Can I have a cell phone plan, Mom?

Here are a couple of pictures of Little A from this weekend.  She is transitioning from being a chubby little baby, to looking and acting more like a toddler.  She really likes our cell phones and can be found around the house turning anything into a phone.  She is adorable!!

"Yeah......just try to get it back Mom.  It's my phone now"  :)

 

Family Fun Fridays: Let the sewing begin...(yikes)



Kate's first "sewing project".......a sewing supplies box.  We used an old box of mine from when I was growing up, and she decorated it and turned it into a sewing box. 



K-lady has been asking me to teach her how to sew for the last month.  I keep thinking maybe she will forget about it and move onto a new idea.  But that hasn't happened yet.  So, I succumbed to the pressure this past week and we picked out a "crafty" type of book at the library (pictured above).  The first project she decided to start with was to make a sewing box.   Unfortunately, I never really learned how to sew (or at least if I did, I was never very good).  I do enjoy doing projects, but I wouldn't say I am the best at picking out the materials, the colors, designs, etc.  K-lady is very much into arts and crafts, so I am trying my best to help her succeed in these kinds of things. :)  She wanted to make the sewing box first, so that she would have the supplies needed and all organized to begin sewing projects.  Now she is beginning to save her money to buy a sewing machine.  YIKES!!  I have no idea how to use one, so I guess I am going to have to learn with her. 

K-lady was pleased with the finished product.

The inside of the box

Family fun Fridays are a fun blogging subject.  I don't always have the funniest story or even life changing events to share, but it is fun to be relaxed and just share pictures or snippets from what's been going on in our lives.  It will be fun to look back at some day for memories too. 

K-lady and W-man really enjoyed the movie, Toy Story 3.  I would have to say that it was my favorite Toy Story movie as well.(I love when Buzz goes into the Spanish mode). I think Little A will also enjoy it as she gets older, but she is definitely not into movies or TV yet.  W-man was with me in the waiting room at ballet practice one day shortly after Christmas.  He saw a couple of other boys with these "actual movie size" Woody dolls.  He really wanted one.  We don't normally go to the toy store and he had no idea that those existed, but when he watched those boys playing with them, he really wanted one.    He kept mentioning it, but I kept saying........well maybe for your birthday. (not until the end of July). 

About 2 weeks ago, we started giving K-lady (our oldest) a weekly allowance.  We are trying to teach her take her earnings and separate it each week into a giving, saving and spending category.  We will do that for the other kids too, but we want to wait until they are old enough to understand.   K-lady decided she wanted to save up to buy a Jesse doll. My husband and I started talking and we weren't sure what to do.  After all, W-man really wanted the Woody doll first, but yet we knew that K-lady would be able to save up faster than him.  After we talked about it a little more, we realized they both had some money in a savings account in the bank, that they had received as gifts.  We had never really touched it before, but we decided to go ahead and purchase the dolls.  I know we can't always keep everything fair,  but right from the start, we  didn't want to let K-lady buy something that W-man really wanted in the first place. We went on a hunt for the dolls and every store was out of them.  Finally we ordered them on-line and I captured a picture of W-man right after we had opened his doll out of the package.  It was like Christmas morning!!!  K-lady's doll arrived the same day, but we had to go to Wal-mart to pick her up, because it was free site to store shipping.  I never ended up getting pictures of her.  It has been pretty cute to watch them play together with their dolls.  



Have a happy weekend!!

Adoption Talk Thursdays: Provisions

I have to start by saying that I am so grateful to be able to share about adoption. I have so much to learn, especially as Little A grows older, but I have been blessed and encouraged by emails from people lately. I love hearing stories of how some of you are considering adoption for the first time or even the fourth time. :) It is so exciting to meet new people and hear about their passion for adoption. It has been fun and helpful to exchange hair ideas with a few of you. I also love learning from your examples of fostering and international adoption; some of you have stretched my heart in new ways.

