Tradition

About nine years ago my good friend, Ginger, got me started on making sugar cookies in the fall. She and I have a similar love for autumn and everything that is associated with it. She showed me how easy it is to purchase refrigerated Pillsbury sugar cookie dough, roll it out with some flour and use cookie cutters. Bake, frost, ENJOY! We have done this several times with each other's family over the years, even after we both moved away from each other. Ever since then I have been making the super easy and totally fun cookies for fall, Christmas, Valentine's and Easter. I got Panda-Girl started making her very own RIGHT after we got her. She would have been 17 mos old, I guess. I have pictures of her sitting on the kitchen counter, making Easter bunnies and she has flour on her nose. So cute! This is a tradition that will go on for a long time around our house. FUN!

Happy 4th Birthday!!!

Panda-Girl turns 4 today!! Unbelievable! Since we missed the first 15 months of her life it still comes as a shock that we really have a four year old! Her favorite place to eat is Taco Bueno and to have a Party Burrito. We did just that for her and stuck a pink candle in it for fun. There is a silver horse candle holder that represents her being born in the year of the Horse in the Chinese Zodiac. Now I know that astrology is a joke and not something we follow in the least, but it seems appropriate to most of the adoptive Chinese families that I know of to include this "year of the animal" ritual into the culture of our children. The irony is that her favorite animal is a......yes, a horse. Hmmmm.....maybe there IS something to those animals after all. HA!

A Real Man...

...can polish his daughter's toenails and not have his masculinity put in jeopardy! I absolutely LOVE this photo of Panda-Pop cleaning the polish off of Panda-Girl's toes and then polishing them with a fresh new coat. My own nails (ya know, the fake ones!) were freshly done so I couldn't do hers without messing up my own. My adorable hubby is so sweet to do whatever it takes to please his girls. I love him so! With another girl on the way he is sure to have many years ahead of polishing toenails, brushing hair, playing prince and princess, living through moodiness and delighting in the wonders of having three females in his home. I LOVE MY MAN!!!

Panda-Princess Party!!!

I had such a BLAST planning for and decorating for Panda-Girl's....I mean Panda-Princess' 4th birthday party for her Chinese playgroup friends! I LOVE doing this kind of matchy-match thing. It is definitely my cup 'o tea. We had beautiful pink, purple and silver balloons that went along with all the fun Disney princess garb! So cute to see all the girls in each of her own princess get-ups. Darling! Of course, the mommy cameras were clicking away and when that happens these "sweet" princesses decide it is then time to not cooperate. How dare these little toots not pose exactly when we need it! HA! I made the girls bow-tie mac & cheese along with little smokies. These are two of PG's favorites. Blue Bell little ice cream cups went along with our homemade cake which had a pink crown on top. I refused to pay $20 bucks for a sheet cake. Ours was made with love and was quite tasty, too. I love having a daughter and that she is a girly-girl. One of the best parts was seeing Panda-Pop in a crown, helping the girls when they needed him and doing lots of kitchen duty while I was tending the the Princess. She dubbed me the Queen Mother and Daddy was the Beast. She was Belle and said that Daddy had to be the Beast to be from the same movie as her. Sweet!Now I am off to play with all of the many fun princess toys that she got.

The question came.....

This is the Chinese character for love.

I didn't think it would come so soon. Panda-Girl is turning four this week, but that's not the "soon" I am talking about. How can she ask this so soon? I was taken aback at the timing of it. We were reading the I Love You Like Crazy Cakes book like we have done countless times before and today she stopped me and wanted me to read a certain page again. The page that says the baby has a Chinese mother. My heart sank and I read it again. And then she asked. "Why does that baby have a Chinese mother?" She knows this story represents her story as well. I knew this question was coming. I thought maybe in a few years. Not now. Not at four. I am not scared of the question, nor the answer, but I am just tender to the whole situation. It brings up raw emotion that is completely unexplainable unless someone has an adopted child. I told her that there is a law that said the Chinese mommy can only have one baby and maybe she had two and had to find a new mommy for the other baby. That was basic information. I didn't want to give her info overload. She was fine and said that the nannies said, "Only one baby for you. Not two babies. Only one." and she was done with it. We finished the book, I kissed her face and covered her up for her nap. I went into the living room and cried onto my precious man's shoulder. I am not sad. The tears come from the place in me that knows no matter how well we raise her, pray for her, or tell her she is wanted and loved that she at some point will have to deal with her own emotions and that empty hole of unanswered questions. Only God can fill that kind of hole. It is God-shaped. The tears are streaming now as I type. I am not making more of this than I should. This is our reality and I knew it would come. I wouldn't have it any other way. I was born to be Panda-Girl's mommy. Period.

