The State of My Faith

Kahuna and Beach Bunny walking through a Redwood forest near Santa Cruz, CA

For me, there is nothing like walking through a Redwood forest. The warm, fragrant air and the huge stature of the ancient trees momentarily puts life into perspective for me. It reminds me how temporal life is, and to treasure this time. It also reminds me of a verse from James, "What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes." You know what? That verse kind of makes me think of bathroom spray. The fragrance only lasts a little while. Some mists smell better than others. I want my life to be a fragrant offering... not too sweet or too strong, but pleasing. I've got a lot of work to do.

This leads me to the state of my faith...

I'm reading the book, "Crazy Love" by my friend Francis Chan. A paragraph on the back cover is what hooked me, "It's crazy, if you think about it. The God of the universe- the Creator of nitrogen and pine needles, galaxies and E-minor- loves us with a radical, unconditional, self-sacrificing love. And what is our typical response? We go to church, sing songs, and try not to cuss.

Whether you've verbalized it or not... we all know something is wrong."

This is totally the state of my faith. I know there is so much more that God wants to do. He is moving and stirring. What is it, Lord?

Blog Hoppin'

Hi and welcome to my blog, The Love Shack. I'm so glad you stopped by!!

This week we are posting our favorite "kid photo". I chose these two pictures of Beach Bunny just because they make me smile. Around the circles I typed out her favorite songs that she likes to sing- so that I don't forget what she is like at 25 months. On our recent road trip, she sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star for two straight hours! She made sure to change it up a bit to make us laugh. Some of her renditions included Twinkle, Twinkle Little Mommy and Twinkle, Twinkle Baby Jesus. She is a crack up!

If you're a new follower to my blog, make sure to leave me a note in the comments and I will hop on over to your blog and follow you, too! Happy blog Hopping!!

Blue Ribbon Ice Cream Sandwich

Wanna make something yummy? Just follow these 5 steps to nirvana.

Step #1: Make a batch of your favorite chocolate chip cookies. If you're in a hurry, you can always buy pre-made dough from Trader Joe's. I call it the Domino's Pizza of cookie baking.

Step #2: You will need decadent vanilla ice cream and a bag of mini chocolate chips.

Step #3: Place a scoop of the decadent ice cream between two heavenly cookies. You could stop here, but nooooo!

Step #4: Roll the sides of the ice cream sandwich in a bowl of mini chocolate chips. Pretend this is all fat free.

Step #5: Individually wrap your to-die-for ice cream sandwich in plastic wrap and put in freezer. If your kids see what you are making, you're in big trouble. Be prepared to shoo them away with a big stick.

Make this and you will be very popular.

By the way, I can see the wet spot on your computer monitor where you just licked it.

To see more great desserts, visit www.kellyskornerblog.com.

Snapshots From Her 90th Birthday

We just celebrated my grandma's 90th birthday. You can call her Gram. She's just about the cutest person in the whole wide world. We had her party at a beautiful restaurant on the lake. It was a "girls only" event... all the women in the family came, plus a few girlfriends and a special neighbor.
I love the picture on the bottom row in the middle. Gram had just opened up a Bare Minerals make up set and couldn't believe her eyes. She got so excited about it!
How cute is that!?
I love to hear her stories about when she was a little girl living on a farm. She says she was hyper and could take on any boy. She could jump on a horse's back, hold onto the mane and ride bare back waaay too fast... and scare my great-grandma to death.

She's also smart and always gives the best advice.

Happy birthday, Gram. I love you!

Photo Edit of Bella @ Thru a Mama's Eyes

Laurie @ Thru a Mama's Eyes sent this picture to me. I thought it was so cute. I loved the full color version in Laurie's original, but I wanted to challenge myself and try to give the photo a different feel.

Original:

Edit:

In my photography class that I'm taking with my friend Suzanne, the teacher stressed to us that the brain likes to be busy while looking at photographs. Subjects in the middle sometimes can (not always) leave the mind unchallenged. He told us that if you divide a photo into thirds and then set your subject into a "third", it can add interest to that photo. So, I took his advice and tried it out.
I also used a combo of Lightroom, Photoshop Elements 7 and some free PSE7 actions I found on the web.

