Merry Christmas

This song is so precious. I used to listen to it and cry because I knew another Christmas would pass by and she wouldn't be here. But now I listen to it and know that is not the case.
She will be here.
She won't be in an orphanage a world away.

 For those of you who are waiting still...don't give up hope.


I love this song and wanted to share it with you.



There's a little girl trembling on a cold December morn
Crying for momma's arms
At an orphanage just outside a little China town
There the forgotten are

But half a world away I hang the stockings by the fire
And dream about the day when I can finally call you mine
It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

As I hang the tinsel on the tree and watch the twinkling lights
warmed by the fire's glow
Outside the children tumble in a wonderland of white,
Make angels in the snow


But half a world away you try your best to fight the tears
And hope that heaven's angels come to carry you here

It's Christmas time again but you're not home
Your family is here and yet you're somewhere else alone
And so tonight I pray that God will come and hold you in his arms
And tell you from my heart I wish you Merry Christmas

Christmas is a time to celebrate the holy child
And we celebrate his perfect gift of love
He came to earth to give his life
And prepare a place for us
So we could have a home with him above

It's Christmas time again and now you're home
Your family is here so you will never be alone
So tonight before you go to sleep, I'll hold you in my arms
And I'll tell you from my heart, and I'll you from my heart

I wish you Merry Christmas

Waiting....I am not good at it.

I hate waiting in lines. I hate waiting at stop lights. I detest waiting rooms. Especially the cold, greasy one where I get my oil changed. I will do anything to avoid it. Heck, I even hate waiting for someone to pick up their phone while it's ringing. So you can imagine how much I have hated waiting in this five year line for our adoption?

 At first I counted down days. The I counted down months. Then the years, and soon I knew I would be counting decades. I bought things for her. I decorated a room in a house we don't even live in anymore. I moved her dusty little dresses to a new closet, but with less enthusiasm. The wait grew and grew until people stopped asking about the adoption. We had a huge concert in May 2005 that raised $5,000. I am sure some people thought we just took the money and ran.


The thing is, we had no control over it. China had reasons for slowing down. They slowed down so much, it seemed we were going backwards. It was the only line I have stood in that got longer the longer we waited. We didn't have any options until our agency began to represent Special Needs. We decided to switch and there she was, within 24 hours.

Now many of you are asking how much longer until we get her. Here is where we are at:

When we got matched with Havensong our paperwork was starting to expire. We have to stay current or we fall under this thing called the Hague Treaty...and that would mean a big headache. More paperwork. More hoops. No Thank You. So we had to have our Homestudy updated....again. We then sent it off to Missouri. Now they will review it and give us an appt. in Seattle to get our fingerprints done......for the fourth time. When they clear us.....yet again, they will then send us our new I-171H. When we have that, our agency can make us an appt at the consulate in China. So I think it will be Mid November. China has sent us our travel approval. She is ready to go....she just waits because of paperwork. And yes, that drives me crazy. But it is what it is. So I wait. But at least I am not counting decades or years. Only months. And pretty soon days.

Hold on baby......we are coming to get you soon.

100 Good Wishes Quilt

There is a tradition in Northern China of giving a  Bai Jia Bei quilt to a new baby. It means 100 Good Wishes. As I read about it I found it was mainly reserved for newborn boys. The international adoption community  grasped onto this lovely idea and have used it to also welcome their daughters into their lives. It is a beautiful way for friends and family to work together to create this amazing token of love. It consists of 100 squares of fabric. A piece of each fabric is also placed into a book along with a "good wish" or a "blessing" for the child. She can then look in her book to see who gave each square and then find it on her blanket.

I started working on this five years ago. This morning I looked at what I have collected so far. I have ten pieces from a few friends and family and from adopting families in Denmark and Spain. I need something to concentrate on while waiting for Havensong so I have decided  to collect the rest of her "Wishes." My sweet friend Mary has offered to help me put it together. Tayler and Autumn sew, so I will employ their talent too!

If you would like to help here is what you do.


1. Choose a 100% cotton fabric that you like. It can be from a
fabric store, fabric you already have, or something that is special to you, or maybe even fabric that has special family meaning.

2. Prewash the fabric so it shrinks and is clean; then iron it
so that it is straight enough for cutting.
3. Cut one square measuring 8"x8" and smaller piece to include in our scrapbook with your wish.

4. Add your wish. The wish can be your own words or thoughts, a favorite poem or quote, a blessing for the new arrivals, a prayer, or a favorite verse Place it on a card with a scrap of your fabric glued to the card. Your wish can be as simple or as elaborate as you'd like. You can also include a picture of yourself so she can see who sent the wish. We'll have scrapbook for the wishes. I am sure she will love looking through it.

Thank you! Oh.... you can just message me through FB if you need my address. :)

Michelle

Havensong's new picture!

