What a bummer!!!!

Is anyone as depressed as I am about the recent referral dates??? I don't know why I do this but I thought for sure this was the month of a speed up. At this rate it will be three years from now before we go to China!!!! I think I will just go crawl in bed and cry:(

Let It Snow...Let It Snow....Let It Snow!!!!

We have not had a good snow storm (that would be more than an inch or two that doesn't melt away a few hours later) around here in years but this afternoon a big one blew in!!! School is already cancelled tomorrow and the kids are geared up for a fun day in the white stuff!!! For those of you who have snow on regular basis in the winter time I know it is humurous that our area basically shuts down when we just get a few inches of snow! But hey.... you wouldn't want to see most of out on the roads when we don't know how to drive in it and besides we need a day just to play in the stuff!!!!

Happy Turkey Day!!!

We are off to "over the river and through the woods to Grandmother's house we go" in about an hour. Should be packing but I thought I would make one last post before we leave.

Pictures from last years festivities!!! Gobble, gobble!!!

Thank You CCAI Secret Pal!!!

I received these great books today in the mail from my CCAI secret pal and we just love them!!! Hailey and Kyla love the DK book on China too! Kyla is actually doing a Chinese unit right now in her heritage studies class and it fits right in with everything she is learning about. Hailey spent about an hour this evening pouring over the pages also. They both love to read, so it was so nice of you to remember them in the book exchange. I know you have been really sick and I pray that you are on the mend. You don't want to be sick over the holidays!!! Thanks again for all the wonderful books, we can't wait to read them to Grace someday soon!!!

Prayers for two special little girls....

Congratulations to my good online friends, the Horner family, for receiving their TA for their beautiful daughter, Anna Claire!!! I was so excited to get the email today and to find out they will be traveling before Christmas to bring her home! God is so good!!!! Emily, we are so happy for you too! I know that you have been waiting a long time for this to come!!! What a wonderful Christmas present........ a little sister!!!! Our family will be praying for a safe and memorable to trip to China. Can't wait to watch the journey!!!


I am also requesting prayers for our new friends, the Hale family, who just brought home beautiful Tessa from China in October. Tomorrow she will be having heart surgery at Seattle's Children's Hospital. Her heart condition was a bit more serious than expected so the doctors decided that surgery should occur sooner than later. She looks like she is taking it all in stride and is a real trooper!!! I just pray that her surgery goes well and that the recovery process is quick so she can go home soon! This little girl has gone through so much in such a short amount of time. What an amazing spirit!!!

Trip of a Lifetime

I read a post from Debbie about a program that will be airing this week on the Travel Channel. The show is Trip of a Lifetime and this week's episode follows a family as they go back to China to visit the orphanage that they adopted their daughter, Cai, from. The show is airing this Thursday evening at 10pm which is Thanksgiving for many of us, so set your VCR, Tivo or DVR because I think this is going to be a fun show to watch.

A "Merry Christmas Song"

I just downloaded the new Christmas CD from Third Day and it is awesome!!! I know it is a little early but I heard that there was a song on the CD written by one of the band members and the song expresses the feelings of celebrating another Christmas without their daughter who is waiting for them in an orphanage in China. I know I can relate and I am sure there are a lot of you out there who can too. It is the last song on the CD and it is called "Merry Christmas". It is such a perfect song for all of us waiting for our children this holiday season. It is beautiful, but be careful it will make you cry too!

You can listen to a sample of all the songs on the CD here, and then click on "Launch Christmas Minisite".

Here are the words too:

There’s a little girl trembling on a cold December morn, and crying for mama’s arms,
At an orphanage just outside of little Chinatown, where the forgotten are,
But half a world away I hand the stocking by the fire, and dream about the day I can finally call you mine,
Its Christmas time again but your not home, your family’s here and yet you are somewhere else alone,
So tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms and tell you from my heart, I wish you Merry Christmas,

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights, I’m warm by the fire’s glow,
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white, make angels in the snow,
Half a world away you try your best to fight the tears, and hope that heavens angels come to carry you here,
Its Christmas time again but your not home, your family’s here and yet you are somewhere else alone,
So tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms and tell you from my heart, I wish you Merry Christmas,

Christmas is a time to celebrate the Holy Child, and we celebrate his perfect gift of love,
He came to us to give his life and prepare a place for us, so we could have a home with him above.

It’s Christmas time again and now your home, your family is here so you will never be alone,
So tonight before you go to sleep I’ll hold you in my arms, and tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Are you crying yet????

Beauty?

Janet had a great post on her blog about Dove's "Campaign for Real Beauty" and I wanted to add to that as well. My husband found this Dove video a few weeks ago online and showed me. We showed it to our girls too. It goes to show how distorted the image of "BEAUTY" can be presented to us by the media. It made me cry!

