Field Trip Friday~

We've officially been home schooling for five days~ I would like to say it's been all fun and games and easy, but it's not and hasn't been.

Caleb does extremely well, time wise, study wise etc. He has always been a great student and very much a schedule person. Hope on the other hand....not so much, she is easily distracted. The ticking clock bothers her...as does the dog walking around and the mail truck etc., etc., etc..

You get the point. She is smart, very smart and enjoys math...she does struggle with reading and sitting still. But, I am enjoying the one on one time with her....(when the two toddlers allow it) and she is getting some much needed mommy time. She craves the attention and seems to enjoy being home.

I do worry about her social life. She is signed up for gymnastics and has her two sisters...but knowing Hope she needs to be around others her age. I know we won't keep her home forever but in the mean time this will allow her time to adjust and get some serious attachment going~

Yes, even though she has been home over 5 years we still have some attachment issue's left over from orphanage life. I would like to say it will get better but it is what it is and we take it day by day.

And because we are celebrating five days at home learning we decided to have a "Field Trip Friday" .

We are heading to the Zoo!! Have a great day everyone!!

Skirt sale to help bring Joshua home!!

My wonderful friend Robin sent me some amazing yummy, truly beautiful fabrics and the idea to make skirts to bring Joshua home!!

With the holidays coming these would make awesome gifts for your little one or someone else's little one.

As they are complete I will list the skirts. That way there is no waiting. You see something you like, I send you an invoice and it is mailed to you!!

Size 2 Asian umbrella

Size 2 Owls

Size 2 Holiday Trees

Size 3 Floral

Size 4 and 5 Asian Tea Party

Size 4 Take out

Size 5 Retro Dots

Size 5 Reverse Floral

Size 6 Retro Floral

Size 6 Blue Red Multi

Size 6 Retro Leaves Dots

If you are interested in any of these or a custom order please email at Hopeyfopey@yahoo.com

Skirts are only $20 each plus shipping.

Shipping~

1 skirt $2
2 Skirts $3
4 Skirts $4
anything above 4 will be a flat rate of $5.00

And as always thank you for helping us bring our son home.

Sunday Sale ~ Sunday Snapshot....

I have a great friend, someone whom I have never met, but who loves the Lord, orphans and me....she has a heart for helping families fund raise and now because of her help I can continue to "sew Joshua home"!!

I have spent the weekend sewing, and sewing. You see Robin, yes the one and the same Robin of Red Thread Stitches, sent me packages of pre cut, pre measured skirts.

I now have 25 skirts in variouss sizes that I will be offering for sale. All proceeds will go towards the cost of our adoption of Joshua.

Hope modeling a new skirt

Gracie J playing while mama sews.

Hannah putting good use to our "new to us" school desks.

To see what's available and all the details head over to Josh's blog.

Bands of love for Joshua.

Not Wordless Wednesday~

It's 2:30 here in our neck of the woods....I have been up since sunrise~  Trying to get some things done.

We have contractors here, finally fixing and replacing the floors that were flooded monthes ago. We had to do the grunt work....removing old moldy carpet and padding, not to mention the tack strips and nails...ouch!!


But it saved us money and that my friends is the bottom line.

The girls and I are solo for today only, so we decided to get some winter baking/cooking done.

First up, homemade spicy chicken chili. I think my eyes were permanently maimed. LOL  The guys working must have thought I was some crazy lady cooking chili's and onions at 8:30 in the morning.

But the smells, yummy!! And dinner is done for the day with another batch frozen for next week.

Next on the schedule, the 2 bushels of apples we got at the farm.



 ''I took the easy way out though....Just made simple apple pie filling. Apples, cinnamin, lemon juice, and flour....

Now that my friends has to be the best smell of the day!! There is nothing like cinnamin apples.

And we have enough for the winter with more yet to make....I ran out of lemons and the rest will have to wait until the weekend.

Ok, next up, chocolate chip cookies, by request of my sweeties Rachel and Gracie.

 

I had help with this one. Ran out of eggs to, so only one batch instead of the intended three so we could have some to freeze.

