100 Etsy Sales!

Well, there's no new news on the adoption front. However, I would like to announce that yesterday I made my 100th Etsy sale! Yay! I wanted to blog when I made my 100th sale in general, but as I was trying to organize my business stuff, and thought about counting my orders to see how close I was, I realize I blew past that a while back. So, technically, I guess in the past 2 and a half months or so since I started this, I've made about 144 sales!

When I think about that, I'm just blown away by God's goodness! He has really blessed my shop! Seriously, if you go on Etsy and search for one of my items, you can literally scroll through hundreds, maybe even thousands of items before you find mine! So it's a wonder that 100 people had all day to scroll through thousands of items before they settled for my dresses! Okay, so maybe not really, but I know that God is in control, and that He has heard my prayers!

It's so encouraging when I get notes from people who have read some of my blog posts, and our story, and they take the time to send us well-wishes or share their stories! There are so many wonderful, caring people out there, and I just want you to know that your support means so much to me! Sometimes, they send me pictures of the kiddos in their fall or Christmas dresses, and it's so special. Keep them coming! It never gets old! Keep us in your prayers!

Update on my shop

I just wanted to give an update on my Etsy shop. Things are going really well! The first couple of weeks after I opened it up, I had a couple sales a week, and I was happy to have one every other day. Now it seems like as soon as I finish up one order, and start to pack it up for shipping, I hear that "cha-ching" on my phone to let me know I've got another. It definitely keeps me busy, but thankfully I'm not overwhelmed.

Chase's school had a fund-raiser vendor fair, and I participated in that. I didn't sell as much as I thought I would, but I wasn't disappointed. Since I decided to make everything to order, I was fully prepared to be completely stressed out and running around like a crazy chicken with my head cut off for a couple weeks trying to get it all done. I was able to get everything finished within one week. And my amazing bff, Kim, got me a beautiful sign. She's the best!

Also, I was really excited to be able to outfit a Christmas production! A school ordered my dresses for their elves in their Christmas play! I really hope they send me a picture, because I was thinking about making a scrapbook about my shop, and why I started it. I absolutely love it when people send me pictures of their kids in my dresses.

I'm sure things will slow down after the holidays, but it's really nice to be able see our adoption account going up. Everything, even the shipping money, goes directly into it, and then we're paying out-of-pocket for expenses and shipping, so that way it's like we're adding to the fund every month too. Once our adoption is paid for, if I keep up the shop, which I very well may, I'll use that account for expenses and what-not, but for now, I just want to see it grow!

Be sure to check it out! www.etsy.com/shop/forbeautifulbaby

One year today

Well, I suppose it's come and gone. Today, we've officially been waiting for a baby for one year. I must say, when we first started the process, I had it in my head it would probably be just under a year. But then again, I knew it could take a long time. This is one of those times where it's really hard to accept God's timing and be patient, but I know there are other families that have waited even longer.

I just pray that she will be here soon. Goodness knows I'll be ready. I think the only big thing I still need is a car seat. I have a year's supply of diapers, I'm working on the wipes, I bought the crib, made the bedding and accessories, and that's about it. My sweet mom and sister bought me some baby clothes the other day. It's nice to have just a few just in case it happens quickly, I don't like feeling unprepared. AND, in case you missed my last post, my amazing dad just made a custom shelved closet, so her room is mostly set up and organized. I love it! So one year down, hopefully no more to go =)

My dad is cooler than your dad!

Some of you know my dad, and that he's, well, awesome! You should have seen him whip up--I mean, help me with my science projects that I forgot about until the night before. Once I had to create a lighthouse, and we made one that was so real looking, and then he took a flash light magnifying glass and rigged it up so that the lighthouse lit up. Needless to say, I got an A+ on that. I've never met anyone else quite like him, someone who can take scraps and a neat idea, and literally make something that would blow your mind. He can do anything!

And he's a carpenter! Now, I have to say that it is SO convenient to have a dad that can build anything! I take advantage--I mean, he's so nice to come do stuff for me! Some of you might have seen our garage that he turned into a playroom about three years ago.

 

Before. Look at how handsome he is!

After

The cabinet on the left side there is a pull down bed. Absolutely my favorite part, perfect for guests.

