I am FINALLY finding some time to post about TJ's second anniversary with us - and his 12th birthday!  Unfortunately, since he doesn't like his picture taken, this is what you get to see of him.

This year for Christmas, we got the kids 3 gifts each.  One gift was "Something Fun to Do".  For BG, JA, and TJ, we bought them tickets to see the

Today we had lessons in safety.  This morning, we learned about safety at home - specifically in the kitchen.  You see, one of our children put some water on the stove to boil - and then walked out.  What they didn't realize is that a towel was sitting very close to the eye.  A few minutes later, one of the other kids asked me why it smelled like a campfire.  I responded that it was the heat (it is the first time we've turned it on).  A few moments later, the cooking child heard the timer go off and went back to the kitchen.  That was when the child found the flaming towel.  I happened to be following said child into the kitchen and spotted the towel as well.  The child did knock some of the flame down by smothering it with the other end of the towel.  But I ended up grabbing the towel and tossing it in the sink where I had some meat thawing for dinner.

Needless to say, we had a discussion reviewing the rules about NOT leaving the kitchen when you are cooking.  I have also hung the towel on the stove as a reminder for the next week.

Then this evening, we learned about safety away from home.  The four boys asked to walk to the W*lm*rt which is about 1 mile from our house.  We allow them to do this on occasion, but only if they go together (never alone).  They also take a cell phone so they can call if the need arises.  I called them about 5:10pm and asked if they were on their way home.  I wanted to make sure they would make it home before it got too dark.  They said they were still at W*lm*rt because they had forgotten to buy something we asked them to purchase.  I told them to hurry home and call if they weren't going to make it in time.  About 20 min later, I got a phone call.  One of the boys said he got cramps and the rest of the boys didn't wait for him.  I decided that I was going to teach them a lesson.

I went and picked up the lagging child (who fortunately had the phone) and drove him home.  I let the other three continue their walk.  About 5:50, I was ready to head out the door to go pick them up when I got a call from them.  They couldn't find their brother and had walked all the way back to W*lm*rt looking for him.  I played it to the hilt.  I went and picked them up and started drilling them.  They readily admitted that they had left their brother behind, though they claimed to have been looking back for him every 30 seconds.  I asked where they had seen him last and we drove there; they were noticeably concerned.  I made them get out and look in the stores (it was a small strip mall) for him.  Of course, they didn't see him.  I continued to drill them about where they last saw him.  Then one of them asked if the "missing" child had called home.  I stalled.  I finally pulled over and told them the truth.  I explained to them how I had picked him up and they hadn't even noticed.  I pointed out that I could have been anyone and who knows what might have happened to their brother.  I believe that they all learned a hard lesson and I hope they will never leave a sibling or friend alone again.

Once we got home, they all apologized to their brother and we discussed safety even more.  Hopefully, they will never need to put to use what they learned today.

Yesterday, we had a different Thanksgiving.  The kids and I got up early (like 6:30am!) and went to church. We helped prepare Thanksgiving lunch for the residents of a local mobile home park.  This particular mobile home park is very run down.  Many mobile homes have been removed due to being uninhabitable.

The kids became the "Mashed Potato Crew".  The night before, others had peeled and cut up a TON of potatoes.  When we arrived, the kids loaded the potatoes into steamer trays and then loaded the trays into the steamer.  Fifteen minutes later, they took the trays out and dumped the steamed potatoes into the mixer.  They then put the next load of potatoes in the steamer.  While the first batch was steaming, I heated the milk and butter to be ready for mixing.  We kept up this routine for probably a good hour and a half!  There was a LOT of mashed potatoes when we were done.  In fact, they had so many potatoes, that they decided to use some of them for Wed night chicken pot pies in the future.  BUT, they needed the potatoes cut smaller.  I volunteered TJ as he is excellent with a knife and routinely helps me cut up veggies at home.

The girls and I made lemonade; AT helped with making tea while BG continued to monitor the potatoes.  (We left JA and CP at home due to their injuries!)  Then it was time to start loading up some of the food so the boys helped load a number of pies, cakes, and bread to take to the mobile home park.  CP showed up a little later with JA and Grandpa and took the kids to the park.  I stayed behind to finish cutting up the turkeys.

We arrived at the MHP and had a wonderful Thanksgiving Lunch with the residents.  I met two people:  Robert and Amber.  Robert is probably in his mid to late 50s and has lived a hard life.   Right now he doesn't have a job and spends his days playing with his dogs.  Amber is probably 18-20 and lives with her grandparents.  She is trying to get a job, but is finding it difficult.  She told me she called 34 places last week and only 5 suggested that she come in and put in an application. However, she doesn't have a car, a bicycle or any money for the bus to get there.  Even if she was able to get the job, she wasn't sure how she would get to and from it every day.

As I was telling a friend about this, he commented that there is a critical level of resources needed here in the US (including transportation) that once you fall below that level, it is very hard to climb back out.  Even if she had a bicycle, if it rains on her way to work, I'm sure they wouldn't be happy to have a soaking wet employee on the job.

