Monday, November 30, 2009

Lily in Bolivia!

prairie gothic bursts!!
joyful damask!!

Sunday, November 29, 2009

PoPpY DiP SmILeS


it's just POPPY DIP cuz we're adopting too!!

Olivia

AnnaWalton

Thursday, November 26, 2009

Five Kernels of Corn

For our Thanksgiving we started a new family tradition ~ even if it was just last year! My Mom (thanks Mom!!) gave our family a very neat book, "A Family Book THANKSGIVING A Time To Remember" and CD by Barbara Rainey from which we got this idea. It's a story of the Pilgrim's faithfulness and biblical thankfulness ~ which we listen to as a family together.

"The abundant harvest of corn they had so recently stored for that second winter of 1621-1622 was now not nearly enough. (after the newcomers from the ship, the Fortune, arrived unexpectedly). They began that winter cautiously with everyone getting their half ration of corn, hopeful that the men could find enough game and fish to see them through. Supplies dwindled quickly. Legend has it that at one point the food stores were so low that everyone was forced to a daily ration of only five kernels of corn. It's amazing to think that anyone could survive on so little food: yet no one died of starvation..."

So in our Thanksgiving Day table setting, we put 5 kernels of corn on each plate. Before we begin with the abundance of food and feasting, we each hold our kernels and place each one in a basket representing one thing we are thankful for this past year. Some in our family 'bucked' this crazy idea!! but in the end it was something very meaningful and looking back with written record, a journal of God's faithfulness.
And so this year
Solomon Natnael 2yr.
1. You --as he looked at his Dadddy
2. Esser -- his sister
3. Mommy
4. Gabe
5. Aunt Kathy

Esther Yordanos 4yr.
1. My family
2. Mommy and Daddy for getting me from Ethiopia
3. nice toys to play with
4. turkey dinner
5. my food and drink

Gabriel Patton 11yr.
1. My Family
2. My fish and snake
3. Wii
4. Motorbike
5. my dog

Madison Kate 16 yr.
1. My Family
2. that we're adopting again
3. good health
4. Tink and Pan
5. My Friends

Marilynn Adeline 16 yr.
1. My parents
2. My siblings
3. that we're adopting again
4. the privilege to be in dance class another year
5. our house

Sallee Denise 39yr.
1. Christ's righteousness that covers my unrighteousness /His faithfulness in my weakness
2. The heart of my Montie

3. My children~ Adeline, Madison, Gabriel, Esther, Solomon, and ??
4. That we're adopting again from Ethiopia ~ it's POPPY DIP :)
5. God's awesome power in providing every penny for little Darya to come home!!


Montie Patton 41 yr.
" This day we set apart you see
together as a family.
To lift our eyes to God for "He"
has been there in our time of need.
For those who came so far away
to found this great country, we thank this day.
They came for love of God to bring
their families here where 'freedom rings'.
Thank you God, I am so blessed beyond what I deserve
May I in gratitude and obedience ~ my life to You, I serve.
You have given me a family in whom I pour my life
and on top of that, You've given me my best friend as my wife.
How could any man be better off than where I am today?
Five great kids, a loving wife, and living in the USA.
So let us all remember ~ God let us never forget
True thankfulness is not a word, it is an act of obedience.

Ephesians 5:20
"Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."



our family with some of my family ~
Brad (eldest brother) Kathy~ Jesse ~ Kaleb
Tim

God did it!! A Thanksgiving Miracle!!

To the Glory of God today on this Thanksgiving Day...
the Hollis family will be going to get little Darya...
Here's the latest from their blog...

"Most of you know by now, our family decided three years ago to forgo giving presents to one another during the holidays. Instead, we reach out and raise money for orphan ministries.

We just finished going through the book, "Crazy Love" by Frances Chan with our kids and decided this year, we wanted to be CRAZY for Jesus! He is so crazy about us, we wanted to share His love with everyone throughout the year, but especially during November and December.

Lydia took "CRAZY" to a whole new level, however, when she approached me (while her dad was on a mission trip in Africa) and asked if she raised $20,000.00 before Thanksgiving, could we adopt a little orphan girl, Darya, who has Down Syndrome in Eastern Europe. (A friend of ours adopted a little boy from the same orphanage and reported that Darya gets no attention at all....no one speaks to her or holds her.)

THAT WAS 8 DAYS AGO! Being a sensible 41 year old, I told Lydia she would never be able to raise $20,000.00 in 8 days.....she is only eleven. She didn't hear me. Instead, she asked again, "But if I do raise the money, will you adopt her?" I responded yes, if she raised that much money in 8 days, we would know God is in it and would travel to adopt Darya!

