WendyLou Designs

Let's Do This!!

2012-01-13T18:29:00.001-06:00

Okie Doke!! This is the final push to sell these!! Our friends Brad and Jonana Jolly are working feverishly to finish their paperwork to bring their sweet Albina home from an orphanage in Eastern Europe. Albina has Down's Syndrome and has a diagnosed heart defect that needs medical attention.

Just look at this little sweetie!! Those cheeks need to be smooched!! Her beautiful brown eyes need to be gazed into with the love of a mother!! Her little ears need to hear that she is valued, loved, and adored by the GOD who created her and the FAMILY who traveled across the world to bring her home!! She needs a prissy little skirt and a giant sassy bow in her silky hair!! Can you help?

They are waiting now for their authorization to travel to meet her for the first time. And when that call comes in, let's help make sure they are READY!! They have about $21,000 left to find, so I'm asking you to help me give them a big 'ole BOOST!!

We've already sold 67 necklaces (Wow, y'all! Thanks!), but we still have 18 remaining. Let me know which of these you'd like. FREE SHIPPING on any order!! Valentine's Day is coming up, and it's not too early to be thinking about end-of-the-year teacher gifts.

Happy Shopping :)

It's How We Roll

2011-12-19T22:17:00.000-06:00

Merry Christmas from our ride to yours!!

December Number

2011-12-19T21:23:00.001-06:00

Source

Giveaway Day!

2011-12-12T22:58:00.002-06:00

Update: Congratulations to Heather who wrote, "I made some cute little purses for teen and pre-teen girls that we're blessed to know. Filling with lip gloss and other goodies :)" Heather, I've sent you an email!! As soon as you contact me with your choice and your address, I'll get your goodie in the mail to you. And because this is the season of giving, I'm putting in a little something extra for you to enjoy :)

THANK YOU to everyone who entered!! It was SO fun to read about what you're planning to GIVE this year. Many, many, many handmade gifts. But handmade or not, it seems that y'all are really trying hard to give something personal to the ones you love. Those are my favorite kinds of gifts - the gifts that say, "I know you!!"

Merry Christmas to y'all!!!

Wanna win sumthin' purdy?? I'm giving away a washer necklace to one lucky reader -- your choice of design. (You can see which designs are available here.)

Here's how!! Just leave a comment below telling me the gift you are most excited to GIVE this Christmas. That's it!!

This contest is open until 5 pm PST on the 16th. The winner will be chosen at random and notified. If you are a "no reply" blogger, be sure to leave your contact info!! If I don't hear back from the winner by noon on the 17th, another winner will be chosen. ** Giveaway closed **

I will also ship internationally :)

Want a chance to win some other purdy stuff?? Hope over to Sew, Mama, Sew! to see who else is participating in Giveaway Day 2011.

Good luck to you!!

Cyber Monday (and Tuesday and Wednesday)

2011-11-28T21:35:00.001-06:00

Hey, Y'all!! In honor of Cyber Monday (which is much warmer and less frantic than Black Friday), I'm offering FREE shipping or local delivery for any purchases made from our Stocking Stuffer Fundraiser.

Purchase anything from that page today, tomorrow, or Wednesday, and it'll be delivered right to your front door at no additional cost to you!!

Happy Bargain Hunting!!

November Number

2011-11-08T09:08:00.001-06:00

Ta-dah!! After a 4 1/2 month lag in referrals, we finally have movement!! It's just one spot, but it's something! And I already know that next month's number will be smaller still! I won't say that waiting thru this open-ended time has been easy, but neither has it been excruciating. God is so faithful to gently teach. We probably still have a very long wait ahead, but it's good to rejoice with other families along the way :)

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 15

2011-10-20T22:23:00.000-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Preparation.

As in ... My in-laws are coming, so I'd best get to preparationing for their visit this weekend.

So unless I just get super inspired, I'll be taking the week-end off. Gotta get this house clean, and then it's off to enjoy me some hotel swimming pool :)

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 14

2011-10-17T22:13:00.001-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Comic Relief.

I have several friends who are going through some tough times right now in their adoption journey. Their stories are not mine to tell, but I will ask that you would stop now and pray for them. The wait is so incredibly long! Children have found their forever families, but paperwork snafus are delaying their homecomings. Special days and self-imposed deadlines come and go, and still the babies do not come home. Uncertainty is the cornerstone of adoption. But God's got this!! Nothing is a surprise to Him!!

Proverbs 31:25 tells us that the woman who trusts in God, "Looks forward to the future with joy!" One translation even says, "She can laugh at the days to come." How? The future can seem so uncertain. God gives very few guarantees in life. But He has promised that He knows! He has a plan! We can be assured that His will triumphs over every.thing. in the end! He loves the orphan infinitely more than we will ever be able to. In Him we can rest. In Him we can find our joy - even in the midst of great pain and many tears.

One Mama in particular has requested some comic relief. I am happy to oblige!! All of these little funnies are brought to you by Pinterest ...

And y'all. Every time I read this next story, I end up just absolutely in tears! It completely cracks me up! I know the language is a little coarse, but you have to read it. Just click on the chicken to experience the greatness that is this story!!!

Source: thebloggess.com via Wendy on Pinterest

"And when our friends are sad we can leave him at their front door to cheer them up ... It’ll be like, 'You thought *yesterday* was bad? Well, now you have a enormous metal chicken to deal with. Perspective. Now you have it.' "

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 13

2011-10-15T08:31:00.000-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Commitment.

Looking for a great Saturday night stay-at-home date movie? Try this one. It's available to watch instantly on Netflix. Go here to see the trailer.

The very meaning of Marriage defined in film.

Enjoy!

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 12

2011-10-13T22:17:00.001-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Shadows.

This photo is amazing!! Taken directly overhead, you aren't seeing camels. You are actually seeing the shadows of the camels. Look closely!! The camels are the thin white lines under each shadow. Clever concept; incredible execution.

"Character is like a tree and reputation like a shadow.

The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." -- Abraham Lincoln

Have you ever encountered someone whose reputation did not match who they really were? I sure have, and wowee is that ever a rude awakening!!

How about you? Does your shadow match the real thing? Would people be surprised after getting to know you? Have you become a master at crafting your reputation all the while neglecting your heart? Strive to be authentic!!

P.S. Since I skipped yesterday, Randy says no prize for me :0 But I think I'm over it already :)

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 11

2011-10-11T21:36:00.000-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by The Tongue.

I hate sin. I mean, I really, really hate sin. I hate that I do it. I hate what it has done to our world. I hate what it is doing to my neighborhood.

I just had a long heart-to-heart talk with my 11 year old whose eyes are now opened to sin quite a bit more than they were yesterday. My heart is broken for him. He walked to a neighbor's house to see if his friend could play. Before he even knocked on the door, he heard the yelling. When the door opened all hell broke loose, and Mark had a front row seat for the horribleness inside that home.

That's some heavy stuff for an 11 year old to deal with.

As terrible as that experience was for him, he now has a deeper compassion for his friend. His friend who searches out the weaknesses in others and digs deeply at them. His friend who freaks out and becomes abusive to the other neighborhood boys who happen to beat him in video games.

He's learning from his mentor how to intimidate and dominate the weak.

Do you yell? Do you yell at your spouse? Do you yell at your children? Do you yell at random people in other cars? Stop it. You are ruining your marriage. You are scarring your children. Choose today that you will begin to learn to hold your tongue.

Here's just some of what Proverbs has to say about temper and harsh words:

A fool shows his annoyance at once, but a prudent man overlooks an insult. 12:16

A hot-tempered man stirs up dissension, but a patient man calms a quarrel. 15:18

Better a patient man than a warrior, a man who controls his temper

than one who takes a city. 16:32

A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense. 19:11

An angry man stirs up dissension, and a hot-tempered one commits many sins. 29:22

Besides, your face is just prettier when it's smiling than when it's all distorted from yelling.

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 10

2011-10-11T00:02:00.000-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Perceived Value.

Thank you! Thank you!! Thank you!!! To Karen Wells for letting me re-post this excellent article. Karen blogs over at Nightly Tea, and I strongly encourage you to bookmark that link!!

Sarah and Levi took a class at the zoo today. And wouldn't you know it? One of the critters that was brought into their classroom was a peregrine falcon!!

That Annoying Bird
"In early spring, we began to hear the cry of a bird nesting in the trees of the vacant lot next door. Arrggghhh! It was an irritating sound, slicing through the early morning silence like an annoying alarm clock that won’t shut off. “Oh, no,” I cried out. “Not a crow!” I wanted the chatter of tiny colorful songbirds at our bird feeder, not an ugly bird hiding in the trees, mocking me. The annoying noises continued, day after day.
Last weekend while sitting on the front porch, we heard the bird again, and Bill saw something fly by and perch in our neighbor’s enormous tree. “Doesn’t look like a crow,” he said. It had a white underbelly and a curved beak. It continued to yell at us from high on the tree branch.
Bill went inside and looked it up on the computer. “It’s a peregrine falcon,” he said, “the fastest bird on earth.”
My reaction to the bird was instantly transformed from “Woe!” to “Wow!” An object of annoyance had become in my mind something treasured. I saw the bird differently. It was no longer trespassing on my turf, but graced our lives with its magnificence.
What happened in my mind? It was the same bird. It made the same noise. But now I viewed him from a new perspective.
Looking through radically new eyes, that annoying kid, husband, friend, or neighbor, may actually be a blessing in disguise (or the opportunity for us to be). They may be annoying and irritating only because they infringe on our own agenda, personal peace and happiness or, sadly, how we think the person SHOULD be -- as if we were God.
And yet ... it is God who sees all things so radically different. He doesn’t see us as we SHOULD be; He sees us as we really are, without our costumes and disguises, without the baggage we have picked up along the way, and without excuses. He always sees from the way He designed us, always deeper, more graciously, more loving, and amazingly profound and personal. This is God who chose the awkward, the marginal, and the often annoying little brothers to be the leaders of His Kingdom, the people we would never expect, because He sees them differently. He sees us differently too.
He sees the falcon in us."

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 9

2011-10-09T20:19:00.000-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Consecration.

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy praise
Streams of mercy never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount I'm fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love

Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here by Thy great help I've come
And I hope by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood

O to grace how great a debtor?
Daily I'm constrained to be
Let Thy goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander Lord I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here's my heart Lord take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 8

2011-10-08T22:53:00.000-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Seeing.

Yesterday's post was about hearing what you want to hear, so today I thought it would be fun to talk about seeing what you want to see.

When you see clouds, do you see a visible mass of liquid droplets or frozen crystals made of water and/or various chemicals suspendeded in the atmosphere above the surface of the earth?

Or do you see a kangaroo with his legs crossed, sitting quietly under a tree thinking of how he will propose marriage to his sweetheart?

Or a dragon stealthily creeping up behind the kangaroo? But he's not gonna eat the poor 'roo. He just wants to say, 'Congratulations of your engagement!'

Or an alligator with big, bulging eyes popping his head out of the swamp? He's waiting for the dragon to walk away so he can chomp the kangaroo. Hee hee hee :) As it turns out, gators are not as nice as dragons. Who knew??

Today was a beautiful day for cloud watching, and tomorrow's supposed to be just as spectacular. Grab a blanket, run thru KFC after church, and head out to your favorite park to see what you can see!!

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 7

2011-10-08T00:04:00.000-05:00

I'm tired, and I have, like, 5 minutes to write this before the day is over. So ...

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Selective Hearing.

We have a friend that is the master at completely mis-hearing almost every.freakin.thing. we say. I'm sure he does it on purpose, but how he can think that fast is beyond my comprehension.

So because it's late and because this is funny and because I spent $165 at the vet today on my stupid dog's stupid allergies and because sometimes we hear only what we want to hear, enjoy!!

"Hot yellow kool-aid and save a pretzel for the gas jets!"

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 6

2011-10-06T22:10:00.000-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by "Guilt."

Somewhere between my TWO trips to the grocery store and THREE forgotten-but-remembered-in-the-nick-of-time commitments, I had a great idea for today's post. I spent about an hour tonight working on it before I realized that it was waaaay too long. I didn't even want to read it, so I knew no one else would want to :)

It's almost bedtime, so decided not to post anything today. Nope. No new Perspective from WendyLou today. Nuh uh. But then I felt guilty. Guilty? Why in the world should I feel guilty? This is a self-imposed challenge! Contrary to what Randy believes, there are no prizes in this! But still I felt guilty. So I ruminated on that while I soaked in a hot bubble bath.

I tried to read my Daily Bible (I always read in the tub), but I just couldn't focus on 'ole Joash. Then it hit me - thanks Holy Spirit! - this isn't real guilt! Real guilt is the conviction you get when you, like, sin and stuff. Not blogging tonight is sin? Hardly! Nope. This feeling isn't guilt. It's pride. Pure, ugly pride.

Then I started thinking about all the other things that I thought I was feeling guilty about today. !Just today!

Skipping a day in the 31 Days Challenge? Well, I've already covered that.

Completely forgetting to fix Madison (who's recovering from freakin' knee surgery!) breakfast AND lunch today? While that does make me a loser-mom, it's still not a sin. So, nope. Not guilt - just hurt pride. Why can't I be SuperMom?

Having to make two trips to the grocery store today because I forgot my list the first time? Disorganization is not a sin, last I checked. So, nope. Not guilt - just hurt pride. Why can't I be SuperOrganized?

Realizing that since I'm on June 15th in my Daily Bible, I may not actually finish this year? Again ... Not guilt - just hurt pride. Why can't I be SuperConsistent?

So there you go. I hereby swallow my pride and refuse to feel 'guilty' for not posting today.

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 5

2011-10-05T22:50:00.002-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Arguing.

Yesterday I confessed to you that I'm not that good at remembering most conversations, but there are some that just won't be forgotten. Whether because they are stunningly profound, incredibly hurtful, or wildly funny, some conversations stay with us.

The following is something that I remember so vividly from my childhood. I was probably in 6th or 7th grade. I have no idea what prompted my question. but this brief exchange between me and Mama stuck with me.

We were standing in the kitchen, and I turned to Mama and asked, "Why don't you and Daddy ever fight?"

She looked at me quizzically, cocked her head slightly to the side, and asked, "Well, what would we fight about?"

I thought about it for a moment and said, "I dunno. Maybe a new car or something?"

And then she simply replied, "Why would we fight about that? In the end, we still wouldn't have the money for a new car."

What has that meant to me? We've all heard that we should choose our battles wisely, but for some reason Mama's explanation really impacted me. There's absolutely no sense arguing about stuff that doesn't matter or stuff that you can't change anyway.

So before you choose to engage in an argument, re-assess your position. Is this a hill you're willing to die on? Is your point so desperately important that you would be willing to potentially kill a relationship defending it? There are very few of those for me. I pray that God will continue to teach me which hills to defend and which to abandon!

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 4

2011-10-04T23:10:00.002-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Remembering.

I don't remember very many specific conversations that I've ever had with my Mom. There are a few, though, that do stick out in my mind.

I remember parts of the conversation we had on the way home after my first (and thankfully only) wreck. It was the first day of my Senior year in high school. It was the first day I got to drive to school. It was also the day before the first day I caught the bus for the second day of my Senior year in high school. It was in that conversation that Mama revealed something that she knew about me, something that I had not yet figured out. She said, "Wendy, you always need to know what's going to happen. But we don't always get to know. We just have to wait and see." That has stuck with me all these years, and it often brings me great comfort to know that I can't always know.

I remember her coming to my rescue when I fell off the monkey bars and was screaming bloody murder. Specifically, I remember her laughing and remarking that I was ok when I answered her anxious question, "Wendy! Are you ok? Where did you fall?" with a very tearful, "Oooon the grooouuund!" That wasn't exactly the answer she was looking for. She, as I obviously understand now, was inquiring about my physical well-being. But my being a very literal kid meant that I answered the question that she asked, not the question that she implied.