Major THANKS!!!!

Wow....I just did a final count of my quilt swaps and wishes for Gracie's 100 good wishes quilt and I'm up to 260!!! That is a whole lot of quilting projects coming up but I am so grateful for everyone who has sent a wish and square!!! My plan is to make one traditional 100 good wishes quilt and then make a couple of themed baby quilts for her. I was in a couple of cool swaps this past summer so...... I have a lot of ladybug squares and I think I want to make a little ladybug quilt. Then I was thinking of making her an Asian only quilt with the many beautiful Asian squares that she received....if my sewing machine has not gone on strike then I might make her a pink only quilt, since I have a lot of pretty pink fabrics also. I have already started placing her wishes into scrapbook pages and I can't wait until she can wrap herself in these quilts and browse at the scrapbooks to see who sent her the wonderful wishes and how much she was loved and wanted even before we knew who she was. I know it is a lot of work but I can't wait to get started and it helps to pass the months away. The many looooooooong months!!!!
A big old stack of quilt squares!!!
Wishes Galore!!!

I am going to update my quilt blog too soon, I am way behind on that!!!!

Thanks again to my friends, family, bloggy friends, firefly friends, and swapping pals at OHGWQ yahoo group!!! YOU ARE THE BEST!!!!

My Life Soundtrack

I just played this game that I got from Robin, and it turned out so funny!!! Try it out.... it will have you laughing too. Here is what you do:

1. Open your library (iTunes, Winamp, Media Player, iPod, etc)
2. Put it on shuffle
3. Press play
4. For every question, type the song that’s playing
5. When you go to a new question, press the next button
6. Don’t lie and try to pretend you’re cool…

Opening Credits: Sunglasses at Night-Corey Hart
Waking Up: No Matter What it Takes-Jeremy Camp
First Day At School: Walking in LA-Missing Persons
Falling In Love: Kind of Perfect-Kacey Crowley (Funny-I think this song came with my computer, never actually listened to it)
Fight Song: Come Back Down-Lifehouse
Breaking Up: Blue Monday-New Order ( I swear I did not cheat, this is really what came up, I laughing my shorts off)
Prom: Young Guns (Go for it)-Wham! (So funny and would have been played at my prom, and the only reason I have it in my Library is cuz I just had that 80’s party)
Life: Give you Glory-Jeremy Camp (Cool)
Mental Breakdown: Borderline-Madonna (So true, I am splitting my gut here)
Driving: Take my Life-Jeremy Camp (Yikes, not so funny anymore)
Flashback: Bring ‘Em Out-Hawk Nelson
Getting Back Together: Everything-Jeremy Camp
Wedding: Walk by Faith-Jeremy Camp
Birth of Child: Under the Milk Way-The Church
Final Battle: Million Miles Away-Adam Hood (Phew, after the driving one I was worried)
Death Scene: Love Lead Me On-The Afters (love that one!)
Funeral Song: Hungry Like a Wolf-Duran Duran (huh?)
End Credits: Holiday-Madonna (YES!!!!)

Thanks Robin for the morning laugh!

Also, congratulations go out to Christi!!! She was united with her beautiful daughter, ABBEY!!!

Also.....the song playing is Hawk Nelson, who we went to see this past weekend and represents how I feel right now!!! It has been raining, raining, raining non-stop!!!! YUCK! Parts of our town were flooded today, school was cancelled, my friends had to evacute their home, along with the rest of their neighbors...and the rain makes me blue....so, California sounds really good right now!!!

Just for laughs.....

Some of you may have already seen these but I thought I would post them since I thought they are sooooo funny!

True-

True-

True-

Not so sure about this one????

Hope you got a good chuckle!!!

Fun Weekend ahead!!!

We are so excited for the weekend....Mike and I are taking the girls to the Jeremy Camp Concert on Saturday night. He just released his new album, Beyond Measure, on October 31st and it is awesome!!! We have been listening to his music all week to get ready for this fun concert!!!
Along with Jeremy, his beatiful wife, Adie, will be performing also. I just love her new music!!! I have not been able to get her album yet but the songs on the radio are soooooo awesome! I can't wait to hear the rest of her music.


Finally....a little more rockin' then I am used to these days (must be because I'm 40), Hawk Nelson will be performing at the concert also. Hailey and Kyla really love their music though, so maybe we will be do some slam dancing and body passing just for them....or NOT!!!! hehehe
Here is a picture of Jeremy, Adie and their two precious daughters. So cool that they can tour as a family!!!
I also want to say congratulations to all the family receiving their referrals right now....I know CCAA didn't make it through the whole month of August 05 but atleast they are picking up the pace a bit...even a little progress is a positive step in the right direction!!!