Well, after 10 months of nagging, uh, I mean, sweetly reminding, he came over on Saturday and made my dream closet for the baby's room. I am so excited about it. When I was getting the room ready, I ripped out all the wire rack shelves because I can't stand them. Check out the new closet!

I love it! He's not quite finished yet. He's going to add some shelves on the sides. But I just had to share. 

I also want to give a quick shout out to my sweet sister and her hubs, Alison and Gabe, for coming out and spending the day power washing my house. I am so blessed to have such a loving family! I honestly took that for granted as a kid, thinking all families loved each other, got along really great, were always willing to help each other out, and just genuinely enjoyed spending time together. But then I remember so many of my friends, who would spend time with us as a family, would always say, "Wow, your family is so great, and you guys are so close! I wish my family was like that." Just another one of God's blessings! 

So to my family, I love you all so much, and thank you guys for your unending love, support, encouragement, and reliability. You guys are the best!

Meet the Coalson's!

One of the really great things about this adoption journey is that we get to connect with other families who are in the process, or have adopted. It's really awesome to be able to connect, share their journeys, pray for them, encourage them, and just know that we are not alone in this. There are other families who have been weary, and frustrated, and have come out with a beautiful child, and will tell you that it is so worth it!

I know I can complain about the wait sometimes, but the other day I was connected with a sweet little family that has been waiting for 3 years! Yes, you heard me right, that's three times longer than we've been waiting! They are adopting from Ethiopia, and like many other families, their process has been held up be many different reasons. They were finally matched 6 months ago, went to meet her, and still, 6 months later are waiting for the paperwork so they can bring her home. I can't even imagine!

Feel free to check out their blog and follow their story, and even consider making a contribution to their adoption. Fees for adopting internationally are huge, but we know that God will provide when we are following His will. They are having an online auction, so check that out too! Help them FINALLY bring beautiful Ryah home!
Here is their blog:
www.coalsonadoption.blogspot.com

God calls us to care for the orphans and widows. That doesn't mean everyone is called to adopt, but doing what you can to help those that are can be your way of obeying God's command. But most importantly, pray, pray, pray! We need prayer more than anything else!

Giveaway!

First of all, be sure to check out my dress giveaway at ForBeautifulBaby! Click on the link below, share the photo on Facebook, and be entered into a drawing to win this dress, but hurry, the contest ends October 15th!

Here's the link:

https://m.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=609687325739406&id=601459736562165&set=a.609687319072740.1073741829.601459736562165&source=46&__user=722157885

I've been working really hard in my Etsy shop, and things are going pretty well. I'm still trying to spread the word about it. I got my business cards in the mail last week, and I'm excited to have those. I've been asked to participate in two vendor fairs. That's really exciting too! I'm hoping that will really expand my customer base and spread the word on my shop! It would be amazing to be able to fund all of our adoption expenses through this!

This week, Summit Church has been doing community service projects. I signed up to work at two different pregnancy crisis centers. I went to the first one yesterday, and it was really nice! All the services they provide are free, and it is completely funded by donors and churches. I got the tour, and how the program works. They teach the parents life skills, and with each accomplishment, they earn "mommy bucks" which can be used to purchase baby items that are in the baby boutique, which is all donations as well. I might have to donate some of my baby stuff. 

I encourage all of you to check into your local crisis centers and see how you can help. I really feel donating your gently used items there would fulfill a greater need than donating them to Goodwill. These people provide a wonderful service to those mothers in need, and they share the gospel message with them too! 

For Beautiful Baby

So many of you know that I love to paint. And you probably know that I love to sew too. I just love anything crafty. I love to make things. I blogged about the baby bedding that I made a little while ago, and that was the first thing I had sewn in probably 12 years. I decided to make some baby clothes, and, well, the idea exploded and now I'm making and selling baby and young children's clothes on Etsy. I also will be selling some of my paintings.

I came up with the name because I am making clothes to raise funds to help out with the adoption costs for our Beautiful Baby, and also because I'm making clothes for your beautiful baby. Cheesy? Maybe a little, but I never claimed to be a marketing genius.

