.jeremiah 29:11.

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.jeremiah 29:11.  Hi friends, this week has been a little rough around here.  I am clinging to these words and finding comfort in the arms of our Savior.  I know that the Lord is working for good in all things, but sometimes it is so hard to see that and understand it.  For His own reasoning the Lord does not ask us to understand he just asks us to have faith.  To trust that He is doing good and we are His.  .jeremiah 29:11.

.search for spring.

This is a beautiful collection of what I am patiently not so patiently waiting for - Spring!

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.showing up.

.showing up.  On Thursday I went to a doctors appointment while I waited - God showed up.  Lately I have been thinking about some hard issues in adoption.  I am not doubting our decision at all, I am just more acutely aware of how difficult this path will be.  I am nervous about how we will raise the money, I am nervous about how long the adoption will take.  But mostly I am nervous for when we come home with our child.  What will happen then?  Everyone pictures a nice quite house with good little children that listen and play well together.  But if you have children already, you know the peaceful days and quite moments are few and far between.  That life seems like a pre-child dream of some sort, that expecting mothers fantasize about.  I am really nervous for the transition of this new child or children into our home.

So, as luck would have it - at the doctors office, I randomly picked up a magazine and opened it.  When I looked down I realized the article I turned to was about adoption.  Not just the amazing part of it, the part after the transition - but the hard, the difficult, the parts I am worried about.  (By the way, nothing on the cover even suggested adoption).  I don't think it happened by chance, I am 100% sure God put it right there for me to pick up.  It is amazing how He works because although I have had these fears for a couple weeks I have not prayed about them.  Yet, He still knows.  He knows our deepest thoughts and everything about us.  He encourages us right when we need Him to.

The article I read was in Good Housekeeping and is called Love Medicine, from the February 2011 issue.  This link has the full article - alleluia!  In it are my fears lived out, coming home with a difficult, traumatized child.  However the article also showed what parents did, and are doing, to cope once they came home.  I am grateful to have read this article as it shows the truth to adoption.  Many times, I feel, people enter into adoption with the everything will be perfect mindset.  At least that is what is shown.  And do not think about the difficulties.  I am glad to see a report on the hard issues adoptive parents face and how some families have worked through these issues.  It is so important to think of these scenarios.  Not to scare the be-jeez-es out of ourselves, but to better prepare ourselves for the future.

I am sure God flipped open the magazine so that I could find comfort in the fact that others have the same fears, are living them out, and are making it work.  It is so good and such a relief to know we will not be alone when our child/children come home.  We will have others to turn to and agencies to get help from - if we need it.  And God is showing me every single day that He will be there for us and He will know our feelings and what we need.  At exactly the right time.  .showing up.

.alleluia.

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.Luke 23:44-46.

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"By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock.  The light from the sun was gone.  And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.  Then Jesus shouted, 'Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!' And with those words he breathed his last."  

Luke 23:44-46

.what were doing.

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.what were doing.  I got the most wonderful idea for eggs at Our Best Bites and now that I saw this tutorial I have spotted them all over the place.  Apparently silk-dyed eggs are very popular.  Hopefully they turn out alright.  Finger crossed.  .what were doing.

.the whitakers.

.the whitakers.  Right now a sweet family from Alabama is holding an Adoption Auction.  The Whitakers have decided to adopt because they feel like God is calling them too.  They are unsure where they are being lead to adopt from but they are excited to start the process soon.  In the meantime they are hosting their first fundraiser, an auction (who knew they were so popular?).  I am blessed to be a part of it and they are auctioning off some of my mini notebooks.  The auction goes until May 1st and they have some really cute items.  Please show them your support!  .the whitakers.

.what I learned.

.what I learned.  At the beginning of this month I participated in TOMS One Day Without Shoes Challenge.  It was more of an experiment for me then anything else.  I never wear shoes at home and in the summer I don't like to that much either.  I prefer to have bare feet & I think it has some correlation with me not being a shoe girl.  I would prefer to spend the extra money on a date night or extra latte, I know my sisters freak out too.  So although I thought the challenge would be hard, I didn't think it would be unbearable.  I WAS DEAD WRONG!

The day I went without shoes was a normal spring day here in Wisconsin.  The temperatures were in the mid 30's in the morning and it warmed up quite a bit by the afternoon to 47 degrees.  One of the hardest things in the morning was the temperature.  My feet were freezing.  Throughout the day I went to many different places and I only put my shoes on once.... because the DMV has long enough lines already & I didn't want to cause a scene or make myself wait any longer then I already had to.  

Throughout the day only two people told me I was not wearing shoes.  The first was a sweet lady who was taking numbers where we vote.  She thought I forgot them, haha, and I had the opportunity to tell her what I was doing.  The second was our friends daughter who decided she didn't want to wear shoes either.  Although not many people said anything, I definitely got weird looks and stares the entire day.  Even at the DMV where I sported flip-flops instead.  The looks alone made me uncomfortable and a little embarrassed.  I can't imagine not owning any shoes, it makes me think of how embarrassed people who lack shoes are on a regular basis.  

