Crowdtap & Old Navy

I love free stuff.  You too?  I thought so.  Thanks to my friends at Crowdtap and Old Navy, I was able to get some free stuff today!

If you haven't heard of Crowdtap, their mission is to "shift marketing to a fully collaborative and participatory process between brands and consumers."  Crowdtap achieves this by an interactive website - survey questions, web tasks, moderated discussions, and sometimes even sample shares.  For each action you participate in, you earn points which can eventually be used to purchase gift cards or donate to charity.  Just like in Swagbucks, I typically use my points to purchase Amazon gift cards.

I was lucky enough to be chosen for an Old Navy ActiveWear sample share!  I received coupons for one friend and myself - we were each able to pick out an ActiveWear top & bottom, totally FREE.  Old Navy ranks right up there on my list of favorite stores... FREE is good, but at a great store = even better.  Super exciting and maybe, just maybe, this will even give me a little motivation to be active.... currently my treadmill is serving more as a storage area than an exercise machine.

I picked out a pair of ActiveWear capris and a fleece jacket.  I'm loving both - the fleece jacket is a little longer than usual and almost has a peacoat-look.  My daughter was a little disappointed - there was a pink sports bra hanging right at her eye level that she thought would be perfect.  (She's 3 and anything pink is perfect).

(That's my blur of a 3 year old in front of me)

I also bought my first ever pair of skinny jeans at Old Navy today.  I have always been intimidated by skinny jeans, mainly because I don't really feel skinny.  But my friend convinced me to try a pair on, and actually....I liked them!  We'll see if I'm brave enough to wear them out of the house.

Thanks for a fun day, Crowdtap and Old Navy!

Christmas Mantel

A post not related to adoption?!  It's a Christmas miracle!  :)

Although I haven't been blogging much lately, I still do read some of my favorite blogs once in awhile, and saw that today at The Lettered Cottage there is a link party for Christmas mantels.  I thought I'd share a few pictures of our Christmas mantel.  It's simple, but I love it.  I love to have a cozy home, and I always think it is the coziest at Christmas!



I've been collecting the Willow Tree Nativity pieces since the year Jon & I were engaged.  I love the simplicity of it.  The old window behind it was the result of some dumpster diving :)

I don't like to be ultra matchy-matchy, so the stockings are all knit but aren't part of the same set.  Two are from a flea market, and two were bought at the Pottery Barn Outlet (different years) after the season when they are all clearanced.  If I'm remembering correctly, the reindeer stocking had monogramming, but the price was right at around $1.97, so my seam ripper and I got to work and it looks great!

 It may not be the fanciest, most unique Christmas mantel, but I love it!

Also linking to:  simply {kierste},

12 Months DTE

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Tomorrow is a bittersweet day for us ~ twelve months ~ yes, a year ~ since our paperwork went to Ethiopia.  We are thrilled to be a year closer to our little one (or ones), but it has been hard to see our wait time estimate increase three times in the past year and realize the likelihood of more increases is pretty high.  We are so thankful we can trust in God's plan for our lives & our family!  We are also thankful that this week there were a few referrals for families in our agency!!!  Our current unofficial numbers are...

Infant Boy (0-18mo) = 49

Young (under 4 yr) siblings = 28

Siblings with older child = 8

Toddler Boy (19-47) mo = 16

Over the course of the year, not a day has passed without some daydreaming about our sweet boys.  So many unknowns - will there be one or two?  How old will they be?  Will their personalities be like J, or C, or totally different altogether?  What will their laughs sound like?  Will they be able to learn to trust me and love me?  Is someone taking care of them now?  Are they going to bed with empty bellies tonight? 

To our boys...I wish I could start now telling you now how much you are loved and wanted.  Not only are you missed, but you have missed a lot of things this year....

• Big Brother J turned 6, graduated from Kindergarten, and is now in 1st grade.  He lost his first 2 teeth this year, and thinking of you & Ethiopia, threw his teeth up on the roof for the Tooth Birdie!
• Sister C went from a barely talking 2 year old to a silly chatterbox of a 3 year old ~ always dancing & singing.  She thinks of you a lot too ~ her imaginary friends are often Ethiopian :)
• 2 new boy cousins were born this year!  
• My Grandma (your GG) passed away in June.  I am so sorry you never got to meet her, because she was the BEST EVER.  I will tell you all about her someday!
• We took many day trips to Baltimore and visited the zoo, Science Center, Port Discovery, and went to lots of Orioles games!  Your daddy can't wait to someday take all his boys to cheer for the O's!
• The annual beach vacation
• Many many many fun times just being together as a family...can't wait until you are here with us!  We love you!!

We don't really have a great estimate of how much longer this journey will be, but we know that in this time of waiting, God is knitting together the story of our family!

11 Months DTE

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Yeah, it's been awhile (again).  We had our 11 month DTE-iversary earlier this month.  It was a pretty blah month as far as the waiting game goes.  Only backwards movement.  Ugh.  Big, fat, UGH.

Infant Boy (0-18mo) = 53

Young (under 4 yr) siblings = 28

Siblings with older child = 8

Toddler Boy (19-47) mo = 18

10 Months DTE

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We have officially reached the double digits!  Ten months ago when our paperwork was on it's way to Ethiopia, the wait time we were given was 10-16 months.  We had high hopes that maybe, just maybe, we'd see a face by this Christmas.  Our hopes have been attacked a few times since then.  The wait time has increased twice, and another increase is looking very likely.  But we still have hope.  (Maybe by next Christmas?)

