A Ray of Hope

You know how often God sends the same message that you need to hear over and over and over?  Lately it has been that way for me, and the message is this, God doesn't need your help.  God doesn't need our family to rescue a child from foster care.  He can help those kids any way he wants to.  I have come to realize that the right attitude is this-  "God, I would love to be used by you to give an orphan a home.  If there is a child out there that we would be able to help, please use us.  If you desire to help these children in another way, may your will be done."  It's really a motivation shift.  Is my motivation to make me look good or just to be willing to let God use me?  It's totally different. 

So, that brings me to the ray of hope.  On Friday we had a conference call with several social workers about a little 11 year old girl!  We don't know yet what the outcome will be, but God does!  The call was very positive and we will hopefully know more in a few weeks.  We would love your prayers for peace (these things tend to stress me out), patience with the system (see my post earlier this week), and most of all for this little girl, that God's will would be done in her life, and that her heart would be open to whatever family God has for her.  Thank you!!

Do You Fondue?

To celebrate LA's birthday this week we had fondue for supper.  Do you ever do fondue as a family?  It's lots of fun and we all enjoy it.  There are always lots of fondue pots at garage sales I've noticed, so it would be easy to start your own family fun!  We have to use 2 fondue pots for our family.  I'm not sure if we are doing it the proper way, but this is how we learned in college--

Warm up a pot of chicken broth on the stove before you start, so it's good and hot.  Place broth in fondue pot and light fire underneath.

We put out bowls of carrots, broccoli, mushrooms (my favorite), and cut up steak or little meatballs.  Then everyone can cook whatever sounds good to them.  Any other vegetables would work too.  We have found it's nice to have 2 forks per person so you don't have to wait so long between bites.

I always make a cheese sauce and a garlic sauce to dip the cooked vegetables and meat in.  Here is the garlic sauce recipe:

Garlic Sauce for Fondue

3/4 c. mayonnaise
1/8 c. oil
1 t. mustard
1 t. catsup
dash parsley
garlic powder to taste

Stir and enjoy!

FRUSTRATION

 

I am feeling so frustrated with the state and how they handle

the adoption process!  Ugh.  How can it possibly take a week

to respond to a simple question?  How can it take 9 months

just to get approved to be able to adopt?  How come when I

make inquiries about the kids available for adoption on

Adopt US Kids, 2/3 of them don't respond?

 

It seems so upside down!!  The kids need homes-

there's no doubt about it- but when you try and

give them one, you are faced with one huge headache

after another- and that's before you even bring them home!

IT SHOULDN"T BE THIS HARD TO HELP A CHILD.

 

I just keep repeating this verse over and over in my head.

God knows, God knows, God knows.

He will fulfill his purpose for us and our next child!

God's Way = Blessings

God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform;

he plants his footsteps in the sea, and rides upon the storm.

 

 

Deep in unfathomable mines of never failing skill,

he treasures up his bright designs and works his sovereign will.

 

 

You fearful saints, fresh courage take; the clouds you so much dread

are big with mercy and shall break in blessings on your head.

 

 

His purposes will ripen fast, unfolding every hour;

the bud may have a bitter taste, but sweet will be the flower.

 

 

Blind unbelief is sure to err and scan his work in vain:

God is his own interpreter, and he will make it plain.

~William Cowper~

 

Have you heard of William Cowper before?  I hadn't.

He lived in the 1700s and never married.  He went

insane twice and tried to commit suicide,

but John Newton, who wrote Amazing Grace,

helped him to find his comfort in the Lord.

 

 

I read the words to this song in a book yesterday

and they were encouraging to me, hopefully they

are to you as well.  Trusting in God's ways is always best!

 

(All the photos are from our vacation to Lake of the Ozarks)

 

 

 

 



Tea in the Garden

 

Welcome to my garden for a little tea and cherries!

Looks like there's a tomato or two to pick.

 

Did you notice my new blue transferware tea pot?

