We Pause for a Commercial Break!

Today, an email went out to an adoption agency that will start the process w/the court system in Ethiopia for a 'little gem' of a girl to start living life to it's fullest w/all rights given to her as she becomes the 4TH GRANDDAUGHTER of ours. Shana & Billie and their 3 daughters will welcome daughter #4..sister #3 to their home IN THE NEAR FUTURE!!!!!

We actually have a picture to go w/the name of Ellagrace. For every grandchild we have prayed...for this grandchild we have prayed for 2 yrs now. For wisdom in the right agency, for the exact time God had for her to be born, for paperwork connections from one country to the other.

I wish I could show you her eyes, how they sparkle when she smiles. So if you are reading this plse pray for the court hearing to finalize everything on the first try. Pray for her ability to adjust to so much new-way of life. Pray for our granddaughers, her sisters, to adjust. Everyone has been waiting and praying for this divine appointment..AND IT'S ALMOST HERE!

What is today?

Well although today is September 12, 2009 I am only on the month of June in blog world time! So I will start w/June and hope to get to July tomorrow. If not, I will be posting September in November…aughhh, pressure on!

June saw me rarely. I mean rarely ! My sweetness of a husband asked me to do just 2 things for the upcoming VBS09. Just 2 things, I can do that. What are my job descriptions for this year of VBS dear? Decorations and Registration said the Minister of Children, my husband. I was in charge of decorating the whole church for VBS and then chair the registration ladies, who knew very well the ins and outs of this job…they didn’t need me! Decorations however took on a life of its own. Our theme was Museum @ 12627. Not in Night at the Museum, but a real museum.
I do have pics on these from my facebook, so I will post them. It was the best of times and the worst of times. I had some awesome help by 4 great teenage girls and one very talented mother.

The vision started in the entry area w/ Insects of South America which included spiders, large brown ants, stinger less bees, and silk caterpillars.

Walking into the huge area outside the worship area you found a Dinosaur hanging from the ceiling, dinosaur bones in a dig area of sand, a knight from Medieval times, an ancient Bible area, Egypt which included Pharaoh, pyramids, ancient jars/pottery and mummy in tact.

Down the preschool hall you traveled back in time to see a 6’ steam locomotive, airplane parts, a mini antique gas tank, etc.

On the far hallway you find yourself entering the art section of the museum. We had Monet, a Jr. Picasso, pop art and other famous artist of centuries past.

Every area of the museum was roped off, had docents and had information cards for your personal leisure. VBS ended up w/an average of 152+ in attendance and our total numbers for the week had us at 192 children enrolled.

For 3-5 wks my sweet husband put up w/frozen dinners or deli sandwiches (which we never eat) we had to have dessert so it consisted of Toaster Strudels.

I was also helping my mother in the month of June w/a civil law suit (furnace guy not the cable guy) Just doing all the paper trail and filing papers kept us busy for a few days.

This ends June in a nutshell… love nuts but I really love this ‘nutshell’ of a bible verse:
2 Timothy 1:7…For God has not given us a spirit of fearfulness, but one of power, love, and sound judgment. (HCS)

I am never gonna get updated..

...if I don't get busy! My time in Georgia in May 09 was even more fun when Steve got down for a week's vacation. Of course, we were not going to miss the biggest event of the season...Dance Recital! I mean, as long as we have breath in us and enough gas for the car and no elderly parent in the hospital...WE WILL NEVER MISS OUR GRANDDAUGHTERS DANCE RECITALS.

This year was themed as Aladdin and our little grands were part of the fruit stand scene and also in the ballet. They were so excited. This was KK's 2nd recital so she was the pro..but LB...well now, she was so very excited! We were quite impressed by LB's love of the stage (well, ok not that surprised, she loves acting, singing anything that has to do with the arts) Both grands held their head, hands and position of feet exactly the way they were taught. Now (Sept 09) the new year of dance has started and KK goes into her 3rd yr of dance but our LB really wanted to take on gymnastics. Again we are not surprised! That's our LB...always trying new stuff. Well if I am allowed to brag...both girls have been promoted in their classes already!

I so wish I had the pictures of the recital and the day event...but sad to say...I don't . The camera of my mind has it embedded in my memory though. That's the neat thing about living life w/your children and grands....memories- WOW!~

After the recital, that family took a quick vacation to Mississippi to see their other grandparents...and we headed back to Jill n Warren's for a few more days.

