Happy Thoughts

 

If you try to ask me a question right now it may take me a few minutes to register that you are even standing there.

 

I'm in happy thought land.

 

A little girl across the ocean is calling our names.

 

And that is a really cool happy thought!!

 

 

My other happy thoughts include seeing these four books on a table together.  This is the first convention where we have been able to have all four books in hardback together.  Just this past week the Early Modern and Modern books became available.

 

 

 

How cool is that?

 

I may be lousy at stringing together two coherent words at this point but I am awash in happy thoughts!!

 

 

The Many Adventures of Pooh

It was a BIG decision.  Should Pooh Bear stay home or cross the ocean with us.

 

After much thoughtful consideration...by one very sweet little boy... It was determined that Pooh needed to go.

 

 

He's packed and ready even though he's not heading out until Saturday. 

 

 

We didn't want to risk leaving him behind on this most amazing adventure!

 

Our bags are packed.

 

We are ready to go.

 

WE ARE SO VERY READY TO GO!!

 

First stop for me, Nashville, Tennessee!

 

Let's get this show on the road....

 

For those attending the Teach Them Diligently Homeschool Convention - please stop by my booth.  I can't promise I will be the least bit coherent but I will most definitely be happy to hug you!

 

 

 

 

 

It's Almost Gone!!

 

WE ARE LEAVING IN 3 DAYS!!!!

 



 



 

I hope Harper likes her nutty brothers!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Both Ben and Elijah are taking college classes and so they didn't have the option of tagging along with us to meet Harper. Ben's at Liberty University and Elijah will be home holding down the fort here at home.  We've given him a crash course over the last 6 weeks on how to fill orders for BiblioPlan.  Our business is all in the family!! I'm seriously going to miss my daily dose of Elijah-style humor.  Thankfully he won't be home alone which is a huge relief.   

 

I'm heading out tomorrow for Nashville in the early morning hours. The Lord was so gracious in providing two wonderful ladies who will be helping me run the booth in Nashville and who will also be running my booth in Ohio in April.  They are a HUGE answer to prayer. 

 

Check this out!!!

 

 

It is almost gone!

 

 

LOOK AT ALL THE KIND PEOPLE ON THAT PUZZLE!!

 

We are so close to being fully funded.  God has been so so good to us!

 

Thank you to every single person who has given so willingly and lovingly.  What a beautiful testimony to Harper! 

 

God is SO Good!

 

P.S. - The 21 Days of Hope for Reece's Rainbow ends on Saturday.  They are half-way to their goal of raising 21,000 in 21 days. 

 

 

For every 1,000 raised, 2,100 is donated to one of these sweet treasures!  That is a Win Win all the way around! 

 

CLICK HERE TO BRING HOPE TO WAITING ORPHANS

 

If it were not for Reece's Rainbow we would not be tucking our littlest in bed each night and we would not be crossing the ocean to add another little one to our family. 

 

 

 

His Tender Heart

TUESDAY, WEDNESDAY, THURSDAY, FRIDAY...... SATURDAY!!!!

 

We fly out on Saturday!!

 

Okay...

 

I fly out on Saturday.

 

From Nashville to Dulles.

 

Then Rob and AARON and I cross the ocean together early early Sunday morning (12:30 am early).

 

Yes, Aaron is crossing the ocean with us.

 

 

Yes, he is excited.

 

Yes, he is scared.

 

We considered leaving him with family and considered leaving him with friends but when push came to shove... neither of us could handle the thought of being apart from our littlest for a day much less weeks and weeks.

 

So we are tagging him along.

 

We just love this little guy.

 

Even when he refuses to smile for the camera!!

 

 

 

Stinker!

 

For those who have asked about what Aaron remembers and how this trip will affect him.  When he first came home he had virtually no language. He knew about 20 words and most of them not repeatable.  When he did begin to speak, his vocabulary was limited to things that go.  Cars, trucks and trains.  It took several years before he was open to branching out past the safety of those subjects.

 

Since he has been home he has not mentioned nor referred to his former life except one fleeting time when he wondered about the people in white.

