1 Chronicles 16:23 - Let All Things Now Living

He's alive. Yes, Larry is alive!

In the very basic nature of this statement, I am truly glad. But, I'm also glad in ways I never knew I'd be glad.

Let's go back a little over a year.

Larry and I were sitting in a car dealership. We waited at the saleswoman's desk as the finance department ran some numbers for us.

We waited and waited. Much longer than we had ever waited before. I began to wonder if there was a problem. We had paid down all of our debt. Perhaps, no debt made our credit score scary to lenders. I knew that could happen. We hadn't moved or changed jobs recently. We waited...I worried. Larry never worries, so he sat reading a gearhead magazine.

The saleswoman, who is a friend of my parents, approached with an odd look upon her face.

"Larry, did you know that you are dead?"

 

Silence.

 

The sound of Larry and I blinking...

 

Larry's big sigh..."Well, that makes this conversation awkward." (This is typical Larry.)

 

 

You see, Larry is the executor of his father's estate. Evidently, when he called to cancel one of his dad's credit cards, the creditor reported Larry Daigle III dead instead of Larry Daigle Jr. We aren't really certain how that happened, since my Larry didn't have an account with them. However, he was dead. Just according to one credit card company and the one credit bureau to which they report.

 

 

It's amazing that with just a few swift errant keystrokes one Sally Sue DataEntry girl could cause a problem. What's more amazing is that they will immediately take your word that someone is dead...but, they cannot under any circumstance take your word that you are alive.

 

 

Fast forward through a year's worth of long, frustrating phone calls to credit bureaus, the credit card company and an attorney. Larry is finally alive.

 

 

It wasn't the end of the world. We drove home in the vehicle Larry had chosen. Our life continued as normal. But, today, Larry is in the system and alive.

 

 

Let All Things Now Living

words by Katherine K Davis

 

Let all things now living

a song of thanksgiving

to God the Creator

triumphantly raise,

Who fashioned and made us,

protected and stayed us,

Who guideth us on

to the end of our days.

His banners are o'er us,

His light goes before us,

A pillar of fire shining forth in the night,

'til shadows have vanished

and darkness is banished,

as forward we travel from light into light.

 

His law He enforces,

the stars in their courses,

the sun in His orbit,

obediently shine.

The hills and the mountains,

the rivers and fountains,

the deeps of the ocean

proclaim Him Divine.

We too, should be voicing

our love and rejoicing,

with glad adoration a song let us raise,

'til all things now living

unite in thanksgiving

to God in the highest, hosanna and praise!

Kings & Queens - Matt. 25:40&45/Matt 18:5

I have been sporadically sharing what I've gleaned by going through the hymns during my quiet time.

Today, we'll take a modern spin on the same idea.

I saw the video (brand-spanking new, by the way) by Audio Adrenaline for Kings & Queens and my heart was devastated by the lyrics. It must have broken 255 times while I watched and listened. That's a heartbreaking rate of 1 break per second.

I've been checking iTunes to see if the single is available yet. Nope. Dern. But, I will let you know when it is available. In the meantime, watch the video, read the lyrics, crack your Bible to Matthew 25, visit the Hands And Feet Project, and love the least of these.

Kings & Queens

Audio Adrenaline for Hands & Feet Project

 

Little hands

Shoeless feet

Lonely eyes looking back at me

Will we leave behind the innocent to grieve?

On their own

On the run

 

When their lives have only begun

 

These could be our daughters and our sons

And just like a drum

I can hear their hearts beating

I know my God won’t let them be defeated

Every child has a dream to belong and to be loved

 

Boys become kings

Girls will be queens

Wrapped in Your majesty

When we love

When we love the least of these

Then they will be

Brave and free

Shout Your name in victory

When we love

When we love the least of these

Break our hearts

 

Once again

Help us to remember when

We were only children hoping for a friend

Won’t you look around

These are the lives that the world has forgotten

Waiting for doors of our hearts and our homes to open

Boys become kings

Girls will be queens

Wrapped in Your majesty

When we love

When we love the least of these

Then they will be

Brave and free

Shout Your name in victory

When we love

When we love the least of these

When we love the least of these

 

If not us

Who will be

Like Jesus

To the least of these

If not us

Tell me who will be like Jesus

Like Jesus to the least of these

Boys become kings

Girls will be queens

Wrapped in Your majesty

When we love

When we love the least of these

Then they will be

Brave and free

Shout Your name in victory

We will love

We will love the least of these (6x)

Pictures of the Firsts

***Update: Jeremiah's visits to the orthopaedic specialist and the ENT went very well. The doctor that did the temporary cast in the ER was doing a rotation there from Texas Children's Hospital in Houston. The ortho said that she had done the temporary cast so well that he didn't see a need for a new one. If it becomes too worn or gets wet, we will go in for a full cast. However, we are going to try to make it the full time with the one we have. The ENT feels like the damage to the right side of Jeremiah's nose is minimal and that there will not be any problems with its healing. We already had another CT scan and round of allergy tests scheduled for next week. So, the ENT will be able to compare the CT scans from the week before the accident, the night of the accident and then the new ones to make sure that everything is on the right track.***

 

Here's my brave little man.

He wanted to get on his bike the very next day.

The morning after, with his temporary cast. He's going in to the ENT tomorrow and the orthopaedist today. We will update you later with the color of cast he selected!

We may also swing by Academy and get a few pairs of wind pants. Buttons and zippers are a little tricky.

A weekend of firsts

Ever planned something?

I know the famous line is "the best laid plans of mice and men..." However, it really, Really, REALLY should be "The best laid plans of moms..." You're giggling because you know it's true.

See, I started a rough draft of today's post on Friday morning. The rough draft is still a rough draft. I will have to work on it a bit more. It's more thoughtful and reflective than this one.

