Training Day

   Dan and I had our all day training session on Thursday.  It went really good, but it was painfully long!  10 hours to be exact!  There was a wealth of information thrown at us.  Dan and I started to get even more excited about this process!  The last part was my favorite; they had a panel of 3 adoptive families with their 3 adorable little ones!  It was fun to hear their stories and to know that not too long ago, they were sitting at the same meeting we were!  Things are moving fast, and we expect to hear from our social worker any day to start our home study interviews!  We're starting to work on our profile that will be seen by birth mothers so we can be ready to post is as soon as our home study is completed.  We're planning on attending the next LSS class that teaches us how to do our own outreach to find a birth mother. LSS has had more success with their outreach program than their waiting family book! 
   Also, I want to testify of the Lord's provision yet again!  We were told months ago of an anonymous donation.  Well, it hadn't come in at Bethany, and when we switched to LSS, the donor said they would be sending it to the new agency.  A couple weeks pass, and we find out our home study fee is due before we were able to attend this required Thursday class (the next one wouldn't be for 2 months).  So this past Sunday, I was starting to fret, as the fee was due is a few days, and we didn't have the money to pay for it!  Praise the Lord for a calm husband!  Dan told me I needed to trust the Lord since we felt the the Lords leading to start this process when we did, he would provide if he wants us to continue at this time.  Well, Monday afternoon, I find a message on our answering machine, our donation had come in, and our next two fees are covered!  Praise the Lord!  He does provide, and I don't need to fret! :)  Now all of our 'first half' fees are covered, and we won't have to make any payments until after we're placed with our child!  We're so thankful for the gift we received!  We're also thankful for the peace that Dan and I have had through this; God is creating our family, and we are so excited to meet our baby!

  Dan showed me this verse yesterday, and we both thought it was so cool!  Psalm 113:9
"He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children.  Praise ye the Lord."
He doesn't say he will make her bear children, but he gives her children!  The verse makes me cry...  I am so excited to be a joyful mother of children! 

  Enjoy the weekend!

A glimpse of our nursery

My idea for the nursery is starting to become a reality!  I spent the last couple days laser-leveling (thanks Fishers!), taping and painting, and I am SO happy with the results.  The room isn't finished yet though, we still need someone to trim our windows and doors...  Hopefully that will happen soon, and I can show the finished room!  It was time consuming, but I think it was well worth the added effort!


Here's what the room looked like before I got at it!

Nasty

No Thanks

And here is our much improved, striped nursery!

So much better!

The branch and birds are for my other project.... I plan on mounting the branch above the crib, with the little birdies sitting on the branches...

Now we just need some furniture....  and a baby....  :)

Nesting... Another Completed Project

  So even though I am not pregnant, knowing a baby will be coming in the near future, I have started nesting!  I want everything clean and organized before we bring the baby home!  I'm still plugging away at the baby room... we had a minor set back due to needing the ceiling re-sprayed, and then I needed to repaint the walls due to over spray.  It is looking pretty good in there, hopefully I will have some pictures of it completed soon!

  Dan and I migrated to our basement bedroom for the summer because it stays so cool down there, so we've been putting the finishing touches on that room.  Last night we completely cleaned out our garage and got it organized!  (Dan's form of nesting)  It was a big task, but it looks so great now!

  For the past couple weeks, I have been refinishing an old hutch that was given to us.  I wish I had taken a picture of it before I painted it; it was oak with gold hardware, so not super cute.  I am really happy with how it turned out, and it makes a wonderful addition to our dining room!

  I've been trying to limit myself on buying stuff for the baby, but when I saw this at a garage sale a few weeks ago, I knew I should get it, considering we needed to buy one!  It is almost the exact car seat I wanted, but instead of paying $180 for it, I got mine for $50!  I got it all polished and cleaned up, and it looks brand new!

  In adoption news:  We've recently purchased the 5 online adoption courses we are required to take before attending our training day, so now we just need to find the time to complete them together!  We're at the point where we are paying for services, including the home study!  For some reason, writing out checks to the agency makes it feel more real!  Please keep us in your prayers!  For guidance, wisdom, and for the Lord's provision! 

Wonderful Song

Dan and I discovered this song yesterday, and it quickly became our new favorite!   Psalm 148:13 "Let them praise the name of the LORD: for his name alone is excellent; his glory is above the earth and heaven."