Snow days!!

Just when we had started to dig our way out....more snow today!!!
The kids have been LOVING it! They have been out of school since last Monday....a full week!!

We have tried to do all the things you are supposed to do when there is lots of snow....

...sledding
...four-wheeling (Thanks, Garrett!)
...hot chocolate (and LOTS of it!)
...sleeping in
...games in front of a toasty fire
...digging tunnels in snow drifts
...card games with friends

Is there anything we are forgetting?

God's voice thunders in marvelous ways;
he does great things beyond our understanding.
He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,'
and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.'

Job 37:5-6

Knock, Knock.......Anyone home?????

Have you started to wonder if anyone even lives at the HOUSE-blog anymore?????

We still do....I have just been in a season of computer-free days.

I am hoping that season is coming to an end today....so please don't stop visiting!

Those Colts sure know how to celebrate!!!!

Check out this picture from the Colts lockerroom after the SuperBowl!!!!



I am not saying that every player on the Colts team is a dedicated Christian.
I am not saying that I think that these guys are saints.
and I am certainly not saying that any coach or player should be "idolized".

BUT, what I am saying is this...

It is refreshing and encouraging to see Coach Dungy and many of the Colts players make a very deliberate effort to use this victory as a platform from which to proclaim the name of Jesus Christ.

Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
but made himself nothing,
taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:5-11

More Than Just A Game....

How fun.....THE COLTS ARE IN THE SUPERBOWL!!

We will have a great time watching the game tonight.....cheering, yelling, stomping, cheering some more! oh...and eating lots of yummy food with friends!

BUT.....what I love so much more than just watching this team of ours play football, is knowing where many of players and coaches have placed their priorities. Have you seen Coach Tony Dungy interviewed this week?? He doesn't let many interviews go by without giving credit to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ (and I would imagine that the times you don't see him talk about it, it's because it got "edtited out")

I am thankful that there are still many positive Christian role models for our kids, and I am encouraged that Coach Dungy and so many of the players are willing to speak out about their relationship with Christ!

I was especially blessed this week when our friend, Mike, emailed us about this website:


Beyond The Ultimate


Go check it out!!!

A Very Full Day

Yep….it was a BUSY Saturday!

Erica’s basketball game.
Then Brock’s basketball tourney.
Then Micah’s post-placement visit with our social worker.
Then dinner with Tim, Ali, Tyler, Zack and Faith.

Whew…busy day.
The kids all fell asleep on the way home from dinner…a very quiet ride home, for sure.

I think Chad may have even caught a few zzzzzzzz’s on the way home…and HE was driving!!!

Fortunately there is nothing on the agenda for tomorrow, I am hoping for a very restful Sabbath.

Just like the "old days"...well, sorta.

Lookie what Erica and I whipped out tonight!

Don't ya just feel like you are looking at a scene right out of Little House on the Prairie?
Oh, come on, humor us!!

Erica wanted to make this skirt and apron for a little birthday party tomorrow. Her friend Genny invited Erica and another girl over for a "Laura Ingalls" theme celebration of her birthday. That sewing machine sure came in handy today!

Erica loves her skirt and apron...and she loves having to grab her skirt with both hands and pull it up a little so to climb stairs..."you know, like they would of done to cross a creek or something!) =)







I had to laugh, though, when right after we had finished, Genny called to make sure Erica was coming...I said "Yes! and she has her outfit all ready!"....and of course Genny replied, "OH, well we had 3 outfits to dress up in already!"

Well, now, my dear Genny, you have FOUR!!!
Happy Birthday!

What fun we had!!

This past weekend, Micah and I traveled across several time zones to spend time with our dear friend Stacy and her family! We had a GREAT time!



Washington state is beautiful...even when it is cold and snowy! Have I ever mentioned that I love mountains...seriously...they rank up there with sunsets and beaches for me! Micah was a trooper during our travels. The trip out was easier than the trip back (this "napping on the plane" picture, then, would obviously be on the trip out!)



Stacy's children are so sweet, and it was so fun to just hang out and be part of the family!



I especially loved to see Micah and sweet little Isaias playing together (not to mention their warm embraces of each other)...these boys first hung out together at Hannah's Hope orphange in Guatemala City!



Stacy is SUCH a good mommy! Her children adore her...and for good reason!



I continue to be amazed at the friendship that God wove together across these many miles. And I am thankful that Stacy would welcome Micah and I into her home!!! OH....and that reminds me to thank her hubby Mark, too! Wait...no pictures of Mark?? gasp! Well, anyway...he was quite the host... even baby sitting so that Stacy and I could enjoy a quiet dinner out!



What a blessing. And what sweet memories to treasure!!

