Recipe For Fun !

First you gather all the blankets in the house. Then you put several fluffy, soft comforters down as a palate along with pillows . Next, you get three kitchen chairs and line them up.




Then, You get one great, super crafty dad to put the largest blanket on top of the chairs and tuck it into the bottom of the bed frame.




Add favorite stuffed animals for extra fun.





Mix in a couple of very excited boys to help tuck in the blankets.



Voila !! An old fashioned "tent" built at the end of our bed !
Yields : Two very happy boys !

Check this out !

I love the T-Shirts at WildOlive ! I also love that they give a percentage of their earnings to Love Without Boundaries - a charity that helps support special needs orphans in China. So go on - check it out - and "Get your verse on !"

We Finally have Our Biometrics Appointment

We received an e mail late last week that an appointment has been made for us to get our biometrics done. So, we will all load up and head to Atlanta to get our fingerprints done next week. I still have not received anything in the mail yet informing me of our appointment, but hopefully it will get here soon. Yeah !! We are making progress !! Maybe we will be DTC by late July/August ????
I am so antsy for the new shared list to come out. Even though we will still not be eligible, it is such an exciting time. Well, off to take the kids to the pool, and then Walker has his last baseball game of the summer tonight. Their team is ranked number one and will play in the championship games on Saturday ( all day !!). Then, Will starts T-Ball on Monday. Lord have mercy ! I live at the ball park now !

Coincidence or Divine appointment ?

Yesterday, Walker and I drove to Atlanta for Walker's monthly vision therapy. As I walked in the room I saw the cutest little girl. She was adopted from China in 2003. I talked to her mom some and was encouraged. Later, as I sat in the waiting room, I overheard a young girl reading about Egypt to her mom. Hmmm...it sounded all too familiar. "Do you home-school" ? I asked. Oh yes, she home-schools all 5 of her beautiful children. And not only that, she is an adoption Lawyer and has adopted two children from Russia ! She encouraged me with the sweetest, timely words. And then, Yes, another family that lives close to me was there. They also have adopted from Russia and Kazakhstan AND they home-school AND they are adopting again through the foster program. What ??? It was like a had a little support group meeting at the eye doctor and didn't even know I was going to it.

Please pray

We sent off our I800A form on March 25th 2009. As most China adoption parents know, we should be done with it and our Dossier on it's way to China by now. We are still waiting on our fingerprint appointment and am not sure what the hold up is. Even though I AM at peace with the waiting, we are really wanting to be DTC (Dossier to China) so that we can be eligible for the shared list. I am growing weary of "climbing the mountain", but we know it will all be worth it !!!!

So, please pray with us that some favor will be shown to our paperwork and it will be processed very soon.

Blessings in the Wait

We have been waiting 9 months and 3 days ( but who's counting ?). I can honestly say that there have been many, many blessings from waiting. We have really been able to research different special needs that in the beginning were way too scary. We have talked and asked questions to families who have adopted children with special needs. I have gleamed so much info from special needs Yahoo groups and blogs. We have prayed and prayed for our little one. Our boys have really developed a LOVE for their sister and they pray for her each night. I believe this waiting time has been so good in preparing our hearts, home, family and friends for adoption. Although we don't know specifically what special needs she will have, we are preparing for her medical and emotional needs. So, today, I am especially thankful for the wait.... and am at peace.

Our Home

When I'm not stalking, er..I mean visiting, adoption Blogs, I love to visit This Blog. I like how it focuses on decorating * cheap *. I am inspired. So, here are some of my favorite things around the house, which were very cheap - I love that ! Disclaimer: I did not clean up before I took these pictures. This is our life - legos everywhere, the boys make up their own beds, and a little dust is perfectly fine.




I found this funky, bright orange table on vacation several years ago. I knew Walker would love it ! His favorite color is orange. Have you ever tried to find orange things for your house ? So, I picked this table up for $15 and hauled it home.




We love books around here ( especially the beautiful Caldecott books). I found this great little bookcase at our local antique shop downtown. It was sitting outside just waiting on me to buy it. The book shelf is right by their bedrooms so it makes it fun and easy for the boys to pick out their books at night.




My husband and his brother slept in these twin beds (also bunk beds) when they were little. They started off a very 70's wood color. I had them painted and
distressed to look a little Pottery Barn-ish. The boys especially love these beds because their dad slept in them when he was little. Somehow, this helps them at night if they are having a hard time sleeping.



I love our fireplace. The mantle came out of an old barn (all we did is rub it with BREWAX), the barn stars are from Hobby Lobby, the candles from Target and Chuck killed the pheasant in South Dakota.

Home Made Bread

I really do make home-made bread with fresh milled whole wheat. Yummy !!!
(As if this Blog could not be any more random !)

I Believe !

I believe in The Sovereignty of God...
I believe there is a reason we have been paper-chasing so long ....
I believe our daughter is in China .....
I believe we will expand our family through adoption....
I believe God's hand is over every little detail of our life and I don't believe in LUCK...
I believe in prayer.....
I believe that right now we are in the center of God's will .....

Just thought I would write down my thoughts ( for me to read ). This post is for me, me, me or..maybe it's also for you, if you are waiting.

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under heaven Ecc 3:1

Mother's Day Weekend

Last weekend the boys went to Eutaw, AL for a couple of days of fishing,
4- wheeling, go-carting and tubing ! Lots and lots of testosterone !!



They had a great weekend and got back just in time to see me dance
in The Creation Story.



This picture was taken on dress rehearsal day. I have no pictures of me on the day of the ballet. I was so nervous, I forgot to take my camera. So, just imagine.....
I was the earth, an artist painted my face very tribal looking and my costume was very earthy ( brown and green). I had to pull my hair back tight around my face and hot roll my hair ( like I did in 1985 !). The ballet was incredible and somehow I managed to remember my dance and dance in the finale. The Creation Story was all about God creating the sky, water, earth, flowers, animals and Adam and Eve. It was an amazing production that told of God's Love through his creation

Happy Mother's Day !

I am blessed and honored....



To be called "momma".....




It is a High calling....



A dream come true....



and I am thankful and overjoyed to be called "momma" by my two boys.

Shared Referrals

The CCAA posted a new group of shared referrals today! We are not eligible for most of the shared list yet, but it is so exciting to know that many special needs children will finally get a forever family. We are praying for the families that are anxiously awaiting a referral.