Family life update

Here's a little update on what's going on at our house--

~PD (in photo above) sprained his ankle pretty badly in his football game today, so he'll be out of commission for awhile.

~LA and DJ aren't feeling too well, looks like they might be getting the sore throat/fever that's been going around.

~We have been having the most beautiful fall- perfect weather and the leaves are all turning, it's a great time of year!

~SJ and AJ are going to the pumpkin patch for a field trip this week and they are super excited.  I get to go along too so that will be fun!

~This week we started our ladies' Bible studies at church, I"m helping lead one...  We're doing the study on James by Beth Moore.  I've done lots of her studies and they're always good and challenging, so I'm looking forward to that.

We are staying really busy with all the kids' school activities, football, foster care classes, and church activities.  Being so busy is really not "me", I'd rather sit calmly at home and work on my projects!  But, that's life these days.

The Colors of Autumn

So if you faithfully obey the commands I am giving you today-

to love the LORD your God and to serve him

with all your heart and with all your soul-

then I will send rain on your land in its season,

both autumn and spring rains,

so that you may gather in your grain, new wine and oil.

I will provide grass in the fields for your cattle,

and you will eat and be satisfied.

Deuteronomy 11:13-15

Never say Never

SJ and AJ with our miniature mare, Star

 

Have you ever said you'd never do something and then ended up doing it?  That seems to happen fairly often, doesn't it?   One thing we always said was that we would never send our kids to public school.  And now we're doing it!  It's going quite well, some of them tend to think school is a waste of their time anyways, so that hasn't changed no matter what school they are in!  But overall we are pleased with how things are going.  They are finding friends and we are happy with their teachers. 

 

You know, I was thinking, that when we say, "I would never do __________", aren't we really limiting God's ability to work in our lives?  How can he change us and grow us if we are so stuck in our ways?  In my case he had to send me seizures and bad health to get us to send our kids to public school- I couldn't physically home school them anymore.  Thankfully I am feeling lots better now, but I am glad that we made the decision to send our kids to public school.  They are learning things there that I couldn't teach them- and I'm not talking about reading, writing and arithmetic.  They are learning how to do work for people who might not do things they way we do, they are learning about how to make wise choices, and how to get along with kids who are different from them- all great life lessons.  So the old saying, "Never say never!" is really true.

 

In his heart a man plans his course,

but the Lord determines his steps.

Proverbs 16:9

Knitting a Sunbonnet Sue dishcloth

The weather really cooled down this weekend and we had our first freeze last night.  The cooler temperatures put me in the mood for knitting and crocheting again!  So I've been trying out a few of those patterns I've pinned to Pinterest over the past year.  Currently I'm working on a Sunbonnet Sue dishcloth.  Here's the pattern link.  It's really cute!  I like Sunbonnet Sue quilts too, don't you?  Hope you all had a good and restful Sunday--

Cleaning, Paperwork, and Home Visits

I haven't updated the blog for a few days, but that's because I've been cleaning!  Yesterday we had our first home visit by the agency who is helping us get licensed to do foster care/adoption.  It went well and she didn't see anything keeping us from getting licensed, except a few small things like installing carbon monoxide detectors and outlet covers.  There are so many rules to follow and paperwork to fill out to be able to do foster care, it is unreal.  I have said this with each of our adoptions, but it shouldn't be this hard to help a child!  Of course, I understand why they have to have so many rules, and they need to make sure that a child is going to a safe and loving home, but it is a lot.  We are almost half done with the PS-MAPP classes we have to take.  There are 10 of them, once a week, for 3 hours.  They have been interesting and helpful, they help you to understand more of what the foster child is experiencing and what we might run into.  Hopefully we'll be all done with the paperwork and licensing by the end of the year, but it might take longer.  Keeping our next child in mind keeps us going!

My Prayer For Our Next Child

Dear Lord, our next child has been through some very painful

and sad things, that's the whole reason they are in foster care

right now.  This breaks my heart, as I know it breaks Yours.  Dear

Lord, I pray that you would bind up their broken heart.  Take

all those pieces and put them back together like only You can.



Dear Lord, our next child is a prisoner of their dark past.

I pray that you would free them from the captivity to their past,

that you would release them from the darkness of the abuse

and trama that they have experienced.

Dear Lord, I pray that you would bestow on our next child a

crown of beauty instead of ashes, a garment of praise instead

of a spirit of despair.  Please heal their mind and spirit from

the wounds they have experienced.  Replace the hurt with the

beauty that only You can give.  Give them the oil of gladness

instead of mourning.  Comfort them, dear Lord.

Their biological family is broken, dear Lord.  You can rebuild

the places long devastated.  You can renew the ruins of their

past.  I pray that you would give them a new start with

 our family.  Help us to show them Your love, dear Lord.

 

~from Isaiah 61~

 

 



An Autumn Morning

This is a beautiful time of year, isn't it?  I took a little walk

around our place this morning with my camera and this is

what I saw.  The spiders are very busy this time of year,

there are little webs all over the grass.  What a lot of work!

We have a lot of hedge trees here at our place, and the

hedge apples are falling off the trees.  If you don't have

them in your area, they are about the size of an orange-

it wouldn't feel good if they landed on your head!

We still have some flowers blooming! 

 

It was foggy this morning and the kids thought that was so cool

since we haven't had fog for a long time.  I opened the window

and SJ said, "Don't let the fog in Mom, we wouldn't be able

to see and we'd bump into the furniture!"