And the rest of the family? Chad, Brock and Erica survived the 4 Micah-less days...but were very, very happy to wrap their arms around him at the airport. And I am reminded again how blessed I am by my sweet husband...he was super-fun-dad while I was gone, he was so happy for me to be able to share these days with Stacy, and he even had the house all tidy when we arrived home!

Immeasurably more!!!

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine... Ephesians 3:20

6 years ago today it happened. We met for the first time together as "accountability partners."

I had been to a conference where the speaker talked about what a blessing an accountability partner can be...you know, that whole "iron sharpens iron" thing!? And after praying about it, I really felt like I should have one. But who? and how? and what? Over the next couple of weeks, a few different people crossed my mind....but I kept coming back to this "Carrie" person in my Sunday School class...I knew her a little bit, but would she think the idea was crazy? We talked about it and decided to give it a try. An accountability partner...GREAT! just what I had prayed for!!

But....

What exactly do accountability partners do when they meet?? Hmmmmm. Well, we sure wouldn't let a lack of direction stand in our way. We met that first time at Carrie's house, we shared prayer requests, and talked about the areas we felt we needed the most accountability, we talked about how our "meeting time" should go, we discussed starting some sort of Bible study together, we prayed,

... and I don't remember what we ate....but surely we ate something!!

And we did it all again the next week.
And the next.
And the next.
And the next.
Every week. With VERY few exceptions. For 6 years.

Over time, it became obvious that this sister in Christ shared so many of my views on so many things...and I loved talking to her...and I loved praying with her...and I loved studying the Bible with her...and I loved that our families had started hanging out together...and I loved that we laughed together, and I loved that we cried together.

I am not sure exactly when it happened...but at some point along the way, I realized that I had prayed for an accountablility partner, but the Lord had delivered into my life a very best friend. Indeed, "immeasutably more" than I had asked or imagined.

And so that is how it all started. 6 years ago today. And I am thankful....beyond words.

Go Horse!!

There are probably at least 50 things that I could post tonight that would be more important than me telling you that THE COLTS ARE GOING TO THE SUPER BOWL!!!!!!! But, I am too worn out from watching that crazy game to post much of anything! ....stay tuned...tomorrow I will be post about our trip to visit Stacy!

Did I mention that the Colts are going to the Super Bowl!?!?!

Yipppeeeeee! How fun! Go Blue!

HI!! ....from the Pacific Northwest!!

We're not in Indiana anymore, Toto!!

Micah and I have journeyed to see our dear friends...Stacy and her family! Our long distance friendship with their family started during our adoption process. We are now sleeping about as far from Indiana as you can get and still be in the Continental United States!

Micah was a trooper on the trip here. God blessed us by giving us an entire row of seats to ourselves on the flight from St. Louis to here! Thank you, Lord!!! He napped and played and snacked and flirted with the girls in the row behind us. Next thing I knew...we were landing!

It has been such a blessing already to catch up with Stacy and her family. We are looking forward to 3 more days to share in their lives. Details and pictures will be coming soon! My only regret is that the whole family did not make this trip...Brock and Erica were not thrilled about me whisking Micah away for 4 days, that's for sure!

Ok...gotta go...I can smell those muffins cooking! Yummy!

And the cute little baby finally just passed out....

Goodness. Things have been bustling around here!

The Christmas trees are finally down (oooops. except that one in Erica's room. still gotta do that one!)....sad isn't it? middle of January. But, seriously, the kids BEGGED me to leave them up until they went back to school, which was just Tuesday...so, that's not so bad, right?

We are back into the swing of school and basketball.

But, the real bustle is....we are finally finishing our master bathroom/closet!!! I say FINALLY because we did our remodeling like 2 years ago. We had planned all along to wait awhile on finishing THAT part, but, I had secretly.....or not so secretly.....hoped that it would have been done by now. We have had little "blips" of progress over the past 2 years, but I think we are in the serious pursuit of the END at this point! Maybe I will post some "before and after" pics sometime?!? Lots of dust at this point, and lots of decisions...fixtures, tub, paint color, cabinets, toilet....sigh.

Micah has loved exploring this new area of the house. If the door to the bathroom is open, he is headed in there. He has played in the drywall mud, tried his skills at hammering, painted his arm and hair...you know, all that good stuff! Like any good human with a Y chromosome, though, he gets BORED with the shopping. Here he is on our "light fixture" outing yesterday....



...better sleeping than crying, right!?!? Good boy....you just sleep there and let mama shop.

He chose me...

I have quoted Ann, from Holy Experience before...and I am going to again today...and I will probably quote her again in the future. If you have never been to her blog before, I highly recommend you visit.

