As For Me And My Haus

What The Hair Kind of Blog Is This Anyway?!?

2010-06-05T18:22:00.000-07:00

There are several new posts with hairstyle ideas on the new blog. Plus, you can check out Ray Ray's new braids at As For Me And My Haus!

The Bride... On The New Blog

2010-06-01T16:12:00.001-07:00

The Church is the Bride of Christ. Is this how we're supposed to feel about her?

My thoughts are on As For Me And My Haus.

One Fleshedness... Not For the Faint of Heart

2010-05-25T14:20:00.000-07:00

Check it out at As For Me And My Haus.

If Not Us, Then Who... On the new blog

2010-05-21T10:43:00.000-07:00

Check out the new blog for a response to Pat Robertson.

A Word About Birth Mothers... On The New Blog

2010-05-17T10:05:00.000-07:00

Check it out at As For Me And My Haus.

Insecurity... On The New Blog

2010-05-14T14:11:00.000-07:00

'Nuff said.

Book review on the new blog.

Shhh! (Sneek Peek At The New Thang!)

2010-05-11T15:35:00.000-07:00

It's kind of a secret because it's still

but a few of you have been getting kinda

I know! Tick tock! Tick tock!

So as long as you remember. Large machinery. Still in progress. Major work to be done, etc...

I'll give you a sneek peek.

(Also, remember that this blog is soon to be)

The new blog is...

Drumroll please...

still called the same thing!

Confused? Disappointed? I promise you'll like it!

As For Me And My Haus

Come and have a looksee!

What?! I told you it was coming, didn't I? Don't look so shocked!

Doors Closing to the Public Soon!

2010-04-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

Pretty soon (I hope!) the new site will be up and this blog will be closed to the public. If you're not the person who leaves me long comments in Chinese, or the spammer who thinks I need a lapband, cheap prescriptions, or a "hot singles" dating site recommendation, and you want to continue reading the privatey-private family blog, feel free to email me or leave a comment here to get on the guest list!

Thanks, friends!

Thoughts For The Day

2010-04-15T13:45:00.000-07:00

I can't change other people,
their behavior, attitudes, decisions, or treatment of others.
It's not my job to do so.
I can only change myself,
speak truth, give grace, love others, forgive,
create appropriate boundaries, and act rightly.
I am only responsible to God for myself.
And, thank Jesus for that!
I'm enough work, baby!

~Me

Ode To Chocolate
~Me again

Chocolate, chocolate, thee I love.
Thank you, Hershey's, Giradelli, Dove.
Oh, precious, yummy, pointy Kiss.
Blissy blissy blissy bliss.

Annnnnd..... that's all I got. Have a happy day!

Where's the New Thang, Huh?

2010-04-13T11:00:00.000-07:00

I know what you're thinking... "So, you promised a new blog and... nothing! Whatcha been doin', huh?.."

The new blog with a new url is still under construction, hopefully celebrating a Grand Opening soon, though!

So what's the deal? What are we doing?

Well, a little bit of the same, a little bit of new, hopefully a lot of fun! I'll be blogging about:

My hectic and wonderful life with Haus and our bunch of kids
Marriage (the good, the bad, and the nearly deadly)
Mothering (and growing up while I'm at it)
Homeschooling
Field tripping
Adoption
Orphan care
Christianity & Church issues
Book reviews
Products I like
Maybe a few embarrassing admissions of public falling for your mocking pleasure
And pretty much anything I find interesting or funny

Can't wait! I've got some funny stuff to tell ya!

New Blog Comin'. Buckle up.

2010-04-05T12:41:00.000-07:00

I'm currently brewing up a whole new "thang" that Haus and I are pretty excited about! Stay tooned!

Guess Who Turned THREE?!

2010-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

Our little African violet!

"Love & War"

2010-01-26T19:05:00.000-08:00

Ransomed Heart is the ministry of John & Stasi Eldredge. I cannot say enough about them.

This is John. He's the guy who rocked the Christian literary world with Wild at Heart breaking the mold for books about manhood.

And, this is Stasi. She and John bared their souls in Captivating reminding us of the treasure that is the heart of a woman.

OK. They have explained: A book about men, a book about women... The next obvious choice was to write a book about marriage. But, seriously, I know I've asked it before, but how many of the gazillions of books about marriage out there do you find to be almost useless and disappointing? Most? Me too.

It's like most of the books about "the challenging child"... Usually, I end up thinking, "Wow, their 'challenging child' sounds like my easiest! Gimme that kid any day of the week!

Marriage is HARD. Why didn't anyone tell us this?! Marriage is hard in the best of circumstances. You take two people who are so crazy about each other that they'd like to be superglued lip to lip for all eternity, and you put one in a gorgeous gown and one in a tux, and you have them say "I do's" and -- VOILA! Bippity boppity boo! They can barely make it through one meal without starting World War III.

It's hard. Really, really, really hard. We don't get each other. We don't know the right things to say, nor the right things to do. We cannot read each other's mind. We hurt each other without even meaning to... and, let's be honest, sometimes with absolute intention. Add to that stressful issues like money, parents, sex, jobs, church, friends, and kids, and it's a wonder any marriage survives 10 years!

What used to be sweet now falls flat. What used to be give-and-take now feels more like give-and-give-and-give 'til Kingdom come. What used to be endearing is now just annoying. Hope seems absurd and resignation inevitable. That's not to say that there aren't wonderful, beautiful, delicious seasons when relating to one another is easy and sweet, when puppy love blossoms all over again, when you can't get enough of one another, and the sex is seriously off the hook! Oh, how I wish we could bottle those seasons! And the amazing sex, too!

But, stoking the flames of love takes a great deal of work. Come on, if you've been married more than five minutes, you know what I'm talking about.

John and Stasi wrote Love & War and have recently embarked on a book tour.

Last weekend, Michael and I got to hear John & Stasi Eldredge speak on their Love & War Tour. Food for the soul. Oh my, we were both so inspired, as were the other couples with us, Curtis & Karen (He is Eldredge's agent, which is just beyond cool if you ask me!), and Chris & Christi.

I raced to the back to be first in line to give Stasi a hug and slobber all over her about how much I loved Captivating, how it spoke to my heart like my own blood and guts were spilled out on the page, you know, soul-sister type praise, and how I just wished that there was an action figure-sized Stasi I could keep in my pocket. She's just wonderful.

I think I scared her pretty good. She probably got a restraining order.

Anyway, now Michael and I are reading Love & War together and enjoying every minute. It is a deep and rich read, which I recommend with all my heart. Pray for us because marriage books have been known to be used as heavy objects to hurl at one another. And, please, let us know if you are reading it as well so that we may pray for you!

A Tiny Praise Report About Honoring God in My Behavior

2010-01-23T11:10:00.000-08:00

You know how it goes. When you're really working on a particular discipline, you will be presented with very tough situations in which to practice and put some muscles on it. So, in my house we've been working on honoring God in our behavior, which means that we are all running headlong into circumstances in which it would be really, really easy to not do so.

Yesterday, my practice circumstance looked like this.

A snotty lady we encountered while running errands stood there sneering at my precious children (4 white, 1 black) and fumed with disdain,

"WHAT is this world coming to?!"

Its funny because as soon as I saw her and watched her lips curl back in disgust as she took in the sight of my beautiful, multi-ethnic family, I knew she would say something caustic. I took a deep breath before the ugly words came flying at us and prayed that whatever I did or said would be honoring to God.

I replied,

"Well, thankfully, this world is coming to
the aid and adoption of orphans."

and just looked back at her with peace on my face as she continued to glare at us.

YES! I almost did a ridiculous victory River Dance with my hands on my hips and my feet flying around right then and there!

For those of you who are wondering if we experience racism often, the answer is no, thank the Lord. Most people who say anything at all are completely lovely. But, when we have encountered racist ugliness I have really struggled with how to respond in a Christlike fashion and not *ahem* say something that is satisfying in the moment but that I regret later *ahem*. Especially when it's the N-word. Yeah, that's a toughie.

So, this was one of those spiritual muscle-building moments in practicing honoring God in my behavior and I did it! I spoke back instead of stammering like an idiot and chose words that I wouldn't regret later and...

I didn't even head-butt her! YEA!

Hausam Family Credo Study - Week 1

2010-01-20T22:05:00.000-08:00

Sometime mid-2008, we wrote and memorized a list of some of our Family Maxims. When my flinging-flanging computer died late last summer and maliciously devoured its own password so I couldn't even retrieve any data, reciting our credo during family devotions kind of slid by the wayside. (I finally played frisbee with it so I think it learned its lesson in the end.)

Anyway, since we hadn't spent time on them in a while, we decided to spend a week focusing on each.

Monday began Week One:

In Our Family, We...
honor God.
All of our behavior is measured against this standard.

The first day I awoke all revved up, fresh faced, ready to roll on polishing up my honoring God. So exciting! The morning went beautifully. Awesome family Bible study. Worship time with the kids. Marg on guitar and Ricker on drums, the rest of us on various rhythm instruments. (Let's not digress here about the virtue of a kazoo in a worship band. Let's just put a pin in that one and we'll save it for later.)

Anyway, that's when the whining, and crying, and interrupting one another, and pretty soon some shouting here and there began and I started to stumble a wee bit with my honoring God attitude. The non-honoring God behavior was soon to follow. Honestly, by the end of a very long, vexing day I was ready to drink Drano feeling pretty humbled and dishonorable. Shoot.

OK, Day 2. Fresh start.

Epiphany... "All of my behavior"... Behavior is action. That doesn't mean I don't have an occasional moment of, say, wanting to stick a fork in someone's eye... It's that I don't actually do it! Instead, I need to wait. And think. And pray. And ask the Lord to show me what is the right and godly choice in this particular moment. I don't think he'll whip out "Stick a fork in thine neighbor's eye", but I'm not putting it past Him because He does have a pretty fantastic sense of humor and irony.

That's really all it is. Taking the 10 second breather and deciding to behave in a way that is honoring to God.

I know it's become sadly pithy, but

What would He do? What did He do in every situation? He honored God the Father, right? And all of His behavior was a blazing testament to that simple standard.

It means I need to weigh everything about my life in light of honoring God. All of it. Not just my behavior because really that's just the fruit. Baby steps!

So, really, this is The Biggie. When I truly live according to the first commandment (upon which this is founded), then the rest is actually supposed to follow organically.

By the way, in retrospect, I think God totally would have played frisbee with the old computer. He would have smote it for sure.

10 Resolutions for 2010

2010-01-08T15:25:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm a little late posting this, but don't be alarmed, I've made my resolutions! Here they are for 2008 and 2009. Hopefully, with the Lord's strength, I'll do a little less disastrously this year...

resolutions for

1. Worship the Lord with all my heart!

2. Dig into the Word!

3.

4.

5. Bloom where I am planted.

6.

7. Laugh more!

8. Let GO!

9. Honor the Sabbath

10. Run, run, run, run, run, run, run!

Oh yeah, and...

11. Start a new diet!

Just Beachy

2010-01-01T04:45:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

God is good. Always.

Anybody else have a challenging 2009?

Come on. Show of hands.

Anyone?

Well, it was hard for us.

In so many, many, many, many ways. I mean, don't get me wrong, lots of really wonderful, beautiful, fantastic, miraculous things happened, too. We celebrated 10 years of homeschooling by... well, nothing really except saying "Hooray!" After Mother was diagnosed with breast cancer in February, we had the JOY of her being completely cancer-free in 2009! We celebrated Valentines with some beautiful people! We got outta Dodge for a romantic weekend in Pasadena. Evangeline became an Evangelist. Michael and I vacationed in Cancún for his 40th, which was amazing even though I'm still smarting over el stupido waiter's comment. Our beautiful niece, Penelope Rose ,was born! I got a fabulous weekend away all by myself at the beach for Mother's Day! Woot woot! Jackie got a huge surprise during field trip week in San Diego - He got to meet the Veep. Now that I'm looking back over my blog, there were a few pretty funny moments. We got to go to the Ethiopian Mehaber in Minnesota, which was such an incredible, and moving, and fun experience and a major highlight of the year, and we field tripped a ton and had a reunion with brother Jon and his family. Jackie, our future Marine, got into an awesome school. Poppy's open-heart surgery was a success, praise the Lord! Our older two kids went on a few mission trips including traveling to Canada with their church group. They also, like last summer, spent two amazing weeks at JH Ranch in Northern California! We finally finished our house remodel. And, that's about when my computer died, so the blog got very, very ghostly quiet. Anyway, trust me when I say that we also had a great vacation to Santa Barbara. AND, we got to take a trip on a private plane (Air Thorne, or as we like to call it "PamAm") with with wonderful friends, the Thornes and the Plotkins to visit the Alexanders in Dallas and see U2 in concert. Yeah, I must admit, that rocked. And, we moved to a lovely new home down by the beach with a view to kill for.

