Random Thoughts

~Rick left town today for the weekend.

~I have taken advantage of the Buy One Get One Half Off Blizzard Sale to get me through the weekend. 2 large French Silk Pie Blizzards are sitting in my freezer right now to be rationed out to myself at regular intervals throughout the weekend.

~Chick-fil-a will be my new office for the fall. I can meet with people while the kids play with unlimited amounts of Sweet Tea available.

~I am so excited to participate in a Feed My Starving Children event tomorrow with my big kids at a local church!!!

~I have experienced some great conversations with great friends and done some new and exciting things that I might not have ventured into on my own over the last week and a half. (more on that later)

~I realized the other day that Isaiah and Laila have never seen The Little Mermaid. I have got to change that soon. It is one of my all-time favorite Disney movies.

~My allergies are a mess this time of year!! I am tired of sneezing, snotting, and rubbing my eyes.

~The weather in CO is changing to Fall already. That sets me on a downward spiral emotionally.

~I got so spoiled this last weekend being away that reentry this week has been extremely painful for me.

~I wish I could push a reset button on our house and my children right now. They are both very messy in their own ways. Sibling fighting is going to send me over the edge.

~I have spent 2 1/2 hours in carpool lines each day this week. That is with Rick taking Cody to school each morning and Isaiah doesn't start until Monday!! I sure hope they get their new systems figured out soon!!

Whirlwind Week

The last week has been a whirlwind for me. My weekend away was AMAZING and deserves a post all its own. That is coming soon. I am still processing all that it meant to me. It truly was life giving on so many levels.

Reentry has been challenging for me. Last night was a very dramatic night in our house. I will not forget it. Dealing with 6 different little (and big) personalities can take its toll. Last night was one of those defining times with one of our kids. I just have one question: Why do life-defining experiences have to happen at 10:00 at night on the night before school starts?

Here are some events of our last week:

Abby found this Africa rock.

We see Africa in lots of places.

It is God reminding us of the calling He has placed on our family

Abby is considering a new hairstyle

Lauren had some toxic food

Last Wednesday, we took Abby out for her Bday Date

Can you guess which restaurant she chose?

Love my girl

As a last hurrah, the kids and I walked to get doughnuts Thursday morning

Couture Cupcakes has opened a bakery near our house.

These doughnuts taste like the ones we get in Swaziland.

I get lots of looks when we go out on scooters.

We did have a friend with us in case you are counting.

Laila is with me in the wagon.

After doughnuts, we headed to a friend's pool

Abby did this the whole 2 hours we were there.

Today, Isaiah and Laila found a comfy spot in the cart while I shopped at Sams.

Next up: Beginning of School Activities

Happy, Happy Girl

Right now, at this very moment, I have 2 friends coming to CO from other parts of the country to spend a Girls' weekend with me in Crested Butte!!!!

We have never met in person, but have so much in common.

All three of us have large families.

All three of us are followers of Jesus.

All three of us have adopted from Africa.

Our adopted children knew each other before we did.

All three of us feel passionately about the Biblical mandate to serve widows, orphans, and those in poverty.

We have been brought together in relationship by God and His calling on our lives.

Even as we come together this weekend, we have a fourth friend who is headed to Rwanda to meet her daughters and bring them home!!

I need this weekend away. I need this opportunity for real community. I need the break.

The circumstances of the last 11 months of my life have brought me to a place that calls for this time and these relationships.

I pray that God will use this time to continue healing my heart and revealing His will.

I want to hear from Him. I want to experience the "iron sharpens iron" concept from the Bible where believers come together and because of our relationships, we make each other better .

When I get back on Tues. I will hit the ground running with kids starting school.

But for today, I am ready to relax, laugh, eat some yummy food, sleep in, and have deep conversations about life and kids and our callings and our God.

Can't wait to meet you, Carrie and Melanie.

The Weekend

Since we couldn't get our family pictures, Saturday became a home day. We needed one of those. Rick got us some bagels for breakfast. Then, the yard work began:

Cody learned to use the weed eater

Abby is vicious with yard tools

We had a doctor on site for any injuries that occurred

Sam was the master weed picker

Isaiah used "The Claw"

Our yard looked great when it was all done.

I spent my time baking bread

We played some Guitar HeroFor some reason, I can't bring myself to wash the sliding glass door

Saturday night was a movie night. We watched Soul Surfer. It was good.

Sunday night, Rick and the kids slept in the tent in the back yard.

They are smiling now.

I don't know if they will do that again for a while. I think Rick snored so loud, they all wanted out of there. Cody came inside around 5:00AM. He had all the people touching him while he was trying to sleep that he could handle. Lauren was the only one that seemed to enjoy it and wanted to do it again last night. She couldn't convince Abby to do it. Isaiah, Laila, Abby and I slept inside. Why would I want to sleep in a tent when I can sleep in my bed? I don't get it.

