Beth's By Grace

Blessings!!

2012-01-18T09:12:00.001-08:00

What a beautiful crisp day it is here in central Indiana! The sky is bright blue with a few fluffy clouds drifting along. The soft shades of brown of the woods behind our house look lovely paired with the bright blue sky. There are a few patched of icy spots in the nearby fields reflecting the blue above.

I'd like to pass along a little blessing that my parents did for us a week or so ago. My dad...aka Hero to my children and myself...needed someone to go along with him to pick up his new/old RV that he purchased for he and my Mom to drive around in. (He is a bargain shopper...it would be very difficult to buy even a good used car for what he paid for this new-to-him RV!) Anyway, we drove to Ohio and when we got back late that evening, HE TRIED TO GIVE ME MONEY for having gone with him! Isn't that just crazy? I mean, I would give HIM money just to get to spend the day with him!

So of course, I refused!!! The next day, Mom called and said that they had a microwave for me!
WOW!!!! WHAT A BLESSING! We haven't had a microwave since we moved here in late spring! They decided that they wanted a microwave that fit their kitchen better (yeah, right....) so they gave me theirs! Sounds kinda fishy, don't you think????

Well, I appreciate it greatly! Now, I keep forgetting that I have one and every day, I think what a nice thing that was for them to do for us!

It is really a neat thing to be a blessing to someone, isn't it? I was just thinking today what a blessing the Duggars and the Bates are to us. They have really influenced us and I'm not sure that we would be adopting now if God hadn't used them to influence us. We don't have access to the Duggar tv show right now and it has been kinda sad for me to know that I don't get to see either family on a regular basis but sometimes I can catch up with them on the internet!

Well, speaking of blessing, I need to go clean our bathroom in our bedroom and be a blessing to my husband! And I think he's going to have a meatloaf for supper tonight before church...meatloaf is one of his all time favorites!
Have a lovely day!
Beth

Adoption Update....

2012-01-17T10:24:00.000-08:00

Wow...it seems like we are bouncing around like a ping pong ball!
Saturday we attended our first foster care workshop. I found it very interesting...somewhat sad in certain aspects, but very educational.

However.......DRUM ROLL PLEASE..........................

Our original plan....adopting from Lesotho, Africa.....is on GO!!!!

Our adoption agency contacted us last week and said that our dossier is ready to be hand delivered to the government agency in Lesotho in two weeks or so!!!!!!

We MAY BE matched up with a child or children within just a few months!!!!

We are going to continue to go forward with the foster care classes. They are very educational for all aspects of adoption and depending on how many little ones we are matched with in Africa, we may want to adopt from foster care in the future. We know that we would like to have two children in our home! (besides the teenage children that we already have...)

This is an incredibly exciting time in our lives and also VERY busy...so it is pretty likely that our waiting time won't seem quite so long for us!

Marci and Ben are getting married in late April. (Marci is my oldest daughter, soon to be 22.) We are doing all her food for her reception, pasta, salad, bread, wedding cake, candy, cookies....etc....

Jennie will be graduating from high school AND will have earned her CNA license by May! We've got to figure out how we are going to do her graduation party! She will actually be receiving her diploma from OUR homeschool since the high school she is currently attending wants her to retake all of THEIR final exams for her year she was homeschooled. We are not going to make her do that since she will be tested on things that she didn't study for through her Abeka homeschooling classes. Besides that, in order for her to make room in her school day to take her classes for her CNA license, she had to take other classes outside of her school day...more homeschooling classes. So we are just going to give her a diploma through us...a registered home school through Indiana.

Niece Jessica will be getting married in June...and we are doing her cake and flowers!

Our church most likely will be allowing us to have a fund raiser dinner for adoption in the spring!

Daughter in law ERIN is expecting baby number 2 in the late summer!!! Woohoo!!! Another little person like 1 1/2 year old Liam to keep up with! No wonder she is a skinny Mommy! (I know, Erin, all those miles running and exercising has nothing to do with it, right???)

Hopefully the "big" house will sell soon and we can start adding on a family room to this little house we live in. We do love it...it's just kinda tight quarters.....

So...lots to think about and to plan for!

Blessings!
Beth

Conversations with a 3 year old.....

2012-01-10T06:31:00.000-08:00

Evidently, 3 year old Granddaughter, Seraphina, has been thinking a lot about baby Jesus this past Christmas season. She has also overheard us discussing our adoption plans. On the way to visit us a few days ago, she had this conversation with her Mommy.

"Mommy, I want you to have another baby and I want it to be a sister!"
Abi, laughing, says "Well...you'll have to talk to Daddy about that. " (They do have another little one, Baby Gabe who is almost 1.)
"Well, Grammy Beth is going to have another baby!" Seraphina declares.
"Oh...I don't think Grammy Beth is going to have another baby." Abi corrects.
"Oh yes she is!" Seraphina insists. "She keeps talking about getting a baby! And this time it's gonna be BABY JESUS only it's gonna be BETTER, 'cause this time He's gonna be a GIRL!!"

Oh dear....I'm afraid she is going to be badly disappointed! Any child we ADOPT will be a cute little sinner...just like HER!!!!!

We are starting our "FOSTER PARENT" classes this Saturday! We both feel led to try to adopt through the system. We will not just foster however, any child or children we take into our home will be legally available to adopt. So....it's just a matter of time! My spirits have been lifted significantly with this idea and yesterday we had a phone call confirming our class! WooHoo!! (Besides that, I will have three full Saturdays with my HUBBY!!! Can't get better than THAT!! ....unless it was four Saturdays!!!!)

Blessings!
Beth

Home....home at last!!

2012-01-06T16:25:00.001-08:00

We had MOSTLY a good time on our little "vacation" to Florida. We stopped in Nashville and visited a dear friend, Joe, and he took us out to eat for Christmas. But first we went to the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's estate.) It was really pretty! Becca loved taking pictures and we actually picked some cotton and brought some home to grandson Dylan. The next day, it was off to Florida. The weather was warm...pretty foggy near the water in Pensacola one day...but the next day it was WONDERFUL! The day we decided to climb the lighthouse...all 177 steps...it was soooo foggy that we couldn't really see the water! On New Years Day, we went to the beach and to the fort in Pensacola. We had a great time with three of the cutest nieces that there are! (I got to spend time with an adorable 5 year old who kinda likes her Aunt Beth!)

On our way home, we had some car troubles in Tennessee. We had pulled off the interstate to change drivers and the car refused to start. After a few hours and a new battery, we were back on the road!

I am NOT a city person, but the lights of Indianapolis never looked better when we finally got closer to our house. I stayed up that night and talked to Jennie, who didn't go with us. I was SOOO impressed that she had kept the house so neat and clean! Not too bad for an 18 year old! She is rethinking her desire to have pets in the house when she eventually moves away. She is learning that ham trimmings is NOT good for an elderly dog and two cats. I understand there was quite a mess......I'm glad I wasn't home.....But it was so hard to go away and leave her alone here. She did spend quite a bit of time with her big sister, though! I am so glad that I can completely trust her. (She spent some time watching movies...."Shrek 3" was in the DVD player!!...... OOOHHHH Really bad girl, huh??)

We are still pondering some adoption possibilities. My heart goes out to these little children who need homes. I sometimes become too emotionally involved before I let my head think things through. We are currently seeking God's will and plan for our lives and for a child in need.
Sometimes it is just so difficult to truly know if it is God...or is it me...who is saying "move ahead." Sometimes it just seems like we could provide a good environment for a child who needs us. But is this the right time....and child?

We are praying and right now I have yet another little precious child's picture on the front of our refrigerator....reminding me/us to pray! Could you also say a prayer for guidance for us?

Love and Blessings,
Beth

Happy ALMOST New Year!

2011-12-27T13:53:00.001-08:00

Lord willing, we will be heading to Pensacola, Florida to visit my husband's sister and her family on Thursday morning. We MAY be trying to visit the Hermitage (Andrew Jackson's house) in Nashville, Tennessee on the way! Wouldn't that be wonderful? Becca, hopefully, will enjoy that since she has been studying that time period recently! Gideon enjoys history, too, and Roger and I are always interested in American History as well.

We hope to visit the ocean while we are in Pensacola. I know that it is not terribly warm there this time of year but I will never miss out on a chance to visit the ocean!! I love Indiana's flat farm land and it has always been "home" to me, but I do love the ocean.

I've been thinking about some "New Year's Resolutions." I'm not very good at keeping them...I still have lots of weight to lose so I don't intend to make THAT a resolution....perhaps I will make more of an effort in the coming year, but.......
Anyway, I hope to make a resolution that I can keep!

My biggest resolution is to keep a neater house! I think it is so difficult to keep a clean house when we are in a much smaller home but I know that our family will be happier to live here if it is nice and neat! I do love this little home....the other "big" house is much much grander and I must admit that at times I wonder "What was I thinking?" when we decided to move. But when that house is sold, we will be soooo much better off!

I hope that the Lord sells that house soon! (I don't think God needs to make New Year's Resolutions though.....)

I also fervently hope that the Lord blesses us with an adopted child. I dream of the day that I can take care of our own little one again. I was just thinking how nice it would be to, instead of always having to write on Christmas packages, "From Mom and Roger" or "From Dad and Beth"...to just "From Mommy and Daddy." Doesn't that sound nice?? Unification of the family...in a little, cute, cuddly sort of way! :)

I hope the Lord blesses and keeps you this New Year!
Blessings,
Beth

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-24T20:05:00.001-08:00

We went to the Christmas Eve service at a church we used to attend tonight. It was very nice and we saw some old friends!

One of the soloists is a professional tenor and he was absolutely amazing! We have heard him several times and attended church with him. Each year, he sings "Oh Holy Night." His song was so powerful and beautiful and suddenly, through his song, it dawned on me anew just how wonderful Jesus really is! "Fall on your knees" he sang....I DID fall on my knees in my heart and the tears rolled.

I suddenly realized that I have been harboring a bit of anger toward GOD! I know, that's awful! I was so disappointed in not being able to adopt the two little children and I feel like it has really hurt my relationship with my Savior. All of the sudden I came to the conclusion that I have NO RIGHT to be upset with God! He is the Giver of all good things and He OWNS ME! I gave my life to Him...after He gave His life FOR me! God knows the very best for us and for the orphans I have been praying for. I've been behaving like a spoiled brat just because I didn't get what I wanted.

It was really a burden lifter to ask my Savior for forgiveness for my "hidden" attitude.

On a good note and kind of a really cool thing...After the church service, we saw some friends again and as usual, our conversation lead to adoption. The husband turned to me and said, "Really? You are considering adoption?"
"Oh yes," I smiled, "we've been working on this for quite a while!" I related, through tears, again, about our disappointments lately.
He asked, "Who is your agency? I'm the new president of the board of ------- adoptions and I can put in a good word for you! In fact, I can talk to -------. What kind of an adoption are you looking at?"
I told him that we were really exploring our options right now and that we are at this point investigating fostering to adopt. They work through foster care, domestic, and foreign adoptions!
I thanked him deeply for any help he could give us!
We parted with encouragement from him, his wife who was also adopted, their birth daughter and their adopted little boy.

Kinda cool, don't you think?

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-22T06:29:00.000-08:00

Oh dear...I was told last night that our inquiries, registration information, and our debit card info (to pay for the registration fee) for the little girl we were trying to adopt, was never read. I know for a fact that the email with all the attachments was received because we got back an automated response...but evidently our email was never opened. Sooo...now the people deciding on the new home for the precious little girl are deciding TODAY whose home she will go to. We were not even considered because "supposedly" they didn't know we were interested. It is now too late for us.

It is a very hard thing, again, to be disappointed like this when I did everything right. I emailed all the information on Dec. 12th, emailed again to make sure the information was received, I called on the phone on Tuesday...but they were too busy to take my call...Their website asks us to wait 24 to 72 hours for our emails to be answered and NOT to phone because they are just too busy. So I did that over a period of almost two weeks and this is what happens. EERRRRGGGGG!!!

It just makes me wonder WHY these things happen!! Why is is so very difficult just to give a needy child a home?

Sometimes I feel like giving up...but I know that when I reach the end of my life, if I live long enough to be very old, I will regret not at least doing everything I can do to offer a child a home.

On a brighter note, Christmas is just around the corner, isn't it? Most of our shopping is done and the presents are mostly wrapped. I decorated a tree at the "big" house yesterday since we are going to do most of our celebrating there this year because we will have more room for everyone. We have a family dinner tonight with some of Roger's family coming over. Next week, Lord willing, we will be heading to Florida to celebrate in Pensacola with his twin sister and her family. We will first stop over in Nashville, Tennessee to visit with Joe, Roger's college roommate and good buddy!

Some friends of ours from Becca's homeschooling group are flying back from Ethiopia on Friday with their newest children! They already have 7 birth children and they are bringing back 4 more precious kids! Praise the Lord that is working out for them! We have been surrounded by adoption or "safe house" kids and that is probably what is making our adoption journey a bit harder for us...I know that they probably all have had bumps in the road as well that perhaps I didn't hear about! I am taking a meal to them the day before we leave for Florida...a meal for 13 people!! :) THAT will be fun!!

The little guy that I got really close to from my friend's "safe house" went home to his mom this week. That is wonderful for him but we got the impression that maybe she was going to place him in an adoptive home...we had hoped it would be with us....
I guess I should explain what a "safe house" is....when parents for some reason can't take care of their children and don't want to turn them over to the state, they can be put in a "safe house" with the intent of coming back to get them. It is all regulated and controlled but they are NOT in the foster care system. We have two friends who are doing that now.

Well, I have lots of cooking to do and kids to wake up! I was really mean to Becca on Tuesday, the first day of her long Winter break! I got her up and told her that I wanted to have her start on her Health class that day. She moaned and almost cried! (haha!!I'm sooo mean!!) She DOES have to do it in the month of January but I am going to give her this week completely off!! I'm not soooo mean! She doesn't have to start classes again for her "school" until January 23rd so she is working on Health and possibly Child Development for me! Some of the kids in the group are heading off on a missions trip but that wasn't in our budget this year.

You have a merry CHRISTmas!!!! Blessings to you!!
Love,
Beth

Adoption Road....

2011-12-16T18:01:00.000-08:00

Wow....the road to adoption is NOT an easy one. I guess I've heard about adoption stories that just miraculously happen for a family. That has NOT been the case around here. Maybe in the future, I can look back and see miraculous things and road paved for us but from what I've heard other adoptive parents tell me, the road is NOT an easy one.

Our road is full of ups and downs, getting turned sideways, seemingly getting lost and confused along the way. Sometimes we just don't know how God is leading us.

Roger came and sat next to me a few nights ago. Very gently he told me that he doesn't see how we can possibly adopt from Africa. The money we need to do this will be required very soon. Our plan...what we thought God was going to do...was to sell the big house and use that money to finance our adoption. That hasn't happened yet. In fact, finances are tighter than they ever have been since we are trying to take care of two houses.

On the upside of things, though, we feel that PERHAPS God is working in a different direction in our adoption "journey." During the last few weeks, I have become aquainted...and rather attached...to two little boys in "Safe" houses...staying with two different friends of mine. Their mothers are working to get themselves in a better situation and the plans have been to get their little boys back. It looks like they are going back home and all should be reunited by Christmas. But I have suddenly realized that RIGHT here in our city...our state...our country...are children that desperately need homes...just as greatly as children in foreign countries need homes. These two little boys show signs of neglect...no physical abuse...but a lack of nurturing, teaching, and guiding that little ones need. If I could have adopted either of these little boys, I would have done whatever it took to do so...but that door closed as well.

Roger went to a two day seminar about children last week. Both days speakers talked about the need for homes for children in crisis. He came home every night talking about them. He was really interested in finding out more information about adopting from Foster Care or in some similar way. Quite a while ago, he told me that he thought that we would adopt by hearing about a child or children who were in need of a home. I don't think that foreign adoption was his first thought when we first started talking about it.

Soooo....right now we are making inquiries about a pretty 4 year old little girl who needs new parents. (Well....not NEW! In fact, EXPERIENCED parents were actually what they requested! Hey! We have 8 kids and 5 grandkids! How much more experience do they need, right? I think that makes us professional parents!)

The 4 year old little girl is GORGEOUS!!! She will certainly need lots of patient parental care since she has signs of abuse, neglect, domestic violence. What a precious little soul...she has endured so much in her little life. I wish I could just make it all better for her but I know that love is not all she needs. But....it's a start. Unconditional Love.

I'm trying not to get my hopes up AGAIN...like I did with the two little ones. I don't think that I am but I certainly keep finding myself going back to my email just to gaze at her precious little face. Oh wow. I'm in trouble!!!! ;)

We sent in our application to gain more information about her and hopefully next week we will at least have more knowledge. I don't know, as in the situation last month, if there are other families who are also interested in her. All we can do is try and to ask God, once more, for His guidance.

If you think about it, perhaps you could ask the Lord to guide us? And to protect these precious little ones who can not protect themselves.

Blessings to you this Christmas Season and always,
Beth

Blessings....

2011-12-01T06:26:00.001-08:00

I'm so grateful for my husband. He's my true sweetheart.
This last week or so has been pretty hard on me...I've either broken down and cried at the drop of a hat, moped around in the dark, or I've been sick with this cold.

I mention all of that to say that I haven't done much around this house. Almost all of the cleaning up after supper has been done by my husband. I'm very grateful.

Sometimes he just put his arm around me or called me on the phone to tell me that he loves me. One day he walked in the living room to find me sitting in the dark. "Are you mourning?" he gently asked me.

He told me over and over again not to get my hopes up that we would be adopting the children that we tried to get. He said that he didn't want me to get my heart broken.

Well, it did, but I am better.

Nyquil has a lingering effect on me and it takes me hours into the day to fully function!!
But this morning I got up and ironed three pairs of his pants and I am working on baking two birthday cakes that people have ordered. This weekend we are planning to take two of the grandchildren to the Christmas parade and then to go cut down our Christmas tree.
I'm also working on more Christmas sewing projects! Hopefully I will get a lot done today!

I have two wonderfully scented candles burning in my little house this morning, I can look out my back window at the neighbor's woods and watch the silly squirrels dancing in the back yard.
Hopefully I can plan a birdfeeder craft to do with Brody and Dylan this weekend and we plan to hang them in the trees!

Life is good...and God is even BETTER!

Blessings to you all...Merry Christmas! (almost!)

Switching Countries????

2011-11-30T13:37:00.000-08:00

Hello! Yesterday the snow fell heavily in parts of Indiana and today it is all white outside. I have a bad cold...probably brought on or at least made worse by my crying for days about the adoption disappointment. BUT I am recovering...from both...and feel somewhat better today!

I just talked to our adoption agency here in Indiana...in fact, I talked via email numerous times today. She said that the country that we have been thinking about is getting slower and slower and she is very frustrated about it. "Have you thought about switching countries?" she asked...and suggested Uganda.

They operate an orphanage in Uganda and she sent me names and ages of children there that are available...all HIV negative! She has a brother and sister pair...sister aged 3 or 4 and the little brother about 10 months old. She has other little ones as well...so.....we are thinking about it and considering and praying at this time. We have about a month to go in the process that she does and then it will be sent to the country we choose.

How exciting, especially after coming from such heartache last week. WOW!!!!!!!!!!!

It is amazing how God works in our hearts and lives. I have become very attached to two little ones from the Congo that I take care of on Monday mornings at Becca's "school." There are also two more preschoolers from the Congo that attend the same school and they are also just adorable! I love their little faces and God is certainly giving me a love love love for their little African ethnicity like I never thought He could!!!! I think that they are just absolutely beautiful. When I held my little newborn birth babies, of course, they were white and I thought that no one else had such pretty babies. Now I feel the same way about these little ones. They are just so beautiful!! I am so very very happy that He is giving me time with these other little ones before He gives me MY little one or ones! I can hug and love on them and imagine my own little child someday. (And you know that I will think that he or she or they are the MOST beautiful in the WORLD!!!) God IS GOOD. I think sometimes He is hard for me to understand and it is even more difficult for me to be patient...but through it all, HE is GOOD!

Brrrr......

2011-11-29T08:18:00.000-08:00

Oh wow...what a cold day this is turning out to be! It's another rainy day here in central Indiana.
I've been watching Thomas the Tank Engine with grandson Brody, though, and that always makes for a good day! (Not Thomas, necessarily, but BRODY, certainly!!)

I've also been drinking hot tea and starting on another Christmas sewing project this morning. I'm having some trouble locating my scissors. I'm rather quick to blame some teenagers around this house, but maybe I have them in my own mess. I DID see my kitchen scissors in one of their rooms and I found out today that they were giving the dog a trim with them. YUCK......Gross......

So, now that I'm trying to move on from the huge adoption disappointment, we're not exactly sure which way we are to go. I'm having a difficult time getting our adoption agency here in Indiana to answer my emails. Not sure what to think about that. I don't know how God is leading right now and I'm just not sure what to do. I think I will just wait and see what God does for us. I do know of a couple of children who MAY eventually be given up for adoption. It breaks my heart for them and the uncertainty and havoc that is in their lives. I'm really concerned for one particular little girl who I understand is in danger of being abused. Please keep her in your prayers. There's nothing I can do about it because I don't have a name or particulars...just that she is being badly mistreated and she's only 2. Could she turn out to be "my baby Grace?"

It's beginning to look a LITTLE like Christmas around here. I have a cute little quilt throw on our tiny kitchen table. It's a red, white and green wedding ring quilt. I have a poinsettia on the table as well and one on my tea cart in the living room. I have a stack of Christmas presents in the living room just waiting for a Christmas tree to put them under! It's strange to decorate this tiny little house compared to decorating the big house we have on the market. But it's still fun.

I've done quite a bit of Christmas shopping and I feel like we're almost done. I have gift cards to buy and just a few other things. We're cutting back this year!

Well, try to stay warm...and dry. Even the squirrels who dance around my back yard are holed up in their comfy tree. I think I will grab a blanket, a Christmas magazine, and an obliging toddler (and Thomas the Tank Engine...) and cuddle up on the couch!

Blessings!
Beth

One Last Word About the Two Little Ones...

2011-11-27T13:41:00.001-08:00

Today the family that was chosen to adopt the little ones are meeting with the "parents" and the two children. The kids don't realize that anything is going on with them but if the meeting goes well, the process for them to be adopted by the new family will start.

I have been thinking about the incredible joy that must be in the new Mommy's heart at the prospect of having these two beautiful children. I know that they brought me joy when I thought that it would be us adopting them.

I don't understand how God works...but that's ok. His ways are not our ways.

Today in Sunday School, amidst my tears when I shared with our class that we would not be getting the children, our teacher, Dennis, said to me, "You know, God knew all along who was going to get these children. But He knew that these children needed prayer...and I bet you prayed for them, didn't you?"

Of course, I did. I prayed so often, almost continually about them. I talked to so many people and asked for their prayers for them.

I don't understand prayer...I never have. I don't understand that an omnipotent, omniscient God would want us to pray but He does. And I did.

I most likely will never find out anything else about them, except that the adoption will be taking place but wow...I feel like they are part of my family. I will never be able to hear their names without thinking of the little ones I thought would be mine.

I'm sure this sadness will pass and so will the hurt. I'm sure we were brought this way for a reason that maybe we will never understand. But once the healing is done, we are made stronger.

But I know that we NEVER wanted to "compete" or "fight" for a particular child. I just realized that today...that THAT was why we wanted adopt from a 3rd world country. We wanted to give the child or children the love that we have in abundance to share. We want to give a home to a child without hope and to share our Savior with a child who may otherwise never know Him.

She's out there somewhere...I just have to wait to meet her.

No News is Bad News....

2011-11-26T06:48:00.000-08:00

We still haven't heard anything from the adoption agency regarding the two little ones. I realize that this is a major holiday week but in light of the fact that this is almost an "emergency" situation and the social worker told me that we needed to work fast, I am thinking that most likely we will not even be interviewed to possibly adopt the children.

Other families have already been contacted and have had conference calls to talk to the people the children are with now.

It's pretty hard right now. I have gone from the joy of thinking we will have the children we have been praying for for 4 years right after Christmas to the ugly reality that we will not get these children at all.

A little finch just landed in a tiny tree just outside my window where the computer is located. The limb where she sat almost leans on the pane of glass so I was able to really see her and I thought how pretty she is, tilting her little head from side to side, bright eyes darting around our back yard. Then I thought how the Bible says that God knows when a sparrow falls and that they do not have to worry about where to live or where to get food. How much more does our Heavenly Father love us?

This is a really hard time for me. I can only think of a few times in my life that I have been so upset. I have spent the last few days asking the Lord, respectfully, why He would put me through this? Why would He lead us in this way just to have "the rug jerked out from under us."
(Yeah, I used that phrase to Him, too.)

I don't know the answer but I do know that He loves us. He loves the little ones more than I do and He knows the very best home for them.

I have often thought, after we adopt and are adoption "savvy", that I would love to have an adoption ministry. I can't imagine having a ministry to people that are hurting if I have never hurt in the same way. What good would I be if everything were always easy?

I had cancer 13 years ago and I know the uncertainty of the diagnosis of malignancy. I can talk to people who have that looming over them.

I have been divorced. I can promise that things get better to those who are going through it now.

I have been abused. I can talk to women who have had the same experiences and shame.

I guess this is something else that I can add to my list. I don't like it very well, but to God be the glory. His GLORY is all that really matters anyway, isn't it?

One of these days, hopefully, I will have a lovely little brown skinned beauty to love and nurture. (Or possibly with skin more the color of my own...it doesn't matter! He or She will be OUR to love and cherish.)

The waiting is just so hard.

Breaking Heart....

2011-11-23T16:25:00.000-08:00

Sometimes things happen that I simply can not understand.

We were told tonight that there are several other families who are trying to get "our" little ones. We are 4th in line with 3 other more preferable, impressive families ahead of us. I was told that they have already started the phone interviews with them and that we would be told what happens. I have a feeling that the adoption specialist we have been dealing with is feeling bad for us...or something. She was almost gushing to me before and then became almost businesslike...as if she knew it weren't going to happen for us.

I was pretty sure that my heart ....having fallen quite hard for these two little angels...was very safe and not going to be broken and that the Lord was going to give them to us. I guess it is possible that we can still be chosen but it doesn't look good. But I know that with God all things are possible.

I've heard about families who have gone all the way through the process and even made trips to Russia...just to get to court to be turned down. What a heart break for them.

I had a miscarriage many years ago and this is what that felt like.

I don't understand it. At all.

There are two things that I can think of to make this a little bit more bearable. The first one is that we have been praying, all along, that the RIGHT home for these precious little ones will be found. It's possible that it is not with us.

The other thing is that WHEN the Lord gives us our child or children, the love we will have for them will be even deeper than it could be if the path was always easy.

Right now I am just feeling so empty. I have so much to be grateful, THANKFUL for, but right now I'm just so very very sad.
I was just so very very very sure.

But in all things, the Lord is GOOD. I don't understand it, but hopefully, some day He will show me why. Maybe when I look into the eyes of the child or children that He gives us, I will see His goodness reflected back to me. I just wish it could be soon....

