Saturday Update

 

I don't think I have gone a week without blogging... EVER..

 

For those who have been following along in our Trail to Finish Year 3 BiblioPlan....

Three weeks ago we had three products left to finish writing (out of 14). 

 

Two weeks ago... three. 

 

Last week... three. 

 

Today... three. 

 

Yeah. 

 

If you get how that same number would make one feel seeing it over and over again you might have a glimpse into our current frustration level. 

 

The good news is that part of the reason why we are so slow in getting these last three out is that we are fielding inquiries, signing up co-ops/schools and filling orders. 

 

The bad news is that some of the MANY inquiries are people wanting to know WHEN WE WILL BE FINISHED. 

 

Our energy level died about 2 months ago. 

 

We have been writing for so many years straight without a break that both of us are just going through the motions at this point. 

 

We have other projects to write and know we will never truly finish writing for a long time but not on this level and at this intensity. 

 

Pray we get through these last three products. 

 

I really miss this blog!!

 

 

Painting King

We have three more products left to finish.

 

One of those products is our Early Modern Craft book.

 

It is going to be filled with Early Modern activities, crafts, art projects, cooking ideas and more...

 

Over 120 ideas.

 

To create a craft book you have to have samples.

 

Samples so you know HOW to provide directions for the craft or art activity and samples so you can SHOW what it is supposed to look like.

 

The frustration for me is that this next year I am teaching Early Modern History at our local co-op and will have my students making a ton of these craft/art projects.  But the book needs to be finished now which means I can't take pictures of my student's creations and use them as my picture examples.

 

Enter Aaron.

 

 

He LOVES art.

 

 

 

He is GOOD at art.

 

 

He doesn't mind helping Mama!

 

 

The boy never ceases to amaze us!

 

He's learning cursive in school.

 

I know. 

 

Roll your eyes and wonder why we didn't request that our boy with special needs gets a pass on learning cursive.

 

 

 

Honestly, I don't think he needs a pass.

 

And in case you wondered what Aaron was painting up above....

 

It's called a Maquahuitl.

 

It's a wooden handled Aztec sword with sharp edges made from flakes of obsidian.

 

Don't you wish you were teaching Early Modern History this year and had my craft book to use with your kiddos???

 

Well it isn't out yet, but we have three other craft books equally full of awesome ideas for our Ancients, Medieval and Modern years.

 

And the Early Modern one will hopefully be finished in the next few weeks...

 

BIBLIOPLAN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh, Gene!!

My heart hurts.

 

This sweet boy is Lost. 

 

He had a family commit to him but they had to release him.

 

His time is up.

 

 

He ages out NOW. 

 

 

Please somebody FIND HIM!

 

IF there is anyone out there who could add him on to their adoption... Please pray about it... consider....

He has an $18,615.00 grant!!

THAT IS MORE THAN ENOUGH TO ADD HIM ON!!


This is what someone wrote about him....

"HELP! Gene was re-listed and is as close to being OUT OF TIME as they come.

From someone who met him recently... "We have found Gene. He is the very small, gaunt boy who has been sitting on the front porch stimming the last couple days. He did reach out to my companion when he walked up to him. His situation is desperate. The other boys look great and are doing things they couldn't before. He looks worse. I don't think he would be one of the boys kept here as an adult and I am certain he would die almost immediately at an adult-only facility. If he is not adopted, he will die, and a family only has until August to send in their i600a. We were not able to get photos now but we were able to get confirmation of his first name and 16th birthday in August."

 

 

Gene is going to be transferred and he.will.die.

 

My heart hurts for him.

CLICK HERE TO MEET GENE

 

 

 

Our Week

This past week this little guy turned 10.....



.....and started school on the same day!!!

 

And this big guy returned to college...



AND I MISS HIM TERRIBLY!!

 

And in the middle of those two events we went to one really fun Cast/Pool Party....

 

HA HA HA HA!!! - LOOK WHO GOT THROWN IN THE WATER!!


 

And YES... My boys are EVIL!!

