At about 10:53 tonight, right after we all finished watching our Oklahoma State University Cowboys football team win their 8th straight game this season, Undefeated this year, I had just sent my football fan kiddos to get ready for bed when IT rocked the house and everyone came back into the living room to ask "WAS THAT an E A R T H Q U A K E ??"" The USGS initially called it a 5.2 magnitude but quickly upgraded to 5.6. We didn't have any damage, but it was a very different kind of excitement, even after that close adn important football game. We'd been cheering for our Other home state team LSU Tigers as well and minutes , maybe A minute before the Cowboys won, the Tigers won their game as well. BIG EXCITEMENT !!!!!
The tremor honestly rivaled and maybe was dwarfed by the events of the last month in our household. We were made aware of a baby in Missouri who has the same diagnosis as Daniel, whose very young single mom had placed him for adoption. Several people from several very different areas of my life contacted me , unbeknownst to each other, about this baby and eventually, we were asked if we might BE this baby' s adoptive family and if we'd consider adopting him. We submitted a profile letter for the birth mother to review and talked as a family about having another Hydranencephalic baby in our family. This little guy is more severely affected than Daniel but just as loved by our Heavenly Father as any of the rest of us. The mother chose between the two families the agency presented to her after they had sorted through several dozen family requests and profiles. We had re-started out home study process in light of this and keeping it up dated for Liberia............... the mother chose the Other Family. We had talked about how God presents us with things sometimes and asks us if we are willing to trust Him with the "unusual" or unexpected. Charlie explained to the children that we need to be ready and willing to obey God when He asks something of us. When we shared with the children that we had not been chosen, Charlie told them, "sometimes God just asks IF we are willing, but doesn't always require the action...kind of like Abraham preparing to sacrifice his son Isaac. We do have to always be ready to obey God." FAST FORWARD one week exactly. The agency called me back to say that the Other Family had backed out and did we want to be considered still/ again. Charlie and I talked, we knew that this baby was very likely to remain hospitalized for a long time, is likely to not live very long. A lot of "Are you up to caring for two special needs babies?" ensued, and we agreed to move forward and start the process. In the midst of all our annual eye doctor exams and dental check-ups ( and two children having oral surgery and wisom teeth extracted AND an emergency oral surgery for a stuck tooth too) we got all the required doctor visits done and documented for an updated home study, Charlie and I got our finger prints done and mailed off with bakground check forms. He encouraged me to press OSBI for an expedited processing for the sake of the babie's life. Accomplishing all this, we were asked when we'd come to visit Baby "V" in NE Missouri.This past weekend was decided upon.. Time off work requested and granted, Hotel reservations made, appointments were set up with the medical staff and the attorney handling the adoption for us/the agency. On Wedensday night after prayer meeting at church as we drove home Charlie and I spoke to the children about the baby's NEW NAME. Several preferences were voiced... Jacob, Matthew, Levi, Benjamin, Gabriel. Naomi liked Michael: as in Michael W. Smith. Rachel liked Jacob. Isaac and Noah said we knew too many Jacobs already. I suggested Levi which most everyone liked, including Charlie, who has always liked that name. Isaac sugested Gabriel because he liked that Gabriel was an angel and he liked the stories. Gabriel Levi got the most support and "YAH!!!"s So, when we got up super early on Friday morning to drive to Missouri , we were adopting another special needs baby. whom we were goingto call Gabriel Levi, but NOT "Gabe." We were going to have another son. As we drove, shortly after leaving the house, Charlie said to me "This adoption doesn't feel right to me" and he that didn't want to go forward any more , or even go to Missouri at all, but he kept driving. I was in shock, but for three hours as he kept driving he said the same thing. "It doesn't feel right to me'".
The attorney called as we were talking and crossing into Missouri to ask if we'd decided on the baby's new name so that he could put it in the paperwork. Charlie told me to tell him that we were backing out. Period. He then had me call the agency case worker to tell her the same thing. In less than two minutes, the Plan Presented, the Request given and accepted, all the hard work and planning and the turning -around future of a very challenged, sick baby were unraveled. What I sensed and saw as God presenting an experienced family with a child they understood the needs of, a child easily nearby for sake of completing the process, God blessing us with a child to love and care for who was not going to grow up, or need much more than love, God saying , " I need you to do THIS"..............was now suddenly......stopped. Charlie had told me that when the Other Family backed out he had had a feeling that was going to happen and he was already prepared for that . Strangely I had felt that way too, and so had the case worker............... I was not prepared for "stop".
We aren't talking about it at all. Charlie says it's over and he is at peace with it.
It is my deepest soul -felt prayer that the baby, "V". Gabriel Levi, does get his forever family, soon, because their "forever " together is not doing to be be very long and because of us, they maybe have a month less. It is my prayer that they are in unity of purpose and plan as they go forward with V's adoption, that the enemy not confuse anyone's thinking or cause anyone to "lean on thier own understanding". I am praying for peace, and understanding, words to share with our children about how "Being ready to obey " and "Being willing to say 'yes' to God" fit this story while showing the respect for their Daddy that I need to show and that they need to be living as well. I am praying for healing and communication. I am praying against hurt, anger, confusion and a root of bitterness which I do NOT want to allow to take root and grow into REAL bitterness. I am praying for clarity for everyone in this chapter of our lives. IF I missed God, I want to know where I started to miss and how I didn't see that. I want to understand what Charlie sensed and felt so strongly to act against. If I DIDN'T, I pray that God will be asking us again soon to trust and obey Him in something else. I am praying for CLARITY.
It's National Adoption Awareness month, November , and tomorrow is Orphan Sunday in churches around the world. My heart is so tender for the many, many children in our world who so desperately need FAMILY; having to leave one behind with whom I'd already begun an attachment and while still praying for our two in Liberia who seem to have less and less chance of ever coming home, my ORPHAN AWARENESS is at an all time high. I am however rejoicing with several friends who have recently been matched with new adoptive children, very excited for several ladies I am mentoring who plan to adopt within the next few years. Not everyone one is called into adopting a large, and larger family but it is my belief , my hope and my prayer that MANY MORE families will begin looking afresh at James 1:27 and asking God. "WHO is WAITING FOR US?" and then to pursue and add to their families through the wonderful act of obedience and blessing which is adoption.
WHAT AN EARTHQUAKE of excitement on earth and in heaven if families would come forward for the millions of waiting orphans. We've been blessed 7 times so far to completion by adoption. Our "season" is drawing to a close one of these days............Like with Elijah and Elisha, my prayer is that we will be handing our "mantle" to others who may experience a DOUBLE PORTION of what we have been so richly blessed by God with!!! I'm sad for my "right now" but I am excited because I know that God is far from done!!! Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Who delights over who with singing?
We will delight ourselves in the Lord (Ps. 37:4)
to the degree we know he greatly delights in us (Zeph. 3:14-17).
I have been so blessed, encouraged and challenged by the teachings of pastor Scotty Smith of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee. He shared these two verses together in a little post his morning. I want to delight myself today, and every day, to the degree to which I know HE delights in me. and He rejoices over me with gladness, quiets me with His love and rejoices over me with singing!! (New American Standard says " with "shouts of joy"... I like that too!)
Let's SING SHOUT BE GLAD and REJOICE as we delight ourselves in our God Who is delighting over us!!!!
Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The LORD has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You shall see[a] disaster no more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“ Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
17 The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
to the degree we know he greatly delights in us (Zeph. 3:14-17).
I have been so blessed, encouraged and challenged by the teachings of pastor Scotty Smith of Christ Community Church in Franklin, Tennessee. He shared these two verses together in a little post his morning. I want to delight myself today, and every day, to the degree to which I know HE delights in me. and He rejoices over me with gladness, quiets me with His love and rejoices over me with singing!! (New American Standard says " with "shouts of joy"... I like that too!)
Let's SING SHOUT BE GLAD and REJOICE as we delight ourselves in our God Who is delighting over us!!!!
Sing, O daughter of Zion!
Shout, O Israel!
Be glad and rejoice with all your heart,
O daughter of Jerusalem!
15 The LORD has taken away your judgments,
He has cast out your enemy.
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst;
You shall see[a] disaster no more.
16 In that day it shall be said to Jerusalem:
“ Do not fear;
Zion, let not your hands be weak.
17 The LORD your God in your midst,
The Mighty One, will save;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
He will quiet you with His love,
He will rejoice over you with singing.”
Sunday, September 25, 2011
"At Your Name" by Phil Wickham
Have Y'all heard this song yet? I'm guessing "probably" since I seem to be almost "always" the "last to know" but I am being blessed every time I hear this new song. You will need to disable or mute my playlist at the very bottom of my page so you can play this song. When the song is availabel in a playlist form, I will include it there. The song is too new right now; the CD RESPONSE from which this came, is not released yet.
Phil Wickham
At Your name
Mountains shake and crumble
At Your name
The oceans roar and tumble
At Your name
Angels will bow
The earth will rejoice
Your people cry out
Chorus
Lord of all the earth
We shout Your name, shout Your name
Filling up the skies
With endless praise, endless praise
Yahweh, Yahweh
We love to shout Your name, oh Lord
At Your name
The morning breaks
In Your glory
At Your name
Creation sings Your story
At Your name
Angels will bow
The earth will rejoice
Your people cry out
Chorus
Lord of all the earth
We shout Your name, shout Your name
Filling up the skies
With endless praise, endless praise
Yahweh, Yahweh
We love to shout Your name, oh Lord
There is no one like our God
We will praise you, praise you
There is no one like our God
We will sing, we will sing!!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Not a Great Gramma, but a new Gi-Gi, mom to a Drill Sgt and a motor cycle crash survivor
Where did the summer go that I have not posted anything since JULY!!! Somewhere between having the new air conditioning unit installed the 100+ days of over 100 degree temps, healing from that smashed toe, and daughter Esther giving birth last week to Riley Kay, life has been FULL!!!
Emily sadly, lost her baby, so the GREAT Gi-Gi title is on hold for a while. She is doing fine , and even though her mom, my daughter in law Diana was in ROME with my son who was on a two week break from his assignment in Afghanistan, other Gramma, Amy was able to be with Emily as were several of her aunts. Her military husband was not home at the time either. Life is never without speed bumps. How wonderful that God never leaves us alone or "unaccompanied' (as the military refers to how service members are separated from their families for a tour of duty)!