What fun we had, just the 4 of us. Playing Uker, Wii and just talking about everything and anything was such a pleasure. We also worked on a new cushion set including pillows for Jill's front porch wicker set. Even Steve got into the sewing details..(small problem, I forgot to bring my sewing machine and although Shana gave me hers, we all forgot to get bobbins) It was way to late for a trip to Wal Mart so I did what I love to do best....sew by hand! Yes, and the cushions look great! Steve did pretty good on his hand sewing venture, I was proud!

It became time to leave Georgia for Ohio all the while knowing that the next time we would be together would be Thanksgiving. And I am already counting down the weeks till November...and guess what? It's already September.

A New Week in a Different Place...

Time was going by way to quickly, I missed Steve more and more but yet I hurt knowing that I had to leave Jill, and I still don’t know why I felt that way. Did you ever feel like you were suppose to be somewhere at a certain time in your life? That’s what I felt at Jill’s.

(“Holy holy is the Lord Almighty holy holy”, Chris Tomlin) I was allowed to spend so much time w/the ones I love…how awesome is that. He is Holy, we serve a mighty God!
“How great is our God, sing w/me how great is our God. And all will see how great how great is our God”

For the next nine days I was going to be in what I will call ‘GRAND HEAVEN.” Of course I would be amiss if I did not report that I was looking forward to some mother /daughter time w/Shana as well. I love my girls, they are women I really want to emulate! (Typing w/tears is not an easy thing to do; the water tends to distort the keys)

The month of May was half over; I missed my husband so much and was thankful to a loving God that I had this opportunity. I just thought days went fast at Jill’s! I was in DeeDee overload and LOVED EVERY MINUTE OF IT!

The first full day was spent just “getting use to DeeDee being there”. We read every book, colored and taught her (DeeDee) how to play more Wii!

Excuse me, had to stop and sing (Chris Tomlin)….”Everyone around the world, hear the joyful sound, see the heavens open up and hear the music comin down.. Nothings gonna separate us from the Fathers love. If God is on our side, who can be against us, If God is on our side we won’t be afraid, though the mountains may fall and the sky will crumble there ain’t nothing gonna stand in our way.”

Back to my time w/Shana n Bill n the girls. It was a week filled w/all things fun! We gave mommy and daddy a night out for their 9th anniversary. And after dinner we created a cake just for them! Of course I already recorded that activity, but may I remind myself, we had a blast and Shana/Bill was really surprised! On Thursday I gave Shana a day off. Once time on the phone she had told me that she really would love a day to JUST PLAY. You know, a day to not be mommy! So she got it! I did my housemaid routine and loved it…while she played all day w/her girls. I enjoyed listening to the music of chatter in the playroom so much. This is one thing I will always remember from this trip to Grand Heaven. Shana and I got a movie date also and enjoyed some ice cream together. Now my Billie-D of a son always gets my giggle going! He is the sweetest dad and loving husband! I am so glad God blessed us with great men for our daughters!

We took a trip to a strawberry farm and picked those little scrumptious delectable berries till 3 baskets were full. The girls even remembered my motto from picking berries a few years back “pick me, pick me says the red ones, No no no don’t pick me I’m not ready yet, says the green ones.” So we chanted for awhile as we laughed and remembered. We took some crazy pictures as strawberries for all to see, played on the playground that was close by and left for home. Another ending to a busy, memorable day…still missing Steve-o…talking to him everyday but it doesn’t help the loneliness from setting in especially at night.

A New Addition....

Well, Marley became a member of the Gorman family that week. She is such a well mannered dog. It is amazing that someone would leave her behind. I heard from a dog kennel friend that in Albany over the past year (all the plant closings-economics) there were around 3500 pets left on the streets. How sad! Marley seemed to attach herself to Warren and would jump at loud sounds. She started tugging at my heart strings. The vet check up was good and she got shots needed for the moment. We figured that she had just had babies for obvious reasons and the vet agreed.

We played Wii and cards a lot! I stepped into the bedroom, every Tuesday as they entertained teenagers at a weekly Bible study in their home. I worked on my quilt, enjoyed loving on my kids and continued to be a housemaid out of pure enjoyment! Jill and I did a few mother/daughter things like: a movie, cooking at "A Pinch of Thyme", and taking the granddaughters to a pottery place to make things for Father’s Day.

Yes we babysat the grands while Shana had a photo shoot for a wedding on a beach in Florida. It was a busy weekend…and as everyone knows, I always have lots of stuff to do while babysitting. We even took the girls to a friend’s house that had children the same age and played in the huge waterworks they had set up in the backyard. We had Boy scout pancakes for b’fast and root beer floats for dessert that night. Mommy was back on Mother’s Day so after church we had a nice lunch presented to us and crowns from the grands and Auntie Jill.