Tonight, I would like to report that Miss Lydia has raised $26,550.00 and the donations are still coming in. It just so happens, we have good friends who have been planning to adopt a little one with Down Syndrome through Reece's Rainbow, but lack of funds has delayed them. Not anymore, everything above $20,000.00 goes to them.

So, friends, you have been a part of a double Thanksgiving Miracle. Not only will Darya have a home ....but through your gifts, another little angel will be given hope for a family tomorrow too! God is so great, isn't He?"

Saturday, November 21, 2009

POPPY DIPS for Darya

So far... 10 POPPY DIP dresses and 1 TWIRL!! that's $290 in helping little Darya to come home!! Thank you!!


Please go and read this blog of the Hollis Family...

The Lord let our paths cross ~ I just met this family ~ what an inspiration... their faces just radiate His love...
five kids ~3 bio/2 adopted ~ two of them have Down Syndrome ~ see the button on the side with the cute little girl (Hope) in pig-tails and glasses ~ and now this family is working on another vision... starting out with working to earn money for Reece's Rainbow a Down Syndrome advocacy site ......then the vision became more specific!!

Lydia (one of their daughters - 11 yr. old!!) fell in love with a little girl on Reece's Rainbow ~ Darya. Melanie (the mom) told Lydia that if she could raise $20,000, the Hollis family would adopt Darya, a little girl with Down Syndrome who is living in a Russian orphanage without a hope in the world.

.... children with Down Syndrome in other countries, such as the Ukraine and Russia, are removed from the orphanages and placed into mental institutions where they are sentenced to life in a crib. Even though they may have the ability to walk and run, these children are never allowed out of the crib for exercise. Even though they may speak, they are never spoken to again. And even though they may desire hugs and kisses, these children are never embraced again. Most die the first year. It is tragic... fed just enough food to satisfy but never enough to fill....just because they have Down Syndrome.

Darya is left in her crib most of the time with no one to love on her, hold her, or interact with her ~ So... Lydia and her giant faith has started praying that God will bring $20,000 to the family by Thanksgiving! She has figured out that if she could just get 200 people to give $100 then they would have the money and they could let Darya know by Thanksgiving that she has a family. (Lydia raised $800 ~ one day after her campaign began! ) The love of others continues to pour in...

.... the local Fox News Channel called to request a live interview on Thanksgiving morning for Lydia to publicly announce her earnings!!

I am on the Lydia bandwagon ...

How about you??

I wonder what this will do for Lydia's faith.....to ask God for $20,000.00 to save an orphan by Thanksgiving.....and then to receive. I wonder what this would do for your faith and for my faith.

..... here's a quote from Melanie from one post ...

"What is He calling you to do? Are you crazy in love with Him today? Are you crazy enough to allow His love to flow through you in a way that makes no sense to the world around you? I am. He took me through a fierce storm to toss me around a bit and shake me up, but on the other side, seeing more clearly than I have ever seen before, I am ready to be that crazy person.....crazy in love with My Father......anxious to show love to others because of His crazy love for me!!!"


So in hopping on the bandwagon....I am going to donate all money from POPPY DIP orders ~ today through Thanksgiving~ to help bring Darya home!! You may order and pay on my paypal on my home page. I'll then send that money to Lydia for Darya!!
please remember, contact me first to make sure I have your fabric choice on hand!!





Thursday, November 19, 2009

It's a Small World

Smiles Around the World ~ Stitch ~ Bailey ~ Lilo

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

WoW-ed!

GOD is good
He is faithful
He knows when we need and what we need...and even gives beyond the 'need'.
So I was feeling a bit down... discouraged...
came home from being out... checked the blog... and was
'WOW-ed' again by GOD!!
Someone... through POPPY DIPS ...gave ABUNDANTLY to our adoption fund... and we've never even met!! just look how that 'chip-in' button over there jumped up in numbers!!
Thank you! ~ you know who you are!!

Christmas Twirl and Christmas POPPY DIPS

cute little Meg contemplating her Christmas list...
Sweet sisters ~Taylor and Ryann ~ in their Christmas POPPY DIPS!


Tuesday, November 17, 2009

thought for today...

absence of encouragement is discouragement



Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. - Deuteronomy 31:6


Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. – Matthew 11:28-30


"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." – John 14:1-4


Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God. – Psalm 42:5-6a


Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. - 1 Peter 1:3

Saturday, November 14, 2009

PrE-hOLiDaY sALe...nEw PopPY DiPs/tWirLs!

