Black and White Wednesday-Beach Peek!

We spent last week enjoying the surf, sand and sun! My big guy couldn't wait to hit the water. I can't believe how much he has grown. We've been coming to this same beach since he was three. It's hard to believe he is thirteen, he's very tall , works out everyday so he looks older than he is. This was quite evident by all the girls that took notice of him this year at the beach. I don't think this mom is ready for all that! He took it all in stride and just smiled at the attention. I love this boy to pieces! Even when he gets that teenager attitude! More pictures of the rest of the gang coming soon!
Summer is speeding by faster than the flicker of a lightning bug in the night sky. I hope you are making every moment of summer a good one! We are!

Until next time...


God called the dry ground "land," and the gathered waters he called "seas." And God saw that it was good.




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Robin

Happy Father's Day To The Most Amazing Dad!

On this day our family is blessed to call this amazing man dad! He is always there for our family. Here's just a little glimpse of him this past year. Here he is watching the little ones sled down our drive. It was the first snow at our house for both of them...

Sweeping me off my feet, which he does on a daily basis...

Mastering the grill at a cook -out with friends...

Cheering Land on at one of his numerous sporting events...

Sharing a special moment with Anna Kayla...

and enjoying some much deserved relaxation! We love you dad and hope you had a great day. We think every day with you is a special one! You make our home a happy one!

Until next time...

A loving family is a treasure from God. It is one of our most blessed earthly possessions.

To make sure our homes are truly blessed we have to:

Let the word of Christ-the message-have the run of the house. Give it plenty of room in your lives.

Colossians3:16

Robin

Take a look at more Sunday Snapshots here!

Little Boy Blue in Black and White

Emanuiel had his end of the year program recently. It was Nursry Rhyme Day and he chose to be Little Boy Blue. He was so precious up on the stage. Here's a little glimpse of him after the program. He has grown so much since we first brought him home. I delight in the little boy that he is and can't wait to see the young man that he becomes.

My prayer for him is this:

Let love and faithfulness never leave you: bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart.

Proverbs 3:3

Until next time...

Robin

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Perfectly Princess--Almost

Saturday Clara Beth was invited to a Princess Tea Party. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity for her to get one more wear out of the dress she wore to her third birthday party. After all this dress was a very "princessey" one! She however felt differently. She was excited about the party but not about wearing this dress. She did put it on but was not really as happy about it as I thought she would be. I had a beautiful(or so I thought) pink ribbon that had adorned one of my birthday gifts still sitting on my dresser. Being the resourceful one that I am I thought it would be the perfect compliment to this pink party dress. So with gusto I grabbed it and tied it into her hair. She sat very still on the bed and with the most serious face I ever saw said this..."I am the only one that is going to look silly". This was said with the exact look you see on her face below. I had to turn my head to hide my giggles. You would have thought she was about ten years old instead of three! I assured her that she did not look silly and all of the other girls there would be dressed in a fancy flurry of dresses, bows, necklaces, tutus and so forth.
"Are you sure?", she asked.
Then she decided to think about it...
a few minutes later she was still thinking until finally...
she looked at her self in the mirror and thought she did look like a princess...almost anyway. So off we went with smiles on our faces.





Here's hoping your week ahead is filled with pretty princess moments!



Until next time...

All glorious is the princess within her chamber; her gown is interwoven with gold.
Psalm 45:13




Hope over here to see more Sunday Snapshots.

Mini Kitchen Redo Complete!

I am linking to Naps on the Porch today to join her Metamorphosis Monday with my Mini Kitchen Redo post from last week! Click on the button to see more great blogs!



I love kitchens, especially big gourmet kitchens with lots of storage and counter top space for prep work, cooking and baking. I drool over pictures in magazines of French Country Style kitchens, Tuscan designed cabinetry and even sleek modern inspired kitchens. Many of the blogs I visit often have kitchens to die for and I love being able to peek into those . My kitchen, however, is small, or cozy as I like to refer to it. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my little kitchen and have spent many happy hours there preparing food for my family and friends. We have been in our home for 19 years. When we built our home we are a small family of three and thought that was how it would always be. God had other plans for us and I am sure He chuckled when I made that statement many years ago. Today we are a busy family of five(seven when Anna Kayla and Greg are here) and we are still in the same house. Yes, we could move to a larger home and we have considered it, but I am so attached to every part of this house I don't believe I could ever leave it. So we just keep doing little things to make our home more livable and up to date, all the while keeping to a tight budget. I tend to be a very thrifty person and I LOVE a good deal. I loath spending money unnecessarily. So here it is...our mini kitchen redo. Below is a before picture. There were no drastic changes just enough to make me feel like I am in a brand new kitchen! Before, our walls were painted a sage green. The window treatments were made by my mother(so they were hard for me to part with but it was time). The fabric was a fruit pattern and I had a coordinating striped fabric with fruit on my chairs. The pictures on the wall were of strawberries and plums and they had long since been faded by the bright sunlight that streams through our three bay windows. It was also time for them to go! Below, my new wall color is a Valspar paint called Grassland. I love green and this color is deep and rich. These photos were taken at night so it's hard to see the true color on the walls. My new window treatments are a black background with big bold flowers woven in. The cloth is thick like tapestry. I wanted lots of black accents in my kitchen so this fabric provided a great starting point. Thanks to my dear, sweet neighbor Gail for making these for me! She did them without a pattern and they turned out perfect. Oh how I wish I could sew! The new pictures on the wall look like they were made to go with the fabric on my windows and I found them at Marshall's. They were a great deal and the black on the frames are a perfect accent. I am using the same stripe on the curtain ties for my kitchen chairs.

