The End to a New Beginning

Where's the HELP When You NEED It???

2010-07-05T22:29:00.002-05:00

It's the story of the daughter in distress again and no one runs to the rescue.....you know like the time when my mom is sitting on the phone talking while watching me go up in flames but does she put the phone down???? Priorities people!!!! Moms theory: Talk first then put out fires! I survived that, but how many lives do I have?
So, to end the wonderful holiday weekend.....I thought I would pamper myself by waxing my feet and hands with the pleasent odor of peach parifin wax. You see we were playing a card game and seeing as I like to do 2 things at a time I thought I could be waxing my feet while playing. Great idea! Well, with bags of wax in hand I sit down in a upright "old fashion" chair in the dining room next to everybody who are sitting at the table talking and dealing cards for the next play. One foot goes in the bag....twist and tuck...done with that foot. On to foot number 2! The foot goes in the bag and to my surprise wax pours out and onto the carpet. I'm sitting there trying to get the attention of everyone that I need help. No response.....I look up to see if anyone heard me and I see mom continuing her journey of dealing the cards, Ernie appears to be in a trance following the circular rotation of mom dealing the cards and dad was staring at me with elbow bent leaning on the table and finger nails in mouth studying my situation as if he was nonexistant to the world!!! Ernie finally breaks free of the trance and wonders over to the kitchen, picks up the trash can and plops it infront of me and like a spell goes back to his seat just in time to see the last card dealt to everyone. I'm sitting there now with wet wax on my feet, both bags removed cause both ended up breaking and not able to retreive a papertowel or anything to wipe my feet off with.....waxing dripping onto the carpet and everyone still in their own little world! Dad still surveying the situation (it's gonna take alot of thinking to figure this one out). It wasn't till after a scream for help did Ernie decide he better rip off 3 papertowels and hand them to me and AGAIN goes back to his chair. Dad STILL surveying the wax on the floor, mom NOW assessing her hand of what she dealt herself and me in a panic cause no one AGAIN came to my RESCUE!!! WHAT IS FAMILY FOR???? By the time everyone came to what scence they had.....Ernie is shaking his head wondering why in tarnation I had to do it in the dining room (like can you even imagine me WALKING FROM THE BACK OF THE HOUSE TO THE FRONT DRIPPING WAX?????HELLLLLLLOOOOOO) in between excuses of whys, mom is blurting out every excuse in her pocket for why she didn't and dad is barely breathing due to dieing in laughter for why he took so long to assess whole thing. I wouldn't be a bit surprized that his defibulator wasn't shocking him inbetween gulps of oxygen! He couldn't hardly get any words out for laughing so hard over my dilema and lack of assistance! He had Mom, Ernie and Brandi laughing in! Everyone had a good laugh. Well, I guess I should clean up the "peachy clean" rug!!! I'll need a stiff drink after this just to be able to go to bed!!!!

The End to a New Beginning.

2009-08-14T10:33:00.001-05:00

As everyone knows China still has not referred a child to us and as it looks we’re still several years down the road before we are considered. Unfortunately, we are not getting younger and our bodies with all the aches and pains reminds us of that daily. Yes, we know we’re not THAT old, but by the time China gets their act together we WILL BE old. So all that to say this……..as much as I hate to……..

After much consideration and prayer, it is with sad hearts that we close our dossier to China and not consider any other adoptions whether here or abroad.

The worst thing in our lives was to have to break the news to Brandi; who, for all these years has prayed every night for her sister for God to protect her, for someone to give her a bottle, a blanket , love, whatever it was, until we were able to go and bring her home. It broke our hearts to see her heart crushed from within. We questioned if we were doing the right thing, but we really had to reason the situation out with our ages especially with Ernie being 57/58 years (or older) by the time he has another 18 month old to keep up with. Ernie wants to be a grandpa but not to his daughter, if you know what we mean.

We know many of you donated material for a quilt for her and we won’t forget that. I will cherish the thoughts behind each and every stitch of work.
Thank you each and every one for your thoughts, your prayers and caring about our little ones future.

I never dreamed I’d be writing this, and yet I never dreamed that when we adopted Brandi that our first referral wouldn’t make it the first week of knowing her. Guess it just goes to show, no one knows what tomorrow will bring.

I love the words of Mary Jane Worden that she wrote:
“In the early years of my marriage I had, providentially, read many book about loss and grief, always reminding God that I was willing to help others through their crisis times. But in my prayers I also shared the desire to be spared this anguish in my own life. For whatever reason, God chose not to spare me this deep pain. After the death of my husband Jim, in those agonizing early days, I knew enough about God’s character to be able to say, “Someday I will be able to look back and say even out of this God has brought good.” I can’t imagine what good or how that could possibly be true; it goes contrary to everything I feel right now. But I choose to believe the truth of what I’ve been taught all these years about God’s character. Someday it will be true.
Four years later, I can see good that God has done in out lives. Had I been given the choice, I would never have chosen this. But I am grateful for the growth that I see in all of us, although I would have wished it to come in another way. What we have learned in these four years about ourselves, about our world, about God is of great value. I feel confident that Jim would like the persons we are becoming. The Scriptures teach that God will use suffering to build character and to purify our faith. I can’t presume to know all that he is doing in our lives; that he has allowed us to see a small part of it, I’m grateful. Those strong words in Isaiah 61:1-3 ring true for me. Change. Growth. Healing. Beauty for ashes. Gladness for mourning. Praise out of despair. But the last phrase is all-important: that it might be to his glory, “for the display of his splendor”’.

Lovingly,
Faith for Ernie, Brandi, Buttons and Sassie

9 Months at a glance 11/07 - 7/08

2009-03-11T21:34:00.001-05:00

Has It Been This Looonnnnngggg?

2009-03-11T19:54:00.002-05:00

Wow!! Has it been this long since I posted??? It has been a busy sixteen months. Unfortunately, those 16 months does not include a trip to China to bring home a sister for Brandi, but non-the-less....a busy year. I'll try to upload a slide show of the last 16 months with a promise to do a better job at keeping in touch.

