The Adopt Shoppe

Hey y'all! Today I'm giddy over this share. Have you heard of The Adopt Shoppe on Etsy? Just have a look at these little babies...

Here's the catch though... Kate's so good that she can't keep items in her store! So here's what you've got to do... Stalk her on Facebook. If I find something good you know I'm going to tell you. Now you know. What's your fave? This one's mine.

Adoption Showers

Hey there guys, so I figured I'd give you a little glimpse into our personal life since you don't know all that much about me and then it'll make it easier to understand this specific post. So, my husband and I are in the process of two adoptions at once, one from Ethiopia and one from West Africa.  We hope to have our guy home from West Africa the end of this summer or sometime this fall, but lets be honest I'm praying my guts out it'll be August-ish.  So, our first little guy, he's about 3. He'll be our first child, so of course my family and our friends are over the moon excited (and well we are too!) and everyone keeps asking us about when we're going to have a baby shower.

Hmm...

Well, he's not really a baby...he's a toddler, like an older toddler.. And in all honestly I don't even know what we'd need..well that's not all that true I know we need a car seat. Here in California kids practically need to be in a car seat until they're 18 (not really, but like they have to be pretty big to get out of it) And in all honestly I was kind of embarrassed.  Like, my biggest thing right now is to get him home! I don't really want to ooo and aaa over cute onesises (and hes too big for those anyway) And I'm like...how awkward to have a shower like, 1. I'm not pregnant and 2. I've never been to a shower where the mom isn't physically pregnant and you won't be able to play that weird "guess how big you are with toilet paper game" (ok I do like that game but do not want people ever assuming my size)

Rabbit trail

Enter...adoption showers

My sister is moving to England the end of May, and she desperately wanted to throw us a shower before she leaves and so I caved and said sure, not knowing what we'd do or what it would look like, and you know what? It's been a really great way to get people involved in our story and a simple and easy way to educate people on what our life might look like when he gets home.

So I got on Pinterest and started looking for ideas. I knew that I wanted both my hubs and I present and I wanted families to come too, and I wanted it to be chill and a time for people to ask questions and a time where we can thank those who have been involved in our journey so far.  I wanted to make it as least awkward as possible haha.

I knew I wanted information about his birth country so people can get to know where he's coming from.

So I sent my sister all my ideas and she's been hard at work! It's funny, a long time ago I thought I'd be so fun to have people dote over me and my belly and look at ultra sound pictures and all that jazz at a baby shower, but I am SO excited to share with those who have walked beside us and those who will forever be a part of our little guys story.

So, we made a wish list of a few things we knew we'd need. We asked for no clothing because we have no idea what size he'll be, we asked for some necessities and we are asking that people bring books to donate to his orphanages since we know they need and want books for the kids.

And you know, it's just a really fun way to keep people involved and let them bless you, sometimes I need to be ok with that.

Here's some inspiration for ya, courtesy of Pinterest 

How are you prepping for your new kiddos?

My New Favorite Advent

Hey guys,

So tomorrow is December 1st!!!! I love December as much as I love October, and that's alot. Every year I search a million fantastic advent ideas on Pinterest. I think "I can do that", but then I totally never do (I'm no Jenna , but follow her on instagram if you want to feel inspired and a little inadequate).
So anyway, I always start out with great intentions, but it just never happens. One reason is because I like a more modern look with traditional values and that's hard to find! So I usually have the intention of creating something. I had just come to the conclusion that once again, the advent was not going to happen this year, when look what I stumbled upon...

Just the right amount of funky for me! And guess what? Sarah is offering them as a free download as well as already done in her etsy store. I'm doing both. I'm a few days late since I just ordered them yesterday, so I'll be using a few downloads to get us started. Aren't they awesome?! Thanks Sarah!!!

Life In Color

Hey guys,

Check it out! I've found a life book that's not ugly! Seriously, that's big news. As I'm sure you've encountered, a baby book isn't really going to cut it for adopted kids. Though I certainly experienced cravings (for doro wot) and mood swings, the topics just aren't all the same. These books by Life in Color are cute and perfect for our little ones. The pages are also removable, so if for example, you don't know anything about Birth Mom, you can just take that page out. Really customizable. Here's a few sample pages.

Cute, right? You can get yours here. 

This is How Men Nest

It's true, men do some nesting when it's time for a baby to arrive too. Is Brandon scrubbing the floors? Nope, not so much. A little decorating? Remodeling a bit. But no, his nesting is taking shape in the form of cigars. You know how men have that darling tradition of celebrating a new arrival with a smoke? Well, Brandon's taken it way farther. He's started making his own cigars (last year), and he's perfected the craft so well that they now sell his cigars in a local shop. Well, he made some for when Jude gets home.