We wrapped up school in August, finally. In our home school students do not flunk; they repeat and re-work until the learning has occurred. Sometimes that makes for a long school year but there were a couple of our children who finished early. That option is also available.
AUGUST. SO HOT that our water bills were as costly as a typical electric bill and the electric bills were larger than the mortgage on our previous home! I'm thankful that we were comfortable and that we all agree to keeping the house to 84 when it's 114 outside! It is amazing how cool 84 feels when one has been out working in that 114+ weather! We all enjoyed our pool very much, and from it we had a wonderful view of the garden we worked so hard to prepare and so anticipated harvesting. Draught, even in the presence of $200 water bills was the victor in the fight to maintain a great garden this year. No corn, no peppers, no tomatoes, few squash, great crop of okra, interestingly enough, very few beans, almost no cucumbers. HOW did we raise as many cantaloupes and water melons as we did, I don't know except that the huge leaves and deep mulch underneath gave greater protection than I could have imagined. When I gave up on the corn patch, the goats were thrilled to have free access to the dry stalks. It was like "corn hay" I guess. They did an excellent job of clearing up for us!
I had the wonderful opportunity to go to son Caleb's Drill Sergeant School graduation later in August. We hadn't seen each other for a year and this occasion was a "HAVE TO attend", so plans were made. Drill Sergeants are a very small elite group of soldiers in the Army, the school is not large and there were 40 grads in Caleb's class. He will finish his assignment in Kentucky and head for Ft Leonard Wood to begin his new career in early October. We are so proud of him!! My departure was not without event, as Life would have it. As we prepared to leave the hotel for the airport so I could catch my 6 AM flight, a phone call rocked our world. The Sheriff deputy on the other end was calling to let us know that Gideon had been in a motorcycle crash and had been life flighted to OKC from our town. DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, I was praying and spiritually "flipping a coin" DO I GO on the plane or do I GO HOME? The deputy was able to contact the ER department who called me really very quickly to give me a status report. While Gideon was very seriously injured, his injuries were NOT life threatening. I barely made it onto the plane; it felt rather like Ping the duck, being slapped on the back for being the last duck on the Wise Eyed Boat, but I made it!! We didn't get as much time together as we'd have liked but we had a special time. I got off the plane back in Tulsa, went home to hug all the children and have lunch with them, then Charlie and I loaded up to go get Gideon from the hospital in OKC. The doctors asked that I come to learn how to dress the puncture wound in Gideon's abdomen and the road rash which covered 80% of his body, as well as how to monitor the multiple stitches and staples. I honestly was not prepared for how my son was going to look. SO swollen, cut up and bruised. Literally his head was stitched and stapled back together! What I saw was GOD'S HAND of protection. Gideon should have been dead or totally in a vegetative state. He had no broken bones! A lot of internal injuries are still healing, including a brain bleed and concussion, the 1" puncture wound (probably caused by the clutch handle being snapped off and Gideon falling against the broken stump.) His knee will need surgery . My heart was overwhelmed with gratitude to God for sparing my son, and amazement at what ALL had happened as the result of one poorly planned late night motor cycle ride. Four weeks later Gideon is still staying at our house. He can't live by himself yet, is still in a lot of pain, and obviously can't work yet either. I see God working in his heart and causing him to address some things that have long needed addressing and if THIS is what it took, I am content. He and I had some pretty interesting private moments since he was unable to bathe for the first two weeks. It was Gideon and me, the shower chair we got for my stroke afflicted mom, the hand held shower and the only way I could give my 26 year old son some dignity in the situation: a large lap towel. I shed a tear when he thanked me for even thinking about his dignity in light of everything I had to do for him. I cry a different kind of tear as he and Daniel lie side by side in front of the TV : Daniel in his special horizontal chair and Gideon stretched out in the recliner. I have dubbed that TV zone as the "Neurological Unit" Gideon talks to Daniel and encourages him to cheer for the favored teams, trying to convince us all that Daniel is also a Dallas fan! I also hear frquently, "Hey D, whatcha think man?They gonna win this next game?" The things that touch a mamma heart!
And then there is Esther! She gave birth to our precious grand baby the day before my husband's birthday and who weighed 9 pounds 15 ounces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is beautiful and we are totally in love! Esther and Casey were so precious to watch as she labored and then together with their brand new baby girl. I was honored to be part of the day. It was not the way we all anticipated the day to go, but Esther and Riley are fine. I could editorialize about meddling medical interventions but that is another post!
Sweet grand baby Charlie turned 2 the day after my husband's birthday so the three of them will always celebrate together! September is the month for Grandchildren's birthday for sure! Joshua's 2 (Emily and her brother Ethan) Caleb's son, Jon (Hannah)'s daughter Mady for a total of SIX September Grandbabies!!!!
We've started piano lessons and a new Alpha and Omega curriculum school year with several more computers so that the day moves much more smoothly. Our summer temps have given way to cool 80's and our new AC unit is already on hiatus. Let the wood chopping and stacking begin!!!!
Emily sadly, lost her baby, so the GREAT Gi-Gi title is on hold for a while. She is doing fine , and even though her mom, my daughter in law Diana was in ROME with my son who was on a two week break from his assignment in Afghanistan, other Gramma, Amy was able to be with Emily as were several of her aunts. Her military husband was not home at the time either. Life is never without speed bumps. How wonderful that God never leaves us alone or "unaccompanied' (as the military refers to how service members are separated from their families for a tour of duty)!
We wrapped up school in August, finally. In our home school students do not flunk; they repeat and re-work until the learning has occurred. Sometimes that makes for a long school year but there were a couple of our children who finished early. That option is also available.
AUGUST. SO HOT that our water bills were as costly as a typical electric bill and the electric bills were larger than the mortgage on our previous home! I'm thankful that we were comfortable and that we all agree to keeping the house to 84 when it's 114 outside! It is amazing how cool 84 feels when one has been out working in that 114+ weather! We all enjoyed our pool very much, and from it we had a wonderful view of the garden we worked so hard to prepare and so anticipated harvesting. Draught, even in the presence of $200 water bills was the victor in the fight to maintain a great garden this year. No corn, no peppers, no tomatoes, few squash, great crop of okra, interestingly enough, very few beans, almost no cucumbers. HOW did we raise as many cantaloupes and water melons as we did, I don't know except that the huge leaves and deep mulch underneath gave greater protection than I could have imagined. When I gave up on the corn patch, the goats were thrilled to have free access to the dry stalks. It was like "corn hay" I guess. They did an excellent job of clearing up for us!
I had the wonderful opportunity to go to son Caleb's Drill Sergeant School graduation later in August. We hadn't seen each other for a year and this occasion was a "HAVE TO attend", so plans were made. Drill Sergeants are a very small elite group of soldiers in the Army, the school is not large and there were 40 grads in Caleb's class. He will finish his assignment in Kentucky and head for Ft Leonard Wood to begin his new career in early October. We are so proud of him!! My departure was not without event, as Life would have it. As we prepared to leave the hotel for the airport so I could catch my 6 AM flight, a phone call rocked our world. The Sheriff deputy on the other end was calling to let us know that Gideon had been in a motorcycle crash and had been life flighted to OKC from our town. DEAR HEAVENLY FATHER, I was praying and spiritually "flipping a coin" DO I GO on the plane or do I GO HOME? The deputy was able to contact the ER department who called me really very quickly to give me a status report. While Gideon was very seriously injured, his injuries were NOT life threatening. I barely made it onto the plane; it felt rather like Ping the duck, being slapped on the back for being the last duck on the Wise Eyed Boat, but I made it!! We didn't get as much time together as we'd have liked but we had a special time. I got off the plane back in Tulsa, went home to hug all the children and have lunch with them, then Charlie and I loaded up to go get Gideon from the hospital in OKC. The doctors asked that I come to learn how to dress the puncture wound in Gideon's abdomen and the road rash which covered 80% of his body, as well as how to monitor the multiple stitches and staples. I honestly was not prepared for how my son was going to look. SO swollen, cut up and bruised. Literally his head was stitched and stapled back together! What I saw was GOD'S HAND of protection. Gideon should have been dead or totally in a vegetative state. He had no broken bones! A lot of internal injuries are still healing, including a brain bleed and concussion, the 1" puncture wound (probably caused by the clutch handle being snapped off and Gideon falling against the broken stump.) His knee will need surgery . My heart was overwhelmed with gratitude to God for sparing my son, and amazement at what ALL had happened as the result of one poorly planned late night motor cycle ride. Four weeks later Gideon is still staying at our house. He can't live by himself yet, is still in a lot of pain, and obviously can't work yet either. I see God working in his heart and causing him to address some things that have long needed addressing and if THIS is what it took, I am content. He and I had some pretty interesting private moments since he was unable to bathe for the first two weeks. It was Gideon and me, the shower chair we got for my stroke afflicted mom, the hand held shower and the only way I could give my 26 year old son some dignity in the situation: a large lap towel. I shed a tear when he thanked me for even thinking about his dignity in light of everything I had to do for him. I cry a different kind of tear as he and Daniel lie side by side in front of the TV : Daniel in his special horizontal chair and Gideon stretched out in the recliner. I have dubbed that TV zone as the "Neurological Unit" Gideon talks to Daniel and encourages him to cheer for the favored teams, trying to convince us all that Daniel is also a Dallas fan! I also hear frquently, "Hey D, whatcha think man?They gonna win this next game?" The things that touch a mamma heart!
And then there is Esther! She gave birth to our precious grand baby the day before my husband's birthday and who weighed 9 pounds 15 ounces!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! She is beautiful and we are totally in love! Esther and Casey were so precious to watch as she labored and then together with their brand new baby girl. I was honored to be part of the day. It was not the way we all anticipated the day to go, but Esther and Riley are fine. I could editorialize about meddling medical interventions but that is another post!
Sweet grand baby Charlie turned 2 the day after my husband's birthday so the three of them will always celebrate together! September is the month for Grandchildren's birthday for sure! Joshua's 2 (Emily and her brother Ethan) Caleb's son, Jon (Hannah)'s daughter Mady for a total of SIX September Grandbabies!!!!
