Overwhelmed!

Here's your quiz. Does this shirt need to go in the:

a. Bin of Haiti clothes
b. Bin of "now" clothes that won't go to Haiti
c. Box of yard sale clothes
d. Box of winter clothes that we'll store in Atlanta with family
e. All of the above

Stumped? SO ARE WE!!!!

Now...ask the same question about everything you own. Welcome to our world.

The good news is we're moving to the barn tomorrow. From 1300 square feet to 800 or so. From 3 bedroom, 2 1/2 baths to 1 bedroom, one bath, a closet (aka. children's bedroom) and a laundry room (aka. another children's bedroom).

All that is to say this:
When I finish this post I'll be unplugging this computer and getting it ready to move. We haven't moved our phone service to the new address yet, so we're not sure when we'll have internet. Please be patient with us! We'll be blogging regularly again soon...

Pictures

Isabella earned a new nickname this weekend: "Fiddy-cent"

Sailing, takes me away...

Don't you love that song? I've never been sailing and am not the sea-faring type but I still love that song. I think it actually lowers my blood pressure. Unlike the "SALING" we did this weekend. As in, yard saling. I can't say that it lowered my blood pressure at all but it was a gorgeous day and we did sell A LOT of stuff!

There were many people who helped us out by donating, sorting, pricing, loading, selling, cleaning up, and even purchasing stuff. THANK YOU!!

Now we are down to the nitty-gritty. One week to get what remains ready to move. I think I can, I think I can, I think I can... we are living out that wonderful balance between the Lord working for us (like selling our house -all Him, totally out of our control) and the Lord working through us (like packing boxes). I don't recall any verse that mentions "The Three Members of the Trinity and a Truck", do you?

Christy Lane sang "One day at a time, sweet Jesus. That's all I'm asking of You." yeah well, for some of us a whole day is too much to swallow. I'm going with Louise Thornton and saying "'the joy of the Lord is my strength' for the next 15 minutes."

Think I can get a whole box packed in 15 minutes? We'll see.

If cleanliness is next to godliness...

we are in big, fat trouble! I spent the last four years learning how to be a decent housekeeper. This is not natural for me. I am a slob at heart (you can read more about that on http://www.amiesbraindump.blogspot.com) but I had really gotten a handle on things until now. Now, I don't know what's what. It all runs together. And the wonderful people who've offered to help have each been met with a similar response. I don't know how to tell you to help me. As Shelby McRoy put it, "so, you need to organize to get organized?" Well, yeah. You know the point when things are so spread out and so chaotic that you cannot even begin to direct someone else? This is where we are.

And while organizing to organize may sound crazy. There are crazier things out there. For example when my mom use to make us clean a hotel room, including making the bed, before the cleaning lady came. That was crazy. I don't think she still does this. Ten grandchildren go a long way toward lowering a person's standards -eh, mom? =)

If you've offered to help only to get a blank stare and weak shrug... it's me, not you. I hope that after the yard sale this Saturday, which will clear out a heap load of stuff, I'll be able to take advantage of your willing hands. In the meantime, we can accept help in the following forms:

1. Pray and keep praying.
2. We will be setting up for the yard sale on Friday afternoon. If you can move boxes, set up tables, or price items, come on by. Helpers get first dibs on our "treasures".
3. If you can add, negotiate, or just look pitiful enough to get the best price on our stuff, then come on Saturday and we'll put you to work.
4. If you really don't want to work but are the king and/or queen of "yard sale-ing" then you can just come and shop, Saturday 8am - 1pm.

If you are interested

I've added a link on the side bar under "our favorite sites" to a secondary blog. It is a dumping ground for my (Amie's) writings. Some are from books yet to be finished and others are simply brain burps and personal diatribes. Either way, if you're interested -check it out. If not, that's fine, too.

Have a great Monday!

Controlled Chaos...

is not what we have here. Oh no. This is just chaos-chaos. (Anyone remember the Little Ceasar's guy "pizza-pizza"? =)) We have an official closing date of April 5th. Of course, we have to vacate the property before that day so we will actually be moving on or around the 31st. Today is the 17th -don't worry I'll do the math for you: we have exactly two weeks to pack up and get out.

Frank and Angela Pribyl are coming this morning to help me organize and box up stuff while Tim is mission conferencing. Then, they are going to indulge my children in a movie while the two of us sneak off for coffee and some much needed processing time. Them's guud peepuhl.

Since we haven't put up fun photos in a few posts and I know that plain old text gets boring after awhile, I thought I would give you another installment of silly Bella expressions. Have a great weekend!

You're gonna powder what?!

Hey!! I'm talking to you!

Kiss me, you fool!

Do we favor?

A Dose of Whimsy

Our oldest son, Nathan, the originator of "forting," is one of the most whimsical kids I've ever known. His humor is very natural and subtle and he sometimes doesn't even realize that he's cracking us up. Here is one of his latest moments.

