Welcome To Our Casa

Hey friends! I have been wanting to post pictures of our house for like a year now b/c my family & friends in FL (and some others) still haven't seen our house. And it looks like mi familia will not be traveling to TX any time soon. So here is the grand tour Mom, Dad & Emmy. Enjoy :)



front door & foyer


the study...to the left when you walk in the front door....we need a rug :)


our living room...straight ahead when you walk in the front door. we still want to change that blue color in the nook. hopefully one of these days. any color suggestions??


other view of the living room


the kitchen


hearth area in the kitchen


breakfast nook


moving upstairs...our oh-so-exciting master bedroom. we really want to paint this a less dreary color.


our master bathroom which we LOVE--except the wallpaper!!


the kids future playroom...right now it's our junk collection room & computer room. hi matt :)

ava's bedroom...one of my favorite places in the house

the AWFUL kids bathroom. we didn't pick the color or the fish stuff. this room needs some major work. the famiy before us painted over wallpaper, so we have quite a mess on our hands! hopefully this summer we can fix it.

There's another bedroom upstairs, but I didn't take a picture b/c it's just an empty room. Once we get it decorated for the baby I'll post more pictures.

Hope you enjoyed our tour. Love you guys & hope you can come see it in real life one of these days!!

Dust & Dancing....

"To You, O Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy; 'What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise You? Will it proclaim Your faithfulness? Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help.' You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever." (Psalm 30:8-12)

Ramblings...

It seems like once a month I have so much that I want to journal about on this bloggity blog & don't have time to do it, thus, the ramblings post. So here are my thoughts in bullet points.

• I love 100 calorie packs. I mean LOVE them. I need things in small packages. Because it tells me when to stop & I need that b/c seriously I could eat an entire bag of chips in one sitting. 100 calorie packs have become my friend. I usually keep some with me at all times so that if I'm out & about & tempted to eat that chocolate fudge caramel cheesecake with fudge & whipped cream I don't fall to it anymore. Now I just eat my 100 calorie pack & all is good. At the moment I'm loving the Hostess chocolate cupcakes (click on the link to get a coupon :). 3 mini cupcakes like the ones you used to beg your Mom to buy at the grocery store. So yummy!! And they have 5 grams of fiber, so they keep you regular. What more can you ask for?
• I can't remember a single other thing I wanted to write about b/c I can't stop thinking about cupcakes. What is wrong with me??
• (5 minutes later) Ok, here is something that Matt & I are praying through & really struggling with. Sorry this is on a totally different note from cupcakes....that's what happens when you bullet point your life. Anyways....we are really struggling with choosing the gender of our adopted child. I desire another daughter so deeply I can't even really put it into words. I want Ava to have a sister & I want to be the Mom of daughters. We're also hoping to adopt from Africa next & we'd love to get 1 or 2 little boys b/c those of you that have known me for any amount of time know that I have wanted little black boys pretty much since I was born. So is it wrong to pick the gender of your adopted child? Are you putting God in a box or trying to "control" things in your life? Or is it a blessing that comes with adoption? I guess it just boils down to this: when do you walk forward with the desires of your heart and when are you trying to play God? Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.....we have to make our decision in the next few days. God sure is stretching my trust in Him through adoption!!!
• We watched the documentary Invisible Children the other night with our students. If you haven't watched it yet, go order it right now. It will change you. It will change the way you think, act and love. But here's the scary thing. Now that I've seen it I have to DO something. I can't sit in blissful ignorance anymore. I will be judged by my response to the truth that I have witnessed. I don't want to waste my life. I want to help orphans. After the movie I seriously asked God if we could adopt 12 kids. I'm not kidding or exagerating. I want to help. I need to help. We are praying about how we can use our lives to help the hurting in this world.
• That leads me to this thought. If I had watched Invisible Children when I was in High School, I'm pretty certain that I would be a missionary in Africa now. I pray that one day our family is in Africa. Even if it's short term. I want to go there. I want to adopt children from there. My soul is linked to that continent. God please take us there someday.
• I just realized that I have used "I" a lot in this post. I want, I need, I feel, I will, I would. I, I, I. I want my life to be characterized by God. God. God. Father...help me get there.
• I love reading fiction books. They are such an escape for me. I feel like I'm a world traveler when I read. Yesterday Matt & I finally got library cards & I felt like I was getting a passport or something. I know that I sound so cheesy right now & like I could be on one of those "I Care....Read a Book" commericals, but I don't care if you're laughing at me right now. I love reading. I love how it takes me into other people's worlds. I do not enjoy non-fiction. I read it b/c I know it makes me think & it makes me smarter. I love that God made humans to be creative and imaginative. Right now I'm reading too many books. Here they are: Unveiled by Francine Rivers, Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Paterson, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (I always try to be reading snippets from that or a Jane Austen book, b/c they make me happy!), and my 2 non-fiction books at the time are Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper and Confessions from an Honest Wife by Sarah Zacharias Davis.
• We have been blessed by such amazing friends. They have touched my heart so much lately. You know who you are....I love all of you so much.
• My friend Aprile is in Africa right now. I am jealous. Pray for her!
• I am still addicted to diet dr. pepper.
• Ava turns 15 months tomorrow.
• I think that's all.....for now at least :)