We're hooked!

Panda-Pop heard some people talking about this series on the Sci-Fi channel and found it at the library to check it out. A few months ago we watched a couple of seasons of "24" and were really intrigued by it all and love it......now we are hooked on "The 4400". It is soooooooooooo creative! We can't stop with just one. Last night we stayed up until 1:00AM just to get "one more" episode only to be left with yet another cliff-hanger!!!!! Anyone who knows me, KNOWS that I DO NOT like to stay up late!!! Very interesting plot and great casting. Well, I am off to the living room for more "4400"......

Two Yellow Leaves

This morning looking out my kitchen window (drinking my GRASS..m-m-mmmmm) I caught a glimpse of two yellowish leaves falling from the huge tree in my back yard. Now to those of you who are blessed to live in a place that actually gets to SEE the autumn leaves turn vivid colors, enjoy it. We here in Texas don't really have that privilege. Some parts of Texas do have trees that change colors, but for the most part we typically go from blazin' hot summer to a few cool days and the brown dead leaves fall off the tree. No gorgeous pile of colorful leaves to "fall" into. Only brown crispy crackly leaves that hurt. We had some rain at the end of summer so NOW they had enough nourishment to turn bright green. I am a born and raised true blue country girl Texan, but I long to see the places, first hand, with my own eyes, where the magnificence of the Creator of these leaves shows off His glory. I love autumn so much and the temp today is heavenly. I have the windows open with a cool breeze flowing through the house. I have already decorated with pumpkins and fall decor. I'm cooking pancakes and bacon for dinner tonight and I am happy to breathe. Ahhh...

Creative Spirit

Our little Panda-Girl is a very creative spirit. She is constantly coming up with new ways to use her scissors, markers, crayons, pencils, gluestick and paper. She made me a "ring" out of paper and glue that I am to wear until we get Panda-Baby. So sweet! I told her that it might get wet and ruin, so I would put it in a safe place. She loves to create new works of art. Loves to paint, build, hammer, stack and as you can see here she has discoverd her hidden talent to chalk. I enjoy seeing her personality come through her "art".

Visits from Baytown

We lived in Baytown, TX for two years and made some great friends that we will forever be thankful for. One family that we became very close to came for a visit over this past weekend. We had a great time catching up on pictures and all the scoop. We haven't seen each other in person for almost two years so this was a fun treat!

I am humbled....

Wow. I am very humbled, but totally excited at the same time! My sweet friend at Glorious Grace is now a young woman working on her Master's Degree. The first time I met this little chickadee was in the fellowship hall of a church that we were attending and were later called to as the Youth Minister. She was singing at the TOP of her lungs, "Children of God we are marching to Zion!!!" The funny thing is that though she was being a total goofball she had an AMAZING voice! She was in 8th grade at the time. So much has happened since then. I knew that I liked her immediately and wanted to get to know her. Since she would give me Mother's Day cards and write beautiful poetry just for me I knew that I had some sort of influence on her. Later when she went to college I had to purposefully not treat her like a teenager anymore. She was growing into a far more spiritually minded woman than I was. Then when she moved so far away to work on her Master's at a seminary I began to think of her as a friend and not just "child" to me. We are twelve years apart, but we all know that age means nothing once we grow up. God places people in our path that are woven tightly into the tapestry of our lives. Jennifer is a thread that will forever be "entangled" ; ) with our family. We love her so much. The Lord has done wonders in her life and I can't wait to see what comes next. I love her very much. On the Girl Talk blog that I like so much, she wrote in to them about me and how I have been a mentor to her. Part of this blog's Book Club is to answer periodic questions they post about certain aspects of the books they are reading. Twelve Extraordinary Women is the current book. Much to my surprise Jennifer wrote about me. Go check it out. Not to bring any glory onto myself, but to show you how vitally important it is to live your life openly and honestly. You never know who is learning from you. The picture is of me, Jennifer and my best friend, Regina, (funderstorm on the links). We are at the wedding of Jennifer's best friend in summer 2005 and are very close to the bride as well. I always think that Regina has such eloquence in her words of wisdom. Her choice of words are so precise. She is genuinely a soul searching, gentle spirit. I on the other hand feel like....well, a dumb blonde! HA! A bumbling "geek" (mine and Jennifer's nickname for each other). Sure, I am growing in my faith, but never feel worthy of telling Jennifer anything of value. Goes to show what I know. I guess the Lord had other plans. He can use anyone to impact the lives of His children. Thank you, Lord. You are merciful.

