remember that you are in control. You provide. You sustain. All good things come from you!
It has been quite a week, and I still haven't posted our final VBS Skit!
VBS ended yesterday, and we had a wonderful time with all the kids. Today was a day of rest; sort of. It was also a day where everybody seemed to be out of sorts. :/
That is ok. Those days come now and then.... There was some drama.... and there was some good discussion.
In the End...Chickens were fed and watered, goats were watered, laundry was folded, rooms were cleaned, baths were taken, hair was washed and then, there were "I Love You's, I'm Sorry's, and hugs......
This has been so much fun for our Jr. High Sunday school class. So proud of the kids. :) We are only doing skits one, three and five..... This is skit 3, but part 2 on my blog. Today, will be skit 5. :)
VBS is this week! Here was our first Skit.... (Sarah is Ida, the lady who cares for King's Manor, and Anna is a messenger. All the other kids are in our Sunday School Class, or the class next door. :) The kids have worked really hard.
Our Son Joseph, our Daughter Becca, and our THREE grandsons, Sam, Truman and Felix.....
Joseph is going to begin the Doctoral Program at UTD this fall. They have been living in Maryland for the last decade!
I know it is a homecoming for Joseph... but brand new territory for Becca. She is a Maryland girl!
I am praying that everybody's adjustment goes well and that Sam loves his new school! He will be a big boy in FIRST GRADE!
We are on the countdown now.... August 12th, Joseph will arrive in the car and on August 13th, Becca will arrive by plane! :)
And then.... we will all be together until their apartment is ready. :)
Stay tuned! This is gonna be FUN! :)
And CRAZY! :)
A friend told me about a recipe for an alternative to tomato based pizza sauce. I checked out the recipe, but didn't like how some of the ingredients were put together......
So I started to experiment....
I came up with a pizza sauce that I like. I could not tell it wasn't tomato based.... and neither could my family.
I used 1 small beet, roasted and shredded. 1 small carrot shredded. I sauteed the carrot in some olive oil until it was tender, and added the beet and all these spices.
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Basil
Salt
Pepper
(all to taste)
I put it all in a blender and blended it to death. :) And added water for better consistency.... ( to make it more spreadable)
The Pizza dough is easy.....
1 1/3 cup hot water
a packet of yeast
1 tsp sugar
mix all together and let it sit.
Add.... 1 tsp xantham gum
to 2 cups of brown rice flour and 1 cup of tapioca flour
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 TLB sugar
Mix all together.... and knead until very well kneaded...
about 5 minutes by hand....
Roll in olive oil and cover to let sit and rise
Spread in well greased pizza pan.
bake at 400º for about 10 minutes.
After baking...
Add sauce, any toppings you like (that you can have)
and then add Rice Cheese.
I like the Mozarella rice cheese. It is very good.
Bake at 400º for about 20 minutes or until everything is nice, hot melted and the crust is duly browned. :)
I have not had pizza since last September because of a Night shade issue... ( no tomatoes, potatoes, or peppers of any kind ( except pepper corns) no eggplant, or paprika)
This was so fun to have once again! :)
I really love experimenting!
If you try it, drop a line and let me know! :)
ENJOY!!!!!!
