I can't believe that it has almost been a month since I blogged anything! A lot has gone on here...extremely busy!
I've decided to get a start on my spring gardening....because, you know, it's November and getting started on spring gardening is a priority.....?????? (I know, my dear hubby thinks exactly what YOU'RE thinking...but he puts up with me....)
Anyway, I have come upon a wonderful family that inspired me...it is a set of a Mother and three girls and their name is the West Ladies from Nashville, Tennessee. They have dvds and a website and a blog about their simple way of life and I LOVE it! I've decided to, as I said, get started on my gardening by building raised beds for my garden. Israel and I also went to Conner Prairie (a living history museum of Indiana's pioneer days) and I fell in love with their gardens. So far I have only two beds built that are 4x8. I know I will need more but my dh has gently reminded me that there are other things we need to work on here in the house and garage and mini barn....
IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO MOVE FROM A 3600 SQUARE FOOT HOUSE TO A 1600 SQUARE FOOT HOUSE!!! But I love my little country home with it's funny old knotty pine kitchen and windows that look out on a big woods behind out house! (and where my new little pioneer garden will grow....or where the woodland critters come to dine on my plants....I can just imagine the squirrels and deer whispering to each other "Awwww....how sweet! She's building us a snack bar!!")

I took pictures of the building process but right now, I have misplaced my camera. (Imagine that!!) I hope it didn't get left out there in the back yard when I finished up with the project Monday morning. Did I mention that we have already had snow? It was beautiful but just a word of advice...don't finish building your new pioneer style raised bed very cute garden in a heavy blowing snow while dressed in a denim wrap around skirt. At that point, I'm sure that the woodland creatures STOPPED talking about their snackbar and started talking/snickering about something else. (Or they lost their appetite....)

We've started thinking about Christmas already and I have the majority of our shopping done. I need to start wrapping the gifts soon! I have two snowmen displayed in my tiny living room so far. (Wood ones....)

Since our house is pretty small....part of that 1600 square ft is a 1 car garage that has been finished and is currently housing our two teenage daughters.....the kitchen and living room could not possibly allow the 22 people that just our immediate family (our children, their spouses and children) now make up. So, for this year, we are using our church's fellowship hall. We have decided to move our Thanksgiving celebration to the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We wanted to have our "at home" family help at a homeless shelter...Indianapolis has several....and serve the Thanksgiving meal but they don't need any more help right now. So instead, I think we are going to volunteer at the local nursing home. We may go out to eat afterwards. Israel always prays for the poor and homeless so I thought this would be a good way to "put feet to his prayers."  He's a pretty good little guy!! We have truly been blessed!!

Well....math and reading and the afternoon homeschool classes await so I should say goodbye for now!

Blessings to you all!
Beth

Israel Pictures!!

 Ok.....honestly.....I have just about the cutest six year old little boy in the world!!! I really do!! He is soooo adorable and sweet! We went camping over the weekend...in the middle of a storm...but we had a nice morning and had yummy pancakes! Israel was quite happy with his "Mickey Mouse" pancakes that I made for him!

 We went to Battleground, Indiana and walked around the site of a battle of soldiers and Native Americans. It was a beautiful place but such sad events happened there.
What cutie pie faces these are! Israel really loves his Daddy....and his Daddy really loves Israel!

 Ooops.....this picture got out of order....this was from earlier in the fall at the Fall Festival's Car Show!

 Battle of Tippecanoe near Lafayette, Indiana.....Roger and Israel!

My sweet Blessing....I am so happy to be his Mommy!

Latest "Israel Funny" Or Colts Controversy in Our Household

The last few days have been rough! Israel...for the most part...has been pretty wonderful....but we have accepted an offer...finally...on our "big" house and are trying to get out by tonight. So things are pretty stressful. Things that don't usually bother us tend to get on our nerves. Hopefully we will close tomorrow!!

A few days ago I got out Israel's clothes for the day. I had purchased a LOT of Indianapolis Colts football sweatshirts, tshirts and things like that for him....before he came to us...and before we found out that he is NOT a Colts fan. He is a  New York Giants fan.....When I got out his Colts sweatshirt, he said, "Ok...but can you tell them I'm NOT a Colts fan??"  I told him that he needed to be grateful for what he has....I was not in a very "up" mood. It's not like we are fanatical about the Colts, but we live in the country near Indianapolis and EVERYONE here at least LIKES the Colts!! (I mean, on Sundays when the Colts play, people even wear Colts jerseys to CHURCH!! Not us...we still wear our Sunday best.....) I'm not even going into the Indianapolis Pacers versus the New York Knicks issue......I guess 1 1/2 years of living in New York City took it's toll on him! I'm not sure how long it will take to turn him into an Indiana farm boy.

