Time for a giveaway!

Marybeth Whalen is hosting a giveaway of our candles! You must check out her blog to get the details. Thank you, Marybeth!

Divinity!

I had a little help today making candy.Taste tester.

Yep, it passes!

Divinity
2 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

2 egg whites

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

3/4 cup chopped nuts

In saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Cook to hard ball stage (260) stirring only until sugar dissolves. Meanwhile, beat egg whites to stiff peaks. Gradually pour syrup over egg whites, beating at high speed on electric mixer. Add vanilla and beat until candy holds shape, 4 to 5 minutes. Add nuts and quickly drop by teaspoon onto waxed paper.

Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Psa 34:8

Hot Chocolate Weather

We had snow!
So we had hot chocolate!

Gee, who knew this would happen?!? Fortunately, I was cleaning and hadn't gotten to the kitchen yet :)

Then we made some candles. And it was only 'we' for a minute because sledding was so much more fun!

Giveaway Coming Soon!

The coolest thing has happened! Christian author, Proverbs 31 Ministries speaker and mom to six, Marybeth Whalen, has offered to host a giveaway for us on her blog beginning this Friday. Keep watching for details. But in the meantime, please check out her blog.

Hanging of the Green

KR, LS and Kenzie singing Away in a Manger. Beautiful song for beautiful girls!

Kolton narrated. My boy is growing up!

These three tried to sit still but ended up in the nursery :)

Kenzie.

Our annual Hanging of the Green service was as beautiful as ever! Hats off to April for coordinating the entire event, and to those who decorated the church so beautifully. My pictures don't capture it, but the sanctuary is actually completely dark, lit up only by the greenery and candlelight. The elements are: The Christmas Story; the Christmas tree; Light; Evergreens; Poinsettia; Candy Cane; Music and of course the Nativity. Let us continue to remember the Reason for the Season!

Six Christmases Waiting

What's back there?

My angel carefully carrying the angel to the tree...

Gently hanging the angel ...Angel admiring his work.

If you hold your tongue just right ... Maybe here ...

No, here!

Needless to say, decorating the tree was an all-afternoon process! But it was so sweet watching the little ones carefully place the ornaments. I can't tell you the emotions that come with knowing this is Kaeleb's 'first' Christmas! I pray through the fun presents, pretty wrapping and cool boxes we can convey the true meaning of the season to him. I suddenly realized this is the sixth Christmas we've spent 'waiting' ...

Ix-nay on the Otty-pay

It's official, the little emperor and empress are NOT ready nor interested in potty training. And I'm pretty certain if I kept on they would want their mommy back, rather than the drill Sargent I've become :) And so we will wait for the next opportunity and continue to buy Huggies in bulk.

Am I the only person who hasn't put up Christmas decorations? My friends' homes are beautifully decorated and I still can't decide if I want to drag the huge tree out of the attic or select a live one. I know Christmas is not about the decor in our home, but I would like to enjoy the beauty it brings. We are having our annual Hanging of the Green service this Sunday night, and it is so beautiful! It's a reminder that many of the decorations we put up in our homes have Christian origin. For instance, did you know the candy cane was made to symbolize Jesus' birth, ministry and death. There is meaning behind the solid white, red-striped confection.

The Christmas tree points upward to God and is a reminder of the greatest gift ever given, Jesus, who died upon a cross made from a tree.

As I decorate this year, I pray I will take the time to remember the true meaning of Christmas. Have you read this book?


It is our tradition to read this every Christmas season. I can't get through it without crying. Basically it's the story of three trees on a hillside who had big dreams of what they wanted to be when they were grown. As each one is chopped down and put to use, they think their dreams have died, but by the end of the book it's clear that God has much grander plans for each tree.

Thank you so much for your encouraging words! I received some awesome comments and emails, AND isn't it just like God to show me people I could encourage as well. I hope you have a blessed weekend!

