Two Days Old!

Here’s another picture from my Mom. Baby A. was 6 lbs. 15 ounces when born.
Holding Baby A. is her Daddy’s Mom – Grandmother M. (also known as our Daughter’s MIL).

Grand-Daughter # 2

Here’s one of the pictures my Mom took right after Alivia was born – held by SIL Jesse.

Can’t wait to give them all a big hug!!!

Grand-Baby Alivia is born!!!!

We are in England on our long ago planned vacation with cousin H. Unfortunately, we missed the birth of grand-baby #2!!

Our daughter and SIL have welcomed new baby girl – Alivia. She was born on April 27th and mother and baby are doing well. My Mom went to the hospital and sent us many pictures of Alivia with her Dad (our SIL) and Aunt N.

When we arrive home, we will have lots to chat about – the vacation of London, Bath, Wales, York and Scotland AND new G-Daughter A.
Thank you M&D for taking care of house and family while we are away! I can’t wait to hear about their adventures while we are away! Better start getting your stories to match!!
Love,
A&F

Recipe – Chocolate Sheet Cake with Buttermilk

Old Fashioned Chocolate Sheet Cake with Buttermilk!

This is a family favorite with the “M” family. Nana Joy makes it very often, as most everyone wants it for the next family celebrations. This is unbelievable and serves a large crowd. This is addicting, so delicious. It is very easy and takes very little time to bake completely from “scratch”. Remember to prepare the frosting first; ready to spread onto the warm cake.

Ingredients:
Flour, Sugar, Cocoa, Vanilla, Butter, Oil, Water, Baking Soda, Eggs, Buttermilk, Confectioners Sugar, Milk.

Cake Batter:
In a large mixing bowl, mix together 2 Cups Flour and 2 Cups Sugar.

Boil together:
3 ½ Tabs. Cocoa
½ Cup Oil
1 Cup Water
1 stick of Butter or Margarine

Pour into bowl with flour and sugar.
Add: 2 Eggs and 2 Teas. Vanilla

Mix 1 Teas. Baking soda into 1/3 Cup Buttermilk
Add to mixture.

Grease and flour a jellyroll pan or large cookie sheet with 1 inch sides.
Bake 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Frosting/Icing:
Melt 1 stick Butter or Margarine. Combine melted butter with:
3 ½ Tabs. Cocoa
4 Tabs. Milk
1 Teas. Vanilla
Add to one box of powdered/confectioners sugar.
Spread on cake while cake is hot.

A Short Visit With Cousin Hilary

Aly and I are off to meet up with a favorite Cousin of hers. Uh no, not that Cousin…

It’s off to England for a short spell to meet up with Cousin Hilary and to do the Jane Austen shuffle, grab some fish and chips and terrify the natives as we abandon the trains ever so often and hopefully drive on the right side of the road. Or is that the left? No, right.!?… Ok, everybody back on the train!

Oh yes, Hilary and I will also be doing our best to take home the first place prize in the All-England Pub Crawl Contest. We haven’t quite figured out what we’re going to do with Alyson and her selective penchant for wine. We figure if we can get a couple of “pints” down her quickly we have a shot at convincing her she is drinking a newly released oak barrel aged Chateau Stonehenge. Our confidence is somewhat low on this scheme but Hil and I will do our “hoisting” best.

We’ll try to do a few postings while doing the backpack thing sans computer. So, it’s off to the airport we go to hopefully grab some standby seats to London. Last time we did this we grabbed standby seats to Europe. We didn’t have a city per se, just a location, Europe, no reservations and I think we may have had a hundred dollars on us. It really doesn’t matter where you land as much as it does what you do once you get there! Oh well, Tally Ho and all that and we’ll see you soon.

Special Notice To Burglars, Thieves and Things that go bump in the night: Alyson’s Mom and Dad and our terrorizing, massive, bone crushing, flesh eating guardian Salty Dog will be protecting the home 24/7 during our little swim, make that flight, across the pond and back…

Flash Forward: “Hil and I would like a couple of pints of your darkest bitter please with an Ale chaser and would you happen to have a Chateau Stonehenge 1985? You do! Thank you. Excellent choice Alyson. Yes, isn’t it odd how they serve their wine over here in what looks like beer glasses.”

I don’t know Hilary, I do have my doubts about this working… Oh well, Ta Ta for now.

The Woodpecker Might Have To Go!

Everything I need to know about life, I learned from Noah’s Ark…

1 : Don’t miss the boat.
2 : Remember that we are all in the same boat.


3 : Plan ahead. It wasn’t raining when Noah built the Ark.
4 : Stay fit. When you’re 600 years old, someone may ask you to do something really big.
5 : Don’t listen to critics; just get on with the job
that needs to be done.
6 : Build your future on high ground.
7 : For safety sake, travel in pairs! !
8 : Speed isn’t always an advantage.
The snails were on board with the cheetahs.
9 : When you’re stressed, float a while.
10 : Remember, the Ark was built by amateurs; the Titanic by professionals.

11 : No matter the storm, with God, there’s always a rainbow waiting.