Blessings,
Beth

Another adoption story...

2011-11-22T05:16:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago today we were given information about children who need a home. I can't go into specifics but they are gorgeous.
We realize that adopted children who are a bit older than newborn very very often have some emotional needs that need to be addressed, dealt with, and usually need to have some help getting through them.
We fell in love with these children immediately upon seeing their pictures. (We still haven't met them yet.) But being a Mother who desperately wants more children, I was afraid I was putting my heart before God's direction. So I prayed. And prayed. And prayed.
Finally I pleaded with God, asking Him to show me/us without a doubt that this was HIS will in our lives...and in the lives of these precious little children.
I asked Him to show me in the Bible without a doubt. Then I asked Him to do something for ME...this may sound silly, juvenile, for someone who has been a Christian for soooo many years, but I asked Him to allow me to open my Bible, anywhere it opens to, and I will start reading 10 chapters. Within those 10 chapters, I asked Him to show me the words, "Adoption, Orphan, or Fatherless". Then I told the Lord that if He doesn't show me those words, I will close the Bible and accept that these little ones are not the ones He has for us. (Immediately I started trying to figure out how I could get out of that last part of the prayer...because I really had fallen hard for these little children!!! But I didn't "weasel" out of the prayer. I knew that I would just not answer the email back if I didn't find those words. And a lump rose in my throat.)

I removed all the papers and bookmarks from my Bible and prayed again. Then I closed my eyes and opened the Bible....to Romans 8. I started reading there in verse 1. When I got to verse 15, I literally felt like I had been struck by lightening. It scared me to pieces! Romans 8:15 says, "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the spirit of ADOPTION, whereby we cry ABBA FATHER." There it was!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I continued reading. What else did He have for me in those chapters? Three times in the first 45 verses or so it says "ADOPTION"!!
I ran and showed my husband...Mr. Rational. He was fairly impressed. (as impressed as irrational thinking can impress him, that is....)
But I was at peace with the decision to move forward and started telling people about my experience.

Someone told me "Yeah, but ADOPTION is a pretty common theme throughout the Bible."

Oh, really???? I thought perhaps she was right. Do you know that the word adoption is mentioned only 5 times throughout the Bible? Three of those times were in the first 45 verses I read.

I've heard, throughout my whole Christian life, about people who say they open the Bible and put their finger on a verse and that's their answer. I've wondered about the wisdom of people who do that. (ok....yeah, I've done that myself a time or two.....) But I usually have done that out of my impatience. I want an answer RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!
I honestly don't feel this way about our situation. We had to make a decision right away and we wanted the Lord's leading in this. I don't ever ever want there to be a time .... if we get these children...that we think, "Wow...this is hard. Maybe we weren't supposed to have done this."

I don't think we will feel that way. Oh, yes, I'm sure that there will be hard times. There are always hard times. Even with biological children who haven't been through what these children will have been through, I have UPON OCCASION thought..."Ewwww....sometimes I don't like teenagers...."

So it is now out of our hands, into the hands of the people handling the little ones' situation...and into the very capable Hands of our Lord...who loves them even more than we already do.

HIS WILL BE DONE......(but I hope it's with us!!! ;) )

Adoption prayers....

2011-11-21T11:35:00.001-08:00

We are still praying and waiting for news about two little ones we are hoping to adopt. There is a lot to be considered but we know that God's hand is in all things in our lives. That is quite a comfort. In times that we are unsure or questioning ourselves, we can turn to Him and ask what is His will. If we truly feel that God is directing us, then we know that He is in charge. Thank goodness!! Everytime I'm in charge, I mess things up!
Keep us in your prayers, if you think about it. Also, keep those little ones in your prayers. It has to be so incredibly sad to not have a mommy or daddy to turn to and to get comfort from. How scary.
I think we need each other....;)

Angie's Gift

2011-11-15T06:01:00.000-08:00

When Roger and I married 4 1/2 years ago, I was thrilled to gain a wonderful mother in law. I was excited to have this steadfast Christian prayer warrior in my family and often in my home. I envisioned lots of times of prayer and chats with her as I became her daughter in law. Unfortunately, that was not to happen. We married in June and dear Angie went to heaven the following September.

She was in her 80's...she had her twins, Roger and Ronda, in her 40's. I knew it was not going to be for a long time that I would have her influence in my life, but I certainly took it hard losing her so soon after just getting to "have" her.

One of the hardest things I have thought about is trying to tell the precious child/children that the Lord eventually allows us to adopt about their grandma. I want them to feel that she is a part of them as well and how very very much she would have loved them! I am very fortunate to still have my crazy and funny parents to share with my little ones but I really wish that Angie could be here to love and nurture them as well. What a blessing she would be to them, as she was to us.

On Saturday, I was working on our bedroom. I finally put a closet pole in a niche in our room, creating a temporary closet until we build on to our home. I started sorting through the stacks of things we have in our bedroom and I came across a long flat box. I opened it up and was delighted to find what was within.

Angie had been a Sunday School teacher of young children for many many years. I think that she had to have been very much involved with little ones throughout all of my husband's life. What I didn't know is that she had kept her "visuals" that she had created during those years. In an age where people seem to think that children need electronics and gadgets to learn from, I was so happy to find her beautifully created pictures that she had used in teaching her Sunday School children all those years. There were hand drawn, colored pictures of Jesus, churches, missionary and Bible stories and open Bibles with verses written in them.

I became very excited after realizing that I had been searching the Internet for teaching aids to use when we are finally able to adopt little ones. How absolutely wonderful that I will be able to teach our little ones about the Lord, all lovingly created and drawn by their Grandma's gifted hand!

So, while it's true that Grandma Angie won't be here to physically love these children, she has left an amazing legacy. Not only did she rear a wonderful adoptive Daddy for these little children, she left her love and dedication to Biblical things to teach her adopted grandchildren about our dear Lord...and that's a precious precious gift.

Resting in Him

2011-11-12T04:46:00.000-08:00

For the last few weeks I have been waking up at about 4 or 4:30 every morning burdened for our adopted child/children, all along not having a clue who he or she or they are. I have prayed and prayed for them...or him...or her...until I finally am able to drift off to sleep. Then the alarm clock sounds at 6. Sounds about right, doesn't it?

But last night, during my sleepless hour or so, I realized that I was beginning to really enjoy that time with my Lord. I pour out my heart to Him, my concerns, my pain, my worries...and He listens. I finally place it all in His capable hands and find rest.

I wake up with my soul at peace knowing that His will will be done. VERY often, I wake up with a refrain from a Christian song running through my head. What a blessing that is when I know that the Lord has been taking care of me while I sleep, comforting me and giving me the needed rest. How often have we looked in on our children while they slept, taking care of their every need, coaxing disheveled locks of soft hair from their foreheads, covering them up for the 100th time, adjusting their little arms into a more comfortable position, retrieving lost "Bear Bears" that have slipped to the floor.

What does He think when He sees His Dear Ones sleeping? He says to us, "I will keep thee in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Me." Isaih 26:3 (Paraphrased by me!)

We love and cherish our children...how much more capable is our Heavenly Father to take care of us...AND them...even before they are placed in our homes!

Blessings,
Beth

Signs of Winter...

2011-11-11T07:17:00.001-08:00

Looking out our kitchen window I see signs of winter. Central Indiana has had two mornings of thick frost on our windows and ground. The soybean and corn fields are now bare...but still beautiful. As a child, I loved to wander our farm fields just after harvest. Often we picked up ears of corn that the harvester missed. We would clean all the kernels off the cobs to help feed our animals. In the wintertime, I would iceskate on the ice left in the rows where the corn had once stood. In the late fall or winter, I would gather dried weeds to arrange and decorate our home.

I'm looking forward to wandering in the woods behind our house...now almost completely bare of their leaves. It seems all new to me now that the trees look different.

Winter makes some people sad...but not me. True, I hate filling up my gas tank when its so cold that your nose freezes. I really hate driving (or having my loved ones drive) in bad weather, but I truly love playing in the snow with the kids. I have always loved building snow men, snow forts and writing "I love you!" in the traces of snow on my husband's car. The approaching holiday season makes me happy! I love buying people presents, wrapping them beautifully and having them appear under the tree!

When my children were younger, we had HUGE stockings that "Santa" filled. That way, there was a limit on what "he" could bring. He brought toys that would fit in the stockings, dolls, stuffed animals, legos, etc. We are not sure how we are going to handle "Santa" with any adopted child. Our true focus has always been on Jesus and the last few years even more so.
We have more Nativity scenes than we know what to do with!

How have YOU handled Christmas... with or without Santa? Roger didn't have "Santa" come when his children were younger...in my home, we did. We are not arguing about this, I think either way would be fine. In this and in all things, we want to do the right thing in the eyes of God!

Blessings,
Beth

Adoption Prayer Request

2011-11-09T06:40:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I received news of an adoption option. (waxing poetic...) I can't really give specifics but we are exploring this with great anticipation and lots and lots of prayers!

I think knowing God's will is sometimes so very difficult. I want to do HIS will, not BETH'S will....but what is it?? I've been searching the Scriptures and Roger and I have both prayed and made a decision. However,the ultimate decision is not in our hands...but God's, right?

Prayers, please!!!!!

2011-11-02T08:24:00.000-07:00

When I hear about dear ladies whose hearts are breaking because they don't have a child, now I ALMOST understand how they feel. I, of course, have been blessed to be able to have a child, so I am sure I don't understand the depth of sadness they experience. But this longing to hold a little one again and call him or her my son or daughter is pretty deep in itself. It seems like a long long journey to adopt. I know that I will surely think that it has been worth it when we finally are able to go and bring our child home.

Maybe it will help when we are finally matched with a child...but then again, the longing will be even more extreme when we can actually see the child's precious face and know that he or she is without us...and that we desperately need each other.

I think about the women in the Bible who prayed and prayed for children...of Hannah, of Sarah, or Elizabeth. What sweet names they would make for the little girl I am desiring. Hannah Grace, Sarah Grace, Elizabeth Grace.....precious!

Or Nathaniel Allen........No question about his name. (We intend to incorporate the African name into the name as well....)

Sunday I heard about a two year old little African American boy who was just taken from his mother because of her meth addiction and my heart went out to him. I think it is very unlikely that we would be able to take him in...but we are making some inquiries. Currently, a friend of mine is trying to obtain temporary custody. I am praying earnestly for that to happen. Of course, it would be a long and difficult road to actually try to legally adopt him. Possibly full of heartaches for us all. But this woman has already lost custody of two other children earlier in her life because of drugs. This little guy needs a home but she still has her parental rights currently. I'm not sure what it would do to our African adoption but we really want to have two children!
Roger would be soooooo thrilled to have a little boy!!

I'm just asking for God's leading in this and in all things. He is good. (Confusing to me sometimes but very very good!!)
Blessings to you all,
Beth

2011-10-19T11:19:00.000-07:00

What a weekend we had. Roger, my dear hubby, became sick again on Thursday morning and within two hours was admitted into the emergency room. He had an infection and his heart rate was 136 beats a minute and his temperature was just over 103 degrees. He was one sick man! He stayed in the hospital until Sunday afternoon when I was finally able to bring him home with me again! He is feeling better and trying his best to go back to work.

We had paid for a camping weekend with Becca's homeschool "school" for Friday and Saturday night. Roger insisted that I take her to at least part of it even though he was in the hospital. Amidst lots of tears from me (because I didn't want to leave him) it was decided that I would drive up late Friday night and "camp out" in our big "homeschool" van. We had intended to take our camper but I didn't want to try to set it up alone! We arrived at "Prophetstown State Park" near Lafayette, Indiana at about 10 p.m. (Named for a Native American man who lived in that area long ago.) It was VERY cold and windy but she and I were snug in the van! Leaving Roger in the hospital was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do but Roger insisted that this weekend was important to Becca and that he "commanded" me to take her.

We did have fun but I sure worried about Roger and I am sure that I drove him crazy calling him every few hours. We spent a lot of time getting to know the other homeschooling families...some of them we got to know a little too much! Some of the dads decided to put on a "rock concert" as they walked out from behind an RV dressed like 80's or 90's rockers...wigs and all! They didn't REALLY sing, just acted like they were the performers while someone's Ipod played. It was REALLY silly. Other campers who weren't part of the 50 or 60 people we were with walked by with curious yet amused expressions on their faces as the dads played the electric guitars (with no strings) and beat on the drums...kind of in beat...sometimes.

I hurried back to my van to get my camera and happened to speak to some of the other campers. I told them that we were a "fairly conservative Christian homeschool group" and that we really knew how to have fun....haha!! They laughed and I thought it was kind of nice to let people know that we are KIND OF normal...for homeschoolers, I guess.

On Saturday, I took Becca to Wolf Park which has 15 wolves, 2 coyotes, and 2 foxes all in a beautiful and large confined area. They were wonderful to see. We went back in the evening to learn more and join in their "howl" night. Becca's favorite topic is wolves so she was really in her element! Two other homeschool families joined us so that made it even more special!

We drove back home late Saturday and I dropped her off with her big sister and I hurried to the hospital and stayed a few hours with my Roger. I think he was happy to see me but was also happy to see the small back of chocolates that I brought to him! I was really happy when he told me on Sunday that I could come and get him!

He went to work today and yesterday but I think he is very tired and needs to rest as soon as he gets home.

I made a cute little dress for our niece Kathy for Christmas today! I have yet to figure out how to make buttonholes but other than that, it is done! I am planning to make her a matching little doll dress to go with it for "Hope", her baby doll. Kathy's sister, Jenny, is 11 and I plan to make her an apron and oven mits to go with a girl's cook book we purchased for her. It reminded me of how much I enjoy sewing and I can't wait to make little dresses if and when we are able to adopt!

Well, I have dished to do and supper to start so I think I should get back to work!
Blessings to you all,
Beth

Aaron's Witness...To God Be the Glory...

2011-10-11T13:08:00.001-07:00

All of my "Christian" life I have been told that people watch us as Christians and are affected by how we live our lives. We've been told that sometimes we have a silent witness and that when people are hurting or are in trouble, they will come to us.

That is exactly what happened to my "big" boy, Aaron. I say "Big" boy because he is my oldest child, oldest of our 8 combined children.
Last week, his boss called him into her office and told him to close the door. He thought, "Goodbye job..." and did as she asked.

"You're a Christian, right?" she asked.
"Yes."
Then she broke down. She told him things that he didn't divulge to me and I didn't ask him.

He told me that it was difficult for him because the things she told him were big, heavy things.
So later that weekend, he sat down and composed a large email and sent it to her personal email.

Then he waited while she didn't respond or even talk to him about it at work.
Today she called him over again and thanked him for his words. She said she had to have read it 200 times over the weekend.

I asked him what he told her and without going into details about this woman's struggles, he said he told her about his faith, plain and simply. I'm sure the Holy Spirit gave him the words to write.
She said she is searching.

I hope she finds Him.

There are some days that make me so very very proud to be a Momma. Today is one of those days.

Lovely Autumn Days

2011-10-10T11:24:00.000-07:00

Roger and I took a picnic one day last week and the leaves were a beautiful sight to see! They were falling all around the picnic table but it is a little hard to capture with my camera.

Yesterday we had another picnic and then joined son Aaron, his lovely wife, Holly, and their two little boys (Dylan pictured above) and Brody for a walk in the park. Sometimes cellphones should be left in the car....

Roger's birthday cake! He loves chocolate cake with hard caramel icing on top!

This is the view from our bedroom door at our little blue house.

Early morning light streaming through the trees...gorgeous!!

A little gentle stream ran near our picnic site on Friday...Roger's birthday!

The bridge and creek above is in Bloomington, Indiana. It was a nice little picnic spot. We would have loved to have hiked but if we had spent any more time, I would have missed the pumpkin ice cream I just HAD to have in Nashville, Indiana. Have you ever had pumpkin ice cream?? Oh Wow.....yum yum yum!!!

Some of the family decided to cross the little rock path over the creek on our walk on Sunday afternoon. I chose the bridge.....Holly and their dog, Lady, a rescued grey hound, led the pack!

NOW.......tilt your head to the left because I forgot to turn the picture prior to uploading to blogger......

This is my Becca...who is 14 and getting WAY too grown up in her

Momma's opinion. What happened to Baby Becca???
KEEP YOUR HEAD TILTED.......yeah, I did it again......

This is NOT another picture of Becca, this is Jennie, 18 and WAY WAY too grown up!! They do look a lot alike, though. Every day when they are out together, people ask if they are twins!

Here we are with 3/8ths of our kids....not including the one or two God is planning for us in Africa! Beth, Roger, Jennie, Becca and Gideon! We have to send some of these pictures to the government in Africa to let them "have a look" at us for our adoption. Perhaps the government there will say, "NO WAY!!" Haha....

Have a LOVELY fall day...Jennie and Marci, (my oldest daughter, 21) are going out to take Jennie's senior pictures this afternoon and evening. Jennie is the shyest girl ever known so making her get professional pictures done would be worse than pulling teeth. So, big sis is doing it for her! They plan to go to the park that we picnicked at on Sunday. Should be wonderful!

Blessings,

Beth

An Evening Away and Laundry Room Drama...

2011-10-06T09:25:00.000-07:00

My husband's birthday is October 7th and we are taking a day to just be alone! I can't wait!

We were planning to go to Bloomington, IN to stay but I wasn't happy with "Priceline's" hotel prices...I'm really cheap!

Anyway, we are going to stay in a lesser known town with less expensive hotel prices!
Roger's very elderly aunt is in a nursing home in this town so we are going to go visit her, Lord willing, first thing in the morning and then it is off to antique shops OR Nashville, Indiana!

I'd love to go to Nashville, Indiana! For those who aren't familiar with Indiana, Nashville is in the lower third of the state and the scenery is gorgeous this time of year with the changing leaves. Hotels and campsites are booked solid. Bed and Breakfasts are booked months or even years in advance for the fall season. It is a little town mostly made up of shops, some handmade items, unique items and antiques. SOOO much fun!
Then there is also Brown County State Park just outside of Nashville. It is Indiana's answer to our lack of mountains. There are gorgeous overlooks in the hills. (Indiana is mostly flat, flat, flat...but southern Indiana is more hilly.) I used to live near there and believe it or not, as much as I loved the hills and the trees, I missed seeing the sunset and the sunrise! They were blocked by hills and trees! I'm a true flatlander. There is nothing as pretty as a sunset over a corn or soybean field. Sort of.

Anyway, Brown County State Park is where Roger first told me he loved me. (Well, he actually told me he loved me months earlier but then he took it back. Yep, he did. To Roger, telling a lady that he loved her meant more than a feeling of love. It meant a commitment. He had just given me a kiss in his laundry room and then he said, "I love you." I assume having a lady working in his laundry room was just more than the man's emotions could handle. Soooo... he kinda took it back and said that he loved kissing me. Hmmm...what's not to love? I haven't let him hear the end of it yet. After all, he shouldn't have been kissing me if he didn't love me, right????? And believe me, I wouldn't have been helping him with his laundry if I hadn't loved HIM already!! All's well now, though, because he has told me that he loves me since then and has NOT taken it back!!!!!!!!!!! Usually I do his laundry....Haha....)

Anyway, we aren't sure what we are going to do yet. But it will be nice to just get away for the night!

By the way, our big house is officially on the market!! Open house is set for this Sunday. I bet all the neighbors show up.

Blessings!
Beth

"Courageous" Movie

2011-10-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

My husband and I, along with 4 friends from church, went to see the "Courageous" movie tonight.

I highly recommend it but be aware that you may need LOTS of tissues!

It was extremely well made and very professional. There is a good Salvation message in it but the overwhelming message during the movie is about being a parent with the emphasis being on the father in the family. There is also a LOT of humor thoughout the movie...we laughed and laughed several times. (I love to hear my husband laugh like that.)

Do go and see it...and tell your friends and family that they should join you. You won't be sorry.
By the way, several of the guys around us teared up, too.

But it was really really good.

Blessings,
Beth

2011-09-29T07:22:00.000-07:00

I couldn't believe it yesterday when I walked to the mailbox and my passport had arrived! I had only applied for it 11 days ago and it is here already! Immediately I copied it and mailed the copy to our adoption agency. I THINK we have everything turned in to them now...I HOPE so, anyway!

She told me a few weeks ago what we still needed for our "Dossier" and I quickly gathered the rest and sent it to her.

So hopefully...our application for adopting a little girl...or two little children...will be finalized and sent to the Lesotho Government.

It could still be as long as a year, but Lord willing, it might be sooner than that!

It seems so strange to have this little girl deeply embedded into our hearts yet not really have her at all. We don't have a referral yet...I think I will just go crazy when we do get the referral!! But we refer to her as "Grace" and Becca said the other day, "I put the book on Grace's bed."...
(She will share a room with our little adopted girl and it is already set up for her.
It's like she is here already. She is certainly in our hearts!!!!)

Can you imagine it if God gives us two little children to love and nurture? I've started writing in my journal to include two children, possibly a girl and a boy, or two girls, or just one girl. I don't EVER want the 2nd child, if God gives us a 2nd child, to feel unwanted or left out. I've tried to convince Roger that if God DOES give us two little girls, BOTH of them should have the name Grace as their middle names. I'm not sure that I am convincing him, though. (Hope and Faith are also good names. He suggested Mercy but we already have a "Marci" and I often say, "Mercy, Marci!!")
Depending on the age of the child, we may keep her/his African name. I think it depends much on how cumbersome it sounds to American ears. I'm fairly confident that we will keep the name in some way, though. It will be that child's heritage, after all!

Well, have a lovely day,
Blessings!
Beth

The Misadventures of Soapmaking....

2011-09-27T08:05:00.000-07:00

On the few mornings that I stayed home last week while babysitting little Brody, I made soap. It was so much fun and I had really good results...for the most part. The lavender soap is made with a goat's milk base and has lavender scent and seeds within it. The brownish soap is an oatmeal/honey soap made with a glycerin base. I love the oatmeal soap and it makes my skin feel so soft and comfy...especially as the air in our home tends to be dry! I haven't yet used the lavendar soap because it looks too pretty to use!! (And they're supposed to be Christmas presents this year!)

WELL....I didn't say EVERYTHING was a success, did I??? We don't really use our dishwasher because it tends to throw nasty things back on the dishes. However, I decided that it would be a good tool to use to get the excess soap off of my pans, spoons, and soap molds.

Harmony the cat can't figure out exactly what is happening to the kitchen floor...."Since when does soap have tails??" We piled towels up next to the floor to stop the increasing flow of bubbles!

Oh well....it was pretty funny, anyway!

I told Roger that it reminded me of "I love Lucy" and he said it reminded him more of Bobby Brady on the Brady Bunch. I seem to remember an episode about soap but I'm not sure!

Marie....I've been trying to leave comments on your blog but not having much success so I will have to try to have another sign on...hope to talk to you soon!!

Blessings!!!

Beth

Fun with Homeschooling...making soap!

2011-09-21T07:18:00.000-07:00

There's usually not nearly as much time this year as there was in the past years for fun projects in our homeschool day. After all, Becca is now in high school and takes ALL the required classes plus a few more like Logic and art history. She's doing well in Algebra, Biology and Spanish...classes that I would certainly have difficulty handling if she did not go to a "tutorage" two days a week with other Christian families.
Anyway, I drew her away from Literature this morning to help me "make" soap. (This will be little Christmas presents for special people this year.)
It is very easy to do and something I think would be fun for people of all ages!

First, figure out how many ounces you need for your mold and then just cut the purchased base into small pieces. We used Michael's to buy goats milk soap and used a 40% off coupon...of course!! We also bought the oil, molds, color, and seeds there. (Some candle making supplies were on clearance sale...that's a project for another day!!)

The instructions say to use a microwave OR a double boiler...but since we have neither of those right now, we improvised using a big pan and a little pan. (I also use these pans to make "Buckeyes" when I need to melt chocolate and parafin.) A little Yankee ingenuity...also known as ..."Poor folk have poor ways." Yeah, whatever.....

We added color drop by drop until we got a lovely shade of lilac. Becca and I dropped scented oil into the melted mixture until we arrived at the wonderful scent we liked. We used lavender. Then she added lavender seeds to the mixture until she was happy with how it looked.

Three little bars of lovely soap for Christmas gifts...all lined up and waiting to cool!

(I have to go paint woodwork at the house we are going to sell or I would stick around and show you the product out of it's mold...and I'm too anxious to blog about it right now! I know if I waited, it would NOT get posted!!) Hopefully I can finish up some more molds and get a pretty little country stack of soaps to show you later on!

By the way, I am having a terrible time commenting on people's blogs...some of my favorites that I really consider friends. It tells me that I have to log off and log on using another sign on. I use Google. Does anyone know what the problem is?

Blessings!

Beth

Living with Boys....

2011-09-20T05:36:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I just don't understand the opposite sex-especially when they get together to gang up on a certain female. It makes an otherwise fairly normal 40 something man turn into a 12 year old.
I'd been having a fairly difficult weekend. My black van's gas gauge doesn't work so I have to constantly guess at how much gas I have. Makes for interesting outings.
I ran out of gas a few miles from my house on Thursday and Roger had to come and rescue me.

We have been working sooo hard finishing up the house and I'd ripped up vinyl, carpet, tack strips and staples for days. I will wake up and my hands still hurt.

I'm not asking for any sympathy here...sometimes hard work is a good thing and the accomplishment can be a wonderful feeling. I'm just tryin' to lay the ground work to TRY to explain the dumb boys I live with.

Saturday dear husband Roger killed a snake and draped it on my car side mirror. Nasty.
Sunday I wrecked the car.
Sunday I ran out of gas. Again.
Sunday-immediately after running out of gas, finally driving to the other house to meet said boys (a.k.a. hubby and step son...) WHO, by the way, are fully aware of the kind of day I have been having....and getting back into my van to head to church, I find a NASTY DEAD DRIED OUT SKULL OF SOME LONG DEMISED CRITTER on the dashboard of my van.

WHAT MAKES BOYS/MEN THINK IT'S A FUNNY THING TO DO???? I do believe that they are missing some key ingredients in their DNA and that's why God created women.

I picked up the nasty skull with my bare hands and handed it through the window to my 14 year old step son who was standing there grinning like the cat who swallowed the canary. (Yes, I actually picked the dead thing up, examined it, and handed it back. I WAS NOT GOING TO GIVE THEM THE PLEASURE OF SEEING ME FREAK OUT!!)

"Yuck." I said rather calmly...and might I add...I was rather proud of myself for my composure...

Icky Boys. I am sure they have cooties.

Fender bender...

2011-09-18T13:17:00.000-07:00

Yep, I did it. After church, I was driving home with just Becca because Roger drove seperately so that he could practice his solo after church. I was driving down a road and decided to show Becca where a little hidden park is near our house. I backed up my van and B A M!!!!! I backed right into the tailgate of a parked Chevy truck. His truck isn't too bad but the tail light and right fender of my van is completely messed up.

I cried. And cried. And cried.

The owner was a nice guy and told me to take a breath and that it would be ok.

