This is my best, non-living friend.  His name is Dymo.  He is a $20 label maker.

As I sat on my office floor Saturday morning with hundreds and hundreds of papers dated 2003-present, I felt confident, with Dymo in my hand, knowing that everything was going to end up with a proper home…and label.

I’ve been using Dymo for years now.  He has clearly labeled a home for hundreds of items in my house.  I rest assured, when I leave my house and my children in someone else’s hands, they will have no trouble at all, finding anything they need!

Dymo, thank you for your continued faithful service in my quest to organize the entire world.  Here is some of his work:

Rather than using new manila folders for my new files, I simply printed labels and stuck them over the old hand-written ones.

This is my favorite label for the game closet. This is where all of the boys’ card games go, but it is also where we put miscellaneous game pieces when they show up on the bathroom floor, or in a baby’s mouth. LOL!

This is one of my ‘most used’ labeled containers. The top drawer, in case you can’t read it clearly, is labeled “School Supplies”, the second drawer is “Office Supplies” and the third drawer is “Personal Toiletries.” When I run out of my favorite lotion, I check the third drawer to see if, just maybe, I stocked up the last time it went on sale…9 times out of 10, I find what I’m looking for. This is also where I keep extra toothbrushes, deodorant, toiletry items for a guest, etc. I love it!

I suppose that’s enough for now.

A Dymo label maker is kind of like a toaster; you may only use it every once in a while, but every household should have one!

~audrey

This has turned out to be an absolutely fabulous evening/night. We made homemade pizzas for dinner tonight, which are always delicious. Then Josh put a movie in for the boys and they all settled on the couch with popcorn while I cleaned up the kitchen. I moved quietly from the kitchen to the office where I sat at the computer, uninterrupted, for 45 minutes and watched yesterday’s Grey’s Anatomy. Then I caught up on a few of my favorite blogs and helped Josh put the boys in bed.

Suddenly I got a second wind as I unloaded the dishwasher, started a load of laundry, filled the sink with water and pinesol and really got moving. Before I knew it, I had wiped down all the cabinet doors and large appliances that looked like they were splatter-painted with all sorts of brownish colored things (YUCK!!), swept, mopped, re-loaded the dishwasher, and wiped down the counters. My organizational drive comes and goes and it seems like it’s back at the moment. Tomorrow I have big plans for reorganizing my filing cabinets. I MUST do better this year with saving receipts for self-employment and homeschooling. I know from experience, if I create a file for all necessary items, I am much more likely to actually PUT the papers in there!

Without any hesitation, I can tell you that I have total peace about not hearing anything from the girls’ case worker today (or yesterday). I’m looking forward to a chilly, rainy weekend with Josh and my boys, knowing it COULD be our last as a family of five.

God is so good to us. So often, I find myself overwhelmed that He would choose to bless us so abundantly…so often. God, you are SO good!

I am up to my eyebrows in books right now. I have about three or four new books that have been added to my bedside table ‘stack’. All three are homeschool related, but that’s the mood I’m in lately. I’m excited about participating in the co-op in the fall and I’m excited about Jesse re-joining us on our homeschool adventure. As a result, I’m already making my curriculum list and my ‘wish list’ of books and supplies.  It’s ridiculous really.

Anyways, I have to share this with you because it’s hilarious…at least I think it is…

Last Saturday night was Josh’s company’s annual party.  We tried a chocolate wine called Chocovine.  It was delicious!  Tasted like a mudslide, but not as heavy since mudslides are made with ice cream.  I asked the bartender where we could get a bottle and she said, “Oh, it’s special order.  You can’t buy it locally.”  Well that stinks, I thought.  SOooo, imagine my surprise when my darling hubby walks in the door this evening with a bottle of Chocovine that he had purchased at KROGER…for $12!!  Special order my hiney!

That said, I’m about to curl up in bed with a good book, or two or three, and a glass of locally purchased, inexpensive, Chocovine.  🙂

Good night!

~audrey

Hope is not lost.  I realize that the type of court hearing that occurred yesterday will require lots and lots and LOTS of paperwork before the girls could ever get from point A to point B.  I also realize that today is Friday and unfortunately, DFCS caseworkers are extremely over loaded and I’m sure have tons of stuff to push through and complete by 5pm on Fridays.  My supervisor did happen to call the caseworker several times only to find that her voice mailbox was FULL.  Lovely.

