I have good news!
To start, Mom and Nate are back. From what I heard their trip went really well.Very beautiful over there too. Maybe Ill post some pics. ;)
My good news..We(mom,dad) have been meeting with our adoption case worker quite a bit and planning dates for the official adoption day, it was originally supposed to be at the end of July, but we wanted a sooner one so Nate could be here when it happens before he moves to Ill. Soooo she gave us a ring, and the new(official official) date is the 13th of July!! Two days before Nate leaves. So yay, and praise the Lord!! We have been waiting almost 3years for this. Could have happened sooner, but you know CPS. they like to take forever on things.lol
So that is my good news. If you are/have been involved with cps, you know what I'm talking about. The wait is OVER! :)
Today is Jadens 4th birthday so in celebration we'll be throwing him a surprise party at PeterPiperPizza. I think he'll enjoy it a lot!
Hope everyone has a good week!
:)
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Saturday, June 12, 2010
When your inner countenance is down, so shall your outter be.
Firstly, I would like to post some verses that help me on my way.
Proverbs 17:22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a persons strength."
So many times I find myself not mad or angry or sad, just not in a good mood! And I can certainly tell you I don't like it at all! In turn my reaction to my sibling's general public etc. isn't so Christ like. I think, why am I like this?? I didn't used to be this way! hmmm. Its the self inside of me coming out. Heart check!
Eph. 6:7 "Serve whole-heartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not men because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for the good that he does".
I don't do things to see what I can get from it..but because I WANT to and I want to bless others. On the other hand,sometimes I really don't 'feel' like serving. Honestly, if I am doing what must be done without being told, I don't want to do it. Its like, If I was seriously going to do something, then someone says, go do that, I'm like NO! Forget it now. Of course, I don't say that, but in my heart, I do. Then, as soon as I was wrong, I remember the way I should have responded and only hope for a do-over! And have to remember, not "as if I was serving the Lord" because I AM serving the Lord! But if my heart is not in the right place, then what good is my serving?!
Eph. 5:1 "Be imitators of God, live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God".
Be Imitators Of God...The verse says it all. It takes more than trying, its doing.
These things have been on my mind. Another is; the way the world looks upon us Christians.
I heard a story a few weeks ago about a lady who is a waitress(herself being a Christian) and was called in on a Sunday to go to work, tho she didn't want to because she would then, miss the morning service of Church.
Lunch rush came and to her section of the restaurant came a family and some friends in their 'Sunday best'. She then proceeded to set them in their seats and take their orders moving along as fast as she could to keep them pleased. Not once did she receive a please, a thank-you or anything of the such. Their food had come, someones order was slightly wrong, and the response the waitress got, was not a thank you but a "hey! Would you take this back and fix it!!" Not please, or even speaking kindly. She kept their drinks filled and un-annoyingly asked them now and again how things were, and she got, "Its ok" and even held the door open for them on their way out as they snipped on by.
What I am getting at is, is this how the world sees us Christians? They(the people) will know we are CHRISTIANS by our love. We are to be an example to others especially in this sinful world. Even in our own homes. Sometimes when we are out and about my response to others can be not so pretty. I'm speaking from self experience. Let me make clear I'm not always like this, but every once in awhile, I bubble over!
Treat others as you'd like to be treated. Love your neighbor as yourself. Remove yourself from un~Godly conversation. Turn the other cheek. Things that always come to my mind(and so on) when I am about to fall into that foot hold!
Now that I have rambled on and on for 400hrs.
God Bless,
Mandie:)
Proverbs 17:22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a persons strength."
So many times I find myself not mad or angry or sad, just not in a good mood! And I can certainly tell you I don't like it at all! In turn my reaction to my sibling's general public etc. isn't so Christ like. I think, why am I like this?? I didn't used to be this way! hmmm. Its the self inside of me coming out. Heart check!
Eph. 6:7 "Serve whole-heartedly as if you were serving the Lord, not men because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for the good that he does".