We've started piano lessons and a new Alpha and Omega curriculum school year with several more computers so that the day moves much more smoothly. Our summer temps have given way to cool 80's and our new AC unit is already on hiatus. Let the wood chopping and stacking begin!!!!
 |
| Meet Miss Riley Kay!! |
 |
| Esther and 1 hour old Riley Kay |
 |
| A proud Gi-Gi and Riley in the blanket I finished as Riley was being born!! |
 |
| Four generations of Keyser-Smith women! |
 |
| Yes he did! Got right up to his cake and licked that whipped cream right off! |
 |
| Cousin meets Cousin |
 |
| Leah, Esther with Riley, Casey, Rachel, Isaiah in front of Linda, Isaac behind Linda,Charlie holding Daniel,Naomi,Jael, Gideon ,Jon holding Charlie, Mady and Hannah, Noah, Sopheak and Malachi |
 |
| Caleb with some of his fellow Drill graduates |
 |
| Drill Sergeant Caleb |
Friday, July 29, 2011
Me: a Great Gramma... How Can I Pray For You?
I am going to be a GREAT GRAMMA early next spring! Our grand daugher Emily was married recently to her Navy fiance and this week they announced that she is due to have their first baby ! Since my daughter in law and my son were both born when her mom and I were VERY young and Diana had Emily when she too was VERY YOUNG, I will be a VERY VERY YOUNG Great Gi-Gi. (Y'all know my age joke..."42 is a big enough number for an age so that's where I parked mine." I AM of course 42....plus, so saying I'm 42 is not untrue. If I said I was 57 THAT would be a lie. I am not there yet. ) My son will be 37 next week and Emily is almost 20. WE are ALL very young! Emily told me that (and I took this to be a tribute to my dad and tradition) Joshua will be called "Pop" like he called my dad. Diana said that she will be "Lolli". YES, that is how we roll. I guess the Family Crest will have a Tootise Pop on it!!
Youthful as I may feel, some of my parts are inconflict with this concept. Overusing my right hip while on crutches for a left knee problem trashed my hip joint and the X-rays and my orthopedic doctor indicate that a Total Hip Replacement is in my future. He told me that I will know when I am ready , and they will schedule it accordingly. The prosthesis used for younger more active people is a bit different from those used for more sedentary or less active people. It's still the opening up of my leg, the removal of my God-given ball joint and sanding down of the hip socket, gluing in a plastic socket and skewering a new ball into the top of my thigh bone, putting me back together and teaching me how to use a hip that will be void of wear and eventually of pain, but with some limitations that my painful ,worn out hip does not have. My painful, worn out hip is already limited since I lost full range of motion quite a while ago, I limp almost all of the time and include Motrin or Aleve as part of my daily diet. There is the option of hydrocortisone injections into my hip to give me a bit more time before The Big Event, and I am going to take advantage of that until later in fall. I dont' want to be on a different floor of the hospital from Esther when she has Riley and I need to be ambualatory to help her for a while. A planned trip in August is also not conducive to a walker and rehab three times a week. I know that I "knew" this was going to be the diagnosis and prognosis was before I saw the orthopedic surgeon, he thought he "knew "too from my desciption of of events and my time line. When he and his PA assessed my X-rays they REALLY KNEW. It's not nearly as radical as it used ot be even a few years ago. There is no more in-patient stay for 2 weeks or in-patient rehab for 5-6 more weeks. I will be hospitalized for maybe 4 whole days ( a Tuesday morning until some time on Friday) with walking and rehab starting on day 1 in the hospital. I will definitely be slowed down for a few months but I'm promised I can swim and walk the 5K lake path again before too much longer.............depending of course on how seriously I apply myself to my rehab regeime. God sustained me through the need for gall baldder surgery and through the need for vein stripping surgery and healed me up in remarkable time from both of those ,so I am praying and trusting for a similar recovery. If you'll remember to pray with me as I prepare spiritually and physically for the procedure, I would be so very grateful!! Thanks in advance for your prayers!
NOW, please tell me , HOW CAN I PRAY FOR YOU????????????????
Youthful as I may feel, some of my parts are inconflict with this concept. Overusing my right hip while on crutches for a left knee problem trashed my hip joint and the X-rays and my orthopedic doctor indicate that a Total Hip Replacement is in my future. He told me that I will know when I am ready , and they will schedule it accordingly. The prosthesis used for younger more active people is a bit different from those used for more sedentary or less active people. It's still the opening up of my leg, the removal of my God-given ball joint and sanding down of the hip socket, gluing in a plastic socket and skewering a new ball into the top of my thigh bone, putting me back together and teaching me how to use a hip that will be void of wear and eventually of pain, but with some limitations that my painful ,worn out hip does not have. My painful, worn out hip is already limited since I lost full range of motion quite a while ago, I limp almost all of the time and include Motrin or Aleve as part of my daily diet. There is the option of hydrocortisone injections into my hip to give me a bit more time before The Big Event, and I am going to take advantage of that until later in fall. I dont' want to be on a different floor of the hospital from Esther when she has Riley and I need to be ambualatory to help her for a while. A planned trip in August is also not conducive to a walker and rehab three times a week. I know that I "knew" this was going to be the diagnosis and prognosis was before I saw the orthopedic surgeon, he thought he "knew "too from my desciption of of events and my time line. When he and his PA assessed my X-rays they REALLY KNEW. It's not nearly as radical as it used ot be even a few years ago. There is no more in-patient stay for 2 weeks or in-patient rehab for 5-6 more weeks. I will be hospitalized for maybe 4 whole days ( a Tuesday morning until some time on Friday) with walking and rehab starting on day 1 in the hospital. I will definitely be slowed down for a few months but I'm promised I can swim and walk the 5K lake path again before too much longer.............depending of course on how seriously I apply myself to my rehab regeime. God sustained me through the need for gall baldder surgery and through the need for vein stripping surgery and healed me up in remarkable time from both of those ,so I am praying and trusting for a similar recovery. If you'll remember to pray with me as I prepare spiritually and physically for the procedure, I would be so very grateful!! Thanks in advance for your prayers!
NOW, please tell me , HOW CAN I PRAY FOR YOU????????????????
Monday, July 25, 2011
"Greater things are still to come, greater things are still to be done here!"
Praising God that we got some rain last night after so very very long! The burn ban around here has even been so far-reaching as to prohibit welders from doing their work because of the spark-fire threat. Our governor has lifted several restrictions for truckers hauling hay to help the ranchers and farmers because so many are having to buy hay from less draught-sticken states like ours. The land in Oklahoma is so parched and burned and dead, there is very little hay growing. there is very little "scruff" for lives tock to forage or graze. Buying hay from out of state is expensive, but currently necessary. Gov. Fallin is allowing wider loads with no additional fees for 60 days. Just that lifting of a weight/size load restriction will help and we take our help where we can get it! This part of Oklahoma has been 26 days straight with over 100 degree temperatures and 8 more days predicted (upwards from 104...to an official 108) so last night's rain, even though it was slight, was so welcomed!!
AND THEN.............. our IRS Tax Advocate called me this morning to tell me that IRS has completed their review of our tax refund file (yes all 131 pages of it) and that they have apoprved our refund to be released in full! Just in time to make the one PAID IN FULL payment on our AC unit, instead of the frist of potentially many, very large payments!
The stitches came out of my toe on Thursday. It is healing slowly but healing. The broken bone pieces will gradually heal themselves and I guess I will feel tingly sensations along the way. Weight bearing is still painful but so is the "pull up" effort I seem to default to to NOT be weight bearing. I'm working hard to put weight on my foot so that the toe doesn't heal with a crooked upward tilt. The nailbed is "icky" looking but not infected and not so swollen either. I wore regular shoes to church yesterday around the bandage, much to the amusement of many! I am a "high-heels" kind of girl and that flat ortho boot I wore for two weeks needed to be Linda-history . I am thankful !
Several months back a friend recommended a book to our prayer group. I saw it at our bookstore and without doing much research, bought it. God had a plan for me to have that book for someone else entirely! The book is Made to Crave Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, not Food. by Lysa TerKeurst who is the Proverbs 31 Ministry originator. The book is amazing if you are not familiar with it. Yes, her premise is learning to seek GOD for our sufficeincy instead of the craving for food, but she goes so much deeper...to whatever ones' personsal "lust of the flesh" might be. It is an EXCELLENT book! I have a dear friend who shared with me recently a desire to totally submit the craving, (yes, "craving" was the word used!) for food and to give that once and for ALL to God and see God bring victory over it. WELL........ God put this friend's face right in the middle of my spiritual vision with a prompting to give the book to my friend. I did. Last night I got an excited phone call telling me that this WAS exactly what God had been speaking and the book was EXACTLY what was needed right now!
There are other things for which we are trusting God and praising him for as well, but these two things are "biggies" and I wanted to give God the praise before I did anything else!
As I was looking for a video of "God of This City" for Sunday worship, I discovered how the song came to be written and that it was not Chris Tomlin who wrote it as I'd thoguht but a group named Bluetree from Dublin, Ireland. They wrote the song while on a mission trip to Thailand. While in the midst of a "Red light " district, deep in a section of brothel and sex trade businesses, God moved on their hearts that HE had great things for that city..........when they returned to Dublin, God spoke to them about that city as well. Knowing that changed my whole perception of the song , which I already liked a lot! I loved being able to share that part of the story as we sang God of This City yesterday morning as part of our worship music time. God put this song together in my mind with "Holy is the Lord God Almighty," "How Great Thou Art," and "Shine Jesus Shine" God was stirring hearts and it wa a special time!!
Are you aware of "THE RESPONSE", A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis ? Gov Rick Perry has called this a National Solemn Assembly and has rented the Reliant Center in Houston Texas as a central gathering place for all who would want to come there on August 6 to pray. Other churches are participating across the country simulataneously with the day of prayer and fasting in Houston which is slated for 10 AM-3 PM A number of churches in our town are participating here and gathering at a large facility here. I would invite each of you and challenge you to set this day aside in your churches, fellowships, Bible Study groups or Home Groups , Cell Groups. Our nation IS in crisis for certain, on every level, but most of all in its spritual decline. I believe that God WANTS to heal our land, I believe that there ARE "greater things.... still to be done here" and I want to be a part of any effort, "organized' or personal, to keep praying "THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. Click here to find out more about The RESPONSE
AND THEN.............. our IRS Tax Advocate called me this morning to tell me that IRS has completed their review of our tax refund file (yes all 131 pages of it) and that they have apoprved our refund to be released in full! Just in time to make the one PAID IN FULL payment on our AC unit, instead of the frist of potentially many, very large payments!
