Two Giveaways!

***THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED***
WINNERS ANNOUNCED HERE!

Thank you for stopping by!

Can you believe it's the end of January already?! That means it's also time for the quarterly bloggy giveaways! I always enjoy checking out new blogs, entering giveaways, and even winning. :)

Today, I have two giveaways - 1 Scrapbook Assortment (a few more things will be thrown in) and 1 Cookbook Assortment.





Anyway, here are the rules (you knew there had to be some :)):
1) You have to have a U.S. or APO mailing address (if you live international, you are welcome to enter, I will just need someplace to send it here in the states - I'm sorry to have to limit it).
2) You do not have to be a blogger to enter but please make sure I have a way to contact you!
3) You may only enter once.
4) To enter, you must leave a comment and tell me a hobby you enjoy or a favorite food.
5) Failure to follow the above will unfortunately disqualify you.
6) You can tell me which you would prefer and I will try to honor it, otherwise the first name drawn will get first choice (if no preferences given).

I will close the comments sometime on Saturday and randomly select the winner(s). I will contact the winner (s) via e-mail or blog as well as posting the results here and linking to the giveaway site.

That's it - HAVE FUN! And feel free to stop back by after all the excitement of giveaway week!

Blog Birthday

Well, I missed my 3rd blog birthday on Saturday. It came and went without fanfare - in fact, I didn't even remember. And honestly (as I think I mentioned a couple of weeks ago), I very seriously considered ending this blog last month. While I love blogging, I guess I hit a crossroads of sorts - I think it had to do with comparing myself to others or measuring relationships by unmeasurable blog things or feeling terrible that I don't write enough comments on others' blogs. I think I'm mostly out of my "blog funk" :) and this continues to be an incredibly creative outlet for me - something I truly enjoy and plan to continue.

Here are a couple of memorable-to-me posts from this past year:

Last year around this time I wrote: Several people have asked about our next adoption since I've mentioned it a couple of times lately :) - we are in the research stage right now. We haven't signed with an agency and haven't decided on domestic or international adoption; we just know that we would like to start the process again this year and we may or may not say when these things are underway. We expect that it could take 1-2 years. We are so excited to see God's direction and to begin anticipating another little miracle! We have been so incredibly blessed by our sons and we know they will make great big brothers when the time is right.

Early July, brought a new name for this blog, Meant To Be. I wrote: I decided that the blog has evolved enough from its start, that it needed a new name (although I admit I'm a little nostalgic about re-naming it :)) and a fresh-never-before-used look. After much thought, I chose the name Meant To Be but decided to keep Reflective Ponderings in the description. The new name has dual meaning for me. First, I believe in the sovereignty of God. In other words, that God is in control of all of life and that the things that happen in life (no matter how wonderful or how difficult) are meant to be. And second, I have no doubt that our family built through adoption was meant to be. We were designed to be together.

We had NO idea that in mere months from writing that first one, that we would be blessed with Titus. Within days of writing and introducing the name, we received the call. And one week later, I wrote to tell you that we would be parents again. We made many new friends through that amazing (though difficult and emotional) journey. We were so happy to be able to share many parts of that story/miracle with you.

Please know that I appreciate all of you, readers. I'm humbled that you stop in to my corner of the world and read what I have to say. You have rejoiced with me, encouraged me, and blessed me. Thank you.

So, Happy Birthday, Blog! Here's to another year!

Note for Tomorrow

Just a quick note to say that Keeping Creative Kitchens will be back tomorrow. I'm off for the day - home but unplugged. :) I want to enjoy my kiddos, make memories, and get some housework and baking done without distraction! Now off to feed the baby and big kids!

Happy Thanksgiving

When I reflect on the many graces of God in my life this year, I'm simply amazed. I am so undeserving and so humbled. It's not just the big blessings (like my family and the best suprise ever in Ty) but it's the small things - the prayers answered, the provision of more food, a nicer home, and better clothes than we really need and so many other things. I thought about making a list but I didn't even know where to begin and I knew I would leave so much out. So instead, I sit here treasuring with great joy and gratitude all these things. And while this year has not been without pain and loss, we feel so thankful for God's faithfulness.

And know, dear friends and readers, that you have blessed and enriched my life this year. May your homes be filled with good smells, yummy food, wonderful family & friends, and reflections of all blessings big and small.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Well, I'm off to clean, bake, plan, and spend time with family and friends for the rest of this week. I can't wait! Maybe I'll even take some pictures to share with you next week! Oh and that's my big, incredible family pictured above for which I'm so thankful!!!