 

His last year there was hard. Emotionally and mentally hard.  There were no pleasant memories for him to want to remember, and his baby house memories were too distant in his past for him to be able to pull them up past the sorrow of his last year in that country.

 

Adopting Harper has given us a huge opportunity to be able to process with Aaron his story. As he has walked through and talked through the process of adopting Harper, he has begun to ask questions about his experience.  For the first time we have been able to fill in some blanks for him that he has not been brave enough or had the language to articulate.

 

Crossing the ocean will be for him both good and very hard.  As he watches Harper's story unfold, he is going to be confronted with the why's of his story.  The basic basic questions every orphan asks.  Why is she there?  Where is her Mama? Why was I there? Where was my Mama?

 

He has never asked those questions.

 

I pray that God gives us grace and much tenderness as we provide him answers that protect his tender, sweet heart.

 

 

We love him to pieces.  Our precious precious boy!

 

My Favorite Part

My favorite part of these conventions is not this...



 '

But this...

 

 

Loving on a Reece's Rainbow babe is my favorite part!!

 

 

Gianna Natalia...

 

Worth The Trip

 

I'm in South Carolina. 

 

 

This is what we do.  We write and sell a Christian Classical history and literature curriculum.

 

BIBLIOPLAN

 

We travel to conventions to show our work and sell it.

 

I enjoy talking to people and showing them the work of our hands.

 

It's HARD.  It's rewarding.

 

Sometimes it is REALLY rewarding.

 

Last night a mom walked up with her littlest cuddled in a pack against her chest.  I am a lover of all babies.  And when I saw her little treasure my heart just melted right there.  We were busy when she showed up but all of that went out the window when I saw that little treasure rocking an extra chromosome. Oh my goodness I wanted to hold her.  Her mom was focused on telling me that she has used BiblioPlan for YEARS and LOVES it and tells ALL her friends about it.  She even started telling the woman at our table checking out our material why she should buy BiblioPlan.

 

But me.  I was focused on her treasure.  And when she let me hold her.... THAT WAS HEAVEN ON EARTH. 

 

I got to hold that baby girl and kiss her little head.  She just looked at me and smiled!  What a gift.

 

And you want to know the very best part??

 

As I was holding that little one and sharing my heart with her Mama - not about BiblioPlan but about the treasures across the ocean who are desperate for families - about Aaron's institute and sheds - about the hundreds of babes waiting.  While I was holding that sweet one and kissing her precious head ... her Mama was listening with wonder because JUST THIS WEEK ... JUST THIS WEEK the Holy Spirit had begun tapping on their hearts.

 

JUST THIS WEEK!!

 

And they had NEVER HEARD about Reece's Rainbow and had NO IDEA about the waiting ones across the ocean. 

 

Only God.

 

I told her that if I didn't make ONE sale this entire weekend.  If the ONLY reason I came to SC was to share with her about the treasures across the ocean... then it was well worth my trip.

 

It will have been worth the trip.

 

I will be praying for that family. Praying as the Lord opens their eyes and their hearts.

 

Pray with me.

 

And please keep us in your prayers as we get all of our ducks in a row in the next week.  We have so much to arrange. 

 

It's going to be a wild week!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hyperventilating

I am hyperventilating!!

 

Yes. I. Am!

 

We have travel dates.

 

Breathe.  Breathe.

 

Yesterday morning the phone rang and sweet Nancy was on the phone. It was not good.  The letter we had submitted asking for a new date was not good enough. They wanted another letter. 

 

Breathe.  Breathe.

 

She helped us re-write the letter.  We ran it to the bank to be notarized. Then we drove to Richmond to get the shiny golden seal on it.  Back home to scan the letter and pray.

 

This morning on my way to South Carolina the phone rings again.  Nancy.  Yes. Yes. Yes.  We are good to go!! 

 

Praising God in sunny South Carolina.

 

I'm writing this in the lobby of our hotel because our room is not ready.  We are tired but my heart is happy. 

 

It's a crazy schedule.  I have a convention in Tennessee next weekend and will have to fly out from there.  I DON'T CARE!!

