Best Girl Weekend Recap

Ella and I had a great weekend together!

She was a great traveling companion...sharing her snacks and listening to Adventures in Odyssey with me =)

Too bad she couldn't see to warn me to slow down before the cop pulled me over for speeding.

Yep.

I broke a twelve year streak and got a speeding ticket. How embarrassing.

Ella asked if we were going to jail. She seemed kind of disappointed when I told her no.

Oh well.

One ticket every 12 years isn't too bad, right?!

Other than the speeding ticket the weekend was incredibly fun!

A highlight for me was going out for Sunday brunch with my Mom and three biological sisters:

Just us sisters:

(l to r)Laura Jeane, Me, Molly, Mary Kate

The whole gang:

It was a very special weekend celebrating Mary Kate and Keith's upcoming wedding.

Their wedding shower was great and they received a lot of nice things that will help them as they move into their new home.

I don't have any pictures of the actual shower because I was doing the games...oops.

I'll do a better job of documenting their actual wedding, I promise!

Ella and I made it home this afternoon...sans speeding ticket thankfully...and I am happy to be back with my best girl and best boys!

Best Girl/Best Boy

I have a girls weekend out planned...with my best girl Ella.

We head up to my family for my sisters wedding shower this morning, just her and I.

This also means that Jeremiah has a boys weekend with his best boy Ezra.

I don't even want to think about what will go on in my absence...but I have no doubt that Ezra (and Jeremiah) will love it!

Coupon Extravaganza Totals

I headed out this morning with a 4 store plan:

Kroger

CVS

Harris Teeter

Whole Foods

Here's what I came home with:

Total before coupons: $229

Total after coupons: $69

Savings: $160

I took advantage of Kroger's "Mega Deal" sale. Harris Teeter is doing super double coupons, doubling coupons up to $1.98 in value. CVS had a great deal on Ezra's Aveeno lotion.

Whole Foods had my favorite deal of the day though: 2 coupons for a bouquet of flowers and rotisserie chicken for FREE, no minimum purchase required, no hidden catch. Just print out the coupons and present to the cashier.

I did have one major snag at Kroger. I had prepared my deals and printed out several internet coupons...only to be told at check out that they were no longer accepting internet coupons. I (politely) asked to speak to the manager who verified this. In the process she also accused me of counterfeiting my coupons and then refused to allow me to use 2 of my regular newspaper coupons because I had (ever so slightly) clipped off the very top of the expiration date. You could still clearly see that the coupons were not expired.

Needless to say I was very offended.

I actually called the corporate office in the parking lot. They put me on hold and called the store manager and informed her that Kroger was still in fact accepting legitimate internet coupons. They then credited me the difference I was owed.

No apology for the accusations was given and they did warn me that they have been having such a problem with bogus internet coupons that they are considering (in the future) not allowing them.

Such a shame that people who are being fraudulent with their coupons ruin it for those of us who are trying our best to honestly save money.

I digress...

Despite the Kroger experience it was still a fun coupon extravaganza!

Thursday Thoughts

We've had a great week. A very kid-centered week of playing at the park, swimming with friends, library trips and such.

I decided today that we needed a stay at home and get things done kind of day.

Not quite as much fun, but necessary.

Here's what we (yes, I do mean we) have been up to today:

Cleaned. Laundry (including sheets and towels). Planned meal lists. Printed, cut, and filed coupons. Prepared for a mega-couponing extravaganza to take place tomorrow. Watered flowers. Weeded flower beds. Renewed health insurance information. Stuff like that.

And. Oh yes. I taught Ella that popcorn sticks to your tongue. Even when you jiggle your tongue around outside of your mouth.

We also managed to fit in some time for painting. Usually Ezra only has an attention span of 1/2 second for art projects. Today though, he actually got into his painting. I think this is the 1st official artwork of his that has made it to the fridge.

Some pictures of my budding Rothko's:

If you don't know who Rothko is I recommend looking him up. One of my favorite artists. Besides this one.

Adoptionwise, things are moving along in the information gathering process. Because I tend to be a perfectionist and want to know everything there is to know about something all of my naptimes and bedtimes this week have been spent in this acquiring of information. Of course it doesn't hurt to have an expert in the family. Keep praying for continued direction.

About that couponing extravaganza. I am planning a 4 store (possibly 5) trip tomorrow. I'll try to post pictures for you tomorrow.

And finally. We had friends, Justin and Carter, over from church tonight. Justin is the new student pastor at Grey Stone. We had a great time with them and look forward to working together with them in ministry at Grey Stone!

Tomorrow is Jeremiah's day off.

Hallelujah.

Happy Thursday!

Quote(s) of the Day

Me: Ezra don't eat the frog!

and then later...

Me: We don't use our toothbrushes to brush our hair!

Oh, the phrases that come out of my mouth as a mom that I never dreamed I'd say. Sometimes I just laugh at the crazy things I am actually saying!

What crazy quotes have come out of your mouth recently?

Butterfly Charmers

Cute Enough to Eat:The End of the Day

Cute Enough to Eat: The Out Takes

Cute Enough to Eat

I'm loving it

It seems like McDonald's happy meal toys have been on a downhill spiral for quite a while now.

Either a ridiculous "kidz jam" cd or annoying talking animals that seem to be set off to talk at random times...just to name a few of the last few toy flops.

This weekend, however, I was pleasantly surprised by their current toys.

For Ezra: A lego car you put together and complete with stickers.

Blocks + cars + stickers = A very happy Ezra

For Ella: A american girls book with paper dolls and stickers.

Books + dolls + stickers = A very happy Ella

Please notice the difference in my two children in the below picture: Ella is sitting quietly in the chair putting her dolls to bed and waking them up...while Ezra is standing on the chair and crashing his car off the table repeatedly while making loud crashing noises =)

Of course, my favorite is Chick-fil-a, where you can trade in your toy for a child sized ice cream cone.

