Trying A Few New Things

I tried both of these skewer ideas as well as some awesome parmesan roasted potatoes (that I did not snap a pic of!) for lunch today and they were a huge hit!

I think I am just one big copy cat.

I love others' ideas and maybe even tweak them for better fitting my personality and because of this ability to pillage from others creativity and motivation I have become a member of Pinterest.

Heard of it yet?

Yes, it is just one more thing online to take up my time that I already am terribly short on!!  You can "pin" interests that you find on the web and be able to categorize them and link to them.  Not only that, but you can visit other people's great ideas they've discovered and find MORE new fun things to do, gawk at or copy.

 I LOVE IT!!

 It is sort of confusing at first, but I am getting the hang of it.

I will attempt to pin and categorize this post as a trial run.

Have fun pinning!

Bonding

The Verdict

The jury trial this week has been one long wait after another!! Today was grueling!! Up until the last breath before the verdict was read we had NO idea how the jury was going to go.  My whole body was knotted up and my chest and neck stayed RED all day long.  So nerve-racking, but completely at the mercy of the court's timetable and the jury's decision.

They unanimously terminated his rights!

That is heartbreaking in one sense and yet a relief in another.  We have NO animosity for the bio family, rather the opposite! They have had 18 months to prove they could get the FREE help offered and did nothing.

As soon as the verdict was read the bio father reacted to his mother's disruptive reaction, got violent and proceeded to try and hit the jurors as they walked by causing the counselor to restrain him then he bolted.  We were fearful for awhile and then waited a bit before going to our car.  WHEW!!  That made my legs get so tight that it was hard to walk!

The law says they have a 90 day appeal period so we have to wait through that before celebrating.  Thank you so very much for you love, support and prayers!!!  My eyes have been opened wider and I have a new-found appreciation for C*P*S caseworkers and the attorneys.  Their jobs are unbelievably STRESSFUL!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was not made for court.  I'll happily stick with children's ministry and photography and make pennies compared to lawyers.

I'll give more updates when I can, but for now I am letting my muscles relax, taking a hot bath and praising God for a YES answer to what we asked for.

Blessings!

ONE MONTH AWAY!!!!

Exactly ONE MONTH from today I get to see HER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I can't even believe it's been so flippin' long since I've laid eyes on her in person, hugged her neck or heard her sing!

They get to cross back over The Pond for just a few days and I am excited to be able to see her!!!

  I know gobs of people will vie for their family's attention, but I know that in the midst of the happy chaos......she wants to be with me, too!!! 

(This pic was taken in our beloved-long-gone-black-Jeep just a few days before they left the country in the July 2008)

***Update on the trial for PJ will come as soon as we know anything of value

Strength for Today

Sorry I didn't update on Friday, but we never heard anything from our offer so the trial is on.  Jury selection is today and the trial should last three days.

CRAZY.

We knew coming into this there was a risk.  It's called a "low legal risk adoption".  The "low" was the great part.  Now it seems like the low is pretty darn high in my estimation.

There's always the chance the jury could decide to take her away from us and give her back to her birth family.  I really don't think that is likely considering what we know about their history.

Then the possibility this real and scary and doable is where the jury decides to leave her in Permanent Managing Conservatorship. That means she stays in the foster system until she's 18.  She'd be in our care, but not be able to take our name, we couldn't adopt her, no pictures, we have to keep up with crazy amount of paperwork, documentations of everything and ongoing trainings.  That KILLS ME!!!!!!!!!!!!! How HORRIBLE for HER!!!!!!!!!!!!

The other possibility is that the bio father's rights are terminated, we get to adopt her, finalize in a few months and......period.  THAT'S the one we are praying for.

Actually, we are praying for God's will to supersede our desires.  This story is so involved.  I have to go now because we are putting our Tahoe in the shop.  Yippee.

God is good and I'm trying not to stress, but it is challenging!!!

Soli Deo Gloria

We are asking for prayers today for PandaJOY's case.  By 4 o'clock this afternoon a decision has to be made by the biological father, either to relinquish his rights or we go to jury trial on Monday.  We don't know what is best, but we do believe PJ is supposed to remain with us.....as our daughter....not a ward of the state until she's 18.  Thank you for your intercession on our behalf.

