Boys and their toys

This past Christmas Blake, Hunter, and Silas got bows and arrows. We had to hide them under our bed so that they would forget about them until the weather turned nice...and finally, we had a good day with Daddy home!




I think the boys really enjoyed learning how to shoot their bows and arrows. They are growing up so fast, I can't believe they are old enough for these kinds of activities.

Graysen's Surgery and Results

Well, I'm going to try to start playing catch up...and I have TON to catch up on! That's good, it means my life is full and blessed.

Surgery Day, Graysen, Lincoln, and I left the house around 5:00 a.m. We had to check into the hospital at 6:30. We got a few miles from home and I realized that I had left my camera at home! So...unfortunately, no pictures from the hospital, but some from later that day! (I do have some on my phone...anyone know how to get those off and on my computer?!)

Graysen did awesome before and during surgery! They did give her some versed, which made her goofy, and she didn't cry at all when she left Lincoln and I.

Probably no more than 20 minutes after she was taken from us the surgen came into the waiting room and let us know that she was done and had done wonderfully! So quick! I had to wait another 40 minutes before I got to go back and see her. There was some infection in there, so she was in isolation. No big deal though, we were released to go home about an hour later.

It was a pretty big deal getting her undressed and re-dressed, as you can imagine, she was pretty scared about taking her surgery pants off and putting panties on over the incision. (Speaking of, it's big!) After we accomplished that she got to ride in a wheelchair down to the car and we were on our way home!

She fell asleep in the car and slept all the way home, and for several hours after we got home. We are so blessed with family and friends who love us and love our children!

Grammie picked the boys up from school so I didn't have to leave Gray, and she brought over flowers and kisses...

Grandma invited us out for dinner...

Grammie and Sissy came over to see her after we got home from dinner...
Her friend Miriam brought her a present....
and NiNi made us dinner the next evening and brought "Get Well" balloons (for all the kids)!

I finally got the results, and everything is perfectly fine! Praise be to God. It was just a mass of dead tissue. It looked like it had gotten infected, and her lymph node trapped it. There was some Staph in there, but it was old. I am so grateful that the God who placed the stars cared enough to give Graysen lymph nodes to trap infection.

"...and you are far more valuable to him than any birds! "
Luke 12:24

He isn't here! He is risen from the dead!

But very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. They found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. So they went in, but they didn’t find the body of the Lord Jesus. As they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.

The women were terrified and bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the third day.”

Luke 24:1-7

Good Friday Prayers

Tonight I cried at dinner. This is nothing new at my house. I'm an emotional person, I'll admit it, and I'm often moved to tears by the words of my children. I think we can learn so much from children, and I can't even begin to recount all of the lessons mine have taught me.

Blake prayed this:

God, thank you for us having Grammie over for dinner tonight. Thank you for the healthy food. I love my Mom and Dad. Thank you for Easter. Let me have fun dying Easter eggs tonight.

This prayer...not uncommon for Blake, speaks volumes to my heart. Disected, you can always see his heart each night when he prays.

Thank you for family.

This child knows what it feels like to question whether you have family or not.

Thank you for food...even yucky broccoli, because it's healthy for my body. I can run and play and grow because of this food you've given me now.

This child knows what it's like to go to bed hungry.

Thank you for Easter. I can't fully comprehend what it means yet, but I sense it's amazing.

This child is learning so much, so quickly! He is coming to know his Lord and Savior, and I get a first hand account of their growing relationship. God has pursued his heart for 7 years...how exciting to see Blake learning about Him!

Then Hunter prayed:

Thank you God for letting Jesus die on the cross today.

Jesus died on the cross. Today. For me and for you.

Just days before He died the Bible tells us "He prayed more fervently, and he was in such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood" (Luke 22:44)

Yet, he followed through with it. To save us from ourselves.

Yes, today is the saddest day in the history of the world. And yet, we have hope.

Because in three days we will be celebrating the Risen King, and I can not wait to wake each of my children up proclaiming "He is Risen"!

This is what spring is all about!

time outside.

ice cream in cups.

good friends.

Happy Birthday Ally!!