Marley didn’t know what to think of all these people but I have to say she continued to be so well mannered.

First Stop in May.....

My first location was Albany w/Jill & Warren. Saturday started off well and I found out we were going to a fashion show for a charity event in town. Another sweet couple w/their sweetness of a baby girl came over and w/the guys babysitting, we three girls got dressed up and went downtown for the event. I was so glad Jill wanted me to go along w/her and Ashley. We got back home and “little sweetness’ was still up, although wanting to go to sleep. I asked permission to take her back to the bedroom and rocked her gently to sleep…oh I was in heaven! How wonderful to remember the smell, panting breath and small hand on your chest as a baby sleeps in warm soft pajamas. I rocked and prayed for about an hour…the best time w/God was always w/my babies in the rocking chair.
I know “little sweetness” and myself worked out all the problems of the world that hour.

Sunday was filled w/church, good dinner and afternoon naps. It was good to see some faithful friends at church. Great to worship w/my children and enjoyed a sermon from the new pastor. Monday came and I was destined to surprise Jill by preparing dinner so she did not have to when she got home from her stressful job. So I cleaned (which is one of the things I love to do) did laundry and prepared dinner. End of another day…still missing Steve! The week went fast I was going to have 9 days w/Jill n Warren then moved onto Shana n Bill’s.

On Wednesday we went to church and supported Warren as he spoke to the youth. He can really get the message of Christ out to teens in a way that really makes them think. Then after church we went to a friend’s house that just happened to have a white lab show up on their doorstep. He had hung around for a few weeks and since J&W was thinking of a dog, well we got to meet Marley. Though not it’s real name but that’s who she looked like, Marley, from the movie a very gentle, calmer version of the movie dog I should add. We get back home and start convincing Jill that she would be a good dog to have, as long as no one has claimed her. Warren and I did a very good job of putting on the Ritz for Marley’s case!

Wednesday, Thursday and Friday I had lunch w/dear friends. Let me introduce you to Roxanne, Karen, and Denise, great women of faith, encouragers, and strong ladies whom you can turn to in times of storms. I had so much fun with you all…thanks for the cherished memories!

Just finished listening to “Believe Me Now” by Steven Curtis Chapman. That’s all that God wants from us, a relationship that calls us to just believe…believe that God is in control, that God truly has out best interest at heart. Some days these are hard to comprehend…but we must listen to that still small voice that calls our hearts to His side.

Ready Set Go~

I am just sitting here listening to Selah singing “Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus,” and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.” Such a calm assurance isn’t it?

I look at what I need to do to get self back on track w/my blogging and the task seems daunting enough but this music should sooth my soul and allow me to journal my thoughts once again. So I start with the last week of April 09… The biggest issue is NO PICTURES, our computer had a near miss w/a Trojan horse virus so when we cleared everything off of the computer, we thought we got every last picture off before we wiped it clean....well, that didn't happen so all of my 09 pictures are gone into cyberspace...eternal! I will not faint, OR get mad at technology!

Taking a trip w/Steve is always a pleasurable thing for me, so driving to Atlanta was refreshing. As Steve took of for his myriad of meetings at Orange Conference, I stayed put in the hotel room, secluded w/my Bible, current novel, journal/pen and the T.V. remote I started basking in quiet! Now this is vacating!

Two days of solitude and evenings w/my best friend, then Friday came! Our daughters were driving up to Atlanta so we could go shopping at IKEA. Never been there so I was looking forward to just window shopping, or so I thought. It is a huge store, w/greater prices on nice things. (Vern Kipp, gets all of his stuff for home décor there.) I bought drapes for our living room window, a bamboo plant, things for the grands and had a great lunch w/my girls. We had so much fun together!!! We came out of the store with 2 big palm trees for the girls and other sundry items they needed. I really needed that time w/them. We spent the day there (yes, it’s that big) then headed back to a Crackle Barrel to meet Steve for dinner.

I made a big deal of the picture b/c it was the first time in a long time that we ate just with our daughters. Now grown, married women, Steve and I are so proud of what they have become. After dinner, I kissed my dearest friend goodbye and started off for southern Georgia w/my girls! Jill and I arrived in Albany around 11pm and I was greeted by my sweet son, Warren, only 3 more wks till I see Steve again.