Last night, we enjoyed North Carolina Bar-B-Q that Grandpa brought home from his trip.  The meal was completed with Brunswick Stew, brown and serve rolls, homemade cole-slaw, boiled potatoes and pumpkin pie.

I think it was one of the best Thanksgivings I have ever had.

Some days I have so many thoughts in my head that I want to put on my blog but very little time to do so.  On rare occasions (like today) I actually have some time, but for some reason, my mind is blank about what to put on my blog.

There has been much going on at our house so I'll just recap some:

Saturday we had our Championship Swim Meet.  It had been postponed due to Sandy the other weekend.  Unfortunately, AT already had other plans so he wasn't able to swim, but SG and JA finished off the season in style.

SG finally got first place in one of her heats!!!! Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of it (despite being the team photographer) as I was busy with JA at the time.

Now, let me back up and give you a little history.  The contract we signed is an "As-Is" contract.  It gives the buyer 10 days to have the home inspected, but there is no requirement for us to fix anything that is found in the inspection.  On the other hand, the buyer can walk away from the contract within those 10 days and they do not have to have any reason other than they don't want to move forward.

Now, as to the house, here is what we've done to get it ready to sell: 

• new roof 
• new flooring throughout with the exception of the kitchen and entry area
• new kitchen appliances
• new granite kitchen countertop
• the master bathroom shower was re-tiled
• The AC/Heat was replaced in 2009
• the pool pump was replaced early this year
• the sprinkler pump was replaced early this year
• the interior was completely repainted neutral colors
• new sod in 2011
• exterior garage exit door was replaced
• lots of other nit-picky stuff was fixed

So, what set me off? 

We had heard that the inspector only took 1 hr to inspect the house and the only other thing we had heard was that everything was minor. 


But the buyer asked us to fix EVERYTHING ON THE REPORT.

You know, stuff like

- Electrical cover plate must be installed by a licensed electrician

I am so enjoying  my time to Be Still with God.  While I have missed a few days since I have started this, I am really trying to take time each morning on my way to work to listen and hear God speak.  The first day I committed to squeezing 5 min out of my schedule to Be Still and I went nearly nuts sitting and waiting for those 5 minutes.  This morning, I intentionally set my alarm on my phone for 15 min as the 10 min from yesterday just wasn't long enough.

Yesterday on my way to work, I stopped at what has become my "usual" spot.  On my way to where I sit, I noticed an older gentleman sitting on a nearby bench. I smiled and waved as I passed by.  When I was leaving, it clicked with me that this man is most likely homeless.  You see, the place where I stop is also a local hangout for some of our area homeless.  There was a bicycle at the bike rack with lots of stuff strapped to it which is indicative of a homeless person's bike.  I put 2 and 2 together and made the leap.  As I walked by on my way back to my car, I prayed that God would use me somehow in this situation.

This morning when I stopped, the bicycle was at the bike rack, but the man was not sitting on the bench.  So I went and sat at my "spot".  As I was sitting there enjoying God's creation, I glanced off to the side and noticed someone sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag.  I instinctively knew it was the man from yesterday. 

I hesitated. 

I wasn't sure what to do, but then God clearly spoke to me:  "Go buy him breakfast." 

I hesitated again.

And then some more - trying to rationalize that it would take too long and even though I had allotted myself a full 15 minutes, I wouldn't have time.

And then obedience kicked in. 

I got up, walked to my car, and prayed that he would still be there when I got back. 

I drove to the nearby McDonalds (so close I could see it from my car) and bought him some breakfast and some coffee.  As I drove back, sitting at the stop light, I wrote the man a note and put it in the bag:

"God loves you so much that He asked me to buy you breakfast this morning.  Give thanks to HIM."

As I walked to where he was, I noticed he was still sleeping.  I quietly placed the bag and coffee next to him and walked away.  There were two ladies sitting nearby who commented to me about what I had done.  My response was "Sometimes you just have to do what God tells you to do." 

On my way to my car, I started to cry.  I'm still unsure as to why this is the emotional reaction I had, but it was a good cry.  Maybe one that says, "I'm sorry God for hesitating.  I'm sorry for not being obedient in the past when presented with these opportunities."  I know one thing for sure.  I don't regret the time or the money one bit.

The Price of Obedience:  $4.60 and 15 minutes

So I mentioned that I have been trying to take time each morning to Be Still with God.  The first morning I did this, I stopped for just 5 minutes and it seemed to last forever.  But while staring at God's wonderous creation, I noticed the seagulls flying around and God brought to mind these verses:

Matthew 6:25-27

Do Not Worry

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life^[e]?

I felt then that God was reminding me that He has it all under control.  Even though I don't understand why it is taking so long for our house to sell, I know there is a reason - I just need to trust him.


Then another day on my way to work I stopped at a different location.  I was able to sit down and listen to the roar of the waves and watch the sun rise and then I noticed the footprints in the sand.  Just the night before, I had read this post from a good friend.  I have heard/read this poem a thousand times and it didn't really click with me that night.  But God brought this poem to my mind as I sat there that morning and He reminded me that He is with me/carrying me through this stormy time in my life. 


