Sweet Love and scattered thoughts!

Last night, I got up to get a drink and found this waiting outside my door.....

Homemade presents from Chandler! filled with candy, sweet notes and redeemable coupons! It was precious! She is a generous giver and loves that love language!


As I think about (seriously) getting to go back to Africa, I think about all the things I would do differently. The main things being I would just try to hug them all the time and never sleep!! Since I know that no sleep is not possible and hugging them constantly would probably get on their nerves after a while, I think maybe I'd do it all over again the exact same way! Oh I want to go back!! And just LOVE!

This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

   1 John 4:10

This morning I was completely overwhelmed with everything that needed to be done, and needed-to-be-done-but-wouldn't-get-done things.  Tonight, as I look back over our pictures, I just want to soak in what is important and all the many ways He has shown me love just in the last couple of months!
This is love.....

Parker and Peter

 Not that we have loved...

Jeanvier and Patton

 But that He loved us...

Chandler and Jado

Break.my.heart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My precious Yves

Patton and Jeanvier

I hope I am reminded of the amazing gift EACH and every day!! His love! And I hope I can remember that it is NOT about ME!! Even if I never get to go back- that's ok! I have these memories and these boys in my heart forever! And I can do things for them while I am HERE!! And I'll leave you with a new favorite quote from Rick Atchley: Just because I have little to give does not excuse me from giving nothing!!

Chandler's Tshirt design!

One of the (many) blogs I read is an amazing blog called Ordinary Hero. I just love all the wonderful things they do and it makes you realize that YOU can do it no matter how busy your life is. (she is a mother of SIX kids!) Anyway, she is having a contest for kids to design their next Ordinary Hero kids tshirts. So Chandler drew this up and we submitted it a few days ago.  They were supposed to use their Name or logo on the shirt, and 3 or less colors but otherwise they could do whatever they wanted. The voting is on Valentine's Day so be sure and visit the site and vote for her that day. (Just in case you're like me, I'll remind you again on the day!) Read several of her stories while you are on the site- it will inspire you to go live for HIM!!

I got my room back!!!

I know some people are going stir-crazy with all this crazy winter weather (and normally I would be too!!) BUT I got my room back today! When we moved into this house, 2 years ago, Jeff was looking up from our breakfast area and had a WONDERFUL idea! This is what it looked like before....

The breakfast table in the kitchen- it went straight up to a 2nd floor ceiling

You could look down over the railing from the upstairs into the kitchen

He thought it would be a great idea to just add a floor above the table and make that my craft/scrapbook room! I couldn't have agreed more!!:) So in no time at all I had an amazing room to house all of my crafting supplies!

Decking the new floor!

Adding a wall (where the railing was) the other 3 walls and moldings were already there! Plus a sky-light for great natural light (and REALLY hot summers!:))

I met with the cabinet guy to have him make everything the right size! Showed him my 12X12 papers that I wanted lined up the wall, and my cricut cartridges in little cubbies- he did a great job!

It was wonderful! THEN, a few months ago he decided to move his office home for a while (while waiting on another office space to open up) And I'll have to say that I was a little nervous about this move! I have LOVED having him home during the days- sometimes I don't even see him but I just like knowing he's there. (and it's really great when he can run the kids to one of their MANY activities!!) BUT he completely took over the room- and I really have barely gone in there at all. The kids and I have done a few school projects in there but it was mostly on the floor because all his stuff was all over every other surface! Well today, he moved back into a new office space and the room is mine again!! It is so wonderful and it makes me want to be crafty again! I am LOVING this weather so I can re-organize every part of this room! So here is what it looks like now!!

And apparently a clean, organized room draws people in because I ran downstairs for ONE minute and this is what I found when I came back up.........

Can't resist a man in plaid pajama pants!:)

 I am seriously thinking about sleeping in here tonight because as clean as this room is the rest of the house is a DISASTER! Oh well- 3 more days off school ought to help me get something done! We've been out yesterday, today, and tomorrow for snow and then Friday and Monday were scheduled as a "family break"! So we won't be getting up and dressed for quite a while!!:)