But, mostly 2009 was hard. It blew, really. Well, looking back at that last paragraph, it doesn't really sound like it did. But, it did.

Hmmm. Thinking about it, 1999 was an absolutely torturous year for us and frankly I'm disturbed by the pattern. 1999. 2009. So, in 2019 I'm putting myself into an elective coma. Just in case.

Which would be a very convenient time to have plastic surgery. New girls. Liposuction. Maybe permanent eye-liner. Not so much so you'd notice. Just a little "freshening up".

The only thing that worries me is... Well, did you know that the way they do permanent eye-liner is by tattooing it on? That gives a whole new meaning to "stick a needle in your eye"! I'd be so worried that they'd stab my eye on accident. What happens when you get a needle in your eye anyway? Does it pop like a balloon? Like a water balloon? Does it get a slow leak, pssssssss... until it's all creepy and deflated like a very icky raisin? OK, no can do. I'm out.

Alright, alright, no liposuction either.

What?! Don't look at me like that. OK already! No new girls. Gosh, you're no fun!

Anyway, elective coma for 2019. I'm not joking. Wait and see. I'm going to have one of those glass boxes made like they had for Snow White and be laid out on the dining table. My kids can visit me then. And put a little Windex shine on it while they say their hellos. It's gonna work. You'll see.

So long, 2009! Sayonara! Auf Wiedersehen! Ciao! Hejdå! Adios! Au Revoir! Shalom! Farewell! See ya! Tata! Cheerio! Aloha! Do svidan’ya! Hasta La Vista, baby! Don't let the door hit you in the bootie on the way out!

(I still have the deflated eye scenario in my head creeping me out, but I'm gonna get serious here anyway...)

God is good. Always. Always, always, always, always, always. He is. He is good.

I thank God for 2009 because in between all that rocked and all that sucked, GOD was there. He is God and He will have His way. Whether I like it or not. Whether I submit and am changed and shaped or whether I fight Him and get bumped and bruised first. I thank God for 2009 because when I rejoice, He is there. When I suffer, He is there. When I am angry, He is there. When everything is good and beautiful, He is there. When everything turns to ashes, He is there. I thank God for 2009 because He showed me over and over that nothing that I could ever do, or be, or not do, or not be can make Him love me any less or any more. He just loves me. I thank God for 2009 because He is my God and He shall be praised!

May the Lord richly bless you this year. May His heart be impressed upon yours. May His yoke be easy. I pray these things upon myself as well and I say, "I am the Lord's servant. He may do with me as He wishes!"

Praise the Lord, it's 2010!

Helloooo???

2009-10-14T11:12:00.000-07:00

Dear Blog,

I know. I've neglected you horribly. You poor thing. I bet you thought I abandoned you altogether. The truth is that life has just been soooo crazy and full, lots of wonderful, lots of what Evangeline calls "a whole lot of Super No Fun", not enough time in the day for me, and then my computer finally went to the Big Motherboard in the sky. Excuses, excuses. I know. I promise to get back on the Blogwagon and give you a good sprucing up, too. Soon. Deep apologies from

Your old friend,
Laurz

Two Girls, Two Days, Two Celebrations!

2009-08-21T14:20:00.000-07:00

Two years ago on August 19th, 2007 we met our daughter, Elianna Ray, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia!

The next day, August 20th, her big sister, Evangeline Ellen, turned 1!

Now, these two beauties

who bring us so much joy

are the best of best friends.

And, we are so grateful to our Heavenly Father for them both!

It's the First Anniversary of My Thirty-nnn...nevermind... Birthday

2009-08-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

And, I thought last year was bad.

First of all, I'd like to thank my mother for always being there for me, for supporting me, and loving me, and I'd like to tell her I'm sorry that because of me she can never excitedly jump up and down without... Well, that's another "never mind"... I love you, Mama. Sorry.

Secondly, yes, that means it's my birthday.

Third, what about it?!?

Kidding. Kidding.

I don't mind having a birthday. Just don't send a bunch of waiters over to sing to me. And don't buy me gag gifts like a cane, or dentures, or exercize equipment unless it's a treadmill because I need a new one. And don't send me a cake made out of adult diapers either, or fruit, or flowers for that matter. I want a real cake. Lemon. Or chocolate. Butter cream frosting. Sprinkles. Single candle. And I like funny cards, not mushy ones or musical ones unless they're extra funny. And I'm not wearing a birthday hat so don't even think about it. Or a "birthday girl" award button with hot pink frillies. Not gonna happen.

*breathing*

It's OK... I'm alright now.

39.

Ouch.

On the positive side, though, at least celebrating my 39th's second anniversary next year will be a whole lot easier!

Thankyouthankyouthankyou, friends and family, for the ridiculous amount of sweet birthday wishes... I am so very blessed with wonderful people in my life!!!

Most Embarrassing Kid Moment Ever

2009-07-29T10:05:00.000-07:00

STOP! This post has been rated PG-25. Funny, but not appropriate for tender eyes. You've been warned.

(Facebook friends have already heard this story, but I have been commanded to re-tell it.)

Evangeline and the Androgenous Person

There is a person we run into relatively often who is... well, kind of a Pat. Male? Female? It's hard to say. Recently, I was with the girls and Evangeline noticed him/her and, being a curious 2-year-old without a ton of volume awareness, asked quite loudly,

"Mama is that a boy or a girl?"

This person heard her and so I immediately gushed out apologies but, thankfully, he/she responded so graciously to the embarrassing question!

"It's OK. I'm a girl, sweetie."

My precious little cherub then proceeded to look at her very skeptically and asked,

"May I see your vagina?"

I almost died.

She replied, "Err... umm... well... No... Remember, that's private..."

Yep. Most embarrassing kid moment. Ever.

Hiawatha's Update -- The Haus Remodel That Ate Summer

2009-07-24T11:30:00.000-07:00

Remember Michael's teeny tiny oopsie & the ensuing flood? Well, we're finally reaching the end of our remodel... the one that ate summer.

Flooring was ripped out, cabinets demolished, walls knocked down. Jack hammers, crow bars, sledge hammers, oh my! Out went the dining room! Out went the kitchen! Out went the butler's pantry! Family room! Scotty Potty! Three hallways! The laundry room! The entry! Everything got yanked. Plastic sheeting everywhere. The dust, heavenly days, the dust!

And, every single day I was reminded that contractors don't flush. What's with that?!?

BUT, in a few short weeks the remodel will be finished. Yucky tile GONE! Icky carpet OUT! New stone will have been laid. New cabinets, new marble countertops, new new new everything!

Now that I think about it...

Maybe I should give Hiawatha a project in the master bedroom so I can get an entirely new upstairs in my wigwam, too!

My very own Hiawatha at Minnehaha Falls in Minnesota!

Update on Poppy's Surgery

2009-07-21T10:21:00.001-07:00

All is well! Poppy's open-heart surgery (to replace a bicuspid aortic valve - pictured above) lasted about 5 1/2 hours and went "exactly as planned" according to the surgeon. He also said that the valve was a stiff as a fingernail and he didn't know why Poppy was still alive! God is SO GRACIOUS to have preserved his life.

By the way, it just cracks me up that he asked the doctor to take pictures during his surgery and that the surgeon DID! It's such a Poppy thing to do! I'm not really looking forward to Show and Tell. ;)

We're so grateful for the prayers, love, and support of family, friends, and Church family... Please continue to pray for Pastor John McClure, especially during the first 48 hours after surgery which are the most delicate. Thank you!

Poppy (far right) with his youngest brother, Ron McClure, and Marg

Please PRAY for Poppy!

2009-07-20T08:30:00.000-07:00

Evangeline hanging out with Poppy on Sunday afternoon

And my God shall supply all your need
according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

This morning our Poppy (dad, John McClure) is having open-heart surgery to replace a bicuspid aortic valve.

"See, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh;
is anything too hard for Me?" (Jeremiah 32:27)

A dear friend sent the beautiful image above and it's exactly what I've been mentally picturing is going on inside the OR.

"For the Lord is a sun and shield;
the Lord will give grace and glory;
no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." (Psalm 84:11)

Thank you for your prayers. We will update as soon as we have news. Trusting, praying, believing in faith...

Praying for Poppy (and eating grapes)

Jackie's Secret Agent Camp & Exciting News

2009-07-17T14:40:00.000-07:00

OK, I'm trying to catch up a little bit... Don't laugh! So, here's the skinny on Secret Agent Camp... It ROCKED! Jackie had a WILD time... Full military camouflage, secret operative identity, rifle & shotgun paintball, war games, ziplining into "enemy territory"... Excellent boy stuff. He came home out of his mind happy and stinking to HIGH HEAVEN after crawling through mud, stalking through the woods looking for the "bad guys", and still covered in face paint! I seriously nearly burned his gear before it got into the house. He won Last Man Standing two weeks in a row as a "good guy" and successfully infiltrated the other team once... My future Marine. Makes a mama proud!

Also, we just recently heard that Jack was ACCEPTED to St. Catherine's Military Academy! He is, and we are SO thrilled! This boy who has been enamored by all things military since he was a zygote and fully intends to matriculate at West Point or Annapolis is going to ROCK St. Catherine's! HOO-AH!

Loving the Land of Lakes and Lakes and Mistakes and Mistakes

2009-07-07T15:25:00.000-07:00

Mistake #1: Minnewhiny

Looking back, I realize that traveling with four kids (Jackie was at Secret Agent camp which rocked! I'll tell you about it later.) on a red-eye flight might not have been the wisest choice. Arriving at 5am with two cranky toddlers, two crankier teenagers, and one crankiest husband may not have been using the best forethought. But what's done is done.

Mistake #2: Minneseekashorterline

Secondly, I shoulda been using the old noggin and remembered to renew Marg and Ricker's passports before it got to be too late to do so in LA because as soon as we arrived in MN we took our first field trip to the lovely passport office in downtown Minneapolis. By the way, they are brand spanking new, very efficient, and I recommend that you go to Ms. Delia Bottomsworthy's window... She's a peach.

Anyway, with that finally out of the way and our Minnesota trip officially begun, of course, we went straight to the Mall of America! I personally could have done all my field tripping there for the rest of the week.

We really enjoyed the fascinating Historic Fort Snelling, especially after learning that that is where Dred Scott (of the famous Supreme Court Case) lived.

Ray Ray in the flower fields at Fort Snelling

We toured the Minnehaha Park flower gardens and historic buildings as well as

Minnehaha Train Depot. Isn't it darling?

While visiting the State Capitol, Michael loved finding out that there's a county McLeod in MN!

Just so you don't have to walk back to the car and lock your Glock in the trunk, you should know that no guns are allowed in the Supreme Court although they are everywhere else. Talk about uptight!

Oh, and one more thing, I hereby humbly apologize to all Minnesotans...

for Evangeline pooping on the front lawn of the Capitol Building. Sorry!

Papa & Ray Ray in downtown St. Paul

On Father's Day we took Michael to the MN Twins baseball game in the Metrodome.

Father's Day kisses for Papa!

Walking around downtown

Sculpture Garden

Landmark Center

Minnesota is really cool. Stunning homes, great restaurants, beautiful parks, rivers, and lakes, and cool museums! SO much to see and do. We didn't have nearly enough time to do all the things we had planned. We're really looking forward to coming back again next year!

