Monday, May 31, 2010

In Memory....


For love of country they accepted death... ~James A. Garfield




The patriot's blood is the seed of Freedom's tree. ~Thomas Campbell

Friday, May 28, 2010

Haiti

We are living a pretty crazy life right now!  Jacen and Jory are both playing baseball and Jory is playing soccer.  Last night Jack and I had to split up to get them both to their games.
Jack took Jacen to Green City, which is about an hour away and I took Jory to his game here in town.  I had Jia, who by the way was having a melt down in the heat, I was keeping score for the first time because I couldn't tell the sweet little umpire no, and then Renea looks me up with exciting new about our trip to Haiti!
I was just a bit on edge and extremely grateful that Grandma come to watch Jory play ball!

When we travel to Haiti, we are going with Life Connection Mission and here is what they're all about...

* About Our Mission *

As you may already know, Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Based on statistics from the World Bank, 78% of Haitians live on less than $2.00 per day and 54% live on less than $1.00 per day. Life expectancy is about 52 years. About 50% of the population is illiterate and due to the lack of funding there are not enough public schools for all the children. Life Connection Mission is a multi-denominational non-profit organization. Our goal is to provide a quality education, from preschool through high school, to produce responsible productive graduates, and to improve their lives through various ministries, headquartered in the village of Montrouis, Haiti. In addition the mission plans to create a business and technical school to help prepare students for advanced careers. In order to meet this mission, we plan to do the following:

1. Minister to the general needs of the community.


2. Administer College Education Excellence and sponsorship program for the school.


3. Provide a feeding program at the school.


4. Partner with medical missions.


5. Build homes & provide other humanitarian services to the children of Mont Rouis


6. Host incoming groups that wish to visit and help with the ongoing needs of Haiti.

You can find Montrouis on the West coast just 50 miles north of Port-Au-Prince where the devastating earth quake hit in January.


LCM sponsors about 300 children in the Montrouis area.  For $25 a month you can help provide Christ centered education, books, supplies, uniforms, hot meals and medical care.
If you'd like to sponsor a child, go HERE and fill out the form.

Here are just a few of the children displaced from the earthquake that urgently need sponsors.
Can you help??


In August, we will be visiting the homes of the children involved in the LCM sponsorship program.  We will have the opportunity to get to know them, take photo's and get updates for their sponsors!

Believe me, I'm pretty excited!  I feel very humbled to be able to do this. 
God has blessed me abundantly and tremendously.  It is with much anticipation, thankfullness and humility that I plan this trip.
I am doing a lot of sewing projects to earn money to go.  I'm making aprons, toddler clothes, baby blankets, dolls and more!  Visit my SEW BLESSED blog to see what I have to sell.  I also just finished a wedding cake to earn money.  If you'd like to just make a good 'ole fashioned contribution, you can do that via the 'chip in ' box in the right!

I've yet to post Mothers Day pictures or pictures of Jia's Spring Fling at preschool!  I'll get on it, but right now we're making Jia's room into a big girl room and that has our week end booked up!
Check back!

Friday, May 14, 2010

I'm RICH!!! I'm RICH!!!

We always gaze longingly at the rich...
Their clothes, cars, homes, vacations...
For me, its the things they're able to accomplish with their money (Angelina Jolie)

Sometimes we feel we're the minority because our lack of wealth.
I found something to put it into perspective for us.
We are in the minority.
Not because of our lack of wealth,
but because of our plenty.

Globally, I am in the priviledged minority.


Click on the box on the right to find out how rich you are.  Richer than you think, I bet.

Richer and hopefully ready to give some of your newly found wealth to those who need it most. 
All you have to do is make a choice.

$8 could buy you 15 organic apples OR 25 fruit trees for farmers in Honduras to grow and sell fruit at their local market.

$30 could buy you an ER DVD Boxset OR a First Aid kit for a village in Haiti.

$73 could buy you a new mobile phone OR a new mobile health clinic to care for AIDS orphans in Uganda.

$2400 could buy you a second generation High Definition TV OR schooling for an entire generation of school children in an Angolan village.

I am most certainly not what 'most' would consider wealthy.  We live paycheck to paycheck.  We seldom have money to go places we'd like to go.  But we do have plenty. 
Plenty of food.  Plenty of clothes.  Plenty of warm blankets.  Plenty of shoes. 
There are times when I literally lay my head on my pillow at night, snuggle into my soft bed, pull my warm covers up to my chin and feel horrilby guilty, all because I can.
Because I can sleep in a soft bed, pillow under my head, warm blankets covering me, full stomach, kids tucked in, feeling safe and sound, a job to get up for... and because I know that isn't the case for everyone.
There are times when I crave a Hard**'s Hand Dipped Chocolate Milkshake,
and I feel guilty because I can just drive over there and get one.
If I feel like lasagna, I make lasagna for supper.
Grilling hamburgers, done.
I don't have to wait for someone to come dole out my daily bowl of cornmeal.
I know how ice cream tastes.
I know what chocolate is.
I know what oreo's are.
I am so spoiled.
And RICH

Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Jory's Spring Concert

Doesn't he look thrilled to be here?