I also remember when we had the talk. I was 21, and it was the night before my wedding. I specifically remember shutting down that conversation immediately!! I did NOT want my Mama's voice in my head on that subject. Whatever I didn't know at that point, I was sure my man and I could figure out together :)

Now that I'm grown, not remembering much that my Mama told me - the actual words - kinda seems like a bummer. I mean, Moms say some pretty important stuff. I should think that I would remember a whole lot more than I actually do. I suppose, however, that most of what she taught me was internalized and has greatly influenced who I am today. Despite what some may think, I wasn't raised by wolves. I did have some home training, and I hope that shows. Still. Don't you think it's odd that I don't remember very many actual quotes from either of my parents? Randy says he doesn't remember any, so I guess I'm doing better than he is!

As a parent, it also kinda seems like a bummer that my kids won't vividly remember much of what I tell them. I say some pretty important stuff! But now that I think about it, maybe I don't want them to remember everything. I don't know if I want them to remember all the nagging that I do about their messy rooms or the sticky spots they leave all around. And I certainly don't want them to remember all the times when I blow it! So for now I will pray that God will, in His infinite mercy and grace, allow my words to influence the character of these four little people who sleep under our roof. That He will use all the thousands of words I speak to them every day to teach them to love and honor Him. It is my sincerest hope that He will use me to speak at least a few profound and memorable things into their lives in moments of crisis, or at crossroads, or even in the mundane.

I'll be back tomorrow with another story about my Mama :)

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 3

2011-10-03T08:45:00.000-05:00

What's this all about? Click here to find out more.

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Miscommunication.

When I decided to take the 31 Days Challenge, I thought I should make a plan of what to write about for 31 days. I mean, who takes on a challenge with a tight deadline without a plan, right? Welp. That would be me. My plan consists of exactly 6 days penciled in. Six. I need 31. Obviously I'm hoping for some inspiration along the way. Insert ... Randy. He's just helpful that way ...

Guys think differently than girls do. Duh. No shocker there, right? After almost 18 years of marriage, I can usually remember this in the big stuff. But I get tickled when the little stuff catches me off-guard. After I scheduled the first post, I confessed to Randy that I've committed myself to the ~~torture~~ creative writing exercise of writing on the same topic every day for the next month. I was really opening up. Confessing my insecurities and whatnot.

Here's how I was expecting the conversation to go:

Me: Blah-blah-blah ... challenge ... something about hard ... and afraid.
Him: Really? That sounds cool.
Me: Maybe. I dunno.
Him: You should go for it ... something about his confidence in me ... and support.

And here's how it actually went:

Me (apparently): Blah-blah-blah ... challenge ... blah-blah-blah.
Him: Cool. How do you win?
Me: Win? Win what?
Him: The challenge. What do you get if you win?

And there it is. To my husband, everything's a competition. I forgot that for a moment. Here I was all serious and sharing my fear that I would have nothing interesting to say, and he completely missed that and went straight for the joke. At that instant I had a choice: Get all huffy and insist that he just didn't understand me OR use it as a way to just relax. I chose to giggle as I settled into my hot bath.

As I explained the challenge (again) and that I will be writing about PERSPECTIVE, he smarted off and offered to write about tailoring perspectives in the new system he's working on for his job and other nerdy computer work stuff. Oooh! My eyes lit up! A guest post! That's one less post that I would have to come up with! No, he said. You can't have someone else write it for you, because then it would be a tainted victory - like Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Finals when Brett Hull scored the winning goal for Dallas, but his foot was totally in the crease. Tainted. That "W" should have an asterisk by it. Ugh, Randy! Whatever!

W* !!Go Stars!! We were there for Game 2 :)

How about you? If you're married, have you gotten to the place where the Battle of the Sexes is fun and flirty? I hope you have. What's the alternative? Hurt feelings and pouting over miscommunication? No thanks! We're going to be together for a looooong time, and I'd rather spend that time laughing. Wouldn't you?

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 2

2011-10-02T12:39:00.000-05:00

Today's Perspective is brought to you by Redemption.

How deep the Father's love for us,
How vast beyond all measure
That He should give His only Son
To make a wretch His treasure

How great the pain of searing loss,
The Father turns His face away
As wounds which mar the chosen One,
Bring many sons to glory

Behold the Man upon a cross,
My sin upon His shoulders
Ashamed I hear my mocking voice,
Call out among the scoffers

It was my sin that left Him there
Until it was accomplished
His dying breath has brought me life
I know that it is finished

I will not boast in anything
No gifts, no power, no wisdom
But I will boast in Jesus Christ
His death and resurrection

Why should I gain from His reward?
I cannot give an answer
But this I know with all my heart
His wounds have paid my ransom

31 Days of Perspective :: Day 1

2011-10-01T08:51:00.000-05:00

Thanks for stopping by! Scroll down to read Day 1 or click on the links below ...
Day 2 :: Redemption
Day 3 :: Miscommunication
Day 4 :: Remembering
Day 5 :: Arguing
Day 6 :: "Guilt"
Day 7:: Selective Hearing
Day 8 :: Seeing
Day 9 :: Consecration
Day 10 :: Perceived Value
Day 11 :: The Tongue
Day 12 :: Shadows
Day 13 :: Commitment

So I've decided to participate in a blogging challenge to write on a single topic every day for the next 31 days. Ummm ... 31 days in a row? On the same topic? I'm not sure what makes me think this is even possible, but I do feel compelled to give it a go :) The Nester is the gal who issued this challenge. She is incredibly inspirational, encouraging her readers not to wish their lives away waiting to share themselves and their homes until they've become 'something more.' Isn't that so true?!? Her tag line is It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful. I'm hoping that goes for completing blogging challenges, too!! Be sure to pop over to see what everyone else is writing about!!

I'm choosing to think about PERSPECTIVE this month. I could easily have named this series 31 Days of Sappy Ruminations. Or 31 Days to Not Being Such a Grump. Or When Live Gives You Lemons ... Make PIE!! So let's just see where this take us ...

There. Day 1 was simple enough! See you tomorrow ...

Waiting ...

2011-09-02T14:02:00.001-05:00

found via Pinterest. i tried to find the original source, but i was unable to track it back.

if this is your original work, please let me know! i would love to attribute it to you!

We are sitting still at #14 on the waitlist.

There are many physical reasons that I could cite: a change in agency personnel, new requirements from the Ethiopian government, court closures due to the rainy season, and on and on I could go.

But ultimately, it is God's hand that controls the timing.

We have done all we can do to make ourselves available, and there is much peace in knowing this! In a few weeks, some of our documents will begin to expire. We will need to have our homestudy updated and renew our immigration paperwork and fingerprints. But for now, we wait. Patiently, so far :) We will stay where we are, serving and faithfully following God's direction. And we will wait with much anticipation to see how He will fight for His children!

Our hands are busy, but our hearts are still.

July Number

2011-07-05T21:40:00.000-05:00

We're steadily making our way closer to the top of the list for a referral. How much longer before we find out who our children will be? Could be next week ... could be next year ...

Either way, we're ready :)

How to Have a Kickin' Garage Sale Adoption Fundraiser

2011-06-17T23:10:00.002-05:00

So you think you wanna have a yard sale to help fund your adoption? Great!! Get ready for a lot of dirty, sweaty, fun work!!

This is just a collection of things I wish I'd known before our first sale and things that proved very true for our second sale ... Please don't hesitate to contact me for more info!! I would love to help you plan your sale 'cause I'm bossy like that ...

Pray! Pray!! Pray!!!

First and most importantly - pray! pray! pray! There are a bazillion moving parts! Pray that God will direct those who need a good bargain to your sale. Pray that you will encourage and show love to everyone who comes. Pray that God will take all this junk and use it for His glory, as only He can!!

Beauty for ashes, y'all - that's what this is!! The making of families, the redeeming of lives brought about by so much stuff that will eventually rot or be burned away. Pray that your sale goes according to His divine will. He may choose to provide hundreds of dollars to help fund your adoption, or He may choose to provide thousands. Either way, pray that your sale will honor Him and bring Him glory and fame among the nations ... or at least among your neighborhood :)

Location, Location, Location!!

I cannot emphasize this enough!! If your house is located on a cul de sac at the back of a quiet neighborhood, that's a great place to raise a family, but you need to face the cold, hard facts of yard sale-ing. You will probably draw in your neighbors, your friends who already know where you live (and most likely don't want to buy back their own stuff), and the few persevering folks who followed the maze of signs you painstakingly erected. And speaking of signs, they do need to be good, but if you're relying only on those to bring in the traffic ... that does not bode well for your sale. You'll attract infinitely more traffic if your sale is on a busy street or is at least visible from a busy street or intersection.

Do you have a friend who lives on a busy street?? Or maybe one turn off of a busy street?? Is there ample parking?? Ask if you can use their yard!! A very good friend graciously donated her house as our location last year - then found out she was pregnant and was horribly sick all summer! When it came time for this year's sale, I hesitated to approach her again. It was such an inconvenience to her last year. Surely this is asking too much. I hate to impose. She just had a baby; there's no way she'll say 'yes.' But God is bigger than my fears. Randy encouraged me to ask - you never know until you ask. I saw her at church - first time back after having the baby. I did it. I asked. And do you know what she said? Heck yeah! Let's do it! Oh me of little faith.

After the sale, I wondered just how busy the intersection we were near was. I Googled 'traffic volume by intersection memphis' and found this website. Pretty awesome!! Based on the three nearest check points, I'd estimate that the intersection we were on sees over 22,000 cars per day. That's a lot of volume. People on their way to work. Moms who just dropped off carpool. And none of them had to go far to find us. They could see us from the intersection. It was obvious that we were worth a stop! I would guess that we had no fewer than 30 shoppers at any given time. I wouldn't be surprised if that number were closer to 50 or 60 at our busy times.

Once you secure a location ... it's time to start collecting stuff!!

Got Junk?? Can We Have It??

Unless you have rooms and rooms and rooms of extra stuff lying around your house or you don't plan to sell every stick of furniture that you own, you're gonna need to ask your friends, your friends' friends, and your friends' friends' friends for stuff.

Start early!! Two to three months before the sale, start letting people know what you're doing. Ask them to be on the look out for any unwanted treasures they may have lying around. Send emails. Post it on Facebook. Tweet the need. If your church has a bulletin and will allow you to advertise there, do it!

We had a graphic designer friend make up cards that we handed out everywhere we went. Hand out cards at church, to your neighbors, in the carpool line, at the dentist's office. And don't be stingy with those cards! Give them out three at a time and ask your friends to pass them along. Ours simply said: "Got Junk?? Can We Have It?? Donate your gently used items for our yard sale to help us bring our children home from Ethiopia. To arrange a drop-off, pick-up, or to volunteer, please contact {my info} And don't forget to come and shop on {dates} at {address}." Simple, catchy, and informative.

People called all the time asking if we wanted {whatever} or if we were taking {whatever}. We always said YES!! Our motto was: You be as generous as you'd like to be, and we'll let God sell whatever He'd like to sell.

Stalk your neighborhood, Facebook, etc. for other people's yard sales. Stop by or send a message telling them what you're trying to do and ask if you can have their leftovers. Chances are they are planning to just box it all up and take it to Goodwill after their sale (that's what we always do) and would be just as happy to give it all to you, especially if you volunteer to come back at the end of the day and pick it up. We had great success with this technique. I don't think we were ever turned down! One family called and said they decided not to have their sale after all and wanted us to come by to get their stuff. It took about 4 hours and three trips to the storage unit with the trailer loaded down to empty out their attics. We were blessed!!

Keep a keen eye out on trash day. We always find good stuff on the curb on trash day. In the past we've scored luggage, furniture, kid's toys, cribs, and all kinds of other random stuff that was still in good condition. It was just plopped out on the curb because the owner wanted it gone and didn't know what else to do with it. Keep your trunk empty and your pride in check ... stop and pick up that junk!

Now let me just say ... Being a fundraising family is hard. I have a whole new level of appreciation for missionaries. It is hard to ask your friends for financial help over and over and over again. It hurteth the pride muchly. Very muchly. Satan is quick to condemn, quick to discourage. You hear these thoughts in your head, and you're convinced that people are thinking these things about you. (And sadly, some probably are.) Should you really be adopting if you can't afford it? You haven't sold both of your cars, your house, your wedding rings, your kidneys or your first born child yet. Shame on you for asking people for help. And asking people for their stuff?? While still potentially awkward, it kinda feels a little easier to me than straight up asking for cash. Americans, especially, are accustomed to getting rid of stuff they don't like anymore. The more you ask, the more you'll realize that SO many people are thankful that their castoffs will go to directly impact the life of someone they know, rather than the unknown of donating to Goodwill. Which brings me to my next point ...

We'll Have a Truck on Your Street Next Week!!

I get calls from NAMI every few weeks asking if I have anything to donate. We'll have a truck on your street next week. Can we count on you for a donation of gently used household items, appliances, or clothes? I usually keep an open garbage bag in the hall closet. I toss random stuff into it whenever I find it lying around the house. It's a great way to keep clutter at bay. Do those shoes you never wear hurt your feet? Toss them in the bag. Kids outgrown their winter jackets? Toss them in the bag. Has that horridly loud plastic toy annoyed you for the last time? Yup. Toss it! Then when NAMI calls, I am thrilled to say, Yes! Please send your truck to pick up my stuff! It saves me a trip to Goodwill. Goodwill had a good thing going with their drive-thru donation centers, but when another charity offers to pick it up from my front porch? I am so there!

Let people know that you're willing to pick up whatever they would like to donate, hitch up that trailer, and get haulin!!

For those who graciously volunteer to bring their stuff to you, have a place to put it! Be sure they know where they can drop it off if you're not home. I can't tell you how many times we came home and noticed a new pile of stuff. Sometimes there would be a message from the donor on our voice mail or inbox. Sometimes we never knew who dropped off the stroller, four bags of clothes, and the kitchen set. It's those little mysteries in life that drive me crazy and yet teach me to trust :) I know ... I'm weird that way.

Okie doke. So you've found the spot and you're ready to collect stuff. Where in the world are you going to put it all??

Start Looking for Extra Space!!

Rent a storage unit!! If you time it right, you'll only need to store stuff for about a month. Once people are starting to collect stuff for you, let them know that you'll be ready to collect it all 3 - 4 weeks before your sale. Almost all of the major self storage chains offer the first month free. After paying for a lock and insurance (and maybe another charge or two that I didn't pay attention to), we were able to rent a 10' x 30' space for $40. That is a HUGE space that usually rents for $200+. TOTALLY worth it!!! {{btw ... Another expense that was totally worth it -- we rented a huge moving truck to haul everything over to the site of the sale. HUGE time saver!!}}

Sort It As It Comes In

Easier said than done. Hopefully stuff will come pouring in, and you'll be completely overwhelmed! I've said on more than one occasion, We're drowning in blessings!! Buy or gather some good-sized moving boxes. As stuff comes in, sort it into major categories. Ours were: kids' stuff, housewares, tools/outdoor, books/movies, and clothes. You can micro-sort as you're putting it all out at the sale -- we had a lamp table, a holiday decoration table, a dishes and glassware table, etc.

Be on the lookout for old jewelry. People donate all kinds of stuff, and they often underestimate what their old jewelry is worth -- or maybe they don't even realize what they have. The price of gold has skyrocketed in the last few years. You would be amazed at what an old, broken gold chain sells for as scrap. After digging thru it all this year, we made over $700 in gold and silver alone. Not bad for an hour or two sorting thru old jewelry with keen eyes. Be sure to find a reputable jeweler in your area!!

Tables are a good thing!!! Borrow as many tables as you can get!! People will dig thru boxes on the ground, but why make them work hard to buy from you?? The easier and more convenient you can make their shopping experience, the better off you'll be!! The only exceptions might be toys, stuffed animals, and maybe linens. Comforters, blankets, pillows, etc. need space. People want to see the whole thing before they make a decision. Spreading it out on a tarp on the ground doesn't seem to bother people. Boxes are a great way to organize books and movies to keep them from sliding off tables, but be sure to stack them so the spine is showing and people can read the titles easily. They will dig thru boxes, but not very deeply -- books are heavy!!

