Happy Heart Anniversary & Prayer Requests

This week I have a couple of special adoptive families who have children undergoing open-heart surgery (see bottom of this post for prayer requests). The timing is amazing because we are also celebrating Josie's 2 year heart anniversary. On April 22, 2008 we spent the day at the University of Michigan hospital in pre-op.

Josie would be undergoing surgery early the next morning for Tetralogy of Fallot. We spent the evening in a hotel outside of Ann Arbor holding onto her, praying, talking about the day(s) to come… unsure of what God’s plan for us was… or for Josie. In some ways, April 23rd is more important than Josie's gotcha day (if that makes any sense).

I remember barely sleeping that night, worrying whether would we be giving our daughter back to God. We hadn’t even been home a month from China and we were completely in love with this child. Chris and I were scared at the risks, but we knew the quality of life would be forever changed once her heart was repaired.

At 22 months of age, she was wearing size 9 month clothes. The simplest of activities (even eating) caused her to pant and become short of breath. Her lips and toes would often turn blue. Sleeping was less than a pleasant experience…picture constant spinning around in my bed and crying out all night long. Chris often referred to her as our little clock.

This surgery was going to be the beginning of a new life for her. It was everything she deserved.

God gave us our miracle the next day. He healed Josie’s heart through the work of an amazing surgeon (Dr. Ohye) and medical team.

See this post for details on her hospitalization.

Two years have passed and unless you knew her prior to her surgery, or saw her chest scar, you’d never know that she was once so very sick.

This week
We thank God for the gift of life!
We thank God for the gift of Josie!
We especially thank God for the incredible medical team at
Mott Children's Hospital!

Please continue to keep this family in prayer as their daughter Jiliang
undergoes open-heart surgery Tuesday morning.

I also ask that you keep this family in your prayers. Their son Andrew undergoes open-heart surgery on Thursday this week.

Blessings to all the families who have chosen SN adoptions.
It's amazing life-changing journey.

Feta Lemon Chicken & Week Highlights

Sunday was gray and windy. A good day to be warm and cozy inside and spend some time in the kitchen. This is one of my favorite chicken dishes.



• 4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper

Directions
Place chicken in a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour lemon juice over chicken; sprinkle with feta cheese, and pepper.

Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 20-25 minutes or until a meat thermometer reads 170°. Yield: 4 servings.

*This chicken dish goes really well with green beans and mash potatoes. Happy cooking!

PS. I have a big week ahead with work obligations and an evening parent orientation for Emma's Junior High. How the heck did she got old enough to be going into Junior High? More importantly, how am I old enough to have a soon-to-be 7th grader? We will also be celebrating Josie's 2nd Heart Anniversary (which is a good excuse to eat out and write a long blog post about how much our lives have changed because of her open-heart surgery). On Friday, my husband and I are looking forward to a night on the town eating tapas at our favorite restaurant. But, can I admit that the highlight of my upcoming week will be antiquing with my Mom and little sis on Sunday? In MI the Allegan Antique outdoor fair closes once it gets cold. It happens the last Sunday of the month from now until October. You never know what treasurers need to be discovered!!

I hope you get to do exactly what you want this week.

Sunday Snapshot and & Prayer Request

For my prayer warriors, I've got a special request. Please keep this family in your prayers. Their daughter (Jiliang) will be undergoing open-heart surgery at UofM Hospital on Tuesday. She's a precious little girl who just came home from China with a complicated heart.

She's in the best hands. Her surgeon is the same one we used for Josie nearly 2 years ago (Dr. Ohye). We'll be celebrating our 2 year heart anniversary on Thursday of this week. I remember how important it was to know that others were praying for my daughter. If you can leave them a comment on their blog knowing that you are thinking of their daughter, it would be reassuring.

Have a blessed Sunday.

Less than a month away...

Mother’s day, just like any other holiday will be here before you know it. Over the next couple of weeks, I’m hoping to share a few ideas that can be used for ALL the special ladies in our lives. Just in case you need a project for the weekend, here's one of my favorites that I gave to my mother at Christmas a year ago. Chris's mom has now become a tea drinker and I think Nana needs a special box of tender tea for Mother's day.



Supplies needed:

Box of tea bags
Photographs
Scissors
Tape

Step 1. Open up a box of tea and pull out the individual tea bag envelops.

Step 2. Unseal each tea bag envelop and carefully pull out the tea bag.

Step 3. Take a bunch of pictures and cut them to fit onto the paper that is attached to the tea bag string. My printer actually has a photo ID function which allowed me to print them off quickly in smaller size which I then cut apart.


Step 4. Attach a picture to the tea bag string with glue or tape and then place the tea bag back in the original envelop (this is the most time consuming part).

Step 5. Repeat steps 1 - 4. Get the kids involved in this project. They might not be able to take apart of the envelops without ripping them, but they can help with assembling and taping the pictures.


What a fun way to start out each morning seeing a special loved ones face over a cup of tea!

For my adoptive Mommies who enjoy Jasmine tea, my favorite online store is Pearl River. Their prices are amazing (100 bags for $3.25). I've enjoyed this brand for the last five years. I love everything on Pearl River's website. Heck, I might just need to pick out a few new things for myself for Mother's Day!

Give me Liberty...

I'm really not a vane person, but if you haven’t heard, Liberty of London has landed at your local Target store. Add my name to the list of people who have fallen in love with this product line. I just had to buy this adorable floral skirt for Emma.

Isn’t the tulle ruffle darling?

I think if they had this skirt in a woman's size, I just might need to own one (or two or three). I'm glad my eleven year old lets me dress her up with pretty girly fashions every now and then!

Love ya, sweetie!!

PS. On Saturday, we'll be on the hunt for dark pants for E's spring band concert which is next week. I think I might be in trouble locating a pair of dark pants in APRIL. As you can tell, I'd much rather shop for spring fashions. Oh well. Bring on the hunt!!