Besides the Ethiopian Mehaber and several really great field trips, we also visited some of Michael's relatives (his brother and sister-in-law, and their two sons), but darnitall, this is the best photo I got of Jon & Liz...

Mwwahahahaha!

Ummmm, wait a minute... It's probably not smart to post this since they have an unfortunate photo of me on their boat hiding behind a beach towel going Number One into a plastic cup.

Mistake #3: Minneweewee!

Ethiopian Mehaber... We Left Our Hearts in MN!

2009-07-05T15:25:00.000-07:00

You know, there's really nothing like being with 1,000ish other people comprised of families that look like your own... We've been looking forward to going to Mehaber for years, but we didn't anticipate being so emotional. It's not something I can adequately describe. Walking in and seeing so many Ethiopian kids and their families was beyond moving. Just hearing moms and dads calling out for Abeba, Dawit, Tenagne, Fasika, or Mekdes pierced my heart.

We had a fantastic time meeting a bunch of new friends and finally meeting a few old ones like Allison, Rebekah and Audrey. The kids got tattoos and ate their weight in popcorn and candy. We came home with bags heavily laden with Ethiopian coffee, shirts & bags from AHOPE, tons of children's books, photo books of Ethiopia, etc., a new traditional Ethiopian dress for Ray Ray's next birthday photo, and pretty much anything we could get our hands on.

But, the best part was just being there. What a day!

The Andenet Dance Group was great!

Ethiopian dance class

Ray Ray loved making new friends.

Ray Ray with Biftu Merdassa, the sweet Ethiopian lady who braided Ray Ray's first cornrows.

What a spectacular time! We are SO looking forward to next year! THANK YOU, EKC, for organizing such a wonderful event for families like ours!

Blondepedia: The Source For All Your Misinformation Needs

2009-07-03T17:15:00.000-07:00

I am starting up a new website for misinformation of all kinds. It's going to be called Blondepedia.

My husband, Michael, read my last post and said, "Poppy didn't have an angioplasty. He had an angiogram."

So, I said, "No, he had an angioplasty."

And he said, "Nuh-uh!"

And I said, "Yuh-huh!"

And he said, "No way!"

And I said, "Way!"

Turns out I was wrong. Darn. I mean, fabulous, amazing news that Poppy had an angiogram instead of an angioplasty, but darn that I misreported. By the way, the results were GREAT, arteries look clear, so he's good to go for his appendectomy tomorrow... See, there I go again! (Really, he's having open-heart surgery in a few weeks.)

But that goof was just the beginning of my professional career as Dr. of Erroneosity.

In discussing Mother's surgery I missed her using the word "partial". Oops! I was wrong again. Darn! I mean, incredible, miraculous news that Mother's surgery was not a radical mastectomy, but darn that I misreported again!

So, the truth and nothing but the truth so help me God is that the surgeon was able to do a partial mastectomy! One doctor even referred to the surgery as a LUMPECTOMY and we like that term so much more that that's what we're calling it from here on out! By the way, the lumpectomy went wonderfully, lymph nodes look clear, and she's recovering beautifully!

PRAISE THE LORD!

So, just to completely clear up all confusion...

Got it?

By the way, I am also the one that twittered Jeff Goldblum's death. I am a virtual fount of misinformation. Thus, my new career as CEO of Blondepedia.

"I'm Margie McClure and I endorse this blog post as non-misinformation."

The Goodbye Girls

2009-06-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

Today is a big day.

Today our sweet Mama is getting a mastectomy.

We had thought, and had reported with rejoicing in April, that she was in remission, but the last MRI showed that her breast cancer is a vicious beast that wouldn't die even after very aggressive chemotherapy treatment.

So, without any other options, Mother the Cheerfully Stalwart said, "Alright, let's do this thing!"

Right before they heard that surprising news, Poppy's doctor told him that he'd have to have open heart surgery... like NOW!.. to replace a bicuspid aortic valve that has deteriorated very quickly and possibly for a bipass. He had an angioplasty last week that hopefully did the trick. We'll see. We've known for years that Poppy would probably need to have this surgery at some point in the future, but it was a big shock for everyone to find out that it had become an emergency.

So, Mother's surgery is today followed by 6 weeks of radiation and Poppy's surgery will likely be in 2-3 weeks.

I know what you're thinkin'... DUH-ANG!!! And, you're right! This is a crazy, crazy time for our dear, sweet parents. Please, pray with us for both of our folks for their complete healing. They continue to have amazing, grateful, faithful, happy, uplifting, other-centered hearts and attitudes throughout this entire ordeal. Both are completely at peace and trusting in Jesus. They bless my soul.

Today, in particular, please prayer for Mother. Losing "the girls" is tough for any woman...

even Mother The Cheerfully Stalwart.

(I'm sorry for being a bad blogger this month and I promise to update about Jack's radical summer camp, our Minnesota trip, the Ethiopian Mehaber, and a fabulous time with our brother, sister, and nephews whom we had not seen in way, way, way too long. I should share about a couple of funny mishaps, too, and also about The Haus Remodel That Ate Summer. I promise to get to it soon. Thanks, friends, for your prayers!)

Mehaber 2009

2009-06-08T12:35:00.000-07:00

Are you going to the Ethiopian Kids Community Summer Mehaber 2009?

For the last two years, more than 700 people from 17 states and 3 countries have attended! Look what's happening this year.

Ethiopian cultural demonstrations and traditional music
Coffee ceremony
Ethiopian cooking lesson by Fasika Ethiopian Restaurant
Family portraits in traditional Ethiopian clothing by Getachew Yadette Portraits
Ethiopian food and snacks for purchase (also American sandwiches)
Ethiopian traditional children's games
Hair braiding instruction by Biftu Merdassa from Global Braids Salon
(including free hair braiding during the event)
Performance by The Andenet Dance Group
Ethiopian dance classes
Face painting and tattoos by Malerich Arts
As well as inflatable bouncers, wii sports, carnival games, etc.

There will also be a large Merkato (market) including nonprofit organizations, adoption information, and vendors selling Ethiopian merchandise:

Everything from hambasha to Amharic Bean Bag sets
Amharic Kids will be releasing - "Explore Ethiopia: a coloring book"
Cultural items, clothing, coffee, cookbooks, spices, children's books and DVDs, card games, hair products and accessories, and more!

It's going to be GREAT! Who else is going?

Last Poison

2009-06-02T10:15:00.000-07:00

Many kisses to our precious mama, the Maternal Person, today.

Today she goes in for her very last chemotherapy session, what she has dubbed "The Last Poison". Praise the Lord it's almost OVER!

I'm sure you know that chemo has a cumulative effect, so each infusion has had a greater impact. Round one is a doozy, but seems pretty bearable, but they get tougher and more sickening every time. This last round was exceptionally difficult, so she's not looking forward to an even worse couple of weeks after today's treatment. It's the pits.

But, God has been incredibly gracious through this whole season. She is in remission. Her life is not in danger. We get to keep her, and for that we are so grateful to God.

What's next? In three weeks, we think, mother will have surgery to remove the formerly cancerous tissue. Thankfully, it will be an outpatient procedure and she will likely not need reconstructive surgery! After that, she will go through 6 weeks of daily radiation. Yikes!

But first she's got to get through this last round of chemo. So, please pray for our mother today and over these next few weeks when she'll be feeling the worst she has since the beginning of her treatment. She's tough. She doesn't complain. But, I know she's feeling horrid and that it's only going to get worse for a little while. It breaks my heart.

Lord Jesus, be with Mama.

Buckle up!

2009-05-30T10:40:00.000-07:00

'Tis the season of finals prep and music recitals.

I feel like

and a little like

Heads are

Brains are

Lots of

to the point of

and even more of

to the point of

But it's almost

Then we're going to

and

Then we'll hop a plane to

for the Mehaber

As soon as we get back Marg & Ricker head off for a two week mission trip to

and then two weeks of summer camp at

Whew!

And finally, this mama's gonna catch her breath and

and the papa's gonna

but not yet. For now, it's

Remembering... With Thankfulness!

2009-05-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

Smells Weird

2009-05-22T08:25:00.000-07:00

The other night I crawled into bed exhausted, fluffed my pillow and was just getting into my comfy position when I slid a hand under the pillow...

and discovered that there was something wet & slimy already there. It felt like what was (hopefully) a large, flat wad of damp, oily paper. ACK!

"Oh my goodness, what on earth?.... I don't even want to know what this is!"

Now, here's the difference between men and women. I wanted to get rid of the nasty, pillow-defiling offender as fast as possible before I figured out that it was something more disgusting than wet paper. Michael, however wanted me to hand it to him and then he stuck his nose up to it!

"Here, give it to me. What is it? (sniff sniff)... Smells weird."

After he turned the light on, it turned out to be a slightly damp cheese quesadilla.

Yep.

Under my pillow.

That's what happens when you've got five kids and two dogs under one roof. Ya gotta just roll with it.

Que(sadilla) sera sera!

Top Five

2009-05-19T16:35:00.000-07:00

Michael and I decided that we needed a Top Five list of special things that express love to each other. Top Five things to help us keep our heads above water when life is challenging. Top Five ways to show we've got each other's backs. Top Five gifts of love.

Michael's Top Five for Me to Do For Him:
1. Verbal affirmation.
2. Lower the air conditioning before I get home so I don't come home to a hot house.
3. Spoil me by stocking up on my favorite soap (L'Occitane Lemon Verbena).
4. Set the coffee to brew before I get out of bed, especially on my early days.
5. Hugs and kisses. And LOTS of both.

My Top Five for Michael to Do For Me:
1. Do all of the things that I like.
2. Don't do any of the things that I don't like.
3. Say nice things.
4. Don't talk too much about things that I don't care about or too little about the things I do care about.
5. That's all. Just four. I'm easy.

And, ya know what, I'm a little bit mad that he didn't know my list by heart already! Yeesh!

Happy 9th Birthday, Jack!

2009-05-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to our beautiful boy! What a gift he is to us in so many ways. We are so proud of our Jackie.

He's the most strong-willed and determined kid imaginable and also the biggest helper around. He's very responsible, very polite, very "very" about most things one way or the other. Jack doesn't do anything half-heartedly. He's a boy who wouldn't know the middle of the spectrum if it bit him on the hand!

He's an animal on the basketball court comfortably playing with the high school and college age guys' pickup games at the gym. It's cool to go out for ice cream together and run into a bunch of older boys who greet him like he's just one of the guys. "Hey, Jack-o! J-man, what up? See ya, J!" That's 9-year-old heaven!

He's absolutely fearless on his bike racing down hills and risking his life on jumps and ramps. And, as you've already learned, our little Jeff Corwin loves reptiles enough to abandon all common sense and bike around holding a rattlesnake. That's our boy. Someday, (if we survive raising him!) I know we'll be amazed at what wonderful plan the Lord has for his unique gifts and talents.

We love you, Jackie! Happy birthday, big boy!

We're off to DISNEYLAND!

Blog Plug

2009-05-17T06:40:00.000-07:00

Check out Taking the Yoke by our dear friend, Ray Hollenbach, pastor of the Vineyard in Campbellsville, KY.

Jackie & the Veep

2009-05-15T20:20:00.000-07:00

The best part of our big field trip week, by far, was the chance encounter we had at the Hotel Del Coronado.

Early on, Jackie (who has some kind of built in radar for military and police) pointed out a guy standing at a ballroom door who he was sure was undercover law enforcement. Then, when we were just about to leave, Michael happened to see a large gathering of people and ran over to see what was going on. He learned that the Vice President of the United States was just about to exit the hotel. Jackie's instict was right on. Cool! Now, the fact that we saw a tricked-out-Counter-Terrorist-Unit-type Homeland Security van driving down the 5 freeway a couple of days earlier made a lot more sense.

Anyway, we waited around for about 15 minutes when suddenly there he was. Vice President Biden smiled for the crowd,

and then pointed at someone special.

