Arms Open Wide: Our Adoption Journey

Exciting News!!

2012-02-16T21:35:00.002-05:00

Alright, I have been holding in this AWESOME news for quite a while, but today is the day that I finally get to share it!!

I am so excited and thrilled to announce that I will be going on my first ever mission trip to Ethiopia!! Not only is this my first trip to Ethiopia, it is also my first mission trip EVER!

Adam and I have been praying about this trip for a while and actually, since we started our adoption, I have been wanting to get there and serve. Well, now is the time! We are almost fully funded for our referral fee...just in time to fundraise for my mission trip! :) I know that God has this all under control and He is going to bring the funds when I need them! It's a huge step of faith and it's scary, but it's going to work out. I know it is! :)

I am so excited, nervous, scared, joyful, anxious...every emotion under the sun! When I signed up for the trip today, I was shaking much like when I filled out our application for our adoption!! Like I said, it's a huge leap of faith, but God has been faithful so far and I know He won't stop now! If you are interested in donating towards my mission trip, you can do so by clicking on the yellow 'Donate' button on the right side of my blog. I would be so blessed by any amount that you would like to donate so that I can go and be the hands and feet of Jesus.

Oh, I should also mention that I am going with a team through Visiting Orphans. We will be visiting Korah (the local dump) and many orphanages in Addis Ababa, as well as Shashamene. I can't wait! The next few months are going to be full of fundraising, prepping, praying and excitement!! Wahoo!! Also, there will be more information in the near future on ways you can donate via the Visiting Orphans website and it will go right to my trip funds! I should mention that it's tax deductible, as well. :D

I'm so thankful that God would call me on this journey in the midst of our adoption preparation. I can't wait to serve these precious children and love on them!

Please keep me and the whole team in your prayers over these next few months....and while we are in Ethiopia, as well!

"Give praise to the LORD, proclaim his name;
make known among the nations what he has done." -1 Chronicles 16:8

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." -James 1:27

"The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’" -Matthew 25:40

Four Months!

2012-02-14T21:13:00.001-05:00

Well, Happy Valentine's Day!!

I remember thinking about this very day four months ago when we found out our DTE date would be October 14th, 2011. And I thought, 'How cool! We'll be DTE for four months on Valentine's Day!' And it seemed SO far away...and here we are! Yes, we still have a long way to go before we get to see our precious child's face, but yeah for four months down!!!

After preschool today, Makayla and I were chatting in the car...
Makayla: 'You want your Ethiopia baby, don't you, Mommy?'
Mommy: 'Yes, I do!'
Makayla: 'What's her name start with?'
Mommy: 'Well, we don't know if it's a boy or a girl and we don't know his or her name yet, since we don't know who he or she is.'
Makayla: 'I think her name starts with 'G'!'

So now we wait and see if our precious one has a name that starts with G!!! :)

P.S. We are #62 for a boy and #66 for a girl!! Let's pray those numbers keep dropping instead of going the other way like they have been!

"We love because he first loved us." -1 John 4:19

Calm My Anxious Heart Quotes.

2012-02-13T16:09:00.000-05:00

I just finished reading a book called Calm My Anxious Heart. It has been an awesome read and there are tons of great snippets that come from this book. If you are anxious about anything, please pick up this book! Don't worry, I got mine from the library. Rest assured that every penny we can scrape up is going towards our adoption fund.

Here are a few excerpts:

"I am always content with that which happens, for I think that which God chooses is better than what I choose."

"I will not give something I value to someone I do not trust. Before I will give my objects of anxiety to God, I must believe that He understands my problem and will handle it. I must believe that He has all things under His control-that He is the Blessed Controller of all things. If all things are not under His control and there are a few loose ends, and I am one of those loose ends, then my anxiety is not helped.

Can you thank God that He has everything under control, that He's orchestrating all things? Your answer determines your trust level."

"Everything belongs to God. 'Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. Wealth and honor come from you; you are the ruler of all things. In your hands are strength and power to exalt and give strength to all....Everything comes from you, and we have given you on what comes from your hand' (1 Chronicles 29:11-14, italics mine).

According to these verses, any material wealth we have is on loan to us from God. He owns it all. We do not. Therefore, the question we need to ponder is not 'How much should I give?' but 'How much should I keep?'

Someone might naturally say, 'But I earned that money by my hard work!' In a sense this is true. But who gave us the ability to do the work? Who in His wisdom and providence mad the connections that got us our jobs or saw to it that we were born in a wealthy country?

God is the Blessed Controller of all things. That is why James says, 'Don't be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights' (1:16-17)."

2012-02-09T22:04:00.000-05:00

Some random thoughts that have burst into my head lately and maybe a couple cute things my kids do, too:

Have you ever tried to explain how to play tic tac toe to a four year old? If you haven't, you should try it sometime. :) It's rather entertaining.

We did this thing at church where you get a baby bottle and fill it with your loose change or a check or whatever you want and then that money gets donated to a local pregnancy center that focuses on helping the mamas keep their babies. Anyway, we were explaining to Makayla what the baby bottle was for and what we were doing with it. We like to keep our kids involved in our ministries and show them that giving back is always our number one priority.

So, we tell her that 'we're giving it to the mommys' and she asks why? and we respond in an age appropriate way with 'to save their babies'. We did go into more detail and explain that most mommys come in and don't want to keep their babies and this money will give them the opportunity to be able to keep their baby alive. Well, after a while of talking about this, she got really excited and wanted to put all the change in the bottle 'for the mommys to save their babies!' It was amazing. I just love watching God work in a little one's precious heart.

Adam made dinner one evening and this happened. Adam said, 'Why don't you girls start migrating over?' for dinner time. And Makayla said, 'Library over?' And then we didn't do anything, so M said, 'Well, I'm gonna start librarying over.' HA!

I just found out M knows the months...in order! January 24th she sang it for me. Eeek! SO COOL.

Last week sometime, M and I were hanging out and I started singing this song by Third Day that we listen to ALL THE TIME in the car. Well, I started singing....and Makayla finished singing it! Perfectly, too! It was so precious! Then today we were in the car and she said, 'Hey! This is the song that I finished!' Gah!!

That's pretty much it. I haven't updated in a while and I figured it was kinda time. :) Also, we are having a spaghetti dinner fundraiser this Saturday to support our adoption and I am so excited about it!! Adam's mom has done basically everything for it and I could not be more thankful to her. She has been such a huge blessing and support in our fundraising. I'm so excited to see what happens on Saturday! Also, if you'd like to buy a dinner for just $7 (you can not go to McDonald's for one day, right?), please click on the yellow 'Donate' button the right of my blog! You will be helping bring a child home and that child will no longer be called an orphan! There is nothing better that you could spend your money on!! :)

2011 Recap, Part 2.

2012-02-02T10:06:00.001-05:00

Read Part 1 here.

July 2011

We had a tumor scare with Addison. She's fine, no worries. And Praise God!!

Had our Tastefully Simple party to raise money for our adoption.

Got an anonymous donation in the mail AND a stranger donated to us online! Woo! It was amazing because I was having a rough time with the whole fundraising thing. What a way for God to bless our socks off!

Had our last home study appointments and waiting on it to be done!

My mom turned 60!

August 2011

We got our finalized home study!! YES!!

Sent in our paperwork to USCIS for our fingerprints.

Got crazy busy crafting. Pretty sure I was trying to keep my mind off waiting for the last thing for our dossier. :)

Felt an earthquake in Ohio!

Addison pulled herself up for the first time!!! :D

September 2011

Got a letter from USCIS saying that we have an appointment for our fingerprints, September 23rd!

Went early to get our fingerprints and they took us! September 9th!

Got our I-171H on September 29th...just 6 days after our appointment was supposed to be! :D

Addison took her first assisted steps this month!

Makayla started preschool and she loves it!

October 2011

We sent in our dossier to AWAA on October 1st!

We are DTE, October 14th, 2011!!!!! SO exciting!!

Adam and I took a trip to Maryland so that he could run in a Zombie 5K to raise money for our adoption. We also got to visit our friends, Rusty and Janelle, too!!!

Makayla had her first field trip!

Addison stood on her own!!

November 2011

It's Adoption Awareness Month!

We are One Month DTE! Only a gazillion more to go! :)

Wrote 30 Day of Being Thankful. It was fun to reflect on all the things I'm thankful for.

We had our online raffle to raise money for our adoption!

December 2011

We are Two Months DTE!! WOO!!!

My sweet baby girl turns 18 months old! Can't believe it!!

My other sweet baby girl turns 4 years old! I can't believe it, either!!

We switched the girls' car seats, so M has a booster and Addi has a bigger rear facing car seat, which is M's old one. Exciting times!

Makayla had a program at preschool for Christmas. It was adorable.

We had a beautiful Christmas and wrapped up an amazing year.

So thankful that God has changed my life and made me so passionate about orphans in Africa, Ethiopia specifically. It has been such an honor and a blessing to watch the Lord work in our lives this year. I have been refined in ways I didn't know I could be. I've been changed and moved by something so much bigger than myself. My eyes have been opened to a country I barely knew existed. And I could not be more thankful. I am so blessed that the Lord chose US for this journey. He's going to do big things in 2012. And I want Him to get all the glory!

2011 Recap! Part 1...

2012-02-02T09:38:00.001-05:00

Well, now that it's February 1st, I should probably recap our 2011 year, right? Right.

January 2011

We celebrated Makayla's 3rd birthday with a HUGE birthday party! It was a blast and she totally loved it.

Makayla cracked us up all year with her witty comments.

Addison just kept growing and growing. She started eating solid foods a lot more this month.

I started a 365 Project...and then quit it.

February 2011

Went to All Fired Up with some high school friends.

Got a new lens for my camera and fell in love with it! Also, sort of fell in love with photography.

I started making stuff with my awesome sewing machine I got for Christmas 2010.

This is where our world gets ROCKED...

Here are two things that I wrote and have kept private until now. Okay, so the first one (on February 18th) was on my blog, but I took it down.

Feb. 18, 2011

First off, I just need you to know that God is amazing.

Seriously.

I found out some amazing news today. AMAZING. Without going into detail, I just want to say that I am so excited. And this will change our lives forever. Adam and I discussed something today that I have wanted since I was a little girl and I never thought it would be possible.

Yeah, that might be very vague, but I like it that way.

I am excited.

This is the start of our adoption process!! It was an amazing story and that's where the next part I wrote comes in...

Feb. 21, 2011

For the past month (at least), I have had this nagging feeling that our family is not complete. When everyone is awake, I constantly feel like someone is missing. I look around in earnest for my third child. I can't explain it, but I've had this longing for another child and it is otherworldly.

Also, in the past couple weeks, I have been feeling led towards adoption. It might sound crazy, but I have thought about it daily for the last two weeks, literally. I didn't do any research or anything, but there was always this feeling inside me and the constant thought of adopting in my head.

I have also wanted to adopt a child ever since I can remember. I don't remember what age I first thought I wanted to adopt, but I knew I wanted to be a mother to someone who didn't have a mother.

Fast forward to February 18th, 2011, Adam and I are driving back from getting some Chipotle for dinner. We're talking about our friends from church who are adopting their foster child that has been in their care for two years. And somehow, Adam says that he would be open to adopting. I FREAKED, to say the least. I was so excited! I just stared at him and said, "Are you serious right now? I have wanted to adopt since I was little, but I didn't say anything to you because I didn't think it was an option!!" And there was more conversation about it, things I can't even remember, from the pure joy I felt at that moment. I was and still am ecstatic.

Since that night, I have done nothing but research adoption. I've been looking at agencies online, waiting for brochures to come in the mail, talking about it CONSTANTLY with Adam. I am so very, very serious about this. It has been my heart's desire for so long and I am so close, I can feel it!

Just today, I was talking to Adam about it (again!) and I told him that this will not go away. This is not a fleeting thing (like most things I want to do are) for me. This is real. Then I started crying and told him I can't go on and do nothing knowing what I know now.

So, what's next? Well, we need money. It costs around $30,000 to adopt a child from Ethiopia. We aren't positive that this is where we are called to adopt from, but we are definitely leaning towards Ethiopia. We still need to pray about that.

I was Skyping with Korinne today and I told her (yep, before anyone else) that we were going to adopt and then she asked me why we were going international instead of staying in the United States. My response? There are 5 million orphans in Ethiopia alone. There are 157,000 in America and also, in America there are foster homes. There are no foster homes in other countries. They stay in orphanages until forever, if they aren't adopted.

I want to change a life. Not to show that I am better than anyone or anything like that. I want to be a mother to someone that has no one else. I want to love a child and bring them into my forever home. It is my heart.

Then when I was Skyping with Korinne and telling her about the money sitch and how Adam wants to wait until our California house is taken care of (totally legitimate concern), I just said that I'm not even worried about how we will get the money. Right now, we have $600 in checking and NOTHING in savings. We are about to build a house and we honestly have no money. But, I KNOW that our God is bigger than that. If He wants us to adopt, He will provide the money. No matter how much we have saved (or not!) before we start the process. God will provide so that His child can come home and that I know is true. God won't abandon his children. If we start down this path he WILL provide us with the money to adopt because he won't let his children suffer.

So, that's where we are right now. At the very beginning of all of this. Only God knows who our child will be and when we will begin the adoption process. I know my heart and my home are ready now, but we must wait on the Lord and I am okay with that, though my flesh may want more now...

If you say, “But we knew nothing about this,”
does not he who weighs the heart perceive it?
Does not he who guards your life know it?
Will he not repay everyone according to what they have done?
Proverbs 24:12

(Im)Patiently Waiting...

Wow, those are some raw emotions right there. All of that stuff was true back then and it's still true today. It's amazing to see how God planted this itty bitty seed and has just made it grow and grow. I have no idea where I would be right now if God didn't change my heart and make me aware of the orphans in Ethiopia. I am beyond thankful. To Him be the glory...

March 2011

Our house started getting built! I pretty much came to our site every single day. It was an awesome process to watch unfold.

Watched our friends' child get adopted into their family. It was a very moving experience and I am so thankful that we got to be a part of it.

Got our passports this month! Wahoo! We also got pre-approved with AWAA on March 30th!

Told my family about our plans to adopt. It felt SO good to not have to sneak around anymore. :)

April 2011

We got accepted into AWAA's Ethiopia program on April 7th! It was an amazing feeling, let me tell you!

We announced our adoption on Facebook with a super cute video of Makayla and Addison. I'm so happy we did that. :D

Well a lot of adoption related stuff happened this month. You can see more about it here. It was a pretty big month for us!!

May 2011

Adam and I both turned 27. Eeeep!

We also celebrated six years of wedded bliss on May 7th! We went to Empress Taytu in Cleveland to celebrate our special day. It was amazing.

We also got our birth certificates, marriage certificate, physicals, application letter, employment/non-employment letters and sent in our home study agreement! Woo! We were busy and up to our ears in paperwork!

We had our first home study orientation meeting, too. It's really happening!!

June 2011

Had a HUGE garage sale fundraiser for our adoption and raised some serious money! YES!

FINALLY got our adoption shirts done!

Did even more paperwork for our adoption...on top of these two HUGE things that happened...

Our Addi girl turned 1!! So big! :) We had a family only party for her and she loved it.

We moved into our brand new house!! How fun is that?!

Go to Part 2.

Sponsor A Child!

2012-01-28T22:32:00.002-05:00

Eeek!!! Adam and I just sponsored our first child today and I am in LOVE!!!

His name is Habtamu and he is so gorgeous!! Just see for yourself....

Is that not the best smile you've ever seen?!

It's my early Valentine's Day present!! I sent this link to Adam a couple days ago and he chose Habtamu and then I went and looked at all the precious kids (Habtamu jumped out at me the first go round, too) and I asked Adam when we could start sponsoring a child. So, he told me he was going to surprise me on V-Day, but I totally ruined it, so we started our sponsorship tonight!! EEEEEK!!! I JUST LOVE HIM!!!

He's 4 years old and with our sponsorship of only $19/month, he will be able to attend school and get two meals a day! I'm SO excited!! This is one of the cheapest sponsorship programs I've seen, but it's because we won't be able to send or receive letters. Sad, I know, but we know that every penny will be going to him!!!

Check out the link if you'd like to sponsor your own precious one: http://www.adamituluproject.com/sponsor-a-child/

They are all so beautiful!!!

Peace That Surpasses All Understanding.

2012-01-25T15:35:00.002-05:00

I had a pretty fabulous day today. And some things happened that I think are noteworthy. You might not think they're that special and, really, they aren't. But I enjoyed my day.

Went to the library with my mom and the girls. I had three books waiting for me! And now there's another one waiting. Yay!!! :) I also found the greatest kid's book ever. It's been on my list of books to purchase, but I hadn't ever read the whole thing. So, we're walking around the kid's section for M and Addi to get some books and I just look over and there is sitting God Found Us You!!! Right in front of me! It was definitely there for me. :) And I have to say that I'm in love with it!!!!

Then, headed to near Adam's work to meet him, Brennan and Kristen for lunch for Brennan's birthday today. We ate a really good restaurant. I had a havarti dill cheese and artichoke sandwich. SO GOOD.

On the way to the restaurant (I was by myself since my mom kept the girls for me. :D) I was just singing along to my music and I look over and there is the funniest bumper sticker I have ever seen.

It said:

Stuck In Ohio

BAHAHAHA!!! It still cracks me up!!!!

So then I'm getting lost in the city because parking is insane and whatever and then I see it...steam coming out of the sewers!!!!! I was beyond thrilled, you guys!! I really only thought that happened in New York! That and the bumper sticker totally made my whole day awesome.

I went to pick up the girls and Makayla was not happy. About anything. P.S. She's 4 years and 1 month old today! Anyway, not happy. So, I'm trying to calm her down and talk to her and find out what's wrong with her, etc., etc., etc. None of it is working. Eventually, I somehow get her coat on her and got her to the car. I don't think she stopped screaming and crying at all, but then she was crying the. whole. way. home. BUT, through it all, I was totally calm. I didn't try to talk to her (because she wouldn't have heard me or been listening anyway), I didn't yell at her, I just listened to my music and praised Jesus in that moment. It was pretty ironic because the song was Bring The Rain by Mercy Me. I'm putting the song up here so you can see the irony. It was beautiful that in that moment, while my daughter is screaming her lungs out, I could just praise Jesus, with my hand lifted high. You know, because the other hand was on the wheel.

"And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus." -Philippians 4:7

Then nap time happened. Well, Makayla and I implemented 'Quiet Time' yesterday, so that's what we do with her now. She hasn't actually napped for a few months, but she still must go in her room and all that. But, it was not fun. She hated being in there and we hated trying to force her to nap. I know she still needs that rest time, so we have Quiet Time. And I go upstairs and get her after 1.5 hours. So far, so good. We also have to lock the doors to our bedroom and her bathroom because she will destroy them. She squeeze toothpaste everywhere, splashes water on everything, puts Vaseline on EVERYTHING, etc. So, we lock the doors and when she has to go potty, we go up and take her. Gotta pick your battles...and decide what you want to clean up, yet again! HA!