Who wouldn't choose ice cream over a toy that is going to end up in the trash in a day or two?!

The Facts of Haiti

Haiti is the poorest country in the western hemisphere.

80% of its population live under the poverty line.

Over 54% of its people live in abject poverty.

It has been classified as a 5th world country: Not only experiencing negative growth, but showing negative potential for growth.

In other words it is seen as having no hope.

But. (a very big but)

We know better. There is always hope.

Hope found in a big God. The love of a big God.

The love that compels missionaries like Sherry Faussie and Dorothy Pearce to spend their entire lives sharing that love with the Haitian people.

Love that should compel us to always keep the "least of these" in the forefront of our hearts.

In the welcoming page of Sherry Faussies website she shares her mission statement. You'll want to check it out. Here are the highlights of what her ministry is doing:

Everything we do points people towards accepting Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Love is not just telling, love is doing.

1. The children are hungry, so we feed them.

2. The children are sick, we give medicines.

3. The children are uneducated, so we provide education.

4. The children need churches, so we train pastors.

5. Children need good parents, so we teach parenting classes.

6. The young adults need job training, so we want to provide vocational classes.

7. The adults are illiterate, so we teach them how to read.

Dorothy Pearce runs an infant rescue and orphanage. She is taking in the children that the hospitals and other orphanages turn down. Children that suffer from incurable diseases.

I think what she is doing is best communicated by sharing the story of one of her children.

Let me introduce you to Johnny.

He has Aids and TB. He came to the Faith Hope Love Infant Rescue program in May of 2008. He showed immediate improvement at first just from receiving love and 3 meals a day.

Today though, his immune system is crashing. He cannot start his Aids medicines until he finishes his TB treatment.

He was the only Haitian child we met that did not smile. Ever.

We tried.

Despite his lack of smile, Johnny is being cared for, taken to the doctors, and loved.

Dorothy knows that there is no guarantee for Johnny to live.

She has in fact had several of the children in her care die to Aids.

But they died being held and loved and cried for.

You can read more of her story (and the other children in her care) here.

Two very different stories of ministry. One facilitates hundreds of children. The other just a dozen or so. Both being so vitally used for the glory of God.

I am convinced that nothing is gained when money is just thrown into Haiti or other poverty stricken countries. Real change. Life change. Change big enough for a whole country comes only with the heart change that Christ brings.

That need for a heart change is best communicated by telling of Gods love and doing Gods love.

Matthew 25:40

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Now, my question to you...

What are you doing?

Memory Monday

James 4:17

Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn't do it, sins.

Family Portrait

My Family

by: Ella Hambrick

August 2009

A Cosmic Experience

Not long after we moved to Durham we started to hear about this restaurant: Cosmic Cantina.

Everyone who told us about it always said the same thing: "It's not much to look at but the food is great" or "It's a hole in the wall but the food is awesome"

Jeremiah was the first to go and he gave the same review.

Last night on our date, I finally got the cosmic experience myself.

I have to agree with everyone. It really is literally a hole in the wall.

And there really is a hole in the wall in this hole in the wall.

But. Man. The burritos (and salsa and guacamole) are incredible!

The hole in the wall and the rickety stairs you climb to get there...

Two satisfied customers!

Thursday Thoughts

After getting over my "mumbliness" from Monday I can say I have embraced our return to normalcy.

Things like grocery shopping, swimming, laundry, play dates with friends, cooking dinner, library story hour, roomtimes, gardening and exercising have felt fresh and exciting all over again.

Don't you wish you could somehow hold onto that appreciation after returning from a trip?!

Ella has been a delight this week. Very sweet and affectionate.

She surprised me (and herself!) by accidentally getting in the pool without her floaties and taking off swimming. She made it way into the pool before realizing what she had done, and managed to turn around and swim all the way back to the steps. She freaked out for a minute but then wanted to do it again and again.

We finished up with her ABC school this week too. We officially made it all the way to Z! She knows the sounds of all of the letters very well. Next we are working on the long and short sounds of the vowels. She can read simple words like cat, hat, bat, mat. It is so exciting to see things "click" in her little mind.

Ezra has been, um, not so delightful this week. I hesitate to say terrible two's...because I hate that phrase and what it implies. But, we definitely have been dealing with more temper tantrums with him than we ever have before. I am being patient and chalking a lot of it up to us being gone and out of routine for weeks. However, if this continues into next week...it will be behavioral bootcamp for him =)

Jeremiah is excited to start the new fall schedule at Grey Stone. Our Duke students returned to campus this week and he has a lot of cool things planned for this semester with them...free lunches, football games, and Ikea trip, and a new apologetics Bible study.

I am also excited to see the hectic summer schedule winding down. I am excited (short term) for my date with Jeremiah tonight. We have had a lot of time together lately...but not quality time. We didn't even sleep in the same room in Haiti =)

I am excited (longer term) as my sister Mary Kate is getting married in a few weeks and I am looking forward to having the time to focus on some of the wedding plans. I am so excited for her and Keith and Ava to start their own little family!

I am also excited that we are "officially" in the information gathering stage of the international adoption process. This probably comes as no big surprise to most of you that know us well...as we have wanted to adopt since before we even had Ella and Ezra. We plan to start the actual process within a month or two. Please pray for sensitivity to the Lord's direction as the options are quite overwhelming. We will keep you all updated.

I am working on a summary post of my thoughts on the Haiti trip...still processing through a lot of what we saw and experienced.

This was quite the mish-mash post of updates and thoughts...but that is kind of how my mind works these days =)

Happy Thursday!

Photojournal: The Faces of Haiti

Photojournal: The Sights of Haiti