Snap shot

Take a snap shot view of what has been happening in the busy Blaske house!

I took the kids to the Lynden Lighted Christmas parade. My much complaining thought was "you can not make a memory if you do not go" so we went and had a great time. We FROZE, but the delight of the kids as they stood in the cold, waving, catching candy and singing to the music of the lighted floats as they passed.....made the freezing worth it.

I like to say that this is "me and mini me" Tristan is 14 and an amazing young man....kinda looks like his mommy...dont you think?

Tradition...for 10 years now, we have made ginger bread houses on Thanksgiving day! Ashlie was very creative this year and did not go for best design or color scheme, but very carefully place ALL the candy she LOVED on to her house in layers...so when she took it home she could munch on it! FUNNY, but clever!


The week before Thanksgiving we did a mini trial run on the ginger bread house making with our dear friends! These three great guys take FUNNY to a whole new level!
The joy in the room when they get to be together is a GIFT that I will not ever fully be able to comprehend!

The girls did a great job! There is a place in my heart that often has a hard time finding words to describe the love and life these two have shared together. To have them here in the USA so close to each other after growing up together in Ghana, really is a God size picture that I have only seen a small view of! LOVE THEM!

Brock and his sweet girl went to homecoming. There is not a dull moment when they are together. They LAUGH more than any two I have been around. (they are pretty good at ping pong too:O) She looked stunning in her purple dress and Brock had to buy dress pants, because he did not own any. Looked smashing!

I love this pic for MANY reasons! The adoptive moms that God has surrounded me with astound me! His Kids did a "Falling for kids" adoption clothing sale in the fall. The event was a fund raiser for families at our church in the process of adopting. This is a pic of 4 of the 9 women that are FRONT line warriors for adoption and kids in crisis that I get to live life with.

The great shirts were designed by the mom in the middle, as a fund raiser for their adoption. We all proudly wear them and she has sold ALOT of them!

*email me if you would like to get one .....bhcarrie@gmail.com

We worked, the community shopped and in the end we are all a bit closer to our adoption fund goal! (thanks K for the GREAT idea!)

Our sweet girl turned 11! In her 11 years, she has seen more "life" than I have in my 40 years.

I continue to be amazed at her pure JOY for all things. He out loud laughter at the simple and sweet things of life. Also her great ability to speak truth and defend the gospel and her deep love for God!

~hApPy BiRtHdAy ViCtOrIa~

In the view of time, things can FLY by or go very slowly.

It is an interesting space to be in, where both happen at the same time.

In a land far away lives a wiggly toothed 6 yr old boy.

He is quick, smart, full of questions and has a smile so big you almost lose his eyes due to his little cheeks pushing up.

He is cared for, gets to play with friends, is taught, and loved ....all the things a child need. Except he is WAITING.

Waiting for his forever family to come and "collect him."

I know I said I would post once a week....and really I think I did okay for some of the time up to now. However...seeing that things FLY by and things go soooooo SLOWLY.....I am caught in a place of life happening all around me all while I wait....to hold this sweet little boy.

Those around me who have adopted or are in process, know the pull that happens daily on our hearts as we trust in the Lord and wait.

I hope you have enjoyed a small "snap shot" into the picture

of the day to day of the Blaske Bunch!

Potty Training the Puppy

Yes, we have a new member of the Blaske family. (call me crazy...Really call me crazy)

Her name is Juliet and she is an early Christmas present from Ashlie to our whole family.

She is a 3 pound wonder!

It is CRAZY how a puppy can bring kids/family together in great ways!

This a.m....due to the crate training I have chosen to do as the method of potty training, (notice I said "I have chosen"...yes the kids LOVE LOVE LOVE her...and I get to train, feed and be with her all day. Which really is kind of lovely as she sits on my lap most of the day while I work in the office)

Today, 6:00....like everyday (she does not understand weekends) she whimpers, whines and is ready to get OUT of her crate.

Stumbling around, coat for me, slip Daves shoes on, grab leash, treats and off we go to stand OUTSIDE to go potty.

On my way to get the coat etc...out the kitchen window I see a striking neon pink thin line over the mountains forming out of the dark morning..."wow, I bet this sunrise is going to be amazing God....THANK YOU" I say in my heart.