Anyway, today has been wonderful. We also got an amazing donating from some friends that are also adopting. I love that. I really, really love it. :)

Dinner. And More Dinner!

2012-01-21T20:46:00.003-05:00

We had dinner tonight with some fabulous adoption friends that live in another part of Ohio! It was so great to meet up with them and get to hang out for a bit! Thank you so much for coming to meet us, Carrie and Dave!!

On the way to dinner tonight, Makayla was talking away, as per usual. And she asked, 'Do they have high chairs there?' I said, 'Yep, they do!' Then she asked, 'Do they have Dr. Pepper there?' HAHA! Does that girl know her mama or what? <3

We were originally going to meet at Bob Evans about halfway between us, but Adam and I got there a bit earlier and found out that it was closed for remodeling....which was kinda funny because on the way there, Adam asked me why we weren't going to Cracker Barrel instead. I said I could text Carrie and tell her to meet us there, but he said no. And then Bob Evans was closed anyway. HAHA!

So we met up at Cracker Barrel and Carrie and Dave were running a little behind, so we ordered the girls their food and then just hung out. Addison was in rare form today. Guess the girls both had to have their rare form days this week. Though I can't really blame her...she's getting like a thousand teeth right now. And she didn't nap very well today. Anyway, she. was. cranky.

Carrie and Dave got there. We ordered, hung out, Adam and I took turns taking the girls out to the store part and we got to chat for a bit. And then, out of nowhere, the manager comes over to the fireplace (that we were sitting right next to) and throws a pail of water on it to put the fire out. We don't really think much of it, so we just go on eating and talking. After 10 or 15 minutes, we hear this LOUD banging around the chimney and we're all wondering what's going on, but we just keep on eating our dinner.

We're all pretty much done eating when we see a fire truck pull up right in front of the restaurant!! Carrie and I are just staring at it, wondering what's going on. And we're thinking it's pretty weird that they haven't asked everyone to leave or anything. And then just a few minutes later, our waitress comes over and tells us that everyone has to evacuate!! I guess there was a fire in the chimney that they couldn't put out, but then they got that taken care of, but had to treat the fireplace with some harsh chemicals.

So after that, the waitress tells us that we don't have to pay for our dinners because of the inconvenience!!! So two adoptive families got their meals for free tonight! I was pretty excited about getting our meals for free...obviously not for the fire part. But, nobody was hurt and there were no flames anywhere, which is also pretty awesome! We had a GREAT time, even though it was cut a bit short. Next time we'll get to hang out longer. Thank you for coming out, Carrie and Dave!! :)

Moving on to our other dinner talk. :) We are having a spaghetti dinner fundraiser for our adoption!! It is February 11th, from 4-6pm. The dinner will be $7 per plate. If you are interested in coming and would like more info, feel free to leave a comment or email me at lindseycrock{at}gmail{dot}com.

I made an event on Facebook today and I am asking people to 'buy' a dinner, even if they can't come due to living in another state or it's just too far away. And just tonight, we have already raised $36!!! That is SO awesome!!! We are so thankful to everyone that 'bought' a dinner tonight and we wish that you could all be there in person! Thank you for supporting us from afar! You can check out our event on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/events/363368270344591/

And if YOU would like to 'buy' a dinner to support our adoption, you can click on that pretty yellow 'Donate' button on the right side of my blog to do so!! We would appreciate it so very much! I am praying this fundraiser is a huge success!! So, if you feel led to do so, it is $7 per plate!

I have also had two more people (on top of the other one that has a basket for us, too!) tell me that they would like to donate a basket for the raffle that we will also be having at the dinner! AND someone just messaged me telling me that they'd like to make Africa cookies for us to sell, too! How cool is that?!

AND another friend (who is also adopting!!) is sending us a check to buy two dinners, too!!! Oh man, I LOVE that!!!

All in all, today was a huge blessing of a day. We didn't get burned down, we got a free meal AND we got some pretty awesome donations for our adoption! Success!

And P.S., this is my 500th post!! Can you believe that?! That's a lot of blogging! :)

This Week.

2012-01-21T13:42:00.003-05:00

We've been busy this week. On Tuesday, our flour was infested with bugs. It was disgusting. So, I had to clean out the entire pantry to be sure that they don't come back. I also purchased new airtight containers for our flour, sugar and brown sugar. I was also informed that you are supposed to freeze your flour when you first buy it to kill any bugs that may be in it. Yes, there are already bugs in your flour. Gross, I know. And then store it in the fridge! AND put a dried bay leaf in with it. Who knew? Well, I guess a lot of people, but I didn't.

So, that happened. We met up with some friends. Sarabeth's house on Wednesday and Sheila's house on Friday. Makayla had a field trip to Pizza Hut on Thursday. She loved it! They took them all on a little tour of the place and then they got to make their own little pizzas to eat. She had a blast! She sat at this big table with all her friends while I sat at a booth, alone. None of the other preschool moms talk to me, like ever. But, oh well. She had fun and that's all that matters.

I kept up with our menu board this week and made every meal that we had planned! We did switch a couple days around due to the bugs in flour incident. But, I still made everything, so that's pretty awesome.

Also, on January 19th, Makayla was in the bath tub and she said, "Our Ethiopia Baby was born five days ago." I'm thinking we might have a prophetic child on our hands! She is also convinced that our baby is a girl, so we'll see if this little one is a girl that was born on January 14th, 2012. I'm pretty excited to see how it all turns out!

This week we baked our bacon. It was pretty fun and it turned out really yummy! It shrinks down a lot, but it wasn't super greasy and fatty. It was so good. But, while we were doing that, we had two pans of it and one was the broiler pan with the slats on it. Well, we took the one underneath that one out (on a regular pan) so we could flip them and drain the grease and since we didn't take the broiler pan out, grease got all over the bottom of the oven. And then our house proceeded to fill up with smoke with smoke alarms going off and everything. All of our smoke alarms are hardwired into the house and they are all connected, so if one goes off, they all go off. It was a hoot. Except not. The girls and I had to run into our walk in closet and shut the door until Daddy turned them off. So, we froze with all the windows open, but our bacon was super yummy! Here's a tip: If you bake your bacon, be sure to keep a pan at the bottom of the oven at all times. :)

This all leads up to yesterday when Makayla just could not get this incident out of her mind and she started talking about the 'smoke pretectors'. I love this kid. She's so funny and smart.

Also yesterday, Adam had his scotch and cigar fundraiser!! It was a HUGE success and he raised $215 for our adoption!! There were 9 fabulous people that showed up to support us and our adoption. We are forever grateful and I'm so thankful that my husband is so creative with his fundraisers! We can't wait to bring this sweet baby home!!!!

Other than that, we've just been busy crafting it up, hanging out and enjoying life. I have some craftiness to catch up, but I haven't put the photos on my computer yet. Maybe I'll update again later today. We're going to meet some adoptive friends for dinner tonight! I'm excited!

Fundraising.

2012-01-16T23:23:00.000-05:00

Oh my word. One of my friends on Facebook posted this gem of a blog tonight. It is amazing and it says everything that I can't say. I'm just not that great of a writer. And this sums it up perfectly.

It's why we fundraise. I know some people don't agree, but we're okay with that. We know what we're doing is right.

Read it.

http://partakersofgraceblog.blogspot.com/2012/01/why-fundraise.html

Rare Form.

2012-01-16T22:39:00.001-05:00

Makayla was in rare form today. Ugh, it was a rough day.

I think we all have 'em, so you can leave your judgement at the door, kthanks.

She was defiant in every sense of the word. Would not listen to anything I said. Didn't ask for anything, just demanded it. It was a difficult day. Not to mention that I was tired from staying up a bit too late last night. Those things just don't mix.

Somehow we got through the day. Somehow we made it until Daddy got home. And then I bolted. HAHA! Not really. I made dinner first. Then I left. :) I have a standing Monday night date with my mom to watch The Bachelor! And tonight was Drama City!

I also made a new camera strap cover today. It's gorgeous. No seriously. I still have to take pictures of it, but they'll be posted soon! I'm so in love with it!

Next on my list this week is to finish my styrofoam Christmas trees (I know, it's January! Next year...) and make my sewing machine cover. I'm excited!

So here's to a new day tomorrow. Makayla has preschool and I'm learning that those two days a week two hour breaks are definitely in order for her and I. She loves getting out and doing something and I love spending time with just Addison. It's much needed for both of us. We always come back together refreshed and renewed.

We've got a busy week this week. Something going on every day (except today) which is also rare! HA! I like busy weeks. It makes the time pass quicker and the weekends come faster!

Since we all love photos, here are two from a few days ago.

She was dancing. :)

Keep Changing The World.

2012-01-15T23:05:00.001-05:00

3 Months!!

2012-01-14T19:55:00.000-05:00

We have been DTE for 3 months today!!!! I'm so happy that we've been on the list for that long already. And there's no better way that I wanted to spend our 3 month DTE-versary than with some fabulous adoption friends! Our friends, Elyn and Jon (and their girls), came over to our place to spend the day with us today. They live about 2 1/2 hours from us and I'm SO happy they made the trek out to see us!!

We had an amazing time just getting to know each other and eating Adam's chili for lunch. The girls all played together really well and had a blast. I'm so thankful for our little adoption community and the effort that our friends make to get to know us better. I only wish we lived closer to everyone!!

In other news, I've decided I'm going to join Facebook again. I know, I know, I just deleted it. BUT, after I deleted it and thought over my decision, I realized that that is how I connect with all my adoption peeps! I don't get to see any adorable Ethiopian faces anymore and hear what everyone is up to, so I'm getting back in there. I'll just be staying away from the drama. And please, if you don't agree with our adoption, delete me ASAP, k? Because I don't want to be 'friends' with people that aren't down with what we're down with.

Africa.

2012-01-12T22:11:00.001-05:00

Today, Adam and I tried to name all the countries in Africa. I came up with 18 and he came up with 20.

There are 47 total and that's not even including Madagascar! Which I took off our lists because if you count the surrounding islands, there are 53. And I didn't count those. Just on the African continent.

Here's our lists:

Lindsey

Ethiopia

Sudan

Somalia

Kenya

Chad

Niger

Zambia

Zimbabwe

South Africa

Morocco

Egypt

Djibouti

Rwanda

DRC

Eritrea

Ghana

Uganda

Tanzania

Adam

Congo

Mozambique

Niger

Nigeria

Egypt

Ethiopia

Eritrea

Kenya

Djibouti

Somalia

South Africa

Chad

Sudan

Morocco

Liberia

Libya

Uganda

Anyway, we didn't even get half! But, we did pretty good. :)

So then we were watching Modern Family (best show ever!) and Cam and Mitchell were talking to a birth mom. *Side Note: We watched Parenthood too and they're adopting on that show, too! LOVE.* So then this commercial came on about kids in Africa and a quote came up from Nelson Mandela..."Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Anyway, it got me thinking that we are no different than people in Africa. I mean, duh, we all know this. But do we really know it?

North America could be in such destitute times right now. We could have had a war that's lasted over 20 years and is the longest war in history. We could have no clue where our next meal is coming from. We're no different. We don't deserve all of the luxuries we have. We don't deserve to have fresh, clean water at our disposal. We don't deserve any of it. We were just born at the right place at the right time.

And it makes me so sad. I am so thankful for the life that God has blessed me with. But, at the same time, I'm so sad because I don't deserve it, yet I get all of this and they don't.

It just doesn't seem fair. No, it's not fair.

2012-01-12T19:41:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how when you're a mom to more than one child the second one makes you reminisce so much about the first one. Addison and I were playing in Makayla's room tonight while M and Daddy put together his new smoker (it was a Christmas gift from his brother...judge ye not) and everything she did just took me back to when Makayla was 18 months old. Watching her learn new things. Seeing the world with a fresh perspective. EVERYTHING is new.

Addi was just doing normal 18 month old stuff, but it's so beautiful to watch your child learn and grow and become this amazing person. She found one of M's Dora slippers and put it by her foot because she knew that's where it goes. She wanted a bracelet on and when I reached for it, she put her wrist out for me to put it on her arm. She put the hat on her head. And when I told her to kiss the baby, she did and it was one of the most precious sights I've ever seen. Even though she doesn't say anything, she speaks volumes. And sister will let you know what she wants.

She blows kisses all the time now.

I was putting Addi to bed tonight and I asked her where her nose is for the bazillionth time tonight and finally, finally, girlfriend pointed to her nose!! Her very own nose!!

These are the moments I don't want to forget. I don't want to be too busy doing something else that I miss this stuff. It's all too fleeting and I won't get this time back while my babies are little. So for now, I soak it up. I cherish it. And I cherish them.

Also today for the gazillionth time this week, M and Addi got into my beads in the craft room. Actually they are their beads because I don't use them for anything. We throw them all over the room and sing, 'It's raining beads! Hallelujah! It's raining beads! Amen!'. Yes, I started that one. HAHA! But, they love it and both Makayla and Addison partake in the bead throwing and it's so much fun. We make huge piles with them and then throw them all over again. It's fun. You should try it sometime. We love to string them on pipe cleaners and make pretty bracelets, too. Then we pack it all up and start over the next day. Addi tries to put the beads on the pipe cleaners by sticking them right next to the pipe cleaner and whining until I put it on for her. :)

Today, Makayla unraveled my yarn for the second time and she wrapped it around the whole house. And I mean, the whole house. I have pictures from the other day when she did it. Take a look.

It was a wreck, but MAJOR fun. So we did it again today. But then we all got too tangled and I had to cut the yarn and throw it away. We'll probably do it again tomorrow with different yarn. :)

So that's that. Don't take life too seriously. I can say that because my kitchen is clean and the dishes are ALL done. And everything is better when your kitchen is clean. :D

Video of the Day.

2012-01-12T15:18:00.001-05:00

You're welcome.

Life and Stuff.

2012-01-11T21:30:00.000-05:00

Well, I've been doing more crafts. Thinking a lot about stuff that's been going on in my life. Recovering from Makayla's birthday party. I can't believe it's Wednesday already!

Let's start with the crafts. On Friday, I made this gorgeous little necklace. I have been eyeballing these necklaces on Etsy for a LONG time and then I found a tutorial on how to make them on Pinterest! So, I did! And I had everything on hand but the wire...a $1.99 necklace...don't mind if I do! Plus, I have tons of wire left over for other projects, so I guess it was even less than $1.99! :)

It's a nest with my three little baby eggs inside! :)

Saturday morning (yes, before M's party and yes, I'm crazy), I recovered this lamp shade. This lamp was in Addi's room for a long time, but we finally got her a proper night light for Christmas, so it became mine! It was bright pink before which just did not go with our bedroom. Enter a sham from our bedding set and...

You can still see the pink through it, so I might recover it again. For now, I like it.

Today, I decided to make this pennant banner thing that's floating around the internet everywhere. I've been itching to make one, but didn't know where I'd put it. Then, I thought it'd look fab in Addi's room, so there it goes!

I'm not a huge fan of how it's all laying, so I will be putting it ABOVE the window tomorrow.

And then this evening, Adam went out to hang with Brennan and discuss their game and stuff, so I was left all alone with my computer, a canvas and some Christmas scrapbook paper. What's a girl to do?! Find a great DIY, that's what!

Cute little Christmas picture to hang for next year!

Now you're all caught up on crafts this week. I'm really happy with how productive I've been lately. Just don't ask me what time I've been going to bed. Orrrrr, if I've been waking up early to read my Bible every day....I'm still working on it. :/ Old habits die hard and all that.

Okay, on to other things. Makayla's birthday party! It was a blast! She had the time of her life and was SO excited that everyone came to celebrate HER! She got some awesome presents and it was an all around fun time. We'll just let the pictures do the talking.

My gorgeous girl wearing her Tinkerbell tutu! Yes, I forgot the wings.

Peepin' her cupcakes. Not yet, baby girl! :)

YUM. With Fairy sprinkles, even!

Getting her loot!

Singing Happy Birthday! She didn't cry this year!

Blowing out the candles. SO big!!

Okay, so I didn't take that many pictures and I totally didn't take any pictures of anyone who came! So, thank you to everyone that came to Makayla's party!! We so enjoyed having all of you and are so thankful that you are all a part of our sweet girl's life. <3

Also, just a few things I don't want to forget and I know I haven't written around this here blog.

•Makayla started writing her first name in October. Yep, before she turned 4! Her last name in December. :)

•Addison does the cutest thing when she pushes her hair out of her face. She uses the back of her hand. I'm gonna have to get it on video. It's adorable.

•Yesterday, January 10th, Addison and I were playing with this toy that we got her for Christmas where all the animals pop up when you do something like push a button or slide a thing or whatever. So, all the animals were up and I pointed to each one and said, 'Nose'. Then I pointed to hers, mine and M's noses. Then, Addi went to each little animal and said, 'No'! This is huge!! It didn't sound like no, but I don't really know how else to write it, but she was saying nose!!!!!!! :)

•Also yesterday, before I put Addi down for bedtime, I showed her how to blow kisses and she picked it up right away. And now she does it every single time!!! It's the little things.

That's it for tonight. Gotta go finish my book and maybe watch Parenthood once Adam gets home. :D

Seven Review And Giveaway!

2012-01-10T10:49:00.001-05:00

I have had the awesome opportunity to do a review for the new book, Seven, by Jen Hatmaker. Keep reading and you might find that you can win one for yourself!!

So for seven months, Jen and her family focused on one different area to cut back on. And I mean seriously cut back. She picked seven items of clothing to wear for one month and seven foods to eat for another month. They chose seven places to spend their money and seven ways to become a greener family. Here's the breakdown:

Month One: Food
Month Two: Clothes
Month Three: Possessions
Month Four: Media
Month Five: Waste
Month Six: Spending
Month Seven: Stress

I have to say that months three and four are my favorites. They speak to me. It's a daily struggle with me that we have too much stuff. I am not perfect by any means, but I try to take something out to our garage sale pile daily to cut down on all the stuff we have. We are selling our books, our video games, our toys. We are drowning in stuff. This Sunday at church, the pastor asked us if we thought we were greedy. He told us to raise our hands if we felt that we were the greedy ones. Of course, nobody raised their hands, but Adam and I talked later and both of us wanted to raise our hands. Because even though we all point the finger somewhere else, we actually are the greedy ones after all.

I also recently deleted my Facebook page, which most of you know. And it's because there was just so much going on and it was taking up too much of my time. Time I could better spend doing things for my family or reaching out to others or mending broken relationships. I'm not saying that Facebook is bad, but the way that I was using it, it became too dangerous for me.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from this fabulous book.

Month Three: Possessions

"I serve a Savior who finds a way to get pink purses to homeless six year old girls. Jesus is a redeemer, a restore in every way. His day on the cross looked like a colossal failure, but it was his finest moment. He launched a kingdom where the least will be the greatest and the last will be first, where the poor will be comforted and the meek will inherit the ear. Jesus brought together the homeless with the privileged and said, "You're all poor, and you're all beauitful." The cross leveled the playing field, and no earthly distinction is valid anymore. There is no new "us"-people rescued by the Passover Lamb, adopted into the family and transformed into saints. It is the most epic miracle in history."