Lo and behold, he made a bee-line straight for Jackie,

shook his hand and tussled his hair, and made a joke about it being full of sand,

and then pointed out that at least Jackie still has hair

which got a big laugh from everyone.

And then he was whisked off followed by black Secret Service suburbans, helicopters, emergency trucks, and those über-cool Homeland Security vehicles.

Even though we're not exactly fans of Joe Biden, the politician, we have enormous respect for the office he holds, so it was a HUGE thrill (especially for Jackie) to personally meet and greet Joe Biden, the Vice President!

What a fun and exciting way to end Field Trip week!

San Diego Bound!

2009-05-13T05:00:00.000-07:00

Off to San Diego! Home schooling ROCKS!

Sacramento Field Trip

2009-05-11T22:15:00.000-07:00

Hooray for 4th grade! The Sacramento field trip is one of the best parts of studying our state's history. Jackie (our 4th grader) is looking forward to visiting the Capitol building again, walking through historic Sacramento, panning for gold, Schoolhouse Museum, California State Railroad Museum, Sutter's Fort,

...and maybe even a glimpse of "Ahnold"!

FUN!

For the Maternal Person

2009-05-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

Just because she'll love it!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to the best Mother/Nana/Friend known to mankind. We are so thankful for you, for your influence in our lives, for your example, your wit, your humor, your joy, your friendship. We love you!

Notice to Appear Without Appeal

2009-05-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

This is what I got in the mail yesterday that scared the pants off me. Uh oh, something from Superior Court.

I recently got my first ticket in almost 19 years. I got pulled over for speeding, if you must know, which really stinks because I'm normally such a Grandma Driver. I had all six of my people in the car so, believe me, I got a LOT of gas over it. Maybe that's because I possibly had mentioned my pristine driving record of almost 19 years once or twice before. Could be. So, getting ticketed not only destroyed my spotless record but also my ability to gloat. Darn! Anyway, I was sure this was the bill for my most recent felonious act (which I learned is called a "Bail Notice" by the way. Talk about Guilt Trip!)

WHAT? A Notice to Appear?

Claim against me? Additional penalties? NO APPEAL?!? What on earth???

Apparently the Plaintiff(s) (Michaels Sr. & Jr., Margot, Jackie, Evangeline & Elianna Ray) have sought judgment against me and require that I take time off from any and all "MOTHERING" duties... without discussion and/or argument!

That means two whole days at the beach all by myself! YAHOO!!!

If you can read the teeny tiny print, you'll probably agree with me that this whole thing is a complete riot! It was the attention to detail (like the certified mail sticker on front and back) and the confounding legal jargon (If "Is Not" is circled above, plaintiff(s) has/have received additional judgment from a judge or controlling legal authority to dispense with appellate process in this matter.) that got me. Michael must have thought and thought about various ways that he could surprise me with a minivacation for me... and he came up with...

"Hmmm... I know! I scare the whoowee out of her with legal papers! It's PERFECT!"

Have I told you lately how much I love this man?

And besides being wonderful he's really cute, too!

I'm outa here! As in Buh-BYE!

National Day of Prayer & World AIDS Orphans Day

2009-05-07T15:15:00.000-07:00

Today is the 58th annual NDP. What a blessing to live in a country where we are free to pray privately, congregationally, publically, corporately, and nationally! And, what a disappointment that President Obama decided not to honor this important day! I hope he gets enough heat from people that he reconsiders hosting an event in the White House next year!

Today is also World AIDS Orphans Day.

"Over 15 million children worldwide have lost one or both parents to AIDS – equivalent to the number of people living in New York, Paris, and Bangkok combined. In sub-Saharan Africa alone, over 12 million children have been orphaned by the pandemic. Experts believe that millions more orphans remain unaccounted for in India, China and Russia.

By 2010, the number of AIDS orphans worldwide is expected to reach at least 20 million."

I think it's fantastic that both are being commemorated on the same day!

Blog Union '08 Video

2009-05-05T10:50:00.000-07:00

THANK YOU, Drew & Carey! We can hardly wait for Blog Union '09! Chicago, here we come!

Ethiopian Heritage Camp

2009-05-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

Porter posted last year about her experience at Ethiopian Heritage Camp (hosted by African Cradle) which sounded completely wonderful. This year the dates are

July 30-Aug 2
at Mission Springs Conference Center (near Santa Cruz)

"Join with other families touched by Ethiopian adoption as we explore the richness of the Horn of Africa. Expect to make lifelong friends and meet amazing individuals as we explore the diversity of Ethiopian culture."

Traditional Ethiopian music and games
Dance instruction
Art projects
Cooking lessons
Ethiopian coffee ceremonies
Ethiopian Merkato
Traditional Ethiopian banquet and party (bring your Ethiopian clothes to wear!)
and much more!

RIP Illuminations

2009-05-01T05:00:00.000-07:00

My husband, Michael, knows me. He knows that I am a candle nut. I am a fuh-reak for smelly candles and my sweetie is just that kind of sensitive guy to know that after all these years of buying my beloved scented candles at Illuminations, my heart broke when they closed their doors. And then (Sit down now because this is really, really bad.), they referred me to Yankee Candle. Yankee Candle! A saaaaad substitute to sate my nasty habit for delicious, aromatic, delightful, all-day-long make-the-house-smell-so-nice candles!

Agh! So, I was sad. Privately sad. I barely said a word about it. Nary a word. And yet, yesterday Michael came home with two lovely bags from this amazing little store on Balboa Island called CandlEssence.

It's really a shame that computer screens don't come with a scratch-and-sniff option because then you could smell Fig Biscotti, Merlot, Yucca Tumbleweed, Jasmine, Black Ginger & Bamboo, Garden Lily, Nag Champa, Sandalwood, Wisteria, Chocolate, Passion Fruit, or my absolute favorite Ocean Breeze. Yummy! I'm not kidding... your nose would thank Intel if they would just get on the ball with the scratch-and-sniff dealy-o. I'm onto somethin' here!

Anywho, Michael included this sweet poem (yes, he writes me poetry) which I thought you might appreciate:

Death of a favorite store
Is sure a sad, sad thing
"Oh, where to find good candles?"
Our poor soul now must sing.
We must make do with less,
That is our goal in brief.
I hope that these will help you
Conquer your deep grief!

Thanks, babe... I'm doing OK, thanks to your thoughfulness.

RIP, Illuminations! I will miss you!

Happy 90th Birthday, Papa!

2009-04-30T21:45:00.000-07:00

Last weekend, the McClure clan gathered at Uncle John & Auntie Marilyn's home in Newport Beach to celebrate our dear Papa turning 90 years old! What a blast!

In case you were curious, the namesake legacy goes

1. John Clarendon McClure... our great-great-grandfather
2. John Clarendon Englebright McClure... our great-grandfather who was baptized John Clarendon Englebright George Washington McClure -- no joke -- after the pastor kidded that his name wasn't long enough! - called Jack by friends and "Popup" by his grands
3. John Clarendon McClure II... our grandfather - called Bud by friends and "Papa" by his grands
4. John Clarendon McClure III... our father - called John by friends and "Poppy" by his kids and grands
5. John Clarendon McClure IV... our brother - called Bud by friends and "Pops" by his kids
6. John Clarendon McClure V... our nephew - called Johnny!

There are many other John men in the family, too, (like Uncle John and cousin John) which is why most have nicknames. Our John, aka "Snakebite" is called Jackie. Confusing, I know, but hopefully this cleared things up a bit.

(And, yes, I know that even though those McClure genes are incredibly strong -- check out those cousin clones -- I look a lot like my Grams. Truly, I'm thrilled to be like her in any way at all. She's quite a lady!)

Happy birthday to our dear Papa! We love you so much.

Mother Goose & Grimm

2009-04-26T11:55:00.000-07:00

Funnies

2009-04-25T10:00:00.000-07:00

Gotta love Tim Hawkins. The man is seriously funny. Enjoy!

Convert All Your Sounds of Woe Into "Hey, Nonny Nonny!"

2009-04-23T21:05:00.000-07:00

Happy 445th birthday to The Bard!

Here's what our card to Will says,

"Master William Shakespeare,

Happy birthday to thee. 'Tis past time for us to make merry in full measure, cuz. Dost thou wish to be feted? Be not unsatisfied with thy silver-threaded beard and moth-eaten cloak and partieth anon. Hither comest all thine admirers, cohorts, and toady vassals.

How now? 'Tis an affliction to acknowledge the harsh light of truth... Alas, ye shan't stir in thy fetid catacomb. Thy pen is dry. Thy sweet words are no more as a comet that has blazed the night sky with glorious wonder but now is cold and dark forevermore. Oh, hearts! Prithee, rejoice again!

Master Will, ye shall be jubilated in taverns with our countrymen tonight! We toast happy birthday to ye!"

Being avid Bardoloters, we visited Stratford-Upon-Avon, Shakespeare's hometown, in '04. Here are some of our favorite Stratford sites.

Me and kids (how cute are they?!?) at the Shakespeare home

The Swan Theatre

The River Avon

Michael & boys at the Royal Shakespeare

Off to the Second Star to the Right... and Straight on 'Til Morning

2009-04-23T21:00:00.000-07:00

Direct from Pixie Hollow, meet the fairies Tinkerbell & Iridessa!

Dress up is so fun!

Save His Footstool! Happy Earth Day.

2009-04-22T13:35:00.000-07:00

"Heaven is my throne,
And earth is my footstool:
What house will ye build me?
Saith the Lord:
Or what is the place of my rest?"
Acts 7:49

The reason I fundamentally had a hard time getting on board with green ideas and making changes around my household is that I could/can hardly stomach either historic or current day politics of the green movement. (Don't even bother leaving any caustic comments calling me an extreme right-winger, because 1. it's my blog and I don't publish meanie remarks, and 2. I consider it a compliment anyway.) I don't get why Going Green (i.e. preserving the environment and conserving our natural resources) still gets lumped in with issues like social justice, feminism, pacifism, socialism, and civil liberties. That's like physical fitness lumping together with issues like spousal abuse, poverty, gun control, racism, and censorship.

For me, it comes down to this. I desire to honor my Creator by being a good steward to His Creation. That's it.

OK, enough of ideological questioning. Bo-ring! It might not seem like it, but making your home more green is not as hard as it seems. You don't have to go very far out of your way to make a big impact. Plus, when you save energy you often SAVE MONEY! Now, that speaks everybody's language!

Stumped about where to start? Here are Ten Steps to a Greener Haus:

1. Save money & energy. Change out your light bulbs.

2. Save more dough. Unplug any appliances with LED lights when they're not in use. Use a power bar instead of plugging them into the wall and just turn the whole thing off when you're done. Here's a super easy one: once cell phones are charged, unplug them!

3. Save money & buy fresh. Shop at the local farmers market.

4. Call your utility company and ask for an audit. Don't let the word "audit" scare you! We did it and are currently saving more than $250 every single month!

5. Turn off garden lights & garden fountains (or at least greatly reduce their functioning hours).

6. Don't be a drip! Turn off faucets completely, check all toilets for leaks.

7. Shop the Star. Look for the Energy star appliances that use up to 35% less energy. Oftentimes you get a tax credit for these products, too!

8. Wash full loads of dishes & laundry. Use the warm or cold cycle (instead of hot) and choose the quicker cycles. This can save a bundle on your bill and hundreds of gallons of water every week.

9. Keep the fridge at 37 and the freezer at 0.

10. And, last but not least, solar energy, baby! If you aren't ready or able to fork out the dough for photovoltaic solar panels (if you are - Call me!), try other solar products like solar garden fountains, garden lights, patio lights, attic fans, battery chargers. Just recharging gameboys and cell phones batteries with solar chargers alone saves a bundle!

What are some of your ideas?

Lord Jesus, thank You for this beautiful earth that You've entrusted to Your children. Thank You for the mountains and valleys, oceans and deserts, trees, grass, and flowers, and for every living creature that You have put upon it. Thank You for displaying Yourself so wondrously in every part of Your Creation. Open our hearts and minds to appreciate the splendor of all that You have made. Inspire us to be ever vigilant in our stewardship of it. And may all that we see, hear, touch, taste, and smell cause us to worship You with all our hearts, minds, and strength. In Jesus Name, Amen.

