Yello Daisies

Back Again

2012-02-08T22:27:00.001-06:00

It's been some time since I've blogged, but I'm going to try to get back in to the swing of things. I'm going on a mission trip to Haiti in March and will want to post about my time there.

Today, Jack had to go to the doctor to see about some ear pain. Turns out he has an ear infection. We have antibiotics and ear drops for pain, so he should be feeling better by tomorrow. Because I'm such a softie, I decided to give him the day off from school. He used his unexpected break to build himself a clubhouse outside. He's definitely creative!

One Child at a Time

2011-06-17T21:10:00.005-05:00

Sometimes when I read about orphans or look at pictures of children living in abject poverty, I get overwhelmed with the magnitude of the need. Over 147 million orphans is a big need.

But, God is bigger.

I know that I will not be able to save them all or help them all. But, I can help one or two, or a hundred. I can do the tasks that God gives me and help others along the way.

I have been reading a blog called "A Place Called Simplicity". Linny is the author and she and her husband have ten children, some of whom were adopted. They have started a ministry called The International Voice of the Orphan. They partner with orphanages and ministries in Uganda and take mission trips to help out. I met Linny's daughter, Emma, in the Dallas airport last week. She was on her way to Africa.

Linny has been working for sometime to come up with a way to feed and clothe people in need. A website will launch soon that will do just that. The website will sell handcrafted items (think Etsy) and all of the proceeds will go for food and clothes for children in need. They are asking people to send things that they can sell through the website. I'm not very crafty, but I will be thinking hard about what I can do and what we can do as a family to help out.

What about you? Go here for more information. http://aplacecalledsimplicity.blogspot.com/2011/06/orphan-wares-artists-shoppers-both-with.html

A Special Day

2011-01-15T21:01:00.007-06:00

Although we celebrated Curt's birthday a few days ago, today is a special day, as well.

Today is the day we brought Curt home. I remember the little white outfit he was wearing and his fuzz of red hair. I remember how tiny he was and how fair his skin was. I remember driving into the driveway and seeing all of the grandparents waiting outside for us. I remember the ultimate love a young girl had for her baby when she placed him in my arms.

Today is the day I became a mom.

Change

2010-11-19T10:07:00.004-06:00

Change happens.

Sometimes good, sometimes bad. Sometimes planned, sometimes unexpected. Sometimes what you wanted, sometimes not.

Our household changed again a couple of months ago. It has taken me this long to want to write about it. I don't really want to write about it now, but I will because I know that it is important to be honest and real about the joy AND the heartache of foster care and adoption.

Things did not work out the way we hoped with John and he has moved on to another foster family. It was heartbreaking for me. I had such hopes and dreams for John and for the family that we could become. I thought these dreams were all gone.

But, I serve a big God and I know that He has plans and dreams for John, too. And He has so much more power and love than I do. He does not need me to accomplish those dreams for John.

He also has plans for us as a family. It may not be as a foster family. We may not adopt any more children. We may adopt several more. I have no idea. I do know that I am glad we were obedient to God's direction for us. Even though it was hard and painful, I will do it all again if He asks me to.

And Now There Are Four

2010-04-23T22:20:00.003-05:00

Boys, that is.

I am seriously out-numbered.

John is upstairs as I type, asleep in his bed. This is the second weekend he has spent with us and we can already see that he is getting more comfortable with us and relaxing a little bit. We took him shopping this evening for bedding for his room. It was fun letting him pick out the stuff that he liked and getting to know him a little better.

He is 16 years old and has been in foster care for six years. This is the sixth home he has been in and we plan on it being the last.

Tonight, he called me Mom.

Show Forth

2010-01-06T06:00:00.003-06:00

Today is the Epiphany, otherwise known as Twelfth Night, or Day of the Kings. It marks the end of the Christmas season and the traditional 12 days of Christmas. (You know, "On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...") Here in South Louisiana, it also marks the beginning of the Mardi Gras season.

Traditionally, Epiphany is celebrated as the time when the Magi, or Kings, arrived in Bethlehem to see the baby Jesus. One of the definitions I found was "a showing forth"~in this case a showing forth of Jesus to the Gentiles. When I read this, I was struck by the wording of "a showing forth of Jesus". It caused me to think: Do I show forth Jesus? If I do, how often do I show Him forth? Hourly? Daily? Monthly? I'm sorry to say that my musings left a lot to be desired.

This year we decided to leave our Christmas tree up until after Epiphany. And we will celebrate tonight with a King Cake. But, most importantly, we will talk about showing forth Jesus and how we can do that better as individuals and as a family.

The Eat from the Pantry Challenge

2010-01-04T21:48:00.005-06:00

I occasionally read a blog called Organizing Junkie. I would love to be more organized and am inspired by her website and others. She does Menu Plan Monday, which I am going to try this year. (I'm incorporating that into my resolutions/goal for the year.)

Anyway, she is currently involved in a challenge called Eat from the Pantry. It is just what it sounds like: the moms that came up with the challenge are going to try to feed their families with what they have at home for the entire month of January. They are going to buy fresh bread, produce, and dairy products and are going to try to spend only $75 on groceries for the whole month of January.

All I can say is, "Wow!". I can't even LOOK at a grocery store without spending $75!! But, I am going to take this challenge. We have some special occasions this month, so I know I will have to buy some special items, but for our everyday meals, I'm going to cook what I have before going to the store to buy something new.

I don't think I'm going to tell the family about this little experiment...I wonder if they will catch on!

A New Year

2010-01-01T22:29:00.003-06:00

"And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men. " Luke 2:52

That's not a very long verse, but it is one of my favorites. Because I like it so much, I thought I'd use it as my guide for my New Year's resolutions/goals.

Wisdom: There is so much wisdom I need to gain, I hardly know where to start. I need spiritual wisdom, wife wisdom, mom wisdom, friend wisdom, financial wisdom, and just regular wisdom! I would like to grow in those areas, and maybe learn something fun this year, too.

Stature: Hmmm, I definitely don't want to GROW in stature. In fact, I wouldn't mind SHRINKING a little! One of my goals for this area this year is to increase my exercise and work on better eating habits for all of us.

Favor with God: Oh, how I want this! I know that God looks on me with love and compassion, but I also want Him to be proud of me. I want Him to be proud of my obedience and my willingness to walk with Him and do the hard stuff.

Favor with men: I want my relationships to count for something in this life. I want to be able to put aside my selfishishness. I want to pour out what God is doing in me onto others.

I'm not sure how this will end, but I'm ready to begin!

My Three Sons

2009-10-08T16:52:00.009-05:00

Wow! It has been a long time since I have updated the blog!

We have completed two months of school, which is mind-blowing to me. Some days are better than others, but all-in-all we are enjoying our fifth year of homeschooling. (Jack is in the second grade and Curt is in the fifth. ) Jack has also begun his fourth year of piano lessons. He enjoys playing the piano and loves Mrs. Connie, his teacher. Curt is still taking guitar lessons and has also joined a swim team. I'll have pictures of that another day!

Dan is growing like a weed! At his last weigh-in, he weighed 17 lbs. 7 oz. and was 25 1/2 inches long...and he is only THREE months old! If he doesn't slow down, he will be bigger than me when he's five! He is such a happy baby and has brought so much joy to us. He also likes to cuddle, which makes those 4:00 am feedings much more bearable.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my boys.

By the sea, by the sea, by the beautiful sea...

2009-07-22T21:55:00.006-05:00

Sorry for the lapse in the PEI posts...we've had a couple of rough baby days here, but things are looking up!

Stephanie and I were thrilled to be staying at the Dalvay by the Sea hotel on PEI. Those who are familiar with the "Anne of Green Gables" movies or the "Road to Avonlea" tv series will know the hotel by the name of the "White Sands".
The hotel was beautiful. I was built in 1895 by the president of Standard Oil. He built it as a summer cottage for his family of six. He had so many friends that enjoyed visiting him during the summer that he added an extra wing for guests. That's where all of the guest rooms are now.
We had a small room on the second floor at the front of the hotel. We had beautiful views of the lake to the right and the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the left.