After reading several library books about slavery (I could post a list of the greatest children's books, especially about black history, if anyone is interested or you can email me amiefamie@earthlink.net)
I overheard the following exchange:

Nathan: (picking out two Lincoln Log people) I'm gonna be this guy and she is going to be my slave.

Mamoune: (indignant) Nathan! Those days are over!

Nathan: (unhindered) Well, then, she can just be my wife.

Oh brother! Will you all join me in saying a prayer for Nathan's future wife, wherever she is?!

A Quick Tutorial

Perhaps you are like us and had no idea what a blog was or how to use it until recently. Well, we are here to help you. Several have shared with me that they would like to comment but aren't sure how and other issues such as that. Consider yourself a student in today's class:

BLOG for DUMMIES!

The word "blog" gets it origin from two words: web log. Calling it a blog saves 2 key spaces and makes you appear computer savvy. It is basically an on line journal for anyone who doesn't mind their business being broadcast over the Internet.

Just like a written journal, the entries (posts) are listed from oldest to most recent. If you want to read the history on any blog just scroll down or click the archives link.

At the end of each post (if the owner of the blog chooses) there is a "comment" link. To share a thought, you simply click on the word "comment". If you have a pop-up blocker on your computer, you will need to temporarily allow pop-ups or turn it off because the comment page comes up as a new window. Now you can type your comment and sign in (if you have a blogger account) or sign as "anonymous" if you don't. Comments on our blog are moderated which means we see it first. This is where most people get tripped up. After you hit "submit" your comment will NOT automatically show up. I will receive it as an email and then post it or reject it. This is a safe guard just in case someone posts a crude or completely inflammatory remark. Anyone and everyone can view this blog but we don't want to provide a forum for nastiness.

Of course, we don't mind people disagreeing with us. BUT if you disagree so strongly that you find it necessary to be rude or disrespectful then you should probably just start you own "we think the Sexton's are idiots" blog and you can say whatever you want at that point. =)

On the side bar of our blog there are other features which you can access. The profile page simply tells you more about us. There is also a list of our favorite web sites and their links. Simply click the name and it will take you to that site. Speaking of links -anytime you see typing like this, it means you can click on that word or group of words to visit another related site. If you click the link I just typed, it will take you to craigslist.com (one of my frequently visited sites). You can just hit the "back" button on your browser to return to this page. Go ahead and try it. Are you back? See, it's not so hard!

Lastly, we added a guest book several weeks ago but few of you have signed it. What gives? All you have to do is click the link. It will open a smaller window and you can "pin" your location and add a short comment or introduce yourself.

I hope this helps someone out there and as we add features I will try to remember to explain them. And don't feel bad, I am right there with you so we'll learn together!

-Amie

Back to Life

Don't you hate when you find a blog that you enjoy reading and the owner's don't post for days? I can't stand it either. So, for the three of you who haven't completely given up on us and are still checking in -we're finally back! We were attacked by viruses on every front including our computer but I think we are de-bugged now and ready to get back into the flow of life.

Our fund raising letters are in the mail! The BIG yard sale is planned for March 24th and our downstairs is full of empty moving boxes. The Haiti bins are slowly being filled to capacity and most of our large furniture has been "claimed" either for purchase or for storage. Things are moving forward.

Originally, the sale of the house was our biggest question mark in terms of when we would get to Haiti. Now that's taken care of and many of you are wondering when we will head out. The answer is -we still don't know. Here's how it breaks down. Amie will not leave the country without Isabella. Isabella cannot leave the country without a passport. She cannot get a passport without a birth certificate. She cannot get a birth certificate until her adoption is finalized. It is up to God (working through the state of North Carolina) to determine when that happens. We are waiting and trusting in His timing.

In the meantime we will be living... in a barn. Don't worry, each child has their own stall and there's plenty of fresh hay and grains which will save a bundle on groceries. There's lots to see and explore and cows right there in the front yard. When Mommy needs a break, I'll just dress the kiddo's in red and throw 'em into the pasture to run from the bull. Hours of entertainment built right in. ;-) Actually, we will be living in this barn which has a wonderful little apartment built over the stalls, thanks to the incredible generosity of friends from our church. It'll be a tight squeeze but the kids are so excited. I can already see how God's going to use this time to strengthen us -if we don't kill each other.

The Gift that Keeps on Giving

Granny and Grandad came to spend a few days. They took us out to eat. They let the kids spend the night with them at the camper. They played, read books, and loved on grand babies. What kind of people would we be if we didn't offer something in return? A gift from the heart or should I say stomach? Yep. We gave them the virus. Mabell and Granny were sick all night and much of today. Grandad "refuses" to get sick. (I think he's in denial.) The downstairs is serving as a temporary infirmary but hopefully they will be feeling better soon. An eight hour drive becomes 15 when you have to stop at every rest area, if you know what I mean. :-/

Btw, only the two sickies will appreciate this picture. And they won't appreciate it for a few days yet. Tasty.