Tea for Three; Tee for Two

Lazy mama, trying to get some work done and letting Dora entertain.
Tea party to celebrate the commencement of potty training.

Tee party ...

We can't claim much success in the potty training realm ... except that we have begun! We even enjoyed a tea party to celebrate. At this rate we have enough gummy bear potty treats to last a month :)

Encouragement: to strengthen or stimulate. I've been thinking a lot about 'encouragement' lately and why it can be such a difficult concept. I know what it's like to give and receive both encouragement and discouragement. I am choosing today to be an encouragement. What does it really cost us to encourage others? Do we think we need to play the 'devil's advocate' for the benefit of those making decisions? Are we just 'glass half empty' people? Or in fact, are we simply jealous that others are moving forward, taking a stand, shaking things up, making things happen, being radically obedient to God? Why does it make us feel big to make others feel small? Food for thought.

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness. Heb 3:13

May we each be encouraged AND be an encouragement Today!

Weight Watchers Week 1

Even though I enjoyed normal portions of all my favorite traditional Thanksgiving foods yesterday, I have lost 2 pounds this week! My problem isn't that I have a lot of extra weight but that I love food in large portions and I don't know when to stop eating. I am a lifetime member of Weight Watchers, and I love the plan! Just sometimes when life gets too hectic I resort to my old habits and pay the price. I am collecting more WW recipes but I didn't get to try any new ones this week. If I find some really great ones next week, I'll pass them on. It's been a busy week, to say the least. Today we're going to visit my mom, enjoy leftovers and then freeze at the playoff game tonight. I know, I know, I really need to take pictures of the kids, and I'm going to try this weekend since Kuyler is home.
I think I can carve out three days this week where I can be home most of the day and we can get READY, SET GO ...
This weekend we still need to: pick up poinsettias for fundraiser, deliver them, pick up jars for candles, make 120 candles, ship two orders ... that's about as far as I can think right now :) Have a blessed weekend!

We are thankful!

We have so much to be thankful for this year, especially that my dad accepted the Lord three weeks before he passed away! Please remember my precious mom as she celebrates her first Thanksgiving and Christmas without my dad. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

What a week!

We've got an awesome week in store! We have so much to be thankful for, and I'm going to focus on that. A few things of note: I finally configured a button for the candle orders - yeah! I think it works right :) It should add shipping for each candle up to 4 and then stop charging for shipping. Before, if someone ordered 2 or more of the same scent it only charged for 1 shipping - great deal for you, not so much for me :) Also NEW, we've changed a candle scent. The Gentleness ~ mulberry was not very strong, and the other scents are amazing! So we made the Gentleness ~ Cinnamon toast (which everybody loves) and Self Control ~ Baked Apple Pie (amazing!) Anyway, the scroll down PayPal Order menu above has the changes. Again, if you have any questions, or just want to order direct from me, please email or leave a comment.
In other not-so-interesting news, I started Weight Watchers on-line yesterday. It's no secret I LOVE food! I'm blessed to have a decent metabolism, but with my recent status of staying home more than working outside the home, something has slowed down! I successfully made it through my first day, always the hardest for me. I decided that with 7, soon to be 8 other people counting on me, I'd better earnestly treat my body as the temple it is.
And in more exciting news, our Red Devils will play Laverne in quarterfinals playoff action this Friday night! We look forward to watching a really good game!
And best of all, Kuyler comes home from college Tuesday! Yep, what a week!

Hague Training, check!

The other half of us is finished with Hague training! We've completed the required reading, so once we get our approved home study, all CIS paperwork will go to Chicago!

Progress

Something's (or someone's) missing ... but we're working on that!
We're going to be watching some OU football tomorrow night!