So, based on the relationship that my supervisor has already developed with the caseworker, I am confident that this is not over and we will indeed hear something soon…even if “soon” means Monday or even Tuesday.  These girls will be worth the wait, and in the meantime, I have cuties like this to make me thankful for what I’ve already been blessed with:

Owen is quite proud of his big boy undies. He still has about one accident a day. But he did poop on the potty again today and none of his accidents are ever while we’re out and about, they’re always at home when he’s distracted playing with his brothers. He’s finally starting to tell me when he has to go. That will definitely make things easier.

Have a great weekend.

Thank you to all my faithful prayer warriors out there. Don’t stop now!! The best is yet to come!!

~audrey

No news.

Yes, Robin, this does STIINNNKKKKK.  🙁

My supervisor from our agency has been in meetings all day, so she hasn’t been able to call and check on the case.  I’m only holding out hope for another hour or so.  Otherwise, we’ll have to wait the whole weekend…and keep praying.

We’ll rejoice with a ‘yes’ and have peace with a ‘no’.  But this ‘not knowing’ is killing me.

Please keep praying.

~audrey

10:11 a.m.

Still no call yet.  I can’t even function.  I’m just walking around the house finding little things to do…waiting for my phone to ring.  This is ridiculous.  I do have errands to run, but it is pouring rain outside…and COLD.  I guess I’ll bite the bullet and head out for a while.  Maybe Starbucks will take my mind off things.  🙂

**hopefully my next post will have answers!**

~audrey

(7:01 a.m.)

Here we are, Friday morning, still no word.  I got about 25  phone calls yesterday asking if we’d heard yet…so…yes, my heart raced and the knots gathered in my stomach every time it rang.  Oh well.

I figure, this is a pretty big deal.  And my God loves big surprises.  So why not make me wait one more day right?  It will be SO worth it!  I’m praying for the call to come this morning!  Not sure I can take another 5 or 6 hours of waiting.  Ahhh!

Once again, I’ll post as SOON as I hear.

~audrey

(12:40pm)

I called my supervisor earlier to see if she knew what time the hearing was scheduled for.  She did not know the time but said she expects to hear from them today OR tomorrow.  What?!  Yuck.  I’m still holding out hope that we’ll hear something TODAY.  How in the world am I going to sleep tonight if we haven’t heard anything?

We’ll see.

Only four more hours left in the DFCS work day.

~audrey

(8:20am)

I can’t believe this day is finally here!

This is going to be torture.  Every time my phone vibrates or rings my heart will race until I see the agency’s number.  Then my stomach will turn to knots as I try to read her tone of voice as she delivers either really great news, or really disappointing news.

Since, of course, I’m leaning toward really great news, I’ve got to decide on some girl names!!  We’ve been told by several families who have “fostered to adopt”, that we can “call” the children whatever we’d like and their names will legally be changed when the adoption is final.  The reason you go ahead and start calling them by the names you choose, is because it could take up to two YEARS for the adoption to be final and by then the children will be 2 and 4!  If the two year old is already close to three, we will likely either leave her name as is or simply shorten it somehow.  For example, we have friends who adopted a little girl at birth.  The birth mom had given her the name “Lamiracle”.  Oh my.  While “Lamiracle” was in a temporary foster home for a week or so, not knowing what the adoptive parents would name her, the foster parents called her “Mya”.    Not a bad alternative.  I’m hoping for an option like that.

Because there are safety issues involved, I’d really rather NOT leave their names as they were given at birth.  We’ll see.  I’ll keep you posted.  The FUN  thing is, whatever we decide on, I can POST IT ON MY BLOG!!  Since they won’t be their legal names for quite a while, it’ll be fine to call them by their ‘new names’ in my posts!

Isn’t this the perfect picture of how Christ chooses us, adopts us, and calls us his own?  Our past life no longer matters and we get to move into the King’s house free of charge and all of the King’s promises become our own?   My heart just leaps as I allow myself to think of how different these girls’ lives will be if they join our family.  The privilege of raising godly little girls into women of God.  Women who will treasure whatever God calls them to be.  Women who will be godly wives and mothers.  Just thinking about the relationship I have with my mother and imagining what it will be like to have two daughters.  It’s overwhelming.

I’ll post something as SOON as I get news.  Please pray.

~audrey

I can’t believe it.  The past two weeks have gone by relatively quickly and tomorrow is the big day we’ve been waiting for.

