Jillian likes shaving cream....ALOT!

The Mouse House...

Well, I honestly can't believe I'm going to tell the entire world about the mouse house....but there really is a purpose to it...so here goes.... I was walking out of Super One Foods the other day, and saw they had sitting by the door, grills for sale. Just like so many other grocery stores, they bring in seasonal stuff, then they mark it up outrageously, and try to get you to "remember" you need a grill for the summer! Does anybody really buy that? Anyway, back to the point of my story...when I saw that grill....my mind immediately went back in time. For real....I went right back to the end of 1998, and the beginning of 1999. Madison was a baby, and Chandler was just about 3. We lived in our 2nd townhouse, which was right across the street from our 1st townhouse, and very conveniently 2 doors down from my mom's townhouse. I loved our street, and our situation with my mom being so close. It really was one of those ideal situations....for a little while at least. But then, the bottom fell out....I started noticing hints of mouse droppings. Then I saw a mouse, and then eventually two.....and so on. Our row of townhouses backed up to a cow pasture, and evidently little tiny field mice had come in and built a nest somewhere in our walls. It was awful!!! I cannot even explain to any of you out there how truly awful it is to have a mouse infested house...that you can't seem to do anything about. We called our landlord, they would do nothing. We called an exterminator, they said they could come set traps....which is exactly what we could do, and did. I won't go into all the details, but before it was all said and done, I couldn't even watch movies like Fievel Goes West, Mickey Mouse....or any movie for that matter that had a cute little mouse in it...because we frankly had had to kill so many. It really was a time that I think the Lord had to give us all grace to live through, because when I think about it now, it just freaks me out. Anyhoo....so when I saw that grill at Super One a few days ago, and my mind went back to that time, I found myself laughing in the parking lot thinking about what all we went through. I remember one time, a mouse was bold enough to come out while we were all in the living room....Roy and Chandler, (who again was 3 by now) had cornered this mouse under Chandler's little recliner. They couldn't figure out what to do next, but Chandler thought it was the most fun in the world. I remember running upstairs with Madison, but could still hear them downstairs. I sat there and listened to Chandler belly laugh so much with his Daddy trying to catch that mouse. I remember sitting in the kitchen on the phone with Roy while he was out of town, (at the time he was a drug rep, and traveled quite alot), and seeing little mice scurry around all over the top of our grill on the back porch. (Hence the recollection when I saw the grill) When we finally moved into our current house, back in 1999, Chandler was so sad, because he didn't want to leave "the mouse house". How crazy is that?? So, I sat in my car driving home, thinking how I never imagined then, that I would look back at those times with fondness. And while they certainly weren't great times in our lives....we sure made some great memories. I realized then, that I hope and pray, that in 10 years from now....I will look back on these drastically different, but also equally stressful times, with fondness. Am I taking the time to make the good memories? Or am I just drowning myself in the stress of daily life. I want to have more times to look back on and laugh about than I can count. And truthfully, it's just a decision away. A decision to look at things on the bright side. Maybe if I continually ask myself..."how am I going to remember this in 10 years?" it might put a new perspective on it. I'll keep you posted how it goes...but as of now....I am exceedingly grateful that mice in my house is not one of my stresses!! Praise the Lord for small wonders!!!

Wii Fit

I've recently gotten the Wii Fit. I love it. I really do...it's ALOT of fun, but it's also quite motivating! The first day after working out, it said I had lost a pound....but it quickly told me that weight can fluctuate 2 pounds or so, up or down. Basically, it told me not to get too excited! The next day, I went up 2 pounds...and to be perfectly honest, I was really bummed. However, I then expected it to tell me not to worry...my weight can fluctuate. NOT!! It immediately said, oh no, let's figure out why you're gaining weight. Are you eating too late? Are you doing enough excercise? What's up with that?????

While I'm Waiting.....John Waller

While I’m Waiting
Psalm 5:3, 27:14, 33:20, 37:7, 38:15, 40:1, Isaiah 30:18, Lamentations 3:24
John Waller

"The explanation for this song is simple, I was waiting on God and I was hurting when I wrote the lyrics. I probably wouldn’t have written
a song if my friend, Mike, hadn’t encouraged me to document what I was going through during that time. I’m sure there are few people
who can’t relate to this song, but the important thing to remember while we’re waiting on God is to not just wait but to actively wait.
Serve, worship and be faithful with what you have, where you are… “even while (you) wait.”

