Coffee for Orphans

God gave me a nudging and a plan for being a resource to others regarding His precious, family-less children. Eric and I, this Friday (9/24 @ 7:00pm), are hosting Coffee for Orphans in our home! Locals in the Nashville area, let me know if you're interested (I'll send the address privately). And if you can't make it this time, suggest a night you'd be free next time!

Invitation details:

Our sweet Dorothy has been home nearly a year now. She has touched so many lives in the time she's been here- possibly even yours!

Maybe you've wondered how you could "do something" to help the millions of orphans around the world... Maybe you've imagined what it would be like to adopt but you have lots of questions... Maybe you simply want information about great organizations to partner with to aid the fatherless near and far...

Please join us for an intimate coffee and dessert night in our home where we plan to equip you with information, be an open book, answer the tough questions, and invite you to join us in helping the fatherless around the world! You will leave with hope, knowing you can Be the Change for One!

This is an Orphan Night and not adoption night- there's something for everyone! In fact, some of the biggest needs exist for orphans who will never have the opportunity to be adopted! Adoption is just one part of the picture- the one we have the most experience with- but just one part.

Some of the topics covered:
-child sponsorship and feeding programs
-how to advocate for an orphan
-"Host an Orphan" programs
-adoption (basic process, how to pay for it, bonding concerns etc.)
-fundraising, for yourself or other adoptive families

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress- James 1:27

A Happy Post :-)

Exiting the winter doldrums is enough to celebrate (temps in the 60s today- yay!), but there was more.

Today, the little things that have made me happy:

• curling up on the couch with Grant and reading a literature book in the early part of the day. A book that that is so Jane Austen-ish in its style that I never imagined him enjoying it, let along *requesting* I continue reading and reading and reading. (Understood Betsy)
• seeing that Lael's self hair cut, far worse than the first one, is mostly repairable and looks cute. Extra "yay" for finding a competent stylist who didn't charge $50 for a hair cut.
• hearing Dean tell me from the back seat of the van that I am beautiful no matter what I wear or how I look and meaning it. Then hearing him hold his stance when older brother, Grant, challenged him with, "but what if she was bald?!
• Seeing a "kite" made from a plastic grocery sack, a stick, and a length of thread make so many neighborhood girls happy.
• watching birds finally come to the seed feeder Dean made. All it took was one bird telling his buddies!
• having great conversation with my neighbor, Tiffany.
• grinding grapefruit rind in the garbage disposal and let the fragrance travel through the kitchen air.
• wearing flip flops
• having all the laundry folded and put away (for now)

Recession Proof

As in, further proof that our economy is wobbly.  Domino magazine is closing its doors.  I am saddened by this, as I really love tactile reading.  Holding the pages in my hands, looking at the pictures, putting fabric scraps next to inspiration images.  I don't subscribe to many magazines, but I started getting this one last year and will miss it.  This isn't the first publication hit by the decline.  Money pressures often spur amazing creativity and change.  I'll be interested to see how those that were in the magazine industry use their talents and bring them to the masses once again.  

My walls are Happy!

Two new-ish paintings up in our home.  I love them!

This one is 16x24", acrylic on canvas.  My gumption was rewarded, here, friends.  Simon and Ruby marked me as a shop favorite on Etsy.  When I clicked on their shop, I fell in love with these abstract pieces and suggested that if she liked my art, and I liked hers we should trade!  And we did; isn't it fabulous?!

This piece is done by my dear friend, Amy.  It was given as a gift to me,  and I couldn't be happier with how it looks in our home.  While this photograph doesn't allow you to see the texture or the sheen in certain places, trust me that its charming, and perfect.  I have it hanging near my kitchen and only recently noticed that the pop of red pulls out the accents of another piece of art hanging nearby.  Serendipity.  Word has it that she'll be opening up an Etsy shop soon.  I'll certainly let you all know when she does!

With school back in session, I haven't devoted much time to art lately.  But, this week, I finished a piece I was commissioned to do for Rebecca.  Once she gets it in the mail, I will reveal it here; I just don't want to spoil the surprise.

Sorting clothes

Currently, I'm sorting through the ginormous mess that is Lael's closet.  I had some garbage bags with outgrown clothes in the bottom, waiting for her little sister.  About a month ago, she got into them during a dress-up-gone-wrong incident... dresses, panties, shorts, bloomers EVERYWHERE.  I threw it all back in the bottom of the closet until I had the motivation to properly sort them by size and season and box them up.  With Tape.  Tightly.

Today is the day.  I've been working on it for a few hours.  Maybe it would have gone faster if my sweet little "helper" wasn't pulling out clothes to try on.  To try on and plead with me that they aren't too small and that they "look good still".  

She's a funny one.  She has a hard time parting with the stuff that is recently outgrown, but quite easily is willing to donate her current wardrobe to her cousin, Olivia.  She also is often willing to stash away items (toys, clothes, shoes) for her sister.  

Anyway, right now *I'm* recipient of the cast offs.  My daughter, ahem... I mean fashion consultant, thinks it makes me look "bee-yoo-tiful"!

I just know all of you are going to race out and empty the stores of 12 month sun hats!

Never say never!

"I could *never* do that!"

"I'd never even consider that!"

I have a feeling that as soon as you utter such words, God sees an opportunity to challenge your thinking, making Him the God of the possible and the source of our strength.

When Grant was in Kindergarten and 1st Grade, I partially homeschooled him.  We partnered up with our church's homeschool academy and he spent half the week at home with me, and half in class at New Song.  At the time, I said, something like, "I could never totally homeschool".

Do you see where this is going?  :-)

Grant spent this whole past year in public school and over the last few months, we have realized that we are being challenged to walk a new road.  From so many angles, it has been confirmed that Grant and Dean should both be totally homeschooled this coming school year.  So that's what we're doing.  Grant for 3rd grade, and Dean for Kindergarten.

I'm really excited.  I know that it is going to require that I think a totally new way about managing our household.  Furniture is being arranged to accommodate a better school work area. And, I've been praying for some big things to happen in the lives of our children because of this.  Learning together.  Being together.  Growing together.

I am purging some books on the bookshelf to make way for the new stuff that will be arriving soon.  We're doing Sonlight curriculum and I think it will be a great match for our family.