Passing It On!

My friend, Kim, over at A Yankee in Tennessee honored me with this award! Thanks so much! I don't think it's any suprise that I enjoy blogging. :)

As is the award tradition in blogland, I'll pass it on to:

The Baby Journals - a mom of three girls - she and I were "due" at the same time with our newest additions. She keeps it real and lives in a gorgeous area of the country!

Life in Small Town USA - I met her through another friend. She has an adorable daughter and writes about her life. Her love for and devotion to her family are awesome to read about!

City Streams - an aspiring writer who is sharing her writing in installments every week - I love it! Her blog also journals her cute daughter growing up, her work as a highschool science teacher and many other interesting things.

I enjoy reading all of these blogs regularly and I "met" each of these women through blogging! Keep up the great work, ladies and pass it on!

And The Winners Are...

Heather of My World (As It Happens) for caption #1: "Mom, you think I look pretty, don't you . . . ?"

Jen of Just Passing Through for caption #2: "The corndog is really the rarest of meats and should be paired with a glass of pinot noir to really release the flavor" (said in a very snooty voice)

My Dad aka Papa who doesn't blog yet :) for caption #3: "HEY how about a WARM washcloth for the next diaper change..."

Jenna of The World of Jenna for caption #4: "I have three children under the age of four... so yes, this is a good hair day!"

There were some close votes! Anyway, the winners may make their acceptance speeches :) and prize choice ($5 giftcard to Starbucks or Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson) in the comment section or you can e-mail me. Congrats everyone and thank you to all of you who entered - we LOVED reading the captions!!!! And thanks also to all of you who voted! Stay tuned for another caption contest in the coming weeks. We now return to our regularly scheduled programming... :)

Winners & Misc.

Congrats to Amy & The Schros for winning the cookbook giveaway! I will be posting the finalists for the caption contest soon and then you can vote! We had a wonderful evening and overnight with cousins last night...I'll be posting pictures on the boys' blog soon.

I started a furniture project that has been calling to me for a few months - can't wait to show you the finished products! I'm in the organizing mood - sterilite here I come. :) I officially started Christmas shopping a couple of weeks ago - I may even wrap them soon. Bill Cosby still makes me laugh. I LOVE having three kids - I am, however, in a perpetual state of exhaustion and my house doesn't remember what clean is. :) Titus is laughing and cooing and is super social - he does not wish to be left alone for fear of missing something - it's adorable! I'm glad it's daylight savings tonight. I feel constantly blessed.

Captions & Prizes

I haven't been much in the blogging mood lately - it's not for lack of ideas, perhaps just a little burnout. So, today there will be prizes. :)

I will offer pictures and you give the caption. If you write the winning caption (Andrew and I will choose), I will send you a prize. You may write a caption for one or all of the photos - just make sure you say which ones you are entering! How's that sound? I'll let you know the winners on Saturday - there could be as many as four. This is unrelated to Bloggy Giveaways...it's just for you, blog readers, lurkers, happened byers, family and friends! Be creative and make me laugh! :)

#1

#2

#3

#4 - I may regret this :)

Home Again, Home Again, Jiggity Jig :)

We arrived home around 1 this afternoon to a whirlwind of activity. Ty went to the doctor at 2 - he had a great check-up and his weight is up to 6 lbs. 13 oz.! Hooray for him! I went to the chiropractor around 5 and then we all headed to my parents for my youngest brother's birthday. We decided it would be a great chance for everyone to meet Titus and to enjoy a meal and family time.

Tomorrow we have set aside as a day just for the 5 of us. We are really looking forward to reconnecting as a family. The boys are thrilled that we are home and ecstatic about being big brothers. We are just enjoying all three of our boys - we feel so incredibly blessed! We continue to pray that all will work out and we will be able to finalize Ty's adoption in the coming months.

Thank you all for your prayers, encouragement, notes, comments, and for following along on our amazing journey. You have blessed us more than we can express. And while our journey is not over, the blog will begin to go back to it's more eclectic topics. :)

Sporadic

I'm struggling with feeling overwhelmed by life. I have several things to blog about (and lots of pictures) but lack the creative or mental energy and the time. So, I'm giving myself permission to not blog. I try to do it nearly daily because it's a good discipline for me but it may be sporadic for awhile. Life takes interesting turns and while I'm SO incredibly thankful for the current path, it's a busy one! It's strange to be expecting a third child but without ever having experienced a newborn and I'm very nervous. Really, the prospect of three with two being very energetic preschoolers and one being a totally new stage makes me feel a little panicky.