P.S.  We have another offer on our house and are in negotiations.  Will you please pray that this one will go all the way to closing?

Thank you to all who commented on my last post.  It's been a hard few months, so it's nice to know that my efforts on my blog are appreciated. I, too, am VERY guilty of reading and not commenting on others' blogs.

I've got a few posts rolling around in my head, but today, I've decided to post this one.

I have been very stressed out lately - A LOT.  Some of you may remember last November when I posted about the closing on our new home.  We bought our new home before we sold our old home.  Normally, I would NEVER have considered this as I know it is financially NOT smart (especially in this housing market).  However, I truly believed (and still do) that God wanted us to have this new home and it's purchase could not be contingent on the sale of our old home.  (It was a short sale)  So, we finally got our old home on the market in early Jan and it sat, and sat, and sat.  Other homes in our neighborhood were moving like hot-cakes.  We were getting tons of showings and positive feedback, but no offers.  We finally lowered our price and started getting offers.  At first, they were lowball, then we started getting some reasonable offers.

We signed a contract, the buyers inspected the house and then backed out.  When they told their current landlord that they were moving, he made them an offer they couldn't refuse.

Then we ended up getting a 2nd offer and signing that contract.  We spent over 30 days working with that buyer (got past the inspection issues) and waiting for them to submit all of their paperwork for their mortgage.  Unfortunately, they dropped the ball and then backed out on us.  The only up-side to that escapade is that we did get the escrow deposit.

Then we got a 3rd offer that went to contract.  However, the day after the inspection, they backed out on us because the house is in the wrong school district.  They knew that to start with.  We have been in protracted negotiations trying to get the escrow deposit, but to no avail so far.  Unfortunately, we are probably going to have to take them to small claims court on this one. 

The biggest down-side to all of this is that our house was off of the market for 65 of the 90 days of summer.  So, our house is still on the market and we are going to put a new roof on it ($$$$).  The roof is actually fine, just old.  Unfortunately, what we have discovered is that the insurance companies don't care and if the roof is old, they jack up the cost to a ridiculous level.  We found this out with the first contract and have finally had time to get everything in place to have the work done.  Hopefully, even though this wasn't an issue with any of the prevoius contracts, it will help the house sell quicker. 

So, why did I title this "Be Still"?  God has spoken these words to me on two separate occassions recently.  I then came across an e-book recently with that in the title (I'll link to it later).  I began reading it and have so far taken Chapter 1 to heart.  The author recommends taking time each day (even if just for 5 minutes) to Be Still and listen to God.  So, starting this past Monday, I have done that. 

On my way to work, there are a couple of great spots for me to stop and experience God through His creation.  So I have.  And God has spoken words of peace to me in those places.  Since this post is getting so long already, I'll write separate posts about what else God is speaking to me in this time of stress.  I'm hoping/praying that taking time to "Be Still" will help me deal with this stress and become the cheerful, happy, fun mom that my family deserves.

I've been in a funk lately.   I've pretty much dropped out of the online/virtual world - wondering if anyone would notice.  No one did. 

There are days I'm not sure I want to continue blogging.  I need to decide if I'm blogging for me or for others.  I do like being able to look back over things we've done, but sometimes, it's nice to realize that my efforts are interesting/helpful to others. 

I've also considered changing the focus of my blog to more homeschooling - even though we have a pretty "boring" homeschool curriculum from a blog perspective.  We just read, write and do math.  However, as I now have a high-schooler (who is an older adoptee to boot), there are some interesting things I could write about.  I have to admit, I've found very little online about homeschooling an international adoptee who came home just 1.5 yrs prior to high school.  Of course, part of where my mindset is now is

This is from an e-mail that a good friend sent me today:


Ironic, since this is the same message God gave me in my quiet time last week.

I guess I should

My momma taught me

"If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all."

Well, for the last few weeks, I haven't had anything nice to say.  It's been a hard two months and I'm still not sure I'm ready to say anything.  The issues aren't with the kids (well, maybe one or two), but rather with lots of other "life" stuff going on.

Let's just suffice it to say that I've not been very cheerful or thankful lately.  So, I just haven't been saying anything.

I want to lose weight.
I want to sleep through the night.
I want to finish reading a book in less than 4 months.
I want to serve others more selflessly.
I want to have more time to spend with my kids.
I want to know more about GW and TJ's time in China.
I want our other house to close (we have a contract on it - the 2nd).
I want time to purge more stuff from our house.
I want to figure out how to truly live sacrificially.
I want GW and TJ to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.
I want more friends in real life that "get" what Christianity is all about.
I want my kids to understand what is truly important in life.
I want to find a church that understands Radical Christianity.


So, I guess he is just going to have to figure out how to live with a wife that just can't be satisfied. 

While I am frustrated with the other house not selling, we are truly enjoying our new house.

We have a nice backyard and a fire pit that the boys are enjoying.

Today we went to my nephew's wedding.  He waited until he found the right one for him.  I am so proud of him for waiting!  I pray they have a long happy marriage!