Lucky #13

13 wonderful years ago, I married my man.  It seems short, and yet it seems like I have always been doing life with him.  I love our life.  I love our family.  I love him!  This is the first year (I believe) that we are not together on our actual anniversary.  But we had a lovely date night (super long and did fun, cool things, like when we were young).  I am so glad he is recharging and doing a revival with his brother.  I think it is super healthy of him to go and am so glad it worked out. Besides, Chris is so good to me all of the time.  I do get to take mama trips, scrapbooking trips, etc. and he hardly ever does. 

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BABE! I LOVE YOU!

Ample Dandelions

On my 6 mile run in beautiful weather Saturday, I penned this poem. Actually I had to write it in my head, and remember it till I got home and it was a long 6 miles. :) But right when I began my run, inspiration struck when I overheard a mother tell her toddler who wanted a specific dandelion, "there are ample dandelions".
Ample Dandelions

There are ample dandelions
to wish on, collect, and see--
Yet is there ample faith and trust
between You and me?

You've granted me everything I need
and plenty of wants along the way--
Yet when I don't always get what I seek
I waiver in my ways.

Because of what you've done for me,
You are worthy of each day's praise
and if I never recieve another blessing,
may my hands still be raised.

Help me be content, dear Lord
and try to grow like you more and more--
and see that there are ample dandelions
and that you are faithful forevermore.

My Lucky Charm turns 9.....

THEN

This is a little video that we created with Chris' original song he wrote for Eden years ago.  (That I mentioned in the previous post.)  Hard to believe our little lucky charm surprised us (2 days late) on St. Patrick's Day.  It has always been an extra fun way to celebrate. 

Also CONGRATS to my friend Melissa Lang for winning the "You are My Sunshine" give away.  I will get back with you about your order.  :)  As you can see, we did it really scientific this time.  12 entries went in.  The #4 came out. 4th comment was my Melissa.  This is the birthday girl and her BFF helping me out with the very scientific process.

NOW

**She has got a style all her own**

(Seriously we went out in public this way) :-)

**Showing off her new st. patty's T and faith bracelets from Syd, as well as her feather she purchased with the help of Papa & Grandma and her birthday manicure.**

**Very fun ice cream cake from DQ**

You Are My Sunshine Giveaway

Today marks our 8 month waitiversary.  Ughh!!!  I honestly didn't think we would have to wait 8 months to meet Chloe, but the way things are looking we may have to wait 8 more months.  (Let's just pray we don't, shall we?)  The good news is we have a new waiting #:

**I sure wish we were "steaming" along the track to seeing our daughter in Ethiopia.**

So to commemorate our 8 month wait, we would like to do a give away.  And I am going to add some sentimental facts along the way.  March is a big month for Chris & I.  March 26th will mark 13 years of marriage after an almost 8 month engagement.  Now, if you will humor me for a moment, I would like to take you back to that day.  Those of you who know my hubby, knows he can sing.  And it had been a topic of conversation during those 8 months of whether or not he would sing to me on our wedding day.  He had told me several times he would not, b/c he didn't think he would be able to make it through a song without crying and that he would be too nervous.  So there I was in the bridal room/bathroom actually getting my wedding dress on or doing my hair, not sure which, when there was a knock on the door.  Surprisingly, it was Chris and a few singing groomsmen.  Now Chris was being super traditional and did not see me at all that day till I walked down the aisle (not even one pre-ceremony picture), so instead he and his friends sang to me acappella from the hallway.  The selected song you ask?  You Are My Sunshine.  Now, don't get me wrong.  It is a very sweet song and there were a bunch of "Awwwws" coming from the bridal room, but I didn't think it super sentimental.  Then I actually caught my mom crying.  Now, for those of you who know my mom, she's anything but sentimental.  Not lovey, dovey. Does not wear her emotions on her sleeve (or whatever that saying is).  My mom goes on to say how she use to sing that song to me when I was a baby.  I had no idea.  Of course I had heard the song, but I didn't know it was my lullaby. My mom was a teenage mom.  She had me the fall of her senior year, so to imagine this teenage girl singing "You Are My Sunshine" to a little infant: now the song was doubly sentimental.  (Chris also had no idea!) Btw, Chris singing "You are My Sunshine" was just a teaser and he surprised me by singing to me during the wedding ceremony too!

       Back to March.  Another special day in March will be 10 days from today when my now 8 year old, will in fact turn 9.  I cannot believe it!  Our first born child will be 9. We call her our delight, that is what Eden means.  Paradise, Sunshine.  We had several lullabies for Miss Eden, her dad is still musical.  But one of the first was "You Are My Sunshine". (Hoping I will actually post a song in the coming days of Chris singing this along with "Eden's Song"--stay tuned.)  How different to sing it as a mama.  "You are my sunshine.  My only sunshine......You'll never know dear how much I love you."  Those words ring true for every mama in whatever circumstance.

       Fast Forward 2 and half years to the 8th month of 2005.  It is in the heat of summer and I give birth to my first son.  Eli has from the very get go, been able to make us laugh and smile, truly adding a bright factor to our days.  We do in fact call him "our sunshine", because he was born in August.  We did sing the song to him as well, sometimes I jazzed it up (thanks Aunt Christina) with some claps and faster tempo, but the sentiment is just the same.  "You are my sunshine.  My only sunshine.....You make me happy when clouds are gray." We also sing to him, "You are the apple of my eye, You are the sunshine of my life" (Stevie Wonder).  Mom singing it gets some good laughs.

