So, next time you’re surfin’ the web, be sure to include More Than Beautiful!   Our facelift will be unveiled SOON!  …….

Moriah is a dedicated mother…..dedicated to her family, and especially to her son Josiah.  She surrounds him with love, inspiration, and simple serenity.  How beautiful is this baby’s hangout!

:: Josiah’s Nursery ::

“A baby is cuddles
And tickles on toes,
The sweet scent of powder,
A kiss on the nose!”

Thanks Karli! (Karli Hansen Photography)

Happy Friday!

Still Life With Flowers

Total Time Needed:

1 Hour

A recycled picture frame turns favorite blooms into objects d’art. Use the stake to support a climbing plant or move the frame from flower to flower to create a rotating gallery. Be sure to note the name of your floral masterpiece on the erasable title sign.

Materials

• Paintbrush Black acrylic paint
• Scrap-wood rectangle (ours measures 3 by 6 inches)
• Hammer
• 1 1/4-inch wire brads

• 3/4-inch-square wooden garden stake
• Picture frame (recycled or new; ours measures 11 by 13 inches)
• Chalk

Instructions

1. Paint the scrap-wood rectangle and let it dry.
2. Nail the stake to the back of the frame, using at least two brads.
3. When its paint is dry, nail the rectangle to the stake below the frame. Use the chalk to write the title of your artwork on the sign.

 This great idea came from Disney’s Family Fun

Tonia is a beautiful and amazing woman!  She is the mother of three wonderful children.   

When Tonia’s youngest daughter Isabella was just seven weeks old, she became ill with bacterial meningitis.  Isabella suffered a stroke and lost her hearing.  She received cochlear implants at the young age of 6 1/2 months.  That was over eight years ago, and as you can see, Isabella is a beautiful, radiant young girl with an equally beautiful and radiant mother.  Thank you Tonia, for sharing your story and showing what it is to be More Than Beautiful! 

Seasons of Love  

Then before you know it the winds have changed once more and the chill that was only lasting in the early morning has crept in to last the whole day. Another major obstacle has been placed in your way. One that you were not expecting and you are not sure you will be able to handle. One cool February when Bella was two, we were told one of her implants had become infected and would need to be removed. It meant surgery to remove it and surgery a few months later to put it back in after the infection had been treated. Again, it is time to take a deep breath, walk forward, no matter how slow. It is the forward progress that is important. Winter is back now, but Spring will be here soon… 

You are invited to visit Tonia’s Blog!

If you or anyone you know has a More Than Beautiful story to share, please contact us at youaremorethanbeautiful@gmail.com!

She knows all about being beautiful already wouldn’t you say! ….. Be sure to make us smile by leaving your original caption in the comment box below!

Happy Photo Friday! 

You are invited to participate in the weekly fun!  Every week, we will post a new photo.  Then, see what original captions you can come up with and post them in the “leave comment” box below OR email your captions to youaremorethanbeautiful@gmail.com. . . . Rated G comments only please!    Please mention the photo you are commenting on so that we are sure to put it with the right photo.  The more captions written by more people, the more fun it will be!  Again, all you have to do is write your caption in the comment box below the post, or email us.  Since this week’s photo is a “photo series”, you can write a caption for each photo in this series….(Photo 1 … , Photo 2 … , Photo 3 … , and Photo 4 …).  

Let’s see how creative you are!  Who knows, you might discover you have a hidden talent in the process …. look out Bill Waterson! 

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JAYLEE!

Write a caption for Photo 1 …..

 Write a caption for Photo 2 …..

Write a caption for Photo 3 …..

Write a caption for Photo 4 …..

“Now and then it’s good to pause in our pursuit of happiness and just be happy!  ~ G. Apollinaire

It has been said, “Happiness is a matter of balance.  Balance is a matter of wisdom.”  Maintaining balance in our busy lives requires effort and wisdom…really, happiness is a matter of choice.  Wednesday’s Wisdom is all about sharing your wisdom!  What is it that you DO to make your life and the lives of those you love more than beautiful…your fun family traditions, recipes, thoughts, funny happenings, decorating ideas, crafts, anything and everything!  It’s diversity, variety, and individuality that makes the world joyful and beautiful!   Wednesday’s Wisdom is all about YOU — what you do, and how you do it!  Email us with your ideas and thoughts as well as any questions you  want answered:  youaremorethanbeautiful@gmail.com         

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For starters, here is one of Sarah’s awesome recipes!   Ok, they are delicious and her girls LOVE them!  Every wise woman knows that cookies + ice cream = ultimate happiness! 

First I let some vanilla ice cream soften and put it in a bowl. I crushed some fresh blackberries (any berry will do). Then I mixed them into the ice cream. Then, put the ice cream back in the freezer.

Here’s what you need for the cookies. (Makes enough for about 14-16 sandwiches)

2 cup flour
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350*. Lightly grease baking sheets.

Cream together the brown sugar and butter with an electric mixer until it is light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.

Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt in a separate bowl.

Add the dry ingredients to the creamy mixture.

Roll balls of the cookie doe and smash flat with spatula on a cookie sheet. Bake until set, about 10 minutes. Let stand on baking sheet for 2 minutes before removing with a spatula.

Make sure the cookies cool completely. Use a wire rack.

Allow the ice cream to sit out a while so it’s soft. Put a scoop in the center of one cookie.