The food there was also spectacular. We had a full breakfast every morning, dinner one night, and even high tea one afternoon. Everything was so wonderful that I don't even know if I could pick a favorite. Too bad I was so busy eating I didn't take a picture of the dining room!

One of our favorite things to do at the hotel was sit outside. There were adirondack chairs scattered over the lawn in front of the hotel. We would just sit and watch the geese on the lake and talk about our day and plan the next day.

With all that the Dalvay has, there are several things that it doesn't have: air-conditioning, television, radio, and telephones in the rooms. You might think it would be difficult to be without those things, but it was wonderful to spend the day relaxing in the quiet peacefulness and then go to sleep with the ocean breezes whispering good night.

Oh, Canada

2009-07-20T16:12:00.014-05:00

Today, Steff and I returned from a trip to Prince Edward Island, Canada. (It was 2:00 a.m. when I got home, so please excuse any grammatical errors in this post!) We had a wonderful time and I'm sure I'll have multiple blog posts about it.

We left early Thursday morning (6:30) from the New Orleans airport to fly to Chicago. We had a nice, long layover so we took our time getting to our gate. We made a trip to the little girls' room, got a snack, some magazines and a diet Coke, then found a cozy plastic seat to wait for our flight to board. What we didn't do was check the departure screens a second time to make sure that the gate number had not changed.

It had.

I just happened to hear our names being called over the paging system a few gates over. We were the last two people to board and they were about to close the door. Whew! We made it on to the plane and were on our way to Montreal.

In Montreal, we had a layover of slightly under an hour. We had to go through Customs, but we thought we'd make it. That is, until we saw the line. You know how it is at Wal-Mart when you are in a hurry, there are a lot of people there, and there are only two check-out lanes open?

Yeah, there were three people working. Again, we were the LAST TWO people to board the plane. But we were finally on our way to PEI, so who cares?

Flying over the island was beautiful. We even saw our hotel from the air, which was pretty sweet. Anyway, we landed and went to claim our luggage in the teeny, tiny Charlottetown airport.

Only, our luggage wasn't there. I repeat: NO LUGGAGE! We were not the only ones that didn't have luggage, so we didn't feel too badly.

We got our rental car and loaded our carry-ons into the backseat. Did I mention our rental was a Volvo with a sunroof? It was niiice.

We headed to our hotel, the Dalvay by the Sea. (More on this tomorrow.) We checked in, then headed out to find some food and some supplies to get us through the night and next day until we got our luggage.

It was a shaky start to our trip, but things went uphill from there. We are working on a list of the top ten things we learned about travel to Canada and when it is done, I'll post it here.

A New Arrival

2009-07-14T21:33:00.010-05:00

One week ago, Daniel Paul arrived home.

He was born June 29, weighing in at 8 lbs. 12 oz. and measuring 22 inches long. He came home one week later on July 6. (We would have gotten him sooner if we wouldn't have had the STINKIN' FLU!) We named him Daniel after Todd's grandfather and Paul after my brother.

Instead of having a foster care worker, his case has gone straight to an adoption worker. If all goes well, his adoption will be finalized sometime in the next 6 months.

He is a sweet, precious boy and we are so blessed to have him with us.

Camp Life

2009-07-03T08:32:00.003-05:00

The flu isn't the only thing that can wear a guy out.

This picture was taken the last night of camp. Jack played hard the whole week and by Thursday night, he just couldn't take it anymore!

This blog...

2009-06-30T11:03:00.002-05:00

has been hijacked by the flu. It will return when there is no more fever, headache, coughing, sneezing, etc.

Will be back soon. (Hopefully)

ABC

2009-06-22T21:20:00.007-05:00

Acadian Baptist Center

Otherwise known as camp.

For many years growing up, I went to camp with Stephanie and Dawn and Angie at ABC. We always had such a great time and I have many fond memories of camp.

Most importantly, though, camp is where I first met Jesus. I knew about Him, but didn't know that I could know him personally until I went to camp. I was only seven years old, but I have very vivid memories of that night. I remember walking to the front to talk to a staffer, then telling the other girls in my dorm room about my decision. I also remember the counselor in my room hugging me and pulling me into her lap to talk about what it all meant. Although I didn't really understand it fully until years later, I consider that night to be the start of all things new in my life.

Today my boys left for camp at ABC. Curt has gone for four years, but this is Jack's first year. He was very excited about sleeping at the top of a "bunker bed". Curt loves everything about camp: the horseback riding, swimming and the worship services at night.

I am praying that they have a good time and make good memories. But, most importantly, I want them to know God and learn something new about Him this week.

The End...

2009-05-27T07:50:00.005-05:00

Of the Disney posts!! I thought that since we went a month ago, I should put an end to the Disney faves.

Today, I'm combining Todd's and mine. Since it was hard for me to get Todd to tell me his faves, I've decided to let the pictures do the talking.

And, this one says it all...

I Scream, You Scream...

2009-05-15T11:18:00.002-05:00

we all scream for ice cream!!

Here in the Pullin household, we have a tradition of having ice cream for breakfast on the first day of school and the last day of school. What better way to officially kick off the summer?

Gran's Turn

2009-05-13T23:48:00.005-05:00

Well, I have slacked off a bit with the Disney World faves, so I'll just pick up where I left off. Today it is Gran's turn. I'm excited about her favorites, because they are different from anyone else's.

One of Gran's faves was a show in Epcot called Turtle Talk with Crush. It is an interactive show involving Crush, the turtle from Finding Nemo. When you first walk into the theatre, you think you will be watching a movie. But then you find out that the actor voicing the part of Crush can see the audience. He usually picks a few people out of the crowd to talk to and that particular day he chose Todd and Curt. Dude, it was, like, totally awesome!

The other favorite thing of Gran's was the food. We had the Disney Dining Plan, so we ate at more table-service restaurants than we ever have before. Some of the highlights were the Yak and Yeti in Animal Kingdom, Marekesh in Epcot, and the Beirgarten in Epcot. The food was fantastic at all of them, but the Yak and Yeti was probably the best.

One of MY favorite things about Marekesh in Morocco was the belly dancer inviting all of the children to join her. Jack was one of the first ones on the dance floor!

Meme's Faves

2009-05-07T09:11:00.008-05:00

Today, we have Meme's favorites. Meme is my mom, for those who don't know. This was my mom's second time at Disney and she had a great time. When I asked her what her favorite things about the vacation were, she had a hard time narrowing it down, but this is what she came up with:

Toy Story Mania. This is a new ride at Disney's Hollywood Studio. It is a 3-d ride based on the Toy Story movies and you shoot at different things, like a carnival game. It was great but has a horrendously long line, so you have get a fast-pass if you hope to get on it that day!

Mickey's Philharmagic This is the 3-d movie at the Magic Kingdom. I think there is one at every park, but this is the best! It is based on the movie Fantasia and is lots of fun.

Kilimanjaro Safaris Meme loved the Safari. You get on a big off-road type of truck and go through the "African grassland" to see animals in their environment. If the truck stops long enough, you can get some great pictures of animals up close and much better than you could in a zoo. Mom loves giraffes, so I came home with a gazillion pictures of giraffes, hoping there was at least one good one.

But, according to her, THE BEST thing about this vacation was being with the boys and watching them have fun. Isn't that just like a Meme?

Curt's Favorites

2009-05-05T21:18:00.006-05:00

Today is Curt's turn.

One of Curt's favorite rides at Magic Kingdom, Space Mountain, was closed for renovation. He and Todd were pretty disappointed. (Just so you know, if any of you are planning a trip soon, it will be closed until Winter, 2009.) So, I guess this time his favorites were Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain.

Curt's favorites at Epcot are the Kim Possible missions and Mission Space. On this trip, they did the Mission Space ride without the spinning so Jack could ride along. He has done the more intense ride as well and loved it.

At Animal Kingdom his favorite ride was definitely expedition Everest. I think he and Todd rode it three times in one day. He even got a little stuffed Yeti as a souvenir.

