HOT HOT HOT

On my phone, I can track the weather of my favorite cities. I've got our city, the city in California where my dad lives, London where my extended family is, and New Delhi all easily checkable.

The highs have been scaring us a little. Tomorrow's predicted high in New Dehli? ONE HUNDRED ELEVEN!!!!

I got nervous, believing that the longer it was before we could travel- the further into true summer (after all, it's only spring, right?)- that it would be even *hotter*. Thankfully, given India's location on the globe, their season isn't the same as ours and May is often the hottest. No chance of us traveling in May at this point. So, while we want to get to Dorothy a.s.a.p., I can see the positive in the wait. Ha!

Disneyland

California Trip- March 2009

When my brother set his wedding date, we knew we'd be heading to SoCal in spring 2009. Conversations surrounding Christmas heavily involved not getting the kids "stuff". We have a playroom with tons of things that have been given to them that they don't play with. Consumable gifts are the best in my book (they don't turn into "junk that must be picked up" after a few weeks), and tickets to Disneyland ended up being what we gave them!

We had three months to get excited about the trip, which made the actual cashing in of the present even that much more sweet. We'd talked about which rides they could go on now that they'd been unable to the last time, two years ago (height issue), and discussed what we'd want to do when we first got there.

Our tickets were parkhoppers and we did Disneyland the first day- joined by Eric's family, and California Adventure the second day- just us. We did bring the stroller, and every child rode in it at one point or another, but it was nice that it wasn't an absolute necessity (everyone can walk well). Of course, when Dorothy comes, we'll be saying goodbye to that freedom once again- but we got a taste of how easy it gets when the children are older.

Because they were older and taller, nearly all the rides were available to our 3 kids. That milestone made it more enjoyable for them (more rides!), and more enjoyable for mom and dad (less splitting up!). Tears were shed when Dean was a hair too short for Indiana Jones, and tears were also shed by Lael when she *wasn't* too short for Space Mountain and rode- but probably shouldn't have.

Lael and Dean were the most amazing to watch because they didn't get scared. Both truly have an adventurer's spirit and it's amazing. Grant always had to be talked into things like that when he was younger. In the end, he has fun, but the dread and nervousness are tall mountains for him to overcome. For Dean and Lael- "what mountains?!". :-) So, Dean thought Space Mountain was AWESOME (if you've never been- it is a fast, loud, roller coaster in pitch dark). And Lael was the four year old on Thunder Mountain with her hands in the air going down the big drop!

Next time, Dorothy will be with us! We said that 2 years ago when we were at Disneyland (thinking our Taiwan adoption was going to happen within a year), and it didn't happen. But, THIS TIME, I can say 100% that next time we'll have 4 kids with us. :-)

And, of course, this is what our precious cargo looks like after two days of theme parks on the way back to Grandma's house:

Box of "Dorothy chocolates" available

*picture an example of Jen's work- actual Dorothy chocolates will be different

Remember the fabulous chocolates that my friend made for our prize giveaway? The ones that are India-inspired? Jen donated 3 boxes as prizes. One of the winners has graciously re-donated her winnings so that we can re-sell the items and bulk up the adoption fund even more! I'll likely put the COACH bag on eBay or Amazon. Not sure about the stationery or jewelry, yet.

But the chocolates can't really go on eBay. And they are best eaten quickly. Probably in the next two weeks. (though Jen said that freezing might be an option to buy yourself a month)

Again, the three flavors are:

-chocolate covered coconut curry marshmallows

-chai tea bonbons

- mango mint coriander ganache with mango pate de fruit (fruit jelly)

Your box will contain equal amounts of each for a total of 21 chocolates! Handmade designer chocolates go for about $2 each in NYC; the box is worth $38. Anyone interested, please tell me in the comments. If more than one person is interested, I'll take the highest bidder. :-) I'll ship them Priority Mail to you for free.