Roger was wonderful and told me that now it matched the front of the van where he did the damage a few years ago. (But he did point out that I didn't leave as much paint on the van as he did...yeah, I took it down to the bare bent metal...)

Sigh....

Sneaky Snake and Adoption News...

2011-09-17T05:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Roger killed a snake while doing some gardening. First, however, he sent me a picture on my phone since I wasn't there. I called him and told him not to kill it but it was too late. So later on, I decided that it would be great fun to coil up an old leather belt and place it in the grass where he was working. I thought it would scare him but it failed miserably. So, in retaliation, he put the nasty dead snake on my side mirror on my van! (One of my daughters warned me so HIS plan failed as well!) Now I have him wondering where the dead snake will turn up....heh heh heh heh...........we'll see, won't we? I really think I need to get rid of the real dead snake and get a fake one...that one was just too yucky.

I received an email yesterday from our adoption agency and it seems that we just need a few more documents to send them to complete our dossier! I am so excited. I know that it will be a while yet before we are placed with a child/children but at least it is really in the works.

We are having a man finish up installing the new flooring in the other house today. Wow does it ever look beautiful. Kind of makes me wish we weren't selling it...but not very much!! It will be so nice not to have a house payment and with this comes the ability to finance our adoption a little bit better. We are also hoping to have some fund raisers to help out with that!

It's a bit nippy here in Indiana today. It is 64 degrees in the house but I don't mind it being chilly. I can always put on a sweater. I'd rather it be chilly than hot. I HATE HOT......

The trees in central Indiana are beginning to turn colors. Daughter Jennie has a very good friend coming from England with his family and I was hoping that the trees would still be in all their glory when they get here. I'm afraid that they will miss it by a few weeks but they will be just in time for the "dreary" weather that comes when the leaves finally fall. We do have some wonderful fall festivals, cook outs, and pumpkin patches that would be so much fun to go to with our guests! We are getting pretty excited about them coming!

Lots to do today! Roger is finishing up decorating a cute "Monster Truck" cake for a set of twin boys whose birthday party is today! He is so talented! And adorable...when he doesn't have a dead snake in tow.......

Blessings!
Beth

The End is in Sight!!

2011-09-13T12:47:00.000-07:00

We are nearing the end of the work on the big house we are readying for sale. We are having a very nice Christian man come to the house tomorrow to start working on the new flooring that we just purchased, repair a bit of shingles that blew off recently and do some other minor repairs that are beyond what we feel comfortable doing. We will be soooo happy JUST to have it listed...and THRILLED when it sells. The realtor assures us that it is a very "sellable" house. We hope so. We have come to the realization that we are losing so much money on it...probably about what our smaller house is worth will have been lost in the sale of the large house. But is is like carrying around a huge backpack full of good but heavy stuff...after a while, you just want the weight of it off your back and you're happy to have less on you.

I am just so grateful that we have this little house and it doesn't belong to the bank! I can look out my windows...old and drafty as some of them are...and see the yard, flowers, and trees that are ours. Out our back windows we can see the beautiful woods behind our house and the soybean fields that connect to the corner of our yard. They are not ours...but it doesn't cost anything to LOOK at them and we don't have to pay taxes on them since they belong to someone else! We now have a little white arched wooden seat, a wishing well and our clothesline here! Can't wait til we get our chickens and chicken coop!

I purchased a beautiful set of curtains for our living room. We like the look of toile fabric but have hesitated to buy the fabric that I would make curtains with because of the cost. We had looked at cream with the blue old fashioned pictures. I almost bought it but decided that it was something we could do without. Then I went to the world's best store-Goodwill-and found cream and burgundy toile full length curtains that exactly match our couch and still look nice with navy walls. They were $4.99 each! Quite a bargain! I was very excited about it!! They are so pretty!
I was just thinking how pretty our Christmas tree and decorations will look with the old fashioned curtains!

I've decided to just hang a rod in the corner of our bedroom so that I can hang up our clothes since we don't yet have a closet. That will be a very good thing and will substitute well until God sells our other house and we can do the things we would like to do to our "cute little blue house in the country!"

Things are looking up!!

Blessings!
Beth

Did you ever feel like not praying? Confessions of an overwhelmed Mom.

2011-09-08T08:02:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, that's a terrible thing to feel like...not feeling like praying. It's not that I am mad at God, it's not that I don't LOVE God!
But the last few weeks I just have felt so defeated and just plain mean inside.
THAT'S A KIND OF AWFUL THING TO ADMIT BUT I AM REALLY FEELING TRANSPARENT TODAY.

Oh, yes, I've prayed at meal times, prayed for someone to get well, prayed for safety on the road...all the things that are fairly easy to pray about.

But when it comes to our "couples" devotions or prayer time, I just haven't felt like praying.
So....I "pass" and let Roger do all the praying. I just felt like I couldn't "really" pray in a personal way. I have felt pretty discouraged and felt like I didn't deserve to pray.

Today, we discovered that I had LOST all the really really really important papers that people have to have...birth certificates, several years' tax statements, ALL OF OUR ADOPTION PAPERWORK AND OUR HOMESTUDY!!! I was just absolutely desperate and literally sick about it.

Since we have moved, we are very disorganized and incredibly overwhelmed. We are finishing up with the work that needs to be done at the other "big" house that we are selling. (Errrggg....the realtor told us to repaint the rooms that I had JUST repainted. I guess lavender is just too bright for it to be attractive for bedrooms. The cutest nursery ever also needed to be repainted and have the wall stickers removed from the walls. That just broke my heart. Even though we are selling the house, I decorated that room for our future adopted child. )

We still don't have a closet in our new/old/little house (which I LOVE LOVE LOVE...but wish it had a closet for us!) Our file cabinets that we usually have kept all the important information in are not moved here yet so I somehow had misplaced all those papers that we sooo badly needed.

Roger told me last night that he really had to have our tax statements TODAY before leaving for work so we went all out looking for the folder in which I had all those things. Finally this morning he left but asked me to continue searching and to bring them to him WHEN I found them.

So all this morning I have spend looking for a little file amongst piles and piles and boxes stacked around our bedroom. I tore the old vans apart looking for it just in case I left it there after a meeting with the adoption agency. No luck.

So....my grumpy old self decided that it was time to PRAY. To pray EARNESTLY....with TEARS!! (The tears were easy in my current mood.)

Then I searched again...no luck.
Finally I cried out to Him...asking why this was such a hard thing to answer for us?? I know, I sounded like a spoiled child, didn't I? But how many times does it feel like it's not too hard for HIM...just a simple request...and "If He LOVED me,.....He would do this for me."

How many times do our children say, "If you loved me, you would do this for me!!" We know WHY we can't do this or that for our kids and that it would be better for them to wait for their request. Maybe they had something to learn??

So, there I was, telling the Lord that He doesn't really love me. After all, He ONLY died on the cross for me, right? Gave me SALVATION, right? That's all......yeah.

But at least I was praying...communicating with my FATHER...even though it wasn't how I should have been doing it.

I continued searching. I moved a huge box of picture frames waiting for a wall that has not yet been built. I knew it wasn't in there. I was sure I wasn't searching in the right spot. There was another box, I went through it, and under that, I found a laundry basket.
"Hmmm....I've been looking for those clean clothes..." I thought....and low and behold, the green folder I had been crying over was at the bottom of the small orange laundry basket.

"THANK YOU LORD, THANK YOU LORD, THANK YOU LORD!" I prayed. I had been ready to give up. He kept me going.
There was NO reason that file should have been in the laundry basket....AND I'M KINDA...NO...REALLY EMBARRASSED TO ADMIT THAT WAS WHERE IT WAS!!

I think that sometimes we just get overwhelmed with THINGS and take our eyes off of God.
The things that we are doing right now in our lives ARE very very important and nothing can be taken off the "to do" list. Roger's illnesses these last few months were unforeseeable. Our adoption process is a very long and drawn out one. Working to sell the big expensive house is absolutely a crushing weight on us. Difficulties in families stress us to the point of breaking.

But nothing is as important as our relationship with God. Even though I haven't felt like praying or having an earnest relationship with my Lord right this very minute, He has not forsaken me! He will never forsake me.

He leads us through things, holding our hands like we would hold the hands of a precious child.

He never lets go.

I BUILT A CLOTHESLINE!!!! (with a little help...)

2011-09-07T07:05:00.000-07:00

There it is, amongst the raindrops, in all it's glory stands my long awaited clothesline! Once I set my mind to it, it wasn't very hard to build at all!

I made this "T" thingy with brackets.......

added an adorable and willing toddler....(Not necessary for the completion of this project but it makes it a WHOLE lot more fun....but it just MIGHT take you a little longer to finish....just sayin'....)

and used this handy dandy electric drill/screwdriver....don't try it without it....with those wonderful bracket thingies and some eye screws......

on top of these really MUCH too long posts..........

Throw in a willing husband and step son to dig the holes.....

And there it is....DONE!!!!

Hurray!!!!!!

And today....it rains.......

Indiana State Fair Tragedy

2011-08-15T10:38:00.000-07:00

The events of Saturday night at our Indiana State Fair were tragic. Watching the videos left me in tears and thanking the Lord that my family was safe. One of my daughters, had she been at the concert, is just tenacious enough to have made her way down front. I remember years ago when she was only about 11, I received tickets to a concert and decided to take her. When we went to the concert, all of the sudden, she was no longer at my side, she was front and center of the stage. (Not the same stage.)
I've been to the State Fair many times and to that same concert area several times. (Mercy Me was just there last week, I believe.) It is a BIG attraction to the people of Indiana and surrounding areas. I've been there when there was rain, but never when it was like we had it on Saturday night.
My family and I had just gotten home from an 11 mile canoe trip and were exhausted Saturday night. Roger and I decided to "take a nap" which ended up being an "all night" nap. (11 miles in a canoe is longer than it sounds....) Suddenly, the wind picked up and it stormed heavily. The dog, who was outside, started yelping in fear until she was let in.
This was no ordinary rainstorm/wind gust. IT was incredible. It was terrifying.

We didn't hear of the tragedy until the next morning when I was listening to WGNR Moody Radio. There was just a few sentence news report concerning the accident.

What a terrible, unpredictable, heartbreaking thing!

Just that day, while we were canoeing, we had an incident that reminded me that life is very uncertain and that it can be taken away in a blink of an eye.

14 year old Becca had invited two neighbor girls to go on this church canoeing outing with us. We were canoeing down White River on the eastern edge of Indiana a few hours from our home. Most of the time it was a nice current...a few low spots...but pretty easy. In fact, there were a lot of little boy scouts in the canoes around us. Becca was in a canoe with the two neighbors, the youngest was 9.
We had stopped for lunch and the little girl didn't want to put her life jacket back on. I happened to glance over and saw that she hadn't put it on and asked Roger to very firmly tell her she had to wear it.
About an hour later, the three girls got caught in a "rapid" area and were thrown with their canoe into a downed tree. The little girl decided to jump out of the canoe into the water. She started struggling and screaming. Not realizing how deep it was, I calmly said, "Just stand up...put your feet down."
There seemed to be no bottom to the river.
She started swallowing water, even with the life jacket on her little body.
I realized that there was a significant undertow and that she couldn't swim or even dog paddle out of the situation so I jumped in after her.
My feet couldn't touch the bottom....and of course, I had been wayyyyy too cool to wear MY life jacket! I finally reached her and she clung to me and I started trying to swim...all the time we were being swept downstream. I was finally able to reach the bottom of the river and could ALMOST stand up but was having a hard time trying to get BOTH of us to safety.
There was a man who was one of the leaders of the Boy Scouts and I shouted to him. He was already standing in the river and I thrust the little girl to him and he carried her to shore.

I realize that most likely she would have been safe. There weren't THAT many deep places in the river because of the lack of rain lately. But it was absolutely terrifying to us both.
But what if God hadn't caused me to look behind us and realize that she wasn't wearing her life jacket? What if the undertow had trapped her under the tree?
I know that there are freak accidents that occur...such as the tragedy at the Indiana State Fair...and I am so grateful that God protected the little girl and myself during our canoe trip.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the families of those lost and those still clinging to life.

It reminds me to realize that at any moment, our lives could be required of us. It is ONLY through the blood of Christ and His Salvation that we can make it safely to the "Other Shore."

Blessings...
A little sadder, meeker, and yet very grateful, Beth

County Fair Results........

2011-07-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

You just won't believe this...my little story about adoption won Grand Champion in our county fair! I was sooooo surprised. I'm trying to decide if I want to send it in to have a Christian magazine to look at it. It's kinda scary to put yourself "out there"....
I entered a basket in the "Gifts from the Kitchen" section and got a Champion ribbon. (Actually, it was 3rd or 4th out of all the others...with Grand Champion and Reserve Champion placing higher than me.) It was a lot of fun to do and they usually auction the baskets off to raise money for the Extension Homemakers.
I got a blue ribbon on my oatmeal cookies and on my painted gourd. It was so much fun to just participate in our county fair. LOTS and LOTS of ladies from our little church also entered things. It's neat to be part of a little farming community!

Becca entered her little painting of a bird and received a Reserve Champion ribbon in the open show. She got two blue ribbons on her photos in the Homemakers Junior division.

She got all Blue placings on her projects and an Honor with a Blue Ribbon on one of her photos in the regular 4H fair. Gideon got two blue ribbons on his two projects.

All in all, they were happy with what they got...Becca tends to be hard on herself and works for that "Champion or Reserve or Grand Champion Ribbon." This is the first year she hasn't won one of those enviable ribbons. But she wasn't able to work on them as hard as she has in the past so I'm happy with her efforts.

Roger and I have our big class reunions this year. Since I went to school with Roger for three years, freshman through junior years, I know everyone he graduated with. That reunion is this weekend. I guess most people are apprehensive about those big reunions...I wish I had lost lots more weight......
I don't think I'm going to the class reunion where I actually graduated. I only went there one year and mostly, it's a year that I didn't really enjoy a whole lot...first experience in public high school.............which is why I really am pro homeschool!!

We are also baking another wedding cake...this time for Roger's older brother and his wedding is the same day as our reunion. His sister and her family are coming in first thing tomorrow morning. Busy busy week!!

Have a lovely day...stay cool....if you can!!
Blessings,
Beth

Do You Remember.....

2011-07-19T12:07:00.000-07:00

Oh how LOVELY February was?? It is the beginning of 4H fair week here in our county and it is once again HOT!!!!!!! So, with that in mind, I thought it would be nice to remember what it was just five short months ago here in Indiana......

(Pretty picture, isn't it? I didn't take it, daughter Jennie did it!)

Ice on the side of the house....

Snow up past the windows of our old little church...on Missions Conference weekend.

I actually like the winter time as long as I don't have to drive in the bad conditions, or if my husband and children and loved ones don't have to drive in it...which is rare...especially now that Danny is a policeman and has to be out in it all the time!!!

But those lovely, cozy days of curling up with a wonderful Jane Austen book or movie, or scrapbooking, or sewing, or even tidying up my house seem so wonderful to me right now! A nice cup of "Breakfast" or Lady Grey tea in a beautiful tea cup, a yummy scented candle burning, even the lingering scent of the fabric softener in the laundry room seems nice to me right now...summer is very busy around our house and I really miss the slightly less active time of the winter. The wintertime just seems so very cozy to me when I am at home...KEEPING home. The yellowish light in the window welcoming my husband home to a hot home cooked meal helps create a delightful mood in our home. I am really looking forward to the first real winter we will spend in our new/old house. It is really quite snug. (I have been promising myself that I will never complain about anything in the much more affordable house...but I would REALLY love to have a clothes closet for Roger and myself! I'm trying to talk him into building one soon...very soon, please, oh please????????? Roger Honey.....do you ever read this stuff I write????)

My mother was very very sick this week and continues to feel bad...although better. She was taken to the hospital Saturday night with pneumonia in both lungs and sepsis. She is better now and is home. I was really afraid on Saturday that we would lose her. Becca sat at my feet and just sobbed. However, as I said, she is much improved and even called me and joked around with me. (she overheard another phone conversation I had on the cellphone with my hubby, telling him I loved him, etc....She told me that we were "sick." Yeah, maybe...at least our teenagers think we are!! hehe!!) I am thanking the Lord for His provision for her!

4H is about to start full swing this weekend. Almost all the projects have been turned in with the exception of Becca's Food Preparation. She is making quiche' and it needs to be ready Thursday morning...bright and early! Becca and Gideon both received blue ribbons on their craft projects, blue ribbons on their photography projects, Becca got a blue on a painting, and her "salon" photography was just judged this morning. She got a "Blue" ribbon on a picture of chocolate kisses...with a possible consideration for the honors group...and a blue ribbon with honors on a picture of the woods behind our house with the farmer's yard tractor in the picture. It will be competing for champion, reserve or grand champion. (Not bad, I think!) I LOVE that picture!

I hope that they are learning a lot from 4H and that is isn't all about just winning a ribbon. (I know that that is a big part to them...they each would love to get a champion ribbon but not many kids get to have that. ) I want them to work hard and compete NICELY...not mean spirited. I think that it can easily become that way if we don't watch it. I am also a little bit afraid that PRIDE will get in the way and get ugly.

Becca and Gideon ARE learning about time scheduling, doing your best, talking with judges and explaining their projects. We are really reaping the benefit of Becca learning so much about cooking! She knows much much much more at 14 than I did when I got married!

Well, have a lovely day, try to stay cool...if possible.

Blessings!

Beth

Observations....

2011-07-11T12:52:00.000-07:00

My hubby and I went out for a lunch date the other day to Einstein Bagels. Roger loves the Tasty Turkey! Anyway, as I was sitting with him, I noticed an elderly lady and what I assumed to be her preteen or early teen grandson. She was struggling and struggling to open the door to the restaurant. The boy just stood there, waiting for the old lady to open the door. They then proceeded to the counter and placed their order. The boy took his glass and walked to the soda machines and filled his drink up. The old lady joined him a few minutes later with her own glass and filled hers up. Then they sat down to eat.

I don't know why that struck me as significant...I'm sure that kind of thing happens all the time...when a person is completely oblivious to the needs of others. When it happens in MY home, however, it is a little bit different.

When one of my children (or step children) goes in the door in front of me and lets it go without holding it open or in some way being courteous to me, I just stand there on the front porch until he realizes what he did.

It doesn't take long for him to figure out that if Mom (or step mom) doesn't get in the house, food will not be cooked, laundry won't be done and life as he knows it will not go on for long.

When my children were little, I taught them to LOOK for service opportunities. When they were only about three or so, I taught them to hold the door for other people and to pick something up if someone dropped it. Those little fellas just ate that kind of stuff up! It was so cute to see them trying to lean against a big door going into a store just to be polite to someone else!

Becca's homeschooling group is pretty awesome when it comes to service opportunities. Once a month they pick something to do to aid others. It is really nice to see those same junior high and high school students holding the door for people, calling us by Mr. and Mrs., and just simply being polite to people as we come and go in the church building where their classes are held. There are now over 180 students involved in this group and there are a LOT of opportunities to serve! The older ones have been responsible to totally clean the classrooms and the restrooms after their one day a week "school day" is over. I was really impressed when Becca started there last year! Now that she is starting high school (oh dear, where has the time gone??) she will be attending 2 days a week...with LOTS of mom's involvement! Thankfully, she will have an actual teacher to help her with Algebra and Spanish! (not my strengths....)

Two weeks ago, Becca and Gideon's youth group from church went to "The Wilds" in North Carolina for church camp. I guess it was pretty fun! Becca rededicated her life and surrendered to missions if that is what the Lord asks her to do. (or anything else He wants for her life.) Gideon did the same thing with an idea of working with youth. I know that they are young and that may not be what the Lord asks them to do, but it is nice to see that their hearts are open to Him.

The 4H fair is starting up again soon! This has been a pretty hard year with us moving and getting our bigger house ready to sell. It hasn't been easy with my Roger being so sick. The kids weren't able to go to very many workshops and hopefully they will be able to do those things more next year! They each have a few projects, though, and I hope they do well.

Well, we've got to get to the craft store now and then back for their final 4H meeting before the fair. Both Gideon and Becca are officers so they need to be there. (I just want to take a nap...)

By the way, our homestudy is completely done and I talked to the adoption agency on Friday. We need to forward things to them from the other adoption agency. Guess what? We have been approved to adopt 1 or 2 little ones! Wouldn't that be great? Two precious souls? One would be fine with us but two would be an additional blessing. The country that we are adopting from only places siblings and not two unrelated children. I am going to leave that in God's hands.

Since adoption is so near and dear to my heart, I tend to talk about it a lot. I think that it touches people's hearts to hear that people are doing this kind of thing. I try to make it all about the Lord but I also don't want to sound self righteous. Some of you might remember a post that I wrote back in December about walking in the snow and thinking about our little girl waiting for us in Africa. I added to it a little bit to bring in more about Christ's salvation and I entered it today in the open division in our county fair. I told my hubby that at least one or two people will be forced to read it since they are judging it so....who knows if they have ever really heard about God's Adoption of us?
Well, have a lovely day! It is really HOT here in Indiana!
Blessings, Beth

2011-06-20T08:49:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone! I hope everyone had a wonderful Father's Day weekend!! I wasn't able to visit my own Dad but I talked to him on the phone and will see him as soon as I get over this nasty cold I seem to be coming down with!

Roger did well with his surgery on Thursday!! He went back to work today.
We had his nieces over this weekend and returned them to their parents on Saturday. They live in Florida and I drove just south of Nashville, Tenn. to meet their parents.
We stayed over night in Nashville because I was driving and just didn't want to drive all the way home to central Indiana at 10 o'clock at night! Roger was able to drive on Sunday which was a very good thing because I had to take cold medicine and I get really "Loopy" on cold medicine!

Kind of a funny/sad thing happened on the way home, though. Roger was driving a car that belonged to his brother in law's sister. We were driving it home to Indiana for her since she had left it in Florida when she picked up the children and had driven the kids' parents' nice van with them back to Indiana. Anyway, so he was driving this older car that we weren't familiar with. Next to us was a whole huge group of motorcycles and suddenly they came upon a semi tractor tire in the interstate highway lane they were driving in. Everyone in that lane (and in all the lanes around them) started slowing down and swerving to protect the motorcyclists. Roger swerved to the left and almost ran off the road. Nothing really happened but our HUGE HUGE diet soft drinks in the cup holders tipped over and plunged to the floor....right into the bag that held his and my dad's Father's Day gifts!! So...Roger wore a slightly stained new shirt to work this morning and I haven't yet tried to get the stains out of my dad's shirt. I think, though, that my Fels Naptha soap should do the trick!

I'm doing pretty well on the weight loss struggle!! I lost 23 pounds in six weeks! My doctor was really happy so it made the office visit with her more pleasant than last time! The past week or so has been more of a challenge to me, though. I think the newness of being a diabetic has worn off a little and now I just want chocolate. In fact, on our trip to Tennessee this weekend, I saw a big Cadillac Escapade that was painted that new creamy pink color. Immediately I thought about Cherry Cordials, wanted some SOOOOOOO badly and low and behold, a gas station we stopped at sold them individually!!! I bought three, had one yesterday, one today and I still have one left. They aren't as good as I once thought they were......I think that sugar is becoming too sweet to me. I GUESS that's a good thing....???????

Well....we have LOTS to do today and it seems that if MOM isn't working and is blogging instead, no one else seems to think that they need to do anything, either. Good grief, you'd think I'd need to set a good example or something!!

Blessings to you all!
Beth

Being My Husband's Wife

2011-06-15T12:36:00.000-07:00

I've recently been reading the book "The Excellent Wife". It is a really good book...not necessarily entertaining, but filled with lots of Scripture and information about being a wife. I did not find within its pages helpful homemaking tidbits and that kind of thing. However, I am really learning about being accountable to God for my actions and attitude all the time. I'm learning about being the wife GOD wants me to be regardless of how I am treated or how romantic or unromantic my husband is being or if he is doing everything he is supposed to be doing. Don't get me wrong!!!! Roger is absolutely wonderful, my best friend and one of the greatest blessings in my life. He's not perfect but he's perfect for ME!! But of course, sometimes we DO have our squabbles and misunderstandings. Sometimes, those squabbles can blow up to be a big fight that only hurts our relationship and the relationship with our children. When it comes right down to it, even if my feelings are hurt or I don't think my husband is doing something correctly, it is MY responsibility to respond the way that GOD wants me to respond. After all, I am a wife who is supposed to be obeying God......

A side note....my precious hubby is supposed to be having surgery Thursday morning...I would covet your prayers for him. He also now has a pretty serious infection and I am very concerned about them still performing surgery on him while the area is infected with this nastiness!

Speaking of wives...a few months back, I was asked by my daughter in law, Erin, and my son Danny, to sleep over at their house so that they could have a weekend away. I was able to stay with my little grandson, Liam in their cute house.

This was the room that welcomed me!! Isn't it cute? It made me want to stay there longer....except that I would miss my husband and other children!

This is their little "cottage"! Isn't it adorable? It is just perfect for the three of them (and possibly more in the future??) and believe it or not, it has an upstairs! They were really blessed to be able to buy this house at quite a good price so they were able to start out their married lives with a home of their own! They did lots of work on the landscape and driveway lately.

Here they are at Christmastime with little Liam.

Liam and I made brownies for them...as a surprise when they got back!! (Actually, I think I took this picture another day when I just had him for the morning at their house....) Regardless, he is absolutely ADORABLE!! And doesn't Duplo blocks and brownie batter go together? He is now one year old!!

I am mentioning my daughter in love Erin in this post because I am so very very very proud of her...my son, too...but I am just so proud of her! I have never been to their home when it wasn't spotless...their baby wasn't spotless, beds made, kitchen and bathroom clean, and my son very very happy! She is a wonderful wife and I really wish I had been as good as she is when I was her age. (or at my current age...)

But being an "Excellent Wife" isn't just cooking, cleaning, etc. It is doing what God expects of us in our attitude and reactions. I think my Erin is a pretty excellent wife.

Yeah....I want to be her when I grow up......

Pictures of our "Little House in the Country!"

2011-06-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

This picture is of Becca's bedroom.....all ready for a little girl to join our family sometime this year! "Grace" (as we call her since we don't yet know her African name...) will have the bed full of pandas. Becca was very happy to share her room but still wanted to have an "Asian" theme. The rest of the room is very Asian inspired....I just don't have that part in this picture!! :(

I have some more pictures to show you of our little house in the country!! Since I am not very good at any thing having to do with a computer, I have these pictures in the wrong order!! I wanted to show you the before pictures and then the after pictures, but I ended up doing it the wrong way. So.....this is our kitchen with the white painted cabinets. We have opted to keep the pine walls and even the ceiling for now. Eventually we intend to add a family room and change the kitchen somewhat.

To anyone who may remember...there is a little quaint corner hutch to the right of our little kitchen table. It is still there and I LOVE it! (I just don't have a picture of it right now!!)

This is our living room. It is pretty tiny compared to what we are used to having but it is an incredible feeling to know that it is truly ours...(and God's) and that we don't owe anything on it to the bank! That idea makes up for a LOT of shortfalls!!! :)

This was the before of the living room.