Anyway, I was reading this post and came to this C.S. Lewis quote:

"He could if He chose, repair our bodies miraculously without food;
or give us food without the aid of farmers, bakers, and butchers;
or knowledge without the aid of learned men;
or convert the heathen without missionaries.
Instead He allows soil and weather and animals,
and the muscles, minds and wills of men
to co-operate in the execution of His will."
~C.S. Lewis

And then Ann added this prayer:

You could, if You chose, raise up children without mothers. But You choose to use us.

May my mind,
and my will
and my tongue
co-operate in the execution of Your will today, Lord...

Put Your words in my mouth, Your love in my heart, Your thoughts in my mind today, Father.
All of me is an instrument of Your will.
Use me.

And....it hit me...God did not NEED me to raise Brock, Erica and Micah....He CHOSE me to do it because He WANTED me to do it. ME. ME! With all my failures (and He KNEW that I was going to fail sometimes!) and all my weaknesses (He created me with those weaknesses, don't you know??)...despite all of that, He CHOSE me...

....and I am so honored!

Thank you, Lord, for this priviledge. I am your servant...use ME.

Sigh.....so what if I wore jeans!?!?!?!

Sigh.

Back to work after almost 2 weeks away from the office!

I "eased" back into it by:
1. Taking Erica with me....she was begging to go, and I LOVE it when my kids want to go with me!!
2. Just couldn't pull out those "professional clothes" this week...stickin' with the jeans for another couple of days!!

So...how about you?? Getting back into the usual routine yet?

The blind leading the blind!!

Gummie gave Erica a new sewing machine for Christmas...and, well, this morning we decided to get 'er out of the box and give it a whirl!

Erica wanted to make some PJ's for her American Girl doll.

I am NOT a seamstress...seriously...1 year of 4-H sewing...and then there were those pillow cases we made in home-ec class in high school. Anyway, it was enough to make me think we could tackle a pair of PJ's. And, so we did. Erica did almost all the sewing on the bottoms!!

Don't look too close. We made our own pattern.

They may not be perfect, but Erica thinks they are "VERY PRETTY"!




Next up....Erica wants to do some pattern shopping....stay tuned!

Happy New Year 2007!!!!

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation;
the old has gone, the new has come!"
2 Cor. 5:17

We pray that your 2007 will be filled with many blessings from God's loving hand!

Aren't you glad that we serve a God of fresh starts, new beginnings and clean slates!?!?!

Some things to think about...

I am not huge on New Year's resolutions. Mostly because I have historically failed to keep (or dare I say, even remember) them! But, I do love that the New Year provides a time to reflect about what went well in the past year...and what could go better.

On that note...I stumbled across this list of questions...

Questions for a New Year
Written by Don Whitney

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (BP) — Once, when the people of God had become careless in their relationship with Him, the Lord rebuked them through the prophet Haggai. "Consider your ways!" (Haggai 1:5) he declared, urging them to reflect on some of the things happening to them and to evaluate their slipshod spirituality in light of what God had told them.

Even those most faithful to God occasionally need to pause and think about the direction of their lives. It's so easy to bump along from one busy week to another without ever stopping to ponder where we're going and where we should be going.



The beginning of a new year is an ideal time to stop, look up and get our bearings. For starters, here are 10 questions to ask prayerfully in the presence of God:

-What's one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?
-What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
-What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
-In which spiritual discipline do you most want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?
-What is the single biggest time-waster in your life, and what will you do about it this year?
-What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?
-For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?
-What's the most important way you will, by God's grace, try to make this year different from last year?
-What one thing could you do to improve your prayer life this year?
-What single thing that you plan to do this year will matter most in 10 years? In eternity?
-In addition to these questions, here are 21 more to help you "Consider your ways." Think on the entire list at one sitting, or answer one question each day for a month.

-What's the most important decision you need to make this year?
-What area of your life most needs simplifying, and what's one way you could simplify in that area?
-What's the most important need you feel burdened to meet this year?
-What habit would you most like to establish this year?
-Who do you most want to encourage this year?
-What is your most important financial goal this year, and what is the most important step you can take toward achieving it?
-What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your work life this year?
-What's one new way you could be a blessing to your pastor (or to another who ministers to you) this year?
-What's one thing you could do this year to enrich the spiritual legacy you will leave to your children and grandchildren?
-What book, in addition to the Bible, do you most want to read this year?
-What one thing do you most regret about last year, and what will you do about it this year?
-What single blessing from God do you want to seek most earnestly this year?
-In what area of your life do you most need growth, and what will you do about it this year?
-What's the most important trip you want to take this year?
-What skill do you most want to learn or improve this year?
-To what need or ministry will you try to give an unprecedented amount this year?
-What's the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your commute this year?
-What one biblical doctrine do you most want to understand better this year, and what will you do about it?
I-f those who know you best gave you one piece of advice, what would they say? Would they be right? What will you do about it?
-What's the most important new item you want to buy this year?
-In what area of your life do you most need change, and what will you do about it this year?

