Randomness.......

Flowers from Andy

Blessing Reading on the back deck!

Posted in General

Happy Birthday Blessing!!!

Lord, thank you for the gift of Blessing! We love her and cherish her and we are doing our best to bring her up for YOU!

Today my baby girl turns 5 years old! She woke up pretty early and really excited! I had wrapped a few of her presents last night and left them out for her to see. I was woken up with lots of kisses this morning…. Andy on one side and Blessing on the other side. She was ready for her special Birthday breakfast. I made her pancakes with sprinkles, and pink frosting. I added some candles to her first two pancakes. She opened her presents from Andy and I. We got her a princess Bible book about girls/women in the Bible. We also got her an Angelina Ballerina DVD, which she is watching right now. She was also excited to get a skirt with matching flip floppers! She has a birthday party tomorrow with the family. Then we will also have some of her friends over during the day next week for a party, too. Andy and I are going to take her to the zoo next week, too. It’s so much fun to celebrate with her and make her feel special.

(I made Gluten-free pancakes using Pamela’s mix and added spinkles while they were cooking. The frosting was made out of ideal confectionery sugar. Instead of being made from sugar, it is made with xylitol, a healthy sweetner. It tasted really good. I tinted it pink.)

Fostering

I’ve been asked…. Why do we Foster? How can we stand to give the kids back once we have had them? It’s simple, really…..

Why not? We are clearly commanded in the Bible to care for orphans and widows several places. And why not give these kids a chance, even for a little while to live in a home where God is the center and they are loved and cared for in a safe environment. It’s a picture of Biblical love… to genuinely love the helpless, hopeless and sometimes despised.... and it's our calling!!!
We’ve only been fostering a little over two years, but God has s-t-r-e-t-c-h-e-d me wayyyyyyyy beyond anything I ever thought was possible in that short period of time. It is hard. But by God’s grace and strength, we are making a difference. One child at a time…. One tender, wounded heart at a time. Most people I talk to are very appreciative of my willingness to foster and help kids. And I totally appreciate that….. BUT, I think I’m getting a lot of benefits, too. I get to cuddle with and hold little babies and invest in kids. And God is totally using this time to refine my character continually towards HIM! To GOD be ALL the GLORY!!!!!!!

As far as giving kids back to parents/grandparents etc…, it really HURTS! It feels like crap. I cry. Our last placement hurt the worst of all. We got Chance when he was a week old…. a little drug baby. He had just gotten out of the hospital. I can’t give a lot of details, but the first month or so, he had some pretty bad withdrawal episodes. I would sometimes just sit and hold him… tears streaming down my face crying out to God…. Why? How could he let this innocent baby go through this. Eventually things got better. Finally at about 7-8 months, most of his withdrawal symptoms were gone. Then we got the news. They were moving towards termination and no eligible family members had stepped forward. If termination went through, then we would get to adopt Chance! What Joy filled me!!! Then a few months later, an eligible relative stepped forward. 2 months later he was moved to his grandmothers. IMMENSE HURT! But God knows His way is best and He was there with His arms open wide with an abundant amount of grace, love and strength to get through. It still hurts, but we are healing. And we have the opportunity to share Christ and His love with Chance’s grandmother and family. We get to see Chance now and then and we are grateful for the time we get to spend with him. As a matter of fact, we get to see him tomorrow for Blessing’s birthday party!! YAY!
Right now, we are in a transition period. We are taking a break until God sends us another child/children to care for. Yes, I am enjoying this time with our family. I’m trying to get organized so that when we get “the call”, we will be ready. Speaking of which, as a person who usually likes to have a schedule and know ahead what is going to happen, fostering takes me well out of my comfort zone. Most of the placements we have had, we usually have the kids in our home within hours of accepting them. Visitation times can change quickly, clothing and other necessary items to quickly buy…. Whew! It’s an adventure, that’s for sure!!!!
I’m thankful though (most days), that this is where God has placed us. And on those days I’m not thankful, I need to work on it because I should be!

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Homemade Goodness....

Blessing and I did lots of fun things today! Some of the highlights included making Grandpa a Chocolate cake with homemade Caramel Icing and making homemade Jam from our wild black raspberry patch.

For the cake we just used a Devil’s Food cake mix from Pillsbury (the one with pudding). The icing is a family recipe from Andy’s family. It is a HUGE family favorite. It is NOT healthy, but an occasional indulgence is wonderful! Here is the recipe!

Caramel Icing

Melt ¼ C. butter

Add ½ C. brown sugar

Bring to boil and stir 1 minute or until slightly thick.

Cool slightly.

Add 1/4 C. milk and 1 T. Pure maple syrup. Stir until smooth.

Stir in about 1 3/4C – 2 C. confectioner’s sugar till of spreading consistency.

Frost the cooled cake IMMEDIATELY! This frosting sets up very quickly!

ENJOY!!!

We took the cake over to him yesterday and enjoyed a piece with him. He was delighted!!!!

Blessing making Grandpa’s cake!

During the afternoon, Blessing and I went a picked black raspberries. Then we mashed enough until we had 1 2/3 C of crushed berries. We added 4.5 t’s of pectin to it. Then I added 2/3 C of Palm Sugar. Palm sugar (also called Coconut Crystals) is an unrefined, low glycemic healthy sweetner made from coconuts! After adding the Palm sugar, I poured it into a pint jar and let it set for about a half hour. At this point, it was time for a taste test!!! YUMMY! It was soooo good! It will keep in the refrigerator for about 3-4 weeks like this or you can also freeze it. I’m not sure it will last that long, though.

Finished Product

Joyful and Fulfilled

I just want to say that I am having the time of my life on my own little "mission field" right here at home. I love being a mother to our VERY active 5 year old (almost) daughter, Blessing and caring for other children as a foster parent! I am a SAHM (Serving at Home Mom). I know everyone else calls in a stay at home mom, but I prefer to think of it as serving.... I'm serving my Lord and Savior and my family!!! I love taking care of our home and keeping the household running although I don't like to clean and constantly pick up clutter, I do enjoy serving my family and sharing the love of God through these daily activities! I thank the Lord for giving this high calling to little ol' me!!!

Recent News...
We picked the first cucumbers out of our garden today! YUM!!!
We are doing respite care for a busy 14 month old baby boy this week/weekend.
Blessing is excited about turning 5 in less than a month.
I lost 4 lbs this week and God is totally helping me take control of my emotional eating.
My brother Gene got married to Leah on June 11th and Blessing and I were delighted to celebrate with them by being in their wedding!
My brother Len was hurt while fighting bulls on Thursday, but seems to be doing okay now.

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