A Pregnancy Center & Clinic Walk for Life

Our family is doing the Walk for Life on April 10, 2010.   We love what APCC is all about--APCC promotes LIFE!  They have had wonderful success with their ultrasound program.  Moms get to see that there is a LIFE growing inside of them, not just a piece of tissue!  They also help support the mom once she makes the decision honoring LIFE and God.  

Here's a little info about the Center:


A Pregnancy Center and Clinic is a 501(c)3 non-profit medical clinic.  "Saving babies and mommies from abortion" has been the mission statement since it's founding in 1985.  
We offer all of the following services free of charge:


     *Pregnancy testing and ultrasounds
     *Confidential counseling on all pregnancy options
     *Education on birth control and sexually transmitted diseases
     *Referrals to maternity homes and/or adoption services
     *Maternity and infant clothing, baby beds, car seats, formula, diapers, baby wipes, etc.
     *Alcohol and drug counseling

Check out APCC's Facebook album to see Babies Saved in 2009!

And how about these cuties who's birthmoms chose LIFE:

I'm so thankful they did!

Please help us to support them by making a donation to APCC (by sponsoring us to walk).             Join with us in taking a stand for LIFE. 

Fun season has begun!

We headed to the river for a few days of quiet.  We're backwards and go to BLR on weekdays and come home for the weekend...LOL

 Four wheeling it to the beach:

This poor house...after the hurricanes in 2008, the land dropped out from under this.  The WHOLE area in front was solid ground...

This is our "beach."  The water was COLD!  The air temperature was in the low 50's so you can imagine how cold the water must have been...

Bobcat paw prints on the beach

Our early morning view from the sunroom, we just love the sunrise out there!

March odds and ends...

March has been... marching along...  Not a whole lot has gone on here this month.  We're all ready for spring.  We've had a colder than normal winter and were ready to get outside again!  Thought I'd share some random pictures from around here...

Look at this AMAZING sunrise!  I have never seen one like it before~it's like the sky is on fire...

We really need to gut our kitchen and just start from scratch, but I can't rationalize sinking that kind of money into it when there are so many other things, like orphans, in the world.  However our stove just up and quit on us a couple weeks ago.  It was 4 days before Troy was having his poule d'eaux gumbo get together...kinda need a stove for that!  So I ran out to the local home store and picked up a new cooktop and Troy put it in.  Atleast now I have 4 burners...only 3 worked on the old one and surprise, surprise--that didn't include the big, high heat burner....go figure!  LOL

Thanks, honey!

Sisters...I just love this one.  They were just hanging out, watching the water, and chatting up a storm.

Collecting flowers to give to mom...is there anything sweeter?

And what post of mine would be complete without a sleeping girl picture?  Mind you, this was a nap at 8:45 am.  All you have to do is bore Gracie and she'll take a nap!  She set herself up behind the cushion with her snack...you never know when you might need it!

Internationally Adopted Child Immunization Waiver or exemption Petition

How would you feel if you were told your child was required to have 6-8 vaccines in ONE day? Can you imagine the overload to a young child's system?

This is happening to children adopted from China and other countries. It use to be that adoptive parents (AP) had to sign an affidavit promising to have their newly adopted children vaccinated when they got back to the states. Last year it was changed and children being adopted from Hague Convention Countries (China being one of them) and coming to America now MUST have their vaccines up to date BEFORE being granted their US visa to come home... For some this could mean up to 7 or 8 shots AT ONE TIME! This is NOT safe. Many of these children are already coming from less than optimal conditions and therefore their health may already be compromised. Some have special needs where having the shots (or so many at once and not spread out) could cause severe damage. Several children have been harmed by this already-- spiking extremely high fevers (104+) and becoming quite sick. One family just this month ended up having to have their daughter's visa rushed through to get her back to the US for medical care...

The State Department has even admitted that this was an unintentional act. It came from a term being added (Convention adoptee) with the Hague Convention and having unexpected repercussions... Children coming from non Hague Convention countries are exempt (they are referred to as orphans).

PLEASE take a moment to sign this petition to . You do NOT have to be an AP to sign it! Anyone can sign it and it only takes a moment.