Random Acts of Kindness

Random: proceeding, made, or occurring without definite aim, reason, or pattern Act: the process of doing Kind: of a good or benevolent nature or disposition, as a person I love random acts of kindness. I enjoy doing them, and I feel as though I really appreciate them being done for me as well! No matter what they are. This post isn't to brag, but to remind people that kindness is so important...whether you know the person or not! Recently I've done two things and got such odd response with one of them that I can't help to fear that random kindness is going by the wayside! First, I paid for the vehicle behind us at the toll booth as we were going to the beach. We don't have toll roads near where I live, but I read this idea here, and when we came across one I was excited to participate! Secondly I noticed an older man in the vehicle behind me at McDonalds, so when I pulled up to the window I asked if I could pay his bill as well. The girl was so confused.

"Do you know him?" "Do you want his recipt?" "Do you want me to give him your name?"

So many questions!

"No, I don't know him, no I don't want his recipt, and no I dont' want you to give him my name! I just want to make his day a little brighter by paying his bill!!"

I love it when a stranger offers me their dry cart (on a rainy day) at Walmart, someone holds up the door for me when when I have my children in tow, when my husband opens my car door. Just little things that make your day a little brighter, a little eaiser. Something that puts a smile on your face. You can find more ways to give to other here and here.

What are some of your favorite acts of kindness?

new news.

I'm going to work.

Yup, it's true!
I have taken a position in the school district.

I'm very excited about it,
but still sad to be leaving behind my days as a homemaker.

We feel like God has called us to get our finances in order...
ASAP.

We don't know what adventure He has coming for us,
but we feel the need to free up our finances...
for whatever work He will call us to!

The beauty of it is that Graysen will not go to a daycare!
God had already planned two perfect people
to take care of her for us 2 days a week while Lincoln works.
(Mondays and Tues and Thurs afternoons)

It's amazing to see how God has worked all of this together,
and I'm on the edge of my seat waiting to see what else He has planned!

I'm excited to see what people He will put in my path every day in the workforce...
I'm looking forward to the interaction with students again.

Please be praying for my family's transition...
I've got new challenges ahead of me.

How do you keep the laundry done (for 6),
have dinner on the table each night,
and find extra special time with each of your kids...
when you're a working mom?

Any tips would be greatly appreciated!
I know I'll figure it out,
God will equip me to do what He calls me to do!!

An Auction!

Hop over HERE to check out this awesome adoption auction that's happening this week!

I've talked about the Chrisco's on here several times before, but as a reminder they are the fabulous family that adopted Phoenix shortly before we adopted the boys, and then they had twin boys just a few months after they got home from Ethiopia! They are now in the process of adopting 2 precious little girls from the Congo! They are an amazing family that we have known for over 10 years.

The Chrisco Boys!

They are currently having an auction on their blog with ALL KINDS of goodies! Go check it out...I know you'll find something you just must have! (Well, you know..."must have" because it helps two more children come home to a forever family!!)

We're just really busy!

We're all here and alive...we're just really busy! I'm subbing all week, so I'm not used to this "working mom" routine...yet. (More to come on that soon.) I've also got the grand finale of our Sixty Feet Cupcake Sales going this week - 40 Dozen to be baked this weekend! Wow. I'm anxious to share lots of news and pictures...it's just probably not going to happen this week. Honestly, I'm pretty packed until NEXT Friday. So...a little hiatus is going to be happening here on my blog. But I promise...lots of good news excitement, and pictures when I finally get back!

Attachment...the other way.

Attachment. It's a word that rings fear and uneasy feelings in most adoptive parents. There are tons of books on helping your adopted child attach to you. There are lots of videos and therapists available to help you in this area.

One area that isn't talked about and there are very little resources available is the attachment of the parent to the child. I think the very wise blogger at Yes, my couch is ugly.does a much better job of putting it into words than I do. Read this for the whole post (which is TERRIFIC), but I am going to just include clips of it here on my post (again, so when this is in book form my children will be able to read the wisdom that I am talking about!)

I'll be honest (even though what I'm about to say isn't going to be popular)...I've gone through lots of moments of "not feelin' it" with Silas and Blake. I'm sure most people think (and so did I before I became their Mom 24/7) that I worked so hard to get these boys home that there's no way I wouldn't fall madly deeply in love with them as soon as they were in my arms... It's hard people... I have come a long way in my feelings for my adopted sons. Please don't ever question my commitment to them. They are my sons, and they will be forever. I think our relationship will be that much stronger in the end because we had to fight for it. We had to fight for the mushy, gushy, love that we will eventually have...and that will make it that much sweeter...

alright, I'm going to let her do the talking now before I mess it up!

*This mom adopted from Uganda, but the living conditions that she speaks of are very much like Ethiopia...