Cozy up with a good book...

From one of the blogs that I visit often I found a fun challenge to keep my mind renewed. A fall reading challenge. Just set a realistic goal for yourself of some books that you have been wanting to read and go for it! If you want to be on the official "roll" then click on my link to CALLAPIDDERDAYS. Katrina will give you instructions on how to jump on board. Here are the ones that I intend on reading:
Twelve Extraordinary Women by John MacArthur (already started)
A Woman After God's Own Heart by Elizabeth George
Let Me Be a Woman by Elisabeth Elliot
The Ultimate Weight Solution by Dr. Phil McGraw (already started)
The Wishing Jar by Penelope J. Stokes
Mountains of Spices by Hannah Hurnard (follow up to Hind's Feet on High Places....my ALL-time fav!!)
Captivating by John and Stasi Eldredge
The Five Love Languages of Children by Gary Chapman and Ross Campbell

I like to read when the book totally captures my attention. If I am slightly bored then I start to nod off and can't really "get into it". There are sooooo many out there to read, but not enough time to read the ones I want. Between being a minister's wife, stay-at-home-mom, children's discipleship teacher, Bible student on my own, scrapbooker and now blogger I have to MAKE time to read. Always learning, always growing.

Panda-Pop is a true voracious reader. He can literally devour a HUGE book in hours or a couple of days. He reads anything he can and is very well versed. He doesn't just stick to what he can buy at the Christian bookstore, which is what I tend to do because I don't read fast at all and can't even get through the books at those stores, much less any "classics". He reads all kinds of genre and loves it all. Even if he doesn't agree with the author he gets the knowledge and can refute any discussions if need be. I love it when someone is really ripping apart a book about how terrible it is and PP asks if they have actually read the book they are bashing. When they say, "NO." then he can usually say, "Well I have and here is really what is said...." I wish that I had his speed and comprehension. He has almost a photographic memory and can recall details of books he read years ago. Love it!!

Panda-Girl and I read everyday and love to go the library once a week. Being a former teacher I have lots of classic picture books that I love as much as any child! Instead of posting what we WILL read I am going to post some of our favorites....

Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
The Aunts Go Marching by Maurie J. Manning
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
The Parable of the King by Beth Moore
The Princess and the Kiss by Jennie Bishop
All of the "Franklin" books by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark
All of the "If You Give A..." books by Laura Joffe Numeroff
Because I Love You by Max Lucado
Shaoey and Dot by Mary Beth & Steven Curtis Chapman
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister
I Love You Like Crazy Cakes by Rose Lewis
Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White
Most anything from Eve Bunting (just discovered her this week!)
It would be really easy to keep on listing books, but why? Everyone has their own list and I am chompin' at the bit to go see other people's lists!

Moooooooo.....

When I posted my popcorn trophy I thought I might get comments about how fun it was for anyone else to make popcorn on the stove. Instead, I got three (thank you all very much!) posts about how wonderful, less $$$ -and organic- Braum's milk is. I will buy some this week and see for myself! I have known people who went there just for milk and I thought they were silly when they could just get it at the grocery store with everything else. My mistake, obviously. Maybe when I pick up the milk I can swing one of those "organic" wink...wink... chocolate malts, too! ; )

I am so proud of myself!