Put the other cookie on top and gently press down. Put in the freezer immediately so they don’t melt all over. (Trust me, they will.)

Once they are frozen, serve them!!!

They are best eaten the day they are made. Let them sit out a few minutes before eating them so the ice cream is soft. YUMMO!

For more of Sarah’s ideas, go here!

If you are interested in sharing YOUR more than beautiful thoughts and ideas, leave a comment or email us at:   youaremorethanbeautiful@gmail.com!

I have never met Pam Johnson, but I hope to some day.  She shares her personal story of adoption.  Pam’s story shows that really, when all is said and done, love changes everything!   Thank you for sharing your story Pam!

~ Blenda

Jenny’s Adoption

My name is Pam Johnson and for many of us, there is a certain telephone call that can and will change your life forever.  Our call came early in the month of November 2007.  As I answered the call, not sure who was on the other end, I heard the quivery voice of my niece. We chatted for a minute and then the question came.  “Can Jenny (child’s name has been changed) come and live with you for awhile until we can get things worked out.”  Without a hesitation I said, “Yes.”  Our niece’s five-month old baby was admitted to the hospital for reasons I wish not to discuss in this forum.  The Division of Child and Family Services had taken custody of her child a couple of days earlier.

After the phone call I called my husband and told him what had just happened.  He felt this was something we should do and we needed to discuss this decision with our other children.  As a couple we discussed with our children what had happened to Jenny and what huge changes would occur in our home.  Every one was excited and willing for the challenge.  We proceeded with the process to become foster parents.  The goal was to have Jenny back with her parents within 3-6 months.  Through the interviews with caseworkers, we were constantly asked if Jenny’s parents were not able to get her back, would we adopt her.  We always agreed but in the back of my mind I just KNEW my niece would do everything to get her child back.

We were approved and we started taking foster parenting classes twice a week for four hours a night, starting in January of 2008.  We were taught that as foster parents, the goal was reunification.  That is a hard concept when you know that the parents have abused or neglected their child.   Foster parents were to set a good example of parenting for the biological parents.

We basically had nine days to prepare for Jenny’s arrival.  Family and friends offered to help with everything we needed.  On December 7, 2007 Jenny arrived.  Friends and family stopped by to take a peek.  The next six months would test our marriage, our faith, our family relationships and our physical needs for SLEEP.  My life was consumed with phone calls, doctor appointments, trips to DCFS 2-3 times a week, court hearings, appointments with occupational, physical therapist, caseworkers and keeping up with my other three children’s needs and schedules.

Jenny was nine weeks premature, a breech birth and only weighed 3 pounds 13 oz. and was in the hospital for two months after her birth.  At five months old, Jenny weighed 9 pounds and her development was delayed.  Her head had a flat spot in the back so we were advised to have her fitted for a helmet to put pressure on certain areas of her skull.  Holding this child down so the technician could cast her head just broke my heart.  I felt like she had been through enough.  This was not easy for a child to endure.  We had to watch for pressure points that would break her skin. The goal was to work up to wearing the helmet for 23 hours a day.  She endured the hot, bulky helmet from May through September.

As six months approached, Jenny’s parents had some setbacks and Jenny was not going home just yet.  Visits with her parents were getting harder.  Often when I would drop Jenny off at her visits, I would run to my car and cry.  Many times she did not want to let go of me and would cry with panic.

A year and a half later, Jenny’s development was not progressing as quickly as it should have been.    Along with the other therapist, a speech therapist was put into the schedule.  She started teaching Jenny to communicate through sign language.  Our whole family was learning quickly and now it is a part of our daily life.  Jenny is hypotonic and did not start walking until she was two.  She would scoot on her bum or we would carry her everywhere.

She still would not sleep through the night.  We tried everything that we were told or could think of.  As she was getting older, we noticed at night that she would rock on her hands and knees and pull her hair.  Every night the same behavior would occur.  We finally decided we needed to do more about her sleep issues.  She had an MRI, and chromosome testing.  Those results came back normal.   Jenny was subjected to a sleep study and nothing was tremendously abnormal.  But she was diagnosed with restless leg syndrome and rhythmic movement disorder.  We were told she would outgrow these issues.  Well, a year later she still is not sleeping at night.

Jenny did return to her parents for a trial period in October, 2008.   This day I had dreaded,  but I knew it was going to happen sooner or later.  After eleven months I still wasn’t prepared.  When Jenny left my home I felt like my heart broke in two.  I fell completely apart and was ill to my stomach.  Three weeks later Jenny fell very ill.  We are very lucky she is still here with us today.  It was determined that her parents were unable to care for her.  The caseworker returned her to us.  In the months following this setback, her parents reluctantly signed over their rights.

After many tears and lots of worry we were now able to adopt Jenny.  Now we could call ourselves Mom and Dad instead of Aunt and Uncle.  We couldn’t imagine life without her.  It was something that we didn’t plan on, but it felt so right.  We love her so much.  It still took another nine months to finalize the adoption.  We have still minimal contact with Jenny’s parents.  All of our family members are supportive.  I would be lying if I didn’t admit there are some large hurdles to overcome on a daily basis.  You never know what the Good Lord has in store for you and what the conversation might be with your next telephone call.

Photo by Karli Hansen – Karli Hansen Photography

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them
-   A. A. Milne,  Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh