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.

God is good...all the time!

Today was a good day. Jon and Marisa Foltz, Collin and Summer, arrived from Arkansas. I spent the day preparing, cleaning, etc. The good part is that I didn't get stressed out. Sometimes I do that.

Noelle went to Wild Life tonight, which is a division of Young Life. Things have been tough lately with Noelle. We are trying to find out if the stomach aches, etc. she is having are the result of physical problems or are stress related. She went to school Tuesday through Friday...Yeah! She slept in her bed Wednesday and Thursday...Yeah!

Jake went to the West football game tonight and he made it into the National Honor Society. And he is taking a great girl to homecoming tomorrow night! (as friends, we do not encourage high school dating, much to his distress)

Scott has spent a lot of time praying the last two weeks with the financial state of our nation as it is. He is an investment advisor. Good news is, he gets to forget about all that and run a marathon on Sunday. Might not sound fun to you, sure doesn't to me, but he loves it!

One week from today, October 3, is our court date in Ethiopia. Please pray that everything would go according to God's plan and that we would be able to accept His plan! I cannot wait to hear that our little angel is truly ours!

Psalm 145

" I will praise you, my God and King,
and bless your name forever and ever.
I will bless you every day,
and I will praise you forever.
Great is the Lord! He is most worthy
of praise!
His greatness is beyond discovery!

Let each generation tell its children
of your mighty acts.
I will meditate on your majestic,
glorious splendor
and your wonderful miracles.
Your awe-inspiring deeds will be on
every tongue;
I will proclaim your greatness.
Everyone will share the story of your
wonderful goodness;
they will sing with joy of your
righteousness.

The Lord is kind and merciful,
slow to get angry, full of unfailing love.
The Lord is good to everyone.
He showers compassion on all his
creation.
All of your works will thank you, Lord,
and your faithful followers will bless
you.

They will talk together about the glory
of your kingdom;
they will celebrate examples of your
power.
They will tell about your mighty deeds
and about the majesty and glory of
your reign.
For your kingdom is an everlasting
kingdom.
You rule generation after generation.

The Lord is faithful in all He says;
He is gracious in all He does.
The Lord helps the fallen
and lifts up those bent beneath their
loads.
All eyes look to you for help;
you give them their food as they
need it.
When you open your hand,
you satisfy the hunger and thirst of
every living thing.

The Lord is righteous in everything He
does;
He is filled with kindness.
The Lord is close to all who call on Him,
yes, to all who call on Him sincerely.
He fulfills the desires of those who fear
Him;
He hears their cries for help and
rescues them.
The Lord protects all those who love
Him,
but He destroys the wicked.

I will praise the Lord,
and everyone on earth will bless His
holy name
forever and forever."

Living Vicariously!

Retail Therapy!!

Elke, the honoree and soon-to-be adoptive mom, and I
Joined by Angie, who planned the shower with me
A jog stroller, Yeah!

It's shower time! And travel time! But not for me. My great friend, Elke, left today for Korea to get her sweet little girl Anna! Our journey together has been amazing. And our girls will be close in age and in homecoming date, hopefully! Last night we threw a shower as a send off.

(I highly recommend throwing a shower at a restaurant. We ordered appetizers and had an amazing time! We didn't have to clean or cook, and I'm pretty sure it was cheaper than buying all those groceries and paper products!!)

Can't wait to meet Anna!!

As a side note, if you are waiting for an adoption to go through, I highly recommend retail therapy. Our sweet Ethiopian princess has soooo many clothes waiting for her! Check out her new bathing suit and pink chicky leggings.

Content?

About six months ago I looked around our home and decided that we either "needed" to do some more remodeling or we "needed" to move. I did some internet searching and learned that there was a very big gap between the price range of our home and the next available homes that would meet our needs (4-5 bedrooms, school district, etc.). We decided we could not in good conscience pursue a new home and we would pursue some remodeling.

Well, Scott has many hobbies. Our farm, running, and hunting just to name a few. So projects sometimes take a while. Now I will admit some of these projects could have been done or at least started by me. So here it is almost September and though we have accrued some supplies we have not actually started any of the original projects. We did get distracted and clean and paint the garage floors and walls. This looks great, though I do not spend a lot of time sitting in my garage, maybe I should!