He also made some for another couple that we traveled with. He decorated the box with their son's initials and is sending them to his cigar loving daddy!

Aren't they lovely? I have to admit, I never knew it could be such a pretty craft, and I do like the smell of the leaves. NOT the smoke. But the leaves smell nice. :)

On a little sidenote: I hope you guys aren't getting crazy bored with my life, but I'm scaling waaaay back on internet, a bit of a fast - and I'm not scouring the web for stuff to show you. It's all original content for a bit. Hang with me. Or send me a post!

Gingermelon Obsession

Hey guys,

It's been a while since I made this one. But I'm back on it. When we were in Ethiopia for Jude's court date we had a group of kids that would trail our van in the area around the orphanage. Dirty and smiley, some would bang on our windows, some just watch and wave as we rode by. And they crave chocolate too. They could easily say "chocolate"!

Fast forward a bit. Now we're home and waiting for news from Embassy to come and get the little guy. I need something to occupy my hands while I'm waiting. This has been the hardest wait! So I've been making tiny little blessing bags. The hubs will have to pack all these to Africa himself, with all of his stuff and Jude's stuff, so it can't be big. So I turned to one of my favorite shops, Gingermelon, and bought this pattern and got to sewing. You can't tell from the pics, but these little babies are so tiny. I have no idea what's up with the sick satisfaction I get from sewing something this small by hand. I don't know what's up with that, but it's true and I love making these dolls. They are made of felt, so they're super light. Here are a few packed up in a snack sized ziplock. The older girls are getting bracelets and the boys are getting Hot Wheels. But they're all getting chocolate!

On another note, the family of the week is kicking off the day with $983. Have you donated yet, and did you see that cool video?! 

See you tomorrow, where hopefully I'll be able to tell you that we've been submitted to Embassy, and cleared in record timing! Oh, and I'll show you what the hubs has been doing to keep his hands busy. It's crafty, get your mind out of the gutter!

Freezer Food for Sanity Saving

Good morning, y'all! So my little guy is going to be here soon. Like, it's about to get really real. In a few weeks three littles will be here. And Will is starting school on Monday. And when Jude gets here, he's likely to have physical therapy multiple times a week. What's all this come down to? Getting it together NOW! All moms should do this from time to time. Ladies, I'm talking freezer meals.

Lately I've been trying to revamp our family's eating habits. Researching and trying to be sneaky. Let me tell ya, they are not to be fooled. Organic, whole wheat mac and cheese - not happening. Whole wheat bagels - um, no. The three year old spit it out. Low fat? Nope. Even Rachel Ray is too gourmet. What's up with that?! Anyway, in the end I just caved and bought the Taste of Home freezer mini cookbook at the checkout line yesterday. I don't know if Taste of Home is strictly southern, so let me share if you're not familiar. Taste of Home recipes can be counted on to be eaten by all because they are delicious fat bombs with zero sophistication. Think ground beef plus cheese plus onions. It's good stuff. And I'm thinking that the family has made major concessions lately with the traveling and changes. The least I can do is feed them food they'll eat. At least for a while. The best part is that I can do this all ahead of time. I've bought a boat load of meat on sale yesterday and made my list of cheeses and disposable casserole pans and I'll be cooking next week. I'll have about a week or two with one kid while Will's in school and Jude's not here. This is my plan to prepare and stay busy. But with school starting it's a great idea for anyone. Sports and music and all that jazz are starting too.

So do you have any great make-ahead meals for us? I'm gonna need a pinboard for this...

PS. Our family of the week, the Dinsmores, have brought in $3,417 so far!!! You guys are amazing! If you donated, don't forget to throw your name into the comment section of this post to win one of new awesome tshirts! You still have all weekend too. 

Need a Reason to Shop?

I love a good reason to shop, don't you? Here's a few reasons.

See these gorgeous necklaces? Don't you love them. You can have a word stamped onto a vintage key as a keepsake or reminder. I just adore them. And the money supports the adoption of two little guys in Africa. If you want to know more about that, head over to this lovely blog. It's one of those gems.

Speaking of gems, this next mama is certainly a bright, shiny one. I could squeeze Jenny Marrs. And she just opened her Etsy shop full of cuteness. Another awesome blog there, too.

