A quick note...

It's been a while!  We have had so much going on lately around here and lots more going on in the next few weeks.  I have been working on a post in my head that needs to get out of there soon, but in the meantime I wanted to let you know about another fundraiser we are blessed to be a part of tonight.  Our friends who own the fabulous Katy's store in Belle Meade are having a special night of shopping to benefit our adoption tonight from 5-8.  A portion of the proceeds from this event will go towards are adoption.  How great is that?!  And, what even makes it more great is that Katy's has great stuff!  If you are local, we'd love for you to stop by and see us.  Even if you don't buy anything, just say "Hi!"!  We will be there with bake sale items and selling our t-shirts.  We are so thankful that our friends, the Tallents, have offered to bless us in this way.  God just keeps providing!!  

Here is a sampling of the great products they have!  Come out and see us if you are in the area!

They are located at 4500 Harding Road, Nashville 37205

Not a typical yard sale

Last weekend we had our first event to raise money; kind of a kick-off fundraiser for this adoption journey we're on.  Let me just start with, WOW!!!  It was truly amazing to see the love of God at a yard sale.  We were blown away with the love, support and generosity that was shown to us, much of it from people who have not known us long at all or had never even met us!  We had gotten the word out only a couple of weeks before, asking for any of our friends that wanted to donate items to the sale or bake items for the bake sale.  I thought maybe a few people would have a few things that they already wanted to get rid of and maybe a couple of people might want to bake a couple of batches of cookies for the boys to sell at their lemonade stand.  What I did not think, however, was that so many people would freely give so much stuff.  I really couldn't believe how much stuff we had.  And the bake sale- friends drove from Hendersonville and Franklin to bring us cookies and s'mores bars. Teachers at school baked muffins and amazing loaves of bread and pans of delicious cinnamon rolls.  And people bought them.  Tons and tons of people came and bought tons and tons of stuff.  Stuff was selling that doesn't ever sell at yard sales.  People were buying $8 loaves of pumpkin cranberry bread.  People bought lemonade and hot chocolate and popcorn from the kids.  A huge number of our friends came and helped us set up the night before and were here helping us for two days straight.  Some of them came for both days to help.  Friends came from Hendersonville just to say hi.  Families from school came because their kids that are friends with our kids, begged them to come because they wanted to help Silas, Eli and Cooper bring a little sister home from Madagascar.   A sweet girl "just happened" to stop by, not even knowing it was an adoption fundraiser, and that girl "just happens" to work for Show Hope, an organization that among other things gives grants to families trying to adopt.  She emailed us some information within an hour of leaving our house.  People that had never met us told us their own adoption stories and that they will pray for us.   It was not a typical yard sale, and we give all glory to God for that.  We cannot thank those enough who helped us in any way.  Even just praying from afar means more to us than you can imagine.   God provided abundantly in more ways than one.  Doesn't He always?

I woke up early Friday morning the first day of the sale, and opened my Bible app on my phone before I got out of bed.  As I was opening it, I was praying for God to bless our efforts and to just speak to me through the verse of the day that I was about to read.  Do you know what the verse of the day was?  This was what He said, "But Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." (Matthew 19:26)  Gave me chills.  And confidence.  And hope.  And peace.

I, we, cannot do this alone.  For us, this is a huge task to take on- bringing this little child home when it will cost so much, when there is so much paperwork to do, when it will take so long- but for Him, this is so very small.  With Him, this is totally possible.  And He's already showing us that.

Thank you, Father, for Your constant abiding presence and Your abundant blessings.  We know that You are able to do immeasurably more than all we can ever ask or imagine.

Happy Day!

Something pretty huge

This seems to be a pattern with me, updating the blog once every two years. I guess maybe it takes something pretty huge to get me back on here and actually keep up with it- like maybe an adoption? We are excited to say that we have officially started the process to adopt a little girl from Madagascar. Yay!! This is something that we have been prayerfully considering for a long time. If I'm being totally honest, I used to think adoption wasn't for me- "why would I adopt when I could just have my own? how could I love another child as much as I love my own children? we could never afford it!" But, thankfully God has been working on my heart, teaching me lessons that I wish I would have learned earlier in my life. In the midst of my questions, God cried out these truths to me, "I decided in advance to adopt you into My own family by bringing you to Me through Jesus Christ.  I will love you no matter what. I will provide all of your needs from my glorious riches." He wants me to be the hands and feet of Jesus. He wants me to love others as Jesus did. He actually commands us to care for orphans. His love for the fatherless is written throughout Scripture. The Bible says that whatever we do for the least of these, we do for Jesus. Adoption is a picture of what Jesus did for us, for me. I was that orphan, without hope. But then Jesus came and gave me hope by dying on the cross. He offers unconditional love towards undeserving me. My lightbulb moment about adoption was, "This has nothing to do with me. It has everything to do with Him."