Outside....Jewls wont go(Sunrise is now turning pink to dark orange and getting taller....we stand, use cues, stand some more. She goes! Yeah...treat and inside we go. Go inside, Leash off, coat off, shoes off...strong desire for coffee...walk toward kitchen....see Jewels scooting around under kitchen table...she pauses, squats to poop...REALLY!

Swoop her up...shoes on, no coat, leash in hand, no treats...OUTSIDE again...and NO POOP...

walking, sniffing, use word cues, walking, playing with cat. I am getting CRANKY! Dave opens the door and smiles...seeing me in my jammies in front yard.

Mean time...sunrise has blown up in the entire sky to radiant pink, orange, yellows and very top clear blue dancing off the high clouds...AMAZING!

Jewls NEVER goes...15 mins of standing in the cold.

Bring her in, put her down, lean down to take off my shoes...she squats on the tile, poops and skips off into the kitchen...happy happy happy puppy!

Seriously! Not a good start to a Sunday!

Grumble grumble grumble...cranky cranky cranky...lots of unkind thoughts dancing through my head about my very cozy warm sleeping children at this point!

Coffee...ahhhh, ....Bible.....ahhh,....Holy Spirit, Tap tap tap on my heart....owww ohhh!

Word picture life lesson coming at me FULL tilt! (love it and year for it, but really feel like there is some correction coming...YEP it did!)

God says:

"Carrie, like standing in the yard today...you can SEE a whole big picture of your surroundings, like a 360 view from the place you stand. BIG telephoto lens! You see Me and my power, strength and beauty...just like the commanding sunrise I made for you this a.m.

You love and trust me and look at this view often....where you need to practice is the IN and OUT movement of your picture lens."

My Big Picture NEVER changes! I am UNCHANGING!

"Carrie, do not let the details and situations (ie: puppy frustrations, kid challenges, work loads, Adoption stretches and heart aches) cause you to forget that in the ZOOM in times of situations,

THE SUNRISE that is happening is in that SAME view...you just can not see it because of the close focus needed at that given time. It is STILL there!

"Like a muscle, you must get better at using the lens of your heart to move in and out of BIG PICTURE (where you rest and see me most) and ZOOM focus (where you tend to cry out ot me during times of trouble, but yearn for big pictures times of peace) and be ACTIVE in lens movement for sustainable PEACE in you....now matter what view you see.....move in and out of both views during the times of focus.

When you are cranky, frustrated, hurt or angry...pull back a bit on the view...my power has not changed, this will not change the situations I have put CLOSE by you....but it will cause a deep peace which will allow you to be in ZOOM in situations with my power not your own"

OKAY! Can I say that God uses word pictures to talk to my often...and today I wanted to share this on the blog because the reality of my aching heart for Gabriel to come home has been gaining some sadness as the weeks go by. I have had times in the last 12 weeks of ZOOM focus that has caused my sweet family to have to tip toe around a sometimes emotional, cranky mommy.

God used His Grand Sunrise, a tiny puppy and poop to express His heart for me today!

SUSTAINABLE PEACE using the lens of my heart! THANK you God!

Weekend update!

This last weekend I paused for a few seconds to look around our house. I decided to pick up my camera and do a 360 in our upstairs and capture ONE moment of BLASKE-ness.
Reason: In moments like this, it causes a great THANKFULNESS to rise up in me to the LORD and all HE is in our lives.
Imagine the noise, the laughter, the frustrations, the play....all going on at one time as life happens.
Ashlie: She is our resident Apple comp WIZ! She was hanging out with us and trying to get some CD music onto Daddy's I phone. Tanner is usually close by because he usually has added some "special feature" or up load to the computer that no one can work but him :O)

There is a BIG play area in John's room, downstairs, and even in the front room...but 99% of the time I find Johnny in the kitchen where I am. Just when I start to feel the frustration about kicking marbles, tripping on toys, stepping over train tracks...my heart stops and I OPEN my eyes to the AMAZING little boy who is MY boy playing in the kitchen to be close to me...and realize, some day the kitchen will be clear and quite and oh how sad that will be! For now...PLAY ON Johnny Man!

