LID, baby!

Three posts in one day?

Why that's simply unheard of!!

But I had to tell ya'll that we got word of our LID!!!

April 16.


I was hoping for a week earlier but that's A-OK.
I woke up feelin' something was in the air....The Holy Spirit was nudging me,
I just knew it!!

How the Swine Flu is Transmitted

You simply must check out Stefanie's latest post for some staggering stats regarding the swine flu.....

Rainy Morning and Tattoos

My mind is racing right now.....I'm feeling so positive this morning about adoption matters (even though the rumors are confusing and grim). Plus I have so much to do today that my brain is scattered all over the place (ok that sounds really gross). At least I made a list so that I can focus on what MUST be done today (owning your own business has it's perks....end of the quarter tax reports is not one of them).

Oh and it's thundering and raining outside.....the perfect morning as far as I'm concerned. AND I got very encouraging emails from my friends Paula and Rachel. Then I heard one of my favorite songs on the radio by MercyMe....."hold fast, help is one the way...hold fast, He's come to save the day! I've learned in my life, one thing greater than my strife is His grasp...." Oh yes, Jesus always saves the day. Even though we may not see it. There is ALWAYS hope when we have Jesus as our Savior. Always.

Yesterday was fun. I emailed the school secretary to say that Brenden could leave early (he only missed study hall.....much to his chagrin. He really wanted out of Latin too) so we could go shopping! Yep, I'm a really cool mom that way. We all loaded up and did some shopping then took the boys to church youth group.

Then K-man, Lucy and I went to eat Chinese food. It was yummy of course. It's kinda funny because even though we often talk to Lucy about her Chinese-ness she refuses to admit that she is.... Chinese. She insists that she is just....Lucy (or the way she pronounces it, Yucy). But as we were eating she proudly announced,

"I AM CHINA!"

Me, "Well Lucy, you are Chinese!"

"No, I'm China!"

Me, "Yes, but we say Chinese."

"No, I'm Yucy."

Righto.

After our delicious meal (hot and sour soup, egg rolls & sesame chicken....every.time. thank you), we went to Toys * Us to look at swing sets. Well, Lucy quickly found a clearance box of Easter items and discovered what she thought were stickers. Actually, they were tattoos which we thought would be super fun!

Once home, we successfully got ONE on and she admired it briefly then rubbed it off.

Good thing they were marked down to only 20 cents.

Flu.....blah, blah, blah.

Ugh.....I hate bad news.

But....

Rumor is that the CCA* has halted issuing TA's (travel approvals)
and Referrals (non-special needs babies matched with families that have already
waited a loooooonnnngggg time (3+ years).
And I assume that means they won't issue LOA (letters of approval) for
those of us waiting for a special needs child (or in our case, an older child).

*Sigh*


All because of the swine flu. Which thanks to the media, has been blown
completely out of perspective.
36,000 people die a year from the REGULAR seasonal flu.
But because the media loves to just take a story
and make it what THEY want it to be,
one result has been that sweet innocent children won't meet
their forever families as soon as hoped.


Yes precautions need to be taken seriously, yes wash your hands and don't sneeze on anyone...I know, I know.
It is not my intent to minimize the dangers of this very serious illness....just to keep things
in perspective.

***********************************

Yesterday morning Lucy was watching Ni Hao, Kai-lan and Nicked asked her to move out of the way so he could see (he must have been really desperate for AM entertainment....

And instead of moving.....this is what she did.

LID and other mysteries

Well, let's get you up-to-date here:

Still no LID.

There.
You are updated.

Let's examine the facts a bit and throw around our ideas and opinions.

First, let me start with this....though I have brief moments of panic, I'm very much at peace over not hearing a peep from the CCA*. Yep, I really am. God is in control. And His hand is on our dossier at every step, no doubt about it. I think what we fail to realize sometimes....is that when things don't happen as quickly as we would like, it's actually God working behind the scenes making sure things happen just as they should in just the right timing. And though my heart's desire is to travel early in the summer....I truly want what God wants. And perhaps His plan is different than mine.....because He knows the BEST way. I'm soooo good with that!

