Hanging of the Green

A picture to share that I took of our Hanging of the Green service at church this past Sunday. PandaGirl is second from the right on the bottom front row. These are our high school, middle school and grade school choirs. The preschool choirs had already gone to sit with their parents when I snapped this shot. They all did such a great job in leading us in worship as they also decorated the sanctuary with everything to make it look CHRISTMASY!

More posts to come when I can get some pics put together!

Thanks to everyone who is praying for us and PandaJOY. I have prayed blessings back on YOU for taking the time to care about us! ; )

Lots of Thanks!

There is so much to tell about our great Thanksgiving break and you know the way I like to do that is through pictures.....well.....the way I do the collages is not working right now and it's KILLING ME!! AHHHH! Hopefully that will be fixed soon!

We left town last week feeling so sad that PandaJOY was not with us for Thanksgiving (or for forever!) but were determined to let the Spirit fill us with joy to have a great time with our family.

Just like God to always be faithful...He allowed us to have a precious time with our family and friends. I did two super fun photo shoots with friends we haven't seen in a long time. We had a complete and total blast having PandaDoggie with us. He ran free and harder than any dog I've seen!! LOL!! He LOVED the freedom of running in the country. His Gram even bought him and his doggie-cousin matching brown/orange sweaters for the cold that blew in.

Fabulous food was everywhere!

On the way back home we got to stop by and see our little PandaJOY for a few minutes. God knocked our socks off with her precious self by gifting us with her own joy and excitement to see us drive in the driveway. She SPRINTED across the yard, let me grab her up in a huge squeeze and then proceeded to climb up in our Tahoe like she was ready to go HOME.

Very precious moments, indeed.

They are imprinted on my mind's eye.

Extremely difficult for us to leave her in the foster home. I adore my friend who is the foster mom. There is no better place for that baby to be right now if she can't be with us. I am asking you to please, please pray for the whole thing to move forward in her case and let us bring this baby girl home!!!!! Of course, we want to spend the magical anticipation of Christmas with her so we are revving up our prayer life about this and asking God to move mountains, lawyers, judges, mediators, caseworkers: all of them involved. MOVE MOUNTAIN!!

Can't wait to share all the fun pics from the last week with you, but can't do it very easily without my beloved collages.

(PandaGirl took this fun pic of me and PandaPop with my good camera....I never her let her even touch my good one so this is a BIG deal to her!!.....and I think she did pretty good!)

Drumroll!!!!!!!!!

Here is my new website!!

Our hearts are completely broken that we do not get to have PandaJOY with us for Thanksgiving. It is where she belongs. Too bad the lawyers and mediator couldn't coordinate their schedules as hoped. Great thing that we know God is in control---no matter what. I am excited to launch my new website, see family and friends and eat some YUMMY food this week!! Looking forward to putting up all our Christmas decor out on Saturday and watching White Christmas while having hot chocolate.

We have JOY no matter what.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Just to Show Me

::Click on images to enlarge::

These photos speak for themselves.

I noticed this tree in our park just down the street from our house and it seems to be on fire it is so orange and vibrant. Radiant.

Truly God's amazing beauty that we get to enjoy. Thank you, precious Lord!!!

Though we still are looking forward to having PandaJOY in our life, sadly, it doesn't look like we will get to have her for Thanksgiving. Breaks our heart when all that needs to be done is paperwork basically. Getting the lawyers schedules to match up with the mediator seems to be a glitch. So sad, but God knows all and is fully in control. Fully.

When He shows me this glorious beauty in a fall tree I can't help but know He is real and has His hand on our life.

I am totally in love with The Afters and their latest song called "Light Up the Sky"....it says: You light, light, light up the sky to show me You are with me and I, I, I can't deny that You are right here with me. You open my eyes so I can see all around me. You light, light, light up the sky to show me---You are with me."

Can't get any simpler than that, friends.

Cafe Rio

My friend tagged me on FB to do this fun meme. PandaPop and I just finished a great overnight retreat with our preteen children's group from church. Great stuff, but I am here to say that last night just might be my LAST time to sleep in a dorm with kids and staying up past midnight. I am NOT a night owl and staying up til 1:00 AM just about did me in!!! Not good for me! I get bossier than I already am and very snippy. : (

PandaDoggie stayed in a doggie hotel for the first time and was soooooo darn cute when he saw us through the window to pick him up today.

Good to be home and hoping for some real decisions to be made this coming week with PandaJoy. Side note: the name of our dorm last night just "happened" to be JOY. Love it.

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The iTunes Shuffle Game.

