Hannah James

.home for hire.

2012-02-02T07:29:00.000-06:00

love birds

lace napkin rings

.home for hire. Hi Friends - Today we are being featured over at Home for Hire because we are February's partnering family! Nicole will be giving us 25% of her sales from her shop, which is totally adorable. Please stop by and purchase an item to help us out! Thanks! .home for hire.

.meet the wayman family.

2012-02-01T13:15:00.000-06:00

It is a new month, already, and that means a new family is partnering with Hannah James. Today I am happy to introduce you to the Wayman family! Jennifer blogs over at The Wayman Family Nest and has the cutest design ideas. Please help support their adoption by shopping Hannah James all February long!

"If you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans"

When did your family start the adoption process?

I felt called to adopt in July of 2010. After months of prayer, my husband was also on board. We officially began the process in January of 2011.

Where are you in the process?

We are waiting to be matched with our little boy. We received a referral the day after Thanksgiving, but lost it earlier this month. We can't wait to see what God has in store for our family!

Where are you adopting from?

Ethiopia

Why did you chose Ethiopia?

We felt drawn to Ethiopia. I met several families with children from Ethiopia while we prayed about our desire to adopt. We totally fell that God led us to Ethiopia.

What age & gender is the child you are adopting?

boy 0-12 months

What other fundraisers have you done or are you doing?

We have sold t-shirts, done an online silent auction, and had a massive yard sale! This upcoming weekend we're having a benefit lunch at a local restaurant.

What is your blog?

The Wayman Family Nest

Why do you blog?

I started blogging to document both our adoption process and the renovation of our first home. I have especially loved connecting with other adoptive moms along the way.

Where do you live?

Nashville, TN

What are some of your families favorite activities?

Camping, reading, going the the lake, watching movies, spending time with friends and family (especially our 2 adorable nephews!)

A favorite place to visit?

I love to travel, so this is hard to choose, but I'd definitely have to say the beach!

Favorite color?

green

Favorite food?

Mexican food

.Menzer family reminder.

2012-01-31T05:55:00.000-06:00

learn more about the Menzer family

This is a friendly reminder that you have until tonight at midnight to make a purchase from Hannah James to help out the Menzer family.

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

If you are adopting I am currently lining up families for our partnership program.

Contact me and I will add you to our list!

.bloom where you are.

2012-01-30T05:28:00.002-06:00

flower in Ethiopia

.bloom where you are. Hi friends. Yesterday at church I felt very uplifted, it was just what I needed. Our pastors sermon was about blooming where you are. In every circumstance. EVERY circumstance. Yep - written specifically for my sulking self. So that is what we are going to do.

As we wait patiently (haha) for our return to Ethiopia we want to use this time to bloom! We are going to be collecting items for two orphanages in Addis, called AHOPE. AHOPE for Children is home to about 100 children who are all living with HIV/AIDS. We want to be able to bless these orphanages with a lot of supplies when we return, showering them with donations. AHOPE has a list on their website of items they need & want. If you are willing to help us with some donations please contact me and let me know. Thank you in advance!

AHOPE is also looking for 14 families to step up by February 14th to help sponsor a child. Sponsorship costs $35 a month and has the power to really help some of the worlds most vulnerable children. AHOPE has huge plans for their future and getting more sponsorships will help them be able to grow.

Also to help our funds bloom a bit we have a new fundraiser going on. We are having a Tastefully Simple online party, thanks to Michelle! To view the wonderful products you can go to the online catalog here. We are really excited about partnering up with Michelle. When you order just make sure you put my name (Desiree Thompson) in as host at the checkout. Orders will be open until February 10th. Thank you for the Support! .bloom where you are.

.show hope.

2012-01-27T06:42:00.001-06:00

.show hope. When we got home from Ethiopia we had a stack of mail waiting for us. Among the letters and packages sat a letter from show hope. I was scared to open it because I knew it would either let us know if we got a grant or we didn't. I totally thought it would be the latter because the envelope was a standard size. But we read it and are excited to announce that we got a grant!

As our adoption has been the fastest in the world - this really helps. We thought we would have 2-3 years to save up and do fundraisers. Thankfully the Lord took us a different route and it has been quick, 10 months quick so far. We have been fundraising for about a year and the Lord has blessed us through each and every step of our walk. We are thankful that this Show Hope grant was awarded as it will help in getting back to our son.

If you would have asked us to fund raise an adoption cost in a year when we started I would have thought you were CRAZY. However God is fully providing for us and I have learned that worrying about the money part is not good....now I just watch it happen. If you are considering adoption but scared to bits about the financial burden, don't be. If the Lord truly wants you to adopt and has placed it on your heart then He will also provide all you need financially. trust HIM. I am not saying you get to sit in a lazy boy and watch. You do need to be actively involved, but the Lord has given us ideas, great friends, family, and many chances to raise the money we needed for this adoption. We were willing to work for it because this passion for Adoption came from Him. In our fundraising the Lord has provided. And will continue to provide (as we are still going strong). Thank You Lord for Show Hope being one of those provisions. .show hope.

*** People have asked if we are fully funded: NO. We are not fully funded for this adoption and we will continue with fund raisers. We are very blessed though and thankful that the Lord is giving us what we need when we need it the most!

.valentines diy.

2012-01-26T13:24:00.000-06:00

image source

.valentines diy. Valentines day is coming up and there are tons of cute do it yourself projects popping up on pinterest. Here are some of my favorite. .valentines diy.

tutorial link

tutorial link

.others.

2012-01-25T14:30:00.000-06:00

image source

.others. Other families going through this process at the same stage are helping me right now. Right now these other families - other moms specifically, and Jesus. They are my rock. It helps because these women allow me to cry and not feel bad about missing my son. They know the ache, like I do, that sometimes comes and sits making it hard to breathe. Yet, they encourage me just as I am. Giving me little hints of the Bible throughout the day. Saying little prayers. Knowing others are going through the same heartache somehow makes me feel better. And it takes the focus off myself for a while, so I can pray for them and their little ones.

I know I have said it before, and I will again, thank you Lord for giving me the gift of friendships through this process. It is a beautiful thing to grow in friendship through heartache. I am witnessing beautiful things happen each day as we moms surround each other in love. And are able to vent, cry, scream, and praise the Lord all at the same time. And grow deep in the love of friendship through Christ. We, even at our low, are completely blessed by the richness of friends at the same place. And although it is sometimes ugly with the tears, it is beautiful. Thank you to my other mamas for supporting me. I appreciate each one of you and your friendship. You are beautiful to me. .others.

.my list.

2012-01-24T13:23:00.001-06:00

image source

.my list. After a couple of days of feeling sorry for myself I woke up yesterday, probably after writing the post on missing my son, and told myself to knock it off. I have two children here that don't need a moping mama for the next who knows how long. I have a husband who also needs his wife alert. And I have needs myself like showering and putting on something other then sweat pants to pull myself through.

With my wake up call I made a list. An important list that I actually started before we left. Because I know myself too well. Number one on the list - Pull yourself together. How is that for knowing myself. haha. I added things to the list yesterday. Important items our little guy needs us to have prepared for him before he arrives. Having a bed set up for him I think is important. I don't want to leave it until the last minute, although I am sure he wouldn't mind. This reminds me of when the Dr. asked me if I had a crib ready for our son a couple weeks before I was due with him and when I said, "not yet" she just looked at me and said loudly "you know your having a baby right?"......Anyhow things like that which I should get done now cover a page.

Hopefully these items will help me not walk down a lane where misery is going to be found. Hopefully they keep me busy enough, and tire me out enough, to keep me going until we get our call to go get our son. That is the new plan anyhow. And a shop update I think will find itself on there too....unless we get a call early. Which I am totally praying for :)

On another positive note, we got an email today saying they had our sons birth certificate.....so we are for sure one step closer today then yesterday and that is always a good thing. Up next passport! Knowing he is going to get his picture for that cracks me up. I know he will be excited to leave to get his picture taken and I can't wait to see the cheeser that is on his face in it. Ok, enough for now....I have to get back to my list! .my list.

.one week down.

2012-01-23T07:46:00.000-06:00

saying goodbye

.one week down. Sorry I have not posted much since our return. The truth is I can't seem to figure out in words how to express myself. The feeling I have right now is not pleasant at best. A friend told me that leaving your child to return home and wait out embassy is like grieving.....and to be honest that is what I am feeling. grief. deep pain. To put it lightly, it just plain sucks. At the end of today we will have been gone for one week. One week without seeing our son. One week away from a country I love. One week without our little guy home. All I can think about is how on earth I will survive 5 more at best......

Although this is how I am feeling I keep going to the Lord with it and He keeps pulling me through. People ask, "How are you doing it?" and the only thing I am clinging to right now is the Lord and the hope that He alone will get us through it. I am trusting Him and His timing.... The Lord asked us to trust Him before when He lead us to our son. The only thing we can do is continue to trust that He will get us through missing our little guy, and he will bring us back to him soon. So, we continue to trust Him. And we continue to trust that our son is in His hands, as he has always been and will always be. .one week down.

.some photos.

2012-01-19T06:57:00.000-06:00

on the first day we were together

.some photos. I realized that I did not post pictures on here yet at all. These are well overdue. Our agency does not allow us to post photos of our little ones face until after embassy......so for right now these are all I can show you of our little guy. I will post more pictures later of our sisters and Ethiopia in general. I am still getting in the swing of things here and catching up on sleep.....last night I slept for 11 hours! Thank you children :) .some photos.

first day with our son

.we are back.

2012-01-18T14:07:00.000-06:00

.we are back. There is so much I am processing as we return home. I simply can't find the right words. Maybe I can just do a week with pictures as they are soothing to my soul. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the prayers, words of encouragement, and general love. The Lord has blessed us with so much support through this journey, it is appreciated and I thank the Lord for all of you who have gone with us through the ups and downs we have taken so far. I know you will there for the rest and I am thankful for your friendship. .we are back.

are you thankful?

2012-01-14T07:48:00.001-06:00

Today as I logged onto facebook to update my status about the day, I scrolled down. My heart hurts at the amount of complaining we do as Americans. I got so mad at how people stated they had bad weeks. How people complained about the jobs they have, or their children. Seriously. I know I am part of that group too and that makes me mad at myself too, trust me I do my fair share of complaining......right now I am about freaking status updates for crying out loud.

This morning Aaron and I had the privilege to participate at Yezelalem Minch's feeding program. We were able to serve 180 people who otherwise would be hungry. Many people we have seen this week are wearing the only clothes they own. Many don't have shoes. We have passed a huge dump every day where people go and look for food.....to eat! Many beg for food because they have no other option in getting it or staying healthy.

This week I have meet babies in orphanages who are beautiful and healthy because others sacrifice for them here. I have also seen the pictures of when they have come into care. Their faces sunken in and their hair falling out. Their ribs sticking out of their bodies...... these children are severely malnourished. They come into care looking weeks, months, years younger then their actual age, because their families have not had food for them. The babies are this way not because their mothers or fathers don't care, in fact some hand them over because it is the only way to care for them and keep them alive.

This week we have witnessed many people who live under tarps or in areas as big as a box. Because they cannot afford anything else. I have seen with my own eyes a disabled person crawling down the street......

Don't get me wrong it is not like this everywhere and this culture and land is full of beauty too. So Much Beauty. In fact this afternoon there was a celebration next door because they are building a home and wanted to praise the Lord before the build. There was beautiful singing and we could hear the laughter. .beauty. We also have seen the people as they walk to church, in intricate traditional outfits and scarves. .beauty. We have heard songs of praise to the Lord each morning and it is wonderful. .beauty. We have seen a wedding party as they went to celebrate and they were gorgeous and full of beauty. It is not all bad here, most is good, most is wonderful.

But there is poor. And when people complain about how hard they have it in America. How their job stinks or whatever, it breaks my heart. Because we are lucky. If you have access to a computer and email and facebook and shelter and food......you are lucky. Very lucky. Unbelievably Lucky.

Please remember to stop and praise the Lord for what he has given you.

Best Words of the Day.....

2012-01-13T13:05:00.001-06:00

"Your papers are all here, you pass. Congratulations he is your son!"

Hi Friends. Today was a good day. We passed court and all our papers were there! Praise to the Lord. Thank You for the prayers.

We knew it would be a good day when Abel showed up in a Packers shirt just for us. When we got to the court house we had to ride up in an elevator and I was telling Aaron and Abel how nervous I was, there was only one other woman riding the elevator with us. When we got to the floor the woman went into a room and Abel said to me quietly, "that was the judge". Haha....she knew how nervous I was. Oh goodness. Then a couple of hours later we went to eat at the golf course and who was at the next table.....the judge! Haha.

This afternoon we went to the orphanage and had to wait a while for the kids to wake up from their nap. They have a fooseball table there so Abel, Aaron and I started to play. Then our driver, Benium came and joined. Then two of the male workers came and joined in the new tournoment. Abel and I lost to Aaron 11-1....yeah we are that bad. The male staff workers were so good and Benium was as well. Abel and I played each other to see who was the worst.....I am, but not by much - we together can't even beat anyone, haha.

When the children woke up we gave them stickers and had a lot of fun with them. They were sticking them all over their bodies. They loved to stick them on their faces and it became a game to get each other in the face. Our son (wow) does not like them on his face and was content to sit on my lap and put them on my arms. He is very, very comfortable with us and that is a good thing.

Some of the little ones here are really sad, our son included. Their best friend left earlier this week and the kids easily get upset. And easily cry. It is very hard to watch, when your children are hurting. And when your children's best friends are hurting. One little one is really missing his friend and I held onto him for a while. My heart was stretched today and it broke so many differnt times.

