Finished at Last!

We can actually say that after 4 loooooong months the inside of our house is finished! I am still unloading boxes that we packed when the flooring was put in. We built another bookcase, and I have my books out for the first time in almost 2 years. It is like seeing long lost friends again. We have remodeled a lot of houses, and I am more content with the final result every time. (Maybe I am just really tired and don't want to even think about changing anything). I am so thankful for Randy. He can build, repair, and repaint anything. He doesn't even flinch when I start talking about moving doorways or walls - what a guy!

We have been trying to keep the little ones happy and busy during the past few days of the remodel. Missy took them to the zoo, and she and Randy took them to the movie last night. Have I mentioned lately that she is a wonderful daughter? I am thankful every minute that she is home with us this summer. I love you Missy Lou!

Here are some pictures of the zoo trip. I will post pictures tomorrow of our brand new, wonderful, fabulous, spectacular homeschooling area tomorrow. School begins again for us on Monday. We are all excited about having a special place in our home just for the mountain of homeschooling stuff.

Pass It On Mr. Grumpy

Well....the carpet men showed up this morning, and things didn't go extremely well :( Perhaps my expectations were a little high - we absolutely loved the men who tiled our floors (for almost 5 weeks). They were polite, sweet to the little ones, and just a little dorky.

Apparently, we have a lot of heavy furniture that creates grumpiness and anxiety in carpet people. Now in our defense, we spent hours and hours boxing up every little thing and moving it out of the way. We just have a lot of children - and a lot of bunkbeds. Did you know that carpet people don't like bunkbeds? Now you have been fully warned.

These two guys were soooooo grumpy that they passed it on to me. I then passed it on to Mason, Molly, and Madeyn. By the time bedtime rolled around, no one was very excited about kisses and hugs. We were all too grumpy.

I fully intend to sit tonight in my favorite chair for hours, eat a lot of candy, drink a lot of tea and then take a long bath. Maybe tomorrow will be a better day for everyone - even the grumpy carpet guys. I'll keep you posted :0)

Prejudice

We are a bi-racial family. I honestly don't ever think about it - our children are our children whether they look like us or not. I love to comb Molly and Madelyn's long black hair, and I have a deep affection for dark brown almond-shaped eyes. God not only gave us 6 precious children, but He also blessed us with extended families who love all of our children the same regardless of skin color, hair color, eye color...

Our dearest friends are in the process of pursuing the adoption of 3 beautiful sisters. They are walking by faith and taking each step as it comes. If all continues to go well, these sweeties will be in their new home in a few weeks. If all continues to go well, our friends will also have a bi-racial family. Their journey has not been without great opposition from some family members - prejudice has created a huge chasm in a once very close family.

I read once that we all harbor a "residue" of racism. How we were raised, what we were taught as truth, ugly words we have heard and more all cause us to view others through a distorted perspective. I have prayed for a long time for God to reveal anything in me that has a prejudiced bent. It is painful to realize that I have great tolerance for one nationality and almost none for another. I criticize others for their prejudiced views, only to find yet another one lurking deep inside of me.

How do we stop judging others based on external appearances? We make a choice to be offended by any prejudiced thought, feeling, statement, joke, etc.. We look for character, not color. We choose to see everyone as precious, valuable, irreplaceable. We see prejudice for what it is - sin that breaks the heart of God.

Sleeping Beauty and the Perfect Teapot

We are still walking around so heartbroken for the Chapman family and remembering to hold our sweeties very close and cherish each and every moment. The three little ones are growing up so fast. This summer they will each have a birthday and we will officially move out of the "preschool" era. Very sad for me. I don't miss diapers, but there is nothing sweeter than rocking your babies to sleep with spit up on your shoulder.

Madelyn may be almost 4, but she needs a nap everyday or she is a grumpy-head. I love to sit in her room and watch her sleep. She is such a precious cutie.

On a totally different note, after a VERY loooooong search for the perfect old teapot, I found it this week at my favorite thrift shop. It is wonderful!!! I had participated in a tea cozy swap several weeks ago and had received a beautiful one from Australia (thanks again Sandra!). I just didn't have a tea pot to go with it. I really, really don't like to buy new things, so I looked and looked and had about given up on finding an old one that wasn't broken or chipped. This tea pot has been lovingly used for many pots of tea. It is very dark and tea stained and I am in love!

The tile men are finishing up today - whoopee! Randy and I will have to do a lot of painting this weekend and then the carpet will be installed on Tuesday and Wednesday. We are almost finished!!!! Now we just have to paint the garage and finish the outside trim. I have to admit, I didn't think the day would ever come when I could say we are finished with this house.

Enjoy your long holiday weekend!

When Sadness Comes

I have never been able to really describe with words the bond we feel with other adoptive parents. We have all shared the same paperwork, homestudies, long waits, tears of frustration over many delays, travel planning, and the joy of that miraculous moment when your child is finally in your arms.

Most of the adoptive community awoke this morning to the news that Steven Curtis Chapman's youngest adopted daughter, Maria, died last night. Her older brother accidentally ran over her in their family driveway. Such a devastation for this precious family who has done so much for international adoption. We each probably know of at least one person moved to adopt by attending a Steven Curtis Chapman concert.

Please pray, pray for God's comfort and peace to surround this family. They are dealing with the worst of the worst - yet, they are not without hope. There is an eternal life for each of us. Where we spend that forever depends on a single decision that we make in this lifetime. Do we accept the gift of Jesus that God wants to give us or not? Do we come to a place where we are at the end of ourselves and desire godliness and a life that is better than what we can manipulate?

This life is a vapor, eternity is forever. This family loves God and believes that He sent His only son to this earth so that all who believe in Him can spend eternity in God's presence. The time spent without this precious daughter is just an instant - the time they will spend with her in Heaven is forever. That is the hope the Chapman family has today. Do you have the same hope for yourself and for your family?

If you are reading this post and you aren't sure about where your eternity will be, email me and I can share more with you. God loves you dearly, and He wants to spend forever with you. That is good news even in the midst of great sadness.

With much love,
Mary
rstrick1 @ suddenlink dot net

How Does Your Garden Grow?

It's official - we have a real garden planted in our tiny backyard! We have tilled, mulched, added good garden soil, and planted lots and lots of good things. I had a lot of help from 3 little ones choosing just the right foods to plant.....so, nothing that a preschooler won't eat :0) Madelyn wasn't the least bit interested in planting vegetables, so I planted rose bushes and a lot of annuals just for her. It is really hard when you take a long-neglected space and try to even find a starting place. I am sure that if we are still living here next year that I will rearrange things a little, but today we are dirty and happy.

Now, a clothesline, a couple of chickens...........

We are Eating Worms!!!!!

Missy is home from her fun trip to Colorado and is helping with the meals. Yesterday she took the little ones to the store for a secret dessert shopping trip. They came home and worked for a long time preparing a special dessert - dirt and worms!

There was a lot of giggling coming from the kitchen as they worked (played) together. Missy is a precious sister, and we are so blessed that she is able to be home this summer. I hope we don't take a single day for granted.

Here are some pictures of the covert cooking operation :0)