And....the before of the kitchen........WOW....it took weeks to paint all those cabinets white!!

Here it is.....home sweet home!! Eventually, we plan to add a covered front porch and change the siding on the front to a wood look shingle. We are also planning to get rid of the "patio" door on the left of the house and add windows like the ones on the right of the house. Roger also has plans for a new window for our living room. (Yeah...we have LOTS of plans....very little money....but LOTS of plans!!) I'm not crazy about the patio door (it leads to our bedroom...) but I am pretty content with it.

The woods behind our house, while not "ours" is lovely to look at and you wouldn't believe the birds singing in the mornings!! We haven't seen a deer there yet but we do hear foxes "screaming" at night sometimes!

Hopefully, I can keep pictures coming as we work on the house. We don't plan to do anything to the new house until we sell the "big" house.

I know it seems strange to people that we have purchased a house 1/3 the size of our bigger one. But when you feel it is what God wants you to do, it doesn't seem strange at all. It seems very comfortable. A year or two ago, we went to a missions conference and my husband asked me what I thought about him writing a check to go to missions. I thought it was fine but realized that it would really hurt our budget. We now feel that we want to be able to do that anytime God asks us to do it. (Not that we will ever have THAT much money...) Not having a big house payment can help us do what God has for us. (Especially if that has to do with our little girl waiting for us in Africa!!! We're still working on the adoption!!)

Have a LOVELY day...I'm supposed to be painting and cleaning the "big" house....and here I am, BLOGGING!!!

Blessings,

Beth

2011-06-10T11:11:00.000-07:00

We have a pretty big weekend planned with just Roger, myself and Roger's son Gideon. We are going camping and the teenage girlies prefer to stay in the air conditioning at their dad's place. Imagine THAT!!!! They decided that they don't like mosquitoes and other insects. (I don't blame them!)
We have almost completely finished with our homestudy toward adopting from Lesotho, Africa!! They are waiting for some forms to be sent to them and then the social worker will forward the homestudy to our adoption agency! I can't wait! "Baby Grace", as I call her, is ALWAYS on my mind! (Always in my heart!!)
I'm trying to quickly blog a little to let some of my online friends know that we are still alive and fairly well and dear hubby Roger is loading up some bicycles in the van to take camping with us! We are still kind of living in two houses...the computer is in the original house and most of our necessities are in the small ranch house....which I LOVE, by the way!!!! So I don't get to blog much since I don't really have access to our computer very often!

I've lost ALMOST 20 pounds in 1 month!!!! I don't think I have ever lost that much in a month before but then I have never had this much to lose before!! I'm just really cutting back on breads and sweets and eating basically about half as much as I was. (Which was quite a LOT!!)

All the kids are doing well, finished up with the school year and 3 out of 4 are starting on NEXT year already! Marci is doing college online and a few classes on campus and Jennie and Becca are working for next year's high school credits. Becca is homeschooling and Jennie is doing some senior classes so that she can attend classes for a Nursing Assistant Certificate her Senior year. So everyone seems pretty busy!

Roger has to have surgery on Thursday so if you think about it, keep him in your prayers. It will be outpatient, so it should not be terribly serious!

Blessings to you all! Beth

2011-05-19T10:52:00.001-07:00

Hi Everyone! What a month or two we have experienced lately! Full of ups and downs and highs and lows but through everything we go through, God is always faithful, isn't he?
We are moved in to our new house...it seems that it is getting smaller everyday with the stuff we keep putting into the house. But we love it and it really seems cozy to us! It is probably just over 1/3 the size of the old house we have. (WE haven't yet put it on the market...hopefully soon!)

It is really neat to live farther out into the country! It isn't unusual to see and hear a tractor driving down the road! The field next to the woods behind our house is being prepared to plow and plant and so is the big field in front of our house!

I bought strawberry plants to start a strawberry patch!!! Now if I can just keep the critters out of them! My daughter Marci bought me a lilac bush and Roger bought me a Japanese Maple and my Dad gave us some peony plants. With the tomato plants that I bought a while back, that is about all the planting we have planned for right now.

We are still going through the adoption process! I had to have a physical in order to complete the paperwork and GOOD GRIEF!!!! I was shocked to find out that I have diabetes! It's not too bad right now and all I have to do is watch my diet and LOSE WEIGHT!!!!!!!!!!! LOTS AND LOTS OF WEIGHT! (120 pounds????? Yuck....) So that was two weeks ago and I have already lost 16 pounds!! It has been pretty easy...just really cutting back, taking my blood sugar and cut out the sugar! I'm not sure that I can actually lose that much weight but I am going to try to lose at least 80 pounds.
A day or so after I went to the doctor, I came down with the most horrible cough/cold/bronchitis etc.... and have been pretty sick since then but I am finally on the way to recovery. I wonder if it could have been helped to bring it on so badly since I had a tetanus/pertussis shot at my physical.

By the way, we don't have Internet access yet at our new house. The only time I can get online is when we go to the old house and then the girls seem to be doing their schoolwork online!

Well, my little granddaughter is currently in desperate need for strawberries so I suppose I need to get offline and get her some!

Have a lovely day!
Beth

Yeah...I'm still alive!

2011-04-18T14:13:00.000-07:00

Wow...it has been a LONG time since I posted anything! It has been pretty hectic around here and my computer wasn't cooperating with me! Everytime I tried to post, it wouldn't allow me to! The new house is almost done and ready to move in! I really love it and we had some of our big kids over yesterday for an early Easter. Some of the kids had to work so we didn't have everyone BUT we had all the grandkids for an Easter Egg hunt. It was wonderful to see all of them together. Last night at church we had a special family come and be "interviewed" by our pastor. It was very unusual for him to do something like that but this family was very near and dear to our pastor. They have gone through some really sad and difficult times and our pastor wanted them to give their testimony. A few years ago they lost one of their sons due to an attack on him that gave him a severe brain injury that claimed his life. The husband/father of the family has an incredibly rare disease that is taking over his body and it will be terminal. It is impossible for him to walk without assistance and his face, hands, eyes, and even emotions are all affected by this disease. It is very hard to understand him but at the very last part of the evening, he wanted to say something...he hadn't talked prior to then. He said something like this... "You will have lots of trials in your lives and you can choose to go through them in FAITH or in FLESH. If you go through them in FAITH, you will succeed but if you go through them in FLESH, you will go through them alone. It is much better to go through them in FAITH." What a sweet testimony...I cried through the whole evening as I'm sure a LOT of the congregation did. I'm so glad that we have the faith that we have. I just can't imagine not having the Lord to call on in our times of trouble. Something else that was said yesterday morning at church by the guest speaker (the ill man's son in law) has really stuck with me today. He said that we are to praise the NAME of the Lord. We should praise the very "person" that He is...not just be grateful that He does wonderful things for us...but just that HE IS WONDERFUL in HIMSELF! How many times do I say, "God is so wonderful to us!"....when He provided something we wanted or needed or answered our prayers or relieved our pains. He is, of course, wonderful to do those things for us but very very often I neglect to PRAISE WHO HE IS!! How about LOVING HIM FOR HIM...not as a "santa claus" for the spiritual! (Someone who answers prayers and gives us good things....) Even if HE never gave us all these good things that HE gives, HE is still worthy to be praised! Well, I'm done preaching for now...haha....I've just been thinking about these things. By the way, Roger is doing better, his medication is up today so I hope he doesn't have any reoccurring illness in his leg. He has been working regularly. I'm almost ready to finish up with our homestudy. They need to come and check out our new house and it is almost ready! With Roger being so sick we really fell behind. But you know what? God knows all that and there must be a purpose in this delay. I've been writing a diary for our little future adopted child. It seems strange to be writing to someone who may not even be born yet but has lived in my heart for years! Have a lovely day, Blessings, Beth

Amazing Adoption "COINCIDENCE?"

2011-03-29T07:36:00.000-07:00

First of all, Roger is somewhat better...yesterday I drove him to work to let him catch up on some paperwork. He drove himself this morning but I don't expect him to stay all day. He is not anywhere healthy enough to put in 9 or 10 hours on his feel. Now you've just go to hear this amazing "coincidence" that happened to me!! (I don't REALLY think this was a coincidence....just read on.) Over this weekend I was REALLY discouraged. I think our bodies get so tired that we allow our sin nature to take over and I was beginning to question what God is up to in our lives. I had had a sore throat and fever the whole time Roger was in the hospital. I know....people who are sick should NOT visit people in the hospital. I get it. But what would Roger have done being so sick and delirious without someone with him all the time? I used antibacterial hand wash and kept away from everyone. Roger was on super dooper antibiotics so I figured he was fairly safe from me. I also have been suffering from an incredibly painful knee and I ran out of my blood pressure meds and I couldn't leave Roger to get into the doctor's office to get a new prescription. So by the time Roger was released...and still not feeling very well,...I was worn out and just plain discouraged. I asked Roger if he felt that we were still supposed to go through with the adoption. Now realize that adoption is my passion and something that I earnestly want to do. I mean, I LOVE our little child already without having any idea who he/she is! But I was being doubtful...why had God allowed us to go through this illness and then have the burden of having to pay all these hospital bills? Did God REALLY want us to adopt? How are we going to pay for all these things? Does God REALLY want us to adopt from Lesotho, Africa? I mean, no one I know of has even HEARD of Lesotho much less traveled there to bring back a little child!! I poured my heart out to Roger and he said, "Yes, I still want to do this and I think this is what God wants us to do." With thankfulness in my heart because of Roger's response, I dropped the conversation. Later that day, we went to a home improvement store. Roger was feeling miserable and I felt similar but he insisted that we go because they were having a sale on doors and we need doors for the other house. While Roger was speaking to an employee at the store, I was standing back a ways and another man was nearby looking at some merchandise. I had seen his family with him elsewhere in the store. They were a spotless looking little group of immaculate children and an adorable wife. The female part of the family were wearing dresses...so I immediately felt a connection since MOST of the time I wear a dress. (Just my own conviction...and my preference) Anyway, another man walked up and asked me if my children had lost some money. I thought that was strange since my kids weren't with me and I said, "No." Then it occurred to me that he must have thought that I was married to the man in front of me since I was also wearing a denim skirt similar to the little girls' dresses and his wife was shopping in a different part of the store at that moment. "Oh," I exclaimed. "We're not married. My husband is up there!" pointing to Roger. As it ended up, the "mistaken" husband's children hadn't misplaced money either but since it is in my personality, I struck up a conversation with him. I told him that his children were adorable and asked him how many he had. He said he had 4 and I told him that we had a combined family of 8 and that we were working on adoption. He asked me where we were adopting from. "Lesotho, Africa." I said. "Wow! Really? I grew up there because my parents were missionaries there! In fact, my sister just left to work as a missionary with orphans in Lesotho!" He was as astonished as I was! I mean, in all of Indianapolis, what were the odds that we would meet at this hardware store?? Literally no one that I have met (other than one man from Southern Africa) has ever even heard of Lesotho!! And I talk about adoption every chance I get...to EVERYONE who will listen! (Just ask my husband!) During our conversation, he told me how horrible the conditions there in Lesotho really are. Entire families are dying of AIDS or starvation. Little children are left to fend for themselves while the bodies of their parents and siblings remain in their little one room houses. EVERY boy this man grew up with and was friends with have died of AIDS. He asked a missionary about them and was told that they had all died. That's the sad truth that these little orphans will face when they grow up. The little girls and boys eventually will contract AIDS and die without Christ. That's what OUR little child will most likely face if we don't go and get her...with God's help, of course. Anyway, we exchanged information and he promised to put me in contact with his sister in Lesotho! The very next morning I received a phone call from this man's mother inviting us to come to their house and meet them and look at pictures of Lesotho! This dear sweet missionary lady was also just thrilled to pieces! She couldn't believe that we were going to GO to Lesotho and bring one or two precious little souls home with us. She also told me that no one that she has ever talked to outside of the missionaries involved in that country has ever heard of Lesotho! She said, "What are the chances that you two would meet? It MUST BE OF GOD!!!!!!!" I feel the same way and plan to meet up with her family very soon to talk! ISN'T IT AMAZING WHEN GOD SPEAKS TO YOU? He knew that we were dealing with fatigue and discouragement and that we needed desperately to HEAR from Him. I am in awe of the love that God shows to us. He is just asking us to be obedient and DO what he asks us to do! Don't get me wrong...adoption is NOT a hard thing to ask me to do. I think that God has put that desire in my heart for so many years and HE just wants us to be faithful to Him and DO it. What do you think....was this a "coincidence"? I don't think so. Blessings! Beth

Roger's Home!!!!

2011-03-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

Whew! What a week! The good news is that Roger's home! He's going to be on 10 days on antibiotics and pain medicines as well as anti-nausea medications. He's doing better but his leg is still very sore and swollen. I laid my hand on his leg this morning just to see how hot it is and I left an imprint of my hand in the swollen tissues. Kinda yucky, huh? Today is Becca's 14th birthday! I am planning to rush out and spend the afternoon with her doing some birthday present shopping. I feel bad that I haven't had the time to shop for her this week but I have the feeling she understands! I told her that I will take her anywhere she wants to shop and she said, "Even the mall?" I cheerfully said, "Yes!" although I would really rather just go to the local Kohl's department store. However, the mall seems to be a young teenage girl's dream place to shop so we're off as soon as I get lunch finished! Roger's all settled with his leg up, the dog at his side and Harmony the cat nestled on the foot stool. He didn't make it to church this morning and he was supposed to run the sound booth tonight but will not be able to do that this week. Usually Roger "builds" a beautiful birthday cake for each child's birthday but Becca wants cheesecake so this is a very good thing since I didn't want to have Roger work on decorating it this year since he has been so sick. (I have the feeling that he would give it a good try!!) The local Marsh grocery store will be happy to sell us a delicious cheesecake for the occasion! Since Becca is now 14, I have decided to allow her to have some make up! Please know that this girl will NOT be painted up but just some light make up to accentuate her eyes! So I am going to buy her some makeup today as well! Have a lovely day. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers and comments. They meant so much to us and Roger was VERY touched! You are a blessing to us!! Blessings! Beth....and Roger!! XOXO

Roger's improving!

2011-03-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

Another long day at the hospital yesterday but praise the Lord, Roger is getting better! Still having some strange hallucinations...probably from the pain medicines. Trinket once again visited him and then he saw lots of kittens running around the "travertine tile." (I don't know what travertine tile is...but ROGER hallucinates about it!) And what is it about cats all of the sudden????

He had another kind of funny hallucination later on. About suppertime, someone came in asking him if he got his supper tray. The lady left and Roger said to me, "I don't even know who P Diddy is!! I think he is a "Rocker"!"

This morning I came downstairs and had some of our own P Diddy to clean up since someone forgot to take care of our new crazy little dog, Bella. She also got into a whole bowl of dried Asian noodles from the pantry and ate them all! Poor Rebecca will now probably have something other than P Diddy to clean up later on today.

I'm sure that was completely inappropriate...but sometimes you just GOTTA laugh!!

Yesterday morning, I had made up my mind to climb up on the roof of our new little ranch house and fix the ridge cap that had blown off and needed to be reshingled. NO, OF COURSE I HAVE NEVER FIXED A RIDGE CAP....but I was certain I could do it. (First I changed out of my customary denim skirt and into some lovely fitting "yoga" pants. I don't do yoga, either, just in case you wondered.) I had already purchased the little tube of tar and roofing nails I needed. Since I couldn't get the large extension ladder we have at our current house to fit into my little mini van, I hoped that I could make do with the smaller ladder we had at the other house.
Well, when I go there, I realized that it wasn't tall enough! So, I went back into the house a bit discouraged since our Indiana weather is calling for some more nastiness this weekend and Roger is laying in the hospital worrying about the roof leaking.
Not more than five minutes went by and my dear precious dad called and said he had planned to come other that afternoon and fix the roof. My dad is 76 years old...but is in the condition of a man in his early 60s...if that old. I told him NO! I was afraid he would fall off the roof and be really hurt. (He has the tendency to do that kind of thing! He wouldn't be my Dad if he didn't have a cut up hand or leg or whatever all the time!)
Anyway, he won the argument and came over yesterday and fixed the ridge cap and repaired some other missing shingles. He is and always has been my hero. So is Roger...just not in the same way!

Roger's leg was looking much better when I went home late last night. He is going to be so touched by your prayers and thoughts toward him! Thank you!!

Blessings,
Beth

Update on my honey....

2011-03-23T21:38:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone. Roger is STILL in the hospital...this is early Thursday morning...I'm getting ready to go to bed for a while. He is still suffering with cellulitis in his leg and still running a fever with nausea and major pain. He seems to be having the worst headache ever and getting very nauseated with that. He's on an IV with antibiotics and fluids. They're giving him some pretty strong pain medicines as well.
He DOES show a marked improvement in the huge infection in his leg, however, so that is a praise, isn't it?
It's also wonderful that God loves Roger even more that we do and I love him with all my heart. So God must be allowing him to suffer through this for some greater good...even if it is to give God the glory.
I know that it endearing Roger even more to my heart. Usually it is HIM that has taken care of ME these last few years since we've been married. It is nice to be able to love on him in this way...even though we'd really rather be working on our house or ......just about ANYTHING than to have him laying so sick in the hospital!

Our pastor and youth pastor came by the hospital this morning and this evening after church our Sunday School teacher came by. We are SOOOOO blessed to have such a wonderful church family!!

Tonight Roger claimed he saw our cat Trinket and then later, evidently our other cat Harmony ran under a chair that wasn't there. Then he started talking to someone...it wasn't me...telling him or her goodbye. Last night there was a big noise and he said, "Well, that could wash the dishes!"
I'm not quite sure what that meant, but I hope whatever it was WILL wash the dishes because there seems to be some that needs to be done in this house as I just came home to it!

I think I have some young teenagers who can handle the dishes quite well on their own, don't you think so???????

It did upset me quite a bit when he started imagining things and I went outside the room and had a good cry. But all seemed better just before I left and I think he might have a restful night.

Thanks for your prayers...I DO think he is on the mend.

Blessings to you all,
Love,
Beth

Please Pray for my Husband

2011-03-22T06:54:00.000-07:00

Hi...just a quick note. I took Roger to the ER last night. He was feverish and had flu like symptoms. He was also showing signs of cellulitis again in his leg. The docs kept him and are giving him strong antibiotics through an IV. His white blood count is very elevated due to that infection in his leg and the doctor said it is "systemic" so I assume that it means his infection is in his blood and can possibly go other places??
Anyway, he is a sick man. They intend to keep him 24 to 48 hours.
My prayer is that they can get it controlled enough that he doesn't keep getting this! This is about the 3rd time he has been really sick with this in 6 months!! This is the first time that he has been hospitalized with it and although we basically have little insurance coverage, I am glad that they are taking it seriously and possibly get it under control!
He is very precious to me. More precious than I sometimes realize.

I'm on my way to the hospital now. Thanks for your prayers.
Blessings,
Beth

I FOUND a GUCCI BAG at MY NEW HOUSE!!!!

2011-03-20T07:09:00.000-07:00

First of all, this is my little buddy Brody! He is adorable and he absolutely LOVES his food! We took him and his big brother Dylan out for Dylan's birthday (rather a very late birthday) and we really enjoyed them! Almost as much as Brody enjoyed his toast. Yes, he ate every bit of it as well as almost a whole child's breakfast. By the way, he is 14 months old.....with a 14 year old's appetite! He is soooo precious!

This is my buddy Dylan! Evidently his new dragon is about to "toast" his toast! Dylan's mommy and daddy requested that he not get "toys" for his birthday so Grammy improvised! We gave him some money to put toward a new swingset and then bought him some shirts and some really fun books. One of his books was a popup book about dragons and oh dear, a red dragon just happened to be tied into the bow on the top of the present!! You can't count the dragon as a "toy" when it is part of the bow!! (That comes from my new book, "Being Grammy 101"...)

This is a shelf over the door in our new bedroom in our new house. When will I grow up? It is strange to be an adult woman who still collects Teddy Bears!

OH, YEAH, I DID SAY THAT I FOUND A GUCCI BAG AT MY NEW HOUSE, DIDN'T I? IT'S TRUE! I WAS CLEANING OUT THE LAUNDRY ROOM AND LOW AND BEHOLD, THERE IT WAS!!!!!

That's all....no purse, just the Gucci bag. But hey, it's better than nothing!! (Almost!) It made for a really good joke, though, as I sent the message that I found a Gucci bag to many people via text messages....then they realized that it was ONLY the bag that the purse had COME in!!

Haha!!

We are really getting quite close to moving into the house. We have to have someone come out and work on our septic system as it is backing up into the shower...yuck. We opened it up outside yesterday and stuck a 6 ft stick into the opening and into the tank. It stood straight up, it was soooo full of nastiness!! I'm not going to explain it further, I think you can get the general idea!

Pictures will follow soon, hopefully! (NOT of the septic tank...but of the house!!) We have done LOTS of painting and our kitchen cabinets are ALMOST white!!

Have a lovely day!

Beth

OH What Makes a Homekeeper's Heart Flutter!!

2011-02-12T05:47:00.000-08:00

Isn't this the cutest broom set you've EVER seen?? (Not that I spend my time comparing brooms....much....) I was at Home Goods yesterday and came upon this wonderfully delightful little set and bought them for my new house! We needed a new one anyway so I thought, "It might as well be REALLY cute!" I have never had one of these thingies that you put your broom and mop in but the house already has it! The seller also left a newish mop...something I needed as well! I also bought an ironing board cover with roses on it but I'm not going to put it on the ironing board until we actually move. It's also pretty. HEY...anything to actually encourage me throughout the day HAS to be a good purchase!

I made vegetable soup this week and used this little chopper to speed up the preparation time! I originally bought it to chop up baby food but it comes in handy to chop small amounts of carrots, onions, etc!

TA DA!!!! I got one of the bathrooms at the new house clean! I went to FOUR different stores to look for a new shower curtain but #1. I couldn't find an affordable one. #2. I couldn't find one I was in LOVE with!! (I know what I would like to have but I haven't been able to find it! ) So, I purchased just a cute plastic one for now. I'm not "thrilled" with the blue in the bathroom...but I like it well enough so we are keeping it for now. I think the seller had just painted it and since we have so much to do in the new house and in the old house, not having to paint that room is a blessing! It looks bright and "happy" to me!

I also bought hand towels for $1 each at Bed Bath and Beyond. (The kids aren't used to sharing the bathroom so I'm trying to make things as simple as possible...use clean hand towels...pick up after yourself...etc.... Sometimes I just need to "spell it out" for them!)

Well, Roger is urging everyone to get up and moving this morning...it is a "Work Day" at our new house! (So I'd better go!! "Blogging" does not count as work, evidently!!)

Blessings!

Beth

THE HOUSE IS OURS and ADOPTION STORIES!!

2011-02-11T04:50:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a busy and stressful day! We closed on our house and I spent the rest of the day running around as a Mommy taxi service! I had been thinking it was Tuesday and didn't realize that it was Thursday until I made Becca late for her trumpet lesson!! It was a good day, though, and I am sooo excited to own "the little blue house in the country." We took all of the younger kids to see it and they were pleased as well. Gideon's room is painted a soft lavender and I teased him that I would go buy him pretty lace curtains today. He said, "Oh...good...I love lace...." in a monotone voice! I think it will be painted two toned blue soon.

Since there has been such a layer of ice everywhere here in Indiana, we are giving the seller a few extra days to get his things out. But I think I will at least go and clean bathrooms and the kitchen cabinets today! I'm going to be very busy with Grandbabies on the weekend!

I went to a wedding shower for a young lady at church last night and I was talking to her Mom. I was telling her about the new house and that we are planning to adopt. She said "Adoption is very near to my heart...I was adopted!"

I had no idea! I asked her if she was adopted as an infant and she said, "No...I was nine."

She went on to tell her story very briefly to me and then said something that brought me to tears. She was talking about her adoptive mother and she said, "She knew I wouldn't have had a good life. Not only did she change MY life, but she changed the life of all of my CHILDREN!" (She has six...)

Being the blubbering emotional person that I am, of course, I got all teary eyed. That is exactly how I feel about the little girl God has waiting for US to adopt! I think she is in Africa...that is where we feel that God is leading us...and her life will forever be changed! She will have a Mommy and Daddy that adore her and all these older siblings to love her as well!

So many of the orphaned girls in Africa are immediately forced into prostitution as soon as they are released from the orphanages. AIDS is rampant there...most likely she would not know Christ as her Savior and she will die an early death...except that the Lord has other plans for her!

(She's going to grow up in "the little blue house in the country!!" More importantly, she will be taught about Jesus!)

Adoption is so beautifully depicted in the Bible since WE are ADOPTED into God's family through the death of Jesus...and our acceptance of his GIFT of SALVATION.

What would MY future be like if HE had not ADOPTED me?? What would my past have been like if someone hadn't cared enough to tell my parents' about the Lord and Salvation?

It's pretty humbling to think of that. Sometimes I feel myself feeling a little bit prideful...like when the residents of the home I used to work in would watch one of those tv shows like Maury or Jerry Springer. I would think, "How can people behave like that way on tv? I would never do that!"

But in reality, we are ALL capable of doing ANYTHING and it is only by the Grace of GOD that we do NOT act like that! I am no better than those people...I'm just different because I have been adopted into God's family! I COULD HAVE BEEN BROUGHT UP JUST LIKE THEM...but someone told my parents' about God.

Well, I'm done preachin' now...and I've got to get to cleanin' now!!

After my cup of English Breakfast Tea in my pretty teacup......

Blessings to you all!

Beth

He's WALKING!!!!

2011-02-07T09:54:00.000-08:00

The snowy/icy days made me miss my little buddy Brody last week! He was very lucky, though, and got to spend time with his Mommy and his other Grandma! However, he learned to walk while I didn't have him!! sniff sniff...weep, weep....
He is such a sweet tempered little boy!

It is an incredible blessing to have grandkids! We are now blessed with 5 of them, Dylan-7, Seraphina-2, Brody just turned 1- Liam-9 months, and Gabe who is just two weeks old! We were able to see Seraphina and Gabe yesterday after church!
I am going to spend the night with Liam this weekend so Mommy and Daddy can have a "date."
I'm thinking about kidnapping him FOREVER!!! I'm afraid they'd figure out who had him, though, and since hid Daddy is a policeman, I'd be in BIG BIG trouble!!

Our closing for our house is this Thursday and then we have lots of painting to do! I'm excited but a little scared about this new chapter in our lives. It's a lot easier to just do nothing, isn't it?

Speaking of doing nothing, I have lots of work to do in this house today!
Blessings,
Beth

Snowy snowy Saturday!