At Hollywood Studios, his favorites were Tower of Terror and Rock-n-Roller Coaster. (Anyone see a theme emerging?) Curt does not have a cautious or scared bone in his body. He will ride anything anytime anywhere. It's a good thing Todd likes to ride or we would be in trouble, because I'm certainly not going to ride those rides!

I just realized that I don't have any pictures of these rides, cause I didn't ride them!

Jack's Favorite Things

2009-05-04T22:10:00.013-05:00

Well, we are back from DisneyWorld and settling back into a normal routine. I decided that I would do posts of everyone's favorite things at Disney. These are Jack's. He had two favorites at each park, so this may take awhile.

Jack's birthday was our first full day at Disney, so we let him pick which park we would visit. He chose the Magic Kingdom, which is my favorite, also. His favorites there are the Buzz Lightyear ride and It's a Small World. (He has been singing that song everyday since we got back.)

At Animal Kingdom, his favorites were the train ride to Rafiki's Planet Watch and the safari ride. He doesn't normally like Animal Kingdom (he says it smells bad), so I think it was good that he managed to find things he liked.

At Disney's Hollywood Studios, his favorites were Star Tours and the new ride, Toy Story Mania. Through the kindness of a stranger, we got fast passes for Toy Story Mania, so we were able to ride it twice.

At Epcot (or, as he says, Efcot), his favorites were Mission Space and the new Kim Possible game. I have to say, the Kim Possible game is really fun. It is an interactive game using a special cell phone that is programmed with clues for a mission to save the world. We all had a good time with it. And, we saved the world.

Epcot

2009-04-28T19:19:00.000-05:00

I am sitting at Epcot right now, waiting for Illuminations to begin.

We have hit all of the parks and done most of what we wanted to do. Curt's favorite ride so far has been the Rock n Roller Coaster. Jack's has been Buzz Lightyear.

I wish I could figure out how to post a picture from my phone, but I guess that will have to wait until I get home!

Finding Nemo

2009-04-25T10:18:00.000-05:00

We are sitting in the theatre now waiting for the Nemo show to begin. We are having a fantastic time! We have had lunch with Pooh and his friends andbreakfast with Mickey and his friends!
Oops! Here comes Nemo---gotta go.

Murphy's Law

2009-04-23T12:43:00.000-05:00

I wonder why, when we had to be at the airport at 4:30 AM, today was the day the dog chose to tangle with a skunk?!?

I can only hope he has aired out by the time we get home.

Country Road

2009-04-20T19:14:00.011-05:00

One evening last week, Jack and I went for a bike ride down our little road. Here are some of the things that we saw.

A red-wing blackbird,

a crawfish boat,

a setting sun,

and a little boy heading home.

Let the Countdown Begin!

2009-04-01T11:29:00.004-05:00

In 22 days, we leave for Disney World!

This will not be our first trip to Disney World, but it will be the first one that we take with Gran and Meme. We are so excited and can't wait to show them all of our favorite rides and things to see.

Faces to the Sun

2009-03-28T13:19:00.004-05:00

The children's sermon at church reminded me of these pictures that I took last summer.

Sunflowers open their faces to the sun every morning and then follow the sun all day, until it goes down at night.

Oh, how I want to be like that! I want to wake up open to Son. I want to follow Him all day long. And when I lay my head down at night, I want to go to sleep knowing that I did my best to be more like Him.

Letting Go

2009-03-13T22:13:00.008-05:00

One month ago today I let go of my babies.

I realize they were not really MY babies, but when they moved into our home, they moved into my heart. There is any empty space there now, but I am trusting my great big God to fill it up with Himself.

I do not know why they were only here for a short time. But I do know that I will pray for them and love them always.

The Games of the First Pullin Olympiad

2009-03-06T07:48:00.006-06:00

This week we learned about the early Olympic games as part of our history lessons. Naturally, we had to have our own games.

As a part of our games,we had sprints:

javelin throwing:

and, pole vaulting:

I think I see gold medals in their futures!

Off we go...

2009-03-04T20:58:00.005-06:00

into the wild blue yonder!

Today we went on a field trip. A traveling exhibit of WWII planes was in our area, so we went to see them. We had such a great time. We were able to get into the planes and climb around and see the bombs and the guns which, of course, is the best part! (Especially if you are a boy in the 6-10 year range). We also saw several military jets and helicopters land and take off again.

What a terrific way to spend a school day!

Saying Goodbye

2009-02-28T09:54:00.008-06:00

In honor of Terry Pullin...to the glory of God.

Yesterday, our family said goodbye to a husband, father, father-in-law, and grandad.

2 Corinthians says that, in Christ, we are new creations, both when we come to Christ for forgiveness of our sins, and when we finally see Him face to face. In keeping with that idea, they boys released monarch butterflies at the graveside.

We miss Grandad, but take great comfort that he is safe in the arms of Jesus.

January birthdays

2009-01-22T21:58:00.004-06:00

We have two family birthdays in January.

Curt's birthday is January 12th. He turned 10 years old this year. I am still having trouble believing that he is a "preteen" (that's what he calls himself). It just doesn't seem like 10 years could have gone by so quickly.

Gran's birthday is the 21st. (Gran is Todd's mom, for those who don't know) I won't tell how old she is, but I will say she doesn't consider herself a "preteen"!

Christmas Photo, Number 2

2009-01-05T21:45:00.004-06:00

Well, I am finally posting a picture of all of the kids.

From left to right: Curt holding Breannah, Jay, Jack, and Alana. I can't believe they were all sitting relatively still and smiling at the same time.

I am too sleepy to post any more right now. Maybe tomorrow.

It's Been a Week

2008-12-23T18:24:00.003-06:00

And what a difference a week makes!

I am sitting here watching Alaina and Jay play in the bathtub thinking of all of the ways my life has changed in the last seven days. It truly boggles the mind.

First of all, there hasn't been an infant in the house in 6 years. (Jack will be 7 in April). I had forgotten how things revolve around their schedules and feedings and naps. I had also forgotten how much stuff you have to tote around every time you leave the house!

Secondly, there are toddlers in a house that is no longer toddler-proof. We needed cabinet locks, baby gates, toilet locks, outlet covers and all kinds of medicine droppers. We also needed a high chair, sippy cups, cribs, bath toys, and lots of diapers and wipes.

Thirdly, I need eyes in the back of my head! These kids are quick. And they are in to EVERYTHING! Since these are foster kids, you can use your imagination to think of what their home life was like. Sooo, they are very curious about things that they have probably never seen before. I have to watch them every second.

There are more changes, but this is all I have time for. I feel fortunate that I was able to get this much done.

Quick update

2008-12-17T22:02:00.003-06:00

Very quick.

We have three new little ones living us right now. Alaina, Jaylen and Brianna arrived yesterday afternoon and will definitely be here through the new year. Alaina is the oldest and is 2 1/2. Needless to say, our house is CRAZY right now. I would love to post some pictures, but that will have to wait. When things settle down, I will post more.

We appreciate all of our friends and family who have helped out the last couple of days and brought stuff over for the little ones. Thanks a bunch, everyone!

Adoption Update, Number 4

2008-12-12T19:58:00.007-06:00

I think it's number 4. It might be number 5. I can't remember.

Anyway, our social worker came today for our last visit and to bring us our certificate. We are now officially licenced foster/adoptive parents.

Actually, we got put into the computer yesterday. And, we almost had two little girls yesterday. Our social worker called us around 8:30 yesterday morning and asked if we would be willing to take two sisters that were taken into custody the night before. They were 18 months old and 8 months old. We said yes.

Let me tell you, all heck broke loose over here.

Todd was already at work, so I called in reinforcements in the form of Meme (my mom) and Gran (Todd's mom). I needed to straighten up, pick up all of the very small toys that a baby and toddler can put in their mouths (and believe me, there were ALOT), find the crib, put it together, and countless other things.

AND THEY WERE GOING TO BE HERE AT 10:00 AM!!