The value of many of these questions is not in their profundity, but in the simple fact that they bring an issue or commitment into focus. For example, just by articulating which person you most want to encourage this year, you will be more likely to remember to encourage that person than if you hadn't considered the question.

If you've found these questions helpful, you might want to put them someplace – in a day planner, PDA, calendar, bulletin board, etc. – where you can review them more frequently than once a year.

So let's evaluate our lives, make plans and goals, and live this new year with biblical diligence, remembering that, "The plans of the diligent lead surely to advantage" (Proverbs 21:5). But in all things let's also remember our dependence on our King who said, "Apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).

Don Whitney is associate professor of spiritual formation at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and author of Simplify Your Spiritual Life (NavPress, 2003).

Not that I have answered them all....but this list has made me think...how about you??

Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Extreme Room Makeover!

What better way to spend the day than to do some SERIOUS redecorating!?!?

I have been promising Brock that we would re-do his room in "John Deere"...and today was finally the day! In exactly 24 hours, his room got an extreme makeover. His grandma ("Gummie") gave Brock all the John Deere "stuff" for Christmas...all we had to provide was the paint and the elbow grease.

He LOVES the results!! Here...take a peek.

BEFORE (the sports room):





AFTER (John Deere mania!!):
...and YES, that IS a giant John Deere logo painted on the wall!!!





Seriously...all that in 24 hours!!
Special kudos to my sweet friend, Carrie, who came at just the right time to help out...I was seriously losing steam! She must REALLY love me (or Brock) because this is the second time she has helped me paint this room!!!




OH....and in case you were thinking that the floor looked a little empty...fear not...look what happened just 1 hour later...



Now I just have to recover the rest of the house...while I was focused on Brock's room the last 24 hours...the rest of the house FELL APART! Will the fun never end????

Girl Stuff...

Can you stand just one more Christmas picture??



I had not downloaded this picture yet...so it was not in yesterday's "scrapbook". But that is OK, because I think it deserves a post all its own.

These girls bless my life in ways I cannot describe. I am blessed to have these 3 sisters in Christ to share the ups and downs of life with. When we get together (which fortuntely is quite often) we seem to have an abundance of talk, laughter, and food (not necessarily in that order!!).

There are at least three things you cannot see in this picture...
1. Poor Dean who is trying to get a picture that we all approve of (personally I think my eyes look a little puffy in this one...but I had been laughing so hard that I had tears in my eyes!)
2. That our hips are crammed VERY tightly into this love seat...you should have seen us try to get up afterwards!!!
3. That there were 240 foam "space shooter discs" flying all around us, as 11 out of our 12 sweet children (innocent baby Micah!) were trying to nail us with their new space shooter guns...poor Carrie nearly suffered a corneal abrasion!

I am so blessed to have other dear friends reading this post who do not live close enough to share a space on my couch for a picture like this...the holidays make me wish even more that you would each buy yourselves a plane/bus/train ticket to get here PRONTO!! I would love to pass out bigs hugs.....AND we have some serious leftovers that we need help with!!!

Reflecting...and recovering!

The past several days have been filled with family, friends, FOOD and gifts. What a blessing to celebrate the birth of our risen Savior, Jesus Christ! Now that things are settling down a bit, I thought I would share some pictures from the past week...a "scrapbook" of our Christmas, I guess.

The stockings DID finally get hung "on the railing" with care!











Last week Chad and the kids COMPLETELY surprised me with a Willow Tree nativity set!!!









We celebrated with friends on Friday night! (Micah had already "hit the hay" before we got around to picture taking!)








Christmas morning was full of "squeals of delight"!!! =)








HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JESUS!!!!!! We continued our tradition of baking Jesus a birthday cake...singing "Happy Birthday"...and the kids get to blow out the candle!







How cute is this little guy??? He was all smiles as we enjoyed our "1st Christmas" together.







The last couple days have been quiet...just relaxing...playing with our "new toys" and enjoying some time off! I have hardly been blogging at all (kinda nice...but I am starting to miss all of you!!). I am looking forward to another whole week without working! Yippeeee!

How about you?? How was your Christmas?? I would love to hear from you!

We wish you a Merry Christmas!!

OK...the stockings ARE hung now...the presents are wrapped, the house is all decorated, the kids are "pumped"...we are READY for Christmas!

We are so blessed to have such wonderful family and friends to wish "Merry Christmas" to!!

As we consider the GIFTS that God has lavished on US, we are thankful above all for the gift of Christ...His birth, His life, His sacrifice, His defeat of death, and His promise to return!!!

Merry Christmas 2006!!!

So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
Luke 2:16-20

Yikes....I still have to hang our stockings!!

Is it just me....or is this year's Christmas day approaching more quickly than in previous years?? (or is it that "new baby" thing????)