2011-02-05T11:16:00.000-08:00

I admit it...this is NOT an award winning dessert...it isn't even very attractive...but it sure tasted good! I have never attempted a baked cheesecake....obviously....but I wanted to make something for our Ladies Missionary Luncheon today. So last night I decided that I would bake a cheesecake. I didn't have all the ingredients on hand to make it so I improvised. (That is my excuse for it being less than lovely...) Anyway, I actually used several tablespoons of my homemade strawberry jam to flavor it and I added some chocolate chips. It's very ugly but very yummy and it was a hit! I didn't even have enough cream cheese so I used some whipped cream cheese for bagels and cream cheese fruit dip that I had left over from a fruit tray as well as a package of cream cheese. Talk about "Yankee Ingenuity", right? It was a fun thing to try and next time maybe I will follow a recipe.......

We woke up early this morning to MORE SNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Roger and Gideon went to a men's prayer breakfast and while they were gone, the Heavens opened wide and dumped lots of snow on us just in time for the Ladies' Missionary Luncheon. (so much that our missionary lady couldn't come....) We had a good time anyway and I talked to ladies that I usually don't sit with so I really got to know some of them better!

Isn't this incredible?? This was taken on my way home from the luncheon...from my car window!

This county road hadn't been plowed and the snow was so deep that I could hear it dragging under the car! I wasn't sure I was going to make it home! In the distance you can just barely make out a truck coming and I was really worried that we were not going to make it past each other without someone driving into the ditch! We were fine, though!

I leaned out the side door of our little church to take this one. Can you believe how high the snow is piled? It came up over the bottom of some of the windows.

This is the old part of our little church. I think it's about 150 years old or so. We had our Luncheon in this old auditorium (which is also where they have their tiny Christian school!)

We probably had about 25 ladies today...all braving about 5 inches of snow that fell this morning and early afternoon!

But isn't it adorable with all the snow? It kind of looks like a little Christmas card! On Sunday mornings one of the young men in our church (a homeschool boy!!) rings the church bell. (Not that we get to hear it very often...we are usually running a bit late......) It's a happy sound, though, when we do hear it and the young man takes his job very seriously! He also helps keep the sidewalks shoveled and salted! (AND he's a farmboy!!) (I keep telling my teenage daughters that HE is a young man to watch...from a distance for a while....but still......)

They just roll their eyes and remind me that I have also told them I wanted them to marry one of the "Duggar" boys (of "19 Kids and Counting")..... Well, A MOMMA CAN DREAM, CAN'T SHE???????? I'm sure that there are a LOT of Mommas and Daddies wanting to fix their children up with one of those kids. They're pretty incredible!!

Well, I suppose I should take advantage of the quiet house right now and get some work done. I'd rather take a nap. However, since I am going to start packing for our move, I want to sort through my scrapbook and photo things. I went through some of my fabric and have reduced it to just one tub!

Have a lovely, blessed day!

Beth

It's a "ROOZYFUL" day!

2011-02-04T06:43:00.001-08:00

Trinket Kitty...doesn't SHE look cozy? She is pretty excited, however, that she can hear birds outside our windows!

Ice cycles on the side of our house!!

A work of art!

The view from our front door! The sunlight has been blinding! This is ICE...not snow!!!!

"Too much effort to look at the birds..." she thought.

The sun is shining silver on the frozen yards, streets, fields, and houses here in central Indiana this morning and I am thinking it seems like a ROOZYFUL day!
Becca and I are about to head out to a "Tom Sawyer" play in an hour or so! It is a production for public schools but they are allowing some of us who homeschool to attend as well! "Tom Sawyer" is a book that the kids in Becca's age group are reading, studying, and disecting this term so when the chance came up to go to this play, we eagerly took it! We haven't been on a "field trip" all year so this is wonderful!
Are you wondering what "Roozyful" means?? I don't know either...It's NOT really a word but it seems like a cute, pleasant kind of a thought to me! (I discovered it when I had to "type in the letters that appear" when I commented on someone's blog and there it was! Roozyful!)
It reminds me of Mary Englebreit's drawings...wimsical, cozy, etc...like drinking a nice hot cup of tea with my cat, a quilt and the latest copy of Victoria Magazine!
When the sun is shining and melting the frozen tundra, it just seems like "Roozyful" is a fitting kind of word for how I'm feeling!
Have a lovely, roozyful kind of day!
Beth

ICE STORM, CURRENT HOUSE AND NEW HOUSE!!

2011-02-02T13:56:00.000-08:00

Central Indiana was hit with a pretty hard ice storm the last few days! The roads are completely covered with ice and not much traffic is moving! This is our current house with Roger and Gideon trying to dig out of the ice/snow. The ice/snow is so hard that they are walking on inches and inches of hard stuff without falling through! (I, on the other hand, have been keeping toasty warm in our house...with the exception of taking these pictures!) Jennie, Gideon and I all dug out the sidewalk yesterday. Becca has been sick so I didn't have her help out!

This is our "old" (current) house...Roger owned this house before we married almost 4 years ago. We then added two bedrooms, a big bathroom, and a huge family room on the back. It's a wonderful size but it is something we can live without. We've been trying to follow God's leading in our lives and downsizing. (Basically trying to live debt free...enabling us to adopt!)

This is a LOT of ice piled up on my poor little van!!

This is the inside of our new "old" house! I got the order of the pictures mixed up when uploading them. This was supposed to be the last picture! Anyway, this is the living room. The walls will be painted dark blue and the cabinets at the end will be white. Sadly, the man who owned this house before did a lot of work before losing it. It is still in process of the work that we will finish.

Two years ago I came upon this fabric at my all time favorite store...GOODWILL! I have probably 20 yards of the center plaid fabric and I purchased it for $9.99!! It is Waverly! When we eventually add a family room behind the kitchen, I plan to make curtains out of this. The flowered coral colored fabric will be my kitchen curtains with a little bit of trim from some of the others thrown in! I think I will make some pillows as well. I had intended to recover a cute little settee with the huge amount of plaid that I purchased but realized that I would be covering the same kind of fabric, different color, that didn't wear well at all! So, it is going to be on our windows instead! I think I spend less than $20.00 for all of it and there is a LOT of it! God knows our future, doesn't he, and provides for us! I had no idea that I would be making things for a different home! Praise the Lord!

Most likely, we will paint the kitchen cabinets white, the walls (which are knotty pine) the darker green, and the walls into the kids' bedrooms the lightest green.

THIS IS OUR NEW (OLD) HOUSE! (We will be closing on it next week!)

Lots of work to be done, a new covered porch, new siding (probably green), some windows need to be replaced, and the sliding glass doors removed and replaced with wall and windows to match the end windows. None of it needs to be done right away and if God directs otherwise, I'm happy to live in it just as it is!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?? SHOULD WE PAINT THE WOOD?? I'M LEANING TOWARD PAINTING IT, ROGER REALLY WANTS TO PAINT IT, BUT SOME HAVE TOLD ME THAT IT WOULD BE HORRIBLE TO PAINT SUCH NICE WOOD. (I kinda think that you have to be happy with it...paint isn't very expensive and it would really brighten up the kitchen!)

Another view of the kitchen. We will certainly paint the cabinets, most likely white. The appliances are really old but most likely we will keep them until they fall apart!
(The light fixtures really have to go......I feel really guilty that I'd be getting rid of something functional but......)

Isn't this gorgeous?? Lovely little corner cabinet! I can't wait to get started! We're not sure if we are going to paint this, too. I just think that this painted wood would make our home so cozy looking, as well as cottagey!

Well, the schools have just been called off for yet another day. My hubby has been home today as well. Poor Becca, since she is homeschooled, school for her must go on!! Unfortunately, we had a Missions Conference scheduled for our church this week and it hasn't been able to happen because of the dangerous ice!

Have a lovely day, keep warm and safe!!

Oh, by the way, Missy....when we had our new house inspected, there was no dead mouse in the kitchen drawer any longer. It makes me wonder, though, since I hadn't been in the house since mid November, how long does it take for mouse remains to just disappear?? Hopefully the realtor took care of it....

Blessings,

Beth

More of Roger's Cakes!!

2011-01-30T14:35:00.000-08:00

(This is frosting...by the way...real cheese would just be too nasty on a cake, dontcha think?)

Tonight after church we are having a "get together/fund raiser for two seniors who are in the tiny Christian school that our church has. They are trying to go to New York for their Senior Trip and the church is trying to help them out by having a basketball game with church members and teens playing against each other. They are also having concessions and a bake auction. The pictures above are our donations for the bake sale. Since the Colts lost, we are out of the Super Bowl. HOWEVER, our pastor is from Pennsylvania and is a HUGE Steelers fan! So Roger thought he would be politically correct and make a "Cheeseheads" cake as well as a Steelers cake for the auction! Silly Roger!

Tomorrow is the "inspection" day for "the little blue house in the country. I am so excited! I can't wait to get back into the house again! We have only been in it one time...way back in the first part of November! I hope someone has gotten rid of the dead mouse in the kitchen drawer...

Well...it's almost time to leave for church! Have a lovely day!

Blessings,

Beth

Busy Saturday!

2011-01-29T20:04:00.000-08:00

Today my husband and I delivered a birthday cake we made. (I baked and made the frosting and he decorated it!) WOW did he decorate it!! He is amazing! I joked and told him that I wanted one like that for MY birthday! JUST TEASING Roger!!! I know that bragging is not an attractive thing to do but I think he did such an incredible job that I just HAD to show you! The little teapot on top is a little cake that he baked (because I forgot to...what a terrible wife! He called me at work Friday night and asked me where the little cake was and I failed to bake it for him!! He forgave me!) His favorite part on the cake is the little fondant "napkin" under the teapot! I think he is incredibly talented and he was taught as a young boy by his late mother! He is the official "cake decorator" in our family and I get to bake them and make the frosting. I think it is kind of sad, though, that he makes all these gorgeous cakes for everyone and when it is HIS birthday, he gets the ugliest cake possible...because I try to decorate it! OH well, he is very nice about it!!

Praise the Lord!! Friday night was my last night on my job! My coworker gave me a gift...a complete surprise! She handed me a gift bag and inside it was a wrapped gift. Inside THAT was a nice little cloth bag with a verse on it and inside THAT was.......an Archaeological Bible! I could NOT believe it!! Months ago I mentioned how much I wanted one since I love history, maps, studying old customs, etc. I couldn't believe that she remembered and that she cared enough to buy it for me! It was one of the sweetest things anyone besides my own family has ever done for me and I will treasure it forever!

Today after we delivered the cake, we went to a store and I was able to get some really incredible bargains for my daughter, Marci, for Christmas next year. I know, Christmas is sooo far away but I got her some of her favorite cookbooks for just a tiny bit of money! She is gonna LOVE them! (They're the "LOVE FOOD" series!)

After that, we went out to lunch and had Mexican food! Yummy! Then I went to "Once Upon a Child" resale store. A few of them here in Indianapolis had a sale today that allowed you to buy a bag for $15 and then you could stuff as much clearance clothes in it that it could hold! Wow did I stuff!! I got $116 worth of things for $15! I bought our "little girl we don't have yet" Gymboree, Baby Gap, The Children's Place, etc. sweaters, dresses, more dresses, more sweaters, more dresses....you get the idea. I also got two pairs of pajamas! (AS if she needs anymore stuff...we have soooo much already and we don't even know what size she will be when we get a referral! Silly me! But it keeps me encouraged...as if she is a real part of my life...because she is! I will probably donate or Ebay what she can't wear.)

The "little blue house in the country" gets inspected on Monday! I am praying that it all goes well! I plan to post pictures of it soon! Then we should be able to close on it next week! I can't wait for you to see the "cavelike" kitchen. It is completely panelled with Knotty Pine, ceiling, too!.I think we will probably paint it AND paint the cabinets. The cabinets are old old old, but sturdy sturdy sturdy! I DO NOT want to get rid of the cabinets! I'm so tired of the cabinets that are made of pressed wood and glued together until they fall apart. I like the old ones so much better even though they aren't "attractive" yet. Paint will do wonders! We just have to decide on what color we want to paint the walls, ceilings and cabinets. There is also an adorable little corner cabinet in the kitchen that my teapots or china will look so cute in!

Well, it's time to go to bed, the dog is scratching at the door and poor Roger thinks I have forgotten that he has already "hit the hay!"

Blessings!

Beth

WE GOT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2011-01-27T08:18:00.000-08:00

Happy dance....happy dance...happy dance!!!!!!
Yep, it's true!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The bank has accepted the offer we gave for the "little blue house in the country!" I just found out about an hour ago!!
Monday we are having it inspected and then we close on it NEXT WEEK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

WOOHOO!!!!

Pictures will follow in another post...you all are gonna think, "WHY IS SHE SO EXCITED??" It is a pretty normal, nothing special kind of house....but it will be OURS!!! Mine and Roger's house together and it will not have a mortgage on it. (And I love it...!!!! It looks like a "happy" house!)

WOW...living mortgage free is something I just simply can't imagine!!

PRAISE OUR WONDERFUL LORD FOR HIS PROVISION!!!!!!!!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU, LORD!!

I have tears running down my chubby face just thinking of His amazing provision for us!

And I'm gonna start looking for chickens AND a clothes line!! No more of this "city" living for me!

And even better than that, as soon as we actually get into the house, we can move forward with our adoption!
THANK YOU, LORD!!

Ok....I've calmed down a little bit....kind of.

We (especially my husband) had all but given up on it but wow, I'm sooooo excited! We have a LOT of work to do in the next few weeks and then we have to get this big monster of a house on the market to sell! Hopefully someone will want a six bedroom house! (oh, this is NOT a "mini-mansion" type of a house...it's much more modest than that. We just added on when we combined families.) Anyone know of a "quiver-full movement" family in central Indiana who might want this house???? If I had it to do all over again, I'd have had MORE kids myself! But there's always adoption, isn't there? (which for many reasons is the healthier choice for me...I almost died delivering many of my babies.)

Well, it's off to the bank, then off to sign my "I QUIT" paper at work, and then to have lunch with my honey!

Have a lovely day!!
Blessings!
Beth

I'M BACK!!! Sort of.....

2011-01-25T09:51:00.000-08:00

Goodness! I didn't realize that it had been soooo long since I've blogged until my bloggy friend Marie emailed me!! Thank you my dear, you were an encouragement to me!
So, anyway, I decided to post some pictures of what has been going on around here lately! This is actually Christmas! Son Danny, wife Erin, and precious baby boy Liam with a present we bought him. Liam looks so much like his daddy except that he has blond hair and not red!!

Grandchildren Seraphina and Dylan with their "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake Roger and I made. We tried to focus more on Jesus this year! That's what Christmas is about, after all!

This is MY BUDDY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Little Brody just turned 1 year old this January. He always has a huge huge smile on his face...unless you take away his food..... I love to take care of him a few days a week...I was blessed to take care of Dylan sometimes when he was little (usually on my day off of work) and I have kept Seraphina since she was born for a few days a week and I enjoy little Brody when he is with me two days a week! Now...if I can just get ERIN and DANNY to move closer so that I can steal little Liam from THEM more often!!

TODAY IS DYLAN'S SEVENTH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!! Happy birthday buddy!! Grammy Beth took him sledding on a local hill a few weeks ago and we had a great time!!

Yeah, I know....I forgot to turn the picture before uploading it to blogger......however, this is the biggest news we've had for a while!!! Little Gabriel was born yesterday (Jan. 24th) to Sam and Abi!! He is the 5th of our grand babies! I look a little dazed, don't I???? This is probably the only picture that I have had in years that I am not wearing a dress! I'm actually wearing a culotte but it looks like pants in this picture. (99.9% of the time I wear dresses or skirts.)

Believe it or not....we STILL haven't heard if we are getting the little blue house in the country. That is one reason I haven't blogged for a while. I have no news about the house and I was hoping that I could suddenly say "WE GOT IT!!!" Who knows....maybe that will happen anyway???????? Our offer runs out his week, I think, so something needs to happen and I don't really want to redo the offer without any idea of when the bank will decide on it.

Therefore, our adoption plans are also on hold. I know that I shouldn't get weary of waiting but I think I am. I really hate the fact that a child's future (and ours as well) depends on money. Selling our larger house may be a necessity to us being able to afford to do this.

You are going to think we are crazy for buying this little blue ranch house...if indeed we are able to do so...and selling our big "city" house!! The little house is usually what people try to move from into a big house like we currently have! However, this has never really felt like home to me and since we will be much much much better off financially if we can make this work, moving seems to be the logical thing to do, not to mention that we both feel this is "God led".

Another BIG piece of news is.......drum roll, please.......................................................................

I have quit my job.

Yep, I did it. Probably not a good financial decision but it is the best thing to do for my emotional health and for our "family" and "marriage" health. I had cut down my hours from 30 hours in two days to just working one 12 hour day a week. However, it has just been nearly impossible to do that since I am babysitting and homeschooling. I was also being asked to "sign" documents saying that I had been "trained" for certain medical situations for individuals I had been left alone with over night when I hadn't been! I did not sign them and just left at the end of my shift. I can't imagine one of my loved ones being in the care of someone who hadn't really been trained for things such as feeding tubes, catheters, and things that I don't care to mention.

If something had happened and I had signed those papers, oh my!!!!

So this Friday is my last day and I am going to shout "Hallelujah" all the way home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We are now on a pretty tight budget but it's not something we can't handle. We have started with preparing our budget by writing down everyone and every gift giving occasion. It seems kind of sad and meager but we may just need to be more creative. For instance, I bought Christmas clearance M&M's, both plain and pretzel, and mixed them with regular "on sale" bags. I am putting them in small jars and adding a cute little topper for them. Then we can give them to the kids for Valentine's Day. Kinda cheap, but cute!!

It is my intention to put enough money in a savings account each month or week so that every time an holiday or birthday comes around, we will be prepared.

I am looking forward to having a HUGE HUGE garage sale as soon as weather permits here in central Indiana. I hope to be able to use that money to help with adopting. It will be a drop in the bucket but I think we need to learn to trust God. Perhaps that is why we have been waiting...to teach BETH some patience. Good Grief, I just wish I could hurry up and learn it....feeble laugh....

Daughter Marci has been busy making wedding plans for April of 2012. She's pretty excited and has picked out her wedding dress and bridesmaids dresses. She has booked a clubhouse to have the reception in and has also booked the very same gazebo where Roger asked me to marry him to have the ceremony. Turns out that Roger's daughter Abi was getting married at that same gazebo almost 5 years ago and Marci and Ben first met since they were both in the wedding! Later that fall, Roger led me to the gazebo and asked me to marry him! This past fall, Ben asked Marci to marry him at that same gazebo!! Kinda magical, dontcha think????? (We found out that it was going to be a small fortune to use the church she and her fiance' attends to have the ceremony AND we have to pay for a "wedding planner. We have a built in "Wedding Planner" in our family already! That is part of what Daughter in Love, Erin, went to school for, "Events Planning" among other things!) It was going to be over $1000 just to have the wedding at the church. Crazy, huh????

Well, I suppose I should get some house work done since that is now MY ONLY JOB!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YAYYAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blessings to you all!

Beth

2010-12-30T20:30:00.000-08:00

WOW...it's been a while since I posted, hasn't it? The holidays have been kinda crazy here, as it has been in most places.

WE'RE STILL WAITING ABOUT THE BLUE HOUSE IN THE COUNTRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm NOT a patient person but I am learning through this house thing and our adoption of our little girl in Africa, that God has His hand on everything we do. It's not easy, though, and as a human, I WANT WHAT I WANT WHEN I WANT IT!! But then we don't value things as much as we do when we have YEARNED for them as we do. (As I yearn for a little girl to love and nurture...)

Christmas was pretty wonderful at our house...ALL our children and young grandchildren were at our house...so yeah, it was pretty full! I got a CRICKET!! (No, not one of those pesky summer insects that seem to invade our Indiana summers...) It's one of those really cool scrapbook thingies that cuts and prints words and other really neat stuff....
Ok...I admit it. It isn't even out of the box yet....BUT I REALLY LOVE IT!! I'm trying to organize my scrapbook stuff FIRST before I can reward myself with my new "toy" from my dear hubby!

We really tried to center our celebration MUCH MORE on Christ this year. We made a "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake and had the two older grandkids blow out the candles after we sang happy birthday. It was soooo cute!

We're planning to spend a VERY quiet New Years Eve at home...most of the kids are spending the night with other relatives so it will just be a few of us at home! Kinda nice, doncha think?

Yawn. It's getting very late and my contacts are getting fuzzy.
We literally had 13,900 emails in our inbox. Isn't that amazing???? I've spent hours tonight going through them and getting rid of email junk. Whew. I'm TIRED!! That's alot of hard work....just sittin' there, ya know??

Well, hopefully things will get back to normal around here soon and I can get on the computer a little more often. I miss reading my favorite blogs!
Blessings to you all! Happy New Year!!
Beth

Snow Day!!!

2010-12-13T08:27:00.000-08:00

Wow!! What a snowy blustery day it is here in central Indiana! No one has classes today, Gideon and Jennie go to public school and Becca is homeschooled with organized classes with other kids on Mondays...so we are all home!
Becca and Jennie are making pancakes, Gideon is playing the Wii and I am about to work on online adoption classes. I have 10 credit hours to get done! I think Roger does, too, so we had better get started!
No news yet about our house that we are trying to purchase. A few weeks ago we were told that the bank that is foreclosing on it has to do some inspections and that we have been assigned a mediator but we thought it should have been inspected by now. Waiting has never been an easy thing for me! However, it is allowing me to get other things done.

We are working on Christmas decorating and shopping. (I picked up the cutest little cloth horse for little Grace...when we get her. I just didn't think it was right to buy Christmas presents for all the other kids and not include her! I'm a strange person, I think. She might not even be born yet....) It is my prayer that we will have her by next Christmas but that may not happen either...

Well, I need to get my adoption classes started. Let's hope I can sign in. Last time I tried this, I didn't have success...however, I realized that I didn't have the correct sign in code...that will help, I think!!!!!

Happy almost birthday, Jesus!!!!

Blessings,
Beth

Just a Christmas Adoption Thought...

2010-12-07T09:30:00.000-08:00

The snow had just finished fluttering to the ground, leaving a light white layer on the sidewalk, dampening my sneakers just enough to make me wish I had worn my boots. “Precious”, our German shepherd mixed breed dog was eagerly pulling on her leash, impatient to explore the sights, smells and sounds of the snowy “new world” she had just discovered outside our door.

The surrounding neighborhoods were just waking up to the Christmas spirit with the newly strung lights shining at almost every front yard as we walked into the early evening darkness. Wreaths decked most front doors and twinkling and flashing decorations adorned the houses we passed. Christmas trees, both inside and outside, graced nearly every front window we viewed.
One window especially caught my eye as the dog and I slowed down in front of the house.

There, inside the home, was a little girl whose smile was broad enough to be seen from the sidewalk. Her blond bobbed hair bounced with excitement as she helped her mother decorate their Christmas tree. Her little white sweater was trimmed in the red and white stripe of candy canes. Her father stood just behind with a cup of something hot in his hands, smiling at the two as they enjoyed their task of decorating the tree.

I realized that my “slow” walk had turned into “stop” and I looked around in embarrassment, hoping that no one saw me staring into this neighbor’s house. Precious was again tugging on her leash and I quickly, but reluctantly, looked away.

I walked on, suddenly feeling very lonely for something-someone-I had been yearning for for several years. This little girl I witnessed inside her house reminded me of the little girl waiting for us in far away Africa. Our adoption papers were almost completely filled out, our home study nearly done and somewhere our child waits.

As I continued the snowy stroll, my thoughts were completely encompassed by the little girl I did not even know. I had never seen a picture, I didn’t know her birthday, I didn’t even know her name but she was known to me alone as “Grace.”

My eyes filled with tears missing the little girl I didn’t even know. I worried about her. “Did anyone…except us…love her?” “Was she safe?” “Was she hungry?” “Who was caring for her?” “What was she doing RIGHT THIS VERY MOMENT?” “Did she wish she had a Mommy?”

I thought about the plans I had for her. I already had bins and bins of clothes and toys for her in all different sizes and recently I had moved on to buying shoes.
“Shoes were harder to judge the sizes”…but then I thought, “Most likely she doesn’t even have shoes…” and the sadness returned.

I tried to shrug it off and reached down to pet the very patient and old dog and hoped that she would live long enough to see our little girl, knowing that the adoption process was an extremely long one. I thought once again about Christmas…NEXT Christmas, or the one after, and about the little girl who would be grinning from ear to ear in OUR front room window as she helped her Mommy decorate her first American Christmas tree.

I thought about the gift she will be to our whole large family and how God showed his Grace on us to even allow this child in our lives.

Then I thought about another child who was a gift to the world, the Savior, Christ the Lord. What an incredible Gift He was! Not only are all good and perfect gifts from Him…such as our little girl…but so is the gift of Eternal Life for all who believe!

I walked home, my heart lighter and more tender to the Season in which I was living, grateful to my Savior for all his unfathomable gifts.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T14:10:00.000-08:00

Just a quick note to say Happy Thanksgiving to you all! It is about 5pm on Thanksgiving night and we are waiting for the rest of our kids to arrive to celebrate Thanksgiving with them. I think that around here, most families celebrate earlier in the day but since we have soooo many kids and they all have other families as well, we have decided to have our Thanksgiving in the evening.
Danny, my police officer son, has to work tonight so he and his sweet wife and precious little baby boy, Liam, all came early and had breakfast with us. Danny left around 12:30 and Erin and Liam are staying all day and eating supper with us and the rest of the family. I think this is the first time that Danny wasn't able to be with us on a major holiday but that is the way it is with his job. We are so blessed that his Sergeant has had a change of heart/mind and is allowing him to be off most of the day on Christmas! I am also off most of that day, I'll be working at 11p.m. on Christmas night until 7 am the next morning but that is sooooo much better than working 12 or 15 hours on Christmas and New Years Day like I did last year!! So it sounds like we can all get together for Christmas!

I'm thinking of our little girl we plan to adopt from Lesotho, Africa. I wonder if she is born, if she is being well looked after, if she feels any love at all today. I wish she could know right now how much I love her. I bought a Christmas tree ornament that is an angel and on the skirt of the angel, it says, "Bless and Protect Grace"....Grace being the name I am calling her. She will AT LEAST have the middle name Grace! Isn't that precious??I'm going to keep it out all year long until we bring my girl home!
I want her to know that she has been wanted and prayed for for such a very long time!
We have told the agency that if there are TWO little ones available, by all means, we want them BOTH!! That can only happen if they are siblings...and from what I understand, not very likely. However, God is in control and we want to be open to what He wants for us!! I just can't wait.

Sunday a lady told me that although she knows that I'm not "pregnant", I have that pregnant "glow"...that is pretty wonderful that other people can tell how excited and grateful I am that God is leading us in this way!

We haven't yet heard if the house we are trying to buy on a short sale has been ok'd by the bank. It might be a while before we know. The holiday time probably isn't the best time to try to get things done in a bank. I know that when I worked in banking, things got really really slow...lots of people also took time off and weren't often in the office! God may be trying to teach me patience!!

Well, have a lovely Holiday weekend!
Love,
Beth

House News...Roger's Health....