"Sometimes the best way to bring good news to the poor is to bring actual good news to the poor .It appears a good way to bring relief to the oppressed is to bring real relief to the oppressed. It's almost like Jesus meant what he said. When you're desperate, usually the best news you can receive is food, water, shelter. These provisions communicate God's presence infinitely more than a tract or Christian performance in the local park. They convey, 'God loves you so dearly, he sent people to your rescue.' I guess that's why 'love people' is the second command next to 'love God'. And since God's reputation is hopelessly linked to his followers' behavior, I suspect he wouldn't be stuck with his current rap if we spent our time loving others and stocking their cabinets."

Month Four: Media

"Several times, as I realized I was caught up on correspondence, done with laundry, and finished with to-do list, God whispered: "Hi there." My communion with God suffers not for lack of desire, but time. And let's be honest: I say I don't have time, yet I found thirty-five minutes for Facebook and an hour for my shows. I found half an hour for YouTube videos on how to fix little black girls' hair (my Ethiopian children are on deck, and I can't have them looking nappy). I found fifteen minutes for the radio and twenty-four minutes for a missed 30 Rock episode. So when I say I don't have time, I'm a gigantic liar. I have time. I just spend it elsewhere."

"For me, it wasn't so much the media that I was missing, but the knowledge that I was the only one missing it. The party was going on outside my window, and I uninvited myself. But the wiser (read: smaller) part of my brain interrupted this pity party with a question: What are you really missing? Asinine television programming? Websites that suck you in then waste your time? The Facebook knowledge that someone is 'going to the store' or her 'son went big boy poopy in the big boy potty today'? These don't enrich my life in the slightest. They do, however, steal energy from my home and family, substituting face-to-face time with screens."

This is an excerpt from her husband, Brandon, on the subject:

"We like our stuff. We need our things. Usually the things we need become the very things we need a break from."

"Most of my media involvement is simply about me (blah). This is rarely a good thing."

So there you have it. Some of the beautiful little nuggets you will get out of this book. It doesn't make you feel guilty for how you're living your life. But, if you are yearning for a way to get rid of the excess, then this book is for you.

Interested in winning your very own copy? Here's how!

Mandatory Entry: Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect. Leave me a comment with your email address and let me know that you did/do.

Extra Entries:

1. Tell me which chapter you are most interested in. Leave me a comment!

2. Share this giveaway on your blog, Facebook or Twitter. You get a comment for each place you share it, so that's up to THREE extra entries! Leave a comment with email address!

3. Share with me why you are interested in shedding the excess. Is this something you were interested in before I wrote this post? No judgment, just curious.

This giveaway will end on Tuesday January 17th, 2012 at noon. I will choose the winner using random.org, so get your entries in now and share, share, share!!! :)

URGENT.

2012-01-08T13:41:00.000-05:00

I have a lot of things on my mind right now. But, all I'm going to do today is ask that you sign this petition online. It is to make adoption costs fully refundable for 2012 and 2013. Please go sign it and pray that it passes!!

http://www.change.org/petitions/make-adoption-costs-fully-refundable-in-the-2012-2013-tax-years

Thank you!!!

Yes.

2012-01-06T15:31:00.002-05:00

This post speaks my heart right now. I'll probably be back for more blogging later. But, this girl said exactly what I am thinking and what I want to say.

http://amomentcherished.blogspot.com/2012/01/mutiny-against-monotony.html

Randomosity.

2012-01-05T15:39:00.000-05:00

I have tried to start two different books today. And they didn't interest me, so I put them back down. And I don't feel bad about it. I picked up another one and I'm starting that one instead. From Ashes to Africa.

I've started writing my random stuff in a notebook. I have so many thoughts that go through my head daily, that if I don't write them down somewhere, I'll probably explode. It's done wonders for my brain space! Now I don't have to remember (and think about all.the.time) that I want to spray paint my picture frames or to add that movie to my Netflix queue. It's all written down! I did find this idea on Pinterest and I'm so glad I did! It's really helped a lot.

I've had three kids for the day. Thankfully, my mom came over this morning so that I could take M to preschool. They're all napping right now and it's so peaceful.

I'm trying to figure out what car seat will fit in between Makayla's booster seat and Addison's rear facing, convertible seat. We have a Honda Pilot and I reeeeeeally don't want to have to go the mini van route if I don't have to. Plus, I'd rather drop a couple hundred on a car seat than multiple thousands on a car, you know what I mean?! Anybody know a seat that will fit in the middle? It's a tight space, I'm not gonna lie...

I have a couple books I want to order on Amazon. And lucky for me, I have some Christmas money left over! Wahoo!! :)

I guess that's probably all I have to write today. Can you tell I'm bored without Facebook? I've been doing laundry and dishes and feeding babies and changing diapers and putting down for naps and cleaning up all day, though. So there's that.

Other Crafts.

2012-01-04T14:58:00.001-05:00

A couple weeks ago (before Christmas), I went crazy with the craft making, too. I was determined to make this super awesome, fabulous bracelet that I found on Pinterest. And also a couple scarves. So, I actually made two bracelets, but I gave one as a gift and forgot to take a picture of it! My bust. I also made a yarn wreath a couple weeks before that. Man, I've been crazy crafting and not posting anything on here!

Here are some photos of my super crafts:

My bracelet. It took FOREVER and is very tedious. I don't recommend, though I do love how it looks!

The button closure!

The second scarf I made...unwrapped.

And wrapped! I like it better this way. :)

Here's my yarn wreath with felt flowers hanging in craft room. I love!

And scarf numero uno! This was pretty tedious to make, too, but oh so totally worth it.

So there you have it! Some of my awesome craft stuff. I'm hoping this year will bring more awesome crafts that I can post. Although, I don't do tutorials because I get my stuff off the interwebz, so I'm sure you can find it somewhere else! Like, um, my Pinterest. :)

Crafty Time!

2012-01-04T14:50:00.000-05:00

Well, one of my resolutions was to make a craft a week. I've already exceeded that this week! Go me!! :)

Yesterday I made Makayla's Tinkerbell tutu...well, I finished it. I started it weeks ago and just never felt like finishing it, but since her birthday party is Saturday, I figured I should probably get it done!

Today, I made these canvases for Makayla's room. Since we gave her a big girl bed for her birthday, I've been wanting to make some art to go on this huge wall in her room that's totally blank. And I figured it out! I got the idea from Pinterest (of course). And I borrowed the hole punch things from my dear friend, Sheila. I'm in love! Okay, so here's how I did it....take different size hole puncher outer things and punch tons and tons and tons of hole out of....paint chips!! Yes, I went to Wal-Mart and grabbed all these paint chips. Glue the little ones onto the big ones and then randomly put them all over your canvas! You could use card stock, too, but that stuff's expensive and paint chips are, well, free.

I think she likes them! :)

My awesome friend, Korinne, who lives in Japan sent us a super rad package of Japanesey stuff...almonds and fish (my brother ate those!), fun little Japanese candies and lots of chopsticks! I know she intended for us to use these to eat with, but I wanted to look at them all the time, so I made something to hang on the walls! :) It's a Ball jar lid that I covered in fabric and then glued the chopsticks on the back. I know it looks kind of barren and they aren't all straight, but I think it came out pretty neat looking. I'm going to hang it in Makayla's room or the play room...I haven't decided yet.

Close up!

And I also made today....another crayon thingy! My sister-in-law wanted one for her room, so I gave her the one off my wall and made another one. This one went crazy with the splatter, but I think it kind of works. It's back up in the playroom where the old one was.

Whew! I'm tired! Off to finish reading my book and take a shower before the girls get up. Have a lovely day!

Internet Woes.

2012-01-03T15:32:00.001-05:00

I only deleted my Facebook yesterday and I feel like I'm trying to find other things on the internet to fill that time...instead of getting things done that I really need to get done!

There have been multiple times (already!) that I have been tempted to just jump back on. All I have to do is login and my account is back up and running. Deep down I know that is NOT what I want to do. I know I don't want to get sucked back in to all the drama and reading about people's lives that I don't care about anyway. I don't want to do it. But I do want to do it. So weird, right?

Sounds kinda like this... "I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do." -Romans 7:15

Yes, that's exactly it. I haven't broken down yet and signed on or anything, but I think about it a lot. I get on the computer still and then I realize that I really have nothing to do. I already checked my email. I already went on Pinterest.

I have read quite a bit of my most recent book and I did finish Makayla's Tinkerbell skirt for her party on Saturday, but I still pick up my computer.

It's going to be a constant struggle for me...at least for a while. I know that and I'm willing to endure it and get past it. It might sound crazy that I'm talking about Facebook this much, but it's true. For some reason, I'm addicted to reading other people's crap. Yet, at the same time, I'm bound to change my course. Make myself free from the system. And in turn use my time wisely to complete projects, clean my house, read my books, spend time with my girls.

I'm doing it. And I'm holding fast.

"But examine everything carefully; hold fast to that which is good; abstain from every form of evil." -1 Thessalonians 5:21

Favorite.

2012-01-03T00:54:00.003-05:00

I think this is my favorite Improv video ever. I discovered it years ago and rediscovered it today on Color Me Katie's blog (check it!) and I'm still in love.

2012-01-03T00:37:00.002-05:00

This is pretty much the only point I try to get across anymore.

Addison's 18 Month Appointment.

2012-01-02T14:07:00.000-05:00

Addi had her 18 month appointment this morning and we had some concerns that we talked over with the doctor.

I should also mention that Addi took her first steps yesterday!! With no help! It was amazing and we are beyond thrilled that she is finally doing it!! Go Addi!

Anyway, so we were concerned about her lack of walking and we will be going to see an orthopedic doctor soon because her hip is a little out of whack. But, not a huge deal anymore.

Also, we discussed her eating habits, or lack thereof. Typical 18 month old.

Her lack of talking? Typical 18 month old.

She's normal. Yay!! We will be going back in three months to check her weight again, though. Usually you don't go back until they're two, but our baby is still a little pipsqueak. :)

She's 30 1/4 inches long and 20 lb. 8 oz., but the doc says even though she's in the low percentile, she is still normal for her. That's what's important here. I'm not comparing my daughter to anybody else's kids. Addi does what is normal for her and that is all that matters.

I'm so relieved.

Facebook DELETED.

2012-01-02T14:04:00.000-05:00

Oh my word, you guys. I feel SO much better right now.

I deleted my Facebook about an hour ago. And I feel so free!! I can do whatever I want! Yes, yes, I know you are probably saying I could do whatever I wanted before, but you see, there's no turning back now. I got rid of it! I'm done. It's gone! I know, I can just go and log back in, but I won't!

There's freedom in not having this stupid thing you feel like you're chained down to. The people that I was friends with on there, if we were actually friends, will still keep in touch with me outside of Facebook. I'm so sick of Facebook being the only outlet for people to get in touch with me by. I have a phone and if you really care, you can call me. Or text me. Or email me.

So, here's to the second day of the new year and no more Facebook! I feel liberated and free and refreshed! It's a beautiful thing, people. Wahoo!!!

Also, I kind of went to bed at 1:30 am last night. Oops. I also didn't wake up and read my Bible today. So, not such a good start there. But, I did start the day in prayer, so that's a plus! And there is always tonight to get to bed early and tomorrow to wake up and spend my morning with Jesus. Gotta keep things in perspective here. :)

2012.

2012-01-01T14:09:00.000-05:00

January 1st, 2012.

I love the fresh start of a new year. With it comes hope and possibilities. The chance to change and become better than you were last year. New lists and new resolutions.

Here's my list of resolutions. And here's hoping I keep them all this time. Click here for my list from last New Year's. I definitely did not keep all of these, BUT we had some HUGE changes come around and I'm happy with the things I accomplished and the direction our life is headed. Some of my resolutions for this year may be repeats of last year's, but they're all just to improve upon anyway, right? Nobody is holding me to these but myself.

1. Go to bed by 10:30 every night. I stay up impossibly late almost every evening and it's not healthy. I know it's taking a toll on my body and the way I go about my tasks every day.

2. Spend my mornings with Jesus. EVERY morning. My goal is to wake up before Makayla, so like 6 am (maybe 6:30...), and get in the Word. DAILY. I know that it will start my day off fresh and I will be able to handle whatever the day throws at me. Plus, if I make it a habit to go to bed at a reasonable hour, then I should be able to get up before my kids.

3. Continue spending one hour each night talking with Adam after the girls go to bed. We started this right before Christmas and it has been amazing. To just have that time to talk about the day, uninterrupted, and bring up whatever we need to discuss (appointments, house stuff, adoption, bills, etc.) is pretty great. Our lives get so crazy and we get so caught up in the girls and work and crafts and internet that sometimes we forgot to come together with each other. Anyway, it's been wonderful. You should try it!

4. Spend less time on the computer. Yes, that was on my list for last year. And I failed miserably. It's a constant struggle for me. I think the internet is my addiction and while I am slowly breaking it, I still need a reminder of what's important and to do those things instead of waste my life on Facebook. I already deleted over 100 'friends', so that should help. I have also severely cut back on the blogs I read.

5. Do some form of exercise EVERY DAY. Initially, I am starting with just push ups and crunches. I don't want to make any more lofty goals that I know for a fact I won't keep. So this one works for me.

6. I want to complete one craft project a week. This might be a lot to do at first, but I have A LOT of projects on my list of things I'd like to do. I have all the stuff for them, too, so now it's just about doing it. I feel better about myself when I create something. I'm a better mom when I can do something just for me. I know this needs to happen. Check out my Pinterest!

7. Be completely funded for our adoption by the end of the year! This might seem insane to those of you that don't agree with what we're doing, but I know that the Lord can make this happen. I feel like our goal is not that far away and we have money coming in almost daily. God has been faithful and I know He won't stop now. :D

8. Read four books a month. My goal last year was to read two a month. And at the beginning of the year, I barely squeaked by doing that. It was hard. I don't know why, but at the the end of the year, I slammed out book after book! So, I'm upping the ante a bit. ;) You can check out my 2011 list of books right here. I also have a lot of books I want to read, so I think four a month is good.

There you have it! I typically don't keep my resolutions like I should, but I think these are pretty fair and not too difficult to stay on top of. I know that they will all make me a better person and in turn be able to love people more, which is my ultimate goal!

What are your resolutions?

Makayla: 4 Years Old!

2011-12-25T19:18:00.018-05:00

Dear Makayla,

You're four years old today!!

You are the most beautiful four year old I know. I am so proud to be your mommy.

You make me laugh every single day with your super cute phrases and the awesome things you say. Like curgly (curly) and ridiclious (ridiculous) and lompster (lobster) and ca-remote (remote) and perftec (perfect) and pie-ano (piano).

You are VERY stubborn, but you come by it naturally.

You don't like it when you get hurt...you always throw your hand up and say no, no, no at us. We just want to console you, baby girl.

You are so kind and compassionate towards other people. You love (most of the time) giving to others.

You always hold your sister's hand in the car and you both love it. It's pretty precious.

I'm amazed at how much you are learning and growing and changing. You are becoming a gorgeous little girl and when I look at baby pictures of you, I can't believe how far we've come.

You still get up at an ungodly hour, but we're working on it. :) Mama just can't get up that early, love bug!

You had a blast at Christmas this year...tearing your gifts open and getting excited over every little thing...even socks! ;)

You are very shy in school and you don't say a word to anybody...but then you come home and don't stop talking for the rest of the day.

You don't nap anymore, but we still put you down for a nap because it gives me some quiet time and that's always a good thing.

You got a big girl bed today!! It's my old twin bed with a new mattress just for you! You were totally excited!!

You are one amazing little girl and I am so excited to see what the next year holds for us. I love with everything I have.

Love,
Mommy

Addi: 18 Months.

2011-12-23T20:59:00.023-05:00

Dear Addison,

You are 18 months old today! I know I say this almost daily, but where has the time gone?! I cannot believe it's already been 18 months.

You are such a little treasure and bring so much joy to our family.

You are in the process of getting all four of your molars...yes at the same time! You've been such a champ through it all. I mean, you have your moments, but who doesn't, right?

You still sleep pretty much all day long. You typically wake up around 9 or 10 am and then go down for a nap at 1 pm and we wake you around 5 or 5:30 pm. Then you're back to bed for the night at 7:30 pm. Trust me, we've tried to deviate from this and that's when you aren't happy. You're my little teenager in a toddler body. :)

You hate eating. Like, you want to eat food (all the time), but then when we try to give you, um, anything you won't eat it. You don't even like peanut butter and jelly anymore!

Thankfully we're going to a new doctor (yay!!!!) on January 2nd, so I hope we can figure some things out.

You aren't walking yet...another thing we'll be discussing with the doc at your appointment. You have started to stand on your own, though, which is fabulous! And you LOVE walking around while holding on to our fingers. It's pretty precious.

You get REALLY mad when things don't go your way. I mean, I've never seen an 18 month old throw tantrums like you can, girlfriend. If you don't want something, you let us know.

You are saying Mama, Dada, Nana, baby and ticka ticka. :)

I love you so much, sweet Addi Lou. You are the sweetest, teeny tiniest baby and I love you with every fiber of my being.

Love,
Mama

December Haps.

2011-12-22T13:58:00.010-05:00

Makayla got a booster seat in the car and we switched Addison up to M's old car seat...still rear facing until she's 2, though! We did that on the 18th and they both love it! I can't wait to see our little Ethiopia baby sitting in the middle. :)

Addi started getting all of her molars a few weeks ago and her bottom right molar popped through on the 22nd! I actually felt it on the 20th. She's been such a champ having four teeth come in at the same time. Her top left one is popping through now, too.

Santa came to M's preschool and since we are choosing not to tell our children that Santa is real, she wasn't really a fan of going to sit on his lap, but she did it anyway. After he left, the kids ate their snack and I went over to talk to Makayla and she said, 'See, Mommy? I told you Santa was real!' It was so precious in her innocence. Then, I told her a little bit about how people just dress up like characters. She didn't seem impressed with that and totally thought he was the real deal. We aren't pressing the issue with her. We'll just continue to tell her the truth. :)

Makayla had her first Christmas program at school on the 22nd...their last day of preschool until the New Year. They sang four songs and of course, M didn't sing one word, but she went through the motions and she was the cutest one up there! :)

Makayla is not a fan of the Santa man.

Clearly, Addison loves Santa and can't wait for him to come down our imaginary chimney.

Addi is still not walking, but started standing alone last week...for about 10 seconds at a time. We're getting there!

Unexpected!

2011-12-17T21:28:00.003-05:00

We had a wonderful Christmas celebration at my mother-in-law's house tonight. It was super fun!! The girls got some cute clothes. Makayla got a Barbie that she is in LOVE with and Addison got a teddy bear. I got some pretty rad stuff that I asked for and so did Adam.

On top of that, we got a VERY unexpected donation towards our adoption from her that put us OVER 50% funded for our referral time!! We have been DTE for 2 months and 3 days and we are 54.5% funded for the next portion of our adoption timeline!!!! Now that is some God work right there!!!

We are so thankful to each and every one of you that has had a part in our journey!!!! I am so excited to tell our baby how loved he or she was before our sweet one even came home. This has been such a HUGE blessing to see the hands of God work to bring this baby home. And we've only been fundraising since April!!! It just amazes me. I have no words.