Definitely not as much time for blogging fun!

It is so easy to feel overwhelmed with so many things on the "to do" list, isn't it?? I was blessed by a song that the children sang during the Children's Christmas program at our church yesterday...the chorus encouraged us to "keep the main thing, the MAIN thing" this Christmas. So....I will be doing my best to do just that! Hope you can, too!

Isaiah 53:5

But he was pierced for our transgressions,
he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was upon him,
and by his wounds we are healed.

Isaiah 53:5

I wonder if His cheeks were chubby??

I wonder...

What was Jesus like as a baby? Was he little or was he a 10 pounder? Did he have lots of hair when He was born, or was He bald? When did He get His first teeth? Did He have colic? When did He catch His first cold? How old was he when He started to walk? or talk? Did He already know His name before Mary taught it to Him? When was He first aware that He was "different"? or did He know from the first time Mary held Him in her arms?

I think like that sometimes.

Today, as I was driving, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw Micah...with his chubby little cheeks, all smiley...and I caught myself wondering if little baby Jesus had chubby cheeks? Not that it matters. I just wonder.

We may never know the answer to that...but what we do know is that He left His heavenly throne to stoop to this earth and become a man.

Philippians 2:8
And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

And I am so glad that He did!!!

Do you hear what I hear??

Can I be so bold as to recommend a Christmas CD?

I have really, really, REALLY been enjoying Third Day's Christmas Offerings!




I mean...it's not that I was surprised or anything...you know by now that Third Day is my favorite group, so I expected this album to be great. Sure enough, Mac & the boys have delivered again! The album is a mixture of original songs (a few) and tradtional songs (most) that we all know and love!

If you are looking for some "fresh tunes" to help you focus on the Christ of Christmas...go visit Third Day.com to check it out!

What about you??? What are your favorite Christmas tunes?????

HELP...we're looking for that perfect gift!!

We need some creative ideas! We are in search of the perfect Christmas gift...and I can't wait to see what you suggest!!

Here's the situation:

This year, instead of exchanging toys/clothes/electronics, etc (you know...material things) with my sister-in-law and her family (Chad's sister, her husband, their 4 kids), we are doing something really cool. We have decided that both of our families will search for something that will benefit someone else in need. We will buy or send whatever is needed...and then when we celebrate Christmas with them, instead of opening our usual gifts, we will share what we did "in their name".

The kids are on board (well...Micah did not really get to vote...we are assuming he approves of the idea!) and the search is on.

Sooooooo....we are looking for the "perfect gift" to give away. Some ideas we have gathered so far include: sending a goat to Kenya, immunizing a child in Africa, sponsoring a needy family in our community, donating to a specific need for Hannah's Hope in Guatemala, buying toys for community toy drive...

Now, this is where YOU come in!! Please help...we are anxious to see what other ideas are out there. Think on it...and let me know!

HYPO-BLOGGISM - an acute condition - the primary sypmtom is a deficiency of posts on a individual's blog

Back in May, I suffered from blog-itis (see May 18th post in the archives)...and now...quite the opposite problem...hypo-bloggism (see, all that medical training paid off...I can diagnose a blog in my sleep!)

Just wanted to drop a line to let you faithful "blog-checkers" know that I am still alive...just really busy the last couple of days!

If you are looking for a good read, though, can I suggest that you jump over to this post on Stacy's blog?!?!?...it is SURE to get you in the Christmas spirit!

Check back...surely I will find time to post something of debatable interest soon!

Have a great weekend!

Smiling sooooooo big because....

Gasp! It happened. He really did it. I mean...we knew it was coming...we had seen all the signs...we have been through it all before with Brock and Erica...

So, why is it still so shocking, so surprising, and so very, VERY fun to see Micah start walking TODAY??!!??!! Don't get me wrong, he has been taking steps for a good two weeks now. But, TODAY it happened....HE TOOK OFF ACROSS THE ROOM!

Gasp! Our baby is growing up!

I am not sure what is more fun, though...watching Micah take those wobbly little steps with his hands held high in the air...OR...Brock and Erica as they wait (with open arms and big smiles, and a little bit of body-english) for Micah to walk over to them and lunge into their arms.

Anyway...at the risk of sounding proud...we are ALL smiles tonight!

Baby gets a new "do"!!!

The time had come...those locks were getting soooooo long!

What a good boy...sitting all still for Tammy!

...and a certificate to boot!

Big day for cutie pie, don't ya' think!?!?!?

On a much grander note...Tim, Ali and Faith made it home safe and sound.
The scene at the airport was soooo sweet!
I will let Family Footprints post all the details and pics!
Welcome home, Baby Faith! You are very loved!

In less than 24 hours....

