movin' right along

Well, folks, we completed our interviews........{ DEEP SIGH OF RELIEF }.......... I don't think I realized how ridiculously nervous I was until after the fact, when I had a chance to reflect over the last couple of weeks.  I had to swallow my pride and apologize to M for being on edge once I realized how often I had snapped and just had a general bad attitude.  In case you didn't pick up on it in my last post, I am, without a shadow of a doubt, the introvert in our relationship.  So, the thought of sitting in a room with our social worker (and a trainee) and Mike for the first one, and then by myself for the second one, scared me more than almost anything has.  PLUS, I had absolutely no idea what questions they were going to ask.  It could be anything from my entire life....from my family upbringing to my relationship to my husband to how I raise my children.  It wasn't just what I have accomplished in life that is important but the very essence of who I am.

Obviously, you can tell, my brain has been going 90 to nothing since the moment I found out about the interviewing process, and now it seems surreal that they are over with.  This process has caused me to pray more, read scripture more, and essentially lean more on my heavenly father for strength, confidence, and peace.  Now that I can relax and breathe, I feel like I can focus more on our little girl (or boy) and her birth mother (and father).  Worry and anxiety are starting to be replaced with excitement and anticipation.  And one the most awesome things about all of this is that it doesn't have anything to do with my ability to answer questions well or make myself calm down.  It's Christ's work alone, through me.  How blessed I am that he would even choose me to work this out!

We should hear soon about our interviews, then we will have to complete our 8 hours of online training courses as well as finish reading our books and raise a little money.  Next big hurdle will be our home inspection.  So, we are making progress but still have a ways to go.  Thank you so much to everyone for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers and for the sweet words of encouragement.  It means more to us than you know!  

If any of you readers have any words of wisdom or questions, we'd love to hear them!

{ Maybe I can coax the resident extrovert to blog about his experience in the next post, to see another point of view }

** If you are keeping up with our blog and adoption journey, follow us with the button on the right.  That will  ensure you get the most recent update since I forget to post it on Facebook sometimes.  Anyone is welcome!

Thoughtful Thursdays

Source: california-girl.tumblr.com via Roxanne on Pinterest

Sweet Summertime

Summertime went by quicker than ever this year!  We tried to be outside as much as we could and traveled to many area parks, as you can see.  Here's a recap of our summer in pictures.

We have an Announcement!!!

Some of you may already know, but for those of you who don't, we wanted to share our exciting news:

WE ARE ADOPTING!!!

We started the adoption process this past spring and will begin our Interview/Home Study process in the next few weeks.  We are adopting domestically and have been given a timeline of 6-18 months once the Home Study is complete until a GIRL is placed in our home.  The child will more than likely be a newborn, but we are also open to a toddler.  Excitement, worry, hope, fear, and anticipation fill us at any given moment of the day.  More than anything else right now, we could use your prayers.

Specifically, we covet prayers regarding:

*The health, safety, and well-being of the birth mother and our unborn child, whether or not she has been conceived.

*The wisdom to know when and how to involve our 2 1/2 and 4 year old in the adoption process.

*Our roller coaster of emotions during the process as well as the birth mother's.  

*Our diligence in preparing our home and our lives for this new addition to our family.

*Calmed nerves during the interviewing process.  (esp. for the introverts in the family......ahem....not naming any names :)

We will also begin raising money VERY SOON, so check back for Yard Sale info., T-shirts, Pallet Signs and MORE! 

{ We are also accepting donations, which can be done through the PayPal button at the right. }

We hope to update everyone as we move forward in this process!  Check back soon for new posts!

She's a beaute....Farmhouse Table Reveal

I have been meaning to post about this for a LONG time but have been too busy enjoying the table to actually take pictures of it. This all started when we came across some plans on Ana White's website. (I'm sure I have recommended her plans before, but if I haven't, here goes....She offers plans for all sorts of wooden furniture FOR FREE. So, if you haven't checked her stuff out, just click on the link above.)

