Blessings!!

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....

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.....

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!!

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!

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!!

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!!

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