Ah, Bella... you are a beauty!

Our Family Vacation Summed Up In Four Photos

First of all, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to Susie, Suzanne, Hannah, Joanna and Meghan for filling in for me here at The Love Shack while I was on vacation. You guys did an amazing job! Some posts put a smile on my face, some made me laugh, and some made me choke back tears at the thought of how faithful God is in answering our prayers and how God gently guides us to find our purpose in life. You guys are awesome!

And yes, Joanna, I was really on vacation (insert evil laugh... mu ah ha ha ha!)

OK, so here are the highlights of our family vacation to Mount Hermon summed up in four pictures...

Time 7:25 am

Car packed, Starbucks run complete, caravaning with Grami and Grandpa (the boys rotate riding with them)

Everyone is all smiles!

We did a little of this...

A little of that (still smiling),

but...

... by Thursday, we hit the family melt-down (Why does it always happen on Thursdays?). Too much fun and not enough rest, I guess!

Well, after we got it all out, we picked up where we left off and had a great rest of the week.

We listened to some amazing speakers, and I heard God speak right to my heart (Which I'll save for another post). It was just the boost I needed!

So, how was your week?

Guest Blogger- Meghan, from Adopting Baby Z

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world" James 1:27

Does anyone remember the Wayne's World (I am dating myself) skit that they used to do on SNL? The two guys used to say "We're not worthy, we're not worthy . . ." I think of that phrase a lot when I think about our adoption of Gigi. So many times people have said to me, "That's so great what y'all are doing for her" when we discuss adoption. I want to say to them, "No, you don't understand. It is what she has done for us". Then, I want to say to the Lord, "We're not worthy!" And of course, none of us are worthy apart from Jesus; but our adoption process taught me this truth in a new way.

Our family was able to grow closer to each other and closer to the Lord during the adoption. There were many times when I cried out to Him, "Lord, where are you? Don't you see what is going on here?" But, looking back on those times, I see how He was stretching me/us. I can honestly say that I have never experienced the Lord's mercy in such a concrete way as during our adoption. I am talking about stuff like, ". . .and then on Tuesday morning at 9:00 a.m., the Lord did this for us; and on Friday afternoon, He did that . . ." I am so grateful that I used my blog to document some of our events because many of my entries are monuments to His faithfulness. Most of you probably did not follow our journey, or you might not be familiar with the Guatemalan adoption process, but the Lord performed miracles. I will never forget sitting in Victor Barrios' office (the former head of PGN) praying and praying while Myra talked to him. Initially he said, "I can not help people with their cases because I would have everyone coming to my office for special favors." After more talking and praying, he said, "But, if there is nothing wrong with your file, I will sign you out". Y'all, he did sign me out, and I picked up my file 2 days before PGN completely shut down. That is NOT coincidence.

Adoption is a wild and crazy ride, but if you allow the Lord to lead you, He will teach you things that were before unknowable. To Him be the glory!

(I've turned off comments, so please hop on over and say hi to Meghan @ Adopting Baby Z !)

Guest Blogger, Joanna from Semi-Functional Chaos

Hello to the Pineapple Princess Posse!

While Ms. Stacy is maxin' and relaxin', she is asking ME to do her
dirty blogging work...She used some crazy excuse that she loves to
read what I write (scary, I know), but honestly I think she is just
trying to get out of blogging for a week. Is she even really on
vacation? Just teasing, Stacy! I'm actually so incredibly honored
that she asked me to be a guest writer on her amazing blog!

So you may already know me in the virtual world from my blog, Semi-Functional
Chaos, derived straight from my crazy life with 3 toddlers under
the age of 5 and 50-lb labradoodle puppy that eats everything. You may
also know that I'm a self-pronounced anti-domesticated housewife (not
on purpose, I really do try) who is obsessed with party planning,
blogging, and of course, shopping for my kids. I have an entire blog devoted just to
shopping with my friend, Jaimee, who's just
as sick in the head as I am. But what's even sicker is that I have
friends that follow me there. I love it!

