How Can Tupperware Help Waiting Kids?

You might notice a new button on my side bar - Shop Til It Matters, where you can buy Tupperware and help to fund adoption grants!!  Gotta love it!!

An online adoptive friend of mine, Tracy, emailed me a while back and asked for my help with this idea for helping to fund grants for waiting children and I am so impressed with what she has created!  Even if you don't need any Tupperware right now or are unable to help, just passing the link along to other groups, family and friends will help. Tracy has a wonderful vision for this to continue to be able to provide grants for other waiting, special needs kiddos! I wanted to promote this here as well as my advocacy site and my FB page and ask that you all consider doing the same. I have already forwarded the link to my mother and mother in law and asked them to send it on the their friends!!! I am honored to even be a small part of this project!!

Please read what Tracy wrote about her wonderful vision:

Shop...'til it matters was set up to help fund grants for children who are waiting for families. Those grants will be used to help absorb some of the cost of adopting the child. The children we help are ones who have waited longer for their families because of a special need of some kind, or sometimes just because the orphanage they were in did not make them available for adoption until they were older. You can help these children by shopping from our website. A substantial percentage from each purchase will go toward funding a grant for a waiting child.


Please visit our website here, Shop Til It Matters. You can help in funding the grants by, of course, shopping! But, there are lots of other ways to help as well, Grab our button (on my sidebar) for your blog or website. Tell your friends about us on Facebook, Twitter, or any other group in which you participate. Don't forget that good old-fashioned word of mouth can be great advertisement! Thank you for your interest in Shop...'til it Matters and thank you for supporting us!

We are asking that all who read this might tell 10 of their friends and ask that they tell 10 of their friends!  Together, we can make this work for many more waiting kiddos!!!

When I look back at how far my sweet Lizzie has come in the past 3 years, it brings me such joy while at the same time breaks my heart for those precious children who still wait...

wait for someone to say this to...



This was the first time my sweet girl told me that she loved me too!  It was an amazing moment and one I will never forget. 

How I long for all children to one day have someone to say this to!!

Please help these children to come home and wait no longer to say, "I love you!"

Oh and get some great Tupperware in the process!! 

It's a win-win y'all!

Ever Heard of Singing in the Shower??

I have been having trouble posting video, so I hope you can see these.  Let me know!!  Oh and I was um driving at the time so please forgive the quality (or lack of).  I could hear what I was shooting but could not see what I was shooting!  Heh!

Well my girls like to shout sing in the car!!!

and if you can take more...

I do love the way the Lord is stirring their souls but oh my, does He have to be so LOUD!!  Hehe!!

We got this particular CD from VBS this year and (as you can tell) they LOVE it! 

The boys and I do too but would love some recommendations on some other Christian music that we might be able to listen to as well!  I mean, I think I am marching in my sleep these days!  LOL! 

and the way Miss Lizzie says "the Laud" is just too cute!  I can definitely hear the Southern in her and I am not talking about Southern Chinese!!  Hehe! 

So, I would really love some recommendations and if you know of any Christian (sigh) rap music...

PLEASE help!!!

We Are Kid-less...

What to do, what to do???

That was the question after our truly wonderful, amazing, terrific, and  best neighbors EVER insisted offered to keep the kids, our kids, all 5 of our kids so that we could have a night out - together - alone - without kids - ALL night!!

Did I say brave best neighbors ever??

So, we have a night out and we are without children, what do 2 young ( and by young, I mean not eligible for Social Security - or a colonoscopy - yet - heh ), do with such a night, such a rare night?

I mean there were NO kids here

There were NO kids there - watching this

There were NO kids here or anywhere!

Shhhhh, do you hear that???  Yeah, me neither!!!!  Hehe!

Well, the evening began with a romantic stroll through my fav store, Targe'!

We were actually able to make it through the store without one baby doll, DS game, stuffed animal or pack of bubble gum magically levitating into the cart!  Imagine that!

Next stop the grocery store where the Pig's ( if you live in the South, you know of what I speak ) Muzak serenaded us with Abba songs while we searched for the perfect ingredients for our intimate dinner for two!

Can you guess what the main course was?

That's right, we culinary wizards whipped up a pan of scrumptious nachos, to be followed by some decadently sweet chocolate!

