Not Quite What I Had Planned On, But....

I woke up this morning and immediately spent time with the Lord instead of putting it off. Stephen had basketball practice and I would have all three kids in the middle of the morning for a couple of hours. No...this usually isn't a big deal, but it is when you're almost 37 weeks prego with twins! Actually, everything's a big deal.

As I was praying about this morning, the Lord gave me a picture of how Stephen and I work together as mom and dad. We're a great team, in my opinion. The Lord reminded me of how I ask for Stephen's opinion and look to him for advice when I just don't know what to do with the kids. He gave me the impression that He wanted me to do the same thing with Him this morning and to seek Him as my partner in parenting. Here's what I wrote in my journal:

"I invite you to join us, Lord, because I'll need your help, support, your company and someone to help me think of fun and creative things to do with the kids. I'll also need help with each child individually...Sam and his mouth, Susan and her behavior and cries for attention and Jonathan and his mess making, mischeviousness and need to have something to keep him busy. I just can't do it by myself. I thank you that you care about every detail of our lives. Thank you for being concerned about what concerns us-big or small. You are faithful, good and a joy to be around."

Well...went I got out of bed and went into the living room where everyone was, I realized that Stephen was dog sick on the couch with food poisoning. He sleeps on the couch a good bit these days so that I can get a peaceful sleep...it's hard enough to sleep without the bear noises! He's been sick ALL DAY LONG, so I not only had to manage on my own for a few hours, but all day. It's been good, though. God faithfully met me and helped me through it moment by moment. We had a pretty peaceful morning, a fun lunch at Cracker Barrel (yes, I braved it on my own!), a nice, long, nap time and a sweet afternoon with gigantic lollipops and pictures. After a ramen noodle dinner and bath time, I settled them down with Beauty and The Beast, which is what they are now doing. In a few minutes we will sit together on the couch and read some books just before crashing in our beds. I'm really hoping Stephen will feel better tomorrow so that he can take the kids to church and I can stay here and rest. I'm sure going to need it!
Ashley

PICNIK!

I LOVE, love, love pictures. I'm certainly not a "photographer", but I love taking pictures of my friends and family and mildly editing them, usually on Picasa 3. I know Ashley, who IS a professional photograher, has used Picnik in the past to create Christmas card graphics, do minor editing, etc, but I had never checked it out for myself.

My sweet blogger friend from Chatting at the Sky had a before and after picture that she had edited on Picnik and challenged us to try it out for ourselves. The picture I chose is of my sweet little niece.

Before:







After:







Pretty awesome huh? The best part is, I did this using the FREE version! Check it out!



~audrey

Just wanted to pop in and let you know that everything's going great and still no twins. It seems that I was made to carry twins, but frankly I'm quite tired of it and am ready to no longer be pregnant. I have a theory about Monday. All the stuff I was feeling then is what it felt like when I went into labor with my single kids and that's what I'm used to. My body went through some kind of change while I was sleeping Sunday night because I just haven't felt the same. There's more pain, more pressure and more contractions, but it's just not time for the little guys to show their faces and my Dr. is in no hurry for me to deliver. It's hard to not get discouraged, but I know that my body's getting ready and it's a bit different with two, especially having 3 kids underfoot. I keep reminding myself that I have atleast a little over a week left and that's not long. I will find out the date of my induction on Monday and am looking forward to it.

P.S. Wanna here a wierd tidbit about this pregnancy? My toes itch at night until I fall asleep and when I'm sitting still...like now....I feel like I have fleas and am constantly jumping to scratch my itches. Wierd, I know!

Ashley

Can I Call You Stew?

We are all stewards. Some of us are good stewards, some not so good. Most people think of stewardship in terms of money, but it can really be applied to much more than that. I learned a lot about myself when our family did our one week fast from television and computer. I was absolutely amazed at how productive I was that week. I went from one thing to the next without even thinking about it and rarely did I stop, sit, and do nothing like I would have if I'd had the TV on. It showed me that I am regularly a bad steward of my time at home.

I was reading 4 Little Men and Girly Twins and someone did a guest post a few days ago, asking readers for monetary help for Brittany and her family (the blogger of 4 Little Men...). Her story is heart wrenching, but I was shocked at the number of people who chose to leave cruel and hideous comments. People accused her of wasting her money on fancy, expensive clothing for children (which they didn't realize had either been given to them for free or purchased at a thrift store) and spending too much money on groceries so her family could eat organically (when in reality, they haven't eaten organically in months). But the bottom line is, it's none of their business. No one was forced to donate money to her family. Brittany and her husband did not choose, nor did they expect, to be unemployed with six children to clothe and feed. People even made comments like, "you should think about these kinds of situations before you choose to bring six children into the world!" That is the most absurd thing I have ever heard. When you are in a situation like they are in currently, it really doesn't matter if you have one child or seven children. No money is no money. It only takes an extra dollar to feed six children rice and beans.

I know without a doubt that the Lord is going to provide for this family. God's word says we reap what we sow, but that doesn't mean every hard time is the result of bad choices. Often, it is a test of faith, and we are given the opportunity to stay focused on our Ultimate Provider, or on our current, fleeting circumstances.

The bottom line is, we ALL go through seasons of being in need at some point in our lives. Whether it is a need for money, love, relationship, mercy; it's all the same to God. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. What is too big for Him!? His mercies are new every single morning. Each morning we're given a new opportunity to be good stewards of our money, our time, our words, our talents.