Chaos reigned for about an hour and a half.

Then, the social worker called again and said they weren't coming. They had had an emergency hearing and the judge gave custody to the father.

What a letdown! After all of that running around and getting ready and trying to figure out what the next few days were going to be like, it was like someone popped my balloon. Curt was really disappointed as well. Jack didn't seem to be bothered at all, but he is pretty flexible.

But, in spite of the disappointment, we learned some valuable lessons. The first thing we learned is that this could happen pretty quickly. We have decided that it is probably a good idea to set up the crib and just leave it up in case we need it.

Something else we figured out was that we probably need to find some of the baby things and get them washed and ready for a spur of the moment placement. These little girls yesterday didn't even have shoes and socks!!

The most important thing we learned, however, was to be ready and willing to do whatever God would have us do. We don't have any idea what our family will look like in the weeks and months to come, but we do know that God has a plan for our family. And, that plan will ultimately be for good and for His glory if we follow his leading.

Stay tuned!!

Winter Wonderland

2008-12-11T08:01:00.008-06:00

This is what we woke up to this morning:

Todd and I were up at 5:45 this morning. He got up to run, but came back in to tell me that it was snowing. The weather forecast last night called for flurries, but no accumulation.

They were wrong!

I know that this does not look like much snow, but for here in South Louisiana, it is ALOT!

We did wake the boys up to let them play in it. I was afraid that it would all melt as soon as the sun came up, but it actually stuck around until noon. It was so unexpected and fun!

Christmas Photo

2008-12-10T06:00:00.000-06:00

This is the photo that is on our Christmas card.

If you live close to me, you won't be getting a Christmas card. I see you all of the time, you don't need a picture of me! :)

If I don't have your address, you won't get one either. But, hey, you're looking at it now!

Christmas on the Bayou

2008-12-09T08:57:00.004-06:00

This is what I have been doing for the last week and a half.

Our church's annual Christmas program is the first weekend in December. The week before we practice every night from 6:00-8:00. The children's choir also sings in the program, so the boys were at church every night with us. By the time we get home and get jammies on and boys into bed, I am too tired to post.

Last night was our last performance, so here I am.

This year's program was Christmas on the Bayou, the story of the Lonesome Coyote Hunting Club. Todd and I were both in the choir and Curt was in the choir and was a shepherd in the little nativity. Jack declined to participate.

If I can figure out how to post a video, I will post one of Todd's solo. I'm sure he'll love that!

5:00 am

2008-11-28T20:53:00.002-06:00

That's what time I got up this morning to hit the stores. I can't seem to get up in the mornings to exercise, but to go shopping?!? You betcha!

This is second year Todd and I did the whole Black Friday shopping madness. We had such a good time last year that we decided to go for it again. The boys spent the night at the grandparents' so it was just us.

We got to our first store around 6:00. We hit a few stores, then had some breakfast, then did some more shopping. We called it quits after lunch because the traffic was getting crazy.

We got some pretty good deals and are only missing one gift from our list. Now I can just sit back and enjoy the rest of the Christmas happenings!

(I was going to take pictures to post, but in my sleepiness, I forgot the camera!)

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T20:42:00.004-06:00

This year, this is what I am thankful for:

From left to right: (seated) Meme (my mom), Curt, Pa (my dad), Jack, Nanny, and Uncle Ron. (standing) Gran (Todd's mom), Grandad (Todd's dad), Todd and me.

I'm also thankful for my big brother, Greg, who couldn't be here today.

Editorial

2008-11-19T21:24:00.003-06:00

Christian music artist Steven Curtis Chapman has written an op-ed piece for his local newspaper, The Tennessean. As you may know, the Chapmans have adopted three daughters from China. They are also very involved in orphan ministry through Shoahannah's Hope. They partner with Focus on the Family and Family Life for the month of November to promote orphan awareness.

Here is the link to the article: Op Ed piece that was written by Steven.

Adoption info.

2008-11-16T14:20:00.004-06:00

I got this in an e-mail this week from Focus on the Family.

A half-million kids in our own backyard...
Friends,
From the beginning, God's plan was for children to remain safely in the homes of their families, experiencing His love through nurturing parents.
However, we live in a broken and hurting world.
Currently, more than 500,000 children are living in foster care in the United States. Of those, approximately 127,000 are "legal orphans" and are waiting for forever adoptive families. Where will these precious children grow up? Will they experience God's love, or will they receive little more than basic care, constrained to cope on their own when they reach 18?
For the third straight year, Focus on the Family®, FamilyLife®, Shaohannah's Hope, and others are joining voices to share the good news that God has a plan for the more than 127,000 l egal orphans in foster care and the 130 million orphans living in our world...and His plan is you.
Take a few minutes today and pray for these little ones that God loves so dearly. Pray also that you will be open to God's leading. Now visit CryOfTheOrphan.org--and click on Get Involved to receive a personalized list of resources and ways to help based on your interests. Become a part of God's plan for the orphan today.
Be sure to tune in to a week of very special radio broadcasts on Focus on the Family and FamilyLife the week of November 17-21.
Join the millions of believers whose lives have been transformed by caring for the least of these.
Sincerely,
Jim DalyPresident and CEO

If you have a chance to listen to any of these broadcasts, I know you'll enjoy them.

Today is...

2008-11-15T18:58:00.009-06:00

National Adoption Day! All over the country there have been special events marking this very special day.

There were no special events here at our house. We played, baked a cake, made homemade pizza, and had a friend come over. Just an ordinary day.

An ordinary day made possible because two young girls showed bravery beyond what I can comprehend and love that is amazing.

An ordinary day made possible because our hearts were open to God's leading and His will for our lives and for our family.

An ordinary day made possible through God's miracle called adoption.

An ordinary day spent with two extraordinary boys! Mama loves you, boys!

Happy Birthday...

2008-11-05T10:30:00.004-06:00

to me!

In the interest of full disclosure (and to make Stephanie happy), I admit that today is my birthday. There will be no pictures because I feel that the ones from Monday are sufficient!

A note to Autumn:
Happy Birthday, girl! It is such fun to share this special day with you. Thanks for all of the ways you bless my life. You are the closest thing I have to a little sister! Give Pepper a hug and kiss from Nanny!

Happy Birthday Steffie!

2008-11-02T21:24:00.015-06:00

Stephanie is my very best friend and today is her birthday.

We have been friends since the second grade. When we were little girls, we spent the night at each other's homes, went to camp together every summer and went to many a Christian skate night at the local skating rink. (New Orleans World's Fair, 1984. We look like little boys!)

In high school we cheered together, went midnight bowling, double-dated and on our senior trip together.

(Cheerleader Camp, 1986)

In college we roomed together for four years even though everyone said it would ruin our friendship. It didn't---it just made it stronger.

(With Leisl, 1990?)

As grown-ups (and I use the term loosely), we have stood by each other through weddings, graduations, births, adoptions, state-to-state moves, and other life events. (North Carolina, 2003)

Stephanie is the one I turn to when I need advice on everything from marriage, to jeans, to kids, and, of course, my hair. Everyone needs someone they know who will be extremely honest and Stephanie is that for me . She tells me when I need a new perspective on a situation and sets me straight when I am getting off track. She sends me cards in the mail for no reason and Bible verses that remind me that God is in control and that He loves me and has the best in mind for me.

I wish everyone had a friend like Steffie. I am so glad and grateful that God gave her to me! (And, after looking at these pictures, I hope she remembers how much I love her.)

I love you, my friend!!

National Adoption Month

2008-11-01T21:44:00.003-05:00

November is National Adoption Month. There are many ministries and organizations that will be having special programs and a special emphasis on ways to help throughout this month. I will try to post links to some of them as I become aware of them.

The one I heard about today is called The Cry of the Orphan. I have posted a link to this organization down below. It is a joint ministry of Focus on the Family, Family Life and Shoahannah's Hope. Check it out and see how you or your church can get involved.