I don't do things to see what I can get from it..but because I WANT to and I want to bless others. On the other hand,sometimes I really don't 'feel' like serving. Honestly, if I am doing what must be done without being told, I don't want to do it. Its like, If I was seriously going to do something, then someone says, go do that, I'm like NO! Forget it now. Of course, I don't say that, but in my heart, I do. Then, as soon as I was wrong, I remember the way I should have responded and only hope for a do-over! And have to remember, not "as if I was serving the Lord" because I AM serving the Lord! But if my heart is not in the right place, then what good is my serving?!
Eph. 5:1 "Be imitators of God, live a life of love just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God".
Be Imitators Of God...The verse says it all. It takes more than trying, its doing.
These things have been on my mind. Another is; the way the world looks upon us Christians.
I heard a story a few weeks ago about a lady who is a waitress(herself being a Christian) and was called in on a Sunday to go to work, tho she didn't want to because she would then, miss the morning service of Church.
Lunch rush came and to her section of the restaurant came a family and some friends in their 'Sunday best'. She then proceeded to set them in their seats and take their orders moving along as fast as she could to keep them pleased. Not once did she receive a please, a thank-you or anything of the such. Their food had come, someones order was slightly wrong, and the response the waitress got, was not a thank you but a "hey! Would you take this back and fix it!!" Not please, or even speaking kindly. She kept their drinks filled and un-annoyingly asked them now and again how things were, and she got, "Its ok" and even held the door open for them on their way out as they snipped on by.
What I am getting at is, is this how the world sees us Christians? They(the people) will know we are CHRISTIANS by our love. We are to be an example to others especially in this sinful world. Even in our own homes. Sometimes when we are out and about my response to others can be not so pretty. I'm speaking from self experience. Let me make clear I'm not always like this, but every once in awhile, I bubble over!
Treat others as you'd like to be treated. Love your neighbor as yourself. Remove yourself from un~Godly conversation. Turn the other cheek. Things that always come to my mind(and so on) when I am about to fall into that foot hold!
Now that I have rambled on and on for 400hrs.
God Bless,
Mandie:)
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Let Us Bake!!! Brownies. :)
Ok, so at costco they have these brownies, and they are just a tad different from your "average" brownie. They are in 'cup-cake' form, and have butter cream frosting on top. (nice and swirly too!)Usually, I say leave the brownie alone, it needs nothing but itself to make it as good as it is, but these looked like they would be really good! So, I thought, hey I bake..a lot and I have everything a caterer needs to do such a thing so instead of buying these, Ill just make them....How did they turn out wellll....lets just say, I needed a: different brownie recipe, I needed to make my frosting thicker too, and I needed a thicker pastry tip..My biggest one, is too small. And it really isn't that big to begin with! haha I made your regular size 'cup cake' brownie, then I made a mini one. The mini's definitely turned out so much better! Easier to get out of the pan without falling apart!(even after they cooled down for an hour and a half!!)
Yes, that is a hole in the mix(its helps combine everything..makes it easier:))
All mixed up! :)
Mini's... :)
And the 'normal ones...'
I didn't get any pics with the frosting on them, by the time I was done I was too tired(I like to bake late...well, I always end up being done late anyways. hehe) to think about pics and was ready for bed!! And well, yeah.
Anyways..thought I'd share my brownie experience!!! :)
Amanda:)
P.S. I have no idea why its all jumbled up like that, tried fixing it..but nothings working soo... :)
Yes, that is a hole in the mix(its helps combine everything..makes it easier:))
All mixed up! :)
Mini's... :)
And the 'normal ones...'
I didn't get any pics with the frosting on them, by the time I was done I was too tired(I like to bake late...well, I always end up being done late anyways. hehe) to think about pics and was ready for bed!! And well, yeah.
