Melia's 6th Birthday

Sweet Melia turned 6 on January 29th, 2011.  SIX YEARS OLD!!  What a big girl!!

There are so many things I could say about this amazing little girl's birthday, but I think the pictures pretty much speak for themselves. :)

Her school party on Friday (the day before her birthday):

Opening presents from Mommy, Daddy, and Camden on her birthday morning:

Breakfast of Champions on the way to watch cousin Isaac at his swim meet (he got 1st place in one of his events!!):

Melia's friend birthday party at the Flip Shop:

Then, we wrapped up the day with her family party at her favorite restaurant, Logan's Roadhouse:

We have been so blessed with this little girl in our family.  From the moment she was born, she transformed us from a couple to a family and our lives have never been the same.  As her mommy, I am so proud of the young woman that she is becoming.  She is sweet and sensitive and cares so much about others.  She loves Jesus, family, friends, reading, school, her teacher, being challenged, "girl time" with mommy, gymnastics, playing piano, music, watching movies (not scary ones, though!), playing with her brother, and writing.  She also told me "and I love to behave".  And that is true, she strives to be the best little girl that she can, even reciting the classroom rules if asked!  She is beginning to ask questions about Jesus living in her heart and understands things way beyond her years.  She also has an impeccable memory!

In some ways our sweet girl is still such a little girl and needs so much help and guidance and yet, in other ways, right before our very eyes, she has become a big girl: so independent and helpful.  She understands that in a family, everything we do affects others and that it's important to always be mindful of that.

She is such a healthy little girl, even with her picky eating habits!:)  It's hard to believe that we spent so much time at the beginning of her life driving back and forth to Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for her Developmental Dysplasia of the Hips.  She runs and plays like the other kids in her class and continues to have great check-ups every time we go.

Miss Melia is a bright light in our lives and we love her SO much!  Thank you, God, for our amazing little girl!

Winter Adoption Auction is Over

If you've been following our blog over the last week, you're probably aware that our adoption auction is now closed.  Thank you so, so much for your part in this fundraiser.  Whether you donated, prayed for the auction, or placed a bid, your support of our adoption means SO MUCH to us!  "Thank you" seems inadequate, so please know that our hearts are overwhelmed with your generosity!  We will post a grand total when all the money has been received and the items shipped. 

 

If you won an item, I have sent you an E-mail detailing your next step.  If you think you won an item, but didn't get an E-mail, please contact me at jnchase311 @ yahoo.com and let me know.

 

If you wanted to help us, but did not win your item, there are still ways you can support us.

1. Pray for our journey.
2. Leave a monetary donation (donate button on the sidebar).
3. Buy Just Love Coffee (check out the sidebar) or participate in one of our other fundraisers.
4. Commit to donating something for our next auction this summer.  If you'd like to do this, please leave a comment on the bottom of this post and I'll add you to my list of people to contact! :)
5. Watch for other fundraisers. 
6. Pray for our journey (oh, did I say this already?!;))

 Again, thank you so much!  Keep following our journey...we appreciate you.

His Hands Taiwan

One year ago today, Trevor and I took the first big step towards our adoption and placed our names on a waiting list to apply to adopt from His Hands Taiwan, Inc.  Of course, our path took a major turn, but I still think so highly of HHT.  I think often about their amazing ministry and how the two families who run it are such a light in a dark world for women who may not otherwise hear the Word or who feel that they have no hope.

I still blog-stalk follow :) several blogs of families that have adopted from this ministry and I wanted to introduce them to you:

The Farmers 

The Raboins

Kalina also raises money for adoptive families and missions through her on-line shop:

The Claytons

Kate also has an Etsy shop to cover the expense of adopting a second child from HHT:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/theadoptshoppe

The Brodines
http://gettingreadyforyou.blogspot.com/

The Kirks

http://lesliekirk.blogspot.com/

The Densons

http://katelinhope.blogspot.com/

Though we are adopting from an entirely different continent, these families have a special place in my heart.  They each have such amazing, unique stories that led them to adopt from the same place and that have been very inspiring and encouraging to me as we have embarked on this adoption journey.  I pray that God continues to bless them and their beautiful families.

American Girl Doll Quilt {Tutorial}

 Looking for our Adoption Auction?  Click here. Ends tomorrow!!