The stitches came out of my toe on Thursday. It is healing slowly but healing. The broken bone pieces will gradually heal themselves and I guess I will feel tingly sensations along the way. Weight bearing is still painful but so is the "pull up" effort I seem to default to to NOT be weight bearing. I'm working hard to put weight on my foot so that the toe doesn't heal with a crooked upward tilt. The nailbed is "icky" looking but not infected and not so swollen either. I wore regular shoes to church yesterday around the bandage, much to the amusement of many! I am a "high-heels" kind of girl and that flat ortho boot I wore for two weeks needed to be Linda-history . I am thankful !
Several months back a friend recommended a book to our prayer group. I saw it at our bookstore and without doing much research, bought it. God had a plan for me to have that book for someone else entirely! The book is Made to Crave Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, not Food. by Lysa TerKeurst who is the Proverbs 31 Ministry originator. The book is amazing if you are not familiar with it. Yes, her premise is learning to seek GOD for our sufficeincy instead of the craving for food, but she goes so much deeper...to whatever ones' personsal "lust of the flesh" might be. It is an EXCELLENT book! I have a dear friend who shared with me recently a desire to totally submit the craving, (yes, "craving" was the word used!) for food and to give that once and for ALL to God and see God bring victory over it. WELL........ God put this friend's face right in the middle of my spiritual vision with a prompting to give the book to my friend. I did. Last night I got an excited phone call telling me that this WAS exactly what God had been speaking and the book was EXACTLY what was needed right now!
There are other things for which we are trusting God and praising him for as well, but these two things are "biggies" and I wanted to give God the praise before I did anything else!
As I was looking for a video of "God of This City" for Sunday worship, I discovered how the song came to be written and that it was not Chris Tomlin who wrote it as I'd thoguht but a group named Bluetree from Dublin, Ireland. They wrote the song while on a mission trip to Thailand. While in the midst of a "Red light " district, deep in a section of brothel and sex trade businesses, God moved on their hearts that HE had great things for that city..........when they returned to Dublin, God spoke to them about that city as well. Knowing that changed my whole perception of the song , which I already liked a lot! I loved being able to share that part of the story as we sang God of This City yesterday morning as part of our worship music time. God put this song together in my mind with "Holy is the Lord God Almighty," "How Great Thou Art," and "Shine Jesus Shine" God was stirring hearts and it wa a special time!!
Are you aware of "THE RESPONSE", A Call to Prayer for a Nation in Crisis ? Gov Rick Perry has called this a National Solemn Assembly and has rented the Reliant Center in Houston Texas as a central gathering place for all who would want to come there on August 6 to pray. Other churches are participating across the country simulataneously with the day of prayer and fasting in Houston which is slated for 10 AM-3 PM A number of churches in our town are participating here and gathering at a large facility here. I would invite each of you and challenge you to set this day aside in your churches, fellowships, Bible Study groups or Home Groups , Cell Groups. Our nation IS in crisis for certain, on every level, but most of all in its spritual decline. I believe that God WANTS to heal our land, I believe that there ARE "greater things.... still to be done here" and I want to be a part of any effort, "organized' or personal, to keep praying "THY WILL BE DONE ON EARTH AS IT IS IN HEAVEN. Click here to find out more about The RESPONSE
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
July
Still no word from the IRS about the status of our tax return. The horror stories from other adoptive families keep coming and coming; I stop and pray that somehow they will get quick resolution and that we will get our return released as soon as the Tax Advocate had indicated or sooner............ PLEASE LORD!!!
Today was the 21st day in Oklahoma with temperatures over 100 degrees in a row. Absolutely incredible to be living through, I have to say. Several state governors have called for official Days of Prayer for rain. Our governor is among them. When I see these conditions around me and read of the struggles in Africa of people who have it even worse, and who are dying from the heat , lack of rain and lack of food, I am so grateful for what we DO have, even in this heat wave . I am reminded to pray for others, and not to focus on ME. I/we have it VERY easy compared to those who are truly suffering in the heat. Lord, are You coming soon?
I will see the orthopedic doctor tomorrow to follow up on this shattered toe thing. The nail bed feels , well, dead. I "think" the nerves were crushed in the accident but I am very aware of the sensations in my toe itself. Trustfully the bone pieces are calcifying their way back to each other in healing!!
Charlie, Gideon, Isaacand Isaiah went to Colorado for a long weekend of camping and fishing and mountain climbing. They got back way late last night after a wonderful 26th birthday trip for Gideon. They had a really great time together and made lots of wonderful memories. They tell me that in addition to camp sites there ARE cabins to rent.............That would be MY kind of camping, minus the snow, minus the fishing. Nuff said???
Today was the 21st day in Oklahoma with temperatures over 100 degrees in a row. Absolutely incredible to be living through, I have to say. Several state governors have called for official Days of Prayer for rain. Our governor is among them. When I see these conditions around me and read of the struggles in Africa of people who have it even worse, and who are dying from the heat , lack of rain and lack of food, I am so grateful for what we DO have, even in this heat wave . I am reminded to pray for others, and not to focus on ME. I/we have it VERY easy compared to those who are truly suffering in the heat. Lord, are You coming soon?
I will see the orthopedic doctor tomorrow to follow up on this shattered toe thing. The nail bed feels , well, dead. I "think" the nerves were crushed in the accident but I am very aware of the sensations in my toe itself. Trustfully the bone pieces are calcifying their way back to each other in healing!!
Charlie, Gideon, Isaacand Isaiah went to Colorado for a long weekend of camping and fishing and mountain climbing. They got back way late last night after a wonderful 26th birthday trip for Gideon. They had a really great time together and made lots of wonderful memories. They tell me that in addition to camp sites there ARE cabins to rent.............That would be MY kind of camping, minus the snow, minus the fishing. Nuff said???
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
I love my friends!!!
What a special visit we had last Monday when my cyber-friend Susan who also became my face-to-face friend and her family got to come spend some time with us on their way to Arkansas! What an even more fun time we had today when they made time to come back and spend more time with us on their way back to California!!! Their son Zach had such fun riding horses with Naomi , who had just as much fun with his equine kindred spirit! After an almost "obligatory ' dip in the pool, Naomi and Zach were out to the pasture to catch Sugar and Lucky and saddle up! Kallie was still holding back, so swam a bit more and watched movies with Leah, Rachel and my grand daughter Mady. I fixed my oh-so-delicious and OH -SO-FAKE chicken enchiladas as a casserole for dinner (another friend had used my exact recipe but instead of rolling tortillas with the chicken , etc mixture, she tore up the tortillas and layered all the ingredients in a casserole and it was REALLY GOOD too so I copied her tonight) in two huge pans with Susan and Mike helping tear up tortillas and layer all the "glop" and cheese so we could bake it up. AND WHAT FUN that Kallieann loves guacamole as much as I do ! AS I put chips, salsa and guacamole out as a side dish, she was so excited!!! I got back from a few last minute errands just after Susan and Mike, Zach and Kallieann arrived so I walked in to find Susan already cuddling on Daniel. What a beautiful picture my mind snapped as a "memory photo" ! After dinner, Kallie FINALLY got up her horse nerve and had Naomi lead her around the yard and pasture on Sugar's back, Kallie loved it!! Too soon it was time for all the Brenners to pack up and hit the road for the next part of their long trip back to California. I don't knwow when we will see each other again; I am sure it will be too long from now, but I am so thankful for these precious friends and their children! SAFE TRAVELS DEAR FRIENDS!!!
Earlier today anothe friend and her 4 daughters came by for a visit but also for an "interview". Something at their church led to a challenge to ask someone how they came to invite another person to join their family, essentially about adoption. The 10 year old daughter thought of our family and wanted to interview us. She knew we had a large family and quite a few children who were adopted, but had not heard our "5 Loaves and 2 Fishes" story. It was so fun to share our story with her and her mom and sisters! Lori, the mom, had not heard all of our story either and she was thrilled at what all I had to share. She kept saying "WOW!!! THAT is a GOD THING! Nothing else!!" and she was so right!! I love being able to share our story and the bottom line, as I reinforced to these young girls is that we should never say "NO" to God. He may say "NO" to us, but we need to always be ready and willing to tell God "YES LORD!" and let Him guide our steps, that we never know what all God has for us until we ask, but if we back off of something and spew all the human excuses for why "a thing" is impossible or too hard, we may cheat ourselves out of a blessing God has for us. I hope and pray that God uses this time together to reinforce something or stir up something in that young girl, or her mom and little sisters. I am so aware of God's hand on us over the years, and it is ONLY GOD who has brought us to the place we are now. Had we said "NO GOD" at any point in our incredible life journey, our story would be so different, if not in visible , tangible circumstance, in spiritual growth or maturing attitude. If we were to say "NO GOD" tomorrow, the awesome blessings of our yesterdays would be little more than stale bread, and I have no desire to accumulate stale bread! I want , I crave, I desire, and I am pursuing and aiming for a John 10: 10 life...Life and MORE ABUNDANTLY!!! (more modern versions and translations say "The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. or " LIFE TO THE FULL") Isn't that what YOU want?
I am reading Lysa TerKeurst's book "Made To Crave, satisfying your deepest desire with God, not food" and this is a wonderful book!! I am not particularly struggling with food, but Lysa's point is that WHATEVER we crave above our craving for God needs adjusting. Her intro says "This book is dedicated to you, my friend. While I don't know your name, God does. I believe He led you to pick up this book because He wants you to know your issues with food are not a curse but a gateway through which He can touch the rawest places of your heart and help you discover a deep satisfaction only He can give. Go ahead and dare to believe that this time around things will be different!" I am reading this book to let God root out what my "food" cravings may be so that God can work in my life to cause me to want HIM ALONE as what / WHO I crave above all else!!! (She is the Proverbs 31 Ministries Lysa TerKeurst, btw)
My heart sings " You are my King! In all I do, let me honor You!"