"I’ve had several phone conversations and email correspondence with moms who say, “When does this get better??!?!?!” and “My child seems pretty emotionally healthy and is attaching to us nicely, but I’m just not feelin’ it.”

And I know exactly what they’re talkin’ about.

All the scary adoption books that you read when researching adoption almost always cover extreme behaviors and major disorders, like Radical Attachment Disorder and smearing feces on the walls. So you brace yourself for the worst (especially if it’s your first adoption) and hope for the best.

But there’s no book out there that covers what to do when you’re in country, overwhelmed with jet lag and you meet your toddler for the first time…and you’re scared to death. Those books don’t cover how to parent your child when he acts up in front of the people who have been caring for him since coming to the orphanage. Nor do they talk about the dark places you find yourself in when things are all falling apart and you’re exhausted and angry and slowly slipping into a scary place where you begin to doubt yourself and wonder if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew.

And then there’s the whole issue of, “What if I don’t ever love my child like I love my other children? I’m worried that I’ll never feel that way.”

Nope. Not in the book.

Because here’s the thing…most (not all) of the children who come from Uganda are relatively healthy in the emotional department. These kids don’t come action-packed with sensory issues due to neglect and lack of touch. If they’ve spent any time at all in a babies home or decent orphanage (and by decent, I mean ‘loving’, not ‘wealthy’), these children are well loved. They are held, cared for, played with, fed and nurtured. I realize that it’s not the end-all-be-all for completely healthy children, but it sure does help.

A ton.

So from what I’m hearing and reading, these newly adopted children aren’t having difficulty attaching to their parents. What’s happening is that the parents are having difficulty attaching to their new child.

And it’s almost impossible to prepare for that.

I’ve written before that it’s extremely hard to not dream about what that first meeting with your new child will be like. It’s crazy tough not to imagine how wonderful life will be when you’re finally one big happy family. You try and try to keep expectations at a minimum.

But then you read a book or someone’s blog who just had their Gotcha Day, and they’re gushing and beaming and going on and on about their beautiful moment. And I’m sure it was…I don’t want to take anything away from that, because those moments do happen. But then your overactive, mama’s imagination gets to churnin’ and there’s no stopping it.

I can see how easy it would be to instantly love an infant. And maybe that’s why there’s such a high demand for them. Their personalities aren’t yet very vivid. They can’t talk back or throw things at you. They don’t have hour-long temper tantrums. There’s not much of a language barrier because they’re not communicating anyway. Infants, for the most part, are sweet and cuddly and well…obedient. Toddlers, however, are not.

Suddenly you have this wee person, who is a total stranger, and he’s all yours…with all the good and the bad that comes with him. And we expect ourselves to be overcome with emotion and feeling for this child.

Well, I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t work that way in most cases. Just like with any relationship, it’s gonna take time to grow. Love is rarely instantaneous. I know we want it to be, because it’s our child, for crying out loud. But the reality is, you’ve just gotta give it time.

And a lot of energy.

And a lot of love (aka, serving, doing, etc.).

And you’ve gotta be on your knees, asking God to love this child through you, because our love is flawed and skewed. And His love isn’t.

And as tired as you are, you’ve gotta be waking up early, reading your Bible, talking to God, memorizing scripture for those moments when you think you’re gonna lose it.

And eventually (and hopefully) those feelings will come.

...

Also, this isn’t a guarantee that you’ll ever feel fully connected to your child. You may not. I know people who still struggle several years down the road. And since I have no experience in this department, I don’t have any words of wisdom.

What I do know is that God doesn’t always make it easy on us (because he wants us to GROW), and He tells us to love the unlovely.

And aren’t we all unlovely at one time or another?

So, I say all of this so that you don’t give up hope. God did not make a mistake when He gave you your new child (or children). He knew exactly how this would all go down. He sees every tear you shed in frustration and every moment of exasperation. He knows every detail of loss and hurt that your child has suffered. He knows all the “why’s” and the “when’s”.

His plan is perfect. His love is infinite. And His grace is sufficient.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”
2 Corinthians 12:9

Orange Turtle

Sometimes it's fun to play with your food...check out this sea turtle that Hunter made from his orange!

Good to be Crazy

Please read this story from "Good to be Crazy" . It's so inspirational. It's exactly what I strive for in my life.