That being said, we were DTC on March 25. And short of something bad happening to our dossier along the way (I'm refusing to go there), we likely DO have an LID around April 8. We just haven't been notified of it.

I have heard that it can take up to 6-8 weeks to get notice of an LID.....and occasionally, you don't receive notice of it at all (if you are one those...please let me know! It would be encouraging to me!).

So I'm choosing to believe that our dossier is logged-in and already setting on someone's desk....and dare I say, already being reviewed!! AND....my other fantasy thought is that.....we will get our approval soon!

Ok, the title of this post also includes other mysteries. Hmmmm, can't think of any at the moment. I just needed a catchy title. I will certainly report to you any mysteries that pop up later in my day.

Homeschool Blues....anyone else??

I gotta admit....I'm as burned out on homeschooling as my student is. We are in the final stretch, which should mean that we are gearing up to end strong. But...no. I'm pooped, Nick is pooped.

We finished English for the year, thankfully. But now there's the rest of the subjects. **sigh** I've decided that instead of cramming it all in before the end of the year, we will just continue it next year. Little does my pupil realize, we are starting earlier than usual next fall (late summer actually). But for now, we are still plugging away it it....sorta.

Anyway, I know there are a lot of homeschoolin' Mamas out there in Blogville. How are you feeling this time of year?? Your venting is safe here! :)

Cheap Wine and Pickles

HAPPY 40th BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET FRIEND LORI ANNE!!

********************************

*Our Weekend*

Well, basically....it was boring and uneventful, which is really the way I like it. Saturday morning I worked on my throw-pillows for our bed. I'm oh-so-close to taking some pictures but, ummmm, K-man still needs to hang my curtains. *waiting, waiting*

Saturday afternoon I went to my parents' house because Nick has a mowing job set up with their neighbors. So while he mowed, I just hung out at in my parents' empty house (remember, they are on a much-deserved cruise). I was a little (a lot) annoyed at how clean my mom left her house. It's quite clear that she doesn't have a toddler living there to make sure clutter is strewn about. And darn it, I left Lucy at home with K-man so I wasn't even able to leave behind evidence of my wonder-tot. Next time.

My mom is an exceptional decorator. They have a simple home but each room is beautifully adorned with her special touch. Every shelf, wall, dresser top has beautiful vases, pictures, and other things she finds at a bargain (she also loves to shop and finds the most wonderful things). Their bedroom looks like a presidential suite in a fine hotel. Their guest bedroom looks like a cozy room in a quaint New England bed and breakfast. Every room is exquisite.

So having said all of that, you will understand why I literally laughed out loud when I looked in the refrigerator to find a snack....sure that, knowing my mom, I would find some delicious delicacies that she prepared for their return. But no. The refrigerator was almost empty...with the usual staples scattered here and there. Except....the top shelf........all alone sat....

A Giant jug of cheap wine and a jar of pickles.
Oh my gosh she's gonna kill me!!

***********************************

Saturday afternoon/evening we were dodging tornadoes. Seriously, I love these storms!! No, I don't wish any harm or damage on anyone as a result....I just can't help but love the roaring thunder....high winds....side-ways rain. Love it!

K-man storm-chasing!

******************************

Sunday:

Every Sunday the boys go to out to lunch and hang out with their friends.
But yesterday they were both home!
Ahhhh. That makes this Mama so happy!!

Best buddies! Lucy was SO HAPPY the boys were home too!!

Hola! Doughnut Confession and Buttered Toast......