As crazy as it sounds I have NEVER made popcorn on the stovetop before! My mom and dad did it when I was growing up, because microwave popcorn wasn't popular yet. I guess maybe when I was in Jr. High or High School I remember mom starting to buy micro. So, there was never a reason for me to make it this "old fashioned" way. Since our little jaunt to the Whole Foods Market and the whole organic living thing we have been to many fast food restaurants and kinda forgotten about all the junk we are eating, falling almost back into the old routine. I found out that purchasing organic food is much more expensive than the chemical-laden, hormone-ingested other stuff. Some things I will coninue buying organic, but the milk is TWICE as much $$$ and tastes kinda funny. I have stuck with drinking my grass everyday, though....yum. Anyhoo~back to the popcorn. While at the health food store we bought organic popcorn and coconut oil. Made the best popcorn and is a very healthy snack! While this might seem boring and mundane to most, remember that I enjoy the small details in life and have fun doing it. Eat'em up!

Tell me the story...

Lately Panda-Girl wants to hear over and over again the story of how we got her. I go through a shortened version of how Mommy and Daddy really wanted a baby girl and God told us to go to China to get one perfect for us. We did paperwork, packed our suitcases, got on a plane and flew to China to get her. When it was time to get the baby the nannies came in the room and we saw her. Our perfect baby girl! I was supposed to wait for my name to be called, but when I saw her I couldn't help myself and just kept creeping my way up to her staring straight into her eyes. She was calm and curious. Then I took her from the nanny's handoff and she starting SCREAMING! (She loves to imitate this screaming part during the reenactment.) Then I tell her about how the first time she smiled was a couple of hours later when Daddy and I kissed while holding her and then onto how we took her to the hotel. When Daddy took off her diaper she SCREAMED again and yes, PG likes to reenact this as well. She just loves hearing this story again and again. Last night when I went to check on her for a last time before heading to bed myself she had gotten out of bed for something and I saw that she was sleeping with a small board book copy of I Love You Like Crazy Cakes. This book is virtually the same story because it is about a family going to China for a baby girl. My heart melted.

Big Girl Bed!

Panda-Girl has been so excited waiting patiently for her big girl bed. Her long legs were hanging out of her toddler bed, so we thought it was time to get this kid into something more her size. Now Panda-Pop and I are jealous because our own mattress is soooo awful and we want hers! (I know that some people don't even HAVE a bed, so we are truly grateful for the one that makes our backs hurt in the morning.) Someday we we'll have our own new mattress and will throw a party in it's honor!!!

Miao immediately decided that he had a new resting place as well. How nice of us to get such a nice set up for him. So cozy.
He has found that he likes to play Hungry, Hungry Hippos by batting around the white marbles in the middle of all four hippos. I walked passed PG's room yesterday and heard this funny little tink, tonk sound.....yes, Miao was UNDER the bed playing Hippos all by his lonesome and having the time of his life!

Now both Panda-Girl and Panda-Kitty have adjusted to this new world of Big Bed Sleeping. So sweet! ZZZZZ

WILDCAT FEVER!!!

We've got it and we've got it bad! Wildcat Fever! At the beginning of summer several of our pre-teens at church (and their moms!) were ALL about High School Musical. We don't have the Disney channel so I had no idea what the hype was all about. Now I do. About a month ago Panda-Pop and I bought the movie because it was wholesome and clean and all the kids loved it. Mind you we bought it without seeing it. We both fell in love with the cheesy, over-the-top, hokey, BradyBunchesque show!!! The music is so much fun and I keep the soundtrack in Lego (our Exterra, named Lego for Legolas from Lord of the Rings...most of our friends know our vehicle by name.....I know it's goofy, but so are we and we love us!). Panda-Girl's favorite song is the one where Troy and Gabrielle sing sweetly the song that Ryan and Sharpay butcher with their outlandish personalities. I love them ALL! PP just saw on the news this morning that the sales have gone WAAAAAAYYYY over the top here in the states and it just hit England today. So funny that we get all hyped up over something so simple. Maybe Disney and Hollywood could take the hint and make MORE of these fun entertaining movies that don't promote sexuality at age five! I for one am going to enjoy all the fun this silly movie has to offer. Go wildcats!

girltalk.blogs.com

My friend at Glorious Grace told me about a site for Christian moms who are into nurturing their families in a godly manner. I have fallen in love with this blog! It is made up of three married sisters and their mom who has been a pastor's wife for over 30 years. Each daughter is married to a minister of some sort. Being a minister's wife myself and all the things that go along with this particular lifestyle I am excited to link to their blog. It is for all women, though, to understand Biblical womanhood and femininity....something our society has distorted and turned into a Diva's Demise. Just today at Target in the $1 section were the Disney princesses garb and there was one package FROM Disney where SnowWhite, Cinderella and Ariel were made to look very seductive and they had names over them like "Diva", "Prince Charmer" and something else very UNlady-like or pure. I hope you enjoy getting on the Girl Talk blog. I am looking forward to searching through it myself! Have a blessed day!