I was so excited to get it for only $8.50 on Ebay-

with free shipping it was a great deal!  I actually felt

a little sorry for the person who sold it to me.

 

The teapot is made by Booths and is called "English Scenery".

Of course I like the country scene it depicts on the front as well as the lid.

The plate and tea cup are both called "Liberty Blue" and depict

the Old North Church, Monticello and Paul Revere, from Colonial times.

 

Transferware is such fun to collect.  It's my weakness...

 

How is your garden growing?

We are enjoying tomatoes, lots of onions, peppers,

and just starting on the sweet corn!  Lots of goodness

out there, speaking of which, I really ought to go weed...

 

Joining Sandi again for Tea Time Tuesday

and Kathy for A Return to Loveliness

 

Do I need to send you to the couch??

~PD took these photos of his kittens for my blog~

 

PD and DJ left for camp this morning, they'll be gone clear till Friday!  I always miss them so much when they're gone.  Whenever some of the kids are gone, it totally changes the family dynamics, you know?  These days LA spends most of his time out in the shop working with Andy, and so this week that just leaves SJ and AJ playing on their own.  Those two boys have so much fun together, and really play together very well, usually. (:  But when the fighting and bickering starts, this is what works good for us-

 

~This photo is staged, by the way! 

I told them to give me a mad face, but they just kept laughing!~

 

We put the two offending brothers on the couch and make them hold hands until they start talking nice to each other and say they're sorry.  Sometimes it takes a while!  Usually for these two they are back to being friends pretty quick though.

 

How good and pleasant it is

when brothers live together in unity!

Psalm 133:1



He's Holding My Hand

Remember when you were little, maybe walking in a big crowd of people, or down a busy street, and your Dad held your hand?  Your little hand felt completely safe in his big one, and you were secure.

 

There have been many times over the past year and a half when I was scared.  Scared I was going to have another seizure, scared I was dying, scared of the unknown.  And as I would lay there in bed, God would keep reminding me, I am here, holding you by the right hand.  Oh, what would I do without Him?

 

For I am the LORD, your God,

who takes hold of your right hand

and says to you,

Do not fear; I will help you.

Isaiah 41:13

 

I have set the LORD always before me.

Because he is at my right hand,

I will not be shaken.

Psalm 16:8

 

Thankfully I am no longer dealing with the fear of seizures or dying, but when hard times come, I remember- God is right there at my right hand, walking with me, protecting me, only allowing the things in my life that He wills.

 

The LORD watches over you-

the LORD is your shade at your right hand.

Psalm 121:5





Missouri

 

We just got back from a lovely weekend vacation to Missouri.

We had so much fun and saw so many things that it seemed we

were gone a lot longer than 2 days!

 

The boys loved the swimming, both in the hotel pool

and the river and lake.

 

My favorite was seeing these old castle ruins!

 

Vacations are such a fun way to get away from reality for awhile.

Now I'm back to laundry, which is very, very real...

The Best Things

 

"The best things in life are nearest:

Breath in your nostrils,

light in your eyes,

flowers at your feet,

duties at your hand,

the path of right just before you.

 

 

Then do not grasp at the stars,

but do life's plain, common work as it comes,

certain that daily duties and daily bread

are the sweetest things in life."

~Robert Louis Stevenson~

"Missing Child Syndrome"

Yep, I definitely have it again.  "Missing Child Syndrome".  (yes, I made that up)  That feeling that one of our kids is missing and is out there somewhere.  I think about her almost constantly.  Where is she, what is she doing, is she safe, is she loved right now?  What will she be like, how will she fit in, how old is she?  So many unknowns, but God is giving me a love for her, even though we have never met and I don't even know her name.  I guess she'll even be a girl? (:  Maybe she'll be a he, and we'll be surprised like we were with SJ!  Whatever God has, we will be so thankful for.  If you think of us, please pray that God would send her to us soon, I am missing her.  Thanks.  And here's a little cuteness for you-