Grandma's kitchen

California trip- March 2009

Magic comes out of Grandma's kitchen. It is one of the sweetest things to be cared for by Eric's mom. She is truly in her element with spatulas, ovens, aprons, and flour. We were lavished upon with treats, and nibbles, and goodies galore while we were in California. And while it would have taken a family of 10 a whole month to eat what she stocked her fridge(s) and freezer with, we enjoyed what we could while we were in her care. Upon arrival- just off the plane!- we tasted Whoopie Pies and Dean's smile in the above picture says it all. There were blueberry scones with lime curd, and lemon curd, and clotted cream. Donna's famous pasta salad! Waffles and pancakes in serious numbers. Pumpkin muffins. Blueberry muffins. And some other sort of muffin I've forgotten about because there is just too much greatness contained in that place to remember it all. Amazing food is her love language. We celebrated Dean's birthday out there, so a Grandma-crafted Iron Man birthday cake was a must. Lael helped with the frosting, which was such a beautiful sight, and the end result was far superior to any bakery cake- and certainly better tasting! Nothing beats being in Grandma's kitchen.

Room re-do

Yes, yes, I know... I still haven't gotten back to our trip pics from California or anything else that's really happened in the past month (it's a lot, and I might never back track enough to really catch up).

Let me distract you with the super cute sheets I just bought for the girls' room. We're mid-process on a great room re-do with bunk beds, and new paint and... pretty much everything. Gotta make the space work for two princesses instead of just one!

Edited to add: For all that asked, the sheets are on sale at Target right now.

ANOTHER waiting girl in India

Our agency has just sent word around via e-mail about another child awaiting a family. "R" was born in October 2008 and has a skin condition. Records are still coming, but it is believed to be psoriasis. A homestudy ready family is preferred, or one that can be ready soon- they want to get this little girl home!

If you'd like details, I have an e-mail with pictures I can send, along with the contact information for the representative at IFS you'll want to speak with. Make sure to leave your e-mail address in the comments.

Operation BDHQ

First off, to anyone who has Dorothy's "There's no place like home" button on their blog or website- please keep it and don't delete just yet! I will be working on the site soon to highlight a few other fundraisers we're working on. I'm considering an online art sale like the Lovely Hearts gallery exhibit I participated in last year for breast cancer research (hosted by artstream). Anyway, more to come on that. For now, the website shows all the winners of the prize giveaways. This week, I'll be distributing the prizes. :-)

Thank you to everyone who pitched in and entered the prize giveaway. We didn't reach our goal, but we still had amazing support. As I cut out all those names, I was so thankful. Each little slip of paper represented someone who has taken stock in our family- someone who cares that our daughter comes home- someone who is caring for an orphan and understands the sanctity of life! So many names I didn't even know! We received $2800 in donations and are able to write a check to Shaohannah's Hope for $280! That pleases us so much and I thank God for all of you; may you be blessed!

Tomorrow's the BIG DAY!

On Friday, tomorrow, we are doing the last drawings for Operation BDHQ.

First, let me remind you that you can still Spread the Word and gain entry in the Spread the Word prize package. If you've posted the button to your blog (or website), written a blog post about Operation BDHQ, or e-mailed your friends and forgotten to tell me about it, please send me an e-mail and let me know. Unless you e-mail me, I have no way of knowing you spread the word, and therefore you will not be entered. Thanks!

Along with the Spread the Word prize package, tomorrow we will also draw the winner of the GRAND PRIZE! I am so excited to see who wins!

The Grand Prize package includes:

A Canon digital Rebel kit. A great camera, especially if you've never owned an SLR camera. I have a similar model, and I still have not tapped into all it is capable of doing!

Chocolates by Jen. I've already gushed a bunch about these chocolates but I really wish I could be in NYC and sample the ones that didn't make the cut. For details on flavors, check out the previous post regarding the Precious Things prize package.

This is yet another amazing print from the fine art photography offerings of Kate and Harry Hamernik. They also just started up a super cute cafe press shop, called My Forever Family, with T-shirts, cards, bags etc. in adoption themes. I absolutely want to get the "worth the wait" Indian t-shirt for Dorothy to come home in. :-)

Rebecca, great mommy to five gorgeous children, has offered up a fabulous prize- a "blogover". Currently on hiatus after bringing home her newest son Owen from China, she normally operates Uptown Design Studio and gives websites and blogs a fresh and personal style. The winner of this prize will have a re-do of their blog design. The end result will be stylish, elegant, and reflective of you. Trust me, she's amazing!

Lastly, there's a digital frame included. That way, you can display all the professional images you'll be snapping on the new camera!