No, not strawberries dipped in chocolate or creme brulee for two!

No, not for us!

We prefer Goobers, thank you very much...

Not sayin we are Goobers, just that we like to eat Goobers - just sayin!

and nothing accompanies a delicious box of chocolatey Goobers like Champaigne!!!

We know how to live, right???

I know, it's sad!  Hehe!

So did we enjoy our night?

I will let you decide!!

We even got to do this

Without once hearing - EWWWWWW!!!!  Ha!

Thank you again to our wonderful, awesome, terrific, brave best neighbors ever!!

Must Read Post

Please read this post.

Minivans and Mom Jeans: Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!: "So there's been juuuuust a few changes around the Davis domain. The next few posts will be dedicated to those changes! The first and most im..."

I know many of you remember sweet Kirill who through the power of prayer finally came home about a month or so ago.

This post is just so important.

This post you just have to read!

People who adopt are not any more amazing than those who think they can't. We are just regular people who have heard the call. We are not anymore extraordinary than the next person. We have just had ours eyes opened to the suffering of these precious children. If we adopt, you just might be able to adopt too!

Think about it, pray about it and see if the Lord is calling YOU!

I know that many of my readers have already adopted and are in the process of bringing home another - God Bless you!!

I hope that you might just share this link with others who may not know the reality in which these kids live and the transformation that takes place when they are finally enveloped in the loving arms of their forever families and their Heavenly Father!!!!

Note To Self...

The next time this precious child tells me that she HAS to go to the bathroom...

BELIEVE HER!!!

All I can say is thank goodness for $3 shorts from Targe'!

More to come later on the car seat (which she hates, cause she is 5 years old) and the fact that the wonderful $3 shorts were size 24 months! 

I swear her tiny little body must feel as if it is about to explode sometimes!  I mean how in the world God crammed that HUGE personality into that precious little frame is beyond me!  Hehe!

Why Women have Babies

Just take a look at that big boo boo! 

So what in the world does that big boo boo have to do with having babies??

Well, right after Miss Em decided to try a Fred Flintstone stop - with her elbows - she came calmly in to the house and informed me that she had a boo boo - a big boo boo!

I not so calmly told her that if that big boo boo had landed on any one of her big brothers' elbows at the age of 8, 11 & 13 five years old, they would have been screaming in agony! 

This is why women have babies!

Am I right or am I right!  Hehe!

It did help to have her "twin" sister there to comfort her!

These two!!  They have already decided that when they grow up, Em will be the doctor that delivers the babies and Lizzie will be the doctor who takes care of the babies!  They have also started saying the exact same things at the exact same times and jinxing each other constatly! 

Watch out world, here they come!

Sunday Snapshot - Crazy Love!

So, we went to "our" beach last month for a week and I had no internet!  Ackk!

I had my phone and could answer emails but that was about it...

which freed me up for other things...  like reading!

Between the hubby and the kids and the dogs and the crazy cat and my advocacy, I literally fall into bed at night - WAY to late!

So, without the computer or the house cleaning or the cooking (thank you Mom) or the yard work, or, or, or...  I was able to read!

I had heard about a book, a really good book, a very moving book and a very thin book!  Hehe!

A book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan

I had seen a video clip of Francis Chan, this video clip



and it really intrigued me and motivated me and scared me.

Then I began to hear about this book again and again from other bloggers and friends.  I had heard first hand from an old friend of mine how it had caused her family to rethink their lives to live more for the Lord!  They were actually doing something about it - because of this book!

Wow!  Now I really had to read this book and wouldn't ya know it, we were just getting ready for our week at the beach, our week with no computer or cooking (thank you Mom) or house cleaning or yard work!

Funny how that worked out, huh??

So, I got the book and I read it and I have very mixed emotions about it. 

On one hand, I loved it!

On the other hand, it really scared me!

I thought I was living a Godly life.  I mean I made sure we were at Church every most Sundays, we love God and each other, we don't lie, cheat or steal, we love our neighbors as ourselves (most of the time) and we have had our hearts moved (thank you Lord) for the orphans in China and around the world.  Heck, I even started an advocacy website for these precious kiddos - me - the computer illiterate person who drives hubby crazy with my endless pleas of HELP when my computer just doesn't do what I think it should do - me who 3 years ago was struggling with simply answering an email!  I still laugh at how the Lord chose to use me for these beautiful children! 