Steven Curtis Chapman.com: Official Source for all things Steven

2007-11-04T17:14:00.000-05:00

Steven Curtis Chapman.com: Official Source for all things Steven

A reason to party!!!!

2007-11-04T10:50:00.001-05:00

It's my birthday!! A good reason to party and have fun!! It started on Thursday when I went to work and the office celebrated my birthday with chips, spinach dip, candy and a Reese's Cup Cake made by Robin Burgess!!! It was delicious!! During the day Lisa Miller gave me a "Pumpkin Pie A la Mode" candle which smelled so good I could eat it! Later on my sister Becky sent me a beautiful bouque of flowers. She must have known that I love spring color flowers!! Friday was spent scrapbooking all day. Ernie took us out to J & S for dinner since he was officially in charge of everything this weekend, including meals, laundry, caring for Brandi and the dogs, etc. Saturday was another scarpbooking day for me. Brandi and I also made a Reese's Cup Cake like the one Robin made except we spread peanut butter in the middle and drizzled a bunch of Hershey's chocolate on top. Nothing better then a ton of chocolate on your birthday! Ernie took Brandi shopping for household things, then they were off to Brandi's friend, Danielle's birthday party at Utterly Delicious where they were able to play putt-putt and eat ice cream cake. As soon as they returned home we went to Huntersville to North Lake Mall for dinner at Bravo's. Mom and dad met us there. We ate there once before and loved it. It's Italian food made gourmet. I had a petite filet mignon with a buttered jumbo shrimp atop, roasted vegies and half mashed potatoes. Somehow they knew it was my birthday.......thanks to my mom and for desert they brought me their specialty ice cream with a cookie and candle on top. To top it off I ordered a cup of Bravo's Cafe which is Brandy, cream and coffee. MMMMMMmmmmmmmm. It was a delightful evening!!

Today, which IS my birday.......I woke up with mom and dad singing "Happy Birthday" on the speaker phone to me. Brandi and Sassie were in the bed with me and with one eye opened I opened Brandi's card and gift (stickers that I had bought last week) and Ernie's card. After playing with Sassie in the bed (one her favorite times with mommy) I managed to step out of bed and sip on my coffee that Ernie had brought to me. I worked on ridding my desk of constant paperwork and now working on my blog. Later on today I plan to go downtown to "Shops on Main" for their 3rd annual Holiday Open House. From that only time will tell how the rest of my day will go. It's been a pleasent weekend so far ~ especially seeing someone else doing ALL the work around the house!!! ; ) A big THANK YOU to all of you that have made it so special. Until next year.................find every reason to party or celebrate something!

Halloween

2007-11-04T10:25:00.001-05:00

This year Brandi wanted to be a fairy so as to turn boys into frogs and girls into princesses. She cast her magical spells all night long. As she past people they wooed and ahhhhhed over her.

We visited a local church this year where she won candy, braclets, balls, a box of K K doughnuts, cotton candy and more. We then went over to a friend of mommy's to visit. Lisa had candles everywhere outside. We were greeted by Lisa's brother in law, Raymond standing outside on the back deck with a black face, black cape and holding a tall walking stick with a lighted pumpkin on top. We didn't realize he was real until we walked up to him. It was a fright to see!! But not too scary to upset Brandi. From there we headed home dispite the constant coaxing of Brandi to visit another house. In the past we have gone to church events, but I'm thinking Brandi likes the house to house visits more. Next year mommy and daddy will have to be alittle more prepared on that. Happy Halloween everyone!!!

Praise the Lord for ATM machines!!!!

2007-09-25T20:02:00.001-05:00

The day has come for Brandi's first tooth to fall out. The disappointing part is that we weren't there when it happened, although she was in good hands, but to be a 1st it would had been fun to experience her excitement first hand................You can see in the picture that her 2nd tooth has already started growing in. I'm not sure what the going price is for a tooth these days. I'm sure it's not a quarter like I received!!! And if anyone knows mommy and daddy well enough......we never carry cash..........so guess who had to run to the neighborhood ATM at 9 o'clock at night???? Yep, the Tooth Fairies......Sugar Daddy! The bad thing is that ATM's don't deal out ones or fives......the smallest bill is a TEN!!! So, then, after a hard days work then a trip to the ATM, he had to go and get change for his ten dollar bill. We're still not sure what to give for this her first tooth. The rich grandparents suggested $5.00 but since they won't be able to get here by tonight I guess they get to keep their $5.00 and we'll have to come up with something else. Only time will tell................In the meanwhile, Brandi is already off to sleep in hopes that the Tooth Fairy hasn't passed by her house yet. Not knowing how busy the Tooth Fairy will be tonight, she may not have the chance to swing by a 2nd time if Brandi is still awake.

May Pixie Dust fall on you all!

Proud Parents of OUR "Classic Kid"

2007-09-25T19:39:00.000-05:00

What a wonderful surprise when we found out that our little girl made "Shuford Classic Kid" for the month of Sept.!! Each class chooses one child to star as the Classic Kid of the month and for the 1st month Brandi was chosen! She was picked because she is a hard worker and because when someone is alone during play time you go up to them and invite them to play with you and your friends. Each child is asked ~~ When you grow up what do you want to be and Brandi answered "A Nurse". Mommy and daddy didn't know about this until after all this was done so don't think we swayed any answers here.......Brandi's favorite subject is Reading, her favorite book is "The Bible", her favorite food "Noodles" (go figure), her favorite activity "Learning" and her favorite pet is a "Dog". These pages are posted up on the walls of Shuford School. I thought it was interesting that no one else of all the other kids didn't mention the Bible as their favorite book. Bible stories are read every night in our house prior to going to bed and I'm sure that's why she chose that answer.
Needless to say, we are very proud of Brandi and rewarded her stardom with a trip to Hickory Dickory Dock then a restaurant of her choosing followed by a game of volleyball at the house. By the evening she was a tired, tucked out tootsie!
Brandi has already learned to read 6 books since starting kindergarten! No wonder reading is her favorite subject!
Brandi we wish you the best and hope that you follow your dreams and ambitions and that you continue to live your life for Jesus. Thanks for making your parents glow with joy! We LOVE you!!!

