Category Archives: Reece’s Rainbow

Because Bloggers Get Nothing Done…

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Rage Against the Minivan: dear pastor mark: pontificate this.

Back story: Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church decided to mouth off via Twitter and claim the following:

Mark Driscoll's tweet

Kristen Howerton of Rage Against the Minivan excoriated him in this post and one of my Twitter buddies (whose name I am forgetting at the moment — sorry!) listed off a whole host of things with the tag #bloggersgetthingsdone.

By the way, have I mentioned that Mars Hill Church sues other churches that try to use the name Mars Hill? I hadn’t realized that they had copyrighted Acts 17. Huh. [/sarcasm]

My take on all this: I will readily admit that I do a fair amount of pontificating — I blog to get the unhealthy crap out of my head and sometimes that means that I blather about how the world should be. However, it’s not all I do. Kristen listed the things she’s been part of as a blogger so maybe I should do the same. 😉

[+] Raised money for Afghani women and put together an afghan to send over there. (2005)
[+] Raised money for Lutheran World Relief (2006), International Justice Mission (2007), First Book (2008), the Preeclampsia Foundation (2009), Direct Relief (2010), and Reece’s Rainbow (2012).
[+] Discussed the issues involved with food stamps/WIC/being part of the 47% and worked with blogger Thomas Fuller Jr to think of solutions.
[+] Raised awareness and advocacy for preeclampsia and HELLP Syndrome so that other moms won’t have to go through what I did.
[+] Worked to get two special needs children (Brett and Kaia) adopted through Reece’s Rainbow.
[+] Raised money for sex trafficking victims.

These are just the things off the top of my head. Whether you want to argue that *I* personally got those things done is irrelevant — I feel like it’s a team effort and there are so many bloggers that contribute. I participated in Blogathons for 5 years and saw people raise awareness of resources for rape victims, make schools safer places for GLBTQ kids, and put their health/bodies/minds on the line to stay up for 24 hours because they had something to say.

I will readily admit that my faith in Jesus Christ is what motivates me to do all these things but there are bloggers who aren’t religious that do the same things. All of us understand that we have voices and that these voices when combined can change the world.

So tell me, Mark Driscoll, what have YOU accomplished today?

7 Quick Takes: Lots of Orphans, A Cat Bite Infection, and Harry Reid

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Prayer Request. I have an issue with my right hand that I *think* is a cat bite infection. It’s painful and swollen and my joints are really stiff. I can’t get in with my awesome LCMS physician assistant until tomorrow (Friday) morning at 10 so could you pray that whatever is going on would please not get worse before that point? Thanks!

— 2 —

Urgent diaper drive. A family “in country” adopting two little girls is having a diaper drive because their daughters’ baby house is too poor to afford enough diapers for all the kids and it’s at the level of a child getting one diaper per day. They’re raising funds to buy as many packages of diapers as they can to donate to them. If you’re interested, click here to go to the entry on Orphan Report with the Chip-In link.

— 3 —

Brett needs a mama. Brett is back on the Reece’s Rainbow website after the Basas were unable to complete his adoption due to his needs added to Dariya’s (“Delilah” on Reece’s Rainbow) being too much for his adopted family to handle. It was a painful decision for them to have to make and they are still really feeling the emotional repercussions of making it. On the other hand, watching them go through it means that I know better how to advocate for him. So… if you know a family who needs an adorable little boy who *loves* books, let them know that he is available.

Brett

— 4 —

Kaia also needs a mama. This is Kaia.

Kaia

She also needs a mama. Could you be that person? Click on her picture to learn more about her.

— 5 —

Giveaway for Katya. I heard from Hevel about a giveaway to help Katya, another little girl adopted from an orphanage, the dental work she needs. The prize is a $tarbux giftcard, some chocolate and peanut butter candy, and a beautiful flower pin.

— 6 —

What Harry Reid did yesterday at 5:03 p.m. while we were waiting for the House to vote. I pondered whether or not to link this because Lawrence O’Donnell was making it all “rah rah Harry Reid” but I thought the fact that O’Donnell talked about how Senator Reid was able to do it with the active though invisible help of Senator Mitch McConnell was cool. I still think Senator McConnell is a putz but it was refreshing to hear about how things actually *do* get done other than the public fights that the media reports.

— 7 —

One more prayer request. Please keep Jen Fulwiler (our usual Quick Takes host) in your prayers as she’s dealing with bi-lateral pulmonary embolisms. They just announced that they’ll discharge her and treat them at home but she’s still “standing in the need of prayer”.

For more Quick Takes, visit Hallie at MoxieWife.Com.

7 Quick Takes: Russian Adoption Issues, Apocalyptic Rainstorms, and Classless Individuals

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

This little girl needs your help. Her name is Kaia and she needs a mama. Is there a chance you might be her mama? Click on her picture to go to her profile.

Miss Kaia

— 2 —

Please help if you can. The Wade family got special permission from a Russian judge to come back and get Ivan ASAP but they need to raise the funds to do it. If you can spare any money at all, it would help immensely — I know that my donations have been in $5 and $10 increments.

— 3 —

The state of the bear. Daniel has recovered from the excitement of last week (febrile seizure, high fevers for two nights, Urgent Care appointment…) though it meant that he was extra cuddly this last weekend. I didn’t make it to church on Sunday because of him nor did I make it to Christmas worship because he and Edda were both asleep on my lap. The Christmas morning snuggle was wonderful because I could just watch TV and enjoy the quiet. We’re with my parents right now and he has all his normal energy back so he has been running around, opening and closing doors, and being silly. Currently, the little bear is eating Cheerios in the booster seat next to me which is why I’m getting these done. 🙂

— 4 —

Mmmmmm! My mom made these cookies and added dried cherries. They are totally wonderful and quite addictive. I might have to make them for church one of these days.

— 5 —

Need an ark, please. We were wondering if church was going to be cancelled last Sunday (the 23rd) because we were having serious rain with wind. The same thing happened on Christmas Day — serious rain with lots of wind. Apparently, I missed the newscast where the Christmas rain was in the forecast because it was a nasty surprise when I was having to head to the laundry shed to get clothes to fold. It followed us to San Jose and was around yesterday, which made it hard for Daniel (wanted to go OUTSIDE and run around) and me (needed to go for a walk to stretch out my back). It was clear today and chilly for everyone except for Jon and me. Apparently living in Montana and Minnesota toughened me up to cold because all the other moms on the playground were in parkas and I was pushing Daniel on the swings in just a long-sleeved shirt.

— 6 —

Pottymouths. Jon and my dad are watching The Big Lebowski and it seems like every other word is an f-bomb. Seriously guys? Is it necessary to the plot of the movie? This is probably why I rarely see movies ever, either on TV or in the theater.

— 7 —

Parenting fails. On Monday, I was at Les Schwab (a tire shop) getting an alignment done and a mother and son came in. The woman grunted at her son to move the coffeetable in the waiting area and put her feet (which were in really disgusting-looking Crocs) up on it when he moved it. I was sitting there looking at her with complete revulsion and shock. Really, wench? Do you think this is your living room at home? Are we conveniently ignoring basic rules for how to act in public? It got better after she chastised her son for using the word “sucks” because it “wasn’t classy”. I would probably have said something (and my Twitter peeps heard ALL about it) except that her tattoos were a bit menacing (thanks to all the prison shows I watch, I know what some of them mean) and my self-preservation kicked in to keep me from opening my mouth. But seriously… epic parenting FAIL!

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes: Things I Wish I Had Crossed Off My Bucket List Before the Mayan Apocalypse

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7 Quick Takes

We pretty much know already that the world isn’t ending tomorrow as New Zealand and Australia are OK. However, I’m doing these tongue-in-cheek Quick Takes anyway as a way of getting my mind off of Daniel who ended up in the pediatric ER at UCD Medical Center last night with a febrile seizure. From what we can tell, it’s the flu. I’m vaccinated against it but he isn’t. (I’m not anti-vax by any stretch of the imagination — I just completely dropped the ball this year.)

— 1 —

Finding Kaia a mommy. See this cute little girl? She needs a mama.

Miss Kaia

Click on her picture to be taken over to her profile on Reece’s Rainbow. If you’re in the mood to do some charitable giving this Christmas, her adoption grant would be a lovely cause.

— 2 —

Getting certified to scuba-dive. My evil twin and his fiancée are PADI-certified and it’s been on “my list” forever. My college’s chapter of Intervarsity used to have our Chapter Retreats on Catalina Island and one of the things I loved doing was snorkeling. I’d like to actually be able to dive under the water someday.