And oh the clothes that you'll have!! We had bags and bags and bags of clothes!! Here's how we dealt with it all ...

Women's and men's clothes were hung on rods suspended between ladders. Kids' clothes were sorted into boxes that were labeled according to gender, size, and item: 0 - 24 mos, 2T - 5T, 4 - 8, 10 - 14. Shirts and dresses in one box, shorts and pants in another. While it's nice to start with everything nicely sorted and folded, don't expect it to stay that way :) We laid out a huge tarp, and set the boxes out in order of size with boy's clothes on one side and girl's clothes on the other. It's also a good idea to have a smaller tarp nearby for shoes, purses, belts, and other accessories.

Pricing??

Don't bother!! It takes for.ev.er, and the stickers just fall off or get switched around anyway. When people start asking about prices, just tell them you were blessed with so much stuff, that you simply did not have the time to price it all!! And really, you don't have the time. If your gathering went particularly well, you'll spend hours and hours pricing it all. If you have big stuff, you might go ahead and label the price on that. You should at least think ahead and maybe research reasonable prices for used whatever-you-happen-to-have. It's a good thing to let your helpers know what you're hoping to get for the larger items. You'd hate to see something go for $5 first thing in the morning when you were hoping for $65!

If you do have items that you think would sell for significantly more on Ebay or Craigslist, take pictures and try to sell them before the yard sale. If they don't sell early, you can reduce the price and sell it at the yard sale. Research what you've been given. If you think it's something special - it just might be!! You never know what will get donated!!

Be reasonable on the stuff-stuff. You may have paid $40 for that set of glasses, but at a yard sale they're only worth $2 - $5. Your $400 comforter set will punch you in the gut when it walks away for (hopefully) $65. We found, though, that it's a lot easier to sell stuff cheap when it wasn't ours to begin with. Oh, wait a minute. I feel a lesson coming on ... none of what you have belongs to you! All of it came from God, and all of it is to be used for His glory! If that means parting with something for a fraction of its original cost so you can bring those sweet babies home, so be it. Things are only worth what someone is willing to pay, and at a yard sale ... that usually ain't much. Adjust your expectations accordingly. And get tough with yourself!! Would you rather have $3 for that ceramic bunny or take that ceramic bunny back home??

We told people to gather up what they wanted and we'd make them a good offer. They'd come back with a handful of stuff for which we would guess $7? Most often, they would happily dig into their pockets, and you just made a sale!! Very, very often, their eyes would get big, and they'd head back into the aisles to see what else they could find!! If your prices are great, they're excited to get a good bargain and will happily spend their dollars with you. They might even call their friends or bring their co-workers back after work. We got to know several people over the weekend simply because they kept coming back to dig some more!!

Please, please, please!! Whatever you do, price everything in $1 increments. If it's not worth a dollar, tell them to go find something else to put with it, or tell them they can just have it. The last thing you want is to carry around 40 pounds of quarters all day!! Yes, quarters add up, but dollars add up faster!!

We priced clothing items at $1 each, and told people they could fill a plastic grocery sack (purchased at Sam's) for $5. We saw bags and bags of clothes fly out all day long!! Winter coats were a bit more ($5 - $10 depending on the size, quality, etc), shoes were $2 - $3 per pair, purses were $1 - $10. If you have time before your sale, you might even go thru the clothes yourself and take some of the best stuff to a consignment or second-hand store. If they give you more than $1, you've come out ahead!!

On the Day of the Sale ...

Put out your signs. You want to direct people who might be driving by the nearest intersection. You also want to let people know why you're having this sale. We had our teenaged friends make several 'Thanks for supporting our adoption' signs that we put at the end of the driveway and at various open spots in the yard. We wanted people to know that their purchases were supporting a higher cause than our family vacation or a new TV. Most people never mentioned it. Some politely asked questions. Some (very few and usually people we knew) gave donations. We even had a few people ask which animal shelter we were supporting. I will admit that I was horrified to have to explain that we were adopting actual human beings and not animals. I also took it to be a sad commentary on our society -- 'adoption' is sometimes more readily associated with abandoned pets than with abandoned people. But that's a discussion for another day ...

Wander around and stay visible!! We opted for multiple people collecting money wherever people wanted to pay, rather than a single 'pay here' table. If people have to wait in line to buy your stuff, they may just put it down and walk away. People expect yard sale transactions to be quick and painless. Quick being the more important characteristic. Hopefully you'll have friends helping you with the sale, so it should be easy for shoppers to find someone to help!! Wear the same color shirt, wear hats, look around and greet people (but don't hover). Do whatever it takes to stay visible and let people know who's in charge. Straighten your tables as you wander.

Wearing a fanny pack (nerdy, but useful!) or a small messenger bag is a great way to keep your money organized. You'd hate to drop bills on the ground as you're pulling a big wad of cash out of your pocket. Periodically throughout the day, empty your proceeds into a safe place inside the house.

You might want to have a concession stand. Our kids did this both years. They grilled hot dogs and sold chips, drinks, and desserts. Both years they broke even, but we made a donation to their travel funds from our proceeds :) They get a chance to work hard and participate, and you get a free lunch and all the bottled water you could want!! Even if you choose not to have a full-blown lunch counter, you might consider having a couple of coolers full of bottled water and sodas. Thirsty shoppers are not good for business :)

What About the Leftovers??

We'd all like to sell every last bit of what we collect, but that's not likely to happen. You need to have a plan to deal with the leftovers!!

Last year we couldn't find another family who wanted it, so we called around until we found a local charity that would come pick it all up. Every bit of it, except furniture, had to be in boxes or bags. What we didn't have containers for, I loaded into the back of our suburban and hauled to Goodwill.

This year, we found TWO families who were having a yard sale just a few weeks after ours to raise money for their adoptions. Perfect!! We boxed it all up, and they hauled it off to their free-for-a-month storage unit.

And Finally ...

Because no blog post should go without a picture ... this is sunburned, sweaty, stinky us holding over $11,000 in cold, hard cash!! Cash that will help to bring FOUR (or FIVE!) precious children home to their Forever Family!!

Happy selling,

WIP Wednesday

2011-06-15T15:45:00.000-05:00

Oh, wow!! I can't wait to finish these!!

June Number

2011-06-09T11:18:00.002-05:00

Creative Commons

With everything going on around our house the last couple of weeks, I completely forgot to ask for our June number!! Whoop!! We're in the teens and counting down!! Even though our number is going down rather quickly, we could still be waiting a few months for our referral. But while we wait, we learn to trust in God's sovereign timing ...

Still waiting patiently,

We're Almost There!!

2011-05-31T12:07:00.002-05:00

We were awarded a $5,000 grant from Show Hope!!

God is so good!! If you're looking for an adoption organization to support, please, please consider Show Hope. They do great work!!

AND!!! Take a little look-see over at our adoption expenses list ------------------------------------------------->

Between this Show Hope grant, a couple of anonymous donations, our HUGE garage sale, a fun little necklace fundraiser, selling a few quilts, and a new FedEx adoption benefit we only have $2500 left to raise!! I can.not. even imagine being so close!! Our first fundraiser was last March. In 14 short months, God has brought over $37,000 for us to use to bring two of His precious children into our family. Almost $15,000 of that has been JUST SINCE EASTER!!!

I don't know why He's bringing this in so quickly right now. Maybe He's positioning us to be able to say YES verrry soon! Wouldn't that be wonderful!! Or maybe we'll be waiting many, many more months, and He is graciously providing a period of rest for our family. Truly, God alone knows. He is sovereign, and we will trust ...

Waiting patiently (so far),

Super Mega Yard Sale for Adoption

2011-05-15T22:40:00.000-05:00

These were taken at daybreak Friday morning. About $3,000 worth of stuff had already sold the day before, and more would be delivered throughout the weekend.

Nope. Never again. We did it once, and that was enough. That's what we said after last year's hugely successful yard sale. We were exhausted!! Throughout the year people would ask if we were going to do another one. Ummm ... yeah ... I'm not too sure about that. But then a friend called. She and her husband were clearing out a storage unit and bringing everything to us. Welp. I guess that means we're having another yard sale :) When God decides to make something happen - HE MAKES IT HAPPEN!!

We started to put out the word that we were collecting ~~junk~~ unwanted treasures again. And in it flowed!! Then the Crenshaw family joined in and reached out to all of their friends. Pretty soon, our houses were filled to the gills with boxes and bags and furniture and who knows what else!! We rented a HUGE storage unit to hold everything, and when that was full, we rented ANOTHER one!! Then the Thompson family joined in with their storage room FULL!! When God decides to provide - HE PROVIDES!!

Thursday was supposed to be set-up day. The guys rented the biggest moving truck they could find and drove around the city loading up everything that we'd stashed away. Somewhere after the FIRST truck-full, people started showing up. "How much is this? How much do you want for that?" For what??!! We hadn't even had time to start unpacking!! We tried to set up tables and sort everything as it was unloaded, but it soon became very apparent that we weren't setting up ... we were having a giant pre-sale! We tried to fight it, but why?? People were buying stuff. That was kinda the point :) Our 2-day yard sale quickly turned into a 3-day yard sale. We finally had to start turning people away so we could finish unloading all FOUR truckloads of stuff and get it organized for the sale. We were stunned to find out later that night that we brought in about $3,000 that first day. What?? Amazing!! When God decides to start something - HE STARTS IT!!

Friday morning started of a little rocky. Apparently in Memphis a 0% chance of rain overnight means that all of the merch one puts out in the yard before going to bed will get a good little shower. What?? Really?? My heart was a little panicky Friday morning as we tried to sop up as much as we could with old towels. Kristin and I were in a Bible study together this year that studied the sovereignty of God. Our mantra has been "God is sovereign, even over ____." Even over rain. Wise beyond her years, sweet Kristin's perspective truly helped to calm my heart!! She figured that maybe this was just God's way of showing us that HE will bring the money thru this sale - not the quality of our junk. So true, so true. When God decides to work a miracle despite our junk - HE WORKS A MIRACLE!!

And a miracle was exactly what we witnessed. Just like last year, this yard sale was a loaves and fishes kind of miracle. We had nothing, but lots of it. We gave our junk (and LOTS of yours!) to Him, and He saw fit to bless it, multiply it, and give it all back to us. So a big, huge THANK YOU to all of you who donated your stuff, your time, and your energy to help make this sale such a big success. I am so thankful that He uses people to do His work!!

Would you like to know the final total?? If you haven't already heard ... God provided about $11,200 to bring His precious children home!! We are stunned. We are grateful. And we are tired. Again next year?? I hope we won't need to!! But we just might do it anyway to bless other adoptive families. So start saving your junk ...

Winner, Winner, Chicken Dinner!!

2011-04-29T13:50:00.001-05:00

Woohoo!! Thanks to everyone for your very encouraging comments!! I was hoping to find out which designs were favorites, but it looks like they are all equally loved :)

Comments #14 and #15 were from the same person, so I only counted them as one.

I used Random.org to pick a winner, but I can't figure out how to show the actual screen shot of the result, so I guess you'll have to trust me :) And I had a witness ...

The winner is #17!!

"Very creative!! Like Vintage Damask~~~~Robin Smith"

Congratulations Robin!! I'll email you today for your address!!

Grand Opening and Giveaway!!

2011-04-25T21:50:00.001-05:00

I finally did it!! My Etsy shop is now open for business!! I'll be adding things as quickly as I can create them (and take pics - yikes! That's the hard part!), so be sure to check back often!!

Wanna Win One of These??
Keep reading to find out how :)

Who says a girl can't have fun in a hardware store?? The Upcycled Washer Necklace is created using a 1 1/2" metal fender washer, a little decorative paper, a glossy dimensional glaze, and lots and lots of patience!

Do you need a unique Mother's Day gift?? Looking for a fantastic end-of-the-year teacher's gift?? Need to re-stock your gift closet?? Early Christmas shopping (for you super organized folks)?? These necklaces would be PER.FECT. for that!!!

We'd love for you to buy lots and lots and lots of these to help us bring our babies home, so we're offering a volume discount :)

Order 1 - 3, and your cost is $12 each.
Order 4 - 7, save over 15%, and your cost is $10 each.
Order 8 or more, save 33%, and your cost is $8 each.

AND if you live in the Memphis area and would like to save shipping costs, use the coupon code "MemphisFree" then contact me to arrange a pick-up.

How do you order?? Click on the little house button at the top of this page. That'll take you to my Etsy shop.

-------------------------------------------

Now for the fun part!! To help me kick off my new Etsy shop ... let's have a giveaway!! To enter to win YOUR CHOICE of necklace simply tell me which one is your favorite. That's it!! No hoops to jump thru - just leave a comment on this blog post telling me your fave, and you could win!! Be sure to leave your contact info (or link back to your blog). I'd hate for you to win and not know it. I'll pick a winner via the ole random number generator at noon Friday, April 29th. Just in time to get your weekend kicked off right!!

Happy shopping and good luck!!

Why Adoption? I Blame Martha.

2011-04-18T23:51:00.000-05:00

Hmmm ... seems I promised to write this post, oh I don't know, like, a month or two ago!!! Does writing it in my head count? Heh heh!!

I shared the story about Angel Mama for a reason. That story played an integral part in our adoption journey. It's all about the timing ...

When Randy and I were just getting starting on the kid part of our family twelve years or so ago, we were living in Denton (that's very near heaven, fyi, in Texas). Most days, Madison and I would watch Martha Stewart. Before you ridicule, please remember that this was back when her show was actually worth watching. Ya know ... before she spent time in the slammer for a crime that she may or may not have committed. She was stuffy and aloof and full of her helpful decorating and homemaking tips. And I liked it. A lot. "It's a good thing." Remember that?? ::sigh::

Moving on ... after Martha, the news at noon came on. Since Madison was still a little thing, there was no reason to turn off the tv to avoid polluting her tiny brain with the cares of the real world. Besides, she was busy with yogurt and bananas and fish sticks and whatever else I could find that was safe enough to feed a toddler at lunchtime. So we did lunch, and she went off to naptime, and I would sit and watch the weather at the end of the newscast. Do you remember that, too? When we had to wait until the next news broadcast to see the weather? It always frustrated me so bad!! I would start off paying attention to the news, then get sidetracked during a commercial or some boring story about the economy (maybe I should have payed attention to those ... hmmm ... too late now). Anyway, so I would get sidetracked and totally miss the weather, which meant I would totally have to wait until the next newscast because this was waaay back before Al Gore invented the internet, or at least before it became a big thing. Jim Cantore was only popular on cable. But that was years ago. Randy seems to think that the internet, much like that rock and/or roll, is here to stay. I think he might be right.

* Rabbit trail * Also around this time, we went on a little weekend getaway with our dear friends to her hometown, Seguin, TX. That's pronounced 'sa-geen' for all you non-native Texans. It's also very near Gruene, TX, which is pronounced 'green.' We stayed with her Mama in an awesome, old house right in the middle of Seguin. Her Mama had a computer, and I remember her making the comment that she thought the mouse was a fad and wouldn't last long. A decade or so later, she's almost right!! Those darned mice have just about been replaced with touch pads and touch screens.

But back to the story. Noon news. Ok. At the end of the broadcast on Wednesdays, they did a human interest story called "Wednesday's Child." They featured kids living in foster care who were eligible for adoption. They would take the kids somewhere fun, interview each one a little, and tell a bit of their stories. I have to tell you, those stories broke my heart. To see these precious children standing there saying, "I want a Mama and a Daddy," would do me in every time.

I want a Mama and a Daddy.

That's it. Not a pony or a car or a house made of Skittles and Pez. A Mama and a Daddy. Someone to call their own. The same bed to come home to every night. The same prayers to say before dinner every night. The same fluffy white towels each night after bath time. Somewhere they could let it all hang out without the fear of being passed along to the next foster home. Permanence. Stability. Love. Belonging. Support. To know that after they turned 18, there would be a place to come back to. Home. A permanent tether.