She did it again!!!!!!

2007-07-30T18:42:00.000-05:00

Well, Brandi did it again! She went and got her ears pierced again. She had them pierced a year ago but they ended up closing up and she didn't want to have anything to do with going back and having them redone. Not sure what stirred the idea of getting them done, but we had a family day last Sat. and Brandi with courage and a good grip on Daddy's hand went and had them pierced again. I'm proud to say she didn't even cry! The rest of the day was spent having family fun. It including visiting 2 parks, playing soft ball, riding her bike, having a picnic, going out to eat, etc. Oh, in case you're wondering what happened to Brandi's chin........she was swinging at pre-k on her stomach and fell over and scrapped her chinny, chin, chin.

More material for Jenna's quilt.....

2007-07-24T20:05:00.000-05:00

These 3 fun pieces came from my sister Becky in Iowa! Thanks Bec. !!! I don't think you could have chose any other pieces that would have best represented you and the family. These match you guys to a "T".
Bec and I are typical but loving sisters that like to just have fun. So, Bec. writes......"The frogs are from Aunt Becky since she knows how much mommy LOVES froggies. The ladybug/butterfly material is from Laura & Addison since they love them too. And the sports one is from all of us in hopes that your little girl has a little bit of jockiness in her so that Laura can teach her how to play sports."
Personally, I love the sports one.......in fact, I think I see Laura and Brandi in there......... : )
Thanks Bec! You did a great job!!! Looking forward to adding these to the quilt!
Give the girls hugs and kisses from Aunt Faith.
Oh, and the froggies are cute...............

Our 1st trip to the beach~~

2007-07-15T16:12:00.001-05:00

Happy Father's Day!!!!!

2007-06-17T13:32:00.000-05:00

Happy Father's Day!!!!!!!

Happy Father's Day to my dad and to my husband. The best two dads in the world!

To my dad.......thanks for all the special memories. The time spending in Bible studies together, the times of working around the house whether it's raking leaves, cutting the grass, or working in the gardens. For taking us kids to the parks to play or to Atlantic Beach to bury you in the sand, for all the Salt Water Taffies and miniature golf exertions. Then there was the long driving trips and keeping us kids preoccupied by playing the "license plate game". Did I say thanks for all the driving you did for us over the year??? You made our car feel like the real chitty, chitty, bang, bang! The miles we have gone on together are to many to count and if I had to do it all over again...............I'd be sure you were with us all the way!!! Thanks for walking me down the isle on my wedding day and for being supportive in our adoption of Brandi!! Thanks for being the best dad in the world to me!!! I love you so much!!!

To my dear husband..........thanks for the fun we have had in our 13 years of marriage!! Thanks for all the joy rides that we spent looking around at property and houses (not to mention the houses that weren't even for sale). Thanks for saying yes to adopting Brandi and saying yes to adopting Jenna!!! Thanks for making life fun for Brandi, for all the tickle times and daddy and daughter breakfasts out at McDonald's. Thanks for helping out around the house when I need help with cleaning. Thanks for the many times of sitting with Brandi in your lap and watching movies or "Funniest Home Videos" or "Andy Griffith". Thanks for reading Bible stories to Brandi at bed time. For showing Brandi how to fly a kite. For being the strong daddy to protect your family in any situation. For catching Brandi at the end of the slide and for taking her in the water and going down the water slide with her. Thanks for tweaking Brandi's pink corvette the day she got it (I know you were dieing to be the same as "Tim, the tool man Taylor") I can go on and on for all the times that you've proved yourself to be a great dad. Brandi and I thank you for being the best dad a girl can hope for. We love you so very much.

I can only wish for many more years to spend with my 2 favorite dad's! May God pour down His bountiful blessings on you both for all that you've done over the years.

We celebrated Father's Day yesterday (Sat.) with my mom and dad coming up to our house. Then we headed to Lake Norman to North Lake Mall and walked around the mall then ate at Bravo's an Italian Restaurant. The food was delicious and time spent with family was fun. Dad and Ernie both received keepsake frames from Brandi for Father's Day. Mom and I both made out with a new pair of shoes while at the mall! Jokingly we told Brandi that today (Sat.) was Mother's Day and tomorrow (Sun.) was Father's Day. Poor kid has no concept of a year yet! : )

Thanks Lisa!

2007-05-28T10:03:00.000-05:00

Fabric #26~~~~

This piece of fabric is from my ladybug friend, Lisa! Thanks Lisa! I love it!! Who doesn't love ice cream?? And with the hot summer days ahead it's even more appealing! Lisa is also in the waiting stages as we are to adopt our little treasures from China.......I'm so glad to have good friends like Lisa and my other ladybug friends to wait with. I couldn't ask for better supporters!! Love ya, girl! Thanks so much!!

Fabric #25......

2007-05-28T09:50:00.000-05:00

Fabric #25 comes from a good friend that we have known for years at our church....Ms. Joyce! It's not just a black piece of material but it's more then that! This piece came from a vest that the Nationals made by hand in Guatemala!! Wow! A piece of material all the way from Guatemala!!! How special is that??? Thanks so much Harold and Joyce. This is definitely a special piece to Jenna's quilt. Thank you for your good wish too! Coming to know Jesus early in life and to live passionately for Him is our wish too! Your daughter has shown that by serving in Guatemala for 3 years!! That's terrific! May your family be richly blessed!!

Fabric #24...........