I'm humbled by the love that you all have shown us. Thank you for praying for our journey and for supporting us in every way. We are getting closer!!!! :)

My Quirks.

2011-12-16T15:12:00.002-05:00

My pal, Jen Hatmaker, wrote a blog post about 5 of her quirks and I've decided to do the same thing. You can read her blog post here. I'm going to post 10 though, because I am full of the crazy.

1. I am absolutely terrified that cars on the other side of the road will decide that they want to smash into me and will just come full force at my car. This only happens at night, but I'm completely terrified of it, nonetheless.

2. I HATE holes. Like, LOATHE them. It's disturbing how much holes bother me. But, I'm not alone! It has a name. So there. It's called trypophobia. Google it. And NEVER, NEVER show me any of those pictures because I am not responsible for what happens to your face after that.

3. I get major anxiety when someone rings my doorbell. Even if I know you're coming over, you ring my doorbell and it's over. I'm cowering in the corner with my blankie and teddy bear. So, just wait until Adam gets home and he'll let you in. Knock next time and we'll be all good. I even perch myself by the window when I know someone is coming over and I'll open the door before they have a chance to get there JUST so I don't have to hear the doorbell ring.

4. I hate background noise. It's annoying and I can't think straight. My mind gets all boggled and my thoughts become jumbled together. Don't try talking to me when I'm doing something else because I won't hear you. Don't try to play music in the background while I'm doing something. I'll totally mess up. I can't function with background noises.

5. My food cannot touch. CANNOT. At Christmas or Thanksgiving (or any time when there is more than one item on my plate), nothing can touch. I don't care that it's all going to the same place. I don't want it touching on my plate. No way.

6. I absolutely hate scary movies. I don't know why I have ever watched one in my life. But there are random moments where I will think about a scene from Saw and I can't stop thinking about it for days. Or if I even see a comercial for a scary movie, I will think about whatever scary thing happened for days, possibly weeks. It's not pretty. And because of this, I must turn the light on when I get up to pee in the middle of the night.

7. I will start a project, think it takes too long and then start another one. OR I just won't start one at all even though I want to so badly. Like right now, I want to re do our Christmas tree skirt (found it on Pinterest). I have all the fabric (thank you, mother in law!) to do it and yet I haven't even started cutting the fabric because I know how dreadfully long it's going to take me. I also know it will look amazing, but I just can't bring myself to start.

8. Being late drives me insane. I think it's rude and inconsiderate for people to be late, so I try my hardest not to be late anywhere. In fact, I try to be early so that there's no question that you're important to me. And for my friends that are late, I still love you even though your lateness drives me ca-razy! ;)

9. I'm pretty much always nervous that something is going to happen to my kids. It freaks me out to think about anything bad happening to them, yet I constantly run through all these scenarios of bad things that could possibly happen. It's not fun. I don't even want to talk about it.

10. I hate things not being in order or where they should be. I can have a huge stack of papers (though that does drive me slightly batty) on the counter, but if they are all haphazard, it is not okay. Once they're in order, the bills can just be left there. Though I do have a special place where our papers go so that I don't have to look at them every day. I hate messes and it drives me nuts not to have things in their place.

One more for good measure...

11. I extremely dislike having other peoples' things AND other people having my things. I get anxiety when someone borrows a DVD or book from me. I freak out when I have somebody's something and I can't give it back to them right away. Heck, I hate having books checked out from the library even though I want to read them. I try to read them as fast as possible so that I can get them returned as fast as possible. It's always in the back of my mind when I have something of someone's and I pretty much have anxiety about it until I give it back. And vice versa.

Yep, I'm a freak. And I know it.

Two Months DTE!!!

2011-12-14T13:53:00.000-05:00

Today marks two months waiting for our precious baby to come home!!!

I'm so excited that we've been on 'the list' for the last two months. I'm so happy to be done with paperwork, but at the same time, I feel stagnant in this wait.

Adam and I have been SUPER busy this week...taking care of other peoples' kids! It's been a blast, but very exhausting.

Yesterday, I had our friends Adam and Ashley's little girl for the day while they went to doctors appointments. Then, I volunteered to watch my friends two precious boys for the evening so she could get some time to herself. The kids were all great, but we had a busy day yesterday! We've been going from house to house and just adding kids into our little entourage. :)

Adam posted on Facebook today that he thinks we're ready for a big family. I totally agree!! We are so pumped to bring this precious baby home and add him or her to our brood.

The wait is long, but it's not any less important. We are being prepped to add a child to our home. We are being molded into better parents every day. And we are so thankful to be able to be in this stage right now where we can help other people out with their kids and still take care of our little family. I love it!!

Sweet Baby,

We love you so much!! We are preparing for you daily and we can't wait to have you in our arms! You are becoming more and more sweet to us with every month that passes. I don't know if you are born yet or not, but either way, we think about you every single day. We pray that you are getting fed daily. We pray for your birth mama. Please stay safe and strong until we can come get you forever. Jesus has you in His arms. Merry Christmas, angel.

Love,
Mommy

Twenty Dolla Bills, Y'all!!

2011-12-09T20:49:00.000-05:00

So, random story.

A few weeks ago (beginning of November, I believe) I was going to get a bib for Addison out of our kitchen drawer and I found a $20 bill in there! At first I thought maybe Adam accidentally dropped it in there...I don't know how, but things happen. So, I didn't think too much of it. Except that he told me he didn't have any cash on him, so it wasn't from him. Weird....

Then a couple days later, I went in to this basket that we keep our random chargers (cameras, phones, etc.) in that stays in the kitchen and there was another $20 bill!! I'm not sure why I keep thinking that they just randomly fall out of the sky or something, but there it was! And it was tucked so neatly behind something that I just knew Adam didn't drop it in there. So cool, right?

Well that was all we found (and we are totally grateful! $40 more to go towards our adoption! YEAH!)....until today!

I was cleaning up my craft room a little bit and putting some stuff away that I got today. I have these two white vases in there that are stacked on top of each other and I haven't put them out where I want them yet. Mostly because I don't know where I want them. Anyway. I had some ribbon and some Command hooks in there. I put two balls of yarn in there today and I was trying to get everything back in order, so I took it all out and lo and behold....ANOTHER $20 BILL!!! Sitting all nice and pretty in there!

And since it had been so long in between, I honestly thought that maybe it fell out of someone's pocket! HA! I am such a nerd. There is no way it fell out into there. These vases are behind my sewing machine and nobody would ever come close enough to have something fall out into there.

Anyway, it was just totally cool!!! So, we have a money fairy floating around our house and it's all going towards our adoption!!! It brought a HUGE smile to my face today.

Also, I found the Heart to Heart Rahel Ethiopia doll at Target today!!! I was returning something I got for Makayla with NO intention of replacing it, but then I found this beauty and it was the LAST one they had, so I got it for her and Addison. I've been looking for a black baby doll for them and even though this isn't a baby doll, I adore it!! She is so gorgeous!!!

Since it was the last one, I knew it was meant to be. I love it!

December Haps.

2011-12-05T23:03:00.000-05:00

Whoa! It's December 5th and I haven't posted anything this month yet! Yikes! My bust.

Anyway, I'm back!!! :)

Adam and Makayla got our Christmas tree yesterday. It's gorgeous!! Pictures to come. We only put the lights on it yesterday because it was too late to do it all.

Then tonight, Adam and I went on a date! I know, I know! A real live date!! Where we leave the house and everything!! It was fabulous! Our amazing friends, Brennan and Kristen, watched the girls for us. They put them to bed and everything. Adam and I went and got sushi and it was really good. Not as good as the place we usually go to, but apparently that place is closed on Mondays! Who knew?!

Makayla is in love with B & K, so she had the time of her life!! And they love her just as much. Perfect match. :)

We had some friends over this morning for a little play time at our house. My friend, Sheila, adopted from Ethiopia and also has a bio babe, so they came over to play. It was tons of fun! She's got two boys, so we made the convo work around chasing them around the house. ;)

Anyway, we were planning to put the ornaments on the tree tonight, but we didn't since we went on a date instead. SO, tomorrow it's on!!

It's been raining alllll day today. I feel like we're back in California...it's so weird! Where's the snow?

Also, this past Saturday, we went to my friend, Ashley's, house for a cookie exchange party. That was so much fun! I just took Makayla and we got to hang out and just talk and laugh. It was a great time.

I guess that's about it. We have a packed week and weekend. ANTM finale Wednesday at my mom's, Thursday is dinner with some gal pals, my dad is coming to spend the day with us Saturday and Sunday is our friends' Mongolian BBQ adoption dinner. We've got a lot coming up and it's all super fun and exciting!!

So yeah, we've been busy. January will be even busier. The first three weekends of the month are already packed. I wouldn't have it any other way!!

Day 30: Being Thankful.

2011-11-30T13:20:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful that Jesus has saved my life. I'm thankful that He died for my sins so that I could be saved. I'm thankful to know Him on a personal level and that He loves me deeply.

He loves you deeply, too! Did you know that? Because it's so true.

I'm also thankful that we can share the Truth with our children and show them the love of Christ every single day.

We are beyond blessed and so thankful for all that we have been given.

I have loved doing this for the past month, though some days were harder to think of something to be thankful for. NOT that we don't have TONS to be thankful for, because we do. But once you start writing a post a day, it gets hard to put it down in words. But, I did it! And I'm happy that I can now look back and see the things that I have been thankful for this month.

I have a new thing I'm going to start next month (tomorrow!) and I'm pretty excited about it. I think I'm only going to do it on Facebook, but we'll see. I might share here, too. :)

Thank You, Jesus, for saving me!!!!

Day 29: Being Thankful.

2011-11-29T20:19:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful that despite Adam's car not starting yesterday morning, he could use my car and still go to work.

We tend to take for granted the little things...like having two working cars and then when one goes awry, we don't know what we're going to do. So, even though Makayla didn't get to go to preschool today because we only had one car, at least Adam could still get to work. And we made the most of the day with Nana. :)

I'm also thankful that it was something very small (the battery cable) that was the problem, so we don't have to shell out money for something huge. Hopefully it will be done tomorrow and we'll presume life as planned. :D

Day 28: Being Thankful.

2011-11-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful that even though we haven't gone grocery shopping in over a week, we still have PLENTY of food in the fridge AND the pantry. We might not have had the most extravagant meal for dinner (scrambled eggs, sausage and cut up veggies...we were out of bread, so that was it), but we still got to eat something.

I think I was already thankful for having food, but I am again. So there. :)

We tend to forget that if we don't have what we want in the fridge or the pantry that we have nothing to eat, except that isn't the case at all. Throughout our adoption process (and saving every penny we can) I am learning that we have to eat things that we don't really want to eat. Because you know what? You won't remember what it tasted like 5 minutes later anyway. But your belly will still be full.

Be thankful today.

Day 27: Being Thankful.

2011-11-27T20:21:00.001-05:00

Today I'm thankful for sewing. I LOVE sewing. I love getting to make stuff from a piece of fabric. It sounds totally grandma-ish, but I swear it's totally cool. ;)

The other day I was sewing something and Makayla was watching me and she asked me what my sewing machine was, so I told her. Then when I started sewing, she said, 'Wow, Mom! That is so cool!!' And I told her I can teach her how to sew when she gets older and she got totally excited. That's what I love.

Sewing is totally rad. I'm no pro. I pretty much just do straight lines, but today, I mended (so grandma!) some clothes and for Christmas, I made Addison a pillow and blanket for her bed. And I made Makayla a pillow and blanket for her baby dolls. Oooooh, maybe I should make her some clothes for her baby dolls...

(P.S. Check out our newest fundraiser!!! http://almcrock.blogspot.com/2011/11/adoption-fundraiser.html )

Day 26: Being Thankful.

2011-11-26T22:05:00.022-05:00

I am thankful for THE best day with my family. We had an amazing time today.

We had a 3 1/2 hour drive to go to Emma's 2nd birthday party. And on the way was Grandpa's Cheesebarn! So, as per the new family tradition, we stopped!! The girls had a blast and we love taste testing everything. :)

Then, we stopped at McDonald's for some lunch and I had my first ever BigMac! Yep, I never had one before that. It was aight.

We then trekked on for another 2 1/2 hours and got to Adam and Ashley's right when the festivities were starting. We got some great food and then....

The miniature horses came for the kids to ride on!! Makayla and Addison both went on. Makayla LOVED it. I mean, LOVED. Emma and Makayla were pretty much the only kids that rode those things. HAHA! It was pretty awesome, though. And I was the photographer for the day, so I got some great shots that I'll post once I get them.

After the horses left, Emma opened her presents and we had cake. It was a ton of fun! And we had so much fun getting to see our fabulous friends and celebrate their precious daughter's life. AND getting to see baby Ethan, too! :)

On the way home, we stopped at Fazoli's for dinner because I haven't eaten there in 11 years!! And as soon as we walked in, I told Adam that it smelled just like I remember it smelling when I worked there in high school. Ah, the memories! And yes, it was every bit as delicious as I remember it!

We still had about 3 hours left after that and we were just hoping and praying that the girls would fall asleep. Well, Makayla wanted her Doggy BAD. And she left it at home. So she kept yelling 'Doggy!!' over and over and over and over and over again. Adam was getting annoyed, so I suggested that he think it's like a soothing song by Enya or something. Well, that led to us singing 'Doggy' to tunes of other songs. Like Dave Matthews Band, Kenny G, Elvis, The Beatles, Star Wars, etc. It was hilarious!!! I was in tears it was so funny. It probably doesn't sound that awesome, but Adam and I were cracking up.

So the girls eventually fell asleep. We got home close to 9:30, put them in bed and just landed on the couch to rest.

I love perfect days with my family. They rock.

Day 25: Being Thankful.

2011-11-25T17:56:00.000-05:00

Today I am beyond thankful that since November 16th, we have gotten at least one donation per day to our adoption. At least. Isn't that amazing?!

Our ticker has been going up significantly this month and I LOVE it!!!

Thank you SO very much to everyone that has donated for no reason, has bought something from us or has entered our raffle!!! We appreciate it so much and we are so thankful that God is moving to bring this baby home!!! :)

P.S. Check out our raffle and get some entries in!!! http://almcrock.blogspot.com/2011/11/adoption-fundraiser.html

Day 24: Being Thankful.

2011-11-24T22:42:00.000-05:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I'm thankful that we could spend today with our family. It was an awesome day of cooking all day long and getting to hang out with some of the best people ever.

We had a blast (except when Makayla almost vomited at the table!) and made some new memories.

Also, I make a mean pumpkin pie. :)

I'm so happy that we live in Ohio and can spend holidays with our loved ones. It's pretty much the greatest.

Day 23: Being Thankful.

2011-11-23T11:47:00.000-05:00

I am thankful that Addison is 17 months old today! She is so big! I can't believe she has been here for 17 months already. But at the same time, it seems like she has been here forever!

She still isn't walking, but she LOVES to hold our hands and walk all over the place. She looks up at us with this HUGE grin on her face and it is beyond precious.

She says no to pretty much every food known to man. She hates fruits and vegetables and loves carbs. I don't know where she got that from! ;)

She pulls herself up on everything and she loves to walk while pushing her toy stroller.

She adores her big sister and her big sister adores her, too. There is the occasional fight, but they're siblings, so yeah.

She sleeps with Monk-Monk and Leop-Leop. A monkey and a leopard. She usually throws them out of the crib before she's asleep, though.

She loves to read books upside down.

She waves bye bye every time we leave someone or something.

She still isn't saying anything except Mama (rarely!), Dada and Nana. We're working on it.

She survived her first double ear infection this month. She has been sick almost the entire month of November. Poor babe.

She's pretty much the coolest baby ever. And we will be celebrating her second Thanksgiving tomorrow! Woohoo!!

Day 22: Being Thankful.

2011-11-22T14:24:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful that my mom is near me. She is such a huge help with EVERYTHING!

She came over today to go grocery shopping for Thanksgiving. THEN, after she put all of my groceries away, she proceeded to put my clean dishes from the dishwasher away AND THEN fill it up with dirty ones. AND clean the ones by hand that wouldn't fit! Yep, told you. She is amazing.

I love her so much and I am so thankful that I get to be close to her. Especially while her grand babies are so little.

Day 21: Being Thankful.

2011-11-21T17:33:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thankful that we have food to eat every day. I think we seriously take for granted that we have food on our table every day. But, you know what? There are tons of people all over the world (yes, even in the United States) that don't have that luxury. We take it for granted and we really shouldn't.

So enjoy your dinners tonight. And pray for someone that doesn't have any food to eat.

Also, I'm really looking forward to Thanksgiving!!! We are hosting it at our house this year and I'm totally excited about it! Can't wait to eat all that delicious food, too. :)

Adoption Fundraiser!!

2011-11-21T11:45:00.008-05:00

Alright, so I am one week and one day late in getting this posted on my blog, but I am SO excited to finally have the time to sit down and get this done!

We are having a HUGE fundraiser right here on this blog for our adoption!! I am so excited because all of these items have been donated to us so that we could put this on!

Here's how it's going to work.

$5 will get you one entry. Easy!
$10 will get you three entries!
$20 will get you seven entries!
$50 will get you twenty entries!

Super awesome, right?

Are you ready to see what's up for grabs here?? Get ready! This is some awesome stuff!!! :) And every penny is going towards our adoption. Can't get much better than that!! AND right before Christmas? Let's get some Christmas shopping done and it will be delivered right to your door!

First up is the winner's choice of a plug in and three bars from Mrs. Trophy Wife's Scentsy store!! Here is the link to her store: https://mrstrophywife.scentsy.us/Home Here is an example, but check out her online store to see more!

Next up is this gorgeous necklace from Say What Creations! It is a custom hand stamped Africa cutout necklace. You can get it customized with whatever you'd like it to say!!

Okay next is this beautiful canvas made by The Canvas Heart! This is the exact one that you will be getting. Isn't is gorgeous? She made it especially for our fundraiser!

Next on our list is this amazing Scentsy basket from Abigail Newton's Scensty store!!

Here is a list of what is included:

Central Park Pralines Scentsy Bar

Honey Pear Cider Scentsy Bar

Pumpkin Roll Scentsy Bar

Snow Day Plug-In Scentsy Warmer

Jolly Full-Size Scentsy Warmer PREMIUM

Sentimental Cider Scent Circle

Eskimo Kiss Travel Tin

Cinnamon Vanilla Room Spray

Silver Bells Fragrance Foam

Snowberry Scent Pak

Satin Sheets Scentsy Solid Perfume

We have a set of two Mini Popsicle Soaps and one slice of wave soap from Honey Bear Soaps and More! The mini popsicle soaps are Cranberry Spice and the wave soap is Tahitian Waterfall.

We have another necklace up for grabs from Liz Eaton's Etsy store!

Okay, we have this beautiful set of earrings AND a children's book! These earrings are made by Stephanie Dunn and the book was also written by her. Here is the link to her beautiful jewelry and to her book, Where My Roots Grow.

We have two necklaces from Lia Sophia that a dear friend of mine is donating to us.