See, I was planning on marking the 7th as a big day. We were to celebrate our 1 Month DTE (Dossier To Ethiopia) Day. There was a plan to make a batch of cookies each month to celebrate. And, each month would be a different type of cookie. ***Our DTE Day on September 7th had Snickerdoodle Pinwheels, out of a cookbook my mom-in-law gave me for Christmas one year. They were great.***

My plan was to hit the grocery store early Saturday, stock up for the meals for the coming week and grab the last ingredient that I needed for today's cookies. But, that was my best laid plan.

We were going to celebrate our 1st month of being on the waiting list for our adoption.

But, we had an unplanned first on Friday. Just a standard Friday, but with a couple of surprises. For one, Larry's twin sister, Jennifer, popped in for a surprise visit on her way back into town. That was an awesome surprise and we were all hanging around in the kitchen chatting away when our second surprise occurred.

Jeremiah crashed on his bike...big time. I mean Big Time! Poor little dude. He broke his thumb, broke his nose and knocked out his two front baby teeth.

Obviously, there was never another thought of my plans for the weekend. Immediately, we flew into scramble-mode. After we got Jeremiah (and Gideon) calmed down, we were able to assess the damage and determined the best course of action was visiting the ER.

Now, you might think that a mom with four sons has had to take one of them in for a broken bone before, but remember...this is a post about firsts.

Larry loaded Jeremiah up and went to the hospital. I did the frantic scramble of arranging for a friend to come and stay with the other guys (Thank you, Regan!), ordering pizza, making sure I had the new insurance cards, then hopping in the other vehicle. Of course, it was almost out of gas necessitating an additional stop before getting to the hospital.

It all caught up to me at the gas pump. Of course, I'm so grateful that it was only a broken thumb, broken nose and double-duty for the Tooth Fairy. But, you still hate to see your little guy hurting and upset.

Just rambling at this point. So tired. Ready for new day, when His mercies are new!

I'll post pictures of our tough guy tomorrow...and make cookies!

Praise Him! Praise Him! - Psalm 48:1

Just a little thing, but I'm so glad.

The civil case that I received a jury summons for was dropped at 9:30am!

Praise Him! Praise Him!

Tell of His excellent greatness!

Praise Him! Praise Him!

Ever in joyful song!

 

(Words by Fanny Crosby)

Philippians 3:14 – Higher Ground/Goodbye, Crib and Overalls

Change. I don’t like it. I don’t like it at all.

There has been a lot of change in my life recently. Most notably, Larry’s job change. While most spousal job changes mean that a spouse leaves and goes to a different location than he used to, our situation has been a little different.

Larry had served in youth ministry for the last 13 years, with the last 4 years at a church here. When he switched jobs to serve in missions full-time with International Commission, changing churches was the courteous thing to do. *** The prior church that Larry served in hired him as the student pastor, because the student pastor had been promoted to senior pastor. Pastor Steve did a great job of referring parents and students to Larry when they came to him. However, it was still a long transition before Larry was the student minister in people’s minds. We didn’t want that for the new guy. Plus, we knew that it would be difficult for our boys to understand the change of roles…No, that’s not Daddy’s office anymore; No, we’re not going to the youth room, etc. You understand. ***

So, Larry changed jobs and we changed churches. During the months prior to Larry’s resignation, we tested the waters at several churches by participating in nearly every Vacation Bible School in town. We fell in love with First Baptist of Conroe almost immediately. They had their VBS at night. That was great because it meant Larry and I could drop the guys off, pick them up and check things out together, rather than me scoping out the place/people on my own. The first night, as we checked the 3 big guys in, a woman approached me and asked if Caleb would like to come as well. I didn’t think that he could since the preschool classes were for workers’ children. However, she assured me there was plenty of room for one more and walked us to the preschool area. He was delighted! In fact, he still calls the church “Mega Sports Camp.” What impressed us most was a call that Larry received on that Thursday morning. Pastor Eric, the children’s minister, called every child’s parents to encourage them to attend on Thursday evening, when they would be presenting the gospel. He called EVERY parent! We were hooked.

So, Larry changed jobs, we changed churches and we had to select a Sunday school class. Ugh, we have been teaching Sunday school for the last 12 years, we didn’t know how to pick one…we have always been assigned one or filling in for absent teachers. The most striking part of this process was realizing we were in the late 30s/early 40s age bracket. What?! I can’t go from 11th/12th grade girls to the 30s/40s class. That just didn’t seem right. But, we found that we love it.

So, Larry changed jobs, we changed churches, we changed Sunday school habits and Larry moved his office. Now, in the mornings, we get up, get the boys off to school and Larry goes to work…at his desk/study…in the game room. This has been perhaps the most jarring change of all. I ADORE my man. Hang out with me for one hour and you will know it is true. However, we’ve never been together constantly. That’s Constantly, with a capital C.

So, Larry changed jobs, we changed churches, we changed Sunday school, Larry moved his office to the game room and I took down Caleb’s crib (again). I took it down once before and mourned the changing of seasons in our lives. Happily, I put it back up just a few weeks later when I began watching a precious little girl three days a week. But, a year later, I’ve taken it down again to give to some friends that just had a baby. Larry loaded it in the back of his Sequoia last night and delivered it to them today. We realize that our Micah will probably be old enough to sleep in a big boy bed. And, we realize that by the time we have Micah home, our friends’ son may be big enough to sleep in a big boy bed himself. (Although, I can’t imagine that their son won’t have some siblings rolling down the pike!) Add to the change of our sons growing up that this crib is going to a couple much younger than us. In fact, this new daddy was a student in one of Larry’s youth groups and not the most recent one at that! Everyone is growing up! Sheesh.

So, Larry changed jobs, we changed churches, we changed Sunday school, Larry moved offices, I took down Caleb’s crib (thereby coming to grips with the fact that my children are getting older) and today, The Overalls broke. Caleb is a mini-man and as such, he was bequeathed the OshKosh Overalls that Joseph wore, that Gideon wore and that Jeremiah wore. Caleb has been wearing them frequently for the last 4-6 months. Today, one of the clasps broke. It completely broke and not in a “oh, I can fix this” sort of way. I could have lost it. I stood at the dryer, holding that darling set of overalls and wanted to cry. But, I did not.