First, I must confess something....I just ate a doughnut that I told myself I.WAS.NOT.going to eat. AND if that's not bad enough (seriously, everyone needs a doughnut once in a while), I had one before going to bed last night. It was soooo yummy going down but now I feel like I have a brick in my belly. And since I've had two now...a wall is being constructed in there. **sigh** and I wonder why I'm putting on the pounds! Just a few short years ago I would have been horrified by the thought of eating one of those disgusting (yummy, delicious) artery clogging (melt-in-your-mouth), sinfully fried (covered in heavenly chocolate), calorie packed (there's always the treadmill) breakfast dessert. But my standards have slipped.

Ok, now I feel better.

***************************************

Lucy has this new thing she is saying. When she is trying to get our attention she will say,

"Hey, Mom....Mom....MOM. HELLO?"

then....

"Hello.....HOLA?!"

Apparently she feels the need to shift languages to get me to look at her. Why she doesn't use her native language, I'm not sure. Maybe because her beloved Barney taught her the Spanish greeting. Come on Barney.....let's also try some Mandarin, k?

*****************************

Yesterday we stopped by my parents' house to say good-bye since they are leaving for a cruise today (I'm soooo *jealous*!). I was trying to explain to Lucy that they are going on a vacation (she wasn't getting it at all).

So, knowing that she would understand going on an airplane I started with that. However after that her focus switched.

Just hearing airplane gripped her attention. She looked up and said, "Ninny's going on an airplane to get Shu Li??!!!"

Oh how I wish. She was disappointed when I told her no. And I was too. :(

********************************



And lastly....I'm happy to say that the kitchen saga has drawn to an end.

Lucy got her stuff back and HAPPILY and EAGERLY put it all away.

Aahhh. Success.

My thoughts on this......

*Never threaten something you aren't going to follow through with.
*Never bluff (lie). They will call it every time. And no trust is built.
*Pick your battles wisely.

Thankfully 16+ years of parenting has given me a bit of wisdom along with crow's feet.

And it appears I still have some work cut out for me because Brenden asked me this morning if it would be a bad idea to butter his bread before putting it in the toaster. My sincere apologies to his future wife.

Falling Plastic Produce

Lest you think I've lost all my typing skills...Lucy somehow got to my blog and typed the following (don't believe a word of it!)......

mymymymyyyyhhgtjgjjgjjgjgjjjgjgjjgjjjgjjgjjgjjjjjjjjkjkkkkkkjkjkjkkjklkkjhkjdee"hjghjmhhgtffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffflgllglgllglglijuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuyoootypyh' jm

According to Linn, Lucy sends text messages in tongues so apparently she blogs in tongues as well. I don't have the gift of interpretation, so you are on your own to figure out what she is saying. It sounds pretty urgent.

To continue the saga.......she voluntarily helped me pick up her dinner toys. But...I still felt she needed some discipline for not doing it when I told her to.

Delayed obedience is DISOBEDIENCE!

So I put everything up where she could still see it (and not forget about it)...on top of the refrigerator. However, as with every strong-willed child, she didn't act like it bothered her one bit. We shall see. I told her she could have them back tomorrow. Nancy....I SO won this one (though I hate to think of it like that :)

**follow-up.....shortly after I put the her toys away she asked me why I didn't put them in her little kitchen. I told her why and she sat silent for a few minutes. I think she totally got it. HOPEFULLY we won't repeat this little episode again.

All day I had do dodge falling plastic produce every time I opened the refrigerator.

**************************************

Lucy is not a breakfast kind of girl. Though I am BIG on breakfast so I work hard to figure out SOMETHING half-way healthy that she will eat to get her day started.

This morning we had the following conversation....

Me...."Lucy what do you want for breakfast?"

Lucy...."Ummmm, chips."

Me...."No, something healthy....how about eggs or ham?"

Lucy...."Ummmm, chicken!"

Me....."Oh rats! I don't have any chicken! What else do you want?"

Lucy...."Chocolate chips."

M...."No way Jose!"

Lucy....."Do you have ham, Mama?"

M...."Sure, you want ham?"

L......."I'll have fishsticks and chips."

Alrighty then.