You can pray for me as I prepare and trust the Lord that He knows what He's doing. I truly can't wait to be a mom again! I pray that all will work out - the unknowns (birthmom changing mind and other risks) are hard. But it's an exciting time! I'm grateful for amazing blog and real-life (but sometimes far-away) friends who listen, encourage, and most of all share in our excitement. :)

For me, the way God has chosen to beautifully build our family can sometimes be a bit lonely. Adoption is not an easier way to have children, it has a different set of challenges, emotions, and pain. All sense of privacy is gone as we are required to bare nearly every part of our lives to social workers and government agencies. We are held accountable for how we raise our children, our health, our relationships our finances, our employment and whatever else is deemed important and then others determine if we are fit to be parents. I will admit that it leaves me feeling exhausted...BUT, it is completely worth it and we will do it as many times as God blesses!

So all that to say, I will keep blogging and feel free to check back but it may be less than normal or I may write this and then write 3 posts. :) Please know that I'm okay but I am a little scared and I think that's a valid emotion; I'm also a bit emotional right now and feel close to tears almost daily (we'll blame it on expectant hormones). :) Anyway, I'm just trying to keep it real here! I can't believe we are a month until the due date!

The No Good Day

The first day home from vacation is going...not well. :) Schedules, rules, and routines have been forgotten. Give us a few days and I'm sure we'll get back into the routine. This was the longest time we've been away as a family (other than Kaz which doesn't count). Right now, I'm looking forward to naps all around. :) But we had a wonderful week and weekend so it's totally worth the challenging start to the week.

I've spent this morning sorting clothes, gettting rid of some, and getting ready for massive amounts of laundry. I have a lot of 12 month and above clothes and have been debating how much to keep - the problem is that it seems like a lot but there are actually clothes for summer and winter combined which makes it not so much. So I've put some in donate bags but I'm keeping the rest at least until I see what we need - I really don't want to re-buy everything.

Tomorrow is Patrick's 3rd birthday! We aren't having his family party until Sunday but I'm going to try to make tomorrow special. We will probably go to the Children's Museum and maybe the park. And I'm going to make cupcakes for the boys to decorate. Homemade french fries will be on the menu sometime this week since they are Patrick's favorite (I forgot to put that on my menu plan).

Finally, I'm opting out of hosting a Bloggy Giveaway at the carnival this week but there are a ton of people participating so feel free to have some fun! You might even win something!

And the Winner is....

Finally, I had a chance to pick a winner! Patrick drew a name out of the bucket...and the lucky name and winner of the big prize is ROSE! Congratulations! I think I have your address so I will get it in the mail next week for you!

Giveaway!

The giveaway is now closed! Thank you all for entering and for sharing your tips! I will draw a winner in the next few days - probably not tomorrow. So look for a winner by Saturday!

100 Things

First, I must say I'm loving that I can write whenever and just schedule posts to publish at a later time - so it seems like I write a lot but actually sometimes I'll sit and write three posts and then have them publish on different days! It's awesome!

Anyway, it's a custom in blogger land to post 100 things about yourself for your 100th post. Well, at the time, I didn't know about this tradition and since I'm approaching 500 posts it's a little late. :) I'm sparing you 500 things about myself and just giving you 100. :) These are in no particular order. Enjoy.