Yesterday he accidentally knocked pictures off the wall in the hallway...after I told him to settle down several times. I did NOT yell at him or even say anything to him. I just picked up the mess and went on. He came over and apologized and hugged me.

So....evidently he thought he had been behaving badly, even though I didn't say anything about his behavior.
But during his prayer time last night, he prayed....

"Dear God, please help the homeless and the poor and especially the ones with lots of children. And help Holly and Dylan and Brody get home tonight and not hit a deer. And PLEASE DEAR GOD, HELP ME WITH MY BEHAVIOR. AND HELP ME LIKE THE COLTS MORE AND STILL LIKE THE GIANTS. And PLEASE help the homeless and the poor...."   etc.......

Poor little guy....I remember telling him a few days ago that he can like the Giants the most and like the Colts a little bit....but he evidently thought it was just wrong and he said "No, I don't like the Colts at all!" He met one of the retired Colts players who lives in our town a few weeks ago and he wasn't exactly "pleasant" to him.  He is really a Giants fan...

Hopefully, time, love, and patience will heal all things....even little Giants fans......

Israel's two prayers.....

It's very late here...but I had to share Israel's bedtime prayers tonight.
Tomorrow is his last soccer game of the season...he LIVES for soccer...and low and behold, his team shirt was missing. We looked everywhere, dirty clothes, toybox, under the bed, in all the drawers. Still no shirt. He was getting pretty worried and he said, "I wish God would help us find it!"
I, worried myself...suggested, "Why don't you pray about it?"
So little guy prayed. "Please God, help us find the shirt so that I can play in my last game of the year tomorrow." (Who wouldn't answer a prayer like that???)
Moments later, I found it, under a stack in MY bedroom!

So, since it was getting really late and we had already played a Memory Game of Famous Black Americans, we decided that it was just prayer and hug and kiss time. So Israel started....
"Dear God and Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for our sins and help me to play a good game tomorrow and thank you for finding my shirt and also thank you for such a good day and for my friend Jonathan (and so on and so on and so on....)(this is where it gets really good....)and help Daddy to not get any more weight and to not get any more tummy and to lose some of his tummy because I want him to not have a big tummy (and I, Mommy, personally can't wait to tell Daddy what Israel prayed! Ok...just to make it fair, I must admit to what Israel said to ME recently. He said, "Mommy, you don't have a big tummy but why is your BOTTOM sooo big???" yeah. So, it's fair....read on, it gets better! ) "And help Mommy with her sicknesses...." (what sicknesses? I do have some allergies....!!!???? Read on...you're coming to the very very best!) AND WITHOUT SKIPPING A BEAT ISRAEL PRAYS, "And Jesus, please be my Savior and help me with my words and guide me in my life...."

Wow...what a little boy we have. What a precious little boy. An amazing, miraculous, precious little boy.

Even better than that, What an Amazing, Miraculous, Precious God we have! Israel's God...who brought him out of Africa, from starvation, abuse, tuberculosis, lead poisoning, rickets, beatings, horrific abuse, to a family that gave him away (again)...and then blessed US with this sweet gift of a little loving son. What a humbling, even scary, realization this is. I told that precious little boy, just after our prayers, that he is going to be a WONDERFUL man. I'm so happy to be a tool for God to work in this little boy's life. I hope that doesn't sound prideful...I don't mean it to be that way. Its just an incredibly wonderful to SEE God's Hand at work right here in front of me every day. Maybe it will help me to remember this when he asks me the same question for the seemingly 97th time that day!!

You know, we don't have to have an orphan child from a 3rd World Country in our home to see God's Hand at work. I think we just need to be willing to be used. I'm NOT always willing. Being open to adopting Israel was not hard for me...it has been a desire all of my life to adopt. But I wonder, shamefully, how many times in my life I was NOT willing to be used, to go out of my way, to be God's tool in someone's life. How many times did I say "No"...to Him?

What if the person who told US about the Lord said, "No" to Him??