Internationally Adopted Child Immunization Waiver or exemption Petition

Thank you!

Why the deep seated hatred toward home schoolers?

Why is there such hatred toward home schoolers? News articles come out and I always make the mistake of reading the comment section...I come away from them so nauseous and sickened by the view that these people have of parents who choose to be their child's teacher.

Comments like these:
*indoctrinated into the moronic culture of their parents
*They`ll go to colleges for likeminded home schooled kids and then end up working behind the fast food counters or as missionaries.
*As an educator of 30 years, the very notion of "homeschooling," for any reason or persuasion, is an insult to actual education, enlightenment, knowledge, curiosity, modernism, and intellect.
*This 'playing school' is really getting ridiculous; the kids are not being educated, and they are socially and emotionally retarded, on top of it.
*Parents, the home-schooler's "teacher", should not be allowed by law to teach anything unless they have an accredited Masters in one of the sciences. Failing that, they simply have a captive audience for their agendaed, dogmatic indoctrination. Or a shopping partner, or free domestic help. It's really pathetic.

First off, what difference does it make if we choose to home school OUR children? How does this affect these people? If they choose to send their children to a traditional school, I don't tell them that they "moronic" for sending their children to a style of school that was created for the purpose of creating laborers for the good of the county (not the child)...that is THEIR decision.

Yet, so many non home schoolers have such strong opinions about what a disservice we're doing to our children.... Have they even researched it? Have they seen how WELL adjusted most homeschoolers are? They are well mannered and able to carry on conversations with people of all ages and not just their age (which by the way, I really don't want my boys closed up with a group of boys just their age all day--that's stimulating learning, isn't it?). They are courteous, helpful, gentle and loving with their sisters...something that seems to be lacking in other circles (by my boys own admission! My oldest thanked me for homeschooling him. He said it wasn't cool with the kids at school to love their brothers and sisters--how sad.) My boys are very bright, well rounded, well read, educated young men. They aren't boys, they are men-in-training.

Are these people feeling convicted? Maybe deep down they realize they know that children belong at home with their families, but because they have bought into what the world says is the right way to do things, they are afraid to be different and are scared of those who choose to hold to God's truths? I don't know... I don't have any answers. I just needed to vent over this.

Thankfully, as far as I know (LOL), my non homeschooling friends seem supportive, well...atleast not vocally against us. There are times it is a lonely road. Our lives have taken such a drastic turn from where we were 6 years ago. It harder at times to hang out with friends, but I'm sure that's just as much from my side of it as theirs. Different things occupy my days now.

Oh, and by the way, do you want to know what precipitated those ugly comments above? An MSNBC poll asking "Is it OK for home-school textbooks to dismiss the theory of evolution?" That's it... Because some homeschoolers choose to not teach the theory of evolution as the Truth. For this, we are "moronic and socially and emotionally retarded?" Because we believe in the one God who created us all.

I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.--Romans 12:2

Longhorn Caverns

We took a trip to Marble Falls, TX this week.  My husband's cousin Ryan (who owns Brothers Bakery & Cafe) got married.  Ryan and Rachel had a BEAUTIFUL wedding ceremony at Spicewood Vineyards.  The vows were so sweet and loving and the bride and groom were radiant.  We also had the chance to visit with many relatives while we were there.

And you know me--if we're traveling, mama's going to find a cool field trip to fit in!  This trip we hit the Longhorn Caverns.  We tend to like caves/caverns...and this one didn't disappoint!  It had great history to it.  It was also the first one we had been to that was formed mainly from fast moving water/whirlpools!  Very different from the other caves we've visited.  Here's some pictures from our time there--

Sam Bass entrance

Surrounded by quartz

Queen's chair--during prohibition, this use to be an illegal nightclub. 

Men would pose with their ladies to take pictures here!

 A pipistrelle bat--these bats hibernate!  We were only inches from it--it was soooo cute!

This feature appeared numerous times in the caverns.  It is formed from whirlpools draining rapidly.

Doesn't it feel like you're in an upside down desert?

Eagle's wing

A BIG highlight of our trip was that we got to spend time with the Bakers!  Tim and Pam are founders and head of SFCV which is where our Grace lived for 2 years!