Help!

We got family pictures taken and I have no idea how I am going to decide! Check them out and comment or email me with your favorites. I especially need help deciding on a family one. So hard with five people! The sight is http://www.elementportraits.com/. Thanks for your help.

Christmas time is fun!

Santa gave us a coupon for Coldstone. Yummy!

Not so sure about this!


This is my new baby that Grandma Shirlee sent me. Honestly a coincidence that their clothes match perfectly.

Chillin' with Anna, who mommy says is going to be my best friend, and her daddy Matt.

Thanks Mike and Angie for having us over!

So, I have always loved Christmas. For all of the wonderful spiritual reasons, but also for the truly American Christmas lights, presents and Santa reasons. Suffice to say, it is at least double the fun having Sabrina here!! Ice cream, and presents and everything else through the eyes of a child for the first time...AWESOME!

What a privilege!

Playing with Jakey

She is so photogenic!

For us? Our neighbor had a luncheon to welcome Sabrina. The Christmas tree centerpiece was a gift for Sabrina and everything was pink! The platter in front is sandwiches with pink bread!

The day after I got home, chillin' with Jake and cousin Elizabeth.

It is such a privilege to parent each one of our children, but I do feel like we won the adoption lottery. Please no one take offense. Sabrina is just so amazing. I can not believe how she has adapted. She is unbelievably personable. She flirts with everyone. Her eyes are absolutely incredible and they speak volumes. At least 90% of the time she is happy. She loves to talk and interact. She is drawing our family together. We haven't eaten this many meals together in I don't know how long. Each one of us love to be with Sabrina, so I have no shortage of helpers!

We had our doctor's appointment last Friday. I was pleased to find an International Adoption specialist in Iowa City. We will be driving there for awhile. Poor Sabrina had six immunizations, a TB test, blood draw and urine bag. Yuck! And we were there for almost five hours before all was said and done. So far, we have discovered that she is anemic. Some of the test results are not back yet. Sabrina is less than 3% for height and weight, but 14% for head circumference. It's all those brains! Actually regarding malnutrition, the doctor said that weight goes first, then height and lastly head circumference. So the body naturally (by God's design) protects the brain.

Our computer has been down, that's why I've been so long between posts. Hopefully, I can keep up a little better now. We are so looking forward to the holidays. Our Christmas break started early, as the kids had a snow day today. Yeah! Our family photos are being taken on Tuesday evening, I can't wait.

Leaving on a jet plane

Decked out for our first car seat ride
Scott's cousin, Amy, greeted us at the Chicago airport.

Chillin' in the airplane

It tastes best when I feed myself.

It felt like a bad case of planes, trains (shuttles) and automobiles. 17 hours Addis to DC, 2 hours DC to Chicago, and four and a half hours from there to Waterloo. We were unable to sit together on the long flight. But Scott had to sit next to some kids that were having a much tougher adjustment than Sabrina. Noelle was wonderful help on the flight and the entire week. Sabrina has just been fabulous.

We are all very tired today. It is Monday evening. We have been home about three days. It is not yet 8:00 and Noelle and Sabrina are out for the night. Hopefully, I will be joining them soon. I still can't believe that our journey to bring her home is over. I am looking forward to each step in our journey as a family!

Emotions run strong!

Nutella, yummy!

Traffic was horrible, and this multi car accident on the way to Nazret was scary.

Sabrina's nanny at KVI


The livestock in the road, both in Addis and Nazret made me laugh.

Thursday we made the trip to Nazret. Nazret is where Sabrina was in KVI orphanage for about eight months. We were able to bring donations and hand out goody bags to the kids. The kids were at school when we got there and then came in for lunch. Christy had a sponsor child in Nazret that we were able to visit. Though it was very difficult, we were pleased to be able to meet Sabrina's birth mom. I am so happy to be able to tell her a more detailed story some day. The drive back to Addis Ababa was full of many thoughts.

Once back, we had to pack and leave for the airport. The guest house had a coffee ceremony that night, but we were kind of in and out preparing to leave.

Days 2 and 3, in Ethiopia

Day 2: Was relatively calm. We gave Sabrina her first bath, which she screamed all the way through. However, her cry is very soft like one of a newborn so it wasn't too bad. We had our visit to the US embassy. We had a couple of small scares. One when they had trouble locating a document and then when they said, "her visa will be ready Friday morning". We said but we fly out Thursday night. They were able to accommodate us, so no problems there.

