A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Ohio

I got to be on TV!

Way back in October, Halloween to be exact, my sweet friends, Tammy and Angie and I appeared on a TV show on the TCT network all about adoption and advocacy!

I will never forget the phone call I got from Tammy telling me about her vision and how the Lord showed her exactly what He wanted her to do and with whom...

Gulp...

Dear, wonderful Tammy has been by my side ever since we announced that we were adopting again.  This wonderful woman made it her mission to support, encourage and help us to bring sweet Lucy home.  In the midst of her own financial worries, she was fundraising for us, using her fabulous jewelery business, Quantum Silver and brand new advocacy site, Be A Voice just about every time I turned around. 

There were many times during Chris' unemployment that we would slip and allow the doubts to take over, when a check from Tammy would arrive in the mail and we knew that the Lord was showing us very clearly that our sweet child was coming home, job or no job.

So, when Tammy called and told me what the Lord was telling her to do, for me and that He knew that I would want my sweet friend, Angie to be a part of it all, what could I say?

I wanted to say, um, thanks, really, but I just don't do TV - or cameras at all for that matter.  

Hehe

I mean, there is just about nothing I love more than talking to families about adoption but not on TV...

not in front of a camera....

and about a million friends...

Oh my!

Now, Angie, she is a natural, just made for this kind of thing and Tammy, well, Tammy is just amazing.

Me, I was just praying I could make it through without hyperventilating or throwing up!!!

So, off to Ohio Angie and I went, on Halloween (as my kids remind me constantly) where we taped our very first TV show and I have to admit that it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I didn't throw up and that's always a plus.

Anyway, it hasn't aired yet but we have been given permission to give you all a sneak peak.  

It is long (about an hour) and the tracking is a bit off from the upload but I hope you will watch and share as we advocated for some very special kiddos at the end.

Angie and Annie TV appearance from Lifeline Children's Services on Vimeo.

Funny thing is, I had been praying for help with my shyness and for the Lord to help me to reach out to more people.  Boy, talk about being careful what you ask for!

Sheesh!

So, while the bright lights are definitely not calling my name, I am forever grateful to sweet Tammy for giving me the opportunity to be stretched in this way by the Lord.

With Him all things are possible...

even me, speaking coherently on a TV show!

Ha!

Merry Christmas

I must admit, I was a little worried this year.

I mean, Hubby had been out of work for 6 months, after just beginning to recover from being out of work,  just about a year earlier, for almost 2 years.

We are in the midst of an adoption and have 5 kiddos already, not to mention the dogs and the cat, who can sometimes be more expensive than the kids!  Heh!

and here comes Christmas!

No biggie, right?

Well, right and I should have known, especially after the last 3 years and particularly, the last 6 months.

The Lord has amazed us over and over with His constant provisions, His reassurances that He had it all under control and this Christmas was no different.

There were deals that just fell into our laps, things that we thought were going to be too expensive to do that ended up being less than we thought possible.

It happened time and time again.

One such instance I just found out about this morning, as I opened a surprise gift from Hubby.

The one thing that I have wanted for a long time, ever since my old one fell apart (literally - hehe), was a small video camera or a small digital camera that could shoot video.

There is a certain event happening this summer (I hope this summer) that I just might want to have a video camera for...

 

if ya know what I mean??

Anyway, I knew we couldn't afford that so I just put it out of my head and concentrated on the fact that HUBBY HAD A JOB and the fact that the Lord had provided the way to get the kids some pretty awesome gifts on very little money!

He rocks like that!

So, I was shocked when I opened that surprise gift from Hubby and it was, you guessed it, a small video camera!!

I looked at Hubby.

You know one of those looks that said...

YAY

and 

Just where did you get the money for this

Looks

He immediately began to tell me the story of the video camera.

Ya see, his work had a Christmas party and at this Christmas party, there were door prizes and one of those door prizes just happen to be...

a small video camera!

There was only one and out of his entire work place, Hubby was the one who won it!

He won the one and only small video camera, the one and only gift that I had asked for but dared not hope for!

WOW!

So as I sit here today and think back over this last year, I find myself feeling such gratitude for the struggles, gratitude for being loved enough by my heavenly Father to be stretched and sweetly schooled and shown even more clearly, the love He has for me, for my family and for being shown a glimpse of the plans that He has for us and the way in which He is leading us.

I will leave you with the annual Christmas debacle picture.

It happens every single year

I have such high hopes

This year will be different

This year everyone will look at the camera all at the same time

This year no one will whack their neighbor

This year no one will make funny faces...

or noises or smells - EWWW

This year no one will loose their dog

or their cat

or

or

or

sigh....

 Every year though, the out takes end up being my favorite pictures, cause...

that is our real life...

and honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way.

Even though...

 

once a year...

 

 it would be nice...

 

 to get one decent picture 

Hehe

Merry Christmas to all and to all...

a goodnight.

Sunday Snapshot - SUWEET!

It is so SUWEET that Sunday Snapshot is back over at SUWEET Stefanie's blog, Ni Hao Y'all

I am so happy to be posting my first Snapshot in a long while and it is all about some SUWEET construction that was going on at my Mom's house last weekend!

 

Yes, the annual Gingerbread House!

 The kids once again had a great time constructing...

destructing...

and eating!

And once again...

I am so glad that it was at Mom's house...

and not mine!

Hehe!

To read more Sunday Snapshots, just go here, 

Thanks Stefanie!!!

Wordless Wednesday - The "Eyes" Have It!

I am a Failure...

a foster failure, that is...

I know, I know

I swore sweet Charlie was NOT staying!

I mean he had a committed rescue up in NY...

We have 4 dogs already, cause....

we had already "failed" with fosters, Lily and Sierra.

 

sigh...

I used to be strong...

 I have had lots and lots of fosters over the years and they all eventually found wonderful "furever" families.

 Some were harder than others to let go but...

 I LET THEM GO!

It's all their fault

 

hehe

I tried to find a home for Lily.  

 

I tried and tried and tried but never had one person, not one, even ask about her.  She has 3 legs and we had just lost our sweet pup Tippy, who also had 3 legs and after a year of advocacy, I was just not strong enough to let her go.

Sierra came to us as a temporary foster and needed socialization, boy did she ever need socialization!

 

This sweet puppy was scared of everything and everybody and it took a solid month of love and patience and hard work to get her to the point of not hiding under the bed or behind the sofa whenever we came near her.

She still hides behind the sofa whenever anyone other than our family comes in the house and I knew after a few months that she was not going anywhere.  It would have been too hard on her...

and us.

So, three strikes and we are out, right?

 

At least for a while anyway, I mean we now have 5 kids and 5 dogs.

 

I know what you are thinking...

 

we will have a 6th child soon...

 She can have the cat!  

 

Heh!

Now, here is the hard part and I need your help!

I cannot have a Lizzie and a Lily and a Lucy and TWO Charlie's, so...

WE NEED A NAME!

Maybe something with a CH or SH sound??

Chewy is in the running but we need more suggestions!

HELP!

Welcome home sweet Charlie

You are home and safe...

"furever"