Where's Miao?

Miao has been such a blessing and the perfect kitty-match for our family. He and Panda-Girl really love each other and follow the other one around the house. He is constantly in her room "playing" with her toys and getting caught up in the tulle of her princess dress. I love seeing them play together! PG has a little puffy recliner-like rocking chair right beside her bed and every single night Miao somehow knows it's bedtime for PG and will hop up in the chair, do a couple of circles and then sit oh so cozy while we pray with PG. So precious. He is growing very fast and we are lovin' him! Though Miao has free range of the house I found that the best way to get him in his bed is to put cat nip all over it. Those of you who don't know much about cats, that's like rubbing marijuana all over a human's bed, but safe. ; )

In God I Trust

Where were you when they hit? The planes. Into the Towers. Devastating. Surreal. Was this happening in the good ole USA? Couldn't be. Did we just move to Baytown, TX the night before at 10:00PM? Is all of Exxon located here? Practically across the street from our new apartment? Are they coming here next for the refineries? Are there fighter planes protecting us in the Gulf? We are so vulnerable here! What are we doing here, honey? I want to go back home! Why is the world in chaos and turmoil and we just left everything we knew last night?!!!! Where is our security blanket? I don't feel like unpacking. I can't stop watching the news on TV. What do we do now? What? You have to go the new church and start counseling? Well, your not leaving me here alone, I am coming with you!



I had to trust in the faithful God who has always been and always will be in control of everything. None of the chaos made sense, but it didn't change the fact that God knew that day was coming. We don't have answers and maybe never will. His ways are higher than our ways. We can't understand his Sovereignty or why terrible things happen. We can know that He is trustworthy and righteous. We are wishy-washy and unrighteous. Thank God that I live in America. It is the best country in the world. Thank God that by His grace things weren't worse that day. Thank God that His Word is TRUE and I can TRUST Him no matter what the circumstances.

The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat

Panda-Girl has been growing so fast! She got new shoes on Saturday and was feeling, oh so, HAPPY over her victorious growth spurt and all the fun things coming up, i.e., her birthday and buying new clothes and just fun stuff going on in our life. I am amazed that I had to buy her a size 10 1/2!!! Right after I took the pic of her in her new shoes and enjoying some chocloate chip cookies that we made together, we were wrapping a present for a friend's b-day party that evening. Both of us were feeling great and upbeat until.....

...I looked down on her art table to borrow her Fiskars scissors which are always there, because Panda-Girl is so good to only cut paper with them. She has been given boundaries of what to cut and has been using these for at least 9 mos and we have had no problems. Anyway~I looked down to see a gob of beautiful brown HAIR on the table!!! I know it could have been much worse, seeing as how I didn't even notice any hair missing when I had JUST brushed her hair, but that's beside the point. Needless to say~the happy-go-lucky feeling was OVER!!! As soon as I freaked out she FROZE in place! Little Miss Panda-Girl found it difficult to sit for awhile! I told her that she lost her scissor privileges and needed to clean up her hair. Then I stopped her and said that I would do it! I wanted to SAVE THE HAIR as evidence in her scrapbook! Oh, the sickness that scrapbooking has caused in me. Anything is worthy of scrapping and now...blogging!