So, toss in another entry, or two, or ten before tomorrow evening and you've got a chance! Don't forget that we aren't the only ones to benefit- Shaohannah's Hope gets 10% off the top to put toward grants for other adoptive families. So exciting.

Drawing #3 tonight!

Well, guys... we're working our way up the list and are drawing winners for some of the BIG prizes tonight! The package values keep going up, up, up. I am so excited to see winners being pulled and all these amazing people showering love upon us and our adoption of the cutest daughter ever (except for Lael, of course!).

Tonight, we're awarding the Precious Things Prize Package and the Family Fun Package.

The Family Fun package doesn't have any handmade items to describe. But, there is a Wii, GPS, digital frame, and some great toys from Big Time Toys. The toys were donated by a neighbor and are really fun things for the pool. I've had to hide it all, in fact, because my kids kept wanting to tear into the packages to play with it. So, thank you Greg and Linda Kay!

Now, the Precious Things prize package is full of amazing gifts. Things for the precious child in your life, and precious things for you. Admittedly, it is a very "girly" grouping of toys. However, should a guy win, I am certain that he'll make a woman in his life very happy!

The Precious Things Prize package contains:

- A precious stone necklace and earring set by Sarah k. of Taiwan adoption fame. That title sounds silly, right? But Sarah is in the middle of adopting from Taiwan for the second time. She is an encourager to everyone she comes in contact with and is a fountain of knowledge regarding Taiwan adoption process- both through agencies and independent. She loves the Lord and He has certainly blessed her with some lovely talent. The necklace and earring set are made of fine materials like coco, and amethyst. She blogs here and should be bringing her son, Jo, home from Taiwan very, very soon! (c'mon judge!)

- My friend Mary is extremely talented and detail oriented. For years and years, she has been a sewer, creating incredible items- quilts, soft toys, home accesories... you name it! This year, for the first time, she has set up shop and is slowly building her line of lovely handmade items. The baby booties and Mattie Kate bunny are both offerings available at Mary Mary Stationery. But, beyond all that, Mary and her husband Kris have been honorable, loyal friends to Eric and me for many, many years. They have seen each one of our children be added to our family and joyously celebrated every time, giving praise to God. Dorothy's adoption is nothing different- we have felt the love and support from the very beginning almost 3 years ago now (yikes!). Thank you, good friends!

- Tomo and Edie are two mothers I met participating in Mamamade (amazing how much love has come out of that group!). They are dedicated to creating quality items that you won't find anywhere else. For our Precious Things prize drawing, we have 3 organic baby kimonos. The cotton is lusciously soft and in natural cotton color (no bleaching!). All of the seams are on the exterior to keep the garment from irritating baby's tender skin.

- Pin tuffet by me. I won't elaborate because it seems strange to do so, but there is a needle book on the underside of the pin cushion and I use one exactly like this for all of my sewing. Of course I like it- I made it. :-)

- Designer chocolates by Jen Shelbo. Jen, a dear friend of mine from as far back as 5th grade, is now a pastry chef in NYC. Just this week, she e-mailed me with the official flavors in each one of the chocolate boxes (three are scattered throughout the drawings). Brace yourself; they sound amazing! The three flavors are: chocolate covered coconut curry marshmallows, chai tea bonbons, and mango mint coriander ganache with mango pate de fruit (fruit jelly). Oh. My. Gosh. First off, I wish I could win these. Secondly, is that not so cool that these are Indian themed?! The winner will receive an assorted box. They're all ready to ship directly from New York!

- Lastly, the same Elizabeth that donated Thank You cards to yesterday's drawing has also offered up a lounge pant/ bib set from her company Two Green Olive trees. Her items are reminiscent of the casual luxury of a beach house. Her stuff is not beach-themed, but I can't keep the thought out of my mind- salty cool breezes and these lounge pants would be *heaven*. One of her trademarks is a controlled unfinished edge- purposefully frayed to showcase the texture of the fabric and create an unfussy look. Your child will love them!

As before, we'll draw winner tonight and post the video on Operation BDHQ.

