OH. MY. WORD.

I made this meatloaf today for lunch and it was the best EVAH! 

  YUM!!!  

Even my pickiest eater was lovin' it!! 

Give it a try!  Even if you don't like meatloaf I think you will like this one. Check out Janelle's secret ingredient! :)

Baby it's cold outside!

All bundled up to go out and play!  You'd think it was below freezing!

They are so excited that EVERYONE will be here tomorrow! Their three brothers and their Jie Jie and their grandparents plus boyfriends and girlfriends of the older siblings!  

Life is about to get very silly around here!

Santa in the park :)

Tonight Brinley and Bailey saw Santa at the park. We went to walk through the Children's Garden like we do every year. They are always so excited when they see Santa sitting on his bench under the gazebo!

Depraved Indifference

I've been busy blogging...

I'm afraid I have been so busy advocating that I haven't taken the time to update our blog in quite a while. I need to work on that next week.
If you haven't visited my new blog, please stop by and check it out!  A Family For Everyone

MORE NEWS....

Don't be surprised to see us doing fundraisers in the future!  We have decided to adopt again. :)  We have not chosen a child yet......or a child hasn't chosen us......but we are working on some things here at home to prepare the way to bring another child home.   So excited!!!!  :)

Another adoption

I know I am probably behind the times but I just read that Francis Chan and his wife Lisa are adopting a little boy from China after talking with Emily Chapman.  LOVE hearing that another child will have a forever family! :)

Less Than A Week!

Less than a week until Connie has the big drawing for the Rebel T1i camera!  It's not to late to enter!
Just go HERE to enter to win and help bring sweet little Kasidi home to her family!

Happy Birthday To Me!

Today I am 46 years old.  Not quite the same girl I was back in 1981 when this photo was taken.  There have been more good times and bad times than I can count since I posed for this photo at my Junior prom.  Today I was thinking about how the good and the bad have created the person I have become.  I don’t know that I would change a single day of any of it……good or bad.  :)  Right now….LIFE IS GOOD! :)

ANOTHER new friend from China!

One of my very dearest adoption-mama friends and her hubby are adopting again! :)  We are so excited that Jennifer and John will be welcoming home a new little girl in the near future!  Jennifer came up with the CUTEST, most unique fundraiser so be sure to stop by their blog to check it out!

She has also set up a shop on Etsy!   Please help bring their Mei Mei home!

A New Friend From China!

Our family is just overjoyed that our friends Greg & Kim are adopting from China again!!  Their new daughter will be 14 in March.  This means that she must be adopted before her birthday or she will no longer be eligible for adoption.

Their family just welcomed home Cai earlier this year so this is really going to stretch them financially.  Words can not describe how proud I am of them for following their hearts and God's calling.

They are selling Show Hope t-shirts as a fundraiser.  If you would like to help bring a beautiful young lady home to a family who will love her forever, please stop by their blog and check out the fundraiser!  :)

www.catecomeshome.blogspot.com

School Can Be Anywhere

Last week we were in WalMart doing some of our shopping.  A very sweet elderly lady smiled as she approached us and asked "Are they twins?!?".  I explained to her that they are 8 months apart.  She told me what "lucky girls" they are.  Brinley noticed her insulin  pump and asked what it was.  Mrs. Martha, as we learned her name was, gave the girls a little lesson on diabetes right there in front of the Campbell's soup. She took out her little kit, swiped her finger with an alcohol pad, pricked it and checked her levels in a jiffy.  Brinley and Bailey were of course full of questions.

Next thing I knew Mrs Martha was showing the girls where her pump actually attached to her body just under her waist.  I'm sure other shoppers were wondering why we were having this lesson in WalMart.  Learning happens every where.  Even in front of the Campbell's soup.  We ran into Mrs. Martha a couple more times that day in WalMart.  She told me about her great grandbaby who was just a few months old and had been born without a palette. What a sweet lady she was.  Brinley and Bailey both hugged her the last time we saw her that day.  Hopefully someday we will run into Mrs. Martha again.  She said her pastor's son has children from China.  If anyone reads this and knows Mrs. Martha from Lexington, SC please let me know.  :)  Meeting her was quite a treat for all of us!

Help Bring Kasidi Home!

Couldn't you just squeeze her???  What a sweetie Miss Kasidi Joy is.....and YOU can help bring her home!  Kasidi's family is raising the funds to bring their sweet ladybug home!  GO HEREE to find out how you can help....and win a super cool camera in the process!

Working...

I've been thinking a lot about working....embroidery, applique....sewing.  The things my hands just love to do. Creating  adorable things for my children and my customers.  This morning two opportunities presented themselves for me to spread the word far and wide about my little business.  I jumped on those opportunities quickly...without a second thought. I smiled excitedly thinking about the orders that would be coming in and the money I would have in my PayPal account to buy little things for our children.  Then, it happened. One of our children had a meltdown.  a huge one. One like we hadn't seen in months. It was ugly.

I thought about it and prayed about it. Does she  need more time with me or more of the little things I can buy her if I have my "sewing money"?  She needs me.  I can still sew for her and her sisters and brothers and our friends but ultimately business or busy-ness can wait.  I need to be available for her....for all of them.

It wasn't a difficult decision to make. I have peace in my heart after praying about this.  Time.  That is what they need.  My time.  My undivided attention. My love.  :)

I am linking up to Courtney's blog for this post where she asks you to light a candle in your home and to pray for peace in your home every time you see it.  If you are in need of a SUPER YUMMY candle, please check out this site by clicking on the JOY candle below.  I have one burning in my kitchen right now. I can't even begin to describe how wonderful these candles are!

