Adoption Update #4: Homework

We had our home visit almost two weeks ago and it went really well! We were excited to meet our social worker (Ms. A) as we have know a few other adoptive couples who have worked with her. The girls were very excited about the "special person" coming to our house! They were curious as to if she would bring us a baby and they both had requests regarding a baby. H told her that she needs a brother! M, on the other hand, was adamant about a girl baby. In fact, she told us that we could just get two babies--a boy and a girl. I think she's dreaming!! Ha! 

The home visit basically consisted of talking about our own family experiences/marriage and a tour of our house. The girls were really excited when Ms. A asked if the girls would show her our house. It was neat for them to feel like they could "do" something so important. 

The next step of our home study is to complete 10 hours of home work. We're reading the book pictured above: "The Connected Child"--or rather I am reading it out loud so Kurt make it throught he entire thing :). We've also watched a few documentaries and will do some online adoption training too. We hope to be done with the 10 hours later this week. Then, we'll scheudle our last visit (sans kiddos) to discuss our adoption questions and our parenting strategies. After that, our home study will be submitted for approval. Thankfully, all of our paperwork was correct--the only thing we needed were three signatures to be in ink and we've taken care of that! 

We are also almost finished with our application to the adoption consulting agency and will probably submit that late next week! Hopefully, we will be active in a couple of weeks after that!! 

I can never end these posts without saying that we are so thankful for God's sovereign provision! We've been blessed in a few big ways recently: 

*Seeing our parents get excited about a new grandchild and the girls being keen to welcome a new little brother/sister is pretty great! The girls (every time I type "they girls" have Gru's voice from Despicable Me in my head!!) are talking about baby's room and all the things they can do with "the baby". H is also asking great questions about adopting and really seems to understand what we are telling her! 

*Knowing friends and family are praying for us! I know this comforts me each day! 

*Hearing positive affirmations like "when the baby comes" and seeing my mom making a sweet quilt for the baby--this helps my heart know that there is a real, tangible little one out there who will become a part of our family. 

*Our sweet friends decided to include us in a babysitting fundraiser for Valentines Day! They are also adopting and we will be splitting the proceeds. We understand how special and selfless this is of them, and appreciate it greatly. It's been a huge blessing to see how so many couples from our church and other friends are not only participating, but also volunteering to babysit for 4 hours two nights in a row!!

*We're getting a tax refund! Hurrah! We thought we might have to pay taxes this year, but thankfully we'll get getting money back--money for our adoption!! 

*After meeting at work, hubby found out that he's getting a bonus/raise that is greater than we thought! What a blessing that we will be able to use these funds towards our adoption costs! Because of this we can pay for our agency fee and have a head start on saving for our next goal. 

Thank you for following our journey! I'll update again soon! 

~Pippy

Adoption update #3

We're plugging along in the paperwork process! In fact, we're trying to schedule our home visit with our social worker next week, so that's pretty exciting (and a bit scary). Thankfully, we know a few other couples in our small group who've had the same gal and they all loved her. Having advice and comfort in that area is a huge deal. The home visit will basically be a time for her to "interview us" and make sure we have an environment suitable for a baby. We'll also be able to turn over our paper work to her and await approval! 

One of the things I find most people are curious about is the cost of adoption. I know it was something I have been very curious about, as it seemed the biggest hurdle to bringing a baby home. When we started looking, we saw a range from $20,000-$50,000 for a domestic adoption. A lot of the cost depends on the type of agency (think a birth-mom centered organziation where babies are placed to adoptive families through that smaller group of birth-moms to a larger agency or consulting group that is networked across the country). Several other factors also contribue, such as the amount of care the birthmother will need during the pregnancy--housing, medical care, cell phone, etc. We expect our adoption to cost somewhere around $40,000. Roughly the cost of this---if you are a visual learner: 

When you really start to think about it, people take out loans every day to pay for luxury cars. Heck, $40,000 isn't even close to the high end of some luxury cars! Now, if you are gasping a bit for air (as I was at that price), remember that this number doesn't include travel/hotel stay (which could be up to 3-4 weeeks) or finalization. So, instead of getting extremely overwhelmed and having a panic attack, I pray, of course, and then remember the great resources that are available to us!