I know Jesus can look different in everyone's life, as they act as His hands and feet in different ways...but do you ever think that sometimes it's harder to act in faith because of the fluency that we live in here in America? Just a thought that's been swimming around in my head...

I want to be these people when I grow up...!!!

I am going to post these two blog posts here so that when my blog is printed in book form my children will be able to read this amazing testimony of what it looks like to have faith...

Post number 1, found here:

"Dan and I have intentionally not shared many of the specifics related to our adoption. Most people generally know what we did, why we did it and where it happened, but we’ve kept the fine details – dates, names, places and so forth to ourselves.

We have our reasons for keeping quiet. Some details we don’t share for the protection of Hannah and Joseph. Some details we can't share in order to protect the privacy of our friends in Uganda.

But some details we don’t share simply because they’re private, they're our memories – and they belong to our family alone. One of those stories we’ve kept to ourselves for too long. Dan and I think it’s time to share this one because it’s a story of faith, radical sacrifice and reckless abandonment for Christ like you’ve never heard before.

Buckle up and get ready. This will rock your world. Religion that is pure and faultless is this…

That’s Ernest and Catherine. Ernest is a 65 year old Ugandan pastor. Catherine is his beautiful wife. They are kind and loving. They live very simply and they are poor because they give everything away. They are sold out for Jesus.

Ernest is a church planting evangelist of rock star proportions – he has planted over 80 churches throughout Uganda and Tanzania over the last 45 years. He does this incredible work with no resources to speak of. He has the Holy Spirit in his heart, God’s Word in his hands and that’s all he needs.

Ernest and Catherine have never had biological children. But oh, they’ve had children. Over the years, they’ve taken in dozens and dozens of orphaned children. They have fed and clothed and loved these children as their own. They’ve raised them to adulthood and found ways to pay for weddings and college and medical school and more.

And here’s how Ernest and Catherine tie into The Owens’ story…

When Dan was in Uganda in July 2010, we began pursuing adoption of Hannah and Joseph. At the time, they were the youngest permanent residents of “M.” Their living conditions were horrible, their health was declining, their safety was in question, at best. We had not even begun the adoption process in the US so Dan couldn’t bring them home. But Dan simply couldn’t go back to Atlanta and leave our two small children in that place.

In desperation, he and the Sixty Feet team turned to Ernest and Catherine for help. Dan showed up on their doorstep, unannounced and uninvited and asked them to take Hannah and Joseph – until we came back for them. And we had no idea when that would be.

Without a moment’s hesitation, they agreed. They actually rejoiced, as they’d been praying that the Lord would send more children for them to care for. Seriously.

At the time, Ernest and Catherine had 9 children. They lived in a tiny bungalow with little indoor plumbing. And they rejoiced to take in Hannah and Joseph.

However… the church Ernest worked for did not rejoice. In fact, this church responded in the opposite manner. They were horrified at the thought of having these children live on their land.

It’s one thing to take in helpless orphans. It’s another to take in children from M. Those children are truly "the least of the these" – who would want them? They’re sick. They’re uneducated. They have no social skills. By no fault of their own, they are labeled as outcasts.

I know this next sentence is unbelievable but it’s true: The church ordered Ernest, in no uncertain terms, to get rid of Hannah and Joseph. The church told them they simply could not stay. Orphans, yes. The dirty, dangerous, sickly children from M, no. “Return those children to M, immediately” were the instructions.

Ernest and Catherine refused. They stood up to their church, to the white, American-born senior pastor, to all the elders and said “no way.” We will not leave these children as orphans. We will not return them to M.

“Then you stand to lose everything,” said their church. "Either Hannah and Joseph go -- or you go. You will lose your home, your job, your income. This will cost you everything."

I imagine that most of us would lay down our lives for our children. Most of us would give up our homes, our jobs and our sole source of income for them. But how many of us would give those things up for some random, dirty, orphaned children who just show up on your doorstep one day? I like to think I would – but in reality, I probably wouldn’t.

Guess how Ernest and Catherine responded.

Well, I hate to leave y’all hanging but that’s it for now. This is getting long and it's getting late so this one is To Be Continued... Meet me here on Sunday night and I’ll finish this incredible story. "

Post number 2, found here:


"When we left off last time, Ernest and Catherine had a decision to make. The choice was this: either return two small children to the horrible place that is M – or stand to lose every bit of security they have in this life – their home, their farm, their income, everything.