And if you're a Noonday fan (ME!), good news. No, it's not the new lookbook coming out soon. That's a different post for a different day (can't wait). Stephanie Nunes, one of our past give1 mamas, is having a sample sale. 20-30% off some of her pieces. That's going down Sunday evening on her blog. I'll be stalking. 

Have fun shopping and supporting other adoptions. Speaking of supporting adoptions, we broke our first thousand of the week for the Dinsmores yesterday. We're kicking off the day with $1,044! 

OK, OK, I hear ya!!!

I have heard your cry for T-shirts! It's happening! I've placed the order for a bunch of these cute shirts. I have a shirt like this and I love it. Let me tell you a little about it. This one is charcoal gray. It's very feminine, but not super snug. It's kind of drapey, flowy. Perfect for wearing with jeans, a thin tank underneath, and some fall boots. That's how I'll be wearing mine anyway. I'm featuring the give1 logo and that's it. I was going for simplicity on this one.

They are pretty true to size, but like I said, drapey, so it sort of depends how you want to wear it. I adore mine, but I will say that they are a tad low cut when you bend over and stuff like that, so I wear mine in layers with a tank underneath. To help you figure sizes, I'm broadcasting myself in all my glory. I'm a size 8 and a medium usually, and I own the medium in this one. I am going for a large this time though, because I like really loose tees with my skinny jeans during the fall and I'm pretending like it's about to be fall.

I am selling them for $25 shipped through this Storenvy site. Just for transparency, I'll let you know that all the money goes straight to our bank account. Believe me, I'm super tired of fundraising, but the awesome new website (hint: click on 'back to the map' over there at the top of your sidebar. there's a starbucks giveaway on the asia blog today) is insanely awesome and I paid for all of the sites and logos and splash page and all that myself. We don't advertise and we don't get paid in any way, and I've recently dropped some serious dough on our adoption and all the new sites and I'm in the red. So the t-shirts are just a way to recoup some of that. Not high pressure at all though. I promise to not blow up Facebook with sales pitches 5x a day everyday! They are in production right now and I'm guessing they'll be headed your way in about 2 weeks. I'm super looking forward to it!!!

And on a somewhat different topic, check out the pics Wynne took while we were in Ethiopia!

Could you just eat him up?! One week and two days in the worst wait yet, and I can almost smell him. 

Vain Girls Guide to Ethiopia

I got the amazing privledge of meeting Beth (creator of this lovely
site!) this week in Ethiopia and she told me we needed to write a
“vain girls guide to ethiopia” and she’s right! I have been nervous to
post but after 5+ weeks of being in Ethiopia (waiting for embassy!)
and visiting with and photographing numerous adoptive families - I
thought this was a subject I could tackle.

So the time has come!  You have waited, completed paperwork, home
studies, fingerprints, fundraised, waited some more - and now it’s
finally time to head to Ethiopia to meet your child(ren)!  It’s such
an exciting time and I know there is much on your mind - so let me
share a few little tips for your African travel.

There are a few things that I never leave home without.  Wipes (not
just for the babies!), gum and coffee.  Granted Ethiopia has pretty
amazing coffee, still - VIA packs from Starbucks are high on the list.
I blogged (here) all about my must have travel list.  But I thought
I’d do a special edition for all of your adoptive mommas out there.  I
wish I could say I had it all together when we left for our court trip
but I had 33 hours to prepare, so there were a few things I left at
home I wish I hadn’t.  Now, we all know the plane ride is terribly
long - so you’ll want to be comfortable.  A good neck pillow is a
must, along with good eye cover thingy (you know!) - for sleeping, and
don’t forget your ear phones.  I always pack an extra pair of clothes
in my carry on just in case our bags are lost.  And I carry a zip lock
with mini facewash (or face wipes), toothpaste & toothbrush, deodorant
and a little bit of makeup.  That way when I “go to sleep” I do my
night time routine & same when I wake up.  It makes me feel like a
normal human being.  As far as what to pack for your time in country -
bring things that you know you look good in & are comfortable in (hey!
there will be pictures!).  You don’t have to be all missionary-ish.
Right now in Ethiopia it’s chilly & rains every day - so jeans, close
toe shoes!, and a cardigan and light rain jacket are perfect.  I do
always have to accesorize (noonday anyone?) and attempt to fix my
hair.  Make sure you bring converters for your hair dryer & styling
tool of choice.  I wish I had my tan steve madden boots to wear here
also....so if you have some cute tall boots that you want to rock in
Ethiopia & you have room...bring em!  Now, court!  I really don’t
think they could care less what you wear, but most adoptive families
like to wear their Sunday best to court.  I wore leggings & a dress
and my husband wore khaki pants and a polo.  So go in your man’s
closest and pick out your favorite shirt & pack it for him :)