Will we have two new little girls in our home…possibly for forever.

I could hardly even sleep last night just thinking about it.  I have Bible Study today, church tonight, and Joshua has music tomorrow morning, so that should keep me busy enough to keep my mind half way focused.

I went to the grocery store twice yesterday, armed with coupons and all the insider info on Publix’ BOGO deals.  At the end of the day I totaled my two receipts.  I bought $115 worth of groceries and only spent $43!!!  I’m seriously getting the hang of this now and I can’t wait to do it again.  It is so silly how excited I am about this Sunday’s paper.  Proctor and Gamble puts out a ‘coupon book’ only a few times a year and it will be in THIS Sunday’s paper.  I know I’ve said it before, but if you want to try “this coupon thing”, go to Southern Savers .  The very best deals are typically at Kroger and Publix.  All the groceries I got yesterday were from Publix!  To think I used say Publix was the most expensive place in town!  Ha!

Have a Wonderful Wednesday!

~audrey

Thanks to the ice and snow in the Nashville area over the weekend, Lindell Cooley was able to stay here for the entire weekend, so he preached on Sunday.  He taught on the subject of having a lifestyle of sacrifice.  There are five realms of sacrifice:

1.  Sacrifice of Praise; giving the Lord your all in worship.  Do not offer the King of Kings something that cost you nothing.  David danced before the Lord until everything but his underwear fell off!   Jesus paid the ultimate price on the cross.  Are you praising Him like He deserves.  Do you “praise” your favorite college football team louder and more enthusiastically than you praise your Heavenly Father?

2.  Sacrifice of Good Works.  We all know that good works do not get you into heaven.  However, good works can and do show the light of Jesus to those who don’t know him.  Good works for those around you must get you out of your routine…otherwise, it’s not a sacrifice.

3.  Sacrifice of Fellowship.  This one hit me hard.  I mean, I love my church and I love my church family, but I also tend to get a little bitter when my children see their daddy more in the evenings at church than they do at home.  I got upset when my husband told me that if Little League interfered with church, Joshua couldn’t participate this year.  What?!  That’s ridiculous! (I thought).  But not according to this sermon.  Are we not called to be a ‘cut above’ everyone else?  To raise our standards a little (or a lot!)?  Godly fellowship is not always a social convenience.  My fellowship with other believers will and should cost me–even my TIME.  Americans tend to be extremely jealous of their time.  I know I am.  I’m jealous of my time that I spend schooling my children.  I’m jealous of my time at church.  I’m jealous of the time we spend at home as a family.  Yep, we’re jealous of our time alright!

4.  Sacrifice of Giving Financially.  God calls us to give our first ten percent.  Not what’s left after you pay bills.  Not 9.8 percent so you can go ahead and pay for Johnny to participate in little league.  Our first ten percent.  I’ve seen first hand how God blesses my finances when I give obediently.  There have been times when I would put an extra $15 or $20 in the offering plate (above our 10% tithe) and it was amazing to see how God would return that to us times FIVE within 48 hours!  I’m not exaggerating!  I would get a call the day after church from a friend of a friend of a friend who wanted me to help them with something (cleaning, organizing, babysitting, whatever) and they would pay me way more than I would’ve expected.  On a normal week in a normal month, we would not have had that income, but God was blessing our generous giving.  Luke 6:38 says,  “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full–pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” I loved how our pastor said it last year:  “If you pour out in the measure of a thimble, God will return it to you in the measure of a thimble.  Wouldn’t you rather pour out in the measure of a DUMP TRUCK!?  I would!!  Wow, I’m preaching to myself this morning.  🙂  Be a cheerful giver and watch God bless you for it.  Are you struggling financially?  GIVE and watch God bless your finances.  I cannot stress to you enough how much tithing effects your finances when you are a believer.

5.  Sacrifice of a Disciple; living for God to the point of not needing people to like you.  You have to be willing to sacrifice your reputation and care more about what God thinks than what people think.  Ouch.  I  like my friends.  I like being liked.  Even more so, I don’t like it when I’ve made someone upset, or have been misunderstood.  I have to get my focus off of myself in order to fully focus on the Lord and what He wants me to do in the area in which He has placed me at this time in my life.

Well, I think that’s enough for one day!

Have a Terrific Tuesday!       …two more days!!

~audrey