There are too many blessings ahead for me to hold on to my yesterdays.

I don’t want to look over my shoulder and long for what is familiar. I want to continue to see my little men grow to be big men, to see my big man continue to grow as a godly man and for my heart to continue to grow and be transformed.

I’m pressing on the upward way,

New heights I’m gaining ev’ry day;

Still praying as I onward bound,

“Lord, plant my feet on higher ground.”

(Higher Ground - Words by Johnson Oatman, Jr., Music by Charles H. Gabriel)

Back to Church Sunday - Sept 16, 2012

I love this! "All of the people, get to a steeple"

PS: I'll post on Monday with A Daigle Update!

In the meantime, I'll see you on Sunday!

DTE 9/7/12 - My Faith Has Found A Resting Place

I mentioned last week that we sent in our dossier documents to America World (AWAA).

Everything was complete. So, our documents were sent to the Department of State and the Ethiopian Embassy for certification/authentication. As of now, those documents are in the hands of FedEx, travelling to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Relief, excitement and angst converged on Friday when I opened the e-mail providing our tracking number. Will I be able to handle the wait? Have I read all of the right books? Are the boys (all five of them) going to be okay through this? Will we have enough money saved when it's time to go? Is our new little guy okay right this minute? Is he hungry, cold, alone? Is he safe? Is he already in an orphanage? Is he still with his family? Are You sick of my questions?

I intentionally searched for this hymn during my devotion time.

My Faith Has Found A Resting Place

My faith has found a resting place,
Not in device or creed;
I trust the Everliving One,
His wounds for me shall plead.

We who have believed enter that rest. -- Hebrews 4:3

My all-time favorite album is Todd Agnew's Need. I can't really choose between two songs on that album for my favorite song.

Tell Me The Story is going to be played at my funeral and you WILL dance and play the air guitar. You will.

I Need No Other is bit more low-key and a re-writing of My Faith Has Found a Resting Place. And, I want to have one of my friends at Uppercase Living to have its chorus made for my dining room wall.

I need no other argument,
I need no other plea,
It is enough that Jesus died,
And that He died for me.

Right now, there is nothing that I can do for our adoption process. I can study and prepare. I cannot make this current step go any faster. So, I choose to trust the Everliving One.

In His Time - Psalm 27:14

Timing is everything. My current fav on Hulu is MasterChef. I can't really stand any of the judges. However, I enjoy rooting for the amateur chefs as they compete for the title. It's just fun. This past week, two contestants faced off making three different types of souffles, which had to come out of the oven at the exact same moment. Yikes!

Sometimes, the kitchen gets hot and the pressure is on. Even then, probably more critically than ever, timing is everything.

I shared a while back that I had put my book-buying-self on hiatus until we complete our adoption. This led to my use of a hymnal for quiet time prompts. What a fruitful source! There have been lots of pages scribbled in and one scripture referencing another, referencing another and so on, until I end up with my nose stuck in a commentary!

Today, the hymn that I read was In His Time (words and music by Diane Ball).

In His time, in His time;

He makes all things beautiful in His time.

Lord, please show me everyday as You're teaching me Your way,

That You do just what You say

in Your time.

 

In Your time, in Your time;

You make all things beautiful in Your time.

Lord, my life to You I bring; May each song I have to sing

Be to You a lovely thing

in Your time.

The scripture reference was Ecclesiastes 3:11, "He has made everything beautiful."

He has, indeed. And, He is doing so now.

I have felt for a while that I've had three "souffles" in the oven. But, everything seems to be coming together. Not all at one time. Not the way Gordan Ramsey would like it. But, I like it.

Today was a big day.

Today marked the end of the first week of school. Having three guys in school means a lot of careful calendar watching. It can be easy to miss dates, switch dates, and make-up your own dates when you have three children and a total of six teachers in the mix. We love the school our boys attend. There is not a complaint that I can muster. Our family is my #1 Souffle. The time that we spend together is my delight! The week before school started we had a wonderful week. We went to the Houston Zoo, Houston Children's Museum, the Downtown Aquarium, Houston Museum of Natural Science, toured Minute Maid Park, SpaceCenter Houston and SeaWolf Park. Of course, we also partook of glorious shakes at 59 Diner, where the shakes are (according to the menu) "Rich Enough to be Your Landlord!" Delicious!

But, as of today, we have one week of school and its routine behind us!

 

Today we sent the very last documents needed for our dossier. The adoption is my 2nd Souffle. We've have been on this step for ages! I know, I know...it has taken us a long, long time. It's not that we didn't have the paperwork done, funds for this step or the confidence that we were doing the right thing. We were waiting for the 3rd Souffle. But, we're done with our paperwork (other than periodic updates, depending on how long our wait time will be.)

Today was Larry's last official day with West Conroe Baptist Church. Larry's duties rounded out in mid-July, with a very sweet and endearing "Thanks, Larry" reception in the Garden Room at the church. The church was even gracious enough to allow Larry the last 6 weeks to prepare for his new position. We have received so many cards of encouragement and count the church family as dear friends. However, Larry has changed ministry paths to work with International Commission.

International Commission is the group where my father is the area VP of Africa. This is certainly the dessert course souffle! I love my daddy! I love my hubby! It is exceedingly, abundantly more than I could ever ask or imagine for them to love each other enough to work together! Blessing upon blessing...they will be working shoulder to shoulder to see people around the world come to Christ.

I could just cry like the guy at the end of Facing the Giants, "I'm overwhelmed!"

At this point, the kitchen of my life smells like three beautiful souffles! That's not to say that lots of little side dishes haven't burned, spoiled or bubbled over recently. And, there is still a lot of time to wait in our adoption. There is still a lot of administrative stuff to complete before Larry's boots are on the ground with International Commission. There are still many things going on with our four boys. There is much to do and much waiting still to be done.

But, He does make all things beautiful in His time! His timing is everything.

Psalm 27:14

Wait for the Lord;
be strong and take heart
and wait for the Lord.