We also have a brand new Sassy Wall Sconce from Southern Living At Home!

Here is an amazing Scrapbook Kit that my friend put together for me!
Here is the list of what is included:

1 12x12 red scrapbook with 10 sheets (makes 20 pages)

10 page protectors

1 paradise paper collection (14 sheets) & coordinating stickers

60 sheets of 12x12 paper

26 mats

23 sheets of stickers

12 photo frames

12 vellum sheets

23 borders

2 sheets embellishments

18 alphabet sheets

And our last one is a 'Surprise' adorable tee from A Perfect Treasure's Etsy store! It will be for a girl and you can decide what size, from 3 months all the way up to 8 years! Also, check out her Facebook page! Here is an example tee:

UPDATE!! We have TWO more prints to add from Katie at Mossy Rock Designs. These are gorgeous and I know so many people that would love to have these hanging up in their house!! The first one up for grabs is a 5x7 Safe In Your Arms (girl) print.

And the next one is a 5x7 Meeting my Momma (boy) print. So presh!

We have 13 things up for grabs, so when this fundraiser is over, I will use random.org to choose 13 names from the people that have donated. I will then contact the winners to let them know what they've won!

Alright, that's everything! This fundraiser will end on Thursday, December 1st at midnight.

I tried to add another button on this post, but it won't work, so just scroll back up and find that YELLOW 'Donate' Button and click on that to get your entries in!! :)

Feel free to tell your friends...share on your blog, Facebook and Twitter! We are praying this will be a HUGE success!

And thank you all in advance!! :) If you have any questions or are not comfortable donating through Paypal, please email me at lindseycrock@gmail.com!

Day 20: Being Thankful.

2011-11-20T20:04:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful for being able to go to church. We had the best church service I've heard since we've started going to our new church. It was really great and totally spoke to me.

I'm thankful that we don't get persecuted for our faith. And I'm thankful that our church is so willing to help others.

Day 19: Being Thankful.

2011-11-19T19:23:00.002-05:00

Today I am thankful that I got to eat Ethiopian food for the second time! It was amazing and everything I wanted it to be.

I love everything about Ethiopia. It's glorious. :)

Day 18: Being Thankful.

2011-11-18T20:37:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for Breaking Dawn Part 1. AND getting to go see it with my mama! I love going to the movies and getting to veg out for a little bit...entering another world and forgetting about this screwed up one for a while. Yes, it was glorious.

I loved the movie and can't wait for the next, and final, one to come out. BUT, it doesn't come out until November 16th, 2012! GAH! Anyway, I'm thankful for that today. :)

Day 17: Being Thankful.

2011-11-17T22:37:00.003-05:00

Today I am thankful for precious little newborns. Our friends, Adam and Ashley, had their sweet baby boy yesterday and we went to see him tonight after Adam got home from work. He is gorgeous!!

I held him for 45 minutes and it seemed far too short. He is just so precious and beautiful. AND he is a FIGHTER. He had a rough start to life, but he will do great things, I am SURE of it!

I love newbies. They are too sweet and smell delicious. And they have the most glorious skin. Oh, baby skin. Yum.

Day 16: Being Thankful.

2011-11-16T08:38:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for selling things on the internet!! Today, we sold a beautiful ring and necklace set of mine to raise money for our adoption. We also sold a book and a DVD set. WAHOO for more money coming in!

God has been so faithful in our adoption journey and every time I list something on eBay or Amazon, I pray over it and that it will sell. Well, we still have lots of stuff up there that hasn't sold yet, but I know it will right when it needs to.

Keep watching those tickers go UP, UP, UP!!! It's also awesome because we are still getting donations for Adam's run coming in. I love this!

So, I'm thankful for the interwebz. :)

Day 15: Being Thankful.

2011-11-15T19:39:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for Makayla's hilarious sayings today. She is so frackin' funny, that girl. She comes up with the most hilarious things daily. We are constantly cracking up because of how awesome she is.

Anyway, she made up this thing a few days ago where she makes 'fry cakes' in her little kitchen. So, Adam asked her what's in a fry cake.

Her response?

"Like doggy food and doggies and cakes and...whatever you guys want!"

This child is priceless. I love her sense of humor. :)

Day 14: Being Thankful.

2011-11-14T19:45:00.001-05:00

Today I am thankful that we are ONE MONTH DTE!!!!! Today is our monthly anniversary for being DTE and I am so thrilled that we have already been DTE for one month. I know that's not much in the grand scheme of things and the wait times have been tossed around as being longer and stuff, but still, every month is one step closer. And you know I'll be counting every month!!

One month down, lots more to go! We're going to enjoy this wait as much as we can. :)

P.S. DTE=Dossier To Ethiopia

Day 13: Being Thankful.

2011-11-13T19:43:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful for beds. I've been laid up in bed sick all day long. So today I'm thankful for our sweet, beautiful, glorious bed.

Selfish? Maybe. But, I'm still thankful.

Day 12: Being Thankful.

2011-11-12T21:46:00.000-05:00

We went to our very first adoption conference today and it was amazing. I'm still reeling from all the information I learned.

Anyway, I am thankful for our adoption community. I'm thankful that there are adoption conferences to go to so that we can learn more about what our child will need before he/she comes home. Though it was mostly geared towards kids that are already home, I learned A LOT and have a ton of notes to go back and look at once our precious babe is home.

I'll go into it more later on, but today I'm just thankful that we had the opportunity to go to this conference. It was very eye opening. And it was nice to have a 3 hour drive each way to enjoy with my husband. We had so much fun this weekend. It's nice to reconnect with your spouse, especially after having kids. It's also kind of necessary.

Wow, tangent.

Okay, recap: thankful for adoption conferences, community AND fun times with the hubs. :)

Day 11: Being Thankful.

2011-11-11T22:31:00.000-05:00

I know it's Veteran's Day and while I am very thankful for veterans (I am one after all!!), today I am thankful for Grandpa's Cheese Barn.

Most of you probably don't even know what that means, but it's a cheese barn (the name pretty much fits what it is) in Ashland, Ohio. It's uh-may-zing. It's so cool! You can go in and sample all these different cheeses and spreads and all sorts of fun food.

Adam and I went there on our way to Dayton, Ohio for our very first adoption conference, which is tomorrow! And after we left, we officially decided that every time we pass the cheese barn, we MUST stop. Yep, it's a definite must. And I'm pretty excited about it because I see many times in our future stopping there with the girls. I love that! I know I'm a total nerd.

But I am really thankful for discovering a totally rad new place and deciding on a totally rad new tradition. I love my life.

Forgotten God.

2011-11-10T13:44:00.000-05:00

I recently finished reading Forgotten God by Francis Chan. There were some REALLY great quotes that I wrote down before I returned it to the library. It's an excellent read. Really makes you think about a lot of stuff.

Anyway, here goes.

"What if you could hear the voice of the Holy Spirit and He asked you to literally give everything you owned? What if He asked you to sell all your possessions and give money to the poor? Could you do it? Before you start explaining why He would never ask that of you, take a moment and answer the questions honestly. It's not out of His character to ask for everything."

"People told us that we were being foolish and irresponsible with the gifts God gave us. They said we should have at least put some away in case of emergency. My response back was, 'Is it not an emergency that children in Cambodia and Thailand and even the United States are being raped every single day of their lives? Why is that not an emergency?' I think the church often inadvertently teaches that the sex-slave trade is not an emergency. And this, I believe, is sin. Is an emergency only an emergency if it affects me and my immediate family?"

"What I am saying, though, is that instead of thinking and telling people they are crazy when they feel like the Spirit is leading them into something that doesn't necessarily make sense to us, we should join them in the discernment process. Instead of discouraging people, we should pray for more insight and boldness. Instead of deadening people to the Spirit's leading with our words and our actions, we should celebrate and join the Spirit's movement in and through them!"

I love reading Francis Chan's books. He sheds so much light on subjects that I think a lot of people just don't understand. Reading his books gives me a lot more insight into other people.

Day 10: Being Thankful.

2011-11-10T13:34:00.000-05:00

I'm thankful for my precious first born. Makayla is one of the greatest things that has ever happened to my life. And I'm so thankful for her today and every day.

Today I was putting some pictures in this frame and Makayla came in to see what I was doing. She sat down on a pillow and was watching me for a minute and then she goes, 'Look, Mommy.' very seriously and shows me her thumb. And it's bleeding!! I asked her what happened and she didn't know and then it hit me! The piece of glass for the picture frame was sitting right underneath her pillow and she scraped her little thumb against it and had a little cut.

She didn't cry at all. She didn't seem phased, really. But of course I was freaking out. I kept my cool on the outside, especially since she was totally fine, but inside I felt wretched!! How could I let this happen to my precious baby that I never want to get hurt, ever?! Well, like I said, she was totally fine. I had her hold a wet paper towel around it while I ran to get a bandage and some Neosporin. She just kept on watching Tinkerbell and was just fine with it all.

I still felt terrible and then I realized, while putting her bandage on, that it was the only thumb that she sucks! Ugh. She totally said, 'It's okay. I'll just wait until it's all better before I suck it.' She is SO smart and amazing!!

So then I'm scouring the freezer for a popsicle (I know we just had some in here! There's got to be one left, right?!) Well, I finally found one and gave it to her and she said, 'Thanks Mommy! This will make my thumb feel better!'

I totally dig her. She's so cool.

Day 9: Being Thankful.

2011-11-09T15:22:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful for my amazing husband. The girls and I have been mighty sick for the past week and over the last few days, Addison's eyes have been a little bit pink. So yesterday, Adam told me that if they weren't looking any better by this morning that I need to take her in. Well, in my own sickness, I didn't get ready before Addi woke up this morning. Then she woke up and didn't look any better, so I made an appointment to take her in. But, I still needed to get ready. I couldn't get a hold of my mom so I asked Adam if he could come home to watch the girls while I showered before her appointment. Usually I shower right when I wake up, but I'm sick too, so there. :)

Anyway, so Adam came home and watched the girls for me while I showered. Not only did he watch the girls, he also made and fed them lunch AND made lunch for me!! What an amazing man I married! I couldn't stop thanking him. He took time out of his VERY busy day at work to come home and help me out. I just love him so much.

So today is a great day to be extra thankful for my fabulous husband.

Day 8: Being Thankful.

2011-11-08T13:17:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for preschool today.

Makayla loves going to preschool and getting to see all of her friends. The teachers always tell me that she is so quiet while she's there, which is completely different from how she is at home. I'm trying to break her out of her shell and it's slowly working. She says hi to people at the store now, so that's cute.

I love the interaction that Makayla gets with other kids. And I also love the one on one time it gives me with Addison. Sometimes we'll just sit and play for that two hours or she'll follow me around while I get stuff done around the house. It's a special time for all of us.

Then I love going to pick M up and hearing all about her day. When she first started going to preschool and I would ask her about her day she would say, 'I can't tell you!' It was pretty hilarious! Now she actually tells me about it all and I love it!

Day 7: Being Thankful.

2011-11-07T19:51:00.001-05:00

Today I am thankful for sweet little babies.

This morning, I went in to wake Addison up. It was actually 11am when I finally went to get her. And considering the time change wasn't too long ago, it was more like 12pm to her. She's like a teenager!

Anyway, I went in to get her and usually as soon as I open the door, she pops up or she's already standing. Today, she kept on sleeping. I so badly wanted to go grab the camera, but I didn't want to ruin the moment.

So, I put some of her clothes away while she kept on snoozing. And then I realized that I didn't want her to wake up and freak her freak, so I stopped putting clothes away and went over and just started at my precious baby girl. She was laying in the corner of her crib where she always does...on her belly...with her legs crossed at the feet and her hands underneath her belly. Mouth wide open. Are you picturing her? It was beyond precious.

I went over and rubbed her head and she didn't move except for a precious little smile that was all over that gorgeous wide open mouth. It was beautiful. She smiled while she was sleeping as soon as I rubbed her head. I'm smiling just thinking about it. :)

Well, she didn't wake up (told you! Like a teenager!) so I rubbed her back and said, 'Addi. Addi, it's time to wake up.' Nothing but a big ol' grin on that precious face again. Oh, I swooned. I didn't want it to end.

Then she woke up after a few more of those. She probably smiled in her sleep 3 or 4 times before she woke up. It just made me think of when she was just a wee babe.

I am so thankful for sweet little babies. Especially when they're my own. :)

Day 6: Being Thankful.

2011-11-06T19:20:00.006-05:00

Today I am thankful for compassionate hearts. All over the world today, churches recognized this very day as Orphan Sunday 2011.

It saddens me that there even has to be such a thing as Orphan Sunday, but since there has to be, I am glad there is so that people will KNOW. I'm glad there are people that desire to bring awareness and recognition to this devastating crisis that is happening all over the world.

I am so very thankful for all the compassionate hearts that stand up for orphans everywhere. I am so very thankful for all the compassionate hearts that have donated towards our adoption. I am so very thankful for all the compassionate hearts that support us through this journey. I am so very thankful for everyone that has posted about Orphan Sunday on Facebook.

I won't stop until all of these precious children are home.

Also, I was telling Makayla about Orphan Sunday today. This is the conversation that we had.

Me: "Makayla, do you know what today is? It's Orphan Sunday. Do you know what an orphan is? Our baby in Ethiopia is an orphan right now. That means that he or she doesn't have a family right now..."

Makayla: "But we are her family!"

Me: "That's right, baby girl. We are her family! You are so smart. We are her family, but she's just not here yet." (Holding back the tears.)

Makayla: "But she will be coming soon!"

I adore this precious child of mine and her sweet, compassionate heart for others. At three years old, she understands more about life than most adults ever will. That astounds me. It amazes me. And it leaves me in awe. If I knew half of what she knows already, I'd be set for life. I could not be more proud of my beautiful daughter. She knows that our baby already has a family and she reminded me when I needed it most. I just adore her.

Orphan Sunday 2011 from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. -Deuteronomy 10:18

Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. -Psalm 82:3

Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow. -Isaiah 1:17

Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act. -Proverbs 24:12

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. -James 1:27

We love because he first loved us. -1 John 4:19

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ -Matthew 25:40

Day 5: Being Thankful.

2011-11-05T12:53:00.002-04:00

I really love this being deliberate about being thankful business. It has really put things into perspective for me...how much we really have, how much we complain about such tiny matters and how we really should focus on the good in our lives!

So for today, I am thankful for some great friends. Kristen, you rock! I'm so excited to get to spend the day with you and the girls today!! You are so sweet and kind and I just love your personality. Can you believe we haven't even known each other for a year yet? Seems so much longer than that!

Brennan and Kristen have been there for us for EVERYTHING we have done since we moved to Ohio. One of my other friends introduced us and we all just hit it off. They have helped us move in to our new house. They have come to Addison's family birthday party. They have babysat the girls. They really are some of the greatest people I have ever met. They have donated to our adoption countless times. They truly are some of the most selfless people ever.

And I am so thankful for their generosity and love. :)

Day 4: Being Thankful, Part 2.

2011-11-04T20:07:00.001-04:00

Well, I'm just filled with thanksgiving today!! So, I'm doing another thankful post. Because that's how I roll. :)

Here are two more things I am thankful for today: I'm thankful for friendships that can be restored through forgiveness. And I'm thankful for the generosity of people I don't even know! We got another donation in the mail today. And it was mighty generous, coming in at $350!! Adam and I were NOT expecting that today and I cried. Yes, yes I did. I'm just constantly blown away by people's generosity and love towards our adoption!!

So, I don't know the beautiful family that donated to us, but Adam does. And he told me that when this girl found out that we were adopting and she told her husband, her husband didn't say anything. He just went and got the checkbook. That's the love of Christ right there. No questions asked. No explanation needed. They just opened their hearts and their bank account and blessed us beyond measure. So beautiful.

Oh! I also forgot that yesterday we got a donation in the mail and before Adam opened it, I prayed that it was $200 instead of $20. Now don't get me wrong...we are VERY thankful for EVERY donation that we get, NO MATTER the amount. Every single dollar helps. But I also think it helps to pray big. Go big or go home. ;) Well, yesterday it was a $20 donation and we are so very thankful for that awesome sponsor for Adam's run!! But, God still answered my prayer with today's completely unexpected donation. He still answered it. It was a day later than I (selfishly!!) wanted it, but He still answered. He is always faithful. And you know what? Even if we wouldn't have gotten that $350 donation today? He would STILL BE FAITHFUL.

Today is an extra thankful day. :)

Day 4: Being Thankful.

2011-11-04T14:14:00.000-04:00

I love reflecting on what I'm thankful for each day. It really makes me think about how good I actually have it. The things that we tend to complain about are so minuscule in the grand scheme of life and thinking of just one thing that I really am thankful for each day helps me to remember that. :)

So today I am thankful for our house. We take it for granted...you know, having a roof over our head, a place to keep us warm, etc. But, there are a lot of people that don't even have that. So, I am very thankful for our house. I'm thankful that it is strong enough to keep all four of us safe and warm every night. And I'm thankful that it protects us from the elements.

Our house rocks.

Day 3: Being Thankful.

2011-11-03T16:42:00.001-04:00

Today I am thankful for coupons. I know that sounds totally silly and ridiculous, but I saved 24% on my VERY first coupon excursion today! It's not much, but it's something! AND I stayed 2 cents under budget! Now that's cutting it close! :) I was pretty proud of myself, though.

I got some fabulous groceries for our church's 'Second Saturday' thing that they do the second Saturday of every month. This month, it's filling up grocery bags for people in need. You know I love that!! So, I got some awesome stuff to fill up some bags AND got some awesome stuff for our family, too! And it wasn't ridiculous amounts of stuff we won't eat. We will actually eat this stuff!

Couponing is an art. HA! I sound totally lame, but it's true!! You have to scour the internet and the papers to find the best deals. Then you have to make sure you go somewhere that will double your coupons. It's kind of crazy and TONS of work, but I'm not going to be an Extreme Couponer anytime soon. I'll just keep watching the show. And keep being thankful for coupons that save our family money. :)

Not Your Typical Orphan Sunday Plug.

2011-11-03T14:42:00.001-04:00

I copied this blog post from just jenny from the blog. She says it better than I ever could. I think most of the time we are just misunderstood. Hope this helps to clear up some of the confusion. Here is the link to the very same blog post: http://duaneandjenny.blogspot.com/2011/11/not-your-typical-orphan-sunday-plug.html

It's National Adoption Month. Orphan Sunday is just right around the corner. My husband will be preaching. Adoption stories will be shared. I feel certain a video will be shown. Yet rather than being completely excited about the month or the Sunday, I just have to admit that I'm a little bit nervous. Readers of this blog are fully aware that I am big on being honest and real. However, I am not big on confrontation. What does that have to do with Orphan Sunday or National Adoption Month? Let's just be real. Adoption can be, and is, a controversial and confrontational topic in our churches. Not from the pulpit, of course. And maybe confrontation isn't exactly the right word for what I feel lies beneath the surface, because it's rarely ever actually spoken aloud. Maybe tension is a better word. Another thing that I'm not big on.