Unfortunately for you, I had nothing exciting happen today that I could blog
about other then I went to work and got choked up driving home to a
Neil Diamond song. My cell phone was dead as a doornail, and my
charger was MIA...so I (GASP!) actually had to listen to the radio and
pay attention to my driving on the road. How boring! Actually, once I
found some old mixed CD's (particularly my "Independence Party" CD
from 2008), I found myself rocking out hardcore to some Neil and John
(Cougar Mellencamp, that is).

Honestly though, doesn't that "Coming to America" song make you feel
so proud to be in a free country? I
started looking at the cornfields I was driving past (I live in
Indiana, okay?), the street signs, the houses...everything. This is
America! We are free, and so many amazing people leave their families,
friends, and lives for a taste of the freedom we take for granted.
See why I started tearing up?

Okay, so tell me - have you ever come across an old CD that you found
yourself rocking out to? (Or in my case, tearing up to? Putting you in
deep thought?) Pop over to my blog and tell me
all about it. And while you're at it, introduce yourself. I love my
virtual friends. Occasionally, a few pop out of my computer and become
great friends in-real-life, too!

Oh! Stacy asked me to share some eye candy...here you go:

Just
teasing! Of course, you can see pictures like this one and more at
www.rayadventures.blogspot.com.
Thanks for letting me hijack your blog, Pineapple Princess. This
was a lot of fun! Much love to you! Enjoy your vacation...if you're
really on one! (Insert evil laugh: Wah ha ha ha)

Gotta run...the dog is eating a pack of Myla's Dora diapers!

XOXO,
Jo Jo

(I've turned off comments, so please hop on over and leave some love for Joanna on her blog!)

You Go Nowhere By Accident

You go nowhere by accident
Wherever you go, God is sending you.
Wherever you are
Our Lord has purpose in you being there.
Christ who indwells you
Has something He wants to do through you
Wherever you are.
Believe it and go in His power and grace.

Guest Blogger- Hannah, from Me-Me and Monkey's Big Adventure

Hi, I am Hannah from Me-Me and Monkey's Big Adventures. Pineapple Princess asked me to drop by her ever adorable blog this week. Personally, I think The Love Shack is a way too cool for the likes of me but I am honored to be here. I have read the other guest bloggers posts and loved every single word. I thought about changing my post to be a little more elegant and thought provoking but since I am neither elegant or thought provoking I better go with what I know best. Being a Dork.

I thought I'd share some of our family pictures from the 4th of July.

These are my two sweet babies. We fought long hard battles to get our babies home and I thank God for them every day. Next to salvation they are the greatest gift I have been given.

Dmitry is the handsome eleven year old in the glittery top hat.
Sophia is my adorable two year old in the patriotic princess attire.
Bear is the smelly stuffed animal with red hair bows, half an eye ball and a recently repaired nose.

Cute huh?

This is my family. We live in the country, which is an experience all of it's own.
We look pretty nice huh?
Yes, we are all dressed in Red, White and Blue.
I said we were nice...not cool.



Oh Look, now we are being patriotic and saluting.



I know where this is going and it's not going to be pretty.

Dorks making faces.



Dorks pretending to point at something.



It's getting worse.

Dorks making faces part deux.



Dorks pretending to dig for gold.

Just so you know, three of us are pretending to pick our nose.
One of us is actually doing it.



Sadly, this is what happens every time we start taking family pictures.
It can make weddings and professional family portraits a little awkward.
At least we have fun.



(I've turned off comments, so please hop on over and leave some love for Hannah on her blog!)