My Sister Makes Me Cry

Let me start by declaring that I have a precious sister.

This evening, I have been going through a bunch of adoption paperwork. At a moment of frustration, I stumbled across this letter of recommendation. Penned by my very dearest friend, it is one of my most valuable possessions.

To Whom It May Concern:

 

Lawrence and Laurie Daigle, who we call Larry and Colleen, are my brother-in-law and sister. Colleen is my big sister and best friend. I was eleven years old when she and Larry married, and it has been a joy and a privilege to watch, over the past thirteen years, their sweet example of a Christ-centered marriage, godly parenting, and a family founded on faith.

 

Colleen is Larry's biggest fan. No one loves him more, encourages him more, or fights for him more than she does. The reverse is just as true. They model for their boys and for others what it means to support each other through prayer, forgiveness, and laughter. Larry and Colleen love each other more today than they did when I saw them dating; more than they did when I watched them get married. Their commitment to each other and to their family is stronger even today than it was when their oldest son, Joseph, was born. I am confident that in years to come, that love and commitment will only grow deeper and stronger.

 

Joseph, Gideon, Jeremiah, and Caleb Daigle rarely meet a stranger. Larry and Colleen have taught them well how to welcome and befriend the friendless. They make room at their table for little boys from school who don't get enought to eat at home. They have taken under their wing teenagers who needed encouragement and the love of a family. The Daigles have, perhaps unwittingly, been practicing for years for this journey of adoption. Their homes and their hearts are so ready to embrace their new son and brother.

 

Sincerely,

 

Hannah....

Jeezalou! And, yes, I cried! What an honor!

Thank you, Hannah!

Love it!

A new video from our agency, America World Adoption.

Part 2 - Let Your Heart Be Broken - James 2:17

I promised last night that I would explain the random title of the post and how it correlated with saving money.

Like I stated yesterday, I love to read. I am therefore also emotionally connected to books. Truly, I am emotionally connected. I almost never get rid of them. I am willing to lend, but (thanks to a thoughtful friend) they are each stamped with a lovely "From the library of Colleen Daigle" stamp.

While we are going through the process of adoption, I have promised to not buy any books. This has been especially hard, but I have stuck to it pretty closely. After I completed the James Bible study by Pam Gibbs, I squashed the desire to run out and buy another Bible study by relying on something that I heard during the Senior Adult Retreat that our church hosted in the fall. Yes, Larry and I did attend the Senior Adult retreat. All of the church staff and their spouses were invited to attend. It was wonderful to soak up wisdom and I would love to go again. One of the women that spoke, shared about her daily quiet time and how she always starts by reading a hymn from one of the older hymnals. She went on to point out that each of the hymns has a scripture reference under the title.

BINGO!!! Who needs to buy a devotional/Bible study when there are 734 hymns, responsive readings and benedictions in the hymnal, each with a nugget of scripture attached to ponder, stew in and soak up? By going through one per day, I have 2.01095 years worth of devotionals without spending a penny! Isn't that just perfect, considering our adoption agency recently announced that the wait times have been extended to 18-24 months?! ***Please note, I did not steal a hymnal. I have one from one of the churches where we attended which purchased all new hymnals and encouraged each of the members to take one of the old ones homes. Just sayin'!***

An added bonus in all of this came about 3 weeks into my hymnal/devotional journey. Larry came home with a piano one afternoon. Just like that. He just showed up, as if it was as common as the mail. We hadn't discussed my current quiet time literature. He just happened to have a piano donated to the youth group garage sale and knew that I had always wanted one. So, for the bargain price of $100, he bought me a piano. (Just a little FYI, he also sold 2 more pianos...one for $25....so, we paid a fair price...don't be judging!)

The advent of the piano kind of messed up my method of going through the hymn in numerical order. As a little girl, I took piano lessons for several years. So, I was completely distracted from my first plan and took a new approach determined by what key I could sit down and play first. I started hopping around from page to page...willy-nilly style.

I stumbled on this precious jewel. The reference is to James 2:17.

In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

Let Your Heart Be Broken

by Bryan Jeffrey Leech

Let your heart be broken for a world in need.

Feed the mouths that hunger,

Soothe the wounds that bleed,

Give the cup of water and the loaf of bread.

Be the hands of Jesus, serving in His stead.

Here on earth applying principles of love,

Visible expression

God still rules above,

Living illustration of the Living Word,

To the minds of all who've never seen or heard.

Add to your believing deeds that prove it true.

Knowing Christ as Savior,

Make Him Master, too.

Follow in His footsteps, Go where He has trod.

In the world's great trouble, risk yourself for God.

Let your heart be tender and your vision clear.

See mankind as God sees,

Serve Him far and near;

Let your heart be broken by another's pain,

Share your rich resources...Give and give again.  

Gorgeous, is it not?! The words were written by Bryan Jeffery Leech. When those stanzas are read and then compared with the scripture in the second chapter of James, I am overwhelmed by the notion that risking ourselves for God, giving, giving again and serving others as a "living illustration of the Living Word" can only be accomplished by putting our faith in Him.

All of the money-saving, coupon-clipping, book-reading, webinar-watching, Karyn Purvis-listening in the world won't accomplish anything, if I am not relying fully for God's patience, provision and protection in this process. While I am still doing all of those things, I am not sure that we could endure this process without absolute confidence that God had put a burden for a world in need in our hearts and more specifically, for a little boy in Ethiopia.

May we be constantly reminded that Jesus is not just our Savior, He is to be our Master, too. Please, Lord, help me to risk myself for You. I want to be a living illustration of Jesus to people who haven't seen or heard. I want to let my heart be broken.

Part 1 - Let Your Heart Be Broken - James 2:17

Like so many adopting mommas, my brain is constantly partially focused on our adoption...even if I am dealing with/planning for/thinking about something that has nothing to do with adoption. Please...if you understand what I mean, comment. Don't leave me hanging here thinking that I'm alone in my bizarre state!