Here are the rules:

1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.3. You must write the song name down no matter how silly it sounds.

If someone says "you're okay" you say:

Maybe by Alison Krauss & Union Station

How would you describe yourself?

It's Your Love by Tim McGraw

What do you like in a girl/guy?

Hallelujah by Newsboys

How do you feel?

We Come together by Newsboys

What's your life's purpose?

Build Us Back by Newsboys

What's your motto?

I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

What do your parents think of you?

Delilah by Cindy Morgan

What do you think about very often?

Jesus Freak by DC Talk

What do you think of your best friend?

Reality by Newsboys

What's your life story?

Nothing Can Come Between Us by Sade

What do you want to be when you grow up?

Paperback Writer by The Beatles

What do you think when you see the person you like?

Like Lovers Do from the Serendipity Soundtrack

What will you dance to at your wedding?

Believe by Gosh Groban

What will they play at your funeral?

Let's Fall in Love by Chris Botti

What is your passion in life?

God's Been Good to Me by Keith Urban

What is your biggest fear?

Take My Heart by Phil Joel

What is your biggest secret?

Heaven by Jars of Clay

What do you want right now?

Heaven is the Face by Steven Curtis Chapman

What will you title this post as?

Cafe Rio by David Benoit

These Small Hours...

::click to enlarge collage::

Still all about just throwing some pictures together for this blog. Hoping to be able to write my thoughts in a few weeks. Praying for the people in control of PandaJoy's case to make their decisions quickly and get her HOME! The real IN CONTROL is God and, though I wanted her yesterday, His plan is the one I want most. Stay tuned for more to come!

The Here and Now...

I never think about this meme until my friend does it and then it spurs me on to want to totally copy her. She won't mind. ; )

Outside my window… Cloudy, rainy, chilly (this was her answer, but it remains the same this morning).

I am thinking…about downloading some great Christmas music that I don't already have onto my iPod for some festive deaf-dog-walking.

I am thankful for…the cautious optimism around our house preparing for PandaJoy's arrival...though we have no idea when that will be. Sniff.

From the kitchen…I smell the lingering aroma of the Pumpkin Chocolate Chip muffins (recipe below as per request from several Face*book friends) I made. Totally yum and totally more WW points than I need in one sitting.

I am wearing…purple t-shirt, PJ bottoms with brightly colored sketches of well-known cities from all over the world, navy blue frou-frou house shoes.

I am creating… several wall decor pieces, a window treatment and toddler bed blanket for you-know-who!!!!

I am going…to do laundry today, work on my Revelation Bible Study, put black glitter on a cute wooden letter for PG and PJ, pray that PJ will get to us in God's perfect timing-but that it would be very soon, gear up for the (in)famous Wednesday Night Dinner Crew at church, enjoy the chilly fall air and cute fall clothes.

I am reading… just bought Immanuel's Veins by Ted Dekker. Have never read any of his stuff because I am a self-proclaimed weenie. This looks like I can handle it, just have to find the time to start it.

I am hoping…figure out some sort of work-out schedule that I will actually do.

I am hearing…impaired. Wait. PandaPop and PandaDoggie are hearing impaired. I just don't listen. (PP just helped me with that!!).

Around the house…PandaDoggie needs a bath and his teeth brushed after gnawing on a box of Nerds, usual Wednesday cleaning, waiting and waiting and waiting on some hard dates for PJ to get here.

One of my favorite things… the sweet, comforting, strong, warm hug I just got from my Man as he left for work. Yes.

A few plans for the rest of the week… PJ's room, praying about PJ, finding a place to purchase cute Christmas stockings, short photo shoot, praying about PJ, Skype with PJ, play with PP on his day off, walk deaf doggie, praying about PJ, go to the library with PG for books on CD that she LOVES, try to count WW points (fail by lunch!! YIKES!), finish creative projects, dinner with friends, Daddy-daughter event at church, accountant friend getting me all straight with The Cotton Crop Photography because I absolutely STINK at that part of the business, scrapping a few pics and praying about PJ.

A picture to share…

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

(recipe from a grand prize winning entry from Cindy Middleton out of the Country Woman May/June/95 magazine)

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 can (16oz) pumpkin
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups (12oz) semisweet chocolate chips

In a large mixing bowl, beat eggs, sugar, pumpkin and oil until smooth (I did it by hand). Combine flour, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon and salt; add to pumpkin mixture and mix well. Fold in chocolate chips (after scooping a few into your mouth first). Fill greased muffin cups 3/4 full. Bake at 400 for 16-20 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes before moving to a wire rack. Yield: 24 muffins