I wanted to share an example today of how the Lord continually provides for our family. He provided the funds to be able to do an adoption and He continually provides for our family each day. As you all know, it gets expensive to clothe and provide for multiple children, but we obviously wouldn't have it any other way. :):). I always want my children to look nice and feel good about themselves, but I also like to find good sales, deals, or even used clothing when possible. Each time a new season approaches, it always seems a little daunting to stock up on clothing for the appropriate size and price for the children. This week at ballet, one of the moms came up to me with a HUGE bag of clothes for Little A. She had saved all the best of her daughter's clothes and they are all in excellent condition and some even with tags still attached.  All matching sets from Gymboree and Ralph Lauren, etc. The colors are going to look so nice on Little A too!! I am so grateful for generous people!! I am grateful for how the Lord always provides for us.



Little A modeling one of her "new outfits"...the sleeves are a bit long, but she will grow right into it :)



 Here is a picture of the clothing piles after I looked at each of them last night....what a blessing!!

I also wanted to share a sweet little story from last night. With it being tax season, bedtime routines can be a little exhausting for me. I have been trying to be a little creative lately and change things up, so that the kids can have fun and not miss their Daddy too much. Last night, we decided to put Little A to bed first. K-lady read her a story and then wanted to hold Little A and pray for her before bedtime. It was so sweet to see K-lady trying to hold her like a little baby, even though she is now 16 months old. Little A completely enjoyed that and let her big sister hold her, rock her, and sing to her. Then K-lady prayed something like this, " Dear Jesus. Thank you for my baby sister. Thank you that her birth mom picked us out to be her family. I love her so much and I am so glad she is my sister. I pray that she will have a wonderful life and thanks for her." Then of course, W- man wanted his turn.......I wish I would have had my camera, but I didn't want to ruin the moment. W-man tried to hold her the same way, but I had to help a little because Little A is growing closer to his size now. :). Little A let both of them hold her like a baby, which was hilarious because she is normally high energy and busy all day. It was adorable!! W-man said, "Dear Jesus. Thank you for Little A. I like her. Amen.". It was a seriously precious moment that I will remember forever. Then we sang a couple of songs together and tucked her in her crib. This morning when she woke up, she ran right to her Daddy and squeezed his leg until he picked her up. She is definitely a Daddy's girl and was a little sad when he had to go to work. She is such a blessing to our family. I am grateful for the Lord's provision of her to our family. I am grateful for her birth mom's bravery and courage in making the decision that she did. I am grateful for how the Lord can create families to be unique and beautiful!!

Have a fabulous week everyone! Keep sharing your stories and prayer requests with me about adoption. I love to see how God is working in your hearts.

Wednesdays in the Word: LOVE Love love

What is love? What comes to your mind when you hear that word? What does love look like in your family? What does love look like with your spouse? What about with your friends? What or whose example do you follow for how you love?

This week I have been studying this topic of LOVE, and it has been such an encouraging week, especially after just studying the topic of communication. I left the communication study still feeling like I needed more application, but then when we moved into the topic of love, I felt like it all came together for me. In addition, we discussed the fulfillment of the law through love from Galatians chapter 6, at our church this past Saturday night. This also ties in with what Paul says in Romans 13:8, "Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for he who loves his fellowman has fulfilled the law." I am looking forward to sharing some of what the Lord has taught me this past week about love. There is SO much in the Bible on this topic, but I will try to keep it somewhat focused and narrowed and discuss what specifically impacted me.

Contrary to what our culture says, love is NOT about me. In fact, love is servanthood. It may not be a popular message in our current culture, when we are living in such an individualistic and self seeking society. It probably wasn't a popular message even back in ancient Roman times when Jesus walked the earth. This week in Kay Arthur's "A Marriage Without Regrets" study, I looked at a variety of New Testament passages using the word, love. I specifically studied the Greek word, Agape and how it was used in many different verses, as well as the Greek word, Phileo. Agape basically means unconditional love....love that keeps going, regardless of how the object receives it and regardless of if they are deserving or worthy of it. It delights in giving. The Greek word, Phileo, basically means a companion type of love. Kenneth Wuest says, "It is a love that is called out of one's heart as a response to the pleasure one takes in a person or object." Through all the verses, I studied the commonalities that they shared; specifically the source of love, the object receiving the love, the behavior, the extent, and the circumstances surrounding the text. (per Kay Arthur's suggestion). I found that the source of Agape love always came from God. Sometimes the source appeared to be one believer to another, but when I would read the whole context surrounding the verses, I would find that the Spirit was providing the power to love in that way. The true source for Agape love was always from God or His Spirit and it was an unconditional and persevering type of love. It encouraged me that I don't have to try to love that way in my own strength, because there is no way I ever could. We are commanded to love each other with an Agape kind of love, and God gives us the power to do that. 