One of the classic symptoms is that I have to, Have To, HAVE TO buy everything at a discount. My already weird couponing habits are nearly out of control (only on things that we really use). We've cut our eating out to a miniscule portion of the budget. Speaking of budgets, Good Ol' Dave R would be so proud! We've paid off all of our credit card debt (which wasn't too bad) and should be done with our car payment soon. That will leave us with only our mortgage payment in the debt column! Yee-haw!

If you've been around me, you know that I love to read. It's nearly as overwhelming as the couponing. Hello!!! I found a way to get books for free. Yes, I am aware of the library. But, I'm talking about new, pre-release books. www.bloggingforbooks.org. Check it out!

I also like to rearrange the furniture and redecorate rooms that have already been decorated and redecorated repeatedly. However, that tends to be a big budget buster....meaning that it's out of the picture at this point in time.

Does it stop me? Do you really think that it stops me? I am not dead, I'm just saving money like a crazy woman.

Finally, I couldn't take the heinous brass colored fixtures in our home any longer.

Eeewwwww!!! I just despise them. I'm sure that some number of years in the future, a sweet couple will buy this house and move all of their stuff in and then change all the fixtures to the new trendy brass. But, I'm thinking that's at least 50 years out. So, I did what any nerd would do...I made a spreadsheet.

I found the door handles that I want.

I wrote down the manufacturer, the item number, the UPC...I documented EXACTLY what I WANTED.

I then counted all of the doors in the house...29.

I figured in the different prices for dummy doors, privacy doors (locking) and the doors to the outside.

$874, plus tax. Ugh. I can't replace all of the door handles.

But, I can paint them!

For just $27, I have already painted the 11 doors that are downstairs.

I removed the hardware, sanded (don't skip this step) and then cleaned everything well. I punched holes into a cardboard box to hold the knobs and screws in place.

I primed everything.

Then painted them with this.

Much better! (The chalkboard on my pantry door was completely and unabashedly copied from Bethany's at What's Mine Is Yours. However, I did ask if I could copy it before doing so!)

Tomorrow, I'll post again. I promise! And, as an added bonus, I will tie the seemingly random title in with my money-saving madness! This post was just getting a bit too long to stand!

Donate to Ordinary Hero!

Feel like doing something super awesome today?

You can donate to Ordinary Hero to give Bibles in Amharic to children in Africa, give a blanket, a donkey, 1/2 a donkey and still help out our family raise adoption funds.

Check out the giving options through Ordinary Hero by clicking here.

When you check out, choose my name (Laurie Daigle) from the Affiliates list. Or, if you want to spread the love...choose my cousin's name (Chris Ryan). He and his wife are adopting from Ethiopia as well!

Ordinary Hero will then send a percentage of your donation straight to America World Adoption to help offset the many costs associated with our adoption.

Thanks!

Our Home Study Visit

Last night, we FINALLY had the in-home visit with our precious social worker.

I think that my angst prior to the visit was typical. I cleaned like a crazed woman. I fretted over things that typically don't even enter my thoughts. I imagined all sorts of bizarre comments that the boys could have made. I imagined my explanations for their imaginary bizarre comments. I feel like a nut. (However, sometimes I don't.)

The boys did a great job. They were well behaved and didn't make any of the bizarre comments over which I fretted. They were their normal, silly, happy selves. Joseph was well-spoken and excited. Jeremiah and Gideon would make little jokes with each other and randomly break out with giggles. Caleb sat quietly until someone mentioned our recent trip to San Antonio and SeaWorld. At that point, he made sure that everyone knew that he had taken the opportunity to ride the Shamu Express three times.

Larry and I had individual interviews, as well. Those were interesting. I'm really relieved that we have that visit behind us. I had made it into a much more dramatic issue in my mind. After she left, I was exhausted. It had been a whirlwind day. Not really, as far as reality is concerned. I had spent the day doing laundry and cleaning. I had Caleb and a sweet daughter of a friend. It rained. I cleaned. We played. But, there was a lot going on in my mind.

Once I was done for the day. I was ready for some restorative sleep. Guess what I dreamed about? I dreamed that Mike Holmes of Holmes on Homes came to inspect our home. Good grief, can you say "Vain Imaginations?"

I think at this point I am ready for the dreaded waiting period. At least then I can worry about our new little guy and things that truly matter, not just paper work and processes.

By the way, through this process, I have been doing the Bible study James: Faith Under Pressure by Pam Gibbs of LifeWay. I picked it up to go through before deciding whether to offer it as a Mother/Daughter study for the youth group programs during the summer. I just wanted to make sure that it was something that both adults and teen girls would benefit from going through.

I highly recommend this study.

***Testimonial Alert: I can't express how God has used this study (for teens) to work on my heart and prepare it for some of the obstacles that have been thrown in the path of our adoption/life over the course of the last 2 months. I didn't plan on grabbing a Bible study that day that we were "popping in" to the local LifeWay store for some Sunday school items. I hadn't planned on the bumps in the road that Larry and I are currently experiencing. But, God knew what was coming. He knew what I needed. He is awesome that way. I love Him. Who is like Him?***

Another, By The Way: If you click on the link for the study, there is an option to download a free sample. And, it just happens to be the week which spoke to my heart during the onset of a majorly bumpy section of the proverbial road of life. Enjoy!



Enough to make a momma cry...

I found this while I was cleaning out the boys' backpacks.

Yes, I cried.

Gone Postal

I'm pretty sure the lady at the local post office thinks me a lunatic.

I have happened to have the same postal worker each time that I have had to mail something for the adoption. It truly is odd, considering how many workers that there are and how often they take breaks. (Come on, you know it's true.)

A while back, I asked her if I could take her picture with the first two packages that went to the AWAA offices (1 to McLean, VA and 1 to Dallas, TX).

Later, I took her picture when I sent the package with all of our home study questionnaires and docs.

I took her picture today. It was the package going to the Authentication Unit at the Secretary of State's office in Austin.

Maybe I am a lunatic.

Maybe she will give a more genuine smile when I march in one day and ask to take her picture with our little guy. I hope it doesn't take so long that she's retired at that point.

