Friday, August 31, 2012

surviving the heat: summer update from our home

my little butterfly. will we have one or two
more little butterflies to join her soon?

a lot has happened this summer, though many things that i thought would happen did not, and many things that i didn't think would happen did.  overall, i am more godly than i was three months ago (by God's grace), and more thankful (by God's grace).  and did i mention that i am ready for the heat to end and the rain to come?


our veggie garden is exploding with cherry tomatoes.  we are also getting some melons, swiss chard and bell peppers here and there, and many fresh herbs.  but the cherry tomatoes have been the most prolific.  i have been making tomato basil salad (basil also from the garden), salsa and pasta sauce with it.  if there is one home grown veggie i love the most, it is definitely tomatoes and i am very glad for the blessing of thriving tomato plants.  i am also making plans for and getting excited about next gardening season, but also a bit discouraged by our lack of full-sun garden space.  with better planning and execution, i expect next year to go better, even with our lacking full-sun garden space.

when we first moved here, i was fine with no rain. but now i really, really miss the rain.  our grass is parched!  our gardens are getting by (with the help of recycled dish water).  but i really want water to come from the sky, and not our bank account (water is expensive here!).  needless to say, i am not a so cal girl natively or at heart.

we really actually will probably get another foster baby (babies?) in october/november. this whole summer its been a never ending cycle: 1. we are almost re-certified! 2. oh wait not yet, we need to turn in one more piece of paperwork! 3. ok, we turned in the paperwork! (back to step one).  someone said that the paperwork/logistics behind adoption is a hugely sanctifying process and i would have to agree!  fortunately, we trust in a God who is over all, and we know that he is preparing us for the right kid(s) to take into our home, and he knows that right timing.  but we are more impatient.

a couple weeks ago we thought that we were really, truly done with it all.  and then our social worker called.  "i am ready to give your home study to the matching social workers. [the ones that match foster parents with babies].  we just need one more thing... esther's immunization records".  actually, esther doesn't have any records because she hasn't gotten any vaccines so far.  so, looks like we will need to get some vaccines at her next appointment in early october.  part of me is really sad about this, but more than anything i know that it is an act of trust in God, that He will protect her from vaccine damage as we take a step of obedience to follow Him in this.  could you stop and pray for a minute that God will protect esther and our foster babies from vaccine side effects?

so, after she gets vaccines in october, we can get another placement.  right now we are debating whether to take in one or two babies (if it was two they would have to be siblings, so either they would be twins or born really closer together like our last set of four foster kiddo siblings).  most likely we will tell them we'll take 1-2, and see what pans out.

surviving the heat has been a theme of the past few weeks.  we do have one AC unit, but it is very expensive to run.  so i am trying to be creative... swimming at friends' houses, going for looooong trips to the store, etc.  mostly, i am trying to get work done in the mornings and keep the hot, hot afternoons low key (by reading, sewing, etc).  i am gaining a better understanding of the concept of a fiesta as i conk out during the mid-afternoon heat even though i hate taking naps.

one more month(ish?) of heat and then it will be done.  i can't wait!!

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