My gift

Now that I've had a bit of caffeine I am starting to function. Per my last post, I wasn't woken up that early (7:15), but for my summer standard for a morning without any definite have to be somewhere plan- it was early. I think the girls and I could have easily slept until 9. But since I was up, I began to charge up my gift.

Paul had been dutifully asking for about a month what I wanted. And in all honesty, nothing came to mind. I don't need anything and there wasn't even anything I really had been wanting. Then two nights ago he had an idea. He asked me if I'd want an MP3 player. That sounded cool (we are very technologically unadvanced, just not into all the hype and media bombardment). So he went to the store yesterday and got me this little (like 2 inch little!) do-dad.


I was all excited to download my first podcast and I knew exactly what I wanted to be able to listen to-
sermons from our former church McLean Bible Church
We moved away from the chaos that is Northern Virginia 4 1/2 years ago without looking back, despite having lived there my entire life, sans 4 years in Williamsburg for college. It was too crowded, too expensive, and the materialistic values that permeated the area was not the environment in which we wanted our kids to grow up. The one thing we do miss is the excellent Bible teaching of Lon Solomon at McLean Bible. It averaged 5000 adults weekly when we began attending in 1996 in a normal sized building that grew into a very big church that the Lord blessed with an amazing property and facility just outside the beltway. When we were back in the area one Sunday morning last summer and had the chance to attend worship, it was amazing to see the construction that had taken place and the growth. I'd easily call it a mega church now- so cool to see! Lon always said that a goal of the church was to reach the world through reaching secular Washington with the message of Jesus Christ.

I was always touched by MBC's commitment to families with disabled children. Now that I have been touched by special needs adoption and have bloggy friends with children with all sorts of special needs, I view this ministry with greater appreciation. I though I'd link MBC's Access Ministry as it may provide some information or insight.

I'm excited to use my birthday gift to reconnect to MBC. Lon is a gifted teacher and I encourage you to check out the sermons I'm sure you all are far more technologically advanced and know all about how to do that. Paul and I really like Lon’s famous “So What?” question he often asks during his sermons that leads to a practical application of the message. I'm off to listen :)

Happy Birthday...

to me!




I'm 35 today. Paul woke the girls up early and brought them into bed with me so they could say Happy Birthday with him before he left for work. We three girls are *not* morning people. It was a sweet gesture. Now I'm groggy and have two grumpy kids, but it was a sweet gesture.

Delaware, Nevada, Vermont, oh my!

I'm down to my final three states. I just received an order from Alaska that I'm working on right now, so one more state got crossed off the list and I'm down to the final three. In 3 years and 4 months of selling my hair bows on line I have shipped to wonderful customers in 47 states, Guam and 5 countries. I love making bows, headbands, and clips and it excites me to imagine the girls who wear them and the destinations they travel to. I love maps and you'll often find me with my atlas before I ship out orders looking up exactly where my handiwork will end up. I've sent quite a few bows to the New Day Foster Home in China and never cease to smile when I visit their website and see pictures of the darling little girls wearing my bows, poofs, flowers, and korkers!



Know anybody in my final three states of Delaware, Nevada or Vermont? I'm offering buy one get one free to the first cutomer I get from those states. I'm sure I can offer an appropriate finders fee if you send someone from the final three my way!

I needed a little boost...

and I had a message from my bloggy friend Adeye, to check out her blog (I always do anyway!). She was given an award and has selected me to be one of her pass it on recipients!! How sweet!! Thank you, dear friend! That gesture gave me a smile on a day when one was most needed.



I'm to pass it on to 15 bloggy friends. It will probably take me a few days to do so. I have a full plate that will likely occupy me and my time for a bit. And in that regard, would you please pray for us as we work through a burden we knew was eventually comming, but befell us out of the blue last night. Nothing serious, but it is a big burden we are praying over. We need God to open some doors and close tightly ones we should not be going through. We need to make some wise decisions that will have to happen in a short timeframe. Not adoption related, just some day- to-day stuff. We have laid this burden at His feet, yet it's still so stressful. So I really appreciate this little award and how it made me smile and reminded me that I have made some wonderful blogy friends, and how many lovely bloggers 'speak to me' through their writings that have no idea I even exist! How I have found a community in the blogsphere who put Christ first in their lives and through their willingness to be transparent and share their joys and struggles have taught me much. I am thankful!

Happy Graduation

I've got a few catch up postings to do. We have been very busy! Saturday took us out of town for a mini family reunion. My little brother graduated from High School. Tim really is the baby of the family. My other brother and I were in high school ourselves when our parents discovered that God intended on them having three kids! He was only 2 when I left for college. Hard to believe he is now 18 and off to college himself in a few months. Congrats, little bro!! Can't wait to see where the Lord will lead you and your music.



My brothers and my girly girls



Can you guess in what historic town my brother lives- where the fife and drum corps would be the flag bearers at the ceremony?