 If you buy one you will be helping this beautiful child come HOME to her family! 

Adoption Rocks and YOU can help!  :)

  

Summer Memory {blueberries}

I hope that as the years go by our little ones will remember the warm summer mornings like this one we spent picking blueberries with Granny Mae and Boss.   Some of my favorite memories of my childhood were spent walking barefoot through the carefully weeded and cared for rows of my PawPaw's garden.  I loved sinking my toes in the warm dirt and running along the edge with all of my cousins and my brother Ted.

Thank you for orders!

Thanks you to everyone who has ordered shirts and tote bags from me so far!

A few more of the cute designs I have this year

.

 

Stop by and visit me at Polka Dot Pop!

Better Late Than Never!

I'm joining this challenge a week late but I'm excited about it!  Getting things cleaned and organized for the holidays! :)  

I also ordered this book.  Time to get things under control!

Back To Work!

I've started stitching for the holidays!  I'd love for you to come by and visit my site!  Just click on the pic below!

Something New For School

Brinley and Bailey are really excited about what we are starting next week here in our little homeschool.  Both of them loved receiving Weekly Readers last year when they were in public school. I wanted to order them for home but they were kind of expensive.  Looking around on the internet I came across the Homeschool Buyers Co-op.  I was able to purchase the digital edition of Weekly Reader for the girls with a savings of $10 off the cost of ordering it directly through Weekly Reader. I ordered the second grade level and they will work on it together.  Even if you don't subscribe there are a lot of great links on the website to use through out the month.

I loved Weekly Reader when I was in elementary school too. I remember being in Mrs. Fleming's class and learning about the Pitjantjatjara people of Australia.  Yep....I think that was 4th grade. A loooong time ago....but I still remember reading that article in class.  I wonder what our girls will remember reading in Weekly Reader in the years to come.

Waiting Children

If you would like to learn about some of the beautiful children waiting for adoption in China please visit Annie's Blog.  http://cornbreadandchopsticks.blogspot.com/2010/09/this-weeks-wonderful-waiting-kids_08.html

New/Old Friend

Last week I was reading one of my favorite blogs. Annie posted about making beds and mentioned that her beautiful little girls slept with a very boyish comforter that had been their brothers. As soon as I read about it I thought, "send her the one we don't use". I bought a comforter at a friend's yard sale a couple of years ago just because it was so cute and had ladybugs on it. It was a full size and wouldn't fit our twin beds but it was so cute that I just couldn't pass it up. I sent Annie an email and told her I wanted to send something to her.

She sent me her mailing address and I was surprised to find that she lives not too far from where we were going camping for the weekend. I quickly emailed her and told her where we would be and invited her gang to come and play. I was thrilled when she said they would be coming to visit!

Let me tell you, Annie is just as sweet in person as she seems on her blog! We had a great time talking with her and her husband Chris and watching our little girls run and play. Emmeline and Lizzie are 100% adorable! (So is Caleb but he would probably prefer it if I called him handsome.)

The funniest thing happened long after Annie and I said goodbye. She sent me a text and asked me if I'd done embroidery on shirts. I sent her a message telling her I did. Turns out I made shirts for her crew! Now, how cool is that?? LOVE IT!!! :)

YUMMY Fundraiser

You just have to check out THIS BLOG...

To read about these candles....

To bring home THIS ladybug!

I have purchased candles from this family before and they are HEAVENLY! Can't wait to receive my order!

She still waits...

Olivia still does not have a family and it just breaks my heart. I know there just has to be a family out there that will love this little sweetie. Please consider her!

She is on Lifeline's list and WACAP's list.

Please share on your blog that she is still waiting.

*Update 9-2-10*

Olivia is no longer on WACAP's list of waiting children. If you learn that she has a family please let me know.

Meant to Be - Steven Curtis Chapman

Can't wait for the new Veggie Tales movie! Love this song!

Thankful for FREEBIES!

Recently I attended our local homeschool association's planning meeting. Some of the moms brought FREEBIE items that they no longer needed. Well, let me tell you, God must have sent one of those mamas with goodies just for our family! I got Sonlight's reading curriculum for 1st and 2nd grade! I was so happy to find these! I'd read so much about them but just couldn't commit to any particular reading curriculum for our girls. Just the night before the meeting I'd been online looking at Sonlight. Imagine my surprised when I saw just what I needed for both of our girls sitting right in front of me on a table of FREEBIES! I'm telling you, I could have danced!!!

Then, lo and behold there was something else we needed. Not something we just wanted but something we needed! CHOREGANIZERS! My heart did a little leap as I picked up the ziploc bag containing the book and cards. Truly, a gift not only from this kind mama who so generously gave to all of us but from God. I know He realized we needed some help getting our little people motivated. Right now Brinley and Bailey are in their rooms "organizing". They checked their cards and are busy at their tasks. LOVE IT! I did a search online to see how other families might be using CHOREGANIZERS and I found that the Pioneer Woman has a nice little post about how she uses them. Check it out!

When in Rome....

Well, not Rome but.... Brinley decided she needed to wear her Pocahontas costume today for school since we are learning about Early American History.

Reading

Brinley loves helping Bailey with her reading! They both have the book "Mike Mulligan". Brinley reads her book and Bailey follows along and repeats everything Brinley reads.

Friday the 13th.....School!

Friday of last week Brinley and Bailey wanted to do some work in their math books and reading books. They both did great! I hope the smiles will continue!