2010-11-19T18:56:00.000-08:00

Soooo......a bit of an update.
Roger's doctor was afraid he had phlebitis (or however that's spelled.) but he doesn't. He most likely has cellulitis in his leg and it is pretty swollen and painful. But he's on medication and doing better. Hopefully, he has just had a bug that has been going around and that's why he has a cough. (he's had a tummy issue, too, but the family has been sort of suffering from colds and tummy stuff.)

And now for the house stuff.....we DID put in an offer on this fairly modest little ranch house on 2/3 of an acre. We knew that house was being foreclosed on and that they said it was a possible short sale. So, we offered what we could...with settlement money coming from my divorce from lots of years ago...and had planned to have the little house paid off.

However, for some reason, the seller counter offered it. We are kind of confused as to why he would counter offer us. We know how much he owes and that it is a short sale and the first week of December it will be foreclosed on. So a counter offer is doing him no good...that we know of.
We thought about it over night and did some praying and soul searching. I cried. Mostly because before we can fully jump into the adoption of a little girl from Africa, we have to have an address that we will use the whole time our process takes. That means, if we send our information to the government and to Immigration, we can't change our address unless we want confusion and long delays. We also can't really stay in this house for very much longer. IF the adoption takes 12 to 18 months, we would have to wait to put our house on the market until AFTER she comes home to us. We don't want to do that for two reasons, First, we really need to sell this big 6 bedroom house for financial reasons. Secondly, I don't want to confuse our new little girl by making her move twice once she leaves Africa. I want her to be secure with us and with her new home.

I say all of that to tell you that amid some reservations, my tight wad hubby (and I say that with all respect and love I can possibly have...) agreed to accept the counter offer. We most likely will have a tiny little loan on the home that we can probably pay off in a year or less.
NOW WE ARE WAITING TO SEE IF THE SELLER'S BANK WILL ACCEPT THE SHORT SALE!!

I am hoping that the seller, his attorney, and his realtor have been told what the bank will accept. That's the only thing that makes sense...why he would counter our offer. His realtor told our realtor that the bank would not accept the offer we made so that's why I really wanted to go ahead and do accept the counter offer in hopes that we will have offered enough to satisfy the bank and that we can get our new home! (It really is pretty modest...just an average vinyl sided ranch house...but it would be "easy living" for us financially!)

It might take a while to find out...possibly we can save up some more money?? We could probably pay the house off but then our money for the adoption is gone. Our little girl is more important, don't you agree???? OF COURSE YOU DO!!!! ;)

Of course, then we need to sell this big house...the market isn't the best but then, MY HEAVENLY FATHER HOLDS ALL THINGS IN HIS HANDS AND IF HE WANTS IT TO SELL, THEN IT WILL! Isn't that the best thing to think about? HE loves us more than we could possibly love each other and HE holds the future in HIS hands!

The plan is to get our new house ready to move into and in January/February we can move in and allow one or two of our big kids to stay in our big house until it sells. In the meantime, we are working with our adoption homestudy agency, filling out stacks of paperwork, providing numerous documents and such, waiting for paperwork to come in the mail from our background searches, and filling out just as much for the actual adoption agency. WHEW...it's a bit overwhelming...almost like labor!! Hopefully, when all is done with the house, I will have gathered all the information together, applied for and received passports and all I will have to do is turn things in to the "African"adoption agency...by then the homestudy will be completed!

Gotta go....4:15 A.M. comes pretty early and it's about 10:30 at night. Hopefully one of these days I can say goodbye to these long work hours!
Blessings,
Beth

Prayer Requests...And exciting HOUSE news!!

2010-11-15T10:42:00.000-08:00

It's been another busy week around here! My dear hunny hubby is sick though, and I'm beginning to worry. I know, worry is sin...but I am concerned about him. He went to the doctor today and they're sending him for tests. They think he may have a problem with his leg and he has had a cough for a while...So...please pray that my best friend/husband will be ok!!

On another note, we put in an offer on another house this weekend! It is, unfortunately for the seller, going to be foreclosed on in a few weeks. We have offered a decent price but one we realize the bank might not be willing to accept. We might now know for sure for a few weeks but I do believe it is in God's hands. If this is not His will, there will be another house!

It is cute...in a 50's style ranch house sort of way...kind of in the country but not with a LOT of land...just 2/3 acre. But HEY!! It's enough for me to have that LONG LUSTED AFTER clothesline AND HIGHLY DESIRED CHICKEN COOP!!
It's a 3 or 4 bedroom blue vinyl sided ranch with a detached garage and trees. It backs up to a beautiful woods...not "ours" but we can pretend! The taxes alone are about 1/3 the amount our current home has! (And the best thing of all...LORD WILLING...it will be paid off!! WOOHOO!!) We will use the current family room/office as our bedroom...if we get the house, that is. The previous owner turned the 1 car attached garage into that room AND added a bathroom in it as well so THERE YOU GO!!! Our "Master Suite"!! (Minus a closet which can always be added at some time, right??)
I LOVE LOVE LOVE THE IDEA OF LIVING MODERATELY! Now let's just see if my semi-hoarding tendencies can cope with getting rid of a LOT of stuff! We will be decreasing the size of our home by at least 1/2 AND we are planning to add to our family by adoption! Doesn't make much sense, does it? But we both feel that this is what God is asking us to do to be better able to serve HIM...and that's what it's all about, right?? 13 year old Becca has always LOVED stuffed animals and she has decided to donate them to a charity. She has a tremendous amount of "Build a Bears". She worked for a food pantry last Thursday and realized that there is such a need for little children to have Christmas presents! That will lighten our load in her room considerably...enough to accomodate a new little sister...or two....
Eventually we will probably add a family room so that we can have all of our kids, in laws, and our grandkids home at one time! We are up to 19 of us (with baby Gabe expected in January to Abi and Sam AND including "Permanent Fixture" Ben...Marci's boyfriend...) NOT including our little girl who is in Africa! Yeah...we will need a "gathering place" for all of us!
The house needs a "little" work but it seems like an incredible blessing to me! There's nothing that can't be lived with and the only thing that really needs to be done is just "preferences." (Like I would PREFER that the dead mouse currently taking up residence in the kitchen drawer be removed.... Yeah.) It is what we need...and not more than that! I love the yard and can just imagine my chickens pecking the ground and my little girl going out there with a basket to help me gather eggs! There's room for a garden, too!

So, if you think about it, keep my Roger in your prayers, our house offer in your prayers, and our little girl who may or may not be born yet in Africa in your prayers! (I love her already and we are REALLY getting excited about it!! )
Blessings to you all!
Beth

2010-11-05T19:26:00.000-07:00

Whew! Long day at work today! Since I fell a few weeks ago, I had been working at a "light" work site...NOT!! That site was really difficult as well and today I went back to my original site with the 4 special needs adults. We made a decision, though...(Roger and I)...that I will not work as many hours as I had been. I usually work 30 hours in two days and it is just exhausting. I am now going to be working "fill in" where I work where and when I want to! Much much easier hours and possibly in not as hard sites as I do now. Probably just 12 hours a week, which with babysitting the grand babies and homeschooling and the regular homemaking duties will be quite enough! ;)

I mailed off a lot of our adoption papers today. I sent our fingerprints to the FBI and also sent things to the State Police, etc. Things are moving along!

I went shopping with one of my clients today and we went...just for fun...to Babies R Us. Oh my goodness, I have gotten so spoiled shopping at Goodwill, Consignment shops and garage sales that I had totally forgotten how much things "in the real world" cost! Our soon to be little girl doesn't need ANYTHING but I just thought it would be fun to look. Goodness! I kept thinking, "I can make that...." or "I saw something like that at Goodwill..." Over $200 for crib bedding???!!!
I'm cheap. (the preferred word is frugal...)

Well, it's been a LONG day and I have to get up at 4:15AM to put in another 15 hour day so I think I had better call it a day!

Little Grace in Africa...I am thinking and dreaming about you.....XOXO!!
Blessings,
Beth

2010-11-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

Today is Fingerprint Day for Jennie and Marci! I wonder if I should bake a cake for the occasion? I can't believe all that we have to go through to get this adoption thing going!! Roger is going to go tomorrow morning. We can only go between 7:30 AM to 4 PM so it's kind of hard for him to get there during working hours.

I am trying to write something either on my blog or in a journal every day regarding our lives and adoption. I would like to know what we were doing and how were were feeling... JUST IN CASE our little girl isn't born yet...on the day that she is born. If she is already born, I've been praying for her and thinking about her all the time...kind of like a mother who is wanting to be pregnant or is pregnant already loves her child even though it isn't here yet. It's kind of a strange feeling to be so infatuated with a little person you know nothing about.

Yesterday was our oldest daughter's birthday. (Roger's daughter, Abi.) I love the relationship we have together. Not quite "mom" but not unlike "mom" either. She is mommy to Seraphina and expecting Gabe in January. She is VERY much supportive of our adoption!

I'm very grateful for the relationships I have in my family. I am blessed.

I have lots to get done today and Little Miss Seraphina arrives here shortly. I'm sure she is expecting her cookie she asked for late last night. I promised her she could have it today because Mommy and Daddy said she didn't need any more last night! She is such a cutie!!

Blessing to you all!

Beth

2010-11-02T08:57:00.000-07:00

What a crisp fall day....election day...it is in central Indiana! Roger asked me to get up and vote first thing this morning with him. I kind of wanted to stay in my nice warm bed and vote later but when my husband WANTS my company, it isn't something I want to say NO to! It's so nice to be loved...

Anyway, yesterday I was fingerprinted by the police for the beginning of our home study for our adoption of a little girl from Lesotho, Africa! Thursday is our first meeting for our home study! It's actually happening! Amazing, don't you think????
Roger, Marci, and Jennie will be fingerprinted tomorrow and then I can mail the forms to the FBI. Sounds kind of ominous...I wonder if I'll find out that I'm REALLY somebody else...I think Roger thinks I am sometimes!! :) Everyone 18 and older needs to be fingerprinted. Jennie will be that old by the time the adoption is done so I am sending hers along as well!

I'm not quite sure just how long it will take to get our little precious girl. One place I saw said once they get their paperwork til the time we go to get her will be 6 months. Another place said 6 months until the adoption agency processes it, 6 months for Lesotho to process it and then we will travel to get her. So, anyway, I guess I will just wait and see. Once we get all the paperwork turned in I'm sure we will get a better idea. I'm thinking somewhere between 6 and 18 months. I wonder if she is even born yet. I've started praying for her circumstances and her birth mother.
I've been praying for our little girl for quite some time. We are pretty sure her middle name will be Grace. It depends on how old she is whether or not we change her first name. She might have an "English" name already so who knows!

Well, lots and lots to get done today. I'm also babysitting little grandson Brody. He's soooo adorable!
Blessings,
Beth

A little bit of "cohesion"...

2010-10-27T18:41:00.000-07:00

Today I was quizzing Rebecca in preparation for her Science test. A word she had to define was "cohesion."
The definition in her book said it is "The phenomenon that occurs when individual molecules are so strongly attracted to each other that they tend to stay together, even when exposed to tension."
"Wow!" I thought. "That sounds just like our marriage!"
I decided that it would be a wonderful object lesson for Becca...and me.

"It's just like Roger and I are the molecules and we love each other so much that we will stay together even when we are exposed to tension."

We have lots of tension sometimes in our home. I'm sure most families do but it is how we handle the tension that determines how well we are "cohesive." (THAT was Roger's word for ME tonight when I told him about our science lesson today. Ummm...I had to look it up after he went upstairs just to make sure I understood what it meant...)

He said, "Now that we have had cohesion we are cohesive." (Well integrated or unified.)

Most of the time we ARE unified. It hasn't been easy with two separate families living in one house. It is easier NOT to be unified because it takes WORK for our marriage to be COHESIVE. (I like that word...I think I'll use it more often...!!!) We could just go on our selfish lazy way and not make the effort it takes to be successful!

The thing that makes us more COHESIVE....if I dare call it a "thing"... is Jesus Christ. We are led and guided by the Holy Spirit and He is the One leading our marriage. God is the Foundation on which our marriage is built. After that is the love, companionship, friendship, and commitment that we share.

This is something that I did not have when I was married before and I am so grateful to have God as the focal point of our marriage...although it isn't perfect, God is, and we strive to better ourselves every day!

Blessings to you all!
Have a lovely day!
Beth

A Little "Slice" of Our Lives....

2010-10-25T05:44:00.000-07:00

Isn't this just the cutest thing EVER?? When I went downstairs one morning, I found this piece of cake on a pretty glass dish. We had decorated a HUGE cake for an anniversary reception for the company Roger works for and he had decided to take the rest of the left over cake to the office to share. He put a few pieces aside for us for supper but I found this extra special one on our island with a note in frosting. I couldn't "have my cake and eat it too" so I decided I'd do the next best thing and take a picture THEN I could EAT it! If you can't quite make out his lettering...it says "Beth's piece cuz I love her" Isn't that sweet? (Literally...it was very sweet....) How romantic!!

Becca, Gideon, Jennie and I took a day and drove to Anderson, Indiana where there is a nice State Park called "Mounds State Park." It has all these Native American built "mounds" all over the place where they most likely built them even before the time of Christ for religious or seasonal observances. To be honest, the kids weren't terribly impressed because to them they just looked like small shaped hills. But when I explained to them that they knew the seasons and the placement of the stars and that the mounds lined up with certain stars during certain times and that they had primitive tools to use to create those "scientific and religious" mounds, they were a "little" more impressed. However, the area was just gorgeous and it was a perfect fall day!

Gideon and Becca did NOT want to cooperate with getting a good picture of them! BUT, more importantly, they did cooperate behavior-wise and we had a great day!!

Gideon, Jennie and "Precious" playing in the river. Precious loves to get in the water as long as it isn't up over her chest or a BATH. She hates baths!!

Earlier in the week Becca and I took little grandson Brody to a country market where we bought some Golden Delicious apples and some cornstalks to decorate our house. Brody is a wonderful little guy!

We got eighth grader Becca's first grades for the period last week. For those of you who don't know, she is going to a one day a week "school." (It can't REALLY be called a school but it is a homeschool organized tutelage and they take a "classical" approach to education.) There is a LOT of schoolwork and she is busy almost every minute of the day. I really like it and so does she but we're trying to figure out how to whittle it down a little bit so that we can still enjoy a free moment or two during the day to spend together baking, sewing, etc. (The things that we love to do together!)

Anyway, her grades are good and I'm so delighted that I don't have to keep track of all her grades anymore!! I wasn't sure how to do that so I was very excited to show up at her open house and to find out that they already had them compiled for me! (I have to keep her records but they will give me her grades!! Woo Hoo!!)

We're still working on getting our adoption papers all filled out. It's a big step...kind of scary but we both feel that God is leading us this direction. Hopefully in a year or two we will have a little girl from Lesotho, Africa. A new friend that I have made at Becca's "school" has adopted a little girl from Africa as well but she is from the Congo. She is supposed to be travelling on FRIDAY to come home and join her family!

That brings tears to my eyes because I know that somewhere in Africa is a little girl who belongs to me. (or WILL belong to me.) She may not even be born yet and maybe her birth mother is doubting whether or not she should carry this baby. But she is mine and her middle name is Grace. (We may decide to keep her first name to honor her heritage and not to confuse her if she is an older child when she comes home to us. But we have decided on Grace for a very likely middle name!) It's so strange to be completely in love with someone I don't even know anything about yet, isn't it?? She has more clothes already than any little girl I know! Most of them are gorgeous little dresses and jumpers that I have purchased from Goodwill......of course! They look brand new! I have them in all sizes from 2T up to some size 8's. I'm not getting my hopes up to adopt a baby under 2 years old. I'm praying that God will give us the child He wants us to have! I even have bins full of shoes...Stride Rite, etc....things that are almost brand new but that we most likely won't be able to afford once we get her home! She's going to look like a wealthy little girl...who's gonna know the difference???? I love the Goodwill Store!! It is a real blessing to have such a nice one so close by. UMMMM....Roger thinks it's a CURSE.......crazy man.

Have a lovely fall day!

Blessings!

Beth

Birthday Season at a Close....finally......

2010-10-11T08:16:00.000-07:00

Another busy weekend here at our house! Roger's "Birthday Season" continued through Sunday. His actual birthday was Oct. 7 but we celebrated all week! We went to a 4 star downtown Indianapolis on Oct. 5th and 6th. By the way, if you have never used Priceline or one of those kind of discount online places, it is really worth the effort! We have used this numerous times and usually get a $200 hotel room for $50 to $65 a night!
It was nice although we like our own cozy bed much better! We went shopping at Circle Center Mall and then went to a large antique mall for the rest of the day.
Sunday we had all the kids over for Roger's birthday! It was really wonderful!

Friday and Saturday I spent at work...and at the Emergency Room. I was pushing a wheelchair into a client's room when I slipped on some "Febreeze" another worker had sprayed. The "fall out" from the spray had made the floor very slippery and I fell on my right knee and then back on my left elbow. I spent the next few hours getting Xrays! Nothing broken but a lot of pain. The doctor said I sprayed my knee and my elbow. My knee is painful but not as bad as my elbow. However, I am VERY glad I didn't actually break anything! Today I go to "Associate Health" to be examined since it happened "on the job" and they determine when I go back to work.

We're continuing to fill out the lengthy adoption papers and to try to get our paperwork in order. When I go to Associate Health today, I'm going to get some shots that I am behind in and I will need before I go to Africa! (I'm ALMOST as afraid of shots as I am of FLYING!!!!) I won't travel for a year or so but there's no need in waiting to get shots, anyway! (Yuck...I could probably find a LOT of reasons NOT to get the shots now but since my arm is hurting anyway, I might as well get the shots now, right? I tend to get really sore with Tetanus shots....)

So that's about all that's happening in our house right now. Tomorrow I hope to post a "how to" on inexpensive and easy pumpkin decorations for your house...
Blessings to you!
Beth

Adoption Process Starting!!!!

2010-09-30T07:34:00.000-07:00

I received an email from an adoption agency and in that email was all the application information we will need to get our adoption started. Believe it or not, it is POSSIBLE that we could have our adoption completed within a year. (Other information states less than that by far but I am NOT going to get my hopes up!!) It's kind of a scary process...I've been thinking, dreaming, hoping, praying and planning for this for a LONG time and for some reason, all of the sudden, I'M SCARED!! Part of it is that I will have to travel to Africa...possibly alone...for two weeks. I HATE TO FLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Only one of us needs to go and it seems best for ME to go since I will be MOMMY and since I'm used to having the bonding time while pregnant, I insist that I go! Studies have shown that adopted children do much better when the new parent travels to get him/her and has several days to let the child get to know you and trust you and realize that you are Momma!! That makes perfect sense! Can you imagine being a young African child, not able to speak our language "dropped off" at the airport with a family of strangers and then those strangers take you to their strange American house?? I'm VERY fearful of taking the trip but I think it probably IS the best thing in the long run!!
Besides that, Roger has to work and I might need some time for him to be home with us when we get home!!

Most likely our child is in Lesotho or Uganda. We're not sure which country God is directing us to. We were going to go to Ethiopia but our particular adoption agency has closed that location due to concerns about child trafficking and such.

This is a serious decision. This is for life! A commitment to someone you don't know...but that I already love! Seems strange to feel this way! I keep imagining a little child...I never see a face...and then I think what his/her (usually HER) life would be like if we DIDN'T do this! So many people don't understand WHY we would want to do this when we are in our 40's and have all those precious grandchildren! I absolutely ADORE our grandbabies. But they aren't REALLY ours! I keep having to give them back to their parents! Selfish parents!! LOL.... I usually don't tell people that they aren't REALLY ours when I have one of them with me at the store or somewhere! But then one of those precious little kids calls me "Grammy" and they ruin my illusion!

There are a LOT of hoops we will have to jump through and I'm worried that the biggest hurdle will be the fact that I'm overweight. Yeah, believe it or not, it does come into consideration! In fact, we are BOTH ineligible to adopt from China because of our weight. Even if I were to lose LOTS of weight and got down to a healthy weight, my actual body weight is too high. I'm not sure if they take into consideration my huge farm girl muscles or not....... But the GOOD NEWS IS....drum roll, please......I've lost 6 pounds this week without even trying. I've just cut back some and ate less!! I think that my weekend job is disastrous on my diet and so was my hysterectomy I had two years ago! The weight has kind of piled on lately! But it's going to come off! I have some major motivation now...I can't imagine traveling to Africa for two weeks this much overweight!! Don't ever expect me to be skinny....that's NOT going to happen. I'm shooting for 60 pounds. "Pleasantly plump."

So there you go. Keep us in your prayers...for lots of things AND for us to be able to finance this very expensive venture! I am full of faith that God will supply!

Blessings to you!
Beth
p.s....if the child is young and we can change her name, I'm thinking about Johannah Grace. Or Lydia Grace. I always think of a girl...but possibly a boy. I love the name Nathanial Allen. Roger's middle name is Allen. Most likely we will keep the African name and add an English name so all this is just my silly waste of time...when I should be doing push ups or jogging or SOMETHING!!!!
Me....

2010-09-15T08:15:00.001-07:00

Daughter Jennie with her nephew Baby Brody (above) and her nephew Little Liam (below)

Monday was Becca's first official day at her "one day a week" school. (It isn't technically a "school"- it is a tutelage but it is run just like a school. I think they can't call it a school because of licensing and the days they meet.) She LOVED it! She has been so very busy doing her Latin, Literature, History, Choir, Science, Speech, and her Math. (Math is done at home only...Switched on Schoolhouse...) It is really good for us. She gets out one day a week without her "Mom" and it keeps us on track with her school work. I have been WAY too much fun the last two years...running around, etc. However, as long as she works hard most days, we CAN take a day to take field trips and bake and craft occaisionally! Pretty cool! She gets all her assignments (except math) from them. I also have all the answers online so I can grade them. She can also start earning high school credits this year while in 8th grade. I'm not quite sure how that works yet. I have to investigate it! Sounds really good though, right? It would be really neat if she could graduate a semester early and then do something else (Mission trip, volunteering, etc.) before she starts college. I'm sure she would prefer to do something with dogs. Can she be a missionary to dogs?? I have SUCH high aspirations for my children.....yeah.......

Last week her school polo shirts arrived and she felt "official!" Then her Latin kit and her Science and history books arrived and she felt a bit overloaded!

I've been busy taking care of little grandy kids, cleaning house and baking. Roger is going on a men's retreat Thursday through Saturday and he has requested that I bake the men LOTS of cookies. I think he wants to be popular....hehe! By the way, if the recipe CALLS for shortening, don't decide that margarine will be better. When making chocolate chip cookies, if the chocolate chips are taller than the actual cookie, you know you have done something wrong. Not that that ever happens to me...

I made more this morning. With Crisco.

I worked on cleaning the "baby" room yesterday and I have sorted through lots and lots of toys that are not really necessary to a child's happiness so I have so many to put in a garage sale...if that ever happens! I would love to earn enough money at the garage sale to help with Christmas this year!~

That's about all that is happening right now at our house!

However, last night Roger and I had a date! (I figured that if he could go on a men's retreat on a HOUSEBOAT in Kentucky for several days, he can take me on a date! RIGHT?) We had a nice time with candlelight and the whole thing. Italian, of course. It was delicious!

Sunday was Grandparents' Day and we (Roger, Beth, Jennie, Becca and Gideon) went out with my Mom and Dad. Dad's birthday was Friday so we celebrated his birthday as well. THEN we went to my son and daughter in law's house...mommy and daddy to Dylan and Brody...aka WONDERBOYS! They were joined by WONDERGIRL Seraphina and equally wonderful....WONDERINFANT Liam. They were....WONDERFUL!

Oh, their parents were there, too. (Yeah, they were wonderful, too.)

It was a delightful day made especially delightful since we are seldom together all at one time. Actually, daughter Marci and her boyfriend/sidekick couldn't be there due to work schedules but all the rest were there!

It was hysterical watching Roger and almost everyone else trying to get 4 little kids to smile for the camera (or at least LOOK at the camera) at the same time. They all looked like rodeo clowns trying to get their attention. THAT would have been the picture to take!! Good Grief! I can't figure out how to get those pictures on here today...I guess I will have to wait until Jennie gets home later. All I could find was pictures I took of her and the baby boys! But they are pretty cute pictures so it's ok!

By the way, it looks like the brick ranch house with a full finished basement on 1.23 acres sold the day we decided to go ahead with it. Sigh. Oh well. I guess God has something else planned and one of these days we'll be grateful. (I'm not sure I feel terribly grateful right this minute. Isn't that awful??? I think I am just disappointed and I hate this feeling of not knowing what we're doing. Oh dear, there's that "TRUST" word again.)

Have a lovely day...lots to do and little Seraphina will be here in about an hour! She will want her grammy to play with her. Rats....what an awful job I have!! HEHEHEHE!!!!!

More Romance...especially for Missy......

2010-09-02T06:58:00.000-07:00

I suppose I should EXPLAIN that title...More romance...especially for Missy...the name does NOT imply that I think Missy should have more romance. Nor do WE necessarily need more romance...except that Rog has been sick all week!! Does kinda put a halt to all the kissing and hugging, doesn't it?

Anyway, my blogger and facebook friend Missy has requested that she be told all about our romance! And since she has known Roger for many many years but has never TECHNICALLY met me, I thought it was only right that I fill her in on all the GOSSIP!

Actually, dear Missy, Roger and I met when we were 14 years old at Bethesda Christian School. Neither of us were impressed with each other and it remained that way while we attended school together. I thought he was stuffy and he thought I was a bit on the wild side. Neither was true...he is very quiet and I am simply WAY MORE OUTGOING than I need to be! (I always wanted to be a quiet little petite girl and I am NONE of those things...except I am a girl....) He is not very tall and I didn't think that he and I would go together very well so I didn't really consider him. I don't even remember talking to him and we did not have a very large class...maybe about 60 or so in our class?? I DO remember him giving me some of his "Roger Looks"...as if to say, "Ok, that's enough now..." (I still get those looks, by the way....)

Anyway, we both grew up went our separate ways and years went by. We briefly saw each other at a class reunion and I did talk to his wife on the phone. I actually knew her from elementary school and we rode the same bus to school. She even drew my name for our 5th grade Christmas gift exchange! We all attended the same Christian school in high school.

A year or so went by and I was called about her death. I was going through a divorce at the time but I remember thinking how sorry I was and that we had children about the same age. Another year went by and I had decided to move closer to my parents and I enrolled my children in the same Christian school that I had attended...not knowing that Roger had done the same thing with his children.

My daughter Becca and his son Gideon became fast friends...best of friends or worst of enemies!! They wound up in the Principal's office once or twice. (They were only six years old...)

We (Roger and I) were thrown together throughout the next two years since we both attended the same meetings and field trips. (I must admit that eventually I found out if he were going on the field trip before I volunteered....sneaky, huh??)

He eventually asked me if I thought I was ready to go to some singles events because he attended a church that had a large active adult singles group. I was going to some events at my church but I thought it would be fun to meet some other people too. I started attending a Bible study that Roger was leading....(Oh dear, he was QUICKLY becoming MY KIND of GUY!) and then other studies and more singles activities. EVERYONE thought we were dating but we weren't! We were just becoming very good friends.