Ya know how it feels when your Mama tells you she loves you before you hang up the phone? You know she says it because she means it, but she kinda has to mean it because she's your Mama and like it or not, you're her kid and Mamas have to love their kid because that's just how it works? That. That's what they were asking for. "I want a Mama and a Daddy." Someone to mean it because they have to mean it. Someone who would willingly commit to having to mean it.

Almost without fail, the kids featured on Wednesday's Child were school-age siblings. One of the recurring fears mentioned was that the kids didn't want to be split up. They wanted to be adopted together. But that can get a little tricky. Get much past 2 or 3 years old, and your chances of being adopted out of the foster care system are greatly diminished. It gets still worse if you are not white, happen to be a boy, or are part of a sibling group. And something inside me couldn't let me let go of those stories. I believe that the Holy Spirit was beginning to prepare my heart then for what He has called us to do now.

I finally dared to share with Randy that I might want to adopt ... someday. But not a baby. I like babies - I had four. But finding a home for a baby is fairly easy. I know lots of families whose arms are aching for a baby and are waiting for 'the call' right now. But not a lot of arms ache for toddlers. Or pre-schoolers. Or middle schoolers. And do not even begin to think that I am at all knocking infant adoption or those who desire that. I've prayed for more than a few homes to be blessed with little bundles. I've cried with Mamas during their excruciating wait. I've rejoiced when those babies were welcomed home. If your desire is for a baby, do it!! Go for it!! I will gladly cry and rejoice with you, too!! But again, not a lot of arms are aching for older children - or for siblings. But mine do. And when I shared my heart with Randy, he just looked at me and said, "That's cool. I'd like to do that someday, too."

But not now.

"Someday ... not now" was our mantra for the next ten years or so. And it still might be today if we had not gotten involved with Angel. Once we knew that Baby was going to live somewhere else, and most likely never with us, we began to talk more about adoption. Not now? When? Soon? How soon? I think our encounter with Angel brought the idea of adoption out of the hypothetical and into our daily reality. And God began to work ...

So there you go. It's all Martha's fault. Adoption ... it's a good thing!!

April Number

2011-04-04T11:14:00.000-05:00

Moving right along ... time to get cracking on raising some travel $$ ...

March Number

2011-03-08T19:13:00.000-06:00

Three months on the waiting list. Moving right along ...

You Can Learn Anything on the Google

2011-02-20T17:01:00.000-06:00

Yesterday I learned how to create a favicon. It is tiny. It is there. That is all.

I {heart} learning new things,

Bliss Bee Blocks - February Edition

2011-02-19T16:25:00.000-06:00

So I joined my first quilting bee. Yes, I realize that makes me an old woman. I am embracing that :)

These blocks are for do. Good Stitches {a Charity Bee} over on Flickr. There are some pretty big names {in the quilting world} in this particular bee, and I am thrilled to be a part of this group!! Each month, a different person will organize the quilt for her group - choosing the design, size, colors, etc. The stitchers will each make two or so blocks and send them to the quilter, who will then put them all together. The quilts are donated to different organizations around the country - ours will go to Wrap Them In Love, which actually sends them on to other countries. So cool!!!

The Bliss circle (my group) is doing a Roman Stripe pattern for February. The tutorial comes from Michelle at i like orange, too! Can't wait to see it all put together!!

I get to organize our circle in May. I haven't exactly decided on a design just yet, but I have some ideas :)

Happy stitching,

Looking for a Valentine's Day Sitter?

2011-02-04T20:35:00.000-06:00

February Number

2011-01-31T20:08:00.002-06:00

Photo used with permission under creative commons license. Original here.

Not much has changed since our last number update. Only 2 referrals have gone out since Christmas. While I'm not exactly sure why ... I'm guessing it may have something to do with the two major January holidays that are celebrated in Ethiopia.

Waiting patiently (so far),

Seventeen Things I've Learned From Life With Randy

2011-01-08T13:48:00.000-06:00

In honor of our 17th Wedding Anniversary ...

1. When your options are laugh, cry, or get mad ... embrace the funny.

2. Don't tickle the driver.

3. Messy {in all its various forms} is ok.

4. It's not about which adventures you choose or don't choose. It's about being together when you live them.

5. Everything's better / easier / funnier with Randy :)

6. When in doubt, just think: What Would Randy Do?

7. Worried? Just stop.

8. It is what it is.

9. Peanut butter is a breakfast food.
10. It's just stuff.
11. Time will tell.
12. Randy is almost always right -- unless we're talking directions.
13. Every problem has a work-around.
14. In the end, everything will be just fine.
15. Naps are a good thing.
16. God made the strong, furry one the leader for a reason.
17. This man is good for me in so many, many ways.

Happy Anniversary, Babe!!

Forever yours,

Angel Mama (Part 2)

2010-12-27T10:40:00.002-06:00

Go here for the first part of this story.

We stopped by Taco Bell like we always do on Thursdays after Bible Study. As I shuffled kids and food and papers and jackets into the house, I hit the answering machine. Two desperate messages from Angel.

I sorta expected to hear from her that day. It was time for her to be released from the hospital, and I thought she might ask for a ride. I was sorely unprepared to the drama that would unfold over the next 24 hours.

I returned her call, and she begged me to come to the hospital right away. They're trying to take my baby away from me! Wendy, can you come right now? Wendy, can't you just come up here and get him?

Ummm ... no? Every ounce of maternal instinct within me was shouting to go and get that little bundle! But Rational overruled Crazy and reminded me that there might be something just a little illegal about that.

Who, Angel? Who is trying to take your baby away? Social services. She'd tested positive for cocaine at the time of delivery. And there was something about jail in the story, too, but I didn't quite catch all of that. They wanted a safe place for the baby. Was there a relative or a close family friend who could take custody? The only person she knew to ask was me. I told her to have the social worker call me.

In the meantime, I called Randy at work. Come home! We have some decisions to make! But there was no decision for him to make. He already knew what we were going to do. I was speechless when he said, "From the moment we met her in the grocery store, I thought we might end up with that baby." What??!!! Why in the world didn't you share that with me??!!! Y'know, there are some moments in a marriage when you just know that the guy you picked was the best one!

An hour later, we were sitting down in our living room for an emergency home study. She would talk with her supervisor and call us in the morning with their determination.

It was a long night. Randy and I were stunned. We knew this situation was going to potentially be a long, messy ordeal. Are we ready for this? How long would this baby be with us? Could we ever give him back, especially knowing the tough life he would most likely have? Are we prepared to deal with his suspected health issues? Are we prepared to deal with Mama and Baby?

Honestly, the answer to all of these questions was: We don't know. We just knew that we were not supposed to say 'no' just yet; we needed to at least take the next step. We prayed. A lot. Together. Separately. We called some of our closest friends and asked them to pray.

When we called the social worker Friday morning to give our answer, she informed us that her supervisor had chosen to take Baby into state custody. He was placed into a foster home.

Two years later, Baby is doing well. I still have contact with Angel. She's been in re-hab, out for a few weeks, back to jail, on probation, in re-hab again, and back to jail. Her life is heartbreaking. I have no words to describe the profound sadness I feel for her. She remains hopeful that one day she'll be able to parent Baby. *This is where my rant against a system that would hold a child in limbo for years on end waiting for addicts or abusers to suddenly become responsible parents would go, but I shall refrain. I do believe that sometimes parents just need a little time to get their junk together, but kids don't have the luxury of time.* But I'm not going into that right now.

I've learned so much from working with Angel - many life lessons that will be helpful both for me and for my kids, as I've not hidden anything from them. I could fill pages and pages. There is more to this particular story; maybe later.

But for now ... how does this long, crazy story play into our decision to adopt?

Timing.

I'll explain that in the next post ...

Angel Mama (Part 1)

2010-12-22T14:11:00.001-06:00

Because you just never know when a trip to the grocery store
will change your life forever ...

True story ... Feb. 2009 ...

Randy's parents were in town for the weekend. I still needed to pick up a few things from the grocery store, and Randy suggested that we both go. A novelty indeed with four young kids at home.

The store we happened to go to is near our home. It's also not in a great part of town. While I don't consider it a dangerous part of town, it's not unusual to get hit up for gas money from some guy who only needs a few dollars for the tank of a car he can't quite seem to be able to point to right now because his brother's cousin's friend's girlfriend drove down the street for something. But she'll be right back. He was supposed to get paid this afternoon for some work he did for a guy who lives two streets behind the store, but the guy couldn't pay him because his ex-wife stole all his money because she says he owes her child support, but it's not really his baby. And besides, the court didn't say nothin bout his owing her any money. Riiiiight. The more elaborate the story, the faker it usually is.

As we rounded the corner behind the gas pumps, we almost hit her as she ambled across the parking lot. No doubt hustling for 'gas money.'

We were about half-way thru the store when she approached us asking if we were shopping with stamps. Seems she was wanting to sell us her food stamps for cash. "No, but do you need something?" Toilet paper. It could have just as easily been milk or crackers or peanut butter, whatever aisle we'd happened to be on.

She was obviously pregnant. Eight months along. A boy! Her first at 37 years of age. No, she didn't have anything for him. No carseat. No clothes. No diapers or formula.

We bought her the toilet paper she wanted along with some diapers and wipes. I'm sure she took them straight to customer service and exchanged them for cigarettes or maybe even cash. We exchanged phone numbers and that was that.

I gathered a few of Levi's things that we were finished with. A stroller and a few other things that I can't remember now. We took them to her apartment a few days later. We met Larry, the roommate. He could hardly keep his eyes open long enough to say hello. She wanted $40 for lunch and groceries until her check came in. She'd pay us back. Randy reached into his pocket and gave her $20. I'm sure it went straight to the nearest dealer. I distinctly remember the creepy feeling in my stomach as we drove away. Where is all of this going? Why am I getting involved? Do I really want to get involved? NO, I sincerely do NOT!! And yet.

I knew she would need a carseat. I also wanted her to have a baby bathtub. I felt strongly that she might accidentally drown him in the tub or the sink while trying to bathe him. Do I really want to get more involved? Hadn't I done enough? Maybe I'll just wait. Maybe the feeling will pass.

Driving home one day later that week, I saw that a neighbor had put her carseat out for the trash pick-up. I sent Randy down after dark to go get it. Just a little too proud to let a neighbor see me picking thru her trash. It was in perfect condition. Why was I ashamed to bask in God's goodness? He put a carseat on the curb for me to find. He was providing for this child. His child. Lesson learned. Two days later, I boldly stopped at a house around the corner and scavenged a perfectly wonderful baby bathtub. In broad daylight. I'm learning.

The carseat and the tub sat in the corner of my living room for two weeks. Should I call her? I really don't want to get involved. This will never end. She'll always need something. "The leech has two daughters. 'Give! Give!' they cry." The need is too big. She's hopeless. I have NO idea how to help her. I decided I wouldn't pursue her. I would wait to see if she called me.

About two weeks later, she called. She was in the hospital. She'd had the baby. He was beautiful! Could I come see him? She needed a diaper bag - fully stocked, please. Oh, and a car seat, too. Could I spare any money? Her Mama and Larry were staying at the hospital with her. They were getting hungry trying to share the free meal meant for only one person.

Which hospital are you at? The one closest to my house, of course. So close, I could walk to it easily if I chose. God? You aren't going to let me let this go, are You?

I was headed to a baby shower that very night with friends from church. I sent out a quick email to a few I knew were going to be there, and the response was immediate. We gathered everything a new baby would need right away. I asked a photographer friend for tips on photographing a newborn. Light? Lens?

I packed the diaper bag and the carseat, but left the rest behind at our house. I packed my camera, along with Sarah and a grocery bag full of snacks and fruit. We also stopped for Frosties on our way up. Larry woke only long enough to eat his, then he was out again.

Angel was quiet. The baby was beautiful! She was proud, but I could see the sadness behind her eyes. I timidly asked if I could take pictures for her. Yes. She'd been too ashamed to ask if I would bring a camera. They had a phone with a camera, but none of them knew how to get the pictures from it. I tried my best. Some pictures were better than none, right?

I left, promising to have them printed right away.

... to be continued ...

Why Adoption?

2010-12-20T07:55:00.000-06:00

The short answer: Children need families.

The long answer: Children need families, and we are one. Seems like a match to us!

* For more posts in the Why? series, go here.

Christmas Come Quickly!

2010-12-17T21:39:00.000-06:00

I took Sarah and Levi Christmas shopping tonight. Our tradition is to take each kid out on their own special shopping trip to buy gifts for the rest of the family. Sarah and Levi ~~fought over whose turn it was to go tonight~~ gleefully begged to go together, so I took them both. Together. Now, let me explain about Sarah and Levi. They are delightful shopping buddies. Alone. Together, they become a force to be reckoned with - think vinegar and baking soda. Think epoxy and that other chemical that activates it. Think any other two chemicals that are mostly benign by themselves but become incredibly powerful when mixed together. They feed off one another's energy.

Still, we knew what we were going after and each stop would be short, so I really didn't expect it to be bad. The stores were more crowded than usual. It is Christmas, after all. But they weren't packed. Whattarelief!

We hit the craft store first. They bounced from one colorful package to the next. We were looking for a craft kit for Madison.

From Levi: What about this?
No, I don't think Madison would like to color her own football.
Well I sure would! Can I get this for me?
No.
From Sarah: Well, what about this?
No, I don't think Madison would enjoy sewing baby doll clothes. She doesn't really play with dolls anymore.
I know. But she could sew them for mine ...
No. Let's try to think of something Madison would like.
Oooh!! How 'bout this??!!
Shrinky Dinks? Sold! (I think she'll get a kick out of it!)

We hit BB&B next looking for something specific for Papa. We found it right away, but got sidetracked by the massage chair demos across the aisle. Unless you'd like to live in this store, you'd better follow me. I'm leaving now.

Also at BB&B - a super cool flashlight that Levi couldn't live without.

Mom! Look at this flashlight! It's super cool! Can I get it for me?
No.
Please can I have it?
No. Remember, we're not shopping for ourselves tonight. We're shopping for everybody else.
Well, when we go camping again, can I have this flashlight?
We'll see.
Well, when are we going camping again?
Baby, I don't know. Please put the flashlight back. I am not buying that.
Can I just pleeeeeease have this flashlight?
Boy. Put that flashlight down.

We skipped, ran, and twirled our way out to the car and headed down the street toward Target.

From Levi in the backseat I hear this, in his best falsetto ...

La la laaaaaaa

Dear Goooooood

Pleeeeease make my moooooom

A lot more niceeeeerrrrrr

Pleeeease make her turn arouuuuund

And go baaaaaack

And buy me that flashliiiiiiight

Ameeeeeeen

La la laaaaaaa

It almost worked. I was almost convinced to go back for the flashlight.

"But alas, she hardened her heart against him. And lo they continued on towardst their final destination with haste." 1 Mom 12:17.

Because Christmas shopping with my children is super cool,

P.S. Once at Target, I would again say 'No' another 147 times. My neighbor will attest to this. She was there with her own three little ones. She was smart. She had them all strapped into a cart and gave them snacks. But it still didn't look like fun ...

December Number

2010-12-17T16:36:00.000-06:00

I'm guessing this won't change much before the end of the year. We've moved up 9 spots since the end of November. Woohoo!!

And Now ...

2010-12-11T11:58:00.000-06:00

... we wait.

We became a Waiting Family last Tuesday, November 30th. We hit the bottom of the list at number 55! How long will we wait? Truly, God only knows. We are preparing our hearts to wait at least a year, but ya' never know ...