Maybe.

Genesis 1:24 Reflecting on Monday (Part Two)

So, we spent the day at the Houston Zoo. I told you all that yesterday, right?

Here is the moment that stood out.

We were making our way through the relatively new Africa Forest when we came upon the strangest and sweetest thing. In the chimpanzee exhibit there are walls of glass that allow zoo guests the opportunity to observe the chimpanzees nose-to-nose, all while in a gorgeous educational facility that is air-conditioned (a plus in Houston).

At the window, was a group of twenty-somethings. I could be overestimating their age. They were terribly immature and crass. However, one of these fellows had captured the attention of a chimpanzee. From the Chimpanzee Family Tree page of the zoo website, I believe that this particular dearie was Sally.

She stood at the glass, pointed at her head and then pointed to the glass. The young man copied her every move. He was wearing a pair of ripped up jeans and had evidently tripped somewhere and scraped his knee quite severely. His knee was a bloody mess. She kept looking intently at that knee. He didn't pick up on it.

Our family stood there, watching the sweet compassionate chimpanzee check on the obnoxious moron with the bloody knee.

I piped up, "She's worried about your knee."

All of a sudden, it clicked for him. "Ohhh...she sure is!" He quickly propped up his foot on the wall so that she could see the wound better. She moved closer and kept looking at his knee. Then, she squatted down in front of him and pointed at her head again. (I'm pretty sure she wanted to know what on earth he was thinking!)

The doofus got bored before the chimpanzee and he moved on. Her gaze followed him across the window. When he moved out of sight, she got up and went to the next window and watched him leave.

Such compassion.

I hit Biblegateway.com and searched "compassion" in NIV.

Here is the verse that stood out.

You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea.

Micah 7:19

How many times has God been standing before me, waiting to show compassion, asking "What were you thinking?" How many times have I stood before Him, acted like an immature moron, and walked away?

Nehemiah 4:14 Reflecting on Monday (Part One)

Yesterday, the Daigles ignored all of our earthly responsibilities and went to the Houston Zoo.

We didn't plan on doing so, but instead awoke, ate, packed lunches and dropped the three big guys off to school. That is our usual start to a Monday. Once we delivered the big ones to school, Larry, Caleb and I went to a hole-in-the-wall for a late breakfast. (This is actually part of our regular Monday morning...grin!)

Where we diverted from the norm came on the way back to the house. We had run a quick errand and were commenting on the gorgeous day. "It's a zoo kinda day." Those were the words that Larry said as he looked out the windshield at the road taking us back to the house. "Yup." That was the word I said as I looked out at that same road.

We pulled into the drive way a few minutes later and Larry instructed me to pack a picnic. We were indeed going to make the most of this "Zoo Kinda Day".

The big guys were only at school for an hour and forty-five minutes.

As we made our way to the Houston Zoo, we took the most logical route, I-45. As we began to make our way south, I began to tweet our local paper.

What's going on at the Wilson Rd bridge over 45? Is it a protest?

A few moments later:

Same thing at the 1488 bridge.

After continuing down the interstate, we began to see that the north bound entrance ramps were blocked by police and state troopers, who were standing outside of their squad cars with their hands behind their back. As we went on, the empty north bound lanes were lined with firetrucks, ambulances, county vehicles, state vehicles and so on. Each parked at an angle with their respective drivers and crews standing with their hands behind their backs. A few were chatting, but there was obviously something big going on.

It must a funeral procession of a member of military or civil servant. 45 is lined with officers. It is a beautiful tribute.

We didn't get to see the procession pass. I had tears in my eyes though. I knew that someone deserving a great deal of honor and respect would be brought up that freeway at any moment. I was so proud of our city and county for the lengths they went to in order to pay respect and to uplift the family of this great person.

A little later, I received a reply from the local newspaper's Twitter account.

it's in honor of Willis Marine Cpl. Joseph Logan

At the zoo, with my four sons, I thought of the loss I would feel if it were one of them. What it I were following behind a hearse, carrying my precious son, and passing the miles of flags, spinning lights, respectful supporters? Never have I been so touched by what a community can do out of respect.

We are praying for the Logan family and we are so grateful that he was willing to fight for us.

I'm also thankful that his family got to bring him home on a beautiful "Zoo Kinda Day" and I pray that God will comfort them with the memories of those kind of days from his childhood as they continue to grieve their extremely great loss.
The Conroe Courier's article can be read here.

This is the day - Psalm 118:24

Happy New Year!

This morning, I mustered all of my will power and emerged from beneath the warm, heavy down comforter. We woke up to the first freeze of the year. Praise God, we woke up! (Isaiah 50:4)

As Larry and I were getting dressed, the family's smallest set of feet came padding down the hall. Caleb walked into the bedroom, eyes squinting at the light and smiling from ear to ear. "Hi, Daddy. Hey, Momma." He went straight to my side of the bed and snuggled into my pillow, all the while smiling.

Next came Gideon. Same squinting eyes and same broad smile. He went straight to Larry's side of the bed and crawled in.

Joseph and Jeremiah were still sleeping. I love waking up my babies. There is nothing more precious than rubbing those skinny backs and watching those eyebrows furrow. I love those first big, deep breaths and those first long stretches. I just love those boys with all that I have and all that I am.

I sang "This is the day, this is the day, that the LORD has made, that the LORD has made...." It bugs the fire out of them. But, they have Psalm 118:24 memorized. They will never forget it.

I'm so glad we all woke up this morning. It's a tiny, little detail. Minutia, really. But, had that one trivial bit of the day been different, there would be all manner of chaos in our home. I shudder to think of it.

God chose to wake me up today. He chose to give us this day of life. Not only that, but He did it on purpose. He did it so that we could learn something, so that we could do something. Not so that we could just go to work, do the laundry or complete assignments at school. He wants us to grow closer to Him and to bring others closer to Him. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

I am sure that He loves to wake us up. I imagine that He loves those first big, deep breaths and those first long stretches. He loves us with all that He is, with all the I Am.