There is this amazing lady I know. Her name is Ann. She has a company called Red Thread China. I ordered a care package for Havensong from her two days ago. She said she would call the orphanage and asked for updates and new pictures. 

AND SHE GOT THEM!!!! THANK YOU ANN!!!!! She is so cute! And her hair is adorable!

Here is what I now know about Havensong:

height :67cm

weight :5.9kg

head :41cm

chest :40cm

feet :10.5cm

teeth:3 
 
 This is priceless because we have been looking at the same three pictures everyday for weeks. I have wondered how she is, and if she is growing, and all I get for my wandering thoughts is a whole lot of silence. I feel every inch of the ocean that separates me from her.
 
 I hope that if she wakes up in the middle of the night crying, someone will go to her. I hope she eats until her little tummy is full. I hope she gets played with and cuddled. I hope she stays safe and sound until we get to her. I hope somehow she knows she is loved and wanted....and needed.
I can't tell you how hard it is to wait.
How much I want to have her in my arms.
How long I have waited for this sweet little girl.
 
 
Havensong...you are beautiful. And you have THREE teeth!! I wonder if they are on top or bottom?
I can't wait to see you smile so I can see for myself.

There oughta be a law...

That Sun Chip bag is loud.

Beyond belief loud.

Beau was eating them the other day and I got agitated listening to him. I was on the phone and couldn't even hear the person on the other end.
"Stop it!" I yelled.
He looked at me and rolled up the bag....smiling.
It is crazy.

My Mom came over last night. We were standing in the bedroom talking when she started jumping around.
"What is the matter?" I asked her.
"My feet are cramping up!" she said.
She took  her shoes off and walked into the kitchen, curling her toes. She told me it was the stupid cork sole in the shoe. Her feet form to them and then start to cramp up.
"I need to warm them up!" she said,
I told her to get in the bathtub. She hopped in, pulled her pant legs up and ran the hot water. Her friend Melanie was with her. We all stood there, kids included, talking while she un-cramped her feet. Swishing back and forth.

"Hey!" I said. "Have you heard how loud the Sun Chip bag is?"
"No," she said.
"Oh it's amazing! And it is 100% biodegradable so when you can't take it anymore you just toss it out the window!" I said happily.

I went to get the bag to demonstrate. She stood there in the tub, crinkling the bag, now ankle deep in hot water. She couldn't believe it. She ate a chip and crinkled it again, wincing and holding her ear. Glaring at the bag, as if it was trying to annoy her.

It struck me as funny......

All of us in the bathroom.
My Mom in the tub.
Water rushing.
Bag screaming.
Us shocked and angry at it.

"There oughta be a law" she said

Hey, as the saying goes...".Bad publicity is good publicity."
I don't even like Sun Chips. I bought the dumb bag just so I could drag it around and show people. As long as nobody else drags it out while I am on the phone.
Or reading a book.
 Or sleeping.
 Or taking a bath...  :)

Oh, and I hopped in too. My feet were cold.

Laminin

I thought  this was so cool. I am by no means a Science Buff. In fact, I have to really force myself to get excited about it. But this amazed me. I am not going to try to be technical ....You can easily google it. But from what I read, I discovered that Laminin is a protein in our bodies that holds us together.
 It's our "glue" and it is found in every living thing.
It just happens to be in the shape of a Cross.

Colossians 1: 15-17
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by [1] him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

Pet Cemetary 2

Ok. I have to tell you something. I don't know a thing about chickens. I am sorry if you feel misled, but it's true. I like to WRITE about them. But evidently I don't know how to actually keep them alive. Much less alive and laying eggs. And if they do lay eggs they do it in hiding. Never in the nesting boxes. Honestly...I buy my eggs at Safeway. I treat my chickens like royalty, and then go spend $4.00 a dozen on free range, organic eggs at the store. Some of you are so sweet as to write me and ask me questions about my chickens. It's hard for me not to respond with my own burning question....

HOW DO YOU KEEP YOUR HENS ALIVE?!

This week alone we have lost three chickens and a rabbit. (And I LOVED Edward the bunny. snif...)

Stephen King should base his next novel here. It's that freaky. And the chickens never just fall over dead. They insist on doing it slowly. To torture me. I don't have a hen house I have my own little morgue. We have a cemetery  with little ROWS and a grounds keeper.

Our hen house is clean. The food and water are fresh. They roam and play and run through sprinklers. There is no good reason why they should die. I have one right now looking a bit wobbly. I guess I have no choice but to take her in to Dr. Berry and have him run some blood work. I have to know what the deal is. So far Chick Magnet 2 is happy and healthy. But he could go at any moment. I am tempted to close up shop.


My friend Shelly has great luck with her chickens. In fact, she sent me a picture last week of one of her hens that had just hatched DUCK eggs! Sheesh!

My chickens could never pull off hatching CHICKS much less ducklings.

Am I loving them to death?