He definitely stretched me far beyond what I ever thought possible, so I'm good right Lord?  That was what I was asking - until I read this book!

This book challenged me and the way that I looked at my life and how I was living (or not) for God! 

I am praying a lot about this now and asking that He guide me and help me to be on fire for Him.  I don't know just how He will change me or my life but I am excited to see! 

If any of you all have read Crazy Love, I would love to hear your thoughts and how or if  it has changed you.

Got any other thin good reads!  Would love to hear about them too!

I know this is Sunday Snapshot, so I will leave you with these 2 pics that I took just the other day (with my phone - sorry for the quality)

This is how I want to live for Him!  A great big leap of faith:):)

To join in on more Sunday Snapshots go here,

Hair Today...

Gone Yesterday!!!

Yep, yesterday Miss Lizzie decided that she wanted to get her hair cut, so

a hair cut we got!

There were no tears

from Lizzie or ME!!  Hehe!

I LOVE it and so - does - Lizzie!!!  I tell ya with that missing front tooth and this stylish new "do," my baby is looking more and more like an actual 5 year old!!!!!  Sigh!

A great big THANK YOU to all who commented on the "To Cut or not to Cut" post!!!  Now, we just have to keep it up!  UGH!  Do you think it is too late for this broke Momma of 5 to go to Cosmotology School??  Heh!

Sunday Snapshot

Well, I was so lame for the 4th of July!  I didn't take any pictures.  I didn't even take my camera!  We went to my Mom's and swam and played and ate and just had fun but no fireworks or sparklers or even fireflys! 

Where have all the fireflys gone, anyway???  One of my fondest childhood/summertime memories is poking holes in the top of big jars and collecting fireflys in the backyard.  I don't know that my kids have even ever seen a firefly!  We just don't have them here anymore! 

Tree frogs, yep, lizards, yep, even gators, yep, but no fireflys.  The frogs and the lizards are fun to catch but they just don't light up and  I definitely don't think i have a jar big enough for the gators around here!!  Hehe!

Anyway, the 4th!  Yep, I was a bad bloggy momma and just plain forgot my camera but...

As soon as I got back there were two emails in my inbox that caught my attention and I am here again asking for some help.

Most of you all know that I advocate for waiting children here, Wonderful Waiting Kids, but my heart is also with all those animals who are abused and abandoned and end up in shelters, most of whom never leave. 

Heck, that's how we ended up with 4 doggies, one foster puppy and one crazy cat!

So, this first email absolutely broke my heart and the saddest part is, I get emails like this all the time, but this one really got to me.

It was about a sweet little pup that has since been named "Freedom." 

This is the email that broke my heart about sweet Freedom:

We received this little guy yesterday. He was hanging 4 ft off the ground by one leg (in barbwire). He was there at least 2-3 days in the heat, without food or water.

There were witnesses that said they heard a puppy screaming for a couple of days but nobody done anything about it until yesterday.

He weighs only 15 lbs. He was covered in TICKS and fleas. He has sores all over him. He was so weak when he came in he couldn't even hold his head up. We are babying him to the fullest. He is around 7-9 months old, Hound mix.

This poor thing has NOT had a good start at life. We are taking any donations to help this little guy. IF anyone would like to forward this email to others, that would be great. This baby is going to need a lot of help to get through this.

If you can help, please contact Betty at Four Paws and a Plan, 864-833-2487 or fourpawsandaplan@gmail.com

I have already called to ask to be able to foster this poor baby and show him that all humans aren't monsters but he has a long way to go and right now is no where near ready to be fostered.  Right now, they just need donations for his medical care - as he will need a great deal of medical care.  Sigh!!

The very next email I opened was another that really tugged at my heart, especially on the 4th of July! 
Did you know that dogs have been used by the US military ever since 1943 and that there was even a dog involved in the operation in which Osama bin Laden? 
 
Here are some facts about Military Service Dogs:
 
1943–1945: The United States Marine Corps used dogs, donated by their American owners, in the Pacific theater to help take islands back from Japanese occupying forces. During this period the Doberman Pinscher became the official dog of the U.S.M.C.; however, all breeds of dogs were eligible to train to be "war dogs of the Pacific". Of the 549 dogs that returned from the war, only 4 could not be detrained and returned to civilian life. Many of the dogs went home with their handlers from the war.