Happy Halloween

2008-10-31T19:01:00.006-05:00

Here in our neck of the woods, high school football is a big deal. A very big deal. Because we are probably the only people NOT a football game right now, the city powers -that- be decided to move Trick or Treat to Thursday night.

So, last night I took the Clone Trooper (or, as Jack would say, the "tormstooper") and the Naval pilot to our church's Harvest Fest. Dad met us there after work and a good time was had by all. I am pretty sure the boys got more candy at church than they would have if we had gone door-to-door. (But, to be perfectly honest, I kind of missed it!)

Tonight, we are staying in and having our own Harvest Fest. We are going to roast some pumpkin seeds and we have rented some classic movies: Godzilla vs. SpaceGodzilla and Ghostbusters. We also had some Halloween themed food:

In case you can't tell, those are spider web pizzas and a snake shaped sandwich. I got these ideas from a magazine, but the boys thought I was pretty cool anyway! And really, isn't that the whole reason moms do these kinds of things?

HSM3

2008-10-28T19:23:00.003-05:00

I admit it.

I saw High School Musical 3 on opening day.

The first feature of the day.

Curt and I went as a "date". I would like to say that the whole reason I went was because he wanted to see it, but that would be fibbing. I really wanted to see it, too. We both enjoyed it. It was a good movie. It reminded me alot of "Grease" with all of the singing and dancing. Only this movie was clean and you could actually take a kid to it!

Also, (and I know I am dating myself, here) Zac Efron reminded me so much of Kevin Bacon during the "Footloose" years! Ah, fond memories of high school!

One down, one to go

2008-10-23T20:15:00.003-05:00

Visit, that is.

Our social worker came today to do the first interview with me and the boys. She will talk to Todd next time, when we can schedule a time for him to be here. The home study interview is basically a telling of your life. You start off giving the names of your extended family and tell about your life from elementary school up to now. I've done this twice now and this one was by far the fastest one. I guess it gets a little easier every time you tell it!

After she and I spent some time talking alone, the boys took her on a tour of the house. Jack did most of the tour-guiding, so of course they started in his room. She's just lucky he didn't show her his Hot Wheels one by one. She would still be here.

All in all, it went very smoothly. We have to have our fingerprints done and get a few more papers together, but we should be fully certified by Christmas.

What a terrific Christmas gift!

It's Been Awhile!

2008-10-19T18:45:00.004-05:00

It has been a really busy few weeks.

The highlight, of course, was our trip to Oregon. Oregon is absolutely beautiful and I highly reccommend going there if you can. For us, though, the best reason to go to Oregon is to spend time with the Derosier family. These friends of ours moved to Oregon two years ago and we miss them terribly. We had a terrific time with them. All of the kids got along great and the four grown-ups even got to enjoy a date-night! The entire trip was a very relaxing and renewing time. I'll have more posts and pictures later this week.

We also completed our last night adoption class. We still have a Saturday class to complete, but the bulk of it is done. We found out today that the first part of our home study will be Thursday morning. We are super-excited about it, but, Thursday---YIKES!

A home study, for the uninitiated, is when a social worker comes to the home and studies it.

Seriously, the social worker will come and look at our house and interview all of us. I'm not at all concerned about me or Todd, but what the boys will say is always up in the air. Also, she will look for things like where our fire extinguisher is and if we have smoke detectors in all of the bedrooms. This visit will be the first of four. We will also have background checks, be finger-printed, and will need to provide references and medical paperwork.

Adoption is a ton of work, my friends.

But worth every minute!

Adoption Class, Update

2008-09-26T10:16:00.003-05:00

Last night, we completed our fourth adoption certification class. We were supposed to be on class number six, but two were re-scheduled because of hurricanes. We will miss the next two classes due to travel plans (Oregon here we come!), but will have a chance to make up the class in November. The classes have seemed long at times, but will be worth it in the end.

We are excited about the prospect of expanding our family and are ready to get on with the work. In the next few weeks, we will be assigned to a home development worker. This worker will complete our home study and personal interviews. Once all of our paperwork is completed and we have finished the classes, we will be eligible for adoption and/or foster care.

We can't wait!!

Music and Soccer

2008-09-24T14:13:00.005-05:00

Whew! This has been a busy week!

Jack started piano lessons and violin lessons. This will be his third year in piano and his first in violin. He has really enjoyed the piano lessons (and Mrs. Connie) .

He was very excited about starting violin lessons. His greatest disappointment last week was not getting "the stick" with his violin. I think he thought he would just show up at the lesson and begin to play the violin!

Also this week, Curt had his first soccer game. Which they unfortunately lost 10-1. This is a good game for someone as hyper as Curt because they never stop running. This is his fifth year playing soccer and he has his favorite coach, Mr. Pierre.

The Little (Big) Things

2008-09-16T07:48:00.005-05:00

In the aftermath of two hurricanes, I have much to be grateful for...

I know exactly where my family is and I don't have to wonder if they are well.

When I look up, I see a ceiling, not blue sky.

The kindness of my neighbors .

The people of Chain Electric of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, who left their homes and families to restore electricity to our small community.

When I walk into a room and flip a switch, the lights actually COME ON!(see above)

Lord, I am thankful for the small hardships of Hurricane Gustav, because it has made me realise how much I take for granted and just how spoiled I am in my life. I have everything I need, but still want more. Teach me contentment and how to live a life of simplicity. May the people of South Texas and South Louisiana find comfort and hope in You. Amen.

Here we go again!

2008-09-12T18:17:00.003-05:00

As I type this, Hurricane Ike is making his presence known. Ike will come ashore somewhere near Galveston in the wee hours of the morning, but we are getting already feeling the effects here. In case you haven't heard, this storm is massive---it stretches out 275 miles from the center. Right now, the wind is gusty and we are getting some squalls of rain, but nothing major. According to our local weather guy, things will deteriorate overnight and the rain will last all weekend. As a result, we have laid in a supply of movies, snack food, new puzzles, and board games. We plan to spend the weekend holed up in the house hanging out together. All in all, not a bad way to spend a weekend. As long as we don't lose the electricity!

It's Official

2008-09-09T08:00:00.004-05:00

Hurricane Gustav really IS over (at least for us). We finished our "hurricane puzzle" last night. We started the puzzle last Monday, after the electricity went out. We quickly discovered that it is not easy to put together a 750 piece puzzle by candlelight. Jack was sure that we would never finish it because I am not a "puzzle pro", but we pressed on. If you are not a puzzle person, you won't understand that a puzzle HAS TO BE COMPLETED once it has been started. Todd got called to the hospital last night, so the boys and I settled down at the table and finished it:

(Sorry, I can't figure out how to turn it the right way!) Anyway, the puzzle was lots of fun and we were so proud of ourselves for finishing. Todd was very impressed when he got home. Every now and then I would walk past the table and bask in the glow of our completed puzzle! Aahh!

Then, I woke up this morning and found this:

I would like to know how a cat can take pieces right out of the middle of the puzzle and leave the rest of the puzzle intact! Lucky for that cat, I found all of the pieces and was able to put it back together. I'm not finished basking, yet!

Gustav, THE END

2008-09-07T21:42:00.003-05:00

The saga of Gustav has finally come to a close for us. We have electricity back, the branches have been picked up and hauled to the road, and all of the plants that were beaten up by the winds have been pruned back. (We decided to leave all of the patio and porch furniture in the shed until Ike makes a decision about which way he will turn. ) What a long week! We are so thankful, though, to have weathered the storm with very little damage and just a little bit of discomfort. It has reminded us to be thankful for the blessings that we have.

Gustav, Day 3

2008-09-03T20:13:00.005-05:00

A couple of things to do after a hurricane:

Clean out the fridge. I have to say, it is so much easier to thoroughly clean a fridge when it is empty. The bad side of that is that now I will have to restock the whole thing! But, I can't do that until the electricity comes back on and that may be a while.

Watch a video. With three battery operated fans blowing on you. All at the same time. All I can say is, at least they were quiet for a while.

