The Minich Family Blog: Every Family Has A Story...Welcome To Ours
Friday, October 2, 2026
Look At This Little Bundle of Sweetness!!!
Keith and Albina had a sweet baby boy this morning! She is doing great and they can't wait to introduce him to big brother Bash!
He looks just like his big brother except he has darker hair.
What a blessing from the Lord our children are! Thank you Lord for our sweet grand son! We pray that He will grow to know you and love you and that he will do and accomplish wonderful things in his life. And as Sweet Auntie Em prayed this morning, may he never know a time of not knowing Jesus.
Thursday, October 1, 2026
The Psalms and Hymns of Isaac Watts: A book review
We have owned this book for a very long time. It is a beautiful collection of as the title states, songs and hymns of Isaac Watts. We still sing hymns in our churches from Him; many famous hymns. But did you know how many poems he actually wrote! A LOT!
It is fun to thumb through this book and find songs that follow a specific meter and the tune will fit the hymn or poem. I hope, if you can get a hold of a copy, you'll enjoy it!
Here is an example of just one:
Number 81
My God, how endless is thy love! Thy gifts are every evening new And Morning Mercies from Above Gently distill like early dew.
Thou spreadest the curtains of the night Great guardian of my sleeping hours They soverign word restores the light and Quickens all my drowsy powers.
I yield my powers to Thy command To Thee I consecrate my days Perpetual blessings from thine Hand Demand Perpetual songs of praise!
Number 81
My God, how endless is thy love! Thy gifts are every evening new And Morning Mercies from Above Gently distill like early dew.
Thou spreadest the curtains of the night Great guardian of my sleeping hours They soverign word restores the light and Quickens all my drowsy powers.
I yield my powers to Thy command To Thee I consecrate my days Perpetual blessings from thine Hand Demand Perpetual songs of praise!
Baskets
I have always loved baskets. I have a very special family that I do counseling with at my home on Tuesdays. A couple of weeks ago, the children were walking around the house counting my baskets. They were asking, "Where did you get all these?" "Why do you have them?" etc.
I have them because I like them. And nearly ALL of them came from a thrift store or second hand shoppe, a garage sale or some sort of sale! And then there are the two that were gifted to me from a friend. I love how curious children can be. These aren't all of them as photos can be redundant. :) But here are a bunch throughout the house.
A Difficult Decision
20 years ago, we made the very difficult decision along with Erika who was now 8 years old, to have her feet amputated. It is funny how the Lord has a way of preparing you for the unthinkable. We knew Erika had pain and we knew there were many scars and wounds on her feet. We never thought about amputation. Her braces were not in the right direction which meant her legs didn't bend at all. Once they were removed, her legs could bend a little bit! When we went to get Erika all we knew from the orphanage director was "her joint don't work".
After consultation with the orthopedic surgeon, his suggestion was amputation for the best life outcome for her. This was a whole new level of thinking! And I reminded myself that Sarah was an amputee already and I was already familiar with prosthetic legs and surgeries. Isn't it amazing how God doesn't remove our obstacles but walks us right through them? He provided for Erika and Sarah to be together for life, orphans together, amputees together, sisters together!
So, the decision was made and Miss Erika wanted Purple Tennis shoes which went on the gurney right into the operating room! Purple tennis shoes were a symbol of hope! While we didn't know what the outcome would be, it didn't matter, it would be better than the pain she was dealing with all the time and her inability to really walk.
Would she really be amublatory? It was a chance we all agreed to take. And is she! OH YES! She walked down the aisle at her wedding to her favorite song. She learned how to drive with no accommodations, and she walks by faith.
Mike's dad Ed, made this slide show for us and I'm, so thankful he did. What a journey. And YES she walks and it is such a joyful thing in my heart!
After consultation with the orthopedic surgeon, his suggestion was amputation for the best life outcome for her. This was a whole new level of thinking! And I reminded myself that Sarah was an amputee already and I was already familiar with prosthetic legs and surgeries. Isn't it amazing how God doesn't remove our obstacles but walks us right through them? He provided for Erika and Sarah to be together for life, orphans together, amputees together, sisters together!