Day 3: Was very full. In the morning Christy, Noelle and I went shopping with Aduna and two other ladies from the guest house. As were unable to take the babies out and about. Scott stayed with Sabrina and Christy's son. It was hard to try and find all of the souveniers that we wanted in just a couple of hours, but we tried to do our best speed shopping. After we returned, we were able to deliver supplies to the Ahope orphanage. It was so fun to hang out with the kids and play soccer and they seemed to really enjoy the goody bags that we brought them. Later, we had a going away party at the Thomas Center. The kids sang to us and we celebrated with snacks. We were able to hand out goody bags to the kids there as well. We were given the gift of a traditional Ethiopian outfit for each member of our family. We were especially touched that they remembered Jake, who did not travel with us.

It was a little frustrating because we were not allowed to take photos of the kids who were waiting for the families. Knowing how much those photos mean, and having said we would take them was a bummer. After the party we were taken to a traditional Ethiopian restaurant with great food and traditional dancers. We were all very tired. Noelle slept through dinner, but it was lots of fun. Especially watching the white middle-aged tourists try to dance.

The other guests at the guest house kept asking what agency we were with. CHI did a wonderful job of escorting us throughout the week. They were great about trying to meet any requests that we had.

Journey to Sabrina

WOW. That about sums it up, but I am sure you want to hear and see more. So, I will try and start at the beginning. We left Saturday to drive to Chicago, about four and a half hours. The miracles started with check in. Thanks, Diane for the many tips. We went straight to over sized luggage check-in. We had eight trunks for three people. The agent set the first trunk on the scale 53+ pounds, supposed to be 50 or under. He says we are going to pretend that I am not a mathematician and doesn't weigh any more trunks. He tried to waive the fee for our extra luggage but was unable to do it. We felt that $360 was a fairly low price to pay for the privilege of carrying all of these supplies.

Our flight was delayed in Chicago, but we still had plenty of time in Washington, D.C. Good thing, because the line to get onto Ethiopian Air was nuts. I was very glad that I had downsized our carry-ons, as they were definitely weighing the carry-ons. We were able to meet up with Christy King, also with CHI, in the line. We had such a great week together.

In Ethiopia, one of our bags was missing. But just as we got to the front of the line to report it, I took one more look around and found it. We had customs officials save us from the line and OK our entry without opening a trunk. As we were leaving someone stopped Scott but did not make us open our trunks. We witnessed others with their donations strewn about. We were greeted by Abdissa, his wife, and Aduna (our driver for the week) from CHI.

We loved the Ethiopian Guest House. All of the guests were in the process of picking their children up for adoption. There were our family, Christy, a couple from WI, and two other families. The adapter I brought was the wrong one, and when I downsized my luggage I ended up with no pajamas and a shared bathroom. There were great shared spaces, a yard, good food and wonderful staff.

Monday morning Aduna picked us up to go to the Thomas Center to meet our children. Noelle was the first one to see Sabrina; before the van even stopped. It is hard to describe the emotions. In some ways they were less intense than I thought they would be. Everything felt so right, like she has always been apart of us. Sabrina was able to come back to the guest house with us. So we spent the day getting to know one another.

Surreal

I cannot believe that in less than one hour we begin a journey that really began in April of 2007. People ask me how long the process has taken. In my mind that it is when it started; when we decided to adopt.

Without taking into account time changes (it's only 4:50 am), in approximately 24 hours we will be in Africa. In approximately 48 hours we will meet Sabrina. Though in my heart, I know and love her so much!

There is a car seat in my husband's car for the first time in probably 9 years. I can't remember when they actually get out of them. I should have taken a picture, it is so cute. It is pink and brown with flowers, funky not cutsie. (You can find it on http://www.target.com/. The cheaper one not the one that costs $200+!) Noelle even got over the fact that it was pink. We were out in the dark last night trying to figure out how to install it. What's with the cool new latch system? Pretty sure my car doesn't have that. Oh, well. Also in our car are eight trunks full of supplies. Imagine this...we are traveling to Ethiopia with one carry on bag weighing less than fifteen pounds (each). Funny, in one way we are really travelling light but on the other hand...!