Holding out HOPE

We are so excited and are looking forward to the next year and a half journey to our next daughter. We are going back to China to adopt baby #2. Almost two years ago Panda-Pop and I agreed that we both felt led to go back to China for a sister for Panda-Girl. We knew the timing was not right for then, but the time would come when God would give the green go-ahead. We started our paperwork last month, in August, and hope to travel to get her in 17-20mos from now. The paperwork and wait is horrible, but that's just the way it is and we have to deal with it. Every penny is going to have to come from the creative hand of God. He provided last time and we know He will do it again. From our journey to Panda-Girl and all the bumps in the road we have full confidence in God that His timing is absolutely perfect, no matter what WE might think the timetable should be. The Lord gave us a name at the time we decided to adopt again. We are naming our second daughter Angela Hope with part of her Chinese name as well. We will call her Hope. Angela is Panda-Pop's sister's name. Panda-Girl has no concept of the time-frame to her sister, but that doesn't stop her from praying for Hope (from here on out to be known as Panda-Baby!). She is planning all the many things that she will be able to teach her and do with her baby sister. So cute and sweet to listen to her precious prayers. Granted, when reality hits and the REAL sister rocks her world we'll see just how much "love" is around. HA! But, for now all three of us are gearing up for a long journey to our darling Hope. My sweet friend over at HunanSpice (who is in the same boat as us and going back for #2 along with us-different agency) gave me this Demdaco figurine the says, "Hope lifts us up." for my birthday. I love it so much. Most of you know Panda-Girl's real name and to have my daughters both with names that carry such eternal meanings is a bit overwhelming to me seeing as how there was a time when I thought I'd never have any children. Thank you, sweet Lord for your blessings. We are holding out Hope.

I need a pumpkin and I need it now!

The weather the past couple of days has been a teaser for fall!!! The temps are cooler (at least not 95 or 105!) and a slight breeze with teeny-weeny glimpses of autumn knocking at our door. Oh~I just can't wait for more real fall things! My buddy over at Glorious Grace has a neat post and some REAL fall pics. Where I live the leaves barely turn brown and then just fall off. Very few of the gorgeous red, orange and yellow leaf trees 'round these here parts. I have to live vicariously through other people and pictures. Do I smell apple cider in the air?

Ticked off!

Good....morning...grrrr! What? Why am I so mad? Just woke up that way! I think I had stressful dreams last night and then woke up feeling ticked off. (That is VERY unusual for me. I am a morning person.) Then as I am in the bathroom Panda-Girl has "to go", too so I hurry and she does her thing. In her sweet way she has one of her tutus to wear so I help her get it on. Two seconds later she says, "I need to tee-tee again!".....WHAT????? You just went!!!! Daddy's already in the shower. (Actually he was already having his time "to go". So we swiftly removed Panda-Pop from the throne so the princess could do MORE business.) So she sits. And sits. And laughs. That was the wrong moment for that. Then she says she has to go....you know #2. I calm down a bit because she can't control that even though it did irritate me that she had to do this RIGHT then. Then she waits a bit and she laughs again and says, "Nothing!" ~my blood is kinda starting to boil~THEN......we walk to her room to reassemble the tutu and she says, "Mom, my panties are wet!" WHAT??????? YOU JUST WENT!!!!! So here I am getting mad at a three year old for something that really is not something to be mad over!!!!! I flop around my arms and grumble outlout and look ridiculous for a few seconds. I gained control and I told her why I was frustrated. That she needed to TELL me when she needed to go. Well, after I showed her that I was OK and she was OK and that we were OK I realized that she actually DID TELL me, but because I was already in a ticked off mood for the first two minutes of waking up she got the brunt of it. Uh-Oh. That's not nice. I'm not ticked off anymore. Hearing her sing right behind me now some rendition of some song that she is making up about anything is just toooooo precious. I'm OK. She's OK. We're OK. This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be GLAD in it.

Goin' Green!

OK~so here it is....the Grass Drink. ( I have a friend who has used this stuff for AT LEAST 15 years and is very healthy). Panda-Pop was the first one to try it out. The directions said to start out with a smaller amount and build up to the full amount. So like the container said, PP put 2oz of H2O in the shaker cup and 1/2 tsp of the very green powder and.....wall-ah! The drink of Champions or at least of rabbits & cows. Seriously, the nutrient rich grasses are supplements that are supposed to be richer in nutrients than broccoli, spinach, eggs and chicken. They are great for protein, powerful antioxidants and are extremely enzyme rich. The only problem I see is that one month's supply costs a much as getting Direct TV which now has the Gospel Channel with all kinds of Christian music videos and shows 24-7. HMMM....do I want to have great TV or drink grass? What's a family to do?

Going down!