1. I became a Christian at the age of 3.
2. I'm the oldest of 7 kids.
3. I've been a dental hygienist since 2001.
4. I've lived in 4 states.
5. I've moved 9 times.
6. My husband is 4 1/2 years older than me.
7. I tell him he robbed the cradle.
8. We married in 2002.
9. He completes me.
10. We knew we wanted to adopt before we married.
11. We didn't know it would be so soon.
12. We planned to have biological and adopted children.
13. God had another plan.
14. I am passionate about adoption.
15. It is the most significant life-changing event of my life.
16. The world looks different to me now.
17. I hope to be a mom again through adoption.
18. One of my sons had an unrepaired cleft lip and palate.
19. It was adorable to me.
20. I work at a living history museum.
21. In costume.
22. It's the most fun job I've ever had.
23. I really dislike doing dishes.
24. I love to cook and bake.
25. I was president, secretary, recreation leader, and vice president of my 4-H club.
26. In different years.
27. I was secretary/treasurer of my dental hygiene class.
28. I don't floss every day.
29. I actually don't like to floss but don't tell anyone. :)
30. I don't think you can ever have enough hand sanitizer.
31. Parenting is the most difficult and rewarding calling.
32. I love chocolate.
33. And coffee.
34. And ice cream.
35. And fruit.
36. I used to be a size 4.
37. I'm not anymore.
38. It's okay.
39. I create recipes.
40. Growing herbs is one of my hobbies.
41. I'm thinking about using cloth diapers.
42. Because I believe in environmental conservation and stewardship.
43. I thought I wanted to be a judge.
44. Sandra Day O'Conner was my inspiration.
45. I could never have been a judge.
46. I love to entertain.
47. Planning the menu and favors is my favorite.
48. I have 14 cousins.
49. I'm still close to many of them and their spouses.
50. I also love cheese.
51. I rub my feet together as I fall asleep.
52. My kids are the greatest.
53. And cutest - I can say that, they don't look like me. :)
54. Pedicures make me happy.
55. I edit my writing about 10 times before posting and then about 5 more times after. :)
56. I don't like to talk on the phone.
57. I only like to talk to my family and close friends.
58. Laundry isn't my favorite.
59. But I love clean clothes.
60. I dream of travelling.
61. I've been to Scotland, Belize, Kazakhstan, Mexico, Bahamas, and some other places.
62. I lived in Florida for a year.
63. I loved it!
64. Moving sounds fun to me.
65. Only in theory.
66. Watching my kids sleep is one of the most peacful and beautiful things.
67. Imagining my life without my kids makes me want to cry.
68. I've never really been an animal person.
69. But I've changed a little.
70. And I love my dog.
71. I love to camp.
72. U2 is my favorite band.
73. I took piano lessons for 12 or 13 years.
74. Sadly, I don't own a piano now.
75. I wish I did.
76. I love to play.
77. It's therapeutic.
78. I also played the trumpet.
79. I wish I had stuck with it.
80. Our kids will be required to take music lessons for at least 2 years.
81. I was homeschooled.
82. And I was socialized.
83. We "built" our house in 2004.
84. It was a great experience.
85. I love going to the Farmer's Market.
86. I don't like gooseberries.
87. I love to read.
88. I devoured books as a kid.
89. I would read several per day.
90. These days, I'm doing well to finish one in a couple of weeks.
91. Green is my favorite color.
92. I dream of publishing my own cookbook.
93. I kind of want to be The Next Food Network Star.
94. But I actually don't like public speaking.
95. I used to love acting.
96. Now it kind of terrifies me.
97. I'll be 30 next year.
98. I think age and life experience have made me more reserved.
99. I'm quieter and less social.
100. That said, I love my family and friends.

A GIVEAWAY!

**THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED - THANKS FOR ENTERING! I WILL ANNOUNCE THE WINNER BY SATURDAY MORNING!**

In honor of my blog make-over, I decided to have a GIVEAWAY!

I've been debating what to give but finally decided on:

1 - box of tea
1 - $5 Starbucks giftcard
1 - reusable bag
1 - cookbook (yet to be determined)

I chose tea because I have been loving ice tea this summer - made in my awesome ice tea maker, I chose Starbucks because I love their frappucinos (so summery!), I chose a reusable bag because they are awesome and green, and I chose a cookbook because I just can't have a giveaway without one.

One winner will get the whole prize package!

Here's how to enter...leave a comment on this post telling me one eco-friendly thing you do! That's it! Oh and one entry per person. You do not have to be a blogger to win just make sure I have a way to contact you! I will leave the drawing open until Tuesday, July 15. The winner will be selected randomly. Have fun!

**Thank you for all your kind comments about my new look and name. I did design it myself using scrapbook paper for the header from shabbyprincess.com - it took me awhile because I'm not very computer savvy. :)**

The New Name

I decided that the blog has evolved enough from its start, that it needed a new name (although I admit I'm a little nostalgic about re-naming it :)) and a fresh-never-before-used look. After much thought, I chose the name Meant To Be but decided to keep Reflective Ponderings in the description. The new name has dual meaning for me. First, I believe in the sovereignty of God. In other words, that God is in control of all of life and that the things that happen in life (no matter how wonderful or how difficult) are meant to be. And second, I have no doubt that our family built through adoption was meant to be. We were designed to be together.

So, I feel that the name is fitting for our life and for this blog. Everything that I say and do is founded upon these beliefs. I couldn't quite part with Reflective Ponderings because it is a name that Andrew and I came up with together when we both blogged here and it seems only fitting to keep a bit of the history of our very first blog intact. So without further adieu, welcome to Meant To Be (formerly Reflective Ponderings).