Next time you find yourself saying, "there just aren't enough hours in the day to get it all done!", stop and think about exactly how you spend every day. Could you get up an hour earlier? Could you cut out a few TV shows? Could you skip blogging for a few days **ouch!**? There are always areas we could squeeze a little tighter or sacrifice a little more. I want to challenge you to be aware of your stewardship. God loves a cheerful giver and that doesn't just apply to money! Take note of how much more you are blessed with time, resources, money, etc when you purpose to be a good steward in everything that He has already blessed you with.

I couldn't resist posting this little picture. As moms, aren't we frequently joking about our lack of sanity or mental stability? :) This is for you! Haha!

Happy Friday!!!

~audrey

Photo Art

I was going to buy pics of letters of the boys' names for $5 each online, but felt like I should save the money and do it myself. At 36+ weeks pregnant with twins, I can't get out and go on a letter hunt right now, so I had the idea to get some blocks we had and let the kids be apart of it. I like the sepia better than the black and white for what I need. I'm very, very happy with how it turned out!

Please Don't Tease Me

I have a quick moment to blog since we skipped school yesterday and Joshua is now sitting at the table doing two days worth of math and handwriting, niether of which require my help. :)

Would you like to know WHY we skipped school yesterday? Well, the first reason is because I had to go to the doctor in the morning and have some blood work done to figure out why I've been feeling so crumby lately. After we spent a whopping TWO HOURS at the doctor's office, we drove through Chick-fil-A. As we sat in the car eating our chicken biscuits, my cell phone rang...IT WAS THE FOSTER AGENCY!! I almost choked on my chicken! I think I was still coughing when I answered the phone! She informed me that she had a possible placement for us. Possible?? I don't want possible, I want definite. It was a six year old girl and a seven year old boy that have been in foster care with our agency for a year already. There has been some sort of break down within the current foster family and the children were likely going to be removed from this home and come to ours. I was assured the removal had nothing to do with the children. I was overcome with excitement. FINALLY! They're finally coming!! I ran the rest of my errands and rushed home to begin cleaning. There was a meeting scheduled for 2:00pm with everyone involved in the case with these two children. A decision would be made from there. I was assured a phone call by 3:00pm.

I cleaned frantically. Top to bottom. Side to side. Bathrooms. Bedrooms. Laundry. The van. Even the garage got a little sprucing! 3:00pm came and went with no phone call. I finally picked up the phone at 3:45 and called the agency. Apparently the meeting lasted longer than expected and the final decision was to leave the children where they are for now. They forgot to call us back. My heart sunk. I was told that these children will likely still be moved from their current foster home in the near future and if we don't have a placement by then, they will come to our house. I won't be holding my breath on that one.

Although I was terribly disappointed, I still trust that God knows what is best for our family. The catch to that situation was, the seven year old boy was going to be in my boys' bedroom with them (in his own bed of course). When I received that news, I prayed that if it was meant to be, it would work out and if not, then it wouldn't. I trust the Lord to keep my children safe throughout our fostering journey and we will take every measure imaginable to do the same. That said, we're still playing the never ending game of "Hurry Up and Wait."



This picture was taken at the beginning of the summer. I love it because it captures a glimpse of how much fun we had this past summer. The boys played so well together, it was the first summer since Owen has been 'independant' and playing with his brothers like a big boy. We had a blast spending our days by the pool and long weekends at my parents' house in Greenwood. I look forward to having Jesse at home during his holiday breaks. We've really missed having him at home with us. He is looking forward to homeschooling with us again next year. This year has done him very well already. He's almost half way finished!

SOOOOOooo, THAT is why we have two days worth of school work to do today.

I'm holding on to the fact that TOMORROW IS FRIDAY and the boys are spending the night at my in-laws'.

~audrey

What A Bargain!

Yesterday I was wandering around our local Sam's Club, mostly on a mission for a jumbo package of toilet paper, but my stroll was liesurely as I took in all the Christmas decor and the smell of food samples around every corner. I don't buy home decor very often; it simply isn't in the budget. However, I found a bargain I could not pass up. I mean, if I hadn't gotten this item right then, I would have had nightmares for sure. LOL! :)

I'm pretty picky when it comes to things like wreaths, that will be displayed on the outside of my house for all to see. It's kind of like a hair cut; one of the first things people notice. I can think of several occasions when I've driven through a neighborhood, or even stood on someone's door step waiting for them to answer and thought, ..."What in the world were they thinking?"..."Yikes, it looks like the easter bunny puked on a small bush and these people hung it on their door!"...Yes, it isn't always pretty.

Wreaths are expensive any way you buy them. They can be pricey to make yourself and they're ALWAYS pricey to buy, especially the really beautiful ones. So imagine my shock when I saw this wreath. Go ahead, take a good look and then guess the price. :)



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TWENTY DOLLARS!!!! $19.99!!!And the bonus: it came with it's own bronze hanger for the door!

I figure I'll dress it up with a few ornaments and a big bow for Christmas. :) I'll be taking care of this one for many years to come. Fortunately, there isn't any particular time during the day when the sun is really beating on my front door, so hopefully the berries won't fade.

Have you found any great bargains recently? I haven't. That's why this one was SO exciting!! :)

~audrey