Interesting

2010-12-03T11:45:00.000-06:00

An Odd and Faintly Sad Feeling

2010-11-16T13:46:00.000-06:00

Yesterday morning was surreal. I was up before most of the kids, which is odd enough :) Levi and I snuggled on the couch while everyone else slept in. Then Sarah came in and joined us under the blanket. Then Mark wandered in. Then Madison. And before I even thought about it, my head turned to see if anyone was behind her. Then it hit me! I fully expected to find someone else! As I looked at all four of our kids, in that split second, I was vaguely aware that there was someone else that I was supposed to be looking out for. Someone else's whereabouts to be aware of. Someone else to protect. To love. To miss. I think God is enlarging my borders. Most days are so hectic and tiring that I wonder if I can do it. And in that split second, I knew that God is creating an extra chamber in my heart for those precious someones that I've never met. Never seen. Never knew existed. I wonder who they are ...

Sweet!!!

2010-11-16T10:55:00.000-06:00

The Beast

An email from our agency today ...

Hi Wendy,

I wanted to let you know that your dossier is fine and we will be sending it to our courier on Thursday to be authenticated. As soon as I receive your dossier back from our courier I will add you to our wait list and then email you to let you know you are a waiting family!!

Congratulations for getting to this point!!!

Take care,

CHI

Almost There!

2010-11-09T23:39:00.001-06:00

Sitting in a hotel room in our state capital. The kids are running around from room to room, giggling and jumping on beds. Randy's roaming the halls outside looking for a Coke :) I still can't believe I found ONE hotel room with beds for all SIX of us for under $100!!

Just this morning I had our final document certified by the County Clerk. Ahhhh ... that felt SO good!! I thought I was finished Friday, but it turns out that the notary who signed that last document wasn't actually a legal notary. Grrrr ... So my sweet friend Marie re-printed her letter of recommendation and ran around town Monday getting it signed by an actual notary and delivered to me.

The kids and I went downtown first thing this morning ... ok, it was 11:30. But that's first thing in the morning for us sometimes. Sad, but true. The County Clerk's office happened to be in the building next to the jail, so we had lots of interesting discussion about all of that. Got lost trying to get back on the interstate, and made it home just in time to eat lunch and prep for my afternoon tutoring.

I'm so glad I convinced Randy to come along with us!! He is my confidence. And thanks to Priceline.com, we found this little gem of a hotel for cheap cheap.

Tomorrow morning, after our free hot breakfast that I did NOT have to cook!!, we'll head downtown to the Tennessee Secretary of State's office and have all 19 of our documents authenticated. Which, if you recall, means that they'll verify the County Clerk's signature, who verified the notaries' signatures, who verified our signatures. Yup. That's a lot of verifying.

After that, we'll take a little celebratory tour of the free things to do in our state's capital and maybe hit the zoo with our reciprocal membership. Oh, and there is this little quilt shop that might be on our way home ...

Oh, and if you happen to be a Public Notary, let me just let you know a few things. I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job, but I know so much about your job now that I've learned - thru painful experience - more about your job than half the notaries we've encountered along this journey. So, yeah, I guess I am trying to tell you your job ...

It seems simple enough. To be a Notary Public, that is. You check IDs and sign your name. That'll be $20, please.

As it turns out, it IS that simple. And yet ...

Our notaries have been quite adept at getting even the simplest of tasks wrong. Really?? Dude!! It's your name!! I'm asking you to sign your own name. How hard can that be??!!

So if you're a notary, here are a few things you should know. About your own job!

Just filling out the application to become a notary is not enough. Buying a notary stamp from OfficeMax might make you feel really good about yourself, but you will have to actually go downtown and take your oath. Then you'll be a real notary.
You can notarize any document. The state does not make any distinction between what you might consider 'high risk' documents and 'regular' documents. That's just a weird rule you've made up in your head. Get over it.
Your signature must match the name on your stamp. If your nickname is on your stamp, don't just use your first initial. Use your nickname. Ok, Pookie?? If your middle initial is on your stamp, use it.

And lest I feel too sorry for myself, our agency case worker told me that every.one. she's ever worked with has had some sort of notary trouble. I've read similar stories on many other adoption blogs. Annoying in the moment, but in the big picture you work it out and move on to the next part ... the waiting. Now that's going to be hard!

Honestly, I believe that goofy notaries have added weeks to this process. But. And this is my consolation. God is sovereign. Over all. Over paperwork. Over goofy notaries. I'm trusting that He just didn't need us ready those weeks ago. He knows which kids whose Forever Family we will become. Which two little souls we will get to nurture and love and teach about Him. So we will trust! And visit the zoo tomorrow :)

Sleepily yours,

Blogger's Quilt Festival - Fall 2010

2010-11-05T20:00:00.000-05:00

So excited to be participating in Amy's Fall 2010 Blogger's Quilt Festival!! If you're at all interested in quilting, pop on over and see what everyone else is sharing!!

The quilt I'm sharing today is one that I started this summer while the kids were all at VBS. Yes, ALL were at VBS at the SAME time!! First year ever!! Madison was teaching a Bible Club for Child Evangelism Fellowship, and the rest were at a church down the street. Ahhhh ... two full hours each day ALONE! For a homeschooling Mama, that's practically unheard of :)

I ordered several Kona Brights charm packs with this exact quilt in mind. I carefully drew out the design and had everything ready to go. Except. I lacked the courage! The colors looked so good together when I saw them online, but in person ... I just wasn't sure. Some of the greens looked a little funky. I was having a hard time imagining them all together.

Then a friend stopped by for a quick visit. As we talked, she asked what projects I had going on. When I showed her the fabrics and confessed my hesitancy, she was SO encouraging!! She said she thought they would look GREAT all together!! She has such a good eye for color, so I completely trust her opinion :) I dove right in that afternoon and had it stitched up and quilted in just a few short hours.

Made with (almost) two Kona Brights charm packs

Measures ~ 39" x 46"

Machine pieced and quilted, with hand-stitched binding

Pay no attention to the pesky boy behind the quilt,

My Daddy Taught Me Good

2010-10-28T20:43:00.000-05:00

Ever get a song stuck in your head?

You are so welcome,

That Was FAST! and Next Steps

2010-10-19T21:14:00.000-05:00

Wow! WoW!! WOW!!!

Our I-171H (US Immigration Approval) came in the mail today!! I was shocked!! We had our fingerprints taken just 11 short days ago. Start to finish, it only took 7 weeks!! I was expecting it to take at least 3 months. Unbelievable!! That's a US gov'ment office even!!

This is the LAST piece of paperwork that we were waiting on before being able to progress to the next step with our dossier!! So here's what's next ...

Everything gets notarized (hopefully tomorrow or Thursday).
All documents will be faxed to our agency for review and approval (again). They've already looked everything over, so hopefully we won't need to make any corrections. But they need to check all the notarized papers before we have them county certified.
Once approved by our agency, all documents will need to be certified by the Registrar of Shelby County. She will verify the notaries' signatures.
The kids and I will then drive everything to Nashville to be certified by the Tennessee Secretary of State. He will verify the Registrar's signature. Why are we driving it to Nashville? Cause it's faster than mailing it, I'll get to see my friend Courtney, we can visit the zoo, and they have a kickin' quilting store. Any excuse for a field trip :)
Then it all gets shipped back to our agency ... who will forward it to a courier in Washington, D.C. ... who will personally walk our dossier to be certified by our esteemed Secretary of State, Mrs. Hillary Rodham Clinton. She will verify the TN Secretary of State's signature. Well, someone in her office will, and that's good enough for me!

THEN we will be on the waiting list!!!!! Woohoo!!!!!

That much closer,

Anything Is Possible When You Smell Like a Monster (And Know the Word 'On')

2010-10-10T19:47:00.001-05:00

D'you remember this one ...

One of these things is not like the others
One of these things just doesn't belong
Can you tell which thing is not like the others
Be-fore I finish my song?

And they call our generation not tolerant? Sheesh!!

I kid ... I kid ...

I ::heart:: Sesame Street ... most of the time ...

How about this one??

I sang this one to Mark all the time when he was little. Ok. He was 9. But he's 10 now and waaaaay to cool for Mama's songs :)

Here's to Sunny Days and Sweepin' the Clouds Away,

What to Wear for Family Pictures

2010-09-04T12:54:00.001-05:00

Ok. So I've been getting emails this week from people who are participating in our Family Portrait fundraiser. Everybody wants to know, "What should we wear?!"

Great question! I wish I had a formula for you, but I don't. I do know one this fur sure: No one would ever mistake me for a wardrobe consultant! Ha! In fact, I'm pretty sure I would be a prime candidate for Stacy and Clinton. My episode would be, "What Not to Wear: Frumpy Mom Edition." But enough about my wardrobe woes. Let's talk about yours, shall we? Hey. You asked.

The best piece of advice I can give you comes from Marla who was a guest on Fly Through Our Window recently. She says,

Outfits should coordinate but everyone should not wear the same thing. Think of it as one big outfit. Does that red and blue plaid shirt look good with a purple paisley skirt? If not, then you are not coordinated!

I think that's pretty good advice. To read the entire article, see Part 1 here and Part 2 here. There seems to be a difference of opinion, though, about everyone in the family wearing the same thing, ala white shirts with khaki pants. Some say you should, and some say you shouldn't. So I say, do what you want!! If that's the picture of your family that you've always dreamed about, go for it!! Just please, please, please don't all wear denim shirts and blue jeans. I think that dream died out in the 80's for most people, and it should've for you too. I love you too much, friend, to let you do that to yourself!!

I got the best pictures ever of all of my kids together last fall. Instead of dressing them all alike (which totally stresses me out!!), I picked a color scheme and shopped accordingly. I went for aqua, brown, and orange - denim and khaki would also fit into that. I think it all worked together, but judge for yourself:

Please forgive the poor quality of this photo. I don't have the original digital file, so this is a picture of a picture. But. I think you can still see what I'm talking about with colors, etc.

Kerri took this one last Thanksgiving. It is one of my all-time most favoritest!

On pattern --- Super busy patterns draw attention away from your face and onto whatever you're wearing. But it can be hard to coordinate the patterns on everyone's outfit, especially if you have several kids. One plaid shirt is probably enough. If you have one in bold, horizontal stripes, you might want to avoid bold vertical stripes (Sarah in the pic above). Instead, opt for a subtle pinstripe or even a color block (like Levi in the pic above). Mark and Madison are both wearing an argyle pattern, but the color values are so different, that I think it works. I think Madison in a soft floral might have been ok, or maybe Mark in a solid?

On color --- Again, think of everyone as wearing one big outfit. If you're all in the same collection of colors, I think you're probably going to be ok. My combo for the pic above was aqua, orange, and brown. The greens snuck in and worked really well. Let personalities come thru in the textures and patterns - like Sarah's polka dot tights and Madison's layered look. Both add interest thru texture without adding bold, overwhelming colors. Think about the backgrounds that will be available at your location. Dark backgrounds + dark clothing = floating faces. Light backgrounds + light clothing = washed out (possibly - this could go well). For our location, Oaklawn Gardens, if you're wanting any pics by the red barn or the giant red caboose, you may want to choose more neutral tones like browns (including khaki), creamy whites, pastel-ish greens or blues, or even light pinks. Dark reds or bright oranges, greens, or purples may fight against that particular background.

On value --- Do also consider the value of the colors you've chosen. If everyone is in darker tones but one is in light, she will stand out. Which can be fun if the parents are the ones in darker, and the only child in light. In the pic above, I think either the color Madison's top should have been boosted up a bit or Mark should have been in something a little lighter. But again, over all I think it works. But. In this next picture, all of my kids are in darker colors with only Sarah in light blue. Oops! Everyone was wearing the colors I chose for that year's picture (navy, light blue and brown), but Sarah's was brighter than everyone else's. Lesson learned. If you want to play favorites with your kids and let one stand out from the others, you certainly can. But read Genesis and see how that worked out for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Just sayin ...

Again, pic of a pic = terrible quality. Sarah stands out too much as the only kid in light/bright colors. Mark in a dark blue shirt fades into the deep shade of the background. Not our best year.

I also Googled 'what to wear for pictures,' and came across some pretty ~~horrific~~ interesting photography websites. Go ahead and Google that. Then you can call Kerri and thank her for not being so boring!!

Other random advice ...

Lay out everything your family will be wearing, then stand back and squint at it. You'll be able to see if anything really looks out of place, especially color. Take a dry run. Have everyone get dressed and snap a pic. Upload it to the biggest monitor you have, then step back and take a look.

Casual or dressy? Yes. Whichever you want hanging on your walls for years to come. Be comfortable!! I would recommend something along the spectrum between bathing suits and tuxedos. But hey. These are your pictures! I'm not gonna judge.

Location Location Location

2010-09-02T16:47:00.001-05:00

... for all the details, please see our original post here or the updated post here ...

"They say" it's all about location in real estate. Location, location, location. And maybe kitchens. Oh, and I need at least four bedrooms. And now that I've had three bathrooms, I'm pretty sure I could never go back to just two. And a yard.

Location is all the rage in real estate, but it's also very important in photography!! Location, location, location. And maybe what you're wearing. Oh, and everyone needs to be cooperative and ::hopefully:: not crying :)

After much scouting and much deliberation, we've decided to host our Family Portait-palooza at Oaklawn Gardens in Germantown. Until my friend Lisa, of Kiralisa Photography, recommended it to me, I had never even heard of Oaklawn Gardens! It is quite a gem, located right in the heart of Germantown. I went there last night to scout it out, and let me tell you!! I am crazy excited about this location!! I'm kinda afraid to let Randy see it, though - he may want to pitch a tent and stay ...

Here are a few pics I snapped last night. I'm not even going to pretend that I'm a photographer. But just imagine how fabulicious your family will look in this setting with someone behind the camera who not only knows what an f-stop is, but actually knows how to use that information!

Can't you just imagine your family here?!

Or here?! Whenever I see a split rail fence, I always think of quilts.

But my second thought is always, "Good grief! That's a lot of work!"

Or here?! Ok. Maybe not here. It's just an urn. But it's a pretty urn, and I couldn't resist.

Be still my heart! Don't even get me started on how badly I want this barn.

And half the junk I saw inside.

Just look at this little stump! It's like it's in a frame.

Wouldn't your little Puddin' look adorable just plopped right there?

Oh my land! Be sure to come early or plan to stay later just so your kids can play on this!

And if you're really quiet and sneaky sneaky, you might even be able to pet a deer or two. Or not. Whatevs.

So there you go. Oh, and we still have FOUR spots available. If you know of anyone who might be interested, send 'em our way!

Family Portrait Fundraiser ::Update::

2010-08-30T20:04:00.010-05:00

Wow! The response to this has been overwhelmingly encouraging! Go here to see the original post ...

Kerri - You need to know that you are receiving RAVE reviews! People are loving your portraits! I've heard over and over again how your style is SO refreshing and contemporary! God has truly given you a special talent; you are an amazing artist! Thank you for sharing your gifts with us :)

We are 2/3 of the way full, but still have a few appointment times available. If you're in the market for beautiful family portraits, this could be for you!

~~Friday, Sept. 10th -- 6:00~~

~~Friday, Sept. 10th -- 6:30~~

~~Saturday, Sept. 11th -- 8:30 <--- This is the only morning appt. still available~~

~~Sunday, Sept. 12th -- 5:30~~

~~Sunday, Sept. 12th -- 6:00~~

For $75, you will receive up to 10 fully-edited proofs in an online gallery and 1 - 8 x 10 print of your favorite image. 100% of all session fees and purchases go toward our adoption expenses.
     11 x 14 ...... $25
      8 x 10 ....... $15
      5 x 7 ......... $10
4 x 6 ......... $8
     8 wallets ... $10

Additional print sizes as well as digital images {{perfect for designing your Christmas cards!}} will be available for purchase.

If this sounds like something you'd like to do, contact me SOON at wprovence@gmail.com to reserve your spot!

For Moms of Beautiful Little Girls Everywhere ...

2010-08-28T09:12:00.000-05:00

Moving Right Along ...

2010-08-27T21:30:00.001-05:00

Wow! We have just passed a HUGE milestone, actually several, in our quest to become the Forever Family for two sweet babes!