All of your sons...Isaiah 54:13 NIV84

All of your sons will be taught by the LORD, and great will be your children's peace. - Isaiah 54:13 (NIV84)

I love these pictures that were taken by Ashley Bell. You can find her contact information here. She was such a joy to hang out with for an afternoon of pictures. Aren't these pictures fun?

We are outside of the old Sparkle Ice plant in Conroe, Tx. It is now a reception hall/ice house. So, if someone tells you that they saw the youth minister and his family loitering around the ice house, it is true. But, it's only because the faded blue paint and all of the old brick is so dern gorgeous.

I think this one with the boys and their silly faces is my favorite. In fact, I would say that this is a pretty accurate snapshot of a typical day in the life of a Daigle.

I love this one, as well. I think my favorite part of this picture is Gideon's expression.

And check out this little guy.

Good grief, am I blessed or what?! We can't wait to have another Daigle in the picture with us!

Ashley, we'll be calling you again.

For everyone else that wants to call her...

A Romantic Blowout

I love Elizabeth George. I have read several of her books: A Woman After God's Own Heart, A Mom After God's Own Heart, A Woman's High Calling, Beautiful In God's Eyes, Breaking the Worry Habit...Forever. That's just a few.

I don't remember in which of her studies she mentioned the need for a date night for parents. However, in it she suggests putting the kids down early and preparing a separate meal for Daddy and Mom. What a great idea, especially when the added cost of paying a babysitter cuts into the savings needed to bring home an adopted child. So, I added it to the list of changes needed to save even more money for the adoption.

Wednesday night there were no activities at the church, because of Bethlehem City. I found this to be the perfect opportunity to implement our Daddy/Mom Dinner plan. So, Larry made the boys waffles. (He bought us this waffle maker about a year ago and it's fabulous!) While he was feeding them and getting them settled in upstairs for the night, I made us a separate dinner. Baked salmon, sauteed spinach with onions and some rice (brown, red and wild rice blend). It was marvelous. I even used the china and crystal. As I heard Larry getting them settled in the gameroom for a movie, I thought, "I have time to get out some candles." And, I did.

We had our meal. We lowered the lights, lit the candles and had quiet conversation over our delicious, non-hotdog, non-mac-n-cheese meal. After a while, however, our solitude melted. The boys got bored with the movie and started meandering about the house. We knew it would happen. Jeremiah came down the stairs and asked, "Why are those candles on the table?" Larry's response was as follows: "We are having a romantic dinner." Then, the question of the ages...

"After your romantic dinner, are you going to have a romantic blowout?"

Imagine me and Larry as we both pursed our lips to try to keep from exploding with laughter. What little boy wouldn't associate candles with blowing them out? That's their purpose, right?!

Oh, we couldn't contain ourselves too long. We eventually erupted with giggles. Larry headed back up the stairs with Jeremiah and tucked all four guys into bed. I did the dishes and contemplated the romantic blowout.

The term "blowout" could mean any number of things.

It could mean that our romantic intentions were blown to bits by something unexpected...I'm thinking tire blowout here. You know, as in "we were trying but the boys interrupted". It could be anything really, the boys, the dogs, the bills, the laundry. Anything can interrupt and cause the romantic blowout.

It could mean that our dinner was going to turn into a romantic extravaganza. Or, as we once heard it pronounced by a pizza delivery guy in New Orleans, "Extrava-GAHN-ZAH." He was just talking about pizza though. There was no mention of romance. Thank God.

The next day, Jeremiah asked, "How did your romantic dinner go, last night?" What a neat kid. We told him it was nice and continued on with the morning activities. The long and short of it is that life has some blowouts...good and bad, romantic or not. I am grateful, though, for the sweet time that we had at our breakfast table, with the boys upstairs. So many of our little tasks and brief moments are becoming sweeter in this adoption journey. If we hadn't been "saving money" we would have had a regular dinner at a busy, loud restaurant...with no mention (or hope) of A Romantic Blowout.

Holiday Mayhem

The holidays are upon us and we are soaking it up like a sponge!

We had a super Thanksgiving. On that fabulous smelling Thursday, we went to visit Larry's mom and step-father at their home. MamMaw and Poppa have the best place on earth to play outside. It is absolutely unrivaled. The boys planned out their own version of Mantracker for the month before we were there. The plan was for them to head out and hide, then Larry and I would assume our roles as the Mantracker. (If you haven't seen Mantracker, you obviously don't live in a house with 5 men.) Our nephew is 16 and he accompanied the boys in their hiding. We didn't stand a chance. We searched for what seemed an eternity. Larry and I lost. Completely. We will never live it down.

After a day of playing outside, riding four-wheelers, shooting BB guns and looking at new calves, we headed home. On Friday, we went the opposite direction and visited my grandparents. More fun! We played BINGO for prizes and had so much fun and chicken that we could barely function. We stayed in the area that night and then headed home (along with every other Texan, based on the traffic). We stopped off at the BassProShop in Katy, walked the entire mall, ate a Fuddruckers, talked with the most precious couple and compared our children's Bible names. Let me just add, that woman had the best hair I have ever encountered on earth. Gorgeous.

We are now in the home stretch for the Christmas holiday and the boys are counting down to the break. There are currently four Christmas trees in the house. What am I thinking?! We love it.

Update on Adoption Progress:

We had our physicals the week of Thanksgiving and just got all of those forms done and notarized. Our doctor's office was so excited and helpful. If everyone we meet on this journey is half as helpful as the staff at our doctor's office, we will be supremely blessed! Thank you, Dr. Nguyen and staff!

Give1Save1 - Wednesday

The total right now is $736!

Do you remember the scene from Facing The Giants when the main character is sitting in the living room with his head in his hands? You know, the scene where he gets the best news ever? He said, "I'm overwhelmed!"

I am overwhelmed. I could never have expected such gracious gifts to our Micah, to us, to our family.

I am overwhelmed.