Where does the tension come from? I think, in part, it comes from a misunderstanding. I'm concerned that people who haven't adopted or aren't involved in orphan care in a meaningful way perceive those of us who have adopted or are involved in orphan care to be saying something like this, "Look what we've done. Why haven't you done it, too?" When, in reality, we are really just trying to communicate something like this, "Look what God has done for us by adopting us and then leading us through our very own adoption journey so that we can better understand His love for us, see His miraculous ways of providing for us, and experience the joy that He felt when He gave us a name and a family and a home! We don't want you to miss out on this!"

There's a big difference. I think the tension comes when people mistake passion for judgement. Of course people are going to get tired of "the whole adoption thing being shoved down their throats" (yes people, that's a quote) if what they mistakenly hear from us is judgement and self righteousness. And maybe that is the intent of some. But of all the adopting families that I know, none of them have hearts like that. All of the families that I know communicate their passion for orphan care and adoption because: 1. They love orphans. and 2. They want others to experience the blessing of adoption (other families and other orphans). Period. No self righteousness. No judgement. Just genuine desire to communicate what God has done in and with their lives so that others may become open to allowing Him to do the same with their lives. And, of course, so that more children can have families.

If there's one place, one community, one group where people should be able to share their passion for orphan care, it's within the church. May we not let unspoken tension and misunderstood motives get in the way of our God's mission to bring redemption to the life of every single one of his children.

Day 2: Being Thankful.

2011-11-02T13:29:00.000-04:00

Today I am thankful for fall. I just LOVE fall. Seeing the leaves change and float to the ground warms my soul. I love listening to Makayla talk about fall and how it's called fall because the leaves fall to the ground. That kid is so smart. :)

We have had a crazy burst of warm weather today. I'm not sure what's up with this Ohio weather this year, but I like it today. I love fall and I'm so thankful that God was so creative when He made all the different seasons.

Day 1: Being Thankful.

2011-11-01T20:55:00.001-04:00

Well, it's November. Adoption Awareness Month!! Next Sunday (the 6th!!) is Orphan Sunday. I'm pretty excited!! Also, Thanksgiving is in November. So, what better month to do a post a day on being thankful, right?

Every day this month, I am going to post a different thing that I am thankful for.

Since today is Day 1, I am going to start with being thankful for my family. I am so thankful for Adam, Makayla and Addison. They bring joy to my day every day. They make me laugh, make me think and challenge me in so many ways.

I am also beyond thankful for all the family that lives around us (and not so close, but closer than in Cali!) that helps us with everything we need/want, etc. Our families have been our saving grace since we have moved back to Ohio. I am so thankful for the love that our family has poured out to us since we have moved back.

That's a good way to start Day 1 of Being Thankful. :)

T-Shirts!!

2011-11-01T17:08:00.000-04:00

Hey everyone!!

Our shirts are on sale AGAIN!! We have lowered the price to $18, shipped! Wahoo!!

We have NO mediums left, though, but other than that, it's fair game. We have XXL, too! :)

Here are some pictures of our shirts for a little refresher. And if you want to order one (100% of the profit goes to our adoption!), just click on that yellow 'Donate' button on the right! Be sure to let me know what size you'd like, too! :)

Defend The Fatherless.

2011-10-28T20:26:00.002-04:00

Their evil deeds have no limit;

they do not seek justice.
They do not promote the case of the fatherless;
they do not defend the just cause of the poor.

-Jeremiah 5:28

The wicked and the naysayers do not defend the cause of the fatherless. Satan tries to use the fools to attack us. Don't let that happen. Keep your head up and keep your eyes on Him.

Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker,
but whoever is kind to the needy honors God.

-Proverbs 14:31

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the LORD,
and he will reward them for what they have done.

-Proverbs 19:17

Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow.

-Isaiah 1:17

"And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us? And if our God is with us, then what could stand against?"

Let's all stand together to defend the cause of the fatherless. Let's make them fatherless no more!

Until they are all HOME...

The Real Obscenity!

2011-10-28T16:33:00.000-04:00

Drought is inevitable, but famine is not. Congress can help keep our commitment to farmers in developing countries by fully funding Feed the Future— a life-changing USAID initiative that is investing in long-term agricultural development and could help put an end to famine for good.
Please sign the petition to Congress calling on them to fund this vital program:
http://act.one.org/sign/hungry_no_more_us

Let's be the voice to the voiceless.

Maryland!

2011-10-26T16:52:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness, I have SO much to post about Maryland, it isn't even funny! We had a BLAST!! It was one of the best times I've had in a long, long time.

I have so much to write about, so many pictures to post and so much more to say about other things, too. But right now, I just wanted you all to know that we are still alive. :) I've been having a great Wednesday with my girlies at home and maybe, just maybe, I'll post about our trip later. :)

Makayla's First Field Trip!

2011-10-17T17:03:00.000-04:00

Makayla had her very first field trip on October 11th, 2011. We went to Richardson Farms with her little preschool class. Nana and Addison came with us and we all had a blast!

When we first got there, Makayla went straight to her teacher, Mrs. Frank, and grabbed her hand and walked around with her. Then, we headed over to a stack of hay bales in a barn and the kids climbed all over them. Makayla just sat on Mrs. Frank's lap. It was too precious.

Then, we went on a hayride! We were last to get on because we had to park the stroller, so M and I were stuck in the middle of the truck...right next to the opening to get on and off! I didn't realize we were going on a ride to enjoy the scenery since I was too nervous for Makayla's life! I held onto her so tight so she wouldn't fall off. I'm a helicopter mom...

Anyway, we finally got to the pumpkin patch and M got to pick her very own pumpkin! She picked the first one she saw and then we just walked around for a little bit...got back on and headed back to the farm.

The kids got a snack of fresh apples and apple cider. Mom and I might have snuck some, too. :) It was really good!

After that, we went to see some stinky animals. It was really gross. Pigs and chickens were all cooped up in this tiny little barn. Oh there was a cow, too. It smelled horrible and all the kids held their noses as we walked through. HAHA!

Then we were done! It took about two hours to do all that and Makayla had a lot of fun!! She loves her little pumpkin and since we already had our 'pumpkin family' at home from the neighbor kids, she said the pumpkin she got was Doggy. Yep, her beloved stuffed dog is officially part of our pumpkin family. Fits right in!

We snagged some small gourds and some of that apple cider and then we were on our way to Olive Garden for lunch! It was an awesome day and one I won't soon forget. I can't believe my daughter is old enough to be going on field trips! We are definitely in a new season of life...one that is filled with new experiences and oh so much fun!

How did she get so big?!

Such a beautiful little girl...

And another beauty!!

Purple peppers. Who knew?

New Craftiness.

2011-10-16T15:31:00.002-04:00

I've been on a crafting kick lately. Actually I did most of this many weeks ago and just haven't blogged about it all. First up is this cute little bench that we got from our friend Brennan's basement. For free!! It's in great condition, just needed some cushion and pretty fabric on it. :)

Before

After!

Close up.

Before of our end table.

Here is the old drawer pulls.

Here is the after of our end table that I also got from Brennan's basement. LOVE.

I painted it and changed the knobs.

Close up.

I made these super awesome and very easy paintings for above our bed. They're just canvases that I put masking tape on and then painted over it. Remove the masking tape and voila!!

Another angle.

And here are all my embroidery hoops that I've collected over the past couple months.

AND here are some of my flea market finds from when I went last month. I LOVE my tray!!

Super cute plate that will hang on the wall eventually. And my cool (and cheap!) bowl for my ChapStick. :)

Another view of my hoops. :)

Close up.

Another close up.

And a couple other flea market finds. I LOVE those Ball jars!!

My tray that I got for $1.75!!

And my lovely friend, Summer, gave me this sweet bird cage. It will be hanging in our craft/old tyme room. :)

I also have made some revisions to some of my crafts from this post. Here they are:

I added that cream flower to my placemat clutch!

And I added a flower to our Menu board!

Close up.

I think that's it for now. Well, I did make some things for some friends that are having babies, but I have to wait until everyone gets theirs and then I can post those. :)

In other news, we are leaving for Maryland this week!! And I am SOOOOOOOO excited!!!!!! More details to come....

Random.

2011-10-13T14:05:00.000-04:00

I have so many things on my mind, like, ALL THE TIME. I can't really shut my mind off. Whenever I'm doing something, I'm thinking about how I have to be doing something else.

Like right now, I have a bunch of stuff upstairs that I want to sell on Craigslist. I need to take pictures of it all, then take the time to post everything.

I need a secretary.

I have two blog reviews I need to post. Luckily, I took the pictures for those yesterday, so that's one thing done.

I have laundry that needs to be put away, dishes that need to be put in the dishwasher and an end table that needs to go upstairs.

I have a HUGE post to write about all kinds of crafts I've finished. I also still have to write about Makayla's first field trip, which was on Tuesday.

Just went to check the mail and got a VERY unexpected donation for our adoption. And a super sweet card. I love our friends. BEYOND BLESSED.

And my whole thought process has gone out the window. I'm just in awe of how God works. And I am so thankful for such a beautiful card and SUCH a generous donation. It's things like this that show us that the Lord is the One who is in charge. Not us. We can't make this money come in any faster. It is all in His timing, which is perfect.

Just so blessed today. So, so blessed.

November 13th.

2011-10-12T13:43:00.000-04:00

I am so excited about our next fundraiser!!!!

We will be doing an online raffle for some AMAZING items!!! It will start on November 13th and probably last for two weeks. The way it will work is that we will be asking for a $5 donation per entry. I'm sure we'll end up doing something else, like $10 for three entries, etc., but I haven't worked out all the details yet.

Still getting some sponsors to come on board, but so far, I have some awesome prizes and for a cheap, cheap donation, you can be entered to WIN!!!

Stay tuned for more information on this!! And to see some of our fabulous prizes! :)

Links And Stuff.

2011-10-09T23:15:00.001-04:00

I've been posting a lot of Africa related links on Facebook lately and I just wanted them all in one place, so I'm going to list them all here. Feel free to peruse them if you'd like. I enjoy them. Obviously.

Did you realize how big Africa is??? Me neither!!

http://lovingtheleast.blogspot.com/2011/10/whats-in-your-hand.html -GREAT article on what YOU are doing to help the least of these.

http://youtu.be/c51UD0Wo9xE -Excellent video on a man serving the least of these in India.

-New orphan care ministry started in a church!

http://www.lifenews.com/2011/10/06/steve-jobs-changed-the-world-adoption-changed-his/ -Did you know Steve Jobs was adopted?!

http://www.rageagainsttheminivan.com/2011/10/ive-figured-out-way-to-get-coffee-for.html -Post that sheds some light on child labor in Africa...just so we can get our coffee. Support fair trade! http://justlovecoffee.com/thecrocks We get $5 from EVERY bag sold!!

http://www.rageagainsttheminivan.com/2011/09/here-let-me-ruin-halloween-for-you.html -Follow up to the post above...chocolate child labor. Heartbreaking. Let's buy lollipops for Halloween instead!!

-Steve Jobs video. I just love this.

And don't forget we are the sponsor family for the month of October over at Hannah James!! Perfect time to get some Christmas shopping done!! We get 45% of the total sales for the month of October!! DO IT!! :) http://simplysimonsisters.blogspot.com/2011/10/meet-crockett-family.html

I'll leave you with this tidbit:

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.
-Proverbs 31:8

TODAY.

2011-10-09T23:03:00.000-04:00

Today was a good day. A very, very good day. In fact, my Facebook status halfway through the day said, "is having THE BEST DAY EVER. That is all. :)" Yes, it's true. We had an amazing day.

Here's a teeny back story for ya...

Makayla has been a little pistol lately. I'm talking not listening to anything we ask her to do, knocking over her sister, hitting us (throwing blows! Punches left and right!), screaming at the top of her lungs and just plain wanting her way. Now I know that most of this is typical three year old behavior, but our children should not be acting like this all the time.

Well, Adam and I put our awesome brains together and thought that she's probably watching too much tv. We try not to overdo it in the tv department, but let me just be real here for a sec. We are lazy parents. Yeah, I said it. That doesn't mean we don't try, but Adam and I like to be able to get other things done, so what's the best way to do that? Turn on the tv and let Makayla sit on the couch and veg. It's terrible, I know. And it's all changed.

Friday night, we decided that Makayla will no longer be allowed to wake up and watch tv immediately. It's not good for her growing brain. Plus then, it just makes it easier for us to ignore (I say this VERY lightly...we don't actually ignore her) her and get things taken care of.

So yesterday and today, she watched exactly zero tv. Not a minute of it. And get this...SHE WAS AMAZING BOTH DAYS. It was like a switch flipped. I'm not attributing it all to not watching television, but I know it has done us ALL good to have that stupid thing turned off. We are spending more time together and engaging with our kids more than ever. Makayla helped Daddy make breakfast yesterday morning and helped me make breakfast this morning.

Part of my amazingly awesome day was having two children that were just amazing. They are always amazing, yes. But today it was just different. Adam and I didn't get to bed until 1:30 am last night, so this morning we were both dragging and neither one of us really wanted to get up with Makayla when she came in at 7:15 am. So, she crawled into bed with us for about 15 minutes and just laid there quietly. We got to ease into the waking up...no rush. Then, we just hung out in bed, playing around, until almost 8. It was such a beautiful way to start the day.

Then, M and I came downstairs and started breakfast. We made cinnamon roll pancakes and sausage. Well, M and I just made all the ingredients and then Adam made the actual pancakes. I'm scared to do the flipping. It was an awesome morning of teamwork and just so much fun.

We headed to church after a super delicious breakfast and heard a great sermon about Jesus being radical. Yeah, super fab. We all need to live like Jesus. And not the Jesus that people tend to make up in their head...the REAL Jesus from the Bible. Okay, off my soapbox...

After church, we talked to the pastor about showing some videos on Orphan Sunday...which is November 6th. He didn't say no, either! That was amazing enough to hear. He didn't say yes, but he did say he would look into it and call us this week. I'm pretty excited to see what's going to happen with that! Our plan is to show a couple videos and then have some sponsorship packets and see if anyone wants to sponsor some beautiful children in Ethiopia. EXCITED!!! :)

We came home and ate leftover pizza for lunch. The girls ate really well...Adam made a grocery list and then he was off to get groceries while I stayed home to put the girls down for their naps. Addison went down super easy, like she always does. We had a sweet time before, which we always do. I love that kid. Makayla went down pretty easy, too. Now, if she actually slept or not...I don't know. But she didn't come barreling out of her room 3437879 times like she usually does. She stayed in her room and played quietly. Adam came home with the groceries and we both put them away together. More teamwork!

Then my mom came over to watch the girls while we went out for sushi with some friends. It was a blast! I love sushi and I love our friends...what more could you ask for? Oh and did I mention that I was wearing a dress today? And I felt great!!

We came home after that and Makayla went out immediately to play with the neighbor kids. It's pretty awesome around here. We have 15 kids in our little cul-de-sac, including our two. Pretty sweet deal! And Makayla loves them. :)

So, Adam and I had some alone time with Addison. Adam made some beef jerky and I played with Addi. And guess what?

SHE STOOD ON HER OWN!!!!! Yep, first time ever!!!! We were pretty frackin' excited about it. :D She'll be walking so soon!!! Oh and she was BEYOND happy to be standing. We would stand her up and she would just start giggling this super amazing, beautiful, adorable little giggle that just can't even be described. It was glorious.

Then, we went outside to get Makayla for bed time and as soon as she saw us, she was already running over. She was on the other side of the street and Adam and I both saw her look BOTH WAYS for cars. Yeah, that was a proud moment! Then she waited at the curb until I told her she could come over. How big is she?! So then she ran over to us and Addi was waving at her the whole time. They are so precious together now and I just LOVE seeing their relationship blossom into the beauty that it is becoming. They really love to be around each other.

Actually Adam and I were talking about our upcoming trip to Maryland to see Rusty and Janelle (WOO!) and we were talking about how M is going to Adam's mom's while we're gone and she said, 'I want Baby to come with me to Grandma's.' How sweet!!

The girls were both in bed by 7:30. Adam and I watched The Office and Community. I went upstairs to read some of my book (Reshaping It All by Candace Cameron Bure) and Adam fell asleep on the couch.

Pretty amazing day, huh? I know. I live an amazing life. And I love it.

Makayla Is Amazing.

2011-10-08T21:57:00.000-04:00

The other day in the car:

"Jesus needs us to have a little girl."

"We're gonna get a Ethiopia black girl from Ethiopia."

She never ceases to amaze me. I just love that her life is forever changed by adoption already.

Sponsor of the Month!

2011-10-03T16:36:00.000-04:00

Well friends, we are sponsored by another fabulous adoptive family this month...two actually!

The first one, Hannah James, will be giving us 40% of the proceeds for the month of October towards our adoption. How amazing is that especially since they themselves are in the process of adopting?! It just never ceases to amaze me how the adoption community just comes together!!! She has some AMAZING stuff for sale!

Anyway, check out the blog post that she wrote over there: http://simplysimonsisters.blogspot.com/2011/10/meet-crockett-family.html

And the second place we are being sponsored at is Filled With Praise! http://filledwithpraise.blogspot.com/2011/10/adoption-fundraising-spotlightadam-and.html

We have also made the decision to lower our t-shirt prices!! WOOHOO!! We will now be selling them for $18, shipped right to you! If you would like to pick one up instead, it will be $15!! GREAT deal, huh? We have had so many adoptive families purchase shirts from us...it's been pretty amazing! And we, in turn, have bought some from other adoptive families. It's all about showing the love and bringing babies home!

Anyway, here are some photos of our shirts...in case you forgot what they look like. Also, we have NO mediums left, but they make great gifts!! $18 is a super great deal for such an awesome shirt!!

The front.

Close up!

The back!

And a close up again!

So there you have it! Great ways to support our adoption and to get us on our way to being funded for the next step!! I've also got some other things up my sleeve to raise some money for our adoption. Stay tuned!!! :)

It's Out Of Our Hands!

2011-10-01T22:33:00.000-04:00

Well, today is the day, peeps!

WE SENT IN OUR DOSSIER!!!

There's no turning back now! :) We sent all of that paperwork that we have been doing for the last 5 months to our agency to review. Then, it will be on its way to Ethiopia!!!

I'm not gonna lie, it was a little hard to hand that blood, sweat and tears over to a stranger to be mailed off. I mean, I know that was the point of all of this, but that's my baby I just sent to Virginia! Adam and I prayed over it before it left our hands and I know the Lord will take care of everything.

I emailed a color copy to our Family Coordinator yesterday and she said everything looks great, so I'm praying that we aren't missing anything and as soon as they get it, they can send it to Ethiopia!

We'll get our DTE (dossier to Ethiopia) date after that and be on the waiting list!!! I'm excited for that day!! :) Our dossier should arrive in Virginia on October 4th.

Here are some pictures from our eventful day. :D I'm just beaming today. I'm so happy to be *almost* there!!!

Our original dossier is on the right and the two complete copies we made. :)

Another view of all those papers!!

Daddy and Addi at FedEx. Makayla was at Nana's house. :)

Yeah there's a $7,700 check in that envelope...

One more view of all those papers stacked together.