Roger's older son told my older sister...who happened to be one of his teacher's...that HIS DAD was going to marry HER SISTER and she promptly told ME! I assured her that we were NOT dating and the boy was just "wishful thinking."

I told Roger that I needed to tell him that and he told me that he already knew because his son had told HIM as well.

We kept talking via email (the highlight of my day!!) and eventually I got a few phone calls from him before Roger said that we "needed to meet." It scared the life out of me and I was just positive that Roger wanted to tell me that he was NOT interested in me. I told him that we didn't need to "meet" and that I was fine, no problem.

Well, he insisted and we agreed to meet at Applebee's. We stayed for three hours while we talked and he discussed the "pros and cons" of dating...ME! I was halfway offended and halfway pretty excited. I understood that I had five children...he had three...and that we didn't make a lot of money. He also told me that there were "OTHER" women that he was interested in.

WELL!!!!!

The next evening we hosted a singles' outing together to watch a Christmas program given by my church. HE showed up with another woman and sat there next to her. I was pretty upset but there happened to be a tall good looking man who asked ME to sit next to HIM sooo.......

What's good for the goose is good for the gander, right????

Roger turned around and motioned for me to move down there and sit next to HIM!! I got a rather smug look on my face and shook my head "no."

(I later found out that the lady he brought was NOT a date...they rode together and were just good buddies and had known each other for years and years...Whatever....)

We all went to a pizza place and the guy sat on one side of me and poor Roger sat across from me. (I was having a ball!!! That's not very nice to say, is it??)

So then came Christmas and Roger showed up at my house with Christmas cookies and his children and niece all carolling us. I was so impressed that he remembered that my daughter had severe allergies to nuts and that we couldn't have any walnuts or pecans in the house. My own family has a hard time remembering that sometimes so I was really impressed!

Over the next few months we kind of dated...secretly...and I wasn't completely sure he was the one. Sometimes he aggravated me and I didn't always answer his emails. I guess I didn't understand his sense of humor and his lack of commitment. One of our friends decided that we all needed a party so we had a "Groundhog Day Party."

Roger didn't go to the party but his best friend said to me, "I want to know why you haven't answered my friend Roger's emails for two weeks."

I was pretty happy that it evidently BOTHERED Roger enough to tell his friend that he hadn't heard from me in two weeks....so I said, "I want to know why YOU know that I haven't answered his emails in two weeks."

He just kind of got an awkward smile on his face and dropped the subject.

Before long, spring break came and we had been seeing each other a little bit. He went to Florida with his children to see his sister and I...being the poor person that I am...vacationed in Michigan for a few days. (I mean, who in their right mind leaves cold Indiana for even colder Michigan for spring break??) One evening, I got a long distance phone call IN THE HOTEL from him! Then it happened again the next night! He asked if he could see me the following Saturday!

When we finally saw each other...we met halfway since we lived a pretty good distance apart...I got in his van and he actually asked me if he could kiss me!! (I said no and slapped his face....NOT REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I told him I was wondering if he was ever going to get around to doing that!!!! By that time we had "kind of" dated for 6 months!!)

Before that, he hadn't even held hands with me. What a gentleman!

So we started dating seriously but his friends were telling him that he should be seeing other women besides me. We had a discussion about that and I asked him if he were going to KISS other women? He promptly said NO!!! Well, I figured that we were well past that stage in our relationship...if he were kissing ME he shouldn't be seeing other ladies!! After all, I had waited for 6 months before I got a kiss and I wasn't sharing him with anyone else. I told him that we had a limited amount of time to "date/court" and I wanted to spend the time with him. I also asked him if he thought that God had brought us together. He said, "YES."
So....why question God, right????

He didn't date anyone else.

We dated for 2 years before he popped the question but he first asked ALL my family...his kids, my kids AND my parents...permission to marry me!!
He and I were supposedly walking to a restaurant in his town and we walked through the gazebo that we had recently had his daughter's wedding in and I turned around and there he was on his knees! His hands were shaking and he asked me if I would wear his ring! Of course, I said YES!

THEN we went to a different restaurant where all of our kids were waiting for us! (There were 12 of us for supper that night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

So, that's the story. (For the most part. I did leave out the part about walking in our town park after dark and getting cold. We decided to get into my full sized van and talk. He smooched me and just THEN, we were SURROUNDED by two police cars who had us cornered! Roger said, "Let's get out of here!" I couldn't move the van and I'm SURE the police preferred we stay where we were.... Anyway, I showed my license and registration and after explaining that we had been walking and got cold, they let us go....evidently the park was closed! I'm glad it didn't make the papers...."Youth Pastor and the Divorcee Caught in Lion's Park"....oh dear....)

We've had our ups and downs...the difficulties of a blended family of mostly teenagers are always with us. We are currently trying to get "OUR" house so that neither of us feel uncomfortable here. I thought it was a good idea to move into Roger's house and not uproot his boys. It wasn't a wise decision but hopefully one we can rectify someday soon.

But while I wish some things hadn't happened in blending our families, I wouldn't trade Roger for the world. He is one of my greatest gifts from God and the best friend I have ever had. I love spending time with him just doing silly things. (we do a lot of silly things....)

We are also really considering adoption. It is my greatest wish to raise a little child with this man of my dreams. I love him with all of my heart!!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2010-09-01T13:37:00.000-07:00

Ok, well, it's not really. It's beginning to look a lot like September. I've tried to hang a fall wreath on my front door but the hangy thing fell off the door. So it looks like I need to get dear hubby to fix it or buy one of those over the door hangers.
I have, however, been THINKING about Christmas. More correctly, I've been thinking about Christmas COOKIES!!
It has been our tradition in recent years to deliver Christmas cookies to our friends, neighbors and families. (In fact, lots of years ago, Roger delivering Christmas cookies to my house AND remembering that Jennie has a severe allergy to nuts was what STARTED me off falling in love with the guy. That, and I thought he was really a cutie pie. Truth be told, I already had a crush on him but when he made sure he didn't use any nuts in our cookies because of Jennie, I was QUITE impressed!!)
So I was wondering, does anyone REALLY know how long cookie dough can safely be frozen and stored in the freezer? I was thinking about spending part of September mixing up batches of chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin and those kinds of cookies and freezing them in balls. Of course, I will double wrap them in plastic and put them in freezer bags in the freezer.
I tried to look it up on the Internet and found that some people say they last a month, three months or six months.
Anybody have any ideas???

WHO DOES SHE THINK SHE IS???

2010-08-31T08:47:00.000-07:00

No one is allowed to mess with my antique tea cart and my tea things. NO ONE...Not Marci, or Jennie, or Becca, or Gideon, or the grandkids...especially the grandkids...not Roger (well, maybe Roger....)
So who does Miss Harmony think she is? This is her new favorite place...when she is not on my computer chair...She loves to look out on her world.
She does make a pretty picture, though, doesn't she?

Blessings!
Beth

A Week of Earnest Prayer!!

2010-08-30T09:06:00.000-07:00

Many years ago, four or five at least, when I was a little girl....ok, ok, I said four or five years ago AT LEAST!!! Perhaps it was a few more years ago than that. Anyway, when I was a young girl, my brother and sister and I would sometimes take our bicycles and ride several miles on our local country roads to get to "Smith's Service Station" in the closest "town" that there was to us. This was a very old fashioned gas station...it wasn't old fashioned because they thought it quirky or quaint, it was just very very old. There was only one aisle in the little store where you could purchase necessities and CANDY and Mrs. Smith stood behind the counter. Mr. and Mrs. Smith owned the store and I was terrified of her. However, as I became a teenager, I discovered that Mrs. Smith had a very cute grandson who sometimes worked in the little gas station. (Her grandson has nothing to do with this story and had nothing to do with me, by the way.....)
Anyway, that was a wonderful bike ride for summer days. I'm not sure why we would ride miles and miles just to get a coke, guzzle it and return the coke bottle for a few cents, and ride those same long miles back to our house. I think it was just fun to do something all grown up without our parents!
The service station and little store is no longer there but the house we have been looking at is just a hundred yards or so beyond that little corner. The house wasn't there then since it was built after those eventful summer days. There is nothing really in that "town" so I'm not sure why it is a "town". There are two churches but I'm not sure where the congregations come from because there are probably less than 20 houses in that "slow spot in the road." No schools, stores, post office...nothing. But I think it's cute! Hey, it would sure help me to stop spending, right???
We are still asking for God's leading in this decision. I am getting kinda nervous, though, because I am afraid someone else will buy it before we do! My honey wants to spend this week in earnest prayer before we make the decision. I think it is a wonderful idea and we really want to do God's will. We both just don't know yet what His will for us is!
I told Roger last night that if the house sells this week, we will take it that God didn't want us to have the house. Last night as I was taking my turn praying with Roger, I asked for God's leading in this matter...and I almost added..."PLEASE PLEASE LET IT BE YOUR WILL!!" I didn't do that, however, partly because God already knows what "I" want...I just don't know what HE wants!
I feel like this is a turning point in our lives. He could be calling us to do something completely different than what I want...or Roger wants...Or He could be calling us to go ahead and buy the house He has provided for us!
I have some good news, however! We have been worrying (I know, worrying is a sin...ok, we've been "concerned"...) about how our finances will change when our children get older and right now we have had some financial answers to prayer. I can't really go into details about it but just know that we have recently been blessed in ways I didn't expect. The Lord is good even when we aren't!
I hope you all have a lovely day!
Blessings,
Beth

Too Old for this Kinda Stuff!

2010-08-22T19:01:00.000-07:00

We went on a 11 or 12 mile canoe trip yesterday with our church family...mostly teenagers and those crazy enough to still think we ARE teenagers! I am still exhausted from all that paddling on Whitewater River! It was a lot of fun, though, and it started out rainy as we drove for about 2 hours to get to the river. It soon lightened up and we enjoyed the water and beautiful scenery.
It all went pretty well until I (insane person that I am...) decided to try the rope swing and jump/drop into the river. I climbed up on the rock and was really too much of a chicken to climb up into the tree that other people had jumped from. So I grabbed the rope as high as I could and jumped and held on for dear life...for about 1 second...when my hands slipped off the great big knot in the rope...and I fell/plummeted into the large boulders submerged at the base of the river.
I survived.
However, I have a LOVELY big bruise on the back of my leg. I was not thinking very clearly as the teenagers shouted "do it, do it" when I jumped into the river because I still had my life jacket on...which forced my head and neck into a terribly painful/uncomfortable position as I bobbed back to the surface. My life didn't exactly flash before my eyes but I stayed down long enough to wonder if I was going to die and to think about the poisonous snakes we actually DO have in the rivers of certain parts of Indiana and the fact that there might be MANY of them just waiting to nibble on my chubby body.

I think it is time to realize that I am NOT as young as I think I am.

However, if I have to die sometime, I think I would rather go having a great time rather than languishing forever...making my life and everyone else's miserable.
I just don't want to do it for a while.
Maybe I will wait for another 25 years or so to act like a teenager again.

A little bit more house hunting...

2010-08-19T07:14:00.001-07:00

We looked at a house on Tuesday evening and I fell in love. (With the house-not the realtor...I am still in love with my husband as well...)

It is NOT what I thought we were looking for but it is what we NEED. (I think we have given up on the old farmhouses...lots of work and money!!)
It is a fairly modest 2 bedroom brick ranch. It was advertised as a 4 bedroom ranch but two of the "bedrooms" are in the basement. We can't use them until we add windows for a way to escape a possible fire. So it CAN be a 4 bedroom house but it needs some work to make it so.
I LOVE the upstairs and it is what we have come to realize that we really want in a home. Small enough upstairs to afford but it has a basement to have all the grown kids and THEIR kids come home to for holidays and celebrations.
It is in our price range. We wanted to be able to have a tiny mortgage and this will accomplish that! It is in a tiny tiny town without a stoplight or a store or anything like that. It does have two churches...one of which is right next door.
Roger isn't thrilled with the location...I'm not THRILLED with it but I am content with it. Since it is in the little town, the speed limit is, I think, 20 miles per hour but it is on a highway. However, it is still considered "rural" and we can have CHICKENS, GOATS, and MY HIGHLY COVETED CLOTHESLINE!!! The church is a nice sized one and Roger is worried about the traffic. It is also a Baptist church, though, and I told him that anytime there is traffic at THAT church, we will be at our OWN Baptist church so we won't even be affected! We would be 15 minutes from my parents, Roger's daughter Abi, my son Aaron and his family, my college student, Marci and 20 minutes CLOSER to policeman Danny and his family!
The kitchen is wonderful...kind of small but open and has lovely new maple cabinets and new appliances and counter tops! Oh my! There is a pretty living room with a fireplace and new laminate floors. All on 1.24 tree lined acres with the churches' rolling field behind it.
I asked Roger what he thought about all of it and he said, "I would be very content with the house!" It has a partial goldfish pond and fountain with a little path around it and I can just imagine him "piddling" around with that while I'm out with my chickens and other critters!

I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high. I know that there are a LOT of hoops to jump through and it might be that the bank will decide that it is going to be too much for us to handle until we get our house sold. We're going to pray for God's leading and would appreciate any prayers you might go to God with on our behalf.

I know that God has everything work together for good for us and if this doesn't work out, something else will come along. I am learning to TRY not to out plan or over plan God's will for our lives. I'm a control freak.......I can't control God. I need to try it the other way around.

Have a lovely day!
Blessings!
Beth

2010-08-13T18:45:00.000-07:00

Whew...what a day. It's been about 97 degrees in nearby Indianapolis today and I was out in it doing grocery shopping for the assisted living home I work in. It doesn't seem too much to do but since I do not have a handicap license or hang tag for my van and I had a client in a wheelchair with me, I had to park waaaaaayyyyyy out there so that no one (hopefully) would park next to me and I could load and unload the wheelchair. And the little old man I had with me decided that he really couldn't make it to the van thus needing my assistance...all the time I was also pulling a shopping cart with $200 worth of groceries in it. It was loaded down. I am quite a shopper...

Anyway, I'm home now. Yay! I have six hours before I have to get up and go back to work. One of these days I'm gonna have to get a different job. But God is good. I think He wants me there for a while...if for nothing else but the insurance it provides our family.

Some of you know that we have been talking about adoption for a while now. I got a call from the adoption agency we had decided to go through. This was about nine at night on Wednesday and we had just gotten home from church. To make a long story short, they said...."no." at least for a newborn. "No birth mother would choose you and your husband because you are too old and you have teenagers." Ok, yeah, maybe we aren't in our 20's...or 30's...but we aren't exactly old. And they don't know OUR teenagers!! What wonderful big brothers and sisters they would make.

I'm a little bit disheartened but not terribly. I didn't really feel like God is calling us to take a newborn. It seems like everyone is fighting over newborns and to be honest, I remember the newborn time...FIVE times to be exact...and it wasn't always wonderful. Of course, I thought it was THEN, when I held my little baby during the night and did all the wonderful things I did.
But I wouldn't want to rob another lady of that joy. I can't imagine NOT having been a Mommy.
But a newborn isn't absolutely necessary to me.
A toddler or preschooler would be PERFECT!!

So, we may try foreign adoption or adoption from foster care. God is planning something for us, I know.
My heart is really burdened for third world countries and the orphans. However, parts of the United States aren't much better. Oh, of course, the CONDITIONS are better but there are so very many people without the Lord and they are raising their children without the Lord.

I work in a VERY rough part of Indianapolis. A few weeks ago there was a shooting about a block from the house I work in. In fact, at the end of the street where I turn into the neighborhood, there were ambulances and police cars all over. (This is 5:30 a.m.!!) Evidently, there was a shooting at the gas station down the road and the victim drove home to his house and called the ambulance. (There is an armed guard at the gas station all the time and the workers stay in a bullet proof "cage" to do their transactions! I know this because I bought gas there today. Oh dear, I think I am CRAZY!!!!! Scary place! It's not too bad during the daylight but when I leave work during the winter months, it's very dark out and I am not very comfortable with it!
But people are raising their dear little ones in this neighborhood. All the time we see little "memorials" for children killed on the street in gang or drive by shootings. And this is Indianapolis...a reasonably safe city!

I feel that I would be doing the same amount of good for the Lord by adopting from foster care if I could take a child or two from this kind of environment and love and nurture him or her. We have our own "mission field" in our back yard! (Well, not exactly OUR back yard...thank the Lord! Did I sound like a snob?? I didn't mean to!)

So, anyway, that's where we are now. I think we need to talk to an adoption attorney and ask around. We are also planning to take "foster parenting" classes.
Keep us in your prayers, if you think about it.

Blessings!
Beth

Incredible Answer to Homeschooling Prayer

2010-08-04T18:56:00.001-07:00

Wow...it seems like forever since I've been in blogland! The 4H fair has taken up most of our time. The kids did well in it. Becca was able to get blue ribbons, Honor ribbons, two reserve champion ribbons and a champion ribbon along with it's trophy! Trinket kitty was awarded one of the reserve champions in her "short haired cat" class in the cat show. Becca got a champion trophy for the "most beautiful cage" contest. You would NOT believe the effort these kids and parents put into the cat cages! (Every cage has to be totally covered except the front to keep the cats from fighting.) There was a "Chalet", a "Haunted House", a "70's" house just to name a few. There were probably 60 or more cages entered. Becca's was an Asian themed one.

Now for the really cool thing that has recently happened in our homeschool! Becca has been listening to her friends from church and her older siblings telling her that she needs to return to regular public school. (This conversation has not made the momma of the house very happy...)
Anyway, we had a long talk (Becca and I) and I promised her I would keep an open mind about it and we would pray about it. I told her that I wanted to explore some other options in getting her out with people more often. This is MOSTLY what she has wanted. She has stayed home almost every day and has only recently made a couple of good friends. (Who are nice girls and a blessing! But they go to public school and Becca wanted to go to school with them...One is her age but the other one is several grades ahead of her!)
I called a local church that I heard had a large amount of homeschooled children in it and a woman I talked to told me about a program/school run out of the church. It is a ONE day a week school (with tuition, dress codes, etc...) but they spend the other 4 days of the week at home doing their homeschooling! Her particular class (8th grade) would have about 14 kids in it.
Math would be done on our own time at home as well as a foreign language. They teach History, Art History, Language and Literature, Science, Speech and Drama, Bible and Philosophy, Latin, Choir...possibly some other things I have forgotten.
They have a "mission day" each month outside of school with a lecture, lunch and then a "servant's heart ministry." Isn't that just the neatest thing??
She is so very excited about it and I have heard no other talk about her going back to Public School! This seems to be the very thing I was hoping for!
I know that there are other "co op" kinds of homeschool activities but the one that is fairly close to us has been "cancelled" every time we have tried to be involved. I want it to be a well run program that we can count on. I just can't believe that God has shown this to me just when we really needed it. He's awfully wonderful, isn't He?

I understand that it is a pretty difficult curriculum with reading and studying based in history. She's pretty excited about learning Latin! (Strange kid...)

Yeah, she's pretty excited...we had to go out and buy a backpack.

I'm excited about it, too, because even I might get to know some other like minded people. We live in an extremely "upper crust" town and there are not many homeschoolers here. I don't even know of one other homeschooling family although I am sure there are some. We're not "upper crust"...we buy most of our belongings from Goodwill. (Just thought I'd make that clear...)

That reminds me...a few months ago I was just finished working out at a local gym and I was standing there blow drying my hair and I overheard a conversation nearby. A woman was talking about her husband who was the Head of Surgery...or some such title...at a local hospital. The ladies were all dressed in their finest work out clothes and looking expensive and skinny. I looked down and noticed that I was using my hair drying that I was so thrilled to have purchased....at the local Goodwill Store...and it still had it's big black and white price tag on it.... ( $2.99 GOODWILL)...
I wonder what those ladies thought!! Probably wondering how they let me in there!! Haha!!

And So It Begins!

2010-07-22T04:21:00.000-07:00

Wow...the preparation for our county fair has started with the kids turning in their projects! Friday is the "official" opening of the fair. So far Gideon and Rebecca have turned in their photography projects and have received blue ribbons. Rebecca has also done a "Self Determined" project which is a project that is the child's choice as long as it can't fit into another category. She did a study about China and has done many mini projects on that theme. She has so far gotten a Blue Ribbon/Honors on that one.
Today she is competing in the Food Preparation project and is taking a Chinese dish. (Keeping with the China theme and her homeschool studies....) It is really a delicious meal and quite pretty! She has been working hard on it so I hope she does well. It was kind of a difficult thing getting up and fixing Chinese food at 6:30 a.m.!
She has to be at the judging session at 9:30 a.m. along with the many other children and then have a "pitch-in" with the other children's exhibits!

Sunday is her "Cat Show" with Miss Trinket. She is also an "Asian" project since she is part Siamese. She was actually the inspiration for Becca's theme she kept with this year.
Becca also drew the Great Wall of China for her Fine Arts project. Our church is having our church service at the 4H fairgrounds on Sunday morning again this year as an outreach ministry to the community. (we are still having church services at our church as well for those who aren't going to the fairgrounds service...)

I really like 4H for the kids but I am always happy when their projects are over with! I think Becca took 8 or 9 projects this year. She wouldn't be taking so many if we didn't incorporate them into her home schooling year. This way, she has to be responsible to someone other than just me and learn to do things "by the book." She also has a nice "reward" for work well done since she doesn't really have a reward system in our home schooling. That may be something we change this year, I am looking for ways to encourage her but not to have her showing off with her good grades or projects. I think that is a fine line to walk, sometimes....

Hopefully we can go and see Baby Liam today. It has been a few weeks since I've visited with them and I miss them all! (Daddy, Mommy and Baby Liam!) We spent the day with Dylan and Brody yesterday and I was blessed to see Seraphina on Sunday! Grandbabies are awesome!!

Blessings to you all!
Beth

A Sweet Smell

2010-07-15T05:24:00.000-07:00

I'm just sitting at my computer this morning smelling like a guy.
I mean that in a good way.
I found some cologne, "Mustang", at a local drug store on clearance sale for 75% off yesterday!
I can't pass up a bargain and since my DAD is a BIG MUSTANG fan, he HAS to have some for his birthday in September!
He's really fond of the Mustang CAR...I guess I should clear that up.

Anyway, so this morning, I sprayed a little bit on my wrist to show Roger how it smells. It is really pretty nice!
So now I smell like a guy.

I used to spray a little bit of Roger's cologne on my wrist or sweater just so that I could be reminded of him all day long when I was at work. (Not that I really NEEDED to be reminded to think of him...I think of him all day long!)

I love it when I get a "goodbye" hug and kiss from Roger and then I am left smelling of his cologne. I have proof that I have a close "relationship" with my husband.
But that kind of has me thinking today. I don't mind smelling like my father, better yet, smelling like my husband...but how often do I smell of our SAVIOR? Am I left with the sweet smell of just having been around the Lord and having a close relationship with Him?
I mean, can people REALLY tell that I'm a CHRISTIAN when they're near me or do they just think that I'm a relatively nice person?
I have been around people that I just INSTINCTIVELY KNEW that he or she was a Christian!
I want to be THAT kind of a Christian.
I don't mean the kind of pious, judgemental people that we all know. I don't believe that they have the sweet perfume of our Savior about them. I want to be the kind that REALLY lives what they believe and that is the love and GRACE of our Lord.

The world needs something different than they have. They need to be shown what it REALLY means to be a Christian.
I think sometimes we (I) make it look like we THINK we have to go to church 3 times a week, volunteer in the nursery, give LOTS of money to missions, etc., to be OUR kind of a Christian.
While ALL THOSE THINGS ARE GOOD, EVEN GREAT, THAT'S NOT WHAT GETS US TO HEAVEN!
I'm sure that the Lord appreciates all those things but our Salvation is not a works salvation...it is a faith Salvation.
We can do all the good things in the world but if we are trusting in ourselves to be saved, it is all in vain.

Unfortunately, I don't think we are getting that message across to people that they don't have to "BE" anything to be a Christian. It just takes faith and the GRACE of God.

"For God so loved the world that He gave is only begotten son that whosoever BELIEVETH in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life." John 3:16.

I'm afraid that we as Christians are putting so many things into Salvation that don't belong there. Church attendance (while wonderful and NEEDED for growth and fellowship) isn't "salvation." Neither is good works or tithing. It's just repentance and faith in the death of our Savior to be all we need.

I don't' need to act pious or self righteous. I just need to try to act like Jesus.
I need to be better in my Bible studying and my prayer life. I need to be spending time with my Lord. I need to get daily "hugs" from Him and to continue to ask for God's guidance and help to be who I am supposed to be...someone who smells like Jesus.

Wow! Two posts in one really difficult day!

2010-07-13T17:57:00.000-07:00

Have you ever had a difficult day that just wouldn't end? Mine started yesterday.

I have always hated it when someone says "I'm having a BAD day!"
I have this little flip answer in my head that rings out, "Every day that God gives you is a GOOD day! There is NO BAD DAY!"
Then I had yesterday evening....the beginning of my very difficult day.

I was hurrying to get to Michael's (craft store) to get Becca something ELSE she was needing to get her 4H projects done when right behind me appeared Mr. Police Officer. I wasn't speeding, I was obeying all traffic rules in my pious little way....but the red lights flashed anyway

It wasn't a big deal...a bit embarrassing...but I had a brake light out. I knew I had a turn signal out...and I kept asking my husband to get it fixed....ahem.....but I didn't know about the brake light as well.

The very nice officer asked me for license and registration and I promptly handed him my license but I couldn't find the registration. You see, the glove compartment is broken and I put all the important information in a box that somehow disappeared. He said, "Just sit tight and I'll see if I need it..."

I was pretty confident that I was ok....the last time I had been pulled over was probably 20 years ago or so...and just got a warning.

He came back to me and said, "Miss, do you have a DRIVERS LICENSE? This is just a state issued Identification card!"
"OH MY!!" I exclaimed. "THAT'S not even ME!! It's my CLIENT!!" I went on to explain that I work with special needs adults and that evidently I hadn't remembered to put her I.D. back in the file at work. I finally located the proper driver's license!
He laughed...a little...and had me further explain why I would have someone else's i.d.

I got off with a verbal warning and was asked to find the registration! We did so, this morning!

Roger had to take my van this morning to take kids from his company camping. I was left with his little compact car. He won't be back until tomorrow night and Gideon went with him. We were kind of excited to have a ladies' day/night for just me and my girls...you know, possibly shopping, cereal for supper, watching silly movies as long as we wanted to....etc....

This afternoon, we set out for the mall to see Toy Story 3. (VERY CUTE, by the way...made me cry and I had to keep telling myself that this is a CARTOON! The people behind me snickered at me because they knew I kept wiping my tears away! Good Grief!!)
On the way home, we ran out of gas. Thanks to God's provision, we were actually in another parking lot and safely off the road! However, I had to walk about 2 miles in obtaining more gas for the car. It is very hot in Indiana right now. Did I mention it was rush hour? How about the fact that I was walking down one of the busiest streets in a denim skirt and my church shoes? Or that when I finally got to the gas station, they had sold out of gas cans? When I asked where the next closest gas station was, he pointed toward the direction I had just come from.
"It will be a couple of miles, though," he said.
Tears welled up in my eyes and I said "I have to sit down and cool off a little while. I don't think I can do that."
Soon he came back with another employee who was carrying a gas can. Some time ago, a customer bought a gas can to LEAVE at this gas station just in case someone might need one! The station was no longer lending gas cans since they most often are never returned. But someone had thought of someone else and decided to leave the gas can.