Maybe  I am nesting??

And after all that cooking

I start to see the tell tale signs of my kiddo's slowly getting sleepy.

 Which is ok. They helped a lot and deserve a nap. And me? Well, I will clean up the kitchen and roll myself out to the couch for a much needed nap also!! After all someone had to taste everythign to make sure it was ok, right?!?!

Stay tuned tomorrow for day one of home school....and if you would say a prayer. I am nervous!!

This and that~

Moving is hard stuff. Take it from me, we have moved more than 10 times in the past 17 years and you would  think coming home would  make it easier.....

In some ways it has, others not so much~

We still have to find new schools, new friends, new church...you get the idea. As our family has grown and our kids have gotten older it's not just us that our moving affects.

This time around, it has been extra difficult. The school thing just isn't working out...We are about to venture into the home schooling realm. Wish me luck, this is something I have never done. I am nervous, the kids are excited. (which helps)  I also think it will help Hope's issue's and also allow Caleb to do the advanced classes he wants. And when Josh comes home, I will be able to take my time and take things slow and not have to rush the English just to get him in school. Not to mention the whole attachment thing, especially with him being older.

But, that isn't what this post was suppossed to be about....It's was going to be about our day and the fun we had, just the girls~

Lunch out, a rare treat these days~

My monkey girl climbing on everything~

At the orchard...doesn't even compare to the ones we were used to in MI or even VA. We'll have to try another one next week or make the trip to MI.

                                                         The three little's.

And my big helper!! Hope your Sunday was just as nice.

5 years ago~

in a stuffy Xian civil affairs room, Kerry, Hannah and I waited impatiently for Hope to arrive~

It was surreal and awesome and I am so blessed to have her as a daughter.

   Hope's referral picture. It was love at first site...her paper work was a little sparse and we were not sure about her special need but we took a leap of faith because we knew that she was our daughter.

  It was a long process, the home study we thought was being finished up was literally being eaten by the dog...no joke, that is what our social worker said when I called and asked her. I guess we will have a great story to share with Hope later, right??

Gotcha day, so scared and tiny. She wanted nothing to do with us at all.

But she was a strong child and made it through OK, with a little help from Hannah.

 and then she became my "Velcro" baby. For those of you in adoption world you know what that means. I was now her security blanket....and loving every minute.

Once we hit Guangzhou she felt a little better about us and this whole"family" thing and showed us her first smile. Hannah and Hope share a beautiful bond.

 We had Hope's 2nd birthday party soon after she came home~

 Followed by Music Together classes. She loved these and her teacher very much!!

And we brought Gracie home, followed by Rachel and now Joshua will soon follow~

And she has been wonderful, a true blessing to Kerry and I. Hannah and Hope still share a bond that is incredible, something I wish my sister's and I shared.

And Hope and Gracie, they are inseparable. Kind of like twins reunited or something.....They are always coming up with schemes...and I wouldn't have it any other way~

Happy forever family day Hopey!! We love you and can't imagine our lives without you!!

one word...YUM!!

OK, so i am probably buying more than I am selling.....(Always a bad thing)

But I have to say my new favorite thing is the Deep dish covered baker by Pampered Chef!!

If you are like me, you dread having to run around during the day and then come home and realize you forgot to take something out for dinner...Yikes, especially when you have a large crew like mine that is starving.

So I whipped out my box with the baker in it..(yeah, another story there, I hadn't even opened the box yet)

Looked through my recipes for the easiest yet satisfying thing and came up with Mexican lasagna.

Y'all I didn't even have to brown the meat on the stove!! It was all made in the microwave in one baker!!

And then because I was so excited that it only took 20 minutes I looked through the recipe book again and found the rocky road brownie dessert....

umm, can you so super yum!?!?!?!

and again only one baker, no bowl, no mess. and only 10 minutes....

I have to say this was the easiest dessert ever, I cheated a bit and used a mix but it still took only 10 minutes and well, it's gone...as in no left overs....and we loved every bite!!