2007-05-28T09:40:00.000-05:00

Fabric #24......is from the Stryk family all the way from Spring, Texas! Ernie's brother and his wife (Sonny & Ann) have a son by the name of Shannon who married Ginny and have 3 children, Haley, Gracie & Landon. Thanks guys! These cute, colorful bears will be cheerful for Jenna's quilt. PS. Ann, it's a good thing you didn't sign a name under each one....cause the quilt will be cut in strips and with the bears facing every which way there's no telling who would be left out.......

Happy Mothers' Day!!!

2007-05-13T16:44:00.000-05:00

Happy Mothers' Day, Mothers! And especially to my mom!! No one can ask for a better mom then my mom!! She has always been there for us in good and bad times. She's the one who took care of our house like it was the queens palace. She fed us the best meals anyone could make on a penny pitching budget. She's the one who faithfully washed all our dirty laundry day in and day out and all the many other things she has done for us. So, thank you mom!! We love you and hope we make you proud!

Thanks by Joy Belle Burgess

How can I thank you, Mother,

For our tender, loving care,

For your warm, embracing arms,

And your softly whispered prayers?

How can I ever thank you

For your faith and guiding hand,

For your gentle, loving heart

That always understands?

How can I thank you , Mother,

For the courage you instill,

For words of hope that lead me on

To a grander dream fulfilled?

How can I ever thank you

For the blessings you impart,

For all the tenderness of love

That overflows your heart?

Happy Mothers' Day, Mom!!!

My Mothers' Day was started by Brandi waking me up in bed and wishing me a Happy Mothers' Day! She then raced into her room to get the card she had been hiding from me and gave it to me. It was a beautiful card. When I managed to get out of bed I was given my Mothers' Day gift which is the beautiful tea pot pictured above with a little ladybug on the handle! I LOVE IT!! I'm so into ladybugs right now.........Thanks to daddy and Brandi for a lovely day!! And Happy Mothers' Day to all you Mothers and soon to be Mothers!!!

2007-05-12T20:03:00.000-05:00

Happy 52nd Birthday, Ernie!!!!

Today my wonderful husband turned 52 years young!! I say young, cause he's always complaining of being old! The morning started out with Ernie opening his gift from Brandi who was so glad to finally give it to him. It's hard to keep secrets around our house, but Brandi did an exceptional job!!! Way to go, Brandi!! She her daddy his very own "Crocks" which he has been admiring lating while shopping. From there we took daddy out for breakfast over at I-HOP since we had to go to Hickory for some other things. We finally made it home in the afternoon and I started to work on his birthday dinner of seafood gumbo, rice (of course), fried okra, bread pudding with rum sauce and his favorite banana pudding with 10,000,000. cookies in it! We couldn't believe our eyes when we went shopping for the ingredients today and found a bag of crawfish in the seafood section!!! So we had shrimp, crawfish (bodies only....no heads/brains), real crabmeat and imitation crab meat in the gumbo. If I could make a scratch and sniff area on my website so you could smell the auroma in our house, well, I'd be rich and you would probably have a leaking plasma screen, so scratch (oops) that idea!

Oh! The bread pudding was outstanding......Kelly, I don't know where you got that, but I"m saving the bag to find more from where that came from!!! I'm not crazy over bread pudding, I like it, but this one was like no other bread pudding I have ever tasted!!!! It's sooooo good I'm contemplating on hiding it so no one eats it all OR gets the last bite!! It's worth fighting over~~~~not that I would recommend it~~~~that's why it's easier to hide it!! Again, thanks to Kelly for the wonderful ingredients to make our Lousiana dish tonight! And Happy Birthday, Ernie!!

A Wonderful Surprise!!!

2007-05-10T14:13:00.000-05:00

I just have to share my wonderful surprise that I received today!! One of my "Ladybugs" sent a delicious box of comfort food to me from Lake Charles, LA. THANK~YOU so much, Kelly, for this wonderful surprise! I have been craving gumbo and Kelly picked up on it and sent this wonderful care package!! Complete with dessert!!! I can't believe it! Kelly, I know you don't know this, but I LOVE bread pudding!! This week is "national nurses week" and seeing as I'm a nurse.......I may indulge and make this Louisianian dish tomorrow!! Kelly, again thankyou for your thoughtfulness and southern hospitality! It's so neat to receive a care package!! Hmmmm.....maybe I'll fix it up on Sat. for my hubby's birthday??? Then again......maybe not!! Sat. is too far away! If you can see me now.......which it probably is best you don't..........you'd be seeing me grooling for gumbo! GUMBO, GUMBO!! Oops! Maybe I shouldn't have said I was going to make this tomorrow........something tells me I'm gonna have visitors............

20th Piece!!

2007-05-07T13:13:00.000-05:00

Twenty!!!!!
Boy! I didn't think we'd ever make 20!!! I found this piece at Hancock's of Paducah!! I really love it and hope that Jenna will too!

18th & 19th Pieces for the Quilt

2007-05-07T13:00:00.000-05:00

These 2 beautiful pieces came from no other but my mom!! She loves fabric!! And for me making a quilt.........it's wonderful!! I love the batik pattern with the ladybugs and dragon flies! Thanks so much mom!! Love your taste!

16th & 17th Quilt Pieces

2007-05-07T12:01:00.000-05:00

I love these colors!! These beautiful pieces are from our friends at Tri-City Baptist Church. Thank you so much Nancy, Ken, Nick, Lindsey & Ben Hopkins!! I have a purse that my mom made for me with the pattern on the left!! You guys did a great job on the card too!! So artistic!! Thank you so much!! This is going to mean so much to Jenna and us too!!

14th & 15th Quilt Pieces

2007-05-07T11:39:00.000-05:00

I received these two pieces the other week from our "Granny DePaul"!!
I don't believe I've ever mentioned that I'm not fond of frogs... but I promise to add it in the quilt, Granny!!! They are too cute!! Granny holds a very special place in our hearts and always will. So, all the way to Texas..........thank you Granny!

More Fabric.....