We are getting so excited to welcome Faith home forever! Tim, Ali and Faith should be on a plane at this very hour...they are due in tomorrow evening! The midwest weather has been a little yucky today (to say the least) with lots of flight delays, so please pray with us that they will arrive home safely and ON TIME!!



Ali wrote a beautiful post today about their time in China, and how it feels to leave. As I read it, I could not help but think back to the emotions we felt as we were preparing to leave Guatemala with Micah.

It is so awesome to think that when Tim and Ali read this post, they will be safely back home in IN and sweet baby Faith will be.... sleeping in her own little crib... with her own big brothers in the next room... waking up to the noise of her own barking dogs...and being kissed by her own Aunt Michelle, Uncle Chad and cousins Brock, Erica, Micah!!

Neglect- (v) to leave undone or unattended to

How can a young man keep his way pure?
By living according to your word.
I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
Praise be to you, O LORD;
teach me your decrees.
With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

Psalm 119:9-16

Lord, forgive me, I continue to neglect your word too often in my daily walk...I do not want it to be this way. I pray that You would give me the desire, the passion, the hunger for your Word...that I would rejoice, meditate and delight in it. Thank you for your Holy Spirit, Lord, that draws my attention to my sin and gives me the desire to be renewed. Thank you for mercies made new each day.

A thankful heart....

282. The funny things that kids say
286. Newborn babies
289. Pictures drawn for me by my children
290. Pictures drawn for my by my patients
296. Friends from medical school
312. A husband who is so helpful in the kitchen!
329. Turtleneck sweaters
345. A removable high-chair-tray liner
360. Comfy pajamas
361. Brock making sure we remembered to give Papaw his meds
364. Hot soup and grilled cheese
372. Scriptures place throughout our house
402. Sunrises on our morning drive
408. Sweet voices saying "Mom,...."
422. Progress on the drywall in my new bathroom!!
424. The sound of Micah waking up after a long nap

You shower us with blessing upon blessing, Lord. I am thankful. In the "big things" and in the "small things", I see that you give all these gifts from your loving hand. Thank you.

Don't ask!!!

Seriously...don't ask!!

Let's just say....the last couple of days, I think that I could almost hear my snooze button saying "Hey girl, where you been?? Glad to see you are back!!"

Well, Mr. Snooze, don't get used to it. I am not giving up....just a minor set-back!!

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
1 Corinthians 10:12-14

Happy Thanksgiving!

Our hearts are full of thanks today. We are a blessed family, living amongst blessed friends, in a blessed nation. We take time today to give thanks to God for all His many blessings, but may our hearts be filled with this type of gratitude everyday! From "Our House" to yours....HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.

Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.

For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.

Psalm 95:1-3

From the mouth of a babe...

This morning our family read Psalm 8 together and I had to smile a great BIG smile as we read the first part of verse 2:

From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise...
Psalm 8:2a

For a month or two, Micah has been folding his hands together when we say "let's pray." But, just a couple of weeks ago he did something that made my heart leap...he put his hands together, bowed his head and mumbled "Jesus" (actually, it sounded more like "Shee-sus")! Of course we got excited about one of his first words being the Lord's name!

Then, last week I had this amazing image as I read Philippians 2:

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2: 9-11

As I read those verses, I had this awesome image of Micah praying... a baby in his highchair lowering his sweet little curly-haired-head, muttering the name of Jesus...and I just imagined this "swishing-thumping" sound as all of heaven's angels fell onto their knees.

I have no idea if something like that really happens when Micah says "Shee-sus"....but I do know that the Bible says that one day EVERY knee will bow at the sound of His precious name.

Sometimes I think I forget that...I forget the magnitude of it and I take for granted the power He gives me to pray in His almighty name. What a blessing that God gave me these verses--and a baby saying "Shee-sus"--to remind me!!

Joy Unspeakable!

Last night, while we were fast alseep, Tim and Ali (my brother and sister-in-law) were united forever with their daughter Faith! God is so good...and we continue to marvel at His ways...ways that are beyond our understanding.





We are blessed to welcome this sweet little girl into the family!

You have got to try this recipe!!

I don't post many recipes...but you HAVE to know about this one! I stumbled on it last week, today I tired it for a pitch-in...it was a HUGE hit...lots and lots of requests for the recipe. It was so very easy and seems too simple to be so yummy....you just have to try it to believe it.

SLOW COOKER CREAMED CORN

1 1/2 packages (16 oz) frozen corn
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter or marg
1/2 cup milk
1-2 Tbls sugar
salt and pepper to taste

1. Heat cream cheese, butter, milk, sugar in saucepan until melted.
2. Place frozed corn in slow cooker.
3. Pour melted mixture over corn.
4. Slow cook on high for 1 hour, then low for 3 hours.

