Forever Thankful!

November of 2009 found us standing before a judge once again and finalizing the adoption of three of our children. Now, in the eyes of the Lord and the Law, we are a Forever Family, and we are forever thankful!

With seven adoptions accomplished, the big question was, "Are you finished?" Henry stated firmly that he was very sure we were. I stated that I was only going to say, I'd obey the Lord. He grinned at me and I grinned at him. We know how the Lord works. But, surely, these seven from heaven would complete our family. After all, seven is symbollic in the Scriptures as completion.

We have had many foster children, 45 to be exact, and while some were only infants when they left us or only with us a very short time, we developed some very long lasting and close relationships with a number of our foster children. A few have grown up, married and started families of their own. We have had the honor of meeting some of these precious little ones that are grandchildren in love.

One of these very special former foster children is now 12 years old and the birth brother of two of our adopted sons. We have tried hard to stay in contact but last year we were told that he had been adopted. I decided to try once again to contact him as we love him very much and he was in our home many years.

What a shock and wonderful surprise to find out that he is available for adoption and we could be considered as an adoptive resource. We are thrilled beyond measure and praying diligently for the Lord's will to be done in his life and ours.

It will be a slow process, the transition will need to be gradual. He has autism and does not need any sudden changes in his routine. However, it appears that the Lord was not seeing us complete (as the #7 indicates), instead He appears to be seeing the New Year as a time for NEW Beginnings (which is what the #8 signifies).

We'll keep you updated and would so appreciate your prayers!

FUNNEL VISION

Nope, that's no typo, I meant what I said.... FUNNEL VISION .
I woke up this morning a little weary, feeling like I'd never get everything done that I needed to get done. Ya' know?

Nothing was terribly wrong, I just felt like I had about 5,000 too many things to do and felt convinced that no matter how hard I tried, it just wouldn't be enough. My head was hurting, the children were wanting breakfast, my brain was frozen or muddled or overheated or something...and I just couldn't think straight. I was considering an outright pity party, wishing I could go back to bed and starting to feel very aggravated at everything and everyone around me. Being honest here.

I pulled out a box of cereal that I keep stuck away for just such mornings. The big boys passed out the bowls and poured the milk while I tried to gather myself, my thoughts and my attitude! I started piddlin' in the kitchen, organizing this and that when I decided to put some things in storage containers that needed to be done. It was that kind of mindless activity that you can do when you really don't want to do anything at all.

This is where the funnel came in. Pouring things from very large containers to smaller containers often calls for a funnel. I pulled out the appropriate one and went about my task. After a few minutes I found myself getting good and aggravated (once again). The funnel kept clogging up, for no good reason that I could tell. I was pouring granules, there was plenty of room for them to pass through and there wasn't a moisture problem. I grew quite frustrated (having already entered into this thing frustrated to begin with) and finally tossed the funnel into the sink, determined that I would just do it without it.

This was a big mistake, oh the mess and the waste of the spilled granules. I cleaned up the work area, retrieved my funnel, took and deep breath and began again. This is when I got FUNNEL VISION!

It seems to me that one of the sweetest parts of walking with the Lord is having Him speak to You, teach you a lesson, point out a truth...at a very common place moment, doing a very common place thing. And that is just what He did. With the FUNNEL VISION, I could now easily see the problem and the solution as well as an added bonus.

Even though the funnel was ample sized and the granules could pass through undeterred...if I poured them too fast, got in a hurry, they just bottle necked and stopped the whole progress. So, that was the problem. If I slowed down JUST a BIT, the problem was instantly solved and a good steady progress was made. So, that was the solution. And the bonus? I discovered that if I angled the funnel every so slightly so that the granules hit the side of the funnel, they went down even more smoothly and quickly. So, that was the bonus.

In the very instant that I had my FUNNEL VISION, I learned a life lesson, that helped me face my day.

There is nothing that the Lord has given me to do, assigned to me, or made me responsible for that I am not equipped (by His Grace) to do. BUT, sometimes I need to step back, take a deep breath and start again. Having done that, I need to pace myself, pay attention to the timing and rhythm of the Holy Spirit in my days and as a bonus...just like the leaning funnel...I need to be flexible, take a different position and allow the Lord to deflect some of the impact of life's downpours before I have to funnel them into my own container of a 24 hour day.

So, if you're feeling a bit overwhelmed, incapable or 'weary in well doing'...ask the Lord for a little FUNNEL VISION and you'll soon be back on track.