So, the decision was made and Miss Erika wanted Purple Tennis shoes which went on the gurney right into the operating room! Purple tennis shoes were a symbol of hope! While we didn't know what the outcome would be, it didn't matter, it would be better than the pain she was dealing with all the time and her inability to really walk.
Would she really be amublatory? It was a chance we all agreed to take. And is she! OH YES! She walked down the aisle at her wedding to her favorite song. She learned how to drive with no accommodations, and she walks by faith.
Mike's dad Ed, made this slide show for us and I'm, so thankful he did. What a journey. And YES she walks and it is such a joyful thing in my heart!
This Is What Happens To Chicken Snakes Around Here
A Blast From the Past!
This is what you do in Ukraine when you are waiting and you can't communicate very well because she speaks Russian and even though you studied Russian for 6 months before going, you can only remember Spanish!
Precious Erika!!! This was 20 years ago! My how we have changed!
Today Reminds Me of Skylark!
Do you remember the old book and movie Skylark from the Sarah Plain and Tall series? It didn't rain for months and due to drought she was sent back to her family with the children to Maine. Her quiet husband showed up after a bit to rejoin his family, and all he said was "Rained". :)
So I will celebrate with this! It Rained!! It IS raining! It will keep on raining! It has been a LONG time! Happy Fall! For Texas, this means water falling from the sky!
Monday, September 28, 2026
Today Is National Son Day!
They are so adorable! I am so thankful for these blessings in my life!
If I had blogged back when they were little, such stories I could tell! haha...
I have to include Tim's Newborn Photo. This was 45 1/2 years ago. We didn't know if he would live, but here he is! God did a miracle in our lives!
All My Boast is in Jesus
I have had so many things swirling in my head to write about, and sometimes things just get stuck! We had a lovely lunch with family after church yesterday and loved being together. But family is not where we place our hope. Things are not where we place our hope. Money is not where we place our hope. Security is not where we place our hope.
We sang the song yesterday "All My Boast is in Jesus". It has been swirling around in my head all day today. I have sung it, played it on the recorder, and now I'm writing about it. He is where I place my Hope and He is Who I boast about!
The Song ends with singing 3 x's "MY BOAST IS JESUS CHRIST!" What exactly does that mean?
The only thing I can Boast in is Christ and Christ Crucified and what HE has done in my life and in the lives of my family and what HE continues to do! All praise to HIM. We live in a finite, material world, but we are both finite and spiritual. Everything was created by God and HE created everything that was made. There is nothing we know of that does not have the hand of God in its creation. That is one of the reasons I love nature so much. I can see it visibly. I can see the layers in the Grand Canyon, I can see the intricate details of a blade of grass under a microscope. I take for granted much of the time that I can plant a simple seed and it will grow into a plant for delightful flowers, or food; each after its own kind! If God is so detailed with nature, and animals, and he knows the hairs on my head and a feather that falls from a sparrow, then He knows me.
He knows my flaws and my faults, he knows my repentence and my rebellion. He knows ALL. And.... HE LOVES ME. He loves not because I am good or do good, but because he has chosen to love me. He delights in His children. His Character is perfect, and that is where I struggled for many years, misunderstanding the true character of God. Many times we hear that the God of the New Testament is different than the God of the Old Testament. This is not so. In Fact, in Exodus 34:5-8 "Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped."
The same is true today. THE LORD, our LORD is merciful and gracious and forgives sin. He IS just in his judgments. He does NOT just brush sin off. THAT IS WHY He sent His Son. Jesus, the second person on the God Head, who created all things, THE WORD (John 1) who walked among us, entered the very creation HE spoke into existence, humbled himself, EMPTIED himself and became a man, born of a virgin, FULFILLED all prophecy from the Old Testament perfectly, willingly laid down his life and took the punishment for our sin.
Sin was not ignored, Sin was PAID for! We who were born into sin, and know no other world, trust that Jesus paid what we deserved; the price of death. Jesus was the perfect lamb! The Lamb with out blemish, the FINAL and COMPLETE sacrifice for sin. BUT HE DIDN'T remain in the grave. Without the resurrection there would be no hope. The Resurrection, bodily, not just spirit, happened! GOD raised HIM from the dead! The Stone was rolled away! The Curtain at the Temple that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, that was a barrier between God and man, was torn from TOP TO BOTTOM and exposed the Ark of the Covenant! Roman Soldiers stationed around the tomb could not hold him there. Satan could not hold him there. HE CONQUERED and WON, and ALL who are HIS he will never lose.