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience

While I’m waiting
I will serve You
While I’m waiting
I will worship
While I’m waiting
I will not faint
I’ll be running the race
Even while I wait

I’m waiting
I’m waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I’m waiting on You, Lord
Though it’s not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait

I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting
I will serve You while I’m waiting
I will worship while I’m waiting on You, Lord


I absolutely love this song!! I actually really like John Waller, and the lyrics to several of his other songs too.....go look him up. I'm sure you'll love him as much as I do... Anyway, back to this song.... I know I'm not in the waiting game for my adoption anymore...but this song would have been a perfect way to explain what I was feeling and thinking at the time. But just because I'm not waiting on my adoption...doesn't mean I'm not waiting on other things. I'm sure like all the rest of you, there are promises that we just know that the Lord has placed in and on our lives...and we are just waiting to see what (or more accurately when) on earth the outcome is going to be. These lyrics challenge me, (because so often I fail at this particular challenge) and I hope they would challenge you also, to serve Him while we are waiting for whatever it is that the Lord has called us to. To wait peacefully. At first glance, (or listen in my case)....I thought to myself...seriously?? Move ahead, bold and confident?? Are you kidding me?? Every step in obedience!!! (Again, I'll say....very often, I am a total failure in that area.) Wow....how much different would my outcomes be if that was what I did. Obviously, that IS exactly what we are supposed to be doing!!! I have learned, yet one more time through my study of Esther....that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ IS working behind the scenes even when we don't physically see His work. His promises are clear, and they are promises....now we (I) just have to wait on Him.

Bummer.

My computer crashed last week. And I mean totally crashed. Blue screen of death crashed. We took it to the computer store....and they said they could restore it, but would have to wipe it clean. I said, everything?? And they said...EVERYTHING. They couldn't save one thing I had put on my computer....no files, no music, and NO PICTURES. I thankfully had uploaded most of my pictures to snapfish albums, but there were some, I had just neglected, and hadn't gotten done. Mainly miscellaneous pictures...that I had no specific album to put in. I have an amazing picture of my mom and Chandler at Chandler's Christmas choir concert....that thankfully I recovered...but I had no album to put it in. After I got my computer back, with nothing on it, I immediately ran around my house to find all my memory cards to see exactly what I still had on them. I was surprised to see how old some of them were, and I did manage to salvage a few pics that I thought I had lost forever. My China pictures, which I had uploaded, and already have the hard copies of, were on one of those cards. As I was going through them, I realized how different Jillian looks. I mean, I know she looks different, but she has really, really grown. I'm pretty sure I did this with all my babies, but since it's been awhile since they were babies...I just didn't remember how stinkin FAST time goes. And how you don't even realize at that age, how fast they change....and you don't even notice it as it's happening right before your eyes. I'm so thankful that Jillian has been part of our lives for long enough that WE have been able to witness her changes. Her hair is so much longer, she's taller, she's thicker....and I LOVE watching it. I LOVE seeing her change. Now, if I could just freeze time.....

Where to begin....

I have tried to figure out how to start back blogging. Should I explain my time out? Should I not? Should I just give a few details, which of course would be very boring to you? I've decided not to go into all the long, drawn out excuses, but I will say...the Lord has done several mighty works in my life, and I am ever so grateful. There are a couple of areas of my life, that have been such faith builders over the last months. Truth be told, a couple of areas have been nothing but a roller coaster ride for quite some time. I have to tell you, I'm ready to be off that ride....for good. That's all I'll say for now....but there definitely have been some things I've wanted to blog about....and I think it's time to get back at it. If for no other reason, for me. It's a fantastic way for me to go through my day, realize my blessings, and have a few deep thoughts. Lol!

So, I'll jump right back in now.... A few months ago, he came home telling me there was a new student at school....and he was from the Ukraine. I at first was thrilled, and wanted Chandler to be best friends with him immediately, just so I could pick his brain about the Ukraine...but no such luck. He'd mentioned his new friend here and there, but nothing too much. And then, quite honestly, I had forgotten about it for the most part. Well, last week, Chandler came home and told me that one of the counselors at the school had pulled Chandler aside and told him that Max was having a difficult time making solid friends, and she asked Chandler to befriend him, and maybe have him over and maybe even have him spend the night. First off, and slightly off subject, I have to say how excited, and impressed I am that this counselor thought enough of Chandler to ask him to do such a thing. Secondly, I immediately had all kinds of questions. What would this mother who brought her child all the way from the Ukraine think of a relative stranger inviting her son to our house. Because of all these very random, and slightly concerning questions, I made an appt. with the counselor, who arranged for me to meet the mother. Long story short, Max came over today. He seemed to have a great time, he went to church with us, and then I brought him home. I have certainly had my "deep thoughts" about all this. As most of you know...my heart is in the Ukraine. I felt very certain I was to adopt from the Ukraine...but was clearly wrong on that issue. Nevertheless, my heart hasn't left those Eastern European countries. Romania, Russia, Ukraine, etc. So, why out of that entire school, would that counselor, who doesn't know me at all, ask Chandler of all people to befriend him? Why is Jillian's new facilitator for speech from Romania? I am consistently reminded of these countries all the time. I may totally be reading more into this than I should...which I often do....but I still am so very happy to have made a few connections to those countries. Maybe one day I will be able to go there. Missions is continually crossing my mind these days. Who knows what the future holds?? I sure don't....but I do feel blessed. On many, many fronts.