Mark Your Calendars
After an exciting report from another friend adopting from Ethiopia, we’ve finally set a date for our first Adoption Yard Sale!! The sale will be June 4, 2011 from 7:30am-2:00pm. We’re hoping to use the parking lot of Augusta Christian Schools located on Baston Road in Martinez, but I’ll post definite info when I hear back from my mother-in-law.
We had a wonderful Mother’s day weekend. Josh’s family came over Saturday night and I made breakfast for dinner. It was delicious (if I do say so myself) and my mom came to town Sunday. We had lunch at Macaroni grill and Joshua (my 8yr old) took me out for coffee with his own money later that evening. It was very sweet.
On Saturday night I was making a list of things I’d like to get done around the house. The list was basically a pipe dream, but then it dawned on me: My mother LOVES to clean my house. So I text her and asked if she’d be willing to stay Monday and help me with my house. She jumped on it with delight.
I wish so badly I had taken some before pictures. First thing this morning, my mom and the boys started on their room while I worked in the school room/soon-to-be Zoe’s room. My Bows for Life supplies have totally taken over my house. A few weeks ago there were literally bows and ribbon and glue and hardware in every room of the house. Since then, I’ve confined it to the school room where I’ve set up a work table, but it was still pretty messy and hard to work around. I went through the boys’ desks, cleaned out the organizational drawers and dresser drawers to make room for my ribbon, yarn, and supplies, and threw away lots of trash, broken crayons, and pens that don’t write.
I literally felt a weight lifted from me as I walked through the house and smelled furniture polish, and noticed that there were no more random socks or toys or petrified pieces of food on the outskirts of each room. I cleared every single pile of stuff in every room. Bills that needed to be paid, papers to file, little things that needed a home….all done. The only thing that didn’t get finished today was my bedroom, but I think I’ll get to that tomorrow during nap time. Mom, I can’t thank you enough! You are such a blessing to me.
For mother’s day, Josh and the boys gave me a fuchsia plant.
This plant is incredible. My husband is typically not a good gift giver. However, the designer in him makes for a great appreciation of beauty and attention to detail. So when he saw this plant with it’s unusual flower-within-a-flower bloom, he had found my gift! I love it. I enjoy gifts that keep on giving and I hope to keep it alive for a long time.
And lastly, I’ve been wanting to brighten up our bedroom a little bit. The walls are painted slate blue with brown and cream accents throughout the room. We had a cream quilt with brown shams and bed skirt but the quilt has seen better days after five years on our bed and many, many times through the washing machine. I found this one at Marshall’s and couldn’t believe my eyes when I was actually able to find two king size shams that matched (for those of you who enjoy Marshall’s, Ross, and TJMaxx, you know that’s a rare thing!). It was super cheap and I had a feeling the blue amidst the bright green would match my walls just fine. The icing on the cake was when Josh walked in from work and said, “Finally, some color in here. I like it!”
It’s May 9th and we’re preparing to send our paperwork to the agency in the next week or so. I don’t have any doubt, with the success of Bows for Life, our MEGA yard sale coming up, and summer bonuses right around the corner, we’ll meet our $8,000 goal within 90 days. God is so good and each and every day I fall more in love with my little girl half way around the world.
We’re coming Zoe! We love you and pray for you each and every day. Every baby and little girl makes us think of you and long for the day when you’ll be in our arms. Your big brothers can hardly wait to squeeze you and give you kisses and teach you how to climb trees and dig really big holes. Daddy’s eyes tear up when he sees a father with his daughter, knowing what a precious relationship he will have with you. We pray for your health and protection. We pray God is surrounding you with people who will love you in our absence and show you the JOY of the Lord. Your name means life, promised by God. We rejoice in your life and cannot wait for the day when we will finally be together. I love you to the moon and back.
~Mommy