Earlier today anothe friend and her 4 daughters came by for a visit but also for an "interview". Something at their church led to a challenge to ask someone how they came to invite another person to join their family, essentially about adoption. The 10 year old daughter thought of our family and wanted to interview us. She knew we had a large family and quite a few children who were adopted, but had not heard our "5 Loaves and 2 Fishes" story. It was so fun to share our story with her and her mom and sisters! Lori, the mom, had not heard all of our story either and she was thrilled at what all I had to share. She kept saying "WOW!!! THAT is a GOD THING! Nothing else!!" and she was so right!! I love being able to share our story and the bottom line, as I reinforced to these young girls is that we should never say "NO" to God. He may say "NO" to us, but we need to always be ready and willing to tell God "YES LORD!" and let Him guide our steps, that we never know what all God has for us until we ask, but if we back off of something and spew all the human excuses for why "a thing" is impossible or too hard, we may cheat ourselves out of a blessing God has for us. I hope and pray that God uses this time together to reinforce something or stir up something in that young girl, or her mom and little sisters. I am so aware of God's hand on us over the years, and it is ONLY GOD who has brought us to the place we are now. Had we said "NO GOD" at any point in our incredible life journey, our story would be so different, if not in visible , tangible circumstance, in spiritual growth or maturing attitude. If we were to say "NO GOD" tomorrow, the awesome blessings of our yesterdays would be little more than stale bread, and I have no desire to accumulate stale bread! I want , I crave, I desire, and I am pursuing and aiming for a John 10: 10 life...Life and MORE ABUNDANTLY!!! (more modern versions and translations say "The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life. or " LIFE TO THE FULL") Isn't that what YOU want?
I am reading Lysa TerKeurst's book "Made To Crave, satisfying your deepest desire with God, not food" and this is a wonderful book!! I am not particularly struggling with food, but Lysa's point is that WHATEVER we crave above our craving for God needs adjusting. Her intro says "This book is dedicated to you, my friend. While I don't know your name, God does. I believe He led you to pick up this book because He wants you to know your issues with food are not a curse but a gateway through which He can touch the rawest places of your heart and help you discover a deep satisfaction only He can give. Go ahead and dare to believe that this time around things will be different!" I am reading this book to let God root out what my "food" cravings may be so that God can work in my life to cause me to want HIM ALONE as what / WHO I crave above all else!!! (She is the Proverbs 31 Ministries Lysa TerKeurst, btw)
My heart sings " You are my King! In all I do, let me honor You!"
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Goat sitting. Really?
Yes I am. A woman to whom I sold two does several weeks ago had just moved to our town and was not thinking about the commitment having dairy goats involves and totally forgot that she had a trip planned out of town for her son's military graduation. WHAT TO DO WITH THE GOATS??? She called me to ask how messed up they would be if she left food and water but didn't milk them for 5 days, saying she was pretty sure that was a bad idea. I sensed her dilemma and offered to goat sit my former goats for her. Today she brought them back but was just thrilled at having them and spoke of how sweet they are and how glad she is that she got them. She'd asked me about bringing them back to breed in fall so I happily introduced her to Thor , our Future Stud Muffin. She and her younger sons were very pleased with him too. Yes, goat sitting. why not?
I saws the orthopedic doctor today who was pretty pleased with the state of my toe after we soaked off the old dressing to evaluate . I was pretty pleased with the suture job when I saw it because Thursday night ,frankly my toe was a wreck. Today it's just red and held together with black sutures. (Photo upon request, decided not to post it with a disclaimer "Not for the Squeamish" (wink!) Next week I will get the stitches out, have new X-rays and we'll see if the bone pieces are healing together although he told me to expect that to be a very slow process. I stood on my foot TOO MUCH yesterday and by evening it was so swollen and sore. I really behaved myself today and I can truly feel the difference. Still restricted activity, and no swimming, certainly no mother- daughter shopping trips for a while and no bowling. When Charlie and I took the kids bowling today, I decided that since I could not bowl, I could get busy on Riley's baby blanket. She is due to make her arrival in EIGHT WEEKS!!!!! Hard to be a very conscientious cheer leader when buried in intricate crochet instructions and counting stitches to keep the pattern perfect! It felt good to get several inches and rounds completed.
We are praising God tonight for the fact that it is ONLY 82 degrees right now! We got a little bit of rain which cooled things down for a few hours and almost watered the gardens...almost. We still need about three solid weeks of slow steady rain to revive the parched pastures , yards, fields and gardens but we will take what we are given. Tomorrow's temsp are due to be back over 100 again but for now I will happily open my porch door and let some fresh air in the house!!!
Don't you love Natalie Grant's song, "Your Great Name" I love the music and I love the words! Listen alongwith the sound track as you read the lyrics below and be blessed as you worship!
Your Great Name
Lost are saved find their way
At the sound of Your great Name
All condemned feel no shame
At the sound of Your great Name
Ev'ry fear has no place
At the sound of Your great Name
The enemy he has to leave
At the sound of Your great Name
Chorus
Jesus worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us
The Son of God and man
You are high and lifted up
And all the world will praise
Your great Name
Verse 2
All the weak find their strength
At the sound of Your great Name
Hungry souls receive grace
At the sound of Your great Name
The fatherless find their rest
At the sound of Your great Name
The sick are healed the dead are raised
At the sound of Your great Name
Jesus worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us
The Son of God and man
You are high and lifted up
And all the world will praise
Your great Name
(BRIDGE 1)
Redeemer my Healer Lord Almighty
Defender my Savior You are my King
I saws the orthopedic doctor today who was pretty pleased with the state of my toe after we soaked off the old dressing to evaluate . I was pretty pleased with the suture job when I saw it because Thursday night ,frankly my toe was a wreck. Today it's just red and held together with black sutures. (Photo upon request, decided not to post it with a disclaimer "Not for the Squeamish" (wink!) Next week I will get the stitches out, have new X-rays and we'll see if the bone pieces are healing together although he told me to expect that to be a very slow process. I stood on my foot TOO MUCH yesterday and by evening it was so swollen and sore. I really behaved myself today and I can truly feel the difference. Still restricted activity, and no swimming, certainly no mother- daughter shopping trips for a while and no bowling. When Charlie and I took the kids bowling today, I decided that since I could not bowl, I could get busy on Riley's baby blanket. She is due to make her arrival in EIGHT WEEKS!!!!! Hard to be a very conscientious cheer leader when buried in intricate crochet instructions and counting stitches to keep the pattern perfect! It felt good to get several inches and rounds completed.
We are praising God tonight for the fact that it is ONLY 82 degrees right now! We got a little bit of rain which cooled things down for a few hours and almost watered the gardens...almost. We still need about three solid weeks of slow steady rain to revive the parched pastures , yards, fields and gardens but we will take what we are given. Tomorrow's temsp are due to be back over 100 again but for now I will happily open my porch door and let some fresh air in the house!!!
Don't you love Natalie Grant's song, "Your Great Name" I love the music and I love the words! Listen alongwith the sound track as you read the lyrics below and be blessed as you worship!
Your Great Name
Lost are saved find their way
At the sound of Your great Name
All condemned feel no shame
At the sound of Your great Name
Ev'ry fear has no place
At the sound of Your great Name
The enemy he has to leave
At the sound of Your great Name
Chorus
Jesus worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us
The Son of God and man
You are high and lifted up
And all the world will praise
Your great Name
Verse 2
All the weak find their strength
At the sound of Your great Name
Hungry souls receive grace
At the sound of Your great Name
The fatherless find their rest
At the sound of Your great Name
The sick are healed the dead are raised
At the sound of Your great Name
Jesus worthy is the Lamb that was slain for us
The Son of God and man
You are high and lifted up
And all the world will praise
Your great Name
(BRIDGE 1)
Redeemer my Healer Lord Almighty
Defender my Savior You are my King
Monday, July 11, 2011
Of IRS audits, air conditioning, broken bones and visitors from far a way
We were so unexpectedly delighted to find out that some changes in the Adoption Tax Credit were going to result in our return being larger than we had ever expected. We filed the forms, and began the wait for our direct deposit, as with every year since direct deposit was an option. Imagine my surprise and dismay when checking the IRS website "Where's My Return" to find a notice saying our return was being "reviewed", we were not to send any documentation at this time but to wait for up to 45 days for IRS to contact us and ask us.. I began to hear from a lot of adoptive families that this was also happening to them. Our larger than "normal" returns were raising red flags with processors and we as a huge group were being pulled for audit. As I've mentioned before, our central heating and cooling unit went out last summer and we had been counting on that money to replace the unit, knowing it would be COSTLY. We never dreamed in mid July we would still be waiting on a tax return over documents we have submitted over 5 years and followed IRS rules to submit. This in mind I called the IRS to ask if our case could be considered a hardship and a Tax Advocate assigned to adjudicate and perhaps expedited our case. It has been summer in Oklahoma since May, with our temps over June and July so far being well over 100. PRETTY HARD on a baby who is unable to thermo-regulate because he is missing that part of his brain to maintain when the inside of our house was 98 degrees a lot of days. Box fans helped a bit, but mostly only moved hot air. Going outside in the sun and coming in a few minutes later helped the healthy members of the family to re-group and to cope; we were able to borrow 2 small room AC units which helped some too, but overall, 107 is just plain HOT. The IRS agent was gruff to me at first because I had disregarded the 45 day instruction before I called but when I explained that 10 of us were living in a non-air conditioned house, he softened quickly and became VERY helpful. In less than the 10 days he told me it would take to hear from a Tax Advocate to contact me about our case. The Advocate was very warm in her letter but required our supporting documents in SEVEN DAYS from receipt of her letter! I spent every minute of those days putting receipts together with adoption decrees, travel documents...every thing that we had kept carefully filed for"just in case" At 4:30 PM on DAY SEVEN I faxed 131 pages of supporting evidence to "prove " to the IRS that we had indeed adopted the most recent 4 children and that they are real, live, breathing people and not tax cheat material. HOW the IRS can no possibly know how much money in fees the USCIS requires to even start an adoption and how much money in Home Study fees to get that USCIS documentation, how can IRS not know that all adoption documents are required to be presented at Social Security Administration to prove that said child exists and was legally adopted and allowed into the USA so that a Social Security Number may be assigned so that said adoptive family could even CLAIM said child on the tax forms?? The changes made for this year made the "Credit' a "Refund' so expense documents should have been a moot point, HAD IRS TRAINED ITS STAFF IN NEW LAWS and to EXPECT LARGER THAN USUAL REFUNDS FOR ADOPTIVE FAMILIES, but no. We were assigned the same IRS agents who ferret out real and potential tax cheats, rather than being viewed as middle class folks following IRS instructions. To support our hardship claim, I enclosed the weather reports from our newspaper for three weeks surrounding the audit document preparation time and photos of the thermostat on my dash board showing the time and date and 107 degrees.