I then went on to study 1 Corinthians 13 about the characteristics of love. I spent a couple of days praying over this list and thinking about it within my own life, especially considering my relationships with my spouse, my children, my church family, my friends, and just people in general. It was a great passage to end the study and I know the Lord is using it to cause change and growth in my life.  I know this is an ever-popular verse that many people have memorized, but take a couple of minutes today and read through it again with a heart open to the Lord. 

I also learned that love isn't always joyous and pleasant. Love is painful and uses discipline when needed. I will have to suffer and endure hardships but I can be thankful because I know that God loves me as His dear child and He uses it for my good.  Hebrews 12:6 "because the Lord disciplines those He loves, and He punishes everyone He accepts as a son." 

I think one of the biggest things that I am learning involves the body of Christ and how much we all need one another. Sometimes it becomes so natural in our culture to think of our own "personal relationship" with Christ, when really, I don't think that should be the focus. This life isn't just about me and my own relationship with God. To really love others with an Agape love, I need to be in close community and fellowship with them. How can we do this in our current culture? Just food for thought, but can we achieve this by simply showing up for church service every week? Can we achieve it by doing good things for others? How do we achieve close community and the ability to lovingly call out sin and confess our own sins if we are not knowing one another deeply? Is our primary reason for going to church to be filled up, fed, and to provide our kids with some teaching about Jesus? We really need to get in closer community and fellowship to truly be able to love the way we are commanded. I realize this could possibly be controversial or offensive to some, but I am honestly sharing what I am learning to help people examine their own hearts and lives. I have a lot to learn in this area, but I am seeing the priority of loving others with an Agape love that comes from the power of the Spirit.  

1 John 3:16, "This is how we know what love is:  Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.  And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers." 

School Adventure Tuesdays: My " to-do" or "not to-do list"

We are done with our break from last week, and back to a "normal school routine" this week. I am a person who not only likes routine, but is also eager to do tasks and check off tasks on "my list." However, the Lord keeps teaching me daily that, for our family, school at home isn't necessarily supposed to look that way. My children are not a "to do list" that I can keep checking off just to make myself feel that I am accomplishing something. They need to be nurtured and trained in ways that are meaningful to each of their unique personalities and giftings.  I feel that I stifle their creativity and joy of learning when I am driving them to do what I want them to do. The reality is that there are days and moments when we just aren't able to achieve what I think we should be "checking off our list". When I become so list-driven and task focused, this causes me to speak with impatience and irritability because I continually feel that I can never keep up with where I should be. Instead of living in constant frustration and feeling like I am not doing enough, I want to be flexible and ready to make every moment a teachable moment. I want to do that with joy. This is hard for me, but not unattainable. 

The Lord has used the ideas from the honeycomb words posting from last week, to influence and transform our family in this past week, especially with our schooling experience.  I feel like the Lord is helping us to be more joyful with one another and purposeful with the words that come from our mouths.  When I teach with joy and pleasant words, it doesn't seem like a "task" anymore.  I am thankful for how the Lord can use my inabilities and my weaknesses for His glory. I know it is only through His power that I am able to make changes in my actions and attitudes.  My hope with this blog, is that it can be used to build up and encourage others in the body of Christ who have weaknesses and failures, just like me, especially when it comes to the large responsibility of teaching our children.  I have appreciated e-mails and prayers from people lately, as I am sharing my school journeys on this blog. I desire wisdom from others, who have walked this road or are having similiar thoughts or experiences.

So.......I am off for an afternoon not guided by any certain "to-do" list.  We have subjects we need to cover this week and things we definitely need to work through with school.  I am thankful the Lord is teaching me that "school at home" doesn't need to happen according to my perfect agenda, and especially not at the cost of hurtful or impatient words.  