Creative Camping

This weekend we set out on a new adventure, in our own backyard nevertheless!

A family with seven children and chickens and goats and dogs (plus a parrot) does not travel much, or at least ours doesn't.

So, we decided to take advantage of a very low cost method of family vacationing and entertainment, camping. Under our particular circumstances we had to be a bit creative...therefore...CREATIVE CAMPING.

Upon considering the choice of location for this camp out, we decided there was nothing better than our own backyard. After all, there would be no noisy neighbors, we could still see about the goats and chickens and it was free (free is good). We have a pond for fishing, woods for hiking, a creek for crossing and a ready made target range. Besides, I realized, minimal packing would have to occur and this was a VERY good thing. This left more time for fun and took a load of stress off my shoulders.

The next step was the putting up of the tents. Our youngest four children had never slept in a tent before and were particularly excited. Our new tent said 'sleeps 9', but it would have been a squeeze. Glad that the two oldest boys decided to sleep in their own tents. Each of the three tents had a dog, the parrot went back in the house to his cozy cage.

In this picture you see the youngest five all snuggled up in their pajamas and holding bears...well except for Jeremiah who opted for the family parrot (Jonah) on his shoulder instead.

We were also celebrating Henry's (dh) birthday and he was glad for the opportunity to try his new Black Powder Gun (his birthday present). So target shooting was definitely on the agenda! Here you'll see the birthday boy and his seven kiddos, my oldest two preparing for their turn and me as well, trying out my new toy, a Mosin Nagant, made in 1939 (91/30).

We also had a camp fire, which we sat around and sang Christmas Carols... ,hey, that's what they wanted to sing!

We made smores, chili, hotdogs, and a huge breakfast cooked over an open fire.

We played games around the picnic table using solar lanterns and today we're finishing up my attempting to make some moccasins (we bought a kit at Hobby Lobby. The rain has moved in and we took down the tents but continued the fun and activities inside. And that, is how you manage Creative Camping.

The Lesson of the Nine Bean Soup

This morning, as I was taking an inventory of my dried beans I decided to make a Mix. We love the mixed bean soups and those bags of beans are much more expensive than individual bags. So, we looked at our assortment of beans, we had nine. I commented that this was one variety of beans per person in our family. I used one of the storage containers on wheels that I have mentioned before and we began to pour in the beans (4lbs of each variety).

1. Black-eyed Peas
2. Navy
3. Lentils
4. Green Baby Limas
5. Small Red Beans
6. Black Beans
7. Pintos
8. Green Split Peas
9. Large Limas

Because the container is clear, it was really neat seeing the layers that the beans made. It was very attractive as each bean represented different colors, shapes and sizes. I once again commented that these beans were like us, all unique and different.

Some of the children thought we should leave them like that until I pointed out the problem. Our goal was to have a mixed bean soup and if we didn't mix them up and combine them we would never have the full flavor that they could only bring together. As a matter of fact I concluded, we wouldn't even be able to experience the bottom layers of beans for a long time to come and if we weren't going to mix them up...we should have just left them separate. Talk about a teachable moment!

Our family does not consist of all the same 'variety' of people. And yet, God Himself combined us together to create a special family that holds a unique flavor, all its own. While we are each individuals, we have been put together and made into something lovely...a family!

SEW Excited!!

Y'all, I am SEW excited!

Last summer we changed churches and started attending a local fellowship. It was a good decision and has made it much easier for the kids to be involved with activities and etc... My dh is very involved with the boys groups, the FCF (Fronteirsmen Camping Fellowship) as well. But me, well, I don't know, since we moved here over three years ago, I've been a bit of a hermitress.

In the meantime, dh and the two oldest boys have become very active with FCF and this means that they need Period Correct Outfits. My mom is coming in one month to stay for a week and help me, which is such a blessing. She is a wonderful seamstress and I am a 'sewing wannabe'.

So, this morning I go to church and about half a dozen ladies sought me out after services, hugging my neck, telling me my dress was pretty, asking how I was, etc... It felt very nice, I have to tell you. As the chatting went on I mentioned to them that I was trying to get my supplies for the FCF clothing and guess what they said???!!

They said, "Stephanie, why don't you join our Tuesday night sewing club?"

I said, "Well, I don't know how to sew really, I bought a machine, but I don't really know what to do with it."

