JOY

Joy seems to be a theme in our decorating this year. I have worked on/made, two, so far. Here is the first one….

Last week, with the help of Jason, I created a little Christmas craftiness!

I had 3 unpainted 10×13 picture frames that i wanted to put to good use.

First off, I needed to paint them. I used acrylic, but only because my white spray paint was in the barn and it was cold…I am a sissy in the cold. So, painting it on with a brush was the first step!

Here is what we ended up with and I love it.  I wanted a font that wasn’t too chunky but still showed up.

I love that we can reuse the frames and I  know we will be coming up with other ways to use them throughout the year.

If you would like these easy printables, please, leave a comment and I will get it to you!

10 And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.12 And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.

Linked up at: Under the Table

Depraved Indifference

This is a must watch video….

What is your role in the orphan crisis? Because we all have one……

Some adoption questions answered

I stole this from Jason’s blog because I wanted to keep a record or it and because it gets to the heart of our adoption.

A lot has been stirring in my world, some things brand new…others not so much. So, I am going to try to process, share and connect some of those things in a few blog posts over the next couple of days. For me and my family, these are BIG. I mean B.I.G. big! So, here is my first go at a series of “Big News”:

Big News #1: my family is getting BIGger…Kelly and I are beginning the process of adopting an orphan from an international country! This is a conversation and a direction we have been wrestling with for a long season but has spiked up over the last few months. Obviously, there is a lot to download: why, where, how, when and more. I am going to try to hit some highlights today. I am sure more conversation will happen here in the months to come. Kelly and I invite your questions, prayers, encouragement, challenging and dialogue. So here are some quick thoughts on our BIG news for today.

Why

  • Because it has become the desire of our heart as we have sought to delight in Him (Psalm 37:4)
  • Because there is an Orphan Crisis all over the world
  • Because my Heavenly Father has a lot to say on how Christ-followers should care for the orphan
  • Because when we (Kelly and I) tell ourselves we can’t the reality is we can. Be sure to read Kelly’s post and announcement.
  • Because we know the eternal impact and growth that will result in our three biological children
  • Because we have a great support network of family, friends, staff team and small group to walk with us on this journey
  • Because God has developed within in our heart for the nations for His Glory. Yes, we even have a family direction statement that includes “join God’s heart for the nations.”
  • Because for some reason God has wired me for big, chaos, new and change (and, oh boy, that is comin’)
  • Because we want to champion the cause, love orphans, influence others and make an impact in our world

Where and why there

  • Ethiopia
  • Because there is an orphan crisis due to disease, poverty and more
  • Because Kelly and I have a BIG heart for Africa that began 14 years ago…
  • Kelly and I have sponsored a young lady named Marta and her family in Ethiopia for the last 14 years through Compassion
  • Kelly and I have served in West Africa on a LifePoint mission team and I had the privilege of a second trip earlier this year (check out some photos)
  • LifePoint is launching an exciting, strategic missions partnership with this organization for Orphan Care and church planting in Ethiopia
  • About a decade ago Kelly and I were close to spending 2 years in Kenya as missionaries (long story for another time)
  • We have precious friends who have adopted from Ethiopia and we look forward to adding to the mix
  • We are huge U2 fans (kidding…not about being U2/Bono fans, that this is reason for where)

Who

  • We are hoping to adopt a boy around the age of 2 1/2 to 3

When

  • We hope to know specifically through a referral sometime in early 2011
  • Hopefully, he will be home sometime in 2011 but this process, as we have seen walking this journey with others, can have a lot of ups & downs, hurry-up & waiting…

How

  • Through the grace and sovereignty of our great Lord
  • Through excitement, sacrifice, obedience, patience, anxiety, faith, doubt, trust
  • Through a lot of conversation and prayer individually, as a family and with you
  • By intentionally staying connected to community in our family, small group, church, staff team

Not through our own planning but great coincidence this Sunday is Orphan Sunday across our nation. I am excited about all that my family will learn this month as the Orphan Crisis is brought to greater attention. I am humbled and thrilled about how my church is building an Orphan Care ministry, thankful for the many individuals who are blazing the trail for LifePoint and how we will highlight and connect others in the coming Sundays.

Wow! BIG! Thanks for reading this news. I hope you join our journey with us. I would love to hear your thoughts and questions by commenting here or on Facebook.