Don't Sweat It

2009-04-21T21:45:00.000-07:00

It's been HOT in SoCal!

Little known fact: apparently A/C's mate for life. That was news to me. So when our downstairs air conditioner died, it wasn't a singular event. Apparently Frosty was loved, and when he gasped his last cool breath, Friggey just up and died of grief.

Now we feel like this.

And if it doesn't cool off fast, we're going to hijack Kingston's beach house...

And, by the way, Frosty & Friggey's successors just better produce offspring before they "hear the Trane coming" because not only are A/C's faithful to the end, they also cost a hot penny more than a flock of camels.

ReMission Accomplished!

2009-04-18T08:50:00.000-07:00

Thursday at Dr. VanderMolen's office the doctor looked at Mother and said, "Well, I can tell you for certain that you are in remission."

HALLELUJAH!

It was, at first, disappointing to find out that the doctor still wants her to complete the entire, original treatment plan. That means seven more weeks of chemotherapy. That also means surgery, BUT instead of a mastectomy or lumpectomy that would require reconstructive surgery, now it'll be a minor, outpatient procedure! Six weeks of radiation follow the surgery. Not fun, but at the end of that, prayerfully she'll have kicked breast cancer permanently!

We are celebrating! And praising God for His wonderful healing of our beloved Maternal Person!

Mother with Bud and Penelope on Easter Sunday

Seriously? College Planning? Already??? Nawwww!..

2009-04-17T21:25:00.000-07:00

As Margot would say, "Ya, for sure, ya betcha!"

This weekend we're up in Santa Barbara for our first official Westmont College visit... as the PARENTS this time. We love SB, so we're in town often. We tromp around or at least drive through campus and wave at our favorite spots fairly regularly with the kids. This time it is For Realz, though.

Since Michael and I, brother Jon, Mother, Aunt Sherry, Uncle Nels, and Aunt Jean were all Warriors, and Granddaddy Ortlund was on the board for many years, it's not a new idea that the kids might carry on that legacy some day. But, I've got to admit that it was surreal to go to Chapel, take a tour of the campus, eat in the D.C., and then meet with an admissions counselor... for our daughter...

for COLLEGE!

*awed silence, whimper, sniffle*

Folks, I need a "Pause" button for my Marg, and really for all of my babies. I want to enjoy them for a few more minutes before they graduate, get married, and send their own little nuggets off to Westmont.

Just so you know, it's not like Marg or the other kids who will follow her to Westmo - um, I mean "college" have to go here. It's no biggie. No pressure. We want them to take a gander at schools all over California, and out of state, internationally too, I guess, and make the choice that's right for them individually. Really. Not a teensy tiny bit of pressure...

*snigger, snort, guffaw*

As Margot would say, "Ya, for sure, ya betcha!"

Show Off That Pedicure! Go Barefoot!

2009-04-16T08:55:00.000-07:00

Haus fam feet

Fact #1: In some developing nations, children must walk for miles to food, clean water and to seek medical help.
Fact #2: Cuts and sores on feet can lead to serious infection.
Fact #3: Often, children cannot attend school barefoot.
Fact #4: In Ethiopia, approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil.
Fact #5: Podoconiosis is 100% preventable by wearing shoes.

Today, go barefoot on the way to the water cooler, walking to the mailbox, in an afternoon meeting or on your lunch break; go barefoot for the entire day or long enough to raise awareness. Attend a shoeless event in your area. Check this page for updates on times and specific locations. RSVP and pledge your support on Facebook: click HERE.

Make your money matter!
Buy TOMS Shoes and join the One for One movement!
For every pair you purchase,
TOMS will give a pair of shoes to a child in need.
One for One.
Purchase yours today!

Are you barefoot yet???

Don't Give Up (Africa)

2009-04-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Blog Union 2009 - Chicago is My Kind of Town!

2009-04-13T10:30:00.000-07:00

Remember how fun the Blog Union 2008 was?!? (Fiesta, Friday, Saturday, Sunday)

BU 09 is already cooking! Carey passed the torch onto Mrs. B. who is hosting BU 09 in Chicago!

Want to get in on the fun? First things first. In order to ensure that we have a fun a safe group in Chicago and not have any weirdos show up (except us, of course!), you need to join the meetup group and send in your info.

Requirements:
*You must be a blogger so we can see who you are :), or be grandfathered in from BU 08 or be an invited guest of an attending blogger
*You must have adopted from Ethiopia, OR officially be on the Ethiopian adoption wait list for a referral from an accredited agency.

Once accepted into the meetup group, you’ll get all the details and can officially RSVP. Easy!

So, if you haven't already, join the Meetup group... right now... Go!

FUN! So, who else is coming???

Chicago is my kind of town!

HE IS RISEN!

2009-04-12T07:35:00.000-07:00

Sunday's Coming!

2009-04-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

If you're near Orange County, please join us at Good Friday service!
Vineyard Newport Beach
Noon-1:00

Chris Lizotte & I will be leading worship.

One Day Without Shoes

2009-04-09T05:00:00.000-07:00

One week from today, on April 16th, our haushold is going barefoot. How about you?

Join Team Ethiopia to Drill Freshwater Wells through Charity: Water

2009-04-08T05:00:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, the Fabulous Mrs. Parker ("the other Lori") organized Team Ethiopia for Charity: Water. She's just that cool.

Right now, 1.1 billion people on the planet don't have access to safe, clean drinking water. That's one in six of us.

Charity: Water is changing those numbers! It's incredible. You can see photos from current projects and even check out GoogleEarth to see completed wells! Each $20 can give one person clean, safe drinking water for 20 years! And, 100% of your donation goes directly toward project costs.

Join Team Ethiopia by donating at this page! Otherwise, your donation will go towards Charity: Water's general donation fund. Pitch in a few bucks for fresh water in Ethiopia!

Margie McClure Pink Ribbon Prayer Team Update - The Half Way Mark!

2009-04-07T17:30:00.000-07:00

This week marked the half-way through chemotherapy point for Mother! Take THAT, breast cancer!

Mother's been doing pretty well, considering. I asked her if, so far, it was worse than she had imagined or not quite as bad. She said that her experience with chemo has actually been better than she had expected it to be! Told ya she was a tough broad. Still, even factoring in her sunny and unflinching nature, I can't tell you what an amazing blessing that is to hear!

Some promising news and the Grapevine:
Last week during an appointment with her oncologist, Dr. VanderMolen, he was baffled when he was unable to find the lump. He couldn't find it! WOW!

The Grapevine, though, has her already having had an MRI confirming her complete healing. Although the MRI part is not true, we simply don't know yet if she's been miraculously healed and is now cancer-free. She may be! But, lump or no lump, she has wisely chosen to follow Dr. V's recommendation that she finish the final 9 weeks before having an MRI to see how much progress is made in whooping cancer's butt. At the very least, though, her cancer has significantly shrunken. PRAISE THE LORD!

How you can pray:

That the Lord would be glorified

That she would be fully healed and remain cancer-free

That once she's done with chemotherapy, the MRI shows no need for surgery or radiation

"Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages,
teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom,
and healing every sickness and every disease among the people."
Matthew 9:35 NKVJ

And just for my Maternal Person's enjoyment (although you're free to enjoy away)...

Lookie! Lookie! A New Little Cookie!

2009-04-03T16:50:00.000-07:00

"Every good and perfect gift is from above." James 1:17

We have a new niece,
Penelope Rose!
Congratulations to Bud & Becky, Johnny, Lincoln & Charlotte!
She is such a beauty!

"From the fullness of grace we have received one blessing after another." John 1:16

Proud Pops, our brother Bud, with Penelope

Ray Ray meeting her new cousin

Lincoln, Penelope & Auntie Laurie

Uncle Michael is in love.

The Girls: Avery, Penelope, Margie, Charlotte, Ray Ray & Evangeline

Becky, Charlotte & baby

Kissin' cousins

Happy Auntie Laurie

"I sing for joy at the works of Your hands." Psalm 92:4

Vanidad Goeth Before La Caída

2009-04-02T05:00:00.000-07:00

Out to dinner in Cancún with my muchacho caliente, our waiter shyly asked me

"Are you a model?"

which put a little blush on my cheeks and some wind in my sails...

"Oh no, no, no... Gracias, señor!"

Then he put his hands out in the "I once caught a fish this big" position about nine inches on either side of his hips

and asked...

"Plus size?"

I didn't cry. Although it would have been awesome to make a huge scene bursting into tears and running out of the restaurant just for fun...

Seriously, though,

I'm boycotting that whole country now.

Forever.

That'll show 'im.

Bienvenidos al Verdadero Mundo

2009-03-31T18:00:00.000-07:00

Well, amigos, we're back to the Real World after seven glorious days in Cancún for Michael's Big 4-0... home to Michael working 24/7, laundry, cleaning, cooking, schooling, disciplining, wiping noses, wiping bottoms, cleaning up mystery vomit, moderating arguments, getting gum out of carpet, grocery shopping, erranding... and being so thankful for our family. It's good to be home.

We had an unbelievable time on vacation. It was the first time we've been away for that long from the kids, and although we missed them (eventually) it was such a treat to be together, away, alone. Now that we've OD'd on romance and have baked ourselves to a crisp, here are some favorite photos.

I'll share the funny/horrible story later. I think. Hmmm... it's pretty embarrassing. As usual.

Well, enjoy. I've got to get back to the laundry room... I'm keeping a closer eye on that now because yesterday I found an open bottle of syrup upside down in the clean laundry basket.

The Real World.

*sigh*

Un Pequeño Cumpleaños Surprise Vacación!

2009-03-23T04:00:00.000-07:00

(Since I took French and Latin in high school and only know enough Spanish to order a margarita and guacamole, I probably murdered the title of this post. I'm sorry. Je suis très désolé. Peto venia tibi.)

Remember that I told you I'd have to resort to something sneaky because of Michael's birthday party pooper funk? Drum roll, please...

In celebration of my Old Man's 40th birthday,

I packed his toothbrush and swim trunks,

and whisked him off to Cancún this week!

¡Hurra!

I think he's gonna like it.

¡Hasta luego!

Well, Look Who's 40!

2009-03-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

Hey, my gorgeous! Even though you're fragile and decrepit now and are getting long white nose and ear hairs and shuffle when you walk, I still think you're H~O~T!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MICHAEL!

Old Guys Rule

2009-03-18T14:00:00.000-07:00

My Michael is turning the big 4-0 tomorrow! For an old guy he's pretty cute! But, the man is being very difficult. His one birthday wish got postponed indefinitely (not by me), and now every other thing I've suggested just doesn't quite stick to the wall. May I throw a fun "40 MPH" party racing sports cars in Long Beach? No. How about a formal harbor cruise dinner party? No. New York City for the weekend? No. Napa wine tasting? No. Skydiving? No. Limo up to LA for a show or a concert? No. Rent a lamborghini for the day? No. Flying lessons? No. FBI training camp? No. New tattoo? No. His & Hers matching tattoos? Never mind. Scratch that!

Well, shoot, what is a wife to do? I just might have to resort to kidnapping or a surprise party.

Old guys... they can be set in their ways, you know.

Evangeline: A License to Pray

2009-03-17T15:15:00.000-07:00

Ray Ray & Evangeline having lunch al fresco in their tent.

It is a widely known fact that only the clinically insane or galactically stupid take children to the DMV. I admit, though, that I did it this week. That's me... crazy, or idiotic, or both times five. In my defense, my sitter did cancel at the last minute, but really you and I both know that there's no valid excuse.

In case you were wondering, we brought along a snack of mandarin oranges, whole wheat crackers, string cheese, and a lemonade Snapple, a few books, a princess coloring book with glitter crayons, two iPods, an Etch-a-sketch, a couple of Tinkerbell pixie faerie barbies and their Treehouse, and the Star Wars book "Jedi vs. Sith: the Essential Guide to the Force" which Ricker (big surprise) read to the babies at great length.