This is what I spent all last week doing, and I usually tell my mom everything, but I was so busy sewing away, we barely talked all week, and I never told her what I was doing. Now, just to be clear, in the span of about a week, this went from a suggestion from a friend to look, I just opened a store. I sent her a quick email after I set up my store, with the link, and said, "I opened up an Etsy shop. It would be great if you could help me advertise." She responded with, "Is this real? Is this a joke?" I got a good chuckle out of that. She has no clue what Etsy is, and she probably was thinking I opened up like, a real store. But I know, even thought she didn't say so, she is supporting me. She is just so good like that, so supportive. She's my #1 fan. =)

I really love doing this. It is my passion. It is a talent that God gave me, and I love to be able to use it.
I am so excited about my shop, and I know that in order for it to do well, God has to bless it. I can sew my heart out, and make fabulous stuff, but unless God blesses it, it won't do any good. So I'm asking all my supporters and prayer warriors, please pray for me. Pray for my shop, and pray that God would bless my efforts, and that through this He would help us raise the money so we can bring our Beautiful Baby home!

Here are some of my outfits. To see them all, go to http://www.etsy.com/shop/ForBeautifulBaby

Great Wall of Diapers

I think I've mentioned before that I've been stocking up on diapers. At first I would just buy a big box every time I went to Walmart. Then I learned about people getting them super cheap, and now I'm trying to stock up on them when I can get a good price.  I just realized I've been doing this for a year now, and I've been putting most of them under our bed, so I couldn't see them, and really had no idea how many I had. I decided it was a good idea to get them out and see if I needed more, or had too many of a particular size, etcetera.

Behold: The Great Wall of Diapers! That's 1,724 diapers. I counted.

The sad thing is, according to most people and their estimates, That's about half of what I need. However, I think those people are the types of people that change the diaper every time it gets wet. I mean, let's be realistic people, I don't have all day to change diapers. I mean, I don't wait till it's sagging past their knees or anything, but they pee every 5 minutes, especially when they're little. It has been a few years since I had one in diapers, though, so maybe I'm remembering wrong. I think I've done a pretty good job getting a head start, and since I've worked tirelessly clipping coupons, researching sales, and running to 5 different stores to get all the deals, Cory has graciously agreed to change all the diapers. Or he will agree to it.  I forget which one. I'm sure I can convince him. 

I've had baby on my mind so much lately. The fist 6 months or so I couldn't think of anything else, and then for a few months I was able to distract myself with hobbies, and now I'm back to thinking about her. you know how a particular time rolls around, and you're like "Wow, was it really a whole year ago that that happened? Where did the year go to? It went by so fast!"  Well, looking back to last year, I'm more like, "Wow, was it really only a year ago? It feels more like 5 years, 3 months, and 21 days!" 

I've been thinking about how I've been making all these clothes for her, and making her bedding, and having fun decorating and preparing, I have never met this child, she's not even alive yet, and I already love her so much! It's like with God, He has always loved us, even before we existed, He loved us. Even when we were sinning against Him, and hated Him, he still loved us. I love how this process so far has been such a reminder of salvation, and how we are adopted by God. I guess that's sort of the purpose of it, to imitate Christ, and to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and caring for the orphans. It's a sweet reminder. 

It's funny though, because when I get where I'm thinking about her a lot, I dream about it all the time too. And I have some really crazy, vivid dreams. I dreamed about her the past two nights, and last night, I dreamed that we finally got the call, and it was a 1-year-old instead of a newborn, which is fine with us, but I was like, "Oh no! All these clothes I've made were size 0-3 months!" Then my mom dreamed that we went somewhere to pick out a baby, and they had all these babies laying around and they were all dolled up, and some of them had lipstick on, and she kept thinking "Why do they have lipstick on?!" You know I'm going to have to do a photo shoot just for her when I get our baby! =)

Sew happy!

I've been stockpiling fabric ever since I made the bedding and got hooked on sewing. It's something about making it yourself, it's so much better than shopping! I've been staring at my pile for a while, and everytime I sat down to make something, I'd browse the web for three hours trying to get an idea, then give up because it was past my bedtime. 

Well, I'm pleased to announce that I finally made something! I made a little dress. It is incredibly cute! I know it looks kind of orange in the picture, but its more like a coral/melon pink. I'm really happy with the way it turned out, and just wanted to share. 

