Wanted: A Nanny for *Three* Adorable Children..

I am needing a sitter on Monday and Wednesday afternoons for the kids as I finish up my college degree {this May...WOO HOO!!!} If interested, please let me know. The kids gave me their job requirements for their sitter....which are all a plus, but not all actually required. It's ok if your cheeks are not rosy or if you have a wart or two. ;)

"If you want this choice position, have a cheery disposition.

Rosy cheeks, no warts, play games, all sorts.

You must be kind, you must be witty, very sweet, and fairly pretty.

Take us on outings, give us treats, sing songs, bring sweets.

Never be cross or cruel.

Never give us castor oil or gruel.

Love us as a son and daughter*s*

And never smell of barley water.

If you won't scold and dominate us, we will never give you cause to hate us.

We won't hide your spectacles so you can't see, put toads in your bed, or pepper in your tea.

Hurry, Nanny! Many thanks!"

Sincerely,

Jane and Michael Banks Darah, Connor, and Reese

No More Pencils, No More Books!

My fall semester is complete, four more grades are forever etched on my college transcript, and I never have to take Neuroanatomy & Neurophysiology of Speech & Hearing AGAIN!!! I am diligently trying to finish my graduate school applications. I am applying to two programs and waiting on one letter of recommendation for one of the schools and need to write my statement of intent for the other school. Then I just wait to see if I am invited to an interview at one or both of the schools (which will probably happen in March).

I'm so excited about Christmas coming up! We have our small group Christmas party this weekend. Presents that do not have to be baked or shipped are wrapped and hiding in my closet. I have to finish up presents that need to be mailed and then mail them! We're gearing up to celebrate Miss Thang, who will be turning 2. We're going to have a quiet celebration for her. I'm also getting super excited about seeing my baby brother graduate from the US Marines Boot Camp in a few weeks. I am so proud of him! When I get home from his graduation, it'll be time to start back up my final semester for my undergrad degree. I take my very last undergraduate final in 141 days!! Yahoo-ey!!!! =] Shortly after my semester starts, we'll be listing our house on the market {unless one of you dear readers is looking for a precious 3 bed/2bath home?} We need a little more space than one we have right now, but I really love everything about our sweet home and am sad thinking about selling it.
So, did you catch all that:

• Grad school applications
• Christmas
• Birthday for Reese
• Graduation trip for my brother
• List a house to sell {hopefully soon!!}
• Start another semester of college

......all in the month or so.......isn't is nice to be on "break?"

12 Days of Giving ~ Days Five, Six, and Seven

I'm still participating in the 12 Days of Giving, hosted by my friend, Bethany (click on the button to get more info...it's not too late to participate. Sadly, I am already having to play catch up on my giving posts! LOL!

Day Five: I didn't do anything purposeful on this day of giving, sadly. I forgot, since it was a weekend. I may have to go an extra day or do something extra on one of my days coming up!

Day Six: I gave my husband a massage. He was so sweet, working hard to make some washer bead necklaces for his little sister and something about the way he was sitting and hammering, made his back really hurt...so I gave him a back massage! :)

Day Seven: Yesterday was a really dreary, drizzley day here. I had a final exam, major studying to do for three other final exams, and pretty much wore sweats all day except for when I left to take my final. My babysitter's paycheck had a mix-up so it's late in getting to me (Darah receives some respite funding due to her having Down syndrome, so some of our babysitting expenses are covered by an outside agent). Anyway, the mix-up was frustrating for us both and I called the agency and was told the check was cut and would be mailed that afternoon. It really would have been fine to get here today or tomorrow, but since I love our babysitter sooooo much, I decided to go out of my way and pick it up for her. It brightened my day (and hopefully hers!)

The Time has FINALLY Come!!

For our friends, the Beasleys, to get on a plane and head to Eastern Europe already to meet their new babies! They have really had a journey in this adoption and there were a lot of hurdles to climb to get to these babies! I am constantly thinking about how as a Christian, I have been adopted and chosen by my Heavenly Father and of the sacrifices involved for that to even be possible. The Beasleys have, like our Heavenly Father, already sacrificed so much to get to these babies and save them from likely a shortened life without family, God, and LOVE.

So, I encourage you to stop by their blog and let them know you're praying for them as they begin their overseas part of this adoption journey. Pray for the rest of their journey to be smooth {boy, do they deserve it!} Pray for health while they are traveling (they're taking three of their kids) and health for the kids they are leaving behind. And, pray also for good, solid internet connections so we can all see the beautiful first pictures of these children finally in the arms of their Mommy and Daddy {and also so they can have good communication with their kids back home, too...LOL!} Yay!! I feel just about as excited for them as I did when we were getting ready to meet Reese for the first time! Their blog address is: http://www.blessingsfromabroad.blogspot.com/ Yay!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Also, if you feel called to support them financially, you can do so by clicking on the girls' picture on the top right of their blog. Adoption is a very expensive endeavor and I know they would be so blessed to be supported in this way.

12 Days of Giving ~ Day Four

Today, I gave up breakfast and lunch and spent that time in prayer for Liz. Whenever hunger came to my mind, I redirected those thoughts to praying for Liz. I am praying specifically for Liz to feel strong and not weak, to stay healthy and not have nausea and side-effects from the chemo, that the chemo will do its job and get rid of the cancer, for a miracle {because I know that God does perform some of those, too!}, and that my mother-in-law, brothers-in-law, and sister-in-law will feel nothing but peace and calmness right now. So, I guess this fasting time was spent not just for Liz, but for my entire family-in-law.

12 Days of Giving ~ Day Three

Today was a really busy day...it marked the last day of lectures for me this semester. Finals are on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and then I'm only 3 classes away from graduation! (I'm taking 4 classes next semester, though because of the stinking scholarship I receive...it only applies if I'm full time, so it would cost me $1500 more to go part-time than full-time.) I digress...

The giving I intended for the day, I wasn't actually able to do because the venue closed earlier than I thought. So, instead of the intended giving (which will hopefully be happening in the next nine days), I did something else. I was so happy to give in the way I did today, but I'm actually not going to share today's giving act and am going to keep it between myself and myself. Sorry to disappoint, but the act wouldn't mean as much if I mentioned it. So, stay tuned...there's 9 more days of the 12 Days of Giving challenge and I really hope you'll join in the giving fun! I am loving reading everyone else's acts of giving!

Twelve Days of Giving ~ Day Two

So, today's giving was a little more purposeful and planned than yesterday. Today, I decided I would pay for the person behind me in the drive-thru lane. It was so fun and I felt so sneaky!! I will say I was a little relieved they had only ordered one coffee and not coffee for 10, but it was fun nonetheless. The barista thought it was fun, too! I chickened out in waiting to see the person's expression in my rear-view-mirror, but I'm sure it was a delightful expression. So.much.fun!