Later this afternoon we went to learn about Yezelalem Minch they host a feeding program we will be participating in tomorrow. It was nice to get to hear about all of the different ways they serve - I will for sure post about the whole program sometime later.

This evening we went out for dinner at a traditional Ethiopian place. The food was really good. We love the food here, it is amazing and I need to learn how to make it. The place also had traditional dancing and music. Of course we went with Abel and had a great time. We are all getting more comfortable with each other and he likes to joke with us....he lit up his face and said, "guess who is here....the judge, she is following us!" I totally fell for it and need to start getting him!

We only have three days left and already I know I will miss it here. I think if someone were to fly our children back home here I would stay forever. Of course I would need some visitors, but I am in absolute love with this country, the people, the food, the culture, the diesel smell. Each and every part. My heart is full and is singing praises to the Lord.

Thank you Lord for this beautiful blessing of a day.

My Sister

2012-01-12T08:07:00.001-06:00

Project Hopeful has a Sisterhood program and today we went to visit the beautiful sisters!!! It was fun to be able to go and visit them and their children. They are all beautiful and amazing. Together their laughter fills the air and it is music to your ears.

We had a very long drive there, through the whole city - it took almost an hour to get there. Along the way there was a mix of markets. There are also a lot of shepards and animals along the way. I love seeing the shepards hearding their animals through the streets. There are donkeys carrying things, and sheep and goats everywhere. I wonder what people in America would do if I started hearding about 8 goats down the street. haha. The traffic here is fun too. The drivers just beep their way around other cars. Not in a bad or mean way, just as a little remider or note of passing. And when Benium (our driver) is talking with us he just pulls over, wherever he is - even on the highway! Another thing about driving in Ethiopia that is different are the fuels that come from cars. Some people say that it is horrible and they can't stand it....honestly it is not that bad here and it is just another reminder of where I am and somthing I love about here, just like the distinct smell.

The sisterhood group site is located in a hilly area and it was beautiful looking down at the city. When we got there we walked up some stairs and I was introduced to my sister right away. She is beautiful. They brought us to a room and we set our things down and waited for the women. My sister, Werke, went to change and while we waited we went to see the babies. There were three baby girls - all 5-6 months old and they were stunning! I picked up 6 month old Selam right away and she was all smiles. Then I handed her off to Aaron and scooped up 5 month old Beimnet, who was also a doll and all giggles. Aaron feed Selam her bottle and played with her, while I watched Beimnet and tickled her. She had the sweetest little giggle. The other Baby was also 6 months old and her name I can't remember, but she was a doll as well.

When we went back to the main room Werke had changed into a traditional Ethiopian outfit and she looked amazing. Werke then held out water so we could wash our hands, somthing that is done to honored guests. She then presented us with bread and Aaron, myself, and Werke all cut it together - here they have the guest or in our case guests of honor cut the bread. When we were done, they presented us with some cooked beef and spices and injera. I am not a huge fan of meat and was afraid I would have to eat it all, but we thankfully didn't have to. We also ate the bread and another spicy paste with it. Meanwhile Werke started a coffee ceremony for us and it was fun to watch her roast the beans in the traditional way. She was SO HAPPY we came. Her face was glowing and she could not stop smiling, it made me light up to have made her day.

While Werke was still roasting the beans the other women and children came into the room. We were able to present the women with gifts that were gathered by their sisters in the states and by friends/family of ours who donated small items. The women absolutely loved them! Each sister received some chapstick, nailpolish, small notebook, lotion, soap, and whatever gifts their sisters sent. We also gave the children some gifts, some shoes, playdough, bubbles, and suckers. It was an honor to be able to give Werke a bracelt I made. When I was finished handing out everything Werke presented a gift for me. She hand made a beautiful black and white coin pouch. It was very nice and special because she spent a lot of time making it for me. She is very skilled.

When we were done handing out gifts to each other Werke presented us with the coffee. It was very good. While we drank the coffee I sat back and watched the women marval at the gifts they recieved. They were so happy with the letters and pictures their sisters sent. They say Thank You to all sisters and wanted me to tell everyone who sponsors them that they LOVE their sisters. These women are very blessed to have each other and it is a program I strongly support.

We were about to leave and the program manager told us that Werke's family was coming to meet us. Her son was there already and was dressed in a suit. He looked very handsome and I could tell Werke was very pleased to be able to present him to us and show him off. Today was a very special day for her, because I came. It was so special for me to meet not only her, but her whole family. Her daughter got out of school to meet me! Her daughter and husband, who is blind, arrived and shook our hands and gave us hugs. It really touched both Aaron and I that they came all the way for us. It took about an hour for them to travel. It was such a blessing to be there. And although our time there was short, it is time I will treasure forever.

Tomorrow we have court! Please continue to pray for our journey here, especially tomorrow. We would love to pass court right away. Sometimes this does not happen but we are praying it will. Thank you for praying with us!

Mountains and History

2012-01-11T06:32:00.001-06:00

This morning we had a great trip up Mountain Entoto. There is so much to see as you go up the mountain. Donkey's carry heeps of firewood and women do the same times 10. The amount on some women was so much I thought they might snap in half. The women here are very strong and many do this all day. When we got closer to the top we got out and hiked up the rest of the way. On our hike up the hill I waved at a little girl and she came to shake my hand. She was excited to shake my hand and I was kicking myself for not bringing any suckers to hand out to the people along the way. From now on, I am going to make sure I have little treats with me.

When we got to the top of the mountain we went to the museum there. Abel gave us a great tour and hisotry lesson about the country. Much of it was about Menelik II and Christianity in Ethiopia. We saw many of the royal clothes, old bibles, money, and photos of the emperior. We also saw a gold metal from the Sydney Olympics - from a runner. They often (the runners) train on Mount Entoto. Next we walked around the church and took photos. Finally we went to the Emperors first palace, when he was a govener. Abel taught us more about the history of Ethiopia, including how Menelik was tricked into signing a colonizing contract with Italy (the wording of the two contracts were different) and how the two nations went to war which ended in a Ethiopia victory.

After the mountain we went to lunch at a really nice place. Right now we are the only family through our agency that has people in the country so we get Abel the agency "tour guide" all to ourselves. It is nice to be able to ask him whatever and really get to know him more. We love the amount of knowledge he has shared with us and feel comfortable asking him anything.

Another thing I don't want to forget is our driver. His name is Benjamin (Benium) and he is really nice. We have shared a lot of laughes because he doesn't know that much english and we don't know that much Amharic. We try communicating the best we can and when things get mixed up or we get frustrated we all just laugh. Like when we asked him how long he had been driving and he told us 100 years..... he knew he didn't get the question by our reaction and we knew he has not been driving that long since is probably only in his 20's. We all started laughing, it is the best medicine. Although we rarely understand each other we are becoming friends and we love this guy. He is also a strong Christain and one of our first conversations we understood was about being a Christian. He is protestant Christian, so are we.

Very soon we will be leaving to go back to the orpahange and say goodbye to one of the families. We are very happy for this family, the dad is here by himself and we are excited to see the pictures of their whole family together in the states. We feel honored that we get to go watch his goodbye ceremony at the orphanage. We are absolutely blessed to be here at the same time.

God is good!

2012-01-10T06:05:00.001-06:00

Hi Friends,

We arrived safe and sound here in Addis late last night. It was an increadibly long flight and we each only got about an hour total sleep on the whole trip. Which actually helped our time adjustment, because we passed out from exhaustion when we came. And are feeling pretty good so far today.

This morning was wonderful. Waking up to a rooster and smelling Africa......it has a distinct smell that I can only describe as Africa. I think it might be my favorite smell in the world - others hate it but I soak it up. Anyways just knowing that we made it and were about to go meet our son was the best feeling ever to wake up to.

I was beyond excited to get ready this morning and I couldn't do it fast enough. Around 10 we heading to the orphanage and it was fun to watch Aaron see Africa in daylight. When we got to the orphanage we had to sign a waiver for photos and knowing that our son was in the building next door was killing me. I just wanted to run in and scoop him up. It probably took only 5 minutes.....but it felt soooooo long!

When we went into the room our son was in a bunch children were all over us for attention. Our son didn't come right away and took a while to warm up to us - but when he did it was amazing. He sat on my lap for about 25 minutes and wouldn't leave, which was absolutely wonderful. He played with some sun glasses and small toys and I just soaked him up, every last detail. He is beautiful and I am amazed at how perfect he will fit in our family. God truly is good and He choose this child for us! He also sat on Aaron's lap for a while and called him ababa which means daddy. He doesn't know that we are his parents as our agency does not tell them until after we leave. But he was very comfortable with us and we are glad for that.

We know a couple different families who are adopting from the same orphanage as us and are here this week. One is even staying at the same place and we are having a great time getting to know them. They were all there at the orpahage with us this morning and it was so much fun playing with everyone. After a while we took the kids outside and played with some bubbles that I brought and some ballons that another family brought. The children were squeeling with delight over everything and I had to stand back and just soak it all in for a while. These children are so precious it is very easy to fall in love with each and every one of them. They are beautiful and we can't wait to go back tomorrow afternoon.

Thank you for praying for us as we are here. It has been wonderful so far and we are only on day one! This afternoon we are going to go see some sights in the city and tonight we have dinner with the two other families we are blessed to be here with. God is good, his timing is perfect, and we are blessed beyond what we could have imagined with our beautiful son.

.thoughts before leaving.

2012-01-08T05:01:00.000-06:00

A glimpse at the orphanage we regularly visited in Liberia

.thoughts before leaving. We are leaving this afternoon and I could not be more thrilled. Earlier this week I wrote a letter to my friend that explains some emotions I have been feeling as we prepared to leave. She asked me if she could share it and the letter has been on her blog for a couple days. I am posting it here now because I wanted to share it too and it fits as we are about to take off.

So as I am shopping for the stuff tonight to bring with us....it hits me like a ton of bricks and I start to pray that I won't break down in the middle of the store. I remembered the first time we went to the orpahanage and how much our hearts were shattered - into a million and a half pieces each, or more. And then I think about going back to an orphanage and my heart starts to hurt again, but this time it is not a hurt of sadness, helplessness, and horror. This is an overwhelming feeling of joy and gratitude for my son and his friends that I have come to adore and love as well. And the overwhelming thought that I will be holding them all soon.

And then God slaps me again and makes me realize that I got to where I am because of where He put me with you. He made us hurt so bad in Liberia so we would both be moved to do something about it. He made us hurt so that we would NOT EVER FORGET. That was His purpose in our trip. We both would probably not have our sons if our hearts did not shatter that first day. He could have sent us to a nice orphanage that was bad but bearable. But He sent us to a fricken hole in the wall where our hearts were shattered like the bricks that use to be the building. And I am so grateful for that. Because I was moved enough to want to do more about it.

Sure, the orphanage I will go to won't be that bad. But the child He is placing in our family has the same needs as those precious little Liberians - a family. And yes our son probably would have gotten a family no matter what (a known fact)....but who would not have one then? Someone who is out there and waiting.....

I will be posting, if I can, from Ethiopia. If you don't hear from me this week have a good one! And if you could, remember us in your prayers this week - especially Friday the 13th, which is court day for us! Thanks. .thoughts before leaving.

.yearly recap.

2012-01-07T05:24:00.001-06:00

.yearly recap. Before I get too far into 2012 I want to recap 2011 - because it was a big year. I saw this on Kristen's blog and thought I would do the same. She got it via All & Sundry.

1. What did you do in 2011 that you have never done before?

We started the adoption process! That was a big first :)

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Yes & Yes..... I grew in faith tremendously. This years goal - learning to say no to extra things and keeping it simple around here....we will see how that goes. haha. I love how that is our plan and 8 days into the New Year we are leaving for Ethiopia - real simple.....

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Yes - a lot of good friends had babies this past year! And brought little ones home via adoption.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

No. However my friend lost a brother this year and knowing she is grieving is hard.

5. What countries did you visit?

USA - because we live here.... We did visit a lot of states this year, Missouri, Illinois, and the UP of Michigan.

6. What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?

More planning of meals. And better meal choices.

7. What dates from 2011 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

June (5th?) 2011 - We got to be at the airport and witness Mandie and Dave bring Malachi home. It was amazing to be a part of the welcome home crew and I get tears thinking about how present the Lord was in that moment.

August 24th - Was the day we found out our agency chose us to parent our little guy - a call I will always remember. I honestly don't think anyone has looked like I did in a Walmart before and I am thankful my sister was visiting and able to keep my kids entertained while I cried, screamed, and generally freaked out (in a wonderful way, of course).

September 4th - My sisters wedding day. I was, and still am, so incredibly happy for her and her husband. And my sister was the prettiest bride I have ever seen.

8. What was your biggest achievement this year?

Raising half of our adoption fund through online auctions, garage sales, & coffee sales. I worked hard and the Lord helped us in amazing ways!

9. What was your biggest failure?

Oh, goodness. Potty training is a big failure right now. We thought Lydia had it down pat....but that is not true.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Oh my! Well, we have had pink eye, ear infections, strep throat, some flu thing last January. And I had mastitis....not such a great year.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Plane tickets to Ethiopia! Hands down.

12. Where did most of your money go?

Toward our adoption.....all our money went there.

13. What did you get really excited about?

See #7 above.

14. What song will always remind you of 2011?

Jamie Grace's I Love the Way You Hold Me. Every time this comes on at our house, no matter what were doing, we stop and have a small dance party. The kids know this and it is Ashers favorite song, he loves clapping to it.
And

Matt Hammitt's All of Me. It reminds me of our little guy. He already has All of Me.

15. Compared to this time last year, are you:

-happier or sadder? I would have to say a little happier, because I am about to leave for Ethiopia and that is making me ecstatic.