Specific prayer requests:
1. Baggage check. That they would be kind. We will be charged for our two extra bags. I don't know if there is any flexibility in that amount. We heard $180 per bag. I tried to weigh the bags, I got 45-51 pounds each. Pray that I was fairly accurate and that if the bags are slightly over 50 pounds that they would pass through any way, without extra charges.

2. Noelle's passport expires in January and has a horribly light photo. Pray that we do not get any hassles.

3. Pray for our first meeting with Sabrina. We hope to bring her back to the guest house with us but that is pretty scary, too. Check out where we are staying at http://www.ethiopiaguesthome.com/.

4. Pray for our schedule. It is very hard for me not to know ahead of time what we are doing each day. Pray that arrangements can be made for us to visit the two orphanages that we have brought all of the supplies for. Pray for us to be able to make it to a market to buy souvenirs. We are unable to take Sabrina with us to the market, due to new "rules" in country.

Well, my alarm just went off, so I suppose I better stop typing and start getting ready to leave. Thank you all for being such an important part of our journey!

Chaos, anyone?

More donations! I believe we are up to 8 checked bags full of donations. The newest donations are medical supplies for the orphanages. Thank you so much Bob Greenwood at Greenwood Drug. I was so disappointed by the response of the other pharmacies I contacted. We will be changing our pharmacy! I need to say another big thank you to "The Women at the Well", my women's Bible study. For two weeks they have been blessing me (and the orphanages) with bags and bags of wonderful supplies! Thank you so much!!
What better time to remodel a bathroom and hallway. Opposite the red brick is our front door. So the project is definitely out of the way. The hallway is our room, Noelle's room, the main bathroom, and Sabrina's room.


This is the main bathroom right now. No toilet, no sinks. Yesterday 10:00 am as I am seriously starting to pursue my list of things to do I get a phone call from my husband. There are some minor issues with the remodel. All the way home I am praying, "Lord, please let his 'minor', be minor to me as well." Not so much! The bathtub had to be raised. They thought they were going to have to put a large hole in our sons closet. Yes, that's minor. The biggie was...the piece of furniture we intended to use as a vanity would be very difficult to use. Moving water pipes, etc. So off to Home Depot to pick out new vanities, mirrors and counter tops, ASAP. The Lord has provided and we were able to make those decisions. Unfortunately the bathroom remodel is now costing a little more.

Back to packing. I got up at 4:00 yesterday AM and made a pretty detailed list. I must say that despite the distractions yesterday, fantastic headway was made. Thanks Elke, for your help! Today I need to weigh all the bags and work on figuring out how to bring our personal items. Did I mention that Noelle is now going with us? We bought her a ticket on Monday. We are all pleased that she is able to go. Please pray for Jake as we are gone. He has a killer schedule. Two a day swim team practices, work at Target and a very tough college prep schedule. I barely got him up this morning. Pray that I would be able to balance encouragement, motivation, and what amounts to pressure in his eyes.

FOUR DAYS until I am holding the little one we have been pursuing for nine months!

It's raining orphanage supplies!

Just two of the five or six trunks that we are taking to the orphanages in Ethiopia!

Saturday, my awesome friends hosted a shower for the orphanages. These are some of my small group girls from church. Say hi to Emily, Genae, Chelsea, Bree, Katie and Megan. Sunday night they came over and filled ziploc bags full of treats for the kids. They even drew on the bags and signed them. We included granola bars, cheese crackers, toothpaste, candy and a toy. We did either a ball, matchbox car, playdough or "bling".
These are the lovely ladies that threw the shower for us. Meet Billie, Angie and Elke. Sorry, about the closed eyes, Elke. I think there was more than one camera taking photos.
It was hard work checking out all the awesome things that were donated. Note the cute coral colored dress, you will probable see that on Sabrina sometime soon! Thanks, Deb!

Don't we look cute in our hats? I think the kids will probably look better. On the left side of the photo is my daughter's friend, Rachel. And then my daugher, Noelle. On the right side of the photo are my mom and one of my sisters, Karen. Thanks for making the drive, Karen. I missed you, Kat. We had an awesome time and I am so excited to take all of these things to the orphanages! Thanks again everyone!!

All I Really Want For Christmas Music Video

Snow and Sabrina for Thanksgiving!