                          * $13,000 tax credit 

                          * $5,000 (employeer benefits, most companies offer something)

                          * Interest free loans for adoption 

                          * Grants 

                          * Fundraising 

There are so many more, like home equity loans too. The good thing about getting our home study approved will be that we can start to apply for those loans and grants. We will also hopefully (pending approval), be able to set up a page with Adopttogether.org. This is a crowd-funding organzation that will allow us to offer friends and family the ability to make a tax-free donation. We will have to turn in reciepts/documentation to request the funds, so I love the transparency of it. You can be sure that your donation is indeed being used to support the adoption. 

God has been so gracious to us already. Just a few weeks ago, our house that we rent had some maintence issues and we received a bill. Then, a few days later we got a random refund from our old dentist, saying we had overpaid for almost the exact same amount! So many kind friends and family members have supported our first fundraiser and have made donations. It's made a huge difference. We will be able to pay our homestudy fee entirely and by mid-February, we should be able to pay the entire agency fee--with some left over for the next step! Starting from zero--that's huge leap that we can't take any credit for! 

Now things will still creep up, like this clumsy moment I had this weekend: 

Yep, that's our glass stove top. I dropped a lid to a dish I was trying to sit on top of the cabinets (for decoration. Yes, it was Pyrex :) The lid survived. The stove did not. Now, I wanted to sit down and cry, but I have had such a peace about the whole thing. God will provide and it will be fine. We're checking into a few options to avoid replacing the whole stove (or in other words--the cheapest option). I'm kinda afraid to get glass again! 

After spending yesterday with a sore throat and mild fever, Hubby was able to find the "Call the Midwife" Christmas episode that we had missed as a bit of a treat. Guess what it was about? Come on....you know....yep...ADOPTION. There were several scenarios represented in the episode: a couple who had adopted and wanted to contact the birthmother to let her know her little one was well and loved, a teen who made the decision to give her baby up for adoption, a mother who chose to parent her child, and the very sad story of a young lady whose baby was taken from her after her parents forced her into an mother-baby home/adoption situation that she didn't want. 

My heart went out to all these mothers--the mother who couldn't have a child and was given one, the mother who lost her little one, the mother who chose to parent....Even though the show was set in 1959, women are making these hard choices every day. How can we support them in a loving, selfless way, no matter what decision they make? That's what I want for our birthmom. I want her to know we love her. Several people have asked, what if she changes her mind? Yes, I would be sad. Devestated? No. God has called us to adoption and we're not blind to the difficulties that it can bring. However, I believe that for whatever time God has called us to love on a birthmother and child, we will do it faithfully. Really, we don't know how long we will be with our biological children or spouse either. Yet, we are called to love them and serve them faithfully for an unknown time. Hard, yes. But also, so, so good! 

I'll update again once we have completed our home visit. Hopefully, I can share some information on tax-free donations too! 

~Pippy

 

Just a little more about our adoption #2...

One thing I am thankful for this Christmas is that we did NOT have a baby in the house this week. Poor little one would have most certianly caught the "crud" (my name for the unnamable virus that struck our house this week). Kurt and the girls both came down with an icky-nasty virus and, while they tested negative for the flu, I am not entirely convinced that it wasn't a strain of the dreaded stuff. Hazel had it easiest, while poor Kurt and Mabelle had high fevers. Little sister was definitely unlucky in getting tummy symptoms to go along with hers. Somehow--and I am crediting it to all that vitamin D and B12 I have to take in general, I have managed not to be stricken. Usually, I am the first to fall victim, so this is something new and encouraging. However, in the midst of the battle, I did fall victim to a pulled muscle in my back. Talk about pain!! I could only walk in a hunched over ape-like position that does nothing for ones self esteem! This morning, we are doing so much better and are on our way to our next Christmas celebration. 