LOVE.

Addison is pretty excited that she is going to be a BIG SISTER!!! <3

Such a precious girl.

Oh yeah, we'll ship it!! :D

There's my baby...on its way to Ethiopia!!

Daddy holding his baby. Swoon. Love that man.

Praying over the paperwork before we send it on its way.

My baby bump!!

And again.

Jesus, please protect our sweet baby until we can get to Ethiopia to bring him/her HOME!!

And one more thing:

After we went to my mom's to pick up Makayla, we were on the way home and I asked Makayla if she knew what we were doing while she was at Nana's. Of course, she said yes. HAHA!

So then I told her, "We sent in all of our paperwork to get our Ethiopia baby!!"

She clapped and smiled really big and said, "Is she at home?"

Oh my word, my heart leapt out of my chest and I got tears in my eyes!! My sweet angel GETS IT. She knows that there is something SO much bigger going on. She knows that there is SO much more to this world and she is only 3!!

After I told her that, sadly, no she wasn't at our house. And that I also think we have a higher chance of getting a little boy, she responded with, "Now?" As in, is she there now? No, sweet girl, she isn't here yet, but she will be. Not soon enough, but the Good Lord has that all worked out and He knows exactly when that will be.

I love that Makayla knows at the ripe age of 3 what Africa looks like. I love that she cares so deeply about her brother or sister that is halfway around the world even when we have no idea what he or she looks like. I love the compassion that oozes out of my baby girl.

I am so sad that it took me 27 long years on this earth to learn about orphans and Ethiopia and the starvation and devastation. I am, however, thankful that God opened my eyes and that I can't go back. My life is forever changed by a sweet 0-24 month old child that is living in Ethiopia, Africa right now...either in his/her's mommy's belly or in an orphanage or still with their birth mama for the time being.

I wish I would have known and learned more earlier in life. I am so grateful that our daughters will know from such a young age that there is more to life than a brand new car, a name brand purse or the hottest shoes. They know what is really important in life. And Makayla already gets it. She gets what living for Jesus is all about 24 years before I did. Thank You, Jesus.

I-171H!!!!!!

2011-09-29T15:52:00.002-04:00

We got our I-171H in the mail TODAY!!!!!! I am SO excited!!!

That is the LAST piece of the puzzle before we can send in our dossier!!!! WOO!!!!

I'm just so thrilled!!!!!! It took us 20 days to get it after we got fingerprinted. Not bad!!

So, now we have to get it notarized, then make 5039403804 bajillion copies and our paperwork will be sent to AWAA and then off to Ethiopia!!!! Then we'll officially be on the waitlist!!! GAH!!!!

Yeah, I'm just a little bit excited. Reign it in, Lindsey....

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :D

This Week....

2011-09-29T00:21:00.000-04:00

•Addison started getting her top left tooth on the 24th. So now she is still growing those outside ones (outside of her two front teeth), the top right and the top left is just peeking through!

•We had Addi's 15 month appointment on Monday. She weighs 19 lb. 5 oz. and is 29 3/4 inches long. WOO for growth!!!

•Tuesday, I kept Makayla home from preschool since she got sick this past weekend. She stayed the weekend with Grandma and the kids and then she got sick. :( Poor babe! Anyway, she sounded pretty rough, so I kept her home. I also missed the first day of my new Bible study at our new church!! I was sad about that, but I'll be there next week! :)

•We went to the zoo today with my dad. Addison was in rare form and she was pretty pissed all day. Kept crying about nothing...at least that's how it looked to me, but I guess I'll never know. Makayla LOVED it. She loved checking out all the animals at the Akron Zoo! Both the girls loved getting a new stuffed animal from the gift shop, too. Courtesy of Feta, of course. We loved eating at the cafe and spending the day together. It was a blast! I just love the zoo and I love that M is so freaking smart and always wants to see everything and learn more and do more. She amazes me.

•We had dinner at Nicolinni's tonight with my dad, too. It was delicious.

•The girls napped HORRIBLY. Makayla didn't nap and Addison woke up twice during nap time. Then, we got her up early to go to dinner. She was still good while we were out, though. Love that kid.

•During nap time, Makayla decided it would be super fun to take her toothbrush, Addison's toothbrush and the four extra toothbrushes I had for the girls and put them in Vick's VapoRub. She then proceeded to put VapoRub on her drinking cup in her bathroom, on her left eyebrow and all over her chest. It was a mess. Her hair was stuck to her chest and there were (still are) globs of VapoRub on everything in the bathroom. I just can't deal with it. It's so gross.

When she got sick the other day, we put some on her chest before bed time and she wanted some on today for nap time. Well, instead of coming and asking me to put some on her, she decided to take matters into her own hands. Needless to say, I was VERY upset with her. And I think I handled it (mostly) well. No spanking happened. I just kept telling her how disappointed I was in her and that she wasted money by destroying so many things and ruining brand new toothbrushes. As I was giving her a bath, I kept telling her that she just threw money in the trash and that is not okay since we are doing everything to save money to bring our baby home. I kept on and on and on. I was stern with her and maybe, at times, a bit harsh, but she has to know that this is not acceptable. So, after a good hair and body washing, I got her out and asked her to repeat to me what she did wrong. And she did! Of course, this battle is not over. She is only 3, after all. But, I think we made some headway here.

I was beyond irate today, but after talking it over with her and thinking about it in the grand scheme of life, it wasn't that bad. She's 3 and she wants to get into stuff. Maybe I'll just have to lock the bathroom door from now on. Oh yeah, I told her that she will not be allowed in any bathroom alone again. She goes potty all by herself now and doesn't want anyone in there, but I told her that she can still go potty by herself, just that someone will always have to be in the bathroom with her. She gets it.

•I've been doing a lot of apologizing lately. Believe it or not, I'm not perfect! I screw up so bad sometimes. I say awful, nasty things to people. I forget stuff. I screw up. And I have to say sorry. I've been talking to some people and trying to make amends. I can only do my part and then the ball is in their court. Everyone has been receptive so far, which is awesome. I'm just glad that people are being honest with me and sharing their feelings. I have learned a lot about myself these past couple years since some stuff has happened and it makes me feel good. I'm learning how to own up to my actions and it's just really, really good.

•I'll be a mama to three again tomorrow. We're having little Emma stay with us again while her mommy goes to the hospital for an appointment. Pray for us all! Makayla has snack duty tomorrow at preschool!! She's pretty stoked.

And I'm going to watch Scrubs.

Addison 15 Months.

2011-09-23T08:35:00.002-04:00

Dear Addison,

Today you are 15 months old! I can't believe how quickly you are growing these days! It's like time is flying before my eyes.

You took your first assisted steps yesterday! You were walking while holding on to your toy stroller and it was amazing!! I have been waiting for this day! :)

You are getting your fifth tooth right now...the top right one! We love it!

You look like a little vampire when you do your crazy, squinty smile and your little vamp teeth show. It's pretty much adorable.

You LOVE your Monk-Monk...which is what we very lovingly call your monkey stuffed animal that Daddy picked for you to sleep with. You do this super cute thing where you grab him and give him a huge hug and lay your head on his (Monk-Monk's, that is...). It's pretty much too cute for words.

You also do this really cute thing...who am I kidding, EVERYTHING you do is cute!....where you lay on your belly on a pillow or stuffed animal and then kick your feet. You smile and laugh the whole time. I'm telling you, it's crazy adorable!

You LOVE Sister's Dora microphone. You always dance to the music and when it stops, you hand it to me to make it start playing again. You do this super funny dance where you arch your back out reaaaaaaally slowly and then stick your belly out even slower than that! It is hilarious! And of course, you're smiling super huge the whole time!

You are SUCH a joy to have in this family. We adore watching you grow up and seeing you and Makayla interact together. Your sister is getting to be much more loving towards you, though she still has her moments.

You have officially become 'Sissy'. I fought it for as long as I could. Oh, it was hard. I called you 'Sisty Bisty', which stuck for quite a while, but then M started calling you Sissy and I just couldn't stop her. I hate that word, but I'm coming around to it. It is you, after all. ;)

You are just too precious and I love you with every fiber of my being. You are going to do big things, baby girl.

I love you,
Mommy

Recent Happs.

2011-09-22T21:57:00.003-04:00

I've been slacking on keeping up with what the girlies are doing these days. So, here is my catch up post.

Makayla just sang Jesus Loves Me on Aug. 31st. It made my heart SO happy!!

Makayla pointed out Africa on an Atlas in Borders on Saturday Sept. 2nd!!! LOVE her.

She says 'Mix Donald's'.

She says 'for-a-got' instead of forgot.

She dances like a wild woman and I love it!

Addison stood up in her crib for the first time on Sept. 2nd!

I noticed last week (or the week before last?) that Addison's front right tooth is coming in!! She has her little vampire teeth coming in AND that right front tooth.

Addi smiles SOOOOO huge these days that her eyes squint! It's super adorable.

On Tuesday Sept. 20th, Addison was smiling a lot in her booster seat during lunch and Makayla looked at me and said, "When she smiles too much, I get really angry at her." I don't really know why she said that, but I thought it was pretty hilarious.

Yesterday, Makayla said, "Mommy, I love Africa! Are we going to get an Ethiopia baby?!"

Me: "I love Africa, too! We ARE going to get an Ethiopia baby!"

M: "Daddy and Addi do, too! That's why Jesus is in our hearts!!"

Um, PROUD MOM.

Also, TODAY, Addison walked with her (toy) stroller for the FIRST TIME!!! Yep, September 22nd. And she'll be 15 months old tomorrow! I just can't believe how fast this is all going!! It was kinda funny because I was getting ready to pick up Makayla from preschool and I turned around and said, "Alright, Addi, you ready to go?" and she is walking behind her stroller!! Holding on, obviously, but oh man, I fa-reaked!! In a good way. But, then she tripped over her too long pants, fell and cried. But, she did it! She's getting there!!

That's about it for now. I just love my girls so much!!!

BE REAL.

2011-09-20T23:41:00.001-04:00

I copied this from my pal, Janet's, blog. Janet has fibromyalgia and it is a very serious disease. You can't see it on her body. You can't feel it. Heck, you won't even know she has it by looking at her. But, she has it. It hurts her. Deeply. She is in pain more than she is not in pain.

I don't know much about fibromyalgia, but reading what my dear friend (she was a bridesmaid in my wedding!!) has to go through every day is heart wrenching.

Anyway, in a recent post she wrote this:

"If you want to be like Jesus... if you want to be biblical... get down in the freaking dirt with the people in your life who are suffering. Stop giving Christianese and stop giving words to people that are not genuine. BE AUTHENTIC. Step away from your cultivated, cult of a western church experience and actually act like a disciple of Jesus. Too hard to hear? Well maybe that means you need to hear it. Don't walk away from your conviction. It means something. Listen to the King. Stop acting like carbon copies in your fancy, air conditioned church buildings and start being the church in YOUR daily life. Stop ignoring the hungry homeless man you see. Buy him breakfast and a coffee one morning instead of gorging your greedy face again. Cancel your gym membership that you never use and only have for status. Stop acting. For the love of God, just stop acting. BE THE CHURCH away from the social club you deem as church. "

And every word of that is true. We HAVE to stop saying what we think people want to hear. We HAVE to start ACTING.

Do something today. For someone in need. I can't say it any better than Janet already did. Go check out her blog and educate yourself about fibromyalgia. If you feel led to donate to her, DO IT. Don't be stagnant in your walk with Jesus. BE JESUS.

Craft Time (Again!), New Bedding and Other Fun Things.

2011-09-19T16:39:00.001-04:00

I've been on a craft kick lately! Like, crazy craziness. It's been awesome, though. I love crafting. It brings me so much joy to get something completed, you know? Anyway, I'm here to show you my most recent creations. Get ready!! Picture overload coming your way!!

I bought these plates when we first moved to Ohio. I then became obsessed with blue and white plates. We just now hung them on the wall. And I love!

Our little reading nook. See that other blue plate sitting on my awesome $20 drum table? Yeah, that plate cost me .50 cents!!

Finally got around to hanging one of the other vinyl things we got from a review last year! LOVE!

It's in the entry way, so it's the first thing you see when you walk in.

Looking in to the dining room. See it up there?

A placemat from Pier 1 that I got for...

See that? .98 cents!! I all kinds of love it.

I made it into a pillow! GO ME!!

Here's the back. Just cut open part of one side, used some stuffing I already had on hand, sewed up the side and voila! Brand new pillow for .98 cents!!

Two more placemats for...

You guessed it! .98 cents each!

Here are some cloth napkins that I made into pillow covers. I used those ugly blue pillows for the filler.

All finished! SUPER easy! I just sewed two cloth napkins together on three sides, slid the pillow in and then sewed up the other side. Two brand new pillows for $6! $1.49 for each napkin and the pillows were free since I've had them for years!

Brand new comfy pillows! So cute!

Here is my glorious embellishment center all ready to be filled up!! This thing sells for $80, but you know I'm not about to spend that crazy amount of money on something that's just going to hang on my wall! I went to Michael's with a 15% off coupon one day and then found this little guy on sale for 50% OFF!! So, with my 15% off coupon, I got this baby for $34 out the door! WAHOO!!! Stay tuned for pics with it all filled up...

Here is what my craft room used to look like...crazy mess, I know. We're getting there, though!

Before I filled up my sweet little thing. Stay tuned for more progress pics in the future!!

Now, I am VERY proud of this baby. I love our new play room artwork! It's just a box of 64 crayons hot glued onto a canvas. Then take a hair dryer and melt those babies!! LOVE!!!

Close up shot!

Again.

I just can't get enough!! It makes me smile every time I look at it!!

Beautiful colors!!

Here is our glorious new bedding! Here we come grey and yellow bedroom!!!

Throw pillows that came with the set.

Close up of the comforter.

Here are my wall hangings that I made! Just some fabric in an embroidery hoop. That's it! Super cheap and super easy!! I'll be adding more to our wall since this just isn't enough.

I had this frame from an earlier post and I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. Well, I found this great Ohio online, printed it out and framed it! Now it hangs in our purple and yellow bathroom downstairs!

Close up shot!

Remember my menu board? Here it is hanging on the wall! I made a new 'Menu' label for it since you couldn't really see the other one.

Up close! Now you know what we're having for dinner this week. :)

I also organized and labeled our pantry. SO much better than what it looked like before! I don't even have any before shots, but it was so hard to find anything in there!

Cute labels, huh?

The brown sugar one does now have brown sugar in it. ;)

See that? Yeah, it's a placemat from the Dollar Store.

I made it into a clutch!

Super cute, huh?? I know you can't really see, but this is the inside. All I did was fold it where I wanted it to be, pin it, sew it and done! I'm planning to add a cream flower to cover the magnetic part on the outside. Need to get some cream fabric first!

LOVE!

Remember those other placemats above?? Well, here are some more pillows! These cost me a total of $2.00! I cut open this ugly brown pillow and used the stuffing from that for the big one and the other one has a pillow form in it from Makayla's room. She wasn't using it, so I did. I did have to do some cutting to that placemat, obviously. But, I'm so happy with them!

The backs! They live in our play room now and they are a great, fun addition!

Here is my other placemat pillow all comfy in my $3 garage sale chair!

The colors match PERFECTLY! And I didn't even know that when I bought it! So great when that happens!!

I just adore this print. Too bad there was only one left! At least I found the perfect place for it, though. :D

I have also been on a winning streak lately! I have won this great subway art from My Suite Bliss. I love it! It will be hanging in the craft room very soon...stay tuned!

I also won two Ugandan necklaces from Jonathan and Rachel's blog. Can't wait to get those bad boys in the mail!

I also won a book called Gospel Centered Life from Together for Adoption's blog!

And my latest win that I just got in the mail...this fabulous Africa ornament from The Jenkins' Journey blog!! I snapped some pics for your viewing pleasure. LOVE it!!

I think that's all for now. Wow, that was a hard post to write. Maybe I should update more frequently in between craft binges?! We'll see how that goes... ;)

Makayla's First Day of Preschool.

2011-09-13T13:28:00.000-04:00

Makayla had her first day of preschool today!! She picked out her own outfit and she did a great job! I told her I wanted to put her hair up in a pony tail and she said, "Okay, I'll go get two!" Then she came running back with all of her stuff and said, "I want two ponytails today!" So, we did two ponytails and she looked beyond precious!

We have been talking about preschool around here for quite some time. Every time we pass her school, she yells out, "There's my preschool!" She has been obsessed with going and today was finally the big day!

We were all out the door and got there right on time. Daddy went with us, too!! We posed for a few pictures before we left the house. This is a big day, people!

So, we took her into class and I wanted her to say hi to her teachers, but as soon as we walked in, she said, "I want to go play with toys." :)

I asked her to give me a big hug and kiss and that's the moment I started to get teary eyed. My baby is all grown up and going to school!! EEK!!

Anyway, Addi, Emma (our friend's daughter) and I came home and hung out for two hours. I got some laundry done while the girls followed me around and cried. Not the whole time, but part of the time. :) Then, it was time to go get Makayla!

She was ready to go as soon as we got there, but she said she had a good time! When we got in the car, I asked her what she did. This is how the conversation went:

M: "Well, the kids played with me, then we had circle time, then we ate, then we read and then the parents came!"

Me: "What did you do during circle time?

M: "I can't tell you!"

Me: "What did you eat?"

M: "Cars." Ensuing laughter afterwards...

Me: "You ate cars for a snack?!"

M: "Like crackers! Not the ones that you drive! That's silly!!"

Both of us cracking up. End scene. :)

She's precious. And I can't believe how big she is! Gah, my baby is in preschool!!

My gorgeous girl before the big day! Yep, mismatched socks and all!!

Mama and her baby girl. <3

And again.

And again again. :)

Sweet Dora backpack, girlfriend!

Walking to her classroom.

There's her cubby! She even has a pink crayon nametag. Rock on, girl! :D

Daddy and his precious girls.

Already playing and totally not caring about Mommy anymore. ;)

She spelled her name. It said 'upside down W, T, Q'.

USCIS.

2011-09-09T22:13:00.000-04:00

Adam and I took a gamble today. We went to USCIS two weeks before our scheduled appointment...

AND WE GOT IN!!!

I was beyond nervous. I wasn't sure if they'd take us early or not, but they totally did!!! So, now we're two weeks ahead of schedule! YES!!!

I'm *hoping* that by the 23rd (our original appointment date) that we'll have our I-171H in hand!!!

On the way to Cleveland, I saw a taxi and the number on the taxi was 797. Well, the letter that we got with our appointment date/time on it is an I-797C! I told Adam it was a sign that we'd get in! ;)

So, we got lost on the way there because GPS SUCKS. It has gotten me lost more times than it has gotten me somewhere. BAD Maria!!

We got there 15 minutes behind (my) schedule, but thank the Lord that didn't stop us from getting in.

We had to go through security first, which was just putting my purse through an x-ray machine and showing them our IDs. We took the elevator to our floor and found our office.