— 3 —

See Loreena McKennitt live in concert again. I saw her in concert in 1994 and again in 2007. At the concert in 2007, I actually *met* her, got a hug from her, and got her autograph. She’s toured in Europe and eastern Canada so I’m hoping 2013 is going to be a U.S. tour year as she put out a new album two years ago.

— 4 —

Have Daniel develop speech. I fully believe this will happen someday — it just hasn’t happened yet. He’s great with his PECS book and we’ve got some sign language worked out. Still, it would be wonderful if he could learn to speak. It would definitely make my life easier.

— 5 —

Go on all the cool rides at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. I actually went to college in Santa Cruz and only went to the Boardwalk once during that time, something I’ve regretted for a long time because I love amusement park rides. Daniel is too young for most of the rides (and too short) so I may have a while to wait for this one.

— 6 —

Sing Bach’s Mass in B minor with a choir. I’m a huge fan of Bach and this is an amazing work of art. It’s complex enough to challenge me and it’s the reason why it’s my bucket list piece. (I started singing Handel’s Messiah when I was 15 though performing the work in its entirety is also on the list.)

— 7 —

Publish a novel started during NaNoWriMo. Granted, the years I’ve “won” by getting 50,000 words written during that month were years when I needed to kill people off to vent some anger but it would be kind of cool to actually “win” again and turn what I write into a novel that I can sell to a publisher.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com. In the meantime, enjoy the tsunamis, earthquakes, and fire falling from the sky!

7 Quick Takes: Whining, Crocheting, and Sleep Deprivation

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Kaia needs a mama. You see this beautiful girl? She needs a mama. Click on her picture to be *magically* whisked away to her Reece’s Rainbow profile page.

Kaia

— 2 —

Oh. Em. Gee. NCIS!!! I loved seeing Gibbs and Fornell working with their ex-wife for this episode. All the one-liners were incredibly funny and it was a nice sequel to the episode last season where Gibbs and Fornell were trying to find their ex’s new husband who had been kidnapped.

— 3 —

Awesome news. Brett’s parents Fred and Carrie went to court for Delilah, the other child they’re adopting, and the court granted the adoption! Brett’s 10-day waiting period is up this week and Delilah’s will be up on 12/21 so hopefully they’ll be home for the New Year.

— 4 —

Major prayer request. I just found out that one of my IV buddies from UCSC was just diagnosed with leukemia. His wife Christy is keeping us updated on the battle and it’s coming as a shock to a lot of us who remember Ian as a quirky, energetic, and fiery witness to the faith. Please keep him and his family in prayer — he’s only 35 and has two young daughters.

— 5 —

Whine whine whine whine WHINE! I’ve been dealing with a chest cold for I think two weeks now (at least two Sundays) and Daniel was fighting it last weekend. Those who have been hanging with me for a while know that Daniel + cold = potential ICU stay so I was thankful that he responded well to nebulizer treatment and only missed one day of school. Mommy, on the other hand, is dealing with strange sleep habits from staying up to listen to him breathe and Jon stayed home on Monday to take care of both of us. I think I’d probably be doing better if I’d actually *take* Robitussin every so often and be faithful with the cough drops. Oops! I called the clinic today and my favorite provider has hours tomorrow afternoon so I’m going to see if I can’t get something for it.

— 6 —

A burst of crocheting. Due to the strange hours I’ve been keeping, I’ve gotten a fair amount of crocheting done. I offered to make stockings for Brett and Delilah and got Delilah’s done on Monday night. With Brett’s stocking, I just have the cuff and edging to do — an hour or two at the most to finish. The problem: I’ve been feeling so icky the last few nights that I’ve just wanted to curl up in a ball under the comforter in the recliner.