1966–1973: Approximately 5,000 US war dogs served in the Vietnam War (the US Army did not retain records prior to 1968); about 10,000 US servicemen served as dog-handlers during the war, and the K9 units are estimated to have saved over 10,000 human lives. 232 military working dogs and 295 US servicemen working as dog handlers were killed in action during the war. It is estimated that about 200 Vietnam War dogs survived the war to be assigned at other US bases outside the US. The remaining canines were euthanized or left behind.

2011: United States Navy SEALs used a Belgian Malinois war dog named Cairo in Operation Neptune Spear, in which Osama bin Laden was killed.
 
These wonderful dogs many times give their lives for their handlers and ultimately for our country.

 
The email I got on this year's 4th of July asked for help for just a few of these beautiful dogs. 
 
Enya is a female German Shepherd Dog, Red & Black 4 years old and currently in Afghanistan
 

 
Gypsy is a female Belgium Malinois, Brown & Black 5 years old and currently in Afghanistan
 

 
Carlos is a male Labrador Retriever, White 7 years old and currently in Afghanistan
 

 
All three of these wonderful service dogs now needs a family, a very special family. 
 
All three of these service dogs requires a single handler and no other dogs in the home and are currently in
Afghanistan.

If you are interested in adopting one of these noble service dogs, please contact Linda with K9 Rescue of VA @ 804-306-1540.

If you or someone you know can return the favor to these beautiful animals, please pass this along!

Thank you also to all the amazing men and women who faithfully serve our country!  The next time you see a soldier, please go up to him or her, shake their hand and thank them for their service!!!

Happy belated 4th of July!!!

To participate in Sunday Snapshot, please go here,

Lizzie is...

One dollar richer this morning!! 

Sigh, my little Lizzie is growing up!!!!  Isn't she starting to look the part!  WOW! 

Still haven't decided about the new "do" but will be sure to post pics if we "do the deed!"  LOL!

To Cut...

or not to cut...

that is the question!

What do you think?

Lizzie's hair is still rather thin and we are thinking about cutting it into a cute little bob. 

However, it took SO long for it to grow out!  When we got Lizzie, her CWI had JUST shaved her head! 

Sigh!  I mean I understand why they do this but I really wish they would let the girls' grow their hair, at least a little bit.  In my advocacy work, I have seen so many updated pics (with hair) that have ultimately made a huge difference in finding the child a family!! 

So, it is a little hard for me to think about cutting her beautiful hair after it took so long to grow out from her orphanage "do."

But, she sure would look cute!  What do you all think?

Sunday Snapshot - Re Entry...

is SO hard!
It always is when we go to "our" beach,

but this time...

it seemed harder than ever and I am trying to figure out why.

We had fun,

so much fun...

but we always do.

Maybe it was because the kids are older

and easier?  Nah, it was probably the Margaritas!!  Hehe!

Maybe it is because there was no Wii or X box or Internet!  Gulp!

Maybe it was because I read a really good book and I never get to read a really good book or any book for that matter! More on that later!  This book warrants it's own post!

I do know, however, that I enjoyed our kids tremendously and I enjoyed our time together and I enjoyed just - slowing - down! 

We water skied,

even the forty (yikes) seven year old mother of 5 busted some moves out there!  

I couldn't move the next day but boy was it fun!!

We rode the tube

and the knee board

We had fun at the beach

and crabbed off the dock

and after seeing my 5 year old princess baiting the crab hooks like an old pro, I knew there was lowcountry blood running through her veins!

I don't bait hooks but she sure does!  She would make her Gada proud!

Through God's grace and my wonderfully generous parents, my family has been able to come to this beach, our beach ever since I was a baby.  There are a lot of memories there and to see my kids playing on the same beach and the same dock that I played on as a child just fills my soul!

I hope to one day bring my grandchildren there and think about the times spent running and playing and building memories with their parents! 

I soak this beach up and it is so very hard to leave, to go back to the reality of schedules and responsibilities.

So one of these days, if you can't find me, you'll know where to look...

To enjoy more Sunday Snapshots please go here,