So, where are we now in our adoption journey? Right now, we are in the middle of paperwork!! We've started our home study and are in the process of gathering all sorts of information. There are several different background checks we have to do and we sort of have to pull double time there because we've lived in two different states. We've ordered copies of birth certificates, our marriage certificate, been finger-printed, have appts for physicals and many other forms we are in the process of filling out. The next step in this process will be to turn over all the information to our social worker and have our home visit/ interview with her. We've also gotten our application for the consulting group we will be using and are working on filling that out too. It's exciting and overwhelming to see all of these forms. I think I've read them each many times, afraid that I'll mark the wrong box or write the wrong thing and be forced to do them again!

Once our home study is complete, we will be able to start applying for grants and loans, so there will be more paperwork yet to go. We're looking into different ways to receive tax-free donations but those are a bit more complicated and must go through the appropriate channels to count. Part of our goal in early fundraiser was to be able to pay the home study fees and the agency fee with cash. Thankfully, our home study is completely paid for and we have a little over $1,000 for the agency fee so far (it's $3,500.)  Because of our move last year, we depleted a lot of our savings, but we know God will provide and Kurt should have a timely bounus to cover the agency fee soon. It's crazy to think, but I added it up yesterday and I think we've spent almost $300 on paperwork fees, so far. 

Part of what we will apply for after our home study is complete is an interest free loan. We know we'll get $13K tax credit for adopting and Kurt's job offers $5k towards adoption. However, we can't claim this money up front. We'll need to prove we adopted before that can happen, so the loan will help cover the gap while we wait. 

We've had several conversations with the girls and both are excited over the idea of a new baby. They have both said they want a brother too! Hazel seems to understand a great deal and we've had some interesting conversations about what adoption means, how this baby will not be in my tummy, and how he might look different than our family. We've talked a lot about how our hearts are the same and how love is what makes a family. Since Hazel accepted Jesus into her heart this summer, we've also been able to start talking about how we're adopted into Jesus' family. We're all adopted and this just makes adopting a baby make sense! 

As the year comes to a close, I've spent a lot of time thinking about how incredible this last year has been. If you'd asked us last December if we'd be adopting next year, we would have said "There's no way!" We had just moved, we were buying a house and had the burden of another...it would have seemed impossible....but then does Jesus changes everything. How incredible that He brought us to a church body that is so willing to adopt--to love, love, love?! How  amazing that we heard message after message that challenged and changed us, messages where I wanted to run out of the room rather than "deal with it"! How wonderful that we met person after person who showed us love and welcomed us into their lives? And then Jesus said to our hearts "Go rescue my little one". We want to know how and when but really we don't need to know all that. We just need to "go" and do. 

Each time a person has given us a gift of money for adoption or supported our fundraiser, I have been so humbled and moved. It seems as though each gift came right after a moment of dispair or doubt. I'd  be wallowing in my own inability to do this and there would be an email or message waiting for me with hope. God is constantly whispering to me, "You can't do this, but I can. I will." Boy, the tears I have already shed from the way people are loving on us and on this little one we don't even know yet! 

Right before Christmas, I did some last minute shopping and I saw this canvas print for sale in Hobbly Lobby. As many of you know, both the girls had "literary" nurseries. Hazel's was Peter Rabbit (traditional Beatrix Potter version) and Mabelle's is Olivia by Ian Falconer. I've always, always wanted a "Where the Wild Things Are" baby room. When I saw this print, I new it would be the first thing I bought for this new little one. It's sitting up in our guest room as a beacon of hope for the newest little member of our family. Oh yes, we will love him so...