For those of those who think that it is too early for Christmas music...this is the view outside my window this morning. Not much, but more is on the way. I usually have a strict "no Christmas music until after Thanksgiving" policy, but...it did snow...and...I am getting my Christmas present early this year! In 17 days, to be exact. WOW, I cannot believe that we are ALL going to be together for Christmas this year! Noelle realized this morning that Sabrina will be here for her school Christmas program. Please pray for the Chapman family this holiday season. Also, pray for the Alexander family. See Emily's blog for details.

Side note: I tried at least four times to get these two post together and I CANNOT do it. Every time I added my photo and text, the video disappeared. Very frustrating! Any advice from you advanced bloggers?? And how do you make it so you can have text before the photos?

WOW!

This beautiful necklace was my birthday present from Noelle. It was back in July but I couldn't share because it had Sabrina's name on it. Check out http://www.junkposse.etsy.com/. If it is hard to read, it's because I am not a very good photographer. The small circle reads, "Sabrina". The other circle says, "born in my heart".

So, the really big WOW is...we are going to Ethiopia!!! November 22nd!!! We are staying at the Ethiopia Guest Home, http://www.ethiopiaguesthome.com/. We are in the process of booking our flights. It looks like we will be using Susan Parr travel and flying out of Chicago. Monday, November 24th, Sabrina will be in our arms!!!

Good reading.

An amazing book about the struggle of families in Northern Uganda. "Some day when you stand before God and He asks, 'Did you know about what was going on in Northern Uganda?' What will you say? If He asks, 'Did you know children were being murdered, raped and abducted? What did you do?" U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (from Kansas) I haven't decided what my response will be. I want to look at sponsoring a child. I need to find out where Uganda is in this conflict today.
My mom and my sister recommended this one. Apparently there is some outcry by the Christian community about how God is portrayed. I am comforted by this portrayal of God. I love the picture of the trinity. If you need to feel God's arms wrapped around you, this is a great place to start.

I started this book quite a while ago and got distracted. It would make a great daily devotional. The subtitle is "Trusting God Takes You to Amazing Places". Who doesn't want that!

No new news on Sabrina. How I love being able to type her name!!! We are anxiously awaiting assignment of an embassy date. Then we can make our travel plans. Scott IS going with me. Yeah!! There was a little question, but that has been resolved. Thanks, Christy, for being our "back up plan".

Introducing!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This is our little angel!! My first try at a slide show. She came to the orphanage in February at 9 months and 8 pounds. She is now about 17 months and 17 pounds and standing all by herself. WOW!! I cannot wait to hold her!!

I cannot thank you enough for your prayers. HE HEARD AND HE ANSWERED!!

WAITING

What does a blogger do while she's waiting...she blogs! And prays. LOTS!!!

Wait: to hold oneself ready for an arrival or occurrence. to be in expectation or hope of something.

The Bible says:

Psalm 27:4 "Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord."

Psalm 130:5 "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I put my hope."

Isaiah 40 :31 "But they that wait upon the Lord; shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not by weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."

If you have any more good ones, let me know. As I wait, and pace, and pray for my phone call that reveals our daughter's court results!

So much to say

I have wanted to blog, literally, for weeks. Our home has been under a lot of stress. Mostly, however, it is not (directly, anyway!) my stress. So I have struggled with how much to share. Scott is having a hard time with the stock market. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but it is. Suffice to say that his clients are so lucky. He cares about them very much!

Noelle has been struggling with many things, both physical and emotional. Sometimes the hardest part has been deciding which are which. She will be going back to Walnut Ridge, a private Christian school, on Monday. Not an easy choice to make.

Jake is doing really well. But life is full of new things for a 16 year old almost man. Dances, girls, choices about spare time, learning about money, etc. He got a job at Target! Yeah, Jake. But he says the discount is just for him. I asked how much the discount was, and he didn't even know. OK, I am pretty sure I would have considered that a benefit worth knowing about! Get this...he sold his Xbox 360. If you don't have teenagers you might not know what a big deal this is but...WOW! I just pray that we don't "neglect" him in the face of all the "crises" we are dealing with. Man, I love my kids!!

