Adoption

Is the Orphan My Neighbor

Please take time to read this post. It is a wonderful post regarding adoption by Russell Moore.

And I think he hits the nail on the head.  :)

Thank you Mr. Moore.

Yummie Lunch on Pretty Dishes

Lunch is so much more lovely when pretty dishes are used. :)
Today we are having tomato, cucumber and onion salad, and parmesean  herb red potatoes. :)

More Green Life.....

I posted below an Update on My Green Life.... but also wanted to show what we are doing in preparation for winter.
I have posted pictures before of our wood stove. We invested in it a few years ago, and it is WONDERFUL!  This stove has an outside air source so it does not draw cold air into the house and only heat one room.  Our house is not HUGE, but it is the biggest one I have ever lived in.  It is 1,900 sq. ft. and this stove heats the entire house well.  Because the door is sealed, we can put wood in at night, and safely burn it till morning.  It payed for itself the first 3 months we had it.

We live in an all electric house, so heating is more expensive than cooling. We don't keep the house that cool, as that can get costly, but we can keep the house warm all winter, and all it takes is a little planning!

This year we will be sharing wood with another family.  We have agreed to store the wood, since they don't have room, and they have been out getting wood. We have all participated to one degree or another,  in unloading, cutting and stacking.  We are in various forms of some finished, some not, some seasoned and some not.

We will most likely go through 3 or 4 cords of wood this winter between our two families.
A cord of wood is 4x4x8 TIGHTLY STACKED, not criss crossed like an apartment type stack.  When people buy wood today, they are not buying a real cord. It is usually called a "face cord"... Most wood is cut at 16-18 inches to fit a modern fireplace, so people get ripped off thinking they are buying a cord, when they aren't.

We get our wood in a few ways. A tree service gives away Orange Osage. It is a Poppy kind of undesirable wood, but does very well in a wood stove with a sealed door.  The popping doesn't matter because the door is shut. It has a similar quality to coal!  We also pick up wood after people have cut down trees waiting for the city to dispose of it.  Most people are glad to have you haul it away!

This year we had a friend moving away and they gave us some of their seasoned oak!

We should have everything finished being cut and stacked by the end of the month. It is a family project that we all enjoy...... and it is putting already cut down trees to good use. :)

Here's to being GREEN! :)

UDATE on my Green Life

I posted in August about wanting to be more green and giving up my paper plate habit. :)

It has been 6 weeks and I am happy to say, we have not purchased any paper plates in that time.
BECAUSE of that, we have saved some money that I have invested into some fun dishes.
I am rather eclectic in style so I have found Target to be a great source for fun and decorative plates and bowls.

We use bowls a lot because of the types of foods we eat..... We eat soups, rice dishes and pasta dishes or salads.  Instead of buying large plates, we bought some larger bowls and salad plates.  It has worked out really well!  We all like eating out of our pretty dishes way more than eating off of our paper plates. :)

We are also being careful not to use the garbage disposal. We have a dozen and a half garbage disposals outside who would love nothing more than to eat what we were planning to waste. :)
The only thing is, now that we have been feeding them regular scraps, as soon as we open the door we hear "MAAAAAA_MAAAAAA!!!"  I think they like our cooking! :)

We also got this old thing back out! More dishes means more washing.... but we have found it easy to do quick washes and save the dishwasher for 1 use a day.  Once it is full, it is the old fashioned way that works.  If you wash in hot soapy water.... not too much, and then rinse quickly with hot frest water, you wind up not using too much water AND no electricity. :)

I'm feeling crunchier by the moment. :)

Sequoya's Cherokee Syllabary

Today in History we were learning about various Indian Tribes in the United States and some of their most famous members.  One such member of the Cherokee tribe was Sequoya.  He was famous for putting the Cherokee Language into writing.  He did not make an alphabet but  used "syllabary".
Here are some examples of the Cherokee Written Language. 

The girls had fun using their ink wells and calligraphy pens.

 Of course Sarah had several of the sounds and syllables memorized and sounded very Indian to me! :)

Safe In His Father's Arms

Pokin' Fun at 99.5 the Wolf Ahhoooooo!

The girlies are getting to the age of wanting to listen to the radio, and not just pre planned music on the mp3 players. 
We were going through stations and came upon 99.5 the Wolf....  It was hilarious listening to "Country Music" songs.  Of course they always seem to cover some tragedy, or break up, or anger management situation gone bad..... and don't forget the dog and pick up truck.