Waiting child infant- India

I've just been made aware of an infant in need of placement (born Sept. 2008) in India. She has a "seizure disorder" and needs a loving family. I'm unable to post a bunch of information here due to child protection, and inter-country laws. However, if you know anyone interested- they can contact me through the comments and I'll put you in touch with our agency. I have pictures and she is a CUTIE!

Drawing #2 tonight!

Last night, we had fun doing a little video of the drawing. Rough around the edges, but it documents it. :-) The kids all wanted to help, but we only had two names to draw last night. Grant and Lael did it, because they asked first, and Dean was grumpy about it. So, tonight, the winner of the Make It Pretty prize package will have the honor of having their name drawn by Dean! See- everyone gets a turn! :-)

Let's look at the Make It Pretty prize package:

-Charm Star necklace. I've spoken here, and here about Beth, owener of Freshie & Zero and Charm Star. This necklace is especially neat because of the two tone double chain. Bright silver, and gun metal together hold the pendant making it more interesting than your average necklace. As you might have noticed, Freshie has outdone herself in donating jewelry to Operation BDHQ. Please bless her right back with your future jewelry purchases. (Mother's Day is coming! *hint* *hint*)

- Make your walls pretty with two pieces of original art by Jodi Reeves. I got to know Jodi while organizing the last Mamamade sale in 2008. She is a think-outside-the-box type of artist who shines in multi-media work. In her own words, here is a bit more about the pieces in the Make It Pretty prize package:

"The focus of 2009 for The Creative JAR is as always mixed media, but also recycled art. I have always tried to use recycled goods in my creations, but this year I am trying to make it so on most creations the only part that is not recycled is the paint, glue, thread, markers, etc. The elements that would be hard to use from a recycled form - not that you won't see scrap threads in some of work. The two pieces I am donating are both from some of the first batch that I made using all recycled goods except the paint, glue and markers. These pieces are on recycled peg board with recycled music paper decoupaged over the top - add a little paint and markers ....."

- Another Mamamade mamma, and homeschooling mother to five handsome sons, is Elizabeth of Two Green Olive Trees. She put together a set of Thank You cards for this prize package. I don't know about you, but in this current day of e-mail, I cherish real mail... out of my mailbox. And personally, I do my best to still write handwritten notes. These would be perfect for any occasion; they're very beautiful. Lest you think this is all Elizabeth does is paper goods- wait 'til we get to one of the other prize packages! Her main talent is sewing adorable casual wear for children and infants.

- And, lastly, in the Make It Pretty prize package is a fine art photography print from Row Toward Shore. The Red Door print they've donated is of high quality and a gorgeous image- nicely matted and awaiting a frame! I know I spoke of Row Toward Shore before. It is operated by my high school friend, Kate, and her husband. Honestly, we hadn't talked in about 10 years and then re-connected on Facebook. Because of our adoption, and their passion for adoption (they adopted their son from Russia about a year ago) we've had so much to share. I rejoice over that friendship and marvel at God's perfect timing in bringing us back in touch. If you're on Facebook also, let me recommend a group they started- Affording International Adoption. Kate and Harry are serious about helping others overcome the financial hurdle in adoption, since it is the #1 reason people say they don't adopt. On the group, you'll find tips on how to save, tips on how to earn extra income for your adoption fund, and plenty of fundraiser ideas.

Check out Operation BDHQ tonight to see who the winner is!

Drawing #1 tonight!

To extend the fun all week, our drawings for Operation BDHQ will happen in groups. Make your Tax Week a great one! If you haven't entered yet, you may do so all the way until midnight CST on the 16th, but the sooner you enter, the more prizes you'll be eligible for. Tonight, when Eric gets home, we're drawing winners for the first two prize packs: "Lucky Me prize package" and the "Printer Prize". The final drawings will be on Friday. Any entry not pulled will remain in "the hat" for any prize not already drawn (though we'll likely not use a hat. hee. hee.).

As always, details are on www.bdhq.net

GIVEAWAY SCHEDULE:

Monday (13th): Printer prize, Luck Me Prize Pack

Tuesday (14th): Make It Pretty prize pack

Wednesday (15th): Precious Things Prize pack, Family Fun prize pack

Thursday (16th): no drawing, last day to enter

Friday (17th): Grand Prize drawing, and Spread the Word prize package

So, tonight, we're drawing names for the Printer Prize and the Lucky Me prize package.