Coming up!............Not really! PP just posed this for effect. The taste is just like grass smells. We put it in OJ and drink it REAL fast. It isn't THAT bad, but it certainly is no caramel frap! Hey, maybe I could blend up some ice, stick a straw in it and pretend. Panda-Girl saw the antics and wanted to try some as well. Being the sharing mother that I am I said, "Sure, Sweetheart. Are you sure you want to try this?" She took one drink and in her sweet fashion looked up at me and said, "No thank, you. My tummy's full." Oh~to be healthy. For some reason PP and I woke up MOO-ING this morning. Hmmm....

Whole Foods Market

Well, here are the pics from our journey to the Whole Foods Market. We had a fun time looking at all the health food and the weird foods! I know it sounds a bit goofy to have "fun" at a health food store, but the Panda's can have fun ANYwhere! Panda-Pop and Panda-Girl are taking a yummy whiff of all the different coffee beans. This girl has loved coffee from the moment we got her.



This has got to be one of the funniest things I have EVER seen! Tofurky? Come on....I can appreciate being healthy and not eating the nitrates and nitrites in real weinies, but THIS?, this is too much! I'm guessing it's tofu-made-to-look-like-turkey-like-weiners. I was laughing outloud in the store!




I had a list and was ready to buy certain things. At the Women of Faith conference I bought a DVD about Optimal Health from the Dr. who wrote The Maker's Diet. He is a Christian and was deadly thin from a sickness and basically healed himself by eating organic healthy foods. We are trying to adjust some of our eating habits. One being to buy organic when we can (it IS more expensive, but worth it in the long run to be healty and not pay for medical bills later) and the other is to REALLY incorporate more fruits and veggies in our diet. Yep, we are gettin' healthy. It's about time. Not to say we won't totally enjoy fast food sometimes, great desserts and just plain fun food, but we have to make a choice to eat to survive and not gorge on totally awful food that is completely devoid of all nutrition or actually BAD for you. We even bought GRASS to drink!!! That's another post- so wait for the pics of Panda-Pop enjoying his green grass drink. Yum!

My 36 Random Thoughts on My 36th Birthday...

There is no rhyme or reason to these random thoughts in my head. They are just a part of me. Today I am a bit closer to the big 40. I can hardly even believe it, but it's true. You can tell by the cute little lines on the outer edges of my blue eyes. I have become aware that the women I know of who are in their 40's and make a conscious effort to better themselves are FAR better off than ANY 20-something I have EVER known. Sure there is something to be happy about when your skin is tight and perky, but there is more to be said about living life. Getting seasoned. Watching God do the unbelievable. Hurting like you never thought you could. Experiencing joy like you never thought you could. Fitting in your skin. Yeah, I see myself getting older....and I like it. I have made some changes in the past year that have changed the course of my life. Today, we are actually going to the Whole Foods Market....and I'm EXCITED! HA! That's like getting more excited over new house appliances than jewelry! Anyways~on with the no particular order, random blah-blahs...