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Yesterday, Melia and I fired up our sewing machines and used some fabric straps to create this cute little doll quilt perfect for Melia's American Girl doll! :)

I had so much fun posting my last tutorial here, that I decided this fun little snow day project was worth sharing, too!  This one is

Materials Needed:

5 strips of fabric in your choice of colors (4" x 20" each)

1 larger piece of fabric for the backing (20" x 16.5")

1 piece of thin quilt batting (19" x 15.5")

Scissors or rotary cutter with mat

Sewing Machine

1. Cut backing fabric and strips of fabric for the front.  I held the straightedge on my mat and had Melia used the rotary cutter since her hands were too little for the fabric scissors.

 2. Lay out the fabric strips in the order in which you would like them on the quilt. *Trim at this point if needed.

 3. Sew fabric strips right side together.  We skipped the step where you pin the strips since we had four hands for this project! 

Melia used her little Pixie sewing machine and I guided the fabric through while she used the foot pedal.  She was so cute and kept telling me to "watch your thumb, mommy".   P.S. That pile in the back is not the laundry...it's a pile of projects waiting to happen! :)

 4. Cut the batting to size and lay on top of the backing fabric.

 5. Iron the backing fabric and the panel made by the fabric strips (be sure to iron the stitched edges all the same way to create stronger seams).

6. Sew together the right sides of the fabrics with the batting on the outside of the backing fabric using a 1/4" seam.  Leave a hole unsewn large enough to flip the quilt inside out.

7. Cut the corners and flip rightside out.

 8. Sew a 1/4" seam around the outside of the quilt, creating a finished look and holding the batting in place.

9. Smile proudly and hold up your doll's new quilt! :) 

Yes, that is a tent in our living room...just one of our many fun snow day/night activities on our week off of school!! :)

Let us know if you make one of these!



Upcycled T-shirt Dress {Tutorial}

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It is snowing like crazy here!  This is the last pic of our deck I got before dusk...

Last I heard, we got 19.5 inches!  I feel like I live in Alaska with my buddy Anne! :)

It looks like we are going to be stuck inside for several days, so my sewing machine is going to get some good use!!!

In the spirit of the snow and because of some inspiration I got from this tutorial by Cheri at "I Am Momma, Hear Me Roar!", I made this upcycled t-shirt dress for Miss Melia today:

Since I made several changes from the original tutorial, I thought I'd do my own tutorial.  I'm a first timer, here, so bear with me!

Materials needed:

1 short sleeved shirt correctly sized for the child (M's was a size 6 that I picked up at Wal-Mart for $2)

A variety of t-shirts in any color/print that you wish (one should be long sleeved)

Scissors

Sewing Machine

Cute Little Girl

1. Cut out strips of the t-shirts.  I did 2 sets of 5 strips (one set for the front, one set for the back).  I cut each strip 5" wide.  Make sure they are wider across than the width of the small t-shirt. 

2. Lay the strips out to arrange them as you want them.  At this point, decide if you need to "embellish" any of the strips.  We used the stamp/fabric paint technique from the above mentioned tutorial.

 

I had the kids do this part, but it kinda stressed poor Camden out.  Who knew he was such a perfectionist?!

I painted the purple part according to Melia's specifications.:)

3. Pin the pieces together.  I liked the idea of having the rough edges out, so I pinned the wrong sides together.  I also used Cheri's advice about the bottom strip, using an already existing seam at the bottom.  Sew these pieces so that you have a front panel and a back panel. 

4. Use a straight edge and rotary cutter to straighten up the sides.  You want the bottom to be just slightly wider than the top.  Pin and sew the two panels together, right sides together, and then turn right side out.

5. Measure your little model's arm from shoulder to wrist and cut the sleeves off the long-sleeved shirt at that length.  Cut the sleeve down the seam and hold the sleeve up to your model's arm, pinning it all the way up where you need to sew it. 

6. Sew the sleeves up to create a smaller sleeve (it will be a tube).  This would be a good step to use a serger if you have one.  If not, cut the excess material from the sleeve.

7. Make sure the sleeve is inside out and turn the little shirt (the top shirt) inside out.  Cut the long sleeve at an angle and pin the top edge of the long sleeve to the seam where the short sleeve meets the shoulder.  I tried this on my 'lil model to make sure the sleeves were the correct length.

8. Sew around the seam to attach the long sleeve and turn right side out.

9. Slide the dress part into the little shirt, pin in place, and sew around, leaving the top edge rough.

And, you're done!!