Two special things also happened at Christmas: First my mom, who has embroidered and quilted blankets for both the girls ran across some cute quilt squares to embroider for a nursery. She told me she bought them to start  working on a blanket for the new baby. Again, hope against all odds. Love bursting forth out of darkness. Then, Christmas Eve came and we opened gifts at our house. Since we knew we would be adopting Kurt and I have both refrained from buying anything we don't absolutely need. We agreed that we wouldn't exchange gifts for Christmas and we've both put any birthday money or extras into the adoption fund. So, I didn't expect a gift for Christmas. Well, I've wanted a Vitamix blender for forever...it's one of those crazy things you think you might save up for one day...maybe. I love to make as many things from "scratch" as possible and just thought it was an awesome (made in the USA!!!) gadget. During our move, we got rid of almost all of our "baby" items including our handy little baby bullet. So, on Christmas morning when Kurt pushed this huge box over to me, I had no idea what it could be. In fact, I imagined all sorts of awful things because usually with gifts Kurt is either right on the money or way off :). When I pulled the paper off, I just sat there for a second. The first thing, I thought was "we have to take this back" but I didn't say that out loud. Kurt must have known what I was thinking because he immediately said, "I've had this planned and it's ok." He also added, "I thought we would use it to make baby food!" Well, that's all it took to have me crying (all this crying business is so odd for someone who hates to cry in public and refrains at all costs)! So, I'm enjoying a gift from my sweet hubby that I know he's sacrificed for, making it all the sweeter. We will defintely be making lots of baby food!! We made smoothies last night and they were a big hit all around. I can definitely tell I am a mom because I am already thinking of how many green veggies I can sneak into things! 

We'll keep updating on our process. Perhaps by sharing we can also encourage another family to embark on a journey Jesus is urging their hearts to consider. Above all we can share love, and that, after all, is our goal.  

Just a little more about our adoption...#1

We're adopting and we've gotten many questions about why we are chosing to adopt and the route we are taking. I just wanted to pop on the blog to be able to share some of our thoughts! 

Normally, this blog has been a place to discuss decorating, cooking, and fun family projects! Well, adopting is the biggest family project we've ever undertaken! Our journey to adoption probably started before Kurt and I were ever married or ever met! I think we've both grown-up being exposed to adoption and the joy that it can bring. Kurt, coming from a larger community than me, saw several families in his home church adopt and he already had a love for helping kids and youth--which explains why I met him when we were both camp counselors! I remmber saying when I was pretty young that I'd love to adopt becasue I knew there were already so many children in the world who needed homes. I remember on one of our first dates, Kurt and I discussed families and children and we both remarked that we'd be open to adoption. In fact, I'm pretty sure the topic also came up in our premarital counseling. 

Fastfoward nine years and here we are with two beautiful daughters of our own. I have to admit that when we were able to get pregnant pretty easily with our first daughter--adoption wasn't a prominent thought of mine. However, when Hazel was still small, I witnessed, via the powers of the media, the horiffic events during the earth quake in Hati. I was glued to the screen as I tried to process in some sense the devestation the beautiful people of Hati were dealing with. One image struck me to the core: a tiny child in an orphanage who had the same exact kind of paci in her mouth that Hazel used. I realized at that moment that the child I saw was "a Hazel"-- someone who desperately needed to be resuced, loved, and made a part of a family. I remember sobbing that night because physically I couldn't go there and rescue these trapped children. I felt God speaking to my heart that night and reitering in greater detail what I already knew deep down--that those precious children were just a valuable to Him as my darling daughter. Both Hazel and the little girl with the paci ultimately belonged to Him--He'd graciously given me the opportunity to parent Hazel and, if I was willing, I could also parent a child in need. 

It was later that year, we discovered that we were pregnant with our second child. Because of health issues after Hazel's birth, I poured myself into being as healthy as I could and felt "guarenteed" to have a much easier time after this little one arrived. Mabelle arrived as healthy as one could wish and for the first eight weeks my health seemed as though it was stable. Shortly after that time, things took a turn for the worst. After weeks of testing, heart monitors, and different medications, I was left with an indefinite diagnosis though feeling better. It wasn't until two years later (after dealing with relapses of all my strange symptoms and feeling pretty hopeless), that I was able to see a wonderful doctor who "listened" and did thorough testing that I finally got a dignosis: I had hypothyroidism, was vitamin D deficient, and I have a genetic mutation called MTHFR (you can read more about that here: MTHFR). I have a mutation on the C677 gene and thankfully it is a milder form of the mutation, though I can still cause symptoms and is probably linked to my lower levels of B12. Never have I been so glad to see some abnormal test results! I immediately started treatment and have improved so much! There are still days when I am more tired than normal, but I'm doing great! 

