He did it again

If you ask his kids or grand kids, or anyone who knows him, you would end up with a long list of wisdom. He likes to talk and the words that come out of his 80 plus years of living are ones to be remembered. In fact he made a list once, filled with some of his favorite sayings gathered and used over a lifetime. Some he used more often than others. I blogged about it once a long time ago.

He did it again the other day. I heard about it from my dad. He added another bit of wisdom to the list. One I have been mulling over for days. I think he is on to something.

He said, “It is almost selfish to be thankful for everything because it makes me so happy.”

If you know him, I have to ask… doesn’t that sound like something he would say?

How cool would it be to have a statement like that “sound like something you would say.”

Yep, I wanna be like my Grandpa.

I think I will start by giving thanks for him!

“Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.”

1 Thessalonians 5:18

There She Goes

She's officially off to Africa. My sister and aunt extraordinaire has left the country and is on her way to Zambia where she will live for the next year teaching art and music at Lifesong's school. She will be loving on kids and putting her vigorous auntie training (provided lovingly by her 11 nieces and nephews) to good use.

I am so excited to see God work in her and through her. I am so excited to see her live out this dream.

But I will miss her.

A lot.

Which I'm trying not to think about.

So let's move on.

If you are interested in following along on Leslie's great adventure, she will be blogging here (hopefully with more frequency than she's blogged the last 6 months, hint, hint).

You can also follow along with the McB family here. They arrived in Zambia today. Leslie will be living with them for the first two months until their guest house is complete. Then she will move across their yard.

Leslie, I love you. I'm praying for you. And I can't wait to see the adventure unfold.

Glory to God, for "great are his purposes and mighty are his deeds." (Jer 32:19)

Not one of his better ideas :)

Read this

A friend forwarded me this link yesterday.

Man, I can relate with this post on so many levels. The details may be different but the feelings are so much the same.  I am thankful when people share their struggles honestly with Truth sprinkled in. It is therapy. A reminder I am not alone.

But enough about me.

If you are adopting or have adopted. If you are muddling through the aftermath of some life change or know someone who is...

I'd like to encourage you to read this.

An Adventure in the Backyard.

They were excited and that made us excited.

A backyard camp out.

I have so many fun memories of my own backyard camp outs as a kid.

Driving up to the gas station to pick out treats to eat in the tent.

Hostess cupcakes or Whatchamacallit candy bars for me.

Going to sleep with Dad in the tent.

Waking up to find him mysteriously gone.

An adventure in the backyard.

We didn't run up to the gas station to get treats.

But we did roast marshmallows and make smores.

Kory pulled out the guitar.

We sang Twinkle, Twinkle little Star as the stars made their night-sky debut.

We took turns telling scary/funny stories that involved ghosts, bears, squirrels, golf balls and smores.

And then, we fit five kids and one brave Dad into a 4-man tent, while Mom (that would be me) headed in to sleep in her own bed.

They fell asleep with Dad in the tent.

And woke to find him mysteriously gone.

An adventure in the backyard.

Epilogue: Kory tried to sleep in the tent until about 2:00 am when he decided to move in to the sofa, where he tried to sleep with the window open and a clear view of the tent. The kids went to bed late, woke up too early and were all feeling tired today. They loved sleeping in the tent and we are going to love sending them to bed early tonight. :)

Gabby God's Little Angel - a book review

Gabby God’s Little Angel, is a sweet picture book about a fun-loving guardian angel named Gabby. If you are familiar with the Gigi, God’s Little Princess series, this book is written in the same style which should not be a surprise as both characters are the work of author Shelia Walsh.


The illustrations, done by Marina Fedotova, are whimsical and sweet. Without a doubt, they add value to the story and make this book a fun one to look through.

The story is based on Psalm 91:9,11, “The Lord is your protection… He has put his angels in charge of you. They will watch over you wherever you go.” And while I love anything that reinforces the message that we are precious and loved by God, which is a clear message of this story… my one concern is the idea that God shows us his love by protecting us from harm. While I believe He does protect His children at times, I also know sometimes He does not.

Despite my concern, which could get me accused of way over thinking a children’s book; I look forward to sharing the story of Gabby with my girl. It is a sweet, whimsical, girly story book that will be a fun adventure for us to share together.

***DISCLOSURE NOTICE: A free copy of this book was supplied to me for the purpose of review by Thomas Nelson Publishing. No monetary exchange was given. All comments and wording in this review are purely my own.

Christmas Shopping!

Yes,  you read that correctly.

And even though it is 100 degrees outside, I am beginning to think Christmas.

Last year I set a goal to purchase gifts that gave back. This year I'd like to do the same.

So, in the spirit of Christmas, I'd like to share a few opportunities with you.

Have you ever heard of Scentsy? Head over here to learn more.
The Scentsy fundraiser will only last during the month of September. What makes this FUNdraiser extra fun is if you make a purchase over $10 you can be entered to win other prizes. AND, for every purchase you make money goes to help orphans in Henan (Suhn's province in China). So go knock a few items off your Christmas list and help orphans at the same time. It's a win-win-win (which is by far the best kind).

One more "gifts that give back" tip (and I'm hoping to share more over the next few months so stay tuned)...

Wild Olive T's

Awesome, awesome t-shirts for women and kids. Better yet, a percentage of EVERY purchase you make goes to help orphans.

My "So Loved" t-shirt if an easy favorite. Mya and Suhn's too! Go check out the site. Seriously, t-shirts don't get any better than this.

Happy Shopping and have a great Labor day weekend!

Caught in the Act

I thought I was being economical.

At first everything was going according to plan. No problems. Life was great. Until, I started noticing...

It really seemed like nothing. A few crumbs behind a chair or under a table. No big deal.

Then, the crumbs begin to show up on his face. I'm ashamed to say I looked the other way. Denial set in.

Things proceeded to get worse.

I started locking the box in the cupboard, but it continued to "disappear." It would mysteriously show up behind a chair or in the toy cupboard. I started getting sick to my stomach every time that box was gone.

I knew something was up, I knew it was bad and I needed to confront, but it is so hard to admit your loved one has a problem.

The day finally came when I caught him in the act.

We were getting ready to run some errands. He smiled sweetly and ran to "find his shoes." I followed. He led me right to it. He had hidden the box again for easy access. He grabbed a handful, stuck it in his mouth and turned. He saw me.

We silently regarded each other. The jig was up. We both knew it was time for change.

Hello, my name is Sean, and I'm a... goldfishaholic.