-thinner or fatter? Thinner, I lost weight from Asher's pregnancy.

-richer or poorer? Poorer... see #12

16. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Crafting. Art Making. Creating.

17. What do you wish you'd done less of?

....wasting time on the computer. However I have made some seriously awesome friends in that time, of which I do not regret at all.

18. How did you spend Christmas?

We went to Merrill, WI this year and did Christmas with my family. 5 houses in 3 days with 2 under 3...yeah it was a little much, but fun.

19. What was your favorite TV program?

It never changes - Survivor. And I got Aaron, he will not like me telling everyone this, to watch all of Friends with me from episode one to the final one.

20. What were your favorite books of the year?

There is No Me Without You by Mellissa Fay Green, Choosing to See by Mary Beth Chapman, and Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis. All related to missions, adoption, and Africa in one way or another.

21. What was your favorite music from this year?

I listen to Christian music all year round because it is better then annoying kid music and it is something my kids can listen to.

22. What were your favorite films of the year?

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.

23. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I turned 27 in 2011 and I can't remember what we did to celebrate.

24. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Having our kids sleep through the night.....or not being such a grouch about those long ones when Asher seemed to not sleep ever.

25. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2011?

Fashion is dead and comfort is King! (A slogan I stole from a Camp I worked at)

26. What kept you sane?

Blogging, Friends, Mom to Mom.

27. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2011.

If you ever want to see God at Work start the Adoption process. It has been one God story after another and we are so blessed to be able to witness it all!

And kidney beans are MUCH better from a can. I cannot seem to figure out how to hydrate them.

.Merry Ganna.

2012-01-06T05:22:00.002-06:00

original image source unknown - let me know if you know it!

taken from here

.Merry Ganna. Ganna is Christmas in Ethiopia and is celebrated on the 7th of January. So it is Christmas Eve here and we are celebrating! Today my kids and I are baking a cake to celebrate Jesus's birth - partly because we didn't have time in December and the cake mix is haunting me on the counter. Tonight we are also going out to an Ethiopian Restaurant with a bunch of families in the area who have adopted from Ethiopia or are in the process. I can't wait to meet a bunch of them and celebrate Ethiopia's culture together. It will be fun. .Merry Ganna.

If you celebrate Ganna what do you do?

Do you have any special traditions or activities?

.shop vacation.

2012-01-05T05:11:00.000-06:00

.shop vacation. I was thinking of different ways to run the shop while we are gone and the thought alone stressed me into hyperventilation. So, after a minute of that, I decided the best way for me to keep my sanity would be to have a shop vacation.

I feel bad showing you the monthly deal and then closing shop for a while, but I think you all will forgive me for being in Ethiopia and spending time with my son. I also feel bad for our partnering family - but Mandie is my best friend and she understands. Plus I think 20 some other days in this month will be enough time to support them.

If you want to order anything soon - the shop will be open until Friday January 6th at night (probably around 8ish cst). This will give me time to ship out orders Saturday morning. The shop will re-open again when we are back and functioning - sometime Wednesday January 18th. Thank you all for the support and understanding. .shop vacation.

.packed.

2012-01-04T19:55:00.001-06:00

.packed. Somehow I managed to turn the below pile of chaos into the above pile of organized love today. Now we are just waiting to pack last minute items like our toothbrushes and shoes. Check plus for that! .packed.

The kids are also packed....double check plus!

.deal of the month.

2012-01-04T05:00:00.002-06:00

.deal of the month. The Secret Garden Rose Ring is the Hannah James deal of the month for January! All Secret Garden Rose Rings are just $10.00 for this month! A savings of $4.00. There are 9 colors to choose from - linked below. These rings are perfect for passing little notes and would make fun gifts to give for Valentines day, which is only a month away! .deal of the month.

Five lovely colors

And four more

.packing.

2012-01-03T05:34:00.005-06:00

.packing. I am happily welcoming 2012 by turning my work space into my packing space. T-minus 5 days and were all smiles here. I hope your week is going well and you are starting 2012 out with a bang! .packing.

.meet the menzer family.

2012-01-02T05:40:00.001-06:00

I am SUPER excited to introduce all of you to the Menzer family. Mandie, Dave, and charming Malachi are kicking off 2012 for us and they are our partnering family for January. I could not be more thrilled to introduce them to everyone! Mandie and I went to Liberia together 4 years ago (that went fast) and have been really close since. Her and her husband, Dave, brought their sweet little guy home in June and our family could not be happier for them. I encourage all of you to go to Mandie's blog and read through her experience - but if you can't there is a glimpse below of their story. Please help support their adoption fund in January and purchase items from Hannah James!

"God's word refreshed and encouraged me daily through the adoption process!" Mandie Menzer

Tell us a little about your adoption?

We started the adoption process in January of 2010, actually we requested paperwork on January 18th, two days after we were eligible to adopt from Ethiopia (Mandie just turned 25). We finally had our dossier to Ethiopia on August 6th, 2010. We were matched 20 short days later with our sweet little 7 month old man. Because of Mandie's mission trip with Desiree (this blog's author) to Liberia a few years prior, Africa has always been on our heart. God has shared his love for orphans with us. We knew we would adopt eventually, but we really felt Him saying that it was the way we would start our family. Because Ethiopia was the most experienced and established adoption program in Africa, and the only one from the agency we desired, that is where we felt led.

Our process slowed down tremendously after we received our referral. We waited 6 long months to meet our son and have our court date on February 14th, 2011. We did not pass immediately because there was some missing paperwork. We finally brought home Malachi on June 5th, 2011, and he has been more of a blessing then we could ever imagine.

What are some of your families favorite activities?

We love to go for walks. My husband and Malachi love music more then probably anything God has given them, so we always have music on. Daddy is a drummer, and Malachi just got a whole bunch of instruments for Christmas, so our house is always full of noise and a little boy trying to be like Daddy :)

Why do you blog?

I blog mainly because I love to read, which has lead me to love to write as well. It is a fun way to relate with other moms, and families in Christ. I don't blog nearly as much as I used to because my little love fills my time after I get done with work. As a teacher, summer is a great time for reading and writing during naps.

Favorite Color?

Purple

Favorite Candy?

I like sushi!

What were some other fundrisers you did?

We had a rummage sale, sold magnets, and partnered with Lifesong for Orphans. God blessed us with incredibly giving people in our lives who were willing to sacrifice wants to bring home His precious little one.

Where do you live?

Wisconsin

Favorite place to visit?

Ethiopia, but on a more affordable note Door County, Wisconsin

And for those of you who like to cry.... here is a video Mandie made of their journey. I cry every single time because their wait was hard to witness as a friend - and I am so thankful that they have Malachi home!

A photo slideshow by Smilebox

Throughout January 45% of Hannah James profits will go to help the Menzers pay off adoption fees. Thank you for the support!

.2011 partnering families.

2012-01-02T05:35:00.000-06:00

.2011 partnering families. In June I started Hannah James to help us bring in some extra funds for our adoption and to help other families. These sweet families all partnered with Hannah James in 2011 and helped me get the ball rolling on something I had been thinking about for a while. I am extremely grateful for them! Their stories are all amazing and each families journey is completely different. I love that the Lord has connected each of us through adoption, yet we all have very different unique stories to tell. I have also loved following them on their paths and I can't wait to see their little ones home with them. Thank you 2011 Partnering Families - We love each one of you! .2011 partnering families.

In June the Chase Family partnered with us!

learn more about them here

"We are so blessed to be able to be on this adoption journey. Though it is difficult much of the time, we know that this is the way God intended to build our family. We're so thankful for all He is teaching us, for the opportunity to grow in Him, and for all the amazing people we have met along the way. We are forever changed because God saw it fit to draw us near to Him and lead us to this path." -Jennifer Chase

In July The Carter Family partnered with us!

learn more about them here!

"I would love to take a second to celebrate the amazing way that the adoption process has surprised us... when we began we knew there would be loops and ebbs that would make it challenging, but the support of community, old and new, has been incredibly encouraging. For those that are considering adoption, I'd love to encourage you to simply begin praying and to be open to what comes... never let fear stop you from adopting, because I can attest to the awesome ways that God will provide for you!" -Sarah Carter

In August The Morris Family partnered with us!

learn about them here!

"We just want others to know that even though adoption can be hard and uncertain and we have yet to have our daughter come home, we already feel completely blessed by this journey. We've felt and seen God's presence and power like never before. We feel so honored that He placed adoption on our hearts. While there have been painful, worry-filled days God has been faithful to us. He can't grow your faith if you don't give him the opportunity!"

-Lindsay Morris

In September Angela and Nathan partnered with us!

learn about them here

"I'm only one. But still, I am one.

I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something.

And because I cannot do everything,

I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

~Edward Everett Hale

In October The Crockett Family partnered with us!

learn more about them here

"Be the change you want to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

.goodbye 2011.

2011-12-30T05:05:00.000-06:00

this is what my 2011 would look like as decoration....crazy

image source

.goodbye 2011. Man, What a year! I feel like this past year has been a whirlwind. And it has, that is for sure. In 2011 my heart broke more for orphans so much that we started the adoption process. We geared up for a big game that lead our favorite team to be the Superbowl Champions. Lydia turned 2 and Asher turned 1. I am now more grateful for shoes then ever, and would love to buy some TOMS before we go to Ethiopia. I am still sewing, although it has been a while. Big disasters happen every so often around here and we have learned to deal with them and take pictures because looking back they are funny.

We organized the best tea party in the world, which was followed by the sweetest wedding. I started a fun little shop and partnered with some amazing people. We had a wonderful vacation with friends. Aaron and I celebrated 10 years of friendship. We had the most amazing garage sale ever! The Lord changed our hearts in a huge way and then we were given the referral of our beautiful little guy! We got our dossier done in record time, and then the call to go to Ethiopia came. Our good friends got married and we celebrated 5 years. I learned the Truth about HIV and I followed Jesus through a really rough storm.

All in all this has been a crazy busy, hard but fun, awesome year. We have never before leaned on the Lord so much and it was amazing to see His everlasting faithfulness come through at exactly at the right time - every time. My New Years resolution last year was to love the Lord more and I have fallen more in love with Him and my family.

I will strive to love the Lord even more in 2012, as I think will be a goal each and every year. My motto for 2012 will also include some new things for us. "Just say No" is a phrase we will need to stick with as our little guy comes home - we want to be less obligated to things in order to form good attachments. That means we will NOT commit to anything in the coming year - reminding myself already. "Keep it simple" is another phrase that we are going to try to establish. I have learned that too much clutter is a stresser for me so were going to keep things simple and learn to organize ourselves a little more.

Thanks 2011 you were so good to us. Welcome 2012! .goodbye 2011.

.wow.

2011-12-29T12:39:00.000-06:00

.wow. There are only a few more days until 2012! Crazy Wow! Backwards woW! I just wanted to remind everyone that earrings are buy 2 pairs, get 1 pair free until 2012. (Midnight Saturday) Also Once 2012 hits we will be back to one family partnering in January! If your friends are partners with us right now there are only a couple more days to purchase items from Hannah James and support them....unless your friends with the Menzer family - because they are going to kick off 2012! .wow.

Current Partnerships: Chase Family, Carter Family, Morris Family, Crockett Family, Menzer Family, Wayman Family, Zach & Michelle, and the Weaver Family.

.storage.

2011-12-27T13:15:00.000-06:00

image source: oh dee oh

.storage. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! When we got back last night I decided to go through all the kids toys and get rid of a few and keep others in storage for a while. They received a lot of toys this year and it is a little overwhelming for me. These lovely pictures make storage look so grand. Don't they? My plan for now is to put some away in our storage for a little while. We will be eliminating more toys when our little guy comes home too - so we don't freak him out with the amount of stuff we have. Then slowly start to bring it back. .storage.

image source: young house love

image source: Restoration Hardware

image source: Bluebird Vintage via Pinterest

image source: Kids Room Decor

How do you store toys?

Do you have rotating toy bins?

.our sisters.

2011-12-21T13:56:00.000-06:00

image source: Project Hopeful

.our sisters. We have our official Travel dates and are super excited for our upcoming adventure. We are leaving on January 8th, in 18 days! It seems like it is right around the corner and I know that Christmas and New Years will make this time go even faster. We will be in Ethiopia for one week and are excited to get to experience the culture and area of Ethiopia. We are even more excited to meet our son and spend time with him along with the other little guys in his orphanage that we have come to love.

We don't have a lot of planning ourselves, as our agency will give us an itinerary upon arrival. However, we are choosing to go and visit our "sister" from Project Hopefuls Sisterhood program. All the "sisters" in the program are living with HIV/AIDS - this program is designed to help them so that their children do not become orphans. The goal is to rehabilitate them with medical and emotional care, provide job skills training, employment, and loans so that they can secure a safe and stable future for their families.

Besides meeting our son, visiting our "sister" is one thing I am really looking forward to. Currently there are 8 women enrolled in the program. Since there are not many women in the program we are collecting letters & photos from each donor to bring. I am making care packages for each woman as little bags of encouragement. So far I have chap-stick and nail polish for each woman. I am also planning to make a flower rosette pin for each one. And make a little notebook. Getting the gifts ready for these women is so much fun and it makes me tear up just thinking that we will be the ones giving it to them. I simply can't wait.

Since the program is fairly new they still need sponsorship's. Please head over to project hopeful's sisterhood page if you are interested. I think this is a program that is truly needed and has generational benefits. I am so happy to be a part of it. .our sisters.

What little gifts would you bring for the women?

I am looking for a couple more ideas!

.a three week countdown.

