Beautiful Weather and Blessings

Is this really the end of February? The weather has been unbelievably beautiful. I'll take this over snow any day! I'm not a fan of snow or cold at all. Doug, on the other hand, loves snow. I think he's loving this weather as much as I am, though, because when he prays every evening at dinner, he thanks God for the beautiful weather. I'm sure he's glad he doesn't have to waste expensive gas on plowing snow.

We've been very blessed the past two weeks...

First, we received an adoption grant for $3,000 from the Tionesta United Methodist Church, Lee Young Sook Adoption Fund! We're so grateful and thankful for it.

Second, we got a check for $750 as a refund for overpayment of our 2008 taxes! I know that God knew back in 2009 when Doug was preparing our taxes we would be adopting in 2012 and that $750 would come in very handy right now!

Third, I was making yet another gob cake and my stand mixer died as I just started to whip the filling! Doug went to WM to get me a cheap hand mixer until I decided what to do for the long term. Do I spend money on a high quality mixer, anticipating more cake sales, or do I just muddle along with cheap hand mixers for awhile. I asked God what I should do, and because He's reliable like that, He gave me an answer within a few hours. We came home to a message on our answering machine from a lady from my childhood church who wanted FIVE cakes for a church dinner they were having! She just happened to have a piece of my cake at work some weeks ago that her boss's wife had ordered from me for her husband's birthday.

And last, but not least, I was talking to my friend Laura in Sunday School on Sunday and she was saying that my gob filling tastes like her mom's. I told her how my mixer had died because the filling needs whipped for a long time and I'd been making quite a few cakes. At church Sunday evening, she gave me a like-new KitchenAid stand mixer that belonged to her mother! Just when I needed it! As someone said on Face*Book, "hands and feet of God". I love how God orchestrates little things that turn into big things!

We're anticipating Travel Approval in the next week or two. Wishing we could travel in April, but will have patience and wait for May (due to the extra expense of a trade show in Guangzhou in April.) I know it will work out better for us with PSSA testing for the kids and taxes for Doug, but hate that Winn has to wait longer.

That's all for now.

Happy Valentine's Day!

I'm cooking for my family tonight -- chicken teriyaki with rice and green beans. Come on over! I'm making a ton! If I could remember how to post a picture, I would!

Marlee and Russ are home this week! It's so good to spend time with them. In no time they'll be far, far away. :(

Have a Happy Valentine's Day with your loved ones!

Grateful!

I'm so happy today! A weight has been lifted. It wasn't weighing me down so I couldn't think of anything else, but it's been at the back of my mind for a few months. The makers of Humira have once again approved my application for assistance to receive Humira for free! If you've ever dealt with lousy insurance, you'll know what I'm going through. Since Doug became self-employed, we had to pick up some kind of insurance, but with my pre-existing condition, no one will cover me. I pay a RIDICULOUS amount of money per month for some discount program that my employer offers, yet it doesn't cover much of anything! It doesn't cover a cent of Humira. And with Humira costing $885 every-other-week(!!), I needed some help paying for it. I'm so grateful to God for providing this need in my life. Still praying that we can find some kind of decent insurance that will cover all of us.

We finally got our NVC letter -- the I-800 approval form for the National Visa Center to issue Winn's visa from China. Three weeks ago we got the letter that said they received our petition, and our agency said we would get the NVC letter in one week. They said when we get the letter, let them know and they would forward it to China and then we wait for Travel Approval. Well, one week went by and nothing came. Last Wednesday, when it had been almost two weeks, I sent an email to our agency and asked if we should be concerned because it was going to be two weeks. They immediately got back to me and said, "Yes! You should be concerned. All adoptive families receive the NVC letter within one week." I had to email some government office and ask where our letter was. They sent us an email of the approval last Thursday and said we would have the paper copy in 3 business days. Our agency used the email copy to send to China, but we lost a week and a few days because of this delay and the Chinese New Year holiday. It's so frustrating, but I know it's all going to happen in God's time, not mine or the government. The paper copy finally came in the mail today. More than 3 business days!

Looking forward to the weekend!