As far as what you should bring for your child(ren) it totally depends
on the age.  My babies are 5 & 6 months old so I brought a few cute
outfits (I changed them into them for family photos!), blankets to
leave with them in their crib (that I had slept with - so they smelt
like me), a book to read with them, and two little lovies.  When my
husband comes back for embassy he’ll bring our baby carriers, outfits
for plane home, bottles, diapers, wipes, diaper bag, little toys, etc
- but this trip we really didn’t bring that much.  Because everything
you give them now will be most likely stay with the transition
home/orphanage - so I didn’t want to bring anything too special that I
knew wasn’t going to be going home with them.  Something else you
might want to bring (that I didn’t get to do!) is pictures to leave
with them.  I’ve seen people do the really cute soft picture albums
(from target baby section) that they leave - or pictures to tape above
their beds.  A friend this week brought a ink stamp & card stock to
stamp their babies hands and feet - so sweet!  For older kids,
bringing little things to do together is good - bubbles, soccer ball,
stickers, any sort of little toy/ball that they can play with (I saw
someone had a cute blow up globe ball they got at Hobby Lobby).  And
like most kids you know, they too know how to swipe your iphone/ipod -
so having pictures of family or video to show them is really fun also.
I have seen a few friends (with toddler and older kids) bring a
special necklace they bought just for them & they presented it to
them.  Such a sweet moment between parents & child. You might also
want to check with your agency about the foster home/orphanages needs
- and if you have room or can pack an extra bag, they would be really
blessed from donations you bring that they specifically need.

A few other things not to forget to pack: snacks to keep in your purse
(for long days at transition home), kleenex, chapstick, hand
sanitizer, sleeping aid, any medication you have, dry shampoo (in case
the water goes out) and your camera.

You are going to be great.  Be confident, excited and at peace.  The
moment you meet your child, you will forget about all the craziness in
packing to go to a foreign country.  You will fall in love!  While you
are in Ethiopia, be sure to go for coffee at Kaldis, shop for
traditional outfits, bring home some Tamoca coffee, have a fun night
out at the traditional resturant,  and fall in love with the people of
Ethoipia.

Compassion International Homeschool Curriculum

Back to school time is almost here! This year Little Mister will be in 1st grade! I can't believe it. We attempted homeschool for a couple of months last year, but I don't think it's going to work for us, so back to public it is. I'm looking forward to spending some alone time with Abby before Jude comes home. Anyhoo, back to the topic.

We all know how important it is to teach and instruct our kids to have kind hearts and open minds. Well, look what I found on Pinterest to help that little endeavor along (good pin, Linsy Wallace!). Compassion International has a few free lessons regarding God's Global Family. The lessons include studies on geographic regions and what their life is like, as well as Biblical teachings on things like evangelism, giving, and praying for others. Check it out if you're looking to fill up a couple of summer weeks!

We're Growing!

Hey Guys,

Big news on the Give1 front too! In a few weeks when you type in give1save1 it's going to take you to a world map. If you're an Africa fan you'll just click on the Africa, but if you happen to have other adoption interests (and so many of us do), you'll have several new blogs to follow and new regions to learn about and support. We hope that Give1 will soon become not just a goofy passtime, but also a resource for adopters.

The domestic adoption blog will be run by one of our own past featured mamas, Bonnie Kulenkamp.

Of course we'll be looking for families to feature right away, so if you or someone you know needs an application, send an email to Bonnie at onesweetworld67@gmail(dot)com.

Lindsay Morris is heading up the Caribbean blog. 

You can reach Lindsay at lindsaym_83@hotmail.com for an application.

We'll also be featuring Asia on their own blog. Asia has been ridiculously successful on this blog and they totally deserve their own space.

Tonya Garrick is pioneering that one. Email her at tonyagarrick5@gmail.com for an application.

We're still looking for someone to take on Europe and I think that'll round us out. Anyone else who's not represented (like if you're adopting from Antarctica, perhaps) will hook up with one of us for a week. We're about to break open the adoption world! I'd love it if you could help spread the word to all your friends that might be interested. We'd love to start out with a bang!!!

West Elm's South Africa Collection

To die for. I love all things West Elm, but seriously, smoosh WE and Africa, and I'm in heaven.

My faves include:

So there. A way to get some authentic Africa into your home without paying a ton in luggage fees! What's your fave?