Soli Deo Gloria.....to God alone be the glory!

Freshly Squeezed DELIGHT!

I hope you enjoy doing this as much as I did!! I have NEVER made fresh lemonade so I am delighted with myself today!  I got this yummy, oh-so-simple recipe from none other than 

Lemonade Makin' Mama.  

I have never met this cyber friend, but I just KNOW we'd be great friends.  She is truthful, open, a Believer and has ZEST for life!  LOVE her......don't even KNOW her. 

So Here's the Skinny

Here are a few shots that I've been doing from various photo shoots in the past couple of weeks.  You can see the rest of the photos in each gallery by clicking here and I always love visitors to my regular website which is linked over to the right side of my blog....though I haven't updated anything there.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE what I do!!!!!!!!!!

I am so tired when editing after the girls go to bed, but it's really my only time to do it.

Just got PandaJOY all registered for 3 year old preschool next fall at PandaGirl's school! The program just opened up......last.....week!!!!! Yay!  It's only three hours a day, but it will give me time to breathe and get SOMEthing done around here.

Next week starts the trial for PandaJOY's case.  The birth father requested a jury.....so we will have a jury.  I have no idea why these people are so pampered when it is THEM who are in question and have already been ruled out as suitable parents.

Please pray for the jury selection, the whole process of the week and our sanity.  We live an hour & a half away from the courthouse.  We can only have certain authorized people babysit her and we can't have her there with us.  Yeah, that will be fun to figure out the logistics for.

We are trusting that God put this little girl in our life to be our daughter and PG's sister.  Everything fits.  However, it isn't all said and done until after the trial.  Anything could happen.  I am praying that no weapon forged against us will prevail and that our God will fight for PJ and for us. Thank you so much for your prayers!!!

Meanwhile, enjoy my love of photography....

To Clear Things Up....

We are in no way "in trouble"  with the photo thing of PandaJOY.  All of us from our agency received a notice saying that as May 9 anyone with foster child photos on any social media venue will have corrective actions given.

We are so super safe with her identity, but don't want ANY thing to be in question.  Her trial is in a couple of weeks and we don't want to jeopardize any decisions being made.

We are OK!!! ; ).......just sad to have darling pics of her on her or FB.

Stop and Smell the.....

PHOTO REMOVED AS PER NEW CORRECTIVE ACTIONS BEING TAKEN BY TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY SERVICES.

I don't know what kind of coral colored flowers these are that PandaPop planted in the front flower-bed, but I just love them alongside my lamb's ear.  I just HATE that I can't post PandaJOY's face yet, because her chubby little cheeks & cute little nose profile sniffing that flower has to be PERFECT.  I am so sorry that all you see are blurred pixels.

I am playing around with some new photo effects, poses and artistic styles with my photography and using PG & PJ as my test models.  I've already done a few of PJ and am just sick that I can't share them with you yet.  The main focus in the pics are the eyes so of course you won't be seeing them anytime soon, at least of PJ.

We were checking the weather last night because the sirens went off.  I was trying to get the girls to bed after a late night at church watching PG in her end of school year musical and there was thunder and lightning interrupting our routine.  I gently, but firmly asked PP to check the weather on TV!!!!!!!!!!!!  Right after he did there was a major stir on Fox*News about some super secret unprecedented announcement that the President was about to make.  My heart was stirring with anxiety wondering what in the world was going on!

A bit later it was announced that O*sama B*in L*aden was dead.  That was surreal.  (How ironic that just a couple of hours earlier I noticed on the evening's program that the kids' choir would start up again next fall on September* 11, 2011.  I realized it would be 10 years after the Twin* Towers* were hit.) I couldn't help but hear the thunderous sounds outside and wonder what the heavenlies were like.  What was going on in the spiritual realm that our eyes aren't privy to see quite yet.  Yes, he is gone from this earth, but danger still looms.  His people will retaliate.  There are others with his hatred and beliefs in false gods.  If not them, then someone else will rise who hates Christians.  According to the Word of God.....we are aliens here.  We are not Home yet.

Be at peace today, friends.