Which leads us to child #3. The one "stuck" in Ethiopia. Our new court date is October 30th. God's plan is so much better than my plan. If she had passed on her original date I have no idea how we would have travelled. There are still many miracles to occur for us to travel in November, praying that she passes this time. I do have a volunteer to travel with me if Scott is unable. Thank you, Christy (my sister-in-law, sister in my heart)! We can pretend that we are on Amazing Race. Speaking of which, there is a local one-day version I am dying to do, wish you were here! You have to be 18 or Jake would love to do it! He says I should call and ask, at 6'2" he can probably pass for 18.

Then there's me. God is so taking care of me! With a little earthly help from my mom. Praise the Lord for her. She is a retired counselor which helps in so many ways. Yesterday, the day I took care of the school stuff for Noelle, was a little stressful. But pretty much, if I feel like if I am heading for the edge, HE pulls me back.

The greatest thing, is that God is pulling Scott and I, especially Scott, right into His waiting arms!

Open your heart!

There are two little angels that have been on my heart lately. One is a sweet little girl named Abby. She is three years old and is struggling with leukemia. You can read her story at http://www.riggsfamilyblog.com/. Some friends of Abby's are trying to raise enough money to purchase her some fun wigs. Please consider donating and definitely add Abby to your prayer list!

The second little one is also three years old. His name is Samuel. You can read Samuel's story at http://www.paul-samuelphillipson.blogspot.com/. Samuel was involved in a tractor accident and has required many surgeries and will have to undergo many more. Funds are being raised for Samuel and his family at http://www.mikeanddianeandtribe.blogspot.com/. Again, please consider giving and absolutely get down on your knees.

These two stories have helped Scott and I to keep our eternal perspective despite the unsettled economy.

Apple Picking

Noelle and Hailey
Scott reaching for the really high, really shiny ones!
Farmers for a day.
This one is for you, Judy. It's not Iowa, but it's close.

Wow! Isn't God the most amazing artist. We all needed a breath of fresh air this weekend so we headed out to Gays Mills, Wisconsin for some apple picking. We went to Starry Ridge Orchards and picked our own. It was so fun, and relaxing. The colors were wonderful and the apples are fantastic. They recommended a combination of Cortland and Spartan, so that's what we picked. I made apple crumble last night. I found the recipe on Food Network's website.

Apple Crumble

Filling (I doubled all of this, except the lemon, I only had one):

4 large apples (about 3 pounds)

1/4 cup sugar

1 lemon, juiced

2 tablespoons flour

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:

1 cup walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped

1 cup flour

1 1/4 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

Vanilla ice cream, for serving

Set oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees.

Peel, core and slice apples into 1/4-inch slices. Place apples in a large mixing bowl and toss with sugar, lemon juice, flour and cinnamon. Pour into a lightly greased 9 by 13 inch baking dish, spread into an even layer. In another large bowl, mix together the nuts, flour, oats, sugar and cinnamon. Using a pastry cutter or your fingers, gently work in the cold butter until pea-sized lumps are formed. Top apples evenly with mixture and bake until apples are bubbly and topping is golden brown, about 45 minutes, rotating halfway through cooking. (Mine took at least 10 minutes longer, probably because I doubled the apples!) Yummy!!

I have been tagged!

Ok, so there are the rules. But I don't know how to post links with just the person's name. Maybe someone can comment and let me know how. Marisa, http://www.jmfoltz.blogspot.com/, tagged me. So here goes:

1. I collect, and use, eclectic and vintage purses. Unfortunately, because most of them are very old, they generally wear out long before I would like them to.

2. Many times a week I eat the same breakfast: Go lean crunch cereal, mixed with berries and yogurt from Moo Roo. http://www.hansendairy.com/ (Way fun dairy tour if you are ever in Iowa!)

3. I like crossword puzzles and sudoku, and often do them before I go to sleep.

4. I am lactose intolerant and both our kids are fructose intolerant. I used to love to cook, but it has gotten much less fun with all of the restrictions!

5. I love to kayak!! It is so peaceful. The air smells good and the water feels good. We went for our anniversary this year on the Root River in Lanesboro (Minnesota). I really want to go in Northern Wisconsin near the Apostle Islands and on the east coast, maybe in Maine. I love to travel and there are very few places that I do not want to go.

6. I was never in drama "growing up". But as an adult, I have been in three plays at the local children's theater. "Lily's Purple Plastic Purse", "Bridge to Terabithia", and "Henry and Ramona". It is very fun to interact with the kids, and be someone else for awhile.