He is such a great Ge-Ge!


They have the typical love/hate sibling relationship!


Jia was a little wound up throughout the concert. 
She entertained herself by playing peek-a-boo with her headband.


Her little friend from school sat down the row from us. 
They danced and giggled the entire time!

Saturday, May 8, 2010

0 to you-know-what in 30 seconds... reverse!

We were on our way home from Grandma's and Jory was in the back seat of the truck. 
Jia kept turning around trying to bother him and I got on to her.

She got mad.
And said "Mommy mean."
And huffed.
And crossed her arms.
And began to cry.


Then she really let loose and bawled.


Then she just stared staight ahead because she knew I was taking her picture and she was in no mood to cooperate.


Then my sweet little Jia came back out....


All this in about 30 seconds!

Friday, May 7, 2010

One Million Arrows

I just got this book in the mail and I can't wait to read it!  If you've read it... let me know what you think! 
I'll post my thoughts when I'm done.

Will the world change your children...
or will your children change the world?


Thursday, May 6, 2010

For Such a Time as This...



Today is the National Day of Prayer.
I went to lunch and totally forgot all about it. 
 Even though they reminded us at church last night.
I usually sit at the park to eat my lunch.
And read a book.
Today I forgot my book.
I ate part of my lunch and was bored so I texted my friend.
"What are you doing today?"
She was headed to the courthouse for National Day of Prayer.
That's when Satan started his attack
'You'll be late'
'There won't be anywhere to park'
'People will stare at you as you walk up late'
'Yada Yada Yada.....'
Thankfully I recognized it for what it was.
I started my van and headed for the courthouse.
They had only completed 1 verse of the 4 verse song they began with.
No one noticed me walking up late because there were a couple of others just getting there to.
I was proud to be there.
To take a stand.
To pray for my Nation and it's leaders.
To be seen there... praying.
Isn't God good??

If we ever forget we are a Nation under God,
then we are a Nation gone under.
                            -Lincoln

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

Suprise!!!

The other morning Jia come to me saying "Jia earring." 
I told her she'd have to talk to Daddy about it!  I thought by the end of the day, she'd forget all about it.
Daddy picked her up at preschool and she said "Jia earrings."
This was on Tuesday... she asked everyday...
til Friday.

We went to W*l-M*rt Friday night and got her ears pierced.

Here is the before photo... she is so excited to be choosing her earrings!


Jory is trying to tell her which ones to get and she 'ain't having none of it'!!


Here Mom... hold my icky straw I've been carrying around.


Getting her ears marked with a pen...


Making sure...


Doing her 'lil tiny ear' as Jia calls it!


And now the left...
you can tell by her face what's coming.


Ouch!


Pretty girl...
A bit sober, but pretty!


After just a few minutes she was all better!  She kept saying "Jia pretty!"
Yes, Jia.  You're beautiful!

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

Jory = Monkey

Climbing the tree at Grandma and Grandpa's.
Each time he goes a little higher!

ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!!!

Well I knew it would happen sooner or later.
Actually I'm surprised it's not happened before now.
But today,
The most pompous, arragant, (pardon me for this next one) JERK opened his mouth.
I wanted to throttle him.
Unfortunately, I was at work.
So I had to be relatively polite.

This is not the first time he's shown his behind with his mouth.
But this is the first time it was about my child.


Him "How's the family?"
Me "Fine."
Him "You still got the bambino?"
Me (with an incredulous look on my face) "Didja think we were gonna send her back?"
Him "Well I thought you might send her back or something."
I don't know what played over my face just then as I looked at him, but his next comment was:
"Oh, I'm just kiddin' ya!"

Yeah whatever.
(pardon me one more time)
JERK.

Monday, May 3, 2010

New sewing projects

Check out Sew Blessed

Jory and Jia pictures....

Saturday was our 17th anniversary!  And we did something that we NEVER do.
We left the kids and went to the city overnight.
Jory and Jia spent the night at Grandma and Grandpa's.  This was the 2nd time for Jia to spend the night.  I had told her Friday that she was going to Grandma's the next day.  Big mistake.
She woke me up at 6:30 AM on SATURDAY wanting to go to Grandma's.  All morning she was trying to get me to hurry up.  At one point she even brought my shoes to me thinking if I put my shoes on, we'd leave.  Such a stinker.

Grandpa added some wooden blocks to the gas pedal of the lawn mower so Jory could ride it all by himself!  This is a first for Jory and he was so excited.  I bet he went through 2 tanks of gas just cruisin' the yard!


Grandma got Jia to pose in front of her columbine.  She is smiling so big!  I love this picture.


And this one totally exposes a bit of her personality.  Always got the mouth open and has the funniest expressions I've ever seen.  She is a total ham.  Jacen and I were discussing her this morning and he said she's going to be a 'goody goody gir' at school (whatever that is).  My prediction is that she is going to be the class clown and always in trouble from doing something to make people laugh. 


Jacen spent the night at Renea's with her son Tyler.   Her daughter had prom Saturday night, so they stayed busy all weekend too!