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Thankfulness Day 30

On this last day of November, I am thankful for my man and my marriage. I simply am a blessed girl. There is no other way around it. He means the world to me and I am truly, madly, deeply in love with him. I can’t remember my life without him. He is without a doubt, this side of Jesus, the best gift I have been given.

One way he has blessed me the last few months is in letting me have the time I need to run. He may not get it, but he has seen the joy it brings me.  On Thanksgiving Day, we ran an 8k in Knoxville. He has not trained much, but we are so stinkin competitive, he took off and beat me by 2 minutes. Kind of humbling, but I have come to understand that part of it is our personalities. He is an all out competitor and I always want to save some for the last minute in case I need it!

Here we are after our 4.97 miles…how gross do we look? It was a warm Thanksgiving run. I always tell him, I am not used to running with the sun out!

Can I say again, how  much I love Knoxville. We ran down Neyland Drive, by the river, the Stadium and the cool waterfront. I loved it!

Thank you, Jason, for all the ways you love me.

Necklace Giveaway!

Check out this giveaway for a cool Ugandan Magazine Necklace!! These are great Christmas gifts!

http://networkedblogs.com/b9k8O

Thanksgiving Activities

Last week, Bradley had a little Thanksgiving program and it was just precious! We had such a great Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for our time in Knoxville, visiting

Jason’s family. It was  a much needed getaway and precious time with our family.

Here is Bradley before singing Turkey songs….

Seriously, how cute are those turkey leg hats?  I had a moment when I realized there will be a day when construction paper hats will not be worn by my kids and it made me so sad.

Our little turkey….

He is so cute..we heard his sweet songs all weekend.

We had a sweet time hanging with Bradley.

Poppy got to come watch too!

Me and my sweet boy!

Christmas Past and Present

I can’t believe how Christmas is right around the corner and I LOVE it! We were at Jason’ mom’s the past few days and she had our Christmas cards from the last 3 Christmases on her fridge, which was such a sweet reminder of how my babies are not babies anymore! I remembered each photo session, which are usually last minute and it made me thankful we already a have our picture for this year! Each year, I agonize over these cards, search through so many options and then make Jason decide!

Here are our cards and pictures from years past….

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2008

Parker 2007

Emery 2007

Bradley 2007

Christmas 2006

Christmas cards are such a sweet part of the season and this year, and this year, my decision is already made! I am going to be ordering mine from Shutterfly.

The hard part is choosing which one! I really like this one, or this one, or this one!!

I may also be getting the grandparents one of these or these.

Do you want to get 50 free Christmas cards from Shutterfly this year? Check this out!

How do you choose your Christmas card? What about which picture to use? Do you do the whole fam or just the kids?

Happy Christmas Card shopping!!

Thankful…Day 21

Thankful for our family dinners. Parker started the tradition last year of having us tell what our “right” was for the day. This is basically what was the best thing about our day or what we are thankful for.  It is always interesting to hear what they have to say and really gives us insight into their little minds. We sometimes do our “wrong” for the day, as well.  I am thankful for the times around our table and can’t help notice that we have one seat empty.  Not for long, though!
I found this chicken recipe on this blog. It was really yummy and made enough for me to use in dishes this week.
Cafe Rio Chicken
3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken
1 1/2 cups italian dressing
1 Tablespoon minced garlic
1 Tablespoon chili powder
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro
Place chicken in a 4-6 quart slow cooker. Pour dressing over top and sprinkle with chili powder and garlic. Cover and cook for 7-8 hours on low or 3-4 hours on high. Remove chicken from crock pot, shred with a couple of forks, then put back in crock pot. Cover and cook an additional 30 minutes. Add lime juice and cilantro.
Serve in tacos, burritos, quesadillas or taco salad.

Thankful…Day 19

I am blown away today.

We have had an amazing day raising money to bring our boy home.

You will never know how grateful we are that so many would give sooo much to serve

Thankful…Day 17

My garage is full of stuff to sell for our adoption yard sale on Saturday.  Everything from clothes to a storm door! You name it, we probably have it!

I am so thankful for our friends who have donated, big and small, to bring our boy home.

Please pray that God would bless our efforts…bring people and help us raise some cash!

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