Continually learning and thankful for God's grace,
Sarah

Recipe Mondays: Chicken Tortilla Soup and Peanut Butter Clusters

I haven't been the best cook this past week, so I don't have any scrumptious pictures to share with you for today. Hopefully next week, I will get back on track. :):). Some days it is hard to be motivated to cook nice meals when my husband isn't necessarily going to be home to share them with us :):). He does enjoy leftovers during tax season, so I need to keep cooking even if he isn't here.

I decided to pull out an old favorite recipe of mine for those lazy crockpot days. Have you heard of the recipe book, "Fix-it and Forget-it"?  I love this cookbook and I am going to share one of my favorites........Chicken Tortilla Soup. I am sure there are hundreds of these kind of recipes out there, but I think this is easy and tastes delicious.

Here it is (from page 47):

Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 chicken breast halves
2 15 ounce cans black beans, undrained
2 15 ounce cans Mexican stewed tomatoes, or Rotel tomatoes
1 cup salsa (mild, medium, or hot whichever you prefer)
4 ounce can chopped green chilies
14 1/2 ounce can tomato sauce
tortilla chips
2 cups grated cheese

1. Combine all ingredients except chips and cheese in large slow cooker.

2. Cover. Cook on low 8 hours.

3. Just before serving, remove chicken breasts and slice into bite-sized pieces. Stir into soup.

4. To serve, put a handful of chips into each individual soup bowl. Ladle soup over chips. Top with cheese.

YUMMY!!!!

Next, I will share a little sweet treat recipe with you all.........peanut butter clusters.  I have to confess I didn't make these either, but I did eat them on Saturday night after church, while hanging out with our church family. I am a peanut butter-aholic, so I was immediately captured by this recipe. My friend, Jonelle, made these on Saturday night (along with some puppy chow). We also had three other amazing desserts as well.   I asked Jonelle for the recipe and she e-mailed it to me right away.  It is so simple, so I have to share it:):).

 Peanut Butter Clusters

1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cup peanut butter
4 cups corn flakes

1. Bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil in a medium sauce pan. 
2. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, then corn flakes.
3. Drop teaspoon size amounts (somewhat quickly) onto wax paper to cool.

Stay tuned next week for Baked Chicken Parmesean.  Feel free to submit any recipe ideas to me......I love to try new things!!

Family Fun Fridays: Grandparent Visits and Ballet




My Momma!!  She is so beautiful

       Last weekend was an encouraging and refreshing weekend in our family life.  This time of year is a bit more hectic in our family life because my husband works many extra hours as part of his job (doing taxes).  The other part of his job involves helping people with financial planning and investing, so he stays very busy!  We have been doing this for quite a few years now, and we are all growing more accustomed to his schedule.  Our sweet parents both took time out of their busy schedules to come visit us last weekend, and it was so helpful.  Saturday morning, my mom showed up bright and early at 8 AM.  I hadn't told the kids about it, so when she walked in, they were ecstatic!!  After some good "Grandma Jo loving" that day, their other grandparents (my in-laws), came on Sunday.  They took the kids swimming at their hotel pool and then let my husband and I slip out for a date.  It was such a blessing for us to have extra help this past weekend and get refreshed before the week started.  Our week has gone so smoothly, and I feel like it was in part due to the refreshment and help we received last weekend!!!  Thank you to our parents!! :)

Then, on Wednesday this week, K-lady had a ballet "parent watch" night.  Normally I bring her to practice each week and sit in a small waiting room, where I cannot see her at all.  We get to "watch" their practice three times a year, so I am always so excited for this week.  I wanted to share some pictures of her......she is growing up so fast and has gotten so tall lately.  W-man and Little A also really enjoyed watching her practice, and they all got to run around the ballet room afterwards and try out their own moves. 


Stretching out.......love how her hair turned out too! :)




First position at the bar





Working on some positions at the bar. K-lady is in the middle.

 


K-lady pretending to be asleep.




Her own creative routine with the scarf.  This is always my favorite part of the "parent watch night"




K-lady doing a "curtsy" after her performance.



The three amigos :)  Little A and W-man had a lot of fun watching the dancers. 



K-lady and her ballet instructor

I am thankful it is Friday!! Anyone else feel that way too?   Have a blessed weekend and I will look forward to sharing with you next week.  