We can each do something to care for orphans, whether it be adopting, fostering, donating or visiting orphans and supporting families who have taken them in. In our case, we feel that God has placed adoption on our hearts for a purpose.  We want to offer the hope of family and unconditional love to one of the least of these.

We covet your prayers and humbly invite you to engage with us as we move forward with this call that God has placed on our hearts.  Who knows where this journey will lead.  Only God knows and only He is the author of this story.  We are simply stepping out in faith and moving forward. And so begins our journey, to a far away island nation, where a little girl just might be waiting, hoping that little 'ole her, might be adopted by underserving us.  

"For whoever welcomes one such child in My name, welcomes Me."  Matthew 18:5

Back in the Saddle Again... 5 Quick Takes

Well, here I am again. I am obviously not the best blogger in the world, although I have hopes to be one day. For now, I am going to try at the end of every week to sum up our week with 5 quick takes... an idea I got from my favorite Idahoan, Sarah.

1. School started this week for Silas. CAN NOT BELIEVE that he is a first-grader already! He absolutely loved his first two days (that's all he's had so far) and when I asked him how his first day went he said, "It was so so so so so so so so so so great!" (with a few more sos in there I think) He is such a sweet and agreeable kid (except when his brothers are bothering him). So happy he loves being at Harding. What a blessing that he can go to such a great school and best of all be there with his dad!

2. The not so happy flip-side of Silas starting school is that means that Jonathan started school too. Although his job is a 12 month job, summers for him are very easy and flexible. We get used to having him around a lot more than normal which makes it really hard when he starts the school year. Not only does he not have his summer hours anymore (9-2 with lots of time off), he also starts off the school year coaching volleyball, which means even longer hours. Getting up super early, coming home late, falling asleep by 9 pm... we miss him already! But, I am so thankful that we do have the summer months when we get to spend so much time with him, and I'm thankful that he is willing to work so hard for our family. He is a great man and I love him dearly!!

3. Eli and Cooper are doing great. They are 4 1/2 and pretty fun. They are going to preschool two days a week now and can't wait until they can start Kindergarten next year. They talk about it aLOT. Eli has been sick this week with his nasty cough that he often gets, but has been complaining about his ears hurting for the first time ever. So, I took him to see Dr. Johnson yesterday and he has a sinus infection and an ear infection. Yuck. He is already better today though.

4. I have had a very busy week! Finished up a bat mitzvah order that I've been working on (woo hoo!) and started on another one. Seems the little Jewish girls in Atlanta love me! :) These orders have been really fun to work on. All cute and girly for sure. I took Silas and his friend from school, James Ryan, to the Adventure Science Center on Tuesday. E & C were at school, and that was the last free day we had that I could take Silas to do something special. They had a blast and I had fun too watching them have fun together! I think Silas felt special getting to do that without his brothers! Silas chose where we went to lunch, which was The Picnic in Belle Meade. Kind of a funny choice for a seven-yr. old (we picked up some Taco Bell for JR on the way), but he likes their mac and cheese. His first choice was actually Whole Foods (a child after my own heart), but I told him we didn't have time to go there as we needed to get back to pick up E & C from school. The Picnic is a Nashville tradition- yummy sandwiches, salads, desserts and tea punch! The best quote of the day was when JR said, "This is a strange question, but why do only grandparents work here?" (in his British Forrest Gump accent) I told him I didn't know but that was a really good question! (yes, there are mostly old ladies working there!) Too funny. Other events this week included... saying good-bye to our dear friend, Anna Lee, who is moving back to Texas, a Thirty-One party, school starting (and all that goes along with that!), 1st grade picnic, visiting our good friend and neighbor, Amanda, and her new sweet baby, Helena at the hospital, a visit from an antiques appraiser who made some very happy discoveries in some of our treasures from Jonathan's grandmother, GaGa (more on that later), and to end the week, serving lunch at the Ronald McDonald House. I said I had a busy week!

5. Jonathan and I have started a Bible Study with the High School kids at Broadmoor, and our first class was tonight. It is on Being a Servant and I think it will be really beneficial for them and for us! We have really been thinking lately about how we need to be doing more. We are so blessed to live in such a great city and be members of a wonderful group of God's people, but sometimes I think we are a little too comfortable with our life here. I was listening to an audiobook by Beth Moore a while ago, and something she said really spoke to me. In short, she said that God has not appointed you to a life of mediocrity, but to a life of profound harvest. The last thing Satan wants is for us to bear much fruit. But God, however, desires to be glorified by us bearing much fruit. I realized that sometimes I feel like I don't bear much fruit at all! Anyway, I want to write more on this later, but for now I think this class is going to be great. Every other time we meet we will be doing a service project, either for our members at Broadmoor or something in the community. Really looking forward to it!

So, those are my 5 Quick Takes for the week. Not so quick, but maybe I'll condense it more once I start writing more often!

A couple of verses that really spoke to me this week... "I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want." Phil. 4: 11-12