Right now, He is preparing a place for us, if it weren't so he wouldn't have said it. (John 14:2-3) He says something else in John. I will not abandon you as orphans! This speaks loudly to my heart. No matter what heartbreak happens in this world, GOD will NOT ABANDON me! And this does NOT depend upon my perfection, but HIS faithfulness! So yes, ALL MY BOAST IS IN JESUS!
We sang the song yesterday "All My Boast is in Jesus". It has been swirling around in my head all day today. I have sung it, played it on the recorder, and now I'm writing about it. He is where I place my Hope and He is Who I boast about!
The Song ends with singing 3 x's "MY BOAST IS JESUS CHRIST!" What exactly does that mean?
The only thing I can Boast in is Christ and Christ Crucified and what HE has done in my life and in the lives of my family and what HE continues to do! All praise to HIM. We live in a finite, material world, but we are both finite and spiritual. Everything was created by God and HE created everything that was made. There is nothing we know of that does not have the hand of God in its creation. That is one of the reasons I love nature so much. I can see it visibly. I can see the layers in the Grand Canyon, I can see the intricate details of a blade of grass under a microscope. I take for granted much of the time that I can plant a simple seed and it will grow into a plant for delightful flowers, or food; each after its own kind! If God is so detailed with nature, and animals, and he knows the hairs on my head and a feather that falls from a sparrow, then He knows me.
He knows my flaws and my faults, he knows my repentence and my rebellion. He knows ALL. And.... HE LOVES ME. He loves not because I am good or do good, but because he has chosen to love me. He delights in His children. His Character is perfect, and that is where I struggled for many years, misunderstanding the true character of God. Many times we hear that the God of the New Testament is different than the God of the Old Testament. This is not so. In Fact, in Exodus 34:5-8 "Now the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed before him and proclaimed, “The LORD, the LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abounding in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children to the third and the fourth generation.” So Moses made haste and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped."
The same is true today. THE LORD, our LORD is merciful and gracious and forgives sin. He IS just in his judgments. He does NOT just brush sin off. THAT IS WHY He sent His Son. Jesus, the second person on the God Head, who created all things, THE WORD (John 1) who walked among us, entered the very creation HE spoke into existence, humbled himself, EMPTIED himself and became a man, born of a virgin, FULFILLED all prophecy from the Old Testament perfectly, willingly laid down his life and took the punishment for our sin.
Sin was not ignored, Sin was PAID for! We who were born into sin, and know no other world, trust that Jesus paid what we deserved; the price of death. Jesus was the perfect lamb! The Lamb with out blemish, the FINAL and COMPLETE sacrifice for sin. BUT HE DIDN'T remain in the grave. Without the resurrection there would be no hope. The Resurrection, bodily, not just spirit, happened! GOD raised HIM from the dead! The Stone was rolled away! The Curtain at the Temple that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, that was a barrier between God and man, was torn from TOP TO BOTTOM and exposed the Ark of the Covenant! Roman Soldiers stationed around the tomb could not hold him there. Satan could not hold him there. HE CONQUERED and WON, and ALL who are HIS he will never lose.
Right now, He is preparing a place for us, if it weren't so he wouldn't have said it. (John 14:2-3) He says something else in John. I will not abandon you as orphans! This speaks loudly to my heart. No matter what heartbreak happens in this world, GOD will NOT ABANDON me! And this does NOT depend upon my perfection, but HIS faithfulness! So yes, ALL MY BOAST IS IN JESUS!
Sunday, September 27, 2026
A GREAT FIND
I love thrifting and the art of a great deal! Searching for one thing and then finding a treasure to bring home is just plain ole fun!
I found this baby at a Good Will thrift store in our area.
It is designed to look super old, but it is really just kind of old. The great thing about it, is that it has a slot for old cassette tapes. Cassettes were a big thing before CD's came on the market and we had a huge set of them because I used to work at a Christian book store that sold a lot of music! We were just talking about not keeping our cassettes as they have gone the way of VHS tapes, which we STILL have also!