Gustav, Day 2

2008-09-02T22:13:00.008-05:00

Before Gustav

After Gustav

We made it! Gustav is over and we are all still here. As hurricanes go, this was not as bad as it could have been. At least in my neck of the woods. It is still raining in some places, and there is some concern about flooding, but the bulk of the storm has moved on. We had winds between 90-100 mph, so we have lots of tree branches and "tree thrash" in the yard. We got lots of it picked up today, but it will probably take three or four more days to finish. I took some pictures during the storm, but it is hard to convey that kind of force in a photograph. (I took some video, but I'll have to learn how to put that on here!) We lost a few shingles from the roof, and took in some water in the house, but it was nothing like Hurricane Lily in 2002. We are still without electricity, so the boys and I are spending the night at my parents' home. They have air conditioning and the Internet!

We are so thankful that we were safe during the storm and escaped major damage. Most of all, I am thankful for the peace of God that flooded my heart and mind throughout the storm. I was truly never afraid. May it be so for you, whatever your storm.

Gustav, Day 1

2008-09-01T09:29:00.007-05:00

Well, the wind is picking up. We are just now getting the outer bands of wind and a small amount of rain, but the bulk of the storm won't reach us until some time this afternoon. I have electricity for now, so I thought I would post the picture I took this morning. You can see the that the wind is blowing the tall grass over, but it is hard to see the strength of it. I am going to take pictures for as long as I can, so maybe I can post over the next few days.

Gustav is on his way

2008-08-31T20:06:00.005-05:00

Well, it looks like we are in the direct path of Gustav. The storm should come ashore early tomorrow morning southeast of our house. We will begin to get tropical storm force winds tomorrow morning and the full force of the hurricane around 2:00 tomorrow afternoon. Hopefully, most of it will be done by nightfall. I hate not being able to see what's coming at me!

We have a house full of people here to ride out the storm. At last count, we had 13 adults, 3 children, 4 dogs, and 4 cats. We have enough food here to stock a small grocery store. It's your typical Cajun gathering---I even made gumbo for supper.

This is what the sky looks like right now. You can tell that something is not quite right, even with the storm this far out. I have taken some pictures of the house and yard so I can post some before and after pictures. I have the computer fully charged, but the little tower for the wireless internet will probably fly off of the house sometime tomorrow. Tomorrow should be interesting!

Ready and waiting

2008-08-30T19:20:00.004-05:00

Well, the Cone of Uncertainty is not as uncertain as it was two days ago. Apparently, Gustav is making tracks for my little corner of Louisiana. We are as ready as we can be at this point. All of the outside furniture and bikes and toys have been put in the shed. Todd even removed the blades of the outside ceiling fans. (During the last hurricane, they became missiles!)

Inside, I cleaned out the downstairs closet and set up pallets up for the boys to sleep on as it will be too dangerous to sleep upstairs during the height of the storm. I have also done mounds of laundry in anticipation of 5-7 days without electricity. I even managed to bake a batch of cookies and a batch of homemade graham crackers. I figure I should use up the butter and eggs while they are still good.

Gustav, GO AWAY!

Living in THE CONE

2008-08-29T08:38:00.004-05:00

The Cone of Uncertainty, that is. As you can see in the picture, all of the Louisiana coast in within that infamous cone. That makes for alot of uncertainty, indeed. This storm is still several days away and already stores are out of generators, water, batteries, flashlights and gasoline. Thankfully, I listened to the wise words of my husband and got our supplies early.

Since all of Louisiana seems to be in the path of Gustav, I am preparing for several days without electricity. I can only hope that the water and telephone services will go uninterrupted. At least that way I can take a cool shower and maybe call people to break up the boredom!

Getting ready for Gustav

2008-08-28T08:36:00.008-05:00

Anyone that has ever lived along the coast knows what it is like to prepare for a hurricane. In years past, I would make my "hurricane box" at the beginning of hurricane season (June 1st). This year I guess I was just lazy and didn't do it. But, now, with Gustav making his way toward the gulf, it was time to get it in gear. I went to Wal-Mart yesterday to get my supplies. It was a madhouse!!! As fast as the employees could get things out on the shelves, people were taking them off. There were pallets of water, batteries, flashlights, and tarps out in the middle of the aisles. The person stocking the bottled water told me that this was the last of it in the stockroom, then they would be completely out of water. A lady in line behind me told me that several of the Wal-mart stores in other little towns like ours were already out of water.

The fact that they have run out of water is no big surprise. What IS a surprise is that people are getting ready this early. This hurricane is not expected to make landfall in the US until Monday or Tuesday and where it will hit is still speculation. A few years ago, most folks would have waited until two or three days ahead of time to prepare. Hurricanes Katrina and Rita changed all of that. Now, we start to pay attention early on and have a plan in mind in case it heads our way.

As you can see in the picture, I have purchased all of the necessary hurricane supplies-batteries, flashlights, water, canned food, crackers, etc. (I have never bought so much junk food all at one time!) If Gustav turns and does not head our way, I will just pack up the supplies and will be ready for the next time. And, if we are spared this hurricane season, I will unpack the box on November 1 and stock my pantry with poptarts and cookies and spaghetti-os!

Drummer Boy

2008-08-26T20:09:00.004-05:00

Curt had his first drum lesson today. He now has his own drumsticks and a pad to practice on. He has been drumming non-stop since then. We don't have a drumset yet, but when we get one, we'll be getting some earplugs, too. (Doesn't he look intent?)

Adoption class

2008-08-23T21:34:00.004-05:00

We had our first adoption/foster care class Thursday night. The boys are excited about the prospect of having a little sister. Jack even told Meme that we would get two so that he and Curt could each have one! We will have to see about that.

While part of me thinks it is CRAZY to attend a class to learn about something we have already done twice, I understand the difference. Our boys were both adopted as newborns...one 5 days old, and the other 3 days old. The child that we adopt next will come to us because of abuse or neglect or some type of loss. That is alot for a little one to handle. It almost overwhelms me when I think of it, but I can't not do it just because it is hard.

The class will be over at the end of September and hopefully the certification will be completed soon after that. My heart starts to pound when I think that there is a sweet little girl waiting for me somewhere. I love her already.

Adoption

2008-08-17T21:49:00.000-05:00

Anyone who knows me knows that adoption is a subject near and dear to my heart. Adoption IS a big part of my heart. My "mama heart" beat for the very first time the day I held Curt in my arms and kissed his sweet face. That beat grew even stronger three years later when we brought Jack home. Six years later, I still think that beat could get even stronger. Thursday night Todd and I will begin classes with our local Dept. of Social Services. These classes will certify us as adoption and foster care parents. I don't know where God is leading with this, I only know that we must follow.

There are millions of children around the world that will go to sleep tonight with no mom or dad to tuck them in and pray over them. If you would like to know more about adoption, click on one of the links to right and check it out. But, be careful...your heart might be missing a few beats, too.

Back online!

2008-08-13T11:36:00.000-05:00

I am SO happy to be back online. The computer was giving us trouble, so we had that fixed, only to have our internet service go down. I didn't think I relied on the computer that much, but I realized that ten days is a long time with no world wide web.

But, we were busy in those ten days. August 4th was our official First Day of School. It is hard for me to believe that this will be our 5th year of homeschooling. I could say that the first week of school was a blissful week of learning and cooperation, but that would be a LIE! The first week is always bumpy, but hopefully we will hit our stride soon and there really will be learning and cooperation, not whining and complaining (and that was just me!).

Later that week, I had my wisdom teeth removed. Not a pleasant experience, but not as bad as I had anticipated, either. I have had lots of ice cream, so that is a plus. There are no pictures of my puffy cheeks, so that is a plus, also!!

And, of course, we have been watching alot of the Olympics. Curt is a big sports fanatic, so he is interested in every event. I usually only like to watch the gymnastics, but this year we have seen water polo, volleyball, swimming, gymnastics, diving, fencing, and basketball. Jack is not very interested in the sports but is loving the fact that the Olympics are in China. He cheers evenly for the Chinese and the Americans!

Cats and dogs

2008-08-01T07:57:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when it rains ALL DAY LONG and two little boys have to stay inside ALL DAY LONG!!

