Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Finally Something Finished

So it may have taken me a ridiculously long time to hang this and take pictures, but I actually finished it fairly quickly.  Regardless, the bunting banner is completed, which means that our nursery is completed.  Guess the only thing missing now is a baby to actually use it.  I generally shut the door to the nursery so that Maddox doesn't end up claiming it as his own, but every once in a while I find myself wandering in and poking around.  Just walking in and looking at all we've made and done for this baby helps me remember why we are doing this.  In these moments, the stress about money and timing and our complete lack of control are worth it. 

I broke down last night and decided to take an owl painting that I had done a few months back and put it in the nursery.  I'm slightly sad that the colors don't match, so I may be painting another one soon to put in this spot.  I keep painting and creating, but find that I'm running out of room for all of my stuff.  Because I apparently can't stop myself, and honestly don't have anymore wall space, I'm going to start selling some of my stuff.  Hopefully, it will prove to bring in a couple of extra bucks that we can put towards our adoption fund.  At any rate, I've created an Etsy shop that I will slowly start filling with my stuff.  If you see anything on the shop or on the blog that you'd be interested in purchasing, please let me know and I can either make you your own (bunting banner included), or you can buy the ones I already have. 

In to other news: Ryan was playing church softball last Thursday and dove into a fence.  He fractured a bone in his left shoulder.  He's on light duty at work for the next 3 months, and will only be able to do minimal amounts of work around the house for quite some time.  With all of the not-so-fantastic stuff going on lately, I'm starting to feel a bit beat down.  God has been teaching me so much in the pain, but I honestly can say that I'm very ready for Him to step in.  I feel selfish even saying that I'm ready for something good to happen when He has blessed our family with so much. I know that this is the place that He wants me.  I'm hardheaded and I've always had be at the point where I feel like I've got nothing left in me before I'll get what He's trying to teach me. 

Wednesday, March 16, 2011

Adoption Awareness 5K

There is an Adoption Awareness 5K in Greenville, SC on June 11, 2011 at 9am.  It's only $20 to register individually, and $80 to register a team of up to 5 people.  I basically hate running, but somehow managed to be talked into running my first 5K this past year for Breast Cancer Awareness.  I'm running this one.  Perhaps, I can talk a few other people who hate running also into running this with me.  Leave me a comment if you're in.  I'd really love to put a team together so we can all wear matching t-shirts (because all the cool kids wear matching shirts)!  You know you want to........


http://www.nightlight.org/5k/  <----Click on this link for more info!

Friday, March 4, 2011

And Now We Wait......and Scramble for Money

We officially completed our homestudy on February 22!  Hooray for us!  I then spent another week trying to get copies of our adoption portfolio printed and at our agency's office.  So now.....we wait.  I'm waiting on a lot of things right now.  I keep telling myself over and over again that I need to be patient. 
I'm waiting on:
THE phone call
donations
our tax refund
grants
work to slow down
and the list goes on and on and on.......

As I'm sure you noticed, there are a couple of items on the waiting for list that have to do with monies.  We need monies!  While filling out one of 15 billion grant and loan applications, Ryan and I discovered that we owe our agency 5k.   Right now.  This will be taken care of when we get our tax refund back.  This is a relief knowing that we will have this paid soon.  The scary part for me is knowing that after we send in that 5k, we will be bone dry when it comes to funding for the adoption.  We'll still owe about 12k and we won't be able to take home our future "baby shumpy" (loving term my father refers to our baby as).  So as impatient I am about getting THE call, I'm also terrified that we'll get THE call and we won't have the money to accept.  So I've spent every night this week frantically filling out grant applications, which of course are all like 50 pages and basically want to know everything from my name and how much I ate to what I ate for breakfast.  Now that I officially have arthritis from all the writing, all I can do is keep on keeping on and pray that God will provide.  It isn't often that I really have to rely on God to come through financially, because we honestly dont ever spend this kind of money.  I know he will come through, but I'm horribly bad at sitting still and waiting for him to work.