By the end of the day my feet hurt really bad, so bad that I didn't want to go grab items out of our van that I would have normally just run out to get.  They hurt for a couple days.  Overall I am glad that I participated because it really made me realize the impact our shoes have.  They really do protect our feet from many things and we need them.  I am glad that I got to experience the pain and the awkwardness for one day because it makes me want to reach out to people who don't have and cannot afford shoes.  .what I learned.

*One Day Without Shoes is about raising awareness so that we can help others.  TOMS donates one pair of shoes per every pair bought.  However we all, like me, have extras in our closets.  We all also can most likely afford to buy a pair and donate them to any shoe drive.  This is not just about TOMS shoes, it is about getting shoes on people feet no matter what organization you go through.  

.adoption update.

Us with our completed application!  We don't look our best because I was sick that whole morning and Aaron had kid & work duty.... despite all that we were really excited to send off the application! 

.adoption update.  Many people have been asking about our adoption status.  We are excited to share that we have officially finished our formal application and sent it in this week on April 12th!  Our agency has received it, they are going to review it and then send it to their main branch.  Up next will be our home study visits!!!  We are really excited to get started with this process.  I am a little nervous but luckily I have a couple close friends who have been through this process already and I can ask them what to expect.  Hopefully we will hear about when those will be soon.  

I have not forgot to give you the total raised from our Adoption Auction.... I am waiting on a few more donations, and will have the total sometime really soon - hopefully next week sometime.  If you missed our auction we still have a remaining few items here.  If you need something for babies, there are items - like this beautiful baby blanket!  If you need something for a birthday, there are items - like this necklace or this bag!  And if your looking for cute kid decorations all the monkey prints are still available!!!  All items are first come first serve!!!! Thanks again.  .adoption update.

.tornadoes.

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.tornadoes.  I don't know if you have heard about the numerous tornadoes that went through Wisconsin last week or not.  When I usually see some sort of natural disaster I say a quick prayer and move on.  Unless it is big like Haiti, or Japan.  However, the tornadoes in Wisconsin over the weekend hit home because they went through my grandparents (both sides, and much of my extended family as well) home town, Merrill, WI.  According to this article, the tornado was an F-3 and tracked for 22 miles before it disappeared.  It did most of its damage along the north side of Merrill around the airport.  My grandparents live directly along the airport fence and missed the biggest damage by less then a half mile.  They were extremely lucky that they only had two trees in their yard fall.  Most of their neighborhood is gone.  My grandpa stated that, "it looks like a war zone".... and that comes from a man who served in the Korean war.  My uncle and aunt's house got hit, they were lucky and had only partial damage to their home.

It makes me realize how extremely blessed my family is that no one got injured.  I will be thanking the Lord a long time for their safety.  They could have easily been this man - who lives right down the road.  The tornado also shows me how everything we own can be taken away in the blink of an eye.  And it makes me thankful that I do not put my trust and security in my things, but rather Christ.  .tornadoes. 

.my little zen master.

.my little zen master.  Right now Asher is at the stage where he is learning how to crawl.  Basically he does the front plank all day long.  I am 100% convinced that crawling is easier.  But this seven month old just won't put his knees down.  I guess he is trying to master the art of yoga.  .my little zen master.

.paper coterie.

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.paper coterie.  I just discovered a brand new documenting site.  I take so many pictures, but do I print them.... no.  It is such a problem.  I seriously need help with this, and I think I have found it.  I would love to scrap book more, but I don't have that much time and to be honest pulling out all my scrapbooking items and putting them back is not really my thing anymore.  I mean it has taken me months to work on our vacation mini books and they are still not done.  The vacation book I am working on is for when we went to Texas.... in the fall of 2009.  California's book is not even on the radar.  

 A preview of my book.  I am using the I Love Book.

 All that needs to change!  I found paper coterie this weekend and have started a Liberia book, which is also a couple years past its due date, so far I am loving it.  It is simple because the books are already made, all you have to do is upload some photographs and text, if you want.  I love that you can change the text but it's not necessary.  The Hopes & Dreams books for girls & guys are adorable.  And the A-Z book would be such a fun project for anyone with little kids.  I mean really how much fun would it be to find something of every letter & then have such a cool way to document it!  I also think the Grateful book would be a perfect coffee table book around Thanksgiving.  

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  Paper Coterie has many different projects for people to choose from.  They have books, calendars, decor, and more.  They are worth your time to check out.  Right now they are also offering one free product to anyone with a blog, up to 1,000 bloggers.  You don't need to have a lot of followers.  You don't even need to write a post about them.  All you have to do is go to their facebook page and look under their discussions for the details.  Now go, you know you have something to record!  .paper coterie. 

Do you have a favorite online scrapping site?  What do you love about it?