HOW GRATEFUL I WAS for the super lady who owns our local shipping office. Instead of the usual $1 per page to fax documents, she helped me run the whole packet and confirmed that it was sent for me and blessed me with a $12.50 bill!!!!!!!!!!!!! She told me that if any of my receipts from her store had faded she would look them up in her files and make me new documents. I wrote her a thank you note and left it on her desk after she left the store.
The heat really was getting to be more than we could keep up with however so in anticipation of resolution , we took out a loan and bought a new AC system, which went in on Wednesday and Thursday...just in time for the temperatures to hit 112-114 five days in a row!! I am trusting that we are completed in time for the first payment on the loan coz it's a DOOOOOZY! We DO need the tax refund for the AC unit; we just felt we could not wait until the end of August (the projected date of our return IF IRS "likes" all that I sent them)...so, we DO have a comfortable house, our Audit is submitted and life was going to be relaxing over the weekend, right? ( I spent ALL day July 4th in the house with the audit docs while my family was out at the lake at our rented camp site) . NO. Thursday night, babysitting Charlie, Mady and Blake for Hannah and Jon, I volunteered to walk Sugar for Charlie. I picked up her reins and I "think" touched her cheek and caused her to think I was ready for her to walk. NO. She picked up her big foot and stepped on MY foot, my right big toe to be exact, squarely on my toe and somewhat on the rest of my toes. I know I shouted, realized it was hurt pretty badly, but kept enough presence of mind to grab Charlie from off of Sugar's back lest she think she should take off in trot-run..which had happened earlier that morning with 6 year old Mady on her back. NEITHER incident was Sugar's fault at ALL. With Mady, Sugar didn't realize that Mady didn't have the reins in hand, felt enough of a side kick to think she'd been told to go, and took off. Naomi and Mady had been running the horses in and out of the back yard all day so this was an expected reaction at that point in the routine. Thankfully, even though Sugar took off in full barrel race speed, Mady hung on to the saddle horn and didn't let go . Sugar took several laps around the pond, the barn and the pond again before racing around the barn one more time, bumping into the corner of the barn and causing her to stop and Mady to get off. i was right there when this happened so grabbed Charlie from Isaac and sent him to go help Mady. OYE! I prayed over her so fervently as he (and Sugar ) ran! Brave kiddo that she is, with a little urging from the Gi-Gi, (that's me) Mady got back on Sugar and Isaac led them back to the porch from whence they had started. With my foot, Sugar just didn't know I was in the spot she was starting out for OR that I was not wearing my Ariat boots or that her foot could cause my foot extreme injury. Shortly after I left my shoe in the yard and hobbled to the bathtub to rinse my toe and assess the damage, Hannah and Jon arrived for the children and Hannah heard the Tale of Sugar and Mamma. Unsqueamish as her Mamma, she looked it over , saw that it was "pretty awful' and took me tot he ER. WHEW!!! I graded this as "not as bad as passing a gall stone but worse than having a baby" and was so thankful that when the ER doctor starting injecting anesthesia into my toe that he hit a nerve quickly and before he was even done injecting I was no longer in pain. Two + hours later I returned home and Hannah went to sleep. I was taking off the immobilizer boot they'd given me and realized that my foot was bleeding far more than I'd been told to expect so after a call to the ER to confirm, had Jael take me back to the ER. THIS TIME they realized that my injury was not "just " the shattered bones in my toe that were so easily visible in the X-rays, but that the arteries and veins in my toe were also torn and not clotting off. 15 stitches later in my nail bed, the bone was no longer visible and the bleeding had pretty much been stopped. We did NOT take photos although the unsqueamish and medically curious nature of my daughters and myself made it pretty tempting! The stitches will not come out for two weeks, and I see an orthopedic specialist tomorrow morning. Don't know what he can tell me other than "elevate your foot, ice it and take Motrin" . I was given IV antibiotics as well as oral follow-up meds because of the injury and exposure of the bone and the increased risk of bone infection, and also some pretty heavy duty pain meds. I am totally allergic to Codeine so the next tier drugs down have to do. This stuff made me so loopy and sea-sick, I decided discomfort was better and returned to Motrin. I could not put a sentence together but was acutely aware of the fact. THAT was so frustrating, much to the amusement of my family since I am usually the uber articulate one. It was fun at my temporary expense, to have the verbal "upper hand" for a change. I was not sorry to cut that game a bit short!! All this to say I am even more thankful that we got the AC put in because I am on very limited weight bearing restriction. Saturday Hannah and my dear friend Jenny took me grocery shopping since I kind of missed that on Friday. Hannah pushed a Walmart wheel chair for me and as I directed Jenny and Hannah pulled my week's shopping needs off the shelves in what seemed to me, record breaking time!!! I knew my dressing needed to be changed so Hannah volunteered to to that chore as well. Sweet Charlie -man, not to be left out or without an opportunity to help, picked up a pair of pliers an older boy /man person had left out and preceded to "help". As she cut the dressing off, Charlie pinched the toes on my other foot.
In other Calico Acres Farm news, I found the most beautiful Alpine buckling to be my Fall 2011 "Stud Muffin" He is so sweet and social and I love his coloring! Our Spring 2012 babies are going to be gorgeous and again, coming from a great milk line himself, he will contribute to my goal of producing great quality and quantity milk producing lines.
Meet Thor!
HOW GRATEFUL I WAS for the super lady who owns our local shipping office. Instead of the usual $1 per page to fax documents, she helped me run the whole packet and confirmed that it was sent for me and blessed me with a $12.50 bill!!!!!!!!!!!!! She told me that if any of my receipts from her store had faded she would look them up in her files and make me new documents. I wrote her a thank you note and left it on her desk after she left the store.
 |
| Assembling our documents...like doing 5 adoptions all at once! |
The heat really was getting to be more than we could keep up with however so in anticipation of resolution , we took out a loan and bought a new AC system, which went in on Wednesday and Thursday...just in time for the temperatures to hit 112-114 five days in a row!! I am trusting that we are completed in time for the first payment on the loan coz it's a DOOOOOZY! We DO need the tax refund for the AC unit; we just felt we could not wait until the end of August (the projected date of our return IF IRS "likes" all that I sent them)...so, we DO have a comfortable house, our Audit is submitted and life was going to be relaxing over the weekend, right? ( I spent ALL day July 4th in the house with the audit docs while my family was out at the lake at our rented camp site) . NO. Thursday night, babysitting Charlie, Mady and Blake for Hannah and Jon, I volunteered to walk Sugar for Charlie. I picked up her reins and I "think" touched her cheek and caused her to think I was ready for her to walk. NO. She picked up her big foot and stepped on MY foot, my right big toe to be exact, squarely on my toe and somewhat on the rest of my toes. I know I shouted, realized it was hurt pretty badly, but kept enough presence of mind to grab Charlie from off of Sugar's back lest she think she should take off in trot-run..which had happened earlier that morning with 6 year old Mady on her back. NEITHER incident was Sugar's fault at ALL. With Mady, Sugar didn't realize that Mady didn't have the reins in hand, felt enough of a side kick to think she'd been told to go, and took off. Naomi and Mady had been running the horses in and out of the back yard all day so this was an expected reaction at that point in the routine. Thankfully, even though Sugar took off in full barrel race speed, Mady hung on to the saddle horn and didn't let go . Sugar took several laps around the pond, the barn and the pond again before racing around the barn one more time, bumping into the corner of the barn and causing her to stop and Mady to get off. i was right there when this happened so grabbed Charlie from Isaac and sent him to go help Mady. OYE! I prayed over her so fervently as he (and Sugar ) ran! Brave kiddo that she is, with a little urging from the Gi-Gi, (that's me) Mady got back on Sugar and Isaac led them back to the porch from whence they had started. With my foot, Sugar just didn't know I was in the spot she was starting out for OR that I was not wearing my Ariat boots or that her foot could cause my foot extreme injury. Shortly after I left my shoe in the yard and hobbled to the bathtub to rinse my toe and assess the damage, Hannah and Jon arrived for the children and Hannah heard the Tale of Sugar and Mamma. Unsqueamish as her Mamma, she looked it over , saw that it was "pretty awful' and took me tot he ER. WHEW!!! I graded this as "not as bad as passing a gall stone but worse than having a baby" and was so thankful that when the ER doctor starting injecting anesthesia into my toe that he hit a nerve quickly and before he was even done injecting I was no longer in pain. Two + hours later I returned home and Hannah went to sleep. I was taking off the immobilizer boot they'd given me and realized that my foot was bleeding far more than I'd been told to expect so after a call to the ER to confirm, had Jael take me back to the ER. THIS TIME they realized that my injury was not "just " the shattered bones in my toe that were so easily visible in the X-rays, but that the arteries and veins in my toe were also torn and not clotting off. 15 stitches later in my nail bed, the bone was no longer visible and the bleeding had pretty much been stopped. We did NOT take photos although the unsqueamish and medically curious nature of my daughters and myself made it pretty tempting! The stitches will not come out for two weeks, and I see an orthopedic specialist tomorrow morning. Don't know what he can tell me other than "elevate your foot, ice it and take Motrin" . I was given IV antibiotics as well as oral follow-up meds because of the injury and exposure of the bone and the increased risk of bone infection, and also some pretty heavy duty pain meds. I am totally allergic to Codeine so the next tier drugs down have to do. This stuff made me so loopy and sea-sick, I decided discomfort was better and returned to Motrin. I could not put a sentence together but was acutely aware of the fact. THAT was so frustrating, much to the amusement of my family since I am usually the uber articulate one. It was fun at my temporary expense, to have the verbal "upper hand" for a change. I was not sorry to cut that game a bit short!! All this to say I am even more thankful that we got the AC put in because I am on very limited weight bearing restriction. Saturday Hannah and my dear friend Jenny took me grocery shopping since I kind of missed that on Friday. Hannah pushed a Walmart wheel chair for me and as I directed Jenny and Hannah pulled my week's shopping needs off the shelves in what seemed to me, record breaking time!!! I knew my dressing needed to be changed so Hannah volunteered to to that chore as well. Sweet Charlie -man, not to be left out or without an opportunity to help, picked up a pair of pliers an older boy /man person had left out and preceded to "help". As she cut the dressing off, Charlie pinched the toes on my other foot.
 |
| Every time Charlie sees a camera he says "cheese" even when doing toe surgery! |
 |
| Such dedication!!! |
Meet Thor!