     Fast Forward 2 and half years to the 8th day of February 2008.  We give birth to our Tobiah.  Our Valentine baby (his due date was Valentine's Day, but the dr. let him come early).  At this point in time, we were pretty sure we were done "birthing" children.   He is such a cuddly valentine and although he is my winter baby, and even though we called Eli "sunshine", we couldn't help but sing him the same lullaby.  It was just kind of automatic for us.  "You are my sunshine. My only sunshine.....Please don't take my sunshine away". No matter how many children you have, each of them (first daughter, first son, second son, second daughter, etc.) means the entire world to a mama's heart.

    Fast Forward to now.  8 months waiting for our blossom.  Chloe means 'to bloom'.  And of course what do you need to bloom?  Sunshine.  I can't wait to sing her the song.  So of course it is a lovely song if you sing the chorus.  After looking up the verses, it is a little more downcast. (Now if you read all the verses, it is very clear it was written for a lady friend from a guy friend, but none the less this first verse is erie as our wait gets longer.)    "The other night dear, as I lay sleepin', I dreamed I held you in my arms. When I awoke dear I was mistaken, And I hung my head and cried.....You are my sunshine. My only sunshine."

  Now to the "my only sunshine".  You know how Christ came down and died for each and every one of us?  And I believe that just like the parable of the lost sheep, he would have done it for only me or only you?  That is the sentiment I get when I sing "my only sunshine".  I love each of my four kids in such a way, that for each of them I would do anything.  A parent's love is that great, where you at times can feel that "only" kind of love.  The Abba Father has shown that kind of love to all of His children.  I pray and hope that my kids can experience that kind of love multiple times over, from their earthly parents and from their Heavenly Father.  Amen! (Yes, I just agreed with my self).

Now to the 8th month giveaway.  I am giving away this beaded sunshine wind chime. The orange beads are beautiful and makes the chime very unique!

And my dear friend is going to create a similar (but not exactly the same--i.e. there may not be any blue and white stripes, you'll just have to wait and see) custom Happy Sunshine T-shirt for your little "sunshine".  This was actually taken off of someone else's blog who does AMAZING stuff, but who is also taking a little break---so I can't order from her right now.  Faith, also an adoptive mom who is super crafty is the one who is going to make it.  So if you win, you can tell us the desired size and before the sunny days of summer, we will get that off to you!  Fun, right?!

How to win?  You can have up to 3 entries.

1.  Become a follower of Strickland Sentiments and leave a comment saying you did so or that you already are one.  :)

2. Leave a seperate comment about a lullaby you sang to your "sunshines".

3.  Share on Facebook and leave a comment saying you did so.

***The winner will be randomly selected on March 17th.  You have until Midnight on Friday (16th) to make your entries.

And The Winner Is..........

The winner of this gorgeous, beautiful quilt hand made by my best friend in Arizona and her dear friend Beth (who happens to be an adoptive mom) is...........................................................................

BETH IRWIN!!

Beth snuck into the Coffee Ceremony at the very end, bought her chances, and tonight is the lucky owner of this quilt.  There are many, many friends that are jealous of Beth right now.   I wish we could give away tons of them....

I am so overwhelmed by the generosity of many of you.  This Quilt fundraiser alone raised $2030!!!!  Praise God.  So at this point I believe we are $1650 from 100%.  That is amazing!  What I thought would be an impossible job has been completed right at a year.  I have been so overwhelmed by it all..  From our very first fundraiser (March 26, 2011) where Missy ran her 30 miles for us so unselfishly for her 30th bday.....we had children give from their piggy bank and hand me an envelope of change, to an anonymous donor matching Missy's pledges (which w/ the matching donation raised $4000), to Chris' brother running and strangers who do not know us from Adam giving to him just for running and meeting a goal, to the friends that helped put on our 5K, and who had multiple family members running, walking, working in it, and the businesses that sponsored the race, and even my own Eli giving his change away for Chloe, to friends who took their earnings from their home buisness for a year and donated it, to a small Louisiana church (who again did not know us except for the pastor who we knew from OCC) who gave their change and mailed it to us as well, to each and every person who shopped the online auction and to each business/friend who donated their time/talent/or merchandise so the auction could be a success, to SHOW HOPE for giving us a grant, and to other "old" friends from OCC who gave generously as well did their church stating "while God hasn't called us to adopt, He has called us to help pay expenses for others who are adopting", to this culminating fundraiser where people across the country created the quilt and sent it to us and to Chris' elementary school friend who gave us the connection to Coffee for Hope, as well as each person who bought coffee or chances, including a newlywed couple just starting out their lives together giving very generously.....every dollar has not gone in vain.  From the smallest quarter to the huge donation......we are so very humbled and grateful.  For the friends that have given repeatedly in several of the fundraisers, and just been there all along the way....how can I thank you enough?  You do deserve the quilt.  Perhaps you will get an extra jewel in your crown in heaven.  I have repeatedly said this through the whole process, but Christ's church is bringing Chloe home....she may be living in our house....but it is you all that have brought her home!  Thanks will never be enough.

May God so richly bless each and every one of you, just as he has used each of you to bless us. 

(p.s. I am aware that above may be the Guiness World Record for the longest run on sentences in a row and fragments---but all you Grammar freaks are just going to have to deal with it.)  :)