********************************

I'm sure most of you have read Linn's latest blog post regarding her sweet Autumn's diagnosis of a brain tumor. I haven't mentioned it up until now because I guess I am in denial that something else has happened to this already crushed family.

Please continue to flood heaven with your prayers.

Thankful Thursday

Debby, yes, Lucy is a Fu (Fuzhou)! And a very spicy one at that! Do you have a Fu?

And speaking of my spicy Lucy Fu.....her dinner fixins' are still not picked up. I thought for sure that taking away Barney would hit her where it hurts but apparently she doesn't love that big purple guy as much as I thought (well, I'm a bit relieved about that). Last night I said to her....

"Lucy, why don't you be a really big girl (this usually is very motivating to her) and pick up all your dishes and things!"

Lucy, "Wellllllll, it's getting dark outside and I'm tired cause it's nighttime (I think it was 7 PM). Tomorrow!"

Me, "Lucy, if you don't pick up your dishes and things Mama is going to pick them up and keep them for a while."

Lucy, "Welllllllll, Ooooo-K." *said in such a way that she was getting the better end of the deal.

AAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!

So now my hands are tied. I gotta follow through. **sigh**

**********************************************

SPRING!!

The weather here has been incredible! I didn't think Spring would ever arrive but it's here and I'm lovin' it.

Hi! Daddy says we are going to kick back and relax!

Daddy, are we having fun relaxing yet?

Oh goodie! Yes, Daddy says we are definitely having fun relaxing!

Here is our view as we relax in the shade....are we still having fun?

I love my Daddy....but I'm doubting his version of fun.

Ok, seriously....get me off this thing. I've had enough fun.

*******************************


I've been working on my laundry room.

K-Man added a ton of shelves, which is going to be so great. Is it a sign that I'm old since I'm super excited about laundry room shelving??

Because I. AM. STOKED. Super stoked.

And since you can see my laundry room from my kitchen...I wanted to make it kinda cute...
What do ya think?

THANK YOU JESUS for your blessings. They are too numerous to count.....

I'm thankful for my family.
I'm thankful for my home.
I'm thankful for God's provision.
I'm thankful for His grace.
I'm thankful for His mercy.

Mostly, I'm thankful for YOU, Jesus.....for Who You are.

Cuteness and other Greatness

Since some of you may be new to my blog, I thought I would give you a quick summary of our next adoption.

**We are adopting a 13 year old girl from Ch*na!! We MUST travel BEFORE her 14th birthday in October. I know that seems like a long way off but TRUST me, if you are not familiar with the adoption process....this isn't much time at all.

**Her Chinese name is Shu Li. She has the American name Katie but we have been told that the kids at her orphanage go by their Chinese names and that the American name is not used often.

**We love the name Katie but already have two Katies "in" our family (long story, but they are estranged). There are some name associations with us so we hope to name her something else. BUT we will give her a couple of options (including Katie, or Kate) and let her choose. We will keep her Chinese name as her middle name....unless she wants to use it as her first. Make sense??

**We are waiting to hear what our LID is. Seriously, it's just got to come today!!

**Though I will update our adoption progress on this blog, we also have an adoption blog HERE.

************************************

What is one of the top things good Mama's do??

BRAG about their kids!!!

So if you don't mind, let me do that for just a minute or two, k?

BRENDEN.....This kid is amazingly smart. He loves to write and as funny as he is, he only writes serious stories. He recently submitted a short story to an academic meet and got a 97% on it!! Now it will move on to the regional level!!! He wants me to post his story on my blog but is afraid someone will steal it! :) We are working on getting it copywrited. His favorite author is C.S. Lewis and I think his own writing reflects that style. Which for me is often too deep to understand! :)

NICK......This kid is my athlete. He is in 8th grade but is on the high school VARSITY golf team. And yesterday in a tournament of almost 50 boys....HE TIED FOR FIRST PLACE!!!!! Woo hoo! Watch out Tiger!!!