Printer Prize pack is for a brother laser printer.

The Lucky Me prize package is something I want to tell you more about, though:

-Jewelry is by Charm Star, a company headed up by the owner of Freshie and Zero. I've said it before, but Beth Lawrence offers gorgeously crafted handmade jewelry, packaged well, and totally unique. her Charm Star line is fun, whimsical, and entirely affordable. Our prize pack includes a set of earrings, and a cross necklace.

-The zipper pouch is by Sharon of Urban Hen. I met Sharon participating in Mamamade here in Nashville. Her sewn items are modern, well crafted, and appealing to all ages. She offers bags- like the one in Operation BDHQ, buntings, custom crib bedding, and appliqued onesies, though I wouldn't doubt that she does so much more! She and her husband are in the process to adopt a child from El Salvador.

Edited to add: We've added a Winners Page to the Operation BDHQ website. Play the video to see if you've won!

For the love of a child

Our Operation BDHQ fundraiser ends next week. Drawings begin on Tuesday. I'll highlight the prizes for each pack in the next few posts to remind folks, but for now, I want to showcase a great idea from a bloggy friend called For the Love of a Child.

If orphans and adoption are dear to your heart, and you want opportunities to aid that cause, check out Andrea's website. It is the go-to site to view current fundraisers by adoptive families. Help bring a child home! Dorothy's on there, but you'll also find other families. Some will have giveaways like us, others may sell handmade items... I don't know. It's all just beginning as the site was only launched this week. Uniting for a common cause. I love it.

Natural Easter Eggs

My sister-in-law and I are going to try this tonight or tomorrow with the kids. I'm pretty excited, as I think it will be educational, fun, and certainly pretty. :-) I gather the key is letting them steep overnight.

Eggs colored using:

Cabbage

Coffee

Oranges

Blueberries

Grape Juice

Beets

Tumeric

Red Bush tea (rooibos)

Link here. Another here. If you try it, let me know how it goes!

"When I was a kid..."

"... the ice cream man didn't take Visa and Mastercard!"

No joke. And checks!

Tonight, all three kids got ice cream treats because one of my kids had the nerve smarts to ask if he took checks. Proving the point that it never hurts to ask!

When I was a kid, it also didn't cost $3 for an ice cream sandwich!

NOC!!!

Do remember this? You know, when God took care of the details and wowed us with how He worked things out to Bring Dorothy Home Quick.

He's done it again!

Today, we got the fabulous news that we received our NOC. The authority that governs adoptions in India, CARA, issued our No Objection Certificate in record time! This is the first of two big steps on the Indian side of things. Our agency said that this usually happens in 8-16 weeks, but we have heard of families taking 10 months to get NOC. Us? 2-3 weeks since our file went to CARA!

If you need a review of what happens in Indian adoption, here it is.

From here, our file gets sent to the courts in Dorothy's state where a judge will grant us guardianship. That often takes 8-16 weeks, but can vary. We've been told that the judge signing off is more of a formality. In other words, if you have NOC, then you're pretty much guaranteed guardianship. There is little to no worry of the adoption falling through at this point.

We would like everyone to very specifically pray for miraculous timing of this second stage. The courts will be taking a one month summer break. It would be perfect if we could be granted guardianship before the end of May, before they leave papers on empty desks and shut the doors for vacation.

And, not only did the e-mail from IFC have great news- it also had more beautiful pictures attached!!!! Our little girl's hair is getting longer, her neck looks slimmer. More toddler-like, less baby pudge. And she has teeth! You'll note that there's still a shot of her with a downturned mouth. We'll help her with that soon enough.

*A fun little aside, this whole blog post has been brought to you at 70 mph! We'd decided to head to Atlanta to shop for stuff for the house, to make it ready for Dorothy and I've got my laptop with a cool verizon card brought from Eric's work. 3G on the road! Pretty cool. (we'd decided on the spontaneous trip before finding out about NOC- about 15 minutes before pulling out of the driveway... making this an even better trip!)

Send some love!

My friend Anne, has finally received their referral of their second daughter from China after 3+ years of waiting. Their Log In Date was 3/7/2006. Go on over and wish them congratulations.

Also this week, other friends J & K (blogless, as far as I know), got great news of their match from China for their daughter. A happy surprise, as they weren't expecting a match anytime. God has perfect timing.