2007-05-07T11:22:00.000-05:00

It's been awhile since I posted anything especially quilt pieces. So today I've dedicated to catching up with the quilts! These two beautiful pieces came from Mary Barker, a friend of my mom's! Thanks so much! It's funny how I've ended up with so many pieces from people that I haven't met or it's been a good while since I have met you! Thank you so much. You all are going to be remembered by Jenna for years to come!!

From Your 4 legged Sisters

2007-04-10T09:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday Buttons and Sassie received their material that they ordered towards Jenna's quilt. It's obvious they couldn't decide on sharing their bones or their love! I think they are more apt in sharing their love to Jenna then their bones. They are looking forward to having another sister running around the house. The excitement is either that they get more attention or that it helps to get the other sister off their backs when they are trying to sleep! Either way, Buttons and Sassie are rooting for their Jenna to come home someday!!

Catch up time.......

2007-04-06T13:17:00.000-05:00

Time has really flown by! We have been so busy with different things. It started off with my computer needing to be "rebooted". I don't know the technical term but everything had to get backed up on discs then the whole computer was wiped clean and reloaded with everything on it. Thanks to our good friends David and Cathy for doing that for us. Ok, David did it and Cathy and I sat and talked, watched movies, etc. Thanks David!!! You're a life saver!
The next thing on the calendar was our yard sale here at our house on 3/24 to raise money for our adoption expenses. We had 4 people from my church and 3 people from out of town to donate things for us to sell. As it turns out half the money raised was from people's donations!!! Thank you one and all!!! I know the Lord will bless you for helping one of His children!! A BIG THANK YOU to my mom and dad for coming up and helping us out!!! We couldn't have done it without you! We hope to have another yard sale during the summer and then again in the fall. So if anyone reading these posts are interested in donating to our mission please feel free to email me.
The rest of the time has been spent figuring out what school Brandi's going to, filling out the paperwork for her school; scrapbooking, a CPR class, shopping for Easter dress and shoes for Brandi, etc. For the most part, Fun Stuff!!
Today is Good Friday. It's a beautiful day! Not like other rainy, dreary Good Friday's. The temps are a cool 50's. All for Brandi's sleeveless, Easter dress! Since Easter morning is going to be hectic for us we decided to "celebrate" the Easter celebrations of hunting Easter eggs, basket goodies, etc. tomorrow (Sat.). Tonight we'll make "Resurrection Cookies". It's going to be a first for us and hopefully a new tradition that we do every Easter. It'll be a family thing. Brandi and I doing the ingredients and Ernie reading verses to tell the story.
I may post the recipe if anyone is interested.

2007-04-06T12:47:00.000-05:00

Thank you Kay for this beautiful, latest print of ladybugs!!! If I'm not mistaken, Kay is part of my mom's quilting ladies group. These are the ladies that know everything about fabric!!! Thank you Kay!! I love ladybugs!! Ladybugs are a sign of "good luck" in the Asian adoption world! So far, Jenna has been showered by "good luck" by several people! This is the 10th piece to Jenna's quilt!

2007-04-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

Thanks Rachel for this beautifully, rich fabric!!

It definitely portrays the Acts 1:8 theme!

This is the 9th piece to the 100 pieces needed to make our quilt for Jenna. We have a long ways to go, to reach 100 but every little piece brings us closer to the finished product.

Beautiful In Pink.......

2007-03-15T10:14:00.000-05:00

I received FIVE of these flashy, hot pink fabrics last night from my good friend Patty!! Thank you Patty!! I love the color!! It reminds me of some material I sent out that was lime green with hot pink poka dots!! What's so unique about this piece from Patty is how soft it feels! I wish you all can feel it. You would never imagine from looking at it that it feels so silky, soft!! Again, thank you!!!

It's so exciting to receive these pieces! And to think that everyone had a part in thinking of and praying for our little Jenna, who, one day will be wrapped in all these beautiful pieces! Brandi has gotten into the excitement too ! To her each piece of fabric means were closer to getting Jenna!

I can't thank you all enough!!! THANK ~ YOU!!!!

Three Pieces of Fabric in One Envelope!!!!

2007-03-14T14:15:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I received these 3 beautiful pieces of fabric from no other than my dad!! Jenna would be so proud of her Pops knowing that he thought so much of her to spend the time and energy to put these together! I'm sure he had a little creative mind behind this, not mentioning any given names ("Grams Ann")! Thank you both! They are gorgeous. You know how I am about the Asian style prints!! I love them, love them, love them!

Today I have had the tedious job of backing up all my files on the computer including all my pictures from years before Brandi!! I've actually been working on it all week long and I'm about done. I've been experiencing some problems with, I believe, Microsoft Updates. I lost my sound on the computer about 3 weeks ago after downloading Microsoft Updates. Surprisingly when I went to my website first thing this morning it played SCC song, but any other time today it is just silent. I'm not the least bit fond of finicky computers!!! The silence is killing me!!!! Anyways, looks like we'll be taking everything off and then re-downloading it again. It's gonna be hard living without my computer while it's getting looked at by the pros. So, depending on when my computer goes off to be looked at will depend how fast I respond to emails, fabrics, etc. But, I'll be back!!!

The Yellow "BABY' Confetti Piece

2007-03-12T13:32:00.000-05:00

Today Brandi found a yellow confetti piece that is punched out to read "Baby". She found it on the living room floor. I have no idea where it came from as I knew I didn't have anything like that in the house! So, the question is.......where did it come from? Brandi and I think that it may be a sign of Jenna being born! So, in Jenna's journal book I pasted the confetti and a note that only time will tell if this was the day that she was born. Soooooo, if God did come and visit our home today and placed this little sign He found my unmade beds, dirty floors and laundry going in the washer. For a mother who is always in pursuit of a clean home that is not good. Moral ~~ God doesn't wait on us for Him to do His work. He meets us just as we are............!!Of note.....If Jenna is born on the 12th, then Jenna's, Brandi's & Ernie's birthdays would all be the 12 day. Wouldn't that be God given.