New Look

This has been an incredibly long week! They come every once in awhile. :) Anyway, earlier this week I was bored (and awake - see here) and decided to give the blog a new look. I was feeling pink so pink it is. It feels girly and feminine which I think I must have needed this week. I have Adobe Photoshop and really hope to design a completely new look but I think I need a tutorial. :) Maybe one of these days, I will sit down and figure it all out. In the mean time, I hope you don't mind pink and if you do, tough! :)

Why Blog?

I've been contemplating blogging lately. Not in a bad or negative way, more in a reflective, pondering way (sorry, I couldn't resist :)). Perhaps it has to do with feeling some burn-out. We initially entered the blog world because many of our friends had joined. That's the honest truth. We thought it might be fun and we thought it would be a great way to keep in touch with people. At the time, we had no idea that blogger world was so big and that there was even blog etiquette. And over the last couple of years, the we in this blog mostly became me. :)

One thing I've realized is that people have a lot of different reasons for blogging - money making, advice, reivews, journaling, photo display, etc. So, why do I blog? I think I have a few reasons. It definitely is a great way to keep in touch with friends and family (as we hoped!). It's a journal of sorts and a fun, creative thing for me. It's also been my hope to use it somewhat as a platform for adoption advocacy. While you may not find lots of posts regarding this topic, it's only becaue I'm holding back. :) Interestingly, I've also learned a lot about myself as I've written and as I've read other blogs. I'm enjoying the personal journey.

Companies, media, and many others are taking note of bloggers. I cannot believe how blogging has exploded since we started a mere 2 1/2 years ago. Bloggers are talked about on the news, in periodicals, and in political, social, and religious settings. It's becoming an influential and well-known "club."

As a human race, we long for the respect, adoration, and praise of our peers and it's easy to feel like the success of blogging is based on comments or hits or whatever but I would submit that success cannot be measured by these things. We must step back and ask ourselves, why do we blog? (Oh and I'm not immune from feelings of elation or devastation based on people's response to my posts - I'm just learning there is so much more to it. :) And I do love the conversations that are stimulated by blogs whether it's on the blog or in social settings - it's an interesting phenomenon.)

I don't ever expect to be a well-known blogger or to attract 100's or 1,000's of people to my little corner of the internet (unless I only do giveaways! :)). But I do hope to continue blogging about our life - the great, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Of course, I hope people enjoy it, find encouragement, or at least think my kids are cute. :)

Blog for your own reasons. Enjoy it. And if you don't enjoy it, quit. It's as simple as that.

Tagged

Jen at Life in Small Town USA tagged me today! I'm in a bit of a funk and was glad to have this to blog about instead of a bitter diatribe...okay, I promise I would have spared you the sarcastic, depressed entry. Anyway...

What I was doing 10 yrs ago:
I was working at Conner Prairie, getting ready to travel to Scotland for 2 1/2 weeks, and planning to start college in the fall to major in dental hygiene.

Five things on my to do list for today:
1) Work
2) Send out a couple of e-mails
3) Make pizza with the kids
4) Fold laundry
5) Have a family night (unfortunately Andrew has to work late so just the boys and me!)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1) Adopt many more kids.
2) Start a non-profit to give adoption grants.
3) Donate to Compassion International, Wycliffe Bible Translators, and Samaritan's Purse.
4) Build a sustainable home on several acres.
5) Open a lunch and dessert restaurant.
6) Travel.
7) Invest and save for our children's future and our retirement.
8) Hire a maid for cleaning & laundry. :)

Three of my bad habits:
1) Chewing ice.
2) Forgetting about laundry.
3) Leaving the driver's seat too far forward for my tall husband.

Five places I have lived:
1) Indiana
2) Chicago, Illinois
3) Central Illinois
4) Kansas
5) Florida

Five jobs I have had:
1) Babysitter
2) Autism Therapist
3) Historical Interpreter
4) Dental Hygienist
5) Event Planner

If you would like to join in the fun, please do!

The Winners

Well, another bloggy giveaway has come to an end. With 331 entries (I was hoping for 333 :)), the chance of winning was about 1 in 110. Surprisingly, the random number generator gave me 3 numbers that were all above 200 - sorry to those of you who entered early. :) I wish I could send you all a prize... Anyway, here are the winners - if for any reason any of them do not contact me within 3 days, I will draw another number(s) or send a prize to my friend Paula who has offered to fill any vacant spots in the past. :)

Cdziuba
Joy
Lyn21

Congratulations! I hope you enjoy your prizes! Stay tuned, maybe I will have another giveaway this summer - we'll see. :)