Isn't that amazing???

ISN'T GOD AMAZING?

Once again, He provided for me.

When I brought the gas can back after walking back to the parking lot, the employee said how lucky we were that we hadn't run out of gas somewhere else.

I said, "I know, God was looking out for us!"

He said, "Yes, that's true!"

So, I'm RIGHT! Any day that God gives us is a good day. Or better yet, a GOD day! It's kinda nice to end the day being able to praise our God!

Oh, and the PIZZA I just had DELIVERED isn't too bad, either!

Farm house news and camping fiasco...

2010-07-13T07:29:00.000-07:00

Well, we have had quite a week. Right after the 4th of July, we took the two younger kids on a camping trip. We were planning to join my parents at Turkey Run State Park for a time of just our family and grandparents.
We got about 10 miles away and the belt on our van broke. We spent about 5 or 6 hours in a truck stop. My parents live within a few miles of that truck stop so my dad came to our rescue. Then two men passing through tried to help. THEN my two brothers drove up...one on his new motorcycle! There were two trips to the closest town with an auto parts store and finally, it was fixed...or so we thought.
My parents decided not to go camping with us since it was so late but Roger, myself, Gideon and Becca went on to Turkey Run. The van started making the same nasty noises that it had been making BEFORE the belt broke. (But we got there AND we made it home ok...just slowly..) (I drove it to drop the kids off at their 4H meeting yesterday and heads turned! Not because it is such a lovely van but because of the terrible noise it makes!)
Anyway, we DID have a good time for the rest of the trip and we even went canoeing! Neither of our canoes were tipped over and we had fun! We went to some Amish stores on the way home and loaded up on a few items we needed. (They sell things in bulk packages and I am amazed at how much we save!)
We hurried back to get Becca to her "Fun Show" for her Cat Project in 4H. Trinket DID NOT enjoy being there one little bit! In fact, she "pee peed" ALL over the floor AND on my denim skirt! She was sooo nervous! I went into the restroom and successfully washed up.
Becca was a little disappointed because SHE believes her kitty is the BEST EVER and evidently, the judge did not.....
The REAL Cat show will be in a week and 1/2....

The NEXT big thing to happen is that we had decided to put an offer in on a precious little farm house on almost 5 acres. It has 5 bedrooms but needs LOTS of work. We were willing! It has barns and a HORSE barn with a cement floor in part of it to store our little camper or...as Gideon says...to have a skating rink or a basketball court! It is huge! Oh and you should see the chicken coop!!! My DREAM CHICKEN COOP!!!
It has trees, a soybean field and the most incredible well house covered in vines just like in "The Secret Garden!"
So we decided to put an offer on the place and we called the realtor. He would NOT make time anytime that day to let us do so. We decided to call another realtor. She ALSO would not make time to do it for us. (My dad said "They must not be hungry.") Anyway, THAT particular realtor said to me, "It will take $20,000 to fix the septic system!" I don't know if that is the truth or not but it is enough to scare us away from buying the house.
There is quite a lot of remodelling to be done in it and there is no heating or cooling system AND the upstairs still needs to be completely redone, all of which we were willing but we just can't afford the new septic system.

*Weep*

I guess it is not the house that God has for us. At least for now. It most likely will be taken off the market and repaired and THEN put back on at a higher price. Maybe then we can see if it is something that God has for us in our future.

I am certainly extremely disappointed. It is just a few miles from my parents, my older son and about 15 miles away from my younger son. All my family live within 15 minutes.

However, I am in the middle of being amazed at God's provision for us in this situation. Had the first realtor...someone related to my husband...not refused to write the offer...we would have had NO idea that the septic system was in such bad disrepair. We were planning to offer a large deposit and then have a contract for 6 month to a year while we worked on the house. We have just enough money to do that but did NOT plan on the septic system having to be replaced. We had not even planned to have it inspected since we knew that there were issues in the house that would NOT pass a regular inspection or finance with the bank.
We would not have had the extra money to fix the septic system yet we would have been under contract with this man. We could have lost all the money that we had put into it.

I think it very very strange that neither of the two realtor we spoke to would write an offer on that day even though we were willing to do whatever it took for as late as it needed to be. In fact, we called a THIRD realtor before we talked to the particular realtor that told me about the septic system!! I have worked as a real estate secretary for several years and my mother was a realtor and I am so used to having to "JUMP" when a buyer has an offer to make!! It is very odd that no one would do it on that day!

I guess it's not odd....it's just GOD.
He is still protecting his little impatient children. And I am very grateful. (yeah, a little disappointed, but grateful. In fact, the day we were making the offer, I took LOTS of pictures to show YOU but now I can't bear to post them! )

I WONDER WHAT GOD HAS IN STORE FOR US. I THINK IT MAY BE SOMETHING WE HAVEN'T YET EVEN CONSIDERED OR COME ACROSS! I hope it has a chicken coop.....

NOT sooo Funny.....hmmmm...

2010-07-01T15:38:00.000-07:00

EVIDENTLY, it is QUITE a blessing to be the source of incredible humor as I must be to my 17 year old daughter. I have NOT yet fully realized the whole "blessed to be a blessing" thing in my current situation.
Let me explain.
I went to a big garage sale today in which I purchased lots of retro items at just a dime or a quarter. I was able to buy old aprons, a sewing basket, retro fabric, a little dog statue, yarn, and rag balls. I also bought 60+ year old looms for weaving pot holders. I think I spent $6.00.
I brought them home and was arranging them on my couch to take a lovely picture of them to share with YOU....and my daughter walked in and sat down on the floor next to me.
I had them all arranged nicely and was explaining them to her when suddenly, my ear itched a little bit and of course, I scratched it. It still itched but now it was making some really strange crackling sounds! I rubbed it again to no avail. Again I rubbed it and as I brought my hand down, to my HORROR of ALL HORRORS, I realized that I had actually stuck a spider's nest in my ear!!
"AWWhhhhaaahhhh!!!"
I was NOT happy. I do not care for spiders. AT ALL. Especially in my ear.

My daughter, Jennie, on the other hand, has been almost rolling on the floor in hilarity at my disgusting situation. She can not speak at this moment because of the "mental image" she keeps getting. She is laughing until she has tears rolling down her face. She has ruined her mascara. Good!!

I do not think it is very funny.

I think I will not feed her supper.

Ok...post script...I fed her supper. That is, 13 year old Becca cooked supper tonight as more practice for her 4H project. We loaded up the hot and spicy Chinese food and picnicked at the local park! I'm not sure why...I think I've had enough "nature" for today!!

Wonderful "Date" with my Dear Friend!

2010-06-29T09:08:00.000-07:00

I am NOT a "run around with the girlfriends" kind of a lady. In fact, I don't remember a time that I have had "an evening out" since Roger and I married three years ago. I don't even think I did that before we got married. I spend my time with my best friend/husband and our kiddos. I might take my dog for a walk or visit the library or Goodwill alone but I don't usually "socialize" with a group of ladies. (Not that there's anything wrong with doing that, I just don't. Usually.)

Last night I met my friend Lisa whom I haven't seen for years and years. She called me up out of the blue and when my husband told me who was on the phone, I practically flew to the phone.
We made a date for last night, just the two of us, at a local restaurant.

WE HAD A BLAST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We met at 7p.m. and I think we closed the place down. We laughed and laughed and laughed and talked seriously a time or two as well. What have I been missing in not seeing this dear lady in all these years??

About half way through our night, I noticed that my throat was beginning to ache a little bit and I wondered if I were getting sick. NO, I was just talking and talking and talking and my throat was getting tired!!

The sky was beginning to get dark and I thought that it must be about 8ish and then I realized that Indiana is now on Daylight Savings Time (something that most of us are still trying to get used to! Prior to our governor's terms of office, we didn't change our clocks when everyone else did.) So instead of it being about 8, it was about 9 and then 10 and finally at about 10:30, we decided to go home! (of course, the "getting ready to go home" part takes a while, too...)

However, not before Lisa decided to play a trick on my poor dear hubby...whom she has yet to meet, by the way.

So Lisa decided to call Roger on his cellphone and tell him that she had a problem! She told him that his wife had been drinking! ( something stronger than the raspberry iced tea that I am crazy about!!!! I DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL AT ALL!!!!! KEEP THAT IN MIND!!!) She went on to fib to him and tell him that she was afraid to let me drive and that she needed direction how to get me home! (All this time, I am trying not to burst out laughing!! I can't even take cough syrup without it knocking me out for hours and hours!!)

Roger answers back, without hesitation, "Oh.....That's ok. I'm used to it. She does this all the time. I'll come and pick her up...." He went on to mention some kinds of drinks I SUPPOSEDLY like! I didn't even know HE knew what drinks were called! He then asked if I was up on the countertop of the bar yet!! MERCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (in my long denim skirt and all.....) Youth pastors aren't supposed to have such an imagination, are they?????!!!!

Good Grief!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Do I have room in my life for TWO CRAZY PEOPLE??????

I don't know why it struck me as so funny...probably because Lisa had never even met Roger and Roger just went along with it!! EMBELLISHING IT EVEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (of course knowing that I would never do such a thing....)
Weirdos.

When I got home, my two 13 year olds met me at the door (they should have been in bed hours before that!!) and just seemed puzzled that I would even think of being gone for so many hours! What was wrong with their mother?? Gideon asked Roger why I would be gone for almost 4 hours!!??? The horror of it all!!
Roger just said that I was having a good time with an old friend and Gideon said again, "For FOUR HOURS??"
Oh well, just wait 'til he grows up and gets married. Ladies can find enough to talk and laugh about for many more hours than THAT!

I told my mother this morning about Lisa's little joke and I'm not quite sure what she thought of it. I think that if it could have possibly been true and if Roger weren't certain that I wouldn't do that, it wouldn't be so hilarious to us. I know that we are supposed to "flee from the appearance of evil" and be blameless but I think there is some room for a joke or two among friends. Even friends who haven't met yet!

Have a lovely day...I have lots to do in cleaning this house! (especially since I had the night "off" last night!! SLACKER!)
Blessings,
Beth

Perfectly Wonderful Sunday!!

2010-06-28T05:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a delightful day because I spent MOST of it in the exclusive company of my best friend/husband! We went to church yesterday morning (albeit 20 minutes late for Sunday School...) and had a very good church service. We came home and ate leftovers which were surprisingly VERY GOOD!
I started to take a little nap because I had had such a long hard weekend thus far at work and then the phone rang. My brother in law was planning to show us some houses for sale (he's a realtor) and he needed to do that earlier than planned. He also told us that the house we were REALLY interested in just received an accepted offer.

Hey, this doesn't sound like such a wonderful day yet, does it??? It gets better...

We looked at a few other houses. One of them was the "perfectly HORRIBLE house". It IS PERFECTLY HORRIBLE. Incredibly so!! In fact, I think it should be condemned. I honestly can't believe that there are people living in it. I made a hasty exit because of the mold and basically, I was scared to go into the house too far. The floors were soggy and the walls and ceiling were falling down. I did get a good enough look around and realized that there is no place in the home to fix a meal nor were there appliances. There is an upstairs "apartment" which consisted of a mattress on the floor (that my husband climbed over!! YUCK!!!!!!) and an enormous bottle of VODKA in the corner. The vodka must be why people could live in it!! After the visit, I kind of felt like I needed a drink myself! (And I don't drink alcohol at all so we settled for a diet coke at the Village Pantry!!)

The yard is wonderful and there are trees and a cute little old fashioned garage in the back.

GET THIS, THE PRICE HAS BEEN REDUCED TO $10,000!!!! What a bargain...I say this kind of seriously and kind of sarcastically. We are actually considering buying it, tearing down the house, and building something else on the site. (After trying to remove some old woodwork and a little claw foot tub...maybe the tub, it kind of "grosses me out..." to think about it much. I guess it could be Cloroxed!!)

So after that "experience", we went to some other houses, all of which were either atrocious or way way way too tiny.
We drove past an old brick house in the country that no longer had a roof, floor or walls standing in the house. Roger loved it....I loved it less...

Then we went to the town I lived in prior to our marriage and visited an adorable farmhouse on almost 5 acres. It has been partially renovated-it looks like the difficult part has been done. However, it still does not have a furnace or air conditioner or appliances and it is at the very top of our budget. The rooms are pretty small downstairs, not too small for the average family, but for our huge family, it might not work.
As we were standing on the front porch, it began to rain. Not just RAIN, it was a torrent! We ran for the car and then we drove to a little Mexican restaurant and had supper out.
We usually go to church on Sunday nights but we really felt like we needed to try to carve out some time for our marriage. It had been so long since we were able to go on a date, I kind of feel like God understood about our missing Sunday night church. (This time...)

Then we finally made it home, through MORE rain and settled down to watch Masterpiece Theatre, another Miss Marple episode. I promptly fell asleep......

Oh good grief, we must be getting old. That may not seem like a wonderful day to MOST people but just spending time driving around the countryside with my husband, laughing and joking and just acting silly, is the most wonderful date in the world!

Amazing Phone Call and House Hunting!

2010-06-24T06:15:00.001-07:00

I got a phone call from a woman that I haven't spoken to in 20 years....No, I'm REALLY not old enough to have a grown up friend from 20 years ago....OH HOW I LIE!!! Anyway, it does seem like I can't POSSIBLY be that old but since I have grown children...lots of them...it must be true!!
So...I was thrilled to talk to Lisa who was my good buddy, probably my best friend, when I was going through a particularly bad time in my life. We are planning to get together at Macaroni Grill on Monday, just us two! Exciting, don't you think?? I told her that I'm a little more "planted, with my feet on the ground" than I was 20 years ago but she said she HOPES I'm NOT!! Hehehe....In some ways I guess I am but wow, it took me back so much when we spoke, it seemed JUST LIKE OLD TIMES! So maybe I haven't changed THAT much!
I can't wait!! I plan to bore her with my photo albums!! (Just one....or maybe two...)

Jennie and I are planning to go garage saling today to get some more clothing for her Kenya project. She has named it "Heart for Kenya" and even made a symbol for it. I will try to post that when I can!

We are also going to drive by a house in our county seat to see if it would be a possibility for us to live in. I think it is probably HORRIBLE but maybe there are some possibilities for it!! It might be a money pit...It is about 130 to 140 years old but it has had updates...maybe 50 years ago?? Oh dear, what am I getting myself into? It is currently a "duplex" with a full upstairs apartment and the main part of the house downstairs. They are asking a very little price for it (I think we could just pay it off...) but it is in a depressed housing market and it needs a LOT of work. We'll see...I'm just thinking how much my 20 year old and my 17 year old would LOVE to have an apartment in our home! (But most likely, we would turn it back into a regular house again...)

We'll see. I guess....
There is a darling little house in the town I grew up in that I LOVE but we would still have to have a mortgage on it although a fairly small one. Our goal is to be OUT of debt entirely within 10 years or so, hopefully sooner than that! We kind of want a house that we can live in and fix up as we go. Seems like the most financially responsible thing to do.
Well, have a lovely day and I'll let you know what I find out!
Blessings!
Beth

2010-06-21T10:37:00.000-07:00

I'm still feeling pretty well after my emergency room scare last week. We were able to spend Father's Day with our families and then got to visit my older brother and his wife's new/old house! It is adorable with lots of trees and barns and .... NEW KITTENS!! I had to tell our pleading children NO!!!! We already have two kitties and just can't handle another one, especially since we are going to be trying to sell our house!
Today we are trying to clean the house and to go through things and possibly get ready for a garage sale! It would be nice to get a little extra money to put into our Christmas Club account for the Holidays!! (It IS JULY, after all, Christmas time is COMING!!)
That's about all there is going on today!
Have a lovely day,
Beth

CRAZY WEEK!!!

2010-06-18T19:24:00.000-07:00

What a LONG day I had at work today! I had to work over a bit more than usual but it really seems like it adds up by the time I've already worked 15 hours! But the good thing is that I can sleep in an extra hour tomorrow morning! Instead of getting up at 4:15 a.m., I can get up at 5:15 instead! One of these days, I'd like to find another job that didn't require such long hours! But right now, I need to keep realizing that God gave me THIS job for now and HE will make things work for our future!

It has been kind of a crazy week! We had Bible school this week at church and late one night, my precious daughter in law, Erin, called me and was pretty upset. I was sure something had happened to her new baby but instead, something had happened to MY baby!! (My 23 year old baby, Danny!) Most likely, he had heat stroke or was dehydrated and she ended up calling 911. THEN she called me and I drove an hour to spend the night with them. I was HAPPY to do it...I got to visit with THEM and THEN I GOT TO HOLD THAT BABY ALL BY MYSELF FOR A LONG TIME!!!! Jennie came with me because she was so worried about her big brother but she ended up falling asleep on the floor and I was totally selfish with that baby and held him and kissed him! HEHEHEHE!!!! Danny is fine and went to work the next morning as usual. He has been doing some more training for the police and he had been in the heat all day!

The next day, I was feeling really bad and Roger ended up talking me into going to the emergency room because I was so out of breath and my heart was beating so hard and strangely. They ended up making me stay over night and finally released me one hour before Bible school began the next evening!! Roger taught the class and I just took it easy!! I didn't have a heart attack (I thought perhaps I had had a mild one a few weeks ago but I didn't!) and there were no more big irregularities that were a real concern. (my EKG was abnormal at first but then it was fine...) I'm on medication that will help regulate my heart and lower my blood pressure and I feel GREAT!!!! I hadn't realized how really bad I've felt for several months!! In fact, last night, Roger and I finished up with Bible school and we went for a late night BIKE RIDE!! I didn't really get out of breath and it felt so good to do something physical again! Last time I tried that was over spring break and I didn't do very well!

So, that's the craziness that has been going on this week! Now it's time for me to get to bed so that I can have ONE more long day at work and then it's FATHER'S DAY! Roger already got his BIG present, his new bike, but I have ONE more for him! I'm making my parents' a scrapbook but it's not QUITE done yet!!
Have a lovely day!
Blessings!
Beth

What a Bargain!!

2010-06-10T11:56:00.000-07:00

Just a note to tell you what a bargain I got yesterday! I went to the grocery store to pick up a couple pounds of ground chuck to make my son and his wife and my family a meat loaff. The beef was on clearance sale for $1.00 a pound!!! Ummmm....I now have 31 pounds of hamburger, most of it browned and in the freezer or made into one of the 11 meat loaves that I have in my freezer...

I still have a few more pounds to cook up, too! We don't eat a LOT of beef so this should last us a LONG time...with lots to share, as well!! That's the REALLY good part!

I'm a little strange but I get pretty excited when I find that kind of a bargain! (I should say that GOD sent me this bargain! )

Just in case you are wondering, NO, I did NOT buy ALL of the clearance meat! I left a FEW packages there for someone else! hehehe!!

Have a lovely day!
Blessings!!
Beth

2010-06-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked. Psalm 37: 16

I read this verse today and it felt as if it were a word spoken just for me. Not that I consider myself terribly RIGHTEOUS in my own abilities, having only been made righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ, of course! I still do a LOT of things that no one would consider righteous!

We live in a very affluent area where there are "mansions" all over the place and "estates" worth several million dollars just a short distance away. It makes me think about the other verse in the Bible that says for us not to lay up treasures on this earth but to lay up treasures in heaven. I'm not saying that the owners of these homes can't be Christians, of course they can be! But I wonder why we as people think we need these homes? I've never lived in a mansion but I know from personal experience that I am happier with less. (Which is a good thing considering the current state of the economy and our pocketbooks!)

I am so very blessed to have "treasures" in 4 little Grandchildren that I hope someday will join me in Heaven. I was able to spend the day with three of them and I think they are worth more than any other kind of treasure there is, except of course, their parents and the rest of the family!

I wouldn't mind having my house paid for and not to have to worry about bills and such, but since that is not the way it is right now, it allows me to TRUST in God and to be content with less.

I think I am going to do a study of Proverbs 37. It is a VERY good chapter!!

Blessings!
Beth

Really neat idea for taking a meal to someone in need!

2010-06-08T11:15:00.000-07:00

My son and daughter just had a precious baby a week ago and my other sweet daughter in law set it up online to have people take them a meal. She has it on her facebook and all we have to do is get on her profile and sign up! I thought it was just awesome and thought that I would share it with you! (Since most of us are the kind of ladies that prepare meals for new parents, sick people, etc...) The site is http://www.takethemameal.com/ and it is so easy to use, even if you are somewhat computer illiterate as I am!

We had yet another baby born today in our extended family! I am a new aunt to Macy Lee and I hope to get to see her later today. My younger brother and his wife just had baby number 4, joining Madison, Emma, and Drew! They are a lively little bunch!

Lots to do today...we finally decided to rent a storage building to store extra beds and things that we don't need to have in our home right now as we try to get ready to put it on the market. I have a truck loaded down that I borrowed from my dad and parked in our driveway but as I was taking it to the storage building, it started making a terrible noise and I thought it would be best to go back home. I hope we can figure out if it is safe to drive before the rain comes and I have to do a quick unload back into the garage!

Have a lovely day,
Blessings to you all!
Beth

Home from Camping!

2010-06-06T17:53:00.001-07:00

Oh wow, we are home from camping and we are SOOO tired. We had a good time for the most part...our camper had a "run in" with a red...or it used to be red...cement pole about five miles from our house when my hubby tried to fill the van up with gas.
On the way to Lake Monroe, in Southern Indiana, the van started giving us major problems and barely made it up the southern Indiana hills. We finally crept into our campsite and found that we have engine problems that couldn't be fixed there. We arranged Roger's nephew to tow the camper home today and we would take our chances with the van alone.
We made it back ok with a few stops between here and Lake Monroe to let the big old van "rest."
We had fun at the reunion and spent time with elderly family members. I have a new buddy with Roger's three year old, almost 4 year old, niece who stuck to me like glue most of the time. That REALLY helps to convince me that I would love to adopt! (Lord willing, we will put our house on the market and then start the adoption process when the house sells! Both of those are prayer requests, if you think of it, pray for God's leading and help in selling the house and leading us in adoption!!)
We had a big discussion today with another part of the family that I don't know very well but I really have grown to like them!! We differ in our religious beliefs and it saddens me to think that they don't think my salvation is secure. I've never really had any other believers wonder about my salvation. I almost cried.
But I will do some more studying in the books of the Bible that they suggested I study and then the NEXT time we have this discussion-if there is a next time-I can be better prepared.

Now it is time for a nice shower and a date with Roger to watch Masterpiece Theatre!
Lots of love,
Beth

Introducing Little Mr. Liam Daniel

2010-06-03T08:44:00.000-07:00

So.....here he is!! The MUCH awaited Liam! In this picture, he is only about 1/2 hour old or so...possible one hour. Isn't he gorgeous??
We haven't seen him since early yesterday morning so we are planning to make a trip over there soon and get my grammy time with him! I have YET to hold him!
Yesterday, when we got home, we spent the day holding Liam's 5 month old cousin Brody and playing with cousin Dylan! I rested a little while until Roger got home from work and he had a very difficult time waking me up! We were planning to celebrate our 3rd anniversary and I wanted to be a LITTLE bit rested for our big date. I finally woke up to the phone ringing next to my bed and then I decided that it was well past time that I should be getting ready! We went out for a late supper at an Italian restaurant in Carmel, Indiana. (That's CARmel, not carMEL as in California. It's pretty funny when out of staters move in and try to call it the other pronunciation. Good grief, this is Hoosier country...not California!!)
Anyway, we had a wonderful time together as we usually do!
Earlier this morning Roger and I went to the middle school where Gideon attends and watched him get an award for a school planner he designed. It was chosen to be the planner cover for next year!! Pretty cool!
Caleb, Roger's older son, surprised Gideon by showing up at his school. Caleb is on a short leave from the Air Force. He is stationed in California.
Today is being spent getting ready to go on a big camping trip in Southern Indiana, near Bloomington. We are having a family reunion with Roger's family on Sunday and a large amount of us will be camping there. What fun that will be! I have made three pans of brownies, one cake, sausage and gravy and have a ham ready to heat and slice. We will still have a LOT to get done today and tomorrow morning but we are PRIORITIZING this morning! We are getting ready to go see baby Liam NOW!! More pictures later!!

Precious Little Liam

2010-06-02T09:04:00.000-07:00

My precious newest grandson was born at about 3:30 this morning (Wednesday) on our anniversary! What a gift God sent to us today! He is 7lbs 15 oz and 20.5 inches long. I haven't yet been able to hold him...poor little Erin was just exhausted after pushing for over an hour and 1/2. She had JUST been allowed to hold him when I was brought into the room and she wasn't quite ready to hand him off just yet. I DON'T BLAME HER!!!
The doctor was the only doctor there and he delivered three little ones immediately after each other. In fact, they kept telling Erin to "hold on" and to lay flat on her back to try to stop her from delivering right away.
Then, finally when the other two little angels were delivered, they started with Erin.
He eventually had to have some help being delivered using a suction cup on his little head which cut the top of his precious little head. He also inhaled some fluid so they were being a little extra careful with that little guy.

He is fine, though, and after a quick peek and a "touch" to his cheek, we went home, arriving at about 6 this morning. I think we will try to get back there tonight! (And THIS Grammy intends to hold him then!!!)

We were really beginning to worry because at about 1:30, they started hurrying around and threw us out of her room. By the time Danny came down at about 3:30, we were just imagining all kinds of things! I told everyone that when Danny comes to tell us about Liam, they'll have him all cleaned up and all will be fine. But when Danny came rushing down there and said he was born, he hadn't even been weighed, measured or washed up yet. He was just six minutes old at that time. She had QUITE a lengthy time trying to deliver. She is such a blessing to us and I'm so grateful to have her as my daughter in love!!

I'm sure we will hear stories about the difficult birth for my precious girl. Danny looked a bit traumatized....and sweaty......but very excited and thrilled to be a daddy!!

For now, we are trying not to bother them. They all need their sleep.
Oh, by the way, I DO have pictures but since Erin is in all of them, I'm going to respect her and not show everyone her pictures after having just gone through this difficult but joyful experience. (I'll get some pictures on later....) But believe me, he is gorgeous!!!

Prayers, please!! Baby Liam is on his way!!

2010-06-01T06:21:00.001-07:00

Just got a call from my sweet son Danny....his baby is on the way!! Erin went to the doctor this morning and since she is over 38 weeks and the baby is getting sooooo big and Erin's legs and feet are so swollen, the dr. decided it is time to induce! (I am writing this at 9:25 a.m. Central time...)
Lord willing, I will be holding little Liam tonight!!
Please pray for the safe delivery for Erin, Danny and Liam!
More info and pictures later!!!
Blessings!
Grammy Beth!!!!!