*I did not get anything extra from Paper Coterie for writing this post.  I just really love their site & want everyone to benefit from it!

.lovely clusters.

.lovely clusters.  Have you ever heard of lovely clusters?  I think I came across them before, maybe last summer.  But I just re-discovered them again and I love all the pretty items.  Their new Spring Catalog just came out and the top image shows my favorite page.  How darling are those little handbags on the top left?  LOVE THEM.  

I also love the blue and yellow page.  That Olive Manna notebook would be perfect in my purse.  If your in the mood for some eye-candy creations go to lovely clusters & browse.  They are true to their name, this time I am hoping I will not forget about them.  .lovely clusters. 

.crafting around here looks like this.

.one day without shoes.

.one day without shoes.  Today I am joining TOMS, and thousands of others, to raise awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child's life, & a persons life, by taking off my own.  It is part of TOMS One Day Without Shoes movement.  Thats right, I am not wearing shoes for the whole day (except in buildings where they are required).  And today is not a stay at home day for me, needless to say - I think I will be challenged, especially with this Wisconsin weather. 

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Last year over 250,000 people went without shoes to give a voice to those who don't have a choice.  There were over 1,600 events held.  This year One Day Without Shoes is even bigger and there are many more people who are taking their shoes off too!  Click here to find an event.

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I feel called to join TOMS for many different reasons.  One of the biggest being my future child or children's families might be without right now, this very moment.  In Ethiopia approximately one million people are suffering from Podoconiosis, a debilitating and disfiguring disease caused by walking barefoot in volcanic soil. My child's birth family might be without and that makes my heart ache.  

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Another reason I  am taking my shoes off today is because I want to put myself in another persons shoes.... or situation.  I can't imagine not having the choice of wearing shoes.  In my life the hardest decision I have about shoes is which ones to put on *(and I don't even own that many.... let me count.... 25).  Not going to school, or anywhere else, because I don't have any shoes has never crossed my mind.  So today I am taking mine off to see how shoes really impact my life.  

*I counted all my shoes and I have 25, that included sandals, dress shoes, and boots.... I am a little shocked that I have that many - I wear two different pairs on a regular basis during the winter and I wear another 3 regularly during the summer. After looking at them all, I think I am going to donate the ones I never wear.

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A third reason I am taking my shoes off are because of these beautiful faces - they are the faces of children who on a day to day basis go without shoes (they have some shoes as shown in the last picture, but many in that orphanage do not).  These children are also some of the most beautiful souls I have ever met.  I have the opportunity to speak up for them, so that is what I am doing today, would you consider joining me and raising awareness?  Even if it's only for an hour.... even for 10 minutes.  .one day without shoes.

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One Day Without Shoes is about raising awareness so that we can help others.  TOMS donates one pair of shoes per every pair bought.  However we all, like me, have extras in our closets.  We all also can most likely afford to buy a pair and donate them to any shoe drive.  This is not just about TOMS shoes, it is about getting shoes on people feet no matter what organization you go through.  

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Some Additional Facts:

In many developing countries children must walk barefoot for miles to school, clean water, and medical help.

Hundreds of millions of children are at risk of injury, infection & soil-transmitted diseases that most can't affort to prevent and treat.

Children who are healthy are more likely to be successful students, and access to education is a critical determinant of long-term success.

Healthy, educated children have a better chance of improving the future of their entire community.

In certain regions of Ethiopia, wearing shoes and practicing good hygiene can prevent podconiosis, a disease that causes swelling of the feet and legs due to prolonged exposure to irritant soil.  In Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital, TOMS works with HIV positive and street children, giving shoes to protect them from the dangerous city streets littered with glass, metal, and even sewage.

*All facts in this blog post are straight from TOMS & One Day Without Shoes websites.

.tomorrow.

I will be participating in TOMS One Day Without Shoes.  Watch the video and consider doing the same.

.spring wreath.

.spring wreath.  Last week I bought a glue gun, for the first time ever.  I know - surprising right.  I was holding off, and now that I have it, I'm not exactly sure why.  I bought the glue gun for one craft project in particular.... fabric roses.  For one party in particular, my sisters bridal shower.  We are throwing an Alice In Wonderland themed bridal shower for Hilary and I wanted to make a couple fabric roses, because she is the Queen of Hearts and she likes them red!  I have made a couple for Hill's shower..... but I have also made some things for myself.

I love all the spring wreaths around.  So I made my own variation.  The colors were inspired by the Brew Crew,  Hilary's wedding colors, and most importantly what I had in my scrap bin.  .spring wreath.

First I ripped strips of fabric, about 1 inch in width.  Then I wrapped them around a styrofoam wreath.  I used multiple strips of fabric and pins to keep the fabric in place. 

Once I got all done wrapping the fabric around, I made a bunch of little fabric flowers.  Thank you glue gun! 

 I came up with this spring bunch & glued until I felt they were all secure.  

And now we have a beautiful wreath to great our visitors!!!