2011-12-19T12:45:00.000-06:00

image source: minted

.a three week countdown. This morning we got an email from our agency that gave us our court date!!! In about three weeks we will be leaving for Ethiopia. We are super excited and were not expecting a date so soon. We thought that mid to late January would be the earliest we would possibly go - the second week of January is a total shock! I can't believe that in a little over three weeks I will get to be holding our oldest and loving on him in person, not just through prayer. Because our date is unexceptionably early, we will get to meet one of our sons friends parents, which is a huge blessing.

God keeps us in awe every single day. We are so blessed by the ways He chooses to show up for us daily. When we didn't get an email by 9:30 this morning, I thought today is not the day - maybe tomorrow. (They usually email early in the morning.) Then I went to take a shower and I prayed we would find out soon. While getting ready I glanced at the computer and noticed a new email message, time 9:56. Just as I prayed! God shows up, and is amazing.

Thank you Lord, for answering our prayers. Thank you Lord, for our amazing children. Thank you Lord, for a three week countdown. And most of all Thank you Lord, for showing up daily. I love never having to have a countdown for you Lord. Because you are always here with us! .a three week countdown.

.Christmas cards.

2011-12-16T14:23:00.000-06:00

Holiday Card Design by Kal Barteski

available here

.Christmas cards. I have never sent out a Christmas letter.....until this year that is. When I saw Kal's rad designs I decided to go for it. We also wanted to share more of our adoption with those who don't venture into my blogging world and have not heard of some miraculous things God has done in our lives. However, this card thing is a lot of work and I am starting to see why I have not done it in the past. Although, I will not be sending cards to you via mail (well, most of you) I want to say Merry Christmas. I hope the Lord blesses the remainder of your 2011 and continues to bless you well into 2012! .Christmas cards.

Do you send out cards?

Do you have a system that makes it easier?

How many do you send out?

.reading & reflecting.

2011-12-14T14:08:00.000-06:00

photo of Margaret, an orphan in Liberia

.reading & reflecting. As I am reading through Kisses from Katie by Katie Davis I am finding a whole lot of truth. Which is what her ministry, Amazima, means. Here is some truth that is in need of spreading.

"The truth is that the 143 million orphaned children and the 1 million who starve to death or die from preventable diseases and the 8.5 million who work as child slaves, prostitutes, or under other horrific conditions and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8 million needy children. And though at first glance that looks like a big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be Christians.

The truth is that if 8 percent of the Christians would care for one more child, there would not be any statistics left"

Did you see the red flagged number like me? Only 8% of Christians need to step up and there would not be this horrific problem. As a Christian the fact that there are so many orphans in this world disgusts me. It is despicable that the number of needy are so high and more are not reaching out. That more are not stepping up to help out.

How can we call ourselves Christians when we are not acting like Christ?

The truth is adoption is hard. The truth is it is not for everyone. The truth is that there are so many unknowns that can happen in this process that some days it is overwhelming to take in. The truth is that having your child live half a world away is heartbreaking. The truth is there are children in this country who need homes too. The truth is that it terrifies me to think of what would have happened to our son & others like him, if we did not say yes to opening our door.

The truth is that God has opened my eyes to some of the major problems in this world, especially the problems children face, and now I am responsible to act on it. The truth is now you are too.

I know adoption is not for everyone. However in James 1:27 the writer states, "pure religion is caring for the orphans and widows in their distress and not being polluted by the world." Meaning, we all need to care for orphans & widows. This can be seen through adoption, foster care, helping those who are adopting, praying for the orphaned, providing financial assistance to families through World Vision, Compassion, or Sisterhood programs like Project Hopefuls. This means doing what God calls you to do. If it is on your heart, God put those desires there. He wants you and calls you to act on them.

My heart is breaking today. Not only for the orphaned and widowed, not only for the children who live in dire situations. But for those who call themselves Christians and are not acting like Christ. My heart is breaking for those who worship on Sundays yet don't move past that hour. My heart is hurting for those who will not ever be able to see and understand this wonderful path the Lord has graciously given us to live.

There are 164.8 million children in need....and that hurts my soul. What hurts more are those who are only living for themselves - that truly breaks a heart. .reading & reflecting.

.and just like that.

2011-12-08T14:15:00.000-06:00

image source

.and just like that...... WE GOT SUBMITTED TO COURT! This means that in the next two to four weeks we will find out when we get to travel to meet our little guy. It most likely will be at the end of January or early February. We are PUMPED!

So many emotions are flying through me right now. Two days ago I felt the lowest I have in the whole process and today I am flying high. A roller coaster of emotions is exactly what this whole process has been.

It is amazing that God answers when we call out to Him. Two days ago I asked my friends to pray, yesterday I asked you all as well. Today God answered! Just when we needed Him too. It proves to me that He does answer prayer and that He is working for us. I love that we asked people to pray for us and just like that He answers those prayers.

I feel like the Lord had us waiting so that He could show himself to others through us....as He has since the beginning of this process. We are humbled that God is using us to reveal himself to not only ourselves but everyone around us as well. It is amazing to feel Him work through us. Truly miraculously amazing.

If you are at a low He will carry you through and pick you back up, answering each prayer in His own perfect timing! Hang on & wait for him to reveal Himself - He Will! .and just like that.

.through the storm.

2011-12-07T08:07:00.001-06:00

image source

.through the storm. Yesterday was one of the hardest "waiting" days I have had thus far. Probably the hardest since the three painful weeks of waiting for our agency to decide if we were the little ones family or if he would go to live somewhere else. It started as the kids opened their St. Nick presents and then their brothers since he would not get to open them.....well, to be totally honest, it started when I bought 4 candy bars at the store for the stockings instead of 5. My mind then lead me down a spiraling path thinking he will not be here for Christmas, or the New Year, and we already missed his Birthday.

It is overwhelming the amount of pain that can come with missing someone you don't even know yet. I know him by his pictures, and thankfully we have many to look through, but we don't know him yet. The longing to go meet him is increasing daily and harder to shake then it first was. This waiting is hard.

As we wait I know we are waiting for God's perfect timing, and it will be perfect, but I also think the Lord wants us to learn from it. What he wants me to learn is very hard to recognize during days like yesterday and sometimes I just wish he would slap me in the face with His lesson. Some days I think God is giving us extra time so that we can financially get situated before we go. Some days I think He wants our children to be a little older so that the transition is easier on everyone (and so that our daughter will be fully potty trained - this could have also been why yesterday was extremely hard). Some days I think he wants me to get over the fear of adoption - yes the fear....I am terrified for the transition of this little guy. Some days I think He wants us to lean on Him more and learn to just trust. Most of the time it is a combination of things that I just want to plow through and say, "yes I get it, I have learned them" and then move on.

Yesterday I was overwhelmed with the fact that the Lord wants us to trust him more. It has become a recurring theme in this adoption and I get the feeling that is what the Lord wants us to do. As I was doing Bible time with the kids yesterday I, again, saw this and felt God saying, "trust me". We were reading the story of Jesus and his disciples crossing the stormy lake found in Matthew, Mark & Luke. Do you know what Jesus said when the disciples woke him up? He said, "Why are you afraid? Where is your faith?" As I relate that story to my life I can see myself praying to the Lord with me saying, "where are you? I need you right now!" And the Lord is answering back, "Dez, where is your faith? I am right here in this storm with you..... in this process. I will continue to be ~ ALWAYS".

We have seen the Lord in our adoption process with us. We know He is here with us on the good days and the hard ones. He has, thus far, given us an overabundance of peace - and most of our days on this sea have been calm. Every now and then a storm blows in, but even on those rocky tough days He has shown up and been there. And he will continue to be.

Whatever storm you are facing today, I want you to know that the Lord is with you. He is holding your hand and carrying you. You might not be able to see His presence or feel it - But He Is There With You! Today I am praying for you & ask that you pray for us too. Thank you friends. .through the storm.

.st. nick might have come....

2011-12-05T22:40:00.000-06:00

The stockings were hung

by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas

soon would be there......

....I can't wait for the morning!

.diy christmas edition.

2011-12-05T13:28:00.000-06:00

image source

.diy christmas edition. Christmas is so much fun to decorate for. I don't really do a whole lot of decorating except for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Maybe I will start to for other holidays and seasons but right now I primarily focus on those two. Pinterest is full of do-it-yourself Christmas crafts right now. Here are some that caught my eye. I hope you are enjoying this season as much as I am. .diy christmas edition.

.december deal of the month.

2011-12-02T12:46:00.000-06:00

New Month = New Deal of the Month!

For all of December Buy 2 earrings, get 1 FREE!!!

Check it out at Hannah James

And now back to crafting..... craft sales in the middle of the holiday season ~ What was I thinking? Please pray that it goes well :) thanks friends, xoxo

.the truth is contagious.

2011-12-01T14:19:00.002-06:00

Video by Project Hopeful

.the truth is contagious. Today I want to bring to your attention something that has been on my heart a while. It started in high school when I first heard a speaker talk about his HIV status at an assembly. Truth be told I was terrified of him and at the same time my heart broke thinking he is going to die from this horrible disease. I was in 9th or 10th grade and during sex ed classes later that year the fear of HIV/AIDS was retold and fear increased. When my school system & teacher ignorantly used the disease to scare us adolescence into abstinence & sexual "protection".

I started to learn the TRUTH about the disease when I worked at GAP & they launched their Product (RED) T's - back in 2006. Product (RED) first brought truth to me and made me more aware of AIDS/HIV in this world. It made me aware by showing me numbers and statistics. Product (RED) made me more conscious of how I can help those with the disease, by donating and purchasing products that support fighting the disease.

Last spring I read the book There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene. That book truly opened my eyes and brought me into the light on HIV & AIDS. So much so that since reading the book, HIV orphans have been laid heavily on my heart and I pray for them constantly. I highly recommend this book to EVERYONE - Especially those adopting out of Africa, where most communities and families are effected in one way or another by this disease.

Today is National AIDS awareness day and I want you to know the TRUTH about AIDS & HIV. I am spreading the truth today, because it is needed. So many people still believe lies that are spread around about this disease. It is heartbreaking the damage that lies can bring. So here are some true facts that I want to spread to everyone about HIV/AIDS:

1. People with HIV who have access (all US Residents) to ARVS (medicine) have a normal healthy life expectancy.

2. You do not need to be afraid of people with HIV. You CANNOT get HIV through normal household contact. It is NOT transmitted through sharing food or a cup. It is NOT transmitted through using the same toilet or taking a bath together. It is NOT transmitted through changing a diaper of an HIV infected child. HIV has NEVER been transmitted through normal family living situations.

3. Modern drug therapies can make the HIV virus almost completely undetectable in lab tests. Crazy right? Taking medicine eliminates the HIV virus almost completely. This also make the disease very unlikely to be transmitted.

4. HIV is only spread in these three ways: sexual contact, iv drug use through the sharing of dirty used needles, and from mother to infant by birth or breast feeding.

5. Women who take medicine while pregnant reduce the risk of transmitting HIV to their baby to under 2%.

So today on National AIDS awareness day please help me to spread the truth. It is important. And the truth is something that needs to be contagious. .the truth is contagious.

The following sites are amazing if you have questions on HIV/AIDS and want to learn more:

Project Hopeful

(RED) Blog

AVERT

*HIV/AIDS facts were taken from the following sites: 8 surprising facts, project hopeful, and avert.

.oh, gracious.

2011-11-30T14:34:00.002-06:00

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.oh, gracious. EXHALE. Life gets so busy! So completely busy. Today I had mom to mom and the theme that I kept hearing was about how sometimes we need to learn to say, "NO". I think I might just take that motto on in the new year, starting a month early. Because, right now I feel so swamped with everything. .oh, gracious.

Busy news: We have adoption education to complete.

The good side: We have one more adoption class tonight and then we are done with those, yahoo! Then, all we need to finish our classes are the book & article evaluations. I love reading about adoption and taking the classes that will help us when our son comes home....however, since we started in March we have been JAM packing them in and we will be happy when they are done.

Busy news: I am selling at a craft fair this weekend. And I have to make stuff to sell (eek....), make a sign, price items, and sleep sometime too.

The good side: Everything we make will be for our adoption. With travel expenses coming (hopefully) soon, we are excited to raise more.

Busy news: Christmas is coming and I am so not ready.

The good side: Christmas is coming and it is NOT about the gifts or cookies. And that is news I can take any day :)

I hope you have a blessed day, even if your completely swamped like me....

.filled with praise.

2011-11-28T07:32:00.002-06:00

.filled with praise. Today we are privileged to say that Filled With Praise is featuring our adoption story. I love all the adoption features and have had a great time looking back at all of them and reading other families journeys. Please go check us out over there. .filled with praise.

If you came from over there welcome! I hope you stay a while and get to know us a bit more.

In Hannah James news: Today if you purchase ANY item from the store you get a FREE pair of earrings - just list the color you would like in your notes at check out!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T10:02:00.000-06:00

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.Happy Thanksgiving. This year I am beyond thankful for the life the Lord has blessed me with. I am thankful for my beautiful family, our adoption journey, our friends who have supported us more then ever, our family for not thinking we are too crazy, Aaron's job, the friends I have meet because of the adoption & am connecting with (both at classes and here online), the generosity of complete strangers, and the passion that the Lord put in me. I hope you are all celebrating with friends, family, turkey, pie, & football. I know we will be. Have a wonderful day! .Happy Thanksgiving.

.why I love Kal.

2011-11-22T08:19:00.001-06:00

image by Kal

.why I love Kal. I know many of you have heard of Kal Barteski. If you haven't you should know she is my favorite artist + she is awesome. I found Kal searching online for animal art prints when Lydia was about 2 weeks old. That is when I stumbled upon her grow big dreams, dude collection. And that is when I instantly fell in LOVE with Kal + her art.