Lunches...each day the kids pack their lunches the night before school...or I should say, the idea would be that "each night" lunches get packed. (many a morning there are some mad dashes slathering peanut butter onto bread and shoving into a bag and into the back pack as some child forgot to do lunch the night before runs to catch the bus)

Over all...25 lunches get packed Mon-Friday.....and If Victoria had her choice she would pack every ones lunch. She is a great cook and a great lunch packer.

Reports: Oh I do remember the day of hand written reports....but I guess that dates me a bit. (I could even admit the papers I did in the "typewriter" hummmm!)

Tristan is here working on a Book report/short essay. He has a great Language Arts mind and I enjoy reading his papers.

Science project: 3D model of a plant cell....Tanner had this project in hand for a week...but being the "on top of it all momma" that I am, I did not make it to the craft store to get the supplies until two days before. Here he is with his almost complete project. (thankfully Ash was over hanging out and came up with the idea of "wires" to stick the labels on.

PLAY: Okay, I know John is in here 2 times..it is because he is 2 times as busy:O)

Dave and John have great games of UNO, Sorry, Zingo (thanks Kathy) and lots of building projects....like this one.

Overall, in the span of the few seconds it took me to take these few pictures, it is really good for me to STOP life in motion at times a TAKE in the ACTION frame by frame!

One Weekend, One moment, MANY BLESSINGS!

*no worries all you friends and family wondering about Gabriel:....more to come soon.

We are anxiously awaiting a court date....then we will be on a weekly update on time frame.

Soon that little man will be in our Weekends, Moments and YES we already count him as one of our BLESSINGS!

"V" is for VICTORIA!

This post is for VICTORIA!
Not for anything special,
Not that All my kiddos could / should / will have a post,
Not that alot of words are needed.....................
Just simply said, there are some days as her mommy, that I gaze across the room at her, or watch her on the soccer field, or hear her beautiful LAUGHTER (larger than life), peek at her trying on my lip gloss, and think.......
Her life tells 1,000 plus stories and I now get to be in them!"

I love you lovie!

God's Economy!

Today I wanted to share the delight of helping some friends raise money for their 2nd Ethiopian adoption. They worked hard at setting up a one day garage sale in hopes to cover the finger print and filing fee....and they made over $800.00 YEAH!

They put out this story board of their last adoption and a jug to collect funds for anyone who wanted to donate. People were generous and supportive. We baked brownies and homemade bread to sell and split the cost with this family. The kids sold the food items and had a smile and a story to share as people asked them questions about the new adoption. It is a GIFT to see the whole family involved and making an impact on the community with their testimony.

A few posts back...I posted about "Pickles For Dinner".....well here is our Johnny man putting the money in the jar that his friend from Ghana (Moses) and Moses' brother Joshua gave to our family for our adoption. The JOY of JOYS as John put it ALL in and ALL out several times!

Really...the process of trusting in faith that God will and is bringing the funds all together at just the right time is and has been an amazing process for our whole family.

Yesterday as I was walking down the isle at the store I popped a bag of candy corns into the basket and one of my kids said, "hey, if we don't get that bag of candy, you could put that money in the pickle jar for G"

Oh my heart!

So, in the economy of God, nothing is impossible!

I have heard and have said this myself..."God owns the cattle on 1,000 hills" in relation to adoption and or situations where someone is in need.

Well, I was set back on my heels this week as I re-read that section of scripture and realized that God was not talking about how much He owns and what He can do for us...but rather the whole section was about "sacrifces and offerings" and what kind of sacrifices He is longing for from us.

Ohhhh, was I humbled!

"I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. .......for the world is mine all that is in it...Sacrifce thank offerings to God, fufill your vows to the Most High." Psalm 50:9-12, 14

As I wrap up this post I want to offer up "Thank Offerings" to the Lord for who He is and for His perfect love and plan for our lives.

Lord, you do not need to sell any of those 1,000 cows for me.....you have already given it ALL!

Thank you that you know the plans you have for me and you are working them out for my good. (even the money :O)

Glory of God!