Our homestudy is complete and finalized! Halleluiah!!!

Our I-600A is on it's way to a lock box {{say it with me Al Gore style - "Lock Box"}} in Lewisville, TX. It is going to a facility that is literally just down the street from an apartment that Randy and I lived in 14 years ago. fyi ... This is the our Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition. It's the US government's permission to adopt children from another country. Turning in this form will also generate a fingerprinting appointment, which we expect will be sometime within the next few weeks. Once our petition has been approved, (which will hopefully only take about two months) we will be able to submit our dossier and be on the waitlist! Halleluiah!!!

Did you hear that? We will be able to submit our dossier!! Yesterday at Community Bible Study we learned that God is Sovereign - He knows what He is doing, and He IS doing it! Even when I can't see it. Even when I don't trust it. Even when I am scared. He IS doing it. After class, Angie and her girls presented us with an envelope full of the proceeds of their necklace sales. {{$500! Wow! That's a lot of necklaces!}}

So now look over there on the To Get On The Waiting List list ---------------------------------------------> ALL of our Phase 1 expenses have been met! We have everything we need to be able to send in our dossier once our immigration paperwork comes back! Halleluiah!!!

I love Sarah's feet in this picture!

Thanks Angie, Ileana, Becca, and Gaby!! We appreciate all of your hard work. And we appreciate your support and encouragement!!

Photography Fundraiser

2010-08-18T20:19:00.002-05:00

I am SO excited to introduce you to my fabulous sister-in-love. She married my stinky little brother nine years ago, and what a catch she has been for our family!! They live in Houston, but she has ~~been opportunistically conscripted~~ graciously volunteered to fly up here to Memphis to help us become the forever family for two (as of yet unknown to us!) precious children. Photography is her passion and her art. She is truly, truly gifted!! This is just a small sampling of her work. You can see more at her website KerriMathisPhotography.com and on her blog KerriMathisPhotography.com/blog.

And all of the details ...

If you would love to have some spectacular family portraits, this may be for you!! We will be taking appointments for Friday evening, Saturday morning, Saturday evening, and Sunday evening. We only have space for 16 families, so don't wait too long :)

I Know Him!

2010-07-18T21:41:00.000-05:00

So I'm at church this morning and ran into my friend Marcus. He and his wife Julie were the ones who hosted our ginormous garage sale. Did you know 'ginormous' is officially a real word?? Well it is, as of the 2007 publishing of the Mirriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary. Thankyouverymuch Buddy. Random, I know.

Anyhoo ... Marcus told me that they had a check for me on their refrigerator. Cool, I thought. That is kinda becoming status quo around our house, so it didn't surprise me much. Shame on me!!! And thank you God for shaking me out of my stupor so that I can continue to see You as the awesome provider for and author of this amazing story!! So here's the story behind the check on their refrigerator.

It seems that a lady who had lived in their house 15 or so years ago happened to be driving by during our garage sale and happened to see one of the signs (thanks Thompson girls!!) that advertised our fundraising efforts. So she just randomly stops by one day and knocks on their door. She introduced herself and said that she wanted to support our adoption!!

It seems that she and her husband had also adopted at least one of their kids way back when. The connection between her own life circumstances and the current efforts of the house she used to live in moved her to be bold enough to knock on the door of and introduce herself to complete strangers AND hand them a check. How cool is that!!

I am amazed once again. God is not random. Things like this don't just happen. And one day I will stand in His presence and, with all the awe and wonder that is humanly possible, I will shout, "Jesus!! I know Him!!"

Look around and be amazed,

Dear VBS,

2010-07-17T14:46:00.000-05:00

Dear VBS,

I enjoyed my kid-free break every day. Thank you very much for the time alone. I enjoyed being able to think clearly and be creative.

Same time next summer? Great!

Sincerely,

Love This

2010-07-15T10:35:00.001-05:00

I totally heart this! It would almost be worth it to be pregnant again JUST to be able to use this. Almost. Ok ... maybe notsomuch. Ok ... I guess not at all. But it is very cute :)

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner!

2010-07-14T17:10:00.000-05:00

We let the Birthday Boy choose from the bowl. Congratulations, Erica!! Send your address to me, and I'll make sure your new game gets right to you!!

Enjoy!!

An Amazing E-Mail

2010-07-11T22:18:00.002-05:00

What else could it be besides 'amazing??' Does God work in any other way??

Meet the Rangels. This is a family whose heart is for orphans!! They have hosted foreign exchange students {{I know, not exactly orphans, but definitely in need of a surrogate family for a year and definitely considered daughters now!}}, all-but-legally 'adopted' sweet Marta in El Salvador {{Marta is their sponsored child who is now in college!}}, and have just been put on the waiting list with an agency for a domestic adoption. How cool is that!!

Shortly after I posted this update, this e-mail popped into my inbox:

"Hey girl! I see you need $500 for your authentication fee. I think I have about $400 from necklaces. We were trying to sell all that we had before we gave it to you. Hopefully will have some more sold by the end of the week." - Angie

Can I just say, "Wow!"? Yes? Ok, then. WOW!!! How amazing would it be to totally have every expense in the 'To Get On The Waiting List' list crossed off!!

My sweet friend Angie and her daughters have been selling necklaces to help raise money for us! These are beautiful necklaces handmade by the ladies of the Karamojong tribe in Uganda. Ladies who, for one reason or another, are outcasts in their society. Ladies who are desperate to feed their families. Ladies who create beautiful hand made beads from re-cycled paper, string them into necklaces, and wait expectantly for them to be sold to provide for their families. Please read more about the Karamojong ladies here.

Photos from 147MillionOrphans.com

Angie has purchased these necklaces from the Karamajong ladies via 147MillionOrphans.com, and is selling them for $20. Each necklace is approximately 72" long. I usually wrap mine around 2 or 3 times - so fun and versatile! Madison and Sarah wanted one too, so I bought another and plan to restring it and make two shorter necklaces for them. As you can see from the photos above, the colors are so varied and vibrant that they will go with just about anything!

If you would like to support us by buying a necklace from Angie's family, please e-mail her directly at Angie(at)Rangel(dot)ws.

As always!

Let's Celebrate!

2010-07-09T22:38:00.001-05:00

Today was our 4th and final homestudy visit!! Woohoo!! The homestudy wasn't hard, just a huge amount of paperwork to gather and lots and lots of questions to answer. In celebration, tonight we had sno-cones and family movie night :)

Hope you'll join us in our celebration!! A couple of months ago, the fine folks at CSNstores.com asked me to do a little product review and giveaway. So here we go ...

<< Insert picture of giveaway prize. I couldn't find one to snatch off the www, so I'll take one tomorrow. The light will be better. And I'll feel like moving. {{Maybe.}} But if you just can't wait, you can go here to see it on CSN's affiliate site ToysAndGamesOnline.com. >>

We chose to review the board game Science Diction. Cause I'm a nerd. And a homeschooler. Double whammy. But, really, y'all! Science can be FUN!! Science Diction is a science vocabulary game aimed at kids ages 8+. It features over 120 key science terms from topics like plants, animals, the solar system, weather, science equipment, simple machines, and more! There are even blank cards so you can add your own. {{Cause you know you want to. You do. I know these things.}} The cards are color-coded and leveled for Grades 3, 4, and 5, but {{having been an awesome middle school and high school science teacher for a few years}} I can totally see using this game with any grade level over 2nd. It's a great way to review whatever topic you're studying in science right now {{or in a few weeks, cause it's like, still summer, and hell-o! who studies science in the summer, right??}}.

Players work in teams to draw, define, or act out the science term on their card. The cool thing is that there is already a picture right on the card in case you need a little help, oh, and a definition too! We've played many times, and I can't tell you how much fun we've had! I wish I'd taken a video of me and Mark trying to act out 'desert.' Mama was one mean seguaro cactus, I tell you what.

Some of the terms are incredibly easy {{think: sun, earthquake, wave, electricity}} and others are crazy hard {{think: eclipse, seismograph, desert (Which, apparently, IS very hard since they couldn't guess that one! Even with my mad acting skillz. Whatev. I think the problem was Mark. He just couldn't sell being hot and dying of thirst.)}}. But I'll tell you this. Whether they knew the term before we played or not, we had so much fun laughing at each other that they remembered them the next time we played! And I think that's kinda the point. Not to know everything already, but to learn as you go along.

Oh, and if you don't have enough people to play in teams, you can totally play one on one. Just not in competition. ::hee hee:: I sometimes make Madison and Mark play for their lunch. They have to take turns drawing/defining/acting until they get 10 right before they can come to the table. Talk about motivation to learn!! Mwahahaha!!!

And now for the fun part! Here's your chance to win one of your own! Just leave me a comment telling me your favorite learning game to play or even what you remember playing as a kid! That's it. And yes, Twister counts. It's PE. Right?? Oh, and you can also post it on Facebook or Tweet it {{or Twitter it?? I'm so in touch.}} for more chances to win (just leave me a comment telling me you did!).

Comments will be open until Wednesday, July 14th at 3:56 p.m. CST. Odd time, no? It happens to be the exact moment our #2 child was born. {{And I can hardly mention his birth without just letting you know that he weighed 8 lbs 14 oz, and every last gram of that was in his noggin. Yikes!}} He's only #2 in birth order, not in our hearts, of course. But 7/14 is his b-day, and he's a HuGe science fan, so there you go. If you're the {{randomly chosen}} wiener, you'll have until Friday morning at 9:00 CST to claim your prize, then we'll pick another wiener.

I will try to contact the wieners, so if you're a no-reply blogger you might consider leaving your e-mail addy in your comment. If you happen to be a BWC member {{our local homeschool support group}}, you can just say that, and I'll find you!

Ever truly yours,

Another Step Closer!

2010-07-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

Take a little look-see over to the right ------------->

Two more BIG items have been crossed off the To Get On The Waiting List list!! Three weeks of babysitting, two weeks of Cooking Camp, and a few tutoring sessions have helped us raise enough money to send in our USCIS paperwork {immigration} and submit our dossier!! The Beast isn't ready just yet, but when it is, we will be too!!

God has provided all that we need!!

A Moment Captured

2010-07-07T21:49:00.000-05:00

One day recently, I grabbed the camera and caught everyone off guard. Doing nothing in particular {{except being incredibly quiet!}}. I need to do this more often ...

I Sold A Quilt!

2010-06-30T18:33:00.000-05:00

My sweet friend's husband approached me a few months ago and asked me to design a quilt for his wife's (my friend's) birthday. He left everything completely up to me, giving me only a general guideline on size.

I was SO excited to get started, and once I found Amy Butler's Love fabric, I knew it was perfect!! It is so bright and cheery and modern, just like my friend. She already has beautiful purples in her house and just this weekend painted her office orange - how serendipitous!! I added in a few Kona solids and used this tutorial from Film in the Fridge. {{She has fabulous quilt tutorials, and I'm hoping she will do some soon on how to take interesting photos of quilts. That's a hard thing to do. Quilts don't smile. But then again, they don't run away and pitch fits, either, so I suppose there's a trade-off.}}

A full shot of the front. Leftover Kona solids for the color block on the back. LoVe it!!

Happy Birthday, Megan!!

Dad Life

2010-06-22T21:14:00.000-05:00

Dad Life from Church on the Move on Vimeo.

Freakin hilarious!! Thanks, Missy!!

I'm Not Raising Grass ...

2010-06-21T22:28:00.000-05:00

... I'm raising kids.

That's one of my most favorite Randy-isms ever. He gets it. And he helps me remember where I put it on the days when I'm most exasperated about the messy. We soooo by far do not have the prettiest yard on the street. Instead we have the busiest. Some days, honestly, I get a little worn out from all of the traffic. But Randy keeps ~~telling~~ reminding me that it's worth it.

A few notes about this picture ...

* The mud hole that the girls are sitting in is our sidewalk. Nice.

* The kids dug the trench, and it is often used (with the water hose running) as their 'creek.'

* The giant patch of dirt behind the girls is the direct result of having the coolest disc swing evah.

See it at the top of the pic?? Our neighbors use it even when we're not home.

* There is always a collection of scooters, shoes, toys, trash, clothes, etc. by our front door.

If you come to see me, please just step over it all.

* The lone adirondack chair was my b-day gift from Randy. He made it just for me, and I get dibs.

Its twin is sitting in pieces in our carport waiting.

If I made my motto, "I'm not keeping house ... I'm keeping hearts," do you think I could let myself off the hook about my messy house??

Happy Father's Day, Randy!! I wouldn't want to do this with any other!!

The Beast

2010-06-15T18:19:00.000-05:00

If you're even remotely familiar with international adoption, then you already know this. If not, a dossier is a big thick packet of paperwork that will go to the country you're adopting from. {{Or from which you're adopting, if you're an English major. Which I am not. Or not of which I am. Or whatever.}}

I like saying 'dossier.' Kinda makes me feel like a spy. WendyLou - international woman of mystery. Ok. Maybe notsomuch. Say this out loud: 'I present to you my dossier.' Now do it with a foreign accent. See? Fun. But not exactly something you'd expect to hear from a suburban homemaker is it? Nope. International super spy.

CHI sent us a great dossier guidebook. I had to read the whole thing 4 or 5 times before I finally understood what to do! Then I set about creating my own super-duper dossier notebook. It was almost bedtime, and I was dog-tired, but once inspiration strikes ...

So now we have a fully organized, color coded, seventeen step, page protector filled thing of beauty. But instead of calling it a dossier, I think we should call it, 'The Beast.' Partly because it has taken on a life of it's own - dictating where we go and how we spend our time and money. Partly because 'dossier' is french, and we all know how Randy feels about the French. And partly because I'm just a suburban homemaker, and 'dossier' sounds too continental for me, but fun none the less.

Please don't think I'm complaining about this process by naming our dossier The Beast. It's a term of endearment. Honest! We are committed, and if that means answering dozens of essay questions {{done it}}, chasing down countless documents {{doing it}}, dealing with government agencies {{doing it}}, and raising an obscene amount of money to fund it all {{thank you!!}} ... then we're happy to do it and consider it an honor.

Here's a list of the seventeen things that The Beast requires:

Letter stating reason for adopting from Ethiopia
Photos of applicants and their home
CIS approval I-171H or 797-C and fingerprints
Home study
Letter of Commitment for Post Adoption supervision from our social worker
Employment letter for Randy and letter of non-employment for me
Financial Statement
Birth certificates
Marriage certificate
Police clearance (background checks)
Reference letters
Letter of obligation for post adoption reports
Passport ID pages
Qualification for Naturalization
Power of attorney
Passport photos

Each of those things has to be written a specified way and notarized. Once The Beast has been approved by our agency, it will need to be:

Certified by the Shelby County Clerk
Certified by the Tennessee Secretary of State
Bundled into one document by our agency
Authenticated by the US Department of State
Authenticated by the Ethiopian Embassy
Sent to Ethiopia!

Once it's in Ethiopia, we'll be on the waiting list :-)

You can follow our progress with The Beast {{if you're so inclined}} by clicking on the link with the same name at the top of the blog. I'll keep it updated regularly until everything on the list is crossed off.

Thanks to everyone for your words of encouragement!! They really DO make a difference!!

Fundraiser: Cooking Camp II

2010-06-11T21:06:00.000-05:00

July 6th - 10th
1:00 - 4:30
Ages 12 -18
$140

Cooking Camp 2 is designed for students who do have basic kitchen skills and can follow simple recipes or box mixes to prepare foods with little or no help. Camp 2 will focus on more advanced, specialized kitchen skills.

** If your student is younger than 12, but is already proficient in the kitchen, call me! If your student is 14 or older, does not have basic kitchen skills, but can catch on quickly, call me!