And they said, "Bring it, bring your manual and we'll teach you!"

I said, "Do you know how to do these FCF clothes? Could I bring my material and let you look at it?"

They said, "Sure! We just made the Pastor's outfit for him and we'll be glad to help you figure it out."

I am telling you, I am SEW excited!! I will be learning a skill, getting out of the house, making progress on this FCF project and making some real life, in my community, friends! This is a major deal for me!

They meet every Tuesday evening plus the last Sat of the month for an all day sewing/craft day. They do crochet, tatting, sewing, scrapbooking, etc... Doesn't it sound wonderful?? What a blessing! God is so good to me!

Just had to share!

On The Mend

At one point this past weekend I just felt so tired and wanted to sit down, but, couldn't justify it with so much needing to be done. About that time, my second son who is 13 brought his blanket that had some tears in it and asked me if I could mend it.

Well, I'm not much of a seamstress and I can't remember the last time that I sat down and mended anything, but I decided to try. This would give me a good excuse to sit in the recliner with my feet up and my hands busy

This blanket had been my dh's and he had passed it down after getting a new one. You may be familiar with them they are called Vellux Blankets. They are wonderful and we all like them very much. Here's a link so you can see what I mean.

http://www2.jcpenney.com/jcp/X6.aspx?ItemI...earch1Prod=True

I'm not sure how the several tears occurred, but with lots of boys and dogs in the house, I can imagine a few possibilities. Anyway, as I sat there and contemplated the best way to approach this mending, I became a bit philosophical. I started thinking about how we all have times when we must set about mending relationships in our lives. Some times, we can just walk away, cut the ties and resolve the conflict by separating ourselves from it. Kind of like tossing out the blanket, deciding it wasn't worth the trouble.

But, when it is someone we really care about, things can get a lot more complicated. In order to properly address the tears in the blanket I had to first do some trimming away, the jagged edges made it impossible to match and mend properly. At first glance one may think I was making the matter worse, making a larger 'hole', as I snipped. Truthfully however, the pruning was necessary for the best mending to occur.

As I began to stitch I quickly learned another lesson, this luxurious material had to be handled delicately. If I pulled a stitch too tightly it would actually pull a hole in the fabric. When we are looking to mend a relationship we need to apply gentle pressure as well or new hurts can be added to the old hurts we are trying to address. Matters of heart and trust and love are very fragile.

Finally I presented the blanket to my delighted son. "It looks just like new!" He exclaimed! I laughed and replied, "As long as you don't look too closely."


While I had done my best to match the color of the thread, trim away the jagged edges and stitch carefully, a close examination would reveal the mending that had been done. Still, in his eyes, it was like new.

Just like our relationships that may have been torn and tattered , then mended with tender loving care, the scars may remain, but only if we look too closely. Sometimes we just have to embrace the mended relationship, appreciating it for it's warmth and declaring it new.

So goes the philosophy of mending hearts and blankets.

Accessible Storage - My Solution

One of the things that I've struggled with as I've tried to buy bulk foods like grain, dried beans, rice, etc... was that once it was packed away in the opaque white buckets, I couldn't easily 'see' it nor access it.

When I bought the grains for grinding, I ordered the Gamma Lids. These are going to work well.

However, all of these white buckets filled with assorted stuff would kind of run together. Even with my best efforts to keep the Steel Cut Oatmeal separate from the pinto beans and even though I clearly labeled with black markers...it was just an aggravation to go and find it.

I found myself using the stuff I hadn't put away yet because I could see it, grab it and not search for it. Call me lazy but I will declare myself busy! Anyway, I think I've finally found my solution.

http://www.amazon.com/Iris-NMP-M-Premium-Airtight-Container/dp/B00186O0TC/ref=pd_sbs_hg_6


They arrived today and I'm very pleased.

They are clear, so I can easily see what they hold and how much.

They are air tight which keeps it nice and fresh and any intruders out.

They are on wheels, this is a real bonus and convenience.

They are FDA approved, making them safe for food storage.

They are on sale at Amazon (buy 3 get 4) plus they qualified for free super savers shipping.

They hold a LOT! One of them held TWO 20lb bags of Jasmine Rice!

I am a happy prepper girl, and I think this will encourage me to properly rotate.

I can still use the buckets (and will do so for the grains) but, I can transfer what I'm ready to start using.

Just thought I'd share my discovery so that it may help someone else.