Our version of a Jack-in-the-box!

Curt's box: St. Landry Parish Sheriff's TANK

The general destruction of the playroom:

And, after all of that, they decided to put on rubber boots, pack some snacks and go exploring. I am not sure the purpose of the rubber boots. As you can see in the picture, the boots disappeared in the water.
I am so thankful for the imagination that God gave my boys and the fact that they are such good friends. Also, a hearty THANK YOU to Mr. Paul, the A/C man who gave us the boxes.

Weekend project

2008-07-31T08:08:00.001-05:00

Last weekend, I decided it was time to rip the carpet out of this closet. It was old and stained and it smelled. The plan was to pull the carpet up and replace it with cheap, easy-to-clean linoleum. I even found the peel and stick squares designed to make my life easier. Those plans changed when I pulled up the carpet and pad and found this:

Not the kid, the hardwood floor. (The kid was my helper for this project and he did some good work. ) We suspected there was hardwood under the carpet, but weren't sure about that or what condition it would be in if we did find it. Turns out, it's not too bad. There are paint splotches all over it, but other than that it looks pretty good. I'm not worried about the paint because, hey, it's a closet!

We scraped some of the paint off of the floor, swept and vacuummed, then mopped twice. Then we put everything back in and now it looks like a closet again. Only cleaner and not SO smelly. (There are boy shoes in here, after all!)

While I was working on the closet, I started thinking about the old stuff in my heart that needs to be ripped out. I know there are some things that are old and smelly and stained that need to come out. And when I let God come in to my closets and take out the old and ugly, He will find something better underneath. It may need to be cleaned up a little, but when He is done, it will be something unexpected and beautiful.

He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men: yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

Reality check

2008-07-24T21:17:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, my nine year old son asked me a question: "Mom, why do you have those big bags under your eyes?"

For obvious reasons there will be no picture with this post.

Cajun Camp 08

2008-07-21T10:43:00.000-05:00

Well, I am back from Cajun Camp. We had so much fun! We ate and laughed and talked and ate and hugged and ate and even cried a little.

We walked all over New Orleans and did all of the things that good tourists are supposed to do. We saw Jackson Square, St. Louis Cathedral, French Market, the Mississippi River, and even Bourbon Street. We rode the streetcar down St. Charles St. and walked over to Magazine St. to do a little shopping.

Did I mention that we ate? Oh man, did we have some good food!! We had brunch at The Court of Two Sisters, beignets at Cafe' du Monde and dinner at Brennan's. We had pralines and pecan pie and cafe' au lait. Melissa even tried turtle soup and ate her first boiled crawfish.

We talked ALOT. About our kids (9 of them between the three of us!), our husbands, our selves, our walk with the Lord, and anything and everything else. We had not been together for 3 years, and there was so much to catch up on. It is wonderful to be able to get together and have the years just melt away.

We were so sorry to see it end. Plans are already underway for the next Cajun Camp. Patty and Melissa: Thanks for being my buds and being the friends and moms and wives that God has called you to be. Thanks for standing strong in your faith and in what you believe in and for holding me to the same standard. I love you both.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17

Today's the day!

2008-07-17T09:51:00.000-05:00

Cajun Camp here we come! I leave today (in just a little while, in fact) for three fabulous days with my fellow Daisies! We don't have any real big plans, just being with each other is good enough.

Today is also significant for another reason. One year ago today, I had a hysterectomy. It was a very hard decision for me to have the surgery, but I am glad I did. Aside from the physical benefits, I have learned much about myself and my God. I have learned that He is sufficient in all things and that His plan is much bigger and larger than my own. I have learned to let go of things that I cannot change. I have learned to be more thankful for the blessings in my life. I have learned to trust God more and to embrace the quiet and listen for His voice. He has been my comfort and sustainer. I also would not have made it this year without Todd. Words cannot express how much his support and care of me have meant. He is all I could have wanted in this life and I am grateful beyond measure for what God has done for me.

I am a different person than I was a year ago, and I am so thankful.

Good friends

2008-07-16T21:50:00.000-05:00

Today was such a good day that I feel like it should be Gratiwednesday! Our very good friends, the DeRosiers are visiting from Oregon. We had so much fun spending time with them! When they moved to Oregon two years ago, we had a hard time saying goodbye. Our kids miss each other terribly and we miss spending grown-up time with Mike and Shannon. Today was a good time of playing and laughing and catching up with the details of each other's lives. It was such a sweet time that it was hard to say goodbye again.

Gratitude

2008-07-15T11:04:00.000-05:00

I found this at Heavenly Homemakers and loved the idea. I have so many things to be thankful for!

The upstairs air conditioning is getting fixed today!!! Hurray! Actually, it is not getting fixed, it is getting replaced. You might not think having to replace an entire a/c unit would be cause for celebration, but there have been some nuggets of thankfulness to be found: 1.) It could have been worse---it could have been downstairs and I would have to COOK in this heat. 2.) The boys have had alot of fun sleeping in their tents (which have gotten larger and more elaborate as the days wore on).

I am also thankful that in three days Cajun Camp 08 will commence! I haven't seen Patty and Melissa in 3 years and now it will only be three more DAYS! And, I'm thankful for my husband who is encouraging me to go and doing whatever he can, to make sure I have a good time.

Yes, indeedy, much to be thankful for!!

Introducing...

2008-07-13T22:06:00.001-05:00

MYSTERY MAN!!! Or, CAPTAIN FLUTE, depending on who he wants to be at the time. Jack has more imagination than any other kid I have ever met. He can play just as well by himself as he can with a group of kids. It's hard to see in this picture, but the orange spot on his shirt is a hand-made logo with a question mark in the middle. He is holding his weapons that he drew on paper. One is a lightsaber (this is Todd's child) and the other is a flute that has explosive capabilities (I don't really know where he got that). He is so funny and so originial! I love that about him. His special verse is Zephaniah 3:17 which says, in part, that God takes great delight in us. It is hard to imagine not delighting in Jack!

The weapons!

Back from camp (again)

2008-07-10T19:59:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when you spend 4 days at an all-boys camp. You come back EXHAUSTED! Curt had a great time at this camp. It was all about boy stuff---archery, shooting, basketball, football, swimming, and a ropes course. There was also worship time, Bible study, and patriotism. Of course, we are having our usual "re-entry" issues: after spending so many days with boys, we have to go over the noises, jokes, and words that are not appropriate, especially in front of Mom. Many, many thanks to David and Lenny for bring our boys to camp and helping them grow up a little bit more.

Tent City

2008-07-05T21:22:00.000-05:00

This is what happens when the upstairs air conditioner breaks down. It is tough to sleep in south Louisiana without a/c, especially upstairs. It is currently 84 degrees up there (it is 9:24 pm), so the boys are camping out downstairs. One is in the living room and the other one is in the "playroom". I have strategically placed the blankets so that they cannot see each other. Hopefully, sleep will arrive soon!

when you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet.

Proverbs 3:24

God bless America

2008-07-04T20:52:00.000-05:00

New addition

2008-07-02T20:34:00.000-05:00

This is Daisy. She arrived Monday evening. People who know me will not be surprised that I picked Daisy up on the side of the road. They will, however, be surprised when I say that I have NEVER done that before Daisy. I passed her up on my way home Monday evening as she was walking along the highway. I had gone about a half mile before I turned around and went back for her. She was so skittish that she wouldn't come to me. I left her there and went home to the two dogs that we already have. As I unloaded the dishwasher, I could not stop thinking about her. So, I put some dog food in a ziptop bag and went back out on the highway. The lure of the food was too strong for her to resist. When she got close enough to me, I scooped her up, put her in the van and drove home. My plan was to find her a home other than my own. That plan just didn't happen---I decided to keep her. (Joni and Susan, you are off the hook for this one!) I think she will turn out to be a great lap dog (she's smaller than the cat) and has helped to even out the boy to girl ratio. AND, she fits the black and white color scheme. I'll have to explain that in future posts!