Here is another view of the old look...

and back to the new. I also purchased a black lamp that now takes the place of that green plant on my china hutch. The black clock above the hutch is also new, it was a steal from Ross, as was the rug in front of my sink that I don't have included in the picture.

My final picture is my one big splurge. My new cast iron sink and faucet. This I just love and I think it goes perfectly with my new counter tops. I didn't even want to include a picture of my tired old butcher block counter tops, those I don't miss at all! The picture was on clearance at Pier One and found the perfect home above my new sink.

The kitchen is truly the heart of the home and my kitchen has found a new beat without breaking the bank. I know my family and I will spend many more happy times in here.

Until next time...

May you also find happiness in your kitchen and your home and what ever you do remember:

So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31

Robin

Black and White Wednesday-Lazy Days Of Summer

Now that school's out here are a few shots of how we will spend our "lazy days and nights of summer"! Since this is a favorite of Emanuiel's I am sure we will eats lots of this...

followed by lots of splashing around in this! Except for maybe one more trip to the beach our summer will be spent right in our own backyard! Days spent romping in the sunshine and nights on the porch, watching the moon and twinkling stars. Sweet summer time!

Until next time...

I hope you find the perfect spot this summer for enjoying the sun and the moon!
All the while remembering that:

He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.

Psalm 72:5

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June 8th- A Very Happy Day For Us!

This is a special day for us in many ways. In October of 2007 we first saw this little guy's face on a special needs list. His smile captured me immediately. Every day I would gaze at his picture and wonder if he was to be a part of our family. Oh how we prayed over this little fellow and finally in January of 2008 we began the process to bring him home. All went along well, we finished up our paper work, sent it off to China and waited, feeling confident that we would soon have him in our arms. Then in May we got devastating news...our adoption had been denied. We were told that the CCAA would not allow us to bring this precious boy home because of changes in their policy and my medical history of cancer. Our hearts were broken. I cried a river of tears and turned to my only comfort during that time...God's word. Mark 11:24 sustained me through those long days. "Therefore, I tell you, all the things you pray for-believe that you have received them, and you will have them." I prayed this continually and we waited and waited for four looooooong weeks. During this time our wonderful agency, Christian World Adoption was in China advocating on our behalf before the CCAA. Not once, but three times they went before them and pleaded for us to be able to bring this child home. And finally on June 8th, 2008 we got the best news ever...we were going to China to bring Zhu Jun Feng home! Our hearts were overjoyed. And we know without a doubt that God was in control of all that happened. You see we decided that this child's name would be Emanuiel for two very special reasons; Emanuiel means, God with us, and we knew that if we were doing another adoption only 6 months after Clara Beth's that He would certainly HAVE to be with us. Emanuiel was also my father's name(that's why the spelling is so unusual) and June 8th, the day we found out we would bring him home was my Father's birthday! God is so Good! Precious first pictures of Emanuiel.

Updated pictures we received after accepting his file.

Loving that little face!

In this picture his personality just shines through!

Our little fellow now. This little guy is so full of life. I am so blessed to be the one that he calls mommy!

Until next time...

Remember God's words:

"I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you"

John 14:18

Robin

There are many children that are still waiting on Christian World Adoption's Hope Project list. Go over and take a look, one of them may be your child.

Sunday Snapshot-Beach Retreat!

We were fortunate enough to go on a little beach retreat Memorial Day weekend. Our whole gang was there and we even met up with some friends that were also there for the long weekend. Here are the three little ones enjoying the waves.

Emanuiel taking a little break, he did A LOT of wave chasing!

Clara Beth loved the sand.

All three testing the waters...

and loving it!

CB heading under the umbrella for a quick snack.

Land, tossing a football of course!

Football is just in that boy's blood no matter where we are!

Here we are heading over to play putt-putt!

Let the game begin...I am usually not a very competitive person unless it involves a small putter and colorful ball!

Everyone joined in.

No matter how many putts it took to get the ball in the hole.

Mr. Sunburned feet was also quite the show off during our game! Yes, I did beat him!

Of course we had to stop and visit the big turtle.

Some even climbed up on his back!

Stopping for some mommy -daughter hugs!

Then it was back to the villa to celebrate my birthday with cake and ice cream!! In case you are wondering Paul was there, he was the one behind the camera this time! It was quite a trip and we can't wait to go back!

Until next time...

We are enjoying the first week of summer vacation around here. I have a very long to-do list that I hope to get started on very soon but right now we are just filled with joy to be out of school with nothing to do!

May your days of summer also be filled with joy:

Heart, body, and soul are filled with joy...

You have let me experience the joys of life

and the exquisite pleasures of Your own eternal presence.

Psalm

16:9,11

Robin

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