1. I love everything about fall and it is almost here! Out with the spice candles, pumpkins, caramel apples, football and long sleeves!
2. I just started knitting a week ago and can't wait to learn more! There is an actual ministry where the "knitters" pray over who will be getting the shawl that you are working on. May sound old, but it was very fun.
3. One of my biggest pet-peeves? Teeth grinding. Guess who does it in her sleep? Panda-Girl. Great.
4. Sometimes I love to sit and ponder what heaven will be like.
5. I wish Susan Ashton would get her act together and start singing Christian music again. I really miss her.
6. I would LOVE to be a photographer.
7. The purr of a kitty-cat is so sweet and trusting.
8. Selfish, dangerous, oblivious drivers send my heart-rate up, my blood pumping and road rage is not far behind!!!
9. Scrapbooking meets a need in my heart.
10. I love my fake nails!
11. As retarded as this is, on a daily basis I ponder over whether I should grow my hair out or keep it super short. Oh the pressure.
12. I wonder what Panda-Girl's biological mother is doing right now. Did she WANT to give her daughter away or did she HAVE to? Has someone presented Jesus to her? Did she accept? Will I meet her in heaven? My throat is closing as I type this. I wonder...
13. I think Rush Limbaugh and Dr. Phil are AWESOME! They tell it like it is and have it goin' on!
14. I don't understand Christians who will follow just about any yay-hoo that SAYS they are speaking the truth when actually they are TWISTING the truth and the dumb sheep that follow aren't really listening to what is tickling their ears and are sucked into heresy! Yeah, I know some people who are like this. Makes me mad and I can't wrap my brain around it.
15. I love kid stuff like movies, cartoons, snacks, stickers, clothes, books, coloring books, etc.
16. In fact, I LOVE a new coloring book and brand new crayons. Ahhh.
17. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. Rev. 4:8
18. I will never figure out why some moms can buy BRATZ dolls for their precious daughters. WHY? They are hoochie-mama little seductive tramp dolls screaming for attention from a boy. What kind of insanity does it take to let your daughter think that looking sexy as a child is OK? I don't get it.
19. Sometimes I love Panda-Girl so much it hurts.
20. Dr. Pepper...mmmmm
21. How is it that so many women can identify with Lucy?
22. My charm bracelet is priceless to me. The stories for each charm are each it's own scrapbook.
23. There ain't nothin' like a S'MORE at a bonfire on a cold night!
24. I love the country.
25. I can see myself having totally different lives and movies usually take me to those places in my mind just for fun. Like, I could see myself living on a horse ranch (a really nice, big, wealthy one!) and having lots of horses (that OTHER people get up at the crack of dawn and take care of!). I can't wait for the Tim McGraw movie, Flicka, to come out soon!
26. Is there any cuisine better than Tex-Mex? No.
27. I love my close girlfriends.
28. I desperately want to own The Shop Around the Corner in You've Got Mail. The wood, the floors, the squeaky door with the bells, the old candy jars and all those children's books. Gotta love it!
29. I am attempting to start learning Pilates from a book today.
30. My hubby is my best friend and I can't imagine a more perfect match to who I am.
31. There is something about listening to smooth jazz that is so settling to me.
32. What is out beyond our galaxy? I try to imagine what it is like just from looking at pictures from NASA of all the different things in space. God knows each star by name. He knows my name, too. According to Revelation, I will have a new name written on a white rock. Makes me wonder.
33. What is it about Star Trek that intrigues me so?
34. I love that I can get away with wearing baseball caps. I try to get my friends to wear one and they all say, "I don't look good in a cap." Oh, well....I do! You know you love me and know that I am just joking....sort of. ; )
35. I love to laugh so hard that I can't breathe!
Drum roll..........
36. I am blessed. My hubby loves me. My daughter loves me. We are going to China for another daughter. God has His eye on me 24-7. I love doing lists like these. I am random. I am blonde. I am a work in progress. I am a princess of the King of Kings. I am me. I am 36.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PANDA MOM!!!!

Today is my loverdoll's birthday! Happy birthday my beloved!

Panda Mom is a very special lady and I am honored and humbled that the Lord blessed me with the opportunity to spend my life with her. You are a unique individual let us look at what makes you, you - you are a... movie critic, my loverdoll, a sociologist, my best friend, an active observer and participant in life, an owner of an infectious laugh, and um.. did I mention I am madly in love with you!

I remember our wedding day thinking, "How could I love her any more than I do now?" My love barely scratched the surface then and I cannot wait to experience the continuing bloom of love as we move toward our room at the nursing home...I call top bunk!

I honestly cannot put into words how I feel so I will let The Word of God speak for me. "And the Lord God said, It is not good that man should be alone, (thank you God!); I will make a help mate for him."

Panda Mom, I thank God every day that He saw my needs and my incompleteness and chose you to make me whole. You are the most important person in my life and it is my honor to be your husband.

All my love.

P.S. I know I married up big time, sorry God gave you the short end of the stick! (HA HA)

Toshio's

We went to Toshio's Japanese Restaurant for my birthday on Saturday with our good friends who also have an adopted daughter from China. (Check out my link to Hunanspice!) We met almost a year and a half ago and have thoroughly enjoyed having the bond of our daughters, both being in the ministry and being the same age. Lots of FUN! The platter of food was just MY plate. The portions are huge and delicious! The batter looking stuff is called Tempura and it is to die for! It is a bell pepper, sweet potato, onion, zucchini and shrimp in this tempura batter that you dip in an amazing sauce. I will be 36 on Monday and plan to celebrate even more!