Thursday, August 30, 2007

Curious Things...

Ellie and Olivia LOVE hamsters. They each have one...known affectionately as Sweet~Pea and Tickles. They have a Suite in their closet....they have b-day parties (special homemade b-day cakes required!)...half b-day parties...they e-mail other hamster friends.



Now I know the lifespan of these creatures is pretty short...probably 3 yrs max....but they provide HOURS of entertainment and clean-up opportunities :)....not to mention the cute photo props! The girls save Barbie items...fabric...decorations...anything to use for props. And I'm SURE Sweet~Pea knows how to pose for the camera! Do you think this could count for homeschooling????? :) Animal study? Sewing? Photography? (I'm grasping here!)



We may be having babies in about 8 days....we'll keep you posted! My girls inform me they can have two-SIXTEEN babies!!! (have I talked anyone into trying a hamster yet?? :)

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Never.

I will NEVER admit how long it's taken me to set up this blog...to anyone! I think I just set a world record. Whew.

I never thought I would do this....I'm a "I COULD do that" person :)

Anyway...enjoy a look into our everyday life, questions and thoughts!

YOU ONLY GET ONE CHANCE...

(to make a good impression!) Right now I'm thinking less is more...as my farmer says...I tend to talk waaaay too much (especially when I'm nervous!) So I will use the advice of a wise person that "Silence is my friend".


So here it is. My first entry. (this is very scary!) New things scare me to death. I've learned that it probably stems back some where to "fear of failure" or "fear of what others will think of me". Total lie. Perfect love casts out fear. And if you never make mistakes-you'll never learn.


Here I am jumping in with both feet. I'm going to be real. I'll share my questions, fears and doubts because we all have them and learn by them. We don't learn from the "perfect" people. In fact I feel terribly uncomfortable around them!


A little about our clutch. My girls don't like that word but it just means a nest of eggs from a bird or reptile...and since we have chickens...it makes sense to me :)

The Farmer and I have been married 15 years. He really isn't a farmer. When I want to really tease him I say "you're no farmer" hence his name! We've been blessed with 5 children,
Ellie (12) Olivia (10) Caleb (8) Chloe (6) and Carsen (3) They are all amazingly different!

We started our adoption process with Acres of Hope in Mar. of '07. We had our homestudy done in Feb. then heard about a group of siblings from a friend shortly after that. We chose them from the "Waiting kids" list as they are a sibling group of three older children which tend to be harder to place. As of today we're in the "waiting for the finalization in Liberia" stage.


This process has been amazing...to see God's hand in this (many times after we've made a step) There are so many things I could share about how we got here....but I said less is more, right? :)


About our Liberian kids....Marie "Marie Alison" (9) Garlayma "Isaac Garlayma" (7) and Gbanko "Josie Gbanko" pronounced like bongo drum (4)


They are simply beautiful. The kids and I KNEW immediately that these were our kids/siblings. I never understood how that could happen. Now I do. For the Farmer...it took a little longer! It was a shock thinking 2...and then 3.


We live on about 10 acres. We do have a big red barn....I will post pictures someday (when I figure it all out) Right now we have 2 ponies, 41 (ish) chickens, 2 dogs, several cats and kittens, a fish and 2 hamsters. We just sold our last donkey...there go all the funny jokes!


I LOVE the country! I love the colors, the sounds and the beauty of it. It's our dream and God has blessed us with it.


I do homeschool the kids (no I don't sew, can veggies-yet-or write my own curriculum-sorry!) In fact most of the time I don't have a plan or clue. I'm trying to focus on the "next one thing" that God would have me teach the kids. My prayer is "God help me!" (everyday)



Ok. I hear the farmer in my head saying "enough already!" So I'll stop. You know more than you probably wanted to about me now. And I DID say too much (again!)