4th Piece of Jenna's Quilt.....

2007-03-12T13:01:00.000-05:00

I received another piece of Jenna's quilt today!! It's flannel and oh, so soft! The colors of dragonflies and hearts are so bright and springy and beautiful for Jenna's quilt. Thank you to Cheri Lail in TX for this beautiful piece. It's hard to read the poem so I'll type it out.........

From graceful lilies pure and white, God fashioned lovely skin, Forget-me-nots he chose for eyes, then formed your baby skin.

He took a tulip bright and red, twas one that did not fade. A softer sweeter little mouth before was never made.

Another flower next he used- a rosebud pink and fair, Touched it too your dimpled cheek and bade it blossom there.

Then with his magic fingers picked to morning glories white, curled and shaped your little ears, soon they were fastened tight.

The crowning bit of golden dawn will soon become your hair. He gathered pollen from the flowers and sprinkled it with care.

For dainty little fingers dear, and precious tiny toes. He used the slender diasy frills, a snowdrop made your nose.

The world and all within it, he created here for man, but baby was God's masterpiece, since time and life began.

3rd Piece to Jenna's Quilt.....

2007-03-09T20:47:00.000-05:00

I received this beautiful material from the fabric capital of Paducah, KY from Michelle Rhoden! Thank you Michelle I simply love it! You can click on the picture to enlarge it so as to see the beautiful detail. I'm definitely going to order some material from Hancocks of Paducah!! They have the widest selection of oriental material that I have seen.

Michelle, we wish you the best on your adoption journey too!

And, again, thank you! You should be getting mine any day now.

I realized after posting this that it's hard to read this poem too. It too is beautiful not to share so here it is.....................

I'm sending luck and wishes, All wrapped up in a hug, Good things should come your way, with this tiny ladybug.

A rabbit foot or hoseshoes, are said to bring good luck, but ladybugs are special, They also bring you love.

This ladybug of friendship, I've sent to you today, Comes with hope, joy & happiness to last throughout the day.

Our Brown Envelope is here!!!

2007-03-09T16:49:00.000-05:00

The famous brown envelope from the American Consulate Generals office in Guangzhou, China arrived safely to our mail box today! In general it confirms that Homeland Security approved our petition to adopt overseas (which we already knew that) and that they notified the Consulate in Guangzhou. It contains our case number of our adoption (which I managed to forget to take to China with me on Brandi's adoption) along with other forms that have to be filled out in China. So, we now wait for the referral (mostly happening this time next year) and then a travel permission letter approving of our travel to China. So, were back to twirling thumbs. Oops, no, not really! I still have the 100 Good Wishes Quilt and a desperate struggle to get all the Brandi's pictures into scrapbooks! It's gonna take me all year plus!!
Faith

Another Piece of Fabric Received.........

2007-03-08T12:28:00.000-05:00

I received another delightful piece of fabric yesterday! Thank you Patty English. We have never met but someone day I'll tag along with mom to her quilting group and meet all you fun ladies that mom refers to! I love the party balloons! I'm sure you didn't know this, but I find every reason to party!! Ummmmmm, we should celebrate tonight in honor of you and the second piece to fabric!

Thanks so much!!!

Faith

My First Piece of Fabric to someone.......

2007-03-06T21:38:00.000-05:00

I just finished putting together my fabric samples and notes to two people who are also adopting and wanting to do a quilt. It was fun putting it together and didn't take but an hour or two including figuring how I was going to lay it all out. The button is flat on the button so it can easily be used in a scrapbook. The buttons with the loops or hooks underneath don't work well at all.....too lumpy. The lime green and hot pink dots are my favorite summer colors. They remind me of beach bags and fun summer things to wear. It seems that for the past 2 years when I bought anything in the summer it contained those colors. Ok, I'm ready for summer! Out with the tease of winter and in with the spring and summer!! Ladies, enjoy! They will be out in the mail soon.

Back to the Land of the Living.....

2007-03-01T16:53:00.000-05:00

What an eventful week we have had!! Started off thinking I was having sound problems on my website and ended up with my computer being sent off to get a mute button unstuck! So, the computer had laryngitis and I came down with bronchitis. Ernie had a virus of his own and Brandi was the only one well enough to care for us both!! Just got my computer back from the Geeks today and Brandi did an exceptional job at nursing us both back to good health!! This is my first day of actually feeling alive. I was getting to wonder if the 6 ft. hole they dug across the way was for me or someone else!
Brandi had the grand experience of getting her eyes examined for the first time today!! She did terrific! Learning her letters and numbers helped out but they had pictures they were able to use too if they needed to. I've been trying to reinforce that letters and numbers are used every day so it was good to have the "need" for them today. Brandi has a slight prescription problem to her eyes but for the time being we're going to wait and recheck them in a few months. She's so excited that she now goes to the dentist and the eye doctor just like mommy and daddy! And when her sister comes she's "going to bring her sister for them to check her too!"
We came home after our running around for appointments and errands and Brandi had another chance to see how numbers and letters play an important part in baking. Brandi had the chance to make a cake! She turned the timer on, turned the oven on to 325, mixed, poured and baked her own cake. And after it cooled she slopped on the icing. While the cake was cooling she made her daddy's favorite banana pudding. She counted the number of cups of milk and stopped me from adding more, peeled and sliced her own banana's and then mixed in the Nilla cookies! She did fantastic!!! I'm so proud of my little girl! Tonight, I'm having a baby cyber-shower with my friends in the adoption group whose DTC were Sept. 2006! Never experienced a cyber-shower before so this should be fun!