That's it!!
I doubled the recipe and it was "gobbled up" quick!
Just in time for Thanksgiving...give it try and let me know what you think!

What a great reminder!

In her post yesterday, Ann (from Holy Experience) included these lyrics from Casting Crown's "Who Am I?"

Who am I?
That the eyes that see my sin
Would look on me with love
And watch me rise again
Who am I?
That the voice that calms the sea,
Would call out through the rain,
And calm the storm in me.

Not because of who I am.
But because of what You've done.
Not because of what I've done.
But because of who You are.

from "Who Am I" by Casting Crowns

What a great reminder to me...that these gifts I have been listing over the past week are ALL about God's goodness...about who He is, and how He loves me...not because of anything I have done, or anything I could ever do...but ONLY because He is an awesome, giving, loving, wonderful, gracious God!!!

Extreme "Our House" Makeover!!!

Yippeeee!!! "Our House" got redecorated! Were you surprised?

A big thank you to Susie at Blurbird Blogs for the design and for being patient with me as a asked question after question! Thanks, Susie!!

Now I know how to do blockquotes, too! This is my first try...and it worked! How fun is this??

Enough of this fun, though...My REAL house needs an extreme makeover...Chad's family is coming here for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, and there is still MUCH cooking and cleaning to do!

Have a great trip, Tim and Ali!!

Tomorrow morning my brother, Tim, and his wife Ali (visit Family Footprints) are headed to China to bring home their daughter, Faith.

We can't wait to hear all the details and see the pictures!

We will be praying for you!!!!

"But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely , O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield." Psalm 5:11-12.

Lord, we pray your protection and shield over this family as they journey to bring sweet little Faith home. Watch over Tim, Ali and Faith during travel. Keep Tyler and Zack safe as well, and give them your peace to know that they will be reunited very soon as a family of 5!!

p.s. How cute is this pic?? So sweet of Faith to wave at her Aunt Michelle! You can just see it in her eyes, can't you...."Hi Aunt Michelle!!!!"

AND!!

271. Newly purchased airline tickets to visit Stacy in January!!!!!

Oh happy day!

and....and.....and......and......and.....

101. sunsets
117. starry nights
119. seeing "I AM" spelled out in the clouds after Brock pointed it out to me!
143. Rich Mullins...his music and his life
145. Christian rock concerts
156. a toasty warm corn stove on cold, cloudy days
157. slippers
171. my corner windows in the kitchen (thank you Lord, and thank you MOM!)
179. Micah sleeping in his crib after so many nights of praying by his empty crib
181. Hawaiian pizza
185. Dean's crab dip
200. Taste buds!!!
207. The sacrifice of veterans throughout the years/wars
224. Heather Radu
228. We're out of PGN! (still a great thing to be thankful for!!!)
242. living out in the country where, on a windy day, God rakes my whole yard!
251. beds that were made by kids who did not need to be told to make them
256. "Show Me Your Glory" runs
265. watching videos from my childhood
...and the list continues to grow.

"Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song. Psalm 95:2

Happy Birthday, Dad!!!

Dad,

I am guessing that you have never been on our blog?? Maybe mom has read you a thing or two from it....and maybe she has shown you some pictures (if not...we need to change that!) And I am guessing that mom is reading this to you right now...so...give her a minute to get her kleenex first. You see, it has become a bit of a tradition on our blog to honor people on their birthday be doing a "birthday list"...pointing out some things that we love about the "birthday boy/girl".

So, keeping with recent tradition, here is your "birthday list" ( I decided I better limit it to ten, because that is what we did for mom...you know what I mean??) of things we love about you!!

1. Your amazing work ethic
2. The way you tell a story
3. How (when the boat broke down) time after time, you would drive to Raccoon Lake, run the boat to Tom's Marina, and get it back ASAP so we did not miss out on any lake time!
4. The way you coached basketball (with such passion and excitement!)
5. The way your players respect you so highly to this day....you are very loved!
6. Your sense of humor
7. The way you always demanded that Mike, Tim and I respect authority figures (teachers, coaches, referees, etc.)
8. How you would baby sit for Brock...and how you broke your ankle when you jumped out the window and off the roof to rescue him from the locked door!!!!
9. Your love of Bluegrass music
10. And, last but certainly not least.....one of the things we love most about you dad, is how you keep hanging in there with your Parkinson's.....we know it is very tough, but you just keep plugging away...and for all the times we have not said it, we are so PROUD of you for that.

And speaking of PROUD...let me just close by adding that one of the things I am most proud of in my life (more than any award, honor or degree I have earned) is being able to say that I am "HOWARD LEEDY'S DAUGHTER"!!!!!!!

Happy Birthday, Dad! We love you very much!

Not much to you....but it's "progress" to me!!

