God has been good to us this week.  It's always easy to say praise when good things are happening.  It's always harder to praise God when bad things are happening in our life.

This week on our local christian radio station my 2nd oldest daughter won tickets to a reinactment for 4 of us.  For the rest of us to go it will cost $28.  That isn't bad for our family to attend an event like this.  Then last night we won a cd in another contest they are having. Our familys name is now in a drawing for a family of 4 tickets to Orlando FL for Disneyworld.  We will be making a trip to the radio station to pick up our prizes this week.  

The contest we entered is where they call out your familys name and you have 9 mins and 11 seconds to call them back.  We listen to the radio station on the internet as we live in the country and are close to being on the edge of the listening area.  So it's just easier to listen online.  I was in the kitchen hanging up a fly strip when all this came down.  While I was hanging up the strip the radio station was playing the music before they call out the name.  As that was happening our home phone started ringing and not even 1 sec later my cell phone was ringing.  I got down off the chair to answer the cell while my dd was answering our home phone.  Both of these calls came in as they were announcing our name!  These families heard our name and wanted to make sure we heard it!  Due to our internet being delayed we didn't get to hear it before they did.  I called in and I was laughing as I couldn't believe all that came into play at once.   

Just these past couple of weeks our home phone and our cell phone have been ringing almost simultaneously.  It's always a challenge to figure out which phone needs answering first and then getting someone in here to help me with the other phone.  Its just how ironic that would happen.

Our wedding cake adventure is on its way.  So far we have 7 out of 18 cakes done.  Today will be push come to shove bake day.  Monday I only want to concentrate on making frosting.  Then resting Tues & Wed.  Thurs will be pulling out the cakes to thaw.  Friday we will start decorating and Saturday will hopefully be only delivering them and attending the wedding.  We shall see how all that plays out.

This has been a year for weddings for our family.  Not only 1 but 3 weddings we will be attending or attended!  Not just my husband and I but our WHOLE family is invited!!  That in itself is just a miracle. 

Have a great weekend!

It would be a God thing if God works 2 ways in our life right now.  First both my husband and I are feeling like we are being called into ministry.  Which would really push us out of our comfort zone in so many ways.  Would be trusting God even more than we do now.  Then all I keep hearing and seeing is adoption.  I have no idea who but God knows.  From radio to tv that is all I have been hearing and seeing.  Praying God's will in our life right now.  He knows and it would be nice if we knew how thing are going to work out.  I know it's all a matter of time. 

This week my daughter and I are supposed to be baking 18 cakes.  We are putting together a wedding cake for next weekend and need 18 layers.  So far we have 2 done!  By now I was hoping to have 8.  We will be working overtime in the next few days accomplishing this task.  Not only that the weather this week is a lot warmer than it should be!!  Baking in upper 80's/90 is not fun.  At least the cakes are turning out.  Last time we baked in weather this hot the cakes were not turning out.  This will be our 2nd wedding.  We have cakes due next weekend and now the weekend after.  

I was wondering why I didn't get my 3 extra children last Friday.  God is good!  He knew that with the addition of them and the cakes & wedding it would of been difficult.  The last time the little guy was here he would sneak bites out of the cakes.  Trying to keep him away was difficult.  Plus add in other things that are going on here would be more complicated.  Yes timing is never right.  No matter how many more you add at any time it's all an adjusting period.   It will be a miracle if those children come here.  It will definitely be a God thing.

God is good in that it didn't rain last night.  We have hay down in our field and to my husband's many attempts he was unable to get it baled.  We borrowed a hay rake.  It had a broken tongue so my husband and son fixed that.  Then our tractor broke while pulling the rake.  Then my husband borrows a tractor and the pto breaks in one spot on the tractor.  My poor husband!  I love him dearly and felt bad for him.  He is working the next 48 hrs so he won't be home to deal with the field until Friday now.  He will have to come home and fix the pto and pray that is the end of the troubles.  But God is good!!  It didn't rain last night like it was supposed to and the hay is still good!  That is answer to prayer!  Thank you God!  
 

The phone call I was not expecting.......

Back in June we took on my great nephew.  His mom was in trouble and needed us to take him so he wouldn't end up in the DCFS system.  What was supposed to be 2 weeks turned into 4 weeks.  I talked with his social worker prior to returning him to his mom making sure everything was set in place.  His social worker promised me everything would be ok.  I told him that if something were to happen again to call and let me know as I would take him back.  Today was the day.......