7. My husband and I met on a missions trip to the Fiji Islands with Teen Missions International.

I tag: Katie (http://www.beyonddecaf.com/), Dawn (http://www.clivedawnb.blogspot.com/), Julie (http://www.fourplusmore.wordpress.com/), Diane (http://www.mikeanddianeandtribe.blogspot.com/), Amber (http://www.skywardjourney.wordpress.com/), Emily (http://www.teamalexander.blogspot.com/), and Carolyn (http://www.twietconfetti.blogspot.com/). It is very funny to me that I have only met in person one of these people. I wish my sisters blogged, but they don't!

Side note: As I am sure you are all aware, the financial climate sucks! As some of you may not know, my husband is a financial advisor. We were brainstorming ways to cut back financially and he suggested the Internet. I said, "Sorry!" I will skip going out to eat, I will wash and iron tons of dress shirts, I will give up magazines, but I can't give up my email and blogs!

This is for Marisa!

I have been requested to post my recipe for White, or Chicken, Lasagna. First, this is not my recipe, but it comes from a fantastic cookbook called "First Impressions". You can get your very own copy at http://www.jlwcf.org/. See "cookbook" on the left sidebar. Only $15 for a beautiful hardbound cookbook. Great Christmas present. Check out Texas Caviar, Lime Tequila Chicken Fajitas, Honey Glazed Carrots and lots of other goodies!

OK, here it is:

White Lasagna

8 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter

1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Salt to taste

1/4 teaspoon white pepper (I only had black pepper!)

2 cups half and half

2 cups chicken broth

8 ounces uncooked lasagna noodles

5 cups shredded cooked chicken breasts (I poached them, to keep them moist)

12 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded ( I used a little more, and used half Mozzarella)

Saute the mushrooms in 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet until light brown. Add the wine and tarragon and cook over medium heat until the liquid evaporates.

Melt 1/4 cup butter in a small saucepan. Whisk in the flour, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and stir in the half and half and chicken broth gradually. Cook until thickened and smooth, stirring constantly. Stir in the mushrooms.

Cook the noodles using the package directions, rinse with cold water and drain.

Spread a thin layer of the sauce in a greased 9x13 baking dish. Layer the noodles, chicken, sauce and cheese 1/3 at a time in the prepared dish.

Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 40 to 50 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves: 8

Bon Appetit!

No words

Our daughter's court date has been postponed due to a missing document. The document arrived yesterday, but apparently should have been there a week ago. Her new court date is October 30th. I cannot imagine what we will miss this month. I am just heartbroken and physically ill. I keep trying to remember that this is better than a denial. I keep trying to remember that God's timing is perfect. It doesn't feel perfect.

Run, Scott, Run!

That's my hubby, Scott, on the left. He is cranking it out at the Quad Cities marathon!

This is an example of the supposedly "flat" course.

Here he is crossing the finish line. Awesome PR (personal record for you, non-runners),

by 14 minutes! Unfortunately, he missed his Boston qualifying time by 2 minutes!

We'll try again, wait he'll try again, in the spring.

Here's the other man in my life, Jake. Homecoming night with our great friend, Katie.

Apparently, he danced the night away!

Thanks, Lord, for a fantastic weekend! For many answered prayers, especially for travelling safeties. Keep us sane this week as we await our court date on Friday and help us, especially me, to remember that it is safely in YOUR capable hands!! Amen.

Finally...a nursery!

Garage sale find, repainted to coordinate with the bedding.

Picture from Ethiopia, a gift from AWOP. Kitchen and basket from garage sales!

Stuffed animals from equally spoiled big sister!

Yeah! Crib on sale at Target!

Close up of the bedding and light switch plate I painted to match.

"Such a big miracle in such a little girl"

Tell me honestly, does the "S" make it look like it says "Sin", rather than an initial??

I got this dresser at a garage sale when I was in high school.

I know, I was a weird kid. But, not a bad way to spend $30!

I am having an antique child's size chaise reupholstered in vintage pink and cream fabric. Our daughter, Noelle, loved it but has outgrown it. I can't wait to see it refinished! I went garage sale-ing today and found lots for the Foltz' kids. Marisa wanted to go but had other plans so I volunteered to shop for them. It was so much fun!! Grandma Judy, I covered most of my kitchen table with fun stuff for them! They said that it is much colder in Arkansas than in Florida or Thailand.