So here's how the numbers are looking at 10 months DTE:

Infant Boy (0-18mo) = 53

Young (under 4 yr) siblings = 28

Siblings with older child = 8

Toddler Boy (19-47) mo = 16

As a family, we had an interesting month, with a unique situation that had our hopes rising and then falling again....(I know I'm being vague here; maybe some day I will elaborate).  The point is, I am so thankful that instead of putting all my hope in a person, or a situation, I can put my hope in the Lord and in HIS plans.  

Our "song of the month" in church in September was "My Hope is in You."  I have liked this song since I first heard it, but this month I felt like it really took on a special meaning for me as I hope in the Lord.  It has been constantly in my mind and on my lips ~ I hope it may encourage someone else today, too!

I meet with you and my soul sings out

As your word throws doubt far away

I sing to you and my heart cries

"Holy!  Hallelujah, Father, You're near!"

My hope is in you, Lord

All the day long.

I won't be shaken by drought or storm.

A peace that passes understanding is my song

and I sing - my hope is in you, Lord!

I wait for you and my soul finds rest.

In my selfishness you show me grace.

I worship you and my heart cries

"Glory!  Hallelujah, Father, You're here!"

My hope is in you, Lord

All the day long.

I won't be shaken by drought or storm.

A peace that passes understanding is my song

and I sing - my hope is in you, Lord!

I will wait on you.

You are my refuge.

I will wait on you.

You are my refuge.

My hope is in you, Lord

All the day long.

I won't be shaken by drought or storm.

A peace that passes understanding is my song

and I sing - my hope is in you, Lord!

(It's sung by Aaron Shust if you want to look it up and hear it!)  So thankful I have a reason to HOPE!

Blogging for Compassion

 If you are a blog reader, you may have noticed that this month, you've been hearing about Compassion International a little more this month than usual.  It's blog month at Compassion, and because it is a cause I wholeheartedly love and believe in, I have joined the ranks of Compassion bloggers.

We are so blessed to have a lifestyle where yeah, sometimes money is tight, but we never have to look at empty cabinets (unless I haven't gone grocery shopping in awhile). Our kids can have great educations, and we are able to buy them the supplies they need.  We have fresh drinking water available, and we don't have to walk miles and carry it home in a bucket.  The sad thing is, many people in this world do not have those luxuries.  Compassion works in the name of Jesus to provide needs to children all over the world, and remains in the top 1% of all charities for integrity and financial accountability.  (Our money is going to the needs they advertise, not to fatten someone's wallet).

We have been sponsoring a little boy from Ethiopia for almost two years now, and I absolutely adore him.  (It is actually a pretty neat story of how we came to sponsor him that you can check out here).  It is a highlight for our family when we get mail and we love seeing how he is growing.  He is my son's "twin" - born on the exact same day, which also serves as a teaching point for our son, who prays for his buddy and has his picture hanging in his room.  We hope to meet him when we travel to Ethiopia someday.

I encourage you to find out more about Compassion and pray about your involvement.  Go here and look at some of these sweet faces.  Maybe you are unable to financially commit at this time, but could you can pray that these children find sponsors?   

9 Months DTE

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Here we are at 9 months since our paperwork has traveled to Ethiopia.  Nine months!!  I'm a little more sentimental over this monthly anniversary.....nine months of being "paper pregnant" with no delivery in sight.  Nine months is usually that magical time period when you are waiting for your little one when you can say "any day now" - or in the case with my older two, wait for the induction to be scheduled!  Instead, we are waiting - most days patiently - and encouraged knowing God is knitting the details together. 

Our pastor recently used a sermon illustration where a Grandmother was working on her needlepoint.  Her little grandson was sitting below her and looking up seeing all the knotted ends and hanging strings said innocently enough, "That's ugly, Grandma!"  Wisely, the Grandmother lifted him up on her lap where we could see the whole picture.....and see how beautiful it really was.  Looking forward to the day when we see the big picture!

We have updated our request a little recently, so we are actually listed in a few extra categories now.  Here's our unofficial numbers as of today.....

Infant Boy (0-18mo) = 55

Young (under 4 yr) siblings = 29

Siblings with older child = 8

Toddler Boy (19-47) mo = 17

I should add that although that single digit number looks pretty sweet up there, it doesn't mean that we are expecting a referral anytime soon.  These numbers tend to move up quite slowly!  But, that being said, we are thankful for the progress that has been made!!

Since I've been thinking about my 9-month paper pregnancy, I thought it would be interesting to check out what some of our other mammal friends go through before they get to see their young.  At 266 days average gestation, humans are actually a little less than 9 months.  We are most similar to the cow at 284 days.  The most disgusting animal on earth (in my humble opinion), the possum, has one of the shortest gestation periods at only 12 days, hardly time to prepare a nursery.  Some of the longest gestation periods include the camel (400), giraffe (425), grey rhino (480), black rhino (540), and Asian elephant (610).  Topping the list with a whopping 660 days is the African elephant.  

9 months is a long time to wait.  But there are so many mamas out there waiting longer.  Praying for those mamas, especially the ones I have come to know through our agency, who have surpassed mama elephant and whose hearts & arms are aching tonight.