Adoption Talk Thursdays: Hair and Happenings

I am excited to share a couple of new tips that I have found to be helpful for the styling and care of Little A's hair. I genuinely love to learn about her hair and have had fun taking care of it. The best product I have found this week came from a suggestion that I read on: Happy Girl Hair.  I ordered this leave in conditioner right away from Amazon and started using it one week ago. Here is the link: Nature's Baby Organics Conditioner and Detangler   I got the vanilla tangerine scent and it is so yummy!! K-lady thought that I was baking muffins when I was putting some in Little A's hair one day this week :):). This all natural product is seriously amazing. I feel like Little A's hair has been softer and had more defined little ringlets this week. So beautiful!!! I had to share about this because I will definitely be purchasing more when we run out.

There was another article that I read this week discussing the idea of detangling or finger styling each day (especially when just wearing the hair out and not in a style). "Curls Will Be Curls-Saying No to Daily Detangling"  I really liked this article, because for many days I have been trying to pic or lightly comb out her hair each morning when I moisturize it. I realized, after reading this, that I may be actually causing more damage. This week I have just tried to use my fingers to style and gently spread out the curls, and it is working nicely. I accessorize with different clips and headbands each day, but I really like how it is looking.

I am also excited that I get to attend an "Adoption Loving Mamas" coffee/hang out/get together this weekend here locally. It is open to all foster, adoptive, or mamas with a heart for adoption. If you are reading this and would like more info on time and location, please let me know. I am looking forward to the encouragement and fellowship and even sharing of ideas. My heart remains open to the possibility of adoption someday again, but I am leaving that in the Lord's hands. For now, I am thankful to be able to encourage other families who are beginning this process or in the middle of it. I am also excited to meet other people with adopted children, because I think that could be important for Little A as she grows older.

Here is a picture of our Little A the first weekend she was born.   Her birthmom is such an amazing person that we have such respect for.  We were privileged to watch Little A come into this world and bond with her immediately in the hospital.   I wanted to post this picture as a reminder to myself of this precious gift of life!!  I am excited to see how God is going to work in her life. 

Wednesdays in the Word: Honeycomb Words

Proverbs 16:24  "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

This week I have been studying the topic of communication, through Kay Arthur's marriage study called "A Marriage Without Regrets"  This verse, found in Proverbs,  has given our family such joy and encouragement this week.  I wrote it on a large index card and put it on our dining room table, and we are helping each other to memorize it this week. I have seriously noticed a "healing effect" in our family life this past couple of days, just by being more aware of the words we speak.

I keep picturing a honeycomb full and overflowing with sweet honey and it has helped me to be more aware of the words I speak to my children and to my husband.  I have noticed the kids being more aware of how they speak to one another. In general, there has been a feeling of "sweetness" towards one another in our family.  It is refreshing and uplifting.  Our words can either be used to damage, or to build up another person.  I have always known this, but after studying the topic of communcation this week, I was challenged NOT to be reckless with my words.  The words that come from our mouths all go hand in hand with what is in our hearts.  I posted yesterday about walking in the Spirit, and I feel like that topic carries into today.  I can't speak careful words and words that build someone else up, without the help of the Holy Spirit.  I need to ABIDE in Christ, to be able to bear this kind of fruit. (John 15:4-5). There is a lady I went to college with and she has actually been blogging about the topic of abiding this past month.  You should check out her blog for more on that subject:  Kristi Stephens   My mouth overflows from what is in my heart.  I desire to be overflowing with sweet and pleasant words that heal and not destroy. 

I don't know about you, but communication in a marriage is hard work.  Adding multiple kids to the  picture, along with added life pressures can make it sometimes seem that no communication at all would almost be a better option.  Obviously ceasing to communicate wouldn't solve anything, so how do we communicate openly, honestly, and with love?  Kay Arthur challenged us to ask God to show us how we "come across" to other people....especially our mate, or our childen, or even other intimate relationships that might show how you communicate.  She said that communcation is a delicate art.  I agree with that statement wholeheartedly, and after studying many verses and spending time in prayer, I realized I am in need of some art lessons :) I am eagerly anticipating our small group discussion for this week so that we can share our ideas and what the Lord is teaching us in this area.   