Blessings....thank you for sharing in our joy!
Beth

I Haven't Died.....

Good Grief...it seems like forever since I've written anything here! I think our little guy is taking more time than I thought he would....but it is all wonderful.  So, no, I haven't died. I've just been busy.

Everything is going well for us and Israel. We had a post placement visit from our social worker and she was such a sweet and kind lady! She said everything looked great and it looks as if Israel is bonding quite well. He is...and so are we!

Yesterday Israel and I helped out at Rebecca's homeschool classes. We each have to volunteer six times a year. Usually I choose nursery. This time, I decided to move up! We were in the kindergarten area with lot of little kids. Although he is six, he seemed to fit right in with the younger children and enjoyed himself.
The letter of the day was "C" and the teachers had everything all set for learning the "c" sounds. We even had
cream (c) which came from cows (c) that we made into butter and put it on crackers (another c).
He was amazed that butter came from milk/cream! Since the children didn't really have the opportunity to make the butter themselves, Rebecca, Israel and I are going to take a trip to the local "creamery"... a big farm that has its own store and restaurant. We are going to make butter this afternoon when grandsons Dylan and Brody come over. Then we're going to make muffins and sample our hard work!

We're going to do some experiments with a science set Israel has as well.

I just had an idea. (sometimes it happens!! Not often....) Every night we put Israel to bed with prayers and songs, a "fun" story and a Bible story. I think I'm going to start reading the Little House series at night! I think he would enjoy the books! I recently "dug" out my oldest children's Playmobil Pioneers and Indians. Israel thinks they are the greatest things EVER! So I'd love to read Laura's adventures and bring his toys to life a little bit!

Well, it's off to the Creamery/Dairy! I'll let you know how it turns out....maybe with pictures!!

Blessings,
Beth

Post Script.......Who'd a THUNK it??? Our fancy, expensive, organic, local "creamery" doesn't sell CREAM!! So, after driving all the way there, getting mildly lost, we finally went to the local, not fancy, grocery store and purchased cream.
Hopefully, we will soon have butter!
I'll keep you posted!
Beth

Another "Israel-ism"....

I'm not sure if it is just because Israel is six or because his language skills are still developing but Israel comes up with some funny things! He has done an amazing job of learning the English language...but he has only known it for two years instead of six....his actual age. So every once in a while, he comes up with a "funny"....
Friday I took him to get his hair cut. (It was a tragedy...he HATES his hair now and insists on wearing a hoodie when he is out in public. It will grow...soon, I hope...) Anyway, he was amazed at the mirrors and turned around once and said, "Look at all the shadows of me!!" (He meant "reflections...")
Sometimes he still gets "wife" and "husband" confused. He also gets "son" and "daughter" confused.

Yesterday on the way home from church, he was really excited about all the questions he could answer in Children's Church. He is a very good listener.
"I knew that Jesus speeded!" he exclaimed.
"Jesus speeded?" I asked. "Where was He going?"
Israel paused...."Ummm.......I meant, 'He FASTED!'"

Haha.....every day he brings more joy to our lives. Some days he brings a little bit of discipline...but what six year olds don't need a certain amount of sternness? I was reading on a wonderful blog recently about the "child centered" home and I think we could very easily become one if we weren't careful! We sure do love him and are pretty happy that we have been given the gift of this wonderful little boy! But we have to be very careful that in all the attention and unconditional love that we are giving him, we don't allow him to "run" our home. It's a balance!
Well...I'm off to buy a mop! I'm actually excited to get a new one! Kinda crazy, isn't it??
Then it's a Bible story, Math, and reading!
Blessings,
Beth

An "Israel Funny"....

Yesterday I was teaching at 6 year old Israel's Homeschooling Co-op. Our class was "Building Basics" and it was MY turn to teach measuring and simple fractions.
I drew a "pizza" on the board and asked what I would do if I was going to give it to four people.
"Cut it in four pieces..." was the answer several little boys came up with.
"Ok..." I said and "cut" the pizza in fourths.
"Now, what if 4 MORE people came to the door?" I asked again.
"Cut all the pieces in half AGAIN." was the answer a smart little guy said.
All was going well so I thought I'd try it one more try...
"What if eight MORE people came to the door?" I asked.
Little Israel raised his hand. "Ok...Israel?" I said..
With all sincerity and concern he loudly answered....
"BUY MORE PIZZA!"