 

We are crossing the ocean.  Poor Ben and Jaden (my helpers for this convention).  They got to hear me sing praises to Jesus for an hour.  My brain is everywhere but here.  I don't care! 

 

WE ARE CROSSING THE OCEAN IN TEN DAYS!!!!!!!!

 

 

 

Little one... Mama is coming soon!!

 

Breathe.  Breathe.

 

 

 

I'm One of the 164

We are STILL WAITING on new travel dates.

 

 

I was so hoping I would wake up this morning to a phone call and some really good news.

 

I'm trying so hard to attain the 'patiently waiting on the Lord's timing in all of this' certificate. 

 

Sigh!

 

Okay - so to distract us in our time of waiting PATIENTLY... 

 

Did you know that REECE'S RAINBOW is having a 21 Days of Hope fundraiser??

 

 

 

From March 1st until March 21st, if 21,000 is raised for the Voice of Hope Fund then 21 waiting children will each receive 2,100 dollars in their grant accounts.

 

Right now 5,147.00 has been raised which means that 5 of the 21 children have already received the 2,100.00 dollars.

 

Isn't that cool?

 

The Voice of Hope fund is the fund that keeps Reece's Rainbow running.

 

You know.... operating costs.

 

Let me share something you might not know...

 

There are currently 164 families who have a grant account open on Reece's Rainbow right now.  I know this because I just sat here and counted them.

 

164 families who are ALL adopting. 

 

I'M ONE OF THE 164!!!

 

When families open up a  grant account on Reece's Rainbow they have to pay a 25.00 fee to open an account. That is the ONLY required payment they have to make.  They are ASKED to make a $250.00 donation to the Voice of Hope but it is not required. 

 

When people donate to a family's grant account... except for Paypal fees... 100% of that donation goes to the family.  Reece's Rainbow does not take ANY portion of their donations for their operating expenses.

 

Nothing.

 

So the 164 families who are raising money through Reece's Rainbow are able to keep all their donations except the 3% that Paypal takes when people donate through Paypal. What an amazing gift.  I don't have to sit here and calculate needing to raise X dollars MORE than what we need in order to pay RR fees.  When someone writes us a check, 100% goes to our grant account!

 

So how does Reece's Rainbow cover operating expenses?  Through their Voice of Hope fund.  Money goes into the VOH two ways, when people donate to the waiting children, 10% of that money goes to the Voice of Hope or when people donate directly to the VOH fund.

 

The ONLY fundraiser that RR does each year to raise money purely for operating expenses is this one.  The 21 Days of Hope.  But the cool thing is that this fundraiser is still tied to raising funds for the children!!  21 children. 

 

It's day 10.

 

The goal is 21,000.00

 

21 Babes have a chance to received 2,100 each in their grant accounts. 

 

 As each $1000 is raised, the next child on the list will meet their goal and will be given their $2100 grant!

 

 

Five children have met the goal. 16 are left.

 

Will you make a donation to the Voice of Hope fund? It's not as cool as donating to a family or donating to a waiting child but its a very worthy donation.  And your donation is going to help BLESS 21 babes. 

 

Join in!

 

CLICK HERE TO DONATE TO THE VOICE OF HOPE

 

 

 

 P.S. Since 2006 1,276 children have come home.

 

So not only am I one of the 164 families currently in process on Reece's Rainbow, my little boy is one of the 1,276 children who have come home!

 

 

How cool is that??

 

 

 

 

 

To Everything There is a Season

There are times on this blog when I have so much to say that blog posts crowd my brain and I feel like I am going to explode.

 There are other times when I am so dry that I can't even formulate one coherent thought.

I'm in that dry spell.

It's okay.

To everything there is a season,

A time for every purpose under heaven

I'm in a time of quietness.  Rest.

Not that I'm getting abundant amounts of sleep.

I'm in the final stages of "labor" and sleeping through the night has flown out the window. My brain will not shut down.

It's okay.

The last few weeks I have been home and able to rest during the day.  Snow has slowed us down.  Kept us home.  Allowed us to nest. Allowed us to plan and get ready.