Pretzels

2008-06-27T21:08:00.000-05:00

Today Curt came home from camp and wanted to do something fun. Sooo, we tried a new recipe and made pretzels. Of course, by the time we waited for the dough to rise and it was time to shape the pretzels, he was no longer interested. One batch of dough made 3 DOZEN pretzels. But, it was alot of fun.

By the way, I got this recipe from Lara at http://www.heavenlyhomemakers.com/.

Girls' Getaway!

2008-06-26T18:34:00.000-05:00

I am so excited!!! My tattoo girlfriends, Patty and Melissa, are going to be able to meet me for a weekend getaway in New Orleans. We met when we were all living in Augusta, GA. Our friendship was cemented through several years of Bible study together. Melissa and I have since moved away from Augusta, but the friendship remains strong. We have not seen each other since the last Cajun Camp in 2005, so we are tickled that this seems to be working out. It is a miracle that we all are able to get away from home on the same weekend. Melissa has three little ones and Patty has four, so to be able to scoot out for some fun is a BIG DEAL!! There is nothing better than being able to spend the weekend with friends who know you and love you despite all of your flaws.

A friend loves at all times...Proverbs 17:17

Camp and Cookies

2008-06-23T19:55:00.001-05:00

Today Curt left for camp. He is 9 years old and this is his third summer to spend a week at camp. (Fortunately, he goes to camp about 10 miles from the house, so if there is a problem, we can be there in a flash.) He looks forward to this week all summer and it is the highlight of his summer. I think he was more excited about camp than he was about California! There was a group of 55 children and adults from our church going this week. The camp, Acadia Baptist Center, is the same camp that I went to when I was a girl. I have many fond memories of Bible study, the pool and the canteen and canoeing on the pond. And, of course, my friends, Dawn and Stephanie, and our counselor, Angie.

While Curt is at camp, it is a good opportunity for Jack to have some one on one time with mom and dad. Jack is 6 and won't be old enough for camp until next summer. He has been making a "yist" of things to do while big brother is gone. The first on the agenda was to make some cookies. He had a great time measuring the ingredients, starting the mixer, and scooping the dough. The best part of the baking, though, was eating a nice big chocolate chip cookie still warm from the oven!

Saturday

2008-06-21T20:34:00.000-05:00

We don't have many days that we spend just hanging out together, so today was great! Todd went to the gym early this morning and when he got back home, Curt and I went for a bike ride together. ( Jack declined to do any exercise.) After our VERY HOT bike ride, we cooled off in the pool together. Then, we went inside to bake a cake for Meme and Pa to celebrate their birthdays. After lunch, we all went to see Kung Fu Panda in Lafayette. What a fun movie!! Jack especially liked it because it was set in China. It was so nice to just be together, enjoying each other and the time that we have together. I love all three of my boys, and spending the day with them is as good as it gets.

Friends

2008-06-18T10:15:00.000-05:00

Last night, three of my friends came over and we started a new Bible study together. We are using a book by Kelly Minter called No Other Gods. The study is about how we let other, less important things, crowd out the place that God is supposed to have. It seems like it will be a good study. I hope to learn alot.

The girls and I have been studying together for almost two years and I HAVE learned alot. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is the importance of friendship and how God brings us together before we know we will need each other. In the last two years we have gone through the diagnosis of two chronic illnesses, two pregnancies, two new jobs, a college graduation, three new houses, struggles with children (and spouses) and the ups and downs of every day life. We have prayed for each other, loved each other, supported each other, held each other accountable, helped each other and spurred one another on to better things. Only God could have known the value of having true friends through these challenging seasons of life. I thank Him daily for "the girls" and am blessed beyond measure for having them in my life.

By the way, this picture is from Christmas. Autumn, me, Arien, Mio, and Joni. We miss you, Mio!

I am so bad at this!

2008-06-12T21:27:00.000-05:00

I am so terrible about this blogging thing! It is a good thing the other bloggers I keep up with are better than me. I never really set out to write everyday or even every week, but more than once a month would probably be good!

We just got back from a terrific vacation in California. We spent a few days in Yosemite National Park, then drove down to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks. We had so much fun. To prove what a good sport I am, I stayed in a "canvas-sided cabin" (aka tent) with no bathroom, while we were in Yosemite. There were shower houses and bathrooms down a little trail from us. Thankfully, we only had one episode of having to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. (Fortunately for me, we have boys, so Todd had to get up and go with Jack.) If you have never been to Yosemite, try to go. It is one of the most awe-inspiring places I have ever been to. I really don't know how anyone could look at that and not believe in a creator.

The highlight of the trip down to Sequoia and Kings Canyon is, of course, the big trees. The size of these trees is truly amazing. Curt and I were able to go on a horseback ride through one of the groves of trees and that was really special for us. Both of the boys earned Junior Ranger badges in the parks and came home excited about recycling, hiking, and all things outdoors. Oh, and the cabin in Kings Canyon had walls and a bathroom!

We had such a good time. This was our first big outdoor vacation with the boys and they took to it like a duck takes to water. Our family goal now is to visit as many National Parks as possible. We have a National Parks passport and plan to get it stamped wherever we go!

I took lots of pictures on this trip, so I will try to post some of them. If you are looking at pictures, then you will know that I figured it out!!

Faith Markers

2008-05-03T21:50:00.000-05:00

Today we went to an Herb Festival at a small town near our home. We had a wonderful day and, of course, brought back lots of plants for hubby to plant. The weather did not start out well this morning, but by the time we left the sun was out and it was glorious. The festival has a separate area for children, so the boys had a terrific time while we were able to shop in peace. After the festival, we went back home and played outside and just revelled in the unexpectedly nice weather.
Some days are like that: they don't start out well, but somehow end up well. It serves as a great reminder of what God can do with my day and my life. He can take what is bad and some how redeem it as something good. It is what He did with Joseph's life. In Genesis, Joseph tells his brothers that what they intended for harm, God intended for good. There are things in my life that I did not see as good while I was going through them, but now that I have the advantage of hindsight, I can see the good that was intended for me and for my family. All of these things serve as "faith markers" for me. And, it helps me look ahead with hope, knowing that the God who was faithful in the past will be faithful in the future.

Gratitude

2008-04-29T21:23:00.001-05:00

Oh, man, yesterday was a DAY! Ever had one of those days where you just seem to struggle to stay afloat? That was yesterday. School was a disaster, my oldest son and I seemed to butt heads every time we spoke to one another, and my youngest was set on challenging me on every decision I made. And, yet, when I went to bed last night, I found that I still had several things to write on my gratitude list. Having an attitude of gratitude is not always easy, but it definitely put things into perspective.

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18

Consistency

2008-04-26T21:46:00.000-05:00

OK I knew this would happen. I started a blog, then didn't write for over a week. It happens with my journal, too. This has been a busy, busy week, but then most weeks are. This week was filled with school, baseball games, church, piano lessons and a most important event, my little one's sixth birthday. (I can't believe my little doodlebug is six years old!)

Today we went bowling with the children's department from our church There is nothing like watching a six year old bowl to make you smile. Every time he rolled/threw the ball, he jumped up and down in excitement, even if he didn't knock any pins down. My older son is very competitive and takes all sports seriously. He did well and was just happy he didn't finish last. I did pretty well, but was pretty erratic with my scoring. I made a couple of strikes, but there were also times when I didn't hit a single pin.

Hebrews 13:8 says, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Whether in blogging, bowling, and life in general, it is good to know that God is consistent when I am not. Consistency...what a beautiful thing!

My new blog

2008-04-17T23:22:00.000-05:00

I decided to get on the blog band wagon! I don't know what I will post, but thought it might be fun. Anyone who knows me, knows that the yellow daisies represent my tattoo. I got this tattoo at the ripe old age of 35 with two of my best friends. It will be a forever bond with my "girls" and a reminder to be who God wants me to be. I am just an ordinary woman with an ordinary life, but I know that God can use my ordinary for His glory if I let Him. So, I will try to get out of His way and see what happens!