LUCY......this girl holds the cuteness crown in our family. And continues to grow in that cuteness daily. Yesterday she decided it was a good idea to "make dinner" in our entry way. The perfect place for cooking and dining, don't ya think?

It was at this point that I told Lucy it was time to pick everything up and it it back in her little kitchen.

But this is what I found moments after my clean-up announcement....

A little rumbling after my statement..."Where is Lucy?"

Not being able to keep a secret for long....here she comes!

And as Lucy always says, "Here I ham!!"

Here is Lucy....devastated that I am making her pick her stuff up.

And did she put it all away?

Here is how it sits as of this writing.

Miss Lucy's cuteness has not helped her in getting her favorite Barney video taken away from her until she gets her stuff cleaned up.

Outside Fun.....and other things

Yesterday was a most glorious day! No, we didn't receive notice of our LID....double g-rrrr. Tomorrow will be a month since our dossier was sent. I won't lie...I'm frustrated and disappointed but I know it will come. Perhaps today.

Anyway, yesterday was so beautiful outside and Nick had a golf tournament so Lucy and I were free to do as we pleased. I really wanted to sit behind my sewing machine and finally make throw pillows for our bed so I can finally be done with it all (and get some pics for you of our pretty new bedroom).....but with it being so nice outside I thought it would be cruel to make Miss Lucy Bug stay indoors.

Unfortunately, since our boys haven't been little for quite some time we no longer have a swing set...so Lucy (at least for now) is limited to riding her bike and scooter. We are working on getting a swing set (if we ever get paid the huge amount that a certain builder owes us...I hope he is reading this. A little girl's swing set is at stake here Mr. V).

Here are some pics........

Ok, this isn't a pic of us playing outside but it's just so darn cute I had to include it!

YIPPEE, it's Spring!!!

Yes, Lucy is texting...really texting.

Problem is....she can't spell. So if you get a text with the entire alphabet in random order....it's your friend Lucy saying, "Hey what doin?'"

It takes a very secure woman to post a pic this close-up....but Lucy and I take pictures of ourselves all the time and I think it's cute....but I'm not about to do anything bigger than the smallest possible. :)

**********************************

Follow-up from yesterday......Your comments made me laugh. Tracy, I'm so glad you enjoyed B's pics as much as I did!! They truly portray his personality....Holly, he is only 16!! NO 20 year old girls for my baby!! :)

If you haven't already noticed, there is a poll to vote on your favorite name for Shu Li. I recently learned (from some girls who have been adopted from SL's orphanage) that the kids aren't attached to the English names they are given there. SO....though we will still let SL have the option to keep the name Katie (though I really want to make it Kate), we will also give her another option. So vote for the ones you like!!

Super Heroes.....Goofy and Cute

Yippee!!! It's MONDAY (trying, trying, trying to be positive)! We had a super great weekend and it's a shame it had to end. I'm thinking that we really should include Fridays as a day off....to rest up for the weekend. And then we better take Mondays off too....to rest up from the weekend. Whattaya think??

I've really been in a "nesting" state of mind lately....I must be expecting! Yep. Adding another person to a household really takes a lot of space (I learned this after Lucy came home....and took over our house). A bigger house would be great since it will be a bit tight with 6 of us here but we love our house too much and it's paid for so....we ain't goin' no where!

So we are trying to SIMPLIFY!! And ORGANIZE!! Saturday we did a lot of that....then went out to dinner with Jean, Jim and two of their girls! Too fun.

Sundays mean church of course and it was Brenden's week to work in Children's Church (the boys alternate weeks). And let's just say that B enjoys it to the fullest and yesterday took advantage of craft time by making himself a cool new pair of glasses.....

Ummm, what Mama wouldn't be proud of this super-hero?

Fighting crime.....and breaking fashion rules.

He's single girls!

Now here is some cuteness right here...

These great Lucy specs will be in stores soon.

