I'm so excited about this new line up. Last weekend, I was talking with my cousin and she said that I should make flower headbands because she saw several at a the Queen Bee Market Craft show that she had gone to. I've always seen them and thought they were cute, but didn't really know how to make them or even what to charge for them. Being the teacher that I am, I did a little research and found out that they were selling these head bands for as much as $60 on Etsy. I watched a few tutorials and realized that I already had most of the supplies, so I set out to make them.
The day before I decided to make them, I had seen these display heads at the thrift store for $1.95. I passed them up because I didn't have a use for them. After I decided to make these headbands, I went back to the same thrift store praying that they were still there...God is so awesome they were still there and I picked up 4 heads to use for my display. I headed over to Joann's found some floral tape and some wire to make the bands. My military skills finally came in handy...I used my safety wire wrapping skills to twist the wires together and make the head band shape. I had a huge box of flowers from an old craft show that I did. I think I had paid $5 for the entire box thinking that I would be able to use them for something. Those flowers stayed up in the closet for about 2-3 years before they ever found their purpose. With new knowledge, I was able to finally use these flowers, tons of ribbon and the lace that I had stashed away in a drawer.
The first one that I made wasn't very good. But I was able to undue it and I tried it again with a different flower arrangement. I've gotten better just in the day or two that I started making them. I'm already up to 8 headbands. I think they turned out super cute. They would be great for a wedding, photo shoot, costume, or Renaissance fair.
After a day of making them, I realized that it would be a perfect adoption fundraiser if it works out. You know the "f" sound in flowers and Philippines. So before I went to work today, I designed a sign that I will use to promote the adoption fundraiser at the craft fair this weekend.
So where are we at in the adoption process anyways. We are at the very beginning. I am in the research and information gathering phase. We went to an initial adoption information meeting back in February. We filled out all the paperwork. It took some time, because we had to wait for our taxes to be filed before we could answer all of the questions on this pre-application form. I wasn't planning to tell people that we were going to adopt so soon, but I had been pinning some adoption stuff on Pinterest and that info popped up on my facebook account. People started asking me about it before I even told my family. I told my mom about our plans, before I ready to let her know because I didn't want someone on Facebook to tell her. Fortunately, I had read all of those articles about what not to say to someone that is adopting first. I think my mom said every single one of them, but she seems ok with it now. I attended the Empowered to connect conference in April....I also found out those hours counted towards our number of training hours required. Awesome adoption conference....but I was able to use the information in my special education class and it has made a huge difference. A friend of mine coordinated meet up for some adoptive families. It was great to learn more from them. I felt like I was really far behind in the process, but it was great to know that I wasn't alone and there is a huge support group for adoptive and foster care families in San Diego. I've been reading a lot of adoption blogs and books and talking to people that have done this before. I got a stuffed dog to remind me to pray for this child and wrote a letter about why I am doing this. Reading Psalm `139 in light of adoption has amazing new insights for me now. So I still haven't turned in my pre-application. Why? I lost my passport and the paperwork said that I needed it. I picked up the forms at the post office and started filling them out. Last week, I overheard someone at work talking about getting passport pictures at Costco really cheap. We went there on Sunday after church and took passport photos. On Mother's day, both my inlaws and my parents asked about how the adoption was going. It seems like I haven't done much, but I guess I have. It started getting more real when I realized that selling crafts might not be the best fundraising opportunity for this adoption. But I actually found an adoption team on Etsy and joined that. I also figured out one of my worst fears about adoption last week. I'm a special education teacher and there are a lot of days that just wipe me out. At the end of a long day like that, I sometimes get irritated being in a store where a kid is just non-stop crying...and I was afraid of my reaction to a kid after one of these types of days. So last week, I had a horrible day at work and then went out to dinner with some friends that had an 8 month old and a 2 year old. The baby would not stop crying and I had a headache and little patience. My friend handed me the baby...she kept crying, I kept my reactions under control, and I was able to get the baby to stop crying. I went home finally having the confidence that I would be able to handle this if I ever became a parent. I finally contacted the agency about whether we could submit the paperwork without the passport info. It is ok...so the pre-application is going in the mail tomorrow morning. Yes I am a dork---I tried to do a fundraiser before I even sent in the application....no wonder it didn't work. I know God is laughing at me. But it is incredible to think that if it is a 2 year wait for the adoption process---this might be the year that the child that God has prepared for us to bring home may be born now and can't wait for me to get all this paperwork done so they can be with their forever family. It is still strange to have people ask us about the adoption process--mostly because I have no idea what we've gotten ourselves into. But I'm looking forward to seeing how this next chapter in our lives unfolds. It is amazing how God is weaving all of our days and the days of the life of a waiting child into a new story that will point to God's amazing love and grace.
Psalm 139:13-18
For you created my inmost being;you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
your works are wonderful,
I know that full well.
15My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
16Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be.
17How precious to me are your thoughts,a God!
How vast is the sum of them!
18Were I to count them,
they would outnumber the grains of sand--
when I awake, I am still with you.