I also made a little matching purse using some of one of the shirts for the main part and the bottom seam of the gray shirt for the handles.  And, what's a custom dress without a custom headband?  I just used the seam of the purple shirt, sewed it to create a finished look, and tied a few of the cotton scraps together for the "bow".  Cute!

The best part?!  As I was putting this together, I was thinking about where these shirts came from.  Guess what?  I only bought the gray one (for $2)!  The long sleeved one and the seafoam colored one were given to me by my mom.  I got the off-white damask one from my friend, Tiffany Jett's garage sale a couple years ago.  And the purple one was from a t-shirt stash that my friend, Kristin Perry, gave me!  I would definitely say this was the most inexpensive project I've ever done!

Hope you're inspired to make your own!

The Loft Bed

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In a post I did awhile back, I mentioned the totally rockin' loft bed that Trevor made for Melia.  It is finally getting the post it deserves!! 

When Trev and I started talking about where we would put our kiddos when we bring them home from Africa, we decided we needed more space.  Since finishing our basement is not a feasible option for now, we figured we should raise the kids' beds up to make room.  So, for Melia's birthday, she got a loft bed!

I LOVE this one from Pottery Barn!

I wanted it, but in white, and was absolutely NOT going to pay $1,200 for it!

So, the camp bed knock-off was born...

Note the wainscoting on the outside like the PB version! :)

He put cork board up for a bulletin board on one side...

 

...and a whiteboard on the other side!

 

 The carpenter himself!!

 Yep, she loves it!  To be honest, so does Camden...he calls the reading nook underneath his "office" and does really important stuff under there (like play with his legos!).

So, here is why my husband is a rockstar on this project:

1. He did it for about $200 (1/6th the PB Price)
2. He added those awesome extra things (the whiteboard and the bulletin board)
3. He made it where he can add the bottom bunk if we adopt a girl
4. He did not totally wreck the house while he did this project
5. HE DID THE WHOLE THING WITHOUT A BLUEPRINT!  It's true...the only plan he used was some sketches he did with a couple of guys from work and his own concept!

Hope he's ready to do Camden's in May! ;)

P.S. Thanks, Richard Jett, for hanging out and helping Trev with this project!

Adopting an Older Child: Something on My Heart

 Looking for our Adoption Auction?  Click here. :)

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We are in a blizzard warning today...a blizzard!  In Missouri!  AND, it was in the 70s just three days ago!  This snow is said to affect 100 Million people!!  When I heard that, I thought, "Wow!  That is a CRAZY amount of people to be affected by one thing".  

And then my mind wandered to orphans (as it perpetually does) and I remembered that there are

147 Million children

who are affected by this one thing.  No mother, no father.  That amount is unfathomable to me!!   I'm thankful that we have met so many who are willing and able to adopt and are expanding their family and standing with Christ in "defend(ing) the cause of the fatherless" (Deuteronomy 10:18).  However, I truly believe there are more people (maybe YOU!! :)) who God is calling or is going to call SOON to bring an orphan (or two, or three, or four) into your family.

If you are thinking, "That's nice, but I've already raised my children" or "I've never had children, I just don't think it's for me," this post is specifically for you! ;)

Before you read on, please watch this video...

Ethiopian Orphans from Simon Scionka on Vimeo.

Did you notice that A LOT of the orphans depicted in this video are "older"?  (By the way, older in the adoption world is a child that is over 2!!)  Many of these "older" children sit on a waiting list until they "age out" (sometimes as early as age 14) and are often left to fend for themselves. 

However, you could change that in the life of an orphan.  You could be the mother or father that they have longed for, prayed for, dreamed about.  Maybe you have never really considered adopting because you are "too old", "done raising children", or "not called to adopt."  I'm simply asking you to consider it and pray about it.  Adopting older children comes with some challenges, but, as I like to say, God does not call you where He won't equip you! 

There are many older children who will never have a home because those of us in our "child rearing years" are unable to adopt them due to birth order rules (many agencies will not adopt children out of birth order, a rule that we agree with for our family).  However, there are so many families who could provide a loving home to an older child/children.  Are you one of them?!

Will you consider it?  Will you pray about it?  Will you open yourself to the possibility that God might say "yes"?!  I hope so.  Because, when you open your heart and your home to an orphan, the population becomes

147 Million - ONE!!