Our Blog Date

Well, let me tell you....we had the best time with Jean and her family!! If you follow her blog (no? Oh my goodness....you must!), you already know how sweet she is by reading her posts. And I'm here to say that she is every bit as sweet and genuine as what you read. We really clicked and I think that we could have talked for hours & hours.

I promised Jean I would airbrush our photos but....I didn't get to it.
Jean's Florida tan annoyed me all evening (JK!!) :)

Jean and her ADORABLE daughter Sarah (who has only been home FOUR MONTHS!!)
Two of the cutest YOUNG ladies I know!

Lucy, Anna and Sarah REALLY hit it off!
Sarah is quite the chatter box, which I found incredibly charming!
Her English is INCREDIBLE!!! We were all shocked.
AND, she showed off her amazing math skills....she has a very, very
gifted teacher (Her Mama, who homeschools her!!)

Look at these super-models! Gorgeous.

Anna and Lucy are both 3 years old and
quickly formed a sweet friendship. Aren't they so cute?!!

All the grown-ups (including our reluctant husbands who think we are crazy....
though they had fun too...or so it seemed). What you can't see here
is three Chinese girls running around the restaurant as
we worked hard for a decent picture!

Well, that's two for two. We hit it off with Linn and her family and now Jean & her crew! I think we are onto something....Maybe we will start our own "blog dating service"!!!


**Brenden & Nick were also with us but I didn't get any pics of them (bad Mama). Hopefully Jean will post some good ones!

Drum Roll Please....

Nick and I had an absolute blast making his quilt together
and the finished product is so warm and cozy!!

I must say that we have both learned the valuable quilting lesson of
consistency in square sizes...and making the squares well, SQUARE!
But thankfully, this rag quilt hides a multitude of blunders!

Another Encounter with a Favorite Blog Friend!

You know how we tell our kiddos to be oh-so-careful with who they are talking to online? How we harp on them over and over of the dangers to be in contact with someone you don't REALLY know.....

Well many of you will remember that we (the responsible harping parents...with kids in tow), broke those rules when we visited our now GREAT friends, the Saunders. What a blessing this sweet family has been to us!!

Ummm well....we are at it again. Yep, we are going to dinner tonight with one of my blogging buddies!! Jean and her family are in town for a soccer tournament and so...we simply MUST get together to meet face to face!! Funnier still is that my hubby agreed to go along with these meetings....he isn't the most social guy, ESPECIALLY with people he doesn't know. But truth be told....he kinda does "know" them because he had been following Linn's blog when we went to see them and now he also follows Jean's blog. If he denies that, I'm here to tell you that it's true.

So I'm a little nervous....like we are going on a blind date or something. What if they don't like us...what if they think we are crazy rednecks? And wouldn't you know...I have a horrible self-induced haircut at the moment. UGH.

**********************************************

Yesterday while Nick was at his golf lesson I did a little shopping and bought Lucy a new swim suit. When I got home with it she was so excited (though she was a little confused since she already has one from last year....the girl is still learning. More than one of any article of clothing is a must Lucy!). For the rest of the day she kept saying, "Mommy bought me a new swim soup!" Oh my, too cute!! I'm a stickler about pronouncing things correctly to her but it's really hard not to want to call it a swim soup as well....it's just too cute!

Nick's quilt is DONE!!!! I pulled it out of the dryer early this morning, went downstairs to his room to cover him up with it so he would wake up to it!! Sooo, since he is still asleep I will take pics later and post them once he's up!!

Random Ramblings

Oh I'm soooo glad it's Friday!! But listen, it didn't start so great though....my little world was shaken (ever so slightly) when I woke up....dragged myself to the kitchen with just enough strength to push the ON button on my fancy shmancy coffee maker that K-man bought me a couple years ago. It grinds the beans just before brewing for the perfectly wonderful cup of coffee. But the grinder sounded like it had a small rodent stuck in it (ewww) so I turned it off really quick but then water started pouring out of it!!