 

Let's all jump together, Carrie.... 1, 2, 3.....

 

 

Yeah... Evil!!

 

 

And we spent a Happy Birthday Aaron, Family Get-Away Day at King's Dominion...

 

 

Help!!  If anyone happens to find that little yellow hat laying around King's Dominion... PLEASE RETURN... WE MISS IT SO MUCH!!

 

 

 

This is Ben when he discovers that Yogi Bear's Cave is GONE!!  GONE!! 

 

Yes.  He was quite distraught.... Yogi Bear's Cave was his FAVORITE part of King's Dominion since he was a tiny little boy!

 

 

Despite that terrible loss...  King's Dominion Rocked!!  

 

 

Now back to the grind...

 

We have THREE Year 3 products left to finish....

 

Lord Give Me Strength!!

 

 

Standing Against the Horror

My brothers and sisters in Christ in Iraq are enduring the worst kind of evil.

 

To stand for their faith means their children are being slaughtered before their eyes.

 

 

In my comfortable little house in the woods I am ashamed to find myself complaining about deadlines and business pressures when they are being tortured for their faith.

 

Oh please pray for the Christians in Iraq.

 

My heart bleeds for those who are forced to make the hardest of choice - If you stand for the Lord - you lose everything dear on this earth.

 

All it takes is a very quick Google search to make you so sick on your stomach over what is happening that you have to run to the bathroom. 

 

It is sick beyond words.

 

Please pray my friends.  Please lift up your voices.  We can't sit back and just ignore what is happening. 

 

We owe our brothers and sisters over there our time. Our prayers.  Our voices.  They cannot endure this without the church rising up and standing against the horror with them.  No, we can't go over and face their foes in mortal combat.  But we can show them and the rest of the world that the faith we hold dear is WORTH DYING OVER.  What I believe - what I know about Jesus Christ is worth giving up everything.  If all my faith means is a Sunday morning trip to the nearest church for my spiritual coffee to get me through the rest of the week then I cheapen what they are giving their very lives to proclaim.

 

Christ gave His life as a ransom for us. 

 

He made a way out of the pit of sin and darkness we are trapped in on this earth.  Some of us don't feel that sin and darkness much.  Not in our nice homes with our nice cars and with our nice jobs and mowed yards.  But trust me.  We live in a pit of sin and darkness.  Just ask the Iraqi Christians.  They will tell you about sin and darkness.

 

And they are afraid.  And they are beaten down. And they are despairing.

 

But they are not without hope. 

 

We are not without hope.

 

"In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

 

What Christ did for us... is WORTH dying over. 

 

And our dear brothers and sister, young and old, who are across the ocean far removed from our comfortable way of life, are dying for their faith.

 

I'm not facing their foes but I'm standing with them in their faith.  Declaring that what I believe is worth risking everything. 

 

I am a Christian.

 

They are my people.

 

May God be with them in their hour of greatest need!

 

 

 

 

Swinging Friday

 

When you have arthrogryposis....

 

 

Little things like getting on a swing..

 

And soaring in the air..

 

....pose quite the challenge....

 

Dismounting is not that simple either...

 

But he did it!!

 

Yeah!!

 

P.S. That was the FIRST time Aaron ever got on and off a swing completely by himself!

 

What is so simple for us can be very very scary for him.

 

Big times for an amazing little guy!

 

--------------------------------------------

 

So I'm going to yell for them again... the Fahringers and the Blooms...

 

Two Papas across the ocean fighting for their wee ones!

 

Some donations came in for both families but frankly, it is NOT enough.

 

The Fahringers are still short $2,483.00 and the Blooms are still short $3,053.00

 

Both of these families have adopted other children on their trips.... ALL BOYS.  All OLDER Boys.

Did you read that??

Between these two families.... 7 older children are being adopted AND 6 of them are OLDER BOYS!

And the one lone girl.... She was headed for an adult mental institute where she would have curled up and died. 



7 RESCUED OLDER CHILDREN!

Would you just look at Barton with his Papa!!!  IS THAT NOT THE MOST PRECIOUS PICTURE OF ALL??