All this goes to say, that before Mabelle was even a year old, we made the decision that we wouldn't have any more biological children. We felt like God had closed that door. Shortly after we'd made that decsion and while it was on my heart, I remember getting into our van and hearing the song "I'm Adopted" come on our radio. If you haven't heard this song by Randall Goodgame (who is also an adoptive parent) on his album "Slugs and Bugs: Under where?", then you should listen to it now! I'm Adopted Song. My heart felt broken in some ways and, at the same time, as though it was about to take flight on a new adventure. 

Last Fall, we made the decision (after Kurt received a job offer) that we we would move to be closer to my parents. I am an only child and had been dreaming about this for a long time. It was a very big, scary, and hard change though. I've sworn now that I'll never move again!! Ha ha! But, boy was God working for us--even though things were terrible at times! We could not sell our house! Offer after low offer came; days with nothing. We replaced carpet, we treated mold in our crawl space (and lost money when the first company we used wemt out of business suddenly), we waited and still it didn't sell. We took a leap of faith, in order to take some of the stress off of Kurt from driving every day, and bought a home. Our house still didn't sell. We didn't really understand why God wasn't allowing it to sell and I am still not sure I see the "whole picture" but I desperately wanted to be in control and sell that house myself! God had other plans and led us to a renter. 

It was during this time that we felt like God was teaching us more and more about "not living for the dot" as our pastor was teaching us. We had spent most of our time thinking about the future in terms of vaction, family time, what we could buy one day...and while there isn't anything necessarily wrong with that, we were putting any dreams of adoption on hold. We wanted to be in control of that too and do it at a time when "we had the money", "we'd been in our house longer", "we woudln't need to ask for help from others", We were living for the "dot" right now and not thinking in terms of how God wanted us to make a greater eternal impact. We wanted to be in control and not take a "leap of faith". I know I was in the boat with no plans to bail out! There were many days when I convinced myself that I was the last person who should adopt--the least patient mother, the mom who hates to get up at night, the mom who needs time to herself, the mom who just couldn't have a baby again! 

And this was the time, right when our house rented, when God told us to "get out of the boat". What? Now? This is the worst possible time! Why not before we moved? Why not in another year when we've been saving? Why not another mom who was better suited thatn me? I can't speak entirely for Kurt (maybe I can coax him onto the blog one day!), but God clearly said to both of us that it was time to stop talking and just dreaming and actually do something. 

There is so much that went into this that I could go on and on about forever: how God brought us to our church here, the adoptive families we met this year, friends in our small group who are/have adopted---but I'll bring this to a close before I write a novel! 

So, we got out of the boat...and we're scared, crazy excited, and just keeping our eyes on the One who is in control and who knows the little one that He wants us to parent. He doesn't need us but we are very thankful to be used by Him. 

In the next post, I'll share more about our specifc adoption plan! 

Much love, 

~Priscilla 

And we have a winner!

As many of you know, I did an "enveople sale" including my One-of-A-Kind Ju-Ju-Be bag to raise money for our adoption. What you don't know is the sweet story behind the winner! I'd had the sale going for several days without garnering much interest and was pretty discouraged. I checked my email shortly before the time ended and what I found was several paypal emails in a row all from my sweet cousin! I went from discouraged to laughing out loud and trying to wipe the misty tears from my eyes. So, the winner of my darling OOAK is my cousin, Taryn. She's a cousin by marriage and just one of the many great reason I am glad I married Kurt :). Since we annouced that we are adopting, Taryn has been an encourager to me and has made me feel like we are "expecting a new baby"! Sometimes it's hard to feel that way without all those fun pregnancy symptoms (and there is some scarcasm in that "fun"). I am so blessed to have her in my life and I know she'll probably murder me for posting a photo of her and her girlie!

Calling all my Ju-Ju-Be Pink Ladies!