Anyways, we found a couple of farmhouse table plans we really liked but I wanted to incorporate the legs from my grandmother's old table into this one. Mike ended up making his own plans and came up with this! I love it, and he did such a great job! He made the legs look like they were made for this specific table, and the distressed plank top is amazing! Ok, I'll stop now.....I'm starting to gush.

Here's a close up of the legs. He built the white long piece which, I think, totally ties in the legs.

And here's one with the chairs on one side so you can see how many people we can actually fit at the table. We can fit 5 chairs on each side (and eventually more on the bench side). I think the table measures 8 feet. It's a squeeze for our small dining/breakfast nook area but I absolutely love how much more table room it gives us. I can be working on something one one end while the kids color on the other end with PLENTY of room to spare. We should be able to fit everyone for our family gatherings now. (Oh, and I STILL haven't gotten to that last chair. Someday.)

Oh, and I forgot to mention, as if the mere making of a table for me wasn't enough, M surprised me with it by making it while I was on a week-long trip out of town. He spent all of his spare time working on this for me while taking care of the kids and all the household duties. I feel loved and very spoiled. Thanks M!

Old to You. New to Me.

M and I (ok fine, it's been mainly me) have had a plan of making a farmhouse table for a while. The chairs from our old table were oversized, and I have endured sitting on them while eating meals, with my feet not being able to touch the floor, for 7 years now. (And I am pretty average height, just shy of 5'4") I was getting tired of the whole legs falling asleep thing but didn't want to pay an arm and a leg for new ones. Well, to be honest, I wanted to pay the least possible for chairs that would actually be sturdy enough to someone without collapsing.

SO.....I began my search.

I looked on Craigslist, yard sales, and local thrift stores. It actually took a lot longer than I thought. And I wasn't even very picky about the chairs since I was going for the whole not matching thing anyway. FINALLY, I found 2 matching chairs (I was aiming for 5 total, since we are going to make a bench for the other side) at a thrift store for $10 each! And I LOVE the shape of the back. So, I repainted, distressed and covered the chair cushions (which I IMMEDIATELY scotch-guarded as well. I failed to do this last time which was a BAD idea with two toddler boys and all their mess. Needless to say, I didn't want to ruin these).

I forgot to take a BEFORE picture, but here is the final product!

So, 2 down, only

Then, my mom called me one day and said she found 3 more chairs. One that looks almost identical to the one above for $7 and 2 (pictured below) for $9 each. Yes please!

Here is the before of the chairs. Again, very sturdy but not exactly the look I was going for.

And here is the AFTER picture. The green is actually the same green as the above chair, the yellow nighttime lighting just makes it look a little weird.

This style may not be everyone's cup of tea, but I love the look and it was done for MUCH cheaper than buying them new or even used ones in great condition.

I have yet to paint the 5th chair, but I'll post a picture as soon as I do.

By the way, I used the same process of distressing as I did for the dresser in our living room (including the wax coat). It can be found HERE if you are interested.

{ SIDE NOTE: All of these projects have not been completed over the last couple of weeks. Rather, these are projects were completed as early as the beginning of the summer. Just FYI }

Door Decor

I bought a foam ring at Joann's probably 6 months ago with the intent of making a wreath for the front door. I really wanted to use stuff that I had so, I first wrapped the wreath in the orangey-yellow yarn you see at the bottom right of the wreath. I did not like the color and the more I thought about it, the more terrible I thought it would look on our door since the wood has an orangey tone already. So......it sat in the spare bedroom. For months.

Last week, I found this pretty bluish-gray yarn at Michael's that reminds me of the color in our Master Bedroom. I took a gamble and bought one spool, thinking it would cover the whole thing. It didn't. SO, I had to come up with an alternate plan.

I had some extra lineny-type fabric and hot glued it around the orange yarn.

Then, I added a felt flower and some twigs to the bottom and a banner I made out of metal scrap-booking letters, paper, and twine.

The most time-consuming part was wrapping the yarn, but it was super easy.

All in all, it was a quick morning project!

SIDE NOTE: The awesome table in the bottom of the first couple of pictures was made by my husband! He is super talented, and a post all about the table and the building process is coming SOON!

I have had