If faced with this decision, I’ll tell you what I would do. I’d make the responsible choice. I’d be smart about this. Ernest and Catherine were already caring for a house full of orphans. Shouldn’t their first responsibility be to those children? Without their farm, how could they feed everyone? Without Ernest’s income as a pastor, how would they provide? We can’t just go around making foolish, impulsive decisions based on emotion. After all, Jesus calls us to be wise, right?

And yet the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight. – 1 Corin 3:19

So what did they decide? Well, for the faithful few, such as Ernest and Catherine, the choice between earthly security and obedience to Christ is not really a choice at all. I’m sure you’re not surprised to hear that they stood by Hannah and Joseph. It didn’t matter that they already had a house full of orphans to care for. It didn’t matter that Hannah and Joseph were not their own children and never would be. All that mattered was Jesus and His command to care for least of these.

The church made good on their promise and they eventually forced Ernest and Catherine off of the land. Ernest lost his job, his home, his farm, his income, his church and his friends. But he didn’t lose heart.

He and Catherine took the children and moved on. And in January of this year, they started taking in other children from M. And since they were moving to a new area anyways, they went ahead and planted a new church. I mean, why not?

Last week, members of the SixtyFeet team were privileged to spend time with Ernest and Catherine in Uganda. We were able to help them put a roof on their new church and they invited Scott, one of our board members, to preach last Sunday. To which Scott remarked “what could I possibly teach these people about faith?”

Flora, Ernest, Boaz, Scott, Faith and Moses standing outside the new church, new roof in progress.

On this trip, we learned that Ernest and Catherine are currently living in a 2-bedroom apartment with 10 children. The living conditions are very cramped. Ernest and Catherine basically have no privacy or time to themselves and they must walk 90 minutes, each way, to their new church.

Dan and I feel a heavy burden to support Ernest and Catherine because of the amazingly sacrificial gift they gave to our family. Sixty Feet also desires to support their ministry, as they are now intentionally seeking to serve more and more children from M.

We’ve found a beautiful piece of property, including a large 9 bedroom home, in very close proximity to their church. $4,500 will pay their rent for the entire year and move them in immediately.

Scott and Ernest checking out the big house.

View from the house. God's handiwork is amazing! Saints like Ernest and Catherine deserve this view.

If you’d like to contribute any amount to help move Ernest, Catherine and the children into the new home click on the link below. Nothing is too small. Sixty Feet will match all donations, dollar for dollar, up to $2,250. Dan will be back in Uganda in May and we’ll share pictures and details.

You’ve heard me say it before but I’ll say it again… one little family can’t change the whole world, but you can change one little corner of it. Take this opportunity, right here and right now, and do something big for the Kingdom."

Okay, wow...go check out their blog now...so major funds have been raised for these awesome people! Yippy!!!!!!!!

Last Call for Cupcakes!

Cupcakes, Cupcakes
Come and get your Cupcakes!!

This is the last week for cupcake sales!

We are selling delicious cupcakes to support Sixty Feet and their ministry in Uganda, Africa. Sixty Feet aims to bring hope to imprisoned children in Uganda. You can learn more about their ministry here.

While baking cupcakes for a recent sale (which I'll blog about soon!) we had fun shooting these little videos...
please know it was about 1:00 in the morning...

Cupcake Commercial take #1:

Cupcake Commercial take #2:

Hey, you have to keep life fun, right?!

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes: Strawberry cake topped with rich chocolate buttercream icing...

Brown Butter Cupcakes: A moist french vanilla cake completed by the subtle nuttiness of brown butter icing...

Cookies and Creme Cupcakes: Fluffy white cake with chunks of Oreo cookies baked on an Oreo cookie base and topped with cream cheese icing chock full of Oreo crumbs...

Mocha Cupcakes: Moist chocolate cake topped with the familiar warmth of roasted coffee and a sprinkling of crystal sugar...

Lemon Berry Cupcakes: Strawberry cake made with real strawberries, topped with citrusy lemon buttercream icing...

S'more Cupcakes: Milk chocolate cake on a graham cracker base with marshmallow filling. Topped with marshmallow buttercream and finished with milk chocolate shaving...

Can you resist...? Please don't practice any self control this time...indulge!

We're having another sale on N. Charles in my hometown THIS Saturday, come see us if you can.

For those of you who don't live here: Pampered Chef fundraiser (15% goes to Sixty Feet), Thirty-One Gifts fundraiser (10% goes to Sixty Feet - choose Ashley Redburn as your host), and Virtual Cupcakes available on my blog (100% of donation goes to Sixty Feet).