Shortly before Mabelle was born, I discovered Ju-Ju-Be--the makers of the most awesome diaper bags on the planet. My first bag was a gorgeous Blue Bouquet Packabe! It was the most versatile bag and a backpack to boot! Best of all, it was washable! So began my fantastic love of all Ju-Ju-Be bags and my relationship with the other "Pink Ladies". I really connected with these moms--in the forums online in the "Pink Room" and on Facebook; we chatted about our fab bags and most importantly our lives as moms. In 2012, I was fortunate enough to be able to attend a Pink Lady Get-Together in Colorado Springs, Colorado! We were on vacation in the area and my sweet husband made sure I made it to the party! I was able to meet several Pink Ladies in real life and we had a great time playing games, laughing, and talking about mama stuff! At that GTG, I was lucky enough to win my very own One-of-a-Kind Ju-Ju-Be bag: a gorgeous tan re-colored BeLight! I named her "Desert Jewel" and have loved her ever since! What other company sends free bags in never-before-seen prints to their mamas? I was also fortunate enough to host a GTG in Saint Louis, prior to our move, and again had so much fun connecting with fellow Pink Ladies--and handing out the goodies JJB gave me to distribute--again totally awesome and kind! 

I can't say enough good things about Ju-Ju-Be. Their products are fabulous and their customer service and the community they have created has meant so much to me as a young mom! However, now I feel it is time to let my sweet little OOAK go. Why, you ask? Well, for some time (especially since our move to Kentucky), hubby and I have been praying about and dreaming of adopting! Because of severe illness after both my pregnancies, we decided after our youngest was born, it would be better if I didn't go through that again--and we'd always said there are so many children in the world already that need homes! So, we are preparing to make our final decision on an agency and move forward with that application and a home study. As many of you know, adoption can be very expensive. After a huge move last year, this seems like the most inopportune time to make such a commitment, but after much prayer, we feel it's time to start this process! We are pursing a domestic adoption and if you want more details about that, feel free to email me or ask questions below. 

So, I will be doing a special "Envelope Sale" for my neat-o BeLight! To enter, you will need to send $10 via the paypal "gift" option to paypal@thingsinc.com. Please include your Pink Lady Name (if you have one), your real name, and an email address. Each person who enters is guaranteed to win an virtual envelope--some of those will contain a special recipe and one will contain the OOAK BeLight! 

How will it work? I will generate numbers for each entry via the time stamp once the payment is sent to paypal in a spread sheet. I will create the total number of envelopes IRL in accordance to the total number of entries (100 envelopes for 100 entries).  Then (we'll video it) my husband will let my girls draw out the winning number! That person will receive the BeLight and a Ju-Ju-Be Shopper Tote! 

I will post photos of the Light below. We are a smoke-free, dog friendly home. I did carry the bag a few times, but it looks beautiful. There is one tiny pen dot on the inside bottom as photographed. She is fresh out of a bath and all dry! 

The Envelope Sale will be open from the date of this posting till Monday, November 24th at 6:00 P.M. EST. You may enter multiple times. To do so, please send separate payments. You may want to space them out at different time intervals if you want really different numbers (ie 1, 35 VS 1, 2). At least 10 envelopes must be purchased before the drawing will proceed. If they aren't I will refund all money and try something else :). If you are in the US, I will cover the shipping cost. If you are in Canada or an International buyer, you must agree to pay the shipping costs to you. 

The funds from the envelope sale will be used to pay for our application fees and initial home study. I will update this blog with the total amount and confirmation when we start the process. I have been a Pink Lady since March 11, 2011, have feedback records, etc.

I also promise to post, in both the Pink Room and on the Facebook pages, progress on our adoption and when the baby arrives, I will most certainly be sharing those famous "baby in the bag" photos!

Even though I will be selling most of my Ju-Ju-Be, I look forward to the day when we are holding our newest little one and can shop for those cute BFFs and BePrepareds again! This baby will be a Ju-Ju-Be Baby! I may never have another OOAK but our little one will be my true OOAK :D 

And, for those of you who read my blog and have no clue what I am talking about, check out www.ju-ju-be.com for their awesome products and information! 