Since most of our horse owning experiences are happy ones, I'm sharing some photos of Mady and Naomi as they rode last week.Riding, or just being around horses, brings out the most beautiful smiles on Naomi's face
 |
| Mady and Sugar, Naomi and Lucky and Thunder, Sugar's colt, get ready for a ride |
 |
| This is what I saw most of the day on Thursday...girls and horses heading out the gate! |
 |
| and off they go!!! |
 |
| And here she comes ! |
 |
| Taking a rest for a little while. These girls don't look like they know its 112 degrees out! |
 |
| Madyson petting Thunder |
Today was a very special treat for me! My dear friend Susan and her family who live in California are traveling to Arkansas for some family business and wee able to fit a visit with us into the itinerary! We've been able to get together over the years a couple of times and it is always WONDERFUL!!! Susan and Mike's older daughter who came to visit with them one time was in Cambodia last year and was able to attend Malachi and Sopheak's wedding adding a special international link to the event. Their son knows the children of our friends from the same Bible College in Arkansas and we also share in common that we have a Vietnamese daughter and Cambodian son who are almost the same ages. Susan and I met online through an adoption support group and communicate online pretty often. It is super special to get to meet face-to-face, some of my cyber-met friends , and meeting Susan has caused our two families to become friends as well.
Susan's son Zach loves horse back riding so it was no surprise that even in the heat, they spent as much of the afternoon out on the horses as they possibly cold. With a few breaks to swim in the pool and play Marco Polo with Susan's husband Mike and the other kids, they rode and rode and their faces were exhuberant !!
Kallie had planned to ride but the heat, and the sight of my bandaged toe kind of put her off of her own riding but she and Rachel made up for not riding by swimming and I think a great time was had by all!!! There is a chance that they will come back through this way on their way home which would delight me no end, but Zach and Naomi are both talking about being able to ride together again......................Susan and I have a lot of similar life-experiences beyond our children in that our parents have presented special medical challenges to us as well and it was so good to have someone to share back and forth with about those issues. I have some really fun memories of being at Susan's parents' home several years back, and really enjoying their company. My dad had died before that time , but since then, my mom had a severe stroke that changed life for her and all of us forever, Susan's mom had a severe stroke last year that God chose to as His time to take her Home and Susan's dad is in Alzheimer's. I've been through the selling of parent's home and possessions, the nursing home selection and such, she is going through a lot of that now . I don't have many friends who like me are still raising younger children while caring for aged and/ or disabled parents. I hope that I can be and continue to pray encouragement for her as she starts this project ahead of her. All too soon it was time for them to leave, I'm so thankful for the time we had and that I was able to introduce Daniel to her . They were all so sweet and loving to him and Daniel snuggled right into Susan's shoulder, roared his sweet roaring talk and smiled his biggest smiles at her for quite a while. Shattered toe and throbbing stitched up nailbed pain or not, IRS audit or not, life is go good and I am full of praise to our Heavenly Father for His goodness. I can not say enough how blessed my life is!!!!!!!!!!
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Who knew a haircut and a bath could be so exhausting?
OH my!! Maybe it was going bowling before the haircut and bath, I'm not sure. Daniel has his habits and routines to be sure. He has pretty much figured out church on Sunday and doesn't fall asleep quite so quickly after church as he used to but most other situations totally drain him! I watch my sweet baby , with <5 of his brain in his skull, trying to figure out where he is and what is going on around him, and now that we are bowling every day, bowling is not quite so tiring for Daniel either, but today...........oh my sweet baby needed a haircut and a bath VERY BADLY! He screamed all the way through the haircut...SCREAMED, slobbered, buggered, cried, fluids were everywhere all because I gave took about an inch of over grown thick hair off his head for the rest of summer. You would think I was cutting off his skin the way he protested! I cuddled Daniel for a long time after the haircut and he fell deeply asleep. I LOVE CUDDLING DANIEL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! His wonderful shower chair which is his new and usual place to hang out in the house needed a bath almost as badly as Daniel did ,so sleepy baby and I went to the bathtub. Not quite as bad in his thinking as the haircut, I am guessing, he protested for a short while. MY thinking is that a warm bath feels good to anyone and everyone....... eventually. Showered and all the dead skin removed from his tight little fists, and from under his toes and arm pits, my sweet little man smelled great and and looked super! Upstairs to his room, lotioned and dressed, Daniel was ready for his bed! WHEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
How amazing it is to me that Daniel has been home with us for one year and one week!!!! He has done so well with his surgeries, with feeding through a tube , with clothes and blankets , and with his much busier life in Oklahoma over that in an orphanage in Liberia!
In this year I have come to know that sometimes he is ticklish under his arms and on his shoulder blades. SOMETIMES! Not always. He HATES having his hands touched unless I am slapping them . Sounds violent but I don't mean "hard" , but stroking his hands invokes a very negative, frightened , irritated default response while a slapping motion brings out an almost immediate smile and then laughter!!! He hates having his hands stretched or his arms touched to get his clothes changed or to powder under his sweaty armpits but LOVES when I tap on his elbows, or "type " on his forehead. Our doctors tell us that Daniel does not remember anything and is not aware of individual people or events. TELL THAT to anyone who watches me set up his feeding tube for a meal! SOME DAYS, as soon as I pull up his shirt so I can hook up the tube to his Mic button on his tummy , Daniel responds with a smile and or a roar of pleasure. While his meals are flowing into his tummy from the tube, he may wiggle and smile and make as many pleasure-sounds as a baby could make. Daniel may never say a "word" but I hear his thoughts . I understand his "talk". I understand his body language. A year ago I was learning how to read my precious baby. Now I know that I KNOW him. Daniel would love to be held , in my LEFT arm all day long. I am left handed and that arm is stronger. ALL my other babies liked my left arm best too. It didn't take a brain for Daniel to know what felt best.Daniel is no different from all his other older sibs in that respect. . When I hold him against me, on his tummy , he snuggles. That too apparently requires no brain for a baby to default to . When I stroke his legs he smiles, he roars, he "talks" and he laughs. Sometimes his ribs are ticklish too and the laughs are precious to hear. SOMETIMES all those touches are not pleasant or welcome and Daniel screams. I never know how he will respond until I start an interaction. . Strangely, a slapping of his cheeks or tapping of his hands or forehead almost IMMEDIATELY calms him back down. This tells me that he is not in pain but more of a protest reaction. To an outsider it may look very strange to tap or thump like I do, but Daniel is NOT wired like a typical baby. I am careful in how I respond to his "likes" and WHERE I respond to them as well. A lot of people seeing Daniel, back off but can also be very quick to be critical. I have to inject here that VERY few people even in our church seem to have warmed to Daniel. VERY FEW....as in: I can count on the fingers of 1/2 half a hand who have asked to hold him, or who HAVE. My baby, in his blind, totally dependent state, makes people uncomfortable, I guess. He puts people off. They don't "know how " to relate to him... I suspect because babies are "supposed to" give something back when held or talked to and Daniel just can not always do that ; may be it is something else. HE is BEAUTIFUL, he is sweet, he is a baby whom God blessed this world to know. Kind of like Jesus Himself,
" He came unto His own but His own received Him not" It has not hurt me as much as disappointed me to watch people's responses to my son. Our church, our friends, PRAYED THIS BABY HOME, but they don't love on him like they do "normal " babies.The few people who acknowledge him at all occasionally stoke his leg (maybe) and say "awwwwwwwwwwww, sweet Daniel" and keep walking. I can not express how it touched my heart two weeks ago when a new family came to our church , the mom was someone I'd met at baseball several years ago; she too is an adoptive mom, and her IMMEDIATE response to seeing me holding Daniel was to ask "Can I hold him?" She took him from me and just loved on him. He cooed , he smiled, he was as beautiful as I see him all the time. I could not help but think about how much the "distant" people are missing by not spending a bit of time loving on Daniel. I am so thankful for the year we have had WITH Daniel, for the year + that we spent praying FOR him, and for the time we have ahead...however much tiem that might be.
Right now Daniel is sound asleep after his hair cut and his bath. I can'timagine life without him. He is soemtimes "difficult" and "different" but he is our beautiful, PRECIOUS BABY and WE get to be his family!!!!!!!!!!
The clippers, the bath chair and the cleaned up, trimmed up , exhausted baby Daniel . No photos of the splashed up sweaty Mamma!!!!
How amazing it is to me that Daniel has been home with us for one year and one week!!!! He has done so well with his surgeries, with feeding through a tube , with clothes and blankets , and with his much busier life in Oklahoma over that in an orphanage in Liberia!