Guest Blogger- Suzanne, from Where Chaos Lives

So Stacy has asked me to be a guest blogger while she is gone on vacation. What an honor, thank you Stacy. Have you ever read the book "Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren? I've only read bits and pieces of it years ago, but it is never far from my thoughts. It wasn't until I gave birth to my second child that I started to understand my purpose in life. It was to raise my children in the eyes of the Lord. With each child I had I wanted another. My husband was stuck on having two children and after we gave birth to our third, he decided we were done and got a vasectomy. However, my desire to have more children was getting stronger and I knew that adoption was the best way to go about that. Selfishly, I wanted children, yet I knew the Lord would only give me what he saw fit. So along came Faith. She became a part of our forever family at 11 months old, weighing in at a whooping 13 lbs. She didn't eat food, drank only from a bottle and couldn't even hold her head up. She was gaunt and malnourished. As I tried to celebrate her adoption I was so grief stricken by her condition. From that very moment my purpose in life was growing, changing, developing into something bigger. God had confirmed my purpose. The transition to Faith has not been easy. I grieved the child I didn't get and questioned the one I did. I wanted a "normal" child. I questioned all the connections I made through the adoption process. My child had very Special Needs and yours didn't. I thought connections with all the friends I had made during the process where going to be lost, but I was wrong, very wrong. Thank you Stacy for helping me see that. Faith is not like you or me. She is stronger, courageous, inspirational, she is an angel. The Lord has opened my eyes to a whole new world, a world of amazing challenges, love, support and amazing friendships. The Lord has made my purpose in life very clear, and I am so grateful for it.

What is your purpose? Have you found it yet? I'd love for everyone to share their purpose in life.



(I've turned off comments, so please hop on over and leave some love for Suzanne on her blog... Where Chaos Lives!)

Three Things You Didn't Know About Me

(This is an auto post 'cause I'm on vacation. I'm not rubbing it in or anything.)

So, you wanna know three new things about me, huh?
Do I dare?

Promise to be nice?

Alrighty then...

Kahuna is a rockin' pastor at our church. He's all fancied up here ready to officiate a wedding.

It was fun to be voted Homecoming Queen back in the day.

I worked my boo-tay off and somehow graduated Suma Cum Laude from my university (You'd never know it by my speling spelling on this blog)! I majored in Liberal Arts and Spanish. During my first seven years of teaching, I taught exclusively in Spanish.

¡Si, es la verdad!

Guest Blogger- Susie, from Ferrick Family Promise

"Do nothing selfish or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself" Phil 2:3

As I look upon this picture of my husband, middle son and Guatemalan daughter Bella, I am reminded of just how important we are to God and to each other. We are on a camping vacation, Bella loves the water, but felt a little nervous and insecure as she walked down the sand line to the water. First...her Daddy, always her Daddy, walked closely next to her, his hand in hers, giving her the confidence she needed to know she was safe. Yet along the way, her brother came along encouraging her, reminding her that all is well and that Daddy has her and that together, we can do all things. Is that not our God? Do we not emulate him when we act in this way?

It's so easy to let our imaginations run our minds...allowing so much room for the enemy to come in and destroy all that is good from God. When Bella was diagnosed with Leukemia last October after only 5 months of being home with us from Guatemala, our minds could have wondered, we could have lived in the physical world of gripping fear and grief, however, we had 2 years of spiritual practice during our adoption journey, we had learned to transform our minds to the Word of God, therefore, our immediate reaction was His promising Word and no negative attitude. And then, along the way of diagnosis and chemo treatments, God sent an army of angels I prayed for that first 24 hours....God loving Doctors, nurses and most importantly, sisters and brothers in Christ. Stacy was on of them. God not only had our weakest hand, but he sent many of his children to hold our other one. There was no chance of falling down, we had a pillar of hope and yes to promises holding us up. That's what I see when I look at this picture. What does it make you think of?

I mentioned we are on a camping trip, can you guess what body of water this is? For a clue, you can visit my blog at
http://ferrickfamilypromise.blogspot.com/ . I have a small prize for the winner.

Blessings,

(I've turned off comment moderation, so please hop on over and leave some love for Susie on her blog!)