I sat there in my orange plastic bolted-to-the-floor bucket chair along with everyone else watching the appointment board. The same lady who got the gig for the airport public announcement "the white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only" broadcasted that #4761 should proceed to window #22a... and I thought, hmmm, only 87 others ahead of me now.

Right about then the ordinary turned extraordinary. An Hispanic gentleman in a wheelchair started to pass by us and Evangeline spontaneously reached out her hand, put it on top of his hand, squeezed her eyes tight, lifted up her face, and earnestly prayed,

"Dear Jesus, I pray that You would heal this man
and make him be out of his wheelchair in Jesus' Name, AMEN!"

He was stunned. I was stunned. Everyone was stunned at this incredible, beautiful Jesus Moment right there in the heart of the government machine... With a big smile, he responded, "Gracias!"

And, that, my friends, was Evangeline's first step into evangelism. My pee-wee preacher, my supernatural small-fry, had a toddler divine appointment. WOW!

So, next time sign me right on up for galactic stupidity. If there is absolutely no way to escape going to the DMV, I'm bringing my kids... just in case. Who knows? Any one of them could be the next John Wesley, D. L. Moody, John Wimber, or Billy Graham!

When we told our friend, Sydney, her comment was something like "Of course! She's living up to her name!"

We're Outa Here!

2009-02-27T07:50:00.000-08:00

Marg & Ricker are off to Mexico for another mission trip.

Ray Ray,

Jackie,

& Evangeline have all kinds of fun planned at home.

And, Michael and I are stealing away for several days of unabashed romance.

Hasta el Lunes!

Happy Birthday, Poppy!

2009-02-27T07:30:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to our dear Poppy! We are so grateful for you. Thank you for loving us and our whole family with all your heart. Thank you for being a wonderful friend. And, thank you for being willing to sacrifice your nice, clean clothes when the kids come running at you for bear hugs with food all over their faces and hands! OOFIE birthday hugs, Poppy!

Happy Birthday, Ricker!

2009-02-24T20:10:00.000-08:00

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY, RICKER!!!

How is it possible that my baby boy is 13?!? A teenager! That's just crazy talk!

Ricker is now tall (5'8"), wears size 13 (!!!) shoes, sports a real-live, shaveable mustache and a peach-fuzzy beard, and talks in a low voice that sometimes still cracks (which is NOT cute in any way, shape, or form, so giggling is prohibited). I'm both thrilled to know and enjoy the man that he is becoming and grieving that his boyhood went by way, way too fast!

Just so you know, I could tell you some really awesome, completely inappropriate puberty stories here, but I'm saving them for his wedding rehearsal dinner.

Ricker is a total dreamboat. He's funny and friendly, sweet and generous, relaxed and easy to be with, gregarious and upbeat, and such a delight to have around the house. He adores his papa and still kisses on the lips in public. He very inclusive of others and yet competitive, too. He's a music maniac and I'm SO glad that he's not afraid to sing LOUDLY and even dance in public. The guy has so little of the typical teenage self-consciousness. He's just a super kid... I mean young man. My young man. And pretty soon I'm going to have to cross off "young", too.

Rickerman, you make my heart happy. You are a prince among men. You make me so proud. You are such a wonderful person, a total wild animal with too much testosterone (I love that about you!), and I love how much you love Jesus, son. I love you, meatball!

And, We Are Wheels Up

2009-02-21T11:25:00.000-08:00

Mother had her first chemo session for her breast cancer on Thursday. Mrs. Positive Attitude reclined into the chair saying to the nurse, "OK, I'm settling into my imaginary first class seat on a flight to London and am now enjoying a constant flow of champagne (pointing to her chemo IV)."

The nurse absolutely loved her attitude, "Alrighty then! If you need anything, just let any of the flight attendants know. We at British Airways are pleased to be at your service."

Five hours later he playfully announced "You have now reached your destination and may disembark! The pilots and flight crew thank you for travelling with us."

How cool is that?! Our Maternal Person did feel some immediate side-effects like a funny taste in her mouth, food tasting different, some bone pain, nausea, etc., but otherwise she's doing great.

THANK YOU so much for your prayers, notes, messages, phone calls, emails, and wonderful support for Mother. She has said over and over that she truly feels the prayers and grace of God. We're so grateful!

TILT!

2009-02-18T07:35:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago, but better late than never, right? By the way, we're basically healthy here now, so don't rush right over with chicken soup... unless you really want to. Because we love soup. And, I'd throw a little dance party for you for a night off from cooking. The hustle, rumba, West Coast swing, locking and popping, cha cha... You pick. I'm just sayin'.

The sign on our door reads...

6 sick people

Throats are on...

Noses are...

Ears are...

We have high...

Heads feel like...

Generally feel like we've been...

Not quite...

but way more than just...

and a certain well-meaning husband sometimes needs to just...
about all the things that are not getting done when we're dealing with

everything being basically...

and then on top of it all, we heard about...

which is pretty much when I decided to quit whining and...

about it and instead say
Jesus for all Your many, many blessings!

because

Perspective adjusted. Thank You, Lord!

What's Not to Love About Valentine's Weekend?

2009-02-16T19:20:00.000-08:00

Great friends, tasty food and wine, lots of laughter and fun, all down on the beach... Our weekend was just what the doctor ordered!

Michael, me, Pam, Steve, Emily, Moody, Carey & Drew

Playing pool at the "Love Nest"

I love these ladies -- Pam, Em & Carey!

Drew, Moody, Michael & Steve -- our four handsome dates

Moody & Emily, our Texas brother & sister

Zoe & Kingston hitting the road
(More than a little match-making was brokered this weekend!)

Ray Ray & Caden making tracks

Ray Ray, Evangeline & Zozo

Zoe's a baby sister now!!!
Drew & Carey head to Addis Ababa to meet big sister, Tigist, in just a few days!

HUGE thanks to Steve & Pam for planning, hosting, and truly blessing us! Steve, thank you for cooking all the delicious food! It was a weekend to remember!

(Pam, if you're serious about hijacking me to see Sid for a tattoo, you'd better be prepared to pony up your own skin for some new art, too!)

Update for The Margie McClure Pink Ribbon Prayer Team

2009-02-15T14:17:00.000-08:00

On Friday Poppy and Mother had a lengthy meeting with her oncologist at Hoag Cancer Center in Newport Beach, Dr. Louis VanderMolen, discussing his recommended treatment plan. Because the type of cancer she has can quickly spread to her blood and then to the rest of her body, he wants to start off with 18 weeks of chemotherapy. After that she'll have surgery (hopefully just lumpectomy, but maybe mastectomy). Then after a recovery period she will undergo 6 weeks of radiation.

This coming week she'll have several scans (full body, PET, CAT, etc.) and then have her first 5-hour chemo treatment next Thursday, 2/19. Dr. VanderMolen acknowledges that this regimen is going to be a doozie, but he's optimistic that if her treatment is aggressive she'll be cancer-free at the end of it.

This is obviously not what any of us was praying to hear. We were shooting for a simple lumpectomy, radiation, and bada-bing all done. Realizing that this is much more serious that we had originally thought has been a challenge, but we also know that God is in control no matter what! Mother is doing very well mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. For her, just knowing what we're dealing with and what the treatment will be was actually relieving. Once she had a plan of action, she was ready to just get it done. She's remaining full of faith, not dwelling on what might happen, not worrying about anything... positive, upbeat, and with her sense of humor squarely intact. She is definitely disappointed that she'll lose her hair, but is having a remarkably great attitude about it. We're just going to get her a gorgeous wig or two and some fabulous scarves!

The woman is an inspiration.

THANK YOU for your prayers, support, and outpouring of love! It means the world to our whole family. Please do continue to pray for our sweet Maternal Person for her complete healing and that the Gospel might be widely spread through her illness. Six months from now we'll prayerfully be celebrating her remission!

All Margie McClure Pink Ribbon Prayer Team Members are invited!

McClures in Maui 2008 for Poppy & Mother's 40th Anniversary
Back row: Margot, Laurie, Ray Ray, Charlotte, Poppy, Mother, Evangeline, Lisa, Mark, Becky, Lincoln, and Bud
Front row: Jackie, Michael, Ricker, Matthew, Zuzu, Morgan, Wesley, William, and Johnny

Happy Biiiiirthday, dear Nana & President Lincoooooln!

2009-02-12T09:20:00.000-08:00

Since Walt Whitman's "Captain! My Captain!" is too darn depressing... here's a little bit of fun!

Happy birthday to our precious Mother/Nana! You are such a tremendous blessing in all our lives. Thank you for loving us so well, supporting us, teaching us, caring for us, spending time with us, being a role model, laughing, talking, sharing, advising, and just being so darn wonderful! We are blessed to call you dear friend, Maternal Person! Happy birthday!

(Don't worry, mum's the word that you're 61!)

Nana & Ray Ray
(Ray Ray's shirt says, "got my mind on my mommy and my mommy on my mind" which is perfectly appropriate for today! )

The C Word

2009-02-10T16:30:00.000-08:00

So what's the sassy little stilletto for?

The answer in part is that Mother, the one we affectionately refer to as our "Maternal Person", has breast cancer.

Breast cancer.

The C word.

Boy, that word just knocks the wind right out of you. What on earth are you supposed to do with a cancer diagnosis?! It's terrifying! What if this? And what if that?

FEAR! Fear is overwhelming and immobilizing! The Bible commands us over and over "Fear not!"

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not upon your own understanding" Prov 3:5

I suppose that's why it's called a "leap of faith". You have to look across a yawning abyss of the unknown and what if's and jump over that menacing blackness to a place of trust and peace... That means it's not easy. It takes guts, and strength, and chutzpah to have faith. Didn't God tell us to believe in and pray for miracles? How can we learn to operate that way automatically unless we are tested with real live, scary, challenging, painful struggles that require us to have cajones enough to trust God to intervene? The C Word (cancer, not cajones) requires a leap of faith, faith in action, not being immobilized by fear, leaning into God's immeasurable strength and power, and relying upon His ever-sufficient grace.

Of course, that doesn't mean that you don't deal with fear at all. It means that when something rattles you all the way down to your core, you CHOOSE to trust in Jesus, place that issue into God's hands fully willing to submit to His Will no matter what it may be, and you choose to push fear away and say "NO!" to it.

It's one of the essencial challenges in the Christian walk... learning to "Fear Not!" and trust God through the really scary stuff.

Like cancer.

Now, Maternal Person, she's a rock. She's a Jesus-following-veteran who's learned to rest in God's Will. Scripture says, "Fear not" and so she does not! Really. She has not worrying about the "what if's" down cold. She's a brick. She's more worried about how everyone else is doing, Poppy and us kids and grands. See what a mean? A brick!

She's choosing faith, and rejoicing in what great things the Lord will do through this experience, and deciding to live through it with JOY! Shoot, I wish that was an ability that could be passed down genetically. Like a love of really rockin' shoes.

A few details: Her prognosis looks good since her lymph nodes appear to be clear. We'll know more after the MRI results come in. We're confident that she is going to be OK, but treatment will include lumpectomy and radiation, possibly mastectomy and chemo. No fun.

An added bonus is that she's spent the last 2 1/2 months in a wheelchair and then finally a walker because a couple of days before Thanksgiving she tripped and fell and broke her leg! For real... no sassy shoes for her in months and months... just a big cumbersome brace.

We were joking that she's going to have to walk into the hospital for boobie surgery leaning on a cane because of her broken leg! That's a real knee slapper, don't you think?! Oops, not a knee slapper for her, though... Ouch! It's a wonderful thing that our mama has a wicked sense of humor. She never lets the tough stuff get her down.

So, I know you're waiting for the second part of the answer to the question above. Well, you'd just have to know our mama to get how much she would loooove these kickin' pumps.

So, if the breast cancer pink ribbon shoe fits...

and for now you have to wear it...

it might as well be smokin' hot!