New POPPY DIPS & TWIRLS for sale...ALL SOLD!!! YAY!!!
various sizes...
short sleeve POPPY DIPS $18
long sleeve POPPY DIPS $25

twirls $28

shipping $3

Please contact me if you're interested in any!!
TWIRLS ~ ALL SOLD!! THANK YOU
shown left to right

Merrytown Trees ~ 18-24mo. ~ length 12" SOLD!!
Beatrice Dream ~ 3/4 ~ length 14" SOLD!!
American Peace ~ 4/5 ~ length 14 1/2''---SOLD!!!
Kawaii Asian ~ 4/5 ~ 16" SOLD!!
Kiwi Swirly ~ 6/7/8 ~ 19 1/2'' SOLD!!
Girly Girl Collection ~6/7 ~ 21'' SOLD!!

POPPY DIPS
shown left to right
Bubblegum Lollipop ~ 12mo. (with bloomers) SOLD!!
It's Snowing Pine LONG SLEEVE ~ 12mo. ~ (with bloomers) SOLD!!
It's Snowing Blue LONG SLEEVE ~ 24mo. SOLD!!
Green Tea Spotted Owl ~ 24mo. SOLD!!
Feathers n Flowers ~ 2T SOLD!!
Bubbles ~ 2T SOLD!!
Joyful Damask ~ 3 SOLD!!
Lovely Lanterns ~ 3 SOLD!!
Red Hot Christmas Trees LONG SLEEVE ~ 3

...more POPPY DIPS ~ ALL SOLD!! THANK YOU
shown from left to right

Sorbet Disco Dot ~ 4 SOLD!!
Black & White Cubism ~ 5 SOLD!!
Curly Swirly White ~ 6 SOLD!!
Sally Swirl ~ 6 SOLD!!


this post is acting crazy with spacing and fonts? I'm not sure how to fix it...I'm sorry... wish I knew how to fix it....

Photos...

Photos are such fun... to capture memories... well today Esther and Solomon were in a photo shoot for a local childrens shop ... so I thought I'd click some too, even though mine are not the quality from the photographer. Both of them had such fun and did such a good job!!

...waiting their next turn...


"Um Es, what dance move is that?"
this is Sol's new smile? more of a 'scrunchy' face ~ but this is the new look when someone tells him to 'SMILE' !

she LOVED it!!

...Looks like a little man!

We are so SO blessed with our children... ALL of them... It's lots of hard work and lots of self-sacrifice of our time, but ALL worth it!! God is good! He has blessed us abundantly! and we can't wait for our next little one to be captured in the camera lense too !!

Friday, November 13, 2009

Hats on for FALL

What a beautiful FAll day we are having today!! Thank you Lord that it's not raining!! Sunshine and brisk weather just feel good!! Have a blessed day.

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Re-cap of Orphan Sunday/Veteran's Day!

We were so privileged to be part of the Orphan Sunday event here in TN this past Sunday ~ November 8th.....to be in a room gathered with others who 'just get it' !!
You can go to the Gospel Music Channel and watch the video for the next few days. Steven Curtis Chapman was fabulous!! The speakers spoke right to our hearts... right from our Father's heart.
The World Children's Choir spurred on some dancin' in the seats~~ Solomon and Esther LOVED the children and their voices singing out unto the Lord!!




AND


To those who serve our beautiful
United States of America
not just today, but every day...

Thank you for your commitment,
your bravery,

your sacrifice.



Monday, November 9, 2009

Happy Birthday Adeline and Madison!!

SWEET 16 today!!
Adeline and Madison were born on November 9, 1993 each weighted 5.3lb/18" long
....couldn't stay awake for their first portrait...



loving their new baby brother, Gabriel (almost one yr.)
Adeline and Madison 4 1/2 yrs.


Madison
Adeline
~A~
~M~
loving their new baby sister, Esther ~ June '06

please don't mind little sister's lovely expression in the background!!
Madison in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia getting their new baby brother ~ Solomon
Adeline in Addis Ababa with new little brother ~ Solomon
Christmas jammies!
~A~~M~
Celebrations of our 3 girls!!
We LOVE love LOVE our girls!!


Happy Birthday Adeline and Madison.
You both are such a blessing to our family
We are thankful for your hearts that love the Lord.
We LOVE you Adeline.
We LOVE you Madison.