Give1Save1 Update - Tuesday

So, today was our second day on Give1Save1.com. The total comes to $471 as of 7:55pm CST!

I can barely believe it! I can hardly stand it! I am so thankful to each of you who have given and are praying for our family.

Keep on praying!

To those of you who know my extended family...My mom heard from my dad this morning. He left Houston on 11/1 to go to Nigeria and then Sierra Leone to train pastors for upcoming projects through International Commission (where he is the VP of African Evangelism). We had not heard from him since he left, which is a little odd. This morning, he was finally able to call Mom. She said he was calling from a ferry, on the way to Freetown.

Keep on praying for Africa. Pray for Micah, in Ethiopia. Pray for the churches in/around Lagos, Nigeria. Pray for Sierra Leone. Pray for Dad to get home safely this weekend.

Thank you for checking in. I didn't cry today. This is actually surprising. But, I have a terrific headache and crying would have made it worse. So, I will probably compensate tomorrow. ;-)

Give1Save1

This week our family is being featured on Give1Save1.com!

I can't begin to tell you how humbled we are by this experience thus far. My phone keeps letting me know that I've got an email. Most of the day, those emails have been from PayPal, alerting me to a donation being made.

So far, I have cried in Lowe's, HomeDepot, the doctor's office, in my car, in our office and in my room.

If you can't tell or if you've never met me before...I am a crier. God didn't make Larry in this same fashion. However, after being married for 12 years (anniversary was yesterday), Larry knows just how to reach over and rub my shoulder to let me know that he would cry, too...if he was the type. What a great guy I have!!!

As of right now, you all have given $389! That's 1.3% of our total costs raised in just one day! I am overwhelmed!

My current favorite verse is Deuteronomy 10:21 NASB, which says, "He is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen." Amen and Amen!!!

I will keep the blog updated each evening with totals and more locations in which I cry! Just in case you're interested!!!

Dear Micah,

Am I a Kate Gosselin or a Michelle Duggar? Prov 14:1

Larry and I are TV junkies. Our kids are in bed promptly at 8pm...maybe 8:30pm. However, it's not necessarily because we are good parents. More than likely we are tucking them in so that we can watch Burn Notice, Psych, The Deadliest Catch, Chopped or any other thing that has caught our fancy. (Confession: I went through an obsessive phase of watching Finding Bigfoot.)

With our adoption process just under way, it has occurred to me that we are currently on the edge of being "that family with all the kids." Adding another Daigle, especially in a long, expensive, no-way-it's-an-oops kind of way, will certainly make us stand out even further. My mind went straight to two women who have been made household names by their reality shows, Kate Gosselin and Michelle Duggar.

Two polar opposites with a striking similarity, Kids!

Would I rather be one or the other? Heck, No! For one thing, I don't want 19, 20, however many children. Although, if I did, I would adore each one. And for another thing, I don't want to be obsessed with order and schedules. Although, I do tend to have Kate moments on occasion and if someone were editing my life into a 1 hour show, I'm sure those would be the juiciest bits and therefore would make the cut.

Truly, I don't want to be Kate or Michelle. I want to be Colleen. I have to face each day with Proverbs 14:1 on my mind and in my heart and on my lips before God.

The wise woman builds her house,

But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.

Proverbs 14:1 NKJV

I can choose to edify and fortify my family.
I can choose to uplift and uphold my family.
Or, I could choose to put their needs off while I pursue my own plans. Just one set of poor decisions could cause our lives together to crumble into a mess. Please, Lord, don't ever let it be so!

No, I don't want to be Kate or Michelle.

I am Colleen. And I want to be a wise woman.

What shall we eat? - Luke 11:11-13

Today, I sat at the table with Caleb and we had lunch. It was a plain ol' PB&J, chips and apples kind of lunch. We had fun.

After lunch, I cleaned the table and Caleb watched Clifford on television. This is a regular occurrence. After cleaning up our dishes, I put ribs in the CrockPot. This is super easy and delicious. I found this recipe on the back of a spicy mustard bottle. Again, so easy...just make sure to use a Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner. By the way, there is a $1 coupon on that website. Trust me, if you haven't used these yet, they will change your life.

Anyway, here's the recipe:

• 1 - 18oz bottle of barbecue sauce - It doesn't matter which, just pick your favorite.
• 1/2 cup of spicy brown mustard
• 1 rack of pork baby back ribs - I divide ours into sections of 2-3 ribs each

Mix BBQ sauce and mustard. Dip rib sections into sauce mixture. Place in slow-cooker. Cover with remaining sauce. Cook on High 4 hours. (I put mine in at 11:45 on High and will switch it to Low at 3:45. They will stay there until Larry is home around 5. They are done after 4 hours on high, but they are mega-tender this way.)

Okay, doesn't that sound easy? It was. While I was doing all of that, I thought, "What will our new guy eat? What will he be used to eating? What if he won't eat anything that we eat?" And, of course, my crazy mind went haywire with worry. So, what did I do? I thought about something that I saw on the Orphan Sunday website. Check it out at http://orphansunday.org/.

While I was looking for some resources for our Orphan Sunday booth, I ran across something that I am excited about.

The Orphan's Table

The Orphan's Table is an excellent way to share with your friends and family the burden that is on your heart for orphans. The program provides a DVD to show to your guests and an easy-to-cook meal similar to the ones provided to orphans around the world. If you would like to participate in The Orphan's Table, check out the website and request a package be sent to your address. The packet feeds approximately 4 people, so make sure that you order enough. They suggest a donation of $5 to cover the cost of processing and shipping the packet. I ordered our packet on Friday. Can't wait!

Thinking about what my boys here are eating in comparison to what my boy is eating in Ethiopia has captivated my thoughts today. Luke 11:11-13 never made my heart ache like this. Aching with the idea that my child could be somewhere eating something less than what I would love to feed him. And, how often have I, myself, settled for a pitiful bowl of spiritual mash or earthly garbage, when God wants to give me so much more?

Here is the Orphan Sunday 2011 video. Just because!


Tell me what you think! I have watched this video a dozen times.