Adam just walked up to the man and woman at the front desk, asked if we could get in early even though it wasn't our scheduled time. The man just nodded. It was awesome and totally not a big deal! We prayed before we went in, too. Jesus always helps. :D

We had to fill out a form with our personal info, show them our IDs and our appointment paperwork. We each got a number and then we went to sit down and they called us back! It was super easy and quick!! Fingerprints and done! I'm kinda baffled that we paid $890 for that. But, it is SO worth it!!!

So, that's done and now we wait for that gorgeous I-171H saying that we're approved for our sweet babe....

In other news...we got $1,000 donation today. Yeah, you read that right. How stinking great is that?! This person doesn't want any recognition, but I am beyond humbled. I just can't believe it. So, now we are for real, for real FULLY FUNDED for our dossier!!! WITH SOME LEFT OVER FOR OUR REFERRAL!!!! WOOHOO!!!!

I'm just beyond humbled, speechless and blessed beyond words. So, thank you to our anonymous (to you all) donor!!! You will not be forgotten by our Lord Jesus. Keep storing your treasures in Heaven, my dear friend. We thank you for bringing us SO much closer to our baby. Thank you.

Thank you to EVERYONE that has donated to our adoption!! Once our paperwork is submitted (hopefully by the end of the month!!), I'm going to write a post with the names of all of our donation pals. It's a huge list and I love that!!!

I've had a great day. I also got a new bra and an Auntie Anne's pretzel. Life is good. :)

Book Reading.

2011-09-04T23:00:00.000-04:00

I love me a good book. I adore reading and I always have. Getting lost in the characters. Or even reading about a real life story. I just love it all. Knowing more and learning more about other people, places and things intrigues me. It's beautiful and I hope that my kids will love to read as much as I do.

Last month, I read Love You More and Carried Safely Home. Yes, both of these are adoption related, the latter being one that is for our recommended reading from our agency.

I have some excerpts from each book that I would like to share with you, my dear readers. I know a lot of my readers are fellow adoptive mamas. I hope that you receive encouragement and hope from these parts of these great books, which I highly recommend you read both of them if you want to learn about the adoption world.

And if you're not adopting and you don't care about adoption, I pray that you read these excerpts with an open mind, an open heart and want to gain some education on the subject. Without further adieu...

Love You More Excerpts:

"Such parents have scoured their homes and lives in preparation for the home study. They have sufficiently proved what loving and capable parents will be. No spanking. Consistently enforced time-outs. Limited television. Lots of reading together. Daily outdoor play. Mozart on the radio. Organic strawberries. Nontoxic, eco-friendly cleaning supplies. Hm...what else? The wipes will always be gently warmed, the bottles never heated in the microwave, and only a few grains of refined sugar will pass over their children's lips every year. (Phew-did we get all the answers right?) Their friends and clergy have written long letters extolling their virtues. They have opened their medical files and financial statements to the world, and everyone from the local police to the FBI has verified that they are not criminals. (They do not even have unpaid parking tickets, and they never, ever jaywalked.) They have weathered the disapproval of unsupportive family or friends and the ambivalence of wary employers. They have shrugged off the barrage of inappropriate questions and remarks."

My comments on this piece: I can totally relate!! To it all!! As you know, our social worker came a day early (maybe I never told that story, now that I'm thinking about it) and we had dishes up the yin yang in our sink! I was so worried about that! And then it turned out that she totally didn't care. And Addi's health scare was what could have stopped our home study from continuing. It's obviously all worked out now, but you get the idea.

And I think that people that haven't gone through the process really don't know what we are doing to get this baby home. The amount of paperwork we have had to do. The background checks. The physicals. The TB tests for both the girls. Ordering new birth certificates and marriage license. It is a lot of work and I think this says it best. Not to mention all the awful things that we have had said to us thus far...

The next excerpt from this book is actually an excerpt from another book called The Hole In Our Gospel. It's on my to read list.

"It is not our fault that people are poor, but it is our responsibility to do something about it. God says that we are guilty if we allow people to remain deprived when we have the means to help them."

My comments: AMEN. Yeah, that's it. People have countless excuses on not being able to help or do more or whatever, but there are no excuses that are legitimate in not helping the poor. And Ethiopia has some of the poorest of the poor, among other countries. (And just so you know, this book was written by a mama who adopted from Guatemala.)

"I believe God nudges us toward the people with whom we're meant to share our lives. And, sometimes, I think God uses adoption to rip away the curtain that keeps us blind to poverty and suffering. In finding our children and falling in love with a country far from home, many adoptive parents find a calling to change their lives and serve those whom they have met there. They know that members of their children's first families struggle just to survive; suddenly the crisis of global poverty is personal.

Is that part of the divine plan of adoption? Not only to give permanent, loving families to orphaned children and to answer the prayers of the childless but to link those who have much with those who do not have enough? To make us all, truly, extended family?

More and more, I think so."

Comments from moi: My life has been forever changed since we started this adoption. I am literally pulled towards a country I have never been to. My heart aches for these people. I yearn to be there and I want to do anything I can to help them. And no matter how ya slice it, our child will always be from Ethiopia. Their birth family will always live there. Our hearts are forever connected.

"What orphans need are families who love them. Period."

"When you give birth to or adopt a child, you are in for the long haul. You must commit to sleepless nights, vulnerability like you've never know, and moments when you can't even wrap your mind around how much you adore your child. There will also be times when your child's selfishness makes you think, Who is this nasty little person? and, even worse, times when you can't believe how brittle and small your own heart is. But because you see yourself as your child's parent and you know you were meant to be together, you wade through the hard times and know that the good ones await you. You ask for help. You admit your faults. You stop, breathe deeply, and count to ten. And you know that whether the weather is fair or story, you are your child's true parent."

Comments: Orphans NEED families. This world is too much to bear without someone you can rely on and trust. We might not be the perfect family. Heck, some might think there is no way we're fit to adopt, but knowing that we can bring love, trust, faith, help, care and JESUS to someone living with who knows how many other children in a less caring environment brings me great joy. This journey isn't about our child, it isn't about us. It's about JESUS and doing what He calls us to do.

Yeah, I get frustrated with the two children I have at home now. Who doesn't? Does that mean I should not bring my third child home? Absolutely not. I'm still human and I still mess up.

This book was balm to my soul. It was soothing to read real life words from a real life family that has gone before us.

Next up is Carried Safely Home excerpts:

"Our feelings of love are dependent on God's work in our hearts. Our heart-bindings come from HIm. This is true even for those most dear to us. Parents do not always feel instantly and strongly connected to their children-birth or adopted. Our feelings of affection go up and down from day to day. I see my lack of love as I live with those closest to me. Sometimes I am not happy about pulling myself out of bed to answer a call fro ma small child, or perhaps it is hard to defer cheerfully to my husband when we have different opinions. To continue and persist in love, we need God's love poured into our hearts, over and over each day.

God is the source of love, and His greatest commands are that we love. So we can pray with confidence that, when we ask Him for love, He will respond. We we don't have warm feelings of affection, we can as Him for the will to love in deed while we persevere in prayer for the accompanying emotions."

My commentary: Pretty much almost the same quote from Love You More, huh? They are very similar anyway. Oh and by the way, the family from this book...adopted from Vietnam.

This next one is pretty lengthy, but definitely worth the read.

"Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites are called to remember God's goodness and power in delivering them out of Egypt; that memory serves as proof that He will continue to be good to them. Now the crowing glory of God's goodness to His people has appreared: His eternal, redemptive work of salvation, planned for millennia and then completed, at enormous cost, by Jesus. "What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all-how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?" (Rom 8:32). God is not miserly with His children. He already gave us so much in Jesus that we can trust His goodness in all other parts of our lives. Jesus is proof that God will always give us what is good.

Jesus also promises that those who follow Him will have troubles and persecution, so good must not always mean deliverance from difficulty. The New Testament claims that trials are not counter indications of God's goodness but a portion of His good gifts They allow us closer fellowship with Jesus, because they product godly character in us and because they are "achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all" (2 Cor 4:17). Paul and James both exhorted their readers to not only accept their sufferings but to rejoice in them because of the good that God would bring from them (Rom 5:3-5, 2 Cor 12:10, Js 5:2-4).

God is working everything together in our lives for our good. He desires to abundantly bless us-on His terms. Only He knows what good means for us. Sometimes He gives us what we feel is good; sometimes He gives us what we instinctively recoil from and withholds what we desperately want. In both cases, He is creating more good in us and for us than we can imagine, though His blessings do not always coincide with what makes us happy. God's good does not always feel good."

Comments?: Obviously, the Lord knows what is better for me than I do. He knows that we still need to raise money to send in our dossier (I know I said we were fully funded, but I didn't take into account the $890 we needed to fork over to turn in our I-600A, which came out of our dossier fund money) and it is coming from us selling things on the internet. Things we don't need, want or care for. He is helping us to raise this money, dollar by dollar. We have also sold a couple shirts in the last few days, which is awesome. We still have them for sale, by the way! No mediums, though. And, of course, straight up donations are always welcome.

Anyway, He knows what's best for me. He knows what's best for this adoption. I don't and no matter how much I think I do, I still don't.

"How grateful I am that my relations with God comes through Christ's work and not my diligence in religious activity. How grateful I am that, once given, God's forgiveness does not need to be purchased again, that it will not lapse when the incense coil burns out. His love, once set on us, can never be removed."

Mine: How grateful am I? VERY grateful. I love Jesus and I am so grateful that He loves me.

"With the New Testament, we have another incentive to care for orphans: We want to be like Jesus. He identified with the poor and outcast. He also received and blessed children in a way that was radical in His time. Orphans are children-and they are usually poor-so we can follow Jesus by loving them."

Commentary time: We want to be like Jesus. If you are follower of Jesus, don't you want to be like Jesus? Now I am definitely not saying that everyone needs to adopt, but we all need to do something. You call yourself a Christian? Are you doing something (anything?) to help orphans? Donating to an adoptive family? Going to serve orphans? Look inside yourself and see what you are doing to help the orphan crisis and BE LIKE JESUS. This is not a made up Jesus. This is the Jesus of the Bible. He is real and alive. Do you want to follow Him?

"Here is a hint that indeed the Lord does not leave us untouched by the evil in the world. God's children know sorrow. But nothing can sever us from Him. He chooses to be close to us in our trials and sorrows: "for we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are-yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need" (Heb 4:16). Jesus understands our sorrows more than anyone. When we suffer, we can look to Him. He will draw near to us to give grace and comfort."

Comments: Jesus knows us and He loves us. Draw near to Him. Does that mean life will be perfect? No way. But, you will have Someone to turn to. Sometime that will never leave you. That's pretty awesome if you ask me.

All of the bold marks are mine...they are not that way in the book. Thank you to both of these authors for these great books.

I pray that you got a little, tiny glimpse into our life via this adoption. Check out these books if you want to learn more about the process.

WOOHOO!!! WOOHOO!!! WOOHOO!!!

2011-09-01T20:31:00.000-04:00

Oh yes!!!!!! We got our USCIS biometrics appointment today!!!!!!!

I am beyond excited, in case you couldn't tell. :D

So, our appointment is September 23rd and it can't come soon enough! I'm thinking about going on early and seeing if they'll take us. Anyone else done that and had success??

After we get fingerprinted, we'll have to wait another 6-12 weeks before getting our I-171H in the mail, which will them complete the puzzle of our dossier!!!!! And then we can send it to Ethiopia!!!!!!

I'm just a little happy about that. ;)

Oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah!! Today is a good day.

Also, this was Makayla's prayer tonight: "Thank You for the mighty knights. The end." Me: "A mighty knight, like a boy?" M: "Knights can be boys OR girls, Mom." Next prayer: "Thank you for clippies, people, closets. And toys. To love on them. The end."

Yes, she is the funniest kid on the planet. Thanks for noticing.

Life. And Crafts.

2011-08-30T16:12:00.002-04:00

Well, I decided to get back on Facebook a littler earlier than planned. I'm kinda regretting it. And I know, I don't have to get on there or anything, but now that I can, I do. It's a catch 22, I guess.

Anyway, I've neglected blogging again since I've been on there. My bust.

Since my discovery of Pinterest, I have REALLY gotten bitten by the crafty bug. I am on a quest to make our home out to be all that it can be. I have SO many projects running through my head right now, I don't even know how to keep them all straight. Pinterest does a pretty good job of keeping them together for me. But, there are so many things I want to make/do/create/buy that I'm thinking I'm going to have to make boards (on Pinterest) for each room, just to keep everything straight. It's a lot of work trying to be crafty! :)

But, I totally enjoy it. I just have so many things I want to do and such a limited budget (read: none, since we are adopting and I am beyond thrilled about that and not regretting it in any way because I can't afford to make my house as beautiful as I want it. A human life is MUCH more important and bringing my child home will always trump my craftiness needs.) that I'm taking it one step at a time. Goodwill is my new best friend. And so is spray paint. I have so many items in our house that I have bought in the past and they are all helping me in my need for craftiness. I love it.

So, here are some things I've been working on:

Remember the menu board I made from this post? Well, I spray painted the frame and distressed it a bit. And I am SO in love with it!! It's still hanging in the same place and I think it's kind of perfect there.

I also got a great idea from Pinterest to dress up the wipes container a bit. I just took some leftover fabric (I have a lot of that), cut it to size, slapped some Mod Podge on it and bam! A brand new wipes container. It makes me just a little bit happier to change those poopy diapers. :)

Since we have moved in, we haven't had a shower curtain in the girls bathroom. We haven't technically needed one since we don't really have people stay with us that often. And since shower curtains are insanely expensive, I wasn't in the business of purchasing one I wasn't crazy about, especially at the price point of $20. And that's just for the shower curtain, not to mention the liner, the rod and the hooks. BUT, I was on the lookout for cheap, cheap, cheap!! And I found it! I never go in to Big Lots...until last week!!

On Thursday, I was on the hunt for some crazy cheap deals to start some of my crazy awesome projects. And Big Lots is cheap, so I rolled with it. At first, I picked up a table cloth for $3 that I was going to punch holes in and use as a shower curtain. Until....I found an actual shower curtain for $4.50!!! Talk about awesome! And it totally goes with the girls' bathroom motif! So, I got the shower curtain for WAY less than one at Target or even Wal-Mart and it goes perfectly! I also got the liner for $2!!! Yep TWO DOLLARS. The rod was $10, which is also way cheap for a rod. And my favorite part?? The 'hooks'. I got this idea from Pinterest and I LOVE IT!!! Instead of spending $12-15 on the really nice shower hooks and not the cheap, nasty plastic ones (which totally suck anyway), I used $1.97 spool of ribbon from Wal-Mart! And I have some left over for future projects!! Check out how it turned out!

I'm pretty proud of my shower curtain. :) Feel free to come over and shower now!! HA!

Alright, so the next stuff is kinda all over the place, so bear with me. :) Okay, here is the before of the stuff I got at Goodwill/Michael's/our house:

The green frame was at Goodwill for $4. The middle brown frame was $2 at Michael's. The other brown frame was $2 at Goodwill. The mirror and hideous gold frame was $8 at Goodwill. And the black frame I had at home.

UGLY gold frame!!

Primer!

The frames all primed, waiting for their colors. :)

Here is the finished mirror hanging in our entry way. I am SO in love!!

Side view. Beautiful, isn't it?

A can of spray paint can transform anything!! It's kind of amazing. :)

Two frames in process.

My menu board frame...almost done...

Alright, the below photo is before I painted anything. The green frame is the same one from above. The two plate thingys were originally $7.99 at Michael's. Guess how much I paid for them. $1.59 each!!! I know, pretty rad, hey?! And something super awesome happened to the green frame after I painted it. Check it out below!

Before any painting.

Here are the plates in process of being painted. You'll have to wait to see what they're going to be used for!

And here is another thing I got from Pinterest...take a large vase and store your toilet paper in it!! I loved it so much that I got another one for our bathroom upstairs!! It is so cool! Before (in both bathrooms) the toilet paper was in a basket next to the toilet. It worked just fine, but it looked sorta sloppy. Now it doesn't! I love it. I got this one at HomeGoods for $13. And the next day, I got one at Michael's for $12 with my 40% off coupon! Pretty rad!

Obviously I still need to take the sticker off...

Ready for what happened to that green frame? I think I spray painted it too much and then this happened. Thankfully, I love it!!!

It kind of did a crackle type thing. And my spray paint is not crackle. I'm not sure what happened, like I said, but I'm in love! Any ideas on where I should put this bad boy? I was thinking about doing our family values in it, but it's pretty small. Maybe I can use it to make a magnetic board. Or put a picture of Africa in? Thoughts?

Here is a pretty good picture of what happened. :)

My awesome, repurposed frame for $4!!

Here is my last project...for now. The clothespins that Makayla painted every so beautifully were used for this. I just took some twine I had on hand, hung some nails (actually Adam did that) and voila! A great place to hang the girls' artwork!!

It's a little small and it filled up really quick, so I think we're going to add another one on another wall. We'll see how I feel. I'm getting inspired to make a little 'office' area where our desk is in the girls' play room. Any ideas for that?

And one last thing!! We are trying to raise money for our adoption (duh!) so Adam and I have been selling anything and everything we can. I have listed tons of things on Hyena Cart, so please check out what I have for sale! I have lots of jewelry, nursing bras, handbags and children's items. Please peruse and purchase something to support our adoption! They are all SUPER cheap, too!!

http://hyenacart.com/Spots_corner/index.php?u=8173141

I heart crafting, organizing, getting rid of and finishing things!!! :) What have you been up to??

I'm Not Adopting Because I'm A Perfect Mom.

2011-08-30T00:04:00.000-04:00

I copied this post (word for word) from This Is Love Calling. And she says exactly what I'm feeling. It's pretty perfect.

"It's true. I'm not adopting because I'm a perfect mom. I am actually perfectly made by a perfect creator to be imperfect...and in need of a perfect savior. When I'm on the brink of insanity and being asked for the 15th time (before 9am) for a snack (yes, I serve my children breakfast) and it is taking everything in me not to scream "HOW ARE YOU HUNGRY?" but instead gently remind Little man that we JUST ate....I think....who in the world thought I was a good candidate to adopt? Well- I know who. God called me, as imperfect as I am...to be the mother to a motherless child. It's true- I may not have the earthly qualifications to win the next "Mother of the year" award- but I asked God to use ME....just as I am- and let's face it, HE probably knows me best.

So yes, I come up with excuses to skip bath night, sometimes often my children eat waffles for two out of three meals a day, their shoes smell a little "feety", and I really do need to brush that knot out of the back of my son's hair but instead I ignore it because I can't bear to hear him cry when I do.... and I have have to ask their forgiveness when I have wrongly lost patience at the end of a very very very long day....but that's what makes me imperfectly human. I am not adopting because I can handle anymore than anyone else...I know A LOT of people that I deem more capable....more organized....more energetic....and much better at remembering to clean the inside of their microwave. I'm not adopting because I'm the exception...I'm adopting because my heart has been stirred and I'm willing to give my imperfect mothering services and infinite love to one (or two) more..."

Amen. God is using me. I'm not a perfect mom right now, but the Lord has called me to be a mom to a child that doesn't have a mom. How amazing is that? I am beyond happy that He has brought us to this place. There is nowhere I'd rather be.