Name That Movie Revealed

One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest

If you haven’t seen this film in a while you owe it to yourself to open a nice bottle of wine, put plenty of snacks out and sit back to absorb one of the all-time great movies starring Jack Nicholson.

Check out some of the cast names and you know why this movie entertained so many of us:

Jack Nicholson
Louise Fletcher
Scatman Crothers
Danny DeVito
Christopher Lloyd
Vincent Schiavelli

So many movie lines to choose from…

*McMurphy: Which one of you nuts has got any guts?

*McMurphy: That’s right, Mr. Martini. There is an Easter Bunny.

*McMurphy: I’m a gd marvel of modern science.

*Nurse Ratched: Aren’t you ashamed?
Billy: No, I’m not. [Applause from friends]
Nurse Ratched: You know Billy, what worries me is how your mother is going to take this.
Billy: Um, um, well, y-y-y-you d-d-d-don’t have to t-t-t-tell her, Miss Ratched.
Nurse Ratched: I don’t have to tell her? Your mother and I are old friends. You know that.
Billy: P-p-p-please d-d-don’t tell my m-m-m-mother.

*McMurphy: [about shock treatments] They was giving me ten thousand watts a day, you know, and I’m hot to trot! The next woman takes me on’s gonna light up like a pinball machine and pay off in silver dollars! (CLASSIC)

*[The inmates are playing cards and betting with cigarettes]
Martini: [rips a cigarette in half] I bet a nickel.
McMurphy: Dime’s the limit, Martini.
Martini: I bet a dime. [Puts the two halves onto the table]
McMurphy: This is not a dime, Martini. This is a dime. [shows a whole cigarette]
McMurphy: If you break it in half, you don’t get two nickels, you get s***. Try and smoke it. You understand?
Martini: Yes.
McMurphy: You don’t understand.

*Nurse Ratched: If Mr. McMurphy doesn’t want to take his medication orally, I’m sure we can arrange that he can have it some other way.

*Chief Bromden: Mmmmmm, Juicy Fruit. (I loved this simple line)

*McMurphy: Get out of my way son, you’re usin’ my oxygen.

***[Last lines]

Chief Bromden: Mac… they said you escaped. I knew you wouldn’t leave without me. I was waiting for you. Now we can make it, Mac; I feel big as a damn mountain. [he suddenly sees the lobotomy scars]
Chief Bromden: Oh, no…
Chief Bromden: [embracing McMurphy] I’m not goin’ without you, Mac. I wouldn’t leave you this way. … You’re coming with me.
Chief Bromden: [laying him down] Let’s go.

Name That Movie

Memorable Movie Line!

“They was giving me ten thousand watts a day, you know, and I’m hot to trot! The next woman takes me on’s gonna light up like a pinball machine and pay off in silver dollars!”

Name that movie…

Being Thankful – Everyday

Being thankful. For so much…

While we wait, I have many things to be thankful for:

My Mom & Dad are here for a visit and they already are pitching in to help around the house. None of this “I’m a guest” from them!!

We are facilitating a great Crown Financial small group Bible study class at Asbury UMC. Everyone is so friendly and beyond nice! A very welcoming church!

We have great jobs and are looking forward to DH’s retirement and his SAHD responsibilities beginning.

With rumors of a 10-month wait from LID, I guess I can get more things done around the house and we are planning a few quick trips to see family this summer and fall.

It is springtime here in Florida and the weather has been great if very dry.

More about Mom and Dad; they brought so many gifts and household items for us PLUS lots of toys for Lizzy and I mean TOYS!! Also, My Dad made me a wooden plant stand exactly like his mother’s (my Grandmother). What a great birthday present!!

We were hit (broadsided) four weeks ago and no one was hurt. Their insurance company fixed our car so we were very happy about that. We can drive it a few more years and was very glad they did not “total” it.

Our son J & K and granddaughter Kilee are all well and prospering. K graduates this May so another significant milestone in their life’s journey moves forward. K, we are so proud of you.

Our daughter & SIL are expecting their first child within the next week. Our second granddaughter!! We can’t wait for Alivia Kate to be born.

We are going on a vacation to England with a favorite cousin. We can’t wait!! What a treat and mostly because of Sister-IL Tiffany who provided a special rate on the airline tickets. What a unbelievable trip to be making as a last big fling until we get Lizzy.

DH still loves me with all my quirks that have been old habits plus all the newly acquired ones. Does one always go crazy with the ups and downs of the adoption process? He’s a very patient man!

We are VERY thankful for being blessed with our good health and with more than we need in possessions. We need to share more with others who lack food, shelter and clothes.

Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”
Acts 20:35

So often DH & I find ourselves caught up in the moment. We push hard to make sense of things that quite frankly we often times can’t make sense of.

What we have learned to do is remember that the Lord also said: “My way are not your ways, My thoughts are not your thoughts.” In other words we may never understand the “why” of something but there is always a “lesson” in it for us.

Love to our families!
Happy Easter!
Happy Birthday to sister, T.
Happy Birthday to me!!!

Agency Update on Referrals

Our agency is reporting the following:

We have learned that the CCAA is working on the next set of matches. We believe this group will include May 31st LID families and the first week of June LID families. We do not know if there will be any additional dates in June at this time.