In this year I have come to know that sometimes he is ticklish under his arms and on his shoulder blades. SOMETIMES! Not always. He HATES having his hands touched unless I am slapping them . Sounds violent but I don't mean "hard" , but stroking his hands invokes a very negative, frightened , irritated default response while a slapping motion brings out an almost immediate smile and then laughter!!! He hates having his hands stretched or his arms touched to get his clothes changed or to powder under his sweaty armpits but LOVES when I tap on his elbows, or "type " on his forehead. Our doctors tell us that Daniel does not remember anything and is not aware of individual people or events. TELL THAT to anyone who watches me set up his feeding tube for a meal! SOME DAYS, as soon as I pull up his shirt so I can hook up the tube to his Mic button on his tummy , Daniel responds with a smile and or a roar of pleasure. While his meals are flowing into his tummy from the tube, he may wiggle and smile and make as many pleasure-sounds as a baby could make. Daniel may never say a "word" but I hear his thoughts . I understand his "talk". I understand his body language. A year ago I was learning how to read my precious baby. Now I know that I KNOW him. Daniel would love to be held , in my LEFT arm all day long. I am left handed and that arm is stronger. ALL my other babies liked my left arm best too. It didn't take a brain for Daniel to know what felt best.Daniel is no different from all his other older sibs in that respect. . When I hold him against me, on his tummy , he snuggles. That too apparently requires no brain for a baby to default to . When I stroke his legs he smiles, he roars, he "talks" and he laughs. Sometimes his ribs are ticklish too and the laughs are precious to hear. SOMETIMES all those touches are not pleasant or welcome and Daniel screams. I never know how he will respond until I start an interaction. . Strangely, a slapping of his cheeks or tapping of his hands or forehead almost IMMEDIATELY calms him back down. This tells me that he is not in pain but more of a protest reaction. To an outsider it may look very strange to tap or thump like I do, but Daniel is NOT wired like a typical baby. I am careful in how I respond to his "likes" and WHERE I respond to them as well. A lot of people seeing Daniel, back off but can also be very quick to be critical. I have to inject here that VERY few people even in our church seem to have warmed to Daniel. VERY FEW....as in: I can count on the fingers of 1/2 half a hand who have asked to hold him, or who HAVE. My baby, in his blind, totally dependent state, makes people uncomfortable, I guess. He puts people off. They don't "know how " to relate to him... I suspect because babies are "supposed to" give something back when held or talked to and Daniel just can not always do that ; may be it is something else. HE is BEAUTIFUL, he is sweet, he is a baby whom God blessed this world to know. Kind of like Jesus Himself,
" He came unto His own but His own received Him not" It has not hurt me as much as disappointed me to watch people's responses to my son. Our church, our friends, PRAYED THIS BABY HOME, but they don't love on him like they do "normal " babies.The few people who acknowledge him at all occasionally stoke his leg (maybe) and say "awwwwwwwwwwww, sweet Daniel" and keep walking. I can not express how it touched my heart two weeks ago when a new family came to our church , the mom was someone I'd met at baseball several years ago; she too is an adoptive mom, and her IMMEDIATE response to seeing me holding Daniel was to ask "Can I hold him?" She took him from me and just loved on him. He cooed , he smiled, he was as beautiful as I see him all the time. I could not help but think about how much the "distant" people are missing by not spending a bit of time loving on Daniel. I am so thankful for the year we have had WITH Daniel, for the year + that we spent praying FOR him, and for the time we have ahead...however much tiem that might be.
Right now Daniel is sound asleep after his hair cut and his bath. I can'timagine life without him. He is soemtimes "difficult" and "different" but he is our beautiful, PRECIOUS BABY and WE get to be his family!!!!!!!!!!
Friday, June 10, 2011
I'm BACK!
Has it really been over two months since I posted anything? OH MY!!! Since April, most of the goats have kidded, we've sold afew , a doe died, all the mamma goats are seriously in milk and the babies are weaned to grain. Sugar had her foal on Easter night. He's a beautiful little colt and he loves Naomi best of all! All the barn cats had kittens, 15 in all, but slowly and surely, the number of kitties here at Calico Acres Farm has decreased. our Calico Mamma, Lilac has 5 kitties who are going to an aviary to mouse there, one whole litter and the mamma went to North Dakota with our friend and former neighbor Lori who moved there, along with several of our "extra " goats. We've added 20 chicks to the chicken coop population and are culling out the non-layers. We have 24 more chicks arriving on July 1...should be lots of eggs by fall to eat and to sell!! The gardens are so exciting: burgeoning with cucmbers, beans, several varieties of tomatoes, lots of peppers, onions, garlic, okra, squash and zuchini, potatoes, corn, more corn, canteloups and water melons! We've added a dozen new fruit and nut trees to the orchards and tansplanted some pecan trees from other parts of the pastures into the orchard. The grapes look great too. It is amazing how much better things grow when the garden is tilled over the winter and really well-prepped for spring planting! I really worked the front flower beds and rose gardens as well, and made an herb garden space out front where I usually plant pansies or begonias. The cilantro, basil, oregano, and rosemary have a smell that is so close to heavenly,I can just sit and sniff....... and sniff and sniff!!!!!!!!!!! Blended with the surrounding roses, oh yes!! It's like a perfumery!
We purposed to seriously garden this year to really provide food for our family and to have plenty to share with others. So far , that goal is nearing the first seps of accomplishment!
Our biggest milestone is that Daniel has been home HOME HOME with us for a whole year as of Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still shake my heard at that because it does not seem possible.
He is not much bigger than a year ago, still easily a size 18 month size and with his 4" foot he is still in newborn sized 3 shoes and size 3 diapers. We have all come to know him so well, know his many dislikes and his few likes, the things that sometimes make him smile, the things we know make him scream immediately, the things he puts up with. His favorite things are being held by his Mamma, music and being thumped. Soft touches seem to scare Daniel or irritate him badly. That produces lots of screaming! A stronger touch will bring about a smile and often a laugh and some Daniel talk too.......most of the time. Some days Daniel's affect is "flat" and unresponsive; some days he is so animated and so full of laughs and smiles, Every day is a new day of WHAT WILL DANIEL LIKE TODAY??????? He is truly our Forever 6 week old and I am thankful for this precious baby and how he fits into our family! I will never chase him around or shoo him out of a cupboard, but I WILL be able to cuddle him any time at all for as long as he is ours. How much more blessed could a mamma be ?
Jael graduated from high school and Esther'sbaby ................ a girl that she and Casey have named Riley Kay , is doing so well! Esther started her pregnancy a bit heavier than would be optimally healthy but she has taken such good care of herself and Riley that at 27 weeks along , (due on Grandpappa Charlie's birthday) she has only gained 6 pounds! Her NP is so impressed as is her midwife mamma! Riley is not our only Grand Baby-in-the-making however. Daughter Kari is due in late December and Caleb and wife Tiffany just found out they are expecting their first baby together about on my birthday . Sweet Grandbaby Charlie is talking and we enjoy him so much!!! I am his "Gi-Gi" and he loves to come to Gi-Gi's house! There are a couple of our grown children who are not living their lives as unto the Lord as they know they should, but at this point God's grace and mercy are covering them more than they know as this mamma continues to pray over them.
i stand on Isaiah 54:13 " ALL your children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children"..unwavering I stand firm for each of our children and trust God to draw them to eactly where HE wants them to be. It is painful to my mamma heart, but God is the strength of my heart!
Our central heating and cooling unit ( a very old and underefficient heat pump) died last summer before the heat had subsided. It was our plan to use our tax refund to replace it, no debt, no credit, just get a unit up and running and be done with it. THAT was before the IRS and some provision in Obama care made the way for our adotpion tax credit to be a "Refund" for the first and only time. The catch? MUST PAPER FILE not e-file...more time... the second catch??? Almost all the adoptive famileis who filed the required Form 8839 haver been noified ( and slowly I might add) that their file is being investigated and THAT means tax refunds , which are bigger than any of of us expected along the way, are being held up for months! We personally are waiting to see if we get the actual Letter from IRS requestign documentation, or if we'll see our money deposited. Right now we just don't know how that will go but God does and I am praying that He will orchestrate the arrival of the check with the bill for the AC/Heating unit. It all reminds me of my favorite Christian radio song right now... "REACH" by Peter Furler. "You hold the weight of the world yet I don't slip through Your hands!!" THAT is where I am today: knowing that WE are not going to slip through our Heavenly Father's hands!!!
We purposed to seriously garden this year to really provide food for our family and to have plenty to share with others. So far , that goal is nearing the first seps of accomplishment!
Our biggest milestone is that Daniel has been home HOME HOME with us for a whole year as of Monday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I still shake my heard at that because it does not seem possible.
He is not much bigger than a year ago, still easily a size 18 month size and with his 4" foot he is still in newborn sized 3 shoes and size 3 diapers. We have all come to know him so well, know his many dislikes and his few likes, the things that sometimes make him smile, the things we know make him scream immediately, the things he puts up with. His favorite things are being held by his Mamma, music and being thumped. Soft touches seem to scare Daniel or irritate him badly. That produces lots of screaming! A stronger touch will bring about a smile and often a laugh and some Daniel talk too.......most of the time. Some days Daniel's affect is "flat" and unresponsive; some days he is so animated and so full of laughs and smiles, Every day is a new day of WHAT WILL DANIEL LIKE TODAY??????? He is truly our Forever 6 week old and I am thankful for this precious baby and how he fits into our family! I will never chase him around or shoo him out of a cupboard, but I WILL be able to cuddle him any time at all for as long as he is ours. How much more blessed could a mamma be ?
Jael graduated from high school and Esther'sbaby ................ a girl that she and Casey have named Riley Kay , is doing so well! Esther started her pregnancy a bit heavier than would be optimally healthy but she has taken such good care of herself and Riley that at 27 weeks along , (due on Grandpappa Charlie's birthday) she has only gained 6 pounds! Her NP is so impressed as is her midwife mamma! Riley is not our only Grand Baby-in-the-making however. Daughter Kari is due in late December and Caleb and wife Tiffany just found out they are expecting their first baby together about on my birthday . Sweet Grandbaby Charlie is talking and we enjoy him so much!!! I am his "Gi-Gi" and he loves to come to Gi-Gi's house! There are a couple of our grown children who are not living their lives as unto the Lord as they know they should, but at this point God's grace and mercy are covering them more than they know as this mamma continues to pray over them.
i stand on Isaiah 54:13 " ALL your children shall be taught of the Lord and great shall be the peace of your children"..unwavering I stand firm for each of our children and trust God to draw them to eactly where HE wants them to be. It is painful to my mamma heart, but God is the strength of my heart!
Our central heating and cooling unit ( a very old and underefficient heat pump) died last summer before the heat had subsided. It was our plan to use our tax refund to replace it, no debt, no credit, just get a unit up and running and be done with it. THAT was before the IRS and some provision in Obama care made the way for our adotpion tax credit to be a "Refund" for the first and only time. The catch? MUST PAPER FILE not e-file...more time... the second catch??? Almost all the adoptive famileis who filed the required Form 8839 haver been noified ( and slowly I might add) that their file is being investigated and THAT means tax refunds , which are bigger than any of of us expected along the way, are being held up for months! We personally are waiting to see if we get the actual Letter from IRS requestign documentation, or if we'll see our money deposited. Right now we just don't know how that will go but God does and I am praying that He will orchestrate the arrival of the check with the bill for the AC/Heating unit. It all reminds me of my favorite Christian radio song right now... "REACH" by Peter Furler. "You hold the weight of the world yet I don't slip through Your hands!!" THAT is where I am today: knowing that WE are not going to slip through our Heavenly Father's hands!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