We're making slow progress on the adoption front. We are only required to have a home study update, consisting of two visits, and Kambry's June post-placement counts as one, so Rebecca's visit this week was a wrap-up. Under the new Hague policies I fear our home study will be 50 pages long! We must list all the special needs we are able to accept and our suitability for each. It also must include all modules of Hague training and required reading. Those are the only new elements I know of. Once we have our approved home study report, we'll send it, along with our I800A application and supporting documents, to NBC in Chicago. Approximately 21 days later we will be issued a fingerprint appointment with our local CIS office. Right now the wait for I800A processing is 120+ days! That's a long time to sit on paperwork. But during that time we'll complete our dossier and tie up any loose ends so that once we are DTC we can petition for our child. I can't quite wrap my mind around the math yet :)

This weekend Amy and I are making candles, and we're changing one scent so I'll keep you posted. Then I need to spend some time figuring out how to make a 'button' for the candle orders. Also, my dear husband has been threatened, er, I mean encouraged, to complete his Hague training :) Surely I'll get some pictures of all this!

There is also progress with K5 and K6! They have started talking like crazy. Kambry uses 3 and 4 word sentences, and Kaeleb is close behind! Not bad for a little boy who couldn't speak 8 months ago! I especially get a kick out of Kambry's, "Mommy, I need Dorie (Dora)." Kaeleb's popular saying is, "Mommy, where Daddy go?" Next week I want to start potty training (I reserve the right to change my mind). We're looking forward to Thanksgiving and then preparing to celebrate the Christmas season.

Surgery and Perseverance

Thank you for your prayers! Kaeleb's surgery went very well, and he is recovering nicely. Even though it was a short-stay procedure, we were in the hospital all day for observation. He has only needed one dose of Tylenol with codeine and he slept all night. As difficult as it is to endure the prodding and poking of medical staff, it allows precious moments of comfort from Mommy, and every adoptive parent knows how valuable that is. Praise the Lord for answered prayers!
It seems our faith is constantly being tested in regard to our current adoption process. We see God's faithfulness in the presence of our children, and yet the pressures of this world and the nay-sayers is a constant reminder that we are not 'normal.' Every step of each journey has been one of faith, whether regarding finances, timing, extended stay in China or lack of support from family, but we've always drawn our strength from the One who provides. We are also grateful for those who urge us on and encourage us through Scripture and wise counsel. Yesterday while Kaeleb was in surgery, we read this passage, and it spoke volumes to us:
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed to insult and persecution; at other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated. You sympathized with those in prison and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property, because you knew that you yourselves had better and lasting possessions. So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. Heb 10:32-36
No matter what God is asking you to do, be assured that He will equip you for the journey and it will be worth the effort!

The Things They Say!

Oh, Kayden, she keeps me on my toes! This morning as she was getting ready for school, she looked in the mirror and made the following observation:
Kayden: Why am I wearing 'nature' clothes?
Mom: What do you mean 'nature' clothes?
Kayden: My shirt is covered with flowers, my barrette is a butterfly, my jeans look like the sky, and my hair and eyes are pitch black.
Mom: You are a beautiful Earth child!
This child is so expressive and full of thought! How blessed we are!
I'm not posting much this week because we are so busy. Kolton has a basketball tournament, we had a home study visit today, and Kaeleb's surgery is tomorrow. We are praying for a quick recovery.

This is Home

Have you heard the Switchfoot song, "This is Home"? If I may brag, Kenzie sings it beautifully! We had the annual charity concert last night, and we are so blessed that so many of our youth are willing to share their talent, and that the majority of the songs center around Jesus!

Kolton and Ty waiting for the show.

Always a critic :)

There's the social butterfly.

And there's the stubborn one who will only sleep on her own schedule.

Today we made cookies for the Bible studyMy little taste tester
Kaeleb waits for Daddy's school bus every morning.

This is what I got when I asked Kambry what was in her mouth ;-)It's going to be an awesome weekend! We host first round football playoffs tonight (Go Devils!). Tomorrow is our adoption Bible study, and Sunday Oklahoma Hearts gets to share our vision in another congregation. May you have a blessed weekend!