I know I said I would blog each Sunday...but really the last post was wordy and I know when I am blog surfing it is so wonderful to see the "life" in the pictures people post. So, here ya go...I titled this "Glory of God!" because ONLY God could do what this picture represent...His Glory shouting for all to see! Once in a while God brings someone into my life that "fits" into the plan He has for my life, and it is a GOD size connection in friendship, amazement and thankfulness....Romana is one of those people. Having her in our home this summer and getting to have day after day face time with her was a GIFT!

The WA Beacon House reunion was a week long adventure of seeing God's Glory SHINE in obedient parents who have answered the call on their lives to adopt, Directors and BH volunteer staff seeing the connection of children who knew each other in Africa, then Beacon House, now in WASHINGTON...how can that be?
To see and hear them playing at the park, skipping and holdling hands along the beach, dancing, eating and GIGGLING so loudly as they recall memories, FILLS my heart to a place that does not have words!
(there are 100's of pics...but not having talked to each family represented, I am not putting the big group picture here)
...but close your eyes, picture the beach on a sunny summer day, 19 children all sitting close, older ones with younger ones on their laps, Directors standing behind them and SMILES upon SMILES on the faces of these once orphans, NOW FOREVER FAMILY adopted children! )
Like I said:
GLORY of GOD!!!

"Seasons"

For me, some of life's seasons change like our natural seasons...meaning gradual small things begin to happen. Examples like the temperature drops just a bit, the shade of the leaves begin to turn on the edges, the sun is down just a little bit earlier.

Then it happens, we wake up one day and there is frost on the ground, the furnace in our home kicks on and we are into a new season. It did not happen over night, and there really was not one big event that brought it all to come into play...but a change of season happened.

This is the place I find myself at this time. In a new "season."
When did it change and what did it change from? Can not really put my finger on it, but I do know who put it all the small changes together to accomplish this change. "GOD"

Anyone who has been in our home, seen my email address or read anything I have had the chance to write, has seen the phrase "SIMPLIFY"
My season has been one of God gracefully setting me FREE based on His wonderful word in Ephesians 2:10 "For you Carrie are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand, that you Carrie should walk in them"

In this season God called me to simplify my life so that I could HEAR his voice...Homemaking, baking, freezer dinners, homeschooling, taking care of our 4 acres, co-ops, and mentoring women were all things God had for me to invest my time.

I loved and enjoyed all the details of creating a HAVEN in our home, for creating simplicity for my heart and others to live in.
Little did I know that the leaves in my life were starting to change color about this time last year.
We saw God move in many many ways as we put our 1928 home on the market in a down economy, only to have it sell in 20 days, and got to buy a home in town that has to many wonderful things about it to list. Hummmmm, CHANGE was upon us.

Dave and I both knew that having a newer home would set free some of our time we had been spending on our old home with land to up keep. Little did we know how MUCH time.
It will be one year in Novemeber that we have lived in our new home with our new time arrangement. Kid time, family time, office/ministry time and friend time has all opened up.

The realization of the "frost" showing up one morning, and the change being upon me was the realization that baking, homemaking, freezer dinner making, home-schooling etc had all become like a faint call in my heart.
Changes had been happening and were subtle.

Where did it go? Why did I not miss it? Where was the pull and the urge to do all these things?
Now, don't get me wrong, my family is not being fed fish sticks and tater tots in a crazy messy house (okay some days it is just like that) but for the most part the desire and pull to do all of those "HAVEN" things has faded....and guess what, it is OKAY and I am OKAY and the family is OKAY. I am a planner at heart, but God is moving me into a "fly by the seat of my pants" place that quite frankly is FREEing.

I have spent about one year of no dinners in the freezer (family still eating),
Kids in public school (yep...all still loving the Lord and growing, shining the light inside them),
buying Walmart $.79 a loaf bread, (baking bread only a few times), letting the house GO, (knowing that there is always a tomorrow and the chores will still be there) putting the chore charts aways (letting the kids pick what they can and want to do and stuff still getting done) working in our home office 20-30 hours a week for the cause of the orphan (took a computer certificated class to keep office time most effective...yet still keep a window open at all times to my Face Book account...the biggest time sucker of all :O)

Whew...BOY does my life LOOK different!
YEAH GOD for change I did not even see coming.
I could not of organized or planned these changes or even picked these changes...but BOY am I glad He is in control and directing and re-directing.