— 7 —

Watching “Minor Revisions”. I originally didn’t have any plans to do so but I’ve managed to join the Twitter party in watching “Minor Revisions” which is the show for Jennifer Fulwiler, the most awesome host of the Quick Takes at ConversionDiary.Com. It’s interesting to listen to her story of how she became Catholic because I grew up faithless and converted to Christianity in middle school/high school. It was fun to watch her and her father at the planetarium as well as her flipping out over the scorpion.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

7 Quick Takes: Introducing Kaia, Starching Snowflakes, and Cats Playing with Ribbons

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7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Brett now OFFICIALLY has a mama and papa. You know my Reece’s Rainbow kid Brett? Court was held on Monday in his region and his parents’ adoption request was granted. There’s a 10-day waiting period so the verdict can be recorded (this is Eastern Europe — things move slowly) and then they can spring him. Meanwhile, they’re preparing to go to court for his adopted sister Delilah. So… prayers answered!!!

— 2 —

As Brett is now taken care of and will be in the States in a few weeks, I asked to be allowed to have another child for whom I could advocate as a Guardian Angel. I had seen Kaia mentioned in the Reece’s Rainbow group on Facebook and her picture stuck with me as did the words in her profile:


Kaia has pretty green eyes, what a little dolly! She should be heading to kindergarten next year, not the institution.

She is the beautiful little china doll on my sidebar. Her adoption grant is currently only $5.00 — can we increase it this week? Please and thank you. (As of midnight on 12/8, her grant is now at $15. My deepest thanks to whoever donated to do that.)

— 3 —

My snowflakes were a hit last night. I starched them on Tuesday using this method and as they weren’t completely dry by Wednesday afternoon, I spent some time with a blowdryer on them while exhorting them to stiffen. The blowdrying worked and the person who received them in the ornament/decoration exchange loved them. She’s a fellow crocheter so I’ll be sticking the pattern and starching instructions in her box on Sunday.

— 4 —

At the same ornament/decoration exchange during Ladies’ Night Out, I got a beautiful ceramic angel. It was wrapped beautifully and had a long green ribbon which immediately went into my purse. All my crazy cat ladies can probably guess the rest of the story: Edda and her siblings got extra playtime last night. It was comical to see Freya (our little butterball gremlin) going absolutely crazy and Finian (my fluffybutt) was also pretty funny.

— 5 —

I’m “occupying Advent”. I decided to take on blogging as an Advent discipline and am following Beth Anne’s tasks as my subjects. You can find other people’s efforts using the hashtag #AdventPhotoADay.

— 6 —

This is disturbing. My mom sent me a video from the Today Show about a trick thieves are using to get into hotel rooms. It disturbs me that the makers of the locks used by most hotel rooms has known since July and is suggesting band-aid solutions and not upgrading the locks free of charge. Hotels are also feigning ignorance which irritates me.

— 7 —

Who’s up for meatless Fridays? Thomas of Identified Catholic is hosting a link-up of what people are eating on Fridays as an effort to do communal penance during Advent. The USCCB is pondering a return to the practice and I’m participating during Advent in solidarity with my Catholic friends who are taking it on.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: December 4, 2012

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Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY December 4th, 2012

Outside my window… dark. It’s just past midnight here.

I am thinking… about what I need to get done tomorrow. It totally makes sense that I’m up crocheting and blogging, right?

I am thankful… that I finished ornaments yesterday. I just need to starch them tomorrow. Also, I’m immensely thankful that Brett’s parents prevailed when court was held yesterday and he is now officially theirs.

In the kitchen… dishes to do.

I am wearing… Old Navy shirt and fleece pajama bottoms.

I am creating… stockings for two adorable kids.

I am going… nowhere if I can help it.

I am wondering… which kid to take on as a Guardian Angel once Brett is home. Possibly Kaia?

I am reading… A Year of Biblical Womanhood: How a Liberated Woman Found Herself Sitting on Her Roof, Covering Her Head, and Calling Her Husband “Master” by Rachel Held Evans. I’ve gotten through the introduction and first chapter and I’m loving it.

I am hoping… tomorrow goes well.

I am learning how to starch my snowflakes.

Around the house… *places fingers in ears* I can’t hear you!!!!

I am pondering… too many things to list.

A favorite quote for today… ??The first action to be taken is to pull ourselves together. If we are going to be destroyed by an atomic bomb, let that bomb, when it comes, find us doing sensible and human things — praying, working, teaching, reading, listening to music, bathing the children, playing tennis, chatting to our friends over a pint and a game of darts — not huddled together like frightened sheep and thinking about bombs.?? ? C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite things… simple double crochet.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Ladies’ Night Out on Wednesday.

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook