Changes

Hi! Thanks for reading! I wanted to let you know I am moving my blog to a new site.
http://amicarr.com/
I will be better able to keep information more up to date and current this way. I will use the new blog to keep you updated on our adoption: We got a court decree for our children---yes, that's a good thing!
I will also post more about practicing hospitality, upcoming opportunites to serve, and whatever else the Lord lays on my heart. I hope to be a source of encouragement to others going through hard times etc.
Hop on over to my new site and become a "follower" or simply leave a nice comment and you will be entered into a drawing for a beautiful handmade necklace made by my daughter and I.
Be Blessed my Friends,
Ami

Craft Show/National Adoption Month

It's National Adoption Month!
Want to have some "Free" fun and get some shopping done for the holidays? Then come on down to Messiah Lutheran Church on November 6th from 9-3pm. 6900 Kingston Pike 37919 (near Papermill)
Craft show! FREE ADMISSION!
I will be there showcasing my upcycled handmade magazine beads and other lovely pieces. There will be 21 plus vendors.
FUN!
All proceeds from my sales go to supporting our children in Liberia.
Thank you
Ami

Does it get easier?

Well, does it? You know the hustle and bustle of having a family---a full house. One day it all comes to a halt---a screeching one and for once you realize---I don't want that quietness and alone time I have craved all these years. A quiet house? Really? Rooms I don't even go in. Doors that aren't opened for days maybe weeks at a time. Me? Never. But, that is what my life has morphed into. A kind of "in-between" phase. In-between "being" and not knowing what I am supposed to be. I have mothered for 19 plus years. It's now down to my daughter and my husband. How different this all is than what I planned, than what I anticipated. When will I be able to quickly pass by the baby aisle at Target and not stop to ponder, even for half a second, what that dress or this outfit might look like on...It didn't happen tonight I can tell you that. Why do the tears come so easily? Why does the life I am to live now feel so hard.
My desires aren't bad ones. Having more children. Blessing others. For now, I am going to let Abba Father hold me. He is my Daddy. He is ALL I need. A very very good friend reminded me tonight that I don't NEED anything to make me happy, I have HIM---God, He is all I need. So I will feel these raw emotions and at the same time really try to trust the one who put me here. It's not for naught. I know my Savior LIVES and it is because of him I live.
Amen.

Recipes--Scarrots--Etc.

Jill, this post is for you :)
and others out there who want an alternative to the msg/chemical/preservative laden Ranch you buy at the store.

Ranch Dressing:
1 cup of Mayonnaise or 1/2 cup buttermilk and 1/2 cup mayo (I use the buttermilk and mayo combo)
1/2 c. Sour Cream (I use Daisy Light)
1/2 teaspoon dried chives. (I use the ones my neighbor gave me growing in a pot by my back door)
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried dill weed
1/4 tsp garlic powder (Another thing you can do is leave out the garlic powder and salt and just add garlic salt.
1/4 tsp onion powder (I usually leave this out---dear daughter loathes onions.)
1/8 tsp salt. ( I also leave this out)
1/8 tsp ground pepper. ( I always add more)
DIRECTIONS:
In a large bowl whisk together the mayo, sour cream, chives, parsley, dill, garlic and onion powder, salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes before serving---HA, Who are they kidding? I slap it together and throw it on the table :) Me, plan ahead?
*The great thing about this recipe is you can play around with the spices and jazz it up a bit or down. It tastes great. I do not like the ranch you buy in the store but I'll eat this!
You can also make BLUE CHEESE DRESSING using this recipe.
Add 1 tsp of Worcestershire Sauce and Gorgonzola Cheese. And Voila, there ya go.

I also have a great recipe for Italian Dressing Mix:
Since I have it out I'll pass it along. Oh, we don't use it for salads. I use it to marinade my chicken breasts. It's Yummy!
RECIPE
1 tsp of Garlic Salt
1 Tablespoon of onion powder
1 tablespoon of white sugar (I never put this in and it doesn't seem to make a difference)
2 Tablespoons of dried oregano
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp dried Thyme (I never seem to have this so I don't use this either)
1 teaspoon dried Basil (I always put more Basil)
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon celery salt (never use this either)
2 tablespoons of salt (I skip the two tablespoons and use maybe a half teaspoon of sea salt that I grind)
Directions: Mix all ingredients in small air tight bowl and seal
To Prepare dressings, Whisk together 1/4 cup white vinegar, 2/3 canola oil (I always use Olive Oil), 2 tablespoons water and 2 tablespoons of the dry mix.
To make the marinade I use ALL the dry ingredients and I think I triple the amount of water--oil etc. It is a great marinade!

Hope that helps.
Have a great weekend and I'll let you know how the "Scarrots" go over. I remember one Halloween as a child I got a beautiful apple. I wasn't allowed to eat it----"might be a razor blade in it" I was always excited about fresh fruits and veggies. Yup, I am one of the weird ones.
Blessings
Ami
ps in case you didn't see my facebook post: I bought "Scarrots" to hand out tomorrow night. They are really coolly packaged mini carrots for the holiday. They even came with temporary tattoos. You can see their website here BabyCarrots.com
It says on the back of the bag "There is nothing scarier than veggies on Halloween. Yet this holiday teaches us that kids will stuff their faces with pretty much anything sweet..."
I think it's Great!
Our state got first place in most people with obesity last year. I think of it as doing my small part to help combat it. :)
BTW I loved all the facebook comments. Ya'll are hilarious! Still smiling. I'll let you know if I'll be making scrambled eggs sometime this weekend---omelet party! Ha ha! (That is when/if my house gets egged for handing out carrots :)

Trying to Get Back.

These days I don't know if I am trying to get back or move forward. The last two years have been arduous. The last 7 months have been---very difficult. Our family went from four to seven to six and now it's just the three of us. I am in a dream-like fog of emotions. They vary through-out the day, the emotions do.
Here's a snapshot into this week:
Monday dear daughter posts on facebook "my mom has decided to stop cooking" She was right. I did. I figured I could retire after 20 something years, right?
Today dear daughter says "Are you making a menu plan?" Me to dear daughter "Mmm Hmmm. But, don't get excited, that doesn't mean I am gonna cook" Dear daughter then jumps for joy shouting "Woo Hoo. You haven't made a menu plan in forever. Can we have soup week?"
I say "sure"
So there you have it. I am not sure what I am reaching for these days. So much is gone. So much is yet to come. One thing, somebody please tell me how to go from cooking for a crowd to cooking for three?
Me, moving forward in faith for this next phase of my journey----maybe.
Baby-steps!
Ami

Attack on adoptions?

A dear sweet friend told me about this article. I mean it to be encouragement for those of you that have friends going through this process. It is a walk of faith and not for the faint of heart.
http://itsalmostnaptime.blogspot.com/2010/08/spiritual-attack-for-those-who-adopt.html
Keep praying for those you know who are fostering or adopting. Pray those that are called to care for the fatherless.
Ami

being lonely in a room full of people

Okay, I just read a dear friend's Facebook post. I did not ask permission to write about this but suffice it to say the majority of you do not know her.
What she had to say nearly broke my heart.
These are her words:
It was just weird. I can talk to ANYONE..and I don't sit around waiting for ...someone to speak to me..Today was a kids pool party. My children had a blast.i helped pour drinks and set out pizza and pick up trash..I was right there, but honestly, people kind of clustered up around the pool and it wasn't where you could just plop down and get in a conversation. I think folks are just so stressed out in their own lives or something that they really can't see others and I don't particularly "look" lonely.....hard to look that way with 6 kids following you..LOL but they had no idea how I would have loved to have visited with another woman ..just to talk about..ANYTHING really..just goes to show you that you never know what people are thinking...God will use this in me for His purposes, I am sure...
As you know my husband and I are passionate about following Jesus' lead in serving people. We want to be His hands and feet. We know that we do not need to add to the finished work of Christ on the cross however; we are living in a time like never before when we are surrounded by a sea of Lonely people. Do we recognize that? It is so easy to get caught up in the day to day of just trying to "survive" I say that tongue in cheek. As Americans and especially if we are believers we have been given life to the fullest. We are very blessed. Do we use our blessings to bless others or are we constantly so focused on ourselves that we can't see the needs of our neighbors, friends, cashiers at the grocery store, or even our own family?
Just 3 days ago my spiritual "Dad" passed into Glory. Oh how I loved him! he was always there for me and for our family. He never let us go or gave up hope that God would do Great and mighty works in our life. My husband and I had been meeting with he and his wife for some time on a weekly basis. We prayed, we laughed, we cried. They were there in our time of loneliness and great need. Adrian and I are more convinced than ever that we want to be that kind of a couple. We may not be able to do everything, but like my dear "dad" said---do what the Lord puts in front of you---you can't do everything, put God first, your mate second and everything else third. That is our goal and aim. We serve an audience of One.
For His Glory
Ami