Happy Chinese New Year

2007-02-18T06:46:00.000-05:00

Happy Chinese New Year to everyone!!! It’s the Year of the Pig!
And especially our 2 little girls!! I think it's good to keep some of the Chinese traditions alive. What is the Chinese New Year? Well, it’s when China celebrates its New Year. They obviously are not on the same calendar year as we are. They go by lunar and solar movements for their calendar. The New Year begins with the 1st New moon of the year and ends 15 days later with the Full moon. The 15th day is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with children carrying lanterns in a parade. The Lunar cycle is about 29.5 days. In order to “catch up” with the solar calendar the Chinese have to insert an extra month every few years.
Different regions of China have different traditional foods for the CNY. Chicken is served symbolizing prosperity. Of course, you have to keep the head, feet and tail on it to signify completeness. Noodles are uncut, as they signify long life. A whole fish is served to represent togetherness and abundance. Can you guess what food they don’t serve as it would signify misfortune??? It begins with a “T” and it’s white.

Some Chinese taboo's are a bit hilarious like you shouldn't sweep dirt out the front door of your home on the Chinese New Year or else you'll sweep out your good fortune or to sweep out the back door else you'll sweep out a relative. Or, for you guys that like to wear hats.......keep the green ones at home cause if you wear it in China.....it means you’re having an affair. Nor do you wrap anything in green like a suitcase (wish I knew before we bought our green ones) as this is bad luck but hey, it gives us something to talk about! :O And laugh about..........it's not any different then us silly Americans thinking it's bad to walk under a ladder or to have our path crossed by a black cat. Or if your right hand itches it means you’re going to shake the hand of someone important or if your left hand itches you’re going to get money. So it doesn’t matter where you come from, we all have our little “taboo’s”.

Did you know that if you have a plant in your house that blooms during the Chinese New Year that it foretells a year of prosperity for you??? You won’t believe this.......but we happen to have a peace lily that has never bloomed until today??

So, have a Happy New Year Brandi! And to our little darling Jenna waiting for us in China may you be blessed beyond measure with happiness, love, joy and peace this New Year! We love you so much and can't wait to lay eyes, hugs and kisses on you.

Love,
Mommy, Daddy, Brandi, Buttons, Sassie, Toots, One-eye, Purple Puppy, Radar, Nemo, Hippo, Coon, Sophie well, (the rest of the gang)........there’s a lot of us waiting on you.

The DAY is finally here!!!!

2007-02-13T22:01:00.000-05:00

Happy Valentines Day!!!!

OK! The Day is finally here and I'm pleased to announce our new website and our second daughters name!! Of course, I can't make it easy for you..........you actually have to go to the website to find out her name. You won't miss it. It's right at the top. Browse around the website and please sign my guestbook. OK.......the site is http://www.loving2adopt.com
Enjoy!!!
Oh, and just for acknowledgment sake......mom quessed her name in passing......not on the blog. I'll be wrapping your dewy button and sending it off to you today!!

Faith

The Newspaper Article of our Chinese New Year

2007-02-13T15:24:00.000-05:00

I just got out of bed this Sat. morning and the phone rang at 8:22am. Ernie answered it and after an exaggerated "No" he handed the phone over to me. It was our dear neighbor and friend Gaynell with news of Brandi's stardom........................ Below is the article that was found in today's Hickory Daily Record (Feb. 10, 2007) of our Chinese New Year Celebration we had last night. There was a reporter there who wrote Brandi's little tid bits of her "1st days". If you look really, and I mean really close at the picture, just to the left of the girls head playing the violin you can see Brandi's small arm and her blue/gold dress. She's so excited she made it in the picture!!!! If you've seen Monster's Inc. you'll understand why. Mike Wazowski (the eyeball) was thrilled to be in the TV ad only to find that after a split second of showing him, he was covered up by the emblem!!! Just like Brandi!! So here is the ad and below the picture is the newpaper link. Enjoy!

A common bond Families of Asian adoptees celebrate Chinese New Year, new life By Kim Gilliland Record Staff Writer Friday, February 9, 2007 Judy and Alan Massengill hosted a Chinese New Year party for adoptees from China and their families. Here Eliza Hilton, 6, of Hickory, plays music on a toy violin while the other children enjoy their time together. ROBERT C. REED (RECORD PHOTOGRAPHER) HICKORY - The house filled up quickly. Parents of children adopted from Asia gathered Friday evening for a Chinese New Year celebration at the Moore’s Ferry home of Alan and Judy Massengill. About 80 people gathered in the couple’s basement. The children, wearing traditional Asian clothing, played while the grown-ups swapped stories and met newcomers to the celebration. The group has a name: Catawba Valley Families with Asian Children. Shirley Mills, whose daughter Riley was adopted in China, is instrumental in keeping the families in touch with each other. The expanding network gathers about four times a year. They come from Boone, Wilkesboro, Morganton, Shelby, Statesville and the Hickory area. The stories they share are eerily familiar. Abandoned by their birth parents, many of the children spent the first years of their lives in orphanages. Brandi Stryk, 5, was abandoned at a railroad bridge in China when she was only two days old. Attached to the red blanket wrapped around her was a note: “I want her to get a good education.” Brandi now lives with her parents in Conover. The Massengills, both physicians, also adopted their only child, Grace Li, from an orphanage in China in 1999. Now 8, Grace now takes piano lessons, rides horses and listens to Rascal Flatts. A few of the children present were from Korea. The food was a mix of American and ethnic cooking. The Chinese New Year seemed to play a small part in the celebration. It was more about the adoption experiences shared among the families that mattered most. “We connected,” Mills said. “It’s a wonderful blessing to see other families, and it’s important for the kids to see other families. The kids can relate to one another.” “There’s definitely a common bond that pulls us all together. It works out beautifully.” rgilliiland@hickoryrecord.com 322-4510 x5406 or 304-6913 Parents interested in joining the Catawba Valley Families with Asian Children should e-mail judymassmd@gmail.com

My First of 100 Good Wishes

2007-02-13T15:02:00.000-05:00

This is so exciting! I haven't sent my letter out yet to everyone regarding my new project "100 Good Wishes Quilt" and I have already received my FIRST piece of fabric and good wish!!! In fact, I had plans copying the letter today but with the rain I didn't want to risk getting the letter wet. So, it'll be tomorrow. I just wanted to share with everyone and you can read more about it tomorrow on our new website under the "Quilts" tab. I also have a photo album on my new website that I will be downloading fabric and good wishes as they come in.

