drywall. wet paint.

we just finished drywalling our bedroom! whoop!! next steps.... mudding & painting then the carpet- then we can officially move our furniture down from our 'now' bedroom into our new one. and that means the baby's room is now ready to welcome our child in to one day. actually it will be the baby's room slash guest room as it will have a twin bed in it for when our child grows :) and probably also used for late nights and early mornings for mom and daddy to chill out in when we are up with our little one!! Cant wait to start doing a lil decorating. the walls are painted red, which we will keep. i plan on painting gray elephants or similar mid-height around the crib in a border style. this bedroom has its own bathroom and walk in closet so our baby will have his own baby suite to grow into which is kinda cool. we have renovated our 'new' bedroom downstairs by opening up the wall to the bathroom so we too will have access to one :)- jack and jill doors. i have a feeling though that our lil one will be spending alot of time with us in our room during the adjustment- and it just so happens we came across a smaller crib recently that has been in my husbands family for generations. he used it as a baby as did many others. very cool! i see that crib being in our room as well :)

quick update

right now we are working on some home improvements. we have been assigned our social worker with our agency. soon we will be applying with our home study agency as well. the next step with the adoption is to start on our official application. we are getting there!!! :)

welcome Fall

... We missed you!

t(ree) - shirt

so, i have this t-shirt that, having been through the dryer one too many times, just did not fit anymore; but i did not want to throw it out. the wording upon this shirt is golden. i thought, hey i will use it within a wall hanging in our office.

my mother-in-law is an amazing quilter; and so she created this:




dispersed throughout are the words upon the t-shirt,

Advice from a Tree:

*stand tall & proud
*sink your roots into the earth
*be content with your natural beauty
*go out on a limb
*drink plenty of water
*remember your roots
*enjoy the view .

fundraiser #1, Fall .

This weekend has been a crafty one; assembling bags, melting wax, adding chip dye and then the secret ingredient-Extra essential oils, in preparation of completing our very first batch of orders. Our home smells as if you stepped into an apple orchard & went from smelling of Harvest, to Apple and onto Pumpkin tomorrow, all within a matter of three days. Fall is officially here y'all! See sidebar for photo in color; all Ethiopian colors. Enjoy bringing Fall inside? if so, please check out our link . In the months of Nov.-Dec. wick candles will be available as well.

i spy ...

a NEW template! our other two blogs never had a glitch within the comment section within their layout. why this one did, i guess we will never know. regardless, it was figured out and we now have a better flowing blog to boot; upon recalling (duh) that to actually have a normal comment 'link' (without asking readers go thru click'n the post titles to do so) involved installing a new template. blah. i knew that; but preparing to conquer it took alot of patience & time (ironically, something needed as all AP's know). so, went all out & gave this blog a complete layout lift! < sigh > good grief. now, am off to Zzz.

Bono. One. (Red) .

post summary can be viewed at end of videos.

campaigns as progressed throughout the years:

Bono.

within video 2, there are what some would consider disturbing 'images' upon its start (i have a hard time referring to people as images). viewing is up to the viewer however we hope one does carry on to watch. & honestly, please pardon me but, suck it up cause it is real and it exists. yes, it reveals one childs desperation being sought thru a farm animal. obviously the result of extreme dehydration, malnourishment, starvation; pick one, each goes hand in hand; surviving upon any means to replenish his little body. along side Bonos' artistical music, led into the heart of the video evolves a level of humanity worth witnessing (by the way, love this song!).

campaign, 'One'


most recent campaign, '(Red)'

I almost had the privilege of meeting Bono. Years ago while working within the missions department of a church, the staff was informed that this man was arriving to speak upon issues such as Human Rights,Global poverty and Africa within our very walls. We soon however learned that he had to cancel this engagement as he had unexpectedly been called & needed elsewhere. This was many moons ago, but knew who he was from the band U2, then becoming aware of his efforts in Africa & his global Human Rights campaigns which now are world known. Aren't they? Well, its getting there. Do I personally respect this man? Well, I do not personally know him so I cannot answer. Now, ask me, do I respect his Efforts and Causes? Well, HECK YES!; which tends to lead into actually respecting the individual from a standpoint of common ground. Whether or not one likes Bono as an artist or an individual is ones personal decision. Some view him for what good work he is doing, others scrutinise him. It seems vividly logical to respect one fully for the good effort they put forth. Whatever the case (Red) has raised funds & awareness; and of the two isn't awareness the point. As I have seen the t-shirts around, it shows he has gotten the message out; even if only a hand full of people understand what this campaign means & represents thru interpreting the Cause as awareness, than Bono has succeeded. His fame, nor his money nor his name should matter; those things have only paved the way to help aid the crusade by offering time & support in a way many 'celebrities' have not. He's a person who seems to continue on while welcoming the understanding & support regardless of any wasted speculation. Well done! I would like to some day attend one of his concerts. It appears he is touring overseas 2010; if anyone knows otherwise, of an upcoming united states tour please let me know.

footnote: the 'videos' themselves are humbly validated through many adoptive families who have, after returning from Africa, shared that they cannot forget what they saw; that they are forever changed.

dreams & hope matter

" You know a dream is like a river
Ever changin' as it flows
And a dreamer's just a vessel
That must follow where it goes
Trying to learn from what's behind you
And never knowing what's in store
Makes each day a constant battle
Just to stay between the shores;
Too many times we stand aside
And let the waters slip away
'Til what we put off 'til tomorrow
Has now become today
So don't you sit upon the shoreline
And say you're satisfied
Choose to chance the rapids
And dare to dance the tide ;
There's bound to be rough waters
And I know I'll take some falls
But with the good Lord as my captain
I can make it through them all "