I continued to follow Kal's blog and vi-erred out to find other blogs through her. Eventually I started mine. Until I read her blog I had no idea that bloggers were cool. Seriously cool. creative. fun. and amazing.

If you have never checked out Kal's work please do. Right now she is having a mega event in her shop. Its pretty rad. .why I love Kal.

ps:

2011-11-11T11:11:00.001-06:00

HAPPY 11:11

on this

11/11/11!

just because :)

.jelly beans.

2011-11-09T13:14:00.000-06:00

In your Arms by Kina Grannis

.jelly beans. I must be all about videos this week.... why not be. There are some seriously talented creative folks out there. This video amazes me - it is all shot in jelly beans. Way cool! Thanks Anna for sharing! Check out how it was made for a more in depth look behind the scenes. I am totally impressed. .jelly beans.

PS: I wonder if they ate any of the jelly beans?

I would have if I was on that set.... :)

.unwrap purpose.

2011-11-07T05:15:00.003-06:00

Unwrap Purpose

This Holiday Season Unwrap Purpose. Help Families Adopt by Shopping Hannah James!

.unwrap purpose. This weekend an idea popped up into my head and I ran with it. Why not? To make this movie I took a million pictures and cropped like crazy. I also brightened the pictures a bit because it was so cloudy and gray when I took the photos. Note to self: wait for better lighting next time. Then I uploaded them to Windows Live Movie Maker & added music by Michael Bublé. Feel free to share this video and inspire someone you know to shop with a purpose this holiday season. .unwrap purpose.

.celebrating adoption.

2011-11-04T13:48:00.002-05:00

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.celebrating adoption. November is National Adoption Month and to celebrate I want to post something adoption related every Friday. This week I wanted to highlight a couple adoption posts that I found inspirational, truthful, and helpful. I love, Love, LOVE each one of these. Do you have any favorite adoption posts? .celebrating adoption.

Living Life with a Child that is HIV+ by Joining the Journey

Why Adoption Costs So Much & Why We Didn't Just Send That Money to Haiti by Rage Against the Minivan

After the Airport by Jen Hatmaker

.purposeful giveaways.

2011-11-03T13:15:00.001-05:00

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.purposeful giveaways. Have you been over to Kelly's blog yet? At My Overthinking. If you haven't you are in for a treat. Kelly has organized a wonderful month of November for everyone called purposeful giveaways. She is hosting 25 giveaways during this month. Incredible right!

The best part is that each shop featured in a giveaway is truly remarkable because they are all open so that others can shop with a purpose. Many of the shops featured, so far, are raising support for their adoptions, we were included and featured yesterday! Two days ago a sweet girl named Robin was featured because she raises money for families who are battling childhood cancer, something she herself went through. Seriously, a great list of shops are going to be popping up daily. I suggest everyone bookmark it.

Each day there is a giveaway from the store or stores mentioned. If you want to win a pair of earrings from Hannah James check out our feature to enter. And if you really want some they are only $8.00 at Hannah James - you could start shopping for a purpose early! .purposeful giveaways.

.one year.

2011-11-02T05:08:00.000-05:00

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.one year. One year ago, this previous weekend, we decided we would adopt. As we loaded up the car for a weekend in Saint Louis to celebrate our friends wedding, we had no idea that we would be making a life changing decision on the way.

One year has passed and it boggles my mind to think of all we have learned in a year. It is crazy to think of how our hearts have expanded and how much we have said, "We trust you Lord with this". I never in my wildest dreams would have thought we would adopt an older child. I never imagined that in one year we would already have our referral and sweet pictures of our precious son.

One year ago we thought we would wait a year to start. God, thankfully, gave us open hearts and this Saturday 364 days later we signed our official referral accepting our son! .one year.

November & December Parnerships

2011-11-01T05:07:00.000-05:00

Hannah James is going to run a little differently in November & December. We are not going to have just one featured partnering family, but we will have an unlimited number of families partner with us!!! In addition to the past partnerships we are also gaining a couple more families into our Hannah James team. These families will be featured sometime in 2012 but are starting their partnership now; The Menzer Family, The Wayman Family, and Zach & Michelle.

If you would like to support a family please leave a note upon purchase that specifies the family! Examples include, "I am purchasing through the Crockett Family", "Shopping to support the Menzer Family", "We love the Wayman family".....you get the point!

*If you or someone you know is interested in partnering with us please contact us. We would be delighted to have you become part of this community!

.happy halloween.

2011-10-31T05:36:00.000-05:00

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.happy halloween. I hope that everyone enjoy's their Halloween today! I am not one for this holiday, it creeps me out too much. I don't like scary movies at all and seeing scary spooky things appear out of no where is down right frightening. I don't go all out at all on costumes, although that may change as my kids get a bit older. For now it is just Halloween pj's thanks to grandma. Whatever your day looks like, I hope your having fun and staying safe. .happy halloween.

.an unexpected blessing.

2011-10-28T05:43:00.004-05:00

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I wrote earlier this week about God helping me out of my funk.....and I mentioned that I got an unexpected blessing. This little blessing was exactly what I needed to really snap my attitude back into the right spot. I am still amazed by the connection only God could have brought together and I can't thank Him enough for it!

Last week I received an email from a stranger. In it the woman asked me if *Jeremiah (see note below on name) was my son. If he was then she had a story. She and her family were praying for him, specifically, to find a family. If *Jeremiah was not our son then she politely said, "have a great day and good luck with the adoption".

I read it thinking, what? "Could this be the other family that was also interested in our little guy?"

Of course I reponded and shared links of our waiting and then our referral. I also thanked her immensely for praying for us. Prayer for us and our son is huge and I believe it is what is keeping me somewhat strong through this whole process.

The other family responded the next day with a story that I have come to treasure. My new friend told me that her family had seen *Jeremiah on the waiting list and been open to him, even getting a referral. He was taken off the waiting list and all they needed to do was send in their accepting paperwork. However, every single time they tried to send it in something came up. They decided to pray about the situation more and they felt God directing their family in a different way. She stated they went back and forth on the decision for a while, as it was really tough.

My favorite line from her email is the next line, "God gave me the peace that it was not about whether he was right for our family or not, but that God had another family in mind for *Jeremiah."........Seriously, it gives me chills every time I read it! God had us in mind for *Jeremiah! Yes he could fit well in their family, but he was made for ours! And God lead this open hearted family to see that and hear it clearly. He also gave them the courage to follow His will.

Throughout the summer they prayed for *Jeremiah, they prayed for his forever family (us)! They were excited and rejoiced when they saw his sweet picture removed on August 25th, knowing that he got placed with the family they were praying for.

I beyond grateful that our new friends prayed and listened to what God was telling them was right. How many times do we hold tight to something we want so badly, and it could be a ~~good~~ great thing....but we know it is not right for us at the time. They trusted God, even when it hurt, to let this little one go. Not because it was easy or because they wanted to, but because they could hear the Lord telling them, "he is not meant for you".

I am stoked that the Lord has united our families! Now, because of an online chat group, our blog, and prompting from the Lord they can watch *Jeremiah grow up! They will get to see him and his forever family. And we live close enough where we might even be able to meet up in real life. I love this friendship God has granted us.

**To top off the already incredible story. They lead us to pictures of a mission group visiting his orphanage this summer. Our little guy is in 11 pictures to be exact! Seeing more of his precious face, seeing his friends, some of his home, seeing his caretakers - that was, and is, WAY BEYOND A BLESSING! Since our referral we have not gotten an update. So seeing his precious face again - in new pictures was what this mama heart desperately needed.

Our new friends are still waiting for a referral. They are praying for a little girl and I would love it if you could pray with me for them. Their adoption journey has been rocky and they are hoping for a referral soon! To you guys, We seriously cannot thank you enough for following God's will. For praying for us. And for reaching out when the Lord prompted you to. We are praying for you and are following your journey. God has your little one in his hands and knows who they are! Keep trusting Him and leaning on Him for strength along the way. We love you!

And to our little guy,

You were made for us! And we love you! Your precious smile is more then this heart can take. We are patiently, and sometimes not so much, waiting until we can meet you. Hopefully that day comes soon. We are excited for your sweet hugs, your gorgeous eyes to look into ours, and those precious lips to say, "I love you" (although, we are fully aware that will most likely be a while after you transition...a long while). We can't wait to meet your caregivers, the little boy who seems to be your best bud, and most importantly you. We are coming little one. We are.

Also know that you have already, in your short life touched many. Three families (that we know of) have opened their hearts up for you. Three families have prayed for you as their son. That is incredible. You are already loved so much. I know that you were made for greatness. You might have no idea for a while, but you are my hero. I will love you always.
Love from the deepest, mama.

*Although we love the name Jeremiah, I used it to keep my family, the other family, and our sweet little guy protected. We will not be sharing our son's name until the adoption is complete - thank you for understanding.

**I cannot share a link or give you the name of the mission because our Agency does not allow us to post pictures and our family is trying to respect their guidelines.

.diy thanksgiving style.

2011-10-27T05:22:00.001-05:00

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.diy thanksgiving style. Can you believe it is almost November? I am still getting use to the idea that October is here..... where does the time go? I love fall! That is no secret. It is my absolute favorite time of year! It is gorgeous, how can you not love it! These projects are perfect for this time of year and we still have about a month left to complete them and show them off for Thanksgiving, so get going. .diy thanksgiving style.

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.how God lifted me out of the funk.

2011-10-26T05:13:00.002-05:00

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.how God lifted me out of the funk. The past half month has kind of been lame. Yep lame. I was getting down because we have not had an update on our little guy yet, we have been really sick, and I was all sorts of jealous ugly. lame for sure.

Towards the end of last week I started to read my Bible more. I don't know why I don't do this sooner when I am in a funk. Right now I am reading through all the Gospels and since I literally just started I am in Matthew. I didn't get too hung up on a particular verse, but I was reading the notes (I have a study Bible) and this stuck out like a sore thumb, "Consenting to marry Mary surely cast doubt on his (Joseph's) own innocence regarding the pregnancy, as well as leaving them both with a social stigma they would carry for the rest of their lives."

I hold Joseph in high regard. He didn't have to marry Mary, he chose to. He didn't have to father a baby that was not his, he chose to be an adoptive father. He, by choosing to follow God, lived his life with a social stigma always pointed at him. That could not have been easy at all. That must have been utterly difficult. But He also followed God. I think that when we follow God, we are faced with more challenges. However because we have the Lord we can easily get through them.

Something else that jumped out at me in reading this is the fact that Joseph is the man that God chose to parent his one and only son. God chose Joseph to raise his son! What an honor! I want to continue to act in obedience to God and live like Joseph. Even when it is difficult. Even when it is hard. Even if it is not socially the norm. or accepted. or whatever. Because this is the path God has chosen for me. ME. I am so amazed that God chose me for this big job; for parenting two little ones (and almost a third), and being a wife, and having a blog, and a wee little shop, and everything. I am simply amazed.

So with those thoughts on my mind and a lot of greatness happening around me like a baby being born to a good friend, 5 packages coming in the mail on the same day, game nights, and an unexpected surprise God helped me out of the funky road and lame town I was in. .how God lifted me out of the funk.

How do you get happy, when your in a funk?

Do you change how you are living? ex: read more, hang out with friends?
Do you try to shift your attitude?

If your in a funk now.... the picture below is bound to make you happy.

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Because if running baby elephants don't make you smile, I don't know what will. :)

Have a good day, friends!

*PS: I wrote this post early, which is not how I usually roll, and as luck would have it Pink eye came again with vengeance.....pray for me to keep this positive attitude, and for that ugly bug to go away!

.Crockett family reminder.

2011-10-25T05:07:00.002-05:00

learn more about the Crockett family

This is a friendly reminder that you have until *Halloween at midnight to make a purchase from Hannah James to help out the Crockett family.

*Sort of..... Hannah James will be running a little different in November and December, more on that later.

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

If you are adopting I am currently lining up families for our partnership program.

Contact me and I will add you to our list!

.the funk I was in.

2011-10-24T14:02:00.002-05:00

this picture is a little depressing, even for me.....photo source

.the funk I was in. Oh, man. Where do I even begin. These past two weeks have been rough, emotionally.

First I want to say blogging is great, online forums are wonderful, and groups on etsy are fantastic too. The women I have meet through any of the ways listed have been nothing short of amazing, many have become good friends, many are great to go to when I have a question. Overall the community formed with adopting families helps encourage me through this journey. They know the feelings I am feeling, because they are there. At the same step as me. They get it. They know, because they are living the good and bad days.

That said, when you connect with other adopting parents you start to compare stories. And then you start to wonder things. People probably wondered how in the world we got a referral less then 6 months after starting the process. People were probably confused when my friend Mandie got a referral only 2 weeks after sending her dossier. And both are amazing stories to share because we both opened our hearts more then we thought we could.

But, we compare. And sometimes that is our downfall. A couple of weeks ago many families I know started to get their court dates. These families got their referrals around the same time as us. One family, I know, got a referral a couple weeks after us and they are going to meet their precious daughter in December! So, naturally you would think, we would have our court dates around them too.......wrong! Because we didn't do things in the "natural" adoption order we will still be waiting a while. Our dossier was just sent last week which will tack on a couple extra months. And although I knew this, it still hurts - because the referral dates are so close.

Even though I knew we would have to wait longer last week I was thinking this is not fair, we should get to go too. The comparisons, and the jealousy, and envy are not from the Lord. They are not good to have on this journey that is already heavy enough. And these burdens I was caring around for the past two weeks, on top of strep throat, ear infections, and the pink eye that invaded our house, were not good. Not good at all.