Lola

Here is Ava loving on her BFF--Lola :)



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Kitty

Ava is always talking about her kitty & meowing. It is so cute!! I tried to catch it on video about 300 times yesterday & every time I started the camera she would just stare at me. Then when we'd watch it back she would answer my question from the video..."what does a kitty say" and she would meow. But of course, she just wouldn't perform for the camera. It was so funny. So here is me trying to chase down my daughter to hear her say meow.


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Worst Mom of the Year Award

It officially goes to me. These are the first pictures of Ava I have taken since her birthday in F-E-B-R-U-A-R-Y!!!! My memory card has been full & I've needed to take it to Sam's to get prints made & I just haven't had time. So yesterday I finally went & cut off my arm to pay for prints, BUT, it's finally done! Now I can take new ones :) Here are a few I've taken in the last couple of days. Enjoy :)

After spaghetti :)

Family x 2

I just have to brag about my 2 families....my birth family & my spur family. I am blessed beyond measure by these 2 groups of people. So here goes:

Dad: My Dad is one of the strongest and wisest people that I know. He has always worked so hard to provide for all of us--always sacrificing what he wanted & what he hoped for to put us first. He is such a hero to me. I know that in the last several months he has had so much on his back as he has carried my Mom while she is sick. He is so tired & worn but at the same time, he is so strong. I know he would never admit that, but it is true. And I also know that he is probably feeling kind of helpless and useless lately, but I think that his love for my Mom has never been more important or more beautiful. His presence alone heals my Mom every day. I love my Dad so much & am proud to have inherited his crazy hair, unibrow, jiggly belly & personality. Thank you Dad, for always showing me how I deserve to be loved & for being the rock of the Murbach clan. I love you!

Mom: My Mom has just really amazed me lately as she has walked through cancer. She is full of grace & gratitude. She has reminded me that there is really no use in complaining. All she desires is that God uses this cancer to draw people (especially her family) into a relationship with our Savior. She is the greatest missionary I have ever met & her legacy of faith has changed the way I want to live. Her quiet and passionate love for the Lord & His Word has shaped me into the person that I am today. I think she is so beautiful & I know that that beauty will not fade even if she does lose all of her hair, b/c her beauty radiates from her heart. She has a glow about her b/c she knows & loves Jesus. I can't even begin to imagine the pain she is feeling or the emotions that she is dealing with. To me she is so strong & brave. I love you Mom!