Anyways..thought I'd share my brownie experience!!! :)
Amanda:)
P.S. I have no idea why its all jumbled up like that, tried fixing it..but nothings working soo... :)
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
Day Out With Mom
Its not often that my mom and I get to spend one on one time with each other, so yesterday was a treat. :) We started off by going out for some lunch. Now, we did only go to Chick-fil-a, but their food is pretty good, so we didn't mind! Then, we went and saw a movie. Usually, we don't go see movies because with the world and its ways and the movies they make these days, it can be a disaster! But, there is a movie out(pg) called Letters To Juliet-Best love story ever!! If your a sucker for love stories like my mom and I, its worth looking into! Very wholesome very sweet. There is only one thing we didn't agree with. Ill get to that in a minute. So, the movie (I'm not going to spoil it, just incase.;)) is about this girl, and her fiance' that go to Italy for a "pree honeymoon" (thats the one thing we did not agree with, fornication) I copied the story description from the official website..I hope thats ok-I really don't feel like explaining it! haha
Letters To Juliet is an enchanting love story -- a tale of encountering new sparks and rekindling old flames. When Sophie , a young American, travels to Verona, Italy -- the romantic city where Romeo first met Juliet -- she meets a group of volunteers who respond to letters written to Juliet seeking romantic advice. Sophie finds and answers a letter that has been lost for 50 years, and is stunned when its author Claire arrives in Italy with her handsome but overprotective grandson to find the fiance she left decades before. Fascinated by Claire's quest, Sophie joins them on an adventure through the beautiful hills of Tuscany searching for Claire's long lost Lorenzo. The journey will change their lives forever, as they discover it's never too late to find true love.
I would have made it more detailed if I were the writer, but oh well! haha So, if you like love stories, this is a good watch! And its a clean movie. :)
One thing we were so angered about is the commercials before the movie(duh, secular sinful world!! ) Everyone of them was filled with witchcraft and immorality. I just continued to txt my friend. Not to say that it was my intention to ignore it, but they wouldn't do anything about it I doubt if I did say anything! What do you think? They would probably think I was crazy since, Twilight and (honestly, I can't remember the other movies.) all that other junk is the 'cool thing' these days!!
Anyways, the movie was very good!
After the movie we went to Yogurtland, wow! Best frozen yogurt ever, and its self serve, and you get toppings. :) All in all, it was a good day. I'm so blessed to have a mom to share and bond with! Not saying we can't bond without going out, but its nice to "get away" :)
So, thats what we did for our 'holiday' and it was very good.
and today is 'Wear A Dress Day' so I suggest that if your a guy, you wear a kilt! ;)
God Bless
Amanda:)
Letters To Juliet is an enchanting love story -- a tale of encountering new sparks and rekindling old flames. When Sophie , a young American, travels to Verona, Italy -- the romantic city where Romeo first met Juliet -- she meets a group of volunteers who respond to letters written to Juliet seeking romantic advice. Sophie finds and answers a letter that has been lost for 50 years, and is stunned when its author Claire arrives in Italy with her handsome but overprotective grandson to find the fiance she left decades before. Fascinated by Claire's quest, Sophie joins them on an adventure through the beautiful hills of Tuscany searching for Claire's long lost Lorenzo. The journey will change their lives forever, as they discover it's never too late to find true love.
I would have made it more detailed if I were the writer, but oh well! haha So, if you like love stories, this is a good watch! And its a clean movie. :)
One thing we were so angered about is the commercials before the movie(duh, secular sinful world!! ) Everyone of them was filled with witchcraft and immorality. I just continued to txt my friend. Not to say that it was my intention to ignore it, but they wouldn't do anything about it I doubt if I did say anything! What do you think? They would probably think I was crazy since, Twilight and (honestly, I can't remember the other movies.) all that other junk is the 'cool thing' these days!!
Anyways, the movie was very good!
After the movie we went to Yogurtland, wow! Best frozen yogurt ever, and its self serve, and you get toppings. :) All in all, it was a good day. I'm so blessed to have a mom to share and bond with! Not saying we can't bond without going out, but its nice to "get away" :)
So, thats what we did for our 'holiday' and it was very good.
and today is 'Wear A Dress Day' so I suggest that if your a guy, you wear a kilt! ;)
God Bless
Amanda:)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Voice Recital
It was a success!! :)
On Monday we had early rehearsals for solo's then evening rehearsals for the group #.