My bleary-eyed state sobered quickly as I tried to get my two floating brain cells to come up with a plan B. Aahhh yes, my old coffee maker! I found it in my laundry room (along with filters, thank goodness) and ummm...noticed how incredibly dusty it was. Well look, at that point I was just downright desperate. I needed coffee and I needed it NOW. I wiped the dust off then just started it up (oh and don't worry...I pulled out my little grinder so I was still able to have freshly ground beans...I do have standards you know).

As old faithful was brewing I wondered to myself **self, if it was that dusty on the outside, dontcha think that the inside might have been a tad dirty as well?** No matter, I drank it anyway and it was delicious.

So, here's what today brings......We are oh-so-close to getting Nick's quilt done!! We hope to finish it up today. Pictures on the way once it's done.

Nick has his 2nd golf lesson at a MAJORLY exclusive private country club (ummm, look when I say exclusive, trust me....) that my sister gave him for Christmas. This kiddo is super excited and now that he has gotten a taste of the good life....golf courses for us normal folks is going to seem hum drum to him!

K-man is staying home today so he has arranged to get our septic tank pumped (try not to be too envious of our glamorous lives) and start painting our house!!! Yippee, I whole new color!!

Ok, I'm totally out of time here....I meant to post some pics but I gotta run!!

Thankful Thursday.....and other things

Ok, for the first time in a long time I remembered Thankful Thursday! What prompted me to remember was that I talked to Linn yesterday. Please continue to pray for her and her family....they are so very strong and trust in the Lord like no one I've ever known but they are truly feeling the effects with all that is going on with their house situation and other important things. But true to who Linn is...she was very concerned about someone else (little Kate who just had heart surgery and needs prayer).

Again, please pray for the Saunders....they seem to be facing a Job-like trial right now (MY words, not hers). It continues to be one thing after another for this sweet family.

Ok, now about my "mobile blogging." I'm super excited that I can post from my cell phone!! And I don't have a special phone...just a plain-jane phone. If you have a blog of your own, they added a link (on your dashboard) to enable your blog to receive text messages that will add a post. It's super cool. But don't worry....I wasn't driving while I was posting....I was actually sitting at home right in front of my computer!! I wanted to make sure it worked before I did it while out and about. I intended to write a real post later in the day but just never got to it. I'm busy beyond measure these days....not sure why! So forgive me if you hang on my every not-so-interesting word but....priorities you know! :)

So VERY THANKFUL.....

1. That even though I get bent out of shape sometimes because my house is out-of-control messy.....at least I have a house! Thank you Jesus for my messy house!!!

2. That I'm so busy with my kiddos that I haven't had time to shop for some much-needed new clothes for myself! When I get frustrated with all I do for THEM, I picture the scene being that they are grown and gone....so sad!! I try to cherish every moment...even the frustrating ones.

3. I'm super thankful that it appears that we have more than enough frequent flier miles to sit in Business Class when we fly to Ch*na at the economy rate!! Woo hoo!!!

4. Brenden's first paycheck!!! Let's see how fast it takes for him to spend it....

5. Tea...green, black...and TEA PARTIES!!!! Particularly those that protest unjustified spending by our out-of-control (socialistic) administration. At least we still have the freedom to protest...for now. Oh, and did you know that the FTC wants to start regulating blogs (yes, even Mom blogs like this one)? Are we still in America?? Well, the majority of the country voted for CHANGE....look out, we're gettin' it. OK, 'nuff said. PRAY.



6. Fun finds! I bought this cute sign to put in my kitchen...(K-man had to stop and think about if it is true....I'm not sure whether to be offended or complimented).




7. My grandmother's sewing machine...it's running like a dream!

8. Teenagers. Yep, I love my teenagers....they are the best ever and make me laugh constantly!!!!

9. Great Awakenings.....Nick and I have been studying revivals of the past...we desperately need another one.

10. Spring....what's not to love!?

Oh and how can I not be thankful for the most amazing little girl.....

Sweet!!!