So, I knew the radio part worked as I tested it in the store. When we got home, Mike said, I doubt the cassette part will work and I doubt the cassettes will be any good because they have been stored so long! We tried it and Horray! I listened to long lost music of the 1980s. :) Now I have a large collection of old music to go through including some of my favorite Christmas Music! And that season is just around the corner!!!
NEXT is to find a VHS player that actually works and doesn't cost an arm and a leg! Though, if you've been reading this blog for long you'll know I do have a few spare legs in the attic to bargain with! HA
I found this baby at a Good Will thrift store in our area.
So, I knew the radio part worked as I tested it in the store. When we got home, Mike said, I doubt the cassette part will work and I doubt the cassettes will be any good because they have been stored so long! We tried it and Horray! I listened to long lost music of the 1980s. :) Now I have a large collection of old music to go through including some of my favorite Christmas Music! And that season is just around the corner!!!
NEXT is to find a VHS player that actually works and doesn't cost an arm and a leg! Though, if you've been reading this blog for long you'll know I do have a few spare legs in the attic to bargain with! HA
Saturday, September 26, 2026
Just Keep Blogging!
I've had a few folks ask if blogging is a thing of the past. Many of my fellow bloggers, who were regulars and we followed each other's blogs have stopped. I know I slowed way down due to needing to take care of personal needs within the family and then cancer hit along with a bit of old age. Then, when I tried to post one day, bammo... my blog had been taken over by bad malware. Thanks to dear Erika, she saved the day and the blog!
The last few years the girls have asked if I was going to keep it up. They certainly want me to. It is a good exercise to get things out of my mind and in writing. Many years ago people had very secret diaries. They wrote all their personal thoughts in those books under lock and key so nobody could see them until after they were gone.
I don't want to do that! I want my family to know what I think and how I feel, what I love and how I view life. I also love that we can all share our thoughts. I have a few boundaries to respect. Our sweet Sarah doesn't want photos of the children on the web due to the sad state of our world, extracting photos for ill purposes. I totally respect that, and it is why only My Mike was seen having a tea party. LOL
Our lives have changed so much. I have written about it a lot over the years, and the focus was on adopting the girls and raising them. But now, they are all on their own, all living lives that could have never been possible had thy remained in Orphanages. I'm so thankful to just be a fly on the wall of their lives, watching them embrace everything about family life, marriage, children, and Jesus. What miracles they are. What miracles our sons are, all grown and married and now OUR AGE when we started this blog! HAHA
We have 2 grandsons in the military now. We have a grand daughter that delights in being a lumberjack. We have a grand daughter in art school, one who is learning guitar and ukelele, a grandson who is interested in astro physics, a grandson who is excelling in math and science, a grand daughter who loves tea parties and was just introduced to "Toy Story 5" last might. She was carrying around a very old Jessie doll from the "Toy Story 2"and hugging her like she hugs her new baby sister. Our grandson stopped by yesterday for Pizza and fellowship. He is flourishing on his own. He looks great!
We have a grand son living on the East coast, 2 more in the south east enjoying school and a grand daughter there who is on a cometitive swim team. We have 2 more grands in elementary school on the west coast. I THINK that is everybody. Ha.
It was suggested I use a different blog for what is going on now, but I don't think so. I tried to do that a while back here, but it doesn't feel like home like I do on the family blog. I'd like to keep this one as it morphs and changes because that is how life is. We are older, and it is good to express how older folks feel about life. Our perspectives might change a bit, or while we reflect, that isn't all of life, we have much ahead of us, as far as we know. Life is lived one day at a time because tomorrow isn't guaranteed.
I want to share my heart about things not for my kids to find out about them after I'm gone, but for them to know about them now. I appreciate EACH one of our children for how they have enriched our lives and helped us to stretch and grow in ways we never knew we needed to. :) I'm thankful for our church family that loves us well and I'm thanful to the Lord for HIS lifegiving word, for His Salvation and endless kindness and mercy. He has blessed me with what I do not deserve and lavished upon me blessings that are not material and cannot be bought.