"God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,
though the waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."
Ps 46:1-3 (italics mine)

Hi/Lo Thursday

2009-02-05T11:50:00.000-08:00

Highs of the week:

Field trip to the California Science Center in L.A., Jackie's favorite thing this last week.

Biblical characters dress-up day

Celebrating Ray Ray's 2nd birthday at Adventure City and Build-a-Bear! She loves her new bear, Beatrice! Evangeline brought home her new bunny, Francesca, as well.

Abby Cadabby birthday party for Nana & Ray Ray and swimming with the cousins on a glorious, sunny SoCal day.

Laurie had dinner with an old friend and laughed until they both cried.

Marg got a... wait for it... 102% on her Bible Semester Exam! Woo hoo! Extra credit ROCKS!

Ricker slam dunking his Health final exam!

Marg got to ride Sam, her favorite horse who is also blind, bareback again this week. He's really learning to trust her and run faster. Plus, she went to Equine Affaire which was a blast!

Michael's high was getting to successfully play litigator in small claims court.

Lows of the week:

Our other field trip got postponed because of naughtiness.

A couple of very tough meetings about some challenging issues.

Really missing Elizabeth, "Miss Lizzie", this week while she's in Mexico.

Michael's low was being cranky with his family this morning. (You're darn tootin'!)

Everybody got sick with colds, then sinus infections, and now possibly strep throat. No fun! Poor Marg had the barfies, too. Super no fun!

(This post is part of "Hi/Lo Thursday" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to read everyone else's "Hi/Lo" posts.)

"Pray for Me... Pray for Others"

2009-02-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

You know, I just love the Riggs family. They are an absolutely beautiful family founded on faith in Jesus Christ. Even during this unbelievably painful season of Abby's leukemia treatment, their focus is on praying for others in trial and suffering, being a witness to those who have yet to meet Christ, and being an encouragement and example to Christians of the gift of God's grace which is always, always sufficient! They just bless my heart!

Please, remember to keep precious Abby lifted up in prayer. And, join in on Brent & Michelle's new invitation: "Pray for Me... Pray for Others".

We participate in "Pray for Me... Pray for Others" on the Riggs Family Blog. Check out their blog to add your prayer request.

Happy Birthday to our African Violet!

2009-01-31T08:05:00.000-08:00

Happy 2nd birthday to our Ethiopian princess! We are so thankful that the Lord sent us on the journey to Africa to meet this beautiful baby girl named Betelihem Bekele and weave her into our hearts and family. We chose the name Elianna because it is a combination of our grandmother's (Elizabeth Anne Ortlund) name and Mama's middle name (Anna) plus it means "my God has provided" in Hebrew. Only after we first saw her precious face did we realize that God had given us a Hebrew name for the little one He had perfectly planned for us named Bethlehem. With hearts pounding, we opened that email and fell in love with her on the spot!

Here she is a year and a half later, and we are even more crazy about our Ray Ray! It has been so fun to watch her grow, and learn, and discover. So delightful to see the shy and fearful baby become a confident, goofy, flirty personality that brings so much joy to everyone around her. So beautiful to learn down to the marrow of our bones (again) that biology doesn't matter a whit and neither does nationality. She has immeasurably enriched our lives, changed our perspective, opened our eyes to the needs in Africa, and lit a fire in our hearts for the orphans all over the world.

Baby girl, we are wild about you. You are such a treasure. We love your sweet voice, your expressive face, your squeezable bunnies and kissable lips, your jammin' dance moves, and your snuggly little self in entirety. We are blessed to be your Mama & Papa! Happy birthday, little muffin!

Thank You, Father, for Ray Ray!

Hannah's Hope Ethiopia Video

2009-01-26T15:25:00.000-08:00

I just came across this video today which I hadn't seen in a while. It's the AGCI promo video for Hannah's Hope Ethiopia, where Elianna Ray was cared for before she came home. Beautiful! How I long to go back to Africa!

http://www.allgodschildren.org/ethiopia_hh.html

Shoes for Orphans

2009-01-22T20:05:00.000-08:00

This video is from our dear friends, Randy and Susan Clark, who brought their precious new children, Sophia and Elijah, home in March of last year. Susan's brother-in-law, Mark Jacobs, travelled with them to make a documentary film about international adoption. He put together this short film for Calvary Church who donated 2,000 pairs of shoes for orphans in Ethiopia. Randy and Susan had the exquisite privilege of personally delivering some of those shoes to the children in Sophia's orphanage. This just blesses my heart.

Shoes for Ethiopia from Calvary Arts & Media on Vimeo.

Please, Pray for Abby!

2009-01-14T07:50:00.000-08:00

This little love is Abby Riggs, a precious little girl whom we came to know of through meeting her sister, Sami, at Hannah's Hope in Ethiopia in '07. Her folks posted a catch up page for those of you who do not know her story and to give some details about her leukemia.

Today Abby starts a new treatment phase, the "hell" stage, wherein she has the smallest chance of survival according to her doctors. Of course, God can do anything that He wills no matter what likelihood of survival her physicians give her. He is with her through the "Valley of the Shadow", too.

PLEASE be praying today:

For Abby to survive and be healed of leukemia
For the Riggs family
For the doctors and nurses tending to Abby
And especially for the entire community of people who have been moved by her family's unwavering and inspiring faith in the face of this serious diagnosis and "hellish" chemotherapy that they might meet Jesus

And, please share Abby's prayer needs and the Riggs' blog onto your family, friends, church prayer chain, etc.

Oh Praise Him!

2009-01-12T11:20:00.000-08:00

This morning the alarm went off at 4:55 as usual and I awoke tired (and maybe a weensy bit grumpy), and with my obligations for the week already vying for attention in my head.

By the way, as far as I'm concerned, the alarm clock is right up there with the scale on my Hateful Machine-o-meter. Both of them, the alarm clock and the scale, just never ever say or do nice things. The refrig takes warm things and makes them cool. Good! The dishwasher, when not treated abusively, makes everything sparkle with cleanliness. Good! The fax machine performs whatever mysteriously inscrutible voodoo magic and sends my papers to other fax machines and computers. Amazing! (OK, I'm not very electronically competent. Whatever.)

The alarm clock, however, just annoys me. Even when I set it to 95.9 The Fish or 105.1 K-Mozart. It wakes me up, which is always a dangerous thing to do. The scale, now, is far, far worse... Seriously, think about this now... I think it is actually an evil entity. It doesn't matter what kind you get: a medical scale like you find at the doctor's office or the gym, the digital kind, the body mass index reader kind (Warning: Mega-mega-evil, FYI), at the root they are all very, very bad. I know you probably are thinking that they both are just doing their jobs and here I am giving them a big hassle, but I'm onto them.

Anywho, all that to say, I wasn't choosing edifying thoughts this morning. Not doing great on #5. Not focused on Jesus.

Melissa, dear sister, snapped me out of it with this video. It broke through my selfish, grumbling thinking and pierced my heart. I told Melissa that this is exactly how I truly desire to be... all about Jesus, following His will no matter the cost, and worshipping Him with abandon! It's not short, but don't skip it. Watch it when you have the time.

(And, beware of alarm clocks and scales... just in case I'm right.)

(Melissa, aka Mamalissa, aka Hoodmama, is also sister-in-love to Emily. They're two of the coolest chicks in Texas.)

Easy Peasy Lemon Squeezy

2009-01-08T21:05:00.000-08:00

How many of you think that homeschooling must be a piece of pie? Come on, I know you're out there. Let's see a show of hands.

Well, I am here to tell you that it is most decidedly NOT always a big slice of lemon meringue deliciousness.

Sometimes it's more like being beaten with a large bag of lemons!

Occasionally, it's just very h.a.r.d. Haaaaaaaaaaaaard! It's not necessarily the teaching (algebra equations, or the order of the Caesars, tricks for spelling the more challenging words, the names of all the bones of the human skeleton, or the fantastic political satire of "Alice in Wonderland"... or any of the lovely subjects we're studying right now) that is particularly difficult. Most of what we learn is interesting and fun.

It's not creating lesson plans, or grading or filing papers, or keeping the schoolroom and library organized. Most of that is just time-consuming.

The thing is that you also have to parent at the same time. Kids know how to tap into that special place in parents that really bakes their noodle. And, kids can be very, very naughty on occasion. *ahem* Yeah. Plus, you also have siblings together. Siblings who can really annoy the woowee out of each other when they want to do so. Don't believe me? Come on over and check out the blood spatter on my schoolroom ceiling! Nah, I'm just kidding. I cleaned that off days ago.

See, it's doing both that can sometimes be really exhausting. You have to really exhale on the "haust" to convey the meaning here. It's like this: ex-hhhaaauuuuus-Ting. Hard "t" for emphasis. There you go. Good job.

That's not to say that I don't really and truly love teaching my children. I do. Sincerely. It's just that sometimes I wish they would go away.

I kid.

No, five kid!

Right up front (oh, I guess I've been prattling for a while so it's more like right in the middle) I'll say that I was not born wanting to homeschool my children. Did you guess that already? It was something the Lord chose for me and pretty much hounded me into doing. However, it's also been a huge blessing and pretty quickly I grew to love the lifestyle it provides. Family days and field trips in the middle of the week when everyone else is at school or work are really great. Taking vacations off season... sweet! Don't even get me started about our kids not having a clue about a new horrid style of clothing, or an irritating toy that is all the rage and must-have, or some pre-teen pop star who'll end up being the Playmate of the Month sometime in the next couple of years. That's priceless.

But sometimes it is all-consuming and wearying. I'm just sayin'.

Oooh, here's another thing! Michael and I have a little name for just doing a big fat nothing. It's called "dinkin' around".

Some people think homeschooling is really homedinkaround. (No show of hands please. It'll just tick me off and nobody wants that.)

These adorable people call us homeschooling mamas in the middle of the day for long phone conversations! They ask, "Hey, since you're not working, can you run an errand for me, and then pick up little Anthem and Trout after ballet?" Gah! They want a personal shopper and free babysitting since we have some much extra time on our hands doing the homedinkaround! Seriously, it's a crack up!

So, now you know. Mostly, homeschooling is awesome and I wouldn't trade the last 10 years of teaching my children for a 6-bedroom villa in Tuscany (unless it had an English garden and a really nice pool). But, it's also a huge job. Huge.

Just for fun, here's a mini-lesson for you:
For easy memorization, try singing the Fruits of the Spirit to the tune of Brahms' "Lulluby". "Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness and goodness, faith, meekness, temperance are the Fruits of the Spirit."

Also, kids (or adults) can learn the names of Christ's original 12 disciples by singing them to the tune of "Happy Birthday". Here's the order we use: Peter, Andrew, James, John, Phillip, Thomas, Matthew, James, Thaddeus, Simon, Judas, and Bartholomew.

Admit it. I know you just sang them in your head, so don't try to pretend that you didn't 'cause no one will believe you! Now, you'll never forget! That's just a little taste of homeschooling for ya...

Easy peasy lemon squeezy.

Happy New Year! Welcome, 2009!

2009-01-06T07:35:00.000-08:00

Welcome 2009!
(Does it take everyone else months to write that year correctly?)

First off, I'm going to just rip that bandaid off fast, step straight into the path of your potential scorn, mocking, and derision, and bring up last year's resolutions... Be gentle.

That's right. You guessed it. I profoundly and immeasurably stink at resolutions. Some I didn't completely bomb out in, but I must admit that sometime in the fall I started wondering, "Now what were all those resolutions again?" because I could only remember the easier ones like The Year of Living Thankfully (which I did complete. Yea me.). Bad bad bad!

Have I quit making resolutions, though? Noooooo. I sat right on down and wrote some more. I'm wild and crazy that way.

All humbling admissions aside, I know you're itching to hear the new list, so here goes:

I hereby declare 2009 to be
THE YEAR OF GIVING DANGEROUSLY!

1. GIVE like there's no tomorrow. My time, finances, possessions, energy, service, friendship, prayer, confession, forgiveness, grace... Absolutely everything God has given me in His abundance I want to give away like it's a hot potato.