        Day 1: Advanced Breakfast Dishes
        Day 2: Breads of all kinds
        Day 3: Canning 101: Jams and Jellies
        Day 4: Pizza (sweet, savory, etc)
        Day 5: Appetizers, hors d’oeuvres, and party foods

*** All proceeds will go directly toward our adoption expenses!!

Fundraiser: Cooking Camp I

2010-06-11T21:04:00.000-05:00

June 28th - July 2nd
1:00 - 4:00
Ages 10 - 14
$125

Cooking Camp 1 is designed for kids (girls and boys!) who have had a little experience in the kitchen helping Mom and Dad, but who are not accustomed to preparing foods independently. If your kiddo is asking to do more than pouring cereal, making a sandwich, or reheating leftovers, this class is for you!!

Each day we will prepare 2 - 3 different recipes which will progress in difficulty thru the week. By the end of Camp 1, your kids will be able to begin preparing entire meals for your family!! What a huge help that will be!! {{Oh, and I'll also teach them how to clean it all up. Whether they'll do that at home for you ... well ... that may be a different story!!}}

        Day 1: Kitchen and knife safety
        Day 2: Breakfast
        Day 3: Lunch and casual dinners
        Day 4: Healthy snacks
        Day 5: Desserts (yum!)

*** All proceeds go directly toward our adoption expenses.

I Don't Have Tuberculosis and Other Random Thoughts

2010-06-09T20:46:00.000-05:00

Nope. Don't have TB. And boy am I ~~relieved~~ ~~thrilled~~ not surprised! Just another hoop the gov'ment makes you jump thru before you are allowed to love an orphan forever.

Making 16 dozen cupcakes is a lot more work than it sounds like it would be.

Cooking 95# of pork butt bbq, however, is just as much work as it sounds like it would be.

For Mother's Day, my kids did a little one-stop-shopping at Bath and Body Works. Madison gave me a candle - Stress Relief scent; Mark gave me bubble bath - Stress Relief scent; Sarah gave me bubble bath - Stress Relief scent; and Levi gave me bubble bath - Stress Relief scent. Anybody else noticing a pattern?? Are they trying to tell me something?? Do I seem a little more tightly wound than usual?? They all wanted to use their own money to buy my gifts. That made me feel just a little guilty, but then I used all of that fabulous de-stressing stuff and suddenly don't feel even the least bit guilty.

Looking forward to buying next year's science curriculum this weekend. I really hope they have the physical books at the Expo! It's such a bummer to lay out all that cash and walk away with just a receipt and a promise of shipment. Although, I do enjoy getting packages in the mail. No. You don't understand. I really enjoy getting packages in the mail. I've always loved getting the mail. When the kids were suddenly old enough to be useful, the first thing they wanted to do to help was to start getting the mail. Really? The mail? Don't you want to sort laundry? Clean the dishes? Scrub a toilet? No? Fine then. Go get the mail. See if I care (which I do!). And thank you, darlings, for being helpful. Oh, and you dropped a letter in the mud on your way in. But what I'm really trying to say is I guess it'll be ok if they don't have my science books at the Expo. {{And isn't that Expo website just lovely ::ahem:: and full of helpful information? Thankyouverymuch.}}

I may have to order this ... {{SOON!!!}}

... because it seems Fat Quarter Shop has missed my patronage, and thus has awarded me a 20% off discount code :) Maybe I'll splurge and get two - I promise to show you the quilts when I'm done. One that I want to make was inspired by a roll of wrapping paper that I saw at the Container Store when Randy and I had a little weekend away in Little Rock last fall.

I would LoVe to show you the quilt I'm currently working on, but it's a surprise. Shhhh! In due time, I suppose.

I may need to ask Randy to stop at the grocery for some type of frozen breakfast-y thing on his way home tonight, 'cause I'm thinking that I may not feel like cooking in the morning.

I love VBS week! Or in our case, weeks (pl). My Mama teases us for church-hopping around the MidSouth during the summer, but lookit. The way I see it, this is our big chance for the socialization that people are always saying we homeschoolers need. Hahahahaha!!! This summer, they'll be a learnin' about Jesus via pirates, high seas adventures, and espionage. Plus!! Mama gets a little two-hour break each day :) Tomorrow I plan to use my break making more cupcakes and doing laundry. In solitude. It's the little things ...

Dear Kraft,

What have you done with Marshmallow Creme's iconic glass jars?? They have been my most favorite flower vases for years. Perfect for garden trimmings, perfect for small party arrangements, and perfect for sharing. You say shatterproof, I say plastic. Boooo plastic!!

Sincerely,

P.S. Toldya. Random.

Garage Sale - The Final Report

2010-06-06T21:27:00.004-05:00

We started with this Wednesday night.

There was more. The overflow was stashed in our carport and living room! We hauled it all out of Marcus and Julie's garage, took all of the clothes and linens inside, and sorta organized the rest. But there was so much that we couldn't even begin to unpack all of the boxes before the sale.

Thursday was supposed to be rainy, so we spent the day inside sorting and hanging and folding clothes, clothes, and more clothes.

Thanks Beth and Melissa!! Y'all were troopers!!

We started unpacking the garage Friday morning. Once the sun came up, people started coming! And they kept coming all day! Megan made two HUGE signs for us - one for the very busy street corner nearby and one for front yard. {{So sorry that I didn't get a picture of those!!}} Those signs made sure we couldn't be missed!

As I was unpacking, {{And I use that term VERY loosely! Most of my 'unpacking' meant dumping huge boxes of toys out onto tarps and scattering them around so they could be seen.}} Anyhoo ... as I was unpacking, I found a slip of paper -- I think it was pink, but I couldn't find it when I went back to look for it -- that someone had placed in with their donation. It said simply {{as best as I can remember}}, "And Jesus looked out on the masses and had compassion on them." That was a GREAT verse to start the day with!! Instead of focusing on making as much money as we could, I needed to remember that garage sales are just as much about helping others buy what they may need for their families at incredible prices.

These pictures were taken early Saturday morning. We sold so, SO much Friday, but these pics will give you some idea of the enormity of our task!

It was truly, truly a loaves and fishes kind of weekend! We have no idea where all of the money came from, but it came. By the end of the sale, we were astonished to see that we had made just over $3500.

We were certainly amazed, blessed, and exhausted. A giant Thank You to everyone who donated, volunteered, and shopped. God took your generosity, blessed it, and used it for His glory.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

2010-05-28T11:50:00.001-05:00

So fun to be able to participate in this year's Blogger's Quilt Festival! Thanks to Amy for hosting! Be sure to visit The Quilt Festival to see hundreds of beautiful, inspiring quilts from all over the world. Just click on this button to see them all:

The quilt I'm showcasing for this event is one of my most absolute all-time favorites evah!! When I first saw a circle quilt like this, I was stunned. So beautiful. I love, love geometric shapes, especially symmetric geometrics. Yeah, that's the math geek in me, but that's the way God made me, so there. Then. Oh, then!! Stephanie at Make It A Wonderful Life posted ::gasp:: a tutorial.

Eeeek!!! I had only made one quilt, but I couldn't get this one out of my head. 'I must, must, must find a way to make it. I can't not make it.' Compelled is far too plain a word to describe the longing that I had for this quilt.

But what fabric?? Once I spied Patty Young's Mezzanine line - done. That's all it took. I ordered a fat quarter bundle of the entire line from Sew Love Fabrics on Etsy. When it arrived, there were a couple of fabrics that I wasn't crazy over - army green and pink?? Really??

But I had already committed to myself to be bold, so I started cutting away. I used only half of each of the seventeen fabrics in the line. Score!! Enough to do a second quilt!! {{Which, by the way, has already been created ... just waiting quietly in the closet to be quilted.}} I mean, just look at those beautiful fabrics. All together they are quite spectacular. I even got a shout-out from the fabric designer Patty Young herself. How cool is that??!! {{She probably tries to comment on everyone who uses her fabrics and uploads to her flickr group, but it still made me feel special :) }}

I seriously ::heart:: this quilt.

P.S. This little beauty was wrapped immediately after I took these pictures and became a gift for another little beauty - Miss Rachel Grace M. who was born a few weeks later.

The Bravest

2010-05-28T08:44:00.002-05:00

“The bravest are surely those who have the clearest vision of what is before them, glory and danger alike, and yet notwithstanding, go out to meet it.” Thucydides

For them the dawning of immortal day!, originally uploaded by bkburns.

Shall We?

2010-05-21T18:31:00.000-05:00

HUGE turnout for our garage sale today! We have a PRIMO location, so we've had lots and lots of traffic. Randy was turning people away {and making them mad} at 4:00 today.

We brought in over $2300. We are stunned. Amazed. Blessed. Exhausted.

Let's do it again tomorrow :)

Garage Sale Today & Tomorrow!

2010-05-21T01:46:00.000-05:00

Well, technically it's not a garage sale. I mean, the stuff was all crammed into Julie's garage. But now it's mostly in the yard. {Dear God, Please no rain. Amen.} So maybe we should call it a yard sale? Martha Stewart would call it a tag sale, but since we didn't tag anything, {That's right folks! See something you like? Just make us an offer!} we can't really call it a tag sale either.

I prefer to call it our 'We're trying to raise a ransom to bring two sweet babies home' sale.

In just a few short hours {yes, I need to go to bed!}, we're having our mega blow out garage sale for babies! 100% of the proceeds will go directly to funding our adoption.

Madison and Mark are also running a concession stand, so if you come by after 10:30, you can enjoy a delicious grilled hot dog and a cold beverage. Maybe even a cupcake :)

Friday & Saturday
7:00 - 2:00 (or later if we need to)
31 S. Mendenhall

P.S. We still need helpers :)

Crafting for Ethiopia!

2010-05-14T02:02:00.000-05:00

We have been busy, busy, busy! School is out for summer, woohoo!! Softball is {mercifully} almost over. Ballet recital was last weekend. Our Adoption-Fundraiser-Garage-Sale is rained out this weekend, so we'll try again next weekend. If you're still cleaning out your closets, THANKS! Give me a little ringading, and I'll be right over to snatch your stuff. Poor Julie's garage is stuffed to the gills, and our carport and living room are quickly catching up. I think a lot of my friends cleaned out their closets a couple of weeks ago when we were all hiding from the tornadoes in them. I'm constantly being asked if I'm taking clothes or carpet or all kinds of other {weird} stuff, and I say 'yup.' You just donate whatever your generous heart desires, and we'll let God sell whatever He wants to sell. Amen.

As if all of that isn't keeping us busy enough {Now you understand why Randy did what he did last week? We're tired!}, our city-wide homeschool association is hosting a Children's Marketplace this Tuesday morning. We're frantically trying to finish up our {many, many, many} crafty projects. Madison and Mark are trying to raise a total of $5000 so they can travel to Ethiopia with us when we go to meet our babies. Feel free to make a donation and give them a head start on their Marketplace sales :)

If you see something you like, just click on the 'Donate' widget over on the right ----->

When you make a donation via Paypal, please specify which of the kids' crafts you would like and what style, color, etc. To do that, just click on 'Add special instructions to the seller' on Paypal's 'Review Your Donation' page. Besure, besure, besure to leave us your address and contact info! We'd hate to not be able to mail your things to you!

Here's {some} of what they have to offer:

Mark

Mark has worked diligently to create a very cool Memory Match game. There are 10 pairs of matching colors {red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, white, pink, black, brown} for a total of 20 1 1/2" wooden discs. The discs are made with kid-safe materials, but I wouldn't buy this for any baby who still likes to taste things :) Suggested donation: $15.00 (Please specify which background pattern you would prefer. We only made two of each pattern, so please give us your first and second choices in case one is sold out.)

Hey, Mom, this is a lot of work. Can you come help me? Sure baby.

This is the complete Memory Match Game.

It's simple and fun to play, but Sarah will beat you every time.

These are the background patterns available for the back of your Memory Match Game. Please specify your first and second choices in the comments on your Paypal transaction. Mod Blocks, Camo, Gears, Transportation, Super Stripes, Black Swirls, Red Gingham, Green Gingham {Mama's favorite!}, Blue Gingham, or Pink Filigree.

Each game comes in a sturdy, muslin, draw-string bag. They're just the right size to toss in your purse and would be a great busy toy for waiting in restaurants, doctor's offices, etc.

Mark is also working on some homemade cold process soap. They smell fabulous, but they look terrible! We're currently hand milling those and hope to have them listed here soon :)

Next is Sarah Bear

Sarah will not be travelling with us to Ethiopia. She's six. Hauling a six year old picky eater half-way around the world and back does not sound like fun to me. But she soooo wanted to 'make things to sell' just like her big brother and sister! So ... Sarah is offering Bottle Cap Magnets. Suggested donation: $8.00 for a set of 4 magnets. Please state your choice of designs.

Too cute!! And these suckers are strong, too! One magnet can easily hold five regular sheets of paper - perfect for all of those refrigerator masterpieces at your house.

Please specify: Cars, Cupcakes, Happy Faces, Retro Butterflies, Animals, Baby Monsters, Girl Assorted, or Boy Assorted in the comment section of your Paypal transaction.

Last up is Madison.

Madison has probably been working the longest on her projects. There are many! I'll update this post with more of her crafties when she wakes up in the morning and tells me where they are :0 But for now, I can show you her Lip Balm. We had a TON of fun making these! She saw the empty tubes at the warehouse when we bought the supplies for Mark's soap and insisted that we find a recipe to make our own! Each scent is made with coconut oil, beeswax, sweet almond oil, olive oil, vitamin E, and food-grade flavoring oil. I can tell you that these lip balms are fantastic! Suggested donation: $6.00 for 2. Pick any two flavors!

Choose from: ChocoMinty, Pina Colada, Very Cherry, Lemonadie, Groovy Grape, or Strawberry.

Thanks for looking!!

Cinco de Mayo Traditions {according to Randy}

2010-05-05T21:19:00.001-05:00

It's Cinco de Mayo. Not a huge holiday in our household. Although, we did have quesadillas for lunch {pronounced 'case-a-dill-a' ala Napoleon Dynamite}.

Oh, and we also are participating in the traditional Cinco de Mayo going-to-bed-early. Yup. Randy told the kids that it is actually a tradition to go to bed early on the 5th of May. Something to do with how the Mexican people could rest easy because they no longer had to worry about being attacked by the French. No lie. Randy really did tell them that. And the best part is - they totally believed it.

I don't know what's scarier: that our kids are that gullible or that we homeschool.

Dear Future History Teachers of our Children,
I am so sorry.
Love,

Can We Offer Them Any Less?

2010-04-18T21:44:00.001-05:00

Frugal Friday: Dining Out

2010-04-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

Restaurant.com is a fantastic place to get discount certificates to local restaurants. We've been able to use them many times for a cheap date night. The night is cheap, not the date ... or whatever. AND we're finding some really great places to eat that we otherwise might not think to try {or even knew existed!}.

A typical deal costs $10 for a $25 certificate. Read the fine print! You usually have to spend $35 at dinner - not lunch - to use the certificate, so the net savings is $15. We've gotten so used to figuring out the cheapest way to eat out, that we sometimes have to work hard to spend $35! Ordering an appetizer or dessert and {dare I say it?} two entrees is usually all it takes.

But wait! That's not all! For a limited time only, use the promo code "CHOW" for an 80% discount on your total order. {For all of my math-challenged friends, that means you'll be paying $2 for a $25 certificate.} Use it now, or save it for later. They're good for a year.

Happy Date Night!

Baby Bento Box-ish Quilt Tutorial - Part 2

2010-04-06T13:39:00.001-05:00

Let's see ... where were we ...

Remember how picky I was being about pressing all of your seams OPEN? Uh, huh. You complained, didn't you? Well, now is the time for you to see how all of your hard work has paid off!! At the end of Part 1, we had 12 finished blocks. Let's put those little beauties together and finish our quilt top!!

Take a deep breath, and cut each of your 12 blocks into fourths. - forming 48 smaller blocks. Accuracy counts! The quality of your finished quilt depends on it! Ok, maybe that's a little overly dramatic, but do try to measure well.