We still haven't heard anything, but I've been spending my time trying to learn how those crazy couponers get diapers for crazy low prices. The best I've managed is $4.50 for a small pack. Not a bad deal, but still not free. I think they get a coupon for, let's say, mustard that's on sale for $1, but the coupon says $2 off, and so the store actually pays them to take the mustard. So they get a billion mustard coupons, and buy a billion bottles of mustard, and the rest of their groceries end up being covered by that. I don't really have a need for a billion bottles of mustard, and I don't want to go around stealing newspapers out of driveways so I can get multiple coupons. I'll just have to be content with my $4 diapers! 

Fundraiser Concert

      Even though sometimes I feel like it's never going to happen, I also feel the need to get ready! One of the questions we had in the beginning (as I'm sure most people who adopt do), is how are we going to afford this? We've been saving money every month, but still, it's not exactly chump change. If the placement happens before we can save up, we are prepared to take out a loan, but it would be great not not have to do that. But throughout all the doubts, financial or not, God always sends us a reminder that we are doing the right thing, and that He is looking out for us. It always makes me smile, and often times I laugh at myself for even doubting. I feel silly that I forgot to trust Him.  But He always knows when we need encouragement and reminding.

    Well, being a human, imperfect and full of flaws, and a memory of a 90-year old, I needed another little reminder.  A couple weeks ago, I got an unexpected phone call. A very sweet friend of mine, who happens to play the guitar, called me and asked if he could put on a fundraiser concert for us. That blew me out of the water. This guys is so generous and self-less, it really shouldn't have surprised me, but like I said, I was feeling a little stressed about it all, and God knew just what I needed.

      I am so excited about it, and I thank God for his ever faithfulness, and his patience. I thank Him for sending these very special people into my life, people who love Him, and have servant's hearts. It's hard to know how to say thank you to such a wonderful gesture. Thank you everyone who has supported us through  this journey thus far through prayer, love, and encouragement. We need it more than you know.

    On another note, now I'm hooked on sewing, and since it's been a while since my last project, I decided to find something new to work on. Every once in a while, our neighborhood has a neighborhood yard sale, which is really nice, because they do all the advertising. All I have to do is set my stuff up. I believe we have another one coming up in the fall, and people having been generously giving me their junk. =) My mom had several nasty old car seats and strollers in her shed, and gave them to me. What am I supposed to do with an ugly, nasty car seat? Well I bleached the heck out of it, and made a new cover, that's what I did. It was a very fun project. Here are some before and after pictures:

This is after I washed it good. Nobody wants to see what it looked like before that. 

Then I took my seam ripper, picked a good movie, and took the whole thing apart.

After I took it apart, I basically just sewed the new fabric on it.

Here's the finished product. It's not perfect, and sewing the pieces back together was much harder than I thought it was going to be, but it turned out okay considering it was the first time. So let's start the bidding =P

Chase's Pillow

So I started on my quilt for the baby bedding a couple days ago. There is so much cutting and sewing, I was only doing little bits at a time. This afternoon, I was working on it and Chase came in and started asking about how the sewing machine worked, so I started to explain it to him. Then he wanted to try it, so I cut a couple of scraps for him to sew and walked him through it, and he actually did a really good job! I took my machine back over and he started complaining that he wanted to do more, so I suggested he make a pillow. He picked the pattern, the fabric, and the size. I did the cutting, and talked him through it, but he made the whole thing himself. The only sewing I did was the edge stitching  not because he couldn't, but because we didn't have enough time if he was going to finish it in time for show and tell tomorrow. I was so proud of him!

                                 Here he is putting the squares together and lining them up carefully.

                                                               Sewing the pieces together.

 After sewing all the squares together.  He really did a fantastic job. The edges aren't completely straight, but come on, he's 7!

And the finished pillow. This took him about 2 hours to do, and I was surprised he didn't get bored, especially because it's so repetitive, but he was determined that he wanted to make a pillow for baby sister. This set is really turning out to be very special. I just had to be "that mom" and brag for a minute.