Guest Bloggers Coming Your Way

This is my first auto post. We are packing up and heading out the door for a loverly little family vacation. The house sitter is here, and all the pets are accounted for. Check!
Since we will be staying in a cabin with no internet (Gasp!), a couple of lovely and talented guest bloggers will be posting in my stead. They are some of my favorite blogging buddies, so your one assignment is to leave them lots and lots of love.

Lots and lots of it.

To keep some order around here at The Love Shack while I'm gone, I've posted the ten commandments- 2009 style. Enjoy!

I had to check a couple of words HERE.

Oh wait, I just got #5- Parent Over Shoulder is ok- your mom & dad are cool!

Frankly, it's Fun at the Farm

There's nothing I like more than sunshine and fresh air, so I packed up the kids (tons of snacks and drinks!) and headed to a local farm. They have the most amazing organically grown fruits and veggies that we pick ourselves. The kids always enjoy all the stuff to climb on and all the animals to feed. Our favorite part was meeting my sister in law there and spending time with the cousins.

Top left: Cousin S. and Beach Bunny. They share the exact same birthday, one year apart. We call them "Salt and Peppa".

Top right: Bunny gets a boost from biggest brother.

Bottom: Cousin H., Goofy Foot and Big Surf just chillin'

I think we live in a unique area. We are close enough to ride our bikes to the beach, yet an hour's drive from one of the busiest cities in the country. Visiting this local farm is such a nice reprieve from the bustle of everyday life. It's kind of like life s-l-o-w-s down while we are there. I make a conscious effort to put away my cell phone and just focus on the kids.

Okay, now it's your turn ...

What do you like to do for fun in the summer?

To see more favorite foto fridays, clickety HERE.

So... How 'Ja Do That??

How are you guys doing today?
I got the sweetest emails and comments from you all. I am so humbled, and I deeply thank you! I have been praying for many months that God would give me my own voice here at The Love Shack... something that would be fun for others to read, to look at... and also be pleasing to God somehow. I'm not sure how He's going to use me or this blog, but I pray every day that I can use this creative energy that He has given me for His purpose. I want my life and this blog to be a sweet fragrance to Him.
I'm finding I've got tons of creative energy stored up inside (I get it from my mom- she's amazing, though!), and photography and photo editing are my passions. Sometimes I feel like God speaks to me through the lens of my camera and through my editing equipment. I know, sounds strange... but it's true!

Kelly from Kelly's Korner gave me permission to post her daughter's (Harper) picture. This is the picture I edited for her, and she surprised me by posting it on her blog (HERE). Since my inbox was full of questions about how I edited Harper's picture, I thought I'd just post the answer right here. Are your ready?

Above is the original picture that Kelly took. Oh, my gosh! Isn't Harper the cutest?! I can tell that Kelly took a solid picture with a nice camera and lens and a good amount of light. This makes post processing a lot easier. I use two editing programs: Lightroom 2.3 and Photoshop Elements 7. I'm self-taught, so I'm sure there are lots of alternative (and even better) ways to get the job done (Please let me know what they are, by the way)! I'll just give you the general run down of how I "antiqued" Harper's picture:

1. Opened the original image in Lightroom, evened out the white balance and then auto toned
2. There are many awesome pre-sets in Lightroom. There are also lots of free pre-sets out there on the web. I chose aged photo.
3. This is where the fun, creative stuff happens... there are an endless amount of changes that can be made at this point, too many to list here, but color temperature and tinting are what I tweaked the most. Really, the possibilities are endless. You just have to edit to you own liking and the feeling you are going for.
4. I imported the image into PSE7. This is the program I couldn't live without- and where most of the technical stuff happens. First, I cloned out a few boo-boos. I like to use unsharp mask on the irises only. I don't like to mess with the whites of the eyes or somehow my subjects end up looking like freaky dolls!
5. I burned the background just a smidge to give more depth of field and put focus on beautiful Harper. Oh, can't forget to use the sharpen tool on the drool!

Does anyone have any idea what I just said? Because I don’t.

Ok, one more look at precious Harper. She's eye candy, I tell ya!