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. :)

Happy New Year To ALL!

I pray that the New Year brings a time of Spiritual Awakening, of Joy and Peace that can only come from the Lord.....

I want to wish every one of my readers a very Happy New Year, especially some of my regular readers, who have such a heart for Adoption..... Christine, Jeane, Hevel, De, Diana, Lisa and Don,
JJ, Steve and Melissa, Jim and my FRUA friends. Also Susan A.K.A. Lucy, my sister Jodie, my sister in law Elayne, Aunt Judy, Robin, Tim, my kids and a very special Lady, Kay. :) And anybody else I have left out.... :)

I am so thankful for each and every one of you. You have taught me MUCH. I am so thankful for the encouragement you have given me over this year. These last 5 months have been very hard on me physically, and eventually emotionally, as my physical body has not done what I would like it to do. However, it is doing exactly what God wants it to do for now. He is the potter and I am the clay, and he is using a chisel on me right now to mold and shape me.

I can look back and see His providential hand in my life; ALL of my life really; even the ugly parts. :) That chisel is what brings us to our knees to seek Him.
I said to a friend the other day, "Can we ask God to clep out of this class? Or can we just take the audited version of this class and observe? LOL
Of course not. (no pun intended)
I'm a bit of a scardy cat when it comes to that chisel. Yet I know, that the forming and shaping that the Lord is doing, is for HIS glory and my eternal benefit.

May the Lord continue to mold and shape each and every one of you and bring you to a place of
pure Joy, comfort and understanding that can only come from Him.

More Family pics

The Cousins
There is nothing like 2 2year olds running around. :)
Or in this case, enjoying Gumby! :)

Wrestling with Popoo


A tender moment with Anna and Daddy

Will's sweet face.

Sam and Me

Here are a few pictures Becca took of me and Sam.
I like her camera! It works way better than mine.
I think I have camera envy. :)

Together Again

The Family Spades tradition continues on.....
The guys are together once again.

Some Christmas Highlights

I have more pictures to go through than I can count. We have had many visitors this week, and they are still coming. I just love having an open home where Love abounds.
I was able to rock baby Charlie and he is just adorable. I loved watching the older kids and younger kids interact with each other, and all of the craft projects and discussions.

Here are a few pictures of our week.

Anna working on her new Calligraphy set.



Almost all the kids :)


There's the other one .:)


Baby Charlie. :)
One of my favorite Sam pics
more to come. :)

A Message From Sam to Susan A.K.A Lucy

Hi Susan,
He did really well. He was watching a EweKnow and wanted to watch the "Sheep Show". LOL
But I got him to say hi to you. :)
Hope you had a wonderful and Merry Christmas. :)