Baby Bedding

     So, although I haven't blogged in practically forever, I have been busy. I started my work-from-home job, and I've been doing that on top of my regular job, and now it's grass-mowing season. Hurray. As far as baby news, there is none yet, but that's only because we aren't ready yet. I told Cory we needed to jump on all our projects and get them done so we'll be ready, and as soon as we finish, we'll get our baby. He snorted and told me my optimism was cute. Hey, maybe it won't work out quite that nicely, but I'd rather have everything done and wait than procrastinate and get the call and then try to frantically rush to get things ready. Plus, I'm really trying to motivate Cory to do the closet for me. So far it hasn't worked.

     When I was about 11 or 12, I took a few sewing lessons. It wasn't for long, maybe once a week for a couple months. I remember being so mad that my mom was making me go to these stupid classes, and she didn't even care that I didn't want to go. Well, lo and behold. after I got over my little tantrum, I actually really enjoyed the classes. I remember making a little patchwork pillow, that I gave to my Aunt Betty. She still has that thing, by the way. It seems like no matter what it was, I gave my mom a hard time, even if I enjoyed it, and especially if I didn't want to admit it. This was one of those occasions, so thanks Mom! You were right.

     I never got into it that much. I remember making my Mom a Greek-style, one-shouldered dress out of an old ratty sheet. I really don't know how she kept her composure when I begged her to try it on, and somehow she did. I also made Barbie bedding for my best friend's little sister. I made the sheets and the pillowcases, and the skirt and the comforter.  It was a lot of fun, but I think that was the extent of it. Well, for some crazy reason I decided I wanted to try to make the bedding for our hopefully soon-to-be baby.  It took me forever to pick what I wanted, not to mention that I jumped in and painted a mural before even thinking about the fact that it might be hard to coordinate. However, I fell in love with this fabric, and luckily it goes perfectly with the mural I painted.  I think so, anyways.

    I was a little worried that I was jumping in too deep, not having sewn much before, but I literally prayed and prayed before I started. I started off thinking I could do it for a fraction of the cost, but by the time I got everything I needed, now I see why bedding sets are so expensive! After putting so much money into it, I was worried about messing it up completely, but, like I said, I prayed that God would bless my efforts and what do you know, I think it turned out looking like something a pro would have done.  You can be the judge. I started on it Friday night, and finished up Saturday afternoon. (Yes, I put Cory in charge of the kids and practically locked myself in my "sewing room"). It was a lot of fun!

I still have a couple more pieces to do like a curtain and pillows, and changing table pad. And by the way, I'm not so talented that I just jumped in and started cutting and sewing. I did follow a step-by-step tutorial online. So until next time, just praying for a baby! =)

Baby names

Cory and I have actually started thinking about names. We've been thinking for a while now and have quite a list of possibilities, but none that just stick out as the perfect one. You know, it's kinda funny, but one of the most interesting places to find inspiration is in the credits of a movie. Seriously, have you ever sat there and read through those?

Chase and Ryland have been trying to help us come up with something too. Ryland usually insists on Princess, and Chase has been cycling through the girl names in his class. I'm looking for something a little different, but not Rainbow Blossom different. When he suggests some of the most common names, he gets all upset when I say no. Then he asks why we get to choose and they don't. I told him he could name his own kids. :)

So until we find the perfect name, the search goes on... And on... And on...

Busy Month

I have definitely been busy this month! I purchased a crib, painted and started designing the closet, painted a mural on the wall, and painted a nightstand table for the baby room. I also started what will hopefully be my stay-at-home job when the time comes. I am very excited about all of this! I keep telling Cory I just have a feeling it's going to be relatively soon. He doesn't agree. He thinks this is going to be God's way of teaching me some patience. Oh, I hope not! I do worry I only have this feeling because we are actually starting to get prepared. It's just hard to wait on something so exciting, especially when you have no idea how long the wait might be. I am praying for patience, but I'm also praying for a baby now :P

Adoption Tax Credit

I have been anxiously waiting to hear whether or not the adoption tax credit would be extended, and it appears not only that, but it will be made permanent. There will be some changes it it. It will no longer be refundable, and it will not be quite as big as it was, but hey, every bit helps! I am really excited about that and just wanted to share. Here is a link for more information.
http://adoptiontaxcredit.org/2013/01/02/adoption-tax-credit-is-continued/