I guess this weeks post is a glance of what was, what is and a some what question of what is to come.
What I do know for sure is this:
We are all God's workmanship and the things He created for us to do even before we were born are being worked out, day by day, small change by small change, creating NEW and WONDERFUL and sometimes difficult seasons for us to walk in!

Happy WALKING!
Enjoy the Season you are in and know that He is in the loving business of transformation and change!

Pickles For Dinner

There is a place in my mind that writes blog entries and stores them for later use...but the place never seems to re-surface :O)
To my friends and family who have been looking at the blog this last year only to see the last entry of "smells" to still be sitting there...I apologize. Really.
I came to bed last week and Dave had the computer out and said "look hun, I started up the blog again" I froze....oh the pressure.

The journey we are on is BIG, the size of God's heart is BIGGER...so I will take a moment each Sunday night to update the journey so others can see the GOD size picture too.

PICKLES FOR DINNER!
Dave had pulled up a blog a few weeks back about a family who really blessed our hearts as we read about how their family had a HUGE family size heart to have the whole family engaged in the awareness of the plight of the orphan. They had really great ideas on how to change things within their family to give God room to fund raise.

They gave us the idea to put out a pickle jar and collect change as we could find it, also as a visual for everyone coming into the house to see it and call it to mind that we are praying for our new son.

All we had was a full pickle jar...so for dinner the kids GLADLY each ate ALOT of pickles to empty the jar. (notice I said kids...ohhh yuck!)

One of the things Dave felt God saying for this adoption, this time around was to "not shuffle money around" meaning, don't pull insurance money to pay for adoption costs that we would re-place.......but to not move forward until the funds for each step were in at the time each step payment were due.
Ohhh my panic mommy heart....reality hit the wall....was I willing to hear Dave, was I willing to trust that money would come in...more than that...was I willing to set that time frame in COMPLETE control of God.
Oh the power of a sinful heart. (kinda ugly )
After a few pouts, tears, and silent stares at Dave (with him running his hands through his hair in patient waiting for my heart to line up) I let go of the grip I had on any expectation I wrongly held....and Cleaned the jar....put a verse and a picture of our son on the jar!

The jar was out, small family meeting was held. We told the kids our filing fee was going to be $910, and told them about what Daddy felt God saying about the money....in a few scurry mins the kids were dashing OFF and were BACK with their wallets and change and were dumping money into it.

Day 2...a check comes in the mail $100, also i posted homeshcool curriculum for sale and made a $95 sale in the first 30 mins it was posted, at Ashlies work, someone leaves a $100 donation on her desk, end of day two......almost $300 was in!

*****I WAS ONE ON MY FACE HUMBLED LADY*****
It was as if God was actually reaching out and LOVING me through people!
He really was just waiting for me to let go of my ideas and let Him move!

By Day 7....we had filled and emptied our jar 2 times! (went to a friends house on day 5 and she said " follow me, I have something for you" We went into her bed room and she picked up a HUGE jar of change..."here we want you to have this for your jar" WOW! When we got home, John loaded the change into the pickle jar saying over and over...."oh my brother is coming home, oh my brother is going to like that this money is here for him, oh yeah"
$79.00 was in that change jar alone! End of day 7....we had ALL $910!
HOW?

Pickles for dinner.................thats how!

The willingness of a husband to HEAR
The unwillingness of a wife....turned willing
The willingness of OTHERS to POUR into our lives for the cause of our son!
The WILLINESS of GOD to love us to obedience....He can even use PICKLES!

HERE WE GROW AGAIN!!

The Blaske's are growing AGAIN! Join us as we blog forward on a journey to bring another member into our family from Ghana. Our journey with John and Victoria and our other kids continues and now we are thrilled to have been led to GROW again and reach out and add another! We have already seen God's hand and miracles at work in our hearts and in peoples generous prayers and giving.

Stay tuned as we will endeavor to update this blog weekly as we journey toward bringing the next Blaske home to be with us!

Dave