So, lots of happy dancing and celebratory squeals over the miraculous uniting of families. The fatherless, made no longer fatherless. Praise our Heavenly Father!

Traveling with Kids

Ever since our kids were babies, we've traveled a lot. We have family in California where we grew up, my dad's entire side of the family in England, and a smattering of extended family in all sorts of places. So, we've flown airplanes and done 12 hour drives since they were wee ones. It was never a negotiable thing; seeing family was important and we were going to do it no matter how tiring it, stressful, or expensive.

That said, it is soooo nice traveling with kids who are a bit older! I think this was one of the most enjoyable trips we've ever taken by plane. Grant is 8, Dean is 6, and Lael is 4. All this will change, of course, with the addition of Dorothy, but getting a taste of easier travel gives me hope for the days ahead.

We flew American Airlines this time because of price. Buying 5 tickets makes that one of the biggest factors when purchasing flights. I don't like that, but it's just the truth. So, we were subject to their new fee structure. They charge for everything! They charge to check bags ($15/each way for domestic flights), they charge for snacks, and they charge for headsets. You can have one carry-on per ticketed passenger and one "personal item". As our kids could help, we actually only checked one bag for $30. So, we had 3 small rollerboards, one camera backpack, one laptop backpack, and my purse all to carry-on. We checked the stroller at the gate (allowed free), and we checked the two booster seats (allowed free) with the checked bag. Honestly, one more rollerboard carry-on could have done it if all of our toiletries hadn't been an issue because of the liquids rule. That's why we checked that one, allowing us all the bathroom stuff we desired! We did have to switch planes on the journey from Nashville to Orange County, but everyone knew their job and we did it! I'm so proud of the kids for pulling their weight (pun intended).

Now that the kids are older, we successfully kept everyone happy and busy and not fighting for all 5 hours of flying with this:

-coloring books

-chapter book for Grant

-laptop and a DVD for the long leg of the trip (using our own earbuds thankyouverymuch!)

-a few games on the iPhone in airplane mode

-snacks (no $4 chips for us thankyouverymuch!)

I ran by Half Price books the day before travel and got all this for about $15. Each kid was able to pick a reader and a coloring/activity book:

Back to the snacks- having something to nibble helps pass the time, and keeping it healthy ensures that the munchkins aren't acting out because of sugar coursing through their veins. I bought some Sweet and Salty granola bars as the treat, but had beef jerky, trail mix, and fresh Clementines for more substance. On the way home, we did have some gummies and amazing muffins from Grandma stowed in our carry-on along. Treats and bittersweet reminders of what we were leaving behind on our trip home. :-(

Traveling with this age group was nice, too, because we could rent a sedan. Bigger carseats can make a sedan impossible with three kids (they don't all fit in the back row), but now that Grant can ride without, and Dean and Lael have the very compact boosters, it was PERFECT. I still love our van at home for the captain's chairs and cargo room, but the Maxima was super doable and a very fun drive (that thing starts with a *button*. Seriously, people, a button!)

Eric and I have our own traveling routines and "jobs" that we've settled into over the years. We rarely even have to talk about it. I pack for everyone but him. He puts the bags up in the overhead while I get the kids seated and fastened and happy. When the plane de-boards, he gets the bags back down. At the end of the trip, he's the re-packer while I take care of the bathroom bag stuff after each family member's showers. I love it... the routine and the teamwork! :-)

Random things to add (I might add more later if I think of anything):

-I always insist that the kids thank the flight crew as we exit the plane

-Ask for the can when requesting drinks so that you can give them a *small* amount in the glass that way spills are less of a gush, and more of a trickle (also, go for water or clear soda- no stain!)

-we found out that Dean is super sensitive to the ear pressure on take-offs and landing and made sure to have gum at the ready (it kind of helped, but so does yawning if your child can do it easily)

Anyway, the biggest encouragement I can give other parents who are nervous about carting their kids through airports, and lugging luggage is to JUST DO IT and HAVE FUN. It just gets easier and easier with each trip and your children will have life experiences that are irreplaceable and educational.

train between terminals at Dallas/ Fort Worth airport.

Standing in the front makes it super fun. Zoom!