I realize that it is not an "earth-shattering, life-saving, mountain-moving, cancer-curing" type of accomplishment....but for me, it feels like a somewhat big deal...

...it is progress in an area of weakness in my life
...IT IS 8 DAYS WITHOUT EVEN TOUCHING MY SNOOZE BUTTON!
...and hopefully, it is progress toward my ultimate goal of CONSISTENT EARLY MORNING QUIET TIME with my Saviour.

More than a list

Heavenly Father,

I am thankful. You have blessed me and my family, in ways that I take for granted every day. I pray that this process...this 1000 gifts...will be more than just a list. I pray that it will be a process of seeing new things, of growing in gratitude, of praising you more often...I pray that it will be a time of growth for me, and a time of drawing nearer to you. 1000 is big number...its a lot of things to think of and a lot of things to write...but help me to see more clearly that in You, the 1000 gifts are just the tip of the iceberg. Thank you, Lord.

Enter His gates with thanksgiving...

Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name. For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations. Psalm 100:4-5

I was inspired and challenged by Ann at Holy Experience. She has asked others to join her in an excercise of gratitude... of praising God for His goodness...of listing 1000 things for which I am thankful. So, in this season of Thanksgiving, I have decided to join in. I will be keeping a list of things...big things, small things, extraordinary things, everyday things...things that I just want to thank the Lord for.

Now, don't worry. I will not post the whole list here. But I certainly will share some items, and let you know how the journey of 1000 gifts is coming along!!

I pray that as I do this...as I look around my life for things to thank God for...I pray that as I do this, my heart will fill with gratitude...and that I will begin to be more in the habit of constantly thanking God for things that I too often pass by without notice.

Open my eyes, Lord.

This is not a political BLOG.....but......

Have you voted yet??

We are planning to later today...when we can take the kids with us. Maybe I will post later about how that went...but, if you haven't already, we would like to encourage to go vote today (AND VOTE CONSERVATIVE!! oooops. this is not a political blog.)

Happy Birthday, MOM!! Part 2...

YoooooHooooooooo!!!! It's your birthday card...right here on my blog! How fun is that??? Recently I have started doing "birthday lists"....so here is yours. I thought about posting 67 things that we love about you (hmmmm...where did I come up with that number??) but decided to do a top ten list of things that we are SOOOO thankful for when we think of you!

1. The way you love our children...not just in word, but in action!
2. The way you are always willing and WANTING to help our family.
3. The way you take care of dad!!!!!!!!
4. Food runs to town.
5. The way you put the needs of others in front of your own.
6. How strict you were when I was growing up
7. The example you set for our children
8. The way you care for Grandma Leedy!
9. How you have accepted Chad, and love him (even if you do take his side....ALWAYS!)
10. Spring Break (need we say more????) =)

This list is trully just the tip of the iceberg, Mom. You bless our lives in ways that you probably do not even realize. We are so thankful for you...and love you very much!!

Happy Birthday, Gummie!!!!

Happy Birthday, MOM!!

Happy Birthday, Mom!!!

I will follow with a full "birthday post" later. But I wanted you wish you a happy day TODAY!!

Have you tried these????

A few weeks ago I stumbled onto these in the grocery store...and oh my do I regret it! I have consumed several bags since! They are so yummy! I initially bought them to go on my salads. But lately, I have just been eating them like candy! Look for them in your local grocery....and let me know what you think!!!

Have a great weekend!

OH.....by the way....not setting my alarm clock worked great...now I am TWO DAYS without using my snooze button!

Slaying My Snooze Button

It is the most over-used item in my house...it is amazing it still works...it is my SNOOZE BUTTON.

Somedays I just hit it once or twice. Some days (you know those days when I want to get up early, but don't HAVE to) I have been known to hit that stinking button for an hour and a half...seriously!! I have't always been this way. I think it was the combination of parenthood and medical residency that did it to me. Anyway, I am ready for a change!

Last night I was hanging out over at "GirlTalk" (have you been there yet?) and was reading in the archives about their morning devotions and I became convicted that if I am EVER going to have a consistent morning quiet time, I am going to have to do something about that snooze button! So....that is what I am setting out to do. Slay my snooze button!! I thought about shopping for an alarm clock without a snooze button...but I really want victory through SELF-CONTROL and DISCIPLINE.

So, I started this morning. When my alarm went off..I got out of bed (novel approach, don't you think??) NO SNOOZING! VICTORY day #1!!

Oh man...tomorrow is Saturday! Well.......I guess if I don't set my alarm at all, then I won't need my snooze button to sleep in, right?? =)

A Life To Remember

Philip R. Baker
June 10, 1936 - October 30, 2006

The dates are significant...
but the really important stuff happened in the dash...
and Phil lived a very full dash!!
We will miss you...but we can look forward to seeing you on that glorious day to come!!