Category

addysengrace

trying to project.

By addysengrace, crafts, Family, mercyadoniyah

for the record…i do know project isn’t a verb but that’s my point. i was made to dream and create and explore on a daily basis. i think my mini adults were created similarly. 😁 so when life gets busy and we go from one “have to” to another “have to” we all get a little crabby. bleh. 😉 here are two mini projects. i made paper frames, added contact paper to one side and let them create with tissue papers before i added contact paper to the other side. simple. 😋 then we made the world’s easiest coffee cake. i learned last year that coffee cake doesn’t actually have coffee in it. it should be a simple, less sweet, usually with fruit or cinnamon or brown sugar, without frosting cake…that is eaten WITH your coffee. this is the easiest way to make a coffee cake when you are really overwhelmed. i don’t cook with mixes…ever. this is my once a year splurge. cooking gluten/corn/soy free is a lot of work but i discovered this cake mix. i order 6 mixes for $24 on amazon (ouch!) once a year. two are for birthdays and four are for very tired moments. 😂 today was one of those moments. 😇 when making this coffee cake, you make it “marie version.” you dump the cake mix, 1 c. frozen or fresh berries (ours are usually whatever is cheapest like cranberries/currents/forest blueberries), 1 c. greek yogurt or cottage cheese or a mix of the two and two eggs. mix well, dump into any kind of pan that you greased a little with coconut oil and then bake. what temp? i dunno my oven doesn’t have temperatures or even numbers. 😂 how long? use a toothpick! it will be moist because of the blueberries. i also make this cake with the dry ingredients of a 9×9 cake recipe. success! 

easter faire

By addysengrace, bucuresti, family, holidays, mercyadoniyah, romania

nothing as great as free fun within walking distance! the easter faire is right next to us so we walked down and enjoyed a craft, seeing the bunnies, a train ride and a carousel. we ended with the girls deciding to use some of their own savings for “shopping!” all mercy wanted was a “iepuras rosu!!” {red bunny} while addy picked blue and silver earrings. 🐰

signs of spring

By addysengrace, crafts, Family, mercyadoniyah, romania

the first of march is when we “welcome spring” here in romania. and it was beautiful. 

but now it’s gray and wet. so as we try to stay patient for the beautiful sun we know is coming, we are doing beautiful flower crafts instead. 

this one is simple (although i think working with contact paper is tricky!). all you need is contact paper and collected pieces of flowers. i used all my flowers that i received for (romanian) mother’s day! we have more flowers and we are going to try again this time using paper plates to make “frames.” 

the beginning of the one year

By addysengrace, america, christian, family, mercyadoniyah, noelantruth

dear son,

today is the day i didn’t want to come. i don’t know why but this one year mark feels so final, so complete, so deep, so real, so raw, so very much the end.

today is the anniversary of the day i decided to love you as my son.

sunday, february 14th, 2016.

i will never forget it. i will never forget how i felt when i knew in my heart the answer was yes. i will never forget the moment i loved you as my son.

i have flashed back to this day a million times this past year. i have wondered if i made the right choice. i have wondered if i should have protected addy and mercy better or protected my heart better.

many people have told me, “marie, you made the right choice. i truly believe you saved noelan’s life from someone threatening to hurt him if he wasn’t out of their home.”

but i realize something else, sweet boy of mine.

i realize that you saved my life.

you have taught me to love in a way i didn’t know possible. you have taught me to love addy and mercy and christian in a way i didn’t understand before i loved and lost you. you have shown me the heart of the Father in an intimate way i would never had understood without you. i have loved you and lost you and yet i still love you.

i will always love you sweet boy and i will always be your mama. but i miss you noelan truth. and i don’t think that i will ever stop missing you.

love, mama

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restaurant 

By addysengrace, bucuresti, family, mercyadoniyah, romania

sometimes you find yourself staying home and not going anywhere for an entire weekend thanks to colds. and sometimes your children make you a restaurant because they are simply adorable.

cutest servers in the world…

beautifully set table even with hand written menus…


hard at work…

salad…

lemon in soda…

clatite cu dulceata!

christmas and more

By addysengrace, bucuresti, christian, holidays, mercyadoniyah, ministry, romania

Christmas always rolls around with a sort of intensity we never expect. We suddenly need extra time, extra supplies, extra money, extra sleep. This year we were more than blessed by how much you guys supported us through one of our craziest times of the year!

After chatting with a friend about raising money for the holidays, she suggested “selling” something as a fund raiser. I had no idea what I was doing, but all things considered it went ok, with only a few minor glitches! I have TONS of ideas for next year! 🙂 This year, it was Christmas cards and ornaments. Next year, well that is a surprise of course.
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Then there was the mess, errrrrr preparation. 🙂
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Caroling and gifts…
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Lots of parties. Lots of food.
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New bibles with homemade/decorated bible covers thanks to a church sewing ministry and youth group!
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Performances!
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Santa! (And Addy, Mercy and Walker)
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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from Anchor of Hope!
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We don’t post “good” pictures online – – aka ones that clearly show kids’ faces. If you would like to see more photos of what we did for the holidays, please visit and like our Facebook page, Christian and Marie in Romania.

september

By addysengrace, bucuresti, christian, family, mercyadoniyah, romania

pictures i forgot to post from september. 😉

our anniversary, nine years!
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targoviste. i attended our church’s ladies’ retreat, christian brought the girls so we could all be together at night.
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observing ants and bugs.
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not gonna lie, miss the too hot to sleep in pjs weather.
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finally seeing the bfg!
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checking out a new mall…
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fun weekend with friends
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end of summer fun.
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our little gymnast

By addysengrace, bucuresti, gimnastica, gymnastics

last year, addy started rythmic gymnastics. she liked it but then we went to the states for our adoption and she missed a large chunk. she came back and was able to jump into a two week intensive gymnastics camp at the beginning of summer. so really, she has only been doing gymnastics regularly since this fall and i think (proud parent aside) she is actually pretty natural! 😉 these are just random pictures of the process and we learn what it means to be a gymnastics family, ha! {side note, the younger one doesn’t want to do gymnastics, she wants to do traditional dance…of course!}

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