I'm so excited about sharing our new website. I've been working diligently on it. I added tons more pics last night from our Chinese New Year get together and had our 2nd daughters name added to the top today!! So, tomorrow morning I'll officially have it up and running!! Stay tuned..............

Throwing a wrench into the name........

2007-02-10T14:55:00.000-05:00

Well, looks like we may change the name again. Seeing as I chose the Brandi's name I figured it would only be right for Ernie to choose the 2nd name........sooooooo, the first name most likely will start with a "K" and the middle name with a "J". Only four more days left for everyone to find out!!! Enjoy continuing to guess.
¸..·´¨¨)) -:¦:-
¸.·´ .·´¨¨))
((¸¸.·´ ¸.·´ -:¦:- Faith -:¦:-
-:¦:- ((¸¸.·´ Stryk

DH Ernie
DD Brandi DOR: 2/21/03; 3/10/03; DOT: 4/11/03
2nd DTC: 9/11/06
2nd LID: 10/17/06
2nd DOR: praying this year
2nd DOT: before the 2008 Olympics

A Little Taste of What Our Website will have......

2007-02-06T10:41:00.000-05:00

~~~~Oh Little One~~~~
Oh, little one, where ever you are,
Near to our hearts yet distant so far.
Have you already a birthday? I wonder each night,
Or have you yet to experience that journey of might.
We've waited so long to share our blessings with you,
Our hearts ache with joy of the thought coming true.
I want you to know how excited we are,
To meet you and love you; our precious little star.
Thrilled of the thoughts of watching you grow,
Teaching and learning from each other you know.
Please never forget this one promise to you,
We'll always be your parents and unconditionally love you.

~~~By Debbie Hutson

The Day After......

2007-02-05T11:47:00.000-05:00

Last night was quite interesting to say the least!! Here we were, Brandi & I rooting for the Bears and Ernie out of default rooting for the Colts. Can't have everyone rooting for the same team!!!! No fun to that. Brandi & I made great cheerleaders for the Bears with our roars and dances despite Brandi being sick with the crud!! I can only imagine those guys going to Disney Land sick as dogs for playing in the rain.
OK, now on the commercials/ads........you know I have to put my input on this......
The only ad I can remember that was half descent was Coke's. The ads use to be what some of us sat there and watched, not the game! But, after seeing the majority of the ads last night, I can do without! Unlike previous years, if we missed an ad while getting up to refill the plate you just had to take someones word that it was good or bad. Last night, we were able to rewind it!! A great feature to this years game!! Or, if someone missed a play.....just rewind!!
The ultimate part of the game that I really enjoyed was to hear the Colts President and CEO say "there's a lot of shining glory here and we give it all to God! He kept us as a team...." It's great to hear people of those ranks giving God the credit and to see others around noddling their heads in agreement!! Ernie had heard from church that both coaches of the teams were Christians. Reminds me of the movie that premiered on Sept. 29, 2006 "Facing the Giants". If you haven't seen it, you should check it out. I've pasted their website for you to check it out. Click on the heading......"The Day After......"
Well, back to reading tear jerking poems for my website. Good thing I bought some tissues the other day....on to box # 2. Hoping to have my website up & running by 2/14.

SuperBowl Sunday

2007-02-04T18:50:00.000-05:00

Here it is SuperBowl Sunday!!! The game has already started and I'm just getting around to posting.........who is everybody voting for??? BEARS versus COLTS!!!!!! I vote for the Colts, no the Bears. Ok, the Bears!!! GO BEARS!!!! I'm into this only for the food!!!! The menu you say???? Turkey Polska Kielbasa w/ onions, pizza, Touch Down Taco Bean Dip, Chip, chips and chips topping it off with Fruit Crumb Cake. Ok, commercial time!!! Got to love them.
Good Luck to all!!!
Faith

Choosing a name......

2007-02-03T19:51:00.000-05:00

I see we have someone in the lead for name suggestions!!! Unfortunately, No one has mentioned the name we are thinking of. So, I guess it won't be a name everyone likes........or will they??
Not sure what prize there was.......I have plenty of buttons!!!!
As a foot note to this months celebrations........this is the month in which the Chinese New Year (CNY) is celebrated. I believe it falls on Feb. 18th this year. It's a big celebration which means time taken from reviewing dossiers, which means long waiting time for referrals. Currently the CCAA (China's Center of Adoption Affairs) has given referrals up to Oct. 13, 2005. We won't hear of any other referrals now until March.

Choosing a name.....

2007-01-31T06:48:00.000-05:00

One of the most important steps in having a child is naming her/him. I don't want to give her a name that will leave her with lasting misery and abuse, but I do want to give her an uncommon name. Any suggestions?? We have one name that Ernie & I both can agree on but it won't be revealed until all suggestions are turned in. Somehow we most likely will incorporate part of her chinese name into her name too, maybe as a middle name............
Since it was Valentines Day last year that we decided to add to our family it will be Valentines Day that we will announce her name!! The sooner we decide the sooner we can use her name on our new website also! Plus, I like the idea of calling her by her name then referring about her as a "her".

Waiting on Him,
Faith
LID 10/17/06

Disclaimer: Names suggested may or may not be used. This is not legally binding for any parties. Any information may or may not be used against you. Oh!! I just had to do that!!!

While we wait........

2007-01-30T20:50:00.000-05:00

Here it is......my 1st post on our blog!! Nothing special but the 1st post none the less. I'm currently working on a website also which should be fun to do whilest we wait for the year to go by. If nothing else I'll know a little bit more about computers by the time I'm done. The only other factor is........can I keep posting and keeping 2 of them up to date!! Time will only tell.