My husband said that my niece would probably only last 3 weeks before she got caught again.  We waited out the 3 weeks and no phone calls.  We thought she finally got her act together.  Until today........

While out doing my monthly shopping I get a phone call.  I looked at the number and thought it was my social worker who we had for our adoption.  The person asked for me.  He then proceeded to say the social worker for my niece and he remembered to call me if something was going to happen again.  Sure enough he was heading to court with my niece and was thinking the judge will be removing her children.  He wanted to know if I would take him.  I said yes of course and did he want me to take the girls also.  He said it would be better if I had the girls and not have to split them up again like last time.  I told him I was in the city by him and would like to know if I needed to stick around to pick up the children after court.  He said he would call me and let me know as soon as his foot hit the steps of the court.

After shopping and waiting for the phone call the call comes through.  The judge was nice enough to give her 30 more days to get drug free or her children will be in DCFS's care.  My niece doesn't believe they will take her children away even if she isn't drug free.  She believes she is right.

We don't qualify for foster parenting as we have too many children.  Even for extended care.  We are praying somehow the social worker will oversee the amount of children and still let us take in these 3 who need a stable home life.

It's kinda funny how God works.  This past Monday we attended a workshop on Disspelling the Myth of Corporal punishment.  Adopted families were allowed to attend but this meeting ended up being a mandatory meeting for foster parents.  Half way through the meeting I asked my husband I don't know why we are here but I'm sure God has a plan for us.  Sure enough.... now I see His plan. 

With a crew of children, people are amazed at how we do it.  I think I'm no different than any of you with less children.  We go through some of the same trials.  We just might go more or even less than you :)

One question that always seems to come up is how do you feed your family?  I'm usually confused and say just like you?  Yes you cook 1lb of meat and I might cook with 3-5lbs.  You might make mash potatoes with 5-10 potatoes and I might use 5lbs.  Not any different just different quanities.  I've tried to schedule our suppers as it makes it easier when shopping but during the summer I usually fall off the wagon on that.  During the winter it's easier to cook as I do a lot of crockpot meals or oven meals.  During the summer I usually don't cook in the oven.  Meals for me are easier during the winter.  Soon we will start back up with soups and stews.  Today our high is only to be 70 and I have 5lbs of meat thawed.  Not sure what I'm going to do with it.  Some meals to be made could be chili, tacos, meatloaf, meatballs, meat & gravy over bread, or hamburgers.  But tonights supper needs to be easy and quick as we need to head out the door for a LSSI meeting.  Might end up having a big lunch and a sandwich type style supper.

Today Dave and crew is finishing up butchering our broilers.  It will be nice to have chicken in the freezer and we have a pig going to butcher today also.  This pig has been grown organically and we waiting to see how it tastes.  With all this meat going into the freezer I will need to go down and see what needs to be eaten soon or if anything has freezer burn.  Plus we have 7 turkeys roaming the property which will go into the freezer come November.  Our laying hens should start producing eggs come November.  That will be nice to have fresh eggs for the holiday baking.  I realized today, while I was making pancakes, just how much different the egg yolk colors are.  This is comparing farm fresh vs store bought.  If you have never had farm fresh eggs I would strongly recommend getting some and see.

Have a great day!

Sickness is getting better here.  When one child goes down then the rest usually follow.  Our oldest 3 children didn't seem to get sick yet.  I'm waiting though.


We have started schooling again this week.  Will be adding more subjects as we go along.  


This next week we will celebrate our 9th child's birthday.  She will be turning 7!  That also means in 3 weeks from then will be the 7th anniversary of when Dave's Mom died.  When I was preg. with my 9th we found out that my mil had cancer.  We moved in with them while we sold our house.  Little did we know that we would be there to help take care of her.  Nearing the end of my preg. the hospice nurse told me my mil was waiting for me to give birth before she passes on.  Well I didn't want to give birth anytime soon knowing that.  I gave birth and 3 weeks later my mil passed on.  


Not only is time of year hard with that but Sept 30th this year will be the 1yr anniversary of a fireman's death.  This fireman Jeff worked the same shift as my husband.  He got off that day to go home to pick up his wife and head out here for a day on the farm with the other fireman.  He didn't make it home that day.  Instead they think he blacked out, hit a tree and died. Say a prayer for his wife as she gets through this month.