Keeping Up with the Joneses

Ok, so their is no Jones family living on our street - but we did need to do some updating on the house! With our pending Home Study, we wanted things to look really nice - AND we had to turn in a picture of our house. So, we decided to paint the house! What were we thinking?! And of course, it has not rained ALL summer long - but the moment we decided to paint, the chance of rain went WAY up! We were able to get some dry days and paint a coat on the 2 sides of the house and get the front all done! Yay! The back is still waiting on a dry day... and more energy to do it! But at least the front was ready for the picture!

Here is the before:

And After:

I LOVE my pretty new house!

My Verse

"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the Lord." - Psalm 113:9

When I first came across this verse, I felt as tho God penned it just for me. That He was promising me that someday I would have children. Each time I read it, tho, in the back of my mind, I couldn't help but think, 'you know, that doesn't mean biological children, it could mean adopted children.' I would always find some excuse to not believe that. I wanted biological children. But each time I read that verse, that was always my thought process. Until finally one day I realized, it did not matter to me HOW I became a mother, just that I had the opportunity to become a mother. Unbeknowst to me, as I was struggling with whether to keep trying to get pregnant, or to adopt, Joe was also thinking heavily about adopting. When I finally talked to him about it, we both knew it was time to start pursuing adoption, we both knew without a doubt that this was how God intended to start our family.

So, it may not be the way I had originally planned it, but I - a barren woman - will have children! Praise ye the Lord!

A Light at the End of the Tunnel

For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to get married and have several children. All my dreams as a child were to grow up and be a mom and have a family. That dream has been so incredibly distant these 7 years of marriage. I thought by now I would have a few little ones running around keeping me busy. Yet there is no pitter patter of feet running thru the hallways, or the laughter of children heard within these walls. It is a quiet place. A place where I often despair if I will ever see my dreams of motherhood come true. I sometimes shut myself off from the world - it is too painful to see other women playing with their children, holding their precious baby, giving tons of hugs and kisses. Will I ever have my turn?

I will have my turn! There is light at the end of the tunnel. My arms will not be empty for long! No, I am not pregnant. We are ADOPTING! Joe and I had always said we would adopt instead of doing fertility treatments if we were not able to get pregnant. Once it was time to make that decision, tho, it was really hard. A part of me felt that I was giving up on me, that I should try just a little bit longer to get pregnant. A part of me was scared, there is so much to consider in adoption! And a part of me finally had hope... hope that I would actually get to be a mom. That I could actually hold my own sweet baby in my arms. That I could soon hear that pitter patter of little feet and the walls would ring with laughter! Hope! Such a wonderful thing.

So here we are, we have applied to the Adoption and Beyond Agency and have filled out all the Home Study paperwork and turned it in! Now we await approval and then we will enter the agency's program and be waiting for a baby! Such an exciting time in our life! God has a baby out there for us. It may not be the way we planned, but it is HIS plan and it will be perfect!

A New Journey

In April, I decided to leave my job and become a stay at home wife. Many people may think I am crazy - I have no kids, this is a good time to keep working. But I don't really care what society says - I've never really cared much what they say, actually! We live in a world that's all about money and all about the big fancy things you have. Don't get me wrong, I like nice things. I like my home to look nice. I like to wear nice pretty clothes. I like that we have a boat we can go have fun on. But I sometimes long for the simplicity in life. So maybe I won't get any new furniture for a while, or always have a new outfit to wear, and we may not get to use that boat as often as we would like. But what will I have? Time. Time with family. Time with friends. Time for the important things in life.

Then, at the end of May, Joe left the police department and went back to work on the farm with his dad. There were several factors that helped us make this decision. One big factor was his work hours. The continual change between day shift and swing shift and night shift was beginning to take it's toll on Joe. He may now be working longer during the day - but he is home every night! That is so awesome!

In both instances, however, we have truly felt God leading us down this new path.

So, let the journey begin!

Ellie

This summer we decided to get Lela a playmate. We still hadn't quite made up our mind if we wanted another dog or not, when Joe found out there was an adorable little golden retriever puppy that had been at the pound for 2 weeks and they were ready to put it down. Joe just didn't have the heart to see her put down...so we decided to take her home! We named her Ellie because she so reminded us of the puppy on the Cottonelle commercial!! She has stolen our heart and she and Lela play all day long!

It's Been Awhile

It's been awhile since all of my immediate family were together for a holiday! But this Thanksgiving, we were finally all together for the holiday! We certainly had much to be thankful for! Judson had fun hanging out with his nephews - who are older than him! And all of us took turns loving on my neice Aleah!! We ate till we were full, visited, watched football and Brandi even broke out a deck of cards and patiently taught us a new game! It was a long day as we drove to Wichita and back the same day...but such a wonderful day! I hope the next holiday we all spend together isn't so far apart from this one! And, even though none of us wanted to get our picture taken and our clothes didn't coordinate...we did manage to get a photo of all of us together!

Crockpot Wednesday: Kalua Pork

If you go to a luau in Hawaii, more than likely the main dish is going to be Kalua Pork. I loved this dish from the moment I first tasted it and went on the search for my own recipe. Now, it wasn't practical for me to dig a pit in my backyard on post in which to smoke the pork roast - as is the traditional way to do it. Nor is it easy for me to find the banana leaves here on the mainland to wrap it in, either. So, I found a not so traditional method to cook it - in the crockpot. And I was amazed at how simple it is - just 3 ingredients! And it tastes pretty close to traditional Kalua Pork!Kalua Pork

5 pounds pork butt roast

1 T. liquid smoke flavoring

2 1/2 T. Sea salt, divided

Rub liquid smoke and 1 1/2 T. of the salt into the pork roast. Place in crockpot and cook on high for 4-5 hours. When meat is cooked and tender, shred and sprinkle in remaining salt, if needed.

Traditionally served with rice!