Randomly choose four of the smaller blocks to make 12 new larger blocks. OR. Spend an hour {or three} agonizing over which blocks need to go together. Whichever.

Remember how we put the shorter strips at the top and bottom of the block? And we put the longer strips at the sides? When you're choosing pieces to make the new, mixed-up blocks, you may want to keep that pattern, making sure the shorter strips are still at the top/bottom of the block and the longer strips are still along the sides. Not making sense? {I'm not surprised - that was kind of a dorky explanation, but that's all I got.} Take a look at the two pictures below:

(See how the short strips are still at the top and bottom and the long strips are still along the sides?)

(Again, the short strips are at the bottom and long strips are still along the sides.)

It's really not that big of a deal, but having all of your blocks oriented the same way will produce a more pleasing finished look. And it will be noticeable if they're all jumbled up. But that may be how you roll - all jumbled up. If that's the case, jumble on!!

Once you've chosen your new blocks, begin sewing them together. I sewed the top two together, then the bottom two together.

Remember to pin the 'top' of your seam open like this so it will lay flat when sewing:

Then sew the top to the bottom.

Again, pinning your seam open and flat.

As in the Part 1, be sure to press all of your seams open. I told you it would matter, and now you can see why - it helps reduce the bulk when you're sewing a spot that has four seams that meet up.

Once your blocks are finished, you can lay them out on the floor or your design wall {if you're lucky enough to have one!} and arrange and re-arrange until you have a quilt that you just love {or at least can live with!}

Sew the rows together, quilt, bind, and you're done!! If you need help with the turning-the-top-into-a-finished-quilt step, I highly recommend that you spend some time over at Elizabeth's website, specifically with this collection of articles. Those articles taught me how to quilt {you can learn anything from the internet!}, and I'm sure they'll work for you!!

When you're finished with your beautiful quilt, send me a pic!! I'd love to see what you make with this tutorial!! Then you can relax, enjoy your quilt, and do something fun. Like take your family to Monster Jam!

Or not. Whatever.

Approved!! Approved!!

2010-03-31T20:54:00.000-05:00

Approved!! Twice in one day!! We have been accepted thru both our adoption agency - Children's Hope International - AND our homestudy agency - Bethany International!! I didn't really expect to be turned down, but it sure is nice to have it all neat and official-like.

We now move forward into the real paperwork phase. It's time to start gathering fingerprints, birth and marriage certificates, police background checks, immigration approval, letters of recommendation, tax returns, passports, etc. Paperwork, paperwork, and more paperwork.

One of the links from our homestudy agency was 'View the Entire Process.' Thinking I would be able to print off a huge list of things to start working on, {Cuz I loves me a good list!} I took a deep breath and clicked. But instead, here is what I found:

- Formal application

- Homestudy

- Dossier

- Referral

- Placement

- Post-placement visits

- Citizenship

So there you have it. Sounds accomplishable, right? Seven simple steps that will change eight lives forever.

Digits

2010-03-28T20:07:00.000-05:00

$5.95. The amount to mail our application to Children's Hope International yesterday. Hoping it's just a formality to approve us ...

080192. The job posting number that I applied for today. Community College, here I come again! Maybe ...

$710.60. The total amount we raised at our Inaugural Fundraiser last Thursday - A Gold Party. Added to the amount we received from attending a friend's gold party last month, we have enough for our USCIS fees and FBI fingerprinting!!

43. The number of hours it's gonna take me to clean my bathroom. Ugh! Better get started on that ...

A Good Gift

2010-03-15T08:38:00.001-05:00

She loved it! Happy Birthday, Kimberly!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes ...

2010-03-10T22:41:00.001-06:00

... in the Ethiopian adoption laws. Today. It seems they are changing the travel requirements. Adoptive parents will now have to travel to Ethiopia twice - once to meet their child(ren) and do some court stuff, and again some time later to actually take them home. I know they're making these changes to help protect the children and find the best forever homes for them. We will trust.

I'm excited to know that we would be able to meet our children sooner than we would have with the old process. I think it will be heart breaking to have to leave them in the orphanage to return home - even for a short time! But I know that God is sovereign over all. It is God, not me, who will be their Comforter. God, not me, who will bring about healing in their hearts. God, not me, who will protect them in the interim. It will be hard to leave them, yes. But they will not be alone. We will trust.

It's been an interesting and faith-growing few months in my life. When we first started gathering information, we figured the total cost would be around $25,000. I don't happen to have that in my pocket at the moment. (Do you? Let's talk!) But after much prayer and much reassurance from Randy, I became convinced that God would provide. Then more information came along about the costs associated with adopting two - the extra in-country fees, the extra airfare, etc - and the amount quickly swelled to $35,000. While not dissuaded from moving forward, my eyes did get a little wider and I did get a little scared. Then my sweet Randy came home. He just snuggled me close and sweetly reassured me. 'It'll be ok. Just may take a little longer. Don't worry.' And God suddenly became bigger to me. 'If I can trust Him for $25,000, then I can trust Him for $35,000.' With the latest news, our grand total is being updated to $40,000+. That's a really, really big number. Again, eyes wider, little scared. But God is growing even larger. 'If I can trust Him for $35,000, I can trust Him for $40,000.' We will trust. CanIgetanamen!!

Nesting

2010-03-08T21:28:00.000-06:00

As part of our adoption application, we have to send pictures of our house. YIKES!! Don't get me wrong, I'm very proud of our home. We've been here six years, and I've worked very hard making it what I want it to be. There isn't much that I would change about it. But, come on. We have four little kids. We live in this house. All day. Every day. We do regularly clean our house, but 'picture perfect' adds a whole new dimension! One of my weekend projects was to clean up the playroom (aka new kids' room) and get it ready for an {amateur} photo shoot.

I started with this (don't you feel encouraged about your house, now!!):

And ended with this (better, no?):

Hello, floor. I've missed you.

Serenity

2010-03-03T18:12:00.002-06:00

"I do not understand how anyone can live
without one small place of enchantment to turn to."

- Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

My First Product Review ... and a little bonus ...

2010-03-02T15:15:00.001-06:00

I was contacted recently by a representative of CSN Stores. He wondered if I would be willing to do a product review or host a giveaway for them right here on this here blog.

"It's a very new blog," I said.

"That's ok," he said.

"I don't have a very large following," I said.

"That's ok," he said.

"My readership is very small," I said.

"That's ok," he said.

"Very small," I said.

"That's ok," he said.

And then he added, "Maybe hosting a giveaway will help increase your readership."

Well. Okie dokie, then. We decided that I will review a product from one of their 200+ supercool online stores (my choice!), then I will host a giveaway of the very same product. How supercool is that??!! One for me, and one for you. Sharesies. Just like in elementary school :)

While you're waiting to see what I've chosen (and what you'll have a chance to win), hop on over to one of their supercool stores and see what they're all about. They have several supercool sites with lots of supercool things for all of the supercool little people in your life. You might check out kids bedding, or fun toys and games, or stuff for your modern baby. Or if you've got lots of extra time, you can see a list of all of their stores here.

So stay tuned ... I think this will be supercool!!

Baby Bento Box-ish Quilt Tutorial - Part 1

2010-02-25T22:08:00.004-06:00

I've posted about this quilt before, but I'll do it again without apology because it is one of my FAVES!! When I first received this bundle of fabrics, I was a little stumped about what kind of pattern to use. It came to me while I was in the shower. {I seriously need to find some waterproof paper and pens! I have some of my most creative ideas and make crazy good plans while I'm in the shower. I wonder if it's the stimulation of the spray (there have been studies ::nerd::), or if my mind just works things out while I'm asleep (again, studies ::nerd::). Then again ... I do have four kids. Maybe the shower is just the only place where I can have a moment alone to think.}

Back to the plan. Modern fabric = Modern quilt design. Am I right? I did a little research on Bento Box quilts, sketched a little sketch, pulled a few bright fabrics from my stash and created one of my most favorite quilts. Oh, and did I mention that this one is one of my faves?? Yes?? Oh, sorry ...

I took lots of pics during the process, and this is my attempt to show you what I did and how you can do it, too!! IF you're so inclined :)

MATERIALS:

For a baby quilt or smallish lap quilt that measures 36" x 48" you will need the following:

12 different fat quarters - there will be some leftovers
~ 2/3 yards solid - I used Kona Bleach White
1 1/2 yards backing fabric
1/3 yard binding fabric
1 1/4 yards batting

CUTTING:

Pair up your fabrics in a way that is pleasing to you. I kept my fabrics together in their pairs (Fabric #1 inside square + Fabric #2 outside square, AND Fabric #2 inside square + Fabric #1 outside square) - not very imaginative, but it got the job done! I'm currently working on a scrappy version that uses one fabric for the inside square and four different fabrics on the outside square. I hope you feel the freedom to mix it up - or not.

From each of your 12 fat quarters, cut:

1 - 6.5" x 6.5" square
2 - 2.5" x 9.5" strips
2 - 2.5" x 13.5" strips

From the solid fabric, cut 10 - 2" x width of fabric strips. Cutting across the width of the fabric should give you a full 40" of usable fabric, minus the selvage.

Using 4 of the 2" x 40" strips, cut 24 - 2" x 6.5" strips (each 40" strip will yield 6 - 6.5" strips).
Using 6 of the 2" x 40" strips, cut 24 - 2" x 9.5" strips (each 40" strip will yield 4 - 9.5" strips).

ASSEMBLING THE BLOCKS:

Each block will have:

1 - 6.5" x 6.5" print square (for middle)
2 - 2" x 6.5" solid strips (for top & bottom)
2 - 2" x 9.5" solid strips (for left & right)
2 - 2.5" x 9.5" print strips (for top & bottom)
2 - 2.5" x 13.5" print strips (for left & right)

The general layout will look like this:

Begin by sewing 1 - 2" x 6.5" solid strip to the top of the middle square and 1 - 2" x 6.5" strip to the bottom of the middle square. Press your seams open. Trust me, it matters!

Now sew 1 - 2" x 9.5" solid strip to the left side and 1 2" x 9.5"solid strip to the right side. Press the seams open. Trust me, it matters! When I pin these side strips, I like to pin the 'top' of the seam to make sure that as I sew the seam, the 'top' stays flat and open.

See that? The 'top' of that open seam will go thru the machine first and has a tendency to flip over or scrunch up. Pinning at those particular spots really helps keep the seam open.

Next, sew 1 - 2.5" x 9.5" print strip to the top of the block and 1 - 2.5" x 9.5" print strip to the bottom.

Then sew the sides, and you're done! My finished block-pairs:

Ooooh!! Just look at those perfectly-ish pressed open seams. Trust me, it matters!!

I'll be back shortly with Part 2: Assembling the quilt top.

I hope you enjoy making a Modified Baby Bento Quilt! If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!! And I would love to see anything you might make using this tutorial, so please, do share :)

*** Updated to let you know that Part 2 is available now! Enjoy! ***

Weekend Plans

2010-02-20T23:28:00.000-06:00

I'll be working on this little stack of lovelies this weekend. They have all been pin-basted and are ready to be quilted. The two on top are gifts - one to a friend for her 40th B-Day next week and the second to Quilts For Kids, so they are my top priorities. Then I'll be able to start on the first quilts to put into my Etsy shop. WooHoo!! I am hoping to sell many, many baby quilts to help bring our Ethiopian babies home soon!!

Frugal Friday: Make Your Own Laundry Soap

2010-02-19T15:28:00.002-06:00

About a year or so ago, I came across a recipe for making homemade laundry soap. Wha?? Not completely convinced that it was something that I wanted to try, I filed it away in my little noggin and thought about it every time I bought detergent at the grocery store. I wonder if that stuff really works?? But I like the smell of commercial detergent. But if it works, it could really save $$. Hmmm ...

So I gave it a try. I made a double batch before Christmas, and it lasted about 11 or 12 weeks. Not bad. I do feel like our clothes are clean, but I bought a box of dryer sheets to use until (if ever) I get over the lack of scent.

I made another double batch this week, with a few changes. I used Zote laundry soap (1/2 bar) instead of Fels Naptha because that's what was available when I shopped. Oh, and it's pink. PINK!! Instead of grating the soap, I just chopped it into bits. Because I'd like to keep my fingernails. And the skin on my knuckles. It melted just fine, thankyouverymuch.

Also, instead of letting the soap sit overnight in the 5-gallon bucket to gel, I poured it straight into my containers. Last time I let it set-up in the bucket, and it was a major undertaking to get it into the containers. Picture soapy ladle, soapy blender, soapy floor, etc.

As for the cost:

$1.29 - 5.5 oz Fels Naptha (use 1/3 bar) = $0.43

$3.49 - 76 oz Borax (use 1/2 cup) = $0.17

$2.99 - 55 oz Washing Soda (use 1/2 cup) = $0.25

Total = $0.85 or $1.70 for a double batch

Did you catch that??!! I used to pay $1.80 at the store for this. On sale. With coupons!

But for about the same cost, I made all of this ...

If you'd like to try this for yourself, the recipe I used is from Crystal at TheFamilyHomestead.com.

Enjoy!!

Quilts For Kids

2010-02-18T17:32:00.004-06:00

If you're a quilter, you should seriously consider donating your time and talents to Give A Kid A Quilt. They are taking donations of NEW quilts to be distributed to at-risk babies and young children in and around Washington County in Oregon.

Dana from MyFabricSnob recently offered several fabric bundles to anyone wanting to participate, and I snagged one! She sent me this lovely little stack of fabric:

And I pulled a few others from my stash:

And this is now waiting in my closet (impatiently) to be quilted:

I'll have a tutorial for making this adorable baby quilt soon!

Home

2010-02-15T20:59:00.001-06:00

"If a home doesn't make sense, nothing does."

- Henrietta Ripperger

Family

2010-02-12T15:50:00.006-06:00

"How can there be too many children?
That is like saying there are too many flowers."
- Mother Theresa

Snowy Diversions (Part I)

2010-02-10T21:28:00.003-06:00

Remember this little stack of loveliness??

Well ... I took a little slice here and a little sliver there and created this:

But I couldn't stop with just one!

Nope.

This little booger took f.o.r.e.v.e.r to cut out,

so I figured I should do another :)

I think I'll call them 'Summer Sherbet.' I designed the pattern myself - a modified brick path. I've ordered some yummalicious Kona cotton for the backs of these little babies. One will be backed with pink and one with green, but otherwise they will be twins. I hope to have them in the shop soon!

Friday Funny

2010-02-05T19:55:00.001-06:00

I was looking thru some old pics today trying to find one in particular.

The kids were having all kinds of fun looking at themselves.

We found this one from a few years back ...

Bwahahahahahaha!!!!!

Icy Weekend

2010-01-31T22:28:00.001-06:00

I wish I had some pictures of the ice and snow that we enjoyed this weekend, but I didn't venture out :) I found this picture on the website of our local morning publication. Hope they don't sue ...

Photo by Mike Maple

The kids spent most of Friday, Saturday, and Sunday bundled up and playing outside. They came in occasionally to warm up, so our house was filled all weekend with neighbors and friends enjoying snow-cream, hot chocolate, Cheetos, and any other snacks they could dig up. We played Banagrams (Mama is still the champ) and many, many games of Apples to Apples Jr. (which may or may not have been rigged - there is still much debate over this). My floors are in desperate need of mopping!! It's a good thing that Monday is Cleaning Day.

I spent the weekend with this lovely stack of fabric ...

Anticipation

2010-01-26T23:25:00.005-06:00

I enjoy looking at the small pile of scraps that accumulates when cutting out a project. Especially quilts. It's my first peek at how the finished project might turn out. Fabrics that may look good together in a stack can suddenly fight when they're tossed in together. Or fabrics that seem iffy at best in the stack can suddenly seem shockingly harmonious. Looking forward to seeing how this one turns out. Boy quilts can be tricky. These are all from Riley Blake's All Star line. I guess you can't go wrong when you use only fabrics that were designed to coordinate. Feels a little safe, but I'm going with it anyway.