So yesterday was the parade of homes in our fine area. Most homes are in another town/school district so we just tour them for ideas. But one house was in our area and it was very nice. So I began to dream again. We could quickly finish a few projects at our house, sell, and move into a brand new home! I talked to the builder and brought home lots of information for Scott. He was at our farm, so not with Noelle, mom and I. We talked briefly about the house yesterday and this morning I said, "So what did you think? Would you like to go see it?"

He said that I needed to be content. WHAT?? I am content. I am not a big spender, I don't always seek the newest and best, for heaven sakes we are great givers and we are in the process of adopting!!

Or am I content. I was so insulted that he would imply that I am not content. But obviously if I am looking at another home with any degree of seriousness I am not content. And if I am not content with my home in what other ways am I not content. And how do I become content.

I Timothy 6: 6-10
"Yet true religion with contentment is great wealth. After all, we didn't bring anything with us when we came into the world, and we certainly cannot carry anything with us when we die. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is at the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with sorrows."

I have never felt that I loved money, but do I love the things that money has allowed us to buy, like my home? I don't feel like I am any where close to wandering from my faith, but how distracted am I?

I hate it when he's right.

Off to school!

Aren't they cute? I cannot possibly be old enough to have a 5'3", 12 year old, 7th grader and a 6'1", 16 year old, pick up truck driving junior!

Every year I take their picture on the front steps before school starts. This year Noelle said, "We can't do it here, the steps are a mess." I said we needed to document it for posterity since I have been looking at this mess for about six months!

Have a fantastic year kids! I love you!

Technical Difficulties

Our computer was down for a week with a horrible virus and I am prepared to admit that I was addicted to email! Wow, I felt so disconnected especially from the adoption process. This has been a difficult time, just waiting. (Not for the email, in the adoption process!)

The kids head back to school this week. This will be the first time that Noelle has ever attended public school. She is pretty excited and a little nervous. I can't believe I have a seventh grader and an eleventh grader! I know a lot of parents are glad for school to start. I am not really. I think I will be pretty lonely. Our house feels so empty without the noises of Jake and Noelle.

My plan is to paint a vanity for the bathroom that will be remodeled and then start in on the nursery. I have been putting it off, but I think I am ready to plunge in. I will be sure and post some pictures of both.

I have been reading a great book called "Keep a Quiet Heart" by Elisabeth Elliot. It is actually a collection of articles she wrote for a newsletter. In regard to parenting, I was struck by these questions. "Wouldn't our children learn godliness if they saw the example of contentment instead of complaint? acceptance instead of rebellion? peace instead of frustration?" That is very convicting for me. I don't know that I am too much of a complainer but rebellion and frustration?!

As Scott and I were working on some projects last night he announced that he had learned a new verse. Proverbs 21:19, "It is better to live alone in the desert than with a crabby, complaining wife." I said, "It's a good thing you don't have one!" It sounded like he and the office had had a lot of fun with that verse.

Friday, Scott and I will celebrate 21 one years of mostly wedded bliss! We are headed away for one night to Lanesboro, MN for some kayaking and biking. My dad said, "That sounds like exercise!" It sounds great to me!

Happy Back to School!

Three for July

July was very odd for our family. For the first time, in a very long time, there were only three of us. Jake was in Argentina on a missions trip. He is now home. Yeah!! And he had an amazing time of drawing near to God. But that needs to be his blog. Maybe he will do a guest blog. So here is July for the three of us!

Noelle attended a Lampost Theatre (www.lampost.com/dramacamp ) drama camp. The directors have done drama instruction and leadership for Teen Missions (where Scott and I met) and some for Teen Mania (where Jake was). My grandma, age 94, was able to attend the performance, so that made it even more special.

We toured Hansen's Dairy Farm, again. This time with Diane's family.

Scott on niece Micah's bike, in Minnesota.

Rest stop in South Dakota. We took the scenic route from Colorado relatives to Minnesota relatives. Scott feels the need to workout pretty often since he is training for another marathon; Noelle volunteered to help out.

Mini-golf in Boulder.

Hitting the park, in Boulder.

Daddy and Noelle at the Omaha Zoo!

We had lots of fun, but we are so glad that Jake is home and we are the Larson 4 again.

Soon to be the Larson 5!!