Friends, please don't compare yourself to anyone else in this journey. Or anyone else no matter what journey your on. We all have our own stories. And we should feel blessed by the story the Lord is giving us to live. I am grateful for the story we are living, I am humbled daily that God would chose us to parent this precious little boy. And even though I have to wait a little bit longer then those around me......someday he will be home. And we will be living out a brand new chapter of events. How much more blessed could we be? .the funk I was in.

More soon on how I got out of the funk.....

.official DTE.

2011-10-20T13:15:00.000-05:00

Our Dossier is Officially Out of the USA and on its way to Ethiopia! Now were waiting on a court date! Yahoo!

.what is a hannah? what is a james?.

2011-10-19T07:59:00.005-05:00

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A Repost:

Hannah James is a name that has a lot of meaning for me. In adoption, most parents have to wait a long, long time in order to bring their babes home. Many adopting families wait well past the 9 months of a regular pregnancy. In our case we have already planned to adopt for nearly a year! I have heard of families adopting from China that wait five years or longer, FIVE YEARS!

There is one women in the Bible I have looked up to that dealt patiently in waiting for a child, her name is Hannah. I love Hannah's story. I love that she brought her hopes and dreams and difficulties to the Lord. I love that she put all her hope in the one who we need to put our hope in, God. She longed for a child and I know that the adopting mothers out there are longing to be with their babies too. I hope we can all find peace in the Lord and lean on Him for strength through our own adoption journies. We might not have gone through infertility, like Hannah, but we are all waiting to bring our babes home and longing for them to be home. Just like Hannah.

The second name for my shop & blog is James. It comes from James 1:27, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." Basically it represents the babes we are longing for. The precious orphans we care about.

The shops mission is to help other Hannah's so we can bring home more James'. By helping other moms, and families, we can help bring home more orphans! I love the name, hoping you do too!

.pink eye.

2011-10-17T13:42:00.001-05:00

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.pink eye. Ouch. Pink eye invade our house on Saturday, and not the pretty kind like in the photo above. The kind that makes you itch and is highly contagious. This meant we could not leave this weekend....oy! We had great plans of going to home group (which I made an amazing cake for) and attending a baptism..... but instead we stayed home and washed, and washed, and washed everything (and ate the cake ourselves..... well it's half gone). Seriously, I am still washing things.

However, pink eye also gave us a great Sunday morning that did not involve rushing out the door mad at each other to church. Instead we had a great family worship time. I put on Pandora to the Jesus station I created and we had our own little dance party & signing session to the Lord. After we read a couple Bible stories to the kids. Then we put on a sermon for us. The kids got antsy, which they do in church too, and instead of one of us missing the sermon we just sent the kids into the hallway with their toys. Aaron & I both got to listen to the sermon and it was actually quite nice. Despite our sickness we still got to praise the Lord and had a wonderful Sunday morning.

Please pray with me that our pink eye will stop spreading so we can venture out sometime soon. Thanks friends. .pink eye.

The sermon we listened to is from Pastor Jeff Meyer - The Church is not our home church, but when we go home we visit and always love his sermons!

When your sick how do you worship?

Do you ever watch sermons online?

.5 years.

2011-10-14T05:01:00.015-05:00

Aar,

Five years ago I would have never dreamed we would be where we are on this journey. We got married young, but I think that is what makes our story special. We have been able to grow up a little with each other and learn from each other. Along the way we have also grown in faith and I am very blessed that you have been there to help me along that path. It has been amazing to have you as my husband as you give me support when I need it most. When I am having a stressful day you are great at taking the kids for a while, when I need to talk you always listen, and when I need a hug because I miss our son you give it.

I would not have ever guessed that the Lord would have blessed us with three children in five years. It has been amazing to watch you as a father. Your a great one. Probably the best. Our children adore you and they are lucky to have you as a dad. From rocking them in the late night/early morning hours to disciplining them you are great. And I am thankful for that.

Happy Anniversary. I am so glad were on this journey together. I love you.

Here's to many, many, many, more!

-me

.in need of.

2011-10-13T13:51:00.000-05:00

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.in need of. I am in need of some serious organization around here. Remember a couple of months ago when I wanted to organize my bedroom....well life happened instead. I really do need to work on making organization a priority. I think the stress levels would be down if I was a little, ok a lot, more organized. These pretty little work spaces are very inspiring. So inspiring I might stop looking at them and get to work. This is what I am in need of. .in need of.

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How do you stay organized?

How do you GET organized?

.jewelry of the month club.

2011-10-12T05:42:00.001-05:00

6 month package

.jewelry of the month club. Hi friends! I hope your having a great week. I just wanted to let you know that I updated the shop recently. Jewelry of the Month Club packages for 2012 are now available. There is a limited number per package, so order early to secure your spot! These are some great deals and include Free U.S. Shipping in the price. There are three different packages to choose from, 6 month, 9 month, & 12 month. And each package is customizable to you. .jewelry of the month club.

.this past weekend we.

2011-10-11T13:29:00.000-05:00

did a lot of driving

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on the way to a wedding,

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where we witnessed God unite our close friends.

photo by Erin Marie Page

After...we went to the beach,

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watched some falling leaves,

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ate fabulous food,

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and stayed up playing games.

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The best part was it was casual, where jeans and a t-shirt were the attire,

friends brought the dessert,

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and laughter was the ticket in.

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Congrats again Chris and Lina - We wish a long life together focused on Christ and filled with happiness & love for each other.

.through my pride.

2011-10-07T05:47:00.009-05:00

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.through my pride. This week as I wrote to many handmade artists, friends, and all of you, I had knots in my stomach. I got sick thinking about asking people for donations, asking people to help us raise money for our adoption. I felt ashamed of asking others to help. And truthfully each email I send puts a bigger knot in my stomach.

But...my son is worth so much more to me then my pride. And if I have to get embarrassed a couple of times to get to Ethiopia and pick him up, then I will. That doesn't mean this knot will automatically go away, because it hasn't. However, I am getting emails from friends with donations, encouragement, and words of love....and I am being humbled. I am being shown that we can work together and get this done. During this time I am learning that it is alright to just be thankful. And I am.

I am raising support to get to my son. And in that I should not be ashamed. Thank you if you have supported us in any way. Thank you if you have promised a donation. Thank you if you have personally sent me words of love and encouragement. Thank you if you have said a sweet prayer.

The video below gets me fired up about adoption. It makes me stand up for my family and my son. My favorite line in the video is when Eric says, "If my son is in that situation, (talking about being hungry, alone, and scared) stick a concrete wall in front of me and I will claw through it with my bare hands."

Friends, my concrete wall is support raising. I will keep clawing through it until our son comes home and after. I know that together we can do this. I will keep going, knocking down my pride along the way, to get to our son. Thank you for the help along the way. .through my pride.

Please watch this video and ask yourself, "If my kid was on the other side of the World...wouldn't I do the same?"

.hilary & seth.

2011-10-06T13:45:00.000-05:00

.hilary & seth. I know, I know, I know. I have blogged about my sisters wedding so many times. The anticipation of it was huge, how could it not be. Hilary and Seth's wedding was amazing. I loved all the handmade touches Hilary spent hours on. They really made the day special. The weddings theme was all about baseball and I think Hilary knocked it out of the park. Now, if only the Brewers could get the hint and try that tomorrow! Here are some photos from their amazing photographer Nicole Utecht. I love you Seth & Hill and I hope that God will bless your marriage always. .hilary & seth.

.october inspire.

2011-10-04T08:14:00.000-05:00

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.october inspire. And suddenly its Fall. My favorite time of year. I love Fall. LOVE IT. And all it stands for. The cooler weather, the falling leaves, the football, and especially the chai tea and the pumpkin lattes that warm me up. Love it. Here are a couple of my favorite fall inspired pins. Aren't they gorgeous? I hope you are all enjoying this lovely fall day! .october inspire.

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.meet the crockett family.

2011-10-03T08:11:00.001-05:00

The Crockett family is adorable! Lindsey contacted me a couple months ago from finding Hannah James and our friendship is growing. They started their adoption shortly after us and we both were working on our dossier together. I can't wait to see how God uses this family in His awesome plan. Please take some time to get to know them, they really are the sweetest. And through the month of October you can support their adoption by shopping at Hannah James!

"We love Jesus and want to glorify Him in all we do" - Lindsey Crockett

"Be the change you want to see in the world." ~Mahatma Gandhi

When did your family start the adoption process?

We started our adoption in April 2011.

Where are you adopting from?

Ethiopia

Why did you choose to adopt from Ethiopia?

We know that our child is there. It's so hard to explain it. We prayed long and hard about what country to adopt from and we were always led back to Ethiopia. The Lord just knows and He made it extremely clear to us every step of the way.

What are some of your families favorite activities?

We love reading to our girls, Makayla and Addison. We love playing outside with them when the weather is nice. Coloring and going to the zoo are our top two favorite things to do. :)

Why do you blog?

I blog to keep a record of our families life. We'll never get these days back, you know. And it has become more of an adoption blog lately, but I'm trying to get back into writing about our sweet girls, what we do together....that sort of thing.

Favorite colors?

My favorite color is pink. Adam's is red. Makayla and Addison are pretty fond of pink.....but that might be because I'm their mother. :)

Favorite candy/food?

My favorite candy is Reese's Pieces. If I'm sad, just send me some of those bad boys!

What are some other fundraisers you have done?

We are selling t-shirts, which you can check out here. I also had a Tastefully Simple party in the past, which was amazing! My husband is running a Zombie 5K in October and is getting sponsors for that. And we have all kinds of other ideas up our sleeves for the next few months.

Where do you live?

We moved back to Ohio last year after living in California for six years. Crazy, I know!

How many children do you have, if any?

We have two biological daughters, Makayla will be 4 on Christmas Day and Addison is 15 months old.

Favorite place to visit?

It was Ohio, but since we live here now, I'm gonna say California!

To help them get closer to bringing their little one home shop at Hannah James!

.an everyday hero.

2011-09-29T14:15:00.001-05:00

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.an everyday hero. Some of you may have heard of Katie Davis and if you haven't you should. She is amazing. AMAZING. She is a hero of mine and an everyday hero to many. Katie Davis, at the age of 18 (2006) traveled to Uganda for the first time. There the people and culture immediately captivated her. In the summer of 2007 Katie returned to Uganda to teach Kindergarten at an orphanage. She quickly learned that that impoverished children are unable to afford education because the government has only little assistance, if any in the country.

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While working there God lead Katie to start a child sponsorship program. This lead her to establish a non-profit organization called Amazima Ministries International. The organization seeks to meet the physical, emotional, and spiritual needs of the people of Uganda who need it the most.

During her time in Uganda, Katie also became a mother through adoption. Welcoming her first three daughters home in 2008, when Katie herself was just 19. Three years later she has welcomed many more girls into her home and is now mother of 13.

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It is incredible what Katie has done with her life so far. But what captivates me more then anything is her love for Christ. It is so evident that she lives her life daily for the Lord. She is doing what God commands of all of us - to live and serve Him. Katie's desire is to point others to Christ and in that she humbles herself and gives her everything. She is a hero, an inspiration, and an example to us all. .an everyday hero.

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She recently wrote a book, Kisses from Katie, that will be on sale shortly. It is a book that I am excited to read. About the book Katie states, "I have absolutely no desire to write a book about myself. This is a book about a Christ who is alive today and not only knows but cares about every hair on my head. Yours too. I'm writing this book on the chance that a glimpse into the life of my family and me, full of my stupidity and God's grace, will remind you of this living, loving Christ and what it means to serve Him. I'm writing with the hope that as you cry and laugh with my family you will be encouraged that God still uses flawed human beings to change the world. And if He can use me, He can use you."

Thank you Katie for inspiring us all to be more like Christ. You are a true reflection of his love.

Below is a video promotion of her book. Please take the time to watch it.

To Learn more about Katie or Amazima Ministries visit the sites below:

Amazima Ministries

Kisses from Katie - her blog

By purchasing the book through 147 million orphans Amazima Ministries gets 50% of the profits!!!

.shop update.

2011-09-28T15:39:00.001-05:00

oh, deer..... my new favorite :)

New items are listed in the shop!!!

.and it's out of my hands.

2011-09-27T13:03:00.001-05:00

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.and it's out of my hands. We have officially handed in our dossier! And it is such a relief. It took us 10 weeks and 6 days to complete, which might qualify us for some sort of record. In that time we had a huge opening of our hearts, got our referral, and changed our home study. We also celebrated Birthdays and Weddings, got family pictures, made a fun video, and had a ginormous garage sale. This past ten weeks has been a whirlwind to say the least.

Aaron & I with our finished dossier!

The dossier kind put me in a weird zone, I was going Crazy with all the important paperwork I had. The kids were not allowed anywhere near them and neither was my husband, haha. I also sorta freaked out when we had to copy each document 4 times. NO ONE was allowed to touch them but me. The lady at Kinkos suggested I run them through the slot on the top of the copier and I almost lost it. It was essential that the staples and everything remain in the same place, or I would have had to start over. Needless to say it is done now and the stress is gone with it!

Our Dossier & 3 copies..... lots & lots of paper.

I am one happy mama knowing that our paperwork is complete. Now, our agency is reviewing everything again, then they will send our papers to Washington D.C. for Authentication. Once they are authenticated the papers will be sent to Ethiopia!!! Which means we are one step closer to our little one. .and it's out of my hands.

.future mama & future papa reminder.

2011-09-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

learn more about future mama & future papa

This is a friendly reminder that you have until Friday at midnight to make a purchase from Hannah James to help out Angela and Nathan. They are the most wonderful and encouraging couple and I would love to build up their adoption fund!

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If you are adopting I am currently lining up families for our partnership program.

Contact me and I will add you to our waiting list!

.yellow week.