 

That picture makes me cry.

 

The type of crying where I am a blubbering mess at my desk.

 

Thank goodness no one is here to see me in this state of affairs! 

Both families are seriously in need.  If you saw what we are dealing with right now in our business you would know - I would NOT be blogging if the need wasn't so great.  Both adoptions hit HARD roadblocks that have cost more time and money than anticipated.  The ones they refused to leave behind are the ones who are most desperate to get out because their time was completely up. 

Salome and Barton BOTH were aging out of the system. 

It sometimes seems that these are the ones that Satan tries to hold on to the very hardest.  The ones destined for despair have been offered hope instead and honestly, that drives the darkness mad!!

Help me get them funded....

PLEASE!
 

 

CLICK HERE TO HELP THE FAHRINGERS

 

 

CLICK HERE TO HELP THE BLOOMS

 

Every tiny amount helps.

 

THANK YOU!!

 

 

Love Has Held Them There

I KNOW  I KNOW  I KNOW  I KNOW!!

 

THIS BLOG HAS BEEN WAY TOO QUIET.

 

I miss it so very very much....

 

We are snowed.  With orders.  With writing.  With more orders.  With telephone calls asking when we will be finished writing.  With even more orders.  With frantic all-day and night writing.  With even more telephone calls.

 

Insanity in our home.

 

But I'm taking a minute to share...

 

There are TWO FAMILIES who are in deep need. 

 

Both families are IN COUNTRY and both are adopting babes WE YELLED FOR ON THIS BLOG!

 

In both these families IT IS THE PAPA WHO IS ADOPTING... MAMA IS HOME...

 

Is that not incredible???  Give those dads a standing ovation!!

The Fahringer Family is getting Salome. 

 

REMEMBER US YELLING FOR HER??? SHE WAS AGING OUT AND IF NOT FOR THIS FAMILY SHE WOULD BE LOCKED AWAY FOREVER!!

 

 

 

 

They already adopted two sweet older boys on this trip and have been waiting in country and waiting in country and waiting in country to have court for Salome.  The two boys and Papa.  8 weeks of waiting!! 

 

 

 

Please pray they have court for Salome and pass and move through the process quickly.  And please donate to help them out!!  PLEASE!  They are about $2,740 short!! Their FSP needs to read $12,273.00.

 

CLICK HERE TO HELP THE FAHRINGERS

 

 

Also...

 

The Bloom family is getting Barton. 

 

 

REMEMBER BARTON... OH MY GRACIOUS WE YELLED AND YELLED AND YELLED!!

 

He too was almost aged out and he too had a family who stepped up at the very last moment.

 

They went over and adopted three other precious treasures and those boys are already home learning what it means to loved and cherished!!

 

  



 

They were going for Barton too, but Barton's judge went on vacation and then Barton's judge made them jump through one hoop after another.  Finally, finally they passed court and are just waiting the 10 day period out.  Papa had to come home to work during that period and so Barton is still waiting to get out.   The cost of going over again and again has drained this family down to crumbs.  Please help them!! 

They need $3534.00 more - Their FSP needs to read $32,000.00

 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE BLOOMS

 

Both of these families have hit huge walls in getting these two Lost Ones.  No one would have blamed them if they had thrown in the towel - given up - come home with the ones they were able to get and let these two go.  Love has held them there.

 

 

Both of these families are drained physically, emotionally and financially.  They really need our help.  Please consider donating anything you can to BOTH of these families!! 

 

Sew into their adoptions.

 

They heard our cries.

 

They listened to the Holy Spirit.

 

They crossed the ocean.

 

Now let's honor their steps of faith by helping them in these last weeks bring their babes home!

 

Where they belong...

 

 

Only Tears

My heart is broken this morning for my dear friend Susanna Musser.

 

Her precious precious treasure, Tommy,  who came home a year ago died in a drowning accident yesterday.

 

The joy he brought to their home can never be replaced.

 

Tommy.

 

I have no words.  Only tears.

 

Please please pray for the Musser family.