*Ju-Ju-Be is no way affiliated with this post or the sale. I just love them :) 

This is Erin (Erinrachael26) and I (my Pink Room name is Pippy) the day we won our OOAKs back in 2012. Looking at this photo makes me realize how lucky I am to have had her (and how much I will miss her). I hope she goes to a mama who will love her as much as I have! 

Much Love <3, 

Priscilla aka "Pippy" 

I've broken my own rule...

Well, I've done what I said I would never do...decorate for Christmas prior to Thanksgiving! However, I am full of several good excuses for throwing caution to the wind: my brother-in-law, sister-in-law and their four kids are coming for Thanksgiving (!!! happy dance--and obviously I must do some decorating prior), Kurt will be out of town next week, and we're not putting THE TREE up yet--I mean, that's what counts right? Frankly, I've told Kurt and everyone else who rolls their eyes at me that I intend to celebrating Thanksgiving, and count my blessings just the same--only surrounded by these pretties! 

Why do I care about decorating? It's not very hard to answer that question. For me, it isn't about having the best or being so concerned with how our house can "look". It's more about celebrating home, family and, most of all, continuing the traditions that meant so much to my mom, dad and I. Many of you know I am an only child and I spent a great deal of time doing activities with my parents. One of those, and my favorite, was decorating for the holidays. I loved helping my dad check the big, bright bulbs each year, running around outside "helping" hang lights, making homemade outfits for the church Christmas play, decorating the tree, and baking. I remember falling asleep at night watching the colored bulbs shine through my frosty window with a profound sense of peace and love. Shouldn't one of the grandest celebrations we throw throughout the year be to celebrate the Savior's birth? So each year, I love to drag out my favorite items and remember the moment love poured down from Heaven and the blessings of home and family. 

Here are a few of my early projects! We did hit a snag when we realized that several of our boxes are still in our attic in Saint Louis! Good thing we didn't sell the house! I might have turned up on America's Most Wanted for murdering my husband-- just kidding! Hee hee! 

Forget those $100 decorated, lit garlands at the stores! I made my own from a $10 garland and a $12 bucket of ornaments! 

I love the 1950s and I think this love probably stems from watching "I Love Lucy" with my mom and from cherishing my grandmother's ornament collection that stems from the 50s-60s. So, I finally found my 1950s aluminum Christmas Tree! Sorry, Charlie Brown! This thing is even more awesome with the color wheel projector and the fact that the base rotates and can play a music-box version of Jingle Bells. Yes, that did drive us insane after about five minutes. I can't wait to add my grandmother's decorations and share those memories with my girls! 

When we moved into our new house, I went crazy with paint and settled on this creamy, light orange color for an accent wall in the living room. About two months later, it hit me. What in the world would I do with an orange wall at Christmas?! Well, this seems to work! I just replaced the fabric in my hoops with some Christmas versions and covered my "J" with,  you guessed it, aluminum foil :) It was a cheap and cute solution to my orange wall situation! Now, I just need to add some presents to the wire basket and nix the magazines and get my type writer back out--and add a typed letter to Santa, of course! 

I can't forget my Pyrex collection! Pieces have been few and far between this year, but I love this! My dad did buy me the cute cherry tea tray recently! He's the bestest! 

Savannah bought me this adorable tea towel last year! 

I'm also currently obsessed with 1950s-1970s Blow Molds. We're saving for adoption right now, so I haven't given into my desire since I got my tiny little Pumpkin man for Halloween. However, I am an only child and my dad can't help spoiling me. He loves to go to antique stores/malls as much as I do and bought me this adorable Santa, toy soldiers, and the candles. 

While we do have some Santa things in our house, we haven't pushed the idea too much with our girls. However, this guy did prompt some great conversations about the real St. Nicholas and about the reason we give gifts at Christmas. The girls have already had fun with their Little People Nativity (one of the best toys, for you moms!) and are talking about baking Jesus a birthday cake again this year! 

We're celebrating with even more joy this season, as we have decided to pursue a domestic adoption and are currently saving for all of the fees involved. This season of hope and love is truly overflowing in my heart as I think about how I have been graciously adopted into God's family and anticipate welcoming a new little person into our family! 

With a thankful heart, 

~Priscilla