Solo rehearsal went really well!! The evening one..not so much. My voice teachers husband(Bruce) made us sing the song(Let It Be) at least 15 times! And thank the lord he did!! lol Monday night after rehearsals I went home with Em...on the way to her house we stopped at Circle K(yes, I am going to share a story, I have to its purrrty funny) and when I went to get out of the van, (I was wearing my one pare of sandals I never wear 'cause they are very slippery) I stepped into the rocks descending into the rocks flat on my bottom!! I thought I might have bruises or scratches on my foot but I didn't, so that was good. It hurt a little, but after about an hour it was fine. I was laughing so hard! haha Luckily, no one saw! Then, on the way out, Em told me to grab some donuts and so before I grabbed them I called her a fatty(its ok, she is my bff I can do that) and when I did your "bro-type-of-guy" walks in tries to walk over the "wet Floor" sign and knocks it over, right as I called Em a fatty, on his way out he asked me if I was calling him a fatty..."Did you call me a fatty?" Whaa" "Someone, one of you called me a fatty" "Uuum no, I was calling her a fatty 'cause she wanted donuts" "Oh,...*awkward silence*" haha What a goof! Got to Ems house and we sang the night away(didn't go to bed till 12, yes our voices are sore!!).We were all really tired. Ryan tried telling a joke, and because he was so tired he wasn't explaining it correctly and got mad at us for not understanding! haha
Tues we woke up at 9 took our showers sang lots more..then a little treat, Em's mom has a friend that does hair, so we went and got our hair professionally done for FREE! How cool is that.
Got to the church really early. We thought we were going to be late. But, we weren't! The boy's of the band looked really handsome. And they sounded great!
Some of the girls that sang, oh I was just baffled! There was a young lady that sang "your hands" by JJ Heller, I just love that song!! Delaine keith sang What Do I Know OF Holy by addison road, accompanied by Cam. She sounded great!
Here is the Let It Be video
And My solo, I had to come home and record it because the performance video I look like one big white blob! Not enjoyable! lol
Enjoy!
Me and Em.:)
and the voice group. Band~Preston~Drums-Cameron~Guitar-Cameron~Guitar-Kyle~Guitar-Kyle ~Bass (Three Guitars, one Bass, Drums and Piano)
Voice Group
Bailey~Amanda(me)~Emily~Alec~Erin~Melody~Sara~Emiley~Tiffany~Meagan~Emilee~Mikaela~Rachel~Karlie
After the recital we went to a delicious yogurt place with the Keiths. It was so nice to just visit! :)
Everyone did so good!
Time for me to get off here. Gotta lot to get done before tomorrow!
Hope everyone is having a blessed week! :)
Amanda :)
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Graduation/Grad party
Well well well, here I am writing up another post! ;)
Last night was Cameron and Delaine Keiths graduation. Along with my friend Seth's too.(same graduation, same place) The ceremony was, long very intelligent;) and nice! It really was. I enjoyed seeing all the different faces. You should have heard some of the screams. I think there was one lady whos scream lasted for like 2mins! I am not even kidding. It was pretty insane. And there were blow horns(which they weren't supposed to use, but people still did) that were insanely loud!! I guess that just means some kids, are REALLY loved! haha my mom slept through like, half the thing, but hey thats ok I guess!! She kept asking, did they show the Keiths yet..what about Seth, did his face flash yet. Oh mommy, you shoulda taken a nap! jk
After it was all done me and my mom rushed outta there(it was just me mom zach and nate..even tho nate was too busy talking on the phone..in the CAR) Don't know what happened to Zach, but while we were standing there we watched all the graduates come out two by two..looking for our dear friends. Said hi, congratulated hugged then let them go! haha
After that we went to the Keiths house for their party. Wow! Lots of Fun!! So much fun we didn't leave till 2:30..am. (Yep , we closed their party out! haha) I was so tired when I got home I didn't even wash my face just brushed my teeth. I'm surprised I am even up. I didn't get any pics..but it was a very much needed time of fellowship spent with old friends that we just don't see much anymore!!
Hoping to graduate next year myself. We'll see how things go. ;)
This Tues. is my recital. I'm excited, nervous and..a little unsure all at the same time. Just praying we all do well! Ill share pics, and maybe even the video if I do well. hehe Ill def. Share the video of the group number!! :)
Better get a move on!