AND THAT, I will comntinue to share as I keep this blog going, and morphing. I pray it will be a testimony of the Glories of God in a simple lady's life, who happens to love Jesus, converse high tops and blogging.
The last few years the girls have asked if I was going to keep it up. They certainly want me to. It is a good exercise to get things out of my mind and in writing. Many years ago people had very secret diaries. They wrote all their personal thoughts in those books under lock and key so nobody could see them until after they were gone.
I don't want to do that! I want my family to know what I think and how I feel, what I love and how I view life. I also love that we can all share our thoughts. I have a few boundaries to respect. Our sweet Sarah doesn't want photos of the children on the web due to the sad state of our world, extracting photos for ill purposes. I totally respect that, and it is why only My Mike was seen having a tea party. LOL
Our lives have changed so much. I have written about it a lot over the years, and the focus was on adopting the girls and raising them. But now, they are all on their own, all living lives that could have never been possible had thy remained in Orphanages. I'm so thankful to just be a fly on the wall of their lives, watching them embrace everything about family life, marriage, children, and Jesus. What miracles they are. What miracles our sons are, all grown and married and now OUR AGE when we started this blog! HAHA
We have 2 grandsons in the military now. We have a grand daughter that delights in being a lumberjack. We have a grand daughter in art school, one who is learning guitar and ukelele, a grandson who is interested in astro physics, a grandson who is excelling in math and science, a grand daughter who loves tea parties and was just introduced to "Toy Story 5" last might. She was carrying around a very old Jessie doll from the "Toy Story 2"and hugging her like she hugs her new baby sister. Our grandson stopped by yesterday for Pizza and fellowship. He is flourishing on his own. He looks great!
We have a grand son living on the East coast, 2 more in the south east enjoying school and a grand daughter there who is on a cometitive swim team. We have 2 more grands in elementary school on the west coast. I THINK that is everybody. Ha.
It was suggested I use a different blog for what is going on now, but I don't think so. I tried to do that a while back here, but it doesn't feel like home like I do on the family blog. I'd like to keep this one as it morphs and changes because that is how life is. We are older, and it is good to express how older folks feel about life. Our perspectives might change a bit, or while we reflect, that isn't all of life, we have much ahead of us, as far as we know. Life is lived one day at a time because tomorrow isn't guaranteed.
I want to share my heart about things not for my kids to find out about them after I'm gone, but for them to know about them now. I appreciate EACH one of our children for how they have enriched our lives and helped us to stretch and grow in ways we never knew we needed to. :) I'm thankful for our church family that loves us well and I'm thanful to the Lord for HIS lifegiving word, for His Salvation and endless kindness and mercy. He has blessed me with what I do not deserve and lavished upon me blessings that are not material and cannot be bought.
AND THAT, I will comntinue to share as I keep this blog going, and morphing. I pray it will be a testimony of the Glories of God in a simple lady's life, who happens to love Jesus, converse high tops and blogging.
Alex Krutov Is Coming!
This is a recent photo of Alex, Amy and the boys! They sure are growing! I wrote about Alex coming to our home on October 3rd, here We are so excited to host this year.
MY VERY OWN TRACTOR MAN!
We are getting ready for a dump of rain early next week! It is coming from Hurricane Polo. We just had our driveway redone and it seems the flow of water will go directly towards the house, so Mike is trying to solve that issue now!
BACKGAMMON ON THE PORCH! AND HER VERY OWN MUM.
It is finally cool enough for this!!!!
In the fall in Texas High Schools, Mums are a big deal for homecoming! Our sweet grand daughter Ilse, who is now 15 was given her very own MUM! She looks lovely!
IT'S FALL Y'ALL! and TEA PARTY GRAMPA
It seems that every year these decorations aren't up long enough before Christmas rolls around! So this year I decided to put our fall decorations up now. It IS after all Fall even though the afternoons scream otherwise! One can wish!
And it is always great for a Grampa to have a tea party with the little one! She is a cutie and picked out his tea party hat herself!
And it is always great for a Grampa to have a tea party with the little one! She is a cutie and picked out his tea party hat herself!
Good Morning and GoodNight!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)