I really want to share EVERYTHING that I read and learned this week, but I would probably lose some readers or risk putting some of you to sleep.   If you have ever thought about getting this study, I would highly recommend it, even if just for this week of "communication" alone. I feel like anyone: single, married, widowed, divorced, etc. could benefit from a thorough study on the topic of communication.

I especially wanted to share this one little verse from Proverbs that I have noticed has had a transformative effect on our family this week.  I hope it can bring some encouragement to your homes and to your lives.  What are some of your ideas on how to communicate in your homes?  What verses do you teach your children to encourage them in this area?   What is in your heart?  What are your words revealing about what is in your heart? 

I was talking to K-lady this morning about pleasant words and she decided that she wanted to draw a picture of our family communcating together. I will leave you with this :) :)

School Adventure Tuesdays: Mid-Semester break & desires

Although this week began with colder weather, copious amounts of rain, and gray skies, it has also come with a mini break from our school routine. We are having a mid-semester break alongside our Classical Conversations homeschool group. When I originally saw the schedule, I didn't really think I would want the break. I figured that I would rather get done earlier, especially when it starts warming up outside.

However, I am in a slump with school this week, so I am very thankful for a small and timely break. I honestly feel that the break is helping me to slow down, re-focus, re-energize, and simply enjoy my kids. I feel like when I slow down and don't have to stick to a certain agenda or a task checklist for the day, that I can be more creative and sometimes more patient with the kids. We didn't work through any particular "curriculum" yesterday, but we seemed to read a lot more together and have more time to discuss the things we read. For example, K-lady saw a short chapter book about Abraham Lincoln, from the library bag sitting in our living room. She became very interested and decided to sit down and read the book. We read parts of it together and she read some on her own, but she really enjoyed retelling the story to me and highlighting her favorite things about his life. On her own, she connected some of the events in the book with some of the events we have memorized in our history timeline. It was a blessing to see her making the connections and truly having an enjoyment for learning. We also spent some time having family worship last night: singing songs and Bible reading/acting. We try to do this somewhat regularly, but it felt like we had more time and freedom to be creative and not rush to get to bed. I desire to experience this freedom, creativity, and slower pace on a daily basis. I just haven't learned how to do that yet. I feel so much inward pressure sometimes to achieve certain goals with schooling at home or to not "fall behind", but I can also suck the joy out of learning by being so task driven. I am thankful for this week because I feel like it is giving me a chance to see how much my kids enjoy learning without the pressure of a strict schedule and time constraints. I desire to find the balance between schedules/time constraints and the freedom that comes by doing school at home. I know that we need to be diligent with our work, yet I desire joy and love to be present in all that we do.

I am thankful that I don't need to work harder or feel like I have to figure it all out on my own. When I slow down and rely on the Holy Spirit, He is transforming me. I know why I struggle from what Paul writes in Galatians; that the desires of my flesh are fighting a battle with the Spirit. In addition, I know that my flesh has been crucified with it's passions and desires (Galatians 5:24). How do I win the battle? How do I teach and train my children with freedom? Paul answers this in Galatians 5 by repeating these phrases, "Walk by the Spirit, be led by the Spirit, live by the Spirit, keep in step with the Spirit.". There is no law for the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

We have been studying the book of Galatians together in our church, Covenant Creek Community Church and I have been thankful for the teaching and instruction we have received these past three months. Our teaching elder from this past weekend was preaching on this text that I have been discussing,  from Galatians 5.  He pointed out that the word "works" (as in the works of our flesh)is plural, because it is done by us, but the word, "fruit" is singular because it is done by God. That displays freedom to me!! Another way to think of the fruit of the Spirit is to compare it to a bunch of grapes.....there are many attributes(love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, etc) but they all come from ONE stem or vine. I have been challenged and encouraged this week to look at my desires because we all have desires.  We have the basic desires of needing air to breathe and needing sleep when we are exhausted.  As our teaching elder pointed out, our whole day is made up of desires.  What are my desires? Am I keeping in step with the Spirit or are my desires reflecting the old nature? 

I am happy for a chance to refocus my thoughts and desires this week.  I am learning to live moment by moment. I wanted to encourage anyone reading this post through simple truths the Lord is revealing to me. What are your desires? 

Remember......."It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.". Gal. 5:1.