Just so you know, so far, so good. I started off by giving away my stomach flu to everyone within a five mile radius!

2. Turn thankfulness into reciprocation and service. When the Lord, my family, friends, or others bless me I want to not just receive that gift/ service/ love with thanks, but return it thoughtfully and meaningfully. I need to get creative here.

3. Patience, patience, patience. That translates to: be less of a crusty, fractious, old bag.

4. Pick Michael's brain for all the ways I can serve him better. That shouldn't be a stretch. I think he might just have a few thoughts.

5. "Think on these things." Focus on God and His many blessings... Let the junky stuff go. No dwelling on old baggage, old sins, the old self for which Christ has already paid the price. Say farewell to the negative thinking that only brings discouragement and distracts me from Jesus, goodbye to the bad feelings and any upset towards others, sayonara to selfish reasoning.

6. Be teachable, learn the first time around, be easily corrected by Jesus, by my husband, by others whom I trust. Stop being a stubborn mule.

7. As a family, go on at least one mission trip this year! Serve our hearts out in ministry. Save money every month for a service trip to Ethiopia! (Our family is so excited about this goal.)

8. Follow in my sister's elliptical machine steps and exercise more (although I draw the line at 2 hours. She's insanely unstoppable.)! Have you seen that girl?! She's The Incredible Shrinking Woman! Come on and do the wave with me now. Go Lisa! Go Lisa! Woot-woot! Go Lisa!

There ya go. The new 2009 resolution list. Is it overly ideal? Yes. Is it accomplishable? Well, a girl can dream.

What am I saying? What about #5? Shall I break it already? No!

This year is THE YEAR! In Christ Jesus, all things are possible! So, in Him, I shall be victorious! Take THAT, negative thinking!

See? I'm half way there already.

The JESUS Haus

2008-12-22T10:35:00.000-08:00

Years ago I made a huge JESUS sign to hang in front of our house during Christmas. I bought the wood, sketched the letters, cut them out with a jig saw, sanded it smooth, primed it, painted it Rudolph's-Nose-Red, and sprinkled it with about 6 gallons of red glitter.

People noticed. You can't really blame them though because it was 6 feet tall and 12 feet wide. Kinda big. The neighborhood kids started calling our house "The Jesus House"! Talk about a great name! We absolutely loved it.

Last year the JESUS sign finally bit the dust after being knocked down in a Santa Ana windstorm, and we went the rest of Christmastime without it blazing across the front of our house. Sad.

This year, Michael made a new one for me! OK, so I made him do it, and I bought the wood, and sketched the letters, but he cut it, sanded it, primed it, and painted it. He drew the line at glitter, and I really do understand. Strapping, manly men don't do glitter. I get it. (It does make me rethink the turquoise sequin iceskating bodysuit I got him for Christmas, though.)

So, here it is without further ado. I'm so happy to live in The JESUS House once again!

(If you squint, you can even see Evangeline & Ray Ray laughing at me standing out in the rain and wind just to take a really bad photo.)

OCEAN Christmas Gingerbread House Party Photos

2008-12-18T14:45:00.000-08:00

What a fun night!

I must admit that there were more than a few cheaters (including me) this year... wildly abandoning all gingerbread house making rules and running amok with power tools and glue guns... all for a house that would stay standing! Very very naughty, but it worked!

Thanks, OCEAN families, for a blessed and wonderful evening together. We are so thankful for your friendship!

"Buddy the Elf. What's Your Favorite Color?"

2008-12-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

Do you know what today is?

It's International Answer the Phone Like Buddy the Elf Day.

"Buddy the Elf. What's Your Favorite Color?"

Are you in? Come on, don't be an angry elf!

And, if you have to ask why? Just remember "I just like to smile! Smiling's my favorite!"

18!

2008-12-15T07:40:00.000-08:00

And this is (still) what happens when we try to take a nice photo!

A Capella Brilliance

2008-12-13T06:25:00.000-08:00

OK, since this video currently has well over 3 million hits, I'm sure you've all seen it, but just in case you haven't...

A fun side note: it has been nominated for a People's Choice Award! This is a crazy awesome tribute to John Williams... which we've already watched a dozen times. Ricker has it nearly memorized!

OCEAN Christmas Gingerbread House Party Reminder!

2008-12-12T10:05:00.000-08:00

Orange County Ethiopian Adoption Network

If you haven't already RSVP'd for the
OCEAN Christmas Gingerbread House Party tomorrow...

GET YOUR JINGLE ON!

Saturday, December 13th 5:00
At the Hausams’ home

RSVP to this post, facebook, email, or phone.

Just don't be surprised if I answer,

"Buddy the Elf. What's your favorite color?"

As always, feel free to invite other Ethiopian adoptive families.

Here's a peek at last year:

Visiting The Big Kahuna at His Beach House

2008-12-11T19:25:00.000-08:00

Well, after preparing Evangeline & Ray Ray with books, and photos, and songs for the last month for a visit to The Big Kahuna at his vacation home in Newport Beach, I thought we just might avoid the Santa Meltdown...

Not so much.

Both of the babies were wiggly-excited all the way up to the front door, ran straight for him with arms wide open, and then screamed their little baby heads off once they got within white glove range.

Oh well. I finally got them to agree to lower the screeching pitch a notch if the older kids held them for the photo. Evangeline said, "OK, yes, that's a much better idea, Mama. I love you, Santa, but no lap-sitting for me today, OK? Don't be sad! Except for right now, I've been SO GOOD!"

Shoot, my little liar is just so cute! I must add that Jackie was a mensch for agreeing to sit happily on Santa's lap, too.

There's always next year...

San Diego!

2008-12-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

Last week we were in one of our favorite places -- San Diego! -- for a group field trip with friends to Sea World. What a fun day! Ricker's favorite was the Shamu show. Marg loved seeing the penguins' antics. Evangeline had a ball running around with the other kids and seeing the beluga whales. And, Ray Ray went crazy over her through-the-glass smooch with a polar bear! All four of them loved hanging out with a bunch of cool homeschool kids... 19 kids all together. Michael, of course, was happy as a clam being the only dad among the seven moms. And I enjoyed getting out with the girls and having a great time together. (Jackie was under the weather at Poppy & Nana's house. Phooey!)

Many thanks to Tracy Marcus for planning our outing!

The Twelve Days of Sickness

2008-12-10T10:05:00.000-08:00

On the first day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the second day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Two stuffy noses,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the third day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Three coughing children,
Two stuffy noses,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fourth day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Four ear infections,
Three coughing children,
Two stuffy noses,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the fifth day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Five sick babies,
Four ear infections,
Three coughing children,
Two stuffy noses,
And partridge in a pear tree.

On the sixth day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Six different antibiotics,
Five sick babies,
Four ear infections,
Three coughing children,
Two stuffy noses,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the seventh day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Seven people feeling icky,
Six antibiotics,
Five sick babies,
Four ear infections,
Three coughing children,
Two stuffy noses,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eighth day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Eight cans of Lysol,
Seven people feeling icky,
Six antibiotics,
Five sick babies,
Four ear infections,
Three coughing children,
Two stuffy noses,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the ninth day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Nine party invitations declined,
Eight cans of Lysol,
Seven people feeling icky,
Six antibiotics,
Five sick babies,
Four ear infections,
Three coughing children,
Two stuffy noses,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the tenth day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Ten sleepless nights,
Nine party invitations declined,
Eight cans of Lysol,
Seven people feeling icky,
Six antibiotics,
Five sick babies,
Four ear infections,
Three coughing children,
Two stuffy noses,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the eleventh day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Eleven shopping days left,
Ten sleepless nights,
Nine party invitations declined,
Eight cans of Lysol,
Seven people feeling icky,
Six antibiotics,
Five sick babies
Four ear infections,
Three coughing children,
Two stuffy noses,
And a partridge in a pear tree.

On the twelfth day of sickness,
My true love sent to me
Multiple infections for Michael,
Eleven shopping days left,
Ten sleepless nights,
Nine party invitations declined,
Eight cans of Lysol,
Seven people feeling icky,
Six antibiotics,
Five sick babies,
Four ear infections,
Three coughing children,
Two stuffy noses,
And a partridge in a pear tree!

The Man Cold

2008-12-09T12:35:00.000-08:00

Those of you who know my Michael know that he's a pretty fantastic guy. He's smart, funny, social, cute, witty, a great leader, above par on so many levels... And, I'm crazy about him. But, there is just one tiny, little thing that is challenging about my man. When he doesn't feel 100%, he's such a man.

You know what I mean. One tiny sniffle, and he stumbles into bed with a quilt and tissues, cough syrup, a thermometer, Tylenol, Chloraseptic spray, a humidifier, a cool cloth, and begs me for my homemade soup, or popovers, or other comfort foods. And, the whining! Holy Kleenex, Batman, the whining is just relentless! Could a woman, a mother, ever get away with this behavior???

Over the last few weeks everyone in the house has been sick. It's been like dominoes over here, one after another. Coughing, congestion, fevers, stomach flu, ear infections, sinus infections, etc. Michael, bless his heart, seriously did not even notice... until he sneezed and then *gasp* coughed. Then, the world as we knew it ceased to exist.

My girlfriend, Liz, sent me this appropriate video.

It only got worse from there. A tummy ache! A back ache! A fever! Chills! And WORSE!

When I told him, "Michael, I made reservations for our anniversary (next week)" he replied "(Moan, whimper, raspy cough) OK, I only hope I'm feeling better by then..."

At this little interaction, the very tragic thing is that my sense of humor, compassion, and sincere desire to serve my man was wearing a teensy weensy bit thin. So, I insisted that he go to the doctor...

where he was diagnosed with a nasty UTI that was progressing into a kidney infection, and an even worse bacterial infection elsewhere.

Oops.

My bad. My really, really bad!

Poor Haus! I guess all that whining was legit.

Moral of the story: When your man gets a Man Cold, be long-suffering. Don't give him a hard time about the whining.

He might actually, brace yourself now... He might actually be SICK!

I'm off to cook another batch of apologies -- I mean popovers!

Ray Ray the Jabberbox!

2008-12-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

Loquacity. That is our vocabulary word for the day, class. It means talkative, garrulous, verbose, wordy. As in, "The Hausams lean heavily towards loquacity."

Princess Elianna Ray, at 22 months now, has hit the verbal explosion stage. She's a royal magpie! Every day she comes up with new and darling things to say and is having so much fun with her discovery of language. You should hear her and Evangeline ("Ya-yin") talk. It's pretty stinkin' darling.

Yackie hazza book to wead to Way Way. May I peez hava some wead to me, Yackie?
I'm aww done and I want down noooow.
Ya-yin need to shaaaare wif Way Way.
Did you hear that? Shhhh... Wisten!
Wetch (let's) go to Poppy and Nana's house today! OK? Wetch!
OK, evahbody, wisten to Way Way!
Oh, wook who wooks so bewwy pwetty! It's me!
Wook who has dwy panties! It's me!
Who wants a wead a book? It's me!
Did you know I want a pancake?
(One of my personal favorites:) Ummmm, that's OK with me.

Ray Ray's favorite songs are:
The alphabet song
The VeggieTales theme song
The Sesame Street theme song
Itsy bitsy spider
Wing awound the Wosie
Jesus loves Me (hand motions are a must)

Besides being very busy being absolutely adorable, Ray Ray also loves to talk on the phone, go to the park, jump on the trampoline, swing, climb onto everything, play in Sunday school (a big fave), dance, color, paint, help unload the dishwasher and clothes dryer, sneak into Mama's makeup and dig her naughty little fingers into lipstick... and empty out cabinets and drawers faster than you can say boo!

She is such a miracle! When we brought Elianna Ray home we expected a long road of developmental and physical therapy, but slowly but surely, though, she caught up. It blows my mind. Praise the Lord!

So, although she is a whirlwind of activity, chattering, and mess-making out the wazoo these days, Ray Ray is (and all the kids are) a completely miraculous delight. Um, that's OK with me!

A Very Jib Jab Christmas, part 2

2008-12-05T16:33:00.001-08:00

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