I couldn't handle it for the trip home. I had to change the channel, but not before the girls got a good taste of country.

So here is Anna and Sarah's spontaneous,  made up rendition of "Country Music on 99.5 The Wolf".

Creative Daddy!

Erika has been in need of a handrail. She typically just uses the wood railing near the porch, or somebody's arm.  

Mike has wanted to get a railing up for her for a while. When he went to a nearby Garage Sale, he found the tool he needed to do it; a very large pipe bender.  So, he got to work on designing a rail.

And here he is putting it up.

 He also, decided that everybody has just gotten TOO good at backgammon, so he created a new game with the same board. It is still backgammon, just done differently.
We use all 4 dice for 1 move. If you roll the same numbers, you can't have doubles unless the numbers land on the same colors.  The combinations are endless!  To get out, you have to land on exact numbers. This has really caused some exciting end game upsets! :)

 Of course, Sarah has already mastered this, and keeps my head spinning.

 So while daddy was finishing the railing, Sarah and I were testing out the new way to play. :)

Here is a close up of the rail, attached to the wood.  Daddy is one talented guy.  I can't wait for Erika to see it. :)

I think she likes it!

Thyroid Regeneration

I am just wondering if any readers out in bloggy world have had their thyroid regerate or begin to function again after numerous years of non functioning status?

Here is the scoop:

I had Grave's Disease when I was in my 20's.  At 30, right before Mike and I married, I took Radioactive Iodine as a treatment plan because it just wouldn't calm down.  My vision was impaired permanently; I didn't need glasses until this condition took over.  So, a year later, I developed tumors in my thyroid.
I was assured that it was nothing, but as a precaution, a needle biopsy was done, and there was cancer in the biopsy.  I did not have full blown thyroid cancer, just cancer in the tumors.

So a thyroidectomy, of the side with the cancer was done.  A month later, I was sentenced to a life time of the pill a day every morning and blood draws every year to keep my thyroid levels normal.

So, years went by, and it has been a total in the past sort of thing, except for the obvious scar where the surgery was done, and the pill a day thing.

Well, for the last year, I have been hot and had many MANY of the symptoms of the original Grave's disease, but considered it was Menopause.... Yes that is going on too.

6 months ago,  I found out my thyroid was too high. So my meds were lowered.  Same thing has been going on, and I just had my blood work checked again, and again, my thyroid is too high.  So meds have been lowered to the lowest dose I have ever taken since this whole ordeal happened.

I have not noticed any change, as it will take a few weeks, but.... the doctor said something to me I have never heard.  He said, "Maybe your thyroid is trying to make a comeback!"

I googled it, and sure enough there are some cases where this has happened, and interestingly the ones I read about took place around 20 years after having the initial thyroid removed.

It would be AWESOME if it comes back AND behaves itself!  :)

So I'm wondering, does anybody have any experience with this?  If things don't settle down, the tests will have to take place, but until then, I'm hopeful that my body is actually healing itself.

More Truman Pics

Team Minich Runs the Rock

Come and visit our fund raising page to raise money for Texas Scottish Rite Hospital for Children!
We will be joining other families on a special day to run and raise money for our very special Hospital.

The New Collossus Part 3 Erika Style

Erika's recitation!

And now, they all get to watch an episode of Little House on the Prairie! :)

The New Collossus Part 2 Sarah Style

Here is Sarah's version of "The New Colossus"

Poetry Revisited

We are working on poetry, thus the Colossus poem..... But here is Anna's Original Poem.

Fall
Summer has gone.
Fall has begun.
The leaves are falling
The wind is calling
The grass is dead
We put quilts on our bed
The wood is chopped
Away, the rabbits have hopped
The birds have flown away
They will come back another day
The milk has gone from the cow
The farm is lonely now
It is time to stay in
Spring will come again.

The New Collossus Recited by Miss Anna

Way to go Anna!
You can read about this poem here:

Random Thoughts Revisited

This is a repost from 3 years ago. :)   This is Joe Becca and Sam (3 years ago)


I was looking at some pictures of our new little grandson Sam. Look at how he is engaging his mom at 3 weeks old! His mommy and daddy are his delight. He trusts them fully. He does not doubt that his mommy and daddy will take care of his every need. When he cries, they are there to comfort him. When he is hungry, they are there to feed him. When he is cold they keep him warm. He is cuddled and loved by them and he adores them.
And now Here we are 3 years later, and I see little Truman Shepherd being loved and adored from his mommy, daddy and big brother Sam, right from the  first minutes of his life.