This next week begins a months-long marathon of traveling across the globe.  Adoption and conventions.

Fun times.

God has been so very good. He is providing what we need on so many levels.  We have been really worried about coverage for our conventions and bit by bit He has provided the people we need for each one of them.  We still have a few question marks but He is filling in the pieces.  He is so very good.

Many of you have asked us about our travel plans.  Who's going. Who's staying.  When we get dates in hand we will happily share those details.

For now pray for us.  Pray for our little girl. 

And please keep praying for my friend, Elizabeth Dehority.

And finally, if you want to support a really good cause... CLICK HERE. 

21 days of Hope for 21 babes!

To everything there is a season,
A time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born,
    And a time to die;
A time to plant,
    And a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill,
    And a time to heal;
A time to break down,
    And a time to build up;
A time to weep,
    And a time to laugh;
A time to mourn,
    And a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones,
    And a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace,
    And a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain,
    And a time to lose;
A time to keep,
    And a time to throw away;
A time to tear,
    And a time to sew;
A time to keep silence,
    And a time to speak;

 A time to love,
    And a time to hate;
A time of war,
    And a time of peace.

A Warm House and Slippers On My Feet

 

We were supposed to be traveling to Shriner's today so we could pick up Aaron's new braces.

 

 

 

The ice on the roads this morning meant we have a free day at home.  Aaron's braces will have to wait until May.  Rob just left to bring Ben home for Spring Break.  His ride fell through because of the snow. I'm working on my speech for next week's convention.

 

 

 

 

 

A fire in the fireplace.  A warm house and slippers on my feet. Waiting for my firstborn and longing for a little one across the ocean.

 

And all the while, praying for my dear cancer-fighting, not-gonna-quit, orphan-advocating, sock-sewing, Jesus-loving friend Elizabeth Dehority.

 

Please pray with me.

 

She really needs our prayers right now.

 

 

A Little Girl's Room

It's a little girl's room.

 

 

Those sweet little chairs on the dresser?  They were in the FREE box at our co-op this past week.  They have BUTTERFLIES on them! I felt like I had won the lottery!!

 

 

 

Those Dolls are from my childhood.  The boys never appreciated them very much.

 

 

See the Raggedy Ann and Andy wall plaques? Boy am I glad they didn't sell in the auction!!  It didn't dawn on me until after the auction had begun that I could use them in Harper's room.  They were the one item I cheered over when they didn't get any bids!

 

 

Don't look too closely at that little shelf... Yeah. Maybe Harper will like baseball???

 

It's been an all boy house for a very long time!

 

 

And of course her room would NOT be complete without some friends from the Hundred Acre Woods.

 

 

Pooh and Piglet waiting patiently for a little girl to come and love all their stuffing out!

 

 

Pooh Bear can't wait to cross the ocean with us... He's so so excited!  He will be waiting for her in the car on the day we walk her out of the orphanage.

 

 

We even have a few clothes for her.

 

Aren't they sweet?

All of them picked out so lovingly by a sweet friend!

 

Apart from these clothes, Harper's dresser drawers are bare. 

 

I have been waiting.  Waiting with held breath.  Both of us have.  I've avoided the little girl sections in the stores and haven't been able to look at things like curtains or bedspreads.  I need to SEE my little girl.  Right now that is all that matters to me.  I need to see her and hold her and whisper love in her ears.  Then I can consider the future.  The girl stuff.  What she needs.

 

It's hard to breathe.

 

We received a referral date and had to turn it down.  It was a good decision and a right decision but this last week has been hard. Emotionally hard.  I've tried to think about everything that needs to be done for family, business and travel so that I won't have to think about the fact that we delayed meeting our little one.  It's only a week delay. Maybe two. But right now that seems like forever.

 

God is good.  He is providing on so many levels.  We look at how much has been donated to us and we are blown away.  People have been so kind.  God has been so so good.

 

I cling to that. His goodness.  His provision. 

 

I cling and work hard at breathing.  Only a few more weeks.  Just a few more weeks. 

 

"Cast your bread upon the waters,

 for you will find it after many days."