Emily: My sister is the most selfless person I know. She has made over 50 blankets to help support our adoption. Her poor little fingers are probably about to break, and yet every time I talk to her, she is so excited & willing to continue helping. If that's not love I don't know what is. She is a peacemaker & has the sweetest heart. Something completely terrible & unjust happened to her at work yesterday & I hate that for her so deeply b/c all she does is work hard & serve people. She is such a testimony to me of how to treat people--especially those that don't know Christ. She is moving back to FL to help take care of my Mom. She is the nurturing sister. She is the brave sister. She is the kind & compassionate sister. I hope to be half the person that she is one day. She is younger, but she is amazing & I look up to her more than she will ever know. I love you my dear :)

Spur family: Matt & I are blessed by another family too. In 2000, we met Aaron & Jamie Ivey and began a very deep and special friendship with them. They began a band called spur58 and this group of guys & their amazing wives have become something of a family. For several years, we ministered together under the umbrella of Joshua Stone Ministries. Last year, God called us to Sagemont & it has been so difficult to be away from our ministry family. Our hearts are so connected to them--as friends & as co-laborers for Christ. Their friendship is so dear to us & I don't even really know how to put into words how much this group of 5 couples (and a few wonderful others...Ginger, Mel, Tim.....) have become a part of our lives. We had the privilege of being at Chad & Stephanie's wedding on Saturday. It was such a sweet time as we watched 2 amazing friends unite their lives together. They were both in our student ministry back in Sugar Land--(wow!! we're getting old!!) While we were there, the spur family gave us an envelope with a very large amount of money for our adoption. We were blown away---but even more blessed to learn that they had had a 2 day yard sale for us. They all donated stuff, advertised & then worked different shifts...all to raise money for our adoption. We were just knocked off our feet to think that they would do that for us. What precious friends they are. We are definitely the lucky ones! So thank you Spur family....we love all of you so much & know that our journey with you is not yet done!

There are so many more friends that I consider "family", but I will save those for another post. Love you all!! Who is in your "family"?

Mother's Day Gift

Hey friends! Sorry it's been so long. I got back from FL last Thursday & haven't slowed down since. It's been a busy couple of days. So I'm sorry this is so late, but I wanted to show you a journal that I made my Mom for Mother's Day. I had such a fun time making something for her. I usually feel very un-confidant (is that a word??) making things for people, but I really want to do more of it. So I'm posting this to remind myself that I can do it if I just sit down & try. Love you all :)



Front of journal


Inside front cover (scripture from Psalm 71)


Inside back cover


Back of journal

Sadness

Joint statement from The CW and Warner Bros. Television regarding “Gilmore Girls”

“Announcing the final season of ‘Gilmore Girls’ is truly a sad moment for everyone at The CW and Warner Bros. Television. This series helped define a network and created a fantastic, storybook world featuring some of television’s most memorable, lovable characters.
We thank Amy Sherman-Palladino, Dan Palladino, Dave Rosenthal, the amazing cast led by Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel as well as the producers, writers and crew for giving us this delightful gem for the past seven years.
We would also like to thank the critics and ‘Gilmore’ fans for their passionate support and promise to give this series the send off it deserves.”
GILMORE GIRLS finale airs Tuesday May 15 on The CW at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

Check It Out

Hey friends! I've been meaning to write this little post for awhile now, but better late than never I guess. Our friends have started an amazing online community called Save The Sloth. It's all about saving the Church & falling back in love with what Christ gave His life for.....the Body of Christ. Go check out their awesome website here. Love to you all!

If I Was Airbrushed....

Hey friends! Time for a little silliness today :) My friend Virginia inspired me to do this....I know most of you have already done one of these, so it's nothing new. I was just too afraid to do one b/c I didn't want to look like Danny Devito or something. Oh, and I don't know how to make the picture smaller, so it cuts off Amanda Bynes...b/c I look so much like that skinny little gal!! So if I sat in a makeup chair for 12 hours & then had my picture airbrushed, here is what I might look like.....enjoy :)



ps....who the heck is helen clark????