Sunday, March 29, 2009

a broken heart

This week was a hard one...

Personally, for me dealing with some infertility stuff, but also learning of the struggles of others.

I have read some seriously heartbreaking blogs this week. The pain of families who lose a child, I cannot even imagine.

One family who I have been following has a little boy, who was never supposed to make it. With God's grace, he was born, but as of now, Stellan is struggling.

You can read about him here.

You can also be part of his groups on Facebook. Here are the link for those...

Praying for Stellan

and We love Mck Mama

Please join the groups, and be praying for Sweet Stellan. They also have a photo gallery of people praying for Stellan and using him name in different ways. I am working on some ideas this week, and will post mine on here soon.

Love you all... let's lift up this sweet little one.

Friday, March 20, 2009

a couple of things stolen from blogs that I love


From Abigail's cooking blog... I mean don't these look DA-LISH? She actually didn't bake them, so the credit goes to a Christine in Utah, and Abigail's niece Cassies for these delights.

"Smurtles"

1 and 1/2 cups quick oats
1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (no substitutes), melted
1 package (14 oz.) vanilla caramels
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 and 3/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips (but who's gonna care if you use 2 cups, eh?)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease a 13" X 9" pan. ('Cause those two sticks of butter won't be enough...)

Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Add melted butter; stir until well combined. Press half of the mixture onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake for 10 minutes.
Combine caramels and whipping cream in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until caramels are melted and mixture is smooth. Sprinkle morsels over baked crust. Drizzle caramel mixture evenly over the chocolate morsels. Sprinkle remaining crumb mixture over caramel layer.

Bake 18-20 minutes or until top is light brown. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.


Next, My friend Robin, who is the sister of my lovely Sarah Buzzard had this posted on her blog. Link to her's to find out all about it, but before you do that, enjoy this adorable picture of my parent's and their grandkids.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

Echo's website

Visit it HERE

Sorry... forgot to post the link!

Sunday, March 15, 2009

This week...

Janelle and Sherrill came to visit Slim and me this week, and during the time that they were here, they volunteered at a place called ECHO. Sherrill is training to be an agricultural missionary, and that is just what ECHO does.

It was an awesome week, but I only got a few pictures on my camera, and they were all from the first night.

Hopefully Sherrill will get the internship that she applied for, because that way she will be down here all the time and then Janelle can move here!!!

This week, we went to Tropical Smoothie, obviously, went on a bike ride, while Janelle ran, visited Twistie Treat, had breakfast for Supper, visited the Kirkland's ranch, went to Skip One so that they could try Gator Tail, and of course did some shopping.

I can't wait for them to come back!


Monday, March 9, 2009

Check out my sister-in-law and her sister on Wheel Of Fortune this Wednesday night.

http://www.wheeloffortune.com/minisites/orlando/familyfun/contestantvideosandphotos/


You can go there and watch their preview video... just go to the bottom of the page and click on "Brittani and Brandi".

Locally Grown Indie Fest



This past Saturday and Sunday, a church in Naples hosted the Strawberry Festival/Locally Grown Indie Festival.

Jubilee played on Saturday at 5pm, and it was awesome. Here are some pictures from that day.

Please note... the girl in the orange shorts just walked up on the stage and started dancing. She had to be escorted off- never a dull moment with Jubilee & Co!

Friday, March 6, 2009

Help needed


URGENT NEED: Rescue for Rapha

We've just received confirmation from our new Uganda staff director, Joseph, that 357children in the Rapha community are out of food and at-risk for losing their school placements (due to inability to pay school fees).

You guys have proven that you understand the dire need for food in Africa where one meal a day is considered a luxury. These children are at risk for losing THAT one meal. Currently, there is no food to feed these children.

GO TO WWW.HOPECHEST.ORG to donate (note: Rescue for Rapha in comments)

How important is education? It keeps the older girls out of prostitution and sexual slavery. It prevents boys from becoming child soldiers and criminals. Without the school, the kids would find themselves working in the fields as child laborers, selling whatever they can find in the market, and exposing themselves to even worse exploitation.

Ask an African child--which do you need more education or food? They always pick education. "If we have food and no education, we know we're dead anyway." I take for granted my own children's education here in the U.S. In Africa, it is about life and death for kids, and right now 357 kids are staring at a desperate future. If the Rapha school folds, 357 children will face the "orphan future" of drugs, alcohol, prostitution, slavery, crime, and suicide. We can stop all of that at Rapha today and set them up for a bright future.

GO TO WWW.HOPECHEST.ORG to donate (note: Rescue for Rapha in comments)

These children had no hope for their lives before the Rapha school started. Ruth, the founder of the school, rescued these children the first time. Pulled them from abject poverty and provided for their food and their schooling. Now, that's all at risk. I can't bear the thought of a child leaving the Rapha school and turning to prostitution or crime to survive. I can't consider the potential exploitation of hundreds of young children. And it won't happen if we respond together.

Rapha is one of several Ugandan communities that is on track for full sponsorship later this Spring. However, present circumstances are now threatening 357 children. The founder of the Rapha school and orphan community died unexpectedly in 2008. Since that time money's been tight, and the Rapha school and orphanage have been operating at a deficit. In fact, the teachers and staff at Rapha School are so committed to these children that they have been working for FREE for over 5 months (no money for teachers' salaries)! HopeChest is ready to pick up this funding for the long term--but we need a bridge to get there. It's about $50/kid that we need right now...

GO TO WWW.HOPECHEST.ORG to donate (note: Rescue for Rapha in comments)

Right now, Children's HopeChest is sending out the call to raise emergency funds of $18,054.

Along with the 55 orphaned children that live at Rapha Village, they have a school for 251 other children (Rapha Primary School) as well as pay for schooling for another 51 children (including 6 university students). Total, they provide education and food to 357 children. Your gifts will keep the children's school fees paid and ensure Rapha has enough food to meet their need for the next few months. Also, part of your gift will be used by Children's HopeChest to build a bridge toward sponsorship in Uganda.

Just $50/kid keeps a Ugandan orphan fed and in school until CHC can activate our sponsorship program...can you help?

GO TO WWW.HOPECHEST.ORG to donate (note: Rescue for Rapha in comments)

Please put "Rescue for Rapha" in the notes section of the giving page.

You can help Children's HopeChest build a bridge to more consistent funding through sponsorship. If this is fully funded, it will rescue Rapha from their current circumstances, and also accelerate CHC's launch in Uganda.

Katie, a Colorado woman who lives part time in Uganda, had this to say of the Rapha school: Rapha School was a forest before Ruth came along to bring education, hope, and love through a school and foster village. I have seen Rapha develop from a small papyrus school into a full primary school, farm, and foster family village. The children in Rapha community prior to Rapha school were unable to attend school and thus continue the cycle of illiteracy in thier families! Now the next generation of Rapha community kids will have a chance to succeed in life!