God Bless,
Mandie
Last night was Cameron and Delaine Keiths graduation. Along with my friend Seth's too.(same graduation, same place) The ceremony was, long very intelligent;) and nice! It really was. I enjoyed seeing all the different faces. You should have heard some of the screams. I think there was one lady whos scream lasted for like 2mins! I am not even kidding. It was pretty insane. And there were blow horns(which they weren't supposed to use, but people still did) that were insanely loud!! I guess that just means some kids, are REALLY loved! haha my mom slept through like, half the thing, but hey thats ok I guess!! She kept asking, did they show the Keiths yet..what about Seth, did his face flash yet. Oh mommy, you shoulda taken a nap! jk
After it was all done me and my mom rushed outta there(it was just me mom zach and nate..even tho nate was too busy talking on the phone..in the CAR) Don't know what happened to Zach, but while we were standing there we watched all the graduates come out two by two..looking for our dear friends. Said hi, congratulated hugged then let them go! haha
After that we went to the Keiths house for their party. Wow! Lots of Fun!! So much fun we didn't leave till 2:30..am. (Yep , we closed their party out! haha) I was so tired when I got home I didn't even wash my face just brushed my teeth. I'm surprised I am even up. I didn't get any pics..but it was a very much needed time of fellowship spent with old friends that we just don't see much anymore!!
Hoping to graduate next year myself. We'll see how things go. ;)
This Tues. is my recital. I'm excited, nervous and..a little unsure all at the same time. Just praying we all do well! Ill share pics, and maybe even the video if I do well. hehe Ill def. Share the video of the group number!! :)
Better get a move on!
God Bless,
Mandie
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Don't Wanna Let Her Go.
Hey, Everyone!
I have a huge prayer request. Many of(actually, I think all of you know) you know that we do foster care. Well, our youngest one (I can't give out names or anything like that over open content such as thus, so lets just put it this way, she is one, absolutely adorably chunky-monkey sweet stuff baby girl) has a high possibility of going BACK to her birth giver (we don't like to call her 'mom, mom' we provide for her, raise her and love her, her birth giver, not so much lol). We have one month to see how things go. Basically there will be people living with BM to make sure she doesn't get into any 'trouble' and that the environment is clean, and she can provide for her. Ha! Good luck. Now, we don't want to pray harm over anyone, that would be terrible. But, maybe could you guys just please pray that something happens that will prevent my precious baby-cakes from going back to that horrible lady!?
This sounds selfish, I know(or maybe not) but if she goes back, it will tare my heart out and rip it up in pieces! We are all she knows! Not only will it seem like she is dead to us, but she will grieve too. She isn't too young to grieve. she will know. Not only that. She will grow up not knowing what purity is, she'll be into drugs more than likely be living on the street and God knows what else!! I am pretty depressed. I love her to pieces, I don't wanna let her go!!!!
Anyways, could you all just please pray she doesn't have to go back!? I know we want Gods will to be done too, but we love her to pieces and would be so so so sad if she has to leave.
Thanks. :)
I better go.
God Bless
Amanda
I have a huge prayer request. Many of(actually, I think all of you know) you know that we do foster care. Well, our youngest one (I can't give out names or anything like that over open content such as thus, so lets just put it this way, she is one, absolutely adorably chunky-monkey sweet stuff baby girl) has a high possibility of going BACK to her birth giver (we don't like to call her 'mom, mom' we provide for her, raise her and love her, her birth giver, not so much lol). We have one month to see how things go. Basically there will be people living with BM to make sure she doesn't get into any 'trouble' and that the environment is clean, and she can provide for her. Ha! Good luck. Now, we don't want to pray harm over anyone, that would be terrible. But, maybe could you guys just please pray that something happens that will prevent my precious baby-cakes from going back to that horrible lady!?
This sounds selfish, I know(or maybe not) but if she goes back, it will tare my heart out and rip it up in pieces! We are all she knows! Not only will it seem like she is dead to us, but she will grieve too. She isn't too young to grieve. she will know. Not only that. She will grow up not knowing what purity is, she'll be into drugs more than likely be living on the street and God knows what else!! I am pretty depressed. I love her to pieces, I don't wanna let her go!!!!
Anyways, could you all just please pray she doesn't have to go back!? I know we want Gods will to be done too, but we love her to pieces and would be so so so sad if she has to leave.
Thanks. :)
I better go.
God Bless
Amanda
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