A Beautiful Evening with Beautiful Ladies

My friend, Jan Jones, is in town. She has been living in Qatar for the last year teaching 2nd grade. I thought it would be fun to gather some of her friends together to spend an evening together. There was so much we needed to hear about her adventures over the last year.

She had no idea that we had this planned. She left out last night on her way to my house not knowing where she was going. When they pulled up in my driveway, she had the thought, "Oh, we are going to babysit." That made me laugh so hard. She was even more surprised when she opened the door to all these women awaiting her. Jan, I wouldn't make you babysit my kids as a "surprise."

Beautiful Ladies

(Okay, my pictures on the wall are a bit crooked. I have 6 kids.)

A few months ago, I purchased a deal through a local business called The House Chef of Colorado Springs. I was waiting for the perfect opportunity to use it. This night seemed like that time. A chef came to my house, prepared the food, and served us as we ate. It was really fun and a different way to have guests over. I got to enjoy the time as much as they did.

Chef Keith explaining the menu for the evening

A toast to Jan

First Course: Crab-stuffed Mushrooms

(Bad pic, I almost forgot to take one. The original presentation looked much better)

My addition to the meal: Strawberry Salad

Second Course: Chicken and Andouille Sausage Gumbo

Third Course: White Chocolate Croissant Bread Pudding

The food was delicious. No, really, it was amazing!!

The company of these ladies was even better. I loved laughing with them. I loved catching up on each other's lives. I loved having an evening with other women who sharpen and encourage me.

Jan has been to Swaziland with us 2 times. She has a passion for Africa and teaching. Her work in Qatar will bring her closer to pursuing that passion. I am so proud of her for the sacrifices she is making to be right where God has her. Love ya, Jan.

I need to do this more often! I am thinking I need to get a ladies supper club going!!

Change of Plans

Remember how we were going to get our family pictures made today? Well, Cody woke up looking like this:
He has a horrible stye on his left eye. He looks like he has been punched in the eye and it is almost swollen shut.

Needless to say, we won't be taking pics today.

You know what that means? That means my projects for this week are complete!!!!!

Today is now a day to relax. On one hand, I am bummed. I worked really hard to get ready for these pics, but it is out of my control.

That has been one of the hardest lessons for me to learn as the mom of 6 kids. There is so much out of my control. I can plan and work and do everything in my power to make things happen, but ultimately, the final result is out of my control.

This is a lesson I think God wants us to learn in all of our lives, and especially as parents. WE DO NOT HAVE CONTROL. We can't control how our kids turn out. We can't control how our days will go. That doesn't mean we stop working. It doesn't mean we stop planning. It just means we hold everything loosely!!

Today, because of the turn of events, I get a day of rest with my family. Not too bad. I will take that trade off any day!!

Check, Check, Check...

I am down to my last two big events of the week. It has been almost as busy this week as it is right before a Swazi trip. I am absolutely going to collapse tomorrow afternoon.

Our weekend of sharing about Beyond Survival went great! It was so exciting to share what has happened in the last 5 years. Our Swazi Sales went great!!

This perfume and cologne are made with Rose Geranium Oil.

Rose Geranium Oil is produced on the farm that we have in Swaziland that is a sustainability project! The money raised goes to school fees and Beyond Survival!!

Some of the beautiful purses of Timbali Crafts!

Souvenirs from the market

We sold $1,400 worth of stuff!!! That money goes straight back into the work that we are doing in Swaziland!!

This was my sanity during my school supply shopping on Monday

We have had so many rainbows lately.

Seeing one this week was encouraging in the midst of the craziness!

The dreaded hair project.

Braids taken out and blow dried out

Ready to get braids, snack bag and blankie in tow

The braids took 3 hours. She cried about 80% of that time.

I don't know why. She has done so well the 2 previous times.

She wanted to hold my hand and have it next to her face the whole time.

She immediately started smiling when it was over. Really?

The whole process took 11 hours!!

How many more times do we have to do this over the next 15 years?

I got the uniforms I am selling checked into the uniform sale today. That was a relief. I am so hoping I am able to get some good money to use on all these school supplies.

I spent 3 hours shopping last night for possible photo shoot clothing. I have 2 different sets of outfits we can wear. Let's see which ones we go with! That is tomorrow. Then I have lots of clothes to return that we aren't going to use.

We took a break today to have a picnic at the park during Rick's lunch hour.

These lily pads in the pond were so pretty

I have spent all afternoon getting ready for my event tonight. I will share more later. I am excited to spend some time tonight with some special ladies. More details to follow.