2011-09-22T05:55:00.000-05:00

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.yellow week. Some of you may have already wandered through the magic that is happening over at oh, hello friend. But if you have not I am here to tell you to get going because it's beautiful. Danni created Yellow Week and it is simply stunning. I love all the yellow color combinations, I love all the pictures, her pop-up shop is unreal. There are cute DIY ideas. And there is an AMAZING giveaway. Go check it out. .yellow week.

.pink lemonade.

2011-09-21T07:41:00.000-05:00

.pink lemonade. Hi Friends! Today I am blogging over at pink lemonade. It is the cutest little blog by Paige, a 15 year old talented young lady. She is awesome and way more ambitious then I was at 15. Please go check her out! I wrote a tutorial on how to decorate some wire hangers. A super easy tutorial that makes your closet lovely. Have a wonderful day. .pink lemonade.

.family photos.

2011-09-19T12:46:00.000-05:00

taken by Rose

.family photos. Oh, man - it is a task taking pictures of our whole family. Lydia does not smile for the camera that often, she also is shy so planning for other people to take her picture.....we should just forget about it. Asher on the other hand, will ham up anyone that walks by. So naturally our strategy going into family photo night was to work on Lydia and let Asher just do his thing. And it worked! Our friend Rose was able to come to our house and take some amazing pictures out back. I love that we have some new family pictures to hang up around here. It has been way too long - these were last summers - and these were before that. Thanks so much Rose - We love you! .family photos.

taken by Rose

.diy.

2011-09-16T13:39:00.001-05:00

I love these do it yourself projects that I found on pinterest.

Have you found any good ones lately?

image source - This gets my vote for best use of an old crib. Such a great idea.

image source - Feeling this for Fall!

image source - one year I made a bunch of these as Christmas gifts - AWESOME!

image source - I really want to do this with our family pictures, when they come in

image source - I need to switch out my summer wreath for a fall looking one.

.connecting.

2011-09-15T13:47:00.000-05:00

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.connecting. YES! It is fall and that means all sorts of wonderful things are around us. Falling leaves, cooler weather, pumpkin spice lattes at Starbucks, and Mom to Mom has started at our church. Mom to Mom is sorta like a MOPS group (at least that is what I am told). Except it is a Biblical based program. I absolutely love it. I think so often we as stay at home moms, especially moms with young children, feel like we are parenting alone. Our husbands are working all day and we are taking care of our children. Yes - it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. Yes - I love it! Yes - it is fun. But, parenting is also hard. There are days when I watch the clock click by counting down until I will have help. There are days I wish I was the one "working".

Mom to Mom, and other groups like it, are like a breath of fresh air. I love it for many reasons, I get to connect with other moms in the same spot I am in, my children interact with others their age, I get filled with spiritual truths that connect me to Jesus, and it helps me feel like I am not alone on this parenting ride.

I absolutely love connecting with others online through blogs and forums - but connecting in real life is needed. I encourage every mother of young children to find a group to get connected with. They are so helpful. And if you can't find one start one - I guarantee someone in your area is searching too. .connecting.

Do you go to Mom to Mom or MOPS?

How has it helped you?

.in the mail today.

2011-09-13T12:57:00.000-05:00

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.in the mail today. Today I mailed out a couple applications for adoption grants. I am hoping that we get something from one of them. I found the process for filling out the applications almost as tedious as the dossier. Hopefully it will pay off though and help us in the long run. If you have adopted or are in the process, have you applied for grants? How many did you apply for at a time? I think we will wait to see what comes of the two we applied for and if we don't get them then we will apply for other ones...... but I don't know yet. .in the mail today.

.remembering.

2011-09-09T13:24:00.001-05:00

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.remembering. This weekend is the tenth anniversary since the 9/11 attacks. It crazy to think that 10 years has gone by. I remember exactly where I was when I heard what happened. When I see footage of it on t.v. I still get the same eerie feeling come over me as I first did on that Tuesday morning. I was a senior in high school then and it was hard for me to grasp exactly what was happening. How does a teenager make sense of terrorist attacks, how does anybody?

In the days after the attack I remember our community pulling together to pray for those in New York and around the United States. I remember our nation pulling together for each other. The candle light vigil at the Madison, WI capital, church services, and a cross made out of mini- American flags in our yard are still are fresh pictures from the week that followed.

I know that everyone over the age of 7 probably remembers where they were on that day. I bet it is the same for those who lived through Pearl Harbor. I don't think we will ever forget. Today I am remembering 9/11. I am saying prayers for those who are still healing from this attack. Praying for the children of those lost. Praying for parents who lost children. Wives who lost husbands. People who lost friends. And praying that our Nation will remember and not be divided but continue to rally together as the United States of America. .remembering.

.happy birthday little man.

2011-09-08T05:24:00.006-05:00

Asher,
I can't believe you are one! I feel like you were just born. This year has gone by too fast. Right now you are a climbing machine, you climb everything in site. You have taken about four consecutive steps in a row and you want to walk on your own but are not quite there yet. Your dance moves are pretty fantastic and you look like your jumping but you don't get any air time - it is more like bouncing.

You are my snuggle buddy and you love to snuggle with me - when anyone else tries it is an automatic fail. I, not so secretly, love this about you.

You eat everything in site and your favorite food is anything that is in front of you. I think you love hot dogs more then the average kid, they are usually gone right away.

I love you buddy and hope that today we have a magical day celebrating your first year. Our plans include ice cream for breakfast, a zoo trip, some sleep time, pizza for dinner, and a Packer win!
I Love You Forever and Ever, mama :)

.wedding recap - rehearsal & getting ready.

2011-09-07T14:26:00.001-05:00

Hill & me at the rehearsal

.wedding recap - rehearsal & getting ready. My sisters wedding was this past weekend. In case you missed that in my previous posts. We had an amazing time! Earlier in the week the weather was nasty and knocked out power in half of their area. Their rehearsal dinner got changed a bit and was done in candle light at the baseball stadium Seth works at. Our hair appointments were switched to the apartment, due to lack of power - luckily Hilary was able to find a place to do her hair. Thankfully the reception venue still had power and nothing needed to be changed there. I think it turned out better then planned and we just rolled with it. Here are some pictures of the rehearsal and of us getting ready...... more to come later! .wedding recap - rehearsal & getting ready.

walking down isle with lovely ribbon bouquet

practice, practice, practice

I stood up with Kirk, Seth's brother

braiding of the cords

with my sisters, Alyssa, Hilary, & I

at the stadium, goofing around with Asher

racing.....

setting up at the venue

vintage coke bottles were the center pieces

instead of cake they had a candy bar

Hill made everything herself!

on our way to the park!

on our way!

Hilary's beautiful wedding gown!

we got ready in an area that had some gymnastics equipment, of course we all started doing our routines

putting on make up

.celebrate labor day.

2011-09-05T05:28:00.001-05:00

Celebrate Labor Day and Shop Hannah James!

.play ball....i mean my sisters wedding.

2011-09-02T05:22:00.000-05:00

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.play ball.....i mean my sisters wedding. This weekend my sister is getting married! Her fiance, hi Seth, is a Major, CAPITAL M - sports fan. The whole wedding is baseball themed. I really should take pictures of everything, and will soon. Their save the date was a baseball card. The invitation was a ticket stub, the reply card even ripped off to be sent back! Oh the details of this wedding are amazing, but I can't share with you all just yet - those pictures will be up sometime next week. But - these pictures might give you a hint of how we might be celebrating. Enjoy the long holiday weekend and play ball! .play ball....i mean my sisters wedding.

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ps: Hill - I LOVE YOU & CAN'T WAIT - TWO DAYS GIRL, take a breath :)

.meet future mama and future papa.

2011-09-01T05:46:00.002-05:00

Future Mama and Future Papa are an amazing couple. I have grown in friendship with Angela, aka future mama, from Expecting a Blessing over this year and I am so thankful that the Internet and the Lord connected us to each other. Angela is one of my closest blogging buddies and I am so honored to get to share her families story with you all. Please take some time to get to know Angela and Nathan, and their sweet southern twang, a little more. And take the time to help support them by picking up some lovelies from Hannah James!

"I'm only one. But still, I am one.

I cannot do everything, but still, I can do something.

And because I cannot do everything,

I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

~Edward Everett Hale

When did your family start the adoption process?

We began consistently praying about adoption this time last year. We started actively researching agencies in January 2011 and officially signed with His Hands in May.

Where are you adopting from?

When Portuguese sailors first discovered this place, they called it Ilha Formosa, which means "beautiful island." Today, it is known as Taiwan!

Why did you choose to adopt from that country?

This was a decision we struggled and prayed over for months. With current orphan estimates soaring over 160 million worldwide, we didn't even know where to begin. The short story: God led us to Taiwan. The longer story: the beauty and modern cities of Taiwan mask a harsh truth; up to 50% of all Taiwanese women have had an abortion. For many, this is not a "pro-choice" decision, most of these women have no choice. The orphanages are full and the stigma associated with being an unwed mother is severe. Cultural factors place a tremendous amount of value on bloodlines, so the children remain in orphanages, un-adopted by the people of the country. Because the orphanages are full, some experts now believe that the yearly abortion rate exceeds the birthrate, for mothers who do not want their children have no viable choice for their children. We have chosen to work with an agency, His Hands, whose primary focus is not adoption, but to support the birth mother and teach her the skills she needs to raise her child as a single mother. Should she chose not to do so, they offer adoption as a last option. This need for adoptive parents, combined with many other reasons, has led us to the decision to adopt a child, of either gender, from this country.

What are some of your families favorite activities?

We love snuggling by campfires and eating s'mores. We love walking our hyper puppy, who loves to run and play in fresh grass. We enjoy cooking, reading, and watching Castle. I'm a history nerd. He's an exercise buff. We work together :-)

Why do you blog?

To document our journey! I want to remember every moment of this adventure. And since lately I have been pretty much obsessing over all things baby, this will (hopefully) work as an outlet for my ramblings about chubby baby cheeks and nursery decor. It's a prevention technique really, so that at work I can maintain my image as a serious scholar, relegating the excited mama chatter to....well...the blog! I am also writing for our future son or daughter, who may not have many baby pictures. I will have missed his or her first smiles, sounds, and little movements. But, through this blog, I hope he or she will be able to feel our love and excitement wrapped up with our "paper pregnancy." And....we are first time parents, and we can use all the help and advice we can get! Quite frankly, the idea of becoming a parent is exciting, but it is also scary! Fears, doubts, questions, unknowns, eek! We hope to be able to join the fantastic online community not only of adoptive parents, but also just parents in general. I have found tremendous comfort in reading through many of your blogs. Ya'all are an impressive group of strong, creative, loving mothers (any men out there reading this?). Truly inspirational....living examples of the type of mother I hope to be. I'm also excited that possibly, potentially, someone who is considering adoption may stumble upon our blog and become just as excited about adoption as we are! That God may use us to play a small role in inspiring others to follow Him in caring for "the least of these."

Favorite color?

Sunshine yellow

Favorite candy/food?

Homemade sweet potato fries, warm garlic bread, dumplings, ice cream sundaes, brownie bites, and peach pie.

What are some other fundraisers you have done?

We have co-founded Leaves of Love, which is not only a tool to help families with the financial obligations of adoption, but also a beautiful way to showcase family and friends who have been involved in your adoption. We also have a tree of our own!

Where do you live?

The South, where fried okra is fresh, music has a twang, and sweet tea reigns supreme

Favorite place to visit?

What an impossible question! The mountains, the beach, family, friends.....all are favorites in our hearts. We love nature, adventure, and hope to see the world!

We feel so blessed to partner with Hannah James this month, especially since they JUST got their referral! We would love to show them just how much they are loved by raising a huge chunk of money for their adoption this month. Show your support by making Hannah James your facebook status for the day. Put their link at the bottom of your emails this month (example: Adopting an orphan won't change the world, but for that one family and one orphan, the world will change. Help my dear friends, the Thompsons, bring their little one hope by purchasing something from their shop, Hannah James.) Get a jump start on your Christmas shopping. Buy something for an under appreciated mom, friend, or sister and mail it to them "just because." Together we can help create families. ~ Angela

To help them get closer to bringing their little one home shop at Hannah James!

.morris family reminder.

2011-08-31T05:03:00.001-05:00

click to learn more about the Morris family

This is just a friendly reminder that TODAY IS THE LAST DAY to help this family through our partnership program. If you want to support the amazing Morris family you have until tonight at midnight to purchase an item from Hannah James.

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If you are adopting I am currently lining up families for our partnership program.
Contact me and I will add you to our waiting list!

.celebrating in fast forward.

2011-08-30T09:38:00.000-05:00

image source

.celebrating in fast forward. Right now our life is going crazy fast. Our adoption is moving so quickly it is a little overwhelming to think about. There are documents to be collected, fingerprints to be taken, and grants to be applied for.

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Also, my sister is getting married this upcoming weekend. There are shoes to find for the little ones, big pom pom decorations to be made, and a speech to be written.

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Then life itself needs to continue and there are play dates and new babies to celebrate - congrats again Nate & Heidi (and family). And, almost forgot, a baseball game for a special little one year old - I can't believe our baby is almost one. Lots to do in little time - this week is CAPITAL CRAZY - and I love it! .celebrating in fast forward.

Is your life going fast right now too?

I hope you are celebrating what God is doing!

.our referral.

2011-08-25T13:02:00.002-05:00

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.our referral. As many of you know we have been anxiously waiting since August 1st for our adoption agency to make a decision on a little guy. Yesterday afternoon they finally made a decision and we are excited to say that they placed him in our family!!!

can't wait for this day - image source

It is amazing to both of us how God orchestrated everything. We had no idea that we would move so quickly through this process. We also had no idea that God was going to ask us to open our home to someone older. We are in awe of how he is using us in His great plan and how he continues to surprise us. Right now we are over the moon excited!