Surgery is Over!

We are home from the hospital.

Graysen's bump is gone.


She's sleeping soundly next to me now.
She did great.
GREAT I tell you!!

I am still a bit scared,
a little uneasy about what the results will show...
but I do know this...



I praised Him before the bump,
I will praise Him now,
and I will praise Him when the results come back.

No. matter. what.


I am so grateful to have a Savior who Was, and Is, and Is to come...
Constant.
Good.
(even when our situations don't feel good...)

Hmmm...

Although I have tons to blog about - beach vacation (with about a million pictures), cupcakes, Graysen's upcoming surgery, and some random thoughts - I am not sure where to start! I've been working on getting my house back in order, having a cupcake sale, catching up with good friends after a week away, preparing my boys to start back to school, and getting everything ready for Graysen's surgery. Not much time to blog.

Seems like a lot, but it doesn't really feel like it. Some moments these days my heart feels very heavy. I've got a lot of substantial things on my mind that I probably won't blog about because it's very personal to my family. There are times when I just want to hug Lincoln and cry...and then there are moments that I feel like this:


I think that's the beauty of walking with God. Our hearts are often heavy for the things that break His heart, but we can always feel joyful because we are loved by Him and can live freely because of that!

That's about all I've got for today...the boys go back to school tomorrow and Silas has a Dr. apt. Gray has her surgery on Tuesday, and then maybe I'll get back to blogging more regularly! I have some very exciting things to share about how God is working through a simple indulgence like cupcakes to bring hope to His children in Uganda!!

We are home and refreshed!

We had a fabulous week at the beach.

We got lots of sun and had lots of fun.
I've decided there's nothing better than a family vacation!

Thank you Mom and Dad for taking us... I can't wait to do it together again!

small style

I've so enjoy seeing all the outfits that parents dress their kids in. I've never been one for clothing style (much to my sister's dismay) for myself, or my kids. But...I love the age where they get an opinion on what they are going to wear and you end up with Power Rangers at the grocery store! I just had to share Graysen's outfit the other day...she got dressed all by herself.

She wanted a pony on top of her head "like when I was a baby" and picked out which headbands to put in. As 80's as it was, it all matched pretty well actually!!!

"My Bump"

Here's another update on Graysen's bump. (If you don't know what I'm talking about read this and then this).

My mom went with me to STL to take Graysen back for her ultrasound and follow up apt. with the surgeon. Graysen was excited to show Grammie the hospital!

I love Children's hospitals! (Remember, Hunter had surgery in 2009 at STL Children's) Graysen played in this car in the waiting room before her ultrasound...

My sweet, precious baby's hand wrapped around mine during her ultrasound. She truly did great!
The ultrasound was inconclusive, so the surgeon decided it was time to just remove the lymph node. We are scheduled for surgery on April 5th. It will be out patient and just a few days recovery at home, so nothing to worry about! The results from her lymph node should be back within 4-5 days after it's removed.

After we left the hospital we headed downtown Kirkwood and ate at a really cute New York Style Pizzeria. It was a beautiful day and we sat on the patio.
The pizza slices were bigger than the plate!

Graysen took it upon herself to be the door holder...even when there weren't people coming in or out. She's such a good, easy kid to take places! I am blessed to be her Momma.

Thanks Mom for going with me and supporting me during her Dr. apts. You're the best!

Cupcakes # 2 and # 3

Another virtual cupcake!

Thank you Shelley, for your contribution to Sixty Feet
and God's precious children in Uganda!

"From: The Dukes"

Thank you so much for investing in the lives of others
and building treasures in Heaven!

you can see cupcake number 1 here.

clothes line. a first for me.

my very first load on the line!

I'm excited to start this line drying clothes adventure! The people who owned my Grandma's house before her had this clothes line in their yard. She never used it (to my knowledge), but didn't take it down either, and boy am I glad! My father in law came and hung new line for me since this picture was taken. I also bought more clothes pins so that I can hang an entire load...there are three lines on this pole! I hope to get a lot of use out of this hanging line this spring and summer!

___________________________________________________________________

Remember I'm raising money for Sixty Feet right now by selling cupcakes.
Read about the beginnings of this project here.

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Cupcakes:
Strawberry cake topped with rich chocolate buttercream icing

How can you resist?

Place your order today:
ashleyredburn@hotmail.com