Now, I think our our own dear little girlies. Left in beds. When they cried, nobody came, so they ceased crying. When they were hungry, nobody fed them, so they found other ways to satisfy their most basic needs. When they were cold, they shivered. When they wanted to talk to somebody, there was nobody, so they cooed to themselves, they comforted themselves, they rocked themselves.

To think, that every moment of every day for Sam's first 5 weeks of life now, he has been cared for; I couldn't imagine his needs not being met, even for 5 weeks. That would be terrible!
But, I know, our own dd's needs were not met for YEARS. How can we fathom Years of neglect?
We nearly can't. Our hearts would break.

What amazes me even more is that they are all blossoming into lovely young ladies, full of love and compassion for each other, for their own mommy and daddy, and for others outside of their immediate family.
I am amazed at their capacity to forgive, move on, grow and explore their new world. It IS a new world for them. To see little babies being cared for the way they never were, has got to bring a tinge of pain to them. After we see the babies, they ask if we can rock them. We do.
I cannot make up for their loss. I cannot change their loss. What I CAN do, is grieve for them, with them, and guide them to maturity. I cannot pretend that they were never neglected or that it hasn't effected them in some way. It has profound impact. My prayer is that they will use it as a tool of understanding that most will never know, and not an implement of destruction to continue the cycle of neglect. I have a sneaking suspicion, that they will use it as a tool for the positive.

Thanks for hearing my heart break for them.
Now I will turn around and smile at them, and continue to love them.
They always have a way of mending my heart.

Please Listen

This is precious to my heart for many reasons which cannot be written about here. 

Introducing Truman Shepherd Minich

Here is is, fresh outta the oven. :)
Becca looks GREAT!
7 lbs. 15 oz.  20 inches long.

Welcome Baby Truman!  Happy Happy Birthday

 He is amazing!

 Truman Meets the World

 Sam Meets Truman

Precious moments with Mommy Daddy and Truman

I can't wait to hold you, see your smile, see your joy and awe at the World God has made.
I pray that you make a huge impact in this world. That you glorify the Lord in all you say
and do, and that you serve him all of your days. You are fearfully and Wonderfully Made.
God Knit you together in your mother's womb.  Such things are too wonderful to imagine.
Love,
Ya-Ya

(Truman was my dad's middle name, and Shepherd is a family name from my Gramma)

When The New Baby Comes Home

Then what? :)

I remember clearly when each of our children came home.   But there was one instance I remember so very well, that took place over a period of several weeks.

When our youngest son Marcus was born, we had a 4 year old, a 2 year old and a one year old.
Marcus was a preemie too, so he had to stay at the hospital. 

Our son Joseph, who's new son was born today, was 17 months old when Marcus came home.
The thing is, when we brought the baby home, he looked at him with a shocked look. It wasn't one of admiration. It was one of betrayal!  He looked at us like we had gone to Walmart and picked out a new baby..... So, needless to say, Marcus had two brothers that loved him, and 1 that didn't care for him too much.  Of course that was to change relatively soon after Marcus got more interesting. LOL

Well, Joe's first weeks of having been usurped by baby brother Marcus were interesting.
He for some reason knew he couldn't HURT the baby.... that would have been way too bad.
But, nobody said he couldn't make his protest known.  So every morning... and I mean EVERY morning, he would peer into the crib when I had removed the baby for his bath. He would follow me to the bathing area, and then disappear. I would hear a loud boom, and then, know that Joseph had once again tipped the crib over. (It was a porta crib, we didn't have a full sized crib)

He was so young, it was hard to explain to him that he couldn't do it, even tough I tried to.
Every morning, same thing. Boom, crib toppled over.

I was at a loss.  I decided to catch him in the act, so I removed the baby, and then put him on my bed. Then I hid in the closet with my camera.  Mr. Joe came toddling into the room and peered into the crib. NO baby!  Ha!  He climbed up and rocked until the crib fell over.... but to his surprise, Mommy was in the closet.... I  said, "Joey! and took his picture!"  He had a shocked look on his face. I then picked him up and said, "no-no, don't knock the crib over." 

I don't know why that worked, but it did. He didn't do it again.  I guess he made peace with his baby brother. They really did become best friends. :)

I can't wait to see Sam's face. :)

Late Breaking News

New Grandson On the Way! YEA!