...and thinking this will be a picture of husband and son sometime soon makes my heart leap and soar! - image source

We are asking for more prayers as we wait to go and get him, it will be a long time before that happens. We are expecting that he will be home sometime between 9-12 months from now. Thank you so much for the prayers already sent out for our family, including him. .our referral.

.thank you.

2011-08-23T07:31:00.000-05:00

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.thank you. I am really behind on my thank you notes. Really, really behind. I still have a pile of thank yous from when Asher was baptized. Which happened in October, yes almost a year ago. Maybe these pictures will give me some inspiration to get going. .thank you.

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How about you, are you good at keeping up with thank yous?

.a sunday stroll.

2011-08-18T05:04:00.003-05:00

.a sunday stroll. A couple of weeks ago Elise made this video that has been on replay in my head ever since. What magic in making a video of everyday moments - setting it to music just gives it a wonderful glow. Love it. This past weekend we went down town and I captures some of our everyday. I love how this video turned out and if I can figure out an easier way to make them more will be in the future. .a sunday stroll.

The entire video was shot on my point & shot Nikon camera. The video was made in Adobe Premiere Elements, transferred to Video Pad, Video Editor and set to music. Music is by the lovely Sophie Madeline.

.practicing patience.

2011-08-17T05:06:00.000-05:00

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.practicing patience. Practicing patience is hard to do. When your waiting for a call that has the potential to change your life. Although this is hard I know God's timing is best and he is growing me along the way. Pray with me that we hear soon & do not need to wait too much longer. . practicing patience.

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.opening the box.

2011-08-16T05:03:00.003-05:00

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.opening the box. When we started the adoption process we knew we would grow spiritually. We knew God would be working our hearts over. We just didn't know how much.

In adoption there are waiting lists. Children who do not typically fit parents wants get put there. They might have Down Syndrome, they might have a heart defect, they might have a Birthmark, their parents might have had something that could (ever so slightly) affect the way they grow, their birth mother could have drank (a little or a lot). There are a number of reasons. Some big and some so small they are hardly noticeable. Those children wait. They wait for families to choose them.

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I pray for these children daily. I pray they all find homes. I pray for the homes that welcome them in. And I pray for those children that age out of the adoption process. The ones who have to "make it" on their own.

About a month and a half ago I saw a picture. I saw a face that has changed me. When I first saw the picture I started to pray for the little one in it. I prayed that this little one would find a home. I prayed that a family would come soon. As the days went by I intensified my prayers. One night I started to cry because I was asking God to find another family for the little one. I realized then that I wanted this little one in our home. I could feel God asking me, "Why not yours? Could you, perhaps, open the box you have put me in? You can trust me on this."

image source

My husband and I prayed over the little one. We prayed, "Lord, if this child is not meant to be ours then close the doors." We prayed for God to give us a clear direction on what to do. And then we said yes to God. We told him that we would parent this little one if He wanted us to.

The child is not in the age range that we originally selected, this was a box we were trying to squeeze God into. We were saying that is all we can do. However, God came to Earth and died for us - for me. Surely, I can make the box bigger. We opened the box we had been shoving God in from the beginning of this process. We are fully trusting in the Lord.

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Two weeks ago we asked our agency to consider us as parents, so did another family. We have been waiting to hear the agencies decision. We know that whatever decision is made that it is the right one. Even if that means the little one is not ours. We are finally at peace about it all. This doesn't mean it will be easy if we are not chosen, it just means we understand that God is in control of it all. He knows who will parent this little one and He knows who we will welcome into our family - there is such peace in that!

I am writing this because this little one is part of our adoption story. This little one has changed how we feel about the process. We were forced to ask ourselves why we are adopting. We were forced to talk about things that are hard. We were asked by God to open our hearts a little more then we thought we could. This little one is special to us. And will always be.

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We are also asking for prayers. Please pray for our patience as we wait. I will not lie - last week was rough. I had a hard time waiting. I was not patient. AT. ALL. Every time the phone rang my heart & stomach did some sort of roller coaster maneuver that I didn't even know could happen. Please pray that we are patient and continue being at peace with everything that is happening. We would also like to ask for prayers for the other family that is seeking to adopt this little one. If they feel the same way we do, this decision will be really hard on one family and it is difficult to pray for. Prayers also for the little one and all waiting children as they wait to come home. .opening the box.

"Let the morning bring me word of your unfailing love, for I have put my trust in you. Show me the way I should go, for to you I entrust my life." Psalm 143:8

Is there a box you keep putting God in?

Is he asking you to make it bigger at all?

Can you fully trust Him with it?

.bedroom inspire.

2011-08-12T13:26:00.000-05:00

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.bedroom inspire. Ugh, our bedroom has become a dumping ground for everything. I feel like anything we don't want the kids to touch or get into is in our room. It is gross. The piles need to go. It is in total need of some TLC. These pictures are inspiring me to clean our room and make it livable again. They inspire me to make our bedroom a place we can relax in, instead of stress out over. Today I am getting my clean on. .bedroom inspire.

image source

.question time & a giveaway.

2011-08-11T13:22:00.001-05:00

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.question time & a giveaway. Alright, y'all - I need some help (and suddenly I am sounding like Angela). We are on our third month of the partnership program here at Hannah James and I am looking for some feedback.

Do you like the way the program works?

Do you think partnering with one family at a time is good?

Would you like to see more?

If you were a partnering family (or will be) would you like it to be more then a month?

Any and all feedback is appreciated. I just want to get a feel for where everyone is at. Thanks.

Oh, and since your helping me out I am going to throw in a free three month sponsorship to one lucky person who comments on anything related to the partnership program. *this giveaway will be open until sometime next week. .question time & a giveaway.

.just a reminder to myself.

2011-08-09T13:29:00.001-05:00

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.just a reminder to myself. I need to remind myself of this today, as we have recently re-asked a couple people to redo documents for our dossier. Yesterday I was thinking getting the dossier done would be impossible. Especially since a couple of places did not follow my rules - AT ALL. I just need to remind myself it will all get done in due time. Until then I need patience. Pray that I can be patient this week. Thank you friends. .just a reminder to myself.

.what a weekend.

2011-08-08T13:10:00.000-05:00

electronics, tools, shoes, and sporting equipment

baby clothes

.what a weekend. This past weekend we had our huge garage sale adoption fundraiser! It was amazing. We had over 15 families donate items for the sale and there was a lot for people to choose from. Instead of pricing out everything, we had all items be name your own price. Everyone who came knew where the donations were going and having customers name their own price worked out well for us. Many people overpaid for their items and some underpaid. All in all I think we came out even.

my parents yard & garage - full of items!

On Saturday I prayed, "Lord, let me see you work today". And he did, in an unexpected way! Later in the afternoon a woman came and started asking the prices of items. She spoke Spanish and I was doing a really poor job of communicating the "name your own price" line. I finally gave her a bag and said, "fill the bag for $1.00 or $2.00". She lit up and started shopping! She was so grateful for the low prices and exclaimed, "only $1.00!" I loved watching her be able to get items she needed and felt joy in being able to. It was a blessing.

Aaron - managing the donations

Thank You!!!

After the sale ended we were able to donate three truck loads of items to a couple different places. One truck load went to a church down the street for their annual sale later this month and two trucks went to goodwill. It was amazing to see how many items were donated and we truly felt blessed by the entire experience. Thank you if you donated, helped out, or prayed for the garage sale! We are grateful to have such wonderful friends in our lives. .what a weekend.

.overwhlemed.

2011-08-02T14:05:00.000-05:00

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.overwhelmed. Right now I am overwhelmed by what the Lord is doing in our lives. All I can say is he is changing me and my heart is breaking for what breaks his. Although it is overwhelming we know the Lord is with us leading us to where he wants us to go. .overwhelmed.

.meet the morris family.

2011-08-01T05:25:00.004-05:00

The Morris family is our August partner in the Hannah James program. I am so happy to help them out and partner with them. Lindsay is awesome at encouraging others and helping us adopting mama's in any way. Her family is adorable and they all have huge hearts as well. Please take the time to get to know this family even more. And take the time to support them by purchasing some lovely goods at Hannah James!

Wejust want others to know that even though adoption can be hard anduncertain and we have yet to have our daughter come home, we alreadyfeel completely blessed by this journey. We've felt and seenGod's presence and power like never before. We feel so honoredthat He placed adoption on our hearts. While there have been painful,worry-filled days God has been faithful to us. He can't growyour faith if you don't give him the opportunity! - Lindsay

Whendid your family start the adoption process? December,2010

Whereare you adopting from? The Democratic Republic of Congo

Whydid you choose to adopt from that country?

Originally,we were adopting from Ethiopia. God strongly placed Congo on myheart one night. My husband and I both prayed and researchedthe country all night and the next day. We weren't sure why wewere feeling pulled toward Congo, especially since the day after webegan feeling this way we made the Ethiopian wait list. Wetrusted God's leading, stopped our Dossier from leaving the U.S. andbegan the process of switching countries in May, 2011.

Wefelt so strongly about adopting from the DRC because of the country'sviolent past and even present. Children are brainwashed, put inmilitias and taught to kill. Young girls are raped or forcedinto prostitution just to survive. It's scary opening up yourheart to such a violent, poor country, but it's given us even more ofan opportunity to lean on God. Just a couple of weeks ago we werereferred a beautiful little Congolese baby girl and are thrilled forthe day we bring her home to join our family forever!

Whatare some of your families favorite activities?

Ourboys are still little (3 years and 16 months) so some of our favoritethings to do together are just playing at home, the park or takingwalks around the neighborhood. We also love going to the zoo,the science museum and visiting our family. We lived in Kansasfor a while away from all of our family, but got the opportunity tocome back home to Oklahoma. We appreciate that our family alllives so close to us so we soak up as much time with them as we can! *My husband, Brian would like to add that we are avid sports fans soas the boys get older they will be attending lots of sporting events,especially K-State football games.

Why do you blog?
Ilove blogging because it's allowed me to be a part of a wonderfullycaring and supportive community that I wouldn't otherwise know. My blog has served many roles and allowed me to share our adoptionstory first and foremost, but also given me a way to advocate forother adoptive families who need prayer or need help spreading theword about a fundraiser. I've had readers even reach out to mewhen they need support or have questions. I have so manyfriends in the blogging world that I've never met in person yet arestill so special to me.

Favoritecolor? Lindsay - turquoise, Brian - KansasState purple, Bennett - today it's yellow, Caleb - unknown :)

Favoritecandy/food? Brian's grilled hamburgers,frozen custard and my mom's amazing, home-cooked German food.

Whatare some other fundraisers you have done?

Icontribute all the funds from my Etsyshop, LindsayLouCreations.etsy.com toour adoption and we've participated as affiliates with anOrdinary Hero sales contest, sold our own t-shirts and bracelets, hada garage sale, and have done a couple auctions on our blog.

Wheredo you live? Edmond, Oklahoma

Howmany children do you have, if any? Bennett- 3 yrs and Caleb - 16 mos.

Favoritequote? "Betterto lose count while naming your blessings than to lose your blessingsto counting your troubles." - Maltbie D. Babcock

Favoriteplace to visit? Welove the beautiful gulf coast. Destin, Florida to be exact!

To help them get closer to bringing their little girl home shop at Hannah James!

.10 years.

2011-07-29T05:34:00.000-05:00

.10 years. This week 10 years ago Aaron & I meet each other, *for the second time. We were on a LCMS youth gathering trip in New Orleans. Although all the Madison, WI area churches traveled together we didn't meet until we were placed in the same group at our servant event. We got to hang out all day and play with the young boys who were staying at Bethlehem Children Center (which was severely damaged by Katrina four years later).

I would like to say it was love at first sight, but it wasn't. We were really good friends from the start though, and I personally think that will hold more ground as the years go by. So although we didn't start dating until 2.5 years later this is an anniversary week for us, as friends. Happy anniversary Aar - here is to 10 more years. I love you. .10 years.

*We first meet when we were really little, neither of us remember - I will have to post that story sometime soon.

.carter family reminder.

2011-07-28T05:54:00.002-05:00

click to learn more about the Carter family

This is just a friendly reminder that there are only FOUR more days to help this family through our partnership program. If you want to support the amazing Carter family you have until Sunday at midnight to purchase an item from Hannah James.

.how I blog.

2011-07-27T14:26:00.000-05:00

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.how I blog. And now I am talking about how I blog, on my blog..... I don't know about you, but I can't for the life of me blog in advance. I know some bloggers who schedule out their blogs into interesting categories and have posts lined up for weeks. I don't roll like that. I have tried, honest, and I can't do it. So I blog daily. Sometimes, when I am feeling really jazzy I blog for the next day. Last week I blogged all on one one day and it was a true life miracle (more of a miracle that my kids slept for three hours to let me do it). But, most the time it is a daily thing. And I am usually blogging about whatever God has on my mind for the day.

image source

Blogging daily has its advantages and disadvantages. I don't necessarily have categories here, which I think could be a disadvantage. But an upside to this is that blogging daily keeps things real. And that is what I love most about my favorite bloggers, so that is what I want to do here too. Another disadvantage would be missing posts because my kids are not napping at the same time, or I am too tired to think, or my neighbor is pounding something with a hammer and I can't think of anything other than constant pounding - like yesterdays post that literally took me an hour to get through and it was an easy post about Harry Potter for crying out loud. Sorry about the sidetrack, to sum up missing a day is not that big a deal to me either. So I am interested in all of you, is blogging on a scheduler hard? Is it easy? What do you do? .how I blog.

How do you blog?

Are you a planner?

Do you fly by the seat of your pants?

Do you do a little of both?

Do you just read blogs?